POP Century~Unofficially the Grooviest FAQ Thread #7~Sept 2012

[marshallandcartersmo]

Just looked at Disney hours and our 2 MK days are now opening at 8 (we like to do rope drops) Our 2 MK days are scheduled 1 before and 1 after our long drive to/from Disney. ANYWAY, from POP, how long to each park if we are driving our own car (I'm sure this is somewhere but I can't find it).

We have our own car and think it may be smarter to use it??

But isn't it MK that drops you off right at the gate if you use the buses...might have to use the bus our MK days.

 

[Valley Twin]

Just looked at Disney hours and our 2 MK days are now opening at 8 (we like to do rope drops) Our 2 MK days are scheduled 1 before and 1 after our long drive to/from Disney. ANYWAY, from POP, how long to each park if we are driving our own car (I'm sure this is somewhere but I can't find it).

We have our own car and think it may be smarter to use it??

But isn't it MK that drops you off right at the gate if you use the buses...might have to use the bus our MK days.

The Unofficial Guide says about 40 minutes, but that would include time from parking lot to TTC to the front gates by either ferry or monorail. It list the bus time as about 24 minutes.

 

[EpcotBill]

It's 5 to 7 minutes to DHS, 10 to 12 to Epcot. I never timed AKL or MK but it's about 10 to AKL and 15 to the TTC lot.

 

[jcarwash]

Just looked at Disney hours and our 2 MK days are now opening at 8 (we like to do rope drops) Our 2 MK days are scheduled 1 before and 1 after our long drive to/from Disney. ANYWAY, from POP, how long to each park if we are driving our own car (I'm sure this is somewhere but I can't find it).

We have our own car and think it may be smarter to use it??

But isn't it MK that drops you off right at the gate if you use the buses...might have to use the bus our MK days.

Yes, MK the resort buses drop you at the front gate area. Car drivers need to park and travel by monorail or ferry.

 

[Whazzatk]

Am I the only one that doesn't care about location? I'm going to WDW!!! I do not care where my room is, as long as its in WDW!!

 

[captaindavidhook]

Not sure if this was asked, but does Pop offer room service at all? I know there is a pizza delivery service but I was talking breakfast and such.

 

[stitchlovestink]

Not sure if this was asked, but does Pop offer room service at all? I know there is a pizza delivery service but I was talking breakfast and such.

Sorry, none of the values offer room service. I know it's probably not the answer you wanted to hear but unfortunately it is what it is. Hope it doesn't stop you from giving POP a try. It's a great hotel even without the room service!


Posted from Disney Forums Reader for Android

 

[LeeBobDerby]

Good morning all, I will be traveling to WDW next Thursday with my partner and 2 children (girl 10 and boy 8). We will be staying at POP Century for 2 weeks. We are also getting married at Cypress Grove on 10/30. We are all very excited for our first visit to the US. We have booked for a preferred room pool view and would like to be able to do the online check in but have been told this is for the US travelers only. Can you please confirm this? We booked through Disney and they could not give me a yes or no. They confirmed all my details were correct and that it might work.

I am not too bothered about where we stay or what area we are facing because i have read here that everything is not far to get to. We will be hiring a car though and would like to know what company you guys would point me to. We are only having the car for a week from Sunday-Sunday. Could you confirm that the refillable drinks cup is only for the Resort and not all of WDW? Do we have to book the for the fireworks and is there a charge? What time is good to enter the parks? Also is there anything worth booking for at WDW to make sure we have a seat or a good place in line for something? How about somewhere nice to eat after the wedding that the kids would also like?

Driving wise, what are the driving times to the main destinations in WDW from POP? Sorry, i have a million more questions but will try and read all the posts before asking any more in case the answer is in a post. Thanks for all your help!

 

[H20DogsNDisney]

we will be at POP in 4 days. What time does petals bar close and do the pool times change at this time to.

 

[Janet B]

Am I the only one that doesn't care about location? I'm going to WDW!!! I do not care where my room is, as long as its in WDW!!

I'm with you!! I usually make a request but I'm happy anywhere in Disney!

Good morning all, I will be traveling to WDW next Thursday with my partner and 2 children (girl 10 and boy 8). We will be staying at POP Century for 2 weeks. We are also getting married at Cypress Grove on 10/30. We are all very excited for our first visit to the US. We have booked for a preferred room pool view and would like to be able to do the online check in but have been told this is for the US travelers only. Can you please confirm this? We booked through Disney and they could not give me a yes or no. They confirmed all my details were correct and that it might work.

First off... congratulations on your upcoming marriage!! Best wishes for a long, healthy and happy one!

Regarding online check in ... that information is not true. Guests outside the U.S. can use this service. Be sure to have the Disney reservation number for checking in ... (if you used a travel agency or wholesale service you will need to call them for the Disney reservation number). The website is: www.mydisneyreservation.com. Sometimes there are circumstances where you cannot use the on-line service ... if numerous changes have been made, if disney has modified your ressie, are examples. Almost of the time it should not be an issue.

I am not too bothered about where we stay or what area we are facing because i have read here that everything is not far to get to. We will be hiring a car though and would like to know what company you guys would point me to. We are only having the car for a week from Sunday-Sunday. Could you confirm that the refillable drinks cup is only for the Resort and not all of WDW? Do we have to book the for the fireworks and is there a charge? What time is good to enter the parks? Also is there anything worth booking for at WDW to make sure we have a seat or a good place in line for something? How about somewhere nice to eat after the wedding that the kids would also like?

Driving wise, what are the driving times to the main destinations in WDW from POP? Sorry, i have a million more questions but will try and read all the posts before asking any more in case the answer is in a post. Thanks for all your help!

Disney states that refillable mugs are for use at your Resort only during your stay.

Car Rental ..www.mousesavers.com has lots of info on renting a car....being in the UK, there are deals for you as well. Here's a little excerpt from the site ...

Since you are at a Disney resort, you can easily rent a car from the Disney Car Care Center, which is operated by Alamo (location ORLR72) and National (location ORLR02). The Car Care Center offers a shuttle that will pick you up from any Disney hotel and take you to the Center to pick up your car. The shuttle will also drop you off at your Disney hotel after you return your car. If you wish, call the Car Care Center up to 24 hours in advance and arrange for them to send a shuttle for you. Alternatively, go to the front desk of your Disney resort about 30 minutes before your pickup time and ask them to call the Car Care Center shuttle. The phone number of the Car Care Center is (407) 824-3470.

To drive times/bus times around the world, you can use this calculator to estimate drive times... from the FAQ thread: Helpful travel time and route calculator: http://www.ourlaughingplace.com/asp/twiz.aspx

Parks: Many people like to get to the parks at "rope drop" meaning right at the official opening to get a jump on popular attractions. Disney has a "fast pass" system for certain popular rides (you get to reserve a timeframe to come back to a ride and go into a shorter line). On selected days/parks, Disney will also open parks early and extend evening hours for guests staying on site, referred to as "Extra Magical Hours or EMH". Check out http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/hours.htm for park hours, shows, parades, etc. for your stay. Note: As the Halloween party (referred to below) is going on, the Magic Kingdom will close early on some days (something to keep in mind for planning out your park days).

There is no charge for general viewing the fireworks at MK (wishes) or the evening Illuminations at Epcot or the nightime Fantasmic at Hollywood studios. However, there specialty cruises for Illuminatons and believe for the wishes as well. www.allears.net or www.mousesavers.com are great resources for info on all things Disney.

IF you haven't purchases tickets already, would recommend the Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom.... also referred to as MNSSHP (Mickey's No So Scary Halloween Party). It is a hard ticket event, you can call Disney at 407-939-7622 for tickets in advance or you can purchase them at the POP conceirage desk. Keep in mind that Disney restricts the number of people for these events, so certain dates can sell out.

Epcot's Food & Wine will also be ongoing; nice for the two you, plus there are fun activities/shows for the kids in the different countries. Have you made any dining reservations? A character meal or two will be great for your kids ages. Chef Mickey's, Ohanas (breakfast is a character meal; evening served family style. We love both meals!).

At check in: If the CM does not give you "first visit" or also "just married" buttons, please ask for them. Also have this info noted on your resort reservation and any dining reservations. You may get some extra pixie dust show to you!


Oh, there is so much more!! What plans have you made?? Everyone on the thread here is friendly and knowledgable and are more than happy to help. So, ask away!!

 

[captaindavidhook]

Sorry, none of the values offer room service. I know it's probably not the answer you wanted to hear but unfortunately it is what it is. Hope it doesn't stop you from giving POP a try. It's a great hotel even without the room service!


Posted from Disney Forums Reader for Android

Not at all. It's not a deal breaker at all. I love everything I have read about Pop's.

 

[Janet B]

we will be at POP in 4 days. What time does petals bar close and do the pool times change at this time to.

Petals is open from 12pm-12 midnight. Pool hours are subject to change, however they were 7am-11pm in August. But we have always found POP to be lenient on the swimming, even after the "official" closing times.

 

[Janet B]

Yes, you can still get ME to pick your bags up for you even without the yellow bag tags. You would just need to stop at the ME desk and give them a description of the bags and the bag claim tickets and they will still get your bags for you and deliver them. It happens often enough that people don't have the yellow tags that they are used to it.

As I thought! thank you stitchlovestink for this info.

Hey Janet, Yes, very happy about our Tigers! They always make it exciting at the end though. Geeze Louise! At least we take nothing for granted here in Michigan.

Well congrats so far .... Last night was just prolonging the agony for the Yankees ....To quote Yogi... " It ain't over 'til it's over " (but the subway doors are closing fast!)

On the ground floor request, we talked with one of the back room CMs at Pop when we checked in for our August stay. I had made an on-line request for 1950s and ground floor; I also called with a lakeview request. (Not too demanding, am I?) They gave us a ground floor room in the 1990s section to start. I asked about some other options for lakeview and we were able to move to the 1970s in a ground floor almost lakeview corner room. The CM explained that they always take the ground floor request as the #1 request to fulfill because, in their experience, that is what people requesting ground floor most want. I guess that makes sense with the number of scooters and strollers at WDW.

Thanks Sandi! That's interesting what the CM stated ... have always thought, and stated that people should list the requests in order of importance ...hmmm... wonder if this too could change depending on who is handling the scheduling? Well, we never have to concern ourselves, we don't request a ground floor!

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

Am I the only one that doesn't care about location? I'm going to WDW!!! I do not care where my room is, as long as its in WDW!!

When it comes to Pop Century, I am with you on that. This will be our fourth stay at Pop. We have found that one great thing about the resort is how relatively compact it is. No room is too far from transportation or the food court. I do hope we aren't overlooking a parking lot, but honestly I don't care.

 

[LeeBobDerby]

I'm with you!! I usually make a request but I'm happy anywhere in Disney!



First off... congratulations on your upcoming marriage!! Best wishes for a long, healthy and happy one!

Regarding online check in ... that information is not true. Guests outside the U.S. can use this service. Be sure to have the Disney reservation number for checking in ... (if you used a travel agency or wholesale service you will need to call them for the Disney reservation number). The website is:. Sometimes there are circumstances where you cannot use the on-line service ... if numerous changes have been made, if disney has modified your ressie, are examples. Almost of the time it should not be an issue.




Disney states that refillable mugs are for use at your Resort only during your stay.

Car Rental .. has lots of info on renting a car....being in the UK, there are deals for you as well. Here's a little excerpt from the site ...

Since you are at a Disney resort, you can easily rent a car from the Disney Car Care Center, which is operated by Alamo (location ORLR72) and National (location ORLR02). The Car Care Center offers a shuttle that will pick you up from any Disney hotel and take you to the Center to pick up your car. The shuttle will also drop you off at your Disney hotel after you return your car. If you wish, call the Car Care Center up to 24 hours in advance and arrange for them to send a shuttle for you. Alternatively, go to the front desk of your Disney resort about 30 minutes before your pickup time and ask them to call the Car Care Center shuttle. The phone number of the Car Care Center is (407) 824-3470.

To drive times/bus times around the world, you can use this calculator to estimate drive times... from the FAQ thread: Helpful travel time and route calculator:
Parks: Many people like to get to the parks at "rope drop" meaning right at the official opening to get a jump on popular attractions. Disney has a "fast pass" system for certain popular rides (you get to reserve a timeframe to come back to a ride and go into a shorter line). On selected days/parks, Disney will also open parks early and extend evening hours for guests staying on site, referred to as "Extra Magical Hours or EMH". Check out for park hours, shows, parades, etc. for your stay. Note: As the Halloween party (referred to below) is going on, the Magic Kingdom will close early on some days (something to keep in mind for planning out your park days).

There is no charge for general viewing the fireworks at MK (wishes) or the evening Illuminations at Epcot or the nightime Fantasmic at Hollywood studios. However, there specialty cruises for Illuminatons and believe for the wishes as well. ] are great resources for info on all things Disney.

IF you haven't purchases tickets already, would recommend the Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom.... also referred to as MNSSHP (Mickey's No So Scary Halloween Party). It is a hard ticket event, you can call Disney at 407-939-7622 for tickets in advance or you can purchase them at the POP conceirage desk. Keep in mind that Disney restricts the number of people for these events, so certain dates can sell out.

Epcot's Food & Wine will also be ongoing; nice for the two you, plus there are fun activities/shows for the kids in the different countries. Have you made any dining reservations? A character meal or two will be great for your kids ages. Chef Mickey's, Ohanas (breakfast is a character meal; evening served family style. We love both meals!).

At check in: If the CM does not give you "first visit" or also "just married" buttons, please ask for them. Also have this info noted on your resort reservation and any dining reservations. You may get some extra pixie dust show to you!


Oh, there is so much more!! What plans have you made?? Everyone on the thread here is friendly and knowledgable and are more than happy to help. So, ask away!!

Good afternoon Janet, many thanks for your vast knowledge you have given me and the time you have taken in your reply. It seems for international quests the online check in is not working but they have informed me it will be working soon. What is a CM? We have not booked anything as yet, with getting married on the holiday, we have many things to organize.

With the help of your great thread, i have many ideas and this weekend will be making a solid plan for the things to do and places to go. Me and my partner are going to have a think and come back here for help from you lovely people. Again, thank you Janet

 

[Janet B]

Good afternoon Janet, many thanks for your vast knowledge you have given me and the time you have taken in your reply. It seems for international quests the online check in is not working but they have informed me it will be working soon. What is a CM? We have not booked anything as yet, with getting married on the holiday, we have many things to organize.

With the help of your great thread, i have many ideas and this weekend will be making a solid plan for the things to do and places to go. Me and my partner are going to have a think and come back here for help from you lovely people. Again, thank you Janet

You're very welcome! All here can help you!! Forgot myself with the lingo ... A Disney employee are referred to as "cast member" or CM.

When you say "we haven't booked anything yet" does that refer to dining? Hopefully you can make some decisions tonight; this is a very busy time of year. Do you have the Disney dining plan??

 

[LeeBobDerby]

Hi Janet, we do have a dining plan. Not sure how that all works yet but looking on the sub forums we have plenty to learn and it seems tipping is a whole new ball game we will have to learn. It makes my head spin reading all the posts on this very busy site. We booked this in April and I have only found this site so the hard reading begins now lol.

 

[Itinkso]

Good morning all, I will be traveling to WDW next Thursday with my partner and 2 children (girl 10 and boy 8). We will be staying at POP Century for 2 weeks. We are also getting married at Cypress Grove on 10/30. We are all very excited for our first visit to the US. We have booked for a preferred room pool view and would like to be able to do the online check in but have been told this is for the US travelers only. Can you please confirm this? We booked through Disney and they could not give me a yes or no. They confirmed all my details were correct and that it might work.

I am not too bothered about where we stay or what area we are facing because i have read here that everything is not far to get to. We will be hiring a car though and would like to know what company you guys would point me to. We are only having the car for a week from Sunday-Sunday. Could you confirm that the refillable drinks cup is only for the Resort and not all of WDW? Do we have to book the for the fireworks and is there a charge? What time is good to enter the parks? Also is there anything worth booking for at WDW to make sure we have a seat or a good place in line for something? How about somewhere nice to eat after the wedding that the kids would also like?

Driving wise, what are the driving times to the main destinations in WDW from POP? Sorry, i have a million more questions but will try and read all the posts before asking any more in case the answer is in a post. Thanks for all your help!

Congrats on your upcoming marriage! My DD and SIL were married at Cypress Grove in April. Be aware that when on I4 the interchange signs do not say Orange Blossom Trail and only have the highway numbers: 17 and two others. It is a little confusing but once you are on Orange Blossom it is very easy to find. Cypress Grove is beautiful- you two will have a lovely wedding! Enjoy!!

Wanted to add - we ate at the Grand Floridian Cafe after the wedding. The Grand Floridian is beautiful and there is a nice menu at the Cafe. You may want to make an Advanced Dining Reservation there.

 

[Redarrow5150]

Wooo hooo only 7 more days till Pop!!

 

[Janet B]

Hi Janet, we do have a dining plan. Not sure how that all works yet but looking on the sub forums we have plenty to learn and it seems tipping is a whole new ball game we will have to learn. It makes my head spin reading all the posts on this very busy site. We booked this in April and I have only found this site so the hard reading begins now lol.

You can make Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs) on-line on Disney's website or over the phone. This is for the "table service" (TS) restaurant. Some TS restaurant require a credit card hold. Other places you will see listed are "counter service" (CS), for which you do not make reservations. Both CS and TS are included in the regular dining plan. Each person is entitled to one CS, one TS and one snack a day on the regular Dining Plan.

Go to www.Allears.net to view menus to determine where you might want to eat. Do you have the regular meal plan? Here's the direct link to the menus: http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm (listed by park, and then by resort).

We can give you suggestions certainly. I mentioned Chef Mickeys and Ohana's breakfast for character meals but there's plenty more. Ohanas for dinner, Via Napoli's, Cape May Buffet (breakfast is a character meal, dinner is not)... also Sci-Fi or Prime time 50s - fun for the kids! So many choices!! Can also give you suggestions for the counter service (CS) as well.

Good luck on the planning and let us know what we can do to help!