Pop Century vs. All Star Music - does it matter? And should I keep the rental car?

[Piglet99645]

Hi all,

I have read the reviews, the bad experiences, the good experiences, and all that. (Thin walls, etc.)

What I am really wondering about is LOCATION for the value resorts. Is either location better than the other? Both still have availability for my dates, and I plan to book today before the rush that is no doubt coming with that $999 special.

We will be there 4 days and nights.... We will have a rental car b/c we are driving in, but flying out. So should I keep the car and drive to the parks, and save myself the trouble of the busses? Or is parking at the parks a nightmare? Do the busses take you right to the entrance of each park? (I think that would make the busses worth it). Are either the Pop or the All Stars better in terms of busses/parking?

Thanks for your input for this newbie.

Piglet

 

[Piglet99645]

Wow. No replies! I'm bumping this up in hopes of a few replies before I book tomorrow morning! Thanks.

P.

 

[jlovesee]

I have stayed at Pop and All Stars Music and find POP to be a better hotel. So if they are both available definitly go with POP. Transportation is a lot better I have found as the buses for POP only service POP, meaning lines arn't as long, waits arn't as long, and no crammed bus by the time it gets to your stop. All Stars all share the same bus system.

The buses usually have a drop of point, My husband and I almost exclusively drive to the parks, so I cant tell you exactly where the buses drop off, if memory serves though they are usually pretty close to the the gates.

Driving yourself is NOT bad at all though, thats why we do it so much. You drive in, park, grab a tram which is almost always there waiting by the time you get to the tram stop (which is at the end of the aisle), and your there right at the gate. Only difference is with Magic Kingdom where you park at the Ticket and Transportation Center, and then take a Monorail or Ferry to the park.

A trick we use all the time when we are leaving at night (when crowds are pretty bad) is to get on the Resort Monorail which has MUCH shorter lines and still stops at the TT Center, but realize it also stops at the three monorail hotels.

Jennifer

 

[DCrockett]

I have stayed at POP and All Star Movies & Music. Although they are very similar I liked the location of All Star and the food courts over POP. I agree with another post I read about POP's food court, it has a poor layout, very congested. As to your question of the thin walls, I really didn't notice that as a problem. I could hear the showers running and toilets flushing (not loudly) but that was it.
We always fly as it would be a 22 hr drive and we always rent a car for the week. The bus system is ok but I like the flexibilty of having a car and it's definitely faster than waiting for and riding buses. The buses can be crowded especially if your boarding when the parks are closing. Of course the trams to the parking lots can be crowded at these times as well. The buses do take you to the entrances of the park except for the MK where you take a bus to the transportation center and board the monorail or ferryboat that takes you to the entrance. Parking is also free if your a resort guest. I hope this helps you.

 

[Mamalisa58]

We have stayed at all star sports and music. Busses are defineatly better at Pop. Resort seemed smaller and easier to navigate. We did find however that if you returned too late at night that parking spots were hard to come by.

 

[DanaHesson]

my husband and I have never stayed on property before, and are driving from ATL to PoP. It is interesting reading everyones opinions on driving/bussing to the parks. I figure we will try the busses, and if they dont work for us, we will just drive instead.

Would it be possible for you to leave the return on your rental car open? In other words, keep the rental for a day or two and if the busses work out, then turn it in? This may not be possible with the logistics of the rental company, and when you add the cost of transportation (unless you can use magic express) back to the airport, it may not save money, but you could check on it..

 

[legalslave]

I have stayed at POP and All Star Movies & Music. Although they are very similar I liked the location of All Star and the food courts over POP. I agree with another post I read about POP's food court, it has a poor layout, very congested. As to your question of the thin walls, I really didn't notice that as a problem. I could hear the showers running and toilets flushing (not loudly) but that was it.
We always fly as it would be a 22 hr drive and we always rent a car for the week. The bus system is ok but I like the flexibilty of having a car and it's definitely faster than waiting for and riding buses. The buses can be crowded especially if your boarding when the parks are closing. Of course the trams to the parking lots can be crowded at these times as well. The buses do take you to the entrances of the park except for the MK where you take a bus to the transportation center and board the monorail or ferryboat that takes you to the entrance. Parking is also free if your a resort guest. I hope this helps you.

You DO NOT have to take a ferryboat or monorail to the MK entrance when you take a Disney bus. If you take a Disney bus that is marked "Magic Kingdom" it drops you near the entrance to the Magic Kingdom. I haven't stayed at Pop yet (in December), nor have I stayed at All Stars. However, I have stayed at POR, POFQ and Caribbean Beach. The difference in travel time is negligible. I have a rental car each time, but it sat in the parking lot from the time I checked in until I was ready to leave for the airport. I love the relaxation of not having to drive, park, navigate to the parks or find the car after leaving the parks when I'm exhausted. Besides, it's part of the Disney experience. Try it for a couple of days, and if you feel you need the car, keep it. Otherwise, turn it in for the rest of your trip.

Have a magical time no matter what you decide.

 

[minnie61650]

I like the All Stars Location.

Bus rides are quite short from the ALL Stars according to PassPorter.com

All Star Buses-CBR buses---POPbuses--PO buses--- Contemporary
MK 20 min---- 20 min-----25 min------10 min---20 min(mono)
Epcot 10 min-- 15 min-----20 min------10 min---15 min
MGM 10 min----12 min-----15 min------15 min---20min
AK 10 min------20min-------15 min----15 min---20 min
DTD 15 min----20 min------20 min-----15 min---35 min

It only takes 10 minutes to get to Epcot,MGM and AK from All Stars.
MK is 20 min away. That's the same amount of time it takes on the monorail from the Contemporary.

The All Star resorts have 1960 rooms each.
Pop has 2,880rooms.
That means more people in the pools,food court and in line waiting for the bus at POP.
When phase 2 of POP is built it will be 2 bus stops at POP and the 2 POPs will have the same # of rooms as the 3 All Stars.

Also All Star is closer to the main road to get to parks and thats why bus rides are shorter from there than from POP.

A WORD ABOUT BUS SHARING:

It is usually just our stop and maybe one more on the way to the parks. On the way back sometimes its all 3 but often Sports and Music share and Movies has it's own bus back.

I guess some people who stay at POP see all 3 All Star names on the return sign of our bus stop when they head to the POP bus stop and think All Stars also has 3 stops on the way to the park.
(Even when we stop at another AS resort to load up it has not taken more than 5 minutes and we are on our way!)


I am 55 years old and travel several times a year. I often stay at 4 star hotels.
So the deluxe resorts do not have anything special for me.
All Star is like being in the heart of the Magic and that is where I want to be.

I have visited WDW more than a dozen times with the 1st time in Oct. 1971. It was brand new. I've stayed at FW, Disney Inn, a few the of Hotels on hotel Blvd., CBR and the towers at the Contemporary. I got to see the MK from my balcony at the Contemporary and I'm happy I got to experience it once. I just prefer the All Star Resorts.
The theaming is pure Disney.
My last 4 visits have been at The All Stars and this fall when we take dd,dsil, and our grandson age 3 we are staying at the All Stars Music. I thought about AKL and even though we can well afford AKL I just wanted Alex to experience the Disney Magic at the All Stars on his first visit.
Where else can one find Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse at the pool?
Have a great time at Disney!

 

[minnie61650]

.......The buses do take you to the entrances of the park except for the MK where you take a bus to the transportation center and board the monorail or ferryboat that takes you to the entrance. Parking is also free if your a resort guest. I hope this helps you.

The buses from the All Stars and from POP take you directly to the MK now. They drop you off right by the main gate. You no longer have to take the ferry or the monorail to and from the MK unless you drive your car or are staying at a monorail hotel.

 

['Canes Fan]

real quick, keep the car and stay at Pop.

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

We have always drove to WDW, stayed at POP last time and our car never left the parking lot. I have never experienced a problem with excessively long waits for buses at either hotel we have stayed at. If does sometimes get crowded on the buses when the parks close, but I still don't find it crowded enough to the point where we have to think about driving to the parks. When we fly we can't justify the $ for a rental car to just sit in the parking lot.

 

[stschaefer]

It is a person's preference as to which resort - Pop or All-star. Staying on-site for the first time this September we loved the transportation system from All-Star Music. Only time we used our car was the last day to make sure we got to an 8:20 ADR for Crystal Palace (later I found out that what the front desk told me was wrong about busses - they do run for early breakfast) then going to DTD after we checked out. Busses drop you in front of all parks at the entrance. No way you can park closer then where they drop you off. MK is the best not having to take the ferry or monorail to get to the entrance - right at the point of entry to the park (same place people exit from the Monorail and Ferry). We went early for all days so for us no wait on lines for bus and usually had the bus to our self. Leaving the park after Illuminations or Wishes... Expect a wait.

Pop is the newer of the value resorts. Have no experience with Pop so go with advice from others who have tried both - but staying in Calypso of ASMu was close to the food court, transportation, pool; rooms were good, and everything was great for our family.

 

[Piglet99645]

Thank you all so much for your replies. They have been very helpful. I'm the "organized" one in our travel party, so I feel a big responsibility to make the "right" decision. It really does sound like no matter what we do, as long as our goal is to have fun we will have a good time.

We are driving to Orlando from Atlanta, then flying out of Orlando for home (Alaska), so we will have the rental car when we get there, and probably will keep it until the weekly rate runs on it... Friday night.... then take a taxi or whatever to the airport Saturday a.m.

I have emailed my TA to book 2 rooms at the Pop.... just b/c I had to make some sort of decision! (My first choice actually was All Star Movies, which was sold out...) I'll be back for sure to give you reviews and whatnot... and probably to start dreaming about our next trip. (We are planning Disneyland in 2007 with another family when the Dad in that family gets back from Iraq. I'm hoping to see Disney more often than every 15 years, which has been my schedule so far in life! )

Thanks again.

P.

 

[Piglet99645]

OOPS! Ended up at All Star Music!! Got a killer deal on the new package, and booked this morning, but no availability at the Pop.

Thanks to all of you, I didn't hesitate when my TA told me ASMusic was available for the great price. I knew we would be happy either way, and I saved $500.

P.

 

[WillCAD]

I guess I'm a bit late chiming in, but here's a comparisson I wrote a while back on ASMU vs Pop.

Comparing Music directly to Pop:

*Pop is newer, cleaner, and has brighter colors and cooler icons on the buildings.
*Pop does not share busses, as Music does.
*Pop is more centrally located, so bus trips to MGM, Epcot, and DD are shorter. Trips to AK and MK are a little longer.
*Pop has real soaps, not dispensers.
*The beds at Pop are bricks. Music's beds are much more comfortable.
*The food court at Pop has a similar menu to Music, but the quality is sub-par. Music has much better food and slightly better service.
*The gift shop at Music is not connnected to the food court, so you don't have to walk through one to get to the other.
*Service in teh Music gift shop is much better than the one at Pop. Also, the storage room for packages delivered to the resort from the parks is behind the counter at Music, but across the building at Pop. At Pop it once took 30 minutes to get my package.
*Parking at Music is world better. The lots are huge and there are more rooms located close to the lots at Music than there are at Pop.
*Even though Music is more remote than Pop, driving yourself wipes out that advantage, because Music is at the end of Buena Vista Blvd, the main east-west road at WDW. Drive times to Epcot, MGM, both water parks, and DD are all 10 minutes or less, because they all have entrances on Buena Vista Blvd; AK is also less than 10 mins because it is so close, and MK is only about 12-15 minutes.
*Music is less crowded than Pop and has more buildings far away from Melody Hall, making it much quieter and more peaceful.

Overall, I like Music best of all the Values.

 

[minnie61650]

I guess I'm a bit late chiming in, but here's a comparisson I wrote a while back on ASMU vs Pop.

Comparing Music directly to Pop:

*Pop is newer, cleaner, and has brighter colors and cooler icons on the buildings.
*Pop does not share busses, as Music does.
*Pop is more centrally located, so bus trips to MGM, Epcot, and DD are shorter. Trips to AK and MK are a little longer.
*Pop has real soaps, not dispensers.
*The beds at Pop are bricks. Music's beds are much more comfortable.
*The food court at Pop has a similar menu to Music, but the quality is sub-par. Music has much better food and slightly better service.
*The gift shop at Music is not connnected to the food court, so you don't have to walk through one to get to the other.
*Service in teh Music gift shop is much better than the one at Pop. Also, the storage room for packages delivered to the resort from the parks is behind the counter at Music, but across the building at Pop. At Pop it once took 30 minutes to get my package.
*Parking at Music is world better. The lots are huge and there are more rooms located close to the lots at Music than there are at Pop.
*Even though Music is more remote than Pop, driving yourself wipes out that advantage, because Music is at the end of Buena Vista Blvd, the main east-west road at WDW. Drive times to Epcot, MGM, both water parks, and DD are all 10 minutes or less, because they all have entrances on Buena Vista Blvd; AK is also less than 10 mins because it is so close, and MK is only about 12-15 minutes.
*Music is less crowded than Pop and has more buildings far away from Melody Hall, making it much quieter and more peaceful.

Overall, I like Music best of all the Values.

UPDATE:
I think everyone will be happy to know that the soap dispensers at All Star Movies and All Star Music are a thing of the past. They have real Mickey soaps and shampoo now Yeah! I haven't heard if the dispensers have all been removed from All Star Sports yet.
Does anyone know?

 

[WillCAD]

Thanks for the update Linda, I completely forgot about that.

I actually didn't mind the dispensers, but I was definitely in the minority in that opinion.