POP or CBR?

[kittycruize]

We are going to WDW on August 30th. It will be 3 family's with a total of 5 little ones. I cannot decide which resort based on buses, food court, and rooms between POP and CBR? Any advice? What would be the differences? I have heard there is no shade at POP for the buses, is that true? What else should I be considering? I know CBR can be a bit overwhelming due to the size, is POP like that too?

 

[soccercruiser87]

We are going to WDW on August 30th. It will be 3 family's with a total of 5 little ones. I cannot decide which resort based on buses, food court, and rooms between POP and CBR? Any advice? What would be the differences? I have heard there is no shade at POP for the buses, is that true? What else should I be considering? I know CBR can be a bit overwhelming due to the size, is POP like that too?

I've stayed at both and I'd suggest POP. CBR is a nice resort, just very spread out and has numerous bus stops. As for the buses at POP, the lines themselves aren't shaded but there are benches that are shaded (see pictures). The food court at POP is nice, spread out, plenty of seating. POP has a great arcade and the pools are very nice. POP is a great resort for the little ones, as well as everyone else in the family.

As for the rooms:

Pop Century Room:

CBR Room:

 

[Amber1111]

We've stayed at Pop before and really liked it. It's true there is no shade at the bus stop, but the most we stood in line was maybe 8 minutes or so waiting on a bus. Our kids were in a covered stroller so they were not in direct sun. We took the opportunity to put on sunscreen while we waited. Also you're going to be walking around Disney all day and you get more sun there then you will at the bus stop

Also we did not think Pop was oversized. We even stayed in a standard room far away from the lobby area and it was not a bad walk.

 

[Amy&Dan]

CBR room are about 80 square feet bigger than a Pop room. Where I really notice that difference is in the bathroom. You have two sinks at CBR with a large vanity with underneath storage. We really like that feature.

We also prefer the lush grounds of CBR. The icons at Pop are very fun, but CBR feels much more laid back. The pool at CBR has a couple of slides, two hottubs, zero entry and there are also six quiet pools.

CBR is larger but each "village" has its own quiet pool with laundry, and its own bus stop. You can have up to a ten minute LEISURELY walk to the main area from some of the areas, but we have stayed in Jamaica 43 and Barbados 14 and each walk was between 5-7 minutes. Having a covered bus stop and quiet pool very close to our room was a winner.

All this said, we love Pop too, we have stayed there three times. Its got a lake unllike the All Stars which we like and its right next door to CBR so the location is even. And central within the WDW complex.

I enjoy the lake at CBR more since it has beaches with hammocks and lounge chairs. To me CBR feels like a retreat, Pop feels like an extension of in your face Disney theming. We used to be quite happy at the values but those days are over for us now. We spend more time at the resort, our kids are older and a 4 story Mickey or Mowgli isn't a big draw and we love the quiet feeling the moderates have. The values are still nice and have nice landscaping but after staying at all of them (Music 4x, Pop 3x, the others once) we realize we prefer more peace and quiet and pools with hot tubs and slides as well as quiet pools.

I hate the uncovered bus stops at the values, there are benches however when its a peak time, you don't want to sit down since you'll lose your place in line and possibly not get on the bus (we go during the crowded times of spring break and summer). Pop's lines at night are seemingly awful, but they always send lots of busses so those lines move fast. CBR does have seven stops total, but we are okay with that and its worth it to us to be guaranteed a bus stop close to our room regardless of section. They also are covered with seating, again something we like, others don't care or need that feature.


Saving money is also a huge reason to stay at Pop!

 

[kittycruize]

Thank you both so much for your input! Amy&Dan, I see in your signature you are going to DL! We are also tossing that option around as well! Have you been there before? If so, please tell me your thoughts about DL! We have never been, so are nervous about leaving our beloved WDW for DL, but would like to try it!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Thank you both so much for your input! Amy&Dan, I see in your signature you are going to DL! We are also tossing that option around as well! Have you been there before? If so, please tell me your thoughts about DL! We have never been, so are nervous about leaving our beloved WDW for DL, but would like to try it!

Since we live in Colorado, Disneyland is a bit closer and we have been there about as many times as WDW (about 15 trips over the years to each one).

Disneyland is very charming, much smaller (two parks, three resorts and DTD) and its easily done in 3-4 days. We love to stay onsite, at the Disneyland Hotel in particular, but its very expensive. So some of our trips we stay offsite, there are motels very near to DL, as in right across the street. Some are closer than the resort bus stops from the turnstiles at MK in WDW! You walk pretty much everywhere, no shuttles or busses if you stay across the street or very nearby. Its Walt's park and knowing he was there is very cool.

While its small, it has a lot packed in and right now, California Adventure is about done with a 1 Billion dollar redo and a new land (Carsland) is about to open so we are excited to see that.

I suggest you go over to the Disneyland side of disboards, there are lots of good threads there to research about the differences of DL and WDW. This thread is a must read for WDW vets going to DL and is written by Hydroguy, a disboarder who has organized tons of information into one easy to read thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

Hope that helps!