Pop or CSR?

[Shellyb84]

We've decided on a last minute trip for Memorial weekend (2 nights). We're Deluxe fans but DH wants to go on the cheap for this quick trip. DD is out of town so it's just us two adults. We have to choose between Pop (pool view) or CSR (preferred king). I've stayed at CSR about 7 years ago but not Pop. CSR is $85 more. For those of you who have stayed at both, help me decide please!

 

[isabellea]

Stayed at CSR last summer and Pop in February. For me the choice would be very easy: CSR!!! I loved that resort. Peaceful, good food, fun pool with great waterslide and queen beds! Pop os my least favourite of all the reorts I gave stayed at...

 

[samsteele]

I love POP but booked CSR about a year & a half ago b/c the price was incredible and for a quick 3 night stay was only going to be about $60 more. However, after thinking through a very early am departure flight where I needed to catch the shuttle at 2:30am, I decided to switch to the POP. CSR is a gorgeous resort & the recent room renovation is incredible. However, it is also very spread out & I didn't like the idea of a dark-thirty walk by myself dragging my suitcase from an outlying room/bldg to the shuttle pickup area. You are a party of two and that may not be an issue at all. However, do check out how large CSR is and think through whether that has any impact on you & your travel plans. Efficient bus transpo to and from the parks may be another issue. POP has an incredibly efficient 1 stop bus system. CSR has a number of bus stops throughout the resort leading to the potential of multiple stops and delays to/from the parks. Again, this may not be an issue for you but is something to consider. CSR wins with theming, resort amenities & room interior. No question. Its really up to you and your particular situation whether the other 2 issues are an issue.

 

[maxiesmom]

CSR. Queen sized beds instead of double. Resort bus stops with seating instead of having to stand in yet another queue. I like both resorts but prefer CSR for those 2 reasons, among others.

 

[JennyDrake]

I give the edge to Pop...better food court and faster service. Smaller resort with only one bus stop. Some of the rooms at CSR are almost 1/2 mile from the main building! I love top floor, lakeview rooms.

IF I enjoyed adult beverages more, the edge could go to CSR for the poolside bar and Ric's Lounge...

 

[elizabethswan]

we've stayed at both multiple times. while i love csr for the rooms, pool and resort itself, we stay at pop more often. the reasons we have stayed at pop the last few times are as follows:
1) long stays so waaaayyyy cheaper ( not a factor for your short stay)
2) food court, especially the one at art of animation, just a short walk across the bridge
3) bus service: every time we stay at pop they have loads of buses. stayed there about 5 times and never waited more than 10 minutes. when it was busy they sent multiple bendy buses. at csr i could not believe how bad the bus service was on our last stay. i was feet away from the bus and the driver literally floored it and waived at me as she cruised by. we had an early adr at kona and almost missed it. i had to call guest services to get them to hold the ressie for us for an extra 15 minutes or so
having said all of this, i would still stay at csr again but only if i planned to spend more time at the resort itself. i do like the pool at csr a lot and don't use the pool at pop when we stay. do consider your food plans before you decide. there are so many choices at pop and art of animation.

 

[shyjade]

We have stayed at all levels. Used to stay deluxe, then switched to values so we could go more often. We really liked Pop but on our last trip Pop was full so we tried out CSR. Hands down, CSR is much nicer. It was quieter, much less hectic with the buses (and the buses park so much closer at the parks), and the resort is beautiful. The beds were more comfortable, too. It felt more like a vacation to us. While we would stay at either resort, given a choice I will always choose CSR in the future.

 

[Babsy]

CSR is a moderate resort with many more amenities and dining choices. The rooms are larger and more comfortable. Queen beds instead of full beds. A fitness centre, salon, pool slide, table service as well as quick service dining, large hot tub, great theming......

I really enjoy POP, but the CSR is much nicer, IMO. I would choose CSR.

 

[Olaf63]

Definitely CSR. As PP stated so much to offer

 

[ellie05]

CSR without a question much better than pop.

 

[loves to dive]

I would say it depends on your goal for the trip. Are you just going to use the room to sleep and that's it or are you going to spend some time at the resort. For me, going from a deluxe to a value (which was POP the first time) was a big shock and I hated it. I did a split stay with two nights at POP and then 3 or 4 nights (don't remember) at BWV. I hated every moment at POP because I was just used to the bigger beds, quieter resort and a little more upscale amenities. I've since stayed at ASSp (only 1 night another split) and have firmly decided values are just not for me. The food courts seem a little bit noiser and busier as do all the common areas. I've stayed at POR and CBR in the moderates so far, have a split stay coming up CSR for two nights then over to Swan and am looking forward to trying it out. I've not had problems with my short two night stays in the moderates and actually have enjoyed them and wouldn't hesitate to stay for a longer time at either of the ones I've done so far. I did visit CSR last year and got off the bus at the very farthest bus stop from the main area, just to see how the walk was. This was in late Sept. hot sunny day. I didn't find the walk bad at all, it took me maybe 10 min. max and that was because I was strolling and stopping to look at things. If the money isn't too much of an issue, I'd say go to CSR. I will add, I've never felt the need to upgrade or pay for views at any of the values or moderates. With the outside corridors chances are you aren't even going to open your curtains since people can be walking by and looking in your room and there are railings there so seeing a view isn't going to be much. Both resorts have lots of places to sit and enjoy the resorts. Since I don't find the walks at any of the resorts too long, paying extra to be closer to the main building never made sense to me, CSR will have a bus stop in every village so it's almost a non-issue there. Most of the deluxe resorts, especially the Epcot resorts can have just about as long a walk to the lobby, the only difference is you can make it on the inside for the most part. Some of those hallways (BW I'm looking at you) remind me of the REDRUM hallway. As far as bus service, I've stayed at every level and have found it hit or miss at all of them. Yes, Pop has only one stop and doesn't share with another resort. All the values have uncovered bus stops, which can get hot and/or wet, the moderates are like the deluxes with covered stops. It is really going to depend on when you get to the stop as to how long you are going to wait and, at least at CBR, riding around the entire resort didn't take longer than 10 minutes any of times we rode the bus. We happened to get on the first stop every time, no matter which stop we chose so we always rode around. Good news was our actual village was the first stop returning from both parks we rode the bus to, so there was that. For a two night stay, I would think you aren't going to be miserable no matter where you stay but, just my opinion, you might be more comfortable with CSR.

 

[isabellea]

If you decide on staying at CSR and like Mexican food (real mexican, not tex mex), try Maya Grill. It was really good when we tried it and didn't need an ADR.