Pop or POFQ?

[anpeck]

We (myself, DH and DS2) are going to Disney in Novemeber. We'll arrive late Thanksgiving night around 9:30 and will stay through the following Thursday. I've stayed at POFQ once and enjoyed the theme, how small the resort is and that there was only one bus stop there. But I know it commonly shares buses with POR which isn't a huge deal but does add extra travel time which isn't always fun with a 2yo.

I've never stayed at Pop but I think the theming sounds pretty cool. How is the food? And I've noticed that their bus stops are usually the furthest away at the parks. How is the bus service, and how many bus stops are there on the resort? We would prefer a king bed room, do they have those there? How big is the resort to walk around?

We are booking through a TA and the deals are around $1100 for POFQ or $650 at Pop. Can someone give me some pros and cons and your opinions on which resort would be better? Cost is not a huge factor and we wouldn't mind spending the extra $400ish for good reasons. We are open to renting a car as well since we are already planning to visit family in Tampa.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Disneylover99]

Pop is my favourite value and POFQ is my favourite moderate.

I prefer Pop food court and the ease of eating at AofA is awesome too. Between Pop and AofA, there is lots of variety. Although, POFQ is currently undergoing a food court refurbishment, so that's exciting.

There is only one bus stop at Pop and we've always had awesome bus service.

POFQ has a new splash pad play area that looks pretty cool if you've got young children. Pop has a basic kiddie wading area that's okay too.

 

[dansdad]

What you will get at POFQ over Pop:

Larger room
Queen beds - or the ability to book a king bed room (at Pop a King bed room is by request only)
Double sinks
Ceiling fans
Coffee Maker in room
Pool slides
Hot tub
Covered bus stop
Lusher grounds
More laid back relaxed atmosphere

Now it's up to you to decide if the above amenities are worth the extra $$ over Pop or if they would enhance your enjoyment.

 

[Boopuff]

I've stayed at both. The theme at POP is bright and fun and I'm sure your child would love that. But as pp said I'd still vote for POFQ with the larger rooms, fun pool etc.

 

[AEA1127]

We love POFQ! We had never stayed there before our most recent trip when our preferred resort wasn't available. We wish we tried it sooner!

We shared a bus with POR maybe a few times, mostly if we left a park during the day when there were no bus lines. It was never an issue for us. We really love the single bus stop and how quick the walks are to and from it.

 

[HopperFan]

For that price difference and your child's age, you could stay at POP and spend the extra money on good eats or fun. Agree with previous poster that between the POP food court and the AoA food court (which is one of the best) dining will be much better than at POFQ, a moderate that doesn't even have a TS. We found the bus service is equal but yes POP stops are farther away at parks.

My biggest issue with POFQ is that it's amenities are not up to par with the other moderates yet the price is often the same or higher at any given time. And the farthest rooms at POFQ are still a good hike to the bus/main hub so that isn't necessarily a selling point. POP is bright and Disney and contemporary while POFQ is sedate, historical and while themed is not Disney themed. That is a big difference in the two.

I would be fine staying at either, it boils down to if that much money makes a difference to your budget. You say it doesn't, so stay at POFQ with the bigger rooms & beds.

 

[anpeck]

Thanks everyone for your input! I'd really like to try Pop and I'm leaning towards it, but my only hangup is not being sure we could get a king bed. I know we can request it but it's obviously not a guarantee. We can live without a ceiling fan and we don't use the coffee maker anyways. The only thing I'd really miss is the extra sink, and that's just because of my makeup lol.

We're staying at Beach Club here in 3 weeks so I know no matter which we choose it's not gonna compare, and also we wanted to do cheaper since this trip we're going all out. Decisions, decisions...

Then I wonder if we should try renting DVC points, and that just makes the decision even harder!

 

[AprilRenee]

For what it's worth, we always request a king bed at pop and have never had an issue getting one. We usually go in January though so it's not crazy busy.

 

[Sue M]

It's a personal pref. I would pic POFQ any day. It's quieter, more relaxed, and grounds are pretty. Even with only 2 of us, I find Pop rooms tiny. Absolutely zero clearance between bed and door. The day we checked into Pop the lines were very long. I think we waited 45 min. At POR or POFQ we've never waited longer than 10 min.

When we stayed at POFQ we didn't share bus with POR except mid day when we went back to resort for mid day break.
At Pop you can go to AoA food court, but at POFQ you can go to POR food court, and TS.