Pop, POR, or WL??

[lilaurora]

Hi, Everyone!

I feel silly even asking for opinions when I'm lucky enough to even worry about the question, but here it goes...

I am taking my DD7 on a surprise Mom & Me trip for 10 nights 6/7-6/17. I'm throwing around the ideas of staying at either Pop, POR or WL taking advantage of the % off promo going on. Here are the pros and cons for me for each resort (since my DH isn't coming along, he says "Whatever you decide is fine."):

Pop Pros: Cost, theming, nice food court, bus service. Also, if we stayed there, it would be in a preferred room, so not too far from the main building.

Pop Cons: Uncovered walkways to room & at bus stop, distance of bus stop to park gates, no slide at pool (yucky in hot/humid/rainy June).

POR Pros: Cost (vs WL), theming (I would book a Royal Room), pool/slide, nice food court (assumed on some of this as I have never been there). I am not planning on spending much time at DTD so the boat there is not a consideration.

POR Cons: Cost (vs Pop), large resort layout, crowded buses , uncovered walkways & bus stop, long bus lines leaving parks

WL Pros: Theming, indoor hallways, smaller layout, covered bus stop, pool/slide, boat to MK (DD LOVED this when we visited in November)

WL Cons: Cost

So......am I being too much of a baby worrying about being out in the elements? Now that I have all my thoughts written out like this, it kinda seems like it. And is the bus situation at POR as cruddy as I am understanding it to be from other threads out there?

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!!

 

[Liv4Dis]

What a great dilemma to be in

I know you mentioned Pop, Riverside or WL but I would pick French Quarter. My reasoning is that the price point is in between Pop and WL. The pool is great for a seven year old (serpent tongue for the slide). I think you and your mom will love the grounds, you can walk on a path along the river ... all the way to Riverside and this resort is smaller to get around. At night there is great entertainment by Elliot Dyson. And the best for last ... if you choose either Riverside or French Quarter there is the boat to Downtown Disney ... AWESOME!

With regard to the buses, I think that it is not unreasonable to wait 10-15 minutes for a bus ... and I really have not waited much longer than that on any of my trips, so I don`t agree with people who say the service is not great. For the most part, it is pretty good ... and you are in Disney

Happy picking!

 

[lilaurora]

Thanks for your thoughts, Live4Dis! I hadn't even thought about POFQ. In looking at the prices, it's the same for a standard room there as it is for a discounted royal room at POR, so it would be a definite contender. My husband and I stayed there a few years ago, and re: buses, whenever they shared with POR, POFQ was always picked up first to go to the parks.

Also, Liv4Dis, I see that you've stayed recently at POFQ and POR, do you prefer FQ?

Anyone think that the MK boat and beach (not to mention the kids club) are worth the extra expense over POFQ or the others? I don't anticipate going to DTD very much, so the boat there from either PO resorts doesn't factor in as a pro for me.

 

[NLD]

Here are my thoughts:

I've stayed deluxe twice (AKL and WL) and moderate once (POR). The WL stay was the most recent, and it was also a Mom-and-me trip, for dd's eighth birthday.

If you can afford it... I definitely think WL is worth it. Small, easy to get around, boat to MK, beach, slide is a good size for a kid that age. And it's just beautiful. Dd enjoyed the resort as much as the parks!

For us... our next trip may be a value. Having done moderate, I'm just not sure it's worth the $700-$800 more (over a value) for covered bus stops, a pool slide, and the more adult theming. At this point I feel like, if we're going to spend the money, go ALL the way and go deluxe... or just make it a budget trip and go value. Maybe I'm wrong, but we at least need to find out.

So my feeling is--if you really want to keep costs down, go value. If you really want to make the resort an integral part of the vacation, go deluxe.

But take it all with a grain of salt, from someone who's not yet done a value.

Have a great trip!

 

[goofyintoronto]

Hi, Everyone!

I feel silly even asking for opinions when I'm lucky enough to even worry about the question, but here it goes...

I am taking my DD7 on a surprise Mom & Me trip for 10 nights 6/7-6/17. I'm throwing around the ideas of staying at either Pop, POR or WL taking advantage of the % off promo going on. Here are the pros and cons for me for each resort (since my DH isn't coming along, he says "Whatever you decide is fine."):

Pop Pros: Cost, theming, nice food court, bus service. Also, if we stayed there, it would be in a preferred room, so not too far from the main building.

Pop Cons: Uncovered walkways to room & at bus stop, distance of bus stop to park gates, no slide at pool (yucky in hot/humid/rainy June).

POR Pros: Cost (vs WL), theming (I would book a Royal Room), pool/slide, nice food court (assumed on some of this as I have never been there). I am not planning on spending much time at DTD so the boat there is not a consideration.

POR Cons: Cost (vs Pop), large resort layout, crowded buses , uncovered walkways & bus stop, long bus lines leaving parks

WL Pros: Theming, indoor hallways, smaller layout, covered bus stop, pool/slide, boat to MK (DD LOVED this when we visited in November)

WL Cons: Cost

So......am I being too much of a baby worrying about being out in the elements? Now that I have all my thoughts written out like this, it kinda seems like it. And is the bus situation at POR as cruddy as I am understanding it to be from other threads out there?

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!!

I dont think an uncovered walkway/bustop at the resort is such a big deal. I really dont, my personal opinion. Your not spending the majority of your day at the bus stop. The only time its an issue is when its raining. But i always carry an umbrella with me. This would never be a deciding factor for me.

I have been to both POP & POR, and I honestly love both. POR theme is more fancy than POP, beautiful grounds. I personally dont find the resort as big as some ppl say. Its totally manageable.

The buses at POP or POR were never an issue for us either. It was perfectly fine. Only issue was the distance from the bus stop in the park to the gate with POP. But whatever. We got use to it. As for crowded buses, the only time its been a prob was right after wishes. MASSIVE lines for pretty much every resort.

Looking at your statements its clear you prefer WL. I'd just stick with that.

 

[lilaurora]

I've had one vacation each at Pop, POFQ and WL and have enjoyed them all. And you are right, I do prefer WL overall. It is my "prissiness" of being out in the rain that is making me most rethink Pop, but you're right....I will be at Disney and rain is just part of the vacation during that time of year regardless. We will have ponchos with us, but maybe making the small investment in a couple of travel umbrellas (which we can of course use other than at WDW) would make things a little more comfortable. We can afford a stay at WL, but if we don't, I'll have more $ to spend on other things

 

[SpectroMagic*o*]

Pop Century is one of my fave resorts, Ive stayed there several times. Great for kids too, I think they appreciate the oversized and colorful objects etc. Plus, the food court is great! It's a lot to see and keep you interested. But the best part is Pop is the only resort to have its own bus system. It doesnt stop at any other resort.

We stayed at WL in 2010 and I really loved the whole feel to the resort, the pool area was nice, option to take a boat to park, etc. But I have to say, I was disappointed with the rooms. Only because of the amount of money you spend to stay there. They could really use some updates if they are going to charge that much for the rooms. But then again, most people dont care about rooms cuz who spends that much time in the room??

 

[Daisy-J&D]

I would go with POR Royal room, personally. If you said money was no object that would be something totally different... but COST is a con for you and WL is more expensive. Something to consider.... that money could be used elsewhere on your vacation or saved for a rainy day.

Also, I thought it was only value that had uncovered bus stops?

 

[lilaurora]

I would go with POR Royal room, personally. If you said money was no object that would be something totally different... but COST is a con for you and WL is more expensive. Something to consider.... that money could be used elsewhere on your vacation or saved for a rainy day.

Also, I thought it was only value that had uncovered bus stops?

The POR Royal Rooms seem so nice (from the PR material Disney's putting out anyway), and my DD is a huge princess fan. Not that we'll be spending a ton of time in the room, but we'll be going back in the afternoons for a break from the hottest part of the day. However, if we don't stay in one, she won't know the difference since she doesn't know that they even exist.

And you are right, Moderates have covered bus stops, too. I wasn't very clear in making that distinction in my original post.

 

[lilaurora]

Pop Century is one of my fave resorts, Ive stayed there several times. Great for kids too, I think they appreciate the oversized and colorful objects etc. Plus, the food court is great! It's a lot to see and keep you interested. But the best part is Pop is the only resort to have its own bus system. It doesnt stop at any other resort.

We stayed at WL in 2010 and I really loved the whole feel to the resort, the pool area was nice, option to take a boat to park, etc. But I have to say, I was disappointed with the rooms. Only because of the amount of money you spend to stay there. They could really use some updates if they are going to charge that much for the rooms. But then again, most people dont care about rooms cuz who spends that much time in the room??

Since I'm not smart enough to figure out how to reply to two posts in the same reply, I'm replying separately

The rooms are another "con" at WL as I just saw yesterday that they will be refurbing all the rooms - which is awesome - but construction is scheduled to be in full swing when we are there. And even with afternoon breaks, we'll be spending the majority of our waking hours elsewhere.

I actually have already booked a preferred room at Pop before I started second-guessing myself about potential other resorts that may be "better". I agree with you that she would really like the decorations and the big icons another fun stuff. Plus with the preferred room, we'll be pretty close to the main building.

As far as food courts go, when we stayed at WL in November, we ended up eating at Roaring Forks more than I had anticipated and by the end of our 10-night stay we were wishing for more of a variety of items. Pop's food court being so much larger would give us more options.

Thank you all! It's helpful to have others to hash things out with.

 

[Kae]

I have stayed at POFQ, WL & Pop in that order. WL is my Favorite but we really enjoyed Pop. We did not think the resort was that spread out. But POR princess rooms look awesome & if I was going on a trip with DD it would be my first choice. And we know for sure that at POR/WL you will get a fridge which is nice to have.

Ok now that i have been no help,

Top of my Head POR.

Kae

 

[SpectroMagic*o*]

The rooms are another "con" at WL as I just saw yesterday that they will be refurbing all the rooms - which is awesome - but construction is scheduled to be in full swing when we are there. And even with afternoon breaks, we'll be spending the majority of our waking hours elsewhere.

Oh I'm actually really glad to hear that!! And I love being a DISer and helping other people out, and getting help back in return! Hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[lilaurora]

I have stayed at POFQ, WL & Pop in that order. WL is my Favorite but we really enjoyed Pop. We did not not think the resort was that spread out. But POR princess rooms look awesome & if I was going on a trip with DD it would be my first choice. And we know for sure that at POR/WL you will get a fridge which is nice to have.

Ok now that i have been no help,

Top of my Head POR.

Kae

Thank you for taking the time to give me your 2 cents, Kae! I know how you feel! That's why I had to reach out for help - there are really nice things about all of the resorts

WL is my favorite, too. But Pop is nice and I hear that POR is nice - especially if we get one of those royal rooms. And DD just had a spectacular 1st visit a few months ago. (We did ALL the princess meals plus other character meals, MVMCP, BBB, and splurged on the bunk bed room at WL.) It's ~$1500 more to stay at WL than Pop and ~$750 more to stay at POR (or POFQ) than Pop. Again, we can afford WL so it's not an issue. But I think it might be nice to have her try something different this time, too.

I think after all the input from everyone so far, I am leaning back toward my original plan of Pop! Just because we can afford WL doesn't mean that we have to spend the extra. And maybe I can spoil DD in other ways when we are there, then And Pop does have the dedicated buses, which will be nice since we'll be coming back during the day and then heading back out. Even if the park bus stops are so stinkin' far away!

 

[dclfun]

I would probably choose a Royal Room at POR- the food court there is awesome and I think for someone your dd's age- it's the optimal time to be in a "princess" room. There's a narrow age window there, IMO and once a child is too old to be impressed it just loses some of its thrill. I'd think that type of room would be more important for a Mom/daughter trip too- something special that you'd be sharing with her. That said, there's nothing wrong with Pop and you might then have leftover funds for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique if you've not done that or perhaps the princess tea. Disney has many ways to help us dispose of our $$! I love WL too, but if it's raining and you take the boat, you'd have a fairly long walk back to the main building since that seems to be a concern and the rooms there are small with a limited food court ( as you found out). I'd want to try something different too.

 

[lilaurora]

I would probably choose a Royal Room at POR- the food court there is awesome and I think for someone your dd's age- it's the optimal time to be in a "princess" room. There's a narrow age window there, IMO and once a child is too old to be impressed it just loses some of its thrill. I'd think that type of room would be more important for a Mom/daughter trip too- something special that you'd be sharing with her. That said, there's nothing wrong with Pop and you might then have leftover funds for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique if you've not done that or perhaps the princess tea. Disney has many ways to help us dispose of our $$! I love WL too, but if it's raining and you take the boat, you'd have a fairly long walk back to the main building since that seems to be a concern and the rooms there are small with a limited food court ( as you found out). I'd want to try something different too.

Good point on the small window of her enjoying the princesses, and I would also like the royal room being a overgrown princess lover myself Also good point on the long walk back from the boat dock from MK to the room. It wouldn't be any different than walking from a main building to the room at the other resorts.

Geez - multiple strong votes for the royal room! I know if this wasn't a surprise trip and I actually asked my DD's opinion, I'm sure she would be all over the royal room concept.

I really appreciate all the really helpful comments that I'm getting from so many posters!

 

[lilaurora]

Update: I just checked online and called central reservations, and only king rooms at POR are currently available with the % discount. Bummer..... I checked availability without the % discount, and royal rooms with water/river view are available, BUT they would cost the same as the discount standard room at WL. I think I'm going to stick with the Pop for this trip. It will still be tons of fun for both of us.

Thanks again you wonderful "friends" on the DIS for talking things out and offering your opinions!

 

[lovesdumbo]

I actually have already booked a preferred room at Pop before I started second-guessing myself about potential other resorts that may be "better". I agree with you that she would really like the decorations and the big icons another fun stuff. Plus with the preferred room, we'll be pretty close to the main building.

As far as food courts go, when we stayed at WL in November, we ended up eating at Roaring Forks more than I had anticipated and by the end of our 10-night stay we were wishing for more of a variety of items. Pop's food court being so much larger would give us more options.

Thank you all! It's helpful to have others to hash things out with.

I understand first hand about all the second-guessing. I have a one on one trip scheduled with my youngest DD(9) in May for my birthday.

My last 5 trips except for my Jan trip to Pop for the marathon have been to BWI CL. I just love the CL service and staff there. I just can not justify that for this trip with just my DD especially with higher rack rates and smaller discounts. When I was there in Jan I booked a bounceback for May. I wanted prefered at Pop-wanted to be close to food court so I could run down quickly in the morning and leave DD in room. I also wanted to minimize any late night whining by tired DD walking back to the room after a long park day. But they didn't have Pop at bounceback rate so I booked prefered at ASMovies. I'm sure DD who has never been to ASMovies will love it. I've been second-guessing ever since.

I really like Pop-have been there 7 times. Love the food court-love that all the food is in the food court-at other resorts larger drinks and snacks are in the gift shop. Love the theming. Love the bus service. I've only been to ASMovies 1 time for a whirlwind 3 night trip. I'm worried I won't like the food court as much or that the bus service won't be as good. I have been constantly checking to see what is available with AP or general public discount. I could book Pop for about the same price as I have. I decided to keep ASMovies. I really think DD will enjoy something new. She loves dogs so we're hoping to get a Dalmation room.

I've also been to POR twice and POFQ once. I think a prefered room at POR is more important than a prefered room at Pop. I could book CBR for about $500 more. My DD really wants a pool slide. I just can't bring myself to do the upgrade. I know the multiple bus stops would drive me crazy. We can go to a waterpark for a lot less than an upgrade.

I've checked WL but it would be almost 3 times as much as ASMo and I know I don't want to do buses that share with another resort.

I'm going to be brave and stick with ASMovies but I can't say for sure that I won't keep looking at other options.

 

[madolyn]

Here's a thought ... you're going for 10 days. Would you be up for a change of scenery mid-trip? You could spend the first five nights at Pop and then finish off the second half of your stay at WL or another Deluxe. (I wouldn't do it in reverse order.) It might be fun to break up the trip into two different resort experiences, if you're willing to pack and unpack in the middle. The money spent might average out to be what you'd spend on a Moderate.

 

[lilaurora]

I understand first hand about all the second-guessing. I have a one on one trip scheduled with my youngest DD(9) in May for my birthday.

My last 5 trips except for my Jan trip to Pop for the marathon have been to BWI CL. I just love the CL service and staff there. I just can not justify that for this trip with just my DD especially with higher rack rates and smaller discounts. When I was there in Jan I booked a bounceback for May. I wanted prefered at Pop-wanted to be close to food court so I could run down quickly in the morning and leave DD in room. I also wanted to minimize any late night whining by tired DD walking back to the room after a long park day. But they didn't have Pop at bounceback rate so I booked prefered at ASMovies. I'm sure DD who has never been to ASMovies will love it. I've been second-guessing ever since.

I really like Pop-have been there 7 times. Love the food court-love that all the food is in the food court-at other resorts larger drinks and snacks are in the gift shop. Love the theming. Love the bus service. I've only been to ASMovies 1 time for a whirlwind 3 night trip. I'm worried I won't like the food court as much or that the bus service won't be as good. I have been constantly checking to see what is available with AP or general public discount. I could book Pop for about the same price as I have. I decided to keep ASMovies. I really think DD will enjoy something new. She loves dogs so we're hoping to get a Dalmation room.

I've also been to POR twice and POFQ once. I think a prefered room at POR is more important than a prefered room at Pop. I could book CBR for about $500 more. My DD really wants a pool slide. I just can't bring myself to do the upgrade. I know the multiple bus stops would drive me crazy. We can go to a waterpark for a lot less than an upgrade.

I've checked WL but it would be almost 3 times as much as ASMo and I know I don't want to do buses that share with another resort.

I'm going to be brave and stick with ASMovies but I can't say for sure that I won't keep looking at other options.

You sound like you know exactly how I feel!! I'm glad to know that there are others out there who second-guess themselves as much as I do! Sharing your story has helped me a lot. Have an awesome time with your DD in May

Here's a thought ... you're going for 10 days. Would you be up for a change of scenery mid-trip? You could spend the first five nights at Pop and then finish off the second half of your stay at WL or another Deluxe. (I wouldn't do it in reverse order.) It might be fun to break up the trip into two different resort experiences, if you're willing to pack and unpack in the middle. The money spent might average out to be what you'd spend on a Moderate.

In all of my thinking and re-thinking, it did occur to me that we COULD do a split stay. I've never done that before. How would we get our luggage from one resort to another?

 

[madolyn]

How would we get our luggage from one resort to another?

I just saw a thread that discusses luggage transfer during a split stay; unfortunately my newbie status on this board doesn't allow me to post a link yet. The thread is titled "Split Stay Question" -- you'll be able to find it in a search.