POP question for value people

[Flyerfan]

I would like to hear from those of you who stay at value resorts and hotels everywhere for a budget (meaning under $100/night) My DH and I (no kids) will be staying at the Pop in January. I have been reading MANY reviews and they differ in so many ways. We are budget-minded people and honestly do not need everything to be quiet, do not need to have generous size rooms and to have an array of amenities we will never take advantage of. As far as the toilet flushing, we have been on cruise ships where the toilet is so loud and forceful it will take you with it when flushed. And the cabin size is way smaller than what the Pop rooms are, so I am not concerned about the room size for two people.

So, from those of you who are like us, do we sound like we would be comfortable here? Also, we do not plan on swimming so where should we request a room (building and location of room) that would be a little quieter and "out of the way"??

One more question....How is the bus service really? I've read reviews that are like night and day.

 

[cyndibelle]

hi there..we are a bit different than you as in we have two kids..but we all love pop !! as you can see by my visits we go there most of the time...i think you will absolutely be fine there...you sound like us..your there to sleep ..dress..and get on with the next day of fun !!! the bus service is good...i mean of course everyone is going to experience a time when you think that the bus should be there sooner..but what you dont know is that it might have just left when you got to the stop....they have their own buses ..so they dont stop at any other resorts...i dont think you will have any regrets staying there....

 

[Crazy Kanga]

I think it will be great for you. Our only gripe was we had some bad bus experiences. One night we waited alsmost an hour at park closing to get back to the resort from MK because there were so many people there waiting. SEVERAL busses came and went before we got on. Otherwise, I think it will be fine. Oh, one other thing, we had a heck of a time getting our luggage to the room, because we couldn't get a luggage rack thing. They were all in use. Made for a bad start of the trip. I liked our location in the 70's. I would reccommend it because it is pretty close to everything without the extra cost of preferred. Overall it was a pretty good experience and I think it would have been better if it had not been such a busy time of year. Hope you enjoy it.

 

[graygables]

I really like the Pop, the rooms have been great, service great, food court good. I will not stay there again without a car, but that's just me. Every time I've been, the bus service is atrocious and I've encountered more rude people on Pop buses than others I've used.

I think it is a really fun resort regardless of your age/family size. Lots to look at and nice areas to take walks. Have fun planning!

 

[cjhentschel]

We went to Pop this last May and it was our first time staying there. Like you, I read all the message boards about POP. In the beginning I was OH GREAT!! Sounds like everyone loves it. Then I read more reviews - OH GREAT - People hate it or had a really bad time. We loved it. It was just the two of us and we used the room to sleep and shower. It was perfect. We didn't mind the toilet flushing at all - its really not as bad as some people say it is. We did have youngsters staying next door and we heard them in the morning but it was ok. We wanted to get up early to get to the parks. We stayed in the 50's section - very convenient to everything and we always got a great spot to park. We stayed on the fourth floor facing the lobby and it was extremely quiet (except for our neighbors which was no big deal - I was just as excited). We actually had some trouble finding our room but we didn't have much luggage and it wasn't a problem getting it to the room. I have always rented a car. From what I have seen and heard about the bus system - no thanks. I figure we can leave when we want and come back when we want - no waiting and if you are staying on site - parking is free. The saddest part was leaving. But we are going back this May (we want to start our family and want to get a last trip in). Anyway - I think you will love it!! Have a great trip!!!

 

[brooke1]

we had a great time at POPjust this past OCT 04, will be back in less than 30 days.

I thought the bus was great, i think you will enjoy yourself

Brooke

 

[minnie61650]

I have not stayed at POP but I have stayed at the All Stars.
Disney's values have so much to offer they should not even be called values.

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.

Many people enjoy the magic and the theaming of POP also.

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.

I am sure you will enjoy POP!
Have a great time at Disney!
Linda
AKA All Star Goddess

 

[luv2nascar]

we stayed there in June and we have two kids and we loved it. Noise was not an issue for us. We were on top floor room was ready at checkin 10:30AM. It was a little bit of pixie dust for us. We had a small fridge and stroller in there and we were fine. we only rested in afternoons and slept there at night.

I think you will love Pop. Some nights we rested and relaxed in pool around 9-10pm. It was great. Food court and gift shop was nice. We got refillable mugs and icees were a hit with us. We were in 90's and did not find the walk to be bad. Our bus to parks were great. Pop is furthest bus stop at MK and all parks I believe. So the walk later at night seems exhausting with young ones and the wait seems bad when the park closes. Honestly though the Pop buses were coming two at a time and they tried really hard to get you out of there as quickly as possible.

Enjoy your time there.

 

[blueeyez]

We just got back from Pop and it was great. You sound alot like our family. We stayed in the 50's section and it was only a 2 minute walk to the food court. Their was quite a variety of food at the food court. My only complaint was that it was really loud in there. Not like people talking loud, but it seemed like the music was always loud. It wasn't a big deal though because we didn't spend alot of time there. The bus system wasn't too bad. Most of the buses were so crammed full that I don't remember a time we didn't have to stand. People were very nice about giving up their seats for others though. We didn't hear anything outside of our room. I don't know if there just wasn't any noise or if we were just too darn tired. The pools were great, but we didn't spend much time there either. If all you're looking for is a cheap yet comfortable room to stay in, I highly recommend this one. We would definetly stay there again.

 

[tndisneyfan]

We stayed at POP in May and we really liked it. This was only our second trip to WDW. We stayed at CBR the first time. The rooms at POP are smaller than the moderates but not much smaller. I didn't notice much noise. We were on the first floor and we heard people walking overhead a few times, not walking in the rooms but outside the rooms. The food court was good, better than CBR, IMHO.

We didn't have any problems with the busses. We usually only waited about 10 minutes for a bus. One night we left MK at closing and the line for the busses was long. I told DH we would be there an hour trying to get a bus, but they doubled up on busses and we only waited about 20 minutes. POP has one que (sp ?) line for each park. I liked that better than CBR where the busses have to make 5 or 6 stops.

Overall I probably would not spend the extra money to stay at a moderate again.

 

[Tinkim]

Last year my kids and I stayed at Pop. Keep in mind I have nothing to compare it to as far as other Disney hotels go because that was my first time on site. Usually, we stay in a condo or rental house when DH goes. Anyway, I did the same thing you did, read all about Pop here on the Resort board and everyone seemed happy with it, but then I would find threads about how people hated it so I was worried too. Is the room kinda small? Yup . . . but I expected that and you seem to expect it also. I think you will find it is big enough for the minimal amount of time you will probably spend there. Are the buses a pain in the neck sometimes? Yup. Although I didn't have a car so there was no other choice but I would also say I was satisfied with the buses 90% of the time and I expected some inconvenience like after Wishes or EMH night, etc. The toilet flushing thing? I don't know . . . that didn't bother me at all. After reading some of the threads I fully expected to get drenched every time I flushed the toilet. Fortunately that didn't happen. The noise factor also was not as bad as I had imagined either. Honestly we were so tired every night when we got back we didn't hear anything. In the morning once in a while you could hear the doors slamming but again I wasn't surprised by this and it didn't ruin my trip. Maybe it depends on your level of tolerance whether or not these things will bother you but from your post you sound quite laid back like us and I have to say none of these things really bothered us. They certainly didn't ruin our vacation like I was having nightmares about after reading some threads here. I think if you go with realistic expectations you won't be disappointed. We were in the 70s section. It was close to the buses and the pool and a pretty close walk to the food court. I enjoyed that section and the location. I think you will be happy with Pop and if you are like me you will wonder what the heck you were so worried about! Go and have a great trip. I really don't think you'll be disappointed and "Do the hustle" once for us!

 

[huey578]

I would like to hear from those of you who stay at value resorts and hotels everywhere for a budget (meaning under $100/night) My DH and I (no kids) will be staying at the Pop in January. I have been reading MANY reviews and they differ in so many ways. We are budget-minded people and honestly do not need everything to be quiet, do not need to have generous size rooms and to have an array of amenities we will never take advantage of. As far as the toilet flushing, we have been on cruise ships where the toilet is so loud and forceful it will take you with it when flushed. And the cabin size is way smaller than what the Pop rooms are, so I am not concerned about the room size for two people.

So, from those of you who are like us, do we sound like we would be comfortable here? Also, we do not plan on swimming so where should we request a room (building and location of room) that would be a little quieter and "out of the way"??

One more question....How is the bus service really? I've read reviews that are like night and day.

Our last stay at Pop was during Christmas thru New Years and we had a great stay there. We've stayed at moderate and deluxe resorts too and there is no comparison as to one level of hotel being nosier then then next. I believe your family will enjoy staying at Pop. The room size is similar to a Super8 or Motel6. They are clean and comfortable. We are staying there next month!! Enjoy your trip!

 

[Flyerfan]

Thanks everyone! How are they with accommodating requests for certain rooms?