Pop= relaxing

[nelle]

Is Pop a relaxing place to stay?? We are looking for a resort to relax at and enjoy the resort. There are 5 of us so we have two rooms booked. We are also considering POR and the Cabins we have stayed at both of these and liked both. POR would be the cheapest of the three and the cabins would be the most.
So what do you think?? Is Pop relaxing or to high strung for a quiet trip?
Any other suggestions??
There is 2 adults and 3 kids (8, 6, 3) we have been to WDW many times.
Thanks,

 

[Disneychix]

Just DH and I did Pop last year and we found it nice. We were there in Sept and had a room in the 80's overlooking the Computer pool. It wasn't very loud at all. I was very worried it would be over-the-top but we did have a nice relaxing stay. (we did rent a car however so we didn't have to deal with busses)

 

[brergnat]

Absolutely NOT! Now, you are going to get a broad range of answers on this question. Pop has it's legion of fans, but you can count me out of them.

I took a solo trip a couple years ago to "get away from it all", namely, the stress of having a special needs toddler and being 12 weeks pregnant. I stayed at Pop because it was cheap, bottom line. I 100% regretted the decision to stay there, and I was only there 3 nights.

The place is loud, crowded, and chaotic. There is no quiet to be found in any of the public areas. The rooms are loud..the walls are thin (I don't believe anyone who says the walls are the same at all the WDW resorts..this is NOT true). I could hear maids talking, vacuuming, toilets flushing, phones ringing, OTHER ROOM ALARM CLOCKS at 5:30 in the morning, etc. The beds are hard and bouncy (not my idea of comfortable) and the place feels like a college dorm, primarily. People constantly letting their doors slam shut (we all know the doors are weighted...let's close them gently at 1am people!!!).

Don't even get me started on the food-court-gift-shop-combo. The din and bright fluorescent lights (reminiscent of a Costco warehouse) emanating from this place gave me a migraine on a daily basis. I'm totally serious...I'm prone to migraines and I spent the entire first night drugged up on vicodin with earplugs on and I STILL heard all the racket from the rooms around and above me. That headache never really went away.

The bus service is horrible. Lines and lines of people out in the hot sun with no shade (WHY????....Why no shade Disney???). The massive groups of people who cut in line, etc.

By day 2 I made a trip to the WL *just* to sit in the lobby for a couple hours and get some peace and quiet!

I vowed to never, ever again stay at a Value resort. In my "old age" (29), I'm over it.

If your PRIMARY objective this vacation is to relax, do NOT stay at the Pop. Choose POR. I love that resort.

 

[sunlover13]

I stayed at POR in May '07 and POP in Sept '07. I loved both resorts. POR is definitely more relaxing though. If you are looking for relaxing, I'd go with POR. If you want more lively & theming, I'd go with POP.

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

I'm a big fan of POP but we do not stay there to relax. We stay there pretty much to have a quick, cheap trip or as a way to split our stay so we can do a few days at a deluxe resort. POP is a lot of fun but there is a lot going on with a lot of folks on-property.

And don't get me started on the 'turbo toilets'.

 

[marivaid]

I love POP, my favorite of the Values without a doubt. However it is NOT relaxing. Even if you request and get a room near the lake, where it's more quiet, there's a lot of noise. The whole place is loud, to the eyes and the ears.
I would go with POR, or possibly All Stars Music.

 

[Sugardimples]

We have stayed at Pop about a dozen times and think that it is a great place to stay. While the Food Court does get very busy in the morning, we have learned to plan around it. (We've learned that if we walk over toward the Classic Conconctions" bar area we always find a table.) We have never experienced any of the noise others have attributed to "thin walls". We have experienced no "noisy bathroom" sounds. We have stayed in the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's sections and have had the same experience in each section.

We like the energy of the Pop Century. Have spent entire days at the pool and have not found them to be overly crowded.

However, I have heard lots of other people complaining in line at the Food Court, saying they will never stay there again, that they are used to a Deluxe Resort and find the Pop unacceptable to them. To each their own. It is not a deluxe resort, but it is a very nice value resort and we have not been disappointed.

 

[Gillian]

I think it would be a good place to stay. With 3 kids it's not like you're going to be sitting around reading a book and sipping a margarita, right?
I thought it was a fun place to hang out. Certainly there are issues, but most of the time we really liked it. There are kids and chaos everywhere we've stayed at Disney. The food court we found to be empty on some days and packed/noisy/dirty on others, even at the same time, just due to the changing volume of people.

 

[kapoof]

Absolutely NOT! Now, you are going to get a broad range of answers on this question. Pop has it's legion of fans, but you can count me out of them.

I took a solo trip a couple years ago to "get away from it all", namely, the stress of having a special needs toddler and being 12 weeks pregnant. I stayed at Pop because it was cheap, bottom line. I 100% regretted the decision to stay there, and I was only there 3 nights.

The place is loud, crowded, and chaotic. There is no quiet to be found in any of the public areas. The rooms are loud..the walls are thin (I don't believe anyone who says the walls are the same at all the WDW resorts..this is NOT true). I could hear maids talking, vacuuming, toilets flushing, phones ringing, OTHER ROOM ALARM CLOCKS at 5:30 in the morning, etc. The beds are hard and bouncy (not my idea of comfortable) and the place feels like a college dorm, primarily. People constantly letting their doors slam shut (we all know the doors are weighted...let's close them gently at 1am people!!!).

Don't even get me started on the food-court-gift-shop-combo. The din and bright fluorescent lights (reminiscent of a Costco warehouse) emanating from this place gave me a migraine on a daily basis. I'm totally serious...I'm prone to migraines and I spent the entire first night drugged up on vicodin with earplugs on and I STILL heard all the racket from the rooms around and above me. That headache never really went away.

The bus service is horrible. Lines and lines of people out in the hot sun with no shade (WHY????....Why no shade Disney???). The massive groups of people who cut in line, etc.

By day 2 I made a trip to the WL *just* to sit in the lobby for a couple hours and get some peace and quiet!

I vowed to never, ever again stay at a Value resort. In my "old age" (29), I'm over it.

If your PRIMARY objective this vacation is to relax, do NOT stay at the Pop. Choose POR. I love that resort.

i totally would trust the advice here...
although i have never stayed at pop, i drove past it and it looked loud and crazy!

 

[disneyluvrsX5]

We were there with our three children 7,5 and infant last month. While we found it to be clean and we generally enjoyed it, I would say it is most definitely not relaxing. I suppose it would depend on how you intend to spend your trip( if you are going to hit the parks every day or want to relax a few days ) I found the most difficult for us was being on the DDP and trying to get our CS meals for everyone. I would generally take the kids and wait while DH navigated through three or four lines for food. This was very hard.

We were in the 60's building and it was a bit of a walk back and forth as well. As the others have stated, it seemed to always be crowded, busy and a bit chaotic. I would probably go back to Pop again, though. I thought it was pretty clean despite the 'chaos'. The kids seemed to really enjoy it there too. I personally wanted to relax a bit when back at the hotel and this was anything but relaxing. Anyway, just my thoughts.
Amy

 

[branv]

I found Pop to be about as relaxing as Chuck E. Cheese. I still heard noise at POFQ but it was far less noticeable, far less chaotic, and far more absolutely peaceful moments between busier times. Pop just..seemed..to..never...stop. And there was nothing like leaving a hectic park to step off the bus at POFQ into a tree-lined pathway and a bubble of quiet. Ahhhhhhhhh...

 

[goofy4tink]

I have stayed in both POP and POR..POR three times, POP four times. I love POP. I have stayed in the 50's section, way to the back of bldg 2, 50's in the rear of bldg 1, 60's in the rear of bldg 4 and in 80's facing the parking lot/lake. I have yet to have any noise issues. Yes, the food court is loud..it's a food court! But, other than that, the only place I've heard loud noise is at the pools, and mostly the main pool.
The rooms are no noisier than any other resort room. In fact, the noisiest room I have had to date was at the Polynesian. Miserable neighbors next door, with a connecting door. I'm not sure what one poster heard at 5:30 am, but it wasn't housekeeping. Housekeeping doesn't start that early. I'm a pretty light sleeper and the toilet noises have never bothered me, at any resort. But, I may have lucked out in all those stays.
The buses are POP are really quite good. They don't share with anyone else, which is a huge plus. The lines can get long at park opening and closing but that's to be expected. If the park opens at 9:00, you will find long bus lines starting at 8ish. It's a huge resort, there are going to be others that want to go to the parks.
There is a nice pool bar, Petals. Also the inside lounge area, Classic Concoctions is fun.

Now....POR is truly more relaxing than POP though. It's just the theming. With 5 in your group, you would be in Alligator Bayou...my personal favorite area there. It's so lush and overgrown. There are about 6 quiet pools as well as the main pool on Ol Man Island. The lounge area with Bob the pianoman is lots of fun. But, POR shares a bus with POFQ, and POR itself has 4 bus stops...so the bus ride can be longish.
It's all about what works for your family/group.

 

[buzz1fan]

We stayed at the POP once, and we also like to relax and enjoy the resort. We didnt think it was relaxing at all. My son loved the pools, but we thought it was loud and not very enjoyable. I have never stayed at POR, but I have family who stayed at POFQ and they loved it. They had a relaxing trip and like the pools a lot more than the values becasue of the slides. Just my 2 cents..

 

[LSchrow]

we've only visited Pop & can think of a number of great things about it: a good value, fun theming, bright

however, "relaxing" is definately not of of pop's attributes imho

 

[Mayl]

Great value for the money....

We loved the resort...

Relaxing? No way!

Honestly if you can swing it, go to POR or POFQ for that..

While we thought PoP was perfect for our family, we never ever had relaxing creep into our vocabulary

 

[nelle]

Thanks for the honest replies!! We were just at disney in OCT so this trip was to just take it easy, relax, and enjoy the time with our kids while they are young . We usually stay at DVC resorts but we've run out of points for the year. Our main goal was to go at the kids pace and if they want to swim all day then we will swim. We love may and the flower and garden festival so thats an added bonus.
I guess I will look to change resorts to POR or the cabins, I'm leaning towards POR since it's cheaper and with the money saved we can do the P&PP.
Thanks again!

 

[kittythepoohbear]

I think in order to answer this question you will need to think about two things:

1 - When are you planning to go? Busy time or off season?
and
2 - What is your definition of relaxing?

I have stayed at POP many times and have found it to be the best bang for my Disney Dollar at this time. I have also found it to be relaxing to an extent, especially in the early mornings or late evenings around the lake. I have had spent a couple of mornings watching the sunrise over the resort while sitting on the bridge. I love to walk around the lake in the afternoon and see the wildlife. Also, in the middle of the afternoon during off season, the 50's pool tends to be rather empty. It isn't always warm enough to swim but definitely nice enough to sit in a pool chair, read a book, and enjoy a cocktail or a snack you bought at the food court. At all of these times, I was alone or almost alone, able to take my time and enjoy the task at hand without loud distractions which to me is relaxing. I also want to mention that I honestly have never experienced any excessively loud noises coming from either adjoining rooms or from guests walking by. Every now and again I would hear someone walk by or hear a rambunctious child's eager Disney cries but it was quiet enough for me to enjoy being in my room and sleep well. I have always stayed in the 50's section, either bldg. 1or 3. Rooms by the lake are quieter. The food court, however, is insane and I try not to eat there at peak hours. The din has given me headaches.

To really pamper yourself, I recommend CSR as they offer massages in the resort itself and also have a little sauna. The theming is great as well.

 

[hsmamato2]

The buses are POP are really quite good.

Huh? - we stayed in Jan- walked past the UNBELIEVABLE bus lines daily- stood in line for almost an hour at DTD while other buses came and went.... decided NEVER again.
The resort theme is cute- but non relaxing,it just feels to me like no one cares about the guests in this hotel, I mean, those bus lines at the front of that HUGE property,lines,lines,and congestion,like a pp said,no cover in rain or hot sun while you fight for your standing room only place...... We had never seen any so bad at any of the resorts like that...... I'd recommend staying there only if you drive your own car.....
I've never stayed at the POFQ,but have visited,and it seems very pleasant-we had no bus issues coming or going-
Ok..donning flame suit..... seriously,I know lots of folks like it there,but sounds like OP is looking for some relaxing resort time,and POP isn't it.....

 

[I Love Pluto]

Pop is a great place to stay - it's enjoyable and fun. It's quite good especially for a value resort. The buses, the pools, the food court, the gift shop, the housekeeping, the towel animals, are all special.

Pop is NOT RELAXING!

 

[Millie12591]

I wouldn't not pick this place for relaxing by any means. But then it depends on what is considered as relaxing. I personally loved the POP!
I would go back here in a heartbeat! But it does get crazy with crowds, which can be worked around if you know what your doing, i.e., going to food court before the crowds etc. As for the room noise, I will just say this, I've read reports that staying inside the GF, AKL and having a room that's inside a building can be just as noisy as any value. That being said, I'm one that is typically bothered by a lot of excessive noise, I hate having to deal with other people being loud, but I didn't find this place to be overly loud any more than anywhere else I've been for a motelish type of place. Which of course this is by far better than any stinkin motel in out in the real world. We had neighbors that were loud one evening but did not feel the walls are "paper thin" at all. My kids make fun of me because I can smell things a mile away and hear things that only a bat would have heard. So I don't feel the noise is as bad as has been posted here. I loved the food from the food court, or at least what little I had of it, yes it can be crazy, but just avoid the crowds, shut bathroom doors at night will help with some of the noise of the toilets. Ask to be put somewhere that is a little more quiet, certainly not facing the pool helps, not to mention the time of the year your going helps also. We went during May, the last week and half of the month so the crowds were pretty heavy and we felt POP was the place that gets you more in the mood of being there in The World (WDW that is) but not condusive for a overly relaxing trip.