Pop v. Poly - my comparative report

[Crystal_27]

We usually stay at the Poly but decided to go “on the cheap” (yeah, right) and book a week at the Pop since we are going to be cruising in September. We had a good time, but I thought that I would detail a comparative report for those who usually stay at one of the monorail resorts but who are contemplating a Value stay.

Transportation. Transportation to/from the parks was my largest frustration, and, in fairness to the Pop, we never waited more than 15 minutes for a bus (most times it was 5 minutes). However, having to build in an hour of travel time to and from the parks was a huge nuisance for us, and we honestly did not expect how much we would regret not having the monorail. I guess we are just monorail-spoiled, but I really, really missed the convenience of the monorail, especially since our DD is still in a stroller.

Rooms. DH and I laughed when we saw our room at the Pop because the layout was exactly like the Howard Johnson we had stayed at the night before we checked into the Pop (for a third of the price). However, it was clean and served our purposes just fine. Actually, at the Pop, we were probably closer to the pool and the main building than we had ever been while at the Poly. Of course, we paid extra for the preferred room but we did have our choice of locations when we checked in. The one drawback of our room at the Pop was the fact that it didn’t have a refrigerator - - that was a major bummer because even if we used the ice bucket our drinks would not stay cold overnight. I guess we could have paid extra for a refrigerator, but DH was already frustrated at having to pay more for a “preferred room;” he refused to pay more for a refrigerator. Also, the full length mirror right in front of the toilet was a bit disconcerting – who likes looking at themselves in that position (especially if you’re on the Dining Plan?) – LOLOLOL. Generally, we had a good sleeps at the Pop. DH reported that he overheard some noise from other rooms (toilet flushing, yelling, etc.) in the night, but not enough that he couldn’t ever get back to sleep.

Food Court. We ate several meals at the Pop food court (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and quickly discovered that the meals that were made-to-order (i.e., salads, waffles, etc.) were a lot tastier than those that had been sitting around under the warmers. There was a lot more variety at the Pop than what was offered at the Poly, but, again, you could tell some of the food had been sitting there for a while. One thing that amazed us at the Pop were the sundaes: three HUGE scoops of ice cream, hot fudge, caramel, whipped cream, sprinkles, and cherries, all for one snack credit. Holy cow!!!

Pool. DD(4) doesn’t discriminate when it comes to the pools - - she loves the pool at the Poly and she loved the pool at the Pop. My one frustration with the pool at the Pop is that towels weren’t offered to guests whereas they are at the Poly. The first time we swam in the pool at the Pop we ended up walking back to our room dripping and cold, but that was a mistake we only made once - LOL. Still, it makes no sense to me why towels wouldn’t be offered at all hotels?

Overall, our stay at the Pop was positive. However, by the end of the trip, the transportation issues became more and more frustrating and I think that that one single reason will keep us from ever staying there again. We enjoyed the theming, though, and I'm glad we had the chance to stay there. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have.

 

[Crystal_27]

Mods - I'm sorry - I meant to post this in the Resort section. Please redirect. Thank you.

 

[rtobe]

Also, the full length mirror right in front of the toilet was a bit disconcerting –

This is only a problem if you don't close the bathroom door first since the mirror is on the outside of the door

 

[Anal Annie]

We usually stay at the Poly but decided to go “on the cheap” (yeah, right) and book a week at the Pop since we are going to be cruising in September. We had a good time, but I thought that I would detail a comparative report for those who usually stay at one of the monorail resorts but who are contemplating a Value stay.

Transportation. Transportation to/from the parks was my largest frustration, and, in fairness to the Pop, we never waited more than 15 minutes for a bus (most times it was 5 minutes). However, having to build in an hour of travel time to and from the parks was a huge nuisance for us, and we honestly did not expect how much we would regret not having the monorail. I guess we are just monorail-spoiled, but I really, really missed the convenience of the monorail, especially since our DD is still in a stroller.

Rooms. DH and I laughed when we saw our room at the Pop because the layout was exactly like the Howard Johnson we had stayed at the night before we checked into the Pop (for a third of the price). However, it was clean and served our purposes just fine. Actually, at the Pop, we were probably closer to the pool and the main building than we had ever been while at the Poly. Of course, we paid extra for the preferred room but we did have our choice of locations when we checked in. The one drawback of our room at the Pop was the fact that it didn’t have a refrigerator - - that was a major bummer because even if we used the ice bucket our drinks would not stay cold overnight. I guess we could have paid extra for a refrigerator, but DH was already frustrated at having to pay more for a “preferred room;” he refused to pay more for a refrigerator. Also, the full length mirror right in front of the toilet was a bit disconcerting – who likes looking at themselves in that position (especially if you’re on the Dining Plan?) – LOLOLOL. Generally, we had a good sleeps at the Pop. DH reported that he overheard some noise from other rooms (toilet flushing, yelling, etc.) in the night, but not enough that he couldn’t ever get back to sleep.

Food Court. We ate several meals at the Pop food court (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and quickly discovered that the meals that were made-to-order (i.e., salads, waffles, etc.) were a lot tastier than those that had been sitting around under the warmers. There was a lot more variety at the Pop than what was offered at the Poly, but, again, you could tell some of the food had been sitting there for a while. One thing that amazed us at the Pop were the sundaes: three HUGE scoops of ice cream, hot fudge, caramel, whipped cream, sprinkles, and cherries, all for one snack credit. Holy cow!!!

Pool. DD(4) doesn’t discriminate when it comes to the pools - - she loves the pool at the Poly and she loved the pool at the Pop. My one frustration with the pool at the Pop is that towels weren’t offered to guests whereas they are at the Poly. The first time we swam in the pool at the Pop we ended up walking back to our room dripping and cold, but that was a mistake we only made once - LOL. Still, it makes no sense to me why towels wouldn’t be offered at all hotels?

Overall, our stay at the Pop was positive. However, by the end of the trip, the transportation issues became more and more frustrating and I think that that one single reason will keep us from ever staying there again. We enjoyed the theming, though, and I'm glad we had the chance to stay there. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have.

I'm sorry, but isn't all of the above why there's a price difference of probably $325-350 / night between a value and a deluxe resort? I don't think you can compare them fairly unless you also consider the price paid. Trying a moderate resort just once was enough to convince us we'd be good candidates for DVC.