Tell me what you don't like about the POP resorts, please

[Bete]

I've not stayed here yet; so, I'm a little scared about it. It seems far removed from the rest of the resorts, etc.; maybe, too far????
Also, does it appear incomplete because the other sections have not been built yet?
Is it better to drive to the parks or better to do Disney transportation? Does it depend on which park?

Any other comments would be appreciated, too. I'll be making my decision shortly to stay at POP or All-Stars.

 

[stemikger]

I felt the same way as you did when I went last year.

I previously stayed in moderate resorts - so I wasn't sure I would like the value category which Pop is part of.

Pop did not dissapoint me or my wife and daughter. In fact I will be going back this August.

To answer your questions, I used the Disney transportation. I never take a car when I go. The longest I waited for a bus was 20 minutes. Most of them came after a ten minute wait. 90% of the time we got a seat. The only drag is when you come back from the parks - the Pop Century bus stop is usually the furtherest away. I belive the Magic Kingdom is the longest ride which is about 15 or 20 minutes from Pop Century.

Even though the lengendary years is not completed - you do not notice it. You are seperated by a big lake and it really is a seperate resort. So it does not take away from the atmosphere from Pop Century at all. The part of the Resort which has been opened since last year is called the Classic Years which represents Pop Culture from 1950 to 1990.

Having said all that I think it really depends on what you expect on a vacation. Pop Century is really a Motel type of building, nothing fancy there, but the the icons dress it up and the grounds are very nicely maintained and the music that is played in each section is consistent with that era.

The seperate lobby (called Classic Hall) is very accomodating. In there you will find a food court - gift shop, game room and of course the front desk. The atomsphere is fun - especially if you enjoy Pop Culture.

Pop Century is not a deluxe resort, but to me has more Disney Magic - because it has a feel of being in one of the parks. Hope this helps and have fun.

 

[3lilprincesses]

we stayed at Pop, and there were some things i didn't like about it, mostly the noise. i didn't enjoy hearing toilets being flushed and water running at any hour of the night. either the plumbing is very loud or the walls are very thin. but it is a motel setup, so i guess i should have expected that. i agree about the busses. we didn't have to wait to long for one, but the return trip was kind of a bummer late at night. the food court was VERY crowded, but the selection was really good. it was not our favorite, but the only other resort we stayed in was GF, and it is unfair to compare a value to a deluxe. i hate to sound like a downer, but you asked what we didn't like...sorry!

even given all the things we didn't like, we would still stay there again in a heartbeat. it's disney, what's not to like??

HAVE FUN!!!

 

[*Fantasia*]

I love everything about POP! The only thing I didn't like about it and its not even on the POP ground, is where the bus drops you off at the MK and Epcot. It is the furthest. I am not sure about AK and MGM, we've only been there at MGM once and AK twice.

If you want quiet, I would suggest the 4th floor facing the lake. You might even try the 90s bldg, I think it's the furthest away from the main bldg and you will get less traffic there.

POP is not far removed. POP is close to Epcot and MGM and not too far from AK. POP is close to downtown disney. POP is in a good location. Now, if POP only were on the monorail... it would be a beautiful thing!

 

[arizonacolbys]

We've stayed at POP 3 times since Sept 2004. We really love it there! We have also stayed at a couple of deluxes & the All Star Movies, and we understand that the values have less amenities than the deluxes. We usually end up choosing a longer stay at a value instead of spending the money on a mod/deluxe.

I think POP is actually in a better location than the All Stars - it is right next to the Carribean Beach Resort. Bus ride times are: 5 minutes to MGM, 6 minutes to Epcot, less than 10 to AK, and about 12 to the MK. You can see the top of the Tower of Terror & Spaceship Earth from the POP. We usually rely on all Disney Transportation when at WDW & think that POP generally has some of the best around. We have rarely waited long for a bus & it's great that POP doesn't share busses with any other resort.

Because it is a Value resort, there are certain things I think can be done to make your stay nicer. For a quiet room, we have had great luck requesting a 4th floor room, facing the lake in the 50's or 70's. This ensures that nobody is above you making noise & if you're out by the lake it is more quiet - you're not located right by the pool or anything. I have also started closing our bathroom door while we sleep at night - these drowns out any flushing toilet or shower noise that you might hear if your neighbors wake up before you do.

I think that when POP was built, many of the problems from the All Stars were improved upon. We'd stay at the All Stars again, but probably only if the POP wasn't available. JMO

 

[Bete]

I feel much more at ease about staying here. I'm not expecting a deluxe resort and I've stayed at the All-Stars before; so, I kind of know what the layout is like for a value.

I love the hint ArizonaColbys about closing the bathroom door. I think ear plugs may help, too. Thanks for the hint.

 

[Stitch Inside]

I've been looking at the POP lately and thinking of doing a short trip this fall. You guys' responses were better than I expected. I appreciate that no one slammed the place. Would y'all say the 90's building is the least popular and possibly (agreeing with Fantasia) the quietest?

 

[3lilprincesses]

Because it is a Value resort, there are certain things I think can be done to make your stay nicer. For a quiet room, we have had great luck requesting a 4th floor room, facing the lake in the 50's or 70's. This ensures that nobody is above you making noise & if you're out by the lake it is more quiet - you're not located right by the pool or anything. I have also started closing our bathroom door while we sleep at night - these drowns out any flushing toilet or shower noise that you might hear if your neighbors wake up before you do.

excellent tip about closing the bathroom door!! i will definitely do this the next time we stay there! i just love all of the expert advice you get here!!

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

The only thing I didn't like was not knowing where my car was parked. There was no way to distinguish one row of cars from another. However, you can get by that by parking in the row with the handicapped spaces, so you always know where you are!

I loved everything about the resort other than the parking situation.

 

[poohkinandpiglet]

The only thing that bothers me about the value resorts are the double beds/smaller rooms. If you can deal with that everything else is fine!

 

[Magalex]

Prior to our April 2005 trip I was nervouse if I chose the right resort for us(myself, DH and 4 yr old DS). POP was great and fun. My DS Loved it too. We loved all the bright colors and icons. We stayed at the 50's bldg. facing the parking lot/landscape. It was actually very close to the main bldg. No big deal walking to the bus stops. It was sooooo much fun and it is Disney.


Magalex
POP 4/22/05 -4/30/05 Awesome trip!

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

I worried about Pop too because we never stayed at a value before. While we only spent one night there, then moved to another resort, we enjoyed our short time there very much. If it makes you feel any better, while I am debating on whether or not to go to WDW this fall, my two choices are Pop and POR. Lots of bang for your buck at Pop, imo.

Since your original question was what didn't we like, I can only say that while the icons are great fun and DGS (age 6) absolutely LOVED it there, here are the only very minor minuses about Pop for me:

1. I was thinking for a 6-7 night stay it is a lot of concrete and tall buildings to look at, more so than a peaceful, beautiful, landscape. It has more of a busy city feeling than a "enjoy the landscaping getting away from it all" feeling. However, when we were there just after Thanksgiving, it was not at all noisy or crowded.
2. For a longer stay, it might bother me that the rooms are small and ours was dark since it only has one window. But how much time do you spend there anyway?
3. No counter space for toiletries, but I'm not sure if the mods have sinks with counters either. Again, a very minor inconvenience that can be fixed with an over the door shoe hanger for the rack next to the sink.

These little things would not stop me from staying at Pop by any means. When they say value, they are not kidding, because it was well worth the price. I was very impressed for the money and we are used to staying at Poly. Staying at Pop made me realize we were spending way too much money staying at Poly.

We stayed in the 50s building facing the lake. Great location. DGS and I actually had fun looking out across the lake to the Legendary Years. We imagined it was haunted and I taped him doing a "documentary" on that subject...lol. He still talks about that. Have fun!

Tink

 

[kath1210]

We are going to Pop this October or December (hoping the free dining will be extended). We haven't stayed in any value resort, but we chose Pop largely because of what I've read on this Board. We can get two rooms at Pop in the value season for less than 1/2 of the cost of just one room at a Deluxe resort.

I am not tempted by the moderates because they are only slightly larger rooms, but still have the double beds. We are all big in my family and two of us in a double bed will not work! So, in any moderate, we'd still need two rooms and I just could not justify the higher cost.

We could fit in one room in the Deluxe hotels, especially those with a daybed, but I just can't get over the cost. We stayed at the Poly before and it was nothing special at all, certainly not enough to justify the huge cost.

I think Pop (2 rooms) sounds just right for us!!

 

[RedRuby]

We are going to Pop this October or December (hoping the free dining will be extended). (snip).

I think Pop (2 rooms) sounds just right for us!!

You mention October -- can you do early October? You'd need to check in by October 4 to get the current free meal code YMP (YMO through AAA agents). Two rooms at POP is cheaper than one moderate with extra adult charges

 

[Ilove8Trax]

I stayed at Pop in March 05. Didn't mind it for a try, but would probably not stay again simply because it was very crowded, andd most likley is constantly. And yes, other resorts can be full, but at Pop, it just looks like overload of people...and some people are parents who do not control their children well.

 

[cdntourguide]

I have stayed at POP three times, am going back in July and have another reservation for Oct.
saying this, there are couple of things about staying at POP I do not like. Foremost is the distance to bus line at Epcot, in fact I will take the monorail to the MK just so that I do not have to walk that long distance to the POP bus stop at Epcot.
The second thing is the food court: I like the food, just not the way you have to go to station to station to get everything for your meal. There should be a way that you could stand in one line and order everything and get those items at one central location. The way it is set up now, but the time you get everything, everything is cold and the ice cream is melted.

 

[lajones81]

I've not stayed here yet; so, I'm a little scared about it. It seems far removed from the rest of the resorts, etc.; maybe, too far????
Also, does it appear incomplete because the other sections have not been built yet?
Is it better to drive to the parks or better to do Disney transportation? Does it depend on which park?

Any other comments would be appreciated, too. I'll be making my decision shortly to stay at POP or All-Stars.

I love POP! My friend and I were bumped (not our choice, of course) because there were no rooms left for us at the All Stars! Crazy...I know!

The only section that isn't complete is WAY across a lake so that is not an issue. We drove a few days and did Disney transportation another few days.

Any other questions, let me know! I'd be glad to help!