The GROOVIER New Pop Century FAQ Thread Chapter 2! ~ Post #1 is a must see!

[gocards2001]

We are staying at POP this October for my 40th birthday

When is your birthday? My 40th is 10/1. I would love to go and celebrate at WDW, but we are going next week and I can't justify spending the money that soon again. Maybe we will get an awesome tax refund..... I can dream, right?

 

[tr-ray]

Wow, alot of us are going VERY soon...

We have just 9 days until our trip. We check-in 02/5 - 2/12. As much as I'm excited to try Pop, I wish we had booked a mod at the beginning!

Oh well, here's to new experiences! I can't wait!

 

[MapleGirl]

We stayed at the Pop last week and it was lovely. The Ruben Flat bread everyone was talking about was excellent. The pools were a little crowded when it was warm enough to swim. The buses were great. We requested a king standard room in the 70's building and that is exactly what we got. We got our $200 gift card at check-in, there was no need for a voucher. Mickey and Minnie had some balloons and a card delivered to our hotel room wishing us a happy anniversary! The current Bounce Back was pretty weak... 20 - 30% off rack for Value or Moderate.


A couple of things we noticed:
Everything (Resorts, DTD, parks) was much more crowded then I have ever seen it. We have always traveled in late September or January. It was surprising to see such lines for the attractions. There were so many people that it was hard to walk freely. People who visit while school is out will probably laugh, but we thought it was crowded. I guess the current promotion is working.

MCO was also very busy. We were bumped (volunteered) from our flight. Woo! Free airfare for our next vacation!!


There were hoards of Brazilians there!! I had never witnessed this migration before and was completely shocked by the amount of people. There seemed to be no escaping the groups in the parks (no tour groups stayed at the Pop that I noticed.... I wonder where they stayed?). No one was particularly rude and we did not witness any line cutters. But they were everywhere and took up SO much room!! Also, they would occasionally break into song at the top of their lungs. It was clear they were having a good time.

The Fountain of Nations (water ballet) at Epcot was not working. Very sad.

Fantasmic felt cut-back. We couldn't name what was changed, but it felt less fantastic.

The new Toy Story Mania was great. We 'walked briskly' at rope drop and got in line. We waited about 20-15 minutes to get on and had a blast.

Lines for counter service were not that bad, but service seemed slower than usual. We were able to eat at Boma for dinner and have afternoon tea at the GF without ADRs.

Everyone working (and staying!) at the Pop was super nice.

The bar tender at Petals had a ping pong ball that he let us borrow rather than paying $0.50 for one from the machine.

Best drink in the world was the Grand Marnier Slushie from France. Wish I had one now!

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[princess&her4princes]

We stayed at the Pop last week and it was lovely. The Ruben Flat bread everyone was talking about was excellent. The pools were a little crowded when it was warm enough to swim. The buses were great. We requested a king standard room in the 70's building and that is exactly what we got. We got our $200 gift card at check-in, there was no need for a voucher. Mickey and Minnie had some balloons and a card delivered to our hotel room wishing us a happy anniversary! The current Bounce Back was pretty weak... 20 - 30% off rack for Value or Moderate.


A couple of things we noticed:
Everything (Resorts, DTD, parks) was much more crowded then I have ever seen it. We have always traveled in late September or January. It was surprising to see such lines for the attractions. There were so many people that it was hard to walk freely. People who visit while school is out will probably laugh, but we thought it was crowded. I guess the current promotion is working.

MCO was also very busy. We were bumped (volunteered) from our flight. Woo! Free airfare for our next vacation!!


There were hoards of Brazilians there!! I had never witnessed this migration before and was completely shocked by the amount of people. There seemed to be no escaping the groups in the parks (no tour groups stayed at the Pop that I noticed.... I wonder where they stayed?). No one was particularly rude and we did not witness any line cutters. But they were everywhere and took up SO much room!! Also, they would occasionally break into song at the top of their lungs. It was clear they were having a good time.

The Fountain of Nations (water ballet) at Epcot was not working. Very sad.

Fantasmic felt cut-back. We couldn't name what was changed, but it felt less fantastic.

The new Toy Story Mania was great. We 'walked briskly' at rope drop and got in line. We waited about 20-15 minutes to get on and had a blast.

Lines for counter service were not that bad, but service seemed slower than usual. We were able to eat at Boma for dinner and have afternoon tea at the GF without ADRs.

Everyone working (and staying!) at the Pop was super nice.

The bar tender at Petals had a ping pong ball that he let us borrow rather than paying $0.50 for one from the machine.

Best drink in the world was the Grand Marnier Slushie from France. Wish I had one now!

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for the update! Are you doing a TR? sounds like a great trip!!

 

[Minnie&Nana]

What a great trip! Maybe people stretched the federal holiday weekend into a week? MLK weekend is usually pretty crowded.

We're spoiled too and so when we experience unexpected crowds, it's a bit disappointing. Like you, does not ruin the trip though.

Wow, have not run into the groups from Brazil in the winter (try to avoid the usual months). They sure know how to enjoy themselves!

Thanks for the little TR!!

 

[seadd67]

The posters that remarked about the mugs,we love the mugs to. I just wish they would go back to the indevual resort mugs, at por In 2007 we got there mug Is was great,it was shorter and rounder not like the ones they have now taller but narrower. It really does not matter,just a personal choice.

 

[MiaSRN62]

The posters that remarked about the mugs,we love the mugs to. I just wish they would go back to the indevual resort mugs, at por In 2007 we got there mug Is was great,it was shorter and rounder not like the ones they have now taller but narrower. It really does not matter,just a personal choice.

I know which ones you're referring to.....I prefer the new/slimmer ones because they fit into my car's cup holder. The bigger round ones did not.

Maria

 

[seadd67]

Ya thats true,but I have the cup holders that do not fit any mug

 

[mousefanmichelle]

Does anyone here think that staying at POP for 7 nights is too much? I spent 3 nights there last May - alone and thought to myself this would be ok for a couple of nights with my kids but I just don't know about 7 nights.

In August my family was there for 1 night only and we had 2 rooms. Not really a good amount of time to get the feel for the space so I am wondering as my 3 kids and I are going again this May for the 4/3 deal. My sisters family is also coming along - all 11 of them. So 3 rooms at POP is economical for my sister's brood.

I can't help but want to upgrade for better pools, fridge in room and more space.

Tell me it will be ok at POP for 7 nights. I am just not excited about staying there.

TIA!

 

[ChloroFiend]

We stayed at POP for 8 days, 7 nights about 2 years ago. Definitely not the greatest hotel for a long-term stay but its more than adequate. If you think you'll want the better pools and more space though...might not be a bad idea to switch.

Some other POP-related comments...

During marathon weekend, i only got a hot shower once. The other two times, there was insufficient hot water to get much above tepid, much less warm.

Audrey the bartender is awesome. There was a good crowd at Petals most that weekend and she kept the drinks flowing and was a pleasure to talk to as well.

 

[marlower]

Hi There,

Here is my deal: I am traveling in March to go to WDW with my family for spring break. We will be driving and staying at CSR.

Then in April, I am going back to WDW (yay me!!) for my friends 40th birthday celebration-- we will be flying this time and staying at the POP for the very 1st time!!

Since I am driving in March I figured I could bring extra water, snacks etc and package it up and bring it over to the Pop for our April stay.

Here is my question : Is this possible? How long will they hold this package? What exactly do I need to label the package with? Any other helpful tidbits?

Thanks in advance for your help

 

[NattysMom]

We just got back from a 9 night, 10 day stay at POP. There are only 3 of us but we really enjoyed it. I brought granola bars for breakfast and it worked out well so I didn't miss having a refrigerator. I think our great location helped as well. (5158 - 60's Bldg-preferred). It was a quick walk to get drinks, etc. I'm not going to lie that I wasn't looking forward to my own bed by the end but that's at any hotel I go to, even 4 star ones! I was impressed and would definitely return even for the same length of time.

 

[MiaSRN62]

I can't help but want to upgrade for better pools, fridge in room and more space.

Tell me it will be ok at POP for 7 nights. I am just not excited about staying there.

TIA!

I know some here will disagree...but yes, with 3 kids (not sure ages and that can make a difference), it would be a bit too long for me. We are only staying 5 nights with 3-4 people depending on the days. And 5 nights is the longest I've spent at POP (the AP rate got me). But for longer stays, I'd want either 2 rooms to spread out or a refrig or a room with a balcony. So at the very least, you might want to rent a frig. I think it would be helpful for having things like milk and cereal, yogurt, drinks etc.
Have a great time.

Maria

 

[jenseib]

I find the comment that ASMu is smaller than POP. We stayed there once after staying at POP several times and found the walk from the back of ASMu to be MUCH further than the furthest point at POP. We'll never stay there again as it took forever to walk to the main area.

POP wins hands down IMO every time!

I agree. I've not been to AS's to stay, but once walked around there very breifly. And from what I have read, it is a longer distance.

Best drink in the world was the Grand Marnier Slushie from France. Wish I had one now!

Let me know if you have any questions.

Is that orange colored? If so thats the one Samantha Brown says is really good too!

Does anyone here think that staying at POP for 7 nights is too much? I spent 3 nights there last May - alone and thought to myself this would be ok for a couple of nights with my kids but I just don't know about 7 nights.

In August my family was there for 1 night only and we had 2 rooms. Not really a good amount of time to get the feel for the space so I am wondering as my 3 kids and I are going again this May for the 4/3 deal. My sisters family is also coming along - all 11 of them. So 3 rooms at POP is economical for my sister's brood.

I can't help but want to upgrade for better pools, fridge in room and more space.

Tell me it will be ok at POP for 7 nights. I am just not excited about staying there.

TIA!

For us, yes it would be wonderful, but I guess it depends on your families needs and wants. The pool to us is perfect. I'm sure we would enjoy a fancier pool,too, but this works just right for us as well. We have stayed 5 night last year (4 the year before) and this year 6, and we seem to never have enough time to enjoy the pools for long anyways. We are alwways on the go so much, that we have to schedule in pool time.

 

[seadd67]

POP Is great for 7 or more nights and most Diffently with the kids. We were the last April me and my DS for 7 nights and It was a Blast,all the Disney theming always was a great eye candy,and the whole resort kind of plays to the kids(all ages,even the big ones) needs. About the only thing that you could run into Is trying to get the kids In at night to sleep,have fun.

 

[katieam1]

We just got back from our stay at pop. For the most part it was nice. We had a few problems through out but got resolved for the most part. We checked in they almost did not give me my $200 gift card but I had to mention it and the gentleman that checked us in had to do some checking and talked to a manager before they gave it to me. I also had notes/requests on the reservations. We were bringing our two Daughters so I had things I needed for them like bed rails and a portable crib. When we went to our room we opened the door and they were giving us a room with one king bed. So we immediately called down and they switched our room and brought up our requests. They also brought up a refrigerator for us because of all the confusion. So that was all set we were having a nice time at WDW. Then about half way through our stay we got a call from the front desk saying that we did not leave a credit card for them to charge for the refrigerator. So we again went down to the front desk spoke with a manager this time and they corrected it. We also had an issue with the people in the room next to us. They were screaming at each other most every night which we could hear and they also would smoke on the balcony which would seep into our room which was yucky! We complained but it never got anywhere. I Loved walking around pop. It is so nice there. it was very busy while we were there. The food court was packed but the food was good. We were on deluxe but we ate there one day. We were suppose to eat at San Angel Inn in Mexico but while we first sat down my DD (2) slid out of her seat onto the hard floor and got a black eye and a concussion, so we ended up going back to the hotel and spending the afternoon there. Which was good and She really ate well from the food at the food court. There was usually a line at the fountain area where we would fill our mugs. (I noticed a lot of people bringing old mugs and filling them and no one said anything to them) But all in all we enjoyed ourselves very much! We will stay there again some time for sure.

I also want to say how helpful this thread was because we used the info from it!!

 

[Kristineamb]

Does anyone here think that staying at POP for 7 nights is too much?
TIA!

Spent 12 nights there December 2007 (16-29) and it was wonderful!!!!
(DH, 10yo DS and myself.)

 

[katieam1]

OK, I called WDW today and they told me that I would receive my $200 gift card at check in. I did not need a voucher. Why do we all have something different?? I am going to just trust what that gentleman told me and wait till checkin!

I would make sure you bring your voucher anyways because they would not have given me mine with out it. The gentleman at the counter said he did not see the note. So I had to prove I was suppose to get one by the voucher I had. They also did not see I was suppose to have a double bed room, pack and play and bed rails. The gentleman who checked me in seemed a little new and confused though too because he was misreading all the check in information like who was staying. Very confused. The others checking people in did not seem to be having such problems so maybe it was just a one in a million thing.

 

[katieam1]

We just got back from the POP, and they didn't ask for the voucher for the $200 gift card, so you have no worries.

You're lucky! I would not have gotten mine with out the voucher. The guy who checked me in said he did not see the $200 gift card. So I presented it he went over to a manager and they gave it to me. It really saved the day having it.

 

[katieam1]

We stayed at the Pop last week and it was lovely. The Ruben Flat bread everyone was talking about was excellent. The pools were a little crowded when it was warm enough to swim. The buses were great. We requested a king standard room in the 70's building and that is exactly what we got. We got our $200 gift card at check-in, there was no need for a voucher. Mickey and Minnie had some balloons and a card delivered to our hotel room wishing us a happy anniversary! The current Bounce Back was pretty weak... 20 - 30% off rack for Value or Moderate.


A couple of things we noticed:
Everything (Resorts, DTD, parks) was much more crowded then I have ever seen it. We have always traveled in late September or January. It was surprising to see such lines for the attractions. There were so many people that it was hard to walk freely. People who visit while school is out will probably laugh, but we thought it was crowded. I guess the current promotion is working.

MCO was also very busy. We were bumped (volunteered) from our flight. Woo! Free airfare for our next vacation!!


There were hoards of Brazilians there!! I had never witnessed this migration before and was completely shocked by the amount of people. There seemed to be no escaping the groups in the parks (no tour groups stayed at the Pop that I noticed.... I wonder where they stayed?). No one was particularly rude and we did not witness any line cutters. But they were everywhere and took up SO much room!! Also, they would occasionally break into song at the top of their lungs. It was clear they were having a good time.

The Fountain of Nations (water ballet) at Epcot was not working. Very sad.

Fantasmic felt cut-back. We couldn't name what was changed, but it felt less fantastic.

The new Toy Story Mania was great. We 'walked briskly' at rope drop and got in line. We waited about 20-15 minutes to get on and had a blast.

Lines for counter service were not that bad, but service seemed slower than usual. We were able to eat at Boma for dinner and have afternoon tea at the GF without ADRs.

Everyone working (and staying!) at the Pop was super nice.

The bar tender at Petals had a ping pong ball that he let us borrow rather than paying $0.50 for one from the machine.

Best drink in the world was the Grand Marnier Slushie from France. Wish I had one now!

Let me know if you have any questions.

We also noticed a lot of tours while we were there. We had the deluxe dining so we did not eat but once at the food court but did notice it being busy when we went to fill our mugs. The parks were busy. We had a lot of rudeness unfortunately. We had a stroller and was constantly bumped into or expected to move for people. My husband even had someone lean on him while we were checking into the Biergarten. Did not know this person. This person also leaned on someone else's stroller and they said something to this person and they did not understand english I guess because they did not move. But all in all for the most part it was nice. We just tried to go on rides that were not as long especially with the kids. It was hard. The stay was nice though and we all had fun! Which is what matters!