The Groovy New Pop Century FAQ Thread!

[Buckeye Gal]

Thanks for the response, Candee! I'll add that to my wealth of notes.

Have a good week everyone!

 

[jenseib]

Another Buckeye here!

I feel like a zombie after reading all these pages! (well okay...I skipped approximately pages 100-200). Anyways, I started taking notes at page 200 to consolidate and categorize all the great questions and answers out there. I have 7 full pages in Word, and that doesn't count much of what Tyler has provided us with in Post #1. I'll certainly look into if it might be helpful to have a new thread opened or if Tyler (or another moderator) might be able to pop this info to the top of this thread.

In the meantime, I am still left with a question. Are the safes activated by your KTTW card? I'm usually on the DCL thread, and I know that on the ships, the safes can be opened by any magnetic card, so it's often a good idea to bring a library card or grocery store card so you're not tied down to one particular KTTW card to open/close the safe.

O-H!

What good is a safe if it can be opened by any magnetic card? Wouldn't that make it easy to steal from?

What info do you want to start a new thread with?

 

[DisneyMom5]

Re: Laundry

We were there in Sept. during free dining. Pop was pretty busy, but I don't know how it compares to the really busy seasons.

We were in the 50s.

It was pointless to try and do laundry between 9 pm and midnight (I didn't try after that.) I even walked down to the 60s laundry one night, no luck.

What worked better was to do laundry if we came back in the afternoon for a break, OR, to get up at 5 am, throw in a load and go back to bed for a 1/2 hour, throw the clothes in the dryer, and go back to bed for another 45 minutes. LOL

I only took 4 days of clothes for 11 nights, so we were a lot!

The washers and dryers were $2 a load. Some of the dryers work great, others not so good.
Happy planning!

 

[thunderbird1]

What good is a safe if it can be opened by any magnetic card? Wouldn't that make it easy to steal from?

What info do you want to start a new thread with?

Any magnetic card, but not all magnetic cards. Once you pick a card, that's the one card that will open the safe, and you leave it in the room somewhere.
One of these days, they really ought to update all the safes to eliminate those old-fashioned keys.

 

[Buckeye Gal]

What good is a safe if it can be opened by any magnetic card? Wouldn't that make it easy to steal from?

What info do you want to start a new thread with?

You're right! That would be pointless! Sorry for the confusion on the safes. Let me explain as you might have need for this knowledge in the future.

If you have a safe that opens and closes with a magnetic card, like a hotel room key card or a DCL KTTW card, the safe doesn't care if you are using the KTTW card or not. It only remembers the first card used in the safe to initially activate it. The problem with that is if you have multiple people who may want to get in and out of the safe, if the person holding the KTTW that the safe recognizes is out and about with their KTTW card, those left behind are at a loss. Therefore, the tip is use a more generic magnetic card like a library card or frequent buyer's card and hide it in the room where everyone in your party knows it's located. Then everyone can get in and out of the safe using that generic card at their convenience.

Not sure if a new thread is necessary or not, however, it would be great if we had an extension to Tyler's first post.....kinda like a "go-to" post with additional and new details to his fantastic list. It could even be a link in Post #1 to the post I can make with my notes of consolidation.

As I read through this extremely lengthy thread, I tried to keep track of facts, tips, and resources. My goal was to consolidate all the answers all you seasoned Pop resorters have provided to resort newbies like myself since the inception of this thread. Just as I felt, it's too overwhelming to take 8+ hours to go through the entire thread as well as some related links throughout this thread to get answers to common questions. This results in the same question being asked 30 times with maybe 2 follow-up responses to each of those 30. You frequent Poppers are no doubt the experts to go to because as I previously mentioned, I came up with 7 full pages of notes!!!!

To name a FEW items, the list includes transportation questions (how to get to and from resorts for special dining, commute times), hours of operation (buses, FC (breakfast serving and closure), pool and playground locations), room/building details (which are preferred, preferred vs. standard, special reservation requests, location of quieter rooms, which buildings are themed to a decade, sq. footage, where are the elevators, how to overide the motion sensored theromostat, furniture), amenities (coin laundry, a/v jacks in TV, no coffee makers, cost for refrigerators, no business center, pools (heated/depth), refill travel mugs, toasters/microwaves/hot water dispensers/ice machines, links to swap threads, luggage delivery, equipment available for rent/not available, pools, bring or don't bring towels), resort entertainment (The Hustle, The Twist, parade, arcade operations, fishing), services (mousekeeping tipping and envelopes, park package deliveries, shipping package to/from home, debit/credit cards linked to KTTW card), tips (organization, space savers, groceries)...

Whew!

Thoughts everyone? I would even be willing to take PMs with more info you can contribute and update my post (PM so the thread doesn't continue getting bigger and bigger). I can just tell you that as a newbie to this thread, it was exasperating to get information when you are so excited that you "want it now"!

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I just changed my reservation from two preferred rooms to two standard rooms because of the Disney Visa Codes that just came out. The code was not for a perferred room. So my question is for those who have stayed towards the back of POP, is it really far to the buses? About how long of a walk in minutes do you think to Everything POP? Thanks.

 

[DizzDoll]

We were in the 70's section, room # 6459, which is on the 4th floor in the back with a lake view. Very pretty. I can tell you that it's less than a 5 minute stroll from the room to the food court/gift shop, and busses. It will, however, take longer when you stop and look at all the neat stuff there is to see!

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

We were in the 70's section, room # 6459, which is on the 4th floor in the back with a lake view. Very pretty. I can tell you that it's less than a 5 minute stroll from the room to the food court/gift shop, and busses. It will, however, take longer when you stop and look at all the neat stuff there is to see!

Thanks.

 

[princessreilly]

I would love to stay lakeside and watch fireworks and have a nice quiet room. However, I will be taking DD(5) and DS(1). What is recommended for these age children? Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance

 

[Disney Brat]

We just booked at POP for OCtober 22-November 2 2008, in a perferred room!! I am looking soooooooo forward to it! Anyone else planning for that time as well??

 

[tinkerbell60]

I just changed my reservation from two perferred rooms to two standard rooms because of the Disney Visa Codes that just came out. The code was not for a perferred room. So my question is for those who have stayed towards the back of POP, is it really far to the buses? About how long of a walk in minutes do you think to Everything POP? Thanks.

We were in the 70s - great room, we were in the Big Wheel building and our room faced a grove of trees. It was fairly close to the bus stop and the food court. For a standard room it was great!

 

[princessreilly]

I would love to stay lakeside and watch fireworks and have a nice quiet room. However, I will be taking DD(5) and DS(1). What is recommended for these age children? Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance

Anyone?

 

[DisneyMom5]

Anyone?

I think anywhere would be good. If they are light sleepers, you might not want to face the pool. There is a playground in the 70s area, and that is close to Goofy's pop jet, and not too far from the kiddie pool. I like both the jets and the kiddie pool because they can play without me worrying about them in too deep of water.

If you are taking a stroller, any location will work, but if they are walking back from the bus, you might want to request close to the bus stop/Classic Hall.

If you requested 70s, standard, closest to Classic Hall, you might be in a good location for all of these things.

Happy planning! We have been there twice with little ones, so happy to answer any questions!

 

[Disneylush]

we were in 70's and we loved it b/c we walked by the goofy jets, went in by the mickey phone, up the elevator and turned to corner to our room. (which was not a preferred) No matter where you end up I suggest either a sounds machine or having the bathroom fan on.

 

[MapleGirl]

Hello,
I've booked my room at the Pop using the AAA room-only discount. Is the Visa discount better. Does anyone know what the Visa room-only discount is? Thanks!!

 

[Belle1962]

:What are you Jan 08 dates? I'll be there celebrating my DS's 7th bday 1/6 to 1/11.

We will be celebrating DGS birthday on Jan 6. He will also be 7. Look for our room--we will have the window decorated for his birthday trip!!!!

 

[Buckeye Gal]

A couple of days ago I mentioned that I started taking notes on information from all the great posts coming from all you seasoned Pop resorters. I recvd a handful of PM requests to email people with what I have, and of course I was more than willing to save others HOURS of searching for things we didn't even know we needed to know!

I have made an inquiry to the moderators to see if this info can be put up in Post #1 so it doesn't get lost in the ocean of pages in this thread. In the meantime, because of the inquires I've received, I'm going to go ahead and post what I've pulled together.

Please remember that I'm still waiting to have my first stay at Pop Century, so these lists I've pulled together are taken from the kind DISers who have taken the time to respond to so many people's questions. So if there's anything misrepresented, all you Pop lovers will have to let me know, and I will correct it.

There's certainly a lot more info that Tyler posted in Post #1 that shouldn't be overlooked either; just know there is some overlap with what I'm posting. I'll break this all down into a few different posts. I really hope this will be a time saver for many of you!

 

[Buckeye Gal]

Address:
1050 Century Drive
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Via Satelite:
Latitude: 28°20'59.72"N
Longitude: 81°32'36.78"W

Phone Numbers:
Main Phone: 407.938.4000
Fax: 407.938.4039
Reservations: 407.934.7639

Check-in Time: 4:00 pm
Check-out Time: 11:00 am

WDW Property Map: http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/propertymap.htm
Pop Century Property Map: http://www.wdwinfo.com/maps/PopCenturyMap.pdf
Pop Century Picture Thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1424996
Check out Post 1 of FAQ DIS Thread for more info: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=7132662&postcount=1

LEGENDARY YEARS (1910’s – 1940’s)

• Lands of Legendary and Classic Years are connected via the Generation Gap Bridge over Hourglass Lake
• Construction was abandoned after 9/11 due to uncertainly of tourism needs
  • Related DIS threads
    • http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1391731
    • http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1437943
    • http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1416739
• Ironically, Generation Gap from Class Years property leads to a ghost town, just like you may have seen in the early 1900’s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSc1fG0ETeY)
• Property is now considered “backstage” and the parking lot there is used by CMs
• It’s rumored that when they do go back to rebuilding, they will make family suites instead of the original plan to make the rooms like the Classic Years
• Reconstruction and grand opening date unknown

CLASSIC YEARS’ ROOMS (1950’s – 1990’s)

• Resort first opened in December 2003
• 10 T-shaped themed lodges; 4 floors each
  • 1950’s: Buildings #1 (Lady), #2 (Jukebox), #3 (Tramp); bowling pin stairs
  • 1960’s: Buildings #4 (Play-Doh), #5 (Mowgli & Baloo); Duncan Yo-Yo stairs
  • 1970’s: Buildings #6 (Mickey Phone), #10 (Big Wheel); 8-track tape stairs
  • 1980’s: Buildings #7 (Roger Rabbit), #9 (Sony Walkman); Rubix Cube stairs
  • 1990’s: Building #8 (Lap Top Computer); cell phone stairs
  • Total of 2880 rooms; 260 sq feet each
    • Allocations:
      • King Bed, Typical: 81
      • King Bed, Accessible*: 63
      • Dbl/Dbl Bed, Typical: 2621
      • Dbl/Dbl Bed, Accessible*: 115
        (*) indicates rooms have roll-in showers in bathroom (no bathtub)
• Room capacity accommodates up to 4 adults/children plus one portable crib for an infant
• Pack-n-Play available upon request
• Roll-away beds are not available

• Beds are on permanent pedestals, so they cannot be moved nor will items get lost under the bed
• If you need to bring a twin air mattress, you will have enough (barely) floor space to use it; however, you will have to move the table and chairs away from the entertainment center/dresser wall. An inflatable sleeping bag bed would work even better because it’s less wide. Remember that you still cannot exceed the capacity of 4 people + 1 infant.
• Only non-smoking rooms are available
• Connecting rooms available
  • WildCard has a wonderful map showing locations of connecting rooms
    • http://www.willcad.org/maps/resorts/resort_pop.pdf#page=03
• Standard vs. Preferred
  • Preferred Rooms
    • Rooms in buildings closest to Classic Hall (500 ft or less); this does not mean your room is necessarily THAT much closer the bus stop, however; see "Property Info" section in the following Post
    • Typically $10-$15/night more than a standard room
    • These room numbers are considered preferred rooms. Note “x” defines the floor
      • Building 1: 1x01 – 1x36
      • Building 3: 3x61 – 3x72
      • Building 4: 4x01 – 4x36 & 4x61 – 4x72
      • Building 5: 5x01 – 5x12 & 5x37 – 5x72
      • Building 6: 6x01 – 6x12
      • Building 10: 0x37 – 0x72
    • Preferred room map: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=17643531&postcount=2
  • Standard Rooms
    • Worse case, rooms furthest from Classic Hall will take 6-7 minutes to walk to the building
• Best Hourglass Lake Views: Buildings #3,#4, #5, #6
• Quieter Rooms: As a rule of thumb, lakeside views and 3rd and 4th floors of any building are quieter
• Individual room climate control is by default motion sensor activated
  • To override the default setting:
    • The thermostat has two buttons on the left (ON/OFF and AUTO/FAN) and two buttons on the right (UP and DOWN)
    • Press the Power button and the Down Arrow at the same time. If done correctly, the letters BP should appear in the temp readout. This indicates that the thermostat is in bypass mode (bypassing the motion sensors). You can then set your desired temp and it will stay at that temp whether you're moving around or not.
    • You will have to do this once every day, as the thermostats automatically reset themselves to the default mode daily to save power.
    • Alternatives…get a helium balloon to bounce around in your room or call housekeeping/maintenance
• Safes
  • a small safe is built inside the wall in your room
  • safe opens/locks with a traditional key
  • approximately 4" deep x 12" wide x 14" tall, which fits most laptops
  • If larger space is need, go to Registration Guest Services in the Lobby, and they’ll likely be able to lock it up for you.
• Small table with 2 chairs are in the room
• An entertainment center/dresser with 6 drawers (3 large/3 small) and 3 small shelves is in the room
• King bed rooms have 2 nightstands; full/double bed rooms have 1 nightstand between the beds

 

[Buckeye Gal]

MAKING RESERVATIONS

Reservations: 407.934.7639

When making your reservation, you may need to include the following to your reservation request:

• Special requests
  • It’s suggested to have your requests (no guarantee given) added to reservation ASAP. Many have also faxed request 1-3 weeks prior to arrival as well.
  • Common special requests WDW will try to accommodate:
    • rooms accessible to wheelchairs
    • equipment for guests with hearing impairments
    • Pack-in-Play
    • bed rails
    • connecting rooms
    • refrigerators
    • decade themed building
    • quieter rooms (lake-side view & 4th floor, which is the top floor so you have no guests above your head)
    • ground level floors (for those with fear of little munchkins getting hurt on higher levels, prefer to not use stairs/elevators)
    • room with view to see Illuminations and Spaceship Earth from Epcot (note that many say you can see only the highest fireworks from Pop); these are rooms reported in as found primarily on the lakeside view of 50’s building #2 and 60’s buildings #3 and #4. Floors 3 and 4 will obviously offer best possible view
• Package deals
  • If needed, make sure you include your park tickets and/or dining plan with your room reservation
• If applicable, ensure you reserve your Magical Express ground transportation to/from the Orlando airport while reserving your room.

AMENITIES

• Pools
  • open from 7:00 am - Midnight
  • quiet time from 10:00 pm – Midnight
  • lifeguards are on duty from 10:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.
  • all pools are heated
  • no diving in any pool
  • Goofy Pop Water Jets (between Buildings #5 and #6)
  • Hippy Dippy Flower Pool is the main pool (60’s courtyard, closest to Class Hall)
    • Edges are shallow an becomes deeper as you get to the center, getting to an estimated 5 feet deep
  • Kiddie Wading Pool is right by the Hippy Dippy Flower Pool (60’s courtyard)
  • Computer Pool (80’s and 90’s courtyard)
    • Edges are shallow an becomes deeper as you get to the center, getting to an estimated 5 feet deep
  • Bowling Pin Pool (50’s courtyard)
  • bring towel from your guest room to the pool; before you leave the room, call mousekeeping for replacement towels to be delivered while you’re soaking in the sun
  • life vests are located in a bin near all pools and available for use at no cost
  • feel free to bring your own inflatables and noodles
• Coin-operated laundry machines are available ($2 each for the washer and an approximate 20 minute dryer cycle)
  • locations are in poolside bathroom buildings in courtyards of 50’s, 60’s, and 90’s decades
  • detergent and dryer sheets can be purchased on-site
  • no seating available in building
  • look for the hidden Mickey in the laundry room
• 25” remote TV in rooms with front A/V jacks for video games and camcorders; note most do not have S-video inputs
• No coffee maker in room nor available for renting
  (check Budget board as there may still be a Pop coffee maker swap in progress; try http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1366280)
• Small refrigerator for rent $10/night; free for those with medical needs
  (check Budget board as there may still be a Pop fridge swap in progress; try http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1454053 or http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1536084)
• Hairdryers are on the wall in your room, but they are weak
• Iron and ironing board are in your room
• Although there is a radio alarm clock in the room, don’t forget you can have Mickey and his friends give you your morning wake-up call on the phone. Answer the phone by pressing the speaker phone button so everyone can hear!
• Wired ethernet (high speed) internet is available in your room at the fee of $10 for 24 hour period; no wireless available on property
• Dial-up internet connection is an option; look for the Orlando (not Kissimee) local number provided by your ISP
• Chase ATM in Classic Hall Lobby
• Currency exchange in Classic Hall Lobby

FOOD/DINING

• The Food Court providing B/L/D/S is in Everything Pop located in Classic Hall
  • open 6:00 am – midnight;
  • note that from 11:00 pm to midnight, there are mostly just snacks available
  • breakfast served 6:00 am – 11:00 am
  • Deb from AllEarsNet has menus and prices posted at the following links:
    • breakfast: http://allearsnet.com/menu/menu_popb.htm
    • lunch, dinner, and snacks: http://allearsnet.com/menu/menu_popct.htm
  • Pizza (and a little more) delivery is available from 4:00 pm – Midnight
    • Deb from AllEarsNet has the menu posted at http://allearsnet.com/menu/menu_poppiz.htm
      • Note that an 18% service fee plus a $1 delivery fee will be applied to your account balance
  • many foods can be put in containers with lids if you prefer to go back to your room to eat
  • If you desire a sundae as your dessert, go eat your meal and come back. They let you come back to get your sundae by taking your receipt up to 1 hour after you got your meal.
• Refillable souvenir travel mugs can be purchased for approx $12.50 for use during your stay for unlimited refills on basic coffee, soda (Coke products), apple juice, ice tea, hot cocoa, frozen Cokes, and fruit flavored ICEEs. This unlimited refill purchase is only valid for one continuous stay and not to be reused on your next visit.
• Cappuccino and expresso can be purchased
• Hot water dispenser is in the food court
• Toaster is available in the food court
• Microwave oven is available in food court
• Petals Poolside Bar in 60’s era courtyard
• Appliances in room are against hotel safety policies
• Classic Concoctions is a cocktail and coffee lounge in Classic Hall. Appetizers are available here to eat while watching “the game” on one of the televisions.
• Mixed/specialty alcoholic beverages have been reported as not very good, low on alcohol, and cost too much
• Ice machine available on each floor behind the building’s elevators
• Ice buckets and disposable plastic cups are in your guest room
• Half gallons of milk are available for purchase at the food court

 

[Buckeye Gal]

RESORT ENTERTAINMENT

• Do “The Twist” in the Food Court at 8:00 am
• Do “The Hustle” in Classic Hall and food court at 6:00 pm
• A parade in Classic Hall is held everyday anywhere from 5:30-7:00 pm for the kids
• Outdoor Twister can be played in the 70’s courtyard on the end closest to Classic Hall
• Fast Forward Arcade is in the Classic Hall
  • Typical arcade reward prizes can be earned
  • All game machines are cashless. You will purchase an arcade card and load a balance onto it via your KTTW card or feed cash into the machine that gives you your arcade card.
  • Your money convert to points; games require a varied amount of points
  • As you insert your arcade card in a game machine, a balance of remaining points will display.
• There’s a playground in the 70’s era behind Building #10 on side of Classic Hall
• Children’s video theatre area off the side of the front desk; toys are available, too
• Fishing permitted around Hourglass Lake but not on Generation Gap Bridge
  • fishing equipment is not available for rent on property; pack your own
  • Caution: grounds leading to lake’s edge is steep and drop-off is pretty immediate
• Surrey bikes and bicycles are not available at Pop

SERVICES

• Credit or debit cards can be linked to your KTTW card; there is not a hold put on debit cards
• Luggage
  • can be stowed away at the beginning and end of your visit
  • there are no traditional bell hop services, however, you can leave your luggage at check in, and it will be delivered to your room likely within an hour
  • luggage carts are available
  • when checking out, you can leave luggage behind in room and call for pickup without waiting for them to come and get it
  • if you choose to use the Magical Express service where Disney gets your luggage from the airport, know that it may take 3-4 hours for your luggage to arrive at the resort. Remember you have the choice to not put the ME luggage tag on your luggage and take it with you to the ground transportation bus instead of having them handle it.
• On-site pizza delivery (pizza made at the Food Court) is the only type of food room service available
• Ship packages to/from Pop Century Resort and home
  • For packages arriving to the resort, on the label’s first line, include your name preceded by the word “Guest” and date of arrival (like "Guest Kimberly Last 01.22.08"). It’s up to you if you want to also include your reservation number, but name and date are essential.
  • They will hold your package up to 2 weeks prior to your arrival.
• Park gift shop package delivery is convenient so you don’t have to carry around your purchases. Make sure you give your package 24 hours to arrive at the resort.
  • Pick up area is near bus stop or go into the gift shop for pickup if bus stop pickup location is closed
• Tipping to Mousekeeping: it would be the Disney-like thing to do, but not necessarily expected (certainly a controversial topic). Your Mousekeeper can change from day-to-day, so leave a clearly marked envelope for him/her on a daily basis.
  • Go to http://themouseforless.com/downloads/trip/mousekeeping.shtml for some cute graphics all ready for your envelope to go through your printer
  • Scrapbookers, use your Disney papers, embellishments, and rubber stamps to decorate an ordinary envelope.
  • A guideline some use is to tip $1 per day per person in the room + $1. So a room of 4 people would be $5 each day for the Mousekeeper who is taking care of you and your family. As always, tip based on service provided.
• Coin change machines are available in each of the laundry rooms
• Most airlines offer check-in at the resort, which allows you to drop off your luggage and not see it until you return to your home airport. Check resort for list of participating airlines and their guidelines to use this service.
• No business center is on property

PROPERTY INFO

• Retail gift shop in Everything Pop located in Classic Hall; open 6:00 am - midnight
• End-cap stairways and 2 elevators are available for each building
• Elevators are located behind the decade’s large pop icon
• A stroller, walking, and running path is alongside half of Hourglass Lake on Memory Lane
• Outside designated smoking areas are around the lake on Memory Lane; smoking is not permitted outside your room door
• The entire Pop campus is more compact and easier to get around than the moderate resorts. At any point, it will take from 5-8 minutes to walk to the communal building, Classic Hall, from your room’s building. So don’t sweat concerns about lengthy walks to the bus station at Classic Hall.
• If you’re in the 90’s or 80’s section, consider a shortcut by crossing through the parking lot to get to Classic Hall and the bus stop as it’s a much shorter distance.
• Google Earth was the source of the following stats. It was used by a DISer to unveil the WORST case distances from the farthest room from the elevators in each building to the center of the bus stop. Below are worse case scenarios for walking back to your room from the bus stop after a long day at the parks.
  • Building 2 - 0.28 miles
  • Building 6 - 0.23 miles
  • Building 7 - 0.22 miles
  • Building 4 or 5 - 0.20 miles
• The closest you can get to the bus stops is to have a ground floor room at the end of one of the 60's buildings closest to Classic Hall. This requires a walk of only 0.13 miles. With this in mind, that makes for an 800 foot difference (less than the length of a football field) between the worst and the best case.
• You cannot walk to any other WDW property from Pop Century
• The closest resort to Pop Century is Caribbean Beach Resort
• Pool-side dressing rooms, showers, and restrooms are in a stand-alone building by each of the 3 big pools. This is perfect if you want to officially check in on day one and you desire to relax yet your room is not yet available.