Was NOT happy with Pop Century

[SplashMtnCrew]

Was just at POP in June. This was the second time staying there. It confirmed my original thought. It sucked! Hated it!

Will not go back to Disney if this is where I have to stay.

Ugly - beyond ugly. Giant icons that hide staircases, and colored paint are not my idea of theming. Dirty food court - no matter what time we went there. Rude guests. Horrible children. Noisy guests - without a doubt those are the noisiest pools on property. Rough towels. Can hear everything next door.

We are non commandos, part of our vacation is to relax, take naps, etc. POP is the antithesis of my kind of trip.

Give me my October trip and the Yacht Club.

This and the OP are the very reasons that we have never stayed at a value resort and never will. Until finding this board I've never heard anyone give a raving review of a value resort. Actually I was pretty surprised that there are families out there who love them, and that's great. But not for this family. When we go on vacation we want it to feel like a vacation. To each his own

 

[mickeyluv'r]

4) The beds are only fulls in the moderates and I think in the deluxes too. You have to pay for the King bed. Even though they say 'queen', I really don't think those beds are queens. Last year at CSR, me and DH were like "there's no way these are queen beds"

I'm sorry Op was under-impressed, but...err...she didn't do her homework. If she wanted a fridge, she should have asked about them from Disney at the very least. The Disney website tells you what amenities are available at each resort. If she didn't know what 'preferred' meant then she should have asked when she booked the room, or READ what the Disney webpage said. That's just basic travel info. Even other webpages like Expedia tell you the amenities at each resrt.

Only the Deluxe resorts have queen beds.

As for night time noise. I think this is somewhat true of ALL DIsney resorts. It was pretty quiet when we stayed at GF, but then we were on the top floor, and the rooms near us were all empty. I think gnerally, Disney tries to spread people out to avoid noise issues, when the resort isn't full. At all of the moderates, we noted some noise when there were people in rooms near us, and the same thing at most other resorts that are non-Disney. Especially the older resorts. The newer ones have quieter plumbing and AC units. So we were actually kind of thinking Pop might be realtively quiet as reosrts go.

If nighttime noise is an issue for you, then may I suggest a small fan or 'white noise' device. My sister has a great little device that looks like a fan witha cover that is wonderful. Noise doesn't usually bother me much, but I slept like a babe when I was on vacation with her.

Of all the 'Disney' resorts we've stayed at, the quietest rooms (when there were other folks near us) was actually the Swan. AKL was pretty quiet too.


The one interesting thing that we once noted was that the moderate resorts, at least, seem to moderate their check-in line. One trip we had to wait inthe lobby for personal reasons. My husband noted the length of the ilne always seemed to stay about the same. As more people came to check in, more windows were opened. As fewer people were there, tellers (if you will) took their breaks. Now certainly managers have to give employees their breaks sometimes...so this has to be factored in, but it was interestig to note. The one time we stayed at a value, there was on line at check-in, but it was pretty late when we arrived, and a slow season to boot.
At AKL, there was some wait.
At GF, I've never seen a line longer than one person.
I do't have any official info, but I am guessing that Disney does indeed moderate their lines so that guests at higher end reosrts have less of a chance of encountering a long line at check-in. Not that it can never happen, but that it happens less. Part of what youare paying for at GF is extra staffing.

 

[DisneyPirateMom]

I don't think you should bash someone just because they found these resorts lacking of things they enjoy

I agree completely. It's not bashing just by sharing your opinion. Maybe the OP was trying to help fellow Disney World fans.

 

[jcpuppy.com]

As for night time noise. I think this is somewhat true of ALL DIsney resorts. It was pretty quiet when we stayed at GF, but then we were on the top floor, and the rooms near us were all empty. I think gnerally, Disney tries to spread people out to avoid noise issues, when the resort isn't full. At all of the moderates, we noted some noise when there were people in rooms near us, and the same thing at most other resorts that are non-Disney. Especially the older resorts. The newer ones have quieter plumbing and AC units. So we were actually kind of thinking Pop might be realtively quiet as reosrts go.
is extra staffing.

i have stayed OKW, BCV and VWL and NEVER heard people flushing their toilets, or even in the rooms around us. In fact, if it weren't for seeing humans and cars I would have never known other people were at the resort.
Love the porches, love the quiet.....I am glad the OP warned us of potential issues at other resorts

 

[Samsma]

another vote for POP. I was really worried about our stay there back in February, but we really enjoyed it. For the money, it can't be beat. If we were staying longer, I'd probably book somewhere else, but we take a couple of short trips then my husband comes along in the summer for 10 days. The kids and I think POP is just fine. I'm just happy to be at Disney!!!

 

[kgc07]

Sorry you didn't enjoy Pop. It sounds like you might like a deluxe hotel more. Even when you are paying $600 a night, everything may not go right. We stayed at GF and experienced a very loud bed that could never be fixed. Oh well, we got less sleep, no biggie. Even paying $600 a night we didn't get towel animals, they are not included in the room rate. If you get one it's just a little added bonus.

 

[minnie61650]

i have stayed OKW, BCV and VWL and NEVER heard people flushing their toilets, or even in the rooms around us. In fact, if it weren't for seeing humans and cars I would have never known other people were at the resort.
Love the porches, love the quiet.....I am glad the OP warned us of potential issues at other resorts

Those resorts were built before the new water saving law that mandades the toilets save waterwent into effect.
AKL and SSR have turbo toilets like the value resorts and you can hear them there.

In 1992, the US Congress kickstarted some creativity by mandating that new toilets reduce the amount of water used per flush from about 3.5 gallons down to 1.6.

Thus the Tubo toilet was invented.....
--------------------------------------------------------------
The high performance of this pressure-assisted toilet is achieved by using compressed air inside the tank, which creates a turbo-charged flushing action. This toilet also has a large water surface, which helps keep it clean and prevents stains. ....

----------------------------------------------------------

This toilet which uses less water than the old standard toilet gets the job in 1 flush.
If you know what I mean
---------------------------------------------------------------

I stay at the values quite often and have never had an issue with noise.

The noise issues come with :

1. The main pool is located very close to some of the value rooms.

The themed pools at the mods and deluxes are set away from the rooms.

Tip: Ask for a room facing away or located a ways from the main pool.

2. Turbo toilets

The Values are newer and have the turbo toilets.

Tip: Close your bathroom door at night because noise travels through the plumbing.

3. Connecting rooms

About 50% of the value rooms have connecting doors.

Noise will travel under the connecting doors in a room.

Tip: If you have noisy neighbors open your connecting door and place a rolled up bath towel on the floor between then close and lock your connecting door.

Some guests have found that a fan or white machine help them sleep better.

These tips should help you get a restful sleep wherever you choose to stay.

Have fun at Disney!

 

[EMom]

We stayed at the POP in 2005 because it was the newest of the Values and supposedly quite clean, looked like my something DD would enjoy, and had the lowest percentage of smoking rooms. But the biggest reason we chose POP was because we only see our hotel room when (1) we're sleeping and (2) getting ready in the morning. We don't hang around in the room or even at the pool and rarely even eat at the food court. We're going all the time. It makes no sense for us to spend a few to several hundred dollars a night for a hotel room that we will barely see.

MIL and DD were in a connecting room and they were quiet. Next door neighbors were quiet, so we lucked out on the noise issue. I do remember the toilets were a bit loud, but we always close hotel bathroom doors, so it never woke us up. Plus, I grew up with oil wells pumping in my back yard, so what wakes me will not wake others and vice versa.

We're staying there again next month and it was my automatic choice, based on how pleased I was with the last stay. Our friends are staying there too, based on my recommendation. I have recommended it to many people since 2005. But I must say I am beginning to get nervous, because of the many reports I keep reading regarding how poorly POP is handling the "all rooms are now nonsmoking" issue. There will always be considerate smokers and there will always be inconsiderate smokers. The considerate ones may not be happy about this change, but they slog down to the DSAs and follow the rules. It's the ones that keep smoking outside their rooms (on the walkways) and in their bathrooms that concern me. The POP CM I spoke to today (some level of manager) explained that 16 bathrooms share a ventilation system, so if a person smokes in one, it goes to all 16. Oh goody. I keep reading reports that POP CMs are being lax in enforcing the new rules.....Then a smoker will say they were never told about DSAs, so they had no idea there was anyplace to smoke. It's on the map, but they weren't told.....and lots of people don't study the resort maps.

Sooooo.....I hope POP gets a handle on this problem. Too many people have medical issues that mean they absolutely cannot breathe in smoke-filled air. Yet people who are addicted to smoking must find a way to smoke, and if it's made too difficult for them, a certain percentage will break the rules and smoke wherever they want. In the past, as long as some rooms were allotted for "smoking," the die-hards who would not walk down to a DSA would have likely requested a smoking room. But that option is gone, and I fear management has failed to look ahead to the logical consequences. Ironically, it may be harder to stay away from smoke now that the resort is "smoke-free" than it was in the past.

Please know that I am NOT trying to start a smoking/nonsmoking debate. I am sincerely puzzled as to how this issue is going to be dealt with. At first glance, to a nonsmoking asthmatic like me, going totally nonsmoking seemed like something that would be very positive. Then reality set in and I realized most smokers can't take "take a vacation" from smoking while at WDW, and if the DSAs weren't heavily advertised/extremely convenient, then some percentage of smokers would simply smoke at will. That's real life. I don't know if anyone ....smokers OR nonsmokers....is coming out a winner here.

So we'll stay at the POP and pray for the best. If the smoking situation is under control, then I'll continue to recommend it and even stay there again. But if it's as bad as some of the posters are indicating, then it will be my last time there. Which would be a shame, because it's got a lot going for it.

 

[minnie61650]

......
But I must say I am beginning to get nervous, because of the many reports I keep reading regarding how poorly POP is handling the "all rooms are now nonsmoking" issue. There will always be considerate smokers and there will always be inconsiderate smokers. The considerate ones may not be happy about this change, but they slog down to the DSAs and follow the rules. It's the ones that keep smoking outside their rooms (on the walkways) and in their bathrooms that concern me. The POP CM I spoke to today (some level of manager) explained that 16 bathrooms share a ventilation system, so if a person smokes in one, it goes to all 16. Oh goody. I keep reading reports that POP CMs are being lax in enforcing the new rules.....Then a smoker will say they were never told about DSAs, so they had no idea there was anyplace to smoke. It's on the map, but they weren't told.....and lots of people don't study the resort maps.

Sooooo.....I hope POP gets a handle on this problem. Too many people have medical issues that mean they absolutely cannot breathe in smoke-filled air. Yet people who are addicted to smoking must find a way to smoke, and if it's made too difficult for them, a certain percentage will break the rules and smoke wherever they want. In the past, as long as some rooms were allotted for "smoking," the die-hards who would not walk down to a DSA would have likely requested a smoking room. But that option is gone, and I fear management has failed to look ahead to the logical consequences. Ironically, it may be harder to stay away from smoke now that the resort is "smoke-free" than it was in the past.

At Pop 16 bathrooms share a ventilation system, so if a person smokes in one, it goes to all 16.

Thanks for info. I have read on these boards many times that a person staying
in a non smoking room has smelled smoke coming into their room and I thought it might be because of a faulty ventilation system since I rarely read about other resorts having the same problem. I know I have never had a problem with smoke getting into our room at All Star Music and have not read about any problems at the All Stars so it did amaze me to read about so many complaints from guests who had stayed at Pop. Now I know why.

I am hoping you do not have any problems with smoke during your upcoming stay.

Have fun at Disney!

 

[Tikitoi]

Sorry you didn't have a good stay. We on the other hand stayed at POP 2x. We had a nice view over the lake and seeing the fireworks at night was a nice additional. We didn't do preferred but our 50's bldg was fine. We were with friends and had nice connecting rooms. No noise from the neighbors. Maybe it depends more on who your neighbors are. The only problem we had was during our 2nd stay, Mousekeeping left the garbage on our table. At least it was our last night there. And we just left a note explaining why they wouldn't be getting a tip upon us leaving. But, would we stay there again, YES, we would.

 

[TnTWalter]

Obviously a little more upfront research would have helped you with a couple of issues; but I'm SURE you've had 7 pages telling you THAT. LOL.

I would be upset about the rooms not being on same floor; that's weird. I understand if they can't accomodate connecting but not near each other? I know it's super busy, but that would irritate me.

We went with my parents in 2006 and are going again this October with them; both times I've made the ressies....it's in both our names [they have to have an adult 'main' person on each ressie; didn't understand why but whatever], we have different ressie #s but they are 'LINKED'. I also call a few days before to make sure the resort I'm at knows this, etc. It worked in 2006 [we actually had THREE rooms in a row; CONNECTING for my family of 5 and Mom and Dad next door; it was January and we were first floor facing quiet pool. IDEAL].

As for the thin walls, seems to be a complaint with the values, but we never noticed this. Great idea to bring a noise machine in general. You never know who's going to be next to you.

I agree about not wanting to be facing a busy pool...I wouldn't want to do it anywhere that was kid intensive [it's nice when you're on a couples' vacation at a more adult pool, nice and quiet! LOL]; maybe if it was the 50s quiet pool in off-seasons [like we did], but especially in summer, I can't imagine that being pleasant. Yikes. I feel for you!! I still wouldn't pay the extra $10.

At least you can now cross that off your list of 'things to try'. LOL.

Personally I don't understand the moderates. They don't seem to offer much more for the $$....I'd jump to deluxe from value. But some obviously like it.

Now you'll just have to return sooner so you can have a BETTER resort experience! And try a less busy season so you can possibly get better choices and service! [We LOVED first week of January....VALUE season, and STILL had X-MAS decorations! Perfect....would do it again except we got a pin for October].

Trish

 

[f7prez]

I think too many people assume that just because it is Disney, even the value resorts will be great. Not so. You get what you pay for.

If you pay peanuts, you'll get monkeys.

 

[minnie61650]

I think too many people assume that just because it is Disney, even the value resorts will be great. Not so. You get what you pay for.

If you pay peanuts, you'll get monkeys.

I pay peanuts and I get a very friendly elephant that has given me much more than my money's worth.

I have always felt Disney's value resorts are a total bargain. When I stay at value resort at Disney I feel I am getting way more than my money's worth.
The grounds , the food court, gift shop ,lobby and my rooms have always been very clean and well maintained.
When I rise early in the morning there are always groundskeepers working on the landscape.

The pools have always been clean with sparkling water. (We do have a large heated in ground pool at home so I know about pool maintence and water clarity)


The main pool is huge and always has plenty of lounges and chairs to sit in and relax by the pool.

The staff has always been very friendly.
(I guess my experiences were much better than the OP's.}

I get so many perks (Disney theming, Disney transportation, and EMH)
Any of Disney's resort guests (even those staying at a value or mod) are allowed to shop, dine, use the transportation or spa facilities at any of the Disney Resorts. (Of course pool hopping is not allowed.)

I travel several times a year for pleasure and stay at many 3 and 4 star hotels and a few 5 star hotels.

Disney does charge a premium price for their Deluxe resorts.
Deluxe guests are paying for location and amenities not for stellar customer service.
Many guests are disappointed because they think the GF is a 5 star hotel.
They expect the service of a 5 star and are disappointed when their expectations are not met.
It is in no way near a 5 star hotel even though it costs as much as many 5 star hotels.
The GF is rated 4 diamonds by AAA but most sites rate it as 3 and a half.
The Poly and CR are usually considered 3 star hotels.


Just my 2 cents

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

Hi there OP!

Well, obviously you had some misconceptions but I have to agree with you on some PC points. I also had noise problems and found that Pop didn't seem to be my cup of tea either. However, I've stayed at AS Movies twice and really like it there. It seemed much less crowded than PC for one thing. So I'm not counting out all values, and I might give PC a try again, but it's not at the top of my list.

Everyone has their own preferences and at least now you know you don't like PC. Just move on to give another resort a try. I hope you have better luck next time

 

[skater]

TnTWalter - I was thinking of calling POP before our upcoming trip to remind them that we are traveling with my parents (and in fact one of our children is listed on their room). Were they very receptive to your call?

 

[Enna]

Noise? Or security? For noise, roll up a towel or two (or, even better, the bedspread ), open your side of the connecting door, and place the fabric in there as a noise buffer. Security – this won’t help when you’re not in the room, but pick up an inexpensive door alarm (Sharper Image, probably baby supply places, etc) and hang it on the doorknob – at least you’ll know if somebody’s trying to get in through that door. Or, um, from mail order catalogs like Harriet Carter or Miles Kimball, you can get a sort of door version of The Club. Or, just put one of the room chairs under the door knob at an angle to prevent someone from getting in that way.

BOTH.

One trip, we had noisy neighbors who also let the 7 year old boy slam the connecting door open & closed on their side. No amount of towels or other cloth would help with that.

I also detest having to secure the door. At a non-Disney hotel (not in Florida) we had a maid who consistanly left the connecting doors unlocked after the room was cleaned. No amount of do-it-yourself armor prevents the maids from un-doing that. Not that we leave anything of real value in the room, but I just feel better without a connecting door in the room. Guess that Dateline special on hotel security still haunts me.....

 

[lovethecastle]

I have just one thing to say. I really wish I was at Disney World staying at pop century last week.

 

[mking624]

I think too many people assume that just because it is Disney, even the value resorts will be great. Not so. You get what you pay for.

If you pay peanuts, you'll get monkeys.

Well that's an interesting philosophy...you might want to check with those who paid considerable amounts of money for deluxe resorts and were unhappy with the experience and then perhaps check with those who paid for value resort and had a wonderful experience....do that before you carve that thought into stone.

We stayed at All Stars one year and Pop another year. While we're not huge fans of the values, we liked Pop far better than All Stars and it was decent enough for us to return next month. We had a pleasant check in, room was great, and staff was really friendly...in fact, one of the managers spent over half an hour with us one night just talking about the memorabilia in the shadowboxes on the walls of the lobby and it was so neat to learn all kinds of little things.

Our favorite level of resorts are the moderates. Things aren't always hunky dory there either...though POFQ is our favorite resort, we had a less than happy check in with a CM who was rather abrupt, but we just chalked it up to her having a bad day and we remained cheery with her. Mishaps can happen at any level of resort, though people know which level is right for them and what's not right for them. But, there are things that are easily "findable" that could have made the experience much better as these have already been pointed out:
-fridge only comes standard at the mod and deluxe levels. Preferred rooms have nothing to do with that, just that you are closer to the main building and pool. If you want a fridge at a value, it's $10 a day.
-Beds are full size
-Connecting rooms are not guaranteed
-towel animals are not guaranteed
-it's possible that the CM was swamped with other things and overlooked the toothpaste issue, so a simple trip to the counter to say "I called earlier, just wondering if I could get that toothpaste" could have resolved it, rather than spending the $2 and then brooding over that $2 toothpaste.

It seems like you realized that values are not your thing...and that's ok....we all have our favorites! But just bear in mind to make sure you do find out these rather easy-to-get information before you travel so you don't come home upset over things that have typically been considered common knowledge. I hope the rest of your trip was magical!

 

[kvogel11202]

I have to chime in that I stayed at the ASSp this past June, just the hubby and I. We were expecting the smaller room, I am OCD about trips, so I had seen pictures ect, but nothing could have prepared me for the rude CM's we encountered, people who just didn't want to do their jobs. The pool was crowded and noisey, seemed like most parents were more interested in getting the biggest beer they could than keeping their kids in line, just a disaster. We fled to the Yacht Club for our last afternoon, desperate for a quiet place to sit and enjoy a drink! To each his own, but I have 3 kids, and we all prefer the Epcot resort area. I gave it a try, but I really am a resort snob apparently! And don't let those value resort lovers make you feel bad- because there are some that will try!

 

[redmomof4]

Third - We did a preferred room. Thinking we would have a frig or something...WRONG. Preferred basically means you look at the pool or the giant toys. I paid $10 extra dollars each night to look at a giant foose ball set. Granted it was cute but I could have used that $70 somewhere else. No frig or nothing. You do NOT want to stay facing the pool. The life guards are only there between 10AM - 11pm but the pool opens at 7am and is suppose to close at midnight. It was obvious that people did not read the rules.

I am sorry you had a bad experience. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at POP two years ago so much that we are going back. We love the whimsical atmosphere and to us having fun is vacation for the kids (we keep the slow paced romantic quiet vacation spots for just dh and I).
First, I agree that check in is like a cattle call, but so was it at many upscale resorts I have stayed in esp in Vegas.

Second,
Disney does not guarantee connecting rooms, you could have gotten seperate rooms at any resort from value to deluxe.

Third,
I did just want to comment on the above quote. Did someone tell you that a preferred room meant a refrig? I think that if I was paying $10 a night extra for a preferred room, I might want to know what that entailed. Don't get upset at POP because you didn't research what you were paying for. I could say the same thing about the full sized beds. This is all disclosed when reviewing the resorts.

I hope you enjoy your next trip much more!