Why didn't I like the POP??

[amycakes]

I stayed with my husband last September at the POP and we did not care for it. Can't really put my finger on it and I am not a fussy person. We stayed at POR the time before and loved it but we can't afford a moderate all the time with the hikes in airfare. We are going to try the All Star Music with ds8 and dd6 this Sept. Do you think we will like it or has the moderate spoiled me?

Amy

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

I'm not sure if the MOD spoiled you or not, I'll let you know in October after our stay at CBR. However we stayed at POP last year and loved it! I would book it again with no problem! Maybe you will like the one of the All Stars better?

 

[Poohbug]

Yes, the mods have spoiled you. You are not alone they have spoiled me too. My first stay at Pop was horrible. My DH and I stayed at AS soon after it opened and I hated it so much that I switched to CBR.

That being said, I did give Pop another try and it was better. I knew what to expect going in and that made a huge difference. I brought my sound machine to block noise and did NOT get a preferred room. The PR are too close to the pool and it was really noisy. If I have to stay in value for the budget then I will but would always choose moderate if possible.

 

[Eeyore's My Favorite]

I stayed with my husband last September at the POP and we did not care for it. Can't really put my finger on it and I am not a fussy person. We stayed at POR the time before and loved it but we can't afford a moderate all the time with the hikes in airfare. We are going to try the All Star Music with ds8 and dd6 this Sept. Do you think we will like it or has the moderate spoiled me?

Amy

DH & I stayed at POP last September, too & it was our 2nd stay there. It was our most unmagical stay on Disney property. Too many issues to repeat on here again. Needless to say I wrote CRO after our trip & got compensation afterwards. We went to ASMu in January and absolutely loved it. The resort was much quieter, our standard room in the Jazz building was much nicer and in a better location than the preferred location we had at POP. Loved the food court, the buses were a non-issue at ASMu. The refurbishment of the rooms was also a big plus for us at ASMu. It was so nice, loved the privacy curtain and the overall feel of the room was much more pleasant than those at POP - they're beginning to look really worn down.

I think you'll really enjoy ASMu. There's also daily activities around the pool for the kids and families that I thought made it nice, too.

Enjoy your next stay................

 

[goofy4tink]

Here are the resorts I've stayed at so far...
BWV...about 7+ times
BCV...1
Swan...1
Dolphin...1
Polynesian..1
CR.....1
POR...3
AllStarMusic....1
POP....4

Obviously, I've stayed at all level of resorts at WDW. Generally speaking, if I'm not staying on DVC points, at BWV, you will find me at POP. I love POR, it was my 'first' WDW resort back when it was still DxL. But for the money, I just prefer to stay at POP. I usually don't need the amemities at the moderates. Same for the deluxes...I don't use the hot tubs, I don't eat at the resort table service restaurants often, I don't need the boat/bike rentals. I just want a clean room in a fun atmosphere...and POP fits the bill at a decent rate. I like ASMusic and if I didn't love POP so much, I would stay there more often.
But, with all that in mind, POP isn't for everyone. Some guests just don't care for it...some can't say what it is, but they just don't like it. Others, like me, love it there.
Now, don't get me wrong....I love BWV. I love it so much I bought DVC there!!! There is no place I would rather be. But, again...I don't eat at the restaurants there all that much and I don't rent bikes or use the hot tubs. I just love BW, and it's location.

It's easy to see that there is someplace for everyone in WDW. Try a different resort. You're only using it for a week or so..you aren't buying it. If you don't like it, then don't go back to it...there are others to try. I can't wait to try out OKW in Dec!!!

 

[KatMark]

I don't know if a mod spoiled you. We stayed deluxe, then value, then moderate. We stayed at All Star Sports and we didn't like it. We just found the values to be way too crowded and too loud for us. We prefer something a little more quiet and laid back.

 

[disneymom06]

I know what you mean, while POP is not my favorite, (although the kids love it), I had a better time our second trip at POP because I knew what to expect. POR and CR are my favorites but we need two rooms now and for the money, POP is our best option.

We always drive so we use our car to eat at other locations, even the food court at POFQ. It does help, but I will always miss the quiet pool at night.

 

[sharadoc]

Old experience here. The same thing happened when we stayed the first time at POFQ after staying at the Yacht Club! We were disappointed, but the POFQ feels so nice, we learned we actually loved it!

We stayed at POFQ 4 times, then stayed for a short trip at ASMu not long after it opened. We hated it! The rooms were smaller, the atmosphere was much louder, brighter and frenetic. I vowed I would never go back there again!!

Guess what - we're going to ASMu in January! With a totally different attitude. It looks perfect for our family.

My advice is don't expect the same thing from one resort to another, then you'll be fine. The values are exactly that - a great value, so Disney isn't going to give you more than what you pay for.

Just remember you're at Disney World and focus on the positives of your new resort and don't compare the two and you'll be just fine!

If POFQ had a family suite, I'd be there in a heartbeat. But when I looked at all my alternatives for what I could pay, the All Star Music looked fantastic!!!

 

[lilmrsellis]

We stayed at POP in 2005 and, though we liked it, will never stay there again. We had kids running up and down in front of our room at all hours. Then we had kids knocking on the door and running away. Theme and food were great, but it was just too crazy for us. BTW we are SOOO not fancy people.

 

[Amy&Dan]

A moderate resort, with its lovely grounds, pools with slides and the more adult crowd can spoil you in a way. All that said, I enjoy the values. I do have to say, that I love Music the most. Its quieter, the landscaping is more about trees and less about icons. And the newly refurbed rooms are really nice. Again, I have enjoyed Pop both times we have stayed there although the second time was much better than the first. I just really think Music is nice for moderate lovers who need a value. I know its the one I'll pick from here on out when I am out of DVC points and need a value!

I hope you enjoy it for your next trip.

 

[dburg30]

I stayed with my husband last September at the POP and we did not care for it. Can't really put my finger on it and I am not a fussy person. We stayed at POR the time before and loved it but we can't afford a moderate all the time with the hikes in airfare. We are going to try the All Star Music with ds8 and dd6 this Sept. Do you think we will like it or has the moderate spoiled me?

Amy

I was there in Feb, and I'm with you. I have no complaint about POP, BUT, it just didnt 'do it' for me. I really think it was just how crowded the busses and stuff were. Again, it wasnt 'bad' at all, just CSR seemed much better...

 

[Taja]

It's quite possible that it just isn't the resort for you!

I stayed at three WDW deluxe resorts and one moderate resort before staying at Pop Century--and still enjoyed it. But I don't compare one resort or its amenities to another--I just accept them as different experiences.

Everyone's different--that's why WDW has many different resorts!

 

[jngwright]

I stayed with my husband last September at the POP and we did not care for it. Can't really put my finger on it and I am not a fussy person. We stayed at POR the time before and loved it but we can't afford a moderate all the time with the hikes in airfare. We are going to try the All Star Music with ds8 and dd6 this Sept. Do you think we will like it or has the moderate spoiled me?

Amy

I felt the same way-couldn't pinpoint why either! I had never stayed at a Value before, so I don't know.

Any day at Disney is great-don't get me wrong!! I am on a mission to try all the resorts, so Pop is now checked off my list

 

[Dizzy over Disney]

We stayed at Pop in Feb.. we are staying at CBR this trip. We weren't happy with Pop. I am spoiled.

 

[trekker93]

We stayed at POP last year for 2 weeks and plan to do it again this Sept. We found that it was clean and relatively quiet. We found that we can stay more often by saving money at POP so that we can enjoy the dining plan. It's all a question of what you afford and how much time you spend at the room. We typically only sleep there and found POP to be nice.

 

[justplaingoofy]

We did Pop in Sept (2 adults) and didn't care for it at all.

We were in a preferred room & ground floor which was pretty close to the bus stop. However, we had people walking/running/laughing/screaming past our window all night. Plus we could hear our neighbors water (toilets, shower, & sink) at all hours. The water noise was coming from both sides of us, and behind us. (we did not have connecting rooms).

I would recommend getting a standard room (away from pool),
non connecting end room, on an upper floor (so that you don't have people walking past your window/door)..

This year we are trying all star music

 

[Joshua_me]

A couple of years ago, we were arriving late on our first day (10 pm) so we thought we'd stay the night at The Pop before transferring over the next day to The Poly, to save some money.

Never again.

The hotel itself was fine, we kind of enjoyed all the giant icons and all, made for some fun pictures. The problem we encountered was some of the guests.
Screaming, cursing kids at the pool with no parents in sight. Mounds of empty beer cans/bottles outside hotel room doors, drunken adults swearing as much as their unsupervised kids were...

I know a lot of folks love The Pop, and maybe we just had a bad experience, but it was enough to 'swear' us off of the place.

 

[skeez]

Our experience was similar. Our prior stay was at the Poly CL...which we totally loved. The following stay was again at the Poly CL. However, we spent the first night at the POP and switched to the Poly when the rates lowered the next day. None of us liked the POP (me, DH, DS10, DS6). And, like others have said, we couldn't put our finger on why. We've spent many vacations at similar non-Disney value type resorts (Comfort, Hamptom, Quality, etc) and enjoyed them immensely. I was totally unprepared for our reaction to the POP. I really expected to like it there because it looked so fun in the pictures. I was thinking I must be crazy because so many people love the POP.
I'm glad to know others have had the same experience.

 

[Jenna45]

ASMU is my favorite and we have stayed at all different disney resorts from value to deluxe. I don't think you can get more bang for your buck then you do there... But I HATE ASSP and I would not stay there again if my life depended on it... I think it is way to loud, and a much younger crowd then at ASMU... ( younger as in teens with no parents, not as in family young)

But, While we have stayed at ASMU tons of times we are trying ASMO for the first time this trip because DS wants to , I hope we like it...

 

[amycakes]

Thanks everyone for your encouragement. I guess I had myself all hyped up for the POP because so many here like it and then, when it wasn't for me (for some reason?), I was disappointed. I am going to the ASMu ..... clean slate..... Like some of you said, it's Disney after all

Thanks again for all your comments and I don't feel quite so crazy and alone,

Amy