Pop Century Reviews Please

[Bec]

We're thinking of having another tripto WDW next year and are staying in a villa for the majority of time. But we will have a few nights onsite. Now after looking at pictures etc, Im really fancy a bit of Disneymania that is The value Resorts. Never done a value before - but fancy a go. We're leaning towards Pop! so that we get a bit of everything- sports, music and movies. So what do you guys think? How does Pop compare with ASMo, ASMu and ***?

I'd love your views on the
pool
foodcourt
rooms
layout
buses
whatever you know.:D

Thanks guys.

[djhammon]

Hi,

All things POP

We stayed there in Jan lets start with the easy things first.

Buses, these are located at the front of the resort they are direct so no other stop off.

Layout, quick and easy, really good layout, nice scenery

Rooms - These are basic however very comfortable, they normally have 2 beds, Television and table, bath & shower, along with iron and ironing board.
dont forget the mini safe :lol:

Foodcourt - this is ok however found that it did get really busy, there are about 5 small little places to eat, however the food we had was great, this is also located in the main complex near checkin

Pools, they have then in all years, we never used them as I sent a lot of time being un-well (however thats a different story), but i did see people in there until about 10pm in the evening.

All in all it was very quite and we never had a problem, they also have Lifts so you do not need to carry all that luggage up stairs.

p.s what was the Luxor like in Vagas, we are going in April and staying in @ Treasure Island - TI because Luxor was full.

Hope this helps

David

[JuniorMickey]

I stayed at Pop for 8 nights in Nov/Dec and I had no problems with it at all. I like the values so I can stay for a longer time. If it is just two of you, you won't have a problem with the size. I was disappointed with the food court. I perfer the food court at the all-stars.

[Keith]

I stayed in September.

I'm a fan of the deluxes so I miss the restaurant, found the rooms noisy etc.

BUT we both agreed that pop had the edge over all stars which surprised us given how much we liked ASM.

To me, it's like they took what they've learned from all stars and made pop. So the bus stops are great and work fantastically. There's a little bar by the food court (always missed having a bar at the values, other than the pool bars) called classic concoctions.

We REALLY liked the food court.. I guess it's because we tended to eat at non-busy times but we never had a problem and they had stuff like lowcarb sandwiches which were REALLY nice!

Rooms are smallish, basic, noisy... but "ok" to sleep in. As a couple, we didn't have a problem with the space or the facilities.

Layout is good but it's a huge resort so room location can be an issue.

All in all, we'd go back! Sometimes a value makes total sense, like when it's just a few days, when getting the dining plan, to extend a quick budget trip etc. and I think we'd say it's now our favourite value resort

[tajainaz]

Overall, I really liked PC. If you're going to have a rental car, try to get a room location midway between Centennial Hall and the parking lot (give or take a bit!). Otherwise, base your location on what you want. I like quiet with convenient distance to the car parks and Centennial Hall, so I ended up on the Hourglass Lake side of 50s Building C (behind Tramp). Perfect location for me! :)

I was a bit disappointed in the food selection, but what I ate was well-prepared--no complaints. I'm a very finicky eater, so don't take my comments on food to heart!

I didn't use the pools, but the pool in the 50s section was quite busy! The weather was gorgeous mosts of the time I was there (December, 2004), and people were in the pool until midnight or so. There were youth groups (football, cheerleaders, etc.), but I found the adults accompanying them more annoying than the kids! :eek: Not obnoxious or anything, just a bit inconsiderate at times. Probably never occurred to them not to yell from outside a second-floor room to someone at the far end of the pool! :oops: Not a regular occurence, thankfully! :thumbs:

The rooms are small, but should be fine for two adults. Neat and clean, and the theming in the rooms is more subtle than the exterior. A very good value for me! :)

I'll be staying there again in December, 2005! I must like it! :)

[Chris/Lisa]

:iagree: Keith sums it up.

Much bigger than AS - but better facilities - think each block has its own lundry which helps. great pools - we were in 50's which was great.

80'and 90's bulidings are a little far away IMHO

Great theming and a very 'new feel - also a pretty lake with great big terrapins in them :thums: which was kinda cool - will be even better when its sister resort opens

[Bec]

:thumbs: Sounds like a big thumbs up for POP then. How will it differ from POR where I've stayed before?

[djhammon]

I'v never stayed at POR however remember that this is a Value Resort and the POR is a mod i think, so its not going to be as good as POR we never had a problem.

[Meezers]

Mom and I loved Pop! We stayed in the same building as Taja...had a view of the lake. We had no noise problems...except of course the rocket launching toilets!

I thought every single cast member at Pop was more Disney than at any of the moderates we have stayed at.

If I couldn't do a deluxe I would pick Pop.

Can't comment on the busses since we drove everywhere....the couple of time we did the food court it was acceptable....kinda like "mall food". The music at the 50's pool was grand! We danced through every time we went to the car!

[JuniorMickey]

Going from POR to a value you're going to lose a sitdown resturuant, hot tub at the pool, the water activities, slide at the pool, the lounge/bar area. Rooms are a bit smaller.

[Chris/Lisa]

And the fridge

[Johnie]

I actually prefer the Pop food court over the All-Stars. And I prefer the parking lot at All Stars over Pop :lol:

POR is a better choice if your going to spend a lot of time at the resort IMO. I don't do that when I'm Disney so a value is fine with me.

[Bec]

Does Pop have ice machines? I know strange questions - Im thinking for cold beers:)

[Johnie]

They do. All the resorts have ice machines.

[Keith]

:thumbs: Sounds like a big thumbs up for POP then. How will it differ from POR where I've stayed before?

I prefer POR over POP

Free fridge, beautiful landscaping, water activities, boat to DTD, walk to pofq, onsite restaurant, better bar with excellent entertainment etc. etc.

Pop is great, I can't fault it for the price and I enjoyed it... but I don't think it stands up to a comparison with POR

[tajainaz]

I like the moderates (especially the in-room refrigerators!), but staying at PC allows me to extend my visit a few days. With just one person in the room--basically sleeping and showering--a value resort is fine.

My father used to refuse to make room reservations on cross-country car trips, so we stayed in a lot of dumps (he knew when he'd pushed his limit with my mother, though, and we'd stay at a nice hotel for a few nights!). I'll take a WDW value resort any day, thank you!

Seriously, if someone requires the amenities of a deluxe hotel, they may not like PC or the All Stars. If neat, clean and a good price are the criteria--along with a bit of fun theming--they work quite nicely! :thumbs:

[clio]

Ground floor (1st floor) rooms tend to be noisier because of the foot-traffic. We've been there twice in the last two months; first time we were in room 7314, which is in the 80's block overlooking the computer pool. It was reasonably quiet, but there are often people in the pool to (and after) midnight. Last visit we were in 8314, which looks south towards the Osceola Parkway. You don't see the road and we weren't aware of any major traffic noise, although we've seen people complain about it. It's a very quiet spot, has ample parking but a little far from the food court.

Nothing really to add about the food court, except to say that for the 'entry-level' standard of resort it offers a wide variety of choice and is open 6am-midnight.

Weekends seem to be much busier, which suggests people visit for short breaks and it accomodates groups eg there were several cheerleader groups while we were there.

And for Brits who are starved of UK news, the shop in the food court sells the Daily Mail...$2.25+tax

Mr C

[tnpoohbear]

We stayed at the Pop Century in February and I did not like it! Our rooms were so far to get to from the food court and lobby area. The rooms were OK we had two connecting rooms. The rooms just seemed better to me at ASM. I was just not impressed with this resort - even the castmembers there were not the same as the other resorts. But we still had a wonderful time - we will just probably not stay there again - even my DD 14 and DS 12 did not like it. They prefer All Star Movies!

[dseth]

We stayed at Pop about 3 weeks ago. LOVED IT. Food court was very crowded in the morning but the lines moved well and we always managed to find a place to sit. Buses and mousekeeping were just fine. Love the bright landscaping. If you want a quieter stay - as for a room on the 3rd or 4th floor. Rooms are SMALL but definitely functional. Hope you like it as much as we did.

Dawn

[Bec]

Well, we've booked our flights - so now we need to decide if we're going to go with pop or not. Decisions, decisions..

[Bec]

I'm still so undecided. I'm thinking what if I don't like it but the price is so good I'm thinking of all the other gorgeous things I could be spending my money on!

[tajainaz]

Bec, if you're looking for luxury, this isn't the resort for you. It's essentially a large motel with all the necessities and WDW OTT theming. Neat and clean, nicely landscaped. It's just a matter of what is important to you: the amenities of a moderate or deluxe or the value of PC. If you just need a place to sleep, it's great. If you want more, it's time for more research!

[Keith]

Bec, if you're looking for luxury, this isn't the resort for you. It's essentially a large motel with all the necessities and WDW OTT theming.

yep that sums it up for me

[Bec]

Guys you've been great giving me all this advice and Im beginning to think you're right a value resort is just not me. I've started a new thread entitled CS Vs CBR as I think a moderate is a good compromise. So I need to decide now which moderate.:hehe:

[DisneyGirl10]

Buses- Fast and Clean and Amazing!
Food Court- Sometimes wasn't too clean but other wise mac and cheese was amazing!
Rooms-Nice scenic Walk!

[mikeandmarge]

Bec - we have stayed in All Stars (returning there in 2 weeks) - they are clean and comfortable, with good facilities. The way we look at it is that we are not going to spend any time in the room, apart from sleeping, so we don't need all the bells and whistles that cost so much elsewhere. I prefer to spend my money on extras for the holiday. Best wishes

[maggs]

So glad to read the good reports as we are staying there next year.

Maggs