POP or AS Movies?

[wdwdreamer]

I am going to a value for the first time, and have heard great things about both resorts. I had seen some threads talk about thin walls in POP and am concerned.

What are the Pro's and Con's for both of these, I'm trying to decide. :alarm:

[SoaringDisney]

I just returned from an eight night stay in Pop Century. While there were things that I liked about the resort, such as the theme and the service (which I'm sure you get at all the resorts), there were many that I didn't. The lines at the bus pick up lines were awful. I'm not sure why the wait times were so much more for Pop than the other resorts, but as I took a look at the other resorts bus lines, they were very small compared to Pop. Also, the beds were very hard and uncomfortable. I'm not sure if that is a problem at all value resorts since I have only stayed at Fort Wilderness campground in the past. Also, the restaurant inside Pop was crowded from opening to close from what I could tell. I will probably not be staying at Pop Century again, but it seems to be a very popular resort. I hope I have helped.

[gnomelady]

I haven't stayed at the AS movies but did stay at the music. Didn't really have any complaints. In a couple weeks I will be going to Disney staying at the POP. From what I have read about the foodcourt being crowded in the AM I figured we would just head to the park and grab something to eat there. As far as the buses being busy I'd say the first 3 hours in the AM it will have long lines. From what I have read the POP is the largest resort of the values .I'm not going to start stressing out before I even get there. I'm going to have a good time, relax and have a positive attitude. When I return I will post my thoughts on the POP.

[Tbelle1976]

Stayed at ASMo a few years ago. Although it was on property and still pretty convenient to get back to the hotel in the middle of the day with the kids for a small break, I do remember the lines for the buses being crazy. More than one time we had to let a bus go by because it was too packed and wait for another.

Have not stayed at POP though, but if your going during a busy time I can't imagine it would be too much different.

[JerseyDad]

I am going to a value for the first time, and have heard great things about both resorts. I had seen some threads talk about thin walls in POP and am concerned.
What are the Pro's and Con's for both of these, I'm trying to decide.


....never have stayed at ASMovies...but have stayed at ASMusic (once)...as well as POP...all of the other times.

By simple comparison...POP is a larger resort...since the buildings have four (4) floors instead of the three (3) at the other AllStar resort buildings. So...simple math gives you more people...but...the notion of the place being wall-to-wall people 24hrs a day is not true.

The food court can be crowded between 7am and 9am most days. But on some days (Sundays and Wednesdays it seems) that is not the case. I think that maybe those days may be common arrival / departure days for a lot of folks? We've never really had lunch at the food court there...so I can't comment on that crowd situation.....but, again...dinner time can be crowded...but we're usually eating dinner in one of the parks, so it's a non-issue. The food however...is REALLY good....and DO NOT pass on the opportunity to have the Tie-Dyed Cheesecake!!

Regarding your concerns about "thin walls"...I'm pretty sure that this is not the case in reality, since the building code dictates things like that. You may (or may not) experience noise from a neighboring room...depending on the level of basic courtesy that your "neighbor" possesses. But, in the 4 times we've been at POP...that's really never been an issue. We've also ALWAYS requested ground floor, poolside rooms, and have had our wishes accomodated twice. There are those that complain that these room locations are "loud" due to their proximity to the pool...but I just have never experienced that at all....even late at night when the pool is officially "closed"...and there are still people (kids) in there.

Regarding buses to / from POP....there are always going to be times when crowded lines can happen....especially when people try to take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours in the morning...and when people stay at the parks till closing time...and ALL head to the bus stop at the same time. However...there is the benefit of having your bus...ONLY stop at POP...without sharing service with other AllStar resorts.

Overall....I love POP due to its colorful decor`...it's "new-ness" in comparison to the other values....and the food (which, again...I think is very good).


(the bar-tenders at the poolside "Petals" bar...are also very nice :marg: )

[GrmGrninGost]

For my family, it's POP! We love it there! It's newer, very clean and a lot of fun! :mickey:

[bruin1344]

POP because its newer and closer to everything

["SULLEY "RULES!!]

My husband and I love the POP!! This November will be our third time there. 12 days of Disney fun....11/24 to 12/5:sulley:

[Mickey91]

Pop!! Can anyone say,"Icee Machine???":mickey:

[ryca1dreams]

These are our choices for our Sept trip. I've stayed at both before and actually prefer Pop because of the theming, location, and "newness".

However, during our last trip when we were at CBR, we noticed abnormally large lines for the Pop resort at certain times. I mean, they were noticeable. I don't know if this is an ongoing problem at Pop or is just a once-in-a-while quirk.

I think the pros outweigh the cons though. I prefer Pop.

[Brainiak5]

We've stayed at both and enjoyed both. The wife prefers POP as we can catch the fireworks from EPCOT in the 50's section and my son loves the fact that Tramp is the biggest watchdog in the world.:mickey:

We've never had loud neighbors at any of the resorts - most of the time our neighbors have had kids as well so they're zonked out from long days at the parks too. And if my snoring kept anyone awake they were kind enough not to mention it.:sleepin:

Im always kind of surprised when people mention the crowds on the buses. We build in lots of time to get where we need as we figure lots of people are like us and want to come to Disney so there's probably going to be folks around. We kind of adopt a we'll get there when we get there approach and take the time to chat with the kids and just enjoy each others company. I spend most work days dropping the kids off at day care or school and only get to spend lots of time with them during vacation- besides making memories takes time right?:thumbsup:

The tipping point for me might be the slushees that they have a POP- we're going to be there during July 4 week so I expect lots of cool icy goodness :fworks:

[homeschool mom]

We stayed at ASMo several years ago and it was nice. However, we love Pop and have chosen it every trip since our first stay there. :mickey: In fact we're headed back there in Sept. :minnie: I have never noticed thin walls and we have stayed in all of the sections except the 60s. Of course, I'm assuming the walls are the same in all of the buildings.

[mrsgaribaldi]

I prefer Pop too. We've stayed at all the values but PoP is the one we keep going back to. We don't use the buses so I can't comment on them. When I've gone to the food court, it wasn't that crowded. I don't think we ever went for breakfast though. WE eat breakfast in the room or grab something in the parks. I didn't find the walls to be too thin, just if you have inconsiderate people near you like Jerseydad said. :mickey:
As for the bed being hard, I could sleep on a picket fence so I didn't find them to hard for me:blush:

[Gotta Love Eeyore]

We have stayed at both and you really can't go wrong with either.

DECOR:
If you have younger kids, they may enjoy the decor at ASMo better. Some of the POP icons will be lost on really little kids.

FOOD:
POP does have the cool icee machine (most of the time) and the tie-dye cheesecake!

CROWDS:
I found that the gift shop / food court were always more crowded at POP. It took forever for us to pick up packages that we had sent back from the parks. In fact, we started just toting them with us.

BUSES:
POP has the last slot at MK, so be prepared for a long walk and huge line if you stay for all the closing fireworks. BUT, they do not share buses with any other resort.

NOISE:
We had no problem with "thin walls" or "turbo toilets" when we stayed at POP. Maybe we were just too tired to notice.

All that being said, I'd stay at either again so I am not sure I was much help.
:blush:

[SurferStitch]

The only value DH and I have stayed at was POP, but we loved it both times, and would stay there again.

The food court has great choices, and we did several breakfasts, snacks, and even a few late night meals there. Some mornings were busy, but it never took more than 10 minutes or so to pick out our food and pay.

Park closings seemed to draw the biggest bus lines, and I do mean BIG. There were a few times where we waited 60+ minutes, but it was rare, and we learned not to head out of the park right at closing. We lingered a little, which allowed a bulk of the crowd to thin out before we got to the bus stop.

The beds were fine for us. A little firm, but I can really sleep on anything. A firm mattress doesn't bother me at all. Never noticed more noise here than anywhere else. In fact, our loudest neighbors (and I mean LOUD) were next door in Grand Flo concierge. Luckily they were only next to us for one night of our trip, but they were horrendous.

POP is a great resort. :thumbsup:

[LandFan]

Pop!! Can anyone say,"Icee Machine???":mickey:

Yes:thumbsup: We bring our own rum for rum and coke icees!!! It really helps your muscles loosen up at the end of the day :D

[Crow]

Yes:thumbsup: We bring our own rum for rum and coke icees!!! It really helps your muscles loosen up at the end of the day :D
yes ive used my refillable mug for icees as a mixer:thumbsup:
Allstars was my first disney onsite yeaaars ago.
but Ive stayed at POP more.
my last time at AS found it needing some refurb, and its not as centrally located as POP.
of course im a Epcot Guy more than MK
and POP has 2 bars, by the pool & inside 1 that takes the DDE discount. and its a first stop on ME. and doesnt share buses w other resorts.