Sell me on Pop!

[darthmacho]

Haven't booked anything, but we're hoping for a 14 day trip for next year, and we're sure that we're going Value.
Our first choice would be the new Art of Animation, but we won't do it if construction might be going on there, that leaves the Pop vs. ASMu debate that is going on in another thread. We've already stayed at ASMu, and we know we like it, but I want to find out everything I can about Pop Century from the experts.

Therefore, I beseech you to sell me on Pop Century. Why should we choose it? What's great about it? Specifics would be nice, but any info, opinions, or generalities are welcome too. Tell me everything you can!!!

Thanks in advance! :mickey:

[retiredfigment]

My daughter can be a 'resort snob' and wasn't happy when I decided to stay at POP. She loved it, as did I. Pools are very large so don't see crowded. Buses ran promptly. Loved the walkways. Ate at food court more than I ever have. We really liked it and staying there again in October. Having said that, I am sure someone will have had problems with everything that went well with us.

[brownie]

We enjoyed staying at Pop Century last year. The grounds are nice and it's cool to see all the stuff they've brought out in the resort. The food court will be bigger than that at All-Star Music I believe.

I think that if you've enjoyed All-Star Music you'll probably enjoy Pop Century, too.

[GBBT]

You'll be on Disney property!:thumbsup: Nuff said!!!:D

[disneydeb]

We love POP!:thumbsup:

[Tink#64]

Darthmacho, I have to say, we love Pop! Our first WDW stay was at ASMo's & we loved it, but then Pop opened & we tried it our next trip, resort was only 6 months old, and we knew we found our WDW home! The theming is so fun & with it having such cool icons that follow the last half a century, everyone can find something to relate to! The signs around the property noting historical events during each decade are really cool too! The grounds of are course impeccable & having Hour Glass Lake on property is awesome, such a nice walk around the lake & property any time of day, but very pretty in the evening!

I'm surprised by so many negative comments about Pop being loud, actually I think it's a very relaxing & peaceful resort! Of course most noise & activity around Classic Hall with that being check in, food court, arcade & shopping & just in front of the main pool. During our stay 2 weeks ago, I actually tried to listen, for all the toilet flushing noise so many mention, & I honestly NEVER heard it! A couple of mornings I could hear a shower running, but I'd hear that at home! ha ha We've never noticed people/kids running amuck on property yelling & the like as I've read on here so many times. I'm not doubting any one's else's experience, we know the crowds change daily, but we've never had that experience at Pop. I would recommend bldg 4 of the 60's section, it is preferred, and on the front side you have a view of the Hippy Dippy Pool, or on the back side you can have a view of the lake (from the common walkway of course! :blush: ) I prefer the end or the back, it is quieter & very pretty, close to everything! For a standard room I really like building 10 of the 70's section, still close to everything, but super close to the bus stops!

Pop is a large resort, but in 6 stays there, including Spring Break & summer stays, the only time it felt crowded to me was Memorial Day Weekend a few years ago! But WDW was super crowded everywhere!

With three pools, plenty of choices, the Hippy Dippy pool is really neat, but for a really quiet relaxing pool break, the computer or bowling pin pools are great! Petals pool bar is a real treat! Many evenings spent relaxing & enjoying their delish concoctions watching all the resort activity! I did see someone else mention the food court, it can be a hustle & bustle of activity at times, but we've not had any problems what so ever & we usually eat lunch or dinner at Pop every day & have never felt it chaotic. The food is actually very good, I really enjoy the chicken alfredo & the veggie lasagna. DS's fav's were pizza & chicken ceasar salads. DH had the various asian dishes several times. I think the have a very nice variety and plentiful servings. My guys really enjoyed the counter that offered the ice cream sundaes & tie dyed cheesecake (my personal fav!).

I know I saw more dedicated bus service for the AS resorts this trip than I've ever seen before, & I'm not sure if the AS's still share bus service at all, but they certainly did when we first visited & with ASMo's being last in the AS line up, the bus was so often full before it ever even got to us! Pop only has one bus stop area out in front of Classic Hall, and doesn't share with any other resort, so when you spy your WDW bus, you know you're on your way! :thumbsup:

I'm sure you can tell, we're huge Pop fans, DH has mentioned trying a mod, but I just can't justify the additional expense for a bed to sleep in and a pool to spend a couple hours of day! I really think that we'd be disappointed, the mods seem just like nice hotels to me, I guess I'm just a big kid, I really like all the FUN over the top bright & colorful icons representing the cool things that we all grew up with! Actually my whole family loves Pop, DM, DB's and a whole slew of DA's & DC's, some have stayed at Mod's & come back to Pop!

But I will say, your heart has to be in it as with anything, we've had friends that have stayed at the luxury level & then Pop & they thought it garish! :drama: so if someone really is into the extra's that come with the deluxe level, then they will most likely not be as thrilled with the values - any of them! We enjoy visiting the higher end resorts for dinner & shopping, etc, but we'd rather spend our money on fun, food & shopping than a place to lay our heads!

Best of luck to you trying to make your decision, the wonderful thing about WDW is all the choices, something for everyone! :mickey:

[kakn7294]

We've stayed at all resort levels and I have to tell you that my family loved Pop! We thought it actually felt just a step up from the other value resorts although we can't name a specific reason as to why it felt that way. The food court is awesome and I loved the open feel to the gift shop area. Our room was behind one of the giant cell phones in the 80's section - only a short walk to the main building. Instead of a towel animal, our mousekeeper left my girls a 70's themed Rubik's cube. I really liked the clean lines of the decor in the room too - the furniture was compact enough to leave the room feeling spacious for a value while providing the storage we needed. The only down sides for me are that we would have to rent a fridge, there's no in-room coffee-maker, and they took the Frozen Coke machine out of the food court.

[BigRedDad]

You can research the resorts yourself and get an idea of what is good and bad.

For me, it is the value for 2 beds and bathroom. We are a family of 3 so any resort works. It has sentimental reasons as well for us. I can't tell you much more than that. It is just a simple "motel" resort with decade themes.

[mickeymousedabomb]

Hello! Well we stayed at Pop for the 1st time in Nov of '09. We loved it! Everything was colorful and fun. Just an overall great expierence starting with a smooth fast check-in, great food court (tye-dye cheesecake,yummy),great main pool w/ ping-pong table & I believe there was a bar out by the main too. Seperate quite pools also, we were right around the corner from the bowling pool, but the kids always ended up at the main because of the action. Buses were very prompt and you didn't share with any other resorts. When we go again for Easter, this is where we'll stay again!:thumbsup:

[nfrustaci]

AS YOU CAN SEE BY MY SIGNATURE I HAVE BEEN GOING TO POP FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW. CAN'T PICK ANY ONE THING OUT ABOUT THE HOTEL THAT I LOVE SO MUCH. I LOVE THAT THEY HAVE 3 POOLS, 2 LAUNDRY FACILITIES AND ALL THE LARGER THAN LIFE ICONS THAT I GREW UP WITH. THE HIPPY DIPPY POOL HAS A CHILD AREA FOR LITTLE ONES. THE FLOWERS SPRAY WATER AND OF COURSE LETS NOT FORGET THE POOL BAR. THEY HAVE ACTIVITIES AT THE POOL AS WELL. HAIR BRAIDING IS ONE OF THEM. I ALSO LOVE HOW WHEN PARTICULAR SONGS COME ON THE STAFF BREAK OUT INTO DANCE HUSTLE AND THRILLER BEING 2 OF WHICH I HAVE WITTNESSED. I THINK I HAVE ALSO PARTICIPATED IN AT LEAST ONE TWIST WHILE IN THE FOOD COURT. DURING THE SUMMER IT CAN GET QUITE CROWDED BUT WHAT RESORT DOESN'T. ALSO JANUARY IS WHEN THERE ARE QUITE A FEW OVER SEAS GROUPS AS WELL. IT HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE THAT THEY CAN BE RUDE, NOT SURE WHY THAT IS EXACTLY. MY FAVORITE SECTION IS THE 50'S AND MY LEAST FAVORITE IS THE 90'S. THE 50'S IS CLOSE TO THE MAIN BUILING BUT FAR ENOUGH AWAY FROM THE FOOT TRAFFIC, IT ALSO HAS A REALLY GREAT BOWLING PIN POOL. THE 90'S IS JUST TOO FAR AWAY FROM EVERYTHING FOR ME, IT DOES HAVE A QUIET POOL RIGHT OUTSIDE THE BUILDING BUT AGAIN REALLY TOO FAR FOR ME. IN ALL THE YEARS I HAVE BEEN GOING I HAVE ONLY EVER HAD ONE PROBLEM WITH THE LUGGAGE AND MANAGEMENT WAS QUICK TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND IT WASN'T EVEN DISNEY'S FAULT IT WAS THE TRAVEL AGENT THAT MADE THE BOO BOO. EITHER WAY THEY ARE BOTH FUN RESORTS. WE STAYED AT THE MUSIC ON OUR FIRST STAY AND LIKED IT. THEY ARE BOTH REFURBED TOO. HAVE A GREAT DISNEY VACATION. WE WILL BE THERE IN OCTOBER FOR 10 DAYS AT OUR BELOVED POP CENTURY !!!!:thumbsup:

[darthmacho]

You can research the resorts yourself and get an idea of what is good and bad.

For me, it is the value for 2 beds and bathroom. We are a family of 3 so any resort works. It has sentimental reasons as well for us. I can't tell you much more than that. It is just a simple "motel" resort with decade themes.

I've researched the in-and-outs of all the resorts already, including Pop, and asking the experts here on Intercot, including yourself, is the culmination of that research. Seriously, I consider this to be the best authority on all things WDW, and I usually book-end any research by starting with WDW's site, but ending here.

You are so right about the bottom line. The price for the room is why it's one of the choices for our 14 day trip. We probably couldn't stay so long otherwise, so your point is spot on! However, the dilemma is in those choices. I'm torn between doing something new, or going with something we've been to, like ASMu that was a success. My instincts are to try something new and Art of Animation would be the solution if I was sure it wouldn't be under construction while we were there. There's something about Pop's theming that's been holding me back. (On the bright side, I know my kids will love it!)

Anyway, every bit of info and opinion so far has been very valuable. Please, I'd like to hear from as many as possible, so keep the posts coming! :mickey:

[joonyer]

We've stayed at Pop Century a couple of times, and loved it. For the price, it's everything you can ask for. Sure, it's not the Wilderness Lodge or the Polynesian, but it costs less than half as much, and in it's own way it's just as much fun.

[princessgirls]

After staying at the POR 2x and the POFQ 1x, while making a quick trip in December of 2009 we booked the Pop, as it was the cheapest way to go. I wasn't going in with a whole lot of expectations... ended up LOVING IT!!!

The room was fine, it is only a tad bit smaller than the rooms at POR.

The resort is themed so nicely. It's bright, it's fun and it's a lot of families there like ourselves who are trying to have the complete Disney experience with out taking out another mortgage...LOL!

BEST thing about the Pop...The Buses. They know how to organize and run busing from this resort. I never had this at the POR. One central waiting spot. Each park had their own line to wait in. Bus after bus coming in. While we were there the Pop was 99% full, so it was crowded.

Darth...I'm telling you, for the price there isn't much NOT to like about the Pop.
No waterslide at the pools...good thing we have one all summer at our town pool I tell my girls. Also, I added the waterpark option to our tickets, we can easily go a waterpark if the girls want a little more excitement in their pool.
Julie:mickey:

[waymickey]

My instincts are to try something new and Art of Animation would be the solution if I was sure it wouldn't be under construction while we were there. There's something about Pop's theming that's been holding me back. (On the bright side, I know my kids will love it!)
:mickey:

I did not think that AofA was really a value resort I thought I heard that the prices were quite high. Am I wrong?

[darthmacho]

I did not think that AofA was really a value resort I thought I heard that the prices were quite high. Am I wrong?

I think you are partly right about the prices for 75% of the rooms, which will be suites, but there will be a section with standard rooms, which I believe (or more likely assume) will be comparable to other values. If anyone knows for sure, please chime in? :blush:

[IloveJack]

I've stayed at all the values except sports. By far, PoP was our favorite. The food in the food court was so much better, the bus service is wonderful (not having to pick up at more resorts, or having full busses skip by), and everything seemed quite open and not crowded. DH is a Roger Rabbit fan, so he enjoyed that theming.
We're planning to camp at FW on our next trip, but if something happens and we have to have a shortened trip, we'll switch to Pop.

[Twilight]

Love the POP:number1:.
Have stayed there the last two times we visited WDW.
The buildings decorations are so fun.
And it has never been that crowded when we have stayed there. Last time we went we stayed in the 90's buildings (not the greatest decorated it has a lap top), but it was quiet.
And we were just across the parking lot from the bus pick up and the lobby.
The buses were prompt and never too crowded, love the food court great food at a great price.
And the gift shops...well my main reason I go is for the gift shops:secret:.
Have a great time!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

We are in the minority in that we actually prefer the All Star Resorts to Pop...don't get me wrong we personally think all the Disney resorts are great and wouldn't dream of staying offsite it just happens to be our least favorite so far....our reasons were we felt it was very spaced out in comparison with the other values. I also personally liked the food courts better in ASMovies. The biggest complaint we had is that the air conditioning system is hard to figure out...it was preset and the room was warmer than we'd like, when we would try to change it would go back to the preset temperature. There was a thread on here a while back explaining that there is a trick to changing the temperature but nobody informed us of this when we checked in and we just figured it was part of the green program

Now since you actually want to be sold on this resort I will tell you the best selling point seems to be that they do not share buses with other resorts;)

[darthmacho]

Been checking out pictures of Pop on Google Images, and saw pictures of the "Pop" logo waffle, and the "Tie Dye" Cheesecake. I guess that's two points in their favor...:mickey:

[nfrustaci]

Been checking out pictures of Pop on Google Images, and saw pictures of the "Pop" logo waffle, and the "Tie Dye" Cheesecake. I guess that's two points in their favor...:mickey:

:laughing: lol cheese cake was good. my hubby likes the waffle's too.

[LVT]

We went 2 rooms 14 nights, with 2 adult sons. I like the place. Pools and laundry fine. Buses were convenient. Good enough cafeteria for basics. We tried Riverside and then recently Coronado Springs, but will got back to POP. These decisions come down to money for me. I like longer trips going out for great food more I care about the size of the hotel pool.

[nfrustaci]

:ditto:

[dizneydeb22]

We will be arriving at the POP in 25 days!! This will be our second visit. We love the POP. Personally, I love the food choices and the gift shop. I'm not sure about the ages of your children, but our son was 6 on our last visit. He was petrified of the pool, but they have a water play area similar to the one in EPCOT. It was a godsend! The main reason we decided to go back to the POP is the buses.
Good Luck with your planning. I hope you have a magical trip either way!!:mickey:

[JerseyDad]

...gonna' be at POP in 38 days!! It'll be our 8th time there in the past 8 years. We love the place...and wouldn't be able to find anything to complain about or that we don't / didn't like.

[iceicebritney]

We've stayed at Pop the last few years because the other values don't have as efficient of a bus system. At the all stars you are sharing buses, and that gets to be a pain. Pop has one bus stop, a multitude of buses and I've never waited. Granted I don't go during the holiday season any more, but over the past five years we've gone summer spring and fall without any problems. All that said, Hands down I chose pop for the buses:thumbsup:

If your renting a car and not relying on bus transport then this will obviously not apply :)

[TiggerDeb]

Our next trip to the world will be in 50 days and it will be our 5th time staying at POP. We love the pools, the food court, the busses, and the just the general feel of fun there. We have stayed at other value, moderate, and high end resorts and still come back to POP each time because we love it so.:mickey:

[darthmacho]

Thank you for all of the fabulous endorsements of POP! After reading all of the positive reviews, doing lots of reading, and browsing tons of online photos and videos, I'm pretty sure we're going to stay at Pop Century. The bus system seems to be the big benefit.

However, that leads me to one more question: I suppose we won't know until it happens, but what happens when the Art of Animation Resort opens next year? Will Art and Pop be sharing busses? They were supposed to be all one resort originally, right? Want to bet they'll share? I hope not, but I think that's likely to happen.

Either way, we're probably going to stay at one of them anyway, so thanks for all the info. Anyone else that wants to add anything at all is welcome. 382 days to go! :mickey:

[Tink#64]

However, that leads me to one more question: I suppose we won't know until it happens, but what happens when the Art of Animation Resort opens next year? Will Art and Pop be sharing busses? They were supposed to be all one resort originally, right? Want to bet they'll share? I hope not, but I think that's likely to happen.

Good question! I've wondered this myself! Good golly I hope not! Pop has about 960 more rooms than each of the AS's (and you can see we're all huge fans of their bus situation :ack: ) so I'm wondering what will happen! :confused:

[dizneydeb22]

Thank you for all of the fabulous endorsements of POP! After reading all of the positive reviews, doing lots of reading, and browsing tons of online photos and videos, I'm pretty sure we're going to stay at Pop Century. The bus system seems to be the big benefit.

However, that leads me to one more question: I suppose we won't know until it happens, but what happens when the Art of Animation Resort opens next year? Will Art and Pop be sharing busses? They were supposed to be all one resort originally, right? Want to bet they'll share? I hope not, but I think that's likely to happen.

Either way, we're probably going to stay at one of them anyway, so thanks for all the info. Anyone else that wants to add anything at all is welcome. 382 days to go! :mickey:

We'll be there in 24 days! I'll let you know if anything has changed/improved and I'll try to get some information on the bus sharing situation!

[FutureCorpsFan]

I don't think you can go wrong at Pop. Perhaps consider one week at Pop and the second at All-star. You get the best of both worlds...two vacations in one.

One of the under rated benifits of Pop is it's location. Its pretty much central to all things in Disney World so you don't spend much time being transported. That's why we love that area of Disney World. Your longest ride is MK and that's only about 20 minutes.

[darthmacho]

We'll be there in 24 days! I'll let you know if anything has changed/improved and I'll try to get some information on the bus sharing situation!

Much gratitude, and let's hope I'm wrong. :mickey:


I don't think you can go wrong at Pop. Perhaps consider one week at Pop and the second at All-star. You get the best of both worlds...two vacations in one.


That's not a bad idea, but I'm too lazy to do the switch. I'm pretty settled on the idea of Pop now. I think it was the wonderful comments here and the Tie Dye Cheesecake that won me over. :mickey:

[WDWCrazyKaren]

This is good info for me too, so I'm following the thread closely! If we stay value, we always choose AS Movies, because we love the Broadway building way in the back (it is SO quiet!). I just keep thinking there would be no quiet place at POP, looking at how big it is. I'd love to try POP, as we've stayed at all the AS Resorts already, and this next trip will probably be on the "cheap"!

[Tink#64]

Au contraire WDWCrazyKaren, I always feel a very relaxed atmoshere at Pop, especially where we've stayed! Building #4, 60's section, not facing Hippy Dippy Pool is very quiet, as in bldg #10 of the 70's area, we were just in room 0213 & it was fantastic! Walking out our door, the walkway overlooked a lush landscaped courtyard, daily we saw dozens of those tiny lizards & scores of bunnies! Very quiet & peaceful with the lake just at the end of that walkway! Many, many quiet areas, as long as you don't have a room facing the pool! With that said, we've had those rooms also, and not LOUD by any means, just not as quiet & secluded.

FutureCorpsFan - I too thought that MK was in the neighborhood of a 20 minute bus ride, but twice we make it there in about 10 minutes just a few weeks ago! The longest bus ride from Pop is DTD at about 20 minutes! Which is no worries for us as we usually only visit DTD on arrival day! Epcot & DHS are closest, 10 minutes or less to each park seems to be our experience! :thumbsup:

[mechanic]

just returned this week! had fabulous time. resort seems to have been recently remodeled. fresh paint. very clean and well maintained. nice firm mattress etc. lots of cleaning and maintenance in evidence. only issue goofy water fountain broken. pool open 24 hours. some large tour groups but all well behaved. also noted that food prices seem to be more reasonable. busses very timely. new tv's, divider curtains in bath area. room delivery hot wings are very tasty too.