Will I be disapointed!

[Yano]

hi, please, I need all the info you have on POP.
we usually go to AKL. me, my DH, and the kids love it there. but this time because we wanted two rooms ( one room with 4 kids is becoming too crowded). alos we are on a tight budget we decided to get 2 adjacent rooms at POP, will we be totally disapointed? what do you think the pros and cons are in POP. also do you think my kids DD 11, DS 9, DS 4, and 7months baby will like POP?
Thanks
:confused::mickey:

[IloveDisney71]

I don't think you'll be disappointed if you go into it knowing that POP isn't a deluxe. I had a co-worker who hated the values because she was used to staying at deluxe resorts. I really enjoyed staying at POP. In fact, I'll be arriving at POP for a return visit tomorrow! I think your kids will really enjoy the FUN atmosphere. There is a lot to see & what kid doesn't like giant sized toys? :)
The rooms will be smaller but since you have 2 that shouldn't bother you. You will enjoy having 2 bathrooms. When I stayed before in June "06 the rooms were very clean and the mousekeeper kept us fully stocked with towels, etc.

[Taja]

I've stayed at PC four times and had excellent service each time. Well, check-in was a bear once, but the computer systems were down, so it was understandable. Inconvenient, but understandable! *LOL*

Your children probably will love it. We had a nine-year-old lass in our group in December, 2007, and she fell in love with it. She loved the over-the-top icons, pools and the slushee machine! She is accustomed to five-star hotels, but adapts to her surroundings nicely.

Her 14-week-old brother loved the sights and sounds at PC. He always was very alert and ready to flirt with everyone, particularly at the food court! :)

[faline]

We've stayed at all levels of Disney resorts. On our last trip, we had a split stay - 2 nights at Pop; the rest of the trip at Animal Kingdom. Pop was fine. My only complaint was that I would have liked to have larger bed(s)!

[CleveRocks]

we are on a tight budget we decided to get 2 adjacent rooms at POP
PLEASE check your reservation to make sure that you asked for connecting rooms and not just adjacent rooms. Yes, this is a big deal.

In Disney-speak ...

connecting rooms have an interior door between them, so you can go from one to the other without going through an exterior door. adjoining rooms are rooms that are next to each other or across the hall from each other, but do not have an interior doorway connecting the two.

[Marker]

Whether or not you are disappointed will depend on you. However, based on my own experience at POP Century, there no reason whatsoever that you're family, especially the kids, should not be able to have a wonderful time.

I will second the suggestion that you make sure you specified "connecting" rooms and not "adjacent". I discovered the difference the hard way one time.

Don't worry, you'll have a wonderful experience.

[adoptionislove]

Pop is so fun and festive! Very busy and loud but in a fun way!!!

We stayed in a "preferred" room in the 60's building facing the hourglass lake on the 2nd floor. It was so quiet and peaceful.

The rooms are a bit small. But we found them to be just fine!

You will have a good time!

Michelle

[laughingplace<3]

I have always stayed at deluxe hotels. However, on our last trip, we were tight on money. We decided to try out Pop. I was upset about not staying deluxe (hate to admit it), but I wasn't disappointed at all. It's definetley not a deluxe resort, but it's fun and I thought, an amazing value for your money. If you save at least $200 a night staying at Pop, then I don't think you notice what it lacks. It has everything you need and I was highly impressed with it.

[Tink#64]

We've stayed at Pop for our last three trips & we love it there! It's our WDW home! :thumbsup:

We've only stayed value so I can't compare. But - I've had friends & family that have started at values, moved up & then back to the values. They all have told me that you get the most for your money & have more food choices for the kids at the values! We usually get either lunch or dinner every day from the food court & eat around the pool. We have always been very pleased with the offerings there! We've thought about trying a mod, but with DS's 10 & 12, we're definitely still in the cool - fun stage & Pop is all about that! I'm sure when DS's get older we'll try something else. The other resorts look very nice, we've visited quite a few for dining & shopping, but they seem a little more sedate, or grown up to us. :blush:

Alot of your experience at Pop will come from your outlook. If you feel that you are stepping down & expect to be disappointed, then you probably will be. If you go with a great attitude about staying at a cool & fun different resort & let yourself really see how funky Pop is, then you'll probably have a great experience there! You can always go back to the AKL, but this trip you got the opportunity to try something new! :thumbsup:

The bus transpo at Pop is great, the Hippy Dippy Pool is wonderful! I love the lights that look like flowers around the pool, and DS's love the water sprawing flowers in the pool. They play some groovy music on the grounds! There is a seperate water feature with spraying jets just behind Classic Hall to your left. For a quieter pool experience, check out the computer pool & the bowling pin pool, both are great & I've never seen either have any crowd at all! Take a walk around HourGlass Lake, it's very serene & we love to watch the ducks "fishing"! Speaking of ducks, every time we've been there, early in the morning, I have seen a family of ducks around the main pool. They are so cute to watch! You can see Spaceship Earth from the back of the 60's section to the right of the Hippy Dippy pool & at night you can see some of IllumiNations! Talk a walk around Pop at night to see all of the huge icons lit up! Cool. :cool:

I hope you have a magical stay at Pop! :tink:

[Yano]

:flower:
PLEASE check your reservation to make sure that you asked for connecting rooms and not just adjacent rooms. Yes, this is a big deal..[/list]

Thank you for the info, I was really worried for a few minutes, but when i checked the itenerary it said under resort info : "connecting room garanteed for families" so I hope all is good.

also thank you all for your input, I look forward to a great time in WDW especially that we just decided to go only last week and actually found what we needed on such short notice.:thumbsup:
Yano
:flower::mickey:

[mrsgaribaldi]

We've stayed there 4-5 times and like it alot. It's our favorite value. We basically just use the room to sleep and shower. I like the food court. The parmesan crusted chicken with the breadstick and salad is yummy. I had that a few times last time we were there:mickey:

[lockedoutlogic]

Instead if blind cheeriness...I'll try to give you an honest answer


IF you like the Deluxe category hotels.....the pools...the food...the general atmosphere and layout....

Then this is gonna be culture shock for you

I've stayed at pretty much all the resorts and i don't have a problem with any of them....including POP

But IF...big if....you are into the hotel itself...then you can't really but AKL and POP in the same basic...

Remember that Disney price tiers their hotels based on location and amenities...the idea being that you escalate your tastes up the ladder and continue to go to whatever "higher" class location you settle in. In an ideal Disney world....no pun intended...you would maybe start at POP and then rise up in price until you are deluxe repeat offenders and ultimately....the holy DVC

This is done by design...conscious effort....

However, As stated before...if it's really just a bed and bathroom...then you'll be fine

And many people aren't into hotel design and feel...and could be as happy at a Holiday Inn as they could the Four Seasons....others, like me, make it a central part of the trip to WDW

Be sure to post your thoughts afterward...I'd be interested to hear your opinions

[Marker]

Instead if blind cheeriness...I'll try to give you an honest answer


IF you like the Deluxe category hotels.....the pools...the food...the general atmosphere and layout....

Then this is gonna be culture shock for you

I've stayed at pretty much all the resorts and i don't have a problem with any of them....including POP

But IF...big if....you are into the hotel itself...then you can't really but AKL and POP in the same basic...

Remember that Disney price tiers their hotels based on location and amenities...the idea being that you escalate your tastes up the ladder and continue to go to whatever "higher" class location you settle in. In an ideal Disney world....no pun intended...you would maybe start at POP and then rise up in price until you are deluxe repeat offenders and ultimately....the holy DVC

This is done by design...conscious effort....

However, As stated before...if it's really just a bed and bathroom...then you'll be fine

And many people aren't into hotel design and feel...and could be as happy at a Holiday Inn as they could the Four Seasons....others, like me, make it a central part of the trip to WDW

Be sure to post your thoughts afterward...I'd be interested to hear your opinions

Well, well, well, isn't that special.

So I guess you can count me as one of the low class liars because I liked Pop Century when I stayed there. But I suppose my assessment should be taken with a grain of salt because according to this post, it's not an "honest answer". I guess I'd much rather be accused of "blind cheeriness" than some other assessments.

As I said before, whether or not you enjoy your stay at Pop Century will largely depend on you. It will depend on your own personal taste and expectations. Sure, there are some folks who won't like it for perfectly valid reasons of their own, and that's fine, everyone has different tastes. But, there are also a lot of people who "honestly" do like it, and I am one of those people. The kids will love it too. The huge icons, and colorful motif are eye catching, and fun.

[Young@Heart]

Remember that Disney price tiers their hotels based on location and amenities...the idea being that you escalate your tastes up the ladder and continue to go to whatever "higher" class location you settle in. In an ideal Disney world....no pun intended...you would maybe start at POP and then rise up in price until you are deluxe repeat offenders and ultimately....the holy DVC



Well, in honest cheeriness :mickey: we LOVE POP! While in theory it may be true that Dinsey wants you to move up the "resort ladder", we are a REAL example of a family that chose to move down the ladder. Not because of money, but because it's what our DC prefer. We've stayed at POFQ, and loved it, but DC begged us to stay at POP last trip. After giving in (since the vacation was for them, too ;) ), they fell in love and won't go anywhere else. This year, it would have cost less for us to stay at POR than get our 2 rooms at POP, but DC said NOW WAY!

It's entirely possible that you'll love POP just as much as a deluxe. It's a different experience, sure. But I find the rooms to be comfortable and clean, the grounds fun and entertaining, and the food court and gift shop are (IMO) better than any other resort.

And if you get bored at POP, head off to a park! :mickey:

[Jeff G]

Instead if blind cheeriness...I'll try to give you an honest answer


IF you like the Deluxe category hotels.....the pools...the food...the general atmosphere and layout....

Then this is gonna be culture shock for you

I've stayed at pretty much all the resorts and i don't have a problem with any of them....including POP

But IF...big if....you are into the hotel itself...then you can't really but AKL and POP in the same basic...

Remember that Disney price tiers their hotels based on location and amenities...the idea being that you escalate your tastes up the ladder and continue to go to whatever "higher" class location you settle in. In an ideal Disney world....no pun intended...you would maybe start at POP and then rise up in price until you are deluxe repeat offenders and ultimately....the holy DVC

This is done by design...conscious effort....

However, As stated before...if it's really just a bed and bathroom...then you'll be fine

And many people aren't into hotel design and feel...and could be as happy at a Holiday Inn as they could the Four Seasons....others, like me, make it a central part of the trip to WDW

Be sure to post your thoughts afterward...I'd be interested to hear your opinions

To give another side to this opinion, I started at the Dixie Landings (POR) as our first hotel. We moved from there to Poly, Contemporary, AKL and then down to a value. We have since stayed at moderates, values and deluxe hotels.

After doing all of this bouncing around we started to realize when we look back on our trips we never felt that the trip was lessened by where we stayed. For that matter we have two trips that rank as our favorite all timers and during one of these we stayed at the All Star Movies(another value), my kids absolutely loved the Tory Story theming.

Pop is a very well maintained hotel with Disney quality and a good price. It has a great selection in it's food court and ample pools. The grounds aren't as plush as others but it is still well maintained. As for location, if you are used to AKL then you are used to staying at one of the most out of the way resorts at WDW and you wont notice much of a difference at Pop.

As for your kids, if you don't make a big deal of where you stay I would bet they wont care and this may end up being their favorite. My kids don't know there is a difference between a value and deluxe. My DS's favorite all time hotel is AS-Movies and is always asking to go back. Plus with having two adjoining rooms I'm willing to bet they will find it awesome having their own room.

We are booked at the Caribbean Beach for our Sept trip becuase at the time we made that ressie we couldn't get in the Pop with free dining. If during the next few months we get a similar offer and are able to switch to the Pop we will. Were doing this based on experience not blind cheeriness. I always look at it that when we stay at a cheaper resort we can add extra days, have more to spend exploring or put the savings toward the next trip.

Where ever we stay at least were in WDW:mickey:!

[chicagochris]

To be honest with you I liked POP just as much as WL, and more than CSR.

POP has the disadvantage of being fairly remote, but this is offset by having its own busses, so all of your transport to and from the parks is direct.

Our room was cute, it had a clean bed and shower, and the food court was a decent place to grab some cereal and a muffin in the morning before heading out to the parks. I also found the little path by the lake to be a relaxing place to take a stroll every morning, while watching the bunnies run around.

Bottom line for me: It's Disney World. I'll have fun wherever I'm at.

[Disney Doll]

Okay, so this discussion seems to be getting more heated than necessary. Here's my experience and my :twocents:

My first stay at a Disney resort was Dixie Landings a moderate. That was back when I went on family vacations with my parents and they paid the bill. When I first started taking vacations as an adult DH and I stayed at the values. We've stayed at POP and at ASMovies. Was it as nice as the moderate? No. Were we still happy? Yes. As long as you go into the decision knowing a value is not going to be as nice as a deluxe you should be fine. Now that I have graduated college and started working we have the money to stay at moderates. I definitely prefer the moderates, but each trip we just evaluate our finances to decide how much we want to spend. I would stay at a value again if we decided that made the most sense for our budget. I think the values are great for kids. On our trip to ASMovies we had our nieces along ages 3 & 4. They loved the theming! My biggest complaint about the values is that all the rooms are so close together. It always feels crowded and noisy. I prefer a more relaxing retreat after a long day at the parks, but that's just me.

[SurferStitch]

Most of our trips were stays at the Grand Flo, with a couple mods thrown in here and there. Then, on a last minute long weekend trip, we booked Pop (March 2005).

We were VERY impressed with Pop. Great price, and a wonderful resort. Yeah, it's a little out of the way, but the bus service was excellent. It could get very, very crowded at park closings, so we learned to just hang out longer before we headed to the bus.

Now, that was a 4 day trip. I was nervous when I booked an 11 day trip there in December 2006. I shouldn't have worried at all. We loved that trip, too! We just made sure that we were absolutely ready for a value, and didn't expect anything like a deluxe. We were never disappointed.

We prefer Pop to POR by leaps and bounds. We really disliked POR, and found Pop to be much cleaner, brighter, and a lot more fun. Mousekeeping was fantastic, and the grounds were kept very nicely.

It was just me and DH, and the room was PLENTY big enough for us! Didn't really feel any smaller than POR or CBR....never noticed a difference.

The food court is great. We loved to grab a quick breakfast there sometimes, or a late night snack. I loved their breakfast pizza!

Your family is going to love it. Just go into it with the right frame of mind, and you'll be golden. Have a great trip!!

[TBY2225]

My family and I always stay at Pop, and other than the long lines and hard to find seating at the food court, it is a great place to stay. My DD6 says that the Pop is one of her favorite things in WDW. She loves the Hippy DIppy Pool and all the themeing. It really is great for families and because we spend so little time in the room anyway, it works best for us in terms of budget. I would love to stay at the Poly one day, but for now, if it means I get to do 3 trips this year by staying in the Pop, I will do that over a one week trip in a deluxe anyday!

[GrmGrninGost]

It depends on you and your expectations! My family and I often stay at different resorts, ranging from value to deluxe. For us, the important thing is being at WDW. We spend little time at the resorts, mostly we stay in the parks. However, my favorite resorts have been the deluxes. I must say, however, I have enjoyed the values very much, especially POP! :mickey:

[lockedoutlogic]

Well, well, well, isn't that special.

So I guess you can count me as one of the low class liars because I liked Pop Century when I stayed there. But I suppose my assessment should be taken with a grain of salt because according to this post, it's not an "honest answer". I guess I'd much rather be accused of "blind cheeriness" than some other assessments.

As I said before, whether or not you enjoy your stay at Pop Century will largely depend on you. It will depend on your own personal taste and expectations. Sure, there are some folks who won't like it for perfectly valid reasons of their own, and that's fine, everyone has different tastes. But, there are also a lot of people who "honestly" do like it, and I am one of those people. The kids will love it too. The huge icons, and colorful motif are eye catching, and fun.

You completely took liberty with this...which i believe you already know

I've seen the class war thing go on here many times and have no interest in starting it again

By "class"...which i'm sure I'll get in trouble for even mentioning.....

I was referring to Disney's amenity levels and price structure......nothing more....they escalate the prices based on locations and amenities available.....which isn't a closely guarded secret.....

I think you knew that....but i guess the hurt feelings angle had to come into play....

As for the "cheeriness" quip...I apologize if that was found offensive.....I was merely pointing out that no matter what the question on this board...the first 10 responses are typically "great...great...great"

That is fine...but if someone is looking for honest feedback....there should be some dissent to let the whole spectrum be displayed....there is an upside and downside to everything at WDW....just like the rest of life

The original poster seemed concerned about the differences of going from a deluxe to a value....

There is a difference...and i was stating my feelings and opinions on the matter

I was not suggesting that it applies to all...far from it

Just giving my view...which is the point of this board.

So it was not a dig.....nor a slight...nor an insult to anyone one or thing

I was gauging the tone of the original poster...if i misread it...my mistake

I'm sure it won't be the last:blush:

[PetefromRI]

lockedoutlogic,
I understand exactly what you meant.A hotdog at Disney World always tastes 10 times better than back at home even if it's the same hotdog.I will say though that for the money,we really like the Pop.I don't think that I'd want to stay there for a full week in busy season since we usually spend time at our resort,but if we had kids I think we'd stay longer.It's hard to justify a Deluxe though when your offered a 49$ AP rate at the Pop.

[Marker]

...I was merely pointing out that no matter what the question on this board...the first 10 responses are typically "great...great...great"

That is fine...but if someone is looking for honest feedback....there should be some dissent to let the whole spectrum be displayed....

Perhaps the first 10 responders DID think it was great. Not sure why those responses should be considered any less honest than the less favorable responses.

I will say no more other than that, believe it or not, I had a wonderful stay at Pop Century.

ttfn.

[lockedoutlogic]

Perhaps the first 10 responders DID think it was great. Not sure why those responses should be considered any less honest than the less favorable responses.

I will say no more other than that, believe it or not, I had a wonderful stay at Pop Century.

ttfn.

again...i wasn't implying that those who said it was "great...great...great" were lying.....just that the "yays" sometimes overwhelm the nays....

And let me assure everyone...there are "nays" for everything at WDW...to certain individuals...

maybe not a high percentage...but deserves to be brought to light nonetheless

Eventually we are going to get the hurting toes healed up here ;)

[ljv1975]

I think that as long as you know what to expect going in, you will not be disappointed. What is right for some is not right for others, and what one person likes may not be what the next person likes.

When we were deciding on a resort, I made a list of the ammenities that were important to us - a king sized bed, a refrigerator for no extra cost, etc. For us, we don't anticipate spending a ton of time at the resort, and we decided on Coronado Springs. I have seen good and bad things about this resort, but I thought it could work for us so we will give it a try.

In the future I would love to stay at a deluxe, but I also wouldn't rule out a value if my DD wanted to stay there or if it made more financial sense for us at the time.

Basically my point is, if you go into any situation with a good attitude, you can probably expect things to go pretty well. If you go in looking for fault, it probably won't be hard to find it. This could be true of any resort at WDW - deluxe, moderate or value.

Bottom line - no matter what, you are on vacation, so life could be worse!! Have a good time and enjoy yourself no matter what!!:mickey:

[Pirate Granny]

We loved the Pop and don't hesitate to stay there....actually I checked out the children's pool at AKL and was very disappointed compared to Pop children's pool (not the main type pools, but one a toddler would like)....I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time...The only problem I've ever had with the bus was after the MNSSHP we waited at least an hour...every other time, we've never waited more than ten minutes...
:pirate:

[Tink#64]

Well, well, well, isn't that special.

So I guess you can count me as one of the low class liars because I liked Pop Century when I stayed there. But I suppose my assessment should be taken with a grain of salt because according to this post, it's not an "honest answer". I guess I'd much rather be accused of "blind cheeriness" than some other assessments.



This cracked me up! :funny: I thought of the church lady on SNL! What a hoot.

Well it's true, people do take offense when they feel a jab has been taken, whether it was intended or not. Maybe, & I'd like to think this, there are more people that think positively rather than negatively, about most things in WDW. I believe I'm a realist, my DH is a pessimist & his negativity just really burns my butt sometimes! So I can understand the feelings here!

Everything is not for everybody. If "Yano" is really worried, then maybe Pop isn't the place for them. It costs alot to visit the mouse & we should make every effort to make each trip as great as possible! :mickey:

[Yano]

Hi All
I am sorry that my questions caused any hard feelins. :-o
When I asked the question I was referring to the resorts atmosphere since AKL has the African feel, the animals, and all that.
actually my DH thinks that the kids will like the bright colors and huge icons and all that, I AM looking forward for a great time, and feel that we will have fun as many said after all e are in WDW and I’m sure that the theme will be great. :mickey:
anyway, thank you all for your input, I’m sure we will not be disappointed, and everyone will love it especially my DS4.
:flower: