Is the POP tacky?

[disneycutie165]

Ok, I'm used to luxury and comfort when I stay in a resort. We want to go to WDW soon, but we would have to make adjustments from our usual trips to go quicker. One of our adjustments would be staying @ the Pop instead of Wilderness Lodge. I personally, no offense, think the POP is tacky with all the big figurines and statues outside. What are your opinions on the rooms and surroundings? Is there any accessibility except for buses to the parks? Which parks are near the POP? Please help! I don't really want to stay there, I'd rather be in my WL, but I need help!:help:

[MstngDrvnDsnyLvr]

You are missing the point of POP and WDW if you think it is tacky. It is all the ICONS of the generations from the 50s up. And who better than to make it fun than Disney. WDW is supposed to be FUN! And the POP and AllStar resorts just add to the FUN factor.

Luxury can be found anywhere.....I can stay at a 4 star hotel on the water in my hometown but it does come with the fun of WDW. This is just my opinion of course.

[PirateLover]

Well it's all a matter of personal taste. I personally found our room at CBR to be tacky (this was before the recent rehabs) but I enjoyed the decorations at POP. One person's "tacky" is another person's "whimsy." I enjoy the figures.

The rooms aren't particularly tacky. Every room has a collage of things from the decade you are staying in, but the rest of the room is pretty standard. If you don't enjoy the large statues then you probably won't enjoy the grounds too much. We enjoy going around and taking pictures of everything, playing Twister, etc.

Buses are the only transportation. If you shudder at the thought, consider renting a car. The closest parks are MGM and Epcot, but no park is more than 15 mins or so away.

My question to you would be, why do you need to jump from Wilderness Lodge down to POP. Can you swing a moderate? If you go into your stay expecting to find things wrong, trust me, you will.

[Dopey's Girl]

You have to go into it knowing that it isn't going to be WL, but that if staying there gets you to WDW, isn't it all worth it?! I think so. Sure the big statues and goofy stuff would be tacky in your front yard, but with the themeing for the resort, it all just seems to fit. Is it going to be a different kind of trip for you? Sure it is, but if you go into it with a positive attitude, I bet you will come to like Pop too!

[Daisy712]

I have stayed at WL and the Contemporary. I liked both, but my heart belongs to Pop. We love the fun aspect of it.

[dmosher]

Fropm a different perspective, I do not like POP at all. I have stayed at almost every resort on property and can happily say that POP is one of my least favorites! WL on the other hand I love so much DW and I bought into the DVC just so we could stay there every time.

Is the POP tacky? I agree that it is a matter of taste, but for me, yes it is very tacky. The overly bright colors, the large garish statues, just a bit too much for my liking. IN the parks that is fine, and even expected, but when I "come home" I want it to be relaxing and inviting and the POP certainly does not do that for me.

Yes the WL is considerably more expensive, but personally I'd rather stay at the Coronado SPrings (which I still enjoy) than at POP any day. But that's just my opinion.

:pipes:
D

[dumbo_buddy]

er, if you think it's tacky then don't go. stay in a deluxe if you'll be happier.

[ASweetLov]

I dont find Pop "Tacky" at all. I find it amazing. I love Pop, to me its so Disney and brings back lots of memories when I was a toddler. It's a place that makes me smile!

[KylesMom]

A few questions for you:

*Are you traveling with children?
*Have you stayed in anything other than a Deluxe at Disney before?
*Would a double bed versus queen size bed "break" your vacation?
*Is your resort a haven, or just a place to sleep?
*How long do you plan to stay at Disney?

Perhaps I can give you some better insight once I understand more of your family dynamics. We started at the Value level . . .

[andreallybadeggs]

Have stayed in many of the resorts, value through deluxe and have not had a bad stay yet. Didn't use the bus system much since we had a car but it was fine when we did. The food court was a nice surprise...good selection, decent prices.
As far as the decor... for a Disney stay we thought it was fun even if, OK, slightly tacky. The Big Wheels tricycle weight limit (877 lbs) cracked us up as did family photos amongst the "gi-normous" foosball players. So yeah, I'll admit that Jeff Foxworthy makes me laugh and that might give you more insight than you need but
since these hicks have also done a considerable amount of world travel we would probably say. "don't call it tacky...call it campy!" ;) Have fun!

[BMan62]

Ok, I'm used to luxury and comfort when I stay in a resort. We want to go to WDW soon, but we would have to make adjustments from our usual trips to go quicker. One of our adjustments would be staying @ the Pop instead of Wilderness Lodge. I personally, no offense, think the POP is tacky with all the big figurines and statues outside. What are your opinions on the rooms and surroundings? Is there any accessibility except for buses to the parks? Which parks are near the POP? Please help! I don't really want to stay there, I'd rather be in my WL, but I need help!:help:

You have already written Pop off, saying that you don't want to stay there. Don't bother yourself with it then. Pay the extra and stay Deluxe or don't go.

Personally, saving the money to spend elsewhere on property - food, souvies, etc. - makes staying at a value, and Pop specifically, all the better.

As for transportation - buses or personal vehicle are the modes of transportation from any of the values. No monorails, no boats, no walkways.

The figurines and such are more kitschy than tacky. They bring a bit of whimsy to the resort.

[KevMcNJ]

Intentionally tacky Id say

Like my favorite Hawaiian shirt

:thumbsup:

[mouseketeer mom]

We've never stayed at POP, we've always stayed at deluxes, or villas, being a family of 5. However., we travelled to see POP one day and my kids loved it, I thought it was adorable, and my husband said No way would he ever stay there!! So, it really depends..Its bold, its bright, its not deluxe, but its Disney. Enjoy!

[A Big Kid]

The last time we went, we stayed a POP. I'll NEVER do that again, EVER. I am a WL kinda person.

At the POP, it seemed to me there was a higher incidence of people who dont get out much and it ruined my stay there.

[MstngDrvnDsnyLvr]

The last time we went, we stayed a POP. I'll NEVER do that again, EVER. I am a WL kinda person.

At the POP, it seemed to me there was a higher incidence of people who dont get out much and it ruined my stay there.

I will grant that you are more likely to see the finest that the rural south has to offer at the Value resorts, but that's half the fun of people watching. Oh, and I laugh at Jeff Foxworthy's jokes too.

[disneydeb]

:drama: :rolleyes: :D

[SurferStitch]

DH and I usually stay at the Grand Flo and recently the Poly, and we absolutely love staying on the monorail.

That being said....

We loved Pop the two times we stayed there. We went into the trip KNOWING it wasn't going to be like staying at the Flo, so we were not disappointed. In fact, we were very pleasantly surprised with how great the value resorts are!

Tacky? DELIGHTFULLY so! It's not meant to be uber-classy and sophisticated. It's meant to be FUN, over the top, and to remind us of decades past. It's bright and happy, and reminds me of plenty of memories from my past.

If you are already writing off Pop, then save your time, money, and unavoidable disappointment. Save up for WL, and know you'll enjoy your stay. WL is a beautiful resort, but it's just not what we would want to stay at for a WDW vacation (I grew up in the Poconos, so rustic and wilderness isn't my idea of a vacation). Doesn't mean it's a bad resort, just not for us. Just like Pop isn't for you.

I also found no real difference in the "quality" of guests at Pop. They were just as courteous and behaved as they are at the Grand Flo, or any other WDW resort we've stayed at. The comment earlier about the type of people who stay there was really quite rude and insulting. I've seen much lower class and outright rude people at the Flo, to be totally honest....mostly during our stays in concierge.

It just sounds like you are gearing up to dislike Pop, and no matter how well things may go, you may only see negatives or things lacking.

[SandmanGStefani24]

i am pretty cynical and sarcastic at times, but even I don't mind pop one bit. i actually really like it. i just don't take it too seriously, and look at it more from a humor standpoint since i wasn't around for most of the decades. it's all in good fun.

[JPL]

I think alot of people confuse money with class. I have seen the same rude classless people at Deluxe Resorts as well as Moderates and even DVC resorts.

I really don't think Pop is Tacky in a bad way at all. It's suppose to fun and whimsical. Now if you are looking for a resort with all the amenities Pop is not the place for you. If you are looking for a clean room at a reasonable price it's perfect.

But from the sounds of your original post don't even bother staying there you have set yourself up to hate it before even giving it a fair chance.

[megustamex]

I don't think Pop is tacky, it is, quite simply, your typical motel type building that has been given the Disney treatment. They have taken the most basic hotel and given it fun, whimsical touches that you might find in any of the Disney parks. I think that if you love Disney parks you will find things you love about Pop in the decor. Add in Disney themed pools, lush landscaping, attentive housekeeping and friendly Disney service and you have a room that started as a Motel 6 and ended up being a Disney worthy product. The only thing that really kills it for me is the student groups from the US or Latin America that can be NOISY at night. I have never encountered the "Jeff Foxworthy" types other people are talking about as far as families go, but the student groups can be tough to handle from a noise standpoint.

[GrumpyFan]

We've stayed at numerous different hotels on and off property at WDW. While we would prefer to stay at a Deluxe, Wilderness being one of our favorites, we have not found Pop to be tacky at all. Initially, when it was being built, and prior to staying there, we too thought it looked tacky. However, on our first stay, our minds were changed, and as you can see by my signature (below), we've stayed there many times. Open your mind a little, it's really not as bad as you think.

[c&d]

We own at VWL and when we go down for April vacation we always stay at a Value the night before we check in. Our flight usually arrives late at night and I don't want to use the points for a place to sleep.

Having said that we've stayed at Pop, ASMo, and AS Sports. Of those 3 the only one we didn't like was Sports. It was just very noisy. We really enjoyed Movies and Pop. We loved walking around the resorts looking at the larger than life decorations. I really liked the food court at Pop, it had some really good choices. Part of the fun of staying at them is the "over the topness" of them.

Yes it will be different than staying at WL. Given the choice of staying on property or off, I'd stay in the value.

[Hull-onian]

The POP is okay. I prefer All Star Sports cause it is smaller and I like the food court better. If you find transportation to be an issue, and it can be, take a taxi. It is affordable and convienent. I really like POFQ for my fav. I have stayed at CBR and didn't like it. Try the POP, if you don't like it, check out and pick a different resort, that's all.

[Nascfan]

Well, judging by your post, you've already written Pop off and will have a bad time if you stay there. So based on what you've already judged, I'd say don't stay there because you personally will not enjoy it.
We enjoy it however. The statues are on purpose, just like the icons at the All Stars. We enjoy the giant foosball table in one of the courtyards, the bowling pin pool, the shoe rack in the 50s being the laundry, the song titles on the giant juke box. If you're prepared to let your inner child loose and be whimsical for a few days, you'll enjoy Pop, if not, you won't.

To answer your question about transportation, busses are the only Disney transportation from Pop to the parks.
It is very close to Studios, takes about 3 minutes to get there, and also relatively close to Epcot.

[Disney Doll]

I understand how some might think the decor is tacky, but it also fun. If we let a kid choose the resort they almost always choose a value because those decorations look fun to them. I think the decor is very family friendly and I don't mind it at all. In fact I really enjoyed looking at the shadow boxes in the lobby of Pop to see all the familiar stuff from decades gone by.

[disneycutie165]

Well it's all a matter of personal taste. I personally found our room at CBR to be tacky (this was before the recent rehabs) but I enjoyed the decorations at POP. One person's "tacky" is another person's "whimsy." I enjoy the figures.

The rooms aren't particularly tacky. Every room has a collage of things from the decade you are staying in, but the rest of the room is pretty standard. If you don't enjoy the large statues then you probably won't enjoy the grounds too much. We enjoy going around and taking pictures of everything, playing Twister, etc.

Buses are the only transportation. If you shudder at the thought, consider renting a car. The closest parks are MGM and Epcot, but no park is more than 15 mins or so away.

My question to you would be, why do you need to jump from Wilderness Lodge down to POP. Can you swing a moderate? If you go into your stay expecting to find things wrong, trust me, you will.


See, one thing is, our family absolutely HATES taking the buses! We can't stand to wait for one everywhere we go. And we can't stay at a moderate or high end resort because the cheaper the resort, the sooner we go. But last night we talked about it and we've already decided to wait longer and stay at the WL. My DBF insisted on staying there because he and I found the POP to be tacky, but my mom wanted to go sooner, but it was 2 against 1. My mom would rather stay in the WL.

[pandkx3]

We usually stay at Pop. I have three boys that absolutly love the bright colors and icons. I believe that the look on their faces when they first see the resort would push aside any doubt about the resort. I could afford to stay at any of the disney resorts that they wanted .... but they love Pop. Because of that, I love Pop too. It's a lovely resort.

[Goes4FastPass]

Tacky? What is tacky?

Some folks think having 2 waiters, one named "Victoria" and the other "Albert" is kitchy-kitcheroo.

Some very serious men wear Goofy ears when they're in the world.

Flip-flops have the distinction of being tacky absolutely everywhere absolutely all the time. One of my DIL's bridesmaids showed up at the wedding in flipflops. She was rich... and tacky.

Pop is a theme park hotel. There are many sophisticated hotels north of the Florida State Line.

[megustamex]

I'm always amazed at how many people complain about the bus service but don't rent cars. I always rent a car when we go because I would never do Magical Express (I won't wait for a bus to take forever to get me to my resort and then wait 3 hours for my luggage), so I would have to pay for a limo/shuttle anyway. By the time I've paid that, I'm looking at about an extra $50 - $100 to rent a car for the whole week and be on my schedule - and stay ANYWHERE on property. I did it once 20 years ago and have never looked back. Before that we always took Disney transportation, and boy did we hate waiting in those lines. Renting a car and staying at a value resort is an excellent alternative to a Deluxe resort if you're trying to save money (and I thought WL had some awful transportation wait times anyway - I actually tried to take their transportation twice just to see if it would be better when I stayed there and I was sorely disappointed. We took the car from there on out).

[Granny Jill A]

[QUOTE=disneycutie165;1810263],,,, we can't stay at a moderate or high end resort because the cheaper the resort, the sooner we go./QUOTE]

It's the right decision for you to wait until you can get the resort you want. No sense in going and being miserable the entire time.

[pandkx3]

Tacky? What is tacky?

Some folks think having 2 waiters, one named "Victoria" and the other "Albert" is kitchy-kitcheroo.

Some very serious men wear Goofy ears when they're in the world.

Flip-flops have the distinction of being tacky absolutely everywhere absolutely all the time. One of my DIL's bridesmaids showed up at the wedding in flipflops. She was rich... and tacky.

Pop is a theme park hotel. There are many sophisticated hotels north of the Florida State Line.

Hee, Hee, Hee....I love it!:D

[betteratmk]

I think it is rather tacky to imply the people who stay at Pop are some what less educated than people who stay elsewhere. I find the colors are more appealing to children than the high scale resorts. Frankly our son loves Pop and we love our son! As the parents of 7, we had to make some choices where we stayed, we always had extra kids with us too. Now there is just one left at home and he still prefers Pop! It certainly doesn't spoil oour trip( and yes, we stil always have extra kids along)

[A Big Kid]

I think it is rather tacky to imply the people who stay at Pop are some what less educated than people who stay elsewhere. I find the colors are more appealing to children than the high scale resorts. Frankly our son loves Pop and we love our son! As the parents of 7, we had to make some choices where we stayed, we always had extra kids with us too. Now there is just one left at home and he still prefers Pop! It certainly doesn't spoil oour trip( and yes, we stil always have extra kids along)

Who said that? Are you implying that I said that because I certainly did not. Bad manners have nothing to do with education level.

We have stayed at mainly the deluxe hotels and a few times at the moderates. the one time we stayed at a value, we were miserable. There were people there that had no manners. Loud cussing, inappropriate attire, incessant smoking, and those were the parents.The foodcourt was a free-for-all battle for your appendages, if not your life.

In 20 years of going to WDW, we have never seen anything like it before. I'd never waste my money at a value again. In fact, if my choice was stay home and save up for a moderate, or stay at a value, I'd save up at home.


Your opinion of your experience may be different but I dont think casting aspersions on my opinion of my experience is fair.

[alilprincessmom99]

I suppose it is all just a matter of opinion, but the post about people staying at POP having no manners was quite rude to be honest. I typically stay at AKL, but to be honest, I have run into the same level of manners there as I have at POP or SSR or anywhere else I have stayed. I was quite offended by that statement, as I will be staying at POP on my upcoming vacation, and my manners are quite good.

With that being said, the original question about POP being tacky bordered on the rude side as well. POP is just a different type of lodging, I don't consider it tacky at all. Certainly the views at WL are much better and the surroundings are a little more "grown up" than POP, but POP is certainly not tacky.

I will be honest, when we first started visiting WDW, we always stayed at ASMo, ASMu or POP, but we upgraded to AKL once and continued to stay there (and once at SSR) until our next visit, when we will be staying at POP. We rather enjoy AKL, and think that it is a magnificent resort, but really, the rooms aren't much bigger, and other than your surroundings, you aren't getting that much more for the money difference.

But for the original poster, I think your choice of waiting longer and staying at WL is the best choice for you, as you would probably be miserable at POP, because you've already decided that POP is tacky.