POP Century.... pros and cons??

[brianjdu4]

What do ya'll think?

[Tink#64]

Pop is our WDW home! We love it there! We stayed at ASMo's our first trip & we saw the construction going on for POP & we decided our next visit to try it since it was new. Have to say that we loved ASMo's, DS's were only 4 & 6 & it was perfect for their age! They loved all the Dinsey movie icons, particularly the ones from Toy Story! But we were drawn to Pop as it had only been open for 6 months when we stayed there the first time & we decided that it was perfect for us! We really like the themed areas of the various decades, the Hippy Dippy pool is huge & never feels crowed, also 2 other "quiet" pools & a seperate water jet area! The huge icons are so cool, some are lit up at night & the whole resort just feels happy & fun! The grounds are immaculate & the various music playing from the different decades is totally cool! We have DS's now 12 & 13 & it fits us. Now if you are an adults only group you may want to stay someplace with a more "grownup" or or more "classy", POP for us is just a happy place to stay! It's very colorful and upbeat! For us one huge plus to Pop over the AS's is the dedicated bus service! This may very well have changed since our stay at ASMo's, but back then, the busses stopped at all 3 AS resorts & by the time that the bus would reach the Mo's resort (last in the line up) they would invariably be full & we'd be standing. Pop doesn't share a bus with any other resort & they only have bus stops at the front if the resort, unlike some other resorts. So also depends on your building how far you are from the bus stop. You can look at a resort map to see the layout. I am not implying that it's overrun with kids, or loud, but I've read lots of comments that it's not suited to some peoples tastes. So I guess it depends on what you are looking for & where you would be comfortable in staying. I've read comments from some that have stayed in Mod's & Deluxe that they were sorely disappointed, & others that enjoyed the atmosphere! To each his own, and thankfully the choices at WD are so varied that there should be something there for everyone! If you have any other questions I'd be happy to answer. You can pm me if you want. We can't wait for our next trip "home" in June! Staying at Pop of course with friends & their family! :thumbsup:

[Itchy]

I also vote for POP. For a value resort I have found it to suit me and my family the best. The best thing I like is their own buses and the food court.

As you can see from my signature I have stayed in a few of the other resorts.

Happy Planning:mickey:

[BigRedDad]

I am not a luxury person and staying at Deluxe is not something I have to do. I was completely skeptical about our trip two years ago to POP. I heard about slow buses, loud people, far walk, crowded restaurant/cafe. I hyped myself up so much for a bad trip and I was drastically surprised.

Buses: They are extremely efficient. They can be crowded at times, but never a long wait. I think our longest wait was about 15 minutes.

Noise: Yes, the walls are a little thin. you can hear the toilet flush because they are loud. Outside noise can be heard slightly. Noise does not bother me much, so this was a non-issue for me.

Packed food court: Yes, it can be busy at the peak times 7-8:30AM, 11AM-1PM, 5PM-7PM. It is not horrible, but it can be busy.

Long walks: If you are at the back of the resort somewhere, it can get to be long. We stayed preferred and it was worth the extra money for me.

Highlights:

Extremely fun
Lots of nostalgia
things to do all over the place
great pools
Lots of stuff for the kids to enjoy
Ducks, birds, lizards, rabbits all around

[DVC2004]

It's not my favorite but it is an affordable way to stay on property. It has alot of fans here so I am sure you will get alot of good feedback.

Pros- affordable, theming, on Disney property.

Cons- Loud, crowded, long waits at food court and for bus. 2 double beds (may not be a con to you).

[princessgirls]

We were pleasantly surprised by the Pop on our December trip...

PRO: Price!! Disney theming and transportation.
They have a VERY EFFICIENT Bus system at this resort.
Food court was large and gift store was cute. Big game room.
Resort was always clean and looking nice.

CON: Thin walls, and smaller rooms, but you know what... I only slept in the room. We did not spend much time in the room at all.
Julie:mickey:

[jwb0323]

Question about buses: are the buses to and from the park for POP different the the Movies?

[BigThunderFan]

The buses aren't so much different, it's just that they only go to Pop. Where on the other hand the AS one's go to each of the three resorts.

But Pop is big and there can be just as many people in line for this one resort as there may be for one of the other bus stops where it may hit three resorts.

[bruin1344]

Pros
1. Low Costs
2. Clean
3. Decent Food Court
4. View of Epcot from 1950s
5. On Disney Property

Cons
1. Noisy outside
2. Theme isnt my cup of tea
3. Crowded and very noisy busses
4. Have to take bus everywhere
5. Long lines at parks to get on bus
6. Smaller Rooms
7. The abandoned construction portion of the Pop Century is an eye soar


Although I have more cons than pros, i would definitely stay there again

[CiaoBella312]

Pros
1. Low Costs
2. Clean
3. Decent Food Court
4. View of Epcot from 1950s
5. On Disney Property

Cons
1. Noisy outside
2. Theme isnt my cup of tea
3. Crowded and very noisy busses
4. Have to take bus everywhere
5. Long lines at parks to get on bus
6. Smaller Rooms
7. The abandoned construction portion of the Pop Century is an eye soar


Although I have more cons than pros, i would definitely stay there again

Just wanted to address a couple of these. It is true; the bus lines for POP are longer than most, because the resort is bigger than most. I just stayed there, though, during one of the busiest weeks. Where the other resorts may have had one bus coming, POP had two at a time coming, and they took over two of the loading zones instead of one to facilitate getting on the buses at both Magic Kingdom and Epcot. I did not wait longer than 15 minutes at any time during my stay, not going to a park nor coming home. A negative: Pop Century's bus loading zones at the parks are further away than any other resort. This may seem inconsequential until you've been on your feet for twelve hours and you still have to walk further than anyone else.

The Legendary Years cannot really be seen from the occupied Classic Years (this is the Pop Century you know of) unless you go looking for it. I have; you walk to the end of the resort, past the '60s buildings, to the edge of the lagoon or lake or whatever that water is. You can see through the bushes/trees/hedges/whatever the ghostly buildings on the other side. Some of us don't see an eyesore, some of us wish they were in use, because the theming of those years would be just awesome.

The Pop Century rooms are not smaller than the other Value resort rooms (All Star Movies, Music and Sports).

[kakn7294]

Pop is our favorite resort in the value category. The rooms are small but easily accomodated our family of 2 adults, a teen, and a pre-teen. There are 2 double beds, the tv cabinet with limited storage, a small table and 2 chairs, a small bathroom with a toilet and tub /shower (unless you get an accessible room which only has a roll-in shower), a separate vanity area with a single sink and an open closet. These rooms are the same at ALL value resorts - only theming is different. We were in the '80s, 3rd floor, corner room overlooking a parking lot, facing the main building. We would have never known that we were in a huge resort - we never heard anyone else. The food court is in my opinion, the best on WDW property. The gift shop is huge and has a really nice selection of merchandise. My DDs liked the pool - the adults didn't try it. Bus service was good - yes, it was busy but in a huge resort with only 1 stop, that's to be expected. It was very organized and efficient. I didn't think the location of the bus stops at the parks was an issue. If budget were an issue, we wouldn't hesitate to stay here again.

[DisneyPrincess21]

4. View of Epcot from 1950s

What view do you get of Epcot? And which section of the 50's building would you need to request to get a view of Epcot?

[Tink#64]

Not sure about the 50's section, but we've stayed in the 60's section, building # 4, behind the Play-Do can 3 times & from the end of the walkway you can see SpaceShip Earth & some of IllumiNations at night! It used to be so easy to spot, when SSE had the Hand & Wand & they were lit up at night!

[ChipNDale79]

The Legendary Years cannot really be seen from the occupied Classic Years (this is the Pop Century you know of) unless you go looking for it. I have; you walk to the end of the resort, past the '60s buildings, to the edge of the lagoon or lake or whatever that water is. You can see through the bushes/trees/hedges/whatever the ghostly buildings on the other side. Some of us don't see an eyesore, some of us wish they were in use, because the theming of those years would be just awesome.

Thats actually not really true, we stayed at POP in the 70's building on the back side in Sept, when you walked out of our room and onto the walkway you could see the legendary years clear as day.

I have a picture of it while standing from my hotel door.

It is something that disney needs to address, either tare them down or build them. We all know that better deals for hotels can be found off the resort a lot of times, but im willing to pay a little extra to be surrounded by the disney magic the entire trip. The Legendary Years as it sits today, is the most "unDisney" thing at Disney World by far.

[goofymania]

Can we see the picture of the legendary years please? Just intrested in what it actaully looks like. THANKS

[Dznygrl79]

POP is my favorite I can't get enough of it! I love the theme I love the set up of the resort, yes you have to walk a bit to get the bus but I like the fact that its one stop. I never had to wait very long the last few times I was there and I have taken a walk around legendary lake and seen the construction, but I have not seen it from my rooms. I have stayed at OKW and All Star Sports and I I still go back to POP. As for seeing EPCOT request a top floor room in the back of the building and when the fire works go off you can see them. I personally like the food court also, its a little easie to get around in with a rollator or cane, also while crowded at peak times during off peak they run the tv with Disney channel and sometimes the cast members dance ( I have not seen this since my 2005 trip but I know friends who have said they saw it more recently). Hope this helped oh for the picture you want do an image search on google.

[ChipNDale79]

Can we see the picture of the legendary years please? Just intrested in what it actaully looks like. THANKS

ill dig around and see if i can find it, ive got it somewhere.

are there any issues with posting pictures in an open forum, or should i email it?

[Genie1953]

Can we see the picture of the legendary years please? Just intrested in what it actaully looks like. THANKS

If you go to YouTube and do a search for "forgotten legendary years pop century" you can see a 3 minute video of the building. Really rather sad to see such deplorable conditions on Disney property.

[brianjdu4]

What does the POP food court offer?

[bruin1344]

Just wanted to address a couple of these. It is true; the bus lines for POP are longer than most, because the resort is bigger than most. I just stayed there, though, during one of the busiest weeks. Where the other resorts may have had one bus coming, POP had two at a time coming, and they took over two of the loading zones instead of one to facilitate getting on the buses at both Magic Kingdom and Epcot. I did not wait longer than 15 minutes at any time during my stay, not going to a park nor coming home. A negative: Pop Century's bus loading zones at the parks are further away than any other resort. This may seem inconsequential until you've been on your feet for twelve hours and you still have to walk further than anyone else.

The Legendary Years cannot really be seen from the occupied Classic Years (this is the Pop Century you know of) unless you go looking for it. I have; you walk to the end of the resort, past the '60s buildings, to the edge of the lagoon or lake or whatever that water is. You can see through the bushes/trees/hedges/whatever the ghostly buildings on the other side. Some of us don't see an eyesore, some of us wish they were in use, because the theming of those years would be just awesome.

The Pop Century rooms are not smaller than the other Value resort rooms (All Star Movies, Music and Sports).

When I stayed in POP in mid-May 2005, I found on various occasions waiting 15-30 min for the bus at the resort and the parks due to long lines. Maybe the service has improved since then.

My list compares between POP and Moderate/Deluxe. The original poster didnt specify what to compare it to. Thats why I had many cons.


What view do you get of Epcot? And which section of the 50's building would you need to request to get a view of Epcot?

Sorry I cant remember where exactly in 1950s I stayed since its been almost 5 years but I remember being able to see Spaceship Earth and parts of Illuminations. We didnt request it or didnt pay for preferred view.

[FenwayGirl]

Got to tell you, not my favorite Value Resort at all..It is newer, but we prefer ASmovies. The food court at Pop is okay, but crowded as PC has 4 floors to their buildings. Also, kind of a funky layout. I got LOST a few times..also stuck down in the 90's section.

Not saying that I wouldn't try it again, but not my favorite

[DawnluvsEeyore]

In previous trips, we've stayed at the Swan and Dolphin because of the teacher discount. We decided to go last spring break when Disney offered the buy four/get three free deal. I started to do research to see where we'd stay after we decided upon a budget.

I decided on Pop and was skeptical because of reading things like "thin walls, you can hear the toilets flush, noisy, etc." I was prepared to not sleep, etc. We paid extra (worth every penny) for a preferred room and got the 60s building, 4th floor on the corner overlooking the Hippy Dippy Pool. I'm VERY HAPPY to report that we never heard a toilet flush (except for our own). The walls are no thinner than a reg. hotel room. I think there are fire codes against thin walled hotels, right? And, we never heard noise from the pool. Ever.

As far as the size of the room...there were three of us: my husband, 18 year old son, and myself. We unpacked, nested our suitcases inside one another and put them under the sink, put our clothes either in the dresser or hung them up and we had plenty of room.

We love Pop and will definitely go back. You can't beat the price. Yes, the walk to the bus after a long day in the parks is longer than the other resorts, but it's very doable.

I hope this helps a bit. Happy Planning! :pirate:

[Crow]

Last time I got placed in the 80s/90s area. The other times I was in the 50s, which I liked for location and pool much better. Backside of some of the 50s buildings facing the lake did get a view of some Illuminations fireworks.
The location is very good to me, as I spend most time at Epcot.
Food court and gift shop pretty big for a resort. Pizza etc was fine the times I ate there.
I heard the Icees are gone from the food court though, which hurts me as I used them as mixers in my mug.
Its also nice to walk along the water.
Buses did have some long lines at times, the longest to MK. But doable.
Pop is my pick over Allstars def. Location and its newer. I did hear of a rehab coming also.

[ChipNDale79]

Can we see the picture of the legendary years please? Just intrested in what it actaully looks like. THANKS

found the picture

http://i45.tinypic.com/noan82.jpg%5B/IMG%5D

i didnt get a picture of the other buildings off to the side of these, but there is more than one building.

[PixieMagic]

PROS:

Cheap
Great QS Food Selection
Has it's own buses compared to sharing at other value resorts
Everything is slightly newer


CONS:

Overly crowded
Noisy
Tiny rooms
Buses take FOREVER at times
Service is not helpful
Standing room only on most buses
Too large of a resort

[crmark1]

What view do you get of Epcot? And which section of the 50's building would you need to request to get a view of Epcot?

When we stayed at POP I requsted 50's top floor facing Epcot. Our room was on the backside wing of the 50's building closest to the lake. During the day you can just make out the top of Spaceship Earth. At night theres a decent view of fireworks from Epcot. The draw back of the location was it was one of the farthest from the main building and food court, and you have a clear view of the closed down construction across the lake. Does anyone know if there are any plans to finish this property. It looks terrible the way it is.

[DisneyFr33k]

We've stated at ASMu, ASMo twice and POP twice. POP is our favorite.

Pros:

Dedicated bus service - we didn't have to wait long except one time. And then the next day a transportation manager was out front monitoring the bus service (I guess they received complaints)
Clean rooms - great mousekeeping!
Gift Store - we found things here that we couldn't find in The World of Disney (Downtown Disney).
Food Court - we thought better selection and tast than our AS experience.
Management - two trips ago, I son became ill and had to be transported by ambulance to the ER. The manager came to our room, stayed with us until we boarded the ambulance, paid for the ambulance and cab ride back and called the next day offering to send up food/room service.


Cons:

Smoking areas. Our first trip, we stayed in the 50's building facing the bowling pin pool. We had to pass through 2 smoking areas to get to the food court. And, one big smoking area is just to the left of the main entrance to the food court/gift shop. Our family is very sensitive to smoke.
Small beds - 2 doubles, but that is what values offer!

[Dznygrl79]

As far as crowding I think it depends on what time of year you go I have been in OCT & DEC I was there during the first week of December at Pop and the following year I spent the first week of Dec at Sports and I found crowds and noise much worse at Sports but I think its a personal tolerance ie the noise you notice may not be the noise someone else notices. I tend to notice kids being loud and not care I was a teacher however I hate machinery that is loud so when the gardeners come through I can't stand it, you might not be the same.

Crowded yeah kinda. but the resort is the largest value I had a bus driver tell me just the largest but I think that would have been if they completed both sides. I don't tend to notice crowds unless you are right up on me in me personal space type invasion like the parade invasion I have a speical walker that turns into a seat and people think its just dandy cause they can stand real close and see over me ( okay thats a personal vent sorry)

Bus Sorry but it is crowded but I have only waited for more than 15 mins once and that was at DTD not a park.

Thin walls okay yeah I could sya something here but my room at Old Key West was worse for me, we had an exuberent couple next to us:blush:

My point still stands it is my favorite resort even over Old Key West, Fort Wilderness Cabins, Beach Club and Sports. But again every is entitiled to their opinion.

[Crow]

Ill be enjoying it two weeks from today. so ill report when back. As i said i like it the best of the values. Not happy about the Icees though. I might have to visit the bar by the pool, dont remember if i visited it before. They used to have Classic Concoctions inside bar that was nice.
Im going to try for the 50s area

[WVParkfan]

It's interesting how everyone has different views.

For our family, our least-favorite Disney resort is Pop Century. For values, we'll take All-Star Music or Movies any day over Pop.

I've never stayed at a hotel anywhere that was as loud as Pop Century. The walls are paper-thin, and we could hear every word said in the room next door, every toilet flush from the room above us, every word said by everyone walking by our room, and every splash from the pool. Our experience at the All Stars has not been like that.

We only stay on-property, and we would stay at Pop again if it was the only option we had. But since there are many better options, we won't stay there again.

[paragon]

We prefer Movies over Pop, it just works better for us for some reason. Pop is nice, big and bright everywhere. The food court/gift shop set up are better. They designed Pop, using what worked at the other values and made some things better, the main lobby layout, bathroom locations and food court.
We found the rooms virtually identical to Movies, Sports and Music so no change ther really. Pop Century is actually the 6th largest hotel in the world based on room count and occupancy, so naturally it will appear more crowded. They snuck in a fourth floor, which the All Stars don't have.
What I found to be the only downside, was that I am so used to staying at All Stars, I would often become disoriented when it came time to drive out, and in. I am very comfortable at All Stars, I can negoriate the roadways much better from there.
Its a good resort, we just prefer Movies.

[Belster]

We LOVE Pop!!! As you can see from my signature, I have stayed at many resort categories....but Pop is the place that gives me that WDW feel that I am looking for. Our past trip we upgraded to mod and were not happy. Pop is just fun!!!! We love life and music and people...if you like that you will love Pop. We like to stay in the 60's section right on the first floor.

The best things about Pop are:
1. Bussing system very organized...the lines and the fact that you do not share busses.
2.Love their drink refill station...there is plent of room to fill your mug.
3. Love the food court...just a fun feel!
4. Theme of the resort is fun!
5. The resort is well situated around the central lobby area and bus stop.
6.The best WDW feel to me!!!:mickey:
7. The price is right.

Con:

The only two cons I have are:

1. Small Beds
2.No separation between the bathroom and beds...like a curtain to hide the light.

[Belster]

I forgot to mention one more thing...yes the wall are a bit thin..we bring a sound machine with us. That solves that problem. :mickey:

[AdventurerKim]

We always stay at POP and love it! The best part about POP is that there is ONE BUS STOP!!! No driving around to different parts of the resort or waiting for a bus that's doing that like at CBR, POR, CS, etc... We love the atmosphere, music, good food court, etc... The rooms and beds are smaller than others, but we don't spend much time in the room except to sleep and relax. We usually stay in the 50's section but have now stayed in the 60's twice and had good room locations. We like the 80's, but it's so far from Classic Hall.

[Crow]

bumpin since i will be here next week.
any stays lately? my last stay was in the 80s,90s area but I liked the 50s locations better. And I think Ill try for the 50s again.
Beverages for the mugs now? no Icees I hear.
bar at pool? food? would it be better for me to bring some alcohol or have it delivered or buy some in the gift shop?

[ASweetLov]

Another vote for Pop:thumbsup: We absolutely love it!

[bruin1344]

bumpin since i will be here next week.
any stays lately? my last stay was in the 80s,90s area but I liked the 50s locations better. And I think Ill try for the 50s again.
Beverages for the mugs now? no Icees I hear.
bar at pool? food? would it be better for me to bring some alcohol or have it delivered or buy some in the gift shop?

I like the 1950s location the best. There is a bar at the pool. There is a food court. Alcohol is expensive at the resort so if there is a way to get it beforehand, you will save money.