Pop Century becoming a "preferred" value resort

[Grumpy.]

So I just got off the phone with Magical Journeys (our trip is fully paid for, 45 days to go!!) and found out that next year, Pop is becoming a "preferred" value resort and as such Disney will be charging more per night for a room there as opposed to the All Stars! What a crock! :mad:

[tink88]

Did they mention what the price difference would be? We've stayed at the All Stars too many times to count and only at POP once for one night a number of years ago. Are they really that different accommodations to justify a price change?

[Bucs300]

What makes it a preferred value resort? There's really no difference between Pop Century and the All Star Resorts, none that I'm aware of at least. Just an excuse for Disney to raise the prices on something I guess.

[buzznwoodysmom]

We don't stay at Pop so it won't affect me, but Wow.....all I can say is wow!

[Strmchsr]

Simple rules of supply and demand. Everyone has been raving about Pop as the "best" value (I like them all about equally) so they can charge more for it. The only real difference would be the bus service, and I didn't find wait times all that different.

[McLiberal8]

This is probably because so many people prefer Pop to the other values, because it is newer, and, IMHO better. I wonder if the new resort will be 'preferred' as well?

[Grumpy.]

She said it comes out to about $10 extra a night. And nothing else changes. No extra anything, just gonna charge more for the same room. Grrrr.

[Goofy4TheWorld]

I'll pay $10 more for one bus stop instead of 3 AND a much larger food court.

I may not like it, but I'll do it (that seems to be the new corporate strategy for Disney right now).

[brownie]

Judging by Pop Century's popularity here on INTERCOT, I'm not surprised. If there's a lot of demand, Disney will probably not have any problems charging a preferred rate for Pop Century.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

That's pretty bad but doesn't really matter to me as we prefer the All Stars to Pop anyway...now that all the moderates are upgrading to Queen size beds we'll probably start staying Moderate level or higher anyway....

[Hog]

Could it have anything to do with the Art of Animation Resort opening right next to it?

On a different note, my first thought was the bus service making it preffered... I have never stayed at a value resort so I can't compare them, but from what I can deduct i would rather have 1 bus stop than have 3 for the all stars.

[princessgirls]

That is really kind of low, don't you think? It's still a good bang for the buck, but it's no Hampton Inn...Seriously. It's a basic room, small yet functional, and now Disney is putting a "preferred" value resort extra cost on top of it.
Ughhh.....
Julie:mickey:

[Pop Centurion]

Ridiculous!!! :mad:

[DisneyMom12]

Normally they charge an extra $10 a night for a preferred room in a building that is close to the pool, buses, food court. If they make the whole resort preferred, are they going to charge more for that?

[NJDad]

It also is closer to much of the World than AS.

[waymickey]

I guess it is not much different then the various prices for the deluxe resorts. Some cost much more or less then others.

[DisneyFr33k]

That's pretty bad but doesn't really matter to me as we prefer the All Stars to Pop anyway...now that all the moderates are upgrading to Queen size beds we'll probably start staying Moderate level or higher anyway....

Amen to that! We've stayed at all the All Stars and POP - preferred POP. But last trip, since our children are so much bigger (by that, meaning as tall as I am - I am 5'9"), we decided to try our first moderate for the queen beds. WOW! We won't go back to value again. Soooo worth it.

But I am saddened that Disney wants to take a popular resort and charge more for it compared to others in the same category. Just goes to prove they do nickel and dime us. So sad.

[buzznwoodysmom]

Could it have anything to do with the Art of Animation Resort opening right next to it?

On a different note, my first thought was the bus service making it preffered... I have never stayed at a value resort so I can't compare them, but from what I can deduct i would rather have 1 bus stop than have 3 for the all stars.

My guess is since these two resorts will be right next to each other they will share buses. If that's the case then Pop will no longer have just 1 stop! Has anyone heard anything about the buses being shared once AoA opens??

[luvdiznee]

WOW, just because they have their own bus, basically. But won't it soon be sharing with AoA?

[big blue and hairy]

Not that I want to pay more, but I have always said that Pop is the more moderate of the values and Coronado Springs is the more deluxe of the moderates. They already charge more for CSR, so I'm not really surprised.

:sulley:

[kakn7294]

I noticed the price difference in my recent research for a week next summer. It appears the average difference per night is around $5.00 for a standard room. I looked at 3 different weeks - 1 in June, 1 in July, 1 in August and it was the same across the board for the summer.

[iceicebritney]

I really enjoy pop. It's my favorite value. And with the addition of the art of animation across the lake, it will only get better:thumbsup:

I don't think this will effect our choice to continue staying there, as long as it isn't significantly different in price where we could stay at a moderate for practically the same rate.

[BrerGnat]

To those who are upset about this, just stay at All Stars then. If they are "the same", then what's the issue? Obviously, people tend to prefer Pop. So, what Disney is doing is warranted, IMO. It's no different than charging more for the Polynesian than most other Deluxes when it doesn't even have all the standard Deluxe amenities. Popularity drives pricing.

[MNNHFLTX]

I guess it is not much different then the various prices for the deluxe resorts. Some cost much more or less then others.
My feelings exactly.

[frozman]

They're already kind of making it preffered. It didn't have any $69/night rooms for that late summer room only only offer. There were some "preffered rooms" offered at, I believe $89/night when I was booking my Sept trip back in June, but now POP isn't being offered AT ALL for that promotion.

I will however say that I hear much more raving about POP than All Stars, so I see why they are doing this. I'll have to see how much I like All Star Sports in Sept, but if it comes down to me liking POP a lot more than Sports, I'd be fine with an extra $5-$10/night (I just wasn't fine with the extra $20/night for a 9 night stay in Sept)

[Crow]

hmm. yes i do prefer Pop over Allstars, due to the location and it being newer...but.

[BigRedDad]

If WDW can find a way to get more money out of your wallet, they will. I have not stayed at an AS, but I will next month. I have been to Pop Century several times and really enjoy it.

WDW can charge what they choose for their resorts. I only wish they had an advantage of staying at the resorts instead of just EMH.

[micky95]

my dw & i always stay at POP but now if this takes effect we might be staying off property more.we have AP's & have been down 3 times this year with 3 more trips planned before our passes expire.we were discussing the huge difference in room rates and what we get by staying on property.the bus service is OK & the themeing of the resort is OK but we've decided we cant justfy the extra cost for 2 perks.the last trip we stayed in kissimee & drove to the parks each day & it wasnt a hassle at all .IMO disney seems to be increasing prices but cutting back on service.

[mreinventtt]

My family prefers Allstar Music over Pop Century. We love the poolside activities, games, and the movies they play on the inflatable movie screen in front of the pool at night . Allstar is also a smaller resort with 1920 rooms vs Pop Centuries 2880 rooms. The bus service is fine I never really had to wait an excessive amount of time for a bus. The only time I had issues with buses was when we stayed at AKL for whatever reason the wait for the buses at that resort were long. We also prefer Allstar music over Port Orleans Riverside.

[darthmacho]

Wow. That figures. I finally convinced myself to stay there. Talk about a kick in the pants. :drama:

[ransam]

i don't have a problem w/ Disney trying to make a few extra dollars?
I bet most of you have done something similar in your business. raised a price for a service you provide, or offered less for something that you will charge the same.
Just last night i went to wendy's and where for a buck you use to be able to buy a 16oz frosty, now it's the same price, but about 8oz.
Disney is not a non-profit organzation, so nothign wrong w/ them trying to make some money.

I also find it funny everyone who complains about stuff like this, bet you didn't give Disney any prompts for adding the resort mug to the dining plan, or extending the free dining, or offering room discounts, etc....

[FutureCorpsFan]

Keep in mind that construction on POP started well before 9/11. After the economic downturn that ensued, the near completed buildings sat idle for years before construction resumed. I can see Disney wanting to accelerate some payback based on that. I will say that the move is mis-timed given the current economy. Perhaps they will reconsider after the past two weeks!

[Sylvia]

My 2 cents re ASMusic -

When POP opened I stayed there for 2 weeks and liked it so much I went back for another 2-week stay the following year. By the time I was ready to go back, I couldn't get a room for the dates I wanted. So, I reluctantly switched to ASMusic, where I was a little unhappy for the first couple of days. Then - I decided to focus my attention on what Music has to offer and found some great pluses - primarily - Mickey Waffles for breakfast (POP had waffles in the shape of the POP logo), and the quiet of the Country Fair area. The rest, as they say, is history. In about 5 weeks I'm heading back for my 5th annual 2-week vacation at ASMusic. I can afford to stay at my #1 favorite, Caribbean Beach, but lately I've been choosing to stay at ASMusic. The added activities going on during the day and evening at the pool, and the dinner specials at the food court, are 2 of my favorites.

Occasionally, buses are slow, late, crowded, etc., but, for the most part, I haven't had any problems with bus service.

[Mousemates]

I guess it is not much different then the various prices for the deluxe resorts. Some cost much more or less then others.

uh...not exactly...yes there is a good deal of variance in the prices of the different deluxe resorts, but they also vary widely in theming, room size, location, transportation options, etc. Those kinds of differences do not exist between the Pop and the other values. Its just another example of asking guests to pay more without adding anything to offerings.

[joonyer]

uh...not exactly...yes there is a good deal of variance in the prices of the different deluxe resorts, but they also vary widely in theming, room size, location, transportation options, etc. Those kinds of differences do not exist between the Pop and the other values. Its just another example of asking guests to pay more without adding anything to offerings.


Actually, it's an example of customers being willing to pay more for one thing than another. You can't sell what people won't buy. It may be all in image/perception, but Pop Century is more popular with customers than All-Stars, thus the price has gone up with demand. If customers decide than they are not willing to pay more for for the rooms at Pop, we will see the price coming down.

[Mousemates]

Actually, it's an example of customers being willing to pay more for one thing than another. Why? . . . Just read the posts on these boards for a few reasons. It may be all in image/perception, but Pop Century is more popular with customers than All-Stars, thus the price has gone up with demand. You can't sell what people won't buy. If customers decide than they are not willing to pay more for for the rooms at Pop, we will see the price coming down.

Actually, "willing" has yet to be determined.

I personally wouldn't pay extra for one value over the others...maybe others will, but time will answer that question far better than either of us.

However, when I couple things like the early shut-off of the monorail with higher prices for nothing new but the word "preferred," it causes me to wonder how well they have thought some of these decisons through.

[joonyer]

Actually, "willing" has yet to be determined.

I personally wouldn't pay extra for one value over the others...maybe others will, but time will answer that question far better than either of us.

However, when I couple things like the early shut-off of the monorail with higher prices for nothing new but the word "preferred," it causes me to wonder how well they have thought some of these decisons through.

You are correct, Time will tell. But I expect that Disney has the numbers (occupancy rates, customer surveys, etc.) to back them up on this decision. It may backfire, that's why I said that we'll see the prices coming down if customers are not willing to pay more.

We all like to complain about Disney's pricing policy for everything, but the place is as crowded or more so than ever, so somebody is buying.

[magicofdisney]

I've never understood Pop's hype.

They're food court and gift shop are newer and more modern. However, they're food choices are comparable and their merchandise is equal.

Their rooms are the same except they now offer flat screen TVs in each room. I don't watch enough TV for this to matter.

The bus argument has never worked in my favor. Because Pop is larger, the bus lines are larger. I've never experienced more buses or less standing simply by staying at Pop. In fact, I've found the wait times average longer, because the lines are longer and the buses fill up faster. At least when I stay at an All Star I can choose to stay at Sports (generally) and be first on, first off the bus WHEN they share. Anyone who's ever stayed at the All Stars knows sharing is generally during off times (of the day not the season).

I couldn't care less about higher prices at Pop, except it may now change All Star vacancy availability if people are unwilling to pay the increase for this "preferred" hotel.

[Dulcee]

Honestly it doesn't surprise me.. people like the resort more then the other values and WDW was going to cash in on that eventually. Once its labeled as "preferred" those who don't know the resorts well will assume that for a small increase they are actually getting more. At 10$ more a night for the family who's doing a once in a lifetime trip to disney (which I'd imagine is most guests) it isn't a big deal. For us WDW fanatics who like a trip a year or more its a bigger deal but I'd say we're in the minority on this one kids.