Any Pop Century Experts here?

[RG3]

Hi all!
My boyfriend and I booked a very last minute trip next week! I haven’t been to Disneyworld in 7 years, and he has never been!
1)There was availability at one of the “World Of” resorts and Pop Century, so we chose Pop. Was this the right decision? I think there is still time to change it.
2) if we keep our reservations at Pop, what is the best area of the hotel to stay in? Is there a location that is closer to either transportation, or Ubers, or dining?
Thanks so much in advance!!
We booked this so late, so any advice at all is so welcome!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Hi all!
My boyfriend and I booked a very last minute trip next week! I haven’t been to Disneyworld in 7 years, and he has never been!
1)There was availability at one of the “World Of” resorts and Pop Century, so we chose Pop. Was this the right decision? I think there is still time to change it.
2) if we keep our reservations at Pop, what is the best area of the hotel to stay in? Is there a location that is closer to either transportation, or Ubers, or dining?
Thanks so much in advance!!
We booked this so late, so any advice at all is so welcome!

I'm sure folks will come around with some advice on this thread, but also wanted to point out the main Pop FAQ thread is very active/has several knowledgeable regulars... you can find the thread here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/n...century-resort-information-questions.3821785/

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Belle1962]

I haven’t been to Pop for a few years but there’s a Pop Century thread further down (it might be moved down to page 2 or 3). It has a lot of helpful information.

 

[RG3]

Ok, I’ll take a look! And, would the Skyliner get us to the parks in time to be there very early, or would you recommend an Uber?

 

[musika]

If you're rope dropping I would not rely on the Skyliner. It generally doesn't start early enough, but the busses should work for you. We have stayed at Pop twice now. I would recommend the 60s area to be closest to the Skyliner. If they plunk you in the 80s, it doesn't hurt to ask the front desk nicely if there's anything available elsewhere. Though TBH we stayed in the 80s on our first visit and it was just fine. It's a pretty walkable resort. FYI, "Dining" at pop consists of the food court. Which is good, but nothing to write home about. The skyliner opens up options elsewhere though for you.

Have a great trip!

 

[WDWEPCOT]

Have stayed several times love the Pop but I always ask for a parking lot view so it’s quiet versus a pool view - but to be fair my trips at Pop have mainly been during Spring Break
The Food Court is nice for a quick grab but I agree it’s nothing to write home about except for the tie dye cheesecake which is a personal favorite
enjoy your trip I hope you have a wonderful time !!!

 

[tguz]

We love the POP. We got a room in Building 1 on the back corner closest to the parking lot and it was great. Very quiet, close to Classic Hall, and real close to the busses. I would love that same room again in December but the walk to the Skyliner will be a little longer than to the busses, which I am ok with. What's an extra 200 steps after a day of getting 25,000 steps anyway?

 

[Honeypot]

Pop century is a great resort! The rooms are on the smaller side being a value, but for two people would be totally fine. We stayed DH, myself, and our two boys in one room for a week, and had no problems.

We were in the 70's section, which I thought was a great location, I would probably request that or 60's in the future. You will likely be either closer to the buses and dining, or to the skyliner, as they are in opposite directions, but really I don't find the resort that spread out anyway.

As for the skyliner, I would check on the Pop thread for current info. I know at one point with the transfer at CBR it could be quite long, but now that they are loading multiple parties, I believe it has sped up and is a good way to get there. Otherwise you could Uber, or even walk over to AOA and take the bus.

 

[supitscarrie]

Pop is my favorite resort on property and I've stayed there more often than anywhere else. It's a very walkable campus and I love the theming. The pools are great (especially the non-main "quiet" pools) and the rooms are fabulous since the refurb a few years ago. I've stayed in every area except the 1960s because I simply don't feel like it's necessary to pay for a preferred/pool room there. I think my favorite area is the 1970s specifically because it isn't bordered by a pool, so it's a little quieter than other rooms.

If it's just you and your boyfriend, you can leave the second bed up while in the room (no point in having the murphy bed down when you're sharing a bed). This is what my husband and I do and it makes the room feel way bigger! I think the room would feel very small if you were going with kids, but my husband and I are childfree and I think it's a great option for couples looking to save a few bucks.

 

[lanejudy]

would the Skyliner get us to the parks in time to be there very early, or would you recommend an Uber?

I'm not sure if the Skyliner is arriving in time to be "very early" -- assuming you mean to be one of the first allowed into the park. Parks have been opening approximately 30-45 minutes prior to stated opening. To be in that group, for DHS or Epcot I suggest an Uber/Lyft to the Swan/Dolphin and walking. For MK or AK, be at the bus stop about 90 minutes prior to opening. As others suggest, check the main POP thread to see if anyone has a recent experience posted.

 

[RG3]

I'm not sure if the Skyliner is arriving in time to be "very early" -- assuming you mean to be one of the first allowed into the park. Parks have been opening approximately 30-45 minutes prior to stated opening. To be in that group, for DHS or Epcot I suggest an Uber/Lyft to the Swan/Dolphin and walking. For MK or AK, be at the bus stop about 90 minutes prior to opening. As others suggest, check the main POP thread to see if anyone has a recent experience posted.

Thank you, and to everyone who posted!!
This is all so helpful.
This might be a dumb question, but when you say take an Uber to Swan and Dolphin and then walk, is that bc it’s not possible to take an Uber directly to the parks?

 

[olwyngdh]

Hi all!
My boyfriend and I booked a very last minute trip next week! I haven’t been to Disneyworld in 7 years, and he has never been!
1)There was availability at one of the “World Of” resorts and Pop Century, so we chose Pop. Was this the right decision? I think there is still time to change it.
2) if we keep our reservations at Pop, what is the best area of the hotel to stay in? Is there a location that is closer to either transportation, or Ubers, or dining?
Thanks so much in advance!!
We booked this so late, so any advice at all is so welcome!

Pop is a wonderful fun resort and honestly there isn't a "bad" place to stay, just some that are more convenient than others. I would try to avoid the 80s and 90s as they are the furthest from the main center of food and transportation. We always stay preferred ground floor because I learned as someone using a scooter back when my daughter was little that the shortest distance when coming home from the parks was the best. Our last trip was the first time we stayed in the 50s and it was great. We usually stay in the 70s and love it there especially since that section doesn't have a pool and it tends to be quieter. We were upgraded to Preferred Pool view once and it was glorious. You do have two transportation points--busses are in front of the main hall and the skyliner is past the main pool and out in the middle of the lake--a direct line from the main hall. Pop was a great place to stay before the skyliner. Now? I have no desire to even try another resort.

Check the Pop Century threads for all the information you would want and need and even more. Any questions you have someone there will know the answer and since we all love the resort we will get you enthused about your stay! (unless of course you are trying to get a reservation for the same time and type of room that we want )

 

[Moliphino]

Thank you, and to everyone who posted!!
This is all so helpful.
This might be a dumb question, but when you say take an Uber to Swan and Dolphin and then walk, is that bc it’s not possible to take an Uber directly to the parks?

No, you can take an Uber to DHS or Epcot, but they don't open the parking lots at the parks super early so you could be stuck waiting at the entrance booths for a while. If you want to be one of the first people in the park the best way is to walk from a Crescent Lake hotel.
We just used the Skyliner last trip and it was fine for us, but we aren't super committed to rope dropping.

 

[lanejudy]

when you say take an Uber to Swan and Dolphin and then walk, is that bc it’s not possible to take an Uber directly to the parks?

You can take an Uber directly to the park, but you won't be at the front of the crowds. The parking lots don't open until about the time the first guests are allowed into the park, and Uber/Lyft are held with the parking lot traffic. WDW transportation - buses in particular - begin to arrive earlier than the parking lots open.

 

[bnf0522]

Our last stay at Pop Century was in Building 8 in the 90's section. We would cut through the 90's parking lot to get right to the bus stops & Classic Hall, but it is very far away from the Skyliner station.

 

[mkb3]

We have stayed there on our last two trips. Just got back Saturday from an 8 day trip. Our first two trips we did Deluxe and Moderate, but hated the walking to the lobby and transportation. Decided to get Pop Preferred rooms and we love it. We have stayed in both buildings 4 and 5 and are minutes from the lobby and transportation (bus and skyliner). I would only suggest Pop though if you plan to spend a lot of time at the resort vs parks. Rooms are kinda small and the food is awful. We did Uber Eats which was cheaper and like I said a short walk to the lobby to pick it up.

 

[RG3]

Thank you! Yes, we’ll definitely be in the parks most of the time
This is really good info! I called today to ask the difference between preferred and standard, and they told me that there is no difference between the rooms themselves, but preferred has more of a chance of being in a good building.
But, then they put a note in my account re my request to be in buildings 5 or 6 (near transportation and food), and said that there are standard rooms available in ALL of the buildings?
So, that was really confusing . If the preferred rooms were better in any way, I would spring for the extra 100 dollars for 5 nights of preferred, but they told me there isn’t a difference.
Thoughts?

also, sorry for all of the questions and thank you to you and all of the other responders; it really is so so helpful and I appreciate you all taking the time out of your day to answer! Like most people, we’ve had a challenging year, and are just so excited to have a little break for 4 or 5 days of fun.

 

[Tom_E_D]

Post 2 of the thread that GADisneyDad14 links at Post 2 of this thread has a map that shows where the preferred rooms are. Yes, there are standard rooms in each building. But the preferred rooms are (arguably) in the preferred locations within the preferred buildings. Moreover, if you only book a standard room, you are not guaranteed a room in the building or section you request. If you book a preferred room, you will at least get a room in a building that has preferred rooms (buildings 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 10). Personally, I never pay extra for preferred, but there are differences between the locations of preferred and standard rooms.

Read the first few posts of that thread. They have a lot of information and are kept up-to-date.

 

[HopperFan]

Thank you! Yes, we’ll definitely be in the parks most of the time
This is really good info! I called today to ask the difference between preferred and standard, and they told me that there is no difference between the rooms themselves, but preferred has more of a chance of being in a good building.
But, then they put a note in my account re my request to be in buildings 5 or 6 (near transportation and food), and said that there are standard rooms available in ALL of the buildings?
So, that was really confusing . If the preferred rooms were better in any way, I would spring for the extra 100 dollars for 5 nights of preferred, but they told me there isn’t a difference.
Thoughts?

also, sorry for all of the questions and thank you to you and all of the other responders; it really is so so helpful and I appreciate you all taking the time out of your day to answer! Like most people, we’ve had a challenging year, and are just so excited to have a little break for 4 or 5 days of fun.

Probably around 40 stays at POP Century and it really is a great resort. Inside the rooms they are all the same, preferred is only about location but ironically you can have a preferred room almost right next to a standard room. We never once paid for preferred. We've been bumped in to them but they aren't always an upgrade.

No room has a horrible walk but we found that 7 & 8 are the longest walks and for us walking through a parking lot is not our idea of themed vacation. 7, 8 & 9 seem to be where they put large groups so all of our stays there have been negative.

We actually love 3 (50's) facing the lake, often having firework views on upper floors at all the parks. Now the skyliner adds to the view. It is usually quiet and peaceful and just a few minute walk to the main hub and buses. We also prefer that pool since it is quieter. 4 & 5 (60's) now even better with their location to the skyliner but I would keep it standard so my room is not facing the pool.

We have been upgraded to preferred in 1 a few times and what we got was facing the smoking section and once facing the bell hop check in area. Needless to say both rooms were a downgrade to us even though people were paying more for them. So it is possible to book preferred and get a bad location.

Don't hesitate to use AoA transportation if it comes before POP bus and the walk is very nice. AoA landscape and decor is awesome. We also ate there each trip because they have had a better menu. Enjoy, it's really one of our favorites!

 

[RG3]

Thank you so much!! This is really helpful!
I really appreciate it. You’ve made me feel a lot more confident in our booking.
I hope that this will be the first of 39 more bookings like you, G-d willing!