Disney's Pop Century Resort - DW & DH in our 60's ?

[pooh2001]

To stay in our budget - would the Pop Century resort be a good place for us to stay ?
It would be early May or early November, time of the year.

Just us, DW & DH, we will be in our early 60's and can walk 5 miles a day with no issues.

We would ask for a preferred room, not facing the pool, and an upper floor.

The renovated rooms look nice.
We would use one bed, the 3 drawers are prefect, and so is the table for snacks.
The refrigerator is a plus and we would use the coffee maker just to make hot water for tea.

What are your suggestions for us ?

 

[TraceyDisney2008]

Yes my DH and I stay at the Values including POP on our stays, we are 50 and 46.

 

[a1tinkfans]

If that’s the budget, it’s the budget.
But we won’t return there. Loudest resort everywhere with many young families, toms of kids, tons of kid groups ( think cheering etc) beds like pancakes, paper thin walls... I mean we literally heard conversations never mind the toilets sounds! No covered bus area, no restaurant, furthest bus drop off and pick up points, food court chaos.. you get the picture.
That being said... if it’s what is affordable, make the best of it... why Disney is good, price points Everywhere.
enjoy whatever you choose.

 

[Sue M]

We stayed there in late November/early Dec.

first the good-
New rooms are great. Beds super comfy, I kept Murphy bed up and had the table. I used it to eat at since I make breakfast in room. Muffins, yogurt, instant oatmeal, etc.
It was just me in room. I traveled with my friend and we had adjoining rooms.
Tons of storage. Cubbies in bathroom, nice size dresser drawers.
The coffee service-fridge cabinet was super handy, instead of coffee service on a tray on dresser.
Loved the new rooms, well thought out, if lacking in colour.

The bad- I’m not a fan of values, first time staying for more than arrival night. We were FAR from busses, & food court. I’m talking 15-20 min walk. So going from room to food court to fill mug and back to room wasn’t happening.
We packed our resort mugs with us so we had them getting off the bus to fill. Having preferred room is a good idea. We wanted a new room and 80s or 90s were the only buildings finished.

Rooms are loud. I was lucky I had quiet neighbours on one side and my friends room on other side. I phoned home one night and my friend said she could hear entire conversation, and I don’t talk loud.

Bus service during my 10 days was awful. My friend who has had several stays at Pop said this wasn’t typical.

I usually enjoy taking mid day breaks at resort, and relax at pool. The pools there were not very appealing. I didn’t use, and just relaxed in room. And since it was winter and wasn’t planning on pool time it was ok. But if I was at a deluxe or mod I would have. At least hot tub.

Would I go back? If that was all that was in my budget, sure. Or I’d look at a Disney Springs Hotel.

That trip we weren’t planning on much resort time. Our focus was seeing all the Christmas decorations. So we decided Pop would fit the bill. But I just couldn’t get excited about staying there.

 

[fla4fun]

As a person who has stayed solo in the new rooms, I think it's great when you don't have to put the second bed down. The room feels very spacious and there is a lot of storage.

As far as noise, that totally depends on your neighbors. I have stayed in deluxe Disney resorts and had VERY noisy neighbors (really loved the ones standing in the hall having a conversation in their "outdoor" voices at 3am, or the kids who decided to play ball in the hallway and using my door as their "goal") and I have stayed at values and had no noise at all. It's all luck of the draw. You will reduce your chance of noise by requesting a top floor room, but honestly, I've had three top floor rooms and two ground floor rooms at Pop (and the ground floor were after the renovation to hard floors) and I didn't notice any difference in noise levels. All the rooms were quiet.

I have not had any issues with bus transportation at Pop. They do have the electronic boards at the resort to give you an idea when the next bus is coming, which is a big help. I prefer the designated queues at the values to the free for all loading at the mods and deluxes. Granted, the bus stops for the value resorts can be the farthest from the park, but not always, and if you stay at the park until closing it's a good idea to take your time exiting the park to allow the crowd at the bus stop to thin a bit.

I actually think someone in the OP's age group might appreciate Pop more than a younger guest from a theme standpoint. Be sure to check out the displays in the lobby! I guarantee you'll be saying "I remember those!" or "I had one of those!" more than once.

 

[Shellyb84]

Absolutely! Pop is a really fun resort. The new rooms are very nice and the queen beds are very comfortable. If you don't have the Murphy pulled down it would feel roomy as PP said. We always request top floor, and have never had an issue with noisy neighbors. The only thing is that the bathroom walls are pretty thin so privacy is lacking, but it didn't bother us much.

 

[Disneylover99]

Pop is a great resort to stay at any time of year, no matter what your age is.

 

[Disneylover99]

The bad- I’m not a fan of values, first time staying for more than arrival night. We were FAR from busses, & food court. I’m talking 15-20 min walk. So going from room to food court to fill mug and back to room wasn’t happening.

I hope you mean round trip.

The most remote 80’s/90’s rooms could be a 7 to 8 minute walk to the foodcourt/transportation. But depending on your location you could shave a couple of minutes off of that by cutting through the parking lot. Not ideal. But quicker.

If you go back, request a standard room in the 60’s.

 

[loves to dive]

It would depend on your budget. I do stay in the value resorts for the first day or two of a split stay but I don't think I could do it for my entire trip. I'm 61 if that helps and sometimes I go solo and sometimes my adult son goes with me. Pop is a nice enough resort, especially the renovated rooms but like all the value resorts it has it drawbacks. There are no quiet pools so the pools tend to be crowded with kids and there are no hot tubs at the pools. The common areas can be loud and busy. Personally, I wouldn't pay for a preferred room at any of the values. You can request a room in one of the sections that are close to the bus stops, I think it's the 80s and all you have to do is walk across a parking lot. Speaking of bus stops, another advantage/disadvantage of the values is the bus stops are uncovered but do have actual ques for the buses. If it's a hot day and you are standing outside not under cover it can be pretty bad. The good part is there are actual ques so when the bus comes it's not every man for himself with the pushing and shoving that can (and does) go on at the moderate and deluxe resorts. If you are planning to spend any down time at the resort, the moderate resorts are a little more peaceful so if you could swing it budget wise, I think they might be a better choice for 2 adults.

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

When we went with the whole fam in 2013 my parents were in their late 60’s and they LOVED Pop.

I’ve never had issues with noise over the years (but we avoid cheer and Pop Warner weeks) and I’ve certainly never heard my neighbours conversations through the wall. It might be because I’m used to apartment living - who knows.

 

[Sue M]

I hope you mean round trip.

The most remote 80’s/90’s rooms could be a 7 to 8 minute walk to the foodcourt/transportation. But depending on your location you could shave a couple of minutes off of that by cutting through the parking lot. Not ideal. But quicker.

If you go back, request a standard room in the 60’s.

We wanted a new room, so we sucked it up. I would request 60s or 70s next time. I think we were in the most remote location. I didn’t time walk, but it seemed like 15 min at a stroll. I’m sure if we walked fast maybe would be less. Funny story, my first day I asked a person I saw for the best route to food court, he laughed and said there is no fast way, rolling his eyes

 

[kaytieeldr]

The bad- I’m not a fan of values, first time staying for more than arrival night. We were FAR from busses, & food court. I’m talking 15-20 min walk. So going from room to food court to fill mug and back to room wasn’t happening.

That's genuinely surprising. The entire resort is only about 2,000 feet from the bottom of the T in building 2 to the bottom of the T in building 7. Even at a leisurely pace, this distance can be traversed in about 10 minutes. Getting to Classic Hall should take 5-10 minutes even from the furthest rooms and using the paths.

Don't want the OP thinking 15-20 minutes to traverse the resort is the norm.

 

[Sue M]

That's genuinely surprising. The entire resort is only about 2,000 feet from the bottom of the T in building 2 to the bottom of the T in building 7. Even at a leisurely pace, this distance can be traversed in about 10 minutes. Getting to Classic Hall should take 5-10 minutes even from the furthest rooms and using the paths.

Don't want the OP thinking 15-20 minutes to traverse the resort is the norm.

It just felt like forever to me. Esp at the end of the day after a long day with feet and legs hurting! Next time if I stay there again I should time it. I’ve stayed at many resorts and this was the longest walk ever.
I stayed arrival night a few years ago and had room in 70s central courtyard by lake path, that was a good location. Walk was decent, and quiet location.

 

[Disneylover99]

It just felt like forever to me. Esp at the end of the day after a long day with feet and legs hurting! Next time if I stay there again I should time it. I’ve stayed at many resorts and this was the longest walk ever.
I stayed arrival night a few years ago and had room in 70s central courtyard by lake path, that was a good location. Walk was decent, and quiet location.

If that was far to you, don’t book a LM at AofA. The closest LM room to the lobby is as far as the furthest Pop room.

 

[rstevens333]

I've been to Pop twice. Once in an old-style room last September (during hurricane madness) and again this past February in a new room.

Hate the old rooms. REALLY like the new rooms. As folks have said, they feel much bigger with the second bed folded away. They've also added better doors to the bathroom. It's a lot cleaner and modern.

I had a 90s room near the parking lot and found the walk to buses to be *way* easier along the parking lot as opposed to trying to navigate the resort. Also consider that you can walk over to Art of Animation to eat, and you can always grab an AOA bus at the park if one rolls up sooner.

I really enjoy Pop. You may hit some pockets of noise when tour groups are cruising through, but it's a pretty sweet option for the price.

 

[terrybsw]

I've been to Pop twice. Once in an old-style room last September (during hurricane madness) and again this past February in a new room.

Hate the old rooms. REALLY like the new rooms. As folks have said, they feel much bigger with the second bed folded away. They've also added better doors to the bathroom. It's a lot cleaner and modern.

I had a 90s room near the parking lot and found the walk to buses to be *way* easier along the parking lot as opposed to trying to navigate the resort. Also consider that you can walk over to Art of Animation to eat, and you can always grab an AOA bus at the park if one rolls up sooner.

I really enjoy Pop. You may hit some pockets of noise when tour groups are cruising through, but it's a pretty sweet option for the price.

We have a reservation for Oct 2018. Anyone know if this is a popular kid group time (I am hoping not!)
Thanks

 

[my_ears]

Don't let the bad stuff some ppl say on these boards stop you. I've come to realize at times some ppl exaggerate alot or have over the top, unreasonable expectations from a value resort. Especially after reading things here then going, seeing with my own eyes and realizing how much can be elaborated.

Anyway...first of all the walk to the food court and parking is not 20 minutes. Absolutely not. I stayed in the 80s and cutting through the parking was 5 minutes. If that. You can go preffered if you want to be closer. The only thing that took us 20 minutes was a walkthrough the entire resort grounds, just checking it out and taking pics.

The 80s and 90s section was beyond quiet. I hardly ever saw people and I never heard the guests above me, which was a concern being ground floor. The only noise I did hear was the toilet when someone next door would flush but it didn't bother me. Having the laundry room closeby was a plus since we stayed for awhile.

We just encountered one group of cheerleaders one day, well behaved. They practiced in the early afternoon but weren't rowdy. They left the next day. On check out day a large group was checking in. Steve Harvey was hosting some event for them. Can't say how they were because we were on our way out when they arrived. It's a matter of doing research on what events are taking place when you go and plan accordingly to try to avoid big groups, if possible.

Personally, I really liked the refurbished room and the beds were so comfy. I slept like a baby.

I can't say enough good things about Pop. I love it and will be back.

 

[mickeygirl78]

I wouldn’t hesitate to stay at pop. My parents (in their 60’s) enjoy the hotel. We go for 14 nights, stay standard and typically request the 50’s section. It’s not a far walk and we have not had issues with loud neighbors. The food court can get chaotic but so can all of Disney world.

 

[kaytieeldr]

The only noise I did hear was the toilet when someone next door would flush but it didn't bother me.

That should be able to be minimized by keeping the bathroom and dressing area doors closed.

 

[fla4fun]

That should be able to be minimized by keeping the bathroom and dressing area doors closed.

I didn't notice toilet noise, but we have the "turbo toilets" in our home as well, so I probably heard it and didn't realize it.