Disney's POP CENTURY RESORT Information & Questions

[karly05]

@waltdisfam4 - these are just my thoughts:

AKL: A nice place to visit but I have no desire to stay there - especially without a savannah view. It just seems so remote from most of the parks. And if the food is not a draw for you (to me, that's the most appealing thing), I would definitely pass.

YC - I've stayed at BC twice and the Epcot resorts area is my favorite location in all of WDW. I would stay there more if not for the $$$.

POFQ - Here comes my plug: I've stayed there 4 times, love it. Pretty, quaint and charming, feels like a little neighborhood to me. I really have no beef in general with the buses; you can have good or bad experiences anywhere. Haven't stayed there since 2016, but in the occasional instances of sharing with POR, POFQ was always picked up/dropped off first. Personally, I would want my own bed, however.

POP - Had my first POP. stay in 2017 and am going back next year. I chose it to save $ and was very happy there. I am a "park person," and not concerned about pools. I'm excited for the new rooms and super-pumped for the Skyliner!! My bus experience was good, despite one long wait trying to leave DHS at midday. Again, I'm in the camp of "don't choose a resort for bus service, it can vary anywhere" I would look at POP this way: the money you save could go toward some other splurge / special experience on the trip.

There's my 2 cents.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Deciding between POP Century preferred, Yacht Club, POFQ ,or AKL standard room for our mother/daughter trip in late May. My DD will be turning 16 on this trip. The sky liner isn't a big draw for us bu the renovated POP rooms look nice and are a good price with my code. We often stay at beach club, so that area with YC is also a perk for us. We love Animal Kingdom (the park) and couldn't help but notice the good price for a std room with my code. I know POFQ has boat access to DS, but not sure about the speed of their buses to the parks?

Here are the room-only totals for our six nights:
AKL standard: 1,692.34
Yacht Club standard: 2,052.24
PO French Quarter - 1,456.39 (king bed only, so we would have to share a bed)
POP Century preferred location: 986.42

Any thoughts on pros and cons? Ease & speed of transportation are the biggest factors for us. We aren't very adventurous eaters, so Boma, Jiko, etc aren't necessarily going to be big draws for us (although I know that they are supposed to be amazing). We have stayed at WL and liked the feel. I know AKL has a similar layout. The pool at POP doesn't appeal to us at all but we will only use the pool 1-2 times on our trip, as we are park people...We would like to try some DS restaurants on this trip...but we would need to share a king bed which isn't a big deal but for a similar price, we could stay at AKL.
Help us decide? This is soooo hard - lol

POP lovers...Tell me the perks of staying at POP over any of the above options?

So I feel like I can reply because I have stayed at AKL, BC, POR and Pop.

Our 4th trip to Pop is in a month. We were originally booked at WL, but I saved us $2000 switching. I used that money and added Universal to the beginning of our trip and still had the funds to book 3 dessert parties.

I absolutely love AKL, but we made it more or a resort vacation. We were in a DVC unit with savannah view and we spent more time there than in the parks. It was a nice and easy trip for us. I would not do it again if I planned to be in the parks a bunch. One cool thing was sitting in the room, opened the app, snagged FoP FP for an hour later and we were able to make that no problem. It's so close to AK.

I think BC/YC are fine, but not really my style. Location is fantastic, though.

POR never again. I would consider POFQ, but I am from New Orleans and the theme really doesn't do anything for me.

Here are my Pros for Pop: CMs are amazing every single time. Buses are quick and plentiful (not sure about this now with the skyliner). Food court makes everyone happy and is open early and late. Resort is compact, so not horribly long walks. My kid loves the theming (heck so do I). Beds are the most comfortable I've slept in at Disney besides BC. Rooms have so much storage and so many outlets.

For the amount of savings you posted I would do Pop. That kind of money gives you the freedom to do special events or shopping, or whatever. If money is no object and you want to spend a lot of time at the resort, go deluxe. If you're staying AKL go with savannah view. There's no way I would stay standard and just wish for a partial view.

 

[karly05]

Ooh, yeah, @SaintsManiac I want to chime in with you on a couple of things:

You are absolutely right, for POP's huge capacity, it has a surprisingly compact footprint. I stayed Preferred my first time, but just booked Standard for next time (although I am going to request 70s or 50s).

And not only do you have the big food court at Pop, Art of Animation is a quick walk across the bridge with a good food court (plus AOA is fun to walk around).

 

[waltdisfam4]

So I feel like I can reply because I have stayed at AKL, BC, POR and Pop.

Our 4th trip to Pop is in a month. We were originally booked at WL, but I saved us $2000 switching. I used that money and added Universal to the beginning of our trip and still had the funds to book 3 dessert parties.

I absolutely love AKL, but we made it more or a resort vacation. We were in a DVC unit with savannah view and we spent more time there than in the parks. It was a nice and easy trip for us. I would not do it again if I planned to be in the parks a bunch. One cool thing was sitting in the room, opened the app, snagged FoP FP for an hour later and we were able to make that no problem. It's so close to AK.

I think BC/YC are fine, but not really my style. Location is fantastic, though.

POR never again. I would consider POFQ, but I am from New Orleans and the theme really doesn't do anything for me.

Here are my Pros for Pop: CMs are amazing every single time. Buses are quick and plentiful (not sure about this now with the skyliner). Food court makes everyone happy and is open early and late. Resort is compact, so not horribly long walks. My kid loves the theming (heck so do I). Beds are the most comfortable I've slept in at Disney besides BC. Rooms have so much storage and so many outlets.

For the amount of savings you posted I would do Pop. That kind of money gives you the freedom to do special events or shopping, or whatever. If money is no object and you want to spend a lot of time at the resort, go deluxe. If you're staying AKL go with savannah view. There's no way I would stay standard and just wish for a partial view.

This was a wonderful response! I think you gave me a lot more confidence about my decision to select POP. It is our first value resort stay (and with my daughter and I only it is a perfect time to try it out). I liked your point about being able to book extras. We love the fireworks dessert party at MK and the savings would definitely allow for this and more (maybe even Universal!?). I just made my reservation online and I am happy to say that we booked POP...and we even added an extra night on our visit. Thank you for telling me all of the perks of POP! The rooms sound nice and more than enough space for two of us. The buses were something that I was worried about but I like how you mentioned that the buses are quick and plentiful. I think that the Skyliner will have some time to run before we visit in May so I will feel less nervous about that as an option also My daughter and I are also excited about the POP theming also Thank you so much for this nice reply/info. I'm sure I'll be seeing the POP people on this thread in the months to come, as I am planning our May trip!

 

[waltdisfam4]

@waltdisfam4 - these are just my thoughts:

AKL: A nice place to visit but I have no desire to stay there - especially without a savannah view. It just seems so remote from most of the parks. And if the food is not a draw for you (to me, that's the most appealing thing), I would definitely pass.

YC - I've stayed at BC twice and the Epcot resorts area is my favorite location in all of WDW. I would stay there more if not for the $$$.

POFQ - Here comes my plug: I've stayed there 4 times, love it. Pretty, quaint and charming, feels like a little neighborhood to me. I really have no beef in general with the buses; you can have good or bad experiences anywhere. Haven't stayed there since 2016, but in the occasional instances of sharing with POR, POFQ was always picked up/dropped off first. Personally, I would want my own bed, however.

POP - Had my first POP. stay in 2017 and am going back next year. I chose it to save $ and was very happy there. I am a "park person," and not concerned about pools. I'm excited for the new rooms and super-pumped for the Skyliner!! My bus experience was good, despite one long wait trying to leave DHS at midday. Again, I'm in the camp of "don't choose a resort for bus service, it can vary anywhere" I would look at POP this way: the money you save could go toward some other splurge / special experience on the trip.

There's my 2 cents.

Thank you so much for this awesome reply! I have decided on POP based on the folks, like you, on this POP thread. I do love BC/YC but for the money and the fact that we will be spending most of our time in the parks, I don't think it will be worth the cost. I will miss the quick walk from BC to EPCOT or the boat/walk to HS, but the buses and sky liner will also get me to those places and since we aren't planning to Park Hop this time, I think POP is our best option. I was considering POFQ also, as you know, and you're right...having our own beds for 6 nights would be preferred. So...this morning, I booked our 6 night stay at POP with a preferred room location (not preferred pool). I am so excited to learn more about POP from all of you on this thread. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my questions!

 

[waltdisfam4]

For me it's all about transportation. I would never stay at AKL without savanna view. No easy busing anywhere! You have picked my 3 favs, and I think you can't go wrong. If I felt okay spending the money I'd always stay in YC or BC. I like the boat to DS so I choose FQ. It's easy to transfer there if you want to visit other resorts too. Buses are easy both there and POP. I usually choose pop for the money though.

Thank you! I think you're right...I'd choose BC/YC everytime also, but since I'm thinking about being in the parks and its just my me and my daughter, we would be best to choose POP. The savings can be spent on some fun splurges We will still visit BC/YC for a trip to the newly-renovated Beaches and Cream in May! Plus, we will need to visit the BC lobby to smell that wonderful smell....ahhhhhh, we DO love that place. I think POP will fit our needs on this trip though. Plus, it will be fun to try something new?! Thanks for taking the time to reply!!!

 

[waltdisfam4]

Thank you for the reply! You thoughts were helpful! So much to think about

BC has definitely spoiled us...but we will visit for lunch at Beaches and Cream. I think POP might fit our needs on this park-heavy trip with just the two of us. Thanks, again, for your help!

 

[waltdisfam4]

Ooh, yeah, @SaintsManiac I want to chime in with you on a couple of things:

You are absolutely right, for POP's huge capacity, it has a surprisingly compact footprint. I stayed Preferred my first time, but just booked Standard for next time (although I am going to request 70s or 50s).

And not only do you have the big food court at Pop, Art of Animation is a quick walk across the bridge with a good food court (plus AOA is fun to walk around).

So, do you think it might be ok to downgrade from the preferred view reservation I just made, to a standard POP room and just hope for a good building request in the close 50s or 70s. The preferred room adds a bit to the price and if the footprint is fairly small, I might not bother with the preferred location?

 

[karly05]

So, do you think it might be ok to downgrade from the preferred view reservation I just made, to a standard POP room and just hope for a good building request in the close 50s or 70s. The preferred room adds a bit to the price and if the footprint is fairly small, I might not bother with the preferred location?

I would stick with the Preferred room for your first stay - that way you'll be sure to have a convenient location, and you can explore the resort while you're there and gauge for yourself if you'd be ok with a Standard location in the future. POP is a lot more compact than the sprawling mods like CBR, but it's still definitely bigger than POFQ.

Check out the Touring Plans POP Century page where you can look at the interactive layout and see all the room views, etc., and you can look at it on Google Maps and get a good idea of the size/layout.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I have a preferred room booked. I don't want to be concerned about room location. It's worth the extra bucks to me.

 

[luvnwdwgal]

I have a preferred room booked. I don't want to be concerned about room location. It's worth the extra bucks to me.

We did the same thing for next year. We booked 3 preferred pool view rooms cause we love the location. Stayed in one last year and had no issues with the noise at all. I don’t mind paying extra to get the rooms I want.

 

[mom2rtk]

Not sure how, but I managed to get a discount on our preferred Pop room in early January. I haven't seen a single room even available to book at full price, in any category, for a while (because we're there for 9 nights during the marathon). But I saw All Star Movies pop up for the "Gift of Magic" promotion and called to switch. They couldn't find that, but asked if they could put me on hold. Then came back and said they found a discount for me on my current Pop reservation!

I have a preferred room booked. I don't want to be concerned about room location. It's worth the extra bucks to me.

I spring for Preferred Pool at Pop whenever possible. Love the convenience.

 

[mr incredibleS1]

Not sure how, but I managed to get a discount on our preferred Pop room in early January. I haven't seen a single room even available to book at full price, in any category, for a while (because we're there for 9 nights during the marathon). But I saw All Star Movies pop up for the "Gift of Magic" promotion and called to switch. They couldn't find that, but asked if they could put me on hold. Then came back and said they found a discount for me on my current Pop reservation!

I spring for Preferred Pool at Pop whenever possible. Love the convenience.

Huh, I called today to add a package to our room only at Pop. The CM I spoke to checked the "Gift of Magic" promotion but said that we weren't eligible.

 

[mom2rtk]

Huh, I called today to add a package to our room only at Pop. The CM I spoke to checked the "Gift of Magic" promotion but said that we weren't eligible.

I'm still perplexed by it. I called for the "Gift of Magic" offer at All Star Movies, and they came back and said someone found a discount for us at Pop. No idea if it was the same promotion or not. But I don't know what else it would be. I was confused then, and I still am now.

 

[Izzy4672]

Has anyone taken the Skyliner to Hollywood Studios and/or Epcot from Pop? How long did it take including transfers?

 

[dansdad]

Has anyone taken the Skyliner to Hollywood Studios and/or Epcot from Pop? How long did it take including transfers?

Our experience was HS 13 minutes, EP 20 minutes.

 

[Izzy4672]

Our experience was HS 13 minutes, EP 20 minutes.

Thanks for your response. Have you taken the bus to Epcot or Hollywood Studios from Pop. Online it looks like the Pop bus was 15-20 min for both parks. So was the Skyliner any faster? Perhaps it’s faster because there is a shorter line to load the Skyliner than waiting for the bus to arrive?

 

[dansdad]

Thanks for your response. Have you taken the bus to Epcot or Hollywood Studios from Pop. Online it looks like the Pop bus was 15-20 min for both parks. So was the Skyliner any faster? Perhaps it’s faster because there is a shorter line to load the Skyliner than waiting for the bus to arrive?

Checking my notes, the bus was 7-12 minutes longer due to waiting for them to arrive.

 

[sky13]

The last time I stayed at Pop the toiletries were bar soap and some shampoo/conditioner combination (blushing orange if I don't remember wrongly).

Have heard that the toiletries have since changed to non-removable bottles - does anyone know what scent these are? And is it body foam, shampoo and conditioner? Trying to decide if I want to bring my own or if I'll be happy with the provided soap/shampoo/conditioner...

Our experience was HS 13 minutes, EP 20 minutes.

That sounds pretty amazing! I'm really looking forward to the Skyliner!

 

[scrappinginontario]

The last time I stayed at Pop the toiletries were bar soap and some shampoo/conditioner combination (blushing orange if I don't remember wrongly).

Have heard that the toiletries have since changed to non-removable bottles - does anyone know what scent these are? And is it body foam, shampoo and conditioner? Trying to decide if I want to bring my own or if I'll be happy with the provided soap/shampoo/

H2O brand shampoo, conditioner and body wash in large bottles secured to shower wall.

We really like them but you will find others who don’t.

If you really like your particular brand of toiletries I would take your own. If you don’t mind trying new options I’d use the Pop ones.