Pop Century Room Renovations

[kaytieeldr]

I hope I luck out and get a room that has never even been slept in, not likely but would be a nice little thought to be the first ones in a "new" room.

You would have to check in on a day that a renovated building reopened. Even then there's no guarantee, unless you want for the last building to be comp!eted.

I know this is total speculation, but I'd love some opinions.

I am going to be at Pop October 22-25. I want a refurbished room, however I really love preferred room locations. Should I book a standard room or a preferred room? I'm not sure what will be ready by late October. I think refurbished wins over location right now, but I really want both of course!

There are no preferred rooms refurbished or being refurbished at this point. Either building 10 or building 7 might be done and reopened by then. Iffy, since no work has begun.

Anyway, refurbished is a request. Preferred is a booking category. You decide.

 

[goofyistheman]

We are going to be there the week of Oct 15th. We have 2 preferred pool rooms booked. If I understand correctly, that means they are in the 60's building. We will have 2 kids and 2 adults in each room.

We are trying to decide if it is worth it to change our reservation to maybe get a preferred room or keep our current rooms. Any thoughts?

 

[Kaytie]

Due to people with a fear of heights is not an insignificant number they will have to continue to provide bus transportation anyway. Maybe I've missed something, but was it announced that the new Gondola is going to be the ONLY WDW transportation to Studios and Epcot?

Nope, entirely speculation. But a Moderator on the DisABILITIES forum did just post that the gondola will be able to accommodate strollers, wheelchairs, and ECVs - with( standard) size limitations.

 

[bluezy]

One of the big difference with Gondola's at ski resorts is that they point to point cars that are FIXED to the cable. In order for a Gondola to work in this setting it is going to have to be like the old Skyride type vehicles that are not "permanently" attached to the cable, but rather cars that come off of the cable onto a track (maybe multiple tracks) in order to unload/load at a speed slower than the cable. Seeing as how the cars aren't semi-permanently attached to the cable, wind is definitely going to have to be a consideration.


Understood. Based on the conceptual drawings the gondolas would only hold 6 maybe 8 people. Not even sure if an ECV would fit. Maybe they will be bigger than the conceptual drawings. Also, what about people with a fear of heights? Fear of heights may be protected as a disability under the ADA and as such Disney may have to arrange alternate transportation for them.

Don't get me wrong, I love the gondola idea and am looking forward to it. I actually envision a system where someone can go from Pop to Epcot without ever getting out of their Gondola, routing cars around the loading/unloading station at each of the nodes.

I haven't seen anyone say that wind won't be an operational consideration at all -- just that the system will be fairly "wind proof" (my term because I can't think of the term they used) and that wind will be less of a factor than the average person anticipates. They claim (based on similar transportation systems <not necessarily at ski resorts> in other parts of the world) that wind is not a big issue. I'm not an expert on these systems by any stretch of the imagination, but I've done a lot of reading about them since these permits were filed and rumors started to be confirmed by Disney insiders. I just have to put my trust in the company providing the system (who *DOES* have expertise and decades of experience with these systems) to know what will work best in Florida. I can't see Disney investing in a system that would need to be shut down every time there's wind, rain, etc. The thing would be shut down more than it would be running if every little weather issue would cause a shutdown.

It is believed by "experts" that the drawings of the gondolas released at D23 are not drawn to scale and were created simply to give a general idea of the look of them and to show the Disney character window artwork. They are Disney drawings, not pictures of actual cars provided by the manufacturer. Based on information on the company's systems and Disney's "insider information" of how many people this system will handle in an hour, the cars will hold 8-10 people. Personally, even looking a videos of actual cars, I'm not sure how inexperienced ECV drivers will be able to get in and out of the cars efficiently (well, I guess one of those directions should be easy as they'll just have to drive in a straight line. But one of the times they're going to have to back up....unless they have specific cars for ECV's that don't have seating on one side in order to provide enough room to turn around....????), but "experts" have insisted over and over again that it's not going to be an issue. Time will tell.

I would love if there would be alternate (free) transportation for those guests with a fear of heights. I'm definitely in that category and can guarantee that my blood pressure will sky rocket (no pun intended) while using this system. I will probably need to do some light meditation to avoid an anxiety attack. But I do look forward to trying this system once it's in place. (Sounds weird, I know, but I love having a good view -- I just can't look down. ). This issue has been hashed over and over again on another message board and the "insiders" have consistently indicated there will not be any bus service to these parks once the system is running. And they're pretty adamant about it. It's really not that different than the monorail or boat transportation in that there are people who have fears of heights and or water and there is no alternate transportation provided from the MK resorts to MK and/or Epcot (other than walking between CR and MK). Disney doesn't have a bus running to and from MK and EP for guests at those resorts who have fears that make those modes of transportation uncomfortable. Believe me, I would *LOVE* for there still to be a bus running from Pop/AoA to DHS & EP, but between current practice and the insider confirmation, I'm 99.9% sure that's not going to happen.

 

[jakeybake]

We just got back. Ended up in a refurbished room. We liked it a lot but I have to say that when you have teenagers who sleep later than you do it would be nice to have a table to sit at to read or eat. I really disliked not having a permanent table. Also, one night we came home and there were bugs in our bed. We freaked and called down and the manager and an exterminator came up and did a thorough check for bed bugs. They didn't find anything (I killed the ones we saw immediately) but I said I wasn't comfortable sleeping there. The manager David was great and he moved us to a Finding Nemo suite at the Art of Animation. The extra room and location to the pool and front desk area was great.

All in all it was a great trip but we won't be stating at POP again. Just not our style.

 

[Sailormoon2]

@jakeybake Freaky about the bugs, but seems like you got awesome customer service in how they handled it!

 

[madzy]

I am in the minority on here, but I was hoping to get a non refurbed room (for nostalgic reasons) for our trip the last week of November. I was hoping to get a 50's room but I am sure the gondola construction will be going on over there. So instead of stressing over it, when I do on line check in I am just going to request near transportation and be happy wherever they put me.

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

We just got back. Ended up in a refurbished room. We liked it a lot but I have to say that when you have teenagers who sleep later than you do it would be nice to have a table to sit at to read or eat. I really disliked not having a permanent table. Also, one night we came home and there were bugs in our bed. We freaked and called down and the manager and an exterminator came up and did a thorough check for bed bugs. They didn't find anything (I killed the ones we saw immediately) but I said I wasn't comfortable sleeping there. The manager David was great and he moved us to a Finding Nemo suite at the Art of Animation. The extra room and location to the pool and front desk area was great.

All in all it was a great trip but we won't be stating at POP again. Just not our style.

Wow! Bugs in the bed of a refurbished room! I would have freaked too. Glad they made it right and checked everything really good. I would have been paranoid about my items in the room.

 

[DisneyMom93]

We just got back. Ended up in a refurbished room. We liked it a lot but I have to say that when you have teenagers who sleep later than you do it would be nice to have a table to sit at to read or eat. I really disliked not having a permanent table. Also, one night we came home and there were bugs in our bed. We freaked and called down and the manager and an exterminator came up and did a thorough check for bed bugs. They didn't find anything (I killed the ones we saw immediately) but I said I wasn't comfortable sleeping there. The manager David was great and he moved us to a Finding Nemo suite at the Art of Animation. The extra room and location to the pool and front desk area was great.

All in all it was a great trip but we won't be stating at POP again. Just not our style.

Eek. Bugs. Glad that worked out for you though.

So why can't the teens sleep on the regular bed and the adults sleep on the Murphy bed?

 

[dansdad]

I would love if there would be alternate (free) transportation for those guests with a fear of heights.

Unless there is a major change handed down from way up high, the buses will still be an option. One of the major selling points to the General Managers of CBR, Pop and AoA is that the gondolas will not replace the buses but be in addition to.

 

[bluezy]

Unless there is a major change handed down from way up high, the buses will still be an option. One of the major selling points to the General Managers of CBR, Pop and AoA is that the gondolas will not replace the buses but be in addition to.

You don't know how much I want you to be right about this. I know I shouldn't even be giving this a fleeting thought at this point in time as the system won't be up and running by our next trip and by the time we go back after that trip, the system will most likely have been up and running for months (or possibly over a year) and all the kinks and details will be worked out. I have no control over any of this other than how I react to it so it shouldn't even be on my radar at this point. It's just frustrating because some people (like you) who have a history of having good information are saying there will still be buses but other very reliable insiders are insisting there won't be. Obviously someone's going to be wrong and I *soooo* hope it's not you. But if you're right, there better be buses running to these parks more than once an hour or you're paying for my Minnie Van!

 

[Kaytie]

We liked it a lot but I have to say that when you have teenagers who sleep later than you do it would be nice to have a table to sit at to read or eat. I really disliked not having a permanent table.

Future guests, knowing this, can have the teen(s) sleep in the basic bed, and themselves sleep in the identically sized Murphy bed.

I was hoping to get a 50's room but I am sure the gondola construction will be going on over there.

If you're willing and able to upgrade, try for a standard pool view and request 50s.

 

[Kindermouse]

We just got back. Ended up in a refurbished room. We liked it a lot but I have to say that when you have teenagers who sleep later than you do it would be nice to have a table to sit at to read or eat.

This is good insight because I am always up first and I go get coffe and breakfast and bring them back to the room to eat while I get ready since I take longer than my son who sleeps as late as I will let him and get ready in 5 minutes by dressing brushing his teeth and putting on a hat. I will want that table so I'll be taking the Murphy bed-if they have refurbed room in a preffered area that is.

one night we came home and there were bugs in our bed. We freaked and called down and the manager and an exterminator came up and did a thorough check for bed bugs. They didn't find anything (I killed the ones we saw immediately) but I said I wasn't comfortable sleeping there.

Unfortunately it can happen anywhere. I have read enough reports of confirmed bed bugs at the Polly and contemporary to know that no resort can keep them out 100%. The thing I'm most interested in is how it is dealt with. Sounds like they did a good job. However I would probably be like you, and not be comfortable going back. It is what it is, and once I get the heebie jeebies from a place there is no going back.

 

[ekidwell0001]

My DH and I are taking his cousin (14) from 9/9-9/18. With having another person in our party, i went for just a standard room at Pop which is our all time favorite resort!! What are your suggestions for our "room request"??? We have 51 sleeps until we arrive!! A refurbished room sounds great, but we stayed in the 90's building once and i absolutely hated it. i felt like we were away from the rest of the resort and it was such a LONG walk from the main building that we ended up cutting through the parking lot each morning, not very magical Do you think i should request 50's building 3??? We got an email stating there would be construction but nothing would be going on from dusk until 9am, so i really don't care about them working while we're enjoying the park. Any suggestions welcome

 

[Sue M]

I haven't seen anyone say that wind won't be an operational consideration at all -- just that the system will be fairly "wind proof" (my term because I can't think of the term they used) and that wind will be less of a factor than the average person anticipates. They claim (based on similar transportation systems <not necessarily at ski resorts> in other parts of the world) that wind is not a big issue. I'm not an expert on these systems by any stretch of the imagination, but I've done a lot of reading about them since these permits were filed and rumors started to be confirmed by Disney insiders. I just have to put my trust in the company providing the system (who *DOES* have expertise and decades of experience with these systems) to know what will work best in Florida. I can't see Disney investing in a system that would need to be shut down every time there's wind, rain, etc. The thing would be shut down more than it would be running if every little weather issue would cause a shutdown.

It is believed by "experts" that the drawings of the gondolas released at D23 are not drawn to scale and were created simply to give a general idea of the look of them and to show the Disney character window artwork. They are Disney drawings, not pictures of actual cars provided by the manufacturer. Based on information on the company's systems and Disney's "insider information" of how many people this system will handle in an hour, the cars will hold 8-10 people. Personally, even looking a videos of actual cars, I'm not sure how inexperienced ECV drivers will be able to get in and out of the cars efficiently (well, I guess one of those directions should be easy as they'll just have to drive in a straight line. But one of the times they're going to have to back up....unless they have specific cars for ECV's that don't have seating on one side in order to provide enough room to turn around....????), but "experts" have insisted over and over again that it's not going to be an issue. Time will tell.

I would love if there would be alternate (free) transportation for those guests with a fear of heights. I'm definitely in that category and can guarantee that my blood pressure will sky rocket (no pun intended) while using this system. I will probably need to do some light meditation to avoid an anxiety attack. But I do look forward to trying this system once it's in place. (Sounds weird, I know, but I love having a good view -- I just can't look down. ). This issue has been hashed over and over again on another message board and the "insiders" have consistently indicated there will not be any bus service to these parks once the system is running. And they're pretty adamant about it. It's really not that different than the monorail or boat transportation in that there are people who have fears of heights and or water and there is no alternate transportation provided from the MK resorts to MK and/or Epcot (other than walking between CR and MK). Disney doesn't have a bus running to and from MK and EP for guests at those resorts who have fears that make those modes of transportation uncomfortable. Believe me, I would *LOVE* for there still to be a bus running from Pop/AoA to DHS & EP, but between current practice and the insider confirmation, I'm 99.9% sure that's not going to happen.

But the MK resorts ( GF & Poly) do have alternate transportation to MK. Either monorail or boat. And CR you can walk. WL has boat or bus. So imo these resorts should still have bus service in addition to skyway.

 

[Jellybass]

My DH and I are taking his cousin (14) from 9/9-9/18. With having another person in our party, i went for just a standard room at Pop which is our all time favorite resort!! What are your suggestions for our "room request"??? We have 51 sleeps until we arrive!! A refurbished room sounds great, but we stayed in the 90's building once and i absolutely hated it. i felt like we were away from the rest of the resort and it was such a LONG walk from the main building that we ended up cutting through the parking lot each morning, not very magical Do you think i should request 50's building 3??? We got an email stating there would be construction but nothing would be going on from dusk until 9am, so i really don't care about them working while we're enjoying the park. Any suggestions welcome

For us we are the opposite, we don't need (or even want) to go into the main building as we are early risers and late returning people. The only time we see the main building is at check in and we may not even see that this year with online check in. We like to get to and from the bus as quickly as possible so 80's/90's next to the parking lot is ideal for us as it cuts our time.

 

[BelleEileen1113]

Did online check-in for 9/17 arrival today. Here's hoping for one of the new rooms...I chose 90s for first request and 80s for second request. Hopefully, the opening dates for the two 80s buildings were accurate!

 

[avic77]

I have not put in my online request as I am still not sure if I want refurbished or old room.
How bad are the "old beds"?

 

[Jellybass]

I have not put in my online request as I am still not sure if I want refurbished or old room.
How bad are the "old beds"?

I never had any problem with the old beds in terms of comfort, it is just that they are full (or doubles, whatever the correct name is) and I am very tall.

 

[avic77]

Anyone stay in a refurbished room and used a Cot or Air Mattress yet?