WWYD? Pop, French Quarter, POP/Beach Club

[aebeauregard]

Curious to hear some opinions on my current booking dilemma. We are going May 4-11th during Flower and Garden time. We want to check that out but it is not our main reason for going. 4 guests total. Me, DH, DD (4), DS ( almost 2).

Currently trying to decide between:
POP all nights
FQ all nights (about $600 more than POP)
POP 5 nights and then BC 2 nights (roughly the same as all nights at FQ)

Not sure if I should save the money to help pay for our vacation food. We haven't stayed an any of the resorts before. I am nervous I'll feel like if we stay at BC I'll want to spend plenty of time at the resort but I also don't think we would want a non park day the last full day of our trip. Currently planning on having 6 day base tickets, but may move that to 5 day tickets instead.

Would love to hear some thoughts.

Thanks.

 

[Hopefully]

What is your budget?
Comparing POP and BC is like comparing apples and tires. They are nothing alike.
What is your goal?

 

[Disneylover99]

I’d definitely skip the Beach Club. Your kids are young. They don’t need a pool slide and I find storm along bay at the Beach Club busy and it’s difficult to properly supervise young children, plus a split stay for just two nights can be a pain.

I really like Pop and POFQ. I’d probably save my money and stick with Pop for a first resort trip.

 

[aebeauregard]

What is your budget?
Comparing POP and BC is like comparing apples and tires. They are nothing alike.
What is your goal?

We are trying to stay under 4000 total for everything. We only need to buy 1 airplane ticket this time (roughly $450) due to perks and miles. And our youngest is free.

I’ve gotten quotes for all these options from our travel agent and all the options keep us in our budget.

I wouldn’t hate to save the money by just staying at POP either. Our budget for sure doesn’t allow deluxe for the entire trip.

I’ve always wanted to try an Epcot resort. Also would like to have a pool with a little kid play area for part of the trip. Walking to Epcot or HS sounds lovely.

Not sure if the young kids will enjoy Beach Club theming much though.

 

[aebeauregard]

We could also swing staying 4 nights at POP and then switching to Wilderness Lodge for 3 nights.

How do people feel about younger kids at Wilderness Lodge?

 

[Disneylover99]

We are trying to stay under 4000 total for everything. We only need to buy 1 airplane ticket this time (roughly $450) due to perks and miles. And our youngest is free.

I’ve gotten quotes for all these options from our travel agent and all the options keep us in our budget.

I wouldn’t hate to save the money by just staying at POP either. Our budget for sure doesn’t allow deluxe for the entire trip.

I’ve always wanted to try an Epcot resort. Also would like to have a pool with a little kid play area for part of the trip. Walking to Epcot or HS sounds lovely.

Not sure if the young kids will enjoy Beach Club theming much though.

Both Pop and POFQ have a separate splash pad area. The one at POFQ is newer and nicer though.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

I would not do a split stay for only 2 nights--too much work for a short period, and like you said, probably don't want a resort day your last day so why go to that much trouble? If you're wanting convenient access to Epcot, what about just taking a minnie van on your Epcot day?

 

[HairyChest]

Do the 4/3 pop and wilderness. 3 nights will actually feel like a stay and wilderness lodge is much more special as opposed to beach club which to me is just a nice hotel close to Epcot. Wilderness will put you in a different world and the pool is beautiful as is the grounds. If not then do french quarter the whole time.

 

[happymommy]

I don't care for split stays; I would rather unpack and settle in.

I've had lovely stays at Pop, and your kids are still little so staying in one room sounds fine for you. It's got an awesome food court with lots of choices (that's one thing I don't care for with the Beach Club; not as much for quick food). If it were me, I'd do Pop!

Otherwise, have you looked into the Swan? It's also right there near Epcot, and when young my kids and I loved it there. Much nicer rooms than the Beach Club, with a lower price tag!

 

[stinkpickle]

With kids that young, I would probably do POP and use the savings on character meals and/or souvenirs.

 

[Micharlotte]

I’d definitely pick POFQ for the whole trip! It’s a great resort and I prefer a moderate to a value (although I’ve never stayed at Pop). The pool, slide and splash pad is awesome especially for the age of your kids. You’ll definitely love any of your choices!

 

[Minnie17]

My then 8y/o and I stayed at POFQ then 2 years later at POP! He much prefers POP! He liked POFQ at the time but now wants to go back to POP! next year. Whatever you decide enjoy your trip.

 

[disny_luvr]

I’d probably pick POFQ. It’s a lovely resort. The pool is great and has a very nice splash pad for little kids. The food court is excellent with a nice variety of offerings. The resort is compact so you never are far from anything. There is a boat that you can take to Disney Springs and the boat ride is lovely. It’s also right beside POR. That resort is very nice, too. You can walk between the two of them and the walk along the river is quiet nice. I feel like when I’m at POR or POFQ I’m away from the hustle and bustle of the theme parks but very much in Disney, if that makes sense.

I am not a fan of POP; we stayed there once and that was one time too many. POP is chaotic to me; it’s loud and not a retreat from the parks. The rooms are tiny. We had two-year-old twins when we last stayed there, and with our double stroller, our room was very cramped. It’s just not a favorite of ours, POFQ is much nicer.

 

[hoffj070]

I’d probably pick POFQ. It’s a lovely resort. The pool is great and has a very nice splash pad for little kids. The food court is excellent with a nice variety of offerings. The resort is compact so you never are far from anything. There is a boat that you can take to Disney Springs and the boat ride is lovely. It’s also right beside POR. That resort is very nice, too. You can walk between the two of them and the walk along the river is quiet nice. I feel like when I’m at POR or POFQ I’m away from the hustle and bustle of the theme parks but very much in Disney, if that makes sense.

I agree with this, so would pick POFQ as well. Also, I wouldn't want to do a split stay with young children. We almost did last time, but I was glad once we were there I could just settle in to the room. For me, packing up always takes longer than it probably should and we don't even unpack things from the suitcase.

 

[HopperFan]

Since your kids are small and POP now has queen beds, I'd stay there and use the money for eats etc.

 

[lbus42]

How about renting points for a DVC Villa? I just put your vacation dates into Dave’s Vacation Rentals and you could get a value room at Animal Kingdom for $1224.

 

[Hi Pluto]

Actually, we're thinking our next trip will be a split at pop/BC. Here's why:

Pop positives:
-Pop renovated rooms are quite nice. You feel pretty sophisticated in there.
-The pull down bed will be fun for your kids.
-The food court is amazing! (This coming from someone who LOVES table service).
-It will save you money.
-It has an arcade, shopping, and you can walk over to AOA, which has some very cute play areas for your kids to explore.
-The skyliner gondola should be cool.

Then to BC because:
-The pool is amazing. There is a very lovely sandy beach/water area that your kids will love. (Buy a kids meal at Hurricane Hanna's and it comes in a bucket with shovel.)
-The kids club is my son's favorite thing.
-The whole resort gives that classy feel. And smells good too.
-Walking to Epcot/hollywood studios is wonderful. The boats are also great.
-You can cruise the boardwalk, which is especially fun at night.
-Cape May, Beaches and Cream... yum.

Honestly, if you can swing it, I'd switch one of the pop days to BC so you can really embrace it. We imagine going for 3 nights at each. Switching resorts is easy. You just give the luggage to the bell services and request they move it to the second. Done. But, if you do decide to stick to just pop or just french quarter, then you can always have an excuse to go back to try another resort.

~Cari~

 

[aebeauregard]

Well you guys have me talked out of BC for this trip.

And I also think the split stay thing with the littles may be stressful. I hate packing and unpacking when we go to grandmas and the cabin etc....maybe until the kids get older we hold of and just settle in one spot.

So now do I stay FQ or save $600 and stay POP?

I don’t see us staying in the parks all day everyday. I’m a rope dropping person but I’m sure we will come back for a break or come back by early evenings. FQ seems better for having downtime but still having things to do. But if we stay at POP we can probably enjoy a few extra character meals etc...

 

[Shanti]

Curious to hear some opinions on my current booking dilemma. We are going May 4-11th during Flower and Garden time. We want to check that out but it is not our main reason for going. 4 guests total. Me, DH, DD (4), DS ( almost 2).

Currently trying to decide between:
POP all nights
FQ all nights (about $600 more than POP)
POP 5 nights and then BC 2 nights (roughly the same as all nights at FQ)

Not sure if I should save the money to help pay for our vacation food. We haven't stayed an any of the resorts before. I am nervous I'll feel like if we stay at BC I'll want to spend plenty of time at the resort but I also don't think we would want a non park day the last full day of our trip. Currently planning on having 6 day base tickets, but may move that to 5 day tickets instead.

Would love to hear some thoughts.

Thanks.

For a May trip I would absolutely want resort time to enjoy the pools and other types of relaxation, and the best place for that would be Beach Club with Stormalong Bay, which is also in close proximity to the Boardwalk with its family bicycle surreys and evening entertainment, and to Fantasia Mini-Golf. That would be a wonderful way to end the trip.

 

[Nancyg56]

I’d definitely pick POFQ for the whole trip! It’s a great resort and I prefer a moderate to a value (although I’ve never stayed at Pop). The pool, slide and splash pad is awesome especially for the age of your kids. You’ll definitely love any of your choices!

I would as well. POFQ is a perfect little resort to stay when you have young ones. My DGD was 4 the first time we stayed there, and she was enchanted. I was as well, because it was not so large that I had a trek with her to get anywhere. No building is far from anything. It is also very restful, which I found very welcoming after the overstimulation that can occur in the parks.