I got home last night from my first stay at Pop. I was a solo traveler on a "mom-cation" this time and the resort fit my needs nicely. My experiences with a few things I've seen mentioned lately:
1) I was told I was not able to decline housekeeping and get the gift card since I booked at a discount through a TA. I didn't push the issue because it would have only been for two nights worth anyway.
2) I was able to request a box fan and it was brought to my room right away
3) I sent a room request fax through Touring Plans and it was obvious it had been received and honored, even though I did book through a TA. I requested bldgs 3 or 4, 4th floor, lake view, non-connecting room and received exactly that. The room number was 3417 and it had a tub.
4) The room was clean and the floors were mostly clean. It was obvious that they had swept and mopped but there were particulates left that were kicked up from mopping. I usually go over the floor again with a vacuum after mopping at home but I am a bit of a freak about clean floors.
5) They had 24 packs of the small Dasani water bottles in the food court by request. It was $7.99 and I was able to use my TIW discount which made it a no-brainer compared to buying individual bottles.
I enjoyed staying there and liked the room. It was comfortable and I didn't have any problems with noise from neighbors. I used both the box fan and an app on my phone for white noise. I was really impressed with the amount of storage in the rooms, even though I didn't need much for just a 3 night solo stay. I wish DVC rooms had this much storage!
The bus service worked well for me, I usually waited less than 5 minutes on either end except for leaving MK after close. Even though it was over an hour past closing time, the queue for Pop buses took up the space of 4 bus stops and it was overflowing!!! I got in the AOA queue instead because it was like a bus stop and a half. It was the right choice because a double bus came for AOA and fit almost everyone in while two buses came for Pop and barely put a dent in the line.
The only thing I didn't enjoy as much was the food court, lobby and main pool areas. It's a matter of personal preference though, I prefer the quiet ambient music that you hear at AKL or WL over the loud, boisterous pop music. The bowling pin pool was quieter though and I liked it there. I would definitely stay here again, especially for a solo trip when I'm not spending much resort time at the pool or common areas.
