Disney's POP CENTURY RESORT Information & Questions

[luvnwdwgal]

I think it's all preference. I prefer building 2 and the 50s. I find it close and easy to grab a drink on the way to the bus and not at all far. Looking at the map there would be rooms in other buildings, even 3, that are just as far as bldg 2. I think bldg 2 is closer than some of the other buildings. It comes down to perception of distance and preference.

I always avoid building 2 because I don’t want to take the chance that our room will be out in that furthest wing. I think any room in building 1 or 3 is better cause even if it’s the same distance walking you have a better chance of getting a nicer view. Even if you do end up with a parking lot view in building 1, it’s still going to be a shorter walk to the Main building.

 

[scrappinginontario]

For a making a possible room request, is there pros and cons with what level/floor to request?

Context: We’ve paid for a preferred room to be close to amenities and will have 2 kids, 5 and 3, and will have a stroller.

We prefer floors 2-4 personally as our prefernce is to not be on the first floor. If you plan to nap in the room you may wish to request floor 4. We were in rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors but had no problems with sound from above. It really depends on your neighbours though.

 

[Kitty & Covs Covs]

For a making a possible room request, is there pros and cons with what level/floor to request?

Context: We’ve paid for a preferred room to be close to amenities and will have 2 kids, 5 and 3, and will have a stroller.

I read a fair amount about this question, and decided that the thing that most stood out to me was the ability to choose Art of Animation buses or Pop Century buses on the way home from the parks with basically no difference in walking if you're in the 60s building. So I put in for that, and if not that, lake view.

I've heard the buildings overlooking the main pool are very loud, but it could be that is under refurb when you're there (not sure your dates).

 

[eleda72]

Hello from Norway... So, DD (23) and I are going to WDW this summer for 14 nights and we have booked POFQ with the Bounce Back offer...
BUT, now I am thinking we might save some money and stay at POP instead... or maybe a split stay.
Would we be okey if we stayed at POP (maybe a preferred room) for 14 days? Or, should we do a split stay?

Thank you

 

[michyi]

Hello from Norway... So, DD (23) and I are going to WDW this summer for 14 nights and we have booked POFQ with the Bounce Back offer...
BUT, now I am thinking we might save some money and stay at POP instead... or maybe a split stay.
Would we be okey if we stayed at POP (maybe a preferred room) for 14 days? Or, should we do a split stay?

Thank you

I've never stayed at POR, but it looks lovely. I have stayed at Pop and loved it. 2 people in a room is perfect. There is a lot of storage space to unpack and not have to live out of your suitcase . We had a preferred room and stayed in building 10 70s section. Close to the main building and transportation. You will only have quick service, but the food is good. I liked breakfast best. Disney springs is a quick bus ride away and full of great food. Good luck and happy planning. I'd save the money if I had to choose. But either way, you'll have an amazing vacation.

 

[sWDWcopeland]

POP and POR are two of our favorites for different reasons. POP is busy and fun, we love the renovated rooms (storage). POR is more secluded and nice to feel like you're getting a break from the masses (lots of foliage helps with the illusion). You can also take the water launch to Disney Springs (peaceful). Do a split stay and try both. I would do POP first and then move to POR.
We had a hard time deciding for our trip in June. My daughter finally decided on POP for her birthday trip. You'll have a great time at either one. Enjoy your trip!

 

[Disneylover99]

Hello from Norway... So, DD (23) and I are going to WDW this summer for 14 nights and we have booked POFQ with the Bounce Back offer...
BUT, now I am thinking we might save some money and stay at POP instead... or maybe a split stay.
Would we be okey if we stayed at POP (maybe a preferred room) for 14 days? Or, should we do a split stay?

Thank you

Pop and POFQ are two of my favourites. I’d definitely recommend a week at each resort.

 

[teachmedis]

Do we know for sure that Petals is part of the Hippy Dippy Pool refurb?

If so,I would think they would set up a Bar in Everything Pop Food Court.

Also,The Drop Off is just a short walk across Generation Gap Bridge.

On the website it says Petals will be closed during the refurb...I suppose it may just be a matter of it being too close to whatever is going on at the pool. I'd probably just bring my own beverages if that were the case.

 

[Littlelily]

Thanks guys, hmmm, that’s interesting. I had been leaning towards ground floor but after the replies I think I’ll request something higher.

 

[Shellyb84]

Hello from Norway... So, DD (23) and I are going to WDW this summer for 14 nights and we have booked POFQ with the Bounce Back offer...
BUT, now I am thinking we might save some money and stay at POP instead... or maybe a split stay.
Would we be okey if we stayed at POP (maybe a preferred room) for 14 days? Or, should we do a split stay?

Thank you

Both resorts are great! With 14 nights I would do a split stay, one week at Pop and then move to POFQ for the second week.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Thanks guys, hmmm, that’s interesting. I had been leaning towards ground floor but after the replies I think I’ll request something higher.

we choose higher floors as we’re not a fan of the FL critters that can enter ground floor rooms a little more easily than upper floors.

They can be in any rooms but I believe less likely on the higher floors.

 

[SimplyTink]

Do we know for sure that Petals is part of the Hippy Dippy Pool refurb?

If so,I would think they would set up a Bar in Everything Pop Food Court.

Also,The Drop Off is just a short walk across Generation Gap Bridge.

So we just returned from a two week trip to PoP and had many conversations about this with the bartenders.
First, when Hippy Dippy closes, Petals is also supposed to be closed for a major refurb. I don't know if this will affect the laundry room and restrooms but I'm guessing the entire area will be closed off. And ALL the bartenders were not clear as to what Winter 2020 means - beginning of the year or end of 2020.
Second, they will be opening a makeshift bar inside of Everything PoP. For us oldtimers DH was hoping that meant they would put it back where it used to be in the corner (next to where they've been serving ice cream).
Even though The Drop Off is just a short walk I still gotta support my Petals Ohana

 

[SimplyTink]

Since we just got back I thought I would give our experience with the new room charging policy:
We had a one night at ASMovies and they did put a $100 hold on our card and even though we didn't charge anything it still took a couple of days for the charge to reverse (which is typical).
Then when we checked into Pop the next day we weren't supposed to have charging privileges but for two weeks we charged everything to the room until the night before we were to check out. We were trying to charge our dinner at Everything Pop and were told we didn't have the charging option. Anyway, we just used our cc and there was no problem of course and were told at the front desk what happened.
Now for the two weeks it did let us charge, most days I would see the charges on my cc for that day then a couple days later there would be a reversal of some of the charges. It was very confusing. I had to go through all my receipts and check them with the charges to make sure I wasn't overcharged.
Even the front desk personnel didn't know the exact policy for how often funds would be charged.
We've decided that we will be just using our cc from now on to avoid this confusion on our upcoming trips.

 

[KNovacovschi]

We just returned home on Saturday night after a 1 week stay at POP. This was our first stay since the renovations but stayed many times prior to the renovations. I liked the look of the room and enjoyed the new bed more then the old ones. It was just my husband and I so we didn’t need to bring down the Murphy bed so there was a lot of room. I didn’t even hit the corner of the bed once and that was a major concern since I’ve read lots of people have, no bruises here just a major sunburn, lol.

Just a couple of things that I wasn’t to impressed with was there were a lot of baby ants on the dresser and around the bathroom sink. I wanted to go the front desk but my husband didn’t want to since they weren’t anywhere else on the room, that we seen anyways. There was only a shower and no tub, which for me I like so I can soak my feet at night but that was ok.

We usually only book standard rooms because really a preferred is not needed here however I was able to book preferred at a good price with the AP discount so I did and I’m just confused on what POP considers preferred. We were in room 4461, 4th floor building 4, literally the last room of the building facing the splash pad and this is considered preferred. I’ve stayed standard in 50’s building 3 which was way closer then my preferred room. I’ve added a pic of the map, the red arrow was our room and the blue is standard. Doesn’t make sense to me at all. I will say if the Skyliner was open our room would’ve been the closest to the station.



We brought our own shampoo and body wash but didn’t end up using them and used the H2O products. I’ve always liked the product but the orange one so I wasn’t sure with the sea salt ones they use and it wasn’t bad. It did smell a bit like tee tree oil but that was ok.

In regards to the room charging policy. I paid off my room 2 weeks in advance and knew to still expect the $100 hold, which they put on at 6am on check in day. I had only ended up charging $75 to the room so that was fine. On day 5 they released the hold and charged my CC the $75 (hold on my card was $133 and charges were actually $104 but I’m Canadian so it was the exchange). Day 5 was Thursday for us and on Friday I went to return something at everything POP and they had to put the credit back to the room since I charged it there. I was concerned because I had no outstanding charges so it is supposed to be a credit. I went to the front desk to inquire and they said it would be applied after 5 days however I am still not seeing it as pending but I do see the 2nd $100 hold that was applied on day 6.

On Thursday a large group of teens checked in, when I asked the CM if it was cheerleaders she said yes but I think they were more grad trips then cheerleaders, espeuaince I didn’t think the cheer company were until later this month. They weren’t loud or anything so it was fine.

The food court was good. We were able to purchase a case of bottled water for $6.99, which made my DH happy. It was barely busy during the week but once Saturday morning came you couldn’t find a spot to eat. I’m guessing the Easter crowds.

Overall I still love this resort and will be back in September.

I tried to post pics of the Skyliner but they are to large.

 

[dansdad]

I’m just confused on what POP considers preferred.

Locations that are heavily requested get labeled Preferred so they can charge more $$. I have found the same situation you just realized at every resort that has Preferred rooms. When we figured that out many years ago we started booking Standard everywhere.

 

[Dug720]

We just returned home on Saturday night after a 1 week stay at POP. This was our first stay since the renovations but stayed many times prior to the renovations. I liked the look of the room and enjoyed the new bed more then the old ones. It was just my husband and I so we didn’t need to bring down the Murphy bed so there was a lot of room. I didn’t even hit the corner of the bed once and that was a major concern since I’ve read lots of people have, no bruises here just a major sunburn, lol.

Just a couple of things that I wasn’t to impressed with was there were a lot of baby ants on the dresser and around the bathroom sink. I wanted to go the front desk but my husband didn’t want to since they weren’t anywhere else on the room, that we seen anyways. There was only a shower and no tub, which for me I like so I can soak my feet at night but that was ok.

We usually only book standard rooms because really a preferred is not needed here however I was able to book preferred at a good price with the AP discount so I did and I’m just confused on what POP considers preferred. We were in room 4461, 4th floor building 4, literally the last room of the building facing the splash pad and this is considered preferred. I’ve stayed standard in 50’s building 3 which was way closer then my preferred room. I’ve added a pic of the map, the red arrow was our room and the blue is standard. Doesn’t make sense to me at all. I will say if the Skyliner was open our room would’ve been the closest to the station.

View attachment 394918

We brought our own shampoo and body wash but didn’t end up using them and used the H2O products. I’ve always liked the product but the orange one so I wasn’t sure with the sea salt ones they use and it wasn’t bad. It did smell a bit like tee tree oil but that was ok.

In regards to the room charging policy. I paid off my room 2 weeks in advance and knew to still expect the $100 hold, which they put on at 6am on check in day. I had only ended up charging $75 to the room so that was fine. On day 5 they released the hold and charged my CC the $75 (hold on my card was $133 and charges were actually $104 but I’m Canadian so it was the exchange). Day 5 was Thursday for us and on Friday I went to return something at everything POP and they had to put the credit back to the room since I charged it there. I was concerned because I had no outstanding charges so it is supposed to be a credit. I went to the front desk to inquire and they said it would be applied after 5 days however I am still not seeing it as pending but I do see the 2nd $100 hold that was applied on day 6.

On Thursday a large group of teens checked in, when I asked the CM if it was cheerleaders she said yes but I think they were more grad trips then cheerleaders, espeuaince I didn’t think the cheer company were until later this month. They weren’t loud or anything so it was fine.

The food court was good. We were able to purchase a case of bottled water for $6.99, which made my DH happy. It was barely busy during the week but once Saturday morning came you couldn’t find a spot to eat. I’m guessing the Easter crowds.

Overall I still love this resort and will be back in September.

I tried to post pics of the Skyliner but they are to large.

I hope that you at least told them about the ants at check-out since they really should know so they can treat for them.

 

[Disneylover99]

We just returned home on Saturday night after a 1 week stay at POP. This was our first stay since the renovations but stayed many times prior to the renovations. I liked the look of the room and enjoyed the new bed more then the old ones. It was just my husband and I so we didn’t need to bring down the Murphy bed so there was a lot of room. I didn’t even hit the corner of the bed once and that was a major concern since I’ve read lots of people have, no bruises here just a major sunburn, lol.

Just a couple of things that I wasn’t to impressed with was there were a lot of baby ants on the dresser and around the bathroom sink. I wanted to go the front desk but my husband didn’t want to since they weren’t anywhere else on the room, that we seen anyways. There was only a shower and no tub, which for me I like so I can soak my feet at night but that was ok.

We usually only book standard rooms because really a preferred is not needed here however I was able to book preferred at a good price with the AP discount so I did and I’m just confused on what POP considers preferred. We were in room 4461, 4th floor building 4, literally the last room of the building facing the splash pad and this is considered preferred. I’ve stayed standard in 50’s building 3 which was way closer then my preferred room. I’ve added a pic of the map, the red arrow was our room and the blue is standard. Doesn’t make sense to me at all. I will say if the Skyliner was open our room would’ve been the closest to the station.

View attachment 394918

We brought our own shampoo and body wash but didn’t end up using them and used the H2O products. I’ve always liked the product but the orange one so I wasn’t sure with the sea salt ones they use and it wasn’t bad. It did smell a bit like tee tree oil but that was ok.

In regards to the room charging policy. I paid off my room 2 weeks in advance and knew to still expect the $100 hold, which they put on at 6am on check in day. I had only ended up charging $75 to the room so that was fine. On day 5 they released the hold and charged my CC the $75 (hold on my card was $133 and charges were actually $104 but I’m Canadian so it was the exchange). Day 5 was Thursday for us and on Friday I went to return something at everything POP and they had to put the credit back to the room since I charged it there. I was concerned because I had no outstanding charges so it is supposed to be a credit. I went to the front desk to inquire and they said it would be applied after 5 days however I am still not seeing it as pending but I do see the 2nd $100 hold that was applied on day 6.

On Thursday a large group of teens checked in, when I asked the CM if it was cheerleaders she said yes but I think they were more grad trips then cheerleaders, espeuaince I didn’t think the cheer company were until later this month. They weren’t loud or anything so it was fine.

The food court was good. We were able to purchase a case of bottled water for $6.99, which made my DH happy. It was barely busy during the week but once Saturday morning came you couldn’t find a spot to eat. I’m guessing the Easter crowds.

Overall I still love this resort and will be back in September.

I tried to post pics of the Skyliner but they are to large.

Pop is one of those resorts where I prefer a standard room over a preferred room. Some of the standard rooms are closer to the main building then preferred and all lake view rooms are standard.

 

[KNovacovschi]

I hope that you at least told them about the ants at check-out since they really should know so they can treat for them.

That I did do.

 

[KNovacovschi]

Pop is one of those resorts where I prefer a standard room over a preferred room. Some of the standard rooms are closer to the main building then preferred and all lake view rooms are standard.

Yeah I usually book standard but preferred and preferred pool view were all that were left for AP discount when I booked. I’m glad I have standard in September again.

 

[BabybetterDisney]

Here is a post I wrote elsewhere to explain ways Pop/AofA is better than the Grand Floridian and the Beach Club, and I want to post it here:

I've stayed at GF club level, BC, and Pop (right next to AofA, basically the same hotel), though mostly Pop. Here are the benefits of Pop over GF:

1. From MK (and other parks), we can catch either AofA bus or Pop bus back, cutting the wait time by half when the bus lines are short. When the lines are long this trick doesn't work.
2. Pop and AofA each has their own dedicated buses, whereas MK shares a bus with the Poly at times, like from DHS even at night when it's crowded. My DS12 got upset when he realized that we had to share a bus, being that he was used to dedicated buses. (But maybe they won't do that after SWGE opens in August.)
3. Pop and AofA will have the gondola by Christmas! Imagine your kids getting a kick out of that! And you won't have to worry about the heat in the gondola in winter!
4. Pop and AofA get to Epcot in about 15 minutes on the bus or the gondola. GF takes 3 times that long on the monorail, and then you have to change monorail going up and down the ramp.
5. Pop and AofA takes 10 minutes to Animal Kingdom, 10 minutes to DHS, 15 minutes to DS on the bus. GF takes much longer for each being that it's farther away from those locations. GF is only close to MK. Everything else is a long haul.
6. Pop has all refurbished rooms with murphy beds that you pull up and down the wall. They are queen beds with new mattresses, so just as comfy as regular beds. My kids think that the bed in the wall is magical! AofA also has murphy beds.
7. Pop has shower doors. (I don't like that, but it's fancier than the shower curtains at GF.) There's also a big shower head that's much bigger than the one in GF.
8. Pop has giant yoyos (and other stuff) that encases the outside staircase. My kids love running up and down the stairs "in the yoyo."
9. Pop has giant Mickey and other statues that screams "Disney magic!" I enjoy the luxury feeling of GF, but the overwhelmingly Disney feeling in Pop feels just as wonderful, maybe more so!
10. You have 2 food courts to pick from, so a large variety of quick service food. Just walk across the bridge (5 minutes) and you get to the other food court. The Hourglass lake is gorgeous, better than the Seven Sea Lagoon outside GF, because the lake is small and often glassy so you can see reflections of the other side.
11 Most rooms in Pop are much closer to the main building/bus stops than the buildings in GF.
12. Pop/AofA doesn't have a ton of visitors coming to eat at the 3 sit down restaurants or just milling around the lobby. Though there might be more visitors once the gondola opens.
13. Pop/AofA each has a large video arcade. GF has a tiny little pathetic thing.
14. Pop has weird shaped pools: one looks like a flower petal and the other one a bowling pin. AofA has a very themed pool with statues and music in the water (I believe). A lot of kids love it.
15. You can watch the fireworks at DHS (very close) from certain buildings and rooms of Pop/AofA, and don't have to pay extra.
16. You will have fairly easy, quick access via gondola to the Boardwalk area, the new Rivera Resort, and Caribbean Beach resort to eat at their restaurants.

Pop/AofA has the same basic amenities as GF: free DME, bell service, maid service, impeccable and spotless grounds, queen size beds, frequent elevators. Last summer my baby threw up in bed in the middle of the night at Pop. I called and they sent two maids with a full cart to help me clean.

Here are the benefits Pop has over BC:

1. No long walks in hallways to get to your room where you get to see countless doors. I prefer the Pop hallways which are just walking balconies, completely open with fresh air and scenery, but still covered on top to protect against sun/rain.
2-6. Reasons 6-10 above. Mostly importantly, there is plentiful food selection and seating in Pop/AofA food courts. There are 2 tables total at BC inside. Otherwise you have to eat outside. AofA food court uses real plates and silverware, not paper and plastic.
7. Reason 3 above: gondolas! Of course, you can walk to Epcot to take the gondola.
8. you can get to DHS and back faster. That boat is so slow that it drives me crazy, and at park closing, the line to the boat for 5 hotels is often much worse than the lines to the dedicated buses. And of course, now there's the gondola! Though you can also take the gondola in DHS to Epcot and then walk back, but that's more round about and takes longer, requiring a transfer and more walking.
9. Pop/AofA has more space and fewer visitors. Beach Club feels small and crammed with tons of visitors to eat at Cap May or whatever. Pop/AofA has plenty of people, but the lobby and other areas are much bigger and don't feel so crowded.