Pop Century: Why do you love it or not?

[it's kelly]

I have just started planning a first ever adults-only trip to WDW for DH & I. YAY!!! DH has left the resort choice up to me. Probably going to be at WDW for a week (so 6 or 7 nights). I am considering Pop Century for a few different reasons, but I'm really interested in what YOUR experiences have been there. If you really liked Pop Century, why did you like it? If you didn't like it that much or you thought it was just "Meh, ok, but next time we'd rather stay elsewhere," why was that?

Give me the good, bad, and the ugly.

We will be using Magical Express & the associated luggage delivery. Probably not doing a split stay on this trip.

Some stuff I'm curious about:

• What did you think of the room?
• How was the check in process compared to other on site hotels you've stayed at?
• How busy was it in the food court in the morning getting breakfast?
• If you did or did not use housekeeping while you were there, what was that like?
• Are there towels at the pool or do you have to bring towels from your room?
• What was the bus service like going to the parks & getting back later in the day?
• If you used Uber, Lyft, or a Minnie Van, where was the pick up?
• What's your favorite building to stay in?
• If you were in a building with a longer walk to the food court/main building, how long was the walk?

We just returned from a 3 night stay. Being 2 adults (me/husband) who spend very little time in the room it works fine for us.

The newly refurbished rooms were nice with queen beds and plenty of outlets/USB.

I did online check in and received our room # through text so I never had to visit the lobby to check in/out.

We only visited the food court once in the morning to grab coffee/juice and a danish and the lines weren’t bad at all. We did get dinner in the food court one night and sat at a table out by the bar. There was very little wait and it moved quickly. No issues at all

We used housekeeping and came back to a clean room with new towels daily.

We used a bus to travel to MK and DS and really only waited once for a bus to arrive. Other times we got lucky and there was a bus waiting. We used the Skyliner for Epcot and I would use it again!

We were in building 6 room 6264. It was about a 3 minute walk to the lobby/food court but I didn’t find it a problem at all. We we’re facing the foosball area and it was rather quiet. My only complaint, which isn’t even a big deal, was the huge icon in front of my window keeping the sunlight out. Again, we weren’t in the room enough to find it a big enough problem to ask to be moved.

 

[Shanazam]

We have stayed at Pop twice now, and have another stay planned for next November. We found we love it!

• What did you think of the room? Clean, great use of storage, and roomy enough for our family of 3 (me, dh and dd 12).
• How was the check in process compared to other on site hotels you've stayed at? The same as other resorts. We always do online check-in so we have never needed to stand in line.
• How busy was it in the food court in the morning getting breakfast? Busy, but manageable. We always were able to find a place to sit and waits were not long at all.
• If you did or did not use housekeeping while you were there, what was that like? We always opt in for housekeeping, and never had any issues. I think they do a good job. They even left a cute little touch one day. There was a Mickey head stamped on the toilet paper roll
• Are there towels at the pool or do you have to bring towels from your room? All of the pools have towels.
• What was the bus service like going to the parks & getting back later in the day? Great, no complaints about the wait coming or going. The only issue is the Pop bus stops at most of the parks are really far away from the park exit. Last visit we were able to use the Skyliner to get to HS and Epcot though, which meant no wait for buses to those parks. It was amazing!
• If you used Uber, Lyft, or a Minnie Van, where was the pick up? It's right at the front lobby entrance.
• What's your favorite building to stay in? 60's
• If you were in a building with a longer walk to the food court/main building, how long was the walk? We were in the 90's section last time, which felt like a long walk to the Skyliner but wasn't really too bad of a walk to the main building/buses if we cut through the parking lot. Maybe 5-ish minutes (not sure as we never timed it)?

 

[snappy]

My daughter and I stayed many years ago when she was young, mostly because it was $49 per night and it was a budget trip. She liked it ok. We were in the 50’s, first floor. Constant stream of people outside the door. We heard people talking nextdoor and nearby toilets flushing during the night. Lots of guests smoking. It was winter and cold so we didn’t use the pool. We ate all meals in the parks. Only other thing I remember is I felt like we were in a little box while in the room. We haven’t been back.

 

[Lovetherodent]

I'm in the "meh...ok" group. There are some pretty nice features. I like the ONE bus stop, no driving around a resort for 20 minutes before you get on your way to the parks. The outdoor theming is awesome. The h and I spent a morning taking goofy pictures with it. The room is pretty Spartan (we had a King, so can't comment on the Murphy bed), and the bathroom is really small. Food court was loud an chaotic, even later in the day. Nothing wrong, per se and I'd stay again on a late arrival night or the night before an early flight, but probably not the whole trip. I spend time at the resort and like a frill or two, quiet places to eat, some hot tubs...

 

[WEDWDW]

I've read comments on other threads about 'the 15s.' What is that?

The 15s are Tour Groups of South American girls celebrating their 15th Birthday.

They are FAMOUS for their matching Backpacks and shirts and for their LARGE numbers!

Most are given the choice of a LARGE party at home or a trip to WDW(some will also go to NYC and Miami and Bahamas)and,in addition to WDW,most will also go to Universal,Sea World,Busch Gardens,etc.

Some will also have Private Parties(some with South American entertainers)as well as Quinceanera celebrations in World ShowPlace.

The largest numbers,BY FAR,are from Brazil and Argentina with smaller numbers from Uruguay,Paraguay,Chile,Venezuela,etc.

It is VERY interesting when Brazil and Argentina encounter each other-they DO NOT like each other-mainly because of Soccer.

Their rivalry is like Alabama v. Auburn or Ohio State v. Michigan on STEROIDS!

The "main" months for the migration of The 15s are July for their Winter Break and January/February for their Summer Break.

I am very familiar with The 15s as we go every July for my Birthday and,for the most part,they are really nice young ladies,but they can get "out of hand" at times!lol

They now use Private Buses alot and that has helped greatly as has the introduction of the Super Greeters in the Summer.

I present to you the LEGENDARY PHENOMENON KNOWN AS THE 15s!lol

 

[WEDWDW]

A couple of other things that are "unique" to POP are the AMAZING Shadow Boxes in the Lobby and the AMAZING POP Soundtrack!

What other WDW Resort can you be walking through and hear Harvest Moon by Neil Young begin to play?

The answer is NONE!

 

[Devil13]

Hate it.

Stayed twice. Check-in took forever both times (even with online check-in). New renovations look nice but the rooms are tiny to the point that the door hits the bed. Rooms were dirty both times.

Most importantly to me, it seems like the place is in a constant state of chaos. There's bewildered cast members, insane amount of people, out of control kids, etc.

Stayed at other values but this place was the worst. When I joked with my kids that we were going to stay there for an upcoming trip they said they'd rather go to school.

I know it's a favorite but everyone's experiences are different and we'd never go back.

 

[fla4fun]

Bottom line is I learned Value resorts are just not for us. I'd come within a few seconds of switching to WL and I wish I had. The other resorts seemed to have handled the issues smoother.

There is nothing wrong with preferring a moderate or deluxe. However, I believe I may have been there at the same time, only I was staying at the BWV, and there were plenty of very unhappy guests going through the same inconveniences. I was fortunate in a few ways in that my ticket was a paper AP, not connected to a package and already issued and activated, my cc was already on file since they couldn’t add or process cc transactions, and I was paying for food OOP anyway, so I didn’t have to deal with not being able to access credits. But every time I passed through the lobby there were lines of people complaining, so I don’t know that other resorts handled it much better. It was a pain wherever you were.

It’s funny how people perceive things differently. When I stay at Pop, I typically request the 80’s because I feel it’s very convenient to the food court and the buses. I stayed once in the 50’s and the walk felt much longer. The walks at Pop feel shorter than the walks I have had at AKL and BW/BWV. I like the organized bus queues at the values. I was at POFQ in August and I hated the crowded free for all when the buses arrived at the hotel. The buses didn’t stop in standardized locations so there wasn’t a way to form a line if you wanted to.

i have stayed at almost every WDW resort now, and I enjoy my value stays as much as any other. To me, it’s all about what I plan to do on the trip, the time of year, whether it’s solo or with others, etc., that drives my decision to choose a particular resort. When someone is considering a new resort choice, I always suggest they sit down and make a list of the amenities they would need to have a nice vacation whether they were at Disney or not, and then pick the resort that has the most items on their list.

 

[keith-atl]

Is the wait long for the sky liner? Staying here for Christmas/New Years with other families.

 

[Mome Rath]

It was a really short wait when I was there, but you are also going at a very busy time of year. Still, I'd imagine the wait won't be too long at all, as they load so fast.