Staying at POP and I'm concerned

[rsoxguy]

Hey vitani88, I've stayed at all of the All Stars, and I can share a thought or two about the Value "resorts" at WDW.
First, they are fairly consistent regarding cleanliness and service. Really nothing special, mind you, but still consistent.
Second, the rooms are fairly small and the atmosphere outside can seem busy and loud at times. The amenities are humble. Disney labels them as resorts, but in truth it is better to consider them as ornate motels if disappointment is to be avoided.
Third, the "value" of these resorts can only be established in connection with the bus service provided throughout the Disney property. I travel by car, so this point is less attractive for me.

Quite honestly, there are better monetary deals for larger rooms to be found off of the Disney property, but all in all the Value Resorts can be considered as being whimsical, clean, and convenient for the out of State traveler.

 

[rufio]

Hey vitani88, I've stayed at all of the All Stars, and I can share a thought or two about the Value "resorts" at WDW.
First, they are fairly consistent regarding cleanliness and service. Really nothing special, mind you, but still consistent.
Second, the rooms are fairly small and the atmosphere outside can seem busy and loud at times. The amenities are humble. Disney labels them as resorts, but in truth it is better to consider them as ornate motels if disappointment is to be avoided.
Third, the "value" of these resorts can only be established in connection with the bus service provided throughout the Disney property. I travel by car, so this point is less attractive for me.

Quite honestly, there are better monetary deals for larger rooms to be found off of the Disney property, but all in all the Value Resorts can be considered as being whimsical, clean, and convenient for the out of State traveler.

Thanks for your reply! We'll be driving also, but definitely prefer to be on property. The only moderate available during our stay was Caribbean Beach and, as they don't have queen sized beds either, we opted to go with POP and keep our fingers crossed for a king. I have heard that they don't even have coffee makers, which is pretty shocking, honestly - I've never stayed anywhere without a coffee maker. I wonder if there's a microwave... We usually take things to make oatmeal for breakfast.

 

[TheMouseFan]

Thanks for your reply! We'll be driving also, but definitely prefer to be on property. The only moderate available during our stay was Caribbean Beach and, as they don't have queen sized beds either, we opted to go with POP and keep our fingers crossed for a king. I have heard that they don't even have coffee makers, which is pretty shocking, honestly - I've never stayed anywhere without a coffee maker. I wonder if there's a microwave... We usually take things to make oatmeal for breakfast.

Actually, Jamaica and Aruba at CBR do have queen beds now if that makes a difference to you! Have a great trip!!

 

[Tuvalu]

I wonder if there's a microwave... We usually take things to make oatmeal for breakfast.

No microwave in the room. Not sure about in the food court since I have never needed one.

 

[BigRedDad]

As big of a proponant I am of staying in Value resorts, I just upgraded to a Deluxe. It is through a timeshare rental which is drastically less than a DVC renter and barely more than my Value ressie. With that being said, I expect to be concerned about being there. As much as I am going to enjoy it, I am sure I will overhear something from someone about doing a cannonball in the pool or something. I am picturing it as something like "Caddy Day" at Bushwood Country Club.

 

[SagamoreBeach]

I have stayed at Deluxe, Moderates and Value Resorts. For my expectations a Value resort works just fine for me. the last time I stayed at All-Star Music, I had a room right across from the pool and a short walk to the food court. It was great! I can't say that I was bothered by any noise or foot traffic. This past March I stayed in Carribean Beach Resort... and looking at the cost...All-Star Music would have been just fine. With that being said, my favorite will always be Animal Kingdom Lodge. As far as cleanliness goes...I have never encountered a problem at any of the resorts.
-T

 

[Mainahman]

I stayed at POP back in 2012 and loved it! Our fridge didnt work right off, but they brought us a new one when i called the front desk. As a daily habitual oatmeal eater, i went to goodwill, and bought a electric tea kettle. It fit in my checked bag, and i was able to cook my oatmeal every morning with piping hot water, the kiddo also could make ramen at night if she was still hungry. That worked out well. If i was driving, i would just bring my camping coffee maker and have hot water that way too.

We loved POP! and will be staying there on future trips. We had a room right around the corner from Balu on the back bordering the lake. Not once did we ever have a sound problem, then again we were up to catch rope drop, and back late after being at whatever park had Extra Magic Hours. Being on the back side, was still close enough to the food court and the busses, yet away from the pool noise.

 

[Spencerrr]

I have stayed at Pop 3 times and my only complaints are that it is very crowded and sometimes in the morning waiting for a bus you will have to catch the 2nd and even 3d bus ... and if you leave MK around closing time you will sit at the bust stop for almost an hour

 

[PAW PAW 70]

Stayed at POP last 4 yrs. and going back this November. Always great and the food court is great for kids and adults. Has it's own bus to take you to the parks and rooms always clean.

 

[chipndale76]

We have stayed at Pop two times, we loved it. I too was concerned as we had always stayed at moderate or deluxe resorts. We had a great experience each time. The pools are great, and the food court is awesome. The good court offers so many options that some of the other resorts do not. It's a great option when trying to do Disney a little less expensive.

 

[AngryEyes]

(Not-So) Quick review of POP from trip ending 9/14.

Notes: This was my first time not staying in a deluxe. We had the free dining plan (upgraded to regular). There were only two of us, me and my daughter. We had a rental car. We avoid EMH.

Took the bus once, hated it. We never had any problems taking the bus on previous trips, but with so many rooms, even at a slow time, it was just crazy. Standing in the sun waiting in a queue for a bus is just not for me. So, after that first trip, we just drove everywhere.

The room was nice, clean, and comfortable, yet small. It was fine for the two of us, but with four it would feel really crowded. I honestly don't know where all the luggage and clothes would go. The two of us had one suitcase and a duffle bag and that room was packed. You'd have to wedge things in. It could be done, but for me, it would be too crowded.

No issues with noise at all.

Food court was good. Even when crowded, it seemed the lines moved fast and I think they really did a great job with the size of the seating area, because every table was full pretty much every time we went in, yet we were always able to sit immediately. Constant turnover.

Other common areas were fine, nice and clean.

Cast members were great in all areas.

So, in summary, I think it's a nice place and I would stay there again with free dining and two people. Pricewise, if it's during free dining and with four people, it's not that much more expensive to do a moderate (if you're going to upgrade from quick service plan, which we would), so that's what we're doing our next trip in December. We'll see how that works out.

If I were heading down without free dining, I would not stay in a value again. There's just no benefit, especially if I'm going to drive everywhere. If my choice was value or nothing, I would get a one- or two-bedroom suite somewhere off property for the same price or lower.

I can certainly see why someone would prefer to stay for the immersion and whatnot, but if I'm driving, I'm losing that, anyway, so I'd just stay elsewhere.

 

[JillC LI]

A fair and open-minded review.

Pricewise, if it's during free dining and with four people, it's not that much more expensive to do a moderate (if you're going to upgrade from quick service plan, which we would), so that's what we're doing our next trip in December.

This is what we have done twice now. It was literally $27 more total to switch from Pop (with free QS dining upgraded to regular DDP) to CBR with free regular DDP.

 

[JohnD]

I'm staying at POP 10/19-25. For all my activities (MNSSHP, F&W Festival, several Backstage tours), I just need a place to sleep. It's all I need. It really depends on what your needs are. If you're looking for more amenties and "down time" then, yes, a moderate might be better.

 

[Suwithoutane]

We've stayed in a variety of Disney resorts, including DVC studios and the cabins at FW, and while they have all been very different, I'm not sure I've ever seen or heard anything that would make me say I would never stay in a value resort. Are the deluxes nicer, with more amenities? Yes. So I can see, having had that, people might not want to give those up, but it's like saying you'd never eat a cheeseburger again after having a steak. You're getting less, yes, but you're paying significantly less so enjoy it for what it is instead of going into it prepared to be disappointed. We're staying at Pop for the first time in November, and I'm looking forward to a new experience (and to saving a little cash!)

 

[kbelle]

There are several reasons why I stay at the value resorts- Cost- For a 7-10 day visit we save over $500 a week. We use that money to pay for our meals and shopping. The people- We meet such nice people on the shuttles and around the hotel. The one time we stayed at the Old Key West it was so pretenious and people were just not as friendly.

 

[rufio]

(Not-So) Quick review of POP from trip ending 9/14.

Notes: This was my first time not staying in a deluxe. We had the free dining plan (upgraded to regular). There were only two of us, me and my daughter. We had a rental car. We avoid EMH.

Took the bus once, hated it. We never had any problems taking the bus on previous trips, but with so many rooms, even at a slow time, it was just crazy. Standing in the sun waiting in a queue for a bus is just not for me. So, after that first trip, we just drove everywhere.

The room was nice, clean, and comfortable, yet small. It was fine for the two of us, but with four it would feel really crowded. I honestly don't know where all the luggage and clothes would go. The two of us had one suitcase and a duffle bag and that room was packed. You'd have to wedge things in. It could be done, but for me, it would be too crowded.

No issues with noise at all.

Food court was good. Even when crowded, it seemed the lines moved fast and I think they really did a great job with the size of the seating area, because every table was full pretty much every time we went in, yet we were always able to sit immediately. Constant turnover.

Other common areas were fine, nice and clean.

Cast members were great in all areas.

So, in summary, I think it's a nice place and I would stay there again with free dining and two people. Pricewise, if it's during free dining and with four people, it's not that much more expensive to do a moderate (if you're going to upgrade from quick service plan, which we would), so that's what we're doing our next trip in December. We'll see how that works out.

If I were heading down without free dining, I would not stay in a value again. There's just no benefit, especially if I'm going to drive everywhere. If my choice was value or nothing, I would get a one- or two-bedroom suite somewhere off property for the same price or lower.

I can certainly see why someone would prefer to stay for the immersion and whatnot, but if I'm driving, I'm losing that, anyway, so I'd just stay elsewhere.

Thanks for the review!

We just got back late last night from POP and we didn't love it, unfortunately. We'll definitely be staying at DVC resorts every time in the future - moderates if we can't get a room in time. Our room was not that clean. I have a real issue with needing spotless sheets (not a lot to ask, honestly) and every time they changed our sheets there were black and orange marks on them. How hard is it to keep sheets white with bleach? The rest of the main room space was okay but there was what I can only assume was poop on the outside of the toilet bowl. Found it at night and my husband was willing to take one for the team and clean it off while I had a minor germaphobe panic attack. The food court was fine but we didn't spend a lot of time there.

 

[Pax]

I'll chime in. We just returned from a trip for F&W yesterday (10/5) and stayed at All Star Music for the first time. Now, I'll be honest--first we had never stayed at a "value" resort, opting to stay at moderates or better until we bought into DVC last year and have stayed at Bay Lake, Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge and Boardwalk in the last year. The couple we traveled with usually stay at one of the value resorts and we decided to save our points for some extra days at WDW with the kids next year, so booked at ASM.

My overall impression was underwhelming. I realize that it's more motel than Ritz, but it is still Disney and should have some of that magic associated with being at WDW. Our room smelled very strongly of cat urine and that issue was never fixed. Our fridge door wouldn't stay closed so the refrigerator wouldn't stay cold and that wasn't fixed either (called front desk for both of those issues). I'll freely admit I am used to some luxury and was surprised at the small things I have come to expect that weren't there: coffee maker in the room, shower gel, decent towels, absence of thick dust on top of the entertainment center.... Add that to the lack of consideration that many guests showed other guests I don't think we will choose a value resort again.

 

[Suwithoutane]

Thanks for the review!

We just got back late last night from POP and we didn't love it, unfortunately. We'll definitely be staying at DVC resorts every time in the future - moderates if we can't get a room in time. Our room was not that clean. I have a real issue with needing spotless sheets (not a lot to ask, honestly) and every time they changed our sheets there were black and orange marks on them. How hard is it to keep sheets white with bleach? The rest of the main room space was okay but there was what I can only assume was poop on the outside of the toilet bowl. Found it at night and my husband was willing to take one for the team and clean it off while I had a minor germaphobe panic attack. The food court was fine but we didn't spend a lot of time there.

I'm sorry that you had that experience, hopefully I'll have better luck in a few weeks. Although, now that I've discovered renting DVC points, I'm not sure I'll stay value again after this anyway just because there are so many other fun places to stay!!

 

[A W Reezy]

Thanks for the review!

We just got back late last night from POP and we didn't love it, unfortunately. We'll definitely be staying at DVC resorts every time in the future - moderates if we can't get a room in time. Our room was not that clean. I have a real issue with needing spotless sheets (not a lot to ask, honestly) and every time they changed our sheets there were black and orange marks on them. How hard is it to keep sheets white with bleach? The rest of the main room space was okay but there was what I can only assume was poop on the outside of the toilet bowl. Found it at night and my husband was willing to take one for the team and clean it off while I had a minor germaphobe panic attack. The food court was fine but we didn't spend a lot of time there.

We got back yesterday as well, and I have the same sentiments as you. This was my first stay at POP, and it served it's purpose, but nothing more. I found hairs in the bathroom floor, which is whatever... I just expected Disney to be a little more cleaner.

Either way, I didn't let it hamper our trip. It was wonderful, but I'll probably search for somewhere else to stay!

 

[rufio]

We got back yesterday as well, and I have the same sentiments as you. This was my first stay at POP, and it served it's purpose, but nothing more. I found hairs in the bathroom floor, which is whatever... I just expected Disney to be a little more cleaner.

Either way, I didn't let it hamper our trip. It was wonderful, but I'll probably search for somewhere else to stay!

I found hair in the BED! Seriously?! I cannot be the only one who likes clean sheets!