CBR vs. POP

[smbarr]

I just booked CBR for the 4th of July since it was only 120.00n more for the entire trip. Was that a good choice? We are staying at POP in October and have stayed at AOA and ASM in the past. We did not like ASM. Thanks for your opinions!

 

[Kevin_W]

We have stayed at Pop several times, but a couple summers ago stayed in the Jamaica section of CBR since it was ~$20/night more than Pop. It was certainly nicer and worth the upgrade at that price. We don't spend much time at the resort, but the larger rooms, shorter walk to the bus stop, and nice pool were all plusses.

CBR gets dinged for it's bus transportation in a lot of on-line reviews, but we had the best bus experience in many trips to WDW.

 

[sxeensweet]

Yes it's worth it anytime you can go from a value to a moderate level for a minimal price. Just like going from moderate to deluxe is a nice change too. (We are spoiled to deluxe so much so we joined DVC in 2013 lol) You will love the change and may not want to go back ever. Lol

 

[bethymouse]

I like the walk across the bridge to the pools and the restaurant area. Shutters was a decent experience ( table service- we had a good waitress). The only two things are the buses ( but it's not horrible), and there is another building that you check into before going to the main complex. The rooms are comfy ( if you get a pirate themed room, it's nice, but lots of walking). You can see ( or at least you used to be able to) the EPCOT "fireworks" from the beach. All in all, it's a nice experience, and you'll like it.

 

[Kevin_W]

The only two things are the buses ( but it's not horrible), and there is another building that you check into before going to the main complex.

Again, just our experience but we had good bus service. But the remote check-in building is a negative. I needed to visit there the last morning to pay off our room charges with a gift card and it was annoying to have to travel so far.

 

[mhaftman7]

We've stayed in both. CBR is definitely not for people who have a hard time walking for extended distances. I was not a fan of the pirate themed rooms. The bed was not comfortable for me or my wife at all. We didn't have a problem with the busing at all. We left from the main building after breakfast and got off close to our building. POP is nice and close together. So everything is relatively quick to get to.

 

[JohnD]

4th of July huh? Well, if you like chaos then go with Pop. Not knocking Pop. I like it. Staying there in late October for budget reasons. But you're going around July 4 and have the option for CBR. If I were you, I'd keep CBR as moderates tend to be quieter. The negative is always the number of bus depots but the theming makes up for it.

 

[slappy magoo]

I'd pretty much always opt for a mod over a standard value room. CBR is my least favorite mod but even then I'd choose it over a value. My wife and I are not tiny people. Having 2 queens versus 2 double beds? No contest. And it's not like the CBR rooms are huge but Value rooms are exceptionally small. We tend to spend time at the resort, we're not dawn-to-dusk park commandos, so having more to do at the resort is important.

Now if you were planning on getting a room at either resort with a single king bed versus 2 beds, that might tilt things a bit, but I'd still opt for a mod. If only the Pop had a king bed (and it were to be just my wife & I, no kids), then maybe I'd opt for Pop.

 

[JillC LI]

I just booked CBR for the 4th of July since it was only 120.00n more for the entire trip. Was that a good choice? We are staying at POP in October and have stayed at AOA and ASM in the past. We did not like ASM. Thanks for your opinions!

We've stayed in and didn't love ASM. We did enjoy Pop. We've upgraded twice from Pop to CBR for the same reasons as you and loved CBR. Ask for a room "near the footbridge in Aruba or Jamaica." Those rooms have the shortest walk to the food court and main pool, and the footbridge provides a lovely view of the whole resort. We also loved the steel drum music playing throughout CBR.

 

[SSH]

re: CBR - could someone refresh my memory with regards to Pop Warner? That's the mod they usually use for the cheerleading teams, correct?

 

[KaliSplash]

Definitely good to step up. More room is a very good thing. They actually have a real restaurant in addition to the food court. they do get dinged on reviews for the bus service and it is the oldest of the moderates, but I like the central location and I've never had any real trouble with the bus service.

 

[sheriffwoody]

We've stayed in Pop once and never will again. The quality difference is huge between value and moderate! Definitely worth $120.

 

[mhaftman7]

Ultimately it falls to what type of experience you expect. If you plan on spending minimal time at your resort, any value should suffice. If you plan on taking advantage of resort amenities, determine which are important and weed them out from there. You probably have already done so, but price it both ways. If the difference is minimal, why wouldn't you? One year I got an offer in the mail that made it a difference of less than $200 for the same trip staying at CS vs POP. Well worth the money.

 

[Wdw62114]

Ive stayed at POP and going back this July for 11 nights. My wife and I did a tour of CBR a couple years ago when trying to pick a room block resort for our wedding. We didnt care for CBR one bit! I didnt like the layout of the resort. Wayyyyy too spread out. We walk mile and miles in the parks. I dont need to have to do it at the resort. The resort we chose for the room blocks was Coronado. That resort never gets the love and appreciation it deserves. Maybe because of it being a convention center but I look at that as a HUGE positive. If you get in there during a huge convention, the mornings and especially afternoons is practically empty at the pool and main building. plus the buses were a dream because most people there were attending conventions and not taking busses to parks.
POP grounds are a lot more manageable for walking, the pool is better in my opinion, and I love the Disney vibe it gives off. We stay in the 80s section and is a very close walk to the buses and main building. The buses were also amazing there. The only time we experienced a wait longer than 20 minutes was two times to MK. a couple times to other parks, we were actually the only ones on the bus and we went during peak times.
To each their own. Moderates do have a couple more amenities I agree but for the value, POP is an excellent choice.

 

[Ghostdog]

We like CBR, we also like POP. One big plus is you get a Queen size bed at CBR vs. the double size at POP.

 

[smbarr]

Thanks everyone! I think we are gonna go with CBR for July and we will check out Pop in October.