All star or pop century

[Erinmazing]

we started planning our trip for April 2018 and we need a little help...which all star resort is better. Or is pop century better. We are going before the cheerleaders come in April so that won't be a problem. We have 3 adults and we really will be at the resort to only sleep and be at the pool.

And what building should we ask for?

Thanks

 

[Tuvalu]

We found All Star Music to be quieter and the food court far less chaotic than Pop Century (stayed at both within the past few months.) Of the three All Star Resorts, Music tends to cater to adults. We stayed in the fun-themed Broadway section, but if you want to be closer to the main hall (without paying the premium for a preferred room) request Jazz.

Many people prefer Pop over the All Stars because of a dedicated bus, but rarely do the All Stars share a bus (and never during the busy morning period.)

 

[Smiley/OCD]

Pop, Pop, Pop...or if you can afford a little more $$$, Art of Animation

 

[mf1972]

out of the all stars, we've only stayed at the movies resort in the preferred section (fantasia, toy story, & dalmations). it's a cute resort & serves its needs.
we did pop once. my wife didn't care for it, but i didn't have much problems with it.
pop is bigger than any one of the all star resorts as far as capacity, but it does have its own bus service.
it's also a short walk over the bridge to the animation resort.
for our preference, we liked the movies resort better.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Pop more centralized Value resort on property..
It's own bus service rather than shared like Allstars.

 

[Captain Barbossa]

we started planning our trip for April 2018 and we need a little help...which all star resort is better. Or is pop century better. We are going before the cheerleaders come in April so that won't be a problem. We have 3 adults and we really will be at the resort to only sleep and be at the pool.

And what building should we ask for?

Thanks

We've stayed at ALL-STAR Movies 4 times and Pop only once. Absolutely love both of them. Hard to pick the one I like best.

 

[LieutLaww]

I wont be staying at POP till later this year but as it has it's own bus service compared to the All Stars which share I would go with POP

 

[SAV]

POP! 60's section, Lake View, Upper Floor.

 

[daisyduckie]

I've stayed at both, and to me there isn't a whole lot of difference. I do like the food court at the Sports the best.

 

[wdwmamamouse]

We've stayed at both and prefer POP --there is lots of room to walk around the resort and we enjoy the stroll over the bridge to walk around AoA --the easy walk to AoA allows for the option of two food courts for dining and you can also take the bus from either resort if needed.

 

[Erinmazing]

Pop more centralized Value resort on property..
It's own bus service rather than shared like Allstars.

All stars don't always share busses. And just bc pop has their own bus doesn't mean u get home faster....just stayed at Animal kingdom lodge, at the end of the day everyone's lines were empty before our 1st bus came. Some nights took us 75 mins to get back.

 

[Erinmazing]

I wont be staying at POP till later this year but as it has it's own bus service compared to the All Stars which share I would go with POP

That's not always true. Just went to Disney last month and all stars all had their own bus. And just bc ur resort has their own bus doesn't mean u get home faster.....

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

Pop is our preference...and we've stayed multiple times at each Value resort.

As far as ranking the All-Stars:

1 - Movies - little quieter and easy walk to Music food court
2 - Music - central/middle resort with a short walk to either Movies or Sports
- Stay at Rock Inn or Broadway
3 - Sports - We stay away from Sports as those domestic tour groups are the worst of all tour groups

Shared busing - I think more people have read this and just assume it is the norm....NEVER NEVER NEVER have we had shared busing at an All-Star

We have had shared busing at Beach Club

 

[Diesel Dan]

POP is great. Location, Bus Service, Food Court, Pools are all top notch. We have stayed at Pop 5 times during Presidents Week and Easter Break the 8 years. These times are busy but the Resort is big and can handle the crowds. We like the Computer Pool rooms, Buildings 7,8,9,10. It is quieter in the back part of the resort.

 

[Kevin_W]

I like Pop better as a resort, but as others have said on this thread the "dedicated bus" advantage is overstated. At peak times (morning, end of night) the AS resorts do not share. And look at the bus lines at the end of the night - Pop always has the longest line due to its huge capacity.

 

[jgj123]

I've stayed at Sports, Movies and Pop and prefer Pop, but mainly because of the food court and Everything Pop Shop. But we just stayed at Sports this year, after many at Pop and our room was in one of the quieter areas that opened up to an area with trees and a garden, but the food court was definitely smaller, more cramped and had less options than Pop.

 

[mf1972]

I like Pop better as a resort, but as others have said on this thread the "dedicated bus" advantage is overstated. At peak times (morning, end of night) the AS resorts do not share. And look at the bus lines at the end of the night - Pop always has the longest line due to its huge capacity.

we ran into that problem too with the longest lines. thankfully, it moved a lot quicker than we thought. buses came frequently. we lucked out.

 

[Mickey5150]

All-Star Sports is the quickest bus ride to AK. I stay at All-Star Sports every year and the only time the buses are shared is during midday when it's slow. If you are an open-close park person then go with Sports and have the cheapest room. I'm up at 6 and in bed at midnight and never notice any groups at the resort, I'm too tired.

 

[GVentola]

If you want to get all the angles, as people on this forum are sharing with you, I have a small angle about the architecture and atmosphere. Both Pop and the All Stars have Crazy California architecture that makes them lots of fun. You know, giant Mickey phone, giant characters, giant football helmets, etc. If you stay at Pop, you can also see this at Art of Animation. If you stay at any of the All Stars, they are close enough for you to do a walking tour of all three. Don't forget to take photos & look for Hidden Mickeys!

 

[Ciara]

I cant say anything for the all stars but I've stayed at POP in 2005,2006 and 2015. Always had a great experience. I'm a stick with what works kind of person so we will be returning in the fall