Have you stayed at Pop Century but wished you upgraded?

[_caleb]

I have booked Pop many times but always ended upgraded. There are usually 2 of us that need 2 beds and just not sure of the murphy bed (comfort wise).

Same here! I’ve booked Pop several times and I always end up upgrading (last time was to AoA, so not too much of an upgrade)!

 

[NelleBelle]

Have to admit, I’d give Pop a shot for a girls trip since it’s just me and my mom in those trips. The only thing is that in the “girls trip”, I like to splurge since DH is not with us so I usually book us a deluxe resort (this trip decided to stay at the Poly for the first time). My other worry with doing a girls trip at Pop is would there be enough room for my mom’s scooter in the room? We tend to like our own beds as well but don’t mind sharing when it’s a queen or bigger. A double is really pushing it! But the skyline is a nice addition and the remodeled rooms look great. If DH and my boys came, I’d be happy getting adjoining rooms a try!

 

[Tuvalu]

A double is really pushing it!

The beds at Pop are queens.

The most recent refurbs at all values have replaced doubles for queens.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

At the risk of sounded "elitist" when I'm really not, has anyone had trouble with bedbugs at the values versus the moderates? I have really wanted to stay at Pop Century to save money but my wife has always been worried about bedbugs. Personally, I figure that we probably stand the same chance at running into the critters at Port Orleans (favored resort) as at Pop.

Second question. Are the rooms quieter or about the same as the moderates?

I have really been tempted to stay at a value but just had a couple concerns that are probably not warranted.

To answer your questions, the rooms can be noisy, especially by the pool…whenever we stayed there, we always requested a room on the top floor opposite of the pool and it was quieter.

As far as the bed bug situation goes, I know it’s not you, but bed bugs make no distinction on level of room or wealth of a guest. We’ve stayed there 5 times and never had a problem. That’s not to say it hasn’t happened but if Disney ever garnered a reputation of having a bed bug problem, it would put a BIG dent in their reservations, something they don’t ever need especially now.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

Have to admit, I’d give Pop a shot for a girls trip since it’s just me and my mom in those trips. The only thing is that in the “girls trip”, I like to splurge since DH is not with us so I usually book us a deluxe resort (this trip decided to stay at the Poly for the first time). My other worry with doing a girls trip at Pop is would there be enough room for my mom’s scooter in the room? We tend to like our own beds as well but don’t mind sharing when it’s a queen or bigger. A double is really pushing it! But the skyline is a nice addition and the remodeled rooms look great. If DH and my boys came, I’d be happy getting adjoining rooms a try!

We’ve stayed there with my scooter…fold up the Murphy bed and it fits.

 

[Fin1018]

I don't mean to highjack the thread, but on the subject of Pop Century...are the mattresses the same as the ones used at the All Star resorts? I know the rooms look virtually identical, but what about the beds?

I ask because back in 2021, we stayed one night at an All Star, can't remember off the top of my head which one, and the mattress was not comfy at all. We normally stay at Coronado. But this was a one night thing and we were on a budget.

 

[Ayla]

We’ve stayed there with my scooter…fold up the Murphy bed and it fits.

You can't fold it up if you need it to sleep. Replacing a normal bed with a Murphy bed was a terrible decision.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

We have stayed at most of the WDW resorts a number of times. Generally, I would be happy to return to any of them.

But....

When I decide on a hotel I tend to look at the price offered, and compare that with amenities I want, or the ones that are offered.

For example, in the winter, we are less inclined to go swimming, so the pool is less important to me. In warmer months, I appreciate a fun pool. Pop's pool is better than the basic rectangle pool, but we enjoy the pools with water slides. Water slides are a big plus of the mods and deluxes, IMO.

If you are torn between two hotels, consider a split stay. We love doing split stays! With hotel prices as high as they are, to me it is a no-brainer to spend our first night at a place that is inexpensive. We also love the variety. The small trick is to minimize unpacking that first night. WDW will transfer bags between WDW hotels, but we usually have a car, so we just use bell services or leave our bags in the trunk. WDW also allows you to check-in in the morning. Sometimes the room is ready early, often it isn't.

Overall, we like Pop, and would stay there again. The only downside of Pop, IMO, is that it doesn't have a table service restaurant.
It isn't a big deal, but if you want table service meals, you have to go some place other than Pop.

There are also a few small amenities I miss when we stay at Pop. We like our hotel room to have a shaving mirror. We're also not fans of the very low flow water at Pop. The theming is cute, and the new Skyliner is a fun transportation option.

 

[ppet]

My wife and I have stayed at POP several trips this year and love it. we have also stayed at AKL, POFQ, AOA, Boardwalk, and CSR within the last couple of years. Before the Skyliner went in our favorite resort was POFQ. Now we stay at POP quite often. Our next trip is a split stay doing 4 nights at POP, 4 at Boardwalk, and two at CSR. The only drawback to POP is lack of a lounge and the dining options. For my wife and I though we quite often hop to EPCOT late and run into La Halle's for sandwich or desert. As for bedbugs, I've encountered them twice over the years, but not at WDW. Each time I was at a fairly high-end hotel. I recommend checking your mattress at any hotel.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

You can't fold it up if you need it to sleep. Replacing a normal bed with a Murphy bed was a terrible decision.

Even with both beds, it’s tight, but you can fit a scooter as well.
At least with the Murphy bed you have options if it’s only 2 people.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

I've done Pop and most of the moderate resorts as far as recent trips go.

I find the moderate resorts are preferable because I enjoy spending time just enjoying the grounds.

The price difference is a lot if you're just there to sleep, and that money could pay for nice meals or other experiences.

In addition to split stays, there's also no reason you can't visit other resorts during a trip. The only thing you can't do is use other resort pools. If you have the time, visit other resorts via Monorail, skyliner, boats from Disney Springs, or busses. Get a feel for what makes those resorts "better" than the value resorts, and plan future trips accordingly.

 

[Nunu]

There are also a few small amenities I miss when we stay at Pop. We like our hotel room to have a shaving mirror.

I like having one too.

Pop bathrooms do have a shaving/makeup mirror.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Oh yeah! Glad they added them. I could never understand the omission.

 

[jinx8402]

You can't fold it up if you need it to sleep. Replacing a normal bed with a Murphy bed was a terrible decision.

Interesting take since the Murphy bed is the same exact as the normal bed. Seems like a win/win to me, that it is the same quality bed with the option of having more room. Even when with having our family of 4, we would flip the bed up in the AM to have extra space and a place for the boys to eat breakfast while we finished getting ready.

 

[NelleBelle]

How does bus service compare going to/from the parks with other resorts?

 

[dmw]

How does bus service compare going to/from the parks with other resorts?

Pop is on the skyliner route for HS and Epcot. No bus service unless the skyliner is not running. For the other parks we were very pleased with the frequency of busses, and the trip times are very good since Pop is centrally located. In the mornings it is common to see the double busses for MK. We have found the bus service better at Pop than at the Poly and Coronado.

Back to the OP question: We love Pop. We have opted for Pop over mods and deluxe multiple times, especially when we don't need any of the amenities of a mod or deluxe. POFQ is our favorite mod because it is small, quiet, has boats to Disney Sprints and, of course, beignets. But, Pop is still our go-to resort when we are focused on parks and not spending much time at the resort.

 

[jlhwdw]

Pop has its own central bus stop. CBR makes all the stops. Pop wins every time

 

[esskay]

At the risk of sounded "elitist" when I'm really not, has anyone had trouble with bedbugs at the values versus the moderates? I have really wanted to stay at Pop Century to save money but my wife has always been worried about bedbugs. Personally, I figure that we probably stand the same chance at running into the critters at Port Orleans (favored resort) as at Pop.

Second question. Are the rooms quieter or about the same as the moderates?

I have really been tempted to stay at a value but just had a couple concerns that are probably not warranted.

Never had bedbugs. Did have a roach infestation at OKW a few years back and had to move rooms. Even then thats only the second time I ever had to move rooms (first was at AKL during a hurricane which flooded the floor we were on).

I've stayed at every resort over the years and would happily go back to Pop. Never found it to be too noisy or anything. Of course you get slightly nicer rooms at moderates but not enough to have any kind of impact on your stay.

I think the only resorts I'd actively avoid would be the All Stars. Not because they are inherently bad, they're just a bit too busy for my liking and arent as well connected.

The noisiest room I've ever had was at AOA. We were on the ground floor of the nemo suites with the elevator shaft right behind the room so would hear people talking whilst waiting. That being said I stayed there again after that and it was very quiet, we just got unlucky with that room.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

I am a “DVC kid”. I grew up staying in the DVC resorts.

I stayed in Pop for a week when I was 18 on my first solo vacation and would (and have) happily return, especially now that it has Skyliner access. It’s easily the best of the value resorts, and it even does some things better than the deluxe resorts, namely bus transportation and QS food. The rooms are always well appointed and clean.

I’ve never stayed at CBR, but I agree with others; it’s very spread out. I’d definitely choose Pop over CBR; there’s nothing about CBR that’s a major draw for me.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Pop has its own central bus stop. CBR makes all the stops. Pop wins every time

Not only are there no internal stops, Pop busses to MK and DAK don't stop at any other resort. It's all direct.


WRT noise: Always go for fourth floor... no one above you running or stamping about. Also, more likely to not have neighbors.