Staying at POP and I'm concerned

[rufio]

I would love to set your mind at ease, but I won't because I won't lie to you and tell you what you want to hear. I went to value resorts my whole life growing up (one or two stays at a moderate) and not until after I graduated from college and established myself did I get to see what a Deluxe was all about. After several stays at the Beach Club and a few at the GF - I would never stay at a value again. At that point I'd probably just stay offsite and snag a room at the Gaylord that's right near downtown Disney. There I know I'll have a quality room and not have to deal with potential issues that I'd have at a value. Plus, let's be honest - the on site transportation for a value resort is not that great. Bite the bullet and pay for the parking.

Remember, at the POP you're going to have to deal with a further trip on the bus. You're going to have a door that's facing the outside and you're going to have a lot less privacy and a lot more noise. good luck if their is a cheerleader type thing going on or some pop warner football thing going on. Or heaven forbid a tour group of some sort.

Good luck!

What are the issues that come with a value? We're AP holders so we have free parking and were planning to drive instead of using the bus anyway. Thanks for your honesty though!

 

[psukardi]

What are the issues that come with a value? We're AP holders so we have free parking and were planning to drive instead of using the bus anyway. Thanks for your honesty though!

For me, I remember the paper thin walls. I remember there just being so much noise that when I stayed at a deluxe for the first time my mind was blown. Some others covered it well in regards to people running around at 2AM or the litter and the rest. But I guess it depends on how you view your stay. I don't like to be at the park from rope-drop till last call. It's a vacation, so I like to have time to go to the pool - read the paper - have some quiet.

The lobby at the GF is amazing. The lobby at a Value? From what I remember it's just the place to check in , a food court and an arcade.

 

[AndyS2992]

There I know I'll have a quality room and not have to deal with potential issues that I'd have at a value. Plus, let's be honest - the on site transportation for a value resort is not that great. Bite the bullet and pay for the parking.

Remember, at the POP you're going to have to deal with a further trip on the bus. You're going to have a door that's facing the outside and you're going to have a lot less privacy and a lot more noise. good luck if their is a cheerleader type thing going on or some pop warner football thing going on. Or heaven forbid a tour group of some sort.

On site value transport is just as good as any other none monorail resort plus Pop is one of the closest to the parks so this constant 'longer bus journeys' is BS. Some moderates also have rooms with doors facing outside. A lot less privacy and a lot more noise? huh? Same privacy as every other resort, you have netting over the window as well as curtains. Noise? perhaps if you on the bottom floor but the upper floors are nice and quiet.

While yes the tour/sports groups are a problem at All Star values, can't say I have seen any at Pop or AoA. As long as OP isn't going in December, January, May, June or July then tour groups will not be a problem since there won't be many.

While the Value lobby's are very different from deluxe ones, Pop's lobby has interesting displays of things from different decades, the check in CMs periodically get off and dance in the lobby to songs like 'the Hustle' for guests to watch and join in with. Which is unique.

 

[rufio]

For me, I remember the paper thin walls. I remember there just being so much noise that when I stayed at a deluxe for the first time my mind was blown. Some others covered it well in regards to people running around at 2AM or the litter and the rest. But I guess it depends on how you view your stay. I don't like to be at the park from rope-drop till last call. It's a vacation, so I like to have time to go to the pool - read the paper - have some quiet.

The lobby at the GF is amazing. The lobby at a Value? From what I remember it's just the place to check in , a food court and an arcade.

I've never stayed at the GF, so I guess that's not a big deal. Obviously I like it when the lobby is a WOW factor, but since this is a last-minute four night trip, I'm not expecting to spend much time relaxing around the hotel. Hopefully it won't be too loud!

 

[psukardi]

While yes the tour/sports groups are a problem at All Star values, can't say I have seen any at Pop or AoA. As long as OP isn't going in December, January, May, June or July then tour groups will not be a problem since there won't be many..

Great, so basically 42% of the time the tour groups will be a problem. Gotcha!

A lot less privacy and a lot more noise? huh? Same privacy as every other resort, you have netting over the window as well as curtains. Noise? perhaps if you on the bottom floor but the upper floors are nice and quiet.

I can count a number of times at a value where the noise was an issue either it being due to the guests, or the paper thin walls. However, I can't recount a single instance of that being an issue at the GF or BC.

 

[AndyS2992]

Great, so basically 42% of the time the tour groups will be a problem. Gotcha!



I can count a number of times at a value where the noise was an issue either it being due to the guests, or the paper thin walls. However, I can't recount a single instance of that being an issue at the GF or BC.

If you want to go to the depths of hates to defend the values, that's fine. Just take off the blinders and acknowledge they have some issues.

I have pointed out the problems in previous posts Go back and reread. Tour groups stay at moderates as well, not just the values lol Noise or privacy has never ever been a problem for me and I've stayed at Pop several times.

The one thing that gets me the most is people posting about the long bus rides, which as you can see from my map posted earlier is just incorrect. The resorts with the longest bus rides are the Magic Kingdom area deluxe resorts as they are miles away from the cluster of the other WDW parks whereas Pop and the values are situated right in the centre of them. So how can they have longer bus rides

The All Star resorts have problems with the buses as they are shared between three resorts whereas Pop and AoA have their on dedicated buses.

 

[psukardi]

So how can they have longer bus rides

Well if you're at the Beach Club you can get from your room to the World Showcase in less than 10 minutes, which is a lot faster than waiting for a bus and getting to the park if you're staying at a value. Likewise a walk from Beach Club to MGM is roughly 15 minutes. So no wait and < 15 minute walk is a lot shorter than a ride.

 

[rufio]

Well if you're at the Beach Club you can get from your room to the World Showcase in less than 10 minutes, which is a lot faster than waiting for a bus and getting to the park if you're staying at a value. Likewise a walk from Beach Club to MGM is roughly 15 minutes. So no wait and < 15 minute walk is a lot shorter than a ride.

To be fair, I usually stay at AKL so we'd have a long bus ride anyway.

 

[epcot2004]

Location, lobby, and over-all atmosphere are the selling points for us when choosing to stay on property which leads to the Yacht/Beach Club/Boardwalk area. As another poster said WS is just a few minute walk and Studios is 15-20 minute walk. Those walk times are way faster (and less stressful) than bus or driving especially at park close.

When we stayed at POP it was noticeably more noisy in the rooms than any other resort (at least 8) that we have stayed at on property, the walls seem thin/not sound proofed.

 

[ratherbeinwdw]

I've never stayed at the GF, so I guess that's not a big deal. Obviously I like it when the lobby is a WOW factor, but since this is a last-minute four night trip, I'm not expecting to spend much time relaxing around the hotel. Hopefully it won't be too loud!

We never had a problem with outside noise whatsoever, but the night sounds--toilet flushing, showering, private moments, babies crying, etc. were loud. However, AoA Little Mermaid rooms are much louder at night than POP. We have learned to ask for a top floor or a room on the end of a building. People who say they didn't notice it being excessively loud must be sound sleepers. The time we got a room on the second floor, at AoA Mermaid, we had sounds from above, below, beside and behind. We decided right then we would never stay in a Mermaid room again unless we got on the top floor at the end of the building. The suites don't have this problem at all. We've stayed top floor twice and bottom floor twice. There was no excessive noise in the suites.
I'll be staying at BC and Poly next month. That will give me something to compare to POP--as far as noise. I'll let you know if it's any different at those places.

 

[psukardi]

People who say they didn't notice it being excessively loud must be sound sleepers.

Or they don't want to admit the difference between a value and a deluxe. Plus, I don't think you can valet at a value can you? So nice not having to unload the luggage and park the car and deal with the rest. Throw the guy that takes the keys a $10 and throw the guy that gets your bags in the room a few $ bag and you're good to go

 

[AndyS2992]

Or they don't want to admit the difference between a value and a deluxe. Plus, I don't think you can valet at a value can you? So nice not having to unload the luggage and park the car and deal with the rest. Throw the guy that takes the keys a $10 and throw the guy that gets your bags in the room a few $ bag and you're good to go

No, I generally had no sound issues at all on any of my stays. You were just unlucky it seems. You can have noisy kids/people at any resort. I have seen kids running around screaming at GF and Contemporary but don't tell people not to stay there because it might have screaming kids in the hallways.

No it does not have valets, it's a value. If people want to waste money tipping and essentially being lazy then they can afford a deluxe resort lol

 

[englanddg]

No, I generally had no sound issues at all on any of my stays. You were just unlucky it seems. You can have noisy kids/people at any resort. I have seen kids running around screaming at GF and Contemporary but don't tell people not to stay there because it might have screaming kids in the hallways.

No it does not have valets, it's a value. If people want to waste money tipping and essentially being lazy then they can afford a deluxe resort lol

I have had noise issues at Pop...but it was because I was in a room facing the Hippy Dippy pool, and it wasn't really the late night noise, rather, the noise from the Pool Parties during the daytime that bothered me (we both got sick that trip and had to spend a day in the room).

It was never terrible, but, knowing the resort layout better after my stay, I'd prefer a Garden View in 50s or something...just enough buffer away from the Pools that it's quiet all the time.

 

[englanddg]

Or they don't want to admit the difference between a value and a deluxe. Plus, I don't think you can valet at a value can you? So nice not having to unload the luggage and park the car and deal with the rest. Throw the guy that takes the keys a $10 and throw the guy that gets your bags in the room a few $ bag and you're good to go

Or...Magical Express.

 

[englanddg]

I have pointed out the problems in previous posts Go back and reread. Tour groups stay at moderates as well, not just the values lol Noise or privacy has never ever been a problem for me and I've stayed at Pop several times.

The one thing that gets me the most is people posting about the long bus rides, which as you can see from my map posted earlier is just incorrect. The resorts with the longest bus rides are the Magic Kingdom area deluxe resorts as they are miles away from the cluster of the other WDW parks whereas Pop and the values are situated right in the centre of them. So how can they have longer bus rides

The All Star resorts have problems with the buses as they are shared between three resorts whereas Pop and AoA have their on dedicated buses.

Actually, the transport at Pop when I stayed (AoA had just opened) was the best I've ever experienced (outside of Contemporary, but only with respect to MK where you can walk). Especially as you could choose between the two busses after a late night, and the stops were often next to each other...

The worst so far? The venerated POFQ, only because sometimes it's dedicated, but other times it shares with PORS...and I found it difficult, even with a 15 night stay, to figure out which was which...and when it would or wouldn't.

 

[englanddg]

Well if you're at the Beach Club you can get from your room to the World Showcase in less than 10 minutes, which is a lot faster than waiting for a bus and getting to the park if you're staying at a value. Likewise a walk from Beach Club to MGM is roughly 15 minutes. So no wait and < 15 minute walk is a lot shorter than a ride.

Yes. Deluxe's are great.

But, at 4x the cost, it cuts a lot into the "fun kitty" of funds.

Meaning, I'd rather stay in a Value or even a Moderate for an extended trip, and have more money to spend shopping and doing other things.

It's a personal choice, but, of the Values, Pop and AoA have the most going for them. And, considering they share Hourglass Lake, outside of pool sharing (locked down at AoA, and yeah, I know you aren't supposed to Pool Hop, and I don't, just mentioning it's NOT a benefit of staying there), you do get to share everything else, including the AoA Food Court, which has some of the most unique hotel food offerings of all the resorts (outside of the sit down options).

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

We stayed at the Pop already for at least a month altogether (we always share between value and deluxe for several reasons) and we had some issues about the cleanliness in our rooms. When you are reserving your room call Disney reservation and ask for a "special cleaned room", this normally guarantees, that your room is cleaned more carefully than usual Disney housekeeping does.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

We have stayed at all 3 All Star resorts as well as Pop (only for 1 night though) and it was only becasue we were arriving late and Pop was the cheapest available until we switched to CBR the next day. The only way I would EVER stay at a value again would be if that was absolutely, positively the only way I could go. We had the WORST experience staying at All Star Sports in 2013. Unsupervised groups, kids out screaming on the football field when we returned from the parks at 1am and tried to sleep, security that wouldn't do anything about them until we called the front desk 3 or 4 times. They were all slobs in the food court leaving trash on tables. There was even a tour leader who decided that 7am would be the best time to stand on the second floor of our building while the kids all gathered on the football field and lead them in a group chant. I'm pretty sure you could hear them all over the resort. We complained about the front desk and they pretty much just said "sorry, nothing we can do" Disney seems to let the tour groups have a free for all. We also had to deal with an extremely psychotic man in line for the bus to Animal Kingdom who wouldn't listen to the bus driver when he told him to get behind the line. The man was screaming obscenities and making very vulgar guestures. Secutrity had to get involved. It wasn't pretty. And this was my aunt and cousins first time staying on property and they were not impressed at all. I tried to tell them not all the resorts are like that but they were skeptical.

Our room at Pop was fine. We were kind of tucked in the back corner so there wasn't a lot of traffic. Then again, we were only there for one night so I can't say much. I think if you won't be there during a tour group season you should be fine. If I HAD to pick any value again, I would pick Pop.

 

[JillC LI]

People who say they didn't notice it being excessively loud must be sound sleepers.

I am definitely not a sound sleeper. I awaken at the slightest noise from my kids or puppy. But I had no problem sleeping at Pop - probably because I was exhausted from full days at the Parks. I'm quite sure that some people have had bad experiences at Values, just like I'm sure others have had bad experiences at Deluxes. It sounds like we want different things out of our Disney vacations, and that is fine. I have no interest in going to Disney to relax at a pool or sit in a hotel lobby - I can do that in the Caribbean or elsewhere. I go to Disney for the parks. If you want luxury and relaxation at Disney, then it makes sense for you to stay at a Deluxe. It makes sense for me to stay at a Value or Mod. It does not need to be a debate about which is better or worse. It is just about which one suits your needs best.

Or they don't want to admit the difference between a value and a deluxe. Plus, I don't think you can valet at a value can you? So nice not having to unload the luggage and park the car and deal with the rest. Throw the guy that takes the keys a $10 and throw the guy that gets your bags in the room a few $ bag and you're good to go

I think everyone agrees there is a difference between a Value and a Deluxe. People just disagree on whether it is worth spending their money on a deluxe. And that is a personal choice.
(And as an aside, I go out of my way to avoid valet service even where offered because I don't like other people driving my car or handling my luggage where it could potentially get lost, so that is not a "perk" for me. We even left off the yellow tags and picked up our own luggage when we took the Magical Express.)

 

[got2lovedisney]

King size bed is a REQUEST not guaranteed. If this is a must have for you then you might want to look at a mod.