To Pop or not to Pop?

[Tom P.]

I would say stay anywhere except any of the value resorts period. I understand your desire to avoid spending money, but if that is driving your decision don't do a value do an off-site hotel where you will get much more for your money and which will probably have just as much Disneyfication as you will get at value.... To me the standards I get from a Disney Value are on par with what I expect from a Motel 6 which is pretty low... If I'm going to go into money mode and try to be frugal it is much more comfortable doing it with an off-site hotel... especially since you are going without any kids which makes using the off-site hotels buses much easier and less of a hassle than when you have to schlep along kids and strollers.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and each person's experience is going to be different. That said, I cannot fathom how someone can think that what you get at a Walt Disney World value resort is on part with what is to be expected at a Motel 6. That comparison simply blows my mind, and is grossly understating the quality of the value resorts, IMHO. I firmly believe there is no such thing as a bad Disney resort, only different levels of them. There are most definitely bad, and very bad, Motel 6's.

 

[Tom P.]

my favorite is Pop. I call it a "deluxe" value, as I think it's a step above the All Star Resorts

I agree with this, and I would include Art of Animation in that as well.

 

[thomas998]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and each person's experience is going to be different. That said, I cannot fathom how someone can think that what you get at a Walt Disney World value resort is on part with what is to be expected at a Motel 6. That comparison simply blows my mind, and is grossly understating the quality of the value resorts, IMHO. I firmly believe there is no such thing as a bad Disney resort, only different levels of them. There are most definitely bad, and very bad, Motel 6's.

Last time I stayed at a value resort the floors were cheap solid surfaces, the toilet and bathtub shared a space that practically required you to stand in the bathtub to shut the door without banging your knees on the door when you shut it, the sink was practically in the same room as the bed.... You're right...They don't compare to a Motel 6 - they compare to the below average Motel 6 the average Motel 6 shines above them in terms of quality.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and each person's experience is going to be different. That said, I cannot fathom how someone can think that what you get at a Walt Disney World value resort is on part with what is to be expected at a Motel 6. That comparison simply blows my mind, and is grossly understating the quality of the value resorts, IMHO. I firmly believe there is no such thing as a bad Disney resort, only different levels of them. There are most definitely bad, and very bad, Motel 6's.

I agree. The comparison to Motel 6 is unfair and inaccurate. HOWEVER, for the price, I would agree with other posters that I'd rather stay off property (at something better than a Motel 6) than at a value resort.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

Last time I stayed at a value resort the floors were cheap solid surfaces, the toilet and bathtub shared a space that practically required you to stand in the bathtub to shut the door without banging your knees on the door when you shut it, the sink was practically in the same room as the bed.... You're right...They don't compare to a Motel 6 - they compare to the below average Motel 6 the average Motel 6 shines above them in terms of quality.

I'm sorry you feel that way, but I, too have to respectfully disagree with you on the value resorts. We have stayed at ASM once, POP 4 times and AOA twice. We've NEVER had a problem with 4 people in the POP room. Is it cramped? ABSOLUTELY, but I'm 6'3", and never had your problem. Unlike your situation may or may not be, our money is TIGHT. We also end up spending MAYBE 6 hours/night sleeping. We would much rather spend our $$$ in the parks, meals, etc. than to get a deluxe room if that's all the time you're spending there. A clean shower, clean room, a TV that works, and we're happy campers. Again, it's a matter of personal choice. I stay in Motel 6 about 3-4 time a year for business up and down the east coast, and trust me, there's NO comparison. We're not at WDW to be pampered at our resort...we're at our resort to sleep, shower, get dressed and get out to the parks with maybe a dip in the pool. WDW can "shower us with pixie dust" in the parks. We don't need it in our room.

 

[thomas998]

I'm sorry you feel that way, but I, too have to respectfully disagree with you on the value resorts. We have stayed at ASM once, POP 4 times and AOA twice. We've NEVER had a problem with 4 people in the POP room. Is it cramped? ABSOLUTELY, but I'm 6'3", and never had your problem. Unlike your situation may or may not be, our money is TIGHT. We also end up spending MAYBE 6 hours/night sleeping. We would much rather spend our $$$ in the parks, meals, etc. than to get a deluxe room if that's all the time you're spending there. A clean shower, clean room, a TV that works, and we're happy campers. Again, it's a matter of personal choice. I stay in Motel 6 about 3-4 time a year for business up and down the east coast, and trust me, there's NO comparison. We're not at WDW to be pampered at our resort...we're at our resort to sleep, shower, get dressed and get out to the parks with maybe a dip in the pool. WDW can "shower us with pixie dust" in the parks. We don't need it in our room.

And that is precisely why I originally recommended that the OP stay off-site. If your plan is to use the hotel as nothing but a place to sleep and shower, a pop is overpriced for that because you can get better for the same price off-site or the same for less. I'm not a fan of Motel 6 because to me the rooms are too cramped and cheap, just like a Disney value resort... but for the price of a value resort at Disney you can stay in a much better hotel off-site.

 

[The Mighty Tim]

While I appreciate the comments on both sides of the Motel 6 vs Pop discussion, for me - the additional perks for staying on the property make it definitely worth staying on the property - Value or otherwise. Not to mention the fact that for some reason, we here in the UK get all sorts of additional perks for staying on the property - some of which I don't think are even available to domestic visitors.

Thanks for the suggestions though. The information about Motel 6 may come in handy for future US trips that I make

 

[CdnDznyLuvr]

2. The rooms felt nicer. I know this is a matter of opinion but we felt pop needed some TLC

They are currently refurbishing the Pop rooms

 

[Smiley/OCD]

While I appreciate the comments on both sides of the Motel 6 vs Pop discussion, for me - the additional perks for staying on the property make it definitely worth staying on the property - Value or otherwise. Not to mention the fact that for some reason, we here in the UK get all sorts of additional perks for staying on the property - some of which I don't think are even available to domestic visitors.

Thanks for the suggestions though. The information about Motel 6 may come in handy for future US trips that I make

We ABSOLUTELY agree with you on the perks of staying on property...DDP, the bus transportation...I'm sorry, the trip isn't complete for us unless we're immersed in WDW, morning, noon and night. FOR THAT, we don't mind paying a little extra...you can stay in a chain motel anytime...you can ONLY stay in a WDW resort at Disney.

 

[GigglesMcSnort]

While I appreciate the comments on both sides of the Motel 6 vs Pop discussion, for me - the additional perks for staying on the property make it definitely worth staying on the property - Value or otherwise. Not to mention the fact that for some reason, we here in the UK get all sorts of additional perks for staying on the property - some of which I don't think are even available to domestic visitors.

Thanks for the suggestions though. The information about Motel 6 may come in handy for future US trips that I make

True about the additional perks. We got the "14 Day Park Hopper Ticket for the price of 7 days" for our stay of ... (drum roll) ... 7 days ... yeah thanks for that one Disney!

 

[Plowboy]

We've stayed at Pop 4 or 5 times and wouldn't hesitate to again.

 

[NearTheEars]

Recently stayed one night at Pop last week. I previously said we'd likely never stay on property for a weekend getaway again, but our go to off-property hotel was all booked up since we were booking kind of last minute. The rate was also pretty steep, but that was because it was in the heart of Spring Break.

The resort itself was fine, basically just like the All Stars theming wise. The breakfast we had was overpriced and quite mediocre, so unless you're just getting some stuff a la carte, I'd steer away from the big breakfast platters they offered. We didn't eat any other meals there. (I expected the overpriced part)

The room was also just OK. And as someone else said earlier, it could use some TLC.

If you are set on staying on property and see it more as a place to rest, then it's a good option.
For the price, though, you can find much better rooms off property around Disney Springs even when considering a daily parking fee at the parks. Obviously, though, you'd also need a car. Those resorts offer bus transportation, but I'm sure it's not nearly as reliable or frequent.

 

[ginadee]

I like staying at a different place each time as well. What I loved about staying at POP is that the view of the bridge over the lake connecting POP to AOA is gorgeous. At night from the parks whichever bus line was the shortest between the 2 resorts is the one we would take and could just walk over.

 

[Epcot82Guy]

I'll be at POP this weekend for a quick stay. I typically stay at the Moderates or along Hotel Plaza Blvd. But, they had a good rate posted.

As others have noted, POP has just started a room overhaul which should be finished well before your timeline. It does appear that they are significantly changing the room layout where you would now have (possibly) a queen bed and full-sized murphy bed. I'm actually intrigued by this, but you should watch the forums to see progress. If it sounds interesting, I would also suggest potentially booking now (assuming you can cancel or switch resorts for free). Disney has a bad habit of increasing rates once significant rehabs are done.

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

Hi all

18 months on from our last trip to WDW, we are in the exciting stages of planning for the next one - tentatively scheduled for 18 months from now (September 2018). We were originally considering Coronado Springs or Port Orleans, but recently we've been finding ourselves drawn towards Pop Century. The reason for this being that we stayed at Caribbean Beach on our last trip - a nice moderate, but it's becoming clear that we don't often end up using many of the resort features, namely the pools, table service restaurants etc. Normally, we use the resorts for sleeping, storing our stuff and getting breakfast (and the occasional pool side adult beverage and/or midnight chicken nuggets!). The fact that Pop Century is (at the time of writing) over £500 cheaper than Coronado Springs for two adults for ten nights is also a factor that drew us closer to Pop Century. We've also considered the All Star resorts (a further saving of ~£150 on Pop Century), but we've stayed at all three of them and personally, I'm trying to stay at a different resort on each visit!

So, I was wondering, based on the vast experience of the other members here on this forum, which would you recommend?

• Pop Century
• Coronado Springs/Port Orleans
• All Star Resorts
• Something else

Of particular interest would be Disney Transportation frequency/crowd levels, likelihood of large groups of school kids/cheerleading groups/South American parties, noise issues etc.

For reference, our travelling party will consist of myself and my brother, both in our 30s.

Thanks for your help in advance!

We prefer Pop, but would add you can get a really quiet room at Music Country Fair (either building), or Movies Love Bug Building 7

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

And that is precisely why I originally recommended that the OP stay off-site. If your plan is to use the hotel as nothing but a place to sleep and shower, a pop is overpriced for that because you can get better for the same price off-site or the same for less. I'm not a fan of Motel 6 because to me the rooms are too cramped and cheap, just like a Disney value resort... but for the price of a value resort at Disney you can stay in a much better hotel off-site.

If truly cost driven, here is our actual cost comparison for two upcoming trips (Value Resorts are booked):

April 24th - 26th -
All Star Movies AP Rate $91 per night - booked 1st part of this month
Cheapest Nearby Hampton Inn - $104 per night with AAA discount (Hampton Inn & Suites South Lake Buena Vista
Cheapest Nearby Comfort Inn - $80 per night - Comfort in Lake Buena Vista (Disney Springs/Palm Parkway)

May 3rd - 5th
Pop Century - $96 AP Rate
Cheapest Hampton - $73 AAA Rate - International Drive
Cheapest Comfort - $61 AAA Rate - International Drive

Is that would you would consider a much better room and fair cost comparison? If not, what much better room for the same price are you referring?

And please don't misinterpret this....I'd love to hear of off-site places as we tend to split stays to save $$$. Our splits generally involve Disney Resorts, but some have included off-site....So this will be valuable info for future trips.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

If truly cost driven, here is our actual cost comparison for two upcoming trips (Value Resorts are booked):

April 24th - 26th -
All Star Movies AP Rate $91 per night - booked 1st part of this month
Cheapest Nearby Hampton Inn - $104 per night with AAA discount (Hampton Inn & Suites South Lake Buena Vista
Cheapest Nearby Comfort Inn - $80 per night - Comfort in Lake Buena Vista (Disney Springs/Palm Parkway)

May 3rd - 5th
Pop Century - $96 AP Rate
Cheapest Hampton - $73 AAA Rate - International Drive
Cheapest Comfort - $61 AAA Rate - International Drive

Is that would you would consider a much better room and fair cost comparison? If not, what much better room for the same price are you referring?

And please don't misinterpret this....I'd love to hear of off-site places as we tend to split stays to save $$$. Our splits generally involve Disney Resorts, but some have included off-site....So this will be valuable info for future trips.

I've stayed at all of those chain hotels...the rooms are really no different than POP or All Star rooms except for maybe the carpeting.(or lack thereof)...if you can afford the difference, IMO, the benefits of staying on property as opposed to these selections is a no brainer, IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT...just think about it...(I'm assuming you have a car), the drive to the park, the longer walk to the gate...the amount of time you'll be walking in the parks, and then reverse the process...chances are you and your family will be exhausted at the end of the day, and now you have the drive back to the hotel. Again, IMO, it's a no brainer.

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

I've stayed at all of those chain hotels...the rooms are really no different than POP or All Star rooms except for maybe the carpeting.(or lack thereof)...if you can afford the difference, IMO, the benefits of staying on property as opposed to these selections is a no brainer, IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT...just think about it...(I'm assuming you have a car), the drive to the park, the longer walk to the gate...the amount of time you'll be walking in the parks, and then reverse the process...chances are you and your family will be exhausted at the end of the day, and now you have the drive back to the hotel. Again, IMO, it's a no brainer.

For the record....we stay on-site as well, LOVE Pop Century, and would not stay anywhere other than the Values Resorts.

Values Ranked in our order of preference:

1) Pop - 90's Building 8
2) Movies - Love Bug Building 7
3) Music - Broadway Building 7
4) Sports - Hoops Building 2 will get you as far away from those Domestic Tour Groups! They are the worst of any tour group, hands down
5) AoA - LM sec* - Would stay at Coronado Springs for close to same price....rooms at Pop 60's are as close to Animation Hall as LM
*last as price is never discounted, but we REALLY don't care for Sports either....

As far as cheaper rooms off-site....we're not staying at some "Motel #" that has the same room layout as the Values. AND, I said cheaper, not talking more affordable Hilton/Marriott types.... At ANY of the WDW Resorts, we can leave anything sitting out (we are not that brave to leave $$$ laying around) and have no worries while out for the day.....can't say the same for one of those affordable off-site. Never had any issues with an affordable Hampton, Courtyard, or even Comfort, but those are as low as we would go, and still would not have the same confidence when leaving the room.

Afford the difference? Where is there a room, truly comparable, for less? I'd love to see examples....

 

[thomas998]

If truly cost driven, here is our actual cost comparison for two upcoming trips (Value Resorts are booked):

April 24th - 26th -
All Star Movies AP Rate $91 per night - booked 1st part of this month
Cheapest Nearby Hampton Inn - $104 per night with AAA discount (Hampton Inn & Suites South Lake Buena Vista
Cheapest Nearby Comfort Inn - $80 per night - Comfort in Lake Buena Vista (Disney Springs/Palm Parkway)

May 3rd - 5th
Pop Century - $96 AP Rate
Cheapest Hampton - $73 AAA Rate - International Drive
Cheapest Comfort - $61 AAA Rate - International Drive

Is that would you would consider a much better room and fair cost comparison? If not, what much better room for the same price are you referring?

And please don't misinterpret this....I'd love to hear of off-site places as we tend to split stays to save $$$. Our splits generally involve Disney Resorts, but some have included off-site....So this will be valuable info for future trips.

Okay here are a few other options for the 24-26th that are at or below your AP rate of $91 but offer better accommodations than the All Star, If you didn't want them compared to an AP rate you could have gotten a lot more options because the regular rate at the All Star is closer to the $130...

Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs $89
Holiday Inn SW $71
Westgate Town Center Resort $89
Clarion Suites Maingate $71

or if you want the same level room as an All Star but much lower price....

Motel 6 Main Gate West $38
Howard Johnson Enchanted Land $31
Roomba Inn $38
Super 8 $42

Just depends on how much you value the extra morning hours or the bigger lead time in your fastpass selections.

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

Okay here are a few other options for the 24-26th that are at or below your AP rate of $91 but offer better accommodations than the All Star, If you didn't want them compared to an AP rate you could have gotten a lot more options because the regular rate at the All Star is closer to the $130...

Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs $89
Holiday Inn SW $71
Westgate Town Center Resort $89
Clarion Suites Maingate $71

or if you want the same level room as an All Star but much lower price....

Motel 6 Main Gate West $38
Howard Johnson Enchanted Land $31
Roomba Inn $38
Super 8 $42

Just depends on how much you value the extra morning hours or the bigger lead time in your fastpass selections.

Thanks for this info...we took a look at the list above, and will give the Wyndham and Westgate consideration the next time we confronted with a split stay.

If only the size, shape of room accommodations is being measured, I guess I could say the Clarion (the Clarion used to be a Comfort Inn [maybe Comfort Suites] back in the day)+ the last four on the list are comparable. We VALUE the confidence of being able to leave the room without having to pack up all belongings, as well as knowing there will not be added fees when leaving or checking out. The Value resorts also offer predictable transportation to all parks + Disney Springs......

Thank you again for your info......we are partial to the Disney Resorts and have the benefit of AP pricing....on the next occasion we have to make a split stay, we will consider a few on your list

Peace