What did you love and hate about Pop Century?

[Pfeifer1990]

I'm looking for the good, bad and ugly regarding Pop Century resort stays that have happened in 2018.
Bus waits, food quality, service, rooms etc.

Thanks for any and all info.

 

[ScottKC]

Love the new rooms, BUT I fear the minimalist design does not hold up to the number of folks passing through there. We did a 90's room (first to be remodeled) early this year and there were lots of scuffs/wear for a newly remodeled room. We had a 80's room at thanksgiving and it was perfect. That was minor though...love the food court....and the giant statues. Its very bright and cheery and silly. It is usually super crowded so that is a downside. The rates have been climbing to the point that "for just a few dollars more" per night we have been trying the moderates out, although we miss the over the top decor (toddler really loves it) we are getting used to the more spacious moderate rooms!

 

[JohnD]

Love the new rooms. . .except the tiled floors. I prefer carpet. I'm also used to double beds to throw my stuff on the other bed. Finally figured out the Murphy bed on the 2nd night where I could put my stuff.

 

[Zipadeelady]

I'll be there in 4 days! I'll let you know my opinion when we get back. We're hoping to stay in the 50's building but I know they are still working on that section.

 

[JTT]

Love the newly remodeled room.
Hate the wait for the busses.

 

[KCheatle]

Note: I last stayed there in May, 2009 (Although I don't think there's been significant changes since that time??).

Staying with the positives first:
(1) I loved the smell of the ice cream shop in the food court
(2) I loved the waffle cones served at that ice cream shop
(3) I loved the selection of food at the food court for my very unique and picky family members
(4) I loved how people uniquely decorated their room windows - it reminded me constantly that we were amidst a fun crowd
(5) I loved the Goofy splash pad. My daughter was pretty young when we went, and while she loved playing the water, swimming was not really her forte yet. The splash pad was a nice area for her to play in.

The negatives:
(1) The distance between our room and the food court/bus stop. At the time, we did not realize the size of the hotel complex. It was a very long walk to our room from the main building, and the walk felt 10x longer after a long day at the parks or in the rain. If they still offer it, I would absolutely book a preferred room.
(2) The bus ride. It is a long bus ride to just about any park from POP. But, particularly to MK. If you are planning to come back and take a mid-afternoon break, plan on that break being a long one. Otherwise, take an uber.
(3) The rate of buses for POP. For every one POP bus, there were like 4 Beach Club or Polynesian buses. By the time a POP bus would come, there would be so many people, that it would be packed to standing room only. My husband, being a gentleman, would always offer up his seat, and would have to stand the entire ride. Doesn't seem like a big deal, and it's really not if you only have to do it a few times. But, it was pretty close to every bus ride that trip that he ended up having to stand for the very long bus ride. If we stayed there again, we'd be using ubers.
(4) No water slide. My kids are older now, and really enjoy the water slides in the pool. I will admit having the water slides does make the pool experience a bit more fun for us.

 

[LUVofDIS]

We stayed in November 2017. I like the toned down themed. We were in the 70's area. They need to add a character comforter or something else small to make it perfect. I love the new floors. The theming around the grounds is nice, it doesn't hit you in the face like the other value resorts, I like it. The resort is easy to navigate, it is large and you can end up doing a lot of walking.

The food court can be loud and busy, but the food is really good. I was expecting a low quality food but I was able to find healthy, good tasting food.

The pools are a neat Idea but are not as nice as the other resorts we stayed at. But they are not bad.

The only thing that I found to be bad was the busing. We have never waited so long for buses, AoA is close but is better by an inch or two.

 

[Dunston]

With the busses being so bad let's hope those gondolas open soon. I remember hearing within a week either way of May 1.

 

[Disney Dad 3000]

We stayed June '17 and paid an extra few $ per night to be close to the main lobby. Don't believe it was a remodeled room.

Good
We were actually pleasantly surprised with the food court. Food was fairly decent and good variety.
Pop didn't share buses with another resort so only one stop, your destination
Bus ride to HS and AK was fairly quick
Room was not glamorous, but didn't expect it to be, but it was clean and tidy
Walking distance to AofA

Bad
Room is really tight. Door opens into one of the beds.
Buses from park to Pop seemed to be really sparse. Had some long waits at parks to leave, at all hours of day
Pools themselves were not terrible, just really basic so if you want a cool slide, or secluded spots, you won't find it

 

[DarthVader]

There's nothing I didn't like staying at the Pop, it was a very enjoyable time. I know my kids enjoy water slides that the moderates and deluxes offer but overall I loved the Pop and I'll stay there again if the opportunity arises.

 

[Tomi-Rocket]

There is nothing I don’t like about Pop. I have thoroughly enjoyed my stay each time I’ve been there. Wondering how I’ll like the new upgraded rooms now though.

 

[DisneyGigi]

It is the best of the values. Taking out AoA because we don’t stay value anymore and haven’t tried it since it opened. Pop was the least noisy out of all of the All Stars, but the walls still seemed thin. We got spoiled with Coronado and have either stayed there or at Old Key West the past 5 trips. If I was going to stay at a value, I would choose PoP again over All Stars definitely though.

 

[Disneyfreak Jen]

I like be POP. I’ve stayed there more times than I can count. The only thing I don’t like is the bus lines. Not enough busses come to POP....the wait in between busses can be very long. I’ve seen 2 caterpillar busses fill up with a good amount of folks still on the sidewalks.

 

[surfsupdon]

I stayed for a quick weekend in June 2018.

I loved the new rooms. Well executed!
I hated the amount of people and lack of a quiet pool. Rowdy clientele, I felt, all over.

 

[ThunderRebel]

I'm looking for the good, bad and ugly regarding Pop Century resort stays that have happened in 2018.
Bus waits, food quality, service, rooms etc.

Thanks for any and all info.

We were at Pop in February, our first stay at a Value Resort. We were in a Preferred room (top floor) in the 70s building, so it wasn't a long walk to the front desk/gift shop. However, the room was tiny! Luckily, it was only my husband and I and not our family of four. We kept the Murphy bed up during the entire stay. It was newly refurbished in a modern, minimalist style with the laminate wood floors. During our stay, a cheer competition and numerous South American teenage tourist groups were also calling Pop home. This led to our navigating around big groups and listening to cheers and chants on the buses to the parks. Even in our room, we could hear a lot of outside noise from down below in the "courtyard" areas between buildings as cheerleaders practiced their routines. At night, we could also hear the sound of running footsteps - they seemed to vibrate across the floor. Bus waits were generally not too long - only twice in four days did we wait for over 30 minutes. We never ate in the food court area - we're not much on food courts no matter where we stay. To get to the bus stop, we walked through the main lobby past the food court and gift shop, and it was generally quite crowded and noisy. I would only stay at Pop again if I'm trying to stay "on the cheap." We definitely felt the moderate, and certainly the Deluxe, resorts offered a much quieter, nicer ambiance than Pop. There really is a difference. After shelling out to stay at the Boardwalk twice, we wondered if it was worth it. Now we know.

 

[LUVofDIS]

There is nothing I don’t like about Pop. I have thoroughly enjoyed my stay each time I’ve been there. Wondering how I’ll like the new upgraded rooms now though.

I think you will love them, I like the new rooms better. The only thing I might say is that the theming is a little to subtle, but that is okay too.

 

[the horned king]

Been a while but I remember Pop Century feeling like a better resort than the All Stars which is where we used to stay and the food court being better (cleaner, bigger, more seating, more options and variety). The bad being very spread out in the hotter months you can be sweating by the time you get to the food court and buses being a major issue (not enough and crowded once they did show)

 

[Gabe1]

I did a 4 week trip to WDW this spring. Started and ended at Pop. Start was great though we were back at the lake a hike. Perfect couple of days

I went to check in at 4 pm at end of trip and room wasn’t ready. No text while at parks so off to lobby again. Assigned a room closer this time. But I walked in and it was visibly dirty. Back to lobby cause I mean real dirty. Floor even soda sticky. They moved me pretty close but another building

This one had bugs. Not bed bugs they said but some Florida blood biting bugs not mosquitoes though. They tossed the room. Moved me to another room in preferred section right next to bar main pool area. They sent housekeeping in and scrubbed the room to beyond perfect. I was delivered by hotel manager. They comp’d that night. Still now 3 AM

For the next two nights my flights were cancelled and each night I came back they again put me in the same preferred area.

The new furnishings and queen Beds are so much better and now there is drawer space and storage for families. The floors Disney needs a better plan as dry mops on plastic floors does not remove the dirt.

 

[Debbie]

I just got back yesterday from a 5 nite stay/last minute trip. This was my 3rd time at Pop Century. I really like the renovations made to the rooms. My aunt had an adjoining room to me and what I found interesting is her room had a tub/shower whereas mine was shower only. I loved the everything about the bathrooms and most particularly the door I can slide closed for privacy in the dressing area. The TV had a gorgeous picture. Loved the coffee maker. Only complaint is we didn't find in either of our rooms, that the refrigerator was cold enough and I miss the little freezer on top (to freeze water to take to the park) but other than that....... I would say "well done" to whomever designed the renovations. Now onto the the other part------we stayed in the 70's building, had requested 80's, no biggie. but it is a pain to lug everything from the parking lot to our room and vice versa in the Florida heat, rain etc. Seemed like we were half a mile away... There was security like I have never seen before and I had never seen so many groups of teenaged kids from the usual places. Seemed like half of the hotel was filled with these kids and they do everything together. So when it came time for them to go to the food court; a calm relaxing atmosphere suddenly turned into a rush of groups of 50 kids all trying to order food, get in line at a ride, etc.

 

[stemikger]

I love Pop but it's been 10 years since my last visit. I have stayed there 3 times and I loved it every time. I will be going in 13 days for 11 days, hopefully I love it as much as I did a decade ago.