Would I like POP after only staying deluxe?

[balletgirl2]

I am planning my summer vacation now. I keep looking at pictures from POP, and I think it looks so fun. Some of the reviews have me nervous though. I am bit of a resort snob and I wonder if I should just stick to the original plan of going to Yacht club. I am afraid that when I get there I will :lookaroun and say dang it I should have gone to the Yacht club. The thing is I am on a mission to stay at all of the resorts. I do not have any kids yet and my husband thinks we should save the value resorts for when we have kids because he thinks they would love the decor there.

I do not know what to do and even part of me wonders if I should skip WDW this year and go on a cruise instead.

 

[Crush Dude!]

I am planning my summer vacation now. I keep looking at pictures from POP, and I think it looks so fun. Some of the reviews have me nervous though. I am bit of a resort snob and I wonder if I should just stick to the original plan of going to Yacht club. I am afraid that when I get there I will :lookaroun and say dang it I should have gone to the Yacht club. The thing is I am on a mission to stay at all of the resorts. I do not have any kids yet and my husband thinks we should save the value resorts for when we have kids because he thinks they would love the decor there.

I do not know what to do and even part of me wonders if I should skip WDW this year and go on a cruise instead.

We stayed at Pop this year and love it! But if you are someone who likes to spend alot of time at your resort then save it for when you have kids, id def go with yacht club 1st:wave:

 

[Mystic]

I stayed at POP after staying at WL for years. I thought it was a great Value resort.

 

[Crush Dude!]

Just a quick one, if its a value u want to stay in, then DEFINATELY go with pop, it blows away the all stars!!!!!

 

[lovepooh]

We stayed at the POP for one night before moving to FQ. It was nice enough but I definatly could tell a room size difference between POP and FQ. IF you like to have room in your room probably wouldn't suggest staying at the POP. But if room size is not an issue, but theming is the POP would be fine.

 

[KaliSplash]

If you are, as you say, a bit of a resort snob, I'd definietly go with Yacht Club.

Understand, there are no bad decisions here, you're still at WDW!! But it's a signifcant step down from deluxe to value. Yacht Club is wonderfully located for Epcot, Disney Hollywood Studios and the Boardwalk. Places that especially appeal to those w/o children.

I think the goal of visiting all the resorts is a good one and I'd still love to take that approach. (I've done GF, Contemporary, WL, CB, All Star Sports, All Star Music and Pop) But at this point, I'd go Yacht unless $$ is going to be no object once you have children !!

Enjoy!

 

[Doug7856]

**This is my opinion only**

Lots of people love Pop and I can see why. We stayed there for three nights and had a fantastic time. My seven year old son absolutely loved the place from large icons to the great pools. What's not to like! I found the bus service to be excellent and the food court has lots of variety. The store was way larger than most other resort gift shops I've been in.

What I missed:
The towels in the room were badly worn and hadn't been replaced in a long time. I just missed the comfortable, soft towels.

No towels were provided at the pool, you are expected to bring the towels from your room.

The double beds were just too small.

The room itself was very small.

Bottom line for us: if its the only way to get to Disney, it's worth it, but we miss the differences that make deluxe resorts worth it.

 

[surfsupdon]

We are Deluxe Snobs, only after years at Caribbean Beach. Yacht/Beach/BoardWalk are our favorites, Club Level specifically.


We stayed at Pop in Jan'05. It was an awesomely pleasant surprise! We overlooked the lake and could see the MK fireworks in the distance.

It was clean, had a great food court, and was just a lot of fun. Mousekeeping was good and CMs were very friendly.

Yes, the rooms are VERY SMALL (we laughed at how you enter the room and practically hit the first bed), there are no boats/bikes or sit down restaurants, no water slide at the pool, and only bus transportation everywhere. Oh well.


Bus transportation was really, REALLY good. Buses only stop once at the Resort and go directly to your destination, which doesn't exist at Deluxe Resorts (minus AKL).


Give it a shot. Yes it was a fun vacation. You can tell it's not a Deluxe, but it doesn't try to be. It still felt very Disney. Have not returned, but would not be against it. Avoid the All Stars!

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

We grappled with this a lot for our upcoming trip. We originally were booked at All Star Sports and somewhere down the line we considered Port Orleans and then decided on the Polynesian finally and that is where we'll be staying in 23 days.

I think it all comes down to what you're comfortable with and what your wallet can handle.
I know it's a fun mission to stay at all resorts, but after all it is your vacation. Stay where you really want to!

If you do chose to stay a Pop however, be aware that it's very different from a Deluxe!!

 

[Philo]

If I could go to WDW and only stay in a value resort I would still be very happy. If I could afford the extra then yes, I would upgrade but another part of me (the sensible part) tells me that I hardly spend any time in the room at all so it's not worth the upgrade.

Basically, will you notice the difference? Yes

Will you still have a good time? Yes

Just remember not to expect all the little details of a deluxe and you wont have a problem.

 

[bradandsarabr]

I would suggest looking at the photos of the rooms at
Pop before making any decision. You can also see the floorplan on-line.

 

[sparky03]

My trips to WDW are usually solo, whirlwind trips where very little time is spent in the room or at the resort at all. For me, POP is ideal. It just makes no sense wasting hundreds of dollars on amenities I don't need. POP has all the basics I need including a clean bed, a good transportation system, and a decent food court.

 

[Master Yoda]

If you are an admitted resort snob I think that POP, or any value for that matter, will fall a bit short of your expectations. That being said there is nothing at all wrong with the value resorts. They will simply lack some of the niceties that you more than likely have become use to at the Deluxes. If you are only going to be there for a weekend try slumming it (that was a joke people) and see what you think but I would not risk an entire weeks vacation on it.

 

[tiaragirl]

I have to agree with everyone on here.. if you are going to be spending a LOT of time in your room, or appreciate the 'down time' a little more than the average person, stay at the deluxe resort.

I ADORE Pop, and we always make it work, but we often only go to crash early afternoon and late in the evening, so we don't 'enjoy' the resort as much as some people do.

Your future son/daughter will love it, though =) May as well enjoy being relaxed and pampered while you're not catering to another little person!

 

[happymom52003]

I do not have any kids yet and my husband thinks we should save the value resorts for when we have kids because he thinks they would love the decor there.

The only reason I would save the value resorts for when you have kids is if you need to for budgeting reasons.

In my opinion, deluxe resorts are easier with kids because the rooms are larger (especially at the Poly). And with the exception of AKL, the deluxes have an alternate form of transportation to at least one of the parks other than the bus (walking, monorail, or boat) which really makes it easier when you have kids with you. And while expensive, I like having room service available if needed.

Honestly, the only way I would ever stay in a value resort is if it was the only way I could got to WDW. That is not to say I would not still have a great vacation if I stayed at a value...I am certain I would, because it is WDW! But as long as I have a choice, I'd choose a deluxe.

If it were me, and my goal was to stay at every resort, then I would do a split stay. A couple of days at Pop first, then move to a deluxe for the rest of the trip.

 

[musketeer]

I've stayed in all 3 levels, 1 deluxe, 2 moderate, and 1 value (Pop Century).

We're the kind of people who aren't in our room all that much, leave early, come back late, there pretty much for the parks.

That being said, what really stood out for me with the Pop Century is the amount of people there. It took about 45 minutes just to get through the line to check in. The bus service was not good at all. The waiting area is out front, with separate lines for each destination, with no shade, and had to wait for another bus at times because of so many people.

Same thing coming back to the hotel from the parks.

At the moderate and deluxe resorts, no problem with check-in, bus service was just great.

Other than that, I thought the Pop Century was just fine.

I'd stay in a value resort again, but only if I have a car.

 

[palmage]

I agree with everyone.
We tend to spend a lot of time at the resort, so it's AKL (our favorite), BW, YC for us.
But if it's nothing more than someplace to sleep, might as well save the money and go with the value resort.

When we go to Tallahassee for home games it's Motel 6 all the way baby.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Never stayed at Pop my eldest has and she said that it was just as good a place as anywhere else and the buses a lot better than either the Boardwalk or AKL

 

[wdwhoneymooner]

As a person who's stayed at all 3 resort levels, including Pop & Yacht Club, I can tell you that there is a very big difference regarding the "atmosphere". As a self-proclaimed "resort snob", you'll see and sense the differences between Pop and YC quite quickly. Beyond the large Disney sculptures and differently themed pools, there isn't as much to see or do compared to what you'll find @ YC (Board walk, International Gate Way, Beaches and Cream, etc.). So if you have concerns about becoming bored quickly and need things to do/see while staying at a resort, then I'd recommend sticking with YC.

On the other hand, we've stayed @ POP twice (including Christmas 2008) and we had a blast. We have a DS(9) and DD(6) and they both enjoyed the playful environment including having so many other children available to play with while in the pool or on the playground. Lots of families with young children tend to stay @ POP so it can get quite noisy if you're staying in a preferred room (one facing the pool). Both times we chose to stay in the 60's building facing the water and it was peaceful. We also were able to see the nightly fireworks too without any thunderous explosions.

 

[Mystic]

Just for clarification purposes the fireworks that can be seen from Pop Century is Illuminations from Epcot, not Wishes from the Magic Kingdom. Pop Century is almost directly south of Epcot's World Showcase and much too far away from MK to see Wishes.