Please tell me about the good and bad of Pop Century

[Deanie1]

I am considering moving from POR to Pop or else doing a split stay Pop and then POR. I love POR but with our Canadian dollar being so low, I could save a few hundred by staying at Pop. This will be my first solo trip.
I tend to spend most of my time at the parks. I am worried about the amount of walking at Pop (no preferred available), the noise level and the buses. If you have stayed at Pop before, I welcome all your help with this! TIA

 

[disnut8]

My husband and I love the buses at Pop Century. All in one place and once on the bus, you are going to the park of your choice. Same thing with at the end of the day. For us (we are in our mid to late 50s), walking has never been a problem as there is always something to see. I would advise to take your time and appreciate the icons to the decade they are representing.

As for noise level, the only time we've had a problem was with a "Banshee" in the next room with a connecting door. The parents did nothing about it and the noise started very early in the morning. But, that wasn't Pop Century doing it, it was the family involved. As far as outside noise, we haven't had a problem at Pop Century at all and we've stayed in all decades except the 90s.

 

[disneykelly]

I've done Pop twice, once solo. Going next week solo as well.
Unless you are in the 80's/90's, the walk is fairly short regardless of building.
Even if you are in the above section, you can cut across the parking lot to get to the busses fairly quickly.
The bus service is outstanding. No sharing and they come quite frequently. The only detractor is that the pop bus tends to pick up from the furthest point. Really only a minute or two longer walking to get to the return station.
The food court does a good job and has a good variety.
Noise isn't too bad. Yes, you can get the occasional late noise from outside and toilet flushing from above, but it isn't really that bad.
Give pop a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[maxiesmom]

The only thing I didn't like about the Pop is the location of it's bus stops at the resorts. It is pretty much the one farthest away from the park gates. At every Disney park. I found the resort itself to be bright and clean and the CMs some of the best.

 

[Deanie1]

Yes, my biggest concern is walking from the entrance of the park back to the bus stop. I will be 63, have knee replacements and rheumatoid arthritis. It is the worst in my feet. I almost always get blisters as well despite getting well fitted walking shoes from the running store and good socks. I never scrimp on my footwear. That being said, I keep quite active and I do plan on walking quite a bit before I go to get in the best shape that I can. If this snow ever ends, that is (I am in BC, Canada).

What section of Pop would be the best one to stay in? Which section is closest to walk over to Art of Animation?

 

[maxiesmom]

Have you considered staying at an All Star resort? It will save you a little money and maybe you could get a preferred room to save yourself some walking.

 

[disneykelly]

Yes, my biggest concern is walking from the entrance of the park back to the bus stop. I will be 63, have knee replacements and rheumatoid arthritis. It is the worst in my feet. I almost always get blisters as well despite getting well fitted walking shoes from the running store and good socks. I never scrimp on my footwear. That being said, I keep quite active and I do plan on walking quite a bit before I go to get in the best shape that I can. If this snow ever ends, that is (I am in BC, Canada).

What section of Pop would be the best one to stay in? Which section is closest to walk over to Art of Animation?

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/1329/PopCenturyMap2012RoomCategoriesFINAL.jpg

60's section would be the closest to the bridge to AoA.

 

[fla4fun]

The 60's section is the closest to the bridge to AoA. I had a room on the backside of 60's facing the lake, and I had booked standard, not preferred. I walked over to AoA a few times, and it was very simple. There are also buildings in the 50's and 70's that would not be much farther away. If you have booked standard, try requesting a "lake view" - that helps get you closer to AoA.

However, I wandered all over the resort, and the walk wasn't really all that bad from any of the buildings to the main building. I agree that cutting through the parking lot can shave off a few steps. I didn't have any transportation issues, and I had prepared myself for the fact that the value bus stops tend to be the farthest out when leaving the parks. As far as noise, I would hear the occasional toilet flush, but we have the air pressure toilets in our house, and they are much louder than anything I dealt with at Pop. I was not near enough to the main pool to hear any noise from there. I can say that my worst noise issues at WDW (and there haven't been many) were all at deluxe resorts. But they were due to inconsiderate guests, and could have happened anywhere.

I have stayed at all levels of resort, and had great vacations in all of them. It is important to research your resort choice and keep your expectations realistic. There is a difference between, say, the Poly and All Star Sports. You can't really compare them. You need to decide what amenities, room size, bed size, etc., will make a trip enjoyable for you, and then base your resort choice on that. I have five WDW trips this year - one at BWV in a one bedroom villa, two at POFQ, and two at Pop. Each resort choice was made based on what I need for that particular trip, whether it's a budget issue, or solo vs. family trip, or whatever. Last year, I had one at POFQ, one at Pop, one at AoA in a family suite and one at YC. They were all great.

 

[VACamm]

Pros: the price is great!

Cons: very noisy food court, I didn't like the loud colors and giant icons / statues, small beds

 

[Disney_traveler]

The only con I found was the crowds (resort and buses), but I've felt that way about Pop, AoA and All Star Music.

The only other on property I have stayed at is Coronado. I loved the quiet almost empty feeling. I was there Spring Break. The downside was it just felt like a nice resort, not that Disney feel you get from some others.

 

[DaniMoon]

Can't think of any cons, we have stayed in the 60s and 70s and the walk to the food court and buses is not bad. Love being able to go to AoA.

We tend to avoid prime meal times, so I've never really had a crowded food court. We do portable breakfasts, so we don't deal with the morning craziness in the food court.

I personally do not like the preferred pool view rooms, a louder location. We love 70s lakeview, top floor.

 

[Pkltm]

I ah e stayed at both POP and POR, found the buses slightly better at POP, and walking distance comparable. Noise level, we have had issues at both.

 

[Tattylou]

We have stayed at pop twice. No complaints. We stayed in the 50s and the 70s - super short walk to buses, pool, food, etc. We like the option of going over to AOA to eat in their food court. The buses were good. I thought the room was fine for what we use it for - to sleep and to shower. It's clean and confortable enough. I've stayed at POR and CBR and PORFQ and I love them, but I just can't justify spending extra for a room we are hardly in.

 

[MarissaMarissa]

We've stayed at the POP twice and we love it! During the online check-in I always request a room close to transportation, and both times we were put in the 90's section and didn't find the walk bad at all!

 

[Vandrusiek]

Pop always holds a special place in my heart. We have never had a bad experience there. Rooms are average, but we are not in them much other than sleeping and random down time. The grounds are so beautiful and the pools are good too! Wish they had hot tubs though. Bus system is great since Pop doesn't share with any other resorts. Never had any noise issues. Walking back to the room does feel longer after a long day at the parks but it's never been too much of an issue for us. Hope this helps!

 

[Disneylover99]

No cons for me...but lots of pros

- short bus waits
- quiet rooms (lakeside)
- lots of variety in Pop and AofA foodcourt
- love the energy and vibe

 

[SaintsManiac]

We did a split stay between POP and POR last time. I was not impressed with POR at all and kept thinking we should have stayed at POP. The only plus for us was the beds were more comfortable at POR.

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

We love Pop when we stay at a Value. It is just a fun resort and we love the theming as we are in our early 60's as well. I think you will enjoy reading the little signs throughout the resort along the lake, and walking along the lake is so pleasant. We used the food court most of the time, we tend to eat breakfast early as we do rope drop so never found it crazy or overly hectic. And for dinner after a day at the parks it was also a good quick option.

This trip we were in 80's section and if you looked at the map there were easy shortcuts to the food court and bus stop. Comments about Pop bus stop locations at theme parks and Disney Springs are spot on, Pop is usually among the furthest away! No complaints from us, price was good and we would and have done it again!

 

[Epcot82Guy]

I have stayed at both, and I agree with the sentiments shared. If you are going to be at each place at least 2 nights, I'd recommend the split stay. I've done that a couple of times (including POP to POR). I felt the "upgrade" when I did. POP is a fine choice solo if you aren't going to spend time at the resort. But, I love the separation feeling POR provides along with the boat to Disney Springs. Based on what you've said, you really won't go wrong either way.

 

[ThistleMae]

I love Pop, staying there next year for sure. The only thing I don't love, even though we have a dedicated bus, is how long the lines are at Park Closing to wait for the bus. It was always the longest line and we had to wait for at least two buses before we were far enough along in the line to get on. But....for the price difference, I can deal with it. We stayed at Poly two years ago and the transportation system was far better. We could take a short boat ride across to MK. We used the Monorail to go back and forth from MK to E. We took the boat from E to HS. It was just so convenient. The only ride we had to take for the bus was to AK. So if convenience or walking is an issue, the resorts on the Monorail are much quicker.