Why is POP so POPular???

[maizey05]

Hi, I'm considering staying at a value resort this time. I was thinking about the movies resort. I haven't heard too much about there, but it always seems like folks are talking about POP. Why is that? I've never been to any value resort, so I have no idea.

[magicman]

(1) The transportation is GREAT (as the buses aren't 'shared' with other resorts).

(2) The theming is very Disney-ish & fun.

(3) The food court is good.

(4) The pools are nice.

(5) I thought the rooms appeared very new.

My thoughts...

[Dopey's Girl]

Since it's the newest of the values, and doesn't share buses with any other resorts, POP is my choice for value resorts. Plus all the icons (especially the 80's, since that is when I was growing up!) are really fun!

[NLODisney]

I just returned Mon. night from a quick 4 night stay at Pop. I wnet by myself so went with a value to save money to stay at a deluxe when the family goes with. This was my second stay at Pop and I have also stayed at Asmu and sports. I like Pop better mainly because of the buses not sharing, the food court is good and I think that the themes at Pop are great. I love the huge Mickey phone, big wheel and rubics cube. I like the lobby where you check in better and the Pop is newer. I also bought the refillable mug and even though I really don't drink much soda I loved the frozen coke you get get in your mug here. The CM's are really great and I had a nice room on the 4th floor that was quiet and had a nice view of trees and the playground when I came out. I would stay here again if I went alone or with one other person. I would not stay here with more than 3 members of my family as the rooms are small and it wouldn't be as enjoyable for me.

[AllDisney]

It's the newest value resort on Disney property. The theme of the resort is great.

Take time to walk around the registration area. There are a few things from the past on display. Try explaining to your kids that you ACTUALLY had one of these antique items when you were a kid!

The food court is nice, and , as mentioned, you don't share transportation with another resort.

[maizey05]

I never realised that POP didn't share a bus with the others. Those other busses must be really crowded! Thanks for your info.

[paragon]

I stayed at Movies,and Music, both are very good. I visited Pop two years ago, and again just last week.
Pop is separated from the other value resorts and as others mentioned, it doesn't share the buses. It is very bright and colorful for sure. the Generation gap bridge is also different from the other values resorts, since they don't have it.
They took what they figured to be the best of the other three, and combined it all for pop. The overall set up is better, from the combination dining area & gift shop, to the check in area, and including the better location of the bathroom facilities at check in ( its closer to the pool ) the memorabilia on the wall is great too.
They also snuck in one more floor on each building.
I think when its ever finished its going to be even better! Theres a pond/small lake there which I would think they may eventually use for small watercraft rental ( at least that would make sense to me )

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

We actually prefer AS Movies over Pop. We have stayed at Movies a few times and Pop last September.

It was just too big of a resort and really busy.

The rooms were basically the same as Movies. Maybe a little "fresher". The food courts are comparable. Pop gets a little edge there though.

Even though Pop has its own buses we had the same experiences with the buses at both resorts. Both had minimal waits, unless it was after shows, fireworks, etc. Then they were both extremely busy.

Both are good resorts. Movies just gets our vote because it is a little smaller.

I think Pop's appeal is mostly that it is newer and does not share buses.

[JoDisney]

I am going to add that POP is an Epcot resort! It is right beside CBR. It is closer to (Epcot), MGM and MK. The other values are AK resorts.

[johnO]

As far as values go; I've stayed at ASMov, ASSpor and Pop. We prefere ASMov. Pop is newer and does not share buses BUT, Pop Century is the same size as ALL of the All Star resorts COMBINED. To me that evens the field as far as the Buses and food courts are concerned.

Also, Pop has one bus stop area but since the resort is so large you could end up in a building that's got a pretty good walk to the bus stops. The food court is bigger but again, it accomadates the same amount of people as ALL of the AS resorts combined. IMHO the food court is not big enough by FAR. The food court can be unbelievably busy and crowded. Even when you'd think that the crowds should be small. I don't want to make Pop sound like a bad resort, it's not. I'm only trying to point out factors that others don't mention / consider here, mainly the fact that Pop's size effects the way that one should compare it with any of the AS resorts. I think that due to these factos not being considered, people here at intercot give Pop a little too much credit / praise.

[Mickey91]

Basically, all the value resorts are the same. The set ups, food courts, room size and bus areas are all similar. The theming in each is different. The sports is cool and a major sports fan and/or young boy would really like the large football helmets and such. The music theme is fun, the movies are great with the different movie themes for each building. Each one of the All Stars has its own charm.

We prefer the Pop. It still has great theming for all the buildings. It is brighter and newer. It has icees at the drink station (yes, with 2 kids and DH, it's important), the lake is relaxing, and the set up of the dining area/gift shop is in MHO nicer.

That being said, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the Values. The biggest drawback is the buses. They are a pain at any of them. Coming from the park when you are dead tired, the AllStars actually have an edge on the Pop. We noticed that in Dec '06, they had actually moved the AS stops closer and there were 3 or 4 buses almost continuously to Pops 2 buses every 20 min.

Good luck with your decision. I think you will really enjoy the ASmov. If you get a chance, hop over to the Pop and look around. Maybe you can take the new resort friendly mug and get an icee!

[GrmGrninGost]

Pop is newer, the food court is better, the transportation is better, the theming is very cool, the pools are great and I think the whole complex seems roomier. Other than that, I can't think of any reason not to go All-Star!

[NJDad]

Pop Century is the same size as ALL of the All Star resorts COMBINED.

I think that'd be (almost) true if both sides of POP were open.

Pop currently has 10 operating buildings, each All Star has 10 buildings.

Pop buildings have one extra floor, but the number of rooms isn't that much greater.

My guess is POP=1 1/2 All Stars.

['Guest' of the MasterControlProgram]

According to Info Central, each half of Pop is 1.5 All Stars. 5,760 rooms if they'd complete Pop (and no suites). And each All Stars (before the suites) is 1,920 rooms. Its too late at night to do the math, but besides an extra floor, the floors themselves each have 8 extra rooms I believe (in addition to the 64 at All Stars, thus 72) ... multiply by 4 floors by 10 buildings by two resorts and I get 5,760.

My wife and I stayed at Pop for the first time in early 2006 and missed the Dec 2003 opening by a few weeks. Our first trip together was early 2002 and Pop was on the maps/guides as coming soon. We stayed at Sports and it was fun. But you kinda want that which you can not have. And the huge glowing Rubik's Cubes called me and called me. Like a moth. And the delayed opening made the desire stronger. Until 2006, Movies was our favorite. And now its a tie. But most rooms are preferred buildings at Movies. We wound up in 80's at Pop and loved it. 70's looks fun too. Would like to try 60's one day for a few $ more.

I guess the newness of Pop is it for us. I'm not into sports, and I really only like the looks of Calypso at Music, so Pop offers more appealing themes. The main building is much nicer too. Don't take the buses so that is not an issue for us. But we'll long for the Movies again some day and we'll be back.

It was weird driving in/out of Pop, with the way you curl around the complex. Maybe it'd make more sense when the other half opens. And we're used to hanging out on West Buena Vista Drive - Victory way between Osceola Parkway and E Buena Vista Drive was a different rhythm. Maybe it's quicker to most parks being centrally located, but it didn't feel like that.

I did find the hike from 80's to the food court to be longer than I'd ever experienced. The layout of the parking is not entirely to my liking. So, where to book? Look at pictures of Pop and Movies an decide for yourself.

[divinedi]

Have stayed at the ASSPorts numerous times, and we really like it there. I tried POP for a solo trip in February, and after one night I switched back to ASSports. Now part of it was familiarity and being alone so AS felt more like home, but it was incredibly busy at POP, trying to find someplace to sit and eat for breakfast was difficult. Didn't like the bus area either, long walk and again busy, too many people trying to get on one bus. Give me the AS anytime!!

[mttafire]

I've wondered the same thing...IMHO, AllStar Movies is BETTER than pop. We do not use Disney transportation though. We drive our Odyssey to the parks. We have stayed at both and we just preferred asm.

[wilshade]

I've stayed at Pop twice now and will again in November of this year. I fel like it "fits" me quite well. And, in that, I guess, is the secret.

The idea is to find the hotel that fits you the best. There are pros and cons to them all and how you weigh those is usually the basis for your decision.

I can tell you why I enjoy it and you can weigh that against what you have read elsewhere.

First, I like the energy and vibe of Pop. Yeah, those are intangibles, but that is something that is important to me. The place is busy to be sure, but there is an exhuberance about it that makes even busy seem fun.

The icons immediately draw your eye. But, a stroll around the resort will reveal some interesting and fun things. For instance . . there is the permanent outdoor Twister game, Mr. and Mrs Potato Head, and many other more subtle surprises.

Hourglass Lake - It's just nice that it is there. I do wish they would complete the "Legendary Years" section across the way though.

The food court seems to have exceptional variety. Yeah, it can be busy, but I have not found it overwhelming. If you want, you can always ask the CMs for carryout boxes and take your food out to one of the tables near one of the pools.

I know folks who routinely stay at the All-Stars but come over to Pop for a late night ice cream.

The Epcot "Illuminations" fireworks are visable from the rear of the 50's and 60's buildings.

As I said, it is just a matter fo finding what "fits" for you. Pop fits me quite well.

[Tink#64]

Wel said "wilshade" ! We stayed at ASMo's 1st trip and we loved it. We decided to try Pop our second trip because it had just opened 6 months earlier & it's now our WDW home! We love it there! The energy & atmosphere is awesome! Pure Disney magic for us & fun! The bus situation is so much better than the sharing of the AS's!

[iceicebritney]

pop is the best - for every reason
also, a little known fact is that Pop is a few bucks cheaper. i've had a number of CMs explain to me that because of where pop is located the tourist or resort tax (whatever its called) that you pay when u make ur reservation is one percent cheaper at Pop than the all star or other values because of its location.
and its just the best darn place to stay on property for ur money! lol i said darn

[tarzan_rocks]

My family prefers POP over AS. Aside from the points already raised there are two that are important to us. First, we like the air conditioning unit at POP. It is built into the wall and thus does not take any extra floor space. Those of you with little ones might also appreciate; we don't lose our WDW soap and other small items into the vent of the floor units found in other resorts. They also have a digital thermometer which does a much better job regulating room temperature. Second, and I am surprised no one has mentioned this, the insulation is much better at POP and does a much better job keeping sound out. The values can get a little loud at times, but at POP it rarely infringes on your nighttime or naptime sleep because of the better sound insulation.

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