Pop Century vs. Polynesian

[PixieMagic]

I know....weird topic... my family and I have always stayed at the poly - we are used to the wonderful monorail transportation and being able to see the castle across the lagoon...I know, we were spoiled...but with the economy the way it is, the only way we can afford to go is to stay at a value resort. So I am wondering...for those that have stayed at a value resort before, how is the transportation? It worries me having to rely on buses...how has it worked for you? How long is that wait both at the resort and at the parks to catch a bus? Do you feel emersed in the magic or would it be just the same for us to stay off property? What are your views? Any insight would be very helpful!

[disneymom15]

We love POP. I would never consider staying off property. The bus transportation times can vary, any where from zero wait time to 30 minutes or more depending on time of day. For us, we spend so little time at the resort that the values just fit us better.

[Daisy'sMom]

We never stay at any of the deluxe. We stay at CBR or POP. The POP is fun, you can relax, and the food court is Disney. The buses run smooth. The rooms are small, but like DH says, we are only in the room to sleep and shower. We used to stay at the WL but now we use that money on the restaurants instead. Wait time for the buses is not (for us anyway) more than 10 minutes. There is plenty of magic and yet you don't feel like you need to sit up straight the entire time.

[jonahbear2006]

see it as an adventure, and dont confuse the two resorts as the same type of trip and you will be happy. Go into it thinking you are going to relive childhood in the whimisical retro theme and you will have a blast. If you go in concerning yourself with busses and not having this or that, you are going to hate this trip. But go! Go because you want to try something new, and variety is the spice of life. Start a new tradition of trying every resort. I fretted over not getting to stay at the BC this year for the same reasons and I finally remembered that just last year we were totally happy with Fort Wilderness in a Tent. Disney isn't only magical in the deluxe resorts. All of it is magical and each resort will paint a totally different memory for all of you. Besides, just think, your resort pictures will be one of a kind this year, compared to the other visits.

[Mousemates]

Do you feel emersed in the magic or would it be just the same for us to stay off property? What are your views? Any insight would be very helpful!

We've stayed at a wide variety of resorts over the years...and if anything you will feel more immersed at the Pop...the theming is actually quite intense...you will never, ever, ever forget you are at WDW while you are there. As for off property, while we've done it in the past, we found we prefer the ease and efficiency of disney transportation. (we had some long, long waits for busses at DTD hotels). As for the bus experience at the pop...we found it to be pretty much the same as any of the other resorts (regardless of amenity level) we've stayed at. Hope you have lots of fun.

[tadshome]

We loved Pop and would happily stay there again. The bus service is ok, very busy at park closing but I would never choose to stay offsite.

[PrettyMinnie]

Our family loves POP mainly because of the over the top theming. The other resorts are wonderful and relaxing, but the value resorts, especially POP are incredibly Disney!I agree that you cannot go into the trip expecting the Poly.
As for the buses, we have never had a problem. The wait time was about ten minutes in the morning and throughout the day. At night it is a bit hectic and crowded but manageable. For a value price, the experience and atmosphere is great. Good luck!

[JoDisney]

We always stayed at a deluxe resort in the Summer. We have stayed at POLY and absolutely love it. We have stayed at POP and it is very nice, but you cannot compare it to POLY. There is just no way. We, too, are not going to a deluxe resort this Summer. We would love to, but cannot rationalize going to a deluxe because of the economy. We are going to POP. We can only tell you that it is a nice resort, but it cannot be compared to POLY. You will be fine at POP, but realize that it is a Value. It is the best Value, in my opinion.

[PhilHarHarMagic]

I've never really felt like the bus system was any different depending on the resort you were at. We've had good and bad - it's all a matter of timing. Of course, there's no monorail to MK or a short walk to the monorail to Epcot from POP like there is at the Poly, but you are paying a lot less.

I've always been a big fan of the food court at POP: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Don't sweat the small stuff!

[CaptSmee]

There is no comparison, but it's still a WDW resort. There's a reason why Poly is $300/night & POP is $100/night. Yes, the buses will be more crowded there is about 4 times the # of rooms at POP compared to Poly and it's usually quite filled. Don't get my wrong, we liked staying there but it is nothing like staying at a any of the deluxe resorts. Not as lush of themeing, less restaurants, less transportation.

It is definitely the best value resort and is centrally located on WDW. I hope you have a good time!

[KLud]

Pop is fine if you're just looking for a place to rest your head. Had no problem with the facilities etc. I do have a problem with relying on the bus system. I like going where I want, when I want.
The waits were never a problem, however, the length of time it takes to get anywhere can be vexing. I'd recommend either a)planning for an extra 30 minutes to get anywhere b) renting a car. Have fun planning!

Hooray, just over 45 days out!!!!!

[GrmGrninGost]

For me, I would stay at POP and enjoy it! It won't be as good as the Poly, but it beats staying off site. We have stayed at all the values, all the moderates and three of the deluxes plus we have stayed off site. No way do we stay off site again! You lose the immersion into the Disney magic! We stay at the level of resort we can afford at the time we plan our trip. It works out well for us! As far as the POP, it is our favorite of the values and we have stayed there several times. They have always treated us VERY well. I would say the service at POP has been, on the average, better than any of the other resorts we have stayed at. Enjoy!

[Friend of Figment]

I always stay at the Contemporary, but on a last minute trip I stayed at the All-Star Movies. It was fine. It made the trip quite different because of the transportation. At the Contempoarary I am much more likely to Park Hop and to go back to the room. Because of the busses at ASM I mostly picked a park and stayed put. The food court didn't make for relaxing, quiet meals, but the food was good and since my timing was different from families with little kids, it wasn't too crowded.

I realize this is a different pair of hotels, but the general comparisson is valid. I would say that the value resort was much better than I expected. We joked about it being "camping", but it really wasn't bad. The theming was fun and I certainly enjoyed my trip. I'd say anywhere at Disney is fun.

[Belster]

Hello,
Good question...I had this very same question back in 2004 when I had to change my way of thinking as well. As you can see from my signature I also am a Poly fan. We have stayed at the Pop most recently and LOVE it. The busses are great!!!!!! This resort has it's own bus I think that they run very smoothly. I tend to get worried about things like this and we have loved it!!! I have never had a problem waiting for the bus at all. I would never stay off property and do feel the Disney magic. In fact, I almost feel it more at Pop because of the theme. My kids just love it very whimsicle. You will love it!!!!

The only reason we are staying at CSR in October is because we got a fantastic pin code and we need a bigger room as my family is growing.

[Tink#64]

I can definitely sympathize with your situation! Last year, we made a spur of the moment decision to visit WDW during Spring Break, we had an October trip planned, but DH lost 2nd job in 6 months! (First moved to Mexico, he'd been there for 10 years! The 2nd let go an entire shift in one day!) We knew that if we didn't go while he was off work & DS's were on Spring Break, that the odd's of us going for maybe a year or more were very high! But, since DH was between jobs we knew that we'd have to cut every corner possible to live with our decision! We drove for the first time ever, hated it, but better than not going! We had to stay off property for the 1st few days because there was absolutely NOTHING available for the start of our trip at WDW! We actually got such a great rate at a decent hotel that I asked DH if we should just stay there for the entire trip! I'm glad he said no, so we got to spend part of our time at Pop which is our WDW home! We didn't get the Hopper option for the 1st time ever! We missed the things we didn't do that we are used to but we still had a great trip, made many more wonderful memories & I'd do it again in a minute! It was indeed a very different trip than what we're used to, but we explained everything to DS's pre trip & told them it would be unlike any other trip! They were only allowed to pick one TS for the trip & luckily they both had same pick!

If you go into feeling like you are making sacrifices & thinking you're going to miss what you are used to, you may not have a great time. But if you decide that this is a one time deal, a way to still be able to visit WDW and are glad to just get to go, then hopefully you'll get there & get into your Disney spirit & have a fantastic time as always! We tried to be realistic about the differences in our trip, yes we missed some of our usual stuff, but in the end it was definitely still a great WDW trip & much better than not going at all!

We love Pop, it's a really fun atmosphere! Definitely not the lush setting of the Poly, we've had dinner there & we all fell in love! Look at it as an adventure & try not to think about what you are used to and will be missing. We are very comfortable at Pop right now, DS's are 11 & 13, and some years we think about trying someplace new & we're afraid that we might be disappointed because we really enjoy Pop! I hope that you do too!
Wishes for a magical trip!

[Tigerinvestigator]

It beats any offsite properties, but doesn't come close to being in the same league as the Poly. It does have a fun atmosphere and if you don't spend your whole vacation wishing you were at the Poly you will have a great trip.

[PetefromRI]

We've tried the Pop twice and loved it both times.O.K.,it's not the Poly,but it is a fun filled place and I think that kids would like it over any deluxe.There are 3 huge pools,a nice arcade,a decent foodcourt,the rooms are clean and the atmosphere is pure Disney.The transportation is efficient and we found the front desk to be as friendly or even better than any deluxe that we've stayed in,not to mention that you probably save about 250.00-300.00 a night!

[Ksmith75]

Next month will be our first time at the POP and the first time at a value. We booked it for nine nights (thanks for the 4+3 - we only are paying for 6!)..we like how much of a savings it was and with the ecomony it seemed smart to do. Plus - compared to what we spent at the POR last year - which we thought was a good deal last year - we are saving so much money at the POP - we like to be able to spend without restriction while there (reasonalby mind you) and staying at the POP this year allow us to do it, so we are glad it is getting good reviews.....

[Hull-onian]

We stayed at the POP in 2005. We were on the forth floor in the back. It was very quiet where we were. The pool was good, food court was okay. We didn't starve. Most of our time, like everyone else, was spent in the parks. Our rooms were neat and clean. Busses ran good. If you need to be somewhere quick, I would take a taxi. All around, a good deal.

[brer frog]

glad to hear the positive reviews about the POP, staying there in 17 days, I can't wait