Will we be disappointed staying at the POP (or other value)?

[Grim Grinning Marathon Runner]

I'll admit it; we've become spoiled by staying at mainly moderates and our favorite, the Poly lately. Pre-intercot, we stayed at an off site Hampton Inn, and we were fine with that.

That being said, the budget is a little bit tighter this year, and we're really thinking about doing a Value resort. I've read that the POP is a favorite among values.

We have a 2 year old daughter, so we try and take it easy; we take mid afternoon naps and try and hang out at the pool some.

Will we be disappointed in the POP or another value?

[Mousemates]

the answer to your question is "it depends?" The deluxes are bigger, nicer, and generally quieter than the values...and of course they are much more expensive usually 2X to 3X more.

So if you focus on what your missing in terms of space and time (poly monorail is super convenient) disappointment might creep in. But if you focus on what your keeping...a whole lot of debt off your credit card then maybe not so much.

you might consider doing what we do on occasion (next time in June actually)...spend your busiest park days at a value or moderate (your not in your room that much anyway)...and then close off the week with an upgrade to a deluxe for the final night or two. We also did this last Jan with a stay at the Pop (which we loved) and a night at the Contemporary.


But regardless of the resort, remember that you will be at WDW which pretty much beats anyplace else.

[lightyearfan]

no i don't think that you'll be disappointed at all. me and dw have stayed at both mod and as of late All Stars, and for us it doesn't seem to be all that different. the themeing might even be better for a 2 year old, and don't forget you'll still get all the wonderful WDW amenities that come with staying a Disney resort. the only thing that might bother you would be that there is no TS style resturant.

Enjoy your trip
Victor

[Von-Drake]

I do not think you will be disappointed. Like the earlier poster said depends on what you focus on during your stay. While the monorail resorts are super convenient and quieter you will definitely save money by staying at the value. Which according to you post is a primary goal this trip. Stay at the Value and have a great time.

[Taja]

Just relax, enjoy and accept your resort for what it is.

In the case of the value resorts, neat, clean and fun!

And think of all the money you'll be saving!

[MickeyMomof2]

In all honesty, I think kids LOVE the theming at the values. If you look at it through a child's eye, you will have a wonderful visit. We had a great week last September at the ASSp!

[wire0monkey]

Honestly? My kids would much rather stay at ASM or another value resort, than at a Deluxe or a Moderate. They like the loud theming. They like the hustle and bustle of all the kids their age being around. They like going to a food court, rather than a sit-down restaurant.

[wire0monkey]

The"Hippy Dippy*" pool at PC is wonderful by the way. It is in a nice area with a poolside bar, and there's a children's pool nearby. There's a big (GINORMOUS) statute of Play-Doh animals, and Mowgli and Balloo near it. Our building also had a sprinkler area near it that my kids liked.




*Cause who wants dirty hippies?

[hlkeck]

We did great at ASMusic and my kids were 3 and 5 last September. Like many mentioned, you're not there that often - the kids are just excited to be at Disney and don't care where they sleep - and the pools are themed very nicely and have plenty of kids to play with!

DH still grumbles that we bought DVC when he was truly just fine at the values! Too bad, though!

[Bringonthemouse!]

We (myself and DD16) LOVE Pop. It is decorated in loud, bright colours and many huge Disney icons. There is a very cute Goofy sprinkler pad your child will probably enjoy as well as 3 pools. We are also big on heading back to the resort for a catnap and a swim in the middle of the day.
While I can't compare our resort to mod's or deluxe's as we've never "splurged" that much, we have spent many days resort hopping. Yes, in my opinion the Disney resorts are absolutely fantastic in their design and theming, but I have to say that we will continue to stay at Pop as it is the resort that has the most "disney" ambience for us.
I think your family will really enjoy Pop, we certainly do!

[Jasper]

As others have already alluded to it all depends on your mind set. We have loved all of the value resorts however, we look at the resort simply as someplace to sleep, shower and take an evening swim. As long as we are staying someplace within the Disney magic we are happy.

However, if the larger rooms and extra amenities offered at the moderate or deluxe hotels are important to you or if the "status" of staying at one of the higher priced resorts is important to you or your family then you will likely be disappointed with the values. Examine your families situation and especially your conscience about what is really important to your family and make your choice accordingly! One thing that can help you make this decision easier is to sit down and make a list of what you consider to be must haves in a resort and then compare that to what is offered at each level and your decision will be easy to make!

[ltam16]

We just got back from Contemporary and loved it. However, we stayed at Pop last 2 times. I would go back to Pop. The monorail was great, but the buses at Pop were better than Contemporary's. We also preferred the food court and gift shop at Pop. The theming for kids is great. My kids 7 & 9 loved the slide at the Contemporary but thought the pools at Pop were cool too and they missed the activities that they did at Pop's pools. If it were between not going and staying at a value I would do a value. The room at Contemporary was bigger but Pop is not a cubby hole. We found it manageable for a family of 4...although I do prefer the Queen size beds at Contemporary and the bedding was no comparison. But I would go back to Pop!

[Young@Heart]

While I agree that it depends on your frame of mind, it's also depends on your viewpoint, as pp said. I doubt the wonders of POP could be lost on any child. Our DC are 13, 12, and 4 and they wouldn't think of staying anywhere but POP. They talked us into it last trip, and insisted we return for this trip.
So while you might need to adjust to the "downgrade" a little, I bet your DD will be enthralled w/ everything POP has to offer.