Just back............from POP

[disneymad1998]

Hi All,

We were at POP from18th sep to 2nd oct and I wasn't too impreseed with POP.

When we arrived at check in I asked if we could have a top floor room in any building - (I had put this on my original reservation but wasnt given a room on the top floor first) the check in guy was very stone faced and said that he doubted we would get a room as they do not usually put people staying 2 weeks on the top floor - he said he could ask if I wanted him too - he made me feel like I was putting him out with this request but I said Yes I would like you to check - he made a 10 second call and got us a top floor room in the 80's section - He made no conversation with my DD7 and didnt say to have a magical stay or how was the journey and there were only 2 people in the queue behind us so it wasnt busy - These guys are the 'face' of disney and should remember that.

We've stayed at the All Star Sports and movies 3 times but thought we would try POP put as it was different but we like the theming of the hotels etc.

The foodcourt was really busy, they never had all of the registers open and most of them were being manned by new CM's in training - I appreciate that everyone has to learn but you would think that they would have experienced staff on to keep the lines down -most of the time food was luke warm when we got to sit down.

I was very surprised with the anount of people that were filling up their own bottles and cups at the refill station without purchasing mugs - We left our mugs in the room once and because of the long walk back I brought a drink I would not of dreamed of filling up a used water bottle - there were CM's around as the frozen coke machine was always down and they saw people doing this but nothing was said - I think that they would be better having some kind of bar code system like at the water parks to try and stop this.

Although my DH is a smoker, he always uses the smoking areas designated, but I was very shocked at the amount of people that were walking around site and on the balconies smoking - CM's & Housekeeping would walk past and just say Hi!!

We had ordered a pizza from the food court for delivery one evening and about 10 minutes into eating it there was a leaflet put thrugh the door advertising an outside company that would deliver pizza to the room in 45 mins of ordering - I could not believe it - One of the reasons for staying at Disney is knowing that their security is high. We had a reservation with the hotel and had to show the paperwork and my DH's driving license the night we arrived so how on earth do these Pizza people get in to deliver their flyers?? My DH went to concierge and mentioned it but they did not seem that bothered and said thank you for bringing it to their attention but there is nothing they can do to stop it!

I think our next visit will be back at the all stars resorts - they are smaller and seem more friendlier - I loved the theming of POP and the hotel was spotless but VERY big!

I know that this is just my opinion but has anyone else experienced any of the above.

If anyone has any q's - feel free to ask - I obtained a wealth of information from fellow posters which really helped with the planning of a wonderful holiday.

[Strmchsr]

It just goes to show it all depends on which CM you run into. We were there this last week (Sept 29-Oct 3) and had some very friendly, helpful CM's at the front desk. Interestingly, I think they are more and more starting to ignore all room requests. We, also, had requested a top floor for noise reasons, but had been given a bottom flood. I asked about another room and was given one in the 50s section right away.

It's interesting you mention the smoking issue. At my previous visits at the All-Stars I had noticed the smoking issue (people ignoring the designated smoking areas) being huge, but this week I was actually impressed that I don't think I saw a single person smoking outside of the designated area. I guess I thought it was being enforced more or people are getting used to the policy.

I never eat at the resort food courts, so can't really comment on that. Across the board I've never found them to be good. I was, however, shocked at the number of folks using their own cups/mugs at the drink stations. WDW needs to put a stop to that.

The bus service wasn't bad, but it wasn't as great as everyone made it out to be. While I only had to stand up probably half the time (instead of all the time like at the All-Stars) I also noticed the average wait time on a bus was 20-25 min instead of the 10-15 min I usually get at other resorts.

I liked Pop, but I don't think I'd put it all that much above any other the values. They all seem to have strengths and weaknesses.

[Lucyrella]

WE just got back POP on September 26th, we were first timers, and I must say last timers. I just didn't see the thrill in it. Our 5 year old and 4 year old liked it and that is what it is all about, but for the bounce back we will try a moderate, who knows before it is all said and done I might be back at OKW. We were upgraded from POP to OKW last year, and loved the quiet, the service etc.... so that might be why. I was also surprised at anybody using whatever drink cup they wanted. We thought the size of the food court is just to small for that size of a hotel, and that can make some CM's pretty irritable during free dining I am sure. Nothing like going and getting a hot breakfast and then standing line forever only to sit down and eat it cold. Other than that it was okay, nothing special but hey it is a value. It just isn't the right property for us. I must add that they did honor our room request and they did acknowledge the girls birthdays. We were on the 4th floor of the 50's section, room 3448.

[iluvdizney2]

Weird, I was there from the 21-26th (for a personal committment not for vacation) and we never once had a bad CM or a moment that we felt over run by people. I didnt notice many people using mugs not purchased recently...I did see some...but I see it at any resort we go to. Check in was smooth and completely amazing. They were friendly and made sure we had rooms that were sort of away from the busy areas.
We didnt use buses this time as I drove, but we have never had ANY issue with the buses.
I will say that there was a lot more people there due to the free dining but we always had hot food and a booth to sit in for breakfast and dinner when needed.
The ONLY annoying thing was the smoking all over property and the kid who insisted on skateboarding all over the place nearly knocking us over! That kid was ridiculous...and castmembers said something but the kid told them he didnt care. At that point CMs just went inside..later I saw a Mgr speaking with the kid, but he continued each day. Annoying!
other than that we had a wonderful stay.

[sardanem]

We were there the last week of August and found a lot of what the OP said to be true. I had requested connecting rooms, and when we checked in, the request was not honored.I explained that I was going to put my 3 kids, 16,13 and 6 in one room and my DH in the other, with the door open. The CM, who was not overly friendly, made a few phone calls and they managed to find us connecting rooms. I had requested to be near the bus, but our rooms were in the 50's section, back behind the juke box. It was very quiet, but not near the bus.
As for smokers, I couldn't believe how many people were walking around with cigarettes in their hands. As an ex smoker, I guess I notice these things.
Everyone in the food court was filling up anything they could hold liquid in. I bought 3 mugs and barely used them because it was such a long walk from the room, when I got back at night I just wanted to crash and go to sleep.
On the busses, we very rarely got a seat and we seemed to wait quite a while for all the busses. We got used to standing. I always felt badly for the people sitting. You get to look at everyones arm pits while they hang on for dear life.
Anyway, I think when we get to go back in a few years, I will save longer and try one of the deluxe hotels.

Lisa

[paragon]

We just got back from POP. Sept 27-Oct-4.
Our check in went extremely well, the line moved quickly and we were given our room immediately ( which was a pleasant surprise, past experiences at All Stars were different ), Our CM was friendly and very helpful. Got a room third floor, seventies bldg, overlooking the lake. We got a corner room so it was even more quiet. Each morning, I watched the hot air balloons go by.
I didn't notice alot of people breaking the smoking rules, as each morning I saw several people using the designated areas. As was I.
The resort was clean, they were constantly powerwashing the giant theme items, and the sidewalk. The walk to the Classic Hall wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, actually the walk from the parking lot to the room was longer.
Food court was often busy, but that depends on the hour obviously, as i would see it empty at 630am to 7am when I went for coffee, then very busy from 730-930. Frozen coke machines were on and off, there was always one out of order, but there was another working. One of the food stands was closed most of the week though, it was open Sat and Sunday but appeared closed for the remainder of mid week, or maybe we just caught it between breakfast/lunch change over?
There was also a skateboarding kid zooming around, but he was on the back side by the lake where it was mostly empty so other than the possibility of injuring himself, I saw no harm done. What was more threatening though was the constant stream of CMs zooming about in carts and mini busses!
Overall, we had a pleasant stay, the theming is good ( typical Disney, very bright and fun to look at ), but in comparison to the All Stars I saw little difference. DW and I talked about it and we both thought we enjoyed All Star Movies the best though, so we will see what next year brings.
We weren't there to stay in our rooms or at the hotel anyway, so it served its purpose for us.
Overall- we had a very good time, and now have to recover from all that walking!!!!!

[Marker]

We just returned from a week at Pop Century as well, September 14-21.

I can happily say that we didn't experience any of significant problems. We weren't expecting problems, we weren't looking for problems, and we didn't find any.

Perhaps my expectations are just lower, but we had a great time.

[FlaTinkRAMESAM]

We just returned from a week at Pop Century as well, September 14-21.

I can happily say that we didn't experience any of significant problems. We weren't expecting problems, we weren't looking for problems, and we didn't find any.

Perhaps my expectations are just lower, but we had a great time.

I was gettin nervous til I read your post... We have stayed at AS Music and Movies, but have POP for our end of Oct trip and our Dec trip... I don't want it to be awful...

[disneymad1998]

I was gettin nervous til I read your post... We have stayed at AS Music and Movies, but have POP for our end of Oct trip and our Dec trip... I don't want it to be awful...

Hi there - It wasnt awful at all - I think we as a family had a better experience at the Sports and Music - As other posters have mentioned you are only at the hotel to sleep - Have a wonderful holiday - we wanna go back now but as it is soooo expensive coming from the UK we will have to wait to the piggy bank refills itself!!!

[baby minnie's mommy]

On our most recent visit we stayed at POP with DD3. I was secretly hoping they'd put us in the building with the Mickey phone and Hot Wheels, since it seemed the most appropriately themed for DD's age. I know you can make a request, but I figured since it wasn't a necessity in our situation, just show up and see where they put us.

When we got there our room was in that exact building! I was so happy, and wondered if maybe they were being considerate of her age.

We were very happy with POP, considering our DD is 3. The food court sure is crazy, though! DD didn't like the crowd and me having to hold trays instead of her hand. Other than that, she loved staying there.

I seem to remember getting one of those pizza flyers under the door, too. As far as the security, anyone can visit the resort - I think you have to show a license or I.D. ?? Like if you want to eat at one, or see the holiday decorations, etc. You don't have to be staying at any of their resorts to actually visit one.
I'd say the best thing to do if the flyers bother you is to show it to the management. Maybe with enough complaints they'll do something about the solicitation.

[BigRedDad]

Unfortunately, at an Value resort, you have to set your expectations accordingly. If you have stayed at a Deluxe or Moderate and had good service, it will be extremely unlikely to experience that same level at a Value resort. When I stayed at POP, I set my expectations so low that I could not be anything other than thrilled to be there. We were treated better than a Motel 6, buses were better than expected for the size of the resort, food court is definitely too small to be at except for off times.

To me, I will not stay at a Value resort again if I have a choice. The $200-$300 price difference for a moderate is worth it to get what I expect from WDW. I am on vacation, so I do not want to worry about my room or have it as a thought in the back of my head.

[JPL]

I think there are several problems here:

1. Free Dining taxes WDW all over when they don't have the staffing since the summer help has left. The DDP alone causes lots of confusion as to what counts as a snack what people can order at the food court for their CS meals. Now multiply that when most people staying at the resort are on the DDP. The Value Resorts in general tend to fill up first with free dining since people are trying to get the best value for their vacation unfortunately this causes several of the problems listed in this post.


2. In general the quality of some CMs has dropped off over the years and they are all not up to par as far as I'm concerned.

3. I think people set the expectations too high for a value resort instead of being pleasantly surprised by the service they expect Deluxe Resort style service. I for one have always had a good experience at Pop but I know I am not getting the same quality service I get at AKL or OKW. It's a place to sleep and shower while at WDW.

4. As for the refillable Mugs this is a problem at every resort and it's 100% Disney's fault since they don't enforce their own policy and some CMs will even tell you to bring your mug back next visit. Disney obviously doesn't care enough about the beverage islands since it doesn't effect their bottom line.

[lebo]

Hi, we were at POP in August. DH & I are both Smokers. We only Smoke at designated areas!!!!!!!!! I actually came out of our room one day and saw someone smoking right at the Balocony. It just so happens that I was walking down to Food Court. When I got down by the Bar I saw a Manager and pointed this person out (since you can see her from where we were standing). He didn't do a thing!!!!!!!!!!!! I know if that would've been us, we would've got in trouble!!!!!!!!!!

One other thing that did bother me, was that there are only a few table at the Bar area for Smokers, and when I saw families sitting at them tables that don't smoke, I didn't feel was right. If they can complain about us smokers, then they need to give us out areas that are assigned for us.

[tiggersgirl]

We just got back as well (Sept 27 to Oct 3) and overall, POP was fine, but we did have a couple of issues.
We ate breakfast at the food court and it was extremely busy, but for 2 days our food was COLD. I don't just mean it got cold waiting in line to check out, it couldn't have been very warm to begin with. Oh, well WDW right? We just wanted to hurry off to the park.
My other issue was with smoking, which many people followed the rules but one woman had been smoking on the elevator! I unfortunately got in the elevator after and was stuck with the horrid smoke (I have asthma so it is something I try to avoid) guess she didn't see the NO SMOKING sign in and outside the elevator.

[handmaidenofprincesses]

I'm sorry to hear so much negativty about Pop. I stayed there a few years ago and really enjoyed it. It was a bit loud, but we were right next to a pool, so that's understandable. Still, the rooms were comfortable and I really enjoyed the food from the dining hall. I did notice that the food court was usually quite crowded, but we always brought our food back to our room so we could watch TV or play a game while we ate.

The CMs were generally very friendly. The CM that checked us in was great! (I can't remember his name.. his badge said Jason but it wasn't his.. he had borrowed one b/c he forgot his, I remember..) Also, when I was walking through the lobby with my bday pin on, a concierge CM grabbed my arm and started dancing with me while he sang happy birthday

The only CM I ran into that disappointed me was Angel at the concierge desk. I don't think it was really his fault though.. My friend needed an ambulance and I was out of my head upset, so the fact that on top of everything else the CM I was directed to didn't speak English or smile even once sort of put me over the edge... in retrospect, I think I sort of scared him lol..

["SULLEY "RULES!!]

DH and I will be staying at the POP from 11/24 thru 12/5. This will be our third time there. We've always had a great experience while staying at the POP. Hopefully this year will be the same.

[Belster]

I am on my way to Pop in 12 days. I like another post don't look for problems, and generally don't find any. I am at WDW and that is all that matters to me. I am truly looking forward to returning.

[disneymad1998]

Unfortunately, at an Value resort, you have to set your expectations accordingly. If you have stayed at a Deluxe or Moderate and had good service, it will be extremely unlikely to experience that same level at a Value resort. When I stayed at POP, I set my expectations so low that I could not be anything other than thrilled to be there. We were treated better than a Motel 6, buses were better than expected for the size of the resort, food court is definitely too small to be at except for off times.

To me, I will not stay at a Value resort again if I have a choice. The $200-$300 price difference for a moderate is worth it to get what I expect from WDW. I am on vacation, so I do not want to worry about my room or have it as a thought in the back of my head.

We've ever only stayed at values (Sports x 1 visit, Movies x 2 visits) so we dont expect POP or the values to be like a moderate or deluxe we would not have anything to benchmark against other than Values - I think for us as a family the All stars were a better hotel, smaller and less noisy and the food courts in general seemed better but that just my opinion.

I would love to try a moderate but with a value hotel, flights, car hire, spending money etc from the Uk - unfortunately it is not an option for us !

[disneymad1998]

I think there are several problems here:

1. Free Dining taxes WDW all over when they don't have the staffing since the summer help has left. The DDP alone causes lots of confusion as to what counts as a snack what people can order at the food court for their CS meals. Now multiply that when most people staying at the resort are on the DDP. The Value Resorts in general tend to fill up first with free dining since people are trying to get the best value for their vacation unfortunately this causes several of the problems listed in this post.


2. In general the quality of some CMs has dropped off over the years and they are all not up to par as far as I'm concerned.

3. I think people set the expectations too high for a value resort instead of being pleasantly surprised by the service they expect Deluxe Resort style service. I for one have always had a good experience at Pop but I know I am not getting the same quality service I get at AKL or OKW. It's a place to sleep and shower while at WDW.

4. As for the refillable Mugs this is a problem at every resort and it's 100% Disney's fault since they don't enforce their own policy and some CMs will even tell you to bring your mug back next visit. Disney obviously doesn't care enough about the beverage islands since it doesn't effect their bottom line.

Good point about the free dining / DDP - It is not advertised very well in the Uk and therefore we did not really know about it - Perhaps they should have had an express 'cash' till that would of speeded things up!!!!!!

[snuggs30]

Wow I am getting scared we are going Nov. 9-15 for the first time and some of this does not sound good! I got the room for a special of 59.00 a night so I guess I am not expecting much! I asked for the 50;s building, but should i ask for a higher up room? Also is that close to the parking lot?