Pop Century or AS Movies?

[andrew&ryansmommy]

If you had to choose, which one would you choose and why? I am planning a trip the first week of December with my husband, 2 boys, ages 1 and 3, and my mom. We were set on Pop, but my mom thinks maybe we should choose Movies bc the boys will like the Toy Story things. Are they the same, just different decor, or are there major differences? We are planning to use Disney transportation.

[Strmchsr]

The theming of Movies is a lot of fun. However, it tends to be very popular and, for that reason, any discounts that come out during that time are often not available at Movies. I've tried a couple of times and not been able to get Movies and ended up at Pop. No regrets. They are both great and you'll see that for many, many folks on Intercot Pop is their favorite value. So, you can't go wrong either way.

[Itchy]

I have stayed at both and would stay at either one again.

Having said that it really depends on what you think the kids will like. There is a lot to see for kids at either one. When my kids were younger they loved ASM and they now enjoy POP and they have stayed at both as adults and still loved the themes.

We are all kids when at WDW. I personally am partial to POP. Love the food court and gift shop and I do not do a lot of souvenir shopping. I guess I just like the lay out better.

Hope this helps.

47 days to the world and counting.

[hurdlertwin]

We stayed at pop and had no regrets. Three pools located close to every "decade building" makes it easy to access if you want to take the kids swimming. It is somewhat far from the MK though and the rides on the disney buses takes about 15 minutes.... Either way you won't be disappointed though.

[Goofy4TheWorld]

I am pretty sure that in one of your other threads you mentioned being down there for Pop Warner week. All I know about Pop Warner Week is what I have read on Intercot, and while most people say that you hardly notice the large groups of loud teens that come with Pop Warner week inside the parks, you do notice them at the resort. Whatever Pop Warner is, they "officially" stay at all three All-Star resorts, so I would avoid Movies that week simply because of that (Pop Warner does not stay at Pop.)

[EpcotNut]

I would choose Pop. I believe that Pop is really a moderate posing as a value resort. The theming is better than any of the AS resorts and the transportation, IMO, is way better. Also - better food court and pool areas add to the value. That's my s cents. Either way - eanjoy!!

[DisneyFr33k]

Been to both twice and we prefer POP. It is newer and the dedicated bus service is a real plus! At ASMovies we often found buses coming to us that were already full as they went to Sports and Movies before us. And, we were the last stop to be dropped off.

[wmdaddy]

Stayed at both, and I prefer ASMovies. I prefer the theming better. I also think Movies has better pools, pool bar, and the food court isn't as crazy. Bus transportation at both is pretty much the same.

[forever a child]

I would stay at Movies. I love the themeing there. Toy Story, 101 Dalmations, the Love Bug. It's the only value I consider when we are not staying at a Moderate. I am one of the people who can't stand the themeing at Pop. It is way too loud for my taste! I personally think buses are the same where ever you go... I would choose based on your prefered theme.

[Strmchsr]

[QUOTE=forever a child;2036523I personally think buses are the same where ever you go... I would choose based on your prefered theme.[/QUOTE]

Just to clarify on the bus situation...Pop has dedicated buses, which some folks believe make it a lot better. However, the tend not to run as frequently so sometimes you can stand in line quite a while before a bus comes and when it does come it's jam packed because there are so many people in line. At the All Stars buses run more frequently, but because they have multiple resorts they can often be full as well. However, because it tends to be the most popular of the All-Stars Movies often has a dedicated bus, at least for 1 or more of the parks. Not always, but it's fairly common for that to happen.

I would agree to pick based on your preference in theming, but if you decide on Movies, as I mentioned earlier, be prepared as to what you will do if you can't get a discount at Movies, because discounted rooms there are very limited.

[DisneyFr33k]

the tend not to run as frequently so sometimes you can stand in line quite a while before a bus comes and when it does come it's jam packed

We've stayed at POP the last 2 trips (in October). Both times we only had an extended stay in line for buses once. The day after the long wait, there was a transportation manager there to monitor the buses - clip board in hand. On more than one occassion, when a line was very long, after one bus pulled in, another pulled up right next to it to take the over flow (parked side by side). We found AS buses far more infrequent and we waited longer there because by the time the bus came to Movies, they were full.

[LoganBaileeMom]

Stayed at All Star Movies August 2008 (Hurricane Faye), wasn't bad, had to wait a while for buses. Have reservations made for POP in July. People I work with won't stay anywhere but POP. You can you discount on Value Resorts, it's usually 20% and you need a pin.

[Tink#64]

That's a hard choice to make! Our first WDW trip DS's were 4 & 6 & they were really into all the Disney movies - Toy Story in particular - so ASMO's was perfect for us! We all loved it! We have some fantastic pix with DS's & the RC car, etc! But we saw the construction going on for Pop & our next trip 2 years later we chose Pop because it had only been open 6 months at the time & wanted to try the new resort & we loved it! It's now our WDW home! This will probably change as DS's get older, & we may venture to a mod, but we love Pop so much, we're afraid that we'd be disappointed anywhere else!

Both resorts are alot of fun, brightly colored icons, both have lots of FUN things going on, with most of the ammenities being very comparable! We do think the bus service is better at Pop, but if we wanted to go back to ASMO's, we wouldn't hesitate just because of the busses!

Take a look at both resorts, search for some pics of both & maybe let your 3 year old DS look at the pics and see what his reactions are! But I agree with Goofy4TheWorld, if you are visiting during Pop Warner week, I've always heard that they have huge crowds at all of the AS resorts, and I'd definitely plan to stay elsewhere!

Sending best wishes & Pixie Dust for you! Planning is so much fun, but also alot of work!