Reviews of Pop Century Resort (Value Resort)

Reviews

300

Rating

7.91 / 10

Recommended By

88%



Reviewed by debsil4 Review Date: 05/06/2013

Rating: (5)
Recommended

My DD 17 & I stayed here for Cheerleading Worlds. It is like all the other value hotels. I was disappointed that a lightbulb over the vanity area stayed burnt out all 6 days of our stay. I stayed here years ago when it first opened; but it is beginning to look worn.

Pros:

Price

Cons:

Food court
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Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 05/12/2013

Rating: (9)
Recommended

I booked a standard room at Pop Century for a 3 night stay 5/7-10. I used online check in and requested a room on the highest floor near transportation.

Upon arrival at 9:30am, I was greeted at the red carpet and ushered right to the online check in line. They took care of me right away and my room was ready, much to my surprise! I was given room 9415, in the 80s section. It was on the top floor and a short walk across the parking lot to the bus stop, so both of my requests were met.

The room was clean and functional for my needs. I did find the lighting to be on the dim side, but the beds and pillows were extremely comfortable-more so than at Wilderness Lodge! My room was very quiet as well. The bathroom was extremely small, but that was my only minor complaint.

The food court was never too busy and seating was adequate. The gift shop was very well stocked and had a wide variety of items. Transportation was excellent, some of the best I've experienced out of the nine resorts I've stayed at. Cast members were always friendly.

I spent one morning just walking around the resort taking pictures and couldn't stop smiling at all the icons and placards. I did spend a bit of time in the computer pool which was right near my room. They have lifeguards at the quiet pools now, which I think is something new.

The Wi-Fi has finally been upgraded at the resorts, which was definitely needed. I was able to get a strong, steady signal throughout my stay.

This resort is one of the best I've stayed at. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a cheaper, non-extravagant place to stay. The only condition is that the rooms are best meant for 1-2 adults; anymore than that and I could see it quickly becoming uncomfortably crowded!

Pros:

Great theme, friendly cast members, transportation, clean rooms, excellent gift shop

Cons:

Tiny bathroom
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Reviewed by Oneanne Review Date: 05/21/2013

Rating: (9)
Recommended

My May 11-17 trip was the second time in a row staying at POP... it is really starting to feel like home-away-from-home.

I arrived at 7am, having taken a red eye from the west coast. I was tired and had my fingers crossed a room would be available so I could take a power nap! No one else was in the lobby at that hour, so I walked right up to the counter to check in. I had booked a superior pool-view room and had made special requests for a king size bed and a room in the 60's building... it took around 5 minutes, but they were able to find me a room and to fulfill both special requests. My room was on the second floor facing the Hippy Dippy pool which was exactly what I was looking for. For this trip I was on my own and wanted to be right in the middle of the action: the happy noise coming from the pool was never an intrusion, and it was a super short walk to the dining hall and the bus stop.

As with the previous trip, bus karma was amazing! More often than not I was running for a bus already sitting at the bus stop - both at the hotel and the parks. The longest wait I ever had was about 10 minutes. Having only the one hotel bus stop is a huge plus, as is the central location of the hotel... when I went to Hollywood Studios it felt like we pulled out of the hotel drive way, went around a corner and pulled in to the park drive way.

Having just the king bed made the room feel much bigger - no hitting the side of the bed with the door. The room was in good shape and Mousekeeping did a great job, putting out wash cloth animals, even though it was evident an adult was staying in the room.

I was very happy with my stay and prepared to give POP a 10 rating - until I got to checking out. I did express check out and had the email notification of my room charges before I left the room: they had pre-printed my boarding passes and luggage tag and left them on the door knob, so up to this point everything was perfect. But I still had to check my bag in at the Bell station and pay the baggage fee, so I was still standing in line - a very long line. My Magic Express pick-up was at 11:55am, so I was at the Bell Station at 11am along with everyone else who was having to leave their rooms because it was check-out time, even though their pick-up times were much later in the afternoon. I felt like I might be doing something wrong, but couldn't get anyone's attention so I stood in line for over half an hour.... turns out I did need to be in that line, and I was done before the shuttle arrived so it all worked out. Bell services got a negative mark in my previous review and they do this time as well: seems like there has to be a better system - the 11am crush has to happen every day.

I am getting to love the POP and will stay there next trip as well.

Pros:

Location and transportation

Cons:

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Reviewed by Dale Review Date: 06/02/2013

Rating: (10)
Recommended

This was our first time staying at Pop and we really enjoyed it. We stayed in the 60's building which was nice and close to the main building, and only a short walk from Art of Animation. The room was well maintained and a good size for two adults and one child. Getting to the parks was great, we never waited more then 7 minutes for a bus. The food court was excellent with good selections. We thought Pop was a really good value and would definitely go back.

Pros:

Excellent Bus Service, Food Court

Cons:

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Reviewed by elkhunter1 Review Date: 06/09/2013

Rating: (10)
Recommended

My family of 3 stayed at POP May 9-16,room 3338-50's-and we will be coming back next year!This was our 2nd trip to WDW(2011/2013),both times we've stayed at POP,and enjoyed it.Check-in and Check-out have been quick,resort staff have always been pleasant,food court is adequate,rooms are right size for our family(heavy bed covers but we just move them.),bus service has been excellent(1 night after Magic Kingdom fireworks we waited 15 minutes-but most wait times 5 minutes or less.),and the store/game area are nice to have.Resort is clean(there was a cast member powerwashing the bowling ball pool every morning at my daily 6am coffee run!),well-laid out,colorful and full of stuff to see.For our family,POP Century is an affordable,comfortable place to stay,and while it may not be suitable for all families,it's our choice to stay and we will be back for Christmas in 2014.

Pros:

Affordability

Cons:

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Reviewed by MarysMom Review Date: 06/13/2013

Rating: (9)
Recommended

We stayed at POP for the first time June 2-9, 2013. I was a little nervous since we have stayed at POFQ on our last two trips and because our prior experience with a value was All-Star Movies and I did not like it. POP was a great experience and we would definitely recommend it and stay there again.

The rooms were clean and Mousekeeping was fantastic -- a towel animal every single day. We had two teens with us who were not the best about getting up and getting out of the room in a timely manner and Mousekeeping was very understanding and accommodating! The bathrooms are showing their age a little, so a refurb would be nice.

Aside from one long wait for a Magic Kingdom bus, the bus service was exemplary -- the best I have ever experienced in our four prior trips. I like the queue setup at the POP better than the single shelter at POFQ, so there is no confusion about boarding order. There are many mature trees and garden areas that give POP a lot of charm and add to the "smaller" feel that the resort has, despite its large size. We had a non-preferred location overlooking the lake, and it was still very close to the main building and pools.

Now the food court. I read online -- and heard it live and in person from other guests -- that the food court has been ruined. Having no prior experience with this food court, I can only offer my first-timer's experience. The food was pretty good -- the pork loin/spaetzel/cabbage combination was so good I had it twice. There was a great deal of confusion, especially at the burger station. I had two orders filled incorrectly here as well as receiving an ice cold hamburger. There is no ticket tracking, so you are relying on the CMs to communicate with each other and that was not going very well. There were also two CMs who we observed on different occasions causing trouble for other CMs by questioning their work, arguing, or just standing around watching other people work. The last night we were there, one of these CMs was reprimanded by an upper level CM. I think the confusion over orders will disappear over time, but these two CMs were definitely causing more trouble than necessary. Also only two of the three drink stations were open the whole time we were there and one of the dining areas closed off even though the food court was overflowing. Lots of choices, though, and fun (enjoy the dancing!)

Pros:

Seems smaller than it is, nice grounds, good bus service, great Mousekeeping

Cons:

Food court confusion, food court staff, bathroom refurbs needed
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Reviewed by MelJ Review Date: 06/18/2013

Rating: (9)
Recommended

I guess I've been sort of a "deluxe" snob (Wilderness Lodge is my favorite resort) but I just returned from a short stay at Pop Century and I am in love! Now that I'm retired and the deluxe resorts are just too pricey for my budget, I decided to give POP a try and I'm so glad I did!
I stayed in a "preferred" pool view room and loved the location. It was in Bldg 4 in the 60's section and just steps away from the main building and the Hippie Dippy pool. I don't mind the noise from the pool. To me it is just part of the fun.

The room was clean and very comfortable. For me and my mother, it was a good size although I could see how it would be a bit cramped with a larger family. The beds were very comfortable and there was everything there that I needed, expect maybe a coffee maker. I missed that.

The food court had a good variety of things. I ordered a turkey sandwich which was basically a Thanksgiving meal between two slices of bread - turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. It was wonderful and huge!

I loved the atmosphere and enjoyed sitting at the pool and hearing all the "old" songs. Mom and I walked over the bridge to see Art of Animation. It was a pleasant walk but was cut short because there was a storm brewing.

I frequently go solo to Disney for one or two nights since I am a Florida resident and I'm definitely planning on going back to POP in a few months (when it cools down!) It's my new favorite resort.
It is a great resort and I had a great time.

Pros:

the price, fun factor,

Cons:

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Reviewed by Missymouse18 Review Date: 06/23/2013

Rating: (10)
Recommended

This year we stayed at POP and I am hooked! i loved it so much that I am almost tempted to stop rotating through the Values each year and becoming an exclusive Pop visitor. BUT... I do love All Star Movies for sentimental reasons and am planning to stay at AoA in 2014.
Let me just say, our experience here was really grand. First of all... the smell. There is a distinct smell when you enter the gift shop that makes you just want to close your eyes and say "ahhh." We stayed in the 60's section, ground level, on the corner, so the pool was to our right and the lake to our left and just a football field away from the lobby. Our rooms were very clean and the tie-dyed cheesecake was so good we got a slice to bring home. If it were not for my sentimental ties to ASMovies, this would definitely rank as my fave 🙂

Pros:

clean, fun, great gift shop/food court

Cons:

none
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Reviewed by bemm2005 Review Date: 07/25/2013

Rating: (10)
Recommended

We visited in June with our 4 and 1 year old. We stayed in the 50s section and were skeptical as we had previously stayed at the All Star Movies and didn't really care for it. I'm happy to say, our experience at Pop Century was wonderful. It is such a great place for families. Our kids both loved the character statues and the pool areas were really nice and they had activities and oldies tunes playing which added a lot to the nostalgia of the resort. We absolutely loved it. The rooms were updated, clean, and well kept. The food court had plenty of options and the staff was all really helpful. We'd definitely stay here again! It was also fun to take a stroll across the lake and visit Art of Animation.

Pros:

theming, food court, pools, clean rooms

Cons:

crowded
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Reviewed by rehmiami Review Date: 09/06/2013

Rating: (9)
Recommended

As a first time visitor to Pop Century, I was very pleased with our overall experience. The room was larger than I expected, more than enough space for my wife, 8 year-old daughter, and all of our belongings. The room was kept exceptionally clean by the Mouse keepers, and they left extra bath products for us on a daily basis. I was worried that the beds would not be comfortable after reading other reviews of the resort, however my family and I slept very soundly. The Pillows were comfortable, as well. In terms of noise, we did experience some sounds from the activities at the pool area, although it was not that big of a deal. It is Disney World, after all.

The one problem with the room is that there is no coffee maker. However, we purchased a basic one from Target prior to our trip for less than $10, and it worked great when combined with our French Press and coffee from home.

In terms of the resort staff, they were professional, polite, and very helpful. We had an issue with a working refrigerator not being available in our room upon check-in, and they resolved it immediately. We had also asked for room in the sixties section, which we received. The location was very convenient in terms of parking, and being close to the main building, pool, etc.

I would highly recommend this resort in terms of the value that it provides. Especially, when you factor in the benefit of being immersed in the Disney experience, extra magic hours, free parking, and great shuttle service, etc.

I would definitely stay there again with my family.

Pros:

Location, Cleanliness, Theming, Resort Staff

Cons:

None
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