Reviews of Pop Century Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed by Lisa B Review Date: 09/27/2018
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
We stayed at Pop for the first (and last!) time from July 3-July 17 2018. I had high hopes for this resort bc of the positive reviews. But this trip was our worst yet in regards to the resort. We arrived at the resort around 10 am and our room wasn’t ready. We had anticipated this so we checked in and left our carryons with baggage services as we had planned a day at Disney Springs eating, bowling and shopping. We returned to the resort at the official checking time of 4pm where they told us they were working on our room now so it would be done “soon”. So we went to get our resort mugs and let my youngest daughter play in the arcade for a bit. By 5pm I still had t heard anything so we went back to the desk where they told us it was now ready and our luggage was already there. We go to our room and I start unpacking so we can change, freshen up, and go out to dinner. My oldest daughter pulls down the Murphy bed to discover a roach on it. I capture it and put it in a container and have everyone search for more critters. We saw another one but it went under the bed and I said let it go lol. When we pull back the sheets on the Murphy bed, they’re sandy and stained. By this time my blood is boiling. I tell the girls to pack everything back up bc this room is obviously still dirty while I call the front desk to tell them and they say they’ll send housekeeping with fresh sheets. Seriously?? My blood was boiling and I had completely lost my Disney spirit lol. I took Ralph the roach with me, plopped him on the counter and said my room was already occupied and I needed a new room please (I admit, not my finest moment). They agreed to give us a new room but, wait for it, it wasn’t ready yet lol!! They said to go ahead to dinner and they would text us the new number and transfer our bags over. When we get to the new room we can’t get in, the batteries in the door lock are dead. We finally get in our room and yup our bags arent there. Final trip to the front desk for that night to gain access to our old room to claim our bags. They offer to get someone to come move them for us but at this point I had zero faith in their capabilities so I said we’d do it ourself. We didn’t get into our new room with our bags until after 11pm. You know what they gave us for that insane night? 1/2 off 1 nights stay. Normally I’m not a complainer and I don’t look for handouts, but in this case we were inconvenienced beyond a “minor incident or 2”, and only 1 of the cast members I dealt with showed any sort of compassion or enthusiasm for their job. The debacle of the first day aside, I would still rate Pop low. The food court always had something broken, whether it was the ice machine, soda machine, toaster, etc. the food court cashiers were inconsistent. One said you could have this with the dining plan, others said no. Brazilian tour groups were there and I now understand why so many complain about them. They are loud and rude. They were stomping ketchup packets on the floor while their chaperones all sat at a table together ignoring them. They shoved my daughter so hard she fell down so they could get on the bus ahead of us. You complain about them and cast members shrug helplessly. Next trip, it is definitely back to the All Stars for me!!
Pros:
Refurbished rooms with lots of storage space and USB plugs Nice grounds/views of Hourglass LakeCons:
Brazilian tour groups Roaches Cast members that weren’t very helpful This list could take all dayReviewed by Smitty Review Date: 09/27/2018
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
Had high hopes, rooms were new which was a plus but everything else was OMG was free dining worth this? NO!!! The food court is very run down - ice machines didn't work, toasters were broken and the food was worse than a school cafeteria. Wall to wall people, of course. Very noisy. One thing to mention is that Pop Century bus stops are the farthest away at each park - it's #32 out of 34 bus stops at the Magic Kingdom. Last time here for sure.
Pros:
Refurbished rooms were well done, new floors and lots of storage space.Cons:
Overcrowded and run down.Reviewed by disneymom07 Review Date: 09/27/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
We can't say enough about the pop century resort, for the past 5 visits we stayed there.We love that resort.
Pros:
Very friendly staff, a good variety of food, beautifully upgraded rooms, when hurricane Irma came, the resort was on point helping their guests feel comfortable and safe.Cons:
Only con I can think of is the buses coming back from theme parks seem to take awhile compared to other buses that came more than once while we were waiting for our bus to show up.but we muddled through it.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/26/2018
Rating: (9) Recommended
My daughter and I stayed here for a long weekend 8/2017 and were able to stay in a refurbished room. If you are looking for a modern touch, then the rooms are perfect. We enjoyed all the USB ports and the large bathroom mirror. The room was the perfect size for the 2 of us, I know our family of 4 (parents and 2 teens) would not be comfortable in here. The grounds were great for taking a walk in the morning, the bus service was punctual, front desk very personable and helpful.
Pros:
price, new roomsCons:
rooms fit only 2 comfortably but if this is what you need, then size is perfectReviewed by Joel0917 Review Date: 09/26/2018
Rating: (6) Recommended
I stay here for work when i'm in the area. Nice to get the Disney feel when i'm in town. It's pretty inexpensive as well. I enjoy the theme of different buildings and all the grown up toys! I have stayed here with the family when the kids were little, but now they are teenagers and need more space.
Pros:
Feel of the resort. Just walking around and taking it all in.Cons:
Buses can be slow and crowded.Reviewed by MDolph Review Date: 09/26/2018
Rating: (9) Recommended
My husband and I stayed here for our 25th anniversary from 9/6-9/13/18. It was only our second time staying on property and we were very pleased. We got a great rate, $110 a night, which was less than the Holiday Inn Express. Our room was recently renovated and extremely clean. We stayed in the 90's building #7 and I will say it was quite a hike to the food court and bus stops. Not a biggie when you're bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning, but a bit rough when you roll in at 1am after a late party night. We ate breakfast at the food court twice and were happy with our food. The bus system was great and we enjoyed parking our car for the week. We did stand most times on the bus, but we are healthy and able bodied so it didn't bother us. I did feel bad for families with children who were standing while juggling sleeping kiddos and all their bags. Overall we were very pleased with our stay and will be back in January with our three adults children and son-in-law.
Pros:
Awesome price! Clean, newly renovated rooms. Great options at food court. The amazing smell in the lobby when we came in every day!Cons:
Long walk from certain buildings. Bus stop was always the furthest away and most crowded at every park.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/26/2018
Rating: (7) Not Recommended
We had such a great time staying there, but there were a couple big cons that caused me to lower the rating to a 7.
Pros:
Fun theming, staff were so friendly (of course!), a short walk from art of animation so you can spend some time exploring over there too, the hippie dipper pool was spacious and funCons:
The food was very sub-par. We ate there for a couple meals, and I was always disappointed. The lines for food in the cafeteria went over 30 minutes at times. That was a nightmare with hungry small children in tow. It also was a 25 minute bus ride from Magic Kingdom. I couldn’t believe that you can stay on Disney property and have that long of a commute to a park. (It was my first ever visit to Disney.) I would stay there again but I wouldn’t recommend it based on the cafeteria alone.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/26/2018
Rating: (8) Recommended
this used to be the only place we stayed before DVC...best of the value
Pros:
great rooms food court and bus serviceCons:
noisyReviewed by Brbird Review Date: 09/25/2018
Rating: (9) Recommended
Best lower-tier hotel! We have stayed at Pop Century for 4 visits so far, and it is definitely our favorite (we can't afford higher-level hotels). We love how close we can stay to the transportation; the food is usually good; we can easily use the microwave in the food court area; they have very good staff. Suggestion to save more money or if you have food issues: if you are flying in, use Amazon Prime Now to order food to be delivered to Pop Century. I do the order on the Magic Bus from the airport. They will deliver it to Pop, and then the concierge will deliver it to our room, including putting the cold things in the refrigerator! I also bring a \"mini-crock\" to cook my oatmeal in the mornings and to cook veggies in the evening (hard to get enough veggies in the parks).
Pros:
Best low-tier in terms of comfort and ability to have a room close to transportation. Good staff, mostly reliable transportation speed. It will get the gondolas!Cons:
usually the farthest out bus pickup at the parks of all the hotelsReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/25/2018
Rating: (9) Recommended
For a value resort it surpassed my expectations! Love the upgrades! The grounds are nice and the way the buildings are set up makes for pleasant walking. I didn't feel the walk was far to anything at all. Yes the food court and buses get crowded but thats not unexpected either. Had a wonderful time and will definitely be back!
