Reviews of Pop Century Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed 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 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 lt4bags Review Date: 09/12/2018
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
Our very first stay from 8/31-9/6.. Usually stay at PO Riverside, but that resort was not offered with the free dining promo.. and while I know this is a value and not a moderate, and although I did expect smaller rooms and more guests, this was awful! Housekeeping or lack there of, not until after 5 pm most days.. had to call for towels and coffee, cast members not friendly and not really concerned with our concerns! Never any ice in the ice machines and it was HOT!! Very crowded, rooms are very nice but extremely small! Have no idea how a family of 4 would ever fit.. we were 3 adults. I would spend the extra $$ and stay a moderate level for sure. No Disney magic here.. 🙁
Pros:
FoodCons:
Housekeeping, Crowds, Ice Machines, Cast MembersReviewed by SnowWhite14 Review Date: 05/31/2017
Rating: (4) Not Recommended
This was our first stay at Pop Century, May 2017. We have stayed at the All Star Resorts before and some of the moderate resorts and have never had an issue. The bus transportation at the Pop was horrible. We had over 30 minute waits several times during our week stay and when we spoke to Cast members they said that was the norm. We heard many people at the hotel also complaining. The rooms were okay, but definitely need updating, especially the bathrooms. The food court was fine and we ate there several times. We did encounter several rude Cast Members during our stay, which is unusual for Disney. The pool hours were also disappointing. The pools are not open before or after park hours. I would not stay at the Pop Century again.
Pros:
priceCons:
bus transportation, pool hoursReviewed by LuckyBMom Review Date: 03/19/2017
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
We checked in to a dirty, dusty, well-worn standard room. My husband called and asked to change rooms after discovering a black, greasy substance all over the TV remote. This was certainly not the oldest, grossest thing about this room. Thread-bare, FILTHY carpet, dust everywhere, ahem...HAIRS in the bathroom, etc. We called for the new room and met resistance from the front desk. We were promised a different room in the morning. Feeling unsatisfied, we called back and demanded to be moved immediately instead. This time, a manager assisted us and gave us a CLEAN room closer to the lobby. The comped us that night and we ended up getting a preferred room for the standard price. This was great but shouldn't have happened. The whole resort could use a good old-fashioned power washing. Lots has been neglected and ignored. I don't think we'd stay there again. It wasn't up to Disney standards and it was crawling with teens and college students.
Pros:
PriceCons:
Not clean, very wornReviewed by AL Review Date: 12/05/2016
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
I've always preferred the Pop Century over the last ten years, because you're just there to shower and sleep, right?
WRONG-- this hotel is always the furthest bus station at the parks, and the rooms feel dirty. Save up your money and go Moderate...it's worth it.
Pros:
Cheap. That's about it.Cons:
Where can I begin?Reviewed by mycadoo Review Date: 11/06/2016
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
Been here about 20 times , now I know why the recent reviews hav been bad. Booked a room 6 months ago and I explained exactly what we needed. Of course not what I got and the answer was" sorry we are booked." Not acceptable. shame on them. Also no ac in lobby or food court. Do they really need to save money?
Pros:
—Cons:
Room incorrect, no help at front deskReviewed by brittanyaricker Review Date: 09/30/2016
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
We stayed at the Pop Century resort sept. 20-26th. I have been to Disney at least 10 times since 2007 and have stayed at the Pop Century resort in 2009 with no problems, but this was by far my most disappointing experience. First our check in, we did the early check in, and although it is only a request option, we chose to stay on the first floor and in a building close to the food court and transportation because I am 6 months pregnant ( we booked the trip before finding out). We also let them know that we may arrive a little earlier ( check in is at 3). When we arrived at 2pm, we still had no confirmation about our room being ready( which wasnt too big of a deal since we only had an hour to wait until check in) so we ate in the food court, which was terrible. After driving 11 hours and getting to the resort without our room being ready, we were at least hoping to get a good meal. The food was dry, cold, and had no flavor at all. Unless you got a bottle coke, the fountain drinks were terrible. Finally after we ate we seen it was close to 3 and we still didnt have a room confirmation so we went to the front desk and asked if it was almost ready and they checked us in (redid the whole process that I already did online) We were put in room 7225 which was not close to the food court and on the second floor. But even though they didnt fill any of our requests for our room, it was at least close to the elevator and not extremely bad. The food court staff was ridiculous the entire trip. Besides the food always being cold and terrible, the food servers were always miserable looking, rushing us through the food line, and skipping our orders Also it seemed like they always had new people working the registers that had absolutely no idea what they were doing every time. So the service at this resort was just terrible.
This entire trip was just a let down, it was our first time back in 2 years, and within those 2 years it seemed like Disney had just lost their magic. It wasn't the same. You usually go to Disney to enjoy yourself , not stress, and be happy... because it is suppose to be the happiest place on earth, but I did not get that feeling this year. Very rarely did I see a worker with a smile on their face or trying to make the experience one to remember like they used to. The resort was a complete let down and the food was terrible. It will def. be a while before we decide to go back and spend a ton of money for a Disney vacation.
On the positive aspects of the trip, the pool area was nice, and the bar had some tasty non alcoholic pina coladas. They also provided float vests for the younger children and mosquito spray in every room, which I thought was nice.
Pros:
cheaper than other resorts, pool areaCons:
food court, serviceReviewed by Moongate Review Date: 09/29/2016
Rating: (6) Not Recommended
We stayed here for a week just recently having never stayed at the POP before, just value or moderate hotels. I agree with the previous poster regarding people smoking off their balconies or where ever they liked. We had a courtyard view, but we had to walk from the parking lot around the lake to get to our room(4th floor, 70's)...well, that is where there are designated smoking areas(around the jogging path- and wherever they felt like smoking). We did online check in and received a text with our room number prior to arrival,but we had to go to the front desk anyway for other questions we had about our tickets. We went to our room and it was fine until we pulled back the sheets and found other guests hair and then more hair on washcloths. We called and received new sheets and bedding, etc within the half hour. The room itself was ok, just in need of a refurb(which I think they are starting now);peeling wallpaper in bathroom, fridge didn't keep anything cold and kept tipping out of the cabinet they tried to shove it in. We just felt it wasn't up to Disney hotel standards. Air conditioning was great however!!! While we stayed there, the elevators were down in our building for most of the day...a little tough with a stroller. It was quiet otherwise in our building. We rented a car, so we didn't use transportation but parking space is plentiful there, just a walk. We used the laundry room one day and just be aware you can only use a credit or debit card only, NO CASH. Washers were $3 each and dryers another $3 each; very easy to use, they have a guide on the machine and next to it to show you. The food court was.....ok. Always crowded and chaotic but the cashiers were very patient and polite when explaining to everyone on the dining plan what was included. We went swimming in the "computer" pool near the 80's/90's which wasn't busy at all. Pool was clean. Overall, I think next time we will be staying at a moderate or higher hotel.
Pros:
Staff, value, quietnessCons:
Lots of Smoking, rooms need refurbishmentReviewed by LLSS Review Date: 09/26/2016
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
We have stayed at the Pop numerous times and it is usually pretty good. This was a last minute trip just for MMNSHP, so we figured it would be a quick in and out of the hotel, no need to go all out on expenses. The room was ok. We didn't use the food court at all. However, it was not a great stay. First real problem is the other guests. It's hard to really kill a hotel based on what the other guests are like, but it really made the experience terrible. Things such as guests smoking wherever they wanted (near the busses, outside their door, etc.) with no cast members around to take care of it.
So, while I don't put that completely on the hotel, I do put the next bit on them. We did online checkin, and after taking our bags to our room (no issues getting in), I went to get our parking pass. The cast member proceeded to check me in and filled out a map for me (I had already told him we are in the room). No big deal. However, he sent me to the 80s building, room 8621. That is not where my text message (and subsequently where my family was currently at having our magic bands let us in) told us. Further, if you have been here before, you know that at the Pop, the building number is the first digit (hence he circled 80s), and the floor is the second digit (so if you were in 8212, you would be 80s building, floor 2). The Pop is all 3 stories, meaning not only does that room not exist, but it is impossible to exist at this resort. This shows me that Disney has cut a lot of training of their staff at this hotel, and that is unforgivable to me. For those wondering what happened, we had reservations starting the next day at a different hotel and that is the room he was pulling up. Once again, I don't so much fault the actual cast member as I do the management and what I can only attribute as a complete lack of training. In the end, I will just pay the extra $50 and go to a good moderate.
