Hi Everyone! I'll be staying at POP for the first time in April. I'm a little nervous as I've never stayed at a Value Resort before. But the price difference can't be beat and if I want to have my Disney trip this year I'll have to go outside the norm! Been reading through this thread and there's so much great information! Just curious if there is a certain section to request, we are in a standard room. Don't mind if its an upgraded room or not, would just like a somewhat quiet location thats fairly centrally located?? If anyone has any specific tips or pointers, would love to hear them. I'm excited and nervous about our upcoming trip! Thanks!!!
Sorry, wasn't trying to seem snobby, but having been former DVC owners, you can imagine that it might seem a bit different for us going from staying at a DVC resort to a Value. That's all I was saying. I don't have outrageous expectations and I know that any resort at Disney is awesome. So much for this being a "friendly" thread where I could get helpful info and tips. Thanks anyway...
I think it's already been suggested, but the 80s/90s (and 70s) are pretty centrally located and have standard rooms. I found the 80s to be very quiet. Someone before has said that with the resort being oval-shaped, nothing is really too far from the main building, which I agree with.
I understand the nervousness thing, given that people love to rant about how awful the bus lines are, how terribly crowded (yet spread out!) and noisy and low quality the values are, and the constant chime of "you get what you pay for" whenever there's a discussion on value vs moderate vs deluxe. It's easy to find reviews where the value resorts are unfavorably compared to motels. Not that it necessarily happens on this site, but on Disney blogs, Tripadvisor, etc., you can throw a dart and find somebody on the internet claiming you're going to wake up in a cramped, cockroach-infested room if you stay at a value.
None of which I have found to be true whatsoever. Pop is a really fun resort in too many ways to count! I'm glad to read you're excited for your upcoming trip, and here are a few pointers (YMMV):
-> eating at off times at the food court, whether at Pop or AoA, will help if you want to get in and out quickly. Not that this is resort-specific, just a reminder.
-> walk around the resort at night to see all of the huge figures lit up and take pictures!
-> wander along Memory Lane (walking path around the perimeter of the resort) and read the year marker signs. My favorite is the one for 1986: "$1.1 million is paid for a one minute TV ad on the Super Bowl. Federal budget deficit reaches $2 trillion."
-> walk over to AoA and try their food court, and enjoy their larger-than-life figures outside of the buildings too. So many nice picture opportunities at Pop and AoA!
-> if you're using the resort buses: when returning from a park, hop on an AoA bus if it comes first; the walk over the bridge back to Pop is nice. (obviously, not applicable if you don't want to walk the extra length)
-> if you have Tables in Wonderland, it's good at the Pop and AoA food courts.
Have a great trip!