A deluxe girl does Pop-

[java]

Well after almost not going, we managed a Pop 7 day trip in August. I have never stayed value except one night at All Stars prior to a stay at Boardwalk.

I didn’t make any room requests. We left it to chance. It was myself and 3 of my kids aged 16-25.
The good

We arrived and were put in building 10 70’s. Told us to park in 70’s. Which was about 100 miles to our room. We discovered parking in the 90’s lot got us way closer to our building. Also going through the front put us very close to the lobby. So all in all not a bad spot.

Our room was way nicer than I expected. The organization between hooks and cubbies made us feel like there was plenty of space. Pull down bed was also nice as we could put it up to get more room in the morning rush. Beds were comfy and shower was good. All in all I liked it! Did I miss my boardwalk balcony? No not really this was an all day park kind of trip.

Skyliner is the bonus. I was an early naysayer on the microwaves of travel. But I was swayed. Getting on that thing early morning to get to Epcot was the best perk of this stay. Entering through the back of the park put us practically on Remy. Fantastic!

We used it to hop over to Riviera to grab food. Worked great almost all the time- more on the not so great below.

The not so great

Skyliner and rain
We were told by several CM’s that if it rains there will be buses up front in Epcot as well as in back at the beach club.

Yeah not so much. Oneevening after dinner at Via Napoli we came out to pouring rain. We put on our ponchos and walked to the international gateway expecting to hop on a bus at the beach club. Wrong! Buses only out front. Which at the end of the night in the rain seemed like 10000 miles away. We waited about 20 minutes in line for a bus with hundreds of other poppers.

And now the ugly or what is that in the pool?
Quick trip to the pool turned into a really quick trip to the pool. Thankfully we were sitting in chairs when we heard the whistle.
“Everybody out of the pool”

Then a net appeared with a big plastic bag. They scooped it out into the bag and threw everything including the net- away!


Met a very funny lifeguard though that would not confirm the incident wink wink.

But hey that can happen at any pool. Not Pop’s fault. And they handled it swiftly if not discretely.

So bottom line. Would I stay again?

YES!
Thanks to the value we were able to Genie+ and score a Space220 lounge meal!

 

[Mome Rath]

I've stayed at all levels of resorts, and they all have their place! Where I pick always depends on what vibe I'm looking for on the particular trip I'm taking. Pop is great if I want a more energetic, park-oriented trip, and we love the Skyliner. Lots of kids, lots of energy, potential for a lot more noise... lol

 

[MrWonderful]

Oh no! Dootie!!

 

[WEDWDW]

Well after almost not going, we managed a Pop 7 day trip in August. I have never stayed value except one night at All Stars prior to a stay at Boardwalk.

I didn’t make any room requests. We left it to chance. It was myself and 3 of my kids aged 16-25.
The good

We arrived and were put in building 10 70’s. Told us to park in 70’s. Which was about 100 miles to our room. We discovered parking in the 90’s lot got us way closer to our building. Also going through the front put us very close to the lobby. So all in all not a bad spot.

Our room was way nicer than I expected. The organization between hooks and cubbies made us feel like there was plenty of space. Pull down bed was also nice as we could put it up to get more room in the morning rush. Beds were comfy and shower was good. All in all I liked it! Did I miss my boardwalk balcony? No not really this was an all day park kind of trip.

Skyliner is the bonus. I was an early naysayer on the microwaves of travel. But I was swayed. Getting on that thing early morning to get to Epcot was the best perk of this stay. Entering through the back of the park put us practically on Remy. Fantastic!

We used it to hop over to Riviera to grab food. Worked great almost all the time- more on the not so great below.

The not so great

Skyliner and rain
We were told by several CM’s that if it rains there will be buses up front in Epcot as well as in back at the beach club.

Yeah not so much. Oneevening after dinner at Via Napoli we came out to pouring rain. We put on our ponchos and walked to the international gateway expecting to hop on a bus at the beach club. Wrong! Buses only out front. Which at the end of the night in the rain seemed like 10000 miles away. We waited about 20 minutes in line for a bus with hundreds of other poppers.

And now the ugly or what is that in the pool?
Quick trip to the pool turned into a really quick trip to the pool. Thankfully we were sitting in chairs when we heard the whistle.
“Everybody out of the pool”

Then a net appeared with a big plastic bag. They scooped it out into the bag and threw everything including the net- away!


Met a very funny lifeguard though that would not confirm the incident wink wink.

But hey that can happen at any pool. Not Pop’s fault. And they handled it swiftly if not discretely.

So bottom line. Would I stay again?

YES!
Thanks to the value we were able to Genie+ and score a Space220 lounge meal!

Yes,a new PopStar!

Sounds like you had a really GROOVY and FAR OUT experience!

Did you get a chance to check out the Shadow Boxes in the Lobby?

Really amazing and unique.

Skyliner closure transportation from International Gateway has been a DISASTER since day one.

Originally they sent Guests to the Boardwalk Inn Bus Stop.

The one time we went to BWI an hour went by and NOT ONE BUS for the Skyliner Resorts came,Guests got on their phones to Disney and finally were able to get a bus sent.

Then they started sending Guests to Beach Club and now it looks like it is Main Gate only.

Disney has done a TERRIBLE job on this-there should be a way to notify Skyliner Resort Guests on MDE when Skyliner is going down and available transportation options or SOMETHING better that what they currently do!

Pop Century is really a fun Resort and Hourglass Lake really adds A LOT to the "vibe".

May I suggest the 1950s for your next visit-fun theming and great Soundtrack and nice Pool.

 

[disny_luvr]

My family also enjoys deluxe stays, but DH and I stayed at Pop in April for a quick trip and we were very pleasantly surprised. I’m not sure if we’d stay there with our sons, but we’d definitely consider it for a quick, adults-only trip in the future.

I’m glad you had a great trip!

 

[sponica]

Yes,a new PopStar!

Sounds like you had a really GROOVY and FAR OUT experience!

Did you get a chance to check out the Shadow Boxes in the Lobby?

Really amazing and unique.

Skyliner closure transportation from International Gateway has been a DISASTER since day one.

Originally they sent Guests to the Boardwalk Inn Bus Stop.

The one time we went to BWI an hour went by and NOT ONE BUS for the Skyliner Resorts came,Guests got on their phones to Disney and finally were able to get a bus sent.

Then they started sending Guests to Beach Club and now it looks like it is Main Gate only.

Disney has done a TERRIBLE job on this-there should be a way to notify Skyliner Resort Guests on MDE when Skyliner is going down and available transportation options or SOMETHING better that what they currently do!

Pop Century is really a fun Resort and Hourglass Lake really adds A LOT to the "vibe".

May I suggest the 1950s for your next visit-fun theming and great Soundtrack and nice Pool.

View attachment 695841

My first resort stay was in the 50's buildings. I still have a soft spot for it. I'd gladly stay at Pop again once the kids are a little older and can hang a little later at the parks.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Well after almost not going, we managed a Pop 7 day trip in August. I have never stayed value except one night at All Stars prior to a stay at Boardwalk.

I didn’t make any room requests. We left it to chance. It was myself and 3 of my kids aged 16-25.
The good

We arrived and were put in building 10 70’s. Told us to park in 70’s. Which was about 100 miles to our room. We discovered parking in the 90’s lot got us way closer to our building. Also going through the front put us very close to the lobby. So all in all not a bad spot.

Our room was way nicer than I expected. The organization between hooks and cubbies made us feel like there was plenty of space. Pull down bed was also nice as we could put it up to get more room in the morning rush. Beds were comfy and shower was good. All in all I liked it! Did I miss my boardwalk balcony? No not really this was an all day park kind of trip.

Skyliner is the bonus. I was an early naysayer on the microwaves of travel. But I was swayed. Getting on that thing early morning to get to Epcot was the best perk of this stay. Entering through the back of the park put us practically on Remy. Fantastic!

We used it to hop over to Riviera to grab food. Worked great almost all the time- more on the not so great below.

The not so great

Skyliner and rain
We were told by several CM’s that if it rains there will be buses up front in Epcot as well as in back at the beach club.

Yeah not so much. Oneevening after dinner at Via Napoli we came out to pouring rain. We put on our ponchos and walked to the international gateway expecting to hop on a bus at the beach club. Wrong! Buses only out front. Which at the end of the night in the rain seemed like 10000 miles away. We waited about 20 minutes in line for a bus with hundreds of other poppers.

And now the ugly or what is that in the pool?
Quick trip to the pool turned into a really quick trip to the pool. Thankfully we were sitting in chairs when we heard the whistle.
“Everybody out of the pool”

Then a net appeared with a big plastic bag. They scooped it out into the bag and threw everything including the net- away!


Met a very funny lifeguard though that would not confirm the incident wink wink.

But hey that can happen at any pool. Not Pop’s fault. And they handled it swiftly if not discretely.

So bottom line. Would I stay again?

YES!
Thanks to the value we were able to Genie+ and score a Space220 lounge meal!

I have to say when the skyliner (microwave-LOL) goes down, they are just not prepared for it. We stayed at CBR for a week in the summer and of course it rains and is lightening often, there is no procedural process/SOP for having buses on standby and close. I blame that on staffing and operational issues. Disney is pros at this when it comes to ride closures and getting them back online but the buses are always a hot mess when it's last minute. They do need to still work on transportation in a major way. They need better real time bus arrival data and real time skyliner closure data in MDE so when guests have notifications enabled, they are alerted that the microwaves are down.

 

[Pats Dragon]

Love your post. We have stayed nearly everywhere and pop is a favorite. Every resort has its own appeal to us. The experiences are different but equally as special. New favorite is Swan and Dolphin

 

[DisneyMomx7]

OMG - we were there in August too. Stayed at POP one night before we transferred to YC. So cute! In fact my son and his wife and their little girl are
staying there in February. This was the last year we could squeeze 6 (one under 3) into a deluxe resort room so we will keep POP on the list!

We were at Space 220 for lunch too - wish I had known!!!

 

[tguz]

We love the Pop! Three stays in a row there and even better with the Skyliner! Looking forward to next time.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Glad you had a good time! I loved POP too (and have stayed at all levels). - I liked the vibe and really enjoyed wandering around taking fun photos.

I haven't stayed there since the skyliner, but it sounds like a good idea to have MDE communication when it goes down!

 

[loves to dive]

I don't usually stay at the values for an entire trip but do stay for a night or two during a split stay. I won't stay at any of the sky liner resorts for just the reason you mentioned. It rains in Florida, all the time. You would think they would have thought of that before building the thing.

 

[WEDWDW]

I don't usually stay at the values for an entire trip but do stay for a night or two during a split stay. I won't stay at any of the sky liner resorts for just the reason you mentioned. It rains in Florida, all the time. You would think they would have thought of that before building the thing.

In our experience we have found the rain/lightning Skyliners closure to be mainly Seasonal.

We have had trips to POP with ZERO Skyliner closures the entire trip.

I don't think the frequent rain/lightning during certain times of the year should have been enough of a reason to "scrap" the entire project.

Disney just needs to make it a PRIORITY to improve procedures when the closures do happen.

The Boats and outdoor Attractions are also affected by rain/lightning.

The pros of Skyliner FAR,FAR outweigh the cons IMO.

 

[Lizgistix]

We arrived and were put in building 10 70’s. Told us to park in 70’s. Which was about 100 miles to our room. We discovered parking in the 90’s lot got us way closer to our building.

I made this mistake at French Quarter. Was in building 6, parked in the lot for buildings 6 and 7, and hooboy was that a hike to my room. The next day I parked in the lot for building 4 and had a much closer and direct walk to the room. Lesson learned: ask for a paper resort map to survey the parking situation when checking in (I had parked near the main building to leave bags with bell services).

 

[honeymo78]

I used to stay in DVC 1 or 2 bedrooms but have spent the last 5 years at Pop, with usually 3 stays each year. If you asked me 10 years ago about staying at Pop, I would have said no way, but now I'm not sure I want to go back to a deluxe. The room size isn't an issue, even when staying with 2 other adults. My family jokes that we lived in a small house growing up so Pop rooms don't feel small. With a preferred pool view room I know I'll be steps from the pool, food court/store, and skyliner/buses. I don't remember a deluxe stay where my room would have hit on all of those. The skyliner will be down for 2 days of my January/Feb stay and my family talked about staying at Beach Club or Boardwalk instead, but we all really didn't want to give up the rest of what we have at Pop and will just budget some extra money for Lyft/Uber if needed while the skyliner is down.