Disney's POP CENTURY RESORT Information & Questions

[scrappinginontario]

I need some help convincing myself I made the right choice... I've booked Pop several times with my family of 4. Only, every time I've ended up moving us to a moderate or deluxe before the trip. This time, I booked Pop for a week in May. I really want to stick to it and stay and actually stay at Pop this time. But, I'm concerned about the noise (mostly from the neighbors and those thin walls I keep reading about) and the bus transportation. Both of our kids want to stay at Pop, but they doubt I'll actually see it through and expect me to change again before our trip. Please convince me I made the right choice and should stick it out! I have two teenage boys, by the way, so I know it will be a bit cozy. That part doesn't concern me as much as my other worries. Thanks for any input you've got!

I have stayed at Pop more than 30 times and there was only one time when I was bothered by noise and that was only one night when a new family arrived. The family that had been in the room for the 5 days prior I'd never heard but the new family was excited and whooping it up and that would have been fine....but it was 2AM. A knock on the adjoining door and that was the last we heard of them.

If you are extremely sensitive to noise then yes, you may occasionally hear someone talking as they walk by your room or a toilet flush if you listen carefully but if you're okay with faint or just occasional noise, you'll be fine. Honestly, I don't find Pop to be any more noisy that any other hotel we've stayed at.

 

[AngieInOH]

I need some help convincing myself I made the right choice... I've booked Pop several times with my family of 4. Only, every time I've ended up moving us to a moderate or deluxe before the trip. This time, I booked Pop for a week in May. I really want to stick to it and stay and actually stay at Pop this time. But, I'm concerned about the noise (mostly from the neighbors and those thin walls I keep reading about) and the bus transportation. Both of our kids want to stay at Pop, but they doubt I'll actually see it through and expect me to change again before our trip. Please convince me I made the right choice and should stick it out! I have two teenage boys, by the way, so I know it will be a bit cozy. That part doesn't concern me as much as my other worries. Thanks for any input you've got!

Don't be so worried. Just go!! It sounds like you go often so why not try something different? If you don't like it, never go back.

We tried POR and much prefer POP over it. We love the POP theming and it just doesn't seem like Disney without it. We've never had noise issues. On the way back to the resort if the bus line is too long we just hop over to the AoA line and walk to POP. It's great to have that option. Morning lines for the buses can be a bit intimidating, especially now due to social distancing. They generally move quickly. There have been times when we've caught a taxi that's already sitting out front (we're the old school type, haven't tried Uber or Lyft lol). Plus you have the skyliner, which is an awesome way to get to Epcot and HS. FYI, stop by the Riviera off of the Skyliner and check out the mosaics (Peter Pan and Repunzel), they are amazing and great photo ops!!

POP rooms are smaller but the layout it great! Lots of storage (which I found missing at POR). I'd request 50s, 60s, or 70s Lake View! All just a short walk to the Skyliner and Classic Hall. Just typing this is making miss it so much!!!

You should at least try it once!!! Let your boys stay there, and you'll have some extra money to spend elsewhere!!!

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

I have never noticed ridiculous noise at POP. Besides the morning "rush" at the food court with everyone rushing to eat and excited chatter, I would not consider POP as a noisy hotel...

 

[MinnieMSue]

We are at pop now and on 3rd floor with a connecting door to the room next door. We rolled a towel and put it along the bottom of the connecting door. I have not heard much of anything at all. You can somewhat hear showers and toilets flushing but it isn’t bothersome to us

 

[mkb3]

Arrival night we are thinking of doing UBER Eats. Any recommendations that are local to Florida?

 

[fla4fun]

I need some help convincing myself I made the right choice... I've booked Pop several times with my family of 4. Only, every time I've ended up moving us to a moderate or deluxe before the trip. This time, I booked Pop for a week in May. I really want to stick to it and stay and actually stay at Pop this time. But, I'm concerned about the noise (mostly from the neighbors and those thin walls I keep reading about) and the bus transportation. Both of our kids want to stay at Pop, but they doubt I'll actually see it through and expect me to change again before our trip. Please convince me I made the right choice and should stick it out! I have two teenage boys, by the way, so I know it will be a bit cozy. That part doesn't concern me as much as my other worries. Thanks for any input you've got!

I will be 100% honest with you about noise. It doesn’t matter what hotel you stay in, anywhere on planet Earth, the noise level in your room is entirely dependent on who your neighbors are. My two most bothersome and noisy incidents took place at the Contemporary. The worst was a family with multiple rooms, checking out at 3am, and yelling instructions up and down the hall to each other. After 20 minutes of that, I stuck my head out of the door and asked them to please use inside voices as people were sleeping. My third worst experience was at Beach Club. I had just settled down for a nap when there was a banging on the door. I looked through the viewer and some kids had decided to play a ball game by throwing the ball at my door. These were all deluxe stays.

I have stayed on all floor levels of Pop since the remodeling, and have not had bad noise from guests overhead. I have been in a connecting room there twice and could hear the guests in the next room if they spoke loudly. Putting a towel down in between the connecting doors took care of it. I am not saying I will never have a bad noise situation at Pop, only that I haven’t in a dozen stays (even one during Pop Warner season).

Bus transportation at Pop has been on par with the deluxe and moderate resorts, and sometimes better. All the resorts I have stayed in have had issues with Disney Springs transportation, without exception. All of the resorts have occasionally had to deploy a second bus due to crowds heading out or coming back at peak times. Having the Skyliner at Pop has been a game changer for me.

I used to stay at deluxe resorts all the time, and I still do if the situation calls for it. But I find myself staying at Pop a lot of the time because I enjoy it. I do think you should give it a try. If it turns out you don’t like it as much as one of your favorite mods or deluxes, that’s OK, but you could be pleasantly surprised as well.

 

[eiblehs]

Not to be a Debbie Downer on this noise level conversation, but 2 out of the 3 times that I’ve stayed at Pop Century in the last few years, I’ve had very noisy neighbors. It’s a value so I expect the walls to be thin. I still love Pop and would recommend it to anyone; in fact, I’ve got a stay booked there in June. However, I consider it to be a noisy resort. On my most recent stay, I actually had to call the front desk because the people next door were unbelievably loud at 2 am and we had to wake up early for our flight. At least it was only on the last night of our trip.

 

[Linkura]

The only noise problem I ever had at Pop was a somewhat loud, annoying noise coming from the HVAC, but I eventually got used to it. Just a different white noise than what I was used to. Otherwise it was dead quiet other than the usual toilet flushing and showers you would hear in pretty much any hotel.

 

[Castlequeen5]

We just finished our stay at Pop. We checked in last Saturday and checked out this morning. We were assigned to the 80s section.

Last Saturday we arrived at the hotel around 1:45 in the afternoon. We had made one request, which was to have our three rooms next to each other. But they didn’t have our rooms assigned together, so we asked them to be reassigned. It took a long time for the cast member to switch our rooms...like 45 minutes. She was able to connect 2 rooms and put the 3rd room on the same floor, sorta nearby. We were told our connecting rooms would take longer to be ready. But I wanted the connecting rooms, so we were willing to wait. Our rooms ended up being ready around 5:30.

We went over to the gift shop and looked around. Then we got the refillable mugs. The mugs are the same ones that have been available since early 2019. Pop also had the Star Wars mug upgrade, but they were not on display. I ordered it on the mobile app, after I asked a cast member about them. At pickup the cast member told us to bring the mug or the receipt, when we wanted a refill. So we took a picture of the receipt and showed it on our phones all week. It worked well.

Also they limited how many people could come inside the food court. You had to show your mobile order pick up was ready. Or you could show your mug or receipt to get inside as well. They only allowed you to come in from the gift shop. You had to exit out toward the pool. If you needed to use the bathroom, you had to exit outside and come back in through the gift shop.

Once we parked at Pop, we used Disney transportation exclusively. The Skyliner was terrific and dependable all week. The lines were the longest during opening and closing times. But during those times, the most we ever waited was 20-25 minutes. We used the bus to go to MK on 2 different days. The buses were regular and plentiful during opening and closing times.

On our second night, we requested a box fan to block out any noise...like snoring and such. They brought one very promptly. And it worked perfectly for our needs.

The kids swam in the computer pool every day. Even when it was in the 50s! They had a blast and no problem with it being too full. They never wanted to go over to Hippy Dippy pool, so I don’t know how that one was.

Overall we had a great stay at Pop!

 

[william5419]

Unfortunately requesting early does not play into the room allocations. Those are not done until a few days before arrival. The fewer requests you have does seem to play a part so requesting an adjoining room only or, with possibly only one other preference as compared to someone who lists 3-5 things they want, should work in your favour.
I’m sorry but I believe you may have 2 resorts confused or, the person who wrote the article did.

Pop Century is based on the decades 1950’s through the 1990’s.

The 1950’s always did and still does have the things you listed; bowling pin shaped stairwells, bowling pin shaped pool with racks of balls at the end and alley markings on the pool deck.

I believe All Star Sports resort may have an area with a baseball theme but I’m not positive.

If you want a 50’s themed area featuring bowling accents then Pop Century should be your resort of choice.

Good. The author then did not mention the 1950's/1960's area of the hotel. That's what got me a little concerned.

That's where I stayed at in 2004. Thanks.

 

[WEDWDW]

Asked about a walkway to CBR this morning. I was told there is no walkway between the resorts for guest use. I didn’t ask if a walkway exists but just asked if there was a way to do it.

Thanks.

I felt sure if Disney had opened an approved Guest Walkway between the 2 Resorts there would have been an announcement,directional signs would be up in both Resorts,it would be noted on the Resort Maps for both Resorts,etc.

While it would be nice if there was an approved walkway,it is not quite as needed now that we have Disney Skyliner.

And,who knows,Disney could still open an approved walkway between the 2 Resorts in the future-it looked like for years that there would never be a Guest Walkway between Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom.

 

[WEDWDW]

I will be 100% honest with you about noise. It doesn’t matter what hotel you stay in, anywhere on planet Earth, the noise level in your room is entirely dependent on who your neighbors are. My two most bothersome and noisy incidents took place at the Contemporary. The worst was a family with multiple rooms, checking out at 3am, and yelling instructions up and down the hall to each other. After 20 minutes of that, I stuck my head out of the door and asked them to please use inside voices as people were sleeping. My third worst experience was at Beach Club. I had just settled down for a nap when there was a banging on the door. I looked through the viewer and some kids had decided to play a ball game by throwing the ball at my door. These were all deluxe stays.

I have stayed on all floor levels of Pop since the remodeling, and have not had bad noise from guests overhead. I have been in a connecting room there twice and could hear the guests in the next room if they spoke loudly. Putting a towel down in between the connecting doors took care of it. I am not saying I will never have a bad noise situation at Pop, only that I haven’t in a dozen stays (even one during Pop Warner season).

Bus transportation at Pop has been on par with the deluxe and moderate resorts, and sometimes better. All the resorts I have stayed in have had issues with Disney Springs transportation, without exception. All of the resorts have occasionally had to deploy a second bus due to crowds heading out or coming back at peak times. Having the Skyliner at Pop has been a game changer for me.

I used to stay at deluxe resorts all the time, and I still do if the situation calls for it. But I find myself staying at Pop a lot of the time because I enjoy it. I do think you should give it a try. If it turns out you don’t like it as much as one of your favorite mods or deluxes, that’s OK, but you could be pleasantly surprised as well.

Awesome.

I think a lot of Guests who don't think they will like it really love POP once they stay there-I blame Disney for most of the preconceived dislike for continuing to use the outdated term "VALUE" Resort to describe POP.

And I think it is shocking to many to know how many Guests actually PREFER staying at POP instead of a Moderate or Deluxe!

 

[fla4fun]

Thanks.

I felt sure if Disney had opened an approved Guest Walkway between the 2 Resorts there would have been an announcement,directional signs would be up in both Resorts,it would be noted on the Resort Maps for both Resorts,etc.

While it would be nice if there was an approved walkway,it is not quite as needed now that we have Disney Skyliner.

And,who knows,Disney could still open an approved walkway between the 2 Resorts in the future-it looked like for years that there would never be a Guest Walkway between Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom.

And it’s a much shorter distance from where the walkway at CBR ends and where you could walk through the parking lot to reach Pop or AoA. It looks like it would be easy to put a walkway in, but appearances can be deceiving.

I think a big safety issue would be the short line of sight for people driving in and out of Pop. If you look at Google Earth, you can see where the CM only road leads, and where the walkway in CBR ends. For cars entering Pop, you are just coming out of some S curves where you can’t see far ahead, you get your first glimpse of the guard station and have to figure out which lane to be in, plus there is the traffic of CMs going in and out from CBR. I don’t think a traffic light could be put in there because of how close the guard station is, but I do not know what the regulations would be for that. So I don’t see Disney allowing the general public to use it as a walkway without some major reconfiguration. It just wouldn’t be safe.

 

[WEDWDW]

And it’s a much shorter distance from where the walkway at CBR ends and where you could walk through the parking lot to reach Pop or AoA. It looks like it would be easy to put a walkway in, but appearances can be deceiving.

I think a big safety issue would be the short line of sight for people driving in and out of Pop. If you look at Google Earth, you can see where the CM only road leads, and where the walkway in CBR ends. For cars entering Pop, you are just coming out of some S curves where you can’t see far ahead, you get your first glimpse of the guard station and have to figure out which lake to be in, plus there is the traffic of CMs going in and out from CBR. I don’t think a traffic light could be put in there because of how close the guard station is, but I do not know what the regulations would be for that. So I don’t see Disney allowing the general public to use it as a walkway without some major reconfiguration. It just wouldn’t be safe.

Great points.

And with Skyliner now up and running,Disney will really not be that interested in a walkway I would think.

 

[boomchip]

Arrival night we are thinking of doing UBER Eats. Any recommendations that are local to Florida?

Following this request! Sounds like a great idea for arrival night.

Don't be so worried. Just go!! It sounds like you go often so why not try something different? If you don't like it, never go back.

We tried POR and much prefer POP over it. We love the POP theming and it just doesn't seem like Disney without it. We've never had noise issues. On the way back to the resort if the bus line is too long we just hop over to the AoA line and walk to POP. It's great to have that option. Morning lines for the buses can be a bit intimidating, especially now due to social distancing. They generally move quickly. There have been times when we've caught a taxi that's already sitting out front (we're the old school type, haven't tried Uber or Lyft lol). Plus you have the skyliner, which is an awesome way to get to Epcot and HS. FYI, stop by the Riviera off of the Skyliner and check out the mosaics (Peter Pan and Repunzel), they are amazing and great photo ops!!

POP rooms are smaller but the layout it great! Lots of storage (which I found missing at POR). I'd request 50s, 60s, or 70s Lake View! All just a short walk to the Skyliner and Classic Hall. Just typing this is making miss it so much!!!

You should at least try it once!!! Let your boys stay there, and you'll have some extra money to spend elsewhere!!!

POP is great! It was my first on-property resort stay 10 years ago and looking back now I'd never change that experience for anything else. The theming is great, the atmosphere is great, and it is partly why we are torn enough right now to switching there instead for our next trip - over our current booking for the first time at CBR.

 

[Elle23]

Has anyone had luck walking over to AofA to take the bus to Epcot? Does anyone know what time the buses start running? We are trying to figure out the best way to get there early for rope drop (skyliner didn’t work well for us last trip).

We also considered taking an Uber to Swan/ Dolphin and walking. Is that a possibility without a reservation?

 

[scrappinginontario]

Has anyone had luck walking over to AofA to take the bus to Epcot? Does anyone know what time the buses start running? We are trying to figure out the best way to get there early for rope drop (skyliner didn’t work well for us last trip).

We also considered taking an Uber to Swan/ Dolphin and walking. Is that a possibility without a reservation?

Pop guests are most welcome to take the bus to Epcot or DHS from AoA. If you're hoping to be on one of the first buses, it's recommended you arrive at the bus stop 90 mins before park opening.

You may take an Uber to Swan/Dolphin and be let off there as they do not have security to go through if you're just being dropped off.

 

[wdwrule]

You may take an Uber to Swan/Dolphin and be let off there as they do not have security to go through if you're just being dropped off.

So this got me thinking... we’ve taken an Uber to the Speedway gas station near Boardwalk to walk to HS. Would it be more advantageous to Uber to Swan instead? (To then walk to either HS or Epcot)

 

[scrappinginontario]

So this got me thinking... we’ve taken an Uber to the Speedway gas station near Boardwalk to walk to HS. Would it be more advantageous to Uber to Swan instead? (To then walk to either HS or Epcot)

Sorry, I’m not sure. I would recommend looking both up on Google maps and comparing the walking distance. I’ve never used Uber as Disney transportation has always met our needs.

 

[wdwrule]

Sorry, I’m not sure. I would recommend looking both up on Google maps and comparing the walking distance. I’ve never used Uber as Disney transportation has always met our needs.

Ok thank you! We mainly use Disney transportation except for the occasional moments like when rope dropping if the bus lines are exceptionally long. This past November we Uber’d to Speedway when the skyliner line was really, really long. But we love Disney transportation!