Disney's POP CENTURY RESORT Information & Questions

[Elsaalltheway]

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I will be staying here in April for the first time- I love that they have their own buses to and from the parks, but can anyone tell me if there's issues with the buses getting too crowded during peak times to go to the parks and having to wait for the next one? And how frequently do they run to go to each park? Does anyone have a sample schedule to get an idea? Still debating on doing a rental car vs. using the bus system

I would have to say every year that I have been, I have never had to wait to GET to the parks, now getting back to the hotels is a horse of a different color.

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

I

I would have to say every year that I have been, I have never had to wait to GET to the parks, now getting back to the hotels is a horse of a different color.

Oh this is soooooo true. I waited 40 minutes to get out of Animal Kingdom Wednesday morning! We should've known better and taken our car.

 

[Destinyz12]

I'm more concerned with making sure I can get to the parks by rope drop! Going back at night I don't mind having to wait a little longer if necessary

 

[Elle23]

We never had trouble getting to the parks by rope drop.

 

[Mbuksa]

I've thought about doing this once Disney updates their site with pics of the refurbished rooms. I've stayed at Pop over 25 times so frequent this thread and would be happy to keep it updated as information changes. Please let me know if fellow DISers would be interested in a new Pop thread with updated pics and information.

I would be interested

 

[ThistleMae]

I have never (*gasp*) stayed at Pop before. I'm torn between Pop ($144/night) and POFQ ($212/night) for my trip in January. I normally decide based on the pool but I'm pretty sure it's going to be too cold for swimming for me! 82 degrees doesn't count as a heated pool when it's 50 degrees out, haha. Am I correct that Pop doesn't have a hot tub? For you Pop lovers, why should I stay there over POFQ, besides the price difference? Thanks!

I'm with you on the pool...to cold for me but the kids don't care and they have a really nice kids pool and the quiet pool is shaped like a bowling pin, and I love it. The whole place has such a nice vibe, as I suppose do the other resorts but there's just something about it. They have a dedicated bus, so they don't go to any other resort for pick up or drop off. They have a nice food court, plenty of choices and you can just walk over the bridge to go to the food court at AOA, which has even more choices, so you have a nice wide variety of food and atmosphere to pick from.

 

[ThistleMae]

The buses were definitely packed after leaving the parks after the nighttime shows. But I think it is that way for most resort buses, not just Pop.

My only complaint was that the Pop buses always seem to be the farthest of the bus stops at the parks, which was frustrating when my feet were already killing me.

Yes, at park closing there always seems to be a long line for Pop return, but they have many buses so the wait isn't bad. But the mad dash after park closing is always a zoo. And yes, it is always the furthest walk from the park to get to the stop.

 

[Darbie]

@MusicalAstronaut Pop does not have a hot tub. That is one of the reasons it is in the Value category.

 

[ThistleMae]

Regarding the hot tub....yes POP does not have one, but my experience is that we always get back to late and the hot tub has been closed anyway. Just saying.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Regarding the hot tub....yes POP does not have one, but my experience is that we always get back to late and the hot tub has been closed anyway. Just saying.

We have had similar experiences with the pools since all pools at Disney are now fenced. I understood why they did it, my DD is just disappointed that she gets a lot less swimming in these days.

 

[ThistleMae]

We have had similar experiences with the pools since all pools at Disney are now fenced. I understood why they did it, my DD is just disappointed that she gets a lot less swimming in these days.

Yes this was a huge disappointment for us too. It seems that if there are EMH, the pools should stay open later on those nights so we can get back and swim. But...this trip is going to be too cold to swim I think...February? I'm thinking about brining my wet suit jacket so I can go in. We went in November once and although there were quite a few people in the pool, it was too cold for me to stay in. Does anyone know the weather for late February, early March?

 

[DisneyMom93]

We have had similar experiences with the pools since all pools at Disney are now fenced. I understood why they did it, my DD is just disappointed that she gets a lot less swimming in these days.

The pools at Pop are now fenced in? All of them? Or just the main pool?
Why does the fencing make it that your daughter gets less swimming? Or did I misunderstand you?

Does anyone know if the main pool is heated? I mean actually warm. I know they always said it was but we go in November and a few times it was hot out but the pool was freezing.

 

[scrappinginontario]

The pools at Pop are now fenced in? All of them? Or just the main pool?
Why does the fencing make it that your daughter gets less swimming? Or did I misunderstand you?

Does anyone know if the main pool is heated? I mean actually warm. I know they always said it was but we go in November and a few times it was hot out but the pool was freezing.

All pools at all resorts are now gated and gates are locked when the pool is not officially open and lifeguards are not on duty. I believe average pool hours are 10am - 10pm but the current hours will be posted at the pool.

In the past it was acceptable to swim from 10pm - midnight without lifeguards being on duty but this changed when the fences went in approx 2 years ago.

Pools are heated to 82o.

 

[DisneyMom93]

All pools at all resorts are now gated and gates are locked when the pool is not officially open and lifeguards are not on duty. I believe average pool hours are 10am - 10pm but the current hours will be posted at the pool.

In the past it was acceptable to swim from 10pm - midnight without lifeguards being on duty but this changed when the fences went in approx 2 years ago.

Pools are heated to 82o.

Wow. I had no idea!

 

[Haley R]

Yes this was a huge disappointment for us too. It seems that if there are EMH, the pools should stay open later on those nights so we can get back and swim. But...this trip is going to be too cold to swim I think...February? I'm thinking about brining my wet suit jacket so I can go in. We went in November once and although there were quite a few people in the pool, it was too cold for me to stay in. Does anyone know the weather for late February, early March?

We went late February and early March this year and it was hot! We took a whole day to go swimming and it felt so nice in February/March to be able to swim

 

[leaf44]

After spending two weeks trying different dates on the reservation site, I've finally booked 11 nights at POP for marathon weekend and beyond in January. Yay! Unfortunately, in order to do this, I had to make 4 different reservations . Is there some way to get them all linked so I don't have to change rooms? They are all standard rooms.

I already did online check in for two of the stays, requesting a room in the 80s or 90s as I am hoping to get a refurbished room. I'm aware that this early online check in may be a glitch, so I will check again at 60 days out.

Should I call and have a note put on my reservations about the split stay, and if I call should I also request a refurbished room, or would it be better to leave my online check in as is?

Thanks !

 

[goofygal531]

Did they jack up the prices during peak hours? I was considering using uber at park closing, but wasn’t sure about the price.

yes, the prices did fluctuate but not to extremes. I think one night after park closing we paid $13. It was always a reasonable amount.

 

[goofygal531]

i didn't realize Uber was that cheap. For me, it would be a party of 2 and would be very helpful on arrival and departure day to use for our resort restaurant meals instead of the hassle of taking 2 different buses to get to them!

We signed on using a first-time use promo code of $15 off your first 3 rides (really $5 off per ride but it wasn't worded that way). Our first ride was from the Dolphin Resort to AK (we had to return our rental car). Our price AFTER the $5 promo code was $3.75. Funny thing was, we had to return the rental at 8am. Got the Uber within 5 mins, then arrived at AK before opening. I didn't plan it. I was so focused on returning the rental car I didn't realize we'd get to the park that early. We able to enter at 8:45 am and walk right on the navi river ride.

We used Uber quite often from Pop to Boardwalk/Beach Club area for meals. Again, always under $10. Unfortunately, for Uber it doesn't matter how many guests are in the car.

 

[goofygal531]

Yes this was a huge disappointment for us too. It seems that if there are EMH, the pools should stay open later on those nights so we can get back and swim. But...this trip is going to be too cold to swim I think...February? I'm thinking about brining my wet suit jacket so I can go in. We went in November once and although there were quite a few people in the pool, it was too cold for me to stay in. Does anyone know the weather for late February, early March?

February is unpredictable. This past February the whole East coast experienced a heatwave. It was almost 80 degrees in NYC. We were in Disney and enjoyed the pools the weather was gorgeous. Two years ago, it was a different story! It was 32 degrees on Valentine’s Day in MK. I had to buy my son a hat in MK in order to stay once the sun went down. That same trip three days later 80 degrees and by noon everyone was in the pool!

You need to plan to dress in layers.

Also, with cooler temps in the mornings and evenings, I’m considering throwing sweatshirts into a locker. Never done this before but the recent DIS article on lockers in the parks got me thinking about it.

 

[mickey1968]

Yes this was a huge disappointment for us too. It seems that if there are EMH, the pools should stay open later on those nights so we can get back and swim. But...this trip is going to be too cold to swim I think...February? I'm thinking about brining my wet suit jacket so I can go in. We went in November once and although there were quite a few people in the pool, it was too cold for me to stay in. Does anyone know the weather for late February, early March?

I wish they would keep the Food Court open until an hour and a half after the last park closes. At least just the drink stations and grab and go items would be nice.