Pop Century Room Renovations

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Can I ask you a couple of questions since you are there now? When you checked in at POP, did they offer you a gift card incentive for declining housekeeping? And, have they started work on the gondola system (and if so, is the bridge to AoA closed)? I don't mean to hijack the renovation thread, but am curious to ask these questions of someone at POP right now as we are going there in August. Thank you!

I didn't go the front desk. Just went to the room assigned. But there was nothing in the room about the option to skip mouse keeping.

 

[LadyDiznee123]

I've packed a power bar in my suitcase the last number of trips I've taken to Pop. An easy way to charge everything and also keep it all in one location rather than scattered around the room.

Thanks. Stealing this idea for my November 2017 stay!

 

[LadyDiznee123]

There are 2880 rooms at Pop and currenly only 2/9 buildings are being worked on. If you request a room in the 50's or 60's you'll be far, far away from the construction and I'm sure not even know it's going on.

Thanks. You just answered a question for me as well!

 

[HopperFan]

We stayed at Pop in early February of this year, and there were some large tour groups, particularly teenage girls from Argentina celebrating "quincinera". For the most part it was OK, but there was some chanting and girls running up and down outside the doors at night. I was concerned about the effect on the food court in the morning, but Pop had seating areas roped off for the groups and they had a separate buffet line for the groups in these roped off areas. They also appeared to have their own buses and from the signs in the windows the girls rooms were along the same hallways. I thought Pop handled it well.

ABOUT TIME! I've said forever they needed their own buses, to figure out something with food court ............ but sounds like they don't have the room/noise issues fixed. NO GUESTS should ever be placed in the same area, I don't care if they end up with empty rooms (if they do it's poor assigning). I've been stuck with them twice and it was pure misery. Glad to see them making steps forward.

 

[brockash]

Fro me personally, the multiple bus stops is a HUGE negative. It takes much longer to get to and from a park because you have to make so many stops.

We totally agree. We stayed at CBR last trip and I can't imagine we'd stay there again as opposed to a value. It was just too much of a pain.

 

[Sue M]

With them upgrading the size of the bed's to queens, what actually separates CBR from POP? I know the rooms in CBR are slightly larger, but there isn't enough extra space to justify the price difference to me. The whole reason we were chosing CBR over POP this trip was because I'm too large to fit in a full size bed comfortably and the wife and I did not want to have to sleep in separate beds while she shared a bed with a 10 year old that sleeps like she is having a seizure.

After seeing they were upgrading the beds at pop to queens we changed our reservations, it saved us almost $500. We are not going until the end of January so hopefully all the reno's will be completed by then.

Do you think they will "upgrade" POP to a moderate after they finish the reno?

What separates Pop and CBR:
Aside from room size, imo more than slightly larger, double sinks, beautiful lush landscaping, cool feature pool complex with slides, hot tub, and kiddie splash pad, many quiet pools, tableservice restaurant, and every village has their own bus stop. You can sit comfortably under a roofed bus stop out of the elements waiting for your bus instead of in the value resort cattle pens.
Each village has a beach with hammocks and lounges.
CBR is quieter because it's also more spread out. Buildings are only 2 floors. The grounds are beautiful.

I don't think they can upgrade Pop to a mod because the rooms are still tiny, and resort lacks amenities of a moderate.

 

[LadyDiznee123]

For pics of the renovations go here:
http://www.chipandco.com/new-photos-pop-century-room-renovations-shows-major-changes-271492/

So when the bed is down.... there is no table???? If so that isnt very practical.

 

[ColoradoMom12]

So when the bed is down.... there is no table???? If so that isnt very practical.

That's right. No table when the bed is down. It's a pretty big inconvenience for me. I'm not sure how or even if the Pop rooms will continue to work for us. I use the table all of the time (at night after our kids are asleep for working on my computer and then in the morning before the kids are awake to set up breakfast). Not to mention, I'd love to pull the bed out and just leave it that way. No up and down all trip long. I'm actually considering buying a camping-style table to bring with us. Seems a bit ridiculous but we love the Pop and don't want to move to All Stars all because of a table (or lack thereof).

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Can I ask you a couple of questions since you are there now? When you checked in at POP, did they offer you a gift card incentive for declining housekeeping? And, have they started work on the gondola system (and if so, is the bridge to AoA closed)? I don't mean to hijack the renovation thread, but am curious to ask these questions of someone at POP right now as we are going there in August. Thank you!

Decided to risk it and took AoA bus back from AK (Pop line was terrible and two AoA busses came within five minutes).

Bridge is open. Just walked it. No sign of anything different at all.

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

Decided to risk it and took AoA bus back from AK (Pop line was terrible and two AoA busses came within five minutes).

Bridge is open. Just walked it. No sign of anything different at all.

Wish I could hit the 'like' button more than once Thank you for the information. We like to walk the bridge to AoA for meals as well as taking the AoA bus if it comes before the Pop bus, so this is good news for us.

 

[LadyDiznee123]

Two shower heads (one stationary and one removable)

Well, so far thats my only favorite thing. Along with the extra outlets / usb ports.
I am rarely one to complain when it comes to rooms, because a room is just a place to shower and lay my head, for the most part. But I am not fond of the design at all. The sink / closet area looks way too tight. And no table if the bed is down?? Don't care for that at all. I have always loved having the second bed to lay out clothes and other things (purchases, etc). "Stuff" goes on the second bed and my meal gets set down on the table. The table has always been a very practical staple at disney resort hotels (imo). I also think the beverage station should be by the sink, not as far away as the front door... or did I mistake the layout? Not fond of this at all. I will say that the designs above the bed make up for the white-out, sterile feeling. That part grew on me immediately.

 

[LadyDiznee123]

More new room pictures. They are stunning! The room feels so much bigger with the murphy bed.

For anyone wondering, the safe is in the dresser (picture below). No more safe keys! Yay! And the safe is big enough for a laptop!

Also, the bathrooms - WOW! what an upgrade!

More pictures in the post to follow.

View attachment 243059 View attachment 243060 View attachment 243040 View attachment 243041 View attachment 243042 View attachment 243043 View attachment 243044 View attachment 243045 View attachment 243046 View attachment 243047

Thanks so much for taking the time to post this. Also to gasman as well.
You all are our hero's.

 

[LadyDiznee123]

That's right. No table when the bed is down. It's a pretty big inconvenience for me. I'm not sure how or even if the Pop rooms will continue to work for us. I use the table all of the time (at night afte r our kids are asleep for working on my computer and then in the morning before the kids are awake to set up breakfast). Not to mention, I'd love to pull the bed out and just leave it that way. No up and down all trip long. I'm actually considering buying a camping-style table to bring with us. Seems a bit ridiculous but we love the Pop and don't want to move to All Stars all because of a table (or lack thereof).

Agree wholeheartedly. And no one should have to bring their on table. Nor should they have to be pulling the bed up and down. I too used that table ALL the time. I ate there as well as gotten organized with my cell and camera there. What were the designers and the approvers thinking??? I'm going solo and not driving. If I were driving I'd certainly bring a table as well. But at the same time... having to bring a table is utterly ridiculous. I consider this a major design fail.

 

[SaraVee]

At first I thought not having a table when the beds are down would be a negative. But there is a lot of surface space on top of the low dresser, especially with the tv being wall-mounted. We don't typically use the table for eating, more for just a place to put things, so I think we'll be fine with the long dresser top for that. I really love the design. I also stay at Pop when I get away for solo trips, and I think being able to have the second bed folded up will help the room feel more open.

 

[deakam]

Does anyone know if the room decor will be different in each era? I am a bit disappointed with the no table deal. I use the table everyday. I also have an issue with the beverage area. This is the spot where the old table would sit. We would move the table in front of the window and put a twin size blow up mattress so the one boy and one girl kids did not have to share a bed. It doesn't look like this will be possible anymore. I also don't see a space large enough for a pack and play or a place to put a stroller. I think overall POP's rooms are two small for a queen and a full. Looks like I will have no choice but to move over to French Quarter when traveling with both kids. Or staying off property.

 

[ColoradoMom12]

Does anyone know if the room decor will be different in each era? I am a bit disappointed with the no table deal. I use the table everyday. I also have an issue with the beverage area. This is the spot where the old table would sit. We would move the table in front of the window and put a twin size blow up mattress so the one boy and one girl kids did not have to share a bed. It doesn't look like this will be possible anymore. I also don't see a space large enough for a pack and play or a place to put a stroller. I think overall POP's rooms are two small for a queen and a full. Looks like I will have no choice but to move over to French Quarter when traveling with both kids. Or staying off property.

It's actually two queens, and yes, it does seem too small for it! I think someone said an air mattress will fit, although I don't know where. Hopefully someone else on here can remember. I'd like to know where to put a stroller, though. As far as I know, the decor will stay the same. I now call this resort the Mod Century. I think the lack of a full-time table will be quite a problem for my family. We really love the Pop, though, and want it to keep working for us. So I'm not sure how to make that happen. I really don't want to travel with a folding table, but I don't know what else to do. I wish Disney could make an extra table something that could be requested from housekeeping. Extra hangers and an alarm clock can be requested, why not a small table?

 

[karly05]

I may have said this before, but I get why they did this layout. For a long time, it has seemed that the 2 big "deal breakers" at POP for many people were the small beds and lack of coffee maker. They figured out how to get 2 Queen beds and a coffee maker into the small square footage, but not without trade-offs.

Now the wall-mounted TV and long, open dresser top means they could have put the coffee maker there, but could you still have put a table and chairs on that wall with the longer dresser?

I've had my ways of doing things, and the new room layout is going to change that. But for me, it will work out, and maybe for the better - but I know that won't be the case for everyone. I'm not sure how POP could have designed the rooms to bring in queen beds (I think the main goal) and allow for families who need extra sleeping surfaces. I guess if they do major remodels to the All-Stars we'll see if they try some different ideas.

I do wonder - and this does not solve everyone's problems - but from the start we thought the Murphy would be a double, and assumed "Murphy" = "uncomfortable." Since it appears the 2 queen mattresses are identical, has anyone tried or considered putting the kids in the stationary bed and the adults sleeping in the Murphy so you could have Kids In Bed and Table Available at the same time? Just wondering.

 

[bluezy]

Agree wholeheartedly. And no one should have to bring their on table. Nor should they have to be pulling the bed up and down. I too used that table ALL the time. I ate there as well as gotten organized with my cell and camera there. What were the designers and the approvers thinking??? I'm going solo and not driving. If I were driving I'd certainly bring a table as well. But at the same time... having to bring a table is utterly ridiculous. I consider this a major design fail.

I don't know if you've seen the videos of people opening the Inovabed or have tried one at AoA, but they are extremely simple and easy to open. You can literally do it with one finger on your weakest hand. It takes less effort than opening and closing a sliding door (and there are 2 of those in the rooms). The biggest effort in opening and closing the bed is moving the chairs. And since you're a solo traveler, you won't even have to worry about it since you'll be able to sleep in the other bed and keep that one closed up and use it as the table. Even if you did have to open it/use it, there is plenty of flat surface space in the room to organize your camera and cell phone -- that's one of the huge improvements in the room. Can't help you with where to eat in the room....but there is an ironing board.

Does anyone know if the room decor will be different in each era? I am a bit disappointed with the no table deal. I use the table everyday. I also have an issue with the beverage area. This is the spot where the old table would sit. We would move the table in front of the window and put a twin size blow up mattress so the one boy and one girl kids did not have to share a bed. It doesn't look like this will be possible anymore. I also don't see a space large enough for a pack and play or a place to put a stroller. I think overall POP's rooms are two small for a queen and a full. Looks like I will have no choice but to move over to French Quarter when traveling with both kids. Or staying off property.

Someone on this thread did measure the space and there is room for a twin size mattress between the open Inovabed and the window (and for the record, both beds are queen size). It will partially block the door, though. If you have two kids who don't want to share a bed, you could potentially just keep the Inovabed closed up and use 2 air mattresses instead -- I think they would fit in an "L" shape in that area, especially if one of the kids could use a smaller air mattress. Personally, I wouldn't want to pay for a room where we're using 2 air mattresses while there's an unused bed in the room, but it is a potential solution if you want to stay at Pop. I understand the logistics of having kids share beds. We have 5 kids and by the time they got to be about 10 or 12 years old, they no longer wanted to share a bed in general (and they're all restless sleepers so if they do share a bed, they constantly wake each other up), but they especially didn't want to share a bed with a sibling of the opposite gender. We travel with air mattresses all the time. As far as space for a stroller and pack & play...the pack & play definitely fits in the area between the dresser and vanity area (where the connecting room door is or would be depending on the type of room you have). The stroller would fit in front of the window or between the beverage center and dresser depending on the size. Now, if you have a pack & play, stroller, and need to use an air mattress or two, these rooms are going to be really tight and probably not the right choice for your family. But I'll chime in and say that my sister stayed at POR with an air mattress, stroller, and pack & play and ended up leaving a day early because the room was just too cramped and they were tripping over everything. We never even tried to put 5 of us in one room (when we could) and always just got connecting rooms. Once AoA opened, we started staying in a suite there. We still need air mattresses, but we have plenty of floor space for everything (though our pack & play and stroller days are long behind us ).

 

[DisneyMom93]

I know people want to use an air mattress and a twin won't fit, but Coleman makes a "slim twin" air mattress and it's only 26" wide. My kids use them when camping. We've also used a bunch of them for sleepovers. You can find them several places online. Here is the link to Walmart:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-QuickBed-Lite-Slim-Twin-Skinny-Airbed-White/40703442

 

[DisneyMom93]

I may have said this before, but I get why they did this layout. For a long time, it has seemed that the 2 big "deal breakers" at POP for many people were the small beds and lack of coffee maker. They figured out how to get 2 Queen beds and a coffee maker into the small square footage, but not without trade-offs.

Now the wall-mounted TV and long, open dresser top means they could have put the coffee maker there, but could you still have put a table and chairs on that wall with the longer dresser?

I've had my ways of doing things, and the new room layout is going to change that. But for me, it will work out, and maybe for the better - but I know that won't be the case for everyone. I'm not sure how POP could have designed the rooms to bring in queen beds (I think the main goal) and allow for families who need extra sleeping surfaces. I guess if they do major remodels to the All-Stars we'll see if they try some different ideas.

I do wonder - and this does not solve everyone's problems - but from the start we thought the Murphy would be a double, and assumed "Murphy" = "uncomfortable." Since it appears the 2 queen mattresses are identical, has anyone tried or considered putting the kids in the stationary bed and the adults sleeping in the Murphy so you could have Kids In Bed and Table Available at the same time? Just wondering.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking... If they are both queen size the parents can sleep in the Murphy bed.

We never sat at the table, just used it as a catch-all so the new room looks awesome to us.