Hey everybody, I'm trying to plan a kind of last minute thing to WDW to meet up with some CM friends of mine. I'll be a solo traveler as far as my room is concerned, and due to monetary limitations, I'm kinda stuck. I'm probably in the position where I can do about 4 nights at POR or about 6 or 7 nights at POP. I love WDW and I'd hate to do such a short trip as I'd be stuck with at POR, but at the same time, I want to be able to relax when I'm in the room. In this vein, I have two questions (although, knowing me, I'll probably come up with more later! :rolleyes:)

1) Can anybody describe the bathtubs at POP for me? Don't need to be too specific, I'm a good sized guy, but I fit comfortably in the tubs at POR. Are the ones at POP like POR's or are they smaller and more closed in? (I specifically love the ones at POR where they have the kinda low shelf along the back of the tub for both putting stuff down and putting your head against while you're soaking...)

2) The POP seems about the same distance away from most of the parks by road than POR (except, of course, DTD...none of my beloved boat rides from POP. :() Does anybody know if the amount of time I'd spend on buses would be substantially greater at POP than POR?

3) Weighing all the pros and cons, what would you do? Spend less time at a resort you know and love, or more time at a resort you have reservations about? (no pun intended...)

Thanks in advance for any help and opinions everybody! I know you guys'll come through for me, and I know I'll have a great time with whatever you help me decide!:D (I can't wait to have another countdown timer in my sig line again!)

Well I'm not sure if the tubs are different sizes, but the POP tubs don't have that little shelf area-- just the standard tub/shower combo.

I think the busses at POP are the best at WDW, and since there is only one stop you never have to circle the resort or guess if there will be enough room for your party when the bus arrives.


Personally I'd take the longer stay at WDW over any options, buy YMMV of course.

HTH

Personally I'd take the longer stay at WDW over any options, buy YMMV of course.

That's my take on it, too. Especially for one person, once inside the room, I really don't notice THAT much difference between the moderates and Pop - except maybe the tub thing you mention.

And actually, since it's new and more energy efficient, I like the HVAC system/controls at Pop a lot.

POP's thermostat doesn't go as far down as I'd like. especially after staying at WL club where I could set it to.. well, numbers I couldn't believe possible.

I think the lowest POP goes to is like 74

even after doing the club thing, which i'm glad i did since i got to do the wildlife discovery excursion, i'm back to POFQ. don't think i'd choose anything over POFQ.

2) The POP seems about the same distance away from most of the parks by road than POR (except, of course, DTD...none of my beloved boat rides from POP. :() Does anybody know if the amount of time I'd spend on buses would be substantially greater at POP than POR?
In general, every hotel is going to be closer to one park than another and Pop is not any different. I mean, if nothing else, we are talking about a few minutes difference between hotels when going to specific parks. I think the bigger question would be overall bus service to/from the parks. And while I cannot speak for Pop, POR have better than average service even during a busy week in August. Im sure someone else can chime in about POR's bus track record from their personal experience.

Having stayed at POP a couple of times and having a great time and great service (stayed this summer for 3 weeks, and not one single problem) I would rather stay longer here than shorter at the other resort, i mean how much time are you really going to spend in your room??, they have a great pool, bar, and lots of food choices. I must also add that at park closing time the bus lines can be long but they move fast because they send the busses in fast succession.

Can't speak to the bathtubs because showers work fine for me (and therefore haven't noticed), but have stayed both at Pop and POFQ and if you can extend your stay by staying at the Pop by all means do so! The only boat you get at POR is the one to DD and my experience is that buses are actually a bit faster and come more often at Pop. As far as traveling times - some destinations become a bit closer at Pop such as the AK and DS - Epcot is a wash and MK is a bit farther but not bad. DD is a bit father too. Try Pop out - it's been a good experience for me and I would go back there (espcially if it were a question to extend your stay). I also agree that I like the thermostats/cooling system at Pop better and though regulated I don't think it's 74 more like 70.

As others have said though it depends on how much time you spend in your room and how much your room means to you. No problem though with the 'Disney feel' at Pop - you definitely get that - and the food court is good.

Thanks for all the advice everybody! You really made making the right decision a lot easier... (I kinda knew it was the right decision all along, but I didn't want to leave behind my new home [POR] when I just found out how great it is!) In reality, there's gotta be plenty of space for me in just about any room at the level where I usually share a WDW room with two others and this will be a solo trip!

Two things for people who don't know: showers work just fine for me too, but a nice bath with some luxurious products from Basin (in DTD or the GF or online) or Lush (in MCO or online) can be extraordinarily relaxing after a long day in the parks (and has the added bonus of making your whole hotel room smell nice!). And yes, I'm a big tough heterosexual dude and I still like to pamper myself...wanna make somethin' of it? :cool:

other thing: I know the boat to DTD from POR is probably a longer ride than the bus, but the scenery is very nice (love seeing the old Treetop Villas from the Disney Institute) and you get to act like a kid with your friends (or family) and make jokes about "Sammy Plankton said it's called a 'butt'" and "I'm gonna touch the butt!" (from Finding Nemo) If that doesn't make a boat ride worthwhile, I don't know what does!:D

Thanks again everybody! I really do appreciate all your help and advice!

Hey, K, I've stayed at both POFQ and Pop. We had a similar situation as yours where it was a fairly last-minute (read: no planned budget!) trip. We gave up our beloved POFQ for Pop and I was SO nervous.

It was JUST FINE. In fact, when it came time to book the next trip, I felt guilty spending the extra money on going back to POFQ. Either one would work fine for me!

Busses were actually better from Pop, but I suppose that experience would be hit or miss depending on the occupancy rate when you're there. The food court was better at Pop too. I missed the space at POFQ, but since you're going by yourself, that doesn't matter.

I'm a bath girl, myself, and utilize my created "Bath Nap" during each trip (I take a cat nap in a scalding hot bath every afternoon. It really revitalizes me!). I even tend to take another bath in the evening before bed, so I understand your interest in the bath size. The "outside" area from the bathrooms (sink/shelving area) is much bigger at POFQ. The acutal tub/toilet seemed to be the same, rather a tight squeeze for me (I'm not a skinny minnie, but not huge either). The bathtub is fine, but NO bath at WDW will get as much water as I like. Someday I can afford one of those rooms with the hottub/garden tub! That's livin'!

Have a great trip!

ETA: Stay outta the food court at breakfast. It's a ZOO! I agree about the thermostat. We propped the door open b/c it was cooler outside than in our room. HOwever, I've read elsewhere on MousePlanet that if you call down to them they can turn it down somehow. We keep a VERY cool house, so it felt hot to me....

I agree about the thermostat. We propped the door open b/c it was cooler outside than in our room. HOwever, I've read elsewhere on MousePlanet that if you call down to them they can turn it down somehow. We keep a VERY cool house, so it felt hot to me....

Thanks for the tip. We keep our house faily cold in the summer and I was nervous when I read about how low the thermostat gets. I will definately be making that call if it does not get cold enough.

POP's thermostat doesn't go as far down as I'd like. especially after staying at WL club where I could set it to.. well, numbers I couldn't believe possible. I think the lowest POP goes to is like 74.

I just had this problem at the Coronado Springs. The thermostat goes down to 65, but the actual temp never was down below 69 or 70. This is still too warm for me!

Kwahati, I've had the same dilemma in the past - whether to stay in a nicer place and have to stay a shorter time, or go with a value and stay longer. I'm happy to say that the Pop is a much nicer value resort than either of the All Stars, in my opinion. It's much closer to a moderate in feel, landscaping, etc. Go for the Pop and stay longer - you won't regret it!

But really, dude, c'mon - BATHS?????

But really, dude, c'mon - BATHS?????

LOL!!!:D Yeah, I was hoping nobody was gonna call me out on that! Yeah, my bathtub at home totally sucks...we bought the house figuring we'd be able to clean the place up, but there is no amount of scrubbing that will clean it well enough that I'd want to sit down in there!:eek: Believe me, I've tried! (chemicals, scruppy pads, soaps, oxiclean...) I'm thinking about getting the thing replaced next year... So, basically, since I'm stuck with showering at home, I like a nice bath while on vacation...:) I wasn't saying it was a deal breaker, just something I was taking into consideration while making the decision.:rolleyes:

Oh...and now I've found some places online that'll deliver wine to the hotel for me! I'm gonna get some grapes and some cheese from Garden Grocer (had to find something to get my order up to the $40 minimum...otherwise I'd have to haul a case of water down on the plane with me! [or pay a $40 cab fare to go get it]) and enjoy some nice wine, cheese and fruit while taking a nice bath! (And, until somebody proves me wrong, I'm still the toughest dude I know!);)

Edited to add: Are you posting from the World, Dan, or are you back home? If you're there, I hope you're having a great time! If you're back, I hope you *had* a great time! How was/is your beef? (ah, I love the past/present/future tense game...) :)

As you've probably read by now, I am back home, had a great time, loved the beef as always, and can't wait for next trip!

Dan, a closet bath taker. . .