Pop Century or Saratoga Springs?

I currently have 7 nights booked at POP for a mother/daughter trip (DD18). I found a DVC rental for Saratoga Springs for $600 more. Is it worth it (assume we can afford the difference)? Pros? Cons? I am looking at the DVC rental to take advantage of EEH but being that our trip is the last week of May, we don’t know exactly what we would be getting. Are two possible EEH worth no skyliner? What is the good, bad and ugly for transportation for each? For past park trips, we have stayed at BC, BW, POP, PO-R. Non-park stays at CS and Poly. BW is hands down our favorite but the DVC rental there is double the POP stay which just feels like too much to justify. So for room only it’s approx $1500 at POP, $2100 at SS and $2900 at BW.

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So, advantage to Pop would, of course, be the Skyliner and the cheaper price. But the rooms are smaller, and it is a louder resort (both aesthetically, and sound-wise). That last part is more subjective. Skyliner advantage is hit or miss, though. Lines get long, and you have to transfer, so I wouldn’t say it is necessary faster than buses at rope drop. Any other time of day, though, it is lovely.

SSR will have more space (including a small kitchenette area typical of DVCs…355 sq ft versus 260 at Pop), and a much calmer vibe. Main advantage, though, is the walking access to Disney Springs. If you don’t really plan to hit Disney Springs, that becomes a moot point. The rooms themselves are lovely, and VERY VERY similar to the new BWV rooms. As far as transportation, we had zero issues with transportation. Buses came regularly. While there is an internal loop, it was never really much of an issue. We found getting to the parks easy. If you drive, it is particularly nice to have parking directly outside each building.

Of course, SSR doesn’t have the advantage of being walkable to EP and HS, so you will be using the main entrance to EP rather than the IG.

As far as the access to EEH…I’ve never utilized EEH, even though we could have. We just usually are too worn out in the evenings to care about staying later. So, maybe someone else can speak to that point.

With just two of you, probably Pop is plenty, and not necessarily worth the extra $600. But I definitely prefer the vibe of SSR to Pop.

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Is the DVC a studio?

We like SSR a lot but usually do a 1 br which provides a washer and dryer. Usually ask for a particular building with the bus stop less than 3 minutes from the elevator.

DVC is less than $100 extra per day
End of May could be more afternoon showers, possibly removing the Skyliner

We’ve not stayed at Pop tho we have stayed at Sports and Music.

This. Quiet loveliness

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This is a good question! Both Pop and SSR have benefits relative to each other. Tough choice. I think it will come down to which factors you value more.

I basically agree with @ryan1’s rundown. Transport at SSR is the con. It’s all bus unless you’re going to DS. For Pop, the Skyliner is not just convenient - it is a cool ride. So I give it extra points for that. And the rooms are actually quite nice for the price.

Pretty much everything else, the edge goes to SSR. Nicer rooms, better beds, more chill vibe, better pools, closer to dining, etc.

I like EEH and prefer it to early entry when I don’t have my kids. It’s a great way to get through a bunch of rides without the heat (and usually no rain in the summer cause the storms are gone by then), even if you have to wait in line a bit more than you’d expect.

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Yes, a studio

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We will definitely be visiting Disney Springs a few times.

This great feedback, thank you! I keep forgetting to keep the weather closure of the skyliner in the back of my mind.

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Good point on the skyliner. Thank you.

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I’m assuming you are looking at a studio? For me, that isn’t worth it.

I think Pop’s location, on the skyliner, beats out what Saratoga can offer for the price difference you’re looking at. Saratoga is a great spot for a larger accommodation (1BR and up) at a lower price comparatively across the category, and for a Disney-Springs-centric vacation or for golfers who want to be right on the course.

The only EEH I think are valuable are the MK ones, and you won’t skyline to that - you’ll be busing regardless of which resort you choose.

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Thank you for the feedback! Also a great point about the EEH re: weather and early mornings. I wish I knew which days and which parks it would be. I think it’s looking like EP and MK? So like 4 extra park hours total for the extra cost.

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Yeah, a studio because it’s just two of us. We would like the easy access to Disney Springs for sure but mostly a consideration for the EEH. Thinking maybe not worth the cost. If I could get BW for that same price as Saratoga it would be a no brainer for us. Walking to two parks would be awesome but double for BW is too much.

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Not for that much money, IMO

I would probably consider that more too

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Are there any after hours events on your dates? You could possibly buy tickets to those for less than the upgrade charge for SSR.

I personally would choose Pop over SSR as well–for Skyliner, the loud kitschy theming, and because it’s more compact. SSR does have more restaurant choices, if you care about that (plus proximity to DS, as mentioned). But that bus only (and a potentially long bus loop at that) really dampens the resort for me.

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If you have a car, SSR is really great. You can park pretty close to your building and avoid the bus loop.

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The pull-down bed in the SSR studio is not as nice as the pull-down bed at Pop. Just an FYI.

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I will say that as long as they have a virtual queue for Guardians, the EEH at Epcot are valuable for that extra ride alone. But it is so spread out and not very many rides, so in general not as valuable as MK. I would love some EEH at HS though!

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This is my issue with it.

Whereas at MK we got to enjoy a whole giant bunch of attractions!

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Just not GREAT attractions. :joy: (Kidding! (Kind of.))

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I considered this, but I figured if there are two of them they are using the actual bed? But I guess that could be a false assumption. Worth mentioning either way.

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I agree. :+1: Also nice to be able to watch the fireworks without worrying about the park closing.

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I thought OP was travelling with her daughter? Most kids would want their own bed. Not mine apparently. They will sometimes choose to sleep with me rather than pull down the other bed! But most. :joy:

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