POR vs POP, help please

We are currently booked at Pop for the last week in January. I’m now debating on whether or not to switch to POR.

We have stayed at Pop before and don’t mind the hotel, nothing spectacular, but for us it’s just a place to sleep and rest. We will not be using pools because it will be on the colder side. We do however love the bus transportation at Pop. Dedicated bus service with little to no waits has been great in the past.

If we change to POR the only rooms left are the Riverview or Garden View Royal rooms. Are these rooms worth the price (extra $475 for our stay of 5 nights)? Are they close to the Main building, its so hard to tell from pictures. We thought Pop was spread out until we arrived and then it didn’t seem bad at all.

My biggest concern about changing is the bus transportation, how is it compared to Pop? Does anyone have an opinion or story?

What would you do???

Sincerely,
Over Analyzer and Extreme Planner

Well worth it is of course always subjective. One of the biggest pro’s is probably the bigger more comfortable beds than Pop. The royal rooms are located in the two mansion buildings closest to the main building as well as the feature pool and hot tub which might be nice in cooler temps with Disney feet lol. Oak Manor is the closest of the two. I know previously you’d mentioned this being a princess trip so the royal rooms would go a long way with that in terms of theme. POR has 4 bus stops and you’d be close to one of those. It also has the boat that goes to DTD. The Royal rooms are also the side that is closest to POFQ which only has one bus stop so in those cases when a POFQ bus shows up first you can always hop on that one and then just have a little walk back to your room. Speaking of which did you see if POFQ has availability? It’s probably the most compact moderate resort and again one bus stop.

Ultimately though I would say it kind of depends on your family. If it’s really just a place to sleep and you won’t enjoy any of the extra amenities then you could save the money for other activities but if comfort after a long park day is important and it won’t prevent you from doing other things then I would consider it. We check into POR on Saturday, and then we’re moving to AKL the following Wednesday.

Here’s a great site with lots of information about both of the resorts that might help you make a choice…

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Thanks @Outer1…I think that I’m just over analyzing everything. I would really like the larger rooms and the cost isn’t that much more. I know I should just do it. I guess the bus/transportation waits to get to the parks is the only thing holding me back.

I looked at POFQ but they do not have the P,S & D offer.

The way we tour is RD or pre RD ADRs (3 of the 5 days), break in the afternoon for a couple hours and then we are done by 7pm (8 on wishes night).

Going to go check out the website you posted now.

Oh believe me I understand agonizing over your resort choice lol. We considered them all at one point or another. One other benefit of POR is going to see YeeHaw Bob which everyone raves about. I’ll be starting my trip thread in a few days and I’ll put up some pics of our Royal Room Garden view when we check in on Saturday. We’re driving down so probably won’t use the buses that much so can’t really offer much help there. I know @mALYficent stayed there so maybe she’ll see my tag and can offer some insight into the bus situation.

Good luck with the decision making!

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@Outer1 - Which building did you request - Oak or Parterre?

Enjoy your trip! Will be following your trip report.

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Actually we didn’t. Just requested upper floor and corner I think. We actually won’t need to go to the main building or pool much so it isn’t going to make a huge difference to us either way. Oak might be nice if you got a view of the evening movie showing but not really a big deal for us. As long as we aren’t looking at a parking lot we’re good.

Thanks for the tag @Outer1!

Hi @PixieDustMom!

We stayed at POR for 10 nights in May, and it was absolutely amazing. We were also of the mind of it being “a place to shower and sleep”, but I am very glad we went with the moderate, and especially that one, because it’s so peaceful, the scenery is breathtaking, and that helps you unwind after a long hot day. We were in the mansion buildings (not a royal room), and it was SO quiet, we didn’t hear anything from either other rooms, or people outside. In fact I think I only remember people walking by maybe 3 times throughout the whole trip. It was also really close to the North bus stop, which we used each day. Most people say to use the South/main stop to “Get on first” but we never encountered a completely full bus. We also did share with POFQ a couple of times, but it was never really a big deal, honestly. I know that does bother some people, but it didn’t take much extra time, and was only when it was a slower time with not many people. There was only one time that we had to wait awhile for a bus to where we wanted to go (water park) and it ended up being about 20 minutes until one came, but there was a CM with an iPad making sure that we were eventually picked up.

I loved POR so much that for our possible trip next Sept, even though we could have a similar price through renting DVC points and stay in a deluxe for a portion of the trip, I actually would rather stay at POR the whole time! I couldn’t get over how beautiful it was.

This was our room view (Garden View)

My DBF just after we arrived

Our room location

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Over the summer I stayed at both POR and POP. The Royal room was the prettiest I’ve ever stayed in. Each trip was only me and one kid. I stayed at POP with my son and POR with my daughter. The extra sink at POR was really nice. POP would have been a struggle with one sink and a teenage daughter!

It did seem to take longer travelling from POR. At, POP though we often had to stand which was difficult for my son with his low muscle tone problems. I always think the most important aspect about the buses are planning and your frame of mind.

I completely agree with going to see Yeehaw Bob. All the years I’ve gone to Disney and I had never done this. It was so much fun. We also rented a Surrey bike at POR and that too was fun.

I was impressed with POP, especially for the price. It was perfect for my situation. I would gladly stay at either POP or POR again but a POR Royal room is really a special experience.

I’m not sure I’ve helped but these were my observations. Good luck.

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We simply love PORS. I like the bus system with multiple stops - every room is near a bus stop. We’ve never not been able to get on a bus / had to wait for the next one. The resort is beautiful and tranquil. YeeHaBob is worth the $ alone.

The mansion rooms / not royal rooms are the cleanest / crisp feeling I have found. The royal rooms are very fun, but the mansion rooms are really nice & bright.

We book pool view when available - it gives you a location near a quiet pool which we like to jump in at night after a long day in the park. We’ve stayed in 80,85, 90 and building 95 - none felt far from food or main pool. We were placed in 16 last trip and I asked to be moved to a mansion room - that one did feel further away and upon reflection I think it’s because the paths in alligator bayou wander and curve more than the mansions. I guess I will walk forever if I feel like it’s a direct route. BUT, AB section is really well themed.

I am voting you try it. You do not need to pay for a royal room - all the rooms are well themed,

Good luck on your decision!

We have stayed at both, and in the end, we prefer POR. We love the theming and feel of the resort, and the bigger rooms are certainly nice. Of course, we love YeeHa Bob, but even when we stayed at POP, we still came to see him! :slight_smile: We have always had good luck with the buses at POR, but I will admit that the one bus stop and dedicated buses at POP were nice features. I don’t think you could go wrong at either resort. Good luck with a tough decision!

Thank you everyone for all your experiences and suggestions. They are very much appreciated.