Pop Century Room Refurbishment
Pop Century Resort at Walt Disney World is currently undergoing a room refurbishment that will totally redesign the guest rooms. This is being completed in phases, building by building, and should be completed by May 2018. Prior to then (likely as soon as June 2017), it will be possible to request a refurbished room. In this post, we’ll cover what the refurbishment means and why you might (or might not) want to request a new room if you’re staying at Pop Century.
If you’ve searched DisneyWorld.com recently, you might’ve seen this notice: “Disney’s Pop Century Resort is currently undergoing some refurbishment projects across the Resort. During this time, the Resort will be in full operation, with all amenities available–including dining, merchandise and recreation locations. It is possible that construction may be seen or heard, but noise should not be heard from Guest rooms between dusk and 9:00 a.m.”
June 11, 2017 Update: Guests who have checked into Pop Century this week staying in the 90s building have reported that they have received a remodeled room. It appears that the entire 90s building is now finished and open, with work continuing on the 80s building, which should also be finished in the very near future…
If you’re visiting in the next couple of weeks and want a refurbished room, we’d recommend requesting the 90s. After that, you should be safe to request the 80s, as those rooms should be done by around July 2017. If you’ve already had a chance to stay in one of the new rooms, please report on your experience in the comments below.
Here’s a look at one of the new rooms that Walt Disney World posted on Twitter:
Groovy! The resort rooms at Disney’s #PopCentury Resort are starting to pop with updates in color and comfort! pic.twitter.com/3aEsZbISWF
– WDW Today (@WDWToday) June 16, 2017
Some guests have expressed concern to us about how this room refurbishment will impact their stay at Pop Century, and we want to reiterate that it really should not. This refurbishment is to the guest rooms only, and is occurring in sections during daytime hours. You won’t notice it unless you’re in the building where it’s happening during the day, and even then it’s unlikely. (If you’re still worried, simply request a room away from the refurbishment.) We think there’s a lot to be optimistic about with this room refurbishment, too…
If you’re a regular reader of our newsletter, you might recall that I mentioned these new rooms over a year ago (I might’ve posted about them on the blog, too–I cannot recall). At that point, someone had sent me photos of a test room that would be the basis of this pretty dramatic room renovation.
Fast forward to last week, when I finally heard an update on this that some rooms in the 80s/90s section of Pop Century were nearing completion. I decided to post about it on our Facebook page to see if anyone could confirm details or share photos.
Someone sent me through-the-window photos of construction progress (thanks Monica R. for the on-the-ground reporting!) on the 90s building that were taken May 8, and not only was the final design identical (from what I saw) to the test design, but the room was pretty much ready for occupancy. The only thing missing was a mattress.
The biggest change you can expect to see is a new configuration with a queen sized bed flanked by nightstands, and Murphy bed that doubles as a table (see the below Art of Animation Murphy bed for visualization–the table here will be much smaller and everything less…vibrant).
In addition to that, there will be a lighter color scheme, dominated by white with hints of orange and lime, and Mickey Mouse pop art above the bed. There will be a dresser under the television, coffeemaker kiosk with drawers, vessel sinks, illuminated bathroom mirror, and abundance of storage.
Personally, these new rooms are very appealing. They feel very much like Mickey meets Mid-Century, almost like Cabana Bay Beach Resort at Universal. (Based on what I saw, these are not quite that nice or detailed–but nicer than the current Pop Century rooms.)
Although it’s a divisive resort, we have always been fans of Pop Century. We stayed here a lot in college, and it was a favorite spot for our commando (in Disney parlance, this does not involve going without undies) long weekend trips.
It’s a great way to enjoy on-site benefits like Extra Magic Hours, Disney’s Magical Express, and free transportation at Walt Disney World. If you’re mainly spending time in the parks, Pop Century has always been a great option thanks to those perks, reliable transportation, strong (for a Value Resort) dining, and, of course, its price-points.
We are not on quite as tight of a budget as we were back in college, but this room renovation puts Pop Century back on our radar as a regular place to stay. The space that the Murphy Bed will open up plus having a coffee maker will be huge for us. We think Pop Century will be great for couples and solo travelers.
Style-wise, I’m also a fan of the new rooms. The pop art suits these rooms well, and the renovated rooms now strike me as more on-theme than what was there before.
In fact, we’re so optimistic about the refurbished rooms that we’ve already booked Pop Century for our Fall 2017 Walt Disney World trip. (Now watch, we won’t get a refurbished room!)
Of course, these new rooms are not going to be for everyone. The layout, particularly the Murphy bed, will not be as appealing to some families. It’s also possible that kids won’t enjoy the more subtle theme and use of pop art rather than an overt cartoon style.
This is understandable, but my counterpoint to this would be that literally every other Value Resort is aimed squarely at families with kids. I know, I know, “Disney is for kids, Tom!” This does not mean that every square inch of Walt Disney World needs to cater directly towards them.
Adults without kids represent a surprisingly large demographic for Walt Disney World. From the 1970s until 1990s, this was something Disney recognized, and promoted its adult side quite a bit: from golf to Pleasure Island to the Disney Institute (and more).
When Sarah and I first started visiting together, the tides had turned, and almost everything was geared towards kids, right down to promotional videos, which seldom featured any non-nuclear families. It was all about pirates, princesses, skipping hand-in-hand with Mickey Mouse to Dumbo, and so on.
At some point in the last 5 years or so, this changed again. We’ve seen a noticeable uptick in the amount of offerings aimed at childless adults, honeymooners, and other guests like us. These are still the small minority of offerings, but it’s nice to see that we are no longer the “forgotten” demographic.
To be clear, I’m not stating that everything at Walt Disney World such cater towards people like us. To the contrary, I realize families are Disney’s bread and butter. I’m simply stating that families need to likewise understand that the (Walt Disney) World does not revolve around them. From honeymooners to conventioneers to obsessive out-of-state Annual Passholders, people without kids are also a lucrative demographic…and Disney doing a little bit for them is not the end of the world for families. 🙂
Overall, there are a couple of main takeaways from this article. First, you should not worry about your experience being impacted if you’re staying at Pop Century between now and May 2018, but you might want to request a room away from the refurbishments if you’re really concerned about it. Second, depending upon whether the new room style (particularly, the pull-down Murphy bed) appeals to you or not, request a refurbished room or a non-refurbished room if you’re visiting in Summer 2017 or later. We’ll keep you posted with updates to the Pop Century room refurbishment project as we hear them, so stay tuned!
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of these changes to Pop Century? Excited for the room redesign, or are you not a fan of the Murphy bed style? Do you agree or disagree with my take on the changes being appealing to couples or solo travelers? Any thoughts of your own to add? Have you done some sleuthing of your own to see the new rooms? Share any questions, tips, or additional thoughts you have in the comments!
How do the new refrigerators in the refurbished rooms compare to the old? Due to dietary needs we grocery shop and do most of our own food while at Disney. Are these as big? Any room for frozen foods? Do they stay as cold? Any word on if other refrigerators can be requested in the refurbished rooms? Thank you.
The new fridge is similar in size to the old, but has no freezer.
Have you received any updates on these refurbs? How far have they gotten? Any update would be appreciated! Thanks!
Hope this isn’t too late but building 10 in the 70s is complete and they are in the middle of building7. We got one in building10 it was awesome. Best of luck to you. Just checked out on December9 and going through the disney blues. Even worst case scenario you don’t get a refurbished room its disney world how bad could it be
Do you know which buildings are completed? tks
Do you have an update on the progress is going? We will be staying at PC in mid December and I was wondering if the 70’s section was finished yet. I can’t find anything when I look to see what the progress is.
Hi, any updates on the 70’s rooms? We are going in January and would like a preferred location room . I believe the 70’s building has some preferred rooms and I know they were working on this building in July. Just wondering if anyone knows if any preferred location rooms are done yet, specifically the 70’s building. Thanks!!
If it was me I’d ask for building10 its closer than building7 and just leaving there yesterday I know it’s done
We just got back two weeks ago from staying in a renovated room at Pop. It was my first time staying at a Disney resort and I was very impressed with Pop. I did however have low expectations because my friends warned me that the rooms were nothing special (they know that I’m a bit of a hotel snob). I’ve heard others say if you’re going with young children and if you’re planning on being out and about most of the trip, Pop is a great choice and I totally agree. We took our seven year old son, I over scheduled us and Pop was an affordable place to swim and sleep. I’ve never been in the old rooms so I can’t compare but I love the new rooms. I was nervous about staying in the 90s section because of the proximity to the buses but we cut through the parking lot and it was not that far. I’m now hooked on Disney (I hadn’t been in 20 years).
Anyone know of the progress on the 70s section? Arriving the end of October. Hoping to get a preferred refurb room.
Thanks!
We were at Pop Century the first week of September. We stayed in the 80s section and it was wonderful. The new rooms are so nice and the queen size bed is so comfortable! They are currently working on the 70s buildings now. If 70s buildings are not ready when you get there, I’d ask for building 9 in the 80s section. It is right next to the laptop pool which was always very quiet, and the walk was very short if you walk through the parking lot to the buses or the food court. Have a great trip!
The newly refurbished room is awesome! We love the cleanliness and design. The only thing that families with young children might not like is that there is no tub. The shower is big and beautiful, but no tub.
Does anyone know if the 70’s buildings will be refurbished by the end of August? Or at least have some rooms refurbished and ready for guests? I will be arriving at the Pop Century on September 1st and was hoping to stay in a refurbished room in the 70’s building.
James did you get a refurb room in the 70’s section?
What about the 60’s rooms are they being refurbished? That is where I requested and were not going till the end of May 2018.
We will be there in 2 weeks. Thank you for the updates!!! I am confused about the room options though….we reserved a double occupancy so does that mean one Q and a Murphy in every room?
We checked into Pop today and wanted to give an update. I requested a refurbished room over the phone a month or so ago and also put one online checking request, asking for a room in the 90’s. Unfortunately, We were assigned a room in the 50’s but I nicely asked at the check-in desk if we could get a refurb. room instead. She said there were 2 available in the 80’s section so she switched us no problem. The new rooms are so nice! They also offered us a Disney gift card to forgo the mousekeeping and we took it. We are here for 4 nights and they offered us $45. We already stocked up on extra tp, shampoo and towels. They told us we can call housekeeping at any time to request the garbage to be taken out, new towels etc. I highly recommend the new rooms.
Awesome, thank you for the report on this! 🙂
Is the gift card in exchange for mousekeeping a permanent option? We are going in October for 2 weeks and that would sure be handy for the Food & Wine Festival lol.
Any updates on 80’s and more so 70′ would be nice, will be there in 2 months and want to request new room but wish it was 70’s, so much closer to Main Bld!
We are staying in the 80’s right now and we can see work being done on the 70’s. Not sure when those rooms will be completely refurbished.. I would recommend requesting one and if you are not granted one at check-in nicely ask if one is available. They honored our request after I was originally assigned a room in the 50’s. The lady was so nice and was excited for us to get to stay in one of the new rooms. Literally everything about them is so much better than the old rooms. Have fun!
[email protected] I will be at Pop Sept 8th and have a preferred room. Does anyone know if the 70’s building will be done by then?
We just stayed in one of the refurbished rooms in the 90s building and it was great! The beds were both queens and very comfortable. While the room is small, they have put in so many cabinets, shelves, and drawers that it made being organized very easy. There are sliding doors between the sleeping area and the bathroom and between the sink area and the toilet/tub area. This made it much easier for our family to get dressed. We loved the floors! No yucky carpet! From the looks of it, the 80s buildings are getting close to being finished as well. They were installing furniture while we were there. I would highly recommend that you request one of these new rooms!
Does anyone know if the king rooms located in the 90s section have been refurbished along with the other rooms?
We are in the process of planning a trip for June 2018, and were so glad to see this refurbishment with a queen bed and the Murphy bed! My husband and I, and my sister and her husband, are excited about having a queen bed and our kids will LOVE the Murphy bed! I do have one question, do you know if ALL of the rooms will be getting this update? (Standard and preferred, or just preferred?) Thanks! Love your blog, one of my main go to’s for all things Disney!!
We just stayed in a standard room and it was refurbished. It looks like every room in the 90s building has been updated.
The very fact that these rooms will finally have a coffee maker and queen-sized beds makes the refurbishment worth it to me. Also the colors aren’t garish. It’s not like they are making the entire hotel room lime green. If you’re staying at Pop Century, you can’t honestly say you picked it for the beautiful theming. You picked it because you want the perks of a Disney hotel without paying $$$$ for a moderate or a deluxe. So what if it looks like a “Disney hospital room?” The previous version didn’t look any more appealing. People just always want to complain about something.
We are staying at Pop Century the week after Thanksgiving and are hoping to get a refurbished room! While I agree with the hospital look-a-like comments, I’m kind of excited for a value resort to have a queen bed and a coffee maker! I also like the idea of hardwood floors! Hopefully the rooms will look more “Disney” in person, though!
One of the big bonuses that PC had in it’s favour compared to some other resorts, was two proper beds. We stayed at Saratoga last time and found the sofabed far from ideal for a two week stay. We were considering PC because of the beds. Now, with the new Murphy bed, we’re less keen.
When is the renovation to be completed, in full? Will there be any additional king bed rooms? (Going solo March 2018!)
I have to agree with another comment and say that the PC refurbished rooms look like a hospital room. Perhaps, it’s a Mickey hospital room? Lol. Nonetheless, a hospital room.