New Coffee Shop Coming to Pop Century During Disney World Value Resort Refurbishments

Walt Disney World has shared updates on the ongoing refurbishments and reimaginings happening at the Value Resorts–Pop Century and All Star Sports, Music, and Movies–that will include a variety of enhancements. This shares photos of the completed updates, as well as WDW’s announcement about the coffee shop.

According to the company, this is the first in a series of go-to guides for all things Walt Disney World resort refurbishments. From fresh looks to insider details, Walt Disney World is keeping us in the loop with the latest updates on changes to accommodations, amenities, and more.

That pitch had us excited! We assumed we’d be learning more about the Year-Long Disney’s Pop Century Resort Room Refurbishment Project in 2025-2026, which Walt Disney World still has not announced on its public-facing official website. As we discussed in our most recent update, it’s definitely happening–construction permits have been filed and suggest the project may take longer than what was previously shared.

Unfortunately, this ‘go-to guide’ for all things Walt Disney World resort refurbishments didn’t even mention the room overhaul at Pop Century. In fairness, the guest room refurbishment doesn’t get started for a few more weeks. Disney could’ve shared concept art or photos of a test room (assuming they did one), but perhaps that’s still to come. It’s possible they don’t want people to start requesting new rooms before any of them are even done.

Instead, this update focuses on the common areas at the Value Resorts. In particular, the food courts and gift shops, which have been recently redone at a couple of the All Stars and Pop Century. Let’s dig in!

At Disney’s All-Star Resorts, the lobby has become even more colorful with brand-new character murals that add humor, charm and plenty of hidden details for Disney fans to discover.

“The mural designs have so much whimsy and humor injected into them. You can’t take a few steps without finding a new funny gag moment,” shared one of the Disney Imagineers behind the project.

Each mural sets the stage for the stay—whether it’s Goofy hyping up the crowd at All-Star Sports, Mickey conducting a grand orchestra at All-Star Music, or Donald embracing his time in the spotlight at All-Star Movies. And for those who love a good Disney Easter egg, a grilling bear has managed to sneak into the band at All-Star Music, blending right into the fun!

For reference, these walls used to be lined with photos of people–athletes, musicians, or movie stars, as the theme dictated. Over time, many of these had become faded or otherwise outdated…sorta like the Montreal Expos pennant that graces the top of Home Run Hotel at All Star Sports (at least, last I checked).

This strikes me as a incremental improvement, but hardly anything to write home about. To my knowledge, these have been done for months. When I stayed at All Star Sports in September, its mural was already done. (And to underscore the insignificance, I didn’t make an effort to get an ’empty mural’ photo nor did I write about it at the time.)

At Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, the World Premiere Food Court has been reimagined with a fresh new look while staying true to its classic movie theater theming.

Here, Mickey and friends take center stage in brand-new parody movie posters, each one a playful nod to Disney’s storytelling tradition. Meanwhile, film strip-inspired tiling and open sightlines make for an even more comfortable, Hollywood-inspired atmosphere. Whether you’re fueling up for a day of adventures or winding down with a late-night treat, it’s all part of the show!

The big change here is the seating area, as opposed to food stations. Thankfully, as World Premiere Food Court has cool cinema-style theme, and comparable details had previously been removed from End Zone Food Court at All Star Sports. The seating area, by contrast, previously had carpet and a variety of clashing patterns. It did have more detail, but it looked busy and dated. The refresh looks cleaner. Again, it’s only an incremental improvement–nothing to write home about and not a reason to book All Star Movies over the alternatives.

At Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, Sports Goofy Gifts & Sundries has received a fresh update, bringing in a bright new look while keeping the fun, sporty spirit guests love. One of the touches is the addition of brand-new hardwood floors designed to feel like stepping onto your favorite court, adding to the atmosphere.

For an extra dash of Disney fun, guests can now spot graphics of Goofy on top of the displays, showing off his best/worst/wackiest moves in different sports. Whether he’s swinging for a home run, scoring a goal, or going for a slam dunk, Goofy brings his signature charm to the shopping experience.

I like the look of the new hardwood floors and displays. Also perhaps of note is that the All Star Resorts released a new line of merchandise (you can see the blue sweatshirt in the middle of the photo above) last fall in honor of their 30th Anniversary. There are a few shirts, cups, and pins. Still not Tervis, but more than the All Stars usually get.

Finally, Disney’s Pop Century Resort is in the midst of a lengthy refurbishment of Everything POP Shopping & Dining that has been extended a few times, but is now mostly finished. Everything POP has revealed a fresh color scheme and new seating areas to make it more inviting.

According to Disney Imagineering, the updates to Everything POP were inspired by the resort’s bold exterior. “Taking point from the over-the-top and colorful outdoor elements, we worked on making the inside of the resort as fun as the outside!” one shared.

This vision extends to every corner of the redesign, creating an experience that’s just as lively as the resort’s iconic larger-than-life icons. “We’re revisiting these decades in a fresh, fun, and very ‘Disney’ way. Throughout the renovation, we made sure to keep the visuals engaging and energetic, creating a joyful, family-friendly experience.”

I have mixed but mostly positive feelings about the Everything POP overhaul thus far. As with Art of Animation before it, a lot of the intricate tilework has been replaced with surfaces that are cheaper and easier to clean. On paper, that’s a downgrade from a ‘Disney Details’ perspective.

In practice, a lot of those tiles had become grimy over the years and it was probably due for a modernization. I also think that, while detailed, the color scheme and style of the previous tiles screamed 1990s mall food court. To my eye, the new look around the food stations is sharper and more eye-catching, even if it’s lacking in depth.

As for the new seating area, I like it a lot. The colors, patterns, and textures all work well. It looks clean and has a mid-century flair thanks to the upholstery, flooring, and light fixtures. Like everything else discussed here, it’s still only an incremental improvement–but those matter, too. That brings us to the real news of the refurbishment update…

Beyond the refreshed look, a brand-new coffee shop is also joining the lineup at Disney’s Pop Century Resort. This new coffee shop will offer specialty beverages to perk up guests throughout the day.

I love this news. Walt Disney World has done a good job of ‘plussing up’ the coffee spots at some of its newer or reimagined resorts–from the stand by the Skyliner station at Caribbean Beach to the much more ambitious and high-end Le Petit Cafe at Riviera Resort and Barcelona Lounge at Gran Destino Tower. (I won’t use Carousel Coffee as an example since it’s a thematic swing and miss, but the coffee is good.)

Guests absolutely love this type of thing, and it’s a modern amenity that’s expected at hotels. While I mostly prefer the free stuff in-room, I’ll admit that I enjoy the occasional ‘treat yo self’ cold brew from the lobby shops. Joffrey’s coffee (which is what I assume this will be, but it’s unconfirmed) can be quite good in the gourmet varieties, and all of their existing standalone spots are quite popular.

Between this new coffee shop and the plush armchairs in the relaxed seating area, I feel like this is a big win for Pop Century and more than just an incremental improvement. I can see taking my laptop here late at night or early in the morning while it’s quiet and everyone else in our room is asleep. I’m really looking forward to this coffee shop at Pop Century!

Not something I’d plan a trip around…but it will move the needle in favor of Pop Century over the All Stars when I’m debating whether the added cost to upgrade is “worth it” or not. Suffice to say, there’s a reason why Pop Century is #1 on our Rankings of All Walt Disney World Resorts from Best to Worst. It’s things like this–in addition to the Skyliner–that give it a distinct edge over the All Stars.

Ultimately, I’d love to see more ‘upmarket’ features like this added to the Value and Moderate Resorts. We already started to see this with the reimaginings of Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs, and more were rumored to be on the horizon after those before the closure and phased reopening. Shared table service restaurants among the All Stars and between Pop Century and Art of Animation would be huge, especially if we could get a family-style meal on par with Sebastian’s Bistro. Three iterations of that concept with different menus? That’s the dream!

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? If you’re interested in learning more about hotels, our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page is a good place to start. For where to eat, try out our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews page. If you want to save money on tickets or determine which type you should get, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at unconventional things you should take on your trip. Once you arrive at the parks, our Walt Disney World “Ride Guides” are great for determining what to do and when to do it. For overviews of all of these topics and so much more, the best place to start is our comprehensive Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide to make the most of your experience!

Your Thoughts

Are you a fan of these enhancements at the Value Resorts or did you prefer the old styles? Looking forward to a coffee shop at Pop Century? Is that an amenity that moves the needle for you on justifying a splurge over the All Stars? What major changes or incremental improvements would you like to see made at the Value or Moderate Resorts? Agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!