Disney’s Pop Century Resort Review
Disney’s Pop Century Resort is one of the cheapest on-site hotels at Walt Disney World, making it a top pick for saving money. This review shares photos of the newly-refurbished rooms, thoughts on amenities, compares it to other Value Resorts, and more.
Pop Century has a reputation among frequent Walt Disney World guests as being the favorite ‘budget pick’ for a variety of reasons. It’s always been viewed as a cut above the All Star Resorts, but had slipped a bit in recent years. That was mainly due to the debut of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, which caused Pop Century’s stature among Walt Disney World fans to drop a bit.
Even after the opening of Art of Animation, Pop Century has remained a popular choice for frugal fans for a couple of reasons. The first is that the best rooms at Art of Animation are the Cars Family Suites, which are larger and more expensive. If you don’t want or need this, you’re stuck with the regular rooms. Those are all Little Mermaid rooms, and are undesirable for a couple of reasons. Additionally, Pop Century is now seeing renewed interest for a few other reasons that make the hotel very appealing–arguably worth downgrading to book in some scenarios.
First, a room refresh was completed at Pop Century in 2026. This was a soft goods refurbishment, which offered iterative improvements over the modernized rooms that debuted back in 2017. From a functional perspective, the Value Resorts are honestly some of our favorite standard accommodations at Walt Disney World right now.
The new rooms feature more pops of with pops of color to help the rooms overcome the ‘sterile and antiseptic’ criticism. There’s warmer, wood-toned flooring and a geometric flooring inlay, new furniture, curtains, and other furnishing refreshes that include little touches, like Hidden Mickeys. You can see more of these for yourself in First Look Photo Tour of New Rooms at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, or via the photos below.
The redone rooms were initially controversial with nostalgic Walt Disney World fans, the results have been a major crowd-pleaser in terms of both style and substance. In fact, we’ve spoken with multiple managers at the Value Resorts, and they’ve indicated to us that guest feedback has been almost unanimously positive.
Admittedly, this is only a minor selling point for Pop Century now. It was the first to receive the room reimagining, but the All Stars have followed suit with an almost identical overhaul. Most recently, Walt Disney World announced the next ‘phase’ in the Value Resort refurbishments: what’s likely to become a years-long overhaul of the All Star Resorts lasting until 2028 or 2029. This should mirror the soft goods refurbishment completed in 2026 at Pop Century. In the meantime, avoiding construction is a reason to pick Pop Century over the All Stars.
Along with the room refurbishment, Pop Century received several refreshes in the last year, all of which are finished as of 2026. One of these is a new coffee shop and seating area in the Everything Pop Food Court, which is a lovely little addition. Another is a redone lobby, which modernized the space and added more seating (albeit at the expense of the fan-favorite shadowbox displays).
The latest change that elevates all Value Resorts is Airport Luggage Transfer. Guests staying at Pop Century or the other Value Resorts can use this pilot program provided by BagCheck to transfer their luggage to and from Orlando International Airport, when flying on participating airlines.
This started roughly one year ago, and quickly expanded from Pop Century to the All Stars and Art of Animation. The bad news is that it hasn’t started at any of the Moderate or Deluxe Resorts or any other airlines. It’s only the Value Resorts as of June 2026.
The good news is that Airport Luggage Transfer at Value Resorts is Now Available for Arrivals, which began last holiday season. On top of that, the service expanded from Southwest Airlines-only to include United and American Airlines just last month. Expect more airlines and resorts to be included before 2027. For now, this is a definite advantage for guests flying those airlines and staying at Pop Century, especially since bagcheck at MCO can be brutal.
The other big not-so-new thing that has further elevated the status of Disney’s Pop Century Resort is the Disney Skyliner gondola station, which the resort shares with Art of Animation Resort. This connects Pop Century to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT via Caribbean Beach, and means access to two parks and several hotels (including the character dining at Riviera Resort) without getting on a bus, which is huge.
Since going into operation, we have used the Skyliner many, many times, and are huge fans. From our perspective, the added value to Pop Century of this non-bus transportation cannot be overstated, which is good…because Walt Disney World has really increased Pop Century’s nightly rates!
The Skyliner makes for easy midday breaks when you’re doing Disney’s Hollywood Studios or EPCOT, and is extremely advantageous for Early Entry at both parks. Knocking out Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Slinky Dog Dash, Frozen Ever After, or Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure before the park even opens to day guests is huge. The benefits of the Skyliner cannot be overstated–we prefer it to the monorail.
We absolutely love the Skyliner and would choose one of these resorts over their counterparts just about any time of year…except when the Skyliner is down for its annual refurbishment (2027 dates) or more likely to be impacted by downtime due to storm season. Even the latter doesn’t make it a non-starter (the monorail also isn’t 100% reliable!), it just makes awareness of the weather more important.
The bottom line is that the Skyliner is a gamechanger, and we think it makes Pop Century worth the premium pricing over the All Stars. You’re getting Deluxe-caliber unique transportation at a Value Resort!
Before selling you on Pop Century, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that the Value Resorts are quite divisive. Some Walt Disney World fans love them for their convenience and price-points, others hate their motel-style design and feel their larger-than-life icons are over the top and tacky.
We like the Value Resorts for what they are, but we’ll be the first to acknowledge that they aren’t a good fit for everyone. Then again, there isn’t a single hotel at Walt Disney World that is. All have pros & cons, even fan favorites like Wilderness Lodge and the Polynesian. (In the case of both, it’s the high cost!)
In Are Walt Disney World’s Cheapest Hotels Actually Good? (second spoiler: yes, they are!), we make the case for choosing Value Resorts over off-site accommodations or higher-tier resorts that are on-site at Walt Disney World. This isn’t to say that the Value Resorts are right for everyone, but a lot of travelers dismiss them out of hand because “cheap” and “motel-style” or other budget-friendly buzzwords turn them off.
We’ve stayed at every single Walt Disney World hotel numerous times, from the cheapest to the most luxurious. And yet, we keep coming back to Pop Century. Not only is it a sentimental favorite for us, but we also think it offers unparalleled bang for buck. That’s true whether you’re comparing it to shady off-site motels or astronomically-priced on-site accommodations. Sure, it’s no Four Seasons…but it’s also not priced that way!
Whether the Value Resorts are right for you comes down to the nature of your visit and how much money you’re willing and able to spend on accommodations. If you’re taking a “the room is only for sleeping” type trip during which you want to be in the parks as much as possible, the Value Resorts are great because they can be as little as $100 to $175 per night with a good Walt Disney World room-only discount, and allow budget-conscious guests to stay on Walt Disney World property.
By contrast, if you are on an adults-only trip (such as a honeymoon) and plan on spending a lot of time at your resort, Pop Century (or any of the Value Resorts) is definitely not a good fit for you. In that case, it’s worth spending the extra money to upgrade to a resort with a nice pool, better dining options, more sophisticated common areas, and superior amenities.
If all of this still sounds good, and you haven’t yet encountered any deal-breakers that make you jump off the Pop Century Hype Train, let’s turn to amenities.
As with all on-site Walt Disney World hotels, Pop Century offers the perks of a Disney hotel, such free transportation around Walt Disney World, Early Entry, and the extended Advance Dining Reservation window. Guests at Pop Century can also purchase the Disney Dining Plan, but whether that’s a real perk is debatable. (Not everyone loves it.) On-site guests are also able to purchase discount MagicBands pre-arrival. Again, not sure this is much of a real perk anymore.
One really-for-real on-site advantage is early access to Lightning Lane Multi-Pass. We’re not going to get into the nuts and bolts of it here–see our Guide to Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Walt Disney World for that–but the bottom line is that on-site guests have a significant head-start on making Lightning Lane ride reservations.
Staying on-site is pretty much the only way to score the most popular picks, such as Slinky Dog Dash, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Test Track, and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets. None of the above are unique to Pop Century guests, though–these are perks for all on-site guests, from the All Stars to Grand Floridian.
Guests staying at Pop Century are not eligible for Extended Evening Hours, as that isn’t offered to Value and Moderate Resorts. From a perks perspective, that’s the only real loss of staying at Pop Century.
For many families, the pools are of paramount concern. The feature pool at Pop Century is the Hippy Dippy Pool, which is located directly behind the Classic Hall lobby and food court.
Dedicated to the ‘Flower Children’ from the Summer of Love, the Hippy Dippy Pool is flower-shaped and vibrantly colored. There’s also a water play area for small children with bubbling fountains.
This feature pool is nothing special. It’s comparable to the other Value Resorts, but would rank below almost all of the Moderate and Deluxe Resorts. Simply put, if you’re choosing where to stay on the basis of the pool, pick another hotel.
While the Hippy Dippy Pool is larger than Pop Century’s other two pools, it’s also significantly busier.
For this reason, we prefer the other two pools at Pop Century: the Bowling Pool and the Computer Pool. The former is designed to look like a bowling alley, featuring bowling ball racks and other fun details. The Computer Pool is shaped like a gigantic laptop PC from the heyday of 1990s AOL dial-up. (You can almost hear the ‘You’ve got mail’ and AIM sounds as you lounge there.)
None of these pools have hot tubs or jacuzzis, which are only found at Moderate Resorts and above. You can find a pool bar, called Petals Pool Bar at the Hippy Dippy Pool. At these pools, you’ll also find self-service laundry facilities.
After on-site perks, transportation, location, pools, and room quality, dining is the next most important aspect of a resort for most guests.
We consider Pop Century’s Everything Pop food court to be superior to the food courts at the All Stars, with the Tie-Dyed Cheesecake having a bit of a cult following.
They also serve a variety of more ambitious entrees than you’ll find at many other food courts around Walt Disney World. Speaking of food, Pop Century is also one of our top recommendations for the Free Dining promotion at Walt Disney World, when that’s available.
In terms of other amenities, there are a couple of small playgrounds, none of which are particularly noteworthy. One that is somewhat neat is the Goofy Pop Jet Playground. Realistically, your kids will probably end up playing around the various lawn areas of the resort. There’s also Fast Forward Arcade and a jogging trail that connects to Art of Animation.
Speaking of which, the jogging trail–and Generation Gap Bridge–that connects the two resorts is a nice amenity. It essentially opens up your area to explore…or eat…to Art of Animation, too. While it’s possible to move between the All Star Resorts, it’s not nearly as convenient, and requires trekking through parking lots or along the road.
Finally, Pop Century offers Walt Disney World’s free Movies Under the Stars program. This is a pretty neat offering for families who don’t stay late in the parks; the resort plays a different (family-friendly) Disney film every night of the week on an outdoor screen. You can find the movie schedule in the hotel’s lobby–it’s usually animated films.
Up until Art of Animation opened, Pop Century was the popular pick among the Values because it was the newest, nicest, and only Value Resort with a full-time dedicated bus service.
Pop Century does charge a premium (~$20 to $50/night before discounts) over the All Star Resorts, but I think most regulars of Pop Century would agree that this premium is well worth it for dedicated bus service, nicer resort, and Skyliner transportation. Again, the Skyliner is the differentiator. It’s a game-changer, in our view.
Pop Century is still nicer than the All Star Resorts, but if you don’t mind paying a bit extra to stay at Art of Animation, that’s arguably an even better pick–especially for families of 4-6 people. Not only that, but the Disney animation icons will resonate with kids much more than random pop icons that they probably will not recognize (there are some Disney icons scattered about the grounds of Pop Century, but Art of Animation is ALL Disney icons).
The food court and overall “newness” of Pop Century as compared to the All Star Resorts, plus the dedicated bus and Skyliner transportation, are where the advantages lie. Plus, Art of Animation is only a short walk away, meaning that you have the Landscape of Flavors food court and its bus system at your disposal, too.
On a recent stay at Pop Century, when we were at Magic Kingdom waiting for a bus, Art of Animation showed up before Pop Century, so we just took that and walked across the Generation Gap Bridge; the two resorts are so close together that walking didn’t take any extra time.
Now let’s take a look inside the guest rooms, starting with the redesigned ones…
The biggest change you can expect to see is a new configuration with a regular bed flanked by nightstands, and Murphy bed that doubles as a table. Both of these beds are queen-sized, versus the double beds previously in these rooms.
There’s a lighter color scheme, dominated by white with hints of orange and lime, Mickey Mouse pop art above the queen bed, and Pluto pop art above the Murphy bed.
There’s also more storage space, including a dresser under the television, room for luggage under the bed, and a variety of random cubbies around the room.
You’ll also find tons of USB-charging ports and outlets around the room. If you’re in one of these rooms, there’s no need to bring those USB-charging strips that we recommend in our Packing List for Walt Disney World.
The pull-down Murphy bed that converts into a table and chairs when not in use is a fantastic feature.
It makes the room feel larger, clearing more floor space and also adding daytime functionality. As parents to a toddler, we love this redesign for how it opens up the room, giving us more area for activities while we’re getting ready.
It’s to the point that we prefer the slightly smaller rooms at Pop Century to those at the Moderate Resorts that are larger but lack floor space due to just having two standard beds. The flexibility here is key.
In the corner, there’s a kiosk with drawers, beverage cooler (not technically a mini-fridge), and a coffee maker.
In the bathroom, you have a vessel sink, illuminated bathroom mirror, and make-up mirror. There’s also an actual sliding door separating the bathroom area from the main room (instead of a thin curtain), glass door in the shower, and rainfall shower fixture in addition to the standard one.
All of these things, to us, are upgrades to the Pop Century guest rooms with zero downside. Each individually might be a minor thing, but collectively, they make for a room that is significantly “plussed” over the Value Resort defaults.
Now, let’s take a look at the old guest rooms. All renovations are now finished and these rooms are gone–we’re simply sharing for the sake of comparison:
Note that this was shortly before the removal of the comforter, which was replaced by a similar runner at the bottom of the bed. Aside from that, the only thematic touch is the painting on the far wall.
The old rooms at Pop Century aren’t really anything special. They’re your basic cheap hotel/motel rooms that would fetch significantly less in the “real” world. It should also be noted that these rooms are quite small (having the option to fold-up the bed makes a world of difference).
Overall, Pop Century is a great option for guests who want nicer on-site accommodations than the All Star Resorts, especially via transportation and upgraded amenities. It’s one of the resorts where we’ve stayed the most, and we really like it. For quick, weekend trips when we won’t be in our rooms much, Value Resorts are great. For longer or more relaxed trips, we prefer the ambiance and quality of a Moderate or Deluxe Resort.
With that said, it’s tough to argue with the re-imagined guest rooms and Skyliner gondola access offered by Disney’s Pop Century. From a practicality and bang-for-buck perspective, it should be easy to see why Pop Century is once again our #1 Value Resort. Those rooms are incredibly spacious, and Pop Century is perfect for our travel style. While we still prefer the atmosphere of Art of Animation, the overall package and value for money offered by Disney’s Pop Century Resort pushes it over the top.
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Your Thoughts
Are you a fan of Pop Century? Do you prefer it or Art of Animation Little Mermaid? Do you not care for the Value Resorts at all? Thoughts on the theme here, or the best section in Pop Century to choose? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? 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!
We just got back from a 9 day stay @ POP and we had a very nice stay! We are avid Disney fans and have stayed at 6 other Disney resorts, as well as many off-property resorts and one thing we know for sure: MANY things need to be taken into account when choosing a resort and the outcome and satisfaction of the stay REALLY depends on the time of year that you visit – If you visit during peak season or around holidays, there WILL be lines – No matter where you stay!
PROS to POP: Cheap, clean, accomodating staff. It has everything you need – Let’s face it, how much time do you really spend in your room anyway? Free transport to and from the airport and to the parks. POP buses are just for POP resort – No need to share with other resorts, like All Stars and only one stop at main building, instead of 5 different parking lot stops like at Carribean Beach. And, if you don’t mind a bit of a walk at the end of your day, you can always take the Art of Animation bus and walk across the bridge to POP. Quirky fun atmosphere and the pool staff kept the kids busy with games etc. Fridge in every room is GREAT for keeping snacks and leftovers and microwaves in dining area are free to use any time, so pack some snacks and popcorn to eat at the free poolside movie each night on the bigscreen!
Cons to POP: LOTS of kids, so not super serene or relaxing, but we found that it was usually quiet from 10pm – 7am. That’s it, no other cons that we didn’t know about ahead of time. Afterall, you get what you pay for and where can you get everything listed in the Pros for under $100 a night near Disney parks? So if you’re looking for a fancy, fashionable resort, POP is probably not for you, but if you’re looking for a good deal for the money, POP is your resort!
Very nice summation. Thanks for your report!
Just a reminder. If you choose to stay outside the park you most likely will have to pay for parking, which is now, what 20 some dollars a day?
Great point, and yes, the cost of parking is astronomical.
I am planning a trip to Pop Century in a few weeks. I haven’t stayed there before but I am excited to see what it’s like! Do you have any tips on things to do there?
So we are going on our first Disney Cruise in March, coming in a day before the cruise and staying a day after. I have been to Disney 4 times but have never stayed on a Disney property. There are 5 of us and all of the family suites are booked. I really want to stay on site this trip around, does pop offer connected rooms?
Connected rooms, but not suites. Connected rooms actually work out to be cheaper, though.
We made our 14th trip to Disney in Dec since we went there for our honeymoon in 1995. We have stayed at Port Orleans the first time and then All Star Sport the 2nd time. We are the shower and sleep type people. We liked All Star and we always get a preferred room. The problem was we liked the Xmass time of the year. We figured out by going to the value result we could stay for more days. The problem was we were running into Pop warner and cheer leader championships. The kids were well behaved it was the parents that didn’t. So we tried Pop Century and liked it. So we have been going there ever since. The trouble with preferred room is you never get a room over looking the pool. It seems that there is an extra charge to get those rooms. So a preferred room is you may be closer to the buses but you may be looking at a bush or tree tops. I found that out by reading a book on Disney. I also like the fact that we didn’t have to share buses like we did at All Star. The thing right now since the AoA opened they changed the sites where you get your bus. At Mk the walk is really the far almost at the waters edge. The one nice thing they did start is you can now get a bus to one of the other parks from the park your in. From Mk to say Animal kingdom or any of the other ones. Pop Century is where we like to stay and we will make our 15th trip in 2015 for our second honeymoon.
I agree very much with your assessment, except for ‘the kids were well behaved…’ part. I think you got lucky! We’ve had the misfortune of staying at All Star Sports twice during cheer/athletic events, and both times the kids have been loud. Not necessarily obnoxious or anything, but practicing at all hours of the day in the open areas does get old really quickly.
Pop was my first and only Value experience, and my two adult daughters and I absolutely fell in love with it. The room was fine–we even had a working fridge–and we paid the slight extra for a location near transportation which was well worth it. And we so appreciated the dedicated bus! Only one bus stop! That convenience alone is almost enough to make staying there worthwhile, but the food was also fantastic, and the ambience around the pool at night made it a lovely spot for dining-out.
Out of curiosity, I walked over to AoA to check it out, and couldn’t get back to my resort fast enough: the pool and food court were swarming with busy, active, loud youngsters, and while I love kids, the noise level was just too much for me. For that reason, I will not ever be staying there. I got back to my pool and just sat there enjoying the serenity of it for a while to detox.
We did have one negative experience. The Magic Bands are tied to your credit card so you can charge everything to your bands at the parks, but apparently the credit limit they place on your card is lower when you’re staying at a Value than at a Moderate or Deluxe, which we didn’t know and weren’t informed about when we arrived. It was so low that we unknowingly reached our limit by our 4th day and couldn’t pay for anything more with them, including our meals. It was embarrassing to have my bill returned to me and to be told in front of my daughters that my Magic Band had been declined because I had reached my limit. Luckily, I had a credit card with me, but the whole point of Magic Bands is that you don’t have to carry a credit card around. I was able to have my limit raised, but only after standing in a long line to talk to a CM at Pop after a long, hot day of standing in long lines, so needless to say, I was pretty frustrated. I don’t know if it’s possible to get a higher credit limit approved at the beginning of a stay, but at least now I’m aware that there is one, so I will be proactive about it next time. Because there will definitely be a next time!
Yikes, that stinks about hitting the Magic Band credit limit. Definitely something they should have told you at the start of your stay!
We pretty recently got back from of first WDW trip, and we stayed at POP. I thought everything about it was fine. We knew we wouldn’t spend much time in the room, and pool didn’t matter because it was too cold. I was looking at your photos, and our bathroom was different… we didn’t have a tub. Just a shower curtain. And the floor was not appropriately sloped for that kind of design. Every time we showered, the floor got soaked. I hated it. I don’t know why your picture has a tub, and we didn’t have one, but now I know if I go back to POP I have the option to request a room with a tub, I would consider staying there again. We were thinking that we would have to upgrade to moderate (which I think we would do if we went during a time of year that we could swim) just to comfortably shower.
It sounds like you got a wheelchair accessible room. I don’t remember which one but at one of the All-Stars you used to have to get an accessible room to get a king size bed. When I was a teen I traveled with family and my grandparents wanted a king size bed. They didn’t need that type of shower but were told it was the only option to get the king size bed.
I’ve never stayed at Pop but I have stayed at both the All-Star Movies and Music as well as Art of Animation. I’ve also stayed at some of the moderates. I love the over the top theme of the value resorts. If I hadn’t gotten a great deal on some rented DVC points DH and I would be staying here for our anniversary trip.
We stayed there this past Dec. before the Christmas rush. Hated it! Restaurant was filthy and not because they were busy no one else was ever in there when we ate. Food was awful. Bus service was terrible. I thought well maybe we just missed a rush. Nope watched as employees just did bare minimum on cleaning tables while we ate. Room was clean enough but one day we actually got a towel with 3 holes in it. Going to stick to our beloved Riverside from now on.
We were booked for Art of Animation for our last trip but switched to Pop Century because we wanted to take advantage of free dining. Art of Animation is blacked out from the free dining offer. We loved our stay at Pop Century! I wish that they would not black out Art of Animation again from a free dining offer we would otherwise be eligible to receive, we will once again stay at Pop Century. My children and I have very fond memories there.
Now that the initial popularity of Art of Animation has worn off, I wonder if it will be eligible for free dining this year, or if the demand is still sufficient for it to be blocked out again. I guess we’ll see!
U are really harsh on the pop century hotel. We have stayed at all star sports, hate it because of all the teens from other countries that stay there and a lot are just plain rude and the adults with them don’t make them behave. We have stayed at all star music, in a suite and we loved it. we have stayed at the art of animation and although I love the pool , the rest of it U can have. I don’t like the rooms the way they are set up, I don’t like the idea of only a shower in the bedroom, I don’t like the way the kitchenette is set up in the living space where the bed couch is . when we were at art of animation, we got asked several times each breakfast time if we would do an online survey for them. When I am on vacation I don’t want to be hastled by their employees to do anything, I just want to relax and have a nice meal and talk about our plans for the day. we have stayed at Pop century when its just the two of us and we really liked it. Ok the themes are kind of corney, but so what, the room is nice, and the food court is superior to a lot of hotels, nothing fancy I will admit, but it is very nice. I guess its all a matter of perspective and your mood of the day. Sounds like U had a bad experience there.
I agree with all of your points in this post. I travel solo to WDW at least once a year and Pop is my go to resort for my solo trips. I normally rent a car no matter where I stay now for the simple fact that I find myself doing much more resort touring and dining now and on shorter trips, saving that time from waiting to transfer buses is quite valuable. That being said, I’ve really never had any issues with Pop’s bus situation aside from the expected park closing lines. On my most recent trip, I attended the last MNSSHP of the year, and when it was over, Pop seemed to have quite a line. AoA had two side by side buses waiting for people with minimal wait. I hopped an AoA bus and just walked back to my room. The only real “issue” I have with Pop (and really it comes down to something of personal preference) is that it’s a little too close to the outskirts of the WDW property. If you’re like me and really like to be immersed in the bubble, seeing the WDW sign from a top floor room at Pop can be a painful reminder of the real world’s existence every time you walk out your door haha.
We stayed there in September for two days with our just-crawling baby and 3 year old. We loved it and actually had better cast member service than at the Contemporary a few days later. LOVED the baby pool beside the Hippy Dippy pool! Crawling baby loved it!
POP will always be my favourite. After 6 years in a row, family of 5, we still love it. Over the years we have progressed from one room for all 5 of us, to now requiring 2 rooms. Can’t imagine it any other way. SO much more room having 2 connecting rooms than any suite can provide. 2 washrooms, privacy if needed (just shut the connector door) and 4 beds. I love everything about POP, and I dont’ think I will ever want to try another value resort. Even AOA, even though we did venure over there to the food court, love the pasta bar, but staying there didn’t appeal to me at all.
Just returned yesterday from a stay at PC. Overall, we were very pleased — rooms were simple and clean, nothing fancy but fine for us. We all thought the food was good, but the lines could be very long and the service at some of the stations was very slow (and we visited at a slow time of year….I can’t imagine the lines during a busy time). One morning I had breakfast late, after 10:00, and it took a half hour just to get an omelette. (They need to have more staff at the omelette and burrito/taco stations! One person just couldn’t keep up with the orders.) A lot of people had the magic bands and were having some trouble scanning them, figuring out how the credits worked, etc., so that made the lines at check-out take even longer.
Agree with the above poster about coming out of the parks — we were joking about how Pop was always the farthest bus stop from the park exits (and seemed to have the longest lines too). Good suggestion to take the AoA bus.
About the refrigerators, I actually got a letter from Disney a few weeks before my stay letting me know there wouldn’t be working refrigerators in the rooms. I didn’t need one so it wasn’t an issue, but it was nice that they let us know.
Would definitely recommend the PC! (Also recommend visiting during September, we used our FastPasses for the most popular rides, and otherwise barely waited on any lines.)
Love your blog Tom!
Thanks! Efficiency in Pop Century’s food court is a real issue, and it seemingly gets worse towards the end of breakfast, which I don’t think I’ve seen happen at any other hotel. When we do breakfast here, I normally go around 7:30 am, and it’s not bad then. Of course, not everyone is going to want to get up that early, but I thought I’d mention it!
Just stayed at Pop Century for the first time with our family of four. Overall good experience. We were expecting the small rooms, so that didn’t bother us. We tend to spend most of our time in the parks anyway. The food court was excellent, but busy, especially in the morning. The staff was very helpful, but we find that to be the case throughout Disney. Really the only complaint is that it is always the last bus depot coming out of the parks, which is tough at the end of the day with tired kids in tow to walk all the way down to catch the bus. And we noticed that often Art of Animation had a much shorter line for the bus, and their bus often got there first! We did catch the A of A bus one night, and the driver realized he had a lot of Pop Century folks on board so he actually dropped us off first at Pop Century and then continued on to A of A! Talk about great customer service!
I think more warning should be published about the recall of the refrigerators at Pop Century (as it makes it more difficult to eat breakfast in our rooms in the morning before heading out to the parks). We recently stayed at POP for three non-consecutive nights this August (to use 5-day theme park tickets) and didn’t have a working fridge the first night, and only had it the second two-night stay because the front desk said that we had a “medical necessity” (which wasn’t true, & thus made me feel a little guilty). If there is currently almost zero chance of getting a room with a fridge during this period when they’re being gradually replaced they should tell people that. The half gallons of milk in Everything Pop are fairly reasonably priced, however. We also requested bed rails on both stays this year (for our young children) & didn’t get them on either one (unlike last year). The front desk staff accidentally set our Magic Band credit limit to zero on the first day of our second stay, causing us problems in the park on day 3 when we tried to buy lunch and dinner (luckily we had a backup credit card with us).
Apart from those minor complaints, we love Pop Century and would stay there again (if we make a third visit to Disney) — as we’re a “only sleeping and showering in our rooms” family too.
Oh wow, I wasn’t aware of this until I saw your comment. For reference, here’s what she’s talking about: http://www.easywdw.com/forums/showthread.php?13391-Disney-Removing-Fridges
We stayed at Pop Century this past November and being a huge Disney World fan we were disappointed. I usually don’t have ANYTHING to complain about when it comes to Disney World but, I did have a few complaints about Pop Century. The big one was that we had to walk through the smoking section every time we wanted to got to the main building area where the food court, front desk and bus stops were. Also, they play a movie outside at night which is a great idea but, they play right by the smoking section. It was horrible to have to breath in all that smelly smoke every time we walked by. On a minor note, our room had broken curtains and light bulbs that were burnt out. We always leave a tip for our housekeeper daily. One day we forgot while rushing out to the parks. That day our room was not cleaned properly and beds weren’t made. It’s like we were being punished for forgetting their tip! Needless to say, we will not be staying at Pop Century again.
Sorry to hear that! I would have definitely said something about the room issue. Even without being tipped, the housekeepers are supposed to do their jobs.
I’d read this review before, but today’s read-through had a whole new meaning. I’m staying at Pop in two months, where I will be taking my cousins and their two little boys on their first visit to WDW. Since I’ve never stayed at Pop before, this is a nice entry into my growing stack of info.
Have a great trip! 🙂
I’ve stayed at POP twice (my last two trips) and was very happy with it. We’re mostly “room is just for sleeping” people and I am not above the food court breakfast either. They’re a great cheap way to get the “Disney bubble” experience. I do long to stay at a deluxe one day (I plan to rent DVC points for that) but until then I’ll stick to the Values…. the moderates are just not worth the price difference over the values.