There’s nothing quite like staying at a Disney Resort, especially one that you’ve never experienced before. On my last trip to Disney, my sister and I stayed at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and we LOVED it! This was our first Disney Sisters Trip, and neither one of us wanted to splurge to stay at the moderate or deluxe resorts on property that we usually stay at when we’re on vacation with our parents, so we decided to go for a value for the first time ever!
I’ll be honest, I had a negative stigma towards the value resorts. Maybe it was because I was so spoiled with staying at the really nice resorts, but I hated the thought of staying in those outdated rooms. Anyway, like I said, we loved staying at this resort, so I wanted to share my experience with you all. I know when I was trying to pick which resort to stay at, I looked at different blogs to gauge which would be the best fit, so hopefully this will make your decision of where to stay a little bit easier. Or at the very least, inspire a Disney trip out of you…
THEME
Pop Century is all about the popular culture of the last 5 decades, the 1950s to the 1990s. It pays homage to the timeless fashions, music, toys, catch phrases and dances that captivated each decade. I’m obsessed with pop culture, so I was really excited to stay here. Throughout the resort, you’ll see humungous iconic items, from Disney characters to a Rubik’s Cube, and each building is designated a specific decade. My sister and I stayed in the 90s building, so there were like huge laptops and CDs that surrounded our building. If you were staying in the 50s building there would be ginormous bowling pins and juke boxes, get it? It’s a really fun place to walk around and explore, and a prime location for getting those Instagram photos.
LOCATION
Speaking of location, Pop Century is located near ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, and right across the bridge from Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. In terms of parks, it is closest to Hollywood Studios. It’s in a good location, but if you’re trying to get to Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom, be prepared for a longer bus ride.
TRANSPORTATION
Pop Century has it’s own buses that take you to and from the parks. The stop is located to the left of the main entrance and which is very convenient. Like I said before, we stayed in the 90s building, which is very close to the bus stop, so our walk everyday was perfect. The 90s & 50s buildings are probably the furthest away from the bus stop, but it wasn’t bad at all. So no matter where you’re staying, you’re in good proximity to the buses.
You can also call on the super cute Minnie Vans to come pick you up and take you to your destination. It’s basically Disney’s very own Uber and the cars are just the cutest things in the whole world. There is a fee, but depending on where you’re going, this would be your best option!
ROOMS
Remember how I mentioned that I didn’t want to stay in the outdated rooms that the value resorts were known for? Well to my joy, Pop Century was in the middle of a major room renovation! So when I found out, I did everything in my power to get one of the newer rooms – and we did!
The new rooms are so freaking cool! I loved the vibe, the hardwood floors, the huge TV and the Mickey heads above the bed! Another great feature is the murphy bed (not pictured, but see here). When it’s hidden, you have a convenient table, with lots of space in the room. But when you open it up, you have another huge bed! And it has pluto above it! I know it’s not like the greatest thing ever, but we thought it was awesome. So not only were the beds super comfortable, but they were large and we each got our own! I slept like a baby every night.
The bathroom was also great. The lighting was perfect for makeup application. The water pressure was good and the space in general was perfect. In terms of storage, from the pictures it may not seem like there were a lot of storage options, but you’ll have no problem finding a place for everything. Also, there were tons of outlets in the room, which in the past has been an issue at not just Disney hotels, but all hotels. So it was nice to see that they provided more than usual, especially for the people who have to charge multiple devices, like me.
DINING
There’s only one dining hall at the resort and it’s located in the main building. It’s a large food court that offers a plethora of different options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as snacks. We usually grabbed our breakfast to go if we didn’t have reservations at one of the parks, but we got to experience all 3 meals at some point during our trip and we were not disappointed. I mean, they offer Mickey Waffles for breakfast, that alone gives it an A in my book. One night, we came back late from Animal Kingdom and we hadn’t eaten dinner because we skipped our dinner reservations to wait in the 2 hour queue for Flights of Passage. SO worth it though!
Anyway, when we got back to the hotel we were starving so we ventured into the dining hall and grabbed ourselves some pizzas. Guys, I kid you not, the pizza there is SO GOOD! 10/10 would recommend. Pizza also always seems to taste better late at night anyway, but it was a great experience all around. All in all, the dining hall is perfect for what all the meals you’ll be eating.
There is also a gift shop right outside the dining area. It offers pretty basic merchandise, that you could probably find at other shops around WDW. I don’t know if any of you guys are into collecting pins, but it’s something that I’ve been doing the last few years. I only like to get pins that have sentimental value. Like, something to remind me of a memory I’ve had in the parks, my favorite rides, or the hotels I’ve stayed at on property. Each resort has its own pin, so I picked up the Pop Century one for my sister and I to commemorate our trip together.
Recreationally, there are 3 pools – yeah, you read that right – 3 pools!! They’re located near the 80s building, the 60s building and the 50s building. Each goes along with the theme of that decade, obviously. So, for example, the 50s pool is in the shape of a bowling pin. There’s nothing really spectacular about the pools themselves, especially when you’re comparing it to the pools at like Coronado Springs that has a slide and Mayan pyramid. But to a kid, a pool is a pool, right? That’s another reason this resort is perfect for for families.
I think that covers everything. Overall, I fell in love with Pop Century on this trip and I would stay there again in a heartbeat. It’s a great option for when you’re not looking to spend a lot on a hotel, but still want to experience the magic of staying at a Disney Resort. While it may not have all the bells and whistles that the Moderate or Deluxe resorts have, Pop Century comes pretty darn close.
Read my review of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort here.
Have you stayed at Pop Century? What did you think?
