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Disney Pop Century Resort Review: Amenities, Rooms, and More

Here’s my detailed Pop Century Resort review, including details about the rooms, amenities, pool, food court, and more at this popular Disney World resort. 

pop century pool
I’ve stayed at Disney Pop Century Resort many times over the years and I think it’s an amazing place to stay at Disney World.

However it’s not right for everyone, so read on to decide if will work well for you!

Disney Pop Century Resort Overview

little girl standing in front of surfer goofy statue

Walt Disney World resorts are split into three main categories: Value, Moderate, and Deluxe.

Value resorts are the most affordable and the most basic in terms of amenities.

Pop Century is one of the most popular of the Disney Value Resorts. 

pop century bed

What you will pay for a room at Pop Century varies greatly depending on what time of year you visit.

The most affordable months of the year are January, February, August, and September.

Rooms range from around $160 (plus tax) during January to close to $300 per night during the busy holiday season.

But keep in mind that you can almost always get a discount off of these “rack rates”. Read on to learn more!

Disney Pop Century Amenities

disney pop century amenities

The amenities at Pop Century may surprise you considering the price point and designation as a “Value” resort. 

Disney Pop Century amenities include a large food court and gift store, free transportation to the parks, multiple themed pools, resort activities, a playground, and more

I think the amenities at Disney World resorts (including the Value resorts) are what set them apart from area hotels not owned by Disney. 

Other perks include:

and more amenities that make it worth it to stay at a Disney resort. 

I prefer to make Disney World resort reservations through Priceline for additional savings and ease of managing the reservation. Read all about booking Priceline Disney World resorts here.

Pop Century Rooms

Old vs. new rooms at Pop Century Resort

Old vs. new rooms at Pop Century

Pop Century Rooms got a complete overhaul in 2018. 

The new rooms are completely different from the old ones!

The double beds have been replaced by two queens (one stored in the Murphy Bed unit) and there are MANY new features (such as in-room coffee makers, a wooden door to separate the bathroom from the main room and a giant TV).

pop century two beds

I personally think the new Pop Century rooms are great – clean, modern, and spacious enough, with nice features and a few special Disney touches.

The rooms are small (260 square feet) but have everything you’d expect: a flat-screen TV, mini-fridge, dresser with drawers, coffeemaker, iron and ironing board, hairdryer, phone, and toiletries.

The fridge does NOT have a freezer section and there is no microwave in the room.

bathroom with sliding pocket door

The bathroom is a split design with the sink separated from the toilet/tub with a sliding pocket door.

Overall I feel the room is a great value for the money. I think it is at least on par with what you would get for the same price elsewhere in the world, if not a cut above.

Check out my photo tour of the refurbished Pop Century Rooms here.

If you want to see how Pop Century stacks up against the other Value resorts, including Pop Century vs. Art of Animation, check out my pick for the best Value resort at Disney World in this post!

Disney Pop Century Transportation

disney world bus stop

Disney provides complimentary transportation within the Walt Disney World resort. Buses constantly run to and from the theme parks to Pop Century. 

Bus transportation at Pop Century is especially fast because the buses go directly to the parks from the hotel – you won’t stop at any other resort to pick up passengers. 

This isn’t the case at many other Disney resorts (including some Deluxe resorts) so it is a nice perk of staying at Pop Century. 

skyliner with frozen themed gondola

Photo Credit: Disney Parks/David Roark

Pop Century also has a stop on the Disney Skyliner gondola system which can take you to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. 

The Skyliner stop is shared with Art of Animation on the bridge that connects the two resorts.

To get to either of the parks, you first have to take the Skyliner to the Caribbean Beach Station and get off. Then you have to reboard a gondola that is going to either Hollywood Studios or Epcot. 

disney skyliner overhead

The approximate travel time to Hollywood Studios via the Skyliner (allowing for transfer time) is 12 minutes. 

The approximate travel time to Epcot via the Skyliner is 17 minutes.

Though the Skyliner will likely be a faster way to get to Hollywood Studios, it may be quicker to bus to Epcot.

But if you are heading to Epcot’s World Showcase, then the Skyliner will drop you off right there and save you about 15 minutes of trekking through the park!

Pop Century Resort Food Court

Check-in and Concierge Desks

Check-in and Concierge Desks

You might be surprised at the amenities you’ll get for the price tag at the Disney Value Resorts. 

If you want to know what to expect at the Value resorts in general, check out this post

In the main building (Classic Hall) you will find the check-in and concierge desk, food court, gift shop, and arcade. They are all clean and modern looking with a fun retro look.

Everything POP shopping area and dining at Pop Century Food Court

Everything POP shopping and dining at Pop Century resort

I have found the food from the Pop Century food court to be fresh, tasty, and a good value for the money. 

pop century food court

pop century food court

The only warning I will give about the Pop Century food court is that it can get scarily crowded from roughly 8:00 – 9:30 am each morning.

I would avoid it if possible during this time! Everyone is in a hurry to eat and get to the parks and it is chaotic and not at all fun.

disney character statue of tramp from lady and the tramp at the pop century resort

 

Pop Century Resort Pools

Pools are a big attraction at all of the Disney resorts and Pop Century is no exception.

flower shaped pool at pop century resort

There is a large flower-shaped feature pool close to the main building, a zero-entry kiddie pool with bubblers, and a pool bar that serves up tasty alcoholic drinks.

On this last trip, we thought the pool was warm and very clean. Every afternoon there is a pool party at the main pool with games and activities led by the pool staff.

 

Each night there is a Disney movie shown pool-side on a giant inflatable screen. It’s a nice way to spend an evening if you aren’t in the parks. There are two other pools around the resort as well.

playground at pop century resort

playground at pop century

There is a nice-sized playground close to the main building along with a water play area with my main man, Goofy.

My daughter liked the playground a lot and we had a fun photo op with Goofy.

paths around pop century

Path we walked to get to our room

It is also worth noting how lush the grounds are at Pop Century.

The landscaping at Disney is outstanding, and even at a Value resort, you will find flowers, bushes and trees lining the paths that wind around the resort.

You don’t feel like you are in a concrete jungle like you might at other hotels.

Disney Pop Century Resort Review Summary

goofy statue - disney pop century review

surfer goofy statue

To summarize, we got the following with our room at Pop Century:

  • A clean and comfortable room
  • Access to Extra Magic Hours
  • Moderately priced delicious food at the Pop Century food court
  • Great pools and activities
  • Resort amenities such as a pool bar, playground, arcade, gift shop, laundry facility

I think it goes without saying that I find Pop Century to be an excellent value for the money spent!

I am frugal and careful about spending a lot of money on a vacation but I feel that a stay at Pop Century is a total bargain.

What do you think of this Disney Pop Century Resort review? Have you stayed there or would you? Please leave a comment below or join the discussion in my private Facebook group called The Budget Mouse!

If you liked this post you may also like:

A thorough review of Disney's Pop Century resort! Lots of photos and descriptions of the rooms, pools, and amenities at this Value resort in this Pop Century Resort review. #disneyworld #familytravel

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Disney World Free Dining: Everything You Need To Know - The Budget Mouse

Friday 8th of February 2019

[…] First let’s take a family of four, with kids ages 7 and 10, staying in a standard view room at Disney’s Pop Century resort (you can read my full review of the resort here). […]

Pop Century Resort Refurbished Room Photo Tour! - The Budget Mouse

Thursday 14th of June 2018

[…] Overall, the room has a clean and mid-century modern look which I appreciate but others think looks too sterile for Disney. What do you think about the aesthetic of the refurbished rooms? Leave a comment below or join the discussion in The Budget Mouse Facebook group. You can check out my full review of Pop Century Resort here. […]

How to Book Your Ideal Disney World Hotel - The Ultimate Guide | Roads We Wander

Monday 16th of April 2018

[…] If you’re on a budget and wondering how nice Disney’s POP Century resort actually is, Leah from The Frugal South put together a fantastic review, which you can read here! […]

nancy thompson

Monday 13th of March 2017

we have stayed twice at all stars and twice at pop century, all stars were very nice but pop century just has that little some thing different to it. really enjoyed it. this year we splurged and we are headed to port orleans french quarter. we just feel appreciated when we are at disney world and they do what ever is reasonable to make you happy

Leah

Tuesday 14th of March 2017

I agree, Nancy, Disney hospitality is why I keep going back. French Quarter is my favorite moderate resort and it got even better with the food court refurbishment last year. You'll love it there!

Why Disney is a Real Vacation (and Other Vacations Aren't) - The Frugal South

Friday 11th of November 2016

[…] possible to stay at a Disney resort on a tight budget. If you need convincing, just check out this post and this post and this post! This post isn’t sponsored by Disney, I’m just sharing my […]

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