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Staying on property at Disney World adds a whole other level to your trip. There is a Disney hotel for every budget and taste. One of the more popular resorts is Pop Century Resort. It is a value resort, so it is relatively easy on the wallet. We stayed at Pop Century a few years ago on Boston’s first trip. This is my review of Pop Century Resort.
Location
Pop Century Resort is located fairly close to Hollywood Studios and the Wide World of Sports Complex. This means that it is a short bus ride to Hollywood Studios and Epcot. It will take you a little bit longer to get to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs. The location is convenient due to being on property. However, it is not so convenient that you can walk to a park, like some of the other resorts on property. If you will be using Disney transportation during your trip, the location should not be much of an issue for you.
Pop Century Resort sits next door to the much newer Art of Animation Resort. They are close enough to walk between the two. This is an advantage if you are staying at Pop Century because you can hop over to check out the great theming and the wonderful food court at Art of Animation. There are several places for some super cute photos at both resorts too.
Size
Pop Century Resort is a large resort. It covers about 177 acres. The resort consists of ten buildings of rooms, each four stories tall. As you would expect with a resort of this size, Pop Century Resort can get loud at times. Also, the common areas, such as the food court and pools, can get quite busy at peak times. If you are looking for a quiet, relaxing hotel, this is not a good choice.
Theme/Atmosphere
Pop Century Resort has a very unique theme. Its design revolves around the decades of the past. There are two buildings of rooms dedicated to each decade from the 1950’s through the 1990’s. The entire resort is decorated with bright colors and larger-than-life icons of decades past. You will find such blasts from the past as the yo-yo, Rubik’s cube, Big Wheel, a Foosball game, and 8-track tapes. This is an especially fun place to stay if you will have multiple generations with you on your trip. It gives grandparents a chance to teach the grandchildren about their favorite childhood toys and games. For families with younger kids, this is a great place to stay because of the fun and playful design of the resort. My son’s favorite part of the resort when we stayed here was the Surfing Goofy statue and water feature.
Transportation
If you will be staying at Pop Century Resort and using Disney transportation, you will have to take a bus, or use your own car, to reach any of the four parks. You must take a bus to Disney Springs, as well. Most of the time, Pop Century does have its own dedicated buses, though. While the waits for the buses at the end of the night will be long due to the size of the resort, you shouldn’t have to share buses with any other resorts. Occasionally, there may be times when Pop Century shares buses with Art of Animation. The fact that Pop Century is not accessible by any other mode of transportation is a slight negative to staying here. However, this is not such a big problem to be a deal-breaker though.
Price
Pop Century is one of the value resorts. This means that it will be one of the cheapest places to stay on property. For families on a budget, this is a great option. A standard room at Pop Century will run you anywhere from approximately $95-188 per night, depending on the time of year and day of the week you will be there. A preferred pool view room will cost you approximately $120-215 per night. These prices are rack rates. You may be able to take advantage of a discount and get an even better deal on your hotel stay.
Restaurants
The only restaurant at Pop Century Resort is the Everything POP food court. Unlike most of the other food courts across property, Everything POP blends right into the resort’s gift shop. It is all located in one large open area. This makes it convenient if you are wanting to do some souvenir shopping while grabbing a meal. But, it also adds to the noise level of the food court as well. For me, the food court is decent food court but isn’t anything special. However, for many Pop fans, this is one of the greatest food courts on property. One of the unique offerings at Everything POP is the tie-dyed cheesecake, which has a cult following of its own. There is also a pool bar at the main pool.
Recreation
Pop Century Resort has an arcade, three feature pools, a playground, and a walking trail. One pool is shaped like a bowling pin. It is located near the 1950’s buildings. The Hippy Dippy pool is shaped like a flower and can be found near the 1970’s buildings. The third pool is shaped like a computer and is near the 1980’s buildings. When we stayed here, we only used the Hippy Dippy pool. It is a fun place for the kids to splash around in. Along the edges of the pool are flowers that squirt water.
Conclusion
Pop Century Resort is one of the value resorts at Disney World. The design of the resort centers around pop culture icons from the 1950’s through the 1990’s. All around the property, you will see bright colors and giant four-story-tall toys from decades past. It is a fun place to stay, especially with kids. If you are looking for a great hotel to stay while sticking to a budget, this is a wonderful choice for you. At times, it can get loud, especially around the pools and food court. If you are looking to stay on property but don’t want to spend a ton of money, definitely check out Pop Century Resort. This may just be the resort for you. Happy travels and have a magical day!
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