Today, I’m going to tell you all about the pros to staying at Disney’s Pop Century Resort.
I always stay on property when I go to Disney World. Over the years I’ve had the chance to stay at All-Star Movies, Pop Century, Caribbean Beach, and Saratoga Springs.
This means I’ve stayed at Value, Moderate, and Deluxe resorts. While I’ve enjoyed my stay at each, Pop Century has become my go-to Disney World Resort.
(Here, you can read more about the pros and cons of staying at a Disney Resort, and how to choose the best resort for you.)
Here are 5 Pros to staying at Disney World’s Pop Century Resort.
Cost
Disney has four main pricing tiers of their resorts: Value, Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villas. (For the sake of this post, I’m focusing on the resorts, not the camping/cabin options.)
Every tier has its amenities and benefits. Pop Century is considered a Value resort, along with the three All-Star Resorts and its neighbor, Art of Animation.
The All-Star resorts are the least expensive. But Pop Century is still a value and it only costs a little bit more than the All-Star options.
This gives you the opportunity to stay on property and have a full Disney Experience without completely blowing your budget.
Honestly, if you’re someone who plans to be in the parks most of the time, it may not be worth it to shell out the money for a pricer resort if you simply won’t be around enough to enjoy it.
Environment
The environment is why this is my preferred value resort.
I had a delightful experience at All-Star Movies, but the only down side to the All-Star resorts is that because they’re the most inexpensive, they often draw large groups–specifically school groups.
All-Star Sports tends to be the go-to for many visiting sports groups and All-Star Music tends to attract music groups, and All-Star Movies can be attractive to any other group looking for the cheapest place to stay.
Again, this wasn’t something I directly experienced, but I know enough people who have had their kids or family members a part of a group headed to Disney World. If they stay on property, these are the Resorts they stay in.
Because Pop Century is slightly more expensive, it doesn’t tend to get these types of large groups, which is a big pro for me.
And on top of that, Disney theming is always fun and on-point. This resort is themed to the decades of the mid-to-late nineteen hundreds, and it’s a lot of fun to be in that environment.
Location
This Resort is the vicinity of Hollywood Studios and Epcot. It’s not in walking distance to any park, but it’s also not quite as far as the All-Star Resorts, which are a little more removed from everything.
It’s also right next door to Art of Animation. There’s actually a walk way to this resort, so if you wanted to visit the resort, check out the theming, and maybe try a drawing class, you can!
You can also eat in their food court, so between the Art of Animation food court and Pop Century’s food court, you have twice as many options to choose from.
Transportation
One of the perks of staying at a value resort compared to most moderate resort is that they’re often condensed enough for one Disney Transportation bus stop.
This means at the end of the night when you’re exhausted, you don’t have to sit through three or four stops when you get back to your resort.
And while the value resorts are more spread out than most Deluxe resorts, I’ve stayed in one of the farthest rooms from the bus at Pop Century and found I could still be at the bus stop in less than five minutes if I cut through the parking lot.
Pop Century is also a Skyliner resort! This means you can take the Disney Skyliner to Epcot and Hollywood Studios! You can also use it to visit Caribbean Beach Resort or Rivera Resort, which increases your recreation and dining options.
Quality of Service
One of my favorite things about Disney World is that the type of resort you stay in has absolutely no impact on the quality of service you receive.
Disney treats all their guests exceptionally well, and if it’s possible for them to do something to make your stay more magical, they’ll do it.
The upper tier resorts may have a few more amenities and services available, but I’ve honestly never noticed a difference in cast member customer service, regardless of which resort I’ve stayed in.
Room layout
A few years ago, Disney started renovating and updating the rooms at Pop Century (and some other resorts).
The renovations are complete at Pop, and the last time I was there I was lucky enough to get a room that had already been renovated.
This room had one permanent bed and one Murphy bed, that folded up to create a table.
Personally, I found it really nice to be able to sit at a table to eat breakfast, and to have the option not to be stuck in bed any time I’m in my room.
It also creates more space and makes the room feel a little bigger.
The new rooms also have panel floors, which makes them easier to clean and creates a healthier environment.
The newer resorts seem to be favoring this type of style, but not all of the older ones have caught up yet. Personally, I’m a big fan of this style layout, and I consider it a serious pro.
For more Disney World tips and tricks, check out the other Disney World Posts!
Sound off: Have you visited Disney World’s Pop Century Resort? Tell us about it in the comments!