Disney's Pop Century Review

Disney’s Pop Century Resort is one of the most popular value resorts at Disney World. Today I am sharing my Pop Century review and if you should plan a stay for your next Disney trip.

Disney’s Pop Century resort is a value resort on-site at the Walt Disney World resort. It is one of the Disney resort hotels that won’t break your budget and offers great amenities.

We stayed at Pop Century during our first visit to Disney World. It is a great value for guests wanting to stay on-site.

Since our first visit in 2013, the resort has received a room refurbishment that removed the carpet flooring and added murphy beds to the rooms.

I really enjoyed walking around Pop Century with the kids and stopping to see all the bright colors and fun Disney characters throughout the resort.

Table Of Contents

Overview of Pop Century Resort
Pop Century Layout
Rooms at Pop Century
Dining at Pop Century
Transportation from Pop Century to the Parks
Pools at Pop Century
Recreation at Pop Century Resort
Pros and Cons of Pop Century Resort
- Read Next: Guide to the Best Disney Resorts for Kids

Overview of Pop Century Resort

Pop Century is in the ESPN Wide World of Sports area of Walt Disney World. It is closest to Hollywood Studios followed by Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Magic Kingdom.

There is bus transportation and the Disney Skyliner to get guests to the parks and Disney Springs. Plan on 15-20 minutes (or more) of travel time from the resort to the parks.

Pop Century Layout

Pop Century is a large resort divided into sections. It is themed to decades of time. There is a 50’s, 60s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s section of the resort.

Pop Century is a motel style resort. All room entrances lead to the outside with 3 levels in each building.

If you have a day to rest from the Disney theme parks I suggest taking the walk around the resort to explore.

Guests can see the larger-than-life icons of your favorite Disney characters as well as nostalgic items from decades of the past.

In the 80’s section there is a giant sized rubics cube. In the 60’s section there is a life size Baloo and Mowgli. The 50’s section has giant bowling pins.

Be sure to check out the giant sized Mickey phone in the 70’s section.

The main lobby also has a quick service dining area and gift shop. This is centrally located between the different areas of the park.

If you are looking to stay close to dining and transportation you should request the 60s section.

Rooms at Pop Century

Pop Century guest rooms fit a family of four. There are 2 queen beds or a king bed. The queen rooms have a murphy bed that can fold up for a sitting area.

On a recent stay we really liked the murphy bed to maximize the space in the room when we were taking a mid-day break.

If you are looking for a short walk be sure to book a 60’s room. These are close to the bus stop, front desk, arcade, main pool, and skyliner.

Guests can stay at different decades with preferred rooms or standard rooms located at all areas of the resort.

If you would like a pool view consider reserving a preferred room. We typically book a standard room because it is not a priority for us to have a view.

The Pop Century hotel rooms are on the smaller side. They are 260 square feet but the pull-down bed is a nice feature to help maximize the space during your stay.

There is a small mini-fridge and coffee maker in the room. As well as storage space under the bed and in the closet area.

As I mentioned earlier Pop Century fits 4. Pop Century does not have family suites either.

During my research of our upcoming trip I started running some numbers to see what would be best for our Disney trip as a family of five.

Currently Pop Century has rates at $155.00 a night. If a family of five books 2 connecting rooms that will be around $310.00 a night.

I highly suggest considering connecting rooms over a moderate resort, especially if you are traveling to Disney with teens.

On our most recent trip we booked connecting rooms at Disney’s All Star Sports and it was less expensive than a moderate resort. We loved having more space, 4 queen beds, and 2 bathrooms.

This may not be in your budget, and that is okay, but it is worth researching. Often the resorts that will fit the five of us are priced much higher than $310.00 a night.

The family suites at Art of Animation are often $400+. Always compare prices when planning your trip.

Dining at Pop Century

Dining at Pop Century is located at the Pop Food Court. Pop Century Dining is a quick service option at Everything Pop Shopping & Dine located in the main building.

Although it is not a sit down restaurant, the quick service is a great option.

You do not need reservations as this is a cafeteria style dining option. Guests can purchase breakfast, lunch, and dinner options.

There are grab and go snacks and desserts. Guests can order pool side at the Petals Pool Bar as well as order take-out pizza.

Transportation from Pop Century to the Parks

Pop Century offers bus transportation to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom and the Disney Skyliner to Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

If the Skyliner is down due to weather or other issues bus transportation is provided. If you are unsure about the Skyliner read our review of the Disney Skyliner to get an idea of what to expect.

There is not bus transportation to Epcot or Hollywood Studios when the Skyliner is in operation.

The skyliner offers an enjoyable ride over hourglass lake and continues over Caribbean Beach Resort and Disney’s Riviera Resort before making it’s way to Epcot.

Guests headed to Hollywood Studios will have to transfer to the Hollywood Studios Skyliner at the main Caribbean Beach station.

Expect longer wait times for buses and skyliner during opening and close of the parks.

Pools at Pop Century

Hippy Dippy Pool is the main pool located at the 60s area of the resort. There is also a small splash pad for younger ones.

There are also two pools at the 90’s section and the 50’s section. The 90’s has the computer pool and the 50’s has the bowling pool.

These pools are basic but can often be less crowded than the main pool. At the value resorts the biggest difference is the size of the pool.

On-site guests can use any pool at the resort.

pop century hippy dippy poo — Pool at Pop Century

Recreation at Pop Century Resort

Most of the main recreation at Pop Century is located at the Hippy-Dippy pool or the main lobby building.

When guests check-in they are given a daily schedule of what to expect for the week of your stay. There are games and trivia by the pool as well as arts and craft activities.

Most nights there is a Movie under the stars night. The movies change nightly. Your recreation guide will tell you where and when the activities will be.

Pros and Cons of Pop Century Resort

Pop Century is one of the more updated value resorts and it is on the Disney Skyliner making it a budget friendly resort choice for most families.

Dining at Pop Century is good but they do not offer any sit-down options. If you are looking for quick food because you are spending most of your time at the parks Pop Century is a great choice.

The pools are basic and do not include waterslides like the moderate and deluxe resorts. If you are spending more time at the parks this may not be a priority.

If you enjoy pool time each day you may want to look at resorts with more water amenities.

The décor is very bright and busy. This is a pro or con, depending on what you are looking for in a resort. Most families with young kids will enjoy the theme.

The rooms are recently refurbished and are nicely decorated. These recent refurbishments along with the addition of the Skyliner has made Pop Century one of the most popular value resorts.

Disney’s Pop Century is a great value resort option for guests looking for a place to rest their heads while they spend their days at the Disney theme parks.