As I mentioned in my post, My Disney World Bucket List, my dream is to stay at every resort on Disney World's property. However, for the past few trips, I have stayed at Disney's Pop Century Resort, and I love it. Sure, it's not as fancy as The Animal Kingdom Lodge, and it might not be as close to Magic Kingdom as The Polynesian Resort, but Pop Century has its own touch of magic that keeps me going back to it again and again. Here's my review of the resort based on Price, Accommodations, and Location.
Price:
The Pop Century Resort is one of Disney's Value Resorts, so it is in the cheapest tier of resorts. At about $130/night, you get the benefit of staying on Disney Property and qualifying for Extra Magic Hours, but you're not breaking the bank like you would staying at a Moderate or Deluxe Resort. While you could stay at a cheaper hotel off of Disney property, you don't receive the benefit of Extra Magic Hours, which allows ONLY Disney Resort guests to be in the parks before or after normal park hours.
Accommodations:
The resort is separated into "decades," and each decade has their own theming and buildings. I have stayed in the 50s buildings every time I've stayed at Pop Century (not on purpose), but they also have the 60s-90s buildings. They have 3 themed pools, a food court, a gift shop, and a bus stop (for both resorts and Disney's Magical Express). The resort is currently undergoing renovations, but the rooms are comparable to a Best Western. They come with one or two beds, a microwave, a small refrigerator, closet, storage drawers, and free Wi-Fi.
Location:
Another reason why I love this resort is that it is close to at least one of the Disney parks (Hollywood Studios). Whenever you stay on Disney property, it is always nice knowing that you're just a bus-ride away from your resort. The longest bus-ride was maybe 15 minutes from Pop Century, which isn't bad considering you get dropped off at the entrance to each park. Like I said earlier in my post, even though Pop Century isn't a resort on the monorail or boat route, you're paying a lot less for rooms and are still fairly close to the parks.
Overall, I am rating Pop Century an 8/10 because it does lack in the Accommodations and Location categories. The rooms do need a little remodeling, which Disney is currently working on; when I stay here again, I will do an updated review of the remodeled rooms. If you're looking for a very kid- and family-oriented resort and are on a budget, either this resort or any of the All-Star Resorts are your best bet. If you have a little bit higher of a budget and are traveling with babies and very young children, look at the Moderate or even Deluxe Resorts. I say this because if there is a baby emergency, it is much quicker to hop on a boat or monorail than to take a 15 minute bus ride. If you're an adult who is on a budget and couldn't care less how fancy your room looks or how soft your bed is, this is the resort for you. The Pop Century staff was exceptional and extremely accommodating during all of my stays with them, the price is great, and the resort theming is SO Disney. They have lots of Disney memorabilia from all of the decades ranging from the 50s-90s, so if you're into the ultimate Disney cheese like I am, please book a stay here. I could probably talk about this resort for an hour, but instead, I'd rather you ask me any questions that you might have about Disney's Pop Century Resort!
Have you stayed at Pop Century? What are your thoughts on it?