Resort Spotlight: Pop Century

It's no surprise that a stay to Disney World can be expensive. However, can, is the key word. You can do Disney World inexpensively.

To do that, it most likely means you are staying at one of Disney's Value resorts. Disney has three levels of resort levels, deluxe, moderate, and value. You can get all Disney benefits at each level. Most of the time, I stay value, because most people spend the majority of the time at the parks. You are at the parks from 8AM to 10PM and just use your room to sleep. And that is why I normally go value. 

Pop Century is my choice for values. It is the 2nd newest value resort however you can start seeing some wear and tear there. Art of Animation is the newest value but the Little Mermaid rooms are usually excluded from any discounts, so I choose Pop because you can walk to Art of Animation from POP.

If you are staying on property you can take advantage of Disney's magical express. Magical Express will pick you up from the airport and take you to the resort; FOR FREE! They will also pick up your checked luggage and deliver it to your room! It is literally magical. These services don't cost any extra!

POP Century is themed to decades of the United States. It is filled with pop culture and icons of the past. The section that is there now is called the Classic Years. There was going to be legendary years across the lake, but it never got complete due to 9/11. Each building is themed to the decades 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. My person favorite section is 80s and the 90s due to me growing up then and the proximity to the buses.

When you come off of Magical Express and walk in, you see the check in desks.

Straight ahead is Everything POP which is the gift shop and the food court. The food court is one of my favorite in all of Disney. They have a huge variety. My personal favorite entree here is the Chicken Penne Alfredo. Their specialty dessert is the Tye Dyed Cheesecake! It is very good if you can forgot about the Tye Dye.

When you exit the food court the first thing you see is the main pool, the Hippy Dippy pool. This is in the 60s section. You can see it has a very "groovy"  vibe.

When you turn around and look at the main building this big "POP" pops out at you.

The icon for the 60s section is the Jungle Book, which was made in 1967.

The stairs to the rooms are hidden by a Duncan Yo Yo, which became popular in the 1960s.

 You can turn right and go to the 50s Section, where the pool is shaped as a bowling pin. The main larger than life icon is an old jukebox thing.

When you head back to the main pool and pass it you will first come to the 70s building. The icon here is a tricycle and a mickey phone. I have never stayed in this building. There is also a lifesize foosball table in this area that is a fun photo spot.

The next area is the 80s and 90s section. This area has the 3rd pool of the resort, themed to a computer.

The icon here is a giant computer!

My favorite photo spot at Pop Century is Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. They are in the 80s section!

Now that you have a good idea of the grounds of Pop Century, let's take a look at the rooms! The rooms are very small at only 260 square foot. You will most likely get more square footage by staying off property but you don't get the amenities that a disney resort has to offer. So I am all for the small rooms and being stuck in the "disney bubble".

Here are the basic rooms. They aren't that exciting. They do have a flat screen TV and two double beds. As of last year, all value resorts come with a mini fridge. They also have wireless internet or an ethernet cord for faster service.

When it is time for you to leave the park the buses are located in the front of the resort.

What I like about the buses here are that they have actual lines. At other resorts, there are no lines, so it is a free for all to get on the bus. They also don't share buses with any resorts. In fact, based on my experience Pop Century has the best bus service out of all resorts! Sure, there might be a lot of people coming and going, but it sure is efficient!

And there you have a basic overview of Pop Century. I highly recommend this resort if you are on any type of budget! Ending this, I will give you a brief overview of the great things about POP and the not so great things!

Pros
1.) Price. Price can range from $95-$206 dollars. It is about as cheap as you can. Also, you can almost always get it at some sort of discount. When you literally only use your room to sleep, it is worth it not to spend a lot.
2.) Food court. There is a great food court with lots of yummy items. I love this food court!
3.) Bus Service- Bar None, the best bus service for any resort! You don't share buses and there is only one stop.

Cons
1.) Beds. The beds are incredibly uncomfortable. I recommend bringing your own pillow if you can. They are lumpy and one is too small and two too big.
2.) Noise. It can be incredibly noisy, especially if you have a connecting room and are facing the pool. I always request a non connecting room and non pool facing. The pool is open 24 hours, so during the warm months, people will be in very late and you can hear it. The connecting rooms are horrible as well.
3.) Getting a bit outdated. You can start to see it getting old. The rooms and food court are getting a little outdated.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!