Resort Review: Pop Century Resort Walt Disney World Florida

The FUN environment of Pop Century Resort.

The Pop Century Resort was the second of the three resorts that I stayed in during our recent trip to Walt Disney World. A value-priced Disney Resort that has kids running from the 1950s to the 1990s faster than you can download a movie on dial-up. With its over-the-top towering icons of American culture, this is a family-pleasing resort that’s easy on the wallet.

Hits:

The Pop Century Resort looks like a party. The buildings exude energy and draw me through the resort. From the four-story tall bowling pins and the giant 60s flowers pasted on the sides of the candy-colored buildings, this place is a hit with the young at heart.

The Pop Century Resort is a HIT with kids. 

The Hippy-Dippy Pool with its Petal Pool Bar is the place to rejuvenate the kids after a long day in the parks. The Classic Hall building has registration, bell services and a quick-service food court conveniently and centrally located.

The Pop Century Resort’s size is more manageable than the Caribbean Beach Resort where we stayed first. No need for additional internal buses to get around the resort, we walk right to our room. The carful of kids spent the day at the park and the Pop Century Resort texted us our room number since I checked-in online before arrival. A great feature that I recommend.

Misses:

The rooms at Pop Century are small, some of the smallest at Walt Disney World. During our stay at Walt Disney World we left early and we got back late but if you spend more time in your room as a family the size might be a problem. 

Who doesn't love fins on the cart?

The linens in the Pop Century were skimpy in quality and number. I prefer softer sheets and more towels. While road trippers can pack towels for the pool,  a family flying to Orlando can't.

There were less activities for kids at the Pop Century Resort than the moderately-priced Caribbean Beach Resort. This was not a problem for the carful of kids because we spent all day in the parks and really only used the pool. 

The Resort:

The Pop Century Resort is a value resort ($) 1.7 miles away from Hollywood Studios along the shores of Hour Glass Lake and cross from the Art of Animation Resort. The buildings are grouped and named after decades of the 20^th century, giving the Pop a total of 2,880 rooms.

The carful of kids loved the pops of 20th century culture,  like the bowling pin staircases.

The self-parking is complimentary. I used the Walt Disney World bus transportation and the Magical Express (complimentary Orlando airport transportation). Both are efficient though we had to stand at peak times.

I visited the Pop Century Resort in April.

The Room: 

I had a reservation for a standard room with two doubles beds on the fourth floor in the 1950s section  of Pop Century Resort. There's an elevator that I found after we climbed the stairs. The carful of kids had to climb the stairs inside the giant bowling pin because it looked fun.

The rooms at the Pop Century Resort are No Frills accommodations.

The buildings are well-maintained but have a roadside motel feeling. The rooms look out onto an outdoor corridor and don’t have private balconies or patios. Our room is 260 square feet there's not a lot of extra room for a pack-n-play and luggage.  This room provides sleeping for four.

Our room featured a small table with 2 chairs, a small refrigerator, a flat-screen television, a phone and an in-room safe. I didn’t find a coffee maker, a charging station, real glassware, clock radio, a ceiling fan or separate closet. I missed some of those items, especially the coffee maker.

Interior of the bathroom at the Pop Century Resort.

The linens in our room at Pop Century Resort were lacking. With two pillows per bed, it's not enough. I found another on the shelf above the closet rod. The mattresses were thinner and the white linens were clean but rough. I didn’t sleep as well here as I did on the previous night at the Caribbean Beach Resort.

The bathroom area was small though it did have a curtain in the vanity area so a Mom could change when a kid baths. The tub and toilet are separated by a door and are clean and well-maintained.

The two pillows per bed was inadequate for this Mom. 

The vanity area at the Pop Century Resort had one sink and I found a plastic ice bucket and disposable cups on the bathroom counter. Basic toiletries were included: bath soap, facial bar, shampoo and conditioner.

Our room, like our room at the Caribbean Beach Resort doesn't have a real closet. I found an iron and ironing board, hair dryer and luggage rack next to the vanity under the closet rod. The room got messy with the kids when I can’t hide the clutter behind a door.

The vanity area of the Pop Century Resort is small especially for a family of four. 

The towels were also inadequate in our room at the Pop Century Resort. The four towels that I found in the room were rough. We ran out of towels after a trip to the pool. 

Activities:

The Pop Century Resort has less activities than the Caribbean Resort. No fishing or pirate-themed kids’ cruises. Fewer pools and the white sand beaches with hammocks and sand volleyball courts were missing at the Pop Century Resort.

The carful of kids wanted to tour the Pop Century Resort to see all the giant sculptures.

The Pop Century Resort has three pools in all. The bowling ball-themed pool in the 1950s, the computer-themed pool in the 1980s and the Hippy-Dippy pool in the 1960s.

I found a playground in the 1970s and there’s a jogging trail. At the Hippy-Dippy Pool, the Pop Century resort shows movies. Inside the Classic Hall building is the Fast Forward Arcade.

Dining:

The Pop Century Resort has a quick-service food court with the basics. I found a grab’n’go section, a grill, pizza, pasta and sandwiches. Breakfast is also served. I didn’t eat at the Pop Century, opting to eat in Epcot during our visit and the carful of kids ate a protein bar on the way to the park.

The bowling bin shaped pool in the 1950s area is fun.

Outside at the Hippy-Dippy Pool, I found tables that you could enjoy a snack or cocktail from the nearby Petal Pool Bar. 

Note about transferring resorts during your stay:

I had to change resorts three times during my five day/four night stay at Walt Disney World. Walt Disney World will transfer your bags for free. My bags were transferred once I was assigned a room at my new resort, usually between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. 

I preferred to pack up our bags and take them to bell services myself. If I wanted a bell hop to grab my bags from my room, I would have to stay with my bags until the bell hop arrived. I found this inconvenient since I wanted to get to the park early. 

My bags were transferred two different times and I had only one small incident. One of our bags had a tag on it stating it was left on the transportation bus. Nothing was missing and I had my laptop in one bag.

Know before you go: 

• The Pop Century Resort uses bus transportation to get around Walt Disney World.
• The Pop Century Resort is a popular resort and fills up fast at all times of the year. 
• Airline Check In is available for some airline at the Pop Century Resort.

You might be interested in:

Epcot: The National Parks and International Flower and Garden Festival

Resort Review: Caribbean Beach Resort

Resort Review: The Grand Floridian Resort