Reviews of Pop Century Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed by DisneyStrong86 Review Date: 05/15/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
We call Pop Century our "Disney Home."
We just love everything there is to love about Pop Century, like the atmosphere theme of all the different centuries. We have always encountered friendly cast members who are always ready to help.
The food court at Pop is WONDERFUL although there is always a line somewhere. The hotel has a wonderful lay out where you will do the least amount of walking compared to other hotels.
Pros:
Friendly, Attractive, Least Amount of WalkingCons:
NoneReviewed by maearly Review Date: 05/05/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
My wife and I generally stayed at POR & POFQ. We wanted to save a little money for a quick trip from 4/28-5/2 so we stayed at POP. It was my first time to stay there. We chose it because of the dedicated bus system and it lived up. We never waited long at all for a bus.
Food court was good and we also made a trip to AOA's food court just across the bridge to try the "create your own pasta" which was convenient and the pasta was great. The Petals bar was great and the folks were friendly and the drinks were very good.
We stayed in a room close to the pool so that may have contributed to the noise con. But there was also a TON of middle school and high school students there on band and senior trips, so that was a lot of the noise.
The room was OK. The bed was surprisingly comfortable. The room and the bathroom was small but we were fine with that seeing as we spent just enough time in there to sleep and bathe.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and will be going back.
Pros:
Buses, Bar, FoodCons:
A little noisyReviewed by tink Review Date: 04/03/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
I stayed here 2/23-3/2. Stayed in the 70's building, top floor. I did on-line check in. When I arrived about noon, I was given my welcome packet. The room was ready by 1 pm. I didn't hear the plumbing as loudly as previous posts have said previously. Maybe because of the location of the room (there was a hall way next to it) and it was on the top floor? The longest I waited for a bus was 16min for extra magic hour to DHS. For MK, a couple of buses came at once. I didn't leave MK right after the fire works, but at Epcot after Illuminations, they sent buses one after the other. I also took the Art of Animation bus once because it was already there. It is an 8-10 min walk from the main building for AoA resort to the main building of Pop century. I ate breakfast here twice. At 7.30, was not crowded, by 8:00 it was. Mickey waffles are only on a kids meal, but I ordered them anyway. It was relaxing walking and sitting by the lake.
Pros:
decoration of the resort & buses came quickly&lakeCons:
no hot tubReviewed by Kg25 Review Date: 03/16/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
Nice clean place to stay. Service is great. Food at the food court does not offer much variety and the quality is slightly below average. The buses were great, never waited more than15 minutes except during extra magic morning hours....I think there should be multiple buses for the park that is open early...by the time a bus comes for the early morning hours, you really don't get to the park early enough to enjoy that extra time.
Pros:
Great clean room...lots to doCons:
Bus during extra magic hoursReviewed by BacksideOfWater1971 Review Date: 01/26/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
I recently returned from a 6 day, 5 night stay at Pop Century resort.
The resort is themed to Pop Culture from the 1950s-1990s with the 50s wing having massive statues of Lady the dog, Tramp the dog, and a jukebox in front of the buildings and bowling pins as stairwells. The 50's wing is also home to a bowling pin shaped pool that is quieter than the main pool.
The 60's wing has Baloo and Moguli from The Jungle Book and a jar of Play-Doh in front and various color Yo-Yos as stairwells. This is also where the resort's main pool and kiddie pool are located, both shaped like flowers. Various activities take place here during the day and a poolside movie under the stars at night. It can be a bit noisy so if you are ;looking for peace and quiet in the middle of the day, request a different wing. Near the pool is also the poolside bar but I didn't partake in anything there.
I was staying in the 70's wing which had a giant Big Wheel and Vintage Mickey Mouse telephone in front, 8-Trac tapes as stairwells, and a giant Foosball set between the buildings as well as 2 small areas with Twister mats painted on the ground. Between the 60s and 70s wing was a small water play area featuring Goofy holding a surfboard.
The 80's wing had Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head nearby with a giant Walkman and Roger Rabbit out front and Rubik's Cubes in various states of being solved as stairwells.
The 90s wing building had a laptop out front and cell phones as stairwells.
Between the 80s buildings and in front of the 90s on was the computer shaped pool, also a quiet pool.
Around the resort were sings telling about major events that happened during that particular decade.
Nestled behind the Big Wheel 70s building was a small play area for children. Near all 3 pools was guest laundry facilities.
Classic Hall was the resort's main building being the home of the main lobby with memorabilia from the years lining the walls as well as a kid's area with games and TV, the Fast Forward arcade (that I didn't visit this trip) and the Everything Pop Gift Shop and Food Court.
The gift shop had a lot of the same merchandise you could find anywhere on property but also sold things you may need like sunscreen, moleskin pads, pain reliever, magazines, etc.
The food court had a wide variety of options between 5 stations. I personally only had 2 meals there. 1 breakfast and 1 dinner. For breakfast I opted for biscuits and gravy. Being from the south that was a no brainier. The biscuit was light, fluffy, and flavorful and gravy was no to thick, not to thin and tasted wonderful. For dinner I had Pepperoni Pizza bread which was delicious and some of the Tye-dye cheesecake which I didn't think much of, but then again I am VERY particular when it comes to cheesecake. Also at the food court you can buy the mugs that can be refilled unlimited times during your stay. I read many people complaining about issues with the new RFID system. I personally had no issues. Set your mug on the tray, fill it up, remove mug. You have to wait 2 minutes between refills to minimize sharing.
Pop Century is the only resort on it's bus line which was a major factor in why I opted to stay there other the lesser priced All star resorts which share a bus between the 3 resorts. Buses came regularly and I was never made to wait long nor where they ever super crowded like the All Star buses. Only once was I not able to sit during the trip.
The room itself was very clean and was kept that way daily by Mousekeeping. In the room was 2 full beds, a nightstand with a phone and alarm clock, a small table with 2 chairs, a dresser with 3 drawers with a large flat screen TV on top and a mini fridge, a small area with a sink and mirror outside of the bathroom, and a small bathroom with a tub and toilet. Personally while at Disney all I need a room for is a bed and a shower so this fit my needs perfectly although I do see where it could be a bit cramped for a family.
The only complaint I had was I requested a lake view so I could see the Art Of Animation resort across the hourglass lake but got a room on the opposite side of the building but since I was hardly ever in the room, that was a minor issue.
If you want a resort with a ton of things to do outside the parks and a sit down restaurant Pop Century is not for you, but if you are a nostalgia buff like me you will love it here. Especially where they hold dance parties in the food court like when I was invited by Cast Members to do The Twist. Either it is more strenuous then it looks, or I am VERY out of shape.
Pros:
No Shared Buses, close to Epcot and DHS, Wonderful ThemingCons:
NoneReviewed by jackiejzhou Review Date: 01/20/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
Stayed there Jan 7-10, 2014. I took my 9 year old son on DW winter special. The room is clean, perfect for 2 of us. Could be too small for 4. We arrived at 5.00 am, took the DW express to the hotel, and the room was ready to move in. Maid service is prompt. Front desk is very nice. Bus is frequent. We never waited more than 5 minutes. We had room service one night with bread sticks and chicken wings. It was very good. We had a quiet room in the 70th facing the lake. The only con. is there is no sound proof between rooms. I could hear next door going to the bathroom. Fortunately, no one snored:)
Pros:
location, transportation, price, food.Cons:
—Reviewed by KIL2814 Review Date: 01/16/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
I wanted to post a review since I just read several somewhat negative reviews and we had a wonderful experience there and would stay there again. We stayed at Pop from 12/22 to 12/28/13. It was our first trip to Disney as a family and we had a preferred room. The room was very clean and let's face it, you are not in the room that much. I thought the bus transportation was excellent. There was no bus sharing like with the All Star Resorts. Yes it was busy because we were there at Christmas but we took advantage of the extra magic hrs. and never had to wait more than a few minutes for a bus. The kids loved the pool and didn't seem to mind the food court. We did online check-in and had magic bands and check-in/out was a breeze. We arrived an hour or so before check-in and our room was ready for us. My only complaint, and it's not Disney's fault, were the rude people (other guests) in the food court. The refillable mugs were great but it was very annoying to be standing there filling your mug and someone else just shoves theirs in front of you. By the end of the trip I was glad to get away from crowds of rude people, but unfortunately, you are going to run into them everywhere.
Pros:
Clean, bus transportation was fine (no shared buses)Cons:
food court could use some updatingReviewed by Mirner77 Review Date: 01/09/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
After reading about the length of the walk to the rooms at the Art of Animation, we opted to stay at Pop Century. We truly were not disappointed. We sprung extra for a preferred room and this was really great since we got a room super close to the transportation and the food court. We requested a room on the top floor which we received. Our room was very quiet despite facing the pool. The room was kept super clean by Mousekeeping. We had two towel animals. A Mickey on arrival and a little one also mid-week. The food court was always busy, but there was always room to sit. Staff was wonderful! Friendly and helpful as can be! We had yogurt parfaits for breakfast, which were wonderful! We had burgers one night and it was all very good! No complaints and refillable cups are great! The amount of time we spent in the room was so minimal and I didn't find the size of the rooms was an issue at all for my family of 4 (2 adults, 15 year old and a 7 year old). We were only in our room to go to sleep and to get ready in the morning. I see no need to spend more on a "deluxe or moderate" accommodation when we're only there for minimal amounts. Pool area was cleaned daily. I will definitely be returning to the Pop Century!
Pros:
Location, bus transportation systemCons:
NoneReviewed by michelle032203 Review Date: 01/08/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
We stayed there from December 26-31, Check in was very easy and simple, the lobby was decorated very nicely for the them. The kids found all the objects from the different decades very interesting. Our room was a nice size room for a Value resort. The bathroom shower was the worst part of the room. We only used the pools once during our stay and they were nice. No slides or hot tubs but that is what I expect out of a value resort. The bus service was nice, the stop for the bus was in the front of the resort. We never waited to long for a bus and they weren't to crowded even though the parks were the most crowded I had ever seen them.
The food court wasn't what I expected. We felt like it didn't have enough choices and the kids choices weren't very kid friendly. I thought for a Value resort they would have better selections since a lot of people would be eating there versus a deluxe resort. The food seemed a little fancy and expensive. We walked over to Art of Animation's food court one day to see if it was any better and it was worse on food selection. Overall we loved staying here and it has been our favorite Value Resort we have stayed at. If you are looking for one of the cheaper resorts I would recommend this over the All- Star Resorts.
Pros:
Clean resort Area, Buses weren't crowdedCons:
Bathroom shower was horribleReviewed by bosslady79 Review Date: 01/07/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
Stayed 10 nights Nov 11-20. Everything was awesome. For the amount of time spent in the parks, why pay extra for a moderate or deluxe. first time staying at this resort, will definately be back. Only minor issue, AC unit is a bit loud.
Food court good for breakfast and lunch. Short bus line waits. Could use some minor refurbs to paint.
