Reviews of Pop Century Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed by abmadmo Review Date: 07/19/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
Stayed at Pop for the 1st time July 6-13 with my husband and 2 daughters. We loved the resort. More than plenty lifeguards (at the Hippy Dippy pool anyway) so that we felt ok letting our 16 yo and 10 yo swim w/o us being right on top of them. I requested a standard room in the 60's section for easier access to the buses and food court and we were put in building 5 in the 60's (5316) which overlooked the lake and AoA. Being on the 3rd floor and away from the pool, it was SO quiet. Never heard a sound while in our room. Though there were several LARGE quincenera groups, dance competition groups and international groups all over WDW as well as Pop, they were polite and kind of fun to watch, if not a little hard to deal with in the food court. At times 1 register would be partitioned off for one of these groups only. Not a huge ordeal though. We didn't eat a great deal at the food court but what we did was very good. We always get the refillable resort mugs and this was our 1st time using the RFID ones. It was a little obnoxious getting the cup aligned right at first and irritating if the station I was at had run out of drink syrup b/c I'd then move to another drink station to read that I still had X minutes or seconds til my next refill. No worries though b/c you can get another refill in 3 minutes. Mousekeeping was wonderful before and during our stay. CM's were very friendly and helpful. My only issues, which are small, is that if it's raining and you're en route to your room, there's not much cover and the parking for the 60's section is WAAAAAY far away from the actual 60's buildings. Not a huge ordeal as we stay on WDW transportation from the second we check in til the moment we leave. Just kind of a pain to lug luggage so far. All in all? A great resort w/ ample seating in food court, plentiful gift shop, fun poolside activities director at the (main) pool and clean with comfy beds (though the pillows could've been better).
Pros:
the happy energy, good lifeguard presence, price, cleanlinessCons:
would be nice to have more cover between buildings during rainReviewed by Jessica527 Review Date: 07/18/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
We traveled with a party of 7 with 3 different rooms. Pop Century was very accommodating, prior to our stay – I requested that the 3 rooms be in the same building and close enough to an elevator to accommodate 2 people in our party if on an upper floor. Not only did Pop Century put all 3 rooms in line for us, but upgraded us to premium to allow a shorter walk for our party to the bus stop and food court. The room was good and we had no issues with mousekeeping. We were happy with the food options and we mostly used our snack credits on breakfast options at the resort. It was also great to see at night how lively the resort is, including many cast members available for pin trading and many different activities going on throughout the resort. Our only complaint was the long lines for the bus service when coming home from a park. The going to was never bad, but typically when we were coming home it would be quite the line. I believe we only sat down on the bus once or twice our entire stay due to the amount of people on the bus. I am thankful that Pop Century did not share their bus service with any other resort though. We have stayed deluxe in the past and we came home feeling excited about Pop Century at the value pricing.
Pros:
Room location, food options, room accomodationsCons:
bus serviceReviewed by mickeymom5 Review Date: 07/11/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
We stayed here July 5-7, 2014. Our room was #9372. Our first night there was terrible. We heard all the noise from the "quiet" computer pool. There were sports teams of all ages running around the resort all hours of the night. There were parents sitting outside of their rooms drinking out of red solo cups. I gave the resort an "8" because the CM's were so helpful and the grounds and room was so clean. There were CM's having to work really hard to pick up after people leaving leftover trash and food in the stairwells and walkways. The people who were staying here really ruined the resort for me. We will not stay here again. I guess they put the sports teams here so they can be closer to ESPN Wide World of Sports. The second night we stayed in MK until 2 am. We turned the fan on in our bathroom to block out the outside noise, and we crashed on our bed.
Pros:
helpfulness of CM's, cleanliness of room and groundsCons:
loud sports teams, noise from poolReviewed by RSZB Review Date: 06/29/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
This was my first stay at the Pop Century resort for one night – June 20th. We checked into our preferred room (6408) at 10:30am. It overlooked the foosball game in the courtyard. We were only there for one night, but it was quiet and close to the main building. The room size was adequate for the 2 of us on a girls’ trip, but would be a challenge for my family of 4. The bedding was comfortable and we were greeted with towels shaped into a Mickey head. I missed not having a ceiling fan and second sink.
Even though we didn’t have a chance to eat there, the food court seemed to have many options. (As a side note, my family loves the Riverside food court.) I strolled through the gift shop which was well stocked with a large variety of merchandise. Take the time to view the shadow boxes on the wall across from the check-in desk. They were definitely a “blast from the past!†We passed by the large pool area, which was very sunny and not crowded.
The bus service was just okay – maybe it was our timing. During our short stay, we took the bus from the resort to Downtown Disney and back and then to Hollywood studios and back. Each bus had 2-4 wheel chairs and/or scooters to load. Each trip took 30-35 minutes from the time we arrived at the bus stop to when we left.
We took a walk across the bridge to visit the Art of Animation resort at night. The short walk across the bridge and on the main pathways are very well lit. The pool area was gated and required a room key to access. The main building is similar in design to Pop. Each section is themed to a movie and is very fun!
The cast members at Pop were very friendly, attentive, and interacted with all age levels. I’ve stayed at all resort levels and felt there was no difference in service between this value and moderate or deluxe.
I would recommend the Pop for those who spend the majority of their time in the parks.
Pros:
priceCons:
lack of ceiling fanReviewed by Time2Talk Review Date: 06/15/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
My hotel room was neat and clean. The beds were comfortable. The rides to and from the parks were very quick.
I was disappointed that the pools closed at 11 p.m. I wish there was at least one quiet pool that remained open, especially after the parks closed later.
I've stayed at different hotels at Disney World. I find that I'm only in the hotel for sleeping. The price makes the Pop Century very attractive. I would stay at Pop Century again.
Pros:
Pricing and location to Magic KingdomCons:
Pool closes at 11 p.m.; no cover over lines for transportation; and no table service diningReviewed by peytonshea02 Review Date: 06/02/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
We are back from our 4th stay at POP. We stayed 5/20-5/28. We requested 60's lake view when we made our reservation. We did online check in and selected 60's lake view. We arrived around noon on the 20th - Our room was ready and guess what we got for a room?.....YES! 60's lake view! We were in building 4, on the fourth floor. Room 4456 to be specific. It was PERFECT. Super close to the main pool but facing the lake so it was super quiet. We never heard a sound from the pool activities or nightly movies. We had a breathtaking view of AOA. And I mention the specific room number because the nights we were in our room at 9:00 (which were far and few between) we could open our door and see Illuminations from Epcot.
The room was immaculate when we arrived. We loved the new bedding. Simple white bedding with just the runner of the previous bed spread. Much less tacky. 😉 They also added a nice 4 peg rack to the room which was a great help with our pool towels. The last 2 trips we stayed at AKL and the 1 thing I really missed? No ceiling fan. I really missed that! I hate no air in the room.
The food court has undergone some menu changes since our last visit. We ate quite a few meals there this stay and enjoyed it very much. I will post the specifics on the dining review board. 🙂 Is it crazy during peak dining hours? Yup. It's a food court at Disney. That being said, we never had a problem finding a clean table. The service was excellent. The only pain in the tail issue we had was the Diet Coke was flat more times than not. That makes me cranky. But I move on quickly.
The pool was a lovely, much needed break, during the crazy heat of the week. I will say this..if you want quiet..the main pool is not the place to be in the afternoon or evening. They had dance parties and pool activities all afternoon and the nightly movie is at 9:00. Our kids and the gajillions of other kids loved it. But if you are looking for some quiet time, go to one of the other 2 pools.
We always always rent a car when we go to the World - so no comments on the bus system.
This trip was all about being in the Parks, so POP was a great fit for us! If you have reasonable expectations, you will have a fabulous stay! We loved everything about our stay. 🙂
Pros:
theming, rooms, food court optionsCons:
—Reviewed by Angelc1420 Review Date: 05/30/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
This was our 4th stay at Pop - we love it! I did the online check in and our room was ready when we arrived at 9:30. The food court choices had changed since our last visit and we weren't quite as impressed, but the breakfast was always great. Never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a bus which was great because it was really hot this trip. Can't wait to stay here again.
Pros:
Atmosphere!Cons:
Food Court ChoicesReviewed by clyde0523 Review Date: 05/26/2014
Rating: (7) Recommended
Pop Century is a great value resort as long as you keep in mind that you will be sleeping and showering here only. The rooms and bathrooms are on the small side and I'm not sure who decided the beds were queen size, but they are more like full or double beds.
The theming is excellent and fun! There are lots of photo opportunities around the resort. There are 3 heated pool options with lifeguards on duty at all three. The pools have plenty of seating and options for families.
The on site restaurant is really good and offers multiple options for breakfast, lunch and supper. The staff is very friendly and willing to help with questions about dining plans. The gift shop is also excellent and carries a variety of Disney items. Express check in/check out is wonderful and I highly recommend using the online options!
The resort over all is great for the price, just don't go in expecting the luxury you will get from more expensive Disney hotels.
Pros:
price, theming, restaurantCons:
size of roomsReviewed 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.
