Pop Century Love
There’s just something magical about arriving at Epcot on a gondola. And there are so few Disney resorts that will get you to Epcot or Hollywood Studios on a gondola. One of those resorts and the most affordable is Disney’s Pop Century resort.
The big Mickey phone. Located in the 70s section of the resort
My son calls it the Mickey phone hotel. Not everyone can afford the Riviera and Caribbean Beach and Art of Animation can sometimes be pricey. When choosing a hotel I try my best to choose a hotel on the skyliner route and most often it has been Disney’s Pop Century hotel. We have stayed at a few Disney resorts and the other transportation is not bad but for me staying on the skyliner line is just superior to using a bus.
The skyliner also allows you to quickly get to the Carribean beach resort or continue to the Riviera. Both of those hotels have table service restaurants as well as quick service. I love flying over to the Riviera for a coffee or pastry from their coffee shop. Their quick service Primo Piatto has some yummy offerings for all the meals. The blueberry-lemon pancakes at breakfast and the croque monsieur sandwich are two of my favorites!
Pop Century is my favorite value hotel but it is great for other reasons besides just the skyliner. One of those things is being located across hourglass lake from Art of Animation. On a non park day or just for a break from the crowds you can easily walk over to enjoy their theming. It’s great to walk over to the Cars section and feel like you are in Cars land.
Cars Land at Disney’s Art of Animation
Pop Century has three pools. We love visiting the pools. The bowling pin and computer pool are more quiet and less busy than the hippy dippy pool. If you are looking for an area to stay and you want to head to bed early I would caution against a room near the Hippy Dippy pool. The music runs while the pool is open and is fairly loud.
Spending some time at the bowling pool
A totally awesome Goofy statue
We love getting a room in the 70s section. There’s no pool there so it is usually quiet. It is also a short walk to classic hall to visit all things Pop store and the quick service dining. I really like that you can mobile order breakfast and that they have Joffreys cold brew available.
A tip about staying at a value resort at Disney. All the room doors are open to the outside like a motel. Sometimes the rooms can be loud. I always bring a fan or a sound machine with us to help drown out the noise.
If you have Facebook search for a pop century group. These groups always have great ideas for decorating your room windows and doors. Also people frequently leave things behind at the end of their trips and will leave it out for you to take (ie. extra drinks and snacks). Some Pop Century guests like to pin trade at the resorts and this will also be posted in those groups. It’s a great place to see what’s going on around the resort.
What is your favorite Disney value resort? Let me know in the comments!