The 5 Best Things about Disney’s Pop Century Resort

Disney's Pop Century Resort recently celebrated its 13th birthday (the resort opened December 14, 2003) and it is our favorite Value resort on property. The resort is themed around oversized, colorful icons and memories from the 20th century including Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, mood rings, and even Lady and the Tramp.

What do you love about Pop Century?

The resort was originally planned as two sections - Classic Years, 1950 to 1990, and the Legendary Years 1900 to 1940. The Legendary Years section was never developed and in 2010 it was announced that the buildings would be used to create the Art of Animation Resort.

There are many reasons why we love Pop Century, but today we're going to check out the top five best things about Pop Century!

5. Dedicated Bus Line: One of the things we love most about Pop Century is that, unlike some other value resorts (we're looking at you All-Star Resorts), Pop has its own dedicated bus line. Guests at the All-Star Resorts often find themselves in very long lines to get on the bus and the buses make stops at all three of the All Star resorts, making the trips much longer. Disney's free transportation between resorts and theme parks is far from perfect, but when you know your bus is headed to just ONE resort it makes the wait a bit less dreadful.

Transporation is easy to and from Pop Century

4. Location: Pop Century is considered a 'Wide World of Sports' area-resort, and it is actually a short bus ride to the Walt Disney World theme parks. The resort is closest to Disney's Hollywood Studios. If you're taking Disney resort transportation to one of the theme parks your travel times should be:

• Magic Kingdom: 12 to 15 minutes
• Epcot: 8 to 10 minutes
• Disney's Animal Kingdom: 9 to 12 minutes
• Disney's Hollywood Studios: 5 to 7 minutes
• Disney Springs: 10 to 15 minutes

Of course, travel times do depend on the time of year, crowd levels, and general traffic within the Walt Disney World Resort.

Another perk of staying at Pop Century is that you can walk to Disney's Art of Animation Resort. One of our favorite things to do is visit the Landscape of Flavors (AoA's quick service restaurant) for dinner one night during our trip. Landscape of Flavors is one of the best resort quick service spots at Disney World so it's worth the walk!

Visit the Art of Animation Resort while you're at Pop Century

The stroll across Generation Gap Bridge (which takes you over Hourglass Lake) is a great way to see both resorts. Be sure to take your camera and get some good photos of Pop and Art of Animation. Just remember there's no pool hopping allowed so you can't take a dip in the Big Blue Pool!

3. Pools: Speaking of pools, Pop Century is home to three unique pools: the Computer Pool, the Bowling Pin Pool, and the main Hippy Dippy Pool. The Computer Pool is located near the 1980s and 1990s section of the resort and was recently updated. The Bowling Pin Pool (our favorite) is located near the 1950s section and is considered a "quiet pool" just like the Computer Pool. In reality it isn't really "quiet" but both are less crowded than the Hippy Dippy Pool.

The Hippy Dippy Pool is a flower-shaped pool located near the 1960s section and Classic Hall. It's where you'll find the daytime pool-side activities and the Petals Pool Bar. No matter which pool you choose, you're sure to have a good time!

Hippy Dippy Pool at Pop Century

2. Everything Pop: If you're hungry at Pop Century there is just one place to go and that's Everything Pop. You'll find this quick service food court once you walk through the gift shop (how Disney is that?). It's where you'll refill those refillable mugs and find the world famous Tie Dye Cheesecake. It is easy to feel overwhelmed once you're inside the food court as there are several food stations where you can choose from pizza, pasta, burgers and sandwiches, healthy options, ethnic cuisine, and even grab-and-go (these choices are for lunch and dinner).

Some of our favorites include the Chicken Parm with Alfredo Sauce, Flatbreads, and create-your-own salads. At breakfast the Bounty Platter is perfect for sharing. Of course Tie Dye Cheesecake is always a dessert must (even if it is served in a cup now...womp, womp) but the Everything Pop Sundae is also delicious. If you're feeling really adventurous try one of the specialty burgers for lunch or dinner. The Pop Waffle is another great choice at breakfast.

Tie Dye Cheesecake from Everything Pop

And as much as we love Everything Pop we do recommend walking over to Art of Animation for at least one meal at Landscape of Flavors. ;-)

1. Theming and Icons: The best thing about Pop Century (in our humble opinion) is the themeing. While the other Value resorts also feature colorful and over-the-top themeing, there is something special about Pop Century. Each time we visit we take some time to walk around the resort, exploring the decades and checking out the over-sized icons. A few favorites include the giant bowling pin staircases in the 1950s, the Mickey Mouse phone in the 1970s, and of course Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head near the 1980s.

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head at Pop Century

The fun themeing continues at the pools (check out the bowling balls at the Bowling Pin Pool), on the buildings, and even in the lobby. You'll want to check out the memory boxes in the lobby just to see all the cool stuff inside!

UPDATE! In 2017 Walt Disney Parks & Resorts announced that Disney's Pop Century and Art of Animation Resorts would be getting their very own stop on the new Skyliner. This new aerial transportation system will connect Pop Century directly with Disney's Hollywood Studios and the International Gateway at Epcot. The new transportation system is currently under construction.

We could walk around the resort for hours just taking it all in from the bright and colorful buildings to the giant icons in each decade. And don't forget to look for the "fact signs" located around the resort - you'll find fun trivia about each decade.

You just have to love a Disney rainbow!

Have you stayed at Pop Century? What is your favorite thing about the resort? Let us know in the comments. And be sure to check out the PopCenturySite.com for all the information you need about Pop Century.