Review: Disney World's Pop Century Resort (Value & Accessibility Experience)

Is Disney's Pop Century Resort worth it?

Disney World has a lot of resorts. Like a lot. This is great because it gives a variety of options for various family types or budgets but it can also be really overwhelming - especially if you have accessibility needs. I stayed at Disney's Pop Century Resort which is classed as a "value" resort so I hope this blog post will help anyone who is looking to save a little bit of money and wants to know if they can still have a good experience. (TL: DR – you can!). Also, as your friendly neighbourhood wheelchair accessible travel blogger, I'll give you my opinions on accessibility of the resort including transportation links to the various Disney parks.

Okay, so throughout this blog I'm going to refer to Pop Century as a value resort. All this really means is that it's a resort that's more budget friendly in comparison to the other resorts that Disney offer. Pop Century is one of the cheaper properties where guests can stay and for me that was perfect. There are two types of people when it comes to travelling: those who want a fancy hotel they can relax in and live in luxury or people who just want somewhere that is functional and comfortable so that they have a place to rest while they are out and about. I fall into the latter. With all that said – let me give you a rundown of my thoughts on Disney's Pop Century.

Room design & accessibility

We were staying in a standard room for two adults and I felt that the room was the perfect size for my mum and I. There was enough room for two double beds but one gets stowed away in a very clever cupboard compartment which doubles up as a mini breakfast table. The whole thing was giving IKEA -type engineering but is a great way to utilise the space. The room was minimally designed – the most Disney theming we got in the room was a pop-art style Mickey collage above our bed. However, the wider resort is themed rather well – I'll get to that later. The room I stayed in was wheelchair accessible so the beds were lower than standard hotel beds which meant transfers were super easy and there was enough space in the room to navigate my power wheelchair easily. The bathroom was a wet room style shower room with a cubby at the end of the room where there is a shower and a shower seat. The bathroom is big enough but I came across two major issues. The location of the actual shower can be a bit awkward for transfers but doable if you are ambulant or have a lot of help. The second issue was with the toilet. The toilets are quite high! Compared to the height of the bed the toilets are a lot higher. It was possible to navigate but just something I thought I would mention.

Pop Century standard accessible room tour!

The room comes with a coffee machine and they will refill your teas/coffees whenever they turned down the room. I am British so I have learned whenever I am entering the United States that I must bring my own teabags. I also knew that the room wouldn't have a kettle so I did buy a collapsible portable kettle that I brought with me. Some may say that excessive but you have never met me before my morning cuppa – it is not a pleasant experience! Also, if you are staying a Disney resort as we did for two weeks, then they do change your bed sheets after a week to keep things fresh.

Resort Theming

Pop Century is themed on various decades from the 1950s to the 80s. We were staying in the 70s building which was bright orange with all the hippie paraphernalia plastered on the walls that could not be missed & opposite the was the 80s building which was a luminescent yellow. It can be quite kitschy for some but I loved it. It was very over-the-top and I feel like that what Disney is in essence. The poolside you were greeted by a 10 ft size Baloo and Mowgli and they were playing all sorts of retro tunes over the swimming pool speakers. I would say that this resorts had very bright colours with very strong theming that was placed where it would be most impactful. Everything was bright and had a strong sense that you were constantly being reminded of decades gone by.

Personally, my favourite part of the resort was that you could go for a super relaxing walk around Hourglass Lake. This was the lake that connected both Pop Century and the Art of Animation resort. It was huge and bright blue and on a sunny Florida day was the perfect way to relax and decompress from the noise of the Disney Park's.

The resort is also fully accessible by wheelchair. I found no parts of the resort problematic to reach and the walkways were flat and smooth. I did not use the swimming pool facilities so I'm not sure if they have a hoist, however, so I would probably ask if you are in need of one before booking.

Credit to wdwinfo.com

Transportation

Pop Century is not one of the closest resorts to the parks. However, it is highly connected and it's on the Disney Skyline route. I'll mention the skyline first because that was the thing I was most excited for what I booked this resort! You can travel by cable car from this resort to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. The journey will take you over Hourglass Lake, the highway (mildly terrifying if you have a fear of heights!) and the other amazing resorts that Disney has to offer. I vividly remember flying over the Caribbean Beach resort and it looking like a snapshot of a Hawaiian island. It was so much fun and I'm not sure if it's the quickest way to get to the parks but it's the most memorable in my opinion. If you're using a wheelchair, you will have a bit of a wait because they need to put you on a certain cable car so be prepared to queue for a little while of this more than one wheelchair in front of you.

The Disney bus after the morning rush

Thankfully, there are other options such as the Disney bus! The buses can take you to any of the Disney parks and for the Magic Kingdom, you'll get there in about 20 to 25 minutes. I remember it being a direct bus so there were no stops along the way at the other resorts. The only thing I find kind of funny is that if you are staying in one of the value resorts, your bus stop tends to be furthest from the park entrance. Not a bad thing but can be slightly inconvenient when it is pouring down with rain! I love the buses though – I was never one to go for rope drop (I don't mind missing the opening of the park) but this meant that the buses were never crowded when I was entering the park. A slightly different story when I was heading home but I would like to clarify that Disney has made it a priority that wheelchairs will board first. There's even a special place where wheelchair users can queue up for the bus so that drivers know and the crowd can't push in front of you. Therefore, my only real competition to get on a bus when the park was closing when my fellow wheelchair users and thankfully they send quite a few buses in the evening because of crowds.

The food at the resort

This would probably be my only negative. The food you get is standard but there is enough variety to suit everyone. When you visit the fancy resorts, you are able to get an à la carte service with a proper sitdown restaurant set up. At Disney's Pop Century it's more canteen style where you go to the various kiosks to order. The menu is the same throughout and does not change. I remember getting a chilli cheese dog that was extremely salty and a sesame chicken that tasted like very mediocre chinese takeaway. However, there breakfast was my favourite as they had the iconic Mickey waffles!

The breakfast of Disney champions!

If you looking for some other dining options, there's one thing you should remember: simply book restaurant reservations in the other Disney resorts. Yes, you read this right. You can book restaurant reservations in other Disney resorts as long as the slot is available. I booked lunch at Ohana which is in Disney's Polynesian village. I also booked breakfast in the Grand Floridian resort. At one point, I was going to walk across to Art of Animation resort because I wanted to get some of the Indian style chili paneer. Just note – you are not restricted to only eat at the resort you are staying at!

The other option is to order groceries in. The canteen has a microwave and the rooms have a mini fridge. We used Instacart. This helped us as we could order cereal, fresh fruit and a few gluten free snacks to keep in our room. It was cheaper than getting breakfast in the canteen and the freedom to eat whatever we liked.

Would I recommend this resort?

Yes! I would 100% recommend Pop Century! It's budget friendly and accessible without feeling cheap. The location is great and you can get decent food. This is the hotel for those who love the Disney Parks and just need somewhere comfy to rest and re-fuel.

Planning a Disney trip? Have a favourite memory from your last visit? Let me know in the comments below!