value resort
Disney's Pop Century Resort
Filmed on site — video published April 23, 2026 · watch it
The short answer
Pop Century is the value resort with Skyliner access, from about $213 a night in 2026. That gondola line to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios is the entire argument for paying roughly $60 more than the All-Stars — it turns two park days from a bus queue into a ten-minute ride you can walk onto.
Melissa’s resort tour
Filmed on site. The rooms, the pools, and the walk to transport.
How you get to the parks
- Skylinerto EPCOT and Hollywood Studios
- Busto every park, from every resort
- Wheelchair or ECVhow each bus, monorail, Skyliner and boat boards
Routes as Disney publishes them, read Sep 2026.
How long it really takes to get to each park
We haven’t timed this resort yet. A door-to-gate time goes here once we have walked the route with a stopwatch at least five times — a single reading hides the variation that actually makes people miss a breakfast reservation. How we measure.
What it costs
$149cheapest$558median$816dearest
Rack rate for a standard room in the cheapest 2026 season, tax included, from Disney’s published rate calendar. Read Sep 6, 2026.
Who it’s right for
Families doing EPCOT and Hollywood Studios who want value pricing without value transport. Also anyone who has stayed at the All-Stars and found the buses the worst part — this is the fix, and it is the cheapest way to get it.
Who it’s wrong for
Anyone whose park days are mostly Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, where the Skyliner does not help and you are paying for it anyway. Also wrong for parties of five — there are no family suites at Pop Century, which is the one thing Art of Animation next door does better.
Is it worth the money?
Yes, if you are visiting EPCOT or Hollywood Studios. The Skyliner is not a novelty: it runs continuously, you can see the queue before you join it, and it removes the single worst part of a value-resort stay. If your park days are Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom you are on buses anyway, and the All-Stars do the same job for $60 less.
Where to eat here
Every restaurant here with its own page on this site, with the typical spend a head from that page.
- Everything POP Shopping & Dining · Counter service, about $17
What the rooms are actually like
Refurbished rooms with two queen beds — a genuine upgrade over the All-Stars, where the second bed is often a double. A pull-down single sits under the television, which is how the room sleeps four adults without anyone sharing. Hard floors, mini-fridge, coffee maker, and a sliding barn door to the bathroom that does not fully block light or sound.
Standard rooms are about 260 square feet.
Sleeps up to 4, not counting infants — the table below says which room that takes.
Every room type, and who fits in it
Straight from Disney’s own booking data, checked 2026-09-19. Occupancy excludes infants — Disney counts a baby in a cot separately, which is why a room that “sleeps 5” here can appear as 6 on their site.
| Room | Sleeps (excl. infants) | Adults | Beds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preferred Pool View Views of Hippy Dippy Pool Close to Classic Hall, Dining, Shopping and Transportation | 4 | 4 | 1 Queen Bed + 1 Queen-Size Pull-Down Bed or 1 King Bed |
| Standard Room Views of the Resort Hotel or Parking Areas | 4 | 4 | 1 Queen-Size Pull-Down Bed + 1 Queen Bed or 1 King Bed |
| Standard Pool View Views of Bowling Pool or Computer Pool | 4 | 4 | 1 Queen Bed + 1 Queen-Size Pull-Down Bed or 1 King Bed |
| Preferred Room Views of Courtyard or Landscaping Close to Classic Hall, Dining, Shopping and Transportation | 4 | 4 | 1 Queen Bed + 1 Queen-Size Pull-Down Bed or 1 King Bed |
Which room should you request?
Exterior walkways as at all value resorts. The 80s and 90s buildings are closest to the Skyliner station; the 50s and 60s buildings are closest to the food court and buses. You cannot have both, and the Skyliner is worth more than the food court. Rooms facing Hourglass Lake are the quiet ones.
What are the pools like?
- Hippy Dippy Pool
- Bowling Pool — quiet pool
- Computer Pool — quiet pool
Disney’s own recreation page accounts for 3 pools. Named by Disney: Hippy Dippy Pool, Bowling Pool, Computer Pool. Disney’s pool page, read 2026-09-19.
What has changed recently?
Rooms were refurbished between 2017 and 2019 to the queen-bed layout with the pull-down single, and Disney announced a further round of new rooms and a reconfigured lobby in March 2026, so check whether your dates fall inside the current work before booking. The Skyliner station opened on 29 September 2019, which changed what this resort is worth more than any room work did.
Working from here
workable
A proper desk-height table and a chair you can sit at for an hour, which the All-Stars do not have. Wifi holds up better than at the All-Stars but still slows in the evening. Workable for a morning of email; not a place to run a call-heavy day.
Common questions
- How much is Pop Century per night?
- From about $213 in the cheapest 2026 season to $396 over Christmas, rack rate including Orange County's 12.5% tax. That is roughly $60 a night more than the All-Stars, and the Skyliner is what you are buying.
- Is the Skyliner worth staying at Pop Century for?
- For EPCOT and Hollywood Studios days, yes — it runs continuously, you can see the queue before joining it, and it removes the bus wait entirely. For Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom days it does nothing, and you are on the same buses as the All-Stars.
- Does Pop Century have family suites?
- No. Pop Century rooms sleep four plus one child under three in a cot. For five or six people the options are Art of Animation's family suites next door, or All-Star Music's, which are cheaper.
- Pop Century or Art of Animation?
- Pop Century for standard rooms — it is cheaper for essentially the same room and the same Skyliner station. Art of Animation for family suites, or if you have a child who will lose their mind over the Cars, Lion King or Finding Nemo courtyards.
What it looks like
Illustration, not a photograph of this resort — a real one is on our shot list.
Sources
- MouseSavers — Pop Century 2026 rates — reported by · checked
- Melissa's Pop Century 2026 overview — Melissa was there · checked
- MouseSavers — 2026 Walt Disney World room rates and season dates — reported by · checked
- Walt Disney World — Disney's Pop Century Resort: room types and rates (official booking data: 4 room types, sleeping 4–4 excluding infants) — Disney official · checked