The last thing you want to think about on vacation is a problem with where you’ve chosen to call your temporary home but sometimes, we just have to call things as we see them.
Disney World is full of really great hotel options between the Value, Moderate, Deluxe, and Disney Vacation Club Villas to choose from — but sometimes it’s not all Mickey Waffles and ice cream. We’re giving you a head’s up on our BIGGEST problem with Disney’s Pop Century Resort.
Sometimes it’s the little things that can make the difference in where you’re choosing your Disney World hotel stay. For us, we often become conflicted about food. Value hotels at Disney World can be an excellent option for families, large groups, and folks who are planning on spending most of their time in the parks.
But, because they’re Value Resorts, they don’t come with all the bells and whistles you might find at Moderate or Deluxe Resorts. And that means a lack of options when it comes to dining.
Everything POP Shopping & Dining is the conjoined store and quick service restaurant at Pop Century. While it’s a great idea to have the two so close, the problem we ran into was just that — it’s your only choice at this resort.
Aside from the cute desserts like the Tie-dye Cheesecake and the POP Goes Bananas Cupcake, the food here is fairly standard theme park food. The dish offerings don’t deviate much from the standard, pizza, salad, burgers, chicken strips, and hot dogs that we see repeated at quick service locations throughout Disney World parks.
When you compare their menu to other value resorts like the Intermission Food Court at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort or World Premiere Food Court at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort that offer dishes like Baked Gnocchi Turkey Bolognese, Chicken-Parmesean Pasta, Sesame Chicken Stir Fry, and Braised Beef it really just falls short and leaves you feeling a bit empty at the realization.
This isn’t to say that you will have a terrible time staying at this resort but if you like having options for dining while you’re enjoying your downtime at the resort then this might not be the choice for you. But, if you’re not expecting to be wowed and are just looking for some solid options to keep you full, Pop Century might still be a great option!
We’re constantly checking amenities, menus, and refurbishments at Disney World hotels every day so for the latest in updated information, stay tuned with us AllEars.
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Have you ever stayed at Pop Century Resort? Tell us about your experience in the comments!
I stayed at Pop in April 2023 (have stayed there about 5 times in last 10 years) and always a positive experience. I ate at the food court multiple times in April and really enjoyed the plant based options. Very happy with the food options at Pop.
We stay at Pop Century every year. I like the Skyliner access and they don’t share a bus with other resorts like the All Stars. You know going into this that you have a food court. Like Barb below, the price allows us to enjoy VIP experiences, Dessert Parties, Eat to the Beat Dining Packages and especially the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. We have pedestrian taste buds so if we want a more bougie dinner, we will go to the Boat House or Wine George at Disney Springs!
This is not a problem. We love staying at Pop because the price is great, easy walk to the skyliner, poolview rooms are wonderful, leaves lots of money to enjoy the extras. Staying at Pop allows us to book a few extras on trips like: character meals, fireworks seating, go to after hour events. I can make a VIP trip out of a Pop stay, food here is just to hold us over until we go to other places to eat. We would never have been able to do all the extras staying in a deluxe resort, but I can book a dinner at one. Drawback of AOA is the Mermaid rooms are a long walk to the skyliner. Deluxe poolview room at Pop are very close to the skyliner. Plus book your trip end of August room prices are very low, great time to enjoy the Halloween party.
This is not a problem for those of us who are not foodies. We are at WDW for rides abs experiences, not to eat. I know not everyone is like me (especially when every Disney blog I follow has so many posts about Disney dining and snacks).
What’s nice is having art of animation next door to choose from! Then you’ve got stops along the skyliner for food! Much easier options than waiting on a bus to somewhere
I don’t think this is really a deal breaker since you can just walk over to Art of Animation. Their cafeteria has all the better options listed in the article.