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Planning a trip to Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida? Then you should book a stay at Disney’s Pop Century Resort!
Pop Century is one of Disney’s onsite hotels. It is themed to the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. You can read our hotel review here. And you can see a virtual tour of the hotel here:
So are you ready for a stay at Pop Century? First, make sure you read our 12 tips to make your vacation even more magical!
1. Use Money Saving Hacks
Here at Green Vacation Deals, we’ve attained many money saving hacks throughout the years that will help you save a lot of money on your Pop Century stay.
We give you tips on five ways to save on your stay here. Some you may know about, some you may not.
2. Use Disney’s Skyliner Transportation System
You can use the Disney Skyliner Transportation system as a quick way to get to Epcot or Hollywood Studios theme parks. There is a Skyliner station conveniently placed between Pop Century & Art of Animation. You can see a video from our time on the Skyliner from our last stay at Pop Century here:
So definitely make sure you use the Skyliner to get from Pop Century to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. The Epcot station even lets you out at an entrance to the World Showcase, which is great if that’s where you want to go. They’re quicker than the buses – and more exciting. You can read our full review from the Skyliner here.
3. Take Advantage of Early Entry
Did you know that all guests in Disney hotels get early entry into the theme parks? That is definitely one of the big perks of staying at Pop Century! You can learn more about the early entry program here.
4. Buy Stuff Ahead of Time
Another thing you’re going to want to do ahead of time is shop. There are a lot of items you can buy a lot cheaper if you buy it before you get to Disney World. Not surprisingly, Disney jacks up the price on certain items. Check out our full list of things you should buy before your trip here.
4. Have a Meal at Everything POP
Everything POP is the food court at Pop Century, and it was recently refurbished. I really love the new design. It has a great retro feel to it that I think fits the hotel really well.
Having a meal here is great, especially breakfast. Not only is the breakfast food good, but the bus stop is right outside the food court. So you can go straight from the food court to the bus to the parks!
One reason I like eating at the food court, too, is their refillable mug. Which brings me to my next point…
5. Get a Refillable Mug
One thing I like about Disney World hotels is the ability to get a refillable mug. With the Rapid Refill system, you can buy a mug at the beginning of your trip. Then, you can refill your mug all trip for no extra cost. It can really save you a lot of money.
There are two refillable mug stations at Pop Century. One is in the food court.
The other one is by the pool.
The one by the pool is great because it is available even after the food court closes, which is great if you are getting back to the hotel late.
They are only available at Disney hotels like Pop Century. So make sure you buy one at the beginning of your trip!
7. Get a Preferred Room
You can pay a little more and get a preferred room. If possible, I think it’s worth the money. I’ve stayed at both a preferred room and a general room, and I really liked the preferred room stay. The preferred rooms are the rooms in the 1960s section and some in the 1950s section. Your room is much closer to the main lobby, which is where you can get mug refilled and have meals. You are also much closer to Disney’s Skyliner Transportation System. It saves you a lot of time. And you are really close to the main pool, the Hippy Dippy Pool.
8. Have a Meal at Art of Animation Resort
I really like the food court at Art of Animation, Landscapes of Flavor. There are beautiful pictures up of four popular Disney animated classics: The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo & Cars. Art of Animation is very close to Pop Century, so I would make my way there once to eat a meal. You can bring your refillable mug, which you’ll be able to use at Art of Animation. And it will give you a change of pace from the same food court day after day.
9. Watch Epcot Fireworks from outside the Skyliner Station
Right by the Skyliner Station between Pop Century and Art of Animation is a great spot to catch fireworks at Epcot. You won’t get the music, but you will get a great view of fireworks without having to work hard to get a good seat. And afterward, you can walk right back to your room. Just check the times of the Epcot fireworks.
Here’s a video of the current Epcot fireworks show, Luminous: The Symphony of Us:
10. Check Out The Decorations in the Lobby
When you stay at a Disney World hotel, you’re probably not thinking about spending a lot of time in the lobby. But take a few minutes out to see the decorations in the lobby. If you lived through the 1990s and/or earlier, then it will really take you back.
11. Read the Fun Facts throughout the Resort
A neat thing about the theming of this hotel is that you can learn a lot when you stay here. There are facts throughout the resort about significant pop culture dates during the decades covered in the hotel’s theme. It’s a bit like those facts from the Pop Up Video TV show on VH-1.
I have a lot of fun reading these facts, but I don’t always take the time to read them. So don’t make that mistake!
12. Take a bus from the parks to Art of Animation
When you don’t use the Skyliner, you’ll want to take advantage of the buses available to guests at Pop Century that take you to the parks. When you’re ready to come back to your hotel, you’ll head to the Pop Century bus. But what happens if you notice the Pop Century bus leaving just as you walk up?
A new bus will probably be arriving in the next twenty minutes, maybe sooner. But if you don’t want to wait for the next bus, consider taking a bus back to Art of Animation. As I mentioned before, Art of Animation is very close to Pop Century. And the bus stop for Art of Animation is usually right next to the bus stop for Pop Century at each park. So you’ll be able to notice if the Art of Animation bus comes. You can then got out of your line and into the Art of Animation line.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are lots of tricks you can use to make your stay at Disney’s Pop Century Resort as enjoyable as possible. And to recap, you can check out this video with some of these tips:
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