“Experience the unforgettable fads of the 1950s through the 1990s all over again. From yo-yos and Play-Doh® to Rubik’s Cube® and rollerblades POP Century salutes the timeless fashions, catch phrases, toys and dances that captivated the world through the decades.”

POP Century resort has always been a favorite value level resort of mine, simply because of the fun theming that takes me back to fond childhood memories.

However, the theming outside was pretty much where my love affair with POP ended.  The resort rooms while they worked perfectly for families of 4 with smaller children, couples or solos who spend most of the day in the parks and need just someplace to sleep, just did not lure me in.  Frankly, they just felt like a Disney-fied Motel 6.

Currently the rooms at Pop Century are under refurbishment that is being completed in phases, building by building, and should be completed by May 2018. As of October 2017, all three buildings in the 80s and 90s sections are finished with the refurbishment, with work on the 70s section that should be completed by early 2018 and the remaining 50s section by summer 2018.

As photographs and reviews began being leaked of the new rooms, I must admit that I was underwhelmed and a bit disappointed in what I thought was a room that was sterile, “un-Disney” and thematically lacking in attempts to make a value room more “upscale.” However, I was intrigued with the new room configuration and décor that I knew I needed to stay at POP Century on my next trip.  Did my opinion change when I saw and stayed in one of these rooms myself?

Walking into the room you are met with a lighter color scheme, mainly white with hints of orange, sky blue and lime along with lots of wood grain texture. There is Mickey Mouse pop art above the queen-sized bed and Pluto pop card above the Murphy bed.  The room feels clean and refreshing, not as sterile as the pictures felt.  However, I am not a fan of the stark white bedding and miss the runners at the foot of the bed that lend a pop of color and theme.

I absolutely love the replacement of the carpet with wood laminate flooring! Now I feel as if I can walk around the room without shoes knowing that a damp mop easily cleans any spills made.  No more gross carpet stains or just that icky dirty dusty feel.  And those that are worried about noise, I NEVER heard my neighbors and I know I had many because there was no availability that weekend.

The biggest change to the room was the new configuration of a regular bed flanked by nightstands, and Murphy bed that doubles as a table. Both beds are queen-sized, versus the double beds previously in these rooms, which is nice when you are sharing a bed with a bed hog spouse or child. The space that the pull-down Murphy Bed opens up is huge. It made the small room feel less claustrophobic, and that plus the color choices and have a place to sit down made it easier for me to spend time in the room, where in the past I just felt like the room was a place to sleep.  However, the addition of 2 queen beds, you lose a lot of space when the Murphy bed is open, after all this is a value room so space is at a premium, I am not sure if I would like this room with 2 teenagers and my husband.

There’s also a ton more storage space, including a dresser under the television, and a variety of random cubbies around the room. However, if you need to hang clothing, the small attempt at a closet is disappointing as a friend pointed out.  She likes to Disney bound and attend Dapper Days, so dresses will not fit in the closet in terms of length and width.  I did point out to her the hooks located throughout the room for hanging of coats and bags.  For those that like to live out of a suitcase, there is not much room for an open suitcase when there is more than a solo traveler in the room, but the height of the beds provides a great space under the bed for suitcase storage.

Disney has heard the call of this tech savvy world we live in and there are a boat load of USB-charging ports and outlets around the room. I think I counted 8 USB and 14 outlets. No more need to tote along that power strip bar in my suitcase as everyone should have a place to charge their devices.

In the corner, there’s a kiosk with drawers, a mini-fridge, and a coffee maker! And the TV, I swear it takes up half of the wall.

In the bathroom, you have a vessel sink, illuminated bathroom mirror, and make-up mirror. There’s also an actual sliding door separating the bathroom area from the main room (instead of a thin curtain). I loved being able to shut off the bathroom vanity area from the rest of the room, since there is a nightlight that I could not figure out how to turn off near the sink.   There is ample counter space for everyone in the addition to lots of shelves.  Hair dryer, ironing board and iron as also provided in this space.

I love that you can shut off the actual bathroom area from the vanity, which makes it nice for everyone to get around in the mornings at the same time.  The bathroom has glass door in the shower/tub. And let’s talk about that rainfall shower fixture in addition to the standard one, after a long day in the park it is amazing. Best of all Disney has not cut back on the value resorts with the bathroom products, no more shampoo and conditioner combined and the same product you will find in the deluxe resorts.  And yes, I hoarded my share of shampoo & conditioner to take home so that I can feel like I am at Disney in between stays.  The H20 scent is different this time around and I must say I love it, more of an herbal smell that reminds me of my favorite hotel product, ever that came from the “dark side” of Orlando (aka Universal Studios and the Royal Pacific Resort).

Like others I complained about the lack of “Disney” in the room, but the style goes further than before thematically. The room uses bold colors, minimalist design, sharp lines, and the contrast of wood against white. To me, these rooms feel very much like a retro design with flourishes of Disney-inspired pop art that goes perfectly with POP Century.

So, did I think of the refurbished rooms at POP Century, now that I have seen and stayed in one?  Disney has certainly hit a home run with this room and in fact it was nicer than my room at a deluxe resort that I stayed in a few days later.  But, is this room enough to book another stay? YES, POP Century will again be my go to value resort when I just need a few nights or when I am planning a rope drop to kiss of night trip (aka all day in the parks).

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