Mr_chelledun and I recently returned from a long weekend at the Walt Disney World resort.  Due to budgetary constraints, we could only afford to spend two nights out of four in luxury at Disney's Contemporary Resort.  We opted to spend the other two at Disney's Pop Century Resort, the newest of the World's four value resorts.  This was my first - and probably last - time at this particular hotel.

Know Before You Go
The Walt Disney World Resort's on-site hotel properties are divided into four main categories - Deluxe, Moderate, Value, and Home Away from Home (Vacation Club).  Over the course of past visits, I've stayed at four out of eight Deluxe resorts and four out of four Moderate resorts, with good results.  Prior to this visit, I had never stayed at a Value resort.  After this visit, I probably never will again.

Disney's Pop Century Resort is themed by decade, so you will be staying in either the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, or 90's.  Rooms supposedly start at $82.00 per night, but we snagged ours for closer to $50.00.  For about $20.00 extra per night, guests can pay for a room in a "preferred" location close to the main building and bus stop.  We did not pay for a preferred room, but ended up in a location that was equally preferred for us, directly next to the parking lot and our rental car.

Disney provides complimentary bus services to Pop Century guests from a single, centrally located bus stop.  I've heard horror stories about the crowded buses at this sprawling resort, so we rented a car instead of relying on Disney transportation.  We did pass the bus stop several times while entering and exiting.  While most busses dropping off appeared full, the lines to board never looked too overwhelming.  This could be due in part to the fact that Disney hotels aren't filled to capacity in the country's current economic state.

Public Areas
I have no complaints about Pop Century's public areas or amenities.  The nostalgia-themed grounds are slightly tacky, of course, but certainly brightly colored and spotlessly clean.  We enjoyed walking around the resort and saying, "Hey, there's a giant Rubix cube!" and the like.  Pop Century has three pools.  The Hippy Dippy pool is the largest and most hyped, but we found the Bowling Pin pool adjacent to our 50's Building to be much more peaceful.  Surprisingly, poolside seating was always available during our visit.  Again, this may be the product of a less-than-full hotel.  The resort was actually surprisingly quiet throughout our stay.

The main building, AKA "Classic Hall", houses most of Pop Century's amenities.  The check-in desk is situated on one side of the hall.  We found the lines for both check-in and guest services moved quickly, although the desks were less well-staffed than those at Deluxe resorts.  Worth noting - the walls behind and across from the check-in desk are covered with a virtual museum of paraphernalia divided by decade.  Check out a collection of My Little Ponies from the ‘80's, Big Boy ketchup and mustard bottles from the ‘50's, and McDonald's Happy Meal toys from the ‘90's.  Or, send your kids to do so while you wait in the check-in line.

The opposite side of Classic Hall is dominated by "Everything Pop", a large gift store/food court.  We love Pop Century's food court, which offers a nice mix of kid-friendly favorites and adult-friendly comfort foods.  This visit, I had a fabulous apple pastry for breakfast that I would return to the hotel for on a future trip.  Mama Chelledun and I ate lunch at the food court a year or so ago and enjoyed chicken strips, fries, and yummy brownies.  In keeping with the nostalgic theme, those dining at dinner can get a modern version of the "TV Dinner", complete with fried chicken or meatloaf.  The beverage island offers not only sodas, coffee, and hot chocolate, but also frozen slurpee-like drinks.  The excellent selection makes the pay-one-price refillable mug an excellent deal for those staying at this resort.
 
Other Pop Century amenities include a large arcade, a pool bar, and several different washing/drying facilities.  I don't believe the hotel offers any type of fitness room, although paths provide plenty of places to walk/run.
 
Our Room
So far, so good, you say?  Here's where things fall apart.

Rooms at the Pop Century are in four-story, brightly colored buildings with exterior corridors.  After seeing the nicely maintained grounds, we had high hopes as we climbed through a bowling pin to the fourth floor of our building.  Such hopes were dashed once we entered the room. 

At first glance, our room at Pop Century looked much like a room at any Disney Moderate.  It had two full beds, a television, and a dresser for clothing.  Upon closer inspection, though, it was actually fairly dirty and dingy.  We found random stains on the carpet, crumbs and dirt in the dresser drawers, and stray hairs in the bathroom.  The bedspreads were flattened with age, and the pillows and bedding were rough to the touch.  I was a little shocked by the lack of cleanliness in the bedroom, since we have never, ever, had a problem with this in approximately thirteen prior stays on Disney property.

Things didn't get better in the tiny bathroom.  The sinks were poorly designed, with little storage space.  I found some mold in the shower and had trouble getting sufficient water pressure.  One of our washcloths had a gross stain on it, and all the towels were rough and skimpy compared to those offered at the Moderate and Deluxe resorts.  The wall-mounted hairdryer took about twenty minutes to dry my shoulder-length hair. 

I should also point out that we never received housekeeping service during our two night stay.  When we returned to the room at 4:00 p.m. on day two of our trip, it was still dirty.  We ended up running after a member of the cleaning staff to get a couple of towels.  We've never had this happen at a Disney resort.
 
Should You Pop On Over to Pop Century?
Pop Century Resort is a good concept.  It offers nice pool facilities, attractive grounds, and a great food court at super prices.  I'd trade most of these amenities, though, for a clean place to sleep on Disney property.  Call me persnickety, but I just can't return to a hotel with a dirty room, no matter how great the location is.

*Be sure to come on over and join carstairs38's Mickey's Birthday Write-Off!

*Deciding where to stay? Check out my other Disney hotel reviews!
Contemporary - October 28 (4 Stars)
Port Orleans French Quarter - February 2008 (4 Stars)
Polynesian - October 2006 (5 Stars)
Caribbean Beach - October 2005 (5 Stars)
Grand Floridian - February 2005 (4 Stars)
Beach Club Resort - July 2004 (5 Stars)
Coronado Springs - May 2003 (2 Stars)

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