We’re Sorry To Tell You, But You Need To AVOID Disney’s Pop Century Hotel

Disney4me · March 3

Disney World has SO many different hotels you can stay at on your trip, but if you’re looking for a place you can stay on a budget, you’ll likely choose a Value Resort.

Disney’s Pop Century Resort

Value Resorts are some of the largest Disney World hotels and are located furthest from the parks, but complimentary transportation is available to get you where you need to go, just like with all other Disney World hotels. One of our personal favorites is Pop Century Resort, especially thanks to its access to the Skyliner. But if we’re being honest, you REALLY need to avoid it this year.

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Disney announced back in November 2024 that Pop Century Resort would be undergoing room refurbishments throughout the majority of 2025. However, a permit was then filed in January 2025 that indicates that this construction could begin sometime in late March 2025 and could continue all the way through August 2026!

2024-wdw-atmo-disneys-pop-century-resort

Pop Century Hotel

So what does it mean when rooms undergo refurbishment at a Disney World hotel? Well, it doesn’t mean the hotel as a whole is unavailable, so there’s no need to stress about that, but it does mean that parts of the hotel will look different than the beautiful photos you’ve seen online. Disney will potentially need to bring in machinery and construction work will be happening.

Pop Century Resort

Ultimately, we don’t know what this refurbishment could look like or how much it’ll disrupt the look of the parts of the hotel being worked on, but we do know that sections of rooms will be closed while work is done on them. This means that it’s possible the hotel could be more crowded than usual, as Disney will need to pack guests in a little closer to each other to accommodate for the closed rooms. This may lead to parts of the hotel feeling more crowded, particularly around rope drop and park closing times, especially if you’re using complimentary Disney World transportation to get to where you’re going!

Pop Century

Additionally, any refurbishment in Disney World is loud, at least at some points of the day. Disney keeps this construction strictly to the daytime hours as to not disturb guests in the early morning or later at night when they’re trying to sleep…but that means it’s NOT ideal for those traveling with kids or other guests who need to nap during the day. You can send a request for Disney to place you in a room far away from the construction for this reason, but it’s never guaranteed to be accommodated. For this reason, if this daytime construction noise could be an issue for you, we don’t recommend staying at Pop Century for the time being.

Pop Century

Confused about where you’d like to stay and feeling overwhelmed by all the options and/or the actual booking process? That’s where our friends at Small World Vacations come in! They’re highly experienced with years in the Disney World vacation booking business and can help book you at a hotel that’s perfect for you and your group. While we can keep you updated on all the latest Disney World news to help you plan, Small World Vacations can actually DO the booking for you! It’s the dream team, if you ask us!

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If Pop Century has been on your bucket list for years and you’re hesitant to let anything stop you, we fully understand! Disney will do everything they can to ensure your stay is just as magical as it would be without any construction happening, but just remember to adjust your expectations when you travel so you’re not disappointed. As always, stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney World news!