My Experience Staying in a Preferred Room at Disney’s Pop Century Resort

Preferred rooms at Disney’s Pop Century Resort are all about location and convenience, but are they really worth it? I recently booked one to find out. As you may know, we stay at Pop Century fairly often, and with this visit, we have now stayed in every section of the resort. Pop Century ranks high on our list of best hotels at Disney because we like the location, rooms, and price.

For this stay, I arrived at the resort a little before 10:00 a.m. After parking the car, I headed into the main lobby. I had already received a text welcoming me to the resort and letting me know my room wasn’t ready. I hoped to prioritize the next eligible room in the 60s section. This location is particularly notable because the two 60s buildings sit directly between the resort’s lobby and the Disney Skyliner, with the Hippy Dippy Pool positioned between them. A Cast Member was able to get me into an area where the rooms had just been cleaned and were waiting on final approval. I received a room ready text about 10 minutes later.

During the check-in process, I learned something new about staying at Pop Century. It was something I had never even thought about, and I didn’t particularly care for it. I’ll explain what happened a little later in this article, along with what you can do to avoid the same issue if you end up in this area.

Which Buildings Have Preferred Rooms at Pop Century?

Preferred rooms at Disney’s Pop Century Resort are located in six buildings. They can be found in the 50s, 60s, and 70s sections:

• Building 1 — 50s
• Building 3 — 50s
• Building 4 — 60s
• Building 5 — 60s
• Building 6 — 70s
• Building 10 — 70s

Disney classifies these rooms as Preferred because of their proximity to the resort’s main amenities, including Classic Hall (the lobby), dining, transportation, and the Hippy Dippy Pool.

Here is a map of the resort. You’ll want to note that all the rooms in buildings 4 and 5 are preferred. The rooms that face the pool in those buildings are preferred pool view. Only some of the rooms in buildings 1, 3, 6, and 10 offer a preferred location. (Looking at the map, in general, preferred rooms in these buildings are the ones closest to Classic Hall.)

It is important to understand that preferred does not mean the room itself is different. The rooms at Pop Century offer the same accommodations regardless of whether you book a standard or preferred location. Here is a photo of our room.

The Preferred Pool View Option

One thing that makes the 60s section unique is that both buildings offer preferred rooms and preferred rooms with a pool view. Those pool view rooms overlook the Hippy Dippy Pool. We stayed in Building 4 during this visit, so I was able to take a photo showing what the view looks like from a room on the third floor.

While this is certainly a fun view, keep in mind that you really have to step outside your room to enjoy it. Pop Century is an exterior hotel, meaning you enter your room from an outdoor walkway. Personally, we tend to keep our curtains closed when staying in these rooms because guests are regularly passing by on their way to and from their rooms.

The other buildings that offer a pool view have standard locations. In other words, the 60s section is the only part of the resort where you can book a room that combines both a preferred location and a pool view. (A Preferred Pool View is the most expensive room type at Pop Century.)

For this stay, I was able to see both sides of that equation. Our preferred room was literally around the corner from the preferred pool view room where I took this photo. Because the two rooms were so close together, the preferred location itself would not have made a difference for us. As the room description states, the additional cost beyond the room’s location is for the pool view.

That is something I think is worth considering before paying extra for this category. If you primarily want a convenient location, a regular preferred room can provide that. There isn’t much need for the pool view upgrade. That said, the pool view does add a little extra “resort” feel when you’re coming and going from the room. If you notice these types of things, you’ll have a different experience than if you were looking down at the housekeeping carts lined up each morning when you leave the room.

On the flip side, you will likely hear some noise from the pool. So if you’re an afternoon napper or go to bed early, I wouldn’t recommend a pool view upgrade. For what it’s worth, here is the view from my preferred room, which was in the same building as the pool view above.

Pros and Cons of a Preferred Room at Pop Century

After staying in a preferred room at Pop Century, I can understand why some guests are willing to pay more for the location. During our stay, I found it incredibly convenient to be close to the Skyliner, Classic Hall, dining, shopping, and the bus stop. Being close to the Hippy Dippy Pool was also a nice bonus.

When we’ve stayed in rooms on the opposite end of Pop Century, we don’t always make the walk to the Hippy Dippy Pool, which is the resort’s feature pool. Instead, we’ll often use one of the smaller leisure pools because it is simply more convenient. Being close to the feature pool meant we were much more likely to enjoy that area during this stay. The Hippy Dippy Pool area is also, in my opinion, one of the most aesthetically pleasing areas of the resort (especially around sunset), so I enjoyed being so close.

Convenient Access to the Skyliner

The Skyliner was one of the biggest advantages of our preferred location. We could get to the Skyliner station quickly, which made a noticeable difference as we were coming and going.

That said, our experience was a good reminder that being in a preferred location doesn’t mean you can avoid the Skyliner line. On our rope drop morning, the line had already grown considerably by the time we arrived. We actually had to walk past our building to join the end of the line. I wrote a separate article about how long we waited for the Skyliner at Pop Century for rope drop, including photos showing the length of the line.

A Shorter Walk Makes a Difference in the Rain

It rained a couple of times during our stay, which gave me another opportunity to appreciate the preferred location. Pop Century is an exterior hotel, so you have to walk outside to get almost anywhere. Even when your destination is relatively close, you’re still exposed to the weather. Being in a preferred location meant we could significantly shorten those walks.

Of course, there is a limit to how much location can help. If it is pouring down rain, you’re probably going to get wet no matter how close your room is to Classic Hall or the Skyliner. But when you’re dealing with the typical Florida rain shower, I appreciated the shorter distance.

What About Parking?

The biggest downside to our preferred location actually had nothing to do with the room itself. It involved our car. When I checked in, I was directed to park in the large parking lot in front of Classic Hall. That might sound convenient because it is the main entrance to the resort, but it wasn’t convenient at all.

One of the things I really like about staying at a value resort (when I have a car) is being able to park relatively close to our building. It makes it easy to pull up and unload your luggage or come and go without every trip to the car being a mile-long trek.

That wasn’t our experience when we parked in the main lot. If you’re staying in Buildings 4 or 5, I would recommend looking at the resort map and considering the parking lots near Buildings 1 or 9 instead. The goal is to park near the pathways that run between those buildings and Classic Hall.

We eventually moved our car and found that parking in front of Building 9 was much more convenient for our room in the 60s section. When we were parked in the main lot, we had to walk in front of the bus pickup and drop-off area and then make our way back through Classic Hall. It was an ordeal to travel through this area with our luggage in tow.

Of course, you can always drop your luggage at the resort and have Bell Services deliver it to your room. That’s an option worth considering if you don’t want to make the walk with your bags. We visit fairly often and try to manage our luggage when we have a car and can park close to our room.

Is a Preferred Room at Pop Century Worth It?

After our stay in a preferred room at Pop Century, I would consider booking one again. My biggest considerations would be whether it worked with our budget or if it was needed based on our travel party. The convenience of being closer to Classic Hall, dining, shopping, transportation, the Skyliner, and the Hippy Dippy Pool made a noticeable difference during our stay.

That said, I don’t think everyone needs to pay extra for a preferred location. Pop Century is a large resort, and some guests will be perfectly happy with a standard location. (We always have been.) The value of a preferred room depends largely on how much you value convenience and how comfortable you are with walking. I would especially consider a Preferred room for:

• First-time Value or Moderate Resort guests. If you’ve never visited Disney World or stayed at a value or moderate Resort, you may not realize just how large some of these resorts are. An 8- to 10-minute walk from your room to Classic Hall, transportation, or the Skyliner might not sound like much, but that distance every time you leave or return to the resort can become tiring. A preferred location can make that first experience much more manageable.
• Families with small children. Getting little ones back and forth from the room, especially after a long day in the parks, can be challenging. Cutting several minutes off the walk can make things easier.
• Guests who don’t have a strong sense of direction. Pop Century’s larger layout and multiple buildings can take some getting used to. Staying closer to the center of the resort can make it easier to find your way around.
• Anyone who values convenience over having the lowest room rate. If you know you’ll use the Skyliner, buses, dining, and other amenities frequently, being closer to them may be worth the additional cost.
• Guests who don’t want to spend as much time walking around the resort. There is already plenty of walking involved in a Disney World vacation. For some people, reducing the amount of unnecessary walking at the resort is worth paying a little more.

I think one of the biggest takeaways is understanding that preferred isn’t an upgrade to the room. It’s an upgrade to your location within the resort. If you understand that difference and know that a convenient location will make your vacation easier, I think it’s a worthwhile option to consider.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this stay gave me a better appreciation for how much the location can affect your experience. If you’re planning a stay at this resort, you might also want to see our Pop Century Resort Review for an overall idea of what to expect. If you’re a pool person, don’t miss our guide to the pools at Pop Century.

My top recommendation (for any resort) is to learn how to get around. For that, you’ll want to see our Pop Century Transportation guide. And if you’re wondering about dining options, our Pop Century Restaurants guide covers everything available at the resort.

If you’re planning a trip, our friends at Firefly Travels would be happy to help. They are authorized Disney Vacation Planners. Check back with ResortsGal.com for more updates.

In the Comments

As always, a preferred location won’t be the right choice for every situation, but for some it could feel like a lifesaver, especially by the end of a week-long trip. What do you think about a preferred room location at Pop Century? Let us know in the comments below.