There are a LOT of hotels in Disney World, and a whole bunch of those hotels are on my bucket list. I really want to stay at Disney’s Polynesian Beach Resort and get DOLE Whip whenever I want. I’ve visited Animal Kingdom Lodge more times than I can count (mostly for the incredible food), but I’ve only stayed there once and would LOVE to go back. And if someone offered me a free trip to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, I would definitely be over the moon.

But no matter how many hotels are on my bucket list, I ALWAYS find myself back at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and there are two very specific reasons WHY. 

If you’re also a huge fan of Pop Century, I bet you’ve already guessed exactly what those two reasons are!

First, to really understand the value of Pop Century, you need to know a little bit about Disney World hotels in general. There are three different categories of hotels in Disney World: value, moderate, and deluxe. 

The value hotels are the cheapest, of course, and generally offer the fewest amenities and perks. The deluxe hotels have some pretty cool perks but are also the most expensive, costing anywhere from around $500 per night to over $1,000 per night, depending on the hotel and time of year. As their name suggests, moderate resorts fall somewhere in the middle in terms of both price and perks.

If you stay at ANY Disney World hotel (or one of the select good neighbor hotels), you get access to Early Theme Park Entry, which means you get to go inside the Disney World theme parks a half hour BEFORE everyone else. That gives you a head start each morning to get on those popular rides before the lines get long!

People staying at the deluxe hotels get an extra theme park benefit called Extended Evening Hours. That means they get to stay past closing time in certain parks on select days. You usually get a couple of extra hours in the park, which is plenty of time to get on a few big rides since the lines are so short with capacity restricted.

Other perks that are hotel-specific include gyms and salons (which only certain deluxe hotels have, with the exception of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort — a moderate hotel with TWO gyms), dining (deluxe hotels have the best food, hands down), transportation (some hotels have Monorail or Skyliner stations, others have boats, and still more are close enough that you can walk to the parks), etc.

As you can see, there are a LOT of different factors that you might weigh when deciding which Disney World hotel is right for you. But I can break it down to just two BIG reasons why Pop Century has become my go-to resort.

Can’t Beat the Price (Well…Almost)

Until I suddenly become a millionaire, I will be avoiding those deluxe hotels and their high prices. Pretty much the only way I’d be able to stay at one of those fancy resorts is by using David’s Vacation Club Rentals, which is a really cool system where you can rent other peoples’ DVC points and stay in DVC rooms! You can find some really awesome deals that way.

But most of the time, I’m shopping in the value or moderate range, and Pop Century is definitely one of the CHEAPEST hotels available.

Here’s a look at prices for several different Disney World hotels at various times throughout the year so you can see what I’m talking about:

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort — Deluxe:

• February 2025: $930/night
• June 2025: $804/night
• December 2024: $1,088/night

Disney’s Riviera Resort — Deluxe:

• February 2025: $706/night
• June 2025: (showing sold out for every night I tried)
• December 2024: $1,523/night 😳

Disney’s Port Orleans — French Quarter Resort — Moderate:

• February 2025: $339/night
• June 2025: $302/night
• December 2024: $383/night

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort — Moderate:

• February 2025: $313/night
• June 2025: $283/night
• December 2024: $367/night

Disney’s Pop Century Resort — Value:

• February 2025: $259/night
• June 2025: $236/night
• December 2024: $304/night

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort (Standard Rooms) — Value:

• February 2025: $295/night
• June 2025: $289/night
• December 2024: $324/night

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort (Family Suites) — Value:

• February 2025: $640/night
• June 2025: $601/night
• December 2024: $708/night

Disney’s All-Star Resorts — Value:

• February 2025: $208/night
• June 2025: $191/night
• December 2024: $238/night

I didn’t include every hotel in Disney World on that list, but I did include all the value hotels, so it’s safe to say that Pop Century is ALMOST the cheapest hotel available. The only hotel that has it beat in terms of price is the All-Star Resorts.

So why don’t I stay at All-Star instead of Pop Century? I just can’t give up the Skyliner. To me, having that Skyliner station is 100% worth the price difference between All-Star and Pop, which takes us right into the second reason why I always stay at Pop.

I’m Obsessed With the Skyliner

If we’re looking for the hotel with the absolute best transportation in all of Disney World, I’d have to had it to Disney’s Contemporary Resort. This hotel is literally a 10-minute walk from the Magic Kingdom entrance, it has a Monorail station INSIDE the lobby, and — if that’s not enough for you — you can hop on a boat instead.

Some of the EPCOT-area hotels also have great transportation options, like Yacht and Beach Club and Boardwalk, all of which are within walking distance of EPCOT, which means they’re also close to the Skyliner station at EPCOT’s International Gateway.

But those are all deluxe hotels. Of all the value and moderate hotels, I think Pop Century and Art of Animation have the best transportation setup because they’ve got a Skyliner station and NO internal bus loops. Caribbean Beach is the only other value or moderate hotel that has a Skyliner station, but with EIGHT internal bus stops, I have to kick it out of the running for “best transportation.”

Having a Skyliner station means quicker, easier access to both EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Plus, it’s just more fun to ride the Skyliner than to sit on a boring old bus!

If you’ve never used the Skyliner station at Pop Century before, I need to warn you that, first thing in the morning, the line for the Skyliner looks LONG. My family tries to get to the station about a half hour before it opens (which will be about one hour before Early Entry begins at EPCOT or Hollywood Studios — whichever comes first) so we don’t end up at the end of the line.

So if Hollywood Studios is opening at 9AM, that means Early Entry starts at 8:30AM (Early Entry is always a half hour before park opening), so the Skyliner should open at 7:30AM (one hour before Early Entry), and my family is in line at 7AM. It’s Disney math.

Even if you do end up at the end of that long line, though, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. The line moves very quickly because the Skyliner runs continuously and about ten people can fit into each gondola. You’ll be on it in no time!

Aside from the Skyliner station perk, I’ve always had great experiences with Pop Century buses. The transportation team really knows what they’re doing and is always fast and efficient. (If you’ve read some of my other posts, you’ve probably heard me say that before. And I’ll say it again because those Pop transportation folks ROCK.)

So what do you say? Have I convinced you that Pop Century is the way to go? If you’re still on the fence, don’t forget that there are a whole bunch of hotel options at Disney World and even more options if you leave Disney property and look elsewhere in Orlando. Make sure to check out nearby Airbnbs, too — these can be a great, cheap option for families or larger groups where everyone wants to stay together!

If all of the options seem a bit overwhelming, you can simplify the whole process by reaching out to our friends at Small World Vacations. Their travel agents have decades of experience helping people plan the best Disney trips ever, and they can help you find the perfect hotel for your vacation.

Stay tuned to DFB for more tips as you plan your upcoming trip!

Click here to learn about ALL the hotels in Disney World.

 

What’s your favorite Disney World hotel? Let us know in the comments!