Deciding on where to stay during your Disney vacation is an exciting choice! With many Disney resorts to choose from, there is sure to be one perfect for your family. Today we are comparing, Disney’s Pop Century Resort Vs. All Star Movies Disney World Resorts! Have you ever stayed at either?
Theming
While both Value Resorts offer larger than life theming, the exact icons found around the Resorts are very different.
At Pop Century relive fads from 1950’s through 1990’s such as Play-Doh, Rubik’s Cubes and more. The theming at this Resort makes it fun for adults to see their childhood favorites, however some of the items will be unrecognizable to younger children.
At All Star Movies see larger than life Disney characters from beloved movies such as 101 Dalmatians and Toy Story, with a recreating of Andy’s Room. This Resort theming will be appreciated by all ages, and especially by younger children who love the Disney films included in the landscape.
Cost
If going solely on price, All Star Movies beats the pricing of Pop Century the majority of the time. At the time of this writing (Nov. 2020), a night at Disney’s All Star Movies averages $136.00/night + tax, with Pop Century at $172.00/night + tax. That is a difference of $36 dollars, or roughly 6 Mickey Bars!
Food Court
Both offer Food Courts with many food options. A stay at Pop Century also means walking distance to Art of Animation and their food court as well. While guests of All Star Movies also have All Star Sports and All Star Music nearby.
At All Star Movies find World Premiere Food Court, themed as a movie theatre lobby, offers 5 stations offering food throughout the day. Everything Pop Shopping and Dining at Pop Century offers 7 food stations. Both offer in-room pizza delivery!
However, past guests have expressed their preference for the food court at Pop Century over All Star Movies. Take a peak at Disney’s My Disney Experience app to read menus of each and decide for yourself.
Transportation
Both Resorts offer the use of Disney’s complimentary bussing. However, Pop Century will only offer busses to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios on occasion now, since the start of the Disney Skyliner. Pop Century is the only Value Resort with direct access to Disney Skyliner transportation. Furthermore, Pop Century does not share its busses with other Resorts, while All Star Movies shares with All Star Movies & Sports on occasion.
Many past guests say the Disney Skyliner transportation is a game changer and quicker than bussing! Ride in the sky on a themed gondola and enjoy gorgeous bird-eye views. Traveling with a scooter or stroller? Guests have also stated that the Skyliner is more convenient for this vs. busses. Plus, it makes popping back to your Resort for a quick swim or change a breeze from EPCOT & Hollywood Studios!
Resort Walkability
If you have little ones the size of the Disney Resort, how spread out it is can be a deciding factor. For instance, since All Star Movies is smaller compared in size to Pop Century, walking to bus stops, the food court and more is quicker. Smaller Resorts can also be easier to navigate, especially if you do not spring for a Preferred room.
Let’s take a look at the numbers, Pop Century has 10 separate building with a total of 2,880 guest rooms. Where as Disney’s All Star Movies contains 1,920 guest rooms across 5 themed buildings. Another fact are the buildings at Pop Century are 4-story buildings, where as the All Star Resort room Buildings are 3-stories.
Pools
At All Star Movies, guests will find a main pool where Sorcerer Mickey sprays water! Plus, nearby is a kiddie pool and water play area. This resort has another pool, the Duck Pond Pool located in The Mighty Ducks section.
At Pop Century, guests will find the Hippy Dippy Pool, themed after the 1960’s with flower-shaped water jets. Plus, nearby is a kiddie pool with a pop-jet water fountain. This resort also has 2 other pools, the Bowling Pool in the 1950’s area and the Computer Pool in the 1990’s area.
Learn more about the Walt Disney World Resorts and contact Destinations in Florida to help you book your perfect resort.
I stayed at Pop century in the summer of 2021, and we had no choice for the parks we reserved but to use the skyliner. After the wind blew it a little and it stopped a couple times one of my family members became extremely fearful and would not ride them anymore. It became very difficult to find alternate transportation and were given bad directions by several Disney employees. For this reason we will never stay at Pop century again even though it was our favorite before the skyliner.
For my money, the transportation aspect alone is worth the added expense for Pop Century. Then you add that part of the “direct transportation” is the Skyliner, that just seals it for me and my family…it really is a game changer.