Sorry for the lapse on Disney posts. Summer is supposed to be a down time for me and this year, it’s been anything but that!

Many of us go to Disney on a budget. For young families (like us), we save for this vacation and want to make the most of it while we’re there. Picking your hotel is one of the first decisions that has to be made – on property or off property. There are advantages to both.

For us, on property makes the most sense and we have chosen to always stay at the value level. (Disney offers three resort levels: Value, Moderate, and Deluxe.) Value resorts are the most economical and our theory has always been “We aren’t going to stay in the room, so we just need a place to sleep.” Luckily, the values have worked well for us and we continue to use them.

We’ve stayed in All-Star Movies and Pop Century during our trips. We love Pop Century.

The rooms at Pop Century are divided into two categories, standard and preferred. The standard rooms are closer to the main building where the food court is located. The preferred rooms are  closer to the transportation hub.

The resort is themed in true Disney fashion, but is indicative of an era in Pop culture. You’ll stay in one of the Classic Years – 1950-1990s. (When you are there, look across the pond and you’ll see the Legendary Years [1900-1940s]. It’s rumored to re-begin construction soon!)

Huge, larger-than-life icons such as Big Wheel bikes,

bowling pins,

Rubik’s Cubes, cell phones and more add a whimsical touch to the decor.

Lining the rooflines are such memorable slogans as “Boogie Down” and “Have A Nice Day.”

Disney’s Pop Century Resort includes two 5,000-square-foot arcades; a huge food court and shopping area, courtyards, three heated pools in fun shapes, one kiddie pool, and a playground.

You’ll never wonder what era of room you are staying in … You’ll know as soon as you walk in the door!  Each room has 2 double beds (or one king sized bed which must be requested when making your reservation), nightstand, telephone, small table with 2 chairs, armoire, television, wall mirror, clock radio and an open closet area with shelves on top for extra storage. A vanity area with a single sink and mirror is separate from the tub and commode. A small key-operated wall safe to hold your valuables is located in the closet area. All rooms are equipped with central air conditioning. Guests who need to connect to home or work via the Internet while vacationing, will find a computer data port. But it’s a per day charge to use it!

The rooms are small (think Motel 6), but if you only planning on being in the room to sleep – it’s perfectly fine. Since this is our big trip of the year, we don’t build in naps and rest times. We leave the room in the morning and hit it again well after the sun goes down. Small works for us.

One thing that we love about Pop Century is that they have their own buses. Most “economical” buses share with other resorts. That can really add to the time that you have to wait getting to, and more importantly, from the places you want to go! We wait an average of 10 minutes at most.

If you have questions about Pop Century, comment on this post or on the Facebook page. I’d be happy to answer them!