Walt Disney World has officially confirmed that the year-long overhaul of the rooms and common areas of the #1 Value Resort (and what some might argue is the #1 overall hotel) is finished. Here’s the latest, with what WDW shared following the Pop Century projects and our own assessments.
It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that the refreshes and reimaginings at Disney’s Pop Century Resort have been completed. Although the project was pushed back a couple of times, it was still supposed to wrap up before the start of Spring Break season, which has now arrived in full force. When we last stopped by the resort, progress was coming along quite nicely and it looked like the refurbishment would wrap up soon.
Not only that, but Walt Disney World just announced the next ‘phase’ in the Value Resort refurbishments: what’s likely to become a years-long overhaul of the All Star Resorts lasting until 2028 or 2029. That begins in earnest in late May 2026, and will likely encompass at least two of the All Stars. That is a big gap before this finishes and that starts, though, which made us wonder whether there was lingering work to be done at Pop Century. Thankfully, that’s not the case–the year-long overhaul is finished!
New touches inside the reimagined lobby include vibrant floor-to-ceiling artwork inspired by pop culture from the 1950s-1990s and larger-than-life illustrations of Disney’s Fab Five. The decades come alive through bold patterns and graphics like the TV wall, a collection of vintage-style television frames that creates a delightfully retro backdrop.
The refresh also made the space work better for today’s guests according to Walt Disney World. To create more room to relax while waiting to check in or head out, the teams behind the magic reconfigured part of the lobby and added more seating, including communal tables that give guests more places to sit, recharge or get a little work done.
“One of our biggest goals was making the lobby feel brighter, more vibrant and more functional for Guests,” said Luis Sanchez, project manager on the Facility Asset Management team. “We looked at everything from the lighting to the seating layout so the space feels more open and comfortable — and supports the look and feel Disney Imagineers envisioned.”
The good news is that this is not be a “generification” that makes the lobby bland and boring. Prior to this lobby renovation, the lobby was showing its age with muted colors and faded surfaces. What we’ve seen emerge from behind the walls thus far is vibrant, featuring Disney characters and pop art.
There are now check-in kiosks as opposed to a unified front desk; that’s the direction Walt Disney World has gone with every single lobby refurbishment in the last few years. I don’t have a strong opinion on these.
The thought is they’re more free-flowing and allow iPad carrying Cast Members to approach guests, instead of keeping them stuck behind a counter. It’s unlikely that Walt Disney World is spending so much money ‘modernizing’ check-in counters for no reason, so guest response is presumably positive.
The biggest downside of this lobby update is that the memorabilia-filled shadow boxes that were on the walls are now gone. At least, in the initial sections that have emerged. Those were packed with pop art, and are one of the most on-theme aspects of the resort. They’ve been replaced with character art that’s “more Disney,” and does look nice.
All in all, I do think this new lobby looks nice. And it probably does make sense to weave more Disney references into Pop Century, as I’m guessing that comports with guest expectations. Each year removed from the decades represented at Pop Century arguably makes the resort resonate less with younger generations.
I also think it made sense to add seating. Although I don’t really think that has anything to do with modern guests. Ever since we starting staying at Pop Century, many moons ago, the lobby has been packed with people waiting around at check-in or check out.
Giving them more space to sit is a step (seat?) in the right direction. The lobbies at all of the Value Resorts are arguably undersized (there’s usually more than enough space in the food court seating areas around peak check in/out times, but no one ever thinks to go there instead).
The new rooms feature more pops of with pops of blue, gray, green, and orange, and soft sky-blue accents near the bed wall and bathroom to help the rooms overcome the ‘sterile and antiseptic’ criticism. There’s warmer, wood-toned flooring and a geometric flooring inlay, new furniture, curtains, and other furnishing refreshes that include little touches, like Hidden Mickeys.
These rooms are an incremental upgrade, and the fan feedback has been mostly positive. I haven’t heard anything negative about the before vs. after, which makes sense given that the changes are minor. The response has been neutral to positive. At minimum, it should be a nice refresh that makes the rooms feel fresh and clean.
We are fans of the refreshed rooms at Pop Century, but then again, we loved the original generation of “new” rooms that debuted back in 2017. From a functional perspective, the Value Resorts are honestly some of our favorite standard accommodations at Walt Disney World right now.
You can see more of these for yourself in First Look Photo Tour of New Rooms at Disney’s Pop Century Resort.
One of the lower-key but lengthy refurbishments that was completed late last year was at Petals Pool Bar.
Petals Pool Bar has always been a bright spot at the Hippy Dippy Pool, and newly refreshed finishes make it the perfect pit stop for a mid-day break between splashes. Up close, tile details add texture and color behind the bar, and clear digital menu boards make ordering simple.
The space also received refreshed finishes and thoughtful updates that make ordering easier and the overall experience more comfortable for both guests and Cast Members according to Walt Disney World.
These aren’t the only recent major changes at Pop Century. The resort has wrapped up a lengthy refurbishment of Everything POP Shopping & Dining that has been extended a few times, but is now finished.
This new seating area is nice, with mid-century stylization and far more vibrance and visual interest than the old seating area had. The colors, patterns, and textures all work well. It looks clean and has a pop flair thanks to the upholstery, flooring, and light fixtures. There’s also a greater variety to the seating, with booths, tables, and chairs adding a more laid back lounge type of vibe.
As part of this project, Walt Disney World also added a New Coffee Shop to Pop Century Resort. That offers specialty beverages to perk up guests throughout the day, and is the whole reason why Disney switched up the style of seating around Everything Pop.
In case you’re considering a stay further into the future, one thing to note is that all routes of the Disney Skyliner gondolas will be closed for refurbishment from January 24, 2027 through January 31, 2027. Complimentary bus service will be available in its place.
This impacts Pop Century and Art of Animation headed to Caribbean Beach, as well as the hub station to both Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT’s International Gateway. (And all other Skyliner resorts and stations, for that matter.)
The 2026 version of this project just uneventfully wrapped up, and was pretty uneventful. These are routine refurbishments that usually occur annually, so it’s not particularly noteworthy or surprising.
We strongly recommend avoiding Skyliner resorts during this time, which does not include the Crescent Lake hotels. See Disney Skyliner Gondolas Closing for Quick Refurbishment in 2027 for more info and detailed advice.
Another recent change that impacts Pop Century positively is Walt Disney World rolling out Airport Luggage Transfer at the Value Resorts. Guests staying at these Walt Disney World Resort hotels can drop checked baggage off with Luggage Assistance to be delivered directly to your flight.
A new third-party service, known as BagCheck, will take your luggage directly to the airport for your Southwest Airlines flight. Currently, this pilot service is available at Value Resort hotels for Guests with Southwest Airlines flights departing from Orlando International Airport (MCO).
This started roughly one year ago, and quickly expanded from Pop Century to the All Stars and Art of Animation. The bad news is that it hasn’t started at any of the Moderate or Deluxe Resorts or any other airlines. The good news is that Airport Luggage Transfer at Value Resorts is Now Available for Arrivals, which began last holiday season. Even though the scale-up process has been slow-going, we expect it to continue in 2026.
Now that this year-long overhaul of Pop Century is officially in the books, I have a return stay booked to assess the finished product of the rooms, common areas, and everything else.
It’s also my first chance to test Airport Luggage Transfer for arrivals, which I’m honestly slightly nervous about using. (I like the idea of Airport Luggage Transfer and appreciate that others love it, but when traveling solo I can do a carry-on only, so this just introduces unnecessary risk for the sake of “research.”)
I’m also eager to see whether there are still Skyliner struggles for Early Entry during the peak weeks of Spring Break. I’ll report back soon!
Ultimately, we’re pleased that Disney’s Pop Century Resort received so much attention over the last year. We were fans of the resort before, and all of these projects and enhancements only makes it better. The soft goods room refurbishment, in particular, has been a success at addressing complaints about the rooms being bland and boring.
From our perspective, everything on the above list qualifies as “only” incremental improvements–but they’re nevertheless noteworthy. The aesthetics are getting better, giving the resort more of a mid-century style with more personality and pops of color. If the new-look lobby is anything like the Everything POP refresh, it should be another win.
Pop Century does not “need” improvements to nearly the same degree as other resorts, but it’s still nice to see it receive TLC. There’s a reason why Pop Century is #1 on our Rankings of All Walt Disney World Resorts from Best to Worst! (Just to clarify: those strive to be as objective as possible and weigh heavily for the value proposition, where Pop Century outperforms. It wouldn’t be our #1 pick if money were no object…but we live in reality, where it is.)
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Your Thoughts
Have you stayed in the circa 2025-2026 redone rooms at Pop Century? What’d you think? Nice incremental improvements that freshened things up and added nice pops of color, or were you underwhelmed? Are you a fan of Disney’s Pop Century Resort? Excited about the resort refresh results? Pleased by the Everything POP refresh and new coffee shop? Agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!