Pandemic Vacations: Staying at the Pop Century Resort

Arrival

Disney Resort operations have gone under quite a few changes since re-opening, but security procedures have remained very close to pre-pandemic standards. When we pulled up to the entrance of the Pop Century Resort, the Security Cast Member checked our IDs and asked for the name on our reservation. After validating our information, we were directed to check-in parking. While check-in is not typically until 3pm, we knew from experience that we could explore the resort or even head to a theme park until our room was ready. We arrived at the resort around 11am with the goal to take pictures, grab a bite to eat, and explore the gift shop.

*This post was written by Tate Hollis and describes her stay at Pop Century Resort on July 22, 2020, in the first few weeks of their new operation. Experiences and operations are subject to change based on safety and operational needs*

Check-In

While we were eating lunch, we received a text informing us that our room was ready. Pre-pandemic, you could opt to either check yourself in at the front desk or receive a series of text messages informing you of your room status. Since reopening, mobile check-in is the default option. We received our text just after noon (about an hour after our arrival). The text gave us our room number, building number, and floor number as well as a link to a digital map of the resort. If we had wanted Magic Bands, we would have needed to pick them up at the front desk (after the first day the magic bands are sent away and recycled).

The Room

After receiving our text, we drove our car over to our building and gathered our bags. Something I love about Pop Century Resort (and other Value/Moderate resorts) is the ability to park the car near our room. This makes it so much easier to bring things to and from the car as well as have quick access to it when heading to the parks. Another operational change since the pandemic is the suspension of luggage services. In most scenarios, Valet and BellHop services have been suspended to decrease the chance of potential exposure.

Disney’s Boardwalk Inn: A Review

Pop Century Resort has undergone a refurbishment in the past few years and while some of the Disney charm has vanished from the room, there are some great new features. Something I personally cannot stand in a hotel room is carpeted floors so I was happy to discover the new rooms had vinyl hardwood flooring in the main room and tile in the bathroom. The new room design is sleek and modern with a few Disney touches scattered across the furnishings. Our room was a standard room with two queen beds and a view facing the trees outside our building. In the past, I’ve requested a room in the 60’s buildings since it is in proximity to the pool, lobby and bus stops. However, we did not make any special requests for this visit.

Once we brought our bags up, we checked the room to see if we were satisfied with the new cleaning procedures. As this was our first time staying outside of our house since the pandemic began, we brought our own Clorox wipes. However, we did not end up using them as Disney’s cleaning was so meticulous. The remote and shampoo bottles had been packaged in plastic and closed with a sticker that stated they were clean. There was also a small sign on the dresser detailing all the items and areas that had been cleaned prior to our check-in.

After deeming the room to be clean, we moved on to the most important part of any Disney vacation, tuning the TV to watch Must Do Disney With Stacey. For us, no Disney stay is complete until we’ve listened to Stacey tell us all about the Walt Disney World Resort and its happenings. With Stacey telling us everything we “must do”, we worked on folding down the table bed from the wall. This gave us lots of space in the room when the bed was folded up, and we actually used the table to eat both dinner and breakfast in our room. Even though the bed folded into the wall, it was just as soft and comfortable as the standard bed. The artwork inside was a fun pop art comic of Pluto and there was a small light in the headboard for reading. Throughout the room there were lots of USB plugs and regular outlets in every possible location. We were both able to charge our phones and laptops at the same time and still had many outlets available.

COVID-19 Procedures

In addition to the cleaning procedures mentioned above, there were a few changes to the overall resort operation. Just like the rest of Disney property, masks are required in all areas outside of your room and your car. Even when heading to the pool, you’re required to wear a mask until you’re on the deck. At the pool, the chairs are separated into groups and spaced 6 feet apart from other parties. Once you’re finished, an attendant sprays down the chairs with an antiseptic spray before allowing another party to use them.

Pop Century Resort typically offers a cafeteria style, quick-service food location with multiple food options. Since reopening, however, mobile ordering in advance is required to enter the restaurant. Mobile ordering can be done on the My Disney Experience app. There is an option to select a time frame for food pick-up and you can order as far in advance as you’d like. Menu options are slightly limited, but we were able to find iconic Pop Century Resort offerings such as the PopTart breakfast sandwich and freshly made pizzas. Once your time frame arrives, click “I’m here, prepare my order” when you’re ready to pick up your food. Cast Members will ask to see that your order is ready before allowing you to enter the restaurant. I highly recommend ordering food on your way back to the resort, picking the soonest time frame, and checking in as soon as possible as physical lines and wait times can get very long during breakfast and dinner time. Due to COVID-19, Room Service/Pizza delivery is only available at select resorts.

After we’d gotten our food to go, we returned to our room and noted the signs outside the elevator requesting either one party or four individuals at a time. There was also hand sanitizer on the first floor of each building as well as throughout the lobby and restaurant.

Later in the evening we noticed that the bathroom had not been cleaned as well as we originally thought. The resort TV channel offered a QR code to provide feedback for the housekeeping team and we filled out the form with our concerns. Within 30 minutes a housekeeping manager called our room and asked if we would like to be reassigned to another room or if we’d like him to personally come clean the bathroom. We declined as we were only staying one evening but it was comforting to know that the staff was on top of the situation.

While we were not visiting the parks during this trip, it’s worth noting that the buses still running from Pop Century Resort to the parks are only allowing between 6-8 parties on each bus. Bus drivers assign each party a number and direct them to corresponding seats. Because of this, lines for the buses can get extremely long. I recommend driving yourself or taking an Uber if you prefer not to wait in line. The Skyliner is also open to take you to Epcot and Hollywood Studios as well and is only seating one party per car.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Pop Century Resort, even with the new COVID-19 related changes. I highly recommend looking at the Disney Resort Hotels: Know Before You Go in order to prepare before your trip. If you’ve been to a Disney resort since the reopening, let me know what your experience was like in the comments below!