Disney’s Pop Century Resort is a popular hotel for plenty of reasons.
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
It’s got plenty of cute theming, it’s pretty cheap as far as Disney World hotels go, and it’s along the Skyliner route — which is pretty hard to beat. But, it’s actually the Skyliner’s fault we’re gathered here today. You see, Pop Century is in desperate need of a rule change — and it’s all because of that darn gondola system.
Hey, Pop Century, we love ya — but we need to talk. Adding a Skyliner stop to this hotel (which is shared with Art of Animation) was a super clutch move, but now there are no other Disney transportation options to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios, since both of those parks feature Skyliner stops. Pop Century’s current rules only allow for bus transportation to these parks when the Skyliner is not operating. And, while we understand that makes sense in theory, we can’t help but feel like this definitely warrants a rule change.
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
The Skyliner can be extremely useful and efficient for getting people to and from the parks and hotels. But, so are buses! They can transport a lot of people at once, and while they don’t have the advantage of being able to bypass regular traffic by soaring through the skies, some people prefer bus transportation over the Skyliner at Disney World.
Skyliner
There are plenty of folks on our team who have a fear of heights and don’t love the Skyliner for that reason, but even for people who don’t necessarily have a fear of heights, the Skyliner can still be a source of unease. While it won’t run in inclement weather or severe storms, there have been times we’ve experienced the Skyliner on a particularly windy day — and it certainly isn’t pleasant.
International Gateway Skyliner
The Skyliner can also be riddled with frequent stops, leaving you stuck in the air for an indefinite amount of time, which is never really fun, either. That’s especially true if you’re stuck in there with strangers or kiddos who aren’t having the best time. Buses might not be fancy, but they’re much more reliable than the Skyliner on any given day.
Walt Disney World Skyliner
If you’ve got an upcoming stay at Pop Century and aren’t keen on taking the Skyliner to Hollywood Studios or EPCOT, you’ve still got options. You can drive to these parks or take a rideshare service or Minnie Van. If you’re heading to EPCOT, you can take a bus to Magic Kingdom and then hop on the Monorail to EPCOT as well. And, while we don’t recommend this because it’s time consuming, you could take a bus to Disney Springs, then another bus to a Disney World hotel with bus service to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios.
Pop Century
Keep in mind that if it is raining or there is severe weather, Disney will close the Skyliner and provide bus transportation to all parks. But, if you ask us, we think they should offer buses to all the parks, all the time!
We’ll be on the lookout for the latest hotel updates and more from Disney World. In the meantime, make sure you stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for more Disney news!
?ALERT: MORE Changes Confirmed at Disney’s Pop Century Resort!?
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What do you think about this Pop Century rule change? Tell us in the comments.
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Couldn’t agree more. We happened to be in Epcot in February with my mom who required a wheelchair. Once at the exit we found out that skyliner wasn’t running. We walked to the front of Epcot to see NO BUSES for Art of Animation. We had to take a bus to animal kingdom and then back to the resort. What a waste of time. I complained when we arrived back. It’s not clear and there were others from Pop Century trying to figure it out as well. Was very disappointed and I questioned what they would do in the event of an emergency. It made me feel very vulnerable. I question my choices for hotel stay next time.
What are the disadvantages of taking the bus to Disney springs, then from there taking the contemporary bus to walk to MK, the beach/yacht club bus to walk to Epcot and the boardwalk bus to walk to HS? Do the skyliner resort buses go straight to MK, or to the TTC? And just how bad are the crowds at the TTC vs. the ability to walk from your resort?
We started it family experience in WDW with art of animation when the skyliner was brand new, and will always have our heart. Yet, a few years back we decided to check out CBR and it’s hard to go back, if only because it gets rid of that skyliner bottleneck. We will take at least one trip back on the skyliner to AoA to visit during non peak hours., as we love the theming, but it’s hard to go back when you get better discounts at CBR, making the cost difference negligible.
My sister who has a fear of heights also had the same problem at the Riviera when Skyliner was the only option offered for transport to Epcot or DHS.
If you don’t like the Skyliner, don’t stay at Pop Century. Simple as that. The other Value resorts offer bus transportation to every park, and are cheaper than Pop since you don’t pay that premium for the Skyliner.