Had a quick 3-night stay at Pop Century with my wife for her birthday. We chose POP as the lowest-cost on-property option that still offered an extra transportation method besides the bus.
Arrival & First Impressions
We arrived Thursday evening around 6:30pm and were placed in the 90s building — the one I’d hoped to avoid based on reviews. While I picked Pop for Skyliner access to HS and Epcot, our plans that night were for MK, so being near the bus stop was actually convenient.
My first impression: Pop feels like a kid’s brain exploded Disney magic everywhere. Goofy, oversized theming, loud colors — not exactly “two adults without kids” vibes, but we weren’t planning to spend much time at the resort anyway.
The walk from the lobby wasn’t bad, but the fastest route was through the parking lot, not the paths. There was a terrible odor in front of our building (maybe mulch or bushes?) but thankfully it didn’t reach the room.
The room itself was great . Clean, recently updated, and not as “motel worn” as the buildings look outside. We didn’t use the Murphy bed since it was just us, but I can imagine it feeling tight with a family of four.
It didn't really have any amenities we wanted to use other than the Skyliner, which was really the sole reason I chose it (and the cost), so we had no desire to do any sort of resort day.
Thursday Night – Magic Kingdom
We caught the bus to MK and made it to our 7:40pm reservation at Beak and Barrel (which we loved). Great bartender, fun vibe, and a perfect kickoff to a kid-free weekend. We’d absolutely go back.
Afterward, we hopped on Pirates with a 5-minute wait, caught Happily Ever After just in time, grabbed some candied popcorn, and were surprised to catch the night parade on our way out. I still think daytime feels more “Disney,” but the lights on the floats were a cool touch.
The bus back was rough. 30 minutes waiting while watching two buses of people fill up before our turn arrived. Standing there staring at the Contemporary in the distance, I thought, “Man, staying there would make leaving MK so much easier.” Definitely on my list for a future DVC stay.
Friday – Hollywood Studios & Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
This is where the trip got fun. Since we had MVMCP that night, I splurged on Premier Passes for HS so we could squeeze in everything we wanted to. TBD whether it was worth it (that’s a post in itself), but in short yes, it made Disney feel stress-free again. Last trip (Sept 2024), I hated constantly refreshing for new LLs or checking wait times and dictating the flow of our journey around that. The Premier Pass fixed that completely. We could just flow through the park.
Instead of racing to Rise at rope drop, we got coffee, did Tower of Terror, then Rock’n Roller Coaster, Mickey’s Runaway Railway, Toy Story Land, and both Star Wars rides, all before 2pm. We skipped the shows and still cleared every major attraction. It felt amazing to just flow in a nice circle around the park rather than bounce around to where our LL's dictated. I'm not happy that Disney is monetizing something that should just be the norm, but I suppose it was a nice option to offer a guest.
After the new Villains show, we headed back to POP to change into Christmas outfits and got to MVMCP around 4:30pm.
We waited 35 minutes for Jingle Cruise (after being spoiled by LLs all day, that hurt). Cookies didn’t start until 7pm, so we watched the Frozen show at 6:45, then began our cookie crawl. Walked onto Tiana’s (no wait), then staked out a Main Street spot at 7:30 for the 8:30 parade. Early, yes, but worth it for curb seating. Grabbed Casey’s Corner and relaxed our tired feet.
After the parade, we hit a few more cookie stops, popped into Monsters Laugh Floor for Christmas jokes, and caught the fireworks. By then we were wiped. We did meet Mickey (20 min wait), shopped, and left as the second parade started. Empty bus, quick ride, perfect ending.
In hindsight, while the Christmas Party stuff we did was very cool, financially the Christmas party wasn’t worth it for us only because we didn’t stay till midnight. If we’d had the energy, we could’ve done way more and taken advantage of low wait times.
Saturday – Epcot & Drinking Around the World
We entered Epcot’s International Gateway around 8:15am. I again bought Premier Passes — figured it might be our last kid-free trip for a while, so why not go big.
We rope-dropped Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (cute, though one screen froze mid-ride). Grabbed a mimosa and crepe, then discovered that the UK and Canada pavilions don’t have food stands open until 10:30. Whoops.
So we shifted gears: used LLs for Figment, hit the DVC lounge, then Living with the Land, Soarin’, Nemo, and Turtle Talk. By 12:30, we were ready for food and drinks. Because of that, the Premier Pass wasn’t really worth it at Epcot for us. If we’d powered through to Spaceship Earth, Guardians, and Test Track, it might’ve been, but we didn't know how we were going to feel by mid-day.
Once back in the World Showcase, the drink lines were brutal. 30+ minutes in almost every country. We made it from UK to Italy by 4pm, hot and exhausted, and decided to skip USA, Japan, and Morocco. Our goal was to be back at POP by 5pm to relax, and we made it. Burgers at the food court, bad TV movies, and early bed.
Final Thoughts & Lessons Learned
If I could do it over again, I'd skip a park day before a party night. Doing HS before MVMCP left us too drained to enjoy the party to the fullest. A chill resort day would’ve given us more energy for rides, characters, and late-night fun. Also Premier Pass is best early in the trip. It shines when you’re fresh and motivated to maximize it (like we did at HS). By Epcot day, we were too tired to get full value.
Overall, it was an amazing kid-free trip. We’re heading back in March for a 5-night Poly stay with the kids. Planning 3 days at MK and one full resort day with plenty of pool time and breaks. I think that’ll be the perfect pace for all of us, as our mid-30s feet were killing us after only 2.5 long park days!
Arrival & First Impressions
We arrived Thursday evening around 6:30pm and were placed in the 90s building — the one I’d hoped to avoid based on reviews. While I picked Pop for Skyliner access to HS and Epcot, our plans that night were for MK, so being near the bus stop was actually convenient.
My first impression: Pop feels like a kid’s brain exploded Disney magic everywhere. Goofy, oversized theming, loud colors — not exactly “two adults without kids” vibes, but we weren’t planning to spend much time at the resort anyway.
The walk from the lobby wasn’t bad, but the fastest route was through the parking lot, not the paths. There was a terrible odor in front of our building (maybe mulch or bushes?) but thankfully it didn’t reach the room.
The room itself was great . Clean, recently updated, and not as “motel worn” as the buildings look outside. We didn’t use the Murphy bed since it was just us, but I can imagine it feeling tight with a family of four.
It didn't really have any amenities we wanted to use other than the Skyliner, which was really the sole reason I chose it (and the cost), so we had no desire to do any sort of resort day.
Thursday Night – Magic Kingdom
We caught the bus to MK and made it to our 7:40pm reservation at Beak and Barrel (which we loved). Great bartender, fun vibe, and a perfect kickoff to a kid-free weekend. We’d absolutely go back.
Afterward, we hopped on Pirates with a 5-minute wait, caught Happily Ever After just in time, grabbed some candied popcorn, and were surprised to catch the night parade on our way out. I still think daytime feels more “Disney,” but the lights on the floats were a cool touch.
The bus back was rough. 30 minutes waiting while watching two buses of people fill up before our turn arrived. Standing there staring at the Contemporary in the distance, I thought, “Man, staying there would make leaving MK so much easier.” Definitely on my list for a future DVC stay.
Friday – Hollywood Studios & Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
This is where the trip got fun. Since we had MVMCP that night, I splurged on Premier Passes for HS so we could squeeze in everything we wanted to. TBD whether it was worth it (that’s a post in itself), but in short yes, it made Disney feel stress-free again. Last trip (Sept 2024), I hated constantly refreshing for new LLs or checking wait times and dictating the flow of our journey around that. The Premier Pass fixed that completely. We could just flow through the park.
Instead of racing to Rise at rope drop, we got coffee, did Tower of Terror, then Rock’n Roller Coaster, Mickey’s Runaway Railway, Toy Story Land, and both Star Wars rides, all before 2pm. We skipped the shows and still cleared every major attraction. It felt amazing to just flow in a nice circle around the park rather than bounce around to where our LL's dictated. I'm not happy that Disney is monetizing something that should just be the norm, but I suppose it was a nice option to offer a guest.
After the new Villains show, we headed back to POP to change into Christmas outfits and got to MVMCP around 4:30pm.
We waited 35 minutes for Jingle Cruise (after being spoiled by LLs all day, that hurt). Cookies didn’t start until 7pm, so we watched the Frozen show at 6:45, then began our cookie crawl. Walked onto Tiana’s (no wait), then staked out a Main Street spot at 7:30 for the 8:30 parade. Early, yes, but worth it for curb seating. Grabbed Casey’s Corner and relaxed our tired feet.
After the parade, we hit a few more cookie stops, popped into Monsters Laugh Floor for Christmas jokes, and caught the fireworks. By then we were wiped. We did meet Mickey (20 min wait), shopped, and left as the second parade started. Empty bus, quick ride, perfect ending.
In hindsight, while the Christmas Party stuff we did was very cool, financially the Christmas party wasn’t worth it for us only because we didn’t stay till midnight. If we’d had the energy, we could’ve done way more and taken advantage of low wait times.
Saturday – Epcot & Drinking Around the World
We entered Epcot’s International Gateway around 8:15am. I again bought Premier Passes — figured it might be our last kid-free trip for a while, so why not go big.
We rope-dropped Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (cute, though one screen froze mid-ride). Grabbed a mimosa and crepe, then discovered that the UK and Canada pavilions don’t have food stands open until 10:30. Whoops.
So we shifted gears: used LLs for Figment, hit the DVC lounge, then Living with the Land, Soarin’, Nemo, and Turtle Talk. By 12:30, we were ready for food and drinks. Because of that, the Premier Pass wasn’t really worth it at Epcot for us. If we’d powered through to Spaceship Earth, Guardians, and Test Track, it might’ve been, but we didn't know how we were going to feel by mid-day.
Once back in the World Showcase, the drink lines were brutal. 30+ minutes in almost every country. We made it from UK to Italy by 4pm, hot and exhausted, and decided to skip USA, Japan, and Morocco. Our goal was to be back at POP by 5pm to relax, and we made it. Burgers at the food court, bad TV movies, and early bed.
Final Thoughts & Lessons Learned
If I could do it over again, I'd skip a park day before a party night. Doing HS before MVMCP left us too drained to enjoy the party to the fullest. A chill resort day would’ve given us more energy for rides, characters, and late-night fun. Also Premier Pass is best early in the trip. It shines when you’re fresh and motivated to maximize it (like we did at HS). By Epcot day, we were too tired to get full value.
Overall, it was an amazing kid-free trip. We’re heading back in March for a 5-night Poly stay with the kids. Planning 3 days at MK and one full resort day with plenty of pool time and breaks. I think that’ll be the perfect pace for all of us, as our mid-30s feet were killing us after only 2.5 long park days!
