We never expected to be to Florida on Saturday.  We left Michigan Friday after school and made it as far as Louisville, Kentucky the first night.  We left about 8:00 am Saturday morning expecting to land somewhere in Northern Florida or Southern Georgia for the night.  But, we made it all the way to Walt Disney World!

When we called to reserve a room at Walt Disney World for the night the only room left in a moderate or value resort was at Pop Century.  We were happy to have a room on property so we took it.  There was a dance/cheer competition and the start of baseball training camp this weekend so rooms were scarce.

We have stayed at Pop Century before so we were familiar with the rooms and the layout of the resort.  We were in the 80’s section.  It is easy to tell when you are in a value resort, bright colors, outdoor corridor and three-story iconic items dominate each stairwell.  The rooms are clean and simple.  It is still Disney.  Some look down on the value resorts but as Disney continues to raise the prices for a resort stay they are still on Disney property and allow you access to all the action.

The rooms are comfortable and basic.  Two double beds with a night stand width in between the two beds.  A small cafe’ style table with two chairs sits against the wall across from the first bed in the room.  A curtain separates the dressing room from the rest of the bedroom.  Some people are bothered that the sink sits in the dressing room but we really don’t care.  It works for us for a night or two but now that we have two “larger” kids we definitely need more space to keep our sanity for ten days.

If you are planning on using a fold up cot, rental, there is enough room near the window for it to rest but it is a tight squeeze.   If you try to place the cot anywhere else as you can see from the photo above floor space is limited and you may be hurting yourself tripping over something in the middle of the night.

Here is one of the famous towels that was on our bed when we checked in.  It is just these little touches that surprise us when they happen at the Walt Disney World Resorts and we love them.  No, you may not get one everyday.  They are little magical surprises that you have to appreciate when they come along throughout your stay.

We spent the morning at the computer pool before checking-out to check-in to our next hotel.  There were two large cheer leading groups practicing nearby but our kids were the only two in the pool for about an hour.  Check-out was efficient and we were off to our next resort for the next ten days.

*Moved from “Earning My Disney PhD.” Originally published on February 26, 2014.