Just back. Stayed at Pop Century June 5-14. This was a first and probably once in a lifetime visit for us.
Transportation
Most of the time bus lines were short and we were on way in under 10 minutes. Two mornings lines were long and we caught an Uber for $10 each. Several times we also took Art of Animation's bus back to our resort because it was the first bus to show up and then just walked over the bridge.
Animal Kingdom 7:00am EMH. Arrived at bus stop at 6:05 am, just missed the first bus, four people on it. Second bus arrived 6:25, bus completely full but we arrived at AK around 6:45. Through bag check and ticket lines by 6:55. On Flight of Passage at 7:35. Done shortly before 8:00.
One evening tried to catch a bus from Hollywood Studios to Animal Kingdom for Evening EMH, that was a mistake. Line was way long. Talked to the CM manning the front of the bus line and she said, given our place in line, it would be at least an hour. So we ended up splitting a cab with another couple waiting in line. My suggestion would be - don't try to hop to AK Evening EMH using Disney transportation unless you plan on leaving well before park close.
Last night we closed down Magic Kingdom. Park closed at 11:00. We walked out at midnight. Because it was getting late, they had combined AoA and Pop bus lines. We were lucky and got on the bus right when it pulled up but several others weren't. The bus waited around until it was packed. My husband gave up his seat to a mother with a sleeping child. Just because you wait around in the park for an hour don't expect an empty bus or to get a seat.
As for Magical Express, this worked perfectly. Flight in was at 11:30 pm. We were at Pop 1 hour later. Flight out was at 7:30 am. Magical Express picked us up 4:30 am. DME was right on time and only picked up people from Pop Century. This service saved us $100 in taxi fees. All in all, we were happy with Disney Transportation.
Room Requests
We used Touring Plans to fax a room request and got a room 3 doors down from the one requested. Room #4442 is 60s top floor. Quiet and bug free. Great for hopping on either Pop or AoA's buses. Close to the food court.
The Room
Clean. Great housekeeping. Room in good repair, nothing obviously broken.
One downside - the beds were horrible like SQUEAKING LOUDLY every time you sat on them horrible. I'm a side sleeper and my shoulder hurt most mornings but I slept anyway because I was so exhausted from the parks. Brightside - the newly refurbished rooms appear to be getting better mattresses.
The Food Court
My husband and I are light eaters and ate the kid's meals most mornings. No problem ordering them even though we don't have kids. Favorite kid's meal came with 2 Mickey waffles, warm strawberries, 1 slice bacon, 1 sausage patty, chocolate milk and a package of sliced apples. $5.00! What a deal!
For dinner one night we split the roast turkey and mashed potatoes. Generous portion, moist meat; real potatoes, not instant.
I was also impressed with the tie-dyed cheesecake, the crumb cake and the chocolate croissants.
I can also confirm that you can get a case of 12 oz water bottles for $6.99. You have to ask for them and they'll bring you a case from the back.
Final Thoughts
The one real bummer about Pop Century is the mattresses and pillows. If the newly refurbished rooms have better mattresses and you could bring a pillow from home then I would consider Pop Century perfect for my needs.
