Pop Century vs Art of Animation: Suites, Skyliner and Pools

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Pop Century vs Art of Animation comes down to room size: Pop Century sells standard rooms for up to 4 adults, while Art of Animation adds Family Suites for up to 6 adults with 2 bathrooms and a kitchenette. Both are Disney Value Resorts on Hourglass Lake that share one Disney Skyliner station and list no resort fee or overnight parking charge.

Quick answer: Book Disney’s Pop Century Resort if four people fit in one room with a queen bed and a queen-size pull-down bed. Book Disney’s Art of Animation Resort if you need a suite for five or six, a second bathroom, a kitchenette or a dog-friendly room. Both get 30-minute Early Theme Park Entry and the 7-day Lightning Lane purchase window; neither gets Extended Evening Hours. For two bedrooms, three off-site suite hotels below have no resort fee and charge $17 to $20 a night for parking.

Quick verdict

Best off-site suite

Residence Inn Orlando at Flamingo Crossings Town Center

Full kitchen in every suite, free hot breakfast, a free scheduled shuttle and no resort fee.

Check rates for your datesRead our review

Best off-site value

Home2 Suites by Hilton Orlando at Flamingo Crossings Town Center

Two-bedroom suite for 6, free hot breakfast and Disney shuttle, $20 parking, no resort fee.

Check rates for your datesRead our review

Best off-site for groups

Sonesta ES Suites Orlando - Lake Buena Vista

A two-bedroom suite with a full kitchen sleeps 8; no resort fee.

Check rates for your datesRead our review

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Disney’s Pop Century Resort: standard rooms for up to 4

Pop Century has one room type: a standard room with 1 queen bed and 1 queen-size pull-down bed, or 1 king bed, for up to 4 adults. Disney sells it in four categories: Standard, Preferred, Standard Pool View and Preferred Pool View. Preferred rooms are close to Classic Hall, which holds the food court, the shop and the arcade, with the bus stop outside.

The resort is at 1050 Century Drive in Disney’s Wide World of Sports Resort Area, themed to the 1950s through the 1990s. Rates are booked with Disney, not on Booking.com. Disney’s page shows a “construction and refurbishment” notice, but the only work it details is the Skyliner closures in January 2027 and early 2028.

Book it if:

• Four people or fewer will share one room with a queen bed and a queen-size pull-down bed.
• You want a Preferred room near the food court and the bus stop.
• EPCOT and Hollywood Studios are your main parks, reached by the Skyliner.

Skip it if:

• You need two bedrooms and a full kitchen: Sonesta ES Suites Orlando Lake Buena Vista lists two-bedroom suites with full kitchens for 6 or 8; its rates link is below.
• You want breakfast included: Home2 Suites Orlando Flamingo Crossings serves a free hot breakfast; its rates link is below.

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort: Family Suites for up to 6

Art of Animation sells two room types: The Little Mermaid Standard Room for up to 4 adults, with 1 king bed or 2 queen beds, and Family Suites for up to 6 adults. You can book a Finding Nemo, Cars or The Lion King suite, or a Family Suite whose theme is assigned at check-in.

Each Family Suite has a bedroom with 1 queen bed, a living room with a double-size sleeper sofa and a double-size table bed (a “pull-down bed” in Disney’s room list), 2 bathrooms and a kitchenette with a microwave, a beverage cooler and a coffee machine. Disney lists no stovetop.

The resort is at 1850 Animation Way, across Hourglass Lake from Pop Century. It is the only one of the two that takes dogs: up to 2 per room, with restrictions and fees, booked by phone at (407) 939-5277. Disney says dogs are welcome “for a limited time”. From mid-June 2027 through October 2028, Disney will refurbish the rooms in phases, one themed area at a time, and warns of daytime work and alternate paths.

Book it if:

• Five or six people want one room with 2 bathrooms.
• You want a kitchenette with a microwave for simple breakfasts.
• You are bringing a dog: Disney’s Pop Century page lists no dog-friendly rooms.

Skip it if:

• You need a stovetop or beds for eight: Sonesta ES Suites Orlando Lake Buena Vista lists full kitchens and a two-bedroom suite for 8; its rates link is below.
• Your dates fall in the June 2027 to October 2028 refurbishment: compare Pop Century, or Residence Inn Orlando at Flamingo Crossings with its rates link below.

Pop Century vs Art of Animation side by side

What matters	Pop Century	Art of Animation
Disney category	Value Resort	Value Resort
Standard room	Queen + queen pull-down, or king	King, or 2 queens
Most in one room	4 adults	6 adults (Family Suite)
Second bathroom	No	Suites only
Kitchenette	No	Suites only
Pools	3	3
Food court	Everything POP	Landscape of Flavors
Skyliner	Shared station	Shared station
Early Theme Park Entry	Yes	Yes
Extended Evening Hours	No	No
Resort fee	None listed	None listed
Overnight parking	Free	Free
Dogs	Not listed	Up to 2
Room refurbishment	None detailed	Mid-June 2027 to Oct. 2028

Rooms and who they sleep

The largest room at Pop Century sleeps 4 adults; the largest at Art of Animation sleeps 6. Disney’s room data allows a fifth guest in a standard room only when that guest is an infant, so a family of five without an infant needs a Family Suite. Our list of rooms that sleep 5 or 6 at Disney World and Universal covers other options.

In both standard rooms, four guests need a two-bed layout unless two share the king.

Disney publishes no square footage for either resort’s rooms, so official sizes cannot be compared. Both list free Wi-Fi and housekeeping every other day. Pop Century prices pool views and rooms near Classic Hall separately; every Art of Animation room type lists “views of the courtyard, pool or parking area”.

Pools and recreation

Art of Animation has the bigger main pool: Disney calls the Big Blue Pool the largest resort pool at Walt Disney World, with an interactive water play area for small children. The Cozy Cone Pool and the Flippin’ Fins Pool are the other two, and the Drop Off Pool Bar serves drinks.

Pop Century’s main pool is the Hippy Dippy Pool, with flower-shaped water jets and a kiddie pool area with a pop-jet fountain. Disney describes the Bowling Pool and the Computer Pool as smaller. Petals Pool Bar is the pool bar.

Both list campfires, Movie Under the Stars, an arcade, a playground and a jogging route; Art of Animation’s trail is 1.38 miles. Pop Century’s trail is “one-mile” in Disney’s recreation section but “1.38-mile” in its comparison text. Both have 24-hour self-service laundry rooms near each of their three pools.

Dining: Everything POP vs Landscape of Flavors

Each resort has one food court for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus pizza delivery, and neither has a table-service restaurant. Everything POP Shopping & Dining has 7 food stations, with items such as waffles, pasta, flatbread and salads. Landscape of Flavors has 5 quick-service counters in 4 dining areas.

The Family Suite kitchenette is the practical difference: a microwave and a beverage cooler let a family keep breakfast items in the room. Pop Century rooms list a beverage cooler but no microwave.

Skyliner, buses and distances to the parks

Pop Century and Art of Animation share one station of the free Disney Skyliner on Hourglass Lake. Disney’s official Skyliner map shows a single station between the two resorts, with one line to Caribbean Beach Resort. There you change for Hollywood Studios or for the line via the Riviera Resort to EPCOT’s International Gateway. On OpenStreetMap walking routes, the station is about 0.2 mile from both Classic Hall and Animation Hall.

The Skyliner opens 1 hour before Early Theme Park Entry at EPCOT or Hollywood Studios and closes 90 minutes after those parks close. On EPCOT Extended Evening Hours nights, the route serving Caribbean Beach, Pop Century and Art of Animation is unavailable during the extra time. The Skyliner closes for refurbishment January 24 to 30, 2027 and January 24 to February 2, 2028, with free buses instead.

Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, the water parks and Disney Springs are free Disney bus trips from both resorts; the stops are outside Classic Hall and Animation Hall. See our Disney World transportation guide for hours. Approximate road distances on public roads (OSRM routing, no traffic):

Destination	Pop Century	Art of Animation	Disney transport
EPCOT main parking lot	About 4.5 mi	About 4.5 mi	Skyliner
Hollywood Studios parking	About 5 mi	About 4.5 mi	Skyliner
Animal Kingdom parking	About 3.5 to 4 mi	About 3 to 3.5 mi	Bus
Magic Kingdom (TTC lot)	About 5.5 to 6 mi	About 5.5 to 6 mi	Bus
Disney Springs	About 3.5 mi	About 3.5 mi	Bus

Disney perks: the same at both resorts

• Early Theme Park Entry: 30 minutes early at all 4 theme parks every day of the stay, including check-in and check-out days; Disney says it continues through 2027.
• Lightning Lane: passes can be bought 7 days before the stay, for up to 14 days; guests of most other hotels buy 3 days ahead. The passes cost extra.
• Extended Evening Hours: not included; Disney limits them to Deluxe and Deluxe Villa resorts plus the Swan, Dolphin, Swan Reserve and Shades of Green.
• Parking: overnight self-parking is free and standard theme park parking is included; preferred parking costs the $15 to $25 daily difference.

None of the three off-site hotels below is on Disney’s Early Theme Park Entry list. Our analysis of whether a Disney resort is worth it weighs these perks against off-site stays.

True nightly cost: fees, parking and perks

Neither Disney resort adds a fixed nightly charge on Disney’s pages: your rate + $0 resort fee + $0 overnight parking = rate + $0 per night. The three off-site hotels list no resort fee but charge for parking, and Disney charges their guests $35 a day for standard theme park parking, tax included.

Hotel	Resort fee	Parking	Fixed add-on	Driving to a park
Pop Century	$0	$0	Rate + $0	$0 (included)
Art of Animation	$0	$0	Rate + $0	$0 (included)
Residence Inn	$0	$20	Rate + $20	+ $35 a day
Home2 Suites	$0	$20	Rate + $20	+ $35 a day
Sonesta ES Suites	$0	$17	Rate + $17	+ $35 a day

Off site, your rate + $0 resort fee + $20 parking = rate + $20 per night at Residence Inn and Home2 Suites, and rate + $0 + $17 = rate + $17 at Sonesta (one Sonesta page shows $15). Booking.com’s sample stays for all three showed about 12.5% in taxes and no resort fee (checked October 30, 2026).

Worked example, 4 nights with 3 driving days to Disney parks:

• Pop Century or Art of Animation: 4 × $0 + 3 × $0 = $0.
• Residence Inn or Home2 Suites: 4 × $20 = $80, plus 3 × $35 = $105, for $185; using the free shuttle on those 3 days leaves $80.
• Sonesta ES Suites: 4 × $17 = $68, plus $105, for $173.

Residence Inn and Home2 Suites include a free hot breakfast and a free scheduled shuttle; the Disney resorts include Early Theme Park Entry, the 7-day Lightning Lane window and the Skyliner. No official source values these perks in dollars, so compare rates for your dates and add the figures above.

Off-site family suites to compare

These three hotels offer what neither Value Resort has: a two-bedroom suite. See also our guides to one-bedroom suites near Disney World and 2- and 3-bedroom suites near Disney World.

Residence Inn Orlando at Flamingo Crossings Town Center

Residence Inn’s largest suite has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 king bed and 2 queen beds in about 990 square feet, for up to 6 guests per Marriott. Booking.com showed no two-bedroom suite for sample stays from November 2026 to March 2027, so confirm that layout with the hotel. Every suite has a full kitchen, and rollaway beds are not permitted. Breakfast is a free hot buffet from 6:30 to 10 a.m., self-parking is $20 a day and there is no resort fee. It is about 5 road miles from Animal Kingdom’s parking and 6 to 7 from EPCOT’s. Details are in our Residence Inn Flamingo Crossings review.

Book it if:

• You want a full kitchen with a dishwasher in every suite type.
• A free hot breakfast from 6:30 a.m. matters to your budget.
• A free scheduled shuttle to Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios or the TTC suits your plans.

Skip it if:

• You want the Skyliner and Early Theme Park Entry: compare Pop Century or Art of Animation, booked with Disney.
• Your group is eight: Sonesta ES Suites Orlando Lake Buena Vista lists a suite for 8; its rates link is below.

Check today’s rates and availability at Residence Inn Orlando at Flamingo Crossings on Booking.com

Home2 Suites by Hilton Orlando at Flamingo Crossings Town Center

Home2 Suites lists a two-bedroom suite with 1 king bed, 1 queen bed and a sofa bed for 6 guests, about 1,020 square feet on Booking.com; its two-queen studio also sleeps 6. Suites have a kitchenette with a full-size refrigerator, a microwave and a dishwasher but no built-in stove; Hilton offers induction cooktops from the front desk. The hotel is about 6 to 7 road miles from EPCOT. Breakfast is free and hot, the heated pool has a waterslide, self-parking is $20 a day and there is no resort fee. See our Home2 Suites Flamingo Crossings review.

Book it if:

• Six people want a two-bedroom suite with free breakfast.
• Children want a pool with a waterslide.
• You want a free scheduled Disney shuttle.

Skip it if:

• You want a built-in stovetop: Residence Inn Orlando at Flamingo Crossings lists full kitchens; its rates link is above.
• You want a direct ride to EPCOT: the Home2 Suites shuttle has no EPCOT stop, while the Skyliner from Pop Century or Art of Animation goes to International Gateway.

See room photos and current prices for Home2 Suites Orlando Flamingo Crossings

Sonesta ES Suites Orlando – Lake Buena Vista

Sonesta ES Suites has the highest-capacity suite of the three: 1 king bed, 2 double beds and a double sofa bed for 8 guests in about 750 square feet on Booking.com. Its two-king suite sleeps 6. Every suite has a full kitchen with a stovetop and a dishwasher. Breakfast is not included; The Morning Pour cafe sells it from 7 to 11 a.m. Self-parking is $17 a night, there is no resort fee, Disney Springs is about 2 road miles away, EPCOT about 6 to 7, and no park shuttle is confirmed. See our Sonesta ES Suites Lake Buena Vista review.

Book it if:

• Seven or eight people need one two-bedroom suite.
• You plan to cook dinners on a full stovetop.
• You have a car and want Disney Springs about 2 miles away.

Skip it if:

• You want breakfast included: Home2 Suites Orlando Flamingo Crossings serves it free; its rates link is above.
• You will not drive: Pop Century and Art of Animation have the Skyliner and Disney buses.

Check availability for your dates at Sonesta ES Suites Orlando Lake Buena Vista

Choose Pop Century if… / Choose Art of Animation if…

Choose Pop Century if:

• Your group is four or fewer and one standard room is enough.
• You want a Preferred room near the food court and the bus stop.
• Your dates fall in Art of Animation’s June 2027 to October 2028 refurbishment.

Choose Art of Animation if:

• Five or six people need one suite with 2 bathrooms and a kitchenette.
• Your children will use the Big Blue Pool and its water play area.
• You are traveling with a dog.

Choose an off-site suite if you need two bedrooms. Best off-site suite: Residence Inn Orlando at Flamingo Crossings (full kitchens, free breakfast; its two-bedroom suites did not show on Booking.com for our sample dates). Best off-site value: Home2 Suites Orlando Flamingo Crossings (free breakfast and shuttle, $20 parking). Best off-site for groups: Sonesta ES Suites Orlando Lake Buena Vista (a suite for 8). For more, see our best hotels near Disney World.

What to check before you book

• Headcount: five or more people need a Family Suite or an off-site two-bedroom suite.
• Skyliner and refurbishment dates: January 24 to 30, 2027 is bus-only, and Art of Animation’s room work runs mid-June 2027 to October 2028.
• Off-site details: confirm parking, shuttle times and two-bedroom availability on Booking.com for your dates.

Frequently asked questions

Is Art of Animation better than Pop Century?

Art of Animation is better for groups of five or six, because its Family Suites sleep up to 6 adults with 2 bathrooms and a kitchenette, and it has the Big Blue Pool. For four or fewer people the two are close: same Skyliner station, same Disney perks, no resort fee and free overnight parking.

Do Pop Century and Art of Animation share a Skyliner station?

Yes. Disney’s Skyliner map shows one station between the two resorts on Hourglass Lake, about 0.2 mile on foot from each main building. The line runs to Caribbean Beach Resort, where you change for Hollywood Studios or for EPCOT’s International Gateway via the Riviera Resort.

How many people can stay in an Art of Animation Family Suite?

Disney lists up to 6 adults. The suite has a bedroom with 1 queen bed, a double-size sleeper sofa and a double-size table bed in the living area, 2 bathrooms and a kitchenette with a microwave, beverage cooler and coffee machine. Disney does not publish its square footage.

Do Pop Century and Art of Animation charge for parking or a resort fee?

Disney’s pages list no resort fee for either resort, and overnight self-parking is free for Disney Resort hotel guests. Standard theme park parking is included too, which saves the $35 daily charge off-site guests pay. Preferred park parking costs the $15 to $25 daily difference.

Do these Value resorts get Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours?

Both get 30-minute Early Theme Park Entry at all 4 theme parks every day of the stay, which Disney says continues through 2027, and the 7-day Lightning Lane purchase window. Neither gets Extended Evening Hours: Disney limits those to Deluxe and Deluxe Villa resorts plus the Swan, Dolphin, Swan Reserve and Shades of Green.

Bottom line

In Pop Century vs Art of Animation, the room decides: Pop Century for four or fewer in a standard room, Art of Animation for five or six in a Family Suite with 2 bathrooms and a kitchenette. Both share the Skyliner, Early Theme Park Entry, free parking and no resort fee. For two bedrooms off site, Home2 Suites Orlando Flamingo Crossings adds $20 a night in parking and Sonesta ES Suites Orlando Lake Buena Vista $17.

Check availability for your dates at Home2 Suites Orlando Flamingo Crossings

How we checked this guide: rooms, occupancy, pools, dining, refurbishments, parking and perks come from Disney’s resort, Skyliner, parking, Early Entry, Extended Evening Hours and Lightning Lane pages read on October 30, 2026, and the shared station from Disney’s official Skyliner map. Off-site suites and fees come from Marriott, Sonesta and Hilton pages and Booking.com room lists for sample stays from November 2026 to March 2027, checked October 30, 2026; distances from OSRM public-road routing. Read about how we research our guides.

Sources checked in October 2026: Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney Skyliner, Walt Disney World parking, Early Theme Park Entry.