Disney's Pop Century Resort

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Sign that welcomes you to the resort. August 2004.

Disney's Pop Century Resort is a resort at the Walt Disney World Resort. It is one of four hotels that make up the "value resort" group. The hotel is themed around different decades in American culture. Much like the other resorts within the value category, there are supersized versions of various items built around the hotel. Each themed area features motel-style buildings adorned in gigantic (3 meters+) phrases and iconography of the particular decade being represented. The resort has 2,880 rooms in ten separate buildings, three pool areas and one central area that houses the front desk, gift shop, arcade and food court.

1 Phase I
2 Resort facts
- 2.1 The Themed Areas
3 Phase II
4 Scopa Towers
5 Dining and Shopping
6 External links
7 References

[edit] Phase I

Sign offering guests and visitors directions to the various themed areas. August 2004.

A scene from the 1970's themed area. Includes large statues of a Mickey Mouse phone and Foosball figures. August 2004.

A scene from the 1990's themed area. August 2004.

Some of the 1950's rooms overlooking the Bowling pin shaped pool. October 2006.

A scene from the 1950's themed area, showing the large Jukebox. October 2006.

[edit] Resort facts

Category: Value
Theme: Popular Culture in the 20th Century
Location: Animal Kingdom Area Resorts
Opened: December 14, 2003
Areas: '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s
Rooms: 2880

Address: 1050 Century Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Phone: 407-938-4000
Fax: 407-938-4040

[edit] The Themed Areas

Each themed area is listed with a sample of the oversized items found there and (in quotes) the phrases emblazoned upon the buildings in that particular area.

1950s

Giant bowling pin staircases
45rpm records
Transistor radio
Jukebox
"Flip Out"
"Real Hip"
"You're Grounded"

1960s

Giant Yo-yo staircases
Hippie Flowers
Peace symbol
"Peace Love And Happiness"
"Tye-Dye"
"One Giant Leap For Mankind"
"You Dig It?"

1970s

Giant 8-track tape staircases
Disco Dancing
Giant foosball setup
Four-story tall Big Wheel
Mickey Mouse phone
Mood ring
"Discotheque"
"Have A Nice Day"
"Boogie Down"
"Get Down"

1980s

Giant Rubik's Cube staircases
Roger Rabbit
A giant Walkman
Mr. Potato Head
Pac-Man
"Duh"
"Yuppies"
"Breakdance"

1990s

Giant cell phone staircases
A giant Laptop
Giant floppy disks by the pool
Rollerblades
Hip hop dance
"Networking"
"Grunge"
"Y2K"
"As If"
"Wazzup?"
"Phat!"
"Whatever"
"Keepin It Real"

[edit] Phase II

The second phase of construction is the Legendary Years - 1900-1940. This part of the resort resides across the Hourglass Lake, and is connected by the Generation Gap Bridge. Its construction was halted after 9/11 due to the reduction in tourism. As of Summer 2006, the "Legendary Hall" building and a few of the units have been constructed but are not finished. The buildings can be seen on the right hand side of the entrance to Pop Century.

Initially the completed resort was to have an additional 2,880 rooms on the "Legendary" side, configured identically to the "Classic" side. However, as of April 10, 2006, the MousePlanet website has confirmed that these rooms will instead be configured as family suites, identical to those now available at Disney's All-Star Music Resort, with a separate master bedroom, two bathrooms and a small kitchenette.

A few of the pop icons to represent these decades have already been revealed by the shape of the swimming pools in the design plans. The pool in the 1940s section is to be shaped like a highway sign, suggesting a "Route 66" motif. The pool in the 1930s will resemble a soda bottle, and the 1910s pool forms the outline of a crossword puzzle.

Photos of the uncompleted portion of Pop Century can be seen on Jeff Lange's blog.

[edit] Scopa Towers

Scopa Towers is a nickname given to Disney's Pop Century Resort at Walt Disney World in Florida.

The Scopa Towers Logo.

The name 'Scopa Towers' was the result of a running joke between Mike Scopa of MousePlanet.com and Len Testa, co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. In April 2004, Mike Scopa visited Disney World and stayed in Disney's Pop Century Resort. His stay turned out to become somewhat of a short term residence at the hotel and since then, the hotel has become a firm favourite of Scopa's to stay at due to its fair pricing and convienience of being on Disney property.

Since the first use of the phrase 'Scopa Towers', Mike Scopa has appeared as a co-host on the podcast Walt Disney World Today. The banter between the fellow hosts of the show has increased the popularity of the phrase and has even begun a movement. The Movement, known as 'The Scopa Towers Movement', or 'Team Scopa', asks people to 'ask for it by name'. Many people do call Disney, asking for a room at Scopa Towers, only to receive questions about what exaclty they mean. Some Disney Travel Agents, such as Small World Vacations, accept revervations at Scopa Towers with no problem. Team Scopa's true hope is that some day; Disney Cast Members on the vacation reservation lines will understand with no problem what to do when someone calls in to make a reservation for Scopa Towers.

[edit] Dining and Shopping

The resort offers a number of dining options in the main building of the resort. Everything Pop and Grab-N-Go Market are the two dining options which offer a wide range of food from salads, pizza to burgers. Grab-N-Go Market offers food that is packaged and easy to carry into the parks. Everything Pop also is a store that has decade themed items.[1][2]