I Have Beef With Disney's Pop Century Resort That I Need to Get Off My Chest

Disney World’s Pop Century Resort is one of its most popular, but it has made a CONTROVERSIAL change.

Disney’s Pop Century

Recently, the fan-favorite hotel got a major lobby makeover. The resulting refurbishment made everything brighter and more colorful, and admittedly, more eye-catching. However, the changes meant Pop Century lost something we used to LOVE.

Pop Century Resort is themed to the decades in the second half of the 20th century, with room sections for the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. Outside of the hotel buildings, you’ll find gigantic artifacts from each decade — household items, toys, games, cultural icons, and more.

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head!

When the lobby got its makeover, it got a fresh new mural featuring Mickey Mouse and friends. Of course, this adds a bit more Disney spirit into the space, and each of the characters is set amongst icons from a different decade that the resort represents, dressed in outfits to match. There’s Minnie in the 1950s…

Pop Century Resort

…Daisy in the 1960s with peace signs and flowers…

Daisy in the 60s

…Goofy in the 1970s with lava lamps and disco balls…

Goofy in the 70s

…Pluto in the 1980s with arcade games and 3D glasses…

Pluto in the 80s

…and Donald in the 90s with VHS tapes and cell phones. The artwork is certainly fitting for the theme, but it means that Disney ended up removing the beloved shadow boxes from the lobby!

Donald in the 90s

We’re honestly still not over it, because the former shadow boxes held some incredible historical artifacts and fun nods to decades past. The wall was labeled with a timeline, and underneath each year, you’d find old toys, clothes, and gadgets.

Shadow Boxes

Walking through the lobby and looking at pictures from the different decades, plus reminders of our childhood and the lives that our parents and grandparents lived, always made us feel so nostalgic. We would constantly see parents in the lobby explaining the memorabilia to their children as well — like a time capsule of pop culture.

Lobby Shadow Boxes

We get that the new lobby looks fresh and exciting, but there was just something comforting and unifying about the old shadow boxes. We’ll miss them every time we walk through the resort, but at least we can still enjoy the giant versions of some of these artifacts.

Lobby shadow boxes

We’ll make sure to keep you in the loop with any other hotel changes and refurbishments in Disney World.

For more updates from Disney World, subscribe to our newsletter and our YouTube channel!

No Lie, You Need to Skip These 5 Disney World Hotels in 2026

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.

Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.

Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!

What do you think of the changes at Pop Century Resort? Let us know in the comments!