A computer keyboard, a Sony Walkman and and Pokey (AKA Clyde) all pay tribute to the decade of the 1980s at Walt Disney World's Pop Century Resort. Pop's larger than life set pieces are pure eye candy and a whole lot of fun.Explore the 2719 Hyperion Archives:
Snapshot! - Of Phones and Foosball
Snapshot! - Surf's Up!
Snapshot! - Roger Rabbit: Larger Than Life
I really have to disagree with the "whole lot of fun" comment. The Pop Century and All Star Resorts are gaudy, excessive and dehumanizing. Look at that picture. There's not a single tree... there's no greenery whatsoever... no room for anything alive. Those resorts are soul-suckingly artificial.
ReplyDeleteI think, when it comes to the Value Resorts, you get out of them what you bring with you. If you understand that they are not the Animal Kingdom Lodge, Polynesian, or even Port Orleans: French Quarter, and that they are not going to be meticulously pruned, and instead you allow yourself to be open the kitsch and somewhat goofy nature of the decoration you are going to have a much more enjoyable experience.
ReplyDeleteIs Pop everyone’s cup of tea? Absolutely not, but then again, no resort on Walt Disney World property is perfect for every guest. Pop certainly is not my favorite resort, but I don’t mind staying there, and find some of the gaudiness refreshing in an atmosphere where the details reign supreme everywhere else.
Actually the grounds at Pop Century and All Stars are exceptionally well landscaped and in many places dense with plants, shrubs and trees.
ReplyDeleteAs Ryan noted, it is an over the top design style that certainly doesn't appeal to everyone, but is not without precedent, nor guests that enjoy it.
Dehumanizing? I can't quite wrap my head around what that means and exactly how it applies to a resort hotel.
Disney's Pop Century Resort may be gaudy to an adult, but it represents over-the-top Disney magic in the eyes of a young child.
ReplyDeleteMy philosophy is, as long as my kids are still young enough to be won over by the least expensive Disney resort option, why pay more for a Moderate or Deluxe resort that's more elegantly themed but less "Disney"?
I say "dehumanizing" because we respond to the great resorts and attractions at a very human level, whether it's nostalgia for another time or place of because of characters we feel are real. I have no emotional connection to a giant walkman, and if anything it's a terrible monument to the world I'm trying to get away from. I'd rather get lost in an African lodge or a Key West town or a Victorian Main St. that never was.
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