Disney’s Pop Century Resort is full of oversized icons celebrating the fads, toys, and pop culture of decades past. But there’s one particular detail in the resort’s ’90s section that I think every longtime Disney World fan needs to see!
Growing up in South Florida, my family frequently visited Pop Century for spontaneous weekend getaways. I still remember when Florida residents could book a room for around $79 a night! My sister and I especially loved staying in the ’90s buildings, although we sometimes requested the ’60s section for its convenient location near Everything Pop Shopping & Dining.
I have so many childhood memories of swimming in the Hippy Dippy Pool, with its giant flower-shaped “Crazy Daisy” sprinklers, and the quieter Computer Pool, surrounded by enormous floppy disks and a computer keyboard. As ’90s kids, we couldn’t get enough of it.
During a more recent visit, I wandered back through the ’90s section and noticed something I had somehow overlooked all those years: the giant laptop computer near the Computer Pool.
And if you love ’90s Disney World nostalgia as much as I do, you’re going to want to take a closer look!
A Little Disney World History Hiding in Plain Sight
At first glance, the enormous laptop looks like another fun piece of retro technology. But take a look at its screen, and you’ll find several references to Walt Disney World attractions and milestones from the 1990s.
One of the most interesting details is a digital newspaper announcing the opening of Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 1998. The park officially welcomed its first guests on April 22, 1998, making it Walt Disney World’s fourth theme park.
You’ll also spot a photo of the original Test Track at EPCOT, complete with the industrial crash-test theming that debuted with the attraction in 1999. Long before the attraction’s more recent updates, Test Track took guests through a series of automotive safety tests, including those memorable crash-test dummies. And then there’s one of my favorite pieces of Disney World history: the Cake Castle!
For Walt Disney World’s 25th anniversary in 1996, Cinderella Castle received an unforgettable makeover as a giant pink birthday cake, complete with candles, frosting, and candy decorations. It remains one of the most recognizable (and controversial!) transformations in Magic Kingdom history.
But perhaps my favorite detail on the laptop is an icon that still reads “Disney’s MGM Studios.” Disney officially renamed the park Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2008, but this little piece of the original park name remains right there on the laptop screen. How many other places around Walt Disney World still have that original name hiding in plain sight?
One More Reason to Explore Pop Century
Disney’s Pop Century Resort opened in 2003, celebrating American pop culture from the 1950s through the 1990s. From giant yo-yos and Rubik’s Cubes to bowling pins, jukeboxes, and floppy disks, the resort has plenty of fun details worth exploring beyond its guest rooms and pools.
I appreciate that Disney has kept this little collection of ’90s park history intact. It’s easy to walk right past the laptop without realizing that its screen contains references to attractions, celebrations, and even a park name that have changed over the years. Next time you’re visiting Pop Century, take a walk through the ’90s section and check out the laptop for yourself. You might discover a few Disney memories you haven’t thought about in years!
Do you have a favorite oversized icon or nostalgic detail at Disney’s Pop Century Resort?
