Gondolas or a gate. Disney's Pop Century Resort, from about $195, for a Skyliner station five minutes' walk from the lobby; Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel, from about $580, for a gate off the lobby into Epic Universe, with a ticket, and midday breaks in your room.
Disney's cheapest Skyliner hotel on standard rates: gondolas to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, early park entry and a food court for dinner.
$From about $195 a night
Choose Disney's Pop Century Resort if
Epcot and Hollywood Studios days
First Disney trips on a budget
Families of four
Early starts at the parks
The catch
There is no table-service restaurant. The Everything POP food court, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and crowded at peak meal times, Petals Pool Bar and pizza delivered to the room are the choices on site, so order ahead in the My Disney Experience app or plan dinners in the parks.
Epic Universe's own hotel, at the end of Celestial Park, with a gate into the park off the lobby.
$$$From about $580 a night
Choose Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel if
Epic Universe trips with children
Early starts and midday breaks
Families of four in one room
Rooftop drinks over the park
The catch
The rooms are small for the money. The entry Standard 2 Queen Beds room is 325 sq ft (30 m²), a fifth guest needs a $35-a-night rollaway, and on a February weeknight the Park View room costs about $200 a night more.
Disney's Pop Century ResortUniversal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel
Smart spendSplurge
CouplesFamilies
Explore outsideStay at the hotel
Food secondaryDestination dining
IntimateLarge resort
QuietLively
Central & walkableRemote escape
Disney's Pop Century Resort
Area
Walt Disney World, Skyliner area, United States
From the centre
2.8 km
Airport
34 min from MCO
Price band
$
Typical rate
From about $195 a night
Rooms
2,880
Last renovated
2026 (opened 2003)
Pool
Outdoor
Beach
None
Spa
No
Adults only
No
Restaurants
1
Parking
Yes
Selected by
Independent research
Last checked
October 2026
Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel
Area
Epic Universe, United States
From the centre
12.3 km
Airport
22 min from MCO
Price band
$$$
Typical rate
From about $580 a night
Rooms
500
Opened
2025
Pool
Outdoor
Beach
None
Spa
No
Adults only
No
Restaurants
1
Parking
Yes
Selected by
Independent research
Last checked
October 2026
The verdict
Gondolas or a gate. Disney's Pop Century Resort, from about $195, for a Skyliner station five minutes' walk from the lobby; Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel, from about $580, for a gate off the lobby into Epic Universe, with a ticket, and midday breaks in your room.
Good questions about Disney's Pop Century Resort vs Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel
Disney's Pop Century Resort or Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel?
Gondolas or a gate. Disney's Pop Century Resort, from about $195, for a Skyliner station five minutes' walk from the lobby; Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel, from about $580, for a gate off the lobby into Epic Universe, with a ticket, and midday breaks in your room.
Is Disney's Pop Century Resort worth it?
Book Pop Century for the cheapest room on the Skyliner at Disney's standard rates, early park entry and free parking, and pay $32 more for a Preferred Room near the lobby. Plan dinners in the parks, and keep a late-January trip clear of the Skyliner's closure from 24 to 30 January 2027. A 2,880-room Disney value resort themed on 20th-century pop culture, where the point is the gondola to two parks and the early entry, not the hotel itself. Expect a busy, family-filled base with three pools, a food court and rooms built for sleeping between park days.
Does Disney's Pop Century Resort have a pool or a beach?
It has an outdoor pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.
Is Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel worth it?
Book Helios Grand for a trip built around Epic Universe: in through the lobby gate at opening, back to the room at midday and the fountains from the window at night. Pay for a Park View 2 Queen Beds room, and accept a small room and a bus to the other parks. A new 500-room hotel built into Epic Universe, where the park is the point: you walk in from the lobby and the park-view rooms look straight into it. Expect a family crowd, small rooms for the money and a bus or a car for everything beyond Epic Universe.
Does Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel have a pool or a beach?
It has an outdoor pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.
The smart money