Hi Brittany,
Don't stress! I'm sure you will have a great vacation whether you stay at Pop Century or switch to the new Art of Animation resort.
My family has stayed at
Pop Century at least 20 times. We like the decor, the relatively compact layout, the pools and the food court. We occasionally stay in a moderate or deluxe resort, but most often stay at Pop so that we can spend more money in Disney restaurants!
I've always liked that Pop Century has one bus stop and doesn't share a bus with other resorts. That makes the transportation quicker and easier. When we were there earlier this month, I timed the ride to Magic Kingdom (18 min.) and Epcot (12 min.). Hollywood Studios is less than 10 minutes.
Art of Animation is adjacent to Pop Century, and you can walk between the two. It also has its own buses and a single bus station. On our recent visit, we caught the bus from Epcot to Art of Animation so that we could check out the grounds and get a snack before walking across the small bridge to Pop.
Most of the rooms at Art of Animation are family suites. We stayed in one in December and really enjoyed the extra room, the kitchenette and the two bathrooms. The theming there is spectacular.
Having extra room might be a consideration for your family. Pop Century rooms have two double beds, which is a bit of a tight squeeze now that our daughters are teenagers. On the other hand, you pay considerably more for a suite.
The
Little Mermaid standard rooms at Art of Animation are comparable in size, layout and price to the standard rooms at Pop Century.
You can't make a bad choice, and you can enjoy both resorts no matter what. Please let me if I can offer more help. Enjoy your time with your family.
Wilma