Hi Victoria!
Oh, I'm blushing - thanks for the compliment! Usually, I would recommend springing for the preferred room when you have small children; however, not at Pop Century. The rooms located in the 70s section are nearly as close to the food court, main pool and buses as those that you pay extra for! Also, many of the rooms in this section have fabulous views of Hourglass Lake.
You mentioned that you are traveling with a couple of other families, so I thought that I would give you a couple of hints to have rooms close together at the resort. First, mention to the Disney reservationist or your travel agent that you will be traveling with other families and then give them their names so that they can link your reservations together. If you would like to have connecting doors on the inside of your room, request "connecting" rooms. If you would rather just have them next door, request an "adjoining" room. They will do their best to grant your request, but please bear in mind that they can't guarantee ANY room requests. I recommend letting them know the priority of your requests - such as connecting rooms, followed by view of lake, etc.
We love Pop Century and have stayed in it so many times that I have lost count! Your kids should love the food court and the pool theming is over the top. Also, the offical Disney World website has a great section on
traveling with younger children. Have a magical vacation!
Much pixie dust,
Jackie S.