Shelley,
When you take the bus from
Disney's Pop Century Resort to the
Magic Kingdom, it drops you off at the park's bus depot. That is just a short walk away from the park gates, less than a tenth of a mile. You do not go to the Transportation and Ticket Center, which means you do not have to transfer to a boat or the monorail.
As to getting back to your resort from the Magic Kingdom, the bus should take about 25 minutes, though of course the wait time to catch a bus can vary. As a comparison, the monorail ride will take at least 15 minutes from the Transportation Ticket Center to
EPCOT. When you add to that the time to first get from the Magic Kingdom to the Transportation Ticket Center, then the time after the monorail to walk through EPCOT to get to the
Disney Skyliner, then the time for the Skyliner ride, and you are looking at well over an hour to get from the Magic Kingdom to your resort. I would definitely stick with the bus. It may not be as scenic, but it is going to be a shorter ride, and it will take fewer changes and walking than the alternative.
Write me back if you have any follow-up questions.
Have a Magical Vacation!
Doug