Greetings Jocelyn, and a warm welcome to planDisney! You've a magical question... and I've got a magical answer for you. It's almost like we finish each other's sandwiches!?
Visiting Disney World in January is one of my family's favorite seasons. And with the refurbishment of the lobby and food court in recent months, Pop Century is more beautiful than ever. It's become my favorite of all the wonderful Disney Value Resorts, and if you've never stayed there I'm certain that you'll love it!
I'm happy to assure you that yes, buses will be running and able to get you to Magic Kingdom on WDW Marathon Weekend. Because some roads experience morning road closures from clearing out the remaining crowds of runDisney events, I actually recommend using
Disney transportation. Let those Cast Members navigate and get you to your pixie-dusted destination!
One
perk of being a guest staying at a Disney Resort is that you'll get the enjoy early theme park entry. So although Magic Kingdom officially opens at 9:00 AM on January 11, you will be able to start enjoying the park 30-minutes earlier, at 8:30 AM. Magic Kingdom buses should start picking up guests at Pop Century around 7:45 AM that morning, so you'll want to be ready and waiting to catch that first bus.
Jocelyn, I've got two tips I need to share with you... since I feel we are now Disney kindred spirits!
- Have the My Disney Experience app downloaded, installed, and ready to use before your trip. One of my favorite features is looking under "Hotel Reservations" where it will give you details on your Pop Century Resort stay. Scroll down and you'll find many helpful tabs with blue icons, including one for "See Bus Times", which will show you when the Magic Kingdom bus will be at your resort bus stop, and even an estimated arrival time at the park.
- Consider treating yourself to one of my absolute favorite things: a resort-refillable mug! These are sold at the Everything Pop food court, and allow you to refill for free at the resort drink stations. I love to stay caffeinated and hydrated on our Disney trips, and my mug rarely leaves my side. Whether it's a coffee refill before I hop on that morning bus, a Diet Coke refill to go along with my snack, or a late night hot cocoa after returning to my resort... I always get my money's worth! These mugs are so lightweight, I don't mind bringing it in the morning as I travel to the park and then toss it into my park bag.
I hope this helps, and that you have an incredible time at Walt Disney World! Please visit us again at planDisney if we can answer any other questions.
Reach for the sky!
Tami