First week in december

[umaangel00]

Will it really be that busy the first week of december? I know it will be pop warner week. I also was wondering if we should stay at pop century, port orleans river side, or corando springs? Between the last 2 and pop century is a difference of 500. Or should we stay at a different value resort?

 

[mitros]

Actually, at one time, this was one of the best times to go. Having said that, it seems that everyone has found this out, and this time of the year, for the last couple of years, has become quite busy. It is also a low season for DVC members because point ratios are one of the lowest of the year.
Also, my choice would be Port Orleans as far as a resort goes.

 

[lfama]

I can't tell you about the first week in December, but I have stayed at both POR and CS and I say go with CS. It's a beautiful resort. We spent a large portion of our trip exploring it, and it's huge. They hold conferences there so there's more adults than children. I can also honestly say it was definitely the most peaceful resort I have stayed in at WDW. Also, I love the location of it, it never took us a really long time to get anywhere and the bus service was impeccable. POR is nice, but CS just felt like more of a getaway.

 

[maciec]

We have stayed at both CS and POR. Between the two I think that I liked POR better. Probably because each night that we got back from the parks we took the boat ride to the Marketplace. It was very relaxing. We stayed in the mansions and they were beautiful! I didn't like the Aligator Bayou section. I am not a woodsy person so it just didn't appeal to me. The theme pool is great, although, we used the quiet pool more because it was closer. Boatwrights breakfast was awesome each morning. Try the french toast if you stay there.

CS is also a great resort. We really liked everything about it. The theme pool is awesome. The Peppermarket had some good food. The bar area was nice to sit and have some salsa and nachos and margarita's after the parks. The bus service was great. The wait times weren't long, and as the pp said it never feels like it takes that long to get anywhere from there.

I have never stayed at any of the Pop's so I cannot attest to what they are like.

We went this past December, actually our travel dates were 11/29-12/05 and I thought that it was busier than Decembers past. The weather was cold and we only got to swim one day. I don't go to Florida to wear jeans, jacket, and sweatshirt all at the same time. If I want to do that I will just stay home. The christmas decorations were beautiful, but I think that we are going to plan on going in the fall when it's a little warmer. I don't know how much Pop Warner really affects the parks during the day because that is when they are off doing their games and such from what I understand.

Good luck making your decisions. It's a tough one, but once you make it go with it and have fun planning the rest of your trip!

 

[goofy4tink]

I was there the first week in Dec last year...it was wonderful. The kids were there also, but they didn't impact the parks all that much. In fact, I've been there twice with the Pop Warner kids. Other than some cheering practicing around the grounds at AllStarMusic, I really didn't see them too much. Not in the parks at all because they were busy with their competitions. They were more in evidence at nighttime, but not a problem.
I love Pop....it's a great resort. But, I also love POR. It's a matter of personal preference. I would save the money and stay at Pop.
I love being there for the first week in Dec...it's great weatherwise, the parks really aren't too crowded. It is getting more popular every year though.

 

[TheresaNY]

We were there this past December 2 thru 10th at ASMusic. Never ever again ! There are plenty of posts to read about this so I won't reiterate my previous rantings about how poorly behaved the Pop Warner/Cheerleading "guests" were. Suffice to say that I would strongly encourage you to stay away from ALL value resorts and Port Orleans resorts. ASMusic did a horrific job of handling the influx of guests that week, in my opinion. I spoke with many guests that had similiar run ins with PopWarner people at POR as well. The parks were not too bad but every time we heard 4 letter words while standing in a line we had a pretty good guess that it would be from a pack of kids turned loose !
On a general note, we preferred Coronado over POR - having stayed at both. We thought that Pepper Market was far superior to the foodcourt at POR. POR was always a mob scene and a long wait to eat. By the time you got through the lines and found a table, got your drinks, etc., the food was ice cold at POR!! Not that there aren't lines at Pepper Market, because there are....but at least you do not end up eating cold food !! Both resorts are very pretty, but I preferred the theme of CSR over POR. Guess it was just more different than what I am used to. Both are lovely places though so you won't be let down. Just STAY AWAY from values during POP Warner week at all costs. It is worth the added expense to avoid the guarenteed aggrevation you will be in for if you are just a typical family trying to have a nice quiet vacation and perhaps even sleep at night !!