Is it cheerleading this week?!

[lillygator]

there are more cheer competitions 3/7 and 3/8 at the swan and dolphin as well.

 

[JRawkSteady]

The cheerleaders really made it hard to have a good time in the parks for the first time ever. We went to WDW for our honeymoon from 2/2 - 2/12 and they were everywhere. Not only at the values, but at the Boardwalk as well!! This is the first time I've ever encountered the groups at a deluxe resort. Luckily we were staying in the cottages so we didn't have to worry too much about the noise levels from the Boardwalk at night. They really made Downtown Disney unwalkable. Wherever they would go, they would lock arms so no one could get past, they would cut in line saying that they were "with" the group ahead of us (yeah, that rule doesn't count when there are 20 people in your group and only 3 are in front...) They were rude and obnoxious when they were together...and there were more than I had ever seen at one time. The Studios was empty, but Rock N Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror had 50 - 70 minute waits all day without letting up.

 

[WEDWDW]

what are the 15s?

These are the 15s(give or take about 10,000).

 

[ChimneyJim]

I don't think annoying & entitled are adjectives strictly reserved for tour groups. I've seen plenty of 2, 3, 4-member families filling those shoes, just as I've seen countless tour groups of 30-40 behaving just fine.

How dare the 15-year olds act like 15-year olds?

Never said they had a lock on those traits. Glad that you have had innumerable sightings that were positive. My close interactions have not been but that is off topic. A question was asked. I answered. I felt my observation was relevant.

 

[cgattis]

15 is old enough to learn how to:
- use your "inside voice" in a hotel, where others may be sleeping
-not cut line. Your group of 10 can catch up with the other group of 10 when you step off the ride.
-not block an entire walkway walking 10 abreast. Bear right.
-not scream/sing/chant inside a ride queue or any other enclosed space, like a food court or airplane.

These are things I've been teaching my children as long as they've been traveling. Period.

 

[Twende]

The only thing worse that a mass of 15s in the parks is being cooped up with them on a cruise. This happened to us and it was a nightmare.
Like the group pic above they were from Argentina. They were beyond rude. They were physically rough when you tried to pass through the corridors, they were shovey when I was trying to add water to my cup that I had just filled with ice, they stole toys from my 3 year old granddaughter, and their sense of modesty was non-existant. For example I filled my glass with ice and tried to move my cup over three inches to the water spout when I found myself completely shoved away. They would block the way when we would try to get to our room. And yes, they pretended to not be able to understand or speak English. Evidently they are comfortable going topless as they would remove their tiny bikini tops to see if they had gotten any tan lines. Their bottoms were dental floss with a small bandaid in the front. And this is what they wore to take over the toddler splash pool.Needless to say after they stole the toys, we left! Poor Grandbaby was upset with the loss of her toys and was crying about all the naked butts in her face. We did eventually get the toys back but it was just ridiculous!

We seldom saw any of them with chaperones. After talking with some other cruisers, we too began to walk toward them in a football like elbows out blocking position. It is al shame they were so ill behaved and rude.

If we had known they were going to be on our cruise, we would have changed to another date!

 

[mikepizzo]

My girlfriend and I will be down there during the 2/27 - 3/3 competition. She coaches one of the teams that is competing, and I can confirm that some (not all...but some) of the parents are worse. Luckily, the vast majority of my girlfriends team has respectable and responsible adults and kids.

 

[calismic]

Having participated (years and year ago, lol) and now having traveled during the cheer seasons; I will say the College Dance/Cheer teams are far worse behaved than the High school teams. The college teams can drink and they get LOUD and obnoxious! I will never go back when they are there. The high school teams though, as long as you avoid the hotels you're mostly ok. Just don't get stuck on a ride with them. =P

 

[Vernie822]

If this helps, cheerleading competition season starts in Oct/Nov and runs through late April/early May. You'll see the biggest crowds at Worlds and The Summit which are both late April/first few days of May, I think. Since Oct/Nov are the beginning of cheer season, Nationals and Championships are usually late winter at the earliest.

Generally cheer teams stay at the Values or a moderate. Very seldom will they stay Deluxe, and if they do, it's not going to be nearly as overwhelming because a majority of the teams are at other resorts.

Honestly, I was a cheerleader and I'm now a coach so get where you're coming from. Half the time I can't stand them because they're in HS and they're loud and obnoxious, but it is what it is. If I were vacationing it would drive me nuts, too!

They will likely be competing over the weekend. They'll probably check in a day or two before (Weds/Thurs/Fri), and some will stay til Monday/Tuesday. Generally I don't think many of them hit the parks over the weekend, at least not all day, because they're busy competing or practicing. Unfortunately much of the late winter/early spring is prime cheer comp season at Disney!

I get that cheerleaders are annoying and obnoxious - but I have been there when the Brazilian tour groups are there, and they were way worse in my experience.

 

[KimK2006]

Our school was there for Nationals two weeks ago. I think they have different types of competitions on different weekends. So, it is spread out. Not sure if they are all like this, but the competitions are usually Saturday and Sunday. Teams arrive Thursday. Practice and hit the parks for a few hours on Friday. Cheer Saturday. Some get eliminated on Saturday. Compete on Sunday morning. Some are eliminated after that. Others move on to Sunday afternoon. So, they really don't impact the crowds greatly, especially in the earlier parts of the day.

 

[Ember]

Well, we seem to have three distinct teams here at the moment and they're all in pink for some reason... I'd like to not lump them all together (I'm sure some of them are fine...), but the bad ones and their adults make the whole thing unpleasant. We've started calling them "The Horrible Pink People."

Today I watched them surround and glare at / harass a family until they gave up their table at breakfast. I actually went and got a cast member, because it was completely unacceptable. The CM helped find the family a new table and spoke to them for a while, but never approached The Horrible Pink People or their adults.

I've read about these groups... Gotta say, people aren't exaggering.

 

[JanaDee]

15 is old enough to learn how to:
- use your "inside voice" in a hotel, where others may be sleeping
-not cut line. Your group of 10 can catch up with the other group of 10 when you step off the ride.
-not block an entire walkway walking 10 abreast. Bear right.
-not scream/sing/chant inside a ride queue or any other enclosed space, like a food court or airplane.

These are things I've been teaching my children as long as they've been traveling. Period.

Yes it is, but that isn't something these girls have learned, nor does Disney do anything about their behavior.

 

[cgattis]

Yes it is, but that isn't something these girls have learned, nor does Disney do anything about their behavior.

Agreed. I botched my post--was trying to reply to PP who basically said "they're just acting like 15YOs." IMO, 15YOs should know better than to act like that, and if their chaperones won't tell them that, I agree--Disney management should let them know when they are impacting other guests' experiences. I'll bet if a smoker escaped the designated area, and was impacting other guests, they'd be asked to stop or leave.

 

[Belle61513]

Cheerleaders > 15's ANY DAY.
15's are heinous, but CM's will usually tell them to chill if they start their obnoxious chanting or anything in the parks. You're screwed if you're on a bus with them, though.

 

[JohnDaleswife]

Do you think that most of the "15s" will be gone by next weekend. I was thinking that their prime vacation time would be coming to an end here soon.