Pop Warner Week - NEVER AGAIN. Anyone Feel The Same???

[C.Ann]

Hmmm..judging from this, it looks like the last week of Nov. might be a better choice.. But would the MVMCP be going on then?

 

[jctwizzer]

WOW! some other posts are a little rough.

Dear Luigi''s girl:

What part of the cheerleaders were "a sub human, pain in the axx" do you have trouble comprehending. With your attitude its fairly easy to see why the offspring don't seem to have a clue about responsibile behavior...JMHO

 

[hellooothere]

We stayed at the Pop from Dec 6-9. We had a wonderful time and were kind of oblivious to everything but our own fun I guess. The night of the 7th there apparently was quite a ruckus on the bottom floor between a large group of footballers who were staying at Pop. I believe that even a fight broke out. We just heard the details from our neighbours as they were out on the balcony watching the melee. The neighbours were quite upset (rightly so)as I believe they had napping kids in the room. They had called to Guest Services and nothing was being done. I think the problem is with this large a group that they do not deal with them as individual customers. What I mean is if you or I picked a fight in our hotel at Disney we would be asked to leave. In this case Disney was unwilling to ask one member of the group to leave based on the sheer size of Pop Warner and the money it generates.

We never witnessed alot of extra kids in the parks on the days we were there. We did meet a nice "quiet" group of girls on the bus who took the time to talk to my little ladies who were enthralled by the "cheerleaders beautiful hair".

 

[NHLFAN]

We stayed off site and only noticed the Cheerleaders in the parks and MCO...they only time they bugged us this year was when they thought it was Cute to start a cheer at the park and airport.

Maybe Disney should ask them to keep the cheer routines out of the parks ... and request more parents to watch over them.

We go to WDW for the entertainment Disney provides and that doesn't include the cheer routines from those Cheer Teams.

The football teams we ran into were very well behaved...mostly joking amoungst themselves and talking about the games.

I also remember in previous years the South American groups clapping and singing though out the parks and they didn't seem as bad this year.

Again...We go to WDW for the entertainment Disney provides and that doesn't include the outside groups trying to gain attention.

 

[MyGoofy26]

Our trip was ending as Pop Warner was starting so we just had a little overlap but the groups of cheerleaders we encountered made me glad I wasn't there in the middle of it all. We ate at the Rainforest at DD one night and they must have an extra room in back because we kept seeing cheerleaders coming in and out of these doors. They'd come out in groups and walk around the restaurant. I know it's not a quiet restaurant, but multiple groups of cheerleader touring the place and trying to outgiggle and outyell each other while slaloming tables wasn't exactly fun. I was just thankful they didn't put us near an aquarium - the poor people who WERE seated there had to deal with these small groups stopping by literally hovering over them looking at the fish.

Also ran into an obnoxious group while leaving Epcot during Illuminations. Every time a firework went off, this one girl in the group would scream. I'm talking shrill, loud, horror movie scream. With EVERY firework! And her friends would laugh, almost as loudly as her scream.

Someone posted about remembering how excited you would be at that age at Disney with your friends. . . we used to take friends all the time. I remember being 12 . .. 13. . . and my mom letting my friend and I take off on our own at the parks because she knew I knew the parks so well. We NEVER acted like that! Yes we were excited, yes we giggled and laughed, but NEVER did we behave in such a manner!!

 

[minkydog]

Maybe Disney should ask them to keep the cheer routines out of the parks ... and request more parents to watch over them.

You hit the nail on the head. I don't know what the requirement is for chaperones/ students, but I'm guessing its relatively high. I had the pleasure of escorting a group of 11-14yo kids on a major music tour to Omaha, NE last summer. Now i know that wasn't Disney, but it was a big event for the 400 kids who attended. Not once did we have screaming kids, running in the halls, or havoc being created anywhere. Not once. Because we had plenty of chaperones, one chaperone for every 4 students. We ate with them,rode teh bus with them, slept in the room with them, and those kids were escorted to and from the bathrooms. We take security seriously, but we also demand good manners. I was very proud to be seen with these kids because they were well-behaved. They knew there were consequences--one minor violation results in not performing , one major violation and your butt gets sent home. I don't think the Pop Warner cheer groups are all that concerned about their reputations.

Pop Warner is not going away. It's too big a money maker. But I had to speak up for the kids who don't act up in public.

Cathy--one chaperone who doens't put up with any c**p

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

I was there from 11.29 - 12.13 (AS Movies & Pop Century). No real problems with crowds or cheerleaders anywhere. I would definitely go again at that time of year.

Sorry to hear some of you had a bad time.

 

[anne60]

It all comes down to chaperones, coaches, Disney and discipline. From what I have seen, Disney does absolutley nothing to try to control these groups. I'm not really sure if it's possible to enforce, but having a rule about adult supervision at all times might go a long way. Both my daughters have been to Cheer tournaments at Disney. On both occasions, the COACHES laid down some pretty strict rules about behavior and kept a very tight rein on the girls in terms of free time. When they went anywhere, they went as a squad and with the coaches. However, I have to say it looked like our team was in the minority on this one. The thing that shocked me the most on my first trip was the Mothers of other squads. Man, if I behaved like that in front of my kids they would run away! Apparently these ladies were taking a vacation from parenting, too bad their kids were along for the ride.

Let's also be clear, cheerleaders are not the only kids that are capable of bad behavior when they get together in a group. I witnessed a group of kids, boys and girls, absolutely trash an area of the food court at All Star Music and then get up and walk away. This was not just "leaving their trays", they smeared ketchup and mustard all over the seats and table.

 

[MagicKingdom05]

Does anyone have an idea what dates it will be next year. I have nothing against popwarner and don't get me wrong I support what popwarner stands for. However, I would prefer not to do when they are there.

If it is about the same time as last year, that would make it Dec 4-Dec 10 again. If that is the case which would run it the same time as my planned trip, I will then go Dec 10-20 instead. If the dates for MVMCP stay the same next year as this year (November 28, 30 and December 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 17, 2004), I should beable to see it if I go Dec 1-11 or Dec 10-21.

 

[FatCow]

Never again for me too.

Too many rude kids (and sometimes parents too).

Oh, there also many really nice Cheerleaders (very polite, helpful too), but the rude ones way outweigh the nice ones.

 

[thepianoman]

Trust me - the Pop Warner mess has everything to do with poor supervision and indifferent parents. I bring my high school choir each year to perform in the Candlelight Processional (we're doing the 6:45 and 8:15 shows on December 26 this year). I make absolutely clear my expectations regarding behavior and remind the students that they are representing our school throughout their entire visit - not just when they are on stage performing.

I will not tolerate behavior such as the examples many have provided in this thread. Students know that a single offense will prevent them from performing in Candlelight. The next time? They will be sent directly home (at their/their parents' expense).

I simply cannot fathom why the chaperones of these groups believe it is okay for their kids to destroy everyone else's experience. We are often complimented as a group when traveling by hotel managers, restaurant servers, Disney CMs and others, because I believe in holding my students to a higher standard of decorum.

It is possible to ensure that your kids are not infringing upon others' vacations. Unfortunately, there are too many self-possessed individuals responsible for chaperoning these groups who are unwilling to sacrifice their personal freedom. I understand that when I travel with my students, my personal freedoms will be necessarily limited because my main focus is the behavior and safety of my charges. I'll have other vacations without them where I can do what I want to do, when I want to do it.

 

[Luv2Roam]

We have gone in January in the past and after staying at the ASMu, I agree Disney does nothing to control the groups while they are there.
As a guest you *assume* security or someone will quiet them down or at least make an effort to control them. Don't count on it.
We stayed at a Value in January because we got such a good AP rate. During the maraton Disney room assignors did a good job of putting like groups together.
Anyone wanting to go that time, I would just book a resort where they will not be staying. It may cost more, but in the long run it may make your visit much more magical. A good night's sleep even on a normal WDW visit can be hard.
I believe they stay at the values, Riverside, and some Good Neighbor Hotels.

 

[John Dobbertin]

To Pianoman: Thank you! Thanks for making it possible for your group -- & all of us -- to have a great time at WDW. We will just miss your Dec 26 appearance (arrive back at WDW Dec 27). Saw/heard Candlelight three times early Dec. Thanks also to groups like yours that make this spectacular event possible.

 

[thepianoman]

John: We really enjoy participating in this event, and it's a wonderful way to experience the holiday spirit. Many may not realize that this event (which begins on the Friday after Thanksgiving and runs through December 30) utilizes volunteer choirs (such as mine) which audition for the privilege of participating. There is an enormous amount of music to learn and memorize, but it's a great experience for the students. Thanks for your kind words.

 

[KevinM]

I think the parent's attitude that "they're excited, what do you expect?" is the reason for the poor behavior. My daughter was very excited also, so excited that she wanted to run over and meet Sleeping Beauty when she was at a different table at CRT. But it was my responsibility to tell her to wait her turn, and to be considerate of others. This goes for waiting in line for rides, autographs, etc...

Just because you are young or excited to be at WDW does not give you the right to be loud, obnoxious, and ill-behaved. I blame the parents as much as the cheerleaders.

When you spend $5G for a vacation you should be able to enjoy your trip without having to deal with those nasties.

 

[DebbieB]

I was looking at the pop warner site to see if I could find next year's dates. They have a message board. Here is an interesting thread:

http://p073.ezboard.com/fpopwarnermessageboardsfrm7.showMessage?topicID=312.topic

http://p073.ezboard.com/fpopwarnermessageboardsfrm2.showMessage?topicID=37.topic

 

[KevinM]

That may explain the difference in '03 and '04.... One of the posts on that thread said that there was a 36% increase in Pop Warner rooms from '03 to '04. And they are planning a 50% increase for '05!

That's ALOT of cheerleaders...maybe the UG should be edited to include this info for '05!!

 

[FatCow]

Good thing I read this thread, this is sick. After my upcoming November trip, I don't think I'll ever go to WDW ever again. It's just too crowded at any time of the year with zero involvement from WDW to make things smooth for other guests.

 

[MagicKingdom05]

I read that post. I have no problem with them staying at one of the value resorts. I do have an issue with the fact that Disney is going to accomidate the larger crowd next year by letting the teams start staying at the Moderates. This basically leaves those people who don't want to be in the middle of wall to wall popwarner reps to stay at Deluxes. Who can afford to pay $300-$400 a night on top of everything else. This is also going to cause the week after this is over to be much more crowded than it usually has and harder to get a room that you want.

 

[cranbiz]

We were there from Dec 6-11 and had little problems with Pop Warner / Cheerleaders. However, we were staying at AKL (got a code, just had to do it) While we did encounter football teams in the parks, the ones we say were quiet / behaved and in general, good citizens. We did see some not as well behaved cheerleaders, but in general, had no problems with them either.

Last year, I stayed at ASMu and did have more issues with the cheerleaders, but not enough to keep us from coming back at this time of year.

The benefits of having short lines, less crowds, moderate temps, MVMCP, xmas decorations, etc. outweigh the inconveinences of naving these groups present. I will absolutly continue to go at this time of year.

Remember that you are at Disney and have many choices of entertainment, if one venue has many groups of screaming cheerleaders, go elsewere. Most of these groups stay together, getting away from them is usually easy.