Pop Warner Week to be avoided?

[BrittyRo]

So I was planning a trip December 5th-11th but then I started reading about Pop Warner week and how all of the value and moderate hotels are overrun with these kids! I heard they are everywhere and overrun the food courts and pools! Is it a smart move to try and switch my vacation dates to a week earlier or a week later?
We want WL but I heard it sells out quickly and doesn't offer discounts for that time so we would end up trying to get a Value or Moderate Resort instead.
Can anyone offer some advice please!

 

[newdeal]

Here is the thing. Value resorts are overrun with kids no matter the time of year...its Disney. Do you spend a lot of time at the pool? If so a value may not be for you anyway because the pools are the biggest difference at the nicer resorts. Similar do you eat a lot of meals at the food court? in your resort? If so then maybe you do want to avoid values, which will tend to have more crowded food courts due to the immensity of the resorts. Personally, with my way of travelling, the food court being crowded would make no difference to me, and the pool being crowded also makes no difference to me as we rarely go to the pool anyway. If there was one suggestion I would make, and that would apply to any time of year, do not get a pool view room at a value resort because it will be noisy and the older the crowd at the hotel the more likely it is that it will be noisy with kids in the pool until very late at night

 

[Dan Murphy]

So I was planning a trip December 5th-11th but then I started reading about Pop Warner week and how all of the value and moderate hotels are overrun with these kids! I heard they are everywhere and overrun the food courts and pools! Is it a smart move to try and switch my vacation dates to a week earlier or a week later?
We want WL but I heard it sells out quickly and doesn't offer discounts for that time so we would end up trying to get a Value or Moderate Resort instead.
Can anyone offer some advice please!

They usually are at All Stars, CBR and CSR. Stick to Pop, AoA or Port Orleans. I have been there probably more that 25 times at that time of the year. For the most part, they do not impact the parks to any great degree.

 

[JohnDaleswife]

I would stay deluxe or move my trip dates. In fact that is just what I did in 2009. Everyone was very certain that they would not be at POR that week, but guess what, they ended up being there. Pushed my week back one, to the next. No joke, I would stay deluxe or move dates.

Right now I am hoping, only hoping we get to go back next February, the first week. There are many tour groups, cheer groups ect there then. So I am looking at deluxe level because of that.

 

[dsnymomof4]

When we went in 2013, we heard there were a group of the younger ones at Pop, but they left the day after we got there. When we were there back in 2005, we stayed at ASSp for 2 nights before moving over to BW and they were EVERYWHERE! You could not walk around the resort without possibly being hit by a flying football. In the parks, we encountered groups of cheerleaders a few times - cheering loudly and excessively. I would definitely try to avoid the hotels where they are staying.

 

[River Country]

Yeah I did this back in 2008 prior to being a DVC member. I remember I switched to the CR A frame and it was heavenly. I saw those groups boarding the bus to go back to ASMo ASSp and ASMu and they would have a cheer for the bus it was nuts I couldn't even imagine getting on that bus I would move to stay deluxe if it is your budget

 

[MineMineMine3]

Hi,

Long time lurker, first time posting on a WDW board! (I've only posted on DLR boards.)

We have been during Pop Warner Week the last two years. We stay at SOG, technically off site, so I can't offer any advice about resort selection. Both years, we followed the easywdw park recommendations, and had a great time.

In 2013, we found the Pop Warner kids had minimal effect on us, with the exception of HS closing early on Wednesday, for a private party. It was a great day to go to HS, we just hopped back to HS to see the Osbourne Lights on a different night.

In 2014, same party at HS, so we repeated our above strategy, with great results. We did notice more Pop Warner groups in the parks last year. Still not a problem, with the exception of a few cheerleader groups whose chaperones encouraged them to cheer. I found them annoying, but I have a four year old boy, so I have not been acclimated to girls. I am sure others found them charming.

We are taking our first trip to DLR this year, otherwise we would be returning to WDW during Pop Warner week. It's a great time to visit!

 

[BrittyRo]

Oh no This sounds terrible! I like putting up my Christmas decorations after Thanksgiving so I don't really want to do November 30-December 6 I guess I can switch December 10-17 ? :/

 

[Dan Murphy]

Hi,

Long time lurker, first time posting on a WDW board! (I've only posted on DLR boards.)

We have been during Pop Warner Week the last two years. We stay at SOG, technically off site, so I can't offer any advice about resort selection. Both years, we followed the easywdw park recommendations, and had a great time.

In 2013, we found the Pop Warner kids had minimal effect on us, with the exception of HS closing early on Wednesday, for a private party. It was a great day to go to HS, we just hopped back to HS to see the Osbourne Lights on a different night.

In 2014, same party at HS, so we repeated our above strategy, with great results. We did notice more Pop Warner groups in the parks last year. Still not a problem, with the exception of a few cheerleader groups whose chaperones encouraged them to cheer. I found them annoying, but I have a four year old boy, so I have not been acclimated to girls. I am sure others found them charming.

We are taking our first trip to DLR this year, otherwise we would be returning to WDW during Pop Warner week. It's a great time to visit!

That's a good review. I would say about the same for so many of my visits at that time of the year.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I've done Pop Warner dates twice now - the best thing I discovered was to avoid the food court in the morning by bringing my own easy to eat breakfast from home like fruit, pop tarts, cereal bars.

I stayed at Pop Century when Pop Warner was staying there and I'd asked for and received a nice quiet room away from the pool and parking lot. But I also brought my earplugs with me just in case.
So far they haven't stayed in the Art of Animation Resort.

I tried to find out which Moderate Resort doesn't have Pop Warner staying there and stay at that one the first time I went during that time frame. I stayed at the resort they weren't at. I don't know if there is any moderate resort they aren't at nowadays but it's worth doing a google search to try to figure it out.

The only park I ran into them at was at Epcot one evening - there was a loud obnoxious bunch right around the entrance to World Showcase and they were doing things they thought was funny like taking flash pictures in the face of people walking near them, trying to trip people ect.. Not cool. But once I got by them it was fine and I never did see them in World Showcase.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I've stayed during Pop Warner week a few times, and am going during it again Dec. 4th -9th. I always stay at one of the All-Stars, and have not been bothered by the kids too much. The only time I had an issue was when I was staying at All-Star Sports and they were out on the football field practicing cheers at six a.m. Even that wasn't so bad. But they are everywhere at Value resorts and if you want to avoid them I would definitely change hotels to a moderate not hosting them. In the parks they (being teenagers) go around in packs but are easy to spot because they usually wear matching t-shirts and so you can avoid them. There's also some cheering at random times, especially in the lines. But I have yet to see them disrupt an attraction itself and they're-at least I don't think so myself-not too bad at all. Kids will be kids.

 

[MineMineMine3]

Oh no This sounds terrible! I like putting up my Christmas decorations after Thanksgiving so I don't really want to do November 30-December 6 I guess I can switch December 10-17 ? :/

In case I did not make myself clear, the cheering was rare, and it was groups of 8-12 girls. Not ridiculous, but not something I enjoyed. Again, I am sure some guests found the girls delightful. The only reason I mentioned it was to give you an idea of the impact Pop Warner had on our trips. It was minimal.

Honestly, it is a great time to visit- all of the Christmas decorations are up. You can catch a MVMCP with low crowds. We really did have a great time and would be returning if we had not taken a bump on the way down last year. In return for taking a cab to another airport (paid for by the airline) and taking a different flight that got us to MCO 15 minutes earlier than our initial scheduled arrival time, we received $600.00 vouchers for each of us, which is paying for our airfare to SNA. DLR here we come!

The problem I see with you delaying a week: it will be more crowded and more expensive. I'd pick Pop Warner week, but we stay off site, so we do not have to worry about our resort. Wonder how early Pop Warner releases their resort choices?

 

[lauradis]

Ok so when is pop warner crazy week this year?

 

[Dan Murphy]

Dave ranks PW week as 2nd best of the year, preceded by the the week before as the best.

http://**************.net/2013/12/08/2015-weeks-to-visit-walt-disney-world-ranked-in-order/



http://**************.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Disney-World-2015-Week-Rankings-from-**************.net-960x1280.jpg

 

[BrittyRo]

A lot to think about! A lot of opinions to consider. We are usual RD to close kind of people so I suppose they wouldn't bother us at the pool and we live in the city so I guess we're used to noise. I just don't want to feel overrun in the parks mostly. I hope we can swing WL it looks magical in December.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

In 2011 my DD and I stayed at AS Movies for 4 days which overlapped the beginning of Pop Warner week. We saw a few kids and their families on buses occasionally when AS Movies shared busses with the other All Star Resorts. It was not a big deal at all. Movies was very quiet, it's food court was not over run, the crowds (or lack of crowds) at the parks were great! I would go again at that time!

This past Easter Week, I stayed with DD's high school softball team at AS Sports for Disney's High School Spring Training. There were gobs of high school sports teams there. Tons on teenagers (girls and boys), who traveled in packs. At first I felt bad for the families staying at Sports, but I talked to a few on the busses and they said they hardly noticed the teams were there. Their trips had not been impacted. Disney did a great job managing the teams. Teams were housed in a separate section of the hotel. They had extra security. They enforced quiet hours at the pools and at the football field. Many teams had early games, so they were in and out of the food court at 6:00 AM. Coaches enforced curfews and manners. All the young people I met were really pleasant.

 

[MagentaMulan]

I'm going to be at WDW from Nov. 30 to Dec. 5. I'm staying at POFQ, Do they arrive before the 5th or on that day?