Pop Warner Week

[laurabelle]

My trip falls during Pop Warner week. We've been twice during cheerleading/dance competition times and happened to be staying at the Values. I never encountered anything that would make me stay away at that time, but I am staying at POFQ Dec 9-12.

After doing a search here on the boards, it looks like they not only stay at the Values, but CBR and POR. It's just me and my children ( 9 & 11 yrs) and we love POFQ, not only for theming, but the compact size. I'm concerned about sharing the buses w/POR though if the Pop kids are staying there. Now I'm rethinking and wondering if we should switch to CSR. I've never stayed there, it looks beautiful, but BIG! What do you guys think?

 

[tjmouse]

I wish I knew what to tell you for sure. I know they had overflow last year into POR and POFQ and they had a huge mess with having to stay offsite as well. So I know this year (been on their website) they are making sure all PW people are onsite. I would say the majority of them will be at the values, but I was reading on their message boards last year that if the family goes too, they more than likely stay in a moderate. I am staying at POR for the first part of PW so I share your concerns. The busses, food court and pool are what I am concerned about being crowded. However, I know they are in competitions most of the day so maybe that will help.

 

[laurabelle]

tjmouse- Thanks for your response! I've actually decided to go ahead and move to CSR. I'm already staying at POFQ in Oct. so it gives me and excuse to try a new resort!

 

[Mickey99332]

I wish I knew what to tell you for sure. I know they had overflow last year into POR and POFQ and they had a huge mess with having to stay offsite as well. So I know this year (been on their website) they are making sure all PW people are onsite. I would say the majority of them will be at the values, but I was reading on their message boards last year that if the family goes too, they more than likely stay in a moderate. I am staying at POR for the first part of PW so I share your concerns. The busses, food court and pool are what I am concerned about being crowded. However, I know they are in competitions most of the day so maybe that will help.

What is their website? Are they staying at POP?

 

[dmonroe]

I would go ahead and stay somewhere else. We stayed at POR in Dec. 2003 during Pop Warner week. While we didn't have any complaints behavior-wise, (Well there was this one truly foul mouthed coach, but that's a different post!) the food court was always jam packed with the kids. It made it really difficult to get in and out for a quick bite. The pool was also very crowded. Once again no behavior issues, but ds was still pretty small and the pop kids were doing their own thing and not really paying attention to the fact that there were small swimmers in the pool. It was a little nerve wracking! I would most definitely not stay at the same hotel with the Pop Warner crowd again. We go to WDW during that time of year to enjoy the lower crowd levels, and being at the same hotel with Pop Warner kind of defeats the purpose. Just my .02!

 

[CharlesTD]

I would switch to CSR and once you have tried it PO will be a thing of the past. Some of the Pop Warner kids stay at many of the different resorts depending on where their parents want to stay. We have seen them at the Contemporary and the GF and Poly and at the DVC resorts. Most teams try and stick together but you get some parents that don't want to stay at the assigned resorts and go elswhere. Now that said we have always stayed at the All Stars with teh POP kids we haven't had any issues with the kids but the parents now that is another story. We are DVC members and spend our weekends at the All Stars and we love all the activity there with teh POP crowd.

 

[tjmouse]

What is their website? Are they staying at POP?

The website is www.popwarner.com and yes, more than likely they will be at POP, and all the AS resorts, especially Sports.

 

[tnkrbell]

Ill tell you this they will use other cheaper resorts to put them in if the values and booked. so that would be any moderate or value so I think the only way to avoid these kids would be to stay at a deluxe. Except for Swan and Dolphin in March they will be there then!

 

[Nanu57v]

Has anyone ever had a problem and complained about it? Was anything done? DH and I had many problems during our trip 2 years ago at ASmu. We didn't complain, but this time decided to stay about CBR to avoid them. However, if there's masses of teens waking me up early and keeping me up late, I'll be asking for a transfer. Just wondering how likely that'll be.

 

[laurabelle]

I've been in the All Stars twice with them in the past, mostly recently about 3yrs ago, and they didn't bother me, but I never had a bad situation arise. Other people on the boards have there own personal experiences, there have been stories I've read where complaints were warranted IMHO. But, I'd add that I think alot of it has to do with people's tolerance for teens. My oldest dd is in 7th grade and I know what to expect from her age group, and I actually enjoy them, as long as the behavior is typical and not out of hand!

They may be:
Practicing their routines on the grounds, be loud in the pool, in the hallways to the rooms, talk loudly on the bus, break out in cheers, walk around in "packs". I didn't hear anything past midnight. We were up early ourselves, so that wasn't an issue for us.

The food courts and buses will be more crowded. I switched to CSR mostly for these 2 reasons.

BTW- I was just there in July with the famous "Brazillian Tour Groups". Same type of behaviors... and never had a minute's trouble with them.

If something happened to me with ANY guest at ANY time, and it bothered me enough to complain, I wouldn't keep it to myself. I have read of times when Disney didn't seem to be responsive, but I think most of the time they are, it's in their best interest to keep all their guests happy. If things were really bad at my resort and the problem couldn't be recitfied there, I'd insist on being switched.

So go enjoy your vacation! I know those Pop Warner kids will be enjoying there's too!

 

[wdwfan1]

They were at the CBR one year. No problems with the kids, but they were everywhere and it was crowded.

At the All Star Sports, they were up all night playing football on the football courtyard. Very noisy and very crowded.

 

[dizzygal]

We stayed at POR last Dec.and had cheerleaders on each side of us with no loud sound,behavior problems. Granted we were only there one night.

Actually,I worry about the POP Warner each time we visit and only occasionally have we ever run into large groups in the parks and never had a problem with unruly behavior.

Hope your vacation is a peaceful success! Can't wait for mine!!!

 

[miss missy]

I don't get it, most say I don't worry about POP kids, then they chamge their plans because of it. So is it to be worried about or not

 

[JulieEck]

After we bought plane tickets, I discovered that we were going to be there during POP week. We were originally going to stay at Movies, but changed our mind to POP Century because of the potential of crowded busses. We won't have a car and will be relying on Disney Trans everywhere. We will also have a stroller with us. It took a couple of trys, but I finally found someone at reservations that told me the POP Warner kids would be staying at Sports, Music and PO-Riverside. Now I'm wondering maybe we ought to spend the extra money and go to CSR (which I've heard great things about).

 

[BethC1952]

We've been there at the same time as the Pop Warner group for the past three years, and always at the same resorts. We've never had a problem with the kids. On the whole, we found them to be extremely friendly and polite. It's the adults with them who've been a problem! Quite a few of them have been foul-mouthed and irresponsible. In Dec. 2003 (or maybe it was 2002?), we had an experience where a "coach" was teaching early teen-aged cheerleaders to smoke (in a non-smoking area, too ). That's the worst we've seen.

Yes, they tend to travel in packs, and they do spontaneously break out in cheers, which can be rather entertaining if you're waiting in a long line. It's amazing how much (and how often) they can eat, but if you avoid the food court early in the morning they don't seem to have too much impact.

This year, we're traveling earlier due to scheduling issues at work, so we won't run into them.

Beth

 

[CharlesTD]

We've been there at the same time as the Pop Warner group for the past three years, and always at the same resorts. We've never had a problem with the kids. On the whole, we found them to be extremely friendly and polite. It's the adults with them who've been a problem! Quite a few of them have been foul-mouthed and irresponsible. In Dec. 2003 (or maybe it was 2002?), we had an experience where a "coach" was teaching early teen-aged cheerleaders to smoke (in a non-smoking area, too ). That's the worst we've seen.

Yes, they tend to travel in packs, and they do spontaneously break out in cheers, which can be rather entertaining if you're waiting in a long line. It's amazing how much (and how often) they can eat, but if you avoid the food court early in the morning they don't seem to have too much impact.

This year, we're traveling earlier due to scheduling issues at work, so we won't run into them.

Beth

You are so correct I remember one incident vividly. There were 2 different teams staying at All Star Music and 2 of the mothers were yelling and screaming at each otehr because their daughters were competing against each other and had an incident in the pool. One mother accused the other mother of deliberatly having her daughter try to injure the other so they would beat them in the competition the next day it got really out of hand and security was brought in to separate them. The other parents were cheering them on just like a schoolyard fight between 2 bullies it was pathetic. The noise you will hear at night is the parents getting out of hand and unruly and drinking by the pool etc.

 

[Nanu57v]

Now that would be a reason I'd ask to move.

 

[jaysmom4285]

We've been at CBR during Pop Warner week, and if there were any Pop Warner kids there, they weren't apparent to us. I would think that CBR would be a fairly safe bet for a resort that week.

 

[lenny l]

deleted

 

[scriv2]

I am a cheerleading mom and I believe the dates are December 5 - 9th. Our teams always stay in a moderate. Last year was CBR, I don't know what this year will be yet.