Pop Warner December?!?

[streudel423]

Ok, I've confirmed that our trip Dec 2-9 will, indeed, be during Pop Warner week. We are staying at the CBR. I've heard mixed reviews about how Pop Warner affects the parks and resorts. Anyone have experience being at WDW during this first week in December? If so, how are the crowds? Does Pop Warner affect the crowds THAT much? Does Pop Warner affect CBR? thanks! any info would be greatly appreciated!

[JPL]

I was there last December and the only real thing I noticed was at the airports flights were very full. I didn't notice much difference int he parks since the teams are busy practicing and playing game and have very little park time. From what I have heard the biggest problem is at resort food courts in the morning. I personally didn't see this at Pop.

[hubbyofadisneyholic]

You won't notice them in the parks.
If they happen to be at your resort, good luck.
We found a significant number of them to be rude and extremely ill-mannered. Not all of them were like that, but enough that it made things unpleasant.
Serious lack of adult supervision was the biggest problem.
The All-Stars resorts seem to be hit the hardest, but when this has come up in previous threads there were plenty of comments of problems at some of the moderates as well.
It is a shame that a relatively small percentage of foul mouthed, ill mannered brats has given a bad reputation to the entire group.

[Mickey91]

Well if they are the reason the entire WDW resort was booked solid the first week of Dec last year, make sure you book your room now. We had to split our vacation between two resorts. For the latter part of our trip I had to keep calling back in order to even get a room on site that wasn't a villa at SSR. The crowds may not have been terrible compared to peak season crowds, but it was not the slow week we were expecting after reading guide books and such. We have been in the summer and the fall and that was the most crowded we have seen it. It is still way better than the holiday crowd from what we hear.

Have fun!! Book now!! and book your ADR at 180 days!!!

[kakn7294]

Last Dec, we stayed at POFQ - some POP Warner folks stayed at POR. We did notice them both in the parks and on the buses. As the teams are eliminated from competition, they head to the parks. However, they do not have a big impact on crowds although the crowds were much larger than I anticipated.

[disneydrmr]

I was there the week of Pop Warner last year and stayed at ASMovies... did not notice them at all at the resort. And only started seeing them in the parks toward the last part of the week. Most of them seemed well behaved.. but there were a few we saw that could've used some adult supervision. But again, wasn't really bothered by the group being there.

[Gator]

I didn't see any of them at CS, but someone has said CBR was loaded with cheerleaders. I started seeing more towards the end of the week, but nothing really bad. The only time I could tell is when their coaches would go into the restrooms in herds. It was like hearing 100 drill sergeants screaming about the strangest things I've ever heard.

[llamaface]

What or who is Pop Warner??

[CaptSmee]

What or who is Pop Warner??

Cheerleaders. We were there during it 3 years ago and only noticed them on the buses. Loud, obnoxious,teenage girls on the buses. Other than that, we wouldn't have know it was going on.

[battle beast]

What's a Pop Warner??? (Excuse my but I have never heard of this before.)

[kakn7294]

What's a Pop Warner??? (Excuse my but I have never heard of this before.)

Pop Warner is a little league football / cheering / dance organization - I think it is somewhat affilitated with the NFL. It is nationwide and they have a Super Bowl and cheer/dance competition each year at Disney in early December.

[Natazu]

Here is a link to at thread that contains some good information. Click Me!

[mpoppinsgirl]

We went last year during the week that they were there and we saw them, but the crowds werent that bad at all. We were able to go right to the front on most of the rides we rode. It was great. The only times that there were major crowds was during the special shows and stuff like that. We loved it so much that we are going back this year. It was a marvelous disney experience. A perfect way to enjoy the holidays.

[TammiMcMan]

Historically, I think crowds in general are just up that time of year. I know that we barely noticed football players or cheerleaders in the parks. The only thing to watch for, is one of the nights, they do close MGM early for a Pop Warner party. I'm pretty sure when we were there, it was either Thursday or Friday night.

[battle beast]

Thanks all for the info!

The nfl??? the Super Boar? Ugh...

WAR CFL

[Melanie]

It's not my cup of tea, and we probably won't ever vacation during that week again. We were at PO Riverside with them, and they were definitely noticeable in the food court and on the busses.

[wilshade]

I was at Pop twice for that week of December. The only impact I noticed was at the resort food court and at MVMCP.

No matter what time of year you go, there are going to be some obstacles or inconveniences. The Pop Warner thing is about average in that regard.

[TheRustyScupper]

1) To participate in Pop Warner, teams MUST stay on-site.
2) This concentrates teams at the Values.
3) Mostly Sports and POP.
4) But, they do overflow to POFQ.
5) AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
6) Pop Warner is worse than the Brazilians used to be.
7) However, you don't notice them much at the parks.
8) They come down for the tourney, and then go home.


NOTE: As a General Statement (but, not true of everyone) Pop Warner kids are usually pretty noisy and not well supervised. They often create problems at resorts and even cause damage. In fact, last year they trashed parts of Sports, and POFQ had to close the pool during the evening due to complaints about the kids.

[A Mouse Fan]

We were there last December during the Pop Warner week. While I didn't see them a lot at the parks they definitely were at Downtown Disney generally making a lot of noise etc. I think the parks are more crowded during that week because they may not be in the parks but their friends and family they brought along are. If I had a choice again I would go the second week of December and not the first. However overall we had a great time and the lines were manageable for the most part...Fast Passes are great!!!

[d_m_n_n]

We've been twice during Pop Warner...now we arrive on the Sunday after it's over. We've stayed at POR and found the food court unbearable in the mornings. Didn't notice them at all at WL. In the parks they walk in huge groups, running over little ones, and cheering excessively (while it is cute at the beginning, it gets old very quickly). From our experiences, we've noticed that even though they bring adults along for "supervision," those adults are too busy partying in their own rooms and not watching the kids.

Granted, not all of the teams are bad, but a few rotten apples have spoiled it enough for us that we just avoid them.