Pop Warner Week at Walt Disney World
THE MYTHS AND FACTS OF POP WARNER WEEK AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
Like Jersey Week, Pop Warner week is more of a mythological problem than a real one.
Pop Warner week is the period–for the last eleven years, the first full week of December–when Disney hosts Pop Warner football and cheer and dance championships at its ESPN complex.
In 2013, it will be from the 7th through the 14th, and in 2014, based on past practice, it will be from December 6th through December 13.
As a result
- Larger numbers than usual of loosely supervised adolescents loudly populate several of the resorts–typically the All-Star resorts, but also a moderate or two.
- Evening crowds in the theme parks are a tad higher than they otherwise would be (the kids and their families compete during the day)
HOW MUCH TO WORRY ABOUT POP WARNER
Pop Warner has no material effect on Disney World theme park crowds.
Resorts (particularly the All-Star resorts) that the kids are in can be louder–much louder–and more boisterous than otherwise.
If you have attended a high-school football game, and watched the crowds of kids walking around, you’ll get a sense of the level of noise and horseplay that can ensue.
The horseplay sometimes shifts into fights. Parents of teenage boys playing contact sports will not be surprised by this.
The key for first-time family visitors in a value or moderate resort during Pop Warner week is to request a quiet room far from the pools. Families that have success with this should not see much impact from Pop Warner on their trip.
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13 comments
[...] wouldn’t have any issue being there and would have a bigger problem dealing with the Pop Warner crowds. So, I have to go on hearsay. I’ve found that Disboards.com has a lot of great [...]
Taking our young boys ages 1 and 3 the 1st week in december. Wouls you recommend a change in dates due to the football and cheer crowds or am i overreacting?
Greg, if you can move to the week before or after, do it–otherwise it doesn’t really matter that much and I’d stick with what you have!
We are trying to p,an a trip for December 2013. I have seen that people are speculating that Pop Warner will actually be December 7th-14th since Thanksgiving is so late next year. Is there any way to know for sure? Or do you know when Pop Warner posts their dates for the next year? Thanks!
Hi, it’s possible, but as this page itself notes, I don’t think it Pop Warner week much matters. The Pop website is as useless as any I’ve seen for key dates…
Worth noting is that Thanksgiving was also quite late in 2002, 2003, and 2008 yet Pop Warner week was still the first full week of December those years too…
Dave – in 2008, Pop Warner was the Dec. 7th-14th. It WAS pushed back a week due to Thanksgiving falling so late. Which makes sense, considering many families will not travel so close to the holiday, plus flight prices would be very high the Saturday after Thanksgiving as well, if they were going to arrive for the first full week of December. Have you been able to determine if PW 2013 will follow suit?
Hi first you may be right! I am not sure by any means. But by first full week I meant beginning the first Sunday in December. That was December 7 2008… But I’ll see if I can find any other sources
Pop Warner cheer will be there the first week of dec
Hey Me, I’m also Me. Have fun!!
we are going to disney 11/30 to 12/7 with an autistic child. Will you have the free food plan then? How bad are the crowds?
Hi Tracy, I’m just a guy woiht a website, so i don’t ever offer free food! Disney may, but I’m not optimistic–see this: http://yourfirstvisit.net/2013/02/07/2013-free-dining-mymagic-implications-disneys-q1-2013-earnings-call/
That’s a great week with low crowds–see this: http://yourfirstvisit.net/2011/09/19/2013-weeks-to-visit-walt-disney-world-ranked-in-order/
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THANK YOU SO MUCH DAVE!! So glad you helped me, I was about to change my plans over this and I’m glad I did not!!
That’s great, Susan!
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