All Hotels FULL Dec. 7-13??? [Archive]

dde

08-12-2008, 10:33 AM

me and the misses were down there last year at pop time and it was crowded.we stayed at
port orleans river side and had pop kids there also.We had lots of noises and banging on walls early in the morning.I was told by one of the cast members that they also fill up the delux rooms also and they got the best rooms :mad:.We had the rooms all the way towards the end of the mansions :mad:.Plus they closed down some of the parks early for the kids only if we knew that we would have went down that time of the year

Strmchsr

08-12-2008, 10:35 AM

Here's the thing, WDW only has a certain amount of rooms available at certain times. They try to guess how full they will be and then only open that amount of rooms so that they don't have staff for 90% and only be at 60% capacity. Pretty much year round you'll find this same issue. They often release rooms closer to time if their current bookings are totally full. So, room availability is a constantly changing thing.

Donald's Girl

08-12-2008, 10:43 AM

We are going Dec 2-9 and when we booked, WDW told me that Pop Warner is staying at CSR this year. We went ahead and booked POR because of that even though they would just be there our last 2 nights.

Also MuschuGrl, we are also hoping for December discounts but always go ahead and book way before to make sure we get the resort and room type we want. That way, we are guaranteed what we want and, if there are discounts, call and Disney adjusts the price for us. If it is too pricey if the discounts don't come through, you can then cancel (if it's at least 45 days before) and get your full $200 deposit refunded.

I always like to know that I have all my plans in place (including getting those 180 +10 ADRs) so I don't worry about being disappointed.

MushuGrl

08-12-2008, 10:47 AM

Thank you for that Donald's Girl! I think we're going to go ahead and book tonight to be on the safe side. We picked CSR cause we thought there'd be less POP traffic - glad you told us otherwise!

I really don't care where we stay 'cause I'm not at the hotel much. :blush:

And thank you Strmchsr! I feel tons better!

BronxTigger

08-12-2008, 10:47 AM

There are a few things happening at that time:

-It's the last full week of Value Season pricing before it spikes to Holiday Season pricing. (I think the date it switches is 12/18.)
-Pop Warner is in town that week.
-Mousefest is the weekend of the 13th.

The secret of early December as a good time to go is out!

Sunshine1010

08-12-2008, 11:01 AM

I'm going Dec. 5 -14.

I first made reservations for my home resort (DVC) at SSR for those dates. A one-bedroom. At my 7 month window, I called every day and changed it over to OKW.

I couldn't get one day - Dec. 7th, so I'm waitlisted for that day. As of today (I called), the day still isn't available. In fact, they stated that NO DVC studios or 1 bedrooms were available (if you use points) during that day.

MS stated that they only corner off a certain number of rooms for DVC and that if I was willing, I could pay cash for one day and get a 1 bedroom and that way, I wouldn't have to move to another resort and then back again during my stay.

I've asked this board, other boards, MS, Dining staff, friends...WHAT is going on the first 2 weekends at Disney that is making everything booked? I've gotten lots of answers (Pop Warner, prime time for DVC, taping of the parade, etc).

Soooooo, why is it so busy? .....I say because it's Disney. It's always busy now. I mean....really....is there a 'slow time' anymore?

Regardless.......To the OP.....Good luck. And I'm sure something will come through. No matter where you will be --- you'll be at DISNEY!!!!!!

disney99

08-12-2008, 11:06 AM

I thought Pop Warner was Dec 1-6?

TBY2225

08-12-2008, 11:12 AM

We are going Dec 3-7th with friends and staying at SSR. They are DVC members. We had wanted to switch resorts and my friends have been trying to get it changed since the 7 month mark with no luck. They were also told that it was a big DVC time and with all the festivities (MVMCP, parade taping, CP, ect) there isn't a holiday low time anymore!

MushuGrl

08-12-2008, 11:24 AM

I remember seeing this somewhere but forgot...when is the parade taping?

(BTW I've since been able to pull up several hotels since my "panic post". Thank you all for holding my hand.)

TammiMcMan

08-12-2008, 12:25 PM

We are going Dec 2-9 and when we booked, WDW told me that Pop Warner is staying at CSR this year. We went ahead and booked POR because of that even though they would just be there our last 2 nights.Pop Warner has used CSR for their Scholastic Banquet, but normally they have POR as an option because of the 5 in a room option. Unfortunately, it will still be a few more weeks before the packages are confirmed by Pop Warner. I'll try to keep an eye out for it and report asap.

I thought Pop Warner was Dec 1-6?I can definitely confirm that it's December 7 - 13 this year.

jennyb

08-12-2008, 08:43 PM

what is pop warner?

FiggyFan

08-12-2008, 08:48 PM

Pop Warner is youth football.

TammiMcMan

08-12-2008, 08:59 PM

pooh0601

08-12-2008, 09:17 PM

TammiMcMan

08-12-2008, 09:27 PM

What is mousefest?? We were planning on going the weekend of the 13th, should we re-consider?It's a pretty big gathering of Disney fans from all around. They usually have scheduled activities going on around the parks and have some convention type get togethers. I was at the YC a few years ago when they were staying at the Swan/Dolphin. The only problem I had was in securing an Illuminations cruise. They were somehow able to scoop them all even before the window opened. Luckily, we were staying on the club level and we had an amazing pre-planner who took care of us. Other than that, I never even noticed them.

I believe they have a block of rooms at the YC this year from 12/11 - 12/14.

Aurora

08-12-2008, 09:38 PM

It's a nationwide youth football and cheerleading program. Teams qualify for their super bowl and dance championships through their regions and compete against each other once a year at Disney's Wide World of Sports.

FYI, according to the Pop Warner site, 64 youth football teams and 400 dance/cheer squads compete over the 4-day event. :eek:

Each team consists of 16-35 (35 maximum) players and/or a similar number of cheerleaders and dancers.

That means that if all the players/dancers attended, at the minimum WDW would be hosting about 7,500 youths at this event. That number doesn't include coaches, chaperones, parents, etc. Maximum number of participants would be about 16,000 kids!!

Yes, Disney is a big place, but with those numbers, such an event does have an impact. You WILL see and HEAR the cheerleaders at the parks. (We certainly did last year.) They never seem to stop cheering. Maybe it's their way of communicating. ;) (No flames please; I really think it sounds like a great program.)

EditReject

08-12-2008, 09:39 PM

I will be there from 12/2 to 12/7 and it looks like I'll be outta there before it is swarmed with the Pop Warner crowd. I was down the same time last year (the week after Thanksgiving) and it was ideal as far as the weather, the crowds (the longest wait was 15 mins for KS at AK) and the holiday festivities. Even the day of the Christmas day taping at MK was not that bad all things considered. This year it is supposed to be on 12/6. We'll be doing the same thing this year by hitting AK thru midday then heading to MK for the evening parade and then dinner since it will be open til midnite that day.

TammiMcMan

08-12-2008, 09:57 PM

Yes, Disney is a big place, but with those numbers, such an event does have an impact. You WILL see and HEAR the cheerleaders at the parks. (We certainly did last year.) They never seem to stop cheering. Maybe it's their way of communicating. ;) (No flames please; I really think it sounds like a great program.)I've been down twice during this event and have no bad park stories to report. There are a lot of practices and competitions/games scheduled, so the kids have a very limited amount of time to be in the parks. We did see very small groups of cheerleaders and football players, but they didn't seem louder than any other groups of kids ;). I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I wouldn't go down there expecting it to be one way or the other. You just never know.
If you are staying within the same resort, then that's going to be different. The food courts and public areas can get a bit rowdy. Whether or not that bothers people really depends on how much their presence impacts that guest. I know many people are park commandos and never even noticed the groups, while others were bothered by some teams that got very much out of hand. If memory serves me correctly, 2 teams were asked to leave due to fighting at the resort they were staying at.

Mousemates

08-13-2008, 12:08 AM

If you are staying within the same resort, then that's going to be different. The food courts and public areas can get a bit rowdy.

A very true statement...you also do not want to be staying at the all-stars duirng one of the cheerfests....they like to cheer on their way to and from their rooms ...be it early in the morn or coming in from the parks at night....and thats not even mentioning the formal practices they like to hold in just about any open area they can find.

JPL

08-13-2008, 01:44 AM

I wouldn't be too concerned with Mousefest since it only draws less than 2000 people which really has very little effect on the crowds or resorts.

As for Pop Warner this really effects the resorts and flights but not really the parks since they have games, competitions, and practices during prime park times. I only saw one group of cheerleaders in the the MK right before the Christmas Party started the last time I was there at the same time. The biggest problems at the resorts seem to occur at the food courts especially in the early morning hours when they are all eating breakfast before their day starts. Overall they tend to stay at the moderates and the All-Stars. In 2006 I didn't see any Pop Warner participants at Pop.

For your room Dilema I would contact Magic Journeys and see what they can find for you. I have seen them work wonders getting a room when the Disney site says nothing is available.

Cheloconnell

08-13-2008, 08:25 AM

MushuGrl

08-13-2008, 09:39 AM

Well, here's the deal - the wonderful woundermous lady at the Walt Disney Travel Company said it's not that they're sold out, they just don't have rooms to accommodate three people. We coulda got all kinda rooms at Coronado, but they only had one bed. I'm guessing maybe 'cause it's Pop Warner week?

So...we had to take a studio room. She booked us at Old Key West. Gonna be more than I was initially wanting to pay...but now I'm all excited cause I did my research (aka looked at pictures) and it's purdy. That and with the wonderful magic of the six-months interest free offered by Disney Visa, I can pay off the excess with my income tax check.

Now I have ANOTHER question. It's listed as a DVC resort and a friend that's going with me has concerns we will get our ressies bumped for a DVC member. Can they do that?

Sunshine1010

08-13-2008, 09:49 AM

No, I don't think they can do that.

In fact, I'm on a waiting list for what you got (same dates) and I'm a DVC owner with a waitlist for a 1 bedroom or a studio for that date.

Because I'm using my points, I can't get a room, because the rest of the available rooms are set aside for cash paying customers.

So, in essence,....you're doing better than me because you are paying cash. I'm still waitlisted for what you got.

Have fun! I've never been to OKW either and I'm excited to see it!!!!!

TammiMcMan

08-13-2008, 11:47 AM

Now I have ANOTHER question. It's listed as a DVC resort and a friend that's going with me has concerns we will get our ressies bumped for a DVC member. Can they do that?Let's put it this way, hotels can pretty much do what they want, but being bumped for any reason very rarely happens. Usually, if something causes them to need to move people, they will work with you to find something at least comparable within Disney. It's so rare though, that I wouldn't even worry about it.

TammiMcMan

08-13-2008, 11:59 AM

Does anyone know when they start taping the parade on 12/6 this year? This will be our first day arriving in the am to the airport and our 10 year wedding celebration. It would be nice to attend if we could :mickey:I believe last year, tickets became available for annual passholders sometime in November and they're gone pretty quickly. Only those with tickets were allowed inside the ropes to participate in the viewing. I'm not sure if you can just hang back and watch. You should probably ask this question on the theme parks thread for more accurate answeres ;).

Cheloconnell

08-13-2008, 12:08 PM

I believe last year, tickets became available for annual passholders sometime in November and they're gone pretty quickly. Only those with tickets were allowed inside the ropes to participate in the viewing. I'm not sure if you can just hang back and watch. You should probably ask this question on the theme parks thread for more accurate answeres ;).
Thank you for the information - I will try that thread :mickey:

Bri

08-13-2008, 02:22 PM

we are going dec 8-15. this will be our first time going at christmas time, we want to see the decorations. we usually go in september and are really spoiled by how empty it is. i read in one of the posts for this topic that the parks get closed early for the kids, is that true?

TammiMcMan

08-13-2008, 02:56 PM

i read in one of the posts for this topic that the parks get closed early for the kids, is that true?Hollywood Studios will close early one night to host an athletes party. It used to be on the Friday night, but I read that they changed it to Wednesday for last years championships.

Looking at Disney's park calendar for December, DHS is scheduled to close at 7pm on that Wednesday. My guess is that's the night for their party this year.

Mousemates

08-13-2008, 04:38 PM

So...we had to take a studio room. She booked us at Old Key West. Gonna be more than I was initially wanting to pay...but now I'm all excited cause I did my research (aka looked at pictures) and it's purdy.

Glad things worked out for you...you ought to have a great time at OKW (havent stayed there but when we've gone to visit for Christmas decs we thought it was lovely).

bkfree

08-13-2008, 05:36 PM

Hollywood Studios will close early one night to host an athletes party. It used to be on the Friday night, but I read that they changed it to Wednesday for last years championships.

Looking at Disney's park calendar for December, DHS is scheduled to close at 7pm on that Wednesday. My guess is that's the night for their party this year.

Which Wed are you referring to?

Sunshine1010

08-13-2008, 05:37 PM

Hhhmmmmm......I was planning on being at HS that day (but I already knew they were closing at 7pm).

Question: will most of the teams be at HW all day since the park is closing for them that night?

AllDisney

08-13-2008, 06:00 PM

We have been during Pop Warner week and we saw no or very little impact on our vacation.

Once in awhile we'd see 5 or 6 kids with an adult at the parks. We found that most of the time the kids are in competition and aren't at the parks that much. At least that was our experience during Pop Warner week.

TammiMcMan

08-13-2008, 06:14 PM

Which Wed are you referring to?The dates are 12/7-12/13 this year, so it would Wednesday 12/10.

On an unrelated note, links are not allowed in signatures. You can move it to your profile, but you need to take it out of your signature.. thank you.

Question: will most of the teams be at HW all day since the park is closing for them that night?That wasn't our experience. Since it's still right in the middle of their games and competitions, most of them will be busy during the day. Their party is a hard ticketed event, so even if they are there during park hours, they'll need to exit and re-enter to get their wristbands.

bkfree

08-14-2008, 12:46 AM

[QUOTE=TammiMcMan;1714603]

On an unrelated note, links are not allowed in signatures. You can move it to your profile, but you need to take it out of your signature.. thank you.QUOTE]

Sorry, I moved it. Did not realize it posted as a link:blush:

We are leaving on the 10th,so the private party at HS for POP won't affect us. We are planning to hit MK that morning before our evening flight home.
Now trying to decide what park to hit on Sat, Dec 6th. Looks like it may be AK.

MushuGrl

08-14-2008, 10:40 AM

Thank you all for all your help! You've answered so many questions! Have a great day!

Dsnygirl

08-16-2008, 05:17 PM

:mickey: Is anybody else out there wondering what is up with these 9 days? I know that Mousefest happens over part of the second weekend involved, and that Pop Warner is around at the value resorts and POR... but what else is going on that has kept Disney from having any good deals those dates? They excluded those dates from the MYW packages, and with my AP pass, I wasn't able to get a single standard room at any moderate for my dates, which cross into these dates. (We travel the 9-16) :( (Edited in a post further below -- we got in!!! Just didn't realize we'd been changed when I first posted... :blush:)

I feel like the other poster out there who was frustrated that all his "knowledge" of WDW and their historical "specials" dates didn't help at all, b/c this is the case with us, too. We could have chosen any week to travel, but chose these dates b/c they're within weeks that have always been heavily discounted, and seemingly quieter.

Granted, we did get an AP rate at our chosen moderate resort that upgraded us to a better room for a rate that was less than we would have paid for a standard room at "rack rate". And Debbie at MJ got it for us and answered every question we had re: the different rooms/resorts available.... so no complaint there, they've been awesome and got us the best they could. But truthfully, when you're looking to save $$ and you see everyone around you saving hundreds for their standard rooms on dates that are so close to yours, and you can't get into one for your dates, it's a bit frustrating, esp. when you know you won't be at the resort enough to really benefit from the "upgrade" and would prefer to be paying less in a standard room.

I know no one should make plans based on hopes of a good deal, and that is truthfully not what we did -- but you still hope something good will come your way, and right now, it seems like this one week has somehow become an impossible time to get the offers advertised, and I was just wondering if anyone had an insider's idea as to why. (besides Pop Warner and Mousefest, which I honestly can't believe affects the moderates and other hotels all that much)

Thanks -- I feel like I sound ungrateful for what we've got, and that's not the case -- I'm truly thankful we can go to WDW and for what we've seen MJ get for us -- I'm just wondering if there's any particular reason why these dates have been blocked.

:thanks:

Gator

08-16-2008, 05:45 PM

I know the reason: they wanted to pick a fight with me. This is great - now I have 2 pages to bellyache on:D It really makes no sense. Mousefest and Pop Warner combined won't fill up 15% of the rooms available. Maybe they know Mousefesters will pay whatever to get to the festivities. Even the summer gets some kind of discount, and that's when everything is packed to the gills with sweaty people.

My final conclusion has to MouseFest. Just like Disney makes us pay for being at the MK at night and call it a party, they're going to not discount the favorite internet time to go because they know many will pay regardless.

disneydeb

08-16-2008, 06:02 PM

Good News!

The economy is not as bad as we had thought!

Bad News...

Maybe a certain political party had bought up all the rooms to mske us think the economy isn't as bad as it really is.

Just kidding.. please don't moderate me.:D

lindique

08-16-2008, 06:36 PM

I have a theory - and have no idea if I'm correct - but here it goes. Disney advertised the second week in December as one of the "Wonderful Weeks of Disney" (and also gave 40% off for that week to some lucky guests who received PINs) without realizing that, this year, Pop Warner would be that week. In recent history, PW was always the first week of December. So, with many rooms already booked at a discount and Pop Warner taking up most of All Stars and half of Port Orleans, that created a run on the market for that period of time.

However, as they say, all is not lost. I have been playing on the Passholder website and have managed to find rooms at various moderates for all of those nights - some nights are $119 and some are $99. You might have to do a split reservation (I now have part AAA rate and part AP rate), but it is doable. And, new availability appears to still be coming out daily.

Dsnygirl

08-16-2008, 07:52 PM

:mickey: Okay, rather than editing my own post, I'm just going to add to it -- unbeknownst to me, I got an e-mail from Deb at MJ this morning putting me into a standard room at our preferred resort (CBR)... it hadn't come through for some reason.

But she saw my post and PM'd me with the info -- just one of the reason MJ rocks and is the best travel agency ever!!! I could've never kept up with all Disney's opening and closing of rooms, etc., yet they do it constantly for us!! :woohoo:

So - my question still stands -- what's up with these dates -- but maybe Disney is listening, as it seems more availability is being released. Yeah!!! :clappy:

Thanks Deb!!! :D

brad817

08-16-2008, 08:42 PM

I assume Pop Warner means there's a little league football tournament during these dates, but what is Mousefest??

We're going December 11-14 and staying at All-Star Sports. By the content of this thread, I assume it will be jammed during those days. Yes??

How about the theme parks during this time. We're going to go Friday and Saturday (12th and 13th). Any idea which parks might be the least crowded during this time with these other events in town??

Thanks. :mickey:

TammiMcMan

08-17-2008, 12:35 AM

We already have an active thread about this subject. I'm going to merge this one with the existing thread.

MushuGrl

08-17-2008, 12:52 AM

My math was messed up. I thought Pop took up more than it did.

However, I like your post Lindique! I'm really really hoping we can get a mod. I'm still in sticker shock from having to take a Deluxe.

TammiMcMan

08-17-2008, 01:00 AM

Pop Warner is the 7th - 13th this year. When we went to Disney the first week of December a few years ago, we got a great discount with a pin code and it coincided with both Pop Warner and Mousefest. I don't think Disney made a mistake with giving out similar pin's this year for the 2nd week. It just seems to be a common misconception that this time of year is slow at Disney. Trust me, it has not been slow for the past few years.

Kind of reminds me of the mid 1990's. We'd stay at Disney the week of Christmas and the parks were empty. Can you believe it? I have video tape of us in the MK watching the afternoon Christmas parade. There is hardly anyone around us. Now, it's wall to wall people and the crowds are extending from Thanksgiving right through January 1st.

brad817

08-17-2008, 09:24 AM

A few comments....

I've only been to Disney in the heat of the summer. Even with these December dates getting busier over the years, I have to assume it's better than the summer. We're going December 11-14. How much lighter will the crowds be then vs. July??

I did call for a discount and we got it during these dates, but they switched us from All-Star Movies to Sports. I would assume most of the Pop Warner people are staying at Sports. That seems strange to me they switched us to a better rate at an apprently more croweded hotel. Did we get thrown in with the wolves??

TammiMcMan

08-17-2008, 12:35 PM

How much lighter will the crowds be then vs. July??Weekday crowds will be significantly lower than the height of the summer and with the cooler temps, it just feels a lot more comfortable overall.

I did call for a discount and we got it during these dates, but they switched us from All-Star Movies to Sports. I would assume most of the Pop Warner people are staying at Sports. That seems strange to me they switched us to a better rate at an apprently more croweded hotel. Did we get thrown in with the wolves??Historically, the resort package for Pop Warner includes a choice of the All-Stars, so I would expect to see them at both resorts. They may put a majority at Sports though and use Movies for overflow.

WDW1208

08-17-2008, 01:22 PM

I tried to book this week also and every single resort was unavailable in the Disney.com system even if I changed the dates by one or two days in either direction. We ended up booking Pop for the 13-19 instead using the inline booking system. I priced out POFQ and it was over $700 more, but then I called yesterday and upgraded to POFQ over the phone and it was only an additional $300 so I am really confused. At first I thought maybe those other dates earlier in the month were just full for the online system since I know they set aside a certain number for travel agents, etc., but it sounds like they are full for people calling as well.

We were there one year for POP Warner and it was only really crowded the morning we went over to POR for breakfast, as they were all over there. Did not notice any difference in the parks though, and some sweet cheerleaders even sang us Christmas carols on the boat over to DTD one evening. We have NEVER had any problems getting a ressie during early December so I am as confused as everyone else as to why these resorts are full. I am crossing my fingers that the 13-19 is still lower crowds (at least the beginning of that week) and we will be leaving right before the majority of the Christmas crowds get down there!

MushuGrl

08-18-2008, 02:26 PM

We have been encouraged by the nice cast members on the phone (and can I say how much I love them? They even make unpleasant calls pleasant. I just heart them) to keep trying for discounts and rooms since we didn't get what we want and are having to pay so much more. My sister called and checked today and was told the week of Dec. 7-13 is a black-out week for discounts.

I've gone quickly from upset at the extra money to OMG THANK YOU THANK YOU ZEUS AND BLUE FAIRY AND FAIRY GODMOTHER AND..who else..uh..MUSHU..I HAVE A ROOM!

MushuGrl

08-18-2008, 02:27 PM

CALYPSO..I forgot to thank Calypso...

WonderlandsMostWanted

08-18-2008, 03:10 PM

I feel lucky we got our AAA rate Dec 11-15 at POR. We decided to upgrade a few days BEFORE the discounts came out, and the only Mod resort with a AAA rate left, was POR with a King Bed. With the new package discounts and AP discounts... POR with a King bed was STILL all that was available for us! We're good with the AAA rate anyhow, but a standard room at a Mod would be fine by us; we don't need the Kings. Now, it's just a matter of waiting to find out if anything in a standard room opens up.

Maybe next year I need to look at going in early November instead! :mickey::thedolls: