Parents Any parents done meets at ESPN World of Sports at Disney?

[GymCMLA]

I am looking for advice from families who have done it.
Cost effective tips?
Convenience tips?
I am having a little sticker shock (we are a bigger family and my non-WAG gymmies all want to go to Florida with us, understandably)

 

[bookworm]

We've been and had a great time...we stayed in one of the All Star Resorts (Pop Century is pretty close to there) right at Disney which was pretty cheap...with that, you can get a free shuttle from the airport to your hotel and the buses on site will take you around the resort. My caveat here is that you would have to do some mega planning to get on an early enough bus to get over to the venue for the meet ...maybe go in 2 groups ( first with the competing gymnast, second with the spectators) . We did get a rental car that was pretty cheap for the weekend ( around $50) so we could come and go at our leisure.

We didn't bring our whole family with us to meets in Disney in the winter because frankly, it was a bit chilly for the rides and such ....granted warmer than our endless snowfilled winters but not warm enough to go romping around Florida to be worth it to take our whole family.

 

[bookworm]

One of the All Star Resorts (Animation I believe) also has a family suite that you could get for a big group...or you could do 2 connecting rooms (which would give you 4 beds, 2 TVs and 2 bathrooms) which might be cheaper than a suite.

 

[motigymnasticsmom]

I've gone twice and hated it both times! All I can say, too many people! It took us over an hour to find parking just for the mall. I was jumping for joy when we got our meet schedule this year because we don't have to go.

 

[munchkin3]

Disney is always awesome, but you must plan ahead because there are a lot of people. You can stay at a lower cost resort, which will provide bus transportation for free to ESPN. That is the way to go, but you need extra time. We had a 8am meet there once, and I was in the Disney cab at 7:15 because I could not take a chance on the bus......the bus drops you off directly in front of the venue, and goes to all Disney hotels......

Downtown Disney has a lot of good places to eat, but make a reservation. Any good restaurants will be full, so you need to plan ahead......make reservations now, and cancel them later when you know your schedule.

Disney has a lot of Hotel room options for large families, but if you want to stay off property, you can do an apartment or similar.....the downside is your in Orlando which stinks.....then you have to get in your car to go in an out of Disney.....but it is do able......

 

[GymCMLA]

did you use the sports travel agent? would you recommend them?

 

[sevenatenine2]

We stay at Wyndham Bonnet Creek which is a time share resort right next to Disney's Carribbean Beach. You would need a vehicle, but you can get a two or three bedroom condo at a lovely resort for way cheaper than Disney prices. Google vacation upgrades. It was great.

 

[CMA25]

We stay at Wyndham Bonnet Creek which is a time share resort right next to Disney's Carribbean Beach. You would need a vehicle, but you can get a two or three bedroom condo at a lovely resort for way cheaper than Disney prices. Google vacation upgrades. It was great.

We have used Vacation Upgrades for a personal trip to Disney, and it was great. Wyndham Bonnet Creek is an amazing hotel resort, and the suites are huge!

The meet itself is very expensive. We attended Sand Dollar last year, and the spectator fees were around $27 for one session! Also be prepared to spend extra time getting your athlete credentials and to get in the gate. We were in a early session last year, and the security lines for ESPN were very long. They ended up opening a separate line for competing athletes so they wouldn't be late for warm-up. I had to send my daughter back with a coach from another gym while I waited in the regular security line. I am very happy that we are not going back this year!

 

[bookworm]

did you use the sports travel agent? would you recommend them?

No I wouldn't because they always seem to have some absurd cancellation deadline...I remember one time it was 2 months before the meet...and with this sport, there was no way I was booking anything like that...read the fine print...

 

[munchkin3]

You can either look at Wyndham, or just regular hotels.....they have a regular cancellation policy....you don't need a travel agent. You can do everything online.

 

[suebee]

We stay at Wyndham Bonnet Creek which is a time share resort right next to Disney's Carribbean Beach. You would need a vehicle, but you can get a two or three bedroom condo at a lovely resort for way cheaper than Disney prices. Google vacation upgrades. It was great.

We've never done the meet but have done Disney several times in the last few years. We've also stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek twice (used Vacation Strategies, which is similar to Vacation Upgrades) and at Windsor Hills (resort that has condos, townhomes and homes) once. Both very close to Disney, but you need a car. Both much nicer and much more space than staying onsite at Disney and you get a lot more space for your money, which is great if you're traveling with family.

 

[skschlag]

We like to stay at Orange Lake Resort. the boys have a blast there. They also have some discounts to the parks. We do rent a car.

 

[gymgal]

in the winter because frankly, it was a bit chilly for the rides and such ....granted warmer than our endless snowfilled winters but not warm enough to go romping around Florida to be worth it to take our whole family.

It can get chilly, but it's never too cold to ride the rides! We have been there a few times in the winter and have never been bothered by the cold. Usually it is long sleeve and pants weather. More welcome than the hot july weather! ugh....

 

[BachFlyer]

I like that the all star resorts have cafeterias on site, we all think the food is fairly decent, too. So you don't need a car there at all if you don't plan on sightseeing off of Disney property. My kids Like the hotel pool-it's heated ands always open and they have movies by the pool at night and other fun activities for the younger kids sometimes. Plus the whole resort is pretty Enclosed and the kids were able to have some freedom running around. We have never had issues with the shuttles getting us to the meet on time, but I don't think we've ever had the morning session.

I'm always on a super tight budget and have found this the best choice for us, but the cost of eating out every meal can be a lot. If you had more people you might want to stay somewhere that you can cook, to save money on food.

 

[ckulat]

We have gone once, and ended competing with teams near where we live, which was kind of a bummer. We had a great time though overall, I mean, it's Disney. We are a family of 5, so regular hotel rooms are a tight squeeze. The last time we were there we stay at Orange Lake Resort. I do not recommend sitting through the timeshare presentation, but our unit was basically a 2 bedroom mini apartment (condo). We had plenty of room to spread out, and we pay a pretty cheap price through one of the online websites. (Hotels.com type of sites.) Good luck! If you stay on Disney property the Value Resorts are the most band for you buck. The buses that take you to the parks do not stop at other hotels, which is nice.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

Orange Lake is our family's favorite resort in the Orlando area, however, we were unable to get a unit for Sand Dollar. The first time, we stayed at Carribean beach which was one of the host hotels booked thru the meet site - non refundable and the shuttles were PITA. Last year, we stayed at one of the Marriott's (I think Fairfield) in Lake Buena Vista and it was convenient to lots of restaurants. Rented a car (you can get one pretty cheap) to get to/from meet, etc.

 

[cftmoonlight]

We usually rented a vacation house with a group, plus then you can buy your food at the grocery store. They all had a pool and hot tub, plus game room.

 

[munchkin3]

Vrbo in Orlando are a dime a dozen......

 

[Oceanflippermom]

Sandollar is a great meet and and it is a great time of year to do Disney! It was warm enough during our trip to do a day at the waterpark and use the resort pools at night! (I am from SC along the coast, just so you know) The parks aren't as crowded as other times of the year! We loved the meet! We are going again this year! It's a 30 day cancellation policy and going through Disney/ESPN there are great discounts on the rooms, tickets or the complete package.

 

[Canadian_gym_mom]

We went to Sand Dollar and it was a great meet. We stayed at World Quest Resort which is basically condos where you have a full kitchen. It was quite reasonable when you factor sharing a condo with a couple of families. It was nice because every bedroom had its own bathroom so that made sharing not so bad. Huge pool. But it's out by Nickelodeon so you need a rental car if you stay there.