WAG presidential classic and where to stay?

[coach1234]

Hi
i posted a little while ago about going to a meet in the USA, we have decided to go with the presidential classic bearing in mind we are not going until 2015 though, has anyone every been before? what did you think of it?
also we are thinking of staying in the disney all star resorts because it seems most convenient, getting to the venue etc.. what are peoples thoughts on staying in here? is there better places to stay? we will have about 15 kids and 4-5 coaches traveling with us (parents can come but have to book their own accommodation- also why we thought all star resort would be good)

So what are your guys thoughts? i know that all the kids are realllly excited,they talk about it everyday and they still have over a year to wait hahah bless them!

 

[Oldgymmom]

We have been to that meet and few others in the area. Great meet and wonderful venue. You have so many choices for hotels. We have stayed at Disney resorts, although for a team I do not recommend because of cost. I recommend staying in hotel that offers free breakfast, free parking, free wifi and no resort fees. Those all can add up fast so be sure to check the additional chargers. Rooms with suites are nice so you have a separate area in case you have a napper or someone needs to go to bed early. I would recommend the Homewood Suites, Embassy Suites and Residence Inn. There are several near the location. The Nickelodeon hotel has suites and can be a source of entertainment that you never have to leave the property with daily shows and a waterpark. You have so many choices. Have fun.

 

[gasrgoose]

We stayed at the Wyndham Grand Orlando resort at Bonnett Creek. Its located just outside the Disney property. It is a very nice hotel and cheaper than the Disney hotels. We really enjoyed the meet. The park will be extremely crowded because that is a holiday weekend, but Disney is always fun ("the happiest place on earth"). Just be prepared for the long waits and crowds of people. But if you stay past Monday the crowds will all be back in school.

 

[coach1234]

thank you for replying! it all sounds like good information, i think the reason we're going with disney is because we have looked into it and all in all it actually works out cheaper, because we dont need car hire, we get discounted park tickets and if we do it as a package holiday type thing we get the flights cheaper as well (bearing in mind we want a decent plane company as we will be flying for 9+ hours we worked out that it is mega bucks and we need to get fundraising hahah, its going to cost around £15000 for just the flights and accommodation yep these kids are gonna have to get their butts in gear and start getting some cash hahah thanks again, if anyone else knows anything please let me know, the cheaper we can get it the better!!

 

[rgmom]

A fabulous meet! Our gym competed there in 2013 and my daughter's both said that it was their favorite meet ever!! I guess it didn't hurt that is was Disney. lol. Enjoy and safe travels.

 

[SignHere]

Do remember that even though you won't need to hire a car or bus for transportation to the venue, parks, etc, staying at a Disney hotel means you will be paying premium prices for every meal, For instance, $15.00 per person for each meal. (And I'm talking chicken fingers and fries or the like) . If you get the meal plan, you will essentially get a discount on desserts and snacks (if you eat those).

 

[bookworm]

I actually think the All Star hotels are a great choice , especially if you're coming from overseas, you want the whole Disney experience. We stayed in the Pop Culture All Star when we went to that meet and it was quite convenient....we have also stayed in the Sports, Movies and Music All Stars in the past and those are lovely too....I didn't think the food was hideously expensive ...I figured I was paying a little more for the convenience of eating right there in the park.

If you want to splurge while you're there, I HIGHLY recommend the California Grille atop the Contemporary for dinner and then you can return to watch the fireworks from their rooftop later in the night ...their food is divine!! If there are a bunch of really younger kids, Chef Mickey's is one the second floor of the same hotel (Contemporary) and kids are quite entertained there as well.

 

[gympunkin]

We have never been to the Presidential Classic, but I love Disney World. A great resource for planning your trip there is disboards.com. It has forums on many different topics, including one with ideas on how to save money. You can post specific questions and get them answered.

I think there are many practical advantages to staying on-site at Disney. You can make dining reservations way in advance, which is really helpful if you want to go to the more popular locations. Also, by the time you travel, resort guests should all be getting magic bands which will let you book your fast passes ahead of time.

We stayed at the Art of Animation and loved it!! It is a value resort and it is new and really well-themed. Take a look at the website. Just walking around the grounds brought a smile to my face. It does cost a little more than the other value resorts. We stayed in a Little Mermaid room, which is the equivalent of a regular hotel room. To give you an idea of cost, our room was $135 and a room at the Pop Century was about $100. AOA also has suites, which cost more but also can hold more people. It is across a small lake from the Pop Century, and connected to it by a bridge. We walked across several times to eat at the Pop Century because we found the selection at AOA to be somewhat limited, and the portions to be small. My dh and I could easily split an entrée at Pop Century. AOA has great bus service to the parks, but I am not sure about to the meet venue. You can ask on disboards. Someone will know.

 

[coach1234]

wow thank you for all the responses! keep themcoming guysthey are really helpful and im sure you guys know a lot more about it that me!