All-Star Worlds As A Spectator

[Sterling von Shimmer]

I want to go to Worlds as a spectator this year. I don’t even know where to start. I legit think this is the first time I’m travelling parallel to a cheer competition as opposed to involved in it. Meaning there are no EP’s to tell me what to do.

So as a random stalker, where do I stay? Who do I fly?

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

I want to go to Worlds as a spectator this year. I don’t even know where to start. I legit think this is the first time I’m travelling parallel to a cheer competition as opposed to involved in it. Meaning there are no EP’s to tell me what to do.

So as a random stalker, where do I stay? Who do I fly?

Honestly....

Two years ago I looked into the cost of taking my kids down there as commuters, and staying off site. The total savings after all was said and done to stay in a hotel that was not a total shithole off site was going to be about $5 per person. Any parents who were traveling with us who weren’t going to be able to split the cost of a room with another parent were actually going to pay more (the savings didn’t kick in at all until at least two people were in the room). I determine then that any savings we might ever realize from staying off site would be totally outweighed by the convenience of staying in a Disney resort.

So my suggestion would be treat yourself in other ways. Register with a varsity travel package (if all else fails see if an all star program will give you their number). If you’ve never done it before, spend the extra for a mid level resort. The Caribbean beach is fantastic if available. Without having a schedule to adhere to, make time to try some of the nicer restaurants. There’s actually really good food at WDW if you get out of the food courts (and even they have improved tremendously in the last 5-10 years). Ride the big rides. Hit up the new Star Wars area.

I did something similar a few years ago at Summit. I tagged along with a team that was going. I went to their performances because I knew everyone, and wanted to support the kids. Other than that, I just enjoyed the trip.

 

[catlady]

Flights will depend on where you're coming from, but I just looked up flights on Travelocity from ATL to MCO and you could get a round trip flight on Delta for $135 World's weekend. My only warning on flights is be careful taking an airline such as Spirit just to save a few dollars. If they don't have more than a couple of flights going from your area on a given day, if they cancel, they can put you on the next flight which may be the next day.

As far as hotels, the discount sites (Travelocity, Hotels.com, etc) are a great way to shop, but you have to read the fine print. Many hotels in Florida have resort and parking fees that can up the price substantially. If you are old enough, you can find rental cars for about $25-30 per day that could help reduce your hotel costs by driving out a little further. There are places that offer free shuttles, free breakfast, free parking, mini fridge, microwave, etc. that can help offset costs. We just took a quick Disney trip and the flights at the time were cheapest in Tampa, so we decided to stay in Clearwater Beach so we could enjoy the beach, and rented a car and drove the 1 1/2 hours each way on our Disney days.

 

[DonnaM]

If you are going to rent a car, also check flights into Tampa. Because of where Disney is, it doesn’t Take much longer to get there from Tampa than from MCO, especially compared to doing the Disney shuttle, which takes half of forever, and it is sometimes cheaper or has better schedules (this is especially true on Southwest).

I’d also suggest checking with a Disney travel agent. If you can get a good deal with another park hotel, you won’t have the shuttle to ESPN, but it may end up being worth it (and will be quieter)-unless you really want to be in All Star to be where the action happens. Uber is fairly inexpensive and fast within the park, often a lot nicer than dealing with the shuttles. I love Port Orleans, which is a moderate and is close to Epcot and Disney Springs.

Definitely see if you can register with a gym and get the travel package, at least for tickets and Disney days. It’s a really good deal compared to usual admissions.

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

Honestly....

Two years ago I looked into the cost of taking my kids down there as commuters, and staying off site. The total savings after all was said and done to stay in a hotel that was not a total shithole off site was going to be about $5 per person. Any parents who were traveling with us who weren’t going to be able to split the cost of a room with another parent were actually going to pay more (the savings didn’t kick in at all until at least two people were in the room). I determine then that any savings we might ever realize from staying off site would be totally outweighed by the convenience of staying in a Disney resort.

So my suggestion would be treat yourself in other ways. Register with a varsity travel package (if all else fails see if an all star program will give you their number). If you’ve never done it before, spend the extra for a mid level resort. The Caribbean beach is fantastic if available. Without having a schedule to adhere to, make time to try some of the nicer restaurants. There’s actually really good food at WDW if you get out of the food courts (and even they have improved tremendously in the last 5-10 years). Ride the big rides. Hit up the new Star Wars area.

I did something similar a few years ago at Summit. I tagged along with a team that was going. I went to their performances because I knew everyone, and wanted to support the kids. Other than that, I just enjoyed the trip.

That’s so helpful, thank you.

It'll probably be just my sister and I, so fortunately I don't have to deal with the entanglements of a big group.

What is your definition of "shithole"? And are there hotels I should outright avoid?

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

Flights will depend on where you're coming from, but I just looked up flights on Travelocity from ATL to MCO and you could get a round trip flight on Delta for $135 World's weekend. My only warning on flights is be careful taking an airline such as Spirit just to save a few dollars. If they don't have more than a couple of flights going from your area on a given day, if they cancel, they can put you on the next flight which may be the next day.

As far as hotels, the discount sites (Travelocity, Hotels.com, etc) are a great way to shop, but you have to read the fine print. Many hotels in Florida have resort and parking fees that can up the price substantially. If you are old enough, you can find rental cars for about $25-30 per day that could help reduce your hotel costs by driving out a little further. There are places that offer free shuttles, free breakfast, free parking, mini fridge, microwave, etc. that can help offset costs. We just took a quick Disney trip and the flights at the time were cheapest in Tampa, so we decided to stay in Clearwater Beach so we could enjoy the beach, and rented a car and drove the 1 1/2 hours each way on our Disney days.

Spirit Airlines.

Lol.

No.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

That’s so helpful, thank you.

It'll probably be just my sister and I, so fortunately I don't have to deal with the entanglements of a big group.

What is your definition of "shithole"? And are there hotels I should outright avoid?

We were quoted a rate at the Delta of $150 a night. It was recommended via a thread in the HS section of this website. It looks phenomenal in pictures, but we never stayed there.

If I’m going somewhere to enjoy a trip, not trying to save money because of business expenses or what have you, I shoot for a Hampton Inn or nicer. In my opinion that $150-ish a night price range is bare minimum for me. If I decide to pay more than that, it’s usually for convenience. For example, I’ll push my budget a little on my annual trip to Gatlinburg to get a hotel with internal doors that’s located in the middle of town because so many of the motels there are OLD and run down, and there’s no parking at all if you stay any distance away from the convention center.

Then I use Trip Advisor to further research any potentials.

 

[quitthedrama]

You can sometimes book a Disney property for under $150/night, and we have stayed on property for Worlds a couple of times but we have found it SO much cheaper and far more relaxing to book a condo or a studio at an off property resort (i.e. check out Orange Lake). Disney transportation can be slow especially to and from the airport. Parking at WWOS for Worlds is easy and free. We scour booking sites for car rentals and normally get a car for 5 days for about $150. We save that amount and more by being able to prepare our own meals. You can purchase a hopper pass through USASF on-line (starting in about the Feb time frame) which is actually a very good price if you are going to go to the parks and it includes 5 days of WWOS admission, or if you aren't going to the parks you can just go to WWOS and buy tickets for the days you want to go to worlds all at once (they used to make you buy them one day at a time).

 

[CoachTamara]

We did Worlds as spectators years ago and had a blast.
My recommendations would be as follows:
-Stay offsite with other people. There were three of us and we got a Hotwire hotel. It was super cheap and really nice (I have no idea where it was, I'm old and have no memory). Staying offsite also allowed us to get away from the cheer side of it when we left-we went to restaurants and didn't have to fight off cheerleaders at every turn.
-If you are going for Worlds, go for Worlds and skip Disney. It will be a huge added expense, and honestly a nightmare when there are a bazillion cheerleaders at the parks.
-Just Uber your way to the arenas, and skip the mess that is parking. They drop you right in the front and you don't have to worry about it.
-If you are going with someone, go with someone that has the same passion for it that you do. I went with two friends that are also coaches, and we were all on the same page with getting there early and never moving from our seats. We did multiple 12 hour days with zero complaints from anyone, because we all wanted to be there and agreed to a plan. I would be so annoyed if I went with someone that tried to make me leave when they got bored.
-This was long ago when there weren't as many arenas, but figure out a schedule before you go especially if you are going to bounce between arenas. Thankfully, we stayed in one place almost all day so it was fine, but you really want to make sure you are seeing all the teams you want to see.
-There are some "dead zones" in the schedule but you need to be careful with seating. Pick some down time to get up and get meals and stuff, but be aware if a big division is coming and you might not have a seat when you get back.