All-Star Espn Complex At Disney- Tips?

[kewpiekid]

Heading down there in two weeks for D2 Summit. Wondering if anyone who has BTDT can offer tips for a newbie. CP is Youth Level 1 and will be competing Friday night in the Wide World of Sports Arena West Green. We are staying on property at Coronado Springs so our team will all be taking Varsity bus from Coronado to ESPN. Here are my questions:

1. Can you bring in food and water?
2. Are there places to buy food/snacks inside the venue? Or a restaurant for moms to hang out while we wait?
3. What is the temperature like inside the venue i.e. will I freeze if I come in shorts and a t-shirt?
4. What is the spectator area like i.e. how close can you get when your team is performing?
5. Any rules about photography or video?
6. Are there areas for the teams to leave their backpacks and belongings while they warm up and perform? The last two comps we were at (Spirit Fest and Jamfest) we ended up having to schlep their stuff b/c they weren't allowed to keep their stuff with them.

Any words of advice or things you wish you had known? Thanks so much!

 

[Lower Level Queen]

my limited answers after competing in the visa center / HP last year:

1. Can you bring in food and water?
I have gluten/dairy allergies so I was worried about what I’d be able to eat and I was able to bring food, and I don’t think I had to fight with them about it.
2. Are there places to buy food/snacks inside the venue? Or a restaurant for moms to hang out while we wait?
There is 1(?) restaurant and I did not get a chance to go in. The big thing is food trucks, and there are tables with covers outside to sit and eat.
3. What is the temperature like inside the venue i.e. will I freeze if I come in shorts and a t-shirt?
I remember the visa center was cold in the morning last year, but I don’t know about the arena.
4. What is the spectator area like i.e. how close can you get when your team is performing?
Once again, I’ve never been in the new arena.
5. Any rules about photography or video?
I don’t believe so. We have a mom on our team that takes good action shots with a fancy camera, and last year she was able to get up front with the normal action shot photographers. I don’t know how this was done, but I do remember her saying that in one of the arenas the person was really nice and another person wasn’t so much. So take that how you want.
6. Are there areas for the teams to leave their backpacks and belongings while they warm up and perform? The last two comps we were at (Spirit Fest and Jamfest) we ended uphaving to schlep their stuff b/c they weren't allowed to keep their stuff with them.
My gym doesn’t allow us to bring our stuff with us (besides inhalers or other that the coaches put in a community bag) so I can’t answer for sure but I do believe there were cubby like things in warmups for people to put their stuff.

Hope this helps!
Also I highly recommend looking at a map before you leave and making sure you understand how traffic flows.

 

[Kiermyc]

Yes you can bring in food and water

Yes there are places to buy food there’s inside table seating and some outside

Last year it was hot cause it was filled to capacity

There is no spectator area in that arena. I think it’s one of the worse arenas to perform in. Floor is at floor level and you have to sit in stands.

You can record

Not sure our teams are never allowed to bring backpacks when they leave to compete

My biggest advice is just go with the flow. It can be chaotic and stressful best to not fall into the stress and just take everything as it comes.

 

[Cheerfun2]

I’ve never been to D2 Summit but I’ve been to D1 five times. IME...the Visa (Jostens?) center is the best for spectators. It has a true VIP section right in front of the stage that they funnel parents in and out of. HP is fine, but the VIP section is so far away it is better to sit in the stands all together and pray the kids realize their parents are there, somewhere, lol.

The new Arena, UGH!! Last year it was a horrid crapshow, for lack of a more descriptive word. (wanted to use the “s” word but I try not to be profane, lol.) There were lines out in the hot sun to even enter the building. Once you were finally in, you realize there are 4 (I believe) arenas. You find yours, walk in, and think, “Um, is this some intimate theatre? Are we going to see some Shakesperian actors? Am I in the audience for a small scale Ted Talk?” These arenas are SMALL! And beware...we noticed some parents behaving badly. Instead of being grown ups and realizing that all we all want to do is see our own kid, some folks decided that THEIR wait in the hot sun was much worse than anyone else’s and by God, they aren’t giving up these seats! They already saw their child, but it would case then extreme pain to move out for 2 min 30 sec. And I’m not talking just the good seats...this was ANY seat!! The new arenas don’t have enough seating, period. And the stage is CLOSE! After some kind soul rented me her front row seat for our performance, I was treated to a great view up my cp’s nose. Grateful it wasn’t cold season.

 

[kewpiekid]

There were lines out in the hot sun to even enter the building. Once you were finally in, you realize there are 4 (I believe) arenas.

How long should we realistically allow from leaving our hotel (Coronado Springs) via the Varsity bus, to getting inside ESPN? Is two hours enough? Do the teams get in any faster than the spectators?

 

[Kiermyc]

I’ve never been to D2 Summit but I’ve been to D1 five times. IME...the Visa (Jostens?) center is the best for spectators. It has a true VIP section right in front of the stage that they funnel parents in and out of. HP is fine, but the VIP section is so far away it is better to sit in the stands all together and pray the kids realize their parents are there, somewhere, lol.

The new Arena, UGH!! Last year it was a horrid crapshow, for lack of a more descriptive word. (wanted to use the “s” word but I try not to be profane, lol.) There were lines out in the hot sun to even enter the building. Once you were finally in, you realize there are 4 (I believe) arenas. You find yours, walk in, and think, “Um, is this some intimate theatre? Are we going to see some Shakesperian actors? Am I in the audience for a small scale Ted Talk?” These arenas are SMALL! And beware...we noticed some parents behaving badly. Instead of being grown ups and realizing that all we all want to do is see our own kid, some folks decided that THEIR wait in the hot sun was much worse than anyone else’s and by God, they aren’t giving up these seats! They already saw their child, but it would case then extreme pain to move out for 2 min 30 sec. And I’m not talking just the good seats...this was ANY seat!! The new arenas don’t have enough seating, period. And the stage is CLOSE! After some kind soul rented me her front row seat for our performance, I was treated to a great view up my cp’s nose. Grateful it wasn’t cold season.

It was a nightmare. The setup hasn’t changed it was the same at UCA this year but only 2 arenas are having performances even though it’s still setup in 4 for awards on Sunday.

The viewing is a nightmare. There really are no good seats and my daughter says they can’t hear the crowd anyway. Last year we had to sit at the top because of parents refusing to move. Up there was pretty strange cause your looking down on them, positive you’ll get to see any mistakes that could be in the back you might miss otherwise.

I would think since your staying as a team you team would get together and head over there as a group at a set time. At least that’s what we always did.

 

[california cheer mom]

The arena is terrible. It might be better on Friday but on Saturday and Sunday last year we were crawling over seats trying to get down towards the bottom to see our kids. Seats were full in the front, but as the earlier teams in the division were finishing parents would get up and leave, and it was a mad dash to get to the better seats after every team. So go in early if you want a decent seat.

If you can send someone up to the second level you can get a good video of the entire stage. Otherwise you will be way too close.

There is the ESPN quick service restaurant and bar, plus food trucks. The food is decent enough at ESPN if you want to eat inside. There's also food stations in the arena.

 

[AScheer]

To answer a few things that haven’t been said yet...

At NHSCC this year there WAS a parent area in the arena. It’s a standing section in front of the judges. Not very big, and not like you’re used to with other comps, but it was an option!

There are big things outside of warm-ups that bags can be placed in while warming-up and competing. Some coaches allow bags to go down and some don't, but there are plenty of places to store if they do.

There is an ESPN restaurant attached to the Visa Center. It can be hard to get in. I think there are better options usually with the food trucks. The restaurant does have an order ahead option. The arena concessions all have different type food. There is a master map in the arena that tells you which stand has which food type. Resort cups also work at the arena machines.

It’s usually cold, but I have been warm in there before. Dress in layers so that you can adjust as needed.

Everyone goes in the same gates, athletes don’t get in any faster. And I would imagine 2 hours early is plenty of time for a spectator. Can’t say for sure since I’ve never stayed at Coronado for cheer, and since I’ve never been to this exact event.

 

[Natalia5]

Yes, you can bring in your own food and snacks and please do especially if you have a long wait between your child's performance and the reveals. The food is typical Sport Bar or Chain type restaurant type food although the food trucks offered more variety. My kiddo and most of her friends loved the one that had the pizza by the slice. But no other issues except it took over 30 minutes plus to get a glass of wine from the bar area in the lounge.:cool: