For any fly-ins, Love Field is worth paying a little extra. It is closer and far easier to get in and out of than DFW.
Dallas has no clue how to do winter. If it gets below 34 degrees and there is precipitation, the city shuts down. It has happened 2 years in a row but last year was absolutely awful.
If you have a child performing in the arena, you need to get there at least an hour in advance of their performance to get a seat - probably more if they are competing near the "big name teams". "Priority seating" is available but was on the very right of the stage last year, so you are going to want to avoid sitting there. If you have a child performing in the other halls, it is very difficult to get a good viewing spot. Priority is again on the side of the mat. When my CP performed in a hall her team was one of the first to go on. Our parents got there when the hall opened and had the first rows. We gave up our seats to parents of a few other gyms so they could watch from the front and just kept cycling parents through until our kids performed. It would be great if parents would consider doing this. Instead I see a lot of fighting over seats and people saving seats for their invisible friends so they have a place to put their bags and/or not have to sit next to someone. Don't be that person!
Most of the halls are connected - if you are moving from Hall to Hall, travel along the back side rather than exiting one and entering another. The arena is an exception and a separate entrance.
There are a ton of great restaurants - but the convention center food isn't very good and is overpriced. Bring food and drinks with you and save your money for a great meal downtown when you are on your way home/back to your hotel.
I feel like NCA has gone downhill due to the overcrowding and STP, but they do a lot of things right and it is still one of my favorite competitions. According to my kids there is nothing like competing in that arena, and as a parent it is an incredible production (lighting, awards, etc). Even though the Halls aren't quite like the arena, the lighting and awards and how the athletes are treated is top notch.