Competing our way around the World - A "Freshman Family" UDA Nationals Trip Report

[kimberwee]

We are back and I cant wait to fill you all in on how the trip went.

But, first...
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DH and I are proud parents of a High School Pom Girl! DD worked so hard for this and we are thrilled...

If you haven't seen my pre-trip report, let me recap our small cast of characters:

Me: The designated Chaos Coordinator – aka Kimberwee… just turned 42 and still obsessed with all things Disney…

DH: 41 years old and happily lets me do all of the planning and requires a good plan with contingencies.

DD: The star of our show...this sweet girl is 14 and loves Disney trips as much as I do. She is a High School Freshman and busy with all things Pom.

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Now, on with the show...​

 

[footballmouse]

 

[SEAGULL59]

Excited to hear about your trip!

 

[kimberwee]

WEDNESDAY, 2/2…Part 1

As you may have seen in my pre-trip report, we weren't sure we would make it out of Oklahoma due to a severe winter storm. Luckily, we were 1 of 2 flights that made it off the ground that morning, before the airport shut down. Lot's of other families joining the team were forced to make other arrangements and were threatened with the realization that they may not make it at all.

We were up @ 2:30 am and dragging ourselves out of bed after making sure that our flight hadn’t been cancelled. We only live about 20 minutes from the airport, but because we weren‘t sure what road conditions would be like, we wanted to be there in plenty of time before team check-in at 4.

We arrived at the airport without incident and quickly met up with some other families at our designated meeting place. Because DD was “traveling with her team,” DH and I went ahead and checked luggage while we waited to make sure that the team bag check went ok. If we‘d forgotten something, we were going to have to run home and get it. Luckily, we were well prepared and made our way through security. The plane was loaded and ready to go on time, however, we had to hold on the runway for de-icing. I was so worried that they would turn us right around, but they didn’t and we were in the air 45 minutes late.

Luckily, our connection in Houston wasn’t impacted and we were on our way!

When we landed in Orlando, DH and I gathered our bags and made our way to the rideshare pickup. First, I had to stop and take a pic of the Charter that would be taking DD and her team:


Then, I made the first of only 3 mistakes of the entire trip…

We caught a ride from a man who stated he was a “taxi”…

I know better, really I do…can we blame in on fatigue or just excitement to get going

It cost us $125 to get to Caribbean Beach Club... never again

Once we got to the resort, we checked in and were very excited that our team would be staying in the Jamaica section of the resort. Our room wasn’t ready, so we ended up storing bags in a friends room until ours would be ready. I went to grab our UDA packages from their checkin desk in the Aruba section and DH went to meet our Shipt order. Turned out that our Shipt delivery driver was an Oklahoma native and we enjoyed chatting with her.

Once we dropped our groceries off with Bell Services, we went to grab a cocktail and some Jerk Chicken Wings from Banana Cabana while we waited for the team…We were ready for the fun to begin!

 

[kimberwee]

WEDNESDAY, 2/2…Part 2

The team finally arrived about 30 minutes later and we were happy to see that DD's room was just 2 doors down from ours and that our room was ready! We moved our suitcases into our room and got ready to head out to Hollywood Studios. I had purchased Genie+ and secured Slinky Dog, Rockin Rollercoaster, Smugglers and Runaway Railway on our flight. Rise of the Resistance was sold out by the time I was able to grab one, not having a resort confirmation number linked.

Side note: I did ask for the reservation number and link it when we checked in and advised everyone else to do the same. I will definitely have to remember this for next year, as there will be even more attractions opening by the end of this year.

With our room location, we were a two minute walk to the entrance of the Skyliner, so we used it a lot on this trip. It was around 4 pm by the time we got through the gates of Hollywood Studios and time for us to walk over to Slinky Dog with a couple of others who'd grabbed a LL. After Slinky, we had a while until MMRR, so it was time for a break at Baseline Taphouse, to meet up with some other friends.

I was over the top excited about how smoothly things were working out...we had good reservations...we were pacing ourselves...

FAMOUS.LAST.WORDS.

Everything went south after this.

We left for Railway and got in line, only for it to break down. We got a return pass, but didn't know we could have used it on other rides I checked my TP wait times and the MDE wait times and saw that Toy Story Mania was low, so we went and got in line.

Dumb.

This was my 2nd biggest mistake of the trip...Trusting TP. I didn't find their wait times to be accurate at all on this trip and have been very successfully using them for years.

We waited F_O_R_E_V_E_R and the long day of travel was catching up to us...

I was cranky.
DD was cranky.
DH was SUPER cranky.

I guess everyone else had the same idea and you can't really see how the line looks from the outside of that attraction.

DD decided she just wanted to skip the rest of the night's plans and head to RNR. I was actually really glad we did that, because we were able to use the LL and meet up with some of her teammates so that they could ride it together.



Afterwards, we watched a few minutes of the fireworks and made our way to the Skyliner to head back. DD had a meeting at 10:30 to attend and her curfew was 11. DH and I were once again grateful for our room's proximity to the Skyliner and quickly fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.

ON TO DAY 2...

 

[kimberwee]

Thursday 2/3...The Epcot Part...

Thursday was our Epcot Day. DD had to get up early to go practice with the team, so DH and I made plans to meet up with Pom parents and enjoy Epcot until we would head to Disney Springs for a team dinner. She didn't want to meet up for breakfast, so DH and I were ready to go early...and the Skyliner was broken down! We walked over to the Jamaica shuttle stop and caught the Epcot bus with the other Pom families that were joining us.

Speaking of being down...Test track wasn't going to be available, so I didn't bother buying Genie+...a lot of families didn't want to spend extra on rides, so we decided to just go with the flow.

Our first stop was for pictures at the entrance as a group...can't believe I was the only one to wear ears!



After our group pic, we went on to Soarin. Before reaching Soarin, we decided to hop on Nemo because there was no wait and its cute. Lot's of people love the ride and the aquarium at the end is nice. Soarin's wait time was 45 minutes, so we took a bathroom break and hopped in line, only to discover it was 20 minutes.

Man, I just love Soarin...

It was general consensus that we were all hungry, so we headed off to Mexico to meet up with more Pom parents and make our way around world showcase. We ate a ton...drank a ton...and before we knew it, it was time to wrap things up and head back to the resort to get ready for our team dinner.

Before we left Epcot, while in France, we saw that the Skyliner was STILL down and we would have to take a bus. We made the most of it though and stopped to ride Mission Space. Only 2 of our group chose the Orange version. I was definitely riding green after having drank and eaten my way around the world

Up next...DISNEY SPRINGS DEBACLE...

 

[kimberwee]

The thing about DISNEY SPRINGS...

After making it back to Caribbean Beach and changing clothes, we boarded the bus to Disney Springs. The team was just ahead of us for their dinner reservation at Planet Hollywood. We had plans to join them for the evening, but we weren't thrilled with the idea. Planet Hollywood's food and drinks aren't great and with so many options at Disney Springs, we weren't excited for anything other than seeing the team there.


When we learned that we weren't even going to be sitting on the same level as them, we decided that we would just have an appetizer and head over to Polite Pig, stopping at Lacoste first. By the time DH and I made our way over to Polite Pig, DD text that she was being released by the coaches to shop with parents. So, we walked back over to PH to get her. DH was getting hungry and I wanted DD to be able to shop, so I sent DH to Polite Pig and I shopped around Springs until the girls had to report back to the transportation area at 9. By 9:30, I was starving and really needed to eat something, so we set out for the bar at The Boathouse.

I love the Boathouse. We spend a lot of time boating at a local lake during the summer, so I can always find cute items in the gift shop for our lake house and boat.

Around 10:30, we headed back to the resort and called it a night. The next day was to be our team's first round of competition and we wanted to be ready.

Stay Tuned for a Recap of Round 1!

 

[DLo]

Read your PTR so glad to start the real thing . Great start . Looking forward to reading more.

 

[Bama Mom]

Just got caught up. Life has been busy since our trip and I haven't been able to get back to the Dis.

Thursday was our EPCOT day too so we probably passed each other. We Actually had a Toppolini's breakfast ADR that morning too so our transportation plan was to bus to HS then hop on the skyliner to the hub, transfer to the one that would take us to The Riveria. That obviously didn't happen. We bused to HS then hopped the skyliner and had to get off at The Caribbean and walk to The Riviera. I had my walk goal in super early that morning LOL. I was hopeful the skyliner would be up and running by the time we finished breakfast but it wasn't so we had to take a bus from Riviera to EPCOT.

 

[kimberwee]

Holy Moly, it's been a while!

I really did have every intention of completing this trip report...mostly due to the fact that it would probably come in handy for the next trip to UDA Nationals...

Unfortunately, due to lack of note taking and having slept many nights since the trip, I am going to have to just finish with highlights...

 

[kimberwee]

Friday 4/4...1st Day of Competition & A Night in Hollywood

We woke up early to get a big surprise pulled off for DD. My MIL, SIL and 3 year old Nephew were able to make it out of Oklahoma City to surprise and support her as she competed in her first ever UDA Nationals. She was shocked and there were tears...and before we knew it, it was time to head off to the ESPN Complex.
The girls did great, competing in their Game Day competition.
Here is a photo dump of some of my favorite shots from the weekend, so I don't have to keep bothering you with my proud momma moments:


We made Game Day FINALS! DH and I were super proud, to say the least!




After the finalists were announced, DH and I were free to go to a private party being held at Hollywood Studios that night for UDA participants and attendees. It was AMAZING and something that I will definitely look forward to again. They had several headliner rides available and we were walking right onto each of them all night. It was a great way to end the day, even though we weren't with DD (The team was restricted to rest for continued competition on Saturday).

Side note about HS: I was convinced that DH would be blown away by RoR. He wasn't. I was glad we didn't have to pay for that iLL and we probably won't in the future. None of us are big SW fans...oh well.

 

[kimberwee]

Saturday 2/4...Competition Day 2...part 1...Almost passing out at MK

We woke up early to watch the team compete in the Pom category and were ready to head to MK for a bit with some other parents after it was done. The problem was, I wasn't feeling my best. I walked into MK, we used Genie and rode Pirates and I was done.

I have an anxiety issue. When I get too worked up, or stressed, I start to feel as if I will faint. I have actually passed out before. It'd happened twice before that trip and is scary...and a bit embarassing. Apparently, when I am out, it looks like I am seizing. Doctors just tell me that I have Vasovagal Syncope Episodes and to avoid triggers (which are stress and apparently facial surgery...like the time I had skin cancer removed with MOHS on the bridge of my nose or even when I got a dental bridge implanted...both incidences had me waking up to a bunch of Firemen asking me questions) Its gotten to the point where DD and DH know that they don't need to call 911.

When that lightheadedness kicks, I get worse quickly, because OMG WHO WANTS TO PASS OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF MK AND RUIN EVERYONES TIME. This means more anxiety. DH wasn't thrilled that I was having an episode, but we grabbed a popcorn bucket on the way out and headed back to our room at Caribbean Beach, where I ended up napping for a bit. Honestly, I think it was a combination of things that hit me all at once...
- Fatigue from our late night at HS
- Hunger (because we hadn't eaten much of anything yet that day)
- Stress of Competition

I needed that nap.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

When that lightheadedness kicks, I get worse quickly, because OMG WHO WANTS TO PASS OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF MK AND RUIN EVERYONES TIME

Yikes! That is scary. My girlfriend was just at Disney and she passed out in Animal Kingdom. She hasn't passed out in years but is pron to them. Not fun. But glad you reconized the symptoms and went to rest!

 

[kimberwee]

Saturday 2/4...Competition Day 2...part 2

As soon as DD was done with her practice, she headed into our room and took a nap herself, taking a break from her roommates.

Honestly, what we did that night is a blur. I do know that we had to wait until that night to hear who won Game Day, so I believe DD went back to her room to get in uniform for announcements at ESPN. I also know that they announced Pom finalists that night and we didn't place.

We did, however come in 2nd at Nationals in GAMEDAY, only a couple of points away from first place!!! The tears were all over the place...some happy and some frustration.

Some great tips for next year: The food trucks were good at ESPN zone so venture to the field and hang out there...there are also screens where you can watch performances on your down time. It can get a little warm in mid-late afternoon, even in February, so that ESPN restaurant is also an option

 

[kimberwee]

Sunday 2/5...Free Day & MK Party Night!

Because the team did not advance to Pom Finals, we didn't have any performances slotted for Sunday. DD had to join her team to watch Pom Finals that afternoon, but afterwards we were free to go and do whatever we wanted.

So, as soon as she was free, we caught a bus over to Animal Kingdom, where I'd hacked my way to a short wait at Yak and Yeti for dinner. We rode Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, Flight of Passage and River Journey before heading back to the resort for a rest.

Why did we rest?

This night was the private UDA AFTERPARTY AT MAGIC KINGDOM, which was PHENOMENAL. We got to the park around 8 and made our way through a couple of short wait lines, before heading over to Mine Train once the official party, for a quick 15 minute wait. Next, we ran over to Space Mountain for a 10 minute wait.
DD wanted to hang out to see if the DJ they had scheduled would come on, but fatigue won before he did and we did a little shopping before heading back to the resort to pack and get ready for departure day.

 

[kimberwee]

Monday 2/6...Departure Day...

Our flights were scheduled to leave later in the afternoon, and because we'd packed up a lot the night before, we were able to get up and check our bags, before heading over to the Riviera. I'd been wanting to check things out there, being a DVC member, so that I would know if I wanted to book in the future.

The answer was a HUGE YES.

The resort is gorgeous. We ended up taking a DVC tour to look at the rooms and decided right there that we would be banking points, so that for DD's Senior UDA Nationals, we could book the 3BR Suite for her and the other Senior girls to enjoy. Seniors typically get released from obligations a day early during the UDA trip and it would be a great way for them to celebrate/close out their last Nationals.

Noting for the future...book the room for Saturday and Sunday nights. Saturday night Candy Bar in the Salon and Sunday afternoon charcuterie and drink reception for Senior families... (yep, I'm fancy)

After a quick lunch, we headed back to CBR and loaded up on the bus home.

It really was a great trip and now we are on to planning the 2023 version...with that in mind, and in hindsight, here are some regrets and wins for the week:

Biggest Win: Drinks/Snacks in the room and resting
Biggest Fail: Trusting Touring Plans
Thing I am looking forward to most for '23: Not being new and kind of knowing what to expect...

ON TO THE NEXT...

 

[Lisa_lvspplmvr]

Thank you so much for this trip report ! My daughter is going to UDA Nationals next year !! We are so excited!! I appreciate all the information!!

 

[kimberwee]

Thank you so much for this trip report ! My daughter is going to UDA Nationals next year !! We are so excited!! I appreciate all the information!!

Absolutely! I have started our Sophomore pre-trip report in my signature