If you had told me on August 1 of last year that I would be traveling to Disneyworld in December, I would have laughed and told you to stop joking. The reason? My daughter's cheer squad was terrible. Their dance moves? Well, let's just say they needed remedial training on what foot was left and what was right. They didn't know a toe touch from a pom pom. Worst of all? Because their squad had gone to nationals two prior years, there was no way they could be moved down to the novice level they really seemed to be. They were stuck at intermediate with several teams they'd never competed against before - who had all dropped down from higher levels and who we all knew were incredible. For them to win would be like watching the USA Hockey Team win again - only this time, blindfolded with one skate tied behind their back and the other skate missing.
My daughter never saw this. She told me many times throughout the season that she had it handled. That it was her goal to go to nationals and that is exactly where they would end up. I wanted to believe - because I do believe in her. But I also know what my eyes saw and know that many of the kids did not seem as committed as she did. My daughter has an unusual drive for an 8 year old. I certainly couldn't blame the other kids for not being as driven as she - - not many adults I know are as driven as she is!
So, the season went. The first competition, the kids really came out swinging. They did a nearly flawless routine. We were all blown away - SHOCKED - when they announced our first place win. The second competition, we had a little bobble here and there - but lo and behold a second place finish!
So, there we were - the Friday after Thanksgiving. One more hurdle - regionals. We knew who our competition was, mostly. We'd beaten them before. But we hadn't had a single full practice in about a month. Someone was always out sick or on vacation - and worst, one girl from my daughter's stunt group had injured her foot and had only been cleared to return to cheer the Tuesday before regionals.
Still, everything looked fine. The stunts went up clean, the dance routine was much better, the tumbling came along. And then, the last stunt went up. A pyramid. My daughter was the flyer in the middle. Her stunt was an elevator lift where she steps on the girls hands at floor level and they lift her up to their shoulders slowly - like an elevator going up. They made it up to the shoulders. Just as she was locking in, her base bobbled her. She caught herself as the last seconds of music were playing - but then the other side corrected and she flew over the back shoulders of her bases, past her backspot and, thankfully, into the waiting arms of the JAMZ spotters.
We were stunned. Had they held her two more seconds, we would have been fine.
Two hours later, we waited anxiously for the bad news. We knew we weren't going to make it to nationals. Not with such a serious fall and not after the three competitors put up clean routines. The only question now was how bad was this going to hurt. Did we miss it by a mile or were we so close we could almost taste it?
The awards are quite a blur now. They announced fourth place - the team from Washington. Third - I expected this to be us. But it wasn't. It was the other team from our region. Which meant - no, how could it? It slowly dawned on us that our team was going to be one of the teams invited to nationals. When our name was finally called - at second place - we erupted. My baby did it! She called it - I should have known!
The days following were a flurry of fundraising, practice, planning, and meetings. Somehow, I managed to come up with $2500 in the next few days to pay off the room and hotel. Pop Warner has packages based on how many people/days. For the two of us, it was just around $1600 for 6 days, including tickets. We had already bought plane tickets - thank goodness - which were about $1000 for the two of us. Ticket prices went up overnight to nearly $1500 a piece!!
Finally, it was time to head out to nationals!!
Day One - Oh Mickey You're SO Fine!
Our flight was leaving at 6:45. At 4 a.m., I gave up. I got up, took a shower, finished packing the toiletries, and tried to be quiet. My daughter woke up about 4:15 and was ready to go by 4:20. She's *never* that quick! We gave up around 5 and my husband drove us to the airport. We were so early, we had to wait for the airport to open so we could check in.
Our flights were very uneventful and we arrived in Orlando early - at 4, rather than 4:20. Although we nearly missed our connecting flight in LA because they had to deplane passengers heading to Texas and people don't understand "please stay seated so people trying to make tight connections can exit first" means they actually have to let people by them when the plane starts to unload. Thankfully, we made our flight - but not without some drama!
Because we booked our package so late, we had to retrieve our own baggage, which I haven't done in a long time! Got a little lost. By the time we got to Magical Express, I was pooped - but, we were on the bus in no time. In fact, we made it from the plane to our room at Coronado in under two hours. That's not bad, at all!
We were way back in the Ranchos - building 7A - but it was nice. Near a quite pool and laundry room and right across from the bus stop. It was also cheer central - so many cheer squads. I was glad because I knew the girls could be quite giggly when all together and excited and I was glad we'd be surrounded by other squads so we weren't disturbing other guests.
We checked out the room for awhile and then headed to the Pepper Market for dinner. My daughter picked cheese pizza and I had a crab cake sandwich. She liked her pizza - although it looked like one of those microwavable single pizzas. I *loved* the crab cake sandwich - so much so, I had it two more times this trip.
After dinner, we hit the room and headed to bed. We were so tired!!
Day Two - Why Now?
We woke up to what every parent dreads - illness. She wasn't feeling well, so we stayed in the room most of the day. We texted with her cheer friends who were all arriving that day. She watched Mickey's Very Merry Christmas about three thousand times. I did some work. Hmm - not a very fun day!
Around 4, she finally felt better and we decided to head out to Downtown Disney. She was a little hungry. We headed to Wolfgang Pucks and she wanted - what else? - pizza. Did a little shopping, then headed back to the resort. We met our friends to go do some supply shopping off site.
After we got back, we went to bed. It was late already - around 11, Orlando time. So, we didn't accomplish much, but at least we did something!
Day Three - Our Season's Finally Over
Today was the day of our competition. We had to be up and dressed by 6:30. We had curled the hair the night before - she slept on curlers - and it was time for us to get on the uniform one last time. Normally, on competition day, she bounds out of bed and is eager to go. Today - no. Oh no! Her ear hurt and she was dizzy - so, yesterday was leading up to an ear infection? Ugghh! She's a flyer - - she needs her balance!
I told her to just push through and we'd head back to the hotel and rest as soon as she was done competition. She could sleep until then. She had to go or the whole team would not be able to compete. I felt so conflicted. She wanted to compete, too - she started crying. Oh my poor baby!
She was still crying when we arrived at the coach's room. One of the moms asked her what was wrong. She told her how she was feeling - and she said, "oh, my daughter felt that way yesterday. Let me give you what I gave her (ibuprofen)." My daughter took the medicine - and before you could count to ten, she was jumping around and giggling all over again! Crisis averted!
We were finally on our way to ESPN sports. The bus arrived and we went to check-in the team. Then it was time to wait.
For us, we were just so excited to be there. We knew we couldn't beat the perennial favorites. Not that we don't have faith in our girls - but we just know that some of these kids have been training to be national champions since they were three. Some of our girls only learned there were nationals in August. So, there was absolutely no pressure. We were just happy to have been invited to the party.
Finally it was their turn. Two minutes into the routine and two freak falls - - one stunt went up fine, stabilized, and then went down in a crazy direction. The other - my daughter, tripped over her own feet coming out of a stunt. All we could do was laugh. The rest of the routine was better than they had ever done it before! We were so proud!!
The coolest part? To get on the mat, they had to run through a giant Mickey head!
Finally, it was time for awards. We didn't place - we knew we wouldn't - so we wouldn't find out until later how we did. We caught the bus and realized on the way home that our season was now over.
Most of the team was headed to Magic Kingdom. It was open until 1 that night - - but I knew Nattie and I would never make it that long. So, we decided to head to Epcot for a celebratory dinner and some rides. That was definitely a wise choice!
We got there around 5. Headed to our traditional first ride - Spaceship Earth. Then walked to Guest Relations and made a reservation for dinner. My daughter got to choose since it was her celebration and she chose Nine Dragons. Not my favorite, but...
After that, we grabbed fast passes for Test Track and then headed into the single rider line. At 8, my daughter was old enough to ride alone. This was a hard thing for me to accept, but I figured if I went first, I wouldn't miss her at the exit. It worked out - she was right behind me. But we both decided after that we weren't 100% comfortable with single rider. :)
After Test Track, we started heading towards China. First off, El Rio del Tiempo. My daughter really liked that and wanted to go again. Thankfully, I talked her out of it. LOL. It is a ride I can do once every few years. After that, we went on Maelstrom and then watched the entire movie. Yes, we're the people who watch it. LOL.
We were starving at this point, so we asked at Nine Dragons if we could eat early - and they were fairly empty. They said yes and we were seated right away. We have *great* Chinese restaurants all around our home - so we have a lot to compare to. Nine Dragons was nothing special - but it was decent. If I had never tasted the stuff we have at home, I would even rate it really good. But I'm a bit biased! Our waiter was very good. The bill was about $40 - for two drinks, two appetizers and one shared entree. That's not bad!
My daughter wanted to buy a toy at the store across from the restaurant so we did that - then headed back towards Future World. We hit Soarin and then used our Test Track fast passes. By that time, we were pooped and ready to go back to sleep!
So, off to the hotel.
On our way, we got a call from one of the moms on the team. For some reason, she got a call from the front desk looking for us. Apparently, there was a leak in our room and they needed to move us so we needed to stop by the front desk.
We were so tired! The front desk had two options - one was next door, but only a king bed and they'd have to bring a roll-away for my daughter. The other was farther away with two doubles. We would have to completely pack and then call so they could activate the new keys.
I had no idea how much we had unpacked so quickly then when I had to pack it back up as tired as I was! I decided I would do laundry, too - which was fine except my daughter had stuffed some paper in a pocket that I didn't see so we had paper fuzzies all over our clothing. Uggh.
Two hours later, the laundry was done and we were ensconced in our new room. I had decided to take the room next door - probably out of exhaustion. My daughter was not too happy. She wanted a double bed. But she quickly decided the roll-away was much better. Thankfully. I did not want to keep changing rooms!!
Finally, it was time for bed! Only - I remembered - I had to finish a project before I went to bed! Ugggh! 3:00 a.m., I was finally done.
Off to bed..... zzzzzzz........
Day Four - Finally, House of Mouse!
Finally - the one thing we wanted to do every time we talked about coming - - visit Magic Kingdom! We had talked about doing rope drop - and I know it's practically a cardinal sin not to make it - but I decided to let us both sleep in. We needed to be well for our return flight - and that was only a few days away. :(. My daughter finally awoke - we ate some fruit in the hotel room for breakfast and were soon on our way.
We were originally going to go to Animal Kingdom, but my daughter called an audible on our way to the bus stop and said she'd rather go to Magic Kingdom. OK. It was her trip, so sure!
We arrived right around 10:30 and headed for Frontierland. She wanted to go on Splash Mountain, so we started heading that way. We encountered the line for Jungle Cruise. Waited a few minutes but the line never moved - - I realized the fast pass return time was about as far away as the Stand-by wait line, so I suggested we get fastpasses and come back. This would become a theme for the day.
We headed over to Pirates for a quick ride. It was very sunny and hot - and I'd forgotten to pack sunscreen. I'd only been in the park about 20 minutes and I could feel myself getting burned already. So, we went in search of sunscreen. I have probably 30 bottles of "I forgot to bring the" sunscreen at home - and now I have 31.
We headed back to Jungle Cruise - which they call Jingle Cruise - over the holidays. We had a funny driver with a very dry delivery. Unfortunately, he also had a really bad cold and could barely be heard. We were sitting right next to him so I was laughing and laughing - but no one else was because I'm sure they could not hear him.
After that, we went on Pirates again. Then we headed over to Splash Mountain. We got a fastpass, then headed in line - which was posted at 20 minutes. The park was packed, but I wasn't seeing anyone in line. Not sure where they were! LOL.
Our first ride was fun - the people in front of us had never been on the ride and kept making fun of each other for getting wet. It was pretty fun. We were all soaked by the time we got off. Then it was time for our fastpass, so we went again! Honestly - I have no idea why people don't use fastpass.
After this, I was starving. I knew if I didn't eat at some point soon, I would get really grumpy. My daughter wanted to do Big Thunder. So, we compromised. Fastpass for Big Thunder, then off to the nearest lunch place - which ended up being Pecos Bill. She had corn on the cob and onion rings and I had a burger with toppings.
*off topic* So, I'm a parent. Sometimes parents argue over stupid things with their spouses and sometimes it's in public. It's embarrassing. I would never judge another person.... except this one family. The mom had so clearly lost the vacation spirit she really needed a time out. In the middle of the entry way, toddler spinning in a screaming fit on the floor (on a leash, no less), while mom was laying into the husband over not answering her texts. They're screaming at each other over the toddler who is also screaming - and I'm thinking... woah. This is about the point in a vacation where I'd just call it a day and go back to the hotel for a swim....
*back on topic*
After lunch, we hit Big Thunder - then headed over to the train and rode it back to Main Street. We then proceeded to check every ride in Tomorrowland (except Peoplemover) off our list. Even my beloved Carousel of Progress!
After Tomorrowland, we headed to New Fantasyland - rode Dumbo and Mermaid. At this point, we had about 50 minutes until closing, so we headed to Hall of Presidents (I really wanted to see it since I'd missed it last time). Then, we did Haunted Mansion with three minutes until closing.
When we came out of Haunted Mansion, it was PACKED. It was the night of the Christmas Party. In all honesty, I have no idea why anyone pays for this event. I used to. But they used to charge extra for *exclusive* park time. Now, they charge extra for some special events - but the crowds are FAR worse than the day time. There had to be about twice as many people there that night then were there during the day. I would have been upset having paid $120 extra for the two of us to be there.... thankfully, I didn't. We couldn't exit Haunted Mansion or the park because there were so many people - it took us about 35 minutes to make it to the front of the park!!
We headed to the hotel and then went to the pool - - all of the cheerleaders were there so we hung out with our friends for awhile. Then we headed to the Pepper Market - I got pizza and a salad and she got pasta - and went to the room. We watched t.v. and then went to bed. What a busy day!!
Day Five - What a Party!
Today was the Pop Warner party at Hollywood Studios. We slept in - knowing we'd be up late - and then headed out to Animal Kingdom. Neither of us had much energy today. We decided to head to Dinosaur first - where we found out they have completely dumbed down the ride. This used to be a real thrill and now it's a real snore. I kept waiting for the dinosaurs to jump out. Instead, you just drive around in the dark while loud things keep happening, but nothing comes even close to really scaring you. Boring!!
After that, my daughter wanted to go on the mouse ride - Primeval Whirl? - which I cannot do. It jars me around too much. So, I asked at the exit if I could walk up with her and then wait for her at the exit. Gotta love Disney - they have a waiting area designed just for this - complete with a comfy bench. So, I walked her up, got her on the ride and then we exited together. They have this at *every* ride - if you just ask!
Next we went to Finding Nemo show - which was great. I had to laugh. The guy behind us was complaining to his partner the whole preshow time about how this was going to be lame and how puppets were so yesterday and why did he have to sit through it. By the end of the show, he was exclaiming, loudly, how great the show was. HAH! Disney does not do boring shows!!
We were hungry so we headed to Rainforest Cafe next. WE had the best server - Georgia. She was funny and totally on it. My daughter ordered pasta and I ordered the appetizer sampler - - my daughter would share with me. :). It was alright. Tasted just like any other chain restaurant's sampler plate. Decent, but nothing I wanted to rush right back for. Still, we were full and happy.
She really wanted to try Expedition Everest. None of us had liked it the last time - but I always thought that was because we had ridden it on empty stomachs. Definitely not the way to ride that ride! So, we got in line. The fastpasses were not for a few hours and we wanted to head back to the hotel shortly to rest up for the party. So, the standby line - which posted a 30 minute wait - would have to do.
The line moved quickly. That is, until we were about five minutes from the front and it just stopped moving. I knew that meant a delay or a possible breakdown. A word was never said. After about thirty minutes of just standing there, the line started moving. We were very excited - until we came around a corner and someone handed us a card and then shooed us out the exit. Not a word was said. The card was a fastpass to return any time between then and Sunday - so I guessed the ride had broken down. Would have been nice of them to tell us!!
So, having wasted 40 minutes in line, we decided to head back for our rest. First stop, ice cream from the blue truck. Then, we shopped our way back to the front. Around 3, we finally made it to the front of the park and then headed to our hotel. We went to our room and took a nap.
** Off topic **
A word about communication and organization. Coronado Springs is a convention hotel. They have hosted Pop Warner for at least the past five years. Yet the hotel staff gave out conflicting information or just failed to communicate on many occasions. I found this to be true of not just Pop Warner stuff, but also other stuff - - like, they never posted a bill for our first room (we had a small charge on it and I *nearly* forgot about it!). I got conflicting info on how and when to check out. That sort of stuff.
So, it was time to head to Hollywood Studios for the Pop Warner party and the hotel told us to wait in completely the wrong place. It took asking the bus driver of a Downtown Disney bus who had to call dispatch - to find out we were supposed to wait in the convention center of the hotel - - something the hotel staff should have known.
*Back on topic*
Pop Warner knows how to throw a party for these kids. Most of the rides were open. Most of the casual service food places were open - and all of the food was free. You simply walked up, ordered and said thanks. They had special activities just for that night - like caricatures. Plus fireworks and a DJ. It was awesome! The only shortcoming was that it was such a short party. We got on two rides and had dinner. But it really was a load of fun! Especially when our entire squad of 32 kids/parents made it on Tower of Terror together (two separate elevators). That was so fun!
We finally made it back to the hotel around 12:30. We were so tired and ready for bed!
Day 6 - It can't be ending already!
Today was our last full day. We'd missed so much already! Our goals were to hit Hollywood Studios in the morning and Epcot at night. After we got back the night before and had trouble falling asleep, I realized we'd never make it to rope drop in the morning. So, I made a parental decision and let her sleep in - until 11!! She finally woke up and I told her if we hurried, we could do lunch at Hollywood Studios. Her goal? Make it on Rock n' Rollercoaster.
We got to the park right around noon and immediately headed to RNRC for a fastpass. I thought I might go on it with her. The original plan was to head over to Epcot around 5 - but our fastpasses were for 5:30. The standby line was 90 minutes and I just can't do that. No. So, we revised our plans. Epcot right after RNRC.
We headed over to Great Movie Ride first - they changed the entrance (Did anyone else notice they used this entrance to film a scene in Saving Mr. Banks? Or at least it looked like it!) After that, we decided to check out American Idol - we'd never seen it. It was a good show. All three were good. Ultimately, the one my daughter liked was the one that won.
We had lunch at ABC commissary. Kiddo had the fish plate - she loved it. I had a burger with two fried shrimp. It was very tasty. The shrimp were awesome. We also split the seasonal cupcake - gingerbread with a cream cheese frosting. OMG - AWESOME. Totally drooling just thinking about it!
After that, we decided to try out for American Idol. It was fun. They take you in a back door and you sing for a lady with a clip board. She asks you your name, age and where you are from and then you sing acapella. My daughter was too young, but they let her try out anyhow. Then they bring you special buttons and say thanks. If you're going to be on the show, you go and do more with them - - but that didn't happen to us. The try out lady doesn't say anything to you about how you did = just thanks you and hopes you have a good day. :) It was a fun experience - and only took us about 5 minutes.
We decided to watch the Muppets next. Then we shopped. A little too much. Now I had too much stuff I didn't want to carry all through Epcot! We decided to check out RNRC again and if the line was short enough, just wait it out and skip fastpass. It was. After watching the launch, I decided my blood pressure probably couldn't handle the ride, so I waited with my daughter, let her go on and then walked through the door to the exit where I met her. She LOVED it. She said the ride was too short, though. LOL. She's such a dare devil, that one!
We gifted our fastpasses to a very lovely couple who were so excited and then decided to head to the hotel to dump off our shopping and grab jackets - it had gotten quite chilly. By the time we got back to the hotel, though, it was nearly freezing. My daughter asked if we could just stay at the hotel - and I decided that was a good idea.
We had another Peppermarket meal - this time, I had the Crab Cake sandwich again and she had another bowl of pasta. Headed back to the room where I packed while she ate. We were almost done packing and I called it bed time.
Day 7 - Now it's Time to Say Good-bye....
We woke up and quickly finished packing. We had time to do a few more things if we got out of the hotel quickly. Had to be back by 2 to get Magical Express. We called Bell Services for a pick up and then quickly finished packing up. They arrived a few minutes later and we bid our room good-bye. At the front of the resort, we caught a bus to Animal Kingdom. Once we arrived, we bee-lined back to Everest, but stopped for an ice cream on the way.
We used our fastpass from the other day and were on the ride in no time. My daughter loved it, but it scared me. It really messed with my blood pressure, so I decided I probably shouldn't ride it again.
We had just enough time for a ride on the safari - and since we hadn't been on it yet, I decided we had to do it. When we got there, the stand-by line was well over 80 minutes - but the fastpass return time was right then. I don't get it - why did people continue to get in the long stand-by line when they could just walk over and grab a fast pass good right then? We did and were on the ride in 10 minutes. Of course, the one time I have a plane to catch at the other end is the one time we have the most amazing safari that gets extended because some rhinos want a closer look at the jeeps. LOL.
Still, we made it out of the park at around 12:45 and the bus arrived right around 1. We got back to the hotel about 1:15, then I decided I should probably officially check out (thank goodness since I had that charge I had forgotten about!). We grabbed lunch at Cafe Rix and headed out to the DME waiting zone - - where I found out the bus before us still hadn't arrived.
This is where the lack of communication really stunk. Our bus was to arrive at 2:15. The 1:45 hadn't arrive and the 2:15 was late, too. A bus was diverted to us and one lady was yelling "only 1:45 get on this one" while another was telling 2:15 to take this one, too. The driver said he would only take the people he wanted - which meant some people might get left. By the time that guy left - it was 2:30. Another bus pulled up and took all the 2:15 people - but it left at 3 and the 2:45 hadn't shown, either. And nobody was telling the people waiting what their options were. It was a real mess!
We ended up getting to the airport with plenty of time to spare and had a very uneventful flight home. Arrived very late (around 11:30) and went home to bed!
Ending Thoughts
This trip was borne out of magic and it felt like magic the whole time. There were so many things that could have been downs - but just simply being there was such an up, none of it mattered. We didn't do a whole bunch - but we were there. I am grateful I got to spend this time with my daughter. It was truly amazing!
Oh - and they placed 10th! Top ten in the nation, baby!!!
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Short but OH SO SWEET (Dec 7-13, Disney Coronado Springs)
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