Softball World Series Accommodations Advice

[AuroraSheasMom]

My daughter's softball team is heading to Orlando for the USSSA World Series July 26-23. There will be 11 families coming for a total of 45 people including some younger and older siblings. We all get along very well but are trying to figure out the best lodging options. There are 3 major options we are considering.

1. Rent a large house for the coaches/families and the 11 girls. We can fundraise or simply split the costs per girl. The other family members would be responsible for their own lodgings wherever they choose to stay. However, we would like the rest of the family to stay somewhere relatively close by so we can have dinner together, pick up the girls for games, etc. We would all hang out at the house as a team/big family but coaches would be mostly responsible for getting the girls to settle down at night, washing uniforms and making sure they are all up and getting ready before the games. However, they would only pay for their daughters share of the rental. We would fundraise as much of the money for the team rental as possible, plus groceries and entertainment.

2. Rent 4 or 5 larger houses, shared by multiple (2-4) families in each house in the same resort or community. This will mean all the girls are close enough to have team cookouts, movie nights, sleepovers but takes the responsibility for overseeing the girls off the coaches (except for their own kids). Parents would wash their own kids uniforms, get them up and ready for games and would be a little less chaotic. (11 pr-teen girls can be a bit rowdy as a big group). Costs would be split by family, by number of bedrooms needed per family or by person. If families don't want to share a house then we would like everyone to stay in the same resort so we can have several meals together as a group. We would fundraise for group meals, a trip to a waterpark or other entertainment for the girls.

3. Everyone make their own lodging arrangements. Hopefully, we would like to be within a 10-15 minute distance so we could plan at least one or 2 team meals together. We would fundraise for a team meal or 2 as well as entertainment.

Whatever resort we choose would be budget conscious. We aren't looking to book a in a luxury resort or spend more than $250 per night (per person) regardless or where we stay. Ideally, each family would pay less than $1,000 a week per family.

We went to PCB last year for the World Series. Everyone made their own lodging arrangements and were scattered around. We had one meal together as a team. This year, the girls and parents all get along and there is zero drama. I'd love to get some advice from other ball parents who have been in this situation. Any advice or recommendations for resorts, accommodations, rental agencies?

I'm pretty new to the travel ball world so I would appreciate any insight you could give me. Ultimately, we will make a decision as a team but I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

[Macprincess]

How exciting for your team. My daughter also plays travel softball and we have done the USSSA World Series the past two years. This is an awesome team bonding experience.

Keep in mind that the World Series is a week long. You posted the dates as July 26-23. I'm assuming you meant July 16-23.

Yes, everyone in one house or a few homes sounds great for the budget. Yet, there is a lot to consider before committing to this option. Every team is different but I thought I would share our experience with you. A bit about our team. Our team is super close, we travel at least two weekends a month together, and the past two years have done two weeks long tournaments per summer. The girls & families get along great. The girls are often doing sleep overs. We have also gotten to the point where we trust each other enough to travel with each others girls if a parent can't make a tournament. As parents and girls we genuinely like each other and probably spend about as much time together with our team as we do our families. Yet, even with all the time spent together we found out the hard way that seven days of togetherness without breaks was a challenge we don’t wish to relive. After living through sharing houses split among a few families, all in the same subdivision, we learned that every family having their own private roof was important to keep the peace. Regardless of how close you are seven days sharing that close of quarters gets difficult.

We found our best option was to rent condos, we choose Windsor Hills, there is a really nice pool area and volleyball & BBQ picnic area to gather at for team meals together if you like. The condos are all within walking distance to each other. I believe the condos offered here are both two and three bedroom options. (We did have two families share a three bedroom unit.) All of the condos here have full kitchens, which can be a huge money saver. They also each have the much needed in unit washer and dryer! I just looked up our contract and I paid $777.00 with all taxes and fees for the weeks rental, in a three bedroom, two bath condo in July of last summer at this tournament. We did have to book individually so if you're non-profit there is no way of getting the tax break, but we found the cost to be less than a decent traditional hotel in the area. There is a publix market, super target, and several restaurants fairly close by.

Windsor Hill is about a 10 minute drive to WWOS via Sherbeth road. It’s a gated community, which is very nice, but also somewhat strict. They do want the noise shut down at a decent hour. They are also extremely strict about parking, which can be an issue if you have several families staying in a house. Most home rentals there use the garage as game rooms, this means that there is only room for two cars in the driveway. You may not have any part of your car hang out of the home driveway over the sidewalk or parked in the street. They will tow your car. There is over flow parking but it can be several blocks away from the house. Also, each home is only allowed so many parking passes & guest passes. The condos have a huge parking lot with no parking issues as long as you have your parking pass visible in the windshield.

We have also done several tournaments in the area as were FL residents. There are several tradition hotel/ motels in the area that are great about working with sports teams. Feel free to PM me if you want more information.

One word of advice. Tell you parents to get to the opening ceremonies early! Parking for this can be a nightmare! Also, It's long walk from the parking lot to the fields so allow plenty of time for this for games. Best of wishes to you as this is an amazing experience for your team.

Macprincess