Hello everyone! Welcome to my February 2017 Trip Report! This trip was a reunion for myself, and two of my roomates who all used to work at Animal Kingdom. We also signed up to run the princess 5K and 10K! This trip was full of fun times, struggles, and of course, running. Lets begin!
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Trip Report We ran a thing?!?! A 2017 Alumni Reunion Trip Report
- Thread starter WDW_Emily
- Start date
Trisha Lynn
Well-Known Member
Late but in. Also, I hate weird drug interactions and hope that you ended up being able to do the runDisney event.
Oh get ready...It gets weird.
Day 4 continued
After getting off Peter Pan, we started making our way over to Adventureland so we could ride pirates. The park was less busy now as the rain scared some guest back to their resorts. We waited only 10 minutes to get on pirates! It was now around 1:30pm and we were getting hungry for lunch. What better place than Peco's Bill! I was starting to feel hungry when there and order the southwest burger. Surprisingly, I ate abut half the sandwich and the chips on the side! Maybe this stomach bug was going away after all! We had about an hour to kill after lunch before Festival of Fantasy. The wait for Buzz was 30 minutes so back to Tomorrowland we went. On our way over we caught a little bit of the Rainy Day Parade (Instead of Move it shake it). We got to see Judy and Nick from Zootopia!
Onward to Tomorrowland! While riding buzz, I was feeling the pressure. Last June, I maxed out on Buzz for the first time ever. I knew where all the high point locations were so I continued to point our car at them. I had horrible aim this time but Rachel didn't! She didn't max out but she beat me and was very close to maxing out! Next time I'll redeem myself.
We started to head over to the front of the pack to watch Festival of Fantasy and have a coffee break. With coffees in hand, we found a spot right under the railroad on Main Street. As we were walking who do we see but our awesome photopass cast member from this morning! Cue Photo shoot number 2!
And then we sang and danced to all things Festival of Fantasy because it is the best parade (because its the only parade).
After Festival of Fantasy, we had two things to get done before heading over to Hollywood Studios; meeting mickey, and then Jungle Cruise. Since Festival of Fantasy just ended, the line for mickey was posted for 20 minutes. It was beginning to drizzle so we knew the line was only going to get worse as the day went on. So we got in line. As we were meeting talking mickey, Danielle decided to face time the two year old she nannies for. It was the sweetest thing!
We then went over to Jungle Cruise where we had a fast pass for 5:10. It was around 4:45 when we got there and we must have made a comment about having to wait a half hour and what we should do. The Cast Member then told us to just come on in! Awesome! we could make it to DHS earlier! We had a great boat for Jungle Cruise. A lot of people who were on their first trip but they laughed and played along with all the jokes.
We were off Jungle Cruise by 5:15. Time to make our way to the Express Bus for DHS!
Coming up... You will get wet, We all got soaked, meeting old friends, and the curse of the stomach bug strikes again!
After getting off Peter Pan, we started making our way over to Adventureland so we could ride pirates. The park was less busy now as the rain scared some guest back to their resorts. We waited only 10 minutes to get on pirates! It was now around 1:30pm and we were getting hungry for lunch. What better place than Peco's Bill! I was starting to feel hungry when there and order the southwest burger. Surprisingly, I ate abut half the sandwich and the chips on the side! Maybe this stomach bug was going away after all! We had about an hour to kill after lunch before Festival of Fantasy. The wait for Buzz was 30 minutes so back to Tomorrowland we went. On our way over we caught a little bit of the Rainy Day Parade (Instead of Move it shake it). We got to see Judy and Nick from Zootopia!
Onward to Tomorrowland! While riding buzz, I was feeling the pressure. Last June, I maxed out on Buzz for the first time ever. I knew where all the high point locations were so I continued to point our car at them. I had horrible aim this time but Rachel didn't! She didn't max out but she beat me and was very close to maxing out! Next time I'll redeem myself.
We started to head over to the front of the pack to watch Festival of Fantasy and have a coffee break. With coffees in hand, we found a spot right under the railroad on Main Street. As we were walking who do we see but our awesome photopass cast member from this morning! Cue Photo shoot number 2!
And then we sang and danced to all things Festival of Fantasy because it is the best parade (because its the only parade
).
After Festival of Fantasy, we had two things to get done before heading over to Hollywood Studios; meeting mickey, and then Jungle Cruise. Since Festival of Fantasy just ended, the line for mickey was posted for 20 minutes. It was beginning to drizzle so we knew the line was only going to get worse as the day went on. So we got in line. As we were meeting talking mickey, Danielle decided to face time the two year old she nannies for. It was the sweetest thing!
We then went over to Jungle Cruise where we had a fast pass for 5:10. It was around 4:45 when we got there and we must have made a comment about having to wait a half hour and what we should do. The Cast Member then told us to just come on in! Awesome! we could make it to DHS earlier! We had a great boat for Jungle Cruise. A lot of people who were on their first trip but they laughed and played along with all the jokes.
We were off Jungle Cruise by 5:15. Time to make our way to the Express Bus for DHS!
Coming up... You will get wet, We all got soaked, meeting old friends, and the curse of the stomach bug strikes again!
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Day 4 continued
On our walk to the bus it began to DOWNPOUR. I'm talking full on crazy Florida rain but we were determined to make it to Hollywood Studios to see Fantasmic. Florida rain usually ends quickly right??
The express bus pick up in Magic Kingdom is near buzz in Tomorrowland. Needless to say, by the time we got on the bus we were disgustingly soaked. So much that when we got up off the bus, we left huge puddles were we were sitting. Rachel was still feeling the Disney Magic though.
When we got to Hollywood Studios the downpour had down graded to a sprinkle. With soaked clothes but smiles on our faces, we were off to explore DHS!
The debate was what to do at DHS though? We were spending our morning at DHS the next day and already had fastpasses for Toy Story, Star Tours, and Tower of Terror. Rockin Roller Coaster had a 120 minute wait and The Great Movie Ride had a 60 minute wait due to the rain and everyone seeking shelter. We only had about an hour to kill before the doors opened to Fantasmic so neither of those lines worked for us. Dinner? Sounds like a plan!
Now we all used to work for Disney. We know which parks have good quick services and which ones don't and where to go in each park. We really struggled at DHS to find a place for dinner where all of us can eat. With my picky eating due to being somewhat sick throughout this trip, and Rachel being a vegetarian, there was nothing that really caught our eye.
So we spent 30 minutes just wandering around DHS.
We decided dinner would happen after Fantasmic but coffee needed to happen now. Our wet clothes were making us freezing but it wasn't warm enough for us to take off our sweatshirts. At Starbucks we met up with an old friend who used to work with Danielle and Rachel at DAK! With coffee in hand, the four of us made our way to Fantasmic!
As we were walking into Fantasmic, it began to rain again nothing crazy like when we were leaving Magic Kingdom, but definitely more than a sprinkle. We questioned if Fantasmic would still be running but since they were still letting us in, we figured its a go! So we waited for Fantasmic and did the classic wave as we waited. Then there was an announcement:
"Due to the weather this evening, Fantasmic might be delayed or canceled."
Do we stay or do we go?!? It was raining. We were getting grumpy. And Cold. Our final decision? If It's delayed more than 15 minutes, we are out.
Fantasmic ended up starting on time! Seeing Mickey appear made being uncomfortable worth it!
So you all know the part in Fantasmic at the beginning when mickey does his little lean forward and then it goes dark and the Pocahontas scene starts? Well, we saw the boats creep out the side and then they said nope not today and went back behind the stage. Next thing we know, all the lights are up and the announcer comes on "Due to the weather forecast, tonight performance of Fantasmic has been canceled."
Bummed not only because we wouldn't see Fantamic this trip but also that we spent about 2 hours in the rain since Magic Kingdom for no reason. I know you can't control the weather but it stinks when the weather doesn't work in your favor. Luckily, our friend had a car at DHS and we didn't have to wait for a bus to get us back to our resort.
As soon as we arrived at Art of Animation we all took showers and put on warm clothes. That alone made us feel better. Now we had the dinner debate. Our friend decided to drive us to DAK lodge to get food! Let me start off by saying this is where we hung out when we worked in Disney. We ate all the food, drink all the drinks, and earned all the beads at DAK lodge Spring 2015. We were wicked excited we got to visit one of our favorite resorts!
We went to the quick service area to get dinner. I have no idea what everyone else got but I ate like a picky 7 year old and order the adult chicken nugget meal because I was starving and it was the only thing that was agreeing with my stomach. I was feeling shaky before eating and thought it was a lack of protein.
I ate about 5 of my chicken nuggets and then I started to go downhill pretty quickly. My stomach was turning, heart racing, and I was feeling lightheaded like I was going to pass out. One of my friends looked at me and said I didn't look good. At that point, I was ready for them to get a cast member because I thought I was going down. I chewed on some ice and no longer felt like I was going to pass out. Still lightheaded and feeling off I put a call into my doctor at home. It was officially a horrible side effect to migraine medication. He told me starting tomorrow, to lower my dosage. Hopeful that tomorrow with a lower dose of my medication, I would be back to my normal self, we went back toward Art of Annimation for a good nights sleep.
Coming Up... Did the lower dose of medication help? Are the rumors of crazy people at the expo true? And Dairy Free Ice Cream?!?!?
On our walk to the bus it began to DOWNPOUR. I'm talking full on crazy Florida rain but we were determined to make it to Hollywood Studios to see Fantasmic. Florida rain usually ends quickly right??
The express bus pick up in Magic Kingdom is near buzz in Tomorrowland. Needless to say, by the time we got on the bus we were disgustingly soaked. So much that when we got up off the bus, we left huge puddles were we were sitting. Rachel was still feeling the Disney Magic though.
When we got to Hollywood Studios the downpour had down graded to a sprinkle. With soaked clothes but smiles on our faces, we were off to explore DHS!
The debate was what to do at DHS though? We were spending our morning at DHS the next day and already had fastpasses for Toy Story, Star Tours, and Tower of Terror. Rockin Roller Coaster had a 120 minute wait and The Great Movie Ride had a 60 minute wait due to the rain and everyone seeking shelter. We only had about an hour to kill before the doors opened to Fantasmic so neither of those lines worked for us. Dinner? Sounds like a plan!
Now we all used to work for Disney. We know which parks have good quick services and which ones don't and where to go in each park. We really struggled at DHS to find a place for dinner where all of us can eat. With my picky eating due to being somewhat sick throughout this trip, and Rachel being a vegetarian, there was nothing that really caught our eye.
So we spent 30 minutes just wandering around DHS.
We decided dinner would happen after Fantasmic but coffee needed to happen now. Our wet clothes were making us freezing but it wasn't warm enough for us to take off our sweatshirts. At Starbucks we met up with an old friend who used to work with Danielle and Rachel at DAK! With coffee in hand, the four of us made our way to Fantasmic!
As we were walking into Fantasmic, it began to rain again nothing crazy like when we were leaving Magic Kingdom, but definitely more than a sprinkle. We questioned if Fantasmic would still be running but since they were still letting us in, we figured its a go! So we waited for Fantasmic and did the classic wave as we waited. Then there was an announcement:
"Due to the weather this evening, Fantasmic might be delayed or canceled."
Do we stay or do we go?!? It was raining. We were getting grumpy. And Cold. Our final decision? If It's delayed more than 15 minutes, we are out.
Fantasmic ended up starting on time!
Seeing Mickey appear made being uncomfortable worth it!So you all know the part in Fantasmic at the beginning when mickey does his little lean forward and then it goes dark and the Pocahontas scene starts? Well, we saw the boats creep out the side and then they said nope not today and went back behind the stage. Next thing we know, all the lights are up and the announcer comes on "Due to the weather forecast, tonight performance of Fantasmic has been canceled."
Bummed not only because we wouldn't see Fantamic this trip but also that we spent about 2 hours in the rain since Magic Kingdom for no reason. I know you can't control the weather but it stinks when the weather doesn't work in your favor. Luckily, our friend had a car at DHS and we didn't have to wait for a bus to get us back to our resort.
As soon as we arrived at Art of Animation we all took showers and put on warm clothes. That alone made us feel better. Now we had the dinner debate. Our friend decided to drive us to DAK lodge to get food! Let me start off by saying this is where we hung out when we worked in Disney. We ate all the food, drink all the drinks, and earned all the beads at DAK lodge Spring 2015. We were wicked excited we got to visit one of our favorite resorts!
We went to the quick service area to get dinner. I have no idea what everyone else got but I ate like a picky 7 year old and order the adult chicken nugget meal because I was starving and it was the only thing that was agreeing with my stomach. I was feeling shaky before eating and thought it was a lack of protein.
I ate about 5 of my chicken nuggets and then I started to go downhill pretty quickly. My stomach was turning, heart racing, and I was feeling lightheaded like I was going to pass out. One of my friends looked at me and said I didn't look good. At that point, I was ready for them to get a cast member because I thought I was going down. I chewed on some ice and no longer felt like I was going to pass out. Still lightheaded and feeling off I put a call into my doctor at home. It was officially a horrible side effect to migraine medication. He told me starting tomorrow, to lower my dosage. Hopeful that tomorrow with a lower dose of my medication, I would be back to my normal self, we went back toward Art of Annimation for a good nights sleep.
Coming Up... Did the lower dose of medication help? Are the rumors of crazy people at the expo true? And Dairy Free Ice Cream?!?!?
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Day 5: February 23
It's Expo Day!! Which means we can sleep in! The Expo opened at 10am so our goal was to get there right at 10am. We didn't care about any of the RunDisney Merch, we wanted our free tshirt, bibs, and to go right to the parks. After grabbing some muffins and fruit, we were on the bus to the Expo!
Disclaimer: For those of you unfamiliar with RunDisney & The Expo, I made two youtube videos that highlight my experience that I will be linking at the end of this Trip Report. They are probably more detailed than what I am about to describe for the Expo, seeing as they were filmed within days of returning.
Back to the report: The bus you take to the Expo is not a standard Disney bus. It is a bus set up similar to magical express that takes you to and from the Expo (and the races). The bus ride was very quick, only about 10 minutes to get to ESPN. None of us had ever been to ESPN so our main guide for directions was just to follow the crowds of people.
Once we got to the main area, there were signs saying which building to go to for what. We went the the first building that said something along the lines of "1/2 marathon weekend package pickup". Our first step was to go to a computer and print out our waivers, This took less than 5 minutes to do. We then went into a big room where there were tables by bib number for the 5k and 10k. Rachel and I went over to the 5k booths and found out we were both in Corral E! Although we were not the front of the pack, we were happy we were together and since the 5K isn't timed, we weren't worried at all!
Next stop was 10K bib pick up. We quickly found out that we were all in different corrals. I was placed in corral C, Danielle was placed in E, and Rachel was placed in F. The RunDisney folks explained to us that if we wanted to run together, we would all have to go back to F, the last corral, because you aren't allowed to move up a corral. The plan then became for me to stay in C because depending on how I was feeling, I might be walking the 10K and for Rachel and Danielle to stay together in corral F with the idea that they would eventually catch up to me in C.
After getting our bibs, we had to go to another table to get our shirts. The 5k ones were in the same building but the 10K shirts were in a totally different building (that we had a hard time getting to). Once we got our shirts, we were back on the bus to Art of Animation by 11am. For those of you who have heard the horror stories about the Expo, I'm here to tell you we do not run into a single rude person and no line was more than 5 minutes long (granted we didn't try to get any of the limited edition merch).
Onward to Hollywood Studios!
This time we had a mission: To be in and out of DHS relatively quickly. Why you might ask? Honestly, all of us have 1-2 things we really like in DHS and that's it. We would much rather spend our time at another park. So the goals in DHS were
1. Star Tours for all of us
2. Tower of Terror for me and Danielle
3. One Mans Dream for Rachel
4. Rockin Roller Coaster for Danielle
5. Launch Bay for Rachel and I
6. Toy Story Mania for all of us.
We had fastpasses for 3 of the 6 things on this list too! We got into Hollywood Studios a couple minutes before our Star Tours Fast Pass. Pictures first, Star Tours can wait a couple minutes.
We Run This Park: Take Two
Onward to Star Tours! Now we have all riden Star Wars tons of times so we like to predict which sequence we are going to get. I always get the Wookiee planet and a message from Yoda. Rachel always gets the snow scene. We ended up with the snow scene and Yoda. Typical.
Next on our list was Tower of Terror. But not before some ice cream and you guessed it, more photo ops! Like I said we aren't big DHS fans so we filled our waiting time with pictures. Also, a wonderful Cast Member got me dairy free ice cream!
Time for Tower of Terror! Rachel decided to sit this one out and spent her 20 minutes alone talking to a custodian Cast Member about Star Wars.
After Tower of Terror, we went our separate ways. Danielle hopped in the single riders line for Rockin Roller coaster, and Rachel and I went over to the Launch Bay.
Launch Bay was super cool but I must admit, Rachel and I loved the animation classes and are sad they are no longer a thing. Danielle got off Rockin relatively quickly, so we only met a Jawa and Chewbacca. Chewbacca was our favorite character from Star Wars weekends to meet back in 2015 so he was a must this trip! Here is a throwback to May 2015 and then us with Chewie now. We have changed so much.
Danielle Met back up with us outside Launch Bay. Once again, we had a little bit of time to kill before Toy Story. More pictures anyone?
The fast pass line was super backed up for Toy Story so we got in line a little early. By the time we made it to the touch point, we were only 5 minutes early and allowed to go in! Danielle won out of the three of us. I did finally receive a cat prize instead of a beaver.
Last on our list was One Mans Dream. Bonus: We found out Moana was meeting inside! Rachel and Danielle had seen Moana, I had not so I wasn't nearly as excited as they were to meet Moana. I also began to feel sick inside the queuing line for Moana so I wasn't really feeling it. Once we met Moana though, she was very excited to tell me all about her movie!
After meeting Moana, I bought a bottled water and I instantly felt better.
And we were done with DHS! four hours, six attractions, it was now 4:30 PM and we were off to Magic Kingdom!
Coming Up...What is this purple wall everyone is talking about? A Be Our Guest Birthday Celebration. Lets run through Frontierland! It's our 5k Warm Up!
It's Expo Day!! Which means we can sleep in! The Expo opened at 10am so our goal was to get there right at 10am. We didn't care about any of the RunDisney Merch, we wanted our free tshirt, bibs, and to go right to the parks. After grabbing some muffins and fruit, we were on the bus to the Expo!
Disclaimer: For those of you unfamiliar with RunDisney & The Expo, I made two youtube videos that highlight my experience that I will be linking at the end of this Trip Report. They are probably more detailed than what I am about to describe for the Expo, seeing as they were filmed within days of returning.
Back to the report: The bus you take to the Expo is not a standard Disney bus. It is a bus set up similar to magical express that takes you to and from the Expo (and the races). The bus ride was very quick, only about 10 minutes to get to ESPN. None of us had ever been to ESPN so our main guide for directions was just to follow the crowds of people.
Once we got to the main area, there were signs saying which building to go to for what. We went the the first building that said something along the lines of "1/2 marathon weekend package pickup". Our first step was to go to a computer and print out our waivers, This took less than 5 minutes to do. We then went into a big room where there were tables by bib number for the 5k and 10k. Rachel and I went over to the 5k booths and found out we were both in Corral E! Although we were not the front of the pack, we were happy we were together and since the 5K isn't timed, we weren't worried at all!
Next stop was 10K bib pick up. We quickly found out that we were all in different corrals
. I was placed in corral C, Danielle was placed in E, and Rachel was placed in F. The RunDisney folks explained to us that if we wanted to run together, we would all have to go back to F, the last corral, because you aren't allowed to move up a corral. The plan then became for me to stay in C because depending on how I was feeling, I might be walking the 10K and for Rachel and Danielle to stay together in corral F with the idea that they would eventually catch up to me in C.After getting our bibs, we had to go to another table to get our shirts. The 5k ones were in the same building but the 10K shirts were in a totally different building (that we had a hard time getting to). Once we got our shirts, we were back on the bus to Art of Animation by 11am. For those of you who have heard the horror stories about the Expo, I'm here to tell you we do not run into a single rude person and no line was more than 5 minutes long (granted we didn't try to get any of the limited edition merch).
Onward to Hollywood Studios!
This time we had a mission: To be in and out of DHS relatively quickly. Why you might ask? Honestly, all of us have 1-2 things we really like in DHS and that's it. We would much rather spend our time at another park. So the goals in DHS were
1. Star Tours for all of us
2. Tower of Terror for me and Danielle
3. One Mans Dream for Rachel
4. Rockin Roller Coaster for Danielle
5. Launch Bay for Rachel and I
6. Toy Story Mania for all of us.
We had fastpasses for 3 of the 6 things on this list too! We got into Hollywood Studios a couple minutes before our Star Tours Fast Pass. Pictures first, Star Tours can wait a couple minutes.
We Run This Park: Take Two
Onward to Star Tours! Now we have all riden Star Wars tons of times so we like to predict which sequence we are going to get. I always get the Wookiee planet and a message from Yoda. Rachel always gets the snow scene. We ended up with the snow scene and Yoda. Typical
.Next on our list was Tower of Terror. But not before some ice cream and you guessed it, more photo ops! Like I said we aren't big DHS fans so we filled our waiting time with pictures. Also, a wonderful Cast Member got me dairy free ice cream!
Time for Tower of Terror! Rachel decided to sit this one out and spent her 20 minutes alone talking to a custodian Cast Member about Star Wars.
After Tower of Terror, we went our separate ways. Danielle hopped in the single riders line for Rockin Roller coaster, and Rachel and I went over to the Launch Bay.
Launch Bay was super cool but I must admit, Rachel and I loved the animation classes and are sad they are no longer a thing
. Danielle got off Rockin relatively quickly, so we only met a Jawa and Chewbacca. Chewbacca was our favorite character from Star Wars weekends to meet back in 2015 so he was a must this trip! Here is a throwback to May 2015 and then us with Chewie now. We have changed so much.
Danielle Met back up with us outside Launch Bay. Once again, we had a little bit of time to kill before Toy Story. More pictures anyone?
The fast pass line was super backed up for Toy Story so we got in line a little early. By the time we made it to the touch point, we were only 5 minutes early and allowed to go in! Danielle won out of the three of us. I did finally receive a cat prize instead of a beaver.
Last on our list was One Mans Dream. Bonus: We found out Moana was meeting inside! Rachel and Danielle had seen Moana, I had not so I wasn't nearly as excited as they were to meet Moana. I also began to feel sick inside the queuing line for Moana so I wasn't really feeling it. Once we met Moana though, she was very excited to tell me all about her movie!
After meeting Moana, I bought a bottled water and I instantly felt better.
And we were done with DHS! four hours, six attractions, it was now 4:30 PM and we were off to Magic Kingdom!
Coming Up...What is this purple wall everyone is talking about? A Be Our Guest Birthday Celebration. Lets run through Frontierland! It's our 5k Warm Up!
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Day 5 Continued
We made our way over to the Express Bus and lucky for us a bus was already waiting backstage! Have I mentioned how much I love this bus? It made park hopping so much easier. We were over to Magic Kingdom in no time.
We had a reservation for Be Our Guest for 7:45 that night so we had some free time. We were all starting to get hungry so our first line of business was to get some snacks. I got a Mickey Pretzel and I have no idea what anyone else got. We hung out in the hub area for a little bit and just enjoyed the sights and sounds of Main Street. I then remembered I saw people on Instagram posting pictures with a purple wall in Tomorrowland. Rachel and Danielle had no idea what I was talking about but I explained that it was a thing right now and we should do it!
If any of you have taken pictures at the Purple Wall, let me say, it's quite the conversation starter. We had a chat with a security guard about how the wall is really lilac, not purple. Many guests paused and asked us what was going on to which we said, we are just taking pictures. After about 500 pictures, We were ready to move on.
Still with some time before our reservation, we went over to Winnie the Pooh to see how long the line was. It was 30 minutes, which would have made us late for dinner. We decided to just check in to dinner a couple minutes early.
After checking in, we had about another 20-minute wait before our table was ready. We got a table right near the snowy windows in the ballroom, it was beautiful.
Our waiter was wonderful and answered all our questions about different meal options. I ended up with the chicken, and ate almost the whole thing! Ahh it was great to not be sick every time I ate anymore. Since my birthday is on February 29th, and we were only a couple days away. We treated this like my birthday meal. I got this cute mickey gray stuff dessert, and a card signed by Belle and the Beast. The waiter then told my friends to write a note for me inside the card because they were there too for my birthday.
Before leaving, we got to meet the Beast as well!
After dinner, since we had already seen Wishes once and we were going to watch Wishes tomorrow as well, we wanted to ride Splash Mountain with no lines. We also found out that there was a castle projection show still (it's just not right after Wishes for some reasons) so we wanted to see that too. Danielle doesn't like getting wet on rides so she went off to ride Haunted Mansion while Rachel and I rode Splash Mountain. This picture is Rachel protecting her camera and me not knowing what is happening.
We got soaked on Splash Mountain. As we were going down the big drop, we noticed that the castle show had started! Once we got off the ride, we RAN to the castle. It was the most we had run this whole trip so it was a nice warm up before running the 5K tomorrow. We made it to the Castle right for the ending.
We then met up with Danielle and went back to our hotel. Rachel and I had a 5k to run bright and early.
Coming up...No Breakfast at 4am? Where is the Disney music and Characters; that's why we signed up for this thing! and THERE ARE SWEEPERS IN THE 5K?!?!
We made our way over to the Express Bus and lucky for us a bus was already waiting backstage! Have I mentioned how much I love this bus? It made park hopping so much easier. We were over to Magic Kingdom in no time.
We had a reservation for Be Our Guest for 7:45 that night so we had some free time. We were all starting to get hungry so our first line of business was to get some snacks. I got a Mickey Pretzel and I have no idea what anyone else got
. We hung out in the hub area for a little bit and just enjoyed the sights and sounds of Main Street. I then remembered I saw people on Instagram posting pictures with a purple wall in Tomorrowland. Rachel and Danielle had no idea what I was talking about but I explained that it was a thing right now and we should do it!If any of you have taken pictures at the Purple Wall, let me say, it's quite the conversation starter. We had a chat with a security guard about how the wall is really lilac, not purple. Many guests paused and asked us what was going on to which we said, we are just taking pictures. After about 500 pictures, We were ready to move on.
Still with some time before our reservation, we went over to Winnie the Pooh to see how long the line was. It was 30 minutes, which would have made us late for dinner. We decided to just check in to dinner a couple minutes early.
After checking in, we had about another 20-minute wait before our table was ready. We got a table right near the snowy windows in the ballroom, it was beautiful.
Our waiter was wonderful and answered all our questions about different meal options. I ended up with the chicken, and ate almost the whole thing! Ahh it was great to not be sick every time I ate anymore. Since my birthday is on February 29th, and we were only a couple days away. We treated this like my birthday meal. I got this cute mickey gray stuff dessert, and a card signed by Belle and the Beast. The waiter then told my friends to write a note for me inside the card because they were there too for my birthday.
Before leaving, we got to meet the Beast as well!
After dinner, since we had already seen Wishes once and we were going to watch Wishes tomorrow as well, we wanted to ride Splash Mountain with no lines. We also found out that there was a castle projection show still (it's just not right after Wishes for some reasons) so we wanted to see that too. Danielle doesn't like getting wet on rides so she went off to ride Haunted Mansion while Rachel and I rode Splash Mountain. This picture is Rachel protecting her camera and me not knowing what is happening.
We got soaked on Splash Mountain. As we were going down the big drop, we noticed that the castle show had started! Once we got off the ride, we RAN to the castle. It was the most we had run this whole trip so it was a nice warm up before running the 5K tomorrow. We made it to the Castle right for the ending.
We then met up with Danielle and went back to our hotel. Rachel and I had a 5k to run bright and early.
Coming up...No Breakfast at 4am? Where is the Disney music and Characters; that's why we signed up for this thing! and THERE ARE SWEEPERS IN THE 5K?!?!
LisaBelle
Well-Known Member
I am enjoying your report. My sister and I ran the Princess 5K in 2016. We also had a very positive experience at the Expo. It was very crowded when we were there, but everyone was friendly and we were able to accomplish what we needed to do. We had a great time running the race. Looking forward to reading about your experience.
Were you and your friends in the DCP? My daughter is 16 and is very interested in applying for the DCP when she is in college. Would love to hear your thoughts on it if you were.
Were you and your friends in the DCP? My daughter is 16 and is very interested in applying for the DCP when she is in college. Would love to hear your thoughts on it if you were.
Glad you are enjoying the report so far! I did both the college program and a professional internship and loved them both! My college program I did in the fall of 2014, right after I graduated from college. My college wouldn't allow me to go when I was in school without losing financial aid. Most people do the college program between the ages of 20-25 because it is very hard to get into as a freshmen in college. I worked at the Yacht and Beach Club as a recreation cast member which basically meant I scanned magic bands when people entered the pool, worked the marina, and assisted during the pirate cruises. It wasn't the most thrilling job but I loved the people I met (guest and other cast members). My job was also kinda unique because all our shifts were 10-12 hours long so we only worked 4 days a week with 3 days off. Not many other locations do this but it allowed me a lot of time to explore the other parks and not feel warn out. If your daughter has any specific questions, feel free to send me a message! I had friends in attractions, food and beverage, character attendent, lifeguard, and character performer so I know a little bit about each of those roles as well.
Day 6- February 24
It was running day!! Background knowledge needed before diving into today; 1. We are not runners, we love Disney and characters. 2. We somewhat knew what to expect but learned a ton from our running experience over the next two days.
Our alarms went off at 3:50 am! Rachel slept in her running clothes because getting as much sleep as possible was a priority. I changed quickly as soon as I woke up. We pulled our hair up, grabbed the free Clif bar we received at the Expo, and made our way down to the bus.
If you have never done a RunDisney race or have never had a purpose to be walking around your resort at 4 in the morning, it is an interesting experience. Our walk from The Little Mermaid section had no people. We were questioning if we were too early? too late? There has got to be other people running this thing staying at Art of Animation right? As we entered the Lion King section, we ran into two other women walking to the bus and instantly started a conversation with them. This was the first of many wonderful people we would meet today.
As we walked through the lobby, we wanted to get some water inside the food court. The food court, however, was completely closed. Questions we should have asked the day before; but you live and you learn. The wait for the bus was minimal. Our bus had stopped at Pop Century before but there were plenty of empty seats. Everyone on the bus was excited to be running the 5k! It was one big conversation on the bus that consisted of sharing where we were all from, and how many races have each of us done. While on the bus we decided to eat our Clif bars. Something told me to check the ingredients on the back of the wrapper. The Clif bar contained tree nuts, and dairy, two things that upset my stomach and I try to avoid. Looked like I wasn't eating anything until after the 5k. Again, another silly thing I could have better prepared for if I just planned a little more the day before.
^Uneatten Clif Bar
We got off the bus a little after 5 am and had no idea what to expect. So we followed the herd to the Epcot parking lot. We had no bags so we walked straight through security. One of the first things we noticed was a coffee stand however, we didn't want coffee before running, we wanted water. The volunteers stationed at the coffee station informed us of where to get water, which was right around the corner.
After getting water, we made our way to our corral! While waiting, we had our own dance party and took selfies.
Finally, it was time for the race to start. Now we were in corral E, the second to last corral. The race started at 6 am and it felt like forever before our corral got to approach the starting line. According to my Snapchat story, we started moving at 6:24 am.
Now, when we moved, we were prepared to go! The fireworks went off but we were still walking. Lesson number 3, there are sub-corrals. Basically, they let each corral approach the starting line, then to prevent a stampede, they break apart the group into 3-4 sub-corrals that get released a few minutes after each other. We ended up being in what I believe was the third sub-corral of corral E AND we got to hold the RunDisney Banner!
At 6:35, It was our turn to go!
The fireworks went off and we ran! We sprinted for about 5 minutes because we just envisioned ourselves as Simba in the stampede of wildebeests if we didn't run. The 5k path looked like this, Mile one was Epcot parking lot/ backstage under Test Track. Mile 2 was World Showcase and a dash of the International Gateway, Mile three was the UK/Canada, The land, the seas, run towards spaceship earth, exit near where the express bus picks you up then finish line.
The first mile was lame. There is no other way of putting it. To the point where Rachel and I looked at each other and said "where are the characters and music?" There was nothing. A woman overheard us and respond with "That's why I got Disney Pandora on right now!" There were also no characters during that first mile which made the mile drag on a little.
Finally, right after the mile one marker, we saw a character! Meeko! Our logic? "The 5k isn't timed so Let's MEET ALL THE CHARACTERS!"
The line for Meeko took less than 5 minutes. Meeting characters during the race is very quick it's just a pose, take the picture and run.
We then made our way into World Showcase, which was super cool to run in as the sun was rising. In World Showcase, we got what we were expecting from the race, Disney music was playing, people were singing along, characters were out, and photo pass was taking running pictures. In every line that we stopped in, we starting talking to people. This is one thing I cannot say enough, every single person at the 5k was beyond wonderful. Super nice and friendly.
Next up for characters (BECAUSE WE WERE GOING TO SEE ALL THE CHARACTERS!!) was two Norwegian men.
Again super short, less than 5 minute line.
Current time: 6:58 am
As we were approaching Germany, we noticed a huge line. We knew it had to be someone good that was out. It was Dopey! Again, the goal was to see all the characters because the 5k isn't timed! Into the line we went.
This line took about 15 minutes...Bascially we could have jogged a mile in that time.
Current Time: 7:16am
We then stopped for a couple photos of an empy Japan in World Showcase
Continuing on our journey, we made our way to Morocco where we saw Abu! Another quick 5 minute line, mostly becasue people running by had no idea who it was.
Current Time: 7: 25am
We countinued running and walking and enjoying World Showcase, and talking to all the lovely people until we saw our next character in Italy. It was the mice from Cinderella! So what do we do? Get in line of course!
After about 5 minutes waiting in line, a woman comes running down and approaching the group of us in line. "THE SWEEPERS ARE COMING!!!" Literally all of us in line look at eachother wondering what in the world is this!?!? Then we see three golf carts and cast members clear the path and WE SPRINTED AWAY. Here is a picture a lovely photopass took of us running away from the sweepers.
Lesson learned: Yes the 5k is not timed, but you cannot spend tons of time meeting characters, they do have to open the park after all.
The sweepers did scare us though...and by "us" I mean me. I was earning my medal dang it. No sweeper was ever getting that close to me again.
As we looped around the Seas, the characters from Festival of Fantasy were out. We decided to take a selfie as we ran by instead of waiting in the line. Shout out if you are the family who actually waited in line and are in our selfie!
Current time: 7:47 am
Homestretch! We walked a little bit after the land but as soon as we saw the finish line, We ran! (then walked immediately after we crossed because, nonrunners over here)
We then recieved our medals and clearly needed a picture with them! We made our way over to get our snack box, which I attacked because no breakfast for Emily before the 5k.
And we were back on the bus by 8:20am! On the bus we met a wonderful 7 year old princess and her mom who talked to us the entire bus ride. The little girl was the sweetest thing saying good job princess to every single person who entered the bus. Melted my heart.
Overall my views on the 5k: It is a fun run! Everyone was super friendly, the lines were quick and we had a great time! Rachel and I left nervous to do double the distance tomorrow but eager to do another race.
Coming up...3 parks in one day after running a 5k; are we crazy?!?
It was running day!! Background knowledge needed before diving into today; 1. We are not runners, we love Disney and characters. 2. We somewhat knew what to expect but learned a ton from our running experience over the next two days.
Our alarms went off at 3:50 am! Rachel slept in her running clothes because getting as much sleep as possible was a priority. I changed quickly as soon as I woke up. We pulled our hair up, grabbed the free Clif bar we received at the Expo, and made our way down to the bus.
If you have never done a RunDisney race or have never had a purpose to be walking around your resort at 4 in the morning, it is an interesting experience. Our walk from The Little Mermaid section had no people. We were questioning if we were too early? too late? There has got to be other people running this thing staying at Art of Animation right? As we entered the Lion King section, we ran into two other women walking to the bus and instantly started a conversation with them. This was the first of many wonderful people we would meet today.
As we walked through the lobby, we wanted to get some water inside the food court. The food court, however, was completely closed. Questions we should have asked the day before; but you live and you learn. The wait for the bus was minimal. Our bus had stopped at Pop Century before but there were plenty of empty seats. Everyone on the bus was excited to be running the 5k! It was one big conversation on the bus that consisted of sharing where we were all from, and how many races have each of us done. While on the bus we decided to eat our Clif bars. Something told me to check the ingredients on the back of the wrapper. The Clif bar contained tree nuts, and dairy, two things that upset my stomach and I try to avoid. Looked like I wasn't eating anything until after the 5k
. Again, another silly thing I could have better prepared for if I just planned a little more the day before.
^Uneatten Clif Bar
We got off the bus a little after 5 am and had no idea what to expect. So we followed the herd to the Epcot parking lot. We had no bags so we walked straight through security. One of the first things we noticed was a coffee stand however, we didn't want coffee before running, we wanted water. The volunteers stationed at the coffee station informed us of where to get water, which was right around the corner.
After getting water, we made our way to our corral! While waiting, we had our own dance party and took selfies.
Finally, it was time for the race to start. Now we were in corral E, the second to last corral. The race started at 6 am and it felt like forever before our corral got to approach the starting line. According to my Snapchat story, we started moving at 6:24 am.
Now, when we moved, we were prepared to go! The fireworks went off but we were still walking. Lesson number 3, there are sub-corrals. Basically, they let each corral approach the starting line, then to prevent a stampede, they break apart the group into 3-4 sub-corrals that get released a few minutes after each other. We ended up being in what I believe was the third sub-corral of corral E AND we got to hold the RunDisney Banner!
At 6:35, It was our turn to go!
The fireworks went off and we ran! We sprinted for about 5 minutes because we just envisioned ourselves as Simba in the stampede of wildebeests if we didn't run. The 5k path looked like this, Mile one was Epcot parking lot/ backstage under Test Track. Mile 2 was World Showcase and a dash of the International Gateway, Mile three was the UK/Canada, The land, the seas, run towards spaceship earth, exit near where the express bus picks you up then finish line.
The first mile was lame. There is no other way of putting it. To the point where Rachel and I looked at each other and said "where are the characters and music?" There was nothing. A woman overheard us and respond with "That's why I got Disney Pandora on right now!" There were also no characters during that first mile which made the mile drag on a little.
Finally, right after the mile one marker, we saw a character! Meeko! Our logic? "The 5k isn't timed so Let's MEET ALL THE CHARACTERS!"
The line for Meeko took less than 5 minutes. Meeting characters during the race is very quick it's just a pose, take the picture and run.
We then made our way into World Showcase, which was super cool to run in as the sun was rising. In World Showcase, we got what we were expecting from the race, Disney music was playing, people were singing along, characters were out, and photo pass was taking running pictures. In every line that we stopped in, we starting talking to people. This is one thing I cannot say enough, every single person at the 5k was beyond wonderful. Super nice and friendly.
Next up for characters (BECAUSE WE WERE GOING TO SEE ALL THE CHARACTERS!!) was two Norwegian men.
Again super short, less than 5 minute line.
Current time: 6:58 am
As we were approaching Germany, we noticed a huge line. We knew it had to be someone good that was out. It was Dopey! Again, the goal was to see all the characters because the 5k isn't timed! Into the line we went.
This line took about 15 minutes...Bascially we could have jogged a mile in that time.
Current Time: 7:16am
We then stopped for a couple photos of an empy Japan in World Showcase
Continuing on our journey, we made our way to Morocco where we saw Abu! Another quick 5 minute line, mostly becasue people running by had no idea who it was.
Current Time: 7: 25am
We countinued running and walking and enjoying World Showcase, and talking to all the lovely people until we saw our next character in Italy. It was the mice from Cinderella! So what do we do? Get in line of course!
After about 5 minutes waiting in line, a woman comes running down and approaching the group of us in line. "THE SWEEPERS ARE COMING!!!" Literally all of us in line look at eachother wondering what in the world is this!?!? Then we see three golf carts and cast members clear the path and WE SPRINTED AWAY. Here is a picture a lovely photopass took of us running away from the sweepers.
Lesson learned: Yes the 5k is not timed, but you cannot spend tons of time meeting characters, they do have to open the park after all
.The sweepers did scare us though...and by "us" I mean me. I was earning my medal dang it. No sweeper was ever getting that close to me again.
As we looped around the Seas, the characters from Festival of Fantasy were out. We decided to take a selfie as we ran by instead of waiting in the line. Shout out if you are the family who actually waited in line and are in our selfie!
Current time: 7:47 am
Homestretch! We walked a little bit after the land but as soon as we saw the finish line, We ran! (then walked immediately after we crossed because, nonrunners over here)
We then recieved our medals and clearly needed a picture with them! We made our way over to get our snack box, which I attacked because no breakfast for Emily before the 5k.
And we were back on the bus by 8:20am! On the bus we met a wonderful 7 year old princess and her mom who talked to us the entire bus ride. The little girl was the sweetest thing saying good job princess to every single person who entered the bus. Melted my heart.
Overall my views on the 5k: It is a fun run! Everyone was super friendly, the lines were quick and we had a great time! Rachel and I left nervous to do double the distance tomorrow but eager to do another race.
Coming up...3 parks in one day after running a 5k; are we crazy?!?
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sheriffwoody
Well-Known Member
Just started your report! Loved reading about the race. I'm hoping me and some girlfriends can do that one day.
Looking forward to more
Looking forward to more
gdisneyfans
Well-Known Member
LOVE this picture!!!
Just started your report! Loved reading about the race. I'm hoping me and some girlfriends can do that one day.
Looking forward to more
Do it!! We are debating doing Star Wars or Princess for 2018. Thanks for reading along!
Day 6 continued...
While planning this trip, today was supposed to be an Epcot day, with the main goal being to ride the Frozen ride since none of us had been on it yet. As we continued planning and learned Wishes was leaving soon, we agreed we needed to see Wishes an additional night. Add that to the fact that I was sick and left Animal Kingdom early on Tuesday, and you have us visiting 3 parks in one day.
After stopping by Art of Animation to change and pick up Danielle, we were on our way to Animal Kingdom! I told my friends the only ride I needed to ride was the safari, Everest was not a must do (even though I love it). We got to Animal Kingdom around 10:30am and the line for safari was 70 minutes. Good thing I have friends who love me and love the safari as much as I do. Our Safari was well worth the 70 minute wait. Every animal was out! Baby giraffes, baby elephant, so many rhinos, painted dogs, and lions and everything else! I actually got emotional riding the safari. For most people it's Wishes, but since my job at Animal Kingdom consisted of riding the safari multiple times a week, I feel a special connection with it.
We got off safari at 12:45pm and knew we had to go to Epcot for our Frozen fastpass at 1:30. We said kwaherini to Animal Kingdom and boarded the express bus for Epcot. We got to Epcot by 1:15 and knew we needed to go right over to Frozen. The regular queue looked like it was barely moving. Definitely glad we got a fastpass for this one! The ride itself was wicked cute we all agreed we would ride it again (with a fastpass). Our ride picture makes this ride look way more intense than what it actually was:
We then spent the next couple hours taking it easy around World Showcase. We ate potstickers, and then had lunch in France where a photopass cast member took more great pictures of us.
And let's not forget, we need pictures of our medals!
Flower and Garden stuff was starting to appear so we stopped to look at the topiaries as well.
It was nice being able to take things a little slower and sit when we needed to, especially after the 5k. Before we left Epcot, we went on Spaceship Earth. The exhaustion was starting to sink in so I set the language to French and slept for the entire ride. After getting off I told Danielle about how I am on the leave a legacy wall(im not really but wanted to see if she went for it). She was surprised and asked me where?!? I showed her a random baby in the C7 section and she bought it
. This is Danielle and I with "me" on the legacy wall.
We then got some Starbucks and boarded the Monorail to Magic Kingdom....After some pictures with our ears of course.
Coming up...We see Wishes for the final time.
While planning this trip, today was supposed to be an Epcot day, with the main goal being to ride the Frozen ride since none of us had been on it yet. As we continued planning and learned Wishes was leaving soon, we agreed we needed to see Wishes an additional night. Add that to the fact that I was sick and left Animal Kingdom early on Tuesday, and you have us visiting 3 parks in one day.
After stopping by Art of Animation to change and pick up Danielle, we were on our way to Animal Kingdom! I told my friends the only ride I needed to ride was the safari, Everest was not a must do (even though I love it). We got to Animal Kingdom around 10:30am and the line for safari was 70 minutes. Good thing I have friends who love me and love the safari as much as I do. Our Safari was well worth the 70 minute wait. Every animal was out! Baby giraffes, baby elephant, so many rhinos, painted dogs, and lions and everything else! I actually got emotional riding the safari. For most people it's Wishes, but since my job at Animal Kingdom consisted of riding the safari multiple times a week, I feel a special connection with it.
We got off safari at 12:45pm and knew we had to go to Epcot for our Frozen fastpass at 1:30. We said kwaherini to Animal Kingdom and boarded the express bus for Epcot. We got to Epcot by 1:15 and knew we needed to go right over to Frozen. The regular queue looked like it was barely moving. Definitely glad we got a fastpass for this one! The ride itself was wicked cute we all agreed we would ride it again (with a fastpass). Our ride picture makes this ride look way more intense than what it actually was:
We then spent the next couple hours taking it easy around World Showcase. We ate potstickers, and then had lunch in France where a photopass cast member took more great pictures of us.
And let's not forget, we need pictures of our medals!
Flower and Garden stuff was starting to appear so we stopped to look at the topiaries as well.
It was nice being able to take things a little slower and sit when we needed to, especially after the 5k. Before we left Epcot, we went on Spaceship Earth. The exhaustion was starting to sink in so I set the language to French and slept for the entire ride. After getting off I told Danielle about how I am on the leave a legacy wall(im not really but wanted to see if she went for it). She was surprised and asked me where?!? I showed her a random baby in the C7 section and she bought it
. This is Danielle and I with "me" on the legacy wall.
We then got some Starbucks and boarded the Monorail to Magic Kingdom....After some pictures with our ears of course.
Coming up...We see Wishes for the final time.
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LisaBelle
Well-Known Member
My sister and I ran the Princess 5K in 2016 and our experience was very similar to yours. We absolutely loved the experience. I totally agree that every person we met was super friendly and everyone had such a great attitude about the event. I would love to do it again, especially now that the 5K medals are actually made of metal and not plastic! Glad that you enjoyed it!
amjt660
Premium Member
"I am on the legacy wall""Day 6 continued...
While planning this trip, today was supposed to be an Epcot day, with the main goal being to ride the Frozen ride since none of us had been on it yet. As we continued planning and learned Wishes was leaving soon, we agreed we needed to see Wishes an additional night. Add that to the fact that I was sick and left Animal Kingdom early on Tuesday, and you have us visiting 3 parks in one day.
After stopping by Art of Animation to change and pick up Danielle, we were on our way to Animal Kingdom! I told my friends the only ride I needed to ride was the safari, Everest was not a must do (even though I love it). We got to Animal Kingdom around 10:30am and the line for safari was 70 minutes. Good thing I have friends who love me and love the safari as much as I do. Our Safari was well worth the 70 minute wait. Every animal was out! Baby giraffes, baby elephant, so many rhinos, painted dogs, and lions and everything else! I actually got emotional riding the safari. For most people it's Wishes, but since my job at Animal Kingdom consisted of riding the safari multiple times a week, I feel a special connection with it.
We got off safari at 12:45pm and knew we had to go to Epcot for our Frozen fastpass at 1:30. We said kwaherini to Animal Kingdom and boarded the express bus for Epcot. We got to Epcot by 1:15 and knew we needed to go right over to Frozen. The regular queue looked like it was barely moving. Definitely glad we got a fastpass for this one! The ride itself was wicked cute we all agreed we would ride it again (with a fastpass). Our ride picture makes this ride look way more intense than what it actually was:
We then spent the next couple hours taking it easy around World Showcase. We ate potstickers, and then had lunch in France where a photopass cast member took more great pictures of us.
And let's not forget, we need pictures of our medals!
Flower and Garden stuff was starting to appear so we stopped to look at the topiaries as well.
It was nice being able to take things a little slower and sit when we needed to, especially after the 5k. Before we left Epcot, we went on Spaceship Earth. The exhaustion was starting to sink in so I set the language to French and slept for the entire ride. After getting off I told Danielle about how I am on the leave a legacy wall(im not really but wanted to see if she went for it). She was surprised and asked me where?!? I showed her a random baby in the C7 section and she bought it
We then got some Starbucks and boarded the Monorail to Magic Kingdom....After some pictures with our ears of course.
Coming up...We see Wishes for the final time.
NICE!!
Will have to remember that one and use it
Max
Those were all Rachel! and all her supplies were from the dollar store! We got tons of compliments on them while in the parksLove your personalized Ears!! My daughter and I just made our own for our next trip. I'm pinning them on Pintrest like a mad woman
Day 6 continued...
Quick post to finish up day 6:
While taking the monorail to the TTC, the exhaustion completely hit Rachel and I. By now, we had been up for 15 hours with only about 3-4 hours of sleep the night before. Once we got to the TTC, we decided to take the ferry over to Magic Kingdom. The sun was setting, and the view was beautiful.
We got to Magic Kingdom around 7pm. Rachel I went over to guest relations to tell them about some of the awesome cast members we have had during our stay. Danielle went over to the entrance to wait for her friend who was meeting us in the park. From there we remained divided up for the next hour or so. Danielle and her friend were hungry and went on the search for food. Rachel and I really wanted to take the new tangled photo op in front of the tangled bathrooms so that is where we went! These photos are awesome! we saw them earlier in the week and knew we had to get them done at some point during this trip. The line can get very long though. We waited about 30 minutes and we got to the photo area a couple minutes after the line opened.
After that we met back up with Danielle and her friend and all rode Little Mermaid together. Then it was time to make our way over to Main Street to see Wishes, one last time.
We watched Wishes closer than I normally go, literally to the right of the partners statues. A high school chorus group was behind us doing Wishes and sang the entire song along with us. It was a great way to watch our last Wishes performance.
After Wishes I stopped at the Starbucks to get some hard boiled eggs for breakfast tomorrow. I had learned my lesson and was not going to be running a 10K on an empty stomach. And then it was time to leave the Magic Kingdom. Until next time,
It took us OVER AN HOUR to make it to the parking lot. The DVC event was coming in, we were trying to get out, it was way too much traffic. We made it back to Art of Animation by 11:30pm and went right to bed, we needed to be up in about 4 hours!
Coming up....IT'S TIME FOR A 10K! Do we get swept?!?!
Quick post to finish up day 6:
While taking the monorail to the TTC, the exhaustion completely hit Rachel and I. By now, we had been up for 15 hours with only about 3-4 hours of sleep the night before. Once we got to the TTC, we decided to take the ferry over to Magic Kingdom. The sun was setting, and the view was beautiful.
We got to Magic Kingdom around 7pm. Rachel I went over to guest relations to tell them about some of the awesome cast members we have had during our stay. Danielle went over to the entrance to wait for her friend who was meeting us in the park. From there we remained divided up for the next hour or so. Danielle and her friend were hungry and went on the search for food. Rachel and I really wanted to take the new tangled photo op in front of the tangled bathrooms so that is where we went! These photos are awesome! we saw them earlier in the week and knew we had to get them done at some point during this trip. The line can get very long though. We waited about 30 minutes and we got to the photo area a couple minutes after the line opened.
After that we met back up with Danielle and her friend and all rode Little Mermaid together. Then it was time to make our way over to Main Street to see Wishes, one last time.
We watched Wishes closer than I normally go, literally to the right of the partners statues. A high school chorus group was behind us doing Wishes and sang the entire song along with us. It was a great way to watch our last Wishes performance.
After Wishes I stopped at the Starbucks to get some hard boiled eggs for breakfast tomorrow. I had learned my lesson and was not going to be running a 10K on an empty stomach. And then it was time to leave the Magic Kingdom. Until next time,
It took us OVER AN HOUR to make it to the parking lot. The DVC event was coming in, we were trying to get out, it was way too much traffic. We made it back to Art of Animation by 11:30pm and went right to bed, we needed to be up in about 4 hours!
Coming up....IT'S TIME FOR A 10K! Do we get swept?!?!
Day 7...February 25th
We woke up super early today...I cannot remember the exact time but I will say that I was the last one to get up. We all quickly got changed and headed over to the bus. Immediately on the bus, we noticed a different tone. The three of us were laughing and joking around as we ate our breakfast but the rest of the bus was much quieter. On the bus ride, Danielle decided she wanted to stay in her corral, corral E, rather than move back to be with Rachel in Corral F. I then decided to go back all the way to F, the last corral to be with Rachel. We ran the 5k together and we had no problems slowing down/keeping up with the other person. So I gave up my beautiful corral C spot and started the hike to Corral F.
Now because Rachel and I did the 5k the day before, we knew that there were going to be sub corrals. Our goal was to be in the first sub corral of corral F. We made our way to the front of Corral F where my other friends were already waiting!
At 6:05 we started making it to the start. There was tons of pushing and shoving when we were able to go to the starting line. Nobody wants to be swept during the race so everyone wanted to be in that first sub corral. Luckily, we made it in the first wave! We said goodbye to our friends and off we went!
(I apologize for the lack of pictures from the first 3 miles)
The 10K course looked like this: Mile 1 highway, Mile 2 highway with an incline, Mile 3 never ending highway, Mile 4 World Showcase/International Gateway, Mile 5 Yacht and Beach/Boardwalk/ international gateway, Mile 6 Epcot, The last .2 was backstage.
Again Rachel and I took off from the start. We did not want to see the balloon ladies during this race. Right before the mile 1 marker, we saw Moana on the overpass! She wasn't meeting runners but she did say some motivational words of wisdom. Up Next was who we thought was Jafar but later found out was Elina. We had no interest so we kept running. Mile 1: Completed in 11 minutes.
Mile 2 had the Pixie Hallow Fairies. We really wanted to meet these characters but the line was 15 minutes long. We painfully passed them up. CURSE YOU CORRAL F. Mile 2 complete, total running time: 25 minutes.
Mile 3 we saw a HUGE LINE the character was switching out so we asked the people in line who was meeting to which they replied it was the Witch from Snow White. Rachel and I had both met the Witch before so we continued running. And then we saw the most beautiful thing, the mile 3 marker. Behind the marker was about 4 huge Disney buses. We Had Made IT Past The First Sweep! Total Running time: 36 Minutes.
Ahhh we made it to World Showcase! My second favorite part of this course. Most of the characters in World Showcase, We had already met in the 5k so we didn't need to stop. Rachel Did run ahead at one point to see who was in France, which I believe was Marie and we decided to pass.
Quality Running pictures in World Showcase:
Also please note the last picture during our walking break, The people in front of us are literally making the same expression as us.
Continuing on, we made our way to Boardwalk and Yacht and Beach. The boardwalk was very slippery so we needed to slow down our pace. On our way over, we saw princess Minnie who had an insane line...At least a 30-40 minute line. We also saw Tourist Goofy on the boardwalk. The line was short but at this point we had a nice pace going and didn't want to stop. The boardwalk and Yacht and Beach were my favorite parts of the course. All the guests were out cheering us on, some had posters. If you were one of those people cheering, you are amazing!
Back into World Showcase for mile 6. At this point, we knew we were almost done! We were going to finish this! This next picture sums up how excited we were!
Epcot was playing some great music as we approached Spaceship Earth. ALMOST THERE!!!!!
Yes we were those obnoxious people who posed for a photopass...I apologize.
AND THEN FINALLY THIS
WE DID IT! It took us 1 hour and 17 minutes BUT WE DID IT! I almost cried as I crossed the finish line. I went from never running to being able to run a 10k after having a rough week medically.
Since we didn't meet any characters on the run, we decided to wait and meet Ariel with our medals. The wait was about 40 minutes but we didn't care we finished a 10k!!
Coming up...We kick some little kid butt at Disney Trivia...Now it's time to say goodbye to all our company.
We woke up super early today...I cannot remember the exact time but I will say that I was the last one to get up. We all quickly got changed and headed over to the bus. Immediately on the bus, we noticed a different tone. The three of us were laughing and joking around as we ate our breakfast but the rest of the bus was much quieter. On the bus ride, Danielle decided she wanted to stay in her corral, corral E, rather than move back to be with Rachel in Corral F. I then decided to go back all the way to F, the last corral to be with Rachel. We ran the 5k together and we had no problems slowing down/keeping up with the other person. So I gave up my beautiful corral C spot and started the hike to Corral F.
Now because Rachel and I did the 5k the day before, we knew that there were going to be sub corrals. Our goal was to be in the first sub corral of corral F. We made our way to the front of Corral F where my other friends were already waiting!
At 6:05 we started making it to the start. There was tons of pushing and shoving when we were able to go to the starting line. Nobody wants to be swept during the race so everyone wanted to be in that first sub corral. Luckily, we made it in the first wave! We said goodbye to our friends and off we went!
(I apologize for the lack of pictures from the first 3 miles)
The 10K course looked like this: Mile 1 highway, Mile 2 highway with an incline, Mile 3 never ending highway, Mile 4 World Showcase/International Gateway, Mile 5 Yacht and Beach/Boardwalk/ international gateway, Mile 6 Epcot, The last .2 was backstage.
Again Rachel and I took off from the start. We did not want to see the balloon ladies during this race. Right before the mile 1 marker, we saw Moana on the overpass! She wasn't meeting runners but she did say some motivational words of wisdom. Up Next was who we thought was Jafar but later found out was Elina. We had no interest so we kept running. Mile 1: Completed in 11 minutes.
Mile 2 had the Pixie Hallow Fairies. We really wanted to meet these characters but the line was 15 minutes long. We painfully passed them up. CURSE YOU CORRAL F. Mile 2 complete, total running time: 25 minutes.
Mile 3 we saw a HUGE LINE the character was switching out so we asked the people in line who was meeting to which they replied it was the Witch from Snow White. Rachel and I had both met the Witch before so we continued running. And then we saw the most beautiful thing, the mile 3 marker. Behind the marker was about 4 huge Disney buses. We Had Made IT Past The First Sweep! Total Running time: 36 Minutes.
Ahhh we made it to World Showcase! My second favorite part of this course. Most of the characters in World Showcase, We had already met in the 5k so we didn't need to stop. Rachel Did run ahead at one point to see who was in France, which I believe was Marie and we decided to pass.
Quality Running pictures in World Showcase:
Also please note the last picture during our walking break, The people in front of us are literally making the same expression as us
.Continuing on, we made our way to Boardwalk and Yacht and Beach. The boardwalk was very slippery so we needed to slow down our pace. On our way over, we saw princess Minnie who had an insane line...At least a 30-40 minute line. We also saw Tourist Goofy on the boardwalk. The line was short but at this point we had a nice pace going and didn't want to stop. The boardwalk and Yacht and Beach were my favorite parts of the course. All the guests were out cheering us on, some had posters. If you were one of those people cheering, you are amazing!
Back into World Showcase for mile 6. At this point, we knew we were almost done! We were going to finish this! This next picture sums up how excited we were!
Epcot was playing some great music as we approached Spaceship Earth. ALMOST THERE!!!!!
Yes we were those obnoxious people who posed for a photopass...I apologize.
AND THEN FINALLY THIS
WE DID IT! It took us 1 hour and 17 minutes BUT WE DID IT! I almost cried as I crossed the finish line. I went from never running to being able to run a 10k after having a rough week medically.
Since we didn't meet any characters on the run, we decided to wait and meet Ariel with our medals. The wait was about 40 minutes but we didn't care we finished a 10k!!
Coming up...We kick some little kid butt at Disney Trivia...Now it's time to say goodbye to all our company.
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