Trip Report *completed* The Force will be with us.......always

I am super excited to share that our family (DH, DD7, DS6, and I) are going to WDW in April for the Star Wars Darkside half-marathon weekend!

Running info: kids are doing kid races on Sat April 16; DH is doing the Dark Side Challenge (both the 10K Saturday April 16 morning and the half-marathon Sunday April 17 morning); and I am doing the 5K Friday April 15 morning

Resort: Swan (keeping costs down and convenience to both Epcot and DHS)

ADRs: (so far)
  • Thursday dinner -- Le Cellier
  • Friday breakfast -- Hollywood & Vine (going to try to get the kids signed up for Jedi Training also)
  • Friday dinner -- Garden Grove (in Swan); although I may change to Tony's in MK to save some dinner/travel time
  • Saturday breakfast -- Cape May Cafe (although I may drop this now that we added a character breakfast at H&V)
  • Saturday dinner -- Cinderella's Royal Table

We are not on a dining plan (staying at Swan), so we're paying out of pocket (and probably doing light or QS lunches in the parks).


Park plans:
  • Thursday afternoon/evening -- Epcot. This is arrival day after a very early morning flight, picking up race packets, checking in, (hopefully) getting some naps for the kiddos. I figured keeping it close to the resort by going to Epcot was a good idea. Bonus: we scored a dinner ressie at Le Cellier (that we missed out on last trip)
  • Friday -- after my 5K we are splitting the day DHS (morning) and MK (evening). MK is scheduled to close at midnight, not sure if the kiddos will hang for that. :cautious:
  • Saturday -- Splitting the day between WWoS/unknown park/MK (evening). After DH's 10K, we head over to WWoS Complex for the kids races at 10am. We might do lunch over there, or head straight to a park afterwards for 2-3 hours. After naps/pool time back at the resort, dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table (our final night).
  • Sunday -- DH runs the half, I pack up all our stuff. Probably will get a quick serve breakfast with the kids, check out and head to MCO.

The last time we went to WDW, FP+ was not in effect so this is a completely new planning aspect to me. Thurs will be easy since we are just hitting Epcot and there are only like 5 FP+ attractions there. :eek: Friday, I plan on FPing the morning at DHS (Toy Story and ToT for sure). Once we get to MK in the evening, I'm hoping we can FP attractions there (or benefit somewhat from the park being open until midnight). Saturday, will probably FP the evening at MK (Mine Train, Splash (after dinner?), Anna/Elsa M&G (if that's what the kids want to do)).

Any advice for QS lunches in the parks, FP+ planning, and meals (dropping Garden Grove dinner for Tony's (possibly) on Friday; dropping Cape May Cafe breakfast Saturday) are most welcomed!
 

DisSplash

Well-Known Member
"May the Force Be With You," and "Run, Forrest, Run!" :) We have never done any of the marathons (well, we are simply not runners ;)) but it sounds like you have plans to make the most of your time when you go! As far as quick service goes, our favorite stop in MK is the Harbour House. If you don't like seafood, no worries, as they have other landlubber food too! We ALWAYS sit upstairs as it usually not too busy and pretty quiet, and there is this one table (if you manage to get it) right next the window where you can look out to the walkway headed toward IASW.

We are also in the Star Wars spirit, ourselves as we are headed on a Star Wars cruise next Saturday!! I cannot wait!!! I hear that they have added the Darth Vader musical theme to the ship's horn. Now that will be something to hear!
 

Witchy Chick

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Booked FP last night (we were up late watching TV, so 12:01am I was all over those FPs).

Thurs April 14 afternoon/evening Epcot:
Spaceship Earth FP
The Seas with Nemo and friends FP
Dinner Le Cellier
Test Track FP

Fri April 15 morning DHS/ evening MK:
Breakfast Hollywood & Vine
(Try to get the kiddos signed up for Jedi Academy)
Toy Story Midway Mania FP
Tower of Terror FP
Star Tours FP

Dinner Liberty Tree Tavern

I don't have any MK FP obviously, but am hoping we can add things like Splash, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Haunted Mansion (if we need a FP), Pirates (if we need a FP) while we're in the park.

Sat April 16 afternoon/evening MK:
Anna and Elsa M&G FP
Peter Pan's flight FP
Mine Train FP

Dinner Cinderella's Royal Table

Again, I'm hoping we can add things like Splash, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Haunted Mansion (if we need a FP), Pirates (if we need a FP) while we're in the park.
 

LAKid53

Official Member of the Girly Girl Fan Club
Premium Member
What time is your ADR for breakfast on Friday morning? Like all other 5Ks, the race starts and ends in Epcot. Hopefully, you've allotted sufficient time to cool down after the race, return to your resort, clean up and then head back to DHS for breakfast. All the other races (non-kids, so 10K & half) start at Epcot and finish at ESPN complex. Don't know if you guys are regular runners and if you've done any races in the past, but you need to make sure to leave plenty of time to cool down and recuperate after the race, especially your DH since he's going to be running 19.3 miles over two days. If you haven't looked at the info provided on the runDisney website yet, make sure to visit Jeff Galloway's hints on preparing and recovering from races, especially given what your hubby is going to be running.

Make sure to thoroughly review the guide when it's available. It provides important info for runners, including the routes for each race.

I am running in the Princess 5K this Friday and then will be doing the 10K in the Dark Side in April.

See you there!
 

Witchy Chick

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks for the running advice!

I'm doing the 5K, and that may end up being mostly walking as my C25K training has fallen off big-time with me fighting a cough/cold for two weeks now. Breakfast ADR 5K day is 8am at H&V. DH is planning on meeting me on the course or at the finish with the kids (he has no idea what he's in for getting them up "early"). Then we're heading to DHS from there. I'll prob just wipe down with some baby wipes if I'm really sweaty, and shower when we take our midday break back at the resort. I'm wearing a Boba Fett tank dress for the 5K so hopefully stay pretty cool/non-sweaty.

DH runs marathons, so he is good to go with running the 10K and half on back to back days. He's not a big breakfast eater so the Cape May breakfast (10K day) might just be me and the kids while DH is showering after the 10K.

Half marathon day, DH should have enough time to shower before we check out. I'm not sure what corral he's in, but he's running a 7-8 min pace right now. I'm guesstimating he'll be finished the half 7-7:30am, back to Swan for shower/packing/check out.

It's going to be crazy. LOL
 

LAKid53

Official Member of the Girly Girl Fan Club
Premium Member
I know all about race training plans, lol. My gym trainer decided to throw in a new workout for leg day Friday and my quads are still aching, which made my last long run yesterday before my Princess 5k more of a 4 mile walk that took nearly 1 hour.

Oh, he has no idea how early.. The guide for my Princess 5k states that all runners must board transportation by 4:45 am in order to be at their assigned carrol by race time. The board by time for both the 10k and half marathon? 4:00am. Your hubby is going to have two very early mornings, poor guy. His bib will have a tracker for tracking his race time apparently you will be able to track his progress, so you will have a good idea when he's getting close to the finish line. Make sure to read the guide when it's available as it has all kinds of info for runners and their supporters. And print out the waivers for each runner before you leave for Disney. You can get them printed out at race packet pickup, but I understand the first day is a zoo and you can't do anything without having that waiver.

Your waiver form will have your bib numbers on it. My number for the Princess 5k is 49115. I understand the runDisney races attract upwards of 45,000 runners. So I'm going to assume there are at least 49,115 total runners participating in the Princess Half Marathon weekend races. Last time I checked, the Dark Side half marathon wasn't completely sold out.

My daughter has the same dress. It is very cute. I will probably just wear one of my many SW t-shirts. I'm more excited about the Dark Side races than the Princess ones, lol.
 

Witchy Chick

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Finally -- trip report!!!

Thurs April 14
We arrived in Orlando about 9:40am, with my little guy puking on the plane (and on my DH, and carryon bags) upon landing. Yay. What a great start.

We picked up checked bags and our rental (early Pixie Dust -- upgrade from a Corolla to an SUV for only $5/day due to them not having a Corolla (or comparable) available). Hightailed it to the Expo for packet pickups. Checked in to Swan about 1pm, and had a light lunch at Splash (their pool side casual dining). Pizza for three of us, fruit salad for DS6 who still had an upset tummy. After lunch, naps!!! Yay naps!!! :inlove:

We headed over to Epcot about 4pm, forfeiting FP1 (Nemo) since the kids took long naps. I hit up the Pineapple Promenade and got a Nene (pineapple soft serve with coconut rum). Yummmm. We proceeded to visit Journey into Imagination/Image Works, Baymax M&G (my kids LOVED), Visa M&G (Minnie and Pluto), Spaceship Earth (FP2), Nemo, and dinner at Le Cellier. Our meal was very good (as usual), but the kids were being pills. I tried to keep my patience knowing they were tired (and my little guy not feeling well). After dinner, we headed to FP3 at Test Track. About 100 yards from the attraction, DS6 slips off a curb he was "tightrope walking" and literally face plants onto the walkway. :facepalm: :jawdrop: Test Track on hold for us while we visit First Aid at Odyssey. After some Bacitracin and bandages, we head back to Test Track, which the kids loved. DS6 is calling that his favorite thing to do (despite face planting 20 minutes prior to the ride). After getting off Test Track, the skies were looking really ominous so we scrapped our plans of walking around World Showcase. :( Instead, we headed back to The Seas, figuring if we got rained in that there is a lot to do there. We rode Nemo again, got into the last Turtle Talk show of the night, had the kids "eaten" by Bruce, and visited the Observation Tank. Leaving The Seas, yup it's raining. We decided because of the rain to also scrap our plans to take the boat to DHS for the Star Wars fireworks. :( As we headed out of Epcot via International Gateway, IllumiNations was starting. We saw some of the fireworks and lasers from the Friendship boat on the way back to Swan. Once back in our room, we saw from our window some of the Star Wars fireworks at DHS. :inlove: Put the kids to bed and called it a night.


Fri April 15
I got up at 3:40am to catch the bus to the 5K. :cautious: While waiting to corral up, I saw "Matt" (SNL Kylo Ren/Undercover Boss skit). LOL. After finishing the 5K, I bused it back to Swan and met DH and the kids to drive to DHS for the morning. Super easy drive from Swan to back entrance of DHS. Breakfast at Hollywood & Vine was OK. DH noticed the "running of the bulls" (parents signing kids up for Jedi Training), so I left H&V with the kids so we could sign up. We got the show we wanted (morning, and working around our FPs). :D After signing up for Jedi Training, we finished breakfast and headed for Toy Store Midway Mania (FP1). DH then took the kids to visit Sorcerer Mickey while I changed out of my running outfit. We then headed for Tower of Terror (FP2), which neither of my kids liked. LOL We had some issues with getting our ride pics since the guy in front of me at the scanner didn't know what he was doing and time ticked down. (I'm not a big fan of that limited Magic Band scanning time.) I had to wait in a pretty long line before getting the pictures manually added to our Memory Maker.

After exiting Tower of Terror, it was time to head back to Jedi Training a half-hour before the show. My kids were being real pains at this point, but hung in pretty well. After they kicked Darth Vader, the Seventh Sister, and Kylo Ren's butts, we rode Star Tours (FP3). Then lunch at Backlot Express. We headed over to The Launch Bay for M&Gs with Chewie and Kylo Ren. The kids also did some trading with the Jawas. On the way out of Animation Courtyard, Captain Phasma and her troop were marching past us. So that was pretty cool to see. On the way out of the park we let the kids buy light sabers, and then headed back to Swan for naps. Yay naps!!!! :inlove: And I took a shower. :confused:

Friday evening, we headed to MK. DD7 went to the Tink M&G (DS6, not interested). I booked Big Thunder as FP4. On the way to Pirates (10 minute wait), DH takes the kids up into Swiss Family Treehouse while I rested my sore feet. We then head to Pirates - 20 min wait. :banghead: DS6 was terrible in this line. He is not the most patient kid, but combined with being sick -- OY. After Pirates, we rode Magic Carpets and then took a picture at the Liberty Bell. Dinner at Liberty Tree was OK. Our server, Alex, was amazing. I thought I had read there was mac and cheese on the menu, but didn't see it on our menu. I asked Alex, and he totally hooked my kids up with mac. After dinner, we went on Big Thunder (and I booked Haunted Mansion as FP5). We also did Small World, Regal Carousel, and Little Mermaid pretty quickly. We finished up with Dumbo, Barnstormer (DH and kids), and Mad Tea Party. We decided to save Tomorrowland for Sat evening, so we called it a night after Tea Party.


Sat April 16
DH had to get up super early (running the 10K) so it was me and the kids for part of the morning. We let DH/Daddy rest while we went to Cape May Cafe for breakfast. After breakfast, we killed some time playing on the beach and swinging on one of the beach swings. Beach/Yacht are some of my favorite resorts.

We headed back to Swan to pick up DH, then it was off to WWoS for the kids races. We got there early, and did the BB-8 M&G. At the kids' races, we split up due to DS6 running the 200-yard dash and DD7 running the 400. After they finished, we headed back to Swan for lunch/naps.

Lunch was at The Fountain (Dolphin) which was good. Typical burger, chicken tenders, fries, mac and cheese. We went back to the room for naps around 2pm, but I'm "concerned" since we had an Anna/Elsa FP in MK for 3pm. DH stayed at Swan with DS6 during his two-hour nap; I took DD7 to MK to meet Anna/Elsa.

DD7 and I walk right into the 3pm parade at MK, and cannot move anywhere. OY. :eek: We had a fun time watching the final 3-4 floats (including Maleficent/dragon) and booked it to FairyTale Hall as quickly as we could. On the way, I noticed the crowds are really thick and a lot of folks are dressed up "fancy." I do some Googling -- it's a Dapper Day. Ay yi yi. Bad enough crowds on a Sat + race weekend crowds + Dapper Days. :banghead:

After Anna/Elsa, DD7 and I just chill out in Tangled land (haha) until DH and DS6 get to MK. We hit Peter Pan (FP2) and it's 101. :arghh: At this point with the crowds, I told DH I think our strategy should be sticking to shows rather than waiting in super long lines. We hit up PhilHarMagic, which we all enjoy. Head back to Peter Pan, which is running. Yay!!! I notice DS6 is feeling warm. We ride Peter Pan, then head to First Aid. 101* temp for DS6, we dose him with Motrin. :cautious:

We then head to Mine Train (FP3) which we all enjoyed. We head to Tomorrowland in an attempt to finish up what we didn't get to the previous night. But yikes -- crazy crowds. We hit Stitch, TTA, Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, and doubled back to Haunted Mansion (FP4). After HM, dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table. While waiting for our table, I booked Speedway as FP5. For CRT, DH and I both got scallops for app and shrimp/beef for dinner. The kids enjoyed all of the visits from the princesses.

After dinner, we hit Speedway as our final attraction at Disney. :cry:


Sun April 17
DH once again got up super early to run the half. :confused: He was actually done and back to the room by the time the kids woke up. LOL DS6 was still mopey and tired, so I left him with DH while DD7 and I grabbed breakfast at Picabu (Dolphin). DD7 polished off a large Belgian waffle and a slice of my toast. Heading back to Swan, we stopped at the Java Bar to get me a latte and pick up some donuts for the boys.

We checked out about 10:30am, and headed for the airport. No issues with DS6 on the airplane (taking off or landing), but I closed our window shade as we landed.

All in all, it was a good trip but very busy with running the races and hitting the parks. We had to make some on the fly adjustments due to weather and DS6 not feeling well. But it all worked out.

I hope you all enjoyed my lengthy trip report (and emoticons). ;)
 

buseegal

Active Member
Finally -- trip report!!!

Thurs April 14
We arrived in Orlando about 9:40am, with my little guy puking on the plane (and on my DH, and carryon bags) upon landing. Yay. What a great start.

We picked up checked bags and our rental (early Pixie Dust -- upgrade from a Corolla to an SUV for only $5/day due to them not having a Corolla (or comparable) available). Hightailed it to the Expo for packet pickups. Checked in to Swan about 1pm, and had a light lunch at Splash (their pool side casual dining). Pizza for three of us, fruit salad for DS6 who still had an upset tummy. After lunch, naps!!! Yay naps!!! :inlove:

We headed over to Epcot about 4pm, forfeiting FP1 (Nemo) since the kids took long naps. I hit up the Pineapple Promenade and got a Nene (pineapple soft serve with coconut rum). Yummmm. We proceeded to visit Journey into Imagination/Image Works, Baymax M&G (my kids LOVED), Visa M&G (Minnie and Pluto), Spaceship Earth (FP2), Nemo, and dinner at Le Cellier. Our meal was very good (as usual), but the kids were being pills. I tried to keep my patience knowing they were tired (and my little guy not feeling well). After dinner, we headed to FP3 at Test Track. About 100 yards from the attraction, DS6 slips off a curb he was "tightrope walking" and literally face plants onto the walkway. :facepalm: :jawdrop: Test Track on hold for us while we visit First Aid at Odyssey. After some Bacitracin and bandages, we head back to Test Track, which the kids loved. DS6 is calling that his favorite thing to do (despite face planting 20 minutes prior to the ride). After getting off Test Track, the skies were looking really ominous so we scrapped our plans of walking around World Showcase. :( Instead, we headed back to The Seas, figuring if we got rained in that there is a lot to do there. We rode Nemo again, got into the last Turtle Talk show of the night, had the kids "eaten" by Bruce, and visited the Observation Tank. Leaving The Seas, yup it's raining. We decided because of the rain to also scrap our plans to take the boat to DHS for the Star Wars fireworks. :( As we headed out of Epcot via International Gateway, IllumiNations was starting. We saw some of the fireworks and lasers from the Friendship boat on the way back to Swan. Once back in our room, we saw from our window some of the Star Wars fireworks at DHS. :inlove: Put the kids to bed and called it a night.


Fri April 15
I got up at 3:40am to catch the bus to the 5K. :cautious: While waiting to corral up, I saw "Matt" (SNL Kylo Ren/Undercover Boss skit). LOL. After finishing the 5K, I bused it back to Swan and met DH and the kids to drive to DHS for the morning. Super easy drive from Swan to back entrance of DHS. Breakfast at Hollywood & Vine was OK. DH noticed the "running of the bulls" (parents signing kids up for Jedi Training), so I left H&V with the kids so we could sign up. We got the show we wanted (morning, and working around our FPs). :D After signing up for Jedi Training, we finished breakfast and headed for Toy Store Midway Mania (FP1). DH then took the kids to visit Sorcerer Mickey while I changed out of my running outfit. We then headed for Tower of Terror (FP2), which neither of my kids liked. LOL We had some issues with getting our ride pics since the guy in front of me at the scanner didn't know what he was doing and time ticked down. (I'm not a big fan of that limited Magic Band scanning time.) I had to wait in a pretty long line before getting the pictures manually added to our Memory Maker.

After exiting Tower of Terror, it was time to head back to Jedi Training a half-hour before the show. My kids were being real pains at this point, but hung in pretty well. After they kicked Darth Vader, the Seventh Sister, and Kylo Ren's butts, we rode Star Tours (FP3). Then lunch at Backlot Express. We headed over to The Launch Bay for M&Gs with Chewie and Kylo Ren. The kids also did some trading with the Jawas. On the way out of Animation Courtyard, Captain Phasma and her troop were marching past us. So that was pretty cool to see. On the way out of the park we let the kids buy light sabers, and then headed back to Swan for naps. Yay naps!!!! :inlove: And I took a shower. :confused:

Friday evening, we headed to MK. DD7 went to the Tink M&G (DS6, not interested). I booked Big Thunder as FP4. On the way to Pirates (10 minute wait), DH takes the kids up into Swiss Family Treehouse while I rested my sore feet. We then head to Pirates - 20 min wait. :banghead: DS6 was terrible in this line. He is not the most patient kid, but combined with being sick -- OY. After Pirates, we rode Magic Carpets and then took a picture at the Liberty Bell. Dinner at Liberty Tree was OK. Our server, Alex, was amazing. I thought I had read there was mac and cheese on the menu, but didn't see it on our menu. I asked Alex, and he totally hooked my kids up with mac. After dinner, we went on Big Thunder (and I booked Haunted Mansion as FP5). We also did Small World, Regal Carousel, and Little Mermaid pretty quickly. We finished up with Dumbo, Barnstormer (DH and kids), and Mad Tea Party. We decided to save Tomorrowland for Sat evening, so we called it a night after Tea Party.


Sat April 16
DH had to get up super early (running the 10K) so it was me and the kids for part of the morning. We let DH/Daddy rest while we went to Cape May Cafe for breakfast. After breakfast, we killed some time playing on the beach and swinging on one of the beach swings. Beach/Yacht are some of my favorite resorts.

We headed back to Swan to pick up DH, then it was off to WWoS for the kids races. We got there early, and did the BB-8 M&G. At the kids' races, we split up due to DS6 running the 200-yard dash and DD7 running the 400. After they finished, we headed back to Swan for lunch/naps.

Lunch was at The Fountain (Dolphin) which was good. Typical burger, chicken tenders, fries, mac and cheese. We went back to the room for naps around 2pm, but I'm "concerned" since we had an Anna/Elsa FP in MK for 3pm. DH stayed at Swan with DS6 during his two-hour nap; I took DD7 to MK to meet Anna/Elsa.

DD7 and I walk right into the 3pm parade at MK, and cannot move anywhere. OY. :eek: We had a fun time watching the final 3-4 floats (including Maleficent/dragon) and booked it to FairyTale Hall as quickly as we could. On the way, I noticed the crowds are really thick and a lot of folks are dressed up "fancy." I do some Googling -- it's a Dapper Day. Ay yi yi. Bad enough crowds on a Sat + race weekend crowds + Dapper Days. :banghead:

After Anna/Elsa, DD7 and I just chill out in Tangled land (haha) until DH and DS6 get to MK. We hit Peter Pan (FP2) and it's 101. :arghh: At this point with the crowds, I told DH I think our strategy should be sticking to shows rather than waiting in super long lines. We hit up PhilHarMagic, which we all enjoy. Head back to Peter Pan, which is running. Yay!!! I notice DS6 is feeling warm. We ride Peter Pan, then head to First Aid. 101* temp for DS6, we dose him with Motrin. :cautious:

We then head to Mine Train (FP3) which we all enjoyed. We head to Tomorrowland in an attempt to finish up what we didn't get to the previous night. But yikes -- crazy crowds. We hit Stitch, TTA, Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, and doubled back to Haunted Mansion (FP4). After HM, dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table. While waiting for our table, I booked Speedway as FP5. For CRT, DH and I both got scallops for app and shrimp/beef for dinner. The kids enjoyed all of the visits from the princesses.

After dinner, we hit Speedway as our final attraction at Disney. :cry:


Sun April 17
DH once again got up super early to run the half. :confused: He was actually done and back to the room by the time the kids woke up. LOL DS6 was still mopey and tired, so I left him with DH while DD7 and I grabbed breakfast at Picabu (Dolphin). DD7 polished off a large Belgian waffle and a slice of my toast. Heading back to Swan, we stopped at the Java Bar to get me a latte and pick up some donuts for the boys.

We checked out about 10:30am, and headed for the airport. No issues with DS6 on the airplane (taking off or landing), but I closed our window shade as we landed.

All in all, it was a good trip but very busy with running the races and hitting the parks. We had to make some on the fly adjustments due to weather and DS6 not feeling well. But it all worked out.

I hope you all enjoyed my lengthy trip report (and emoticons). ;)
you were lucky they let you close window blind as we have never been able to close it for landing or take off something about FAA rules we were told
 

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