Trip Report I know every mile will be worth my while! (A Princess 5K trip report)

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Somehow I knew this TR title would reference a song from a Disney movie. I'm a singer after all, and the Disney Renaissance was basically my childhood. A few titles I considered relating to the theme included:

"It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small"
"If I go there's just no telling how far I'll go"
"Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest"
"There ain't nothing gonna stop me now cause I'm almost there"
"We must be swift as a coursing river"

But I went with Hercules for several reasons, not only because I relate to the themes of the song, but because it kept popping up during the trip.

In case you missed my PTR, visit A first, a second, and a third.

Otherwise, continue reading for a journey full of family, fun, and OF COURSE food!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Great pictures and report so far. And by the way, there can never be enough Living with the Land pictures!

 

[bee]

Great pictures and report so far. And by the way, there can never be enough Living with the Land pictures!

Then you have come to the right report!! And thank you

 

[MinnieM123]

I'm probably only in the handful of people that thinks Soarin is meh. Part of this is my resentment that it just made The Land even more crowded. Those pix of Sunshine Seasons made me cringe. I used to love that dining area years ago. It was always busy, but the vibe was so much different.

Loved your picture of LWTL-- one of my favorite attractions in EPCOT, and always has been.

 

[Figgy1]

How did you make out with the storm? Hope all is well!

 

[bee]

I'm probably only in the handful of people that thinks Soarin is meh. Part of this is my resentment that it just made The Land even more crowded. Those pix of Sunshine Seasons made me cringe. I used to love that dining area years ago. It was always busy, but the vibe was so much different.

Loved your picture of LWTL-- one of my favorite attractions in EPCOT, and always has been.

I only visited Epcot once pre-Soarin’ and I remember nothing of those days. If only we could turn back time!

How did you make out with the storm? Hope all is well!

Thanks! It wasn’t so bad here. The wind was the most annoying thing. I think a lot of people stayed home so traffic was very light. Did you get any of it in your area?

 

[Figgy1]

First off we're fine, just lots of unexpected snow. We didn't lose power and cell service is coming back slowly. THNX for asking

 

[Sabrina1705]

Fun and great report to read! Following along.
You’re pictures off Coronado Springs got me doubting/thinking to change my booking in November to this hotel

 

[bee]

First off we're fine, just lots of unexpected snow. We didn't lose power and cell service is coming back slowly. THNX for asking

Glad you are fine and didn’t lose power! My area got pretty lucky I guess!

Fun and great report to read! Following along.
You’re pictures off Coronado Springs got me doubting/thinking to change my booking in November to this hotel

Thanks for reading! Where are you staying in November?

 

[Songbird76]

Day 1, cont.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...

Coronado refurbished room photos!

(If you look closely above the coffee machine you will see my BEE bottle!) We tried to clear all our personal stuff out of the photos but I missed this one)

Disney is trying this again...

And a better look at what was on the bed:

Up next: Will our transportation luck continue?

Aw, for cuteness' sake! Those pins are great! But I hate the lack of runner on the beds. It looks like bed sheets without a duvet...it lacks some character. Or is that just me?

 

[bee]

Day 2, cont.

After our adventures in The Land, it was time for lunch. At some point I mused on the fact that we hadn't even stepped foot in World Showcase the previous day ( ). M said, "That's okay, we'll be stepping a lot of feet in World Showcase tomorrow!"

On our way...

Soon we arrived at our destination: Tutto Italia. We were about five minutes late but none of the CMs seemed to mind, and we were seated almost immediately.

Our server, Mariarosaria, greeted us promptly, and we ordered drinks: Italian Martini for me, and Espresso Coffee Martini for M. While we waited another CM brought us bread and olives.

The olives were really tasty and the bread was great, especially the focaccia. We would have asked for more, but we didn't want to fill up on bread when we knew a lot of food was coming our way!

Mariarosaria brought our drinks and took our food orders.

Italian martini

Espresso martini

The drinks were made with decent quality liquor because we hardly tasted the alcohol but we DEFINITELY felt it.

I had the Involtini di Melanzane.

M had the Caprese Panini.

We saw someone at another table eating tiramisu and we HAD to share one.

Overall it was a pretty good meal. We both enjoyed our entrees and dessert, and the service was good as well. We would probably not return as the prices were high (even for Disney!) and the experience and atmosphere weren't especially unique or interesting. We would rather go to Tutto Gusto next door for appetizers and wine and a nice quiet escape from the parks.

Up next: To the Expo!

 

[bee]

Day 2, cont.

We weren't sure how frequent transportation to the Expo would be running so we decided to take a Lyft from the Boardwalk instead of waiting around for buses.

On the way out of the park we saw these amazing trees in bloom:

I took a video too! It's hard to tell but the flowers are falling.



A boat was just arriving and there was hardly any line so we hopped right on and found seats in the back.

Duck friends!

Once we got to the Boardwalk we had to wait a minute or so for a sister ship to dock.

For some reason, on this day only, multiple guests asked about our Passholder MB sliders. We were so popular.

Once we reached the front of the Boardwalk we called a Lyft and soon were on our way to the Wide World of Sports.

ESCOT

There was a lot of traffic on the way (understandable since this was a race weekend) but it wasn't a long trip. Our driver dropped us off at 3:00, and from reading past reports we estimated that we would need at least an hour to pick up everything.

We had no idea all this existed!!

We followed the signs toward race bib pickup. We were glad we hadn't bothered printing our waivers at Coronado because there were a bunch of computer and printers available to print them for free! It took maybe one entire minute to print and sign them, and soon we were picking up our bibs.

After bib pickup we had to go to another building to pick up our race tshirts. We had to walk through this entire expo area to get to the shirt area:

Honestly this was the worst/most time-consuming part of the expo process. It was quite cramped and crowded in there. For a bunch of runners these guests sure did move slowly!!

The actual pickup was quick though, and soon we were on our way out. We found the bus pickup/dropoff area and a Coronado bus was already there. As we boarded the bus we had a little chuckle at the expense of two women outside having an argument. It went something like this:

1: This is not our bus.
2: Yes, it is! See, it says, "Disney's Springs!"
1: No, it says, "Disney's Coronado Springs." That's a hotel!
2: (to the CM outside the bus) Does this go to Disney Springs?
CM: No, this goes to Coronado Springs. That's a hotel.

The bus left shortly after we boarded and we continued our streak of excellent transportation luck.

Back at Coronado we admired our shirts and pins:

We also read through the online race weekend "magazine." Who can tell me what's wrong with this picture?

Earlier in the day M's parents (MIL and FIL for future reference) left home and picked up her cousin (C), and they updated us throughout the day about their travel progress. They were getting close and we decided we would meet in the main building of Coronado before M and I had dinner at Maya Grill.

We relaxed in the room for a bit before heading to the front of the resort.

Just for funsies, here is a gif AND a video!

Tower construction progress:

Icky construction swamp!

Up next: A brief family reunion, and, "What was in that sangria???"

 

[awelpjourneys]

We also read through the online race weekend "magazine." Who can tell me what's wrong with this picture?

Arrgh....why can't people proofread???!!
As an English (and French) teacher, I get so annoyed with grammatical errors in publications.

But on a positive note, you seemed to be having great luck with transportation!

 

[bee]

Day 2, cont.

MIL, BIL, and C arrived and parked at Coronado and met us in the lobby. We enjoyed some time catching up and they asked us lots of questions about our race and training. We were all excited for the next morning's events! Soon our dinner time came so we said goodbye for the time being.

We checked in right at our reservation time and the hostess asked if we had any allergies. We said we didn't have allergies but we were both vegetarians and she made a note. Another guest overheard us and said, "The vegetarian skillet is AMAZING!" We thanked her for the tip, and soon we were brought to our table.

Our server, Rebekah, greeted us and asked if we wanted to order drinks. We'd seen the Mexican Sangria on the menu and it was calling our names!

We had our IDs ready and she said, "Great, time to make me feel old!" When she actually saw our birth dates she said, "Okay, not too bad!" (We both have baby faces and look younger than we are.)

When Rebekah returned with the sangria she said, "This sangria is so good, I won't judge you if you dig out the fruit chunks with a fork so you can eat them!" We asked about vegetarian options and she recommended the tacos (on the menu) and the vegetarian version of the skillet. She made sure we knew the skillet wasn't just "boring peppers and onions" but included lots of different vegetables. She also told us which appetizers were already vegetarian or could be modified. We decided to share the queso fundido (minus chorizo), and M ordered the tacos and I went with the skillet.

SANGRIAAAAAAA

Bread basket: lavosh and jalapeno cornbread, served with honey butter and chimichurri

We liked that we received a break basket instead of standard chips and salsa. The chimichurri was AMAZING.

Quesooooooooo

I guess it took a little longer than usual for our entrees to be prepared because Rebekah kept checking on us and assuring us it wouldn't be much longer. She also said she told the chef we weren't vegans and asked him to add some cheese and sour cream to our plates (apparently they come vegan by default, which is a great way to go!). I responded, "Thanks, we LOVE dairy!" and Rebekah thought that was hilarious.

Veggie skillet

Veggie tacos

At some point shortly after the entrees came we both started feeling painfully full. We only made it a few bites in before we had to ask for boxes. It was some combination of the sangria, the queso, and the restaurant being too warm inside. We had had a busy day and normally we can eat a lot at Disney, but we just couldn't do it.

Despite feeling weird at the end, we had a really wonderful meal and would definitely return. Rebekah was one of the best servers we've ever had and we really enjoyed the conversations we had. At one point gaming came up and she was telling us about her grandmother playing Duck Hunt on her NES when she was younger. We appreciated having multiple vegetarian options and we enjoyed what we did eat (even if it was only a few bites!). Of all the Mexican places on property Maya Grill is now our favorite; while we wouldn't necessarily make a special trip to Coronado if we weren't staying there, we would definitely pick MG over either of the Epcot TS restaurants or Frontera Cocina in Disney Springs.

On the way out we stopped for two bottles of Perrier at Cafe Rix. With the way we were feeling after dinner this proved to be a wise choice!

As we made our way to the Rachos we heard fireworks behind us:

We could actually hear the Star Wars music. I'm not aware of a fireworks viewing area at Coronado that plays the music (like the MK fireworks music is played at the MK resorts) so maybe we were actually hearing it from the park? We enjoyed our private show and continued on to our room.

This is what half a pitcher of sangria did to me...

A much needed Perrier back in the room

If you've ever read one of my trip reports you know we can drink, and we can eat. So we just kept asking, "What was in that sangria???" I'm sure it was just a weird combination of things making us feel weird.

We got ready for bed and watched a bit of Chopped.

Soon it was time for sleep! In about five hours we'd be waking up for our first runDisney race!

Up next: Day 3! The big race, "Bropunzel," more family time, and dinner at one of the best signature restaurants in the World (@lostpro9het knows which one)

 

[Sabrina1705]

Thanks for reading! Where are you staying in November?

I’m staying in POP hoping to have a renovated room. Mostly I book POFQ but there wasn’t any availability ...

 

[Sabrina1705]

I’m staying in POP hoping to have a renovated room. Mostly I book POFQ but there wasn’t any availability ...

Just called to Disney and rebooked from POP to Coronado Springs

 

[Songbird76]

Day 2, cont.

We weren't sure how frequent transportation to the Expo would be running so we decided to take a Lyft from the Boardwalk instead of waiting around for buses.

On the way out of the park we saw these amazing trees in bloom:

I took a video too! It's hard to tell but the flowers are falling.



A boat was just arriving and there was hardly any line so we hopped right on and found seats in the back.

Duck friends!

Once we got to the Boardwalk we had to wait a minute or so for a sister ship to dock.

For some reason, on this day only, multiple guests asked about our Passholder MB sliders. We were so popular.

Once we reached the front of the Boardwalk we called a Lyft and soon were on our way to the Wide World of Sports.

ESCOT

There was a lot of traffic on the way (understandable since this was a race weekend) but it wasn't a long trip. Our driver dropped us off at 3:00, and from reading past reports we estimated that we would need at least an hour to pick up everything.

We had no idea all this existed!!

We followed the signs toward race bib pickup. We were glad we hadn't bothered printing our waivers at Coronado because there were a bunch of computer and printers available to print them for free! It took maybe one entire minute to print and sign them, and soon we were picking up our bibs.

After bib pickup we had to go to another building to pick up our race tshirts. We had to walk through this entire expo area to get to the shirt area:

Honestly this was the worst/most time-consuming part of the expo process. It was quite cramped and crowded in there. For a bunch of runners these guests sure did move slowly!!

The actual pickup was quick though, and soon we were on our way out. We found the bus pickup/dropoff area and a Coronado bus was already there. As we boarded the bus we had a little chuckle at the expense of two women outside having an argument. It went something like this:

1: This is not our bus.
2: Yes, it is! See, it says, "Disney's Springs!"
1: No, it says, "Disney's Coronado Springs." That's a hotel!
2: (to the CM outside the bus) Does this go to Disney Springs?
CM: No, this goes to Coronado Springs. That's a hotel.

The bus left shortly after we boarded and we continued our streak of excellent transportation luck.

Back at Coronado we admired our shirts and pins:

We also read through the online race weekend "magazine." Who can tell me what's wrong with this picture?

Earlier in the day M's parents (MIL and FIL for future reference) left home and picked up her cousin (C), and they updated us throughout the day about their travel progress. They were getting close and we decided we would meet in the main building of Coronado before M and I had dinner at Maya Grill.

We relaxed in the room for a bit before heading to the front of the resort.

Just for funsies, here is a gif AND a video!

Tower construction progress:

Icky construction swamp!

Up next: A brief family reunion, and, "What was in that sangria???"

Seriously! Don't they have an editor? Preferably one with at least a BASIC grasp of English grammar? UGH!! It makes me cringe.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I didn't see the grammar error at first, but saw it on second glance. I thought the error was that only 2 of the 3 runners was wearing sunglasses in an ad for sunglasses and the picture didn't look that sunny. Maybe it was just a poorly made ad all around.

 

[Tuvalu]

In addition to the grammatical and spelling errors, I’m fairly certain the runners are passing the carousel at DISNEYLAND.

 

[Songbird76]

In addition to the grammatical and spelling errors, I’m fairly certain the runners are passing the carousel at DISNEYLAND.

Well, having never been to Disneyland, I wouldn't know about that....but the "offical" sunglass retailer must have been too cheap to spring for a decent ad for their "high-prefomance" sunglasses (2 errors in one word....that's impressive). I didn't even bother to read the tiny print on the side of the page...there were plenty of mistakes in the main body. Your vs you're mistakes drive me nuts, as do there/their/they're mistakes, too/two/to, whether/weather, then/than...well, you get the idea. Again, I wonder, don't they have an editor???

 

[bee]

I’m staying in POP hoping to have a renovated room. Mostly I book POFQ but there wasn’t any availability ...

Just called to Disney and rebooked from POP to Coronado Springs

Congrats! I hope you love Coronado!

Seriously! Don't they have an editor? Preferably one with at least a BASIC grasp of English grammar? UGH!! It makes me cringe.

Ding ding ding!

I didn't see the grammar error at first, but saw it on second glance. I thought the error was that only 2 of the 3 runners was wearing sunglasses in an ad for sunglasses and the picture didn't look that sunny. Maybe it was just a poorly made ad all around.

I didn't even notice that! That just takes it to a whole new level of bad.

In addition to the grammatical and spelling errors, I’m fairly certain the runners are passing the carousel at DISNEYLAND.

JUST AWFUL.

Well, having never been to Disneyland, I wouldn't know about that....but the "offical" sunglass retailer must have been too cheap to spring for a decent ad for their "high-prefomance" sunglasses (2 errors in one word....that's impressive). I didn't even bother to read the tiny print on the side of the page...there were plenty of mistakes in the main body. Your vs you're mistakes drive me nuts, as do there/their/they're mistakes, too/two/to, whether/weather, then/than...well, you get the idea. Again, I wonder, don't they have an editor???

I knew I could count on my WDWMagic people to find the errors!