A Disney Vacation And A Race Too
I wish I was back in Disney. I wish I was back in Disney. Someone please give me some pixie dust…
The husband, Lucas and I headed down to Orlando, FL last Thursday for the Disney Half Marathon weekend. I ran the full marathon in 2011, stayed at the Polynesian and loved it so I booked us again at the Hawaiian themed resort.
After an easy flight, where Lucas fell asleep and we arrived at the gate 20 minutes early, we boarded the Disney Magical Express and headed toward the Polynesian. Since we were up before 4am to catch an early flight, the hubs and Lucas took a nap while I hit the expo.
I must have been spoiled by prior Disney races but the expo was a madhouse. It was so crowded and cramped that I found it not enjoyable. Instead of browsing the aisles, I grabbed my bib and shirt and ran out of there.
Friday morning the hubs had to work so L and I headed to the Magic Kingdom.
We arrived 30 minutes early so we hung out for a while and watched the workers get ready for the day.
After the ropes were removed, L and I were off to ride all the Fantasyland rides. L’s favorite, by far, was Small World with Ariel’s new ride coming in a distant second. We ended up riding Small World 3 times last weekend.
Friday afternoon was spent at Epcot and dinner was at Britain’s Rose & Crown Pub (LOVED!). We were back in the room by 7pm and I laid out all my gear for the following morning. The alarm clock went off at 3:15am (ughh early Disney races) and I got dressed in the bathroom so I wouldn’t wake the guys. I picked up a coffee at Captain Cook’s and headed to the Monorail.
The monorail was super easy and I got to the race start in about 10 minutes. A quick walk to the holding area and I was greeted by another scene of chaos. SOOO MANY PEOPLE. I have never seen anything like this and it was my 3rd Disney race. It was so crowded that it took me from 4am to 5:20am to wait on a 15 minute port-0-potty line, walk to the corrals and get in my corral. If Disney is going to have that large of volume of runners in the future then they need to figure out a way to make the start smoother. I heard that people missed the start and those who had to take the bus from hotels were stuck in traffic. I definitely got lucky with the monorail.
I was placed in Corral A but as soon as the fireworks started, I knew it wasn’t going to be my day. It was only 5:30am but I was already hot and my legs were tired. Oh well, guess I will just enjoy the day. I ended up running the half in 2:09:32 and was pleasantly surprised that the finish area wasn’t crowded when I got there. One blessing in a crowded day.
The hubs and L were waiting for me back at the hotel and we enjoyed some Mickey waffles together. The 3 of us spent the morning at Magic Kingdom, headed to Hollywood Studios in the afternoon and ate at Epcot that night.
The three of us had a wonderful time on our 1st family vacation and the hubs even agreed that we can do this every other year. YAY!!!! His one request: we only stay at the Polynesian. I think staying there gets you spoiled with the monorail and we were definitely spoiled.
Favorite Ride: Tower of Terror and this time I got to ride it. Last time I was in Disney, I was pregnant and couldn’t ride.
Favorite Restaurant: Rose & Crown Pub in Epcot’s Britain. Food was awesome, service was great and we got a table outside. Bonus for Mr. L would couldn’t get enough of the warm Florida weather.
L’s Favorite Ride: Small World
Get a Fastpass For: Ariel’s new ride in the new Fantasyland. I did both times and we just hopped on.
Best Kept Secret About the Polynesian: There is a Dole Whip Pineapple/Ice Cream machine in Captain Cook’s. What??? Awesome!
Best Tip for Running The Disney Half: Submit your prior race times and get in a good corral. Less crowds at the start, running the race and at the finish line.
Best Baby at Disney Tip: Go back to the hotel in the afternoon for a nap. It was hot while we were in Florida (86 degrees) and by the time L was done napping, it was much cooler outside.
January 18, 2013
This entry was posted in Baby, Medals, Photos, Race Recaps, Races, Running, Uncategorized, Vacation and tagged Disney Half Marathon, disney world, Donald Duck Medal, race, race recap, race review, run, running.
I ran the full marathon this year, my first. It was awesome, much cooler than I anticipated. I’m now thinking of doing the Goofy Challenge next year!
The start was terrible!!!! I told my friend (who was running her first half) that Disney usually does much better with crowd control. We were in that mess for an hour and half. We had planned to arrive early to our chute and sit down. The slow shuffle in the massive crowd to the chutes made for a very tiring race once we got started!! I’m glad you had fun. I’ll definitely be looking into the Polynesian for my next trip!
OMG he is a little man!!! I can’t believe all of his teeth! WOW!!! He SO doesn’t look like a baby. SO CUTE!!! And hey, I can’t even imagine walking 13 miles never mind running them! HA!
I was also assigned to Corral A but it was so crowded that I had to literally run on the slanted, wet grass on the side of the crowds to get there just as Corral A started. This was my 5th Disney race and it has NEVER been as crowded as it was this time. Hopefully, they will cut back on the race registration numbers because everything from the expo to the race was way too crowded! It’s a good thing you didn’t bring L to the expo. He wouldn’t have liked that at all!
So glad you had a good time! I can’t believe how big L is getting. And the teeth – look at him. I can just see him taking on that waffle.
It’s a bummer you didn’t have a better race but such a great attitude and time make up for it.