Trip Reports
02-21-2007, 08:56 PM
Sue Holland - October 2005 - Saratoga Springs Resort
Time of Year: Fall
Travel Method: Personal car
Resort: SSR
Accommodations: Standard rooms
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran, DVC Member
Comments: Sue chronicles her short trip to Walt Disney World to participate in the Race for the Taste 10K run.
Sue Holland -- September 2005 - Walt Disney World (SSR)
Note: As Sue spent time at Pleasure Island and in other adult venues on this trip, this report has some information that may not be appropriate for young readers.
Who/When/Where:
Who:
Sue (me - 45), DVC member
SB (Sexy Boyfriend) - 48
Dates: October 8-9, 2005
Travel Method: Personal car
Resort: Saratoga Springs Resort
INTRODUCTION:
This will definitely be one of my shortest trips ever – just overnight! Several months ago I got an email from Disney talking about the Race for the Taste 10K run for whatever reason I thought it made sense to sign up for it. Actually, I figured doing a 6.2 mile run at this point in my training for the January half-marathon would be a piece of cake, but that was before I lost my focus/determination. My training this year has sucked – there’s no better word for it. I run 5-6 days a week, but have not been doing the long runs necessary to build endurance to actually run the half marathon. So, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’ll be walking a portion of both the 10K this trip and the half marathon in January. Even more importantly, I think I’ve finally learned to NOT sign up for another running event, lol!
Originally we had planned to spend a few days after the run, but when SB had the opportunity to work a post-season league in Ft Myers we cut it down to just the weekend and added the days to our January trip. He has to work most of the day Saturday, so I’ll drive up early that morning and take care of picking up my race materials before spending time lounging by the pool. He’s got a 5pm flight out of Ft Myers that gets into Orlando airport at 5:45. Originally I planned to pick him up at the airport, but then I remembered the Magical Express thing and mentioned it to him. He said he could take that, so I called DVC to make his reservation. It saves me losing an hour of my day driving to/from the airport, and from what I’ve read on the internet it seems to be working well. He did recently comment “you mean you’re not going to pick me up?” – men! Let’s hope it’s a good experience or I may never hear the end of how I left him stranded at the airport in order to lay around the pool .
We’re staying at Saratoga Springs, in a studio. Since the race begins at 7am Sunday and I’ll undoubtedly need to be at the start hours before, I wasn’t planning on going to the Comedy Warehouse Saturday night. However, SB brought it up, suggesting we go for the first show or 2 and make it an early night. It doesn’t take much arm-twisting to get me there, so that’s a definite possibility.
Sunday after the race we’ll have lunch and then head back to Ft Myers. He remembered enjoying Whispering Canyon last year, so we’re booked there at noon. There really isn’t time for any theme park or Food & Wine stuff, so we’ll wait to get our park passes when we return in early November.
The current plans (subject to change) so far...
Sat 9/3: Drive to WDW, 10K Expo, Pool, SB Arrives, Comedy Warehouse
Sun 9/4: Race for the Taste 10K, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Drive Home
DAY 1 SATURDAY OCTOBER 8, 2005:
Plan: Drive to WDW, 10K Expo, Pool, SB Arrives, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: I was on the road by 6:30, lucky to have a very easy drive this time (no traffic). Upon arrival at Saratoga Springs the check-in process went quickly, but as expected my studio was not ready yet. During Food & Wine Festival, it’s tough to find a studio empty anywhere, even on a Friday night! I headed over to Wide World of Sports to pick up my stuff for the run, and was surprised to see the parking lots full of cars! They had several different tournaments going on, which filled the complex. I expected the expo to be similar to the one Marathon Weekend, but this one seemed more like an afterthought. Instead of filling the downstairs, they had it in a small area upstairs – and it was not busy at all! There were only 1-2 vendors at most, so it didn’t take any time to finish up there. I signed my waiver, got my runner number, then went to the right line (all lines were empty) to pick up my bag of stuff. Besides the chip and bib, everyone got an apron that says Race for the Taste 10K & the date, a measuring spoon thing, button, deodorant sample (I laughed at this, as SB just ran out of deodorant at home and we hadn’t gotten more yet – this sample was a men’s deodorant), and advertisements for several other upcoming runs (which I quickly threw in the trash – no more runs for me).
After finishing up at Wide World of Sports I drove back to Saratoga Springs and hung out at the main pool for a couple of hours. It was busy, but not too bad. I read some magazines, and around noon went up to Artist’s Palette hoping to get a yogurt parfait for lunch. I was shocked to see a huge line inside – it almost extended out the door to the outside! I’ve always been afraid as this resort came close to being fully built the common areas would not be sufficient to handle the number of people, and today at least that appears to be true even though there are several more buildings due to open. It will most likely impact my future decisions on whether or not to stay here. There were no yogurt parfaits left in the refrigerator case, but a cast member brought me one from out back – I was really happy to avoid having to stand in that long line, but I did stand in line at the cash register. The place was mobbed with guests, and they had 1 of the 3 registers unavailable because they were filling the guest grocery orders over there (at noon – peak lunch time). The cast members were all very friendly & bent over backwards to be helpful – I think their jobs would have been easier if the grocery orders were done AFTER the lunch rush, though!
Back out at the pool I ate my yogurt parfait and laid in the sun a while longer. About 1 the studio was ready, so I headed over to check it out. My requests were met – Downtown Disney view, non-smoking, top floor. I was in the building closest to the path to the Marketplace, but unfortunately never had the opportunity to walk over there this weekend. Everything in the studio looked fresh, clean and working properly – no complaints here. I really like that the door to the connecting 1 bedroom is down the hall at the entrance rather than in the middle of the sleeping area. A family with 2 young boys was next door and we never heard a peep from over there.
After a shower I went over to Premium Outlets and Publix. Character Premiere didn’t have anything of interest, so my trip was pretty short. Back at Saratoga Springs I talked to SB a few times and just relaxed in the studio. His flight was due to leave Ft Myers at 5:05, but it ended up being delayed until about 6. I decided to wait for him at the Turf Club, and got over there about 6:30. His flight got in around then, but with Magical Express he didn’t get to the resort until 8. His bus stopped at French Quarter, Riverside, Old Key West, and finally Saratoga Springs. I enjoyed a glass of wine while waiting for him, and noticed one of the food items available was a jumbo chili dog. I figured chances were good he’d want that. When he arrived I went out to meet the bus and brought him back to the Turf Club. I really like it in there – it’s comfortable, the cast member did a great job, and it’s never crowded. We sat on one of the sofas and watched a movie while we enjoyed some food & drinks. As expected, he got the jumbo chili dog and I ordered the fruit & cheese plate. Both were very good, although there was too much cheese for us to eat. We headed back to the studio to catch the end of the movie, and called it a night. Although we’d originally planned to attend Comedy Warehouse shows, the flight delay pretty much killed that. Besides, it was nice just relaxing in an un-crowded setting for a change!
DAY 2 SUNDAY OCTOBER 9, 2005:
Plan: Race for the Taste 10K, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Drive Home
Actual: We were planning to leave at 6, so I was up at 5 to get ready and have something to eat before the run. At 6 we drove over to Epcot, and parked near the finish line area. Buses were lined up to transport runners and spectators to the start line, and would run between the 2 points continuously from 6 to 10 am. There is no transportation provided from the resorts to the start line, so people have to either drive or get a taxi. At the start line SB was able to stay with me, which is quite different from the marathon! They also don’t have corrals for the runners – everyone just starts together from wherever they happen to be standing in the start area. I was near the front – in fact, when they counted down and got to zero, the fireworks burst nearly gave me a heart attack because it was right over me. SB was shocked too – jumped a mile . It was nice to be able to stay with him until the last minute, and for him to experience the start of the run. Once I was gone he took a bus back to the finish line and waited for me there.
The run started out pretty tightly packed, but eventually people thinned out. For a long while it was silent except for the sound of thousands of sneakers hitting the pavement – it was pretty awesome, as it was still dark at that point. The run actually started 10 minutes late because people were still arriving – I did not agree with that decision but what the hell (they didn’t ask me ). I had no idea what kind of pace I was keeping, and was surprised at the 1 mile mark to find it was just barely 10 minutes. Normal for me is 12-13 minute miles, so my first mile today was quite fast for me (and I could feel it). We ran out of WWOS to the main road and took a left (as going towards AK) to run for quite a while. Eventually we turned towards MGM Studios and it was probably at least 2 miles before we set foot in the park. They had water & food every 2 miles, and at the 2-mile stop the food was Cabot cheese (I passed on the cheese, took the water). Inside the Studios we eventually entered the motor vehicle stunt show theater, which was pretty cool. I’d never seen the inside, and they had a camera taping us and showing the film of us running up on the big screens! They also had a still photographer snapping as we ran by. The course took us through the Osborne Lights area (the lights are up) and then past Sci-Fi to the Great Movie Ride, then around the lake towards Indiana Jones, to Hollywood Boulevard and out of the park.
From there we ran along the path to the Epcot Resorts, reaching the 4-mile stop just behind the Boardwalk Resort. The food this time was ghiradelli chocolate, so of course I did stop for that! We then ran along the back of the BW Villas, up the hill to the bridge by the Swan, then around past the Yacht Club and Beach Club before entering Epcot. We came into World Showcase at United Kingdom, and ran all the way around the countries (all but Canada). It wasn’t as impressive as during the half marathon last January, because back then we had the torches & lights lit, and music playing. Running through today was still pretty, but it didn’t have that “WOW” factor. The final food stop was for bread, which I passed on. We exited World Showcase after Mexico, and ran through Future World, exiting the park on the side away from the bus stop area. After coming around the final curves I was thrilled to see the finish line in sight! This time I was able to pace myself and run across the finish line without stopping just short. I was scanning the crowd, and spotted SB standing right at the finish line watching me. I was so glad to have him there! Once I crossed the line they cut the chip off my sneaker, and I went over to SB before wandering around a bit.
They had the usual water, Danish, bagels, fruit available for the runners. In addition, there were at least 3 booths from the Food & Wine Festival set up. We were all given bracelets that entitled us to 3 samples. They were giving bracelets to the spectators as well, but SB & I really didn’t want or need 6 items at this point. I got a potato pierogie at one booth and got 2 of the bbq with corn bread. The bbq was very good, and the corn bread was excellent. It was starting to rain/mist lightly, so we headed back to the car and drove back to the resort so I could shower.
Overall the run was a good experience, although I still do NOT enjoy running and at several points wished I could just stop and get a ride to the finish line . I had to do a mix of running and walking, since my training has gone so poorly this year. However, I finished the race standing, and lived to tell about it . Also, I think my overall pace will end up being 12 minutes and a few seconds per mile, which I can be happy with. My pace at the half marathon last January was just under 15 minute miles.
After I cleaned up we put everything in the car and drove over to the Marketplace. We’d changed our minds once again, and decided that a heavy Whispering Canyon meal was too much just before a 3-hour drive. So, we went to Earl of Sandwich instead since we both like that. I ate most of my caprese, and he got roast beef. We were both pretty tired, but got home safely by 2-2:30.
Overall it was a great trip, although as we were discussing in the car – driving 6 hours round-trip and flying someone up in order to run 6.2 miles is a bit much . SB kept saying he couldn’t believe how many people are out so early trying to kill themselves (referring to the runners). I’m looking forward to the trip next month, when we can stay for several nights and show SB more of WDW.
Sue Holland
Time of Year: Fall
Travel Method: Personal car
Resort: SSR
Accommodations: Standard rooms
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran, DVC Member
Comments: Sue chronicles her short trip to Walt Disney World to participate in the Race for the Taste 10K run.
Sue Holland -- September 2005 - Walt Disney World (SSR)
Note: As Sue spent time at Pleasure Island and in other adult venues on this trip, this report has some information that may not be appropriate for young readers.
Who/When/Where:
Who:
Sue (me - 45), DVC member
SB (Sexy Boyfriend) - 48
Dates: October 8-9, 2005
Travel Method: Personal car
Resort: Saratoga Springs Resort
INTRODUCTION:
This will definitely be one of my shortest trips ever – just overnight! Several months ago I got an email from Disney talking about the Race for the Taste 10K run for whatever reason I thought it made sense to sign up for it. Actually, I figured doing a 6.2 mile run at this point in my training for the January half-marathon would be a piece of cake, but that was before I lost my focus/determination. My training this year has sucked – there’s no better word for it. I run 5-6 days a week, but have not been doing the long runs necessary to build endurance to actually run the half marathon. So, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’ll be walking a portion of both the 10K this trip and the half marathon in January. Even more importantly, I think I’ve finally learned to NOT sign up for another running event, lol!
Originally we had planned to spend a few days after the run, but when SB had the opportunity to work a post-season league in Ft Myers we cut it down to just the weekend and added the days to our January trip. He has to work most of the day Saturday, so I’ll drive up early that morning and take care of picking up my race materials before spending time lounging by the pool. He’s got a 5pm flight out of Ft Myers that gets into Orlando airport at 5:45. Originally I planned to pick him up at the airport, but then I remembered the Magical Express thing and mentioned it to him. He said he could take that, so I called DVC to make his reservation. It saves me losing an hour of my day driving to/from the airport, and from what I’ve read on the internet it seems to be working well. He did recently comment “you mean you’re not going to pick me up?” – men! Let’s hope it’s a good experience or I may never hear the end of how I left him stranded at the airport in order to lay around the pool .
We’re staying at Saratoga Springs, in a studio. Since the race begins at 7am Sunday and I’ll undoubtedly need to be at the start hours before, I wasn’t planning on going to the Comedy Warehouse Saturday night. However, SB brought it up, suggesting we go for the first show or 2 and make it an early night. It doesn’t take much arm-twisting to get me there, so that’s a definite possibility.
Sunday after the race we’ll have lunch and then head back to Ft Myers. He remembered enjoying Whispering Canyon last year, so we’re booked there at noon. There really isn’t time for any theme park or Food & Wine stuff, so we’ll wait to get our park passes when we return in early November.
The current plans (subject to change) so far...
Sat 9/3: Drive to WDW, 10K Expo, Pool, SB Arrives, Comedy Warehouse
Sun 9/4: Race for the Taste 10K, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Drive Home
DAY 1 SATURDAY OCTOBER 8, 2005:
Plan: Drive to WDW, 10K Expo, Pool, SB Arrives, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: I was on the road by 6:30, lucky to have a very easy drive this time (no traffic). Upon arrival at Saratoga Springs the check-in process went quickly, but as expected my studio was not ready yet. During Food & Wine Festival, it’s tough to find a studio empty anywhere, even on a Friday night! I headed over to Wide World of Sports to pick up my stuff for the run, and was surprised to see the parking lots full of cars! They had several different tournaments going on, which filled the complex. I expected the expo to be similar to the one Marathon Weekend, but this one seemed more like an afterthought. Instead of filling the downstairs, they had it in a small area upstairs – and it was not busy at all! There were only 1-2 vendors at most, so it didn’t take any time to finish up there. I signed my waiver, got my runner number, then went to the right line (all lines were empty) to pick up my bag of stuff. Besides the chip and bib, everyone got an apron that says Race for the Taste 10K & the date, a measuring spoon thing, button, deodorant sample (I laughed at this, as SB just ran out of deodorant at home and we hadn’t gotten more yet – this sample was a men’s deodorant), and advertisements for several other upcoming runs (which I quickly threw in the trash – no more runs for me).
After finishing up at Wide World of Sports I drove back to Saratoga Springs and hung out at the main pool for a couple of hours. It was busy, but not too bad. I read some magazines, and around noon went up to Artist’s Palette hoping to get a yogurt parfait for lunch. I was shocked to see a huge line inside – it almost extended out the door to the outside! I’ve always been afraid as this resort came close to being fully built the common areas would not be sufficient to handle the number of people, and today at least that appears to be true even though there are several more buildings due to open. It will most likely impact my future decisions on whether or not to stay here. There were no yogurt parfaits left in the refrigerator case, but a cast member brought me one from out back – I was really happy to avoid having to stand in that long line, but I did stand in line at the cash register. The place was mobbed with guests, and they had 1 of the 3 registers unavailable because they were filling the guest grocery orders over there (at noon – peak lunch time). The cast members were all very friendly & bent over backwards to be helpful – I think their jobs would have been easier if the grocery orders were done AFTER the lunch rush, though!
Back out at the pool I ate my yogurt parfait and laid in the sun a while longer. About 1 the studio was ready, so I headed over to check it out. My requests were met – Downtown Disney view, non-smoking, top floor. I was in the building closest to the path to the Marketplace, but unfortunately never had the opportunity to walk over there this weekend. Everything in the studio looked fresh, clean and working properly – no complaints here. I really like that the door to the connecting 1 bedroom is down the hall at the entrance rather than in the middle of the sleeping area. A family with 2 young boys was next door and we never heard a peep from over there.
After a shower I went over to Premium Outlets and Publix. Character Premiere didn’t have anything of interest, so my trip was pretty short. Back at Saratoga Springs I talked to SB a few times and just relaxed in the studio. His flight was due to leave Ft Myers at 5:05, but it ended up being delayed until about 6. I decided to wait for him at the Turf Club, and got over there about 6:30. His flight got in around then, but with Magical Express he didn’t get to the resort until 8. His bus stopped at French Quarter, Riverside, Old Key West, and finally Saratoga Springs. I enjoyed a glass of wine while waiting for him, and noticed one of the food items available was a jumbo chili dog. I figured chances were good he’d want that. When he arrived I went out to meet the bus and brought him back to the Turf Club. I really like it in there – it’s comfortable, the cast member did a great job, and it’s never crowded. We sat on one of the sofas and watched a movie while we enjoyed some food & drinks. As expected, he got the jumbo chili dog and I ordered the fruit & cheese plate. Both were very good, although there was too much cheese for us to eat. We headed back to the studio to catch the end of the movie, and called it a night. Although we’d originally planned to attend Comedy Warehouse shows, the flight delay pretty much killed that. Besides, it was nice just relaxing in an un-crowded setting for a change!
DAY 2 SUNDAY OCTOBER 9, 2005:
Plan: Race for the Taste 10K, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Drive Home
Actual: We were planning to leave at 6, so I was up at 5 to get ready and have something to eat before the run. At 6 we drove over to Epcot, and parked near the finish line area. Buses were lined up to transport runners and spectators to the start line, and would run between the 2 points continuously from 6 to 10 am. There is no transportation provided from the resorts to the start line, so people have to either drive or get a taxi. At the start line SB was able to stay with me, which is quite different from the marathon! They also don’t have corrals for the runners – everyone just starts together from wherever they happen to be standing in the start area. I was near the front – in fact, when they counted down and got to zero, the fireworks burst nearly gave me a heart attack because it was right over me. SB was shocked too – jumped a mile . It was nice to be able to stay with him until the last minute, and for him to experience the start of the run. Once I was gone he took a bus back to the finish line and waited for me there.
The run started out pretty tightly packed, but eventually people thinned out. For a long while it was silent except for the sound of thousands of sneakers hitting the pavement – it was pretty awesome, as it was still dark at that point. The run actually started 10 minutes late because people were still arriving – I did not agree with that decision but what the hell (they didn’t ask me ). I had no idea what kind of pace I was keeping, and was surprised at the 1 mile mark to find it was just barely 10 minutes. Normal for me is 12-13 minute miles, so my first mile today was quite fast for me (and I could feel it). We ran out of WWOS to the main road and took a left (as going towards AK) to run for quite a while. Eventually we turned towards MGM Studios and it was probably at least 2 miles before we set foot in the park. They had water & food every 2 miles, and at the 2-mile stop the food was Cabot cheese (I passed on the cheese, took the water). Inside the Studios we eventually entered the motor vehicle stunt show theater, which was pretty cool. I’d never seen the inside, and they had a camera taping us and showing the film of us running up on the big screens! They also had a still photographer snapping as we ran by. The course took us through the Osborne Lights area (the lights are up) and then past Sci-Fi to the Great Movie Ride, then around the lake towards Indiana Jones, to Hollywood Boulevard and out of the park.
From there we ran along the path to the Epcot Resorts, reaching the 4-mile stop just behind the Boardwalk Resort. The food this time was ghiradelli chocolate, so of course I did stop for that! We then ran along the back of the BW Villas, up the hill to the bridge by the Swan, then around past the Yacht Club and Beach Club before entering Epcot. We came into World Showcase at United Kingdom, and ran all the way around the countries (all but Canada). It wasn’t as impressive as during the half marathon last January, because back then we had the torches & lights lit, and music playing. Running through today was still pretty, but it didn’t have that “WOW” factor. The final food stop was for bread, which I passed on. We exited World Showcase after Mexico, and ran through Future World, exiting the park on the side away from the bus stop area. After coming around the final curves I was thrilled to see the finish line in sight! This time I was able to pace myself and run across the finish line without stopping just short. I was scanning the crowd, and spotted SB standing right at the finish line watching me. I was so glad to have him there! Once I crossed the line they cut the chip off my sneaker, and I went over to SB before wandering around a bit.
They had the usual water, Danish, bagels, fruit available for the runners. In addition, there were at least 3 booths from the Food & Wine Festival set up. We were all given bracelets that entitled us to 3 samples. They were giving bracelets to the spectators as well, but SB & I really didn’t want or need 6 items at this point. I got a potato pierogie at one booth and got 2 of the bbq with corn bread. The bbq was very good, and the corn bread was excellent. It was starting to rain/mist lightly, so we headed back to the car and drove back to the resort so I could shower.
Overall the run was a good experience, although I still do NOT enjoy running and at several points wished I could just stop and get a ride to the finish line . I had to do a mix of running and walking, since my training has gone so poorly this year. However, I finished the race standing, and lived to tell about it . Also, I think my overall pace will end up being 12 minutes and a few seconds per mile, which I can be happy with. My pace at the half marathon last January was just under 15 minute miles.
After I cleaned up we put everything in the car and drove over to the Marketplace. We’d changed our minds once again, and decided that a heavy Whispering Canyon meal was too much just before a 3-hour drive. So, we went to Earl of Sandwich instead since we both like that. I ate most of my caprese, and he got roast beef. We were both pretty tired, but got home safely by 2-2:30.
Overall it was a great trip, although as we were discussing in the car – driving 6 hours round-trip and flying someone up in order to run 6.2 miles is a bit much . SB kept saying he couldn’t believe how many people are out so early trying to kill themselves (referring to the runners). I’m looking forward to the trip next month, when we can stay for several nights and show SB more of WDW.
Sue Holland