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Thread: Savvy's 2015 Coast to Coast Part 1: Princess

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    Savvy's 2015 Coast to Coast Part 1: Princess

    Savvy's 2015 Princess Half Weekend
    DATES: 2/20/15 - 2/23/15
    TRAVEL: EWR to MCO via United, Magical Express
    RESORT: Yacht Club
    PARTY: Me (Savvy), 26 and Sis (23)
    HIGHLIGHTS: Glass Slipper Challenge and surprising Sis with the hotel

    I apologize, I'm quite late with this. Life got in the way.

    Anyway, 2015 is my Coast to Coast year, and here's the first installment for you.

    PRE-TRIP REPORT


    I'm so ridiculously excited for this trip, I started writing the report two months in advance. I meant to post this before leaving so it's written in future tense. Feel free to skip ahead. I'm too lazy to rewrite it.

    In summary, Sis and I will be flying down for the weekend to do the Glass Slipper Challenge, the Enchanted 10K on Saturday, followed by the Princess Half Marathon on Sunday. We went as a family last year and loved it. We'll also be making trips to CA for Tink in May and Wine & Dine next November, but I couldn't resist this race again.

    Plus, the weekend is Frozen-themed this year, and who doesn't need some Frozen medals in their life? I mean, I couldn't even resist the Frozen cereal I saw in the grocery store the other day - which was not that great if I'm being honest.

    So anyway.

    Last summer, I booked a stay at Port Orleans French Quarter for Princess Weekend as a sort of place holder. I wasn't convinced I could afford it but really wanted to make the trip. Some part of me knew there was no going back after getting that confirmation email. With at least one family trip already on the books for 2015, my options fell down to convincing my DBF or my sister. I've dragged DBF down to Florida quite a few times already, and we do really need to save money, so I eliminated him. Sis is always a willing participant, but she and her boyfriend are also saving. So although I'd be stretching my wallet, I decided on a bare-bones, surprise sister/sister trip, with the majority of the expenses covered by yours truly. I thought I'd register the two of us for GSC in August, then think up a creative way to spring it on her.

    That plan lasted like a month.

    Sis spotted a piece of Disney mail about our "February" trip, and the surprise was spoiled. She was psyched; I was annoyed she robbed me of "the big reveal" I'd been planning. On registration day, however, I was nothing but thankful she could sit at home and register us. Active.com basically went into meltdown mode as tens of thousands of princesses tried to register at noon, and what should have taken 5 minutes took her 2 hours.

    Sis later got some money to cover her portion of the trip and refused to let me foot the bill. That got me thinking I might be able to steal my "surprise thunder" back. I reached out to our family's Small Worlds travel agent to get a quote for the Yacht and Beach Clubs. For three nights, I thought the price was reasonable. I asked her to update our resort to Yacht.

    Sis, however, has been making it a very difficult secret to keep. First, she wanted to cancel our reservations and book a DVC rental. She dangled the idea of staying at AKL in front of my face because I'd always wanted to stay there, so I came up with some excuse to shoot that down. Then, as we work at the same place, she wanted to have in-depth discussions on our lunch break about which POFQ building we should request to stay in. Then she was spending all of her downtime reading POFQ reviews online, listening to the soundtrack from the Princess and the Frog, and essentially getting herself all worked up for a resort we're not staying in.

    I nearly blew the secret when our travel agent emailed me to say room discounts had come out and she'd already saved me 30%. In my excitement, I sent Sis a screenshot of the email. Ten seconds later I realized what I had done, and cue the Tower of Terror feeling in my stomach. Thankfully it didn't reference the resort, nor did she realize that the amount saved would be too much for what she thought was 20% off at POFQ.

    Everything else fell into place very piecemeal. We finally got our vacation time approved in December, including Monday of the trip - which, YAY, because I really didn't want to hop on a plane after running 19 miles. Our Dad was very generous and gifted us his miles, so we got one set of airline tickets for free. Then our uncle, who has done a few Run Disney races with us, also gifted us the cost of the Race Retreat for Christmas.

    Training has been rough. I made it to about 6 miles in my long run before we got our first snow. From then on, the limited daylight, icy roads, and extreme cold made this a treadmill-only affair.

    I dealt with runner's knee, plantar fasciitis, and some sort of tendonitis in my baby toe, all of which set me back quite a bit. Two weeks before race day, I managed a pained 9.5 mile run on a rare 40 degree day, which isn't ideal, but itll do.

    ****

    DAY 0 - PRE-PRINCESS PREP

    I spent the week slowly packing and was ready to go by Thursday morning. But first, I had a full day of work.

    I grabbed my dog's weekend bag and dropped him off at DBF's house, which is basically like sending him on a vacation of his own: lots of room to run, lavish attention, and I'm sure a number of snacks he would never get at home. He didn't look back as I walked out the door. In theory that's upsetting, but it does make travel easier when I know he's as happy as a pig in...mud.

    Anywho. I got to work before Sis and left a surprise on her desk: her Magic Band, which I had decorated with a Run Disney decal and sat atop some sparkly stuffing in a box. The decals were cute but once we started wearing the bands, they did tend to get caught on our sleeves and peel off. I'm also not totally sure the seller should be selling them, as they are the exact Run Disney logo.

    After getting through the day, I stopped home, threw everything in the car, and drove over to my parents' house, as Dad was giving us a lift to the airport tomorrow. Sis and I arrived at the same time and chatted with Mom and Dad awhile. The topic of conversation remained on our "staying" in Port Orleans for a while, which got uncomfortable. Sis was really into the idea of taking the boat to Downtown and eating beignets, and Mom and Dad were fueling the fire. I also felt bad they weren't coming with us. We normally take these trips as a family, and Dad especially was having a hard time hiding his disappointment.

    Mom, however, used the opportunity to drop a bomb: theyre taking a cruise on the Fantasy, without us. Now I'm fine with that, but Sis went a little nuclear. She's been craving a Disney cruise for years. She'll get over it I'm sure. Eventually.

    We moved the party upstairs and tried to rearrange our bags as best we could. We were both carrying on, but our bags were bursting at the seams. We had to empty everything out and eliminate what we could. This included my foam roller, plantar fasciitis boot, and throw-away sweats for before any chilly races - big mistake! But it had to be done. We argued over what time to leave for the airport and said our goodbyes to Mom.

    DAY 1 - A FITTING FROZEN WELCOME


    I ended up getting to bed later than I wanted, around 10 I think, but fell asleep pretty quickly. Our family dog, who is going on 14 years old but still acts like a total clown, started crying at my door around 2 am. Assuming she wanted in bed with me, I zombie-walked over to let her in. She stood there wagging her tail for a moment before tearing down the hall and disappearing into the room Sis was sleeping in. I threw my hands up in the air and tried to go back to sleep, but I just dozed until the alarm went off at 3. I rinsed off, threw the rest of my things together, and dragged my suitcase downstairs.

    Dad got the car going to warm it up, and we were on the road by 3:30. The car said it was 3 degrees outside, and I was looking forward to getting into an environment where it didnt physically hurt to breathe. Dad got us to Newark in no time and left us at the terminal a little after 4. Having purchased Sis's set of tickets with his miles, she was given premier access, so we skipped a sizable line at security and had plenty of time to wander the terminal. I hoped a good breakfast would ease the fatigue I was feeling, but there's been some sort of franchise overhaul in Newark. Dad flies frequently and thinks all the leases were up at the same time, including those for Dunkin' Donuts, McDonalds, and a cute little diner. Theyve been replaced with some less-than ideal stuff. Therefore I was stuck waiting for a no-name pizza place to open at 5 and start serving their mediocre breakfast foods. I ordered a plain bagel, which they toasted in a multi-hundred-degree pizza oven, then immediately slathered in approximately half a cup of peanut butter; Ill never think of the term "hot mess" again. I ate half of it then cleaned myself up in the bathroom.

    Premier access won again at boarding time as we sidled into boarding group 2. I was technically boarding group 4 and getting nervous they were going to give me the axe, but Dad insisted family is always allowed to board together in the lower group. I cared because they were advising groups 4 and 5 to check their bags, and I really wasn't willing to part with my running gear. I died a little when a couple in front of us were sent shamefully away for being in the wrong group. Dad's intuitions, however, proved correct, and we both boarded without a problem. While watching everyone file in, it was obvious that quite a few Princesses were on board: lots of cute running sneakers and Disney Vera Bradley bags.
    We both swiped our tv's and watched Big Hero 6; I thought it was a really cute movie. I could have done without the dramatic death of yet another beloved character, but it wouldn't be a Disney movie without that, would it? My seatmate was a jaded businessman who had good plane etiquette other than a minor case of arm-rest hogging. So it was an enjoyable and uneventful flight.

    By 9 am we had touched down in Orlando, which was sunny but 39 degrees. My adrenaline was going as we moved throughout the terminal and approached the Magical Express desk. FINALLY, the moment I had been waiting for was here - my big Yacht surprise! I mean, I am an awful secret keeper. This was a big deal for me.

    We did our initial tap-in and moved toward the second CM. I hung in the background and let Sis tap her Magic Band again. The CM cheerily confirmed our names - though they had Sis's first and last names backwards - and that we were staying at the Yacht Club. For a split second I thought she wasn't going to pick up on it, but then the confused smile came over her face. I said "Surprise!" and she got all emotional on me, happy but exasperated at the same time. She said a few things about this being ridiculous, but there was a heartfelt "thank you" slipped in there, which I appreciated. On the ride over to the resort, she got more exasperated as she realized how long I'd been keeping the secret, and how Mom and Dad had played considerable supporting roles in tricking her.

    We felt both excited and a bit awkward as the only two people getting off at the Yacht Club and being welcomed home by some cast members. The Yacht Club is really a place for families or older couples, and we did feel a bit out of place as two twenty-somethings checking ourselves in. Nevertheless, the girl at the front desk cleared up Sis's name swap and informed us that our lagoon view room was ready. For once it was my turn to be surprised; Sis and I gave each other a quick side glance and shrugged. We went straight up to the room on the fourth floor and squealed at the view, which overlooked Crescent Lake on the right and the wedding gazebo on the left. Im not sure how we got the free upgrade, but I wasn't complaining!

    We freshened up, and I put my contacts in so I wouldn't be constantly swapping glasses and sunglasses. Normally I'd also change out of my plane clothes, but as the jeans on my body were one of two pairs of pants I brought with me, I decided to keep them on. We were both starving and went to the Beach Club Marketplace for a second breakfast. While gluttonously chowing down on an egg and potato platters, I used the My Disney Experience app to swap around some of our Fast Passes for today. I found the process pretty easy and secured a few spots in Magic Kingdom. I brought my coffee with me to the bus stop, where we stood in the few spots of sun we could find while waiting for an expo bus. Only a few other Princesses gathered to wait with us before it showed up 20 minutes later. Once at Wide World of Sports, we hurried a little faster than usual, as the light sweatshirts we brought were not quite warm enough. You'd think a few weeks of living in 10 degree weather would have toughened us up, but I was having none of this cold Florida crap. Everything looked as it should, green and full of life, but the bitter air was all wrong.

    If I remember correctly, Glass Slipper pickup was in the Field House, where they corralled us throughout the building to get our bib and take a photo. Last year we got a simple wristband to pickup our GSC medals; this year the photo was another measure to crack down on any shenanigans. Officials would be checking our 10K results online and also pulling up the photo as a form of ID before handing us a GSC medal. After posing for our money shots, we picked up our three t-shirts and walked over to the Josten center to browse the merchandise. I'd seen most of the vendors a few times before, so we browsed the official merchandise, which had been picked pretty clean. I found a teal, long-sleeve GSC shirt in my size, and Sis picked out a very cute tank top I also would have liked, but they were all out of smalls. I ended up throwing my shirt on right away and was much more comfortable once we got back outside.

    We caught a bus to the Polynesian, at which point I realized I hadnt brought any of my contact stuff with me. I really can't last more than a few hours with them in, so we had to duck into Poly and re-buy drops, solution, and a case. We also got our first look at the completed lobby, which has some cool glass globes hanging from the ceiling. I didnt care much for the tiny waterfall in the center, which I imagine is a tribute to the colossal one it's since replaced. Outside the pool was still a giant pile of dirt, and the front of the hotel wasn't looking much better. As we walked to the monorail, the cast member said it was down "temporarily" but that a bus would be running. So down to the bus stop it was, where a throng of irritable people mobbed the next bus that pulled up and demanded to know when a Magic Kingdom bus was coming. We didn't hear the conversation, but they pulled away looking crankier than ever, and several split off in the direction of the T&T Center. We gave it a few more minutes before heading that way ourselves and taking a very frosty ride over to Magic Kingdom. Naturally, we saw a Magic Kingdom on the way, and the monorail was back in service too. Yup.

    I was very chilly by the time we entered Main Street, but we made it a point to savor the moment of finally being there. We browsed some of the stores and marveled at the Haunted Mansion Dooney & Burkes in the Emporium. True story: there is a guy whose job is literally to stand there guarding the bags and politely answer your questions about them.

    I managed to pull Sis away from the bags and use our FP's for their namesake attraction. The size of the standby line was a disheartening indicator that we were sharing the park with a LOT of people. We were on and off the ride pretty quickly and ran excitedly into the new HM store. They had a lot of cool merch, a photobooth that turned you into a skeleton (for extra money, of course), and one creepy mirror I suggest not staring into.

    Our next set of FP's for Buzz were an hour away, so we detoured into New Fantasyland to browse the Beauty and the Beast shop. The Voyage of the Little Mermaid was closed for refurbishment already, and all of the other rides in the area had long lines. Even Philarmagic was over 30 minutes. We were feeling a bit peckish and decided to get some ice cream from Auntie Gravitys, even thought it was about 50 degrees. We split the biggest "kid's" cup of soft serve Ive ever seen and still tossed a third of it. Next up was a ride on the People Mover (with a wait), and on our return to Rocket Tower Plaza, we saw a second line for Buzz being wrapped around a few times on the outside of the building. Closer inspection revealed this was the Fastpass line; we gave each other mutual looks of apprehension and decided to pass on that.

    Cold, tired, and several hours away from dinner, we made our way back to the hub and sat against the low construction walls in the center, just in front of the sadly boxed-up Partners statue. I still hadn't seen the Festival of Fantasy parade, so we simply sat here listening to the Main Street music and soaking up some warmth from the sun. While we waited, I tried to change our fastpasses around, only to have the app give me a systems error message. Despite the fact that people had 20 feet of walkway here, several insisted on walking right on top of us, and one woman gave me a pointedly dirty look because I had my feet stretched in front of me. Were I in the WNBA, I might sympathize with her. But I'm short enough to get a handicap pass for my car if I so chose. (I run half marathons, so I don't.)

    For the 30 minutes or so we sat there, we noticed a young man wearing sunglasses and a large backpack hanging around the area. He kept walking back and forth from the center of the hub to the edge, just behind the crowd of people lined up for the parade. His behavior was sketchy enough that we debated saying something to someone. Upon closer inspection, I thought he was more likely undercover security. I made the judgment call based on my own experience working in theme parks, but now I'm thinking we probably should have said something regardless. He seemed likewise just as interested in us, perhaps because we were seated so closely to Partners?

    So anyway, the parade finally started, and I really enjoyed it. Being in the circle, we got to first watch as it entered from Liberty Square, passed the castle, then moved down Main Street. I finally understood what all the fuss was about with the dragon. It's really quite impressive, and I got a great shot of it breathing fire in front of the castle. Once the parade passed, we moved down the other side of Main Street to look at the shops there. I started picking up a few souvenirs and talked Sis out of the $60 Adventureland blanket she was staring at.

    Anxious to escape the crowds, we left the park and took the Monorail for a brief stop in the Contemporary. I took advantage of the quiet bathroom to take out my contacts while Sis browsed the gift shop. We were back upstairs for the Monorail a few minutes later and took it to the Polynesian. 'Ohana didnt open for another hour and the lounge was already pretty full. One family was getting ready to abandon their table and chairs, so we sat on the nearest benches to wait them out. A few minutes later, a group of girls our age ran in and dispersed among the few remaining benches. Meanwhile the line was growing longer at the bar, so I put my bag down in front of/under my seat and got up to get us drinks. I was up maybe 10 seconds before one of the girls literally ran over and sat down in my seat. Sis politely told the girl that I was sitting there, to which she snottily replied, "Right here?" And I promise, I'm not exaggerating one bit with the "snottily" part. It was a bit shocking.

    I started to say that it was fine, I would sit somewhere else so she could be closer to her friends, but she completely ignored me and got up to move. She was nasty enough and I was tired enough to just let her go on her way. Plus, the family got up a minute later and the girls, of course, were on their feet to claim the table immediately. Whatever.

    I managed to get our drinks, and another table did open up. One of the girls even jumped into the seat to claim it for me and Sis, so I appreciated that. We then watched a rather uptight, twitchy woman claim another table, which she would defend viciously for the next 30 minutes. The problem is that she was saving these four chairs while also standing at the long line for the bar. A few people wandered over, saw there were things on the chairs, and walked away or simply mused aloud that they must be taken - at which point she still felt the need to swoop in and aggressively confirm that they were. One couple came over merely to ask if they could look at the untouched menu sitting at "her" table, and she refused, pointing them in the direction of menus in the bar, then stood there muttering to herself after they walked away. I was fascinated by this display of insanity and was quick to look away when her falcon eyes met mine.

    Eager to escape all the drama, we abandoned our table at 5 and went up to the podium to get our buzzer, which went off 5 minutes later. We gorged ourselves and had an enjoyable meal, though I did get smacked in the head with a broom a few times when the coconut race geared up. The waitress also confused me when she brought back half the change I requested. It must have been an honest mistake, but for a minute I thought I had miscalculated the tip wrong and that was her subtle way of informing me I was stiffing her. But no, I crunched the numbers again and had Sis double check me, so I had her bring me the amount requested.

    We briefly contemplated going back to MK after dinner, but according to the wait times on the app, the park hadnt emptied at all. Rather than continue fighting our fatigue, we took the monorail back to MK and walked straight onto a Yacht bus. We stayed on until the Beach stop and picked up a few items for breakfast from the Marketplace. I couldn't find peanut butter anywhere for my bagel, but a cast member was kind enough to get me a few packs from the back. On our way back over to the Yacht side, we saw the pool was completely closed, most likely because of the cold. That was kind of sad.

    Once back in the room, we laid everything out for the 10K tomorrow and turned the lights off at 8. An hour later, we were woken by what I legitimately thought was a bomb going off. It took me a few moments of panic to realize it was just Illuminations, but I couldn't believe how loud it was. Sis said the same thing the next morning, so I'm wondering if our room was in a weird location where we got a louder echo or something. I dozed back to sleep only to be jarred awake again at 9:45 when the room phone rang at full volume. I picked up the phone, and no one was there. Now irritated, I slammed the receiver back down and went to use the bathroom. I came out to find Sis wrapping up a conversation with someone on my cell phone. Apparently we had a delivery and our phone was broken, so they called my cell. Sis told them to bring up the delivery, so I sat there brooding like a total grump until the CM came with a very lovely gift basket and instantly made me feel like a donkey. The basket had a bottle of wine, and I could tell the CM was uncomfortable because she was saying I looked "so young," so I retreated back into the dark room to dig out my license for her, and in my PJ's nonetheless. She bid us goodnight and told us she'd put in a request to get our phone fixed. She was good on her word too. It was fine the next afternoon. Unfortunately I was so tired I didnt even think of tipping her. Not sure if that would have been proper etiquette for a gift delivery, but now I feel bad either way.

    We quickly inspected the basket which my very kind Aunt sent us with a good luck note. It had the wine, two wine glasses, apples, cookies, chocolate Mickey pops, and a large Mickey head basket. All good things, but for now it was back to bed.

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    DAY 2 – ENCHANTED 10K and EPCOT ESCAPADES

    Alarms went off at 3:15. We saw the weather was supposed to be chilly this morning, so we were taking the last bus possible. I hadn't prepared as well as I thought I had last night, so I ate half of my bagel as I moved around the room getting ready. Our shirts came out pretty cute. Sis, as the "Beach Club," had glued sea shells and starfish to some netting, which we pinned to the front of her shirt. As "Yacht Club," I had tied a few tiny sailors' knots into some thin rope and looped it around my torso a few times. I had also drawn, colored, and cut out the logos for each, which we pinned to our backs. Most people probably didn't get it, but a few ladies later made it a point to tell us this was a cute idea. What can I say. We're obsessed with these resorts ok?

    Despite leaving a lot of stuff at home, we both had the foresight to bring long sleeve running shirts, which we wore underneath our Yacht and Beach gear. Unfortunately we didn't bring long pants, so capris would have to do. We braced ourselves for the cold as we left the lobby, though it didn't seem that bad. We heard the people who did the 5K the day before had it much worse - like 20 degrees worse.

    Anyway, we had to wait only a few minutes before a bus came. After a brief stop at Beach Club, we were being dropped off at Epcot and made our way through security to the main area. They had set up heaters throughout the parking lot, and runners were gathered around them like bugs to a light. Any available space was long gone, so we stood a ways back from the DJ and shuffled along to some of the music. We made our way over to the corral area around 4:30 and could immediately feel the difference in temperature now that we weren’t surrounded by so much body heat. It was shaping up to be a chilly hour.

    Though Sis and I had submitted extremely close proof times and were both in corral F for the half, she managed to snag a corral A spot for the 10K, whereas I was stuck with corral B. They stagger the 10K corrals by nearly 12 minutes, so I was really kicking myself for not submitting the same time as Sis, from a 10K we had nearly killed ourselves to do quickly last fall. It was only 2 minutes faster than the time I submitted from a half marathon, and apparently that was the difference between A and B. Sis moved back with me, and boy were they serious about checking our bibs upon entrance. They insisted on checking us each twice. No corral hopping here people.

    I've tried to block out the next hour, which became increasingly cold and frustrating. I really shouldn't complain because I didn't pack adequately, not to mention our winter has been an average 20 degrees colder than it was this morning. There were also a lot of people wearing nothing but sports bras and shorts, and it pained me to look at them. By the time they let corral A go and moved us toward the start, I was shivering uncontrollably and couldn't feel my feet. While we were planning to walk the majority of this race to conserve energy for tomorrow, I just couldn't do it. I had to run and warm myself up.

    If you're familiar with the term "hangry," that’s kind of how I was feeling. Instead of hungry-angry I was cold-angry. I can't figure out a nice word for it though.

    So we got our corral B fireworks and set off at a run which was strained and chilly at first, and I was hesitant to even look at Elsa and Anna as we ran under their overpass. But by mile 1 I was starting to feel better. By mile 2, I had regained the feeling in my fingers and toes, and by 3 I felt impervious to the cold. It really is miraculous how warm running makes you. Anyway, that left us with one more mile on the roads before we were routed into Epcot's backstage. We tried to work walking breaks into our routine and cringed as we heard them just sending off corral D. I can't even imagine how frozen those in E were.

    Once through the back Epcot gates, we passed a couple of guys on stilts that were decked out in Mardi Gras outfits. Morbidly, I wondered what would happen if a careless runner were to run into one of them. They were soon forgotten as we were routed into World Showcase; we were early enough this year that it was still dark out, and all the countries were lit up brilliantly. The loud but tranquil instrumental Disney songs being played over loud speakers was a fantastic addition. Tons of runners pulled over to take photos and videos, me being one of them. I made an effort to savor the moment as we moved through here at a more leisurely pace. I do wish they had more photographers here. We only saw one, and caught sight of him too late.

    The course exited through International Gateway for our jog around the Boardwalk, which was really exciting because there were a good amount of spectators. A few families were bundled up in blankets on their balconies. Donald was out here in his baseball outfit, but his handler was shooing people off line and said Donald was wrapping things up. I kept a lookout for a photographer as we came around to Yacht and Beach, but they were absent from this area this year - which stunk, because I really wanted a shot in our outfits. We finished the run through Epcot again and jogged over the finish line in a little over 70 minutes.

    We received our medals and, much to our delight, free mylar blankets, which are like a rare treasure after Run Disney races. I think they had them for the (literal) Frozen 5K yesterday, and we were reaping the benefit. We wrapped ourselves up, grabbed snack boxes, and went right to the bus stop. Unfortunately our runner’s high wore off in about five minutes and were soon shivering again. Thankfully the buses were coming and going rapidly, so we didn’t have to wait long.

    Sis tapped us back into our room 20 minutes later, and having amped the thermostat before we left, it was like walking into a welcome sauna. We took turns thawing in the shower and relaxed while I made breakfast reservations at the new Trattoria al Forno over at the Boardwalk. As we left the hotel, we were surprised to feel that the cold had finally blown out, and it was warming up into the low 60’s.

    Breakfast was at 9:30, and the restaurant was pretty quiet. I didn't see what the place looked like under Cat Cora's name, but the interior design was pretty intense and sort of segmented. According to Sis, an avid Disney blog reader, the restaurant is divided into "sections" of a traditional Italian house. We were seated in the "dining room," which was decorated with lots of finished wood and heavy drapery; it was nicely done but I would have appreciated a little more sunlight. Anyway, we did have to wait 10 minutes before our server first came over, but the food totally made up for that. Sis got a small latte and I got what I presumed was regular Joffrey's coffee, but both were very strong. Mine did make me a little woozy later. As for the food, we both got the scrambled eggs, which were served caprese style with basil, tomato, and mozzarella, along with breakfast potatoes, chicken sausage, bacon, and a multigrain croissant with butter. I'll admit I go into this sort of animalistic hunger rage that makes everything taste better after a long run, but this breakfast was the real deal. It was all so delicious and flavorful, and we can't wait to go back again.

    It was even warmer as we left the restaurant, so we looped back around to Yacht to swap our sneakers for flip flops before heading into Epcot. First up was using our FP's for Test Track. We made a really ugly pink SUV that lost all but the efficiency tests. I know I'm getting older because I was antsy from touching the same design screen thousands of people have touched before me. Yeugh. Anyway, from here we rode Ellen's Universe of Energy, where an obnoxious older gentleman and his 30 years younger girlfriend sat in the middle of the first row and left the rest of us squished. Once we got going, I ended up taking a nap and doing the head bob-and-snap thing a few times, but I felt much better when we got off.

    Shamefully, we already had snacks on the brain and so started to circle World Showcase in pursuit. Everyone raves about Kringla and yet we've never tried it - save for a plain latte I got a few years ago. We decided to give it a go. There were a ton of yummy looking pastries, but we settled for a chocolate sweet pretzel. Sadly, it looked better than it tasted. Sis was expecting something that tasted more like a real pretzel, and I threw in the towel after finding my first raisin-like object. It just honestly wasn't that flavorful, and we tossed half of it. Bummer.

    Sis was starting to get tired, and the crowds were really picking up. We figured the Land would be the safest bet, though the app was showing a 20 minute wait. We made the long trek there, and the line was indeed 20 minutes, winding through the entire queue. Sis got a little overwhelmed by fatigue and asked that we sit a few minutes before getting in line. We weren't seated long before she threw in the towel completely. She was exhausted and worried we'd already done too much with the half looming on the horizon. She wanted to go back to the hotel and was regretting that we'd made the trek over here for nothing. We did have Nemo FP's in 5 minutes, so I convinced her to at least do that, then we did walk all the way back to Yacht, stopping briefly to watch the new lumberjack show in Canada. We didn't stick around long enough to see if they were going to do log rolling, but they did have a neat axe-throwing contest. A couple of them weren't bad on the eyes, either.

    Once back at the resort, we made a beeline for Hurricane Hanna’s and sat at the bar, relaxing for the first time this trip. We had dinner reservations at Via Napoli in 2 hours, which Sis insisted she still wanted as long as we didn't wander around Epcot any more than we had to. It was still a little too chilly to lounge around in a bathing suit, so we killed the remaining time in our room. Sis dozed and watched tv while I sat on the balcony with my book and enjoyed the view. The pool was open today, so I could see and hear a lot of activity from there as well.

    Sis, meanwhile, had asked a concierge earlier today about the Bounce Back deal. We’d already booked another trip in November, and, in the past, we could obtain and give a discount code to our travel agent. The concierge was clueless and gave Sis the main Disney number to call since we couldn't find anything in the room mentioning it. She called the main number, held for 20 minutes, then finally spoke to a guy who thought there was a deal available, but asked her to call back due to computer issues.

    We set back out for Epcot 30 minutes before our reservation but made it to Italy in only 15. I guess we don't know how to slow down. Along the way we encountered a lot of drunk people, a lot of rude people, and a lot of gross people. A woman in front of us hawked up a loogie and spat it on the ground, hitting Sis's foot with some of it. Which was just lovely. Almost as lovely as the guy who tossed a funnel cake on the ground in so his kids could run around the 40 seagulls fighting over it. Then of course you have all the people trying to "drink around the world." I don't know how the CM's in this park handle it when it gets like this, but I was good with grabbing our dinner and getting the heck out of there.

    Despite that, dinner was great. We split the risotto ball appetizer and a large margarita pie, leaving only 2 slices behind. Everything was hot, carby, and delicious. Once escaping the park, we went right to Beaches and Cream for dessert. I got a chocolate shake whereas Sis went with a more reasonable cup of mint chocolate chip. My eyes were bigger than my stomach, so I only drank half of it. I wish they would offer these in a smaller size so I wouldn’t have to keep throwing out food. Either way, the ice cream was the final punch of exhaustion, and we were back in our room by 6.

    We had entry for the Race Retreat tomorrow which meant we would want to be on the bus even earlier. I made sure to prepare more thoroughly tonight, pinning my bib on my shirt and laying out every little thing I would need. We said goodnight to the folks wishing us luck back home and crawled into bed at 7 pm. Sis said she was nervous for the race and was up for a little while, but I was out almost immediately. I barely even heard Illuminations when they went off.

    DAY 3 – FOR THE SECOND TIME IN FOREVER: PRINCESS HALF MARATHON


    Alarms went off at 2:40 am, and our phones read 56 degrees, which was much more comfortable. Sis was donning a cute homemade Mary Poppins getup, including fingerless lace gloves. Since I was Elsa last year, I was being Anna this year. I had ordered a blue and purple skirt from Etsy and used fabric paint and gold ribbon to decorate a black Under Armor tee. By 3, we were fully dressed and climbing onto a bus downstairs. Two buses were actually waiting, so I was a little irritable when they held ours for 20 minutes, then made an impromptu stop at Beach. We finally got to Epcot and walked straight into the Race Retreat, which looked sort of empty compared to last year. Regardless, it was nice getting to have breakfast, use the private port-o-Johns, and wait around in a more comfortable temperature.

    We had to be in the corrals by 5 and knew we had a bit of a walk, so we left the retreat at 4:30 and still got there a little after 5. It's always so welcome, if not overwhelming, seeing the thousands of people lined up and ready to go. After more intense checks from volunteers, we were allowed into corral F. We settled ourselves somewhere near the front and saw our 2:15 Clif pacer, who would end up kicking our butts. Anyway, I tried sending a few pictures in our outfits to the folks back home, but there was too much cell phone interference here. It wasn't long before the first few corrals were set off, and Fairy Godmother peaced out again after corral C. Pfft. Who needs her?

    After 15 minutes we finally got our fireworks and were off. I think we started off a bit too fast; combined with our antics of the past two days, the first few miles were a struggle. I felt better as we entered more spectator areas and ran through the Magic Kingdom entrance sign, the T&TC, and were finally routed onto Main Street. I can’t even describe how amazing this moment is. It’s Main Street, for one, and it’s all lit up and packed with loud, cheering spectators. There's Disney music in the background, and then we round the corner up the main drive and the castle is there with all this morning mist and the first bits of sunlight, and you just want to capture the memory and hold onto it forever. Six months of 4:45 am training runs and aches and pains are suddenly so worth it.

    Whoops I went all goopy there didn't I?

    So anyway, we take a castle selfie and are detoured into Tomorrowland, where we take advantage of a real bathroom, and the sudden stop results in an outpouring of sweat and a heat stroke feeling. I shake it off and we’re back on the course, moving through Fantasyland. Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff wave to us as we run through the castle, out to Frontierland, then through the backstage area. From here on out it's one longggg stretch to Epcot with few spectators and the Grand Floridian being the only landmark. We detoured here so Sis could get a picture with Mary Poppins, Burt, and a penguin. We've never stopped for a character pic before, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how efficient the volunteers were in moving the line along. We stopped once more a little ways down so she could get a picture with the Genie, who was wearing his "vacation" shirt and posing with a golf cart.

    The next few miles included a lot of groaning and walk breaks, but we finally made it into Epcot and then into the finish chute. Sis abandoned me at the last minute to run across the coarse and high five Mickey, but I rejoined her with enough time to cross the finish line together. Though they were hardly necessary today, we got more mylar blankets, which we brought home as souvenirs for our parents and uncle. We then got our mesh draw string backs, which we filled with snacks and drinks, then got our Princess medals and entered the Glass Slipper tent. The volunteer inspected my bib closely, then did a quick check on her computer and waived me through to get my GSC medal. I later heard stories of people pocketing one medal at the finish then moving onto another volunteer for a second, but that wasn't happening with the GSC one. We were filed in like cattle and would have no opportunities to backtrack.

    We ran (just kidding, trudged) back to the Race Retreat and snagged a table. We took turns getting food, which had taken a decidedly healthier turn this year. Bacon was now turkey sausage patties and potatoes were sweet potatoes. I appreciated the effort but gobbled up more eggs and a muffin to compensate. They were also offering socks instead of flip flops as the goodie bag. I was too tired to get up and get mine, but Sis was treated to an interesting scene as she retrieved hers. Apparently this woman didn't have her bib (or whatever it is) needed to retrieve her checked gear bag, and the volunteers refused to let her have it. She was sort of freaking out because her car keys were in it. I'm sure they got it sorted out somehow, but I don't know how they do it.

    Anxious to finally sit by the pool and relax, we left shortly after breakfast and took the bus back. We took quick showers, settled into lounge chairs in Stormalong Bay, and crashed hard. I tossed a towel over my head and dozed in the sun for two hours, woke up for a bit to experiment with the pool (too cold), then read for a while longer. At some point in the early afternoon we made our way over to Hurricane Hanna's. Sis had eaten a leftover piece of pizza before leaving the room, so she went straight to the bar. I ordered a kid's grilled chicken sandwich with fries next door, which was served - literally - in a plastic green bucket. There were no tables left, so I brought my cute little bucket over to the bar and sat next to Sis, who was I think a little embarrassed to be seen with me. I didn't care though. The bar tenders were understaffed so I had to wait for an opportune moment to get their attention, but I eventually got a nice sangria to wash down my kid's meal. Only in Disney World...

    We decided this doing nothing thing was really working for us, so we returned to our lounge chairs for a few more hours before freshening up. We popped open the bottle of wine from my aunt and worked on that for another hour.

    I decided to try for the bounce back deal again while we waited for dinner. I again held for 20 minutes and was transferred to the appropriate department. I chatted with the woman who said there was a deal available and started taking my information before my stupid, infernal phone ended the call. I was very cranky and didn’t have time to try again before dinner, so I let it go and got ready for Yachtsman instead.

    We went down there just as the restaurant was opening and were seated quickly. The smell emanating from the kitchen perked us right up. Sis ordered the filet whereas I tried the scallops, something I'd never seen on the menu here before. We also ordered the truffle mac n cheese to split and devoured our basket of rolls while waiting. Our entrees were absolutely superb. Sis's steak was cooked perfectly, if not accompanied by just a bit too many mashed potatoes. My scallops were perfect as well and served with flavorful faro fried rice. Say that five times fast.

    Stuffed, we passed on dessert and changed into more comfortable clothes back upstairs, then caught a bus to Downtown Disney. I was very happy to see that it was only stopping at Yacht and Beach; normally it also goes to Swan, Dolphin, and Boardwalk, and I really hope this isn't just a temporary thing.

    I always love walking into the Marketplace when it's all lit up, but I was pretty tired and unsure how long I could last. Still, we needed to move around a bit to prevent soreness, so we browsed some of the shops and picked up the last of the souvenirs for our family. I treated myself to a new bar of Mickey soap from Basin and skipped excitedly over to Ghiradelli...which had a monumental line. Crestfallen, we skipped the ice cream and toured the new bridge before heading back to the bus. Desperate, I went straight to Beaches and Cream, which also had a very long line. But hey. Priorities right?

    Right. So, Sis got a table and I got in line behind a large family of adults who literally ordered everything but the Kitchen Sink. We got our ice cream, ate half again, then went upstairs and did our first round of packing.

    It really, really stunk knowing we were going home tomorrow, but it could have been a lot worse. I overheard quite a few princesses on the event buses talking about checking out and flying back home this morning. We, at least, got to crash pool-side and would enjoy a few more park hours tomorrow.

    I went to bed around 10 and slept soundly.

    DAY 4 – BYE BYE, ROOM WITH A VIEW

    I woke up around 6 and felt refreshed. I quietly showered and found Sis awake by the time I finished. She rolled out of bed and we attempted to finish packing. With the addition of our souvenirs and the Mickey basket from our aunt, it was really a struggle trying to fit everything. Sis was the first to realize it just wasn’t going to work, so we filled a large Disney shopping bag with the souvenirs and some clothes; we would then need to check Sis's bag.

    That done, I was determined to enjoy our view and went down to Ale and Compass for a cup of coffee. They used to have a selection of milk and cream at the condiment station, but today there was a single jug of half and half. My guess is I could have asked for skim, but I decided to just roll with it. I was back upstairs 2 minutes later and settled myself out on the balcony. It was cool but comfortable enough in my sweatshirt, and while I had brought my book out with me, the scenery was nice enough to enjoy on its own. I watched the sun rise, boats move across Crescent Lake, joggers run around the boardwalk, and families set out for their day at the parks. I wished so much that we could have stayed one more day, but we at least had a few more hours at Epcot ahead of us.

    Once Sis had finished showering and getting dressed, we went downstairs for breakfast at the Captain’s Grill. We were 15 minutes early, but they sat us anyway. We decided our motto today was "eat everything," so we each ordered the buffet and filled up on biscuits, eggs, pancakes, and coffee. Once stuffed, it was time to go back upstairs and say goodbye to our room. We shoved the last of our belongings in our bags and waved goodbye to our lagoon view. For once I didn't have a cup of coffee in my hand at check out time, so it was an easy process getting down to airport check-in. We decided to check my bag with the airline instead because it was heavier, then checked the two carry-on's with the hotel while we toured Epcot.

    We made it into the park just after 9, and it was blissfully empty. We rode Spaceship Earth and the Land, after which we had a 20 minute wait for our Soarin' FP's. Since we walked right out of Nemo the other day, we killed the time by walking into the back of the Seas pavilion and touring the aquarium. There were quite a few divers cleaning the tanks and feeding the fish. It was unnerving watching one specific diver; not only was she surrounded by a swarm of fish, but one very long fish was particularly aggressive. For fear of exaggerating its size, I'll go ahead and say it was just over 2 feet long. Not sure of the species, but it was thick enough to remind me of a barracuda. Anyway, it kept diving toward her pretty quickly and snatching the chunks of whatever she tossed out for it, and she did have to give it a gentle bump on the nose a few times for being fresh. There was also a GIGANTIC sting ray minding its own business at the bottom of the tank - no joke, I've read almost every Stephen King novel out there, but the sight of this thing compared to the divers was enough to raise goosebumps on my arms. Besides that, the feeding got all the animals stirred up and active, which made for a great viewing.

    It was back over to the Land pavilion for Soarin’. This was a short wait, though the mother and son in front of us delayed the ride a few minutes. As we were led single file into the main ride room, the son darted out of our line and ran to the front row of the far right seats. They were strapping themselves into the seats and paying no mind to the very confused couple who had been assigned to the seats by way of the queue. There did appear to be a language barrier but still, the mother was blatantly ignoring the couple, who were now yelling and making exaggerated hand gestures. A CM finally came over and ushered mom and son back into our row.

    World Showcase was just opening by the time we got off the ride, and Sis was somehow craving tacos. It was "eat everything" day, after all, so we made our way to Mexico. While she was disappointed to find the chicken tacos were no longer on the menu, the regular beef ones satisfied her enough. After a quick ride on the Three Caballeros, it was time for strolling through the stores while trying not to continuously check the time. It was nice to have extra park time given how short our trip was, but I normally prefer to just go home; I couldn’t relax knowing we had to get back for the Magical Express.

    Anyway, I thought Norway looked sad without Maelstrom and the emptiest I'd ever seen it. We finished up the stores on this side and stopped in France for more snacks. I got a delicious croquet monsieur whereas Sis got a crazy ice cream sandwich on a brioche bun. It was sort of a weird combination, but she gave me a taste, and it was good. A few rain drops were coming down just as we left, and we sort of went into panic mode as we had no change of clothes for the plane. Afraid of a sudden downpour, we went straight back to the hotel. Of course the rain was a bluff, but we had only an hour before pickup anyway. We browsed the gift shops and I gluttonously got a small cup of ice cream from an empty Beaches and Cream. We got our bags from bell service and waited for the Tragical Express, which arrived promptly at 1:25.

    We were the only two boarding at Yacht and were off to Beach and Boardwalk pretty quickly. At Coronado Springs, however, there were somewhere between 30 and 40 people getting on board. I normally get anxious before a flight anyway - not so much because of flying, but for fear of missing the flight I guess. I just think the whole thing is stressful when you start dealing with the crowds, security, delays etc. So now the Coronado stop was setting us back 30 minutes, the driver was very chatty and friendly but a bit slow, and he insisted on helping every person off the bus at terminal A. His language at this point very obviously turned to suggestions to give him a tip, and then of course he had to dig around for their bags. He didn’t get us to terminal B until an hour before takeoff; we’ve waited an hour alone in Orlando’s security before, so I was pretty freakin' mad at this point.

    It was straight to security for us, where the TSA agents were less than helpful in pointing out where premier security access was. Each time we asked, they waved vaguely across the terminal and said "On the other side." So we sucked it up and went into the regular security line, where they wouldn’t let you approach the podium as a family, then stood chatting for a minute between checking each person. Sis and I got split up, and I was diverted into an "express" lane where they swiped your hands and let you keep your shoes, jacket, and belt on – provided, of course, the metal detector didn't go off. Well I'll be you-know-what if every single person didn’t set off the detector and have to double back to take everything off anyway.

    These annoying setbacks aside, we made it to our gate to find a 15 minute delay anyway. We got some (very) small snacks and settled in front of the gate. I watched three women in their sixties sit down with their Subway sandwiches, and one woman’s sub immediately tumbled out of her hands and all over the floor. She shrugged and said "ten second rule," then scooped the lettuce, tomato, and meat back into the bun and...yep. She ate it. That was the point when I decided I was officially done and just wanted to get home.

    The flight was very full and the staff was asking people to check their bags. They were also forcing people to stick their bags in the bag checker, so we ended up having to check Sis’s bag anyway. We got on the plane to find no tv's, which always seems to happen on the return flight. A fellow princess filled the remaining seat in our row, and we were off, back to Newark and below freezing temperatures. Despite that, I was tired and looking forward to bed. Dad was there waiting for us in the terminal, and both bags made it back safely. Even the wineglasses, which I had stupidly put in my checked bag, came back unscathed. I've since heard stories of people's race medals "going missing" in checked bags, but mine were there thankfully. Not sure what the logic is in buying or selling those. Why would you buy a medal that means nothing to you??

    Anywho, Mom was kind of enough to order Chinese for us, so we tossed our stuff in the wash, ate, and unfortunately both had to drive back home. You know. Heigh ho, heigh ho. It's back to reality we go tomorrow.

  4. #3

    Well, as always, sorry for any typos. I recall having at least a few hours to edit these posts before, but I'm not seeing that option anymore.

    I'm working on my final thoughts this weekend. Thank you for reading!


  5. #4
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Drexel Hill, PA

    I really enjoyed your report. I think it's great that you and your sister were able to do the marathons together. I also think it was awesome that you were able to surprise her with the hotel upgrade. I think the Beach club looks like a nice place to stay.


  6. #5

    living in fla. jan & feb. are normally our coldest times of the year. as I type it is 44* degrees here in Jacksonville . that lady with the eagle eyes WOW the menu , what do you think would have happened if the person had taken the menu off the table. I too have had the same problem trying to get the bounce back offer when staying @ the " PORT " recently . I have done my share of partying in my time & I am old enough to be your dad but what is happening @ epcot is getting out of hand . it reminds me of new orleans or las vegas . to be honest it would not surprise me to read one day of someone getting hurt badly in world showcase or the parking lots because of this me , me , hey look @ me behavior . to the point my wife & I don't even go to food & wine anymore . finally what is faro fried rice? beware the injuries ... I too still played hurt & am paying for it today BUT LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT . t- 18 working days & counting till THE GUESS WHO in concert & all the Disney flowers & my buddy bob Jackson . all the best dusty


  7. #6

    Thank you both!

    Faro is a type of grain, almost like barley. They fried it up with oil and soy sauce just like fried rice, and it was very tasty.

    FINAL THOUGHTS

    1. Bounce Back - Forgot to mention I did eventually make it through to a person again, and my poor travel agent had to scramble to make the necessary arrangements before we left the property. In the end we saved 35% off our Wine and Dine trip in November, but only for one of the two rooms since neither Sis nor I are staying in the second room. I thought this was a little silly since we could have just "switched" one of us to the second room, but we didn't think about that until after the fact. We also had to book two reservations for this room because the first two days of our trip are blacked out. This means we'll arrive Friday, and on Sunday I'll have to go downstairs, check out, and check back in. We may even need to change rooms. Oh and the real kicker? We DID eventually find the Bounce Back literature in the room. It was very concealed in a fold-out pamphlet. I see what you did there Disney.

    2. Princess Races - This whole weekend is just a fantastic event. We had so much fun, and given the sheer volume of people in attendance, I think Disney does a pretty good job running things. Course entertainment is great. Loved the mylar blankets and wish they'd become a standard thing. And I understand the need for security, but I disagree with no longer being able to pick up someone else's bib at the expo. You're forcing people to get into town a day early, and there are plenty more security measures down the line. I'd also like to mention that this is not the ideal experience for "serious runners" - the kind that are trying to get a PR or get easily irritated by walkers. This is not that kind of race.

    3. Race Retreat - It's nice, it's convenient, and it's exorbitantly over-priced. I mean that's just a Disney thing so no surprises there, but really. For that amount of money, I think they could offer another item or two on the menu, and those freaking glasses of champagne should be free.

    4. Yacht Club - No regrets making this choice. I would never be able to afford this place on my own for a longer trip. Everything just sort of fell into place in terms of the room discount and the free upgrade. We can spend hours just laying around this resort in total contentment, and being within walking distance to Epcot made it a lot more productive on our last morning.

    5. Weather - Eh. I'm giving it a C, for two reasons. 1: By February, I am just so done with winter, so to fly into Florida and it be cold is just soooo disappointing. 2. I LIKE walking out to the Magical Express in August and feeling that humidity. Call me crazy, but I do. So I can't even be completely satisfied with the milder weather we got later in the trip. Florida to me should be hot. Next time maybe.

    6. Duration – We needed another day, or at least a day off of work when we got back. A lot of hardcore runners do the run, shower, and head home. I’m not that person. I was pretty exhausted all week.

    All in all, this was an exhausting but fun trip. It was certainly no vacation, but no regrets here. It was nice to do the sister-sister thing for once.

    In a little over a month from now, we’ll be heading to Disneyland for the Tinkerbell Half marathon with my parents and uncle. It’s going to be my first trip to CA ever, so I’m not really sure what to expect. I’ll have my second Coast to Coast installment up as soon as I can.


  8. #7

    Thank you SO much for your trip report. Someday - someday I am going to do this. Thanks for the information.
    Ellen


  9. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by EJ4Disney View Post
    Thank you SO much for your trip report. Someday - someday I am going to do this. Thanks for the information.
    Ellen
    Sure! When you do decide to register, make sure to be online at 10 minutes before registration. We had an extremely difficult time for Wine and Dine. Seems like registration is just always going to be rat race, at least for the Florida races.

  10. #9

    That was so fun to read -- thanks for writing it!

    I don't have a sister, but some cousins and I are planning to run the Princess Half in 2017. I love reading reports like yours to help "prepare" myself.


  11. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Teenkerbell View Post
    That was so fun to read -- thanks for writing it!

    I don't have a sister, but some cousins and I are planning to run the Princess Half in 2017. I love reading reports like yours to help "prepare" myself.

    I'm glad you enjoyed it! Best of luck in your training!

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