Savvy's Marathon Weekend Trip - Yacht Club Resort - 1/9-1/14/20
DATES: 1/9-1/14
TRAVEL: EWR to MCO
RESORT: Yacht Club
PARTY
Me (31), 30+ trips
JF (33), My husband, his fourth trip
Sis (28), My sister, also 30+ trips
ZF (28), Sis's husband, his sixth trip
Mom & Dad (57), My parents
HIGHLIGHTS: WDW Half Marathon, Marathon, Rise of the Resistance
Hi all! This is my belated report from WDW Marathon Weekend 2020. I cranked out a bunch of this while it was still fresh. Then, you know, the world started falling apart with coronavirus, and I lost track. As my family debates whether to cancel our upcoming September trip, I decided to finish this. Might as well recount my last pre-Corona Disney trip for you all, and for myself.
In 2019 we had no WDW trips whatsoever. I got married and spent my vacation budget on a honeymoon to Aulani and Disneyland (a trip report that's waiting to be finished). The year prior, we went to WDW for Sis's wedding, but that felt more like playing host than vacation.
On top of finally returning, this was our first big Run Disney event in a few years as well. Not counting the races that were cut in half or canceled completely due to weather, my last half was Princess Weekend in 2015 I think, and for a while I believed it was over for me due to repeated knee issues. After finding the right physical therapy and strength training regimen, however, I've been in consistently good running shape for 2 years, and was beyond thrilled to run another Disney half. So although this was going to be a shorter, busier trip, I was really excited for it.
DAY 0/1 - UPGRADE AND AWAY
We were leaving Thursday 1/9. I planned to pack the prior weekend, but I threw my back out Saturday morning and spent the next two days icing and sleeping off a muscle relaxer. Since I lost the whole weekend, plan B became taking a half day on Wednesday.
I didn't enjoy taking extra PTO, but it was nice to have extra time. Packing for unpredictable Disney January weather is more complicated than packing for September, when it's just plain hot. The forecast this week was warm, but I still felt the need to pack a mix of summer and winter clothes, plus all the running stuff: two pairs of sneakers, the run outfit, tape, energy jelly beans, space blanket, etc.
I also saw the chiropractor and dropped the dogs off at the pet spa. As usual, I stood there calling, "Bye! I love you! I'll miss you!" as they bounded off to play and didn't look back. JH got home from work around 6 and finished his packing quickly. We had a romantic dinner of Chinese takeout and Live PD before lights out around 9.
Alarms went off at 5:30 and we were out the door by 6. According to Savvy family tradition, we met at my parents' house to consolidate luggage and persons into as few cars as possible. We drove to an offsite parking lot and transferred to the airport using their shuttle. The driver handled all the bags, so it was an easy process.
Once at Newark Liberty, we went right to the TSA Pre line. I was a little nervous since my boarding pass was still showing my maiden name and all my identification was now in my married name. I had already updated my name with TSA Pre, but when I called United MONTHS ago, they said my maiden name would remain on the boarding pass. They assured me, however, that the TSA agent would see a note indicating my name had changed. I was a little skeptical, but neither the United employee checking our bags nor the TSA agent said a word. Cool. (For the return flight, however, this was not so cool. More on that later.)
The flight was easy. No delays or problems. They rebooted the Direct TV just before takeoff, after which my screen wasn't working, but I had a book. I also napped and head bobbed the second half of the flight. Sleeping on a plane is rare for me, but I chalked it up to the headache I was having.
Mom and Dad never got their Magical Express tags, so upon arrival the four of us went in search of Starbucks while they went to the luggage carousel. We met back up and walked right onto a bus, which sat maybe another ten minutes before departing. It's always a tossup with how many stops this bus makes. At minimum we have the Yacht and Beach Clubs, but usually also have Boardwalk and Caribbean Beach, depending on the time of year. Today it was just the first two, so we made it to Yacht Club around 1:45 pm. Sis and I had checked in using the app a few weeks ago; she got the lucky text that her room was ready, while I got the one that said it was not. Mom and Dad were having technical issues so they checked in the old-fashioned way and were also given a ready room. We were able to change and stash our stuff in their room, which had a fantastic view of the lighthouse and Crescent Lake. Both rooms were on the fourth floor, so on our way out I chatted with a very nice CM at the front desk who said he'd try to get JH and I on the fourth floor too.
First stop was the race expo at the Wide World of Sports. Transportation is provided from the Yacht Club's Convention Center and has always been fine in our opinion. We had a short wait for a bus, then a quick pick up at Beach, and maybe a 15 minute ride to WWoS. Navigating the expo itself is a bit of a process, with bibs in one building, t-shirts in another, and prepaid race merch in a third. I don't mind the walk, but a CM asked Sis to participate in a survey about the expo format, and she thought the many stops were inconvenient. If you're local and just want to get in and out, I can understand that.
We did a little bit of shopping and picked up our prepaid merch. Sis, registered for her first marathon this year, got the Marathon jacket, which was a retro white and blue design she liked. I preordered the Marathon weekend magic band - my first magic band splurge, and now that they wont be complimentary anymore, I guess it's good to get used to. JH also found a nice hooded half marathon shirt featuring Donald; in the year prior he wanted to get one so bad, but that design was for the Wine & Dine Half, and as we were only doing the 5K. I was glad he got to make up for it with this year's shirt, which he ended up wearing as a jacket during the trip.
Once we were all done shopping, we caught a bus to the Polynesian, where we had dinner reservations at 'Ohana. We arrived well ahead of them, so we decided to try Trader Sam's, but it was a 45-minute wait for a party of six. Bummer. I did notice that the grotto now opens at 3 pm vs the 4 pm we're used to, which is good to know. In the past, we try to make it at opening time to prevent a long wait. Since we missed out today, we went up to the Tambu Lounge instead.
My headache from this morning was raging at this point, and I suspected my glasses were to blame. They get too twisted out of shape sometimes. While I didnt like the idea of mixing Tylenol and alcohol, I took two pills, took off my glasses, and closed my eyes for a bit. After twenty minutes some of the edge was wearing off and I could enjoy the glass of prosecco I ordered. Meanwhile, Sis had checked us into the restaurant half an hour early since we were all good and hungry. Our buzzer went off not to long after that.
The family-style meal has been the same here for years, with some minor changes. The only thing different tonight was the mixed green salad, which had either spinach or kale; either way, served raw, it made it a bit grassy for my taste. Everything else was wonderful. The appetizers, all great, included dumplings, broccoli, lomaine, and chicken wings. The skewer options were, shrimp, chicken, and beef, which was rare. The guys didn't mind, but mom left hers mostly untouched. Finally, dessert was the famous bread pudding served with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. This dessert always has the remarkable quality of making me go back for seconds and is one of my favorite desserts on WDW property.
After dinner we took the monorail over to Magic Kingdom, which was still festive with Christmas decorations. Big fan of them. What I'm not a big fan of is MK's winter hours, closing at 8 pm every night. Since we only had 90 minutes before closing, we walked around, just enjoying being here. After a wide swing around the park we hit a few rides, the People Mover, the carousel, and Haunted Mansion. The others went back to the hotel, but Dad, JH, and I decided to stake out a spot toward the entrance of the park to watch the fireworks.
Sis disagrees, but I think Happily Ever After is a wonderful improvement on Wishes. On our last trip JH, was very sweet and stood in the pouring rain to watch them with me. Tonight was dry, but we booked it out just before the grand finale to beat the crowds. It was a 20-minute wait for our bus, which was made less pleasant by a sewer smell hanging around the bus stop. Later during the half marathon, I smelled it again. Not sure what's going on, but Disney should really fix that. Gross.
Our bus was packed and left quite a few people behind. Back at the Yacht Club, we followed Dad upstairs to get our bags and head to our own room, 4201 according to the app. On our last trip for Sis's wedding, every wedding guest had been upgraded to water view rooms except for my parents and JH/myself. Dad had negotiated his way to an upgrade and begged me to let him negotiate on our behalf, which I refused. These days it seems they block all standard rooms off for conventions guests, and even the garden views were sold out for this trip. We were all forced to pay for water views, and Dad, wanting to see what kind of view we had, followed us back to the room.
We rounded the corner and Dad gasped dramatically, claiming that we had a suite. I thought there was no way, but we opened the door, and our jaws dropped. We'd been given a gorgeous one bedroom suite with a view of Crescent Lake and the pool. It was way more space than two people needed, but I took it as karma for not begging for an upgrade last year.
I couldn't imagine what we did to get this upgrade, when it hit me: I changed my last name. I have a theory that if it's your first time staying at the Yacht Club and they have the space, they upgrade you. This is why all our wedding guests got upgrades except for Dad and myself. I've been a guest at YC many times under my maiden time, but this was our first time with my married name on the reservation. Hence, our first trip upgrade! Woo!
After several minutes of threatening to take one of the beds for himself, Dad left and we settled in. I put the resort TV channel on and enjoyed the Disney music while unpacking. JH did an adorable dance around the suite to celebrate all the space. We called it an early night and went to sleep.
DAY 2 - CARB LOADING AROUND THE WORLD
We slept great. The new beds are so comfy. Since the hotel's latest renovation, you can hear a lot of whatever is going on in the hallways and other guest rooms with the hard floors, but the seclusion of the suite reduced some of that noise.
What I did hear was the start of the 10K around 5 am. A bit later, I rolled out of bed and saw the first few runners going by outside. JH joined me, and we watched them for a while before heading down to buy our refillable mugs and get coffee. We've enjoyed these mugs in the past, but the I found the coffee brewed downstairs too watery and began to prefer the K cups in the room instead. I'll try to remember that next time.
The rest of my family came to see the suite and enjoy coffee together. The plan today was to take it easy walking around Epcot, have an early dinner at Via Napoli, and get to bed early before the Half Marathon. On Christmas morning, Sis passed around a baggie with pictures of all the different countries. We each got a country or two, and the deal was that when we walked through your country, you got to choose a new snack or drink for the group to try. We were hoping to pull that off today.
We cleaned up and walked over to International Gateway, where I boo'ed the new Skyliner but was relieved to see it hadn't created a huge crowd at security. The first stop was the Boulangerie Patisserie les Halles. That translates to "breakfast in France." (Kidding.) Between the group, we sampled the Poulet au Pistou, Croissant Sale, and Croque Monsieur. They were all magnifique!
On our walk toward Future World, I noticed there was a crowd across the water in Norway. Even though World Showcase officially opens at 11, the Google confirmed that Frozen Ever After opened at 10. The group placated me and walked over to the ride, which showed a 20 minute wait but was more like 10. From there we walked over to the Land Pavilion to attempt standby on Soarin'. Along the way I was a bit bummed out by all the construction. I know this is an epic transformation for Epcot, but between the lack of working attractions, shops, and festival booths, the park felt so empty. It was a stark contrast to all the hustle and bustle of Food & Wine.
I mused on this while stupidly ignoring the pain my new sneakers were causing in my right leg. My knee buckled somewhere between Canada and Starbucks, giving me a small heart attack. Thankfully there was no real harm done, but after riding Soarin', JH resolved to help me find flip flops while the rest of my family when on the Land. Mouse Gears was closed for renovations but had moved over by the former Universe of Energy. The temporary place was a quarter the size of the regular store, and all we found there were crocs in size 10/12. We pulled out our phones and tried to use the Shop Disney app to locate something in the park, but hit a dead end.
I told Sis to go enjoy the Test Track fastpasses without us so we could check World Showcase. Besides, there's nothing fast about fast passes on Test Track. The FP and standby lines merge way too soon because of the car design phase, and I hate the additional wait time after that. So we moved on toward Mexico but struck out country after country. I cant believe how hard it was to find flip flops in Florida.
Just as I was on the brink of walking back to the hotel, JH told me to pop a squat outside Japan and went into Mitsukoshi - arguably one of the best shops in all of WS. He sent me several pictures of flip flops small enough for my feet and had the CM cut all the tags off so I could pop them right on. Did I win the lottery with him or what?
My leg felt better as soon as I made the shoe swap. Mom and Dad caught up to us here and were heading back to the hotel. I got several distressed texts from Sis because we were messing up her food tasting plan, but the knee buckling had freaked me out. After the race tomorrow it could buckle all it wanted, but not before. We decided to head back with my parents and have an afternoon at the pool.
The weather was in the upper 70s, warm enough to hang on a lounge chair but not enough for me to dip a toe in the water. JH was brave and went for a dip. While he did that, I checked out the new walk up window for Beaches and Cream. I was delighted to see coffee (the flavor, not the beverage) was back on the menu and got a two scoop cup with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Yaaaaaass.
Sis and ZH joined us a bit later, and we spent the afternoon lounging around together. A few months ago on our honeymoon at Aulani, I fell asleep quite a few times at the pool, something I thought was a result of post-wedding exhaustion. It turns out it might just be me getting old, because I passed out today too.
We went back to Epcot for dinner at 4:45 and were seated at Via Napoli after a few minutes. We split the arancini and calamari appetizers, which were both good. I could have used a glass of red wine to go with it, but that would have been counterproductive to the whole pre-race hydrating thing. Carb loading was totally on the table however, and boy did we go for it. Most of us got personal pizzas; I went with the Quattro Formaggi, a four-cheese white pie, and was not disappointed. JH got the lasagna and was singing its praises as well.
Not much to report on for the rest of the night. Sis and ZH didn't have to get up early so they went on to enjoy Epcot a bit more, but the four of us went back to the hotel and called it an early night. We stopped at the Beach Club marketplace to get a pack of bagels to split and went to bed.
DAY 3 - WDW HALF MARATHON
Disney recommended getting a bus by 3:30 am the latest, and for the first time, we were totally fine catching the end of that window. JH and I dragged ourselves out of bed at 2:30 to change and eat our quick breakfast. I stepped out on the balcony and was relived to be met with 60 degree weather, which meant we could leave our space blankets and gloves behind. We met Mom and Dad downstairs at 3:20 and were the second group of people waiting for the bus. By the time it showed up 20 minutes later, however, we had a surprisingly long line of people behind us, and not everyone made it on. There were definitely a lot of cars and buses on the road but no real traffic, so we were dropped at the Epcot parking lot quickly. The timing worked out pretty well actually. By the time we made it through security and used the porta potties, it was time to walk to the corrals.
Kind of a funny aside here. Sis gave mom and myself a unique Christmas present this year, something called a "pee pocket." Let's just say, it's supposed to make it easier for women on the go to...well...go. Without getting into too much detail, neither of us felt these were effective in a porta potty scenario, but we thought they were hilarious.
As in races past, it's a pretty long walk to the corrals, and it was almost 5 by the time we got to them. I said goodbye to JH, Mom and Dad, who were heading to corrals G and H. I made my way up to C, a spot I was pleasantly surprised to earn with a proof of time from a brutal and stormy 10K at the Jersey shore last spring. We had just half an hour to wait in the corral, but wow am I still convinced Run Disney made a mistake replacing Rudy Novotny. Carissa was great, but I've got nothing positive to say otherwise. There was fumbling over pages of script and no explanation of whether they were using mini waves. They announced corral A but didn't specify whether the next release was a mini wave or corral B. I only figured out it was B when I suddenly found myself at the start. My family said corrals were not announced through the rest of the releases either, so they had no idea how close they were until it was go time.
My fireworks went off and I was running, and I took a moment to savor this fact. I really never thought I'd be at that start of another Run Disney half with all my knee issues. This was truly magical.
I don't want to bore you with the details of me running 13 miles. To sum it up, it was pretty freaking humid, and I was sweating two minutes in, but I finished in 2:31. It's about fifteen minutes off my PR, but given the conditions and that I only got up to 9 miles in training (half of which were walking), I'll take it. I DO have several thoughts in terms of the race itself, which by all means you can skip if it's not interesting to you.
1. Despite our perfect timing, we got lucky, and I suggest catching an earlier bus from your resort. I heard there were substantial pick up delays for the 5K and 10K, and the Marathon the next day was a HUGE transportation disaster. People got on the buses within the window Disney recommended and sat in traffic 1-2 hours. Others were bailing out of their Ubers and jogging the two or three miles to the start. Disney pushed the start back 15 minutes to accommodate as many people as possible, but this was clearly their screw up.
2. Why were we not announcing corrals again? What happened to the punny comments like "corral B is Brave" and "corral D is Daring!" HELLO. BRING BACK RUDY.
3. The course itself is the same it's always been. Mile 5 is the highlight, running down Main Street and later the castle, which is all lit up. This is an unforgettable moment, and I even glimpsed Sis in the crowd here. Miles 7-10 are tougher. It's just one long road all the way to Epcot. I didn't notice a significant difference in characters and entertainment, but Sis said the Marathon was extremely lacking. I will say that the bands and choirs we had in the past have largely been replaced by one-man DJ's sprinkled along the route.
4. Before I forget, I have to say I am blown away by all the people who get up in the middle of the night to volunteer or cheer on others. I get up for personal accomplishment. Volunteers are doing this for a bigger cause. Way to go and thank you!
5. If you attend a race as a runner or spectator and need to meet up, I suggest relying on the Find My app for those with the iPhone. With the crowds, we barely had service and often couldn't send or receive texts. With Find My, I could keep track of my family's progress during both races and find them easier.
6. I'm sorry, but if you run Disney, you knew this one was coming. The only thing magical about these races is the time running through the parks. Registration costs continue to rise while quality in other areas ebbs away. Once upon a time, when I was young and yet to suffer my first running injury, I registered for the Inaugural Tower of Terror Ten Miler. I checked in at the Expo and was given a high-quality champion shirt and a bag full of goodies, including full size Cliff and Luna bars. At the Princess Half a year later, I got a mesh drawstring bag at the finish along with a box full of post-race snacks. For $100 we could sign up for the Race Retreat, a covered tent that protected you from the elements and offered private restrooms, bag check, padded stretching area, and a hot meal before and after the race. The medals were solid and beautiful, and the race announcers kept the crowd excited and ready to go before start time.
This year, I paid more than ever for registration. I passed on what's now called the Runner's Square, a uncovered area that offered only water bottles and bagels, fruit, and snacks. I got a crappy t-shirt that itches and frayed in the wash on the hand wash cycle. While my medal made it home safely, many on social media shared pictures of the colors literally peeling off of theirs. Expo freebies are a thing of the past, and the snack box at the finish had one edible item for me, the famous nacho chips and cheese dip. The new announcing lineup lacked the charisma and energy of former announcer Rudy, who was undoubtedly let go - like everything else- to save money. It all shows.
Was this my last Run Disney race? Maybe not. I got all the feels I was hoping to feel during this run and had a blast. I'm THRILLED I did it. But the greediness of Run Disney is getting to be too much even for me.
Okay so. I cross the finish line, get my snacks and drinks and head to our designated meet up spot. I plop on the ground and stretch. Everything is sore but nothing hurts, and I'm eternally grateful for this. I'm good for a while, but eventually the cool breeze turns from refreshing to chilly.
Sis, who was nice enough to get up early and cheer us on in MK, caught the monorail over and met me. At this point we determined from runner tracking that it was going to be at least another hour wait for everyone else. I couldn't sit here shivering for another hour, so we went over to look in the merchandise tent. I grabbed a hideous purple tech sweatshirt that I'll probably never wear again, but in that moment, it was worth the $50 it cost. Well played, Disney.
JH came in about an hour after me. Considering he didn't really train, I was insanely proud of him and thought he did awesome. He said he pretty much ran the first five or six miles straight before having to slow down. Dad crossed about ten minutes after him, and Mom was just another five after that. We shuffled over to the line for our bus, and this is where I'll actually commend Run Disney and the bus companies for being so organized. There were three waiting buses for just our resorts, and the volunteers counted people out to making boarding a snap.
On our way back, I used the app to move back our breakfast reservation at Ale & Compass from 10:55 to 11:30. We got dropped off, showered, and met back downstairs. When I went to check in, the CM said it was no problem adding Sis onto the reservation, but the restaurant was technically closed while they finished breakfast. We wouldn't be seated until it officially reopened at noon. I don't understand why the app would even let me make a reservation when the restaurant is closed, and I had only booked this to enjoy a hearty breakfast. And we were hungry NOW. The CM was nice enough to cancel our reservation without charging the cancellation fee.
We went to the Market instead and got some food to go. Despite the fact that I was "starving," I had eaten chips and a banana already, so I settled for a hot turkey sandwich. It was only after I bought it I realized it had swiss cheese (not a fan), but Dad was nice enough to trade me for his ham and egg on a pretzel roll. Yum.
We all kind of split up from here. ZH was already golfing, and Mom and Sis went off galavanting somewhere I can't remember. Dad went back to his room, and JH and I went back to ours to relax. I opened the balcony door to get what was now the warm breeze and sounds of Stormalong Bay. JH fell asleep quickly. I settled into bed next to him with ice on my knees and back. I thought I'd fall asleep as well, but there were some good shows on and I spent the next few hours watching TV.
Dinner was another early one so that Sis could get to sleep. JH woke up around 2, and we checked in with my family shortly after. Mom and Sis were already shopping at Disney Springs, and ZH was meeting us there from the golf course. Dad was still around, so we met him downstairs and walked out to the bus stop...just as the bus to Disney Springs was pulling away. Not wanting to wait 45 minutes for another, I used the app to order a Minnie Van.
It was three times the amount as a regular Lfyt, but whatever. Our driver was nice and chatted with us about all the up and comings at WDW. He also played the same music they play on the resort buses, which was a nice touch. He got us there in less than fifteen minutes and dropped us where he thought was the closest to the Boathouse. I find the new Disney Springs huge and confusing, but knowing the Boathouse is on the water made it pretty easy to find.
We met up with the others and had a drink at the bar while waiting for them to page us. I wasnt a fan of the cramped booth they put us in, but dinner itself was fantastic. JH and I both got the shrimp and andouille mac n' cheese. YUM.
I wanted to get to the Christmas store and pick up a Donald ornament you could get personalized with a 13.1, I was too beat after eating. JH and I also had reservations at Chef Art Smith's on Monday, so I figured I'd get it then. We took the bus back to the Yacht Club and bid Sis goodnight.
Dad, JH, ZH, and I went for a little night cap at Beaches and Cream. I figured there was no better time than after running 13 miles to finally try one of those fancy signature milkshake. I got the chocolate one, which was served in a plastic souvenir cup with a brownie on top. Sadly, I was not impressed. It tasted like a Wendy's frosty, not a nice thick milkshake like I normally get here. The brownie was dry.
JH was nice enough to trade me for his chocolate and coffee sundae. After everyone finished, we called it a night.
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