Princess Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World; Part: 2

By Nick

Part 2 : Friday, February 19th

I woke up early and hopped a bus for Disney's Animal Kingdom for opening and headed right to Kilimanjaro Safaris.

Well, technically, the first thing I did was stop for photos at every PhotoPass Cast Member I came across. As an Annual Passholder, this service is now included in the price, and well, if you are a fan of this blog, you already know I love getting my picture taken, so I will be taking advantage of this for sure! As an extra awesome bonus, the photos are available on the My Disney Experience App pretty quickly!

After my safari, I contacted my friends and family, who told me they were on their way. I headed to the front of the park to meet them, stopping for coffee and chocolate pastry at Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery. I have found that my old favorite, the chocolate croissants, are not as readily available as they used to be, this, it turns out, is better!

After meeting up with my gang, and getting a group photo, they all used their FastPasses for Expedition Everest and I went over to The Boneyard in Dinoland to meet long time friend and one of the earliest readers of this very blog, The Disney Freak herself, Molly!

Amber, Ryan, Jill, Zach and me.

We all met back up to have lunch at Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafe and then back Dinoland to ride Dinosaur followed by a walk through the Maharajah Jungle Trek before getting a frosty adult beverage at the Wanjohi Refreshment stand located in Harambe Market.

After riding Kilimanjaro Safaris, I left for the Animal Kingdom Lodge to hop a bus over to the Health and Fitness Expo at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex to meet up with my Disney Exchange Podcast co-hosts Lisa and Dave, as well as their spouses and to pick up my Enchanted 10K race packet and shirt.

                                                                              Raymond, me, Lisa, Dave and Anne

A little while later I met up with Jill, Zach, Amber and Ryan and we went into downtown Orlando to try the newly opened Wahlburgers. This will forever be know as The Wahlburgers Incident to me, and a full account of it can be found here.

I got back to the room around 9:45pm, and luckily fell asleep very quickly as the following day's activities would be getting underway at 3am!


Princess Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World; Part: 1

Outside the Disney Bubble: The Wahlburgers Incident

By Nick

I'll set the scene.

I was at The Health and Fitness Expo at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, having arrived several hours earlier to pick up my Princess Half Marathon Weekend Enchanted 10K race packet and to meet with my Disney Exchange Podcast co-hosts Lisa and Dave along with their spouses.

After they departed, I met up with my wife's cousin Jill, her husband Zach, and friends Amber and Ryan. Amber was running the Half, and Jill, Zach, and Ryan were there to cheer her on.

After walking through the expo, Zach asked me what I was doing for dinner.

This was at about 5:10pm.

I explained I was just going to get something to eat at the Animal Kingdom Lodge where I was staying and planned on trying to get to sleep around 7pm or 8, as I was getting up at 3am to get ready and out for the 10K.

Zach said they were getting an Uber car and heading into Orlando to check out the recently opened Wahlburgers, as Ryan is a big fan of the show. How big a fan? Ryan and Amber are Pescetarians, but Ryan was breaking his diet to eat at this establishment.

Coincidentally, I had seen a local news report just the night before announcing the opening of said Wahlburgers, and the excitement around the event as Mark Wahlberg was there. For those unfamiliar, Mark is a musician and actor, having starred in a multitude of films. 

Now, burgers are my favorite food. And I love spending time with my family and friends, and I was assured we would get back very likely no later than 8pm, and I would be dropped right at my resort.

What could go wrong?

The Uber arrived at about 5:25pm. I was in the back seat, and fell asleep rather quickly, as I had not slept very well the evening before. When I woke up, we were in downtown Orlando, and because of traffic, it was already close to 6:30. That's when a voice in my head said "Hey, wait a minute, it's 6:30 on a FRIDAY night. People like to go out on a Friday night after a long week of work. People who like going to restaurants!" Really, this was just finally going through my head. I've never claimed to be smart.

And, oh yea, did I mention that this particular restaurant had just opened the day before, and had been on the news?

When we walked up, the place was clearly packed. Then we were told it was a 2 hour wait for a table, but the take out line was only an hour.

I had 2 choices. Get an Uber back to the resort, spend I don't know how much ( I really don't, since Zach paid, thank you again buddy) where I would still need to eat as I hadn't eaten since about 11:30am, or I could suck it up.

We waited in a line that moved at a pace that can only be described as glacial, but finally we arrived at the front after what felt like 3 days but was actually only about 50 minutes. As this went on I kept recalculating what time I would be able to get back and into bed.

So, it's about 7:20. We were at the front, about to walk up to the register!

That's when management decided to hold the line as the kitchen wass so backed up! Yep.

Zach, me, a friend we made in line, Jill (blurryface), Ryan and Amber

Time seemed to stand still. I felt like a prisoner. To be fair, the staff was extremely nice and even sympathetic. We were offered free beverages. I chose water as I didn't want caffeine interfering with what I started to believe would maybe be my 3 - 4 hours sleep. I started to make wagers as a way to help pass the time, betting beers as to what time we would actually receive food and when I would actually get back to the resort. We made friends with an extremely sweet woman in line with us.

Finally, at about 8:10 we ordered! Ryan paid for our dinner (thank you again Ryan).

We sat and waited with our pager, staring at it like it we were a lost tribe of starving nomads praying to an idol.

As we waited, my podcast co-host Lisa texted and asked if I was in bed yet. I explained the situation. She was concerned, and even reprimanded Jill for "kidnapping" me the evening before such an important event, my very first 10K!

Meanwhile we were given a free tater tots which we wolfed down like a pack of wild dogs.

After what felt like another hour, but was actually only about 15 minutes, the food finally arrived! and it was, why it was, well ... it was okay.

Look, I'm sure the whole Wahlberg family is a fan of this blog as well as The Disney Exchange Podcast, but, I can't lie. I've had better. It's not bad, just, I have 3 burger chains in the immediate area around me that are on par or better.

I'm not saying don't go to Wahlburgers, just maybe go on a weekday.

At about 8:45, we got another Uber back to the Disney Bubble, in bed by 10, and somehow I managed to get right to sleep, got up at 2:30, and was just fine for the 10K, so all is well that ends well.

And I have really fun story to tell.

When it rains, it pours!

by Gaylin

Walt Disney World is in Florida and according to Google, it is 'humid subtropical', a fancy way of saying, hot, humid and rainy. I have had vacations at WDW with nary a drop of rain and then there have been vacations where there was a rainy period every day.

In May of 2014, it was hot and humid the whole time I was there. On my last day at the Magic Kingdom there was a little bit of relief, it rained!

I was near Space Mountain when it started and I decided I wasn't going to get my rain poncho out, I went in the store at the end of Space Mountain and found not only a place to sit but I had free entertainment when a group of teenagers decided to wait out the rain by charging their phones.

When the rain stopped I got right back outside to enjoy those few minutes when it feels cooler before the sun comes out again and steams up the rain water and raises the humidity again!

Afternoon rain showers are common at WDW, you can be prepared with a plastic rain poncho and just keep going, often the ride line-ups thin out when it rains. Or you can duck into a store and do some shopping. I have heard a lot of people complain that rain just ruins their vacation . . . it doesn't have to, have a rain strategy and the magic never has to stop!

If you want a great idea of what to do with your Disney Poncho when you get home, check out this article, also by Gaylin.-Nick

Can You Stay on Disney Property to Have Fun While NOT Paying to Play?

By: Beth Skarp

What an odd title—whatever can it mean? 

Who in their right or even wrong mind would come to Disney, stay on property, and NOT pay to play in the Parks? Well, this family has.

We have had several occasions where we needed to be in the Orlando area for either business or pleasure. We had funds to take care of the business at hand, funds to find good food to eat, but not to pay for a day of playing in the Parks on these particular visits. If you read my earlier article regarding staying in non-Disney affiliated resorts, you will understand why we opt to stay on Disney affiliated property.

The burning question becomes, what in the World (or in this case, outside of the World) is there to do that is FREE? Where is the entertainment? Where is the “fun” in staying but not playing? What can you learn by just walking around the various resorts? What can happen if you just ask a simple question or are observant while out and about in the various Resorts? Lots actually, if you want to take the time to look and see what each resort has to offer.

Granted, just because these experiences have happened to our family or individual members of our family, there is no guarantee that something similar will happen to you. For this multi- part series of articles, I want to share with you some things that still take place today as well as experiences that we have enjoyed that no longer are offered or take place. Others were just something that happened spur of the moment, and no amount of planning could make it happen again.

We have stayed at every resort level within property except for the Villas—it is still on our bucket list to stay in one. Each and every time we have stayed but not played, we have found so much to not only entertain us but to educate us as well. 

Every lobby on Disney property has a waiting area with a television that shows a continuous loop of Disney cartoons. The area in front of the television has a comfortable seating area. The couches or places to lounge are indeed comfy, and one can pass several hours in comfort resting or just people watching.

There are tables set up with pint sized chairs that offer smaller guests or guests who are children at heart the opportunity to practice “staying within the lines” as you color a page that has a favorite Disney character or scene from a Disney movie on it. Each lobby is set up differently, with a place for lounging or relaxing as you wait for the dreaded Magical Express or just to pass some time. It is like sitting in a different room within your house to watch some television or color.

In the Value resorts, the themes alone can keep us occupied for days.

Here are a few pictures of us just having fun:
My husband and I were talking about a new vehicle to purchase....I think my husband found his new “ride.”

We have had a blast exploring and playing in the All Star resorts. We have played a game of Twister with other park guests. We have had fun being the human ball while playing Foozball on the giant game table on the lawn.

We have gotten wet while splashing in the fountains near Goofy and his Surfboard.

We were surprised when we found ourselves getting wet taking pictures of Herbie the Love Bug at All Star Movies (he loves to squirt water from his windshield wipers on unsuspecting guests). 

We were part of the cheering crowds watching a group of young men, who appeared to be about college aged, played a rousing game of flag-football on the football field at All Star Sports. We listened to some high school band members practicing on the lawn at All Star Music. 

While at Pop Century, my girls enjoyed learning a new cheer or two as several cheerleaders were practicing their routines during the cheer leading competitions. The cheerleaders even took a few moments out to teach my girls a cheer. Such fun. 

Before Art of Animation was built, we enjoyed a leisurely walk around Hourglass Lake, taking in the various trends or accomplishments for each year within a specific decade. We almost always paused along the walk to snap a picture of a year that held special significance for us. 

The lobby of Pop Century is a true history lesson. We spent many hours truly looking at the displays and talking about what the objects were, how they have been either updated or forgotten over the years. The girls never got tired of asking their Dad or I “did you use to do that, use that, wear that” and listening to their responses when we said YES! 

AND, you can now take a tour of the "Shadow Boxes" at Pop Century!

With the addition of Art of Animation, the bridge connecting Pop Century with Art of Animation is now open. We have enjoyed walking over this bridge several times. 

In keeping with the theme from Pop Century, as you walk around Hourglass Lake on the Art of Animation side, you can find signs with Pixar Movie trivia. The trivia corresponds with the section of the resort you are in ---Cars, Finding Nemo, Little Mermaid or Lion King. It was always fun to take the time to learn something new about these movies. 

Have you truly looked at the artwork within the lobby of Art of Animation? The conceptual designs are fun, and to see where the Animators got their ideas is also interesting. 
 

We had the opportunity once to speak with an Animator. The girls spent about 15 minutes asking her questions and learning what it takes to be an animator. We even spent some time talking with one of the people who does the caricatures in the lobby.

Taking a walk from the main lobby of Art of Animation to the various sections of the resort, especially going as far as the Little Mermaid section, can be fun and entertaining as well. So much to see and experience. The walkway changes and the scenery as well to keep up with the backdrop or theme for the movie. So much to explore and take a look at. 

Every gift shop has a “trivia board” with questions of the day. Taking the time to read these questions or silly puns is not only fun, but can be an educational experience as well. I remember two question my girls laughed and laughed over...”What does Ariel use on her toast in the morning?”......”Mermalade of course!” OK......”How many tickles does it take to make Ursula laugh? ….........”Why 10 tickles (tentacles) of course!”

If you have younger children who enjoy swimming, the pools are fun. Sadly, there are no slides for the pools in a Value resort, but there are still lots of fountains that will spray you as you swim along. The pool staff also has fun games with silly prizes that you and your children can participate in. Anyone up for a water balloon toss?

While the Value resorts do not have a table service restaurant associated with them, you can still find lots of interesting food to eat that is much more than just chicken nuggets, hot dogs, pizza and hamburgers. Art of Animation has some amazing sausages and their monk fish for dinner is moist and very delicious.

And finally, as always, you can be on the lookout for Hidden (and not so hidden) Mickey's!