Calling all Princesses! (2014 Princess half marathon board)

[MRS AR]

Great question - I was wondering the same!

We we t to the expo on Friday last year and bought more than I should have. It isn't impossible but be prepared to spend time there. . I'm hoping things will go smoother at WWOS

 

[Cripey]

I booked my outbound flight today- yay!! Arrive at 12:00 on Friday should I head straight to the expo?

Unless you have something else planned, you may as well head over once you get checked in. This year for both Tink and Princess I flew in on Friday AM and was able to be at the expos by 1pm. I found in doing that I was able to walk right up to the counters to get my race number and then walk over to get the gear check bag and tech shirt...both with NO wait. In previous years, I've flown in late Friday and gone to the expo at open time on saturday. If you aim to get there either day as soon as it opens, expect a LOOOOOOONG line to start forming early just to get in. Also, there's nothing that says you can't head for the vendors and shop before you get all your race stuff...doesn't really matter but most tend to run for their race number first, and if you're there early to buy a hot item that you think will sell out, then go for it and get your race stuff after you've shopped.

 

[pixarmom]

Unless you have something else planned, you may as well head over once you get checked in. This year for both Tink and Princess I flew in on Friday AM and was able to be at the expos by 1pm. I found in doing that I was able to walk right up to the counters to get my race number and then walk over to get the gear check bag and tech shirt...both with NO wait. In previous years, I've flown in late Friday and gone to the expo at open time on saturday. If you aim to get there either day as soon as it opens, expect a LOOOOOOONG line to start forming early just to get in. Also, there's nothing that says you can't head for the vendors and shop before you get all your race stuff...doesn't really matter but most tend to run for their race number first, and if you're there early to buy a hot item that you think will sell out, then go for it and get your race stuff after you've shopped.

Very helpful - thank you! Our flight arrives at 1:45 on Thursday, and by the time we take ME to Poly, check in and get on the bus to the expo, it will be 4pm at the earliest. I'll be on my own with the boys until my husband arrives Saturday night, so no shopping for me - my plan is to grab our race bags/bib and go. Maybe I can shop at the DL HM expo next month instead!

Just curious - do the buses run between the resorts and expo only, or is it possible to take a bus direct from the expo to a park?

 

[Cripey]

Very helpful - thank you! Our flight arrives at 1:45 on Thursday, and by the time we take ME to Poly, check in and get on the bus to the expo, it will be 4pm at the earliest. I'll be on my own with the boys until my husband arrives Saturday night, so no shopping for me - my plan is to grab our race bags/bib and go. Maybe I can shop at the DL HM expo next month instead!

Just curious - do the buses run between the resorts and expo only, or is it possible to take a bus direct to a park?

In my experience, the expos at DL have been much more laid back...still get crowded, but never seem to be as completely nutty as the PHM expo.

As for the busses...on race weekends at WDW the event busses are separate from any of the regular park busses...usually are the big chartered busses and are marked as runDisney event busses...they will only be going from resort to expo and back or resort to race and back. There are always taxis hanging around WWoS though...you could grab one of those directly to a park from the expo. Honestly, I've started using them more and more to and from the expo in the last year or two just because it ends up being so much faster...for me, any extra time I can get off of my feet and not standing in a line the day before a race is totally worth the cab fare

 

[DrMomof3]

Yes, thank you, I was aware that we couldn't walk TO the race, however, I'm trying to figure out how we'd use a day's park admission to walk back after the race. I see that the race ends in the parking lot, and we'd be attending the breakfast which is back in the park. Do you have to use your park admission to get back in for the breakfast? If not, couldn't we just exit out the IG after the breakfast? It's really not a big deal, except that we chose to forego the hopper since it's just a short trip, so we'd have to make that our EPCOT day if that's the case. Thanks!

We did the breakfast after the 5k this year and the breakfast was held in the Race Retreat tent in the parking lot. We stayed off-site so we drove to the start. You'll either need to use a park ticket to walk to the IG after breakfast or take the race bus back to the hotel.

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

Very helpful - thank you! Our flight arrives at 1:45 on Thursday, and by the time we take ME to Poly, check in and get on the bus to the expo, it will be 4pm at the earliest. I'll be on my own with the boys until my husband arrives Saturday night, so no shopping for me - my plan is to grab our race bags/bib and go. Maybe I can shop at the DL HM expo next month instead!

Just curious - do the buses run between the resorts and expo only, or is it possible to take a bus direct from the expo to a park?

Or just take the bus to the hotel nearest whatever park you want to go to. (Like if you're going to MK, take the bus to the Contemporary or to BC for Epcot or BW for DHS).

Amanda

 

[laura428]

There are always taxis hanging around WWoS though...you could grab one of those directly to a park from the expo. Honestly, I've started using them more and more to and from the expo in the last year or two just because it ends up being so much faster...for me, any extra time I can get off of my feet and not standing in a line the day before a race is totally worth the cab fare

You know, this sounds like a really good idea. We get in at 2:55pm on the 20th, so probably won't be at our hotel until 4 or 5. I was thinking it might be smart to head on over to the Expo that first night, but the last thing I want to do after a day of travel is wait for a bus! Thanks for the tip.

 

[PrincessV]

Thank you! It's really not a big deal to me, but my mom will probably go with us and she HATES taking the buses, so I was trying to see if there were any options that would at least avoid a bus in one direction Maybe the race buses won't be as insane as the park buses

Oh, I can totally relate! I've been going back and forth (and probably will still be doing so until Feb) about whether or not to bring my mother and son... my mother has been to WDW a gazillion times and but is terrified of getting lost and fears the bus system. The irony of this situation is that my son would be taking care of Gramma, not the other way around...

If you aim to get there either day as soon as it opens, expect a LOOOOOOONG line to start forming early just to get in. Also, there's nothing that says you can't head for the vendors and shop before you get all your race stuff...doesn't really matter but most tend to run for their race number first, and if you're there early to buy a hot item that you think will sell out, then go for it and get your race stuff after you've shopped.

I can vouch for all of the above. I stayed at CSR this year and walked over to the Expo 10 minutes before it opened... and stood in a line that wrapped all the way around the outside of the building for 20 minutes before getting in. My friend wanted a Coast to Coast shirt and when we saw the insanity that was the runDisney merch booth, we opted to do that first, for fear of the shirts being gone quickly. We were right - they were sold out by the time we got to the registers with our stuff. Bib and packet pick-up wasn't bad at all, though.

 

[SRUAlmn]

Oh, I can totally relate! I've been going back and forth (and probably will still be doing so until Feb) about whether or not to bring my mother and son... my mother has been to WDW a gazillion times and but is terrified of getting lost and fears the bus system. The irony of this situation is that my son would be taking care of Gramma, not the other way around...

My mom's concern is that she's claustrophobic and every time we've gone to WDW has been during a busy time of year. We spend every bus trip with strangers' crotches and armpits in our faces. No wonder she hates the buses

 

[jockey]

No word on the NB shoes yet. I believe the price was about $125.

Thats less than I expected..they are $399 on ebay

I've heard there will be new designs for the Princess They're supposed to be on display at the January marathon!

Oh I hope so!

Omg! I had no idea they made these!?!? Are they different colors/styles each year? So fun!!!!!

last years were very cute

Cool!!!! What are the chances they sell out early??

I hope they don't

 

[pixarmom]

In my experience, the expos at DL have been much more laid back...still get crowded, but never seem to be as completely nutty as the PHM expo.

As for the busses...on race weekends at WDW the event busses are separate from any of the regular park busses...usually are the big chartered busses and are marked as runDisney event busses...they will only be going from resort to expo and back or resort to race and back. There are always taxis hanging around WWoS though...you could grab one of those directly to a park from the expo. Honestly, I've started using them more and more to and from the expo in the last year or two just because it ends up being so much faster...for me, any extra time I can get off of my feet and not standing in a line the day before a race is totally worth the cab fare

I love hearing this about the DL expo - I was thinking that might be the case because EVERYTHING is more laid back at DL, but I didn't want to assume, so that's helpful. Seriously, we laugh about how our WDW strategies work even better at DL (and the DL phone CMs always laugh at me when I'm making dining reservations for 2 TS at day exactly 60 days in advance of each!)

Good to hear about the cabs! When my husband and he decided to join us for the night before the race/race day, and I told him about the post-race transportation, he said, "If these lines are long, we're taking a cab."

Or just take the bus to the hotel nearest whatever park you want to go to. (Like if you're going to MK, take the bus to the Contemporary or to BC for Epcot or BW for DHS).
Amanda

I was thinking about that! I'd prefer to have time to go back to Poly after the expo, and then monorail to Epcot for our Garden Grill ADR, but this is a good backup plan. The only problem is that I might be homesick for BC and Teena won't be in the lobby on a Thursday!

Also posted this over on the YC/BC thread, but your 1/2 Marathon report from 2011 is very helpful! Did you throw away your arm sleeves, or carry them with you?

 

[fruitcakes24]

The post-race lines were so terrible for the All-Stars that we actually walked across the parking lot to the Epcot buses. It was a little bit of a long walk on tired legs, but felt good to move instead of standing in the line for the bus.

 

[Figment1990]

I know I've seen some posts about southwest flight schedule being open thru march 7. I jumped on the site immediately when it opened but I didn't book because I'm waiting for my parents to figure out their schedule. At that time, i could see all the fares. Now when I look, all the flights to Orlando are still available at all fare levels but for coming home (in my case, to Pittsburgh), all of the Wanna Get Away fares say "unavailable." Not "sold out," just "unavailable. And it's every flight on every day the week after the princess.

Has anyone had this problem too? By chance does anyone know what is going on? It just seems so weird. I'm going to call southwest tomorrow but my Dis-princesses always seem to be in the know so I thought I'd check here too.

 

[keahgirl8]

I know I've seen some posts about southwest flight schedule being open thru march 7. I jumped on the site immediately when it opened but I didn't book because I'm waiting for my parents to figure out their schedule. At that time, i could see all the fares. Now when I look, all the flights to Orlando are still available at all fare levels but for coming home (in my case, to Pittsburgh), all of the Wanna Get Away fares say "unavailable." Not "sold out," just "unavailable. And it's every flight on every day the week after the princess.

Has anyone had this problem too? By chance does anyone know what is going on? It just seems so weird. I'm going to call southwest tomorrow but my Dis-princesses always seem to be in the know so I thought I'd check here too.

I had this exact problem! That is making me think it won't stay that way.

 

[joanzie72]

I know I've seen some posts about southwest flight schedule being open thru march 7. I jumped on the site immediately when it opened but I didn't book because I'm waiting for my parents to figure out their schedule. At that time, i could see all the fares. Now when I look, all the flights to Orlando are still available at all fare levels but for coming home (in my case, to Pittsburgh), all of the Wanna Get Away fares say "unavailable." Not "sold out," just "unavailable. And it's every flight on every day the week after the princess.

Has anyone had this problem too? By chance does anyone know what is going on? It just seems so weird. I'm going to call southwest tomorrow but my Dis-princesses always seem to be in the know so I thought I'd check here too.

here too with coming back home.

 

[STILLWISHING]

here too with coming back home.

Did you check on AirTran? The flights out of Baltimore show up on both sites- you may be able to try there.

 

[11point5]

I know I've seen some posts about southwest flight schedule being open thru march 7. I jumped on the site immediately when it opened but I didn't book because I'm waiting for my parents to figure out their schedule. At that time, i could see all the fares. Now when I look, all the flights to Orlando are still available at all fare levels but for coming home (in my case, to Pittsburgh), all of the Wanna Get Away fares say "unavailable." Not "sold out," just "unavailable. And it's every flight on every day the week after the princess.

Has anyone had this problem too? By chance does anyone know what is going on? It just seems so weird. I'm going to call southwest tomorrow but my Dis-princesses always seem to be in the know so I thought I'd check here too.

Yep, I'm in the same boat. I posted about it on page 171 of this thread and there were several helpful princess responses from page 171-173 if you wanna read through! Consensus seems to be that it's still really early and there will undoubtedly be more WGA fares released for those currently "unavailable" dates (I personally suspect they'll be available again in early August, since that will be exactly 6months before early March). Guess we'll just have to keep patiently checking!

 

[Figment1990]

Yep, I'm in the same boat. I posted about it on page 171 of this thread and there were several helpful princess responses from page 171-173 if you wanna read through! Consensus seems to be that it's still really early and there will undoubtedly be more WGA fares released for those currently "unavailable" dates (I personally suspect they'll be available again in early August, since that will be exactly 6months before early March). Guess we'll just have to keep patiently checking!

Thank you everyone for your airline responses and for the reference back to the pages of the previous discussion. I think I'll try to hold out a little longer to book. If it said "sold out" I might be more concerned. Also, just fwiw, we've flown to and from disney in feb and march a lot and haven't ever had the fares all disappear within 3 days of the schedule being released. So I find it extremely hard to believe they are all gone. I did read that they might be putting more restrictions on the sw WGA fares, so perhaps they will be releasing the WGA fares after the others. Suddenly I'm wondering if the active.com people are running southwests website! LOL!!!!

 

[mommy2lt]

This may be a stupid question, but I haven't stayed on property since I was a kid, and we never flew in. How do you get the Disney bus to pick you up at the airport? How do you let them know your flight info and stuff? I looked on the Disney World site, but couldn't find anything.

 

[JerzPrincess]

This may be a stupid question, but I haven't stayed on property since I was a kid, and we never flew in. How do you get the Disney bus to pick you up at the airport? How do you let them know your flight info and stuff? I looked on the Disney World site, but couldn't find anything.

It's very easy. At the air port there will be signs I believe it's on the B side. Down by the rental cars. You go there to check in and they tell you what line to get in. Wait for the bus and they will take you to your resort . Now to book it, I have always booked it as I booked my resort but I know there are other ways to book it. Here is the website . Hope this helped!

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/planning-guides/in-depth-advice/airport-service/