2015 Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend ** Check-In ** May 7-10, 2015

[kirstie101]

Has anyone else noticed that Get Travel now requires a 3 night minimum for the Disney onsite hotels, rather than the 2 nights in the past? See:
http://www.gettravel.com/tinkerbellhalfmarathon/accommodation.shtml

Unfortunately, this is going to price us offsite. I would have loved to say at the Disneyland Hotel as we did last year for Tink and are going to for Avengers in November but it's just too expensive at $1241 for 3 nights! Yikes!

I booked the HoJo- I know it's a long walk, but we're paying about 1/2 the price for a huge 2 room kids suite.

I stayed at Hojo for my first Tink and it worked out fine. The walk to the race was like 20 minutes, after the race it took me longer cause I was moving slower, closer to 30 minutes. There were lots of other runners there. (If you're not getting a discount already, they offer one for runners if you call them directly.) My second Tink we stayed at PPH and I loved how close it was to the corrals. Hojos is where we'll be staying for Avengers in November. For Star Wars we're paying the money for PPH. Just can't afford to do it every time, ya know?

 

[keahgirl8]

I won't be able to go to the Expo until Saturday (due to my sister still being in class at UArk). Should I pre-order a commemorative pin or will they be available at the Expo? Also, we are booked at the Anaheim Camelot Inn if anyone has advice about staying there!

I haven't done the Tink before, but with PHM, my experience was that if there was something you had your heart set on, preorder if possible. Unless you get there when the expo opens on day 1, there are no guarantees.

 

[Miranda]

I'm super nervous and scared but super excited! I'm going to register on the 12th for the 1/2. It's my first 1/2 and my first Disney race. Eeeeek!

Mine too! I already checked in at the other thread in the Events forum, but I wandered over to this one to see if there was hotel info and found this thread, too!

I would love some advice about where to stay (I am leaning towards the Candy Cane Inn)

No advice specifically about where to stay for race weekend, but I was thinking of staying here as well... we stayed 2 nights here when we did a cross country road trip in 2009 and I really liked it. It was super cute and the room was very nice. I'm not sure what the walk to/from the park was like... we took their shuttle bus. But I don't remember it being too far away.

 

[Miranda]

Ouch! I just saw that price page for GET Travel. That certainly rules out the staying onsite, which I was hoping to do! It's not so much the 3 night thing. We will be coming from NH so that is a long trip. I am guessing we'd fly in on Friday, go to the expo and stuff on Sat, and head home Monday, so we'd need 3 nights anyway. But plane tickets are going to be bad enough, plus we are doing a week at WDW in December. I can't justify $350+ a night no matter how much I want to stay onsite!

 

[Belle Ella]

While staying onsite is a wonderful luxury (and luxury it is at that cost), the good news is that the nearby Good Neighbor Hotels are still a good option at a much cheaper cost. I only have experience with a few of the hotels on Harbor, mostly the Howard Johnson (loved the HOJO - it was my go to when I was an AP holder and woud drive down from Norther California), the Carousel, and I believe the Ramada Maingate. The 'problem' with these is the walk and from the start/finish line, although it is perfectly do-able as well. There are hotel options that are closer to the start/finish line that are on Katella, I believe but I have no experience with them!

Alright every, getting to be official registration time - good luck!

 

[Miranda]

I only have experience with a few of the hotels on Harbor, mostly the Howard Johnson (loved the HOJO - it was my go to when I was an AP holder and woud drive down from Norther California), the Carousel, and I believe the Ramada Maingate. The 'problem' with these is the walk and from the start/finish line, although it is perfectly do-able as well. There are hotel options that are closer to the start/finish line that are on Katella, I believe but I have no experience with them!

The GET Travel page mentions that there will be shuttles for those staying at "select Anaheim area hotels"... I'm guessing that means the hotels that they list there on the page with the special rates? Are the shuttles a good option?

 

[Belle Ella]

The GET Travel page mentions that there will be shuttles for those staying at "select Anaheim area hotels"... I'm guessing that means the hotels that they list there on the page with the special rates? Are the shuttles a good option?

The thing about the shuttles is they only take you as far as the normal shuttle unload area, which means they only save you the walk along Harbor ad then you still have to walk through the Esplanade, through Downtown Disney, and then to where they have the holding area/starting line set up. I personally never chose to do that. I've made the walk twice and it's completely doable but you are adding to your mileage for the day. Mostly I choose to drive and park at Mickey & Friends and walk from there - but I mostly do that because I'm only a 5 minute drive from home and haven't stayed in any of the hotels onsite or not in 2 1/2 years, but I know I even drove myself a few times when staying at HOJO.

 

[Belle Ella]

I'm in for the Pixie Dust Challenge!

I was terrified there for a minute. I swear the link went live before 9am and I didn't want to miss it but didn't want to thrown out for getting there before 9am but it doesn't matter, I got my emails, and I can breath easy again.

 

[Miranda]

It did go live at like 8:50! The runDisney page said open and all the registration links were there, and I started to run through it and then it said this event is no longer available for registration... and I went back to the runDisney site and all the links were gone again.

I am all registered for the half! I didn't realize I needed to make decisions now about the pasta party and stuff. So I just got a pin and my regular registration, and we'll find somewhere else to eat pasta.

 

[Belle Ella]

As of 9:28 the official runDisney website still has the Pixie Dust Challenge listed at 70% full, the 10K at 50% full and the Diaper Dash Sold out, and both the 100M and 200M for the children's races at 50% full​

 

[kim3339]

It did open before 9! I was in for the challenge and starting the 5k when the clock hit 9. So I'm in for everything and got my niece in for the Diaper Dash. Only sad thing was no more Visa discount. tried it on all 3 registrations.

Reg seemed really easy and a % just showed up so maybe the date did turn people off?

Kirstie ~ did you stay strong? Spaces are still open. Just throwin that out there!

 

[Belle Ella]

It did open before 9! I was in for the challenge and starting the 5k when the clock hit 9. So I'm in for everything and got my niece in for the Diaper Dash. Only sad thing was no more Visa discount. tried it on all 3 registrations.

Reg seemed really easy and a % just showed up so maybe the date did turn people off?

Kirstie ~ did you stay strong? Spaces are still open. Just throwin that out there!

Well, opening early certainly made it easier for me! I wonder if that was done on purpose at all to ease into it, or if it was just a glitch. Either way, it doesn't matter.

I didn't really think the change in dates would really impact how fast it would sell out that much considering how many people tend to get sold out of these things. Surely for everyone who decided not to, someone else would have been there to take their place. But it's nice to see it not going at such breakneck speed this time either.

 

[kim3339]

I am all registered for the half! I didn't realize I needed to make decisions now about the pasta party and stuff. So I just got a pin and my regular registration, and we'll find somewhere else to eat pasta.

Unless there's some crazy cosmic stuff going on, you'll have some time to decide about the pasta party. They'll post % once it hits 50%. I forget if you find that under regular reg or commemorative stuff later on down the road.

 

[kim3339]

Well, opening early certainly made it easier for me! I wonder if that was done on purpose at all to ease into it, or if it was just a glitch. Either way, it doesn't matter.

I didn't really think the change in dates would really impact how fast it would sell out that much considering how many people tend to get sold out of these things. Surely for everyone who decided not to, someone else would have been there to take their place. But it's nice to see it not going at such breakneck speed this time either.

Yeah, that's true. And the ease was awesome or maybe not as nervous as SW b/c I knew that would be insane.

 

[AmericanItGirl]

I won't be able to go to the Expo until Saturday (due to my sister still being in class at UArk). Should I pre-order a commemorative pin or will they be available at the Expo?

I had no problem buying a commemorative pin on the Saturday afternoon before the 1/2 last year (it seems to be the one thing that they keep in bulk supply).

Scaling back this year (mostly because I just did my first Spartan Race, a Spartan Sprint, on Saturday and I still have fading bruises from that ) and signed up to do the 10k with my mom this year.

This year, I swear I'll devote more time to actually putting together a costume so that people don't get confused as to who I'm supposed to be (thinking of going as Wendy).

 

[Miranda]

Unless there's some crazy cosmic stuff going on, you'll have some time to decide about the pasta party. They'll post % once it hits 50%. I forget if you find that under regular reg or commemorative stuff later on down the road.

Oh ok, thanks!

That is some pretty expensive pasta, though.

 

[Belle Ella]

Unless there's some crazy cosmic stuff going on, you'll have some time to decide about the pasta party. They'll post % once it hits 50%. I forget if you find that under regular reg or commemorative stuff later on down the road.

I was about to post what Kim said. You'll have time to decide on that one. But it does look as though the Past in the Park Party has it's own link this year. No idea if it's always been like that.

Yeah, that's true. And the ease was awesome or maybe not as nervous as SW b/c I knew that would be insane.

This being my first time doing general registration in so long, I was still terrified! But at least once I was in I could breathe a sigh of relief.

Actually, I almost missed it! Apparently I forgot to set my alarm, but thankfully woke up on my own at 8:30. I think that was what got me freaking out.

 

[jblairosu]

Woo hoo! I got registered for the 1/2, dh is signed up for the 10k and kiddos registered for their races!!!

 

[kim3339]

Oh ok, thanks!

That is some pretty expensive pasta, though.

Very expensive pasta! I've never done it, but I know people who have and said it really wasn't worth it. The character meets are nice, but you can see them in the park. I've always just gone to Naples in DTD or Wine Country in DCA; just remember to make ressies for that weekend. There will be a just a few more people eating pasta that weekend.

 

[kim3339]

Actually, I almost missed it! Apparently I forgot to set my alarm, but thankfully woke up on my own at 8:30. I think that was what got me freaking out.

Oh no! That would've been horrible! So what did you end up registering for? The 1/2 or challenge? Did you decide on the 5k yet?