But you CAN’T swim in Bay Lake, can you?? (A surprise pic-heavy report) COMPLETE!

[lklasing]

Just found your report sounds like ya'll had a great time. You beat us back to the Fort but our trip is will be here soon enough.(well its never soon enough what am I typing)

Thanks! I hate to have missed you this time. Have a great trip!!

Congrats on that great finish! I admire anyone who can do that let alone in that amount of time! Great job!! Love the pics especially the "photopass pics" on the bus, those are great! Wish I could get my DS to be so fun in them but he thinks he is too cool. We are planning a surprise trip in Dec for our kids I hope they are as shocked as your were!

Those bus photopass pics were very impromptu - we were just riding along playing with the camera, when all the sudden we started taking them. We got so tickled that the rest of the bus was staring. I don't think they recognized our tremendous humor!

Great job with the Triathalon.
I had no idea that WDW had this, that is why I thought you fell in Bay Lake on a Sea Racer.
Will WDW do this again? or was it a one time thing.
I can bike and swim, I just cannot run.
My dd's tell me all the time, I should run and it will help me loose weight. I can run on a treadmill for about 1 minute and then I am back to walking.
If they do another Triathalon, can you let me know, it is something I would love to do (in 2 years) for my 50th birthday. I know I want to spend it at WDW and this would make it all the more special. And, it would give me time, to learn how to run longer than one minute.

Hey Mari - apparently they have several triathlons at FW every year. I would have never found out about this one but for a trip report TCD did from a trip he took to FW on a weekend when they had one. I was very intrigued. Then, TCD posted a schedule of when the next several races would be and I figured out that race would be happening while we were there. I had had no plan at all to ever do a triathlon until that point, but I sure had fun training for it and even more fun doing it.

I highly recommend that you try one, especially since you're already proficient at 2 of the 3 events. (That's one more than I could do when I started training!) Don't worry at all about the run. Lots, and I mean LOTS, of people walk the whole thing. It's the shortest distance available, all-women, and geared toward beginners, so it's the perfect race for you to try!!

I know that they had the Danskin race in May that was the same beginner-level distance, so I bet they may have it again. TCD seemed very tuned in to the schedule, so maybe he'll chime in if he knows whether there are going to be more races next year, and when.

What a great TR! Your family looks like they really enjoy each other's company. I'm jealous that you did the tri - I've done 2 half marathons and one full; I'm doing the full again this year.

Are you doing the WDW full? If so, I'm so jealous! Have a great time!

Okay, you're officially my hero! I promised myself I'd write a trip report when we got back, and it's now been over a month!! I have all my notes from the trip, but just can't get my act together....

I also don't have nearly the pictures that you do - most of mine are on my "traditional" camera - and my DS12's camera. He'll have to show me how to post them

You have inspired me, though, and I'm going to start writing....

Get going on that TR! And make sure to let us know when you get it started!

Great trip report! Thanks so much for sharing it!

Thanks! It's been a fun report to do.

 

[MDMagicMom]

I can't believe they have a Sprint Tri at Disney. I do an all women sprint tri here in Maryland every summer and it's so great! I know exactly what you mean about stopping every few strokes to apologize for kicking someone. And sometimes you have to do some backstroke to get your bearings. Is the run flat? I'm more of a swimmer and biker than a runner so a flat run would be perfect! Do they do it every year! What a great place to do a Sprint! Congrats to you (and I'm jealous, can you tell?)

 

[lklasing]

I can't believe they have a Sprint Tri at Disney. I do an all women sprint tri here in Maryland every summer and it's so great! I know exactly what you mean about stopping every few strokes to apologize for kicking someone. And sometimes you have to do some backstroke to get your bearings. Is the run flat? I'm more of a swimmer and biker than a runner so a flat run would be perfect! Do they do it every year! What a great place to do a Sprint! Congrats to you (and I'm jealous, can you tell?)

I think we just posted at almost the same time! See my reply one post above yours - someone else asked just almost the same questions as you did! You should try to plan your next trip around one of these races since you're already old hat at them! And yes, the run course is very flat and very user friendly.

 

[Gabrielsbigtrip]

Great job with the Triathalon.
I had no idea that WDW had this, that is why I thought you fell in Bay Lake on a Sea Racer.
Will WDW do this again? or was it a one time thing.
I can bike and swim, I just cannot run.
My dd's tell me all the time, I should run and it will help me loose weight. I can run on a treadmill for about 1 minute and then I am back to walking.
If they do another Triathalon, can you let me know, it is something I would love to do (in 2 years) for my 50th birthday. I know I want to spend it at WDW and this would make it all the more special. And, it would give me time, to learn how to run longer than one minute.

Just a quick hijack....

Have you ever heard of couch to 5k? It's a great program and I was in the same boat with running 1 minute then dying.

If you have an Ipod - you can download different programs. Just google couch to 5k. I love hip hop and dance so I use that one but there are other one out there and you can probably make you own playlists to go along with the program.

Good shoes are also a VERY important part of starting a running program.

Of course I fell off the wagon but I am starting again and I would LOVE to do the FW event too

 

[lklasing]

Reflections on a trip that was almost more fun than one family should be allowed to have:

- The Disney "Magic" – Despite what I’ve read about in some threads, it was our experience that the CMs have definitely not lost their magic with guests. We had far too many special encounters with a variety of CMs to think that Disney is not working hard to ensure that their CMs give guests special times. From the extra funny CM that gave us our golf cart at FW to the MK CM who started pacing me while I was walking down Main Street one day, oblivious to him until I figured out something was odd, we had nothing but great, and often hysterical, encounters with CMs.

- Monorail ridesI didn’t know before this trip that they no longer allow guests to sit in the front of the monorail. I had noticed that the front compartment had been empty (but for the driver) when it passed us by a couple of times, but it wasn’t until we heard another family ask to sit up front that I figured it out. When the CM replied that guests were no longer allowed to sit up front, a little boy (around 6) asked “is it because of the crash?” The CM confirmed that that was the issue. Now seeing the empty compartment up front is another reminder of that very sad event.

- Free Dining – We thought it was GREAT, and I’m glad we did it, but we won’t do deluxe again. As so many have said, it was far too much food. On the other hand, it sure was fun going to lots of places we haven’t been to before and possibly wouldn’t have done without the plan. We had never done either HDDR nor Narcoossees; plus we got to go to other places we knew we love without worrying about the cost: CG (okay, we always do that one), The Wave (now one of our serious favorites), Kona, plus multiple breakfasts and lunches at Sci fi , TE, Biergarten, etc. Despite it being free dining, we never encountered any crowds at any of the meals at all. The most we ever waited to be seated was 10 minutes max and that was obviously only to allow the wait staff to not get slammed with too many people at a time. We never even were at any restaurant that was full while we were there. Finally, one last tip about the dining plan – don’t save up those snack credits!

- Weather – It was fine. We actually liked it a lot better than when we were there last Thanksgiving, since we love to swim. We had prepared mentally for heat (at least all of us other than Jodi – who didn’t know we were going – had), so we were pleasantly surprised that it really wasn’t as bad as we thought. And when it did get too hot, we just bailed on whatever park we were in and went back for a swim or rest.

- Crowds – They were amazing. Really. It was the best we’ve ever seen, and I didn’t think anything could beat early May. Even once Labor Day weekend started and lots more people were at Fort Wilderness, the parks still didn’t get too crowded. I’ve never walked onto so many rides.

- FW Cabins – They’re still great. There was lots of swamp area around our cabin, but most of the Fort looked great. Where they cleared out excess vegetation a year or so ago has started to fill in nicely. We still love having all the extra room, the full kitchen, the wonderful resort itself with so many activities, the laid back atmosphere, everything. I highly recommend you check out the cabins sometime if you’re curious.


Well, that’s it. So, with a final wave:

this trip report is done. Hope to see you all back in the World soon!

Leslie

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Bravo!

I appreciate a great trip report.

And, this was a great trip report.

Leslie suggested that I might chime in about triathlon information at Ft. Wilderness. Danskins sponsors a women's triathlon at Ft. Wilderness every year lately on Mother's Day weekend. Here's a link with some information. There is a link on that link to Disney Endurance Series, which lists other endurance events that take place at WDW every year:

2010 Danskins Women's Triathlon

There continue to be more and more endurance races at WDW each year.

TCD

p.s. We have not tried The Wave since it opened last year. Based on your glowing reviews, we will be giving it a try soon.

 

[OhMari]

I'm the moderator on the TR boards, and I am probably the worst hi-jacker of anyone. I don't have an IPod, but I called my dd this morning, because I am so excited about doing a tri-athalon at WDW. She actually heard about this and she thought of me right away. We both agreed we would like to do it and she knows I have a long way to go, to figure out the running part.

I have a question-after the swimming, do you change clothes? Because, I need super, double strength support-if ya know what I mean. There is no way I could run/walk without upper support.

Just a quick hijack....

Have you ever heard of couch to 5k? It's a great program and I was in the same boat with running 1 minute then dying.

If you have an Ipod - you can download different programs. Just google couch to 5k. I love hip hop and dance so I use that one but there are other one out there and you can probably make you own playlists to go along with the program.

Good shoes are also a VERY important part of starting a running program.

Of course I fell off the wagon but I am starting again and I would LOVE to do the FW event too

I think I am going to invest in one. My dd has a program too-and I also think I am going to talk with the trainer at my YMCA. We should form a group and maybe try to work our times out, that we will be doing one at WDW.

Leslie suggested that I might chime in about triathlon information at Ft. Wilderness. Danskins sponsors a women's triathlon at Ft. Wilderness every year lately on Mother's Day weekend. Here's a link with some information. There is a link on that link to Disney Endurance Series, which lists other endurance events that take place at WDW every year:

2010 Danskins Women's Triathlon

There continue to be more and more endurance races at WDW each year.

TCD

p.s. We have not tried The Wave since it opened last year. Based on your glowing reviews, we will be giving it a try soon.

Thanks for this link-is there something for next Fall, I think I really need to swim in our outdoor pool for the summer. Our YMCA pool sucks donkey butt. Our town pool in the summer is more like a lake, sand bottom and 10 laps, equal 1/4 mile. I can do at least 15 laps in a half hour, but I know I have to get my endurance up again.

 

[lklasing]

Thanks, TCD! That's high praise coming from the all-time best trip reporter ever!

Mari - about clothes, I struggled forever trying to figure out what to wear. Since it's such a (relatively) short race, there are no changing facilities, so I swam in my bike shorts, running bra and tank. I had swum in that exact outfit before just to make sure it wouldn't give me any trouble. Then after the swim, I just changed shirts right there in the field by my bike. (Lots of women run just in their running bras, plus there were only women around anyway, so I wasn't worried about that.) I wanted to change shirts mainly to get one that wasn't soaked, but it also helped in that I had already put my race number on my dry one so I didn't have to worry about that in transition. So, as long as you find a bra you like to run in that you test out on a swim ahead of time, you'll be fine!

And, by the way:

Our YMCA pool sucks donkey butt.

 

[sinnika]

Awesome trip report! We check into the Cabins tomorrow! Can't wait! Its our first time to Ft Wilderness and we are really looking forward to the extra space! Were all those great photos from the water parks taken by photopass CM's? If so, I'll have to remember to look for them when we go to BB. We've been to TL a couple of times now and looking forward to trying out BB this time!

 

[lklasing]

Awesome trip report! We check into the Cabins tomorrow! Can't wait! Its our first time to Ft Wilderness and we are really looking forward to the extra space! Were all those great photos from the water parks taken by photopass CM's? If so, I'll have to remember to look for them when we go to BB. We've been to TL a couple of times now and looking forward to trying out BB this time!

I'm so JEALOUS! Have a great time! Yes, all our TL pics were taken by the photopass people. I was very pleased with them. I think we saw a much higher number of them at TL than we did at BB in May 2008, but I know I wasn't looking for them as hard at BB as I was on this trip.

Have a great trip and report back when you get home!!

Leslie

 

[WDW Traveler]

Awesome TR! Thanks so much for posting it. Your family is adorable and obviously loves to have fun together! Congrats to you on the triathalon! Good for you!

I have almost completed my TR in Word and will hopefully post it at some point - it's really long! LOL

Thanks again!

 

[funkenzie1]

i have always wanted to be woken up like that but oh so sadly i have only gone to wdw 1 time

ps i love jodis room

 

[funkenzie1]

hey dvc at last! i see you go to hilton head island. me and my family go every year. if you could tell me where you stay that would be cool.

 

[bouncycat]

Yes, sounds like an awesome trip!! I'm always sad to see them go!! I may have to plan a trip for 13-16 people for next year in September....Lord help me now!! That's IF they still have the miltary deals! We will of course stay at the cabins. I don't think I'll ever stay anywhere else!!

 

[jdd]

Get going on that TR! And make sure to let us know when you get it started!

Okay, I finally bit the bullet, and started it. Not very far yet, but if you're interested....http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2293517

 

[lklasing]

Okay, I finally bit the bullet, and started it. Not very far yet, but if you're interested....http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2293517

Awesome! I'm on my way over!