Coast to Coast and Back Again: A runDisney Journey

[Mimsy Borogove]

Yeah, nice ramp, I had no idea that was back there.

For TOT 10-Miler, that ramp was after the finish line as you made your way through the chute for medals, photos, etc. The grumbling could probably be heard for miles!

Yeah, I was reading a blog and it was all about look for a 'pocket' to run into to pose, but that 'pocket' might not be as clear as they think when they go all jump crazy.

your "very special person" makes me laugh!

The problem with that advice is that it doesn't work if everyone is looking for that pocket! I was very consciously trying to do that, and just when I thought I had one, someone would jump in front of me in my pocket. And haha!

That's awesome. Not sure I could have run in a full jammy like suit, but still very neat.

Me either!

Darn, that's the worst. Still a great photo!

Your photos turn out so good & your Jedi wave is spot on! Great 10k & recap. The tables by the characters are nice to set stuff on, it all seemed pretty organized to me which was nice.

Thank you! Those tables were great - no bending over to pick up a truckload of stuff after your photo op!

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Saturday, 4/22 – Light the Lamp, Not the Rat!

After my Boba Fett meeting (thank goodness there was no bounty out on Ahsoka Tano this time!), I texted DH to let him know I was boarding a bus and would soon be back. At POFQ, I disembarked the bus, walked through the lobby and then the 5-minute walk to our room where I showered and changed and decided to chill out for a bit before we headed out. I opened up the snack box, which was the same all weekend, but I am ALWAYS happy to see that darn cheese product package. It’s just the perfect post-race snack for me, especially coupled with salty mini-tortilla chips.


Snack box contents (Do you all ever see those Facebook "giveaways" where they show stacks of runDisney snack boxes and people think they're full of vacation packages? It's so annoying when people don't do their research and post stuff like that and it shows up in your feed over and over).


You can see now that this medal has two stripes, hence the Level 2 testing, successfully completed. Now that I understood the theming of the medals, I really liked it! When I’d seen the medals at WDW Marathon Weekend expo, I was less than thrilled.

And now I attempted to somewhat get caught up on social media. I’d tagged my pre-race Instagram photos with teamsparkle because I was wearing a Sparkle Athletic skirt, and the company’s Instagram (and Facebook page) showed me some sparkle love, TWICE in one collage! How very cool.


Sparkle Athletic Instagram (I starred my two photos)

And also since Ashley Eckstein (the voice of Ahsoka Tano) follows me on Twitter, I am a huge fan of the Her Universe clothing line, and she is such a supportive person for a lot of causes and also towards her fangirls, I decided to let her know via Twitter I’d run the 10K as Ahsoka Tano. I was proud of that costume, even though I didn’t use all the armor I’d made and didn't paint my face for obvious reasons. Within a few minutes, she tweeted back that she loved the costume. Awwww! People like to diss Twitter a lot, especially lately, but it’s just like any tool, it depends on how it’s used. You can use it for good or you can use it for evil, it’s your choice.


Some love from the real Ahsoka!

And with those heartwarming social media instances, it was time to head to Epcot! We only had Soarin’ Around The World FastPasses and then nothing else on the docket for the day so we could play it by ear. This was probably a good thing because my back was still feeling twingey, like it could tweak out again at any time, and I didn’t want to overplay my hand with the half marathon still to go the next day. We boarded a bus and headed to our favorite park (science + culture = awesomeness) where my favorite festival was happening: Flower & Garden Festival! It used to be a very quiet event in years past, but with the increasing popularity of Food & Wine Festival, Disney has tapped into the market of that popularity by adding little kiosks around the World Showcase. There aren’t as many as during Food & Wine Fest, but enough to sample various things around the world.


Flower & Garden Festival

We headed to The Land and had a really great flight around the world. It’s easily in my top 5 favorites at WDW. Because we had nothing else going on Saturday and because I had yet another race to run, we decided to head over to Hollywood Studios to check out the new PizzeRizzo restaurant near Muppets 3-D. It had been a Pizza Planet (themed like the restaurant in Toy Story, but we’d never eaten there, so that’s as much as I can say about it) for years and years but recently renovated to a Muppets theme, with the titular Rizzo being Rizzo the Rat. I love the Muppets and wanted pizza for lunch (yes, even after having it the previous day, I told you I’m boring pre-race), so it seemed a logical choice. We boarded one of the Friendship Boats (typically we walk over) and just enjoyed the slow cruise to the Studios, and then to Muppets Plaza.










Cheese pizza with side Caesar salad

I don’t really know what I was expecting, but it seemed a little low-key for a Muppets-themed restaurant and the food was just OK. I did like that the meals all came with side Caesar salads because I often find myself craving vegetables at Disney (I’d purchased carrots and celery at POFQ the previous night to keep in our room fridge for cravings), so this was a great option. Would we eat here again? I don’t know. I guess if we were in the Muppets area of DHS and were hungry, but I don’t think I’d seek it out like we did this weekend.

By this time, DH was looking and feeling miserable. He was completely silent during lunch and then finally admitted to me that he had a splitting headache. So we headed back to the hotel, and honestly I was fine with that. I like to just chill out before races, which is why I plan most of our park time for after my race days. And obviously, I wanted him to feel better.

We made it back to our room where DH proceeded to take a 3-hour nap. I wasn’t that tired, but I did doze off for about 30 minutes and then decided to read my Kindle while propped up in bed. I was in the middle of reading the third book in the Chuck Wendig Star Wars: After Math series, which all take place after Return of the Jedi and feature Norra Wexley (Snap Wexley’s – pilot in the Resistance featured in The Force Awakens – mother) as the main character, some other new characters and appearances by familiar characters such as Leia, Han, Chewbacca, Wedge, Mon Mothma, and others. They are actually really well done and I was getting to the part where the Empire remnants and the New Republic are about to battle it out in the space above Jakku (Rey’s planet in The Force Awakens). I read that book for a while until dinnertime when DH woke up and we headed to Sassagoula Float Works once again for a meal. I was really glad we’d decided to purchase those resort mugs! For dinner, I was once again boring, I ordered some pasta with marinara and grilled chicken and DH had a shrimp Po’ Boy sandwich. No photos because there wasn't really anything about them that stood out.

It was early to bed this evening because the next morning would be early to rise!

Next: Great, kid. Don’t Get Cocky.

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Sunday, 4/23 – Great, kid. Don’t Get Cocky.

This morning, I slept in a bit because my costume wasn’t as intricate as for the 10K, and you may laugh, but those 30 minutes of extra sleep can make all the difference! But I woke up on my own at 3am since it was my third early-morning rise in a row; the same thing happened to me during Dopey last year, I woke up on my own the last two days. I got out of bed and my back was still feeling stiff and sore, so I took two Tylenol and packed two more in my hydration belt for potential later use. Here’s a tip from me to you: those tiny Ziploc-esque bags they sell in craft stores are invaluable for keeping medications or Nuun tablets or other small items in your hydration belt. I’m not a fan of stickiness in general, so they work out great for me!

By this time, I’m pulling together my race costume for the half marathon. Back in January, I’d intended to run the WDW half marathon as Hank the Septopus from Finding Dory because I love cephalopods (they are SO smart!) and Hank in particular. I’d worked very hard to hand-sew a skirt overlay of 5 tentacles (my arms would be the other two), a visor clip for his head, and also a coffee pot with Dory in it so I was really disappointed the costume wouldn’t be used; I wasn’t sure when my next Disney race would be (and currently I have no rD races on my schedule for the first time in over two years) so I decided I’d just do a mashup Hank/Imperial costume. I made a stencil of the Imperial symbol and used metallic black fabric paint to insinuate that Hank’s chromatophores (that’s how he became a plant and other objects in the film!) created a disguise to infiltrate the Death Start to rescue Dory, who was being contained in Detention Block AA-23, cell 2187 (where Princess Leia was held in Episode IV). So a few embellishments later and I had a Finding Dory/Star Wars mashup!



Once again, runDisney issued a Heat Advisory via its social media the day prior to the race, and I cannot stress enough how I think this is a great thing that they do. And it was really warm the morning of the half marathon. I walked outside my hotel room and was hit with a wave of heat/humidity, whereas the previous two mornings, there was a hint of a chill in the air. Today there was no such chill and it was going to be very different, especially with the longer race.



This was also going to be my first runDisney race since 2014 where I had not provided a proof of time; mine had expired the month previous to the cutoff and I hadn’t bothered to run a race for time since, so it was my fate for this race weekend. Along with apparently 7,000 other runners in Corral F! Holy cow…


Corral assignments for SWDS half marathon. My normal POT would be Corral E.



In a way, I was dreading being in the largest corral, just because it is the corral where a half marathon time of 2:46 to 3 hours (which I do have even having not run for time) can be claimed by anyone registered for the race, regardless of actual performance. So I fully expected newbies, run-walkers (with whom I have no problem since I do the same at Disney, but I am mindful of other people on course; many tend to walk in large groups across the course blocking other people from passing), significantly longer character lines, and all such manner of things. In addition to the heat/humidity factor, my primary goal was just to finish within allotted time and get my half/challenge medals. And of course, to have fun! I was, however, looking forward to the new half marathon course. Like the 10K course, the half course was different this year and we would be visiting three parks: Disney’s Animal Kingdom (DAK), Disney’s Hollywood Studio (DHS), and end at Epcot.



Once I was dressed and ready, I grabbed all my race accoutrements including my hydration belt, bottles filled with Nuun/water mix, Gu gels just in case, and then my pre-race Uncrustable and banana and made my way to the bus stop at the main building of my resort. There were a lot more people waiting this morning for the bus, and two buses showed up simultaneously so not much of a wait to board. Once I was settled in my seat, I happened to look down and my MagicBand was gone from my wrist. Ruh-roh. I frantically texted DH and calmer heads prevailed because he texted back to ask if I’d checked the floor of the bus. Derp. Sure enough, I kicked my foot around and there it was. It must have fallen off when I sat down and brushed the arm rest. Crisis averted! To be safe, I tucked it under my arm sleeve. The bus then whisked us away to the TTC parking lot again for a second morning of festivities. Since DH hadn’t woken up by the time I’d left to take a photo of my costume, I immediately sought out a PhotoPass photographer to document my race costume before I ran in the thing and possibly destroyed it.



DJ Elliot was emceeing again today, still with pumping music mixed with Star Wars sound effects, music, and dialogue. There was a guy dressed up like George Lucas (basically a dark beard, heavy glasses, and a plaid shirt) being interviewed, and the co-host was also in the crowd asking trivia questions and handing out prizes. One woman kind of complained about her prize, that she didn’t want to carry it, so she received a different one after he’d mocked her. It then became a running gag throughout the remainder of the pre-race (and come to think of it, this all may have happened during pre-10K race, but I neglected to include this anecdote then so you’re getting it now).




Since it was the final morning of character ops, I was thinking of getting one with Vader, but he had one of the longest wait times, so I didn’t do a character photo op this morning pre-race. Instead, I sort of milled around, ate my Uncrustable, did a lot of people-watching, and then decided to start heading to my corral around 4:30 since it was the largest one. I wanted to be near the front, or at least the first couple of waves, so that I could get in as much time pre-sunrise as I could. I passed the GEAR check area and then remembered that there was a DIS boards meet-up this morning. So I pulled over to the side and turned around, became a salmon swimming upstream as I headed back to the designated meet-up place. At first I didn’t see any obvious groups hanging out (except an InkNBurn group) and thought maybe I was too late, but then I noticed @MommaoffherRocker holding a sign that simply said, “DIS.” Score!

I’m a socially awkward person. If you watch The Big Bang Theory, the characters aren’t too much off from how many (but not all, of course) scientists are, at least in new situations; around people we know we are hilarious and fun, it’s just the initial awkwardness. So I walked up and immediately stated my user name and…crickets. Not that I blame everyone! But we got to talking and I put some faces to screen names: @opusone, @croach, @MissLiss279 , and another lady whose user/name I didn’t catch (I’m so sorry!) in addition to Momma (and apparently, I missed @cavepig). We all had a nice chat and soon a Disney security guy came up to us and we heard some fascinating DIS boards history since he used to be a moderator back in the day. He also gave us a heads-up on some character stop locations. Nice discussion!

Soon I started feeling anxious, though, Corral F was probably filling up quickly and the pre-race jitters were setting in (not too much, but enough for me to want to get going), so I apologized for lighting out, and started heading over to the corrals. Just past the runners only check point and turning the corner, the crowd came to a dead stop. WUT. There couldn’t be THAT many people trying to get into corrals G and F, could there? But then someone pointed out that this area was also the lines for the portopotties. Um. Not great planning there, runDisney! Once I realized this, I made serpentine progress through the crowd and finally made it to the corral.


Trying to get to corral! You can see all the portopotties to the right, which I couldn't see at the time; I'd raised my phone above my head to take this shot.


Corral F as I entered.

I tried to be a little smarter today by eating my banana early on and tossing the peel while I still could. And then set about to stand in the corral to wait.

Next: Coatee-cha tu yub nub!

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Sunday, 4/23 - Coatee-cha tu yub nub!

Ok, so that title is Ewokese for “celebrate the freedom!” and no, I did not know that offhand, I Googled it.

I didn’t have much in-corral interaction today, but that was fine, I was standing in weird positions occasionally stretching my back out (it’s better for me to stand and move around a little than to sit on the asphalt and get stiff) and just mentally preparing. Pre-race events progressed as they had the previous two days with movie trailers, stormtroopers informing us of our Level 3 testing today, and soon a Disney featured singer performed the national anthem. And then corrals began to release! After the previous two days, I wasn’t expecting much for starting fireworks, but they must have been stockpiling them today because they were very elaborate! Much more elaborate than the marathon ones, if I am remembering correctly! I tried to photograph and then ended up taking a short video for Corral B since I still had some time to wait.




Starting line

This is my very first YouTube upload, done just for you all!

Soon the corrals began shuffling towards the start and somehow I ended up in the first wave of Corral F; how that happened, I’ll never know, my luck usually isn’t that good. Almost immediately, there was a character op, R2-D2, but I was only able to get a blurry photo since it was on the left and I was firmly ensconced on the right.



The first part of the route was a bit different than the 10K because we did not head out on to World Drive, instead we headed towards Bear Island Road, which is a backroad featured in the first half of the WDW Marathon and also the newly-redesigned Wine & Dine Half course (but in the opposite direction). This road is pretty nondescript, it’s surrounded by pine flatwoods interrupted by occasional streams/canals (= bridges for the race). But runDisney had something up their sleeve, a special treat for us Star Wars fans. We soon heard vocalizations in the trees of Ewoks and other Endor moon critters, which was a cool effect in the dark! And then we saw colored lights up ahead: yellow, green, and red beams sweeping across the road. As we got closer, there were also sound effects of Ewok battle drums, AT-STs, laser shots, blaster shots, explosions, crashes and other noises you might expect during a battle.

We were in the middle of the Battle of Endor!!! How cool is that? I really thought this was neat. I’ve read that some people were bothered by the light, which I understand, but my visor helped protect me from the bulk of it and I could enjoy it. I tried to capture photos of it, but failed miserably. I should have just shot wobbly video while I was running because it was so freaking cool and absolutely the highlight of the first portion of this race!


Battle of Endor photo – all the running gear reflective material totally ruined an otherwise cool shot! I didn't use a flash here, the reflective material is lit up from the laser fire.

Soon after we passed through the battle, a good quarter to half mile stretch, there was another character photo op with Ewoks. I really wanted to stop, but I was trying to put as many miles in the bank as I could while it was still dark because I knew that once the sun was up, I would start fading fast. The sun has the opposite effect on me as it does on Kal-El. What I’m saying is that it drains me.



I also neglected to photograph the mile markers today for much the same reason, it takes some time to navigate the crowd if it’s on the side opposite where you are and pull over to take a photo between people posing in front of it. So I scrapped that idea even though all the mile markers were different for the half marathon (unlike Light Side which had the same design repeated 13 times) and featured various villains from the Star Wars universe like Cad Bane, Seventh Sister, Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, General Hux, Jabba the Hutt, and so on.

We continued onward along Bear Island Road and then made the curvy turn onto Western Way. The cant of the road here was slightly tilted, enough for my hips to start whining at me. But I told them to shut up, there was still a long ways to go.


Western Way, showing the race field ahead of me – so many people!

Because I tend to break up half marathon (and marathon) courses mentally so it doesn’t seem as daunting of a task, I was really looking forward to getting to DAK for our first park. Surely there would be cool things here, 501st Legion like last year, maybe a character stop or two? But first, we had to go past the sewage treatment facility, which is not so much a treat. It didn’t really bother me too much during marathon and Wine & Dine last year, I’m out in the coastal wetlands a lot which typically occurs at low tide (and you haven’t lived until you’ve smelled the Indian River Lagoon at low tide, my friends!). I think for Dark Side, I actually smelled it, made note of it, and moved on. And then we were on the back roads of DAK.




Rhino house – I think it’s hilarious that the car parked outside is probably smaller than just one of the inhabitants of that house!



We entered DAK via Asia and it was nifty to go through the gates where there were throngs of Cast Members cheering us on. We passed the siamang exhibit and I’ve never seen them so active! There were at least 4 or 5 of them swinging from the ropes, hooting and hollering, that must have been one heck of an enrichment session for them to have thousands of runners go by to keep them entertained!

Next: I’ve Got a Bad Feeling About This

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Sunday, 4/23 – I’ve Got a Bad Feeling About This

We then passed by the photo op for Everest (I kind of regret not stopping), making our way past the new River of Lights seating areas, and came upon Everest, the Forbidden Mountain itself. So pretty!


Expedition Everest – its beauty belies a hidden secret…

There were PhotoPass photographers somewhere in here because I have PhotoPass photos here with the Tibetan prayer flags in the background. But they didn’t turn out great, so I will not be sharing them. Sidebar: how do some of you have such wonderful-looking race photos? I almost always look like a hot mess, but use them anyway because I feel I have to prove I was running or something.

Soon enough, we passed the Nemo stage show, more Rivers of Light seating, and turned towards DinoLand USA (I nixed the idea to visit SUE the T-rex, the replica of the complete T-rex skeleton at Field Museum in Chicago, because Cast Members were standing guard outside the Dinosaur! gates), where we made it past the carnival setting and….out the gate. We were in DAK less than a mile. Maybe even only a half mile and there were no character photo ops that I saw, except for a couple First Order Stormtroopers just before DinoLand.





Once we exited DAK, however, there was quickly a group of 501st Legion folks, and once again I completely missed them because I was on the right and they were on the left. A little warning might have been nice, just because every other race I’ve run here, there’s been only a water stop backstage of DAK. Harrumph. Grumble, grumble, grumble.










We then made our way around the DAK parking lot perimeter. This was not my favorite portion of the morning, but I did have a couple nice conversations with fellow runners along the way (Hank was super-popular) and some people were approaching the electric fence and many jokes to not whiz on it were made.


So many runners!


Farewell, Forbidden Mountain.

We wound around the DAK parking lot, past the DAK entrance (there were a few people cheering here) and then around to the other side of the parking lot where there were some people already parked and whooping it up with signs and cowbells and such. Last year during this race, the garbage compacter and wampa photo ops were here, and I think that’s where they were this year as well. I didn’t really take note because a) I already had those photo ops from Light Side in January, and b) DAK parking lot is my least favorite portion of any runDisney race even though it’s only a little over a mile. I would run ESPN WWOS before I’d choose to run DAK parking lot, just because it is so deceptively long since you can see the whole dadgum thing and it makes you feel like you’re never getting out of there. It’s a labyrinth without the shrubbery (one that’s nice, but not too expensive ).

I will say that one good thing came from the DAK parking lot: there seemed to be a cool breeze here and I’m not sure if it came from surrounding wetlands (I noticed some wetland plants, probably in association with a stormwater retention pond) on the west side of the lot or what, but it was much-welcomed for this heat-exhaustion-prone runner.

Anyway! After the 10-mile stretch in DAK parking lot (slight exaggeration) we went up against my #1 running nemesis on Disney property: the on-ramp to Osceola Parkway from DAK. This is where I almost cried during Tower of Terror 10-Miler because I was battling ITBS during that race. It’s where I wanted to cry during the Marathon last year just because we still had 12 or so more miles left. I think that I DID cry during last year’s Dark Side half because I was already in major pain from a medical issue that had flared up, and in short I cannot emphasize just how much I loathe this ramp. It’s the cant, it’s the tight circle, it’s the two lanes that somehow feel cramped and crowded with runners after 10 miles (again, exaggeration) in a parking lot, and I just don’t like it. I managed to make my way over to the left and run on the shoulder because it was somewhat flat here and I didn’t feel like my hips were working against each other. And soon there was sweet freedom: Osceola Parkway!



As we neared mile 7, there was a DJ playing some thumping tunes and encouraging us by saying we were almost halfway there! Um. WUT. I mean, I know my runner brain does some wonky math when it kicks in, but I’m pretty sure that half of 13.1 is less than 7. Shoulder shrug. Onwards!

Next: “Your focus determines your reality.” – Qui Gon Jinn

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Sunday, 4/23 - “Your focus determines your reality.” – Qui Gon Jinn

We continued onward and upward (soon, that would become literal upward) along Osceola Parkway where there was a screen at one point showing the Vader vs. Luke lightsaber battle on Death Star II. Nice little break to the highway monotony. And speaking of breaks, we soon saw the turn off onto World Drive up ahead! Since it was the exit ramp for vehicles, we had to go forward on Osceola a bit, then a sharp turnaround onto the ramp.




DHS is so close we can taste it! Along with the water. Apparently.

We then continued for a bit, I had some more random conversations with people about my costume and then someone said there was a fox! Well, thank you! Just kidding, there was an actual small mammal red fox about 500 feet back from the road where there was some culvert construction going on. If I hadn’t been in the midst of a pack of runners, I’d have stopped to attempt a photo. Instead, I’ll show you the approximate location (red star) on course where we saw some Florida wildlife (albeit a non-native species).



The distance on World Drive seemed to fly by and then we went up a long ramp to Buena Vista, just as we had the previous day during the 10K. In fact, I saw the spray-painted 3-mile marker direction on the right side of the ramp for the 10K. Once we reached the top of the ramp and made our way onto the overpass, it was thrilling to see how many people were still coming behind us. I like to call that a cushion, my friends.



We went a relatively short distance on Buena Vista to the back gate of DHS, where the errant Sith Lord was making another appearance. And today the line was much shorter! Sold! I got in line, and when it was my turn for the photo op, Maul got right in my face and stared intensely with his fire-red/orange eyes. It was a bit disconcerting, really. But a great photo op!


Maul: “At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi, at last we will have revenge.” Hank: shrug “Whatever you say, buddy, as long as we get to the Cleveland Aquarium.”

After Maul, I entered backstage DHS, up the Fantasmic ramp again and even though I knew (or at least suspected) they’d be there, I missed taking photographs of the 501st folks stationed there. Ugh. I did note that Disney put out a sign basically disavowing the 501st’s involvement in the runDisney event (“these are not official Disney cast members” or something to that effect on a sandwich board sign) because that was on the right side where I was. Again, there didn’t appear to be too many 501st members stationed there, perhaps because they were spread out over several points on course and not all together in one or two areas (DHS and DAK last year). Or maybe they'd grown tired/hot by this time.

Then it was past Tower of Terror where a TOT cast member outside was cheering us on and a runner behind me asked if the ride was open. The CM said it was and the runner was debating whether to ride it (another reason to love Disney races: riding attractions mid-race!) but I kept going so I don’t know if that person decided to risk the time involved for TOT or not. Down Sunset Blvd and I actually got some PhotoPass shots today. Not great, but I got them. It was at this point that I realized that the remainder of the course was inside or just outside parks with blaring Star Wars music, so I decided to just enjoy the rest of the ride and pulled out my earbud (just one, in my left ear so I could keep my wits about me) and packed them away in my hydration belt. Less to worry about for the last couple of miles.






Then it was towards the Narrows (what I’ve dubbed the normal-sized sidewalk adjacent to the bus stops) and the path to Boardwalk again. The remainder of the half marathon would be near-identical to the 10K, except we’d be doing an almost complete loop around World Showcase.



Next: Never Tell Me the Odds

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Sunday, 4/23 – Never Tell Me the Odds

The path to Boardwalk was pretty uneventful for me. It was crowded, sure, but I was actually able to run at several portions along the way. There was one final water stop adjacent to the Boardwalk pool area, so I gulped a little water (I’d been relying mostly upon my Nuun mix in my own bottles with some water here and there) because the volunteers were telling everyone it was the last water stop on course.

We went slightly up an incline to Boardwalk and instead of continuing through the archway to the bridge heading to Yacht Club, we turned right immediately on to the Boardwalk! There was a crowd of cheering spectators with signs just as you turned past Jelly Rolls, I almost didn’t get a shot of them.



Then it was on past several of the shops and Boardwalk Inn back entrance, past the bakery and pizzeria, across from which was my favorite sign grouping. It was a duo of signs that were Star Wars-y and held up by a man and then a woman. The first one (held by the man) said, “One thing’s for sure” (I think) and then the second one (held by the woman) said, “[You’re] all gonna be a lot thinner!” I burst out laughing at that one because I totally read them in Harrison Ford’s voice.


Clearly, I’ve lost my mind after mile 11. What am I even doing here?!

We went up the hill to the bridge towards Epcot and this is all a blur as well, I don’t even remember doing this. By now, the sun is full up and there is no shade on Disney property (except the resorts) so I’m feeling a bit punchy. Time to pull it together and finish this thing. We entered Epcot behind the UK again, where Chewie was stationed for the third day in a row. His line was actually short (I regret now not stopping) but I kept going because I was hoping for that stormtrooper/Spaceship Earth shot. In retrospect, I should have stopped because I bet the line was maybe 2 minutes. A girl cut across the median of grass between the race course and where Chewie was and the cast member stationed on the median kept yelling “stay off the grass! Stay off the grass!” over and over, really, it was quite obnoxious because once the girl was on the median it wasn’t going to be a quick exit off of it.


Chewie photo stop with short line; the girl with the red shirt/yellow skirt was the one who skipped across the median and is the end of the line here.

Entering the World Showcase, we began the long slog around the world because if you’re familiar with WS, there is absolutely NO shade whatsoever and it’s roughly the temperature of the sun due to all the light-colored pavement. I took zero photos along the way if that tells you anything, and WS is one of my favorite things about WDW. Once I reached the Africa outpost refreshment stand, I realized the fans by the drums were on full-blast, so I pulled over and under one of those fans for at least 15-20 seconds, facing it with my eyes closed, drinking in that cool breeze. As I re-entered the course, a man behind me asked, “was it worth it?” and I replied, "Absolutely."

I continued on towards the entrance to WS, down the bridge to Spaceship Earth where… no stormtroopers. Nada. Zero. Zip. Zilch. What I’m saying is there was a distinct lack of First Order presence here. But I pulled over and got a SSE photo anyway. Because why not?



Then it was through that glorious breezeway under SSE (so breezy!) and to the 13-mile spot. Where there was no 13-mile gospel choir. Sadness. But there were 501st Legion folks! Quite a few here, but did I stop? Nope. I don’t know why, other than I think I was just done. I was tired, I was hot, I was definitely feeling depleted and ready to just finish and get on with our vacation.











Next: A Finisher, I Am

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Sunday, 4/23 – A Finisher, I Am

After the 501st, we turned a corner to exit Epcot and headed out towards the parking lot and finish line. I don’t remember much about finishing, other than I was really glad. I’d enjoyed the course, but once the sun comes up, it’s brutal for me. This is why I do my training runs pre-dawn so I can do as much as I can in the dark. Though I suppose I should start gradually adding in more sun-time so I gain a little more immunity – that’s how that works, right? Sure…


Finishing


I took a finish line selfie (first time ever) and I think it actually turned out OK! Relatively speaking, of course.

I really liked this course. My only suggestion is, and I think that Disney might be able to pull this off once all the massive DHS construction is done and/or Pandora is open (May 27 for those keeping score at home): lose the DAK parking lot bit. It really didn’t feel like we were in DAK very long, maybe a few minutes. When I ran the marathon last year, hitting each park was just such a high, a much-needed boost along the way, seeing the characters, being in the park, seeing guests if the park was open – it was just such a lift during a long slog. When we went through DAK for this race, it was over in a flash, so I think adding on some route in the park here could potentially cut some of that parking lot nonsense (seriously, it had to have been 2 miles in a parking lot/back roads of DAK when all was said and done).

There was no lift or boosting of spirits for me, and by the time we’d gotten to DAK we’d already gone almost 5 miles from the start. And we wouldn’t hit another park until after 10 miles. That’s a lot of road and parking lot. And yes, I generally don’t have a problem with highway miles, but if you’re going to put us through DAK, then, you know, put us through DAK. None of this skirting around a short path through the park. And I think if they add in more time in DHS once construction there is done, they could conceivably cut a good portion of DAK parking lot, which would be nice.

Otherwise, I really have no complaints! I think for a first-time race weekend starting at TTC, it went off pretty much without a hitch, the course (other than the above complaint) was great and it was nice to have a different route than WDW half/Princess half. I heard a lot of grumbling about starting at Magic Kingdom but not going into Magic Kingdom, and frankly, I have no problem with that. It was never advertised to go through that park, and if you want to run through the castle that badly, do WDW half/marathon or Princess half. This is Star Wars. In short, I think with some minor tweaking to the half marathon course, this weekend is pretty darn near perfect. Of course, this is only my opinion, YMMV. This was my 15th half marathon and it is definitely in my top 5 favorites, and top 2 in Florida – heat and humidity notwithstanding.

Once I finished the race, I went through the gauntlet of picking up water, Powerade (actually grabbed some yellow today), goodie box, banana and then went through to get my challenge medal. The volunteer checked my bib and said I was good to go. I got my Dark Side Challenge medal (for finishing the 10K and half) and then went to find my beloved Kessel Run Challenge medal (for completing both Star Wars races in one calendar year), which seemed to be hiding. I approached a volunteer handing out Coast to Coast medals and started to ask about Kessel, when the girl beside him kind of popped out with them. She gave me my medal, I asked if she needed to cut my wristband off and she didn’t seem too concerned, so I left. I probably could have scored another Coast to Coast medal (the aforementioned volunteer offered me one even without wristband), but I already had one from Light Side and now it was finally earned for 2017.

I then headed to the finisher photo backdrop. The lines today seemed comparatively long and I waited a while, during which I chugged that stupid yellow Powerade. This is something I’ve never done, so that should tell you how depleted I was. I didn’t feel terrible, per se, but was definitely feeling different. Though I have to say that I never took a single Gu during or even before this half marathon, which was a revelation for me. I didn’t feel any worse than I have at other hot/humid races where I have downed Gu gels along the way before. It seems if I can keep my Nuun supply going during the race, that’s really all I need. And eating my silly Uncrustable and banana before the start, of course!


Finisher photo. I didn't pick up the paddles that they had (nice touch!) because Dory would not have been visible then.

Once the finisher photo complete, I walked through GEAR bag check and towards the family reunion area and the character photo ops. I was considering a Vader photo, but ultimately decided to just head back to the hotel, so I went to the resort bus area and got on to my bus to head back for a shower, snack, and then to the parks for a long-planned lunch reservation!

Next: Elbows Off the Table!

 

[cavepig]

I'm bummed I missed you at the meetup. I bet I had just left as I wanted to use the porta potty then get back in line and use it again and those lines were soooo slow. I think it was MrsGoofy as the other lady.

 

[cavepig]

Those road slants are the worst, I think that's why my right hip starting acting up too. I wouldn't even realize it was slanted at first, then I was like oh I need to move to a side and find some flattness.

We passed the siamang exhibit and I’ve never seen them so active! There were at least 4 or 5 of them swinging from the ropes, hooting and hollering,

Oh, that would have been so cool to see and hear!

We then passed by the photo op for Everest (I kind of regret not stopping)

When I went by there was just a camera on a tripod no photopass person, guess they were off somewhere else.

Sidebar: how do some of you have such wonderful-looking race photos? I almost always look like a hot mess, but use them anyway because I feel I have to prove I was running or something.

I have some real bad ones for sure. I have no idea how people still look all fresh in them either or do their crazy annoying jumps.

s we neared mile 7, there was a DJ playing some thumping tunes and encouraging us by saying we were almost halfway there! Um. WUT. I mean, I know my runner brain does some wonky math when it kicks in, but I’m pretty sure that half of 13.1 is less than 7. Shoulder shrug. Onwards!

I didn't even realize he was wrong in his figuring till I read people talk about it later. I was like oh yeah, halfway sounds good, oops!

n actual small mammal red fox about 500 feet back from the road

Oh cool! He was probably like why you people messing up my morning routine!

After Maul, I entered backstage DHS, up the Fantasmic ramp again and even though I knew (or at least suspected) they’d be there, I missed taking photographs of the 501st folks stationed there.

I didn't see any 501st here at Studios during the half. I wonder if they were going to go there, but no one did.

I continued on towards the entrance to WS, down the bridge to Spaceship Earth where… no stormtroopers. Nada. Zero. Zip. Zilch. What I’m saying is there was a distinct lack of First Order presence here.

I was surprised no storm troopers were here for the half, I wonder if they didn't want them showing when day guests came in.

really liked this course. My only suggestion is, and I think that Disney might be able to pull this off once all the massive DHS construction is done and/or Pandora is open (May 27 for those keeping score at home):

I would hope Pandora will be included in this course or some courses in the future for sure. DAK parking lot went by quick I think cause I just kept watching the big screen clip and I couldn't really see where we were winding around.

You have some great on course photos, mine are so blurry, I may have to save a few to our random collection of other's photos to remember the course. Like, I didn't even realize we ran under a dirt conveyor belt for Studios construction until seeing other peoples pictures.

It is fun reading and seeing the race from a different view point. Like I said in my recap I love that path to the Boardwalk, but yeah I didn't have as many people. My friends started in F and she mentioned how shoulder to shoulder it was and some people were really arm swinging then. I feel like in the marathon is does get more spread out by then, it was crowded in 2016 but I don't remember it being as crazy packed in although in 2015 it's where I got manhandled and pushed by a lady. Great race & finish and outfit! So fun and creative! Thanks for sharing!

Great race & finishing! Sun is a fickle thing for sure, we always talk about the death march around World Showcase midafternoon in direct sun! That Kessel medal is a beauty! Thanks for sharing!

 

[BigEeyore]

Great recap on the half - and congrats! Don't you love that Kessel medal? Makes it all worth it!

I agree that this year's Dark Side was one of my most favorites ever as far as the course and entertainment are concerned. It is really going to be amazing when they finish up the new Star Wars land at HS - assuming we would run through that as part of the Star Wars races! Also fingers crossed that they expand the run time in DAK to include Pandora in the future!

We had to go back home Sunday afternoon so the end of the race was pretty much the end of my fun weekend . Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip!

 

[lovingeire]

Finally got caught up!

Long lines winding around the parking lot, all at an angle where it was difficult what the line was for. I did like that they had CMs at the ends of the lines with a sign identifying such and you could then confirm who you were in line to see.

I wish the cast members at the end had the character on their signs somehow. I had a hard time figuring out who was who too, but I guess at least they were there to ask.

Darth Maul! He was one of my favorite characters to watch during the now-defunct Star Wars Weekends

We also stopped at the half for Maul. I couldn't believe how long the line was for the 10K!

I don’t really know what I was expecting, but it seemed a little low-key for a Muppets-themed restaurant and the food was just OK. I did like that the meals all came with side Caesar salads because I often find myself craving vegetables at Disney

The food looks about the same as it was for Pizza Planet so I don't think they changed the menu much, but I haven't been there since the switch over. My kids liked Pizza Planet. (Because one can never go wrong with pizza, right?)

Once we exited DAK, however, there was quickly a group of 501st Legion folks, and once again I completely missed them because I was on the right and they were on the left. A little warning might have been nice, just because every other race I’ve run here, there’s been only a water stop backstage of DAK. Harrumph. Grumble, grumble, grumble.

We missed them as well, and I didn't feel like going back or cutting through. We did stop for Leia at mile 13 to go with our shirts. I was in so much pain I almost didn't and I'm glad my BFF wanted to stop and got me to because the pictures and interaction were great. (We had shirts that said, our hero, our princess with Leia on them.)

My one regret is not rewearing my Ahsoka costume from the Light Side 10K. Ezra & Sabine weren't out during the 10K course at Light Side for some reason so I missed a photo op with them in costume. But here's my Ahsoka costume just for fun! I loved it!

 

[Ariel484]

Woohooooo awesome job! Love your costumes and all of that bling!

 

[iivye]

I love your costume for the half. Those tentacles are perfect! I think you look great in all your race photos. I always have a bad case of tomato face after the race.

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

I'm bummed I missed you at the meetup. I bet I had just left as I wanted to use the porta potty then get back in line and use it again and those lines were soooo slow. I think it was MrsGoofy as the other lady.

Such a bummer! Those porta potty lines were CRAZY!!!

Those road slants are the worst, I think that's why my right hip starting acting up too. I wouldn't even realize it was slanted at first, then I was like oh I need to move to a side and find some flattness.

They are so misleading until you're on them. I'm sorry your hip was hurting.

When I went by there was just a camera on a tripod no photopass person, guess they were off somewhere else.

There weren't any PP people there for me, either, but I think runners were just helping out other runners.

Those I have some real bad ones for sure. I have no idea how people still look all fresh in them either or do their crazy annoying jumps.

Exactly! I tried the jumping thing at Tink last year, and no. Just no.

ThoseI didn't see any 501st here at Studios during the half. I wonder if they were going to go there, but no one did.

I wonder if they were moved around? Because you had photos of them on the Boardwalk, and there weren't any there by the time I got to BW.

ThoseI was surprised no storm troopers were here for the half, I wonder if they didn't want them showing when day guests came in.

That's probably exactly why. They wouldn't have been able to separate guests from runners successfully.

Those I would hope Pandora will be included in this course or some courses in the future for sure. DAK parking lot went by quick I think cause I just kept watching the big screen clip and I couldn't really see where we were winding around.

We'll have to see if they include it in W&D half this year since it's basically the DS half in reverse, at least that DAK-TTC portion.

ThoseYou have some great on course photos, mine are so blurry, I may have to save a few to our random collection of other's photos to remember the course. Like, I didn't even realize we ran under a dirt conveyor belt for Studios construction until seeing other peoples pictures.

Thank you! A lot turn out blurry, but I figure it gives the photos an air of authenticity! And I think it gives people enough of an idea of what it's like. I missed the dirt conveyor belt!

ThoseIt is fun reading and seeing the race from a different view point. Like I said in my recap I love that path to the Boardwalk, but yeah I didn't have as many people. My friends started in F and she mentioned how shoulder to shoulder it was and some people were really arm swinging then. I feel like in the marathon is does get more spread out by then, it was crowded in 2016 but I don't remember it being as crazy packed in although in 2015 it's where I got manhandled and pushed by a lady. Great race & finish and outfit! So fun and creative! Thanks for sharing!

Great race & finishing! Sun is a fickle thing for sure, we always talk about the death march around World Showcase midafternoon in direct sun! That Kessel medal is a beauty! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you! Yes, death march is perfect for walking around World Showcase in full sun. Sometimes even the top of my head gets a little sunburned because of the lack of shade; I need to remember to wear a hat.

Marathon was definitely more spread out on the path to Boardwalk from DHS because I remember telling my running partner that we'd probably see a bottleneck there and we didn't. Crazy that you were manhandled and pushed!

Great recap on the half - and congrats! Don't you love that Kessel medal? Makes it all worth it!

That Kessel Run medal is everything. I am totally in love.

I agree that this year's Dark Side was one of my most favorites ever as far as the course and entertainment are concerned. It is really going to be amazing when they finish up the new Star Wars land at HS - assuming we would run through that as part of the Star Wars races! Also fingers crossed that they expand the run time in DAK to include Pandora in the future!

Yes to all of this!!!

We had to go back home Sunday afternoon so the end of the race was pretty much the end of my fun weekend . Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip!

Aw, that stinks! Hopefully you'll have another trip soon.

Finally got caught up!

I wish the cast members at the end had the character on their signs somehow. I had a hard time figuring out who was who too, but I guess at least they were there to ask.

It's such a simple solution, right? Which means it probably won't ever happen.

We also stopped at the half for Maul. I couldn't believe how long the line was for the 10K!

I know! I was bummed when I missed him during the 10K, but was really glad the following day because I didn't wait long at all, and I suspected he'd be back so I knew where to slow down on course and get to the proper side.

The food looks about the same as it was for Pizza Planet so I don't think they changed the menu much, but I haven't been there since the switch over. My kids liked Pizza Planet. (Because one can never go wrong with pizza, right?)

Good to know! And you definitely can't go wrong with pizza. Except with one of my childhood friends who didn't like it. What?

We missed them as well, and I didn't feel like going back or cutting through. We did stop for Leia at mile 13 to go with our shirts. I was in so much pain I almost didn't and I'm glad my BFF wanted to stop and got me to because the pictures and interaction were great. (We had shirts that said, our hero, our princess with Leia on them.)

That's awesome! Have you seen the HBO special about Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds? We watched it on Mother's Day and it was sooo good. Two amazing women who overcame a lot.

My one regret is not rewearing my Ahsoka costume from the Light Side 10K. Ezra & Sabine weren't out during the 10K course at Light Side for some reason so I missed a photo op with them in costume. But here's my Ahsoka costume just for fun! I loved it!
View attachment 235920

That. Is. Awesome!!!

Woohooooo awesome job! Love your costumes and all of that bling!

Thank you! And congrats on Tink weekend! I haven't made it over to any threads about it yet.

I love your costume for the half. Those tentacles are perfect! I think you look great in all your race photos. I always have a bad case of tomato face after the race.

Thank you so much! And I'm sure that your tomato face isn't as bad as you think it is. We are always our worst critics!

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Sunday, 4/23 – Elbows Off the Table!

DH had chosen the after-race lunch spot and had his heart set on 50s Prime Time Café. We’d had reservations there for after the WDW Half in January, but I’d canceled about a month in advance when I was able to score BOG lunch ADRs instead. We’d last eaten at 50s Prime Time about a year and a half ago on DH’s birthday and it was a hoot! He was particularly picked on by the “cousins” and a birthday card was circulated around the restaurant and signed by the other guests which made for some humorous well wishes. Like “I don’t know you. Happy Birthday!” and so on. I think DH secretly likes to be picked on and that’s not really my bag, so we have to pay for it. HAHAHA

Anyway! Before our 1pm lunch reservation, we had a galactic appointment and headed over to Star Tours, where we were seated in the first row! First class space travel accommodations? I’ll take it. We visited Hoth and Naboo and then safely disembarked after Threepio crashed us into an N-1 Starfighter in the Naboo spaceport and had a droid showdown with the maintenance crew. We glanced around Tatooine Traders and headed over to our lunch venue.




As I’ve mentioned, I love mid-century modern décor and so 50s Prime Time is really up my alley in certain aspects. I love, love, love the crazy early 1960s-era knick-knacks and such because it reminds me of Mad Men and also my grandparents’ homes while I was growing up. In fact, I just recently discovered that my grandma had sold her brass duck wall hangings at a garage sale years ago and I was really upset about it! I loved those things and was hoping to acquire them if she didn’t want them anymore (they’d been hanging in her basement rec room when I was a kid) – and apparently she didn’t. Womp womp.

Anyway! So the deal is, if you haven’t been to this restaurant, you are visiting your family and you check in with your “cousins” at the front reception area, and then you just meander around Tune-In Lounge while you wait to be called to your table. I never know what to do at this point, because you kind of want a drink, but there is almost always a line here and I don’t like to feel rushed when I take the time to have a cocktail. So we just waited and waited (there’s always a long wait even if you show up on time, and we were early), eventually one of the davenports opened up and I sat down and at that point our cousin loudly yelled for our party. And they keep yelling if you don’t respond, so you have to be quick on the uptake unless you like that sort of thing.


Check-in area, podium is to the right.

We were escorted to our seating area, and since we’re a party of two, we never get the cool kitchen table seating:



We’re always crammed into a small table between two large ones, so I think I need to come back sometime when we have more people in our party. Our waiter arrived and apparently was trying to economize his service because he interacted with us and the table next to us simultaneously. Of the six people he was serving, I was the only one to order alcohol (hey, I’d been up for 10 hours and run a half marathon by this point!) and so when I ordered a glass of wine he snarkily exclaimed that I knew what I was doing and hitting the hard stuff. DH couldn’t decide what he wanted, so the server kind of gave up on us after the table next to us ordered their milkshake and entrees. When he came back, DH asked about the Blue Plate Special which turned out to be lamb and some sides, which appealed to DH. I ordered Dad’s Stuffed Pork Chop, it’s stuffed with Gouda cheese and apple, topped with arugula and the last time I’d had it, was delicious. The pot roast is also a favorite of mine, just good comfort food.


Dad's pork chop.

Our server left to place our orders and we just sat there. DH was completely silent, often checking his phone surreptitiously (otherwise, they yell at you that walkie-talkies aren’t allowed at the table) and just generally not being present. At this point, all of my emotions of the past several months (his 10-day stint in hospital, my building a new business, having been up at 3am the past 3 mornings, etc.) all came crashing down on me and I basically had a meltdown in the middle of the restaurant.

But for someone born and raised in the stoic Midwest, a “meltdown” basically amounted to me silently crying with my hands over my face, no scene was created. It was one of those cries where you just can’t stop no matter how hard you try because the dam has been broken. Ugh. Great place to do it, too, where the servers are intentionally harsh with you. Somehow, I managed to pull myself together mid-way through my pork chop, but I may as well have been eating sawdust. I think our server was exasperated with us, too, because when DH ordered dessert (PB&J shake) for the both of us, the server put it in a to-go cup with two straws, we settled our bill and were on our way. I’m not writing this to garner sympathy or for self-pity; as a scientist, my primary objective is truth and that is what happened. And I’m not going to sprinkle pixie dust all over the place when it’s not the truth. On our way out, I stopped by the restroom to put cooling paper towel on my face before we headed over to Launch Bay for some character ops.


I don’t know why I thought getting photo ops after a good cry was a good idea, but whatever. I wanted to meet BB-8! And not just a silent prop BB-8, one that vocalized and “interacted” with you. So cute! The wait time was listed at 20 minutes, so not too bad. And we definitely waited the full 20 minutes. I’d brought my Light Side 10K medal along to show to BB-8 (and to make me feel less silly by giving me something to tell him) and I don’t think the PhotoPass CMs realized what it was (I always forget that most of the PhotoPass people don’t understand runDisney), and I had a cute, but very brief, encounter with my favorite astromech droid.


BB-8

I think I’ll have to try again sometime at the start of the day, or when it’s not so busy at the Studios. Mission accomplished, we then headed over to Chewie’s line and waited the full wait time there, too, I think maybe 25 minutes. This time, I was showcasing the glorious Kessel Run medal – and Chewie seemed pretty perplexed about the tiny Millenium Falcon!


“This is some rescue” in Aurebesh, painted on the wall at the Chewie meet & greet.


Chewie didn't understand how he'd fit in the co-pilot seat in that!

We walked up the stairs to the cantina area, where Jawas were out attempting trades with the intergalactic travelers. I walked quickly past them because I would not be trading my medals for anything!


Jawas trading

I also grabbed a quick medal photo with the model Death Star from Rogue One:



Then I realized we’d missed all the Rogue One props on display and backtracked in to that area of Launch Bay.

Next: Cassian Said I Had To

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Sunday, 4/23 – Cassian Said I Had To

As a kid, one of my favorite things to watch was a documentary called From Star Wars to Jedi: the Making of a Saga. It showed a lot of the behind-the-scenes footage and also spent a lot of time detailing the efforts of Industrial Light and Magic. I wanted to be a puppeteer or artist for ILM for a very long time growing up, but went the scientist route instead. So models and props from the movies are something I really enjoy looking at, and especially details of costuming. So I geeked out a little at the new (to us because we hadn’t been inside Launch Bay since RO had been released in the theaters) and wandered a bit around that room.









We were both getting tired at this point, so I suggested we wrap things up and go do a medals photo. In addition to my BB-8 medal, I’d brought along ALL of my Light Side and Dark Side medals and that was quite a heavy load to be lugging around, especially with a tweaked-out lower back, so even though I was not really feeling the photo op, I also didn’t want to bring 25 pounds of medal along with me another day. So we headed over to Jedi Academy, where they were wrapping up a show. After it was finished, we quickly moved, I put on #allthemedals and positioned myself in front of the AT-AT and DH snapped photos (most of which have his finger in it…) and we literally had about a minute before another group of younglings showed up for the next show. There was going to be a break between the 4:15 and 5:15 show (instead of on the half-hour), but I didn’t think we’d last that long without a nap, so these would have to do. And I’m not completely happy with the photos, but it’s what I’ve got!



We then sat at an outdoor table at Backlot, where I reassembled all my medals into my purse for safe-keeping, watched the next Jedi Academy show, and then walked towards the park entrance where we encountered a First Order display of power! Captain Phasma and her troops were patrolling the park looking for Resistance members.



We then vamoosed and got on a bus to POFQ. Since I didn’t get even one sip of that PB&J shake, I said I wanted some ice cream. And Sassagoula Float Works had something that sounded positively delectable: a beignet sundae. You get 3 freshly-made, piping hot beignets, a scoop of gelato, whipped cream, and topped with the sauce of your choice. DH and I split the thing and it was glorious: Nutella-flavored gelato over beignets with caramel sauce drizzled over the top. YUM!



And since our caloric stores were more than topped off for the day, we walked to our room and the rest of the evening consisted of chilling, vegging, and even some relaxing thrown in for good measure. I also took a family portrait:



Tomorrow was going to be a busy day!

Next: Course By Course, One By One, Til You Shout, “Enough I’m Done!”

 

[cavepig]

Sometimes you just need a good cry, it happens!
I love the Star Wars making of specials, I love the one that shows the puppeteers inside Jabba, not sure if it's that one or a different one.
Your medal AT-AT pic is great! I'm not sure when we hit the area after half to do a picture with medals, I wonder if it was during that longer break as no one was around really for Jedi Training at all.

Nutella-flavored gelato over beignets with caramel sauce drizzled over the top. YUM!

That looks so good!

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Sometimes you just need a good cry, it happens!

Thanks! I was a bit embarrassed later on, but I couldn't control it.

I love the Star Wars making of specials, I love the one that shows the puppeteers inside Jabba, not sure if it's that one or a different one.

That's the one! It also features a lot of Tim Rose's work (he did Salacious B. Crumb, Sy Snootles, and Admiral Akbar) and Phil Tippett's (Rancor, bunch of other stuff) and one reason I sort of wanted to go to SWCO was to meet Tim Rose! I think it's one of the best specials made, and Mark Hamill narrated it.

Your medal AT-AT pic is great! I'm not sure when we hit the area after half to do a picture with medals, I wonder if it was during that longer break as no one was around really for Jedi Training at all.

Aw, thanks!

That looks so good!

OMG, I dream of this sundae from time to time. It was fantastic!

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Monday, 4/24 - Course By Course, One By One, Til You Shout, “Enough I’m Done!”

Last year after the Dark Side Half Marathon (I only ran the half last year since I was doing the Pixie Dust Challenge a few weeks later), we’d scored breakfast ADRs at BOG the Monday afterwards. It turned out to be a lovely, albeit spendy, meal that we both really enjoyed so we decided to give it a go again this year. We’d both woken up pretty early (we’re early risers anyway) and decided to be to the bus stop at 8 or so to ensure we arrived in time for our 9am ADR. When we arrived at the POFQ bus stop, there were a few people waiting but as soon as we got in line, it seemed like people crawled out of the woodwork! On top of that, our bus was running late and then there were two scooters, each with many accompanying family members, to be loaded. Long story short, we made it to the Magic Kingdom by the skin of our teeth.

Luckily, the CMs were letting people in before 9am (last year, we had to check in at the newsstand at the far left end of the turnstiles and present MagicBands to prove we had ADRs in the park prior to opening), so we breezed through the entrance and walked back to BOG. And the park was crowded! Holy cow, what a difference from last year (8:30 ADR at BOG) when we felt we had Main Street USA all to ourselves and I’d wished we had time for castle photos because there was no one there. People were already lined up for rides, Seven Dwarfs already had a standby wait of 50 minutes, and I don’t recall seeing that EMHs were for MK that morning, but I could be wrong.

At any rate, checking in at BOG was easy, though I have to say that all the poor CMs looked beaten down and exhausted from the two months of spring breakers, and I felt terrible for them. As a former theme park worker, I can report firsthand how terrible people can be during holidays at the parks. For example, one Christmas, I was working at Wild Arctic at SeaWorld, and there was a family of four still milling about inside gawking at the animals a good 30 minutes after the park had closed. Our general rule was we couldn’t kick people out, but we could “encourage” them to head to the exit. So it’s Christmas night, the park has been closed a while (and by the way, back then, there were parkwide announcements that the park was closing in X minutes every 5 minutes, starting with 15 minutes in advance) and this family is showing no indication of leaving. So my co-worker gently tells them that the park closed 30 minutes ago and that it was still a good 10-minute walk to the entrance. They nod and continue gawking at the belugas. She tries again a few minutes later, same response. So finally, she says something about how they may end up being escorted by security since the park has now been closed 45 minutes. The woman whips around and snottily says, “We are TRYING to spend Christmas together as a family.” To which my co-worker responded, “Ma’am, that is what we are trying to go home to do.” Moral of the story: be nice to hospitality workers, especially during the holidays because they’re getting paid very little to miss those holidays with their own families.

But back to BOG. We headed across the bridge and inside the castle where we ordered our meal on the touchscreen (DH is a gametime decision-maker so no ordering ahead for us) and for some reason our MagicBands weren’t working so they gave us a rose.



We tried to find seating in the West Wing, but no such luck, mostly because the tables in there are for a crowd of 4 or more and there was at least one person sitting at each table. So we found one in the ballroom and set about to wait for our meal. DH had ordered Feast A La Gaston (scrambled eggs, herb-roasted potatoes, bacon, sausage, fruit) and I ended up with the charcuterie plate (I was torn between that and the open-faced sandwich I’d enjoyed last year, but they changed it from a sliced baguette to a croissant and I don’t care for croissants) which was something I enjoyed when I lived in Germany (though they called it Kalte Platte). It included ham, serrano ham, sopressata, and brie with some marmalade and sliced baguette. Both meals also came with a selection of pastries (I know I just said I don’t care for croissants, but it’s different when chocolate is involved!) and I also ordered the Master’s Cupcake just for the Grey Stuff. It’s a tiny, bite-sized cupcake so I wasn’t too worried about overloading things.




Feast A La Gaston


Assorted Cured Meats and Cheese - DH pointed out later that the menu didn't say cheeseS when I was disappointed it only had brie.


The Grey Stuff!

We leisurely ate breakfast (really enjoyed it, though I ended up putting at least half of mine on DH’s plate), soaked in the ambiance, and on our way out refilled our coffee. We had a little time to kill before our Seven Dwarfs FP+, so we walked down to the Little Mermaid ride since we figured it would not have much of a wait and it wouldn’t be too adventurous after a meal. I enjoy the dark rides at Disney, especially when they tell a cohesive story, and TLM does just that. I especially love the part where your clamshell vehicle turns around, tips you backwards, and you get blasted by cool air to simulate that initial feeling of immersing yourself in the water. Brilliant attention to detail!


And you don’t know why, but you’re dying to try…

We still had a bit of time to kill afterwards, but DH wasn’t keen on visiting Ariel in her grotto, so we wandered further down the path towards Dumbo and the wait for the Barnstormer was only 15 minutes. Why not? I don’t think we’ve ridden it since that area of the park was Mickey’s Toontown Fair. So a long time. And I’d compared Goofy’s Flight School in DCA to it back in January – unfairly as it turns out. The Barnstormer doesn’t make you feel like you’re going to go off the rails. What a short ride it is, too! Fun, but short. Probably because it’s geared towards kids and we saw more than a few crying children that morning on and around the Barnstormer.





By this time, we’re in our FP+ window so we headed to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I like this ride. I wasn’t terribly impressed with it the first time we rode it, and I certainly wouldn’t wait more than 30 minutes in line for it, but it’s enjoyable if you can manage a FP ahead of time. Luckily, we’ve figured out where the cameras are, even though I think we’ve only gone on it a grand total of 4 times. We have fun with the ride cameras just because we are silly like that.




#likeaboss

I crack myself up!

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