Help for a newbie running Tink in May

[Linc82]

Hi all...
Like many posters, I am a WDW vet, first time DLR visitor. Typically at WDW we go rope drop to park close & stay at a monorail resort. I am a WDW obsessive and plan our trips down to the last detail. My mom and I will be coming in over Mothers Day weekend for the Tink half marathon. We are both running the 10k and I'm doing the half as well. We are staying offsite at one of the Harbor Drive hotels.

I have read through a lot of the threads here including the DLR mega thread. I had a couple of questions I didn't find answers to in other threads.

- We do not plan to get hoppers. Should we do DCA on day 1 and then Disneyland or the other way round?
- What 'grown up' activities are not to be missed? Especially looking for a nicer dinner we can celebrate on our last night.
- I am considering the "Walk in Walts Footsteps" tour. Worth it given the limited time we have?
- What site would you recommend for planning a strategy to see the parks ala Touring Plans for WDW? I expect it will be super crowded due to the holiday and the races.

Would appreciate any tips for those who have been in my shoes especially during a race weekend! Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[SMD]

When are you flying in, when are your park days, when are you flying out. Don't forget you'll need to spend time at the expo getting race packets. If you booked your travel through a race provider you'll need to claim your tickets there too.

 

[Geemo]

I'd skip the tour and put the money towards a hopper pass.
If you don't get a hopper pass then go to Disneyland on the day with the longest hours.
My group has never had DCA be an all day park.
With the two parks so close to each other it's nice to have the option to go to both on the same day.

We did the tour a year or two ago and it wasn't something I'd do again or recommend do on a short trip. It does eat up a big chunk of a day.
If you do take a tour be sure to bring your own ear bud.

 

[Linc82]

Flying in Friday, arriving in the afternoon. Leaving Monday afternoon.
One of the bibs is through a travel agent and one through RunDisney- is pickup in two different locations?
Can you upgrade to a hopper on the day of your visit (ie you're done with DCA and want to head over to Disneyland, can you do that at the ticket window)?

 

[SMD]

Go straight to the expo on Friday for your bibs. If you're not doing the challenge, it's 2 different lines, but they'll be quick. There's another booth for travel package tickets. Then you go upstairs to get shirts and bags. Plan on it taking an hour to 90 minutes to walk from a Harbor hotel to DLH and get through everything. Obviously more if you want to shop at the expo. I'm not sure how much park closing matters, since you'll be leaving your hotel at 4am or earlier for the races. Most likely Disneyland will be more crowded on Sunday, since Tink greets there and people will be celebrating. But, it being Mother's Day and DCA serving alcohol will also see an uptick in crowds at DCA that day. I'd probably do DL Saturday and DCA Sunday if I wasn't racing. How much you'd like to conserve before the races or need to recover after the races is highly individual. If you want to celebrate, what about a character breakfast on Monday before you leave. There are 3 at the DLR hotels that don't require park admission.

 

[Linc82]

SMD, you are AWESOME. Thank you so much for the thoughtful reply and the detail on the process. Hadn't considered the hotel breakfasts on Monday - great suggestion!!!

 

[jolinda]

You probably don't need to get up before 4am. Don't miss Trader Joe's, and don't overplan evening activities. Unless you are way more energetic than me and my friends, you'll be wanting to hit the sack early. After Avengers last year, we did lunch at Carthay Circle and it was perfect.

 

[SMD]

You probably don't need to get up before 4am. Don't miss Trader Joe's, and don't overplan evening activities. Unless you are way more energetic than me and my friends, you'll be wanting to hit the sack early. After Avengers last year, we did lunch at Carthay Circle and it was perfect.

Disney printed in the pamphlet for this weekend to plan to arrive by 4am to allow time to be routed to the security checkpoints, pass security and be in your corral by 4:30. If you're in a later corral for the half it's probably not as critical. With fewer corrals for the shorter races, you don't want to be headed to your corral once the race starts at 5am.

 

[Chiomaca]

I usually stay on Harbor Ave, for Tink. It's about a mile from the Courtyard Marriott I stay in, and we leave the hotel around 4:30. I'm generally in Corral A/B and get into the corrals around 4:45, sometimes even closer to 5:00. I don't check bags, so I'd add extra time if I were going to do that. You need to adjust you expectations for DLR races after WDW races - much less park time, much more out in town. I enjoy it, especially the horde to Red Hat Ladies that come out for the Tink Half.

I am torn on the tour - I think it would be very cool, and someday I'll do it, but I'd rather have park hoppers. It's not like WDW (again) - it only takes a few minutes to go between the parks and you can hold Fast Passes in both parks at once, so it can be worth it to get Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Radiator Springs Racers, and Soarin' in at times that work for you.

Aside from the fried chicken at Plaza Inn, I prefer to eat in Downtown Disney (Catal and Uva Bar) or DCA (Carthay Circle and Cove Bar). If you drink, the Manhattan at Carthay Circle comes with an ice sphere that they make in front of you if you're sitting at the bar (it's fun), and the lobster nachos at Cove Bar are excellent. Our family's MO is to do the morning at one park, lunch in DTD, take a pool break, then hop into the other park for the evening. One thing I haven't tried but will do when I have a babysitter is the World of Color dessert package. Reserve early, but it's the only way you get to watch the show seated, which is nice after a race. Maybe dinner at Carthay Circle followed by WoC Dessert for your last night (that's what I would do)...or else Napa Rose in the Grand Californian, which is a place I could eat every day.

Depending on what shape you are in, you should adjust your park plans. You're going to be challenged to get into the parks early after the Half, but you might be able to get in early after the 10k. I generally don't bother, which means I hope for decent Fast Pass times for RSR and the other popular rides. I'm not a planner, which works in my favor at DLR but against me at WDW. Since you're a WDW person, I'd prioritize rides/experiences that you don't get there. Download the app and when you're ready to hit the park, you can see what's relatively clear and where the tight spots are and plan from there. I think the Fast Pass estimate times are listed in the app now, which will help you decide what to go and grab first.

 

[jolinda]

Does tink really start at 5 am? I said not before 4am based on a 5:30 start. Starting half an hour earlier would be tough!

Disney printed in the pamphlet for this weekend to plan to arrive by 4am to allow time to be routed to the security checkpoints, pass security and be in your corral by 4:30. If you're in a later corral for the half it's probably not as critical. With fewer corrals for the shorter races, you don't want to be headed to your corral once the race starts at 5am.

 

[bumbershoot]

All three Star Wars events started at 5:30 this weekend.

Go straight to the expo on Friday for your bibs. If you're not doing the challenge, it's 2 different lines, but they'll be quick. There's another booth for travel package tickets. Then you go upstairs to get shirts and bags.

And know that it's going to be confusing. You actually need to start outside at the front and go down a ramp. It's weird. Pick up bins and get a pic taken for the jallenge if you're doing it. Then go upstairs for shirts etc.

You probably don't need to get up before 4am.

Whimper. They DO say to BE there at 4. At any point they could get serious about it. Now for the 5k on Friday there were people sauntering in with gear bags to check after corral B had started. And for the 10k we managed to sleep through three alarms and wr woke at 4:15 but DS and I still made it.

But. They do say 4. Now I was walking from the new country inn and suites and you can google that to see how far it was. Google said it would be a 28 minute walk and I'm not sure. That's all the way through dtd. If you're on harbor you're likely way closer. What hotel or motel?


Have you done rundisney events?

One of the reasons we slept in was because we spent the day at universal Hollywood. One ride one show and one meal, and we were wiped out.

After the 10k and today's half I literally couldn't tell you how I would have gone to the parks. We didn't. We hot tubbed and ate and rested and wondered how other people were moving lol.

 

[sophy1996]

Between me and DH, we were in all three Star Wars races this weekend (5:30 starts). We stayed at Best Western Park Place, so right across the street from the shuttle bus drop-off area. We woke up at 4:30 and, having put everything out ready the night before, we were walking by about 4:45. We did not check bags, and we made our corrals with plenty of time before the races started (but not at the front; about halfway in).

After I walked with DH to the corral entrances for the half, I went back to Disneyland Park to spectate. There were runners still walking through DTD when the national anthem was being played just before the start!

I would not plan on getting a lot done in the parks on Saturday or Sunday. Saturday seemed quite crowded to me, and even with early nights, we were tired from two early mornings (with another yet to go). From the numbers of people in DTD and the plaza mid-morning Sunday, it seemed like Sunday was a busy day too.

 

[Linc82]

sophy1996 - We are at BWPark Place too - your comment is really helpful. I don't expect to be in an early corral for the 10k.

bumbershoot - I have done the Wine & Dine but this is my first DL race.
When I did W&D, I was up at 330 from Animal Kingdom Lodge. Bound and determined to see Wishes that night.. and did thanks to a couple of double espressos. But I wasn't running a half marathon the next day!

One thing I was not expecting was the crowds at Epcot after the W&D half. They were still running through the park at 10 am. It took us over an hour to get in and get to our breakfast reservation.

We have a 2 hour time difference and I'm considering trying to stay on our time zone so the mornings aren't so rough. Curious whether anyone has tried this.

Dining wise, I'm thinking Napa Rose Friday night (early) and trying to squeeze in a character breakfast at one of the hotels on Monday. Saw the WOC dining package and we may do that Sunday night. If I can stay awake

 

[Ariel484]

Another vote for the park hopper! Seriously, as a WDW vet who just recently went to DL for the first time, you'll be shocked at how close the parks are.

10K and half start at 5:30, 5K at 5:00AM...FWIW.

Steakhouse 55 is a really nice post-race brunch, no characters but I really enjoyed it.

 

[sophy1996]

We did the Surf's Up Breakfast after the Star Wars 10k last year and the characters fussed over our medals. Stitch "borrowed" someone's medal and had to be persuaded to give it back. It was fun!

 

[Chiomaca]

We have a 2 hour time difference and I'm considering trying to stay on our time zone so the mornings aren't so rough. Curious whether anyone has tried this.

Dining wise, I'm thinking Napa Rose Friday night (early) and trying to squeeze in a character breakfast at one of the hotels on Monday. Saw the WOC dining package and we may do that Sunday night. If I can stay awake

I lived in Washington, DC (I'm mid-move right now) and ran Tink and Avengers the last three years using the time zone difference as a bit of a boost. It works - waking up at 4:30 is much easier when your body thinks it's 7:30. I know the pamphlet says to be there super early but there's no reason to stand around. I generally get into the corral right before the 5:30 start (my last post I was thrown by someone saying it was a 5am start and thought my times were off, but I'm pretty sure the races start at 5:30) and have had no problem getting up to A or B and starting on time. Later corrals will give you more cushion.

You won't regret Napa Rose, and the Chef's Table is a lot of fun if you are into that sort of thing. The breakfast at Storyteller's Cafe at the Grand is pretty decent, especially the caramel sauce on the french toast is amazing. The characters are a little more obscure than the other breakfasts though - Chip and Dale, Koda the bear, Pluto.