Run Hard, Stop for Pictures, Eat Everything: A 2016 Wine & Dine Race Weekend Trip Report - COMPLETE

Day 2 – Saturday, November 5 – Wine & Dine 10K, Continued

Not long after the 5K point, we finally made our way into Epcot! We passed a bit of backstage area before entering World Showcase between Norway and China. All the buildings around World Showcase were lit up and lovely. I stopped to take a picture, but my phone couldn’t quite do it justice.

11.jpg

I appreciated that there were cast members from each country standing in front of their country and cheering as we ran by. Reaching Germany, there was another character stop – Pinocchio and Geppetto.

12.jpg

I always feel sort of awkward in the character photos. I never know what to do with my hands, so I automatically default to this hands-on-my-hips pose. It seems like a lot of characters see it and then pose the same way, which is kind of funny. It’s not a great pose, though, because then my elbows are kind of in the way of the characters trying to get close. This time, I accidently elbowed Pinocchio! The character attendant took a series of shots on my phone that turned out pretty hilarious, because the expression on Pinocchio’s face makes him look a bit annoyed with me. Sorry, Pinocchio! :oops:

13.jpg

14.jpg

The Mile 4 marker was just before Japan.

15.jpg

There were a fair number of PhotoPass photographers in Epcot taking action shots. I appreciated that they were generally either in or near these small, lime green tents, so you could spot them in the dark. In addition to being awkward at character stops, I also couldn’t figure out what to do with my hands when I saw a photographer on course. I ended up raising them up, but when I looked at the photos later in the day, I decided I looked goofy and vowed not to do that again for the half the next day.


16.jpg

Vacation Genie was hanging out outside Morocco and did the silly elbow pose with me. Hey, Genie, I had that same hat from my only trip to Disney as a child!


17.jpg

The course then ran past France, over the bridge and then took a left out of World Showcase via International Gateway.

18.jpg

The course ran counterclockwise around the Boardwalk resort area. The boardwalk itself was wet, and I was worried that it would be slippery, but I didn’t have a problem. There was a bit of crowd support outside each of the hotels, which was nice, since other than the World Showcase cast members, it was been crowd-support free since the start line.

19.jpg

Shortly after entering the Boardwalk area, I came upon the next character meet – Chip and Dale in the sports apparel outside the ESPN club. They looked so cute!

20.jpg

Overall, the lengths of the character lines were not too bad for me during the 10K. I don’t think I spent more than a few minutes in any of the lines and don’t think I got in a line that was longer than 8 or 10 people.
 
Glad to hear you were able to get a lot accomplished at AK and enjoyed your early Beaches and Cream dinner. I always worry that the animals won't be out during an afternoon safari, but it looks like you had several cooperate for you!
That No Way Jose is delicious, but it's just too big to finish, especially after a grilled cheese sandwich.

Corral A, how awesome!
Those photos of Pinocchio were hilarious. He does look like he's got an attitude.
I have read in other reports that the Boardwalk is pretty slippery during races; that seems unsafe, but I'm glad you did not have any issues when you were there.
 
Awesome 10K so far. I love your skirt and matching tape too. You got some really good character photos as well. I'd love to see Flik and Atta at some point on a run. Those costumes are fantastic.

My first runDisney marathon, I did the whole "hands in the air like I just don't care" every time I saw a photo person. It's sort of instinctual I think. I also vowed not to continue doing that, so the next year I was all about the thumbs up. HA! I guess I just feel like I had to do SOMETHING when I saw them.
 
I am totally the same way with not knowing what to do with my hands/arms and pretty much default to what you're doing in all of your pictures. Maybe they need to add suggestions to the race program!
 


Day 2 – Saturday, November 5 – Wine & Dine 10K, Continued

After my encounter with Chip & Dale, I continued my journey around the Boardwalk.

21.jpg

The Mile 5 marker was near the Yacht Club.

22.jpg

There were some folks hanging outside Yacht and Beach Club cheering, which was nice. Near the bridge heading back into Epcot, there was a guy dressed as a giant lit-up Sebastian puppet. Since he wasn’t “technically” a character, I didn’t stop for a photo.

We re-entered Epcot via a back way behind International Gateway and the UK and were dumped out back into World Showcase between UK and Canada.

23.jpg

The course finished the World Showcase loop and headed up towards Future World.

24.jpg

We passed by the cute topiary of Mickey grilling for Food & Wine festival, and I had another chance for an awkward running pose pic.

25.jpg

Somewhere around here, near the fountain maybe, I stopped for a photo with the globe/golf ball/SSE in the background, but sadly, it never showed up in my Photopass pictures. :(

The course did a little loop around the front of SSE before heading out of the front of the park via a backstage area.

26.jpg

Mile marker 6 was in that backstage area.

27.jpg

Then it was the final stretch through the Epcot parking lot to the finish line, where my “arms up” pose was finally justified! I was having a hard time getting my phone in and out of my armband (I took it out for each character picture that had an attendant available), so I ended up carrying it in my hand for a good chunk of this race, including across the finish line.

28.jpg

29.jpg

30.jpg

I crossed the finish line with a net time of 57:57! That was about 9 or 10 minutes faster than my Disneyland 10K a few years before. I felt like I had run it moderately hard, faster than I really had intended, but hopefully not too fast to impact the next day’s race.

As soon as I crossed the finish line, I was on a mission: to meet some very important rodents!
 
Glad to hear you were able to get a lot accomplished at AK and enjoyed your early Beaches and Cream dinner. I always worry that the animals won't be out during an afternoon safari, but it looks like you had several cooperate for you!
That No Way Jose is delicious, but it's just too big to finish, especially after a grilled cheese sandwich.

Corral A, how awesome!
Those photos of Pinocchio were hilarious. He does look like he's got an attitude.
I have read in other reports that the Boardwalk is pretty slippery during races; that seems unsafe, but I'm glad you did not have any issues when you were there.

The first half of the safari was a little anti-climactic, but it made up for it in the end.

Yeah, I was definitely nervous about the Boardwalk but I didn't have any problems with my footing thankfully. I think the dark highway part was actually more treacherous.

Awesome 10K so far. I love your skirt and matching tape too. You got some really good character photos as well. I'd love to see Flik and Atta at some point on a run. Those costumes are fantastic.

My first runDisney marathon, I did the whole "hands in the air like I just don't care" every time I saw a photo person. It's sort of instinctual I think. I also vowed not to continue doing that, so the next year I was all about the thumbs up. HA! I guess I just feel like I had to do SOMETHING when I saw them.

Thanks! My mom made my skirt for the Disneyland 10K a few years ago! :lovestruc The tape and headband were a nice upgrade to complete the look. My non-RunDisney friends thought it was funny when I told them I was one of the least dressed up people there!

Thumbs up is a good alternative! I have a hard time processing quickly enough when I see then. I think I need to focus on just smiling and leave it at that!

I am totally the same way with not knowing what to do with my hands/arms and pretty much default to what you're doing in all of your pictures. Maybe they need to add suggestions to the race program!

I would totally take suggestions! I hadn't given advance thought to it until I saw all the pictures start to show up on my PhotoPass that afternoon/evening. Next RunDisney event I will consider this in my planning! :rotfl2:
 
Love the race photos!

I cheered outside the BC during the WDW 10K this year. Cheering is as much fun as running.

Congrats on the finish!
 


You got some great running shots through Epcot. You look so happy in all of them and it makes me happy. I can't wait to be back there in January running through the parks again. Nothing like it!
 
Love the race photos!

I cheered outside the BC during the WDW 10K this year. Cheering is as much fun as running.

Congrats on the finish!

Thank you! Agree on cheering being really fun! I need to get myself a cowbell or noisemaker, though, to extend my stamina! :P

You got some great running shots through Epcot. You look so happy in all of them and it makes me happy. I can't wait to be back there in January running through the parks again. Nothing like it!

There really is nothing like it. I really was so happy during the races. Pretty decent weather helped, plus all the characters, costumes, etc. Such good energy!
 
I was so afraid I would block my number so I kept putting my hands out & down, which makes no sense looking at them. Then at characters I stuck them behind my back to not block my number. I think your poses look great!
Funny how the "Joy" lady showed up in your picture at the Boardwalk. Did you contact photopass on your missing pic? They found my Lumiere like I said in the thread & then emailed also that my backdrop one was missing due to technical errors or uploading errors. My Spaceship Earth one turned out, which probably was only taken like 1-2 minute after or before yours depending on your clock time, so unless the photog messed up or they just lost it, the camera was working & lit good (I finished in 59:53 net, clock was 59:56).
 
Day 2 – Saturday, November 5 – Post-Wine & Dine 10K and Magic Kingdom

I crossed the finish line and received my medal, which was adorable with Chef Remy on it and also enormous! It’s bigger than the one I have from the 2013 WDW marathon. After getting my snack box, banana, water, and PowerAde, I stopped for a quick finisher pic in which I looked like a majorly sweaty mess. I cut 10 inches off my hair a few months ago, which I love in real life but is not that great for running. I can only pull about a third of it back so the rest ends up being a stringy, sweaty disaster by the end of a run. So, apologies for that.

31.jpg

After the finisher picture, I walked through the gear check tent to pick up my bag. I had debated whether I really needed to check a bag for a 10K, but I ended up being glad I did. It was nice to dump the food and drink I had collected. Also, while I was initially hot when I finished the race, I actually ended up being cold, especially with all the sweat :-)crazy2: gross, sorry again) after standing in character lines for a bit, so I was glad to have my checked jacket to put on. It didn’t take more than 30 seconds to pick up or drop off my bag.

My number one priority was to get in line for Remy and Emile. I wasn’t sure whether they would be available the next day at the half marathon (turns out they were), so I didn’t want to miss my chance. The line wasn’t too bad yet, especially compared to the craziness before the race. I ended up waiting about ten minutes. It‘s not the greatest picture ever, but they’re still pretty cute!

32.jpg

Next, I decided to hop in line for Mickey and Minnie, who were right next to Remy and Emile. Their line was also about a ten-minute wait. Love Mickey’s chef outfit!

33.jpg

By the time I was done with Mickey and Minnie, the lines had gotten considerably longer, and I had gotten cold and was ready for a shower, so I headed towards the buses. A bus back to Port Orleans pulled up right away, and we waited about 10 minutes for the bus to fill up. Back at POFQ, I was happy to take a nice long hot shower. I had a few little snacks from my snack box – tortilla chips with cheese sauce and applesauce – to tide me over for a bit. I also took a moment to admire my pretty new hardware.

34.jpg
By 8:30 AM, I was heading down to the bus. Perfect timing - the bus to Magic Kingdom was there waiting for me! pixiedust: When I arrived at the entrance to Magic Kingdom, it looked like the welcome show had just finished. I was through the gates and into the park at 8:58. I definitely hadn’t intended to be at the park at opening, so I had made really good time that morning. It was already Christmas on Main Street USA.

1.jpg

2.jpg

Now that the sun was finally up, it was shaping up to be a beautiful day in the Magic Kingdom.

3.jpg

First off, I stopped for some PhotoPass shots with my medal in front of the castle.

4.jpg

5.jpg

I normally ride Peter Pan with a FP+ but I was hoping to check out the new standby queue, so after my little photo shoot, I headed that way. Unfortunately, by 9:10 the standby wait was already 45 minutes, which was too long for me. Maybe next time…

I already knew what I wanted to try for breakfast, but with my snack back in the room, I wasn’t quite hungry enough yet (sometimes I find after a hard run, it takes a while for my appetite to catch up). Instead, I rode on Haunted Mansion, which had a minimal wait. I had a FP+ for Pirates scheduled for the early afternoon, but I saw that the current wait was only 5 minutes, so I switched to a FP+ for Jungle Cruise and rode Pirates on standby instead. I don’t know if it was the exertion of the races or the bug I was fighting or a combination of both, but I was particularly sensitive to motion both this day and the next. The drop on Pirates seemed much more intense than usual. After Pirates, I had finally worked up enough of an appetite for breakfast. I headed to Sleepy Hollow where I had my eye on the Nutella and fruit waffle sandwich (officially called the "Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich," I believe).

6.jpg

This was a new Disney snack for me, and I thought it was delicious! I love Nutella, so that was an easy win. The fruit was yummy, but the waffle was on the thin side, not like a thick Belgian waffle. It was too big/stuffed to eat like a sandwich; I used a knife and fork.
 
I was so afraid I would block my number so I kept putting my hands out & down, which makes no sense looking at them. Then at characters I stuck them behind my back to not block my number. I think your poses look great!
Funny how the "Joy" lady showed up in your picture at the Boardwalk. Did you contact photopass on your missing pic? They found my Lumiere like I said in the thread & then emailed also that my backdrop one was missing due to technical errors or uploading errors. My Spaceship Earth one turned out, which probably was only taken like 1-2 minute after or before yours depending on your clock time, so unless the photog messed up or they just lost it, the camera was working & lit good (I finished in 59:53 net, clock was 59:56).

I didn't even think about blocking my number, but that's a valid concern. At the Disneyland half, I stood to the side in my shot with Philip and Aurora in front of the castle. Luckily other friends were in the picture so we were able to get it that way.

I definitely didn't notice Joy in the background of that picture until you pointed her out! Makes sense though because we had been in line for Chip & Dale together right before that.

I didn't end up contacting PhotoPass. I took a shot in the same spot the next day that turned out pretty well and had so many other pictures, that I got lazy and decided not to bother with it. That's great they found Lumiere for you! I'd definitely vote for that over the backdrop if I had to pick one.
 
Love the medal! You got some great post race photos too. Mickey's outfit is the best.

You did make good time to be there for the park opening! I have yet to check out the new pan queue.

I have never had Nutella but that waffle looks like I may have to try it.
 
Day 2 – Saturday, November 5 – Magic Kingdom, Continued

After my yummy breakfast, I rode The Little Mermaid ride standby. The couple in front of me tried to let their small kids, who were maybe 2 and 5, ride in a clamshell by themselves. Obviously, the cast member put a stop to that. Why they thought that was a good idea, I can’t imagine. I think I’d want to be able to see my kids while on a ride.


After The Little Mermaid ride, I walked by Be Our Guest where there was a PhotoPass photographer just hanging around. So I stopped for a quick photoshoot.

7.jpg

8.jpg

Hey, Lumiere! I’ll see you again tomorrow!

9.jpg

Next, I took a trip on the happiest cruise that ever sailed. Windmills, tulips, and wooden shoes. All things I hope to see on my trip to The Netherlands in the spring!

10.jpg

I had a little more time before my first FP+, so I went to see Mickey’s PhilharMagic. PhilharMagic is actually one of my favorite things at MK. I love the music and scenes from the classic favorites of my childhood. Today the carpet ride made me a little queasy. Darn motion sensitivity!

Then it was time for my first FP+ of the day – Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I enjoy this ride but I feel like it’s hard to process all the greatness in the mine scene because it goes by too quickly. I was happy that we got stuck outside the cottage at the end of the ride for an extra minute or two, so I had a little extra time to look.

Done with Fantasyland, I headed over to Tomorrowland. I was trying to take things generally easy, so a ride on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority seemed just right. Another low-key attraction that is a favorite of mine. It’s so nice just to sit back and watch Tomorrowland pass by. After TTA, I was ready for the next new snack that I had on my list. I joined a very long line (unfortunately it was prime lunch time) for The Lunching Pad. The line moved very slowly, and there seemed to be a lot of commotion. Turns out they were out of plain pretzels and had a number of people who were quite unhappy about it. I was nervous that they’d be out of what I wanted too, and I would have waited in a long line for no reason. Fortunately, they had it – the sweet cream cheese pretzel.


11.jpg

A pretzel filled with slightly sweet cream cheese. I enjoyed this snack. The cream cheese wasn’t too sweet, which I was happy about, but was a nice contrast with the bready-ness of the pretzel. Another snack I would have again.

Next up, I took on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin where I earned what I would consider a fairly decent score.


12.jpg

I was starting to feel really run down at this point, but I had about 45 minutes until my last FP+ and I wanted to wait it out until then. To kill that chunk of time, I decided to ride Carousel of Progress. I have done it before but it’s been many years. I remember now why I don’t ride it often, but it met my requirement of a place I could sit and rest for a while.

My last FP+ of the day was for Jungle Cruise or, in this case, Jingle Cruise.


13.jpg

I had never seen the holiday overlay, so I was excited about this one. The skipper on my boat was great, and I enjoyed having a fresh set of corny jokes.


The last thing on my Magic Kingdom to-do list was to stop by Starbucks on Main Street and pick up a You Are Here mug for my mom. Without a doubt, this was the longest line I waited in all day! Everybody was getting their 3 PM Starbucks fix. Since I had to wait in the line to buy the mug, I ended up getting a smoothie as well.

Mission accomplished, I headed for the bus. It was only about 3:30, and I had originally planned to stay at the park until 5 or 6, but I was feeling really tired. Instead of going back to POFQ, I took the bus to Port Orleans Riverside. For dinner, I planned on ordering the Create-Your-Own pasta bowl from the food court at Riverside.

14.jpg

I had heard good things, but I was really impressed with the pasta bowl. I asked for marinara and alfredo sauce mixed and added sun-dried tomatoes, peas, spinach, and broccoli. It took a couple minutes to make but not terribly long. It was a ton of food (I couldn’t finish it) and really tasty. I got a lid for the bowl and took it to go.

At the Riverside gift shop, I also picked up some cough drops. I didn’t want to take any real cold medicine, especially not until I was done with the race, because it has a tendency to make me feel pretty loopy. But I figured cough drops would be soothing.

It was a short, 5-minute-or-so walk back to my room at POFQ. I was in the room by 4:30. I changed into my PJs and compression socks and had a picnic dinner on the bed. After dinner, I got flat Cherie ready for the next morning.

15.jpg

Lights were out by 6:30 PM. I had no problem at all falling asleep; an upside to being sick, I guess. Half marathon tomorrow!
 
Love the medal! You got some great post race photos too. Mickey's outfit is the best.

You did make good time to be there for the park opening! I have yet to check out the new pan queue.

I have never had Nutella but that waffle looks like I may have to try it.

I love that Remy's tail sticks out of the edge of the medal!

Nutella is, in my opinion, delicious. Growing up, I didn't like peanut butter, so my mom made me Nutella sandwiches, and I'd tell all my friend's that I had chocolate sandwiches (it's made from hazelnuts but tastes chocolate-y). :-)
 
Great magic shot by BoG! I have never seen photopass photographers over there.

I'm with you in that the mine scene is a bit quick/short. The original design for the ride had more time in the mine.

I love the jingle cruise. Glad you got to experience that.

Your pasta bowl looks great! I've stayed at POR twice and have never done it.
 
Ahhhh, I love your post-race character pictures!! So cute! and I love your snack choices in MK! :thumbsup2

Those are super cute shoes you're wearing in the parks - are the Reebok?

That pasta looks soooo good. I've never tried it there before but it looks like a really good meal.

Love your running shorts, but I'm sure you knew that already! :upsidedow (Just wore those this morning!)
 
Following along...you certainly make a "single" trip look like so much fun and something I want to be brave enough to do!
 
Great post-race photos and I love that magic shot with Lumiere. I hear what you are saying about Carousel of Progress. We did that one a couple of years ago and decided that once every few years was probably plenty. :) I also agree with you about Philharmagic. One of my favorite MK attractions. We try to see it every time we go.

Excited to read about the half!
 
Your pasta bowl looks great! I've stayed at POR twice and have never done it.

I think this was my first time ever eating dinner at a resort quick service place. If we aren't in the parks at dinner time, we are generally at a TS at a resort. Apparently they've added the pasta bowl to the menu at POFQ now, too! Definitely something I'd incorporate into future race weekends.

Those are super cute shoes you're wearing in the parks - are the Reebok?

Thanks! They are actually Asics Noosa Tri. I will never, never be a triathlete but I loved the shoes. I finally convinced myself that they would be perfect for the parks.

Love your running shorts, but I'm sure you knew that already! :upsidedow (Just wore those this morning!)

Haha...thanks! I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of my monarch pullover - my first InB top!

Following along...you certainly make a "single" trip look like so much fun and something I want to be brave enough to do!

Welcome! It was a lot of fun. Other than PhotoPass, I didn't feel weird about being alone at all. It was great to be totally in charge of the plan although there were a few moments when fun or interesting things happened that I wished I had somebody there to share it with right away. I did a lot of texting of pictures. :-)

Great post-race photos and I love that magic shot with Lumiere. I hear what you are saying about Carousel of Progress. We did that one a couple of years ago and decided that once every few years was probably plenty. :) I also agree with you about Philharmagic. One of my favorite MK attractions. We try to see it every time we go.

Excited to read about the half!

Thanks! I didn't know if was going to be Lumiere (although maybe I should have guessed from the location), so I was really excited when I saw it!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top