Runners Take Over the World--WDW Marathon Trip Report January 06 COMPLETED
- Thread starter aladdinsgirl
- Start date
aladdinsgirl
She's a rebel. She's a saint.
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2002
- Messages
- 1,865
Latexscooter--I am not running with any charities. I really admire those runners/walkers who do as it is a HUGE financial committment. I am using John Bingham's Marathon for Mortals training schedule.
Lan and HMHunters--My 8 miler went great this past weekend, I did it on the treadmill as running in 20 degrees weather didn't really appeal to me.
I wore ITBS band and didn't have any pain, I think I am good to go! I can't believe how close we are to the big day, I am nervous and excited at the same time!!
Lan and HMHunters--My 8 miler went great this past weekend, I did it on the treadmill as running in 20 degrees weather didn't really appeal to me.
I wore ITBS band and didn't have any pain, I think I am good to go! I can't believe how close we are to the big day, I am nervous and excited at the same time!!
aladdinsgirl
She's a rebel. She's a saint.
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2002
- Messages
- 1,865
Day 81/13
The Plan: Check out BWV, Epcot morning, afternoon break, check in Pop Century. ADR Artist Point 6:30 and Epcot extra magic hours.
Reality: We slept in a little this morning, we knew that tonight would be a long night and we didnt want to be tired. I think Stephen and I got up around 9:30 and took our time getting ready and packing the last minute items. Mom and Dad came down a couple of minutes before 11:00 with all of their luggage, we got all of our luggage together and made the long trek to the elevators and down to the lobby. Stephen ran out to the van so we would not have to drag what felt like 20 suitcases down the sidewalk and across the parking lot. It only took a few minutes for Stephen to get the van, load up the van and then drive back down and park again, as we were heading into Epcot.
By the time we did all of that it was well after noon and while we did eat a late dinner, we were pretty hungry for lunch. We stopped at Yorkshire County Fish and Chips for amazingly enough fish and chips. For the life of me, I cannot remember what Mom ate for lunch, I know it wasnt fish, because she doesnt eat fish, but she ate something for lunch as well. The fish and chips at Yorkshire County are pretty decent, not as good as the fish and chips in Rose and Crown, but a definite step up from Long John Silvers. After lunch, Mom, Stephen, and I decided to continue on with our tour of hats of the World Showcase that we started on earlier in the week. Dad didnt really want any part of our fun; he thought that the CMs from the countries would think we were being disrespectful of their country and culture. That was so not the case and I sincerely hope that none of the CMs were offended by us. Even though Dad was being a party pooper, he agreed to be our photographer.
The best place to start is of course the beginning, so we backtracked to the Trading Post and Northwest Mercantile in Canada to start our tour of hats. Since Canada doesnt really have a hat that is definitely recognizable as Canadian, we had to use our imagination a little bit. We found hats that were basically stuff animals with a chinstrap, so it looks like the animal is perched up on your head. I think this was my favorite picture of all the countries, as it is so funny looking, Mom wore a moose hat, Stephen wore a raccoon hat, and I wore a straw hat with long red braids ala Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables. We continued on counter clockwise to the Toy Soldier in the United Kingdom. Like Canada, the UK doesnt have a hat that screams: British, like maybe a sombrero or a beret does for Mexico and France, so again, we had to be creative. Since we were in a toyshop, it wasnt too difficult to find silly looking hats, Mom and I both wore the black constable hats and Stephen got in touch with his inner childhood by wearing a Peter Pan hat. I think the other guests in the shop thought we were crazy, we tried to be as discreet as possible, taking our hats to empty corners and snapping the picture quickly, but Im afraid we still made spectacles of ourselves. Oh well, its vacation, right?
We continued on across the bridge and into France, we stopped to watch Serveur Amusant, which was hysterical. I love watching all the entertainment in Epcot; it really enhances the atmosphere and makes you feel like you are really in France or Italy or wherever, because I am sure there are men balancing on stacked up chairs along the streets of Paris.
While were watching the show, I got very sick to my stomach, I think it was all the grease from the fish and chips. I know you cant tell from what Ive said Ive eaten all week long, but I eat really healthy at home and never, ever eat anything deep fried, so the grease was sitting in my stomach like a piece of lead. Taking a break on the wall by the fountains during the show was helpful, but I still felt queasy the rest of the afternoon. After the show, we headed into Galerie Des Halles, hoping to find some berets or something very French looking. We found the hats, but a CM was standing right in front of the display and did not move. No one wanted to get the hats, take a picture of us wearing the hats and then put it back right in front of the CM. Yeah, were chickens. We spent about 5-10 minutes looking around the store, hoping she would move, but she never did. Grrr. We decided to press on to Morocco and come back to France later. Of course you know we never did.
There were so many choices in Morocco; it was hard to make a decision as to what hats to wear! We finally made our decision, grabbed the hats and went to a quiet corner of Tangier Traders to take our picture. Mom and I wore the beaded caps that the belly dancers wear and Stephen wore a knit with black braids sewn in, it looked more reggae than Moroccan to me, but maybe I dont know my Moroccan culture very well. Stephen also had a little instrument that looked like a tiny guitar. As soon as other people saw what we were doing, they started taking hats and taken pictures too. Oops! I hope we didnt start something bad!!
Up next was Mitsukoshi Department Store in Japan. We had a hard time in here as there werent many hats and while we could have dressed up in kimonos, nobody wanted to get near anything remotely expensive. Mom and I finally found some cheaper robes and put fans in front of our faces and called it good. Stephen went a little Karate Kid on us and wore the same type of robe we wore and a headband with gold designs all over it. I swear he looked just like Ralph Macchio. We did spend some time in the store as I like looking at the kimonos and all the dishes, also I recently read "Memoirs of a Geisha" and it was interesting to see the Japanese culture after reading the book.
We only time for America as it was around 4:00 and we had to walk back to the Board Walk to get our car, drive to Pop Century to check in and get over to the Wilderness Lodge by 6:30 for our ADR. Before heading into Heritage Manor Gifts, we stopped to watch The Spirit of America Drum and Fife Corps. I love seeing them play and hearing Voices of Liberty sing, there always seems to be an air of reverence around them and I get a cold chill when I hear them. Sadly, we did not have time to see the Voices of Liberty show today, as we were on a pretty tight schedule. After the Drum and Fife Corp performance we walked straight over to the gift shop for our picture. This time we all wore something different, Mom wore a coonskin cap, Stephen wore an Uncle Sam hat, and I wore the 3-point hat that was worn in the 1700s, Im not sure what that type of hat is called though. I must brush up on my fashion history! As soon as Dad took the picture and we put the hats away, we jetted out of America and soon out of Epcot; the other countries would just have to wait until tonight.
The drive over to Pop Century was easy and painless. We parked the car in the lot and walked in to find an empty check-in area. Nice! We all walked up to the CM at the counter, as soon as she pulled up our reservation she asked us to hang on for a moment, picked up her phone and turned her back to us. I could hear snippets of the conversation, something about Port Orleans or Fort Wilderness. When she hung up the phone, she turned to us with a huge smile on her face and explained that the Pop Century was overbooked for the evening and would we mind being upgraded to either Port Orleans Riverside or the Fort Wilderness cabins? We chose Port Orleans Riverside and were actually very excited about the upgrade, as we loved French Quarter so much. The CM told us that she would call over to Riverside to tell them we were coming and we left the Pop.
Im sad to say we didnt love Riverside nearly as much as we loved the French Quarter. It just didnt seem to have the charm that the French Quarter has. But in all fairness we were only in the lobby to check in and then our rooms, which were in the Alligator Bayou and pretty far out, Im assuming because we were only there for one night. It didnt help that when we pulled up to our rooms, our neighbors had drug the furniture outside to sit on and were sitting out in front of their room. It felt like we were at Motel 6 or something! Id be willing to give the resort another chance, I have read some really good reviews on Riverside, and I think we just didnt see how charming the resort could be. The lobby was nice, very crowded, but the CMs were doing the best they could to get everyone checked in quickly. There were also CMs walking around the lobby and talking to the guests while we waited in line, so that helped the time to pass quickly. We were all a little concerned about checking in; hoping that the CM from Pop Century had called over to Riverside and told them we were coming. The concerns were for nothing; out reservations were on file and check in was again painless.
We made our way to our rooms and started getting ready for our date night at Artist Point. I love the Artist Point, the food is wonderful and the service has always been top notch. Judging from our experiences, the Artist Point rivals the California Grill. Shocking, huh? I was really excited to take Mom and Dad out for a belated anniversary dinner; they celebrated 39 happy years in October. We quickly changed our clothes and ran across the parking lot in a light rain shower to drive to the Wilderness Lodge. Stephen valet parked the car and we all walked into the Wilderness Lodge; I love, love, love the Wilderness Lodge. The resort is so beautiful and even with all the chaos of Whispering Canyon, the lobby is still peaceful and a haven from the craziness of the parks. I could spend hours in just sitting by the fireplace reading a book or people watching. But since we are here to eat and not read or people watch, we walked over to the Artist Point.
We were directed to our table as soon as we walked up to the podium to check in. Since it was still fairly early in the evening, the restaurant was only about half full. We were shown to a wonderful table in the back corner of the restaurant. We were seated between 2 windows, one over looking the Silver Creek Falls, and the other overlooking a walkway. As soon as we were seated, our server came over with menus and took our drink orders. Our server was wonderful for the entire meal; I wish I could remember her name. Since this was Mom and Dads belated anniversary dinner, we went all out (yes, Stephen and I were good kids and picked up the tab) and decided to all get appetizers AND our own desserts in addition to our entrees. Hey, I just ran a half marathon the other day. Mom and I started with a salad, I cant remember what kind of salad it was since their salads are seasonal, but it was very good and we enjoyed every bite. Dad and Stephen had the venison spring roll, which they liked, but I refuse to eat Bambi, so I didnt try a bite. For our entrees, Mom ordered the roasted chicken breast, Dad and Stephen both ordered the grilled buffalo sirloin and I ordered the cedar plank salmon. All of our entrees were fantastic, well at least mine was, I cant speak for anyone else, as I didnt taste their meals. I ordered the salmon medium, as I just cant do rare or partially cooked fish, but it was still tender and melt in your mouth. The salmon was served with mushroom stuffing that was out of this world and I dont care much for mushrooms. The stuffing must have been made with Portobello mushrooms, as it had a beefy taste to it. I wish I were eating that right now!!!! For desserts Dad got the chocolate truffle cake with a blood orange sauce, Stephen ordered the coffee two ways, and Mom and I each ordered the berry cobbler. Thats a lot of dessert!! The berry cobbler was so good, just like I remembered, but I didnt remember it being so small. Dont get me wrong, it was still huge and plenty enough for one person, but if you were sharing it, like we normally do, it would be kind of small. Stephen and I ended up sharing the berry cobbler and coffee two ways, which is Mochaccino bread pudding and vanilla latte crème brulee. Wow! Was that good! From now on when we come to Artist Point Stephen and I will be ordering both the berry cobbler and coffee two ways so we can share both! Dinner ended up being about $190 before the DDE discount and about $152 after the discount and before tip. It was one of the best meals we all week and in my opinion a perfect cap to a perfect vacation.
We heaved ourselves from the table and slowly made our way out the valet stand to pick up our car. We were heading straight to Epcot for the extra magic hours, so we brought clothes to change into. The original plan was to pick up the car from valet, park the car and walk back in the Lodge to change our clothes and then drive to the Board Walk. The walk from the parking lot to the Lodge seemed so long, especially on such full stomachs, so we decided to just park the car out in the boonies and change our clothes in the car. Mom and I went first; we changed quickly and then got out of the car so Dad and Stephen could change. While Dad and Stephen were changing, Mom and I watched the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom; I didnt realize they could be seen from the Wilderness Lodge parking lot. Once everyone was changed, Mom and I got back in the car and headed to the valet at the Board Walk. It was sad being back at the Board Walk, but not really back at the Board Walk. I love that resort so much!
Epcot was packed tonight! There were so many teenagers there, we tried to get a spot for Illuminations, but there was no place to stand. We saw a fist fight break out by Disney Traders and heard many yelling arguments, we decided it wasnt worth it to find a spot for Illuminations and made an unanimous decision to get our bracelets for the extra magic hours and see what the line for Soarin was like. Imagine was surprise when the line for Soarin was posted at a 20 minute wait, we were fully expecting the sign to say at least an hour. Even though the sign said 20 minutes, we basically walked straight through and were in our seats within 15 minutes. It was another great ride on Soarin, Im glad we were able to get on, especially since the wait was about an hour and half when we got off the ride. Since Epcot was officially closed when we walked out of The Land pavilion, the park was empty. Much nicer than the chaos about half an hour ago! We stopped at the Electric Umbrella to get coffee and hot chocolate as a cold front was coming through and the temperatures were definitely dropping. It looks like we came at the perfect time and we were leaving at the perfect time.
Soarin was the only must do of the evening since Test Track was still closed for rehab. We decided to make one more lap around the World Showcase before bidding adieu to Epcot. The lap around World Showcase was more of a jog, as we were all freezing, we did stop at El Rio Del Tiempo and Maelstrom to warm up. I cant tell you how tempting those Helly Hansen coats at the Puffins Roost looked, but at $400 a pop, it wasnt THAT tempting! Of course we made a picture in Norway wearing our Viking helmets in front of the giant troll. Yes, Stephen wore the one with blonde braids. The only pavalions that were open were Mexico and Norway, so we couldn't stop at the remaining countries to get our hat pictures. Shucks!!! Oh well, there's always next year!
We finally made our way back to the International Gateway, to the Board Walk, to the car, and finally to Port Orleans Riverside. We got ready for bed as soon as we got in the room and feel asleep within minutes.
The Plan: Check out BWV, Epcot morning, afternoon break, check in Pop Century. ADR Artist Point 6:30 and Epcot extra magic hours.
Reality: We slept in a little this morning, we knew that tonight would be a long night and we didnt want to be tired. I think Stephen and I got up around 9:30 and took our time getting ready and packing the last minute items. Mom and Dad came down a couple of minutes before 11:00 with all of their luggage, we got all of our luggage together and made the long trek to the elevators and down to the lobby. Stephen ran out to the van so we would not have to drag what felt like 20 suitcases down the sidewalk and across the parking lot. It only took a few minutes for Stephen to get the van, load up the van and then drive back down and park again, as we were heading into Epcot.
By the time we did all of that it was well after noon and while we did eat a late dinner, we were pretty hungry for lunch. We stopped at Yorkshire County Fish and Chips for amazingly enough fish and chips. For the life of me, I cannot remember what Mom ate for lunch, I know it wasnt fish, because she doesnt eat fish, but she ate something for lunch as well. The fish and chips at Yorkshire County are pretty decent, not as good as the fish and chips in Rose and Crown, but a definite step up from Long John Silvers. After lunch, Mom, Stephen, and I decided to continue on with our tour of hats of the World Showcase that we started on earlier in the week. Dad didnt really want any part of our fun; he thought that the CMs from the countries would think we were being disrespectful of their country and culture. That was so not the case and I sincerely hope that none of the CMs were offended by us. Even though Dad was being a party pooper, he agreed to be our photographer.
The best place to start is of course the beginning, so we backtracked to the Trading Post and Northwest Mercantile in Canada to start our tour of hats. Since Canada doesnt really have a hat that is definitely recognizable as Canadian, we had to use our imagination a little bit. We found hats that were basically stuff animals with a chinstrap, so it looks like the animal is perched up on your head. I think this was my favorite picture of all the countries, as it is so funny looking, Mom wore a moose hat, Stephen wore a raccoon hat, and I wore a straw hat with long red braids ala Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables. We continued on counter clockwise to the Toy Soldier in the United Kingdom. Like Canada, the UK doesnt have a hat that screams: British, like maybe a sombrero or a beret does for Mexico and France, so again, we had to be creative. Since we were in a toyshop, it wasnt too difficult to find silly looking hats, Mom and I both wore the black constable hats and Stephen got in touch with his inner childhood by wearing a Peter Pan hat. I think the other guests in the shop thought we were crazy, we tried to be as discreet as possible, taking our hats to empty corners and snapping the picture quickly, but Im afraid we still made spectacles of ourselves. Oh well, its vacation, right?
We continued on across the bridge and into France, we stopped to watch Serveur Amusant, which was hysterical. I love watching all the entertainment in Epcot; it really enhances the atmosphere and makes you feel like you are really in France or Italy or wherever, because I am sure there are men balancing on stacked up chairs along the streets of Paris.
While were watching the show, I got very sick to my stomach, I think it was all the grease from the fish and chips. I know you cant tell from what Ive said Ive eaten all week long, but I eat really healthy at home and never, ever eat anything deep fried, so the grease was sitting in my stomach like a piece of lead. Taking a break on the wall by the fountains during the show was helpful, but I still felt queasy the rest of the afternoon. After the show, we headed into Galerie Des Halles, hoping to find some berets or something very French looking. We found the hats, but a CM was standing right in front of the display and did not move. No one wanted to get the hats, take a picture of us wearing the hats and then put it back right in front of the CM. Yeah, were chickens. We spent about 5-10 minutes looking around the store, hoping she would move, but she never did. Grrr. We decided to press on to Morocco and come back to France later. Of course you know we never did.There were so many choices in Morocco; it was hard to make a decision as to what hats to wear! We finally made our decision, grabbed the hats and went to a quiet corner of Tangier Traders to take our picture. Mom and I wore the beaded caps that the belly dancers wear and Stephen wore a knit with black braids sewn in, it looked more reggae than Moroccan to me, but maybe I dont know my Moroccan culture very well. Stephen also had a little instrument that looked like a tiny guitar. As soon as other people saw what we were doing, they started taking hats and taken pictures too. Oops! I hope we didnt start something bad!!
Up next was Mitsukoshi Department Store in Japan. We had a hard time in here as there werent many hats and while we could have dressed up in kimonos, nobody wanted to get near anything remotely expensive. Mom and I finally found some cheaper robes and put fans in front of our faces and called it good. Stephen went a little Karate Kid on us and wore the same type of robe we wore and a headband with gold designs all over it. I swear he looked just like Ralph Macchio. We did spend some time in the store as I like looking at the kimonos and all the dishes, also I recently read "Memoirs of a Geisha" and it was interesting to see the Japanese culture after reading the book.
We only time for America as it was around 4:00 and we had to walk back to the Board Walk to get our car, drive to Pop Century to check in and get over to the Wilderness Lodge by 6:30 for our ADR. Before heading into Heritage Manor Gifts, we stopped to watch The Spirit of America Drum and Fife Corps. I love seeing them play and hearing Voices of Liberty sing, there always seems to be an air of reverence around them and I get a cold chill when I hear them. Sadly, we did not have time to see the Voices of Liberty show today, as we were on a pretty tight schedule. After the Drum and Fife Corp performance we walked straight over to the gift shop for our picture. This time we all wore something different, Mom wore a coonskin cap, Stephen wore an Uncle Sam hat, and I wore the 3-point hat that was worn in the 1700s, Im not sure what that type of hat is called though. I must brush up on my fashion history! As soon as Dad took the picture and we put the hats away, we jetted out of America and soon out of Epcot; the other countries would just have to wait until tonight.
The drive over to Pop Century was easy and painless. We parked the car in the lot and walked in to find an empty check-in area. Nice! We all walked up to the CM at the counter, as soon as she pulled up our reservation she asked us to hang on for a moment, picked up her phone and turned her back to us. I could hear snippets of the conversation, something about Port Orleans or Fort Wilderness. When she hung up the phone, she turned to us with a huge smile on her face and explained that the Pop Century was overbooked for the evening and would we mind being upgraded to either Port Orleans Riverside or the Fort Wilderness cabins? We chose Port Orleans Riverside and were actually very excited about the upgrade, as we loved French Quarter so much. The CM told us that she would call over to Riverside to tell them we were coming and we left the Pop.
Im sad to say we didnt love Riverside nearly as much as we loved the French Quarter. It just didnt seem to have the charm that the French Quarter has. But in all fairness we were only in the lobby to check in and then our rooms, which were in the Alligator Bayou and pretty far out, Im assuming because we were only there for one night. It didnt help that when we pulled up to our rooms, our neighbors had drug the furniture outside to sit on and were sitting out in front of their room. It felt like we were at Motel 6 or something! Id be willing to give the resort another chance, I have read some really good reviews on Riverside, and I think we just didnt see how charming the resort could be. The lobby was nice, very crowded, but the CMs were doing the best they could to get everyone checked in quickly. There were also CMs walking around the lobby and talking to the guests while we waited in line, so that helped the time to pass quickly. We were all a little concerned about checking in; hoping that the CM from Pop Century had called over to Riverside and told them we were coming. The concerns were for nothing; out reservations were on file and check in was again painless.
We made our way to our rooms and started getting ready for our date night at Artist Point. I love the Artist Point, the food is wonderful and the service has always been top notch. Judging from our experiences, the Artist Point rivals the California Grill. Shocking, huh? I was really excited to take Mom and Dad out for a belated anniversary dinner; they celebrated 39 happy years in October. We quickly changed our clothes and ran across the parking lot in a light rain shower to drive to the Wilderness Lodge. Stephen valet parked the car and we all walked into the Wilderness Lodge; I love, love, love the Wilderness Lodge. The resort is so beautiful and even with all the chaos of Whispering Canyon, the lobby is still peaceful and a haven from the craziness of the parks. I could spend hours in just sitting by the fireplace reading a book or people watching. But since we are here to eat and not read or people watch, we walked over to the Artist Point.
We were directed to our table as soon as we walked up to the podium to check in. Since it was still fairly early in the evening, the restaurant was only about half full. We were shown to a wonderful table in the back corner of the restaurant. We were seated between 2 windows, one over looking the Silver Creek Falls, and the other overlooking a walkway. As soon as we were seated, our server came over with menus and took our drink orders. Our server was wonderful for the entire meal; I wish I could remember her name. Since this was Mom and Dads belated anniversary dinner, we went all out (yes, Stephen and I were good kids and picked up the tab) and decided to all get appetizers AND our own desserts in addition to our entrees. Hey, I just ran a half marathon the other day.
Mom and I started with a salad, I cant remember what kind of salad it was since their salads are seasonal, but it was very good and we enjoyed every bite. Dad and Stephen had the venison spring roll, which they liked, but I refuse to eat Bambi, so I didnt try a bite. For our entrees, Mom ordered the roasted chicken breast, Dad and Stephen both ordered the grilled buffalo sirloin and I ordered the cedar plank salmon. All of our entrees were fantastic, well at least mine was, I cant speak for anyone else, as I didnt taste their meals. I ordered the salmon medium, as I just cant do rare or partially cooked fish, but it was still tender and melt in your mouth. The salmon was served with mushroom stuffing that was out of this world and I dont care much for mushrooms. The stuffing must have been made with Portobello mushrooms, as it had a beefy taste to it. I wish I were eating that right now!!!! For desserts Dad got the chocolate truffle cake with a blood orange sauce, Stephen ordered the coffee two ways, and Mom and I each ordered the berry cobbler. Thats a lot of dessert!! The berry cobbler was so good, just like I remembered, but I didnt remember it being so small. Dont get me wrong, it was still huge and plenty enough for one person, but if you were sharing it, like we normally do, it would be kind of small. Stephen and I ended up sharing the berry cobbler and coffee two ways, which is Mochaccino bread pudding and vanilla latte crème brulee. Wow! Was that good! From now on when we come to Artist Point Stephen and I will be ordering both the berry cobbler and coffee two ways so we can share both! Dinner ended up being about $190 before the DDE discount and about $152 after the discount and before tip. It was one of the best meals we all week and in my opinion a perfect cap to a perfect vacation. We heaved ourselves from the table and slowly made our way out the valet stand to pick up our car. We were heading straight to Epcot for the extra magic hours, so we brought clothes to change into. The original plan was to pick up the car from valet, park the car and walk back in the Lodge to change our clothes and then drive to the Board Walk. The walk from the parking lot to the Lodge seemed so long, especially on such full stomachs, so we decided to just park the car out in the boonies and change our clothes in the car. Mom and I went first; we changed quickly and then got out of the car so Dad and Stephen could change. While Dad and Stephen were changing, Mom and I watched the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom; I didnt realize they could be seen from the Wilderness Lodge parking lot. Once everyone was changed, Mom and I got back in the car and headed to the valet at the Board Walk. It was sad being back at the Board Walk, but not really back at the Board Walk. I love that resort so much!
Epcot was packed tonight! There were so many teenagers there, we tried to get a spot for Illuminations, but there was no place to stand. We saw a fist fight break out by Disney Traders and heard many yelling arguments, we decided it wasnt worth it to find a spot for Illuminations and made an unanimous decision to get our bracelets for the extra magic hours and see what the line for Soarin was like. Imagine was surprise when the line for Soarin was posted at a 20 minute wait, we were fully expecting the sign to say at least an hour. Even though the sign said 20 minutes, we basically walked straight through and were in our seats within 15 minutes. It was another great ride on Soarin, Im glad we were able to get on, especially since the wait was about an hour and half when we got off the ride. Since Epcot was officially closed when we walked out of The Land pavilion, the park was empty. Much nicer than the chaos about half an hour ago! We stopped at the Electric Umbrella to get coffee and hot chocolate as a cold front was coming through and the temperatures were definitely dropping. It looks like we came at the perfect time and we were leaving at the perfect time.
Soarin was the only must do of the evening since Test Track was still closed for rehab. We decided to make one more lap around the World Showcase before bidding adieu to Epcot. The lap around World Showcase was more of a jog, as we were all freezing, we did stop at El Rio Del Tiempo and Maelstrom to warm up. I cant tell you how tempting those Helly Hansen coats at the Puffins Roost looked, but at $400 a pop, it wasnt THAT tempting! Of course we made a picture in Norway wearing our Viking helmets in front of the giant troll. Yes, Stephen wore the one with blonde braids.
The only pavalions that were open were Mexico and Norway, so we couldn't stop at the remaining countries to get our hat pictures. Shucks!!! Oh well, there's always next year! We finally made our way back to the International Gateway, to the Board Walk, to the car, and finally to Port Orleans Riverside. We got ready for bed as soon as we got in the room and feel asleep within minutes.
HMHunters
<font color=purple>Extra credit to anyone with a p
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2006
- Messages
- 804
We've got hat pictures from Epcot also! It's a great way to embarass your middle school daughter, just fyi!
Love Artist Point, both for the food and the chance to visit WL. I think we'd get along well on a trip to WDW!
Good job on the running; I did 8.2 miles yesterday and felt great; I could have kept going but it started getting dark! Not long now until taper time!!
Love Artist Point, both for the food and the chance to visit WL. I think we'd get along well on a trip to WDW!
Good job on the running; I did 8.2 miles yesterday and felt great; I could have kept going but it started getting dark! Not long now until taper time!!
aladdinsgirl
She's a rebel. She's a saint.
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2002
- Messages
- 1,865
Day 91/14
The Plan: Check out Pop Century, Downtown Disney, Magic Kingdom, leave for airport 3:00, flight home 5:40.
Reality: WAH!!!! We have to go home today!!!!
I dont want to go home, I want to stay in Walt Disney World forever!! We all slept in a little today, since we didnt need to go to Downtown Disney, I think we woke up around 10:00. Stephen took a shower first while I repacked what little bit there was to pack and when he was finished, I got in the shower. We could hear Mom and Dad moving around next door, getting ready for the day as well. It was so hard to think, this time last week our plane was landing, yeah, Im one of those people who torture themselves by thinking that kind of stuff. We were all ready to go at 11:00; sadly we carried our suitcases out to the van. We still had a few hours left in the World, but it was hard to enjoy them knowing that the wonderful vacation was coming to an end.
We drove to the Polynesian and valet parked the car there and took the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. Once inside, we decided to split up, Mom and Dad still had some shopping to do and Stephen and I wanted to ride a couple more rides. We planned on meeting at the train depot at 3:00, Mom and Dad headed to Mickeys Toon Town while Stephen and I went straight for the tip board to check out wait times. The parked was packed today! I guess with today being the Saturday before Martin Luther King Jr. day, a lot of people were there for a 3-day weekend. I think there was also a cheerleading competition going on, as there were A LOT of cheerleaders there too. Every attraction had long line, so we went to our favorite theres never a line stand-by: the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. We spent the time on the ride discussing our vacation and looking at all the pictures we had taken. After getting off the TTA, we headed back to Main Street, USA to grab some lunch and do some last minute shopping because we completely forgot to get Hines (our dog) a present. I know, bad Mommy and Daddy!! We found the cutest dog sweater in the Emporium, its Mickey Mouse wearing a football uniform and running the ball down fieldsince Hines is our Labrador ReCEiver, it was perfect!! Yes, he did look adorable in the sweater; sadly it is too small for him now.
By the time we shopped, it was 2:00, since we didnt really have time to do anything, we just grabbed some drinks, found a bench on the Hub in front of Cinderella Castle and sat and people watched. We were entertained by several different cheerleading troops performing pyramids in front of the Castle for pictures. It was cute at first, but it got old really fast!! A few minutes before 3:00 Stephen and I slowly got up and made our way up Main Street, dragging our feet the whole way. We stopped for one last restroom break and when we got out, Mom and Dad were waiting in front of the train depot. They were just as sad as we were. We took the monorail back to the Polynesian to get the van and drove back to the airport. The flight home was uneventful (which I love) and we were pulling into our driveway about 9:00.
Final Thoughts
What a wonderful trip, I think this was our best trip to Walt Disney World; of course we always say that after every trip. Running the half marathon was a surreal experience and one I will always treasure. We all had such a great time, we decided to do it again, but of course we upped the stakes: Stephen is doing the Goofy Challengerunning both the half and full marathons, Mom is running the half again, Dad is running the half, and I am running the full. I think I must be crazy!!! Were just about 3 weeks away from marathon weekend and I couldnt be more excited!!! See ya then!!
The Plan: Check out Pop Century, Downtown Disney, Magic Kingdom, leave for airport 3:00, flight home 5:40.
Reality: WAH!!!! We have to go home today!!!!
I dont want to go home, I want to stay in Walt Disney World forever!! We all slept in a little today, since we didnt need to go to Downtown Disney, I think we woke up around 10:00. Stephen took a shower first while I repacked what little bit there was to pack and when he was finished, I got in the shower. We could hear Mom and Dad moving around next door, getting ready for the day as well. It was so hard to think, this time last week our plane was landing, yeah, Im one of those people who torture themselves by thinking that kind of stuff. We were all ready to go at 11:00; sadly we carried our suitcases out to the van. We still had a few hours left in the World, but it was hard to enjoy them knowing that the wonderful vacation was coming to an end. We drove to the Polynesian and valet parked the car there and took the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. Once inside, we decided to split up, Mom and Dad still had some shopping to do and Stephen and I wanted to ride a couple more rides. We planned on meeting at the train depot at 3:00, Mom and Dad headed to Mickeys Toon Town while Stephen and I went straight for the tip board to check out wait times. The parked was packed today! I guess with today being the Saturday before Martin Luther King Jr. day, a lot of people were there for a 3-day weekend. I think there was also a cheerleading competition going on, as there were A LOT of cheerleaders there too. Every attraction had long line, so we went to our favorite theres never a line stand-by: the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. We spent the time on the ride discussing our vacation and looking at all the pictures we had taken. After getting off the TTA, we headed back to Main Street, USA to grab some lunch and do some last minute shopping because we completely forgot to get Hines (our dog) a present. I know, bad Mommy and Daddy!! We found the cutest dog sweater in the Emporium, its Mickey Mouse wearing a football uniform and running the ball down fieldsince Hines is our Labrador ReCEiver, it was perfect!! Yes, he did look adorable in the sweater; sadly it is too small for him now.
By the time we shopped, it was 2:00, since we didnt really have time to do anything, we just grabbed some drinks, found a bench on the Hub in front of Cinderella Castle and sat and people watched. We were entertained by several different cheerleading troops performing pyramids in front of the Castle for pictures. It was cute at first, but it got old really fast!! A few minutes before 3:00 Stephen and I slowly got up and made our way up Main Street, dragging our feet the whole way. We stopped for one last restroom break and when we got out, Mom and Dad were waiting in front of the train depot. They were just as sad as we were. We took the monorail back to the Polynesian to get the van and drove back to the airport. The flight home was uneventful (which I love) and we were pulling into our driveway about 9:00.
Final Thoughts
What a wonderful trip, I think this was our best trip to Walt Disney World; of course we always say that after every trip.
Running the half marathon was a surreal experience and one I will always treasure. We all had such a great time, we decided to do it again, but of course we upped the stakes: Stephen is doing the Goofy Challengerunning both the half and full marathons, Mom is running the half again, Dad is running the half, and I am running the full. I think I must be crazy!!! Were just about 3 weeks away from marathon weekend and I couldnt be more excited!!! See ya then!!nicolemarie
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2005
- Messages
- 804
And I love it!
I started running several years ago and I've always wanted to do the Disney Half Marathon. I've never done a half and frankly, it scares me to think about it.
But this might have convinced me:
How cool would that be? And the description of running through the park and everyone cheering for you - wow. It sounds awesome.
Congratulations on acheiving your goal! I've gotten that choked up feeling in a race before (Peachtree 10K in Atlanta) and I know how that culmination of hard work and adrenaline can really make you emotional!
I look forward to hearing about the marathon in January. Best wishes for a solid run!!
NM
By the way, I'm a Hines Ward fan, too. Back from his days as a Ga Bulldog!!
I started running several years ago and I've always wanted to do the Disney Half Marathon. I've never done a half and frankly, it scares me to think about it.
But this might have convinced me:
How cool would that be? And the description of running through the park and everyone cheering for you - wow. It sounds awesome.
Congratulations on acheiving your goal! I've gotten that choked up feeling in a race before (Peachtree 10K in Atlanta) and I know how that culmination of hard work and adrenaline can really make you emotional!
I look forward to hearing about the marathon in January. Best wishes for a solid run!!
NM
By the way, I'm a Hines Ward fan, too. Back from his days as a Ga Bulldog!!
Lan
D23 Charter Year Member
- Joined
- May 9, 2001
- Messages
- 1,312
nicolemarie said:And I love it!
I started running several years ago and I've always wanted to do the Disney Half Marathon. I've never done a half and frankly, it scares me to think about it.
But this might have convinced me:
How cool would that be? And the description of running through the park and everyone cheering for you - wow. It sounds awesome.
Congratulations on acheiving your goal! I've gotten that choked up feeling in a race before (Peachtree 10K in Atlanta) and I know how that culmination of hard work and adrenaline can really make you emotional!
I look forward to hearing about the marathon in January. Best wishes for a solid run!!
NM
By the way, I'm a Hines Ward fan, too. Back from his days as a Ga Bulldog!!
Hi Nicole Marie!!
I did my first Peachtree Roadrace this past July.
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