Running for my Disney - Finally a TR!
- Thread starter zanzibar138
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zanzibar138
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- Jun 30, 2007
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zanzibar138
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2007
- Messages
- 6,151
RunDisney 10k
*** Ive been putting off posting this update, waiting to sort out some issues getting my official photos. Unfortunately it looks like theyll still be a while, so Ill post anyway, and add the official photos later. ***
The second early morning start at 3:30am, and it was no easier to drag myself out of bed. At least DH was getting up with me though so I didnt have to sneak around. Soon enough, we were on our way again! There were plenty of people out and about this morning too. Since I planned to purchase the 10k photo package, we stopped for some photos on the way in.
The corrals were even larger this morning, with a lot more of them. We were in corral E, the last one of course. There were already plenty of people in the corral, but we were definitely still in the front section. We were too far away this morning to even be able to see the starting line and stage on the big screen.
There were plenty of people behind us in the corral.
It was a similar set up with the announcers this morning. They came out at about 5am, just to say hi, then came out again at about 5:15am to start the actual announcing. Todays race was kind of Elvis themed, and the announcers were joined by an Elvis impersonator, who also sung the national anthem. It wasnt the best rendition Ive heard. We were also forced to say Aloha another half a dozen times. My feet and legs were already feeling fatigued, so I sat on the road while we waited to start moving.
Corral D was beside us, and as the first corrals started the race, they moved up. We couldnt move until they had all moved forward, which took a LONG time as it was a BIG corral! Finally it was our turn, and we stood at the starting line ready to go!
I cant even remember what song it was that they used for the start. Some Elvis song. It was a pretty disappointing start for the 10k to be honest. The 5k start was much more fun with the more Hawaiian theme and Stitch. Wasnt a big fan of the Elvis thing.
As for the previous day, we were able to start running pretty much straight away, just had to do a bit of weaving to get through the crowds. About 2 minutes in, we heard some pretty frantic calls for the medic. I looked around to see what was going on, and there was a poor girl behind us, lying motionless on the ground. I have no idea what the problem was, but it seemed unlikely that she would get going again, and the thought of being out that early on was so devastating I had to fight back tears for her. At that stage there were so many people around her that we would have been more of a hindrance than anything else, so we kept going. I have no idea what the outcome was for her, and hope that she was ok in the end.
The course started on the same route as the previous day. However, when we came to the end of the DLR block, we kept going instead of turning left, and ended up going through the paths of the convention centre, and back to Harbor around the Toy Story parking lot (past the Red Lion). We kept running down Harbor, and took a back entry into DCA just before we got to the main entrance.
This was a hard slog. The heat was getting to me again, and at the first water station, I actually poured water over my head. It helped a lot! My legs were tired and didnt want to work any more than they had to, and I kept nearly tripping over cats eyes on the road. At least the roads were nice and wide, and I was pretty much able to stick to my lane lol! I had planned to run this whole section, but I was struggling bad and had to take quite a few walk breaks. Running down Harbor, I was wondering what on earth I had been thinking when I signed up for this. I felt absolutely lousy, and I wasnt having any fun. I was just struggling to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
As we rounded the last corner before entering Disney property, there was a whole group of cheerleaders, jumping up and down, waving their pom poms around, and giving out high 5s. Their energy was contagious, and it was exactly what I needed. That was a real turning point in the race, and I started to run with renewed enthusiasm and actually enjoying it!
We entered the park kind of between a Bugs Land and Carsland, and ran straight down Route 66. I think Lightning McQueen and Mater (or at least one of them) were out for photos. The lines for the few characters on course were far too long for us. DH ran ahead with my camera and got some photos of us.
We turned left at the end of Route 66, and headed past Wine Country Trattoria towards Paradise Pier. DH and Dad switched up their camera duty roles.
We ran down and all the way around Paradise Pier.
Somewhere along the way we lost Dad, and DH stopped for a toilet break and said hed catch up to us. We stopped for a selfie in front of the WOC fountains and a random stranger offered to take a photo for us. We took one for her too before we kept going.
From there we continued on past Grizzly River Run and Soarin. We didnt turn left at Buena Vista Street this time, but kept going straight through the roundabout and into Hollywood.
We exited the park through a back entrance next to Tower of Terror, and crossed over to the Disneyland side of the plaza by way of a tunnel underneath the main entrance to DLR.
Somewhere around here, the boys caught up to us. They were really surprised how long it had taken them lol! We continued around the backstage area for a little bit before heading through the turnstiles and into DL!
As we entered Main Street, we saw some people posing for photos, and assumed it was an official photo stop. It turned out it was just a poor CM who had obviously stopped to take photos for one group and hadnt been able to escape lol! After us, he said he could only do one more group, as I assume he had other stuff to do.
I ran down Main Street this time, and was feeling so good that I did a little jump for joy for the photographers. I immediately realised I hadnt actually had enough energy for that and needed to take a short walk break lol! We turned right at the hub, into Tomorrowland. At this point, the sun was making its presence known, and I had to get my sunnies out of my running belt. I was distracted doing that and didnt take a lot of notice of Tomorrowland. We came out of Tomorrowland by Its a Small World. I believe Chip N Dale were out here in their policeman and convict outfits.
This guy definitely would have won the award for best costume (if there was such a thing)! For those of you familiar with The Emperors New Groove, he was Kronk, and he was wearing that purple thing like a backpack for the whole race. He even rigged up some dialogue coming from it. We were pretty pleased to pass him, because he had started in the corral before us.
Soon we went backstage again, and got to pass the stables! People were lining up for photos with the horses (you could go up and pat them for a photo), but it was a long line, so we just ducked to the side for a quick photo and kept going.
We entered the park again through Toontown. The course backed onto itself a little bit after that, and we could see people still running towards Its a Small World!
We passed by the Mad Tea Party. We had to stop for photos since we were Alice themed!
We continued through Fantasyland, and turned left at the carousel to go through the castle.
I have a great official photo coming out of the castle, which I will add in later. In the meantime, this ones pretty good.
The last part of the race was pretty much the same as the 5k. We ran through Frontierland and from there we followed the Rivers of America through to Critter Country.
Then we entered a backstage area, came out again in Downtown Disney, and ran through there to the finish line. I was absolutely beat by this stage, and walked most of Downtown Disney. I wanted to have enough energy to finish strong! I started running again as we neared the end of the Downtown Disney stretch.
Turns out the official photographers actually didnt get a photo of me crossing the finish line. But DH got a shot of me high fiving Goofy on the way through!
As soon as I was through the finish line, I burst into tears. There were (sweaty eww!) hugs all round as we made our way to the medals, and posed for some photos.
We all grabbed a bottle of water AND a small bottle of powerade as we passed the hydration station. I dont usually drink powerade, but that whole bottle went down pretty well (and fast!). Dad found an ice station and picked up some for me and Mum. Then we went through to get our snack boxes and bananas, and finally through the bag check to exit.
We all did some stretches, and Mum and I sat and iced our legs for a bit. DH nursed his feet, which had gotten (understandably) uncomfortable after running 10k in falling apart cheap sneakers. We planned to buy him some more at the expo on our way out, but quickly realised we didnt have any money with us. Turned out the expo wasnt open that early anyway, so no deal.
By the time we were walking back to the hotel, there were no more runners on the course, and DTD had been opened up again for pedestrians. It was much easier to get back to our hotel this morning! They had begun setting up the little course for the kids races, which would have been cute to watch.
We grabbed a light breakfast (to tide us over until an early lunch) on our way back to our room, dragged ourselves up the 3 flights of stairs, and collapsed in a heap on the couch.
To be continued
*** Ive been putting off posting this update, waiting to sort out some issues getting my official photos. Unfortunately it looks like theyll still be a while, so Ill post anyway, and add the official photos later. ***
The second early morning start at 3:30am, and it was no easier to drag myself out of bed. At least DH was getting up with me though so I didnt have to sneak around. Soon enough, we were on our way again! There were plenty of people out and about this morning too. Since I planned to purchase the 10k photo package, we stopped for some photos on the way in.
The corrals were even larger this morning, with a lot more of them. We were in corral E, the last one of course. There were already plenty of people in the corral, but we were definitely still in the front section. We were too far away this morning to even be able to see the starting line and stage on the big screen.
There were plenty of people behind us in the corral.
It was a similar set up with the announcers this morning. They came out at about 5am, just to say hi, then came out again at about 5:15am to start the actual announcing. Todays race was kind of Elvis themed, and the announcers were joined by an Elvis impersonator, who also sung the national anthem. It wasnt the best rendition Ive heard. We were also forced to say Aloha another half a dozen times. My feet and legs were already feeling fatigued, so I sat on the road while we waited to start moving.
Corral D was beside us, and as the first corrals started the race, they moved up. We couldnt move until they had all moved forward, which took a LONG time as it was a BIG corral! Finally it was our turn, and we stood at the starting line ready to go!
I cant even remember what song it was that they used for the start. Some Elvis song. It was a pretty disappointing start for the 10k to be honest. The 5k start was much more fun with the more Hawaiian theme and Stitch. Wasnt a big fan of the Elvis thing.
As for the previous day, we were able to start running pretty much straight away, just had to do a bit of weaving to get through the crowds. About 2 minutes in, we heard some pretty frantic calls for the medic. I looked around to see what was going on, and there was a poor girl behind us, lying motionless on the ground. I have no idea what the problem was, but it seemed unlikely that she would get going again, and the thought of being out that early on was so devastating I had to fight back tears for her. At that stage there were so many people around her that we would have been more of a hindrance than anything else, so we kept going. I have no idea what the outcome was for her, and hope that she was ok in the end.
The course started on the same route as the previous day. However, when we came to the end of the DLR block, we kept going instead of turning left, and ended up going through the paths of the convention centre, and back to Harbor around the Toy Story parking lot (past the Red Lion). We kept running down Harbor, and took a back entry into DCA just before we got to the main entrance.
This was a hard slog. The heat was getting to me again, and at the first water station, I actually poured water over my head. It helped a lot! My legs were tired and didnt want to work any more than they had to, and I kept nearly tripping over cats eyes on the road. At least the roads were nice and wide, and I was pretty much able to stick to my lane lol! I had planned to run this whole section, but I was struggling bad and had to take quite a few walk breaks. Running down Harbor, I was wondering what on earth I had been thinking when I signed up for this. I felt absolutely lousy, and I wasnt having any fun. I was just struggling to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
As we rounded the last corner before entering Disney property, there was a whole group of cheerleaders, jumping up and down, waving their pom poms around, and giving out high 5s. Their energy was contagious, and it was exactly what I needed. That was a real turning point in the race, and I started to run with renewed enthusiasm and actually enjoying it!
We entered the park kind of between a Bugs Land and Carsland, and ran straight down Route 66. I think Lightning McQueen and Mater (or at least one of them) were out for photos. The lines for the few characters on course were far too long for us. DH ran ahead with my camera and got some photos of us.
We turned left at the end of Route 66, and headed past Wine Country Trattoria towards Paradise Pier. DH and Dad switched up their camera duty roles.
We ran down and all the way around Paradise Pier.
Somewhere along the way we lost Dad, and DH stopped for a toilet break and said hed catch up to us. We stopped for a selfie in front of the WOC fountains and a random stranger offered to take a photo for us. We took one for her too before we kept going.
From there we continued on past Grizzly River Run and Soarin. We didnt turn left at Buena Vista Street this time, but kept going straight through the roundabout and into Hollywood.
We exited the park through a back entrance next to Tower of Terror, and crossed over to the Disneyland side of the plaza by way of a tunnel underneath the main entrance to DLR.
Somewhere around here, the boys caught up to us. They were really surprised how long it had taken them lol! We continued around the backstage area for a little bit before heading through the turnstiles and into DL!
As we entered Main Street, we saw some people posing for photos, and assumed it was an official photo stop. It turned out it was just a poor CM who had obviously stopped to take photos for one group and hadnt been able to escape lol! After us, he said he could only do one more group, as I assume he had other stuff to do.
I ran down Main Street this time, and was feeling so good that I did a little jump for joy for the photographers. I immediately realised I hadnt actually had enough energy for that and needed to take a short walk break lol! We turned right at the hub, into Tomorrowland. At this point, the sun was making its presence known, and I had to get my sunnies out of my running belt. I was distracted doing that and didnt take a lot of notice of Tomorrowland. We came out of Tomorrowland by Its a Small World. I believe Chip N Dale were out here in their policeman and convict outfits.
This guy definitely would have won the award for best costume (if there was such a thing)! For those of you familiar with The Emperors New Groove, he was Kronk, and he was wearing that purple thing like a backpack for the whole race. He even rigged up some dialogue coming from it. We were pretty pleased to pass him, because he had started in the corral before us.
Soon we went backstage again, and got to pass the stables! People were lining up for photos with the horses (you could go up and pat them for a photo), but it was a long line, so we just ducked to the side for a quick photo and kept going.
We entered the park again through Toontown. The course backed onto itself a little bit after that, and we could see people still running towards Its a Small World!
We passed by the Mad Tea Party. We had to stop for photos since we were Alice themed!
We continued through Fantasyland, and turned left at the carousel to go through the castle.
I have a great official photo coming out of the castle, which I will add in later. In the meantime, this ones pretty good.
The last part of the race was pretty much the same as the 5k. We ran through Frontierland and from there we followed the Rivers of America through to Critter Country.
Then we entered a backstage area, came out again in Downtown Disney, and ran through there to the finish line. I was absolutely beat by this stage, and walked most of Downtown Disney. I wanted to have enough energy to finish strong! I started running again as we neared the end of the Downtown Disney stretch.
Turns out the official photographers actually didnt get a photo of me crossing the finish line. But DH got a shot of me high fiving Goofy on the way through!
As soon as I was through the finish line, I burst into tears. There were (sweaty eww!) hugs all round as we made our way to the medals, and posed for some photos.
We all grabbed a bottle of water AND a small bottle of powerade as we passed the hydration station. I dont usually drink powerade, but that whole bottle went down pretty well (and fast!). Dad found an ice station and picked up some for me and Mum. Then we went through to get our snack boxes and bananas, and finally through the bag check to exit.
We all did some stretches, and Mum and I sat and iced our legs for a bit. DH nursed his feet, which had gotten (understandably) uncomfortable after running 10k in falling apart cheap sneakers. We planned to buy him some more at the expo on our way out, but quickly realised we didnt have any money with us. Turned out the expo wasnt open that early anyway, so no deal.
By the time we were walking back to the hotel, there were no more runners on the course, and DTD had been opened up again for pedestrians. It was much easier to get back to our hotel this morning! They had begun setting up the little course for the kids races, which would have been cute to watch.
We grabbed a light breakfast (to tide us over until an early lunch) on our way back to our room, dragged ourselves up the 3 flights of stairs, and collapsed in a heap on the couch.
To be continued
Aussiefamof5
Mouseketeer
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- Oct 19, 2012
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Absolutely Amazing job Zanzibar well done 
I'm an avid runner my goal has always been the New York marathon but now I have to run disney!!
Just curious, I couldn't make out what the back of your tshirts said? I love that Aussie inspiration for the people running behind you
I'm an avid runner my goal has always been the New York marathon but now I have to run disney!!Just curious, I couldn't make out what the back of your tshirts said? I love that Aussie inspiration for the people running behind you
PrincessInOz
Thanks for my avatar, Mary Jo!
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Congrats on completing the 5K and 10K double.
It must have been such a relief when you finished.
It must have been such a relief when you finished.
zanzibar138
DIS Veteran
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Absolutely Amazing job Zanzibar well done
Just curious, I couldn't make out what the back of your tshirts said? I love that Aussie inspiration for the people running behind you
I have always HATED running. I'm now thinking it was a subconscious thing that had been ingrained in me all my life because I couldn't physically do it. Now that I'm all fixed up, I'm LOVING running and will definitely continue! I might not ever bother with a full marathon though
I would definitely recommend doing a Disney run. Even for someone struggling so much physically, it was SO much fun! I imagine if you could get into one of the first corrals and run a bit faster, you would have plenty of opportunities for official photos and characters too
Plus, for more serious runners they offer some great challenges. You could aim for the Dopey for example, and have the RunDisney experience 4 times in one trip, and come away with 6 medals and t-shirts!Our t-shirts say 'We're all mad down under', then just the race details in small print. I came up with the Alice in Wonderland theme and the 'we're all mad' idea, but it was Dad's idea to include a reference to 'down under'.
I'm not sure relief is the correct term
It was definitely in there, but there were so many other emotions in there too!You mustn't have long to go now at all! Have a great mad dash
PrincessInOz
Thanks for my avatar, Mary Jo!
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You mustn't have long to go now at all! Have a great mad dash
Thanks. Tomorrow. I'm hoping for a safe flight.
Aussiefamof5
Mouseketeer
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I have always HATED running. I'm now thinking it was a subconscious thing that had been ingrained in me all my life because I couldn't physically do it. Now that I'm all fixed up, I'm LOVING running and will definitely continue! I might not ever bother with a full marathon though
I would definitely recommend doing a Disney run. Even for someone struggling so much physically, it was SO much fun! I imagine if you could get into one of the first corrals and run a bit faster, you would have plenty of opportunities for official photos and characters too
Our t-shirts say 'We're all mad down under', then just the race details in small print. I came up with the Alice in Wonderland theme and the 'we're all mad' idea,
but it was Dad's idea to include a reference to 'down under'
I agree!! running gets you hooked, it's a great stress relief, down time and very exhilarating!!!! I have a serious addiction lol If only I knew about the disney marathon this time I would have planned around the avengers marathon, we leave just before
love your reference to 'we are all mad down under' friends would agree that I am just that
zanzibar138
DIS Veteran
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I have a serious addiction lol If only I knew about the disney marathon this time I would have planned around the avengers marathon, we leave just before
There's always next time
Disney are only increasing the number or running events they have and the different distances and challenges. I'm sure you can time your next trip to coincide with one (or possibly 2 depending on how dedicated you are 
).I'm not sure my body will ever cope with any serious running. I'm pretty sure 2 short weekday runs and a longer weekend run, maybe up to half marathon distance, is all I'll be able to get out of it. You never know though! Before my surgery I couldn't run for more than 15 seconds!
Aussie Wendy
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Congratulations on an amazing run - good to hear how the cheer squad perked you up and it would be more interesting running then on property rather than around the road. I think the 10km is more my style - I would never make the half marathon and don't have your dedication to train for it - I'm pretty lazy!!
zanzibar138
DIS Veteran
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Running on property was great! I thought I'd enjoy the backstage bits too, because it's stuff the average guest doesn't get to see, but most it was pretty boring. For the 10k they had a couple of parade floats out, and there were the horses, but it was mostly just sheds.
I had to be pretty dedicated just to train for the 10k! But DH did it with very little to no training and coped much better than I did
I didn't get any residual soreness though (he did), so just for that it was worth doing all that training The Disney runs are pretty laid back, and there are a lot of slow-pokes! If my goal was just to finish without being swept and I didn't care about stopping for photos or anything, I could probably do the half marathon tomorrow doing short walk/run intervals. Especially now I wouldn't be in the last corral.
WanderlustNZ
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All caught up.
Congratulations on your 10K achievement! I admire the way you persevered throughout all your training and operations and managed to achieve your goal.
And I now see that you're aiming even higher and going to do the half marathon next year. How wonderful!
I'm looking forward to hearing where else you decide to go. So many wonderful choices. I can recommend Yellowstone
Congratulations on your 10K achievement! I admire the way you persevered throughout all your training and operations and managed to achieve your goal.
And I now see that you're aiming even higher and going to do the half marathon next year. How wonderful!
I'm looking forward to hearing where else you decide to go. So many wonderful choices. I can recommend Yellowstone
zanzibar138
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2007
- Messages
- 6,151
All caught up.
Congratulations on your 10K achievement! I admire the way you persevered throughout all your training and operations and managed to achieve your goal.
And I now see that you're aiming even higher and going to do the half marathon next year. How wonderful!
I'm looking forward to hearing where else you decide to go. So many wonderful choices. I can recommend Yellowstone
I would LOVE to go to Yellowstone, but I think the rest of the group are pretty set on NYC. Hopefully they will be happy with just a couple of days there and then happy to go country again
zanzibar138
DIS Veteran
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Disneyland
After a short relax in our room, we all got freshened up for the next activity, our celebratory lunch at Blue Bayou! DH insisted on wearing the Mad Hatter hat I’d made him for his run lol! Mum and I went straight to Disneyland, while Dad and DH went to the RunDisney expo to get DH some new shoes. We arranged to meet at Blue Bayou at around 11:15am.
Mum and I took the opportunity to get some character photos.
We leisurely made our way to New Orleans Square via the Indiana Jones FP – I was hoping the boys would think to do the same. The park was already pretty crowded.
We arrived a little early, so we just sat and people watched for a while. Eventually it was time to head over to the restaurant for our last minute ‘DIS’ meet. I actually met Sam through the half marathon Facebook group. And of course, it’s not official without a photo to prove it!
While we were chatting, the boys showed up. It was nearly 11:30am, so we parted ways and checked in at the Blue Bayou. I requested a waterside table for us, which was no problem. We were told to sit in the lobby while they readied our table.
We’d really just sat down by the time we were called and shown to our table.
My parents enjoyed the theming, but were a little perplexed about being in the dark. It was a bit of an effort for them to read the menu! Mum and I ordered celebratory glowing drinks. We should have also shared a meal. I enjoyed my gumbo and jambalaya, but it was far too much for one person! Unfortunately it was too dark for food porn.
By the time we finished lunch, our FPs were just about ready. We walked into the line about 2 minutes before the official return time. Just as we were getting to the end of the line, there seemed to be some sort of hold up. We were lined up for the next car on the left, but it never came! After a couple of cars came and went on the right, they eventually called us over to that side and we got in the next one.
It didn’t improve much from there. About halfway through, our jeep began stopping every hundred metres or so. It was like the computer that was running the jeeps kept freezing or something. We continued the rest of the journey like that, in fits and starts.
As we approached the loading area, we noticed that the people in the car in front of us were going round again! We hoped they would do the same for us, but no such luck. Apparently our ride hadn’t been ruined enough to allow us another go.
The plan for this afternoon was to just go on rides that had short queues. After Indy, we noticed that the Jungle Cruise only had a 10 minute wait, so we got in line. It was the first time I’d seen the upstairs part of the line.
I’d say it was closer to a 15-20 minute wait, but it wasn’t too bad. Our legs were too tired to stand around much longer than that though, and we were all pleased to get in the boat and be able to sit!
DH still hadn’t seen Critter Country yet, so after the Jungle Cruise, we headed in that direction. The line for Pirates wasn’t *too* bad, so we joined in. It was the first time I’d seen both sides in operation, but I knew it was at least a quick moving line. While in line, I spoke to a nice lady who was very interested in the running events. She hadn’t known about RunDisney at all until she saw everyone wandering around in t-shirts and medals.
I’m not sure if I mentioned it on the Aussie boards, or just the Disneyland boards, that Mum doesn’t ride anything that drops. We warned her that there were a couple of small drops on Pirates, that they were right at the beginning, and that it would be worth it lol! She was quite happy to come with us, but I could tell she was nervous. FWIW, those drops were just about as much as she can cope with. Afterwards, she agreed that it had been worth it, but she probably wouldn’t go on it again.
We headed off into Critter Country. There was practically no line for Winnie the Pooh.
I understand why people don’t really like it now. It definitely wasn’t as good as the HK version.
Mum and I wanted to check out the shop, but were distracted by characters lol! Mum wanted to line up for Tigger. As we were standing in line, we saw the boys wandering off and Mum started to panic. I told her worst case we would just meet them back at the hotel. Right as we got to second from the front of the line, Tigger left. The handler said he was going to switch with Pooh and Pooh would be out in about 10 minutes. That was going to be too long for us, so we excused ourselves and exited. What we didn’t know was that Eeyore was just around the corner! We were able to sneak a quick photo with him before he left. So all that waiting around HAD been worth it!
As we were leaving Eeyore, we saw the boys coming back. I forget what they said they’d been doing, but they were perfectly aware of where Mum and I were. We decided to grab a cold drink and a snack before heading back to the hotel for an afternoon break.
As we neared Coke Corner, we saw Alice and the Mad Hatter! DH was over photos by then, but I made him do one more. He couldn’t NOT have a photo with the Mad Hatter wearing a Mad Hatter hat! Unfortunately we got a bit of a grumpy Mad Hatter lol! I think they were trying to wrap it up, but felt obliged to stay for a photo with us. Apparently the tag was on the wrong side of DH’s hat.
After our photo we checked out the drinks and snacks. I got a frozen lemonade and a chocolate coated pineapple stick. There was so much goodness to choose from! But it was too hot for anything really rich.
By the time we were done with our drinks and snacks, it was just about time for the parade. Mum and DH didn’t care. They were done and were heading back to the hotel. Dad and I got a great spot just to the side of Town Hall. We were in the second row (not bad for a 15 minute wait), but we sat down while we were waiting for it to start to rest our legs. We had to stand a couple of minutes before the Frozen pre-parade.
We had to stay standing for the next 5 minutes while we were waiting for the main parade.
When the parade was finished, it was nearly time for the flag retreat ceremony. Dad wanted to stay for that too. It always amazes me how patriotic the Americans are!
We finally left the park after the ceremony, and returned to the hotel to find Mum watching TV and DH having a nap.
To be continued
After a short relax in our room, we all got freshened up for the next activity, our celebratory lunch at Blue Bayou! DH insisted on wearing the Mad Hatter hat I’d made him for his run lol! Mum and I went straight to Disneyland, while Dad and DH went to the RunDisney expo to get DH some new shoes. We arranged to meet at Blue Bayou at around 11:15am.
Mum and I took the opportunity to get some character photos.
We leisurely made our way to New Orleans Square via the Indiana Jones FP – I was hoping the boys would think to do the same. The park was already pretty crowded.
We arrived a little early, so we just sat and people watched for a while. Eventually it was time to head over to the restaurant for our last minute ‘DIS’ meet. I actually met Sam through the half marathon Facebook group. And of course, it’s not official without a photo to prove it!
While we were chatting, the boys showed up. It was nearly 11:30am, so we parted ways and checked in at the Blue Bayou. I requested a waterside table for us, which was no problem. We were told to sit in the lobby while they readied our table.
We’d really just sat down by the time we were called and shown to our table.
My parents enjoyed the theming, but were a little perplexed about being in the dark. It was a bit of an effort for them to read the menu! Mum and I ordered celebratory glowing drinks. We should have also shared a meal. I enjoyed my gumbo and jambalaya, but it was far too much for one person! Unfortunately it was too dark for food porn.
By the time we finished lunch, our FPs were just about ready. We walked into the line about 2 minutes before the official return time. Just as we were getting to the end of the line, there seemed to be some sort of hold up. We were lined up for the next car on the left, but it never came! After a couple of cars came and went on the right, they eventually called us over to that side and we got in the next one.
It didn’t improve much from there. About halfway through, our jeep began stopping every hundred metres or so. It was like the computer that was running the jeeps kept freezing or something. We continued the rest of the journey like that, in fits and starts.
As we approached the loading area, we noticed that the people in the car in front of us were going round again! We hoped they would do the same for us, but no such luck. Apparently our ride hadn’t been ruined enough to allow us another go.
The plan for this afternoon was to just go on rides that had short queues. After Indy, we noticed that the Jungle Cruise only had a 10 minute wait, so we got in line. It was the first time I’d seen the upstairs part of the line.
I’d say it was closer to a 15-20 minute wait, but it wasn’t too bad. Our legs were too tired to stand around much longer than that though, and we were all pleased to get in the boat and be able to sit!
DH still hadn’t seen Critter Country yet, so after the Jungle Cruise, we headed in that direction. The line for Pirates wasn’t *too* bad, so we joined in. It was the first time I’d seen both sides in operation, but I knew it was at least a quick moving line. While in line, I spoke to a nice lady who was very interested in the running events. She hadn’t known about RunDisney at all until she saw everyone wandering around in t-shirts and medals.
I’m not sure if I mentioned it on the Aussie boards, or just the Disneyland boards, that Mum doesn’t ride anything that drops. We warned her that there were a couple of small drops on Pirates, that they were right at the beginning, and that it would be worth it lol! She was quite happy to come with us, but I could tell she was nervous. FWIW, those drops were just about as much as she can cope with. Afterwards, she agreed that it had been worth it, but she probably wouldn’t go on it again.
We headed off into Critter Country. There was practically no line for Winnie the Pooh.
I understand why people don’t really like it now. It definitely wasn’t as good as the HK version.
Mum and I wanted to check out the shop, but were distracted by characters lol! Mum wanted to line up for Tigger. As we were standing in line, we saw the boys wandering off and Mum started to panic. I told her worst case we would just meet them back at the hotel. Right as we got to second from the front of the line, Tigger left. The handler said he was going to switch with Pooh and Pooh would be out in about 10 minutes. That was going to be too long for us, so we excused ourselves and exited. What we didn’t know was that Eeyore was just around the corner! We were able to sneak a quick photo with him before he left. So all that waiting around HAD been worth it!
As we were leaving Eeyore, we saw the boys coming back. I forget what they said they’d been doing, but they were perfectly aware of where Mum and I were. We decided to grab a cold drink and a snack before heading back to the hotel for an afternoon break.
As we neared Coke Corner, we saw Alice and the Mad Hatter! DH was over photos by then, but I made him do one more. He couldn’t NOT have a photo with the Mad Hatter wearing a Mad Hatter hat! Unfortunately we got a bit of a grumpy Mad Hatter lol! I think they were trying to wrap it up, but felt obliged to stay for a photo with us. Apparently the tag was on the wrong side of DH’s hat.
After our photo we checked out the drinks and snacks. I got a frozen lemonade and a chocolate coated pineapple stick. There was so much goodness to choose from! But it was too hot for anything really rich.
By the time we were done with our drinks and snacks, it was just about time for the parade. Mum and DH didn’t care. They were done and were heading back to the hotel. Dad and I got a great spot just to the side of Town Hall. We were in the second row (not bad for a 15 minute wait), but we sat down while we were waiting for it to start to rest our legs. We had to stand a couple of minutes before the Frozen pre-parade.
We had to stay standing for the next 5 minutes while we were waiting for the main parade.
When the parade was finished, it was nearly time for the flag retreat ceremony. Dad wanted to stay for that too. It always amazes me how patriotic the Americans are!
We finally left the park after the ceremony, and returned to the hotel to find Mum watching TV and DH having a nap.
To be continued
zanzibar138
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2007
- Messages
- 6,151
Disneyland
It was quite late by the time DH woke from his nap, and Dad had expressed an interest in staking out a decent spot for the fireworks that night. Previously, DH had also mentioned that he would be keen on seeing F! again. So the basic plan was to have a quick dinner, enter the park and basically go straight to our fireworks viewing spot, then race over to the Rivers of America (along with everyone else) to get a decent spot for the second showing of F!
We decided to just do a quick cheap dinner at Denny’s, which was next to our hotel. If Dad had known about Denny’s before then, I suspect we would have eaten there a lot more lol! We also got a 10% discount when we showed our room key for DI&S.
By the time we got into Disneyland, it was about 8:30pm. All the benches had been taken, but there was still plenty of standing room available at the end of Main Street. We sat on the curb while we were waiting, resting our legs. A few people asked us if there was a parade soon – they didn’t expect people to be waiting for the fireworks so early. It was a pretty long hour of sitting and waiting when we were already so tired. Conversation didn’t flow and Dad (although it was his idea to start with) was getting impatient.
Eventually we were told to stand up, and we headed out into the middle of the street.
It started to get quite crowded as more and more people ducked under the rope and entered the viewing area. When the show started, I was so excited to realise that it was ‘Wishes’! Even with the crowds, we maintained a pretty good view. The main trouble I had was with the person kind of next to and behind me. For the entire show, she quite loudly sang and… um… talked along with the soundtrack. I sometimes quietly hum along in parts, or even ‘mouth’ the words, like Walt’s dedication speech etc, but I would be mortified if I knew someone could hear me!
After the show we, and what seemed like half the population of the US, headed very slowly to the Rivers of America. It was crazy congested! On the way, we toyed with the idea of doing BTMR as it was only a 10 minute wait, but decided that getting a good spot for the show was more important. I pretty much headed straight for the bridge over Pirates. There was already a full row of people on the part of the bridge that wasn’t obstructed by a tree, so we got behind the shortest people and promptly sat down again!
We’d probably been there for 10 minutes when DH suddenly realised that since the show wouldn’t finish until close to 11pm, we’d only have one hour for rides. Of course, we’d planned to do more rides and other things before the fireworks, but because he’d slept so late, we didn’t get the chance. He then decided that rides were more important to him, and decided to go and ride Indy on his own, knowing that he might not make it back in time for the show. Being a single rider, he didn’t take too long, and actually only missed the start. I took lots of photos to make up for last time, when I couldn’t get any shots without the fence being in the way.
Here’s about where DH came in.
When the show was finished, most people seemed to be heading towards the exit. Mum joined them, since she wouldn’t be doing any rides with us. We arranged to meet her at the stairs for Main Street station around closing. I’m guessing she hit the shops. We managed to get to BTMR reasonably quickly and before the line built up too much again. We loved the new version, and had a great time trying to pick out the things that had changed.
We would have time for one more ride. DH still hadn’t done Splash, but wasn’t that keen. He decided on Space instead, so we raced over to that side of the park. The posted wait time was 30 minutes, but I think it was more like 20. It did put us slightly behind schedule, and we were about 10 minutes late meeting Mum. It was much more fun now that I know the song, and it was definitely better than HK’s version. Nothing beats Paris though for Space Mountain!
By the time we exited Space Mountain, the park was definitely emptying out, and we made our way back to Mum without having to weave through crowds. It was bittersweet leaving the park, knowing that 3 of us would be back, but DH wouldn’t.
By the time we got back to the hotel and got ready for bed, it was about 1am. We had been up since 3:30am that morning, had run 10km, done a total of over 35,000 steps, and only DH had napped. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, looking forward to a more relaxed start the following morning!
It was quite late by the time DH woke from his nap, and Dad had expressed an interest in staking out a decent spot for the fireworks that night. Previously, DH had also mentioned that he would be keen on seeing F! again. So the basic plan was to have a quick dinner, enter the park and basically go straight to our fireworks viewing spot, then race over to the Rivers of America (along with everyone else) to get a decent spot for the second showing of F!
We decided to just do a quick cheap dinner at Denny’s, which was next to our hotel. If Dad had known about Denny’s before then, I suspect we would have eaten there a lot more lol! We also got a 10% discount when we showed our room key for DI&S.
By the time we got into Disneyland, it was about 8:30pm. All the benches had been taken, but there was still plenty of standing room available at the end of Main Street. We sat on the curb while we were waiting, resting our legs. A few people asked us if there was a parade soon – they didn’t expect people to be waiting for the fireworks so early. It was a pretty long hour of sitting and waiting when we were already so tired. Conversation didn’t flow and Dad (although it was his idea to start with) was getting impatient.
Eventually we were told to stand up, and we headed out into the middle of the street.
It started to get quite crowded as more and more people ducked under the rope and entered the viewing area. When the show started, I was so excited to realise that it was ‘Wishes’! Even with the crowds, we maintained a pretty good view. The main trouble I had was with the person kind of next to and behind me. For the entire show, she quite loudly sang and… um… talked along with the soundtrack. I sometimes quietly hum along in parts, or even ‘mouth’ the words, like Walt’s dedication speech etc, but I would be mortified if I knew someone could hear me!
After the show we, and what seemed like half the population of the US, headed very slowly to the Rivers of America. It was crazy congested! On the way, we toyed with the idea of doing BTMR as it was only a 10 minute wait, but decided that getting a good spot for the show was more important. I pretty much headed straight for the bridge over Pirates. There was already a full row of people on the part of the bridge that wasn’t obstructed by a tree, so we got behind the shortest people and promptly sat down again!
We’d probably been there for 10 minutes when DH suddenly realised that since the show wouldn’t finish until close to 11pm, we’d only have one hour for rides. Of course, we’d planned to do more rides and other things before the fireworks, but because he’d slept so late, we didn’t get the chance. He then decided that rides were more important to him, and decided to go and ride Indy on his own, knowing that he might not make it back in time for the show. Being a single rider, he didn’t take too long, and actually only missed the start. I took lots of photos to make up for last time, when I couldn’t get any shots without the fence being in the way.
Here’s about where DH came in.
When the show was finished, most people seemed to be heading towards the exit. Mum joined them, since she wouldn’t be doing any rides with us. We arranged to meet her at the stairs for Main Street station around closing. I’m guessing she hit the shops. We managed to get to BTMR reasonably quickly and before the line built up too much again. We loved the new version, and had a great time trying to pick out the things that had changed.
We would have time for one more ride. DH still hadn’t done Splash, but wasn’t that keen. He decided on Space instead, so we raced over to that side of the park. The posted wait time was 30 minutes, but I think it was more like 20. It did put us slightly behind schedule, and we were about 10 minutes late meeting Mum. It was much more fun now that I know the song, and it was definitely better than HK’s version. Nothing beats Paris though for Space Mountain!
By the time we exited Space Mountain, the park was definitely emptying out, and we made our way back to Mum without having to weave through crowds. It was bittersweet leaving the park, knowing that 3 of us would be back, but DH wouldn’t.
By the time we got back to the hotel and got ready for bed, it was about 1am. We had been up since 3:30am that morning, had run 10km, done a total of over 35,000 steps, and only DH had napped. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, looking forward to a more relaxed start the following morning!
WanderlustNZ
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2012
- Messages
- 3,132
Great Fireworks pics.
It's wonderful that your parents were so enthusiastic about Disneyland and that your dad was even happy to stake out a place for the fireworks.
My MIL didn't seem enchanted at all by Disneyland, and in some ways this slightly dampened the experience for us. I guess everyone to their own...
It's wonderful that your parents were so enthusiastic about Disneyland and that your dad was even happy to stake out a place for the fireworks.
My MIL didn't seem enchanted at all by Disneyland, and in some ways this slightly dampened the experience for us. I guess everyone to their own...
zanzibar138
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2007
- Messages
- 6,151
We're a family who tend not to wear our emotions on our sleeves, so sometimes it was hard to work out whether they were enjoying themselves or not, especially with Mum not being into rides
I had no idea exactly how much it meant to Dad until later in the trip.Sorry to hear your MIL slightly marred your experience. I guess you don't know until you get there really. I'm very lucky that the people I've convinced to go (despite their initial reluctance) have all caught the Disney bug too! So far I've managed to convert DH, both my parents, SIL and her husband
WanderlustNZ
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2012
- Messages
- 3,132
We're a family who tend not to wear our emotions on our sleeves, so sometimes it was hard to work out whether they were enjoying themselves or not, especially with Mum not being into rides
It is wonderful that your family are all Disney converts. DH understands why I enjoy Disney and enjoys it himself, but he also wouldn't be too disappointed if we never stepped foot in a Disney park again.
I think DH and I have decided that from now on anyone travelling with us needs to book their own rooms and make some of their own plans.
I love my MIL to bits and have found that she is one of the few people I have the patience to do long trips with. But I also think it would have been a slightly more enjoyable trip for everyone had we had a bit more space at the end of the day, and my MIL had more chances to go off and do a few more things she enjoyed (such as a bit of extra shopping).
As she's getting older I think she's more keen to do trips that are more relaxing, less planned out, and involve less walking. The heat really got to her and Disneyland was over 30 degrees both days we were there. I felt like I was hurrying her along at times, which was neither nice for her or myself.
zanzibar138
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2007
- Messages
- 6,151
We're very lucky that my parents have much the same travelling style as us, and all 4 of us are quite independent and happy to split up and do different things (eg Mum and I went shopping while the boys went to a baseball game, Mum and Dad did a city tour of LA while I spent the day at DLR etc). When it was me and DH, we made sure that we either had a full 2 bedroom suite, or else 2 separate rooms for privacy - as much as you might love them, it's definitely better for everyone if you can escape occasionally
Aussie Wendy
DIS Veteran
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- Jul 4, 2008
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- 2,298
Wow what a long day! You did well to keep going so long. I am always torn between queueing for fireworks etc early and rides. Nice your parents and you all get along so well and can travel together-I believe DD and us will be like that, I guess subject to who the partner she ends up with is like. Hopefully she will chose well (aren't girls meant to chose a partner like their Dad?)
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