Surviving Disney & the 1/2 Marathon (Jan 09) - Our 1st Trip Report!

[coffeehousemom]

great update. I am bummed that we missed the Christmas decorations. We got there about halfway thru your stay & they were gone. So I am enjoying seeing them on your trippie. The kids & I did the pick a pearl too. Now I am glad we didn't turn it into jewelry there if it took so long.

 

[miabellarose]

By the way - Your Beverly photos are priceless!

Yeah, Beverly was pretty bad. I think Amreli ended up trying to wipe her tongue to get all the taste of Beverly out. It was pretty funny!

I was there with my kids the same time as you-but did parks on different days-ours weren't crowded though

We were trying to wring every minute out of the parks, so we went to the parks with the EMHs...maybe it wasn't the best idea, since it was so crowded for us? I'm glad you didn't encounter the crowds that we did.

great update. I am bummed that we missed the Christmas decorations. We got there about halfway thru your stay & they were gone. So I am enjoying seeing them on your trippie. The kids & I did the pick a pearl too. Now I am glad we didn't turn it into jewelry there if it took so long.

Amreli put her pearl into one of the cage necklaces and that didn't take that long for it to be done...maybe 15 minutes or so? But mine took a long time b/c they had to make it into a ring setting. I think drilling the hole and attaching the pearl to the ring and having it "set" was why it took so long.

Welcome Sleeping*Beauty and thanks for reading!

 

[Sleeping*Beauty]

Thanks for the warm welcome.

My pick a pearl didn't take that long. But, my ring did take longer than my necklace. We just make sure to pick one as soon as we get to the Japan pavillion.

 

[amreli]

By the way - Your Beverly photos are priceless!

We actually have video of it, which is even funnier! Mia smacks her lips and then contemplates and says, hmm not bad.

We were going to get Donald, who was unsuspecting, to try it, but we never ended up at Epcot at the same time again. It would have been funny though.

I was there with my kids the same time as you-but did parks on different days-ours weren't crowded though

Always fun to have people reading who were there at the same time! I'll check our your TR as well!!

great update. I am bummed that we missed the Christmas decorations. We got there about halfway thru your stay & they were gone. So I am enjoying seeing them on your trippie. The kids & I did the pick a pearl too. Now I am glad we didn't turn it into jewelry there if it took so long.

Yeah, it was pretty impressive how fast they got them down. One evening they'd be up and then the next morning literally all traces had been removed. They're efficient, that's for sure! I was really glad we were able see them at the beginning. I'd love to resort hop though and see all the decorations at each resort. Mia and I are planning (if we can swing it and I can convince DH) a holiday trip in a couple of years. It would be so much fun to do all the holiday stuff like the MVMCP and candlelight processional.

Thanks for the warm welcome.

My pick a pearl didn't take that long. But, my ring did take longer than my necklace. We just make sure to pick one as soon as we get to the Japan pavillion.

Yeah, mine didn't take too long, but Mia's ring took quite awhile. They were pretty busy there that night though, so maybe that had something to do with it too. . Her ring turned out beautifully though, so it was definitely worth the wait!!

 

[MEK]

We actually have video of it, which is even funnier! Mia smacks her lips and then contemplates and says, hmm not bad.

We were going to get Donald, who was unsuspecting, to try it, but we never ended up at Epcot at the same time again. It would have been funny though.

hmmmm - I just got a new video camera. May have to try that on my upcoming trip.

 

[amreli]

hmmmm - I just got a new video camera. May have to try that on my upcoming trip.

I say do it!!! It'll be funny for years to come.

 

[amreli]

DH decided to sleep in today after our late evening and Donald and Pooh planned to relax then go to the hospital in the evening. I think they maybe ended up eating lunch at the Grand Floridian Café this day, but I’m not totally positive on that.

Mia and I, on the other hand, were up bright and early so that we could make RD at HS. Today was early EMH at HS. We got there before they were letting people in, so we had to wait at the turnstiles for a bit. I noticed when we got there that the decorations were all gone at this point. They are seriously fast in getting those down.

Finally they let us in and they started the little opening show about making a movie and we’re the “extras”. It was pretty cheesy, especially after enjoying the MK and AK opening shows. Yeah, not one of their better ones.

We spent the whole time trying to weave in and out of people to slowly inch ourselves closer to the rope. We were on a mission this morning to ride Toy Story Mania. We had plans to run there, get a FP for later, then get in line and ride it right away.

As soon as we did the countdown (5…4…3…2…1!) the entire crowd took off towards Pixar Place. It was insane! We were doing a combo fast walk/run when Mia spotted Goofy off to the side with his handler looking very alone. So, she grabbed me and we ran over for a quick pic! Do you see that mass of humanity behind us? That was the crowd for rope drop!

After meeting Goofy, we ran back off to the ride. Mia got in line for FP and I got in line for the ride. Unfortunately, the ride line was moving much faster than the FP line and a CM made me get out of line until Mia finished and got in line with me. So annoying!!

We loved the line here with all the toys and the talking/singing potato head. It was so cute.It reminded me of my childhood years sooo much. We had some great games back then! I wish I had kept some of those toys for now.

Finally we got on and we were expecting to be blown away after reading nothing but rave reviews about this ride. I enjoyed it, but honestly, I don’t get what all the hoopla is over this ride. It’s pretty much a 3-D Buzz Lightyear and really not all that exciting. Don’t get me wrong, it was fun (especially since I beat Mia!), but I would never wait hours to ride it. Maybe it's because I had it so built up in my mind, because I loved Buzz when I rode it (we never did make it on Buzz this trip). Well, I'd never been on Buzz so I didn't have that to compare this to, and I don't like video games or arcade games, so this was very underwhelming to me after reading and reading about how much FUN Toy Story ride would be. Sorry for all those who LOVED Toy Story...but it just isn't my cup of tea!

Anyway, with FP in hand to ride again later, we headed off to our next mission: Rock ‘n Roller coaster. Now I had only ridden this once before. In 2001, it had been closed for maintenance, so DH and I weren’t able to ride (probably a good thing since he’s not really into coasters). The last time I was here, it was open, so my dad and I rode. I just remember being jerked every which way and having a horrible headache when I got off. This time, however, I loved it!! We had a blast!

On our way out, we got some FP pics.

Do we look a little windblown??

When we got off, we weren’t sure what to do next. I wanted to meet Bolt and get a picture (love that movie!!), but it wasn’t time yet. So, we decided to get something to eat. While we were heading to Starring Rolls, we decided that we weren’t going to use our Toy Story FP’s, so we were on the lookout for someone to give them to. When we got to Starring Rolls, there was a woman sitting at a table with 2 little kids that looked kind of down, so we gave them the FP’s. I wish we had more than 2, but hopefully at least the kids got to ride it! I don't think the kids looked "down"; they just looked tired. But when we gave them the FP's, the Mom was like "oh, thanks". I wish we had given them to someone for appreciative, you know? Yeah, I agree!

So, we started down the line with our trays and everything looked so good!! I think Mia got a cinnamon roll, but she’ll have to confirm that. I passed the danishes and was drooling, but if I eat those types of things for breakfast, I feel sick a short while later. I ended up getting a toasted bagel with cream cheese and a banana. Actually, I think I did get a cinnamon roll to take back to DH. Those collapsible containers came in so handy! We sat down to eat and enjoyed everything thoroughly! I did get a cinnamon roll and an orange juice. The roll was really good and the prices at Starring Rolls were really reasonable.

After we finished, we went to get in line to meet Bolt. We didn’t have too long of a wait, maybe 15 minutes.

Here’s Mia meeting Bolt and Rhino. Cute!

When it was my turn, I wanted a nice normal picture like Mia’s, but Rhino started making me do hamster claws. So, when I turned to take the pic, he pulled my hands back up again! So, here I am, honorary hamster, with Rhino and Bolt. Funny picture!

After we met Bolt, we ran over to Beauty and the Beast to catch the next show, which was about to start. I’ve seen this before here, but Mia had not. Beauty and the Beast is her absolute favorite, so it was a priority. I think she enjoyed it, but since she’s seen the Broadway version several times, I don’t think this one quite compares. Still, it was fun. I've seen only one Broadway version but it was sooo good!

After the play, we had one more thing on our to-do list at Hollywood Studios – Animation Academy! We had read about this on the boards and wanted to make sure we got to do it. So, we headed on over and got in line, which was very short.

Luckily we got here just in time because the skies opened up and it started pouring!

While we were waiting, we talked with this man who had done Animation Academy many, many times. He told us that sometimes there were character greets in the building afterwards and if you drew a picture of that character, you could get them to autograph it. We thought this was such a cool idea and were hoping that we’d be able to do that.

Soon we filed in and took our seats.

The class was so much fun! We ended up drawing Mickey and the instructor showed us how Mickey had changed over the years. I’d recommend that anyone who hasn’t done this do it on their next trip!

Here’s Mia’s masterpiece. He's cute! Does he look cross-eyed to you?

Here is my masterpiece. Yes, I know he looks like a chipmunk. He was eating Chip and Dale’s acorns. OMG! Looking at mine and then hers...I never realized how much "fuller" Amreli's mickey was.

When we walked out, Mickey himself (well, Sorcerer Mickey anyway ) was signing autographs! So, we got in line to get our masterpieces signed and get a pic.

While we were in line, we entertained ourselves watching the little kids meet characters. There was this one little boy with his dad, who was encouraging him to give the character a hug. I can’t even remember what the characters were for sure, but I think it was a boy and a girl from the Little Einstein’s. Anyway, this little boy was so timid and nervous and the characters were so patient with him. He started to get braver and inched closer to them, the suddenly, he threw his arms around one of the characters to hug them and just wouldn’t let go. It was soooo sweet that I started to tear up! Me too! So Cute! The father kept trying to get his boy let go of the character, but he wouldn't and the character just kept hugging him and soothing him, running his/her hands down his head and back. The rest of the family of that little boy were in line in front of us, and they were taking pictures of it and kept saying how cute it was and some were crying.

Soon enough, it was our turn! First, we got Mickey to sign our portraits of him! I had to apologize for his chipmunk cheeks. I think he understood.

Then we took some pics with him. Before we left, he pulled us over and pointed at his cheeks. Awww, he wanted a kiss!

At this point, we were ready to go. We had a long afternoon planned and had to meet up with DH. Luckily, the rain seemed to have stopped. We headed to the bus to head back to the hotel. It was kind of sad though because this was the last time we would be at HS this trip!

At least we had the bus to ourselves!

Here’s Mia enjoying the extra space!

So long Hollywood Studios! See ya real soon!

Coming Up:
Day 5: Our Kingdom Awaits

 

[MEK]

Another great update. I love your mickey's.....so cute! Sorry you didn't like TSM all that much. I thought it was a really fun, immersive game, but I would never wait in a long line for it. uggghhhh!

 

[Sleeping*Beauty]

Your Mickey drawings are too cute! I love the picture with you girls kissing Mickey. Oh, and the little boy story sounds just adorable.

 

[amreli]

Another great update. I love your mickey's.....so cute! Sorry you didn't like TSM all that much. I thought it was a really fun, immersive game, but I would never wait in a long line for it. uggghhhh!

I think it was just because I had such high expectations for it after reading so much about it here on the boards. I think my DH would have loved it as he really likes Buzz, but he never did make it on it!

Your Mickey drawings are too cute! I love the picture with you girls kissing Mickey. Oh, and the little boy story sounds just adorable.

Thanks! Animation Academy was so much fun! And yes, the little boy was too cute!! That's one of my favorite things about Disney. I love seeing the little kids and all of the wonder, surprise, and thrills they're experiencing. So cute!

New update coming up!

 

[amreli]

We left off on our way back to the hotel after a busy, wet morning at HS and we had a long afternoon (with EMH!) ahead of us at AK.

After picking DH up at the hotel, we got in Mia’s car and drove over to Animal Kingdom. We drove this afternoon because we had a dinner ADR at Boma around 8:30pm and figured it would be easier to get around and back to the hotel after dinner if we drove. Getting there was easy, but parking turned out to be a problem for us!

First, let me tell that the night before, we made fun of Pooh and Donald because they had planned to drive over to Epcot, but when the pulled into the parking lot, they somehow went in a circle and ended up back on the main road. They ended up driving all the way back to the hotel and taking the bus!

So, after making fun of them because they couldn’t manage to park, we ended up driving ourselves right out of the parking lot as well! I just remember telling Mia to turn at one point (but I didn't listen to her because I thought I knew the way) and obviously it was the wrong turn and we ended up back on the main road. I don’t remember if we did that 2 or 3 times, but we were joking that the parking person (where you pay the parking fee) must have thought we were idiots!

We finally parked though and as we got out of the car, a tram pulled up at the end of the row. Mia took off to hold it for us.

The tram ride was short and we were soon in the park. This was DH's first time on this trip at AK (his favorite of the parks). As soon as we entered the park and Mia ran off to get us FP for Everest while DH and I took our time taking photopass pics and looking around the tree. I tell ya, she’s awesome!

Two different photopass guys decided to give us a little one. We named him Simba. Cute pictures!

When we finished, we called Mia and decided to meet at It’s Tough to be a Bug because it had no wait (not sure if it ever really does though). While we waited, DH watched the Lemurs.

When Mia arrived with FP in hand, we headed into the show. Mia had not seen this yet and it’s my favorite of all the 3-d shows, so I was excited for her to see it. I really wanted to see her reaction to the bugs “crawling” on your feet, but it didn’t do that!! I think she liked it though. It was fun! The "poke" caught me totally off guard, though!

After the show, we headed to Flame Tree to eat. I think we all had the ribs and bbq combo and it was good. We sat down by the water and just enjoyed ourselves. I know some people had commented on the different straws that were used, and I have to say that I didn't have any problems with the cardboard-like straws. It worked just fine.

While eating, we noticed our FP time was up, so I took off to get us a new FP for the safari. Mia’s a slower eater, plus she had done so much running for us already. I ran over to the safari though and was so mad when I got there and found out I had to wait 10 more minutes to get new FP’s. The time frame was up according to our Everest FP, but for some reason, the machine had a different time. Very annoying. DB and I were getting kind of worried about Amreli because she had been gone so long that I had about finished my meal. But before we decided to do anything, she came back. We amused ourselves with the ducks that would come right up to you, begging for food! How bold of them!

After I got the FP, I went back to finish eating and then we headed to the Flights of Wonder show. DH really likes birds and had wanted to see this the last time we were here, but we never got around to it. Honestly, if it weren’t for DH, I don’t know that I ever would have seen it. Surprisingly though, I loved it! It was amazing that these birds were free flying and so trained. If you haven’t seen it, I would definitely recommend it!! I wasn't excited to be going to this show, either, but since DB wanted to see it, we decided to make him happy. But I'm glad we did...it was a really good show.

When the show ended, we walked over to Everest to use our FP. We had gotten 3, but DH totally chickened out on us. I know DB went with us the 1st time b/c I rode with another girl on this and Amreli and DB sat together. Oh yeah! I completely forgot he rode with us the first time! It was the second time that he skipped out on us. I think he liked it ok, but he's not really into coasters.

We loved it, as usual. I think when we got off, we were able to get another FP because I remember having more later on. Anyway, after Everest, we headed over to Kali. DH loves water rides and Mia loved Kali so we went. The first time through, I rode with them (with my poncho!). When we got off, they both decided to ride again (with ponchos!). Actually, I think maybe DH and Mia used ponchos the first time since we had dinner ADR’s and they didn’t want to be wet. Not totally positive on this though. Yeah, we all used ponchos both times. It worked pretty good.

Anyway, the second time they rode was so funny. They ended up having the entire boat to themselves. I went and stood on the bridge waiting for them to come through and then I finally saw them. I started videoing it and the video is really funny. We were yelling back and forth about them having the boat to themselves and the guy next to me commented about it being the Love Boat. :: You can hear him saying that and them me yelling back, “they’re brother and sister!”

First, a couple of pics.

And the video clip on YouTube.

Here’s Mia, who got wet despite the poncho.

After two times down the river, we decided to walk the Maharajah Jungle Trek over there.

Loved the tigers! We watched them for quite awhile.

And were thoroughly entertained when the tiger started using the bathroom. It was funny after it was done because it would kick its back legs like dogs do (or maybe cats too?)...really funny!

Then we headed into the aviary. DH loves birds and we thought we’d see some neat ones in here. We grabbed the identification chart and tried to find some.

We couldn’t find any from the chart though! Mia ended up asking a CM where we could find some of them and she told us that the majority of them weren’t even in the aviary right now! How nice! Mia made a new friend though because the CM proceeded to give her a guided tour. Don’t they look like twins? I asked her one single question and she walked and talked throughout the rest of the trail. It was very nice of her!

Coming Up:
Day 5: Our Kingdom Awaits - Part 2

 

[amreli]

When we got off the trail, we stopped to watch the monkeys. These monkeys were hilarious! They were all just standing around and then suddenly one bends over and the other starts inspecting his rear! We just died laughing!!

We headed over to the Safari next because it was like 4:45 and I think the safari closed at 5 maybe. Anyway, we were running over and then get caught in the parade! We didn’t stop to watch though because DH spotted Safari Goofy and wanted a pic. Mia and I ended up running to catch up to him and get a pic.

We finally get to the safari with like 5 minutes to spare and FP in hand. There were only like 2 people in line though!! Yeah, when we noticed that the ride was walk-on, I felt bad that Amreli went through all that hassle getting FPs that we didn't even need. Oh, well. I have to say this was probably the best safari we did! There were not many people in our car and the guide would stop and give us lots of time to watch and take pictures! At one point, we were going over the crocodiles and before we went over the bridge, the guide stopped and said everyone needs to remain seated as we go over the bridge. So, we started going over and what did I do? Stood up to take a pic! Uh, I got in trouble.

We kept seeing piles of Ostrich eggs that looked so fake, so we asked if they were real and were told yes. Don't they still look fake to you? It seems like the same pictures of the eggs always show up on the Dis TR's so, I always thought they were planted. I stand corrected!

We still weren’t sure we believed them, then, sure enough, the Ostrich comes right up to the jeep.

Love these trees! They’re just so neat looking.

When we got off, we headed down the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. We had thought it was supposed to be closed, but the CM let us go in!

This was by far the fattest frog I’ve ever seen.

DH and I by the waterfall on the trail.

After the trail, we were into EMH and it was kind of crowded again. We headed over to Everest to ride again, stopping for photopass pics on the way.

DH skipped out on us this time, butt that's ok. I tried to get him to take a pic of us as we came down, but after the whole debacle of him trying to film us going down Summit Plummet and not getting any of it, I gave up. It was a blast as always. Unfortunately, this ended up being our last ride on Everest.

At this point, it was time for the Festival of the Lion King show, so we criss-crossed our way over there. DH isn’t really a fan of this show and I think Mia said she could take it or leave it (maybe??). We ended up going over though. When we were first planning our trip, I really wanted to see this...but as our time at the parks went by, our plans became fluid.

On the way to Camp Minnie-Mickey, we passed the most amazing flock of birds. These birds were just everywhere! This pic really doesn’t do it justice.

We finally got in and it was nice to just sit down and rest. I really liked the show and I think they both did as well.

We were in the warthog group and DH and I did our best warthog impressions. Mia just about fell over laughing at that point! I tried to get her to join in, but she would just laugh and take pics of us. The pic is blurry, but I now see why she was laughing. I don't know if it was because I was laughing or if it was my camera. I was having a lot of issues with it. But she was really funny with her imitation.

After the show, we walked around and peeked down the trails, even though no characters were out. There was only one thing left on the list – DH’s favorite Dinosaur. On the way over to Dinoland, we browsed the shops. When we finally got over there, we waited in a very slow line. Seriously, this was the slowest line ever. I think we ended up riding this 2 or 3 times.

It was finally time to leave and head over to Animal Kingdom Lodge for our dinner ADR. Things were quickly going downhill at this point though. My feet were absolutely killing me, Mia, I think, was just really tired and worn out, and DH was being, well DH. I started having a mild headache at this time. I don't normally have headaches, but when I do, they're almost like migraines.

We did stop on the way out for photopass though.

And the tree was still up (and lit up!) on our way out:

Despite our really sore feet, we ran to catch the leaving tram and headed to the car and drove over to AKL.

Here’s DH heading into AKL.

When we got to AKL, we met up with Pooh and Donald who were waiting for us in the lobby. It was really crowded, dark and loud in the lodge lobby area and in Boma. My headache was getting worse.

It didn’t take long before they sat us, but Donald was not happy with our table and requested to be moved. Eating with Donald is always an experience. There's always something to complain about...the table, the service, dirty dishes or flatware...The hostess explained that there were no other table available unless we wanted to wait some more, but we finally convinced him that we would be fine at the table we were at. We ended up keeping that table though and soon had our drinks. The juice here was AMAZING! Donald immediately managed to spill something on himself and Mia caught it on her camera. I can't believe she was actually wiping the stain off his shirt! That's some service!

Here’s the waitress cleaning him off!

We headed to the buffet and loaded up our plates. I have to say that of all of our ADR’s, this is the one that I was most nervous about. I’m not really that adventurous of an eater, but this restaurant got such great reviews by people on the boards here. And I was dying to try a zebra dome.

After eating here though, I don’t know if I would end up going back. Actually, we probably would because DH absolutely loved it. I just thought it was ok though. I ended up finding plenty that I liked, but there were other restaurants that I liked much more. And those zebra domes.. um, gross. I did not like them at all! The bread pudding was great though! DH, on the other hand, absolutely loved this place. He couldn't get enough of that carrot ginger soup (which I thought was gross). Actually, he pretty much loved everything he ate here! The soup was really good! I would give Boma another try. Now that I know what to expect, I may like it better, barring any more headaches.

I think towards the end Mia was really not feeling well. I think she had a headache and was just really tired (or tired of us LOL), but she decided to go back early. At this point, my headache was killing me. I tried to massage the muscles at the base of my head, which sometimes helps, but it didn't this time. Since Donald and Pooh had driven as well, we planned to just ride back with them because DH wanted to walk around the hotel and out to the Savannah. It was sooo nice to get away from the noise and just go back to the nice and quiet hotel room. Once I got back and took a shower, I started to feel a little better.

First, we checked out the resort. Boma from the 2nd floor.

We had taken the stairs up and Pooh took the elevator. She ended up on the wrong floor though.

DH on the rope bridge, which he loved.

After exploring for awhile and promising that we could stay here sometime in the future, I was finally able to drag him out of the resort though and we headed back for some needed rest.

Coming Up:
Breakfast in Wonderland

 

[MEK]

Another great installment. I'm so tired now, but I just had to check in for the latest and it did not disappoint. More great pics and a great time at AK. You guys are non stop. Love it!

 

[Sleeping*Beauty]

I hope I have a Boma experience like your DH or Mia. I'm really looking forward to eating there. I love your picture of the Tiger laying on the side of the fountain/pool.

 

[TheLadyTremain]

I am really enjoying your trip report!! Looking forward to reading more. I think that is great you guys did the half marathon. I wish I had that motivation!

I feel the same way you did about Boma. It was ok, I found plenty to eat, but I am not in a huge rush to get back.

 

[amreli]

Another great installment. I'm so tired now, but I just had to check in for the latest and it did not disappoint. More great pics and a great time at AK. You juys are non stop. Love it!

We tried hard!

Honestly, next time we may take it a little easier. We'll have to see.

I hope I have a Boma experience like your DH or Mia. I'm really looking forward to eating there. I love your picture of the Tiger laying on the side of the fountain/pool.

You know, even though it wasn't my favorite of the restaurants, I found plenty of things that I liked and I definitely left full. If you're an adventurous eater, you'll love it. Even if you're not though, there's so much to choose from that I'm sure you'll find stuff that you like!

I am really enjoying your trip report!! Looking forward to reading more. I think that is great you guys did the half marathon. I wish I had that motivation!

I feel the same way you did about Boma. It was ok, I found plenty to eat, but I am not in a huge rush to get back.

Welcome!! We didn't have the motivation at first, but once we got into the training it got easier. Until we started slacking off that is. I bet you could do it!! Use a trip to Disney as your motivation.. that's what we did!

Sounds like your Boma experience was the same as mine! Did you try the zebra domes? I was so disappointed. They look delicious and everyone raves about them so I thought I'd just love them.

 

[amreli]

Ok, so the morning plans today had been changed so many times right up until the night before. We had originally planned to do breakfast at 1900 Park Faire, because Donald loved it (specifically the bacon) the last time he and Pooh were at Disney together.

After Donald and Pooh were both laid off, we canceled it because it was going to be an OOP meal. Well, when we arrived, Donald started asking when we were going to get the bacon at the Grand Floridian and when he found out we had canceled it, he immediately wanted it back on the schedule. So, I called the day before and got a later ADR (and by late I meant 9:30-10) so we could actually somewhat sleep in this morning.

This morning was going to be a non-park morning as it was the first day of the race check-in, so we didn’t have to rush to a rope drop anyway.

We ended up driving over to the Grand Floridian because we figured it would be easier to get over to the Wide World of Sports afterward. When we pulled up to the resort, we went through the security gate and he directed us to the self parking area. Well, somehow we ended up back out on the road again and had to go through the security gate yet again. We proved many times this trip that parking confuses us! Maybe it was the driver?

When we went back through the security gate the second time, we ended up going to valet because we were running late at that point.

Finally, we were there!

I’ll mention here that Pooh just absolutely loves the Grand Floridian. If she could stay at any resort, this would definitely be her top pick. I think they ended up doing two or three meals at the resort during the trip because she loves it so much. This was my (and DH and Mia’s as well) first time being here though. It’s a gorgeous resort, though I must admit I’d prefer the poly or wilderness lodge, neither of which I’ve stayed at. Yeah, the Grand Floridian seems to be a really luxurious resort, but it's not my cup of tea.

Gorgeous flowers!

We checked in for breakfast…

We were given a buzzer because there was a short wait, so we walked around a bit… or I guess I should say Donald, DH, and I walked around a bit. At this point, Pooh had horrible blisters, cracked heels, and very sore feet. She was trying to schedule some sort of foot treatment at the Grand Floridian spa, so Mia ended up helping her do that over the phone while the rest of us explored a bit.

Exploring the back...OH! I didn't know you guys went outside to look at the grounds. I would have liked to have seen the flowers and gardens too!

When our buzzer finally beeped, we headed to our breakfast in wonderland.

While the food was decent, we were there towards the end of breakfast, so it wasn’t quite as good as if you were eating first thing I’m guessing. Out of the two breakfasts we did though, I much preferred Chef Mickey’s and even Donald, who had raved about the bacon here, agreed!

So anyway, we sat down and filled our plates and soon the characters started coming around.

DH and I with Tiger (he was a grrrrrreat Tiger!)

Mia and Donald with Tiger!

DH with Pooh Bear.

Mia with Pooh

DH and I with the Mad Hatter.

Donald and Pooh with Alice.

Donald with Mary Poppins. He jumped right up out of his seat to get his pic with her!

After awhile, Tiger came back by and surprised Pooh!

We cleaned our plates!

Ok, enough character pictures. Breakfast was good, but it was time to check in for the race! My pictures look dorky, I know! I guess I just have a hard time with the characters because other than the standard "hi", I just don't know what to say to them! The breakfast was good...standard breakfast fare. Strawberry soup was good too! Oh yeah! The strawberry soup (plus fresh strawberries!) was so good!

Coming Up:
Day 6: Race Check-in!

 

[amreli]

After breakfast, we picked the car up from valet an headed to the wide world of sports. It was a lot busier than we had anticipated and it took a bit to find a parking spot. When we finally headed towards towards the buildings, we were greeted with a long line that we were not expecting (though I’m not sure why since there were 20k+ people running!). We stood in line (while DH explored the fields and buildings) and chatted with the people in line around us and worried ourselves about the upcoming race. I didn't realize the line would be soooo long, even before the check-in time started! I know Amreli was upset that we had to wait so long, but I wanted to get it done and out of the way! Nah, I didn't care too much about the line. It was Disney after all. We're expected to stand in lines!

When the line finally started moving, it went pretty fast. Once you got in the building, everyone just went their own ways to the check-in lines, which were done by name.

After we got our packets, we went through the line to verify our race chips, then headed over to the next building, where the expo was, to get our goody bags. Basically when you went there, you got into line by the t-shirt size you had ordered. We soon had our bags, but DH was still missing, so I took Mia on a mission to find the “I Did It” shirts. I was worried about jinxing myself by buying one of the shirts, but I really wanted one. Mia told me that I was crossing the finish line even if I were on my hands an knees crawling, so I went ahead and bought the shirt.

Here’s Mia showing off her shirt! Yay, PINK!

We’re official at this point… and already tired!

We finally found DH after multiple calls and searching the ball fields. He wasn’t real clear about where he was, but he turned out to be in one of the bigger baseball stadiums watching Mickey and Goofy goof around on the field. When we met up with him, they were in the process of creating some sort of video. They wouldn’t let us get any closer, but we got a couple of pics of them in their sporty gear.

Sport Mickey and Sport Goofy!

Doing push-ups!

Now that we were checked in, it was time to get on with our day!

Coming Up:
Day 6: Getting Our Game On

 

[MEK]

Yeah - you are getting closer to RACE day! Can't wait to get home to see your pics and to hear about race day!

 

[amreli]

Yeah - you are getting closer to RACE day! Can't wait to get home to see your pics and to hear about race day!

Yep - getting closer! Ah, the memories. Right now we're planning on running in 2011 again!

New update coming up!