That was utterly terrifying and I regret having joined you (comments welcome)

[striker1064]

As an OG owner of AKV Kidani (DH and I have our names on the tapestry in the room off the lobby), I'm biased, but it's easily my favorite Disney resort by far. So happy to see when people discover it! While I loved the convenience of BLT for the monorail and spectating, I'm seriously considering AK for my next WDW race. We usually have a car and it's so much nicer to hang out there between races when not doing a lot of park time.

Recommendation: Specifically request a room close to the Rafiki or Timon elevator.

For February 2020 Princess weekend, I booked a standard view studio and requested a room near the Pumba elevator, because I knew those standard views had a chance of a partial savanna view overlooking the Pembe savanna. And it did! ...Except it was literally the second to last studio at the end of the hall. Walking down that endless hallway after the HM was nonsense.

 

[Herding_Cats]

it was literally the second to last studio at the end of the hall. Walking down that endless hallway after the HM was nonsense.

while I haven't stayed a AKV for a race weekend, this is pretty much my only complaint about staying there. And how long the walk can be to get back to the restaurants.

 

[GollyGadget]

It was fun reading your recap. Thanks for sharing!

 

[NYC_MW]

If you mean the PP studio at Springs, yep!

How are they so bad? Although probably because the CM totally seemed like they didn't care.

I absolutely love AKL - my favorite hotel ever, anywhere. Very jealous of your 2br! I bet that was incredible.

So incredible

Your "aunties and grandma" costumes are amazing. So good!

Thanks! Will relay to the rest of the group

Great race and trip report. I’m so glad I got to meet you

Thanks and same!

As an OG owner of AKV Kidani (DH and I have our names on the tapestry in the room off the lobby)

That is so cool. Now I have to go back just to look at the tapestry.

Recommendation: Specifically request a room close to the Rafiki or Timon elevator.

Good to know. We didn't make requests (probably too annoying to have to go through the 3rd party again), but thankfully got a room between the Timon and Zazu elevators.

And how long the walk can be to get back to the restaurants.

Yeah, it was nice they had the shuttle between Kidani and Jambo.

It was fun reading your recap. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for reading!

 

[Baloo in MI]

Great trip report!

My favorite resort will always be the Wilderness Lodge, but we stayed at Kidani last Spring Surprise and loved it! So relaxing, and we had a savant view, so Much time was spent sipping coffee on the patio and watching animals. A fantastic stay! Hoping to luck out at 7 months with Kidani or Jambo for next marathon weekend.

 

[NYC_MW]

Got a little behind both in journal updating and actual training (yikes). But for good reason: got to head out to CA for a week to see parents/sister, all of whom I hadn't seen since May 2022 (and before that, December 2019)

And somehow we ended up spending one day each at DCA and USH (sister and I opened and closed the parks both days), so there was probably enough walking to make up for midweek runs haha. The focus at DCA was to enjoy the Lunar New Year festivities as well as the rides (though sadly Oswald switched with Ortensia while we were waiting to get pix with him so I only have a shot of him from afar during their handoff). Side bonus: since I got Genie+ for one person (so we could get Photopass), got to LL a few rides that nobody else wanted to do, including GoTG Mission Breakout, which makes me think I can maybe handle ToT at HS in February.




Focus at USH was to try and get a peek at Nintendoland since they were in soft open mode. Sadly, it was only open for a private event the day we were there, but it still looks pretty cool from afar. And again, I got to "preview" a couple rides so I know what's in store when we go to UO and IOA in February. We definitely took lots of "character photos" throughout both days.



Modified remaining training due to lack thereof so far, but since there's no time goal for PW, it should still be doable. Time to buckle down again!

 

[The Expert]

The focus at DCA was to enjoy the Lunar New Year festivities as well as the rides (though sadly Oswald switched with Ortensia while we were waiting to get pix with him so I only have a shot of him from afar during their handoff)

Super cute pic, though! I'm super jealous of the Oswald + Ortensia sighting.

 

[NYC_MW]

Super cute pic, though! I'm super jealous of the Oswald + Ortensia sighting.

Yes, it was so special to get to see them together! They were featuring them since it's the year of the rabbit (Chinese and Korean calendars) and cat (Vietnamese). And the CMs were both super on point and cute.

Here's a good shot of Oswald during the LNY parade.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

including GoTG Mission Breakout, which makes me think I can maybe handle ToT at HS in February.

They’re basically the same in my experience minus the theme!

 

[NYC_MW]

At least each scheduled run was done (just forgot an extra mile on Friday). Have sorely neglected cross and strength training since MW taper, need to get back on that. Snow still on the 200m track for Wed workout, but at least it wasn't icy. Realized that I really have no idea what 5k pace is, but probably was running too fast because cannot imagine sustaining those paces for 3 miles. Chickened out on Friday and Saturday and decided not to brave single digit to negative double digit feels like temperatures.
In reading this week's SAFD responses, am now contemplating trying to race the half in April (Skyline in Dallas). It's supposedly somewhat hilly, temps might be less than ideal, and I know my PR days are behind me, but maybe .

 

[azrivest]

You never know!

 

[HangWithMerida]

Realized that I really have no idea what 5k pace is, but probably was running too fast because cannot imagine sustaining those paces for 3 miles.

This is just what a 5k pace feels like to me! Not saying you weren’t going too fast. Just that every time I do anything at 5k pace it feels like, OMG I’m going to die if I have to do this for 3 miles. I’m definitely more of an endurance person!

 

[NYC_MW]

Yay for hitting all the planned workouts! Nothing terribly out of the ordinary. But single digit days away from landing in FL!

Curious on others' thoughts. Have been tracking with Strava on phone recently (because RunKeeper kept crashing mid-way through longer runs) and it reminded me how it always anecdotally feels like Strava's tracking algorithms overestimate mileage. This is separate of how it always tracks paces as faster than RunKeeper since it reports moving time instead of total time (which is a whole other pet peeve). But I'm pretty sure Strava will consistently report a longer distance run than RunKeeper for the same route. Really I just need to do a side-by-side test and use both apps on a run sometime.

 

[NYC_MW]

Last Monday and Wednesday were slow and sluggish, but thankfully things seem to have come back around a bit. And it does look like Runkeeper tracks less distance than Strava, but not quite as extreme as it felt.

Excited to be heading down tomorrow morning! Still haven't figured out how L and I are strategizing the runs as our paces are quite different, but leaning towards just sticking together for the whole time as it's not like I'll be racing for time anyways. Plus, that's the point of joint costumes

 

[HangWithMerida]

The costumes are so cute! I really love what y’all did with Lumiere.

 

[NYC_MW]

Race/weekend recaps to come later, but PW was a success! L and I mostly ran together for both races, with me stopping quite a bit to take extra pictures then sprinting to catch back up. We stopped for so many characters and got lots of great on-course pictures both individual and together (so impressed with the photographers!). Only downside is we both came back with the rD head cold . Planning to take it easy this week before ramping back up for April's half (toying with trying to sub-2 it).

 

[NYC_MW]

Two week update. Cold lasted ~1.5wks, but seem to be back in the groove. Still working on PW recap.

 

[NYC_MW]

PW23 Trip/Race Recap
Wednesday
Up bright and early for 6:30a flight from LGA to MCO. Met L and breezed through TSA to an on-time departure. Arrived at MCO ~9:30 to the onboard announcement to the effect of “Apologies for the delay in arrival, but thank the pilot when you deplane, as he still maneuvered us in. We were very close to detouring to West Palm Beach”. No idea how far away that is from Orlando, but am sure that would NOT have been a fun start to the trip.

Changed from winter to summer gear at the airport and rearranged bags to be ready to hit the parks before Ubering to Endless Summer-Surfside. PSA: Uber driver tried to drop us off across the street at Dockside, and I could clearly see his app thinking we were at Surfside, so heads up for those staying there in the future. Thankfully he was willing to circle around to the right hotel. Checked in to see if we could drop bags and get L a “First Visit” pin, but they said our room was ready . Pretty standard room, lots of sunlight (which we probably wouldn’t see again) and a view of Volcano Bay across the parking lot. Note, their toiletries were still the single-use kind, instead of the larger bolted-to-the wall bottles Disney has been switching to. Headed down to the shuttle and at CityWalk ~11:15.

First stop: Hogsmeade and Ollivander’s for L to pick out an interactive wand. Both of us are big HP fans (I’ve read/listened to all the books multiple times though have yet to see more than the 1st movie, and L had gone all out and pre-bought a personalized robe), and it would be the focus of both days at Universal. It was already pretty packed and so hot! We explored, picked up frozen Butterbeer (much preferred to the cold ones, which are the only ones at the HP store in NYC), watched both the frog chorus and the triwizard rally, and L went around casting spells (it’s harder than it looks). Then our first ride: Forbidden Journey, which really is so well done. I’d gone on it before, but (as for many rides/experiences this trip), it was more fun to see someone getting to do it for the first time. Definitely recommend the tip people have of using a fanny pack at Universal in general as then we still had our phones to take pictures (and to scan into/out of our lockers!) but didn’t have to worry about them being secure. Probably ~60min wait? Sadly, Hagrid’s was under maintenance while we were there (but maybe better as we didn’t have to worry about beating the crowds to get in line?).

After ~3hrs in Hogsmeade, we continued counterclockwise through the park. I had wanted to ride Jurassic River Adventure since it had been closed at USH, but no luck, it was closed here too . So we went to the Raptor Encounter. Wow, both the trainer and raptor TMs were amazing ! It was great watching the parties ahead of us and even more fun experiencing it ourselves. Was also tickled at how the line TMs kept making it very clear to people joining that it was for a meet-and-greet, and not the line for Velociraptor. Continued on to single rider Kong and got the leftmost 2 seats in the last row, which may have been some of the best? Then wandered through Toon Lagoon to Super Hero Island. The line to meet Captain America was short, so we took some pictures (where I learned he and Spiderman were from Brooklyn and Queens, respectively), then rode Spider Man (how many kids walking through the queue have no idea what those CRT monitors are?) Circled back around to Seuss Landing and the Trolley Ride, getting a relaxing view of the rest of the park just before dusk.

Then it was off to USF to catch the Mardi Gras parade! Had totally not registered that PW overlapped with Mardi Gras when we planned the trip, but laissez le bon temps rouler. Arrived at USF ~5:45 for the 6:15p parade and many spots were already staked out. We ended up next to the lagoon across from Mel’s; pretty much the end of the route, but could see the start gate. Added bonus, we were next to the Central City food booth, so grabbed a Shrimp/Crawfish boil + beignets to share for dinner. Yum, the spices were good, and it was enough that we were both full. The floats and dancers were amazing and it was cool getting to see everything twice. Caught a handful of beads, but we were clearly noobs as those around us had tons.


















After the parade, we booked it to ET (one of my must-do’s). It was a little hard to find amidst the construction and almost nobody was there. After returning to earth, we headed to Diagon Alley. Picked up a guava caipirinha at the Brazil booth along the way (I’m a sucker for lime cocktails); it was strong, but kinda had a weird aftertaste. Caught a glimpse of Kreacher on Grimmauld Place then got in a ~50 min line for Escape from Gringotts. USF was closing down as we left, with TMs all along the way guiding us to the exit. Got back to the room ~9:15p and crashed pretty quickly with plans to early entry IOA the next morning.

 

[NYC_MW]

PW23 Trip/Race Recap
Thursday
Timestamp has us walking through Seuss Landing just before 8a, and in line for Flight of the Hippogriff soon after. The morning breeze was perfect during the ride and again, we got beautiful views of the rest of the park. Then we went for a ride on the Hogwarts Express (10min wait time!). Shared a compartment and were seated by the doors, but still a good view of everything passing by (the poor dad in the family we were sharing with kept getting chastised, in a good way, for not knowing where certain rides were). Got to King’s Cross, and turned around to ride right back . Still 10 min wait and again sharing a compartment. Then some last shots of Hogsmeade and a SR repeat of Forbidden Journey. Yesterday we were in seats 1&2 and each in seat 4 this time; we both agreed that 4 made for a much more exciting ride; good to know for the future.

And River Adventure was open today! I was excited but L was a little leery. Back story: summer of ‘22, we had gone to Six Flags NJ and ridden Congo Rapids (similar to Bilge Rat Barges). Out of the 6 of us, L and another friend were the only ones to get completely soaked, and the 2 of them spent a good 30-45 min in the bathroom trying to dry out while the rest of us rode other rides… I convinced L that this was not going to be that bad, it was only a little drop at the end. Well, we ended up in the front row, with L on the far right seat (only realizing as we pulled away that we should have swapped seats). The ride itself was a lot of fun, but of course L got pretty wet (I’m sure the boats all around could hear her yelling at me ). I felt a little guilty, but she was a good sport about it, and I made up for it by paying for a stint in the “Personnel Dryer”. Those are genius, and video of her in the dryer got sent back to the others from the Six Flags trip.

Finished with IOA, we headed to USF (now knowing that it’d be faster to cut in front of Hard Rock instead of going all the way around the lagoon). Caught the end of Sing It, then watched Marilyn and the Diamond Bellas. Continued the shows theme with Bourne Stuntacular, which was stunning, as advertised, then backtracked to Springfield to ride the Simpsons Ride with a quick picture with Poppy the troll along the way. Got lucky and funneled into a very short side line and then were quickly off to MIB. Saw some people down in the “office area” while in queue, and wonder if that was a VIP experience thing. My aim was lousy, but managed to hit the red button so leapfrogged into top scorer for our car. We kept getting spun around, though, as the opposite car had great aim.

Then, it was back again to Diagon Alley. We spent another good ~3 hours here, exploring Gringotts Exchange, watching Tales of Beedle the Bard, L casting more spells, venturing down Knockturn Alley, and an SR repeat of Escape. Pooped, we finally ended up in the Leaky Cauldron around 4p for some cottage pie and more Butterbeer (frozen and ice cream this time). Finally, a visit to the Knight Bus (again, the TMs for both the shrunken head and the conductor were excellent), then headed out from Universal just before 5. Overall, I enjoyed USF and IOA, but we’re clearly not the target audience as neither of us are big coaster/thrill riders. The entertainment was on point and we definitely really soaked up both HP areas, so it was a great time, but at the end of the day, I’ve still mostly drunk the Disney punch.

Stopped back at Surfside to pick up our bags before Lyfting to the Expo (yikes, this was the worst ride ever, with the driver totally ignoring the app’s directions and trying to get us to a resort instead of ESPN). Thankfully, we ended up telling him where to go using our own phone maps and arrived a little after 7. Grabbed our bibs, some quick photo ops, our shirts, and were back out 30 min later to board a bus to Wilderness Lodge for our 8:20 reservation (and one of the highlights of the trip) at Storybook Dining at Artist Point! I did a lot of stalking of the Dining Reservation site throughout February and we lucked out at almost the last minute in grabbing a Thursday night slot.

L was looking forward to the Evil Queen, and I was very much excited about meeting Dopey (had also worn my shirt and brought my medal to show him). L got the Wishing Apple Punch (Crisp Apple, White Cranberry and Sprite; complete with glow cube) and I got The Antidote (Bacardí Superior Rum, Hickory Smoke, Lime Juice and Ginger Beer; said I was a sucker for lime cocktails) and they were both good choices. Appetizers were good, if a bit small (as noted by reviews online), and we split the Stroganoff and Prime Rib. Both were very yummy, and the prime rib was cooked well. Desserts were also very good, though sweet, and we were quite stuffed. It was also lovely getting to chat with the guest at the next table who was dining alone with her baby before the rest of her family arrived the next day, and would also be running the challenge. And of course the best part, getting photos with the stars of the show: Dopey and Grumpy (and Snow and the Evil Queen). It was just about 10p when we were done. Explored the Wilderness Lodge lobby (it really is gorgeous) before Ubering to our slightly less upscale home for the next two nights: AsMo. Stopped by the front desk to pick up a “First Visit” pin for L, and were in our Buzz Lightyear room just before 11p.

 

[NYC_MW]

PW23 Trip/Race Recap
Friday
Up and at ‘em for early entry to MK. We were passing by teacups just before 8:30 en route to 7DMT. The line was long–we were back near Big Top (the party in front of us loudly proclaimed they were getting an ILL and off to ride more rides instead of standing in line; have to wonder if that’s a strategy to drum up more revenue for WDW), but moved quickly and the queue is just as fun as the ride. Flew off to Neverland before the line got too long (and saw Peter walking by as we were headed there!), followed by a walk-on to Small World. Then we got to meet Pooh and Tigger! I had to take advantage of Memory Maker and L had gotten an autograph book and was on a mission to get as many signatures as possible. This ended up working well for me as I could just jump in to the photo at the end and didn’t have to awkwardly try to make conversation with characters. Rode through the blustery day in the Hundred Acre Wood, then headed off to meet Ariel and travel Under the Sea. Throughout the day, meet/greet lines tended to be longer than ride lines, but still nothing untenable. I think we grabbed some popcorn at this point? (Had brought back the bucket from Jan). Finished Fantasyland with a visit to Belle’s Enchanted Tales (apologies to the older couple whom I totally misinformed on what it was; and apparently middle-aged me is shorter than teenage Belle...) and Princess FairyTale Hall (Cinderella & Elena; surprised this meet/greet was not Photopass).

Probably not the best idea, but then got in the unshaded line for HM during the hottest part of the day. Thankfully it moved pretty quickly, and we brought our hitchhiker along to Frontierland. Tried to get a Dole Whip to enjoy during the parade, but the line was quite long so nixed that idea. Grabbed a spot right in front of Country Bears, with a nice sightline of the castle in the background. Then backtracked to Aloha Isle and headed to BTTM with frozen treats in hand (Dole Whips ARE Disney for me, and L really liked them, so win:win). Chatted briefly with another guest in line who had done her first rD race that morning and had the Tron preview wristband. She mentioned it had been humid (yay for missing that, but I still have FOMO about missing the Jasmine shirt/medal), and that Tron had definitely lived up to expectations. Picked up another popcorn refill as we left Big Thunder, waving to the scaffolded former Splash Mountain. Continued to Pirates (still think DL’s is better), catching the Mickey Cavalcade as we walked back through Adventureland (somehow getting spit on by the camel every time we passed by Carpets) for L to pick up some orange soft serve at Sunshine Terrace (successful conversion haha! She ended up getting 2 more Dole Whips before the weekend was out).


Stopped in front of the castle for some Photopass shots then headed to Autopia (not one of my faves) where we got stuck behind a VERY slow driver, but at least I got a nice shot of the castle in the dusk. Then Space Mountain (a hit) and back to the hub to stake out a spot to watch Enchantment. I think we ended up getting there 30-45 min ahead of time, and plopped down to conserve energy (it was very crowded and a little claustrophobic). The fireworks were amazing, and we had a great view of the projections as well. And Tinkerbell’s flight was a cute ending, if a little nerve-wracking as I worried for the CM. Had missed the show in Jan (in favor of more sleep before the half), and the last time I had been to MK was 2016 MW, so it was just exciting to see the castle all lit up like that. As the show ended, we fought like salmon upstream to get back to Main Street to meet Mickey at Town Square Theater. And it was worth it, as we got there just before the big rush of others who had the same idea. Ended up leaving the park just after 9p (looking unsuccessfully for any Photopass photographers at the entrance). It took forever for a bus to show up and we just didn’t make it on (which was fine for me as that meant we could sit on the next one), but then that bus just sat there for ~10 min as the driver couldn’t get the door to close correctly. I’m sure everybody onboard was more frustrated than we were. Much applause ensued when it finally chugged away, and the next bus came considerably more quickly. A couple with a ~4yo(?) ended up in front of me on the bus and the child was throwing a small tantrum about wanting a seat. The parents were dealing as best they could with a child that I’m sure was very tired. The mom even sat on the floor (this was the part of the bus that had a step up) and invited the kid to sit too, but she was having none of it. Should I have gotten up and offered the seat? Yes. Did I? No. *sigh*