The Darling Family Takes on Marathon Weekend: Jan at the Boardwalk Villas

[dismagiclover]

to a Darling Family trip report. I’m happy to have old friends here and happy to have new friends join me. This trip was a dream come true for me. I’d often dreamed of running a marathon, but never really thought I could do it. However, I’m not getting any younger so I decided now was the time to tackle one of the biggies on my bucket list. So I hatched a plan (always a bit scary when I do that). The whole Darling family would come with me and each of us would take part in marathon weekend. Medals for everyone! Along with this came our first stay at our DVC home resort, the Boardwalk villas. So last February at the 11 month mark I called up and made our reservations for a week in a 2 bedroom villa. Then last summer the official marathon training began. Training for a marathon was unlike anything I have ever done before. It was long and at times it was brutal. I am slow and some of the long runs took well over 4 hours. I kept on going though and completed the training. January arrived and I would soon be a marathoner! Before we get to all of that though let me introduce the cast. Here are my four favorite people in my favorite place.

The guy dressed like Peter Pan is my DH. He is not as big of a Disney lover as myself, but don’t let him fool you. He really is Peter Pan in his heart.

This is me (Jenny).

So no suspense here. Yes I finished the race and got the medal.

This is Wendy.

She is my beautiful 10 year old that is trying really hard to grow up.

Here is John.

This is my fellow Disney lover. He just gets it. He is a kind hearted 8 year old boy that loves his video games.

This is Michael. Michael can be a challenge to us all (as you will see during this report.) Or he can be clever or determined or full of joy. All within a 2 minute span.

So that is the Darling family. Here are links to previous trip reports if you are interested.

The June 2009 Beach Club Trip: Huggin Ewoks and Finding Peter Pan

2010 Half Marathon Trip: Yes it does snow in Disney World

June 2010: When are the Parents Showing Up?

October 2010 Halloween Trip to Neverland

As for this one: Let’s get this started!

Day 1: Our Arrival

Day 2: Chef Mickey's
The Expo
The Mickey Mile
Downtown Disney
My Birthday Evening

Day 3: The Half Marathon
A Little Epcot
Our Afternoon and Evening in Epcot

Day 4: The Marathon Begins
The Road to the Magic Kingdom
Running Through the Magic Kingdom
Finishing up the Magic Kingdom
On the Road Again
Meeting Some Friends at the Animal Kingdom
The Rest of Darling Family's Morning
Approaching Mile 20
On to Hollywood Studios
The Final Stretch
The Finish Line
A Surrey Bike Ride
Our Post Marathon Evening

Day 5: A Hollywood Studios Morning
More Hollywood Studios
Meeting Some Old Friends
Another Epcot Evening

Day 6: Our Animal Kingdom Morning Begins
Hidden Mickeys
A Little More Animal Kingdom
An Afternoon Around the Boardwalk
Once Again Another Epcot Evening
Character Fun

Day 7: Crystal Palace for Breakfast
Morning in Fantasyland
Our Last Visit to Mickey's House
Farewell to Minnie's House
An Art History Lesson
More Magic Kingdom
Tomorrowland and a Parade
A Bit of a Shopping Spree
Our Final Epcot Evening

Day 8: Our Last Disney Morning
Goodbye Disney World

Final Thoughts

 

[Angies1274]

Yay! I'm here!!! I can't wait to read all about it!! Oh and Congrats for finishing the race!!!! Great picture with Mickey!!

 

[Dsnygrl1205]

Subbing! I would love to do the Disney Marathon one day but for now I'm sticking with half marathons. 26.2 just seems like a crazy long distance to me. But there once was a time that 13.1 seemed really long too so maybe... Can't wait to read more!

 

[mickeystoontown]

I'm here and can't wait to hear the rest!

 

[carissanboys]

Not first, but first page. I'll take it!

 

[kcandbella]

I'm here! Can't wait to read all about it!

 

[Dolce27]

I'm here. I'm sorry that I didn't meet up with you to ride to the staging area on the bus that morning like we talked about. Glad you got your medal. I like this year's medal so much more than last year's. You picked a good year to do the full.

 

[liznboys]

Great start Jenny!

 

[lovesdumbo]

Happy to find this TR. I just read your last year's report and really enjoyed it.

One of my coworkers just did the 1/2. Another coworker and very good friend wants a Donald medal. She thinks I need to do the 1/2 with her since I am a Disney fanatic and we've been to Disney together twice and know we travel well together. I will be 50 in May and just had bunion surgery on my right foot in August and on my left foot the day after Thanksgiving. My left foot is doing pretty well considering it is only 7 weeks but my right foot still hurts-doctor says it can take a year for the bone to completly heal. Still I think we are going to give it a shot. We could both use the motivation of Disney to get in shape. OH...and she wants to do the DL next September also. I had wondered if we should shoot for 2013 when she'll be 50 but I think we'd loose motivation if we didn't try for next January.

I'm anxious to read about your entire family's trip. I have DD(11), DS(10) and DD(8). My DH is not a Disney fanatic. He tolerates an annual visit but I also take the kids one at a time. I've been lucky enough to go about 3 times a year the past few years. I haven't been since July due to my surgeries. My next trip will be to celebrate my 50th. That will be childless with 2 girlfriends. I'm sure we'll have a blast! We may do a family trip this summer but haven't decided that yet.

Looking forward to hearing all about your trip!

 

[Stefy]

So joining in popcorn:

 

[DisneyDreamerMom]

Subscribing - can't wait to hear about your trip, especially with all of you taking some part in the marathon weekend!

 

[SGcruiser]

was hoping to find your marathon report. Your Half marathon report last year was so good and helped me relive it cold and all. Looking forward to all the details. Thanks for sharing

 

[dismagiclover]

Yay! I'm here!!! I can't wait to read all about it!! Oh and Congrats for finishing the race!!!! Great picture with Mickey!!

Hi Angie! Glad you made it!

Subbing! I would love to do the Disney Marathon one day but for now I'm sticking with half marathons. 26.2 just seems like a crazy long distance to me. But there once was a time that 13.1 seemed really long too so maybe... Can't wait to read more!

Welcome! If you decide you want to do a marathon you can definitely do it! All it takes is commitment to training plus a lot of time. If you can handle a war zone, you can handle a marathon. You just have to decide it's worth all of the trouble (and believe me it is some trouble.)

I'm here and can't wait to hear the rest!

Hi Lisa! I can't wait to tell you!

Not first, but first page. I'll take it!

Glad you're here. I'm not a rock star trip reporter so it's not too tough to make page 1 on my reports

I'm here! Can't wait to read all about it!

Good to see you! There is plenty to tell!

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Hi there

I caught the end of your last TR so I'm excited to be at the beginning of this one! And I love that your whole family dressed as characters from Peter Pan, so adorable! I have 3DD's, one is 11 and like you stated about your DD10, is trying to grow up too! Honestly, some days it feels like a continual onslaught of 'why can't I have a cell phone too' or 'can I wear make-up now' and so on. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to reading your TR, good for you for completing the marathon! That's a big accomplishment.

 

[MiaBella05]

joining in, can't wait to read all about your adventures!

 

[dismagiclover]

I'm here. I'm sorry that I didn't meet up with you to ride to the staging area on the bus that morning like we talked about. Glad you got your medal. I like this year's medal so much more than last year's. You picked a good year to do the full.

Hi stranger! I'm sorry too we weren't able to connect. How was your race? I hope your IT band didn't give you too much trouble!

Great start Jenny!

Thanks Liz!

Happy to find this TR. I just read your last year's report and really enjoyed it.

One of my coworkers just did the 1/2. Another coworker and very good friend wants a Donald medal. She thinks I need to do the 1/2 with her since I am a Disney fanatic and we've been to Disney together twice and know we travel well together. I will be 50 in May and just had bunion surgery on my right foot in August and on my left foot the day after Thanksgiving. My left foot is doing pretty well considering it is only 7 weeks but my right foot still hurts-doctor says it can take a year for the bone to completly heal. Still I think we are going to give it a shot. We could both use the motivation of Disney to get in shape. OH...and she wants to do the DL next September also. I had wondered if we should shoot for 2013 when she'll be 50 but I think we'd loose motivation if we didn't try for next January.

I'm anxious to read about your entire family's trip. I have DD(11), DS(10) and DD(8). My DH is not a Disney fanatic. He tolerates an annual visit but I also take the kids one at a time. I've been lucky enough to go about 3 times a year the past few years. I haven't been since July due to my surgeries. My next trip will be to celebrate my 50th. That will be childless with 2 girlfriends. I'm sure we'll have a blast! We may do a family trip this summer but haven't decided that yet.

Looking forward to hearing all about your trip!

Congratulations on your decision to go for the Donald! Honestly committing to do it is a huge part of the battle. And you won't regret it. Hopefully your body can heal quickly. There are several of us on this report that have done Disney races so don't hesitate to ask questions and get advice. We all have plenty of it to share (but always remember you get what you pay for.)

So joining in popcorn:

It's my favorite English DIS friend! I thought of you when we saw all the Gunner stuff in the UK store. (We even bought a Gunners' ball. Plus some Hob Nobs of couse.)

Subscribing - can't wait to hear about your trip, especially with all of you taking some part in the marathon weekend!

Welcome! It was such a fun trip with everyone doing a race. Stories to tell about all the races!

was hoping to find your marathon report. Your Half marathon report last year was so good and helped me relive it cold and all. Looking forward to all the details. Thanks for sharing

You are good for my ego! Hopefully this report will be as fun as last year's report. The race was twice as long so I should have twice as much to tell!
It will be interesting to see how long I can drag it out

 

[dismagiclover]

Hi there

I caught the end of your last TR so I'm excited to be at the beginning of this one! And I love that your whole family dressed as characters from Peter Pan, so adorable! I have 3DD's, one is 11 and like you stated about your DD10, is trying to grow up too! Honestly, some days it feels like a continual onslaught of 'why can't I have a cell phone too' or 'can I wear make-up now' and so on. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to reading your TR, good for you for completing the marathon! That's a big accomplishment.

Welcome! I'm glad to have you along from the start. I love those Peter Pan pictures too! That was such a fun weekend! I hear you about the constant battle to keep them from growing up too fast. She really wants a phone, but I don't see that coming anytime soon. And the makeup thing is an issue too. The other day I looked at her and it looked like she had lipstick on. I asked her about it and she showed me the stuff and it clearly says, "lip gloss" on the tube. It sure doesn't look like lip gloss! I just rolled my eyes. I guess you pick your battles.

joining in, can't wait to read all about your adventures!

So glad you are here! Lots of adventures to share!

 

[burly]

Hi! I'm in too. Love reading your trip reports...



KIM

 

[dismagiclover]

Hi! I'm in too. Love reading your trip reports...

KIM

Welcome! Glad you made it!

 

[dismagiclover]

Departure day had arrived. However since the kids had school we weren’t departing until late afternoon. So DH headed off to work, the kids headed off to school and I finished packing. Eventually DH made it home from work and we headed to school to pick up the kids. Then it was straight to the airport where there was barely a line at security. We found our gate, bought some pretzels and water then settled in for the wait. Here are the Darling children.

And here is DH.

Do you see something fishy here? DH is as far away from the kids as he can get. Shortly after this I sent the kids over to sit by their dad. It wasn’t too long before we were in the air. The flight going down was full of runners. You could spot them by their shoes. (Most runners wear their running shoes on to the plane because that is one thing you don’t want the airlines to lose.) Wendy and I sat next to a girl going down for her first half. It was fun to talk with her. After landing we headed to the Magical Express line. No need to stop at the luggage carousels. We hopped on the bus and before long we were seeing the Disney sign. No picture this trip, but it was the 1st time I’d seen the sign in the dark. It looked pretty all lit up. After a quick stop at Riverside we arrived at Boardwalk villas. As we walked in the lobby I noticed the Christmas decorations! Very exciting that they were still up. Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures figuring I’d get some later. The next morning, however, they were all gone. So here are some pictures I borrowed from another thread. (They were obviously taken in the daytime.)

After checking in I sent DH up to the room with Michael so that he could call bell services for our Garden Grocery delivery. Then Wendy, John and I headed out to the Boardwalk Bakery to pick up dinner. It was cold out this night. We all shivered a bit and hoped this wasn’t a sign of things to come. After getting our sandwiches we headed up to our room. Another thing I didn’t take were room pictures. (I know I’m a bid DISer, but I was honestly pretty distracted the first 3 days of the trip. All I could think about was the upcoming 26 miles I was running. I was absolutely terrified.) So here are some pictures I took of the model we toured last summer. Our room looked exactly like this.

The Master Bedroom

The Master Bath

The 2nd bedroom

The fold out sofa in the 2nd bedroom. Wendy slept here.

The 2nd bedroom bath and vanity

The 2nd bedroom kitchenette (which we never used)

The living room (with the DVC guide watching a soccer game last summer)

The kitchen (which we used for breakfast)

And a cute detail that made me smile

We had a standard view and I never even took a picture of our view (though the balcony was very good sized. It basically just overlooked the front of the resort and the bus stop. We could also see the high fireworks from Illuminations. Nothing spectacular, but the points for standard view are a bargain. It was cold enough we wouldn't have spent much time on the balcony anyway. We decided though that if we ever stayed in the summer it would be nice to have a Boardwalk view.

We absolutely loved the spaciousness of our 2 bedroom villa. My only minor complaint about the room has to do with the kitchen table. When we stayed in Kidani the table was large enough to seat all 5 of us. This table only had 2 chairs and then seating for 2 at the bar. Since the room can sleep up to 8 I thought the table seating was not quite adequate. However, we weren't having sit down dinners so it wasn't a big deal. Other than that there was space for everyone plus if someone wanted to nap there was still plenty of space for everyone else to hang out. It is going to be hard to ever go back to anything smaller. Anyway after our quick dinner (which was adequate, but nothing spectacular) I sent the kids off to bed. DH and I stayed up a bit waiting for the luggage, but we were tired. I called down to bell services and they told me they would just leave the luggage in the room if we didn’t answer the door. So we dead bolted the studio door (the kids’ room) and headed to bed hoping our luggage would be there in the morning.