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

[dismagiclover]

I actually like that Mountain Rescue shirt! (But not the reason your DH bought it.)
The stuffed Yeti is totally funny.
I still have never been on Expedition Everest. It kills me because I love coasters but none of my kids is tall enough...yet!

Amanda

It's tough getting on the thrill rides when the kids are little. We still don't go that often because we have to trade off. This time it worked out well for Michael because he found his Mr. Puff Puff (the Yeti) in the store.

I will finally get to ride EE this fall! I am SO excited!

Oh, and the yeti is adorable!

EE is a fun coaster. You will love! That yeti seems to be very popular.

I totally sympathize with Wendy's FOB! I'm not sure if it was the movie "The Birds" that did it for me or what...do NOT show her that movie! I think maybe I could handle FOW though, as long as a bunch of them aren't flying around at the same time!

I really wanted to try Flame Tree, but it was so hot we all decided to eat indoors. Maybe this trip if the weather cooperates. That Yeti is too cute, I may have to bribe Bella with one of those if she will try EE (assuming she makes 44 inches, she's 42 right now).

I never plan on showing Wendy "The Birds." That would encourage her FOB even more We were going to try Flame Tree a couple of summers ago, but didn't because it was too hot. We ended up at Pizzafari instead. I can tell you Flame Tree was so much better! We will probably even endure the summer heat to eat there next time.

I've got to tell you, your marathon story has so inspired me. I've been working out a lot lately, but have never been a runner. Your TR has inspired me to try. I printed out a plan to complete a 5K in 8 weeks. If I do that, I'll take it from there. I don't know if I could ever do a marathon, but I might be up for some day trying a half. The Disneyworld Princess Half Marathon might be fun! It would be right around my 39th birthday.

So I'm rambling, but I just wanted to let you know how inspiring your report has been. Congratulations.

Thank you so much! I'm so excited that you're going to do a 5K! Running is such a great thing for me. I'm not kidding when I say it keeps me sane (well sanity is relative, right) The Princess Half is a great goal to look towards. You'll be amazed at how much you're capable of!

 

[3prettyprincesses]

How cool was that Flights of Wonder show? It looks like great! Although, it's a shame you didn't know about Wendy's FOB beforehand.

Wow, that bald eagle is HUGE! I had no idea just how large a bird they are, wow.

Awww, your photopass pics came out awesome! Very cute.

That stuffed animal Yeti was cute! All of DD's thought so as well. But it is funny that he's supposed to be terrifying but apparently not when he's a stuffed animal.

Don't you just love AK? I do. It's a gorgeous park and it looks like you all had a great time soaking it all in.

 

[dismagiclover]

How cool was that Flights of Wonder show? It looks like great! Although, it's a shame you didn't know about Wendy's FOB beforehand.

Wow, that bald eagle is HUGE! I had no idea just how large a bird they are, wow.

Awww, your photopass pics came out awesome! Very cute.

That stuffed animal Yeti was cute! All of DD's thought so as well. But it is funny that he's supposed to be terrifying but apparently not when he's a stuffed animal.

Don't you just love AK? I do. It's a gorgeous park and it looks like you all had a great time soaking it all in.

The show was lots of fun! And the bald eagle is a very majestic bird (much more so than the Turkey which was Ben Franklin's choice for our national bird.) That stuffed Yeti seems to be a big hit with the under 12 crowd AK is such a great park, but it really does need to be taken slowly to really enjoy it.

 

[dismagiclover]

We arrived back at the Boardwalk and the kids insisted it was plenty warm for swimming. I figured the pool was heated so we would give it a try. Everyone changed into their suits and we headed down to the pool so the kids could get thrown up by a clown. Of course that is the first thing they wanted to do. Here is one of them coming out of the slide.

They all seemed to think it was fun, but it was too cold for them to get out of the water and do it again. It was too cold for me to get in the water at all so I was perfectly happy taking a few pictures and reading my book.

As you can tell there were a few other brave souls in the pool, but not too many. This pool isn’t real big though. I bet it gets super crowded in the summer months. The kids had some fun in the pool, but they made sure to stay in the water.

I think the kids made it close to an hour in the pool before they all decided they were cold enough. We raced back up to the room and changed into warmer clothes. Our next activity was something Michael had really been looking forward to. We headed out and walked towards the Swan & Dolphin. It was a short trip to our destination.

Yes we came all the way to Disney World and Michael wanted to miniature golf. He’d wanted to do this the last couple of trips, but those were summer trips and I had no interest in miniature golfing on a summer afternoon in Florida. So I’d promised him we would try it out this trip. Three were a few other golfers on the course, but it definitely wasn’t crowded. Here are a few shots of the course.

Here is a shot that shows my kids’ miniature golfing technique.

Their technique is basically we all hit the ball at the same time as many times as we need to until it goes in the hole. They don’t really know how to keep score. If they ever play miniature golf with anyone else they may be in for a bit of a rude awakening. Here are a few more pictures.

Here is the final hole.

Wendy found a cute hat to try on.

This was a pleasant way to spend an hour and somehow we got a great DVC discount so that we only paid $17 for everyone but me to golf. (I continued my role as crappy photographer.) I don’t think this course would be worth it to play full price for. I actually think Disney missed the mark on this one. The course was nothing special. Pretty basic. As DH put it, “You aren’t golfing through windmills.” I also don’t understand why they didn’t use a brighter color scheme. I can’t say we’ll never come back because Michael enjoyed himself quite a bit. I think we will try the other miniature golf place over by Blizzard Beach before we try this one again though. Anyway with miniature golf checked off our list we had an ADR to get to. Anyone want to take a guess where?

 

[20thingamabobs]

I have to agree that the Fantasia mini golf is a little disappointing. And, you're in big trouble if you play late at night and the parks close while you're there... This happened to us. We walk to the Boardwalk and waited FOREVER for a bus to Downtown Disney but it was so late that the bus picked up the three parties that were waiting and then individually drove us to each of our desitinations. It was really nice of him but I felt bad. Needless to say, we'll be trying the one by Blizzard Beach (early in the day) next time.

P.S. You should REALLY do the Wine & Dine half with us! I just booked my room this morning!

 

[mickeystoontown]

I'm certainly glad that I didn't miss this update because we had thought about giving this miniature golf course a try next trip. Sounds like we need to try the one near Blizzard Beach instead. At least it didn't cost you an arm and a leg to play.

 

[dismagiclover]

I have to agree that the Fantasia mini golf is a little disappointing. And, you're in big trouble if you play late at night and the parks close while you're there... This happened to us. We walk to the Boardwalk and waited FOREVER for a bus to Downtown Disney but it was so late that the bus picked up the three parties that were waiting and then individually drove us to each of our desitinations. It was really nice of him but I felt bad. Needless to say, we'll be trying the one by Blizzard Beach (early in the day) next time.

P.S. You should REALLY do the Wine & Dine half with us! I just booked my room this morning!

I didn't think about resort transportation if you played late at night. I can see where that would be a problem because you can't go back through Epcot. Even if you could that would be a long walk. I don't think the Wine & Dine is going to happen. I'm pretty sure I'm going to run the Baltimore Half which is also in October. I just can't get excited about a race that would end after midnight.

I'm certainly glad that I didn't miss this update because we had thought about giving this miniature golf course a try next trip. Sounds like we need to try the one near Blizzard Beach instead. At least it didn't cost you an arm and a leg to play.

Fantasia Garden was very convenient to us because of the location, but the course by Blizzard Beach looks much better themed. (I think it's Christmas themed.)

 

[GoldfishPond]

Hi! Don't normally post a lot around here but just wanted to say I always enjoy reading your trip reports and congrats on the marathon! That's awesome! I also ran the WDW Marathon this January (also my first marathon ever) so reading it brought back all the joy and pain of the experience... haha.

Great so far and I'm planning to run in 2012 too so hope to see you there!

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

sounds like a fun afternoon! We always loved Fantasia Gardens! When I was little we played BB one once and my parents didn't like it so we never went back. I never went to BB when I worked/lived in FL so I guess I should go and try it sometime! I think as an AP holder we get 50% off which is great. I too would not pay full price!

 

[dismagiclover]

Hi! Don't normally post a lot around here but just wanted to say I always enjoy reading your trip reports and congrats on the marathon! That's awesome! I also ran the WDW Marathon this January (also my first marathon ever) so reading it brought back all the joy and pain of the experience... haha.

Great so far and I'm planning to run in 2012 too so hope to see you there!

Thank you so much for posting! Congratulations on your marathon too! It is quite the experience isn't it. Hard to realize what it is like until you actually do it. You are doing it again in 2012 Are you going to go Goofy? I'm just going to do the half in 2012. It falls on my 40th birthday so I have to run it, right? Then we are leaving for a cruise on the Disney dream on Sunday. I haven't completely ruled out doing Goofy someday. I'll just have to gear myself up for all of the training again.

sounds like a fun afternoon! We always loved Fantasia Gardens! When I was little we played BB one once and my parents didn't like it so we never went back. I never went to BB when I worked/lived in FL so I guess I should go and try it sometime! I think as an AP holder we get 50% off which is great. I too would not pay full price!

Maybe it was an AP discount we got instead of a DVC one. Cause it seems like we got tons off. I just always pull out my DVC card, my AP and my Disney Visa and ask them if there are any discounts. Good thing they are used to seeing us crazy Disney obsessed people

 

[GoldfishPond]

Thank you so much for posting! Congratulations on your marathon too! It is quite the experience isn't it. Hard to realize what it is like until you actually do it. You are doing it again in 2012 Are you going to go Goofy? I'm just going to do the half in 2012. It falls on my 40th birthday so I have to run it, right? Then we are leaving for a cruise on the Disney dream on Sunday. I haven't completely ruled out doing Goofy someday. I'll just have to gear myself up for all of the training again.

I think I'm just going to do the full marathon again. I'm not up for the Goofy... yet. I want to get some more half marathons under my belt before attempting that. Congrats again and I can't wait to read more!

 

[norybell]

Isn't it amazing, how brave kids can be when it comes to cold weather and swimming? At the WL this January, I'd be wearing around with a sweater, and jacket, a scarf, and a hat, shivering like crazy, and I'd walk past kids in the pool! I'm sure it felt much warmer in the water, but the whole idea of those clothes-less moments before and after?

I don't know why, but for some reason I'm kind of dying to play mini golf at Disney. I haven't played it -- anywhere -- in so many years, it seems so fun!

 

[liznboys]

You should try Winter Summerland some time. We played the winter course there, it's so cute, especially at Christmastime. We also got a hefty discount using our AP! Love that!

 

[Stefy]

Sorry about the Arsenal game today. DH is pretty bummed. Wendy may end up being a photographer. Flame tree has now become the restaurant of choice at the AK.

Its a shame they lost, but they go through their good streaks and bad so...

Great update, looks like a great day by the pool and then golfing. I've heard that the other course is alot better and has the usual crazy golf holes you would expect. Maybe try that one next time

 

[Hooked On The Mouse]

Hi, I've been reading along on your trip report and really enjoying it. Your family is so cute and I'm in complete awe of your marathon experience!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Looks like a fun afternoon mini golfing! The discounts are pretty nice.

 

[dismagiclover]

I think I'm just going to do the full marathon again. I'm not up for the Goofy... yet. I want to get some more half marathons under my belt before attempting that. Congrats again and I can't wait to read more!

That's probably a good idea to get more racing miles under your belt before you go for the Goofy. If I ever decide to do it, it will definitely be a very relaxed couple of races. (Though I can't get too much more relaxed or I won't finish in time!)

Isn't it amazing, how brave kids can be when it comes to cold weather and swimming? At the WL this January, I'd be wearing around with a sweater, and jacket, a scarf, and a hat, shivering like crazy, and I'd walk past kids in the pool! I'm sure it felt much warmer in the water, but the whole idea of those clothes-less moments before and after?

I don't know why, but for some reason I'm kind of dying to play mini golf at Disney. I haven't played it -- anywhere -- in so many years, it seems so fun!

It does crack me up how kids will swim whenever they have the chance. I think maybe they haven't yet grasped the concept that it is fine in the water, but it will be freeeezing when they get out. Of course children can also spend hours out in the snow and not come in until they can't feel their hands anymore so maybe they are just tougher

You should try Winter Summerland some time. We played the winter course there, it's so cute, especially at Christmastime. We also got a hefty discount using our AP! Love that!

Next time we decide to mini golf at Disney World we'll do Summerland. It really does look cute. We just couldn't pass up the convenient location of Fantasia Gardens.

Its a shame they lost, but they go through their good streaks and bad so...

Great update, looks like a great day by the pool and then golfing. I've heard that the other course is alot better and has the usual crazy golf holes you would expect. Maybe try that one next time

We'll definitely try the other course if we do it again. Maybe we'll combine it with a day at the water parks sometime.

Hi, I've been reading along on your trip report and really enjoying it. Your family is so cute and I'm in complete awe of your marathon experience!

Welcome! Thank you so much. I'm actually a bit in awe of myself for completing the marathon too.

Looks like a fun afternoon mini golfing! The discounts are pretty nice.

Those are some great AP discounts! Especially because I thought it would just be the normal 10% off.

 

[dismagiclover]

We were off to dinner at Epcot again. Have you noticed a pattern here? That is one of the reasons we love the Epcot resorts so much. You are within walking distance of lots of great restaurants. Tonight our ADR was for the Coral Reef. Michael was not in a walking mood. There was lots of whining and dragging his feet. The other kids and I were ahead of him and DH stayed back to keep him moving. He did his usual “I can’t walk another second or I’m going to die” routine. This next shot is blurry, but he is in the middle of his routine.

Meanwhile I enjoyed the lovely view.

Then I believe a comment was called back to Michael that indicated he was losing. So what did he do?

I guess walking is going to kill him, but running is no problem. Once he realized the losing comment was a ploy to get him moving he did this.

I just kept on walking. Then I saw this which was kind of fun.

After much torture on Michael’s part we eventually made it to Coral Reef. John, Michael and I had been here before, but this was a first for Wendy and DH. We had to wait quite a while for our table. When the boys and I ate here last summer we sat right by the tank and loved it. This time we were up higher and the experience wasn’t nearly as good. I don’t particularly remember the food so it was probably fine. The meal did seem to drag out for longer than we would have liked though. This is what the boys were doing when dessert finally showed up.

Wendy took a picture of her dessert for you.

We didn’t dislike this meal, but I didn’t enjoy it near as much as I did last summer. The seating really makes a difference and I don’t think they ever seat 5 at the tables by the aquarium. So we probably won’t be back anytime soon. Anyway we woke up the boys and headed out. There was something I really wanted to do. I wanted pictures of all of us with our medals with the characters. This was the first time since my race that we’d ventured over to Future World and the Character Connections was calling our name. The wait wasn’t bad at all (plus those nifty cartoons really help.) We took plenty of pictures with the Big Cheese this evening.

Think we got enough with Mickey? Stay tuned to see shots with the rest of the gang.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Oh my goodness, poor Michael. He's having to walk again? Why oh why are you making him walk?

Too bad you guys weren't seated closer to the tank at Coral Reef. We have been seated up near the top of the restaurant each time we have been there and I didn't think it was too bad....but it definitely could have been better.

The boys must have been pooped to have gone to sleep before desserts came. At least they were well rested when it came time to meet the Big Cheese himself.

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

Nice update! We're eating at CR in a few weeks so we'll see how it goes for us! My brother and I went in Aug and we sat on the very top which we've never gotten before and it was nice but you're right, right by the glass is hard to beat!