We all know that Walt Disney World is a pretty awesome place with four parks, two water parks and over 25 Disney resort options. There is lots to do and see and experience!
With that being said, Disneyland is pretty awesome right now as well! We even have a few new experiences that Walt Disney World doesn’t have! So I decided that I would write a little bit about what I know from experience at Disneyland and what I’m looking forward to for the remainder of 2017!
Max Pass is a GO!
The Disneyland resort launched MaxPass in July (much to the dismay of many California residents) and I LOVE IT!
MaxPass is an electronic fast pass system based in the Disneyland mobile app. Visitors can pay a $10 per person per day fee and have access to fast pass availability on their smart phones. Disneyland still offers the kiosk fast pass option with the cards as they have done in the past, but now fast passes are linked to your park ticket and the kiosk cards are just a reminder of the time. Unlike Walt Disney World, where you can choose up to three in advance, MaxPass only allows one choice every 90 minutes.
If you’re a Disneyland Annual Passholder with a signature pass level or higher, the best news is that it’s all free for you! Have you experienced MaxPass? What do you think of it?
I helped free the Guardians of The Galaxy from the Collector’s museum!
You say Tower of Terror and I say Tower of what? Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout opened in May of this year and IT’S AWESOME! The plot behind the attraction is you helping Rocket rescue the Guardians of the Galaxy from the collector’s collection. While the ride experience is the same as Tower of Terror, the queue is all new and there is a ton of production behind the story line. There are 6 different production which you can experience if you’re willing to wait in multiple lines. Get ready to rock out with Rocket and help him out because his hands don’t scan! Check out the video of the pre-show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c32Mt6oEB8
(Photo via Mouseplanet)
Want more awesomeness? They have added a whole new production for the Halloween season called Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark! Find out what happens when the other “collections” go loose in Tivan’s gallery! I’ve done it but I’ve promised Rocket I’ll keep it quiet until all of the guardians are safely out of the building.
RunDisney came back in a BIG way!
If you have read some of our previous articles, then you might know that the Neverland Press team are big fans of RunDisney. With the disappointing Tinkerbell Half Marathon weekend race experience and the lack of information regarding the 2018 Star Wars – Light Side race weekend, it had appeared that Run Disney west coast was about to crash and burn. So I was a little skeptical of what was going to happen during the Disneyland half weekend. While there is no official word on Light Side yet (as of 10/13/17), the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!
This year, RunDisney decided to celebrate Pixar with an Incredibles themed 5k, a Monsters University 10k and a Toy Story themed half marathon. As big fan of the Toy Story franchise, I was in heaven.
During the Tinkerbell half weekend, RunDisney decided to cut the character stops or turn them into “selfie stops”. Naturally this caused an uproar with the runners, so they added a few as the weekend went on during each race. During the Disneyland half weekend, the character interactions were everywhere! From Pixar Play parade floats and dancers to Mike, Sully, Roz photo stops and Toy Story characters, great courses and even a run through Angel’s Stadium, the spirit of Pixar was everywhere!
The weather left a lot to be desired with extremely hot temperatures all weekend and even moving to “red flag” status during the half marathon (which is one step shy of cancelling the race) as the morning got hotter. But from the expo to the medals to the awesome announcing team (with amazing costumes this year I might add), we all had an amazing time and this will go down as probably my second favorite RunDisney event.
Our fabulous race announcer Andrea Kooiman!Team Shenanigans celebrates an amazing weekend!
This is Halloween, this is Disneyland Halloween!
Twas the nightmare before Christmas and all throughout the house, not a creature was peaceful… not even a mouse!
Sorry Florida! Haunted Mansion Holiday belongs to California (and Tokyo) and it’s BEAUTIFUL!! Since 2001, each year as we approach Halloween, Disneyland dramatically transforms the Haunted Mansion into a Christmas wonderland for Jack Skellington and tells the tale of Sandy Claws!
From a distance, it’s difficult to tell that there has been an overlay added to the regular Haunted Mansion attraction. But when you get close to the mansion and see the exterior décor and interior sets that have been replaced, it’s like an entirely new attraction! There is even an entirely different queue which sets the tone for Jack’s adventure.
Every aspect of the Nightmare Before Christmas story line is included in some form on the attraction. Sally, Zero and even Oogie Boogie make a few appearances. One of my favorite parts of the ride is the ballroom scene. They add a gingerbread scent as your doom buggy passes over the joyous holiday chaos happening below and the one of a kind gingerbread house on the center table.
(Photo courtesy of the Disneyparks Blog)
The Haunted Mansion Holiday attraction will be open in Disneyland until very early January 2018!
Well that’s all folks! Stay tuned to part 2 of my Disneyland update to see what’s happening over at Space Mountain and how Cars land and California Adventure celebrates Halloween! Oh yeah.. Christmas season is coming too!! I’m so excited!
One piece of runDisney advice that you always hear is “take it easy at the parks the day before a race”. This is the thing that I struggle with the most – I love being at the parks so much that it’s difficult for me to leave and go rest, even when I know I’m going to have to wake up in the middle of the night multiple days in a row. The day before the 10k, I had to see Rivers of Light (article on that coming soon!), even though that meant only getting about 3 hours of sleep. I got up at 2:30 a.m. to make sure I was on one of the first buses. My costume for the 10k was another mashup – Leia Poppins. Two ladies that I adore, and I’d never seen them done together.
Dark Side 10k
The pre-race area was much like the day before, with the same characters and backdrops. I decided to get in line for Jabba the Hut, since a lot of the other lines were really long. The line moved quickly since this isn’t an actual character, and I even ran into some friends who were waiting in the next line over.
After that, I stopped by to say a quick hello to my teammates from Team Shenanigans, and then I was off to my corral. I would be starting in B (corrals were A-F), and I was initially disappointed that I didn’t get there in time to be toward the front. However, I ended up having a really fun experience because of this! Due to the new system of releasing the corrals in mini waves, volunteers split the corral in half, and I was directly behind the ribbon they used to separate us from the front half! I helped carry the ribbon to the starting line (they even told us to step up to the line), and I was on the very front row when we were released! It was SO cool to start a race and have absolutely no one in front of me! I probably took off too fast, but I couldn’t contain my excitement.
The race started in the parking lot of the TTC. We ran through the back side of the Magic Kingdom toll booths (I always love seeing that sign!) and down World Drive. There was some construction, and I found some areas to be a little dark, but the first three miles passed quickly. I didn’t stop for any characters, because they were all repeats of the day before. There was a marching band playing Star Wars music, R2-D2, the Emperor’s Chair, and Sabine Wren and Ezra Bridger. Finally I found a character that hadn’t been at the 5k: Darth Maul! I’ve gotten pictures with him before, but I was so relieved to have found a new character that I decided to stop.
We entered Hollywood Studios by Tower of Terror, and in the Fantasmic area, there were lots of cosplayers! They were amazing. I snapped a few selfies and then hopped into a line to get a picture with Jango and Boba Fett. Coming down the street to head out, there were some storm troopers with a very minimal line, so I stopped again.
We headed out of the studios and down the path to the Boardwalk. I stopped again to hop on the speeder bike (I can’t resist these – I wish they’d make a ride using them!).
The sun was beginning to rise at this point, and it was beautiful! Some of my teammates were cheering at the bottom of the bridge, and seeing them (and getting one of Anita’s legendary caramels) was just the boost I needed.
Chewbacca was in the same spot as he’d been the morning before, right before the gate to enter World Showcase, but I didn’t stop again. I ran the short distance through Epcot and toward the finish line.
This is the second runDisney 10k where I have felt like the first 3 miles were fairly boring, but the second half was a blast. After finishing the race, I rushed back to my resort so I could quickly clean up and head off to breakfast with some teammates.
Dark Side Half Marathon
I got to bed slightly earlier the night before the half. My family stayed at the Magic Kingdom to watch Wishes one last time, and I headed back (I was a little sad to miss it, but I got to hear and see part of it on my walk to the bus stop).
Before I knew it, it was 2:00 a.m. and my alarm clock was going off. Today I’d be running as Belle Fett – complete with a wig. I wasn’t sure how 13.1 miles would go in a wig, especially with the heat.
I got to the pre-race area and immediately headed for the Boba Fett line. That was my mandatory photo stop of the day! After that, I met up with some other ladies who were also doing mashups with Boba Fett – there were some great and extremely creative costumes! After standing in an extremely long line for the porta-potties, I headed into my corral – I was starting in D this time.
This was a new race course for runDisney. We started in the same place as the day before, and ran past the marching band and the toll booths. Then we headed down Bear Island Road. I passed up R2-D2 again, and then in the midst of mile 2, we encountered a battle. There were lighting effects coming from the woods on either side, sound effects, and music. In the dark, it really looked and sounded like a battle – it was awesome!
Around mile 2.6 were the Ewoks again! I didn’t stop, but I was happy for friends who had missed them at the 5k. My first photo stop ended up being the trash compacter backdrop. I spotted some teammates exiting it while I was in line, so I caught up to them when I was done, and ran with them for a little while.
We briefly ran through Animal Kingdom – we entered backstage and then ran through Asia and back out by Dinoland. There were a lot of cosplayers in the backstage area where we exited. I was disappointed that we didn’t get to run by the Tree of Life. Running by it at Wine & Dine while the Awakenings played on it was such a cool experience!
Next up: the Animal Kingdom parking lot! There was a photo op here for the Hoth ice cave. I love this one! My teammates weren’t going to stop, so I broke off from the group to get in line. I’m endlessly entertained by this picture!
The next few miles were on the highway, but I did run into Mulan Fett, which was as good as a character stop!
We passed Darth Maul and entered Hollywood Studios at the same place, and I was disappointed to see that the cosplayers weren’t there today. The storm troopers were in the same spot, and there was no wait, so I stopped. Then it was on to the Boardwalk, which is always a boost because of the crowds.
We entered Epcot and I stopped for my own photo shoot with the Belle & Beast topiaries. I enjoyed running around World Showcase, and I made one last character stop before the finish line – cosplayers dressed as Chewbacca and Princess Leia.
At the finish area, volunteers were passing out cooling towels and insisting that water or Gatorade be opened and runners start hydrating before leaving.
Thoughts on running in a wig: it was HOT. Several times, I lifted the back and attempted to dump some water on my head during the half. I also left it unsnapped for part of the race because it was so tight (I have a large head, okay?) that it was giving me a headache. I also had a slight mishap when I tried to take my headphones off to enjoy the music in Epcot. My headphones got caught in the hair and I couldn’t get them out. I had to just run with them tangled in the wig for the last portion, but luckily you couldn’t see it in the pictures. Would I wear a wig again? Absolutely! It was fun and added so much to the costume.
If you’re a Star Wars fan, I highly recommend this race weekend. The costumes are fun, the camaraderie between runners is a lot of fun, and runDisney listened to complaints and improved this weekend over last year. My only complaint is that I would like to see more variety in characters from day to day. There are so many to choose from! Overall, I loved the race and hope to be back again next year!
As a huge Star Wars fan, I love the Dark Side race weekend. I participated in all three races last year, and couldn’t wait to run them all again this year. The characters, the costumes, the music – I love the whole atmosphere!
Health & Fitness Expo
The weekend officially started on Thursday, April 20th, with the Health and Fitness Expo. I arrived at the expo about an hour before it opened, and was not surprised to find lines to already be long. One of my Team Shenanigans teammates arrived shortly after I did, so I joined her in line and the time passed quickly. I also realized that the woman in front of us was the same person that I chatted with in line at the expo in January! It really is a small world.
The doors opened about 30 minutes early, and we headed inside to see the merchandise (which was not shown in advance this time). I was able to quickly get everything I wanted and then headed over to grab my bib and shirts. All of the shirts were in the same building as the bibs this time, so there was no going back and forth. It ran very smoothly – no complaints from me about this expo! There were also more refreshment stations set up than I have seen in the past. There was one on the expo floor, and then a “Cantina” set up near the exit, serving drinks and snacks, and also a rather pricey Dole Whip inside of a Chewbacca mug.
Pre-Race
Race mornings at Disney start very, very early. Transportation began running for the 5k at 4:00am. I was up at 3:00 to get my costume on and be on the first bus. Mash-ups have become my thing for the Star Wars races, and I was particularly excited about my Rey-Punzel costume.
The start line of this race was in the Epcot parking lot. Just like last year, there were several backdrops with characters that were at the pre-race and post-race areas. The characters were the same each day: Boba Fett, Darth Vader, Captain Phasma, Jabba the Hut, Kylo Ren, BB-8, and a character-free Rogue One backdrop. The lines were fairly long, but I knew I wanted a BB-8 picture in my Rey costume, so that was the first line I hit. I followed it up with a picture with Kylo Ren (my least favorite Star Wars villain, but sometimes a costume just calls for a picture!). I love that they have so many characters and backdrops for this race weekend. It makes it a lot easier for runners who don’t want to stop, or aren’t able to take the extra time to wait in lines.
Runners…Set…Goooooo!
After the pictures, I headed to my corral (I was in B this time) to wait for the race to begin. If you’ve never done a runDisney event, there is a lot of waiting, and I like to be in my corral early. Once it gets close to start time, each corral will be walked (herded) from your waiting area to the start line. RunDisney is now doing smaller waves within each corral. This means that within each corral, there will be multiple starts. This spreads out the runners and helps with on-course crowding.
My plan for the 5k was to stop for every character that I was interested in. The first couple of times that I ran at Disney, I had such problems getting into a line in the middle of a race and seeing hundreds of runners pass me by. At my very first runDisney race (the Tower of Terror 10-Miler in 2014), I actually jumped out of line for my first character because I just couldn’t get out of that mindset that I should be running. Don’t worry, I got over that and now I’m all about stopping for characters!
The first characters on the course were Ewoks! I adore Ewoks, so this was a must-do for me!
I bypassed the Emperor’s Chair and before I knew it, I was heading into my favorite part of the course: World Showcase. In the dark, with music playing and torches lit. This is pure magic for me – I absolutely love it.
The next character was R2-D2, and even though the line was long, I stopped. I enjoyed seeing other costumes and chatting with runners while we waited.
The next characters were Sabine Wren and Ezra Bridger from Star Wars Rebels. I didn’t stop since I don’t watch that show, and I was anxious to see if there were any other characters before the finish line. Sure enough, there was one more. Chewy! Even though I have met him a few times at the park, I love that hairy guy and I wanted a race pic with him. His line was long and unfortunately he had to step away right when I joined. It was a few minutes before he returned, but the wait was worth it!
We ran back into Epcot just in time for a beautiful sunrise, past Spaceship Earth, and to the finish line!
I love this course. Running through Epcot is something I never get tired of doing. This 5k absolutely was a “fun run” for me – I enjoyed every minute of it!
The first time I left the kids (and the hubby, for that matter!) to go to Disney with a friend, I didn’t feel a bit guilty. I really needed it. It was the first time I had gotten away solo since my oldest was born a decade before. Like many moms, I worked two full-time jobs…one outside of the home, one in it. (And I didn’t get pay for the more demanding job-you moms can guess which one!) You could say this trip was well-deserved!
The second time I went to Disney childless (and yes, again husbandless!) I did feel a small frisson of guilt. It was Mother’s Day weekend after all, and here I was cavorting again with Mickey and Minnie, 2,000 miles away! The kids were still supportive, but not quite as much! LOL!
Character meet and greets are fun for grown-ups, too!
Before you judge me for being a terrible and self-centered mommy, you need to know that my kids haven’t wanted for much. In the last three years, they have visited Disney four times…three visits to Disney World in Florida, and one to Disneyland in California. They have more Disney tees, refillable mugs and Stitch plush than you can count!
Disney frequent flyers!
What they don’t always get is the chance to tag along for every trip-and that’s okay! Here are five guilt-free reasons why a child-free trip to Disney is THE BEST!
5. No Scheduling Snafus
During our first family trip, I mapped out our itinerary with the precision of a general executing a military drill. Not just Fastpasses and ADRs, but wake-ups, built in rest periods, pool time, travel times, staggered bedtimes…you name it. After all, the “ticking time bombs”, aka my two children, needed to be fed and watered regularly. (Didn’t I just feed you two yesterday???) Naps were a thing of the past at six and eight, but nothing can prepare you for those first exhausting rope-drop to Kiss Goodnight days at Magic Kingdom!
Crashing hard after a full day in the parks!
When I travel with my girlfriend, Tiffany, it is a totally different story! We are not “fly by the seat of our pants” travelers by any means. We still make our dining reservations religiously 180 days in advance, and Fastpasses at 60 days out. The difference? If we pack bathing suits and then decide not to swim (we never even saw the pool at Port Orleans Riverside!) no one has a meltdown! If we see a rare character that we want to meet with a ridiculously long line, we just wait! No frantically pawing through my backpack to see if I have enough Goldfish and crayons to weather the storm.
Two hour wait? Sure! All we have is time…!
Also, when I travel with my kids, they are go-go-go! They might agree to ride the PeopleMover, if only to eat a quick snack and get out of the sun for a few minutes, but people watching? No way! So when I happened to find myself alone for a few hours at Magic Kingdom, I was able to scratch something off my bucket list. A tour of Cinderella Castle? The Keys to the Kingdom Tour? you may ask. No, just a stop at the Main Street Bakery for my Iced Chai Latte to be enjoyed on the hub grass while the Festival of Fantasy parade passes by! Sometimes it’s the little things…!
Starbucks AND the castle? Yes, please!
4. Easier Dining Decisions
I was going to be the mom whose kids ate everything…and I have failed miserably! LOL! Criteria for choosing restaurants at Disney largely hinges on the question, “Can you make a grilled cheese?”. Don’t get me wrong… we have been able to take our children to some awesome restaurants. They love the buffets and can usually find something they like, especially if it’s dessert! We have been able to eat pizza at Via Napoli and cheeseburgers at Whispering Canyon Cafe. But some more grownup-oriented dining options have eluded us for sure!
Via Napoli in Epcot’s ItalyGrown-up pizza…kids ordered cheese, of course!
Traveling with other adults opens up a whole world of other possibilities! And I’m not even talking about the ultra-pricey and exclusive Victoria & Albert’s, though some day that would be lovely! Dining child-free means you can skip a meal if you want to. Or you can decide on the fly that a baked potato from Sleepy Hollow for a snack credit sounds like the perfect lunch! Or simply having the flexibility to change plans at the last minute. This happened to us when my friend woke up not feeling well one morning. I just showed up solo at Garden Grill while my friend rested… much less complicated than regrouping around a sick little one.
An intimate, solo breakfast with Dale!
Two years ago, we traveled to Disney over our 19th anniversary. We had been to ‘Ohana for breakfast with the kids, but wanted to have an adults-only celebratory dinner. You see, my daughter is a vegetarian who doesn’t eat vegetables, and my son lives on pizza, so the “meat-on-a-stick” menu wasn’t going to work for them. What’s a parent to do? We found a win/win…we booked them for the Poly’s Kid Club! (Now Lilo’s Playhouse!) They played games, made crafts, and yes…ate pizza, while we enjoyed our beef, pork and most importantly, Lapu Lapus!
Meat on a stick…yummmm!I would love a Lapu Lapu!
In addition to a host of fabulous restaurants, Epcot also has amazing food kiosks during seasonal special events. When we visited as a family during the Flower and Garden Festival, the kids were impatient and wanted sit-down meals…none of this “tapas” BS. The only special treat we were able to score was the Dole Whip with rum (which is pretty much my favorite!) so we had to settle for that. When I attended the Food & Wine Festival after running Wine & Dine, we had a veritable feast! Filet mignon and cheese soup from Canada, Apple Pie frozen cocktails in Poland…and yes, more of those delicious Dole Whip with rum floats!
Dole Whip rum floats at the Food & Wine Festival!
3. More Attractive Attractions
I’ll admit it-my kids are adrenaline junkies. They rode Tower of Terror at six and eight and never looked back. Our Fastpass selections are primarily made up of multiple coasters and they argue the merits of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios vs. California Screamin’ at California Adventure! In fairness, I love all these, too. Except maybe not for every single ride. Over and over. Until the park closes. And again the next day.
Riding Rock ‘n ‘Roller coaster…again!!
When I visit the Parks without my children, I’m able to go on some rides for the first time! We had never seen Mickey’s Philharmonic-we were too busy racing off to Big Thunder Mountain-but I wandered in one afternoon during an adults-only trip to take a break from the heat. It was fabulous! Fun, funny and very engaging…I can’t wait to take my kids now! Same with It’s Tough to Be a Bug. I had never contemplated it before because reviews suggested that kids with sensory issues may be scared. Now I know my son will love the gross-out humor! (However, I think it was a “one-and-done” for Tiffany! LOL!)
2. Run, Run runDisney Races
After running my first three runDisney challenge weekends, I wanted to get my family in on the fun. This was especially true for my at-the-time nine year-old daughter, Lola. I was so excited when my she agreed to train to run the Neverland 5K with me in Disneyland for Tinker Bell Weekend! It was a totally different story when it came time for the 3:00 a.m. wake-up call, and that was with the three hour time difference in our favor!
Pre-race face plant. Too early!!She came around eventually!
Running at least one runDisney race should be mandatory for every woman, regardless of age, shape or level of fitness. It is a once in a lifetime experience (that for many of us becomes an addiction!) that is so empowering and female-focused that it’s hard to put into words. Tiffany and I have now completed five challenge weekends together, and come back refreshed ready to resume our busy lives. Our motto? We’ll sleep when we’re dead! LOL!
Who needs sleep? We have each other!!
While I wouldn’t change my bonding experience with my daughter for anything, running a runDisney race solo or with a friend (or friends!) is an amazing experience! Getting up before the sun, seeing the Parks in a whole new way, and celebrating with champagne at the finish line are just a few of the reasons to runDisney child-free!
Cheers to my co-blogger and friend Jessica after the Wine & Dine Half!
1. Drinking Around the World
Okay, let’s face it. You can only visit so many KidCot stops in Epcot before someone realizes that you and your hubby are trying to keep the kids busy while you surreptitiously try to sample a drink in every one of Epcot’s countries! They colored multiple Duffys on sticks and had their Epcot passport books stamped while we took turns rushing around ordering Rose Margaritas in Mexico and Grand Marnier slushies in France!
Kidcot Stop in Epcot’s Norway!Passports can be purchased at Epcot-so fun!
An adults-only trip allows you a more leisurely, responsible way to indulge! Not to mention you might even get to wander in a shop or two…something I never managed to do with two kids in tow! (And it’s how I finally discovered the amazing Laila perfume in Norway!)
Tipsy Ducks in Love in Epcot’s China!Coordinating my Grand Marnier cocktail with my Cheers Sparkle Skirt!
In truth, one of the greatest joys of my life has been introducing my children to Disney…but I have to admit, an adults-only trip is a close second! Pack a carry-on bag and your lipstick and leave the Goldfish at home-you’re going to Disney! I mean-someone has to eat these lobster nachos…and I know my kids won’t!
Our fave-Lobster Nachos with fresh jalopenos!
Jacqueline lives in Southbury, CT with her husband, two children and cat. You can follow her on Instagram at @morphingintominnie.
My best friend and I wait ALL YEAR for this. Seriously, we spend 361 days putting our kids, husbands, jobs and lives first, with the carrot of these four days at Princess Half Marathon Weekend to get us through! We eat too much, drink too much, laugh too loud, log too many miles and don’t get nearly enough sleep. And then we can’t wait to do it all again the following year.
Our first Princess Weekend-February 2015!
So when I felt a sinus infection coming on about a week and a half earlier, I marched straight to the doctor. Sinus infection AND bronchitis, I was told. Not great news-but hey-I rarely get sick, and I’ll be fine by Princess! Except I wasn’t. Two days before take-off I was back, for more meds, more inhalers and a third diagnosis-walking pneumonia.
Pre-Race Huddle
The night before the 10K, my best friend, Tiffany, and I had a heart-to-heart. The 5K had gone well that morning, but my cough was getting worse, and we knew we wouldn’t get a lot of sleep (again) with a 2:00 a.m. wake-up call and a 3:30 a.m. bus ride. Luckily, we were both placed in Corral A for the 10K, so we knew we had a bit of a buffer to play it by ear if the course got tough for me. We laid out our race costumes and bibs and logged a few hours of precious shut-eye!
Corral A for the 10K, Corral D for the Half!
Corral Confidence
My doctor had given me the green light to run as long as I didn’t push it. He even said the running would make my lungs feel less tight. Fingers crossed, we looked for friends in our corral, mugged for selfies and took our signature “shadow picture”. We had coordinated our running costumes for this year’s theme-Beauty and the Beast-and were all decked out as Provincial Belle (me) and the Beast (Tiffany). What could go wrong?
Belle and Beast!Our signature shadow pic! Love our props!
The Enchanted 10K
Just like the day before at the Princess 5K, corrals were released in mini-waves and we were on our way! We always run for a solid five minutes before we start our intervals, and I felt pretty good. It was when we resumed intervals that I knew I was in trouble. As long as I was running, I was fine. It was when I stopped to walk that my body became wracked with coughing.
“Runners…set…GO!”
We passed under Moana, who was waving and encouraging us from the overpass. How Far I’ll Go was booming out over the loudspeakers, and everyone was excited and singing along. Not long after, we ran through the Welcome to Disney World tollbooths. Normally, my typically giddy self would be snapping photos and documenting every moment, but I was a bit in my head worrying about how early we were in the race, and how awful my lungs felt.
We needed a new plan-the starting and stopping was killing me. My cough was so dry that no amount of water could help me. Even my newest accessory-the inhaler in my Sparkle Skirt pocket-was of limited value. We determined that I couldn’t run intervals, and Tiffany hadn’t trained to run straight through. We were going to have to split up. Surprisingly, this upset me even more than the idea of just being compromised health-wise.
The new plan involved me running as far as I could, then taking an extended rest to recover. (Think really long intervals!) This should work, as I had recently run the Wine & Dine Half in November in 2:21, only stopping for character stops. We were hoping my rest breaks would coincide with character lines, giving Tiffany a chance to catch up and allowing us to run together for short periods of time. I raced ahead and got in line for the Old Hag from Snow White.
The panic on my face was real-and related to my health.
Well, somehow I missed Tiffany. Or she missed me. And then I had to stop at a port-a-potty. (When you are a 48 year old woman with a bad cough who’s had multiple pregnancies you realize for the first time just how important it is to keep an empty bladder! LOL!) I texted her, but it was never received. I was on my own, and heading into the World Showcase at Epcot.
Epcot’s World Showcase
Luckily, there were a few character stops not that far apart, and real bathrooms, too! I met with Pinocchio and Geppetto in Germany, then Marie from the Aristocats in France. There was also an awesome photo op with oversized champagne bottles, but I was a little out of sorts and kind of overshot it.
Photo op with Geppetto and Pinocchio!Marie in France!
As I headed into Disney’s boardwalk area, I was becoming increasingly disoriented. The cough was bad and my chest felt tight. I was still looking for Tiffany and had no idea if she was behind me or in front of me. I passed Genie in his vacation wear and decided not to stop-a rarity for me. Then I did something I had never done during a race-I took a phone call! It was Tiffany, and she had finished the race! I remember being so confused…how could I have gotten two miles behind??
At this point I was standing behind cones on the boardwalk, out of the way of other runners. In my infinite wisdom I decided this would be a great time to try a running jump for the Photopass photographer since there was no one around as I re-entered the race. It was not my best idea. LOL!
When great ideas go wrong…!
At that point I just wanted to finish and be reunited with Tiffany. I bypassed Royal Minnie (and her very long line) and stopped only for a jumping pic in front of Spaceship Earth. (This one went a little better.)
“I want adventure in the great wide somewhere…!”
I finally crossed the finish line, collected my medal and found Tiffany. She had been waiting to meet Aurora and was at the front of the line. I chugged down my meds with some Powerade and posed for the cameras! I was in Beast Mode now that we were done!
Showing off our medals to Aurora!Two medals down, two to go!
Now off to celebrate surviving the 10K! We headed straight to a pre-park opening breakfast at Akershus, where we got to meet Belle in all of our coordinating glory!
Even our Photopass photographer at Akershus was impressed with our level of detail! LOL!
But the most fun we had was reenacting the Belle and Beast topiary scene in Epcot’s France. We had to rely on the kindness of strangers, but we finally got the picture just right!
Kind of awesome when your bff has a flair for the dramatic, too…!
Princess Half Marathon
The good news-we had logged more sleep than we ever had before a Half. We were in bed by 10:00, guaranteeing us a full four hours! (Don’t laugh-this is a VAST improvement from the year before, when we closed Hollywood Studios after an evening of drinking and dancing at Club Villain and missed the last bus!) My body was also so tired from the exertions of the day that if I was coughing, I didn’t remember.
The “Ella” sisters ready for the Half-Cruella and Cinderella!
Once in the corrals, we were still debating if we should start together in E, Tiffany’s corral, or if I should get a head start by starting in D, my corral. We decided to start together, and that I would run ahead and secure our spots in the longest character lines. At least that was the plan. After the National Anthem and fireworks, Corral E was off!
I never get tired of fireworks…!
Our strategy worked well for the first few big character stops. We got to meet with Captain Jack Sparrow in front of the big pirate ship, and got a picture with the “Heroes”, too. The last few years they have included Flynn Ryder/Eugene, Prince Eric, John Smith from Pocahontas and some guy everyone debates…Hercules? We passed on meeting Princess Elena (Our Disney Jr. years are over, thank goodness!) and then went our separate ways when it was time to resume our separate paces.
Pirate photo op! Jack Sparrow and friend!The Heroes! Prince Eric, Flynn, John Smith and ???
I had every intention of pushing through. I thought about stopping for Mrs. Incredible up ahead, but was then relieved to see she was taking a break. Then I saw them-Villains! Dressed as Cruella DeVille, there was no way I was missing a photo op with both the Evil Queen and Maleficent! Waiting in the ridiculously long line, I felt a mixture of relief and panic. Relief to be in a line long enough to fully recover from the relentless coughing, and panic to be taking such a long break so early in the race.
Cruella meets the Evil Queen!Bad girls!
I slogged the rest of the way to Magic Kingdom. I couldn’t get out of my own head. It was the first time since I started running three years ago that I just simply couldn’t put in the training and show up and rely on muscle memory. While I could still take in and appreciate the magic of running down Main Street, USA, it was secondary to the internal dialogue in my head monitoring my breathing, pace and stamina. It was humbling.
Trying to stay focused and catch up to Tiffany.
Tiffany texted me to let me know she was in line for Gaston behind the castle. It gave me some focus and I hustled between miles 5-6…running through the tunnel by the Contemporary, down Main Street, USA, and through Tomorrowland without stopping. I didn’t have a second to spare-when I got there Tiffany was only two people away! Gaston made googly-eyes at her, but when it was my turn I reminded him not to waste his time on good girls. He told me that he liked my style-and we’d get along just fine. 😉
Googly eyes for Tiffany.Villains Unite!
We’d barely started running again when we came upon the Beast himself, directly in front of his restaurant, Be Our Guest! We immediately hopped in the queue-he was newly redesigned and magnificent! We’d be eating breakfast there the next morning, but the Beast only greets guests at dinner, so he’s pretty sought after, especially because of the weekend’s theme!
The Beast-one of the weekend’s guests of honor!
Now for the part of the race every Princess dreams of-running through Cinderella Castle! As we passed the carousel, we could see Frozen’s Anna, Elsa and Kristoff in the castle waving from above as Let It Go blasted through the sound system. We ran through the tunnel with more runners than we were use to, and then were rerouted one of two ways-to the front of the castle for photo ops there, or to the right for running photo ops with the castle behind you. We got front and center for the money shot!
A bit crowded through the castle!Cinderella Castle!!!
It was a bit of a let down once we wound our way around Frontierland and exited Magic Kingdom. Another six miles of highway running still stood between us and finishing the Half. The sun was up, the course was narrow and crowded, and I was feeling increasingly worse. However, runDisney still had plenty of distractions for us! We passed Vacation Genie with his golf cart, tons of cheering fans at the Grand Floridian and even the elusive glass slipper itself!
Cruella thought about stealing off with this…!
Once we passed the green army man on the big hill, it was across the overpass and on our way into Epcot! I was thrilled to be running with Tiffany, and we’d be finishing the rest of this one together! We primarily walked between miles 9-12, which felt strange. My body was sooo grateful though. Mushu was waiting for us right inside the entrance to Epcot, and he had a great reaction when I commented, “Nice fur!” as Cruella DeVille! LOL!
Mushu was a bit scared for his fur with Cruella around!
We were now in the home stretch and dug deep to run in that last mile and a half! Requisite jumping pics by Spaceship Earth, some coordinated posing, and the cutest Princess Daisy character stop we’d ever seen! The Gospel Choir at mile 13 even had me singing hallelujah! LOL! It had been a rough three days of running, but it was all worth it!
Putting on a brave face for the photogs!Love this girl!Spaceship Earth jumping shot!Princess Daisy!
For the first time ever in my short runDisney career, there were tears crossing the finish line. Tears that my body had allowed me to finish, tears that my training had held even though I hadn’t been able to run the week and a half leading up to the races, tears that I had such a supportive friend.
Never so happy to cross the finish line!
We collected our medal for the Half, then made a beeline for the Fairy Godmothers at the finish line, who were sprinkling runners with pixie dust! Next, we grabbed our Glass Slipper Challenge medals, our snack boxes and banana (phones) and headed over for a pic with Snow White.
We really earned these!Hello? Is it time for breakfast at ‘Ohana yet?Snow White was a good sport for our selfie!
We got one last surprise…we ran into the Princess Men! We met these guys when they ran two years ago, and this year they were all back (and heavily bearded!) to continue to inspire on the course! Though I could have used them earlier, it was exciting meeting them again and knowing they had their own amazing stories to tell!
#princessmen
My earlier tears quickly gave way to gratitude. I cannot tell you how much respect and admiration I have for women who run with on-going or temporary health challenges. Every mile was a conscious decision to continue, and I can’t imagine having that constantly in the forefront of my thinking. Our bodies are absolutely amazing, and I am grateful for what mine allowed me to do, not just this weekend, but every weekend.
Once I got home, much like childbirth, I conveniently forgot the worst of running 22 miles sick. Armed with four new shiny medals, two new prescriptions and more Photopass pictures than I’d care to admit, it took me less than a week to sign up for next year’s Princess’ Fairy Tale Challenge. I just hope this year I can leave the inhaler at home!
Jacqueline lives in Connecticut with her husband, two children and cat. You can follow her on Instagram at @morphingintominnie.
Want more awesomeness? They have added a whole new production for the Halloween season called Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark! Find out what happens when the other “collections” go loose in Tivan’s gallery! I’ve done it but I’ve promised Rocket I’ll keep it quiet until all of the guardians are safely out of the building.
