My 50th, my first 5K and something Fabulous - Page 2 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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A nice start to your trip and looking forward to the rest of the TR! Hope you enjoyed CSR as I always have!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
I am looking forward to reading your TR. I signed up to run my first 5K in Disney in November, our Anniversary weekend, and am now beginning training & planning the actual trip. Getting off my rear to train is proving challenging, but I'm determined to do it!
Congrats! We didn't sign up for the Wine and Dine, because we didn't know how this race would go. Now we wished we had gone ahead and done it, but all the races are full.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Great deal on CS for your stay! Of course, if Mickey waffles are available, they should be had the moment you wake up in Florida.
We love some Mickey waffles! We usually end our trips with a stop at WL for the Mickey waffle platters.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Baloo
Congrats on your first 5k for you and your family! And as someone else said, Mickey waffles are a "must do" on your first morning of a Disney vacation! (and the 2nd, and the 3rd....)
Thanks and we do try for the waffles at least once during a trip.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
I just found your trip report - great start!
Thanks! Glad you are here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperDave
A nice start to your trip and looking forward to the rest of the TR! Hope you enjoyed CSR as I always have!
We left the Hampton Inn before 11:00am and headed over to the expo. Participants are required to visit the race expo at the WDW ESPN Sports Complex the day before the races to pick up race bibs, tee shirts, and clear plastic property bags. Since this was on Thursday and our race was on Friday, we chose to keep the kids out of school on those two days. This is not a decision we made lightly, as both kids are in middle school. However, they are excellent students and I required to them to ask their teachers, in advance, if their was any class work they could bring to work on in the car. All the teachers were accommodating and there really wasn't too much work.
We had never been to the sports complex before. It's set up like a suburban downtown district. There are walkways leading into a main area where you are directed toward any number of building entrances. There's lots of brick and street lamps. Lots of race volunteers were directing people to the coliseum entrance and we quickly found our way inside. Down on the main floor, many booths and tables were set up for the participants to check in and receive their items. Everything ran smoothly and we were finished in a matter of minutes. This surprised me, because I have read what a madhouse it could be. After completing the necessary tasks, we went up to another floor to check out the merchandise. We looked at lots of Star Wars themed running attire, but left without making a purchase. We could have spent several hours touring the grounds, visiting race sponsors and Star Wars photo-ops, but decided to check in at Coronado Springs and spend the afternoon at the pool.
As we left the sports complex, we discussed lunch and decided on visiting AKL' s Mara. I got my usual falafel pita and the rest of the family ordered flatbreads and chicken nuggets. Everything was yummy and filling. After lunch, we walked through the gift shop, where I purchased allergy medicine for ds. I forgot to pack his and that is one expensive mistake I will not repeat. $13.00+ for 5 Claritin tablets! At least ds wasn't a sniffly, itchy mess the rest of the trip.
While at AKL, I received notification that our room was ready. We decided to go ahead and stop by the check-in to pick up our parking pass. At first, I wasn't too pleased by the room location. It ended up being pretty convenient to the car and the bus stop. The walk to the pool was pleasant and we just drove over to El Centro when we needed to go over there.
We found the room, unpacked and headed out to the pool for about three hours. The kids and I had a great time. Unfortunately, Dh got wrangled into a conference call with his boss and another co-worker. He stayed back at the room for about an hour and a half, before coming to find us. He bought the two of us a couple of adult drinks and we lounged for about twenty minutes, until he had to take ANOTHER call from his boss. We were quite aggrevated. This was approved vacation and my actual birthday. We couldn't spend a few hours relaxing. I won't go into how much time the boss wanted of Dh, but Dh had to let him know that our days were full and we would be out of the room. So, they made arrangements for more calls on our drive home on Sunday. I hate when he has to make calls while we are in the car. I have to remind the kids to keep quiet and to keep the volume on their electronics low. Sometimes these calls last for quite awhile. The boss did apologize for taking our vacation time, but I think that was just a gesture.
Dh was able to come swim with the kids for about twenty minutes. By then, they were done and asking about dinner. Sorry honey!
We tried Las Ventanas as a walk up and got right in! I had never even heard of this restaurant before that night. It is very small and dimly lit. I had a Ceasar salad and crab cakes. Dh had pork medallions over polenta. Ds had a huge burger and dd ordered calamari. We enjoyed our food and would probably go back.
By the time dinner was over, we were ready for bed. We had planned on an early night and I believe we were in bed before 10:00. We had to get rested for the big day!
Sounds like the overall day was good. Most WDW visitors don't go to ESPN WWOS complex as there really isn't much for transportation there unless you have a car or take a taxi. At one time there was a bus from Studios that went there. Not sure about that now!
Sorry, that your husband had to deal with work stuff on vacation! Good idea going to AKL for lunch as quite close to ESPN as are the AS resorts but better choices at AKL. I stayed at CSR in 2012 and don't remember Las Ventanas, so must be new. Glad you enjoyed it there. More choices the other mods as the resort caters to a large convention crowd!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Luke used to get those kinds of phone calls on our WDW trips, too. I was most frustrated when his boss couldn't reach Luke on his phone, so she found my number and called me. GRRRRR! Sorry your DH wasn't allowed to enjoy all his time off. Sounds like a good first day.
Phone calls from work while on Vacation are a pain I got them one time 3 days in a row wanting me to come in to work, On the 4th day my voice mail message was that I was at Jedi Training Academy and had detected a great disturbance in the force pushing me to the Dark Side The calls stopped
Caught up so far! So very cool that the whole family is doing the 5K. And even better that the kids didn't miss too much homework!
Sounds like you hit the Expo at just the right time. First thing in the morning is insane. That's when all the crazies come in and scoop up the merchandise. The lines for bibs aren't usually too bad - it's the merchandise area that gets crazy first thing! Then there's a lull right about when you were there. And then it gets busier again after work hours, 4-5pm ish.
I had to have a couple visits to Coronado to learn to appreciate it as well. First two visits didn't do much for me, but now I've grown to really like it. Hopefully you do too! But what a bummer about your DH and his work calls. That is really frustrating. And wrong!
Looking forward to more!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeL
Phone calls from work while on Vacation are a pain I got them one time 3 days in a row wanting me to come in to work, On the 4th day my voice mail message was that I was at Jedi Training Academy and had detected a great disturbance in the force pushing me to the Dark Side The calls stopped
This is AWESOME!!!
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Tanya
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Phone calls from work while on Vacation are a pain I got them one time 3 days in a row wanting me to come in to work, On the 4th day my voice mail message was that I was at Jedi Training Academy and had detected a great disturbance in the force pushing me to the Dark Side The calls stopped
Sounds like the overall day was good. Most WDW visitors don't go to ESPN WWOS complex as there really isn't much for transportation there unless you have a car or take a taxi. At one time there was a bus from Studios that went there. Not sure about that now!
Sorry, that your husband had to deal with work stuff on vacation! Good idea going to AKL for lunch as quite close to ESPN as are the AS resorts but better choices at AKL. I stayed at CSR in 2012 and don't remember Las Ventanas, so must be new. Glad you enjoyed it there. More choices the other mods as the resort caters to a large convention crowd!
We've never had a need to visit ESPN WWOS before and we were driving, so I'm not familiar with the current transportation. Las Ventanas is tucked away in the side hallway that connects the convention center to the main dining areas. Yeah, work calls = .
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
I'm surprised things went so smoothly for you, as I'd heard what a madhouse that can be as well. Result!
Yes, we were pleasantly surprised.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Luke used to get those kinds of phone calls on our WDW trips, too. I was most frustrated when his boss couldn't reach Luke on his phone, so she found my number and called me. GRRRRR! Sorry your DH wasn't allowed to enjoy all his time off. Sounds like a good first day.
Oh, that's completely unacceptable! Dh did receive several emails over the next couple of days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Sorry for the business calls for your DH! Glad you've made it to the bubble!
Overall, the trip was great! I just felt bad for Dh and his inability to just get away from all the stress from work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeL
Phone calls from work while on Vacation are a pain I got them one time 3 days in a row wanting me to come in to work, On the 4th day my voice mail message was that I was at Jedi Training Academy and had detected a great disturbance in the force pushing me to the Dark Side The calls stopped
I love it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by disney_duke
Caught up so far! So very cool that the whole family is doing the 5K. And even better that the kids didn't miss too much homework!
Sounds like you hit the Expo at just the right time. First thing in the morning is insane. That's when all the crazies come in and scoop up the merchandise. The lines for bibs aren't usually too bad - it's the merchandise area that gets crazy first thing! Then there's a lull right about when you were there. And then it gets busier again after work hours, 4-5pm ish.
I had to have a couple visits to Coronado to learn to appreciate it as well. First two visits didn't do much for me, but now I've grown to really like it. Hopefully you do too! But what a bummer about your DH and his work calls. That is really frustrating. And wrong!
Looking forward to more!
This is AWESOME!!!
It was a good family event. Good to know about our timing at the expo.. I'll remember that. The merchandise area was busy, but we weren't buying anything. I have no qualms about staying at CSR again. It was very nice. I agree about the calls! Work calls on vacation should be a big no no!
Just found your report and signing in! My old boss used to call me while on vacation and it would just totally ruin my day. Thankfully I'm on a new team now and haven't had those problems anymore Sounds like DH was able to make the most of the situation.
Just found your report and signing in! My old boss used to call me while on vacation and it would just totally ruin my day. Thankfully I'm on a new team now and haven't had those problems anymore Sounds like DH was able to make the most of the situation.
Glad you're here! What a bummer for you. I'm glad you don't have to deal with that aggravation anymore. Other than the work hiccups, Dh had a good weekend.
Sooo, Friday morning found us earlier than usual. We were awake around 4:00am and out at the bus stop by 4:30am. We weren't the first people out there, but it wasn't a big crowd. Everyone seemed awake and excited for the big event. Since the sun was still down and the bus lights were low, I really didn't pay attention to the route the driver took to Epcot. I do remember thinking we were taking some convoluted round-about way to get there. Now, I believe it's true. Dh and I commented, on the bus back to CSR, about how much shorter the trip back was, compared to getting there.
After getting off the bus at Epcot, we followed the crowds to a huge blocked off area in the parking lot. This area had a stage/screen combo. with an emcee, lots of lighting and sound equipment, side screens that projected scenes from Star Wars movies, photo-op areas with Star Wars characters and scenery, photographers, volunteers and the assigned corrals for runners.
We wandered around for a bit and watched some of the trivia and interviews on the big stage/screen. After deciding to stand in line for photos with the Stormtroopers, we walked over and were informed that the line was closed, but would be open after the race. We still had an hour until the race started. That's how long the line was.
We checked a couple of other lines and found that they were starting to close. We passed on trying other options for photos and went to our corral to wait. After hanging around for awhile, I decided a visit to the Port-o-Potty was in order. ( I hate these things!) However, this was the cleanest one I have ever used! I guess the early hour was to thank for that.
I returned to my family and we continued to wait until the start. Soon, the corrals were becoming crowded toward the front, as everyone was eager to get started. We watched the big production of announcements and fireworks as the runners in front of us were allowed to start. I thought it was nice that each corral got it's own start/send off. There wasn't just one.
Our corral was escorted to the start line; the officials let us go and we all started out at a trot/walk. It was so crowded that it took a little distance for the masses to thin out. That's OK. We don't need to begin things at a sprint!
We followed the perimeter of the parking lot for a little way and then ended up on a backstage path to enter Epcot from the side of the Mexico pavilion where Donald Duck has his meet and greet. We turned left and ran through World Showcase. As we made our way through WS, the sun started to rise and we started paying attention to the topiaries for the FandG festival. The empty pavilions and extra garden displays gave the race a nice atmosphere. After WS, we ran through Future World, under Spaceship Earth and back out to the parking lot. There were opportunities to stop for pictures with Star Wars characters or in front of the topiaries, but we didn't stop for those long lines. With the end in sight, we gave it a little extra try to keep our energy up and finished together.
I have to say, running 5k at Epcot is so much easier than training for one at home. Even though we ran a lot of the race, we did take a few little walk breaks. Sometimes we walked even when we didn't need to. At certain points in the course, there were narrow paths or turns that caused some bottle necking. I can see how serious runners could get frustrated, but this is meant to be a fun run and that's what it was. The whole family is ready to go back and do it again!
After crossing the finish line, we were offered water, Powerade, bananas and snack boxes. We each took a water and snack box ( the bananas were a little green for me ). There were photo stations set up for finisher pics while holding your medal. We did this and headed over for a photo with BB-8! The line was long, but moved at a decent rate. The parking lot was getting quite crowded as more and more people finished. We walked to the busses and the one for CSR had just filled up. We ended up waiting less than 10 minutes for a new bus and were able to snag front seats! The trip back was quick and when we exited at our bus stop, the people waiting to go to the parks clapped for us. That was sweet.
We spent a couple hours in the room before heading back to Epcot for the day.
Next: Epcot and something Fabulous
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Good idea going to AKL for lunch as quite close to ESPN as are the AS resorts but better choices at AKL. I stayed at CSR in 2012 and don't remember Las Ventanas, so must be new. Glad you enjoyed it there. 
Sounds like a good first day. 
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It was so crowded that it took a little distance for the masses to thin out. That's OK. We don't need to begin things at a sprint! 
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