"want to watch me run a half marathon?" a february 2018 trip report! *COMPLETE*

[xjillianpaige]

I also suck at selfies. But I bought a bluetooth shutter from amazon (<$10). So all I have to do now is hold out the phone and get the frame set, no matter where my hands are on the phone. Then I use the bluetooth shutter to actually take the photo!

I also got a camera mount (just handheld) for my last trip, so during fireworks I could just hold the mount in the right spot, then use the bluetooth shutter to click away while I was enjoying the show!

I might have to look into that!

 

[xjillianpaige]

Day 3: Hollywood Studios
An Early Night
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After the best surprise/not surprise, our big group split up. My parents had some fast passes for Magic Kingdom. The rest of us had Hollywood Studios passes (Star Tours was first up), but I sent Devin and the friend crew ahead so I could stop for my Pandora bracelet with Lisa and Ashley. I ended up picking out their black leather wrap bracelet with the runDisney/I Did It! bracelet and the park exclusive 2018 pin.

Shopping done, Lisa went back to TTC to get the car while Ashley and I went ahead to Hollywood Studios via bus so we didn't miss our next passes. Lisa was having trouble tracking down her car, so she and Ashley were on the phone during our travel time. (FYI: The car was exactly where we kept telling her it was!) When we got to the park, I sent Ashley running for her FP for Rockin' Rollercoaster because she only had a few minutes left to use it. I would have used Lisa's, but she had her magic band.

I found Devin and company over at Toy Story Mania where our FP was about to expire. It's too bad the line is under construction because Todd didn't get to see it and it's super cool. Todd and I rode together and he barely beat me. This is one of my favorite rides and I think it's 100x better than Buzz, which I am terrible at. I am much better at this ride.

We met up with Ashley back over toward Toy Story and we had a Tower of Terror pass coming up, so we made our way to that side of the park. Ashley got a call that Lisa was in the park, so we began to look for her - and we sure did find her! The March of the First Order (did I get that right?) had started and Lisa jumped in behind the Storm Troopers and was right in the middle of the screen! We looked up and saw her jumping up and down behind them, waving with a phone in her hand and started cracking up. Definitely a highlight of the day. Too funny!

She managed to pop out of the march and over to us, and we made our way to the Tower of Terror for our ride. I wish I could show you the pictures from ToT, because we killed it. I'm holding my sunglasses on my head and staring at my phone as if I'm looking at something scandalous and everyone is also looking at my phone looking shocked or scandalized. We thought it was pretty funny.

After that, Devin and Vic got a FP for Rockin' Rollercoaster. They didn't think they would have time to both make their FP and see Beauty and the Beast, so they went over to ride. Katie, Todd, Lisa, Ashley and I decided to watch Beauty and the Beast. I loved it! I don't think I had stopped to watch it since I was little, maybe 12?

It turns out that there would have been plenty of time for Vic and Devin to join us, because we finished the shown and went to RnR-coaster to meet them and they hadn't come off yet! So we decided to have some fun and snacks.

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I think I won that fight. Needed a quick refreshment after...

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And here's a behind the scene: how did I take such a great photo you ask?

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We met back up with the rest of the crew and decided to do some shopping on the way back to Sunset Boulevard. My parents had arrived at the park shortly after Lisa, but they didn't have any fast passes so they went to Toy Story Mania since it's my mom's favorite ride. The line said a two hour wait, but they decided to just wait and it turns out it was a 40 minute wait! So they rode twice during all this.

Next up, Devin wanted to do some character meets, so she went with Katie, Todd and Vic. They met Groot, Starlord, Sorcerer Mickey and Minnie! Lisa, Ashley and I did some shopping and pictures with my parents. I don't remember why, but Mom and Dad and I split from Lisa and Ashley to ride Star Tours. They (and Lisa) kept telling me that they didn't want to intrude on my vacation with my friends, but I was really glad and excited to spend some quality time with them! My friends had each other and we were together all week. My parents and Lisa and Ashley were only there for the weekend - I wanted to spend time with them!

So, we did Star Tours and met back up with Lisa and Ashley to see the Little Mermaid show.

One of my favorite things to do in Hollywood Studios is watch the street and stage shows, but often when I go with friends they're all about the rides and characters and only half a day, so we skip over them. I was very lucky to be able to watch some shows this time! One day I'll go spend a full day in Hollywood Studios doing nothing but watching shows.

After the show, it was time for me to get back to the hotel for dinner and an early bedtime because tomorrow was race day! I left my parents and cousin and aunt to meet back up with Devin at the front of the park. But on the way I had to stop for some photos...

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There are some good ones of my family photobombing me, too.

Devin and I met back up at the bus and were back at the resort for a nice early dinner. I went with the make your own pasta again and Devin did a double order of the kids meal pasta. This was perfect because it meant we had some chocolate milks and snacks to keep in the fridge.

We went to the room and got everything ready for the next morning. Instead of a flat me, here's a real me in my outfit for the race the night before!

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I did some reading of Anna Kendrick's Scrappy Little Nobody and then turned the lights off. We had a 2:30 am wake up call!

Previous
Day 3: Magic Kingdom

Next
Day 4: Race Day! 13.1 Magical Miles!

Table of Contents​

 

[docsoliday1]

I found Devin and company over at Toy Story Mania where our FP was about to expire. It's too bad the line is under construction because Todd didn't get to see it and it's super cool. Todd and I rode together and he barely beat me. This is one of my favorite rides and I think it's 100x better than Buzz, which I am terrible at. I am much better at this ride.

I like it better too, but the line is ridiculous compared to Buzz.

We met up with Ashley back over toward Toy Story and we had a Tower of Terror pass coming up, so we made our way to that side of the park. Ashley got a call that Lisa was in the park, so we began to look for her - and we sure did find her! The March of the First Order (did I get that right?) had started and Lisa jumped in behind the Storm Troopers and was right in the middle of the screen! We looked up and saw her jumping up and down behind them, waving with a phone in her hand and started cracking up. Definitely a highlight of the day. Too funny!

That would've been a good photo or video if you were able to capture it. It's kinda funny everyone is so intimidated by that process normally, I debated about going up to the head honcho and trying to pick a fight (in jest) and see what happened.

She managed to pop out of the march and over to us, and we made our way to the Tower of Terror for our ride. I wish I could show you the pictures from ToT, because we killed it. I'm holding my sunglasses on my head and staring at my phone as if I'm looking at something scandalous and everyone is also looking at my phone looking shocked or scandalized. We thought it was pretty funny.

Why didn't you get a picture of it. Sounds cool..would like to see it!

And here's a behind the scene: how did I take such a great photo you ask?

Your photographic skills are far and away better than mine!

One of my favorite things to do in Hollywood Studios is watch the street and stage shows, but often when I go with friends they're all about the rides and characters and only half a day, so we skip over them. I was very lucky to be able to watch some shows this time! One day I'll go spend a full day in Hollywood Studios doing nothing but watching shows.

We managed to catch one while we were there. We missed the beginning, but soon caught the gist and it was funny.

We went to the room and got everything ready for the next morning. Instead of a flat me, here's a real me in my outfit for the race the night before!

View attachment 311130 ​

I didn't know folks actually dressed up like a princess. Cute!

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[sweetlike]

Hello fellow Bostonian! Do you also do the thing where people ask you where you're from and you say Boston and then they ask where in Boston and you have to specify that you meant outside of Boston but no one is going to know where it is if you say it initially?

Yes!!! It’s just easier to say Boston!

 

[xjillianpaige]

That would've been a good photo or video if you were able to capture it. It's kinda funny everyone is so intimidated by that process normally, I debated about going up to the head honcho and trying to pick a fight (in jest) and see what happened.

Why didn't you get a picture of it. Sounds cool..would like to see it!

I have photos and bought memory maker before the trip, I just don't post them on here if they have family/friends in them since I don't have their permission! I keep those to FB and Instagram where I can adjust privacy settings.

Yes!!! It’s just easier to say Boston!

So much easier!!

 

[ZellyB]

Great day at HS. Loving your outfit and can't wait to read about the race!!

 

[docsoliday1]

I have photos and bought memory maker before the trip, I just don't post them on here if they have family/friends in them since I don't have their permission! I keep those to FB and Instagram where I can adjust privacy settings.

Well that stinks. I don't do FB or instagram (don't do any social media unless you count the DIS).
I understand though.

 

[xjillianpaige]

Great day at HS. Loving your outfit and can't wait to read about the race!!

Thanks! I was amazed at how much I was able to get done at each park on this trip!

Well that stinks. I don't do FB or instagram (don't do any social media unless you count the DIS).
I understand though.

I wish I could eliminate my social media. I'm too stuck now!

 

[docsoliday1]

I wish I could eliminate my social media. I'm too stuck now!

Well, you could. Its like any other addiction...you must seek professional help!

 

[DVC LindsayC]

I have really enjoyed reading your trip report! I love all the updates you gave about the process leading up to your trip!

~LindsayC
#dvcrentals

 

[xjillianpaige]

Well, you could. Its like any other addiction...you must seek professional help!

Sounds like too much work!

I have really enjoyed reading your trip report! I love all the updates you gave about the process leading up to your trip!

~LindsayC
#dvcrentals

Thank you!

 

[xjillianpaige]

Day 4: Disney Princess Half Marathon
13.1 Magical Miles
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Heads up: this will not be a mile-by-mile recap. I already did that in my training journal, so if you want to read each mile then check that out! This is going to be a more general recap of the race in terms of a Disney experience and then lead into the rest of the day.

Now... on with the show!

The alarm went off at 2:30 a.m. and I felt surprisingly rested! I think I had fallen asleep around 9:00, so that means I got about 5.5 hours of sleep - not bad! Devin got out of bed and got ready before I did, so once she was dressed I quickly touched my hair up and got into my race-day outfit. I had brought a throwaway outer layer, but decided it was warm enough to go without it.

Grabbing everything we needed - breakfast, phones, headphones, etc. - we headed out to catch the bus. We were lucky to be on the first express bus right to the start line and were dropped off at Epcot. We walked over to the entertainment but decided not to wait in the lines for the Princesses since we would be meeting most, if not all, of them in the parks the next few days. Plus, I needed to find a spot to eat my peanut butter and banana (Devin has a peanut allergy and I didn't want to eat it in the room and accidentally murder her).

We found a spot to sit and Jenna joined us after driving over (she stayed off site). Once they opened corrals, we went straight there. so we could be at the front of F and get a nice cushion. Jenna and I had been assigned to E and Devin to F, so we dropped back to start the race with her. The day before, Devin and I talked it over and decided to start together, but then Jenna and I would continue ahead and run our race (we run nearly identical paces and trained together).

Everyone in the corrals sat down because there was still an hour before the first group started at 5:30 (if I remember correctly). And then it was a waiting game. Luckily there was music, but I couldn't see the entertainment on the screen when it started because I'm too short and everyone had been asked to stand by then.

The best part about standing was being on the move toward the start. My excitement and adrenaline increased with every step and before I knew it the fireworks were going off and so were we!

(Psst. If you want that mile by mile recap, head on over to the training journal!)

The start of the course was fun because it was all adrenaline. It was also a lot of weaving to get around people and out of the most crowded areas. Jenna and I stopped for one picture with Jack Sparrow and another pirate (was I supposed to know who it was?) and then kept going. There were a handful of other photo stops, but we skipped them since many of them were either VERY long lines or we weren't interested in meeting them or we would be meeting them in the parks later on.

Looking back, I wish I had stopped for more photo stops, but I was too afraid that I wouldn't have enough time. But, that's why I'll run again in 2020 (and do the challenge).

When we got to the TTC, my parents, Lisa and Ashley were there to see us run by, and then they somehow managed to ALSO be there at Magic Kingdom's main street. The TTC was the first place where I felt like there was crowd support. The highway was fun because there was a lot of entertainment (characters, a marching band), but the people there to cheer us on were kind of far just because of the logistics of running on a highway.

Anyway, back to the Magic Kingdom...

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What I love about the first photo is my doppelgänger in the background. Definitely some sort of issue in the matrix. Maybe the world really is just a game of Sims.

Running through Magic Kingdom was absolutely insane. The support from the crowd was incredible and now whenever I go there I just think about the places I ran through.

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I nailed my jumping through the castle shot, and then of course I had to wait for a photo in front of the castle. This is a gorgeous shot and they had us in and out quick - a system like I've never seen with at least 4 photographers. Definitely worth the wait!

After the Magic Kingdom it was backstage and a quick photo with the train and conductor. The princesses had a super long wait and it was time for cone alley. This was definitely crowded and narrow - but not terrible. We made it through fine. There was some entertainment along the way, but it wasn't great. Some jokes on boards and some characters. I don't think we stopped much.

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This was clearly my favorite mile. Actually once we hit mile 11 I hit a wall. Earlier in the race I had been hungry because I didn't eat a big enough breakfast and I think the early morning threw me off a little bit. Plus the uphill was very difficult because of the incline + a weird slope + the unseasonable heat and humidity of Florida in February.

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I had Jenna stopping every few minutes for another photo the entire way up the hill into Epcot. I also had us walking a LOT. Getting into Epcot was wild. Just at the entrance (around mile 12 up there) I lost feeling in my arms. I'm not sure if my sugar had dropped or my salt, but there was a stranger with free candy, so I grabbed some in the hopes that it was my sugar and a quick chocolate would help me feel better. It wasn't (looking back, my bet is my salt was off), but the chocolate tasted great.

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Here, I'm happy because it's mile 12 and once we get to mile 13 we're nearly done.

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Here, I'm REALLY happy because I'm almost at the finish line. Steps away.

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And one more for good luck.

My parents and aunt and cousin were all at the finish line, same with Jenna's family (mom and grandparents). That was just the push we needed to fly through the end. I immediately broke down into tears (to be fair, I had been holding in tears the entire last mile) and someone saw my name on my bib and called out to me to congratulate me. They had those cooling towels so I grabbed one of those (great souvenir) and then someone put my medal around my neck. Jenna and I hugged at the finish, too.

We began walking toward the reunion area, first stopping for our box of food (the cheese went into the trash, but the oreos and banana went immediately into my stomach - but not together) and a photo. My family found us first, then Jenna's. We continued to sit and talk about the race for a little bit while waiting for Devin and drinking my Powerade.

Jenna and her family headed out and my family made our way to the Girl Power 2 Cure tent (this is the charity I ran for) for some snacks and photos and a quick interview and rest. Devin met us here and we continued to eat and hang out with my family before Lisa and Ashley had to drive back home and my parents had park plans. Devin and I also went to the hotel to change and shower before hitting up four parks in one day.

Previous
Day 3: Hollywood Studios

Next
Day 4: Four Parks - One Day

Table of Contents​

 

[cyndiloveswalt]

Enjoying reading about your trip! My sister and I were there as well and did the challenge. We had a great time and are headed back in 2019 but we are going to concentrate on doing really well in just the half this time.
Love your race pictures, mine were mostly awful! I also ignored all of my childhood lessons and took candy from a stranger.
Life saver at the finish was bags of ice, not sure you got one but it was amazing!! Remember that next time if it’s that warm again. And I ate that squeezable applesauce on the bus back to the resort and I guess all the sugar got to me because I felt awful and ended up throwing up!
We could only take off Friday from work so we got on a plane Sunday evening so I’m totally jealous you got to stay and enjoy the parks a few more days! Can’t wait to hear the rest

 

[xjillianpaige]

Enjoying reading about your trip! My sister and I were there as well and did the challenge. We had a great time and are headed back in 2019 but we are going to concentrate on doing really well in just the half this time.
Love your race pictures, mine were mostly awful! I also ignored all of my childhood lessons and took candy from a stranger.
Life saver at the finish was bags of ice, not sure you got one but it was amazing!! Remember that next time if it’s that warm again. And I ate that squeezable applesauce on the bus back to the resort and I guess all the sugar got to me because I felt awful and ended up throwing up!
We could only take off Friday from work so we got on a plane Sunday evening so I’m totally jealous you got to stay and enjoy the parks a few more days! Can’t wait to hear the rest

Congrats on your race! My plan is the challenge in 2020. Good luck in 2019! Maybe you'll get more park time next year?

Ignoring the rule not to take candy from strangers is my favorite rule to break. I did not get a bag of ice, but Devin went to the First Aid tent for one for her knee. I never ended up eating the apple sauce, but I ate the chips on the bus. I think the Powerade + the chips helped me feel better.

 

[xjillianpaige]

Day 4: Four Parks One day
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After a nice shower and changing into my outfit for the park, Devin and I caught the next bus for Park #1 of the day: Magic Kingdom. We had made plans early on that our first order of business after the race was breakfast at Gaston's tavern because I wanted a bite out of Gaston's buns, if ya know what I mean.

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We met up with Vic, Katie and Todd there - they had eaten breakfast at Ohana's. They attempted to catch either Devin or myself along the route, but they were still in the restaurant when they got the notifications about our locations and realized they wouldn't be able to see us. Todd and I decided to share this cinnamon bun because even I don't think I could have finished it on my own - and I LOVE a good cinnamon bun.

So, we ate that and then we had a few fast passes for the day. First up was Seven Dwarves Mine Train, which is always a good time. Devin and I made sure to hold our medals up on the ride, but I didn't even think to do a photo shoot outside of the ride, which would have been so on point for the race's Snow White theme.

This was not a ride heavy day, however, as Devin and I had lots of parks to visit and lots of photos to take. But that meant I needed to be photo-ready. My parents were also in the park and grabbed lunch at Be Our Guest (my dad was not happy with his lunch there), so afterwards we met up over by the Tangled bathroom so my Dad could braid my hair (I have some crazy waves in my hair and they need to be tamed).

We may have had fast passes that we missed, because I remember us taking off for our second park.

But first, here's the Magic Kingdom castle + medal + me photo. (Devin and I got this down to a perfect system - I would take my photos, she would jump in for photos together, then I would get out for her photos.)

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The next park of the day was good old Animal Kingdom! Devin and I boarded a bus and it took FOREVER to arrive. This is the only time from the entire visit where I remember having to wait a long time for a bus. And we had so much to do! Finally, it arrived and we squished our way on. One gentleman kindly stood so I could sit - my dogs were barkin'!

Our goal for each park was to do at least one ride and get our photos. We had no plans for lunch. With that said, we arrived at Animal Kingdom and were walking from the bus to the park when all of a sudden the guy from the couple in front of us dropped to one knee! To tie his date's shoe. Devin started saying "no" to herself and then the two of us laughed - just outside the buses wouldn't be a great spot for a proposal. Another couple next to us heard our conversation and were laughing, and soon enough the couple that made us laugh had realized what we all thought and clarified that this was date number 2.

Once in the park, the first order of business was a ride. We went with Primeval Whirl, and then headed over to Restaurantosaurus for lunch. I think we both got the chicken meals and tap water, but I got the kids version in the bucket, but it didn't have all the "extras" that the kids meal usually comes with. I left the bucket behind after I ate, too. Didn't need it and figured someone with a kid might take it as a souvenir.

On the way out we grabbed lots of photos with our medals and I stopped to get a Wilderness Explorer booklet so I could start it on my next trip. The pencil they give out with the booklet, by the way, is super nice. I have a thing for nice pens and pencils.

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After eating, we made our way out to Park #3: Hollywood Studios!

When we got there, Devin went to use the bathroom and I popped over to watch police offer doing sketches of kids in the street. It was really funny! He pulled a child in and did a sketch of him, which was a sketch of Stitch! I can't wait for the day when I have a kiddo to bring with me (doesn't have to be my own - a niece or nephew or neighbor will do) and do all the fun kid stuff with them.

Once again, we had looked for fastpasses and let that dictate what rides we did in each park. We got one for Tower of Terror here, so that's the ride we did. I like to put my hands up, but I didn't want my medal to hit me in the face, so I think we decided to put medals in bags for this ride.

This was a very quick visit to a park - photos and a ride and out - because we had dinner reservations at Epcot and planned to end the night there.

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Now, it was time for park #4! Epcot! Devin and I arrived and I believe the first order of business was our dinner reservation at Le Cellier with Vic, Katie and Todd. Ready for the irony here? I don't eat red meat. So the steakhouse wasn't ideal for me, but my friends were all about it and I can find something on every menu.

We got there pretty early for our reservation because we were hungry and didn't feel like finding a ride at that moment. They told us they were running behind, but we were willing to wait. So, I sat down with Katie while Todd, Vic and Devin went out to the garden to wander. While out there, they found some sort of drink in the Canadian Pavilion. I forget the drink's name, but it has bourbon and maple and cranberry and Devin is obsessed with it. Even though they said it would be a long wait, it was a very short wait so we called the group for them to hustle back for our table. I thought that the restaurant would turn us away or make us wait because of the drinks in hand, but it wasn't an issue.

We got our table and put in our orders. Here, I got the mac and cheese which was really yummy! It was small, but I'm not a big eater and so I couldn't even finish it. I also stuck to water for a drink and we all shared the poutine which was SO GOOD. I've never had poutine before and was nervous about what a "cheese curd" was, but it turns out it's a similar texture to feta, which I think is very yummy. And the vinaigrette reduction... whoa. So good.

We finished our meals and I got in touch with my parents, who were there for their own dinner over at Marrakesh. They were staying at the Boardwalk so I think both of their meals were Epcot since it was so convenient. That's what I love about staying over there - you can just pick a country each night and go eat there.

(Getting this in here now so that it's not photo overload at the end.)​

Our friends had drank a few more drinks at dinner, so they were good and buzzed. I stuck to water since I wanted to be nice and hydrated post-race. We met with my parents over at the drink stand and they got everyone (except me) another drink. Next up wth were going to ride Soarin'.

While Devin and I were in line for Tower of Terror, I had pulled up the app to get a fastpass for Epcot and we found one for four for Soarin' at 8 something. So I grabbed it and got the confirmation! Super exciting. When we got up to the turnstile and went to tap in, we were refused. Katie, Todd and Vic had gotten a pass for the same time frame and went in with no issue. The FP was showing in my app, but would not work for some reason. There was only a 10 minute wait anyway - somehow it was a total walk-on - but when I showed the FP in the app, the CM let us through.

The theory is that the service down in ToT was not good and it never registered in the system. A non issue in the end. So, we got in line and none of us could stop laughing. The entire time we were together was so much fun, and I'm glad I got one more ride in with my parents before they left the next morning. The only bummer? After riding Flights of Passage... Soarin' was disappointing.

After we got off the ride, there were Extra Magic Hours and no lines, but I was absolutely wiped. There was conversation of going on again or finding something else to do, but I opted out and we all ended up taking a leisurely walk back to the front of the park and to our buses and resorts and beds.

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Previous
Day 4: 13.1 Magical Miles

Next
Day 5: Magic Kingdom​

Table of Contents​

 

[ZellyB]

Love your race report and your photos are awesome. The castle jump picture is perfection!

One of these days I want to manage a 4-park day. You did a great job and that final lineup of photo pictures is great!

 

[xjillianpaige]

Love your race report and your photos are awesome. The castle jump picture is perfection!

One of these days I want to manage a 4-park day. You did a great job and that final lineup of photo pictures is great!

Thanks so much!

The 4 park day is totally doable and was definitely worth the travel minutes and extra million steps.

 

[xjillianpaige]

Day 5: Magic Kingdom Part 1
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Hi all! First, I want to apologize for my disappearance! I had some business to attend to in real life and this trip report took low priority. Also, I started a report and then the photo upload situation got wonky and I got frustrated and gave up. Anyway! Let's get on to Day 5!

Devin and I had a PPO breakfast reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table, so we were up very early. Before leaving for Magic Kingdom, I stopped over at Katie's room to drop off a magic band for Jenna. She was staying with us the last few nights and needed to get into the room to drop her stuff off before joining us at Magic Kingdom.

The first stop was obviously the bus stop where we caught our bus to Magic Kingdom. We were quickly ushered through with the breakfast reservation folks and made our way up Main Street where we took a ton of photos in a nearly-empty park.

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This was not the first stop for a photo, by any means. We stopped at almost every photographer along our walk. We got to the castle for breakfast and had a short wait outside to check in, and then another short wait inside where we met the lovely homeowner, Cindy.

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I did my best princess pose with her. When in Rome, ya know? This far out from my trip I don't remember what we talked about. One thing I noticed on this trip is that a lot of the characters that speak have talking points. This is wonderful for the socially awkward or nervous, because you never need to figure out what to talk about with them!

We went upstairs for our royal meal and were glad to notice that we weren't the only adult-only groups. I saw a few other pairs of runners, as well. I figure if it's princess weekend, this is the perfect breakfast. Once seated we got our plate of pastries from our server (he was wonderful - very funny!). Devin has a peanut allergy and I think every restaurants pastries or breads are made out of the building because we were always warned of possible cross contamination, but Devin never had an issue with any of them. She had told me where her epi-pen was in case of emergency, so we were prepared for the worst.

Anyway, the pastries were really yummy! I got chocolate milk to drink and the traditional breakfast, which is scrambled eggs (so good and creamy) bacon, sausage (I asked for double bacon), and hash browns. Before breakfast, I told Devin that I was going to drink as much chocolate milk as I could possible stomach and that I might order all the bacon and eggs they had.

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Before eating, we also got a magic wand. They gave swords to the boys, but neither of us a boy, so we had to fight with wands. And of course I did what any normal adult does when they are handed a magic wand.

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In retrospect, I wish I had asked for a sword instead. I ended up bringing both wands home as gifts for my niece and nephew (which he is convinced is real - score!) but I would have liked one of each. Hindsight is 20/20.

The princesses quickly came out. First up was Snow White, then Aurora, Ariel and Jasmine last. They were all adorable. I only posed with my medal with Snow White since she was featured. The rest of the photos I tried to be very princess-y.

(Here's a quick photo dump!)
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While we were hanging with princesses, Jenna successfully brought her belongings to our room. Katie, Vic and Todd went to Animal Kingdom for an early safari and Jenna made her way to the kingdom for photos along Main Street.

We met up with Jenna after breakfast to see some more princesses over at Fairytale Hall. We met Tiana and Rapunzel, then hopped over to see Rapunzel. From there, it was time for our first fastpass, so we hustled our butts over to the Jungle Cruise - one of my favorite rides! I love nothing more than a corny joke. The only bummer is the waterfall was down so there was no backside of water on this tour through the jungle. Heartbreaking.

While on that side of the park, we also stopped to meet Jasmine and Aladdin. That girl is all over the place!

I can't remember the order of events here, but I know that Jenna had a FP for Mine Train this day and so she went to do that. I also know that we all went onto Space Mountain at one point, and then we went a second time with a fastpass (one of the photos is of myself, Devin and Jenna and the other is with Katie swapped and Todd and Vic in the next car). We also definitely stopped in for Mickey's Philharmagic at one point to ease our aching feet.

The three of us met up with the rest of the crew over by Main Street just around lunch time. I had been dying for a sundae from the Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street, so I stopped in there for my All American (double vanilla - no chocolate). It was as delicious as always. I also decided to stop in to Starbucks for a drink for the basic photos.

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It was worth it! We stopped for more Main Street photos and then Devin wanted some more photos in the hub, so the rest of us wandered toward Adventureland. At this point Jenna had found out that I had never been to the Enchanted Tiki Room, so she and I stopped to watch the show. Guys, that show is adorable. I had also never had a dole whip before, but Jenna and I never found the time for me to taste hers. Next trip for sure!

Now... this day is definitely not over, but I'm going to continue it in the next post since I'm about to hit my photo limit and have a few more photos to go... Until next time! See ya real soon!

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Day 4: Four Parks One Day

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Day 5: Magic Kingdom Part 2

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[xjillianpaige]

Day 5: Magic Kingdom Part 2
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Hello hello! The last time I was here, I left off with Devin taking photos in the hub with her medals, Katie, Todd and Vic somewhere in Adventure Land, and Jenna and Me at the Tiki Room.

Jenna and I got out of the show and immediately had no idea where anyone was. We started walking through toward Frontier Land and saw Vic, who had been separated from Katie and Todd. At this point, Jenna asked if I'd like to try to find them, but I was fine with just wandering through and going on rides.

On our walk, Jenna decided that waffle fries from the Golden Oaks Outpost sounded good, so we stopped for those. Perfect timing, too, because the parade was about to start and we couldn't go any further. So, we camped out on a bench across from Golden Oaks and watched the parade go through from afar. I love the parades - I don't think everyone does because it's a good time to take advantage of short lines, but I love a good show.

When the parade ended, we hopped in line for another go on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Now, I originally thought that at this point we had found Devin and she met us over at the ferry for Tom Sawyer Island, but in retrospect (and looking at photos) what is more likely is that we did this adventuring in the morning before we met up with Katie, Todd and Vic. I remember waving at them from the island's ferry. Anyway, onto the recap (don't you love that it's out of order?).

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I've never been out to the island before and it was so much fun! I loved the barrel bridge over water - that was lots of fun and really great (read: not great at all) for my sore legs. We did lots of exploring tunnels in the dark and buildings with stairs and had such a nice boat ride back and forth.

Wandering onward from Frontier Land, we went through Liberty Square and made it to Fantasy Land. Jenna and I stopped to line up for the step-sisters, but they went inside and the Fairy Godmother came out, so we met her, instead. I think Jenna had a fastpass or was able to find one for a ride, so I went to meet Gaston, but he was out hunting, so I did some exploring in the Belle store and then sat outside of the popcorn while I waited for Jenna to come back. After that we went over to ride Under the Sea - one of my favorite rides because I am a mermaid.

Finally, I hadn't been to the circus part of Disney since it was created, so Jenna and I decided to hop in line for Dumbo! I love the way they do this, as you get in a quick line and are given a letter ticket. Then you go into a playground where the kids can play while you wait for your letter group to be called, and you get back into line and go right onto the ride! We had told Devin where we were at this point, because the rest of the group had a dinner reservation and were leaving to clean up for that. While Jenna and I were in the air on Dumbo, we saw Devin and gave her a big wave and yelled "Hi Mom!"

After Dumbo we made our way to Tomorrowland for a few more rides. One of which was... Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor! And guess who is officially famous in the Monster World?

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This Girl!

This was super exciting! The Laugh Floor is one of my favorite things to do on the trip and I always hoped that I would be featured or have a joke read (I always submit jokes). I was the one who had their mind read by Buddy Boil! He did a great job and Jenna and Devin also got to be featured in a shot when they asked who I was there with. They also asked where I worked and (at the time) it was the YMCA, so everyone got to sing to me. Shout out to my girl Jenna for getting this photo of me!

We might have done a quick Space Mountain here, but if not, then we definitely did this instead.

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Unfortunately, I did not get to ride the teacups on this trip, but I did get to take this fabulous photo in front of them as the sun began to set. A super pretty lantern photo and it was very light to hold.

We next had a reservation for 2 at Be Our Guest and even though I tried to add Jenna, it was to no avail. We decided to just head over a bit early and see if we could add her at the hostess stand and they called up and luckily Mrs. Potts was very accommodating and happy to have Jenna make our party of 2 a party of 3. This is my second dinner at Be Our Guest and the food was just as good the second time around. The only bummer is that Jenna is vegetarian and there weren't great options here for her. She got the salad trio and I got the French onion soup. I forget what Devin got.

The next order of business was... actually I'm not sure. I think that it was almost time for the park to close by the time we got out of dinner. We may have done Mickey's Philharmagic here, but what I do know is this...

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We got in line for the Rapunzel photo a little bit before park closed. We had initially tried to go before dinner, but the line was really long so we decided to wait until the end of the night. And it paid off. Such a gorgeous photo. The man in front of us was with his daughter. She was fast asleep and in her Rapunzel outfit and he waited for her photo! He said that she had been asleep when she went to meet Rapunzel and they tried to wake her and couldn't, but she wanted to do all things Rapunzel and this photo was on that list. They made it work.

We did individual photos and a group one, every one was gorgeous. When we finished our photos, we saw that the park closed in 2 minutes, so we hurried to the Haunted Mansion for one last ride and we were the LAST to ride! It was such a cool experience to have very few people in the stretching room and no one behind us. Also I insisted on riding three across again because I was not going to be alone and we were all going to be last. Worth it.

After the last ride it was time for a leisurely walk out and a bus ride home to POR! One more sleep until the last day and two more sleeps until home.

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Day 5: Magic Kingdom Part 1

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Day 6: Epcot Part 1

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[ZellyB]

What great pictures you got! Love that you were selected to be part of the Monsters show. How fun.

Those lantern shots are fantastic.