Should you runDisney?

Wow- it has been over 4 years since I have posted. Life sure keeps me busy, as I am sure it does all of you! I hope anyone and everyone reading this is well, and as always, please feel free to email me at Dana_W@WishingOnAStarTravel.com with any travel-related questions or needs!

We have done a TON of traveling in the last 4 years. My children are now 6 and 10, and are great ages for traveling the world- literally! Our last adventure was the Inaugural South Pacific sailing on the Disney Wonder which sailed from Honolulu, Hawaii to Sydney, Australia. It was AMAZING! My original plan was to capture our adventure 'live' via blog posts, but despite being a nearly 2-week cruise with only 3 ports-of-call, we found ourselves enjoying every moment, leaving little time to write. This sailing had many unique nightly shows, including a Crew Talent Show, which is something that most Disney Cruise Line sailings do not offer! I may cover this sailing more in-depth in the future, but for now, I want to cover runDisney.

My family in Sydney, Australia after Disney Cruise Line's Inaugural South Pacific sailing- October 2023

I have covered this topic before, but it has been a while, and I have lots of thoughts. A friend and client recently asked me for some advice on running with a charity, the logistics of getting there, and training for the race itself, and that inspired me to writer a blog post! Since 2020, I have completed the 2022 Walt Disney World Marathon (26.2 miles), the 2023 Disney Princess Fairy Tale Challenge, which is a 10k (6.2 miles) on Saturday of race weekend, and a half marathon (13.1 miles) on Sunday, and the Walt Disney World Springtime Surprise Pixar 5k in April 2023.

My running bestie Cassie and I at the runDisney Expo

If you have never ran a runDisney race, it truly is a magical experience. My sweet hair stylist (who I credit turning my hair from a fried, thin mess to a gorgeous head of strong, healthy long hair) started running these races thanks to me, and she has become obsessed. It's easy to fall in love with runDisney- it's just a truly unique and memorable race weekend! Let me tell you about how the 2022 Walt Disney World Marathon went from a bucket list item for me, to reality!

Our biggest challenge we've ever taken on- 26.2 Magical Miles in January 2022

The race itself was Sunday, January 9, 2022. Friday night of that weekend I flew in from Indianapolis, and my running buddy Cassie, who lives close by and therefore drives to Disney, picked me up at the Orlando airport. After a quick drive onto property, we arrive at Disney's Yacht Club Resort. We find that we have the literal last room at the resort (the Walt Disney World resorts are huge, so this can happen at absolutely any Disney resort), and after a 20-minute walk to our door (maybe not quite that long, but it sure felt like it, as we had all of our bags plus a case of water that we had told Bell Services we didn't need help with), we are rewarded with a gorgeous view of Crescent Lake and its resorts. We did stay up until midnight to purchase Genie+, and then shortly after that, hit the hay with a 6:30am wake up call.

Adorable resort-specific merch at Disney's Yacht Club Resort

Saturday was Hollywood Studios day, plus the runDisney Expo! The expo is so much fun! There are shuttles from every Walt Disney World resort, and so if you will not be going to a theme park on expo day, you do not have to find your own way to ESPN Wide World of Sports. We, however, took an Uber from Hollywood Studios over to ESPN. 

Photos with our bibs at the Runner's Expo

The race expo is where you will pick up your bib and race shirt, you can purchase official runDisney and race-specific merchandise, and visit lots of vendors, such as Raw Threads, KT Tape, Goodr sunglasses, and many, many more! Honestly, you could make an entire day of the expo if you wanted to! There are often themed cocktails that you may purchase as well- for instance, during the Princess Half Marathon Expo, you can purchase a fun pink drink with edible glitter!

Your race-specific medal with always be available for photo ops at the Expo!

After the Expo, we headed back to Hollywood Studios, again via Uber, but for those staying on property, you may take the complimentary shuttle back to the resort. Make sure to have a hearty dinner the night before the race, as this is the last meal you will likely have until after the race! We chose grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, and tater tots at Woody's Lunchbox in Toy Story Land for our 'night before the big race' meal, but many folks will opt for pasta- please keep in mind that the Italian restaurants on property will probably fill up for reservations, so if you want to go this route, please make sure to make your reservations right at the 60-day mark from your check-in to ensure availability.

10pm the night before the Marathon- we had all of our gear ready to go for our 2am wakeup call!

Now let's talk about race day itself! You will have a VERY early wake up call, and you will want to be on the shuttle over to the start line around 3am, give or take depending on the length of the race. When the bus drops you off, you will have a fairly long walk to your corral, so please keep this in mind as you are figuring out what time to leave your resort. There is plenty of entertainment near the start line, including character meets! There are also TONS of port-o-potty's for those last-minute needs!

On the bus from our Disney Resort to the Start Line at 2:50am

We always take plenty of time to stretch in the corral- you will also meet the most kind people. I have always had a blast in the corrals! On marathon morning, we were chatting with a few women who were also nurses (my 'other' job is a Registered Nurse) and they were absolutely cracking us up! The energy at the corrals is truly electric- take it all in and enjoy it, there is no environment quite like this!

Just hanging out with a few thousand of our closest friends in the corrals!

Pretty soon, you will find yourself at the start line, you will hear the countdown, see the fireworks signaling your start, and you'll be on your way! Just like near the start line, there is plenty of entertainment on the course, from marching bands, choirs, DJ's, and of course, characters! There have been so many rare characters on the various courses, including Jiminy Cricket, Darkwing Duck, Frozone, Friar Tuck, and many, many more! You may also run by parade floats, retired ride vehicles (a sub from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, for instance!), and more! And for certain races, you get to run down Main Street, USA at the Magic Kingdom, and run through Cinderella Castle! There will be so many spectators cheering you on throughout the entire race, and you will likely find yourself being cheered on by those around you as well! I can almost assure you that once you have done one runDisney race, you will want to do another one- they are addicting!

Fireworks signal each corral's start

Goofy in his finest Colonial outfit on the Marathon race course

Once you complete the race (and if you fall behind pace, it's ok- there are buses are various checkpoints to pick up anyone who is injured, or just cannot keep up with the 16 minute per mile pace), you will be given your medal, a snack box, banana, and drink (I always grab a Powerade- they usually have yellow, red and blue- plus a bottle of water). We typically head straight to the bus going back to the resort, but there is also a ton of entertainment at the finish line for those interested, or if you are waiting for other runners to complete the race.

Mile 25 is when I began to feel like I may pass out- we walked the majority of our race due to my bad knee that kept letting me know it was angry at me, and at this point we were over 7 hours in

We made it to the Finish Line though!

At the Finish Line, we were rewarded with medals, cooling towels, and these amazing Finisher Mouse Ears!

We did it! 26.2 Magical Miles completed

Let's shift gears here for a moment and talk about running with a charity, I have only done this once, but it was an absolutely amazing experience, and I would not hesitate to run with a charity again (and likely will do so in the future). My running buddy Cassie and I chose to run with Give Kids the World Village for the Disney Princess Fairy Tale Challenge. Give Kids the World is a beautiful, magical resort near the Orlando theme parks where Make-A-Wish children and their families get to stay, completely free-of-cost. When staying at Give Kids the World Village, children can enjoy ice cream for breakfast, enjoy themed parties, gorgeous pools, rides right at the resort (and every single ride here is 100% handicapped accessible) and lovely accommodations for the family. 

Walking around Give Kids the World Village was truly one of the most awe-inspiring experiences of my life- this place is where miracles live, it's absolutely amazing

As far as fundraising goes, each runner was given their own fundraising website, which made it easy to track how much was raised and how close we were to our goal. If you go this route, I recommend personally asking friends, family, coworkers, and local businesses if they would consider donating to an amazing cause. Write letters, emails, and make everything as personal as possible- there are many charities to choose from, and I know you can find a charity close to your heart if you wish!

One last photo at Give Kids the World Village before heading back to the Resort

Each charity is different, but Cassie and I were invited to a pasta dinner  at Give Kids the World Village the night before the 10k, where we were given a tour of the property and shown just how special this resort is. We were given several gifts, including a charity tee-shirt and an Alex and Ani bracelet (that to this day, I never take off). We left the evening feeling so grateful that we had raised money for this amazing resort!

Now let's chat about training. This varies GREATLY upon your fitness level, your end goal, your overall health, and multiple other factors- and please remember to always consult with your healthcare provider before beginning any fitness program. When I decided to begin training for my first runDisney race (the Disney Princess Half Marathon 2016), I first started with a Couch-to-5k program. This was insanely effective for me, and if appropriate, I do recommend this program to begin your training. runDisney also does provide a training calendar that in the past, has been put together by running legend and Olympian Jeff Galloway.  You do have to have some internal motivation, especially for those winter races- while the Disney Princess weekend is typically pretty warm in central Florida, training in the midwest can be downright frigid- I have trained in sub-zero conditions, which is definitely not for the faint-of-heart!

Running in central Indiana in January- not much fun!

As far as which race to sign up for- for almost every race weekend, there is a 5k, 10k, and half marathon- in January, there is also a full marathon, and then in April, the distances change (the theme is Springtime Surprise, so we never know what race weekend will hold from year to year for this one!). I have done all 4 distances with runDisney, and personally, I think I enjoy the half marathon the most. The distance is long enough to enjoy the race and still be challenging, lots of characters and entertainment are on the course, and it's not a full marathon (I think that was a one and done!). I have a weak knee, so I do tend to walk at times during the races to give my knee a rest, and as long as you can keep a 16-minute mile pace in any distance, you are guaranteed to cross the finish line within the required time. The 5k is fun, but it goes by so quickly, and being a shorter race, there are fewer character meets, however, this is the only race distance that does not have a time limit. 

Fall Feast 5k- November 2017

Baby's First Race (I was pregnant with my second child when I ran this race)!

If you are wanting to race but concerned about the half marathon distance, I would recommend the 10k (6.2 miles) if your fitness level is up to it. This race is a nice length, and the course lately has gone through both Epcot and Hollywood Studios. The Springtime Surprise weekend may have a 10-miler, a 10k, etc, so if you want to spice things up a bit, this may be the weekend for you- the runDisney website is your absolute best place for information on the race weekends, themes, exact dates, etc. Course maps do not come out until well after registration day, so you will not know the exact course when you sign up, but you can Google previous course maps for an idea.

Springtime Surprise 2023 was Pixar-themed!

I convinced my family to run this one with me!

Cars-themed 5k

I will wrap up here with the final tip- and this one is the most important, so thank you for sticking with me until the end, here- registration fills up within minutes. You MUST be ready to register before the window opens. There will be a queue when registration opens- the second that queue opens up, register quickly, you must get confirmation to ensure that you are in the race (that is, even if you click on the race to register, but it fills up while you are entering the information, you do not receive a spot). In all honesty, it does make for a stressful morning, but the race is worth every second of the stressful registration day!

As always, please let me know if you have any questions, and if you want to look into booking a runDisney week or weekend, just let me know and we'll get working on it! Happy Travels!

Our July 2020 Walt Disney World Experience

Hello you guys!

I know that there are many of you still debating whether or not to take your 2020 Walt Disney World vacation, and I wanted to share my experience in Walt Disney World from July 7-14 with you all!

Our flights on Southwest Airlines were great! Middle seats were not filled, and so our family was distanced from other parties on the flight. Southwest is also doing fresh air exchanges every 2-3 minutes on every flight. Beverage service has been suspended, so we brought bottled drinks onboard, though packaged snacks are still being handed out. The boarding process has been changed as well, and so parties are able to keep 6 feet away from other parties. Of course, masks must be worn on the entire flight.

(At Indianapolis Int'l Airport)

Upon our arrival at the Orlando International Airport, it was apparent that things were going to be different. The crowds were LIGHT- basically non-existent. We arrived around 11am, and we only waited a few minutes before boarding our Magical Express shuttle to the Polynesian Village Resort (side note- others have had long waits to board, and so this seems inconsistent!). The bus loaded from the back forward, and our family was given a specific row to sit in, several rows away from the only other party on the bus.

(A very empty Magical Express)

(Enjoying our Magical Express ride to the resort)

Once we got to the resort, we were able to go straight to our room, as we had completed online check-in, and received a text that our room was ready, with the building and room number included, as well as a link to a resort map. All rooms have a sign in the room that touch on the enhanced cleanings that are taking place, including the sanitization of the TV remotes, which I was happy to see, as I have always been wary of the TV remotes in hotel rooms (I have always wrapped them in the ice bag in the room upon our arrival so that we wouldn't be touching the remote directly, but this time I didn't have to because I knew it was clean!).

(A fairly empty lobby at the Polynesian Village Resort)

(Signs in the rooms detailing the enhanced cleaning measures being taken)

We then headed to the quick-service restaurant at the resort, Capt. Cook's, which encouraged mobile ordering to minimize contact with cast members. Mobile ordering was easy to do, and our food was soon ready for us to enjoy, either inside of the restaurant, where tables were spaced very far apart, or outside on the patio to enjoy (or we could have taken it back to our room as well). Food was all packaged upon picking it up from the mobile ordering pick-up counter, and it was placed in a large brown bag.

(Thai Coconut Meatballs- my first meal at Capt. Cook's)

(Tonga Toast breakfast at Capt. Cook's)

(Turkey sandwich and Disney's famous homemade chips at Gasparilla Island Grill at the Grand Floridian)

Refillable mugs are still available to purchase, but the stations are no longer self-serve- there is a cast member who will ask to see your mug, and then fill a new cup with the beverage of your choice, which you can then pour inside of your mug.

(They're still selling these awesome insulated Star Wars mugs!)

Our experience at the resort pool was great! Pool chairs are spaced to allow for social-distancing. Masks can be taken off once at your pool chair, and social distancing in the pools is of course encouraged. There are still afternoon activities at the main pool, but only things like trivia, where social distancing can be performed. The activities cast member would often remind folks to stay 6 feet apart from others during the activities.

(Polynesian Village volcano pool)

(Volcano pool)

The water slide was open, and markers were placed in the queue 6 feet apart showing parties where to stand. Admittedly, social distancing was not as, shall I say prevalent, at the children's splash pad, and so I might recommend that you skip this area on your trip.

(Camden exiting the water slide at the resort)

As for transportation, we experienced the monorail, buses, and the ferry on our trip. We were easily able to social distance on all of these modes of transportation. Markers were everywhere in the queues, and we were told specifically where to sit on the monorail and buses so that we'd be spaced out from other parties. On the ferry, we were not told where to stand, but as they are so large and there are so few people taking them, social distancing was not difficult at all.

(The only one in our car on the monorail)

Table service restaurants utilized online check-in at the resorts, and we were notified via text when our table was ready. This minimized our contact with cast members. Of course, tables were spread out from one another so we were at least 6 feet from all other parties. Servers wore masks. As of July 27, guests will have their temperatures checked at all table service restaurants at Walt Disney World resorts and Disney Springs. Once we sat down at our table, we could take our mask off to enjoy our meal. A piece of paper was placed at our table with a QR code that we could scan with our smart phone camera, which revealed the menu for our meal (another pet peeve of mine- dirty menus!!). The paper was then discarded. Yet another feature that I have always hated about restaurants is the communal ketchup bottle and salt and pepper shakers (I never handle these directly, I always place a napkin between me and the item!)- these are all now given to you in single-serve portions, which- you guessed it- I loved!

(Enjoying a table service dinner)

(Fun at character breakfast!)

At the theme parks, our temperatures were taken quickly using a touchless thermometer (actually for the monorail resorts, our temps were taken at the resort), and our bags were sent through the metal detector with us so that security did not have to touch our bags. If we beeped when we went through the metal detector, then we were pulled to the side and security had us go through our bag while they watched. We were instructed before going through to take out items such as large metal water bottles, which were placed in a bin that was sanitized between each party.

(Animal Kingdom right after our temp checks)

As for our experience in the theme parks- we absolutely, 100% loved our time in the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, the two parks that opened during our visit. The 10 hours per day that each theme park is open is more than enough time to do each and every attraction if you like. We have never gotten to experience the theme parks with such low crowds- it felt like a special event just for us and a few select guests! Not every attraction was open, but this really didn't affect how we felt about our experience in the theme parks. We also didn't miss the nighttime fireworks shows- before we left, I thought maybe we might, but I didn't even realize until we got home and I was reflecting back on our trip that these weren't going on! But being able to literally walk onto some of the most popular attractions such as Flight of Passage, Expedition Everest, Space Mountain, and Peter Pan's Flight was SO. MUCH. FUN! It 100% reminded me of paid after-hours events that my family used to enjoy in the 90's.

(A very empty Animal Kingdom)

(Na'vi River Journey in Pandora was a walk-on)

(It's A Small World was a walk-on)

(A very empty Adventureland at the Magic Kingdom)

(Empty Fantasyland)

Attractions were down every so often for routine cleanings, but these were quick and efficient! We constantly saw handrails and other high-touch areas being sanitized. 

(Routine cleaning of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad)

Pop-up parades are frequent, and so if you are someone that enjoys parades, you will really enjoy this aspect of the parks! There are many different character parades, including Minnie and Mickey, the Disney Princesses, Goofy, and more! At Disney's Hollywood Studios, there is a Disney Junior pop-up parade that I am really hoping to see on our next visit as well!

(A fun pop-up parade during lunch!)

(The pop-up parades on the water at Animal Kingdom were fantastic!)

The only thing that we really missed on this trip was being able to hug the characters! Piglet, Rabbit and Eeyore were outside of Crystal Palace one afternoon, and we were able to take 'social distance selfies' with them, and we enjoyed a character breakfast at Topolino's Terrace at Disney' Riviera Resort one morning, where we were able to see characters from at least 6 feet away. They also had a fun parade throughout the restaurant which my kids really enjoyed! My thoughts are this: I don't know when, if ever, character interaction as we knew it will return. I think about all of the germs on these characters and I just don't know if being able to hug them will ever return. Perhaps it will... perhaps it won't... and so if your only reservation about visiting in 2020 or even 2021 is that you won't be able to hug the characters, I wouldn't base a decision off of that personally. Your mileage may vary.

(Social-distance selfie with Eeyore)

My last point that I want to touch on is the vibe and the feelings we got from being in Walt Disney World the week we were there. It was truly amazing. Everyone I saw (guests and cast members alike) was smiling, pleasant, and happy to be 'home'. The first few days before the park opened felt a little funny, as transportation was a lot different (even the resort monorail loop wasn't up yet), but once the parks opened, it felt back-to-normal. The vibe was absolutely incredible. When the Magic Kingdom opened to the public on July 11, walking down Main Street USA with all of the cast members welcoming us back was one of the most incredible feelings I have ever had. I still get goosebumps thinking of that walk.

(We absolutely loved our much-needed vacation!)

I don't have a lot to say about wearing masks- personally, I think that this is something that's going to become our new normal, and it doesn't affect me one bit (I am happy to wear a mask everywhere, as is my family)- again, your mileage may vary, but this is something that I personally wouldn't let stop you in regards to whether you visit in 2020 or early 2021. I can say that when it feels like 110 degrees, wearing a mask isn't going to make you feel 'hotter'- it feels like 110 degrees, mask or no mask. My youngest son and I tolerate the heat very well, whereas my oldest son and husband do not, and these two didn't have any issues wearing a mask in the heat (I also would like to mention that my husband and I both have asthma- again, no issues for us).

(Happy to wear masks!)

So would we head back, knowing now what we know about July 2020 and the reopening of Walt Disney World? Well, we loved our time so much that we are heading back in October! We are excited to once again experience low crowd levels and walk-on to some of our favorite attractions. We'll be splitting our time between an Epcot-area resort and a Magic Kingdom-area resort for maximum ease of getting to the parks, and we simply cannot wait!

Questions or comments? Please feel free to email me at Dana_W@WishingOnAStarTravel.com. Thank you for reading, stay well, and Happy Travels!