Official Wine & Dine 2018
- Thread starter afan
- Start date
Bree
Runs on Coffee
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2009
Thoughts on a whirlwind W&D weekend!
- EXPO - I loved that bib pickup and merch were in the same building, but when I got to the expo Friday morning at opening, I was disappointed that the merch was already picked over and sold out of several things (including my must-have Tervis water bottle). Also, there was only one design for the headbands, rather than different ones for each race. Ah well, money saved!
- 10K - Weather was as good as it gets for FL to run! I lucked out in corral A. Didn't stop for a character until I got to Epcot. Wish the first 3.5 miles of this race were more interesting but going around World Showcase in the dark, with it all lit up, is a stunning sight. I finished early enough that I was able to get all the finish line character pics with not much wait. And I got to meet the famous rteetz in line for Sebastian!
- HALF - Weather not so good - didn't mind the light rain, just the humidity. The course is the same as the one they have used for Star Wars the last two years, and I really like it - 3 parks, including the magical Pandora in the dark. Thought the characters were good. As I was worried about before the race, the course between HS and the Boardwalk was a cluster (not so bad for me in corral B but I can imagine those in later corrals were packed in!).
- PARKS - were WAY more crowded than I was expecting for an off-season weekend, between Halloween and the official holiday season. But I was solo, so not a huge deal.
- MEDALS - love the medals, but afterwards noticed sloppy paint job on the half medal (which is my favorite). Anyone else?
Overall - I liked W&D a lot better than Princess, but not as much as SW or Marathon weekend. I think I would come back and do it again though!
Now on to Goofy training! Kind of surprised at how sore I was after this weekend - I got some work to do!!
They only had one design on the sweatybands for Dark Side too. I like the specific races!
My medal has green paint slopped on Mickey.
PrincessV
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
Well... I may be done with W&D now. Nothing was especially wrong with the weekend, but I felt, and still feel, rather "meh" about it. And it's way too expensive for "meh" lol! I "only" ran the half and it was fine - I had a good time, worked in a new pair of shoes, took some fun pics. The after-party is really wasted on me: I was too tired to stay long, and the rain this year was the pits. Very glad I got to enjoy some QT with the Adventurers' Club crew, even in a torrential downpour!
bearybubba
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2007
I'm sorry we missed it. For some reason, I thought it was Sunday and not Saturday. Maybe I can get the right day for the Star Wars weekend!
Kerry1957
Will run for Hefeweizen
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2017
Just back from a very nice running weekend. I only did the half, and just took it easy; finished right where I wanted to ensure a POT for the next runDisney race I enter. I ran with the 2:45 pacers and one of them and I challenged the army man to a push-up contest on the ramp leading to HS. It was a lot of fun, but I was surprised how tired my arms were after running 10 miles; I thought it was my legs doing all the work. I was conflicted entering HS when I saw Mr. Incredible (my costume for this race), but a very long line of people waiting for photos. I decided to skip what would have been a fun photo to get the POT.
As others have already said... Thank You @croach for hosting a fun meetup!
As others have already said... Thank You @croach for hosting a fun meetup!
KB0609
°o°
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2018
I think I passed y'all doing those push ups! I finished at 2:45, as well. I remember thinking the LAST thing I wanna do right now is push-ups
GreatLakes
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2015
Back home from the race weekend/family vacation. I avoided reading any other race weekend posts after the 5K so I could get my thoughts/report down without being influenced so here goes:
Expo: Not bad but having to go to three locations was a bit much. I didn't really like any of the race weekend merchandise and didn't buy anything. I like the race shirt colors and graphics but the material feels really cheap. I much preferred the material they used for the inaugural weekend.
10K: The start area was nice and I liked the atmosphere. The course was a little boring but unless they loop us through MK first and alter the route I'm not sure what else they could do. I loved the last portion through Epcot so overall I think it was nice. The weather was beautiful and I couldn't ask for much better. I was aiming for top3 in my age group and failed miserably. I got into the coral too early and had to veer off course to pee but even without that I would not have been able to crack the top 3. I was done early enough to get a few pictures without any lines.
Kids Races: This left a lot to be desired. My son and one of my friend's kids both were in the 100m and there was no organization. You got in a blob and slowly pushed forward until it was your turn. It needed proper lines and probably some sort of time slots instead of just a queue. By the time it was our turn my son was done with it and it was a toddler carry for dad instead of a race for him. The shirt was nice and I'm glad we did it but it was not a good overall experience.
Half Marathon: I decided to try and avoid the problem from the 10K and use the Port-O-Potty 10 minutes before the start of the race. I ended up locked out of A which really annoyed me. I always try to use the restroom within 10 minutes of the start of a half and am always in A and have never been locked out before. It pretty much made the entire race a negative experience for me. I spent the next 13.1 miles running around people as I was stuck in C. The rain was nice and exactly the kind of rain that makes a race better. I don't care about stopping for characters but thought they were a little lean as far as that goes. I had some traffic in AK but by the time I made it to DHS I was back up into the middle of A and it wasn't as bad. Both courses were pretty flat and even the overpasses weren't even really "hills". I have worse just exiting my neighborhood.
Epcot Party: I loved the party. The rain was a little annoying but we made the most of it and know we will have fund stories of plodding through Epcot in unending rain which makes it worth it. I was just down in October for work so this was my second time through F&W but my wife's first time and she loved it. I suspect I'll be able to talk her into future trips for sure.
The Vacation Portion of the trip: It was me, my wife, son, and my mom all in an All-Star Family Suite. It was my first time at the All-Stars and I didn't find them overcrowded or loud in any way which is a common complaint. I can say the suite needed some TLC. It wasn't terrible but the furniture and carpet is in need of replacement. It was quiet warn and past being able to be really cleaned well due to the staining.
Disney with a 21.5 month old is a different experience. We knew it would be but in the many times I've been to Disney (probably 100+) I have never done so little and been so exhausted. We really didn't mind just walking around and letting little man soak up the atmosphere but he is a terrible napper at home in his blacked-out room so walking him around the park trying to get him to nap in his stroller is a fools errand. He took short naps on our two parks days but for AK we literally did no attractions with him. I did Tough to be a Bug and the safari with my mom while my wife tried to get him to nap but the only other thing besides walking around the park was a cranky Tusker House lunch (by far the best character meal on property) and some play time in the Bone Yard that we called the $300 playground trip. It was really fun despite the trouble to finally go to Disney with my kid.
I also had a bunch of long time friends with me on the trip. One running friend that was there for the race and her family's first Disney trip, one long time friend and her family that I went to Disney with as a young adult and we have been very close friends for 20 years at this point, and one last friend I've known just as long that has never been. We all did our own thing but met up in MK for a picture and did Mickey's Backyard BBQ at FTW together as a group. It was the highlight of the trip. The 5 kids, age 12 down to our guy, all loved it and had fun. The food was not great but fit the backyard BBQ theme and they had a vegetarian option for those that wanted it. We got group and individual pictures with some characters and my son had a great random encounter with Mickey that was quite the proud dad moment.
Overall Verdict: It was another fun Disney vacation but it reiterated my thought that rD events are fun and different but overpriced for what you get. The shutout of A really bothered me and I think my pattern of doing a non-Disney race somewhere off property and throwing in a few Disney days will be the way to go in the future. rD events will remain once every few years at this point. There are some changes I don't like about Disney like the parking fees at the resorts but found the crowds really low (we did MK Friday and AK Sunday) and the lines short. We are looking at going to Melbourne to visit family next fall and I will likely do the Space Coast full and one park day.
Hope the rest of you guys had a good time and the weekend met your expectations.
Expo: Not bad but having to go to three locations was a bit much. I didn't really like any of the race weekend merchandise and didn't buy anything. I like the race shirt colors and graphics but the material feels really cheap. I much preferred the material they used for the inaugural weekend.
10K: The start area was nice and I liked the atmosphere. The course was a little boring but unless they loop us through MK first and alter the route I'm not sure what else they could do. I loved the last portion through Epcot so overall I think it was nice. The weather was beautiful and I couldn't ask for much better. I was aiming for top3 in my age group and failed miserably. I got into the coral too early and had to veer off course to pee but even without that I would not have been able to crack the top 3. I was done early enough to get a few pictures without any lines.
Kids Races: This left a lot to be desired. My son and one of my friend's kids both were in the 100m and there was no organization. You got in a blob and slowly pushed forward until it was your turn. It needed proper lines and probably some sort of time slots instead of just a queue. By the time it was our turn my son was done with it and it was a toddler carry for dad instead of a race for him. The shirt was nice and I'm glad we did it but it was not a good overall experience.
Half Marathon: I decided to try and avoid the problem from the 10K and use the Port-O-Potty 10 minutes before the start of the race. I ended up locked out of A which really annoyed me. I always try to use the restroom within 10 minutes of the start of a half and am always in A and have never been locked out before. It pretty much made the entire race a negative experience for me. I spent the next 13.1 miles running around people as I was stuck in C. The rain was nice and exactly the kind of rain that makes a race better. I don't care about stopping for characters but thought they were a little lean as far as that goes. I had some traffic in AK but by the time I made it to DHS I was back up into the middle of A and it wasn't as bad. Both courses were pretty flat and even the overpasses weren't even really "hills". I have worse just exiting my neighborhood.
Epcot Party: I loved the party. The rain was a little annoying but we made the most of it and know we will have fund stories of plodding through Epcot in unending rain which makes it worth it. I was just down in October for work so this was my second time through F&W but my wife's first time and she loved it. I suspect I'll be able to talk her into future trips for sure.
The Vacation Portion of the trip: It was me, my wife, son, and my mom all in an All-Star Family Suite. It was my first time at the All-Stars and I didn't find them overcrowded or loud in any way which is a common complaint. I can say the suite needed some TLC. It wasn't terrible but the furniture and carpet is in need of replacement. It was quiet warn and past being able to be really cleaned well due to the staining.
Disney with a 21.5 month old is a different experience. We knew it would be but in the many times I've been to Disney (probably 100+) I have never done so little and been so exhausted. We really didn't mind just walking around and letting little man soak up the atmosphere but he is a terrible napper at home in his blacked-out room so walking him around the park trying to get him to nap in his stroller is a fools errand. He took short naps on our two parks days but for AK we literally did no attractions with him. I did Tough to be a Bug and the safari with my mom while my wife tried to get him to nap but the only other thing besides walking around the park was a cranky Tusker House lunch (by far the best character meal on property) and some play time in the Bone Yard that we called the $300 playground trip. It was really fun despite the trouble to finally go to Disney with my kid.
I also had a bunch of long time friends with me on the trip. One running friend that was there for the race and her family's first Disney trip, one long time friend and her family that I went to Disney with as a young adult and we have been very close friends for 20 years at this point, and one last friend I've known just as long that has never been. We all did our own thing but met up in MK for a picture and did Mickey's Backyard BBQ at FTW together as a group. It was the highlight of the trip. The 5 kids, age 12 down to our guy, all loved it and had fun. The food was not great but fit the backyard BBQ theme and they had a vegetarian option for those that wanted it. We got group and individual pictures with some characters and my son had a great random encounter with Mickey that was quite the proud dad moment.
Overall Verdict: It was another fun Disney vacation but it reiterated my thought that rD events are fun and different but overpriced for what you get. The shutout of A really bothered me and I think my pattern of doing a non-Disney race somewhere off property and throwing in a few Disney days will be the way to go in the future. rD events will remain once every few years at this point. There are some changes I don't like about Disney like the parking fees at the resorts but found the crowds really low (we did MK Friday and AK Sunday) and the lines short. We are looking at going to Melbourne to visit family next fall and I will likely do the Space Coast full and one park day.
Hope the rest of you guys had a good time and the weekend met your expectations.
For those who like to read trip reports
Is this what it feels like to be fast? W&D runDisney TR 2018
Is this what it feels like to be fast? W&D runDisney TR 2018
Blue Caterpillar
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2015
Congrats to all participants!
Just curious, I didn't see any pics of rundisney merch, like the tinkerbell, Cinderella, little mermaid, Cheshire cat active wear they have had at other weekends. Did they have anything like that?
Thanks!
Just curious, I didn't see any pics of rundisney merch, like the tinkerbell, Cinderella, little mermaid, Cheshire cat active wear they have had at other weekends. Did they have anything like that?
Thanks!
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2008
I’m still on my trip but our Wine and Dine Trip Report starts on Page 11 here:
I Do Not Deal With My Problems Like I Know I Should
I Do Not Deal With My Problems Like I Know I Should
scootersjunk
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2007
Has anyone checked out the Character Warehouses recently to see if the Wine and Dine 2018 merchandise has made its way there yet?
scootersjunk
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2007
How do I download my Finisher certificates and how do I find out my time for the race?
scootersjunk
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2007
THANK YOU!
1lilspark
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2016
may try to go this weekend though most of the merchandise was sold out early so not holding out much hope
scootersjunk
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2007
Please post an update. I'd like to get some shirts. Don't really care for the pins etc.
1lilspark
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2016
I will if we venture out there
lovingeire
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2012
Back to reality and work today! Yesterday I was a zombie after not getting home till 2am!
My favorite part of this weekend was the meetup! It was so fun to put faces to names! Thanks to @croach for non-hosting!
The Expo was fine for me. I loved the race jackets but the sizing seemed odd. We were there Thursday afternoon and still plenty of stock.
The 10K weather was perfect. We stopped for the pirates, and don’t normally stop that early, and the course was so bogged down after that stop that we could hardly run. My frustration levels were high!
The half I enjoyed the rain, but I wish it had driven off the humidity, but such is life. We had a good race. My BFF was undertrained but really pushed herself to stick to the intervals. We stopped for Captain Hook (so Disney got me twice at the two mile-ish Mark darn them) but we had a much easier time running! We also stopped for a selfie or two and Edna.
The after party was a bust for us due to the rain. Had a quick visit with the disers and rode Soarin but headed back to the room after that. I was too tired to stand around and wait for it to clear up sadly. (BFF was done before it started LOL!)
The rest of our trip, we left Tuesday, was fun. I’m looking forward to next year. I plan to bring my family since it overlaps with Halloween so I’ll have to figure out what, if any races they’ll all do. Wondering if my 9 and almost 6 year old could hang with the early wake up and the 5K?????
My favorite part of this weekend was the meetup! It was so fun to put faces to names! Thanks to @croach for non-hosting!
The Expo was fine for me. I loved the race jackets but the sizing seemed odd. We were there Thursday afternoon and still plenty of stock.
The 10K weather was perfect. We stopped for the pirates, and don’t normally stop that early, and the course was so bogged down after that stop that we could hardly run. My frustration levels were high!
The half I enjoyed the rain, but I wish it had driven off the humidity, but such is life. We had a good race. My BFF was undertrained but really pushed herself to stick to the intervals. We stopped for Captain Hook (so Disney got me twice at the two mile-ish Mark darn them) but we had a much easier time running! We also stopped for a selfie or two and Edna.
The after party was a bust for us due to the rain. Had a quick visit with the disers and rode Soarin but headed back to the room after that. I was too tired to stand around and wait for it to clear up sadly. (BFF was done before it started LOL!)
The rest of our trip, we left Tuesday, was fun. I’m looking forward to next year. I plan to bring my family since it overlaps with Halloween so I’ll have to figure out what, if any races they’ll all do. Wondering if my 9 and almost 6 year old could hang with the early wake up and the 5K?????
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- Joined
- Aug 7, 2000
Congratulations everyone! 
I'm enjoying reading all your reports!
I ended up trying the 1/2 and succeeding. After walking around the parks on Saturday, the issue I had been having (hamstring/lower back) was hurting. It hadn't been hurting to just walk (only hurt to run) so this really messed with me. I thought for sure if I tried I'd be bailing out minutes into it, if not seconds. Saturday night I was in the room, sitting on a bag of ice, using Icy Hot all over me and I was just really upset. It finally hit me, if I did try and had to stop right away I'd be ticked off. If I didn't try and never knew how it could have gone, I'd be ticked off. It was a lose/lose there, and best case scenario would be that I could finish. So, when the alarm went off at 2:45 am for some reason I jumped out of bed without thinking about it and just went, albeit totally unprepared. Sitting on the ground while waiting all I could think of was I have no business being here, LOL! Well, I think Disney Magic took over and somehow I managed to run, with some walking, with just manageable pain. It was my worst time for a half, but I was thrilled with it...thrilled that I could do it!
All of our races have been Disney, and Wine and Dine is our favorite. I have been saying next on my list is to venture to Vegas and do the half there, so once I get myself in running shape again that is what I'm looking to, however with W&D fresh in my mind I jut might get sucked back into that.
I'm enjoying reading all your reports!
I ended up trying the 1/2 and succeeding. After walking around the parks on Saturday, the issue I had been having (hamstring/lower back) was hurting. It hadn't been hurting to just walk (only hurt to run) so this really messed with me. I thought for sure if I tried I'd be bailing out minutes into it, if not seconds. Saturday night I was in the room, sitting on a bag of ice, using Icy Hot all over me and I was just really upset. It finally hit me, if I did try and had to stop right away I'd be ticked off. If I didn't try and never knew how it could have gone, I'd be ticked off. It was a lose/lose there, and best case scenario would be that I could finish. So, when the alarm went off at 2:45 am for some reason I jumped out of bed without thinking about it and just went, albeit totally unprepared. Sitting on the ground while waiting all I could think of was I have no business being here, LOL! Well, I think Disney Magic took over and somehow I managed to run, with some walking, with just manageable pain. It was my worst time for a half, but I was thrilled with it...thrilled that I could do it!
All of our races have been Disney, and Wine and Dine is our favorite. I have been saying next on my list is to venture to Vegas and do the half there, so once I get myself in running shape again that is what I'm looking to, however with W&D fresh in my mind I jut might get sucked back into that.
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