Running and Racing and Dancing and Chasing: A 2017 Princess Half Marathon Weekend Trip Report!

I would have loved that cinch bag after our race. since we were rushing to get back to the BC to get the younger kiddos to their kid races, we grabbed the box, drinks (water and powerade) and banana and got on the bus...i looked less princessy then. Who am i kidding?!! I looked a sweaty mess even without the stuff.
 
That cinch bag is clutch. I only remember to bring a grocery bag one out of every three races (and by that I mean I only brought a bag to one of the three Disney races I did), so getting a bag there really can be helpful. Plus, the cinch bag is easier to carry than a grocery bag ... you can't usually wear a grocery bag.

I am also not in love with the half medal. I think they could have done better. Meh.

I love Be Our Guest. But I think that's just because I could probably sit in that ballroom and do nothing all day and still love it. It's just so beautiful.
 
Count me in the crowd of wanting a bag at other races too!! Great photos and awesome job finishing all the races! Woohoo too that they got at least some of Donald in that hi five finish photo, they should really setup a dedicated photogapher on each character and frame them better so they don't get cut off. And Be Our Guest lunch after is very fitting so glad you made it.
 


Congratulations on running 3 races in one weekend, that is crazy! That takes a lot of effort, way to go! When you talked about tightening up during character stops I remembered back to my marathon days and thought, wowzers, that must be so hard to get back going.

Enjoying your trip report. Thanks for all the pictures and details. Before reading your trip report, I had heard of runDinsey but kind of thought it was "just running at Disney". I'm quickly learning its so much more than that! Now I think I am going to dive in and find out what this is all about.

Loved your report! I have been dying to do one of the races and FINALLY got my DH to say he would do one with me. It's my 40th birthday present. We decided on the Star Wars 5K 2018. Your report really let me know how the races work and what to expect. Thanks for writing!

Add me to to the "I'm doing this for my 40th birthday club" Only slightly over a year to get working on the plans!
 
I love reading all of your race trip reports. I lurk, not post... This year my friend and I did the Princess Half (our first?!) and we also ate breakfast at Boma on Saturday and went to MK on Sunday. We did manage to make our 11:40-12:40 7 Dwarfs Mine Train Fastpass but we didn't nap. This resulted in our leaving the park exhausted at 7 pm. So much for Wishes. Ha!

My friend had a 3:20 Magical Express pick up time on Monday. She missed it, but was lucky enough to get on the next one.
I lurk on many reports too - I get it!

Good job making your FP+! My 20-minute nap was not all that helpful!
That cinch bag is fantastic! I'd love if they gave them out at marathon weekend too...maybe, for the anniversary?!
Ahhh, isn't it??

Well, here are the gifts I have gotten so far for the anniversary races I have done:
20th marathon - shoelaces
5th Wine & Dine - coaster
10th Goofy - cell phone credit card holder (was cleaning out drawers on Sunday and found this - you stick it on the back of your cell phone to hold cards and stuff)
10th Disneyland Half - luggage tag
20th half - luggage tag

Random assortment of stuff! Seems like they like luggage tags though!
I wish they gave out bags at every race weekend.

That half medal is definitely not the best but I guess it's not terrible either.

It's been a while since I've done lunch at BOG but it looks good.
I know, having the bag was so great. I used it at the parks to carry my medals for pictures since I was only wearing the GSC medal for the rest of the weekend...I'll be bringing it to Tink for the same purpose.

BoG was good but not as good as I remembered! The soup was really, really good though.
Count me in on the crowd wanting a bag. That would be incredibly helpful. I hope we do get one for the Tink half! Glad you made the lunch reservation even though you missed your BTMRR FP. Lunch looks tasty, but I know I wasn't has happy with the food quality there the last time I went.

Uh Oh about hitting the wall though. :(
Yes, they give us so much stuff at the end of the races, a bag would be nice! And it's decent quality but it's not, like...you know, worth $30 or something. I hope we get one for Tink, too!

Yeah, BoG is not as good as it was (to me) compared to when I first went. Dinner there in January was underwhelming, I thought, and I have had this same pork dish before and remember it being better. I may take Be Our Guest off the list for awhile. :confused3
I loved the cinch bag for after the race. The woman that helped me with mine was super nice and sticks out as the nicest volunteer of the race for me (others, of course, were really great too!).

Only a 20 min nap?? You are a champ! I think I slept for a solid hour after breakfast & showering.

Sorry you missed your FP+, but glad you made it to BOG. That cupcake looks excellent! I canceled one of my ADR at DHS after being late, and the person at the hostess stand said TS restaurants would honor reservations anytime later in the day, which I found odd and probably not true. There weren't any available times at that restaurant later in the day though... a dis-mystery.
Only 20 min! Not enough time!! I think I could have used, like...a 3-hour nap or something. :faint:

Cupcake WAS excellent, it was so moist it was falling apart! The BoG CM said the same thing to M, that as long as we showed up at some point it would be okay. I thought that was weird for such a popular restaurant! The dis-mystery continues.
I just read your whole trip report! I'm hoping someday to do a Disney race, so this was fun to read! Congratulations on accomplishing so much! And thanks for the great trip report. I loved seeing the pictures of the mile markers, so cute! And getting to meet Mushu!!! I remember meeting him once in Epcot with Mulan. He's so cute!!!
If you like running and you like Disney, definitely try a race! They are really fun!
Awesome job!! And amazing pics as always.
Some thoughts:
Phoebus' head is too tiny for that outfit. Which I guess its kind of like that in the cartoon, but it cracks me up.
Prince Eric's new threads are on point. You should have kicked all other males out of the pic...can you do that?
I would DIE for a penguin or a Princess Daisy picture. But I would be asked to be brought back to life for a grey stuff cupcake.
I'm crossing all my toes that they still have gray stuff at Disneyland come Tink weekend.
The Beast new costume is also very awesome. I think kiddo's will be less scared of him too.
I solved your "I don't know what to do with my arms in pictures" issue. Buy these...
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I'm sure they won't be annoying for 13.1 miles :)

Again...totally awesome job completing all these races! #goals
Yes, head size is not proportional to the outfit. He heeds a helmet or something to balance it all out. Prince Eric seemed overdressed compared to his buddies but I guess it's better to be overdressed than underdressed!

I hope they still have Grey Stuff in Disneyland too! It is mighty tasty. I'd also like one of those Rose Cups, but I won't be standing in line for hours to get one!

Funny story about the butterfly wings - Someone I know recently ran the London Marathon wearing a pair of those! They were more golden in color though, similar to the shirt I wore for the half. Can't imagine having them on for 26.2 miles! She said they were very light and not annoying, buuuutt....:scratchin

Are you getting pumped for TINK?? :tinker:
I want to love BOG more. It's so beautiful but I feel like the food could be tastier and would love a production of "be our guest"
Love your medal photos. The cinch bag was cool too!
Same here!! The inside is so perfect (M was just like..."WHAAAT this looks exactly like the movie!") but I agree about the food! If I go there in the future I think I'll just be getting soup and a cupcake. Which sounds like an A+ meal actually...

Be Our Guest production would be awesome! Or a Lumiere/Cogsworth animatronic going around to tables. That would be cool!
 
I would have loved that cinch bag after our race. since we were rushing to get back to the BC to get the younger kiddos to their kid races, we grabbed the box, drinks (water and powerade) and banana and got on the bus...i looked less princessy then. Who am i kidding?!! I looked a sweaty mess even without the stuff.
I too looked like a sweaty mess! Just means we were working hard. ::yes::
That cinch bag is clutch. I only remember to bring a grocery bag one out of every three races (and by that I mean I only brought a bag to one of the three Disney races I did), so getting a bag there really can be helpful. Plus, the cinch bag is easier to carry than a grocery bag ... you can't usually wear a grocery bag.

I am also not in love with the half medal. I think they could have done better. Meh.

I love Be Our Guest. But I think that's just because I could probably sit in that ballroom and do nothing all day and still love it. It's just so beautiful.
Seriously, cinch bag after the race was awesome. I almost walked right by the volunteers handing them out but I'm glad I saw them!! I am sure you're right about not being able to wear a grocery bag, I didn't try that though! :rotfl2: ;)

I agree about the half medal! When the pics came out I was convinced it would look better in person...which, it DID, but not as great as I convinced myself it would be. Oh well!!

I do think they did an amazing job with the interior of Be Our Guest - West Wing and Ballroom are perfect. Not sure why they made the music box room up and didn't have that be a library? Maybe it would be too dark and then they'd have 2 dark rooms with library + west wing?
You know it! I got all in each race except vacation Genie during the 10K. He had gone on break or something. Or I didn't see him.

Yes Tink is so close! I love the Dooney this time!
So close!! Start prepping for lots of fairy pics in May!! :tinker:

Did you pre-order a Dooney? I thought they were really cute but I don't like Tink enough to drop the cash on them. :scratchin
Count me in the crowd of wanting a bag at other races too!! Great photos and awesome job finishing all the races! Woohoo too that they got at least some of Donald in that hi five finish photo, they should really setup a dedicated photogapher on each character and frame them better so they don't get cut off. And Be Our Guest lunch after is very fitting so glad you made it.
Seriously, it was so nice to have one at the end!! I wish they would do them for all of the races! I heard they had a TON left over too, so clearly it didn't cost them much to make a bunch.

That's a great idea about a dedicated photographer for the characters at the finish - I think that would make people less likely to try to stop for pics with them, too.
Congratulations on running 3 races in one weekend, that is crazy! That takes a lot of effort, way to go! When you talked about tightening up during character stops I remembered back to my marathon days and thought, wowzers, that must be so hard to get back going.

Enjoying your trip report. Thanks for all the pictures and details. Before reading your trip report, I had heard of runDinsey but kind of thought it was "just running at Disney". I'm quickly learning its so much more than that! Now I think I am going to dive in and find out what this is all about.



Add me to to the "I'm doing this for my 40th birthday club" Only slightly over a year to get working on the plans!
Thank you! :) Yes, runDisney is a whoooole other world. Make sure you check out the runDisney section of the boards. Lots of discussion there! :)
 


Oh yeah the potato leek soup at BOG is great! Lunch there is a must do for me. I can't get enough of the atmosphere and it fits so well in Magic Kingdom!

I almost think a 20 minutes nap would be more painful? Like once your body gets a taste of the sleep it needs, its sooo hard to rip it away! I'm impressed you were able to get out of bed and get to MK for lunch!
 
Congrats on completing the challenge! I loved all your character photos and the half medal at Be Our Guest!

Just curious...I stopped for a lot of photos (at least 9) during the marathon this past January and I was amazed at how short the lines were. I am not fast so I know it wasn't becasue I was ahead of a lot of people. Did I just get lucky most likely becasue of how cold it was? I had never really stopped much for pictures before and kept telling myself that I would stop if the lines didn't look too bad. How were the lines overall for the weekend? I am trying to convince my dad to stop for pictures next time we run together.
 
Oh yeah the potato leek soup at BOG is great! Lunch there is a must do for me. I can't get enough of the atmosphere and it fits so well in Magic Kingdom!
The atmosphere is perfect for sure! I love the breakfast there too - so good!!
I almost think a 20 minutes nap would be more painful? Like once your body gets a taste of the sleep it needs, its sooo hard to rip it away! I'm impressed you were able to get out of bed and get to MK for lunch!
It was totally painful. Like - I laid down, shut my eyes for a second and suddenly it was time to get up and go again!
Congrats on completing the challenge! I loved all your character photos and the half medal at Be Our Guest!
Thanks!! :yay:
Just curious...I stopped for a lot of photos (at least 9) during the marathon this past January and I was amazed at how short the lines were. I am not fast so I know it wasn't becasue I was ahead of a lot of people. Did I just get lucky most likely becasue of how cold it was? I had never really stopped much for pictures before and kept telling myself that I would stop if the lines didn't look too bad. How were the lines overall for the weekend? I am trying to convince my dad to stop for pictures next time we run together.
I do think that January was different because it was SO cold - I don't think people were stopping quite as much. For this one I had a couple of 11ish-minute lines during the 10K and one that was 7-8 during the half. Those were the longest ones. Being in higher corrals definitely helped me with that though!
 
WRECKED

The park was nuts today. The app said the PeopleMover had a 40-minute wait...what? :faint: I refused to believe this was true and had to see it with my own eyes. Sure enough, it was pretty much a walk-on, so in no time we were PeopleMoving!

By now, sadly, I was fading fast. My stomach was feeling a little dicey after the half, and I quickly realized that eating such a rich, heavy meal at Be Our Guest so soon after the race had been a mistake. Plus...the three 3AM wake-ups in a row and all of those miles of running and walking was catching up to me. I was exhausted and had a splitting headache. I decided to skip our Space Mountain FP+ and M went to ride alone. I sat and waited for her in a giftshop...by the time she came out I had to admit defeat and head back to the room for more sleep! I felt terrible! M understood - I knew she would. She's a lot like me in that she values some occasional solo time, so she was good with hanging out at the MK for a bit by herself (not that we were, like, fighting or anything close to that - but a little alone time is good for the soul! At least I think).

I made my way out around 3:15...stopped for a quick PhotoPass session on the way.

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I was back at AKL and back in bed by 4:30. At 6 (weird schedule today!) I was back up and getting ready for dinner...I felt better but nowhere near normal!

I headed to the Grand Floridian and parked. Unfortunately M got on the wrong monorail from the MK (express instead of resort) so we were going to be late to another reservation! No complaints, though - this just gave me time to hang out and listen to the band and piano player at the Grand! Love this resort. It did make me really miss Mr. Ariel484 though...this is his favorite place on property, and is up there as one of mine, too.

M arrived and we headed out to check in at Narcoossee's...I think we were about 30 minutes late but they didn't make a big deal out of it.

This sculpture was pretty cool! Entirely made out of chocolate!

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We were seated and sadly I decided not to order the steak I'd been looking forward to. I still felt weird and knew I just wouldn't enjoy it!

Bread:

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Do As Dreamers Do...one last time

After we put in our orders, the lights dimmed and I realized that Wishes! was about to start. We headed outside to watch.

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Last time seeing Wishes! This has never been my favorite nighttime show at WDW (that honor goes to Fantasmic!) but I was glad we were getting to see it this evening. This was my first time seeing it from here at Narcoossee's, and I gotta say, not my favorite vantage point. Better than nothing, though!

Glad to see it one last time, but I'm looking forward to the new show!

We headed back in to see that our food had arrived. We were both cheap-os and stuck to salads since M was feeling a little off, too (we made sure to tip our server well since we were being such cheapskates - I really liked him).

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This salad was...not impressive. It cost like $14! Oh well.

We did order dessert, though! We also split a pressed pot of decaf:

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M got the creme brulee and I got the almond cheesecake...SO GOOD! I definitely want to give Narcoossee's another try when I'm feeling better!

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We paid our bill and headed out to watch the Electrical Water Pageant for a bit.

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Then we headed back to the resort. We watched a few minutes of the Oscars while packing...and soon we were both ready for bed! So we missed the big Best Picture mistake. Oh well.

Coming up - the last day! :sad:

Fitbit results:

Steps: 45,833
Miles: 22.33
 
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I'm sorry you were feeling off and giiiirrrrllll do I understand! If and when I get my do-over I feel like the biggest challenge will be the wake up calls at 3AM! I do not function this early! One day of adrenaline, yes....multiple, no! I think this is great to know as Dopey will likely never be in my future. If it was a night race, I'm all for it! Bummer about Narcoossee's! I hate feeling off especially when food is involved! My BFF and I went to Cali grill and didn't order wine and our server was so annoyed. We still had a hefty bill, but clearly he wasn't digging the fact that alcohol was not being served. Thankfully you had a nice server! Love the photos (always have to throw that in)
 
Sorry you weren't feeling great to enjoy celebrating in MK and at Narcoosee's! The half medal is pretty meh but I do love me some spinner medals! Your dessert looks incredible! Nice choice. I love watching Wishes better from the monorail resorts than I do in the park - on the dock at the GF, on the beach at Poly, and at the Top of the World lounge at Bay Lake :cloud9:
 
Boo to not feeling well after the half, that makes for a looong day :( So nice to have an understanding friend though! Hope you got some good rest and woke up feeling better on Monday!
 
It's so sucks when you have an awesome meal planned but you just don't feel well enough to enjoy it. That salad looks pretty "meh" too, in fact it still looks dirty! Glad dessert was satisfying!

I can't believe that scupture is made out of chocolate, incredible!

I don't know how anyone is able to be a park commando while running multiple races, it is just so exhausting.
 
Sorry about hitting the wall during your day at MK, but understandable for sure. Too bad you weren't feeling well enough to really enjoy your dinner, but I'm glad you got to see Wishes one last time. I actually love that show and I'm sad I won't be seeing it again since we missed it on our last trip. Hopefully the new one will be even better. I'm hearing rumors though that there will be fewer fireworks in place of lasers etc. I hope that's not true. I just love those big fireworks!
 
I'm sorry you were feeling off and giiiirrrrllll do I understand! If and when I get my do-over I feel like the biggest challenge will be the wake up calls at 3AM! I do not function this early! One day of adrenaline, yes....multiple, no! I think this is great to know as Dopey will likely never be in my future. If it was a night race, I'm all for it! Bummer about Narcoossee's! I hate feeling off especially when food is involved! My BFF and I went to Cali grill and didn't order wine and our server was so annoyed. We still had a hefty bill, but clearly he wasn't digging the fact that alcohol was not being served. Thankfully you had a nice server! Love the photos (always have to throw that in)
Me too! Not the most ideal way to spend the last night in Disney!

The wake-ups are no joke. I really think they are the toughest part of doing these multi-race weekends. Dopey is really tough that way - add in the knowledge that you still have to run a marathon at the end of it...:faint: Whole other level!

That is WEIRD that your server was annoyed. I thought our guy would be but he was great, very professional.
Sorry you weren't feeling great to enjoy celebrating in MK and at Narcoosee's! The half medal is pretty meh but I do love me some spinner medals! Your dessert looks incredible! Nice choice. I love watching Wishes better from the monorail resorts than I do in the park - on the dock at the GF, on the beach at Poly, and at the Top of the World lounge at Bay Lake :cloud9:
Spinner medals are always fun! Dessert was so good, I knew Narcoossee's was known for that one and thought it wouldn't live up to the hype, but it TOTALLY did.

I haven't gotten to watch Wishes at Top of the World...hope to watch fireworks up there some day! I think my favorite spot is California Grill. :)
Boo to not feeling well after the half, that makes for a looong day :( So nice to have an understanding friend though! Hope you got some good rest and woke up feeling better on Monday!
Boo indeed! Packing it in early was the right call, even if it was no fun.
It's so sucks when you have an awesome meal planned but you just don't feel well enough to enjoy it. That salad looks pretty "meh" too, in fact it still looks dirty! Glad dessert was satisfying!

I can't believe that scupture is made out of chocolate, incredible!

I don't know how anyone is able to be a park commando while running multiple races, it is just so exhausting.
It does! I am glad I realized it and didn't order an expensive steak. I'm not sure I would have eaten much of it! I agree with your thoughts on the salad, I definitely wouldn't get that again.

I have done the park commando + multiple races thing successfully (Dopey 2015) and didn't get why people thought that was such a big deal - looking back I was just in AWESOME shape then, really well-trained and no injuries. It's funny looking back on that because at the time I thought I was slow and fat...NOPE. I wish I'd appreciated it a little more back then!
Sorry about hitting the wall during your day at MK, but understandable for sure. Too bad you weren't feeling well enough to really enjoy your dinner, but I'm glad you got to see Wishes one last time. I actually love that show and I'm sad I won't be seeing it again since we missed it on our last trip. Hopefully the new one will be even better. I'm hearing rumors though that there will be fewer fireworks in place of lasers etc. I hope that's not true. I just love those big fireworks!
Yeah, it was bound to happen eventually! I still have the soundtrack to Wishes so I'll be listening to it for years to come. :) I have high hopes for the new show but I hope you're right that we won't be losing a ton of fireworks...
 
I usually get to the point in TRs where I just want them done already - today is that day! :)

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Day 6: Monday, February 27, 2017

Last Disney day...how sad! :sad:

I slept until about 8:30, and it was amazing! :cloud9: We packed up the car and split up...I was meeting my BFF at Epcot today (who lives near Orlando) and M didn't have a ticket for today. She was heading to Disney Springs.

I parked at Epcot at about 9:45 and met up with my BFF and her kiddo (1.5 years old) for a ride on Nemo. Then we got some Starbucks, grabbed a table at Electric Umbrella and chatted! I was still battling a splitting headache despite all of that sleep I'd gotten!

We split up at about 11:30, and it was time for me to head to Disney Springs to get M. But first...a picture with Daisy! She was bummed she wasn't on any of the medals. I can't say I blame her...I'd love a Daisy medal!

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I headed over to Disney Springs...this picture of an in-color Steamboat Willie near one of the bathrooms totally weirded me out! It looks so wrong!

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I met M in World of Disney, where I picked up a few things for a friend. Then we headed to Wolfgang Puck Express where I got a pepperoni pizza to go. I filled up the gas tank at the Speedway outside of the Springs and we headed to the airport...I dropped M off at terminal A and then headed to terminal B to return the car and check in. Big Purple juuust made it!

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:rotfl2: I just don't even know. I really need to cool it on the packing!

My WPE pizza came through security with me and then once I was through I INHALED it - best airport meal ever! My flight to Chicago was great because I slept the ENTIRE way. My headache was finally gone after that. Then on my second flight I got the entire row to myself and slept again! Yay!

And that's that! Trip over. :(

Fitbit results:

Steps: 12,169
Miles: 5.15
 
Final Thoughts

I think I did some stupid stuff this weekend (walking too much in the parks) but I really had a blast. K, M and I had been talking about making a trip like this happen for years now, and I'm glad we finally got to do it! :yay:

Princess has such a bad reputation, but I thought it was just as fun and enjoyable as any of the other runDisney race weekends I have done. I'm guessing my higher corrals had something to do with that, based on K's experience at the 10K. And going to the expo late was an excellent decision.

Up next for me: Tinker Bell Half Marathon weekend in May! I have another deferral to cash in, this time for the Pixie Dust Challenge (hoping to actually...you know...be able to train for this, unlike Princess) and am looking to get my pink Coast-to-Coast medal after not being able to do so last year due to injury. Also hoping for the 10th anniversary blue edition since I did the marathon in January!

Thanks for reading, and I'll see ya real soon! :banana: :wave:
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