Category: Disneyland

New Disneyland: Luigi's, Soarin Around the World, Frozen musical, Paint the Night dining package review

7/27/2016

I had Thursday off and since I changed my class to Tuesday and it was too expensive to fly back to Texas, I had an entire day free! So what do I do? GO TO DISNEYLAND! I got up early and parked at 7:20 to be in the park for rope drop at 7:45. I was able to do the new things so let's get to a review.

SOARIN AROUND THE WORLD
One thing to note about the new Soarin: they got rid of the single rider line!! Thank goodness I didn't fastpass something else.
Overall, I enjoyed the ride. They incorporated 3 new smells which is awesome. The music was very similar which I also liked. They also added new transitions which spiced it up. For me, a big negative was the amount of CGI used where it didn't need to be. Also, the technology hasn't changed much since the ride began in 2001.
I do miss the random scenes of California as it the state I live in. I think the world works better at Epcot. I do however like that all of the scenes shown have a small Disney connection.

LUIGI
This opened awhile ago but I didn't want to wait for it. I was able to walk right on at 8:10 and I fell in love. It's so adorable and had a huge smile on my face the whole time. Basically the cars all dance with each other and I loved every second. Do note that the cars only hold 2-3 people as there is only one row (much like the seating on Mater)

FROZEN
Well I rope dropped to get fastpasses. When you get fastpasses, they are given out for 3 sections: orchestra, mezzanine and balcony. They have about 4 shows a day and are given out in that order. There is a standby line but I wouldn't risk it as I have heard it is as low as 100-200 people that they let in. I got show 1, orchestra and it had strict instructions. Show started at 11:30 and you had to be back between 10:30-11:10 with the line closing at 11:10 sharp (this was confirmed by someone I talked to that was locked out the day before and as well someone I sat next to the show) so plan accordingly.
NOTE:there are no restrooms in the theatre or in line so if you need to go, you have to get a pass to come back in.

I was able to walk to the third row and had a great seat. Not to give too much away about the show, but I loved it. It had amazing costumes and sets and I was shocked by some of the things they were able to do (Elsa's flying cape, Elsa's dress, Sven, Olaf, the trolls!!!) . I highly recommend this show!

One thing to note: the show is about an hour so between needing to be there about 30 min before and the 5-10 min it'll take you to exit the theatre, it does take up a chunk of your day.

PAINT THE NIGHT DINING PACKAGE

I did the Paint the night dining package at Blue Bayou for the 4th and really enjoyed it. It's 62 dollars for 3-course meal (starter, entree and dessert) and reserved viewing for the parade. The viewing area is by the flag pole in town square on Main Street.

I had the house salad,the lamb chop and Meyer lemon creme brûlée. All of it was excellent!!

The fastpass tickets were for the 8:50 world of color and it said check in 30 min prior to show-8:20. The area was plenty big and was never completely full. You can a full view as the parade goes completely around the area which gives you a lot of opportunities for pictures! The main concern was seeing the fireworks right after which was accomplished. We left the area as soon as the parade passed in front of us and we're able to hop on the sidewalk and get in the middle of Main Street with no problems and without having to campout for a spot hours before. If I did it again, I would show up a bit closer to showtime as we stood around the whole time(about 40 minutes as the parade got to us around 9PM) waiting for it to start. Do be warned, use the restroom before as there isn't one close that can be used during the parade without crossing the parade route so you could get stuck and miss the parade.

I think this is a great option for first time viewers as you don't need to camp out. It also gives you an opportunity to dine at blue bayou! Do be warned this books up quickly so make sure to do it 60 days out. We got lucky and got a reservation on Saturday-2days before. People get their reminder emails 2 days before their reservation and it is when most people cancel so make sure to keep checking back!

Overall I had a great time seeing all of the new attractions. I rode Soarin again on the 4th of July and it's definitely growing on me.

Have you done any of the new attractions at DCA?

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DCA Food and Wine Review

4/13/2016

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On Sunday, April 3rd we stopped by the opening weekend of Food and Wine at DCA. It had started as west coast food and wine in 2005 and was suspended in 2010 as construction wrapped on Buena Vista st and Carsland. I have written enough about my love for Food and Wine so I was pumped to see this version.

There are 7 booths (FESTIVAL MARKETPLACES) with food and matched wine pairings. The booths were on the walkway from Carthay circle down towards Little Mermaid. We were able to do them all in one day.

Here is what I tried at each booth:
LA Style: pork belly taco, syrah
Vineyard: chardonnay flight
Wine Country: waygu beef
Viva Fresca: nothing-we actually skipped this one because they were out of everything
Gold Rush: whoopie pie, viognier
Brewhouse: skipped this one as I dont drink beer
The Farm: a bit of the beer tenderloin, thai veggie curry, lemon macaron, gewurztraminer
By the Bay: White Cheddar Ale soup, coconut tapioca, Veitliner

A few thoughts:

I did not like was that the allergies were not on the menu so I had to try and figure out what I could have.
Aall of the food is brought in (unlike in Florida where it is cooked there) so every booth was constantly running out of items and sauces as they waited for refills. I also think this makes it difficult for modifications as all of it is pre-made.
The CMs were still training as they often did not know what they had at the booth (asking if the wine was white or red, etc).
The portions were small for the price-overall I didn't think it was as good of a value of as the Epcot food
The wine was pretty expensive. They advertised 6-9 dollar pours so I was shocked when I got up there they asked if I wanted 3oz or 5oz and the advertised price was the 3oz. The 5 oz pour was double the price.
People in DCA don't know how lines work-there is tape all over the ground and people were not following it and the lines were a mess
The food and wine system-order at the kiosk, take your receipt to the wine side and then food. People were super confused!
AP lanyard-they offered a lanyard with 6 food items for 45 bucks which was an awful deal as most things were 6-8. They however have since lowered the price to 39 bucks (and if you bought it, you can get a refund!)

Positives:

I love trying different things!
It brings a high energy to the park
The AP center is definitely nice to have especially the charging stations

Favorite things:

FOOD: the Waygu beef and Meyer lemon macaron
WINE: they were all just okay for me. I enjoyed them but nothing I am dying to have again (unlike the Tempranillo I had in Carlsbad that I bought a bottle of immediately)

Final thoughts:
I'm glad to see food and wine back and hope it continues to grow and adapt to feedback. I don't plan on heading back this month-I feel I did everything. I think what it is missing is a feel signature dishes that has people wanting to come back like Food and Wine: Epcot has.

Anyone else do Food and Wine: DCA?

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Virtual Star Wars Hop: Best Pre- and Post Restaurants

1/3/2016

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gotta love Carthay Circle!

Hello all and welcome from the Virtual Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend Blog Hop! This is a great opportunity to learn about the happenings of Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend at Disneyland happening in just a few short weeks and what to expect. Make sure to check out the other posts in the hop by clicking the picture at the bottom of the post. While you are here, feel free to check out my race recaps and also my rundisney race recaps and costumes.

I am so excited for this race weekend. Last year, I was coming off the high of doing Dopey and worried how it would go. Well it went better than expected with cool temps, great courses, great company and awesome cosplayers on the course. Check out my race recaps from last year to know what to expect: Expo, 10k + Half. I have been waiting for this weekend and am so excited, especially with the addition of Star Wars: Dark Side and the Kessel Run challenge coming later this year.

While I do love running, I love eating just as much! Let's look at restaurants for the pre-carbload and also the post-race celebration. I will break up the restaurant recommendations by Pre and then Post. From there, I will split them by Park and then wrap up with my favorites. If you want to know what these restaurants offer as way of food as well as the prices, make sure to check out the Disneyland.com menus and Allears.net menus. Now on to recommendations!

***QS=Quick Service and no reservations needed, TS=table service-reservations highly recommended

PRE

DISNEYLAND

Coke Corner-Main Street-QS. They have hot dogs but also chili bread bowls.
Corn Dog Stand-Main Street-QS. it has a long line but the corn dogs are good!
Redd Rocket's Pizza Port-Tomorowland-QS. This is a place to grab some cheap and easy pizza and pasta.
Galactic Grill-Tomorrowland-QS. I like their star wars overlay breakfast-the tamale is great!
Troubadour Tavern-Fantasyland-QS. if it is open, they have awesome baked potatoes!
Rancho del Zocalo-Frontierland-QS. This place has good Mexican food with lots of carbs to choose from-chips, rice, tortillas. However if Mexican food bothers your stomach, be careful!
Royal Street Verenda-New Orleans Square-QS. They have the bread bowls with clam chowder or gumbo.
Hungry Bear-Critter Country-QS. This place is known for their burgers and sandwiches and sweet potato fries.

CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

Cozy Cones-Carsland-QS. yum! popcorn (get the dill pickle if they have it), the pretzel bites and bread cones with chili or chicken are awesome.
Flo's V-8 Cafe-Carsland-QS. They have a great breakfast and sandwiches for lunch and dinner.
Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta-Paradise Pier-QS. They have grab n go pizza and pasta options.
Paradise Garden Grill-Paradise Pier-QS. Most of the year they have kabobs (chicken, beef, veggie) with great spices and rice and pita bread. During the Winter, they switch to Mexican food which is also delicious.
Lucky Fortune Cookery-Paradise Pier-QS. One of my favorites-they have rice bowls with chicken, beef or tofu and a variety of sauces.
Carthay Circle-Buena Vista St-TS. This will also be on the post list but they have a great menu with carbloading options and include great service, an amazing bread service and a great drink menu.
Wine Country Trattoria-Paradise Pier-TS. This place is popular as it serves pasta.

DOWNTOWN DISNEY/HOTELS

Tangeroa Terrace- Disneyland Hotel-QS. Next to Trader Sam's, it has sandwiches and fries.
Earl of Sandwich-Downtown Disney-QS. very crowded but they have sandwiches.
La Brea Bakery-Downtown Disney-QS. Bakery is in the name-they are known for their bread.
Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen-Downtown Disney-TS. Cajun style food with many options.
Tortilla Jo's-Downtown Disney-TS. Another Mexican food restaurant that has lots of options.
Naples/Napolini-Downtown Disney-QS and TS. It has pizza and pasta!

TIPS:

Make sure to make reservations if they are needed as soon as possible.
If you are doing Quick Service, make sure to go early (when they open at 11 for lunch, around 5-6 for dinner) so you can get in and get out quickly.
Make reservations for EARLY times. We often make our reservation for Carthay for 4:40, which means we usually get our food by 5:30, which is enough time to eat and get back in time to go to sleep.
Be wary of Wine Country Trattoria in California Adventure, Naples and Napolini as they will be CROWDED. Make sure to allow ample time and show up early for reservations.

MY FAVORITES:
BREAKFAST: Tangeroa Terrace(I love their loco moco breakfast), Flo's (I love their tamale!) and Galatic Grill (tamale!)
LUNCH: Jolly Holiday (jolly holiday combo of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich), Tangeroa Terrace (pulled pork sandwich with sweet potato fries)
DINNER: Carthay Circle (it is expensive but I love their gluten free bread service, they have a fabulous wine list, and have great options involving pasta and rice), and Lucky Fortune Cookery (LOVE their stir fry-I get chicken with coconut curry)

how could you not want to celebrate with a fun wheel drink at Cove Bar?!!?

POST

DISNEYLAND

Blue Bayou-New Orleans Square-TS. Great food and ambiance in Pirate of the Caribbean.
Cafe Orleans-New Orleans Square-TS. Known for their Monte Cristo and fries
Carnation Cafe-Main Street-TS. They have a good breakfast menu as well as good sandwiches on the lunch menu.

DCA

Cove Bar-Paradise Pier-TS (but does not take reservations). Get there early-they open at 11 and are always busy. They have great lobster nachos and festive and fun drinks.
Carthay Circle- Buena Vista Street-TS. Another great place to enjoy good food and drinks. You can do the world of color dining package and get reserved viewing for the show.

DTD/HOTELS

Steakhouse 55-Disneyland Hotel-TS. why not celebrate with a steak??
Goofy's Kitchen-Disneyland Hotel- an awesome character meal with buffet.
Napa Rose-Grand Californian-TS. A very fancy dinner with amazing food.
Storyteller's-Grand Californian- TS. A character meal with buffet for breakfast.

TIPS:

Be careful with the time you book after the race. Many people underestimate how long it will take them to finish, get their stuff and get to the restaurant. I highly recommend going back to the room to shower and check out if needed (eat your snack pack to hold you over) and making a reservation for around 11AM. That way, you will have amble time to get there and not be charged for cancelling.
Be wary of character meals right after. Everytime we have done it, we have waited about 30 minutes or longer and we had a reservation.
You many want to do a quick service for lunch and then do a nice sit down for dinner when it is less crowded.

We tried out at Avengers just doing quick service after the race and it worked out well and we plan on doing it again this time!

Now some of the restaurants do require reservations. At Disneyland, reservations open 60 days in advance so make sure to book early to ensure you get the times and locations you want. You can call (714-781-DINE) but I prefer to do it online using this website. If you use the Disneyland official app, it will send you to the same website.

Want more information on the Star Wars: Light Side Half marathon weekend? Check out my round up post to get information on corrals, waivers, course maps, igiftbags and runner tracking. Running tracking is so easy to use-I always use the texting option and it is accurate too! I always track myself to know how I am doing, and it texts me within 20 second of crossing the timing mat. The igiftbag has a lot of good things, especially for first time runners, make sure to get the free bookmark!

Anyone else have favorite restaurant recommendations for a Disneyland race weekend?

Virtual Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Blog Hop Directory

An InLinkz Link-up

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2015 Avengers Half Recap

12/27/2015

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It is Monday so we are linking up with another Magical Mickey with John at run.geek.rundisney and Katie from Adventures by Katie. Finally time to get my Avengers Half recap-my final race of the year!

After running the Inaugural Captain America 10k the day before, we were up around 345/4. I got about 7.5 hours of sleep and felt great! We got dressed and headed out the door around 430. We went through the same security, did bag check, and headed to pee and headed to the corrals.

We stayed to the back of the corral and we all really enjoyed it. We did slow intervals and basically had the road open to ourselves which was awesome since we head backstage quickly.

This course was slightly modified from last year so much like the DL half course, we started and then headed backstage within 3 minutes and into California adventure. We stopped for Black Widow right after exiting Carsland. There is really something to running through Carsland when it's dark it is all lit up. As we waited in line, we saw the front of corral B come through.

We continued towards the front of DCA down buena vista street and stopped for a picture with Hawkeye not too far passed the first mile marker. He appreciated our costumes! We were dressed as hawkeye, kate who is Hawkeyes' work wife (which is appropriate as Devin and I are running husband/wife) and Hawkeyes dog Lucky.

We headed through the esplanade and into Disneyland! We had our first water stop and continued down Main Street for an adorable pic in front of the castle. This is one of the only courses that does not run through the castle which is a bummer.
We headed into Frontierland and stopped for a pic with captain before heading through the big thunder trail (RIP-it's our last time running there!) and over through fantasyland to stop for our final photo stop for Thor in fantasyland next to teacups

At the time we didn't know that it was our last character stop but the idea that a half marathon has only 4 photo stops, the exact same as the day before is just silly. In line, I saw Greg from WhyIRunDisney! I headed back and chatted with him for a bit. We then met Thor who told us that Hawkeye talks about Lucky all the time and the crazy adventures he gets into. Like I have said-the character interactions were TOP NOTCH!

We headed by Matterhorn through tomorrowland and backstage. We then headed back to Main Street and we stopped for a tree pic, got some biofreeze and stopped for a potty break on main st and headed out of the park.

We passed the mile 2 marker around this time and it was at 50:00. LOL we had a 30 min mile with the 3 photo stops and potty break. Our goal was to see how close to 3 hours we could get.

This is where things got interesting as that is A LOT of out of the parktime. Once we headed out of the park down Harbor everything opened up which was nice. We stuck to our intervals and felt good. We turned off harbor and all I could remember was how windy the course was last year. We headed to the Santa Ana trail and that's where things got crazy.

There was this weird roundabout to get on the trail and then it was SO narrow for about two miles with up and down hills. I saw people fall hard because they were trying to get around. Now we know from stopping for all of the pics, we ended up with people that run a slower pace than us but that wasn't the issue. The issue was it was only 2-3 people across which is way too narrow.

In the middle of the crazy few miles, were the cosplayers who were awesome as always! They always lift spirits!
We finally cleared up by the stadium where we got our Clif shot and headed into the stadium. The field was filled with bands and it was great. We headed out of the stadium and back towards the DL resort.

Outside of the stadium we're really military people cheering US on which is just incredible. On the other side was the world war reenacters both military and medical. There was even a swing dancing floor set up which was incredible to see.

After we left the stadium was where we were in new territory. We were going over the overpass and headed into a new area and through the cast member and toy story lot. I wonder if they are tested out new parts to make up for all of the backstage running we won't be able to do starting in January.

One other thing that sucked was they didn't have biofreeze and my knee was randomly acting up(I mean, let's be real: 1 5k, 1 10k, 1 6.7ish,almost a half and a full marathon, plus 10 theme park days for approximately 52.1 racing miles + countless others. Is it a surprise my knee was a bit weird? NO haha). I found a medical guy on a bike that helped!

With this new route, we took a Porto stop in the Pongo parking lot (next to toy story lot off of Harbor) and headed back to the resort. We went down Harbor Blvd and headed through the bus depot (people were very confused heading into the park to see all of these people running) and backstage of DCA. Brian was starting to struggle a bit so we kept our intervals with some extra encouragement. We headed backstage and towards the Simba parking lot-almost done! Through the pathway and DONE! Finished in 3:10:17 (14:31 min/mile).

We wrapped up quickly and headed back to the hotel. For once we didn't make reservations and instead headed to DCA for stir fry which was nice. We then took some pics including my epic rundisney medal pic before, rode Hyperspace Mountain and headed home.

Overall, I had a fabulous race weekend-the weather was nice, I had a great time with my friends and the character interactions were awesome. More character stops are needed on the course though-even though the theme is Avengers, it is okay to have other people out and other characters do have superhero outfits that would technically fit. I am not sure how long this race will stay around, but for now, I will enjoy the Infinity Gauntlet.

What was everyone else's thought on the Infinity Gauntlet challenge? Anyone have an interest in running an Avengers themed race?

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How to Make a Princess Leia Costume

12/16/2015

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In honor of Star Wars: Force Awakens opening tonight, here is a how to make a Princess Leia costume!

I have wanted to run as Princess Leia for awhile and knew the Star Wars Half would be the perfect race. Devin decided to go as Han Solo so we would match. What a perfect ending to 67.9 miles run together in 10 days!

This costume was super easy to put together and I even got to make my headband. I had ordered one that never came so I had to make one last minute. However it was super easy.

SUPPLIES NEEDED

white shirt
White long sleeve shirt if it's cold
White bottoms (I used my white tutu from my Bacchus costume at wine and dine)
Headband (you can order this or make it)
Silver belt

FOR HEADBAND
supplies needed: foam, glue, brown string, safety pin, headband

Cut the foam into 2 circles (I traced a cup) and cut 2 small foam squares
I cut 20 pieces of string that was 4 feet long.
I split them in half and then split them in thirds.
I then braided them (make sure to tie one end in a knot).
I then put glue in the center of the foam and started to glue the braid down. Let them dry for 12-24 hours.
Glue the extra foam to back of the foam circles and fit the headband in there.
Glue and safety pin the foam circles to headband and let dry for 12-24 hours.

Your hair is ready!

The string cut

Ear buns all glued

Backside of the bun

Headband all done

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2015 Avengers Expo and 10k recap

12/16/2015

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It's amazing what a difference a year makes. Last year I was running my first back to back race weekends with awful what I thought was sciatica pain but was more likely piriformis syndrome. And then after the crazy race in the rain, we dealt with the Santa Ana winds and the craziest race conditions I've ever dealt with.

This year I am coming off what would be my 3rd of 4 in a row race weekends after a marathon PR to start the month and then a crazy Wine and Dine experience. Now onto the third weekend.

One thing that made this race awesome was Mallory was able to buy a bib about 3 weeks before from a travel agent so we know had a trio for the 10k. Devin took a half day from work and I headed down with Mallory and got to the expo around 5. We got our bibs, shopped (I got my sweaty band and magnet), got some KT tape, grabbed a festive drink and had dinner before heading to the hotel. For this race I was dressing as agent Carter which fit in with the theme for the inaugural captain America 10k.

We prepped our costume, watched some Disney channel and passed out. We got up at 415 and headed to the race around 445. We walked over and had to go through a bit more security based on the events in Paris the day and got to the runners area around 5. We checked our bags, headed to the corrals, peed and hopped in the corrals at 5:25.
We started right on time and headed out on the same course as the Disneyland 10k, which is my least favorite 10k course at Disneyland. We stuck to our interval (60/30) and headed to the convention center and back towards the resort. We finally headed into DCA and waited in line for Thor.

we took a picture with the pier before heading around and going towards grizzly peak. We headed towards Disneyland but first stopped for a pic with black widow before heading into Disneyland.

In Disneyland, we stopped for a pic with hawkeye after heading through tomorrowland.

We headed to fantasyland and took a castle pic before heading toward Frontierland.

We stopped on Frontierland for the last pic with cap and he saluted and told me "hi Peggy!" INLOVE IT!

we headed backstage and got a final pic with the horses (where he tried to eat my hat) before going through Downtown Disney and finished. I'm glad we stopped for all of the pics but was disappointed with only 4 photo stops. I feel bad for the back of the Packers that had shut off lines.

We finished in 1:30:02 (14:30 min/mile) which is not bad considering the photo stops.

After the race, we had breakfast at Tangeroa Terrace before heading back to get dressed for the day. We relaxed with a relaxing lunch at Cove Bar and celebrated with some drinks.

We eventually went to ride hyperspace mountain (seasons of the force review here!) before heading to dinner at Carthay Circle which had their winter menu! We all enjoyed our dinner drinks and food before heading back to the hotel. We got back to the room around 7 and I was asleep by 8:10 for our early wake up call.

Overall, the race was fun. The weather was FINALLY nice, the theme was fun and I had fun seeing the characters. I wish they would have had more characters out on the course whether they were in theme or not.

Did anyone else run the inaugural Captain America 10k?

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Magical Mickey Mondays: Disneyland's Season of the Force

11/22/2015

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It is Monday so we are linking up with another Magical Mickey with John at run.geek.rundisney and Katie from Adventures by Katie.

Hi all! I just spent a great Saturday night and Sunday checking out all that Season of the Force has to offer. Here is an overview:

new menu at Galactic Grill (formally Tomorrowland Terrace)
Hyperspace Mountain
updated scenes from Star Tours
Path of a Jedi
Launch Bay
Shopping
SuperHero HQ!

Let's hop in!

Above is the breakfast menu. The people in our group got the Darth Tamale, Bantha Blue Milk (basically french toast with blue swirls), and the Lars Family Breakfast platter. Everyone enjoyed their food! They have a separate lunch menu also redone in theme. You can also get the Chewie mug and the Han in carbonite lunch box here.

Next up is Hyperspace Mountain. This ride is just everything Disney could do right-I mean look at our faces!!! We were very systematic. We did rope drop, got fastpasses, and rode with a 5 minute ride and then rode it with our fastpasses about an hour later waiting about 10 minutes.

I don't want to give too much away from the ride but basically you are put on a mission from Admiral Ackbar to go to Jakuu and it puts you in the middle of a battle (see the top of the picture). It brings together effects, projections and music that makes an amazing experience. Not going to lie-when I rode it during the soft previews over Avengers, I may have cried. It was just so overwhelming. It definitely has repeatablility and I can't wait to ride it again! This will definitely be around for a long time to come!

They also updated some of the scenes in Star tours. SPOILER ALERT (SKIP TO THE NEXT SECTION TO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENS). we saw: darth vader opening with boba fett added, the new scene on Jakuu that everyone will see featuring Finn, BB8 asking us to assist with rebels, and Naboo but instead of the guy breaking the viewport, he just throws paint on us. The scene in Jakuu was great and I can't wait to see it again!

Another attraction added was the Path of Jedi. I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would and it is basically using scenes from episode 1-6 to show where we have been, with Anakin/Darth, Luke, and Leia using the force and where we are going. It was a great pump up for the movie!

Launch Bay is on the bottom level of Invoventions and basically has photo opportunities with Darth Vader and Chewbacca as well as unique shopping opportunities. It has many props that have also been out at Star wars Celebration, comic con and D23 so it may not be new to you. They also had a photo opp in a cantina! we want the real one!

There is ton of new merchandise in Star traders as well as around the parks. The biggest item was the make your own nametags! I got one made (you can see it in the Hyperspace mountain pic above), with my name in Aurebesh and it says Jedi Master! haha! So much fun and still vary affortable.

Superhero HQ still has the meet n greet for Thor, the suit of armor, but now you can meet Spiderman! He was great character interaction and I can't wait to see who else they bring!

Overall, I had an amazing time at the Seasons of the Force and it pumps me up to see the movie in less than a month! I think it came together nicely and I definitely see this all staying around for a year, if not more. I highly suggest getting up early and doing rope drop so you can see everything. We got to see everything before 11AM without having to wait in line. However, make sure to pack your patience. The area will be VERY crowded and busy, especially during Star wars: light side race weekend.

Anyone else have an opportunity to participate in Seasons of the force yet? What were your thoughts?

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2015 Disneyland half recap

10/7/2015

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the group!

Sunday came early but I was ready to tackle my 5 year runniversary! Ralph was tired but my brother seemed ready to go. We met up with the crew (Devin and Mari) and walked over the race start. It was much busier than the day before so we checked our stuff and used the restroom and met up with one of my grad students I work with, Karen and headed to the corrals!

Typical corral fodder before it was time to start! I tried to start slow but with the downhill and then turning backstage instead of heading down Katella it was not easy! As soon as we headed backstage, it was insanely narrow and crowded and made it pretty congested. We spent A LOT of time backstage and finally entered the park by the pier. I went potty and then met up with Devin and Jake and we started the pictures!

me and one of my grad students Karen (all my talk of running inspired her to run too!)

We ran by the Pier and got a fantastic picture before heading towards the front of the park and got another pic with the signs in front of Carthay.

We then made our way into Disneyland and took a picture by the train station, Partners and Naveen and Tiana. At this point, my brother ran ahead to scope characters and report back. With no one else catching his interest (and a lot of the course backstage!) he continued on and I didn't see him until I was back at the hotel!

We made our way to the castle and took some fun pics before continuing through tomorrowland, and back towards Small World to meet Captain Hook and Peter Pan.

We then went to small world and took some of favorite pictures of the whole day!

We stopped backstage for a pic with the horses as they will be moving when they break down on Star Wars in the Jan and the horse tried to eat my tutu! This horse selfie is HILARIOUS as his nose went under my tutu as soon as I snapped the photo. Too funny!

At this point we were backstage more and eventually came upon a really unique photo pop with Mac from Paint the Night!

After that, it was time to head out to the streets. We hit the Ball Road bridge right as the sun was coming up which made it insanely hard to see so we had to slow down.

We both felt fine as we continued through Anaheim. Before we knew it, we were seeing dancing groups to keep us entertained and got to the miles of old cars, which definitely grows every year!

We got a free sponge from MousePlanet (awesome sauce!!) that I kept for the whole race. From there on out, we got an extra cup of water for use of the sponge!

At mile 7, we got a donut from Sparkle Athletic, which definitely made my stomach a bit upset but it was worth it. After that, we turned towards the Artic train station and towards the sad Santa Ana trail. The part is always difficult as it is narrow and a bit up and down so it's definitely a slow process.

We soon got to Angel Stadium, got our Clif shot and I had another potty stop as it was a bit humid so I had been drinking a lot of fluids. We made our way into Angel stadium which is always a favorite on this course! It was packed to the brim with Boy And Girl Scouts! Outside of the stadium was marching bands which I also appreciate as a former Band nerd!

One story that really inspired me was a blind runner. We had been running about the same pace as him and he had a whole group that took turns running next to him and yelling -BLIND RUNNER COMING THROUGH! They ended up stopping to get interviewed by the news and I don't remember seeing them finish.

We were both feeling strong but it was getting warmer so we were starting to push the pace a bit. They added a new section of cheering sponsored by new balance around mile 12 which was an awesome pick me up

As we headed into mile 12, we decided to try and run out fastest mile. I wanted training on tired legs and I definitely got it

Our finishing time 2:31:05 running and an official time of 2:58:25 with all of our photo stops. The final mile was 10:34! Woohoo!

Once I finished, the tears started. Happy tears of course! The last few miles I had been counting down towards the end remembering how far I had come with my running. It insane to remember the mind frame I was in during my first race and where I am now! No pain, just happy to be done! And on top of that, the half medal was my 45th rundisney medal!!

This race will always be so special to me and this was the furthest up I have been to the front. I did not like the course changes as we entered backstage sooner and it was super congested. There was also more backstage time than usual and I'm expecting it'll get worse as the construction begins in Jan with the rivers of America area all closed.

Overall, this was the best 5 year runniversary I could ask for. I adored every minute however I definitely learned it is much different when someone comes to visit for a race. My legs were definitely more tired than usual and I got less sleep. I need to make sure to keep that in control for the future.

Did you run the Disneyland Half this year?

Afterwards, we had the typical photo shoot before heading back to shower, get ready and head to breakfast. We had reservations at the Paradise Grill at Paradise Pier (and also got to see the end of the race). Basically to make a long story short, it was a HOT MESS! NEVER AGAIN! There was an insane wait (mainly because people made reservations too early after the race so we were showing up 45-90 minutes late) and also there was a 45 person party. they kept telling us-5 min more for about 40 minutes. We finally got seated and the food was good but it just took too long. In the future, we are going to try to just head into the park for some pictures and food and not deal with sit down meals-they are just too crazy.

Afterwards, we were going to go to the Angels game but it was just too hot so we went to Disneyland instead. We had to park at the convention center! eek! but we took an uber to the front and had a good time. We met with Mallory and some other friends and enjoyed some celebratory drinks at Flo's and Wine Trattoria and Mad T party. We also got my brother to see Paint the Night and Fireworks (which he loved!) before I had to drive us home. What a weekend! especially because I flew out to Tampa the next night-insane!

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2015: Disneyland 10k Recap

10/5/2015

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Another Tuesday, another Tuesday on the Run hosted by our favorites:
April from Run the Great Wide Somewhere, Erika from MCM Mama Runs, and Patty from No-Guilt Life. The topic this week is fun runs so what pretty way to talk about them than to finally recap the Disneyland 10k!

Ready to run!

I am finally ready to recap this great race weekend! It looks like the Disney 10ks are getting back on track as this was another fabulous 10k, so much better than last years and even better than the Star Wars 10k.

Some back story before we get into this. The theme was unclear until the training plan was released and then the medal design was released. However it was still unclear if it was Snow White or Villians themed. We came up with a few ideas and settled on a wall-e and Eve costume and I would either be Mary (the lady that helps wall-e with the plant) or the Captain and carry Auto. However carrying Auto did not sound like much fun and I was worried no one would recognize me as the Captain.

As we started the conversations, Devin revealed to me that he was thinking about proposing to Brian at the end of the finish line which settled the decision. The ring would go in the shoe (yes we would have a plant!) and we would all help carry it. My job was to take pictures of all of this.

The 10k started at the normal time: 5:30. We decided to try a new route for walking from the hotel and it was MUCH shorter and easier. We decided to sleep in a bit later and see how it goes. I got up at 4:00 and we met at 4:30 to walk over. The new walking work well as it was quiet and not crowded and we arrived to the race area within 15 min! We definitely will sleep in another 20-30 min in the future as we just stood around for a bit. I checked my bag, used the porto and we headed to the corrals. I was in corral B as was Brian so Devin moved back to run with us (he was in A).

The pre race thing was pretty typical but I do think they had more room for the corrals than they had in the past which was nice. The coolest thing was since it was villains themed, they had this amazing electric guitarist come out and play the National Anthem ( a la Jimi Hendrix) and it was incredible!

Before we knew it, corral A was off and we were to (about 8 minutes after them). This course starts on a downhill so watch your speed! Also it is run mostly on road so avoid the middle of the road as you may trip over the reflectors (it happens every time-I always see someone fall).

We headed down West Rd and turned left by the convention center (oh Hall D23 from the Expo!!), ran by that before coming out and turning into Katella. We finally made it back stage around mile 2 behind Carsland. The course seemed a bit crowded but then thin out as we kept going Which was nice!

This course and the half course seemed to have more time backstage than usual. I even remarked-I AM READY FOR SOME PARK AND CHARACTERS!

We finally entered the park around Carsland and did a quick potty break before continuing to the pier. There Dr Facilier was speaking so we stopped for a pic, followed by a quick pic at the Pier before continuing to run.

We stopped by toy story because Lotso was out-we only waited about 5 min which is amazing!

We ran around the pier, through Grizzly and over to the front of the park. We took a picture with storytellers before continuing on through Hollywoodland. We stopped for a picture with Hades from Hercules and skipped Lady Tremaine.

At this point we headed back stage and over to Disneyland. The backstage areas were narrow and very crowded causing us to slow down a lot. We kept going and finally made it to Disneyland!

We ran down Main Street and took a picture by the castle, we ran through tomorrow land and over through fantasyland and stopped for a picture with Captain Hook and Mr Smee!

We ran through the Castle and through frontier land and stopped for a pic with Brer Fox and Brer Bear and Brer fox tried to step on Hal the cockroach!!

After this, we headed backstage and through downtown Disney to the finish! TIME: 1:34:38 (running time: 1:09:23)

now this is where the proposal happened! I was in charge of capturing it on my phone and I am SO happy with the picture I was able to get. You see the joy and happiness on both of their faces and I am so lucky to be able to experience this in person!

The rest of the day was typical (minus celebrating an engagement!)! Went back to the room to wake up my brother and Ralph and we got dressed and headed to Flos for breakfast (and a stop at Starbucks!!). We went on a hunt for Pluto as it was his birthday (and it turns out-Oswald too! We didn't know!) Ralph and my brother went to USC to tailgate (yes they are insane) while we hung out in the park and tried to stay cool before dinner.

We met up with Mari and had a fab dinner at Carthay (they made me a gluten free pasta with smoke roasted carrots and it was AMAZING!!)

I got back to the room and ended up watching some of Teen Beach 2 before e going to bed later than I would have liked. Ralph and my brother got back at like 10 and woke me up and were being too loud! But I was able to go back to sleep. An early morning awaited us!!

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Rundisney updates: we have medals!

8/26/2015

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Rundisney is doing it big this week. Last week they announced the wine and dine medals and I love them! The half medal looks adorable and I can't wait to have a redemption wine and dine hopefully not in the rain!

The avengers medals were announced today but surprisingly the Infinity Gauntlet challenge is not there.

The 10k looks how I thought it would look with Captain Americas shield. The half medal is the same design as last year. Hopefully the wind will hold up this year.

I think the kids medal is ADORABLE!! Yay for ant man making an appearance (do you think we could potentially see him on the course?!)