My wife and I love nothing more than dragging the luggage out of the basement and
getting packed for another trip to Florida. We have been doing so now for almost 40 years and we see no end to it and while each and every trip is special, none are more special than when our kids accompany us, for there is nothing better than having them by our side, especially now since we have a grandson to make the time together even more magical.
Unlike others who head south to sit by the pool or beach and vegetate all day long awaiting the next visit to the trough, all the while grazing at the buffet in between meals, we are go-getters, up early and go all day, our best day being over 37,000 steps
Of course, those steps came on a day when we visited Disney World and park-hopped from the Magic Kingdom to EPCOT where we strolled around World Showcase and enjoyed all that the Food & Wine Festival had to offer - our favorite of all the EPCOT food festivals, so much wonderful food and drink to sample.
Now, while we spend a fair amount of time at Disney, so much so that we have annual passes, we also like to go shopping, you know, to see what we can pick up to further fill the closet and one of our fave spots is the Vineland Premium Outlets - with the factory prices, it makes one wonder why locals would shop anywhere but here.
Last year, a new event crept into our lives during our October trip to Florida, something I never thought I/we would do, we took our first cruise.
Approximately one year before the aforementioned cruise, the better half and I we were sitting one evening on the sofa watching a YouTube video of a couple and their kids embarking on their first cruise aboard the newly Christened, Disney Wish. I marvelled at how nice it was, the entryway with its very high ceiling resembled the lobby of the grandest hotel and the staterooms, dining rooms, Deck 11 buffets and the theatres... not to mention the AquaMouse, the water slide that runs high above deck 12, made the Wish look so inviting, so much so, that while we continued to watch the video, surreptitiously, I jumped on the Disney Cruise Line website and booked a 3 day Friday - Monday cruise, aboard the Wish of course. Once I had received the confirmation email, I passed my laptop over to my wife and said "what do you think of this?" At first, not really sure what she was looking at, she quickly figured it out and as they say, the rest is history.
Oh yeah, did the cruise live up to the hype? It sure did... and more.
We have just finished our second cruise aboard the Wish, this time, a Monday - Friday cruise and who knows, the third probably won't be far behind:)
Switching lanes, Linda, Gregory and I did something quite original during this trip, well, original for us anyway, we participated in the runDisney 5K.
Back in March, after pondering over such for some time, on the morning registration opened for the fall 2024 Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend, I jumped on the laptop and secured our three spots for the 5K. It was quite a stressful ordeal, because knowing that runDisney events fill up very quickly, I was quite relieved once I reached the confirmation page and knew we were in; however, that was just the first step.
To participate in the 5K, it was imperative that we show up at the Disney Wide World of Sports complex on October 31, the day prior to the 5K, to pick up one's race bib and shirt and sign the necessary waivers for this was the only way one would get to be included on race morning... forget this step and you might as well stay home on race day, because there would be no bib pickup the day of.
While the bib pickup was cut and dry, you just showed up at Wide World of Sports, went to the designated building, showed your I.D. and you were good to go; however, there was also the runDisney Expo being held in one of the other buildings.
What is the Expo you ask? The Expo is where they sell any and all merch associated with runDisney and a slew of other vendors associated with running... everything from anti chafing powder to the most elaborate outfits. There was just one catch, on this day, the opening day of the race weekend, a reservation was required to gain admission to the building which housed the Expo, and the only way to get such reservation, was via a virtual queue available only through the WDW My Experience app and the queue became live at 8:30 a.m. on October 31 - which was the same day as our bib pickup day.
In my mind, I could picture the thousands of prospective shoppers/runners sitting, fingers on the ready, awaiting the clock to strike the magic hour when they could click on the appropriate button with the hope of securing that precious virtual queue and perhaps most importanly, getting a good arrrival time.
Well, we did okay, we got ourselves a 10:30 a.m. virtual queue, not too shabby... the last thing I would have wanted to see, was a 6 p.m. pop up as our arrival time because I knew how much Linda had wanted to pick up a few things, a later arrival time and the shelves of the Expo would have been picked clean.
Just like that, it was race morning and the first day of November to boot and the weather cooperated to a "T," very pleasant temperature and a clear sky... perfect!
The only caveat being, was that the race started at 5 a.m. which meant that we had to be in position on site and ready to go for that time. As such, the alarm was set for 2 a.m. and somewhat blurry-eyed, we arose and got ready.
As we had done many times in the past, we set off from the condo of our favorite resort, except that this time, it was a tad earlier than normal - 3 a.m.
Heading up World Drive, the main Disney thoroughfare, it quickly became apparent that we wouldn't be the first ones arriving at EPCOT, where the 5K was to be held, for the road was like the Orlando interstate, the I-4, at rush hour.
Upon arriving at EPCOT, just like it was at any other time, we followed the stream of vehicles and one by one, the parking attendant directed us to the appropriate spot and from there, we walked to an adjacent area of the huge parking lot whch served as the staging area.
There was quite a bit going on, with hosts on a stage keeping everyone entertained and numerous photo opportunities with Disney characters - of which we availed ourselves.
Approximately 4:15 a.m., we felt it was time to make our way to our staging area and as there five such zones, "A-D," with ours being "D," it meant that with a staggered start, we probably wouldn't be off until 5:40 or so.
As we waited, it was amazing at just how many people were in our group alone, and with just as many or more in the other four groups, it was a veritable sea of people... or should I say, runners:)
Group by group, we were ushered to the starting line and then, like Disney magic, in a blaze of fireworks, we passed under the start portal and we were off.
I couldn't tell you how long the 5K took us, for we ran a bit and strolled a lot to take in the sights of the backstage areas of EPCOT that would normally be off limits, but however long it took, it made no matter, for we had a wonderful time just soaking it all in.
As we approached and passed under the finish line portal, Linda's arms raised in victory, I couldn't help but smile at the look of joy on her face.
With the race completed, of course the first thing we now looked for, were the people handing out the medals and then, with our gorgeous prize in hand, we continued along and grabbed some water, Powerade, a banana and our snack box which contained a fair amount of goodies.
runDisney 5K was an incredible event, everything was done so well, from the organization side of things to the cast members and characters who made it all so pleasant by being so friendly... it most definitely was "Magical."
Would I do it again - in a heartbeat. As a matter of fact, I would seriously consider both the 5K and 10K next time.
February 11, 2025, is the sign up day for the October [2025] runDisney fall event and I know I will be sitting in front of the laptop that morning in anticipation of snagging a spot(s).
Perhaps, if things work out as far as his job and vacation go, Greg can once again be included in the plans:)
getting packed for another trip to Florida. We have been doing so now for almost 40 years and we see no end to it and while each and every trip is special, none are more special than when our kids accompany us, for there is nothing better than having them by our side, especially now since we have a grandson to make the time together even more magical.
Unlike others who head south to sit by the pool or beach and vegetate all day long awaiting the next visit to the trough, all the while grazing at the buffet in between meals, we are go-getters, up early and go all day, our best day being over 37,000 steps
Of course, those steps came on a day when we visited Disney World and park-hopped from the Magic Kingdom to EPCOT where we strolled around World Showcase and enjoyed all that the Food & Wine Festival had to offer - our favorite of all the EPCOT food festivals, so much wonderful food and drink to sample.
Now, while we spend a fair amount of time at Disney, so much so that we have annual passes, we also like to go shopping, you know, to see what we can pick up to further fill the closet and one of our fave spots is the Vineland Premium Outlets - with the factory prices, it makes one wonder why locals would shop anywhere but here.
Last year, a new event crept into our lives during our October trip to Florida, something I never thought I/we would do, we took our first cruise.
Approximately one year before the aforementioned cruise, the better half and I we were sitting one evening on the sofa watching a YouTube video of a couple and their kids embarking on their first cruise aboard the newly Christened, Disney Wish. I marvelled at how nice it was, the entryway with its very high ceiling resembled the lobby of the grandest hotel and the staterooms, dining rooms, Deck 11 buffets and the theatres... not to mention the AquaMouse, the water slide that runs high above deck 12, made the Wish look so inviting, so much so, that while we continued to watch the video, surreptitiously, I jumped on the Disney Cruise Line website and booked a 3 day Friday - Monday cruise, aboard the Wish of course. Once I had received the confirmation email, I passed my laptop over to my wife and said "what do you think of this?" At first, not really sure what she was looking at, she quickly figured it out and as they say, the rest is history.
Oh yeah, did the cruise live up to the hype? It sure did... and more.
We have just finished our second cruise aboard the Wish, this time, a Monday - Friday cruise and who knows, the third probably won't be far behind:)
Switching lanes, Linda, Gregory and I did something quite original during this trip, well, original for us anyway, we participated in the runDisney 5K.
Back in March, after pondering over such for some time, on the morning registration opened for the fall 2024 Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend, I jumped on the laptop and secured our three spots for the 5K. It was quite a stressful ordeal, because knowing that runDisney events fill up very quickly, I was quite relieved once I reached the confirmation page and knew we were in; however, that was just the first step.
To participate in the 5K, it was imperative that we show up at the Disney Wide World of Sports complex on October 31, the day prior to the 5K, to pick up one's race bib and shirt and sign the necessary waivers for this was the only way one would get to be included on race morning... forget this step and you might as well stay home on race day, because there would be no bib pickup the day of.
While the bib pickup was cut and dry, you just showed up at Wide World of Sports, went to the designated building, showed your I.D. and you were good to go; however, there was also the runDisney Expo being held in one of the other buildings.
What is the Expo you ask? The Expo is where they sell any and all merch associated with runDisney and a slew of other vendors associated with running... everything from anti chafing powder to the most elaborate outfits. There was just one catch, on this day, the opening day of the race weekend, a reservation was required to gain admission to the building which housed the Expo, and the only way to get such reservation, was via a virtual queue available only through the WDW My Experience app and the queue became live at 8:30 a.m. on October 31 - which was the same day as our bib pickup day.
In my mind, I could picture the thousands of prospective shoppers/runners sitting, fingers on the ready, awaiting the clock to strike the magic hour when they could click on the appropriate button with the hope of securing that precious virtual queue and perhaps most importanly, getting a good arrrival time.
Well, we did okay, we got ourselves a 10:30 a.m. virtual queue, not too shabby... the last thing I would have wanted to see, was a 6 p.m. pop up as our arrival time because I knew how much Linda had wanted to pick up a few things, a later arrival time and the shelves of the Expo would have been picked clean.
Just like that, it was race morning and the first day of November to boot and the weather cooperated to a "T," very pleasant temperature and a clear sky... perfect!
The only caveat being, was that the race started at 5 a.m. which meant that we had to be in position on site and ready to go for that time. As such, the alarm was set for 2 a.m. and somewhat blurry-eyed, we arose and got ready.
As we had done many times in the past, we set off from the condo of our favorite resort, except that this time, it was a tad earlier than normal - 3 a.m.
Heading up World Drive, the main Disney thoroughfare, it quickly became apparent that we wouldn't be the first ones arriving at EPCOT, where the 5K was to be held, for the road was like the Orlando interstate, the I-4, at rush hour.
Upon arriving at EPCOT, just like it was at any other time, we followed the stream of vehicles and one by one, the parking attendant directed us to the appropriate spot and from there, we walked to an adjacent area of the huge parking lot whch served as the staging area.
There was quite a bit going on, with hosts on a stage keeping everyone entertained and numerous photo opportunities with Disney characters - of which we availed ourselves.
Approximately 4:15 a.m., we felt it was time to make our way to our staging area and as there five such zones, "A-D," with ours being "D," it meant that with a staggered start, we probably wouldn't be off until 5:40 or so.
As we waited, it was amazing at just how many people were in our group alone, and with just as many or more in the other four groups, it was a veritable sea of people... or should I say, runners:)
Group by group, we were ushered to the starting line and then, like Disney magic, in a blaze of fireworks, we passed under the start portal and we were off.
I couldn't tell you how long the 5K took us, for we ran a bit and strolled a lot to take in the sights of the backstage areas of EPCOT that would normally be off limits, but however long it took, it made no matter, for we had a wonderful time just soaking it all in.
As we approached and passed under the finish line portal, Linda's arms raised in victory, I couldn't help but smile at the look of joy on her face.
With the race completed, of course the first thing we now looked for, were the people handing out the medals and then, with our gorgeous prize in hand, we continued along and grabbed some water, Powerade, a banana and our snack box which contained a fair amount of goodies.
runDisney 5K was an incredible event, everything was done so well, from the organization side of things to the cast members and characters who made it all so pleasant by being so friendly... it most definitely was "Magical."
Would I do it again - in a heartbeat. As a matter of fact, I would seriously consider both the 5K and 10K next time.
February 11, 2025, is the sign up day for the October [2025] runDisney fall event and I know I will be sitting in front of the laptop that morning in anticipation of snagging a spot(s).
Perhaps, if things work out as far as his job and vacation go, Greg can once again be included in the plans:)