Glass Slippers and wizards and DisBrides, oh my! A PHM trip report **Complete**

[librarygeek]

It's a couple of weeks since I returned from the Princess Half Marathon weekend, and it's been busy! I got back, went into tech week for the musical I'm in, and then immediately got sick and spent a week in bed. But now I'm recovered and ready to get this TR going! Here's a sneak peek at some of the highlights of what we did this time around:

* The Glass Slipper Challenge (Enchanted 10k and Princess Half Marathon!)
* Celebrated a birthday at the Yachtsman Steakhouse
* Visited the new Harry Potter Diagon Alley at Universal
* Dinner at Be Our Guest
* Awesome meet and greet with Mike and Sulley!

Table of Contents
Arriving at Disney
Hollywood Studios Morning
Hollywood Studios Afternoon
Enchanted 10k
An Afternoon at Epcot
Princess Half Marathon!!
Post Race Celebrations
Morning in my Happy Place
More Rides, Be Our Guest, and Wishes!
To Diagon Alley, of Course!
The rest of Universal
Animal Kingdom

About Us



So who was on this trip? Let's start with me. My name is Becky, I'm 26 years old, and the big Disney fan in the family. I’m a children’s librarian, and for fun I write for my Disney blog (www.disneyinyourday.com), and I do theater - currently in a production of Titanic the Musical! I've also really gotten into running the past year or two, and would be completing my first ever Half Marathon this trip - but just because I'm crazy I decided to throw a 10k in beforehand too!

Also with me was DH. He is 25 years old and likes Disney, though not as much as me. He's a software developer and loves anything computers/tech related, but he also does theater and happens to be in Titanic with me.



In addition, a number of our friends that I've met through the online Disney community were there for the race. We met up with them for some meals and I saw them before the runs started too!

Stay tuned for the first update!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I'm here! My coworker & I did the Glass Slipper as well this year.

Are you doing Wine & Dine? My husband is running that half (I'm not a night runner) but both of us are doing the 5K together.

 

[LindseyJo22]

Following!

Went back and read your Honeymoon review, and can't wait to hear about your RunDisney experience! I'm trying to get in good enough shape to register for something

 

[librarygeek]

I'm here! My coworker & I did the Glass Slipper as well this year.

Are you doing Wine & Dine? My husband is running that half (I'm not a night runner) but both of us are doing the 5K together.

Glad you're here! Congrats on finishing the Glass Slipper as well! Unfortunately I won't be doing Wine and Dine - I really enjoy night running but I'm doing the Disneyland Half in September instead for my fall trip. Someday I'll get down to do Wine and Dine though!

Following!

Went back and read your Honeymoon review, and can't wait to hear about your RunDisney experience! I'm trying to get in good enough shape to register for something

Thanks for following along! The 5k's in Disney are really laid back so I'm sure you'll be able to get there in no time. And then you get hooked!

 

[librarygeek]

Arriving to Disney!

We left a freezing cold Pennsylvania early that morning - I think it was about 15 degrees when we left home. Luckily they kept the airport and the airplane pretty warm. We had some time before boarding, so I wanted to get some food. We had an awkward flight time in regards to lunch - we left at around 11:30am, which meant we would board around 11, so lunch would have to be before that, which is pretty early. And we didn't land in Orlando til 2, and waiting til after that would be a very late lunch. So around 10 I got a sandwich from Earl of Sandwich (The Full Montagu, my favorite!), ate half of it, and saved the other half for on the plane.



When we took off there was still snow on the ground:



We had no issues on the flight, as everything went smoothly. I had some drink tickets from Southwest, so I enjoyed a rum and coke while reading my book! And DH had a whiskey. I also took a little nap which got me more energized. A good way to start off the vacation!







Then we landed in Orlando, and I was so happy to see palm trees instead of snow!



We headed down to the Magical Express (no need to worry about luggage!) and got right on a bus. Luckily it filled up quickly so we didn't have to wait long before we were off to the magical land of Disney! In no time we were seeing this:




And then we were approaching our resort, Pop Century. I'd never stayed there before, so I was excited to see it.



We checked in at the front desk and our room was ready. I had signed up to do the new advanced check-in where they would text you if your room was ready and you didn't need to go to the desk at all. I never got a text, but our room was ready, so I guess it didn't work? Oh well, this way at least we were also able to put a credit card on our account. We had a room in the 60's building, which was fun and super convenient to the main building!





And I didn't know we were getting a king size bed, woohoo!



We were on the fourth floor and this was our little corner:



Once we dropped our bags off in the room there was no time to sit around. We went right to the race expo to pick up my race stuff and shop around a little bit!





I got three race shirts since I was doing the Glass Slipper Challenge (one for the 10k, one for the half marathon, and one for the challenge). I had also pre-ordered a pin. I was really happy with everything! I made two additional purchases at the expo. A t-shirt for DH that said "My favorite Disney Princess is my wife" and a headband that said "I Did It: Glass Slipper Challenge". So I had to make sure I completed it! Then it was back to Pop century to drop off my purchases before hopping on a bus to go to Downtown Disney!

I hadn't made dinner reservations at first because I didn't want to with Disney's credit card policy - in case our flight was delayed and we missed dinner I didn't want to be charged. But then I realized that some of the restaurants in Downtown Disney are independent and don't have the same requirements. So I asked DH if he had any place in particular he wanted to go for dinner - and he asked for T-REX! So that's where we were headed.



I know it's more of a "kids' place," but I think it's really a lot of fun. I'm a kid at heart, after all! I love sitting with the dinosaurs. Here were our friends that evening:



I'll be sharing details on the food and drink in my dining review once I get that started (soon, I promise!). It was a good meal, and then we did some shopping around Downtown Disney. Although it was nice not to be in the 15 degree weather back home, it was still chilly at about 40 degrees and I personally hate anything below about 55, haha. So I grabbed a hot chocolate at Ghiradelli:



Yes, this was expensive hot chocolate, but it was definitely the most delicious hot chocolate I've ever had! We also visited Basin to buy some bath bombs (a must for relaxing after the race!), Goofy's Candy Co., and Once Upon a Toy. Then we were a bit tired and cold, so we called it a night a caught a bus back to Pop. We would be off to Hollywood Studios the next day!

 

[Disneybuckeye]

I'm in! Looking forward to reading about your trip.

 

[Huskerkelsey]

Here! The hubby and I stayed at Pop last time we were at WDW and we loved it! Can't wait to continue reading about the rest of your trip!

 

[librarygeek]

I'm in! Looking forward to reading about your trip.

Welcome! Thanks for joining in!

Here! The hubby and I stayed at Pop last time we were at WDW and we loved it! Can't wait to continue reading about the rest of your trip!

Hi! We enjoyed Pop. I'm already planning to stay there on the next trip. Can't beat it for the price if you want to stay on property!

 

[librarygeek]

Hollywood Studios Morning



Today we got up to go to Hollywood Studios and it was still pretty chilly, so we timed it pretty well that we arrived right when they were letting people in and we didn't have to stand around in the cold for too long. First stop was Rockin' Roller Coaster, since we didn't have a FP+ for that one and we wanted to make sure we got to it!



This was a blast, as always. Next we had a FP+ for Toy Story Mania, so we made our way over there. On the way we passed the hat, which was under construction to come down . They had started over a month earlier but I guess it's difficult to get such a big object down, because the construction was still going on. By the time that we were there the hat had been reduced to just the brim, and was just a concrete slab without any of the former decorations. I think it will be nice to see the theater again, and I look forward to the view next time!



We got onto TSMM, where DH beat me as he always does. One of my Disney bucket list items is to beat him one time, but I'm not sure that will ever happen!



I wanted to get to the Animation Academy to do the drawing class but it was closed for a bit, so we waited to meet Baymax (and Hiro) instead. We got on line half an hour before they even came out which was something I wouldn't normally do for a character, but since our objective for being in that area had fallen through anyway, we decided to make the best of it and wait (I joke to DH that it's extra "bonding time" for us ) I have to say though, once Baymax came out, it was absolutely worth the wait. He is just one of the coolest characters I've ever seen. His movements and everything else were just so accurate to the movie. Plus, I got a Baymax hug! Later in the trip we were able to talk to one of my friend's DHs, who works for costuming and explained some of the details of how the Baymax costume works, including the fact that it is the most expensive costume out of any character. Really fascinating stuff.





While in that building we also went to "meet Oscar," which was a limited time thing they had going on with the Academy Awards happening that Sunday. They had a real Oscar that you could see and touch. It didn't belong to anyone yet, but the impression they gave us was that it would be sent back to the Academy and might be one of the Oscars that is handed out someday in the future. Since it was such a limited time thing it was pretty cool that we got to see it!





We were both hungry so we decided to do "Dessert first" and grabbed a Lady and the Tramp cupcake at Starring Rolls. The chocolate frosting especially was delicious! I also vaguely remember being grumpy about something at the time, but I can't for the life of me remember now what it was. And I know I was picking a fight with DH over it, so I'm sorry about that (even though he will never read this!)



We then went to hit up another limited time event, and get our picture taken with Cinderella's coach from the new live action movie. This was before the movie was released, and the coach was really impressive!



Lunch was at Backlot Express, decent but nothing special, and then we went to a special preview of the Cinderella movie. They showed the whole fairy godmother scene. I have to say I wasn't impressed, and DH didn't like it at all. In fact, enough that when it came out I went to see it with friends instead of him, and I have to say that the movie was so much better than that scene they showed. I loved the movie, but the fairy godmother part definitely seemed the weakest to me, so I'm glad that it turned out better than I expected! After that we finally got over to the drawing class, where I was pleased to do a character I hadn't done before - Winnie the Pooh!



I love Disney, and the details, and here's a little something I came across for the first time that I absolutely loved, being a big Muppets fan:

 

[DnA2010]

On board, have really enjoyed your other reports!

 

[librarygeek]

On board, have really enjoyed your other reports!

Yay, welcome aboard! I'm happy to have you here!

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Thanks for the update. Love the pix of Baymax but I an not a Hiro fan. Great job drawing Pooh. I love the animation at DL as they post a list of what character will be drawn at what class. Looking forward to more.

 

[librarygeek]

Thanks for the update. Love the pix of Baymax but I an not a Hiro fan. Great job drawing Pooh. I love the animation at DL as they post a list of what character will be drawn at what class. Looking forward to more.

I wasn't a big fan of Hiro in the movie either, Baymax is the real star! That is good to know about the animation in Disneyland. I always just cross my fingers that I get to do a new one I haven't done before, but being able to know ahead of time would be awesome. We will be in DL in September so I'll have to check it out!

 

[librarygeek]

Hollywood Studios Afternoon

We didn't have any particular rides in mind and didn't feel like waiting in long lines, so we decided to maybe do some more character meet and greets! We had never done Mike and Sully before so we decided to head there. On our way we passed through Pixar Place and like they often are, the green army men were out for pictures so I stopped quickly to get one!



I had never found Mike and Sully before because they are kind of tucked back in a corner where you wouldn't know they were there unless you were really looking for them. Because of this there was almost no line when we got there - I think maybe two families were in front of us. This turned out to be an awesome, hilarious meet and greet! When DH and I first walked up to them they acted like statues, not moving or greeting us at all. So we awkwardly stood next to them for a picture, and it turned out they were pretending to be frozen so they could try and "scare" us! Then they were super interactive, and Sully took quite a liking to me. He pushed DH aside and dipped me over, making kissing noises at me! Once we finally left, Sully actually followed me out the exit to get more kisses and hugs! The handler was trying to chase him down and get him to come back! It was so much fun.







I'm thinking those characters are able to do more in depth interactions than the usual picture/autograph because they don't have as many crowds, so that's something kind of cool. After the meet and greet we had to go back to the animation academy, because DH had left his magic band there. He took it off so he was more comfortable drawing and left it on the desk! Luckily, I had decorated our magic bands with temporary tattoos, so it was easy for them to find! Once we got that back we still had time to kill before dinner, so we did the meet and greet with Mr. Incredible and Frozone as well.



We still had a little bit of time before our next FP+, so we went to see Muppet Vision 3D - even though the sign said it was a 30 minute wait! The parks were really crowded this weekend, I've never heard of such a wait for the Muppets. I don't think it was quite that long, but I'm used to just walking right in there. They have a whole queue outside that I didn't even know about!





Finally it was time to see the new show at Hollywood Studios, the Frozen sing-along. It was actually better than I expected - they played clips from the movie with the words, but they also had live performers in between. They told jokes that were a bit corny but I actually found them kinda funny. We sat next to another family that lived close to where we went to college and talked with them for awhile before the show. The woman joked that she hoped we weren't terrible singers, but I assured her that DH and I both do musical theater so it shouldn't be too bad









Once that was over we had another FP+ for Star Tours, which is always fun, and then it was on to Mama Melrose for dinner! Since I was running the 10k the next morning I wanted to get my carbs in with plenty of bread and pasta! The food was good, and the dessert was incredibly good. I'll be putting up a dining review soon with the details, but the cannolis I had were fantastic!





Once we finished eating we headed back to the room for sleep. I was hoping to get to bed by 9, since I would be up at 3am for the 10k!

 

[starousse]

Joining in.

 

[KathyM2]

What a great day at HS!!! Joining in! Love your report so far!! Would love to do a Disney run one day. That cupcake looked amazing and so did the canolis!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Becky!! Sorry I missed the start, but thankfully you're not too far along. My goodness, keeping up with all your trips is exhausting. Like running a marathon.

I think it was about 15 degrees when we left home.

I always have to keep remembering this is Fahrenheit. 15 Celsius would not be too bad at all.

Well done on the arch picture. I know now that is not an easy thing to get. But a bus ride to Pop Century Resort and Spa is even better. I've found the texting system to be really hit or miss. For me, mostly miss.

Kinda love that you're the one that bought the "My favorite Disney Princess is my wife" shirt.

Oh wow, I honestly didn't think Baymax could interact like that. I figured it would be too awkward, but I guess not. Now I'm really sad skipped it.

I think Mike and Sully got bigger lines when the backlot tour was still running since you exit right by them. But WOW, what an awesome interaction. I love when characters go that extra mile.

 

[librarygeek]

Joining in.

Welcome!!

What a great day at HS!!! Joining in! Love your report so far!! Would love to do a Disney run one day. That cupcake looked amazing and so did the canolis!

Thanks! One of the great things about running the half marathon is that it's pretty much a great excuse to eat all of the desserts you want too

Becky!! Sorry I missed the start, but thankfully you're not too far along. My goodness, keeping up with all your trips is exhausting. Like running a marathon.

Soooo I guess I shouldn't mention that I leave for Disney again on Wednesday, right?

I always have to keep remembering this is Fahrenheit. 15 Celsius would not be too bad at all.

Well done on the arch picture. I know now that is not an easy thing to get. But a bus ride to Pop Century Resort and Spa is even better. I've found the texting system to be really hit or miss. For me, mostly miss.

Kinda love that you're the one that bought the "My favorite Disney Princess is my wife" shirt.

Oh wow, I honestly didn't think Baymax could interact like that. I figured it would be too awkward, but I guess not. Now I'm really sad skipped it.

I think Mike and Sully got bigger lines when the backlot tour was still running since you exit right by them. But WOW, what an awesome interaction. I love when characters go that extra mile.

Yes, Fahrenheit lol. 15 degrees Celsius would actually be rather nice!

We'll see if the texting works again this time around.

I did have to ask him if he would be willing to wear the shirt, but as soon as he said okay I was buying it!

You'll have to catch Baymax next time, definitely worth it! And that makes sense about Mike and Sulley. They're really off in the middle of nowhere now.

 

[Landslide305]

You got some great pictures with Mike and Sully!

 

[librarygeek]

You got some great pictures with Mike and Sully!

Thanks, they were too fun! One of our best character interactions ever!