You Don't Have What? - A Somewhat Frantic Race Weekend TR (Feb 24-26 ) COMPLETE! BOG Lunch - 5/15

[LindseyJo22]

'Ohana Dinner!

Before I start discussing our meal at 'Ohana, I found a couple of pictures from my rushed Expo experience. Mostly just my shirt, but they also had the enchanted rose display up! I didn't get a picture because I was by myself and there was a huge crowd, but it was so pretty:

Side note - I adored the new movie! So so so good - I'm trying to find time to see it again

The best shirt ever. I am very glad I went to bet it, it's basically my favorite running shirt now:

After I got back, I don't really remember doing a whole lot before dinner. I think we really just hung out in the room for a few minutes and were happy to have all of our issues taken care of!

Then, we headed down the walking path to the lobby to check in for dinner. We were a bit early I think, but we got a buzzer and waited for maybe five minutes before we were seated. When I booked this, the only time I could find was 4:20, which is a little early even for us (we usually eat around 5-5:30), but I thought that an early dinner would be good before the race. Plus, I'd heard that 'Ohana can get really backed up if you book later, so I thought this would just be nicer all around.

We started off with some pineapple coconut bread:

This stuff was great! I could have eaten that whole loaf myself, but I was really trying to pace myself since I knew there was a lot more to come!

Our server was very attentive - he also had some larger groups, but we always had drinks and the servers with the meats were asking us many times to see if we wanted anything, so I really enjoyed the experience as a whole.

Starters were a salad with a kind of Asian flavor - I really enjoyed this as well! It doesn't quite live up to Garden Grill salad for me, but it's close

And then I just started taking pictures of our plates because I'm pretty sure we were hungry

I started with some noodles, pot stickers, veggies, and wings:

All of this was fabulous. I loved the noodles and veggies, the pot stickers were amazing, and the wings were messy but very delicious!

I also ate some shrimp and steak:

Our servers were being kind of funny - the guy gave me a very generous helping of shrimp, and then when he went to Will, he initially gave him like two But of course he quickly laughed and gave Will a more generous serving.

I think I tried a little chicken, but focused on shrimp and beef. The dipping sauces were also very nice - there was one that was kind of peanutty that I really enjoyed.

I also enjoyed the atmosphere of 'Ohana at this earlier time. It was definitely still busy, but felt more quiet and intimate than I expected. It did get more crowded as our meal went on, and I was really glad that we did pick an earlier dinner time. I am pretty sure I had more noodles, veggies, pot stickers, and maybe shrimp/bread, but soon enough we decided it was time for dessert. This was basically the whole reason I booked 'Ohana - I had heard about the bread pudding, and I really wanted to experience it!

So so so good! I have to say, this dessert lived up to all the hype. We love bananas foster anything, so this was basically the best possible dessert for us. I think I did like it a little more than Will did (but he definitely liked it) - I could just eat this for dinner and be happy

Overall, I think that I may have had a little bit too high of expectations for 'Ohana, sadly. I really loved the sides and the bread pudding, but the meats all had a kind of sweet and sour marinade on them that I didn't love after a few bites. I am the kind of person who really likes the flavor of the meat itself, so I was hoping for more of a steak or shrimp flavor with some basic seasoning than everything tasting kind of sweet/sour. It was all cooked very well, just after a few pieces of each I was pretty done. I do think the sides were great - and I loved the dessert and the overall service and atmosphere of the restaurant, though!

I also think that in general the stress of the afternoon may have gotten to me with this meal. I'd be interested in trying 'Ohana on a future trip (hopefully when nothing had gone wrong) to see if I still had the same opinion. Either way, if Will wanted to eat here again I'd be happy to book a reservation and stick to eating more bread, salad, and sides! Unless that happens, I think that we'll just stick to getting bread pudding from the lounge next door if we want some and maybe save 'Ohana for another try in the farther future. I really wanted this to be my favorite meal of the trip, but it just wasn't (which did make me sad - I had been looking forward to it the most)!

Again, it's not that anything we had was bad - and most of it was great! I was just expecting more from the main course I think.


Dining Plan Total
4 TS credits used
2 QS credits used
3 snack credits used (would have been 4, but my cupcake was free!)
2 mug credits used

Remaining: 2 QS credits, 5 snack credits

OOP Cost

'Ohana Buffet price (no tip): 91.59
Captain Cook Cupcake: 5.49
Two Refillable Mugs: 35.98 (no tax - I can't remember what the exact cost of these was with tax, but this is close).
Mickey Bar, Water, and Popcorn: 12.00

OOP cost so far: 245.17 (not including BOG breakfast - need to look up the receipt from there).

 

[LindseyJo22]

Epcot Snacks and Princess Half Marathon!

After our dinner at 'Ohana, we went back to the room for a while. I was planning on just hanging out and trying to get to bed early - my alarm was going to go off at an ungodly hour, so I wanted to at least make an effort to get enough sleep!

Will decided he would go to Epcot to try and use our snack credits and also maybe ride a few rides. I think he ended up mostly just getting snacks to bring back - it was really crowded all weekend, and still fairly warm (though it definitely cooled down overnight), so I think he might have ridden The Seas and potentially Spaceship Earth.

I hung out in the room, got all my various gadgets charged, my outfit laid out, and everything ready as much as I could so I could basically just wake up and go to the monorail in the morning, and then tried to go to sleep.

This was largely unsuccessful, but I am glad that I rested my legs instead of roaming around Epcot all night! I was sad that I didn't get to head over there this trip, but I was okay with it since I knew we had a long trip coming up in May (we just hit single digit day today for that one, reminding me that I needed to get this finished)!

The next morning, it was Race Time! My alarm went off at way too early o'clock (I want to say 2:30 or 2:45). I had been tossing and turning anyway, so I went ahead and got up. Whenever I have something really important to wake up for, I panic that I'm going to oversleep or miss my alarm, so I never get great sleep the night before something big - same goes for the night before Disney - I'm always too excited to get good sleep!

I dressed in my Belle costume (super basic and cheap version), got my bib and running belt all set, made sure I had headphones, my portable charger, and some energy gels, and then quickly ate a slice of toast and peanut butter before heading to the TTC. I loved the Polynesian location for the race! I am signed up for Marathon Weekend, and we're going to be at Saratoga Springs, which is a little nerve wracking for me - but I'm sure as long as I'm early I'll be fine.

Monorail selfie! Get ready for a lot of selfies during this race

We got out at Epcot - and then we walked forever. I got a really nice volunteer to take a dark picture of me with Spaceship Earth in the background I love how it looks at night (or I guess early morning)!

Then we walked and walked and walked until we got to the pre-corral area. I waited a little while to meet up with some people from a Facebook running group I'm in - shoutout to the BOGP Lizards!

I didn't actually get a picture, but it was fun to meet some of the people I see on Facebook all the time!

The meetup did make me really nervous I wasn't going to be able to get to my corral in time, though. I knew we still had to walk some, but it ended up being a really long walk! I'll get there earlier next time, and maybe suggest a picture a few minutes earlier as well!

Made it to Corral E just in time, and actually got pretty well towards the front, which was really nice.

Before I knew it, we were starting! It was super fun to have the fireworks and announcers and everything!

The first part of the race was fairly boring - lots of interstate, not a whole lot to see. But I had my Disney music playlist, and honestly the energy of the other runners and seeing everyone's awesome costumes kept me totally entertained.

Soon, we were heading into the MK gate! There were pirates and some princes out around here I think, but I wasn't super interested in stopping for them. I ran my first mile, and felt really good - I actually ended up running most of the first 4-5 miles, which is totally unusual for me. I generally start intervals after mile 1 or 2. But the weather was great, quite cool and breezy, and I wanted to get into MK, so it was good motivation to keep going!

First character stop I made was maybe somewhere around the TTC? Maleficent and the Evil Queen! I tried to be serious, but failed miserably:

Water stop at mile 4, and soon enough we were heading toward Magic Kingdom! I loved being able to see Space Mountain as we ran by the Contemporary and everything. So awesome!

Before I knew it, we were running down Main Street! And I had someone take a supremely awkward castle picture of me. I need some tutorials on how to do things with my arms, obviously!

Ran through Tomorrowland and around by the teacups, where I got a picture with the Red Queen - I didn't really know how to pose for this one, either!

And then, we went through New Fantasyland a bit, passed Gaston (I think) who was meeting by his tavern, and I saw a magical character stop ahead! I obviously got in line:

Because I had to meet Beast! So many Belles in this race - and in this line

Totally worth it - and honestly, the line moved super quickly! I never waited a huge long time, and I'm glad that I was in an early enough corral that it was possible to do character stops if I wanted. I'm hoping I'll have a similar experience in January, but I'm not sure since I may be farther back in the corrals for the Goofy challenge.

Going through the castle!

I skipped the in front of the castle picture - the line was insane!

We quickly headed over into Frontierland, which was super cool. I did take a pit stop in the bathrooms near where Woody was meeting. That was nice - no line, and real bathrooms!

Then I had to take a picture in front of my favorite ride - and accidentally cut in front of someone to get over there. Sorry mystery person! I do actually know better, I just got caught up in the excitement

After that, we headed out of MK again - there was a big setup with princesses and princes, but no Belle so I didn't stop. Then we headed out around the resorts behind the Poly. I think Will tried to catch me here, but we missed each other!

I did get a picture with the Penguins because I adore Mary Poppins, and they were on my list of "must do" pictures!

Another with Vacation Genie (so cool!)

Then it was back to the highway for quite a few miles. The princes and pirates were back and had switched sides, so if you wanted to catch them again you could.

We headed up around the overpass, which wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected somehow. Running on the banked pavement was annoying, but it was over quickly.

And eventually, we were almost back in Epcot! I was super excited

Got a picture with Mushu right as we came into the park:

A better picture with Spaceship Earth!

And possibly my favorite of the trip - one with Princess Daisy!! So so so cute

One last selfie at mile 13, and I was done!

This really was the best race. I had such a great time, the atmosphere was amazing, and everything was well run. Even now, thinking back on it, I had such a good race. As you can see from my pictures, I'm not sure I stopped smiling the whole time.

I even did pretty well on my time! My first half (and best time so far) was 2:15 or so I think, and this one was around 2:45 according to the unofficial post-race time!

With all the stops and everything, I was totally happy with that. I had assumed I would take at least 3 hours, so this was a great time.

I quickly got my medal and snack box and headed back to the Poly. However, my brain was obviously addled from pixie dust and running, and I got on a bus like an idiot. Pro tip: TAKE THE MONORAIL! It took us an hour to get back to the Poly, and I'm pretty sure half of that time was sitting waiting to turn left down the short road that leads to the hotel entrance.

Thankfully, Will had packed up everything very well in our room, and we still had time to eat a breakfast of French pastries before heading to BOG for our lunch reservation!

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

I just found your report and got all caught up!

What unfortunate drama the day before and with the expo. We were registered for the cancelled 1/2 marathon this past January, so we know how expo drama can be!! Glad it all worked out in the end and that you ended up having a great race!

Can I ask what you use to carry your phone and for ear buds when running?

 

[LindseyJo22]

I just found your report and got all caught up!

What unfortunate drama the day before and with the expo. We were registered for the cancelled 1/2 marathon this past January, so we know how expo drama can be!! Glad it all worked out in the end and that you ended up having a great race!

Can I ask what you use to carry your phone and for ear buds when running?

Glad to have you! And I use a Flipbelt (official site). I have the one without zippers - it does tend to ride up a bit after a while, so every few miles I tug it down a bit. I don't know if that's a sizing issue on my part, or if I just wear it lower than is ideal. I like it on my hips rather than at my waist. It's pretty convenient, though I would advise using a more secure pocket for your keys if you need to carry them - I had a car key worm its way out of the Flipbelt once, which was no fun! Everything else has stayed put just fine though, so not sure what was up with that

 

[LindseyJo22]

Be Our Guest - Again!

After the race, I finally got back to the Poly and headed very quickly back to our room to shower. Thankfully, Will had packed up our room and our stuff very efficiently, so all I had to do was shower and stuff my gross running clothes into ziplocs to take home

Then we ended up eating a first breakfast of some French pastries as well as half of the free cupcake I had gotten I don't have a picture, but Will ended up getting these things from France:

Beignet - 3.95

Flan Cerises (cherry pastry of some sort)- 4.25

Croissant Jambon Fromage - 4.75

Sweet chocolate pretzel - 5.00 (from Norway - apparently the person in front of him got the last school bread )

So we ate the cherry pastry and the croissant together that morning before BOG because I was absolutely starving!

And then it was time to load everything in the car and head to MK for our lunch reservation

I really liked being in Pago Pago when we had to take stuff to and from the room - the parking lot was right outside our building, so it was super easy to get to! And we didn't even need to take a bag to MK because we were just staying for lunch and our Mickey FP, then we had to get on the road. After seeing the bag check lines all weekend, I was so glad I could just breeze through the no bag line here. We also found that the AP turnstiles were a huge plus during this crowded weekend! On other trips, it's been about the same as the regular line, but we were able to get into MK very quickly using the AP line this trip - so handy!

Got our picture in front of the castle - a little awkward, it was super bright!

And then it was onto lunch

I got the turkey sandwich this time to change it up a little, but I stuck with my usual Strawberry cupcake dessert!

Will got the Croque Monsieur, which he had wanted to try for a while:

And we both got fountain drinks to go with out meal.

This was, as usual, delicious! The turkey sandwich was very tasty - nice, thick slices of turkey and some good toppings. For me, the roast beef sandwich definitely still wins my top spot, but I was glad to try something new. As usual, the strawberry cupcake was amazing and may be my favorite QS dessert ever. We usually split a meal at BOG, but I was very happy to have my own after the race! Pretty sure I devoured all of it extremely quickly

Will really enjoyed his sandwich as well - I think we were both glad that we felt a little more comfortable trying something new using the DDP for this meal - and we know we'll probably be back, so it's not as nerve-wracking as some other places! I tend to order the same thing everywhere because I worry about not liking something new as much, and then not going back for a while - but thankfully BOG is a pretty regular stop for us, so I'm not too worried. We aren't going in May, but I think we may have to hit it up in October or January

Got a picture by the mosaic (because of course):

After our meal at BOG, we stopped by Town Hall to meet the Mouse himself. This was one of the big things I wanted to do this race weekend, since I have never managed to meet talking Mickey! And I am so glad I did. This will be a must for race weekends in the future It was totally magical to have Mickey greet us and say hi, and I love this picture so much!

And just like that, it was time to go home

We really loved this weekend. It was not long enough, and I would have loved to have more time at the Poly, but overall I was happy with our experience (even despite the whole ID issue). The race was magical, I loved staying so close to MK, and we had tons of great food!

Plus, now that I've finally finished, this, we are heading back to the World in 3 days - hopefully going to meet up with @chunkymonkey at some point, and we have all sorts of new to us things to explore



Final DDP estimates - I don't have receipt pictures for BOG breakfast or lunch, so I'm estimating their cost from the website

BOG Breakfast - $24.00 per person, plus 3.69 each for drinks, plus 6.5% tax (what 'Ohana charged - I'm assuming this is standard): 58.98

BOG Lunch - $13.99 for croque monsieur, $15.99 for turkey sandwich, $3.29 each for drinks, and $4.99 for my cupcake = 44.25 total

Epcot Snacks - $17.95 total

DDP total paid: $269.32 for two people, two nights

OOP cost for food included in DDP: $366.35

OOP cost for food minus free cupcake: $360.86

I'm not including our Trader Sam's drinks in this calculation, since they would have been paid for OOP either way. But I think I am a DDP convert for short race weekends! We definitely got our money's worth, even if Will didn't really use his mug It did require some planning, and we wouldn't want to use it for longer trips because we would be so stuffed, but this was definitely a successful experiment. I can see why so many people like the DDP! It was really nice to know that essentially the whole trip was already paid for and we didn't have to worry about any of it, and we enjoyed being able to splurge on a short trip on some meals we probably wouldn't have booked otherwise.

 

[chunkymonkey]

Starters were a salad with a kind of Asian flavor - I really enjoyed this as well! It doesn't quite live up to Garden Grill salad for me, but it's close

The salad used to be so much better but they switched it like 2 years ago. Sometimes I don't know why Disney tries to fix something that isn't broken?!? But yes, the Garden Grill salad is superior!

All of this was fabulous. I loved the noodles and veggies, the pot stickers were amazing, and the wings were messy but very delicious!

Yum, my favorite! I eat more noodles, potstickers and wings more than the meats from the skewers.

The dipping sauces were also very nice - there was one that was kind of peanutty that I really enjoyed

I liked this one too!

So so so good! I have to say, this dessert lived up to all the hype. We love bananas foster anything, so this was basically the best possible dessert for us. I think I did like it a little more than Will did (but he definitely liked it) - I could just eat this for dinner and be happy

Best part of 'Ohana!!

I am the kind of person who really likes the flavor of the meat itself, so I was hoping for more of a steak or shrimp flavor with some basic seasoning than everything tasting kind of sweet/sour. It was all cooked very well, just after a few pieces of each I was pretty done. I do think the sides were great - and I loved the dessert and the overall service and atmosphere of the restaurant, though!

I agree, I think that's why I like the sides so much...and dessert!! And really, nothing beats eating at the Poly...

I think that we'll just stick to getting bread pudding from the lounge next door if we want some and maybe save 'Ohana for another try in the farther future.

That's what we're going to do in August!

This was largely unsuccessful, but I am glad that I rested my legs instead of roaming around Epcot all night! I was sad that I didn't get to head over there this trip, but I was okay with it since I knew we had a long trip coming up in May (we just hit single digit day today for that one, reminding me that I needed to get this finished)!

Haha I always wonder how people can sleep so early when they don't regularly do...I'm glad I'm not the only one tossing and turning trying to sleep the night before! And yay for single digits! Can't wait to meet up!

I knew we still had to walk some, but it ended up being a really long walk! I'll get there earlier next time, and maybe suggest a picture a few minutes earlier as well!

I have heard about that long walk to the corrals for the half!

First character stop I made was maybe somewhere around the TTC? Maleficent and the Evil Queen! I tried to be serious, but failed miserably:

That's cute! UI think you're seriously...trying not to look serious!

Before I knew it, we were running down Main Street! And I had someone take a supremely awkward castle picture of me. I need some tutorials on how to do things with my arms, obviously!

Haha you can just say you were posing as Lumiere!

Ran through Tomorrowland and around by the teacups, where I got a picture with the Red Queen - I didn't really know how to pose for this one, either!

I don't think there is a requisite Red Queen pose...I wouldn't know what to do either! Hahaha.

Because I had to meet Beast! So many Belles in this race - and in this line

But of course!

Going through the castle!

sooo cool!

I did get a picture with the Penguins because I adore Mary Poppins, and they were on my list of "must do" pictures!

Aww cute!

Another with Vacation Genie (so cool!)

This is great! I love the whole setup!

Got a picture with Mushu right as we came into the park:

Super cool!!!!

And possibly my favorite of the trip - one with Princess Daisy!! So so so cute

I love this!

One last selfie at mile 13, and I was done!

YAY!!!!! Congratulations!

This really was the best race. I had such a great time, the atmosphere was amazing, and everything was well run. Even now, thinking back on it, I had such a good race. As you can see from my pictures, I'm not sure I stopped smiling the whole time.

I even did pretty well on my time! My first half (and best time so far) was 2:15 or so I think, and this one was around 2:45 according to the unofficial post-race time!

That is so awesome! You looked like you were having the best time!!

We also found that the AP turnstiles were a huge plus during this crowded weekend! On other trips, it's been about the same as the regular line, but we were able to get into MK very quickly using the AP line this trip - so handy!

For some reason we only found this the case at MK, for all other parks the regular turnstiles were shorter!

I got the turkey sandwich this time to change it up a little, but I stuck with my usual Strawberry cupcake dessert!

Yummy! I have to try the strawberry cupcake one day!

After our meal at BOG, we stopped by Town Hall to meet the Mouse himself. This was one of the big things I wanted to do this race weekend, since I have never managed to meet talking Mickey! And I am so glad I did. This will be a must for race weekends in the future It was totally magical to have Mickey greet us and say hi, and I love this picture so much!

Love the picture with your medal and Mickey!!

Plus, now that I've finally finished, this, we are heading back to the World in 3 days - hopefully going to meet up with @chunkymonkey at some point, and we have all sorts of new to us things to explore

YES!!! What is your schedule for Fri-Sunday? I should probably update my PTR at some point! But here's our schedule:
Friday for us is Epcot and MK at night. Saturday is Boma breakfast then we'll head to AK at around 1:30-2 ish. Not sure if we're going to do anything after the preview ends at around 8. I have an ADR at Sanaa for later but I may cancel if we decide to park hop to DHS to watch the SW fireworks.
DHS on Sunday morning then brunch at Narcoosee, we're going to MK to meet Gaston and then park hop to Epcot for the rest of the day. We have a late flight at 10 pm so we'll probably catch ME at around 7:00 from AKL.

I'm not including our Trader Sam's drinks in this calculation, since they would have been paid for OOP either way. But I think I am a DDP convert for short race weekends! We definitely got our money's worth, even if Will didn't really use his mug It did require some planning, and we wouldn't want to use it for longer trips because we would be so stuffed, but this was definitely a successful experiment. I can see why so many people like the DDP! It was really nice to know that essentially the whole trip was already paid for and we didn't have to worry about any of it, and we enjoyed being able to splurge on a short trip on some meals we probably wouldn't have booked otherwise.

Great to know the DDP works even for such short stays! Esp when you can splurge on things like BOG breakfast!

 

[LindseyJo22]

YES!!! What is your schedule for Fri-Sunday? I should probably update my PTR at some point! But here's our schedule:
Friday for us is Epcot and MK at night. Saturday is Boma breakfast then we'll head to AK at around 1:30-2 ish. Not sure if we're going to do anything after the preview ends at around 8. I have an ADR at Sanaa for later but I may cancel if we decide to park hop to DHS to watch the SW fireworks.
DHS on Sunday morning then brunch at Narcoosee, we're going to MK to meet Gaston and then park hop to Epcot for the rest of the day. We have a late flight at 10 pm so we'll probably catch ME at around 7:00 from AKL.

Looking at my app, we've got

Friday - AK in the morning, Tusker House at 1:00, plus Rivers of Light fastpass. We might head to another park for a bit, but since we got the passholder preview at 2pm it's looking like a lot of AK.

Saturday - MK most of the day, potentially SW fireworks if we feel like it

Sunday - we don't really have plans; we have California Grill brunch at 11:20, so we basically figured we'd do whatever we felt like after that and not schedule anything specific. We'll be at the Beach Club though, so we've got some Epcot FPs booked later in the afternoon/evening if we want to use them. This might be a good time to meet up? Seems like our schedules are a lot different this time - and if it doesn't work out, then that's okay too But I'd like to at least say hello if we can!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Sunday - we don't really have plans; we have California Grill brunch at 11:20, so we basically figured we'd do whatever we felt like after that and not schedule anything specific. We'll be at the Beach Club though, so we've got some Epcot FPs booked later in the afternoon/evening if we want to use them. This might be a good time to meet up? Seems like our schedules are a lot different this time - and if it doesn't work out, then that's okay too But I'd like to at least say hello if we can!

Ah cool! I think Sunday is probably our best bet maybe over at Epcot? I'll text you when we're done with brunch! I know, it's such a tight weekend for us and we're trying to pack it all in. I'll also let you know if we do go to SW fireworks on Saturday night so that could be another potential time if we both end up there!

 

[LindseyJo22]

Sounds good! I figure we might be up for wandering Epcot later in the day Sunday, so that sounds like it will work well! Plus potentially SW fireworks if we both make it over there Super excited!

 

[MamaCoop]

Congrats on the half marathon finish! Great report on the race! I hate to hear about all the trouble at the expo, but at least it all worked out! I think I have my husband talked into us doing a race weekend!!! Not sure when or what race but we are doing it! I have done a few 5Ks but could totally do more with some training and he has done 5Ks, the ARMY 10 Miler, and 2 1/2 marathons. Cant wait to read about your next trip in 3 days WHATTTT!!!

 

[baxter24]

Congrats on the half! I think I read that you are staying at Saratoga during marathon weekend. We stayed there for this years race and enjoyed it. Our room was in the section that is closest to the check in desk and the buses for the races where a very short walk from our room. On the morning I ran the full, I was at the bus at 3:30am and there were three buses behind mine waiting to pick people up.

 

[jaws19798]

I started reading your trip report and I thought she looks so familiar to me. I kept reading and realized you and I were in the same corral and that is where I saw you. Great job on the run. I am also heading back in January for the marathon maybe I will see you again.

 

[kastoney]

Congrats on the completing the half marathon!!!!!!!! Looks like BoG was a great congratulatory meal for you!