TR - Running for my Disney II: Let's Make it a Half

[zanzibar138]

*zanzibar* TR Productions proudly presents...

Running for my Disney II: Let's Make it a Half

Starring:

zanzibar and DH



With special appearances by:

Mum & Dad






***Warning - this TR contains a high level of detail! Reading should only be attempted while seated comfortably with a packet of Tim Tams at the ready***​

Contents

Chapter 1: Melbourne - Hong Kong (Part 1, the flight)

Um... anyone have any idea how to link to specific posts in this new forum format???

 

[PrincessInOz]

Signing in for the running along with you!

 

[zanzibar138]

Chapter 1: Melbourne - Hong Kong

Our alarms went off at 3:30am, exactly 2 hours after we finally made it to bed. We wearily dragged ourselves out of bed, packed a few last minute items, said goodbye to our furry babies, and began what was to be an epic journey.

As we entered the long term carpark at the airport, we could see a shuttle bus starting to make its rounds. We were lucky enough to be able to find a spot straight away, pretty close to the bus stop, and actually make it in time to get on that bus!

As business class passengers, we were able to skip the long check in line, and bid our luggage farewell for the next 48 hours or so. We were also given express passes for security and passport control, which were very handy. As usual, there were no pens available to fill in our departure cards. DH saved the day by magically producing one from his backpack.

Before too long we were checking out the Cathay Pacific lounge. It was a pretty small lounge, with a small selection of drinks and food items. Their saving grace was that among that small selection of food items, were a variety of dumplings. It was a comfortable place to sit in comfort, connect to the free wifi, and enjoy a bowlful of dumplings for breakfast. We enjoyed the facilities there for a bit over an hour before DH decided to hop to the Qantas lounge.





The Qantas lounge was much larger and more comprehensive. I immediately partook in the make-your-own-Mimosa bar. There was also a make-your-own-Bloody-Mary bar for those who prefer a more savoury start to the day. I was too full of dumplings to consider any of the breakfast offerings here, but there was plenty to choose from, including hot items like sausages, bacon and scrambled eggs, as well as a pancake machine. As our flight was slightly delayed, we were able to enjoy the Qantas lounge for about an hour before making our way to the departure gate.







As business class passengers, we were able to skip the line at the boarding gate, but there wasn't a separate entrance for business class, so we still had to wait on the jetbridge to board the plane. The business class cabin was spacious, with large private seats. The seats were all on an angle, the two middle ones facing each other, with the outer seats facing the windows. Each seat had direct aisle access and folded down into the capsule style seat back to form a completely lie-flat bed. Unfortunately (and to my great disappointment) we were not provided with pyjamas. However, we were provided with a great little amenities pack with lip balm, hand cream, moisturiser, toothbrush and toothpaste, ear plugs, eye mask, and great socks with a grippy sole, all in a cute little toiletries bag. There was a compartment under the armrest for shoe stowage. In another compartment, there was a pair of noise-cancelling headphones waiting for us. Before take-off, we were offered hot towels, a selection of newspapers and magazines, bottled water, and a pre-flight beverage (orange juice, champagne, or a specialty juice that was delicious!). The blanket and pillow provided were plush and comfortable (the blanket was almost like a mini doona - very cosy!).





After take-off, we were served breakfast. The crew came around and 'set the table' first, folding the tray table out for us and covering it with a tiny tablecloth. The meal was served course by course. For breakfast, the first course was fresh fruit and bircher muesli. I chose the stir-fry prawns with noodles for my main course, which was delicious. After breakfast, the cabin lights were dimmed for those passengers wishing to sleep. I put my chair into the 'lounge' position and started watching Cinderella. Next thing I knew I was waking up just to see the last few minute of it! I stayed awake after that and watched another couple of movies (I definitely saw my fair share of movies on this trip!).

Lunch was served before landing, with much the same procedure. First course was duck and salad. I chose the beef with mashed sweet potato for my main meal. There was ice-cream for dessert, and cheese and fruit platters as well, which DH and I shared.

Soon enough, we were landing in Hong Kong. It was kind of a strange experience taking off and landing on an angle, but for most of the flight I didn't notice the angle of the seats. We weren't provided with express passes for immigration and customs at Hong Kong, but it wasn't really required anyway. Our bags had been checked all the way through to LAX, so it was a nice easy exit.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Um... anyone have any idea how to link to specific posts in this new forum format???

It's nearly the same way. Use the link button (the chain icon) on the tool bar just above the reply window.
When the insert URL box pops up, cut and paste your URL into that box and hit insert.

To get the URL of the post, you can either copy it from the address bar when you first post it. Alternatively, there is a #[number] to the right of the Like function at the bottom right side of each post. If you click on the #[number], it will take you to that post. The URL for that post will be at the address bar. That's the one you cut and paste.

 

[PrincessInOz]

As business class passengers

I am always so envious to see business class. But I know how hard you and DH work to make it happen...so good for you.
The Cathay version looks very plush, despite the angle seats. And I think I like the dim sims more than the make your own mimosa!!!

Looking forward to what happens next.

 

[zanzibar138]

It's nearly the same way. Use the link button (the chain icon) on the tool bar just above the reply window.
When the insert URL box pops up, cut and paste your URL into that box and hit insert.

To get the URL of the post, you can either copy it from the address bar when you first post it. Alternatively, there is a #[number] to the right of the Like function at the bottom right side of each post. If you click on the #[number], it will take you to that post. The URL for that post will be at the address bar. That's the one you cut and paste.

Hmm... not having any problem on the inserting the links end, just can't get to the individual post to get the URL. When I click the post number, it just gives me a URL link to the whole TR.

I am always so envious to see business class. But I know how hard you and DH work to make it happen...so good for you.
The Cathay version looks very plush, despite the angle seats. And I think I like the dim sims more than the make your own mimosa!!!

Looking forward to what happens next.

Yikes! I'm not trying to sound like a snob! I just thought people might appreciate the detailed description - it might help you decide whether it's worth the miles in the air to get it

 

[PrincessInOz]

Hmm... not having any problem on the inserting the links end, just can't get to the individual post to get the URL. When I click the post number, it just gives me a URL link to the whole TR.

Oooh! Try the BB Code link snippet. You might need to take the [square brackets] out; and maybe the "quotation marks" as well.
I think I just copy the URL when I post it.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Yikes! I'm not trying to sound like a snob! I just thought people might appreciate the detailed description - it might help you decide whether it's worth the miles in the air to get it

I definitely appreciate the details! Didn't mean to infer that you were a snob or anything!!

 

[zanzibar138]

Oooh! Try the BB Code link snippet. You might need to take the [square brackets] out; and maybe the "quotation marks" as well.
I think I just copy the URL when I post it.

Hmm I think this could take a while. I'll have to have a play at lunch time.

I definitely appreciate the details! Didn't mean to infer that you were a snob or anything!!

Oh phew!

 

[zanzibar138]

We caught the airport express train into the city, which was super quick and easy. The plan was to get a taxi from the city station to our hotel – Butterfly on something… Looking at the exit map at the station, we saw Butterfly on Wellington. It seemed closer than I remembered, so we decided to just walk. I took a photo of the map for future reference. Good thing too – we got quite lost in the maze of tunnels and shopping centres and exits, but finally ended up on the mid level escalators and on our way. The hotel wasn’t far from there, a fairly inconspicuous entry from the street, with the reception on the second level. Unfortunately there was a problem with our booking. The check-in assistant couldn’t find us! I handed her my booking confirmation, and she promptly pointed out our mistake. Our booking was for Butterfly on *Waterfront*… Whoops! She called them to double check the booking, then helped us flag down a taxi. Butterfly on Waterfront was on an awkward one way main street, and once we’d seen it from the road, it took the taxi another 10 minutes to make his way back there!

It sure was a relief to finally check in. We’d gotten all hot and flustered on our walk. We were both still wearing jeans, and the humidity was killing us! It was a lovely surprise to hear that we’d been upgraded to a harbour view room. It was an amazing, completely unobscured view of the harbour. The room was small, but very nice, and completely adequate for the two of us for one night. The hotel provided a few extras like a couple of bottles of water and free use of a smartphone for the length of our stay. We were also informed that there was a new train station within a 5 minute walk. For a mystery hotel I purchased for under $100 on Priceline, it was an absolute bargain!



We spent a while settling into our room. It had been a bit of an ordeal getting there, and we were enjoying the views from our free upgrade! Eventually we had to start thinking about dinner, and decided to just have a wander and see what we came across. Without really knowing where to look, the area immediately surrounding our hotel didn’t seem to offer much, and we walked a few blocks before we found something we liked the look of. Unfortunately they didn’t take credit cards, so then we had to find an ATM! It was a nice dinner in the end. We decided to head back via the waterfront, and enjoyed some of the scenery along the way.













We stood watching the hotel across the water for a while, which pretty much had a constant light show happening on its façade. We discovered that our hotel also had a bit of a light show. Along the way we saw lots of people out and about – it seemed to be the time of day for jogging. We had a fairly early start the next morning, so we didn’t stay out too late. When we got back to the hotel, we kept the curtains open all night long to take full advantage of our free upgrade!

 

[zanzibar138]

Chapter 2: Hong Kong - Anaheim

We woke up to an obscured view of the harbour. The rain was absolutely pouring down outside our window. We had planned to keep things simple this morning by just getting a taxi to the city station, then catching the airport express the rest of the way, and saving breakfast for the airport lounges. Unfortunately our plans were not to go smoothly once again.

After checking out, one of the hotel staff came downstairs with us to help us get a taxi. He wasn’t having much luck. After what must have been at least 15 minutes, he suggested that we might have better luck if we walked up to a side street. He ducked back into the hotel to get us some umbrellas, then escorted us to the side street, where he continued his quest to find us a taxi. We were there for another 10 minutes or so before he finally suggested that we walk a bit further to another hotel just down the road, where we could catch their free shuttle bus to the station. We agreed, but it turned out that there would be a decent wait for the next shuttle bus. After a brief discussion, DH and I decided it would be easier to just walk to the station close by and go from there. We asked the guy from the hotel for directions, and he insisted on escorting us all the way to the station with the hotel umbrellas. He must have been gone for close to an hour by the time he got back! Anyway, we had wasted over half an hour, but we were finally on our way. From there it was an easy trip to the airport.

We didn’t have to check any bags, and we had already been issued our boarding passes the previous day, so we just went straight through to security and passport control. Unfortunately we didn’t have any express passes, but the line wasn’t too bad and we made it through pretty quick.

There are a number of Cathay Pacific lounges at Hong Kong airport. We decided to try out The Wing – DH had heard that there was a great noodle bar there. It turned out I wasn’t really in the mood for noodles, should have just ordered pork buns! It was a good noodle bar though – there was a buffet area, and also a bar where you could order a variety of freshly cooked food. Around the corner there was a café style area, where you could order coffee, pastries and ice-cream! I was tempted, but decided that it was really a bit early in the day for ice-cream. After checking it all out, we decided to hop to the Qantas lounge.





The Qantas lounge was much less elaborate, but had some nice seating areas and a simple buffet breakfast set up. There wasn’t a make-your-own-Mimosas station here, but there was both orange juice and champagne, so I made my own anyway. We enjoyed the quiet in there until our flight was ready for boarding.





This plane was much like our previous one, only there were a couple of extra rows of seats. We had our pre-take off specialty juice and got settled in. We were served lunch just after take-off. To start, we had salmon with asparagus. I chose the beef for my main meal, which was delicious. Dessert was ice-cream again. I watched a couple of movies before getting some sleep. Unfortunately it was quite a bumpy flight – the seatbelt sign went on at least half a dozen times, for quite a while each time. It was so bumpy that it made me dream that the plane crashed. I woke up with a start, and didn’t get much sleep again after that! There were only a few hours to go by that time anyway, so I filled in the remaining time watching another couple of movies, and eating breakfast. Given the bumpiness of the entire flight, the landing was actually quite smooth!





Once again, we were without express passes. However, it seemed to be a fairly quiet time of day at LAX, and we managed to get through nice and quickly. We headed out to check in for the SuperShuttle, which didn’t take too long. It may interest you to know that the SuperShuttle (the one at LAX anyway) no longer circles the airport to fill up the bus. They just do the one lap and then go. Ours was pretty full anyway. I tried to pick out who else might be there for the running – pretty sure one solo guy in front of us was.

 

[zanzibar138]

As usual, we were the last to be dropped off. As we were staying in a condo this time around, we just got the SuperShuttle to drop us off and pick us up at the Disneyland Hotel (you have to pay extra for a private address). We arrived in time for a late lunch, and we weren’t able to get into our condo until 2pm anyway, so we decided to hang around at the Disneyland Hotel for a bite to eat. We thought we’d just keep it casual, and headed to Tangaroa Terrace. It was nice and quiet there, and there was plenty of room for us to put our luggage. We shared one of the flatbreads, which we enjoyed with some lemonade. While we were eating, we were entertained by a friendly cat that was wandering around the restaurant.





After lunch we headed to the condo. It was only a 10 minute walk from the Disneyland Hotel, and we found the general location easily. It was a bit of a task to find the actual condo, but it didn’t take us too long in the end. The door had a code lock on it (which was quite handy, never had to worry about who had the room key etc). We had been sent our code earlier in the week, so we just entered that and went right on in.

There was lots to check out in the condo. Because my parents would be joining us for a few days, we got a 2 bed 2 bath condo. It had a laundry and extra half bath downstairs. Then there was the kitchen, dining and living room. And outside there was a patio. I had already been sent a few pages worth of instructions, but there were a lot more inside the condo! Everything was labelled, and there were little notes on the dishwasher, ice dispenser, and washing machine. There was a whole file of instructions and extra information on the coffee table.









The condo was pretty well equipped, especially for families. On the patio there was a storage unit with a double and single stroller, and a pack and play. There was a large assortment of goodies in the linen cupboard on the stairs, including pool/beach toys. The laundry was stocked full of extra towels and sheets, and had a good supply of pool towels. Things like shower gel, shampoo and conditioner, dishwashing tablets, and laundry detergent were all provided, as well as an assortment of herbs and spices in the kitchen. In the kids bedroom there were a few toys, books and some dress up outfits. The living room had a folder full of DVDs – there was a variety of genres to choose from, not just Disney movies. I was hoping to find a stash of board games, but all I found was Hungry Hungry Hippos.

We spent the rest of the afternoon resting and getting acquainted with our condo, and put in a grocery order with Vons, before heading into DTD for dinner. We decided to just stick to that end of DTD, and went with Tortilla Jo’s. We had margaritas (of course), and I had a delicious grilled fish for dinner, which was one of the best meals of the trip for me. After dinner, we wandered around DTD for a bit, and checked out the Lego store. On the way back to the condo, I checked out some of the stuff already in place for RunDisney.











I had a short ‘shake-out’ run scheduled for today, so when we got back I got changed and headed out. It was a very short run, so I just ran straight along Walnut. It seemed to be a reasonable area, but it was pretty quiet, and it did cross my mind whether I should be out on my own at night. If it had been a longer run I probably would have asked DH to come with me.

It was nearly fireworks time when I got back, and I had a thought that we might be able to see the fireworks from somewhere around our condo. We headed out to the front carpark section to see if we could see anything from there. I hadn’t checked the schedule for the day, and figured the fireworks would be on at 8:30pm. We sat there and waited and waited, and after a few minutes I thought they must have been cancelled, so we went back to the condo. Literally as we were closing the door behind us, we heard the fireworks start. Of course, it turned out that they actually started at 8:35pm… We headed back to where we were (it wasn’t far), and it turned out to be a pretty good view. It was a nice way to finish our first day.

 

[zanzibar138]

Chapter 3: Our First Full Day and the RunDisney Expo

It was a fairly early start today, to have breakfast and be at the expo by 9am for a 10am opening. Of course, we were running a little late, but I made a conscious decision not to stress, and to just enjoy my breakfast anyway. I was quite pleased to note that it was a little cold for my high summer Russell Disneybound (I was hoping that might mean half marathon morning might turn out to be cool as well!). We headed to LaBrea Café for brekky, and managed to land our favourite waiter, George, again. On our very first trip to the US, we went to LaBrea for our first brekky, and George was our server then. We had him again on our trip in March. We’re becoming regulars.

After brekky we headed back to the Disneyland Hotel for the expo. I decided to head for the official merchandise first this year. We followed the signs, and were led to one of the ballrooms upstairs. It was about 9:30am by the time we got there. I know for a fact that some people had gotten there at 6am. We were given wrist tags as we entered the ballroom, and directed to another person who told us where to wait. It was all quite organised, with lines taped out on the floor. Each line would be taken down to the merchandise store one by one. We were in about the 8th line. While we waited, we chatted to the guy sitting next to us, who had a blog called Disney Daddy, and told us all about his experience at the Dopey challenge at WDW, and his home town in Virginia. Just before 10am, the first line got led downstairs, to the clapping and cheering of the crowd. We got led down there at about 10:30am, but there was another shorter line down there to actually get into the store. We were probably waiting in that one for another 20 minutes or so.





The official merchandise store was a little busier than it was last year, but still pretty well under control. There seemed to be a good range of stock left, although some of the sizes of the more popular items were starting to run low. We were very restrained, and only bought a half marathon jacket each, plus I got Mum a jacket and a t-shirt that I thought she’d like. They weren’t arriving until the next day, and the jackets seemed to be selling pretty quick. Given the price of the jackets, I was pretty devastated that my AP had expired the previous week, and I was no longer able to get 10% off!

With the major shopping expedition out of the way, we headed downstairs to do our packet pick-up. It was pretty quiet down there, so we were in and out pretty quickly. While we were down there, I noticed the theme park ticket pick up for the specially priced GET Travel tickets we’d purchased. So with bibs, pins and theme park tickets in hand, we headed back up to the expo floor to pick up our t-shirts.



There hadn’t been any pictures of the t-shirts released, so it was a complete surprise! I was pleased to see that RunDisney had included references to the 60th anniversary (as well as the 10th anniversary of the actual run) in most of their merchandise. The t-shirts were simple and classic, and I was pretty pleased, although not entirely sold on the drab grey of the half marathon t-shirt straight away.

After the excitement of official merchandise and packet pick-up, it was time to check out the rest of the expo. I knew that DH would be running out of patience for shopping, so we just did a quick round. I picked out stands that I might like to revisit with Mum when they arrived.

We still had a bit of time until our grocery delivery, so we headed into DCA for a bit. It had warmed up, but the park was decidedly uncrowded. My first stop was the information kiosk, to ask about meeting Dug. I was keen to get that ticked off so that I didn’t have to worry about it anymore. The CM advised us that Dug was just about to come out, so we hurried off to the Redwood Creek Trail. DH wanted to stop to buy a drink on the way through, and said he’d meet me there.



It turned out that I was a little early, and had a quick wander around the area before sitting in the meet and greet area to wait. I was just starting to think that I must have missed him, and perhaps I would check out the other side of the area while I was waiting for DH. As I was walking, I ran right into him! I asked his handler if he was coming or going, and she said he was on his way out and to tag along. There was no one else around at all, and I had Dug completely to myself for about 5 minutes! We took some photos, and he noticed my Ellie badge, but I don’t think anyone noticed that I was Disneybounding as Russell lol! DH was still MIA, so I just sat and talked to the CMs for a while. Eventually some other people came along, so I left them to it and went to wait for DH at the entrance to the area. He was a long time and I was just starting to think maybe he’d gotten lost when I finally saw him coming!





Since we were in the area, we decided to do our favourite DCA ride, Grizzly River Run. Even though it was warm, the line was nice and short. They had turned the water right up, and we got pretty soaked, but it was nice and refreshing. Next we headed to California Screamin’, which was pretty much a walk on. After the ride finished, we were waiting to be unloaded for ages! It was pretty warm by then, and it was getting uncomfortable out in the full sun. After a while they announced that they were going to evacuate the ride! They managed to get our car back into the station to unload us… not sure about the other car that was still on the track though! They had sent everyone in the queue out the exit, and there was a CM there adding fastpasses to our park passes! We totally scored, having had a full ride AND getting a fastpass out of it!



DH decided he better start heading back to the condo for the grocery delivery. I decided to go back with him for a rest. My feet were getting tired, and that sun really had a kick to it. We leisurely made our way out of the park, taking a couple of photos along the way. We thought we’d try taking the tram to the Mickey and Friends carpark. It worked out pretty well – there was a tram ready when we arrived so we just jumped straight on. It didn’t really save any time, but it was nice to be able to sit in the shade and relax along the way, and it was only a short walk back to the condo from the tram stop.

 

[zanzibar138]

The grocery delivery came right at the beginning of the window, so we were pretty pleased we’d decided to head back when we did. We had a bite to eat and just relaxed at the condo for a bit. Before we knew it, it was time to head out again as I had a DisMeet to get to!

We just walked to Disneyland – it was close to half an hour door to door, but I had chosen the location for its proximity to the RunDisney precinct, not the parks. We didn’t have much time to dilly dally, so I felt a bit rushed walking down Main Street for the first time with all its 60th anniversary decorations. I figured we’d have time to take it all in better after the meet.



The DisMeet was at the Tiki Room. There were around eight of us I think, and most were eating dole whips. We chatted for a bit, the lovely lady who had offered to make a purchase from Raw Threads for me gave me my parcel, with a little extra gift in there which was so sweet! After a while we headed in to the theatre. DH had no idea what he was in for, and has a new respect for IASW lol! After the show, the others decided to head to Space Mountain. That particular ride does not agree with me, so DH and I went our own way, over to Indiana Jones. We had been planning to get fastpasses, but the wait was only 15 minutes, so we didn’t bother!







This was our fourth trip to DL, and DH had still never been on Splash Mountain! So that was our next stop. That was also practically a walk on. He enjoyed the ride, and we managed to not get too soaked. After that we just wandered around the area and took some photos. We grabbed some soup bowls at French Market and enjoyed the band they had there for a while. Knowing that we had a ridiculously early start the next day, we decided to call it a day, and I suggested we catch the monorail.





Walking back through Main Street, the parade route and castle were roped off, and the crowds were well and truly staking out their positions. Knowing that it had been a pretty quiet day crowd wise, I wondered what chaos we might encounter over the weekend! For a brief moment I regretted not buying a ticket for the anniversary party (an after hours party for runners and their families, with a private showing of Paint the Night). Then I remembered how early we had to get up in the morning, and found myself quite glad to be heading back to the condo.





There was a monorail pulling up just as we got to the station, so we jumped straight on and were pleased to sit down again. It was starting to cool down nicely in the evening, so it was quite pleasant on the monorail with the windows down. The walk back to the condo was only about 10 minutes from there. We decided not to bother trying to see the fireworks tonight, which turned out to be a great decision since they’d been cancelled.

 

[Zosha]

Your trip reports nearly (note:nearly) inspire me to run!

 

[Zosha]

And can I ask is there a reason that your flew through HK? Is it cheaper to do that?

 

[zanzibar138]

Your trip reports nearly (note:nearly) inspire me to run!

Perhaps when I get to the actual running section it will inspire you more

And can I ask is there a reason that your flew through HK? Is it cheaper to do that?

We flew on US Airlines points. If you fly with Qantas points, you can book 350 days out from your trip, but with US Airways, we could only book 340 days out (and they don't allow you to book one way fares, so we had to book 340 days out from our return date) - kind of like trying to book ADRs for the popular restaurants at WDW when you're staying offsite lol! Rewards fares are pretty limited, and the ones between Australia and the US go particularly quickly, so of course all the direct flights were taken by the time we were able to book. DH was pretty keen to fly Cathay anyway.

 

[aussie shaz]

I'm pretty sure we stayed in the same set of condos. The interior layout of ours looked identical to yours. It was great there. We watched the fireworks from both the pool, and from our bedroom window

 

[zanzibar138]

I'm pretty sure we stayed in the same set of condos. The interior layout of ours looked identical to yours. It was great there. We watched the fireworks from both the pool, and from our bedroom window

Wouldn't surprise me - there were heaps of condos in that complex. We just got the cheapest one we could, so no fireworks view for us lol! Didn't even think to try viewing from the pool!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Fantastic updates! Love the view you got of the HK Harbour from your room. I would have been completely stressed out if I found out that I had headed to the wrong hotel!!!
And Disneyland!!!!!

Looks like you did well with the condo. And yay for getting decent merch for the run.
Your Russell outfit turned out great! The colours are just perfect and what a great meet with Dug.