We arrived in the Orange airport at 11 am and took a taxi. We had planned on doing the Disneyland Express, but we had just missed one and I had forgotten the coupons. So the idea of waiting 25 minutes, paying almost as much as a taxi, and making multiple stops - yeah, that lost it's appeal. We went to the Grand Californian to meet up with my parents. I love that hotel!
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| Room with a view |
They hung out with Princess A, while J and I went to pick up our packets. We walked to the Disneyland Hotel through Downtown Disney. The Expo was insane. We arrived at noon (it opened at 10 am) and there were lines everywhere. We couldn't tell what was what. We scooted into the vendor and t-shirt area, walked around for a few minutes, and realized packet pick-up was not there. We went outside and got on line to enter the Valet Parking Garage turned packet pick-up. Once inside, the lines weren't terrible, but were moving slowly. We got our bibs and made our way back over to the convention area for our shirts and race bags. The line for XS shirts was short (lucky me!), but the Medium and larger lines were very long. I don't mind a few lines, but the length of the lines throughout this Expo and the organization (or lack of) made it so that it was hard to tell exactly what each line was for. Another oversight by runDisney and Marketing was allowing Little Mermaid magnets to be put in the bags (which could demagnetize the timing on our bibs). By the time we got our goodie bags (1 pm?), the magnets had been pulled out of the bags and put on the table. Luckily my volunteer mentioned not to put my bib and the magnet in the bag together. This arrangement also allowed you to choose NOT to pick up a magnet at all.
Hmm...where do we get the park tickets we pre-ordered? Oh crap, it's back at the packet pick-up area. So we trudged back down the parking ramp to find our park tickets. The lines had thinned in this building at least, so it only took a minute to grab our tickets. As we neared the exit, we asked a Cast Member where the timing chip verification was. She told us they didn't have it this race, just don't bend your bib, and it will be fine! This seems like a terrible idea - there are enough nerves going into a race, it is nice to have that piece of mind when you get confirmation that your bib chip works. I wonder if runDisney had any mishaps or complaints because of this?
And back over to the vendor area. The line seemed to have shortened for the official merchandise, so we tried to get in, but we were told they were closing the merchandise area because it was too busy, try back in an hour or two. I guess I don't need any official merch!
Hmm...where do we get the park tickets we pre-ordered? Oh crap, it's back at the packet pick-up area. So we trudged back down the parking ramp to find our park tickets. The lines had thinned in this building at least, so it only took a minute to grab our tickets. As we neared the exit, we asked a Cast Member where the timing chip verification was. She told us they didn't have it this race, just don't bend your bib, and it will be fine! This seems like a terrible idea - there are enough nerves going into a race, it is nice to have that piece of mind when you get confirmation that your bib chip works. I wonder if runDisney had any mishaps or complaints because of this?
And back over to the vendor area. The line seemed to have shortened for the official merchandise, so we tried to get in, but we were told they were closing the merchandise area because it was too busy, try back in an hour or two. I guess I don't need any official merch!
With park tickets in hand, we joined Princess A and my parents at California Adventure. We had a late lunch where I carb-loaded with a salad in a sourdough bread bowl.
The Boudin Bakery's outdoor seating was the perfect accidental viewing area for the Pixar Parade! The rest of the afternoon we went on several rides and watched the Minnie's Fly Girls show.
This day was so hot (95 degrees and humid - not the lovely SoCal summer I was expecting!), we also had to make sure to keep hydrated. We all went back to my parents hotel room, so they could freshen up, and J and I could take our suitcases and check in to our hotel - the Del Sol Inn. For anyone who knows the area, it is behind the Denny's. Check in went really smoothly and our room was about what I expected for a motel. I had really trusted Trip Advisor's reviews on this one and it worked out. We were walking distance to the parks/races and had two full-size beds plus bunk beds for a little over $100 per night (plus tax).
The Boudin Bakery's outdoor seating was the perfect accidental viewing area for the Pixar Parade! The rest of the afternoon we went on several rides and watched the Minnie's Fly Girls show.
This day was so hot (95 degrees and humid - not the lovely SoCal summer I was expecting!), we also had to make sure to keep hydrated. We all went back to my parents hotel room, so they could freshen up, and J and I could take our suitcases and check in to our hotel - the Del Sol Inn. For anyone who knows the area, it is behind the Denny's. Check in went really smoothly and our room was about what I expected for a motel. I had really trusted Trip Advisor's reviews on this one and it worked out. We were walking distance to the parks/races and had two full-size beds plus bunk beds for a little over $100 per night (plus tax).
I had meant to change my shoes before walking back to dinner, but forgot. I was wearing a pair of running sneakers that I've never been able to run in, and apparently I can't walk all day in the heat in them either. Downtown Disney has plenty of shopping opportunities, and I treated myself to my first pair of Sanuk flip flops. Like a little kid with new shoes, I wore them home. We met Princess A and my folks for dinner at Naples Pizzeria. Between the heat and my lack of sleep, I didn't have much of an appetite. The food and experience were okay, but we were all underwhelmed overall - especially for the prices.
After dinner, we said good night. My parents took Princess A back to storytime at their resort, since she was staying with them. J and I went back to the Expo again at 7-something. I had warned our friend JP about the lines, so he decided to come over to get his packet that evening. There were almost no lines (the Expo closed for the day at 8 pm). We did some quick browsing of the vendors and checked out what was left of the official merchandise. Not much!
I was fading, but we wanted to spend some time with JP. Since he hadn't eaten dinner, we went to the Uva Bar. Water only for me, please. By the end of the meal, I was just staring at the store across the way - too tired to engage in conversation any longer. After we said our goodbyes, I wanted to find some kind of pre-race breakfast or snack box. I was surprised that the Grand Californian resort gift shop didn't have much of anything for grab-and-go. We trekked over to the Paradise Pier hotel, but that shop was closed. We were seriously on a wild goose chase to find a Powerade and some pre-race food in walking distance. I was getting panicky and negative and frustrated. And then it hit me: I was just walking a 10k in the morning. I could handle that with just the granola bar from my travel bag and maybe one of my Gu gels for a little caffeine. Crisis averted. (I also seemed to miss the numerous signs listing which eateries in Downtown Disney would be open extra early before the races)
We made it back to the hotel, and...what was that?! A Gatorade vending machine - glowing like an oasis in the California desert of a parking lot.
My only remaining stress was wondering, "How were my feet going to do?" They already hated the non-race sneakers I had worn all day. The new flip flops helped, but I was still a little nervous. I soaked them in some cold water in our bath tub for insurance.
J and I laid out all our race stuff, double checked race instructions, and set two alarms. Then, finally, I climbed into bed and fell fast asleep.
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