Disneyland Recap: Thursday
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Disneyland Hotel Pool |
What a fun weekend! It also was a lot different than what I'm used to when it comes to a Disney vacation. Not only did I visit Disneyland, I also ran in a runDisney race for the very first time! I'm going to break down my trip into days, because there is so much I want to share with you!
Thursday
My Thursday started out like any normal Thursday: I woke up and went to work. However, at noon my sub came in and I got to go home and pack up the rest of my stuff. Since I was flying Southwest, I could pack multiple bags, but to my surprise, I didn't have enough stuff for my medium suitcase!
Through a suggestion I read on another blog, I kept my most important running items with me in a carry-on luggage, just in case something crazy happened with my checked bag.
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Rug to the Expo |
Luckily, when I hightailed it to the Southwest ticket counter, I was ecstatic to see that there were only a few people in front of me, compared to the insane lines I encountered over Christmas. The TSA checkpoint was also very light, so I had about ten minutes to relax before I was asked to board.
My flight left on time and there was just a bit of turbulence, but when we landed at the Orange County airport, we waited near the gate for 15 minutes because another plane was in our way. (Ah, the negatives of flying into a small airport.) I got my rental car (a red Ford Fiesta I dubbed "Ruby") and did my best to avoid southern California traffic as I made my way to my hotel while listening to the soundtrack to The Force Awakens.
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Packet and Bib Pick-up at the Expo |
I didn't have a park ticket for Thursday, but I wanted to make my way to the runDisney Expo so I could pick up my running bib and check-in for the race. I had heard horror stories about insanely long lines for things at the Expo, since there's about 25,000 runners trying to do a lot of stuff in a small amount of space. On Thursday the Expo was open until 8:00.
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Expo floor |
I also got a clear bag (which I could use to check stuff on the day of the race, if I wanted) that contained my three race shirts: a maroon one for the 10K that featured an X-Wing, a blue one for the Half Marathon which featured Luke Skywalker, and a grey one for the Rebel Challenge that featured R2-D2. I had once again registered for size Large, but after looking at the shirts, I decided to switch to medium. That exchange wasn't a problem at all!
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My runDisney swag: headband, necklace, pin |
Disney had its own official section of runDisney gear, and this area usually also has a long line, but I got there about 20 minutes before closing and I didn't have to wait at all. (Thank goodness!) I liked everything there, but stuck with a headband for the Rebel Challenge and a pin from the weekend. (I get a pin on every Disney trip.) There was also an area set up so you could wait in line for a check-out register, but that had no line, either.
I brought two Walt Disney World t-shirts on my trip, and was wearing my monorail shirt on Thursday. The employee at the register noticed it and loved it. It was a very nice compliment!
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Kalua-style Pork Flatbread |
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Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum |
I caught some live music outside of Trader Sam's, but realized if I wanted to watch the Disneyland fireworks from the esplanade between Disneyland and California Adventure, I needed to go a little faster. Just as I was nearing the end of Downtown Disney (which connects the theme parks to the Disneyland Hotel), there were several loud BOOMs! The fireworks had started!
I was surprised to see that they didn't pipe the music from the fireworks show in the esplanade, but that was okay - I found a nice place and watched the fireworks shooting up into the sky. Many other people were doing the same thing. It was nice to experience that kind of thing for free!
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Fireworks from the Esplanade |
The whole street that I have to cross is covered with hotels and restaurants...and a Coldstone Creamery, which was still open when I passed by. I was craving my cake batter ice cream, so I got that and ate it in my room. I know that wasn't a Disney thing, but it was still delicious.
My type-A personality had me unpack my clothing, organize all of the items I would need in my Disney drawstring backpack, and lay out my outfit for the next day before I went to bed. The room had an air conditioner that was really old, which meant that it would only stop making noise if I turned it off. I loved that! So many hotel rooms have units that turn on and off, and I can't sleep with that happening. But here I had a ready-made noisemaker that I could use as my fan for the night.
After eating delicious ice cream and unpacking, I was ready for a good night's sleep so that I would be ready to hit the theme parks bright and early the next day!
Click here to view my Recap of Friday's fun!
Click here to view my Recap of Friday's fun!
Looking forward to Friday's story.
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