Princess Half Marathon Expo 2020

Have you ever been to a runDisney Expo on day one of opening at opening time? Well, I'm here to tell you that it was definitely one of the most interesting experiences of my life! I'm getting ahead of myself, though...let me back up...

For the Princes Half Marathon this year, we arrived the week before race weekend. Our usual plans include race weekend followed by the week after, but due to our annual pass expiration, we had to choose the week before. This worked out in our favor though, because I was able to attend the Expo on day one of the opening, that morning! Prior to this experience, I'd only ever done that at one other expo and it was for one of the Disneyland races. 

So, my plans were to wake up that morning, run the Derby Dash at Saratoga Springs, then shower and get in line for a bus to the Expo.

With coffee in hand, I was ready to go for exactly 9:15 a.m. The Expo was set to open at 10 a.m. and I wanted to be on the first bus out of our resort.

The line of people once I arrived at the bus stop should have been my first clue that this was not going to be an easy walk in the park...

The bus arrived a little late, but we were still at the Expo just a few minutes before 10 a.m.

I decided to first stop in the runDisney official merchandise area before moving over to pick up my bib. Walking up to this building was a bit deceiving because I didn't see any lines! I thought I happened to be lucky!

To my surprise, we were allowed inside the building (I thought they had opened the Expo early), but instead of being shown to the merchandise area, we were ushered into a "queue" room where we were asked to wait.....check out the people!

In true Disney fashion, this room had tape all over the floor, signaling the way for us to walk and the path for us to follow. The room was filled with people! I couldn't believe it!

After 40 minutes in the merchandise queue room, it was finally my turn to go shopping! :)

To be honest, it was interesting being at the Expo on the very first day and seeing all of the fully stocked shelves. I was able to snag a spirit jersey for myself and pins for all of the races I was running. (I was bummed at the Wine & Dine Expo  that all of the pins were sold out by the time we made it inside.) Also, the frenzy of people grabbing items, tossing others to their friends, and stuffing their baskets was quite comical. It felt like Black Friday but at a runDisney Expo!

After selecting my items, I joined yet another line to check out. By the time I finished my purchases, I decided I was done with lines forever. :)

Outside of the merchandise area were several photo opportunities, character stops, and a food/beverage area.

My next stop on the Expo journey was to pick up my packet. I was literally standing at the bus stop back at Saratoga Springs when I realized I left my race waiver back in my room (but I wasn't about to leave my spot in line). For those of you who are absent minded like me (sometimes), you can always print your waiver at the expo. Usually though, there's a bit of a (you guessed it)...line...to get to the computers. Oy.

Somehow, I missed the big race banners altogether. They were moved over to the far side and I didn't see them. Instead, in their old spot were these decals on the concrete!

Once inside the bib pickup area, I waited in a semi short line to print my waiver, then picked up my race bib. The shirts were located inside the Visa Center (another completely separate building) which also houses the main expo floor.

I also loved these number photo ops. I could have/should have waited to take a picture with them but...you guessed it...another line!

The Visa Center was buzzing with activity and people by the time I made it over there. My main focus in this building was to pick up my race shirts and find a shirt from Raw Threads to wear for the 10K!

It didn't take long before I found what I needed, and I was done!

In total, I spent three and a half hours (including travel time) navigating the Expo. In theory, I could have spent more time exploring, but about an hour and a half of that time was spent waiting in lines and I was ready to go! I am SO glad I didn't bring Brayden to the Expo with me. I never felt rushed but I know if he had been with us, that would have been a different story. Instead, Jason and Brayden spent the morning at the pool since the weather was beautiful! (This was of course before the weather turned and it froze for the 5K the following day!)

So, would I be tempted to visit a race Expo on opening day at the time it opens? Unless there's an item I absolutely HAVE to have and I'm worried it's going to be a hot ticket item, or unless I'm with a group of friends, probably not. :) 

Now you know my thoughts and experiences from the Princess Half Marathon Expo! If you want to see more, I do have a coordinating video linked below. Have a fabulous day! 

Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend Expo 2019

 

Earlier this month, my friends and I participated in the Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World. We visited the Expo on the second day of its opening to pick up our bibs, packets, and do a little shopping!

Something I love about runDisney is there's never a lack of signage or cast members to ask directions from. It makes everything super easy to navigate!

With this being the 10th year for the Wine & Dine Half, runDisney had the Expo all decked out with signage and celebrations!

I loved how they paid homage to the themes of all of the different Wine & Dine races since 2010!

I might have worn my "I did it" shirt from the very first Wine & Dine Half! I know this is going to sound silly, but this is a race I ran on the inaugural year, the 5th year, and now the 10th year. I kind of like that pattern and want to keep it up!

Our first stop after picking up our bibs was the runDisnney merchandise area!

Speaking of merchandise - visiting on the second day was interesting and always a little nerve racking because you never know what the hot ticket item will be and what will be sold out. This year, it was definitely the pins. I have a pin from every single runDisney race I've run and I never pre-purchase them. Well, I guess I will need to now because the only pins that remained for sale at the Expo were from the 5K. I also missed going to the after party at Epcot but I know they had a special edition pin there. Oh well.

The passholder merchandise also seemed to go pretty quickly but other than that, I can't think of anything else I saw that was missing or seemed to be out of stock. (If you know of something else that sold out quickly, please let me know!)
After navigating through the runDisney official merchandise area, we walked over to the Visa center to pick up our race shirts and browse through the rest of the expo. Since runDisney has moved out of this building, it's created a lot of extra room! I like it!

I loved all of the photo opportunities at the expo!

We quickly glanced through several booths but didn't purchase anything. I came super close to getting a travel sized BFF but decided against it. Maybe one day!

Our friends were waiting on us at Animal Kingdom (so was lunch), so we said goodbye the Expo for now...

...but not without a few pictures, first!
 

I mean, we just had to!

My little kids racer wasn't feeling it at all. He was tired and just wanted a nap!

Bye, Wide World of Sports! Until we meet again!

This race is on the smaller side when in comparison to Marathon Weekend and I love that about it! If you're looking at running your first runDisney event and are leery about the crowds, this would be a great race to start with! Don't get me wrong, it's still crowded but it's not marathon weekend level of crowds! 

Up next: The 10K! 

 

Wine and Dine Expo 

Wine and Dine 10K 

Wine and Dine Kids Races  

Wine and Dine Half Marathon

2019 Princess Half Marathon Weekend Expo Recap

Happy Monday, y'all! It's hard to believe that at this time last week, our Princess Half Marathon weekend races were over and we were off for our week of park adventures! Coming home from Disney is always a sad occasion, especially when parts of your travel party become sick (aka me)! Whomp whomp. This time, I came home with the lovely "Florida crud" as I like to call it. Thankfully, I had all Saturday to rest and recuperate which was nice. I'm still feeling bad, but not near as bad as Saturday!

For a full recap of the weekend, check out the additional links below:

• Princess Weekend Expo
• Enchanted 10K
• Princess Half Marathon & VLOG

 Anyway, kicking off my Princess Half Marathon Weekend recaps is one of the Expo itself!

Our plane landed around 9 a.m. on Friday, which afforded us the opportunity to take Magical Express to our resort, check in, then make our way to the Expo. Bonus, our room was ready not long after we arrived, so we were able to drop off our bags there, too!

Our first stop after arriving at ESPN was to pick up our race packets and shirts. I love Disney's system as it all flows smoothly and (usually) avoids giant crowds. (I was not there on opening day, so I can't vouch for those crowds!)

I also had to stop for a photo with the backdrop, too!

After picking up our bibs, we headed into the main expo floor for our shirts and to browse the vendors merchandise.

Although it looks massive, this expo was definitely smaller than 2018's Marathon Weekend expo.

I also loved the photo opportunities that were setup throughout the Expo. The Pandora booth had a really neat one, but I didn't stand in line to wait for it. You can see the pink tape on the floor all the way to the bottom left of this picture - that was the line for the Pandora picture!

I did snag this picture really quick, though!

After a short time of walking around the Expo, our little guy was OUT! Our early morning and the excitement of riding an air-pah-lane did him in!

After leaving the main expo floor, my dad agreed to wait with Brayden so he could rest and we could shop!

My mom, Jason, and I headed over to the runDisney merchandise building. Last time I was here for a race, this building was still under construction and I have to say that I love the new merchandise setup! No more waiting in a super long line to get in, the merchandise was evenly spread throughout the room, and I felt as if Disney provided plenty of merchandise for each race. The only things they were sold out of by the time I made it there was the Princess spirit jersey and one of the styles of Dooney purses.

I spent way too much money at the Expo (and was thankful for a DVC discount)! Sadly, I didn't get any pictures inside the Expo floor, but I did take lots of video so stay tuned for a recap coming up on my YT channel here soon!

Our next stop after the Expo was at Disney Springs for a late lunch/early dinner! We all wanted to eat at Earl of Sandwich as it had been several years since we'd been there!

This sandwich did NOT disappoint, y'all! Although they've taken the All American off the menu, you can still order it which made me happy for sure!

After our meal, we took a little time to browse the stores in Disney Springs. I always collect Disney ornaments from runDisney races I've run. I remembered the Days of Christmas store had a rack of pre-personalized ornaments for purchase in the past, but I wasn't prepared for what I found! It was Christmas ornament heaven, y'all! This section was filled with a variety of princess themed ornaments ranging from the 5K all the way through the Fairy Tale Challenge! I. Was. So. Excited!!!

After a fun-filled day at the Expo and Disney Springs, we returned to our resort so Brayden could play in the splash pad (which he LOVED)!

Stay tuned for more recaps from our Princess Half Marathon Weekend coming up throughout the next couple of weeks! Thanks for following along in our adventure!

Vlog: runDisney Marathon Weekend Expo

Yesterday, I shared with you a recap of the 2018 runDisney Marathon Weekend Expo and as promised, here's a video recap of our time spent at the Expo at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex! There's also a brief rundown of the purchases we made at the expo, so stay tuned at the end of the video for that!

This video is part 1 of several video recaps to come so be sure to keep checking back each week as I share bits and pieces of our Dopey Challenge and Marathon Weekend experience with all of you! 

We are enjoying another "frozen day" in the south today - I hope it's warm(er) wherever you are! Have a great day and thanks for following along with our journey! :)

For a full recap of our WDW Marathon Weekend experience, check out these links below:

• Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Expo & Vlog
• Walt Disney World 5K & Vlog
• Walt Disney World 10K & Vlog
• Kids Races (100 m Dash) & Vlog
• Walt Disney World Half Marathon & Vlog
• Walt Disney World Full Marathon & Vlog