Thrill Shakespeare (Andy)

Just now, Tri-Circle-D said:

Awesome!

The waterpark pass will let you enjoy the water parks in small doses.  They are great at the end of the day.

It's crazy how much less Uni AP's are than Disney AP's.  This can be the year where you are Uni people.  There's certainly a lot to do there!  And you can hit up a waterpark on your way back to the Fort!

TCD

As long as we stay at the Fort it alleviates some of my Disney Loyalist guilt. :-)

DramaMama and I did finally get the season tickets for the Disney waterparks.  Looking forward to trying both out!

We went ahead and turned the Universal tickets into the basic annual passes too.  It literally cost $1 over the 3-day rate with the AAA discount.  Not sure how much we will use them this year, but it seemed silly not to upgrade -- especially since none of our trips are during the blackout dates on the cheaper passes.

Is that recent? And if so, does it mean they got rid of the bike racks by the marina?

I don't know about the date of the picture, but thd bike racks were still by the marina as of last week.

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Is that recent? And if so, does it mean they got rid of the bike racks by the marina?

I don't know about the date of the picture, but thd bike racks were still by the marina as of last week.

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On 6/11/2016 at 5:13 PM, Momof6....aka Marty said:

Enjoying reading along, but I can't see the photos on my phone. It maybe my wifi, which is not up to what it should be for a house full of teenagers.

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Actually, I think the problem was on my end.  Apparently the links I used to my photos were only temporary.  I think I have a more permanent solution in place now!

Sorry to have taken so long between updates, but I got frustrated.  Not by the running -- by the Fort Wilderness WiFi.  I completed an entire installment and lost it when I submitted it because the signal had fizzled out.  I am now back at home and ready to get caught up!

But before I do, DramaMama made a great suggestion.  She thought you might be interested in seeing the maps of my runs.  So, here are two maps of my first resort run:

Map version.

Satellite version.

8 hours ago, fladogfan aka Gretchen said:

It's cool, does it take a lot of maintenance?  And pretty sneaky about 'hiding' it till long enough to work with.

Not really.  I have to wax it into shape every morning which generally takes 5 minutes or so.  I was shocked that they actually sold mustache wax at CVS.

7 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

I am just beginning to get back into running, and hope that it won't be long before I can take a 6+ mile run like that!

You can do it!  I was lucky that I mainly lost speed.  My endurance, while certainly not at marathon levels, held up okay considering the layoff and weight gain.

45 minutes ago, fladogfan aka Gretchen said:

Love the mustache

Thanks!  I grew it out over the summer three years ago as a joke.  I brushed it down into my beard so nobody knew I had a long mustache until one day VOILA! I had a full handlebar.  To my surprise, everyone loved it.  Now the joke is one me -- I seem to be stuck with it!  Luckily, I like it too!

Running Episode 1: Four Resorts and Only One Near-Death Experience

I absolutely love running at Walt Disney World.  The Disney races are a lot of fun, but nothing beats getting up early in the morning on my own and running through a nearly-empty Fort Wilderness.  I have been coming to the Fort since the early 1970s, so I feel like I grew up here.  This is my other home.  In the morning, it seems like it's only mine. 

So, for my first run, I thought I would start right at my campsite.  This picture was taken at another time with better light, but DramaMama and I are proud of our flamingos and like to show them off...

Every runner has a different way of preparing for a run.  Some stretch or use various devices to prepare their bodies.  My way is more simple: I walk.  Usually I try to walk anywhere from 1/2 to 1 mile before running.  Today (June 3) the plan was to walk from our campsite to Pioneer Hall.

I took a walk around the loop, confirming that I was the only biped stirring then continued across the Meadow then up the Orange bus route to the Settlement.  I couldn't resist a quick stroll by the dock before stopping to pose for a picture by Pioneer Hall.

Pardon the lousy photo quality, but it was still quite dark.  I tried various angles to get the Hoop Dee Doo sign in the picture, but none of them looked so great.  I wanted the sign because of the special running shirt I was wearing.  It says "Fort Wilderness Running" on the front and "So you're running a half marathon? Well, HOOP DEE DOO!" on the back.  I wore it for the 2015 Disney Half Marathon.  It was good for several laughs along the way.  But I digress...

Nicely warmed up (quite warm considering the humidity) I headed out along the path to Wilderness Lodge.  I like this stretch although it's not particularly scenic. Just the usual lovely Florida woods.  It does have the benefit of being set off the road (yet paved) so you can feel like you are really taking a journey to somewhere distant - especially before the sun rises.  I saw a strange (yet eerily familiar) shape lurking on the ground in one stretch of the woods.  I thought I identified it, but wasn't sure in the dim light.  More on this later.

I arrived at Wilderness Lodge with the intent of running merrily around the buildings and through the beautiful pool area.  Unfortunately, much of the area was blocked off for construction. While I could have just dashed straight through the lobby, I settled for running in front of the building and startling a few early-rising guests.  The early shift cast members looked at me like I had lost my mind.  Smart people.  There was quite the amount of leaf blowing and grass edging going on.  All very kindly paused to let me run by them.

I headed out the front gate of Wilderness Lodge.  I tried taking a selfie while running through the gates.  I failed miserably.

Attractive, right? I have to possess one of the worst running faces ever.  No matter my state of fitness, I look like I am about to die.  Oh, well.

I managed to cross World Drive without incident despite quite a bit of early traffic.  I then re-enacted one of my favorite parts of the Disney Marathon: running through the Ticket and Transportation Center.  I love this place.  Weird, right?  I think it's because I grew up in Florida and went to Disney with my schools all of the time.  Our Disney fun started right in the bus parking lot!

I ran right past a few startled cast members and ran a loop inside the gates by the monorail ramps.  Finding the far gate locked I had to come all the way back past the same people.  They kindly humored the madman as he ran through.

I found the walkway to the Polynesian Village Resort (Can I just add how insanely happy I am that Village has returned to the name?) and headed towards the beach side of the resort.  If you have never seen the sun rise over Seven Seas Lagoon, I highly recommend it...

Positioning the ferries for the first wave of guests.

Isn't this beautiful?  It was all I could do to get to running again when there was so much good scenery behind me!  I continued on ahead and came face to face with this:

I'm still not sure how I feel about these waterside bungalows.  I will admit that they look like a fun place to stay, but the rest of the Polynesian is treated to looking at them instead of MK across the lagoon. Still, they carry on the theming well.  Speaking of which, I absolutely love the theming of the Polynesian as a whole.  I have never stayed in this resort, but have fond memories of going to the luau as a child and resort-hopping to the pool.  I remember being in complete awe of the pool area as a kid.  It's a wonder my parents ever got me out of there and back to the camper.  I had to take a picture for old times' sake...

I pondered a quick swim (it was very humid at this point) but decided that wasn't so great an idea.  There would be no chance that I would continue running afterwards!  So, I pushed onwards towards the Grand Floridian, with a quick glance back behind me...

Wow.  This is what gets me out of bed in the morning to run.

I tore myself away from the sunrise and continued on to Grand Floridian with a quick stop by the wedding pavilion.  It's an impressive facility, but not really my thing.  Actually, that's what I could say about all of the Grand Floridian Resort.  It's eye-catching, big, and opulent but the theming never seems to grasp me like the Polynesian does.  

The pool areas are nice, but the whimsical elements of them that appeal to me seem a bit at odds with the grandeur of the building as a whole.  

It was at this time that I pondered a more detailed tour of the Grand Floridian, preferably with a run right across the lobby, but a quick glance at my GPS told me that I had plenty of miles in already and a long return run ahead of me.  So, I turned around and headed for home.  However, a short detour was needed for a picture of the Polynesian Village sign.

This could be the best resort sign on property.  The water feature, landscaping, logo, and torches are simply perfect.  Well done.

I continued back roughly the way I came, choosing slightly different paths through the various areas when possible.  Unfortunately for me, I took the same route across World Drive.  By this time is was insanely busy.  I watched a full cycle of the lights to judge when would be best to cross.  I'm not sure what got me confused (perhaps running delirium), but I started across after a bus in front of me had gone through making a left turn.  I didn't think anyone was behind the bus.  I was wrong.  I came within a few feet of being one flat runner.  I appreciate the driver's good awareness and my own reflexes (if not judgment) for avoiding an accident.  I made my apologies in passing to the driver who seemed to accept them.  More likely, he just assumed that I was insane and should be treated humanely.  I ran back to Wilderness Lodge feeling like an idiot but very thankful to still be running.

On the way back through the woods I had a chance to check out the strange figure I saw on the way out.  Sure enough, it was what I thought it was.  Some enterprising artist made an extremely detailed Mickey Mouse head out of pine cones.  I was impressed.

I ran back through the Fort without incident and arrived back at 1520, my favorite campsite in the world!

TOTALS:

RESORTS: 4 (Fort Wilderness, Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian Village, and Grand Floridian.)

BONUS LOCATIONS: Ticket & Transportation Center, Wedding Pavilion

WALKING DISTANCE: 1.1 miles

RUNNING DISTANCE: 6.4 miles

Coming up next: Running Episode 2: Going Down the Bayou.

Sorry for the strange post above.  The quote box came up and locked the editor.  Even rebooting brought up the same thing.  Bizarre.  I suppose I could have emptied out my cookies and cache, but I thought I would just try posting it and move along.

Now, here is what I meant to say...

Thanks to everyone for the congratulations!  No, you don't need to call me Dr. Thrill.  It's amazing how hard it has been for some of my students to replace Mister with Doctor.  I think we'll stick to Thrill around here.  But, if you want to see me in all of my doctoral regalia glory...

On 6/4/2016 at 6:14 PM, BigTom said:

• On 6/4/2016 at 6:14 PM, BigTom said:

Congratulations, do we have to call you Doctor Thrill now?

Hello My Fiendish Friends,

I am finally emerging from my long exile.  I had to buckle down last summer and fall to complete my doctoral dissertation and then got into my usual crazy season of play direction. Now, thankfully, I am Dr. Thrill, the plays are directed, and summer is here.

DramaMama (my much better half), the Shakespearelets, and I are at the Fort for an astounding TWO WEEKS!  I've been coming to the Fort since the 70s and have never been able to stay so long.  However, we decided that we would take several celebrations and cram them into one trip.  So, this is the celebration of our 15th anniversary, my Ph.D. graduation, Shakespearelet #1's 5th grade graduation, DramaMama's teacher certification, and whatever else we could think of to justify two glorious weeks.

I'm sure DramaMama will be along soon to write a normal trip report, and I will probably hop on that thread to comment too.  However, I wanted to do something different over here.  Since I have so much time this trip it seemed like the perfect opportunity to do something I have always wanted to do: Run at every Disney resort!

For those of you who don't know my background, I am a marathoner and ultra-marathon with more than 40 races of distances ranging from 26.2 to 63 miles.  In the words of Baymax, "I am not fast, but I am strong."  Unfortunately, my dissertation push and crazy directing schedule combined with my own natural inertia to largely keep me from running over the last 9 months or so.  I have gained plenty of weight and am not amused with how I feel or look.  Over the last few weeks I have set about trying to become a runner again.  I discovered to my great relief that I can still run and for decent distances.  I have become even slower, which is impressive.  But, I can still relentlessly move forward.  This is a good thing!

So, to motivate myself to exercise at Disney, I am going to attempt to run at every resort. I plan to write up my adventures as I go here.  The cool thing about running at Disney is how differently you see things you have gone past a thousand times before.  I hope to share some interesting observations and pictures from my foot-travels.  My hope is that you will all keep me accountable to going on with my challenge!

Want to come along?  Just think, you can run the resorts without leaving your chair.

Coming up next: Running Episode 1: Four Resorts and Only One Near-Death Experience

-- Thrill Shakespeare

I know they read the faxes because when we sent our fax request in for our Spring Break trip we actually got a call from the site assigner.  She told us that there was no space in our requested loop (1500) and asked for preferences for something different.  I requested a specific series of sites in 2000 and was placed in one of them.  I was impressed by the call.

The dock at dusk.

Thanks for playing!  Those are all great.  Why am I not surprised that DaveinTN brought Snow White to the party?

I'm shocked no one has "charactered" 500 yet with all of the love for that loop I've seen recently.

If you ever see me on Twitter, you may as well start looking for the 4 horsemen.  

Here they are...

Actually those are the horses.  Here they are as men...

I now return this thread to its regularly scheduled programming...

This is not the loop you are looking for.

I'm getting excited about the Alabama-LSU game this weekend.  I always loved that match-up when I went to 'Bama.  It looks like quite a battle, as usual.  I'm glad too that it's not down in Baton Rouge despite how poorly the Tide have played at home lately.

Sadly, I can't talk about college football around here too much.  The Georgia fans who spent the first part of the year telling me how badly 'Bama was going to be beaten by UGA are so depressed this week that I don't have the heart to bring up the subject.

In my current desperate-to-get-to-the-Fort state I find myself thinking endless silly thoughts about Fort Wilderness.  Today I wondered what Disney character I would choose to represent each of the loops.  I thought the Fiends might enjoy playing this game with me too.

As a tent and pop-up guy I spend most of my time in 1500 and 2000.  So, here are my choices for those loops...

1500 Cottontail Curl

Here's the thing about 1500 - it's a great loop, but it's small.  It's right in the middle of things and very lively -- often with young families.  It's also the place for people who are not currently living in the fanciest of environments.  In short, a small, fun place -- maybe a little rough around the edges -- and always into something.  The perfect character for 1500...

Yes, our old friend Brer Rabbit: small, energetic, in the middle of everything...plus, he lives in a brier patch -- not too fancy.  In addition, he goes along nicely with the Cottontail Curl name.

2000 Spanish Moss Lane

Now, 2000 has developed itself quite a reputation.  It's a large loop and another low rent district for those of us without fancy rigs.  Also, it tends to be a noisy place because of the groups that invade and pack the maximum number of people (and more) on every site.  Some people fear 2000 even though it's actually quite nice once you get past the issues.  There is an obvious character connection...

Wreck-It Ralph!  Yes, our friend Ralph is big, noisy, and in your face...yet there's something lovable about him if you look underneath.  He lived in a wreckage pile, so representing us pop-up and tent folks would be a major step up for him.

So...what characters represent the personalities of the other loops?  Any ideas, creative Fiends?

I guess it's about time for me to step into this madness with a well-placed ROLL TIDE!

It was a good starting weekend for the SEC.  Especially for those schools who actually played a competitive team.  (I need to get this remark in now before Bama moves on to the cupcake portion of its opening schedule.)

Thanks to everyone for all of the helpful advice!  Based on the recommendations we drove up to Peco Campers in Tucker, Georgia.  (Many of you will be happy to know that we drove past several Camping Worlds to get there.)  We had a wonderful experience at Peco.  They have a gigantic stock of pop ups and really great people.  We have put down a deposit on a camper, but I'll let DramaMama pass along the details...

I was actually able to get decent pictures on Island in the Sky by leaning forward and positioning my lens through the net.  DramaMama was worried that I would drop my phone down to the ground, but the phone was actually still inside the ride.

Here are a few...

The water skiing stadium in the distance.

The Legoland Hotel.  Cool rooms, waaaaaaaay too expensive.  I'd sooner stay at Disney.

A view of one area of the park.

The new Lego Friends themed area that is set to open later this month.  It looks like they have a LOT of work left to do.

For future reference,  I am not sure if you know, but you can use your actual plastic pass in place of the MB if need be.  The pass and the MB's assigned to you on MDE are all interchangeable.  They tell you to always carry your pass and ID with you for this very reason.

We do know this, and I had her pass in my wallet.  I think the real traumatic part of it for Janet was the chance of losing the Annual Pass Holder slider on the missing band.  :laugh:  It turned out to be yet another great chance to see some great CMs at work.

I lose weight at Disney too!  In my wallet anyway...