Friday, May 6, 2022

Walt Disney World Dopey Challenge 2022

Tuesday 7/20/21
I used the link provided to legacy runners to register for the Dopey Challenge. With COVID, these links weren't being sent out in a timely fashion so some legacy runners had been stressing out with whether or not we would continue to have a guaranteed spot. I think runDisney were more concerned with having a race at all. Anyways, the total came out to be $639.60.

Guaranteed entry

Tuesday 1/4
Per the usual with my trips to the Mouse House on the east coast, I took a red eye flight out of LAX. After I got dropped off at terminal 4 and got through the TSA checkpoint, I ran into a fellow perfect Dopey runner, Ted Moreno, in the restroom. We were on the same flight, so we chatted a bit before it was time to board our flight. I got a window seat in the last row thinking that there wouldn't be anyone back there, but no such luck, it was a full flight. During the coast to coast flight, I finally got to watch 007: No Time to Die. It was not bad. It was filled with lots of your typical James Bond action. Very entertaining. The ending was quite sad. I tried to get some shuteye after the movie, but the seat was so darn uncomfortable! I don't think I slept more than a wink!




Watching the movie on my old retired Pixel 2

Wednesday 1/5
The plane landed at Orlando International Airport just before 5:30 am local time. After getting off of the plane and using the restroom, I took the Airport People Mover (APM) over to the main terminal. From there I walked over to the McDonald's in the food court area to get some breakfast. I took my time eating my food as the flight had arrived a bit early and I needed to wait a bit before I could pick up my rental car.



Big Breakfast and a 99 cents large coffee

The lady at the Budget car rental counter for some reason couldn't figure out my reservation. She kept mumbling that they didn't complete the information. I had reserved a car using my timeshare credits. She kept saying that she couldn't get the computer to work. She didn't have any fellow coworkers there to help her out and the line behind me was starting to build up. She finally gave up and filled out my paperwork by hand to send me on my way. I was given a white Kia Soul.



Since it was a bit too early to head to the expo, I decided to finally go check out the renovated McDonald's near the All-Star resorts. I guess today just wasn't the day for technology. The every-so-glitchy McDonald's mobile app just wouldn't work. It just wouldn't process my payment even though it had worked earlier at the airport. I tried scanning my code at one of the kiosks and it still wouldn't work. I guess I could always eat later somewhere else.




Eventually, it was time for me to head over to the race expo at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex to pick up my race packet. After parking the car, I considered waiting in line for the official merchandise, but the line that had formed outside of the Cheer Arena was already insanely long! While they usually will have some cool stuff, I'm really not that hard up to buy more merchandise. Besides, I still wanted to eat something before catching a movie.


I headed into the Field House to pick up my bib. In addition to the bib, we were given a half marathon luggage tag. Then I was given the usual clear plastic gear check bag with all of the race shirts for the Dopey Challenge.


Bib pick-up


Half marathon luggage tag


5k race shirt


10k race shirt


Half marathon race shirt


Marathon race shirt


Goofy's race and a half challenge shirt


Dopey challenge shirt

After that I headed over to the VISA Athletic Center to check out the vendor booths. One of the notable freebies that I got was some sample cans of non-alcoholic beers from Athletic Brewing Company. Up until now, when it comes to non-alcoholic beer, I've only had O'Doul's and Asahi Dry Zero. Both aren't very good, but I'm hoping that these will be better.




Sample cans of non-alcoholic craft beer

I hopped in the car and drove over to Disney Springs to pass some time before I can check into my timeshare property. To get out of the parking garage, I had to take a flight of stairs down and go through security screening. They had a new screening device. You walk through and they'll let you know if extra screening was necessary. This new technology was much less invasive and allowed for the screening process to be very quick so long as you're not carrying a bunch of bags and stuff on you. I swung by World of Disney to buy some merchandise for my friend. Then I walked over to my favorite restaurant, Raglan Road Irish Pub, for an early lunch. I wanted to get a full Irish breakfast, but the bartender told me that they only serve that on weekends. I'll have to commit that to memory! When I thought about it, I probably only had eaten it after running the marathon in prior years. After looking over the menu, I went with their fish and chips and iced tea. While waiting for the food to come out, she brought me some delicious Irish soda bread.


Orange parking garage


Lunar new year Tervis mug





Irish soda bread


Fish and chips

After I was done with my food, I walked all over Disney Springs to pass some time. Eventually, I went over to the AMC Theatres to catch a movie. I had pre-purchased a ticket for the 1:45 pm showing of Spider-Man: No Way Home. My seat was in the last row on the 3rd floor mezzanine. I picked that seat because with COVID, I didn't think that there would be a lot of people way up there. However, that section was pretty full!

The initial reviews on Rotten Tomatoes were great, but I remained skeptical. Having seen it for myself, I honestly thought that people's standards must be really low these days or they just don't care about continuity. The dialogue for Dr. Strange was as if he had a lobotomy or a recent brain trauma. His lines were so incredibly juvenile that it was so out of character. It was very similar to what Rian Johnson had done to the characters in The Force Awakens with The Last Jedi. It was just hot garbage! They were trying so hard to make it funny. The movie felt more on par for a crappy DC movie looking for a cash grab. Having said that, the latter half of the movie was better. I did like that they brought in the earlier iterations of Spider-man into this movie. That's probably because Tom Holland was not my favorite actor to reprise the role of Peter Parker/Spider-man. Out of the 3, I prefer Andrew Garfield. His villainous counterparts such as Electro and Rhino were terrible, but I much preferred the story of him and Gwen Stacy.








View from the last row on the 3rd floor mezzanine

After the movie, I hopped in the car and drove over to the WorldMark Orlando Kingstown Reef to get checked into my unit. During check-in, I was assigned unit #1314 in the Veranda building. Per the usual, the concierge was a bit annoying. She kept trying to get me to attend another owner update when I had already told her that I was busy and wasn't interested. This constant badgering every time that I check into a property was the absolute one thing that I hate about my ownership. As I got settled into the unit, I found that the WiFi was pretty spotty. I don't remember it being this poor in my prior stays at this property.







Before it got too late, I hopped back in the car and drove over to the nearby Publix to pick up supplies. One of things I like about coming to Orlando was that they sell Mallomars. I mainly bought stuff to make pasta for the duration of my trip. It took forever to get back to my unit as there was a big accident at the intersection of Vineland Ave and International Dr. Heading south on Vineland Ave, the cars wanting to make a left turn onto International Dr had to actually drive ahead into the 7-Eleven gas station in order to bypass the accident.


When I finally returned to my unit, I was able to make my meatballs and cook my pasta with a nice big serving of vegetables. These meals not only helped saved money, but it really helped with fueling for my 4 consecutive days of running and visiting the parks. After my meal, I laid out my flat runner for tomorrow's 5k and started getting ready to call it a night.



5k flat runner

Thursday 1/6
I supposed I was living a bit dangerously, as I had fallen asleep without setting any alarms. Thankfully, I woke up right when I needed to and was able to get ready and head to EPCOT for the first race of the Dopey Challenge. Per the usual, I parked in the Create lot. However, instead of walking directly to the staging area, they directed us straight to the main park entrance. They had all of us go through the screening machine just like the ones I had gone through yesterday at Disney Springs. Easy peasy as most runners aren't carrying a whole lot for a race. Unfortunately, I had not planned for this little detour which caused me to miss the pre-race photo meetup with the other Dopey legacy members.


Where I parked



5k start corral

While waiting for our turn to start our race, the race announcers were letting us know to get rid of our mylar blankets before crossing the start line. Those blankets will interfere with the reading of our timing chips. They made the mistake of challenging us to throw those blankets onto the stage. A couple of us came close to hitting them! :)


Pluto and race announcers


I had a loose goal of finishing in about 24 minutes or roughly about 7:30 mins per mile. I went out a bit fast on that first mile. Then I was dialed in on the second mile. However, I was starting to struggle during that third mile. Instead of an ideal progression run, I supposed it turned out being a regression run. :) In any case, it was a good beginning to the Dopey Challenge! The left ankle and Achilles did feel a little sore after the race.


5k finish line

5k finish: 24:07
Click here for my Garmin data.

After crossing the finish line. I got my finisher medal and continued down the finisher chute. After turning the corner, I got my bottle of water and Powerade. Then near the end of the chute, I got my banana and the usual runDisney post race snack box. It's good to be back running these races! Since there wasn't any photo ops with characters, I didn't stick around that long.


5k finisher medal side 1


5k finisher medal side 2


Post race snack box


Contents of snack box


I went to my car and changed into dry clothes before walking over to the pick-up location to catch a bus for a ride over to the All Star Resorts. They had moved the location into the Journey parking lot as Woodpecker Ln was part of the 5k race course. I wasn't paying attention and thought that they were dropping people off at Movies and Music first, but it would turn out that Sports was still closed for renovations. So I ended up riding that bus back to EPCOT. On the return trip, I got off at Music. From there, I walked over to McDonald's for some breakfast. Thank goodness the app was working today. I ordered the Big Breakfast. Then I used the mobile app deal to get a large coffee for 99 cents.





Big breakfast

After I was done with my breakfast, I walked back to All Star Music to catch the bus over to the Magic Kingdom park. Prior to the trip, I had purchased a 4 day park pass via the Vacation Sidekick app that came with my timeshare ownership. The WorldMark representatives tout it as a great money saving app, but I've found that the savings were minimal. Still, any little saving helps with these expensive Disney trips!


Walt Disney World 4 day park pass

The bus took me over to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC). I thought they used to take people straight to the park entrance. Oh well. I opted for the ferry to get to the park. There was a ton of marching band members on that ferry! They were all wearing red shirts. By the time I got inside the park, it was about a quarter after 9.

Here were the rides and attractions that I had visited:












After getting an Orange Cream Dole Whip (orange and vanilla soft-serve) at the Sunshine Tree Terrace, I met up with my fellow Perfect Dopey friend at the Aloha Isles. He introduced me to another fellow Perfect Dopey runner. They got their Dole Whips there. After that, they had a lightning pass to use, so we split up and went our separate ways. I headed to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Unfortunately, I got a terrible gun and couldn't achieve the maximum score. I then met back up with my friends. They wanted to take pictures by a purple wall. The 50th anniversary statue of Stitch just happened to be on that wall. He's my favorite Disney character. When they found out that I had never been to Mickey's PhilharMagic, they took me there. It was a 3D short film. It was nice and relaxing to be able to sit down. We followed that up with the It's a Small World ride.




Orange Cream Dole Whip




Had a terrible blaster!




Mickey's PhilharMagic


Waiting to get in PhilharMagic


We split up again, with them using their lightning pass for Haunted Mansion and me going to The Hall of Presidents. This is one of my favorite attractions to visit especially whenever they add in a new president. They went to the Starbucks on Main St and had a lightning pass for the Pirates of the Caribbean. As I was there early enough for the standby lane, I was able to get on the Pirates ride ahead of them. I waited for them in the post ride gift shop.


The Hall of Presidents


Quite hidden Abu

We all split up after that. I walked with my new friend towards the exit as I was pooped and she wanted to check out the Main St Confectionery. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so I passed on visiting that sweet shop. I took the monorail over to the TTC and from there I hopped on the train headed over to EPCOT. Sure it was a hassle, but it was nice to save $25 on parking.

Once I got back to my car, I drove over to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Even though I was really tired, I wanted to check out the official race merchandise. Man, the place was picked clean! Pretty much the only race specific items that were left were the "I did it!" shirts. They had brought out generic items to fill in the gaps. After snapping a few photos, I hopped back in the car and headed back to my timeshare unit.


I work out :)








Back at my unit, I cooked up my tried and true meatball pasta dinner. After eating, I laid out my flat runner for tomorrow's 10k. I took a shower and called it a night. This time, I remembered to set my alarms before drifting off to lala land.



10k flat runner

Friday 1/7
I made sure to leave a bit earlier today to allow for the extra time needed for that walk through the security scanners at the park entrance. I forgot to mention yesterday, that the corrals were numerical instead of the usual alphabetical.


Corral


10k start corral


I was feeling a bit worn out from the lack of sleep and having been on my feet for much too long at the Magic Kingdom park yesterday. Also the left ankle and Achilles weren't feeling 100%, so I thought it would be best to not race too hard this morning. Except for that usual quicker first mile, I kept most of my remaining miles at around the 8 - 8:15 min per mile pace.


10k finish line

10k finish: 51:13
Click here for my Garmin data.

Normally for a 10k race, I prefer to be under 50 minutes. However, given my aging body with its aches and pains, I'll take it. After the usual routine of collecting my finisher medal, a bottle of water, a bottle of Powerade, a banana, and a runDisney snack box, I made my way back to my car to change into dry clothes.


10k finisher medal side 1


10k finisher medal side 2


Post race snack box


Avengers fruit friends

I had to go through security screening again as the resort shuttles were at the usual spot on Woodpecker Ln. Once again I caught the shuttle back to the All Star Resorts. This time I remembered to get off at All Star Music. From there I made the walk back to McDonald's for some breakfast. I used my reward points for a free sausage McMuffin with egg. I also used the mobile app deal to get a large coffee for 99 cents. I had to place the orders separately as the mobile app doesn't allow for two deals and/or rewards to be used on a single order. For a company like McDonald's, that is such a crappy design. It almost discourages people from ordering more food.


McDonald's


Used my reward points for a free sausage McMuffin with egg


Mobile app deal: large coffee for 99 cents

The park that I visited today was Hollywood Studios. I had arrived just before the park had opened, so there was a huge crowd of people waiting to get inside. For some reason, I always end up waiting in the line full of newbies. They either don't have the mobile app and are fumbling with paper tickets or they don't know how to use the mobile app. Once I got in, I made sure that I didn't stay too long today as the length of the races each morning will get significantly longer from here on out. The rides that I went on were the following:



Originally, I was going to get in the standby line for The Rise of the Resistance, but that line was way too long. Instead I went to the Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway as my first ride. That line was long, but the ride was worth it. It was definitely a new experience for a Disney ride. The experience was quite immersive.


Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway




After that I headed over to Toy Story Land and got in the very long line to ride Slinky Dog Dash. Although I pretty much love anything Toy Story related, I'm not sure that I would want to wait in a 2 hour line ever again for this ride!


Toy Story Land




Next I headed back to Galaxy's Edge to check on the status of The Rise of the Resistance ride. The wait time was 2+ hours. No thanks. I've already been on it before and I don't think I'd want to wait that long given that that ride tends to break down quite frequently. Instead I got in the single-rider line for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. Just another typical run for me as one of the engineers.






Then for my final ride, I got into the long line for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. I ended up meeting a Filipino guy and his two young boys while waiting in line. I believe he said that he was in the military. He used to live in Guam, Honolulu, and Chula Vista. His parents used to work in the hotel industry including the Ilikai which I've stayed at once. His boys looked like they were suffering in the heat as they had both worn all black.



After that, I headed out of the park and got in line to wait for a shuttle back to the All Star Resorts. After I got off at All Star Music, I made that all too familiar walk over to McDonald's for a late lunch. I used a mobile app deal to buy one Quarter Pounder with cheese at regular price and got a second one for 29 cents. Once I was done with my meal, I walked back to All Star Music to catch a shuttle over to EPCOT to get my car. Another day not having to pay $25 for parking!



Quarter Pounder with cheese x2

Later that evening, I cooked up the usual meatball pasta with a nice big bowl of mixed vegetables. After finishing my meal and doing the dishes, I laid out my flat runner for tomorrow's half marathon. I then took a shower before calling it a night.



Half marathon flat runner

Saturday 1/8
Today was the half marathon. This is where the fun begins! The start line now moved over to Epcot Center Dr. I pretty much stuck to the same routine as yesterday. I had plenty of time for that long walk over to the starting corrals. There were plenty of portapotties. I never had to wait in any line to use one so far.


Half marathon start corral

My goal today was to finish in just under 2 hours. I ran fine for about the first 8 miles. I only made one stop to get a photo with Stitch. Shortly after that stop, I felt pretty fatigued. I was running about 45 secs slower per mile. I wasn't sure if it was the stop or having to go over several overpasses in those late miles leading back to EPCOT that caused my legs to feel so tired. It was probably the combination of both plus the 5k, 10k, and 2 days at the parks. :) I did get to run with Carissa Galloway for a short stretch through EPCOT. She would've totally beaten me to the finish line, but she had to pull over to do a live post on social media.


Stitch!


Half marathon finish line

Half marathon finish: 2:00:19
Click here for my Garmin data.

Well, I fell short of running a sub 2 hour race by 20 seconds. That's close enough for me. I've enjoyed the past 3 days of racing throughout Walt Disney World and that's what matters. I collected my finisher medal along with the usual post race drinks and snacks before heading back to my car. After changing into dry clothes, I caught a shuttle ride over to the All Star Resorts.


Half marathon finisher medal side 1


Half marathon finisher medal side 2


Post race snack box

However today, I did not make that morning walk over to McDonald's. Instead I got in line to wait for a shuttle to take me over to Animal Kingdom park. With the marathon tomorrow and Expedition Everest closed for refurbishment, I only had two things to accomplish with my park visit today... ride Avatar Flight of Passage and to eat a turkey leg. Here were the rides that I went on today:



After taking my usual photo of my medal in front of the Tree of Life, I started heading over to Pandora to ride Avatar Flight of Passage. Per the usual, it was long wait in the standby line, but well worth it especially when you get to witness a small kid experiencing Disney magic for the first time! He had ridden it for the first time and was shouting, "that was the best ride ever!" :)





After the ride, I went searching for a turkey leg in the usual spots. No dice. I stopped by a booth where a couple of cast members were answering questions. Unfortunately, they informed me that they were not currently selling turkey legs inside the Animal Kingdom park. :(

I guess that turkey leg will have to wait! Instead I ended up getting a Scar's Lair over at Tamu Tamu Refreshments. It was okay, but I was a bit disappointed since I had my heart set on having a turkey leg. As I passed Expedition Everest, I noticed a sign across the way that it was the spot for taking one of those scenic super zoom photos. I had him take my photo even though I wasn't planning on purchasing it.


Scar's Lair, Dole whip with sour apple syrup




I then headed over to DinoLand to ride Dinosaur before heading out. Even though it felt like a waste to only go to a park for barely a half day, I really needed the rest before tomorrow's marathon.
 




After catching our Iguanodon, it was time to exit the park. I caught the shuttle back to the All Star Resorts where I walked over to McDonald's for one last time to get lunch. Once again, I used the mobile app deal to get one Quarter Pounder with cheese at regular price and a second one for 29 cents.



After finishing my meal, I headed back to All Star Music to catch a shuttle back to my car at EPCOT. Another day, another $25 saved on parking. That came out to $75 saved by leaving my car at the EPCOT parking lot after the race each day.


Catching a bus back to my car at Epcot

Later that evening, I cooked up the usual plate of pasta with a bowl of lima beans as my source of protein. I also tried out a can of Athletic Brewing Company alcohol-free beer. I tried out the Free Wave which was a hazy IPA. Out of all of the non-alcoholic beers that I've tried, that was definitely the best.



After finishing my meal and doing the dishes, I laid out my flat runner for tomorrow's marathon. I was going to run or jog as Russell from the movie, UP. I've never run in a cargo-type shorts for an entire marathon. Since it was designed for activities such as golf, I was hoping that there wouldn't be any chafing issues tomorrow! I also planned on wearing a pair of poly-blend briefs to help mitigate any inner thigh chafing. Before drifting off to sleep, I watched the last half of the movie, Ghost. Still one of my favorite movies.


Marathon flat runner


Ghost

Sunday 1/9
Finally, the marathon was here. My plan going into today's race was for it to be a fun picture day. After parking my car in about the same place as the past 3 days, I headed towards the park entrance for the security screening once again. After using one of the portapotties, I started heading out to the starting corrals over on Epcot Center Dr.


Where I parked

Along the way to my starting corral, I heard someone called out my name. It was my new friend, Kim. She remembered me telling her that I was going to be running as Russell for the marathon. After wishing her a great race, I continued on to my corral. Before going up closer to the front of my corral, I stopped by the front of corral S3 to find my friend. She's a pretty strong and fast hiker, so I knew that she was going to be passing me today. I got a quick selfie before I went off to settle into my corral.


Marcia!


Mickey and friends sending us off!


Start line


Darkwing Duck!

In between photo stops, I ran a little bit with an older lady named Wendy as we approached the TTC. She told me that she liked my costume as UP was one of her favorite Disney movies. Once we got to the aid station, I pulled over as she kept running on ahead.


Elastigirl and Aunt Edna


Frozone!


Figment!


Stitch!

I saw my friend, Marcia, pass me as I was in line to take a picture with Dopey. She told me later that she was also planning to take a photo with him until she saw that they were switching him out. Back in 2020, she didn't pass me until we were at around mile 15. Someone has gotten faster!


I'm used to seeing Dopey much later in the race!


Goofy!



My friends caught me along the road leading up to Animal Kingdom. We paused for a quick selfie. I tried to jog with them for a bit, but they were going too fast for my taste so I dropped off.


My friends caught me!

After taking a photo with Timon, I asked the cast member if Russell or Dug was up ahead. He told me that they were. However unfortunately, they were nowhere to be found when I went through the park. I had to settle for their statues. I'm guessing that they were being switched out when I ran through.


Timon




Bullseye


Jessie


Bo Peep and Woody


Olaf


Ferb and Phineas!

Man, it was getting hot out there and I was riding that struggle bus, but it was mighty nice to see the hallelujah choir at mile 26 signaling that there was but .2 miles left to run for the finish line!


The choir at mile 26!


Marathon finish line

Marathon finish: 5:31:48
Click here for my Garmin data.

That went about as well as I could've hoped for today! It was getting warm and I was dragging in the final miles, but I finished right where I had expected. There were no chafing issues and the majority of the spectators liked my outfit. There were some that called me a boy scout. I'm going to guess that they're not real Disney fans.

After getting my finisher medal, I continued down the finisher chute and got my Mickey ears when I turned the corner. I got a bottle of water and bottle of Powerade. Before I reached the post race snack box and banana, I was directed by one of the volunteers to pick up my Goofy and Dopey challenge medals.


Marathon finisher medal side 1


Marathon finisher medal side 2


Mickey ears


Goofy finisher medal side 1


Goofy finisher medal side 2


Dopey finisher medal side 1


Dopey finisher medal side 2

After taking an "I did it!" photo, I used one of the portapotties near the main stage where normally the pre/post race character photos were located. I then met up with my friend as I was one of the last runners that he was tracking.


9 years of the Dopey Challenge completed

Well, there was definitely no park visit for me today! Before going back to my timeshare unit, I swung by the newly opened Portillo's to pick up lunch. I got the usual, a couple of Chicago dogs and a large chocolate malt shake.







After finishing my meal, I got cleaned up and vegged out until it was time to eat dinner. I met up with my friends at Disney Springs for dinner. They had a reservation at Jaleo by José Andrés. I showed up at Disney Springs pretty early, so I did a little bit of window shopping to pass the time. My friend texted me that they were going to get seated earlier than their reservation, so I headed over to meet up with them. The menu looked a bit on the fancy side. My friends were getting recommendations from the waiter, but I kind of already figured out what I wanted. For my salad, I ordered their Manzanas con hinojo y queso Manchego which was a sliced apple and fennel salad with Manchego cheese, walnuts, and sherry dressing. Then for my meal, I ordered their Carne asada con piquillos confitados which was a Josper (charcoal) grilled 6 oz prime flat iron beef steak with confit piquillo peppers. The steak was not bad, but man, that salad was really good! It was like an explosion of flavors in your mouth!


Orange parking garage







Manzanas con hinojo y queso Manchego


Carne asada con piquillos confitados

It was kind of a late dinner, so we went our separate ways after we settled the check. We would be meeting up tomorrow for our usual post marathon day at EPCOT. Does it count as a nightcap if the beer is non-alcoholic? I drank the Run Wild IPA and had a couple of Mallomars before hitting the hay.


Monday 1/10
I got ready and left the timeshare unit for another fun day at the 4th and final Walt Disney World park (EPCOT) for this trip. The plan was to hang out with my friends for our tradition post-marathon "eat around the world" event. Today, I had to finally pay $25 for parking. :(


Where I parked

Today's rides, attractions, and food:
I'm usually the first in the group to get to EPCOT. This year, I even got inside before the park was open! While waiting, I took my customary medal photo with Spaceship Earth as the backdrop. Per the usual, I rode Mission: SPACE for my first ride. After I was done, I met up with my friends and went on Test Track.

They had a lightning lane pass for Soarin'. I did not want to fork over extra money for that feature, so I walked over to Journey into Imagination with Figment. After that ride, I was headed into the World Showcase, but made a u-turn since my friends were about to get on the Journey into Imagination ride. It's one of my favorite Disney ride tunes, so I didn't mind going on it for a second time! I almost bought a mini-magnet Figment.



Maybe next time!





My friends had lightning lane passes for the new Remy's Ratatouille Adventure ride. I bumped into my friend, Marcia, as I was headed over to the United States Pavilion for my turkey leg. It did rain a bit. Thankfully, I had packed my umbrella. Marcia wanted to complete a circuit around the World Showcase, so we went our separate ways. I waited for my friends at the Ratatouille ride exit. I bumped into my friend Kim while waiting for my friends to come out. What a coincidence!







Turkey leg


My friends and I backtracked to the Mexico Pavilion. While waiting for everyone in our group to show up, we went inside the nearby Disney Traders shop for some of us to do a little bit of shopping.



Verden's Beste Kake: vanilla cake with custard and almond-meringue topping


Bratwurst

As the sun was beginning to set, we were headed into the Japan Pavilion, I bumped into that Filipino guy and his kids that I had met a couple days ago at Hollywood Studios! What a coincidence again! With it getting dark, the group was starting to scatter.



I couldn't find the group after a while, so I went on to the France Pavilion. After getting my usual sorbet at the L'Artisan des Glaces Sorbet and Ice Cream Shop, I decided to get in the standby line for Remy's Ratatouille Adventure. I figured that I should have plenty of time to get on the ride with our restaurant tonight at Chefs de France. Well, the wait was a bit longer than expected. My friend texted me to keep me updated as to where they were. They were just being seated when I got on the ride.


Piña colada sorbet with waffle cone





After looking over the menu, I ordered the salade de chevre chaud which was baked goat cheese with walnuts, grapes, tomatoes, endives, and mixed greens. Then for my entrée, I ordered the Boeuf Bourguignon, linguine. It was braised beef in Cabernet, baby onions, carrots, with pasta. The salad was pretty decent. However, I was pretty disappointed with the entrée. The meat was super dry and overcooked. We did receive really good service from our waiter. A few of us was really thirsty from walking around the park all day and he kept our glasses filled with good ol' tap water.




Salade de chevre chaud


Boeuf Bourguignon, linguine

After we settled the bill, it was time for us to start heading home or back to our timeshare unit. Along the way to the park exit, we stopped a few times to catch some of the nighttime firework show. The Spaceship Earth always looks really cool at night.


Tuesday 1/11
I planned on checking out of my unit at the required 10 am check-out time. I got up early to get ready and pack up my stuff. I also cooked the remainder of the pasta and lima beans. It would appear that I had eaten out more than what I had originally planned. I had way too much left over. I was only able to finish off the pasta. I had to toss most of the lima beans. :(


Trying to finish off the remainder of the food

After checking out of my unit and dropping off my room keys at the front desk, I drove over to Disney Springs. It's a great place for me to pass some time and to do a little bit of shopping. After parking the car at the usual Orange Parking Garage and going through security screening, I headed over to World of Disney. I looked again for some 50th anniversary item to purchase, but they were all pretty mediocre. The scream cannister looked pretty cool!



I stopped in at the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop and got the usual sample of their delicious chocolate. It was a bit early or else I might have been interested in getting either a sundae or a banana split.


Reminds me of Duffy

I then found myself in the Disney's Days of Christmas store. Only Disney could get by with a store that sells only Christmas items year round. Coming in here kind of makes me want to put up a Christmas tree every year. I found a few ornaments that I definitely would put on that tree.




I stopped in at DisneyStyle in the Westside section of Disney Springs. I've always found some pretty cool clothing in this little store. Thank goodness I don't have any more space at home or I would probably buy some more awesome Disney stuff!


Before heading out, I stopped at the Marketplace Snacks to get a Dole Whip swirl. The Dole Whip nachos caught my eye and looked to be something that I wanted to try out. However, it seemed a bit much and I just wanted to go with something that was tried and true.



Dole Whip swirl

After I was done with my Dole Whip, it was time to start heading over to the airport. The car rental paperwork had mentioned that we cannot fill up the car too far away from the airport. I normally fill up the gas tank at the RaceTrac gas station on W Sand Lake Rd. I wasn't too sure how far that gas station was to the airport, so I drove to the Wawa at the corner of Semoran Blvd and Lee Vista Blvd to fill up the tank. Not only was this gas station much closer to the airport, the price per gallon turned out to be cheaper. Normally the gas stations that are closer to the airport tend to price gouge their customers.


It's been a while since I pumped gas



When I arrived at the rental car return area, that place was packed! There was barely a spot there for me to park the car! I was there about 3 hours before my flight was scheduled to depart. I could take my time getting through the TSA checkpoint and just relax at my gate.

During the flight home, I watched Free Guy that starred Ryan Reynolds. It was pretty clever, funny, but quite predictable. After the movie concluded, I tried to get some sleep. Once again, sleep was hard to come by in those uncomfortable airplane seats. The plane landed at LAX at about a quarter after 8 pm. Travelling sure can be tiring, but I can't wait to go back for Dopey Challenge year #10!


Ginger ale


Almost time to land


The Forum, SoFi Stadium, and Target
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