How To Survive All 3 Races at RunDisney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend

March 14, 2020

If you’re a clown like me and interested in tackling a 5k, 10k and a half marathon back to back, well then you’re in luck because cue the circus music, this blog post is for you!

RunDisney

So what is RunDisney? For those of you that are not familiar, it is Disney’s road race division and they host Disney themed race events all through the year, where you literally run through the parks. There are currently 4 held in Disney World annually, the Walt Disney World Marathon, the Princess Half Marathon, the Star Wars Rival Run and the Wine & Dine Half Marathon. The Walt Disney World Marathon is always held in January and is the only event with a full marathon. The other three events have the following 3 races: the 5k, 10k and half marathon races only. They also hold races at Disneyland Paris and virtual 5ks for those who can’t travel out to the parks (because these race trips are definitely quite costly) but still want to partake in them and receive a Disney medal.

Registration

Registration for these races are quite competitive as they sell out pretty quickly. You have to be on the website when it opens if you want to get guaranteed into the race of your choice. I signed up myself, my sisters and my best friend back in May, the morning registration opened up last year. I got in right away, thankfully and everything went smoothly. If you’re a runner and already familiar with this process, my only advice for you would be to read the fine print carefully because they don’t always make it clear about what the guidelines are for those wanting to submit a time from a previous race for better corral placement. They didn’t tell us til we asked at the expo why my friend was placed in the last corral when she had a qualifying time, that the times had to be from a race within the last 2 years. I guess enough people had the same misunderstanding/issue because this year’s registration for Wine & Dine that occurred this week had that stipulation clearly outlined and a box was there for you to check off that you were aware of this rule.

The prices for these races can be pretty steep and honestly I haven’t really run a non Disney race to know the difference but my friend who’s been racing with me has and she attests that Disney definitely does a great job at the entertainment they provide, the stops along the way, and the beautiful medals. I mean, you get to run THROUGH THE PARKS. And depending on the race you do, you get to run through Cinderella’s castle. I’ve ran through it twice and let me tell you, it is an absolutely amazing experience. So yes, the price of these races are a pretty penny just like anything Disney, but I would say they’re worth it to do, at least once in your life if you want to see what the fuss is about. Most people end up coming back because of how much they end up liking it. And trust me, back in May 2018, I was NOT a runner but here I am coming back again and probably again next year because I am ADDICTED.

Training

If you’re just doing a 5k, I would say you can probably go into it with no training, as it’s not timed and you can walk the entire route if you really wanted to. But for 10k and longer distances, I would definitely recommend some training, especially if you’re not a runner. I looked up training schedules on Pinterest as well as the free training program provided by RunDisney on their website by Jeff Galloway. I ended up modifying the training schedules I found to my personal liking and pace as everyone is different as to how they want to progress and how aggressively they want to train. But if you’re wondering if you can train for a half marathon in a month, I can tell you, yes, it can be done. It might be hard, but it is definitely doable. This year, I basically did one long run a week, increasing in distance each week by 2-3 km until I reached 21 km which is about the length of a half marathon. I cross trained during the week lifting weights and doing short 5k runs and some walks in between to get steps in but give my legs a break if they were a little too sore and needed extra time to recover before the next long run. Details of this year’s training can be found in this blog post. I did ease up on my training the week of the race and I found that doing all 3 races was actually a great way to warm-up to the half, as opposed to last year where I only ran the half marathon.

During my training period, I kept on top of my nutrition, making sure I maintained a clean and healthy high protein, low carb diet, with lots of water to stay hydrated constantly. I switched over to high carb the week of the race to carb load. I also made sure my sleep was on point as I learned last year that even if you have problem sleeping the night before a race, as long as your sleep every night leading up to the race was normal, you’ll be fine. Think of your body as a battery you’ve been charging for a month. Lack of one night’s sleep isn’t going to kill you and ruin the race. You got this. This year though, I found myself being able to sleep much easier than last year’s insomnia, but it’s also probably because I tired myself out doing the parks all day everyday this year. Depending on your own energy levels and capabilities, you should gauge this for yourself if you can handle both. Last year I thought it would be too much but I saw plenty of people out and about in the parks all day so I figured if they can do it, I can handle this too and I did. It helped in both getting me to fall asleep sooner because I was tired, but also helped me experience the park and have fun instead of worry myself with race anxiety.

Race Weekend

The first thing you’re going to want to do when you get to Disney is head to the race expo. There are complimentary shuttle buses provided at every hotel if you’re staying on Disney property. The race expo is where you’ll get your bibs and shirts which you need to pick up in person and get your photo taken if you’re running the challenge (the 10k and half marathon race together is called a “challenge” and when you complete both races, you get a third additional medal to commemorate the occasion.) The photo is used to make sure you’re the same person at the end of the race picking up the challenge medal, to prove you didn’t cheat and send someone else in your place to run it. I’m a newcomer to racing so I’m not familiar with this lack of integrity in the sports world, as I feel like it just wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t earn my own medals myself as I worked hard for them but I can see people wanting the medals without putting in the actual work. I believe you’re personally cheating yourself though if you’re the type of person who does this.
Other things you can find at the race expo are official RunDisney merchandise as well as outside vendors selling cute wares like last minute costumes for those wanting a tutu or a tiara or a cute shirt to race in. I also saw some really cute booths selling wall displays and frames for your medals and bibs. There are also various super cute photobooths and photo ops inside this area as well. I would say take photos of everything because it’s a magical thing to experience and you’re going to want to take it in if it’s your first time.

Pre-race to dos

Lay everything out - The night before each race, my biggest advice would be to lay out everything you’re planning on wearing and having with you to the race. I put on each costume/outfit when I was originally packing for my vacation and then placed each outfit and all its parts into a ziplock bag. That way I know everything I needed was all in one place so I wouldn’t be scrounging all over my luggage last minute at 3am trying to run out the door.
Pin your bib on - What I also do before bed is pin my race bib onto my outfit. This way I’m not fumbling and pricking my finger at 3am as well. Then I turn out the lights and hit the hay for that 3am wake up call. Yes, you heard that right. Disney races start at 5:30am but the buses start at 3am. Last year I got on it at 3am but found myself waiting around for 2 hours and wanting to die so this year I started waking up at 3am, leaving at 4am, and getting there around 4:30am, leaving me ample time to walk to my corral and try to mosy on up to the front before it starts. You could probably leave later but I don’t want to risk missing the last bus and not starting on time.
Makeup - Personally I like to run with makeup as I look forward to the race photos that get snapped when you’re running through the parks. I do a light makeup, with just simple foundation, eyeliner, mascara and lip as these aren’t portraits or anything, just fast quick photos as you run past the photopass tents. I found that primer and setting spray will be your best friend. This is how I get away with my makeup looking still in place at the finish line. Waterproof makeup is also your best friend if you have those products on hand. But if you don’t, setting spray is your insurance. I also try not to touch my face the whole time I’m running, even if I’m sweating. I just let it bounce off to not risk smearing or smudging anything. Personally for me, I found my makeup perfectly intact after both the 5k and 10k as I didn’t sweat that much and nothing ran or smeared. I only had to do simple touch ups and adding false lashes post-race before hitting the parks. I was able to shower so I was fresh to go to the parks, but was able to leave my face intact without having to start over. The half marathon was a different story though. Running over 2 hours will take more out of you and I had salt all over my face after my sweat had dried. Gross, I know, but I’m here to give you the reality of it if you’re interested in running and want to know what to prepare for. After the half, I definitely did a full shower and full redo of all my makeup before hitting up the parks for the day. But because the parks are my priority when I’m on my runcation, I’ve learned to get ready a little faster than I normally do because I really just want to get going.
Eat something - I’m not talking about a full hearty breakfast but like before a workout, you always want to fuel up with something. When I trained at home, I always found that I ran better, longer and farther when I ate a banana versus a protein bar. Find what works for you. Eat something small, light and easy. You don’t want something that will hurt your stomach during the race. But you also don’t want to run on empty either. You’ll feel the effects of your stomach grinding and growling the whole time or you’ll feel light headed, dizzy, or low energy. It’s just not a good idea, especially on race day, trust me. Lucky enough, after each race you're provided bananas. I saved one after each race for the next day's pre-race fuel.
Go to the bathroom - I’m not a fan of port-a-potties, especially in the dark at 3-5am. And luckily for me, I don’t have that type of race anxiety but I do see long lines from the race waiting area all the way up to the corrals and then even on the race course itself. I don’t know how people get like that so early on in the race, but all I can say is I’m lucky enough that when I run, my body engages into fight or flight mode so all that gets shut down. I honestly for some reason never have to use the bathroom at all when I run, or even when I work out in the gym for 3 hours. But if you’re the type of person who does find yourself needing to use the bathroom more often than me, then my suggestion would be to try and go before you leave your hotel room as it’s more sanitary and comfortable, and then try to drink as little water as possible before the race starts. During the race itself, yes it’s important to definitely hydrate but try to take small sips and be mindful of your water intake so you’re not hunting down a bathroom the entire race. The good news is on the race course, once you leave the highway/road portions and enter the parks portion, the park bathrooms ARE open! So definitely use those instead of the port-a-potties.
Charge everything - And I mean everything. Phone. Battery. Wireless Headphones if you use them. Update everything so you don’t catch yourself in the middle of a mandatory auto-update like I did 5 minutes before my half started and then freaking out if you don’t have your running app on and your music playing to help push you through that first mile. The funny thing is when I trained at home, I realized I was able to run the full length of a half marathon with my phone on one charge. So I didn’t bring my portable charger and running belt with me. But I did NOT anticipate that forced auto-update that drained 20% of my battery that morning. Luckily, I left my running belt with my portable charger inside all ready to go, on top of my dresser back at the hotel getting ready that morning. Once my phone was back in service, I messaged my baby sister during my run and asked her to bring it to me when I met her at the first spectator checkpoint when I got into the parks. I found her, threw her my hoodie as it got warm during my run and didn’t want it hiding my race costume for pictures, snapped on my belt and plugged in my phone and gunned it back down on the race course. I was back in business and my phone/music lasted the rest of the race.

Post-Race To Dos

Smile smile smile - Smile for the cameras as you cross that finish line! Smile as the volunteers bestow that medal upon your neck. Smile at the volunteers handing you bottles of water, Powerade, and your treat box. Smile and take your finish photo at the booths with the I DID IT paddles. Smile and take a damn selfie with you and your medal. Hold that medal up and give it a nice portrait shot. Take every pic possible because you want to remember this moment. And smile because DAMN YOU DID THAT.
EAT EAT EAT HYDRATE - After I finally settled down a bit from my finisher’s high, I always find that I’m really thirsty. That’s why I say to grab those bottles of water and Powerade they hand you. Grab a lot. They’re yours! Remember that hefty race registration fee? Don’t feel guilty about grabbing more than a few bottles. It’s just water and Powerade. Get your money’s worth because you’ll want to hydrate your money’s worth as you wait on the bus/monorail getting back to your hotel. Plus they're $3 a pop in the parks so definitely take advantage of these free drinks. And once you’re all showered and ready to go for the day, you’ll probably find that you’re hella hungry too because of all you ran. My advice would be to make sure you have breakfast reservations somewhere or at least a gameplan of where you want to go to eat if you’re doing quick service dining. You don’t want to be fumbling around last minute as you’re probably starving right now and want a hearty breakfast to reward yourself as well as fuel you for the rest of the day.
Wear comfortable shoes - If you plan on hitting the parks for the rest of the day/event weekend, and you still have more races to run in the next coming days, this is a definite must. Don’t wear new shoes that you haven’t tested or broken in yet. This is not the time for that just because you found a pair of cute shoes you wanted to go with your outfit the day before your trip. You want a nice, comfortable, tried and true pair of shoes that will get you through the rest of the day, especially if you have a lot of activities planned and there’s going to be a bit of walking all over the parks. And I know this sounds funny but WALK WALK WALK. I know you might feel tired after running all that, but trust me, if you keep walking for the day, it’s going to help your recovery that much more and feel better in the long run (pun intended).
Rest - Build in free periods in your day if you think you’ll need time to nap because of that early wake-up call. I didn’t do this because I found my vacation energy allowed me to stay up without feeling tired til I got back to the room at night and got into bed. So instead, I tried to make sure I was back at the resort a semi-reasonable hour to get to bed in time for the next morning’s 3am wake-up call. But definitely make sure you listen to your body if it’s telling you it needs an extra hour of ZZZzz’s throughout the day. You don’t want to collapse and jeopardize the next day’s race. Nap for a few hours if your body is telling you to rest.
Show off your medals! - You spent so much money to do this and then you woke up all those mornings to put in that work so do not feel ashamed or embarassed to wear all your bling to the parks! Wear them proudly and show them off everywhere you go! Last year the waitress was so sweet and gave me priority front row seating to the Epcots fireworks show because she saw my medal. Some photopasses will be on the lookout and they’ll be more than happy to help you take photos to commemorate your visit and achievement. Take advantage of it! You already paid so much to be here and do all this, so take it all in and enjoy it. It’s your time to shine!
Have Fun! - After all, it is a runcation! Make sure you still have fun and enjoy everything. Do everything you want to do, eat everything you want to eat. See the parade, see the fireworks, visit all the characters, ride all the rides. Soak in every Disney minute in the bubble as you possibly can. And remember YOU DID THIS and absolutely no one can take that away from you.

Goals for 2019 & 2020

December 31, 2019

GOALS FOR 2019

M̶a̶i̶n̶t̶a̶i̶n̶ ̶a̶ ̶1̶0̶5̶-̶1̶1̶0̶ ̶l̶b̶ ̶w̶e̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶r̶a̶n̶g̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶u̶s̶t̶a̶i̶n̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶e̶t̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶e̶x̶e̶r̶c̶i̶s̶e̶ ̶b̶a̶l̶a̶n̶c̶e̶.̶
R̶u̶n̶ ̶a̶ ̶h̶a̶l̶f̶ ̶m̶a̶r̶a̶t̶h̶o̶n̶.̶
- You know what they say; once you accomplished one goal, you’ll just go look for another mountain to climb. See goal #1 for 2020, lol.
F̶i̶n̶i̶s̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶p̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶r̶o̶o̶m̶.̶
- It’s not 100% but it’s pretty close! It’s basically my sister’s room now and pretty livable for a guest room so hopefully we just expand further into furnishing it and putting final touches next year.
Italy in the spring? or Paris in the fall? D̶i̶s̶n̶e̶y̶l̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶H̶a̶l̶l̶o̶w̶e̶e̶n̶,̶ ̶D̶i̶s̶n̶e̶y̶w̶o̶r̶l̶d̶ for NYE possibly.
- We stayed domestic for the most part this year but I’m not mad. Did both Disneys so again, can’t be too mad.
Learn to drive stick.
- I didn’t find time to do this since the boy and I are on opposite schedules and rarely have days off together, only twice a month if that so we didn’t really get to use it for me to learn this. One day though.
Finally pick up photography. Learn the basics so I can take and edit my own photos.
- I was just lazy. I’m going to do this for 2020 though! I promise. I just have to sit down and actually read material and watch videos.
Learn how to drive a motorcycle.
- See #5 above.
T̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶p̶h̶o̶t̶o̶s̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶o̶y̶!̶
- I did this! I love this and want to continue this further as we grow old. <3
W̶o̶r̶k̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶c̶r̶e̶a̶t̶i̶v̶e̶s̶.̶
- I did this too! I worked with a few new people this year. It’s really hard to sift through the GWCs and find the gems but I always want to give new people a chance and discover new people to work with because once upon a time I was new too and needed someone to give me a chance so I could grow and develop my own skills. I worked with new photographers, wedding vendors, videographers, brands, and venues. I want to continue this into the new decade too and compare where I end up in 2030. Especially since I started modeling back in 2009. 10 years later and looking back, I definitely grown as a creative myself. Back then, all I had was a Model Mayhem page and barely knew how to pitch ideas to get photographers to work with me. If you asked 2009 me, she would never have imagined that her portfolio today would look the way it does now. Hell, I never even thought I would make it to be fully blonde because of how many hair stylists originally told me it can’t be done.
F̶i̶n̶i̶s̶h̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶p̶h̶a̶r̶m̶a̶c̶y̶ ̶C̶E̶s̶ ̶e̶a̶r̶l̶y̶.̶
- I sat down in September and raced the hell through this! I’m so glad I locked down on it and got it done. Now I can rest easy for my renewal period in 2020. I still got my superpowers.

GOALS FOR 2020

Disney Princess Fairytale Challenge: 5k/10k/Half back to back
- Don’t ask me why but I’m excited but terrified at the same time. I know I run nearly every day but taking all 3 on back to back is nerve-racking. And for some reason, I noticed at the beginning of a race, whether it’s a 5k or a half, I get really nervous and feel like I want to drop out and give up. I have no idea why since I can obviously do this and know I can do it because I do it on the regular. Race jitters.
CUCB 10 miler
- This is scary too because this will be the first race I’m doing on my own as my friends and coworkers missed the deadline to sign up. I thought about backing out but at the same time I really do want to do this and race through those cherry blossoms in the spring. Plus it’ll make for a beautiful quick weekend getaway.
Disney goals: Empty Main Street photo, 4 park challenge’
- I don’t know if I’ll actually get either of these done during February because of all 3 races back to back so early in the morning so I worry about energy levels to stay up late enough to get the empty photo done and energy levels to do all 4 in one day but we’ll see.
Learn the basics of my camera already.
Wear more green.
- I worked on a big goal of making my photos rich in color and color schemes when it came to coordinating wardrobe and background but the one color I didn’t really wear much of was green. Let’s change that for 2020! I’m a color queen when it comes to my feed so let’s live up to it.
Work on upper body strength to be able to handle/pull up my own body weight: chin-ups, pull-ups, push-ups, dips, planks. Work on flexibility to be able to do a split.
- I want to be able to lift myself up if I’m ever hanging off a cliff, with my life on the line. It’s the few things in the gym I can’t do so let’s tackle this on too.
Find new places to shoot that I haven’t shot before yet.
- I worry about it getting monotonous and boring that I keep shooting at the same flower fields and places every year. I want to find more places on Long Island to explore and more nooks and crannies in NYC, as well as my travels.
Work on a balanced relationship with food. Wean myself off checking the scale obsessively.
- Self-explanatory. I want to stop the guilt mentality that comes with eating, and stop placing so much value on a number.
Closet makeover. Get rid of cosplay, downsize further from clothes and items I haven’t used/worn in past 5 years.
- I’m over the cosplay scene. With the exception of a few items, I want to get rid of everything and clean my closet up. Get rid of the dumb posters and make this room look more polished.
Cut down credit card debt. Hopefully get rid of it and get back to a clean slate by the end of 2020.

REFLECTION ON 2019

Travel - I didn’t travel anywhere new this year but the cruise did set me back a bit. I don’t regret it because I really love that I finally got to check off a Disney cruise off my bucket list and experienced it for myself, but had I not taken the trip, I would probably have made a nice dent in fixing my credit card debt rather than making more dents into the debt. So for 2020, I’m going to try and put traveling on the backburner for now and focus on fixing my financials to get them back in order first. It makes sense anyway because the vacations I want to have require more money, time and research. I don’t want to make repeat trips because I didn’t have enough funds the first time to do everything the way I want. Not that I don’t want to go back to certain places more than once, but like how I relentlessy re-did cosplays over and over because I wasn’t happy with them the first time, I don’t want to keep wasting my time revisiting a place because it wasn’t how I wanted the first time. I’d rather wait, and be able to afford it and go on the trip I want, the way I intended it the first time around. No more shortcuts and compromises.
Blog Growth - This year was filled with collaborations, content, outreach, engagement, invites. It was a nice year of growth and learning how to network and navigate public relations with brands, venues and companies. I get rejected and ghosted a lot when I reach out for collaborations but I also found that for every one that wouldn’t work with me, there were still many more opportunities reaching out to me, asking me to work with them and wanting me to stop by and visit. I tried to do as many as I could fit in my schedule. I really didn’t expect all this to happen so I’m grateful for these opportunities when they do come my way. I still don’t have a central theme like fashion, makeup or travel or anything unfortunately, as I’m still all over the place with my writing and posts. Maybe 2020 will be the year I hone in on this and find my niche.
Exercise - Last year I worked on losing weight, this year I worked on maintaining it and staying in shape year round, with slight weight loss a few weeks before each trip to give myself wiggle room for impending weight gain. I’m really proud of myself though to finally laying down good habits because I really did go to the gym nearly every day this year. I only had a few days off a month, if that and mostly on days where I went to the city to work on shoots, gram tours and content for my blog. I practiced at least 60 minutes of active time a day (mostly 2-3 hours in the gym but if I was strapped for time then I made sure I did at least 1 hour of activity), and averaged about 15-20k steps a day. I told myself I would stop running after the half but here I am today still at it. I run at least 5k when I do a short run and I try to do at least one 10k run a week. During the spring and fall when the temps were moderate, I was running 10ks every 2-3 days. I worked a LOT on my endurance and stamina. This is a huge step up from last year as well as my active life overall in general. I really hope to continue these habits into the new decade.
Diet - I feel like I’m still working on this but it’s forever a work in progress. I do make a conscious effort to eat more protein and less sugar and carbs. I’m also more conscious of watching my portion sizes. I go back and forth still from diet days and cheat days. For 2020, I want to continue with diet control and smarter eating. I want to aim for eating clean 90% of the time and reduce my cravings further to eliminate moments of weakness. I do notice the difference in energy levels and physical well-being when I’m eating clean so hopefully I can cement that into my mentality to make that better choice.
Photoshoots - In 2017, I had set a goal of doing at least one shoot a month and since then I kept the same goal and fulfilled it. In 2020, I want to continue this, but hopefully build upon it even more and step up my game further as well. Last year I said I wanted to show that ordinary places could photograph extraordinary, to show that you can turn any place into something magical through photos. You can take beautiful photos anywhere as long as you have a good eye. And that’s what I did. I used everywhere I went as a natural backdrop for shoots and worked it. Although I worry sometimes about running out of ideas, wardrobe and places to shoot. 2019 was so good to me in all the opportunities I had and all the places I got to shoot. I worry about peaking and not able to come up with more. I’m not sure how yet but I really do want to up my game further for 2020. I want to do more new styles, find newer locations I haven’t shot in yet and work with more new people to expand my network. I want to expand my body of work further and build upon my forever evolving portfolio.
Adventures/Time Spent With Family/Friends - This year was packed with even more dates with my sisters! I enjoyed this a lot and I really hope to continue this trend next year. I’m excited for our trip in February and now my mom’s coming too! We also spent this past year taking my parents out to eat a lot and showing them new places and spending time with them in general. It’s a big shift and change in our family dynamic compared to how we were growing up with our parents. Wounds are healing and new relationships are forming. There have also been some rough bumps in the road along the way this year unfortunately but we’re working on it. I learned that sometimes, you have to let people learn some lessons on their own. You can still love them but you have to stand aside and let them figure out situations on their own. You can say all you want but in the end, the individual will make their own life choices and you have to either choose to live with them and see how it plays through or lose them. I’m afraid of losing this person in my life so unfortunately I have to sit tight and let this one ride out. As for my friends, we didn’t get to really spend time as much as I would like to but I’ve also come to terms with this. Again, you have to give people room to grow and find their own path. Everyone is not on the same path and that’s okay. I miss the old days where we would do everything together but I know one day when we all have it figured out, we’ll be together again. I do appreciate the times when the stars do align and we do get to make time to see each other once a month or so. I’m rooting for my loved ones to excel in everything they’re working on so it’s really amazing to sit back and watch them work on their goals and see them make their dreams come true, one step at a time.
Downsizing - I feel like I did pretty well this year. I sold a lot of my dresses, donated a lot of clothes, and didn’t shop as much as I usually do. I didn’t have any big purchases or hauls. When I do shop, I do try to consciously choose versatile pieces I will use again and again. I try to find pieces I can invest in that will last more than a few wears/seasons. I want to continue this trend further into 2020 and start working on a new mindset for the next decade of my life. When shopping, I’m going to try and limit myself to just a few trendy pieces for the season and ask myself before purchasing if I see myself wearing this more than once. Will I use this again? If it’s a one and done look, drop it. If it’s something that can be styled and restyled and last through time and become something classic, then definitely purchase.

2019 was a great year, even though I didn’t go anywhere new or did anything “groundbreaking.” Like 2018, it was another year of personal growth. The personal wins were still groundbreaking to me. I mean, I still can’t believe I conquered a half marathon. It seems like forever ago but it was just 10 months ago. And I thought it was the end but it only set me up for another challenge to take on, hahaha! And I worked extensively on my portfolio and honestly loved a LOT of the work I did this year. The quality in my photos has improved and I’m walking away with a lot of my top favorite photos ever created, from this year alone. I put a lot of work into this blog this year too with all the emails and networking and research. When comparing my 2019 me to my past self, I would definitely say I leveled up further. And that’s what you’re supposed to do. Don’t compare your timeline to other people’s timeline. The only competition you have is yourself. Conquer your weaknesses, improve upon your strengths. Unlock your potential and tap into your power.

Did I peak in 2018? I mean, how much more can I do in 2019 to step up my game in everything? But you don’t know if you don’t go. I’m ready to jump into 2019 and see what great things lay ahead. Cheers to 2018 and it’s great gifts, and here’s to what the new year will bring us!

I wrote this in last year’s reflection and it’s funny because although in retrospect I feel like I definitely didn’t peak in 2018 but further stepped up my game in 2019 and did even more that I’m proud of and expanded further in my portfolio and everything I do, I’m still afraid of this for 2020. I mean, it can only get better from here, right? And yet at the same time, I worry that 2020 might not live up to everything I rushed to do so far in life. I’m scared but excited to see what new unexpected challenges and opportunities are on the horizon for me. For those of you still following along and reading, thank you truly for following me on this journey! Let’s sail into 2020 full force and show this bitch who’s really boss.

Disney Magic

November 29, 2019

There’s so much we have to talk about! Halloween on the High Seas was the theme of my Disney cruise and it was a interesting new way to celebrate and experience my favorite holiday, birthday and anniversary! Where do we begin? I want to be as thorough as possible with details so I’m going to try and go over whatever I can think of as I sift through my photos.

We chose a cruise leaving out of New York to avoid the inconvenience of having to fly out before boarding our boat. We simply drove to the cruise terminal and parked our car there for the week. The cruise parking structure unfortunately was not immediately adjacent to our cruise, but it wasn’t too far from it either. We walked two blocks over to get to our boat as there was another cruise docked there also departing that same evening. Check-in was very smooth and easy, and we were on board within 30 minutes after going through security, checking our bags and signing in to get our room keys. We didn’t have to wait at all after getting our card even though there was a “boarding area” for you to sit and wait to be called. We just walked on. Not that I have ever had any issues with previous cruises, but I can definitely sense the “Disney” atmosphere and friendly vibe as they made you feel welcome and top priority. I felt like getting on our Disney cruise was faster than any cruise I’ve ever had in the past. They worked fast, efficient and very friendly, making you feel like a VIP.

The crew on board was also very friendly and welcoming upon entering the atrium, and we learned that every family gets formally announced and applauded for joining the sailing. We proceeded to our staterooms first to check out the accomodations.

The Staterooms

Compared to Norwegian and Royal, Disney is very spacious! We got a balcony room but I did get a peek at the interior cabins and those were roomy too. There was plenty of room to move around, and plenty of storage space provided. The closets were spacious and we each got a nice set of drawers to stow away all our clothes for the week. The vanity space is also very nice, with plenty of cabinets, lights and outlets. The outlets were also in working condition and were not loose at all when plugging all our electronics in.

We had a queen size bed and a couch which also converts to bunk beds that drop down from the ceiling at night. My hubby wanted to see this feature but since it was just the two of us, I didn’t want to bother housekeeping and make her take it down just for us to see it. In retrospect, I probably should have for research and photo purposes. There was a lamp on each side of our bed which I noticed had lampshades with a map on it. The maps were so cute, with a Mickey in place of almost each country that had a park in the world: Florida, California, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Shanghai is not depicted since its the latest and newest park and the Disney Magic’s inauguration was long before Shanghai was built.

I noticed the bathrooms were divided into two rooms. One for the toilet and one for the shower/bath. Both had its own sink. I thought this was pretty convenient, especially since this is a family oriented cruise. It saves you time waiting for someone else to be done with the bathroom if all you need is to brush your teeth or whatever. In previous cruises I’ve sailed, the bathroom was all one room. It’s a small detail but I thought this was definitely a notable detail. And also that it wasn’t just a shower! The bathtub provided is a decent size too. And omg, I am a weirdo but I always notice the water pressure wherever I go and Disney did not disappoint. Usually in my experience with cruises, the water pressure when showering is pretty low because let’s face it, you’re on a boat and sharing water with 93721 other people so you can’t expect much but Disney has it on full blast at all times of day. I would probably rebook Disney based off of water pressure alone. It’s a great thing to have after a long hot day in the Bahamas and all you want is a nice shower to feel fully clean.

Inside the closet, there is a safe for you to stow away your valuables and laundry bags provided in case you should need anything laundered. But if you want to do your laundry yourself because families do tend to pile up quicker and of course that gets to be expensive, there are laundry rooms provided on 3 different floors of the ship, which also provides an ironing board, should you need to iron out anything you bring along for formal night or whatever. I found this convenient as I dewrinkled several of my dresses I brought along that were creased in my luggage.

Oh yes, walking around the ship, I noticed a lot of doors were decorated. I’ve seen this on previous cruises before but Disney lovers definitely do it up! I was not prepared for this and didn’t think it was a big deal if I didn’t dress up my door but I guess for next trip, I know better. I DID know about it reading up on Disney cruises before this trip but I didn’t take it seriously enough. For those who want to be more prepared, there are Disney groups on Facebook and such you can join where you can find out who’s sailing on your date/cruise and join in a “Fish Extender” gift exchange. You simply decorate your door, place a hanging fabric mailbox outside your door on the ‘fish’ outside your stateroom that designates your room number and sit back and watch the exchanging begin. You also are expected to buy little gifts for the other guests on board participating in the exchange with you. This exchange isn’t Disney sponsored or anything, but organized and run solely by passengers.

I did also notice that compared to other ships I’ve been on, the Disney Magic is quite small in size. At first I was a little disappointed as I was used to grander ships, but towards the end of the cruise, the smaller size grew on me and I realized I actually prefer smaller cruises. Why? The quality and service. A bigger cruise might look grander and more impressive but in the end, with a smaller attendance, you can pay more attention to detail and to your guests. Everything was always clean and well maintained or rotated out.

I also didn’t have to climb too too many stairs since it had less floors than a grander ship. The Disney Magic had ample elevators all around the ship, but the elevators were smaller in size for some reason compared to Royal and Norwegian. I thought this was funny because the size of the other guests were…for lack of a better term, very Wall-E sized if you ever saw the movie. If you’ve ever been to any of the Disney parks, you know what I’m talking about. I’m not trying to be mean, I just think that Disney should have bigger sized elevators considering the range of sizes of its clientele. Most elevators on the ship would fit no more than 4-6 people, and that’s if you’re squeezing, not standing comfortably. There were also a lot of guests in scooters which meant they could be the only one in the elevator. So I opted to take the stairs as often as possible to free up elevators for those that needed it, as well as use it as an excuse to get my steps in and walk off my Mickey waffles. I didn’t find it challenging at all when I had to navigate from one area of the ship to the other. I got to wherever I needed to go pretty quickly and in decent time. Because it is a smaller ship, there is obviously smaller attendance and it didn’t take as long when debarking and re-embarking the ship for port stops/excursions. I didn’t have to wait on a long line at any point on the cruise. There was always plenty of room to walk and plenty of lounge chairs if you wanted to sit by the pool. No one area ever felt too crowded.

Activities/Entertainment/Shows

Disney Theaters

The Disney Magic has 2 theaters on board; The Walt Disney Theater and The Buena Vista Theater. The Walt Disney Theater hosted both movies and live shows, while the Buena Vista Theater showed recent movies rotating throughout the week. Maleficent 2 had just been released a few days before my sailing so I thought it was pretty awesome they were showing such a recent release so soon on the cruise complimentary but hey, it’s Disney. You’re in the best hands here. The Walt Disney Theater had different live shows every night and each show plays twice since there are two different times for dinner seatings so you can conveniently catch it before or after your dinner slot. The live shows are really cute to watch, as a few of them were a medley of Disney stories, one was Tangled, and one was the Nightmare Before Christmas sing-along with Jack and Sally surprising the audience with an appearance at the end, and then staying around for photos.

Character Photos

Speaking of photos, the amount of character appearances for photos are amazing on the cruise. The wait times were never more than 15-20 minutes at a time and from 9 in the morning till 8-9 at night, there was always a character nearly every half hour to meet. I believe you have to sign up to meet certain characters like the princesses but this is easily attainable by simply going to the front desk on the first day of the cruise. But all other characters, you simply just had to show up during their time slot. As long as you were in line, you were guaranteed to meet them. They close lines off 15 minutes after each slot to prepare for the next character. The rotation was very efficient and worked well. I’ve never been able to see so many characters so quickly with such little wait, unless it was a character dining experience. But it’s a Disney cruise! You get what you pay for and the sticker price of this cruise alone warranted unlimited character experiences. They also have a great variety of characters and costumes every day of the cruise so they’re not like the regular characters you already see in the parks. They have their cruise outfits on or their Halloween costumes on depending on the night you see them. Captain Jack Sparrow even shows up on pirate night! Some characters I saw available were Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale, Daisy, Donald, Stitch, Cinderella, Tiana, Rapunzel, Captain Hook & Smee, Jack & Sally, Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Marvel, and Captain America (a lot of captains with this sea theme, I see what you did there, Disney). You can catch Mickey in various costumes as well if you’re trying to see him in every costume. He has an island vacation Mickey look, a captain look, a pirate look, Sorcerer Mickey look and a Halloween look. This gives you ample opportunity and chances all throughout the cruise to not only meet your favorite character but in different outfits if you want to match them and coordinate your outfits so pack accordingly.

Themed Nights

There are also a few different themed nights on the cruise. There’s formal night, pirate night and Halloween night. You bet your bottom dollar I coordinated outfits for each and every day/night on the cruise.

Formal night, you can find all the characters in their formal wear during dinner hours with ample photography opportunities and professional sessions for the family. You can sign up in advance or wait on line with everyone else but lines moved fairly quick. Every cruise I’ve been on, regardless of Disney always holds one formal night which is a really cute and fun excuse to dress up, but is also optional for those who don’t care for it much, like my husband. You can dress to the nines or just go cruise casual if that’s more your boat.

Pirate night was also a lot of fun. They provide each guest with a cute Mickey bandana if you didn’t bring anything to dress up, but there is also some merch to buy in the shops on board if you want to get decked out. I decided to dress up as Tinkerbell that night, which ended up being a big hit since no one else really thought to dress as her. I would have thought it was the easiest answer since Hook and Smee but everyone I met said it slipped their minds when they thought of pirates. I’m the only weirdo who remembers this detail and her association with pirates. After dinner, on the top deck, they hold a pirate dance party, with Mickey ziplining across the boat before surprising us with a firework show! I was so entranced. I never thought about fireworks on a cruise, haha. And right after, they hold a nice food party back in the buffet area with tons of food. There were even turkey legs available during this time which I thought was pretty awesome. I believe the pirate themed nights are available on Disney cruises sailing to the Caribbean.

Halloween night was similar to trick or treating at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, but a condensed version on the ship. They hold a dance party in the atrium for everyone at two different intervals (due to accommodate the two different dinner seatings) where the entire ship is invited to come out in their Halloween wear and trick or treat and meet all their favorite characters in Halloween costume! I didn’t notice til the end that the bag they give you to trick or treat is slightly different from the park one, with Halloween on the High Seas detailed on it instead of MNSSHP. Haha, it’s the little things but I appreciate how they even make the bags exclusive to the sailings. My only qualm with the Halloween night is that it only lasted one night. I understand the actual Halloween holiday is one night, but to make the cruise Halloween themed, I expected a little more activity wise than just one night. The opportunity was definitely there being a 7 day cruise. Maybe I’m just a weirdo who can’t get enough of Halloween, lol. The one thing that was nice was that they did not hold their Halloween night on actual Halloween day, which happened to be the day we were docked at Port Canaveral and in the parks for Halloween. This meant that you would not have to miss the cruise’s Halloween celebration if you were celebrating Halloween in the parks.

Kids Clubs / Kid Services / Babysitting
I found there were a few different venues for kids on board, based on age. They had everything from nurseries to teen clubs. I found the toddler aged club to be the cutest and most instagrammable with Andy’s room and the Marvel lounge.They held an open house on the first night of the cruise which I stumbled upon while exploring the ship, which was great because I probably would have never otherwise saw it since we don’t have kids so I wouldn’t have had access to it any other way. I don’t know much about kids services since I didn’t have a need for it but I can tell you about what I saw. In a nutshell, it’s unlimited babysitting provided by Disney starting at 9am every morning til midnight. A Disney cruise can be as family friendly quality time as you want, or as anti-family as you want if you’re looking for some time off to relax to yourself. For example, I witnessed a child throw a temper tantrum at dinner. Dad picked up his phone, called the Disney babysitting team and they picked up his child and dad walked away sipping his cocktail. It was the funniest thing I saw. A Disney SWAT team. The children are all registered and tracked via special magicbands on the ship. If you want to enjoy a dinner alone with your significant other, child-free, that can be arranged too. Disney will feed your children for you while you enjoy a nice adults-only dinner. If you’re worried about kids not wanting to stay in the kids club, worry not, they don’t seem to ever want to leave anyway from what I saw, but if they want to leave, a Disney member will contact you via the little phones they provide to each stateroom on the ship to let you know your child is ready to picked up. But from what I saw, the cast members have plenty of activities to keep them busy and engaged all day. This is probably why Disney costs so much. The unlimited babysitting so that mom and dad can really enjoy themselves and relax on a real vacation.
Shops
I found a few shops on board the ship. There are shops with Disney merchandise, like a condensed version of the Disney Store in malls, but selling specially-designed exclusive Disney Cruise Line merchandise, costumes and accessories, and even the painter’s brush butter knife from Animator’s Palate. There are also fine jewelry shops, art galleries, as well as the photo gallery where you can view any photos that were taken by Disney photo passes on the ship and a professional photo studio if you’re interested in private sessions instead of the quick ones during dinner time in the atrium.

Dining/Food

My favorite topic! So Disney dining is very interesting.

Generally for breakfast, I learned you can have table service in the restaurant in which you had dinner the night before, or you can head up to Cabanas, the buffet style food court. You can also order breakfast to be delivered to your room, as room service is free and available 24/7. There are breakfast order forms in your vanity desk drawer that just have to be filled out and placed outside your door by 3am. We found Cabanas to our liking so we headed up there every morning for unlimited Mickey waffles. They do a nice breakfast spread as you can get anything from regular breakfast foods like waffles, pancakes, french toast, eggs, sausage, and bacon to congee which I loved, steak, and a grand assortment of pastries, cereal and fresh fruit. Everything is rotated out pretty frequently but if you’re looking for anything in particular, they’ll make it for you fresh on the spot and bring it to where you’re sitting. Cabanas is also open for lunch and switches over to that menu around 11am til around 3pm. Although honestly, I can’t attest to the table service restaurants because I didn’t know about it til later on, but even more quite honestly, I don’t think we ever would have made it because we always strolled into breakfast pretty late. The only days we went in early were Castaway Cay and Disney World days, which we wouldn’t have been able to anyway since those days were quick grab and go days.

There are also 3 quick service stations that are open for lunch hours; Daisy De-lites, Pinocchio’s Pizza and Duck-In Diner. Daisy De-lites serves up fresh salads, soups, fruit and cookies. Pinocchio’s Pizza is self explanatory but I loved that you can order a whole pie for yourself instead of just slices if you want a fresh pie to just bring back to your room for yourself. Duck-In Diner was one of my favorites as they had burgers, chicken, schwarma and fries available at any second. I loved the fixings bar so you could build your burger any way you want.

The soda/drink station is available 24/7 along with room service like I said before, with a pretty nice menu selection of goodies should you not feel like leaving your room.

Dinner, however, is a different topic all it’s own. Where do I begin? On the Disney Magic, there are 4 different restaurants, but 3 main ones that you rotate through. You rotate through Lumiere’s, Rapunzel’s Royal Table and Animator’s Palate. The fourth is Palo, the adults-only restaurant serving Northern Italian cuisine which is an additional charge, requires reservations ahead of time and is also hard to book if you don’t snag them the day your cruise reservations open up (which depends on if you’re a first time sailor or how many times you’ve sailed with them in the past.) Thankfully I stalked enough Disney IG accounts to know this and was able to snag at least a dinner reservation although I would love to try their brunch hour next time as its widely raved about. Dinner was truly a treat but I’ll get to that in a minute.

Lumiere’s was the first restaurant we dined at for dinner. Sadly I forgot to take photos of the interior since we were seated towards the back so I kept forgetting to get up later to take photos. The food was absolutely delicious and my favorite dish was the lobster. In retrospect I should have asked for two orders but I already ordered two appetizers and a steak entree as well as the lobster. But hey, remember it’s a cruise. You can do whatever you want and order as much as you want. Go crazy! I loved the little details in this restaurant, from the rose and waiter’s vest folded napkin art, to the Lumiere silhouette on our table number placard. This was at every restaurant, but I also appreciated that every bread basket was full of fresh, HOT bread like it was just out of the oven. I hate when the bread baskets are cold. It made me breaking my carb fast worth it to have such warm, delicious fluffy bread. Let me tell you, the chocolate croissants every morning were to die for.

Animator’s Palate was the second restaurant we rotated through and we got to eat here twice! Both nights were completely different and a totally magical experience. The first night we walked in, the entire restaurant was in black and white, even the wait staff's vests. Throughout dinner, they played different clips of Disney animation on the walls and their evolution until we got to present day. At the end of dinner they played a really cute nostalgic medley of all the Disney movies throughout the years and then Sorcerer Mickey came out and the whole restaurant was transformed into color! Even the wait staff's vests got a makeover! The second night we were here, we were given a task of drawing a character. At the end of dinner, they take our character and animate it into various Disney movies for a fun video. We also got certified as official Disney animators, which the husband has now added onto his resume, lol.
The food here was delicious! With fresh tuna tartare, perfectly cooked steak, creamy butternut squash soup, truffle pasta and a cute Mickey in my cappuccino. I couldn't get over the paintbrush butter knife and all the little details on the table. The butter knife is actually available for purchase in one of the shops on board but I forgot all about it. Next time! I've heard about Animator's Palate before my trip but experiencing it for yourself is a totally different story. Good news is this restaurant is available on every Disney cruise and not exclusive to any one ship.

The third restaurant we rotated through is actually one of the reasons I picked the Disney Magic cruise, Rapunzel's Royal Restaurant. It’s no secret she’s my favorite princess with Tangled being my favorite movie. Our first dance at the wedding was to “I See The Light.” Well, Rapunzel’s was an amazing dining experience and it TRULY is beautiful inside. Photos don’t do it justice. I wish they had it in the parks because I want to visit again and again. The ruffians were the cutest and so in character with all their details. Attila's cupcakes are truly sublime and on the dessert menu and Vladimir has his ceramic unicorns at the ready if you ask him about them! They come out to visit you at dinner as well as perform two songs during your seating. They’re very interactive and in character the entire time. At the end of dinner, a cute cake cart is wheeled out for photo ops as you exit. The only unfortunate thing is I only got to dine here once. Our second opportunity was on the same night as our Palo dinner and I would have done both, but I had underestimated how much Palo tries to fill you up. Foodwise, I can’t hate on the restaurant because they had a THANKSGIVING entree with turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing and cranberry sauce. And of course, Attila’s sublime cupcake. I also went crazy here and ordered a second entree just because I can. Well, because that second entree was steak with a butternut squash sauce and I just am in love with everything butternut squash lately. Speaking of which, there was an amazing butternut squash soup at Animator’s Palate that I wish I had more of now that I think about it. Mmmmmmm.

Palo was the 4th and last restaurant we got to try, and it was seriously the cheapest I’ve ever spent on such amazing fine dining. This is probably the one thing I think Disney absolutely undercharges for, for the amount of food you get to try and the quality of food served. The service is absolute divine as they pay attention to every detail and make you feel like a million bucks. When I was selecting what I wanted to try from the menu, my waitress noticed my indecisiveness and even after I finally decided, she took it upon herself to bring out small plates for me to try of the dishes I was on the fence about. The only thing I would have to say that disappointed me was that they gave me so much food I couldn’t finish it all and unfortunately, you can’t bring any of it back to your room for later, which I felt was such a waste. I do have to note though for first time cruisers, this restaurant has a strict dress code policy to make sure to pack something you would “dress to impress” someone. Palo does have a brunch option too which I’ve read so many rave reviews about but unfortunately was not able to snag a reservation for so I can’t report back on the fantabulousness of that. Next time! At the end of dinner, our waitress was so adorable, she brought out a plate marking our anniversary. She said we were free to just take pictures of it or take it back to our room or whatever. I didn’t really know what she meant by this as I felt awkward walking out of a restaurant with a plate but then the next morning I saw another woman walk off the cruise with her own plate and learned that you can keep it to bring home as a souvenir. The things you learn.

Excursions / Ports of Call

My cruise had two stops: Castaway Cay and Port Canaveral. Most of the other days were at sea, so most of this vacation was more relaxing than exploring. But the two days we had on land, were absolutely perfect. It’s like Disney is in this perfect bubble somehow. The last few cruises I was on, had a run in with bad weather and we weren’t able to tender to the private islands. And then before we left, my husband had checked the weather and it was initially reported to rain on the day we were at Port Canaveral but then the day we got there, it was all sun and blue skies…albeit hot.

Castaway Cay

Disney does the private island experience right. I felt like a VIP being able to step right off the boat onto the private island without need of tendering boats like other cruises. It makes a BIG difference in managing time between activities to make sure you can do everything you want to do before having to get back on the boat. Since you walk right back on, you don’t have to stand around and wait 20-30 minutes for the next ferry back. I saw the ads for this view everyday before my vacation and let me tell you, they don't do this view justice, for once it's something that exceeds expectations when it comes to that IG vs reality life. You just gotta be there to see it in person how beautiful it really is. We were so lucky to have beautiful blue skies every day. It really is exclusive and private and never feels overcrowded like you have to fight for a chair or float. There’s also plenty of activities to do and sign up for and the island is small but still big enough to explore with plenty of space for everyone. There’s 3 different beaches to choose from, if one happens to feel more crowded than the other to you (with one being an exclusive adults-only beach for that extra secluded and peaceful atmosphere. There’s even a kids club on the private island you can dump your kids at if you want to head to the adults only beach on your own.) There’s bike rentals, snorkeling, floaties galore and food everywhere.

They even have a Castaway Cay 5k challenge for avid runners, which is free to sign up for and do, and even comes with a cute medal to take home upon completion. The only thing is, it’s not advertised anywhere for you to know about it other than ask at the front desk. I only knew to ask because I remembered seeing something on RunDisney’s Instagram about it and I’m so glad I did. I’m a sucker for the medals even if it’s a dinky rubber one but now I have another Disney medal to add to my belt. You have to run first thing in the morning though so if you’re interested in doing this, get up early, eat breakfast and make your way off the boat as soon as they give you permission to go ashore.

I signed us up for a stingray adventure and we had a blast! We got to feed them and swim and snorkel with them. I always forget how much I do enjoy tropical vacations with my hubs. This trip was really romantic despite how it looks like I'm on a trip by myself because my hubby hates being in pics but I promise you he's here.

Disney World

Port Canaveral was one of my port calls. And so, Disney World is the destination of choice for a Disney cruise sailing near the Caribbean. At some point I’m going to run out of things to say about Disney World but alas! The Disney Cruise does not disappoint. There are tricks of the trade that I learned about booking a cruise that goes to the happiest place in the world as one of its stops.

Buses are provided, complimentary, to shuttle you to the parks, as well as a complimentary park hopper admission along with 3 pre-loaded fast passes with no reservation required! You simply walk up to the ride of your choice and tap your card at the fast pass station. After all 3 are used up, then you can simply book more throughout the day. This was especially helpful for those hard to snag fast pass rides, no matter how early you wake up on the day your fast pass window opens up.So say you’ve never had a chance to ride Avatar’s Flight of Passage, one of the famed and hard to snag fast pass rides. Well this is where you can use your pass go, collect $200 fast pass to jump right on it without needing an actual reservation. This is amazing since you only have one day in the parks and Disney tries to help you maximize as much of the time you have there as possible.

Which brings me to my next point. When I was on Norwegian, they did offer excursions to the park, but of course you had to pay for both the park ticket and bus service separately and unfortunately, they only provide you a few hours in the park. No more than 6-7 hours, honestly. The bus gets you there around 12 and you have to get back on around 6. Which leaves you not much time to do anything at all, especially if the day happens to be a busy day in the parks. The bus also drops you off far from the park and you still have to take Disney’s TTC to get to Magic Kingdom.

With Disney Cruise Line, this is not the case. The buses are very efficient in getting you to the front of the parks, you step off and you’re at the front gates, ready to go through security and walk in. You also get a LOT of time. The first bus is available around 7am so you can get to the parks even before opening time and you’re required to be back on the ship by midnight, originally. You get a Cinderella deal, essentially. BUT! On my particular cruise, the day we were docked in Port Canaveral happened to be Halloween of all days, which meant the Halloween party would be running that night and these parties run til midnight. I had my travel agent call to check before I booked my Halloween party tickets what time the last bus would leave and originally she told me I had to be on the 10pm bus back to the cruise. The night before we were to arrive in Disney World, the cruise sent out a letter to all guests that they were extending our time to 2am! We had til 2am to be back on the cruise so we could enjoy ALL of Halloween at the parks. This was absolutely amazing news to me. It gave me a better bang for my buck, since you have to purchase the Halloween party tickets separately (the cruise only provides park admission, not party admission so if you didn’t have a party ticket, you have to leave Magic Kingdom by 6pm and either head back to the cruise or choose a different park to remain in for the rest of the night) and the party itself did not start til 7pm. Originally I was worried I wouldn’t have enough time to do everything I wanted with a window of 7pm-10pm for the Halloween party but with the time extension, I ended up doing EVERYTHING and then being too tired to continue and actually ended up on the 11pm bus back because we were just that exhausted since being up since 5am to get ready that morning.

I also maximized my day by starting the morning in Hollywood Studios, having lunch at Port Orleans and then heading to Magic Kingdom around 3pm to ride rides and take all my photos before the party started. I changed outfits 3 times throughout the day to make use of the time I had in the parks for one day. So there’s my secret to all of you wondering why my Instagram feed looks like I’m still at Disney, hahaha. I simply plan all my outfits in advance, organize it into smaller bags with accessories, shoes, ears and all, and then throw it into one big tote bag. I rent out a locker for the day so I don’t have to carry the bag around with me, and I simply go back to the locker when I want to change out. Best $12 I ever invested at Disney, lol. Trust me, if you’re extra like me and want to shoot different cute outfits at the park, it’s the best thing ever. It’s also great for if the parks are hot and you want a fresh change of clothes. Although, my husband is spoiled after staying at the Contemporary last year so the other strategy is also just staying at a hotel right next door to Magic Kingdom so I can go back and change, as well as take a break and nap if needed, so that’s another alternative to the locker hack.

The buses back to the cruise are also waiting for you outside of the gates to the park so that’s another plus. You don’t have to worry about waiting for a monorail or whatever back to your bus, and thus, no worrying about factoring in travel time when leaving the park to get to your bus.

In conclusion!

So there you have it! Almost a month later but I’m finally done with it. Hopefully I covered everything but if you have any further questions, feel free to ask!

Lastly, would I book this again? Originally when I got home, I said no because of the price and I did feel that this is more geared to families and what value they gain out of it, but honestly now, Disney is a jerk at what they instill in you subliminally. I miss the “when you wish upon a star” blowhorn every morning and during captain announcements. I miss having unlimited Mickey waffles and being able to ask for Mickey bars at my beck and call. I miss walking out my door and waiting no more than 15 minutes to see any given character. I miss the blue Bahamian waters, blue skies and warm sun. I miss all the Mickey decor and Disney theming of the cruise and the restaurants and the magic. The service. The music. The damn unparalleled water pressure. Disney is pure magic.

So yes. Unfortunately for my wallet, Disney has done it again. I would like to try the other cruise ships, especially the new one currently being built right now. One of the current boats sailing also has Tiana’s restaurant on board so that would be another bucket list item to check off and try.

I swear though, in 3 years time when my student loans are finally done with. It’s over for you guys. My full potential will be unleashed and more recklessness will ensue.