New runDisney plans!

Hey Mousers!

In the last post (here), I had been debating on wether or not to re-register for the Disneyland Half Marathon.  As well as how cool it would be to try the new challenge: The Dumbo Double Dare.

Well.

The universe apparently had other plans for me because on the day registration opened, while I was at work, the Dumbo Double Dare challenge completely filled up in AN HOUR! So... that plan was pretty much toast.
Then I debated... do I want to run just the Disneyland Half? or save for the Tinkerbell Half?  Either way I was talking about quite a bit of money and I need to be absolutely sure.  I went to bed that night thinking of my options, went to work the next morning, came home at lunch..... and the entire race was SOLD OUT.
Yup! This race made history last year by selling out in a little over a month.  This year? 26 hours!

Thats INSANE.

As much as I'd love to be part of the new challenge, I have a feeling this year's Disneyland Half Marathon weekend is going to be a mad house.  It will be interesting to watch the events as they unfold via the interwebs :)

So now what?  I said I had new runDisney plans, didn't I?


Heck Yes, I do!!

After some conversations with my running partner, aka my cousin (Hi Stephanie!), we couldn't decide on a single race to do.....

So we're doing 3!!!


We're going to be running the Coast to Coast Challenge in 2014 as well as the Dumbo Dare!

I'm so excited as this means my 2nd trip to Walt Disney World is in the works!! My first visit was in 2005 with my sister and it was so much fun.  A trip I'll never forget.

RunDisney will always have a special place in my heart because it was my motivation to get me running the first place.  I've become a much healthier person because of it and I'll be forever grateful.

Who else is planning on any Disney races next year??

Disney + Instagram = AWESOME!

Hey Mousers!

I'm sure many of you have hopped on the Instagram bandwagon by now.  For you iPhone users, you may have been among the first on the app and it may have lost some of it's appeal.  The best recipe for me to recharge something that might seem mundane is to DISNEY IT UP!

The following is my list of Disney "Instagrammers" that provide me with daily photos and information about the parks.
Some cross over to both Disneyland and Walt Disney World but the majority are from my home park, Disneyland.


in no particular order..
tiggerlovesyou
reedycreekradio
sallydollx13x
amy_wolff
danielwanderman
datelinedisneyland
futureprobe1982
deaddjinn
derek75
beforeidie_disney
waltsmagic
matteroffact_disney
disneysisters
disney_page
_goofball
dlponline
disneyparkster
dustysage
epcotexplorer
findingmickey
gaberson7
guyselga
disneyhope
imagineerinsta
ivegotnostrings
ninjomnia
jreitz1
thejimdoyle
jaytasmic
leeunkrich
mickeywaffle71
marciodisney
visioneer
mrdaps
sparklynicole
disneyy_nerd
otisney
princessacrystal
disneylanddork13
mrdisneynerd
petrelligurl
nonsensicalsteph
stitchkingdom
zannaland
touringplans
unhealthydisneyobsession
vinylmationnation
wonderfulworldofcolor

... and of course if you'd like to follow my Instagram, you can find me @anniemcbeth

Please remember that is a list of the people I personally follow.  They control their own content, and while I don't believe they'd post anything offensive or inappropriate for underage viewers, please follow their account at your own risk (so to speak).

Happy 'gramming!

5 new things I learned about The Disney Parks this week

That I didn't know before... 

1.  When inquiring about the lack of a Holiday overlay to the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World, I learned 3 new facts:

A: Walt Disney World is referred to as an "International Park" 

B: Disneyland is referred to as a "Local's Park" 

C: The consensus for the lack of a Haunted Mansion Holiday is a result of Disney wanting first time guests (which seem to be more common due to International tourism) able to enjoy the classic attraction in it's original, shall we say... mortal, state. 

*shout out to Zannaland for answering my question on Instagram*

2.  In a recent article put out by Al Lutz over at MiceChat, I learned that Cast Members, when factoring the amount of fastpasses made available on any given day, have to consider how many Guest Assistance passes have/will be given out (which includes their entire party) as they set the machines.  

I also was enlightened about how big a problem the fastpass lines have actually become in regards to misuse of this Assistance system, which leads to extremely long Fastpass return lines, thus forcing Cast members to further crank down the number of tickets distributed. 

3.  In the same article, Lutz confirmed the bad news we'd all been hoping to not hear about the Annual Cast Member Christmas party...  After 53 years of Christmas tradition, it has been cancelled.  There are a lot of politics, I'm sure, that have gone into this decision from the "higher up's", but I don't want to get into all that.  This is a sad thing, indeed, to see go.  Walt, himself, started the parties as a way to say Thank You to all the cast members who worked so hard at making the magic all year. 

4.  My most favorite Fireworks show I've ever seen at Disneyland is BACK!!  Back in 2005, Disneyland debuted a special tribute show as part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration.  Remember... Dreams  Come True ran through the next few years and then was replaced by a few different shows that never truly lived up to the latter. This week it came back! I'm so excited to visit for Halloweentime and watch it again. I'm not sure how long the run is going to be, but I'd assume through the holiday crowds - as it is a definite pleaser! 

5.  Last but not least, Disney announced that we will again be seeing price hikes on Annual Passes and Day Tickets this winter.  As a long time pass holder, I'm so glad for the monthly payment options as there would be no way I could justify spending that chunk of money flat out in one day.  If you plan to purchase entry to the park any time soon, be it APs or tickets, try to do it soon. 

I'll leave you with a fun picture to play "Where in Disneyland?"...

leave your guesses/answers below in the comment section :) 

Have a great weekend!