I am more of a runner than a Disney-addict, so this report might have a slight emphasis on the running part. This was our second Disney run weekend in Paris.
We booked our hotel (Sequoia Lodge), bibs and Photopass with the exclusive travel partner for the Netherlands, to avoid the virtual scramble during the bib-only sale. This year we travelled by direct Thalys train from the Netherlands, which worked out being cheaper (and more relaxed) than driving.
Left on Friday morning, arrived at Sequoia Lodge shortly before noon. Checking was at the group check-in facility (outside, near the Golden Forrest lounge entrance). There was literally no one in line and the room was ready. We then proceeded to the Expo, walked straight up to the 36K challenge area. Like last year on Friday afternoon, there were NO lines. Had the pictures taken and the Photopass activated.
Meals: we had a light dinner at Earl of Sandwich on Friday, an early dinner on Saturday at Rainforest Café and the buffet on Sunday at Plaza Gardens. Breakfast was available at Sequioa Lodge from 5AM onwards, and with the plastic bracelet (given only to runners) we had access to a second breakfast session. I did ask the waiter until what time, but got an unclear answer. On Sunday, it did seem to be available still at 10:30.
Corrals:
Found out we were assigned different corrals. Unlike last year, they did seem to have taken into account the predicted finish times for the half marathon. As we wanted to run the 5 and 10 K together, I opted to start for these in corral C. For the half marathon, I did start in my own corral A, which definitively had more trained/experienced runners than corral C. Last year the corrals had a really mixed crowd, so I found that this year was a big improvement on that.
Actually, someone here commented on PoT selection for the half marathon. In fact you could have submitted a PoT: “If you are able to finish the Disneyland Paris–Val d’Europe Half Marathon in less than 1:30 hours, a proof of time will be required to be part of the first group's departure. Otherwise no proof of time is required, you will only have to enter a time higher than 1:30 hours.” As far as I could see, this first group of runners had an “E” on their bibs.
There will always be runners who put down an unrealistic finish time. In fact, at Disney this will certainly be the case, as the earlier you start, the better chances you have for character pictures with short waiting lines. There’s actually not a lot you can do about this, except for PoT, OR perhaps have the character pics nearer the end of the course.
Entertainment at the start, I personally found much better than last year. Although it did help that I understand both English and French. I noticed the presenters did forget to switch to English sometimes.
Logistics:
Having Corral A near the start made much more sense than last year’s layout.
Costumes: although the rules said no long robes and no total face covering, I did see several people who did wear these.
Etiquette:
It might be the custom in the US to pass on both sides and saying “on your left” or “on your right” , this is something very few European runners will understand or stick to. I did do some research, but cannot find any “European” rules. The Berlin marathon simply says: “Take care when passing. Please watch out for your fellow runners when you change lanes or approach a refreshment point.” The whole point is to be aware of your surroundings and your fellow participants. For this reason NYRR and the Berlin marathon inter alia prohibit or discourage the use of headphones (and mobile devices). While I was waiting for the 3 countdowns at Disney, I was surrounded by people recording the moment on their mobile phone. During the race people suddenly cut across for a photo opportunity with a km marker, etc. I knew this from past experience, but it is something to be aware of. Disney Runs are not suited for a PB attempt.
The race itself: half marathon route included the trip through the village again. Bit of a strange place actually, as if passing through a ghost town
. Beware the course is not flat. Plenty of water, sport drinks, toilets etc. on the way. And enough supplies at the finish line as well. We did not use gear drop or changing facilities.
Photopass: Better than last year, although we are missing the pictures taken at the expo after picking up the bibs, and I am missing my half marathon medal pictures taken before the white board, just outside Studios.
We will be back next year in September! The Princess weekend has short runs, for which we will not be travelling over to France.
We did the parks + multi-run for me and my husband. For our ride photos, I've been just taking a picture of the ID number on the screen, assuming we could link them to our Photopass later. But I visited the site today, and it says that you have to have your Photopass card scanned at the attraction. They must recycle the photo numbers pretty quickly because all of ours (even from like 2 hours ago) are already coming up as invalid! So I may have just wasted money upgrading to the version that includes the parks.
about Sequoia Lodge! Multiple flights of stairs, unless you wanted to wait for a tiny, slow elevator, go up one floor, then walk across to the main elevators. That's ok, I told myself it was helping to keep the lactic acid moving out of my legs! And truthfully, I wasn't sore at all the entire week (thanks to marathon training). My only real complaint was my feet hurting from being on them 12+ hours a day for 5 days straight.
