Run Disney expo help please?

Aaryana

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jun 20, 2014
I will be at WDW during the princess marathon weekend. I'd really like to go to the expo to get some princess new balance sneakers. How do I get there? I'll be on property with no car. Do I have to pay to get in? How early should I get there to be able to get the shoes? Thanks! Also if this is already discussed elsewhere please point me in the right direction.
 
The expo is at the ESPN wide world of sports and has transportation at all Disney resorts near where you catch the park buses. It's free to enter. To get the shoes, you need to get a spot on new balance virtual que website 6am the morning you want to get the shoes. By signing up, it gives you a time that you will be able to get the shoes. Google new balance virtual que and all the info is on the page. I think there is a thread in the Rundisney section.
 
Thank you! Are they difficult to get? I really want a pair but I'm also concerned about wasting my whole day and not getting them.
 
Given their new anti-non-competitive runner stance in ads, they may be a lot easier to get as I know many non-competitive runners who are boycotting NB now.
 


^ I'm not a runner at all, competitive or not. But I enjoy having pretty sneakers to wear with my plain blue hospital scrubs. :P

Another question... I read on the virtual queue website that they don't tell you what time to be there until an hour before the time you have to be there. Should I just sit at the expo all day waiting for the text? I don't want to lose out on a whole park day only to not be called until later in the day. At the same time, I worry I'll get the text when I'm on a ride or dining and not be able to get there in time. I'm still not sure how it works I guess... I'll go poke around in the runDisney section a little more.
 
I will be at WDW during the princess marathon weekend. I'd really like to go to the expo to get some princess new balance sneakers. How do I get there? I'll be on property with no car. Do I have to pay to get in? How early should I get there to be able to get the shoes? Thanks! Also if this is already discussed elsewhere please point me in the right direction.

Expo is free. They did virtual lines this last expo. Wed was registered runners only, Thu and Fri were for anyone. Saturday was show up and queue only. You sign up at 6am that morning. You can pre-select shoe and size but switch when you arrive if they have it.

I did Thursday and then Friday for 2 people. I got up and logged on right at 6am and it was quite easy. You are stuck with the time that comes up, but you can try again for a later time. My Friday time didn't work for me so I waited a few minutes and tried again. When I arrived, they signed me in for both so I could clear the one I didn't need and it just rolls back into general inventory.

The website for virtual queue is below. It is currently updated for Star Wars weekend at DL. I imagine it will update for Princess when that comes around.

I highly recommend the queue if you can access it at 6am. I could access from my phone.

They will have event busses for expo running, so no car necessary. (If you had a car, I would say use it as it would be much Quicker.)

You have up to 1 hour after your appt time to pick up your shoes. You do not pre-pay nor are you obligated to purchase.


Arial is a neutral shoe. Minnie is a stability shoe.

http://www.nbvirtualqueue.com
 
^ I'm not a runner at all, competitive or not. But I enjoy having pretty sneakers to wear with my plain blue hospital scrubs. :P

Another question... I read on the virtual queue website that they don't tell you what time to be there until an hour before the time you have to be there. Should I just sit at the expo all day waiting for the text? I don't want to lose out on a whole park day only to not be called until later in the day. At the same time, I worry I'll get the text when I'm on a ride or dining and not be able to get there in time. I'm still not sure how it works I guess... I'll go poke around in the runDisney section a little more.

You will provide a text or email and they will tell you when it is time to line up. I would still plan to arrive at your appt time but you may have to wait a little if they are running behind. At marathon weekend, we had to go outside to the red tent to sign in on an iPad and then a salesperson escorts you inside.

They seemed fairly accommodating. If you hop on right at 6am, you would likely get an early queue, and those won't run as much of a risk as being behind. My queue times were 10:30 on Thursday and then 10:30 and 11 on Friday.
 


So it sounds like I find out the instant I sign up what queue I'm in. Is that correct? Sorry, I'm not trying to be dumb, I just really don't want to waste an entire day.
 
Given their new anti-non-competitive runner stance in ads, they may be a lot easier to get as I know many non-competitive runners who are boycotting NB now.


Haha I wouldn't count on this. I hope it's the case though
 
So it sounds like I find out the instant I sign up what queue I'm in. Is that correct? Sorry, I'm not trying to be dumb, I just really don't want to waste an entire day.
Yes it gives you an estimate. Then about an hour before they contact you again. I went on right at 6 and I got 8:30am (when they open essentially)
 
Yes it gives you an estimate. Then about an hour before they contact you again. I went on right at 6 and I got 8:30am (when they open essentially)

I see, that makes sense. So if it gives me an estimate of 2 pm, I'll know I can hit a park for the morning for a little while at least. Thanks!
 
So it sounds like I find out the instant I sign up what queue I'm in. Is that correct? Sorry, I'm not trying to be dumb, I just really don't want to waste an entire day.

My times kicked out immediately and then it took a little bit for a text confirmation which matched what the Web site told me.

Then when it was time to
Get in line, another text was sent. And that is what I showed to the person with the iPad. They looked me up and checked me in and in I went. I didn't have to try shoes on since I was getting for other people. So from check in to check out was no more than 10 minutes.

You can also check online (link in the text) for the queue status and it will tell you what group then are on.

Here is a pic often confirmation as well as the pic of the text when it tells you to come in.
Inventory status is be link to know what group they are on. (Clearly 2 different sign ups, but just to Give you an idea.)
image.png
image.png
 
I see, that makes sense. So if it gives me an estimate of 2 pm, I'll know I can hit a park for the morning for a little while at least. Thanks!

Yep!

Keep in mind like any real Line, you are placed in the order you virtually show up. You have no control over times.

I dragged my sign up out to try and get a later time. (So signed up at 6:05 rather than 6am on the nose.)
 
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As already mentioned, the expo itself is free, and open to anyone who wants to attend. The easiest way to get there usually is to take the runDisney provided buses that depart from the host resorts pretty much every 10-20 mins. If I recall correctly, every on property resort is a host resort for Princess Half weekend. If you are in a park, you would either need to drive over, or go to a resort and then take an expo bus. WWoS doesn't normally have scheduled transportation, I think that DHS is the only exception to this and that may be suspended when the expo buses are running.

Speaking from experience from Marathon weekend past weekend (and other expos in past years) the New Balance process can be smooth, or chaos. The most recent one, I registered myself Weds AM at 6, and got a Group 1 return time. Basically when the expo opened. I registered my wife about 3 mins later, and ended up in like Group 12, with a 2:30 or something return time. Got to the expo about 9:45, and hadn't received a text message. Went to the check in location, and it said they were on Group 2 already. There were about 30 people in line, most from Group 1 who said they never got their text either, and we had about a 10 minute wait. Was back in the same area on Thursday at about 10, and there was absolutely no line.

If you aren't running, you won't be able to sign up until the second day, as already pointed out. If you hop on right at whatever time they open registration, you should have no problems getting a time. The nbvirtualqueue.com site only shows the sellouts from the Star Wars weekend, but I think Marathon weekend was similar. Basically the common middle of the road sizes sold out towards the end of the weekend.
 
So I see that runners can register early. Do the bib numbers get entered or what info is needed to get in the queue? Next question, if it is bib numbers, can this be obtained before the expo? I am registered for the 10k during Princess Half Weekend and I'd like to get into the virtual queue, but I am a bit unsure how this works. There's been so much useful information on this thread so I thought Id ask here.

Thanks!

Dawn
 

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