Assert Yourself...A Quasi-Star Wars Dark Side 5K Trip Report

Greetings, readers. While my muscles are still sore from Friday morning's Star Wars Dark Side 5K, I wanted to put some thoughts in writing. Below is a combination trip report/list of complaints because I know you like lists.

Things that went right

1. Having two adjoining hotel rooms was great - put all of baby's stuff in one room and gave us plenty of room to spread out.

2. We kept our plans somewhat fluid, switching around some reservations, etc., due to weather, bed time, etc.

3. The playground and the splash pad at Port Orleans French Quarter made for one seriously happy (and tired in a good way) toddler.

4. I took my plastic bags and brought home the giant cinnamon roll from Garden Grill...took me three days to eat the whole thing. Hashtag sorry not sorry.

Things that I missed

1. Having a kitchen and a washer/dryer - the amount of dirty clothes three people generate in 6 days in the Florida sun is staggering. And eating every meal at a restaurant, well, that just makes my whole body cry out for a green vegetable!

2. Proximity to other stuff...had to get in a car or on a bus or boat for other dining and recreation options. Staying at Boardwalk, for example, we're closer to a lot more things.

Things that Disney did better

1. Moved the t-shirt pick up TO THE SAME AREA as packet pick up (for the 5K at least)

2. I can't tell you how much I LOVE the screens at the bus stops (resort side) showing the ETA for each bus. So awesome!

3. The changes to the My Disney Experience app for dining and Fast Passes came in handy, we did a lot on the phone to make changes to our plans (see above).

Things that need to change (Disney - are you paying attention?)

1. The lines for the characters/photo opps before, during and after the races are insane. There has to be a way to either incease the number or limit the number of runners.

2. The unisex t-shirts are so ugly...I'd love to see a women's version with a v-neck. And I'd even pay more for it.

3. Better kids meal options at the parks - my toddler nearly turned into a french fry after this trip. And he's not so much with the fruit - but he'd eat an entire head of broccoli if I let him.