Inaugural Disneyland Paris Half Marathon Report – Part 9
Okay, time for a recap and final thoughts. For that, I think it makes sense to return to the predictions of my Disneyland Paris Half Marathon Preview and see what I got right and wrong. At that point, I had admittedly high expectations, with my 3 main predictions/hopes being the following:
- The single largest gathering of Americans ever at Disneyland Paris
- Growing pains and organizational missteps with the event
- A really well done course with a lot of entertainment and rare characters
As for the first prediction, there’s really no way of proving or disproving this, so I’m just going to go ahead and say I was correct. There were a ton of English-speakers at Disneyland Paris that weekend. Perhaps there were more for the opening of the park when Disneyland and Walt Disney World Cast Members would’ve been present to help launch the park, but back then, the park was called Euro Disneyland. My prediction was the most-ever at Disneyland Paris, so…I’m still technically correct. 😉
On the second prediction, no amount of parsing words makes me correct. Thankfully. This was one of–if not the–best organized runDisney events I’ve ever done. This is really saying something, because I feel like runDisney events are always pretty well-managed on the day of. I suspect the volunteer-to-participant ratio was better here than at the US events, and being able to juggle a mix of English and French-speaking guests is an impressive feat.
Finally, my expectation of well done courses with a lot of entertainment and rare characters was more or less accurate. The 5K course was great and the Half Marathon was very good, and there were more rare characters out than at a normal runDisney event.
Even with that, I think I might have been a victim of my own expectations, as I anticipated even more rare characters, and quite a bit more third party entertainment outside of the parks.
Breaking things down, about half of the course (the first quarter and last quarter) was on Disneyland Paris property, with the other half (the middle) being through Val d’Europe. I found this to be an acceptable breakdown, although I expected more of the race to be on-property. Perhaps I over-estimated just how large Disneyland Paris is? Part of me was hoping we’d run through Golf Disneyland or out to Disney’s Davy Crockett Ranch. It’s possible neither option was logistically feasible, though.
While the stretches of the course that winded through the resort area and parks were phenomenal, the Val d’Europe stretch left a bit to be desired. It was pleasant thanks to the weather, serene scenery, and flat terrain, but I think it would get pretty old doing that stretch a second time. I realize Disney is constrained with the entertainment in areas it doesn’t control, but this stretch of the course could’ve been so much more enjoyable if they added a few more entertainment acts. All things considered, it was still a very good course.
On the rare character front, this was partly just poor luck and bad timing on my part. After both mornings, I looked on social media to see a deluge of characters in front of backdrops that had been “empty” when I passed. I don’t know if this was just really poor timing, or if some of the characters weren’t out that early (I was at the front of the pack both mornings).
Even what I saw would have qualified as well above average by recent runDisney standards, but I was expecting Disneyland Paris’ excellent entertainment team to pull out all of the stops to generate strong word of mouth for future events.
Where my expectations were not exceeded by on-course entertainment, they were blown away by Cast Members. On this blog, I’ve been pretty dismissive of American complaints about Parisian Cast Members as a matter of culture, and I tend to be fine with normal French attitudes towards guest service.
Consequently, I was shocked and blown away by the very high level of service in the parks throughout the weekend, and the genuine enthusiasm on display by Cast Members during both races. These races had an unexpected X factor, and it wasn’t characters, running through the French countryside, or anything anyone might’ve predicted. It was the French Cast Members.
If you weren’t there, you might read this and think they received a memo to “be excited.” This was not a matter of feigned enthusiasm while half-heartedly cheering on runners. In every instance I witnessed, the Cast Members seemed genuinely happy to be there, cheering on runners.
The Cast Members were playful, boisterous, and downright fun. Their energy was contagious, and that is not hyperbole. I felt like whenever I passed Cast Members shouting “allez allez allez!” (“go go go!”) it gave me a motivational spike.
Maybe they realized they were de facto ambassadors of France for a mixed audience, and they were taking pride in this role? Whatever the reason, their exuberance was very much appreciated. These Cast Members added a ton to the experience, and I think they were the real MVPs of the race weekend.
After the race, we rushed back to our hotel to shower, pack up, and check out before our time was up at the Hipark Serris. We accomplished this in short order, and then decided to make a quick detour into the park for photos with our medals. As it turned out, this was one of the biggest mistakes of the trip.
It was interesting to park in the lot and walk in through a different entrance, but “interesting” doesn’t always mean good. The parking area epitomized the 1990s and between the dated look and that nearly every single moving sidewalk was broken, it was a reminder of the bleak years of Disneyland Paris. (In fairness, I suppose a lot of the same criticism could be levied at Walt Disney World’s TTC.)
Suffice to say, it took longer than expected getting into the park. Once there, I headed to Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant for some photos while Sarah headed to a shop that was closed the night before to inquire as to whether they had the McDuck hat. They did…and that’s the resolution of that “exciting” story. 😉
No sooner than the glorious McDuck hat arrived and it started raining. Not just a light sprinkle–it was pouring. It was as if we had mortgaged the beautiful weather for that hat, which I guess is a fitting trade for something Scrooge-related, but it seems a little unfair for all of the other innocent guests in the park. Even after the miserable experience of getting soaked, I’d make that deal again in a second–you never know when a fine Scrooge McDuck hat like this might come in handy!
In our infinite wisdom, we decided to prolong exposure to the terrible weather by grabbing lunch at Earl of Sandwich. I’m not sure why we decided to do this, but it was an unequivocally awful idea. Not only did it mean a longer walk through the rain, but the restaurant (and everywhere in Disney Village) was absolutely packed with post-race crowds.
On the plus side, while Sarah stood in what ended up being a 30+ minute line to order, I ran to the race Expo tent. I had realized my race shirt (which I was wearing) was too small, and wanted to see if there was any way I could exchange it or purchase another.
This experience once again underscored the great guest service that weekend. Initially, there was no one at the counter where shirts were distributed (the race was over, why would there be?). However, a couple of helpful volunteers were able to track someone down, who then went in the back and came out with a larger size. When he handed me the shirt, I asked if he wanted mine, and he said, “we have no use for a wet, used shirt.” Ha.
After that, I ran back to Earl of Sandwich, where we had a quick meal before heading back to the parking lot. The whole experience caused us around a 3 hour delay, which was pretty significant, as we had a long drive ahead to our destination in Switzerland.
Overall, it was an excellent trip to Disneyland Paris, and I’m really glad we opted to do the Inaugural Disneyland Paris Half Marathon. Going back again for the 25th Anniversary is sooner than we’d normally return, but Disneyland Paris is an enchanting place, and we love being there–and in France. Since we’re heading back in the spring, it’s very doubtful that we’ll do next year’s Disneyland Paris Half Marathon, but I would highly recommend it to anyone on the fence. As we’ve said already, 2017 is going to be a great time to visit Disneyland Paris (our “Disney destination of the year”), so if it’s on your bucket list, this might be the time to check it off.
As for the rest of our adventures in Europe after leaving Disneyland Paris, if you followed along via social media, you know we headed to Switzerland as mentioned above, followed by Austria and Germany. (We were also in Liechtenstein for a blink-and-you-miss-it stretch.) Although we visited several places with connections to Walt Disney, Disneyland, and EPCOT Center in those countries, I don’t think it makes sense to continue the trip report further. I know some of you requested this, but this report has taken longer than expected, and I don’t want to drag it out further. I will make a compromise, though. If enough of you want (please leave a comment), I’ll do a single photo recap post of the Disney connections in all of those destinations. Additionally, I’ll write a trip report for our first trip of 2017. Fair enough? 🙂
Yes, yes, a photo recap post please!
Photo recap, yay!
Hi Tom, Just wanted to echo and agree with your comments about the cast members, they absolutely made the weekend from my perspective. Hope the message got through to DLP how appreciated it was, and we can expect a repeat next year.
Having done (a bit) of Switzerland myself, I’d love to see a report from you, but appreciate these things take a massive amount of time. I’ll wait instead for a detailed trip report on your experiences of DLPs 25th (as I won’t be getting to it till September)!
Fake…you look to refreshed in the medals shot. Let’s see the “my legs are aching” and “why did I do his again” mile 9 shots.
I would love to see a photo recap as well! I always love your trip reports, but this one was especially incredible. I might just have to do my own Disney tour of France!
I would love at least a photo recap of the rest of your trip. I have been to all of those countries (except Lichtenstein) and would love to see your perspective.
Hey, here’s another vote for a recap!
Hey Tom,
totally understand the lack of time and other priorities for your blog – and life in general. 🙂
Though I would have loved to read your thoughts on Munich. Maybe some other time….
Have a great new year!
Recap pllllease!!!
Would love to see a photo recap as I am a Disney novice and would like to see what those photos could even be 🙂
Glad you got your hat! I totally know how you feel about not being able to find something and all of a sudden DESPERATELY needing it. In my case though when I finally found it (after a MONTH) I didn’t even want it anymore haha. It was enough to just have found it, I guess?
Excellent post as always. I take back what I just said on the other post about wanting to run- 13 miles is too much. :p
Photo recap, please! Love the trip reports!
A photo recap post of the rest of the trip would be fantastic!
I’d love a photo recap!
Would love the photo recap post! Perhaps a recap of the rest of the trip on Travel Caffeine. Do you ever still write over there?
Not nearly enough. I keep telling myself I’m going to get serious about it and start doing 3 posts per week…but then I never do. It’s tough to find the time to do everything, unfortunately.
Thanks for the updates over there! They’ve been great!
Great trip report, Tom, as usual! I’d love to see the photo recap from the rest of your trip. I was following your journey on Instagram and I’m very eager to see the route you took and sights you visited.
You really know how to build to climax of a story Tom……. “whether they had the McDuck hat. They did”……… We will gladly trade you forgoing the rest of this trip report, for a classic old school Trip Report from you first 2017 trip…. Deal????
The build-up v. conclusion in the trip report matches the actual experience. I was so consumed with trying to find the hat the night before, and then pre-occupied the following day with trying to get in and out as quickly as possible–the finding of the hat was really just a footnote during that rush, and not some fist-pumping moment. 🙂
Thank you so much for another entertaining (& informative) trip report! I just returned from my first trip to DLP (Nov. 2016) and even after reading all of the “warnings” in your guides/reports re WDSP, I was still shocked with how shoddy the place looked. My boyfriend and I commented that it was like Six Flags Magic Mountain-level of theming, i.e., absolutely no theming at all! But DLP blew us away with its beauty and wonderful atmosphere (even with all the refurb going on). The only thing about DLP that drove me crazy was that I could not find one working drinking fountain! (maybe they are all being repaired for 2017 or no one in paris drinks water)?
Another very entertaining trip report Tom. Thank you!
And I’d also love to see some photos of Switzerland/Austria/Germany. Whatever you have time for…
Happy New Year to you and Sarah!
I really enjoyed reading your thoughts, especially since I participated in the 5K myself! I know you’re saying in your last paragraph that you’re done with the trip report but I’d love to see any photos of Germany, Switzerland or Austria on Instagram or Travel Caffeine. I love your pictures 🙂
Tom- I love your photos and trip reports and would be excited to see a photo recap of the rest of your trip! We’re looking at visiting France and Germany in the next few years and could use some inspiration.