Disney Sports Media Event

Ready to go

So, as I mentioned in my convoluted disclosure as part of the Princess Half-Marathon post, I also attended the Disney Sports Media event as part of the Princess Half Marathon weekend.  I especially enjoyed this event because I was able to learn about parts of Disney that I hadn’t visited yet, given the age of my young children.   Here are a few of the highlights:

Typhoon Lagoon

How embarrassing that as a member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel, I hadn’t yet visited a water park on property.  My son is terrified of water, my daughter isn’t a great swimmer, and I don’t really like water slides.  So we have a good, if still inappropriate excuse.  So, I was thrilled to get the chance to chat with the new GM of the Water Parks.

As you may imagine, Disney’s primary focus is safety, and the water parks are no exception.  There’s plenty of things to do at the water parks also, and you really can spend an entire day there.  While Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach do have different options (and many thrill seekers prefer Blizzard Beach), Typhoon Lagoon has the most amazing fresh-made mini donuts.  Oh, I only wish I had a bag of those donuts now.

Sammy Duvall’s Watersports Center

While I don’t love being in the water, I love boats and para sailing, so the Sammy Duvall Watersports Center is definitely somewhere I’ll be visiting when my kids get a bit older.  The marketing manager took us in one of the para sailing boats around Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon while explaining some of the activities available – including jet skiing, para sailing, water skiing, and wake boarding.

If you are concerned about not being experienced – don’t be.  Approximately 80% of the visitors at the Sammy Duvall Watersports Center are first-timers or novices, so it’s a great place to start out.

Richard Petty Driving Experience

We didn’t have enough time to do the full driving experience (where you learn to drive your own car) – thank goodness! But we did have time to do the ride-along experience, which was just perfect for me.  After getting dressed in the super-cool outfit (as seen in the photo above), I jumped into the car – no doors.  Not hard for me, but since it was the day after the half-marathon my muscles were a bit stiff.

We did one lap around pit road (is that what it’s called??) and two full regular laps.  At 140 MPH!  I was surprised to see how smooth the ride is, and how close to the wall we got.  Wow.  I could have gone even faster though!

Disclosure: As I mentioned on my last post – I had already purchased my plane ticket before being invited to this event.  My hotel, tickets, and meals were fully covered.