Welcome back, Liz!
It's nice to hear from you again. I'm glad you are going to squeeze in a park day - you'll be glad you did. Here are a few tips that have worked for my family when planning a park day prior to a race.
• Select the theme park offering Morning Extra Magic Hours for Thursday, February 19th and get an early start. Park hours and Extra Magic Hours for this day have not yet posted, keep an eye on the
Walt Disney World website - it should post in the next couple of days.
• Utilize the
FastPass+ service to pre-select your favorite attractions. I suggest selecting the afternoon timeframe to minimize your standing time as you'll want to start winding down for the day by dinner.
• Pack a backpack with waters and healthy snack options like bananas and pretzel sticks. Remembering to hydrate is important, but it's so easy to forget while your having fun! If you plan on purchasing waters in the parks, 20oz Dasani water is available for $2.50.
• Select an Advanced Dining Reservation between 5:00-6:00pm to avoid peak times and eat light. A big meal the night before a race will have you feeling sluggish.
• Plan on ending your time in the theme parks relatively early - I suggest by 8:00pm. That 2:30am wake-up call comes early.
With a little preplanning your park day can still be a lot of fun while not effecting the enjoyment of your first race experience. Please do not hesitate to "give a little whistle" if I can be of any further assistance in your race-cation planning!
Enjoy your time in the parks!
Faith