It’s a two for one! Princess Half Marathon Weekend snuck up on me so quickly after WDW Marathon Weekend that I never go around to doing a Disney snack report for either trip. We rectify this dire state of affairs NOW!
Luckily we’re not dealing with a backlog – between table service meals, the Epcot Festival of the Arts booths, and Universal snacks already covered, I didn’t purchase a lot of culinary filler. Not a lot is not equal to none, however, and I shall now provide the remainder their customary review. It’s only fair.
runDISNEY HAS FIGURED OUT OUR CUP GRIFT
The WDW Marathon Weekend specialty beer was good; the Princess Half Marathon Weekend specialty beer was not to my taste. It doesn’t really matter, as they switch out every time and anyway beer flavorings are extremely subjective.
What I do want to mention here is that if you reuse their special beverage cup you get a discount. This was great when it was the same cup every weekend for years, but runDisney has wised up and is now producing race weekend-specific cup designs. I’m not that distressed; you only really save a couple bucks anyway, and the new race graphics on the cups are cute. But no need to pack yours in your suitcase going forward – you’ll need to buy a new one each time.
MY NEW GO-TO RACE EXPO SNACK: A WETZEL’S PRETZEL
I’m not here to advocate for anything revolutionary. This is not a special pretzel, a la the jalapeño or sweet cream cheese versions. Nor is it a fun shape, a la the vaunted Mickey pretzels I’ve never gotten around to trying. (It looks like a standard, dry-ish pretzel to me, y’know? Shapes can’t save everything.)
Yet in just two race weekends, I have established a brand new pre-race snack ritual: a plain, salt-and-butter Wetzel’s soft pretzel. There’s a permanent stand at the top of the stairs by the expo entrance, or of late there has been a limited-menu outpost on the expo floor proper.
These pretzels are no different than you might pick up from your local mall food court. And for that matter, I’m not sure I could tell the difference between Wetzel’s and Auntie Anne’s in a blind taste test. But it’s salty and buttery and carby and delicious and totally justifiable ahead of a distance race weekend. I had two over the course of my Dopey Challenge and one at Princess Weekend. A glorious little race treat!
ARE ALL DISNEY RESORT TURKEY SANDWICHES THE SAME TURKEY SANDWICH?
During Dopey, Erika and I split a turkey and cheese sandwich from the Good’s Food to Go counter service restaurant at Old Key West. During Princess, Erika and I split a turkey and cheese sandwich from the Trail’s End counter service restaurant at Fort Wilderness. I am wholly convinced that they are exactly the same sandwich.
Right? Do you see a difference aside from the angle of cut? Same multigrain bread, turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato, etc.? Hey, it’s a perfectly fine sandwich – I like splitting it before a shorter race like a 5K or 10K.
I suppose there are only so many ways to make a turkey sandwich really. I like to pretend Disney has figured out how to isolate a single sandwich across the multiverse and sell it repeatedly at all resorts. It makes things more fun.
VERSUS THE EARL OF SANDWICH
It’s been a minute since I hit up the Earl of Sandwich at Disney Springs. In fact, I think the last time may have been at Disneyland? Anyway, we grabbed dinner here before the marathon weekend 5K. I didn’t want anything too heavy as I started my Dopey journey, so I selected the caprese sandwich.
And I received a caprese sandwich, with all the ingredients you’d expect and nothing you wouldn’t: mozzarella, tomatoes, balsamic, crusty bread. Hardly revolutionary, but I was pleased with the freshness of everything. The mozzarella was the higher quality, “wet” kind with a mild flavor, and the bread was crusty and well-baked. I wouldn’t even be mad if I received this quality of sandwich at a table service lunch.
I don’t know if I’d make the Earl a part of my regular Disney Dining rotation – the ambience is a little hectic and other restaurant options are more interesting – but if you’re after a quick sandwich at Disney Springs it’s a solid choice.
YOU NEED POST-RACE CAKE FROM GIDEON’S BAKEHOUSE
Holy smokes, kids, Gideon’s cake department was firing on all cylinders in January and February. In both instances I picked up a slice of their monthly specialty cake, and they are my two favorite Gideon’s cakes so far!
Let’s go in reverse order and start with February’s Eternal Flame cake. This is a spicy chocolate and cherry cake with chocolate cake layers and chocolate and cherry frosting, and when I say spicy I mean it! Not, like, burn your tongue spicy, of course, but you definitely feel the heat hit your lips as you eat it. I would consider it to be an enhancement level of spice, but if you really hate spicy foods, steer clear.
The chocolate cake was light and moist as per Gideon’s usual, and combined deliciously with the cherry frosting in particular. In my opinion they could dial back the sugar on said frosting just a touch, yet I was impressed by the pure cherry flavor. Nothing medicinal about it. The Eternal Flame cookie is also recommended!
Now for January. You ready for this? PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE DELUXE CAKE. I! Love! PEANUT BUTTER! And this cake did not disappoint. Containing both chocolate and peanut butter cake layers and chocolate and peanut butter frosting, Gideon’s basically made it just for me.
I particularly appreciated how the peanut butter portions weren’t too sweet – and in fact had a salty element that I, a certified salt monster, very much appreciated. My one note might be that the peanut butter cake layer was a touch dry, but that didn’t stop me from eating the entire slice over the course of the Dopey Challenge. I hope it comes back next January!
OLD SNACK, NEW SNACK AT THE BASKET BY WINE BAR GEORGE
Did you know you can get Wine Bar George’s AMAZING hummus with vegetables and naan at The Basket walkup window? That stuff is my JAM! Also Erika got a charcuterie box there that came with meat, cheese, and HONEYCOMB; honey with charcuterie is also my jam and I need to try this in the future. I guess my point is that Wine Bar George deserves more Disney Springs love.
IN CONCLUSION
The Disney snack scene continues to reign supreme! I wish I were eating a race expo pretzel and scrolling through the Gideon’s cake schedule, pre-race pasta and post-race cocktails in my future. Alas, this must wait until my next confirmed Disney trip. Is it January 2026 yet?!
Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Threads @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!