Marathon Weekend 2022

[FFigawi]

...we were there a few years ago just before Hurricane Irma,
P. S. Last summer we were in Destin when Hurricane Sally came through. I’d think I’d rather be at WDW than the beach during a hurricane.

Remind me not to go on vacation at the same time as you

 

[BikeFan]

SAFD:
The Christmas season is our favorite - no one decorates for the holidays like Disney! That being said, we very much miss the Osborne Family Festival of Lights. That display was just stunning.

Marathon Weekend is a close second. Running and Disney in the same vacation is always a winning combo.

 

[PrincessV]

SAFD: this seems slightly unfair and a bit boasty, but... I'm semi-local, a 2-hour drive from WDW, so I really do visit at all times of year and I genuinely do not have a favorite. Different times have different things going for them, and my visits are different at different times because of that.

Summer... I LOVE July 4th and really, really LOVE being at WDW for the holiday and days around it! But it's freakishly hot and crowded, so I love how those visits are really laid back with lots of sleeping late, time at the pool, evenings and late nights in the parks, moving slow and not worrying about getting much "done."

December holiday season... too cold for pools, but I spend more daytime hours in the parks. Decorations!!! Festive music!!! More attractions, less meandering. I can usually get my son to join me (he won't visit when it's hot) and that's always special.

Star Wars Day/s... May 4th and 5th. Not the same as SW Weekends were, BUT now we have SW:GE! I was at GE for its opening day, and visited last week for its first SW Day and it did NOT disappoint! Seeing so many Guests in costume, and nearly all Guests in some type of SW garb is just so cool. A full 10 hours of total geek-out.

Late Aug/early Sept... IF I can avoid a hurricane. These often wind up being spontaneous day trips for that reason. Still hot as blazes, but no crowds!

Fall... F&WF has lost some of its luster as the years have gone by, but I still enjoy checking it out. MK Halloween decorations, and, once upon a time, MNSSHP. High chance of seeing out-of-town friends. Sometimes lower temps, but not always; some fall visits feel like fall, and others are a lot like summer. Good season for spontaneous day trips.

Late January... 100% weather dependent. I don't do frigid temps if I can avoid it, and Jan. is dicey that way. Mostly day trips to enjoy low crowd levels.

Spring... eh. If there's a last place position, this is it. I used to love the F&GF when it was more about gardening and sustainability and less about food booths. The pollen counts are so bad in spring, and my allergies to them so bad, it's a really tough time for me to be outside for long. I avoid Spring Break times like the plague, but spring overall is pretty busy, so less than ideal for me.

 

[camaker]

SAFD: Here are my top 3 favorite times to go to WDW:

1. Fall. The MK all decked out in its full Halloween regalia is my favorite look for the park. Couple that with MNSSHP with its Boo to You parade of characters (including the Headless Horseman) in their Halloween finery and a HalloWishes fireworks show and you’ve got a very special occasion. The Epcot Food & Wine Festival also adds some special event gloss to this time of year.
   
   
2. April-May. The Epcot Flower & Garden Show with the topiaries is a very relaxing and beautiful time of the year. There‘s the additional bonus of the Garden Rocks concert series where I’ve seen a number of childhood and early adult favorites (The Orchestra, Little River Band, Guess Who, just to name a couple). I’ll admit the festival has lost some of its uniqueness lately, trading in gardening displays and seminars for food booths in an attempt to become Wine & Dine Festival light, though. The much-missed Pirate & Princess Party also used to take place at MK this time of year.
   
   
3. Christmas season. Beautiful decorations throughout all the parks. The castle all lit up with its icicle lighting. MVMCP going on (not nearly as fun as MNSSHP, though). The Candlelight Processional at Epcot is a thing to experience with your favorite celebrity narrator. I highly recommend the Yule Tour, too. I learned a lot about Christmas and how Disney does things on it. A great time to go, just slightly edged out by the other two times of year.

 

[steph0808]

My trips are almost always around Marathon Weekend, which I usually enjoy the weather - except for the year of the Polar Vortex!

I have also done late January, which was somehow colder than MW. I did Universal in September right after a hurricane, and it was great for low crowds but very warm!

I prefer slower times for lower crowds - I just booked a trip for mid-late October, avoiding both Columbus Day and Halloween, so I'm hoping for warm weather and low crowds!

 

[Basil of Moss Bluff]

SAFD:
I've gone to Disney World in February, September, November, & December. December is definitely my favorite experience. Christmas is my favorite time of the year. Christmas in Disney is amazing. I'm hoping to experience Disney in January 2022 for Marathon Weekend. Fingers crossed!!!!!!

 

[Kerry1957]

Welcome Basil!!

 

[hotblooded]

Marathon Weekend is my favorite time to visit, for purely selfish reasons. I’m childfree and it is GLORIOUS to have a long weekend of events focused on adults, as well as parks and hotels full of adults. It is so much fun to be the main event rather than an afterthought.

 

[Basil of Moss Bluff]

Welcome Basil!!

Thank you. I found this thread googling Disney Marathon 2022. I'm glad to hear so many people are hoping it happens. If Disney cancels MW 2022, it would be 2024 until I can go because of my schedule. Again.......FINGERS CROSSED!!!!!!!!!!

 

[meye1099]

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[BigEeyore]

SAFD: Several years ago, our school district started having a fall break at the end of September, and it has become our favorite time to go to WDW! Crowds are low, weather is usually pretty good, F&W is going on, and all the Halloween/fall decorations are up. We have done MNSSHP a couple of times - honestly not worth the $$ for us if we have an AP, but a fun time for sure.
Of course MW has a special place in my heart - it's always so nice to have something fun to look forward to after Christmas, and I just love the runner-centric vibe of the weekend. Also, I am usually there without my kids and it's nice to just have some "me time", especially after the chaos and stress of the holidays!

 

[NewYKRunner]

SAFD: We went to Disneyland when I was a kid in April (whatever year that was...) I believe. Great weather and everything was open that I can remember. We went to Disneyland end of January 2015 and to Disneyworld early January 2020 for MW. Weather for the most part was good, but yes rides seem to be hit and miss due to it appearing to be maintenance season. Splash Mountain was closed the last 2 times so our kids haven't been on that ride yet.

 

[lhermiston]

SAFD: I thought that we would be asked about four meals again but outside the parks…

Great idea!

Thank you. I found this thread googling Disney Marathon 2022. I'm glad to hear so many people are hoping it happens. If Disney cancels MW 2022, it would be 2024 until I can go because of my schedule. Again.......FINGERS CROSSED!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome!

 

[Carol_]

Great idea!



Welcome!

I’m running with it. See what I did there?
Breakfast: Perkins near Disney Springs especially since the furloughs. Their Disney-trained staff is amazeballs.
Lunch: Polite Pig. Just pick anything. Close second is Earl of Sandwich.
Dinner: The Wave. Again, anything.
Snack: Spiked Dole Whip drink at Marketplace Snacks in Disney Springs outside of World of Disney. Ties with s’mores at any place that has s’mores with real fire.

 

[Onceuponamarathon]

SAFD:
Jan/February. The temperatures are great. The crowds are low. And the Festival of the Arts is the best of all the festivals.

 

[Tigger23]

SAFD: jumping in new to this thread, hello!

I love going for Marathon weekend best, the weather is warm enough to be a break from my frigid VT winter, but not too hot. The crowds are pretty light, travel is less expensive than other times, and of course, I get to run my favorite race. A close second would be around Halloween/or Wine and Dine Weekend. That time of year you get to catch F&WF, Halloween decorations, and potentially Christmas too (my last trip, we got both!).

I am taking my first summer WDW soon (July!) so we will see how I feel about the heat!

 

[Herding_Cats]

Favorite time to go to disney?

WHENEVER I CAN! But probably Christmas?

In the last few years we have done Christmas/New Years, Spring break, February, and mid-August.

I LOOOOOOVE the Christmas decorations. And people were sooooo happy (minus the families that were having the inevitable freak-outs). It was pretty magical. COLD. But magical. One trip with DH's brother/SIL their kids, and one trip with DH's whole family (one of his sisters had terminal cancer and this was basically a bucket-list trip for her family) where 26 of us went. All the kids. All of the magic.

Spring break. I LOOOOVE the topiaries for F&G. And that it was just about the perfect temperature when we went. But people were more "intense" about their trip, and it wasn't as "magical" feeling as Christmas.

August. So hot. And sweaty. And it was during covid, so the parks were EMPTY and we could do just about whatever we wanted. But it was SO.HOT. We spent a lot of times in the gift shops in the AC. Just me, DH, and the baby on this trip, so it was pretty low-key which was a nice change of pace.

February. Also during Covid (after the "shut-down.") It was cold-ish. Nice enough that we got sunburned the first day, and then cold enough wore long sleeves/pants the rest of the time. No kids on this trip, and also no parks, so it was a VERY DIFFERENTtrip.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Anyone else keeping a spreadsheet of possible costs/projections for MW? I looked at flights on a whim this morning, and realized that if I wanted to drive 4hrs to the airport, I could fly round trip for $120 plus luggage. I got pretty excited for a minute, and then remembered that the flights are probably the least expensive part of the whole thing.

$2k for a race-cation for just me, dropping 2 of the kids off at grandma and grandpa's house and leaving DH and the 2 other kids at home? Not sure how I'll get DH on board with that.....

 

[NewYKRunner]

I don’t look into costs for the whole weekend, but I keep looking into flights for that timeframe using flight rewards. Just dreaming at this point.

 

[Tigger23]

I don’t have a spreadsheet, but marathon weekend is my one non-negotiable solo race trip every year. I usually do it as cheaply as possible (value hotel, sometimes don’t go into the parks at all, etc) and I budget for it as best I can (birthday and Christmas I ask for gift cards to go to marathon weekend, etc). I also typically forgo registering for lots of other races (like I don’t travel for other marathons, only stay local) so I can dedicate my “race” money (and babysitting time!) to cover marathon weekend. I already have a deposit on a room for 2022 but won’t book a flight until the race is confirmed - fingers crossed!