Marathon Weekend 2025

[Waiting2goback]

Okay so I'm wondering how true the whole premise of everyone in the queue before 10am is randomized and then all the post 10am-ers are numerical AFTER all those in before 10am. I had a couple browsers open prior to 10am and then at about 10:15 when only one of them had a decent countdown, I opened a new incognito browser (confirmed new queue ID) and it ended up being a shorter wait than all but one of the ones I had open before 10am.

I had my phone and ipad in before 10am. They weren't moving. At 10:10 I decided to try another browser on my work computer and it was moved quickly. When I registered my phone was still reading over an hour. Glad all the early waiting this morning didn't help. LOL

My work systems are done and it is 72" here in MA, when we had snow last week so now that I signed up for Dopey I guess I need to start training.

 

[GuinnessRunner]

Going and looking at the historical data @DopeyBadger is good enough to put togeher for us, I find it interesting that while Goofy was the first thing to sell out this morning, it actualy lasted longer than the past two years (2025 - 53 minutes; 2024 - 52 minutes; and 2023 - 43 minutes). We don't really know how they are managing the que comapred to the last few years so it's possible that's why it lastest the "longer" this year compared to the past few years, but based on discussions during registration, I would have expected this to have been faster than the last few.

 

[Let's Get Kronk]

Going and looking at the historical data @DopeyBadger is good enough to put togeher for us, I find it interesting that while Goofy was the first thing to sell out this morning, it actualy lasted longer than the past two years (2025 - 53 minutes; 2024 - 52 minutes; and 2023 - 43 minutes). We don't really know how they are managing the que comapred to the last few years so it's possible that's why it lastest the "longer" this year compared to the past few years, but based on discussions during registration, I would have expected this to have been faster than the last few.

I think it has more to do with runDisney reducing the number of people on the site at the same time. These last few registrations have seemed to have a lot longer queue times but the races seem to last longer before they sell out. That tells me that it's how the queue is being controlled and not so much registration being less popular. There are more than enough people in the queue to sell the races out before it even opens.

 

[Psymonds]

OK; now that I've made this...decision... and I'm pondering at lunch, I have questions:

1. Are there advantages to any particular hotel?
2. Is there transportation to the start line from on property hotels for the start?
3. Where is the expo? If I'm not shopping at the expo (which is my general MO for most events) can I just get in, get my stuff and get out?
4. is there a better thread for newbies to discuss?

 

[Desdemona924]

OK; now that I've made this...decision... and I'm pondering at lunch, I have questions:

1. Are there advantages to any particular hotel?
2. Is there transportation to the start line from on property hotels for the start?
3. Where is the expo? If I'm not shopping at the expo (which is my general MO for most events) can I just get in, get my stuff and get out?
4. is there a better thread for newbies to discuss?

1. I think you would get a different answer from everyone about this. My husband and I like Pop because it's cheaper and is on the Skyliner, which is what we want if we're going to visit parks. However, if we just do a race trip without parks, an All-Star is fine with us. Other people like Deluxe because of monorail or proximity to Epcot. In theory, there aren't advantages speaking purely of races. The advantages are more about what you want from the hotel, I think.
2. Yes, all on property hotels have transportation to the start.
3. ESPN Wide World of Sports - hotels will also have transportation. In the past, if you just wanted your bib and shirts, you could get in and out. They were in two separate buildings, but no need for a virtual queue. They could change that of course, but it's been pretty standard for the last few years.

 

[Naomeri]

OK; now that I've made this...decision... and I'm pondering at lunch, I have questions:

1. Are there advantages to any particular hotel?
2. Is there transportation to the start line from on property hotels for the start?
3. Where is the expo? If I'm not shopping at the expo (which is my general MO for most events) can I just get in, get my stuff and get out?
4. is there a better thread for newbies to discuss?

1) not really. It’s up to personal preference. Because of the early wake-ups, and therefore early bedtimes, you may not want to be at a hotel that gets a lot of fireworks noise, but it depends on how used to noise you’re used to.

2) yes, all Disney hotels have buses to the races and to the expo

3) the expo is at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. If you just want to pick up your bibs and shirts, you can just get in and out

4) this is a good thread for questions, but you can also check out this one for general info

 

[PrincessV]

OK; now that I've made this...decision... and I'm pondering at lunch, I have questions:

1. Are there advantages to any particular hotel?
2. Is there transportation to the start line from on property hotels for the start?
3. Where is the expo? If I'm not shopping at the expo (which is my general MO for most events) can I just get in, get my stuff and get out?
4. is there a better thread for newbies to discuss?

1. 2. Nope, other than personal preference - all WDW resorts will provide transportation for expo and races. Non-WDW resorts may or may not (most will not) have any race transportation. So if you have a car, your options can easily include offsite properties, whereas onsite will be more advantageous without your own transportation.

3. It’s at Wide World of Sports. I’m not a shopper - but this weekend is a busy one and more people = everything takes a little longer. I’ve managed to get in and out with just my bibs and shirts in about a half hour though.

4. Nope - this is the one for newbies and vets alike!

 

[supersnoop]

Are there advantages to any particular hotel?

It all depends on your goal. If I have someone traveling with me who won't get up at 2:30am to wait at the finish line, it can make sense to stay at a hotel along the course so they can wander out and cheer you on. If you want easy transportation, the monorail was great for the race last year, but I'm not sure it runs to all the races every year.

 

[GuinnessRunner]

1. I think you would get a different answer from everyone about this. My husband and I like Pop because it's cheaper and is on the Skyliner, which is what we want if we're going to visit parks. However, if we just do a race trip without parks, an All-Star is fine with us. Other people like Deluxe because of monorail or proximity to Epcot. In theory, there aren't advantages speaking purely of races. The advantages are more about what you want from the hotel, I think.
2. Yes, all on property hotels have transportation to the start.
3. ESPN Wide World of Sports - hotels will also have transportation. In the past, if you just wanted your bib and shirts, you could get in and out. They were in two separate buildings, but no need for a virtual queue. They could change that of course, but it's been pretty standard for the last few years.

To add onto these:

All on-property Disney hotels provide transportation to/from the expo and race start/finish so it really is about your preference and what you are looking for for the race weekend. The one minor exception is that for the monorail resorts, the monorail is typically your only transportation to/from race start/finish for the HM and Marathon (5-K and 10-K use buses from these resorts). Otherwise all other resorts run buses. They are third-party charter buses and not the same buses Disney uses to take guests to the parks. Second minor caveat is that if you have a park ticket and are willing to use it, you can walk back to the Epcot area resorts through Epcot if you finish after Epcot opens (so possibly HM but definately the Marathon), but they still run busses for those resorts. Gone are the days you used to be able to walk to the start from certain hotels so it really just comes down to your own math on cost, loudness, food options, etc. and figure what works for you. You will also find plenty of people that like to stay off property and drive to the race start (or take Uber).

On the expo, the one caveat I would add is that depending on the length of the bib pick up line, the "quick in & out" option will still probably take you 30+ minutes to complete by the time you factor walking all the way back to the first building to pick up your bib and then having to walk to the main expo building to get your shirts and then back to the parking lot and bus area. Bib pick-up times will vary depending on when you go. For Goofy this year, I went on Friday right after the Expo opened and had about a 15-minute wait to get in to pick up my bibs.

 

[JulieODC]

Now to plan my travel - and the family’s travel!!

I had tentatively booked Swan/Dolphin for Jan 8-13, but I’m not tempted to come on Jan 7 and fly home the 14th (and then have DH and the kids come in the 9th-13th) - but S/D rooms are exorbitant to add a day on either end!!

Historically, have there been room discounts during marathon weekend??

 

[accm]

So after someone mentioned here to check social media, I looked on instagram, and noticed some Brazilians saying they weren't able to register, but there are agencies that later sell bibs as a package? Has anyone heard about that? I'm wondering if this is sanctioned by runDisney. I'm sure it's a drop in the bucket compared to the total number of registrations, but it would annoy me if travel agencies are preemptively buying up bibs to make a profit from it, while runners aren't able to actually register themselves.

 

[azrivest]

So after someone mentioned here to check social media, I looked on instagram, and noticed some Brazilians saying they weren't able to register, but there are agencies that later sell bibs as a package? Has anyone heard about that? I'm wondering if this is sanctioned by runDisney. I'm sure it's a drop in the bucket compared to the total number of registrations, but it would annoy me if travel agencies are preemptively buying up bibs to make a profit from it, while runners aren't able to actually register themselves.

I saw a limited amount of bibs sold by the Running Room last year. They've sold bibs in the past for us Canadian runners even after travel agents were no longer allowed to sell them. The theory was that maybe they're still doing it for international agencies since we aren't allowed to join CrD.

 

[dpswift]

I would REALLY like to understand what keeps happening at my end… this is now at least the 3rd race weekend registration in which my queues failed to deliver. Here’s what I had going:

1 queue on iPad via Safari
1 on iPad via Chrome
1 on phone via Safari
1 on laptop via Chrome Incognito

Each had its own unique queue ID/URL. Not logged in to rD on any device. All on the same WiFi connection.

I never have issues with my WiFi with daily life - we can have multiple devices streaming at the same time without issue. But I feel like it HAS to be the WiFi, right? What else could possibly be so limiting over and over??

ETA: I should add that I never had any issues registering in the past, using iPad, laptop, or phone. Same WiFi performance? Who knows - Spectrum has a history of throttling to get people to pay more for higher speeds, so…

We have had trouble too. I honestly think Disney needs to do something add extra weekends ( I know this would be a bear for their staff) but it is so discouraging. This was our 3rd let down in a row. It was especially heartbreaking because they went as far as charging us then sent a sorry we are full response. We have gotten to the point of filling out our information each time and then something happens

 

[The Expert]

Now to plan my travel - and the family’s travel!!

I had tentatively booked Swan/Dolphin for Jan 8-13, but I’m not tempted to come on Jan 7 and fly home the 14th (and then have DH and the kids come in the 9th-13th) - but S/D rooms are exorbitant to add a day on either end!!

Historically, have there been room discounts during marathon weekend??

Swan/Dolphin are Marriott properties so right now what you see are rack rates. You can book a refundable room and keep watching for discounts and deals. I watch the Marriott app and also Expedia, as they often sell rooms there. Check once a month or so until October-ish, then start looking more often if you still haven't found a good rate.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Wow, this thread moved quickly, need to go back and catch up. Hopefully folks did better than us today, I have club runD but my wife doesn’t and she didn’t make it in before Dopey sold out.

Talk about awkward planning now. We’ve each done Dopey separately but this was going to be our “together” Dopey. Blah.

Hope others had better luck!

 

[accm]

I saw a limited amount of bibs sold by the Running Room last year. They've sold bibs in the past for us Canadian runners even after travel agents were no longer allowed to sell them. The theory was that maybe they're still doing it for international agencies since we aren't allowed to join CrD.

oh interesting. I didn't realize that. I also did not realize we couldn't join CrD.
I just did some googling and found it. They specifically say they are not allowed to sell to US citizens. And honestly, the prices aren't even that bad. Right now they still have registrations available for all races except Dopey and the marathon.

Link for anyone interested:
https://raceroster.com/events/2025/86431/dream-travel-2025-walt-disney-world-marathon-weekend

 

[The Expert]

Wow, this thread moved quickly, need to go back and catch up. Hopefully folks did better than us today, I have club runD but my wife doesn’t and she didn’t make it in before Dopey sold out.

Talk about awkward planning now. We’ve each done Dopey separately but this was going to be our “together” Dopey. Blah.

Hope others had better luck!

That is awkward! But there's still hope. There is an account that alerts when spots open back up, or there's always a charity bib.

 

[jrsharp21]

Historically, have there been room discounts during marathon weekend??

The past two years they have had AP room discounts at select resorts during MW.

 

[pinkxray]

We are booked at VGF because it’s our home resort, but hoping to switch to pretty much any other DVC. We need to leave Sunday morning for the airport so I want to be far away from the road closures near MK.

I have never stayed at GF for a race weekend, but on our last trip I bolted out of bed the first time I heard the water pageant. It was so loud! That would be pretty obnoxious every night if someone is doing all the races. We were at BLT last week and every night I woke up when the first works were going off.(Yes, I go to bed at 830. I wake up around 330/4) This is with me being hard of hearing and a pretty deep sleeper.

I really enjoyed our stay at Dolphin one race weekend , along with Yacht club. Pop always seems like fun race weekends but we are a family of 5 so that’s out. Really thinking of doing AKV if it’s available this year.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

I am a little surprised at the prices now for S/D. I stayed there in 2022 for $335 a night, while my parents were at the Boardwalk. I loved staying there and thought they're a great option, but dang!