RunDisney and Planning Parks

[Nessy]

Hello all,

I'm looking for some help. Myself and my sister are going to the WDW Marathon Weekend in January 2020. We're looking at doing all 4 races and staying in Disney for 8 days/7 nights. We'll be getting in on the 8th for the Expo and leaving on the 15th.

I'm wondering how long we will need in each park?? It's our first time in any Disney, all very exciting!! We're not 100% into the rides but will want to do a few of them. We're also looking at missing out going to parks on the Half, Full and the day after the Full marathon. We might go to Epcot/Disney Springs just for a gentle walk.

I'll also be getting the Park Hopper.

Any help would be great as I doubt we will be going back to Disney for probably 10 yrs or something lol!! It's just so expensive!!

Nessy

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Tough question. The parks have a lot to offer, but if you aren't interested in all the "big" rides then you can probably do each in a half day or so. But that also depends on what you are interested in. Epcot has some interesting stores, Animal Kingdom some really interesting wildlife trails. For a first time trip, using fastpasses, here's what I'd plan:

Magic Kingdom - this could be a full day. Get FP for Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean. Ride Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear, and Little Mermaid standby, as well as Laugh Floor and Mickey's Philharmagic.

Animal Kingdom - FP for Everest, Safari and Dinosaur. Definitely visit the trails. The Avatar area is fun to visit as well (you might run through it during the races), but I wouldn't spend 2+ hours in line for any ride anywhere, so if you can't get fastpasses then skip the rides.

Epcot - FP for test track, Living with the Land, and Turtle Talk. You could also choose Soarin' or Mission Space if no concerns about motion sickness. Plan on spending some time walking around the various countries, but there's a bunch of asphalt and not much shade.

Hollywood Studios - FP for Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania and Rock n Roller Coaster (assuming Star Wars Land makes this doable). All three rides are awesome and unique.

 

[hiroMYhero]

So you’ll be arriving on a Wednesday-Expo, Thursday-5K, Friday-10K, Sat-1/2 no park, Sun-full no park, Monday no park, Tuesday-park, Wednesday-leave.

Potentially you will have 3 full park days and maybe a partial day on the 15th? How many days of tickets are you buying?

I’d follow @GeorgiaHoo ‘s FP plan. Also note that Marathon Runners stop mid-race in AK and ride Expedition Everest. So if you have time to do that, choose a FP for something else.

If you are staying in an Epcot resort or in a resort with Gondola Transportation, it’ll be easy to hop between Epcot and DHS.

 

[tiggerunner]

I am also doing all 4 races and will be doing parks and also resting. You will have to catch busses every morning by 4 am, so a nap is a must after each race. In the past I have stayed out late after the half and had a blast. Just depends on what kind of runner you are and what you want to see. The rides are not all roller coasters, so check them out and enjoy. It’s going to be fun

 

[rteetz]

Hello all,

I'm looking for some help. Myself and my sister are going to the WDW Marathon Weekend in January 2020. We're looking at doing all 4 races and staying in Disney for 8 days/7 nights. We'll be getting in on the 8th for the Expo and leaving on the 15th.

I'm wondering how long we will need in each park?? It's our first time in any Disney, all very exciting!! We're not 100% into the rides but will want to do a few of them. We're also looking at missing out going to parks on the Half, Full and the day after the Full marathon. We might go to Epcot/Disney Springs just for a gentle walk.

I'll also be getting the Park Hopper.

Any help would be great as I doubt we will be going back to Disney for probably 10 yrs or something lol!! It's just so expensive!!

Nessy

I recommend visiting the runDisney board.

I’ve done Dopey 3 times and plan on doing it again.

It depends on what you’re looking to get out of the parks. I’m one who’s in the parks every day no matter what.

You obviously will be in the parks least on marathon day but definitely still do something to keep the legs moving.

I also recommend post marathon or even the day after going to the parks and just taking photos with park icons or characters.

 

[mountdew1]

It really depends on you and your body. Remember that you will need to be up wicked early in the AM each race day. Exact time will vary, but most people end up waking up by around 3 at the latest, as you need to be at the staging area by about 4-4:30 and need to allow time for transportation. So unless you get along with no sleep, it's early to bed most nights. And I'm crazy enough to do a mostly full day in the parks post races (yes, even the full), but I've got 4 Dopeys, a few Goofys, some fulls, and a bunch of other challenges/halfs under my belt. But plenty of people have problems walking up the bus steps, never mind around the parks. Without knowing your fitness/running level it's hard for me to give good guidance. Expo day can be a wash due to the time to get to/from the Expo, you end up with a few hours in park pre and post if you plan it properly. 5k and 10k you can do mostly a full day. If you aren't up for it, then skip the half/full, but definitely keep moving, no matter how much it hurts. Then I'd do Mon & Tues as well post races.

As @hiroMYhero said, some runners do stop in AK to hop on Everest, but it's not guaranteed. Sometimes CMs will let you hop in FP, other times you would need to wait, so it's up to you if it is worth it or not.

 

[rteetz]

As @hiroMYhero said, some runners do stop in AK to hop on Everest, but it's not guaranteed. Sometimes CMs will let you hop in FP, other times you would need to wait, so it's up to you if it is worth it or not

I’ve done the marathon 3 times and all 3 times I’ve done Everest during the race. This year I was first in line for Everest.

People need to be mindful of their pace. Many get their before opening of the ride. They do not open the ride early (I’m talking more than 5 minutes early). They will usually have single rider open as well during the race so that is an option. Also be mindful that the ride is open to everyone so it’s not just runners even though at 9AM most of them are.

 

[Nessy]

GOLLY!! Thank you everyone! This is exactly what I wanted. To be honest we will be getting tickets for all the days because that's the way the cookie crumbles and we're stubborn so even if we think we're "resting" we'll still be going to the parks!

@GeorgiaHoo I will be adding them to my list, thank you!!
@tiggerunner We're hoping to do a tester weekend and actually get up early to run!! Just to make sure we can do it!!
@mountdew1 Thanks! Yeah I think we'll be trying to move around just won't be going overboard if you know what I mean (hopefully!!)
@rteetz Do you have any tips on getting onto it! It's something we are defiantly wanting to do as I don't know when we will have the chance to do a RunDisney again!

 

[rteetz]

@rteetz Do you have any tips on getting onto it! It's something we are defiantly wanting to do as I don't know when we will have the chance to do a RunDisney again!

Watch your pace. Everest will open at 9AM. You’ll want to try and get there a little before or a little after that time of you can. If you get there way before you’ll be waiting a while and that may not be good for the legs. If you get there way after 9AM you may not have enough time to wait before the sweepers make their way through AK. Also if there is a line check the single rider line. That likely will be shorter. The only issue there is if you are a group you’ll be split up to ride rather than riding together.

 

[steph0808]

I have never done Dopey, but I have done 3 Marathon Weekends (did the full twice and the half once). I do the parks hard every single day.

For Dopey, I would cut back park time on Saturday - maybe just do some resort walking and rest for the afternoon. Full marathons are no joke and feet do get tired!

On Sunday and Monday - I highly recommend at least some park time or walking around after the races are over. It will help to keep you from stiffening up. Granted, you're still going to be sore, but I have more soreness after races where I sit at home the rest of the day instead of going out and walking another 20k steps at a Disney park!

Also get to bed early every night. Just getting up at 3 AM for one race wears me out and requires a nap in Carousel of Progress or Muppet Vision 3D.

 

[Neon Cactus]

Last year, I started by saying I wasn't going in the parks. That lasted until about two months before the race, when I knew there was no way I was going to Disney World and not going in the parks. If you're reluctant to go to a park on a race day because you don't want to walk a lot, the good thing is with Fastpass, you know you can get on three rides without long waits and you just have to make sure you're not overdoing it on the walking.

 

[ashejen]

There's some great advice here...My only other thought would be to consider making Saturday a Disney Springs / monorail resort exploring day. Do a little shopping, watch a movie, have some good pre-run food. On three separate trips, I've done the 10k and full (twice) and Goofy (once). I toured hard core all the other days (including marathon day), but have always given myself a break on the Saturday.

 

[Dopey 2020]

Hello all,

I'm looking for some help. Myself and my sister are going to the WDW Marathon Weekend in January 2020. We're looking at doing all 4 races and staying in Disney for 8 days/7 nights. We'll be getting in on the 8th for the Expo and leaving on the 15th.

I'm wondering how long we will need in each park?? It's our first time in any Disney, all very exciting!! We're not 100% into the rides but will want to do a few of them. We're also looking at missing out going to parks on the Half, Full and the day after the Full marathon. We might go to Epcot/Disney Springs just for a gentle walk.

I'll also be getting the Park Hopper.

Any help would be great as I doubt we will be going back to Disney for probably 10 yrs or something lol!! It's just so expensive!!

Nessy

Tough question. The parks have a lot to offer, but if you aren't interested in all the "big" rides then you can probably do each in a half day or so. But that also depends on what you are interested in. Epcot has some interesting stores, Animal Kingdom some really interesting wildlife trails. For a first time trip, using fastpasses, here's what I'd plan:

Magic Kingdom - this could be a full day. Get FP for Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean. Ride Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear, and Little Mermaid standby, as well as Laugh Floor and Mickey's Philharmagic.

Animal Kingdom - FP for Everest, Safari and Dinosaur. Definitely visit the trails. The Avatar area is fun to visit as well (you might run through it during the races), but I wouldn't spend 2+ hours in line for any ride anywhere, so if you can't get fastpasses then skip the rides.

Epcot - FP for test track, Living with the Land, and Turtle Talk. You could also choose Soarin' or Mission Space if no concerns about motion sickness. Plan on spending some time walking around the various countries, but there's a bunch of asphalt and not much shade.

Hollywood Studios - FP for Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania and Rock n Roller Coaster (assuming Star Wars Land makes this doable). All three rides are awesome and unique.

I would second just about all of this, except dinosaur, that rarely needs a fast pass and Flight of Passage is one of the hardest to get. We always book FOP as soon as the window opens and plan the rest around what time/day we were able to get.
Also don’t stress over not doing everything, there is far too much to see and do in that time frame so really enjoy what you can do and focus on the fun you have.

 

[Dopey 2020]

Also you may be able to save a bit, the park hopper costs the same if you add it later, even if you add it when you get there, so you can plan your whole trip out with regular tickets and not get the hopper option unless you absolutely need it.