Booking hotel or package for marathon weekend

[J3nn78]

Hi all!
I am racing my first full marathon this January. I am so excited!

I consider myself very knowledgeable on all things Disney, but I am at a loss for this. When do rooms become available to book online? Is there any special marathon package? We are looking to arrive Thursday night and leave either Monday night or Tuesday afternoon.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Oh, I am looking to stay at POFQ if that helps.

Thanks!

 

[jmasgat]

You can't book a room only at rack rate online at Disney web site yet. Also, discounts for rooms at that time aren't published yet (later in summer). But you may be able to book something via phone (rack rate) and possibly AAA.

You can book a package online via the Disney Marathon web site under Travel. This includes tickets, though. Probably rack rate at this point.

Maura

 

[J3nn78]

Thanks
So if I book now at rack rate, I should be able to apply a discount later on, just as you can with any normal trip?

 

[Bephus]

I called about this a month or so ago and the CM said they didn't have the date of release of 2011 rates yet, but was sure based on the past they would be released by early July because of 180 day ADR windows. They may even have a release date now that it Is closer to the 180 day window for early Janand the races are starting to fill. And yes, you can apply discount codes after booking if you book at rack rate.

 

[cewait]

We are close to the traditional release of next year's rates....

From a personal perspective, I am not a fan of reserving rooms through Sports Travel and would look to the central system. This is based on 6 year old experiences (hard to believe I have been DVC that long). What I found was that Sports did not have the deeper discounts available through the central desk and they had differing deposit/cancellation requirements. You did get a free round of mini-golf as a perk.

I understand that the sports reservations have been upgraded since then. I think it worth a couple phone calls to understand if these or any differences remain.

As far as booking now, If you have a resort preference make the ressie now and then watch for discounts as they come up. You can always get the cheaper rate later but not necessarily the room in your prefered resort.

 

[Hockeychic]

I booked the package now just so I know I have the resort that I want, but once Disney releases January dates I will recalulate and see which is the better package. We don't use any of the "perks" offered through the marathon package so just basically looking for room and park tickets.

 

[wvjules]

I booked the package now just so I know I have the resort that I want, but once Disney releases January dates I will recalulate and see which is the better package. We don't use any of the "perks" offered through the marathon package so just basically looking for room and park tickets.

What perks come in the marathon package? It didn't seem any different than any other package to me.

 

[crewmatt]

there werent too many perks with the package last year, I did way better booking through the normal booking channels. I would probably leave Tuesday afternoon if its going to be your first marathon. Disney is really cool with everyone wearing their medals the first couple days after the race.

 

[FireDancer]

there werent too many perks with the package last year, I did way better booking through the normal booking channels. I would probably leave Tuesday afternoon if its going to be your first marathon. Disney is really cool with everyone wearing their medals the first couple days after the race.

And this year you get into the parks for free if you are wearing the medal from the full.

 

[bkoehl]

So all you veterans, where is the best place to stay? And how the heck do you get to the starting line anyway? Do the resort buses drop you off there? What if you are coming off the monorail or off site-do you walk to it?

 

[FireDancer]

So all you veterans, where is the best place to stay? And how the heck do you get to the starting line anyway? Do the resort buses drop you off there? What if you are coming off the monorail or off site-do you walk to it?

Yes, there are buses from every resort to the expo and either a bus or monorail form every resort to the start. The same buses or monorail will get you back to your resort afterward if you would like it to.

If you are off-site you will have to either drive, find someone else who is driving and get a lift, or take a taxi.

 

[cewait]

What perks come in the marathon package? It didn't seem any different than any other package to me.

You mean they no longer offer mini golf coupons?

 

[cewait]

So all you veterans, where is the best place to stay? And how the heck do you get to the starting line anyway? Do the resort buses drop you off there? What if you are coming off the monorail or off site-do you walk to it?

Best place in on-site. Where else can you esperience the Magic 24/7......Seriously, the perks for on-site include transportation to and from the race and expo. These buses are charter type buses, not the normal resort buses. Race day busing runs from 3-4 am so it's kind of nice to not have to drive that early. If you are in a monorail resort the monorail runs from 3 to as close as you feel like cutting it. If you are off site, plan on being in the Epcot parking lot NO LATER than 4-4:15 If you cut it too close you will watch the race from your windshield on World Drive as they shut Epcot Dr down sometime between 4:30 and 4:45 to secure the race course. There is no real way to walk that does not put you in traffic for some of the walk.

 

[Hockeychic]

I think it depends on your budget. For marathon weekend we always stay at POP and I think it has been sold out every year I have gone so we good it early. THe best perk about POP for us is it is a value resort so fits the budget, also it doesn't share buses with the other 3 values.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I am racing my first full marathon this January. I am so excited!

Congratulations! Me too!

I've never been in January to WDW so I've never had to wait for dates to open up before I made reservations (to be honest, when I first searched through orbitz or expedia and it said no rooms available I thought it was just an even more popular time than I thought!).

I'm not sure if I'm going to get there Friday night after work or Saturday morning but I'm pretty sure I'm going to stay until Tuesday (taking advantage of the free park day assuming I'm able to walk ).

Any idea how fast the rooms book up? I'm not too picky about where I'm staying but I would like to stay at CBR or POR.

 

[cewait]

Congratulations! Me too!

I've never been in January to WDW so I've never had to wait for dates to open up before I made reservations (to be honest, when I first searched through orbitz or expedia and it said no rooms available I thought it was just an even more popular time than I thought!).

I'm not sure if I'm going to get there Friday night after work or Saturday morning but I'm pretty sure I'm going to stay until Tuesday (taking advantage of the free park day assuming I'm able to walk ).

Any idea how fast the rooms book up? I'm not too picky about where I'm staying but I would like to stay at CBR or POR.

You may not get your first resort preference - depending on where the charity runners book. You should be able to reserve in something of each classification, ie moderate, etc.

I would make reservations TODAY if you have a preference. 2011 rates will soon be announced. You will be able to adjust your reservation once discounts come out in the fall.