Marathon crowds January Trip

[luvmikids]

We have a conference schedule during marathon weekend. How are the crowds in the park and how is it getting out of the resort area to get to the conference? TIA

 

[KellyKateri]

As a marathon weekend attender, I can give my POV from last year (and my plans for this year lol). Overall crowds in the park were not terrible IMO. Busy, but not holiday busy. Your best bet to visit the parks in the morning, as most runners will be a) still running b) resting c) eating. Additionally, less runners will enter the park as the weekend continues (th is 5K, fri is 10K, sat is half and sun is full) because it will a) take longer to finish b) more of a toll, especially those running multiple races. Where you may actually see an increase in people is by the pools/hot tubs at the resorts post race, as that is where I plan to go immediately lol.

Edit to add: I also include MK as being “busier” Sunday and Monday as many people go to take pictures of their medals

 

[mom2rtk]

I've been to WDW 3 times during marathon weekend. Crowds were manageable, but getting around the resort area can be very frustrating, particularly Saturday and Sunday. If you have to be somewhere on those days, you might want to rethink things. The last couple of trips we decided to stay at Pop Century and travel by Skyliner as much as possible and that helped. But ground travel can cause serious delays.

 

[mom2rtk]

Your best bet to visit the parks in the morning,

As long as you can GET to the parks.

 

[KellyKateri]

As long as you can GET to the parks.

This is true, I never really thought of it from the POV of only having bus transportation having access to a park via skyliner, monorail, boat or walking will be a game changer for sure.

 

[DisneyMountainWoman]

The tips people said are great.
Also staying late is good too since us runners have to go to bed early... also all the carb heavy restaurants book up soo fast and Storybook dining cause runners want to see Dopey.

 

[gottalovepluto]

If you’re ready to pull out your hair transport wise try a Minnie Van. Yes, expensive BUT in talking with the drivers in the day leading up to the spring marathon they told us Minnie Vans really shine then because, if necessary, they are allowed to transit through areas the general public is not allowed to access.

 

[vamassey1]

We're arriving on January 12th and not entering parks until the 13th. Will crowds be better by then?

 

[vamassey1]

I've been to WDW 3 times during marathon weekend.

Are you going again this year?

 

[mom2rtk]

Are you going again this year?

Hi Vanessa! Nice to see you over here. That's still our preferred time to visit, but we're going to Disneyland this year.

 

[vamassey1]

Hi Vanessa! Nice to see you over here. That's still our preferred time to visit, but we're going to Disneyland this year.

Hello Janet!

I was really hoping to finally meet in Disney. We'll be there to visit Danielle.

Enjoy Disneyland!

 

[SkyGuy]

If you’re ready to pull out your hair transport wise try a Minnie Van. Yes, expensive BUT in talking with the drivers in the day leading up to the spring marathon they told us Minnie Vans really shine then because, if necessary, they are allowed to transit through areas the general public is not allowed to access.

Good advice, BUT be prepared to wait. We’ve been around marathon the last few years as my husband has business in Orlando at that time. Getting a MV on Sat or Sun is a time sap. Sun is an especially long wait until mid- to late afternoon. Shortest we’ve had to wait for one is about 30 minutes around 2pm. We’ve had estimates as long as 75 minutes, and quite often the wait is longer than estimated due to the gridlock. Nice thing is the MV drivers will generally call to give an update.

 

[jmasgat]

We're arriving on January 12th and not entering parks until the 13th. Will crowds be better by then?

Generally, yes. Lots of people go to Epcot on Monday for Drink Around the World (on often tired legs!). Also, with the races over, there are no road closures to worry about.

For those who need to use buses or drive to get to a park, it's helpful to look at the road closure map that Disney posts as part of the race guide. That will be out next month on the Run Disney Marathon Weekend event site.

 

[vamassey1]

Generally, yes. Lots of people go to Epcot on Monday for Drink Around the World (on often tired legs!). Also, with the races over, there are no road closures to worry about.

Thanks for the info. We plan on going to Studios on Monday.

 

[schultzywi]

We arrive on Sunday the 12th and are staying at WL. Will there be any issues getting to the resort? Taking Uber or Lyft. Thanks.

 

[SkyGuy]

What time

We arrive on Sunday the 12th and are staying at WL. Will there be any issues getting to the resort? Taking Uber or Lyft. Thanks.

What time? If early, yes, you might encounter some delays as the race starts at 4:30am in Epcot and then heads down the road to MK. Just assume that traffic that day will be a cluster until mid-afternoon with road closures and slower participants. Whatever you do, do not pick AK as your park of the day. It’s by far the hardest park to get to in any kind of timely manner.