Marathon Weekend 2018

[metluver]

Count me in as someone trying to register for Dopey. I had been thinking about it before this past weekend because of the anniversary, but then seeing so many people walking around with their shirts and medals coupled with the half getting cancelled solidified it for me.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Question of the Day: I've lost count on how many times I've been to Disney. I grew up in Florida about 2.5 hours away - we went a lot growing up (back when you could get Beach Club for $99 a night!) My first visit was in 1986 - the year I was born. My husband's first visit was in 2007. He's been now probably 30 times.

 

[jhorstma]

Today's Disney Question for everyone:
How many times have you been to Walt Disney World and when was your first trip?

Lots - see below. I remember 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Walter Cronkite narrating Spaceship Earth. Horizons. Body Wars. MGM Studios. Swampland that's now Animal Kingdom, and River Country that's now swampland.

 

[huggybuff]

Today's Disney Question for everyone:
How many times have you been to Walt Disney World and when was your first trip?

I went once with my grandparents as a teenager, W&D Half of a Half 2015, Princess 10K 2016, Flower and Garden 2016, and then for last week's aborted Half. So that's 5. Animal Kingdom has become my favorite park and that wasn't even in existence the first time I went to WDW.

I'm stubbornly following this thread despite my vacation request for next January having been denied because someone with more seniority put in for the same dates. Somehow I want to do the full.

 

[Nole95]

I've lost track of the number of times I have been. I've been at least 8 since 2007, and that was the first time we took our daughter.

I grew up in Miami, so I had been numerous times while growing up. Surprisingly, the first time I ever stayed on property was on that 2007 trip.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

I grew up in Florida, so lost track of how many times I've been. The first time must have been around 1972 or 1973. There was no Epcot and you got a book of tickets for rides. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_ticket

And you were allowed to *RUN* at rope drop!

 

[PrincessV]

Today's Disney Question for everyone:

How many times have you been to Walt Disney World and when was your first trip?

Oh goodness... first trip was in 1977, followed by a couple more trips as a kid. Since moving 90 miles from WDW in the early 90s? Hundreds of visits, for sure!

We have APs and plan on staying at Bonnet Creek again (my wife loved it), so we are going to have to get bibs the old fashioned way (plan and pray).

+1 for Wyndham Bonnet Creek, my home away from home! Don't want to stay anywhere else.

 

[Anisum]

How many times have you been to Walt Disney World and when was your first trip?

Four starting in 1996 or maybe 4.5 because we went to stay at CB and do Downtown Disney before a cruise once.

 

[princess_jamie]

Hi hi!! Count me in also as someone trying to register for Dopey 2018. I am ANXIOUSLY waiting for Feb 14 and praying I can get it. This has been my dream since earning my C2C in 2015 and I knew I needed to give myself lots of time to mentally and physically prepare so 2018 it is. But counting down to Feb 14 is hard and that morning will be insanely stressful.

 

[nervous1sttimer]

Is there any precedence for Marathon Weekend to have host hotels? When I first started running Disney races, I remember there were only certain hotels where they provided transportation. With races no longer selling out, it would suck if they revert to host hotels after making a reservation somewhere else. But I assume with Marathon Weekend there is no need to worry about that?

 

[rteetz]

Is there any precedence for Marathon Weekend to have host hotels? When I first started running Disney races, I remember there were only certain hotels where they provided transportation. With races no longer selling out, it would suck if they revert to host hotels after making a reservation somewhere else. But I assume with Marathon Weekend there is no need to worry about that?

Marathon Weekend won't have a problem bringing in people in 2018 so all hotels will be host hotels. If some of the other race weekends don't continue to sell out then maybe we see a change in those but I think Marathon Weekend will always have all hotels be host hotels.

 

[WhereInFlorida]

Is there any precedence for Marathon Weekend to have host hotels? When I first started running Disney races, I remember there were only certain hotels where they provided transportation. With races no longer selling out, it would suck if they revert to host hotels after making a reservation somewhere else. But I assume with Marathon Weekend there is no need to worry about that?

Both the half and full marathon make for nearly (less the challenges) double the number of participants. It is a very full resort all weekend.

 

[Dis5150]

I am going to run my first Dopey! DD27 will either do Dopey or the marathon, depending on her finances on registration day. And we talked my DS and DBIL into going on this trip! Sis doesn't know what race she will do yet - she will pick one. DBIL will do the marathon. We are planning on renting DVC points but I can't decide where I want to stay. We were going to just get a studio due to $$ but I am concerned with 4 adults since the sofa sleeper is just a double bed in studios. We were going to do Saratoga Springs since we aren't doing parks this trip (!!!) but I just thought of Shades of Green since DBIL just retired from the Army. We could get a room there about the same cost as a DVC studio. Anyone stay at SOG for marathon weekend??

 

[rteetz]

I am going to run my first Dopey! DD27 will either do Dopey or the marathon, depending on her finances on registration day. And we talked my DS and DBIL into going on this trip! Sis doesn't know what race she will do yet - she will pick one. DBIL will do the marathon. We are planning on renting DVC points but I can't decide where I want to stay. We were going to just get a studio due to $$ but I am concerned with 4 adults since the sofa sleeper is just a double bed in studios. We were going to do Saratoga Springs since we aren't doing parks this trip (!!!) but I just thought of Shades of Green since DBIL just retired from the Army. We could get a room there about the same cost as a DVC studio. Anyone stay at SOG for marathon weekend??

I haven't stayed at SOG but some others here might have.

I did stay in a studio at Saratoga Springs this past marathon weekend with 3 adults and one kid. It wasn't too bad actually. We had enough space and the beds were fine, nothing spectacular but fine.

 

[mbwhitti]

I am going to run my first Dopey! DD27 will either do Dopey or the marathon, depending on her finances on registration day. And we talked my DS and DBIL into going on this trip! Sis doesn't know what race she will do yet - she will pick one. DBIL will do the marathon. We are planning on renting DVC points but I can't decide where I want to stay. We were going to just get a studio due to $$ but I am concerned with 4 adults since the sofa sleeper is just a double bed in studios. We were going to do Saratoga Springs since we aren't doing parks this trip (!!!) but I just thought of Shades of Green since DBIL just retired from the Army. We could get a room there about the same cost as a DVC studio. Anyone stay at SOG for marathon weekend??

4 adults in a studio would be a tight squeeze. The sofa sleeper really can only handle one adult (IMO). We had three people in a Beach Club studio and anymore would have been too cramped for me. You may be better off at a moderate with two queen beds. Saratoga is about on the level of a moderate (again, IMO).

 

[Dis5150]

I haven't stayed at SOG but some others here might have.

I did stay in a studio at Saratoga Springs this past marathon weekend with 3 adults and one kid. It wasn't too bad actually. We had enough space and the beds were fine, nothing spectacular but fine.

4 adults in a studio would be a tight squeeze. The sofa sleeper really can only handle one adult (IMO). We had three people in a Beach Club studio and anymore would have been too cramped for me. You may be better off at a moderate with two queen beds. Saratoga is about on the level of a moderate (again, IMO).

Lol you guys have complete opposite opinions! Idk what to do! It's the money up front that sucks when renting DVC.

 

[rteetz]

4 adults in a studio would be a tight squeeze. The sofa sleeper really can only handle one adult (IMO). We had three people in a Beach Club studio and anymore would have been too cramped for me. You may be better off at a moderate with two queen beds. Saratoga is about on the level of a moderate (again, IMO).

We survived with two adults on the sleeper sofa at SSR for a couple nights. It obviously wasn't the best but I slept fine. It's all personal preference though.

 

[rteetz]

Lol you guys have complete opposite opinions! Idk what to do! It's the money up front that sucks when renting DVC.

I would check out SOG first and see what they have to offer. Then go back to the studio idea if that doesn't work. I will be on a budget next trip as well. I am looking at the possibility of renting DVC but most likely it will be me staying at a Value.

 

[DopeyBadger]

I am going to run my first Dopey! DD27 will either do Dopey or the marathon, depending on her finances on registration day. And we talked my DS and DBIL into going on this trip! Sis doesn't know what race she will do yet - she will pick one. DBIL will do the marathon. We are planning on renting DVC points but I can't decide where I want to stay. We were going to just get a studio due to $$ but I am concerned with 4 adults since the sofa sleeper is just a double bed in studios. We were going to do Saratoga Springs since we aren't doing parks this trip (!!!) but I just thought of Shades of Green since DBIL just retired from the Army. We could get a room there about the same cost as a DVC studio. Anyone stay at SOG for marathon weekend??

I'm pretty sure Old Key West studio has 2 queens as that is where I was looking to rent next trip if it's just me and my mom.

 

[rteetz]

I'm pretty sure Old Key West studio has 2 queens as that is where I was looking to rent next trip if it's just me and my mom.

What is your mom looking to run this time?