Marathon Weekend 2019

[LSUlakes]

Are you going back to run it this year?? I am thinking about it.

It's very unlikely at this time. Company just revised the way we use our vacation time so instead of 10 days I get 9 now and I have 8 days planned this year for WDW. The 9th may be used for a last minute type trip with DW is things fall into place. I was asking because I thought I did the race in 2017 but after some research it was in 2016, so I would not be able to use it anyway. I do enjoy the race though, but one thing to watch is if the government is shut down on race day, the race will be cancelled. Something to keep a eye on.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

It's very unlikely at this time. Company just revised the way we use our vacation time so instead of 10 days I get 9 now and I have 8 days planned this year for WDW. The 9th may be used for a last minute type trip with DW is things fall into place. I was asking because I thought I did the race in 2017 but after some research it was in 2016, so I would not be able to use it anyway. I do enjoy the race though, but one thing to watch is if the government is shut down on race day, the race will be cancelled. Something to keep a eye on.

Buddy... you gotta negotiate for some more vacation days! Hopefully you get some personal or sick days?

 

[Dis5150]

It's very unlikely at this time. Company just revised the way we use our vacation time so instead of 10 days I get 9 now and I have 8 days planned this year for WDW. The 9th may be used for a last minute type trip with DW is things fall into place. I was asking because I thought I did the race in 2017 but after some research it was in 2016, so I would not be able to use it anyway. I do enjoy the race though, but one thing to watch is if the government is shut down on race day, the race will be cancelled. Something to keep a eye on.

Yeah, I am thinking about it but probably won't do it this year either. DH is down with the Waco Marathon trip and the 10NM is less than a month after that. Plus we drive to both races and after driving down to Texas I don't think DH will want to drive up to Tennessee.

One of the good things about my job is the vacation, sick time and holidays. We even get our birthday off or can use it on any other day during the calendar year as a vacation day. We also have a program where you log your workout time and food and earn points to get 3 more days off. So in all I get 19 vacation days off a year. The bad part about my job is the pay, so I rarely get to do super fun things on those days off, lol. It's a balance I guess.

I would much rather go to Disney in April than Tennessee in June too, so that is a good choice!

Hoping there is no government shut down as DS is in the Navy and likes to get paid for his time, lol! But yes, something to keep in mind, thanks! If I decide to do the race I won't register until after I know for sure.

 

[ANIM8R]

I love that it is later. The first year we ran it, it fell around those dates and it was heaven in the parks. Now, the parks weren't as busy overall back then, but it will still be so much better than this year. We had days where most rides were truly walk-ons.

Our first WDW weekend was in 2013 and it was the same timing as next year's (marathon on the 13th). The park crowds were soooo much better than 2018's marathon weekend. That's why I'm really looking forward to next year's marathon weekend.

And, yes, the Christmas decorations (including the Osborne lights at that time) were still up through the marathon in 2013. The day after....gone. This past year, we were at Hollywood Studios on Sunday. I told my wife if she wanted pictures of the Christmas decorations she better take them at that time because (I thought) they would be down the following day. Nope - we went back on Monday and the decorations were still up...so maybe Disney waits until mid-January to take down the Christmas decorations and the marathon doesn't even factor into the timing?

 

[LSUlakes]

Buddy... you gotta negotiate for some more vacation days! Hopefully you get some personal or sick days?

It was 10 days vacation and 5 sick days, but now they are looking at it as hours vs days. We work 9 hour days and 8 on Fridays. We have every other Friday off. So my typical week vacation would start on the Friday I am off as a travel day, and then use 5 days (40 hours). Now that same trip will use 44 hours. So I will have 36 left or 4 days. Our next trip we are leaving on a Tuesday and the trip includes a Friday I am off so only 27 hours used. It just stinks, and sure I could swap some Friday, but at the end I still end up losing a "day" but not necessarily the hours. I would agree that trying to negotiate would be the way to go, but they are also about to layoff people, like any day now and making to much noise about the vacation thing would probably place a target on my back. I am not crazy enough to take that risk with two young children. So, I will just sit here and be unhappy about it. If anyone ever wondered why some Fridays we dont have a QOTD, its because I am off, and on those days I try to get all of my to do list done from 6:00AM till 9:00PM.

So in all I get 19 vacation days off a year.

If your company is in Louisiana I am interested. lol 19 days!

Sorry for the thread hijack.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

It was 10 days vacation and 5 sick days, but now they are looking at it as hours vs days. We work 9 hour days and 8 on Fridays. We have every other Friday off. So my typical week vacation would start on the Friday I am off as a travel day, and then use 5 days (40 hours). Now that same trip will use 44 hours. So I will have 36 left or 4 days. Our next trip we are leaving on a Tuesday and the trip includes a Friday I am off so only 27 hours used. It just stinks, and sure I could swap some Friday, but at the end I still end up losing a "day" but not necessarily the hours. I would agree that trying to negotiate would be the way to go, but they are also about to layoff people, like any day now and making to much noise about the vacation thing would probably place a target on my back. I am not crazy enough to take that risk with two young children. So, I will just sit here and be unhappy about it. If anyone ever wondered why some Fridays we dont have a QOTD, its because I am off, and on those days I try to get all of my to do list done from 6:00AM till 9:00PM.
.

Do you work for PH?

We have the same type of schedule. I now try to plan my trips for Fridays off or switch with my co-worker.

 

[SarahDisney]

Guys, stop scaring me. I'm currently job searching and one of my fears is whatever job I have not giving me enough vacation days for what I need.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

It was 10 days vacation and 5 sick days, but now they are looking at it as hours vs days. We work 9 hour days and 8 on Fridays. We have every other Friday off. So my typical week vacation would start on the Friday I am off as a travel day, and then use 5 days (40 hours). Now that same trip will use 44 hours. So I will have 36 left or 4 days. Our next trip we are leaving on a Tuesday and the trip includes a Friday I am off so only 27 hours used. It just stinks, and sure I could swap some Friday, but at the end I still end up losing a "day" but not necessarily the hours. I would agree that trying to negotiate would be the way to go, but they are also about to layoff people, like any day now and making to much noise about the vacation thing would probably place a target on my back. I am not crazy enough to take that risk with two young children. So, I will just sit here and be unhappy about it. If anyone ever wondered why some Fridays we dont have a QOTD, its because I am off, and on those days I try to get all of my to do list done from 6:00AM till 9:00PM.

It's crazy to hear about different vacation policies- thanks for sharing! I completely understand not wanting to take that risk- I wouldn't either! (BTW I didn't mean my comment to sound harsh by any means- just friendly banter!) It's awesome to get every other Friday off- that would be especially nice for any appointment or errands that can't be done on the weekend.

Sorry for the thread hijack.

I am contributing it to too!

Guys, stop scaring me. I'm currently job searching and one of my fears is whatever job I have not giving me enough vacation days for what I need.

Nah- don't be scared! I came out of college getting 20 vacation days and I currently get 25 days + 10 federal (market) holidays. There is hope!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Guys, stop scaring me. I'm currently job searching and one of my fears is whatever job I have not giving me enough vacation days for what I need.

I started with 2 weeks starting out but unlimited sick time. You aren't supposed to abuse sick time though. I have more than 2 weeks now because of time in though.

Depends on your field on what is normal.

 

[SarahDisney]

Depends on your field on what is normal.

Yeah, I think that another thing that scares me is that I haven't seen a consistent normal - it seems to vary by company - anywhere from 10 days to 3 weeks. And then there are the companies that offer "unlimited vacation" ... which is code for "go on vacation when you want, but when you're not on vacation, we expect you to be working 24/7."

 

[Nole95]

That is some crazy vacation time. A couple years ago, my company went to an unlimited vacation policy. We can take as many days off as our job allows and pending manager approval. Only caveat is that you can not take more than 10 vacation days in a row. Not a big deal, but I did get permission to stretch that to 13 for a summer trip this year.

They said as long as no one abused the system, it would stay this way. It has been two years now. I guess they are seeing good results, and my co-workers appear to take as much time off as I do. I have been with my company for 12 years now, so even under the old system I was entitled to 20 days. Even with this new policy I tend to keep my days off between 20 and 25.

I firmly believe that vacation time is good to recharge mentally rather than work myself to death. If ever my current company started complaining, I would start looking for another job pretty quick.

 

[LSUlakes]

I gotta look into whatever industry yall are in, because that type of time off is unheard of in mine. In fact I have never heard of anyone starting off with more than 2 weeks vacation. We have some other standard days off, like 4th of July, Memorial, and Labor Day, Good Friday, ect for example. I guess industrial construction was a bad choice for time off.

 

[Nole95]

I gotta look into whatever industry yall are in, because that type of time off is unheard of in mine. In fact I have never heard of anyone starting off with more than 2 weeks vacation. We have some other standard days off, like 4th of July, Memorial, and Labor Day, Good Friday, ect for example. I guess industrial construction was a bad choice for time off.

I work in the IT department of a marketing company.

Old policy started everyone off with 10 days after one year. 15 days after 5 years, and 20 after 10 years. We now have the unlimited policy plus 6 paid company holidays. It seems to work, and I have read that more companies are started to move towards this model. I have friends in different types of jobs that have this same type of thing. Those that don't have the incremental based on number of years with the company.

 

[SarahDisney]

Yeah, I'm a tech person, we get all the perks ... vacation, free beer, ping pong tables, laptops ... the only downside is that a lot of the companies expect you to work insane hours because there's a lot to do and not enough people.
(Which is why I'm a little worried about vacation ... I'm looking for work/life balance, and I figure that if I'm working for a company that actually leaves me alone on weekends, I might not be given the luxury of excessive free time. Especially because I need a crapton of vacation days for religious holidays.)

Also, a note on unlimited vacation (that I just learned recently) - apparently it makes financial sense for companies, especially those with high turnover rates. If someone is entitled to paid vacation, if they leave the company mid-year, you have to pay them for the vacation days they didn't use. If there's unlimited vacation days, since there's no set number of unused days, you don't have to pay them anything.
#math

 

[a-mad]

That is some crazy vacation time. A couple years ago, my company went to an unlimited vacation policy. We can take as many days off as our job allows and pending manager approval. Only caveat is that you can not take more than 10 vacation days in a row. Not a big deal, but I did get permission to stretch that to 13 for a summer trip this year.

They said as long as no one abused the system, it would stay this way. It has been two years now. I guess they are seeing good results, and my co-workers appear to take as much time off as I do. I have been with my company for 12 years now, so even under the old system I was entitled to 20 days. Even with this new policy I tend to keep my days off between 20 and 25.

I firmly believe that vacation time is good to recharge mentally rather than work myself to death. If ever my current company started complaining, I would start looking for another job pretty quick.

Our company also switched to an unlimited vacation policy a few years ago. We weren't sure how it would be received, but there have been very few complaints. My manager has always been great with us scheduling vacation - it really just comes down to ensuring we get our jobs done. Personally, I really like it. It's also very easy to manage... because you don't really need to manage it at all - you're paid your salary whether you're working or not. No need to input vacation in any type of HR tool, etc. I just let my manager know when I'm going to be gone, and if he has any concerns, he'll typically share them with me (although that has never happened.)

The one negative (and it's small) is the ongoing comparison to your colleagues. I have some co-workers who take very little vacation because they feel it is important to be "visible" and they don't want to be put in any type of negative light compared to their peers. They are also the types that will keep track of how much vacation each person in the department takes compared to themselves. It does cross your mind if you're competing for a promotion or wage increase, etc. as to how much you're perceived to be around... but it hasn't been a big enough concern that it prevents me from taking the vacation I want to take, and my manager doesn't seem to care.

 

[camaker]

I gotta look into whatever industry yall are in, because that type of time off is unheard of in mine. In fact I have never heard of anyone starting off with more than 2 weeks vacation. We have some other standard days off, like 4th of July, Memorial, and Labor Day, Good Friday, ect for example. I guess industrial construction was a bad choice for time off.

Vaccine manufacturing here. 3 weeks of vacation is pretty standard and I'm about to get my 4th. Plus 10 holidays and one extra "personal" day each year. Also, unlimited sick time as long as it's not abused.

 

[Dis5150]

It was 10 days vacation and 5 sick days, but now they are looking at it as hours vs days. We work 9 hour days and 8 on Fridays. We have every other Friday off. So my typical week vacation would start on the Friday I am off as a travel day, and then use 5 days (40 hours). Now that same trip will use 44 hours. So I will have 36 left or 4 days. Our next trip we are leaving on a Tuesday and the trip includes a Friday I am off so only 27 hours used. It just stinks, and sure I could swap some Friday, but at the end I still end up losing a "day" but not necessarily the hours. I would agree that trying to negotiate would be the way to go, but they are also about to layoff people, like any day now and making to much noise about the vacation thing would probably place a target on my back. I am not crazy enough to take that risk with two young children. So, I will just sit here and be unhappy about it. If anyone ever wondered why some Fridays we dont have a QOTD, its because I am off, and on those days I try to get all of my to do list done from 6:00AM till 9:00PM.



If your company is in Louisiana I am interested. lol 19 days!

Sorry for the thread hijack.

Lol I work for the state of Arkansas so they are not in Louisiana!
Technically I earn 10 hours a month, soon to be 12 when I hit my 5 years. We also get 11 holidays so I stack one with my vacation when it works. MLK usually works with WDW Marathon weekend.

 

[lhermiston]

Good morning, runDisney all-stars! I hope you all had a great week.

Super Bowl Sundays also happen to be for Disney and in honor of today’s showdown, we’re going to have a little match-up of our own!

So, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin vs. Toy Story Midway Mania, who ya got?

TSMM is incredibly fun and, in my opinion, is a technologically superior attraction. It’s probably the *better* ride and worthy of being a headliner.

BUT...I love Buzz’s ride. Sure, you get a busted blaster now and again, but it’s so much fun. Mostly, my joy derives from riding it a bunch late at night when the lines are short and I’m at peak Disney nerd status.

So, Buzz wins by a point.

Bonus Sunday Question: Which Disney character would you pick to perform at half time? I’m going with Elsa. She can sing and do some cool ice stuff. Plus, she’d handle Minnesota just fine.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Sundays are for Disney:

I really enjoy both attractions, but I've got to go with Mania. I figured out how to get 999,999 in Space Ranger Spin and while its fun to blow the minds of my nieces and nephews with my video game sorcery there's a little bit of a lost element to the game. Toy Story Mania, on the other hand, I can still wow them with my scores but I'm nowhere near the daily/monthly high scores so there's still something to strive toward.

Bonus Question:

I imagine the Genie could do some pretty amazing things with a halftime show; he handled his own introduction and a royal welcoming parade pretty well.

 

[PCFriar80]

Sunday's are for Disney:
I'm going with TSMM. Those "Z's" have alluded me for years. I always blame it on the gun.........

Bonus Question:
Evil Queen. A nice match for Bill Belichick's personality.....