Marathon Weekend 2019

[DopeyBadger]

From experience, talking about proof of time for corral placement can sometimes become a touchy subject, but hopefully I'll avoid that.

Based on last year's time boundaries, this may not matter, but here goes. I have a 3:45:47 marathon time and a 1:45:27 half marathon time that I can use (yes, I seem to have a 2 second per mile pacing problem ). Any thoughts on which to submit as POT for the marathon? I generally prefer to use a time from the exact distance, since there's no ambiguity on how it may be converted, but I think the HM time converts to roughly a 3:40 marathon. I'm planning to run for time this year (no Dopey or Goofy for me), so I'm paying more attention to POT.

Agree with @run.minnie.miles and see if rD will tell you the conversion through email.

I'll take a stab and say rD says your 1:45:27 HM converts to a 3:43:38 M. This is using a Rigel R of 1.08 in the Rigel race equivalency calculation.

 

[jhoannam]

Wrong thread... sorry

 

[mankle30]

I had no problems with making ADRs online through the WDW website this morning. Whatsoever. The only thing that bugs me, a la @run.minnie.miles, is that they still haven't published opening hours for the Marathon Weekend, meaning that we have no clue how to schedule park days regarding EMH since we're not getting park hopper tickets (I'm waiting to see if they run their 25% discounted tickets for Canadian residents again before buying tickets). And it may mean trying to reschedule ADRs after the fact if we decided to change parks based on when we can get EMH. Grrrr.

 

[a-mad]

I've done Dining Package, FP+ (most recently 8 days ago), and Standby. From what I've seen, it seems like they block off half the theater for Dining Package & FP+. Dining package is in the middle, and FP+ goes from the end of dining package to the end of the theater. Dining package were the best seats we had, but we've also had decent seats with FP+ when we arrive earlier. And we've never had trouble getting F! as a 4th FP+, even as late as an hour or two before the show (last week we saw the 9pm show, which was the first of two shows, and picked up the FP+ after getting on Alien Swirling Saucers at 6:something).
That said ... even with FP+, you have to arrive early for the better seats. With the dining package you're guaranteed to be closer to the middle no matter when you show up (you just might be all the way in the back).
I'd say if you're interested in a pasta lunch anyway, go for the dining package, but if you're interested in lunch elsewhere, you can get good seats with FP+ if you show up as soon as the window opens.
Just maybe don't show up for your FP+ 10 minutes before the show, because then you'll be all the way at the end ... although that's definitely just a guess and not something I did after a way longer than expected Rock n Roller Coaster line. (All the way at the end wasn't a terrible view, it just wasn't a great view)



It's funny, I seem to be the only one who feels this way, but I prefer F! at WDW. When I saw it at DL it made no impression on me and when I saw it at WDW a few years later I didn't remember ever having seen it before (in fact, I was somewhat certain that I hadn't seen it at DL ... until I realized I had pictures).
Maybe it's because I saw F! at WDW after I saw World of Color (my favorite night show ever), and some of the water effects and projections reminded me a bit of WoC.
I know I'm in the minority here, but I do feel that it's worth seeing at WDW, even if you've seen it at DL.

Thanks for the info Sleepless Knight and SarahDisney... Yeah, I'm not sure what we'll do. I'll take it to the group and see. I've actually seen the WDW Fantasmic before... a couple of times...so I'm prepared for the differences between that and DLR. I don't know if it's worth adding $20 a plate at Mama Melrose to get a better seat... although it would keep us off our feet if we decide to go that route and just get there 30 min ahead of time. I had forgotten about picking up a FP+ in the park after we've gotten the big stuff out of the way. That might be the way to go, and hope for decent seats without too long of a wait.

 

[a-mad]

I had no problems with making ADRs online through the WDW website this morning. Whatsoever. The only thing that bugs me, a la @run.minnie.miles, is that they still haven't published opening hours for the Marathon Weekend, meaning that we have no clue how to schedule park days regarding EMH since we're not getting park hopper tickets (I'm waiting to see if they run their 25% discounted tickets for Canadian residents again before buying tickets). And it may mean trying to reschedule ADRs after the fact if we decided to change parks based on when we can get EMH. Grrrr.

So if I go through my itinerary on MDE day by day and see the ADR's I've scheduled at parks each day, it gives the park hours for that day. For example, I have an ADR for AK on Wednesday, Jan 9th for Yak and Yeti, and on my itinerary it says the park hours for AK are 9am to 8pm. On the day of the marathon we have ADR's at Epcot and it says the park hours are 9am to 9pm. Maybe you're only looking for EMH's and I'm not sure where to find that...

 

[Princess KP]

(I'm waiting to see if they run their 25% discounted tickets for Canadian residents again before buying tickets).

Me too...

 

[roxymama]

View attachment 336749

Gracias! I'll be going with the tea + booze option because I'm klassy.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

I had total ADR frustration last night. At least i'm in Maui right now so it was midnight rather than my usual 3 am. The calendar loaded right away, and I was able to get CA Grill Brunch times to show up, but as soon as I clicked on the time and tried to book I got the stupid paws message. I tried on my phone as well, and when I got to the same point it say "unable to load" right now. I kept trying and slowly watched the reservation times creeping back by 5 minutes. Finally, after 20-25 minutes, I tried making the reservation for 2 people rather than the 4 I wanted and that took. But when I tried to modify I got the same problem: time showed up but as soon as I tried to book it wouldn't load. Same thing happened to me with BOG, but I finally managed to get that one to go through. I went to bed and when I woke up at 7 am here (so about 1 pm EST), I called. I was all ready with screen shots, but she didn't need them. The time I wanted was available for four! Crazy. I would have been better off waking up at my normal time, LOL. As brunch usually books up pretty fast, I wonder if lots of people had the same issue. She said they'd been having "server" problems. Initially she couldn't find my reservation and tired to tell me that Bay Lake Towers wasn't a Disney resort. When I politely pointed to the reservations I'd already made, she relented and admitted it was something on her end, LOL. I'm assuming she was new as she didn't know was DVC was. Oh well, I got the ressie but it wasn't pretty.

 

[Barca33Runner]

OK another question for ya'll.

I'm debating on getting a Fantasmic! Dining Package for Saturday the 12th. I've never tried Mama Melrose's, but that's the most affordable option. Reviews online seem fine. We are running both the half and full, so a simple pasta lunch in the early afternoon sounded intriguing. This is the only day we're planning on DHS, so it would most likely be our only option to see Fantasmic! For those that have done it, do you feel the dining package is worth it? With one showing a night and Marathon crowds, I'm guessing we'd need to try and get to the theater 60-90 minutes early to get a semi-decent seat (without a FP+ or Dining Package), but I could be totally wrong. According to 2018 calendars it appears that the show was at 7pm, so that still gets us back to our hotel at a decent hour to get some rest before marathon morning. Thoughts?

We've done this exact dining package last Marathon Weekend (I actually did it twice; not my idea, but our group changed throughout the stay and someone else booked it because we liked the seating and it was Holidays/Marathon Weekend). My thoughts:

-The first package was $45 and came with appetizer, entree and dessert. Pricing changed on Jan. 1 and went to $43 (I actually think it was $42 and they've changed it since) and included just the entree and dessert. The first package felt like a good deal and that we were (relative to Disney) getting a good value. The second time, not so much.
-The seating for the dining package is fantastic, it definitely adds value to the package. How much that value is will vary from person to person, but if you want seats in the center this is the only way to get them.
-I'm a fan of Mama Melrose. I know WDW has a lot (a lot!) of Italian options, but for the price I think it's pretty decent and easy to find something for everyone.
-A large aspect of booking it again was our past experience and the time of year. In 2017, our group showed up for standby seating for the 7:00 Fantasmic! at 6:00 and we were barely able to get standing room. Both times this year the location and ease of getting to our seats was very valuable to me. I don't think the same issues will exist for Marathon Weekend 2019 as it does not overlap with the Holidays in the same way. It wasn't Marathon Weekend that was packing the parks the last two years, it was the Holidays (kids being out of school).

In summary, I'd recommend it only if you believe that seating will be scarce on the day you are going to DHS (I don't think it will be nearly as crazy for Marathon Weekend this year) or if you place a very high value on being in the prime middle seating.

 

[a-mad]

We've done this exact dining package last Marathon Weekend (I actually did it twice; not my idea, but our group changed throughout the stay and someone else booked it because we liked the seating and it was Holidays/Marathon Weekend). My thoughts:

-The first package was $45 and came with appetizer, entree and dessert. Pricing changed on Jan. 1 and went to $43 (I actually think it was $42 and they've changed it since) and included just the entree and dessert. The first package felt like a good deal and that we were (relative to Disney) getting a good value. The second time, not so much.
-The seating for the dining package is fantastic, it definitely adds value to the package. How much that value is will vary from person to person, but if you want seats in the center this is the only way to get them.
-I'm a fan of Mama Melrose. I know WDW has a lot (a lot!) of Italian options, but for the price I think it's pretty decent and easy to find something for everyone.
-A large aspect of booking it again was our past experience and the time of year. In 2017, our group showed up for standby seating for the 7:00 Fantasmic! at 6:00 and we were barely able to get standing room. Both times this year the location and ease of getting to our seats was very valuable to me. I don't think the same issues will exist for Marathon Weekend 2019 as it does not overlap with the Holidays in the same way. It wasn't Marathon Weekend that was packing the parks the last two years, it was the Holidays (kids being out of school).

In summary, I'd recommend it only if you believe that seating will be scarce on the day you are going to DHS (I don't think it will be nearly as crazy for Marathon Weekend this year) or if you place a very high value on being in the prime middle seating.

^ terrific advice! thanks!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I had total ADR frustration last night. At least i'm in Maui right now

New rule - people in Maui can't complain - about anything.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

New rule - people in Maui can't complain - about anything.

That is totally fair. LOL!!!

 

[lhermiston]

OK another question for ya'll.

I'm debating on getting a Fantasmic! Dining Package for Saturday the 12th. I've never tried Mama Melrose's, but that's the most affordable option. Reviews online seem fine. We are running both the half and full, so a simple pasta lunch in the early afternoon sounded intriguing. This is the only day we're planning on DHS, so it would most likely be our only option to see Fantasmic! For those that have done it, do you feel the dining package is worth it? With one showing a night and Marathon crowds, I'm guessing we'd need to try and get to the theater 60-90 minutes early to get a semi-decent seat (without a FP+ or Dining Package), but I could be totally wrong. According to 2018 calendars it appears that the show was at 7pm, so that still gets us back to our hotel at a decent hour to get some rest before marathon morning. Thoughts?

I enjoyed Mama Meleose. The penne with vodka sauce was way bueno.

I’ve never seen Fantasmic at DL, but the Hollywood Studios show was fun, in my opinion.

 

[Baloo in MI]

No ADR’s for me this year. I am going solo (if I go) and quick service will work fine. Trying to figure out what I will do Thursday. I got into the specialist yesterday and it is looking like I might have surgery on my ankle, they are doing a new MRI and from that the doctor can set a plan and I will get more definitive timelines. But in the meantime he did let me know that my hopes to run the Grand Rapids Marathon (in October) may be stretching it. So Dopey is in January, more plausible in terms of being healed and getting back into form. For now I will hold on to this, for sanity’s sake. But given that refunds will not be an option and deferral is expensive I am thinking I will wait to register until I have a full picture. Just anxious that by the time I get this figured out Dopey will be full...

 

[flav]

Poking my not-running-until-2020 nose back in here with a question....

Do all of you book your rooms for Marathon Weekend as soon as they're available, or do you ever wait for the fall to see what room rates might be released? I've never cancelled and rebooked a WDW vacation to get a room discount so I don't know whether it's difficult.

For runDisney I once used a travel agent that had a discounted runDisney rate so that did not apply. For other trips, when booking directly through Disney, I booked fairly early, put myself on different mailing lists and DISboards and when a discount was announced or when I received a PIN, I called and they applied it. I once had booked a room only a year ahead because I wanted a very specific hotel for specific dates. A discount came and I had to make a new booking as package. Disney reimbursed me the room one night charge but it took a while.

 

[flav]

OK another question for ya'll.

I'm debating on getting a Fantasmic! Dining Package for Saturday the 12th. I've never tried Mama Melrose's, but that's the most affordable option. Reviews online seem fine. We are running both the half and full, so a simple pasta lunch in the early afternoon sounded intriguing. This is the only day we're planning on DHS, so it would most likely be our only option to see Fantasmic! For those that have done it, do you feel the dining package is worth it? With one showing a night and Marathon crowds, I'm guessing we'd need to try and get to the theater 60-90 minutes early to get a semi-decent seat (without a FP+ or Dining Package), but I could be totally wrong. According to 2018 calendars it appears that the show was at 7pm, so that still gets us back to our hotel at a decent hour to get some rest before marathon morning. Thoughts?

We have done the Fantasmic package a few time but we were on DDP then (one point, same cost as the meal).

We love Mama Melrose. We always had great meals there. Sometimes fish (excellent), sometimes pasta (some better than others).

For F!, we lined up when the tickets asked us to and always had good seats (in the middle of the teater) for the show (first few rows can be wet).

 

[amym2]

New to rundisney, so hopefully these aren't ridiculous questions!

My 16yo ran his qualifying race this morning- 1:09:53 for a 10 miler. Is there a way to find out what corral that will put him in for the half-marathon?

When I register for the half-marathon, will I need the race times for my DS and DH's qualifiers, or do I submit that separately? I have training that day (Tue since we're DVC) so won't have time to fumble my way through registration. Hoping it's an easy process!

 

[rteetz]

New to rundisney, so hopefully these aren't ridiculous questions!

My 16yo ran his qualifying race this morning- 1:09:53 for a 10 miler. Is there a way to find out what corral that will put him in for the half-marathon?

When I register for the half-marathon, will I need the race times for my DS and DH's qualifiers, or do I submit that separately? I have training that day (Tue since we're DVC) so won't have time to fumble my way through registration. Hoping it's an easy process!

You can update your race times after registering.

 

[CDKG]

New to rundisney, so hopefully these aren't ridiculous questions!

My 16yo ran his qualifying race this morning- 1:09:53 for a 10 miler. Is there a way to find out what corral that will put him in for the half-marathon?

When I register for the half-marathon, will I need the race times for my DS and DH's qualifiers, or do I submit that separately? I have training that day (Tue since we're DVC) so won't have time to fumble my way through registration. Hoping it's an easy process!

You can estimate what corral your son will be placed in using a online running calculator (like McMillan's) and last year's corral assignments (just Google it). But, there is no way to know for sure until the waivers are released a week or two prior to the event.

 

[Keels]

You can estimate what corral your son will be placed in using a online running calculator (like McMillan's) and last year's corral assignments (just Google it). But, there is no way to know for sure until the waivers are released a week or two prior to the event.

This. Also, corrals are a REAL crapshoot. Just the number of them has fluctuated every year since 2015.