Marathon Weekend 2021

[Wendy1985]

What exactly are you asking?

Can I do the virtual marthon on the tredmill if the weather is bad

 

[rteetz]

Can I do the virtual marthon on the tredmill if the weather is bad

Disney doesn’t care where you do it.

 

[KevM]

SAFD: I like DHS, but for me it’s not a full day park. The things I like:

Attraction wise, it has two of my favorite rides as WDW, ToT & RnRC (I haven’t been on RotR yet). I also really like the Muppets, so Muppeta 3D is always a good (and nicely air conditioned) show to take in.

Food: Brown Dery is one of my favorite restaurants at WDW. I also enjoy a nice lunch at Sci-Fi. I don’t think they’ve changed what they show since the day it opened, but that’s part of the enjoyment. I also like getting a nice (vegan) milkshake from 50s PrimeTime to drink while walking around the park. I’ve only been to Galaxy’s Edge once, but I found it to be very enjoyable.

One place that I always enjoyed and am still sad it gone is The Writer’s Stop.

Another thing long gone that I am trying to remember is from when I was a kid. I remember there being a spot where guests would make little films. Trying to look it up, the closest I can find is Superstar Television. But the reason that seems wrong is because from what I can remember the productions were “originals” not scenes from popular shows.

 

[steph0808]

I love DHS. What isn't there to love? You have shows (indiana Jones, beauty and the beast, frozen singalong), great rides (my fave TOT, the totally amazing ROTR, the always super fun TSM), good food (50s Primetime), and amazing napping spots (the Muppets).

Seriously, I love that park. The only thing i don't like is the fireworks - they used to have an amazing Star Wars themed show back in...2016, I believe. I'm disappointed with what they have/had lately.

 

[Krandor]

I love DHS as well. They have a rides I really like like ToT and RnRc and of course all of galaxy's edge is amazing. Slinky Dog is always fun too and for some AC muppets is always good.

Also if I'm waiting on a FP or BG, I love to go sit at Baseline Tavern and have a beer or two. Always a nice rest spot in the middle of the day. Stone Delicious IPA for me.

And no current trip is complete without a visit to Oga's Cantina.

 

[FFigawi]

Disney doesn’t care where you do it.

Or even if you do it

 

[Baloo in MI]

Just needed to share. This evening I finally called Disney to cancel my trip package for Marathon Weekend. Yes, of course I have know for a couple months now that MW was cancelled, and I set up my virtual Dopey. But for some reason I just could not get myself to cancel the trip. It was going to be a solo trip and for the purpose of running. So cancelling just made sense, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Well I faced reality and cancelled, good news I did get some money back. Bad news is My Disney Experience now shows no trips.... My family, depending on the pandemic and how things go over the next few months may look at a summer trip. Otherwise it will be MW 2022 before I get back to DIsney. Time to start living vicariously through others on the trip reports threads! Ugh!

 

[Neon Cactus]

How could I forget Mama Melrose’s? So good.

I agree the quick service options don’t stand out, but I loved the totchos at Woody’s Lunch Box.

I do agree with the totchos! And to be fair, I haven't been to Docking Bay 7 or Ronto Roasters yet either.

 

[michigandergirl]

Just needed to share. This evening I finally called Disney to cancel my trip package for Marathon Weekend. Yes, of course I have know for a couple months now that MW was cancelled, and I set up my virtual Dopey. But for some reason I just could not get myself to cancel the trip. It was going to be a solo trip and for the purpose of running. So cancelling just made sense, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Well I faced reality and cancelled, good news I did get some money back. Bad news is My Disney Experience now shows no trips.... My family, depending on the pandemic and how things go over the next few months may look at a summer trip. Otherwise it will be MW 2022 before I get back to DIsney. Time to start living vicariously through others on the trip reports threads! Ugh!

That is a bummer. It's so hard not being able to plan anything. I'm hoping for MW 2022 or Star Wars 2022, or both.

 

[Livelovedance]

SAFD: I’m slowly making my way back to the boards. This week’s SAFD is a special one for me so I have to chime in.

I’ve always loved this park, and I’ve heard there are a number of people that don’t like it (especially before Galaxy’s Edge), so I’m thrilled to hear so many positive stories here! I think it’s mostly childhood nostalgia that draws me in, but just being in this park makes me happy. It’s probably tied for 1st, or just under MK if I had to list my favorite parks.

Things I love:
Show: Fantasmic! There’s definitely a nostalgia element to this, but I can’t go to WDW without seeing this show. It’s actually emotional for me - it has such a feel good ending! (I haven’t seen it in DL so I can’t compare.)
Ride: TSM
Restaurant: the atmosphere at the Sci-Fi. I’m not really a fan of the food, but I always feel so relaxed in there. We received a card once as a thank you for returning... a small gesture but it was appreciated!
Character Interactions: the time I met Max on my way to the Sci-Fi! I felt like a little kid again! Also, Sorcerer Mickey is my favorite Mickey, and although I’ve never gone to meet him, I love that you can meet him there! That’ll be a must do item if and when character meets return!

Things I miss:
- The Great Movie Ride
- the Osborne Lights (I only saw them once, their last year in 2015, and they were amazing!)

My only real must do in this park is Fantasmic, but I always spend at least one full day here taking in the sights. I won’t plan for these but I’ll watch the Frozen Sing Along, Indiana Jones, or Beauty and the Beast if the timing is right. I like to walk though One Man’s Dream and watch the Walt Disney film at the end. It probably sounds silly but I don’t really do most rides in HS. I enjoy TSM, SDD, Star Tours, and RotR. I haven’t done MMRR yet.

One of my favorite fairly recent memories from HS was the first time we saw the Star Wars fireworks in 2016. We saw a few people waiting with a cast member, so we asked and he said people were saving their spots for the fireworks show. We hadn’t seen it yet so we decided to wait too. It was very early, so we grabbed snacks and joined the group. The gentleman spent the whole time talking with us until the sun went down, sharing jokes and fun Disney trivia as the group slowly grew in size. We enjoyed every minute of the wait, and the fireworks!

 

[JennaHaglund]

Does anyone know when we should be able to register for the Marathon 2022? I went through a Dreams Unlimited travel agent for 2021 and thought the process was awesome. I think I signed up in January but wasn't sure what to expect this year.

 

[PCFriar80]

Does anyone know when we should be able to register for the Marathon 2022? I went through a Dreams Unlimited travel agent for 2021 and thought the process was awesome. I think I signed up in January but wasn't sure what to expect this year.

This is really hard to say based on the current conditions. Even in the "normal" times the registration process for any RunDisney event seemed to vary from year to year. For me personally, it's just a matter of wait and see at this point for MW 2022. Regardless, I think it will be a different atmosphere for what we're typically used to.

 

[Baloo in MI]

Does anyone know when we should be able to register for the Marathon 2022? I went through a Dreams Unlimited travel agent for 2021 and thought the process was awesome. I think I signed up in January but wasn't sure what to expect this year.

In the past registration would traditionally take place in April, but it seems to have been different the past few years and with COVID impacts it is hard to say for 2022.

 

[shellott-hill]

Although I did process my refund for MW 2021, I received a notification yesterday that non-essential travel between the US and Canada has been extended until Jan. 21, 2021. Even if the race was a go, they would not be letting us Canadians into the country for the race.

Here is hoping for MW 2022!

 

[lhermiston]

Good morning, runDisney all-stars!

For this week's Sundays are for Disney, let's keep the parks theme going and talk about Epcot!

I didn't come around on Epcot until my second trip as an adult. It seemed kind of boring, lacking in top tier attractions or anything that really appealed to me. World Showcase was nice and all, but what was there to do there?

My thinking changed completely and Epcot is now my second favorite park and I love going there. For me, Epcot is the most laidback and relaxing park. It's big and open enough that you can stroll around without feeling like you're in a sardine can. There are some great attractions - Soarin' Space Ship Earth, Living with the Land - and some really unique ones as well. But my favorite thing is just to meander around World Showcase and take in the sights and sounds.

While I haven't tried more than the smallest fraction of the food at Epcot, I'm floored by all the offerings. I can't wait to try more.

I love running through World Showcase before the sun has some up and it's lit by torches. It's beautiful and perfect. I love getting to World Showcase during the marathon because you know you're in the home stretch and it feels so dang good.

Standout memories: I tried and failed to watch IllumiNations with the family our first two trips, but we were always just two wiped out. I finally saw it the night of the 2017 marathon. I remember being cold, my phone was dead, I had been up since around 2:30, was tired and sore from my first marathon, but I snagged a perfect spot in Italy to shoot. I ended up getting some photos that are still among my absolute favorites (one is currently hanging on my living room wall.)

MW 2020 was my first full blown DATW experience after hitting a few countries in 2019. The weather was perfect. We had a great group of people. I may or may not have gotten a little rowdy. It was so much fun. Getting up and flying back home the next morning was substantially less fun, right @jennamfeo?

MW2019, I ran World Showcase for the first time during the 5K and "Dig a Little Deeper" came on as I entered the park. I thought about my daughters, the beauty of the park around me and the majority of the Dopey challenge that lay ahead of me and my eyes welled up with happy tears.

During our 2016 trip, my family and I did the Behind the Seeds Tour. Living with the Land was one of my ex's favorite rides and taking that tour was really neat.

Have a safe and healthy week, everyone!

 

[Barca33Runner]

SAFD:

The day that really turned me into a WDW parks fan was at Epcot in 2014. My sister and I had begun our Marathon Weekend tradition in 2012 and we knew we’d be continuing that for a long time. But 2012 and 2013 we had come in for the weekend and while we did visit MK in 2012 we were more than happy spending our off time in “free” Disney Springs.

2014 was the inaugural Dopey. It was our first extended weekend stay and we had planned nothing (we still didn’t realize planning was a thing people did). After finishing the 5k on Thursday we were riding high. We’d both set PRs and, more importantly, our apprehension about whether we could even finish the Dopey Challenge was waning. When we got back to our room it suddenly hit us “hey, they’ve got these parks here; maybe we should go to one of them.”

We settled on Epcot because it was, to our thinking, the most adult of the parks (our traveling party was myself, my sister, and my brother in law). It ended up being the sort of day that Disney dreams are made of: incredibly light crowds, mild and comfortable temps, off and on light rain that helped keep the crowds low but didn’t dampen the experience. We had an incredible amount of fun and ate way too much food.

The remainder of our trip we spent at Disney Springs and the resort, as we had originally planned, but the seed was planted for future trips. We have been in the parks much more since and have even planned a few vacations outside of Marathon Weekend.

Favorite things:

-Les Halles
-Morocco pavilion-I hope everything comes back
-Mitsukoshi
-Soarin

I’m really looking forward to the new attractions in the future. Epcot has always felt a little light on attractions and they look like they will enhance that aspect of the experience.

ETA: In the before times Epcot was far and away my favorite no planning, last minute park. The attractions seem to have less to do with the experience than the other parks.

 

[Livelovedance]

SAFD: Epcot is my third favorite park:

Things I enjoy:
- Rides: Soarin', Test Track, and Spaceship Earth (the ride itself is no thrill, but its calming)
- The Festival of the Arts Disney on Broadway performances
- The Flower & Garden topiaries
- The Princess Half Marathon finish line! (my longest distance so far)
- DVC Lounge (it's nothing to rave about, and I wouldn't make a trip for it, but it is a nice place to relax, rest your feet, and recharge your phone on a hot day)

Favorite memory: In 2016 we were walking around World Showcase, and IllumiNations was getting ready to start. Believe it or not, we had never seen it before. There were two cast members in the walkway directing people, so we stopped to ask the closest cast member where we should go. We really lucked out because she handed us the last of her Magical Moment cards and guided us to a roped off section to go watch it. It really pays to ask cast members for help! We learned that night that you could watch it from almost anywhere in the World Showcase, so we did watch it from different places each trip after that, but that's still my favorite IllumiNations experience!

 

[GBRforWDW]

SAFD - Epcot is one of the 2 parks I have not been to, so I’ll just say what I’m looking forward to for our trip next month.
1. Festival of the Arts
2. Spaceship Earth
3. Frozen
4. World Showcase and the many shops and food opportunities.
5. endless construction. . I’m excited for the future of Epcot and know it’ll be some time due to covid before it’s fully transformed, but I love the Moana and Mary Poppins themed neighborhoods.

 

[BigEeyore]

SAFD: Probably my favorite thing about Epcot is that it has the best live entertainment options anywhere in WDW (pre-Covid anyway!). Some of my favorites - the Voices of Liberty, the Chinese acrobats, and the British Explosion. Also love the acrobat/mime in France, and the drummers in Japan. I miss Off Kilter, as well as the woman in Japan who did sugar art (she was amazing!). Sipping a beer, strolling around the countires, watching some great live music and wandering in the shops in WS that are full of such unique things (especially Misukoshi!).
We always enjoy TT and Soarin, and I always make my family go on Living with the Land with me because I love it so much. Looking forward to the Guardians ride and the Ratatouille ride, and to having all the great live entertainment back!

 

[camaker]

SAFD: EPCOT used to be my 2nd favorite park with a sizable gap down to #3. Unfortunately, in recent years Animal Kingdom has overtaken it for that #2 spot. The Flower & Garden Show is one of my favorite times to go to Disney and the topiaries are marvelous. I love strolling through the World Showcase and sampling the different foods and shopping in the different countries. I discovered the joy of Kingdom Hearts in Innoventions.

Unfortunately, the park has been allowed to age and grow a bit stale. Things were removed and never replaced. The whole experience just seems diminished, now. Hopefully the massive amount of construction going on will breathe new life into this old favorite.

Don’t get me wrong, running through the WS with the fires lit during the 5k and 10k are some of my favorite running times. Hitting the WS at the end of the marathon is always a highlight and emotional moment. Tangierine Cafe is still one of my favorite restaurants on site. I just want Epcot as a whole to be a little bit more and a little fresher.