Marathon Weekend 2021

[FFigawi]

SAFD: Epcot is one of my two favorite parks, mainly because it is more spacious, is often not terribly crowded, and has a wider variety of things to see, do, eat, and drink than the other parks. We love zipping over for champagne & croissants to start the day, or popping into whatever cool exhibit they have going on in Japan, or even just sitting in a bench near the water feeling like the crowds are miles away. I also really miss the old marathon course which spent the first few miles running around World Showcase in the dark, nothing to be heard but the slapping of shoes on the pavement and the whoosh of the fire torches.

Plus, DATW is always a highlight of marathon weekend, though Mary Poppins may beg to differ.

 

[Kerry1957]

SAFD: I miss Off Kilter

Some of my best memories of WDW are taking a break, sitting down, listening to Off Kilter. Jamie Holton and crew, where are you now??

 

[princesspirateandrunner]

SAFD: I love Epcot. Many of my favorite things have already been mentioned, but I want to add that the Christmas decorations at Epcot are some of the best there. Taking the monorail in, and going over the park is always a fun view. Spaceship Earth holds a special place in my heart, and DH particularly likes watching it change colors at night. The fountains and lights are fun, and when W&D was a night race, the after party was great. The restaurants are amazing, and I can’t wait to see the updates to the park.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Epcot, even in its current broken form, is still home to me. It’s a park I can wander for hours, never going on a ride and still leave feeling like I had an accomplished day.

I have so many memories associated with there from childhood onwards.
The funniest is when Disney used to host a competition in their parking lot. I was in 10th grade at the time. We were finishing the awards ceremony and Mandy Moore came out to play and all of us filed out as we wanted to enjoy our after party in future world. The same trip I was able to convince one friend to go to a sit down meal with me and we had the most amazing meal at Alfredos while everyone else was like I need chicken fingers.

I love the food and the drinks and the atmosphere. Takumi Tei quickly became a new favorite. I hope it returns.

I love the festivals. I’m hoping to add to our art collection during our Not Marathon Trip.

 

[rteetz]

Epcot needs a lot of love. I would have loved to see it in hey day. It is getting a lot of help currently and in my post 21 life I have certainly appreciated it more. It is going to need even more though. When park hopping is normal it is probably my favorite park to pop in and out of. Epcot was home to my favorite nighttime show of all time. Epcot also has the best background music of any park. I could listen to that music all day long. Its not my favorite though and currently is my number 4 park of the 4 WDW parks. There is a lot of potential though.

 

[xjillianpaige]

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 love Epcot. So much. I love the food and the drinks and "traveling" around the world. Some of my favorite memories were our DATW day at my friends bachelorette party. A bachelor party found us and we took a photo together for their scavenger hunt. Devin and Vic had the best time - they don't really remember the Frozen line or ride. They also declared themselves "Judi and Maggie" (yes, Judi Dench and Maggie Smith - a truly dynamic duo). During princess 2020 my friends and I drank around the world again and we met my friend Eric's alter-ego who we named Jimmy a.k.a. Jimbo (and then he named his droid from Star Wars land JMB0).

I love getting a drink at the pub in the UK. I'm still hoping that one day I'll meet my British husband there and he'll whisk me off to London.

When my family goes, we love to stay at the Epcot resorts so we can just randomly choose a country to eat in that night - just based on whatever is available on the app. All so delicious. Sushi. Pizza. Escargot. Fish 'n Chips. ALL SO DELICIOUS.

Also, I would agree that Epcot is sort of sad, too? I noticed it for the first time on my trip in... 2016? As we were walking around I realized how many buildings essentially sat empty. That park was SO innovative, but when real life is more futuristic than future world... not good. I'm hopeful that all the construction and updates will make future world feel futuristic again.

 

[Neon Cactus]

EPCOT has always been one of my favorite parks and I think it's because I'm not nearly as ride intensive when I go there. There's so much to see and do walking around. The architecture in World Showcase, the entertainment in the different countries, and the food and drinks. I remember the computer kiosks where you could make same day dining reservations (cutting edge technology then). Always so cool to see the diver come in and out of the tanks in The Living Seas. The festivals are great and as much as I love the restaurants, the food at the carts is usually amazing. I also loved Illuminations and I would always take a slow lap around World Showcase after the show with the music playing while the park emptied out.

On one trip with friends, we found the fountain outside imagination where the beads of water pop up, and I started hitting them at my friends as they came up. Within ten minutes we had several groups of people around the fountain having a huge water fight.

One of my favorite moments was my first marathon in 2016 running backstage and then coming back into the park by the red telephones in the UK and seeing this huge wave of spectators cheering us on. It's one of my favorite memories of the marathon. Running through it at dark with the torches lit this year was great too. And DATW the last two years has been so much fun.

I'm a little disappointed in it right now, especially the Beauty and the Beast singalong. But I'm excited to see it when the construction walls are down and Guardians and Ratatouille are open. I also agree, EPCOT has the best background music of any of the parks.

 

[lahobbs4]

I hated Epcot as a child because my parents always made us watch the movies and learn. Now that's one of my favorite things about the park!

Taking my husband to WDW for our honeymoon for his first trip was a risk, but I pulled him over to my side once we did DATW. We still laugh about some of those memories 17 years later. Running through World Showcase in the dark is the absolute best! While we love the food, environment and music of WS, Future World has needed so much help.

Here are some of my faves from Epcot:
-Living with the Land
-Everything about the Mexico Pavilion (esp Mariachi Cobre)
-British Revolution band
-The Seas Pavilion (that song at the end of Nemo makes me cry every time)
-Spaceship Earth (not so much the ride, but just looking at it)
-Via Napoli! It's our family's #1 request every trip

 

[jennamfeo]

Getting up and flying back home the next morning was substantially less fun, right @jennamfeo?

THE. WORST.

 

[PrincessV]

SAFD: EPCOT is my favorite park, and has been since my first visit to it in 1991! I can't say a lot about that first visit in a public forum, but I was in college, I was a Dead Head, fun was "enhanced", it was a pretty epic day. Other days that stand out for me... One Christmas in the late 90s, when I had an EP After-4 AP -freezing cold night, but worth being cold to watch the fireworks; our first July 4th in EP; the final mile of every WDW Marathon; a couple years doing F&WF with friends; goodbye rides on Maelstrom; sitting on a bench with a dear friend, sipping margaritas in the sun while our kids played together; some truly fantastic meals at La hacienda, Tutto, Tokyo Dining, and Via Napoli.

I miss the original park elements - the OG Living Seas and imagination, Horizons, & World of Motion especially - but I still love today's EP. I love how relaxed it is, and the wide, open spaces. Slowly strolling the WS with my son has been fun for all his 18 years. We were just there last week, and wound up sitting in the quiet garden area of Japan, talking for an hour.

I used to love the F&WF, back when nobody knew about it, but will confess it's not much fun for me these days with the huge crowds and a decrease in quality couple with a huge increase in cost. Ditto that for F&GF. But I checked out the Festival of the Arts for the first time this year and really enjoyed that!

 

[Baloo in MI]

SAFD:
The first time I went to Epcot I was not much of a fan. It’s was a busy, and hot, day. It felt too spread out and open. It was my first time going to DW and only our second day. The first day had been the Magic Kingdom. Before that all my Disney experience was at Disneyland and California Adventure. I was tired and grumpy.

Our next trip I enjoyed it a lot more and it has really grown on me. It is certainly a great park for when I am on a solo trip for Marathon weekend. It is a great park to cruise around and I really love World Showcase - lots of shows and acts and tons of good food.

Favorite things:
- Soarin’
- Spaceship Earth
- Wandering in the World Showcase Shops
- Lunch in Mexico!

 

[The Expert]

Sorry if this is repeat info, but virtual bibs are up! I got an email to confirm my mailing address and found mine. I'm guessing everybody got an "A" bib and low number since it's virtual, as my estimated time is nowhere near corral A! Still kind of fun to see my name on an A bib, though.

 

[lhermiston]

Good morning, runDisney all-stars!

We have one more park to talk about and you know I saved the best for last! For this week's Sundays are for Disney, it's all about Magic Kingdom. What do you love about it - favorite attractions and shows? Favorite spots to grab a bite? Best memories?

I love all of the Disney parks in some way, but Magic Kingdom has long been my favorite and the inspiration for SAFD. When I think of Walt Disney World, it's Sunday morning on Main Street, USA, the sun is coming up and there is a whole world of possibilities ahead.

Splash Mountain has been my favorite ride for as long as I can remember. I understand the need for an update and I can't wait to see how one of my favorite Disney movies is incorporated into a legendary ride to make it even better. Haunted Mansion is also in my top five. When there's a reasonable wait, 7DMT is incredible and Philharmagic is a nostalgia-fest for me. I loved watching Celebrate the Magic and Wishes! back to back and will always miss those shows, but Happily Ever After is very, very good.

Admittedly, MK is probably not the park you go to for a world class meal, but Columbia Harbour House is a must-do for me every trip and enjoying a dole whip in the hub at the end of the night is one of my favorite ways to unwind.

Favorite memories include first trips with my three daughters, staying out late with my twins, watching Happily Ever After for the first time with my youngest, breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table our first trip, countless rides on Splash Mountain. Running down Main Street, USA during my first marathon will always be a cherished memory, but every run through MK is amazing.

Mostly, MK is just the park that makes me *feel* the most. For me, it's the most magical park and always feels like home.

Have a safe and healthy week!

 

[rteetz]

Nothing...

JK I love me some country bears! I will be honest though that MK has lost its draw for me in recent years. It’s typically the most crowded and I’d often rather hang somewhere else. I always have to go to MK though. It’s not a WDW trip without it. Big Thunder is my favorite MK ride. Food at MK leaves a lot to be desired most of the time. I certainly enjoy taking medal photos at MK too.

 

[FFigawi]

@rteetz summed up how I feel pretty well. It’s the classic Disney park, but not much there really does it for me anymore. Well, except for running up Main Street while it’s dark and the castle is all lit up. That’s pretty cool.

 

[camaker]

SAFD:
MK is, by far, my favorite park. I can walk around the park spending hours just soaking in the ambience. I proposed to DW in front of the castle.

Haunted Mansion is my favorite ride at WDW and a must-do on any trip, preferably multiple times. Jungle Cruise and Pirates aren’t far behind on my favorites list. On a hot or tiring day, you can‘t beat The Enchanted Tiki Room or WDW Railway for a quick, relaxing and/or cooling break.

Food-wise, Columbia Harbour House is easily my favorite counter service anywhere in WDW. If only they’d bring back the clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl... I’d really love a trip to WDW right now, but it’s hard to justify with CHH (and some other favorite dining locales) still closed. On the snack front, give me a Le Fou’s Brew and cinnamon roll from Gaston’s Tavern and I’ll be quite happy until it’s time to grab a large rice krispie treat from Main Street Bakery to take back to the room.

On the show front, the Boo To You Halloween Parade can’t be beat, although the Festival of Fantasy Parade gives it a good run for its money. I’ll happily end any day at WDW with whatever fireworks display is on offer.

 

[princesspirateandrunner]

SAFD: MK is full of happy memories, but in no way feels irrelevant and dated now. It is THE park. I love Pirates, and HM, and Thunder Mountain, and just being in the park. It is my happy place. My first Disney race was Princess 2013, and running down Main Street, looking at the beautiful Christmas lights, decorations, the castle lit up in the dark, is a wonderful memory that I’ll never forget. DH was cheering me on near Casey’s Corner, and can attest that I was thrilled by the whole experience.
If I’m getting tired and hot, a Dole Whip and a ride on the People Mover is the answer. Riding the Carousel is also always the right answer. I could continue listing what I love about MK, but I’d end up naming everything.
Two of my favorite memories from when our boys were young are when the younger, as a toddler, met Susie Mouse and was fascinated with her and when the older first saw Sonny Eclipse playing at Cosmic Ray’s.
I can’t wait to get back and soak in the feeling of being in MK again!

 

[BigEeyore]

The top memory of MK for me is running down Main street during marathon weekend in the dark and seeing the castle all lit up, with people lining the sidewalks cheering us on. I have had the pleasure of that experience 9 times, and I will admit that I teared up 9 out of 9 of those times!
HM is one of my favorite rides, and we always have fun on Buzz Lightyear. HEA is a fantastic show - can't wait for fireworks to come back!
So many wonderful memories of when my girls were younger, and some unforgettable interactions with the princesses and the fairies (I miss those days!)

 

[shellott-hill]

SAFD:

I always seem to tear up when I enter MK for the first time each trip. The moment I come through the tunnel I can take a deep breadth and realise I made it back to the Kingdom. So many great memories.

I will always remember taking my DS to the Harmony barbershop for a haircut, some hidden mickeys painted in his hair and some pixie dusting.

I will always remember my DD and her Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique experience. Made up like Cinderella before dinner at the Royal Table.

I will always have aa special place in my heart for Wishes.

Columbia Harbour House is definitely a go to for lunch, Gaston's Tavern for a Cinnamon Roll with extra icing in the morning.

Rides: Splash, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, PhilharMagic, Mine Train, Space Mountain, People Mover, Buzz ... lots of fun.

 

[hotblooded]

In recent years, I’ve only ever visited MK during a race or for the Halloween party, and that’s how I like it best! Last year’s party was my favorite yet because it was stormy but we still got to catch the first parade and the fireworks during a clear moment. So much fun running around in the rain and riding the Peoplemover to check out the Halloween lighting reflections in puddles all over the park.