Marathon Weekend 2027

[lhermiston]

I’m hoping to pull the trigger on my lodging today. Can anyone tell me if TAs earn a commission on Swan and Dolphin the same way they would for a Disney resort?

 

[marty3d]

I’m hoping to pull the trigger on my lodging today. Can anyone tell me if TAs earn a commission on Swan and Dolphin the same way they would for a Disney resort?

I'm not sure - but given they are on aggregator sites like Travelocity they may depending on the rate.

Swan and Dolphin appear to have released some rooms today - I was able to switch Jan 5-7 to the Dolphin from SR. They also have availability on both the AP and D23 Gold rates for most of the nights. Monday night seems to be the one night that's sold out - I'm guessing due to some type of convention room block.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

I’m hoping to pull the trigger on my lodging today. Can anyone tell me if TAs earn a commission on Swan and Dolphin the same way they would for a Disney resort?

I think they do, but they have to be certified with Marriott. I booked my princess room with my TA since her husband is certified with Marriott. He did all the bookings and she handled all communication with me.

 

[princesspirateandrunner]

SAFD: Lion King
Sorry for the late vote. Thank you, @camaker!

 

[lhermiston]

I booked POFQ today. I love both Port Orleans resorts and POFQ is super convenient for Marathon Weekend. Can't wait to get down there!

 

[Baloo in MI]

Yeah, not to be a DVC commercial, because it is not perfect, and yearly dues last the life of the contract. But if you are going to be going every year or more than once a year DVC will pay itself off. Plus then you don’t have to deal with hotel stay sticker shock every year when prices go up, again! At Pop for Springtime Surprise (ran out of points for the year, a different issue) and the room, even with discounts was shockingly more than just a few years ago.

Honestly, not cheap but we have been so happy with our contract. And heading back to Wilderness Lodge with extended family for MW (and why I have no points for SS! ).

 

[Simba's Mom]

I booked POFQ today. I love both Port Orleans resorts and POFQ is super convenient for Marathon Weekend. Can't wait to get down there!

I remember staying at POR on Marathon weekend, and I was really impressed I was that a bunch of runners from POR and POFQ, who didn't seem to have known each other beforehand, found each other and set up an impromptu jog every day. I would often see them in the food court, and the camaraderie was fantastic.

 

[Fenway1970]

I booked POFQ today. I love both Port Orleans resorts and POFQ is super convenient for Marathon Weekend. Can't wait to get down there!

POFQ is awesome for MW! I've stayed there for 2 out of the 3 of mine and yes, it's a perfect resort for Dopey. Small and easy to walk, super close to Epcot.

I'm actually doing the offsite thing this time which I'm a little apprehensive about because I'm so used to the busses. But the kids are coming with me this time and I will need my own space since I'm getting up early every race morning, and they are only doing the 5K. That's just not gonna work with all of us in a POFQ room. As much as I love staying on property the onsite solutions for multiple BRs are cost prohibitive, so I've reserved an Airbnb in Kissimmee. It'll be my first time driving to and from the races, but I'm told that's not so big a deal.

 

[fatmanatee]

edit: whoops

 

[GollyGadget]

POFQ is awesome for MW! I've stayed there for 2 out of the 3 of mine and yes, it's a perfect resort for Dopey. Small and easy to walk, super close to Epcot.

I'm actually doing the offsite this time which I'm a little apprehensive about because I'm so used to the busses. But the kids are coming with me this time and I will need my own space since I'm getting up early every race morning, and they are only doing the 5K. That's just not gonna work with all of us in a POFQ room. As much as I love staying on property the onsite solutions for multiple BRs are cost prohibitive, so I've reserved an Airbnb in Kissimmee. It'll be my first time driving to and from the races, but I'm told that's not so big a deal.

I've rented an Airbnb in Kissimmee for MW several times and booked a few months ago for 2027. It works really well for us and I've never had any issues driving to the races.

I like staying onsite but we travel with our dogs and they are not fans of all the noises in hotels.

 

[lahobbs4]

I’m hoping to pull the trigger on my lodging today. Can anyone tell me if TAs earn a commission on Swan and Dolphin the same way they would for a Disney resort?

Yes, it's the same! I'm a TA, we use the same Disney reservation site for those.

 

[camaker]

Good morning RunDisney All-Stars! Welcome to this week's edition of Sundays are for Disney (SAFD). I'll post the final results of our March Movie Madness later today. In the meantime, since we've already started to touch on the topic, what are your favorite places to stay during MW? On site or off? Anywhere you don't recommend?

SAFD: I'm a dedicated member of team "on site". I'll start off with the generic advice to stay where you enjoy the theme and amenities. All resorts have transportation to and from the Expo and the races. My go-to resorts are POFQ for its small size and proximity to Epcot and, more recently, CBR as I've found the Skyliner to be an absolute transportation game changer for getting to and from DHS and Epcot. In addition, I rarely use the food court, so the Sodastream machines they've installed all over the resort meet my needs perfectly making the resort size a non-issue for me. The only place I've stayed that I absolutely wouldn't recommend is CSR. The resort is just too big, with potentially long distances between room and food/drink options. I know many love CSR and my opinion is colored by the fact that I stayed there during a cold and windy MW 2018 when I developed bronchitis during the races, so YMMV.

 

[RuntheMouse]

SAFD: I’m team onsite. We have 2 favorite resorts for MW, Boulder Ridge or Riviera.

I really like the calm vibe at BRV during race weekend. The hot tub always collects a bunch of runners and the pool area as a whole is a great place to relax. Don’t forget the sauna! We usually get a 1 bedroom there because the food can get a bit blah after a few days.

We stayed at RIV for the first time during a race weekend this past year. I LOVED all the high carb options at the various restaurants. The resort being compact was great for staying off your feet. Hot tub is nice there too but it doesn’t have the same fun vibe that BRV does.

 

[Dopey 2020]

SAFD AKV or Copper Creek, love them both. AK is easy drive to expo and the races but the hot tub at CCV is possibly my favorite on site.
Great food at both, can’t go wrong with either.

 

[Naomeri]

SAFD: Team Onsite!! Going solo, it’s just easier to be onsite for all the transportation.

For MW, I’ve decided that renting DVC at Saratoga is a good option for me. I hate that the only place to sit in most hotel rooms is the bed, or maybe on a stiff dining-type chair. SSR has a little couch in the studio and it’s so nice to have that option.

And renting DVC is almost as cheap as staying preferred at Pop, so why not do it??

 

[DianaMB333]

SAFD I like staying at MK resorts.. aiming to see fireworks every night from the hotel -or short ‘commute’ back to the hotel… some mornings I regret staying up so late.. but I survive LOL

Second decision criteria is food.. my ranking is CCV/PVB/BLT/VGF

CCV definitely has the best facilities and “runners vibe”

 

[Novatrix]

SAFD: My favorite resort is Beach Club (sorry OKW), especially for MW, so much so that I bought a resale contract there last year earmarked for an annual MW trip. Otherwise, I used to spend a lot of time trading into BWV studios, but it was becoming progressively harder over the years.

I love it because it's super easy to pop in and out of EPCOT, Storm-a-long Bay (I spend a lot of time there), the Crescent Lake area itself is varied and interesting.

 

[smileyanna]

SAFD I might be an outlier here. I own DVC at CCV and happily stayed there for Dopey a few years back. As others have mentioned, the hot tub was fantastic with a great runners vibe, and I love the resort.

But our bus took a full hour to get back to the resort from the half marathon. Which ended up being a blessing because our Whispering Canyon reservation was running about 75 minutes behind. It was really busy.

I stayed at Pop last year for Goofy and I found the transportation was much smoother for the two races. Obviously the resort itself didn’t compare, but there’s a lot to be said for getting to your room after a race real fast.

(And clarifying that I love CCV, that’s why I own points there!)

 

[lhermiston]

SAFD: While I generally strive to minimize my time at the hotel during WDW trips, I do consider lodging to be an integral part of the vacation, so I am strongly Team OnsSite. I have a lot of gripes about Disney, rising costs, lower quality, etc., but one thing they have over just about anyone else is cultivating that sense of immersion from the moment you arrive on property to the moment you leave. I know I would miss that if I stayed off property.

From there, I am very not picky. I have had wonderful stays at Pop Century and All-Star Movies and would book them again in a heartbeat. The two Port Orleans resorts have grown on me tremendously in the past few years and, as I said earlier, I think POFQ is an ideal location for Marathon Weekend. Plus: beignets.

But you could put me just about anywhere on property and as long as there's a roof over my head, I'm going to be happy.

 

[garneska]

SAFD: fitting as I just booked my stay at Boardwalk Inn. Since we are only running the half, I like boardwalk for marathon viewing. It is also end of race so I can sleep in a little. That was my factor for not doing Contemporary. In order to see everyone I have to be up early.