Marathon Weekend 2027

[WDW 4 ME]

SAFD: onsite, all the way! DH travels for work so is a titanium member with Marriott. The swolphin is our second home! Preference is definitely Swan. Especially on MW. Made it very easy for DH on race morning. The only negative about the swolphin…definitely does not have the same vibe as the Disney hotels for the races.

 

[KellyKateri]

Ive stayed at a few places for MW (I am always team onsite, MW is typically the only time we stay at “Disney” hotels for some reason, but all other race weekends/regular trips I have LOVED the swolpin)

2024: I ran my first 10K. Stayed in All star sports, it was fine, house keeping put magnets on our door wishing us luck which was cute. Immediately transferred to poly club level after our 10K and that was fantastic. Incomparable to all stars, but probably a one and done club level stay for me due to cost.

2025: I ran the 10K and the Half, stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort, also fine, stayed here primarily cause half our party was staying at Riveria. We got a fulfilled request to have the closest possible room to the Riveria skyliner which also helped. A bit noisy under the skyliner at night, but it closes at 10PMish if I remember correctly.

2026: First Dopey, Triple Stay, logistically a mess but cost effective. First night in all star sports with the dining plan, getting us mugs for the rest of our trip which was AMAZING with all the resort time we had. Then moved to Caribbean beach for one night to be close to our Riveria friends before moving once again to club level at Coronado springs after the 5K. We “checked in” to club level right after the 5K effectively making sure we used every possible club amenity. Even better, our rooms were ready at 7AM! Only complaint for the rest of the weekend was the marathon transportation for spectators, it was super hard for them to get anywhere (which is obviously due to road closures, but something we’re considering next year). We also rented a car for the first time, and it was a game changer in terms of resort transfers and driving to and from the races. Definitely repeating that for next year.

 

[StarGirl11]

SAFD: Team Onsite mainly because with medical stuff I don't want to risk having to load the cycle in the car at 2:30 am. Been at Pop for several years now. Though I did stay at Caribbiean beach for a non RD vacation which was nice. And would do again if I could get a good rate possibly.

Dream is to someday save up and splurge for Beach/Yacht Club for one trip. But thats a long ways away.

 

[matt and beth]

SAFD:

Team onsite. Seems less stressful letting Disney handle the transportation

We’ve stayed at the following races:

Poly
GFV
CCV
BWV
CSR
BCV
BLT
AKV

They are all amazing TBH.
Shortest walk to bus and best food CCV
Best nightlife BWV
Best view from resort AKL
Posh level GFV
Busiest Poly
Sleeper amazing CSR
Best rooms BLT
Best pool… if you are okay w/ BUSY BCV

 

[FFigawi]

SAFD: We always stay onsite. We are partial to the Epcot resorts for ease of access to our favorite parks, but CBR and the Skyliner are pretty enticing too. I'm on Team Car for race mornings, which makes those resorts about as easy as you can get.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

SAFD: on site. Sports because I’m an athlete, duh

(Really, I usually stay at Sports because it is the cheapest and doing trips as economically as possible is the only way I am able to afford all of the travel that I do. But as a vegan, Sports is getting hard for me… they keep getting rid of the decent options and what they have left is pretty gross. I hate the Korean burger. I hope they get the one they have at Pop instead before MW 27.)

I have also stayed in a Kidani studio through point rental. It was nice because of the kitchenette and sink. It was also useful bc they have a gym and that was the year the half was shortened so I finished my miles on their treadmill. But otherwise it wasn’t that much different than Sports, honestly.

I also stayed at POFQ once but that trip was ruined bc I got COVID. I do love that hotel though. The boat to Disney Springs is nice. As are the beignets.

And I once stayed off property at the Hilton Bonnet Creek. Less bus flexibility (idk if they even offer it anymore) and I would never do it again because of the resort fee, etc.

 

[disneyrunnergrl]

SAFD: Not sure if we’re considering these on or off site but my favorites are Swan/Dolphin and Signia Bonnet Creek because I’m team Hilton and Marriott points. I prefer Signia for marathon weekend (if I’m running the full) because I’ve never had an issue with noise there. The fireworks sometimes wake me up at Swolphin. Signia no longer busses to the race, but i prefer to drive anyway so not really an issue.

 

[Fenway1970]

SAFD: I consider myself Team Onsite, although as I mentioned in an earlier post I will be dabbling in the offsite world for MW 2027 due to cost reasons since I'm not flying solo this time. It'll be my first offsite stay in probably 30-ish years. I know much has changed in the offsite landscape in three decades, not the least of which is the advent of Airbnb, VRBO, etc. I can't imagine anything will ever fully live up to being "in the bubble," but I'm not going to pretend that the substantial cost savings aren't enticing.

I've stayed at all of the mods and most of the values, my favorites will always be the Port Orleans resorts. POFQ in particular but Riverside is a close second. I did CBR this past MW just to switch things up and was happy there, and the Skyliner access is awesome. But POFQ will always be the closest to my heart.

I'm also trying to close on a resale contract at BCV and hope to be able to waitlist into either BCV or BWV (or a split).

I've always been somewhat intrigued by DVC but never seriously looked into it because it never seemed cost effective for us. I must admit though that I'm not very knowledgeable about it, especially the resale market.

 

[marty3d]

I've always been somewhat intrigued by DVC but never seriously looked into it because it never seemed cost effective for us. I must admit though that I'm not very knowledgeable about it, especially the resale market.

I've looked at it on and off for years but it just was never the right time. Since I'm now always doing MW and I always want to stay at a Crescent Lake resort, the math just works for me (at resale - not direct). I believe @Herding_Cats mentioned 5 years as a break even. That's the same number I came up with - and that assumes 0% increase in Swolphin or DVC rental rates over that 5 years. Since I know when I'm coming down each year, I'll always be able to use the 11 month booking window. Honestly, I should have done this 3 years ago.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

Over the course of my rD weekends, I've stayed a several resorts. My take:
All Stars - low cost, and their bathrooms till have tub-showers where you can soak after races. Get a room away from the pools and it isn't bad
Pop Century - recently this has been my go-to because of the vibe (can't believe I'm using that word), the happy coincidence that it has became an informal runner HQ, and the Skyliner access. I always ask for rooms as far away as possible, and upper floors. Get out in 70s land and your door is facing Hourglass lake. Very tranquil.
Grand Floridian - Got to stay there as part of DW's work convention. Fairly quiet and gotta love the access to MK and the resort monorail
Coronado Springs - Have gotten to stay their twice as part of DW's work convention, once in the tower, once in a bungalow. I really liked the bungalow and it was a fairly short walk out to the bus stop.
PO Riverside - I just left my first stay there. OMG it is so quiet compared to the other resorts. I'm booked for Pop for MW 2027 due to length of stay, but I'll have PO on my mind going forward.

 

[Fenway1970]

I've looked at it on and off for years but it just was never the right time. Since I'm now always doing MW and I always want to stay at a Crescent Lake resort, the math just works for me (at resale - not direct). I believe @Herding_Cats mentioned 5 years as a break even. That's the same number I came up with - and that assumes 0% increase in Swolphin or DVC rental rates over that 5 years. Since I know when I'm coming down each year, I'll always be able to use the 11 month booking window. Honestly, I should have done this 3 years ago.

Hmmm... I may need to re-investigate this. Is there a handy place to go for info?

 

[The Expert]

Hmmm... I may need to re-investigate this. Is there a handy place to go for info?

There's a whole DVC board here on the DIS that has some informative pinned threads. Start here: https://www.disboards.com/forums/purchasing-dvc.28/

We bought in 2001 and have added on several times since. We had a few hours to kill on the last day of a trip, so we did a (no pressure) tour, and DH put together a spreadsheet in the Delta lounge to do the math. By the time we boarded our flight home, we had decided to do it. At that time, if you were visiting the parks every year and staying in deluxe resorts, the initial direct contract would pay for itself within 4-5 years. I'm sure that has changed somewhat, but if you're coming every year it is worth at least looking into, IMHO.

 

[Fenway1970]

There's a whole DVC board here on the DIS that has some informative pinned threads. Start here: https://www.disboards.com/forums/purchasing-dvc.28/

We bought in 2001 and have added on several times since. We had a few hours to kill on the last day of a trip, so we did a (no pressure) tour, and DH put together a spreadsheet in the Delta lounge to do the math. By the time we boarded our flight home, we had decided to do it. At that time, if you were visiting the parks every year and staying in deluxe resorts, the initial direct contract would pay for itself within 4-5 years. I'm sure that has changed somewhat, but if you're coming every year it is worth at least looking into, IMHO.

Thanks!!

 

[KCO5988]

SAFD:

I'm team onsite, but also need to do it economically. So it's been POP recently for all the race weekends. Would love to do an Epcot resort, like Beach Club but can't justify the price and I don't have DVC.