Need info....new to Disney Races

[amandaw]

Hi! I'm hoping someone here can help me out with a few questions.

My family was supposed to be taking our next Disney trip this coming December. However, my DH told me last night that he really wants to run the Tower of Terror race. This would be his 1st Disney race so this is new to me.

These are probably stupid questions, so please forgive my ignorance:

1. If I'm going to book a package thru Run Disney, do I have to call CRO & cancel my current package thru them? Or can I do this all thru the Run Disney #?

2. Can my deposit from my current package be moved to the new race package? Or will they refund that to me & I pay the deposit again with Run Disney?

3. If you book a package thru Run Disney, is it the same as booking thru the CRO. i.e. do you just put down a deposit & pay in full by 45 days prior to check-in? or do you have to pay the package in full when booking?

4. Do the Disney races at this time of the year have a large impact on the crowd levels?

5. If I want to see my DH finish the race, I think I read that I have to buy a ticket to the Villians Bash - is this correct? And I'm assuming that I'd have to buy one for my 4 year old son also. Even though, bless his little heart, I'm sure he'll be sound asleep in his stroller.

Okay, these are the questions I have for right now. I'm sure I'll think of more later. Just trying to figure out the booking logistics. I'm also worried how it will affect our park touring - crowd levels, weather & the race being so late have me concerned.

 

[stitchfan18]

I don't know much about the TOT race, but as far as packages go, there are usually better discounts by booking through Disney with a discount. The rundisney discounted rate usually isn't too great, so the every day discounts disney offers throughout the year are usually a better deal. You don't have to book your package through rundisney if you are running the race.

Crowd wise, if you are at a host resort you will see a rise in the number of guests for the weekend. My guess is that there probably won't be more than 10,000 people running, and many won't even be going into the parks. You probably won't notice much of a difference in the parks beyond the regular weekend increase.

 

[jeanigor]

Hi! I'm hoping someone here can help me out with a few questions.

My family was supposed to be taking our next Disney trip this coming December. However, my DH told me last night that he really wants to run the Tower of Terror race. This would be his 1st Disney race so this is new to me.

These are probably stupid questions, so please forgive my ignorance:

1. If I'm going to book a package thru Run Disney, do I have to call CRO & cancel my current package thru them? Or can I do this all thru the Run Disney #?

2. Can my deposit from my current package be moved to the new race package? Or will they refund that to me & I pay the deposit again with Run Disney?

3. If you book a package thru Run Disney, is it the same as booking thru the CRO. i.e. do you just put down a deposit & pay in full by 45 days prior to check-in? or do you have to pay the package in full when booking?

4. Do the Disney races at this time of the year have a large impact on the crowd levels?

5. If I want to see my DH finish the race, I think I read that I have to buy a ticket to the Villians Bash - is this correct? And I'm assuming that I'd have to buy one for my 4 year old son also. Even though, bless his little heart, I'm sure he'll be sound asleep in his stroller.

Okay, these are the questions I have for right now. I'm sure I'll think of more later. Just trying to figure out the booking logistics. I'm also worried how it will affect our park touring - crowd levels, weather & the race being so late have me concerned.

I agree with PP, that it seems as though general public discounts tend to be more advantageous than the runDisney 'discount'. Exception would be park tickets.

#1. & #2. Best bet would be to ask the person you are booking your IRUN reservation through. I believe they are a division of CRO, but not sure that one hand knows what the other is doing.

#3. Logic says yes. There isn't a great big neon sign on your reservation saying--"booked through IRUN, change the structure".

#4. This is an inaugural race. That has a big draw for some folks. It is also opening weekend for the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. That will have a far bigger influence on the crowds than the race.

#5. From what I can gather from the info on the runDisney site, I would say you are correct. You would need to purchase a ticket to the party, as well as one for your DS.

 

[amandaw]

Thank y'all both for the information!

 

[disney_runner]

As far as reservations are concerned, runDisney reservations are a completely different entity than regular Disney CRO. I've worked with both for 3 races now, and neither can see the other's reservations (or at least, that's what I've been told!)

But they both follow the same rules of deposit and paying in full 45 days prior - yes, even though runDisney can do room only reservations, they still require the 45 day prior full payment. (I point out the difference because with regular Disney CRO, a room only does not require the 45 day prior full payment!)

Deposits cannot be transferred, so you have to cancel and rebook completely.

If you already have a package booked via CRO, just hang on to that for a moment. I would call runDisney, get your new total and then compare the prices. Sometimes it's a better deal via runDisney, sometimes it's not. I just looked at the hotel rates listed for this race, and those hotel rates look pretty darn good! Compare the two, and then book the cheaper.

Come summer, keep an eye out for room-only discounts for the fall and at that time, call regular CRO to see if your hotel choice is available or not. If it's cheaper, then you win again!! You have until 45 days prior, which might be roughly mid-August, to cancel and rebook again.

Oh, and I agree that the crowd levels are not hugely impacted by the race itself. But Epcot on the weekends is crazy during F&WF. Try to sample the F&WF offerings mid-week, and during lunch hours to avoid those crowds if you can. And you will have to purchase a Villains party ticket for your 4 year old, sorry!!

Hope that made sense!

 

[amandaw]

Tanya,

Thank you so much for all of that information! That was very helpful. I'm very glad to know that the crowds shouldn't be affected too badly during the week. We are planning to do MNSSHP & F&W during the week. So, hopefully, that'll help us out.

I just got off the phone with the Run Disney Dept & got my DH registered for the race & our package booked! While they were quoting me the package price, I was pricing it on the Disney site. We saved a little over $700 by booking thru Run Disney. And I am definitely taking your advice & will keep an eye out for further discounts thru Disney! But, I do need to still buy the Villians Bash tickets for myself & our son.

My husband is very excited to be running his 1st Disney race. I'm so proud of him!