OFFICIAL 2014 WDW Marathon Countdown: WE DID IT! Congrats everyone!

[garner384]

in the past they have not had bus service from the expo to the parks. i'm pretty sure they won't again. you could take a bus to an epcot resort and walk to epcot.

Thanks, I guess we will go to Beach Club after the Kids Race.

Next question. How crowded is the Expo at opening on Wednesday? I am just wondering how much time it is going to take to pick-up 5 race packets from 3 different races if I get there at 10:00. Trying to maximize time in the Park on Wednesday and DW is already complaining that "the races" are taking too much time.

 

[garner384]

Next random thought that comes to my mind talking about buses. I hope they intend to send more buses than usual to Port Orleans now that they have taken the option of walking to the start away. Did I mention that I am unhappy about losing an hour of sleep because they will not let me walk to the start. (can I please get vegan Cheese with my Whine?)

 

[CaptHomer]

I may be a little off base here, but it seemed like last year, when we stayed at the Boardwalk, they had their own buses from the resort. I don't recall stopping at the other resorts first. On the way back was a different story as we had to stop at BC, YC, and Swan & Dolphin. My issue last year was that they had a designated bus stop for the race pickup, but then the buses were stopping near the main entrance. When a bunch of us moved up there, the buses began stopping at the designated pickup spot, so we had to move back down. We lost about 30 minutes...and due to the high volume of traffic and slow walk to the starting corral, I barely made it on time.

I was right along with you last year on getting to the race. They stopped at 2 different spots in front of the Boardwalk and the huge line would move from one spot to another. Since the buses came from Yacht and Beach first they were packed and you couldn't get on one anyway.
I am renting a car this year to see if I can avoid that.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Thanks, I guess we will go to Beach Club after the Kids Race.

Next question. How crowded is the Expo at opening on Wednesday? I am just wondering how much time it is going to take to pick-up 5 race packets from 3 different races if I get there at 10:00. Trying to maximize time in the Park on Wednesday and DW is already complaining that "the races" are taking too much time.

I think a lot of us will be there first thing Wednesday morning, because we need our Dopey bibs. And also I want to buy the merchandise before it runs out, as it always does.

 

[parrotbay51]

I have another bus question... how's bus service from the Boardwalk to the start lines? I stayed there for W&D and it took over an hour to get on the bus because they kept filling up at the Beach Club and then just never stopping at the BW--I know I can't walk to the start through Epcot which kinda blows, since I would just do that.

This past year I waited a long time for a bus at the Boardwalk the morning of the 5k. The next 2 mornings I jogged over to the Swan and caught the bus. It was only .35 miles. Worked out great!!!

 

[paxsarah]

Next random thought that comes to my mind talking about buses. I hope they intend to send more buses than usual to Port Orleans now that they have taken the option of walking to the start away. Did I mention that I am unhappy about losing an hour of sleep because they will not let me walk to the start. (can I please get vegan Cheese with my Whine?)

Considering that walking was never an official option, I'm not sure they'll plan to send more buses. What I did observe, though, this year at Princess was at CBR, there was a cast member at each bus stop helping manage the flow of the buses and people waiting. We were at the last stop in the resort and the line was building, because buses were filling up at the earlier stops and never making it to our stop. Then we got an onslaught of buses to take care of all of us waiting, due to the fact that cast members were actively working with the dispatch. So regardless of how many people will now be busing that were planning on walking, they should be managing the flow of transportation in order to serve everyone.

You do realize that you can get that hour of sleep back by going to bed an hour earlier, right?

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I would not count on there being any extra buses anywhere. That's why the 3AM bus is always the best option.

 

[garner384]

You do realize that you can get that hour of sleep back by going to bed an hour earlier, right?

Will you have that conversation with my wife and kids and in-laws for me.
Here is what my pre-race plans are.

Wed. ADR at 7:30 at our Resort (wife and 2 sons are running the 5k) - reasonable
Thurs. ADR at 8:45 in EPCOT
Fri. ADR at 8:30 in MK
Sat. last event is Fantasmic, another reasonable night (not sure how that happened)

I just wanted my extra hour of sleep Sat. and Sun. and I plan on whining about it as much as possible and to as many people as possible until 1 week after the Marathon.

Think of me whining about this liek Mcflurry John talking about Mcflurrys.

BTW Does Mcdonalds sell and Dairy free Mcfulrry.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Will you have that conversation with my wife and kids and in-laws for me.
Here is what my pre-race plans are.

Wed. ADR at 7:30 at out Resort (wife and 2 sons are running the 5k) - reasonable
Thurs. ADR at 8:45 in EPCOT
Fri. ADR at 8:30 in MK
Sat. last event is Fantasmic, another reasonable night (not sure how that happened)

I just wanted my extra hour of sleep Sat. and Sun. and I plan on whining about it as much as possible and to as many people as possible until 1 week after the Marathon.

Think of me whining about this liek Mcflurry John talking about Mcflurrys.

BTW Does Mcdonalds sell and Dairy free Mcfulrry.

Yikes. My plan is to be in bed by 8pm all three pre-race nights. 9pm before the 5k.

 

[DoctorK]

Yikes. My plan is to be in bed by 8pm all three pre-race nights.

Wow, yeah me too (at the latest). I'm figuring a 2:30am wake up call, so an 8:30pm ADR would mean not getting to sleep until 10:30pm and running on 4 hours sleep is not really in the cards for me.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Wow, yeah me too (at the latest). I'm figuring a 2:30am wake up call, so an 8:30pm ADR would mean not getting to sleep until 10:30pm and running on 4 hours sleep is not really in the cards for me.

Yep. My alarm is going to go off at 2am for the 3am bus, giving me time to shower and uh, do my bathroom business. I simply don't function on less than 5 hours of sleep.

 

[dumbo_buddy]

Does anyone remember if they allow strollers in the expo buildings? I'm on my own for bib and swag pickup on Wednesday with two kids.

 

[goofeygirl]

Does anyone remember if they allow strollers in the expo buildings? I'm on my own for bib and swag pickup on Wednesday with two kids.

I cannot imagine anything or anyone at Disney telling you can't go into the expo because of a stroller.
On that note...it is super packed...so if I would get there asap and probably high tail it out of there too.

I actually don't remember seeing strollers but then again, I wasn't paying attention to them. I do know there were strollers out and about that whole area though...but inside I cannot recall..again...I cannot imagine anyplace in Disney NOT allowing strollers.

 

[CaptHomer]

Yep. My alarm is going to go off at 2am for the 3am bus, giving me time to shower and uh, do my bathroom business. I simply don't function on less than 5 hours of sleep.

For last year's Goofy I got up at 8:00 AM on Friday to get ready to go to the expo. I went back to sleep Sunday after the marathon after midnight. I would kill for 5 hours of sleep this year.

 

[paxsarah]

Yikes. My plan is to be in bed by 8pm all three pre-race nights. 9pm before the 5k.

No kidding. I guess I'm used to 4:30 alarms for regular weekday workouts and getting to bed by 9:30 or 10:00 to ensure 6.5-7 hours of sleep, that going to bed at 8-8:30 for the 2:30 Disney alarm seems perfectly reasonable to me. Sleep is good. I'm only doing the full this year, and my Saturday night ADR is at 5:30pm. Perfect!

 

[paxsarah]

I cannot imagine anything or anyone at Disney telling you can't go into the expo because of a stroller.
On that note...it is super packed...so if I would get there asap and probably high tail it out of there too.

I actually don't remember seeing strollers but then again, I wasn't paying attention to them. I do know there were strollers out and about that whole area though...but inside I cannot recall..again...I cannot imagine anyplace in Disney NOT allowing strollers.

The Land pavilion? They may ask that strollers not come into the expo buildings - I'm pretty sure I've never brought one to the expo so I don't remember either. But the floor is already pretty crowded and it seems like the type of place they may ask you to park outside.

 

[garner384]

Does anyone remember if they allow strollers in the expo buildings? I'm on my own for bib and swag pickup on Wednesday with two kids.

I remember parking the stroller outside with a bunch of other strollers, I just cannot remember if it was because I was told/asked to or because I did not want to navigate the expo with it.

 

[DoctorK]

At the W&D Expo there was stroller parking outside and I overheard a CM directing a family toward it. They were not happy about it because their stroller was loaded up with two kids and a ton of bags, etc.

 

[Soccer Princess]

Does anyone remember if they allow strollers in the expo buildings? I'm on my own for bib and swag pickup on Wednesday with two kids.

They don't allow them in the buildings and will have plenty of CMs telling you to park them before moving past a certain point. I remember being annoyed the first year that I didn't know and brought the Ergo for DD the following year. If you can put one in a carrier, that will probably be your best option. Good luck!

 

[John VN]

A stroller with a disability sticker will be allowed in and there is the elevator to use.

McFlurry John