Oye. I booked on the Tinkerbell marathon week (& a few Q's)

[linzjane88]

I am so sad! I live in Washington but we are WDW people. We went to DL last about 6 years ago and there were SO many people, particularly massess of middle school field trip groups. Being in a sea of teenagers was....ummm.....disappointing.
Anyhow, I thought we would book a trip to California in May. I carefully laid out work calendars, crowd calendars, and matched up which days SW was offering $59 flights. We settled on 5/5-5/10. Somehow I missed the fact that 5/5-5/8 was a marathon weekend. Just found out a few minutes ago and now I am wondering what our game plan should be to avoid as many as possible. Planning on getting 3 day tickets (but maybe adding a 4th there).

Thursday 5/5- Fly from PDX to LAX, arrive 9:35am, check into Ayers hotel
Friday 5/6- Ayes
Saturday 5/7- Ayers
Sunday 5/8, -DL hotel
Monday 5/9- DL hotel
Tueday 5/10- DL hotel, Fly from LAX to PDX --leave for the airport at 6pm

Also, we were unsure about the transportation thing. I want to do whats the most convenient for getting into/out of the parks. For the nights we are staying off property would it be best to drive and pay for parking or just stay at a closer hotel and walk? It will likely be about $250 for gas, car rental, parking fees but that would get us to and from the airport as well (with no bus stop waiting). If it doesn't add to the convenience though maybe it's not worth it. I just don't know. DL is a foreign beast to me!

TLDR: Which park which days to avoid marathoners and should I rent a car ?

 

[SMD]

People who run the races go to both parks and the hotels. There is an Expo at DLH Thurs-Sat. If you're planning to transfer hotels early on Sunday then you should check the runDisney site for the road closures, as the start and finish line will be near DLH.

 

[kirstie101]

I've participated in 5 Disneyland race weekends. I've done Tink twice now but I did not do it last year. (Im back this year though!) In my experience, for race weekends, the most crowded park day will be the day of the half which is Sunday. To make it worse, Sunday is also Mothers day. I'd expect heavy crowds in both parks on Sunday the 8th. I've found that crowds build from Thursday on and lost of runners are gone by Monday. Saturday will also be busy. My guess is Mothers day may play into Saturday as well.

On the off property question: I'm always for staying in a hotel that I can walk from, or just paying for the ART shuttle to the parks. I wouldn't bother renting a car and paying to park at the parks.

 

[ImDMous]

Mother's Day weekend and the marathon will add to the overall volume in the parks, but I don't think it will worse at one park than the other. I wouldn't rent a car, walking into the parks is much easier to me than parking. If you're staying near the Toy Story lot you can always walk to that and take the shuttle if that is closer than walking to the gates.

As PP said, the runs start and end at the hotels so that will probably put a wrinkle in switching unless you wait until afternoon after the races are over. The marathon is Sunday morning and it will end at DLH.

 

[linzjane88]

Hmmm... I wonder if it is worth changing to 5/19-5/24. We could fly into SNA instead for the same price. I may have to look into this.

Wow I will do anything for lighter crowds. Haha.

 

[linzjane88]

I work a 6 on 8 off schedule so my next available time would be 5/19-5/24 but 3 of those days are grad night. Rooms would be about $200 more for the trip but we would be going into and out of SNA which sounds more convenient.

Would you regulars take grad night or marathon days?

 

[kirstie101]

I'd choose Grad nights. I personally wouldn't go on a race weekend if I wasn't doing the race. On Grad nights you can avoid the grads (somewhat) by going to DCA during the day and hopping over to DL at night. The grads tend to go to DL during the day because their party is in DCA at night. With the runners theres no great way to avoid the crowds. They tend to spread out over both parks pretty evenly. Plus you're not even dealing with just a race weekend, its also a holiday weekend. With mothers day on Sunday I think its gonna be packed. If you could go, but avoid the parks sunday or just go sunday morning and then enjoy the hotel, then I think you'd be ok.

 

[tarheelalum]

Its a tough choice between the two and I don't care for the grad night kids at all but nothing is worse than a holiday weekend at D Land. Out of those two I'd go with the 5/19-24th. Good advice was given above regarding staying away from DCA at night.

 

[linzjane88]

So I have never understood what the marathons entail. Are people running through the parks? Around them?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Regarding the Ayres hotel, isn't it rather far from the parks? I've heard nice things about the hotel, but not so nice things about the shuttle from there. If you can stay walking distance to the parks, especially with your new dates, that would be better.

 

[VickiHD]

Regarding the Ayres hotel, isn't it rather far from the parks? I've heard nice things about the hotel, but not so nice things about the shuttle from there. If you can stay walking distance to the parks, especially with your new dates, that would be better.

We just stayed a week at the Ayres for DH business. It was a nice hotel but you are definitely our there. You're across from the Honda Center and the new Train Station. We took the ART bus to and from the park daily. The morning ART drivers were ok the afternoon/evening drivers were bizarre, always taking a different way back to the hotel. The breakfast at the hotel was included and really had the best buttermilk pancakes. The hotel was very clean and quiet. Hope this helps.

 

[linzjane88]

So the date change won't work. But DH said he would rather be around runners than teenagers . I'm really torn on the Ayres. It's got fabulous reviews but it definitely isn't walking distance. ART has pretty terrible reviews so I don't know that I want to deal with using them. Staying at the anaheim Fairfield or Hojo is the only option I see right now. Dates are limited for 5/5 thru 5/8. I called Candy cane and Park Vue but nobody had availability for all three nights. I know those are two favorites around here. Any other runner ups?

 

[SMD]

What about Great Wolf Lodge? Then you could spend time in the water park to substitute for park time on Saturday and Sunday morning during the race.

 

[5forMickey]

I know you said it would not work to change your dates, but just wanted to add my two cents. We have been at the park during many busy times, including when the cheerleaders were there. The only time I would never go again is during a race weekend, it was the most miserable of any trip we had and probably the only time I would rather be anywhere but Disneyland. That being said if you just prepare yourself you will be fine. Roads will be closed, everywhere will be busy and people will be extra pushy....make reservations and allow extra time for everything.

 

[bevcgg]

So I have never understood what the marathons entail. Are people running through the parks? Around them?

The races are early mornings usually around 5:30 AM start times and we run through the parks for the first part of the race before the parks open- then run outside the park. Other than road closures early in the morning the race itself should not impact your park days. But they races have around 14,000 people (many running more than one race) so not sure of the total number of people. And while MANY runners do go to the parks- when I come for the races I limit my park time or like this weekend- will not go in the parks at all- and there are others like me as well. It will be a busy weekend- but maybe not that much busier than a typical summer weekend- otherwise Disney would not plan the race to be there. It is about drawing crowds at historically slower times.

Unlike the DL Half weekend over Labor Day - this race attacks more women than men and tends to be a bit smaller. The 1/2 on Sunday has not even sold out- so there will be FEWER runners that past years for this same race.

And overall I think we are "nice people"- that tend to go to bed early! Unlike the Grad nights folks!

 

[linzjane88]

The races are early mornings usually around 5:30 AM start times and we run through the parks for the first part of the race before the parks open- then run outside the park. Other than road closures early in the morning the race itself should not impact your park days. But they races have around 14,000 people (many running more than one race) so not sure of the total number of people. And while MANY runners do go to the parks- when I come for the races I limit my park time or like this weekend- will not go in the parks at all- and there are others like me as well. It will be a busy weekend- but maybe not that much busier than a typical summer weekend- otherwise Disney would not plan the race to be there. It is about drawing crowds at historically slower times.

Unlike the DL Half weekend over Labor Day - this race attacks more women than men and tends to be a bit smaller. The 1/2 on Sunday has not even sold out- so there will be FEWER runners that past years for this same race.

And overall I think we are "nice people"- that tend to go to bed early! Unlike the Grad nights folks!

That's good. I thought races entailed people running through parks in between crowds . I always thought it seemed odd. Lol. I think we will just live dangerously and deal with crowds. The thing I'm most sad about is the deceased hotel availability.

Hotels are always the deal breaker when I try and plan a DL trip. On site is outrageously priced and off-site there are so stinking many options. I finally narrow it down and then either there is no availability or I read a review with a picture of some grotesque bed stain and have to start all over again.

 

[mad hatter fan]

If you decide to go during the race weekend, I would for sure pick a hotel you can walk from. We had trouble getting to the parks from our hotel once because it was located along the race route. ART wasn't running the route until later and the Toy Story lot wasn't open yet because the race went past it. If we go again on a race weekend, I will choose to be onsite or right across the street.

 

[bevcgg]

And be careful....MANY Run Disney Runners- were NOT runners unitl they saw how much fun everyone was having and getting medals!
I hated the concept of running unitl I discovered you could run through the castles, wear a costume and run from character photo-op to photo-op! Now this year I will do 3 1/2 Marathons, including two challenge weekends (10k Sat & 1/2 Sun) and 2 5ks all in Disney...it gets addictive!

 

[linzjane88]

If you decide to go during the race weekend, I would for sure pick a hotel you can walk from. We had trouble getting to the parks from our hotel once because it was located along the race route. ART wasn't running the route until later and the Toy Story lot wasn't open yet because the race went past it. If we go again on a race weekend, I will choose to be onsite or right across the street.

Thanks for the tip. My DH said he would prefer not having a car and just walking to the resort. This is so different than WDW where I know exactly how far everything is and how much walking "across the street" feels like. Especially with dd8 and dd4 (almost 4 anyway). In my head I was thinking staying at a nicer hotel that did continental breakfast and driving over would be more relaxing and less walking but I didn't think about altered routes and parking lot issues.
Park vue had Thursday and Friday and DLH has Sunday and Monday. It's that pesky Saturday night I can't find!
One more question...
At WDW people abandon rented strollers in the afternoon when they Park hop which you can then "aquire" (hey, I'm doing disney a favor because I always return it). Is that a thing at Disney land? If strollers go between the parks than probably not.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

At DLR, strollers go between the parks. The parks are so close together (think the length of a football field apart) that taking a stroller back and forth is no big deal.
Read this thread for lots of helpful info: A DLR Guide for WDW Vets.