Marathon Weekend 2023

[Herding_Cats]

As of right now, I'm still on the lookout for a DVC reservation for MW, but I'm not holding out hope.

I can't remember if you own or not, but I was able to find a confirmed SS rental on fb yesterday for almost our entire trip. And she posted another one for Friday-Sunday later yesterday as well. So there are a few out there if you're looking at renting points.

And can I just say.....the broker sites were asking like....$23-26/pt for OKW and SS??

 

[camaker]

Now that we are past the first stressful part of race weekend (the registering, or not registering) how does everyone feel about flight prices? I know that a few of the carriers haven't released those dates yet (SW, Spirit, Allegiant, etc) but everyone else is currently "high" according to google flights. I know that's somewhat being fueled by the goings on in Russia/Ukraine, but do we think that they will stabilize and come back down to "normal" prices once some of the discount carriers hit the market? (It's also worth noting that Frontier's calendar is out and they are more than Delta and American at this point.)

If I booked today, I could save over $200 by flying down on Wednesday instead of Tuesday (plus a day of rental car AND a night of lodging), but I want to be camped out at the expo Wednesday morning and nothing lands before 10am that I'm finding.

I pretty much only fly Southwest so I've got a while to wait, but I expect prices to come down a bit over the summer and settle somewhere higher than usual, but significantly less than this current peak. Of course theres a lot that can happen between now and then.

I've found that flying in on Tuesday is beneficial to my stress level. The buffer of a day before the Expo means I'm not stressing over every delay from flight to airport transfer to Expo bus impacting my bib pick up. It even lets me catch a fireworks show without having to get back to the room for a 2am wake up the next day.

 

[kristenabelle]

Now that we are past the first stressful part of race weekend (the registering, or not registering) how does everyone feel about flight prices? I know that a few of the carriers haven't released those dates yet (SW, Spirit, Allegiant, etc) but everyone else is currently "high" according to google flights. I know that's somewhat being fueled by the goings on in Russia/Ukraine, but do we think that they will stabilize and come back down to "normal" prices once some of the discount carriers hit the market? (It's also worth noting that Frontier's calendar is out and they are more than Delta and American at this point.)

If I booked today, I could save over $200 by flying down on Wednesday instead of Tuesday (plus a day of rental car AND a night of lodging), but I want to be camped out at the expo Wednesday morning and nothing lands before 10am that I'm finding.

I live in Toronto and round trip flights to Orlando used to be ~$500 CAD (during a sale you could get them for ~$400 or even lower). They are currently about $550....given everything going on in the world I decided to just book my flight now rather than "hope" for prices to go down at some point.

You also have to remember that the start of MW this year is very close New Years so I think prices will probably remain on the high end (especially with lots of built up demand)

I booked my flight from NJ already. It was the right price on the right airline for me (it's just easier to take United since there are so many flights there, even if they're pricier than Spirit), and I had a voucher I needed to use by a certain date. Headed down Tuesday night (if all goes according to plan) so I can be at the Expo stupid early

 

[lookingforsunshine]

If I booked today, I could save over $200 by flying down on Wednesday instead of Tuesday (plus a day of rental car AND a night of lodging), but I want to be camped out at the expo Wednesday morning

You’d also save expo money if things get sold out haha. I’ve heard Tuesdays are the best days to buy flights but idk. I also don’t know if you’re a CC person but Southwest sometimes has good points deals where if you get a CC and spend x amount you can basically get enough points for a free flight.

Also, do we think that the virtuals will sell out like insanity today? (That's today, right?)

Idk… I feel like people are holding out hope that things will open back up again or charities will come through. I am going to keep an eye on it though.

 

[Dom497]

Headed down Tuesday night (if all goes according to plan) so I can be at the Expo stupid early

I originally was gonna book for Wednesday to save money but then I realized I live in Toronto and the last thing I'd need is a snowstorm on Wednesday.

 

[Ariel484]

In honor of the 90s theme of the weekend, here is the playlist from my run this morning. Could have done with Tubthumping but everything else was

 

[deadvc]

As of right now, I'm still on the lookout for a DVC reservation for MW, but I'm not holding out hope.

Between the moderates (POFQ, Caribbean, and Coronado), what would be your choice for someone running Dopey? I have already stayed at Riverside, and as I'm trying to eventually stay at all Disney resorts, I'd like to try something new. I'm leaning toward POFQ for its smaller size but like the option of skyliner at Caribbean. Just worried about being stuck far away.

I've been at both sides of Port Orleans and Coronado. Personally, I'm a big fan of Gran Destino Tower at Coronado.

 

[jpeterson]

I pretty much only fly Southwest so I've got a while to wait, but I expect prices to come down a bit over the summer and settle somewhere higher than usual, but significantly less than this current peak. Of course theres a lot that can happen between now and then.

I've found that flying in on Tuesday is beneficial to my stress level. The buffer of a day before the Expo means I'm not stressing over every delay from flight to airport transfer to Expo bus impacting my bib pick up. It even lets me catch a fireworks show without having to get back to the room for a 2am wake up the next day.

I'm in the same boat. I fly southwest exclusively unless it's a destination they just don't fly to. I'm still waiting to book my return flight from Wine & Dine!

I also am planning on coming in on Tuesday as well for much the same reason. I just don't want to stress about it. I usually try to grab the first flight out in the morning too to give me room for delays.

 

[GuinnessRunner]

I did previously run Dublin late October and then Dopey in January - I did find I was a little 'over' the long runs right after Dublin and I wish I'd given myself a little more time to recover physically before going back to the big miles in the training plan for Dopey (so maybe gradually increase those instead of jumping back into the plan)

I did MCM in late October followed by Goofy and this was my experience too. Physically I was ok, but I had a really hard time getting mentally geared up right away again for the long runs of 18+ miles.

 

[HangWithMerida]

Now that we are past the first stressful part of race weekend (the registering, or not registering) how does everyone feel about flight prices? I know that a few of the carriers haven't released those dates yet (SW, Spirit, Allegiant, etc) but everyone else is currently "high" according to google flights. I know that's somewhat being fueled by the goings on in Russia/Ukraine, but do we think that they will stabilize and come back down to "normal" prices once some of the discount carriers hit the market?

I will probably book soonish. Coming from Houston I almost exclusively use United and we have a ton of nonstops so availablity is less of a concern. Over the almost 10 yrs we have lived here prices have just crept up so I rarely assume it will magically get lower. If anything United seems to cancel and consolidate flights that aren't filling rather than incentivize bookings with cheaper fares.

 

[Princess KP]

I originally was gonna book for Wednesday to save money but then I realized I live in Toronto and the last thing I'd need is a snowstorm on Wednesday.

Exactly! I'm in Toronto as well and any delay would just be too stressful.

 

[Herding_Cats]

So this is new.



"When registration opens, this page will refresh and you will be placed in our virtual queue in random order, regardless of how early you joined this page. Those who enter after booking begins will be placed in numerical order."

Looks like they learned a CYA lesson on Tuesday.

 

[Naomeri]

I have begun the virtual MW registration insanity. One browser clicked and thanking me for my patience (), with another waiting for 10am. Just need a 10K spot and I’ll be satisfied.

 

[camaker]

As of right now, I'm still on the lookout for a DVC reservation for MW, but I'm not holding out hope.

Between the moderates (POFQ, Caribbean, and Coronado), what would be your choice for someone running Dopey? I have already stayed at Riverside, and as I'm trying to eventually stay at all Disney resorts, I'd like to try something new. I'm leaning toward POFQ for its smaller size but like the option of skyliner at Caribbean. Just worried about being stuck far away.

POFQ has long been my favorite moderate resort, race weekend or not. The small size of the resort and single bus stop are both huge positives. Request Building 4 for an ideal location with respect to both the food court and the buses.

That being said, I now stay mostly at CBR. The Skyliner has been a game changer for me. The convenience of using it to get to DHS and EP totally trump the cons of the resort's size. They've also put the soda machines in roughly every other building now, too, greatly reducing my need to get to the food court. I like to stay in either Aruba or Jamaica. Both have a dedicated bus stop and are convenient to Skyliner terminals. It's where I'm staying again next MW.

CSR I just can't recommend for race weekends. The resort is huge, there's a lot of walking, the bus stops don't seem as conveniently located and last time I was there, the only place for drink refills was the main food court, which can be as much as a 3/4 mile walk one way, depending on your room location. I haven't tried the tower, admittedly, but I like the moderate resorts for their ambience and I just don't get the same vibe from the tower.

 

[Naomeri]

So this is new.

View attachment 664167

"When registration opens, this page will refresh and you will be placed in our virtual queue in random order, regardless of how early you joined this page. Those who enter after booking begins will be placed in numerical order."

Ha! I didn’t even read the fine print. Maybe I’ll get an incognito browser going before 10.

 

[jpeterson]

So this is new.

View attachment 664167

"When registration opens, this page will refresh and you will be placed in our virtual queue in random order, regardless of how early you joined this page. Those who enter after booking begins will be placed in numerical order."

Looks like they learned a CYA lesson on Tuesday.

I think the DVC events had that verbage, but I can't be sure. I've seen it somewhere. Either way, it's a needed addition. They should always have been upfront about how they were populating the queue.

 

[Baloo in MI]

I am not a huge expo/merch person, but still prefer to get in on Tuesday so I have lots of time to unpack, settle in, go to dinner with family, explore the resort, etc. and not have to think about the expo until the next day. Plus there is often a concern about weather when flying out of Detroit in January. We try to pick early morning flights for added buffer.

 

[Naomeri]

Well, that was a fast queue! My first window is already bringing me to the registration. I guess love of the theme didn’t equate to wanting to do virtual for everyone?

ETA: all done. The ease of registration suckered my brain into signing up for the virtual half as well

 

[jpeterson]

Well, that was a fast queue! My first window is already bringing me to the registration. I guess love of the theme didn’t equate to wanting to do virtual for everyone?

Or people are holding out hope for more in persons to open up.

 

[fatmanatee]

So this is new.

View attachment 664167

"When registration opens, this page will refresh and you will be placed in our virtual queue in random order, regardless of how early you joined this page. Those who enter after booking begins will be placed in numerical order."

Looks like they learned a CYA lesson on Tuesday.

I'm surprised that blurb wasn't there before, I know people have mentioned not knowing this is how it works but I sorta just assumed* it would be this system based on my experience with concert tickets.

*I don't know why I should assume these things at this point, I've seen RD screw up with this stuff plenty of times