Marathon Weekend 2025

[Herding_Cats]

Happy DVC-window week?

 

[Baloo in MI]

Happy DVC-window week?

Yes! We book tomorrow. And I just love seeing a trip booked!!

 

[Herding_Cats]

Yes! We book tomorrow. And I just love seeing a trip booked!!

I booked our "normal" week at Saratoga, but the point-miser in my is considering trying to switch to OKW at the 7mo mark if we do decide to register for the races (which is still up in the air at this point.)

 

[camaker]

I booked our "normal" week at Saratoga, but the point-miser in my is considering trying to switch to OKW at the 7mo mark if we do decide to register for the races (which is still up in the air at this point.)

"If" you decide to register.

 

[Cabius]

Happy DVC-window week?

Thanks for the reminder!! Poly studios are usually not too bad at the 11-month mark, but knowing me I would've forgetten about it until, like, May.

 

[Herding_Cats]

"If" you decide to register.

I know. I know. But DH isn't all-in on the idea at this point (to be fair we have a LOT of other stuff going on) and a solo trip would feel really weird. But there's always the off-chance I could get my SIL to come with me or something.

 

[camaker]

I know. I know. But DH isn't all-in on the idea at this point (to be fair we have a LOT of other stuff going on) and a solo trip would feel really weird. But there's always the off-chance I could get my SIL to come with me or something.

I have faith in your powers of persuasion. Also, don't rule out a solo trip, they're awesome. It's very freeing to be able to do what you want to do and need to do when you want/need to do it without having to worry about impacting someone else's vacation. DW has come with me on running trips before and independently decided that it was better for me to be solo for both our enjoyment.

 

[Bree]

Solo trips are a magical recharge for moms….and dads….and partners…heck….they are just good for everyone

 

[Dopey 2020]

Happy DVC-window week?

It Is! We booked Copper Creek yesterday, oddly enough it would only Let us book 7/8 days but added a day this morning so everything is set. Now just waiting for registration in a couple months.

 

[RuntheMouse]

Happy DVC-window week?

Booked at Boulder Ridge again!

 

[steph0808]

I've missed two SAFD!

Disney races - I've only ever done MW, so my Disney races look like this:

2013 - Marathon Weekend - Marathon
2018 - Marathon Weekend - Marathon
2019 - Marathon Weekend - Half Marathon
2020 - Marathon Weekend - Marathon
2022 - Marathon Weekend - Marathon
2023 - Marathon Weekend - Dopey

Disney Parks:
1. Magic Kingdom
2. Hollywood Studios
3. Animal Kingdom
4. Epcot

 

[The Expert]

I have an alarm set to book BLT on Thursday morning!

I know. I know. But DH isn't all-in on the idea at this point (to be fair we have a LOT of other stuff going on) and a solo trip would feel really weird. But there's always the off-chance I could get my SIL to come with me or something.

I have faith in your powers of persuasion. Also, don't rule out a solo trip, they're awesome. It's very freeing to be able to do what you want to do and need to do when you want/need to do it without having to worry about impacting someone else's vacation. DW has come with me on running trips before and independently decided that it was better for me to be solo for both our enjoyment.

I'll be going back to Dopey, and it just isn't conducive to our usual park-going and dining schedule past Friday. So DH is considering either coming out with me and leaving early, or not going at all. So I may be solo myself and am kind of looking forward to it!

 

[The Expert]

I think rD is listening to our merch complaints. There is a TON of preorder merch available for the Halloween races, including bundles beyond just pins, and some individual items. I just popped on with my Club link to scope it out and posted screenshots of it all over on the race thread (starting here).

I haven't noted preorder items that closely in the past but this feels like a step in the right direction?

 

[amazingact21]

SAFD:

DAK - I love the theming, and the fact that I can either ride several great attractions (EE, FOP) or take it slow and stroll around. Or even get out of the heat by watching some awesome shows.

DHS - It has a lot of attractions I love. Mickey and Minnie's, SDD, Rise, etc.

MK - I feel like the MK is integral to WDW, and I feel like it's the park I can really get my money's worth out of Genie Plus. But now that my kids are older, we find one day in this park is enough.

Epcot - I don't get the appeal. But, that being said, I can't ride Guardians and TT and Soarin' are just okay rides to me. And having lived in Europe for 7 years and traveled to most of the WS countries the pavilions are based on, I can say that factors into my opinion. Not to say I don't still love the WS and get very nostalgic when I walk into the Germany store and see Happy Hippos for sale, I just think it allowed other parks like DHS to rise in my rankings.

I know it’s a controversial ranking, but here’s my hot take: there's only one ride to draw me - TRON - and the place is almost never relaxed and un-people-y anymore.

YES! I only plan one MK day on my trips, because I feel like it's the most hectic and stressful park. It's always crowded and the last few years has felt very dirty and rundown.

I really miss the days of the Sorcerer Hat and Osborne Family Lights in DHS.

The Osborne Lights were one of my favorite things at WDW!

 

[Barca33Runner]

I think rD is listening to our merch complaints. There is a TON of preorder merch available for the Halloween races, including bundles beyond just pins, and some individual items. I just popped on with my Club link to scope it out and posted screenshots of it all over on the race thread (starting here).

I haven't noted preorder items that closely in the past but this feels like a step in the right direction?

I’m not sure whether making more things available for pre-order will be something they prioritize moving forward or whether the Halloween races are even an increase on pre-order availability (I’m always so focused on registration that I never peruse the pre-orders); but, I can’t imagine how anyone could have watched the scene on Wednesday at the rD merch location and thought, “Yeah, this is good. Everything is well-organized and depicts the quality brand we are looking to uphold.”

I don’t buy any rD merch (I’m fine with my “free” shirts and think they badly need to partner with an athletic apparel company for at least some of their offerings) but other in my group do so I always end up waiting for the merch store and going with them. From the outdoor wait with people queued on the lawn refreshing their phones every few seconds, to the secondary taped off line inside after you’ve been “chosen”, to the post-apocalyptic Dollar General hellscape of clothes, baskets, tags, and garbage strewn about that awaits after finally getting in I’d be incredibly embarrassed at the whole process if I were them. If they’ve given up and decided it’s the best they can do, that’s a sad state of affairs.

 

[Blue Caterpillar]

(I’m fine with my “free” shirts and think they badly need to partner with an athletic apparel company for at least some of their offerings)

Me too! I was cleaning out my running shirt drawer and found my first and only Disneyland race- Tinkerbell 2017 and the free shirt was champion. It looks so much better than even my WDW 2024, they seem to snag so easily.

 

[The Expert]

Me too! I was cleaning out my running shirt drawer and found my first and only Disneyland race- Tinkerbell 2017 and the free shirt was champion. It looks so much better than even my WDW 2024, they seem to snag so easily.

I cleaned out a bunch of shirts when we moved and I also kept my 2017 Tink stuff. Not only does it hold up in the drawer, but I have regularly worn those shirts during training and to the parks.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

Me too! I was cleaning out my running shirt drawer and found my first and only Disneyland race- Tinkerbell 2017 and the free shirt was champion. It looks so much better than even my WDW 2024, they seem to snag so easily.

I found out the hard way my cross body bag rubs these newer shirts and makes it pill where the bag rubs. I never had that issue with the Champion shirts.

 

[1lilspark]

Me too! I was cleaning out my running shirt drawer and found my first and only Disneyland race- Tinkerbell 2017 and the free shirt was champion. It looks so much better than even my WDW 2024, they seem to snag so easily.

They switched from champion to in house sometime between W&D 18 & 19

The 5k shirts swapped from Hanes brand T Shirts to technical shirts as did the available for purchase “I did it” shirts changed from champion branded T shirts to in house technical

And I know sometime between W&D 19 and virtual W&D 20 the material for the in house free shirts changed again

 

[LilyJC]

Ooof, don’t delay on some of the more popular DVC bookings! We really haven’t decided what we want to do for Marathon weekend, but I jumped on to book our usual CCV studio with walk-in shower for the first part of the week. Granted it was hours after the booking window opened, but today was booked solid (studio with tub was available)! Thankfully I checked on it again before logging out, and one night had opened so I grabbed my nights.

One of our other home resorts, BLT, is booked out a few days in the standard studio category. I’ll definitely not delay in booking BCV for the 2nd part of our stay.