Marathon Weekend 2025

[Smooth_Whiskey]

Going AKL jambo house. Any tips? I've stayed at Kidani Village before

 

[hauntedcity]

I think my wife and I were meant to run this weekend... By a giant cosmic coincidence, our daughter's high school band is marching right down the middle of Main Street USA on Thursday, January 9!

We had our previous 2 Run Disney trips cancelled (Wine & Dine 2020 was axed and then my wife came down with Covid 2 days before Marathon Weekend 2022).
This year we'll go gown Wed night (Saratoga Springs booked ), watch the band in MK on Thursday, Expo and relax on Friday, run Half Marathon Saturday, and return Sunday.

Can we afford this unplanned excursion? Heck,no. Am I totally looking forward to watching our flute player flute her way down Main Street? Heck, yeah! Am I stoked for our first Run Disney event since 2019? You know it!

 

[butterscotchcollins]

I think my wife and I were meant to run this weekend... By a giant cosmic coincidence, our daughter's high school band is marching right down the middle of Main Street USA on Thursday, January 9!

We had our previous 2 Run Disney trips cancelled (Wine & Dine 2020 was axed and then my wife came down with Covid 2 days before Marathon Weekend 2022).
This year we'll go gown Wed night (Saratoga Springs booked ), watch the band in MK on Thursday, Expo and relax on Friday, run Half Marathon Saturday, and return Sunday.

Can we afford this unplanned excursion? Heck,no. Am I totally looking forward to watching our flute player flute her way down Main Street? Heck, yeah! Am I stoked for our first Run Disney event since 2019? You know it!

That’s incredible! It’s going to be such a special weekend, enjoy every moment

 

[DisneyMountainWoman]

Going AKL jambo house. Any tips? I've stayed at Kidani Village before

I have done Jambo house for all my WDW. I like Jambo over Kandi for races because it has access to the Mara.. quick service is just harder in Kandi. Also the rundisney busses start at Jambo. The rundisney busses are just soo good at AKL. Never had a problem... so nice.

Over all AKL is one my fav resort for running. You have so much u can do in AKL without having to go into a park, has the best food options, and is so relaxing.

I am booked right now at Jambo. But plan is to move to the cabins at Copper Creek. But if I cannot get into it at 7 months. I loove my Jambo booking. There is reason why it is my home resort.

 

[Smooth_Whiskey]

I have done Jambo house for all my WDW. I like Jambo over Kandi for races because it has access to the Mara.. quick service is just harder in Kandi. Also the rundisney busses start at Jambo. The rundisney busses are just soo good at AKL. Never had a problem... so nice.

Over all AKL is one my fav resort for running. You have so much u can do in AKL without having to go into a park, has the best food options, and is so relaxing.

I am booked right now at Jambo. But plan is to move to the cabins at Copper Creek. But if I cannot get into it at 7 months. I loove my Jambo booking. There is reason why it is my home resort.

Thank you so much for the information, that helps a lot.

 

[jmasgat]

Going AKL jambo house. Any tips? I've stayed at Kidani Village before

Not sure what kind of room you have booked. Last time I was there, I snagged a coveted Value studio and requested a specific one that ended up with a savanna view. That was great.

Another nice thing--it was no problem to get up really early after doing Dopey, so Monday morning I made a coffee and went to the hot tub and looked at flamingos and the sun rising.

I really love AKL. It's an oasis away from the craziness of WDW. (But I do make sure to have a car)

 

[dobball23]

This is off of the registration topic - but we just watched "26.2 to Life" on ESPN+. It's about the San Quentin Marathon. I highly recommend it!

I watched that last night, too! It was very good. I was impressed with how fast some of those guys were, especially in difficult conditions.

 

[kps7795]

Going AKL jambo house. Any tips? I've stayed at Kidani Village before

No tips needed. Have a great time. It's our favorite resort to stay at. The lobby is amazing and you cannot beat the views of the safari.

 

[The Expert]

Is there any advantage regarding time you need to leave for a race? Or do the monorails have lower capacity than buses and you actually have to leave earlier for the corrals?

They pretty much run continually. Last year before the half, one of the early monorail trains broke down, but they moved it quickly and it only caused about a 10 minute delay. Sometimes there's a little bit of a wait at the TTC to get on the Epcot train, but not bad. And you've already done security at your resort, so you can just walk right to the staging area.

I did forget that they run buses back to the monorail resorts after the races, as someone pointed out earlier. So that's a good option if you don't want to trek back.

My family comes with me for MW, and it's a great spot for spectating.

This is a great point! DH usually pops out to cheer me on (and take items I don't need or hand of things I do). Last year I ran the first three races and spectated the marathon, and it was great! I got a good couple of hours in at Bay Lake, then hopped the monorail(s) to cheer for a few more hours at Epcot.

 

[AJollyHoliday]

I have never stayed at GF for a race weekend, but on our last trip I bolted out of bed the first time I heard the water pageant. It was so loud! That would be pretty obnoxious every night if someone is doing all the races. We were at BLT last week and every night I woke up when the first works were going off.(Yes, I go to bed at 830. I wake up around 330/4) This is with me being hard of hearing and a pretty deep sleeper.

We have stayed at VGF and Poly Villas for multiple princess races and the parade, but more so the ferry were very loud! We have a noise machine and a dose of xanax the night before a race to try and help with that Ha!

I'm really hoping there is an advantage to a monorail resort, since I rented DVC at the Poly with the idea that the monorail would be nicer than a bus for the half and full.

I've stayed at Bay Lake for the last two marathon weekends. The only drawbacks to the monorail are the longer walk back after the races (compared to the bus) and walking the ramp up after finishing the marathon. (Though there is an elevator, if you really need it.)

We have the VGF booked (home resort) for MW and I love having access to the monorail although that walk up the ramp after the race is no joke! I did like being at the Poly because you are so close to the TTC and can walk versus taking the monorail all around and changing to Epcot.

We were just at AKL Kidani (2nd home resort) for the Princess weekend in February. We stayed there for my first princess weekend in 2015 (before we bought VGF) and I really liked it. Both times there were absolutely no problems getting a bus to or from the race.

The part I always have problems with is we are usually in the parks and then opt to go to the Expo. For that, we typically took a bus or walked to the closest resort then waited for an expo bus there. This year, we took a lyft from HS to the expo and it was worth every penny (it was only $6 because I had some 50% off deal). I typically don't buy the merch for the race so we walk the long distance to get our bibs and take pictures, then go to the expo to see other vendors and get our shirts. I like to wait until the mayhem of the initial opening is over so we can take our time. This past princess race we had no lines for any part of that process. We went around 3 PM.

So excited for MW. But I must say, I am just so disappointed the way that runDisney has gone with registration. Admittedly, I am VERY bitter that they got rid of the early registration option for annual pass/DVC members and replaced it with a very $$$ exclusive club. This was just a big example of what seems like a money grab to me.

I have done a lot of races outside of Disney, but Disney races are my favorite and most well run (pun intended) races. Registration is just so tough! As previously mentioned, we are running with a charity and I love that I can run in my favorite place and raise money for something that is so meaningful to me.

 

[steph0808]

I have basically stayed at all levels of resorts for Marathon Weekend, and you can't really go wrong with any of them.

My only recommendation is that if you're staying at a resort with a lot of bus stops, go to the main pick-up location to get the bus. 10+ years ago, I ran the marathon and stayed at POR and while buses went to every pick-up spot around the resort, they were always full and we finally hopped a bus and stood in the aisles.

I didn't have any issues with buses at All-Stars, AKL, or the monorail resorts for 5k/10k mornings.

 

[Cabius]

We have stayed at VGF and Poly Villas for multiple princess races and the parade, but more so the ferry were very loud! We have a noise machine and a dose of xanax the night before a race to try and help with that Ha!

I'm not the world's lightest sleeper, but I've never had an issue with the ferry. I think it's mostly a problem if you're in Moorea, especially towards the northeast corner.

For context, the three DVC buildings are on the east side of the resort, within the red polygon below. You can see that the northeast corner of Moorea is really only a few dozen feet from the ferryboats (and their horns).


By contrast, Tokelau (west side) is pretty far away, and Pago Pago (south) is further than Moorea. Both are also shielded by the Moorea building.

I've stayed in Pago Pago and didn't have issues with ferry noise, but if you're a light sleeper you might notice it. If you're really concerned, request Tokelau!

(Note: If you have an L-view room, those are all on the North side of Moorea, in which case you just want to be as far West as possible. Tokelau, Pago Pago, and the south-facing side of Moorea are all S-view rooms.)

 

[AJollyHoliday]

I'm not the world's lightest sleeper, but I've never had an issue with the ferry. I think it's mostly a problem if you're in Moorea, especially towards the northeast corner.

For context, the three DVC buildings are on the east side of the resort, within the red polygon below. You can see that the northeast corner of Moorea is really only a few dozen feet from the ferryboats (and their horns).
View attachment 850191

By contrast, Tokelau (west side) is pretty far away, and Pago Pago (south) is further than Moorea. Both are also shielded by the Moorea building.

I've stayed in Pago Pago and didn't have issues with ferry noise, but if you're a light sleeper you might notice it. If you're really concerned, request Tokelau!

(Note: If you have an L-view room, those are all on the North side of Moorea, in which case you just want to be as far West as possible. Tokelau, Pago Pago, and the south-facing side of Moorea are all S-view rooms.)

Yes we had lake view rooms and were midway in Moorea. Those ferry blow there horn when they leave the dock and come into the dock so when you're trying to go to bed early, it can be challenging.

 

[Let's Get Kronk]

I think my wife and I were meant to run this weekend... By a giant cosmic coincidence, our daughter's high school band is marching right down the middle of Main Street USA on Thursday, January 9!

Do you know what time yet? I usually go to MK after the 5K on Thursday and as a former mega band nerd, I would love to see the band perform!

 

[DHSsenior007]

I'm signed up for the marathon and right now we have a grand villa reserved at BWV. However, we're thinking about moving to the BLT as we'll be there with my almost 2-year-old daughter and we picture spending a lot of time at MK. While we don't have points points for a GV at BLT, we could do a MK-view 2-bedroom (traveling with my parents as well). It is good to know there is a bus back from Epcot following the marathon, and I love the idea of taking the monorail vs. the bus. What is the noise like at night at BLT? Any other considerations I should keep in mind?

 

[Zutroy]

I'm signed up for the marathon and right now we have a grand villa reserved at BWV. However, we're thinking about moving to the BLT as we'll be there with my almost 2-year-old daughter and we picture spending a lot of time at MK. While we don't have points points for a GV at BLT, we could do a MK-view 2-bedroom (traveling with my parents as well). It is good to know there is a bus back from Epcot following the marathon, and I love the idea of taking the monorail vs. the bus. What is the noise like at night at BLT? Any other considerations I should keep in mind?

I stayed at BLT this year for the Dopey, and I had no issues with noise other than the fireworks (which by day 3 I think I was so tired I didn’t even hear). I’ve also stayed at the Poly and Grand Floridian for past races, and my problem with GF is that I was in the main building, which gets very loud from people visiting the lobby late into the night, and the rooms open onto the lobby like at the Contemporary.

People have commented that the walk to the monorail from Epcot is long, but I think it’s actually much better to have a walk post-marathon for recovery. My first marathon I took the bus, and all that sitting and walking down the stairs was way worse. The monorail ramp is a non-issue, and the year before I actually ran up it to catch the monorail. The best part about the monorail is passing by all the traffic jams as you get to your resort. Here’s a picture I took this year heading to the TTC.

 

[AJollyHoliday]

People have commented that the walk to the monorail from Epcot is long, but I think it’s actually much better to have a walk post-marathon for recovery

Yes, while the ramp is long after a race, it is nice to flush your legs! I sat on the bus after the princess 1/2 this year and when I stood up to get off it was not a pretty sight! When I stayed at the Poly and sat on the monorail after the 1/2, I thought about the episode of How I Met Your Mother when Barney runs the NYC marathon then sits on the subway and couldn't get up!

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

Huh wonder if they throttled the overall Goofy size because I remember seeing there wasn't as many last year it felt like.

(Or is it an anniversary year and I didn't know?)

Maybe people wanting a redo of last year's shortened Goofy? I got my miles in the parking lot and don't feel like training for a full again, but I could see people wanting to try Goofy again after the weather-shortened half this yr.

 

[jrsharp21]

Huh wonder if they throttled the overall Goofy size because I remember seeing there wasn't as many last year it felt like.

(Or is it an anniversary year and I didn't know?)

It's the 20th anniversary of the Goofy Challenge.

 

[Naomeri]

Yes, while the ramp is long after a race, it is nice to flush your legs! I sat on the bus after the princess 1/2 this year and when I stood up to get off it was not a pretty sight! When I stayed at the Poly and sat on the monorail after the 1/2, I thought about the episode of How I Met Your Mother when Barney runs the NYC marathon then sits on the subway and couldn't get up!

It’s one of the reasons why I don’t use the elevators at the resorts, even after races. It sucks, but it certainly works my calf muscles and helps me look less like the walking wounded in the parks afterward.