The Running Thread - 2018

[Miranda]

Well, it's the 50th anniversary. I have no idea what the rest of my 2021 will look like, but I figured that was worth an effort. Especially because I'm still sad I missed Disneyland's 60th.

I have managed to unintentionally be at a lot of the celebration events at WDW and almost at DLR. I say unintentionally because our trips were never specifically planned because of the events... not once did I know any of these were happening ahead of time when we (or my parents) booked the trip or even until we got there!

• Mickey's 60th Birthday - They had a special land built for this event. I think this area is now what is the newer part of Fantasyland? It was the area that was Mickey's Toontown Fair for a while... originally it was Mickey's Birthdayland for this celebration. They had cupcake carts that sold birthday cupcakes. My mom and I made many trips out back there for those. Including one last trip into the parks right before we left to go home for the sole purpose of getting a cupcake. We went to the park, rode the train from Main Street back to Birthdayland, got our cupcakes, rode the train the rest of the way back to Main Street, then went back to the hotel and got ready to go home.
• 25th Anniversary - Was really surprised to get there and find the castle was pink and covered in candy!
• Millennium Celebration - My mom and dad had moved down to FL as soon as I graduated college in 1999, and I was an only child and we were a close family, so it was tough on my parents to move so far away from me. My dad turned 50 in 2000, so my mom planned a trip for them to go to WDW for the week of his birthday (they had moved to SW FL not near WDW), and on the side made plans for me to also join them on the trip to surprise him. So, I got to see the wand that was on Spaceship Earth and all the new stuff that got introduced with that like the updated Illuminations show and the Tapestry of Nations puppet parade. And I think that pin trading started being a "thing" during this celebration. I am not good at the actual trading part, but I got really into going around and buying pins. There was this map and special pin trading kit you got, and I think you had to collect stamps from various pin places... I don't remember all the details.
• 100 Years of Magic - I think this was supposed to be the 30th Anniversary, but then 9/11 happened, so it became a celebration of Walt's birthday... lots of new stuff showed up in MGM for this (I think it was still MGM then) like the Sorceror Mickey Hat and the One Man's Dream exhibit, and the Tapestry of Nations parade changed to Tapestry of Dreams.
• Year of a Million Dreams - I got a special pair of Mickey ears given to me as a gift in the queue for Test Track. One of the new attractions that opened for this was the Nemo show, which I love and is one of my favorite shows!
• Disneyland 60th Anniversary - We didn't actually make it to the official celebration, because it started a week or so after Tink weekend, but that was the year I went out to run the HM. But, the castle transformation was all done and we ended up being some of the first people to see the Hatbox Ghost in Haunted Mansion. SO and I had gone into the park early the day before the race, to make sure we got an early start on the park. We wanted to hit a ton of stuff in the morning and early afternoon because then we had reservations for our pasta dinner and an early bedtime for the race, so we wanted to get as much done as we could. The day before, we had tried to go to the Haunted Mansion, only to find it closed, so we were bummed about that. Having only been to DLR on one other occasion, I like to see the differences between the "same" attractions in WDW vs. DLR. So, we were eating breakfast at the River Belle Terrace and we saw people headed towards the Haunted Mansion and a bunch of them were dressed in crazy costumes, so we were wondering what was up, and we followed people over there and got in line. We thought we were just getting in line because it was open again, but then we found out that they were all these Hatbox Ghost fans there for the opening day and dressed in ghost costumes and stuff. People were really excited... I had no idea who the Hatbox Ghost even was, but we got in line with everyone anyway. We had to ask someone what it was so we knew where to look for the new ghost.

 

[apdebord]

ATTQOTD: Booked a Poly studio for marathon weekend (11th-19th...only doing the marathon) via rented DVC points in February. We stayed in Moorea when DH ran Dopey in 2016, and he specifically requested we stay there again as he enjoyed the monorail access race morning.

 

[flav]

ATTQOTD: I quickly booked Pop this morning- I don't know if that's where we'll end up staying, but I feel like those will sell out the fastest.
For those who have stayed at Pop for Marathon weekend, am I crazy for booking here?
I've never stayed at a value before and don't know if it's worth it. We can definitely stay somewhere else, just not sure I feel it's necessary this time for some reason. We wanted to stay someplace different and with CSR and CBR both under major construction, I wasn't sure those were great choices.

I went to Pop on my 2017 runDisney Wine and Dine solo trip and it was perfect for that kind of event. With my family I usually stay at a Deluxe but I knew what differences to expect: Bus to everywhere (Skyliner will arrive later in 2019), no slides in the pools, outdoor room entrance versus hallways. That pretty much sums it for the “cons”. Access to the AoA and Pop food courts (and buses) was a plus! The renovated room at Pop was excellent: Space for everything, clean, comfortable and with a coffee maker which was a must if I have to wake up at 2:30AM before a race!

 

[kbenson13]

QOTD: Today you can officially book a package for 2019 for WDW. Who is booking today and where are you planning on staying for marathon weekend?!?!

ATTQOTD: I need to book a room at one of the All Star rooms today for our first night. We will then check out of that room and head over to the expo. After the expo we will check in to the Contemporary which I booked a room only reservation a few months ago. Wish we were staying in the main tower, but the Garden Wing seemed a little more financially responsible. I do get to find out what the "adjusted" price is going to be though today. Good luck everyone and hope you get the resort and room you want!

I'm running the Houston Marathon in 2019 so no WDW marathon for me, but I think I will go for it in 2020 (and again in 2021 for the anniversary if I can swing it!).

I stayed in the "A Frame" at the Contemporary for Wine and Dine last year. I've wanted to stay in that hotel since I was a little kid and went to WDW for the first time (shortly after they opened Epcot....). Now that I've done it, I have to say I was completely underwhelmed by it. The rooms are small and the bathrooms (with no counter space) are a joke. I know that no Disney resort can truly be considered a "value" but I nevertheless felt that I did not get my money's worth at the Contemporary relative to the Poly or GF. I will probably aim to stay at Poly for any future Run Disney events so long as they continue to allow you to walk from the Poly to the starting line....

 

[sylkai]

ATTQOTD: Booked a Poly studio for marathon weekend (11th-19th...only doing the marathon) via rented DVC points in February. We stayed in Moorea when DH ran Dopey in 2016, and he specifically requested we stay there again as he enjoyed the monorail access race morning.

If it were just me and the husband I would have strongly considered doing this.

We really would enjoy being able to stumble back from Trader Sam's...

 

[SarahDisney]

We really would enjoy being able to stumble back from Trader Sam's...

That's part of why I'm staying in the epcot area - easier to stumble back to my room after DATW.

 

[roxymama]

I keep putting the Little Mermaid room in the cart for myself to run the half w/ my friend or Goofy. (sorry guys, Dopey just won't be possible for 2019.) Someone tell me to just pull the trigger and room only is cancel-able anyways. I'm freaking myself out. I have the all go from the hubby but I have solo-vacation-mom-guilt.

 

[Princess KP]

I keep putting the Little Mermaid room in the cart for myself to run the half w/ my friend or Goofy. (sorry guys, Dopey just won't be possible for 2019.) Someone tell me to just pull the trigger and room only is cancel-able anyways. I'm freaking myself out. I have the all go from the hubby but I have solo-vacation-mom-guilt.

Do it! You can cancel it if you change your mind. And don't those rooms tend to sell out?

 

[Capang]

I keep putting the Little Mermaid room in the cart for myself to run the half w/ my friend or Goofy. (sorry guys, Dopey just won't be possible for 2019.) Someone tell me to just pull the trigger and room only is cancel-able anyways. I'm freaking myself out. I have the all go from the hubby but I have solo-vacation-mom-guilt.

Do it! I get the mom-guilt thing, went through that when I booked W&D, but really moms need some time to do their own thing, too!

 

[flav]

ATTQOTD: I'm not going to WDW in 2019, so I won't be booking anything, but in a little while this morning I'll go on the WDW website and price-check resorts to help me in my planning for 2020.

Same here, I am aiming for Dopey 2020 so my 2019 race line-up will be minimalist (price wise). I even calculated how much a NYRR Marathon would cost if I was winning the lottery and figured out that runDisney was a better deal! I looked both at runDisney travel agent websites and Disney World website for getting an accurate estimate.

Question for those planning or having done a Dopey and having to fly from a very wintery part of the world: Given that the Expo starts on Wednesday and that the first race is on Thursday, do you take a chance that the flight won’t be cancelled because of weather and fly on Wednesday or do you fly on Tuesday to be safe? Also, do you plan a return flight on Sunday or on Monday? It is the difference between a 4 and 6 nights hotel reservation and a 3 and 5 days vacation from work. TIA

 

[run.minnie.miles]

I keep putting the Little Mermaid room in the cart for myself to run the half w/ my friend or Goofy. (sorry guys, Dopey just won't be possible for 2019.) Someone tell me to just pull the trigger and room only is cancel-able anyways. I'm freaking myself out. I have the all go from the hubby but I have solo-vacation-mom-guilt.

I think the best part about Disney reservations is being able to cancel SO easily. So go ahead and reserve your room.. and then we can see what time brings.

 

[apdebord]

If it were just me and the husband I would have strongly considered doing this.

We really would enjoy being able to stumble back from Trader Sam's...

Okay, so maybe that is my real #1 reason for wanting to stay at Poly again

 

[Princess KP]

Question for those planning or having done a Dopey and having to fly from a very wintery part of the world: Given that the Expo starts on Wednesday and that the first race is on Thursday, do you take a chance that the flight won’t be cancelled because of weather and fly on Wednesday or do you fly on Tuesday to be safe? Also, do you plan a return flight on Sunday or on Monday? It is the difference between a 4 and 6 nights hotel reservation and a 3 and 5 days vacation from work. TIA

Haven't done Dopey but am from a somewhat wintery part of the world. (From Toronto...are you in Quebec?)
I would fly in on the Tuesday and return on the Monday. Depending on how long it will take you to complete the marathon, you don't want to have to deal with checking out prior to the marathon and possibly not having a place to shower before getting on a flight. Plus, you should plan on doing DATW on the Monday!

 

[SarahDisney]

I keep putting the Little Mermaid room in the cart for myself to run the half w/ my friend or Goofy. (sorry guys, Dopey just won't be possible for 2019.) Someone tell me to just pull the trigger and room only is cancel-able anyways. I'm freaking myself out. I have the all go from the hubby but I have solo-vacation-mom-guilt.

Book it.
When I booked my room for the 2015 Princess 5k, I was 99% sure it wasnt gonna happen. Having the room booked helped motivate me to make the trip.
And if you just can't make the trip ( ), then it's super easy to cancel.

 

[ZellyB]

I keep putting the Little Mermaid room in the cart for myself to run the half w/ my friend or Goofy. (sorry guys, Dopey just won't be possible for 2019.) Someone tell me to just pull the trigger and room only is cancel-able anyways. I'm freaking myself out. I have the all go from the hubby but I have solo-vacation-mom-guilt.

 

[Disney at Heart]

QOTD: Today you can officially book a package for 2019 for WDW. Who is booking today and where are you planning on staying for marathon weekend?!?!

Already booked at Shades of Green. We've never stayed there although DH is a retired army major. I am nearing the end of my quest to stay at every WDW resort. I know SoG and Swolphin are not officially WDW resorts, but they are "on property" so I included them.

I still have a few "villas" to go: BLT, Polynesian Villas, GF Villas, Boulder Ridge/ Copper Creek Villas & Cabins, AK Villas at Jambo House, Treehouses at Saratoga Springs. I may never get through all these because of the expense, but I kind of count them as completed because I've stayed at the "parent" part of the resort. Ex. No BLT, but I've stayed at Contemporary; no Polynesian Villas, but I have stayed at Polynesian, etc. And then there's Four Seasons and soon to be a Star Wars Resort. I may never truly get through them all!

 

[flav]

I keep putting the Little Mermaid room in the cart for myself to run the half w/ my friend or Goofy. (sorry guys, Dopey just won't be possible for 2019.) Someone tell me to just pull the trigger and room only is cancel-able anyways. I'm freaking myself out. I have the all go from the hubby but I have solo-vacation-mom-guilt.

Do it! You can cancel it if you change your mind. And don't those rooms tend to sell out?

I went through that guilt trip... and through the solo trip last year! And it was like existing as a runner versus existing as a mom for a few magical days. Do it! And you might be surprised that even your kids suddenly realize you exist outside of them!

 

[cavepig]

Question for those planning or having done a Dopey and having to fly from a very wintery part of the world: Given that the Expo starts on Wednesday and that the first race is on Thursday, do you take a chance that the flight won’t be cancelled because of weather and fly on Wednesday or do you fly on Tuesday to be safe? Also, do you plan a return flight on Sunday or on Monday? It is the difference between a 4 and 6 nights hotel reservation and a 3 and 5 days vacation from work. TIA

When I did Dopey I flew in on Tuesday to be safe or safe as can be cause who knows with winter travel & just watched it like a crazy person in case we needed to try to get out earlier. Not much help on return as we stayed thru the following Thursday, but I wouldn't want to fly home right after the marathon so if it can work I would pick fly out Monday.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

I'm going to marathon weekend, but not booking anything yet. Most likely I'll end up at an All-Stars.

Just come on over to Pop

 

[roxymama]

HAHA Well I hit purchase and Woody is on my screen telling me to please wait and not hit the back button or refresh. Toying with me and my emotions.