Official 2012 Wine and Dine ½ Marathon Thread

[Suited Deuces]

Did you book thru RunDisney? what are the rates?

I called and they didn't even know the site was updated...they said booking wouldn't be available until 3/13 (registration day)

Thx

 

[AquaDame]

Very strange... why would they update it 11 days early and say to call in NOW then?

 

[Suited Deuces]

I am not saying that is the policy.....it's just what I heard. It seems they are still getting things together...it just hit the site today.

Unless you need to give a registration # for the race to get the rate

 

[AquaDame]

Oh! on GetTravel it says you need to be there at least two days to get a discount on the room... since we will only have one night between the cruise and going home should I even bother to wait? Can we still get discounted park tickets if we do not purchase a package?

 

[specialks]

Oh! on GetTravel it says you need to be there at least two days to get a discount on the room... since we will only have one night between the cruise and going home should I even bother to wait? Can we still get discounted park tickets if we do not purchase a package?

I can't even find the discounted GetTravel rates??
I called and booked with Disney directly. Where are the rates for the discounted rooms?

 

[Suited Deuces]

Specially priced hotel rooms are now available for Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon participants and their friends and family! Stay at a Host Resort and you are guaranteed to have less to worry about. Your transportation to ALL Half Marathon Weekends events is provided!

And when you call 407-WDW-IRUN to book you're Disney Wine & Dine Half Weekend stay, you can also purchase your race registration and add the Disney Dining Plan to your package. Customize a trip that fits your family and your budget with one of our Disney Sports Travel Agents today.

 

[AquaDame]

Im sorry I should have been more clear! I was looking at the 2011 race prices on the GetTravel website. http://www.gettravel.com/wineanddinehalfmarathon/accommodation.shtml

 

[specialks]

Specially priced hotel rooms are now available for Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon participants and their friends and family! Stay at a Host Resort and you are guaranteed to have less to worry about. Your transportation to ALL Half Marathon Weekends events is provided!

And when you call 407-WDW-IRUN to book you're Disney Wine & Dine Half Weekend stay, you can also purchase your race registration and add the Disney Dining Plan to your package. Customize a trip that fits your family and your budget with one of our Disney Sports Travel Agents today.

Sounds like you can add your race reg onto the room deal so that's probably why they say you can only book it once registration opens. I wonder if the price will be less than my current rate for a preferred room?...

 

[DCbride]

I had a rental car the 2 previous races. How bad is it taking the bus in the morning? We will be in the stroller division and can't picture bringing a jogging stroller, even though I know it is done. Will the bus stop at different host resorts or shuttle between just 1 and races/expo?

 

[BlazerFan]

I'm a Disneyland veteran but a Disney World novice (one off site visit only)

We are planning for the Wine & Dine 1/2 to get our first C2C medals this year. I've gotten advice to try to book our DVC rooms at either Beach Club or BoardWalk for best location for the race but since I can't book until the 7 month window I'm not optimistic that I will get rooms.

Any other suggestions from some Disney World experts?

thanks!

 

[bigtony777]

I'm a Disneyland veteran but a Disney World novice (one off site visit only)

We are planning for the Wine & Dine 1/2 to get our first C2C medals this year. I've gotten advice to try to book our DVC rooms at either Beach Club or BoardWalk for best location for the race but since I can't book until the 7 month window I'm not optimistic that I will get rooms.

Any other suggestions from some Disney World experts?

thanks!

These two are by far the best options for the wine and dine IMO. This is because you can walk home after the party right out of world showcase. If you can't get either of these, then I would pick based on your favorite resort and what you will be doing the the remainder of your trip. This is because as of now, no other DVC resort is a host resort so you will need to taxi it back after the race.

I just checked and BW currently has no studio availability for any nights 11/9 - 11/11, but does have 1 BR garden/pool view available for all 3 nights.

 

[BlazerFan]

These two are by far the best options for the wine and dine IMO. This is because you can walk home after the party right out of world showcase. If you can get either of these, then I would pick based on your favorite resort and what you will be doing the the remainder of your trip. This is because as of now, no other DVC resort is a host resort so you will need to taxi it back after the race.

I just checked and BW currently has no studio availability for any nights 11/9 - 11/11, but does have 1 BR garden/pool view available for all 3 nights.

We are traveling with another couple so a 2BR would also work if available. If we end up having to choose a different DVC resort, what would you suggest? Our husbands are cheering only so it would be nice to have a easy way for them to get to the finish. Will taxis run late for us to get back?
thank you for the info!

 

[AussiePossum]

Hi Guys..


For all the WDW /Marathon veterans out there I have this question.. We had already booked our stay at POR (before I knew about host resorts). Now that the list has been released and POR isn't on it.. How hard is it going to be to get back to POR after the race. I'm guessing the regular transport won't be running at that hour and we don't want the stress of hiring (or driving) on the opposite side of the road.

 

[kmchisholm]

Hi Guys..


For all the WDW /Marathon veterans out there I have this question.. We had already booked our stay at POR (before I knew about host resorts). Now that the list has been released and POR isn't on it.. How hard is it going to be to get back to POR after the race. I'm guessing the regular transport won't be running at that hour and we don't want the stress of hiring (or driving) on the opposite side of the road.

I've only done the Princess but can tell you I booked at the Boardwalk when I registered and it was not a host hotel but by the time the race got here, it was. I would keep what you have, worst case is you can catch a cab home if needed.

 

[Nole95]

My wife and I decided today to run the W&D Half and train together.

Looking at the Beach Club Resort right now, total for a 3 night stay is about $1300 (Garden view). I wonder how much of a discount people who register will get when it opens up next week.

I think we will prefer the Beach Club because we can make the short walk back after the party late that night.

 

[AussiePossum]

I've only done the Princess but can tell you I booked at the Boardwalk when I registered and it was not a host hotel but by the time the race got here, it was. I would keep what you have, worst case is you can catch a cab home if needed.

Thanks for that Always good to know that they MAY add POR as a host hotel closer to the event.

But between now and then.... all this couch potato can do is train.. Plus work.. or how else am I going to pay for the scary price of flights to America

 

[BlazerFan]

If we are planning to spend a week at Disney World using DVC and can't get into Boardwalk or Beach Club, would it be best to book a cash room for the day/night of the race in between our DVC stays at another resort? I'm just not familiar enough to know how difficult it will be to get around if we aren't at a host resort or a resort our non-racing family can walk to Epcot from.

 

[kmchisholm]

My wife and I decided today to run the W&D Half and train together.

Looking at the Beach Club Resort right now, total for a 3 night stay is about $1300 (Garden view). I wonder how much of a discount people who register will get when it opens up next week.

I think we will prefer the Beach Club because we can make the short walk back after the party late that night.

If you have time check out renting DVC points. Although my parents are DVC members they always use their points, so didn't have any to "share" with me. It tookl some time, but ended up being worht it as our total for three nights (Sat - Mon) at The Boardwalk was $470. We came down early Sat and left late Tues, so had plenty of time for the race and parks. I will be the first to admit that DVC can be a bit confusing and you should only do if you're 100% committed to the dates, but PM me if you're interested and I can suggest some helpful websites.

 

[jeanigor]

I had a rental car the 2 previous races. How bad is it taking the bus in the morning? We will be in the stroller division and can't picture bringing a jogging stroller, even though I know it is done. Will the bus stop at different host resorts or shuttle between just 1 and races/expo?

It has been my experience that the bus will stop at your resort, take you to the expo/race start, drop you off and then repeat. I cannot recall multiple stops by an event bus.
Since the buses are touring style buses, they have the cargo bays under the seating area and a jogging stroller is easy to stow.

If we are planning to spend a week at Disney World using DVC and can't get into Boardwalk or Beach Club, would it be best to book a cash room for the day/night of the race in between our DVC stays at another resort? I'm just not familiar enough to know how difficult it will be to get around if we aren't at a host resort or a resort our non-racing family can walk to Epcot from.

If you can't get availability or a wait list you are happy with or you don't want to pay the increased weekend points, you may want to check out the Swan or Dolphin. They are in the same area as the BWV and BCV.

 

[bigtony777]

We are traveling with another couple so a 2BR would also work if available. If we end up having to choose a different DVC resort, what would you suggest? Our husbands are cheering only so it would be nice to have a easy way for them to get to the finish. Will taxis run late for us to get back?
thank you for the info!

No 2BR availability for BW as of yesterday, only 1BR. Taxis will be available until the end of the party so it should be easy to get back. One thing to keep in mind, if you are grabbing a taxi, it will likely be shorter to walk to BC and grab a taxi from there if you are back in the world showcase area. Otherwise you will have to walk out to the bus stops in front of Epcot.

I don't think that there will be a huge difference between the other DVC resorts. I believe OKW would be the closest followed by SSR, AKV with VWL and BLT being the furthest away. I don't think it will make much difference in time or taxi fair the evening of the race. If you don't get BWV or BCV, then I wouldn't make your choice on proximity to the Epcot due to the race. Instead pick which resort you will enjoy and will work with the remainder of your trip. Disney wants non resort guests to make there way to Epcot and they provide shuttles to the race start from there.

As far as buses go, it will depend on which resort you are staying at and what time. Unless the resorts change from what is offered right now, I would think that Beach Club and Caribbean Beach will have their on buses to get to both the expo and the race. The All-Star resorts will likely share. We stayed at AS Music the first year and they shared buses with the other two AS resorts. Last year we stayed at Beach Club and they shared with Boardwalk. Timing may also matter since on race night a bus can easily get filled at one stop so they may have buses for each AS resort during the peak boarding time on race night.