Best Resort for Spectator in January

[dinandmick]

Hello!

My husband and I will be doing the 1/2 in January. My in-laws will be there to cheer us on along with our 21 month old. What resort would be the easist for them to see us at the finish line and not have to sit in tons of traffic afterwards?

 

[dreamfinder]

To see you at the finish line? Doesn't really matter for the half. Epcot will most likely not be open when most people will be finishing. Since it starts at 5:30, even if it takes 30 minutes to get everyone across the start (thats a bit generous) that means the last people would be finishing at 9:30. So only 30 mins of the park being open. So you really can't expect to be able to duck through Epcot back to the Epcot resorts. The buses for all the other resorts aren't bad at all. They keep em cranking through pretty fast. If you were planning on driving, eh not really sure. POFQ and OKW are both pretty close, but I always take the bus post race so I couldn't tell you how long it would actually take to get back on that Saturday. Keep in mind that depending on your expected finish time, they may have problems getting to the finish area unless they get there before the race starts. Road closures can make it tough to get around in that area for a while once the race starts.

 

[fmingo36]

I would think that one of the Epcot resorts would be best. They could enter Epcot through World showcase (as long as you are getting park tickets) and could just cross over through the park to the parking area where the finish line is.

 

[Phonedave]

Hello!

My husband and I will be doing the 1/2 in January. My in-laws will be there to cheer us on along with our 21 month old. What resort would be the easist for them to see us at the finish line and not have to sit in tons of traffic afterwards?

You'r best bet is just to use the race transportation.

The race busses (which for Marathon Weekend run to all resorts) are pretty close to the finish line (closer than their car or a "normal" resort bus is going to be).

There are plenty of them, and they will take them right back to whatever resort you are in.

-dave

 

[lukacseven]

You might want to consider a resort on the monorail route. You can change at the T&T Center and get to Epcot without having to wait in traffic. The monorail will also make it easier for you to have the option to also see the runners in Magic Kingdom. Otherwise, if you were planning on going to MK, you will have to take the resort bus to Epcot, monorail to T&TC, then monorail to MK (and the same in reverse to get back to the finish line).

You can also check the race programs from previous years (you should be able to access these online). I'm not sure, but I remeber in the past that all transportation is suspended just prior to and for a period of time after the race start, then it resumes later in the morning. Depending on start time and pace, it may be difficult to get to MK in time to see your runners. You should have no trouble getting to the finish line. Also check into the cheer zone packages, which allow for reserved seating in the grandstand.

 

[Fievel]

Yeah, I was thinking the monorail resorts as well. The runners go past the TTC, and contemporary.

Plus, last year the event buses were sketchy at best. My family was stuck on a bus because of a driver that didn't know where spectators were supposed to be dropped off, and missed me run through the MK. Monorails wouldn't have that problem...besides being a little busy that morning.