Is Disney crowded during the marathon?

[KYfriedPanda]

We were planning on going to WDW starting right on January 8th, but now we're not sure given that the marathon is on that day. Has anyone ever been there while the marathon is going on? Is it crowded at all? Are the lines less crowded because people are more into watching the runners? And how about the week following the marathon? Do all of the marathon runners stay there that week with their families making it more crowded than the weeks proceeding it? Thanks for any advice

 

[Buzzes Dad]

We have been to WDW in Jan 2003 and Jan 2005 both during the marathon and it was not bad at all. The day before the race seems a bit busy and the day of the race is not bad(just do not plan on getting to MK early as the bus transportation is really bad during that leg of ther race) otherwise Monday is slightly busy but the rest of the week seems like low attendence. I believe most people come in for race on Friday/Sat and leave by Mon/Tue so the rest of the week is great!!

 

[Ducky_Love]

We live in Orlando, and I decided to go to MK the morning of the race. It was the slowest day I think I have ever seen in the parks! There were no lines at any of the attractions! I would suggest MK on race day, not often you see it so slow!

One tip though, do NOT go to PI that night. The racers get free tickets for the evening of the race and the crowds are AWFUL!!

Ducky!

 

[HennieBogan1966]

I had a cousin who competed in that race a couple of years ago, and our family all went to visit with each other. As visits go, we didn't feel the "crush" of people that we thought we would feel. So, it was a lot of fun, to watch her complete the marathon, then turn and head into Epcot.

 

[KYfriedPanda]

Thanks guys!

 

[gboiler1]

How about the crowds during late September's Triathalon?

 

[SpenceMan01]

We were there for this years marathon. We avoided the parks on race day, but the rest of the week didn't seem all that busy. 1/2 hour waits for SplMtn and BTMRR the day after the race at about 5pm, otherwise it wasn't all that bad.

 

[tigger1968]

The day of the race there was no bus service to the MK due to the course layout. We were at the Contemporary, so we rode the monorail over and spent the morning in a nearly deserted MK. At one point, as we passed thru to Splash Mountain walking from Adventureland, there were only about 20 people on the street. It was great!

 

[Kwit35]

The crowds in the parks are great, marathon weekend. We saw hardly any lines. However, the street traffic is terrible. Especially on race day, it seemed very difficult to get from point a to point b. But, the park crowds were almost nonexistant.

 

[lebernadin]

We were planning on going to WDW starting right on January 8th, but now we're not sure given that the marathon is on that day. Has anyone ever been there while the marathon is going on? Is it crowded at all? Are the lines less crowded because people are more into watching the runners? And how about the week following the marathon? Do all of the marathon runners stay there that week with their families making it more crowded than the weeks proceeding it? Thanks for any advice

Yeah, the families/friends of those running are typically the only supporters along the route. But as others have already said, the parks are dead that week following New Years, hence why Disney created the marathon and placed it on this weekend; to keep occupancy bearable.

The year's i've ran it we flew down mid-week. Spent a few lazy days in the parks, did the marathon, and flew home a day or two later. So you have it about right.

Some other things to consider is that this year's is going to split the half and the marathon into two days. So the half is on Saturday the 7th and the Marathon is the day you were thinking you'd arrive.

Also, PI is packed with runners and their families at the post-race bash on Sunday night, so keep that in mind.

If you're driving or renting a car, just print out the pdf file of the course map at disneyworldmarathon.com to give you an idea of where to avoid. The race starts at 6am so the vast majority of people should be done before 11ish.

 

[DisJosh]

The first two weeks of January are THE least busy time of year in WDW. I was there this year from Jan 7-15. The day of the marathon we just decided to sleep in. There was no real noticable increase in crowds at all. I think it's by far the best time fo year to go.