I May Have Made A Mistake On Our November WDW Trip...
For all the years that I have watched various Disney park bloggers and videos talk about the best and worst times to visit the parks, one thing has remained consistent.
AVOID ALL MARATHON WEEKS!!
So imagine my surprise when Tiff and I came across cheap flights for early November with mild weather and moderate park tickets only to get to Florida and find the parks PACKED and oddly color coordinated.
Crowd Control
What was my first and greatest mistake in planning this trip was with our cousin (on his first trip back to the parks in over a decade), was not checking the race calendar. November 3-5, 2023 were the dates for the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend were participants could run either a 5K, 10K, Half Marathon or participate in a Two Course Challenge. Additionally, the marathon also hosted an after hours party for racers.
What did any of this have to do with us? Well, first off it sucked. None of us were going to be participating in the races, and while they are typcially held before park open sometime between 5:00 - 5:30 am, these folk don't just run back home after the race is done. They come back to the parks to have fun. The effect of this is that there are a ton more people who can be up and at the park gates for rope drop at any of the parks, but this can especially be felt at the Magic Kingdom.
While rope drop is typically a good idea to get in the parks a bit earlier than most to knock out popular rides, on RunDisney weekends there's almost no point since the the crowds are aleady there waiting for you.
Security Measures
Another item that we noted on our trip, was that the intense crowds brought local law enforcement. Florida Police Officers were VERY visible during our day at Epcot both patrolling and a few stationed near various countries like the Mexico and Japan pavillions.
In none of our previous trips have we seen armed law enforcement in the parks, and honestly it was a bit jarring. As adults we were able to rationalize it as being partly due to the crowds and figuring maybe it had something to do with the weekend. Considering how popular 'drinking around the world' can be with folks at EPCOT we could rationalize how this was just part of preventative measures.
Trying not to be part of the problem
As adults who just wanted a few days to be kids with our favorite cartoon mice and ducks, this was a stark reminder that even the Most Magical Place on Earth still had to be strapped in case stuff popped off. In short, it killed the vibe and made everything just that much less immersive.
Traveling from To to Fro...eventually
In a surprise to no one, getting around Disney during a race day is horrible. Since we were staying on property (kisses to my Swan and Dolphin boo), we relied on their water taxis and buses to get to the parks.
And so did everyone else.
As I mentioned in my previous transportation blog post, using the bus system to get to MK from the Swan and Dolphin is frustrating at best. Some of the longest wait times we had were at the Transportation and Ticketing Center, hoping that our bus would show up. Eventually, we ended up catching the bus to the Boardwalk and hoofin' it over to our hotel.
Still, even then we had an abnormally long wait due to just how many people were also waiting, during what should have been a slower week to visit.
Learn from our Lesson
Avoiding this mess would have been really simple and is a step that I normally would have taken but just let it slip my mind this time around.
Disney publishes a RunDisney website that has countdowns to all of the races being held throughout the year. And for the first time in a few years there will be a Disneyland race being held, so make sure to take note if the listed races are Disney World, Disneyland or virtual.
Courtesy of RunDisney.com
In the past, I used this information to add race dates to our calendar so when we are looking to book I can use this information as a reference. Lord knows why this time I didn't, but as someone wiser than me has said "It's not bad, it's just a lesson."
Before we plan for any of our 2024 I have already added ALL of these races to our calendar so I won't be caught slippin' again. While I'm sure these races are great for runners and running enthusiasts who want to support their loved ones, it's a hot mess to just show up and get stuck in the middle of it all.
So please, if you see cheap(er) tickets, and assume it's going to be a slow day make sure it's not a race weekend.
If it is, run away.
