Hi Rebecca! Thanks for stopping by planDisney!
The
Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend is upon us. If you are participating in one of the races or are thinking about it in the future, it's a unique way to experience the parks. Many of the races run through a portion of a few of the parks with the Marathon touching all four. Some of my fellow planDisney panelists participate each year and have spoken fondly about their experiences.
Getting around the
Walt Disney World Resort can be challenging during Marathon weekend. There will be many road closures that affect traveling from one destination to another. I spent some time researching the course for Sunday's race and it seems like many of the roads around the Grand Floridian Resort, Magic Kingdom Park, and Animal Kingdom Theme Park will be closed for some time in the morning. I was able to speak with a Cast Member who was very helpful in providing the best possible route.
They recommend inputting Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort into your GPS device when leaving the Grand Floridian Resort. From their estimation, the roadways should be open to this destination. Once here, you can then input Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park and it will take you on a route around Walt Disney World to get to the park. Keep in mind that all GPS devices are slightly different and the route the Cast Member provided may not work on that day. Plus, there may be additional road closures that morning that they can not anticipate at this point. There will be signage everywhere you plan to drive that will notify you of a road closure and detours to get you around. If you do plan to drive, I highly recommend giving yourself plenty of extra time to get there, especially if you want to arrive for
Early Theme Park Entry.
Your best bet will be to utilize
Walt Disney World Transportation and take a bus from your resort to the park. According to this Cast Member, buses will be running that morning to take Guests to the theme parks. While I know this is not your ideal method of traveling, it might make sense on this day. Your other option will be to switch your plans around if you are visiting for more than one day. Since you are within walking distance or a monorail ride from the Magic Kingdom, it might be easier to visit this park on Sunday and save Animal Kingdom Theme Park for another day.
Rebecca, I hope this information helps you plan for your stay! Have a magical time during your trip.
See ya real soon!
Greg