Hiya Caitlin,
Welcome to planDisney. It won't be long now until you are on your way to
The World's Most Magical Celebration, and there is no better way to celebrate your Princess' birthday than a trip to
Magic Kingdom! Make sure you stop at Guest Relations and pick up her Happy Birthday button as the Cast Members will definitely want to shout out plenty of birthday wishes!
The
Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend is such a fun time to be at Walt Disney World Resort. Even though I am not a runner myself, I have joined in the festivities many times to chEAR on my friends and family. As you can imagine, the races are very popular and it is fairly crowded that weekend. The good news though is Disney is very experienced at handling not only the large number of runners, but also the Guests headed to their favorite attraction or restaurant, and know how to get everyone where they need to go as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Yes, there will be some road closures during the races and these will be well marked with alternate routes provided for cars and buses. The good news is if you are staying at a
Disney Resorts Collection hotel and using the complimentary
Resort Transportation, the Cast Members will know exactly how to get you on your way in time for rope drop. The Half Marathon, which is the event taking place on the day you have mentioned, starts and ends at EPCOT, however it does go through a portion of Magic Kingdom. Therefore, you may experience slightly slower transportation times and larger crowds. I would simply plan on allowing a little extra travel time and you should be fine. We have actually been in Magic Kingdom a number of times on race days, and while Main Street U.S.A. tends to be more crowded, we have actually found the attractions and most of the theme park to be no different than non-race visits.
I hope this helps move you along your way at a rabbit's pace. If I can help with any additional planning questions, please stop back and
see me.
Wishing you the most magical vacation and your daughter the most amazing birthday.
Margaret