My Favorite Character Stops of Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend 2017

Update: To read about a more recent marathon weekend, check out our series of posts on the 2019 Walt Disney World Marathon weekend.

Marathon weekend was filled with tons of awesome character stops. Here were my favorites, counting down...

5. Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope

I rewatched this movie recently, and loved it (again).

4. Canadian/Lumberjack Donald

3. Jack Skellington and Sally

I skipped this stop last year and immediately regretted it. One of my favorite Disney movies, I was really excited to see it back this year. As we left, Jack said "I hope you two don't freeze to death." Hehe.

2. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

I'm a bit of a history/origins nerd, so anytime you can go back to how something began, I'm a fan. While it all started with a Mouse, Oswald was Walt Disney's first hit character.

and the winner is...

1. Revolutionary Mickey, Goofy, and Donald

This character stop on the 10K was just unreal. It's three heavy hitters dressed in awesome speciality gear. After this stop, I just couldn't imagine anything better, and my weekend was made.

Trip Report: Our NYE and Dopey Challenge Trip!

This collection of posts recaps our trip to Disney World for New Year's Eve 2017 and the Dopey Challenge 2017. Updates from that trip can also be found on twitter and instagram (both @mousehacking).

New Year's Eve 2017 at Epcot

FYI: Scroll down for the gallery of some photos from Epcot NYE 2017. Videos are here.

This was my second trip to Epcot for NYE, and it was again a blast. We arrived around 4:30pm to pretty huge (and growing) crowds. We had spent the earlier part of the afternoon at Hollywood Studios, where we were able to get Tower of Terror and Star Tours in. We walked over to Epcot (always our preferred method of transit, even with the marathon coming up).

Having been to NYE at Epcot a few years back, you'd think I would have been a little more prepared, but we were pretty surprised by some of the huge lines. Not the rides, those we were expecting. We had seen 300+ min. wait for Test Track last time we were there for NYE, so seeing 300 minutes for Frozen was no surprise. Although the lines for Living with the Land and Tres Caballeros (both around 45 minutes) were pretty surprising.

Lines on Lines on Lines

The lines for drinks and food caught us off guard. We're vegetarian, which means we have few options (yes, by choice) throughout the park. This can make the longer lines a bit more problematic for us. We wound up eating later at Tangerine Cafe which, while not the vegetarian paradise people might think, was still quite tasty.

Not a short wait for quick service in Mexico.

Back to the lines. Some of the carts had really obnoxious lines. They were at their worst right before the 6pm show, I think. they didn't uniformly improve after that, but it was easier to find a short line here and there between about 7 and 10. After 10 they were pretty universally about a 5-10 minute wait. The restroom lines were also a disaster for the women. About a 10-minute wait. The shortestline (at times no line) could be found behind Club Cool.

The Scenes

There was plenty to see around the park even without waiting in line for rides. Italy and China had dance floors with DJs that had a standard club vibe. The America Garden Theatre had some music going as well. There was another stage set up in the middle of future world. One of my favorite finds was at the United Kingdom. Since it's a bit hidden, that stage wasn't getting as much attention as the others. I love the UK's vibe. Lots of people standing around, relaxing, drinking their beers on the small, British streets.

The China pavilion. 

My favorite part was the Japan silent dance floor. It isn't for everyone, but you get a pair of headphones to wear through which you listen to music. There are no speakers, so outsiders just see you dancing and hear your awful singing. For the Epcot NYE one, they had two DJs whose channels you could switch between, with your headphones illuminated red or green based on who you chose. We waited until about 11:15 to try that one because the hour wait shortened to about 10 minutes.

The Fireworks

There's not too much to say about the fireworks besides that they were absolutely amazing.  You catch a total of three (or two) firework shows, depending on how you count. Illuminations is at 6pm and 11:40pm, and then there is a midnight show. The midnight show is preceded by shorter shows from each of the countries that have already celebrated the new year. Words can't describe the midnight show, other than to say that I was in shock at the end (and at times worried that the sky and air around us were just going to combust into nothingness).

The Escape

We wound up arriving back at our hotel (Animal Kingdom) at about 1:30 after bee-lining for the bus. We got on the second bus that arrived after we got to the stop. Plenty of people must have waited much longer, because those buses were not coming in at a rapid pace. I've never understood how the Disney bus system is plagued by so many problems. I'm from Chicago, notoriously known as one of America's worst run cities, but I'd take that transit system over Disney's much smaller operation any day.

A Final Note

I spent the day tweeting with the hashtag #EpcotNYE. The community was incredibly helpful and entertaining, and the hashtag was filtered onto a very helpful account at @EpcotNYE.

December 30, 2016 Weekly Roundup

Here's your roundup of the biggest stories in Disney and points.

Disney

Holidays start slow at WDW. NYE will probably be the better test of whether there's been an actual shift in attendance, and happily, I'll be there!

Magic Kingdom Welcome Show Changing in New Year. Positive change that should allow for better crowd flows to start the day.

NYE Entertainment. Omg omg omg, I'm so excited we'll be at Epcot.

Free upgrade and late checkout at a Disney resort. Sometimes the best hack is being pleasant.

Points

A Spirit flight (and, er, bus) gone wrong. I love low-cost airlines, but this almost makes me want to rethink that.

Overbooking explained. Watch for a post in the future about making overbooking work for you.

Some different airline reviews. This won't matter for most Disney trips, but it's worth remembering how great some airlines you've never heard of can be.

Lock in Award Wallet rates while they're low. Award Wallet is an awesome service and they're justifiably raising their prices, so lock in the lower rates while you can!

There's Still Time!! Disney World NYE 2017 Availability

Christmas with the family got you thinking about going away for New Year's Eve? Maybe that bonus check just got here?

Hotels

Disney still has plenty of availability across their hotel tiers, with nights starting at $152.

If you've got Starpoints, you can book a two-night stay for 10,000 points per night.

The Chase UR portal has Pop Century from $166.46. If you haven't read about booking through the UR portal, check out our post here.

Flights

As for flights, checking on Kayak, from Chicago we're at $161 round-trip on Spirit, NYC $250 round-trip on Spirit, and LAX at $350 with stops or $450 non-stop, round-trip.

Tickets

For tickets, we always recommend Undercover Tourist. A four-day adult park hopper costs $390.74. If you're just interested in a relaxing trip, consider a two-day, no hopping, ticket for $220.88.

Activities

You'll want to get into a park early and stay there for NYE. Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Magic Kingdom are the options (Animal Kingdom closes prior to midnight). Personally, I love Epcot for NYE, as the world showcase gets really bumpin. Downside is with so few attractions, the lines will be huge. We're talking 6+ hours. Might be a good time to consider that Epcot barcrawl you've been putting off. Need to know more, check out the tips from The Mouse for Less!

December 23, 2016 Weekly Roundup

Here's a roundup of the top stories of the week.

Disney

Annual Passholders Get Dedicated Entrance Lanes. I've had horrible experiences at park open with lines, but never any other time.

Alcohol Service in Magic Kingdom Expands beyond Be Our Guest. Alcohol at the most kid-friendly park, yay or nay? I'll admit that I wish I could have it for walking around, but table service will have to do.

New Park Hopping Bus Service Reviewed. It'll be interesting to see if this becomes a permanent feature. Seems a bit awkward as it stands, and I don't expect to use it on my upcoming trip, but we'll see.

Travel and Points

States Where You'll Need Passports to Fly. This is really important for anyone flying into MCO from one of these airports!!

Point Conversion Between Virgin and Alaska. The details of the big merger start to take shape.

Would 100 Nights in the Swan & Dolphin Be Worth It? Starwood redemptions are a sort of hidden gem at WDW, maybe they can get you on your way to some perks!

The Future of Travel? CNN is a pretty cheesy source for travel news, but this was a funnish story.