Disneyland Half Marathon 2024

[Sleepless Knight]

The weekend’s theme, which celebrates classic, mid-century Disneyland nostalgia, features the following characters:

My guess is that this could lean heavily into 1955 Disneyland opening nostalgia with designs right in line with that 1955 opening. This does fit with the Disneyland modus operandi as Disneyland is usually willing to lean far more heavily into that nostalgia than Disney World.

For point of comparison the Disneyland 50th anniversary fireworks were absolutely a celebration of 50 years of iconic Disneyland attractions. We're talking Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Star Tours, the Main Street Electrical Parade, Splash Mountain, the monorail, Space Mountain, the old submarine voyage, Fantasyland itself, and even some long gone attractions, et all.

Disney World 50th anniversary fireworks feel very much like a celebration of very recent popular Disney movies with very little celebrating of the parks attractions throughout all of WDW let alone the Magic Kingdom.

I could be very wrong with my guess of 1955 Disneyland vibe so don't take this as a guarantee.

I booked at the Tropicana. I really prefer to be as close to the park as possible and it was quite a bit cheaper than the Best Western Park Place which is my usual go-to. It’s cancelable and pay later so I’m going to keep an eye out for better options. It appears that some hotels haven’t opened up for 2024 booking yet.

Does anyone know if they open the esplanade between Harbour and the parks and downtown Disney, so runners can walk directly through for the race start?

I'm a huge fan of staying right there on Harbor for Disneyland races. When you're used to 2:30 or 3:00am wakeup calls for 5:00am races at Disney World, 4:00am wakeup calls for 5:30am races at Disneyland are different.

Disneyland essentially has ideal racing conditions in almost every year since 2015 on that date during that time of day, and the two years it did not were still "Good".

I ran this very weekend at Disneyland in 2015 through 2017 and maybe only one of those weekends required my "cold weather" running gear. Even then I may not have needed it.

Burbank is a small airport, very similar to Orange County, but it is farther away, but not like LAX. I do know friends who used to fly into Long Beach, but I have not

My sister flew into Long Beach for the Disneyland Half one year the day before the race. I picked her up and we were at the Expo after walking to there from our hotel within 1 hour of me picking her up. While SNA is closest to Disneyland, Long Beach will absolutely work. I have flown into SNA once and my shuttle got to the hotel within 45 minutes or so including wait time. For perspective, both SNA and Long Beach are much closer to Disneyland than MCO is to WDW.

1. How many days should I plan to properly "do" Disneyland? I've been to DL twice, but it was over 20 years ago and it's my friend's first trip so we want to see it all. That being said, I don't want to plan so much time that we're looking at each other and saying "what now?" either.

[Note: Right now we are only registered for the half marathon. I would like to upgrade to the challenge, but I'm not counting on it. So this trip is very much a trip to DL with a side of running]

I'm of the belief that you need 2 full days to properly experience Disneyland itself and 1 day to properly experience DCA itself. Even with the half only, you may still need more days because of the extra time lost to early bedtime before the half and the half itself. One nice thing is that even slow runners can be back in the parks within 90 minutes or so of the race because so many of the hotels within walking distance of Disneyland are closer to the parks than almost all of the MK resorts are to the MK.

Keep in mind that many of the attractions that are shared by both parks are very different in both parks. Pirates is 15 minutes long in Anaheim compared to 5 minutes in Florida.

You can do it in less, but I would almost recommend 4 days. 2 days for Disneyland, 1 day for DCA, and the extra day to revisit favorites. Keep in mind that this is a holiday weekend as well so parks will be crowded.

2. Is one day enough to do the Universal Hollywood park? We usually visit Universal Orlando multiple times each year and are interested in seeing the west coast version. I know that it's smaller and some of the rides are the same (which can be good or bad as we would like to do our favorites, but can skip some rides that we don't like), but I wasn't sure if we would regret only planning one day.

Probably yes. Universal Hollywood is still first and foremost a working studio, so the tram tour is different every time. It's one park compared to the two in Orlando. Simply put, I think Universal Orlando has considerably more attractions than its California counterpart. On the flipside, Disneyland has considerable more attractions than its much bigger sister park the Magic Kingdom. Universal Hollywood is cool.

3. How travel time is there between Universal and DL? We would likely be using ride share to get around. We've driven in L.A. before and those drivers are CRAZY.

I would allow for 60-90 minutes if good traffic. If good traffic. Rush hour can be 2 hours or more.

That's been my next question, how to get to/from the airport. I'm not sure if there's reason for me to leave the Disneyland area. I guess if there's anything closeby but just off property, I can use ART to get around. Do I really need a car? I found uses for a car at WDW, but nothing yet for DL.

You probably don't need a car if you're close enough. I would remember that the ART buses can be similar to the WDW buses in terms of how long you wait. One night, I took the ART bus back to my 15-20 minute walk hotel after the race because I was pretty tired and got back to my room 45 minutes after the bus because of all the stops.

Honestly, I strongly recommend staying close enough to have a 5-10 minute walk if you can. It's really nice to walk right out of the resort after the race and be at your hotel almost immediately.

 

[DLFun]

I have been to DL many, many times, but this is my first time going to a runDisney event (half marathon). I would always stay at the Best Western Anaheim Inn, because it's location is awesome! I am hardly in my room, so I just need a decent place to stay. A few years back, the hotel was booked, so I hoped over to the Majestic Garden Inn (Ball Rd) and was surprised at how nice the place was, koi pond, lots of flowers, a gorgeous lobby with huge fish tanks, ground very well kept and plenty of parking and a few restaurants onsite. They have a free shuttle that runs back-and-forth to DL. It's been great. I booked here again for race day, but now I am thinking even though it isn't a far walk, it's not the most convenient, as I will have to go over I-5 when it's still dark early in the morning. The shuttle won't be running that early to take me to the hotel's usual drop off point at DL.

I have started exploring some options, and many hotels have informed me that even though it appears that you can book on their sites, the rooms are "unavailable" and will not be released until later for booking. So, it may appear that many hotels are already booked, because the rooms are not yet released. I am thinking i will keep my reservation at the Majestic Garden for now.

Thank you for adding me to the list of runners! I also excited about this race weekend!

 

[DLFun]

Never used it, so I really cannot help as to how it would be.

Very small airport, John Wayne (Orange Co) is a nice airport and close. LAX may have more available flights, also doable, just more people.

 

[DLFun]

I've been running around all day, so I haven't had time until now to update the first post. I should have everything changed up to now!

Thank you so much for keeping that up and adding me, I appreciate it!

 

[DLFun]

Has anyone stayed here:

Courtyard by Marriott Anaheim Theme Park Entrance.​

I have only stayed at Disneyland hotel but for budget we will probably not be able to do that so this place looked great for us. We have marriott points and I will bringing my son who will be turning 7.

I am also thinking of staying here. I saw that every room includes two queen beds and a set of bunk beds! I don't need that many beds, but the location is good. I am very familiar with that S. Harbor and there are some decent amenities around the hotel. I am currently booked at the Majestic Garden which I love, but I don't think the hotel free shuttle will be running race day morning and having to walk over I-5 when it's dark early morning has me a bit concerned.

 

[LilyJC]

now I am thinking even though it isn't a far walk, it's not the most convenient, as I will have to go over I-5 when it's still dark early in the morning.

You wouldn’t likely need to go near I5 as you’d be right across from Disneyland Dr. where staying at the Majestic. If start logistics are the same as previous years, you can cross Ball and walk up Disneyland Dr.

 

[DisneyMountainWoman]

I am also thinking of staying here. I saw that every room includes two queen beds and a set of bunk beds! I don't need that many beds, but the location is good. I am very familiar with that S. Harbor and there are some decent amenities around the hotel. I am currently booked at the Majestic Garden which I love, but I don't think the hotel free shuttle will be running race day morning and having to walk over I-5 when it's dark early morning has me a bit concerned.

Sadly had to rule that place out way to many points... like Marriott went crazy with their points and prices.

 

[DLFun]

You wouldn’t likely need to go near I5 as you’d be right across from Disneyland Dr. where staying at the Majestic. If start logistics are the same as previous years, you can cross Ball and walk up Disneyland Dr.

I was wondering about that....I have stayed here numerous times and I usually take the shuttle. I was looking at the map and it looks like I could go down Disneyland Drive and possibly enter through Downtown Disney? The few times I have walked it, I have crossed over I-5 and gone down S. Harbor, I did not want to do that so early in the morning. I was also wondering how many people will be out around Ball walking over to the race start?

Thanks so much for your response!

 

[DLFun]

Sadly had to rule that place out way to many points... like Marriott went crazy with their points and prices.

Oh no, yes, I have never stayed there, but the location looks convenient. Right now I am booked at the Majestic Garden Inn and I have stayed here several times in the past.

 

[Novatrix]

What would be the interest level for everyone to have a meet-up similar to the Hurricane Hannah one we have for WDW races?

It's very far out at this point, but I was thinking something along the lines of maybe 1pm at Trader Sam's on the Saturday? I know it would need reservations, but depending on interest I think we could get a few groups together for the outside terrace.

Or if any of the Disneyland natives can recommend another good meet-up location in Downtown Disney or one of the hotels that wouldn't need reservations?

 

[DopeyBadger]

What would be the interest level for everyone to have a meet-up similar to the Hurricane Hannah one we have for WDW races?

It's very far out at this point, but I was thinking something along the lines of maybe 1pm at Trader Sam's on the Saturday? I know it would need reservations, but depending on interest I think we could get a few groups together for the outside terrace.

Or if any of the Disneyland natives can recommend another good meet-up location in Downtown Disney or one of the hotels that wouldn't need reservations?

I would be interested.

 

[Naomeri]

I would be interested. I think it would probably be best to meet somewhere without reservations, since our numbers are so uncertain.

 

[Novatrix]

I've only been to Disneyland once, but part of the problem I recall is it seemed most places typically need a reservation.

Looking it over, maybe Hearthstone Lounge at the Grand Californian could work?

Even with uncertain numbers, I think if we got 3 reservations for 6 we'd be covered for trader sam's, especially as people come and go.

 

[nekonekoneko]

There were meetups in 2015, a pre-race one outside of the TIki Room, and a post-race at Sonoma Terrace in DCA.

 

[Novatrix]

There were meetups in 2015, a pre-race one outside of the TIki Room, and a post-race at Sonoma Terrace in DCA.

Now that I'm thinking about it, don't reservations guarantee the inside of Trader Sam's, but you can walk up for the outside of the Tiki Terrace? If that's the case, it probably would work as a meet up location.

 

[RunWI1265]

I found a Delta flight for $200/pp, which I thought was good enough, so I just booked it and be done with it.

$200 pp on delta!? WOW, that is a great price. At least it would be from my regional airport. I'm crossing my fingers I can find a fight around $400 and that would be considered "cheap".

Never been to DL/DCA. How many days should I plan on going? Currently planning on being there from 1/11-1/15

I agree with @Disneyhanna. Three days was perfect when we visited a couple years ago. We did hoppers also so we could revisit favorite rides/areas. Hopping is SO easy there and now that you can hop late morning it seems like a no brainer.

What would be the interest level for everyone to have a meet-up similar to the Hurricane Hannah one we have for WDW races?

I'd be interested! Depending on when the rest of my family arrives though I might not be able to make a Saturday meet up if we are doing park things.

Trying to figure out when to fly in/start my resort reservations. I can't remember if I asked this earlier. Is the expo usually as wild as it is MW? I know the wise choice would be to arrive Wednesday, but if everything goes as planned I will have just done MW, back home to WI for a couple days, then to CA. I'm thinking I'd like that extra night sleeping in my own bed. I'm considering the earliest flights out on Thursday which would have me arriving by 10:38am or a similar itinerary once routes are more solid. Hindsight I wish I would've just signed up for DDD and not DDD and 5k. Oh well.

Regarding hotels, is HoJo a good choice for location, cost, room space for 2 adults 2 kids? I'm going to call to see with DLH rack rate is currently and may hold onto one of those rooms just in case. I have a 1 bedroom at HoJo right now but I feel like maybe we just need to manage a standard size room with my kids and save money. Also considering staying off site for the first couple nights while I'm solo and then switching to DLH when my husband and kids arrive for the weekend.

 

[nekonekoneko]

$200 pp on delta!? WOW, that is a great price. At least it would be from my regional airport. I'm crossing my fingers I can find a fight around $400 and that would be considered "cheap".

There's a couple of flights on the 9th, and quite a bit on the 10th and 11th from MCO-LAX on Delta for $199/pp. We're doing just one long vacation, so this works out well for us.

Of course, baggage fees are extra.

 

[RunWI1265]

There's a couple of flights on the 9th, and quite a bit on the 10th and 11th from MCO-LAX on Delta for $199/pp. We're doing just one long vacation, so this works out well for us.

Of course, baggage fees are extra.

Ah, into LAX. I would do that if it were cheaper for me, but it costs the same for all three airports! I just plugged in a fake Itinerary for the week before the race and it was $545 rt. Are you doing more than Disney? I wish we could spend more time out there but I'll be pulling my kids out of school after they were just out for winter break.

Just got off the phone with Disney for some room quotes if anyone is interested in the information. I didn't inquire about GC because that's way out of my budget.

01/10/24-01/16/24
Standard View - 6 nights
DLH $3385.98 -- this is $499+tax for the race weekend 1/11-1/14 $449+tax on the front and back end nights.
PP $2595.06

 

[luv2cheer92]

My guess is that this could lean heavily into 1955 Disneyland opening nostalgia with designs right in line with that 1955 opening. This does fit with the Disneyland modus operandi as Disneyland is usually willing to lean far more heavily into that nostalgia than Disney World.

For point of comparison the Disneyland 50th anniversary fireworks were absolutely a celebration of 50 years of iconic Disneyland attractions. We're talking Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Star Tours, the Main Street Electrical Parade, Splash Mountain, the monorail, Space Mountain, the old submarine voyage, Fantasyland itself, and even some long gone attractions, et all.

Disney World 50th anniversary fireworks feel very much like a celebration of very recent popular Disney movies with very little celebrating of the parks attractions throughout all of WDW let alone the Magic Kingdom.

I could be very wrong with my guess of 1955 Disneyland vibe so don't take this as a guarantee.

I'm a huge fan of staying right there on Harbor for Disneyland races. When you're used to 2:30 or 3:00am wakeup calls for 5:00am races at Disney World, 4:00am wakeup calls for 5:30am races at Disneyland are different.

I ran this very weekend at Disneyland in 2015 through 2017 and maybe only one of those weekends required my "cold weather" running gear. Even then I may not have needed it.

My sister flew into Long Beach for the Disneyland Half one year the day before the race. I picked her up and we were at the Expo after walking to there from our hotel within 1 hour of me picking her up. While SNA is closest to Disneyland, Long Beach will absolutely work. I have flown into SNA once and my shuttle got to the hotel within 45 minutes or so including wait time. For perspective, both SNA and Long Beach are much closer to Disneyland than MCO is to WDW.

I'm of the belief that you need 2 full days to properly experience Disneyland itself and 1 day to properly experience DCA itself. Even with the half only, you may still need more days because of the extra time lost to early bedtime before the half and the half itself. One nice thing is that even slow runners can be back in the parks within 90 minutes or so of the race because so many of the hotels within walking distance of Disneyland are closer to the parks than almost all of the MK resorts are to the MK.

Keep in mind that many of the attractions that are shared by both parks are very different in both parks. Pirates is 15 minutes long in Anaheim compared to 5 minutes in Florida.

You can do it in less, but I would almost recommend 4 days. 2 days for Disneyland, 1 day for DCA, and the extra day to revisit favorites. Keep in mind that this is a holiday weekend as well so parks will be crowded.

Probably yes. Universal Hollywood is still first and foremost a working studio, so the tram tour is different every time. It's one park compared to the two in Orlando. Simply put, I think Universal Orlando has considerably more attractions than its California counterpart. On the flipside, Disneyland has considerable more attractions than its much bigger sister park the Magic Kingdom. Universal Hollywood is cool.

I would allow for 60-90 minutes if good traffic. If good traffic. Rush hour can be 2 hours or more.

You probably don't need a car if you're close enough. I would remember that the ART buses can be similar to the WDW buses in terms of how long you wait. One night, I took the ART bus back to my 15-20 minute walk hotel after the race because I was pretty tired and got back to my room 45 minutes after the bus because of all the stops.

Honestly, I strongly recommend staying close enough to have a 5-10 minute walk if you can. It's really nice to walk right out of the resort after the race and be at your hotel almost immediately.

Have they said it would be 5:30 starts? I know the website still says TBD, but 2017 they were 5am.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

$200 pp on delta!? WOW, that is a great price. At least it would be from my regional airport. I'm crossing my fingers I can find a fight around $400 and that would be considered "cheap".

I agree with @Disneyhanna. Three days was perfect when we visited a couple years ago. We did hoppers also so we could revisit favorite rides/areas. Hopping is SO easy there and now that you can hop late morning it seems like a no brainer.

I'd be interested! Depending on when the rest of my family arrives though I might not be able to make a Saturday meet up if we are doing park things.

Trying to figure out when to fly in/start my resort reservations. I can't remember if I asked this earlier. Is the expo usually as wild as it is MW? I know the wise choice would be to arrive Wednesday, but if everything goes as planned I will have just done MW, back home to WI for a couple days, then to CA. I'm thinking I'd like that extra night sleeping in my own bed. I'm considering the earliest flights out on Thursday which would have me arriving by 10:38am or a similar itinerary once routes are more solid. Hindsight I wish I would've just signed up for DDD and not DDD and 5k. Oh well.

Regarding hotels, is HoJo a good choice for location, cost, room space for 2 adults 2 kids? I'm going to call to see with DLH rack rate is currently and may hold onto one of those rooms just in case. I have a 1 bedroom at HoJo right now but I feel like maybe we just need to manage a standard size room with my kids and save money. Also considering staying off site for the first couple nights while I'm solo and then switching to DLH when my husband and kids arrive for the weekend.

It’s hard to tell. I last did a race at DL in 2016, before official merchandise became a Beanie Baby like craze. The expo was at the Disneyland Hotel in their big conference/ballroom. What I don’t know is if they’d put official merchandise somewhere else. I don’t know if there’d be milling about waiting for the virtual queue because the Disney hotels are so close to the parks anyway. Like less than a ten-minute walk.

I’m flying in Wednesday since I have yoga Thursday morning.