Disney Marathon Weekend Trip Report: Checkout & One Last Day
Note: This trip report is divided into seven parts. This post is part four of my trip report visiting Walt Disney World for the 2025 Dopey Challenge at RunDisney Marathon Weekend.
- Mears & Arrival
- Bib Pick-up & Hollywood Studios
- 5K & Epcot
- 10K & Lightning Lane Multipass
- Half Marathon & Hollywood Studios (Again)
- The Big Race, Animal Kingdom, & Ohana Noodles
- Checkout & One More Day of Park Hopping
After an exhausting four days of running and being on my feet, I finally got to sleep past 1:30 a.m. I woke up at 6 a.m., the latest I've slept the entire trip, and had coffee in the room. Today was the last morning at Beach Club, and we needed to pack and check out of the hotel before spending our final day at the parks.
After checkout, we planned to start the day at Magic Kingdom. Before we went to sleep last night, my family decided we would not go for early entry. While I always recommend early entry, I didn't fight this decision. I would have loved to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, but since we had to pack, I was okay with skipping so I could sleep in.
Once we finished packing, we left our bags with Bell Services and took the bus to Magic Kingdom. Our first lightning lane was for Pirates of the Caribbean at 9 a.m. When we arrived, the ride did not have a long standby wait. However, we used the LL line so we could pick up another lightning lane for a different ride.
After Pirates of the Caribbean, we walked to Haunted Mansion for our second lightning lane. My wife skipped this ride to shop, so my two sons and I squeezed into one vehicle. This was a big mistake, as we were uncomfortable the entire ride.
We bought a Lightning Lane Single pass for Tron at 11 a.m. but had some time after Haunted Mansion. We stopped at Gaston's Tavern because I wanted to try the Cinnamon Bun many influencers had recommended over the past year. Like my view of the Croque Glacé at Epcot, I thought it was underwhelming. It was good but basic, and I can get better cinnamon buns at my local bakery.
After breakfast, we rode Tron. People are very vocal about whether they love or hate Tron, but I love the ride. It's short, and I admit I was disappointed last year when I first rode it. But now that I know its duration, I enjoy it for the thrills it provides. Like Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, the initial speed is thrilling and makes me smile.
Our last lightning lane was for Tiana's Bayou Adventure, but our return time was not until 3 p.m. So, throughout the morning and early afternoon, we picked up lightning lanes for rides when we could. We picked up lightning lanes for Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear while riding the PeopleMover and Tomorrowland Speedway through the standby queue.
I had lunch at Cosmic Ray's and ordered the plant-based Patty Melt. I have been impressed with the food options throughout the week, but I feel Magic Kingdom is the worst Walt Disney World park for plant-based quick service alternatives. We could have gone to Pecos Bill, as we ate there last year. But none of us voiced an opinion to return there to eat.
After lunch, we rode the train around the park and purchased a make-your-own popcorn bucket from The Confectionary. We chose strawberry popcorn with milk chocolate, Twix, and Oreos. While this was an expensive snack, the popcorn was sharable for two to three people, and I enjoyed it.
It was close to 3 p.m., so our lightning lane time slot was approaching. However, the ride had been down the entire day and, unfortunately, would not open while we were there. We received a redemption pass, valid for most rides, excluding Tron and Seven Dwarves Mine Train. My family took a vote and decided to use the pass on Peter Pan. Once we arrived, we noticed "it's a small world" had a 15-minute standby wait, so we rode that ride before Peter Pan. This was a lucky decision since the wait time jumped to 30 minutes when we exited the ride.
We had dinner reservations at Trattoria al Forno this evening at 7:30 p.m. My original plan was to leave Magic Kingdom and take the monorail to Epcot for one last Guardians of the Galaxy ride. Then, we could walk to the boardwalk area for our dinner reservation and pick up our luggage from Beach Club. It was a great plan with little backtracking because the ride was close to the monorail. However, my kids also wanted to ride the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster again, and a lightning lane spot opened up at 5:45 p.m.
Instead of the monorail, we took a bus to Hollywood Studios and rode the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. We then left Hollywood Studios, rode the Skyliner to Epcot, and entered through the International Gateway entrance. Since we entered through the back entrance, I had to walk across the park for Guardians of the Galaxy and walk back across the park for dinner. We made it work, but this was brutal on my legs after four days of running.
I forgot to take photos, but dinner at Trattoria al Forno was terrific. I planned to get the Plant-based "Bolognese" but decided at the last minute to order the Truffle Gnocchi, which I highly recommend. The garlic bread was also great, and the Plant-based Olive Oil Cake was my best dessert during my trip.
We left the restaurant around 9:15 p.m. and walked back to Beach Club. After dinner, I had hoped to order a cake from The Cake Bake Shop, but we didn't have time. Oh well, next time. We hired a car service to pick us up at 10 p.m. and take us to the hotel near the airport. So we hung around the lobby until it was time to go. The valets got our luggage, put it in the car, and we started our return trip home. We had an early flight the next day and decided to stay at the Hyatt in the Orlando airport. Staying here was convenient, and while it was another night when I only got four hours of sleep, I'm glad we didn't have to worry about getting to the airport early in the morning.
- Total Steps for the day: 24,372 (229,047 total)
- Total Miles for the day: 10.73 (119.48 total)