2025 Wine and Dine

[fatmanatee]

Not exactly race-related but since it was brought up, no more VQ for Guardians (and Tiana).

https://twitter.com/x/status/1891865254901985608

 

[jenljeffers1989]

Not exactly race-related but since it was brought up, no more VQ for Guardians (and Tiana).

https://twitter.com/x/status/1891865254901985608

I hope this doesn't mean the standby line is hours long now. Tron went off VQ and doesn't have an OUTRAGEOUS standby (long but not ridiculous). GOTG is the best ride at Walt Disney World though, so who knows.

 

[morgsmagic]

I hope this doesn't mean the standby line is hours long now. Tron went off VQ and doesn't have an OUTRAGEOUS standby (long but not ridiculous). GOTG is the best ride at Walt Disney World though, so who knows.

Unfortunately, I think we will see 2-4 hour wait times until Test Track opens back up, EPCOT doesn't have many attractions to begin with to pull Guests into different areas, and Remy/Frozen can be very temperamental at times. I also think GOTG has more hype than Tron. Since they are lifting this VQ at the start of Spring Break, I am predicting long lines for the time being.

I am also curious if this will be included in Early Entry any time soon. My hunch is no, as Tron still opens with the park, and I am predicting many Guests will use their early entry to queue early for GOTG so the line will be insanely long at the start of the day.

UPDATE: GOTG will be a part of Early Entry and now I am just picturing a pseudo runDisney race from the International Gateway entrance for those Guests on the Skyliner trying to book it over to GOTG first thing.

 

[fatmanatee]

I hope this doesn't mean the standby line is hours long now. Tron went off VQ and doesn't have an OUTRAGEOUS standby (long but not ridiculous). GOTG is the best ride at Walt Disney World though, so who knows.

I'm expecting it to be worse, between repeat riders and people who hadn't bothered with VQ. Would be happy to be wrong!

 

[Herding_Cats]

I'm not a fan of eliminating the VQ. And honestly, Disney shouldn't be either (except for in cases like happened in MK where you couldn't get on *both* Tron and Tiana without purchasing a $LL) because people who are standing in line for hours are not spending money elsewhere in the parks.

 

[morgsmagic]

because people who are standing in line for hours are not spending money elsewhere in the parks.

THIS, I am still trying to figure out how they benefit financially by having people wait in that long of a line for one attraction. The LLs for Guardians always seem to fill up and that new Premier Pass seems to be selling so why tie people up, especially at a park that centers around food and drink!

 

[escriven75]

Ditching the virtual queue and opening the stand-by line at least allows for the possibility to hop in the line right before park close and ride, even if it's a long wait. We relied on that tactic quite a few times and the wait is almost always shorter than the time posted. Plus it's fun to walk out of a way less crowded park and get a few last minute pictures.

 

[Naomeri]

Unfortunately, I think we will see 2-4 hour wait times until Test Track opens back up, EPCOT doesn't have many attractions to begin with to pull Guests into different areas, and Remy/Frozen can be very temperamental at times. I also think GOTG has more hype than Tron. Since they are lifting this VQ at the start of Spring Break, I am predicting long lines for the time being.

I am also curious if this will be included in Early Entry any time soon. My hunch is no, as Tron still opens with the park, and I am predicting many Guests will use their early entry to queue early for GOTG so the line will be insanely long at the start of the day.

UPDATE: GOTG will be a part of Early Entry and now I am just picturing a pseudo runDisney race from the International Gateway entrance for those Guests on the Skyliner trying to book it over to GOTG first thing.

On the "plus side" this should lighten the load a little on Remy and Frozen for a while. There's obviously going to still be all the families with kids too small for Guardians, but a lot of others will probably head for Guardians at rope drop instead.

 

[jenljeffers1989]

On the "plus side" this should lighten the load a little on Remy and Frozen for a while. There's obviously going to still be all the families with kids too small for Guardians, but a lot of others will probably head for Guardians at rope drop instead.

Rope dropping Guardians is going to be tough for people staying in an Epcot resort. I'm staying at Beach Club for the race weekend and will enter through the International Gateway, so it's like a mile away from the entrance at rope drop lol.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Are 5k Charity Bibs a thing? I won’t be in shape to run the Half but thought maybe adding on the 5k and raising some money for a good cause would be a good use of time.

 

[jmasgat]

Are 5k Charity Bibs a thing? I won’t be in shape to run the Half but thought maybe adding on the 5k and raising some money for a good cause would be a good use of time.

Yes. Charities will offer bibs for 5k. Right now they don't have the 2025 ones listed--just a list of what I expect was last year's.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

Telegram is showing slots opening in W&D.

 

[Mgslalala]

I’ve not run a RD event since 2018, so apologies if this is old ground!
Just looked at the half race map. Feels incredibly front loaded, with the second half being largely running on highways in the dark
I’m guessing this is to easier facilitate the opening of the parks in the morning?
I’m also guessing feedback has largely been negative? Hopefully those of you who have run the courses more recently than I, have had a positive experience of the course!

 

[jenljeffers1989]

I’ve not run a RD event since 2018, so apologies if this is old ground!
Just looked at the half race map. Feels incredibly front loaded, with the second half being largely running on highways in the dark
I’m guessing this is to easier facilitate the opening of the parks in the morning?
I’m also guessing feedback has largely been negative? Hopefully those of you who have run the courses more recently than I, have had a positive experience of the course!

Yeah, they do it this way so runners are out of the parks by the time they open. I don't think feedback has been "largely" negative. They put lots of character stops in those highway miles, so there is lots of entertainment going on, more so than most other half marathons. Keep in mind that the course maps won't actually be released until a couple of weeks before the race, so the map you're looking at may not be the actual course. My absolute favorite Disney half marathon course was Wine and Dine 2021, which started in the Magic Kingdom parking lot and went through Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot, but it is not likely they will have a starting line there anymore.

 

[patm95]

I’ve not run a RD event since 2018, so apologies if this is old ground!
Just looked at the half race map. Feels incredibly front loaded, with the second half being largely running on highways in the dark
I’m guessing this is to easier facilitate the opening of the parks in the morning?
I’m also guessing feedback has largely been negative? Hopefully those of you who have run the courses more recently than I, have had a positive experience of the course!

I agree with this. I've looked at several of the older maps and it's like you are just running on random roads most of the time. I'm doing the Wine and Dine this year so we will see if my opinion changes, but I doubt it.

 

[Zutroy]

I’ve not run a RD event since 2018, so apologies if this is old ground!
Just looked at the half race map. Feels incredibly front loaded, with the second half being largely running on highways in the dark
I’m guessing this is to easier facilitate the opening of the parks in the morning?
I’m also guessing feedback has largely been negative? Hopefully those of you who have run the courses more recently than I, have had a positive experience of the course!

I would say the response has been overwhelmingly negative, but Disney doesn’t care because the races sell out. I’ve done Wine and Dine on and off for 15 years, so I’ve experienced most of the courses, and this is definitely the worst. I do not expect the course to change in the fall because it’s largely the same course the Springtime 10-miler follows.

 

[fatmanatee]

I would be shocked if there were major changes to the half course. Every course has started and ended at Epcot since the 2022 Springtime Surprise 5k (entirely at AK and also the last nighttime course they've done). I'd rather have the old W&D course but that involves a different start line and more buses running people to that start, since the start and finish are in different parks.

 

[KSellers88]

Yeah, they do it this way so runners are out of the parks by the time they open. I don't think feedback has been "largely" negative. They put lots of character stops in those highway miles, so there is lots of entertainment going on, more so than most other half marathons. Keep in mind that the course maps won't actually be released until a couple of weeks before the race, so the map you're looking at may not be the actual course. My absolute favorite Disney half marathon course was Wine and Dine 2021, which started in the Magic Kingdom parking lot and went through Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot, but it is not likely they will have a starting line there anymore.

I LOVED the 2021 course!

 

[jenljeffers1989]

I LOVED the 2021 course!

I wish they would bring it back. I know that it's unlikely but still.

 

[escriven75]

If you had to take your best guess, of the total 13.1 miles, how many are on regular old FL highways (ie totally outside of parks, spaces bw parks etc.). Just a guess....