Dopey Challenge Park Day Strategy

If you're going to Walt Disney World for the Dopey Challenge, you have to go to the parks as well. I understand there is plenty else to do with pools, resort hopping, and Disney Springs. But my philosophy is always if you're at Disney, then do Disney. But with all things at Disney World, incorporating park days into your runDisney vacation takes planning and strategy. This probably isn't necessary if you go to Disney World multiple times each year or if you are going for an extended vacation over WDW Marathon Weekend. But if you're planning your annual or biannual Disney World trip around the Dopey Challenge, you'll want to balance your running schedule with days in the parks. Of course, if you're turning your Dopey Challenge into an Ultra Dopey, you need to spend some figuring out how to maximize your park days from rope drop to fireworks. What this trip looks like will likely depend on a few factors:

• Time - If you have constraints around work vacation days or school days missed, you'll need to be concise around your trip schedule. The Dopey Challenge is typically the second weekend in January, which falls right after school winter breaks. WDW Marathon Weekend will require you to visit the Expo on a Wednesday then race until Sunday, so you'll miss at least three weekdays if you're flying on Expo day and Marathon day (not recommended). For the 2025 Dopey Challenge my kids went back to school for one day before I pulled them out for a week of school (flew out Tuesday night and flew back the following Tuesday afternoon). If time is tight you're likely looking at a 3-day park schedule.

• Budget - Obviously your budget needs to be taken into account for a Dopey Challenge vacation. The Dopey Challenge alone will set you back nearly $700, then you add your resort, park tickets, transportation, and food. It can all add up pretty quickly. Sticking to Value resorts, avoiding Park Hopper tickets (really not necessary, in my opinion), and bringing snacks or breakfasts can certainly save some money. But some of these options will influence your choices for which parks to visit as well as when to visit them. For instance, those in Skyliner resorts should be able to quickly get to Epcot or Hollywood Studios without having to wait for busses (which can be a little unpredictable), whereas springing for Deluxe resorts along the monorail route can easily get you to Magic Kingdom or Epcot.

• Park Crowds/Navigation - Most runDisney weekends see an uptick in crowd sizes as they bring tens of thousands of runners to Walt Disney World. However, these crowd sizes typically only swell during midday, as most runners go to the parks late and then leave early to get sleep. This is when the Ultra Dopey strikes! I'll always advocate for making the Early Entry rope drop to take advantage of morning low wait times, and this is easily achievable in A or B Corral if you hustle back to your resort to get ready. Staying on the move with a midday resort or show break can help you make it to the end of the day when crowd sizes shrink (sorta) and you can find a spot for fireworks. The Magic Kingdom show is always crazy and crowded whenever you go, but the Epcot show and Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios are a bit lighter this week. Additionally, the days right after Marathon Weekend are much lighter if you can swing the extra days of vacation.

• Energy Level - Full disclosure: I have never done four parks days on four race days. I'm an advocate for going big during the Dopey Challenge, but I'm still human. Plus, it's not just me that needs the occasional break. With three young children, putting them through the ringer for four straight days is a recipe for meltdowns. Even if you can push through for full park days after each race, your family will probably want a day off. Give yourself a break and enjoy a resort and Disney Springs day.

Taking all these factors into account, there are a couple different park strategy options depending on how many days you plan on spending in the parks. I'm basing these options on the assumptions that A) you're in one of the early corrals and plan on moving through the race at a decent pace, and B) you plan on doing full days in the parks on your park days. In any event, I do not recommend trying to go to the parks on the same day as the Expo. Even if you go early, you can easily spend a couple hours in at the Expo between picking up your bibs and checking out the merchandise. That's a few hours during the prime park morning hours you'll lose from the Expo. So that leaves my preferred three options for working in park days with the Dopey Challenge.

Option 1: Only park days during Marathon Weekend

When you're arriving for Expo Day and leaving right after the Marathon (or early Monday morning), I suggest spacing out three park days after the 5k, 10k, and Marathon. Which park you choose on each day may vary, but keep in mind the post-race busses after the 5k and 10k don't leave until 6:30am at the earliest, regardless of when you finish. So if you're looking to rope drop for Early Entry you'll want to focus on Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot. Animal Kingdom typically opens earliest, making it tough to hit rope drop. However, the major upside of Animal Kingdom is that it closes early (usually 7pm in Januray). Animal Kingdom also has some of the best food options, but I would focus my full park days on Magic Kingdom (most geared towards young families) and Hollywood Studios (great for Star Wars and thrill ride fans).

Epcot might seem like an unconventional choice for after the Marathon, when your body is beat down and the park is partially obstructed for the tail-end of the Marathon. However, for my 2023 Dopey Challenge got to briefly meet my family as they entered the park from International Gateway and then ran back to through the turnstiles after finishing my race. So long as you stay on top of your fueling and hydration during the Marathon (i.e., you don't hit "the wall") you should get a burst of energy from completing Dopey that'll help carry you the rest of the day. Also, at that point Epcot is super easy to loop back in the park for a family reunion, some medal pictures, and a couple rides and snacks before heading to the hotel to shower up. Bonus if you're in a Boardwalk or Skyliner resort that'll make it even easier to duck out and back to finish out your day. Also, if your family is able to get in through the International Gateway entrance they will have a huge leg up in rope dropping Ratatouille and Frozen Ever After as the front entrance guests get held up by Marathon obstructions. If you do end up in Epcot after the Marathon, be sure to celebrate at an all-you-care-to-enjoy restaurant like Biergarten or Garden Grill.

Option 2: Extra park days before the Marathon

If you are starting you Marathon Weekend vacation early, you can afford to use your park days a bit differently. For instance, if you're starting your Disney World vacation with park days on Monday and Tuesday, I'd take Expo day off and follow again with park days after the 5K, 10k, and Marathon. However, if you plan on leaving shortly after the Marathon, then I'd push through with straight park days after the 5k, 10k, and Half Marathon. During the Dopey Challenge park days I would also follow a similar order with Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom after the 5k and 10k (dealer's choice on order) followed by Epcot after the Half Marathon. Epcot opens slightly later than normal on Half Marathon and Marathon day, so if you're finishing the Half Marathon early enough you can still make it back on the resort bus and out for rope drop. Definitely hit up Animal Kingdom on one of your pre-Marathon Weekend days, as it's a great full day park (even when Dinoland USA closes).

Option 3: Extra park days after the Marathon

This was the schedule we opted for during my 2025 Dopey Challenge. Most of the Marathon Weekend crowd clears out on Sunday, and most crowd calendars will show a decline for the following week. Even if you're adding one or two park days after the Marathon you'll be in good shape for lighter crowds and an easy park day. After the 2025 Dopey we went to Hollywood Studios and got on every ride we wanted multiple times, as well as a prime viewing spot for Fantasmic after strolling up about 10-15 minutes before showtime. If you're able to swing this schedule, you should opt for three straight park days during the 5k, 10k, and Half Marathon, and then celebrate your Dopey completion at Disney Springs. In terms of arranging your park days, your optimal schedule may be to do a Hollywood Studios/Magic Kingdom or double-Magic Kingdom days after the 5k and 10k, with Epcot after the Half Marathon and the remainder of the parks after Marathon Weekend. Although if you're looking for an earlier night before the Marathon and you're less worried about making rope drop you could opt for Animal Kingdom instead of Epcot. This also allows for a great pre-Marathon character breakfast at Tusker House up there with Garden Grill as my favorites.