?ALERT: Disney World’s WORST Time To Visit EPCOT Is Coming Soon?

Planning out your park days at Disney World has never been more crucial — especially at one specific park. In fact, we have a new warning to tell you about, and the dates are coming up SOON!

We’re constantly giving you tips, tricks, and suggestions to help you make the most out of your Disney World trips. But, even with all the planning advice we could offer, there’s something BIG happening soon at Disney World that could impact your park plans if you’re not careful. Don’t let this change put a damper on your perfect day at Disney World.

Planning a visit to Disney World can be one of the most exciting and rewarding challenges you’ve ever tackled. While Disney World tries to remain open even when big events are taking place, there are times when changes and modifications are necessary.

If you’re not Disney World savvy or haven’t visited in a while, you might not realize that one of runDisney’s most popular race weekends is quickly approaching! Runners and spectators alike are looking to take on runDisney’s Disney World Marathon Weekend, which will take place from January 8th through January 12th, 2025. During this weekend, runners will participate in multiple events ranging from a swift 5K to the challenging full marathon through Disney World’s parks.

Let’s say you’re not a runner participating in these events — why should you be concerned about when they’re taking place? Great question; we’re glad you asked! It’s because when these races occur, they will affect one Disney World park’s operating hours for multiple days.

That’s right, during the marathon weekend, there will be two days when EPCOT will delay its opening hours each morning. On Saturday, January 11th, and Sunday, January 12th, EPCOT will be opening at 10AM instead of its typical 9AM.

This is because the two longest races of the marathon weekend will happen on these two days — Disney World’s Half Marathon and Marathon, respectively. Since the races start and end in EPCOT’s parking lot (and obviously longer races mean longer times for finishers running the race), EPCOT needs a little extra time to wrap up the race safely for its runners before welcoming in visitors for the day.

If you’re planning on getting out to the parks super early any of these mornings, though, you might want to build in a little extra time (and patience) for your transportation plans as several roads are shut down while runners complete each race’s course. These will reopen later in the morning; however, this could present an issue for you if you’re one who really likes to start your day rope-dropping the Disney World parks or getting early transportation to your morning breakfast reservation.

We’ll continue to keep you updated on all of the latest Disney World changes and updates, so be sure you’re following along with us at AllEars for more!

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Are there any times of the year you specifically avoid going to Disney World? Leave yours in the comments below for us!