WDW Commando Club

[AirGoofy]

Digging into some of the non Disney things we are doing during our trip I came across a few new things

:

What does this phrase, non-Disney things mean?

DW keeps talking about going to Sea World, but somehow, we have never made it over there.

 

[4under4]

Can I join?

I didn't know this board existed, or I would have come by a lot sooner!

Our family is all about COMMANDO touring, and we would love to share tips / get some new ideas.

 

[Disney Commando]

Can I join?

I didn't know this board existed, or I would have come by a lot sooner!

Our family is all about COMMANDO touring, and we would love to share tips / get some new ideas.

Sure you can You are member #239 I see your taking your Dad on your next trip (is it his 1st time)

 

[Disney Commando]

What does this phrase, non-Disney things mean?

DW keeps talking about going to Sea World, but somehow, we have never made it over there.

For us it's a no brainer to visit SeaWorld, Busch Gardens there water parks Aquatica & Adventure Island, we have Platinum passes that get us in for free at any Busch property, even includes food discounts and preferred parking, I have never been to one of the Disney water parks, but if I have passes or tickets you know I'm going to use them

I keep telling my wife I'm going to look for a gift auction around Orlando to go to, no telling what would come out of that

 

[AirGoofy]

Can I join?

I didn't know this board existed, or I would have come by a lot sooner!

Our family is all about COMMANDO touring, and we would love to share tips / get some new ideas.

Welcome. What strategies do you currently use?

For us it's a no brainer to visit SeaWorld, Busch Gardens there water parks Aquatica & Adventure Island, we have Platinum passes that get us in for free at any Busch property, even includes food discounts and preferred parking, I have never been to one of the Disney water parks, but if I have passes or tickets you know I'm going to use them

I keep telling my wife I'm going to look for a gift auction around Orlando to go to, no telling what would come out of that

I really do want to go to SeaWorld, not because we have passes, but because it does look really fun. Still, we book the Disney trip at 11 months out, book ADRs and plan everything at 6 months, and then when we get there, we realize we forgot to include Sea World. We went to typhoon lagoon on our Honeymoon. It was fun, but I'm just not a big water park guy. We have Holiday World close by here, which has been rated #1 water park in some guides, and is in the top 5 consistency. I'd rather spend by WDW time in the four theme parks.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[4under4]

I see your taking your Dad on your next trip (is it his 1st time)

It is his first time. We will do a modified commando on the days he does parks with us (4 of the 10 days).... rope drop each day, splitting MK in half to reduce walking / FP retrieval times, and afternoon breaks before taking on evening touring.

Welcome. What strategies do you currently use?

~ Make rope drop & make sure everyone knows where we're going first
~ Plan at least 2 days for MK
~ Use Ridemax (adjusting on the fly if necessary)
~ Eat off times (multiple shared snacks throughout the day so we can eat & move on quickly)
~ Don't wait for anyone we're meeting, just text them our location and let them catch up
~ Be willing to cut our losses on a ride/attraction if it's a longer wait than we expected (we never wait more than 30 minutes)
~ Take afternoon breaks (or at least hit up CoP & TTA a few times )
~ No lunch ADRs, and only pre-park open breakfast ADRs
~ Do Photopass pictures while waiting for Pre-park open ADR &/or in the afternoons when we're "slowing down" &/or on the way out for the day

I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but those are the biggies.

 

[AirGoofy]

~ Make rope drop & make sure everyone knows where we're going first
~ Plan at least 2 days for MK
~ Use Ridemax (adjusting on the fly if necessary)
~ Eat off times (multiple shared snacks throughout the day so we can eat & move on quickly)
~ Don't wait for anyone we're meeting, just text them our location and let them catch up
~ Be willing to cut our losses on a ride/attraction if it's a longer wait than we expected (we never wait more than 30 minutes)
~ Take afternoon breaks (or at least hit up CoP & TTA a few times )
~ No lunch ADRs, and only pre-park open breakfast ADRs
~ Do Photopass pictures while waiting for Pre-park open ADR &/or in the afternoons when we're "slowing down" &/or on the way out for the day

I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but those are the biggies.

That is a really good list and I think I have used most all of them. The one we have adjusted over the years is the before park opens breakfast ADR. Now, it is an excellent strategy, but as DVC members, it works even better when we were able to stay at BLT and walk to CRT for breakfast or from BWV to Akershus for breakfast. We found that staying at other resorts and having to add in extra transportation and waking early time was just too much on vacation. Or, perhaps I am just getting too old.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Disney Commando]

It is his first time. We will do a modified commando on the days he does parks with us (4 of the 10 days).... rope drop each day, splitting MK in half to reduce walking / FP retrieval times, and afternoon breaks before taking on evening touring.




~ Make rope drop & make sure everyone knows where we're going first
~ Plan at least 2 days for MK
~ Use Ridemax (adjusting on the fly if necessary)
~ Eat off times (multiple shared snacks throughout the day so we can eat & move on quickly)
~ Don't wait for anyone we're meeting, just text them our location and let them catch up
~ Be willing to cut our losses on a ride/attraction if it's a longer wait than we expected (we never wait more than 30 minutes)
~ Take afternoon breaks (or at least hit up CoP & TTA a few times )
~ No lunch ADRs, and only pre-park open breakfast ADRs
~ Do Photopass pictures while waiting for Pre-park open ADR &/or in the afternoons when we're "slowing down" &/or on the way out for the day

I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but those are the biggies.

Hope your Dad has a blast

Sounds like a good strategy, afternoons are my favorite time to get photo pass pictures since most of the rides will have long lines

For dinners I try to get a ADR for as close to 5pm as possible, for a couple reasons,

- most places it is first dinner seating, so there is no waiting for a table to clear
- I have found it likes to rain around that time
- After dinner it's off to a different park

IMO Epcot is the toughest park to come up with a plan for, Most of the characters in the WS are only out till certain times, too many things close at different times, plus the shows in the WS are not timed in any particular way that you can just go from one to the next I find ourselves going back to Epcot more times then the other parks trying to get things done

 

[4under4]

I have a question for my fellow commandos...

We arrive the morning of August 19 (crowd level 4-6). AK has morning EMH, and the park closes at 7:00. We could probably be there between 12:00 & 1:00, depending on how long check in takes at SSR.

We will have another full day at AK with my Dad, who will be more interested in the safari, the shows, & the walking trails, so this half day would just be about the thrill rides [EE, Dinosaur, & Primeval Whirl... maybe KRR at the very end of the day].

I'm thinking that if the kids can ride each of these a 2-3 times that afternoon, they won't feel deprived when we skip them while we're there with Papa (&/or I won't have to feel guilty about leaving my Dad to take them on the thrill rides that he won't want to do).

Will there be any FPs left @ 1:00, &/or will the SB lines be horribly long for the entire day??

 

[bdklein]

I once went to WDW commando style for a week, but I ended up being really itchy and chafed.

 

[AirGoofy]

I have a question for my fellow commandos...

We arrive the morning of August 19 (crowd level 4-6). AK has morning EMH, and the park closes at 7:00. We could probably be there between 12:00 & 1:00, depending on how long check in takes at SSR.

We will have another full day at AK with my Dad, who will be more interested in the safari, the shows, & the walking trails, so this half day would just be about the thrill rides [EE, Dinosaur, & Primeval Whirl... maybe KRR at the very end of the day].

I'm thinking that if the kids can ride each of these a 2-3 times that afternoon, they won't feel deprived when we skip them while we're there with Papa (&/or I won't have to feel guilty about leaving my Dad to take them on the thrill rides that he won't want to do).

Will there be any FPs left @ 1:00, &/or will the SB lines be horribly long for the entire day??

I think that is a good plan. The morning EMH should have moved on by then. AK is such a big park, and if that is the day you arrive, then it is a great park to walk around after the transportation there. As for FPs, I have no idea. We haven't been in August, so not sure about the crowd levels. We've been able to get FP for the afternoon in October.

I once went to WDW commando style for a week, but I ended up being really itchy and chafed.

Joke tried 100+ pages ago. Good try.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Disney Commando]

I have a question for my fellow commandos...

We arrive the morning of August 19 (crowd level 4-6). AK has morning EMH, and the park closes at 7:00. We could probably be there between 12:00 & 1:00, depending on how long check in takes at SSR.

We will have another full day at AK with my Dad, who will be more interested in the safari, the shows, & the walking trails, so this half day would just be about the thrill rides [EE, Dinosaur, & Primeval Whirl... maybe KRR at the very end of the day].

I'm thinking that if the kids can ride each of these a 2-3 times that afternoon, they won't feel deprived when we skip them while we're there with Papa (&/or I won't have to feel guilty about leaving my Dad to take them on the thrill rides that he won't want to do).

Will there be any FPs left @ 1:00, &/or will the SB lines be horribly long for the entire day??

Wow, I will be missing you by a few days, we are leaving on the 14th, We go a lot in August but I can't really say about the availability of FP in the afternoon at AK, usually we hit all the rides in the morning, with safari 1st, then do FOLK and Nemo in the afternoon, if you are not going to the parade (think it's at 3) the ride lines should be a lot shorter, you can probably get a few of them in during that time, I would go for EE, since Dino's line usually is not too bad

 

[Disney Commando]

Paid off Aug trip I did not take the Dining plan since we are going to a couple other parks besides Disney, they really should give you a option of how many days you would like the dining plan just like they give you with park tickets

 

[Disney Commando]

I like this rumor out there about Cars Land & Star Wars Land coming to HS, I've heard it before, but this time it's on the Disboards News

Only thing I don't like is the time frame with completion being 2018, IMO that is way out there

I am thinking there may be something else huge before this (not Avitarland) but maybe something bigger, with AoA, and all the new DVC expansions being built, plus the reconstruction of DTD, they are expecting a lot more guests, maybe with all the stuff being built that is how long it will actually take

 

[AirGoofy]

I like this rumor out there about Cars Land & Star Wars Land coming to HS, I've heard it before, but this time it's on the Disboards News

Only thing I don't like is the time frame with completion being 2018, IMO that is way out there

I am thinking there may be something else huge before this (not Avitarland) but maybe something bigger, with AoA, and all the new DVC expansions being built, plus the reconstruction of DTD, they are expecting a lot more guests, maybe with all the stuff being built that is how long it will actually take

I like the backlot express and hate to see it gone, but like many others, attractions come and go. Don't hear much about avatarland anymore. WDW had added another value resort and another DVC resort, with only fantasyland expansion. It is about time they add on some more at the parks.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Disney Commando]

I like the backlot express and hate to see it gone, but like many others, attractions come and go. Don't hear much about avatarland anymore. WDW had added another value resort and another DVC resort, with only fantasyland expansion. It is about time they add on some more at the parks.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

I have heard that the Poly is getting DVC also they are even supposed to be building some (hut type) villas on the beach

 

[AirGoofy]

I have heard that the Poly is getting DVC also they are even supposed to be building some (hut type) villas on the beach

That's the rumor. There is no guarantee that those will be for the DVC inventory, but from what I've learned from these boards, Fl timeshare laws require an existing amount of inventory to exist before sales can be made. Which, for example, may be why there are DVC rooms at the Ak Jambo house. I would like to see some form of direct transportation from AKL to AK theme park - walkway, ski lift, zip line.

GF and Poly are expected to sale super fast. And, while I would want to stay at both, I probably won't buy points there as I would just add on more at BLT first thru the resale market.

 

[Twin Dad]

DW and I just wrapped up a discussion on our touring planning. We both agreed to do a bit more casual touring plan for each park going clockwise around the park and try not to back track too much. We figure going full blown commando would just frustrate the kiddos and make for a less than magical experience. Plus by doing multiple days at MK we can hit things we miss on day 1 later. And we can go full blown commando next time after Star Wars Land is finished. DW even said we could take the kids in early December for that trip.

 

[Disney Commando]

DW and I just wrapped up a discussion on our touring planning. We both agreed to do a bit more casual touring plan for each park going clockwise around the park and try not to back track too much. We figure going full blown commando would just frustrate the kiddos and make for a less than magical experience. Plus by doing multiple days at MK we can hit things we miss on day 1 later. And we can go full blown commando next time after Star Wars Land is finished. DW even said we could take the kids in early December for that trip.

Clockwise is the way to go, IMO you make better time, as far as you and your wife deciding to take it at a more causal pace , sounds nice but you really don't have much say with twin 4yr olds you are no match, if they want to do something chances are good you will be doing it when they want to, ever go on Jungle Cruise 7 times in one day, just keep a open mind with young kids you never know what you will encounter

 

[AirGoofy]

DW and I just wrapped up a discussion on our touring planning. We both agreed to do a bit more casual touring plan for each park going clockwise around the park and try not to back track too much. We figure going full blown commando would just frustrate the kiddos and make for a less than magical experience. Plus by doing multiple days at MK we can hit things we miss on day 1 later. And we can go full blown commando next time after Star Wars Land is finished. DW even said we could take the kids in early December for that trip.

Clockwise is the way to go, IMO you make better time, as far as you and your wife deciding to take it at a more causal pace , sounds nice but you really don't have much say with twin 4yr olds you are no match, if they want to do something chances are good you will be doing it when they want to, ever go on Jungle Cruise 7 times in one day, just keep a open mind with young kids you never know what you will encounter

I think I go with an it depends on this one.

We've done MK the most of all the parks, so it depends on what we want to do. Also, it depends on whether or not we are doing MK twice or with a MNSSHP in the same week. Going clockwise gets Tomorrowland, with Space Mountain and Astro Orbiter as my must dos. They also can have really long stand by lines. But, to counter my own argument, Astro Orbiter is way more cool at night. Counterclockwise gets you the Jungle Cruise, POTC, and keep on walking to Splash Mountain and BTMRR. Two big rides early in AM with later long lines, but I don't want to get wet from Splash Mountain that early in AM. This strategy was great when one could hoard FPs. If you have a breakfast ADR at CRT, then one might start in Fantasyland. We have done that several times as well, and this will be our first trip to MK with the new expansion, so a new strategy may arise. It is good to have these type of problems to figure out.

With Epcot, it depends on what side of the park you enter, but we usually do Soarin first.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards