No more commando--how do you do it?!

[Ms. WDW]

Well I sure do appreciate all the tips. I'm taking my very first "non-commando" this this July with DH. Or should I say I'm going to "try" and take a non-commando trip this July!!

 

[SueOKW]

I would definitely go to the spa at SSR on one of those golf days!!

 

[disworldnum1]

well for us we changed our mindset from seeing everything to trying to do something we had never done before.We searched out things we had'nt done or seen and it slowed the whole trip down and we started doing what was most important to us and started skipping things we thought we couldnt live without. We enjoy being able to say we saw or did something new each trip.

 

[crisi]

You don't get on all the attractions. You get on some of the attractions. That is the key philosophical difference between being a commando and a former-commando.

But if getting on the most popular rides is important to you (like it is to us... RnR, for example, is my favorite ride, and I like to do it on every trip), you can always go to the park at opening but then leave at lunchtime to relax for the afternoon.

That's it in a nutshell. I don't need the Jungle Cruise every trip. For nostaligia, every ten years is fine. If we get on Test Track once, that's good - we will go again next time. There are a very short lists of "musts" now - a bigger lists of "wants" - and a list of "hey, if we walk by with time and there is no line we shoulds"

We also still do mornings - get most done then - but schedule leisurlely dinners and afternoons by the pool.

 

[EAP'sDAD]

I have had 3 big changes on my Disney planning. First rule is we never do 2 days in a row of parks, we have at least one rest day in between. We may do other things like go shopping or minigolf or just sit by the pool while the kids do the activities at the community hall. The one thing I learned is that there is so much more going on outside the parks.
Second rule is that each one of my kids (3 kids alltogether)gets to pick 2 must do rides when we go to the parks. Then when we go to the parks we have 6 must do rides and anything else is a bonus. we no longer run between rides.
But the biggest change is we no longer limit ourselves on any strict time schedule. We walk in to the park and let the kids dictate which of the rides we go to and we walk and take in all the atmosphere of Disney.

 

[iankh]

We don't do the cammando routine anymore, although we used to.

I think it's partly due to owning at DVC, partly due to the APs and partly due to the number of times we've been there. The parks aren't even the main focus of our trips.

It all begins with greeting the day. I am always an early riser. I do tend to "sleep in" when I'm on vacation and even then wake up at about 5:30 or 6:00 AM.

First coffee on the balcony, or I also like to grab a mug of coffee and go sit on one of the rockers on the porch at VWL, not in front, but around the side. It is so quiet. I like to listen to the birds, sip my coffee and ease myself into the day.

A bit of breakfast on the balcony. Then maybe a walk through the woods.

If we want to, we'll go to a park. More to stroll around and people watch than to go on the rides.

A must for our vacation is renting bikes and cycling over to FW for lunch and the petting zoo. Also renting a boat and going out on the waters and around Seven Seas lagoon.

I guess what shifted for us was mainly the parks becoming part of our vacation rather than the focus of it.

 

[yitbos96bb]

It Comes with Time, Grasshopper!

To help aleviate the commado, you must first have a second, third, etc., trip already planned.

But be wary, becuase I used the next trip thing, or shall I say DD did, I will no longer be able to see Tarzan Rocks!

Well at least I have my picture of Tazan and Myself from MNSSHP! The memories!

janet

In regards to Tarzan Rocks... IMHO, you are not missing much. I frankly am glad it is gone. I love the movie, but wasn't fond of the stage show.

 

[TazFan]

Say the following:

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N

For us, we get up when we get up (usually around 8:30), get ready, and leave when we leave (usually around 10). A lot of times we don't even buy park passes in advance. This keeps us from feeling obligated and allows us to do what we want to do when we want to do it.

Last time, we spent much time at Stormalong Bay, at the BCV pool, and even a couple days in the room. Other times we went off-site and toured the 'strip' / 192. In fact, one day we just drove east on 192 to almost Melbourne then back.

It feels great to just bum out for a couple weeks...that's exactly what we did!

 

[Disney-Kim]

We are no longer commando either, but I think its because we have been 11 yrs in a row and we will continue to go almost every year for who knows how long.
We have started to slow down a bit on always being in hurry. We have become a lot better at just going when we are ready. We still have a schedule of PS's for all our favorite restaurants...but we are open as to what we do in each park.
We don't have to ride each ride or even the popular rides. Just what we feel like at that time. We spend more time hanging out and going to the pool.

Its a lot more fun not feeling pressured to get it all done. theres always next time.

 

[pplasky]

We have started to slow down a bit on always being in hurry. We have become a lot better at just going when we are ready. We still have a schedule of PS's for all our favorite restaurants...but we are open as to what we do in each park.
We don't have to ride each ride or even the popular rides. Just what we feel like at that time. We spend more time hanging out and going to the pool.

Its a lot more fun not feeling pressured to get it all done. theres always next time.

This is similar to us. I still plan all our sit-down meals, so it's still kind of regimented in the fact that we have to be in a certain park at night. But everything else is open to do as we wish. The hop on whatever bus goes by first is a definite break in the commando mentality. We try do do at least one new thing in each park and then let the kids pick their faves.