WDW Commando Club 2 - Magic Bands & FP+ Oh My

Hope your doing ok, and when it starts melting your ok:good vibes Your going to WDW in 2 weeks what are your dates:confused3

I was finally released from my wintry prison today! I got to visit the grocery store (completely sold out of staples like milk and bananas) and my parents' house.

We check in on Dec 6 and depart on Dec 13! We are driving though, so in my mind our vacation starts on Dec 4.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards
 
I was finally released from my wintry prison today! I got to visit the grocery store (completely sold out of staples like milk and bananas) and my parents' house.

We check in on Dec 6 and depart on Dec 13! We are driving though, so in my mind our vacation starts on Dec 4.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Glad you finally dug out of Snowmagetion :cool1:, Bet you will never guess who else will be at WDW :confused3
 
Thank you thank you for your kind words!! :) I get to do my fp+ in 2 more sleeps, I can't wait to get through another milestone for this trip!!! I've been hearing great success for the end of January so far, aside from MSEP which apparently you can't book at 60 days out anymore? Or at least right now? I honestly don't even know if it's on my list, as my list is at my work on my desk. :rotfl2: I'm nervous to make them, it's my first time... and it really does solidify you into a schedule, but I CAN DO THIS! :)

I think you will do just fine:thumbsup2, now remember it's a little different then the old FP system, the old way you hoped for a good time but was stuck with that time, the new way even if you think your times are lame, you can hit modify after you make them and improve the times to what might be mor comfortable for you:thumbsup2, only exceptions that you might not get a better time or might not even be able to get a FP+ for due the book for your stay is Anna & Elsa M&G. TSM & FOF parade. It is better to get your FP+s in as early as you can get since only after the 3rd one is used you can get another
 

Glad you finally dug out of Snowmagetion :cool1:, Bet you will never guess who else will be at WDW :confused3

Haha I have no idea! I can't see tickers, either. My laptop died last week, so I'm all iPad and iPhone now until I can figure out what to do about getting a new one.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards
 
With a little over 2 weeks till our next trip, I decided to recheck the park hours:confused3 We gained 3hours from it was a couple weeks ago:cool1:
Time to get the liquid paper out:rotfl2:

Keep checking park hours, you never know when they are going to add some:thumbsup2
 
The Christmas season is up and running at WDW and in a few days it will be in full swing:cool1:

So I would like to take a moment to share some ideas of things to see (other then most of the common knowledge stuff )

- Visit some resort lobbies
The main ones would be Grand Floridian, Beach Club & Boardwalk Inn
But this year it looks like The Contemporary is stepping up a bit with some kind of Gingerbread Frozen Themed display (have no idea what it is though:confused3)

Also Swan & Dolphin is advertising as Santa's favorite resort ( there has got to be something going on :confused3)

Does anyone know if AOA Cars section is decked out :confused3 I'm going to check it out when we go

- Epcot
Try to visit The Storytellers in each county at the WS, I find that learning about other Countries Holiday Customs to be quite interesting :cool1:

Also look for some Specialty Holiday Food & Drinks at each Country while touring the WS

- MVMCP
Be sure to get your Elsa Sorcerer card when you arrive, there are CM's by the firehouse that are distributing them (have to show them you MVMCP wristband so they can mark it)]

Dance Parties
This year they are Woody's open House at The Diamond Horseshoe & Club Tinsel at Cosmic Rays ( great chance to get pics while having a good time with the Characters)

Jingle Cruise - Jungle cruise with a Homesick Christmas twist

Characters- That will have long lines, try to get a few in at the start of the night

Jack Skellington as Sandy Claws
7 Dwarfs
Aladdin (probably with a couple more characters from the movie)
Princesses (usually have their Prince with them:thumbsup2)
Mary Poppins ( usually with Bert or a penguin)
Jack Sparrow

A couple of Character I would not wait for at MVMCP are Santa & Mrs Clause since you can also meet them at The American Adventue:scratching, and Tigger & Friends since you can Meet them dressed in Christmas entire at AK:confused3

Something my son is looking forward to is the red & green swirl ice cream cone, pretty sure it's Storybook Treats that is serving them:thumbsup2

From what I hear if you have the Disney Infinity 2 you can now touch your Magic Bands on the porthole to get bonus scenes

I'm sure our fellow Commandos that are at WDW now will be able to fill us in more about the Holiday Festivities that are going on now:goodvibes
 
/
FP booking went awesome!!! I booked everything first without paying much mind to times, last day first then worked my way to day 1. Got 7D 3 times during our 7 days, A&E once, and figured everything else out that my dd wanted and once everything was booked I tweaked the times a bit to work with our adrs, etc. and looks like everything is golden! We won't be ziplining across the parks, everything looks solid. :) SO EXCITED!!!
 
FP booking went awesome!!! I booked everything first without paying much mind to times, last day first then worked my way to day 1. Got 7D 3 times during our 7 days, A&E once, and figured everything else out that my dd wanted and once everything was booked I tweaked the times a bit to work with our adrs, etc. and looks like everything is golden! We won't be ziplining across the parks, everything looks solid. :) SO EXCITED!!!

Nice Job:thumbsup2 I knew you could do it:good vibes nice score with 7DMT x3:cool1:
 
Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving, and if you are hitting the Black Friday sales hope you are able to get what you are looking for:thumbsup2
 
Happy Black Friday Commandos. I do not shop Commando and I went to see "Interstellar" at the IMAX instead.

Just a quick note to my fellow Commandos...I am writing a Trip Report. Days One and Two are up. I even have pictures of.....

Spreadsheets!:thumbsup2

Check out the Trip Reports Forum for "The Best Laid Plans: A Commando Does WDW"
 
If your trip has some of those surprise extra hours at Magic Kingdom, use them to your advantage! I planned our trip last week around a 9 a.m. opening, but then Disney decided to open at 8 a.m. instead. I didn't change my plans but decided to use the extra hour for Memory Maker photos and just a relaxing walk down Main Street.... :)

Well, combined with the early hour and the number of people who ran for 7DMT and A&E, we were able to take about 4 group photos, walk on Buzz Lightyear, Splash Mountain, Tomorrowland Speedway, and Tea Cups, all before 9:20 when we had a FP for Cinderella. Use it, Commandos! :)
 
If your trip has some of those surprise extra hours at Magic Kingdom, use them to your advantage! I planned our trip last week around a 9 a.m. opening, but then Disney decided to open at 8 a.m. instead. I didn't change my plans but decided to use the extra hour for Memory Maker photos and just a relaxing walk down Main Street.... :)

Well, combined with the early hour and the number of people who ran for 7DMT and A&E, we were able to take about 4 group photos, walk on Buzz Lightyear, Splash Mountain, Tomorrowland Speedway, and Tea Cups, all before 9:20 when we had a FP for Cinderella. Use it, Commandos! :)
Good for you for taking those lemons and making lemonade! That sounds like an AWESOME start to any Magic Kingdom day! :thumbsup2
 
Happy Black Friday Commandos. I do not shop Commando and I went to see "Interstellar" at the IMAX instead.

Just a quick note to my fellow Commandos...I am writing a Trip Report. Days One and Two are up. I even have pictures of.....

Spreadsheets!:thumbsup2

Check out the Trip Reports Forum for "The Best Laid Plans: A Commando Does WDW"

Following, like the way you made your spread sheets:thumbsup2

If your trip has some of those surprise extra hours at Magic Kingdom, use them to your advantage! I planned our trip last week around a 9 a.m. opening, but then Disney decided to open at 8 a.m. instead. I didn't change my plans but decided to use the extra hour for Memory Maker photos and just a relaxing walk down Main Street.... :)

Well, combined with the early hour and the number of people who ran for 7DMT and A&E, we were able to take about 4 group photos, walk on Buzz Lightyear, Splash Mountain, Tomorrowland Speedway, and Tea Cups, all before 9:20 when we had a FP for Cinderella. Use it, Commandos! :)

For our upcoming trip we gained 3 extra hours, Morning EMH at AK & HS and also a extra evening hour at MK:cool1: I will say that if I knew they would have been added when I made our FP+s they definitely would be different:confused3

When they add extra hours these are like witching hours for us Commandos since a lot of guests do not keep checking park hours after they make their FP+:confused3
 
Hi everyone - we are just back from our WDW trip... It was great! With a few ups & downs. My recommendations for those planning trips is to study park maps so you know your way around & to start a walking program a few months before you go. My mom, sister & I wore jawbones (pedometer type devices) & we were walking about 10 miles a day.

Day 1:
We arrived at MK at 8:05, took Main Street train to Frontier land and were able to do splash & thunder mountain with no lines. I had a FP+ for TM at 9am which I cancelled & picked up a new FP+ for Pirates of The Caribbean. We did Bear Country Jamboree & then headed to Adventure land. We did the Tree house, Tiki room, jingle cruise & used our FP + for pirates. By this time it was crowded & lines were crazy. We did Haunted Mansion & then it was time for lunch. Parents & sister had ADR for Tony's which they loved & DD & I had FP + for BOG. We had a little time so I let my DD run around the soak station for a little while because she was hot. She got totally soaked but dried off quickly in the sun. BOG was awesome & we were in & out of there really quickly. We headed over to Tomorrow land for space mountain FP +. We were a little early so I let my daughter get her face painted. For anyone that's interested, there is a face painting area located by the restrooms by space mountain, the cost is $18, it's quick & they do a great job. There was no line even though it was super busy in MK at this point. They will do touch up for free for the rest of the day. This a great alternative to BBB & pirates league, IMO. After space mountain , we did the speedway , Buzz, & laugh floor... Then headed for fantasy land. Our first ride there was Dumbo... We had a bit of a commando fail at this ride. We went through standby & we got to the play area and were given a pager. DD had a great time in this area, but I noticed other people's pagers were going off & ours wasn't . I finally went over to the CM & found out our pager was broken & we were able to get in line & finally do the ride. Beware of the broken pager at Dumbo!! After that we did barn stormer, then did the little mermaid ride & met Ariel at her grotto. After that we did the Winnie the Pooh ride, then it was finally time for our Mine Train FP+ (awesome !!). We then watched the EP, got something to eat & watched Wishes, stopped at the Emporium & then headed for the buses.

Day 2:
We discovered an issue in our room & it was decided we would have to change rooms. We had to quickly pack up before we could leave for HS. It started raining on our way to HS & was thundering & lightning when we arrived. We had to find a covered area to take shelter. Some other families joined us & suddenly everyone's phones started blaring a tornado warning. After awhile it let up a little & we entered the park. The streets in HS were flooded. We were up to our calves in water, apparently the grates were clogged with leaves. We headed up to TOT for our FP+. Afterwards we went on the Great Movie Ride. It was then time for our ADR at H&V. It was then time for our Toy Story MM FP+. After that we went to voyage of the Little Mermaid & then headed over to the Disney Junior show. We had time until the next show was starting so we we were able to do a few character M&G: Donald & Daisy, & sorcerer Mickey. It was around 2pm & there was already a huge line at the Big Hero 6 M&G & my DD didn't want to wait. After disney junior we had our star tours FP+. After that we did the Frozen snow ground then got on standby for RNR. We headed back to POR & had dinner there. Definitely missed out on a few things due to the rain & having to change rooms... But still a great day !!

Day 3
We decided to skip EMH at AK because it was still raining. We got to AK at 8:30... The rain has stopped but it was chilly. We headed straight to Kali for our FP+. We wore our ponchos & didn't get too wet. After Kali we did the jungle trek. We then went to Everest for our next FP but the ride was down. We were told that our FP would be honored later. We then headed for Nemo. After Nemo , we went on primeval whirl & got in line for dinosaur, which ended up breaking down so we didn't get to ride. We then headed to flame tree for lunch. After flame tree then did Its Tough to Be A Bug, then headed for our FP at Kilimanjaro, then did Pangari walking trail. Then we got on the train to Rafiki planet watch. My DD was having a blast so we decided to stay here awhile & missed the last lion king show. We then headed for Everest. After Everest it was time to head to rain forest cafe for our 6:15 ADR, then back to POR. My DD decided on a swim even though it was a bit chilly.

Day 4
We didn't get to Epcot til 9:30 due to some residual room issues. The manager at POR gave us 3 extra fast passes to make up for the room issues. We did innoventions 1st. Our first scheduled FP was Mission space, which I opted out of due to not feeling great at that moment. Next we had test track FP, followed by spaceship earth FP. We then went to the Canada movie then headed to teppan edo for lunch ADR. After lunch we did the movie in France, then Club Cool, we used our extra FPs at soarin, the boat ride at the land, and the Nemo ride. It was then time for dinner ADR at la hacienda de San angel. After that we headed for the movie in China. It was then time for our illuminations, then back to POR.

Day 5
DD headed to MK on our own. We got there right at 8, then walked around Main Street, did small world, then went to our ADR at CP. We then went to our FP for story time with Belle followed by Philharmagic. I then got a message from my mom that the manager at POR gave us another 3 FP. We decided to use 2 of them for Peter Pan & mine train. We then did H of P then headed to Adventure land for DD's mermaid makeover then it was time for E & A fast FP. We then got story time treats for an ice cream & headed to FP area for FoF parade. We then got in line for Merida from Brave. We then went back to frontier land & did splash mountain & used our last free FP for thunder mountain. We then did jungle cruise & river boat, then headed to the monorail for the grand Floridian for our park fair ADR. We then went back to MK caught the water pageant & then back to POR to pack up for home.

All in all a great trip & I was thankful for all of the tips I received from this group!
 
Hi everyone - we are just back from our WDW trip... It was great! With a few ups & downs. My recommendations for those planning trips is to study park maps so you know your way around & to start a walking program a few months before you go. My mom, sister & I wore jawbones (pedometer type devices) & we were walking about 10 miles a day.

Day 1:
We arrived at MK at 8:05, took Main Street train to Frontier land and were able to do splash & thunder mountain with no lines. I had a FP+ for TM at 9am which I cancelled & picked up a new FP+ for Pirates of The Caribbean. We did Bear Country Jamboree & then headed to Adventure land. We did the Tree house, Tiki room, jingle cruise & used our FP + for pirates. By this time it was crowded & lines were crazy. We did Haunted Mansion & then it was time for lunch. Parents & sister had ADR for Tony's which they loved & DD & I had FP + for BOG. We had a little time so I let my DD run around the soak station for a little while because she was hot. She got totally soaked but dried off quickly in the sun. BOG was awesome & we were in & out of there really quickly. We headed over to Tomorrow land for space mountain FP +. We were a little early so I let my daughter get her face painted. For anyone that's interested, there is a face painting area located by the restrooms by space mountain, the cost is $18, it's quick & they do a great job. There was no line even though it was super busy in MK at this point. They will do touch up for free for the rest of the day. This a great alternative to BBB & pirates league, IMO. After space mountain , we did the speedway , Buzz, & laugh floor... Then headed for fantasy land. Our first ride there was Dumbo... We had a bit of a commando fail at this ride. We went through standby & we got to the play area and were given a pager. DD had a great time in this area, but I noticed other people's pagers were going off & ours wasn't . I finally went over to the CM & found out our pager was broken & we were able to get in line & finally do the ride. Beware of the broken pager at Dumbo!! After that we did barn stormer, then did the little mermaid ride & met Ariel at her grotto. After that we did the Winnie the Pooh ride, then it was finally time for our Mine Train FP+ (awesome !!). We then watched the EP, got something to eat & watched Wishes, stopped at the Emporium & then headed for the buses.

Day 2:
We discovered an issue in our room & it was decided we would have to change rooms. We had to quickly pack up before we could leave for HS. It started raining on our way to HS & was thundering & lightning when we arrived. We had to find a covered area to take shelter. Some other families joined us & suddenly everyone's phones started blaring a tornado warning. After awhile it let up a little & we entered the park. The streets in HS were flooded. We were up to our calves in water, apparently the grates were clogged with leaves. We headed up to TOT for our FP+. Afterwards we went on the Great Movie Ride. It was then time for our ADR at H&V. It was then time for our Toy Story MM FP+. After that we went to voyage of the Little Mermaid & then headed over to the Disney Junior show. We had time until the next show was starting so we we were able to do a few character M&G: Donald & Daisy, & sorcerer Mickey. It was around 2pm & there was already a huge line at the Big Hero 6 M&G & my DD didn't want to wait. After disney junior we had our star tours FP+. After that we did the Frozen snow ground then got on standby for RNR. We headed back to POR & had dinner there. Definitely missed out on a few things due to the rain & having to change rooms... But still a great day !!

Day 3
We decided to skip EMH at AK because it was still raining. We got to AK at 8:30... The rain has stopped but it was chilly. We headed straight to Kali for our FP+. We wore our ponchos & didn't get too wet. After Kali we did the jungle trek. We then went to Everest for our next FP but the ride was down. We were told that our FP would be honored later. We then headed for Nemo. After Nemo , we went on primeval whirl & got in line for dinosaur, which ended up breaking down so we didn't get to ride. We then headed to flame tree for lunch. After flame tree then did Its Tough to Be A Bug, then headed for our FP at Kilimanjaro, then did Pangari walking trail. Then we got on the train to Rafiki planet watch. My DD was having a blast so we decided to stay here awhile & missed the last lion king show. We then headed for Everest. After Everest it was time to head to rain forest cafe for our 6:15 ADR, then back to POR. My DD decided on a swim even though it was a bit chilly.

Day 4
We didn't get to Epcot til 9:30 due to some residual room issues. The manager at POR gave us 3 extra fast passes to make up for the room issues. We did innoventions 1st. Our first scheduled FP was Mission space, which I opted out of due to not feeling great at that moment. Next we had test track FP, followed by spaceship earth FP. We then went to the Canada movie then headed to teppan edo for lunch ADR. After lunch we did the movie in France, then Club Cool, we used our extra FPs at soarin, the boat ride at the land, and the Nemo ride. It was then time for dinner ADR at la hacienda de San angel. After that we headed for the movie in China. It was then time for our illuminations, then back to POR.

Day 5
DD headed to MK on our own. We got there right at 8, then walked around Main Street, did small world, then went to our ADR at CP. We then went to our FP for story time with Belle followed by Philharmagic. I then got a message from my mom that the manager at POR gave us another 3 FP. We decided to use 2 of them for Peter Pan & mine train. We then did H of P then headed to Adventure land for DD's mermaid makeover then it was time for E & A fast FP. We then got story time treats for an ice cream & headed to FP area for FoF parade. We then got in line for Merida from Brave. We then went back to frontier land & did splash mountain & used our last free FP for thunder mountain. We then did jungle cruise & river boat, then headed to the monorail for the grand Floridian for our park fair ADR. We then went back to MK caught the water pageant & then back to POR to pack up for home.

All in all a great trip & I was thankful for all of the tips I received from this group!

During your vacation you experienced 3 things no one of can control, Weather, Ride Malfunctions, and room issues:scared: The room issue worries me the most since they gave you 2 days of extra fast passes :confused3 I have said many times in the Commando thread that " You never know what you are going to encounter":confused3, The extra Fps would put you in a ahead of schedule mode, I hope the resort issue was nothing serious:goodvibes
 
There were a lot of things outside of our control..but still a great trip!! It's always good to be somewhat flexible with our commando plans! You never know what will happen!! I really wasn't expecting the weather... We went in November 2011 & the weather was perfect! We didn't let the weather get us down ... It was only a few hours of the trip .

Also kids can be unpredictable ... Surprisingly, DD was not as interested in meeting characters on this trip, but she did a few pin trades & we got lots of pressed pennies.
 
Thanks for the report LadyBug...It's not just kids that can be "unpredictable". I had a lot of opportunities for flexibility due to DBF, age 45, changing his mind a time or two. Hope your room issues weren't too serious. Nice FP+ compensation though.
 





New Posts









Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE














DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter

Back
Top