WDW Commando Club

[redoschi]

You are member #215 And our 1st Commando member from Brazil, This looks like this is going to be a very important trip for you, A lot of places planned and I'm sure you are going for the WOW Factor If you have any questions just ask, we don't bite, and remember the only dumb question is the one not asked

Thanks for the welcome, I'm sure I'll learn a lot from you all and I hope I can contribute as well!

No other Commandos from Brazil? Well, I know a couple friends that like to plan a lot to go commando style (probably not as much as myself though! ). Completely the opposite of the dreaded Brazilian tour groups! I've always been in WDW in Fall/Winter and will certainly NEVER go in July due to them!

This is my 6th trip to WDW (people keep asking why I want to return to a place I've been many times, but I don't feel that has been many times! )

Last trip my family (DDad, DMom, DSis) got to introduce WDW to my DGF (now DFiancee) and DSis's DBF (now her DH) and even though they were a little skeptics they LOVED it (who wouldn't, right?)
Since them me and DFiancee have been planning to bring her DMom and DBrother to WDW but something always got in the way, but not this time!

I'm sure going for the WOW factor! I'm just laying low with telling them all my plans (besides what park we're hitting each day and briefing them with pics from previous trips) as with just that they are thinking I'm planning too much (DFiancee knows it better as she saw last trip that good planning makes for a great time! )

 

[redoschi]

The Dream FP's were part of the "Year of a Million Dreams" promotion about 2 yrs ago. If you won one, you automatically had FP's for all the major rides in that park. They no longer are around as it was just part of that short promotion.

I basically just read the threads of people who had won and found out most people won them early in the morning (before 10:00 am). I also found out alot of people won them on The Great Movie Ride. So I arranged for my group to ride that ride early one morning, and by sheer dumb luck we ended up winning some! That is one of our funnier Disney moments, they still can't believe it worked.

I loved those Dream FPs!!!

One morning in my last trip (Dec 2007) we were in DHS (MGM Studios back then!) at rope drop, ran to ToT as soon as it opened, got a FP and entered the standby line. We were in one of the first pre-shows of the day and when the pre-show ended and the door opened in came some CMs saying that today a dream was coming true and gave everyone in that room Dream FPs!!!
It was great not having to get FPs for smaller attractions like Indy and Little Mermaid (and still being able to use FP to enter those!) and being able to focus our FPs into ToT and RnRC (rode both about 3-4 times that day!)

Too bad they aren't offered anymore!

 

[Disney Commando]

Thanks for the welcome, I'm sure I'll learn a lot from you all and I hope I can contribute as well!

No other Commandos from Brazil? Well, I know a couple friends that like to plan a lot to go commando style (probably not as much as myself though! ). Completely the opposite of the dreaded Brazilian tour groups! I've always been in WDW in Fall/Winter and will certainly NEVER go in July due to them!

This is my 6th trip to WDW (people keep asking why I want to return to a place I've been many times, but I don't feel that has been many times! )

Last trip my family (DDad, DMom, DSis) got to introduce WDW to my DGF (now DFiancee) and DSis's DBF (now her DH) and even though they were a little skeptics they LOVED it (who wouldn't, right?)
Since them me and DFiancee have been planning to bring her DMom and DBrother to WDW but something always got in the way, but not this time!

I'm sure going for the WOW factor! I'm just laying low with telling them all my plans (besides what park we're hitting each day and briefing them with pics from previous trips) as with just that they are thinking I'm planning too much (DFiancee knows it better as she saw last trip that good planning makes for a great time! )

What do you have planed for dinners A good day of touring deserves a good meal

 

[Disney Commando]

Speaking of dinner's I'm a firm believer that timing is everything, last trip we only ate at 4 restaurants on property I had a ADR for 3 of them, I always try to get 1st seating since you will be seated quickly, the kitchen is not backed up, and you can be on your way ready for more touring

This was my wait time last trip
- T-Rex had no ADR, since we didn't know what time we would be there, but we walked right
- Shula's had a 5pm ADR at 5pm we were the 1st seated
- Whispering Canyon had a 5pm ADR and once again were the 1st seated
- Teppen Edo had a 4:10pm ADR , checked in around 3:55 and started walking up the stairs to the waiting area, by the time we got to the top of the stairs the pager was going off, we were seated by 4pm

I've done many other times, but have found between waiting to get in and some people taking there sweet ole time eating it backs everything up, and you lose a lot of time you could be spending in the park instead of waiting to eat dinner

 

[tpettie]

I always try to get 1st seating since you will be seated quickly, the kitchen is not backed up, and you can be on your way ready for more touring

What is 1 seating?? this is my learn something new

 

[redoschi]

What do you have planed for dinners A good day of touring deserves a good meal

Sure it deserves a good meal!

As we're on a budget I'm not including as many TS restaurants as I'd like, but we have a few:

Ohana Breakfast
Sci-Fi Dine In lunch
Teppan Edo dinner
Tusker House breakfast (not sure if I'll do this one, read mixed reviews and it will depend if they'll like Ohana as a character meal)
T-Rex dinner
Be Our Guest dinner (also not sure if we'll do, we're certainly doing BOG CS for lunch on one of our MK days, but I grabbed an ADR for dinner for Superbowl sunday)
Beaches & Cream lunch!

Speaking of Beaches & Cream, last time we did something that worked out great for us and we're doing again in January, so I thought I should share it here with you!
We did a 2 park day between DHS and Epcot and got the boat to get from DHS to Beach Club, stopped by Beach Club for what I consider the best burger in WDW! Then just walked through International Gateway for the rest of the day at Epcot!



We are also planning on Sharks Underwater Grill at SeaWorld! I believe that was the best theme park restaurant I've ever tried! But I've never been to Le Cellier nor Mythos, both of which have great reviews! (speaking of Mythos, I'm thinking of doing that one as well, I was looking at its menu and it's certainly less expensive then I imagined given the reviews!)


For CSs we'll do some that are classics like Casey's Corner, Sunshine Seasons and Flame Tree Barbecue, and some that seem pretty good but I've never tried like Wolfgang Puck Express at DTD, Columbia Harbor House and Tangierine Cafe! Also, for breakfast, to avoid doing just Pop (or AoA through the bridge) all the time, I'm planning a couple other CS breakfasts at other hotels such as the Mara at AKL (to take a look at the Savanna as well!) and Contempo Cafe at Contemporary!

 

[redoschi]

What is 1 seating?? this is my learn something new

Usually 1st seating are the earliest times for a certain restaurant for a certain meal.

My breakfast ADR's for example are for the very first time-slot so that we can be seated as soon as we arrive!
But for dinner I can't really have dinner as early as some people I've seen on the boards. Like Disney Commando that just mentioned grabbing ADRs for 4-5pm! That is way too early for me!

 

[stitchywoman]

Usually 1st seating are the earliest times for a certain restaurant for a certain meal.

My breakfast ADR's for example are for the very first time-slot so that we can be seated as soon as we arrive!
But for dinner I can't really have dinner as early as some people I've seen on the boards. Like Disney Commando that just mentioned grabbing ADRs for 4-5pm! That is way too early for me!

hahaha...that's what I was gonna say! but DISboards ate itself on my computer.

Anyway, Missed you guys!

 

[Disney Commando]

Usually 1st seating are the earliest times for a certain restaurant for a certain meal.

My breakfast ADR's for example are for the very first time-slot so that we can be seated as soon as we arrive!
But for dinner I can't really have dinner as early as some people I've seen on the boards. Like Disney Commando that just mentioned grabbing ADRs for 4-5pm! That is way too early for me!

I never thought about different time zones The 1st seating of dinner would be like eating lunch if you are from a different time zone, in this case I would say the last seating would also work since in the winter months the parks close early, this would also reduce any loss of touring time in fact you might even do better

 

[AirGoofy]

I never thought about different time zones The 1st seating of dinner would be like eating lunch if you are from a different time zone, in this case I would say the last seating would also work since in the winter months the parks close early, this would also reduce any loss of touring time in fact you might even do better

We don't park hop, because we don't want to lose park time. With that said, going from 9 to 9 with no breaks is tough, even for me. So, while you PHs relax on the Disney transportation, we eat in the park. It gives us some rest time and back to it.

 

[redoschi]

We don't park hop, because we don't want to lose park time. With that said, going from 9 to 9 with no breaks is tough, even for me. So, while you PHs relax on the Disney transportation, we eat in the park. It gives us some rest time and back to it.

I usually prefer to to whole days in the same park as well, with lunch and dinner at that park.
The only park hop that I really enjoy is sharing a day between DHS and Epcot and stopping at Beaches & Cream for lunch on the way between parks. This is one of my only 2 hops planned for my next trip in January. The other is leaving AK when the park closes at 5 to go for evening EMH at DHS.

 

[Disney Commando]

Did something yesterday that I never did before I cancelled a ADR, Once I make a ADR they are 99% set in stone, but this was the 1% that I would change one for, And here it is one of our fellow members Randall ( Cinderella's Fella) will be arriving at WDW on Nov 9th, I'm leaving on the 10th, on my last trip he was posting pics for me and said I owe him a meal, I'm the type of person that makes things happen and there is no way I'm letting this opportunity slide by, I had a ADR for 1900 Park Fare at 8 we tried for a few weeks to get a table for 5, the best we were able to get was Randall got a table for 2 at 8:20. OK at least we would be at the same place, ADR are tough for this weekend since a marathon is going on, Yesterday I did manage to get a 7:35 ADR for 5 at Ohana's, I can't think of a better way to spend the last hours of the trip then with friends, We toured Philly Zoo last year and had a great time

Hopefully after breakfast we can score some Transportation Cards and hit MK for a couple hours before I have to leave WDW to head home

 

[Disney Commando]

2 Commando Club members meet this week at WDW (looks like Epcot, Umbrella restaurant) Randall (Cinderella's Fella) & Dave (dvczerfs) , I have meet both of them and they are Great guys, I know they had fun They are both also members of The Dis Dads club, so this meet is a Commando/DDC meet

Hope many more members get to meet in the future

 

[stitchywoman]

Just a minute for a happy dance...this time next week I will be in Orlando!!!!!! True, it is Universal and not Disney yet, but hey, it's closer to the magic than Los Angeles right? We leave in the morning, so it's less than a week I guess.

I was doing a final dig through my stuff for packing and found transportation cards that DH had hidden away after the last trip in 2010...hahaha...We got a bunch of monorail ones, but are missing a few. I thought we hadn't gotten any until he reminded me that one monorail driver had them and gave him every one he had! I am seriously considering buying the others on ebay if I can find them. Like I said, I am gonna try and get as many as possible this time, but it isn't the same.

 

[zianha]

Sorry I haven't been on the DIS too much lately! I was really bummed out that I had to cancel my Dec trip. But the good news is I just started a great new job last week and I actually get a week vacation after only 6 months so I can for sure go on my May/June trip next year!!

Ok, I gotta go back and catch up on what I missed these past few months!

 

[Disney Commando]

Just a minute for a happy dance...this time next week I will be in Orlando!!!!!! True, it is Universal and not Disney yet, but hey, it's closer to the magic than Los Angeles right? We leave in the morning, so it's less than a week I guess.

I was doing a final dig through my stuff for packing and found transportation cards that DH had hidden away after the last trip in 2010...hahaha...We got a bunch of monorail ones, but are missing a few. I thought we hadn't gotten any until he reminded me that one monorail driver had them and gave him every one he had! I am seriously considering buying the others on ebay if I can find them. Like I said, I am gonna try and get as many as possible this time, but it isn't the same.

Look at the back and see if they are part of the 18 card set or the newer 25 card set, I think they were on the 18 card set in 2010, you most likely will not find cards from the 18 card set at WDW, since they have been retired, but eBay does have quite a bit from that set, plus I might have some extras

All the cards you would get this trip will be from the 25 card set

 

[Disney Commando]

Sorry I haven't been on the DIS too much lately! I was really bummed out that I had to cancel my Dec trip. But the good news is I just started a great new job last week and I actually get a week vacation after only 6 months so I can for sure go on my May/June trip next year!!

Ok, I gotta go back and catch up on what I missed these past few months!

Bummer you had to cancel your Dec trip, but Congratulations on your new job, mmmm May/June looks like it would be Star war weekends

 

[AirGoofy]

Sorry I haven't been on the DIS too much lately! I was really bummed out that I had to cancel my Dec trip. But the good news is I just started a great new job last week and I actually get a week vacation after only 6 months so I can for sure go on my May/June trip next year!!

Ok, I gotta go back and catch up on what I missed these past few months!

Congrats on the new job, but sorry you missed the trip.

 

[Cinderella's Fella]

Did something yesterday that I never did before I cancelled a ADR, Once I make a ADR they are 99% set in stone, but this was the 1% that I would change one for, And here it is one of our fellow members Randall ( Cinderella's Fella) will be arriving at WDW on Nov 9th, I'm leaving on the 10th, on my last trip he was posting pics for me and said I owe him a meal, I'm the type of person that makes things happen and there is no way I'm letting this opportunity slide by, I had a ADR for 1900 Park Fare at 8 we tried for a few weeks to get a table for 5, the best we were able to get was Randall got a table for 2 at 8:20. OK at least we would be at the same place, ADR are tough for this weekend since a marathon is going on, Yesterday I did manage to get a 7:35 ADR for 5 at Ohana's, I can't think of a better way to spend the last hours of the trip then with friends, We toured Philly Zoo last year and had a great time

Hopefully after breakfast we can score some Transportation Cards and hit MK for a couple hours before I have to leave WDW to head home

Thanks for making the ADR Ron, now all I have to do is figure out how to get from AoA to Polly by 7:30 using Disney transportation.

 

[Disney Commando]

I've been seeing that Whispering Canyon Cafe may have changed their menu to a skillet only, if this is the case even though we like it there it's not going to work for us, so what I'm thinking of doing is making that day our Sea World day and making a later ADR for Portobello's