WDW Commando Club

[~armywife~]

i always wondered how many people walk around with that info on a card or paper in there pocket while at the park? if they do, how they set theres up and what it looks like? mine is simple, the day and date on the top. am = m.k pm = epcot. than under each am or pm, i have our adrs and special events. on the bottom right side of the paper i have all four parks hours. the emh times are all ready in the park hours. anyone else carry this info with them??????

i bring the entire binder to the resort with us, and have a master calender in it that has the entire trip planned out on it, but, also, like you, have each day printed out on its own notecard and laminated (that has the park hours of where we're going, our ADRs and any other information specific to that day). we decided that lamination was nice after past vacations where we've ended up with a torn, or wet, or crumpled paper after only half a day .. plus it slides in and out of pockets much easier. it's nice to have the binder in the room, too, so we can get an early peek at menus, or where bathrooms are at the parks, or even decide the fastest routes to get around the parks, etc before we head out for the day.

 

[~armywife~]

Color coded travel binder with calendar, schedule, and menus, ADR #'s ??? That would be me!!!

and here i was beginning to think i was the only one ...

such a great thread! yay, commandos!!!

 

[DoleWhipDVC]

We enjoy going commando - we even try to do the major attractions in all four parks in one day!

 

[Disney Commando]

WAIT!!!!! ... are there really people out there who DON'T have a binder, decorated on the outside with mickey and travel dates and their families name ... a binder with color coded sections, complete with a day by day calender of events/times/park hours AND the menus of all the places you have ADRs and of all the QS you MIGHT go to ?

..... and people who don't know which park they are starting at on each day, when rope drop will be, when the parades and fireworks are, and which rides are going to be the busiest?


how is this possible ok, just kidding ... i know there are A LOT of those people out there and that I may be in the minority of over-planners. i'm glad to see that there are others out there! i think there is a lot of fun in the planning and i love printing it all out so we have it at our fingertips, plus it helps get the family in the WDW state of mind ... plus, it makes the actual trip seem sooo much more relaxed.

You are member #65. It is hard to believe that some people have no plan at all. I was always taught to get your monies worth, I can't understand how people can spend all that money, and not have some kind of plan of action

I think we are commandos. Planning a year ahead of time, excel spreadsheets with numerical values assigned to each attraction, up before dawn and in the parks till late at night, resort pool - what resort pool? We are cruel parents who force our children to spend the whole day every day on rides or at character meals. Thank you for creating a place where it is okay to be ourselves.

You are member #66. They have pools at the resorts: Sleeping in late and pools you can do at home, whey too much to do at WDW

I'm not sure if we would qualify as commandos because this is the first time we will be going to WDW with a plan. I guess we are commandos in training! We went for only 2 days a couple years ago and boy, were we uneducated! We stayed offsite, arrived at MK mid-morning, stood in line to get tickets, took the boat over, then walked into the park probably around 11am. We then proceeded to wonder what we should do and where we should go! We stood in long lines for characters and rides. We also assumed they did fireworks and the parade every night. Boy, were we wrong!!! We just happened to go on a princess and pirate party night so we lost out on quite a few hours of fun when the park closed to us non-ticket holders!

This time will be much different!!!! Our first real wake up call was reading the UG. I must say that we both enjoyed that book thoroughly!!!! We have been planning like crazy for the last month or two and I have spent huge amounts of time on this board! We are still figuring out our touring plans, but definitely plan to stick to a schedule this time. We will be arriving at rope drop if it kills me (not a morning person).

We may not be bringing binders with us to the parks, but you can be assured we will have our touring plan in our back pocket with all the necessary info on it!!!! Our kids will be 7 and 4 when we go and my husband doesn't even want to stop for characters because it might interfere with the plan!

You are member #67. I got burned last year once on the firework & parade. I had the schedule printed off the net, well somewhere inbetween they changed it, I'm on my way to HS to see Fantasmic, and it was replaced with Wishes at MK. I wasn't the only one at HS who had this info I make it a point of picking up the park schedules for the week, and make sure everything is still the same

We enjoy going commando - we even try to do the major attractions in all four parks in one day!

You are member #68. Nothing like a DoleWhip:

 

[stitchywoman]

I told DD that we wouldn't take her with us until she could keep up. The first time she went to Disneyland she was 3 and only wanted to get princess autographs...um babe, I have rides to ride and parades to see....Now she is 11 and prides herself on her ability to weave in and out of crowds. I know this makes me sound like the wicked stepmother, but when you are paying the kind of money we do to go to WDW we need to get EVERYTHING in. I show her maps and spreadsheets to get her excited. Our next trip (not this one coming up, it's an adult trip as she has school to attend and didn't want to spend all summer in California so she will be staying with friends....) will be her first and with all the training I may actually let her plan part of it. I may have to replan, but I need to get her started commandoing soon right?

I am so happy to have a group of people who can actually listen to my rantings about planning and get excited with me rather than criticize. I can be very opinionated and am often spoken down to rather than accepted other places....I love you guys...

 

[disneyjunkie]

We enjoy going commando - we even try to do the major attractions in all four parks in one day!

We spend our last full day hitting the biggies in each park. Our last day is spent at the AM EMH park before heading to the airport.

Anyone want to keep track when we will be in WDW? Maybe we can have a mini meet.

Or maybe some of us will be willing to share a fireworks cruise or get YES groups set up.

 

[Minnie Mi]

Commando and proud of it. Cut my teeth on a 5-day trip with our 3-year old way back when because, hey, you have to plan with a little kid. Now that I have gotten the Disney commando bug, I know I will be one for life. It just stays with you forever. Like a tattoo. Or silverware.

My husband doesn't want to plan and that's fine: He's MugMan. That guy who's in charge of the refillable mugs. He keeps us all caffeinated and hydrated. (Salute to my Mug Man and to all Mug Men everywhere)

My DS is MugBoy. He's still in boot camp. He may earn another stripe on our upcoming trip if we can trust him to go to Roaring Forks unaccompanied by an adult. Then he'll be MugTween.

Thank you DisBoarders for my annual comando recertification. There's always some new planning tip that helps make our vacation perfect.

 

[Disney Commando]

Commando and proud of it. Cut my teeth on a 5-day trip with our 3-year old way back when because, hey, you have to plan with a little kid. Now that I have gotten the Disney commando bug, I know I will be one for life. It just stays with you forever. Like a tattoo. Or silverware.

My husband doesn't want to plan and that's fine: He's MugMan. That guy who's in charge of the refillable mugs. He keeps us all caffeinated and hydrated. (Salute to my Mug Man and to all Mug Men everywhere)

My DS is MugBoy. He's still in boot camp. He may earn another stripe on our upcoming trip if we can trust him to go to Roaring Forks unaccompanied by an adult. Then he'll be MugTween.

Thank you DisBoarders for my annual comando recertification. There's always some new planning tip that helps make our vacation perfect.

You are member #69. MugMan & MugBoy Yes, I think once it's in your blood , its a hard habit to break.

 

[Minnie Mi]

Thank you! (blush) (double blush at my #)

 

[Disney Commando]

Anyone want to keep track when we will be in WDW? Maybe we can have a mini meet.

Or maybe some of us will be willing to share a fireworks cruise or get YES groups set up.

Great Idea And IMO with 10yrs on the boards, you would make a great canidate for the job

I already see that ~armywife~ & Minnie Mi are there at the same time

So with that if anyone would like to be charge of a Special Intrest Post, it could be keeping track of what level commando everyone is, or keep track of how many M & F commando's there are, etc

Only thing I ask is when making a special intrest post, use the the title, and write Special Intrest Post - and what it is. This way we can spot them, I'll start a special intrest post section on the threads 1st post, so everyone, plus future members will be able to find them and participate

This Is A Equal Opportunity Commando Thread

 

[scrappinmom]

We spend our last full day hitting the biggies in each park. Our last day is spent at the AM EMH park before heading to the airport.

Anyone want to keep track when we will be in WDW? Maybe we can have a mini meet.

Or maybe some of us will be willing to share a fireworks cruise or get YES groups set up.

On trip in years past, my dh would just laugh at my binder, color coded index cards, and other things I NEEDED to have. So 5 years ago I decided to leave him at home!!!! he was happy as a pig in mud, and me...welll So now I've trained our 2 girls (16 & 11 this year) to be commando touring buddies! The 16 year old can get to space mountain and get fast passes while the 11 yr old and I head to fantasyland, and she can meet us before we're ready to get in line for dumbo!

We also do super commando our last day - MUST hit the mountains at MK, TOT and RNR at HS, Everest at AK, and we end with TT and Soarin, then and only then am I ready to get on the plane!

 

[Disney Commando]

On trip in years past, my dh would just laugh at my binder, color coded index cards, and other things I NEEDED to have. So 5 years ago I decided to leave him at home!!!! he was happy as a pig in mud, and me...welll So now I've trained our 2 girls (16 & 11 this year) to be commando touring buddies! The 16 year old can get to space mountain and get fast passes while the 11 yr old and I head to fantasyland, and she can meet us before we're ready to get in line for dumbo!

We also do super commando our last day - MUST hit the mountains at MK, TOT and RNR at HS, Everest at AK, and we end with TT and Soarin, then and only then am I ready to get on the plane!

You are member #70. It's great that you and your DD's all work together Your DH might come around yet and learn the way

 

[icesk8abc]

I am definitely a commando! I have already warned my sister and her family who are coming with us in October. This is NOT a sit back and relax vacation. This is the only time they intend to go in the next 5-8 years. I told them that if they wanted to hang with me, they have to be ready to get up early and go like mad! We have already planned breaks for her to take the little ones back to the hotel for a nap while my husband and I stay in the parks and do the rides the little ones can't do and my sis won't ride.

I have meals planned. I have already started running ridemax for similar park days. I will have printed itineraries for every day, with a mini laminated copy for all the adults in the party. While I definitely love sitting on a bench and watching the magic occur, this is a scheduled "ice cream, soda, or other snack" break. I go every other year and absolutely love seeing everything I can each trip.

 

[Disney Commando]

I am definitely a commando! I have already warned my sister and her family who are coming with us in October. This is NOT a sit back and relax vacation. This is the only time they intend to go in the next 5-8 years. I told them that if they wanted to hang with me, they have to be ready to get up early and go like mad! We have already planned breaks for her to take the little ones back to the hotel for a nap while my husband and I stay in the parks and do the rides the little ones can't do and my sis won't ride.

I have meals planned. I have already started running ridemax for similar park days. I will have printed itineraries for every day, with a mini laminated copy for all the adults in the party. While I definitely love sitting on a bench and watching the magic occur, this is a scheduled "ice cream, soda, or other snack" break. I go every other year and absolutely love seeing everything I can each trip.

You are member #71. Your sister has been warned Since she was included in the planning process, she knows what she's up against Are you doing MNSSHP

 

[stitchywoman]

I have to be a Disney Commando. We're goin for 3 days in August and trying to fit in all 4 parks. It's my DBF first trip so I want to hit all the good stuff so he'll want to go back with me in the future! I've been checking out the Disboards and planning and replanning for 3 months now. I can't wait until August to put my plan to work!!

We will be there Aug 15th-21st. I always find it is fun with a group of people that know how to have Disney fun (that's how I got DH hooked, and I ended up getting a Disneymoon out of it). Let me know if you want to meet up. We plan on doing drinking around the world and are trying to get a group together. Also I have been told that the clubs at the boardwalk are awesome at night. We have never been as we used to go to pleasure island but now are trying to find a new spot.

 

[Disney Commando]

We will be there Aug 15th-21st. I always find it is fun with a group of people that know how to have Disney fun (that's how I got DH hooked, and I ended up getting a Disneymoon out of it). Let me know if you want to meet up. We plan on doing drinking around the world and are trying to get a group together. Also I have been told that the clubs at the boardwalk are awesome at night. We have never been as we used to go to pleasure island but now are trying to find a new spot.

Your trip is coming up quick I don't know much about the clubs, (got the little guy, so I can't go to them, looks like DW & I will have to go by ourselves one of these trips)

I can tell you from walking the Boardwalk late at night they seem to be jumping They only partying activity I get to do is drinking around the world Never have a problem getting around it, I like the mixed drinks, I start in Mexico and get the Tequila out of the way 1st (learned many years ago that Tequila does not mix well on top after a night drinking) After that everything goes pretty smooth, my favs are the ones in Marocco .

 

[Disney Commando]

I'll be away for a couple days, going on a non Disney roadtrip to Busch Gardens in VA, it's a great park to brush up on commando skills and walking, untill I get back to WDW in Dec.

 

[mindync]

I am definitely a commando! I have already warned my sister and her family who are coming with us in October. This is NOT a sit back and relax vacation. This is the only time they intend to go in the next 5-8 years. I told them that if they wanted to hang with me, they have to be ready to get up early and go like mad! We have already planned breaks for her to take the little ones back to the hotel for a nap while my husband and I stay in the parks and do the rides the little ones can't do and my sis won't ride.

I have meals planned. I have already started running ridemax for similar park days. I will have printed itineraries for every day, with a mini laminated copy for all the adults in the party. While I definitely love sitting on a bench and watching the magic occur, this is a scheduled "ice cream, soda, or other snack" break. I go every other year and absolutely love seeing everything I can each trip.

Love love love the laminated itinerary idea!!!

I just blogged about this topic a couple days ago...about how you "could" do Disney and how *we* do Disney. We are commando- with no apologies. My DH says "if a park is open- we are there." Last November we were at the World with friends that went to Downtown Disney to shop during the day. What the heck?! DD is for late night when everything else is closed!!! I thought that was common knowledge?

My kids kinda make fun of me, "Get up! It's 5am already. What do you think this is- VACATION??" But at the end of the trip they tell me they got to do everything they wanted to do. That is the goal kids...that is the goal.

So yeah...we're commando.

 

[Disney Commando]

Love love love the laminated itinerary idea!!!

I just blogged about this topic a couple days ago...about how you "could" do Disney and how *we* do Disney. We are commando- with no apologies. My DH says "if a park is open- we are there." Last November we were at the World with friends that went to Downtown Disney to shop during the day. What the heck?! DD is for late night when everything else is closed!!! I thought that was common knowledge?

My kids kinda make fun of me, "Get up! It's 5am already. What do you think this is- VACATION??" But at the end of the trip they tell me they got to do everything they wanted to do. That is the goal kids...that is the goal.

So yeah...we're commando.

You are member #72. The way we do Disney seems to be frowned upon by ALOT of fellow DisBoarders, IMO we mock what we do not understand

 

[Motomom06]

DH, DS, DMIL and DFIL went to Disney last Dec. It was the first time any of us had been back to WDW since DH and I were kids. I have OCD and planned every second! (thank goodness I found the DIS!!!) I gave everyone bound touring instructions in full size, in pocket size laminated and had all our ADR in place 180 days out. We had a great time! Going back in Oct.!