WDW Commando Club

[kmedina]

Your husband has a good sense of humor, now if he can catch a little more Disney magic and bring out some of his inner child, you may be singing Zippity Doo Dah

He always complains when I am planning or paying for the trips but always admits later that he had a good time. There are times where he refuses to take even pictures, because he claims stopping to take them ruins the moment. I think he basically lives in the moment and enjoys the magic during the trip, not before or after. For me, I enjoy all of it. The months of planning, the hundreds of pictures I take to reminisce later and most importantly the time we are there.

Welcome. I have not went to the parks without my spouse yet, but I would consider that as an option. We do parks every other day, so we can do the relaxing and commandoing. We don't do hoppers either. Any other cool strategies you implore?

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I have not been inside the park without mine either. He wants to leave early all the time but is afraid to miss special moments with the boys. If I leave with him, there is nothing to miss. Therefore, he is always trying to convince me to leave, while I am always trying to convince him to stay. I win a lot more than he does, so I have to give in once in a while to prevent him from accusing me of never giving in. The only way he would probably leave the park is if I allowed him to take the boys. I may try that on our next trip or a future one.

Our trips are often too short to see both of the main parks at Disneyland or all 4 at DisneyWorld, so we are years away from a park day immediately followed by a resort day. I would not be opposed if Crap would agree to take more time off work. For now, I try to squeeze a half to full day into each trip. A resort day to me is still different than his idea. I like to go to the pool, walk the resort, enjoy the beaches, etc.

I guess the only strategy we agree on is not to open and close the park. If we are there before or at opening, we have to leave before closing. If we have a late night one evening, we also have to have a later start the next day. I tried to go from opening to closing before but my family gets worn out too quickly, and then they are grumpy. We also keep changing things until we get it right. I like to have at least one sit down meal a day too. It gives us a break without going back to the hotel and keeps us in the magic. The first time we did the deluxe dining plan at WDW, I had days where we did 3 sit downs in one day. Not only was that too much food, but we felt that was too many breaks. Now, we do a one credit breakfast and a 2 credit dinner when we do deluxe. We are doing the regular plan next trip, so I am looking forward to trying more counter services.

I've reached the point with my recovery that I'm acknowledging that I'm going to have permanent chronic pain in my neck and shoulders from the accident. I've accepted it, but am willing to try things to minimize the impact it's going to have on my life. I'm willing to give the Kinesiology a shot, if it means that it will strengthen the muscles in my neck/shoulders. However, I'm seeing my doc next week and see what he's going to recommend for my problems. I'm going to attempt to slowly return to normal activities, doc approved or not. Am also having major issues with DS10 being bullied by an high functioning Autistic boy and the school is doing nothing about it, despite him being hurt on a daily basis by this kid. Have contacted the school many times (even got the superintendant for the district involved at one point). Have been told that because the tormenter is Autistic there's nothing they can do. Am going to try one more thing, then it's a matter of transferring the kids into the school in our catchment area for the fall term. So much for the anti-bullying stance they have in the schools. But if I'm going to burn bridges, I'm going to do it in style, get the media involved, and have DS10 flatten the kid, which goes against everything I believe in that violence is not the answer to things in life. The fact he hasn't flattened him yet is because of me. But this is pushing the level of my tolerance towards this kind of thing, and at what point do you say enough is enough and act??

I am sorry to hear that. Hopefully, you have a full recovery. I know the timing is discouraging. Looking into options is a good idea just in case. The bullying situation your son is in is terrible. It should not matter if the perpetrator is Autistic. My nephew is and I know he would understand if he was told to stop the bullying. That is terrible. If your DS does flatten the kid, he would be painted as the bad guy despite multiple requests for help. It is a shame they will not do more to fix the problem.

May 11 - A royal coronation ceremony will take place at MK, Merida will be christened a official Disney Princess, All 10 Princesses will attend together to celebrate the event

Cool.

Here here Phoenix! You just keep rising above the chaos.

Ok Commando, so who exactly are the Princesses? Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty (Aurora), Belle, Tiana, Jasmine . . . who are the other 4 official (Mulan, Pocahontas, the girl from tangled- I know I am late but still have not watched that movie, ) I know that's bad on my part but I really don't know who are considered to be the 10. Cool for Merida though

I always thought it was weird they considered Mulan a princess, since she obviously is not. If I ever have a daughter, I am assuming that is who she will look the most like though, so they are probably trying to cover all demographics for girls to admire. Rapunzel is the name you were looking for. Ariel is the one you are missing.

 

[kmedina]

Everyone you mentioned plus Ariel, the girl from Tangled is Rapunzel, Next year you might be hearing about Anna but she has not made her debut yet

I started my response before I saw this, then got sidetracked for a couple hours. Anna is a new name for me. Looking forward to seeing whatever movie she will be in. Googling it now.

 

[Phoenixrising]

The double standard in the schools really burns me up, in that a normal kid can do something bad and get suspended, but they won't do the same for a disabled child who does the same. I'm gifted and can see what's going to happen come Sept when the new school year starts. I can guarantee you that all h***lls going to break loose, as the next child this child decides to target is going to fight back. This child is a future serial killer, as he can't comprehend what he is doing is wrong (I'm dead serious about this, as DS10 and I can both see this happening in the future around 10 years from now). The principle will be forced to deal with it come Sept, if he won't deal with it now. He's not going to have a choice in the matter. I do agree that there's a fine line between a bully and being bullied. DS10 I've kept on the good side, simply as I'm a strong anti-violence kind of person. But even this is pushing the boundaries as to what I'm willing to tolerate. I've gone as high as high up as I can go when it comes to our school district and have gotten nowhere, as our principle sweet talks her into thinking that nothing is wrong. Kids want to stay at the school despite of the problems. I want to move them so it's quite the problem. We are in the throes of a Provincial election on May 14th, and DH and I are heavily involved in getting our local New Democrat Party candidates elected (can you tell I'm Canadian EH!!) locally, and have high hopes that 2 out of the 3 candidates will be elected. Spending alot of time volunteering at the campaign office when the kids are at school. Keeps me out of mischief for the most part, but if I'm bored keep adding layers to DS soon to be 9's birthday gifts. More bored, more layers that keep getting added. This has got to be the worst I've gotten him to date, so it's going to take him a while to open his gifts on his birthday. So the thing is not to get bored, and keep busy. Have a great day everyone!!

Trish

 

[Disney Commando]

I started my response before I saw this, then got sidetracked for a couple hours. Anna is a new name for me. Looking forward to seeing whatever movie she will be in. Googling it now.

The movie's name is Frozen, it will be a 3D animated, loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson's Fairy Tale " The Snow Queen"

 

[Disney Commando]

It's never too soon to plan a trip to WDW Keep us posted on all the plans.

Have a Awesome & Safe trip, Don't do anything I wouldn't do, Can't wait to hear all about it

 

[Xclusive2WDW]

Have a Awesome & Safe trip, Don't do anything I wouldn't do, Can't wait to hear all about it

Thanks Commander!!! I am about to make one last update on my PTR and then off to WDW . Don't worry, I will be doing a TR/DR and of course my commando family will be the first to hear from me. I am very excited and hoping time stays on my side so that we see all we want to see. My mom has not been to WDW in a longer time than me so I want to make the most of it for her. We should be ok since she does not do too many coasters. Thanks again, hope everyone stays well while I am gone. . . I cannot believe I am the one saying this, it was yesterday all of this was still a dream

 

[Disney Commando]

At dinner tonight my wife suggested, that I look into going to a travel agent school and get a license (if that's how it works)

She said based on just the phone calls and texts of people we know who have booked trips, trying to find out info that they have no clue on, and finding out that there are a lot of lazy people out there that book their ADR's last minute because they don't realize that these places book up fast or feel it's a hassle to get on the website or make a phone call to get the ADR's they want at the time they want, only to be disappointed later when they don't get it

After thinking a bit, I think she may be right, after all there are a lot of businesses that cater to the lazy, The dog poop picker up guy, clean out you junk, lawn service, fast food etc, They are thriving because people are too busy or just can't be bothered

Two of the main reasons she thinks I would really be good at this is

1 - The Male in the party is usually the hard sale, has the most hesitation about the trip, and will more likely be willing to listen to what another male has to say, it sounds weird, but my wife says the women are the same way

2- She says I would be able to help plan the trip to their style whether it be a laid back pace or all out extreme psycho Commando (as she calls it)

2 questions I have are for you

1- Do you think she's right, Do you think I might be good at something like this

2- How does someone go about this

 

[kmedina]

At dinner tonight my wife suggested, that I look into going to a travel agent school and get a license (if that's how it works)

She said based on just the phone calls and texts of people we know who have booked trips, trying to find out info that they have no clue on, and finding out that there are a lot of lazy people out there that book their ADR's last minute because they don't realize that these places book up fast or feel it's a hassle to get on the website or make a phone call to get the ADR's they want at the time they want, only to be disappointed later when they don't get it

After thinking a bit, I think she may be right, after all there are a lot of businesses that cater to the lazy, The dog poop picker up guy, clean out you junk, lawn service, fast food etc, They are thriving because people are too busy or just can't be bothered

Two of the main reasons she thinks I would really be good at this is

1 - The Male in the party is usually the hard sale, has the most hesitation about the trip, and will more likely be willing to listen to what another male has to say, it sounds weird, but my wife says the women are the same way

2- She says I would be able to help plan the trip to their style whether it be a laid back pace or all out extreme psycho Commando (as she calls it)

2 questions I have are for you

1- Do you think she's right, Do you think I might be good at something like this

2- How does someone go about this

I just started using a travel agent. For our cruise, we got a $150 onboard booking credit, so it made sense. The only drawback was when Crap called Disney to ask a quick question, he was told we had to ask through our TA. No biggie. We had a great time.

I did not get anything for our recent booking for WDW or Disneyland, but I hear they are willing to make your reservations, help you with touring plans, look out for promotions, etc. Odds are I will likely do all of those things myself, but it does not hurt having a backup in your corner. Plus, there is no charge to use a TA. I am nervous about the delay it could cause if a promotion is released, and I have to wait for the TA to handle it. Usually, I am on the phone the moment the window opens. Those promotions go fast, so the late responder only gets the hotels that are left. Since no discounts have been released yet, I have not experienced it yet.

I am commando, so I do not relinquish any of my planning to them. That probably makes me an easy client at times and harder at other times. My 180 day just passed and happened to be on the day the systems were down. I stayed up until 3am (6am Eastern) to book. After refreshing for nearly an hour, I panicked at 4am when the phone lines opened up. It said they were upgrading the system and would be down until the afternoon (no exact time). I panicked and sent an email to my TA and DH to check for me. DH had meetings all day and TA was out for the day to get her wedding dress. Her name is Hayes, so DH and I assumed she was a man until she told us about the dress. I am sure my ADR drama is the last thing she needed an email about on the day she was picking up her dress. I told her I would book my own, which is probably why she scheduled for that day anyway. Since I was in my own, I woke up at 9am (12 Eastern) and called every few minutes and updated my browser. Booking came up just before 2:30. I started online but the phone agent picked up before I finished and helped. I still did not get all the times I wanted. I am sure I was a pain to everyone that day!

After my long winded story, I will now get to the point. I think someone who is patient with others and loves helping them plan trips would make an excellent TA. I love planning my trips but would not want to plan someone else's, especially if I am not going.

I think you should become a Disney TA. Dreams Unlimited Travel and others (although I do not know the names) have agents dedicated to Disney trips. As a matter of fact Hayes is so busy with WDW and DCL planning that I have a different agent for Disneyland, Katie.

I do not know how you would find out how to do that, but I will pm you the email addresses of my agents. Maybe, you can ask them. If they cannot offer advice, they can at least book your trips until you are up and running to book your own.

 

[Xclusive2WDW]

At dinner tonight my wife suggested, that I look into going to a travel agent school and get a license (if that's how it works)

She said based on just the phone calls and texts of people we know who have booked trips, trying to find out info that they have no clue on, and finding out that there are a lot of lazy people out there that book their ADR's last minute because they don't realize that these places book up fast or feel it's a hassle to get on the website or make a phone call to get the ADR's they want at the time they want, only to be disappointed later when they don't get it

After thinking a bit, I think she may be right, after all there are a lot of businesses that cater to the lazy, The dog poop picker up guy, clean out you junk, lawn service, fast food etc, They are thriving because people are too busy or just can't be bothered

Two of the main reasons she thinks I would really be good at this is

1 - The Male in the party is usually the hard sale, has the most hesitation about the trip, and will more likely be willing to listen to what another male has to say, it sounds weird, but my wife says the women are the same way

2- She says I would be able to help plan the trip to their style whether it be a laid back pace or all out extreme psycho Commando (as she calls it)

2 questions I have are for you

1- Do you think she's right, Do you think I might be good at something like this

2- How does someone go about this

Yes I do think you would be a GREAT TA and you would probably enjoy it. For the reasons your wife mentioned, it seems rather natural for you.

I was advised the same thing by my mom and friend and looked into it. I will PM you the info of who to contact.

 

[Cinderella's Fella]

At dinner tonight my wife suggested, that I look into going to a travel agent school and get a license (if that's how it works)

She said based on just the phone calls and texts of people we know who have booked trips, trying to find out info that they have no clue on, and finding out that there are a lot of lazy people out there that book their ADR's last minute because they don't realize that these places book up fast or feel it's a hassle to get on the website or make a phone call to get the ADR's they want at the time they want, only to be disappointed later when they don't get it

After thinking a bit, I think she may be right, after all there are a lot of businesses that cater to the lazy, The dog poop picker up guy, clean out you junk, lawn service, fast food etc, They are thriving because people are too busy or just can't be bothered

Two of the main reasons she thinks I would really be good at this is

1 - The Male in the party is usually the hard sale, has the most hesitation about the trip, and will more likely be willing to listen to what another male has to say, it sounds weird, but my wife says the women are the same way

2- She says I would be able to help plan the trip to their style whether it be a laid back pace or all out extreme psycho Commando (as she calls it)

2 questions I have are for you

1- Do you think she's right, Do you think I might be good at something like this

2- How does someone go about this

Yes Ron, you would be good at it. You tell Rachel I said she was right.

How to do this, check with the other DISDads who are travel agents, there are quite a few of them.

 

[scrapgal123]

I am very happy that I found this thread even though it is a little overwhelming....

We haven't been to Disney in a few years and the last time we went I planned my days using Touringplans. It was great in that I was able to hit all of the rides/shows as planned.

From what I have read, they have changed the Fastpass policy of no expiration time. Has anyone used either Touringplans or Ridemax after this change? If so, what has been your experience? Was it worth it and accurate as far as waiting times?

Any other planning suggestions/itinerary?

 

[baldy6060]

WDW Commando #214 here with a dilemma I hope you all can help me with. We have a trip scheduled for the first week of June. 6 and a half days in the parks...with a 7 and a half month pregnant wife! I can't be the commando I have always been. Any tips? I'll especially need help with advice on how to control my commando-ing and some advice for her on how to deal with my natural obsession to go commando. Don't worry, I won't compromise my wife's and baby's health but I may forget about her condition from time to time.

 

[kmedina]

I am very happy that I found this thread even though it is a little overwhelming....

We haven't been to Disney in a few years and the last time we went I planned my days using Touringplans. It was great in that I was able to hit all of the rides/shows as planned.

From what I have read, they have changed the Fastpass policy of no expiration time. Has anyone used either Touringplans or Ridemax after this change? If so, what has been your experience? Was it worth it and accurate as far as waiting times?

Any other planning suggestions/itinerary?

My DH always made us adhere to the fastpass times even though I told him they did not care about the expiration time. I never use a touring plan created by someone else though. We do get less fastpasses than the average commando, because we do not even bother grabbing one if we do not like the return time. I imagine it would be harder to follow a touring plan if you must return within a specific hour though.

WDW Commando #214 here with a dilemma I hope you all can help me with. We have a trip scheduled for the first week of June. 6 and a half days in the parks...with a 7 and a half month pregnant wife! I can't be the commando I have always been. Any tips? I'll especially need help with advice on how to control my commando-ing and some advice for her on how to deal with my natural obsession to go commando. Don't worry, I won't compromise my wife's and baby's health but I may forget about her condition from time to time.

Assuming you love the big rides, I would suggest you build as many as possible into your must list. She can find a nice place to relax while you ride them or go back to the room if that is more her style. Plan the shared rides, shows, attractions for early morning or early evening. The heat of the sun is the worst from 12pm-4pm, so I would keep her off her feet and out of the heat as much as possible during those hours. Pregnant women get VERY hot. If your budget allows, schedule a table service lunch every day around 1pm if she does not relax back at the resort. I have travelled with preggos before (although I doubt I will ever be able to do it myself). The key is they relax as much as possible, but that does not mean you have to slow down unless she is the type who does not like to be left alone in the park for long periods of time by herself. If that is the case, you have no choice but to go at a leisurely pace (I dreaded even writing that). Good luck.

 

[Disney Commando]

I am very happy that I found this thread even though it is a little overwhelming....

We haven't been to Disney in a few years and the last time we went I planned my days using Touringplans. It was great in that I was able to hit all of the rides/shows as planned.

From what I have read, they have changed the Fastpass policy of no expiration time. Has anyone used either Touringplans or Ridemax after this change? If so, what has been your experience? Was it worth it and accurate as far as waiting times?

Any other planning suggestions/itinerary?

You are member #235, Yes FP times are now enforced, they may give you a 10min grace period but not much more then that, Our last 2 trips since the enforcement started I've cut down on FP's to the bear minimum, instead using RD and EMH's to get the big line rides done with minimum time

I have never used the Touringplans or Ridemax apps, I feel that if anyone who has the app get the info, then how many people in the parks have it, it then becomes common knowledge, example if it says Space Mountain has a 10 min wait and I just got off Jungle Cruise by the time I got there I would highly doubt it would still be a 10min wait, But they may give a lot of useful info, I know some Commando members use them and would be able to give you a more detailed answer about them

IMO the best way to plan your day is to make a list of what you would like to get done (without order or timing things out, except for things with a time like parade, show, ADR, fireworks) , If you are able to make RD or EMH go for your big item rides, be sure to grab a FP for something on your list that you will not be getting on rite away or want to ride again later, once the lines start move on to the lower wait rides, once they are too long, then I like to do what I call the line rides these are things like Laugh Factory, Tiki Room, Country Bears etc, where they let in a mass of people at once in between of course if you pass one of the big item rides on your list grab a FP, you are basically making your own touring plan as you go,

 

[Disney Commando]

WDW Commando #214 here with a dilemma I hope you all can help me with. We have a trip scheduled for the first week of June. 6 and a half days in the parks...with a 7 and a half month pregnant wife! I can't be the commando I have always been. Any tips? I'll especially need help with advice on how to control my commando-ing and some advice for her on how to deal with my natural obsession to go commando. Don't worry, I won't compromise my wife's and baby's health but I may forget about her condition from time to time.

1st off Congratulations on your future little one I've never been in this kind of situation, the things kmedina posted sound like great advice

I do have a couple ideas but I need to ask a couple ?'s

- are you staying onsite
- do you have other kids that will be with you, if you do and are staying onsite, would your wife like to get a few hours to herself to relax at the resort, while you take the kids to a park to get your Commando out


Otherwise I'd be paying attention to the look on her face, she might not say anything if she doesn't agree, but she might give you the look then it's time to Stand-Down, I've said this before, remember A Hasty Retreat Is Better Then A Bad Stand

 

[AirGoofy]

From what I have read, they have changed the Fastpass policy of no expiration time. Has anyone used either Touringplans or Ridemax after this change? If so, what has been your experience? Was it worth it and accurate as far as waiting times?

Any other planning suggestions/itinerary?

Welcome". I wasn't happy with that change either, but made it work. I was a little more intentional with the FPs I really wanted and had to re-plan my route on the fly to maximize rides and less double backing.

WDW Commando #214 here with a dilemma I hope you all can help me with. We have a trip scheduled for the first week of June. 6 and a half days in the parks...with a 7 and a half month pregnant wife! I can't be the commando I have always been. Any tips? I'll especially need help with advice on how to control my commando-ing and some advice for her on how to deal with my natural obsession to go commando. Don't worry, I won't compromise my wife's and baby's health but I may forget about her condition from time to time.

You are a brave man. Have you considered a bullet proof vest? I'm thinking your strategy may need not lots of rest breaks. Have a great trip.

 

[baldy6060]

1st off Congratulations on your future little one I've never been in this kind of situation, the things kmedina posted sound like great advice

I do have a couple ideas but I need to ask a couple ?'s

- are you staying onsite
- do you have other kids that will be with you, if you do and are staying onsite, would your wife like to get a few hours to herself to relax at the resort, while you take the kids to a park to get your Commando out


Otherwise I'd be paying attention to the look on her face, she might not say anything if she doesn't agree, but she might give you the look then it's time to Stand-Down, I've said this before, remember A Hasty Retreat Is Better Then A Bad Stand

Thanks! I AM staying onsite. Pop Century this time. And I have a 15 yo daughter and 12 yo son. We ARE planning an evening at DHS without her but that's just to do RnR and ToT at night. But depending on how she feels there could be a lot more times where she either goes back to the hotel or relaxes at a baby care center, restaurant, shop, etc. But there will be other times where I relax with her while I make kids do things I refuse to do like go on Mission: Space or sit through Captain EO again.

 

[Disney Commando]

Got to vent a bit, I have herd a rumor that they will be testing out a new FP for a parade at MK, from what I understand it is for the Town Square section.

With all these tests they are doing with FP's, makes me wonder what's next, a FP to board the Monorail or a bus, to use the bathroom, to get a QS meal, I know they have done it with some meet & greets, some will think this is great (for now), but I fear it will also lead to another fee just like they have in other parks, and if thats the case it could affect all the FP's

IMO why would they spend a bunch of cash on all these tests if your not going to make cash back something to keep a eye on

 

[Disney Commando]

Thanks to all who responded about my wife's Travel agent idea, the next time I go to pay off more of our trip I'm going to ask them 1st, since they are in my state and each state might have different requirements, I'm also keeping the contacts that were sent to me for future reference, I'll keep you updated on any progress

 

[kmedina]

Got to vent a bit, I have herd a rumor that they will be testing out a new FP for a parade at MK, from what I understand it is for the Town Square section.

With all these tests they are doing with FP's, makes me wonder what's next, a FP to board the Monorail or a bus, to use the bathroom, to get a QS meal, I know they have done it with some meet & greets, some will think this is great (for now), but I fear it will also lead to another fee just like they have in other parks, and if thats the case it could affect all the FP's

IMO why would they spend a bunch of cash on all these tests if your not going to make cash back something to keep a eye on

I rarely watch parades and do not get too many fastpasses as it is, so I guess I am indifferent. They do fastpasses for World of Color, Fantasmic (with dining packages), the candle light processional (with dining packages), and even Illuminations with some packages. I have been grateful to receive all of those, except the Illuminations one, because we had no time to use the restroom and make it to the reserved area after the Candlelight Processional wrapped, so it was a waste. If they give fastpasses to the restrooms, I will be upset. When you gotta go, you gotta go!