The Best Laid Plans...A Commando does WDW

[agavegirl1]

Well, I decided due to peer pressure to actually write a trip report and I will admit, I am not sure how. I have uploaded my photos to an internet site and I am going to start.

This is not a trip report about people with kids. We are two adults on our second trip to the World. I am a self-admitted Commando and I learned a lot this trip

Each day will begin with a photo of my actual daily touring plan, followed by my attempts to implement the plan. There will be photos and faux pas. There will be suggestions. There will be obstacles to "The Best Laid Plans" identified and lessons learned. There will be ratings. And, there will actually be "stopping to smell the roses" because it had to be done.



Who We Are:

Me: agavegirl1, AKA Wendy. Theme park fan and Commando #233
Favorite Park: Epcot
Favorite Character: Belle
Favorite Ride: Expedition Everest

DBF: AKA Loren. Travel fan and roller coaster afficianado
Favorite Park: Epcot
Favorite Character: Pooh
Favorite Ride: Rock N Roller Coaster

This trip took place October 17-26 and was followed by visits to Sea World and Universal (which I will report on separately).


What we really Look Like......

 

[agavegirl1]

This page is reserved in case I figure out how to link stuff

 

[Disney Commando]

I'm here, yeah front row

 

[agavegirl1]

Day One
Arrival Day



Our plans had us at Minneapolis Saint Paul airport at 5:45 AM for our 7:30 direct flight to MCO. We paid extra for the privilege of flying non-stop but this is worth it to us. We can scrimp elsewhere. Our boarding passes had TSA Pre-check designations and security was easy peasy.
Since I wasn’t sure I would do a trip report, I did not take any mandatory airport pictures at either MSP or MCO. If readers feel this leaves my trip report somewhat lacking, you can always google a photo of a Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200. They kind of all look alike to me. Plus it was dark out. As for the Fake-O-Rail, I’m sure you can find a photo somewhere in the Trip Report forum.

After an extremely smooth and uneventful flight, we arrived at MCO 8 minutes early. Before long…we were..HERE!



After a little over an hour, we arrived at our resort, Pop Century. It was now about 12:20 PM and we were surprised to discover that our room was ready and I received all my requests…50’s section, not ground floor, lake view. We were in a corner room on the second floor of building 2 next to the lake. After congratulating myself for actually making room requests (Thanks Pop Century thread on the Resorts board), we went to our room, dumped our carry-on bags and explored the resort. Well what we really did was have lunch in the food court because we were starving. Exploring the resort was the PLAN. Our stomachs had other ideas. This would become a recurring theme. I actually took pictures of our sandwiches too. This would not become a recurring theme as a largely forgot about food pics for the remainder of the trip, with one notable exception. Oh, and the pic of my Tuna Sandwich? Really bad light, basic Disney Parks paper plate and well, a good sandwich.

The Resort...(like you haven't seen these pics before)





After exploring the gift shop a bit, we decided to head to Epcot earlier than planned. The bus arrived within 10 minutes. Our magic bands worked flawlessly to get into the park and we headed to our first destination, the photo place. I had ordered Photo Pass Plus over a year before. Sure enough, I gave my voucher to the CM and he opened a cabinet where there was exactly one Photo Pass Plus waiting just for me. It appears that Disney, knowing my plans via MDE had put the obsolete item where it needed to be at the right time. The CM was amused and so was I. I was also a little creeped out.


After the photo place (I still don’t know the name of it), our FP+ for Spaceship Earth was open. Magic Bands working flawlessly again, we rode with no wait and DBF was starting to get impressed with my fabulous planning. I was giddy with self-satisfaction. Next on the spreadsheet was “see the Jammitors at 4:15”. I had forgotten to write down where they would be. By the time I figured out I should just check MDE, they were done performing. Note to self: use MDE, this is not 2012.
Time for our Mission Space FP+. The line was non-existent so we rode twice, once using FP+ and once Standby. We then used our Test Track FP+ and DBF was really impressed by now. However, we were out of Fastpasses, it was early evening, and no headliners were available. We decided to head over to the Land pavilion. Loren remembered he really liked the greenhouses and I noticed the wait was at 10 minutes per MDE (yes I was learning). We rode Living with the Land (walk-on) then signed up for the “Behind the Seeds Tour” for Tuesday morning. (Woo Hoo pics of this tour coming up)

Our next plan was to head to World Showcase and catch “British Revolution”. We couldn’t get past a couple of food kiosks so we missed this performance too. We tried a few more food items and adult beverages but the crowds were hideous and the lines long. It’s Friday night at Epcot during Food and Wine…Duh…We decided on a nightcap at Rose and Crown and made it a double for a dollar. Whoa! It was like a tall glass of Bombay Sapphire with a splash of tonic and a lime. We teetered out of Epcot before Illuminations to beat the crowds. The bus stop was still pretty crowded but they sent two buses for Pop Century and we were on our way back for a much needed sleep.


A Quick Note about my “Official” pictures…
In between FP+ reservations, I looked for Disney Photographers. I wanted as many pictures as possible but had the goal of not waiting in any lines for them. I may not have gotten hundreds of pictures, but I got quite a few and never waited in line once. One recurring theme was the CM’s reactions to my PhotoPass Plus. I’d whip out the card and the CM would say something like “Wow, a real PhotoPass Plus!” sometimes calling another CM over to have a look. It turned out to be quite a conversation piece.


Obstacles Identified: Hunger, as I said, this will become a recurring theme. Distractions, precise timing requires tunnel vision when traversing the park. Failure to use available tech, this was just me being dumb.
I still consider Day One to be successful for the most part. I was feeling good about my plan overall.

Takes me a day to write about a day so...expect 10 days to finish this trip report.

Commando Aside Mention: All right commandos, you know that your trip report really doesn't begin with day one...it begins anywhere from two years to three months before you arrive at the airport. Let's just all agree that, this plan was 18 months in the making, required hundreds of adjustments and well....you know.

 

[agavegirl1]

Commando Side Notes;

I will add as I see fit.

My daily spreadsheets are pages in an Xcel workbook that tie to the first page master list. I use color coding to differentiate location. The first page will not be posted. It is a master page where changes carry to the individual daily plans.

Key:

Peachy color - home resort which is Pop Century
Greenish - Animal Kingdom
Pinkish - Magic Kingdom
Purpleish - Disney Hollywood Studios
Blueish-Epcot
Brownish-Off Site or Resort Area
Yellow-Travel and Transportation

The daily plan will show up for each day and will progressively be less accurate as we continue on our journey.

 

[agavegirl1]

I'm here, yeah front row

Yes Commando Leader, I am reporting for duty. I hope this humble report will help those whose previous touring style served them well but may not in the future...and that would be me.

 

[Disney Commando]

I must say, You got a nice and neat well laid out spreadsheet system

 

[agavegirl1]

Day Two: Or where I discover that I’m not that awesome.

The PLAN:



The name of this thread comes from day Two. This is where I learn that WDW is an unforgiving master and I am but a pawn in the scheme of things. Gee, you think I would have learned that when the miraculous one Photo Pass Plus card magically appeared at Epcot an hour before my first FP+ reservation. This is also where I learn that my “go with the flow” DBF was not as “into” WDW as I am. We went four years prior and pretty much rode every ride available. For him, once every four years is enough for some attractions.

Disney Hollywood Studios had a morning Extra Magic Hour at 8AM. I was ready. We arrived at the bus stop at about 7:15 along with a whole lot of other guests. We did manage to fit everyone on the bus and were off. We stood around with a whole bunch of onsite guests and waited.

When we made it through the Mickey Readers, we headed straight for Sunset Blvd and you guessed it Starring Rolls. What!!! Doesn’t the plan call for riding RnRC and ToT twice each? Why yes, it does. Apparently, however, a granola bar and coffee is insufficient sustenance for roller coaster riding. We needed something more. The unplanned stop only allowed us one ride each before our first FP+ time.



Standby lines for RnRC built very quickly. We could have fit another ride on ToT but…DBF didn’t think it was worth it. We just rode it and it wasn’t a roller coaster. Not to mention, we rode it three times in 2010. Ummm okay?


We used our RnRC FP+, decided the Great Movie ride was too long a wait and hit up Star Tours with a 15 minute Standby. We were then planning to use our FP+ for a second ride on Star Tours but the FP+ line was way out across the entire walkway. For some reason, MDE allowed me to book a FP+ time 15 minutes before an ADR. It wasn’t going to happen. We headed to 50’s Prime Time for lunch.

At Prime Time, we waited and waited for what seemed like forever for someone to open the restaurant to guests. We were finally met by a CM after the approximately two dozen people in front of us were told to come back later. They did not have ADRs. We were seated about 20 minutes later than the ADR. On a positive note, lunch was delicious. We had pot roast and meat loaf. And the Bloody Mary we had while waiting to be seated didn’t hurt.



After lunch, rather than use our ToT FP+ (it’s boring remember) we left the park and went to Animal Kingdom.

I was starting to feel really disappointed with everything. FP+, Disney crowds, other guests but mostly, I felt the plans I’d made going up in flames before my very eyes. On the bus ride to AK, I resolved to adjust. Plans can be adjusted on the fly. Expectations on the other hand are not as easy to adjust. It would take time.



The plan for AK was to do shows and Everest using Single Rider. As we were making our way through the Oasis, we saw Devine. To heck with Everest, I considered this a lucky break so we watched her perform. The plan called for seeing Flights of Wonder but we were early…early enough to catch the 3PM showing of Festival of the Lion King so we headed to Africa. I had never seen the show and was pleasantly surprised. We then walked quickly to Nemo for the 4PM show. It was okay.

We still hadn’t ridden Everest. DME listed the wait at 35 minutes and DBF didn’t want to do single rider. Dinosaur was listed at 15 minutes so we rode that. It was actually a walk-on. We enjoyed a Mojito at the Dawa bar after our ride and discussed what else to do.



Notice from the photo that Dinosaur was in "B" mode as we are looking to our left at the Carnotaurus on a stick.

We decided to head to Animal Kingdom Lodge and have a few cocktails before our ADR at Boma. DBF didn’t want to see Flights of Wonder again because we saw it four years before. Sense a recurring theme developing?

We had a couple of glasses of beer at Victoria Falls because the signature cocktails are ridiculously pricy and checked in for our Boma ADR. Guess what? We had eaten there four years before and it was on the “must repeat” list. We had a wonderful dinner and Boma is still on the must repeat list.

The beautiful atmosphere of Animal Kingdom Lodge did much to improve my mood and I went to bed looking forward to checking out New Fantasyland the next day. Four years ago it was construction walls and I wasn’t likely to hear from DBF that it wasn’t worth repeating.

Obstacles: Hunger, again. Plans need to be adjusted on the fly if necessary. Lines building earlier in the day. Expectations needed to be adjusted. DBF does not like to repeat most rides. Again, adjusting on the fly and communication are key.

I consider Day Two to be an Epiphany of sorts. This vacation was not just for me, it was for us. If DBF wants to stop and smell the roses or play it by ear or stop for a Mojito, I am not going to be the one to bury my nose in my spreadsheets and say “no, we don’t have time”. Sometimes the best laid plans go awry.

 

[metz72]

I am really enjoying your posts. I am a commando with the goal of being more laid back this time. My DH is joining us on this trip after skipping the last one. He hasn't been back in 7 years but I am anticipating a lot of "I did that last time" Hopefully I will be able to channel your patience

 

[agavegirl1]

I am really enjoying your posts. I am a commando with the goal of being more laid back this time. My DH is joining us on this trip after skipping the last one. He hasn't been back in 7 years but I am anticipating a lot of "I did that last time" Hopefully I will be able to channel your patience

Welcome metz72. I certainly hope this report will help you. As for being more laid back...it is a process and not a decision. You will experience "growing pains" for sure.

 

[agavegirl1]

I'm here, yeah front row

Nice to see you here fearless leader. Thank you for taking time out of your busy Commando schedule to read my humble contribution. Sounds like you are getting close to your trip.

ETA: A comment on the Commando Club by you was the inspiration for writing it in the first place.

 

[micheypl]

Following along....I am a commando as well and my family love it that they know what we are doing next .... This being said .. I do leave time to just explore ...and take little breaks throughout the day ... Stopping for drinks is a must How were the interactions at prime time .... We have ADRS there as well .. Hoping for some great fun with our two 10 year olds ... DH and I have been there with our oldest daughter who had a blast but this is the first time for the two younger ones to go .... We leave a week from today for the magical land ... Can't wait to hear about your next fun filled day

 

[agavegirl1]

Following along....I am a commando as well and my family love it that they know what we are doing next .... This being said .. I do leave time to just explore ...and take little breaks throughout the day ... Stopping for drinks is a must How were the interactions at prime time .... We have ADRS there as well .. Hoping for some great fun with our two 10 year olds ... DH and I have been there with our oldest daughter who had a blast but this is the first time for the two younger ones to go .... We leave a week from today for the magical land ... Can't wait to hear about your next fun filled day

Welcome micheypl! Stopping for drinks was kind of part of the plan, just not listed on the spreadsheets. We played along at Prime Time as well as two adults can do. Our server had a very wry sense of humor and we enjoyed it. Have a Magical Trip! I am writing day three and will post it shortly. Day Three is where I feel the Magic!

 

[agavegirl1]

Day Three: I Embrace the Magic
The Plan:



I had done it. I stalked the ADR Cancellation thread for October for months. I had one elusive ADR that I really, really wanted. A pre-opening Crystal Palace breakfast. I had asked DBF who is favorite character was and he answered “Pooh”. Winnie the Pooh was a serious childhood memory for him. Me, not so much. I would have loved to dine at the Castle. He, however, would have gotten that “look”. You know ladies, the one where they are trying to be nice but it is obvious that Disney Princess dining will result in embarrassing ribbing from everyone at his workplace and he hopes nobody takes a picture of him with Cinderella.

Let me just say, that if you can snag a pre-opening reservation inside the Magic Kingdom, you can pull yourself out of any plan failure funk you were experiencing.

We arrived at the Magic Kingdom around 8:05 AM for our 8:30 breakfast. The friendly CM checked us off her reservation list and we were in. The PhotoPass/Memory Maker/Whatever they call them now photographers were out in full force along Main Street with no waiting. Everything was decorated for Halloween and it was beautiful. I was stricken with a serious case of Disney Magic. We took advantage of every photographer as we made our way to the Crystal Palace. Check it out. I threw a couple of my own pics in here as well.

 

[agavegirl1]

We arrived at Crystal Palace, enjoyed a five minute wait on the veranda and were seated promptly. Our server explained the character interaction circuit to us, we ordered coffee and juice and were off to sample a hearty breakfast. DBF was happy he was not forced to tour on a granola bar and coffee for a change. He also got his picture taken with Pooh.



My faith in planning restored, we completed our meal (after having asked for the check immediately upon ordering as any good Commando would do) and headed right for Adventureland. The plan called for riding Jungle Cruise or Pirates. We did both. I was intoxicated by the Magic. I love it when a plan comes together. I was giddy with my own success and I realized I might be setting myself for an emotional fall if I didn’t tone it down a bit.
After riding our two planned rides we headed to Tomorrowland for Buzz, Astro-Orbiter and Space Mountain. We rode Buzz, skipped the Orbiter and went directly to Space Mountain. A posted 25 minute wait and it was exactly 25 minutes.




This gave us exactly 8 minutes to get to the tail end of our window for Seven Dwarves Mine Train via FP+. We made it with 5 minutes to spare. I was feeling confident but standby waits building so quickly in the morning on a recommended day were making me a bit uneasy.





We each grabbed a Pork Shank at Gaston’s for our Quick Service lunch and noticed that the line to meet him was really long. He wouldn’t even be out there for almost a half hour. This was the only character I had hoped to meet that didn’t have a FP+ option. I immediately determined that this was not going to happen this trip. Side Note: Pork Shanks at Gaston’s are very good but very rich. Splitting one would have been a good idea. This will come into play later in the day.

Next on the plan was Haunted Mansion. The posted wait was 25 minutes. It was closer to 20 but it was still a long time to me. I have a “bad” ankle. It makes it hard to stand for a long time. Twenty minutes is getting toward the limit and having waited 25 for Space, I did a lot of leaning on walls, fences etc.


Next we rode Small World with a 15 minute posted wait time that was accurate to the second. We hoped to ride Pooh next but at 45 minutes, this was not happening. We had a FP+ for 12:20 for Enchanted Tales with Belle and headed there instead. Now this is a very cute attraction with great special effects. I was most impressed with the Lumierre and Wardrobe animatronics. Loren, loved the mirror effect. He is still trying to figure it out. I actually know how the tech works but won’t tell him. (Insert maniacal laughter here). One thing we both agreed on … this attraction has zero repeatability for adults.

We then walked into Philharmagic with a 5 minute wait and relaxed in the AC in an actual chair. I always love this attraction but it was the last time for DBF I’m afraid.

We wanted to get to Adventureland before the parade. At this point, DBF began to experience “gastrointestinal distress”. We walked and walked behind the parade ropes to get to the restrooms near Splash as fast as we could. Whew! Made it. We then rode BTMRR at the beginning of our 2:55 FP+ and exited as the parade was starting. The crowds were crazy in that area so we decided to sneak behind the parade viewers toward the park entrance to head to Epcot. When we reached the area in front of the Railroad Station, the parade had just arrived there. We couldn’t leave the park but we got a great view of the parade. The CMs had roped off an area for handicapped viewing. Because no wheelchair peeps had shown up, they took down the ropes just as we reached the area.





After our fortuitous parade viewing, we headed to the Monorail. We had a plan. World Showcase with Biergarten for dinner. It was Sunday night, World Showcase should be less crowded than Friday….right?

Ummmm……nope. We had planned to see all the movies in World Showcase but only managed to accomplish Impressions de France. Well, it is my favorite. Just getting around in that area was time consuming. So many people. We headed managed to get a few photographers to take our picture then headed to our ADR.

Biergarten. First of all, we both love German food and DBF is 100% of German decent with relatives still living there. We were seated at a table with three other couples. Two couples were enjoying the communal table seating and two couples did not. We were in the former group. We really enjoyed the experience and it is on the “repeatable” list.
After dinner, while Illuminations was still going on, we headed to the exit. The Pop Century bus stop was already crazy busy. We waited almost 40 minutes to finally get on a bus. We got back to the resort and decided to mix ourselves an adult beverage with refillable mug mixers and head to the Pop Century smoking section in the 50’s. A dangerous foray into “unplanned activities”.

We ended up staying up until midnight talking to other guests including a couple of former CMs. It was fun and that particular smoking area entrapped more guests than just us over the course of our stay. Ahhhhh….the best laid plans…..

Obstacles: Standby lines building early. Adjust expectations. Food and Wine crowds. Prioritize activities. Fun people at your resort. You’ll see.
Day Three was my most Magical day. I felt good. I was able to adjust without resentment because so much of my plan….”came together”.

 

[agavegirl1]

Commando Side Notes:

Each day's Plan Page fits on a half sheet of paper or less. I take them with me to the parks but don't consult them much. They had been pretty much memorized. Each was created after a making a customized touring plan on the Touring Plan website. This enabled me to test scenarios and timing as well as determine where a FP+ might be used effectively. I set my criteria to include a moderate walking pace with a goal of minimizing wait times. I chose the order of attractions based on my memory of location but was unsure where everything in New Fantasyland was located.

My ADRs were selected based on reading menus, my personal food preferences and reading the restaurant reviews from other DISers.

 

[metz72]

My sister in law just turned me on to Touring Plans. I think its going to be harder for me to be relaxed this trip with using them but now that I know about them and seeing how well it worked for you I don't think I can not use them

 

[Disney Commando]

Commando Side Notes:

Each day's Plan Page fits on a half sheet of paper or less. I take them with me to the parks but don't consult them much. They had been pretty much memorized. Each was created after a making a customized touring plan on the Touring Plan website. This enabled me to test scenarios and timing as well as determine where a FP+ might be used effectively. I set my criteria to include a moderate walking pace with a goal of minimizing wait times. I chose the order of attractions based on my memory of location but was unsure where everything in New Fantasyland was located.

My ADRs were selected based on reading menus, my personal food preferences and reading the restaurant reviews from other DISers.

I have never visited any of the touring plan sites, (mainly because I feel imy P C will start smoking' and explode with the info I would put in) I really like the way you put your plans together, but besides any FP+s or ADR I have found that if you put things in a 3 or 4 hour clip of things to get done work really well, this gives you playing time if something does not go the way as planed. Knowing your plans, and not having to look at them much during your day is a big plus, it gives you less of a chance of 2nd guessing,unless something magical comes your way and then all plans are off

 

[agavegirl1]

My sister in law just turned me on to Touring Plans. I think its going to be harder for me to be relaxed this trip with using them but now that I know about them and seeing how well it worked for you I don't think I can not use them

I would allow a little more time between attractions than Touring Plans suggests. Their algorithm hasn't adequately adjusted for some of the increased standby times. I believe it will require a full year of FP+ data or more to sort out. I found it very fun to try out different scenarios.

Try using a slower walking pace for starters. This will help adjust what you can realistically accomplish in a day.

 

[agavegirl1]

I have never visited any of the touring plan sites, (mainly because I feel imy P C will start smoking' and explode with the info I would put in) I really like the way you put your plans together, but besides any FP+s or ADR I have found that if you put things in a 3 or 4 hour clip of things to get done work really well, this gives you playing time if something does not go the way as planed. Knowing your plans, and not having to look at them much during your day is a big plus, it gives you less of a chance of 2nd guessing,unless something magical comes your way and then all plans are off

I enjoyed having access to the "Lines App" on my phone to view the detail plans while in the park. There were times the Touring Plans site took forever to "Evaluate" a very detailed plan I set in motion. Evenings were the worst.

As for the obstacle of "Distractions" previously identified. Yup...if something Magical comes along, all plans are off. However, with the App, I could delete an activity and re-evaluate the next steps on the go.