Strategies for slowin’ it DOWN

Mrs~Incredible

Mouseketeer
Joined
Feb 18, 2015
Hi friends, we are planning a 9 day trip this November. It will be DH, 7 yo DD, and myself. We have 9 day park hopper tickets and will be off site. This is our 6th trip in 7 years. We have done the commando-style trip many times. I think I could write my own blog on that, LOL. What I’m looking for this time is how to take it down a notch. Maybe 10 notches. We want to soak it in more, slow down our pace. The amount of things we do this time is not as important. What are YOUR favorite things/ideas/strategies that are off the beaten path? Any tips for an ex-commando on how to slow down the theme park touring?

Thanks! :flower1:
 
We dropped the Commando thing by accident in 2005. We arrived on New Year's Day, Jan 2nd was our first park day and it was the very first day of EMH as opposed to Early Entry as it was before. MGM was the EMH park with evening hours so we couldn't rush to an EE park that day. We enjoyed the extra hour of sleep. Early Jan. was a very slow time so we started then and there to avoid EMH parks, hitting another park at RD at the regular opening time. We haven't deliberately hit an EMH park since then and we just took a more relaxed attitude since then.

2005 was our 6th WDW vacation so I guess we just got the frantic pace out of our systems. We stroll more slowly and so we see things we blew past previously and we stop to investigate. No secret here, the only way to slow down is to slow down!

Bill From PA
 
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When we went for Thanksgiving (10 days) we slowed it down on the 2nd half of the trip. We slept in, had some leisurely breakfasts, used our FPs in the afternoon. One day we went to MK at 1pm and rode the train, caught FoF, shopped, watched the Dapper Dans, and saw the shows. It was honestly one of the best days we've ever had on a Disney trip. Lots of little magical moments that day.

I think allowing yourself to rest and sleep and take your time is the best strategy. On our trip a couple of weeks ago I felt we were just running from ride to ride because the wait times were so low. I actually missed going during the busy times when the weather is nice and you are forced to slow down and do things other than rides.
 
My best advice would be to let your daughter play the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game. That forces you to slow down, walk around the park finding the locations, and relax for 2 minutes as she plays the game at each spot. and I don't get it, but for some reason, our kids absolutely love playing it.
 


We plan a few days where we schedule our fast passes for the afternoon/evening. This lets us sleep late and maybe go to the pool for a while before hitting the parks. If we do go to the parks first thing in the morning, we plan a long afternoon break so we can nap/swim.
 
Having never been a commando-style tourer, I can't quite tell you how you can tone it down as that may simply be your personal style, but we like to take our time. We don't precisely "go off the beaten path". We aren't rope droppers. I'm up at 6 am every weekday, first to the gym at 7 and then to work, home by about 6-6:30. So on vacation I like to sleep in until 8-ish. TS breakfast at 9-9:30 and take our time. No snarfing down food just to eat. Actually enjoy it, have a couple of cups of coffee. We book our FP+ for early afternoon as that gives us time to get there and then not have to commit to doing the whole day at that park. Dinner is usually late (>8 pm) so we have the whole day to do whatever.

In Epcot, we spend a lot of time in the World Showcase just watching the performers in each country: mime/acrobat in France, drummers in Japan, bellydancers & musicians in Morocco, mariachi band in Mexico, acrobats in China, etc. That can take up a good portion of the day and, best part of all, it doesn't require standing in line. In between, we'll browse through the shops. My favourites are Japan, China, Morocco, Mexico, England. Spend lots of time in Nemo and friends actually looking at the exhibits and reading the text.

In Animal Kingdom, again we like to wander through some of the shops but will also spend a large portion of time on the animal pathways, take the train up to Rafiki's and look at what's there. I also highly recommend the Wild Africa Trek for something different.

In Hollywood Studios, we spend time watching the actors who come up from time to time (hint: sit in the outside seating at the Starbucks - that's where they come out). Also wandering through shops.

At MK, we do things we would never have "wasted time on" in previous years. Liberty Belle, Tom Sawyer's Island, the train (seats!!!), Peoplemover.

We will always take a few breaks through the day; just sitting with a drink and watching people having meltdowns because they are commando-style touring types and they are hot, tired, and too busy running to their next ride to take the time to enjoy the little details that Disney does so well. Check out the names on the doors and windows (same with MK but they're not quite as funny as at HS).

Towards later afternoon, we will often feel like either going back to the resort and snoozing, watching TV for a bit, sitting by the pool, etc. or we head to the bus stop. If we have another park specifically in mind, we'll do that (buses are air conditioned! and have seats!) or we'll take the first bus that comes.

We resort hop just to see what they're like. Especially nice at Christmas-time for the decorations.

For us, the main part of the vacation is the vacation,not necessarily the venue or having to experience everything. Being together, doing things we enjoy together, talking, not working, relaxing. You may find it hard to do any of this if you are really, at heart, commando-vacationers but we can do a trip with only a few attractions per day and come home thinking it was the best Disney vacation ever.
 
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When we went for Thanksgiving (10 days) we slowed it down on the 2nd half of the trip. We slept in, had some leisurely breakfasts, used our FPs in the afternoon. One day we went to MK at 1pm and rode the train, caught FoF, shopped, watched the Dapper Dans, and saw the shows. It was honestly one of the best days we've ever had on a Disney trip. Lots of little magical moments that day.

I think allowing yourself to rest and sleep and take your time is the best strategy. On our trip a couple of weeks ago I felt we were just running from ride to ride because the wait times were so low. I actually missed going during the busy times when the weather is nice and you are forced to slow down and do things other than rides.
This is great, thank you. I like the perspective of actually enjoying the slower pace when it is busy rather than trying to “beat” the crowd.
 


My best advice would be to let your daughter play the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game. That forces you to slow down, walk around the park finding the locations, and relax for 2 minutes as she plays the game at each spot. and I don't get it, but for some reason, our kids absolutely love playing it.
Yes! We have never done that, or agent P, or the pirate adventure thing. We are definitely hoping to do at least some of those. I’m also hoping to “waste” time on Tom Sawyer Island :)
 
Having never been a commando-style tourer, I can't quite tell you how you can tone it down as that may simply be your personal style, but we like to take our time. We don't precisely "go off the beaten path". We aren't rope droppers. I'm up at 6 am every weekday, first to the gym at 7 and then to work, home by about 6-6:30. So on vacation I like to sleep in until 8-ish. TS breakfast at 9-9:30 and take our time. No snarfing down food just to eat. Actually enjoy it, have a couple of cups of coffee. We book our FP+ for early afternoon as that gives us time to get there and then not have to commit to doing the whole day at that park. Dinner is usually late (>8 pm) so we have the whole day to do whatever.

In Epcot, we spend a lot of time in the World Showcase just watching the performers in each country: mime/acrobat in France, drummers in Japan, bellydancers & musicians in Morocco, mariachi band in Mexico, acrobats in China, etc. That can take up a good portion of the day and, best part of all, it doesn't require standing in line. In between, we'll browse through the shops. My favourites are Japan, China, Morocco, Mexico, England. Spend lots of time in Nemo and friends actually looking at the exhibits and reading the text.

In Animal Kingdom, again we like to wander through some of the shops but will also spend a large portion of time on the animal pathways, take the train up to Rafiki's and look at what's there. I also highly recommend the Wild Africa Trek for something different.

In Hollywood Studios, we spend time watching the actors who come up from time to time (hint: sit in the outside seating at the Starbucks - that's where they come out). Also wandering through shops.

At MK, we do things we would never have "wasted time on" in previous years. Liberty Belle, Tom Sawyer's Island, the train (seats!!!), Peoplemover.

We will always take a few breaks through the day; just sitting with a drink and watching people having meltdowns because they are commando-style touring types and they are hot, tired, and too busy running to their next ride to take the time to enjoy the little details that Disney does so well. Check out the names on the doors and windows (same with MK but it's not quite as funny).

Towards later afternoon, we will often feel like either going back to the resort and snoozing, watching TV for a bit, sitting by the pool, etc. or we head to the bus stop. If we have another park specifically in mind, we'll do that (buses are air conditioned! and have seats!) or we'll take the first bus that comes.

We resort hop just to see what they're like. Especially nice at Christmas-time for the decorations.

For us, the main part of the vacation is the vacation,not necessarily the venue or having to experience everything. Being together, doing things we enjoy together, talking, not working, relaxing. You may find it hard to do any of this if you are really, at heart, commando-vacationers but we can do a trip with only a few attractions per day and come home thinking it was the best Disney vacation ever.
Thanks for your reply! We have done some of those things in the past, but not all. And we definitely haven’t taken the time to read stuff at the Seas.

My daughter loves Wilderness explorers at AK- That is a great way to explore books and crannies that I forgot about.

Thanks also for your comments on world showcase. WS is one of our favorite spots, and we only did a small bit of it last time. I think we will definitely spend more time there this trip. One of the best things is “happening” upon performances as you stroll through. Thanks for that reminder. :)
 
This is a good reminder for me. I am a ridiculous type A planner, and DH is not a fan of The World, due to the manic pace, the crowds, etc. We are going for Thanksgiving this year as a family (13 and 11 year old kids) and I really wanted to make this a special trip. My dad passed away last year at this time, so I wanted to be someplace special and be making happy memories with my family, rather than feeling sad at home in cold New England. I have been researching, planning, waiting for Friday to be here so I can book FP and know it will be super crowded. I have been stressing about trying to "fit it all in" and also worried about DH being grumpy about crowds, lines, etc. But what I need to remind myself is, we are staying at a beautiful resort (Grand Floridian), weather will (hopefully) be way warmer and nicer than in MA, and we really can still have a relaxing and fabulous trip not even being in the parks, waiting in lines, etc. So, I am going to re-read this post a million times between now and when we leave, as well as make a list of all the non-park activities we can enjoy.
 
This is a good reminder for me. I am a ridiculous type A planner, and DH is not a fan of The World, due to the manic pace, the crowds, etc. We are going for Thanksgiving this year as a family (13 and 11 year old kids) and I really wanted to make this a special trip. My dad passed away last year at this time, so I wanted to be someplace special and be making happy memories with my family, rather than feeling sad at home in cold New England. I have been researching, planning, waiting for Friday to be here so I can book FP and know it will be super crowded. I have been stressing about trying to "fit it all in" and also worried about DH being grumpy about crowds, lines, etc. But what I need to remind myself is, we are staying at a beautiful resort (Grand Floridian), weather will (hopefully) be way warmer and nicer than in MA, and we really can still have a relaxing and fabulous trip not even being in the parks, waiting in lines, etc. So, I am going to re-read this post a million times between now and when we leave, as well as make a list of all the non-park activities we can enjoy.
I’m sorry to hear about your dad.

Last year I had a thread about “things to do in line”. I wanted to embrace that time, rather than see it as an annoyance. It’s time together, right?

I hope you have an awesome trip. It is a great time of year to be there. Be sure to check out the detail on the holiday decorations.
 
We want to soak it in more, slow down our pace.
Ex - commando here!! It is real tough to slow things down, but your best bet is to list the must dos, what you would like to do and things you can skip. Focus on the musts and try to limit to that list - whether it be shows/entertainment that you want to see which you normally skip, maybe put staying at your resort or rental for the day and hit a park just for the evening.

What i have loved is the Hidden Magic of Walt Disney world book. When you read through it it will make you want to stop and "smell the roses". It will get you to notice the little things that the imagineers have put in place for very specific reasons, but that you would normally overlook. Just all the windows down main st have significance. Finding Walt's window -- we stopped to notice it this past trip. It kind of gets you to appreciate all that really goes into the parks.

Maybe do the sorcerers of MK, the pirate adventure or agent P's adventure in Epcot- which will get you to notice different things in the parks
 
When we went for Thanksgiving (10 days) we slowed it down on the 2nd half of the trip. We slept in, had some leisurely breakfasts, used our FPs in the afternoon. One day we went to MK at 1pm and rode the train, caught FoF, shopped, watched the Dapper Dans, and saw the shows. It was honestly one of the best days we've ever had on a Disney trip. Lots of little magical moments that day.

I think allowing yourself to rest and sleep and take your time is the best strategy. On our trip a couple of weeks ago I felt we were just running from ride to ride because the wait times were so low. I actually missed going during the busy times when the weather is nice and you are forced to slow down and do things other than rides.
Soooooooo true. Once we stopped doing commando, after our vacations we noticed that we actually felt rested and not in need of a vacation from our vacation:) If we stay at a park late, we make sure our DDs (and us) still get our sleep, so we do not set any alarms for the next morning or schedule anything. We rarely do RD anymore because we like the parks so much better at night. We also do not do parks every day, a 10 day trip we will have 2 resort days where we hang out at the pool or do mini-golf, DS, etc. and maybe in the evening, we may go to a park for a few hours or roast some marshmellows and watch the resort movie. After those nights we might actually get to the parks around opening:) I use to do the whole touring plan for each day and once we went away from that it has been great. The only thing I plan, are our park days, so I can get FP's, which helps out a lot.
 
For our first trip to WDW, we had no ADRs and also no Fast Passes until the day when we woke up and decided which park we were heading for and we had an absolutely fantastic time.

For our next trip, we obviously know a lot more about what Disney has to offer and have some ideas about what to do and things we want to see/ places we want to eat, so for 5 of the 10 days of our trip, we have ADRs and Fastpasses planned. The other 5 we are leaving flexible and will decide what we want to do when we're there. We have 10 day park hopper tickets and don't intend to leave the Disney bubble at all, but we don't feel the need to plan every moment and every meal, it's too restricting. Whilst I know some people might feel they are wasting time and will regret not making ADRs and FastPass plans, we want to enjoy the smaller but equally enjoyable things at WDW, many of which have been mentioned on this thread already. Getting a sundae and sitting in the Plaza garden watching the 3pm parade, well, actually watching the parade and the people watching the parade, was one of my favourite things of the whole trip.
 
Ex - commando here!! It is real tough to slow things down, but your best bet is to list the must dos, what you would like to do and things you can skip. Focus on the musts and try to limit to that list - whether it be shows/entertainment that you want to see which you normally skip, maybe put staying at your resort or rental for the day and hit a park just for the evening.

What i have loved is the Hidden Magic of Walt Disney world book. When you read through it it will make you want to stop and "smell the roses". It will get you to notice the little things that the imagineers have put in place for very specific reasons, but that you would normally overlook. Just all the windows down main st have significance. Finding Walt's window -- we stopped to notice it this past trip. It kind of gets you to appreciate all that really goes into the parks.

Maybe do the sorcerers of MK, the pirate adventure or agent P's adventure in Epcot- which will get you to notice different things in the parks

YES!!! Thank you for that recommendation. I love hearing about those little details (like what Walt intended as you walk through the Main Street train tunnel into Main Street USA). I’m sure there is TONS that we don’t know about that we would absolutely delight in. I will get that book today! We are definitely going to try agent P and the Pirate adventure this time, maybe Sorcerers too.

Thanks :)
 
So, when I was looking on MDE recently (when it wasn't down and glitchy), I realized that the 'showtimes' for the streetmosphere performers are listed. I never knew that before because I was focused on getting FP+ and checking ride times. You might want to look up when/where they'll be, and try to be there to catch them. Not rush over and stake it out like you've got a FP+ window you're trying to make, but just plan to be on a low-wait ride in that area or checking out a nearby shop, and then go and check them out. Even though I know these types of performances are rehearsed and polished by professional performers, they always seem a bit more "fresh" to me than the shows where I go and sit in a theatre.
 
9 days with hoppers and FP+ makes slowing it down much easier. In 2016 we were there 8 days and slept in at least 4 of them. Several days we hit the parks, had lunch, hit the pool, and went back to the parks in the evening. We did every attraction we wanted and did not rush through any of the parks.
 
For our first trip to WDW, we had no ADRs and also no Fast Passes until the day when we woke up and decided which park we were heading for and we had an absolutely fantastic time.

For our next trip, we obviously know a lot more about what Disney has to offer and have some ideas about what to do and things we want to see/ places we want to eat, so for 5 of the 10 days of our trip, we have ADRs and Fastpasses planned. The other 5 we are leaving flexible and will decide what we want to do when we're there. We have 10 day park hopper tickets and don't intend to leave the Disney bubble at all, but we don't feel the need to plan every moment and every meal, it's too restricting. Whilst I know some people might feel they are wasting time and will regret not making ADRs and FastPass plans, we want to enjoy the smaller but equally enjoyable things at WDW, many of which have been mentioned on this thread already. Getting a sundae and sitting in the Plaza garden watching the 3pm parade, well, actually watching the parade and the people watching the parade, was one of my favourite things of the whole trip.
You are so right. I think we need a trip with just a few must-do’s planned, but lots of built in flexibility so we can find our version of your ice cream in the porch :) although we do love ice cream! I hear there are checkers boards somewhere on Main Street too...although I’m not sure I can slow down to the point we can play checkers in the park, but we’ll see!
 

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