Are you a Disney Commando or a Disney Turtle when you tour the parks?
The term “Disney Commando” doesn’t have anything to do with underwear (or going without). A Disney Commando gets up early, hits the parks running at rope drop, gets fast passes for key rides asap, and maximizes their vacation time by jumping between parks, and seeing as much as they can possibly squeeze into one day. They also will complete the majority of the key rides before the day’s heat kicks in during summer months, and can focus on indoor rides later. When they do return to their hotel room, it’s after midnight, and they collapse into bed.
A Disney Turtle sleeps in, enjoys a leisurely breakfast, relaxes around the hotel pool, and calmly makes their way to a park, has an idea or two about what ride they’d like to ride, but if they’re distracted by shopping, or parades, or wine sampling, or other fun sights and unexpected pleasures (like a barbershop haircut or a barbershop quartet) , they take the time to savour it all. If fastpasses are gone, or lines are long, or the day’s heat kicks in, they easily change their plans. They go through their day unhurried and ignoring their watch, and usually make their way back to their hotel for an early supper, and maybe head back to the parks for the fireworks.
Having been to Disney 18 times with my family, and planning return trip #19, we’ve tried almost every style of experiencing a Disney vacation. We’ve done both the Disney Commando, and the Turtle.
Honestly, both have their pleasures. Our kids find a new rhythm on vacation, and the adrenalin rush of being at Disney kicks in – normal sleep times go out the window. We find we can keep up the Disney Commando pace for a couple of days quite easily, without risking a park meltdown with overtired kids and grumpy adults. But we also find that the Disney Turtle pace offers us more chance to breathe, relax and enjoy our hotel, and see new sights. (And after 18 trips to Disney, there are still things we haven’t seen.) A combo of the two styles works best for us.
Which are you? A Disney Commando or a Disney Turtle?