First Adult Only Trip with a Little Bit of Kids Added In -- A Spring Break 2023 Trip

[piglet1979]

Day 1 -- Hollywood Studios

I last left off with Jeff and I walking around the resort. After we saw everything, we decided to head over to Hollywood Studios. We took the boat over and didn't have any issues. On our last cruise I learned that I now get sea sick. So I started to take Bonine the night before we left and took it every morning and night for the trip. Thankfully, this worked and I didn't feel sick at all this trip.



It was an easy trip and soon enough we were going through security. Jeff had the backpack and got flagged so they needed to search the bag but I got to go straight through. At this point I remember someone, in one of the trip reports that I read, say that glasses/sunglasses in the backpack will be flagged every time. Soon enough were were finally through the tapstiles and in Hollywood Studios.

I had a clear plan for how I thought this afternoon would go. I planned our rides and the flow of the park to minimize walking as much as possible. What I didn't plan for was food. Jeff did this but we never really combined our plans. So my plan was to do MMRR, Slinky Dog, Toy Story and Aliens. Lets see how my plan turned out.

First up -- Pictures. I am a bit crazy when it comes to pictures. I buy Memory Maker every trip and I will get my moneys worth.





Pictures now done for the moment and we were too early for our MMRR pass so Jeff suggested that we head to Baseline Tap house. I don't drink but I have heard a lot of good things about this place so I agreed. They weren't busy at this time so I got a water and Jeff got a flight of beer and soft pretzel (not my favorite either). We sat and planned out our night and also looked at pictures we got on our way in. At this point I noticed the all the pictures had the watermark on them and that the Memory Maker seemed to not be attached to our account even though it was there (at least on the computer) at home. I did a quick chat through the app and got a quick response. I just needed to activate it now that I was in the parks.




I have clue what beers he got. I do know that he like IPA's and ones with a lot of hops so I am sure that is at least some of what her got. I did eat a little bit of the pretzel and I will say that this is one of the betters ones I have had.

Once we were done we still had some time to kill so we went over to Muppets to watch the show. We just had to wait for the next show, so maybe like 10ish minutes.




While waiting I saw that the band had posted some pictures on Facebook. I won't post any here because there are many other kids as well in the pictures but they got a good pictures of Elizabeth on the bus. I was texting a bit with the kids and all seemed to be going good with them.

After Muppets it was finally almost time for our first LL of the trip. We just had to wait a few minutes once we got there. We took this time to look at the walkway. Here are a few that liked and took pictures of.




After looking at these for a few minutes it was finally time to get in line. The Standby line was posted at 70 minutes.
I have in my notes that it only took 7 minutes until we were in the preshow. I couldn't believe how much time LL saved us and was very optimistic about the rest of the week. Before the trip I was keeping my expectations low since with the Easter week and such a busy time.

I have hit my limit on pictures. I will continue in the next post.

 

[piglet1979]

I only took one picture on this ride. I was trying to enjoy it since it was new to us. Both of us loved the ride.



After MMRR it was time for our Toy Story LL so we headed their next. The posted time was 85 minutes but we were on the ride in 12 minutes.

I didn't get a picture on the ride. This is a ride that we have always love to do and try to do it several times each trip. Jeff did beat me in points but I am pretty sure I beat him in accuracy.

We had some time to kill before our Slinky LL so we went over and went through One Man's Dream. Jeff likes walking through this but for me it is a take it or leave it attraction.

After we watched the movie we heading out to figure what to do next. We still had time before Slinky. We decided that we were both getting hungry so we decided to eat at Rosies. I didn't write down what we got nor did I get pictures. I am thinking we just got a hamburger or something.

With dinner out of the way we headed back into Toy Story land. We still had a bit of time to kill before our LL so we got more pictures taken.




This one becomes a theme of the trip.

After the pictures we headed over to our LL for Slinky. It was post at 120 minutes for standby. We were on in 10 minutes.





This might be our favorite ride now. Though Jeff's favorite changed as the week went on. We loved it. I did not expect it to go as fast as it did.

After Slinky we went on Alien Saucer Swirl. It was posted at a 25 minute wait but we got on in 17 minutes. In line there was a family in front of us with 2 little kids, maybe around kindergarten age. They must have been driving their parents crazy because the mom said something to us about them. They were fine though. I didn't even notice anything. This got us taking and they were having a hard time understanding Genie + so I walked them through how it worked. I followed the Genie + threads here from the time it started and it really helped me understand this process and what rides to get when. This helped me to explain it to the dad. I think the dad understood it better by the time we got on the ride.



This was not a favorite ride and glad the line wasn't long. I am not sure we would go on it again. We got lucky as when we got off the standby line was posted at 60 minutes. I am surprised that I didn't get some bruises on my arm because Jeff slid into me a few times and it hurt.

We still had one more LL for Smugglers run still and we were getting tired but my plan was to stay and see the fireworks this night and maybe get in line for Rise right before closing. However, we were getting tired after not sleeping the night before and all of the traveling. We did head into Star Wars Land. This is where things went a bit sideways. Jeff gets cranky when he is tired and he was ready to be off his feet. I had a plan and we were not going to complete it if we left. We both got a bit snippy with each other. It didn't help that this land is very confusing and I couldn't find Rise but we did find Smuggler Run.




This is such a bad picture of us but you can see how tired Jeff looks here.

Continued on the next page.

 

[piglet1979]

I will finally finish up our first day.

We did walk a bit more but ultimately decided to forgo Rise because we were just done but we still had a LL for Smugglers Run and our time was not up yet. I did see that Smugglers Run had a single rider line so we asked how long the line was and the cast member said maybe a few minutes. So we jumped in line. I did have to ask if there was a chicken out line first. I mentioned earlier that I now get sea sick but I also have issues with some rides. This would be one of them. I feel sick on any ride that uses a screen. Even Soar'n. Normally I just wait outside for Jeff and the kids in the past but I really wanted to see the inside. The inside was really cool. The ride was a walk on for single rider but I didn't write down what the standby was.


This is such a bad picture. I was trying to not walk around much because Jeff was already the next one to get on the ride.



I think I took this while I was waiting for Jeff. He really liked this ride too but I think at this time Slinky was still his favorite.

I did hear from the kids and they were starting to settle in for the night on the bus. They already had dinner (they were stopping at a Golden Corral in the Carolina's somewhere). The movies and lights are turned off for the night to try and encourage the kids to sleep. I am not sure they got that much sleep though.

Jeff and I discussed what we wanted to do next but we were both really tired and decided not to stay for the fireworks. We were walking out of HS by 9:30. We did get to see some fireworks as we walked to the boat. I think these are EPCOT's



Once back at the Swan Jeff and I went straight to bed. Especially after I realized how early we needed to be up in the morning.

This day could not have been any more perfect. We got to do almost everything we wanted and really without standing in lines much. We walked much more then I thought we would this day. My fitbit said I had 19,845 steps.

Next up Animal Kingdom

 

[rdkeim]

You got a lot accomplished for an arrival day! Your LL's really saved the day. Not surprising the lack of sleep finally caught up. Interested to hear what you thought of your room/stay at the Swan.

 

[piglet1979]

Enjoying this report so far! And as someone who went with her HS marching band (way way pre magic bands but still in this century lol) I’m intrigued to see what’s changed

I was in the marching band too. We went to Hawaii and marched in the Hula Bowl. I will try to give as many details about the kids as I can. I didn't fallow too much of the behind the scenes though.

You got a lot accomplished for an arrival day! Your LL's really saved the day. Not surprising the lack of sleep finally caught up. Interested to hear what you thought of your room/stay at the Swan.

Before the trip Jeff was very skeptical of Genie +. It didn't help that he didn't understand it at all and it took me weeks to get him to just understand the concept of it. After this day he was more of a fan of it. Though he still didn't understand it. He just knew it saved us a lot of time.

I loved the Swan and the location. Some areas need a little freshened up but over all good. I loved their shampoo though. The beds were really comfortable. The pillows were great if you are a back or side sleeper. I sleep on my stomach and it just didn't work for me. If I was watching TV they were great. We didn't really use the balcony much. Jeff did a few times when he got up early and didn't want to wake me. We never got the temp right in the room. It was either too cold or on the warmer side. I think was just an issue with us and not the room itself and maybe a bit caused by the weather. It was on the cooler side most of the week. We will definitely stay here again. We decided we wouldn't stay at the Dolphin though because it was just too big of a resort of us and the Reserve is too far away with how much we try and not walk far. Any little bit helps to keep the feet from hurting.

 

[rdkeim]

I was in the marching band too. We went to Hawaii and marched in the Hula Bowl. I will try to give as many details about the kids as I can. I didn't fallow too much of the behind the scenes though.


Before the trip Jeff was very skeptical of Genie +. It didn't help that he didn't understand it at all and it took me weeks to get him to just understand the concept of it. After this day he was more of a fan of it. Though he still didn't understand it. He just knew it saved us a lot of time.

I loved the Swan and the location. Some areas need a little freshened up but over all good. I loved their shampoo though. The beds were really comfortable. The pillows were great if you are a back or side sleeper. I sleep on my stomach and it just didn't work for me. If I was watching TV they were great. We didn't really use the balcony much. Jeff did a few times when he got up early and didn't want to wake me. We never got the temp right in the room. It was either too cold or on the warmer side. I think was just an issue with us and not the room itself and maybe a bit caused by the weather. It was on the cooler side most of the week. We will definitely stay here again. We decided we wouldn't stay at the Dolphin though because it was just too big of a resort of us and the Reserve is too far away with how much we try and not walk far. Any little bit helps to keep the feet from hurting.

Thanks for your review of the Swan!

 

[vamassey1]

I followed you over from @amazingact21 report.

Really enjoying your report. We were there the week after Easter.

I'm the list maker and I pack some things early. DH packs at the last minute.

Our oldest did Marching Bank in High School and at the College level. He never got a trip to Disney but he did go to Washington DC.

We did crash our youngest Middle School trip to Disney. It was fun to be there at the same time but not always with her.

 

[piglet1979]

I followed you over from @amazingact21 report.

Really enjoying your report. We were there the week after Easter.

I'm the list maker and I pack some things early. DH packs at the last minute.

Our oldest did Marching Bank in High School and at the College level. He never got a trip to Disney but he did go to Washington DC.

We did crash our youngest Middle School trip to Disney. It was fun to be there at the same time but not always with her.

Thank you for joining. I was in the Marching band in high school and we went all over the place. Kings Island, Williamsburg, Hawaii and went to competitions all over Ohio every weekend in the fall. It was so much fun.

It was fun being in the same place as the kids but also having our own vacation too.

 

[piglet1979]

Life still has been crazy. Both kids received awards at school. Elizabeth got Magna Cum Laude and Nick for Cum Laude. Elizabeth worked her butt off over the years to get here. She was behind for many years in school and was boarder line being on an IEP. She has had awesome teachers over the years that got her to where she is today. She is in all honor classes and 1 AP class. Nick has always been really smart and doesn't have to put in as much effort. We had issues with turning in homework (nothing new for him) but with playing HS soccer and marching band in the fall, getting a job, playing club soccer over winter and HS tennis in the spring, I am proud that he kept his grades up. After today they have 3 half days of finals next week and then done for the summer. Except they both decided to take college classes over the summer. So no rest for these 2.

Work has still been busy but it is getting better. It will stay busy though until the fall. We are just switching to a new database and it making everything so much more stressful.

I did forget to post some pictures from HS before we left. So I will post them here.

 

[piglet1979]

Day 2 -- Animal Kingdom in the morning and HS in the afternoon

We started this morning bright and early. Animal Kingdom opened at 7:30 this morning. This was such an early morning after our travel/park day and we almost forgot that we needed to get moving earlier then any other day. Thankfully Jeff wakes up really early normally.

At 7 Jeff bought a LL for Rise for the afternoon. This was a shock as he was pretty against this before we left for the trip. I was also able to get a LL for the Safari for first thing in the morning.

Ready to we headed to the buses. I am pretty sure we took the Swan buses this morning and we didn't have any issues getting to AK. Once we were at the park we got inline to the far right. It was the shorter line. Well the far left moved much faster. We had to wait about 15-20ish minutes and then we were moving. I think the other line was just filling in the middle lines.

After we through the line we walked to Flight of Passage with everyone else. We let most people run past us. We had no desire to run to the ride. By the time we got in line for Flight of Passage, it was about an hour long. We decided that this was not bad and waited in line. The line never really stopped moving so it wasn't bad at all.

I was in awe of the land. This was our first time here. It is just beautiful.

This is one of my favorite pictures I took.



This was another ride that I wasn't going on so I used the chicken out line. The cast members kept asking if I was sure I didn't want to ride. I was sure though I really wanted to. I just didn't want to test out if the Bonine would help here or not and I really didn't want to feel sick the rest of the day. The nice thing about this chicken out line is I got to go all the way through with Jeff. Once he went to get on the ride, I just continued to walk though and out to the exit.

I think it was around this time that the kids finally arrived at the park. They were in AK for the day. I was shocked that I wasn't running into parents yet. I did see one though.

After Jeff was off the ride we had planned to ride Na'vi but the line had already gotten long so we decided to skip it and ride it on our next AK morning. So instead we headed over to the Safari to us our LL. The time was posted at a 25 minute wait and we got on within 5 minutes.



I didn't have a great view on this ride. I was sitting on the right but most of the animals were on the left. I was able to see all the animals but it wasn't great for pictures. Here are a few good ones.




After tapping in for the Safari, I got another LL for Slinky Dog. This was not the plan though. Before our first night the plan was on this day to do everything on the other side of the park from Toy Story Land. I really tried to split up the parks so were doing less walking. I did have to continue to modify to get a later time.

After the Safari we did the Gorilla Trail. In the past we have never walked the trails. Jeff is not a zoo person and the kids never wanted to do them either. I love zoo's and watching the animals so I told Jeff I was going to do them on this trip and if he didn't want to he could just sit and rest until I was done. He came with me.



The little ones were playing with each other but they were behind a bush so I couldn't get a picture of them but I had fun watching them.

After the trail we headed over to Lion King for the show. We have only done this show once before I think. I had a lot of fun watching it this time. Not having to point things out to my kids and being able to just enjoy it was so nice. I sang every song too. Sorry to the people sitting around me. I know my voice is horrible but I can't help but sing along to the songs of one of my favorite movies.




After the Lion King we headed to It's Tough to be a Bug. We had a short wait here before seeing the show. I really didn't take pictures here. Not even of the animals on the tree. Here is one I got so I do have proof we saw the show.



After the show we decided that we were hungry. Jeff for lunch at Smiling Alligator and I went to Flame Tree BBQ. I didn't get any pictures. I did get the ribs and I think Jeff got tacos.

After lunch we headed over to Nomads to see if we could get in. It was at least a 20 minute wait if not longer we decided to head out for a break. Things went a sideways here. The plan was to head back to the resort and rest, which we did but much later then we planned. We decided to take the bus to the Swan. We waited for about 45 minutes and no bus. We finally got aggravated enough and walked over the Boardwalk bus and took that back to the resort and walked to the swan. This cut our rest time by a lot. I was fine but Jeff really needs the rest/pool time. Disney can be a bit much for him and if he doesn't get the down time he gets crabby. Thankfully this day we still had time.

After we got back to the resort we got our swim suites on and headed to pool. We decided to go to the quite pool since it was closer and we had already lost time. We found a spot with a little bit of shade. I periodically jumped in to cool off and then I took a nap. I did continue to get LL's for HS. We ended up with the same schedule as the night before. We already had Slinky and Rise. I picked up MMRR and Toy Story.

I will stop here for today. In the next post I will add the Photo Pass pictures we had taken this morning. I couldn't remember when in the day we had them taken so I will just add them at once.

 

[piglet1979]

If I wasn't so washed out in this one, It would have been a really good picture.


This was my favorite of the morning.


Here is that pose again


I really liked this one too


And again! This pose is not the most flattering either.


I was linked with the kids in MDE and so this popped up at some point this day. Nick is the 3rd one back in the dark grey shirt.

 

[vamassey1]

I was in awe of the land. This was our first time here. It is just beautiful.

It really is beautiful! Did you see it at night?

This is one of my favorite pictures I took.

Wow! Great photo!

I didn't have a great view on this ride. I was sitting on the right but most of the animals were on the left. I was able to see all the animals but it wasn't great for pictures.

This is so true. I usually end up on the right too.

I had a lot of fun watching it this time. Not having to point things out to my kids and being able to just enjoy it was so nice. I sang every song too. Sorry to the people sitting around me. I know my voice is horrible but I can't help but sing along to the songs of one of my favorite movies.

It's amazing how much we can enjoy the rides and shows when we don't have to worry about kids.

This cut our rest time by a lot. I was fine but Jeff really needs the rest/pool time. Disney can be a bit much for him and if he doesn't get the down time he gets crabby.

DH needs to have rest and food or he gets crabby.

This was my favorite of the morning.

Very cute!

 

[piglet1979]

It really is beautiful! Did you see it at night?

We didn't. Both of our days were in the morning. I will need to make sure we go at night on our next trip.

Wow! Great photo!

Thank you. It is amazing how good phone cameras are now.

This is so true. I usually end up on the right too.

This might have been the first time I have been on the right. As a family the kids were always in the middle and I seemed to always get in first.

It's amazing how much we can enjoy the rides and shows when we don't have to worry about kids.

Yes. It was like we had never been to Disney before in a way. I think I was just able to take so much more in.

Very cute!

Thank you. It was such a different pose that I really liked it.

 

[piglet1979]

Life Update -- Sorry I have been MIA a bit. Work is still super busy and I really hope in a week or 2 it will slow back down. By the time I get out of work I am done being on the computer. Kids are finally out of school, kind of. Both kids are taking college classes this summer so they aren't getting much of a break. Nick is just taking a health class so he doesn't have to take it during school and can have a late arrival next year. Elizabeth is taking health and finance. She just wants to take other classes at school. With school out I know have a Senior and a Junior.

Over Memorial Day weekend Elizabeth kept me really busy. She decided to be in the City's pageant. She did will her division but there were only 2 of them and they both won. It is very laid back here with it but they still had to get on stage and answer a question and help with the younger ones.

On Memorial Day both kids were in the parade. Nick for band and Elizabeth for the pageant. Once the parade was over Elizabeth and I had to run over to the VFW where they were doing a program and the band was playing at. It was such a hot day too. We got there in plenty of time.

Here are some pictures of the weekend.

 

[piglet1979]

Day 2 Part 2 -- Hollywood Studios

I left off with resting at the pool. After being at the pool napping, well I napped and Jeff read a book, we headed back to the room to get ready for the night. While we were getting ready we started to talk about dinner. We didn't have anything scheduled and we had time before our next LL so decided to look to see if any restaurants had openings. We were in luck and Trattoria al Forno had an opening in the next 15 minutes, so we booked it and headed that way.

Dinner was just ok. I had a steak and it was over cooked. Jeff I think had the Chicken Parm. I think he liked his. Did forget to take pictures though.

Once done with dinner we headed to Hollywood Studios. We took the boat from the Boardwalk. It was a quick ride.

Once at Hollywood pictures we got some more Photo Pass pictures.

I like this one.


One of us can't follow directions


Here is the hug pose again


I think this one is cute



Pictures done we were of to Slinky Dog for our LL. The wait time was 110 minutes for stand by but got on in 12 minutes



Jeff was trying to get me to raise my hands. I like to hold on instead. This coaster is much faster then it looks too.


After Slinky we were already in our LL time for Toy Story Mania so we headed there. Stand by was listed at 70 minutes and we got on in 7.



We were making good time again and I had our LL's back to back. Now we were headed to MMRR. The wait was 45 minutes for stand by and we got in 5. I do really like this ride. Somehow I didn't have any pictures for this one.

I am just about out of picture space, so I will continue the night on the post.

 

[piglet1979]

Hollywood Studio's Continued

Sometime during this day (after we left AK) I started to get some texts from Elizabeth that we was getting dizzy and was going to see the nurse and going to the First Aid station. It was hot this day and I made sure she was drinking water and she said she was.

So a little back story here. Elizabeth got really sick right after Christmas of 2021. We were exposed to Covid over Christmas so we thought it was that. 3 at home tests, 1 PCR and 3 months later an antibody test were all negative for COVID. It was just some virus but after the cold went away she continued to be dizzy. it took 3 months to and several doctor visits to several different specialists to finally figure out what was going on and it was the PT person that caught it. Here Elizabeth's heart would rise and her BP would drop at the same time with just going from a sitting to a standing position. But it wasn't happening all the time. They will not call it POTS because the numbers didn't jump enough but close to it.

When Elizabeth was texting me this day got on the internet to read a bit more about POTS. Standing for a long period of time and heat can trigger it. She seemed to do better after laying down for a bit she we didn't do anything else this day and she went back to be with her friends.

I left off with riding MMRR. After this was our time for our Rise LL. I was so nervous for this one. I really did not want to be sick but it looked so cool. I did watch several videos and asked friends about to try and help with my anxiety with this ride. I used to never get motion sickness until after I had kids and I miss those day. This trip I was keeping up with taking Bonine so in the morning when Jeff asked if I was going to ride I said yes. Since we paid for this one I wasn't going to chicken out. I worked my self up enough that I was starting to feel sick though. Chewing gum always helps with this and thankfully I had some with me.

I don't think we waited long in line but I forgot to get a picture and to text Jeff how long in line we were. I think the anxiety was just getting to me at this time.

All of my other Storm Trooper pictures turned out blurry. So how did I do, well, I did ok. It was a really cool ride but not one I would pay for again since I didn't watch everything. In the area before the Storm Trooper room I just looked at the ground because there is a bit of the TV virtual stuff here. Once in the Storm Trooper room I was fine until the end. I knew where it went back to a screen and then closed my eyes for that park and had Jeff tell when I could look again. I also don't like drops and was worried about this too. It really was not that bad at all.

Jeff liked the ride to but thought Flight of Passage was a lot better.

After this we had about an hour or so before the 10pm showing of Fantasmic! We got some snacks and just sat at a table people watching for a bit. I got some ice cream and Jeff got some type of frozen drink. It was nice to just sit and rest and people watch. At some point I got up to find the bathroom. They were pretty much right across from us but I headed all the way around ToT to find them. I finally asked some works where it was. I am not sure how I was missing where they were at.

I met back up with Jeff and we got a few more Photo Pass Pictures taken



Even though we are hugging here, I do like this one since it was a close up.


After the photo shoot we headed to get in line for Fantasmic!. We waited a decent about of time here. I was worried if we didn't get in line we wouldn't get good seats. Well we could have waited until about 5 minutes before the show and still got good seats. Hardly anyone was there.



The show was ok. I like the old one better or I am just remembering it wrong. We were really tired by this point and felt having the the bubble screen for so long just showing different movies was just a little boring.

After the show was over, we headed to the boat and then to our room. We were exhausted and ready for bed.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Sorry to hear about Elizabeth! I’m also going through some “what could it be” things and it’s frustrating-just because her numbers are off by *that* much doesn’t mean there won’t be a time when she won’t be!

And shame about the Trattoria Al Forno dinner-especially given it’s one of the best breakfasts on property!

 

[piglet1979]

Sorry to hear about Elizabeth! I’m also going through some “what could it be” things and it’s frustrating-just because her numbers are off by *that* much doesn’t mean there won’t be a time when she won’t be!

It was a long year last year. It took 3 months to get it figured out. I hope you get your figured out faster.

And shame about the Trattoria Al Forno dinner-especially given it’s one of the best breakfasts on property!

I was bummed. We ate here on our last trip and I loved it. It was one of the best steaks I had. I think this one was just over cooked and I should have just spoke up about it. So part of it was on me. The veggie I had was great. I think it was asparagus and I the potatoes were good too.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

It was a long year last year. It took 3 months to get it figured out. I hope you get your figured out faster.


I was bummed. We ate here on our last trip and I loved it. It was one of the best steaks I had. I think this one was just over cooked and I should have just spoke up about it. So part of it was on me. The veggie I had was great. I think it was asparagus and I the potatoes were good too.

Thankfully figured out and confirmed the other day! It’s so chaotic that it takes that long!

 

[buzzrelly]

Enjoying your report! So funny you were there with your teens but not really with your teens!

We were in the MK on Easter this year too so we probably saw the band go by! How funny!