Spring break planning, and DH took a solo trip

Checking out of Copper Creek, less than 2 hours to get allllll the stuff out of here! HD planned a day by day trip report. Haha.,best laid plans. Loved this resort, been wanting to stay here for years, and hope to again. Saratoga Springs. Nopes. Unless it was resort only, I’m driving to parks, or only doing offsite activities , got a thumbs down from us.
But still lots and lots of fun, but very exhausted most days. Even though we didn’t seem to accomplish very much. I think spring break is back in our never again list of times to visit.we’d said that if 2009, but had a fairly successful 2021 trip to universal, so thought I’d try again since both kids had the same break, and APs will be expiring . I’m not planning to renew kids, and probably not mine. But anyway exhausting fun! Now time to move over to the dark side for a night

Got back home in TN mid afternoon yesterday....I'm still recuperating, but slept SO well last night. Complete exhaustion. I haven't driven that far myself since 2011....
WIll just had some highlights/lowlights I think. It was honestly a blur. I have to look at pictures to remember anything. It really seemed like a hodgepodge of activity, too much time spent on transportation, and just exhaustion all the time. I now fully remember why, in 2009, we said we'd never again do spring break. Wasn't all bad, though. We were off of work/school, and we were at Disney/Universal, and still had some fun, and got to spend time with both kids, which is rare since DD is in college now, and DS is a teenager who spends most of his free time in his room/on his computer. So all of that makes it worth it!
Quick summary:
Friday before last: started driving not long after DS got off the bus after school. I cannot see well to drive at night, nor can I see well to drive in the rain.....so when the torrential downpour hit right at nighttime as we were nearing Birmingham, I was lucky to even make it to a hotel. I mean it fully when I say I could not see the lines on the interstate, DS was in the passenger seat telling me if I was still in a lane. I took the first exit I saw that had a hotel posted on the exit sign. Homewood.

Sat: left aroun d 7:30...Waze is a MF'r sometimes. It took me that damn backroads way through Eufaula, then down to Tifton. I swear it added a full hour. I"m not sure if Waze originally thought it was going to save 2 mins over Dothan, or maybe there were issues on that route. I75 was also an intermittent parking lot most of the time from Ocala to the turnpike....kept adding time, finally got to SSR, didn't even unpack, hurried over to Epcot, to try and make the 8:00 PM Berlin show. We did stop at GotG around 7:15, tapped in, many hours after VQ called, turned blue, but CM let us through. yay!! but once we saw the queue, DD and I bailed, to go to concert. DS stayed in line. He didn't make out until around 8:20. Berlin and Terri Nunn were fabulous! SO much fun, and so glad we chose concert over Gotg.
DS did single rider TT, then went back to SSR. he got off at the right stop, found the room, etc, so that was a relief.

Sunday: 7:00 AM VQ for Guardians achieved: bg 70. Nobody wanted to rope drop, so we took our time getting to Epcot. BG called at 12:55. did that. Got Everybody wants to rule the world....made me so sick/nauseous again. I know it's probably not that song, haha, but both times with that one, I've felt ill. DS and I did Spaceship earth. Line posted 25....about halfway through, line stopped moving, and the LL had backed up. The way the CM was allowing riders after that went: 1 (ONE) party from the regular line, no matter what the size, 2 , 4, 6 just 1 party, then as much from the LL that would fill the outside ramp. in other words, we waited a while. Fortunately, LL dwindled, and the CM started allowing more parties from the regular line in. DD had left us, and was off taking pictures, getting festival food. DS then went to get the pretzel bread at Germany, and we all met up to go to the DVC lounge. maybe a 5 min wait to get in, and they did let us bring our food in. Relaxed, got a few drinks, recharged phones, and enjoyed that space. Just inconvenient to get to with all of the construction walls still up, but so glad it's there. I sure hope they add lounges like that at each park.
Next up: RICK SPRINGFIELD! the whole reason we re-arranged this trip. Got to the stage round 5:15, for the 5:30 show, and SRO outside of the seating, and I was way back in that. being 4'11", I didn't manage to see much of the stage, but enjoyed ALL the songs. As soon as that concert was over, DD and I got in the back of the already formed line for the 6:45 show, it stretched back into Italy. But as long as it was, we got GREAT seats. He was way better for this concert, had the most wonderful time. Audience full of gen-xers singing, etc. then for Human Touch, he came into the crowd, and not just the aisles or front rows....all the way back. He was in the row RIGHT in front of me. Felt like a giddy, star struck teenager all over. The lady in front of us had been singing every song, and he stopped, and gave her a side hug. She was beyond excited. It was so fun to watch!

Took Skyliner over to HS. I LOVE riding the Skyliner, it's a ride all on its own, but this night, it stopped a lot/bobbed around more than usual. Finally got to HS, met up with DS who'd come over from SSR. did a few rides, had hoped to do Rise, but didn't make it off smuggler's run in time. DS really wanted ToT, but also didn't make it, and line still posted over 60 mins at closing> I know they inflate those sometimes, but ToT had insane lines all day. I mean like 150 mins, etc. He never got around to riding it, so that was a shame. I don't do ToT. Appreciate the theming, but nope!

Also, want to add a celebrity siting of sorts: on bus back to SSR one night, i got to meet Jen! I was so, so thrilled to finally meet you in person, Jen, and loved talking to you, hearing your stories. Hope you and your family continued having a wonderful trip!!

Tues: another non rope drop day. But a disappointing morning: first time not getting a virtual queue...missed Tron. bummer. This was check out day, and goodness gracious, we didn't get all our crap out of there until 10:56. Drove over to WL. room not ready, but walked around a bit. Then took boat to MK, to make sure we were in the park at 1:00 for that drop. CROWDED like I've not seen since Thanksgiving day. Tomorrowland was insane. and HOT. DS and I did Peoplemover. I was so stressed about this damn VQ. Did manage to get it, but it was much later, and BGs were being called very slowly. DS and I did Philharmagic. DD had gone off and did Hall of presidents to kill time. We were all totally ready to leave after that. Took boat to Fort Wilderness, since I'd been wanting to go to the Tri circle ranch and see the horses. THat was really nice. Did a mobile order at Trail's end, just chicken nuggets/fries to have something to eat. I've heard their fried chicken is good, but another time. Boated over to WL, and at some point , got room ready notification. yay. But also, as soon as we got that, our BG for tron was called. I didn't want to mess around with that. We dropped luggage w bell services, got a few things out of van, threw them in the room, and kids went off for Tron. I waited for luggage, then I went to MK. the Tron line was beyond awful. I got in the line at 4:57. VERY slow moving queue that was backed up to where the first CM lets you in, and it barely shuffled along. I did end up seeing the kids when the swtichback lines passed each other, but I didn't feel right joining them. I thought they'd be a lot farther up. I finally made it to the lockers at 6:00, so over 1 hour in line. I put away phone. I know there's a place on the bike for phones, but I was hesitant to try it.....well, that was a mistake. Got to the loading ramp. and watched the CMs send out empty train aftter empty train....then the announcements started that the ride was delayed.....I had no phone to contact kids. Looked around and found what I hoped was a nice, trustworthy person, and asked to borrow their phone. Texted DH to text the kids that I was stuck on Tron, and for them to not wait for me, just do what they wanted. Thank you to the nice lady who let me do that. then we waited.....finally came back up. Next pictures I have are at 6:39 exiting. So, about 1 hour 45 mins to ride that. Original plan was for us to go back to HS, and ride a few things at closing, but nobody was up for that. The kids were actually spending quality time together, not fighting, and watching Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, then Shark Tank. So, that was cool. Was happy to see them together. I unpacked a bit, took some room/resort pictures, opened my bottle of wine, and took it easy.

Wed AM: up to try for Tron VQ. DH got us BG 1!!!  EE was 7:30. BG was called at 7:45 AM. Wow, what a completely different experience first thing in the morning. In line 8:29, off ride before 8:45. Walked right up to loading area. DD did not getup for this. Did teacups with DS, separate cups. He loves to spin like crazy, I just sit back and relax. He left, I rode Pirates, browsed Emporium, listened to Dapper Dans, and left. Back in room by 10:30. Mobile ordered bison burgers from Geyser Point. Delicious!! DD went to pool. DS took it easy, watched the new Bad Batch episodes, and Walking Dead/Rick series.
I'd bought ILLs for kids to ride Guardians at 3:30, so dragged them up and over to Epcot. DS rode it, and then got in Mission Space line, and it broke down as soon as he got in the vehicle. He didn't feel like waiting so just left, didn't ask for recovery pass.DD and I were separately shopping in world showcase. Got a lot of snacks from Japan. Got positioned in Germany to try for Tron VQ at 6:00, got it. Had late night at MK that night, 11-1. SM had been down most of the afternoon, and DS wanted to make sure to do that. But waited about 45 mins, then he rode it 2 more times, I went off to do Buzz, HM, DD joined us about then. She'd not felt well that day. I did PP, kids did SM , all met at Tron sign about 12:40. Off ride before 1:10. So not a very long wait at all. Very cool at night. Got good castle pics, then boated back to WL, Had planned to put some stuff in van, but that had to wait.

Oh, forgot to mention we had 2 snake sightings! and not little ones either. One was while we were at the bus stop at SSR. Just slithered right out from under the wall....right toward the benches...it turned around when I stood up, hurried back to the bushes, under whatever maintenance thing is right there.
Second one, DD saw near the WL pool. She was talking to her friend, on a pathway, just next to pool, off the path from the boat docks, and saw it slithering along towards her, said it stopped, raised head, etc. then went off. She was not amused!
oh, and SSR had a good number of mosquitoes in the room. I keep a can of Off in the van, so we used that. Funny thing when I went to get ice, I pushed the ice button, and about a dozen mosquitoes flew out of the ice machine. Luckily didn't see any other creepy bugs, so that was a relief!