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[CinderAbby]

Originally Posted by KMB733

Despite a couple hiccups, sounds like you had a wonderful time at AK! Glad you got to see DeVine and that Abby rode KRR twice

We did - it really was a good day that we were having

Originally Posted by buzzspal2

KRR is one of my favorites. I'm glad Abby enjoyed her self.

Thanks - I'm glad Abby enjoyed it. There really is nothing better when your kiddo decides to try something new and likes it.

Originally Posted by phoebec

I'm so glad Abby tried KRR and liked it. I know what a triumph it is to get our kids to try the new and unfamiliar sometimes and even more wonderful when they like it. My son rode Test Track and LOVED it but for some reason he couldn't explain was too afraid of BTMRR and Splash. Maybe next time

Thanks - it is a triumph, but for the kids IMO and it is wonderful when they have a good time. I have to laugh because Abby's the opposite of your son. Likes BTM and Splash but avoids Test Track. And I suppose what makes it "funnier" is the fact that BTM gets really, really loud during the inside parts so much so Abby need her headphones for the ride but she still likes it.

Originally Posted by Cam22

Tusker House is our favorite character breakfast! So neat that you got to see Devine; we had hoped to see her this trip, but never did.

We really enjoy TH too - there's plenty to choose from on the lines and the interaction and the parade are fun. That's why we went back again this year. With DiVine, I know she's out at 10 am for her first show where we found her (over by Tamu Tamu) but I don't know the schedule offhand for the rest of her day.

Originally Posted by shnewell

It was in early May 1999. So it was warm, but not sweltering. I can't recall ever having gotten so wet on a ride! I think this was shortly after it opened, so it may have been wetter back then.

It very well could have been a lot wetter. I know when my parents went in 2003, they were going to go on it but mom said everyone was getting off soaked to the bone so they got out of line. I was surprised when we went on it and the only people who got really wet were the ones who went down the hill backwards. We got a few drops on us but that was about it - until we went back on that is. So like I said, it's entirely possible that Disney changed it so people weren't getting entirely soaked (which considering the gift shop sales it must have generated must have "hurt" them to do).

[CinderAbby]

Originally Posted by Principessa_di_Fata

I swear I commented on this latest update, but apparently not! I remember Kali River Rapids VERY well. The one and only time I went on it, I was drenched from head to toe. It was to the point where we had to leave the park early, because we couldn't stand walking around in sopping wet clothes / shoes (I was in jeans). This was when I was a local, so it wasn't a huge deal, but I tell you what, I never forgot. I will say I absolutely loved it (even the soaking part - we laughed SO hard at the time) but the aftermath was so uncomfortable. If I ever rode it again, it would be on a hot day, when I was about to leave the park.

Would love to see DeVine, but you know I never have. I really need to catch her next time...

Wearing jeans on KRR - yeah, majorly uncomfortable IMO. I can't blame you for leaving. We rode it but we had no intentions of leaving the park afterwards but like I said somewhere, we were wearing lighter clothes so it wasn't a big deal to get wet. We dripped but not for long and then it was back to having fun as usual (well not really, we went to lunch but even that can be fun I guess). Hopefully you catch DiVine someday - she is amazing to watch.

Originally Posted by tcmary

I've been lurking and laughing along on your TR! AK is the park that we all absolutely love and have some of our very best memories.. The last time we had breakfast there, Miss Daisy was walking around with toilet paper on her shoe. After some discussion and laughter, my DS told her about it. She acted all embarrased, but then kept coming back to our table to kiss him. It was adorable.

Darlene, you are amazing for getting up at the crack of dawn on vacation to do laundry! Fortunately, I've never had to. I cracked up over your laundry lady. I need one of those because when I am home, I feel like laundry is my life.

I hope your trip continues in a positive way.

Thanks - I'm glad you're enjoying and laughing at my TR. And that is too funny about Daisy - it obviously made that meal very memorable for you. Amazing or stupid - I'm not sure which I am but you do what you have to do, even on vacation.

Originally Posted by ilovedisney247

I'm so glad Abby enjoyed KRR! I hope Walker comes through for you!

Thanks Heather - stay tuned, you'll find out today what happened.

Originally Posted by Jazzy

Just caught up - great TR! Abby reminds me SO much of my DB. He's 23 and autistic, and whenever he comes to the parks with us, he never wants to do any of the rides, but once we convince him to try it, he loves it! And that heat in AK can really be brutal...I've only been to WDW once in the summer and I remember AK feeling so much hotter for whatever reason.

I'm glad that one you convince your DB to do things he enjoys them. It really is great when they think they're not going to like it and they do. I think AK is hotter because all the overhanging trees keep the heat and humidity in instead of letting it "escape" Plus when you get over the the EE area, it is just wall to wall people and IMO there are not nearly enough places to buy something cold to drink or get out of the heat. There's what - only 2 enclosed CS restaurants (Restaurantosaurus and Pizzafari) and 2 TS restaurants (TH and Y&Y)? And there's what - all of 4 attractions that are indoors (Nemo, Dinosaur, Lion King and Bugs life)? Not nearly enough - especially compared to all the other parks.

[PrincessSharon]

So it's taken me a few days, but I've finally caught up (I missed that you started a new thread ). Except for a few bumps, sounds like it's a great trip so far. Love the photos of Abby with the characters - looks like she's having a blast (except maybe with Divine ). I love that Abby decided she wanted to try KRR and loved it! Did she mind very much getting soaked the second time? Hope Walker Mobility comes through for you!

[CinderAbby]

Originally Posted by PrincessSharon

So it's taken me a few days, but I've finally caught up (I missed that you started a new thread ). Except for a few bumps, sounds like it's a great trip so far. Love the photos of Abby with the characters - looks like she's having a blast (except maybe with Divine ). I love that Abby decided she wanted to try KRR and loved it! Did she mind very much getting soaked the second time? Hope Walker Mobility comes through for you!

Thanks Sharon for the comments. I know the feeling about playing catch up. I don't find my way often enough to the TR forum. So far, if you ignore the bumps, yes it had been a good trip - and Abby did well with pushing them aside herself because sometimes she lets them get to her. As for KRR - she didn't mind. I just actually asked her about getting soaked on the ride and her response was "it was awesome." I asked if she'd do it again and with no hesitation she said yes. So I guess that means she liked it, soaking and all . I'm going to post the rest of that day in a little bit so you'll find out about Walker.

[CinderAbby]

Saturday July 23 Part 3

We finally made it to Flame Tree BBQ where Lenny and Abby grabbed a table and I got in line to get us some turkey sandwiches for lunch. And because it was so hot, I ordered us 3 large sodas. I had forgotten how big they were and when I got them I was thinking I should not have ordered them . Then the CM brought over the tray of food and he said something - I didn’t quite catch everything he said because of his accent - but I said we could just pile the sandwiches on top of each other and put on the sodas, I could get everything. He wouldn’t hear of it though, he said he would help me to the table with one of the trays which to me was a Disney touch I certainly didn’t expect but truly appreciated . I thanked him - as did Lenny - once we were at the table and then we proceeded to eat our lunch. By the time we were done, there was still no sign of Walker Mobility so we cleaned up and headed to a more open area but then we got distracted by the gift shop right there. I knew there was suppose to be a new penny somewhere so we went inside to find it. We found one machine but it didn’t have the penny so I asked a CM if there were any other machines and there was one but it was outside and kind of blocked because of all the ropes and people for the parade. Instead of going to find that machine, we headed outside and a little past the information board by the bridge that separates Discovery Island from the Oasis. We figured it was a wide open enough spot that not only would we see someone from Walker coming with a new scooter, the person would see us too. We were actually getting a little concerned too as we hadn’t heard anything at all and the person was suppose to call us when he got to the park so Lenny took the opportunity to call Walker back . It turned out the employee was already in the park and headed to the EE area of the park. He had tried calling my cell phone but he didn’t get through, it went right to my voice mail. I’m not sure how or why as my phone was on the entire time . Lenny told the girl he spoke to on the phone where we were and she got in touch with the person inside the park to tell him that info and she assured us he was on his way. Lenny thanked her for her time and with the news someone was on the way, we started taking all our stuff off the scooter. By this time the parade had started so we knew it was going to be a few minutes before we saw anyone so even though we were a little distance back, we enjoyed watching the parade. Right after it ended and the mass of people started to leave, Lenny barely caught sight of a Walker Scooter so Lenny yelled and caught the guys attention . It was the Walker employee with the replacement scooter so he came right over. We talked with him for a couple of minutes and after we thanked him several times for his help and his patience in looking for us not only because my phone hadn’t rung but because he had to deal with the parade, he headed off to the back of the park where he had come from. We found that really odd . We thought nothing of him coming from the direction of EE because we just thought he was told to look for us in that section (Lenny WAS at KRR when he called). When the employee left and headed to the back of the park, we thought it odd because we though he would have come through the front entrance but then we thought that maybe he used a service entrance instead.

As we loaded up the new scooter, Abby wasn’t particularly happy and actually asked to leave the park. Lenny’s scooter not working properly and the time it took to get it replaced had upset her some but we assured her it was no big deal. Daddy had a new, working scooter and we could go anywhere we wanted in the park, we didn’t need to leave. She grudgingly agreed and we headed back to the gift store for the penny now that the ropes and people were gone. We got that in no time and then acted like fish swimming up stream and made our way to Camp Minnie Mickey for FOLK. When we finally got over there, I was surprised by how quiet it was, there weren’t a lot of people. There were so few in fact that we saw Pocohantas over to the left in front of where her show used to be with only one family and her handler. I grabbed the opportunity for Abby to meet her and kind of rushed over and got out Abby’s autograph book and my camera. Abby went over and talked a little to her. I don’t know what about because I couldn’t hear them and I was trying to figure out what had happened to my camera . The screen was a funky color and even though it took the pictures, they weren’t quite right.

We thanked Pocohantas for her time and instead of getting in line for FOLK, I noticed all of the character greeting trails barely had anyone in them. At breakfast that morning, we had seen Donald, Mickey, Daisy and Goofy in their Safari gear but we never saw Minnie (we know she’s not at the meal) so I asked Abby if she wanted to see Minnie in her Safari outfit and get her autograph. Unlike in the past, Abbly liked the suggestion and readily agreed to get in line . There were only about 6 families ahead of us so it didn’t take long at all for it to be our turn but the whole time we were in line I was trying to figure out what happened to my camera. I'm not entirely sure what happened with it. Either somone (who shall reamain nameless since I don't know who actually did it ) played with the camera and switched the settings from auto to manual and changed the exposure and the auto white balance as well or the button twisted while we were putting it away at KRR (meaning the exposure and AWB had been switched by someone else playing with it before vacation). I wasn't happy about it because I knew our our Pocohantas pictures wouldn’t look too good and I missed the opportunity to get our own pictures with Minnie because by the time I had figured it out, our turn was up. Abby thought I was mad at her but while I wasn't mad, I wasn't happy either. Whatever happened was a mistake after all - whoever is to blame - and I did figure out how to fix it in the end. Plus too, there was a Photopass Photographer there so we wouldn’t be completely without pictures of her.

From Minnie, because we still had 45 minutes before the next FOLK show and because the lines were still small despite a show having just gotten out, we got in line to see Donald. This line also had only about 6 families in front of us and since we didn’t get his autograph at breakfast, I figured we might as well get it while we could. I knew we’d have other opportunities with 2 more meals that he should have been at but it’s not every day you see lines so short for a character M&G so we took advantage of it.

After seeing Donald again, we did go back and get in line for FOLK and about a minute later they opened the gates and let everyone go down and stand by the building. It was nice to stand down there as we were right by one of those huge fans that also had the mist going. By this time it was getting cloudy but it was still hot so the fans helped. When we were let into the theater for FOLK, we were shown to our seats. We were put in the Elephant section - again. It’s not a complaint but this is the only section we’ve ever sat in during this show so I have plenty of pictures of Simba and the Elephant. Just one of these days I’d like to sit in the section across the way so I can get some good pictures of Pumbaa and the Giraffe.

Other than that, we enjoyed the show and Abby even got a high five from one of the Tumble Monkeys. After we left the show, Abby couldn’t stop talking about getting that high five. She even told me that getting a high five from a tumble monkey was on her "bucket list" and that she could now check it off. Now imagine Abby standing there and doing a huge - and I mean huge, from her waist to her head huge - check mark in the air saying "check". Can you see it? Are you laughing? Good, because that’s all I could do. Here was my 11 year old "physically" checking something off a bucket list. And for those wondering how she learned about bucket lists (and yes, she does understand what exactly it is), she learned about them from the show Wipeout. She really loves this show for some reason and one of the contestants at age 19 had a bucket list going and that was the ongoing joke for as long as she was on the show for. Something about that made an impression on Abby and every so often she’ll come out with something that is on her bucket list. (Mommy, the first thing to do on my bucket list is to not die .)

So after that, we headed out of Camp Minnie Mickey as we had pretty much done everything we wanted to in the park. As we made it back to Discovery Island, Abby wanted to stop and have our pictures taken with the pictures they have there where you stick your head in the hole. There was a family there doing that so as we waited, I noticed the DVC CM had on pins and I noticed he had one that matched the set that Abby had been trading for. It was Pluto which Abby happily traded a pin for. And because it wasn’t Mickey, I was starting to wonder how many pins were in the set. We thought there were 6 of them - and we had six - but the CM from the Boneyard said he knew there was a Mickey one in the set. When the DVC CM mentioned that he had a couple of more pins to trade but wasn’t wearing because they didn’t have backs the words "I don’t suppose it would by Mickey by any chance, would it?" popped out of my mouth. I know magic happens in Disney but IMO that would have been too good to be true. He said he’d go look and lo and behold he pulled out not only a Mickey pin from the set but also a Stitch pin . I have only two words - Disney Magic. Either that or he had whole sets in his podium or whatever it was he had there and just pulled out what he knew we needed . I much prefer the Disney magic scenario though . He showed them to Abby and she pulled one pin out of our bag and took Mickey and I couldn’t see not taking Stitch so I told him I would trade for it. He said it wasn’t necessary as he didn’t always go by the limit of 2 rule. I thought that was nice but I didn’t want to see him get in trouble in case someone was out and about paying attention so I handed him a pin in exchange for Stitch.

I thanked him for his time and after we had done our trading but before we could go behind the pictures, he started asking us about DVC. He wasn’t pushy but when I told him we weren’t members because it was too pricey for us he said something like "it’s only $20,000. That works out to $2000 a year for 10 years." I don’t know, maybe to some people that’s really cheap but now that we have health insurance that takes literally half of my paycheck when I get a full check (it takes upwards of 95 percent of my check when we have days off), 2000 bucks a year is really hard to come by. And I know enough about DVC to know that it’s not just that, there’s other fees associated with owning DVC that we just can’t afford. Besides, I like to book and take vacations when I want, not when they decide they’ll let me. So anyway, after I convinced him we’re not DVC and that we won’t be, Abby and I got behind the pictures while Lenny manned the camera.

From there, we headed back to the gift shops and did some shopping. And boy did we do some shopping . We were in there for something like an hour and we ended up with enough stuff that I decided to splurge and I asked for home delivery of my stuff. Abby didn’t want her stuff out of her sight so I paid for that separately and we held onto it. It was in there that I learned the set of pins Abby had traded for was only $15.95. At that price, I was almost tempted to buy a set for Abby to trade away (she was almost out of pins) but I didn’t. I also forgot to buy a package of pin backs. Oops, oh well. So with our new purchases in hand, we started to head out of the park but then I remembered Abby requested ITTBAB this year. I’m not so sure why she wanted to go in there again as she didn’t care for it last year but I asked if she still wanted to see the movie. She did so we made that our final attraction of the night. Just like last year, she sat on the scooter so she didn’t get "stung" by the bees. Lenny and I just sat on the front of the seats so we didn’t feel it either. I still don’t like the show and can understand why probably 75 percent of the theater was empty - the show just literally stinks in more ways than one. Lenny on the other hand likes the attraction and said it’s educational as well .

After ITTBAB, we had a couple of Photopass pictures taken. We didn’t have many taken that day as there just weren’t that many people out that we saw. I was kind of disappointed with the lack of them but what can you do? We made our way out of the park, which was fairly easy because not too many people were leaving. I’m thinking that many of them left after the parade.

After we got past the turnstiles we somehow ended up talking with a CM who was cleaning up. I don’t even know how we got to talking to him but we talked for a while and he asked us where we were staying. When we said AS Sports, he asked if we knew about the nightly movie. Neither of us did but after talking to him, we made it a point to find out what the movie was and possibly watch it. After one last pin trade for a pin Abby noticed, we thanked the CM - Mike was his name - and went to the car.

It didn’t take too long to get everything loaded up and back to the hotel but in an effort to save time, Lenny once again dropped Abby and I off at the main building so we could go order a pizza for dinner and see what movie was playing. I had the pizza ordered and I grabbed some salads but because the pager I had wouldn’t work outside of the food court and Lenny didn’t have a key to get to the room, I handed Abby a room key and the bag of salads and utensils/napkins/straws that we had and told her to go let herself in the room and stay there until mommy or daddy showed up. I did venture outside with her to make sure that’s exactly where she went (that was the huge advantage to having the handicapped room on the pool side of the building this year) and I noticed while out there the movie was Gnomeo and Juliet. We had thought about seeing this one in the movie theater but never made it so I figured why not try for it. When the pager went off, I went to get our pizza and I headed back to the room to see where everyone was. Abby was obviously there but so was Lenny. I told him what the movie was but I didn’t know if there were any free tables close enough to the screen so that we could see and hear the movie while eating our pizza. He left the room with our refillable mugs and told me he’d check. A minute later he called saying there was a table and to come on out. Since Abby never unpacked our salads, all we had to do was grab the bag and the pizza and head out.

When we got outside, there was a free table alright but it wasn’t very close to the screen. I kept telling Lenny I didn’t think we’d hear the movie. He wouldn’t listen though. He kept saying "you can hear the music, can’t you? The movie will be just as loud." Okay dear, if you think so . Abby and I sat down and Lenny went to get our drinks. When he came back, we started eating and waited for the movie to start. We saw some stuff happening on the screen but the music was still blaring so we didn’t know if the movie was starting or what was going on. The movie did eventually start and the loud music stopped but the volume wasn’t nearly as loud as Lenny thought it was going to be. I basically couldn’t hear a thing - and I don’t think Lenny did either. Abby said she could hear it though and she seemed to be interested in the movie.

The thing that ruined the movie for us were the young girls from the big tour groups that were staying at our hotel. I happen to turn away from the screen to look at something and right in my line of vision was this young kid wearing a thong and her entire butt was hanging out . All I could say to Lenny was "Oh, that’s really appropriate" in a really sarcastic voice. He turned to look and he couldn’t believe it either. On the screen was a G rated movie but right there in front of us was an R rated bathing suit. I’m not a prude, I realize some people wear things like that but 1)it’s Disney and a family resort, 2) this is America, not whatever country she came from 3) she was a young kid, not an adult 4) she didn’t even get in the pool, she just kept moving around. And it wasn’t just her, there were quite a few of them. It was 9 at night and IMO, if you’re at the pool that late, you should be doing one of two things - swimming or watching the movie . Not walking around the pool, not standing in front of people that are trying to watch a movie, and definitely not slowly bending over to feel the water and them moving a few feet to stand at the edge of the pool but still not get in. And if that wasn’t bad enough, I actually saw one guy following one of the girls staring at her the whole time . I was appalled by the girls (lack of) suit but that just creeped me out for her. Unfortunately however, that is probably what it will take before Disney takes any kind of action against those types of suits - one of these young kids getting attacked by a pervert. I know at Disney everyone loves to be in the Disney bubble but we all know they’re out there, even on Disney property.

Lenny was actually so disgusted by it that when he went to get us refills on our sodas, he talked to the Security Guard about it. He only said he could pass it along to the manager. And while Lenny was gone, the couple next to us started talking to me about how they couldn’t believe it either and how they go places like Myrtle Beach that do put bans on those types of suits. Lenny came back and we all talked for a few minutes - let’s face it, the movie for Lenny and I had been ruined not only by the lack of sound but by the other "sights" we were seeing that night. The other couple finally got up but before they left, I saw the mom talk to a life guard to complain about the kids and their suits and a few minutes later, Abby said she wanted to swim instead of see the movie anymore so as she and Lenny went to the room I took the opportunity to voice my opinion as well to the lifeguard who had just come over to our side of the pool. The life guard said she couldn’t do anything as she didn’t speak their language but she’d pass it along to the manager. I certainly felt that the CM’s at that hotel that night passed the buck so I guess it’s needless to say that when Lenny and Abby went swimming, I stayed back in the room to do other things.

Lenny and Abby swam for just a little while - Lenny said the water was really too warm to be refreshing - and soon after they came back to the room, we all went to bed for the night.

[lauriep]

I'm still over Abby's "bucket list"! I hope all the things on her list are as easy to accomplish as a high five from a tumble monkey! She's too much. Definitely Disney magic to get the completed pin set all from trades and definitely NOT Disney magic to be surrounded by the inappropriate kids at the pool.

[phoebec]

Sounds like a great day all in all, despite the lack of coverage at the pool. Abby's bucket list really cracks me up. My son LOVES Wipeout too. He found out there is a Wipeout video game and that is all he talks about getting. It sounds like you guys got a lot done at AK, despite the heat. I'm glad everything worked out with the scooter. Can't wait to read more!

[sophierushmom]

There were hineys showing all over the water parks and many that really needed to be covered. Nothing like a chunky middle aged woman showing off her rear. Another thing we saw lots of were little girls about my daughters age(9) swimming without tops .However the lifeguards were talking to the parents of these children explaining to them that they needed to wear some sort of top. Later when talking to a lifeguard he said they could not say anything about bathing suit bottoms but they were allowed to tell them that the needed to have tops on.

[WeRDisneyFanatics]

Aw, I love that Abby A) has a bucket list and B) got to check something off that day! Too cute! Cool that you got some magic with the pin trading.

[saibot0001]

Glad the scooter was fixed for you and that you were able to talk Abby into staying b/c she would have missed checking off that bucket list! Abby's bucket list put a smile on my face! I love it! What a girl, and yes I totally saw her, in my mind, checking that off! I'm still smiling. I realized I really need to have a bucket list too.
I love the pin story. I do believe it is Disney Magic!
I also laughed, laughed, laughed at your crazy face icon that you gave Lenny for thinking ITTBAB is educational. Too funny. You crack me up!
As for the lack of swim suits at the pool...I am in 100% agreeance with that. I don't want to see it and I don't want my girls to see that! That should not be allowed at a place that is marketed to be family friendly! If that makes me a prude that so be it. Good for you all to speak up. Waiting to see what the next day has in store for you all!

[lazanya]

Glad you had a great day at AK! Pretty cool to get some Disney magic with the pins!

[taylan1]

Great update! So glad you were able to get a new scooter so quickly. Love that the CM helped you at Flame Tree. I had the same thing happen at Blizzard Beach on our trip in June, my DH was waiting at the table with our son and I had two trays and one of the girls happily came out from behind the counter and helped me carry it all over to the table. I appreciated it so much. Disney Magic! It looks like you received a bunch of Disney Magic that day. Except for the child wearing the thong, just ridiculous! Looking forward to your next update.

[WeLuvTheWorld]

Loving the visual of Abby checking off her bucket list item! Too cute.

Sorry that the CM's all seemed to be passing the buck at the pool that evening. I would have been offended also and I'm glad that you all said something (even if nothing seemed to happen). Maybe they will take note if they get enough complaints and change their policy concerning swimwear.

[Alex'sMummy]

Another great update. Glad that you managed to get the pins you wanted. Sorry that your pool movie was spoiled by the offensive swimwear. I would have felt uncomfortable too.

Rachel

[shnewell]

Wow, sounds like a really great day! Glad the scooter issue was resolved rather painlessly and that Abby got to check something off of her bucket list! I am still chuckling about item #1 on her list!

And that is completely magical that she managed to get that entire pin set! I'm so happy that she is enjoying the pin trading and hope that the pins we sent helped her get off to a good start.

I'm sorry about the bathing suit issue. I would have been unhappy as well.