Buzz's_girl
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2005
- Messages
- 132
Return to the Madness: Part 7 Day 5 3/1:More height drama at AK, but now I have proof! And Fantasmic!
Cast:
Me: Obsessive Disney Planner, Disney Commando in 12 step program learning how to do Disney with kids!!!
DH 30- Loves Disney as much as me, but content to sit at the pool and watch the kids
DD6- knows everything, or thinks she does
DD5- loves everything, especially if it is pink
DS4- loves Buzz. We call him Stitch, he is messy and destructive, but very cute.
Today was originally going to be the day before we were heading home, but I was able to extend our trip by a day, so we chaged our plans a little. Originally, I had planned for breakfast at Restauratnasaurus in AK before the park opened. Then we were going to spend some more time at AK. Around noon or so we were going to head to MGM. We were going to do a few rides, and then go to our 330 dinner ressie at Hollywood and Vine for our Fantasmic Dinner Package. Since we had added a day, and all the kids wanted to do was swim, I had called Disney Dining and cancelled the Fantasmic Dinner package so we wouldnt be too locked in. I still didnt have my voice, and I think that added to the ease of my canceling the dinner since it was less than 24 hours in advance.
Our new plan was to still to breakfast with Donald and friends, and then go back to the hotel to swim, and then head to MGM for Fantasmic, with no dinner. The crowds at this point were not too bad, and I didnt think we would have to wait too long, so we figured we would save our money on dinner, and just do hamburgers and hot dogs.
We woke up to the phone ringing. This morning it was Stitch making a horrible racket, and then Mickey. (Much better than the ESPN guy!) When I got up, I opened our sliding glass door to feel the weather outside. Brrrrrr. It was cold. This is Florida, right? I checked out the weather today and tomorrow would be much colder than normal, but the sun would be out and that would help. We decided on layers for everyone, in case it got hot enough for shorts, we were ready. We made it to the bus stop and were on our way to AK in no time. When we got to AK we headed to the gates marked for the breakfast and went right in. It was not as crowded as the MK had been a few days before. We were heading for the restaurant, which is quite a trek, when we came upon the picture takers in front of the tree of life. The man who took the pictures was great .he must have taken 10 pictures of us and the kids, they all came out great and we bought most of them. It was nice to have such personal attention!
We got to the restaurant and checked in. We were seated within minutes. Our waitress was nice, and very efficient. She explained how the characters would work, and how the buffet was set up. Then we were given the green light! The buffet was good, not great, but good. The set up left a little to be desired. There were two sides, but everyone seemed to think that one side was the only one in use. It didnt take too long for people to figure it out though, all it takes is one brave soul! The characters came through in quick succession but that was fine with us. We got some great pictures of the kids with each of them, and Mickey made over DDs Minnie Mouse Doll which the kids thought was great. I know some people dont like how quickly the characters are in and out, but for my kids it was perfect. When the characters are around too long, my kids start asking me questions, like How come Mickey never talks, and when he does, like at MK when it is closing, why doesnt his mouth move?
Anyway, after breakfast we headed over to Dinosaur. We werent sure if DS would be tall enough, so we took him to the first height measurement stand, which was located pretty far from the entrance. If his head didnt hit the bar, we werent going to try, not after what happened with Splash at MK. We walked up, and DS went to the bar. His head hit it, no mistake. So we walked up closer to the entrance of the ride. There were three CMs standing there. They asked if they could measure DS. I said sure, confident that he was tall enough. The measuring stick they had showed him to be a hair to short. I said, Wow, that is weird, we just measured him, and his head hit the bar. They told me that he was probably on his toes since all the measuring sticks are checked, and they are all at 40. I asked if one of them would come with me and watch DS a the first measuring station. One followed me, but assured me that he must have been on his toes. We all went back to the original stand. DS walked up to it and stood under it. His head hit the bar. No mistake about it. The CM checked to make sure he was not on his toes. He wasnt. Hmmmm, she said, that is odd. She brought him back to the measuring stick at the entrance of the ride. Once again, his head was barely skimming the bottom of the stick, not hitting it as it had at the first one. She said, I guess they are different. There is one more inside, go ahead and try him on that one. So we went through the queue (no wait) and we made it to the next measurement spot. On this one, there was no mistaking it, he was an inch to short. I once again explained the situation, telling about the different measurements at two different stations for the same ride. DS at this point was mad. He would not get to ride. The CMs at this last measurement spot told me that all the sticks (for lack of a better term) were checked and they were all the same, and they were all 40. I tried to explain that they couldnt be all the same, since he was measuring different at each spot, but they basically called me a liar. I was very frustrated at this point, and it was hard to convey my opions since my voice was still on the fritz.
We went back to where we had parked our strollers. The original CM was still on her post. She came over and could tell that we had been turned away just before getting on the ride. She told me that she personally would let a manager know what she saw with her own eyes. I thanked her, and told her about the discrepancy at MK as well. DH took DD5 on Dinosaur. She loved it, and we used baby swap so I could ride with her as well. DD6 decided, after all the height drama, that it was too scary for her anyway so she and DS would not ride together. That eased DSs frustrations a little.
Just as DD5 and I were exiting the ride, the original CM came up to me with a manager. She had me explain once again the situation, and told him that she saw the discrepancy with her own eyes. He said there was nothing he could do. This was when I had finally had enough. I told him, in what would probably have been a yell if I had a voice to yell with, that something was wrong with the system of measurement, and that it was very unfair to get a kids hopes up. I told him of the situation at MK. I told him that had DS not been 40 when I measured him at home, I would not have even tried to get him on rides with the 40 requirement. (We had done fine in August when he was well under the 40 mark). I said that it got his hopes up to hit the marker at one point, only to be an inch under it at another spot for the same ride. Irene, the CM, agreed with me, but the manager simply told me that they were all the same height, they had been checked, and there was nothing he could do.
Irene gave us a free voucher that we could use as fast pass on any ride at AK to make up for the situation. Oh well.
WE finished up our half a day at AK, doing the Bugs Life show under the Tree of Life, we rode the safari again and saw great animals (thanks to Irenes fast pass) and we did a few other things.
Next Up: An unexpected visitor, and Fantasmic!
Cast:
Me: Obsessive Disney Planner, Disney Commando in 12 step program learning how to do Disney with kids!!!
DH 30- Loves Disney as much as me, but content to sit at the pool and watch the kids
DD6- knows everything, or thinks she does
DD5- loves everything, especially if it is pink
DS4- loves Buzz. We call him Stitch, he is messy and destructive, but very cute.
Today was originally going to be the day before we were heading home, but I was able to extend our trip by a day, so we chaged our plans a little. Originally, I had planned for breakfast at Restauratnasaurus in AK before the park opened. Then we were going to spend some more time at AK. Around noon or so we were going to head to MGM. We were going to do a few rides, and then go to our 330 dinner ressie at Hollywood and Vine for our Fantasmic Dinner Package. Since we had added a day, and all the kids wanted to do was swim, I had called Disney Dining and cancelled the Fantasmic Dinner package so we wouldnt be too locked in. I still didnt have my voice, and I think that added to the ease of my canceling the dinner since it was less than 24 hours in advance.
Our new plan was to still to breakfast with Donald and friends, and then go back to the hotel to swim, and then head to MGM for Fantasmic, with no dinner. The crowds at this point were not too bad, and I didnt think we would have to wait too long, so we figured we would save our money on dinner, and just do hamburgers and hot dogs.
We woke up to the phone ringing. This morning it was Stitch making a horrible racket, and then Mickey. (Much better than the ESPN guy!) When I got up, I opened our sliding glass door to feel the weather outside. Brrrrrr. It was cold. This is Florida, right? I checked out the weather today and tomorrow would be much colder than normal, but the sun would be out and that would help. We decided on layers for everyone, in case it got hot enough for shorts, we were ready. We made it to the bus stop and were on our way to AK in no time. When we got to AK we headed to the gates marked for the breakfast and went right in. It was not as crowded as the MK had been a few days before. We were heading for the restaurant, which is quite a trek, when we came upon the picture takers in front of the tree of life. The man who took the pictures was great .he must have taken 10 pictures of us and the kids, they all came out great and we bought most of them. It was nice to have such personal attention!
We got to the restaurant and checked in. We were seated within minutes. Our waitress was nice, and very efficient. She explained how the characters would work, and how the buffet was set up. Then we were given the green light! The buffet was good, not great, but good. The set up left a little to be desired. There were two sides, but everyone seemed to think that one side was the only one in use. It didnt take too long for people to figure it out though, all it takes is one brave soul! The characters came through in quick succession but that was fine with us. We got some great pictures of the kids with each of them, and Mickey made over DDs Minnie Mouse Doll which the kids thought was great. I know some people dont like how quickly the characters are in and out, but for my kids it was perfect. When the characters are around too long, my kids start asking me questions, like How come Mickey never talks, and when he does, like at MK when it is closing, why doesnt his mouth move?
Anyway, after breakfast we headed over to Dinosaur. We werent sure if DS would be tall enough, so we took him to the first height measurement stand, which was located pretty far from the entrance. If his head didnt hit the bar, we werent going to try, not after what happened with Splash at MK. We walked up, and DS went to the bar. His head hit it, no mistake. So we walked up closer to the entrance of the ride. There were three CMs standing there. They asked if they could measure DS. I said sure, confident that he was tall enough. The measuring stick they had showed him to be a hair to short. I said, Wow, that is weird, we just measured him, and his head hit the bar. They told me that he was probably on his toes since all the measuring sticks are checked, and they are all at 40. I asked if one of them would come with me and watch DS a the first measuring station. One followed me, but assured me that he must have been on his toes. We all went back to the original stand. DS walked up to it and stood under it. His head hit the bar. No mistake about it. The CM checked to make sure he was not on his toes. He wasnt. Hmmmm, she said, that is odd. She brought him back to the measuring stick at the entrance of the ride. Once again, his head was barely skimming the bottom of the stick, not hitting it as it had at the first one. She said, I guess they are different. There is one more inside, go ahead and try him on that one. So we went through the queue (no wait) and we made it to the next measurement spot. On this one, there was no mistaking it, he was an inch to short. I once again explained the situation, telling about the different measurements at two different stations for the same ride. DS at this point was mad. He would not get to ride. The CMs at this last measurement spot told me that all the sticks (for lack of a better term) were checked and they were all the same, and they were all 40. I tried to explain that they couldnt be all the same, since he was measuring different at each spot, but they basically called me a liar. I was very frustrated at this point, and it was hard to convey my opions since my voice was still on the fritz.
We went back to where we had parked our strollers. The original CM was still on her post. She came over and could tell that we had been turned away just before getting on the ride. She told me that she personally would let a manager know what she saw with her own eyes. I thanked her, and told her about the discrepancy at MK as well. DH took DD5 on Dinosaur. She loved it, and we used baby swap so I could ride with her as well. DD6 decided, after all the height drama, that it was too scary for her anyway so she and DS would not ride together. That eased DSs frustrations a little.
Just as DD5 and I were exiting the ride, the original CM came up to me with a manager. She had me explain once again the situation, and told him that she saw the discrepancy with her own eyes. He said there was nothing he could do. This was when I had finally had enough. I told him, in what would probably have been a yell if I had a voice to yell with, that something was wrong with the system of measurement, and that it was very unfair to get a kids hopes up. I told him of the situation at MK. I told him that had DS not been 40 when I measured him at home, I would not have even tried to get him on rides with the 40 requirement. (We had done fine in August when he was well under the 40 mark). I said that it got his hopes up to hit the marker at one point, only to be an inch under it at another spot for the same ride. Irene, the CM, agreed with me, but the manager simply told me that they were all the same height, they had been checked, and there was nothing he could do.
Irene gave us a free voucher that we could use as fast pass on any ride at AK to make up for the situation. Oh well.
WE finished up our half a day at AK, doing the Bugs Life show under the Tree of Life, we rode the safari again and saw great animals (thanks to Irenes fast pass) and we did a few other things.
Next Up: An unexpected visitor, and Fantasmic!
I'm just wondering why the manager didn't offer to measure the height measuring stick to see how tall it was? I mean how much effort would it have been for him to bring a ruler or measuring tape over and measure just how tall that stick is? Maybe the one that he measure a definite 40" at was too short? Sounds very frustrating to me - too bad your voice was gone, a yelling park guest sometimes makes more of an impression and might have made the manager want to do more for you.
