Magic Mirror fixed on Snow White's Scary Adventures

[Lokheed]

Sometime shortly after the rehab last spring, the Magic Mirror effect at the beginning of SWSA broke so that instead of a colorful flaming background the mask was floating in front of nothing more that white steam. It stayed broken that way for several months, but as of this past week it is finally back to actually looking like the Magic Mirror, flames and all.

But Dopey and Sneezy are still MIA in the yodeling scene, and have been for several months.

(As of today, my son has ridden SWSA 875 times, and will probably break a thousand before the end of the year. I see this ride a *lot*.)

 

[General Grizz]

Wow. That's a lot of ridethroughs.

Thanks for the news! Is the boat with the Old Hag still running?

 

[Lokheed]

Yeah, the witch in the boat has been working properly for a while now. "You'll find Snow White in the cottage of the Seven Dwarves...."

One thing I have to say about the rehab: it has not only backed up the offloading of the mine carts (only one can be offloaded at a time now instead of two), but it consistently ruins the climax of the ride. It used to be that if you were going to be backed up it would maybe be back to the Prince-kissing-Snow-White scene. Nowadays, the backups are almost always back to the point where you leave the Dwarfs' mine. That means that as you exit the mine you hear the dramatic music and hear the Witch cackling about how she'll crush your bones, but your mine cart comes to a dead stop before it begins to turn, so you can't see her levering the rock. You just hear the thunder and her her scream. Then the cart starts to move, and you see the witch magically being reset into position. Then the cart comes to a dead stop again, but underneath the Witch's platform where you can't even see the rock anymore. So basically, where the rock used to be perilously tilting at your minecart as you passed underneath, now that almost never happens.

 

[Lokheed]

Well, mark him down for another dozen go-arounds today. That puts his current tally at 887 rides on Snow White's Scary Adventures. Looks like he's going to hit the 1k mark sometime in January.

Oh, and some excellent cast members proved me wrong today - the first six times we rode it the CMs running the load and unload stations kept the mine carts moving such that the backup was only back to the kissing scene, despite long lines. There's just no substitute for well trained cast members who take pride in their work.

 

[Poncho1973]

wow...er... umm...yeah... that's a lot of free time. Does the kid have, you know, school work or friends or anything?

 

[Lokheed]

He's autistic.

So no, no homework. I have never seen him interact with a child his own age on his own initiative, although he has become much more willing to let other kids be near him. We moved to Orlando because the Magic Kingdom has an amazing effect on him, and in the sixteen months since we've been here he has become much more verbal and expressive. The time we spend in the park is really one giant therapy session. SWSA is the carrot we dangle in order to get him to do other things and work on his socialization.

Dig the location, btw Poncho. I hear that's a pretty small town. Last time I checked, it was Population: Tire.

 

[Jekyll]

He's autistic.

So no, no homework. I have never seen him interact with a child his own age on his own initiative, although he has become much more willing to let other kids be near him. We moved to Orlando because the Magic Kingdom has an amazing effect on him, and in the sixteen months since we've been here he has become much more verbal and expressive. The time we spend in the park is really one giant therapy session. SWSA is the carrot we dangle in order to get him to do other things and work on his socialization.

Dig the location, btw Poncho. I hear that's a pretty small town. Last time I checked, it was Population: Tire.

That is simply amazing. Thanks for the update. And all my prayers for you and your son. Keep riding that ride and let us know when he hit 1000. That's got to be a record!

 

[Mikey73181]

wow...er... umm...yeah... that's a lot of free time. Does the kid have, you know, school work or friends or anything?

bet you feel like a ________ now... :hammer:

 

[Poncho1973]

bet you feel like a ________ now... :hammer:

No I don't. I understand there are special needs cases... but realistically... any kid that rides a ride THAT often... can't have a life.

MORE IMPORTANTLY... a special needs child would normally have rehab or classes of some sort that dominate a large bulk of their time. I have a friend whose brother is autistic... he isn't a veg-a-person. He just doesn't handle most situations well. He goes to a special school and does his own little "weird" things... but he wouldn't have time to ride a ride 1,000 times.

I appreciate that MK helps this child. I understand that... but just because apples are good for me... it doesn't mean that I eat them for 6 meals a day. My comment was more one of wonder. BUT I'm not the parent... nor am I a parent at all... not my call. I wish their family the best!

 

[Lokheed]

Bear in mind, that's 1000 times in a period of nearly two years. Currently we visit the park somewhere around 5-6 times in a month, and we are in the park for perhaps 2-3 hours on each visit. While he might ride SWSA 6-9 times during a particular visit, he will also routinely ride Pooh, Dumbo, Peter Pan, Mickey's Philharmagic, TTA, and Buzz Lightyear. He won't do all of those on any given day, but he will certainly do several of them. He will also stop at Cosmic Ray's for a snack, and he will stop at the Main Street Confectionary for a treat. There are also particular spots that he likes to visit just because they seem to please him, like one specific bench in Fantasyland that has a view of the courtyard that he likes. He has recently started carrying a wallet, and is beginning to learn how transactions work so he can buy things for himself. Snow White is the carrot to get him out in a public situation where he can learn a multitude of life skills. Thus far it seems to be working rather well. I suspect that your friend's brother has the time to spend three or four hours in a week doing something he enjoys.

 

[PurpleDragon]

Hey Lokheed, I think that is great!! The fact that WDW has a special place in your sons heart is a beautiful thing. :sohappy:

Does he go to a special school at all? If so maybe you should suggest other parents to try this type of WDW "therapy". See if it works as well for other Autistic children, the way it has worked for your son.

Hey, if it works well enough for enough children, maybe you can see if Disney will get involved with some type of structured program.


Oh and Poncho, your comment was very rude and disrespectful to LokHeed. Calling autistic children "wierd" and such. I'm not sure if you mean it that way or not, but it came across that way. oh and what exactly is your definition of having a "life"? For a child, going to WDW 5-6 times a month is a better life than most children would ever dream, autistic or not. As far as free time, some autistic children do not do well in a structured environment, and maybe Lokheed's son is one of those children, so he is home schooled. Please next time try and think before lashing out at someone who takes pride in their child.

 

[Lokheed]

Does he go to a special school at all?

He is in the ESE program with Orange County Public Schools, and currently attends Thornebrooke Elementary up in Windermere. We have been extremely pleased with the teachers in particular and the program in general, although I would be the first to concede that happening to land inside the Windermere district means that he is in a school that is extremely well funded and cared for. Next year he will reach middle school age, and will most likely begin attending Gotha Middle School. I'm a wee bit scared about that, just because I have a hard time imagining him functioning in middle school. On the other hand the current principal there is the same man who used to be the principal at Thornebrooke, and he is excellent at his job. I imagine his new school is run every bit as well as his old one.

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

But Dopey and Sneezy are still MIA in the yodeling scene, and have been for several months.

I noticed that when I was there in Oct. Glad to see it's fixed!

Good for you for providing your son with activities like that. I think it's wonderful that you help promote his development like that. Let us know when he hits 1K or more!

TheDisneyGirl02

 

[PurpleDragon]

I'm a wee bit scared about that, just because I have a hard time imagining him functioning in middle school.

I'm sure with your support he will do great. :wave:

If you ever meet with other parents with autistic children, mention your WDW trips and see if other parents would be willing to try it. This may become a whole new type of therapy. You never know.

Good Luck!! Keep us up to date on his 1K ride progress.

 

[Mouse's Magic]

Glad its fixed!

 

[Poncho1973]

Oh and Poncho, your comment was very rude and disrespectful to LokHeed. Calling autistic children "wierd" and such. I'm not sure if you mean it that way or not, but it came across that way. oh and what exactly is your definition of having a "life"? For a child, going to WDW 5-6 times a month is a better life than most children would ever dream, autistic or not. As far as free time, some autistic children do not do well in a structured environment, and maybe Lokheed's son is one of those children, so he is home schooled. Please next time try and think before lashing out at someone who takes pride in their child.

Step off the soapbox. I said my friend's brother did "weird" things. There's a big difference between that calling a kid with a disability weird. Have you been around autistic kids? Some of them DO WEIRD THINGS. Have you seen "Rainman"? Some adults with autism also DO WEIRD THINGS. Please send me some of your holy water... you know... so I can receive your blessings.

Just a personal note to Lokheed... I'm glad your son is getting advancement from "the magic". Thank you for clarifying when I made a statement that some found rude. I respect that you take care of your child... autistic or not... and I hope you realize that I have NO perspective on child-rearing. It just seemed odd that a child would ride something that often. Even after you explained that he was autistic... it didn't seem healthy to constantly ride a ride like that. I was wrong. Your reply was informative and completely changed my opinion on the topic. I understand the benefits and advantages to your "self-therapy". By providing the additional info about learning how to pay for items, the other skills he's learning AND how you reward him with this 1,000 ride challenge... you really made me see the reality of the situation was not how I was envisioning it.

 

[Lokheed]

Have you been around autistic kids? Some of them DO WEIRD THINGS.

Oh lordy, is that a true statement. My son most definitely does weird things. Makes funny noises, moves in odd ways, interacts with objects in ways that often make people look twice. Nothing offensive or dangerous, just weird. You just kind of get used to it after a while.

 

[chocomog]

i dunno, i'm not austic but i think i could ride splash mountain a dozen times in a day. Pirates of the C. too, probably. .....

...and space mountain. i think i rode it 6 times in a row one night during the fireworks and the line was unusually empty. :lol:

 

[Poncho1973]

i dunno, i'm not austic but i think i could ride splash mountain a dozen times in a day. Pirates of the C. too, probably. .....

...and space mountain. i think i rode it 6 times in a row one night during the fireworks and the line was unusually empty. :lol:

Thinking you could and having the time/lack of a life to do so... TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT THINGS.

 

[KevinPage]

No I don't. I understand there are special needs cases... but realistically... any kid that rides a ride THAT often... can't have a life.

I'm glad Lokhed didn't take offense to your remarks, since I assume you don't mean the above the way it sounds.