Luke's Wish Trip May 16-22

[mlbarbian]

We are so excited to be going to Disney, and I am so excited to have found this board. There are so many knowledgeable people on here and it is so amazing that they give their time to help us less informed with our trips - Thank You.

We are leaving May 16th, and I am feeling so unprepared right now. We have a 4 year old (Luke) and an 18 month old (Madeleine). I am hoping for the best and planning for the worst, expecting many meltdowns.

We feel so fortunate to be going to Disney through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I know Luke will have a truly magical experience and I am so excited for him.

I know I will have lots of questions, and I plan to do lots of reading on the boards here.

Thank you,
Michelle

[mlbarbian]

Here is a little about us. Luke was our first child. At 10 weeks, we took him to the pediatrician for his 2 month appointment. I was really dreading the SHOTS he would be getting. The doctor was doing his examination and spent a bit of time on his abdomen. He noticed that his liver was quite larger than it should be, so he sent us to Children's Hospital to have some tests done. No shots today (I think I would have preferred the shots) On this day, he had lots of blood drawn, urine tests, etc. We also met with a Gastroenterologist. He explained to us what some of the possibilities were. I remember him talking about the possibility of a liver transplant. At this point I began to realize the severity of the situation. The Gastroenterologist sent us for an MRI the following day, he also had more blood and urine tests. That afternoon, the doctor called me (my husband was not home from work yet), and said the following(which I will never forget) "We got the results of the MRI. He has Neuroblastoma, it's cancer. It's serious, you will be in our thoughts and prayers." He proceeded to tell me that we were meeting with the oncologist the following day. This was probably the worst phone call I had ever gotten, of course I broke down and called my husband. He was on his way home.
Everything happened very fast at this point. We met with the oncologists. Luke then had a liver biopsy and bone marrow biopsy done to determine the histology of the cancer (staging, etc.). The results were mostly favorable, however one of the factors came back undesirable, so he had to have 8 rounds of chemotherapy. He had to have surgery to have a central line put in. He had stage 4S Neuroblastoma. His prognosis was very good. He is now 4 years old, and you would never even know he was so sick.

[maroo]

Thank you so, so much for sharing your story with us!!! :)

Thanks for sending me the link! I will share it on the Wish Trippers Unite thread!

Do you know how to post pictures? If you would like?

You guys are leaving next week! I know you must be SOOO excited! It is a magical trip!

Have you guys been to Disney before?

[mlbarbian]

I am going to try posting some pics.

Here is the whole family at Easter. It's really hard to get a picture where everyone is cooperating, so this is the best we got:
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/IMG_2303-1.jpg

Luke and Madeleine in the snow:
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/IMG_2091-1.jpg

This is my favorite picture of Luke. He is with his blanket, with the bunny that I have sewn onto it. He sleeps with this thing every night, and this is exactly how he looks when he has it:
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/jcp7.jpg

Here is Madeleine in her 1 year picture:
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Mad1year8.jpg

[maroo]

Oh, your kids are SOOOO precious!

I love the pics!!! :)

[kdzbear]

Your children are adorable! I am so glad that you get to go on a Disney Wish trip. I would be glad to answer any Disney questions you might have. I have traveled to Disney when my two littlest were the ages of your children now. I hope that Luke is in remission now. Great start to your report! :wizard:

[that's nice]

Michelle,
I'll be following your PTR. Our DD3 cancer was discovered when she turned 1. Our pediatrician felt something in DD belly at her 1yr well visit. It was a whirlwind of a week for us. Our DD was diagnosed with a Wilms Tumor and had surgery to remove her kidney. She also had a central line and had 5 months of chemo which ended on August 14th 2007. She has been cancer free since her surgery.

I'm so glad that Luke is doing better! There is so much info here on the DIS.... and on the wish trippers thread. Don't be scared to ask questions.. there are so many people that are willing to help!

Tim

[BeckySob]

Welcome Michelle!

Your children are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing your story and the pictures. Pictures are always nice!! We love pictures!!

As you know, ask any question you may have. No question is too stupid to ask!

Have you been to DisneyWorld before? Will you be staying at GKTW?

[kmparrish5]

Welcome! Your trip is just around the corner. You leave to go home the day before we arrive. I am happy to hear that Luke is doing well now. Your children are adorable. I know they must be very excited about going to Disney. My kids can hardly stand the wait.....18 days and counting!

[Corrine 1973]

Your kids are sooooooo cute!:lovestruc

I am so glad that Luke is doing well and you will very soon be going to Disney World.

This will also be my families first trip to Disney World so we are in the same boat. We will be going in September. One thing I have learned in my Disney reserch is something cool for parents who have small children who can't go on rides that other people in the party want to go on. The CM will allow one adult to stay back with the infant/child while the others ride on the ride and allow that person to ride as soon as there party returns and not get in the back of any lines (though with a GKTW or MaW button there will not be long lines anyway.)

Can't wait to hear more and see some more great pics!

[MaryAz]

Congrats on your trip! Luke is quite a guy. We are going the same time as you are! I have not gone before but have planned for monthes so if ther is anything I can answer I would be happy to.

[josabbimommy]

Thank you for starting your pre trip report. When are you going home? We arrive in Orlando on the 22nd of May. I too am very excited. I have not heard from the wish organization but know someone who used to work there and she says they usually wait til the week before to give info.....so you should get something this week or early next. I would not hesitate to call them...as a matter of fact, I'm thinking of doing that myself with my son's trip.

[mlbarbian]

Well, the wish volunteer called tonight, yay!! They are coming over on Thursday night to give us all our info. It will be such a relief to have all the info (flight time, character meal reservation, etc) so I can start to really put our trip together. I don't even know if the character meal is a breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Here is what I know I want to plan for us at this point:
Magic Kingdom - at least one day
Universal - at least one day
Sea World - feed dolphins and maybe the clam/pearl dive
Epcot - we have to go at least a half day because my brother and his family were just there in January and have video of the Turtle Talkin with Crush, so my son already knows he wants to do that.
I can't remember which park the Disney cars are at, but we HAVE to go there, my son is obsessed (and also saw pictures from my brother's trip)

I know there are also activities some mornings and evenings at GKTW that I want to be there for.

I need to sit down and make some charts or something to organize my thoughts, I am such a visual person.

More to come, when I get more organized ;)

Michelle

[MaryAz]

I made an Excel spreadsheet so I could see it all at once. Happy planning!

[mlbarbian]

I made an Excel spreadsheet so I could see it all at once. Happy planning!

Could I see a copy of your spreadsheet? It sounds like it would be very useful.

Thank you

[MaryAz]

I will pm it to you-if I can. May have to wait for hubby's help.

[tinytreasures]

wow you trip is coming up fast
my biggest tip is it to relax and enjoy the ride :lovestruc

[Matt1026]

What wonderful pictures!!! Your children are beautiful. My son was just approved for his wish so we are in the very early stages. I hope you have a magical time.

[mlbarbian]

Oh, your kids are SOOOO precious!

I love the pics!!! :)

Thank you Maroo.

Michelle,
I'll be following your PTR. Our DD3 cancer was discovered when she turned 1. Our pediatrician felt something in DD belly at her 1yr well visit. It was a whirlwind of a week for us. Our DD was diagnosed with a Wilms Tumor and had surgery to remove her kidney. She also had a central line and had 5 months of chemo which ended on August 14th 2007. She has been cancer free since her surgery.

I'm so glad that Luke is doing better! There is so much info here on the DIS.... and on the wish trippers thread. Don't be scared to ask questions.. there are so many people that are willing to help!

Tim

Our experience was very similar. Once they diagnosed the cancer, everything happened so fast. Luckily, he was our first, so we didn't have to worry about another child, I don't know how people do it when they have siblings to care for.

Welcome Michelle!

Your children are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing your story and the pictures. Pictures are always nice!! We love pictures!!

As you know, ask any question you may have. No question is too stupid to ask!

Have you been to DisneyWorld before? Will you be staying at GKTW?

This will be our first trip to Disney, and we are all so excited. We are staying at GKTW.

Welcome! Your trip is just around the corner. You leave to go home the day before we arrive. I am happy to hear that Luke is doing well now. Your children are adorable. I know they must be very excited about going to Disney. My kids can hardly stand the wait.....18 days and counting!

So we will just miss you. When we were choosing dates, I avoided Memorial Day week because I thought it would be busier.

Congrats on your trip! Luke is quite a guy. We are going the same time as you are! I have not gone before but have planned for monthes so if ther is anything I can answer I would be happy to.

Are you guys staying at GKTW? Maybe we'll cross paths.

What wonderful pictures!!! Your children are beautiful. My son was just approved for his wish so we are in the very early stages. I hope you have a magical time.

I wish I would have found this board when I had just started planning. I instead got a bunch of books from the library which are not nearly as useful as this board (IMO).

OK, I think I answered everyone. Thank you all for checking out our PTR.

[mlbarbian]

Well, we met with our wish volunteers tonight. They are such sweet ladies. They brought gifts for the kids. I will also say that my children were both difficult during this whole meeting. My son was more worried about getting outside so he could play with the neighborhood kids (he was at his grandparents house all day). My daughter was so clingy that I had to hold her, which would have been fine except when I was holding her on my lap, she was getting into everything on the table, so I would put her down and then she would cry (fun times).
They went through all the info with us (most of which I knew thanks to this board):).
Our flight leaves at 12:30 on Saturday, which is a good time. The limo will pick us up at our house at 9:30 to take us to the airport. We will probably just get settled in and check out GKTW Saturday night, and go to the orientation.
I was then thinking about going to Magic Kingdom the next day, but have seen a couple people recommend not doing that, so I'm thinking maybe Universal.

That's all I have for now, will post more later.

Michelle

[mlbarbian]

I forgot to say that our return flight is at 8 am, so we will have to up at like 4 or 5am to get to the airport, return the rental car and get through security. I am really hoping to get this changed.

There was also no info in the packet regarding our character meal at Chef Mickeys. If she forgot to make the reservation, what are my chances of getting one at this point?

Do we need a car seat for my son in the limo? Will they provide it? We are taking one for my daughter because she will sit in it on the plane, but weren't planning on taking one for him. Will we need it in the rental car or will they have them? Do wish families typically get a mini van as their rental? We only have 2 children, but will have way too much stuff to fit in a car.

Sorry so many questions.

[kdzbear]

I forgot to say that our return flight is at 8 am, so we will have to up at like 4 or 5am to get to the airport, return the rental car and get through security. I am really hoping to get this changed.

There was also no info in the packet regarding our character meal at Chef Mickeys. If she forgot to make the reservation, what are my chances of getting one at this point?

Do we need a car seat for my son in the limo? Will they provide it? We are taking one for my daughter because she will sit in it on the plane, but weren't planning on taking one for him. Will we need it in the rental car or will they have them? Do wish families typically get a mini van as their rental? We only have 2 children, but will have way too much stuff to fit in a car.

Sorry so many questions.

I think you still should be able to get into Chef Mickey's if you explain you are on a Wish trip. I have read that others on this board have been able to do so. As for the limo, I have never ridden in one, but my 8 year old was just in one for her Aunt's wedding and the first thing that she said when she got out was that there were no seat belts. She is very into safety.

I think you will have a fabulous trip! :wizard:

[maroo]

I forgot to say that our return flight is at 8 am, so we will have to up at like 4 or 5am to get to the airport, return the rental car and get through security. I am really hoping to get this changed.

There was also no info in the packet regarding our character meal at Chef Mickeys. If she forgot to make the reservation, what are my chances of getting one at this point?

Do we need a car seat for my son in the limo? Will they provide it? We are taking one for my daughter because she will sit in it on the plane, but weren't planning on taking one for him. Will we need it in the rental car or will they have them? Do wish families typically get a mini van as their rental? We only have 2 children, but will have way too much stuff to fit in a car.

Sorry so many questions.


Oh, I hope you can get your flight back changed! :goodvibes

I would call your wish granters about Chef Mickeys...in case they just forgot. And I agree with kdzbear that you should be able to get in (we were able to) by telling them you are on a wish trip. You should also try to shoot for an "off" time, if you try to get squeezed in!

And I would call wish granters about the car seat, too. Sometimes they provide one, but I think it is worked out in advance...

I do think you will probably get a van...but you may want to ask about that, too...

Gosh. I think I was able to answer NONE of your questions!

But hopefully your wish granters can answer some for ya! :) Let us know how that all turns out. :)

[mlbarbian]

I talked to our wish coordinator. She says she has been working on booking the Chef Mickey meal and hasn't been able to get in. She said they told her Make-A-Wish has no priority over anyone else. She said she will continue to try. I am going to start calling also. I actually called today and got a reservation for breakfast at Crystal Palace. This will be exciting because it looks like the only place you can see the Pooh characters, and it is another one I was kind of hoping to go to. What are the chances of getting into a character meal if we just walk in and say we are with Make-A-Wish, has anyone ever tried this? I thought I read where someone else had walked into CRT and were able to get seated. I may try this.
She also said she will check on the flight, but I don't feel too optimistic about it. She actually had just called me 2-3 weeks ago to ask if we needed a seat for my 18 month old, so that is probably why we got such an early flight, she waited so long to book it.
Besides Chef Mickey and Crystal Palace, what other character meals are great for a 4 year old and an 18 month old?

Michelle

[mlbarbian]

Ok, I have my "must do" list for Magic Kingdom (I think we will have to spend more than one day here). This is the park that is more age-appropriate for my kids I think. While there are a few things at the other parks that are geared toward children of pre-k age, this one by far has the most.

Magic Kingdom Must Do List

-Main Street USA
· WDW Railroad – 20 minute ride
· Horse-drawn trolleys
· Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Parade

-Adventureland (like a tropical island)
· Jungle Cruise
· Magic Carpets of Aladdin
· Swiss Family Treehouse – play area
· Character Greeting - Character CongOasis (across from the
Enchanted Tiki Room)

-Frontierland
· Big Thunder Mtn.- train roller coaster
· Splash Mtn.- water ride (similar to log flume)
· Tom Sawyer Island- maybe not, only accessible by raft. Lines to
return may be long.
· Woody’s Cowboy Camp – street show, check schedule for times.
· Character Greeting – Splash Mtn. Courtyard

-Mickey’s Toontown Fair
· The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm- 35”, less than a minute,
tame roller coaster.
· Donald’s Boat- will get wet, play area
· Mickey’s Country House
· Minnie’s Country House
· Judge’s Tent- Mickey always there for pics
· Toontown Hall of Fame- Disney characters to meet, stand in separate
line for each.
· Character watch: A great place to locate those "hard to find"
characters is next to the train station stop in Mickey's Toontown Fair.

-Fantasy Land
· Ariel’s Grotto- Little Mermaid there to sign autographs. Water area for
kids to play in.
· Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel
· Dumbo Ride
· It’s A Small World- slow boat ride.
· The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
· Pooh’s Playful Spot- play area
· Mickey’s Philharmagic- Mickey and lots of Disney characters- great
show
· Peter Pan’s Flight

-Tomorrowland
· Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
· Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor- funny show
· Tomorrowland Speedway- rides in little cars

-Fireworks/Shows
· Wishes- fireworks, nightly at 9 or 10 (depending on whether
Spectromagic is going on). Cinderella castle
· Spectromagic- 20 minute light show, fiber optics, etc.
· Dreams Come True Parade- daily at 3:00pm

[maroo]

I talked to our wish coordinator. She says she has been working on booking the Chef Mickey meal and hasn't been able to get in. She said they told her Make-A-Wish has no priority over anyone else. She said she will continue to try. I am going to start calling also. I actually called today and got a reservation for breakfast at Crystal Palace. This will be exciting because it looks like the only place you can see the Pooh characters, and it is another one I was kind of hoping to go to. What are the chances of getting into a character meal if we just walk in and say we are with Make-A-Wish, has anyone ever tried this? I thought I read where someone else had walked into CRT and were able to get seated. I may try this.
She also said she will check on the flight, but I don't feel too optimistic about it. She actually had just called me 2-3 weeks ago to ask if we needed a seat for my 18 month old, so that is probably why we got such an early flight, she waited so long to book it.
Besides Chef Mickey and Crystal Palace, what other character meals are great for a 4 year old and an 18 month old?

Michelle

I would call every day to try to get Chef Mickeys...and then if you decide you want to just hop on the monorail and try to get in, I would go on an "off" time...either early or later for a meal and you are more likely to get in.

We called the ADR line the day of and were able to get in to Chef Mickey's...so that is always a possibility, too.

Nice people cancel their ADR's when they figure out that they won't be able to make it - so hopefully that will happen in your case.

Remember that you will be able to meet Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and lots of other characters at GKTW, too!

1900 Park Fare is a good choice, too. It is at the Grand Floridian.

One TR that you could read...is "that's nice" - this is his user name...he did a great TR and they have a little girl (who happens to be a cancer survivor) and they did EVERY character meal when they were there on a family vacation (regular vacation, not a wish trip - yet).

Here is a link to it...since it is not a wish trip, I don't have it on the Wish Trippers thread...but it is a great TR...lots of pics and even some great video!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2115466

Since you are leaving pretty soon, you may not have time to read that whole TR...so here is a link to another website and this is their Character Meals list...it is pretty comprehensive and includes prices and menus. :)

Link to Character Meal Info (http://allears.net/din/cb.htm)

I hope this helps some! :)


Your must do list for MK looks GREAT! :thumbsup2 Very comprehensive!

You guys are going to have a wonderful time! :goodvibes

[mlbarbian]

I think this may be a half day park for us.

Islands of Adventure Must Do List

- Jurassic Park- Yes
· Pteranodon Flyers
· Camp Jurassic- play area
· Discovery Center- looks boring
· River Adventure- big maybe

- Seuss Landing- yes
· High in the Sky Trolley Train Ride- slow train
· 1 Fish, 2 Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish- similar to Dumbo
· Caro-Seuss-el
· If I ran the zoo- playground
· Cat in the Hat- spinning ride- maybe

- Port of Entry- good area for pics

- Toon Lagoon- maybe

- Marvel Super Hero Island - NO

[mlbarbian]

Thank you Maroo. I will have to check out that TR (in my free time right:)).

I would call every day to try to get Chef Mickeys...and then if you decide you want to just hop on the monorail and try to get in, I would go on an "off" time...either early or later for a meal and you are more likely to get in.

We called the ADR line the day of and were able to get in to Chef Mickey's...so that is always a possibility, too.

Nice people cancel their ADR's when they figure out that they won't be able to make it - so hopefully that will happen in your case.

Remember that you will be able to meet Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and lots of other characters at GKTW, too!

1900 Park Fare is a good choice, too. It is at the Grand Floridian.

One TR that you could read...is "that's nice" - this is his user name...he did a great TR and they have a little girl (who happens to be a cancer survivor) and they did EVERY character meal when they were there on a family vacation (regular vacation, not a wish trip - yet).

Here is a link to it...since it is not a wish trip, I don't have it on the Wish Trippers thread...but it is a great TR...lots of pics and even some great video!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2115466

Since you are leaving pretty soon, you may not have time to read that whole TR...so here is a link to another website and this is their Character Meals list...it is pretty comprehensive and includes prices and menus. :)

Link to Character Meal Info (http://allears.net/din/cb.htm)

I hope this helps some! :)


Your must do list for MK looks GREAT! :thumbsup2 Very comprehensive!

You guys are going to have a wonderful time! :goodvibes

[that's nice]

mlbarbian.....
I am here following along so if you have any specific questions let me know, I'll try to answer them!

1900 Park Fair breakfast is good too. You get to see Pooh and Tigger there. But if you have a ressie at CP, I'd just stick with that.

Don't know if you are planning on going to DHS, but Hollywood & Vine has the Playhouse Disney breakfast and lunch. If your kids watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, or any other morning cartoons on Disney, your kids should like it. They play music from all the shows and they have Jojo, Goliath, Leo and June. They have a parade with the kids and they do some dancing with them as well.

[mlbarbian]

Thank you, I'm sure I will have questions. I am starting to feel much better now that I have a better idea of what each park has to offer, and which things will be relevant for our group. It looks like many of the parks could be half days for us, just not a whole lot for the little ones.

I am going to have to check out your TR, sounds like it was a good one :).

mlbarbian.....
I am here following along so if you have any specific questions let me know, I'll try to answer them!

1900 Park Fair breakfast is good too. You get to see Pooh and Tigger there. But if you have a ressie at CP, I'd just stick with that.

Don't know if you are planning on going to DHS, but Hollywood & Vine has the Playhouse Disney breakfast and lunch. If your kids watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, or any other morning cartoons on Disney, your kids should like it. They play music from all the shows and they have Jojo, Goliath, Leo and June. They have a parade with the kids and they do some dancing with them as well.

[mlbarbian]

Here are the rest of them, am I missing anything at the parks that you would suggest we do. At this point, I am thinking we will skip AK. Luke has never really cared much about animals. We had a zoo membership when he was younger (I know he's only 4 :)), and he could take it or leave it. I used it more for the exercise walking up and down the hills. If we have any spare time, we may do it.

Disney Hollywood Studios Must Do List

· Luigi’s Garage- Lightning McQueen and Towmater- picture
· Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure- play area
· Playhouse Disney Live On Stage!- 20 min.
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins
· Toy Story Mania
· Voyage of the Little Mermaid- 15 min. musical stage production
· Block Party Bash- 3:00pm daily, interactive
· Beauty and the Beast- Live on Stage- 30 minute show
· Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show
· Muppet Vision 3D- maybe
· Star Wars- seat moves, virtual
· Fantasmic- lightshow, maybe too scary for little kids? 9pm on Sun, Wed, Thurs.

Epcot Must Do List

- Future World
· The Sea w/ Nemo- Turtle Talk w/ Crush
Bruce’s Shark World- take pic in shark’s mouth
· Test Track- drive over diff. surfaces, test brakes, etc.
· Soarin- sit in seats that lift up and see a movie screen, scenery- maybe
· Honey, I Shrunk the Audience- maybe
· Spaceship Earth- maybe?

- World Showcase- skip it unless both kids fall asleep in the strollers.


Animal Kingdom Must Do List

· Kilimanjaro Safaris- 18 minute safari, bumpy ride
· Festival of the Lion King- 30 minute show
· The Boneyard- discovery oriented playground
· Triceratop Spin

[that's nice]

Here are the rest of them, am I missing anything at the parks that you would suggest we do. At this point, I am thinking we will skip AK. Luke has never really cared much about animals. We had a zoo membership when he was younger (I know he's only 4 :)), and he could take it or leave it. I used it more for the exercise walking up and down the hills. If we have any spare time, we may do it.

Disney Hollywood Studios Must Do List

· Luigi’s Garage- Lightning McQueen and Towmater- picture
· Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure- play area Really fun play area. First thing my DD asks to do once we walk into DHS is to play here. She remembers it all the time.
· Playhouse Disney Live On Stage!- 20 min. Cute show. DD loves it
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins
· Toy Story Mania Do this at ropedrop or get FP's once you walk into DHS
· Voyage of the Little Mermaid- 15 min. musical stage production We haven't done the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. We have heard that it could be scary. Most of the show is in virtual darkness.
· Block Party Bash- 3:00pm daily, interactive
· Beauty and the Beast- Live on Stage- 30 minute show Great show. Basically the whole story in 20 minutes
· Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show Yet to see it
· Muppet Vision 3D- maybe Muppet Vision- If you are pressed for time. I'd skip it (and I am a Big Muppets fan)
· Star Wars- seat moves, virtual Cool ride.
· Fantasmic- lightshow, maybe too scary for little kids? 9pm on Sun, Wed, Thurs. Your son should be fine. Your DD might be startled.

In the Streets of America section, next to Studio Catering you can see Mike & Sully from Monsters Inc.


Epcot Must Do List

- Future World
· The Sea w/ Nemo- Turtle Talk w/ Crush Must Do!!
Bruce’s Shark World- take pic in shark’s mouth
· Test Track- drive over diff. surfaces, test brakes, etc.
· Soarin- sit in seats that lift up and see a movie screen, scenery- maybe Great ride. Don't know if your DS is tall enough. Mom and Dad have to do it though!!
· Honey, I Shrunk the Audience- maybe Never done it
· Spaceship Earth- maybe? I would do it. Don't do it first though. It will probably be busy in the morning. Should clear out later in the day
Figment- Is an OK ride but there are cool interactive games the kids might like after the ride. You can skip the ride and walk in the back and still do the games.
Living with the land- Is a short boat ride that shows different growing techniques. It is pretty cool my DD2 even liked it.
If you are going to do the world showcase and your kids are awake- they can do the KidCot stops. They might actually enjoy the world showcase!

- World Showcase- skip it unless both kids fall asleep in the strollers.


Animal Kingdom Must Do List

· Kilimanjaro Safaris- 18 minute safari, bumpy ride Go first thing in the morning
· Festival of the Lion King- 30 minute show Haven't seen this show at AK. Saw the Lion King on Broadway and loved it!
· The Boneyard- discovery oriented playground Cool playground to let the little one's blow off some steam
· Triceratop Spin The kids will like this

Camp Minnie-Mickey (it's right near Lion King)- You can see and get autographs from Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald. Plus there are usually a few others hanging around.
Nemo (the musical)- It is a little long (about 45 minutes) but it is a great show. We saw it this March and if your kids have ever seen the movie, I would think they would love it.


Thats what I can think of for now.
http://www.stitchkingdom.com/kidcot/ Here is a link that explains Kidcot and shows you where to find the stops.:goodvibes

[mlbarbian]

Thank you Thats_Nice. That is really helpful.

[maroo]

I only have one thing to add to that's nice... :)

Great tips, by the way!! :)

You won't have to worry about making it to rope drop or going to the rides in any special order. You will have your button, which will get you in the fastpass entrance of any ride (sometimes even faster than fast pass).

Just make sure the CM sees it...and if they don't see it, show it to them.

This definitely goes for character lines, too. The CM's get really upset if they don't see your button and you wait in line. They really want you to be able to go fast through the parks so that you guys can rest as you need to and not miss any of the GKTW activities in the morning or evening. :thumbsup2

It is getting closer to the summer season and some of the CM's may be new (or summer program/short term staff) and not recognize the button right away...so you may need to find another CM if you end up wanting to ride something and there is a long standby wait.

[maroo]

Oh! WAIT!!! :scared1:

I don't see Finding Nemo on the AK list!?!

It may not be a "must do"...especially if you just don't have time (Lion King is definitely better)...but I LOVED Finding Nemo and I think your kids would love it, too!!

I would sit in the middle section and not too close to the front. The best seats are right behind the middle walkway (some of the show is on the walkway - the walkway parallel to the stage) in that front row.

Gosh...I wish I had a picture here...wait...I DO! Here is a visual aid...:lmao:

http://i460.photobucket.com/albums/qq324/mblaine/Sarah%20Goodbye%20Trip/first%20day%20AK/SarahDWTrip147-1.jpg

See...there is a whole section in front of me in this picture...most of the show is on the stage...

http://i460.photobucket.com/albums/qq324/mblaine/Sarah%20Goodbye%20Trip/first%20day%20AK/SarahDWTrip202-1.jpg

But some of the show would happen BEHIND you if you were in the front section...but if you are on the front row of the middle section, you get to see it quite close up! :eek: And see the whole show! :)

[kdzbear]

Lights, Motor Action show tip - This show is in direct sun. There is little shade. I saw it in August and even with a fan and a bottle of water I got sick from overheating. It is a long show and they have you sit in the stadium for about 15 minutes before the show starts as they pack you into the stadium like sardines. It is a cute show that is filled with action, but I would try to go at the earliest time possible to avoid the heat.

[mlbarbian]

I only have one thing to add to that's nice... :)

Great tips, by the way!! :)

You won't have to worry about making it to rope drop or going to the rides in any special order. You will have your button, which will get you in the fastpass entrance of any ride (sometimes even faster than fast pass).

Just make sure the CM sees it...and if they don't see it, show it to them.

This definitely goes for character lines, too. The CM's get really upset if they don't see your button and you wait in line. They really want you to be able to go fast through the parks so that you guys can rest as you need to and not miss any of the GKTW activities in the morning or evening. :thumbsup2

It is getting closer to the summer season and some of the CM's may be new (or summer program/short term staff) and not recognize the button right away...so you may need to find another CM if you end up wanting to ride something and there is a long standby wait.

I thought this was the case based on what I have read, thank you Maroo.

Lights, Motor Action show tip - This show is in direct sun. There is little shade. I saw it in August and even with a fan and a bottle of water I got sick from overheating. It is a long show and they have you sit in the stadium for about 15 minutes before the show starts as they pack you into the stadium like sardines. It is a cute show that is filled with action, but I would try to go at the earliest time possible to avoid the heat.


Thank you for this tip. My son loves cars (all cars), and I think he will really like this show. We will have to plan to see this one first thing.

[that's nice]

I only have one thing to add to that's nice... :)

Great tips, by the way!! :)

You won't have to worry about making it to rope drop or going to the rides in any special order. You will have your button, which will get you in the fastpass entrance of any ride (sometimes even faster than fast pass).

Just make sure the CM sees it...and if they don't see it, show it to them.


Thanks Maroo!

I always forget about the MAW button. I'm just a 'regular' planner... another year or two till we get Juliana's wish.:)

[maroo]

Thanks Maroo!

I always forget about the MAW button. I'm just a 'regular' planner... another year or two till we get Juliana's wish.:)

I do the same thing!! Especially now that I am planning "regular" trips!

It will be much harder to forget after you guys experience it! (Assuming that is her wish :goodvibes) :)

[Tracie]

Michelle,

I have enjoyed your trip report and love the pix, your kids are sooo cute!

I just checked, before I head out to work, and the gift for your family is on the fedex truck for delivery.

I hope you have a wonderful trip and can't wait to read all about it when you get back.

Tracie

[Corrine 1973]

OMG!!!! I just relized that your trip is tomarrow.:cool1::cool1:

Have a great trip, I can't wait to start reading you TR when you get home.:hippie:

[kdzbear]

Have a fabulous trip! :wizard:

[mlbarbian]

Michelle,

I have enjoyed your trip report and love the pix, your kids are sooo cute!

I just checked, before I head out to work, and the gift for your family is on the fedex truck for delivery.

I hope you have a wonderful trip and can't wait to read all about it when you get back.

Tracie

We did get the shirts today, I love them (and so does Luke, Madeleine doesn't know any difference).

Thank you so much for making them for us!!!
Michelle

[mlbarbian]

Well, we leave tomorrow, I can't believe it's already here. I feel pretty confident that everything is packed and ready (except the last minute things, which when you have kids is a lot). The limo picks us up at 10am, and our flight leaves at 12:30pm.

I don't think we will have access to internet while gone, so I will have to update when we get home (we are taking our journal with us to make sure we document everything).

Michelle

[that's nice]

Have a great trip!!!!!!!!!!:goodvibes

[maroo]

Have an awesome trip!!!!

:banana: :banana: :banana:

[mlbarbian]

Well, we actually got home on Friday, but it has been crazy getting settled back in. I have written out day 1 of our trip, but that's as far as I have gotten. Here it goes:

Day 1 – Saturday May 16th
A limo picked us up at our house at 10 am to take us to the airport. Luke loved the ride, he didn’t have to sit in a car seat, just a seat belt. We got to the airport and went to the desk to check in for our flight. The man helping us waived our baggage fees since we were on a wish trip, he was so nice. The flight was a little difficult. The plane was set up to have three seats per row on each side, so we were separated. Kevin sat with Madeleine, and I sat with Luke. Pretty much right after take off, Kevin took Madeleine out of her car seat, and she wanted me, so he handed her off to me (I now have both kids). Kevin was able to get a little nap in, must be nice. When we got off the plane, we were met by a man from Give Kids The World (GKTW) (the village we were staying at). He took us to get our bags and then took us to get our rental car.
We checked in at GKTW, both kids had fallen asleep in the car, but they wanted them to come in because they had gifts for each of them. Luke got a Mickey Mouse that talks, and Madeleine got a Shamu stuffed animal. The woman then showed us to our cottage. We had a two bedroom, two bath cottage. These villas are set up so that the wish child gets the master bedroom, so the master bath was in the room with two twin beds. Luke slept with us, so Madeleine’s crib was in the other room. We never even used the master bath, which was very nice.
It was now about 4:00 pm and I had orientation at 7:45 pm, so we decided to stick around the village and check everything out. We first went to the train station, so Luke could ride the train. They also had a huge train display indoors with buttons for the kids to push to turn on different things within the display. I think this was Luke’s favorite thing of the whole week (yes including Disney), he could have spent a whole day in there watching the trains. We rode the carousel a couple times, and then it was time for dinner. All meals at the village were free for us. At 7:30, there was a birthday party for Mayor Clayton at the village (he is the big bunny mascot). Kevin took the kids to the party while I went to orientation. He said the kids had a lot of fun. Madeleine absolutely loved the big characters, she would run up and hug them and lay her head on them, it was too cute (she did this all week at the parks too).
At orientation, I got a packet with all our tickets and info about the parks. We got a 3 day park hopper pass to the 4 Disney parks, a 2 day park hopper to Universal parks, and 1 day pass to Sea World. Parking and stroller rentals were free with Luke’s special button from the village. We also got a VIP pass to wear on a lanyard. This was the most important part because it got us to the front of all lines (even the character lines although in the orientation they tell you it only works at the fast pass rides).
After orientation, the birthday party was over, so I met Kevin and the kids and we headed back to our villa. We put the kids to bed so we could get started early in the morning at our first park.
OK, I know that was long, but there was so much and so many little details I didn’t want to leave out.

Here are some pictures:
In the limo
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2518.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2519.jpg

Our villa
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/CopyofGKTWvillagepics001.jpg

Gifts in our villa
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2521.jpg

Train display and riding the train
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2523.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2526.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2533.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2535.jpg

Carousel
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2546.jpg

[goofy5]

WOW! sounds like everyone had a great time

[kdzbear]

Great start to the trip. I love the limo pictures!

[mlbarbian]

Day 2- Sunday May 17th - Universal Orlando and Islands of Adventure
After hearing many recommendations to avoid Magic Kingdom the first day of your trip, we decided to head to the Universal parks. This day was very sunny and the weather was wonderful, but hot. We started at Universal Orlando, and planned to head straight for Woody Woodpecker’s area, which is geared more toward young children. It has Curious George, Barney, Woody Woodpecker, etc. On our way we ran into the Scooby Do clan and had pictures taken with them. Next we saw Curious George (Luke was very excited). We hung out with George for a minute and he then walked Luke across the street to see Woody Woodpecker, this was very sweet. The CM there informed us that the Madagascar characters would be coming soon and walked us over to the place where we could meet them. There was the lion and 2 penguins. Madeleine was in love, she just kept walking back and forth between the 2 penguins saying “hi” and hugging them, it was too sweet. After this, we headed to the Woody Woodpecker area to find out that it doesn’t open till 11:00am, it was about 10:30, so we just walked around for a little while. The first thing Luke did when we got in was ride the little Woody Woodpecker roller coaster (4 times, 2 with each of us), he really liked the ride. We then went to the Curious George water play area. The kids got really wet before I realized I had brought their swimsuits, so I went ahead and changed them so their clothes could dry out (I also had a change of clothes though). Luke loved playing in the water, he probably could have stayed there all day. Madeleine wasn’t too sure about the water, but she sure did love picking up all the leaves on the ground, whatever makes you happy right. We finally rounded up the kids and dried them off and headed over to the Barney area, just in time for the next show. Madeleine didn’t enjoy the show too much, I think it was too loud and too dark for her (plus it was about time for her nap), but she did ok. After the show, a CM asked us if we were with Make-A-Wish and told us to stay in the theater. There was one other family that stayed. Barney came back out to meet the kids, it was very special. Madeleine loved this, she kept hugging Barney. Luke was very excited as well. When we were done with Barney, it was time to get some lunch so Madeleine could (hopefully) fall asleep in the stroller. After we finished eating I took her for a walk while she drank her bottle, and she did fall asleep. Kevin took Luke to the Fievel water play area.
Next we headed to Islands of Adventure (IOA), there really wasn’t anything else geared toward the small children at Universal. This was just a short walk (compared to the walk in from the parking lot) to IOA. This park also had limited things available for the little ones, so we headed to Seuss Landing and rode a few things. We went ahead and walked around the rest of the park. In the Jurassic Park area, Luke and I rode the Pteranodon Flyers. I think Luke enjoyed the ride (I would definitely say it was not worth the wait for the length of the ride, and there was no shorter line for wish families), but I was completely freaked out the whole time because Luke was on the seat in front of me (I could not reach him) and we were literally flying pretty high up, not held in by much. Wow, that was longest 30 seconds of my life! A tip for anyone going to this park, this is a very slow loading ride, only 2 people can ride at a time, and I think they had 3 sets going, it took forever to get on, and the line wasn’t really that long. We finished walking through the park and then headed back to our car (did I mention the long walk).
Both kids fell asleep in the car ride home. Once we got back to GKTW, we headed over to Katie's Kitchen (Boston Market Food) to get our dinner. This is just a window, no seating inside, so we took the food to our villa to eat. It was so good.

Here are some pics:
Universal Orlando
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2573.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2575.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2578.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2581.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2582.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2584.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2594.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2607.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2612.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2616.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2628.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2629.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2633.jpg

Islands of Adventure
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2646.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2648.jpg

[Lisarh]

oh how fun!!

Cant wait to hear more!

[mlbarbian]

Day 3 – Monday May 18th – Magic Kingdom
We started by visiting some Disney characters that had come to our village. We saw Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and Goofy. Madeleine was fussy most of the morning, partially because she was a little sick and lacking sleep. Well, it started raining as soon as we got through the parking pay booths, which we knew was inevitable based on the weather report and the looks of the sky. Once we parked, we had to get from the parking lot to the monorail via a tram, and then take the monorail to the front gate. This was our first day in the rain (and I mean pouring rain), so we weren’t as prepared as we were toward the end of the week. The first thing we did once we got inside the park was Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, the show was ok. As we left the building, it was pouring rain, so we decided to take advantage of the Wish Lounge ( a lounge area just for Wish families) to dry off and plan the rest of the day. Our map was wet and beginning to disintegrate, so Kevin found a new one. We were able to conquer most of things on our “must-do” list. We had a rain cover for the stroller, Madeleine wasn’t too fond of it though. Stroller parking for the attractions was rarely covered, so we had to master getting Madeleine and the cameras out of the stroller without getting too wet. Some of the things that stuck out were: Mickey’s Philharmagic show (Luke kept grabbing for the 3D images), meeting the Princesses and Fairies (we were able to forgo the long line with Luke’s pass, Luke also got kisses from all the princesses). We did a couple other things and then called it a day. We had dinner at Katie’s Kitchen (this was probably our favorite, we had it 4 nights, it’s also nice because they will deliver it to your villa).
I'll have to add some pics later, most were taken by Photopass and I don't have the CD yet.

Here are a couple pics, you can see how dark the sky was in the background as we were driving in:
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2662.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2675.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/mlbarbian/Luke%20Wish%20Trip/IMG_2676.jpg

[kdzbear]

I like your new updates. The lion and the penguins are from the movie, "Madagascar". I think the lion's name is Alex. I completely understand the problems with the rain and uncovered stroller parking. The last time we went we used an extra rain poncho just for the stroller. The photos of your family together are great!