Make a Wish (and other organizations) - Wish Trippers UNITE! Volume THREE! :)

[kailatilear]

Mary (maroo) does it, but I know she has been really busy. You can try to PM her and tell her you have dates. That's what I did.

Thank you, I have PM'd her several times. I know that she is very busy, so hopefully soon she will move us.

 

[rcq925]

Welcome to any new families that I have missed!

Hayley had strep throat and some type of virus, causing a fever all last week and missed 4 days of school last week!

I promise to get back to my TR this week. I now know why families have
such a hard time getting the TR done when they get back! Regular life sets in. Before the trip, we were focused on everything MAW, GKTW and Disney and now it is all over

Photobucket is also SO SLOW that it makes it a pain to get the pictures in the TR. I also have over 1,000 pics, so hard to decided which to include.
Are there any other picture sharing sites, other than Photobucket, that are faster/friendlier to use for posting pics to the DIS?

I hope everyone here is doing well!

 

[shruley]

I used Picasa to upload my pictures to here. Picasa is the free picture sharing site from Google. Since Google basically powers my life it works well. Picasa also has an awesome, free photo editing software, (the only one I'll use if I'm not using my professional-grade Lightroom software) and if you edit the pictures with that, you just click one button and thye're automatically uploaded. Once they're on the Picasa site it's pretty easy to edit the albums, move pictures around, etc.

Go to www.picasa.com for software, or just click on the web albums link to just share pictures.

 

[luvmygrlz3]

First off, I want to thank you guys for coming up with this AWESOME board for people like us who have children with disABILITIES and are trying to plan something so special! I have 3 daughters, DD17 (wish child), DD8 and DD4. My DD17 (wish child) has Rett Syndrome and has been approved for a trip to Disney and her Rep has suggested us to go in January or February 2011. I am having a hard time deciding on when is a good week to go as far as crowd levels or what! So any advice is greatly appreciated!

I am bit nervous posting on here so bear with me please

Thank you in advance for any help!
Shelby

 

[jj0plin]

First off, I want to thank you guys for coming up with this AWESOME board for people like us who have children with disABILITIES and are trying to plan something so special! I have 3 daughters, DD17 (wish child), DD8 and DD4. My DD17 (wish child) has Rett Syndrome and has been approved for a trip to Disney and her Rep has suggested us to go in January or February 2011. I am having a hard time deciding on when is a good week to go as far as crowd levels or what! So any advice is greatly appreciated!

I am bit nervous posting on here so bear with me please

Thank you in advance for any help!
Shelby

I am new here too, so I do not know if there might be better known resources available but I found this site that showed the predicted crowd levels by week for next year http://**************.net/2010/08/16/2011-disney-world-week-picker/

It says the crowd levels for the weeks of January 8th, 22nd, 29th, Feb 5th, and 12th are the lowest of the year.

 

[maroo]

Can someone please explain the photopass to me and what is the cost. Is it worth it. I want as many memories captured as possible of Abby's wish trip.

Also, we will arrive on a Thursday morning and I am thinking of just hanging out at GKTW for the day, with a trip to Walmart, but since it is Christmas on that day, we figured we would just kind of hang out there, especially since we have to be at the airport at 5am and our limo will be picking us up around 4:15-4:30am

On our last day we do not have to be at the airport until around 6pm or so, our flight doesn't leave until 9pm. What are your suggestions we do on the last day. I was thinking downtown disney, but not sure if we should include a park too, if so which one?

The day after arriving we have reservations @ Chef Mickey's at 8:30 am. Well, Steve and the 2 older kids are at 8:30, mine and Abby's is at 8:50. MAW will only pay for the mine and Abby's, not Steve and the kids. Should we just explain the situation to them when we get there and see if we could all be seated together? How early should we leave GKTW to get to Chef Mickey's?

Abby is so excited to see Chip & Dale, Star Wars and Eyore, these are her favorites. Kaila is just waiting for Tinkerbell her favorite and Tilear is just excited for everything. I am just thrilled to see Mickey and Minnie, my 2 favorites for forever. Where are the best places to make sure everyone sees their special characters?

Sorry so long, but I am finally figuring out questions and trying to actually plan. If I get some sort of game plan then once the holidays are over, I can put it all together with some sort of clue.

I saw that these got answered...

You do get a free photopass when you do the GKTW orientation. I can't take all the credit for that one, though. I was just asking for a discount (during a short time when Disney was ONLY offering discounts to people staying on property and asking wish families to pay full price ($150!!)) and Disney came back with one big discount - FREE!! Even the shipping is free.

Can anyone confirm that parking if free at the parks if you show your make a wish button? Our chapter is saying that there shouldn't be a parking fee.

Thank you!! 4 days and counting!!

Bearshouse

Yes! You can get a stroller free, too.

I am really posting this way too early, but I am just way too excited to not do it!!

I’m new to this area, but not to the site. Last Easter my husband and I took our 3 kids to Florida to visit family. While we were there we had a GAD visit to Magic Kingdom and a day at Sea World. I spent a lot of time on the boards trying to squeeze the most fun into the one day. Sadly, it was Spring Break and Easter so it was a little too packed to be much fun. I just submitted a “Make A Wish” request for my youngest so hopefully we can try Disney again and enjoy it much more the next time. His oncologists office said that he would definitely qualify, but I can’t wait to officially hear that from MAW.


A little about me and my family… My name is Christy (32) and my husband is Craig (33). We’ve been together 11 years, married for 6. My oldest son is Trevor (14). He is a brilliant student, in all advanced freshman classes. He is a comedian and is always good for a laugh. My middle child and only girl is Addison (5). She is very outgoing and often makes sure she is the center of attention. My youngest, Elliot, will be 3 in March and is my Wish Kid. He is a sweet, happy, good natured kid who just wants to make everyone smile. I sat down to write out Elliot’s story and it became a book, I guess I could post that in my pre-trip post. The short version…. In July 2009 at 16 months old, Elliot was diagnosed with a football sized Wilms Tumor on his right kidney. In August he had the tumor and kidney removed. He went through radiation and chemo like a trooper and has been done with it all since January of this year. He is cancer free, but continues to get an ultrasound and x-rays or an MRI and CT Scans every 3 months. I just submitted the HIPAA forms to MAW and am now waiting on a response. When asked, he says he wants to see Mickey and Pluto and Buzz and Woody, so I am pretty sure he will request Disney. I am going to go read some more of your trip reports while I anxiously wait I know it’s a long process, but I won’t stop thinking about it anytime soon! Ideally, I’d love for his trip to happen around his birthday in March but that’s probably too soon. Our Spring Break is April 4-8, maybe that is more realistic? I have no idea how long this takes!

Should I go ahead and start a pre-trip post or wait until I have the approval? I figure I should hold off on posting pictures and all that until I can do it there?

Thanks! I can’t wait to jump in!

Feel free to go ahead and start a pre-trip report...or you can wait until closer to the date. Totally up to you! Some people start and post things that are going on with their family, etc and Disney planning...and some just post a pre-trip report when they get a little closer. Personally...the more the better!

Glad to have found this board. Trying to figure out this whole process. I had never given a thought to my daughter having a Wish granted, but a friend whose son has a similar diagnosis recently got back from his Wish, and his mom encouraged me to apply. I spoke with our Cardiologist at our last visit, and she stated she would be happy to "approve" my daughter Mikella. She stated she considers her to have "chronic, ongoing heart issues" and felt she qualified. At first we wondered if we should wait til Mikella is a little older (she's 4) but at the rate this is all moving, I figure she'll easily be 5 before we get anywhere! LOL. I requested the referral form off the website, and lo and behold one month later, they appeared in the mail. I mailed them back immeadiately, but by the time they get them back, get the papers to the doctor (does that take a month too?), get them back from her, etc., etc. it didn't appear to be speedy, but maybe the cold makes us slower up here in MN? Does anyone know, if your doctor approves you, are you pretty much guarenteed a wish? I noticed Complex Congenital Heart Defect is on their "automatically approved list".

Also, while we've given Mikella a lot of choices, and she seems set on DW for her wish, the concept of a wish seems to escape her. Her first "wish" was to go to the Mall

The MAW folks do a really good job of sort of sparking the imagination of the child so that they can sort of get in a mindset of dreaming for whatever they want. Of course, over half of the eligible wish kids pick Disney! And with good reason!

Mary (maroo) does it, but I know she has been really busy. You can try to PM her and tell her you have dates. That's what I did.

Thank you for your help with this! I am completely snowed at work. Crazy busy.

Thank you, I have PM'd her several times. I know that she is very busy, so hopefully soon she will move us.

I finally got on...

It has been a long week...any week coming back from a Holiday is rough at work, but my email got taken over on Thanksgiving weekend and it took 6 days to get it back...which put me behind on a bunch of work things. It also took my Facebook account, too...what a mess!

I have a new job at work - which is a good thing since I was worried they might lay off my old job - but it has left me no DISing time.

Then my inbox got full on here and I missed a lot of PM's. But I did get two from ya and I have updated her info!

I remember how excited I was to get Lauren's listed, so I know that feeling - so sorry it took me so long! That was one of the main reasons I took over this thread 2 years ago - because I wanted to make sure I could keep up with all of that stuff...so I am really sorry I dropped the ball!

Welcome to any new families that I have missed!

Hayley had strep throat and some type of virus, causing a fever all last week and missed 4 days of school last week!

I promise to get back to my TR this week. I now know why families have
such a hard time getting the TR done when they get back! Regular life sets in. Before the trip, we were focused on everything MAW, GKTW and Disney and now it is all over

Photobucket is also SO SLOW that it makes it a pain to get the pictures in the TR. I also have over 1,000 pics, so hard to decided which to include.
Are there any other picture sharing sites, other than Photobucket, that are faster/friendlier to use for posting pics to the DIS?

I hope everyone here is doing well!

I TOTALLY feel you!!!!

It is so hard to explain what it is like to be back...and how hard it is to do a Trip Report. I really admire those families that make the time to write one because I can easily see how it would be hard to do...it takes a lot of time, organization and such and time seems to slow down before you leave when you are waiting, waiting, waiting...and you come back to the real world that is moving FAST!

I totally understand where you are coming from.

But a year from now...you will be SOOOOOOO glad that you did one for your family. You will be surprised how much you have forgotten...even the major things...you will one day forget...and you can read it and re-live it...which is priceless later.

And of course, we want one too.

First off, I want to thank you guys for coming up with this AWESOME board for people like us who have children with disABILITIES and are trying to plan something so special! I have 3 daughters, DD17 (wish child), DD8 and DD4. My DD17 (wish child) has Rett Syndrome and has been approved for a trip to Disney and her Rep has suggested us to go in January or February 2011. I am having a hard time deciding on when is a good week to go as far as crowd levels or what! So any advice is greatly appreciated!

I am bit nervous posting on here so bear with me please

Thank you in advance for any help!
Shelby

to the DIS!!! And to the Wish Trippers thread!

Make sure you check out the 2nd post on this thread...the one below all of the wish trip reports...


Crowds in Feb and Jan are great...just try to stay away from major holidays...like President's Day and I would stay away from the Princess Half Marathon weekend, too...it is the last weekend in Feb.

I think Jan is better overall. But no matter when you go, you will have a special button that will help you avoid the lines...so you will be good to go either way!

 

[luvmygrlz3]

I am off to check out the 2nd page of this thread...

Another question, does anyone know how much the "expense check" is that MAW gives? We want to make sure we get the most out of the trip such as memorabilia and time in the parks as we possibly can and planning on the spending part is what scares me...

Thank you again for replying so quickly! And now I'm off to check out more threads.

 

[shruley]

I think I heard that the expense check amount might vary between Chapters, but if you get an amount (or ballpark amount?) would you share or PM me? I am curious, too. Mostly thinking that we're usually in the parks for lunch and dinner time (and eating at Disney is half the fun Whispering Canyon Cafe, Chef Mickey's, Princesses and wondering how much we get for food, or if we're expected to return to GKTW for meals?

 

[maroo]

I am off to check out the 2nd page of this thread...

Another question, does anyone know how much the "expense check" is that MAW gives? We want to make sure we get the most out of the trip such as memorabilia and time in the parks as we possibly can and planning on the spending part is what scares me...

Thank you again for replying so quickly! And now I'm off to check out more threads.

see my answer below...

I think I heard that the expense check amount might vary between Chapters, but if you get an amount (or ballpark amount?) would you share or PM me? I am curious, too. Mostly thinking that we're usually in the parks for lunch and dinner time (and eating at Disney is half the fun Whispering Canyon Cafe, Chef Mickey's, Princesses and wondering how much we get for food, or if we're expected to return to GKTW for meals?

This varies widely by chapter...

It also depends on several variables...including the size of the family, how many adults vs children, if you are staying at GKTW or not, the price of gas...and other stuff I can't remember right now.

The best thing to do...I think...is make three plans...

The ultra budget plan - with the least amount you could possibly spend on the trip - this would include limited "extras" and only the bare minimum of food and such.

The middle plan - which would include some extras...but maybe not the ultimate plan...

and the ULTIMATE - best vacation ever because we have no limits on money - plan. What would you want to do if you had plenty of money.

Go ahead and make reservations at your "ultimate" destinations for any meals you might want...some require pre-payment, but not many. You can always decide on the fly what you can actually keep.

Most chapters give you the check in some form (some a debit card, some a check, etc) about a week before you go and most include a "budget" of what they think you should make sure and account for...

I will tell you that I have heard from families that only received a few hundred dollars and had a really hard time stretching it with gas, tips, food, etc...and I have heard from families that received a few thousand dollars and got everything they wanted... most families fall somewhere in the middle...



I *think* most chapters "assume" that you will eat breakfast at GKTW and probably return to GKTW for dinner some nights, but do plan for the family to eat lunch at the parks. But this can mean counter service...so not necessarily a character meal...


For families that are crunched on money - I recommend eating a BIG breakfast at GKTW (their breakfast is really good)...and you can even take some lunch things "to go" from Katie's Kitchen, I think. Then go to the parks and have a good time and maybe eat counter service for a late lunch/early supper...and then come back to GKTW and order late night pizza. That seems to be the cheapest way to do it. And probably buy some snacks at Wal Mart if you get hungry between. My favorite Disney snack is peanuts and candy corn mixed together...it won't melt, has protein and carbs, and is YUMMY. It is easy to carry a little bit around and munch when you are in line and is not terribly bad for me.

But make sure to book any "dream" meals you might want too...in case your check is more than you imagined.

 

[katieswish]

Our house has been so crazy this week. I don't know if excitement of Christmas coming or the Disney trip but both girls are crazy hyper. It is kind of the norm for Katie ADHD, but Rheana tends to be more reserved and quiet. Katie had a visit to opthamology today and her surgery to correct her lazy eyes seems to have been a success and her vision has stabilized no new glasses needed which is great news three weeks before Christmas. Tomorrow we will be celebrating Katie's birthday a day early since Daddy has to go to work earlier than usual for training. The kids miss him so much with this overnight shift either they are sleeping or he is and with a 6 day work week right now they do not see much of each other. I am not complaining at least he still has work at this time of year and in this economy but overnight has been an adjustment.
We have also started to make reservations for character dining. At first Katie wanted to "go eat at the big castle in the middle" so since Rick and I will be celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary while we are there, so we thought it would be fun to share our anniversary with the girls there. But Katie then read that the princesses would be there and wanted no part of it, so it will be dinner at the Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey.

I wanted to bring the girls to BBB but do they only do princess makeovers? Katie is not really a princess kind of girls. She likes having her hair and nails done but she more of likely to be the pirate

 

[newdrama12]

I wanted to bring the girls to BBB but do they only do princess makeovers? Katie is not really a princess kind of girls. She likes having her hair and nails done but she more of likely to be the pirate

Here she will receive a Pirates makeover: Pirates League. It is in Magic Kingdom near Pirates. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/to...irates-league/?CMP=VAN-FY09Q3WDWPiratesVanity

 

[that's nice]

Hello everyone....

We just got home tonight from Juliana's Wish Trip!!!!! I cannot believe how fast 7 days go. Ummm... I take that back, I do know how fast 7 days go- especially while you are in Disney.

I have a few ideas in my head that I wanted to get out before I forget them. These are only my opinion so if something wont work/will work better for your family, please follow your instincts.

1) GKTW is an amazing place. There is so much to do there and the whole village is catered for kids. Make sure you set time aside to 'hang' out and explore all the village has to offer.

1 b.) Don't wait for the last day to place your star.... (like we did) if you do it in the middle of your trip, you will be able to see it in the 'sky' before you leave.

2) Even with the 'button' you WILL NOT see everything. Time just melts away while you are in the parks. I know it has been said before, but make a list of 1 or 2 attractions that each member of your family MUST do... leave room for characters... there are plenty of those to see.

3) WDW- Sit-down meals (especially character meals) take 1 1/2 hours minimum from the time you check in. Even CS meals take quite a while. If there is a lunch you can pack..even PP&J that helps with time.

4) PLEASE don't be shy with showing CMs the GAC card- even with characters. It took us a few days to feel comfortable doing it. It does help speed things along. Some CMs really help with this and some seem less informed. Don't get discouraged.

5) At SeaWorld- we thought the Dolphin show blew away Believe (the killer whale show) Ever since the accident and the birth of a new killer whale, the show is nothing like it used to be. We felt like we needed to see Believe though.

6) SeaWorld, don't forget Wish kids get to feed the dolphins and you don't have to wait in the long line. Ask a SeaWorld employee where to go and they will get you to the right area. The dolphins are fed at certain times... check the schedule on the park map when you walk into the park.

7) If you are paying OOP for character meals, breakfasts are much cheaper than dinners. But you can eat a great breakfast at GKTW every morning starting at 8.

8) SW & WDW are about 25-30 minutes from GKTW. They are both about 10-12 miles but there is traffic and many lights.

9) It takes AT LEAST 45 minutes from the time you pull into the MK parking lot till you walk into MK. Plan accordingly.

10) Park hopping- It is really tough to park hop and it is really time consuming. If you must park hop, I'd hit AK in the AM and DHS in the PM. Or hit a park in the PM that is staying open late.

11) You CANNOT see everything in Epcot in one day. It is nearly impossible. Once again. Pick a few attractions and if you are doing good on time, add a few more. Walking around the world takes a lot of time in itself.

12) When people tell you to bring an extra suitcase or duffle bag... DO IT! If you are flying on Southwest, you get 2 bags a person but if your suitcase is 51 lbs they will charge you for it.




This is all I can think of at the moment... I'm spent!


to all the new Wish families!!!!

Once I start my TR I will post the link here!

 

[shruley]

Thanks for the answer on the check and the tips! I think I'm starting to realize this really isn't a Disney trip but a wish trip and I need to start thinking of it differently. It's been very helpful to have an idea of what to expect. In the past we've always stayed onsite, done at least one sit down meal a day, always taken a midday break at our hotel, and always stayed at Disney for 7 days, we usually spend 3 at the MK alone. But at the same time, we're kind of excited to have the chance to experience Sea World and Universal and GKTW. I think I will need to let go of the sit down Disney meals (maybe do 1 Character meal), if for the sake of time than anything else.

 

[luvmygrlz3]

Thank you so much for taking the time to give you quick tips...those help out tremendously!!! I guess my husband and I really need to take a night and sit down to start some serious planning! I know we will not be able to do everything in one trip, but I do want to make sure we get the most out of our trip.

I have a few questions:

1- I have 3 girls. My wish girl will be 17 at the time of the visit but she has Rett Syndrome. So riding rides will be out for her for the most part unless they are "calm" rides. What do you guys recommend in MK for her? I went when I was 12 and I do not remember much at all...so any advice on something awesome for her would be great. She is, what the schools will tell you, mentally of a 6 mth old or so. She LOVES lights but not strobe lights (has epilepsy) and LOVES characters. She loves animals and absolutely LOVES Barney & friends.

My 8 year old can ride rides of any kind-she is tall and is a dare devil. Will they allow her to the front of lines if my Wish daughter is NOT riding that ride? What do you recommend for her as a "Must DO".

My 4 year old is a Toy Story freak and loves Princesses too. Anything Disney and all of my girls are finatics. I am curious as to what is a Must so we can plan accordingly.

2- Do you recommend any Character Dining that gives you the most Characters visiting? Which Character Dining do you like best and why? We would like to have one dining experience for the girls to remember.

3- Which other parks are awesome for my girls? I don't even know what parks are all there... I guess I need to research that as well! YIKES I am so overwhelmed!!!

4- What is the Big Give I keep hearing about? I am curious as to what that is and how it works?


Thank you for your time again....

 

[maroo]

Hello everyone....

We just got home tonight from Juliana's Wish Trip!!!!! I cannot believe how fast 7 days go. Ummm... I take that back, I do know how fast 7 days go- especially while you are in Disney.

I have a few ideas in my head that I wanted to get out before I forget them. These are only my opinion so if something wont work/will work better for your family, please follow your instincts.

1) GKTW is an amazing place. There is so much to do there and the whole village is catered for kids. Make sure you set time aside to 'hang' out and explore all the village has to offer.

1 b.) Don't wait for the last day to place your star.... (like we did) if you do it in the middle of your trip, you will be able to see it in the 'sky' before you leave.

2) Even with the 'button' you WILL NOT see everything. Time just melts away while you are in the parks. I know it has been said before, but make a list of 1 or 2 attractions that each member of your family MUST do... leave room for characters... there are plenty of those to see.

3) WDW- Sit-down meals (especially character meals) take 1 1/2 hours minimum from the time you check in. Even CS meals take quite a while. If there is a lunch you can pack..even PP&J that helps with time.

4) PLEASE don't be shy with showing CMs the GAC card- even with characters. It took us a few days to feel comfortable doing it. It does help speed things along. Some CMs really help with this and some seem less informed. Don't get discouraged.

5) At SeaWorld- we thought the Dolphin show blew away Believe (the killer whale show) Ever since the accident and the birth of a new killer whale, the show is nothing like it used to be. We felt like we needed to see Believe though.

6) SeaWorld, don't forget Wish kids get to feed the dolphins and you don't have to wait in the long line. Ask a SeaWorld employee where to go and they will get you to the right area. The dolphins are fed at certain times... check the schedule on the park map when you walk into the park.

7) If you are paying OOP for character meals, breakfasts are much cheaper than dinners. But you can eat a great breakfast at GKTW every morning starting at 8.

8) SW & WDW are about 25-30 minutes from GKTW. They are both about 10-12 miles but there is traffic and many lights.

9) It takes AT LEAST 45 minutes from the time you pull into the MK parking lot till you walk into MK. Plan accordingly.

10) Park hopping- It is really tough to park hop and it is really time consuming. If you must park hop, I'd hit AK in the AM and DHS in the PM. Or hit a park in the PM that is staying open late.

11) You CANNOT see everything in Epcot in one day. It is nearly impossible. Once again. Pick a few attractions and if you are doing good on time, add a few more. Walking around the world takes a lot of time in itself.

12) When people tell you to bring an extra suitcase or duffle bag... DO IT! If you are flying on Southwest, you get 2 bags a person but if your suitcase is 51 lbs they will charge you for it.




This is all I can think of at the moment... I'm spent!


to all the new Wish families!!!!

Once I start my TR I will post the link here!

awesome tips!!

I have put a link to this post on the 2nd post of the thread for easy access by future families! Great list!!

So glad you had a good time!

 

[brookerene]

We are taking our trip at the craziest time of the year...easter! Has anyone gone at Easter and are there any tips that might help while attending on a high volume week? We would have avoided Easter but then couldn't go until October and with our farm things are never certain.....Also, we'll be celebrating our two other kids birthdays at that time and my hubby's (easter day) & I was wondering if there were any good bakeries for cakes around GKTW, besides walmart? We arrive on my DD's birthday, my DS Nathan's b-day is two days before and I want to celebrate them in FL....
I have thuoght about going to Sea World the day we arrive and celebrating there, but I don't have our plane schedule yet...(5 mo's to go!) I know we'll fly out early but don't know the times.
One last question, I have a friend meeting us there for a day and a half, can she go on the rides with us on with the GAC? I know she'll be a big help on rides that are two people at a time.....

 

[jj0plin]

We are taking our trip at the craziest time of the year...easter! Has anyone gone at Easter and are there any tips that might help while attending on a high volume week? We would have avoided Easter but then couldn't go until October and with our farm things are never certain.....Also, we'll be celebrating our two other kids birthdays at that time and my hubby's (easter day) & I was wondering if there were any good bakeries for cakes around GKTW, besides walmart? We arrive on my DD's birthday, my DS Nathan's b-day is two days before and I want to celebrate them in FL....
I have thuoght about going to Sea World the day we arrive and celebrating there, but I don't have our plane schedule yet...(5 mo's to go!) I know we'll fly out early but don't know the times.
One last question, I have a friend meeting us there for a day and a half, can she go on the rides with us on with the GAC? I know she'll be a big help on rides that are two people at a time.....

I went to Magic Kingdom Easter weekend last year (also our Spring Break then) and it was packed by noon! By 4 pm I felt like I was in a crowd letting out of a concert or sporting event, barely able to walk down the street. I could not maneuver our double stroller at all and we ended up going back to the hotel by 5pm to swim, etc. The only advice I have would be to go early and be prepared to bail if it gets too crowded. Easter is so late this year that it will be after most Spring Breaks so hopefully that will help some.

 

[tinytreasures]

Yah we get to go back!!!!
Avy got her approve letter in the mail today
here is her wish

 

[maroo]

We are taking our trip at the craziest time of the year...easter! Has anyone gone at Easter and are there any tips that might help while attending on a high volume week? We would have avoided Easter but then couldn't go until October and with our farm things are never certain.....Also, we'll be celebrating our two other kids birthdays at that time and my hubby's (easter day) & I was wondering if there were any good bakeries for cakes around GKTW, besides walmart? We arrive on my DD's birthday, my DS Nathan's b-day is two days before and I want to celebrate them in FL....
I have thuoght about going to Sea World the day we arrive and celebrating there, but I don't have our plane schedule yet...(5 mo's to go!) I know we'll fly out early but don't know the times.
One last question, I have a friend meeting us there for a day and a half, can she go on the rides with us on with the GAC? I know she'll be a big help on rides that are two people at a time.....

I will do a planner for you...if you want. Send me a PM.

I stopped doing the planners because many of the families found they really didn't need them - because they had the button and the GAC and found it was cool to be spontaneous...but you are probably going to really want to avoid some crowds.

I have a subscription to a couple of websites that give me crowd information and I can try to steer you clear of the crowds AND take into account what GKTW things you want to make sure you are able to do, which frankly is sort of a logic problem (I love logic problems. )

PM me if you are interested and I will get the info from you and work on it this weekend. I think it may help you for that weekend. It really is busy and the problem you may run into is not being able to go into a park because it is full to capacity - they will shut the park down to anyone that isn't already in the park, even if you have a ticket...so you want to plan around the crowds to avoid that, if possible.

Yah we get to go back!!!!
Avy got her approve letter in the mail today
here is her wish

Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!

 

[xanphylus]

I will try to answer some of your questions. I don't have a wish kid, but I have followed a lot of the ptr's and tr's. And I love Disney!

1- I have 3 girls. My wish girl will be 17 at the time of the visit but she has Rett Syndrome. So riding rides will be out for her for the most part unless they are "calm" rides. What do you guys recommend in MK for her?

Just about every ride at the Magic Kingdom will be ok for her. Most of them are calm rides and a lot of the other parents with challenged kids will thell you the same. I know people who have taken infants on many rides. Maybe she could ride in between two people on some of the rides if she needs extra help to stay in an upright position on the rides. She will love It's a Small World, Teacups (just don't spin them, they don't have too), Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan (a little hard to get onto if I remember correctly), and many more. Just look on the Disney website and check the age recommendations for rides- lots of them are going to be available to her.

My 8 year old can ride rides of any kind-she is tall and is a dare devil. Will they allow her to the front of lines if my Wish daughter is NOT riding that ride? What do you recommend for her as a "Must DO".

Yes- she can use the pass even if your wish kid is not riding. That way your wish kid doesn't have to wait on her while she is in line. You guys can go catch a show or have a snack while your 8 year old and whoever go ride the other rides. I like splash mountain, thunder mountain and can't wait to take my 9 year old on space mountain. It was shut down for refurb when we went.

My 4 year old is a Toy Story freak and loves Princesses too. Anything Disney and all of my girls are finatics. I am curious as to what is a Must so we can plan accordingly.

Def go on both toy story rides. One at MK and one at hollywood studios. Both are cool! For the princess in them all- you could do the Bippity Boppity Boutique. It would be expensive unless it is part of her wish, but really cute.

2- Do you recommend any Character Dining that gives you the most Characters visiting? Which Character Dining do you like best and why? We would like to have one dining experience for the girls to remember.

If you all love princesses, my DD9 loved the Akershus storybook dining at epcot. It was cheaper than the castle and really good food. Also, that one does not have to be pre-paid like the castle. And you get to see 4 princesses at one time while eating! We also did the one with winnie the pooh and my son, who turned one on our trip- LOVED it! He got to parade around the restaurant with Pooh and loved Tigger and Piglet and Eeyore too!

3- Which other parks are awesome for my girls? I don't even know what parks are all there... I guess I need to research that as well! YIKES I am so overwhelmed!!!

Hollywood studios was cool, but I didn't really do too much there with my 1 year old. We saw a couple shows and that was about it. We did a half day. He loved at the water features at epcot though and stuff in future world.
We never made it to Animal Kingdom and I can't wait to take him there now that he is 2 and loves animals.

4- What is the Big Give I keep hearing about? I am curious as to what that is and how it works?

Big Give is a group of caring people who send gifts to some of the kids going on their wish trips. I am not sure how they get picked or what not, but most of them have pre-trip reports and just generally are on here a lot. Maroo def knows more about it than me.... so do the women in charge of it. Maybe one of them will pop in here and explain it much better than me.

Hope I helped a little. Have a great trip!!!