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

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . We're extending our trip at our own expense for a few days so we wanted to know if we could still do anything at GKTW since we can't check into our condo till 4:00 . . .

As a volunteer coordinator for GKTW . . .
1) Even after check-out, you can remain within the "village" for the full date.
2) You are able to take advantage of all the acitivites and food.
3) Once you stay, you are an alumnus.
4) All alumni are inivited back ANYTIME for full-day, half-day, or hourly visits. *

NOTE: Guests are are not Allowed to stay in the village more than one trip.
However, you are allowed to visit anytime you are in Orlando. Just check-in
at the hospitality building to get an ID so you can get food, etc. The cashiers
need a room key in order to process the order, even though there is no payment.

 

[greenjellybean]

As a volunteer coordinator for GKTW . . .
1) Even after check-out, you can remain within the "village" for the full date.
2) You are able to take advantage of all the acitivites and food.
3) Once you stay, you are an alumnus.
4) All alumni are inivited back ANYTIME for full-day, half-day, or hourly visits. *

NOTE: Guests are are not Allowed to stay in the village more than one trip.
However, you are allowed to visit anytime you are in Orlando. Just check-in
at the hospitality building to get an ID so you can get food, etc. The cashiers
need a room key in order to process the order, even though there is no payment.

That must be an amazing experience! If Sophie's wish to go to WDW is granted, she'll be thrilled bc she's just as excited to see GKTW as she is to go to WDW! The child life specialist at the clinic spoke highly of GKTW and everything I've read makes it sound therapeutic for the whole family. She really does hope to stay there. I understand there are occasions when they are full.

 

[starearedkid]

Make a Wish and our wish grantors are coming to our house tomorrow night for Reese to officially make her wish. I am very excited

 

[tabbylincat]

Hi Everyone. IM Tabby a mom to 2. Our daughter Bella who is 4 is recieving a make a wish trip. We go April 12-22nd, 2014. I have been looking at everything i can to get us ready! My big thing is for those who drove to thier wish what helped? Also how did you fit everything in?? I dont know how to do everything that she and her brother want with out fear of them both being overly tired! lol We are driving from PA - Give kid the world village in Florida. Also.. what did you find were the best things to carry with you in your purse or backpack for the park? Sorry so many questions.

 

[Marsone1]

Hello,
My family just got back on our wish trip. We were there 2/14 to 2/21 and we stayed at GKTW. That place was amazing. The only water park they gave comp tickets per their guide is aquatica and wet and wild. If you plan to do the dinner shows make sure you reserve those the day you arrive because some requires a couple days notice. There are so many things to do and see so plan your time wisely. Make sure you spend some time at the village and do their activities.. the halloween party is a must as a lot of universal characters are there for you to meet and greet and get authographs for those characters you missed at the parks. For character greetings at the park, make sure the cast members see you so that you dont have to wait in line to get autograph and photo taken.
Maria

 

[Marsone1]

Hi Everyone. IM Tabby a mom to 2. Our daughter Bella who is 4 is recieving a make a wish trip. We go April 12-22nd, 2014. I have been looking at everything i can to get us ready! My big thing is for those who drove to thier wish what helped? Also how did you fit everything in?? I dont know how to do everything that she and her brother want with out fear of them both being overly tired! lol We are driving from PA - Give kid the world village in Florida. Also.. what did you find were the best things to carry with you in your purse or backpack for the park? Sorry so many questions.

We didn't drive but we had a long flight going there from Hawaii.. it took a whole day to arrive there at GKTW. If you do plan on driving, make sure you get there in the morning. We got there at night and we just wasted a day. They count your first day there so if you get there early your day is not wasted. Try to travel light as you can wash clothes in your villa. They also provided as with bathroom essentials like toothpaste, soap, shampoo, and lotions. They also gave us snacks (that we brought with us at the parks) and drinks. As for what to carry to the park-snacks for the kids, bottle water (u can also get free ice water at all the disney parks), ponchos just in case of rain, jackets if you are staying late at the park, extra clothes for the kids in case they get wet on the water rides, sun block, good walking shoes. They provide free strollers at the disney parks, universal studios and island of adventures, gatorland and sea world. So the kids wont be doing a lot of walking. If you are using a stroller see the guess relations and tell them you are using the stroller as a wheel chair. They will give you a tag that will allow you to bring your stroller straight to the ride. With the pass that GKTW give you, you get immediate access to the rides and character greetings.. sometimes we brought left over pizza that we ordered from the village as snacks at the park. At the village Gingerbread house serves dinner from 6pm to 8pm. Most of the time we didnt get back early to eat there. You can order dinner at Katie's kitchen till 10pm(food is delicious but they serve the same thing everyday) or u can order pizza till 10:30pm.. breakfast is serve at the ice cream palace n gingerbread house every morning. Yes it was hectic and fun at the same time... but it was the best vacation ever.. the kids will be treated like king and queen..
Maria

 

[StefaniLyn]

Thank you soooo much! Funny that you replied, I saw your post about FA! Do you guys know Dr. Jakub Tolar? He is my daughter's doctor, she has a FAN1 mutation, MMC sensitivity but not FA. She also has extremely short telomeres which is a DC thing, thus how I met Jakub, he is on the medical advisory board. K is currently doing a danazol trial. Do you happen to know anyone using Danazol? I hope you guys have a magical time on your return trip!

We did not meet her wishmaker today we just went to the room and she wished to spend the day with Stitch So we will see!

Thank you so much for telling us about the GKTW button. I really appreciate it!

Paige

I'm not sure how I missed this post! We do know Dr. Tolar and he works with a lot of Fanconi kids. Many Fanconi kids are on Danazol and I believe it is the Fanconi Anemia research fund that is funding the Danazol study. I hope it's working well for her! Do you have dates for your trip yet?

 

[StefaniLyn]

Hey Stefani! How exciting that you guys are heading back! I hope Bella (and everyone else) is doing well.

Thanks Tim! It appears your family has expanded since I've been gone! Congrats!!

 

[StefaniLyn]

Hi Everyone. IM Tabby a mom to 2. Our daughter Bella who is 4 is recieving a make a wish trip. We go April 12-22nd, 2014. I have been looking at everything i can to get us ready! My big thing is for those who drove to thier wish what helped? Also how did you fit everything in?? I dont know how to do everything that she and her brother want with out fear of them both being overly tired! lol We are driving from PA - Give kid the world village in Florida. Also.. what did you find were the best things to carry with you in your purse or backpack for the park? Sorry so many questions.

My daughter Bella is a Wish Alumni (class of '09) and we just recently returned from another trip to WDW in February. We drove from Wisconsin to WDW (22 hours each way) on our most recent trip. On our Wish Trip, it was very difficult to fit everything in to the time we were staying at GKTW, so we decided to extend our trip to 10 days total. We did 7 park days (DW4, US2, SW1) and a handful of other activities plus we hit almost every GKTW nighttime activity. We utilized the Wish Lounges for rests mid-day rather than going back to the resort for a rest during the days also. With the Wish Pass, you waste little time waiting in lines. A stroller or wheelchair (free with your Wish badge) will speed up your times in the park too, especially if your child tires easily.

As far as a park bag/backpack, I recommend the following: camera, extra battery, extra memory card, charger, water bottle(s), granola bars or other light snacks but nothing that can melt, GKTW book (has lots of useful information and phone numbers), a small wallet with a credit card, IDs, cash and room keys.

In a separate bag, pack ponchos and sweatshirts for everyone. As soon as the sun goes down it gets chilly and you never know when it will rain in Florida. This bag is usually safely left on the stroller/wheelchair when you are in a line or store. Carry the other with you.

You can carry a small soft-sided cooler into the parks with you if you want to bring a larger amount of snacks or multiple water bottles or beverages.

Have an amazing trip!

 

[paigestauffer]

I'm not sure how I missed this post! We do know Dr. Tolar and he works with a lot of Fanconi kids. Many Fanconi kids are on Danazol and I believe it is the Fanconi Anemia research fund that is funding the Danazol study. I hope it's working well for her! Do you have dates for your trip yet?

There are two studies one at NIH and one at Boston Children's. K didn't qualify for either because she is Neupogen dependent. The danazol worked great and then didn't I'm actually on the plane to MSP for a BMB and see Tolar on Friday.

We got our wish trip dates! WE go May 16-22. So excited. So they asked what K would want for her send off party.... I'm totally clueless as to what that is or what she would want. Please someone fill me in

 

[starearedkid]

I officially started our pre-trip report:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3245917

Our wish grantors came to our house last night where Reese declared her wish to meet Mickey who lives in Disney World. Also the lizard from Tangled. (Not Tangled, just the lizard). She seriously LOVES Pascal, and there are VERY few things that have him on it. She also loves the Wizard of Oz and Mary Poppins, and the 1940's version of the 3 Little Pigs. Definitely a unique soul she is

Here is a recent picture of her:

 

[greenjellybean]

She is a doll!

 

[paigestauffer]

I officially started our pre-trip report:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3245917

Our wish grantors came to our house last night where Reese declared her wish to meet Mickey who lives in Disney World. Also the lizard from Tangled. (Not Tangled, just the lizard). She seriously LOVES Pascal, and there are VERY few things that have him on it. She also loves the Wizard of Oz and Mary Poppins, and the 1940's version of the 3 Little Pigs. Definitely a unique soul she is



Disney has hidden Mickey pins that are Pascal in various colors. They are super cute. Maybe you can find one on ebay? And give it to her when you leave for her trip.... Pascal is adorable. She has great taste

 

[starearedkid]

Trading Pins question:

At what age do you recommend your kids start this?

I actually think Reese may like it. She loves talking about things that she was given in different places/different people. For example, any trinket/toy that grandparents/uncles/close friends have given her---she STILL talks about it 6 months later and mentions who bought it for her. So I can see her being really interested in someone giving her a trading pin in Disney. The only thing I am reluctant on is her actually GIVING them away. (However, if she doesn't care for a particular toy, etc--her line is "I can't LIKE it"--and she will give that "reject" toy away to anyone. So I was actually thinking about getting her some pins that I know she won't like at all--because I know she would never have a problem of giving those away.

So where do you get pins? How many should i get her? Do you think she is old enough?

Lots of questions I know.

 

[paigestauffer]

Kimbell started when she was 3 and loves it. The older she has gotten the more into the actual trading whereas before they were more souvenirs then anything. You can get pins off of eBay.

 

[greenjellybean]

Anyone familiar with GKTW enough to know when they tend to be completely booked? Sophie's MAW contacts will be visiting this Saturday and I understand that if she does ask to go to WDW, we'll be asked to give some dates.

My ONLY real desire is that Sophie have completed chemo before we go. She seems to be responding well to it and there is a good chance she SHOULD be done with maintenence sometime in June. At least, her oncologist seems to think that is still viable. I'd like her to have at LEAST a few weeks to recover and get some of her energy and stamina back as well, more the better.

Here's the other thing. Sophie REALLY wants to stay at GKTW. I think she's be really disappointed if, however generous it might be, to stay on property bc she really had her heart set on GKTW. I'm told they do get full and it's usually during the summer months for obvious reasons.

I'd rather the girls not miss school, especially since Savannah is starting middle school and had been signed up for accelerated math and language arts. But I don't want Sophie to miss out on what is part off her wish, either.

By any chance, does anyone have any advice or suggestions? Should I call GKTW? Seems like that might be presumptuous on my part before even meeting with MAW.

 

[greenjellybean]

Trading Pins question:

At what age do you recommend your kids start this?

I actually think Reese may like it. She loves talking about things that she was given in different places/different people. For example, any trinket/toy that grandparents/uncles/close friends have given her---she STILL talks about it 6 months later and mentions who bought it for her. So I can see her being really interested in someone giving her a trading pin in Disney. The only thing I am reluctant on is her actually GIVING them away. (However, if she doesn't care for a particular toy, etc--her line is "I can't LIKE it"--and she will give that "reject" toy away to anyone. So I was actually thinking about getting her some pins that I know she won't like at all--because I know she would never have a problem of giving those away.

So where do you get pins? How many should i get her? Do you think she is old enough?

Lots of questions I know.

I think trading pins is a great idea! I agree with you on the giving away part though. I think finding some she will not be too terribly fond of may be key. Think it will be right up Reece's alley. Thinking this is something I'd really like to stay for my girls as well. I love the pins myself but only have two and don't know I could trade them, bc i bought them on our first trip.

 

[paigestauffer]

Anyone familiar with GKTW enough to know when they tend to be completely booked?

I don't think it would hurt to call. I have heard October and December are extremely busy for wishes but I don't know about the rest of the year. Let us know how it goes with the wish granters!

 

[greenjellybean]

I don't think it would hurt to call. I have heard October and December are extremely busy for wishes but I don't know about the rest of the year. Let us know how it goes with the wish granters!

Well I certainly hadn't seen that anywhere so thanks for the tip. Makes sense I suppose, maybe families trying to take advantage of the opportunity to go to MNSSHP or the Christmas party (the name of which escapes me now).

 

[Marsone1]

I don't think it would hurt to call. I have heard October and December are extremely busy for wishes but I don't know about the rest of the year. Let us know how it goes with the wish granters!

Maybe you should ask your organization to check the dates for you by calling GKTW as they are the one who is responsible in making the arrangements. It wouldn't hurt to give them a couple of date options. My org gave us the dates we specified.