Make a Wish (and other organizations) ~ Wish Trippers UNITE! Volume FIVE!!

[Emmaswishtrip]

I'm thinking of making t-shirts for our trip, does anyone know where I could find all the amazing designs that have make a wish on them?

[maroo]

Originally Posted by carebearkidney

Wow - I'm not on for 2 days and I have nearly 2.5 pages of new posts to read. All caught up now though!
Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to all the new wishers! Now to head back and read some new PTR posts!

I know it! I was not on here for a week and am majorly behind!

Originally Posted by DelanaAndKyra

Since we arent going until May I am wondering are there an extra expenses I should be saving up for that Make A Wish wont be covering? Kyra is 4 and will need a stroller for the parks. I am not sure what else I should be even thinking of for expenses as of now. I cant wait to go. Everything I have been buying for family members for Christmas has been beneifical of a Disney trip! Hurry up May!

Souveniers - there never seems to be enough money for that. Your stroller should be free.
You will probably want an autograph book for each child - you can get those at Disney or at the Walmart near GKTW.

Originally Posted by nesser1981

I've been trying to finish up our scrapbook from the trip before #1 I forget too much and #2 before the new baby arrives. Anyhow, I finished scrapbooking our entire Make A Wish trip today if you guys would like to look at the pages so you can see how our trip was.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...7358424&type=3

There are 134 pages, (I digital scrapbook)

I can't wait to check this out!

Originally Posted by jjmomof4

We heard back from MAW and they changed our tickets so we have two additional days! We'll be at GKTW from Sept 26 to Oct 2nd, then stay elsewhere until Oct 4th. I'm relieved because this gives us two rest days through the week. Now to figure out where to go which days!
Jennifer

I am so glad you guys are getting extra days - that is very helpful to have a rest day or two!

[maroo]

Originally Posted by jjmomof4

Not yet, I was still checking out military discounts for Shades of Green and the Disney resorts, however we need a room that can sleep at least six since there are seven of us total. So far the cheapest I've found is the Bonnet Creek resort, a 2 bedroom condo for $145 a night, I just want to make sure there are no hidden fees.

Yes, I was worried about feeling very rushed and now that's not an issue. We'll have time to relax and enjoy GKTW, and still use the tickets they give us instead of having to decide between parks and GKTW.

Also I called Disney World, and was so grateful to hear that they will let us make reservations for the Wishes Dessert evening and other meals, and let the boys join us, but not have to pay for the boys since they can't eat anything there at all. So I need to book those now too!

We really enjoyed our stay at Bonnet Creek! Honestly - anytime we go with Lauren - we will probably stay there instead of a Disney hotel - it was so nice to have an accessible room and plenty of rooms and bathrooms to spread out! And the kitchen is helpful, too! And the grounds there are awesome! Since you already have a car, that helps, too! And the wish button should get you free parking...although I am not sure if it will continue to work after your dates?? That may be something to consider...Disney parking is fairly expensive.

Originally Posted by mspols

So excited to be here and love reading all the info and the trip reports. My little one is obsessed with princesses...does anyone have any suggestions for any princess character meals? It looks like we may be going Nov 5 so I should probably start planning

Cinderella's Royal Table has a great atmosphere! But the best meal, I have hear, is Askershur's in Epcot...and I know I am not spelling that right!

Originally Posted by nesser1981

Talk to your wish coordinator to see if thry can arrange a reservation for you at Cinderlla's Royal Table. Thats what we did. There is a princess meal in epcot too.

Originally Posted by aym4Him

That's so awesome!! Brought tears to my eyes.

I just want to say hi and welcome to all the new families (a shout out to all the heart mamas out there, too!). I've been away from the forum for a while (I was getting REALLY overwhelmed with all the info) but, our trip is about 2 months away, so I need to get back in the game!

I love this thread!! So much wonderful info!!! Maroo, I sent you a message regarding trip planning. YOU ROCK!

We're still trying to figure out what our son will like. So far, the only two givens are trains and ice cream!! Hahaha.. He has said he'd eat food (his words) with Mickey Mouse. We may do a character meal but, given his reactions lately to high school mascots/store mascots, I'm leery! He's 3.5 (will be 4 in early Dec). This trip is for him and I don't want it to be stressful! It's so hard to know what will work and what will go over like a lead balloon!!

He just started his 2nd year of preschool and will be playing soccer (!). We are so thankful that he is healthy enough to do these things. Ear tubes are the only things we had to mess with over the summer (other than his cardiology visit, which was GREAT!). So thankful.

If y'all have a minute and feel so inclined, would you pray for one of his heart buddies? David is 3 and has special needs that are the result of him coding when he was an infant after one of his open heart surgeries (HLHS). He is on day 95 of being in the hospital after his 3rd palliative surgery (Fontan). This has been so hard on him and his family and it is heartbreaking b/c he was doing SO WELL prior to the surgery. The Fontan can be tough on some kiddos. www.caringbridge.org/visit/babyhood

Thanks!

Now, back to the planning.......

Thank you! You are so sweet!

If he can be scared of the characters, I would ease into that by doing the character greetings and not really spend the money on a character meal.

Originally Posted by LittleEsmom

We finally have out dates and they are OFFICIAL We will be going on Emma's wish trip March 23-29th This has been such an AWESOME experience for the whole family. Much love and heart-felt THANK YOU to MAW, GKTW, and everyone who works to put these Wish Trips together. Emma got a package from Minnie Mouse today too. All I can say is they have this planned out to the "T". The package said To:Emma From: Minnie
See you soon! She flipped her lid about that and when I told her we would be at Disney World for her birthday on March 25. Prayers and well wishes to all planning/going on wish trips.

I linked your pre-trippie on the first page with the folks that have dates!!!!

Originally Posted by onceagain1

Wonderful, love reading everyone's exciting words getting ready for their wishes!! Love it!!

Someone posted their opinions about different parades, etc - can't remember who as I type. But you were thinking MVMCP (Mickey's Christmas parade) might not really be worth it, given everything else to see. I was wondering about that. I don't really want to spend extra money, or make the day too logistically challenging. My thought was that once we come home to GKTW at the end of the day, likely by supper time, that we would not leave again. We would instead putter around GK, or one of us would stay home with Busypants sleeping while the other wandered around GK with Chatterbox. So I was kind of not wanting to go back out to Disney, but if the Christmas parade is quite magical....hmmm....well, dont' know if we'll ever get back there again, so perhaps we should try to be there to watch it?

Oh, and guess what I made for Chatterbox? I made the links (like paper Christmas garland) that I saw someone else had received, to count down the days til their wish. The first day of school was actually 100days til her wish, so I made 100 links for her. She loved it. Will try to post a pic once I figure that out.

*****Just made the pre-trip report, will add more later****

I am about to make a separate post about this... I need to do some Math first!

[maroo]

I am doing a separate post here on my thoughts about going to the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) or Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP) on your wish trip! I am going to link this on the FAQ page because I get this question a lot!

Of course, this is only available September through December each year - so if you are going on your trip from January through August, then this won't really apply to your trip.

Obviously, if your family doesn't celebrate Halloween/Christmas, then this may not be a good idea for you, either!

I think these parties are fun for any family - but for Wish Families there are specific benefits that you may want to consider before skipping the special party.

In addition the party atmosphere - lots of candy (MNSSHP) or hot chocolate (MVMCP), snow on Main Street (MVMCP), characters dressed up, a special parade, special fireworks - and the rides - wish families have some special perks...

Since wish families only get 3 days at Disney parks - some families consider buying a 4th day to make sure they can see each park or give them a little extra time. If a family with 2 adults, a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old wants to do an extra day at Disney World in 2012 - it will cost that family $344 plus tax to go to ONE PARK on that day. It would cost quite a bit more to buy a park hopper pass, although I am sure they would just do one park on that day since they have the Park Hopper pass from GKTW they can use on the day plan to hop.

Instead, this same family could choose to go to one of the parties (MNSSHP or MVMCP) for around $226 plus tax.

For the party - you are allowed to enter the park at 4:00 PM on the night of the party - even though the party starts at 7:00! So that is a LOT of time that is typically not very crowded for your family to enjoy the rides, etc. A family could spend 8 hours in the park (4pm to 12 pm) for a lot less money than buying a one day pass.

So if a family takes one of their wish trip days and sleeps in, explores GKTW, takes a long nap and heads to the parks to be there by 4:00 - then they can have quite a long time to enjoy the parks and won't "spend" one of their 3 Disney days to do it!

It is also a special perk for Wish Families because MOST CM's at MK allow Wish Families to skip character lines - and there are a TON of characters to see at the parties! This is not a "given" and should only be considered as a secondary perk, because you may run into a situation where this doesn't occur for your family - but it is quite a nice perk for the times it does happen! Especially at the parties when the characters are everywhere and you can even meet special characters that only come to the parties!

Some Wish organizations will pay for one special event for the child - and you can request this to be their special event, if that is the case. This would be a great way to do something special on a wish trip!


It may NOT be worth it for a family with small children that won't be able to stay for the parade or even stay up late at all - and it may not be worth it for the family that plans on going to both the Halloween and Christmas party at GKTW - because that may be just too much of that for your trip! So, this isn't for everyone - but for the family that really wants more "Disney" time on their trip - going to the party is a good way to maximize that Disney time!

I went to link this and realized that I had already done this... lol

I am losing my mind!!

[aym4Him]

Originally Posted by maroo

I went to link this and realized that I had already done this... lol

I am losing my mind!!

Hehehehe! Happens to the best of us!

Thanks for the repost, though. Some people may just hop on this page to start with and you've given them a wealth of info!

[maroo]

Originally Posted by onceagain1

From what I've read, there are strollers available at Disney, and I think they're free if you have a MAW pin/lanyard??? I'm thinking about renting a stroller from Orlando Rentals, simply because I heard the ones available at Disney don't recline, and I'd like a comfortable one to recline for YDD, and I'd like it to be a double for both kids to use.

This is a good idea!! William used the stroller some (he was older, but the walking was hard on him, too!) - and he wished he had been able to recline sometime.

Originally Posted by DelanaAndKyra

I tend to plan early with everything and Kyra knows this. I have been Christmas shopping already and even have some people finished. When it comes to Kyra's wish (May 2013) she has been asking for a time line of when it will happen. She is matching it with holidays and people birthdays. Since she knows it will take place after Christmas she is now asking about the wish almost daily again since I am preparing for holidays instead. I have a countdown in place but does anyone else have any other ideas on how to help with the wait? She is so excited! I am so excited for her and I love seeing the glow in her eyes when she talks about it

I love the countdown things that have rings of paper on them that the kids can take off one each day! They can get excited every day and when it gets shorter they will really know, visually, that it is coming soon!!

Originally Posted by ABBMommy

My daughter, Ally, is supposed to go on her wish trip in October, but we don't have our dates yet!! (it's so close eek I wish we'd get them already!)

If we get our first choice of dates this is the schedule I'm considering. We get three park hopper passes for Disney, one day at Sea World, and one day at Universal Studios. Our chapter is also providing some spending money for souvenirs, baggage fees, and such but I'm not sure how much.

My kids (DD4, DS7) don't seem very interested in Sea World so I'm not sure we'll even go there. I don't want to be pressured or rushed on this trip. We want this to be nothing but relaxation and happiness!

Anyway, this is what I'm thinking. We have chosen Wednesday as our arrival date each week we sent in as preferred dates:
Wed-Hang out at GKTW
Thu-Magic Kingdom
Fri-Epcot
Sat-Universal Studios
Sun-Relax at GKTW and then Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (we'll be buying the tickets ourselves and we'll get an extra Disney day this way!)
Mon-Hollywood Studios and/or Epcot/Magic Kingdom
Tue-Departure (not sure what time we'll be leaving-can always do Sea World that morning if time permits I suppose)

What do you think? Too much? Okay? We're hoping to do naps each afternoon and have no problem leaving if they're tired and coming back later in the day. Park hoppers allow all day access even if you leave correct?

(sorry for the long post-DD is actually in the hospital with some sort of virus right now and my mind is racing and too much time on my hands lol)

I think it is perfect!

Park hoppers do allow all day access even if you leave!

Originally Posted by camidges

We just found out on Friday that Ryan's wish for Disneyworld was approved by the dr. and the chapter's board! Now we are just waiting to hear if we got our dates - we asked to go around his birthday in January. So excited!~ Hopefully we will hear more and be able to start planning soon.

awesome!

Originally Posted by aym4Him

Hi fellow Wish Families!!

I can ask our wish granters, but I wanted to check here b/c there's always someone who can answer just about any and every question I can think of here!!

We get the 3 day park hoppers for the Disney parks and then a 2 day park hopper for Universal/IOA and Sea World. I don't know why this is so confusing to me, but does that mean we have 2 days to see the 3 parks? Is IOA a park within Universal or does it require driving to? Can Universal/IOA be done in half a day and Sea World the other half (with an almost 4 year old)? We are just trying to figure out how to maximize our time at GKTW and also make good use of the tickets we are receiving.

We do have a Sea World in San Antonio. Neither of us have been to it but, if worse comes to worse, we can always skip SW this time and go later in San Antonio. Is there anything special about the Wish Kids' experience at Sea World that we wouldn't want to miss?

Oy!! This is all so overwhelming. I know it's supposed to be fun, but I do want to kind of have some semblance of a plan in place so we are able to focus on the fun more than the "What are we supposed to do next??"

You actually get a 3 day hopper to Disney (4 parks in three days)...then a 2 day park hopper for Universal (2 parks) and a 1 day ticket to Sea World - but you only have 5 full days to "spend" them...so if you have a very late flight in and an early flight out, then really you may only have 5 days if you are coming from the US - International travelers get an extra day for traveling.

Originally Posted by newdrama12

Sunday Night - World's Largest CandyLand Game

Monday - Morning: Mickey and Friends
Evening: Halloween

Tuesday - Nickelodeon Character Photos
Mayor Clayton's Birthday Party

Wednesday - Horseback Riding
Village Idol

Thursday - Mickey and Friends
Winter Wonderland

Friday - Universal Character Photos
Pirates & Princess Party

Saturday - Horseback riding
Big Splash Bash

Thank you so much for updating this!!!!!

Do I have wrong information linked here??? If so...someone please PM me...

Originally Posted by yeti5353

Molly had some "wish enhancement" this weekend when she got to be a queen for the day in a smaller town parade. completely and totally awesome and could have been a wish in its self! check our PTR if you want the whole story.

and yes the sneezer was sneezing all day and has me freaked out.

That is so awesome!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by GavandGraciesMommy

YAY We will be there the same days! I am sure that Maroo could tell you what the party days are She helped us out

I have no idea...but newdrama12 is a regular volunteer there and she had them!

[maroo]

Originally Posted by aym4Him

Hehehehe! Happens to the best of us!

Thanks for the repost, though. Some people may just hop on this page to start with and you've given them a wealth of info!

It's funny how I wrote something different this time around!

lol

[maroo]

Originally Posted by twinmum

and re: Maroo's reply:
As far as pulling up the parks...
MK - is a little hard - but they could walk to The Contemporary (about 5 min walk) and you could pick them up from there easily.
AK - pretty close up parking there with a HA tag -
DHS - very close parking with a HA tag
Epcot - I don't think I would attempt this one...It seems like it is really far away?? But maybe I don't remember right

For Epcot, you could have the girls finish up in World Showcase, then they could exit via the International Gateway and walk over to the Beach Club resort and he could pick up there? Although as I remember the HA parking isn't that far away. Better check the map again.

We have become annual WDW visitors since our son's Wish Trip in 2008, and our new favourite resorts are the Beach Club and Yacht Club. In fact, we were lucky enough to meet Maroo at Beaches and Crean (ice cream shop) on our trip a couple of years ago!

Happy planning!

This is a good thought on leaving Epcot! That may work really well for you guys!!

And I was lucky to meet YOU!

Originally Posted by jmerchlinsky

Wow, this is really where reality starts in, we are getting our expense check and tickets and all that good stuff tonight. Our wish granter called and he will be coming tonight. I mean it is only 3 weeks away so we are anxious enough with that, but it will really set our nerves going with what is happening tonight.....But not matter what we are looking forward to John's wish and having a great and magical time at WDW

Woo Hoo! I remember that excitement!

Originally Posted by aym4Him

No reservations available for Chef Mickey's the week we will be at WDW.

We can still book something at Hollywood and Vine, but are there any other recommendations y'all might have for an almost 4 yr old boy? He may or may not dig the characters, but he's saying he wants to eat with Mickey and all his friends and Jake, Oso, Handy Manny, etc.

I wish I knew what characters would be visiting at GKTW. I mean, if we don't get a character meal, it's not the end of the world!!! He is going to have SOOOOOOOOOOO much fun!!! I've been snagging Disney shirts when they go on sale for him to wear while we're there!!

Do any of you know the actual prices of the character meals I mentioned? I keep seeing things like $$ or $$$ and then the only numeric answer I've seen is either $15.99-35.99 or $39-59.99. Just curious.

MVMCP. Do you think it will be crazy-crowded on a Friday? (Nov 16th)

Thank you!

I really think you guys will be fine not doing a meal - They have Disney characters that come to GKTW - it is usually Mickey and Minnie inside and then Mary Poppins, Pluto, Goofy...and someone else...??... in the morning. And then other days they have Universal characters that come.

THEN - even if you miss them at GKTW - you can meet them at the parks!

If you want to give me a list of the must meet characters, I can tell you where they can usually be found.

The prices for the meals varies by the time of day, the time of year, etc...so sometimes it is more expensive...Dinner during Christmas time is a lot more expensive than lunch in September. The prices you are seeing are per person.

The one character meal I really love is doing Crystal Palace for lunch - it is right in the Magic Kingdom, it's a very good buffet, and you get to meet Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore. For lunch it is relatively inexpensive. And you should be able to get a reservation - even maybe the day of?

IF you really want a meal - then just keep checking the website. You can also try for reserving an even number of people...sometimes the meal won't sit 5, but it will sit 6...And they don't really care, once you get there, how many you have (if you have one person less)...don't reserve for less than you need, though...

Originally Posted by onceagain1

Eeek!! Your trip is coming up too!! I can't wait to hear all about it. And if you do decide to go to MVMCP, please let me know what you think of it, including crowds/views. I'm not sure yet if we'll take it in. I think we will, I think we'll plan a day at GKTW or elsewhere for the morning, then head to Disney late afternoon or something...now wait...did I read that someone else said that if you buy tickets for this event, that you then have access to Disney at 4pm?...so in theory, that could be on a separate day than our 3 day pass? Ooh the thoughts that are swirling.

As for the prices that you're seeing for character dining, I saw that too, and I think it's per person. I actually started a reservation and picked a date that we were there and it was available, I couldn't believe it! I can't remember which restaurant it was for, but I was so surprised that a time slot was available that I closed it out - as I wasn't actually ready to pay, I hadn't yet really decided. And for that matter, I'm still not sure, as it would then be $60 per person, so actually $240 for us for a meal...doesn't seem quite right...



And in other news for us (instead of making yet another post - yet to figure out how to multiple reply), we received a care package from a Fairy Godmother, as I call her. A beautiful handmade scrapbook pre-set for Chatterbox's wish trip - so pretty. Chatterbox was so excited! I posted a few (oversized) pics on our PTR. She was bouncing with excitement!!

It shouldn't be $60 per person!?!?! For a meal... Try www.allears.net... They have a good list of restaurants and how much they cost.

That is so cool that you got a package!!

[maroo]

Originally Posted by jjmomof4

We are arriving on a Wednesday as well and were supposed to be leaving on Tuesday, however the way our chapter booked the flights we won't get there until late on Wednesday and leave very early on Tuesday, so we really only had five days, which gave no time for rest. Thankfully we asked if we could stay two days more, as the same flight for the same price was offered then, so they switched our flights. Today I just confirmed and paid for a 3 day, 2 night stay at Wyndham Bonnet Creek, with a 3 bd suite. That helped me relax on planning a whole lot! I've planned lots of breaks this way and we can spread it all out. I'm still working on my timeline, I hope to post it tomorrow for input. We are adding one night at Disney by going to MNSSHP, because I just found out the military discount is nearly 40% for this and it essentially gives us another day at Disney.

When are you hoping to be at GKTW? We'll be there Sept 26 to Oct 2nd. The boys do want to attend at least the Santa Claus night there and Colin wants to do the Big Splash Bash (they can't eat food, but he loves to swim, so we might skip the rest of the parties).

And I can't remember if you posted it or someone else did...it depends on your chapter if they will pay for MNSSHP or not. Ours chose not to, but said we can purchase it on our own. They only grant one "wish" and Colin's was to do Jedi Training and they are planning something special around that.

I'm on pins and needles! The wish granters don't come until the Friday before we leave! It's cutting it very close and I'd feel so much better if we had our itinerary from them, as it's hard for me to plan which days we are where, not knowing when they have Colin scheduled for the Jedi experience.

Jennifer

I really like Bonnet Creek! It will be great to get a 3 bedroom!!

I would call MAW and ask them which day they have Colin schedule for the Jedi experience so that you can plan out your days.

Originally Posted by carebearkidney

I understand the nerves - we have months til we go and I sometimes still get nervous. I know you will have a magical time and everything will go as it is meant to be, not necessarily how you plan it. And it will be perfect!

It will definitely not go exactly how you plan it - that is for sure! One thing I have noticed over the years is that most trips do not go exactly as we plan them - but they ALWAYS have a magical moment - a moment that suprises the family and is something they remember forever and ever!

Originally Posted by aym4Him

I promise to let you know how it goes. Yes, you are correct- I have heard the same thing about being able to enter MK at 4pm on the day of the party. We are thinking the same thing about an "extra Disney day."

Yes, the cost of the meals has got us, too. I mean, I know that we will get spending money but it's just hard to think about a meal being that expensive. Then again, we may never get that experience again (b/c of the cost!!). Oy. What to do, what to do?

YEEK! Yay for Fairy Godmothers!! Very cool!

I need to figure out a way to make E a countdown calendar and also try and keep myself from buying every Disney trinket I come across between now and November! I'm tempted to head out to the Disney outlet in Grapevine tomorrow to scope things out...... I do think I want to try and make him an autograph book. Mulling that one over.

Ok. I need to get back to it. Took a nice break for DH's birthday this evening and went out to dinner while SIL watched E.

This is right! You can enter the park at 4:00 on a party day! And I totally consider it an "extra" Disney day!

Originally Posted by aym4Him

Ok. Looking at where to go with our 2 day park hoppers (Universal/IOA/Sea World). It seems like there is more for E to do at Universal/IOA but that's just on paper. DH thinks we should maybe skip Sea World and take him to the one in San Antonio later.

I would love to hear from those of you who have been to both parks. Again, E will be a little less than a month shy from turning 4 but he is hovering around 39" tall. He has told me a few times he does NOT want to see super heroes (though he loves them), so there's always the chance we will be sprinting past characters to avoid any meltdowns!! I hope not. DH will be really disappointed. He's already feeling like we are taking this trip too soon. I'm the kind of person that will feel responsible for things that go wrong whether I had a hand in it or not. I need this trip to go pretty smoothly, especially since my in-laws will be tagging along. Since SIL is only going to be with us Sun-Wed, I need to figure out what parks we will hit on those days so she can get tix. Do you know if tix can be bought the day of or is it better to do so ahead of time? I had thought, initially, we'd break up our Disney days by doing Universal/Sea World in between but now I wonder if we should do all three days at the beginning. I dunno.

Why am I having such a hard time with this??? Is there a whiner's forum somewhere?

I think you can totally skip Sea World and just do the one in San Antonio...It is cool, though, as a wish child - to feed the dolphins. They try to make that magical!

You can buy the tickets day of...but they are cheaper through Undercover Tourist - they just mail them to you and you save a little bit (their prices INCLUDE tax and shipping).

Originally Posted by yeti5353

SO many things to worry about

So much pressure to make it a PERFECT

AWESOME MEMORIES

PRESSURE

but we have to remember that life is funny and stuff is the way it is....
we are lucky to get to go, lucky to have this family time, lucky to make the memories no matter what they are

Originally Posted by aym4Him

Thank you!!



Ha! I started reading your TR but then ADD kicked in and I didn't get finished! Thank you for the to get me back on track!!

Questions: Do any of you know if it's possible to use unused park hopper tickets if a trip is extended? We may have the flexibility to fly back on a Tues instead of Saturday and if we can save one of our park hoppers, we'll be able to take a good break at GKTW in the middle of the week. I realize we won't have the GKTW button for ride access, etc, but I was just wondering.

Second question, how do I get our PTR linked at the beginning of this thread? Just wondering.

Thank you so much!!!!!!!! I have an itinerary, but it all depends on what we can do once we extend our stay. I just found out Sea World is starting their Christmas thing on the Saturday we are supposed to return and has a Polar Express Experience. Ethan LOOOOOOVES trains and loves the Polar Express so this would be a great day to hit Sea World.

They won't let you use any unused park hoppers...in fact, they would not let us donate our Universal tickets back to another family at all - and we didn't even go once - I think it would be hard for them to know how to give them out - this way each family gets the same thing.

Most families continue to wear the button if you are still on your trip - lots of families extend extra time and most just keep using the button. It clearly has your dates on there, but most CM's understand that you are still on your trip. Obviously it can't be used on a future trip, though!

I can link your pre-trippie!!

Edited to add.... I just read some of your pre-trippie and you have made a lot more decisions - so a lot of what I have said here today may help someone else, but you can totally ignore it ... I will go over to your pre-trippie this evening and read through it and see if there is anything still unplanned that I can help with. lol

[maroo]

Originally Posted by nesser1981

Maroo is the one that links the TR & PTR's at the beginning, shoot her an PM and I'm sure she can take care of that for you.

YES! This! Send me a PM and I will link them.

I have been staying at night with Lauren at college a lot more this semester - she was in a skit last night and we made her a costume...it was so much fun, but so much work!! I really don't see how parents juggle all of this STUFF! Good grief!

Originally Posted by aym4Him

Super-awesome!! Thank you!!

Ok. I did PM her the other day about something. Do any of you ever have issues with PMs going through? I'm still getting used to this forum (I've been on message boards before, but it's been awhile since I was on one with this kind of formatting). I'm sure I just goofed and sent it to somewhere in cyberspace...

Thanks! I still need to call and check on that to see if it's something we still want to do. There's a town near here that hosts Thomas the Train and they have also done the Polar Express (before we had Ethan). If there's a chance they will do that again this year, and we can't make it to Sea World, then at least he'll get his chance to do something "Polar Express-y."

I <3 all the families on this forum! Thank y'all so much!!

I got a bunch of PM's today and responded to all of them (finally!)...I am so sorry it took me so long!

Originally Posted by michiml03

Hi everyone I really don't know how to put this without sounding bad but, do wish families get to the front of the line for characters at the MNSSHp? IS there a special place for us to watch the parades?

We did get FOTL access at MNSSHP - and I have heard most wish families say that they have gotten FOTL access at all character lines - it is not an official thing, in fact GKTW will tell you that you do NOT get FOTL, but don't panic - most CM's do give Wish Families FOTL for character meet and greets. If they don't, just go on and come back later.

The longest line that most Wish Kids wait for is Santa at GKTW at the Christmas party - because they are ALL wish kids!

Originally Posted by nesser1981

No special parade spot that I know of.

Technically we don't get front of the line for characters, they will tell you that at GKTW as well. All you can do is show the cast member your child's GKTW button and your guest assurance pass and its kind of up to them. So I'm assuming it'll work the same way at MNSSHP.

We met over 40 characters on my DD's trip, and were never turned away from the front of the line. When we met Rapunzel, she's the only one we had to wait for. They were only letting so many people in to see her each shift I guess, so they sat us off to the side on a bench in the shade and we waited for her to finish up with the group she was with. Maybe 20 minute wait.

I did have cast members that if they saw us in a line, they'd come and grab us. We got in line for like Alice and Chip & Dale because they were super short.

Just walk up to the Character's Handler or if there is another CM close by and ask. That's what we did. Worked like a charm.

Exactly! This!

Originally Posted by nesser1981

No I haven't, she's pretty busy I think. I actually never saw her active on the forums while we were planning our trip, but she's been back the last few months.

And this!


I started on the DIS in 2008 and was here very much daily for a few years.

In late 2011 I got dragged into a Federal Case (I didn't do anything wrong) and was forced to get a lawyer. He searched my name on Google and fairly quickly found my information here on the DIS where I had mentioned the case and he really put fear in me about posting anything about anything. I stayed off the DIS until the person that was involved pled guilty. I know it seems pretty out there...but it has been a very long, terrible year and it WAS pretty "out there!" But it will be complete over in 15 days, 19 hours...not that anyone is counting. Then I go to Disney in 10 days after that...I can't wait to be able to look forward to Disney!

The job I had back then had me on the phone a lot and we were allowed to be on the DIS or whatever as long as our job got done. I have a new job now that has no time to do anything on the DIS - so everything DIS related has to be done at night or on weekends. Stupid job.

Originally Posted by aym4Him

I am on a car seat forum and it's similar to this one- I messed up on my first few PMs to people. I'm sure I just messed up when I sent my couple to her. I think, maybe, the most recent one (I think I just sent it yesterday?) might have gone thru the proper channels.

With all she does, I'm not surprised she's so busy!! Where would us Wish Trippers be without her???

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you!

Originally Posted by Rx774

Finally, completed a trip report for my son's MAW trip to Disneyland last month. Quickly, drop what you are doing and take a gander. I thank you ahead of time...
Christian's MAW Trip

Woo Hoo!!! I will link this on the first page, too!

Originally Posted by Abcam

Hi, we are getting ready for our MAW trip... we are going 11/9 - 11/15. Excited to about everyone's trips! I'm new to this forum so I'm trying to figure out how personalize my signature, etc.

Laura

Welcome!!!!

To do a signature - go to userCP at the top of the forum and "signature"...it will let you write things and put icons on there.

You will love it here!

Originally Posted by Threeboysandachickie

We are going to miss the gktw winter festival! The kids are so disappointed they'll miss santa. We arrive on Friday, so we have to check out of the village on Thursday at 11. Any advice? Can we still attend the party if we are still in town or are we out of luck? Stinky planning on my part! I was trying to miss the least amount of school days.

You CAN attend the party! Once you are a GKTW wish family you can actually attend EVERY party at GKTW - they will let any wish family that is returning to the Orlando area visit GKTW and give you a coupon for ice cream and let you go to the party. So you can definitely stay for one, too!

That is how our trip was too...Arrived on Friday and missed Santa. But we were not still in town.

Originally Posted by krisalee

Hi everyone!

Did anyone's child NOT get any 'extras'? Please don't take that the wrong way- we are so very, very grateful for this chance, and we are all so excited to go to GKTW, but it seems just about everyone here gets a little 'extra' for their wish child. My DS, Jake, wished specifically to go to Harry Potter World, so I just kind of assumed after reading so many other people's TRs that he would get an 'escort' and be picked to pick a wand at Ollivander's, etc. But when I talked to our Wish Coordinator this week, she said they don't do anything like that- they just give us tickets and expense money and let us do everything else.

Again, please don't take that the wrong way- I was just surprised and wondered if anyone else had that experience.

Thanks!

It is actually not the MAW chapters that typically set these things up - they sometimes do, but usually the magic on the trips just happens.

I have seen several MAW TR's where the wish child gets to be the one that gets to be able to have their wand pick them - just tell the employee (they are not called Cast Members, but whatever the Universal term is for them) that you have a wish child that wants to watch the ceremony and they may very well pick them to get the wand!

Other magical things will happen at Disney - a character may wave during a parade. A Cast Member may single your family out for a special something - things just sorta happen on a wish trip.

Lauren's favorite part (if you ask her) is waiting on the parade in the rain! I was so disappointed that it was raining and that was her favorite thing - we NEVER let her just play in the rain and she had a blast!

Our MAW chapter also doesn't do send off parties - they prefer to put more in the spending money (which was much appreciated!).

Everyone here "gets it" - we know you are just wanting the very best experience for your kids! No worries about seeming ungrateful!

Originally Posted by Abcam

We are thinking of extending our MAW trip and not sure how you coordinate it, etc. do we wait until we have our flight info from MAW and then change the return day or do you talk with the wish grantors and let them know you want to extend. Trying to decide if we want to stay for the extra days so any input is appreciated.
Also, I see where some are given extras for their trip...did you have to ask or was it offered? We want to eat at Cinderella's castle, but it's all booked - think MAW could help is at least get reservations?

Thanks,
Laura

I have seen some families extend on their own - but most let MAW know. Some chapters do not allow this for legal reasons, though...so check with them. Most do, I believe. As long as you cover your costs.

[maroo]

Originally Posted by jjmomof4

I think I have plan...unfortunately we won't get our trip itinerary until four days before we leave for our trip, so this could change. I'd love any and all input and am willing to change this around if there is a better way!

Day One (Sept 26) fly to Orlando, stop at Walmart, explore GKTW
Day Two (Sept 27) IOA - Harry Potter World and Marvel Island, hopefully photo with characters, leave if boys are worn out, or stay for Suess Land. Head back to GKTW by 3 for nap. Santa Party at GKTW (one of two Colin is interested in) also Disney Characters in the am at GKTW
Day Three (Sept 28) - iFly and MNSSHP in the afternoon/evening with the generous military discount (sort of a low key day, but a late night)
Day Four (Sept 29) - Discovery Cove - some structure, but mostly a day of rest and back to GKTW by 5 to rest, and Colin wants to do Big Splash Bash
Day Five (Sept 30) - Disney (MK???) Try for Rope Drop to see that show
Day Six (Oct 1) - Disney (HS???), nap at GKTW in afternoon, back to MK in evening for Electric Parade and Wishes
Day Seven (Oct 2) - Disney (MK or Epcot???), leave GKTW, check into Bonnet Creek in PM, long nap for boys, back to Disney for Wishes if not done before, or just enjoy Bonnet Creek
Day Eight (Oct 3) - Disney or IOA or a little of both. Electric Parade if we missed it before. Nap and pool and enjoy Bonnet Creek for boys and relax.
Day Nine (Oct 4) - Check out and leave for airport early.
This of course all hinges on the itinerary that MAW gives us the Friday before we leave! They are scheduling Jedi Training and hopefully a surprise around that for Colin, so we may have to adjust days for that. Of course the girls will likely do their own thing some of the time, and we'll just plan to send a parent back to pick them up.

Any input would be appreciated! Especially with regard to which park which day.
Thanks,

I sent you a PM on this.

Originally Posted by Lilfoot93

We just heard back from our MAW chapter and they said no extending our trip. They did say that we could take a red eye flight to give us an extra day. We are from the west coast and they said that it would most likely be a connecting flight arriving in Orlando around 7pm. If we take a red eye we could get there about 7am.

Anyone take a red eye with their kiddos? How did it go? My kids have never flown before. It has been a few years since my husband and I flew to NY. It was a straight through flight. Personally I don't like the idea of a connecting flight especially with kids in tow! I kinda like the idea of a red eye. Maybe everyone would sleep Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Thanks!
Jackie

Bummer on not extending!

I read the answers below on the red eye and I totally agree with them! Go for it!

Originally Posted by Threeboysandachickie

I'll check it out tonight before bed!!! Thanks. I love completed reports

I love completed reports, too!!! I need to go back and label the rest completed that have been completed while I was not DISing...

Originally Posted by aym4Him

I'm sorry to hear that. We were just told today that they are booking October flights now and when they get to the November flights, they'd let me know but to remember that is the week of Thanksgiving and that's why they were having us fly back on Saturday in the first place b/c of crowds and flights.

I wonder why they wait so long to book things? We just checked some flights and it's the same to fly back on Tuesday as it is on Saturday. But, I guess they have their reasons. We also have to find a way to the airport. I was kind of hoping they were going to surprise us like we've seen other wish chapters do, but I guess it didn't work out that way. They will reimburse us for airport parking. Well, I'm still going to keep planning in case our extension comes thru!!

I'm a little sad today, but it's not just b/c of this. Our little heart friend is going to have to transfer hospitals after spending over 90 days inpatient after his Fontan operation (3rd stage surgery for HLHS). He's going to be evaluated for a transplant. Evaluated...meaning, he may not qualify . Pray for David, if you will. He's such a special little boy!!!!!

It was my understanding that a lot of wish trips get postponed due to illness and it is hard to book the flights and move them around once they are booked and paid for...so they usually wait to book actual flights. Even if they have GKTW booked already.

I was also told that the "extension" decision is up to the chapter and that they all different interpretations of what their liability is for a particular trip - like does their liability begin when the trip starts and end when you get back...and if you extend, are you techinically within their liability...? I don't understand any of it - but it seems to make sense that the liability issues may be what is limiting them on extending some trips.

Aw! So sad to hear about David having issues - I will check out his Caringbridge - I love following the CB sites because it is a great way to stay connected to all of our kiddos!

Originally Posted by carebearkidney

Sorry you couldn't extend. I personally would be interested in the red eye in your case too. They very well might sleep, and it's not like you would sleep even if you were at home. I know I'm going to be doing this the night before. Get there early, take a nap and enjoy the day. You are going to have to get adjusted to the time difference anyway! This will ensure you go to bed on time that first night and wake up feeling more refreshed, rather than tossing and turning for hours because it's not your normal sleep time yet. Good luck!

Originally Posted by Lilfoot93

I was thinking the same thing about the red eye... It would probably help adjust to the 3 hour time difference! We wouldn't be sleeping anyway as we would have to leave for the airport about 4am or so! Plus I think it would be harder for the kids to have a 6 hour flight during the day plus however long the layover is!



They said we could not change our flights on our own because technically they are responsible for us until we come back. They said Hawaii would be an 8 day vacation because of travel... From where we are it is the same distance time wise to Hawaii as it is to Florida! Oh well... I am sure we will have a magical time no matter what!

Jackie

Yes - this is what they have told other families too!

You guys will have a magical time!!!

Originally Posted by lakinbum93

Just wanted to tell everyone thank-you for welcoming me here and give you a link to a thread I posted about our Wish Kid Kaston! Still waiting on dates...the anticipation is SOOO bad in our household right now! The kids are asking me every day, "Did they call yet? Do we know when we're going yet?" I'm trying to make it super fun for them though and we're doing research on the parks and writing down what we want to do, what rides we want to skip and which ones are the top of our list.

Without further ado...

Click here to follow Kaston's MAW Disneyworld Trip Adventure
Jamie

Woot woot! I put a link to your pre-trippie on the first page!

Originally Posted by aym4Him

These (and shorts) will be the bane of my existence.

I currently wear Birkenstocks. Everywhere. My arches burn with anything else. I used to try and find the cushiest shoes possible, thinking that would help my feet feel better (I played sports growing up and didn't have issues with arch problems til college. Had an ACL tear my jr year in high school and my arch is flatter in my right foot due to muscle loss ?? in my calf. Once I quit training for athletics, I started having problems). Anyway, I didn't discover my love of Birkenstocks til after I got married. Holy cow. Awesome shoes!! Expensive shoes. Anyway.....

Figuring I'd get wet at some point at Disney (or wherever), I thought I'd revisit Chacos (bought a pair in 2000 but shelved them after I got my first pair of Birkenstocks). They are just about the only sturdy sandals as far as arch support goes. I have worn them to the mall, etc, and they've been great. Decided to do a "Disney-prep" walk yesterday to see how things would go. Just as I'd feared, there were hints of blisters on the soles of my feet- mainly around the balls of my feet. Dangit. I mean, I know it's probably inevitable with any rubber-insoled shoe/sans sock. Should I get some "blister sticks" and rub those on my feet or should I start out in Birkenstocks and then switch if we're going someplace that I might get wet??? Argh. I can't wear comfy Crocs b/c my arch will start burning after about 20 minutes.

I had a HORRIBLE time with blisters when I was training for my half marathons...(I am significantly overweight and it is terrible on my feet!!)...anyway...

Here are the things that worked for me:

Blister stick (you can also use plain deoderant - basically the same concept and much cheaper)

Really good bandaid brand blister bandaids - these are a MUST for me - as soon as I feel a place rubbing, I put one of those on and it protects my feet! These are hard to find in Orlando and I never saw anything like them when I was looking in Disney stores - so bring some with you and keep them with you while you are in the parks - they will help a ton! Your kids may need some, too - just tell them to let you know as soon as a place starts hurting to prevent the blisters.

I also used some blister powder which worked fairly well...

But hands down, the BEST thing I did was buy VERY expensive socks. I know, they are so ugly - but I don't care - I bought these CoolMax walking socks that are quite thick - and if I wear those, I don't have issues.

My blisters were so bad that they caused scar tissue on the bottom of my feet which led to plantar fasciitis - which is still the bane of my existence! I am such an advocate against blisters!

But you are doing the right thing - add things until you come up with what works for you to prevent them - and walking and trying them all now to come up with what works for you is the very best thing you can do.

If you do get one - extra strength diaper rash cream will dry them out. The things I learned on the DIS!

Originally Posted by Emmaswishtrip

I'm thinking of making t-shirts for our trip, does anyone know where I could find all the amazing designs that have make a wish on them?

They have some DISigns on the DISigns thread...at least they used to. I had the 2011 version on my computer, but I don't have 2012... If there are any ladies or men out there with the 2012 version...that want to email me the jpg. - let me know! I can pass the DISign on to any of the future wish families! (I used to do this a lot before!)

[yeti5353]

we started work on our costumes tonight- t shirt pirate costumes for big sis and I. just heard her tell a friend on skype that it is very cool! high praise from a 13 year old. Mollys tigger costume needs different paint so needed to be put aside. I cant believe I agreed to wear a costume, but I very much fall into the wishes of miss wish on her trip.

I also did the sewing part of the tye dye Mickey shirts.

wish I knew if i should order make a wish t shirts or not. I know sometimes our chapter gives them out but hard not knowing till just before we leave.

35 days! and ready for some disney magic!!!

[maroo]

Originally Posted by yeti5353

we started work on our costumes tonight- t shirt pirate costumes for big sis and I. just heard her tell a friend on skype that it is very cool! high praise from a 13 year old. Mollys tigger costume needs different paint so needed to be put aside. I cant believe I agreed to wear a costume, but I very much fall into the wishes of miss wish on her trip.

I also did the sewing part of the tye dye Mickey shirts.

wish I knew if i should order make a wish t shirts or not. I know sometimes our chapter gives them out but hard not knowing till just before we leave.

35 days! and ready for some disney magic!!!

Sounds like fun!!!

My thinking is that we can't have too many MAW shirts on the trip - you can wear them on different days even if you have 2 sets!

[maroo]

I *think* I am caught up on all of my PM's and this thread!

IF you have a pre-trippie or trip report that I have not linked yet - please let me know via PM or post here!

I should be on again tomorrow and hopefully the world of Maroo will calm down a bit now that Lauren's skit is over and my costume for her is done!

Now I can start thinking toward my Disney trip in October! Getting CLOSE!!!

[jmerchlinsky]

Ok so 2 weeks and 1 day till Johns MAW trip..
Has any one done fun events to cout down the days at home ????