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

[jmerchlinsky]

Monday
October 1st 2012

Leave for Philadelphia International (PHL) via
Arrival/Check in at Give Kids the World
Mayor Clayton's Hare-Raising Halloween Party on the Avenue of Angels
Orientation

Tuesday October 2nd 2012
John's Star and Kid's Pillows at the Castle
Depart for Epcot

Epcot Itinerary

Future World
Space Ship Earth
Test Track
The Seas with Nemo
Turtle Talk with Crush

World Showcase
Big Splash Bash

Wednesday October 3rd 2012
Horseback Riding
Depart for Universal and Islands of Adventure

Universal/ Islands of Adventure Itinerary

Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Marvel Island
Meet Barney and Friends
Suess Island
Kids Night Out


Thursday October 4th 2012
Disney Character Photos in Julie's Safari Theatre
Day at GKTW
4:30 pm Leave for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
(Parades at 8:15 , Fireworks at 9:30pm)


Friday October 5th 2012
Sit Down Breakfast at Gingerbread House
Universal Character Photos in the Castle of Miracles
Leave For Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom Itinerary

Main St Usa

Main St Confectionary
Main St Bakery
WDW RailRoad

Adventure Land

Enchanted Tiki Room
Jungle Cruise
Magic Carpets of Alladin
Pirates of the Caribbean

Frontier Land

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Country Bear Jamboree
Splash Mountain

Liberty Square

The Haunted Mansion
Liberty Square Riverboat

Fantasy Land

Dumbo
Fairytale Garden
Great Goofini
Small World
Mad Tea Party
Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Peter Pan's Flight
Regal Carousel
Snow White's Scary Adventure (If Still Open)
Tommorow Land
Space Ranger Spin
People Mover
Friday October 5th 2012 Cont.

7:30 pm Pirates and Princess Party at Serendipity Stage

Saturday October 6th
Leave for Disney Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom

Disney Hollywood Studios Itinerary

Streets of America

Honey I shrunk the kids adventure set
Streets of America Movie Set

Pixar Place Area

Disney Junior – Live on Stage
Studio Backlot Tour
Toy Story Midway Mania

Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards

The Great Movie Ride
Rock N Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Animal Kingdom Itinerary

Kilimanjaro Safaris
Wildlife Express train
Expedition Everest

7:45 Pm Mayor Clayton's Birthday Party on Avenue of Angels


Sunday October 7th 2012

8:00 am Breakfast at the Gingerbread House

9:30 Checkout/ GKTW Gift Shop

10:00 am Lunch to Go

10:15 am Leave for Airport

10:30-10:45 Return Rental

11:00 Arrive at Main Airport area at Orlando (MCO)

1:50 pm Depart Orlando (MCO) for Philadelphia International (PHL)

4:10 pm Arrive at Philadelphia International (PHL) Pick up by Limousine Company

It looks like alot and we know we may have to cut things out but this is the plans so far pixedust:

 

[Threeboysandachickie]

I am trying to do some ride planning for my ds, 8, at the Disney parks. Dh and I are only comfortable taking him on rides with side by side seating where we can keep our hands on him. He is quite crafty at buckles and straps and we don't want to chance an untimely, unsafe unbuckling. Where can I find an explanation of the ride seating arrangement And buckling systems for disney parks?

We have been to universal before with the other kids, so we know the layout of the rides there. He loves wild rough rides, but unless we can control his head and hands we can't risk them. For example, he would love the mummy, but does not know how to keep his head back against the seat to avoid whiplash, so we would put our hand on his forehead during the backwards part of the ride. This ride sits in a bench seat with a lap bar so we are able to hold his hands or put an arm around him to keep him "safe".


I am getting really nervous about this aspect of the trip! If he wasn't so quick at escaping things would be a bit easier.
Thanks

 

[aym4Him]

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!

Thank you. That makes sense. I can't imagine all the red tape that goes into it, but, at the same time, it's hard to be patient b/c well, it's DISNEY and this is our first real vacation as a family and...it's Disney! Hehe...we may not get a shot like this again (plus, the GKTW fun- I know we can visit, and that's REALLY cool, but we want E to have every opportunity to have a blast- and I know he's going to. It's MY Mommy brain trying to fret/plan over things to make it great. HE won't know any different. Give that kid ice cream and let him play in a mud puddle and he's happy


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!

Thank you again! Regular STICK deodorant or roll on?

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...

This is why we are booking meals toward the end of the week. We want to see how E does. I just hated not to book just in case he surprises all of us Thank you for your insight!

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).

Thanks. The Polar Express Experience has me intrigued. If we extend, we might go. Thanks for the ticket heads-up, too!

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.

OH NO! Really? I wonder why? So, the 3 day for Disney, 2 day for Universal/IOA and 1 Sea World all have a time limit on them for that week? That changes things just a bit. I was hoping to use one Disney day or Universal on that Sunday/Monday and then buy a one-day park ticket if we needed one more day.

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

Thanks!!!! Should I go by the crowd calculator calendar after all? I initially planned things around that and got stuck with wanting to be at one park one day instead of another and then my DH said JUST GO WITH WHAT WORKS! So, I did that. Much better but I'm hoping it's not too bad going against what Josh suggested. If we extend, it looks like Sunday and Monday are pretty crowded (8 and 9 crowd level). Maybe we'll have some very nice CMs that let us extend the magic of the button, too

Have most of you veterans used the park stroller or did you bring your own (or rent from orlandostroller)? I was thinking of bringing a cheapie umbrella stroller to leave at the front of the park (I think someone here suggested this), then get the free park rental and use it until we decide to leave. We'd then use the umbrella stroller to get back to the car. Thoughts? Of course, if we extend, I know we will lose the free stroller on those days. We may just bring our own (but I don't like it...it's a Chicco Cortina- part of a travel system). I mean, it's great for the mall, but I wish it was a lil more compact. It's a good "mule" though!!!

Thank you, Maroo, for all your feedback!! I didn't quote everything you wrote b/c this reply would be 3 pages long .

 

[alyssaswish]

The Village Guide that I downloaded from the GKTW website dated Jan 2012 says the tickets are good for 2 weeks from the date they are issued and do not have to be used consecutively.

 

[maroo]

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

Hi!!

First of all - I want to say to the wish trippers thread! But I think I am late on that!

And I put a link to your pretrippie report on the first page! Hopefully we can get some people posting over there.

I think your link in your signature has and [ / url] on there so that it i...replies! :rotfl2::upsidedow:upsidedow:rotfl:

 

[onceagain1]

Okay, wow! I was away for a few days and had to literally wade through the ever-always interesting posts on this thread!! Maroo, you are certainly a wealth of information, love, love reading all your tidbits of info.

I'm quite exhausted so won't manage to comment/quote to all the posts, but hope to in a few days. It was the annual Heart Talk Conference in our area this weekend so Chatterbox and I had a great time meeting/chatting/bonding with other heart parents. We are therefore both exhausted and off to bed early. I'm thinking Chatterbox may not necessarily get to school tomorrow, she may need an extra day to recover.

So while I've read the posts done, will pop back on tomorrow/next day to comment, etc.

So excited for all the families whose trips are coming up oh so quickly

 

[maroo]

Okay, wow! I was away for a few days and had to literally wade through the ever-always interesting posts on this thread!! Maroo, you are certainly a wealth of information, love, love reading all your tidbits of info.

I'm quite exhausted so won't manage to comment/quote to all the posts, but hope to in a few days. It was the annual Heart Talk Conference in our area this weekend so Chatterbox and I had a great time meeting/chatting/bonding with other heart parents. We are therefore both exhausted and off to bed early. I'm thinking Chatterbox may not necessarily get to school tomorrow, she may need an extra day to recover.

So while I've read the posts done, will pop back on tomorrow/next day to comment, etc.

So excited for all the families whose trips are coming up oh so quickly

This thread used to FLY by...pages and pages per day... Now I think it was me doing all of the "talking"...lol!

We will be glad to see you back here tomorrow!

I actually have another busy week - work this time (traveling) - but I will be around some!!

But not as long as yesterday!

 

[yeti5353]

[Test Track

Magic Carpets of Alladin

Fantasy Land

Snow White's Scary Adventure (If Still Open)
Honey I shrunk the kids adventure set

Pretty sure all of the above are closed for a big chunk late sept/october and snow white is gone.

 

[yeti5353]

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?

I made a custom make a wish disney shirt with stitch on it at the disney store web stite, not exactly what you asked but it is sure cute. took a couple 2-3 weeks to get it.

 

[yeti5353]

I used some secret or sure stick deoderant on a blister in progress and was suprised how well it worked!

 

[Mama2Josh]

We FINALLY heard back from MAW! They came by a couple days ago to let Josh know that they will be granting his wish to go to the WWHP AND WDW! They are also sending him to Seaworld, which he didn't even know about! Boy is he excited. AND they approved his soon-to-be step-sister to come with us, even though she doesn't live with us full time. We are all very excited, and should have dates any day now. We are either going the week of Halloween (M-Sun) or the week before. I finally have more to add to his pre-trip report.
I also wanted to ask you guys about the Disney Pin-Trading. I think I'd like to get some for the kids, but am not sure if they'll think it's as cool as I do. They're both 8. Do you think it would be more of a pain that it would be fun for the kids? They didn't do pin trading last time I was at WDW (1990).
Another question I have is about the park tickets - will the WDW tickets only get us into the Magic Kingdom, or will we be able to do Epcot or any of the other Disney parks with them?
Last one - how do I get our PTR added to the Awaiting Dates section in the first post?
Thanks for all your help and patience with my questions!
Tara

 

[maroo]

We FINALLY heard back from MAW! They came by a couple days ago to let Josh know that they will be granting his wish to go to the WWHP AND WDW! They are also sending him to Seaworld, which he didn't even know about! Boy is he excited. AND they approved his soon-to-be step-sister to come with us, even though she doesn't live with us full time. We are all very excited, and should have dates any day now. We are either going the week of Halloween (M-Sun) or the week before. I finally have more to add to his pre-trip report.
I also wanted to ask you guys about the Disney Pin-Trading. I think I'd like to get some for the kids, but am not sure if they'll think it's as cool as I do. They're both 8. Do you think it would be more of a pain that it would be fun for the kids? They didn't do pin trading last time I was at WDW (1990).
Another question I have is about the park tickets - will the WDW tickets only get us into the Magic Kingdom, or will we be able to do Epcot or any of the other Disney parks with them?
Last one - how do I get our PTR added to the Awaiting Dates section in the first post?
Thanks for all your help and patience with my questions!
Tara

I am so excited for you guys!!

Are you staying at Give Kids the World? It sounds like it, from the tickets they described!

You can go to any of the four parks - Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom with the Disney tickets. And you can park hop - so you can go to more than one park in one day!

The Universal tickets are for 2 days and you can hop to their 2 parks, too - although they are basically in the same place.

Pin Trading - William was 8 when we went on Lauren's trip and he LOVED Pin Trading...but like you, his Mom loved it even more! She really was obsessed with it! HA! The CM's will trade pins and it is a lot of fun! You can order some online before you go and get some to be able to trade with that won't be as expensive as the fancy ones in the park, if you want!

I can put your TR in the awaiting dates section!

I made a custom make a wish disney shirt with stitch on it at the disney store web stite, not exactly what you asked but it is sure cute. took a couple 2-3 weeks to get it.

Oh yeah!! I forgot about this! Let me find the site we made our shirts on...

We made ours on www.zazzle.com - I made a separate one for each member of the family and typed "Make A Wish Sends Lauren to Disney" on each one - and they were a hit!

I used some secret or sure stick deoderant on a blister in progress and was suprised how well it worked!

[Test Track

Magic Carpets of Alladin

Fantasy Land

Snow White's Scary Adventure (If Still Open)
Honey I shrunk the kids adventure set

Pretty sure all of the above are closed for a big chunk late sept/october and snow white is gone.

Ah.... This is where my "year" off is going to get me...I have no idea which rides are opened and which are closed...but I will be in Disney in 25 days and I will know again!!

Thank you for the update!!!!

 

[yeti5353]

still struggling on the wheel chair issue for Molly. I heard from someone that we can probably borrow one from a local charity and bring it with us. I assume we would gate check it then?

this would eliminate having to wait to get one in line at the park and also the chance of getting a quirky chair, we could find a bag to fit the back while still at home. we would have it to get out of the parks.

On the other hand M will not use it at the airport, meaning another thing to shelp around lift in and out of cars etc. we would not use it at GKTW etiher.

Having never traveled with a wc not sure on the pros and cons.... advice please! I also hate to spend the money to rent one locally because money will be tight.

I just know when Molly's pain episodes come she can hardly walk and also that the more she walks the more likely she is to have bad pain. but of course there is not a consistent pattern to her pain, she could have none all week or have it every day even if she did nothing. I also know when she is dead tired and has pain she is almost impossible to move and I cannot lift her anymore.

 

[aym4Him]

I used some secret or sure stick deoderant on a blister in progress and was suprised how well it worked!

Just the plain ol white deodorant, eh? I will have to see if I have some. I know we have some samples of the clear sticks (like degree) but I might have some white kind. Someone said that works well for chafing, too, but I haven't had much luck with what I tested (degree clear solid- I bet I'm just using the wrong kind or maybe it's old??? Again, mail sample that DH never used).

We FINALLY heard back from MAW! They came by a couple days ago to let Josh know that they will be granting his wish to go to the WWHP AND WDW! They are also sending him to Seaworld, which he didn't even know about! Boy is he excited. AND they approved his soon-to-be step-sister to come with us, even though she doesn't live with us full time. We are all very excited, and should have dates any day now. We are either going the week of Halloween (M-Sun) or the week before.

Yay for wishes granted!!

 

[carebearkidney]

We FINALLY heard back from MAW! They came by a couple days ago to let Josh know that they will be granting his wish to go to the WWHP AND WDW! They are also sending him to Seaworld, which he didn't even know about! Boy is he excited. AND they approved his soon-to-be step-sister to come with us, even though she doesn't live with us full time. We are all very excited, and should have dates any day now. We are either going the week of Halloween (M-Sun) or the week before. I finally have more to add to his pre-trip report.
I also wanted to ask you guys about the Disney Pin-Trading. I think I'd like to get some for the kids, but am not sure if they'll think it's as cool as I do. They're both 8. Do you think it would be more of a pain that it would be fun for the kids? They didn't do pin trading last time I was at WDW (1990).
Another question I have is about the park tickets - will the WDW tickets only get us into the Magic Kingdom, or will we be able to do Epcot or any of the other Disney parks with them?
Last one - how do I get our PTR added to the Awaiting Dates section in the first post?
Thanks for all your help and patience with my questions!
Tara

Awesome! So happy for you! Have fun planning!

 

[jmerchlinsky]

Tanks for the warm welcome . Do you know if we can use the GKTW/MAW for a dubble stroller at the parks or is it single only? Second for kids night out i ready they have to be 3 and potty trained ? Are john uses the potty but is in dippers still due to the meds hes on he has some bad acdents and he is very runney so we air on safe . Will he still get to go to this ?

 

[GavandGraciesMommy]

Yeti, have you asked ur chapter if they would rent you one? Gavin uses a special needs stroller and they rented us one so we wouldn't have to lug it around. They r having it delivered to our villa. You might ask. Worth a shot

 

[yeti5353]

Yeti, have you asked ur chapter if they would rent you one? Gavin uses a special needs stroller and they rented us one so we wouldn't have to lug it around. They r having it delivered to our villa. You might ask. Worth a shot

great minds think a like. I emailed make a wish today and asked what to do. they will have one waiting for us at GKTW.

 

[aym4Him]

Hey y'all,

Is the GKTW party something the kids dress up for and is it "scary" at all? If we're not at Epcot (I need to find out what time it closes. I know the MK closes at 7 for the MVMCP that night), we might come back to GKTW so E can attend. I'm sure he'll be willing to dress up in his costume(s) (Buzz or Woody) since there's candy involved! (He wouldn't put either on at a friend's Toy Story-themed party yesterday)

Just wondering if we should leave one of the parks to come back for it (Who knows? We may be back, anyway since Monday will be our 1st full day at Disney and E might need a break).

 

[newdrama12]

Hey y'all,

Is the GKTW party something the kids dress up for and is it "scary" at all? If we're not at Epcot (I need to find out what time it closes. I know the MK closes at 7 for the MVMCP that night), we might come back to GKTW so E can attend. I'm sure he'll be willing to dress up in his costume(s) (Buzz or Woody) since there's candy involved! (He wouldn't put either on at a friend's Toy Story-themed party yesterday)

Yes, everyone can dress up for the GKTW halloween party if they want to. No, it is not scary at all!