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

[Joshua B]

How "must see" are Christmas themed events at Disney and Universal. Christmas is such a big deal for our family that I feel like we could get so caught up in trying to catch Christmas stuff that we might leave out other things. Is it really amazing all over or are there just one or two things to make sure we hit.

A

 

[Hannahinwonderland]

Also, my oldest is allergic to nuts. How much of a problem does this pose at GKTW? Im guessing its not at GKTW but maybe more of an issue at the parks?

I have a friend with pretty severe allergies and the chefs at Disney have been extremely helpful each time. They'll come out and talk with you and prepare you something special that has no chance of cross-contamination, just be sure to note it on your reservation!

 

[maroo]

Hey guys!!

I am popping back on here for a little bit! It has been a long, long time since I have been on the DIS! I miss you guys!

I am headed back to Disney after a good long Disney break in December on another Wish trip!

My best friend Sarah and her husband Brandon had a beautiful baby girl nearly 4 years ago and I was named godmother! It has been so much fun spoiling her! But when she was 2 she was diagnosed with high-risk leukemia and we were devastated. She LOVES Frozen and all things Disney and chose Disney for her MAW trip. She is still on chemo and we have a long way to go, but her prognosis is good!! She will be staying at GKTW --- I considered doing a pre-trippie report -- but I don't want to start it and not finish it - so I may just see how this trip goes and then do a post-trip report instead.

I am trying to research a few things --- wondering what things have changed since I went to Disney last. So I decided to pop on here and see what is going on over on the wish trippers thread and generally in the world of the DIS.

I hope everyone is doing well! I keep up with many of our old wish tripper families and DIS friends on Facebook - which is super fun!

 

[maroo]

Well our doctor denied our trip to Disney World at Christmas. I'm just completely stunned. We had already told the boys because we thought it was all confirmed. Words cannot express our sadness at this...

Oh my gosh! This just gave me heart failure! I see you posted again! Thank goodness!!

 

[jojuvanlaanen]

Hi Maroo! It's great to connect with you on the Dis! I have read and re-read your many trip reports...and my absolute favorite is http://www.disboards.com/threads/a-wish-granted-one-magical-morning-photopass-pics-10-12.2279281/. It made me want to be the MK opening family and I presented it to my daughter as part of her wish, but she wanted nothing of it.... It's her wish, not mine!!!

We are leaving on my daughter's wish trip in 18 days!!

 

[ShannonMarie]

Hi! We are going to GKTW the first week in December. Should we make it a point to attend Christmas party at GKTW?

 

[mamaVonna]

Hi S

Hi! We are going to GKTW the first week in December. Should we make it a point to attend Christmas party at GKTW?

Hi Shannon! I hear it's lots of fun. Do you have a schedule made up yet?

 

[mamaVonna]

Hi S

Hi Shannon! I hear it's lots of fun. Do you have a schedule made up yet?

We're planning to spend the day at Universal, and come back to gktw for the Christmas party. They have dinner, Santa, snow, games, and gifts for each kid.

 

[Twice_as_Nice]

Just wanted to pop in an say we just got back from our trip on Friday, we had a couple adventures and hiccups during our stay but some AMAZING blessings too. I started a blog and I am trying to get caught up on it. http://liveanawfullybigadventure.blogspot.ca/

 

[ShannonMarie]

Hi S

Hi Shannon! I hear it's lots of fun. Do you have a schedule made up yet?

I think we are going to do Lego Land or Epcot that day and then come back for the party. We received tickets to MVMCP Tuesday night so it kind of changed our plans a bit. Still trying to work out what we are going to do when!

 

[maroo]

Just wanted to pop in an say we just got back from our trip on Friday, we had a couple adventures and hiccups during our stay but some AMAZING blessings too. I started a blog and I am trying to get caught up on it. http://liveanawfullybigadventure.blogspot.ca/

Amazing blog!! I love, love, love the whole thing! I will keep following! I am up to Day 5 and what a magical party!

 

[maroo]

Hi! We are going to GKTW the first week in December. Should we make it a point to attend Christmas party at GKTW?

Our dates may coincide! We arrive Dec 3rd and will be at the Christmas Party that night! Is that your week, too??

 

[Dshantel83]

Hi Everyone , My son Ruben(8) was approved to make a wish 4 weeks ago and has made a decision on DisneyWorld. Now we're just waiting to hear from his wish granters so he can tell them his wish. I'm so glad I found this board, reading everyone's posts and stories has been so helpful and I plan to start a PTR for our trip soon.

 

[mamaVonna]

Hi Everyone , My son Ruben(8) was approved to make a wish 4 weeks ago and has made a decision on DisneyWorld. Now we're just waiting to hear from his wish granters so he can tell them his wish. I'm so glad I found this board, reading everyone's posts and stories has been so helpful and I plan to start a PTR for our trip soon.

Have a look around and start planning! Check out Give Kids the World's site to get more info about the villa and what's included. Also, there's a group on FB for wish families. The page is: Make a Wish Disney Trips...come on over and check us out!

 

[Dshantel83]

Have a look around and start planning! Check out Give Kids the World's site to get more info about the villa and what's included. Also, there's a group on FB for wish families. The page is: Make a Wish Disney Trips...come on over and check us out!

Thanks for the welcome and the tips! I joined the FB group its great. We received the phone call from his WG this weekend and we are set for his interview on November 1st

 

[SassyGirl'sMom]

HELP!! We found out just a few hours ago that we will be going to Florida and staying at GKTW in just 3 weeks for my Daughter's wish trip (Nov 21-27). Although we went to Hollywood Studios for my son's MAW, we did not stay at the GKTW and he was so sick that we barely left the hotel. He spent a few hours at the park for an event for Star Wars Weekend that MAW handled personally so I didnt have to plan anything really. We had clothes and outfits planned for every day, but we never use them really because he was so ill. And he passed shortly after the trip. We didn't want to have the same experience this time. Waiting so long that she couldn't enjoy the trip... SO they rushed her wish since she is going downhill pretty fast this last year and has spent a lot of time in the hospital herself. In fact we just got out again yesterday. But she is somewhat stable (despite all her medical interventions) and they wanted her to go when the weather is good for her. BUT three weeks gives me no time to even figure out anything. And they said they are sending us, but aren't making any arrangements for while we are there. Basically told me they are giving us tickets to Disney (3), SeaWorld, and Universal (2) and its up to me. So I'm supposed to make reservations for anything we want to do while we are there and figure out what day to go to which park... I don't honestly even know anything about what to make sure not to miss. I never even researched it with my son because he was so ill. Please tell me what to do. I have so little time and no idea how to make this special for her. I feel bad because she is going to remember being younger (2 1/2 years ago) when we went on my son's trip and through that filter think I did more for him because MAW planned more for him and I had special clothes for them, etc... She is turning 10 next week. Loves all kinds of animals (so we are definitely going to Animal Kingdom and Sea World), plus is a very girly girl. So think 10 going on 25! Any tips or direction on where to look for ideas is appreciated. She takes a lot of my time just to manage on a daily basis as she is medically complex so I dont know how I'm going to get this figured out. (Plus she has a huge birthday party next weekend that I still haven't planned because of us being in the hospital.)

 

[redberyl]

Don't worry about doing it all, you will ruin your trip if you do! And don't worry about planning everything, you already know that life with these kids is too unpredictable to plan anyway. I had everything all planned out, but in the end we didn't do half of what I planned on, she just didn't have the stamina. Then, I wasn't too worried about character meets but that ended up being her favorite part, so we had to ditch some of my "must dos" in order to hunt down more characters Just go with the flow. Maw didn't do any planning for us either. Do not use the online site to make reservations, especially this close a lot will be booked. Get a live person on the phone to help you, when they say there are no openings let them know it's a wish trip and openings will often magically materialize. Plan to do sea world and animal kingdoms first, since they are most important. With tickets to Disney, sea world, universal plus the others they offer when you get there (legoland and others) I never thought we would skip a day at the parks, but in the end we skipped 2 days because she needed the rest. If she is super girly try to get inat bbb. the genie pass will save a lot of time, so you don't need to worry about getting there at rope drop, fast pass, or waiting in line. You can do short hours and still get a lot done.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Any tips or direction on where to look for ideas is appreciated

1) DO NOT GET STRESSED-OUT.
2) Yes, it is easy for me to say, but, Chill !
3) You have the same problem as any other parent - MAW Trip or not.
4) Planning for a theme park trip can get overwhelming.
5) She will be amazed, regardless how much or where you visit.
6) Besides, you will have extraordinary access due to the MAW & GKTW connections.
. . . as mentioned, make sure your speak with a real ressie person and mention MAW & GKTW
. . . you will have a special button that will grant you WDW-Ride access not available to others
7) As a GKTW Volunteer Coordinator, my suggestions would be
. . . do Animal Kingdom, for her love of animals
. . . do Magic Kingdom, for the characters because they are always fun
. . . do SeaWorld for animals, especially the Pets-Ahoy Show (even I am amazed what CATS-BIRDS-DOGS house pets can do)
. . . do GKTW
. . . do spend only just enough time in the parks to avoid her being overly tired
8) OK, so doing GKTW sounds boring or like staying at your hotel.
. . . it is not
. . . there are lots of things we have to do during the day
. . . many families come to GKTW and do the theme parks only 1-2 days during the week
. . . nothing like having Ice Cream for breakfast !

NOTE: I have seen many families at GKTW, and each one has thoroughly enjoyed their stay, regardless of how much they got to spend "in the parks". The parents ALWAYS seemed to over-plan before the trip, then end up "adjusting" their itinerary once they arrive. When I am at GKTW, I usually work Katie's Kitchen (Boston Market sponsored) or the Ice Cream Parlor (Friendly's sponsored). Frequently the parents stop and comment on how great the trip is going and how much THEY enjoy it, not just the kids. So, although it might be hard to fathom, RELAX, and everything will be fine.

 

[SassyGirl'sMom]

Thank you. I appreciate the feedback and agree it will go better than I expect all on its own I'm sure!

Both of you said to call? But what do I call for? That's the part Im confused about. I'm not sure what to ask for since I've never done research on my options at Disney. I just know we won't ever be able to go back so this is her only chance to experience stuff. Is BBB the dress up place? Is there any other place/thing I shouldnt miss? I'm going to bring her wheelchair to help with fatigue so hopefully we will last longer in the parks.

She is TPN dependent (IV nutrition) and can only eat purees plus is allergic to most foods. So she can only have gluten/soy/milk free stuff. Even ice cream would have to be either coconut based or a sorbet which is hard to find so she rarely can eat anywhere which is hard because she loves to eat...

 

[redberyl]

Bibbidi boppity boutique is the hair place there is one at mk and one at downtown Disney. It is expensive, I think we spent $150 per kid, but worth it.If u buy a dress there it's even more expensive, but u can bring your own. Don't waste money at the character meals, there is a set per person fee at most of them, even if you don't eat, because you are paying for the characters. Genie pass gets u to the front of all the character lines, and they will spend a bit extra time for maw kids. The princess dinner at Cindy's castle was the least fun of all our character encounters. I don't know about allergies, but for atmosphere try rainforest cafe. There is one at animal kingdom, one at downtown Disney. It's done up to look like a jungle with lots ofgreenery and animitronic animals. If you want the "princess" atmosphere, reccommend belle s castle over Cindy's. It's not a character meal so you only pay for what you order, and it's prettier inside, and better food too. Beast has a meet area inside the restaurant. I had made a ton of reservations, ended up cancelling most of them.