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

[disneybirthday]

I noticed someone mentioned something about spending more time in Florida than allotted by GKTW. Can anyone tell me what type of tickets we will recieve? Are they the tickets that expire within 14 days, or are they single day single park, or is it the tickets that never expire so that unused days can be used later? Thanks

 

[disneybirthday]

What kind of food options will be available to us at GKTW? Like what is served for breakfast lunch dinner, or is it a set menu all the time? Also do we pay for any of the food at GKTW?

 

[livndisney]

What kind of food options will be available to us at GKTW? Like what is served for breakfast lunch dinner, or is it a set menu all the time? Also do we pay for any of the food at GKTW?

Many people have posted info in this thread that answer most questions. You can also review the info at the start of the thread or read some of the trip reports. You can also review the GKTW site: http://www.gktw.org/pre/pdf/village-guide.pdf

 

[2specialkids]

What kind of food options will be available to us at GKTW? Like what is served for breakfast lunch dinner, or is it a set menu all the time? Also do we pay for any of the food at GKTW?

GKTW has several options available at each meal generally. Food is included in your stay. The volunteers are fantastic there and will help you out with anything you can think of.
Check out the different threads listed and go to GKTW's webpage. If you're really concerned by all means call them and ask. (Their number is on their webpage.)
We ate breakfast and dinner there almost every day. It saved us enough to do a special lunch for my son with his favorite characters. (We had an allotment of cash for food from MAW.)
You can always order pizza in the evening too. More than once we missed dinner and ordered pizza (free) to be sent to our villa.
First and foremost...ENJOY YOUR TRIP AND RELAX! (I know easier said than done )

 

[2specialkids]

Hooray for a 1st time trip to Disney!!! I'm sure your sister will have a magical time!!

As far as expense go, our expense check covered all our expenses. We did eat breakfast and dinner at GKTW so that cut down on expenses!!

Another Wish Family just asked the same question (what do you wish you had know before your wish trip). Here is my respones:

Our #1 tip is keep in mind that Give Kids the World is a wonderful place full of great activities!! If we could do one thing differently we would have spent more time at Give Kids the World!! I mean we only got free Ice Cream once... come on that's pathetic!!!

Another important tip is if you want to go to all the parks you get free tickets to you will probably have to go to 2 parks in 1 day (unless you get more time in Florida than the standard time).

Tip 3 -- There are lots of really great restaurants but you need reservations for them, so I visited the food thread on the DIS and decided which restaurants we wanted to visit then scheduled reservations.

Tip 4 -- Give Kids the World suggested to us that we have breakfast before we leave and dinner when we get back since meals are free at Give Kids the World. That worked great for us.

Tip 5 -- Make a Plan -- Talk to everyone who is going to see what is on their must do list. Make a rough plan (that is flexible) which includes everyone must do's.

Tip 6 -- Read the Make a Wish Thread and Wish trip reports to use as resources.

Tip 7 -- Universal seems to really roll out the red carpet for many of the families who made Trip Reports (including my family) so save time for these parks if your family is interested in the attractions they have there.

I hope these help!!!

Make A Wish and Give Kids the World really is on top of everything so even if you don't have lots of time to plan or read trip reports they will walk you through everything!!!

Happy Planning,

Madeline

Excellent tips! I also have gotten on Disney & Universal websites to see what is happening while we are there so we can be sure to be in the right park to do special activities and events while we are there. I'm a huge planner so this helped me relax a bit about our trip and we can be sure to see all the things we are interested in, especially the seasonal things in each park.

 

[ksso32006]

These are awesome tips.. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and knowledge!


Kathy

 

[Redwavess]

Madeline - those are GREAT tips! I am trying my best to just read and absorb everything around here too without feeling like i'm asking the same question a billion people have just asked!
LOVING all this info on this thread - and all of these boards!

terra

Oh good I'm glad the tips were help!!!

Feel free to ask any questions!!! You know what they say... No Disney questions are stupid questions!!!

It's fun to help people plan their trips!!!

Happy planning,

Madeline

 

[Redwavess]

What kind of food options will be available to us at GKTW? Like what is served for breakfast lunch dinner, or is it a set menu all the time? Also do we pay for any of the food at GKTW?

All of the food at Give Kids the World is free!!! So you don't have to worry about paying for the food you eat at Give Kids the World!!

We really enjoyed the food. Katie's Kitchen (Boston Market food like sandwiches, chicken and mac and cheese) was a favorite with my husband and son!! Me and my daughter loved the Gingerbread House Restaurant (buffet style restaurant)!! There were lots of choice of things you see at a typical buffet. Some of the choices rotated and some of the offering were there each night. My son loved order Pizza or Katie's Kitchen right to the villa!! And of course there is ice cream parlor!! We were very happy with the food!!

I hope that helps!!

Happy Planning,

Madeline

 

[Jessicalynne]

I was wondering if anyone on here had a really good packing list? I am starting to feel really unprepared, and I think a good packing list would calm some of my nerves...

 

[Monie3]

Look what came in the mail today!



It is real! Christopher's Dream Party is next Friday! I some times it is too good to believe!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[terratalking]

All of the food at Give Kids the World is free!!! So you don't have to worry about paying for the food you eat at Give Kids the World!!

We really enjoyed the food. Katie's Kitchen (Boston Market food like sandwiches, chicken and mac and cheese) was a favorite with my husband and son!! Me and my daughter loved the Gingerbread House Restaurant (buffet style restaurant)!! There were lots of choice of things you see at a typical buffet. Some of the choices rotated and some of the offering were there each night. My son loved order Pizza or Katie's Kitchen right to the villa!! And of course there is ice cream parlor!! We were very happy with the food!!

I hope that helps!!

Happy Planning,

Madeline

Reading about the Katie's Kitchen menu legitimately just made me crave Boston Market REALLY BAD!!!!! Thanks! I think I know what's for dinner tonight, kids!!!

terra

 

[terratalking]

Look what came in the mail today!



It is real! Christopher's Dream Party is next Friday! I some times it is too good to believe!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

HOW AWESOME AND EXCITING!!!!!! YAY YAY YAY for you guys!!!!

terra

 

[terratalking]

For those who have recently gone through the MAW process, I'm trying to gain some insight on timing.

our doctor is the one who made the referral, to the WI chapter because that's the hospital we go to. However, we live in IL. So it took a couple weeks for WI to call me after the referral, then a couple more weeks for IL chapter to get our info, then a week to "grant approval".
After I spoke with someone that we had official approval for a wish, she said (I THINK this is what she said - i could have not remembered it right because i was in such an emotional state to hear that kendall had been granted a wish!)
I think she said "a week or so" until we hear from our wish granters.
It's been "a week or so" - and i'm not one to be like "ok 10 days! let's get going!!!!"
But I am just looking for more insight on roughly how long was that process in the beginning for you to get things set up and moving along. I know each chapter is different and I have a feeling the chicago area chapter is probably uber busy, which is not a problem, i just am ANXIOUS!!!! At this point there's no way we can do 180 days out because it will be way too hot for kendall by then, so i'm starting to freak a bit about things like character meals or BBB (neither of which i've ever done so i have no idea what the reservation process is even like - i've just seen a few posts here and there about it!)

Any and all info appreciated! Thank you!

terra

 

[ksso32006]

Hi Terra! We're an Illinois family too.. Chicago chapter. They seem to be very, very nice, but don't communicate much/at all. We leave in 15 days & the only thing I know is the flight number we're on (because we had to book my mom's flight & wanted to make sure we're all together). Other than that we've heard nothing from them; no flight confirmations, no details, no nothing... I don't know if that's normal or not, and like you I really don't want to be pushy.

Kathy

 

[ksso32006]

Look what came in the mail today!

It is real! Christopher's Dream Party is next Friday! I some times it is too good to believe!

Monie!!! HOW EXCITING!!! I am so happy for you guys.. Its almost TIME!!!

 

[kritter47]

terra - As a MaW volunteer, I can tell you that the only thing consistent about timeframes is that they are hard to predict.

If your chapter is like mine, your child is now on a list available to the wish granting volunteers with a few details (like your zip code) to help them figure out if she is a child they can take on. A week might be an average in your area, but it's far from a hard figure.

The amount of time a child will stay on that list varies immensely based on any number of unpredictable factors - the number of wish granters who live near you, the number of wish kids in your area who are on the list, the number of wish kids in your area already in progress, the various rest-of-life scenarios of the area wish granters, and the like. In my area, kids stay on the list anywhere from a day to six weeks before two wish granters sign up. In my previous chapter, kids could be on for up to 3 months if they were living in a far outlying area with few or no wish granters. It really depends.

By far the vast majority of Disney trips I've worked on were booked much closer than 180 days out (depending on the kid and the situation, it's usually 3 months or less). And generally, if a wish family wants to go at some point in the far future (requesting to go in early December when I meet them in March, for instance), the actual booking is not done until closer to the wish date. My understand of these reasons is the availability/scheduling capability of GKTW, the local chapter relationship with airlines, and other things that are not done as far in the future as people on these boards like to do them.

KSSO - amount of communication will depend on both the chapter and your individual volunteers. Some are in quite regular contact with the family, others less so. In my previous chapter, we tended to deliver the itinerary/official plane confirmation/expenses about two weeks before the wish. In my current chapter, it's about a week. Flight information can be passed on earlier for a variety of reasons.

However, if you are nervous or have questions, always feel free to call your volunteers! It's not pushy at all!

 

[ksso32006]

Thanks Kritter! I just really don't want to seem to pushy or forward... I totally appreciate everything that they are doing for us and how busy they are. I don't want to be a pain!

Kathy

 

[terratalking]

thank you SO much Kritter! I know there is SO much to the behind the scenes - i'm trying my very best to be patient - but I am SO relieved to hear your stories of how things have gone.

I use a lot of emphasis on the word so a lot apparently....

 

[vincev33]

For those who have recently gone through the MAW process, I'm trying to gain some insight on timing.

our doctor is the one who made the referral, to the WI chapter because that's the hospital we go to. However, we live in IL. So it took a couple weeks for WI to call me after the referral, then a couple more weeks for IL chapter to get our info, then a week to "grant approval".
After I spoke with someone that we had official approval for a wish, she said (I THINK this is what she said - i could have not remembered it right because i was in such an emotional state to hear that kendall had been granted a wish!)
I think she said "a week or so" until we hear from our wish granters.
It's been "a week or so" - and i'm not one to be like "ok 10 days! let's get going!!!!"
But I am just looking for more insight on roughly how long was that process in the beginning for you to get things set up and moving along. I know each chapter is different and I have a feeling the chicago area chapter is probably uber busy, which is not a problem, i just am ANXIOUS!!!! At this point there's no way we can do 180 days out because it will be way too hot for kendall by then, so i'm starting to freak a bit about things like character meals or BBB (neither of which i've ever done so i have no idea what the reservation process is even like - i've just seen a few posts here and there about it!)

Any and all info appreciated! Thank you!

terra

Hi Terra. I am a wish granter in a different state and have done many Disney wishes. I can only speak for our chapter, but it sounds like by "grant approval" you mean that Kendall was approved for eligibility. Our chapter sends out a note once volunteer wish granters are assigned to the wish and then we have about 48 hours to contact the family for a wish interview. It doesn't sound like that has happened yet. You still have to have the wish approved if I am reading the note correctly so there is still some time in the process. If you are worried about when you can go then you should call your chapter. They will work with you and GKTW on dates and will probably ask you for a few options. Don't stress out about it... As being someone who frequents Disney as well... Don't worry too much about the reservations at Disney. You will get them unless you can only go during peak times. You should call or email if you have any questions about the process. They may be busy, but if it relates to your experience with the organization then they should welcome the call. Once you have wish granters it will be easy to reach someone. It is my experience that some wish granters are not as experienced with Disney wishes as others. So feel free to reach out here as well!

 

[Monie3]

Monie!!! HOW EXCITING!!! I am so happy for you guys.. Its almost TIME!!!

One week from today!!!!