Any tips for a wish trip NOT by Make A Wish?

[LeeLee2U]

We will be going to DW in Sep. for my DS5 wish trip. He is being sponsored by a Texas wish foundation. They did not say anything about GKTW in fact they said we would be staying at a DWR . Just wondering if anyone has any tips for us? Will we still get a button that recognizes him as a wish child or do we just try to get fast passes? Our organizer said they usually stay at ASMusic or WLR. We are just thrilled to be going.!!!!! This our first trip to DW, also our first REAL Fam vacation!! Also my husband is on Dialysis so if anyone has any tips for that I'd be happy to get those as well . Thanks to all!
May pixie dust shower you!!

 

[4eyedbuzzard]

I do know that WDW contributes park tiks and more to "wish" organizations besides MAW, so I would think they might offer similar accomodation for a similar need/situation. Your "wish" organization may be able to tell you more. If not, perhaps you could ask Guest Services in advance of your trip, as you may also have other needs including with lodging and meals that may need to be addressed in advance of arrival.

 

[LeeLee2U]

All I know at this point is that we will be flying out on a Mon, coming back on a Sunday. Our flight, lodging, meals, and tickets are all paid for. We are even getting quite a bit of expense money. I do know we are staying at a Disney resort. They said they raise money for approx 4-6 weeks then book the trip. So they should be booking no later than the end of July. They told us to be thinking of dates in Sep. We are hoping for the 1st week.
I've just been wondering about the lines and all. My DH will be in an ecv and My DS5 in a wheel chair, so I'm trying to plan ahead. i should be hearing from our coordinator in another week or so and I'm trying to list all the things I need to ask. Please feel free to post any hints or tips as this is a first for us.

 

[dclfun]

Is the wish organization also helping to arrange your husband's dialysis or are you doing that on your own? It sounds like you have a lot to deal with having both your son and your husband's medical conditions to handle. Sept. is usually not so crowded but it IS the time that Disney offers free dining with their packages ( and you may also be booked with that plan through your wish organization). It is imperative if you haven't done it already, to book your table service meals- otherwise you may get to a desired restaurant and find it fully booked. You may also want to email Brenda Bennett about your husband's dietary needs. My son is in renal failure also and on dialysis and she was very helpful in advising us as to how to request special meals for him. If you let the TS restaurant know in advance they will have the chef come out to talk with your husband and will prepare something for him. I know how hard it is to find something without sodium, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. She also told us to request CS meals in advance both in the parks and in the food court and then go back to pick them up. Some days it worked better than others since I think they are more used to dietary allergies and than this type of restriction.

It is my understanding that no matter which WISH organization you are booked with, you will still get a wish button and paperwork that allows you the special privileges that are only given during this trip since each child is only granted one wish through all the many organizations out there. I've seen buttons on children from different organizations, not just MAW. Most of them do use GKTW but some people have said they'd prefer to stay at a DW resort and that they were able to make those arrangements too. One thing I would do...when you check into AS Music, make sure they are aware it is your son's wish trip if they don't have that info in the computer so they can do anything possible to make it a special and memorable trip. Have fun!---Kathy

 

[LeeLee2U]

dclfun Thank you so much for your reply. I will call Brenda. My husband has had renal failure for over 6 yrs, so we are pretty good at finding the very few things he can eat out, but that is usually once in a while and we balance it out by what he eats (or DOESN'T eat ) at home. I was a little worried about a whole weeks worth of meals )! My husband uses DaVita and his center is going to arrange Dialysis. I did call Celebration Dialysis and they said they would have room that at least 4 weeks ahead would be fine and since it is DaVita we wouldn't have to worry about the paper work. His Dialysis center will handle and transfer all we need. We've only done Hemo his first 4 monts and the last16 months of Dialysis. He was on peritoneal for almost 5 years! WE LOVED IT. Trips were easy then!!
They did tell me my DS5 would get to eat with Mickey and they would try to get a few more CM. I don't mind booking them myself, I just don't know the exact dates yet!! I'm trying to wait to hear from them because they said they'd start booking mid to end July and i don't want to sound pushy of greedy. We are really really thankful for this trip!!! Do you think I should go ahead and call them or wait a while? They never mentioned GKTW just a DR. They said probably ASMusic or WLR were the 2 they usually used. I didn't know anything about GKTW until I found this site!! Sounds like an awesome place.
Thank you once again! AND by the way I love the pic of your service dog!! How CUTE!! We are looking into getting one for my DS5 who has CP.

 

[dclfun]

My son uses DaVita as well. He is going on a wish trip to Boston to visit his sister and to a Red Sox game and his social worker at Davita will be setting up his dialysis while he's there. He just got his fistula healed enough to use and I think is feeling a bit better since his bloodwork is looking better ( he was not meeting minimum standards before with the tubing in his chest). He was only diagnosed last year at Christmas ( we didn't even know he was sick!) and so this will be his first trip away from home. I'm glad to know your husband is more experienced than my son is and that it's worked out okay for you. I know you mentioned AS Music- I'm surprised they'd use Wilderness Lodge since it's hard enough to get a room ressie there. Hopefully your wish coordinator can work some magic with your ADR's and since it's a wish trip I'd hope you could get the ADR's you want- sounds like they'll be booking a character meal for you at least. Calling to ask if you should make any dining reservations though isn't being pushy or greedy- it's just trying to take care of details to make the trip go smoothly since they didn't say what they'd be taking care of FOR you.---Kathy

 

[LeeLee2U]

How neat for your son!!! If p d is an option for him it would be worth looking into. We loved it! No pokes no blood and even though you do treatment every night, it's in the comfort of your own bed and it's so easy to take the bags with you wherever you go. We found that most on p.d. have more energy versus Hemo where they are cleaning your blood. My husband has to use the porta cath in his chest due to his veins are shot from chemo when he was a teen. They want to do a fistula (the've already tried a graph-it was never uses. It blew after 2 days!) but transplant wants to wait due to him being on the toop of the list. We've been called 8 times for a transplant but due to his lupus only 1 matched . That one had damage on it. So back to the drawing board. I figure they'll call w/a match as we get to Fl But that would be greeat too.
Anyway I am calling the wish people Mon. Thanks for the encouragement and the advice. I'm always open for more. Like I said this is a 1st for us so any DW tips would be great!! By the way I also called Brenda and left a message. Thanks for the tip!
Good luck w' your son. Attitude is the Key!! And it seems like you've got a great one!!!! If you look at everything as this your normal then things don't seem quite as crazy. After all what is normal? Normal for us is running around like chickens w/ our heads cut off !! Drs. visits, Therap, therapy and more therapy, trying to cook for 2 diff. diets and me and my other son eat healthy and trying to fit in time do the laundry O.k. Can I lift up for air?

 

[SueM in MN]

MAW is probably the best known of the organizations that grant wishes to children, but many other wish organizations grant wishes to WDW. I believe that the majority of families on MAW trips stay at Give Kids the World (GKTW), but not even all of the MAW families stay there. It is a way for the organizations to 'stretch' their resources, since many of the GKTW facilities/amenities are provided by donations.

I was going to suggest you look in the disABILITIES FAQs thread for information about dialysis, but it sounds like you have that all figured out.
You may want to look in the FAQs thread for information about transportation by bus, boat and monorail.
I agree with Kathy that I have also seen buttons from other organizations beside MAW and you should get paperwork that allows special "WISH" priviledges for your trip. After you talk with your wish coordinator you should know more. If they don't know anything about it, you could still get a GAC (Guest Assistance Card) that will help meet your family's needs. There is information in the FAQs thread about GACs.

I agree with Kathy also that you are not being greedy - you need to find out what is included in the wish and what arrangements they will make so that you can plan.
Hope you have a great trip.

 

[mamaminnie]

My only advice to you (other than to have a great time) is to be careful of the heat. If you do go the first week of September, the heat and humidity will be full-on. Since your DH can't drink alot (my Dad did dialysis for 7 years before a transplant) try to schedule breaks in the A/C often.

 

[SueM in MN]

My only advice to you (other than to have a great time) is to be careful of the heat. If you do go the first week of September, the heat and humidity will be full-on. Since your DH can't drink alot (my Dad did dialysis for 7 years before a transplant) try to schedule breaks in the A/C often.

One good place to take a break is First Aid. There is one in every park and the CMs are all very helpful when we go in there. They have cots where you can rest.

Another way many people take a break is to ride the monorail at MK back to one of the MK resorts. You can hang out in the cool, comfy lobbies of any of those resorts. At Epcot or MGM, you can take a break at any of the Epcot area resorts.

 

[LeeLee2U]

Thank you all so much! Maybe my DH will not have to miss as much as he thought. If I can plan this right.
Looking on some other threads I found out that DW has lactose free Ice cream . My son will be so excited to be able to eat a regular amount. He only gets that when I make it!! And sad to say that has only been twice !
Thanks to all and I will stay open to any more tips any one has. Also if anyone just has tips about the rides and shows we will be op to those as well. I went to DL 1x as a teenager and it was a fluke thing. My youngest sis. was in Ca for some testing and her Dr.s got us some tickets from Make A Wish and we went the next day. It was really neat and gave her a break from all the testing. That was the max of our experience. SOOOOOO we are REALLY excited and looking forward to this and I am so thankfull I found this board to help me plan it right!!!

 

[SueM in MN]

Also if anyone just has tips about the rides and shows we will be op to those as well.

A little more information will help us to give you more hints.
You will be able to go in all the shows because they have areas for wheelchairs; the shows are ECV accessible too.

I saw that your son is 5 and uses a wheelchair.
Is it power or manual?
A standard wheelchair (with 2 large back tires) or one with 4 small tires?
Can he be moved out of his wheelchair - can he transfer by himself or do you need to lift him?
How well does he sit out of the wheelchair?
What sorts of things does he like?
What does he not like?

For your DH using an ECV, I assume that he would not be doing the thrill rides and that he probably can get out of the ECV by himself to get onto rides.
Are there any things he's especially interested in?

 

[LeeLee2U]

He has a manual chair. It has 2 big wheels in the front to allow him to (try to) push himself. It is very light. @ 15 - 20lbs. He started walking 10 months ago (he wears leg braces) but long distances wear him out fast, so we will be using the wheelchair. I will be pushing it. I am planning on taking some breaks where he can walk around for a little bit. He has good days and bad days muscle tone wise so I want to be prepared. He is my little thrill seeker. He loves roller coster rides, parades and fireworkd although he will hold his ears and cringe when they pop!!! But don't try to keep him from seeing them!! He loves Mickey and Pooh (of course). He is really into the Incredibles and Cars right now, He also likes the Play house Disney chaaracters. There just isn't much that he doesn't like.
My DH does walk and doesn't normally use an ecv, but long distances wear him out also and on Dialysis days he's pretty drained. They can both get out of their chairs for any or all the rides. He is into art (he likes to sketch) He knows he's not going to do TOT!! But other than that he's pretty open. Of course we don't even know every thing there is to do yet!! We're still looking and reading these boards to try to get an idea. Oh Yeah, My DS7 is into POC even though he's never watched it!!!!

 

[dclfun]

I wanted to say that besides the lactose free ice cream, there's also gelato at certain locations that is wonderful for someone with lactose intolerance or cannot have added calcium. At Epcot at Japan there's a "Kaki Gori" stand which is basically like an old fashioned snowball ( ice and syrup) that your husband and son could both enjoy. If you do end up with the dining plan they both are considered a snack option, otherwise worth every penny to someone who needs something cold and yummy.---Kathy

 

[jennydep]

We went to WDW last year on DD's wish trip through a local Indiana wish fund, not MAW. We stayed at GKTW. It is beyond belief. If you are at all able to stay there, do it! It will be the only chance you'll ever have to stay there. People on wish trips but not staying at GKTW still went through the orientation meeting to get their park tickets, GKTW button (that allows family to by-pass character meet lines), GAC, etc. So even though you are not going through MAW, you should still get all the perks that GKTW offers. Let us know after you talk to your coordinator tomorrow.

 

[LeeLee2U]

Called and left message for our co. All I had was the houston # Naturally I found the local # about 15 min. ago ! If I don't hear from them w/in the next day or so then i will call the local #. I did hear from Brenda though. She sent an awesome e-mail with all kinds of attachments showing where certain types of foods can be found and well just all kinds of stuff. It was really neat and encouraging to find out just how far they will go to make everyones stay "magical" ! She sent me the forms to fill out for my husbands dialysis diet and my sons allergys, which really isn't a big deal. We just kind of watch how much dairy he has during the day but absolutly NO reg. milk. Only lactose free. When I told him they would have "his" milk you would have thought I'd handed him a million dollars. The things that most people look at him for and the things he struggles with day to day never really seem to get to him. I don't think he knows he's considered "different" but he always worries about his milk. I guess one too many times of will do that too you ! Other things if asked about them he will just say "God made me special and loves me VERY much" I have to say I absolutly love the looks on peoples faces when he tells them this!!
Anyway she said after I find out the dates and make my TRs to send it back and she would also notify GKTW. I didn't say anything about GKTW so I don't know if this is standard procedure or what but we will see what that means. The wish organization we are goingthrough is not on GKTW web site so I don't know if we will still get to visit or what, but as I find out I will post.
jennydep I have to say that one of your post in a diff thread is what came up when I first googled DW wish trips. It is what made me fall in love with the DIS. You did an awesome job on your trip report!!

 

[5dwarves]

LeeLeeL2U:

My family is going to WDW at the end of July beginning of August for our Alabama wish organization trip. We are staying at GKTW. My husband will be using an ECV as well. If there is anything I can do for you or find out for you, while I am there, let me know. I would be more than happy to do some "reconnaisance" for you and fill you in when we get back. Let me know if you need my help.

BTW, the allears.net site has accessibility photos of a lot of the rides. Click on the WDW At large text on the left then on attraction seating photo gallery.

 

[LeeLee2U]

LeeLeeL2U:

My family is going to WDW at the end of July beginning of August for our Alabama wish organization trip. We are staying at GKTW. My husband will be using an ECV as well. If there is anything I can do for you or find out for you, while I am there, let me know. I would be more than happy to do some "reconnaisance" for you and fill you in when we get back. Let me know if you need my help.

BTW, the allears.net site has accessibility photos of a lot of the rides. Click on the WDW At large text on the left then on attraction seating photo gallery.

how Awesome! YES YES YES! Please do fill me in on ANY tips you can think of. It sounds like our trip will be real similiar. I know ya'll have to be excited. We sure are. Since your trip is sooner I'm sure you've been planning a little longer. If you've come across any sites or anything that has been a help to you please let me know. Also feel free to p.m. me anytime. Looking forward to hearing more from you!!

 

[5dwarves]

I truly love Disney. Visiting DL as an adult with my children was even far more magical than going as a teenager or college student with my friends. I not only had a blast enjoying the park myself, but it is a priceless expereince to see the magic twinkle in your kids eyes! Since we have never been to WDW, and it has so much more to offer than DL, we are thrilled.

Having said that, we have not been planning for a long time. We only found out in May that we were going at the end of July. So ADRs were fairly hard to come by. This site is truly invaluable for planning. Most are very kind and patient and are truly interested in helping people like you and me get our bearings before we get there. The Allears site has lots of info as well. GKTW site has links to official guides for tackling Sea World, WDW and Universal for those with disabilities. We have decided to rent an ECV offiste, but when I orginally spoke with a Universal person to reserve an ECV (it is not first come first serve there and they suggest you reserve a week in advance), the rep emailed me a ride accesibility guide.

I am a newbie on this site and am still "earning my ears". I don't believe I am allowed to PM until I am a mousketeer, but I am not sure. I am a newbie with "boards" as well. This is the first one I have ever participated in. I am sure I will have earned my ears before we go, given all there is to ask and learn here. I would be happy to do anything to help make your trip easier. Have a great day!

 

[kimbac3]

5dwarves,LeeLeeL2U

I don't have any tips to give you - except to keep reading the boards! Also, last year was my first trip to Disney World in a wheel chair and the cast members working there were so nice and helpful!!
I just wanted to tell you both that I hope you and your families have a Magical Vacation!! My nephew had his Wish trip about 12 years ago. My sister and her family loved it. They stayed at the GKTW village. It looked really nice - I've seen the videos many times!!

Have a great trip!!

Kimba


PS LeeLeeL2U - We arrive September 7th! Maybe we'll be there around the same time!