Make a Wish (and other organizations!) - Wish Trippers...UNITE!! Volume 2!

[LeeLee2U]

HI THERE!! my son has epilepsy and i didn't wear PURPLE!!! man, i don't even think i have any!! but in my HEART i did wear it!!!

my thoughts and prayer are with you and your family....

Does deep Maroon count?????

Hi everyone
I would like to know which parks are best for half day touring?? All my kids are older and not into meet and greets or parades and we have no CR dinners planed. So we have more ride time. We are planing to visit all 4 parks at WDW and Sea World and would love to see US/IOA if we have time.

Thanks Tammy

AK, Epcot and DHS. If you are doing mainly rides you can do these in half days. Although I have to say we went mainly for rides and fell in love with the shows. Make time to see a few I think you'd be pleasantly surprised.
You can always split Epcot and DHS (These are the two closest together and then on the day you go to AK you can either go that Thurs so you can still do Christmas at GKTW or on the day you go you can go to AK and then when you're through hop back to MK and ride some more. I would do MK first then Epcot and DHS and the AK and hop back to whichever park ya'll want to do more rides at or ride something again.
Maroo can give you good days to go on and probably much better insight on which parks. When are ya'll going??

 

[dmbfan]

something tells me no accessed ports on rollercoasters!

?? do ports set off the metal decetors at the airport?

As for accessed ports,YES...rollercoaster are fine....it is the water you need to worry about.

My son will be accessed the whole time (as he is on TPN all the time) and I am not worried about any of the rides.

And no, ports will not set the decetors off, at least it did not with my son, however he was not accessed either...guess we will find out tomorrow morning....

 

[LeeLee2U]

As for accessed ports,YES...rollercoaster are fine....it is the water you need to worry about.

My son will be accessed the whole time (as he is on TPN all the time) and I am not worried about any of the rides.

And no, ports will not set the decetors off, at least it did not with my son, however he was not accessed either...guess we will find out tomorrow morning....

1 DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ya'll have a GREAT time!! Remember HAKUNA MATATA is the rule for this trip!!!!
Can't wait to hear about it!!!

 

[maroo]

First...before I address any of these...

For any wish trippers out there, even you guys that are lurking...(I know you are...I see you! Just kidding! )...

I prepare a "planner" that is an excel spreadsheet. I has your specific dates and addresses specific things you want to do...like certain GKTW parties, which parks (full and half day), and which parades and fireworks a family would like to do. This is a "logic" problem of sorts. I look at the crowd calendar from Touring Plans, the suggested parks for the day, the GKTW calendar and the answers to the questions that I ask the specific family and put together a plan.

My disclaimer is that the GKTW activies, parades, calendar could all CHANGE before you leave and render the whole thing useless. It is best if I wait until about a month before you leave, really and do it...because the calendar is less likely (hopefully) to change.

Maroo - is there a list of all the GKTW activities out there? I'm looking for specific day events (like Christmas is on Thursdays, etc)

There is a list...it is on the GKTW website...it is buried, though and is not updated.

Here is what I know...for now (and PLEASE, any recent returnees, please update me if this is wrong...)


This is coming straight from the GKTW website...I will make my notes in red...

Sunday
Movie 5:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
CANDY LAND Party 7:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. Very cool playground!

Monday
Disney Character Photos 8:00 a.m. & 9:00 a.m. Don't miss, repeats on Thursday morning.
Discovery Cove Animal Exploration 6:45 p.m.–7:30 p.m
Kids Night Out/Grown-ups Night Off 5:45 p.m.–9:00 p.m. I don't think they do this anymore?
Safari Double Dare 8:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Tuesday
Horse Back Riding 8:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Movie 5:00 p.m.
Nickelodeon Night 7:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. I heard this has moved to the characters coming in the morning instead? ?

Wednesday
Horse Back Riding 8:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Kids Night Out/Grown-ups Night Off 5:45 p.m.–9:00 p.m. Don't think they do this anymore
Village Idol 7:45 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

Thursday
Disney Character Photos 8:00 a.m. & 9:00 a.m.
Carriage Rides 6:30 p.m.–8:45 p.m. All of this is the Christmas party...DON'T MISS!
Winter Wonderland 7:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.
Winter Wonderland Parade 7:45 p.m.

Friday
Barney & Friends Character Photos 8:30 a.m.
Movie 5:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
Pirates & Princesses Party with Shamu 7:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Saturday
Movie 5:00 p.m.
Mayor Clayton’s Birthday Party 7:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Hi everyone
I would like to know which parks are best for half day touring?? All my kids are older and not into meet and greets or parades and we have no CR dinners planed. So we have more ride time. We are planing to visit all 4 parks at WDW and Sea World and would love to see US/IOA if we have time.

Thanks Tammy

This totally depends on your kids and what they want to ride... The good news is, you have the pass, so you don't have to worry about getting there really early and running to get to ride Toy Story, for example...

I would just make a list of the things you want to ride and go from there.

Definitely not to be missed...

Roller Coasters (assuming they are into that): EE (AK), RnR (DHS), TOT (DHS), SM (MK, but I think it is down), Splash Mountain (MK) and Thunder Mountain (MK), Kraken (Sea World) and I think Universal has some, too!!

Other random rides older children can't miss: Soarin (Epcot), Mission Space (Epcot), Test Track (Epcot) (and Test track has a cool VIP room they have access to!), Primeval Whirl (AK, but I have never seen this ride?), Dinosaur (AK), Buzz (MK), Toy Story (DHS)...and I am trying to think of others, but I can't remember any...

I would think their goal may be to ride as many of these as much as they want...over and over! That would be FUN!!

 

[merneric]

Hi. My name is Mary Anne. My son, Sam, was granted a wish to go to WDW in June 09. I have been reading all of these trip reports and they are wonderful giving me an idea of what to expect. Where is the best place to go with general questions?? I notice on the wishtrippers page, there are sections of people who have been and who are going? How do you get your pre trip report on there??? Sorry, I am just very confused
I also saw in a post where you can send a sample itinerary?? I would love to see something like that. I am a terrible planner. The fact that my son's health conditions can change from one minute to the next, certainly doesn't help things. I appreciate any info you can give me. I really want this trip to be special for my son and the rest of my family.
Thanks,
Mary Anne

 

[5dwarves]

Hi. My name is Mary Anne. My son, Sam, was granted a wish to go to WDW in June 09. I have been reading all of these trip reports and they are wonderful giving me an idea of what to expect. Where is the best place to go with general questions?? I notice on the wishtrippers page, there are sections of people who have been and who are going? How do you get your pre trip report on there??? Sorry, I am just very confused
I also saw in a post where you can send a sample itinerary?? I would love to see something like that. I am a terrible planner. The fact that my son's health conditions can change from one minute to the next, certainly doesn't help things. I appreciate any info you can give me. I really want this trip to be special for my son and the rest of my family.
Thanks,
Mary Anne

Hey Mary Anne, welcome to the Dis! This is probably the best place to post your questions. A lot of people here have already been or are leaving (some tomorrow) and post here and on their own trip report. If you go to the first page of this thread there are a list of trip reports past and present that will give you an idea how an individual family handled their issues. Some have mobility issues, some chronic illness, some severe food allergies...there are ways to accomodate all those thigns. If you want to do a pre trip report, then all you have to do is start a thread. I am not sure if you have to have posted a certain number of times before you can do that...the forum decorm is not something I am as familiar with. Once you do start your PTR you can go to your "USER CP" as indicated on the tab, and add the thread link in your signature.

Welcome, and feel free to ask any questions...looking forward to hearing more.

Elisa

 

[5dwarves]

Hi everyone
I would like to know which parks are best for half day touring?? All my kids are older and not into meet and greets or parades and we have no CR dinners planed. So we have more ride time. We are planing to visit all 4 parks at WDW and Sea World and would love to see US/IOA if we have time.

Thanks Tammy

Tammy:

I saw where LeeLee suggested you take in a show. The Indiana Jones and the Lights Motors Action at DHS are something your older kids may enjoy. IF you want to do those, keep in mind that the last show for both is around 5pm. We went to AK and DHS on our double park day and got to DHS just in time to catch the last show at Indiana Jones...we wanted to do the LMA show, but just couldn't get to the back of the park where it was in time.

Your GAC really will help you maneuver through things a little easier than if you were on your own but you still won't be able to do everything. Make sure you pick out your highlights. The official disneyworld site has a list of all the attractions I beleive, and if it doesn't, Allears.net does. Just make your own list of must do's, maybe take a look at a park map and work out a plan of attack. We were there in late July early August and our longest waits were for the Safari and Pirates (Pooh too, but that was ride maintenance). On the Safari at AK there is one/maybe two jeeps for special needs guests....it has to run it the entire course and come back before it reloads, so it took us a little bit, but not more than about 35-40 minutes. Well worth it though...

Another thing to consider is the park hours. I think AK closes at 8:00, but it may be at dusk...I would double check on that because you may want that to be an AM park...hope this helps a little.

 

[maroo]

So, I started our pre-trip report and the computer had a hardware crash. YIKES!!!! So now with a new laptop in hand I can try to get back on track. It is under 57 days until ...

Major set back. Dev's in the hospital with a bacterial blood infection! We came yesterday for his regular monthly treatment and it all fell apart about 2 hours in. They say we are going to be here awhile! We have about six weeks until we are supposed to leave and I have nothing ready!

Any hints on packing would really help! I don't even know if we are going to get to go until another time. something tells me no accessed ports on rollercoasters!

?? do ports set off the metal decetors at the airport?

Bless your heart!!! We will be glad to help you with any questions that you have! I don't know anything about ports...but it looks like you got an answer! Lauren sets EVERYTHING off at the airports and they just use the wand on her and don't make too much of a fuss over it.

Don't be afraid to bump your trip until you guys are feeling better!

Does deep Maroon count?????


AK, Epcot and DHS. If you are doing mainly rides you can do these in half days. Although I have to say we went mainly for rides and fell in love with the shows. Make time to see a few I think you'd be pleasantly surprised.
You can always split Epcot and DHS (These are the two closest together and then on the day you go to AK you can either go that Thurs so you can still do Christmas at GKTW or on the day you go you can go to AK and then when you're through hop back to MK and ride some more. I would do MK first then Epcot and DHS and the AK and hop back to whichever park ya'll want to do more rides at or ride something again.
Maroo can give you good days to go on and probably much better insight on which parks. When are ya'll going??

I will be glad to help with this!!! If anyone wants a planner...PM me and I can get the info from you and get it to you! I am going to try to do the planner about 4 weeks before the family leaves.

As for accessed ports,YES...rollercoaster are fine....it is the water you need to worry about.

My son will be accessed the whole time (as he is on TPN all the time) and I am not worried about any of the rides.

And no, ports will not set the decetors off, at least it did not with my son, however he was not accessed either...guess we will find out tomorrow morning....

Woo Hoo!!!

Hi. My name is Mary Anne. My son, Sam, was granted a wish to go to WDW in June 09. I have been reading all of these trip reports and they are wonderful giving me an idea of what to expect. Where is the best place to go with general questions?? I notice on the wishtrippers page, there are sections of people who have been and who are going? How do you get your pre trip report on there??? Sorry, I am just very confused
I also saw in a post where you can send a sample itinerary?? I would love to see something like that. I am a terrible planner. The fact that my son's health conditions can change from one minute to the next, certainly doesn't help things. I appreciate any info you can give me. I really want this trip to be special for my son and the rest of my family.
Thanks,
Mary Anne

Welcome to the Wish Trippers Unite thread!! You have found the best place to ask questions!!

On page 1 of this thread there are sample TR's...which it looks like you have already seen?

On page 1, second post, there are hints. One of the hints there is a link that will get you started on doing a pre-trip report! Doing a pre-trip report (and hopefully a Trip Report when you get back!) is the best way to get advice, plan, meet other wish families, etc. You can tell as much of your story as you would like. Doing the Trip Report after you get back is the best way to record your memories and help future wish families!!

I will be glad to make a planner for you!!! Just PM me and I can get you the information that I would need.

 

[Bill_Lin]

Hi. My name is Mary Anne. My son, Sam, was granted a wish to go to WDW in June 09. I have been reading all of these trip reports and they are wonderful giving me an idea of what to expect. Where is the best place to go with general questions?? I notice on the wishtrippers page, there are sections of people who have been and who are going? How do you get your pre trip report on there??? Sorry, I am just very confused
I also saw in a post where you can send a sample itinerary?? I would love to see something like that. I am a terrible planner. The fact that my son's health conditions can change from one minute to the next, certainly doesn't help things. I appreciate any info you can give me. I really want this trip to be special for my son and the rest of my family.
Thanks,
Mary Anne

Welcome to our family!

Check out the link in my signature for Wish Trip Planning. I attempted to answer, there, the questions that I had to work through in planning our trip. So much is planned by the Wish Trip Agency. What we are left to plan includes which days to go to which theme park (or hang out at the Village), what to pack and where to buy it and how to tailor each day to maximize our child's experience.

There are a few "rules" for Wish Trip Planning.

1) Something that you have planned will not work out or have to be changed at the last minute. Relax and go with the flow.

2) Some beautiful, unexpected, magic will come your way and bring tears of gratitude to your eyes.

3) Don't PUSH your schedule. It is really not necessary to get up early and rush to the parks for "rope drop." You won't be waiting in lines much, if at all, anyway, so why rush. Pushing will only wear you all out physically and emotionally and will detract from the enjoyment. Eat breakfast (or at least Continental) at the Village every morning.

4) Eat Ice Cream at the Palace as often as you can.

5) Take in at least one evening event at the Village and take a walk at night through the Village lanes and see the beautiful lights.

6) Use the whirlpool bath often. It will do wonders for sore feet and muscles.

7) Take advantage of the Character visits to the Village. It is special for kids to have the characters visit them instead of the other way around once in a while.

8) Remember that, if you forgot something, Wal-Mart is only blocks away.

9) Ask lots of questions here, the more the merrier.

10) Prepare to have the time of your life.


Give Kids the World is about blessing the whole family, not just the Wish Kid. Siblings will be pampered and so will parents. The parks want to make the trip special for all of you. Staff people at the parks, especially Disney Cast Members (CMs) will almost always make a big deal over you and treat you wonderfully.

If you have questions that you don't want everyone to read, send one of us a Personal Message that we can answer privately.

Bill

 

[Bill_Lin]

Does deep Maroon count?????


AK, Epcot and DHS. If you are doing mainly rides you can do these in half days. Although I have to say we went mainly for rides and fell in love with the shows. Make time to see a few I think you'd be pleasantly surprised.
You can always split Epcot and DHS (These are the two closest together and then on the day you go to AK you can either go that Thurs so you can still do Christmas at GKTW or on the day you go you can go to AK and then when you're through hop back to MK and ride some more. I would do MK first then Epcot and DHS and the AK and hop back to whichever park ya'll want to do more rides at or ride something again.
Maroo can give you good days to go on and probably much better insight on which parks. When are ya'll going??

I TOTALLY agree that Epcot and the Studios are the best parks to do together. It is a great idea to catch the boat at France in Epcot that will take you to the studios. The ride takes around 20 minutes and will give you a nice chance to rest your feet and see a few of the Disney Resorts along the way.

At Epcot, it is hard to catch a lot of rides in Future World and still see all the countries in World Showcase, so pick and choose. We chose to maximize the rides and had to miss a few countries, because the rides were more important to the kids.

Future World- Everyone LOVED Soarin' so it is a must. Test Track was a big hit with the teenager. Nemo and Friends and Turtle Talk were highlights from the little girl. Mission Space was good, but not for claustrophobics. The intense version really IS NOT for folks with inner ear or heart issues. I personally enjoyed Ellen's Energy Adventure because of the animatronic dinosaurs, but it is not a top attraction and could be missed. Spaceship Earth was closed for repair when we were there.

World Showcase- The countries are mainly shopping areas (a man's perspective) but have a few shows and nice features. Definitely go inside the Mexico Pyramid. The rides in World Showcase are not as good as what you will see in the rest of the parks. The Mexico boat ride was a nice chance to rest and cool off, but not much more. The Norway Maelstrom was okay (Great if you are a Troll fan) but not as good as most Disney attractions. The Japanese Drumming show is impressive. By the way, I recommend the counter service food at the Lotus Blossom in China, it is a great bargain.

Disney Hollywood Studios- Fantasmic is Fantastic in my opinion. It is very Kid oriented. Little Princesses will love the Beauty and the Beast Show. Sci-Fi fans must do Star Tours. Voyage of the Little Mermaid show is better than you might expect. As a child of the 60s, I loved the black light floursecent effects. Best of all, it is indoors. The Great Movie Ride was kind of fun, though we would much rather have seen Playhouse Disney (but were too late). Check all shows for times. Shows usually close earlier than rides. We should have gone to Playhouse first and saved Tower of Terror (aptly named) for later. The teen loved the tower, but the little girl swears never to ride it again, EVER.

 

[5dwarves]

So, I started our pre-trip report and the computer had a hardware crash. YIKES!!!! So now with a new laptop in hand I can try to get back on track. It is under 57 days until ...

Major set back. Dev's in the hospital with a bacterial blood infection! We came yesterday for his regular monthly treatment and it all fell apart about 2 hours in. They say we are going to be here awhile! We have about six weeks until we are supposed to leave and I have nothing ready!

Any hints on packing would really help! I don't even know if we are going to get to go until another time. something tells me no accessed ports on rollercoasters!

?? do ports set off the metal decetors at the airport?

So sorry to hear about the hospital stay (and the hard drive crash). Both are no fun!

Ask the doctors what they think about the metal detector and the port. My son had a port for a few months after surgery. I don't know if they are all a little different or not. When Adam's port was accessed the access almost looked like a 4 pronged spider. I remember the main part was plastic, but I am sure that the part that goes inside the port itself has metal in it. Maroo had some good advice about the hand wand. It wouldn't hurt to call the airline or even the airport and tell them your situation and ask what you should do. What wish agency are you going through? If it is MAW and they give you t-shirts, then definintely wear them when you fly. Not only will your wish child get some extra attention, but I imagine you will get better service and more help from the ticketing and gate people.

GKTW has a full sized washer and dryer in each villa. Don't go too crazy on the packing because you can wash clothes at night. If you are six weeks out from travel, I imagine it will be on its way to being hot and steamy in FL. If you are all stressed, then a little disney magic may just be the ticket your family needs...but if going adds to that stress, then waiting is not the end of the world...go with your gut.

Let us know how you are all doing.

 

[chcmama]

So, I started our pre-trip report and the computer had a hardware crash. YIKES!!!! So now with a new laptop in hand I can try to get back on track. It is under 57 days until ...

Major set back. Dev's in the hospital with a bacterial blood infection! We came yesterday for his regular monthly treatment and it all fell apart about 2 hours in. They say we are going to be here awhile! We have about six weeks until we are supposed to leave and I have nothing ready!

Any hints on packing would really help! I don't even know if we are going to get to go until another time. something tells me no accessed ports on rollercoasters!

?? do ports set off the metal decetors at the airport?

I hope that Dev is feeling better soon. I don't know if ports set off metal detectors or not, my dd just got one in Feb and they gave us a card that we can take to the airport if there is a problem.

As for accessed ports,YES...rollercoaster are fine....it is the water you need to worry about.

My son will be accessed the whole time (as he is on TPN all the time) and I am not worried about any of the rides.

And no, ports will not set the decetors off, at least it did not with my son, however he was not accessed either...guess we will find out tomorrow morning....

Have a great time!!!

Hi. My name is Mary Anne. My son, Sam, was granted a wish to go to WDW in June 09. I have been reading all of these trip reports and they are wonderful giving me an idea of what to expect. Where is the best place to go with general questions?? I notice on the wishtrippers page, there are sections of people who have been and who are going? How do you get your pre trip report on there??? Sorry, I am just very confused
I also saw in a post where you can send a sample itinerary?? I would love to see something like that. I am a terrible planner. The fact that my son's health conditions can change from one minute to the next, certainly doesn't help things. I appreciate any info you can give me. I really want this trip to be special for my son and the rest of my family.
Thanks,
Mary Anne

Welcome, there is a lot of great information on here, my dd wished for a cruise so we aren't even doing Disney and I have gotten lots of great MAW information on here.

 

[5dwarves]

Just a little reminder, that like the airports, Disney inspects bags before you go into the park. It took some logistical planning for us. My DH went through the line with the kids without any bags. My oldest son and I took the camera bag and back pack(s) through the bag inspection while DH was headed to the stroller line. A little preplanning on how you will handle that will make the entry into the parks a little smoother for you.

 

[maroo]

Just a little reminder, that like the airports, Disney inspects bags before you go into the park. It took some logistical planning for us. My DH went through the line with the kids without any bags. My oldest son and I took the camera bag and back pack(s) through the bag inspection while DH was headed to the stroller line. A little preplanning on how you will handle that will make the entry into the parks a little smoother for you.

I have not been commenting on all of your hints...well, because you pretty much say it all when you post!!

But I wanted to let you know that I appreciate all of your help for us!!!! These are GREAT hints!!!!!

 

[maroo]

Welcome to our family!

Check out the link in my signature for Wish Trip Planning. I attempted to answer, there, the questions that I had to work through in planning our trip. So much is planned by the Wish Trip Agency. What we are left to plan includes which days to go to which theme park (or hang out at the Village), what to pack and where to buy it and how to tailor each day to maximize our child's experience.

There are a few "rules" for Wish Trip Planning.

1) Something that you have planned will not work out or have to be changed at the last minute. Relax and go with the flow.

2) Some beautiful, unexpected, magic will come your way and bring tears of gratitude to your eyes.

3) Don't PUSH your schedule. It is really not necessary to get up early and rush to the parks for "rope drop." You won't be waiting in lines much, if at all, anyway, so why rush. Pushing will only wear you all out physically and emotionally and will detract from the enjoyment. Eat breakfast (or at least Continental) at the Village every morning.

4) Eat Ice Cream at the Palace as often as you can.

5) Take in at least one evening event at the Village and take a walk at night through the Village lanes and see the beautiful lights.

6) Use the whirlpool bath often. It will do wonders for sore feet and muscles.

7) Take advantage of the Character visits to the Village. It is special for kids to have the characters visit them instead of the other way around once in a while.

8) Remember that, if you forgot something, Wal-Mart is only blocks away.

9) Ask lots of questions here, the more the merrier.

10) Prepare to have the time of your life.


Give Kids the World is about blessing the whole family, not just the Wish Kid. Siblings will be pampered and so will parents. The parks want to make the trip special for all of you. Staff people at the parks, especially Disney Cast Members (CMs) will almost always make a big deal over you and treat you wonderfully.

If you have questions that you don't want everyone to read, send one of us a Personal Message that we can answer privately.

Bill

Bill...These are AWESOME things to remember!!! Thank you so much for your help on this thread!!

 

[maroo]

For those of you guys that want MORE to read...

I have started my next pre-trip report!!

It has nothing to do with Wish Trips...and so far is it just a couple of single adults going...but I would love your help planning...if you want to join in!




Ten Days in September!! Maroo's NEW Pre-Trip Report!!!!

 

[dmbfan]

Just wanted to say to GOODBYE to you all....

6am will be here before we know it, but I had to come on here and say THANK YOU for making Jake's wish trip extra special....I promise to come home and share our trip with you all, after all it is the least I can do since you have all done so much for the kids.

Well...night all...and DISNEY HERE WE COME....OMG I can't breath I am so darn excitied....

 

[jessica52877]

Goodbye! Have fun! See ya real soon!

 

[littlewarriorsmom]

OMG I can't breath I am so darn excitied....

Have a wonderful time! Tell Mickey we'll be there soon! Cannot WAIT to hear your adventures!

 

[Tamraj]

Just wanted to say to GOODBYE to you all....

6am will be here before we know it, but I had to come on here and say THANK YOU for making Jake's wish trip extra special....I promise to come home and share our trip with you all, after all it is the least I can do since you have all done so much for the kids.

Well...night all...and DISNEY HERE WE COME....OMG I can't breath I am so darn excitied....

Were only a few days behind ya.... See you soon...