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

[WishMom09]

Ok I am going to cry...Emma got a post card from "Princess Jasmine"--these make a wish people really know how to make this magic dont that????

How sweet! I know Emma must have been super excited!!

 

[merneric]

Okay, I am still trying to decide whether to use park strollers or rent a stroller while we are in Orlando. Sam is 8 years old. He is very skinny, so I am not worried about the weight allowance, but he is about 4'2". Will he be too tall for the park strollers?? He gets tired pretty easily, plus, if he does have a seizure, I don't want to have to carry him to the car. So we really need to have access to a stroller.
Anyone use a stroller for a taller kiddo??
Thanks,
Mary Anne

 

[jessica52877]

Okay, I am still trying to decide whether to use park strollers or rent a stroller while we are in Orlando. Sam is 8 years old. He is very skinny, so I am not worried about the weight allowance, but he is about 4'2". Will he be too tall for the park strollers?? He gets tired pretty easily, plus, if he does have a seizure, I don't want to have to carry him to the car. So we really need to have access to a stroller.
Anyone use a stroller for a taller kiddo??
Thanks,
Mary Anne

I think he would be a bit cramped in a park stroller. They are smaller then they used to be. I think they got new ones in December. Maybe rent what Jakob used. His looked quite comfy and I think was pretty reasonable for the week.

 

[BeckySob]

Okay, I am still trying to decide whether to use park strollers or rent a stroller while we are in Orlando. Sam is 8 years old. He is very skinny, so I am not worried about the weight allowance, but he is about 4'2". Will he be too tall for the park strollers?? He gets tired pretty easily, plus, if he does have a seizure, I don't want to have to carry him to the car. So we really need to have access to a stroller.
Anyone use a stroller for a taller kiddo??
Thanks,
Mary Anne

If you decide to use the rental strollers from the park....which will be free for you, you can choose a double one which is nice and wide. I had to push my 9 year old who weighs 64lbs. and is about 43" tall. I'm too lazy to do the math right now. But I do warn....there are no strollers from the stroller rental to the car. Also I warn....the stroller rental, is a little ways away from the entrance to park itself. Especially if you're going to Universal. It's a long walk just to get to the entrance. You might be better off renting a stroller from elsewhere. Hope this helps.

 

[maroo]

Okay, I am still trying to decide whether to use park strollers or rent a stroller while we are in Orlando. Sam is 8 years old. He is very skinny, so I am not worried about the weight allowance, but he is about 4'2". Will he be too tall for the park strollers?? He gets tired pretty easily, plus, if he does have a seizure, I don't want to have to carry him to the car. So we really need to have access to a stroller.
Anyone use a stroller for a taller kiddo??
Thanks,
Mary Anne

Because of the the seizure issue, I would definitely recommend renting a stroller from an offsite company, that way you have it with you at all times. Here is a link that should give you some ideas for offsite companies that the people on the DIS have used...

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=595713

The stroller rental info can be found on post 2 and it is toward the bottom.

 

[kmparrish5]

Wow....this board is really busy. It has been a crazy week and I try to keep up, but not sure I did. Our kids are getting so excited about Disney. We were able to make reservations for lunch with the Princesses for Caroline's birthday.
I just hope the kids are well when the trip gets here. Bailee is starting an antibiotic today for her 3rd sinus infection in 6 weeks. It looks like we better talk to the ENT and pulmonologist to get a plan. She just can't stay well. Caroline is on an antibiotic for an infection. Landon had pink eye this week. He tends to get it alot because his tear ducts are blocked. They are going to do surgery when we get back from the trip. Then I had strep throat this week which makes it hard to keep up with everything else. I am praying we are well in May. Our trip is in only 29 days!

Maybe I will catch up with the rest of the post soon. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

 

[WishMom09]

HOLY Big Give BATMAN! We got 5 packages today!
Stop by Caleb's PTR to check out our blessings!

 

[tntbelt]

Hi, I have just found these boards and WOW the information is wonderful!! I have a 3 year old who has been approved for his wish and we are meeting with the volunteers on Tuesday to discuss his wish. Would love any tips/advice about meeting the wish granters!!

Here's a little info about us... There is me, Terri, my husband TJ, our oldest dd Ashley who will be 18 in a few weeks, ds Brandon 16, and our twin boys Blake and Bryce who will be 4 in July.

Bryce is our "wish child" he was diagnosed with Leukemia in February of last year and has done wonderfully throughout treatment. Being only 2.5 at diagnosis he has been through A LOT. But we have been so blessed that his treatment has gone so smoothly. Odd to say blessed about cancer but we know things could and still could go "not so smoothly".

So with the family's schedules of work, football, and school, our available dates are going to be from mid june to mid july. Since the boys birthdays are July 6th we are going to see if we can go then. If the dates are approved any advice on a boy themed character dinner for their birthday??

So many firsts for all of us and we are all so excited. The boys ask everyday when are we going to disney??

Another quick question, if you pay for another person to go along do they handle the arrangements and what are the costs for an additional person?

Thanks and I am off to do some reading!! I am so excited about our MAW trip!!

Terri

 

[LuvGoing2Disney7]

Hello all our DIS friends. I know I've been MIA again for a bit. I'm trying to get organized and into a good routine again. I miss reading how you all are doing.

Drew is doing really well right now. So well that I'm leaving tomorrow on my first trip without him. Meagan and I are going away for a few days to relax, recoup and visit with friends.

I'm trying to get my "need to do" list tackled a bit before I go. I finally posted pictures of our CA trip in Feb (I know, I know...2 mo ago) along with a little update.

Hope you're all doing well

 

[sammie girl]

Hi I was just wondering if anyone has on here has ever had to stay off property at a hotel? We met with Dream Factory today and was told GKTW is booked our week and we will get a nearby hotel. (No food at our convienence, one room for all of us when we were so looking forward to the villa, no washer dryer fridge etc.). O.K. I am really let down but so is my Dream daughter. We have been reading all of these wonderful reports together and have checked out all of the GKTW website and boy did I goof. I should have never let her see it all because now all she is doing is wondering why she can't stay there. She has Type 1 diabetes and thinks it is because of the icecream or something she did wrong. I have tried to convince her otherwise but it has done no good.
I hate to say that she doesn't even want her wish trip anymore. I am so upset I haven't been able to sleep yet tonight. I really really want this week to be her magical time but don't know how to get through to her that it will still be fun.
My DH wants me to cancel the trip and get a loan to go on our own during free dining month. That way she can stay at a resort and maybe feel better. I don't know what to do. I haven't been able to go back to work because there is no nurse at her school so I am left dealing with her illness day and night. My husband still won't learn the basics of it. (Long story but I think he is very scared of hurting her or doing something wrong, I haven't gotten to the bottom of that yet.) Anyway money is tight for us and my husband has even been working crazy amounts of overtime for the spending money on this trip. We also found out that we will get 300 dollars a piece for the trip (there are 4 of us) but after buying all of our meals out and gas and gifts for the kids(remember we won't be staying at GKTW and Lexi already knows about all the gifts everyone has recieved so we will of course make up for it) I think our 300 a piece will go rather quickly. I hear the parks are outragousely priced on food and drinks. Lexi being diabetic she needs to eat quite frequently especially with all the walking she will be doing. So with all of the expense my husband has signed up for like 70 hours a week to save up money.

Any suggestions for this? Sorry to be such a downer but I am disappionted that my daughter is so sad about her dream trip.

 

[WishMom09]

Hi I was just wondering if anyone has on here has ever had to stay off property at a hotel? We met with Dream Factory today and was told GKTW is booked our week and we will get a nearby hotel. (No food at our convienence, one room for all of us when we were so looking forward to the villa, no washer dryer fridge etc.). O.K. I am really let down but so is my Dream daughter. We have been reading all of these wonderful reports together and have checked out all of the GKTW website and boy did I goof. I should have never let her see it all because now all she is doing is wondering why she can't stay there. She has Type 1 diabetes and thinks it is because of the icecream or something she did wrong. I have tried to convince her otherwise but it has done no good.
I hate to say that she doesn't even want her wish trip anymore. I am so upset I haven't been able to sleep yet tonight. I really really want this week to be her magical time but don't know how to get through to her that it will still be fun.
My DH wants me to cancel the trip and get a loan to go on our own during free dining month. That way she can stay at a resort and maybe feel better. I don't know what to do. I haven't been able to go back to work because there is no nurse at her school so I am left dealing with her illness day and night. My husband still won't learn the basics of it. (Long story but I think he is very scared of hurting her or doing something wrong, I haven't gotten to the bottom of that yet.) Anyway money is tight for us and my husband has even been working crazy amounts of overtime for the spending money on this trip. We also found out that we will get 300 dollars a piece for the trip (there are 4 of us) but after buying all of our meals out and gas and gifts for the kids(remember we won't be staying at GKTW and Lexi already knows about all the gifts everyone has recieved so we will of course make up for it) I think our 300 a piece will go rather quickly. I hear the parks are outragousely priced on food and drinks. Lexi being diabetic she needs to eat quite frequently especially with all the walking she will be doing. So with all of the expense my husband has signed up for like 70 hours a week to save up money.

Any suggestions for this? Sorry to be such a downer but I am disappionted that my daughter is so sad about her dream trip.

I am so sorry to hear this! What if you changed your trip dates to another week when GKTW would be available? That shouldn't be a problem!

 

[jessica52877]

Hi, I have just found these boards and WOW the information is wonderful!! I have a 3 year old who has been approved for his wish and we are meeting with the volunteers on Tuesday to discuss his wish. Would love any tips/advice about meeting the wish granters!!

Here's a little info about us... There is me, Terri, my husband TJ, our oldest dd Ashley who will be 18 in a few weeks, ds Brandon 16, and our twin boys Blake and Bryce who will be 4 in July.

Bryce is our "wish child" he was diagnosed with Leukemia in February of last year and has done wonderfully throughout treatment. Being only 2.5 at diagnosis he has been through A LOT. But we have been so blessed that his treatment has gone so smoothly. Odd to say blessed about cancer but we know things could and still could go "not so smoothly".

So with the family's schedules of work, football, and school, our available dates are going to be from mid june to mid july. Since the boys birthdays are July 6th we are going to see if we can go then. If the dates are approved any advice on a boy themed character dinner for their birthday??

So many firsts for all of us and we are all so excited. The boys ask everyday when are we going to disney??

Another quick question, if you pay for another person to go along do they handle the arrangements and what are the costs for an additional person?

Thanks and I am off to do some reading!! I am so excited about our MAW trip!!

Terri

Welcome!

You'll find so much info on here along with others who get what you have gone/going through! Sounds like you have one tough little man!

I can't answer most of your questions since I just hang out here but I can help you with the character meal! I would vote for Chef Mickey's! It is really a fun atmosphere usually and has Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald. I think they used to have Chip & Dale too but not positive if they were there the last time or not.

 

[mom2lilnick]

Hi I was just wondering if anyone has on here has ever had to stay off property at a hotel? We met with Dream Factory today and was told GKTW is booked our week and we will get a nearby hotel. (No food at our convienence, one room for all of us when we were so looking forward to the villa, no washer dryer fridge etc.). O.K. I am really let down but so is my Dream daughter. We have been reading all of these wonderful reports together and have checked out all of the GKTW website and boy did I goof. I should have never let her see it all because now all she is doing is wondering why she can't stay there. She has Type 1 diabetes and thinks it is because of the icecream or something she did wrong. I have tried to convince her otherwise but it has done no good.
I hate to say that she doesn't even want her wish trip anymore. I am so upset I haven't been able to sleep yet tonight. I really really want this week to be her magical time but don't know how to get through to her that it will still be fun.
My DH wants me to cancel the trip and get a loan to go on our own during free dining month. That way she can stay at a resort and maybe feel better. I don't know what to do. I haven't been able to go back to work because there is no nurse at her school so I am left dealing with her illness day and night. My husband still won't learn the basics of it. (Long story but I think he is very scared of hurting her or doing something wrong, I haven't gotten to the bottom of that yet.) Anyway money is tight for us and my husband has even been working crazy amounts of overtime for the spending money on this trip. We also found out that we will get 300 dollars a piece for the trip (there are 4 of us) but after buying all of our meals out and gas and gifts for the kids(remember we won't be staying at GKTW and Lexi already knows about all the gifts everyone has recieved so we will of course make up for it) I think our 300 a piece will go rather quickly. I hear the parks are outragousely priced on food and drinks. Lexi being diabetic she needs to eat quite frequently especially with all the walking she will be doing. So with all of the expense my husband has signed up for like 70 hours a week to save up money.

Any suggestions for this? Sorry to be such a downer but I am disappionted that my daughter is so sad about her dream trip.

I would try to change the dates as well. I know you will still have "access" to GKTW while you are there, including dinner and breakfast.. someone correct me if I am wrong. I hope that there is someway that you can change it around to stay there.

 

[Corrine 1973]

Hi, I have just found these boards and WOW the information is wonderful!! I have a 3 year old who has been approved for his wish and we are meeting with the volunteers on Tuesday to discuss his wish. Would love any tips/advice about meeting the wish granters!!

Here's a little info about us... There is me, Terri, my husband TJ, our oldest dd Ashley who will be 18 in a few weeks, ds Brandon 16, and our twin boys Blake and Bryce who will be 4 in July.

Bryce is our "wish child" he was diagnosed with Leukemia in February of last year and has done wonderfully throughout treatment. Being only 2.5 at diagnosis he has been through A LOT. But we have been so blessed that his treatment has gone so smoothly. Odd to say blessed about cancer but we know things could and still could go "not so smoothly".

So with the family's schedules of work, football, and school, our available dates are going to be from mid june to mid july. Since the boys birthdays are July 6th we are going to see if we can go then. If the dates are approved any advice on a boy themed character dinner for their birthday??

So many firsts for all of us and we are all so excited. The boys ask everyday when are we going to disney??

Another quick question, if you pay for another person to go along do they handle the arrangements and what are the costs for an additional person?

Thanks and I am off to do some reading!! I am so excited about our MAW trip!!

Terri

First of all welcome, and congrats for being excepted for a wish.

We had our first meeting in march so I can definatly help you out here. You should have recieved a packet from MaW for the items you will need for your first meeting. Try to make sure you have everything so the process will go a bit faster. Often times they can't go to the next step util most of the paper work is done. If you didn't get a packet I remember needing the kids birth certifacates, drivers license's, and Insuarance card. I would make a copy of these for the volenteers so they can put them in with your paperwork.

Also be prepared for the wish treatment to start. When the volenteers arrived they brought presents for all the children, not just for Liam. It made me cry when they all felt special.

I also wanted to warn you that they told me that it could take up to 90 days to get everything schedualed. (often times doctor approval takes the longest). I put in for the dates of July and August and was told that these are taken up real fast (I was told that MaW only gets so many trips at a time and the summer ones go at the beginning of the year) I changed my dates to september and are waiting for final approval. Just wanted to let you know so you don't depend on those dates. I started expecting the dates I suggested (My daughter will be 4 the day after your boys birthday) and I already had things planned in my head for the big day. Unfortunatly it didn't work out.

Hope this helped and congrats again.

 

[WishMom09]

Question for you ladies (and men) who have already been.....
Do you need much cash....or should we just deposit our MAW check and use debit cards?
I didn't know if the counter service at the parks take credit/debit cards??
I know we will have some cash....I just didn't know if we would need LOTS of cash.
Thanks for your help!
2 more weeks!!!!

 

[maroo]

Hi, I have just found these boards and WOW the information is wonderful!! I have a 3 year old who has been approved for his wish and we are meeting with the volunteers on Tuesday to discuss his wish. Would love any tips/advice about meeting the wish granters!!

Here's a little info about us... There is me, Terri, my husband TJ, our oldest dd Ashley who will be 18 in a few weeks, ds Brandon 16, and our twin boys Blake and Bryce who will be 4 in July.

Bryce is our "wish child" he was diagnosed with Leukemia in February of last year and has done wonderfully throughout treatment. Being only 2.5 at diagnosis he has been through A LOT. But we have been so blessed that his treatment has gone so smoothly. Odd to say blessed about cancer but we know things could and still could go "not so smoothly".

So with the family's schedules of work, football, and school, our available dates are going to be from mid june to mid july. Since the boys birthdays are July 6th we are going to see if we can go then. If the dates are approved any advice on a boy themed character dinner for their birthday??

So many firsts for all of us and we are all so excited. The boys ask everyday when are we going to disney??

Another quick question, if you pay for another person to go along do they handle the arrangements and what are the costs for an additional person?

Thanks and I am off to do some reading!! I am so excited about our MAW trip!!

Terri

First of all, WELCOME!!

Congrats on the wish trip and I am so glad your son did so well! To celebrate a birthday would be great! I think it all depends on what your kids are interested in. There are lots of great restaurants at Disney and even offsite...even Dinner Theatre sort of things you can go to.

Taking another person varies from wish to wish. Usually you will have to cover their flight and tickets for sure. Then it depends on where you end up staying. If you stay at GKTW, then it is possible the extra person may be able to stay with you, not sure of the relationship there. And they usually let the person eat at GKTW for free or very little money (maybe $1 per meal). I would talk to your wish granters about the extra person and see what they say.

Look forward to getting to know your family!!

Hello all our DIS friends. I know I've been MIA again for a bit. I'm trying to get organized and into a good routine again. I miss reading how you all are doing.

Drew is doing really well right now. So well that I'm leaving tomorrow on my first trip without him. Meagan and I are going away for a few days to relax, recoup and visit with friends.

I'm trying to get my "need to do" list tackled a bit before I go. I finally posted pictures of our CA trip in Feb (I know, I know...2 mo ago) along with a little update.

Hope you're all doing well

Wow! I will have to check out your blog!! The pics are there, right? Not on the DIS?

Welcome back!!

Hi I was just wondering if anyone has on here has ever had to stay off property at a hotel? We met with Dream Factory today and was told GKTW is booked our week and we will get a nearby hotel. (No food at our convienence, one room for all of us when we were so looking forward to the villa, no washer dryer fridge etc.). O.K. I am really let down but so is my Dream daughter. We have been reading all of these wonderful reports together and have checked out all of the GKTW website and boy did I goof. I should have never let her see it all because now all she is doing is wondering why she can't stay there. She has Type 1 diabetes and thinks it is because of the icecream or something she did wrong. I have tried to convince her otherwise but it has done no good.
I hate to say that she doesn't even want her wish trip anymore. I am so upset I haven't been able to sleep yet tonight. I really really want this week to be her magical time but don't know how to get through to her that it will still be fun.
My DH wants me to cancel the trip and get a loan to go on our own during free dining month. That way she can stay at a resort and maybe feel better. I don't know what to do. I haven't been able to go back to work because there is no nurse at her school so I am left dealing with her illness day and night. My husband still won't learn the basics of it. (Long story but I think he is very scared of hurting her or doing something wrong, I haven't gotten to the bottom of that yet.) Anyway money is tight for us and my husband has even been working crazy amounts of overtime for the spending money on this trip. We also found out that we will get 300 dollars a piece for the trip (there are 4 of us) but after buying all of our meals out and gas and gifts for the kids(remember we won't be staying at GKTW and Lexi already knows about all the gifts everyone has recieved so we will of course make up for it) I think our 300 a piece will go rather quickly. I hear the parks are outragousely priced on food and drinks. Lexi being diabetic she needs to eat quite frequently especially with all the walking she will be doing. So with all of the expense my husband has signed up for like 70 hours a week to save up money.

Any suggestions for this? Sorry to be such a downer but I am disappionted that my daughter is so sad about her dream trip.

I guess it depends on what the deal is...If GKTW is just full for your dates, then I would change the dates! For sure!

But, if it is something about Dream Factory? I have seen other families get to stay in the Embassy Suites, so it may be just a different thing about the organization? And, you are right, $300 for the trip per person is not much, especially if you are not eating at GKTW.

It sounds like GKTW is just full, and if so, you will be able to call GKTW "home" and stay there during the day, go to all of the parties, eat every meal there, eat ice cream there (I think they have sugar free ice cream), etc...she will be able to go to GKTW.

We stayed in a hotel, too. It is different, but you are still part of the GKTW activities, as much as you would like to be!! You just sleep in the other hotel.

What is the other hotel? Is it a "suite" hotel?

Question for you ladies (and men) who have already been.....
Do you need much cash....or should we just deposit our MAW check and use debit cards?
I didn't know if the counter service at the parks take credit/debit cards??
I know we will have some cash....I just didn't know if we would need LOTS of cash.
Thanks for your help!
2 more weeks!!!!

Lauren's parents deposited the MAW check. Then we got enough cash to give the kids souvie cash and their daily snack/spending money. We also had envelopes for our counter service meals.

We did our budget and then used envelopes to split up the money by day and by person...that way we would not be carrying ALL of the cash with us all day and it helped us spread it out so we would not spend it too fast.

Most places in Disney take your credit card or debit card! So we put the majority of the money in the bank and just used the debit card for the table service meals, etc.

 

[kmparrish5]

GKTW does have sugar free ice cream. Both Bailee and Caroline are allergic to sugar so I emailed them and asked about sugar free ice cream. The girls are excited they won't miss out on having ice cream!

I would also try to change the dates if you can. It never hurts to ask.

 

[BeckySob]

Question for you ladies (and men) who have already been.....
Do you need much cash....or should we just deposit our MAW check and use debit cards?
I didn't know if the counter service at the parks take credit/debit cards??
I know we will have some cash....I just didn't know if we would need LOTS of cash.
Thanks for your help!
2 more weeks!!!!

We deposited the check in the bank, and then I purchased a $500 gift card and the rest was cash. We have 5 in our family. We went with about....$2000 and came home with about $500. Some of our "cash" was in gift cards that we've been carrying around for a while.

 

[BeckySob]

Hi I was just wondering if anyone has on here has ever had to stay off property at a hotel? We met with Dream Factory today and was told GKTW is booked our week and we will get a nearby hotel. (No food at our convienence, one room for all of us when we were so looking forward to the villa, no washer dryer fridge etc.). O.K. I am really let down but so is my Dream daughter. We have been reading all of these wonderful reports together and have checked out all of the GKTW website and boy did I goof. I should have never let her see it all because now all she is doing is wondering why she can't stay there. She has Type 1 diabetes and thinks it is because of the icecream or something she did wrong. I have tried to convince her otherwise but it has done no good.
I hate to say that she doesn't even want her wish trip anymore. I am so upset I haven't been able to sleep yet tonight. I really really want this week to be her magical time but don't know how to get through to her that it will still be fun.
My DH wants me to cancel the trip and get a loan to go on our own during free dining month. That way she can stay at a resort and maybe feel better. I don't know what to do. I haven't been able to go back to work because there is no nurse at her school so I am left dealing with her illness day and night. My husband still won't learn the basics of it. (Long story but I think he is very scared of hurting her or doing something wrong, I haven't gotten to the bottom of that yet.) Anyway money is tight for us and my husband has even been working crazy amounts of overtime for the spending money on this trip. We also found out that we will get 300 dollars a piece for the trip (there are 4 of us) but after buying all of our meals out and gas and gifts for the kids(remember we won't be staying at GKTW and Lexi already knows about all the gifts everyone has recieved so we will of course make up for it) I think our 300 a piece will go rather quickly. I hear the parks are outragousely priced on food and drinks. Lexi being diabetic she needs to eat quite frequently especially with all the walking she will be doing. So with all of the expense my husband has signed up for like 70 hours a week to save up money.

Any suggestions for this? Sorry to be such a downer but I am disappionted that my daughter is so sad about her dream trip.

I agree with what others have said. Your best bet is to reschedule. I know that stinks, and it would mean more waiting, but if your daughter is down about not staying at GKTW, rescheduling to be able to stay there would make her wish even better.

One thing about the "wish" is it's supposed to be a stress-free expenses paid vacation for the whole family. It sounds as if it's the complete opposite. Please reconsider, and change it to another date?

I will still PM you as I've promised, but I'm pressed for time today as I'm taking a quick break from volunteering at the concession stand at my sons baseball game.

 

[jessica52877]

Sammie Girl - I would try talking to the wish granters and getting the dates changed if you can stay at GKTW another time. Sounds like your daughter had her heart set on it. Please correct me if I am wrong Maroo but weren't you able to enjoy GKTW without staying there?

LuvGoing2Disney - DeAnna, I loved the pictures you posted! I was in a hurry this morning but wanted to look at them so I never commented!

As for actual cash that we take, I know we aren't a typical family but we usually at most have $40 with us in a park and $100 total cash for the trip. We charge everything and pay it off monthly. So I would deposit the check and then use a debit or credit card. Of course that way would be easiest to go over the budget. Very very very few stands won't take credit/debit.