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

[littlewarriorsmom]

Since we have a couple of families about to go on their Wish trip, I thought I'd hurry and post my tips for going on a Wish trip to WDW. Your mileage may vary, don’t substitute my judgment for your own!

Be sure to plot out some family pictures, then get someone to take multiple shots. In going through the hundreds of photos I took, I really wish we had one of all of us on the carousel. So make a short list of “must have” pics. Like one in front of the Disney castle!

Take full advantage of the free ice water at the counters. Don’t be embarrassed – it’s really no big deal. Then, if you know you’ll be having a Mickey-head ice cream on a stick later, save the lids. Slide them on, upside down, on the stick to catch drips.

Know that everyone’s experience is different, but trust that special things will happen for your child. Some Wish organizations do send-off parties. Others (like ours) don’t. Some give tons of bounty. I was disappointed when there were no MAW shirts or pins in the canvas bag they gave us. Who needs them, we got gorgeous MAW shirts from the Big Give! For anything you don’t get, there will be something fabulous you do.

Suntan lotion stains, and the spray-on type gets everywhere! If I were doing it again, I’d have the kids stand in the shower in their undies, spray them thoroughly, let it dry 5 minutes, then get dressed.

Take your autograph books everywhere – you can never tell when a character will pop up!

Our first full day, we went to MK. If I could redo, I’d do one smaller park the first day, like Hollywood Studios. It takes some time to figure out “how to do” the parks, how to get CMs to notice you, etc. I think we could have done more at MK had we been a little more experienced.

Use the maps. Yeah, it’s fun to wander, but the flip side is that you’ll miss out on some things. When I took the time to plot things out – okay, we’re going to go here, here, and here, we had more time to be spontaneous, smell the roses, etc.

If there are certain characters you really want to see -- make yourself a list. Once you get in WDW, it's all pretty overwhelming and you're apt to forget things. Like how many kids you have.

There's a Disney outlet store on the way from GKTW to Disney. (It's in the Buena Vista outlet mall.) We got some great deals on shirts and things. You probably won't find everything you want there, but there's some cool stuff, especially men's Disney polos. As Tom chortled after one trip and one bulging bag: “We got all that for the cost of one shirt if we’d bought it in the parks!”

The Epcot Wish lounges are only open M-F! We were there Sunday

If you’re doing a Photopass CD, keep your eyes out for the photogs all the time. And as you go back to areas you’ve been before, and there’s a new photog, get them to take your picture. Increases the chances of getting a great one.

If straws are important to you, carry them in to Animal Kingdom. They don’t have them there.

At Hollywood Studios: if you’re going to see the Playhouse Disney show, do NOT let them seat you at the front. It’s a puppet-type show, and your child will only be able to see the tops of the character’s heads. (You're sitting on the floor and the stage is raised.) Ask if you can please sit in the middle.

Take some “pixie dust.” Some of my favorite moments were when my kids could give a little something to another kid.

Best advice I got off disboards … no, second best. (Best was the free water thing.) Take the time to PLAY with your family at the parks. More important than the rides or attractions. This is what you’ll remember.

If your stroller gets stolen (happened to us twice),you don’t have to go back to the entrance to get another one. Just ask a CM where the closest stroller rental is. There’s one in Frontierland, I know that.

More tips as I think of ‘em!

 

[maroo]

Wow! Those are GREAT tips!!!

I had no idea the Epcot lounges were open M-F!!

Thank you so much for your help. I need any advice that you can give me on the best way to keep adding to my thread with updates.

Thank you again for making me feel so welcome!

I think you are asking how you can add to your pre-trip report? Right?

To add another post, you just click reply and you can type a reply to yourself and it will add it right in line with everyone elses.

If you want to edit a post, you can click edit and it will let you change what you typed or add info, etc.

If you want to edit your TITLE (which many of us do as we update the report with news, updates, etc) then go to Edit, then Advanced and you can type over your title. Most of us put a date when we update so that people will know if there is something new over there. Helps those of us that have way too many threads!!

Hopefully this answers your question...if not, please feel free to ask again!!

 

[WishMom09]

GREAT tips! Thanks!
Is the free ice water for everyone...or is that a wish trip thing?
The more tips I read the more anxious I get!
We have on our plan to do MK first.....maybe I should change our plans??

 

[maroo]

GREAT tips! Thanks!
Is the free ice water for everyone...or is that a wish trip thing?
The more tips I read the more anxious I get!
We have on our plan to do MK first.....maybe I should change our plans??

Free water is for everyone!!

Maybe we should do some tips about how to get the most out of a wish trip with the button, etc...

 

[maroo]

Tips for Getting the Most Out of that BUTTON!!!

* Make sure the button is easily seen! Putting it on a solid shirt helps. Anything you can do to make sure it is visible.

* Have an adult in your party wear the GAC. This is something a CM will see, as well, and then they can look for the button on your child. (The adult can also wear the button if your child is young.)

* DON'T BE SHY! If a CM does not see the button at an attraction, feel free to show it to them so that you can be taken care of quickly.

* Don't stand in line for a character. Find a CM and show them the button and they will show you where to go.

* Make eye contact with every CM and SMILE! They will take notice of that, too.

* Above all...Please don't feel bad for "using" the button. This is a ONCE IN A LIFETIME trip. It won't happen again for your child. Your child has been through so much and may go through much more in the future. This one week is for your child.

* For most attractions, people will not even realize you are going first.

* For the few lines that people will watch you "break" - The majority of "regular" families that you meet will LOVE the fact the you go in front of them. They get to feel special, too. They feel like they have had a small part in granting your wish. So you are blessing the people that you go in front of, too!


This is all I can think of for now...feel free to add any you can think of and we can keep a running list...and I will - eventually - put a link to this on Post 2!

 

[WishMom09]

Tips for Getting the Most Out of that BUTTON!!!

* Make sure the button is easily seen! Putting it on a solid shirt helps. Anything you can do to make sure it is visible.

* Have an adult in your party wear the GAC. This is something a CM will see, as well, and then they can look for the button on your child. (The adult can also wear the button if your child is young.)

* DON'T BE SHY! If a CM does not see the button at an attraction, feel free to show it to them so that you can be taken care of quickly.

* Don't stand in line for a character. Find a CM and show them the button and they will show you where to go.

* Make eye contact with every CM and SMILE! They will take notice of that, too.

* Above all...Please don't feel bad for "using" the button. This is a ONCE IN A LIFETIME trip. It won't happen again for your child. Your child has been through so much and may go through much more in the future. This one week is for your child.

* For most attractions, people will not even realize you are going first.

* For the few lines that people will watch you "break" - The majority of "regular" families that you meet will LOVE the fact the you go in front of them. They get to feel special, too. They feel like they have had a small part in granting your wish. So you are blessing the people that you go in front of, too!


This is all I can think of for now...feel free to add any you can think of and we can keep a running list...and I will - eventually - put a link to this on Post 2!

AWESOME tips! (but reading them made me cry...this is gonna be a fun week...of tears!!!!!)

It seems hard to think of being "pushy" about the button....but I am sure once you try it a time or 2 it gets easier!

Thanks again for the tips!!

 

[maroo]

AWESOME tips! (but reading them made me cry...this is gonna be a fun week...of tears!!!!!)

It seems hard to think of being "pushy" about the button....but I am sure once you try it a time or 2 it gets easier!

Thanks again for the tips!!

Oh yes...Please don't be shy!

Really, really...it is COOL for those of us NOT on Wish Trips to see a MAW child get special treatment! Really!

I have read in multiple TR's about "A wish family got to go in front of us and it was so sweet" and stuff like that. Don't feel bad! Really!!

Enjoy the special attention! And don't worry about the tears! U might want to warn your kids that you may have happy tears so they don't get upset to see you cry... So they know that you are probably going to cry happy tears this week.

 

[BeckySob]

AWESOME tips! (but reading them made me cry...this is gonna be a fun week...of tears!!!!!)

It seems hard to think of being "pushy" about the button....but I am sure once you try it a time or 2 it gets easier!

Thanks again for the tips!!

I had a hard time with the "button" issue as well. I just didn't feel right. With that being said....we didn't receive the "royalty" treatment at the very first park we went to. (Epcot) But we soon learned that we needed to be a bit more aggressive, with a smile, and tons of "thank yous". After that, we were treated a little better.


Great tips, Maroo.

I saw a post on here that someone was going to maybe write to Disney about Universal being so much better. I thought it was just me.

 

[jessica52877]

Wow! What great tips! The main park ones. I don't know anything about the MAW although I am sure those are great too! Some things that I would think of doing at home I would have never thought to do at disney. No idea why! Like the ice cream lid one.

As an "outsider" as in not having a wish child it would so make my day to see a wish child getting to do their wish without having to wait. I wouldn't think anything of one going in front of us. Now having said that I have never once noticed in literally probably over 100 trips someone cutting in front of us! So have fun and don't worry about using the button!

 

[Andreaswish]

Thanks for the tips they are helpful for our planning. Looking forward to reading some more. Anything we can do to make our dd wish trip super special will be great.

Thanks again ladies for the tip lists.

Diane

 

[Andreaswish]

I found a Disney pressed penny holder on a garage sale today - brand new for $1 and a cute dalmation snow globe that Andrea will love for 25 cents. I also found a fanny pack for one of the kids for 50 cents. I love these bargains. Hope to find some more.

Have a good day.

Diane

 

[queengonzo]

GREAT TIPS!!

you are so right about the button!!! if someone had not pointed me in this direction (the forums) i KNOW i probably would NOT had such a WONDERFUL experience if i had not heard about the pins and such HERE!! so THANK YOU!

I was hesitant on HOW to use the pins when we started out....i really wasn't sure HOW that worked.....our FIRST experience was at ANIMAL KINGDOM ... (some one mentioned that the didnt know if they should do MK first....we decided not to (on the advice of MAROO) AND i think it worked out GREAT!! we were still kinda tired from our travels (leaving at 7am the previous day) so, we did AK and DH and it was PERFECT since DH ended at 7pm (i think) and we were home early enough to rest for the BIG DAY!! ANYWAY, back to the pins....we get on property at AK and there were some characters before we even GOT to the park.....james and i didn't know how to go about it so what we ended up doing is going to the back of the line figuring that maybe someone would see us?!?! but instead, there was a a CM there at the back directing the famies (they almost ALWAYS had a CM there (which is AWESOME) )and THEY said, 'oh, no! you come right over here..." and they walked us RIGHT to the front of the line, called attention to the attendant at the FRONT of the line and told them we were WISH FAMILY and she turned around and told us, "you NEVER have to stand in a line!! just go up to a CM and we will tell you were you need to go! don't be shy and just ask us anything you need!!" and that was what we did after that!! i don't think we ever had to really FLASH our pins....no, i take that back, WE DID because on rides we were always STOPPED because since matthews wheelchair/stroller was broken and he was using his brothers REGULAR stroller, they always tried to make us leave the stroller behind....

++++++TIP++++ If you are using a STROLLER for a WHEELCHAIR or for your special kiddo and want to take him/her up to take the stroller to the ride entrance....you can get a STICKER that they put on the STROLLER and it marks it as a STROLLER=WHEELCHAIR and that will let you push it all the way thru the line!! the sticker comes from CITY HALL place at MK and that sticker actually worked at all the parks that we went to.....we had to use one for matthews stroller.....they didn't hassel us about him staying in the stroller!!!!!

ANYWAY, it was amazing and fun and YES YES YES, make that button work for you!!!!! it doesn't always get you to the FRONT of the line but you usually end up in the FAST PASS LINE.....and most of the time there was not that many people there!! we loved it and that was one of the most AWESOME things that MADE us feel sooooooooo special....especially because if we were NOT a wish family, we KNEW we might have been in that back of that LONG LINES.....so, YES, it was MAGICAL and SPECIAL and ONCE IN A LIFETIME!!!!!

i will have to think of some other TIPS!!!

really quick, funny thing about the water....i didn't know if we were suppose to have a CUP for the FREE water or they were going to give us a bottle water or WHAT!!!!! soooooooooo......you guessed it....WE NEVER ASKED FOR WATER!!!!! so can someone clarify what we MISSED?!?!! it would have been nice but it was ok cause we actually CARRIED OUR OWN WATER!!

GOD BLESS...

 

[thatkid]

I have a question for fellow tube-feeders.
I have to bring 7 cans per day on our trip. 7x7=49.. which means 2 boxes plus one can. We are going from Canada. Has anyone else done this and has anyone had problems? Also will my syringes be a problem? we have never travelled before. thanks!

=)

 

[queengonzo]

I have a question for fellow tube-feeders.
I have to bring 7 cans per day on our trip. 7x7=49.. which means 2 boxes plus one can. We are going from Canada. Has anyone else done this and has anyone had problems? Also will my syringes be a problem? we have never travelled before. thanks!

=)

HI THERE!!! we also are g-tubers and we didn't know HOW we wer going to do it BUT we found out we could get the DME to SHIP the cans he needed DIRECTLY to GKTW and they did!! it was WAITING there fore us when we got there!!! so, maybe you can ask your DME if they would ship a portion of your supplies directly there!! they do it ALL THE TIME there at GKTW!!! we did bring our own syringes inside our luggage and it was no problem.....

GOOD LUCK........

 

[queengonzo]

HEY THERE....was just remembering that something we did before we left GKTW is DONATE all our EXTRA stuff that we had bought while we were there!!! we donated WATER, DIAPERS, THE EXTRA FORMULA, some snacks and such and the RAIN PONCHO'S that they gave us!!! anything extra....they were VERY HAPPY to get it!!!! soooo, just a THOUGHT that way you don't have to travel back home with it or throw it away!!!

 

[maroo]

I had a hard time with the "button" issue as well. I just didn't feel right. With that being said....we didn't receive the "royalty" treatment at the very first park we went to. (Epcot) But we soon learned that we needed to be a bit more aggressive, with a smile, and tons of "thank yous". After that, we were treated a little better.


Great tips, Maroo.

I saw a post on here that someone was going to maybe write to Disney about Universal being so much better. I thought it was just me.

Thanks! And several families have said how awesome Universal has been to the Wish Kids!

As an "outsider" as in not having a wish child it would so make my day to see a wish child getting to do their wish without having to wait. I wouldn't think anything of one going in front of us. Now having said that I have never once noticed in literally probably over 100 trips someone cutting in front of us! So have fun and don't worry about using the button!

Exactly!

I found a Disney pressed penny holder on a garage sale today - brand new for $1 and a cute dalmation snow globe that Andrea will love for 25 cents. I also found a fanny pack for one of the kids for 50 cents. I love these bargains. Hope to find some more.

Have a good day.

Diane

Oh how much fun!!

GREAT TIPS!!

you are so right about the button!!! if someone had not pointed me in this direction (the forums) i KNOW i probably would NOT had such a WONDERFUL experience if i had not heard about the pins and such HERE!! so THANK YOU!

I was hesitant on HOW to use the pins when we started out....i really wasn't sure HOW that worked.....our FIRST experience was at ANIMAL KINGDOM ... (some one mentioned that the didnt know if they should do MK first....we decided not to (on the advice of MAROO) AND i think it worked out GREAT!! we were still kinda tired from our travels (leaving at 7am the previous day) so, we did AK and DH and it was PERFECT since DH ended at 7pm (i think) and we were home early enough to rest for the BIG DAY!! ANYWAY, back to the pins....we get on property at AK and there were some characters before we even GOT to the park.....james and i didn't know how to go about it so what we ended up doing is going to the back of the line figuring that maybe someone would see us?!?! but instead, there was a a CM there at the back directing the famies (they almost ALWAYS had a CM there (which is AWESOME) )and THEY said, 'oh, no! you come right over here..." and they walked us RIGHT to the front of the line, called attention to the attendant at the FRONT of the line and told them we were WISH FAMILY and she turned around and told us, "you NEVER have to stand in a line!! just go up to a CM and we will tell you were you need to go! don't be shy and just ask us anything you need!!" and that was what we did after that!! i don't think we ever had to really FLASH our pins....no, i take that back, WE DID because on rides we were always STOPPED because since matthews wheelchair/stroller was broken and he was using his brothers REGULAR stroller, they always tried to make us leave the stroller behind....

++++++TIP++++ If you are using a STROLLER for a WHEELCHAIR or for your special kiddo and want to take him/her up to take the stroller to the ride entrance....you can get a STICKER that they put on the STROLLER and it marks it as a STROLLER=WHEELCHAIR and that will let you push it all the way thru the line!! the sticker comes from CITY HALL place at MK and that sticker actually worked at all the parks that we went to.....we had to use one for matthews stroller.....they didn't hassel us about him staying in the stroller!!!!!

ANYWAY, it was amazing and fun and YES YES YES, make that button work for you!!!!! it doesn't always get you to the FRONT of the line but you usually end up in the FAST PASS LINE.....and most of the time there was not that many people there!! we loved it and that was one of the most AWESOME things that MADE us feel sooooooooo special....especially because if we were NOT a wish family, we KNEW we might have been in that back of that LONG LINES.....so, YES, it was MAGICAL and SPECIAL and ONCE IN A LIFETIME!!!!!

i will have to think of some other TIPS!!!

really quick, funny thing about the water....i didn't know if we were suppose to have a CUP for the FREE water or they were going to give us a bottle water or WHAT!!!!! soooooooooo......you guessed it....WE NEVER ASKED FOR WATER!!!!! so can someone clarify what we MISSED?!?!! it would have been nice but it was ok cause we actually CARRIED OUR OWN WATER!!

GOD BLESS...

They actually give free water at any counter service restaurant, at least at Disney. They told me "NO" at Sea World...but I have heard they sometimes say yes. It is a free cup of ice water. Tap water, but free! It allowed me to not carry water around all day, I just went to the counter to get some. But you do have to possibly wait in line...so that is a drawback.

I LOVED your TR!!!

Can you post the link again so that everyone here will make sure and read it!

I just love to read the way you type! Your bolded words make me smile every time I read them!

I have a question for fellow tube-feeders.
I have to bring 7 cans per day on our trip. 7x7=49.. which means 2 boxes plus one can. We are going from Canada. Has anyone else done this and has anyone had problems? Also will my syringes be a problem? we have never travelled before. thanks!

=)

I don't know the answer...but Nicole is probably on here somewhere and she can tell you...and I know we have had some others, too.

I think some folks have shipped theirs straight to GKTW, which may help so you don't have to drag it around or even pack it.

You can also get a free "medical" bag at most airlines...just let them know it is all medical in a certain bag and they will usually let you check it for free!

 

[kmparrish5]

I have a question for fellow tube-feeders.
I have to bring 7 cans per day on our trip. 7x7=49.. which means 2 boxes plus one can. We are going from Canada. Has anyone else done this and has anyone had problems? Also will my syringes be a problem? we have never travelled before. thanks!

=)

We are going on our wish trip in 16 days! Landon is tube fed. I just arranged (after getting help from others here) to have some of his monthly supply shipped to GKTW. It was no big deal. It will be easier than having to take it with me on the plane.

 

[ndloewen]

I have a question for fellow tube-feeders.
I have to bring 7 cans per day on our trip. 7x7=49.. which means 2 boxes plus one can. We are going from Canada. Has anyone else done this and has anyone had problems? Also will my syringes be a problem? we have never travelled before. thanks!

=)

Yep, maroo, I'm here!

We also went from Canada, and I know things are a bit different flying from here. Our home care company would not ship anything over the border for us. So we had to take it all, and I'm assuming the same applies for you. We had no issues though and we had a TON of supplies and fluids!! Most airlines will check your medical supplies for free, or you can carry them on without it counting towards your carry on limit. Which airline are you flying with?? We went with Air Canada and it was a pain to get it all organized (I must have talked with their medical desk about 20 times), but it all worked out well. We have also flown with Northwest in the past, and they are WONDERFUL!! No questions asked and everything was so easy. Air Canada was a bit more of a pain and ask far too many questions about medical information I don't think they are entitled to know. (Although it was mostly our oxygen that was the big issue). You also need to let them know if you will be running a feeding pump during the flight. We ran oxygen, a feeding pump and an iv pump during the flight without any problems. Talk with your wish coordinator about these issues as they should be able to help arrange things for you.

Syringes are not a problem. We had syringes and needles in our checked and carry on bags. No questions asked.

As for your formula, if that is something that you would not be able to get down in Orlando, you can arrange with the airline to carry it all on. Yes, it's a pain, but so much better than the worry of them losing it and then being stuck. We carried on all our TPN (16 litres of fluid)...what a hassle! But I just couldn't risk it being damaged or lost. If you do check it, bring at least a couple of days in your carry on "just in case".

Make sure you get a doctors note stating what you are all bring. If you check out http://www.oley.org there are lots of travel tips for tubefeeding, and they have a letter you can copy and have your doctor sign. I carried that with me in case any questions were asked. I never had to show it, but it is good insurance.

We've done a couple of big trips from Canada to the US with tubefeeding, TPN and oxygen, so any questions, just ask!

 

[queengonzo]

I LOVED your TR!!!

Can you post the link again so that everyone here will make sure and read it!

I just love to read the way you type! Your bolded words make me smile every time I read them!

awwwwww....THANK YOU!! i am so glad you like the TR!! it was such an AMAZING experience!!! what is funny, i have people COMPLAIN because of all my bold words and punctuation etc!! but i know that YOU got it! if you read it thinking as if i was talking to you, it would make sense!! and i AM talking to all of ya'll!!!!

soooo, OF COURSE, here is the link to my BLOG where i have my TRIP REPORT from our WONDERFUL 7 days of WISHES!!! just remember to start on the FIRST day of our trip which was APRIL 18-24!! just be warned, i write ALOT, if you have not noticed!!! lots of pictures too!

WWW.BLESSINGSINMYLIFE.BLOGSPOT.COM​

take care and GOD BLESS!!!
MARIA

 

[littlewarriorsmom]

The ONE souvenir that I really wanted was a Disney World snow globe. This is the one thing we collect. Every Dec. 26th, we go out and buy one to symbolize the previous year. So, of course, for this year, it had to be WDW, right? Wrong. They don't sell snow globes, except for some small ornaments. Too hard for people to get home, they explained to me.

So I was a little bummed. Then, a couple of days after we got back, I went online to the Give Kids the World store to get a couple of tshirts for Tom and me. Oooh, and then I had to get another GKTW Candyland to put back (since they're playing with the one we received, I have a feeling that pieces will be lost at some point.) And there it was ... a Give Kids the World snowglobe!

It was a little expensive, but worth it. (And I had a little money left from what I budgeted for our trip.) I got the box today and this snowglobe is huge and beautiful. Looks just like the Village! Here it is, in the store. The picture makes it look small, but it's not -- it's probably the largest I have, and we collect full-size ones.

By the way, if you're a family that has been to GKTW and you want to place an order, PM for a free shipping code. I'm sorry I can't offer to everyone, I think it's just for the GKTW families.