Make a Wish (and other organizations) ~ Wish Trippers UNITE! Volume FIVE!!

[nesser1981]

You can get Aquatica Tickets at GKTW.

EMH do not apply to Wish Families.

Hi all,

A little back story on us. We have been to GKTW several years ago with our oldest son. We will be going back this summer with our almost 3 year old daughter. We had an amazing time with my son, and feel both happy and sad that we are going again. Happy we get to experience it, sad our baby girl is also terminal.

The only negative with our first trip was that I felt so overwhelmed with so much to do. I wanted to be at the parks, but I also wanted to stay at GKTW to partake in all they had to offer. We are thinking of extending our trip by a couple of days. Is it possible to use the tickets GKTW issues you after you check out? For example while we are at GKTW, hang out there for a couple of days... And when we move to another resort use the tickets that were given to us by GKTW? KMIM?

A couple of other questions:

Is it possible to get Aquatica tickets? Without trading in your SeaWorld tickets? Yes, you can get Aquatica tickets

Are we eligible for morning EMH? I know this is really early, but I am thinking in the middle of the summer it will be worth it to get everybody up early to hit the parks before the crowds and the heat set in. EMH does not apply to wish families

I know I have other questions, just can't think of them now.

I am really enjoying reading through this thread.

Thanks for all the information,

Jean

 

[nesser1981]

That will probably vary from chapter to chapter, but our wish chapter made our reservation for CRT and it was paid for in advance, but the money came out of our expense check.

More than likely you'll have to pay out of your expense check for these extra things, I'm assuming they'll cover one for and probably make the reservations if you asked.

And FYI, our expense check was enough to do these kinds of things if we ate cheaper. Because its more geared for food than anything else, at least ours was.

We met with Alyssa's MAW granters and are waiting on dates! We chose Nov 10-18, and we hope to do CRT, BBB, and MVMCP. Does anyone know if MAW will schedule CRT and BBB for us, or do they just include money for this in the expense check and I have to book it? Thanks for any info!!

 

[blessedmom4]

I started packing last night for the trip and its over filled. I don't know if i over packed or its just enough. I don't know if i should of packed enough cloths for every day or just bring few and then do a load of wash down there. I like everything i bought to wear for me, hubby, and kids. I had to discard at least two outfits because i bought too many outfits for the summer. I don't know if i am packing things right.

I washed EVERY night...and we brought a lot of clothes, but we extended our trip four days.

EMH do not apply to Wish Families.

I wouldn't COUNT on EMH; however, there have been reports of SOME wish families being able to enjoy them, it really just seemed to depend on the CM they asked...but it is NOT part of the GKTW perks. We couldn't have done that anyway, Lisa is/was much too frail to spend a lot of time at the parks. Again, it really depends on your family and how sick your child is, as to what you are able to do. Lisa needed a LOT of downtime and GKTW was perfect for that!

I wanted to comment on Wish Expense Checks...they vary widely from one chapter to the next. Our chapter would pay for ONE "Extra" ie: BBB, CRT, etc. OR they would allow you one "experience" ie: meet a special character, do something you couldn't buy....Lisa chose the experience, because we could never, EVER arrange what the Wish Chapter did...

 

[threelittlebakers]

Everything is pretty much packed except for a few toiletries and matthew's feeding machine charger (would i be able to bring charger cord in my carry on). I just don't want to get in trouble with TSA.

We are just counting down the hours.

 

[threelittlebakers]

I washed EVERY night...and we brought a lot of clothes, but we extended our trip four days.


I wouldn't COUNT on EMH; however, there have been reports of SOME wish families being able to enjoy them, it really just seemed to depend on the CM they asked...but it is NOT part of the GKTW perks. We couldn't have done that anyway, Lisa is/was much too frail to spend a lot of time at the parks. Again, it really depends on your family and how sick your child is, as to what you are able to do. Lisa needed a LOT of downtime and GKTW was perfect for that!

I wanted to comment on Wish Expense Checks...they vary widely from one chapter to the next. Our chapter would pay for ONE "Extra" ie: BBB, CRT, etc. OR they would allow you one "experience" ie: meet a special character, do something you couldn't buy....Lisa chose the experience, because we could never, EVER arrange what the Wish Chapter did...

Our wish chapter just gives you a big expense check. They didn't arrange anything extra or have an experience. I wish they did. I asked but i got turned down when i asked them.

 

[jon03015]

I just posted an update with new....PICTURES! So come on over and check it out! I also posted my itinerary and would love to have some suggestions. I can't wait till January!

 

[blessedmom4]

Our wish chapter just gives you a big expense check. They didn't arrange anything extra or have an experience. I wish they did. I asked but i got turned down when i asked them.

That is great you get a big expense check though! I wonder why they wouldn't arrange an experience at least...that costs them nothing? (Each chapter IS different, we got a small check and there were 6 of us). Honestly though, It will NOT matter, we found magic at MANY opportunities, just smile and go with the flow, no matter what! Have a WONDERFUL time and don't forget to come back and tell us all how incredible it was!!! Remember to take some down time and relax, it is a marathon, not a sprint!

 

[threelittlebakers]

Its been a very busy day. I worked this morning and got off work late. I had to run Lyla the family dog to our aunts house. I had a quick dinner at mcd's. Im about to but the kids to bed. They are wrestling on the bed. I have to weigh the luggage. I borrowed my sisters scale because i wasn't sure if it was over the 50 lb mark. Im getting the camera, feed pump, and kindle fire charging because i am packing the cords and devices tonight except for mattthew's feeding pump. The only thing left is taking care of me and then im going to bed. Very tired because i made the mistake of letting my boss put me on the schedule for this morning and it was busy. But we are all thrilled that tomorrow is the Big Day. Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

 

[jon03015]

Its been a very busy day. I worked this morning and got off work late. I had to run Lyla the family dog to our aunts house. I had a quick dinner at mcd's. Im about to but the kids to bed. They are wrestling on the bed. I have to weigh the luggage. I borrowed my sisters scale because i wasn't sure if it was over the 50 lb mark. Im getting the camera, feed pump, and kindle fire charging because i am packing the cords and devices tonight except for mattthew's feeding pump. The only thing left is taking care of me and then im going to bed. Very tired because i made the mistake of letting my boss put me on the schedule for this morning and it was busy. But we are all thrilled that tomorrow is the Big Day. Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Excited for your family!!! I am sending pixie dust wishes! Can't wait to hear how fun everything was.

 

[Moodyzblu]

So excited for you !!!

 

[threelittlebakers]

Im going to try to fall asleep now. Me and the kids get up in 5 1/2 hours.

 

[Moodyzblu]

Im going to try to fall asleep now. Me and the kids get up in 5 1/2 hours.

Have a wonderful trip !!!

 

[threelittlebakers]

Well the limp drive to the airport was fun. Me and the kids were dancing. We got at the airport real early. Security was scary for Matthew. They had to do a screening for him. You should seen the look on his face. But we got through it. Now we are waiting to board. About two hours.

 

[nesser1981]

Hope you guys have an amazing time!

Well the limp drive to the airport was fun. Me and the kids were dancing. We got at the airport real early. Security was scary for Matthew. They had to do a screening for him. You should seen the look on his face. But we got through it. Now we are waiting to board. About two hours.

 

[Blessed0602]

Wow! What a week! Is it normal to feel post-trip depression?

I think I've coined the trip "exhaustingly-fun"! We had such a great time. GKTW was amazing as all you past-timers have said. I'm wondering if I shouldn't have read as many TR's as I did though. I found myself having certain expectations that unfortunately were not met. I've kept them to myself though, and our kiddos never knew the difference. Don't get me wrong...this was a trip of a lifetime! And I will be forever grateful for these memories that MAW and GKTW have made possible for our family. But nothing happened that went above and beyond to make his wish come true. (To meet Lightening McQueen.) He got his 30 seconds to take his picture next to the car and we watched the Stunt Show that Lightening is in (which almost got cancelled due to an oil spill). Disney wasn't overly-accomodating with the GAC and they wouldn't accept it unless Logan was present in the line. (We have an 8 year old who liked some of the rides that Logan was either unable to ride or didn't care to ride.) So that slowed us down considerably since they sent us to wait in the regular line each time. Universal, however was extremely gracious!

Again, I don't want to sound like I'm complaining as this was a wonderful trip! I'm just wondering what to do with these feelings and if anyone else has experienced them? Can't wait to get to work on our TR! But first up....LAUNDRY!

 

[blessedmom4]

Wow! What a week! Is it normal to feel post-trip depression?

I think I've coined the trip "exhaustingly-fun"! We had such a great time. GKTW was amazing as all you past-timers have said. I'm wondering if I shouldn't have read as many TR's as I did though. I found myself having certain expectations that unfortunately were not met. I've kept them to myself though, and our kiddos never knew the difference. Don't get me wrong...this was a trip of a lifetime! And I will be forever grateful for these memories that MAW and GKTW have made possible for our family. But nothing happened that went above and beyond to make his wish come true. (To meet Lightening McQueen.) He got his 30 seconds to take his picture next to the car and we watched the Stunt Show that Lightening is in (which almost got cancelled due to an oil spill). Disney wasn't overly-accomodating with the GAC and they wouldn't accept it unless Logan was present in the line. (We have an 8 year old who liked some of the rides that Logan was either unable to ride or didn't care to ride.) So that slowed us down considerably since they sent us to wait in the regular line each time. Universal, however was extremely gracious!

Again, I don't want to sound like I'm complaining as this was a wonderful trip! I'm just wondering what to do with these feelings and if anyone else has experienced them? Can't wait to get to work on our TR! But first up....LAUNDRY!

Oh Amber . I DO know what you are talking about to some degree. I didn’t have time to experience the post letdown feeling, we had to take Lisa to Philadelphia (10 plus hours from our home) almost as soon as we returned for a 10 day hospitalization (2 weeks out of town, it was surreal) and cardiac cath to see if it was time for her next Open Heart Surgeries...honestly I STILL haven’t had the let down feeling, but I have before on other trips so I “get it.”

I agree Universal really rolled out the red carpet, Disney not nearly as much. That being said we DID meet several cast members who really tired to be kind to us and our Wish Organization arranged Lisa’s something special...Disney does NOT have anything to do with that, it is each individual Wish Chapter. That being said, Lisa’s wish went beyond I want to go to Disney...she had a laundry list of things she WANTED to do. Our chapter helped us with one, which we will forever be grateful for.

I personally don’t think you are complaining or that this wasn’t the trip of a lifetime...having been on the end of some less than magical things that happened, I KNOW what you are saying. As far as our “green light” GAC...I really didn’t find it making any more difference than a typical GAC, having experienced that before. The ONLY time it made a difference for us was seeing Buzz and Woody at DHS.

Did that make our trip less than spectacular? NO. BUT, it was NOT front of the line access as we had read about, except at Universal. I am doing my best to tell both the good AND the less than stellar things on our TR. I don’t want to sugarcoat anything, nor do I want to minimize how incredible a gift it was. I know you aren’t either. I for one, am Thankful for your candor. WELCOME HOME, Get some rest and know I look forward to reading your TR.

There have been others who have reported similar experiences here before. I DO hope you will tell GKTW what happened, they do NOT know unless we inform them. They greatly appreciated the feedback, trust me.

 

[nesser1981]

I found that the GAC just got us to the fastpass line, and that was fine.

I think its totally normal. But at our orientation they did tell us that the GAC was only for the wish kid and the family if they were with the wish kid. I think someone may have asked.

Wow! What a week! Is it normal to feel post-trip depression?

I think I've coined the trip "exhaustingly-fun"! We had such a great time. GKTW was amazing as all you past-timers have said. I'm wondering if I shouldn't have read as many TR's as I did though. I found myself having certain expectations that unfortunately were not met. I've kept them to myself though, and our kiddos never knew the difference. Don't get me wrong...this was a trip of a lifetime! And I will be forever grateful for these memories that MAW and GKTW have made possible for our family. But nothing happened that went above and beyond to make his wish come true. (To meet Lightening McQueen.) He got his 30 seconds to take his picture next to the car and we watched the Stunt Show that Lightening is in (which almost got cancelled due to an oil spill). Disney wasn't overly-accomodating with the GAC and they wouldn't accept it unless Logan was present in the line. (We have an 8 year old who liked some of the rides that Logan was either unable to ride or didn't care to ride.) So that slowed us down considerably since they sent us to wait in the regular line each time. Universal, however was extremely gracious!

Again, I don't want to sound like I'm complaining as this was a wonderful trip! I'm just wondering what to do with these feelings and if anyone else has experienced them? Can't wait to get to work on our TR! But first up....LAUNDRY!

 

[Moodyzblu]

Wow! What a week! Is it normal to feel post-trip depression?

I think I've coined the trip "exhaustingly-fun"! We had such a great time. GKTW was amazing as all you past-timers have said. I'm wondering if I shouldn't have read as many TR's as I did though. I found myself having certain expectations that unfortunately were not met. I've kept them to myself though, and our kiddos never knew the difference. Don't get me wrong...this was a trip of a lifetime! And I will be forever grateful for these memories that MAW and GKTW have made possible for our family. But nothing happened that went above and beyond to make his wish come true. (To meet Lightening McQueen.) He got his 30 seconds to take his picture next to the car and we watched the Stunt Show that Lightening is in (which almost got cancelled due to an oil spill). Disney wasn't overly-accomodating with the GAC and they wouldn't accept it unless Logan was present in the line. (We have an 8 year old who liked some of the rides that Logan was either unable to ride or didn't care to ride.) So that slowed us down considerably since they sent us to wait in the regular line each time. Universal, however was extremely gracious!

Again, I don't want to sound like I'm complaining as this was a wonderful trip! I'm just wondering what to do with these feelings and if anyone else has experienced them? Can't wait to get to work on our TR! But first up....LAUNDRY!

Welcome back !!

It's perfectly normal to have PDD (post Disney depression) it happens !!

I totally understand what you mean about the GAC card and the difference between Disney and Universal. Universal was just awesome ! Plus since Jaydens actual wish was to go to Harry Potter World and the fact they gave us a guided tour .. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

I'm looking forward to your trip report !!

 

[blessedmom4]

Welcome back !!

It's perfectly normal to have PDD (post Disney depression) it happens !!

I totally understand what you mean about the GAC card and the difference between Disney and Universal. Universal was just awesome ! Plus since Jaydens actual wish was to go to Harry Potter World and the fact they gave us a guided tour .. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

I'm looking forward to your trip report !!

Universal WAS awesome!
I LOVED the start of your installments on HP...I am on my way over to see if you had time to share any more.

 

[Hopem19]

I'm wondering if I shouldn't have read as many TR's as I did though. I found myself having certain expectations that unfortunately were not met.

I am sorry that happened, This is a fear of mine that has come up over the last week or so. I am often bawling as I read about the magic experienced in past TRs, but later I wonder what if we don't have as magical experience. At the same time I get teary thinking about getting to the airport or driving into GKTW, plus GMA will be there so even if I could hold back a little she won't make it easy.