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

[mom2pixies]

I have been away from you DISfriends for much too long! I apologize for that--just haven't had the time to sit at the computer much lately. Hope to change it soon!

In the meantime, just wanted to wish all of you--and your tiny royalty--an amazing National Princess Week!! Hope all of your princesses are living out their little Disney dreams!

 

[jon03015]

Oh i definitly will. i will have to have my husband post all the pictures. i have no clue on how to post pics. I feel like screaming. Today went so slow and tomorrow i have to work. We have been waiting for this trip for 11 months. I know others who have waited longer and i don't know how they did it but i am going crazy.

We met with Austin's Wish Granters last March and will not go till January of next year!!! LOL! But since we first met our Wish Granters Austin had a kidney transplant and he has some heat aversion so we wanted to wait for the cooler months and a good time for my hubby's work. So when all is said and done it will be a two year process. So long, but since we have so long to prepare I get to read up on what all you wonderful families do on your trip and glean knwoledge from you!

Just got a call from our wish granter and we have dates!!!!!! We are booked at GKTW for Nov 10-16th! We are planning to extend our trip until the 18th!

YEAH!!!! Love that! Congrats!

I have been away from you DISfriends for much too long! I apologize for that--just haven't had the time to sit at the computer much lately. Hope to change it soon!

In the meantime, just wanted to wish all of you--and your tiny royalty--an amazing National Princess Week!! Hope all of your princesses are living out their little Disney dreams!

Happy Princess Week to you too!!!

 

[roach3770]

All of you who will be going are in for such a treat! We had such a wonderful time. We only wish it could have been longer and are sad that it is over. We have so many precious memories and we will be forever greatful for that. For those of you that will be traveling soon, make sure that you take the time to enjoy the activies at GKTW. Mackenzie loved it there and would have been content not leaving there all week. She wanted to do the parties every evening and loves to swim so we made sure to make time for that. The guest assistance pass make it very doable to do the parks during the day and came back late afternoon to enjoy the evening activities. We normally ate breakfast first thing around 8 or 8:30 and tried to be to the parks as close to 9 or 9:30. We bought waters and snacks from Wal Mart to eat at the parks and then usually returned around 5 to get in a quick swim and eat dinner before the evening parties.

The parties all had music and Mackenzie had been in ballet and dance since she was 2 and loved dancing. She had auditioned and got chosen for the Nut Cracker the week before being diagnosed with her brain tumor. That was the hardes thing for her was when she realized that she would not be in the ballet. The doctors weren't sure that she'd be able to walk again let alone dance. She has not danced or had the desire to dance since the surgery. Even when we encouraged her to do so she had just lost her passion for it. This past week she danced every night and didn't care what anyone thought. She was the life of every party and danced from the start of the music to the very last song every night. It was so wonderful to see her dance, have fun and be an 8 year old little girl again with no doctors appointments, rehab or tutoring.

The parks are wonderful and we had the best treatment and they just tret the kids so special when they see their GKTW badge. Don't be afraid to use it and show it to the CM's. If they can help with anything they will!

 

[Kenziema]

All of you who will be going are in for such a treat! We had such a wonderful time. We only wish it could have been longer and are sad that it is over. We have so many precious memories and we will be forever greatful for that. For those of you that will be traveling soon, make sure that you take the time to enjoy the activies at GKTW. Mackenzie loved it there and would have been content not leaving there all week. She wanted to do the parties every evening and loves to swim so we made sure to make time for that. The guest assistance pass make it very doable to do the parks during the day and came back late afternoon to enjoy the evening activities. We normally ate breakfast first thing around 8 or 8:30 and tried to be to the parks as close to 9 or 9:30. We bought waters and snacks from Wal Mart to eat at the parks and then usually returned around 5 to get in a quick swim and eat dinner before the evening parties.

The parties all had music and Mackenzie had been in ballet and dance since she was 2 and loved dancing. She had auditioned and got chosen for the Nut Cracker the week before being diagnosed with her brain tumor. That was the hardes thing for her was when she realized that she would not be in the ballet. The doctors weren't sure that she'd be able to walk again let alone dance. She has not danced or had the desire to dance since the surgery. Even when we encouraged her to do so she had just lost her passion for it. This past week she danced every night and didn't care what anyone thought. She was the life of every party and danced from the start of the music to the very last song every night. It was so wonderful to see her dance, have fun and be an 8 year old little girl again with no doctors appointments, rehab or tutoring.

The parks are wonderful and we had the best treatment and they just tret the kids so special when they see their GKTW badge. Don't be afraid to use it and show it to the CM's. If they can help with anything they will!

There must have been tears in your eyes when you saw her dancing, I started crying just reading that. I'm so glad you guys had a blast and your Lil Mac got a break.

 

[Kenziema]

I don't know how I made it either. My kids ask me every time Disney commercial came on they would ask when we are going. The only reason we waited so long is I didn't have money to buy luggage or get cloths for everyone. We finally got approved late summer and I had both kids birthdays and the holidays I just didn't have the money. I also wanted to go when the weather is just right. If I could go back I would of chose February instead.

The weather should be great right now, and better yet the kids will be able to enjoy the pool. That's the only thing I'm thinking about now as Kenzie just loves the pool in my sisters building. Only 3 more days!!!

 

[blessedmom4]

Right ! I have to say .. EPCOT's VIP lounge was AWESOME ! You have to go visit, even for just a few minutes. You can freshen up and get soft drinks.

We LOVED both wish lounges...but there was more to do at the EPCOT lounge...we had a blast!

I have been away from you DISfriends for much too long! I apologize for that--just haven't had the time to sit at the computer much lately. Hope to change it soon!

In the meantime, just wanted to wish all of you--and your tiny royalty--an amazing National Princess Week!! Hope all of your princesses are living out their little Disney dreams!

Happy Princess week (googled it to see Target of all things ) You have been missed (as you saw on your TR). Life gets in the way when you get back from a Wish trip...and we understand. I love seeing my past friends sign in though...and Maroo, if you see this..YOU ARE MISSED!!!!

Has any one been to seaworld aquatica water park

We have NOT been...BUT, the price for Wish Families is right (FREE TICKETS for those who don't know).

We only wish it could have been longer and are sad that it is over. We have so many precious memories and we will be forever greatful for that.
We know those feelings!
For those of you that will be traveling soon, make sure that you take the time to enjoy the activies at GKTW.
That IS the best piece of advice, that you hear from all returning families!

It was so wonderful to see her dance, have fun and be an 8 year old little girl again with no doctors appointments, rehab or tutoring.

That brought tears to my eyes! PRICELESS!

The weather should be great right now, and better yet the kids will be able to enjoy the pool. That's the only thing I'm thinking about now as Kenzie just loves the pool in my sisters building. Only 3 more days!!!

Tim and his daughter swam in December DIDN'T you Tim??? And he noticed the cold water/weather...Juliana??? I don't think it bothered her!

Just got a call from our wish granter and we have dates!!!!!! We are booked at GKTW for Nov 10-16th! We are planning to extend our trip until the 18th!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

 

[alyssaswish]

Thanks for all of the congratulations! Now I am trying to add my ticker.


Ok, finally figured it out.

 

[threelittlebakers]

All of you who will be going are in for such a treat! We had such a wonderful time. We only wish it could have been longer and are sad that it is over. We have so many precious memories and we will be forever greatful for that. For those of you that will be traveling soon, make sure that you take the time to enjoy the activies at GKTW. Mackenzie loved it there and would have been content not leaving there all week. She wanted to do the parties every evening and loves to swim so we made sure to make time for that. The guest assistance pass make it very doable to do the parks during the day and came back late afternoon to enjoy the evening activities. We normally ate breakfast first thing around 8 or 8:30 and tried to be to the parks as close to 9 or 9:30. We bought waters and snacks from Wal Mart to eat at the parks and then usually returned around 5 to get in a quick swim and eat dinner before the evening parties.

The parties all had music and Mackenzie had been in ballet and dance since she was 2 and loved dancing. She had auditioned and got chosen for the Nut Cracker the week before being diagnosed with her brain tumor. That was the hardes thing for her was when she realized that she would not be in the ballet. The doctors weren't sure that she'd be able to walk again let alone dance. She has not danced or had the desire to dance since the surgery. Even when we encouraged her to do so she had just lost her passion for it. This past week she danced every night and didn't care what anyone thought. She was the life of every party and danced from the start of the music to the very last song every night. It was so wonderful to see her dance, have fun and be an 8 year old little girl again with no doctors appointments, rehab or tutoring.

The parks are wonderful and we had the best treatment and they just tret the kids so special when they see their GKTW badge. Don't be afraid to use it and show it to the CM's. If they can help with anything they will!

That touched my heart. As Make a Wish says "Share the power of a Wish". I so can't wait to see Matthew be full of excitement.

 

[threelittlebakers]

I have a question. I know a lot of families leave the parks for the parties at the village. I want to do them but then you miss out on the night parade and fireworks at Disney parks. I could see leaving early when we are at Universal Studios but for Disney parades and fireworks. That is a hard choice, considering everyone who has gone goes to most of the parties.

 

[threelittlebakers]

We are definitly doing Candy land night. Possibly do the Halloween party and maybe pirate and princess night. I don't know about Christmas night. We are going to Animal Kingdom and Hollywood studios that day so i guess we see about Christmas night because the kids would love it.

 

[roach3770]

I have a question. I know a lot of families leave the parks for the parties at the village. I want to do them but then you miss out on the night parade and fireworks at Disney parks. I could see leaving early when we are at Universal Studios but for Disney parades and fireworks. That is a hard choice, considering everyone who has gone goes to most of the parties.

We just picked the most important ones and asked Mackenzie which ones she wanted to do. She wanted to do Candy Land which was a blast and they had carnival games, cotton candy, and snow cones. She wanted to do Halloween because she was in the hospital and didn't get to trick or treat last year. She wanted to do the Big Splash Bash but that was our least favorite. It was hamburgers and hot dogs by the pool with a few games but could have done without that since she loves to swim on her own and we did that every day. She loved Christmas and I would encourage you to do that one if time allows. They make the kids feel really special and they all get to pick out gifts from Santa, decorate cookies, there is a Christmas parade, a craft, the dinner is a nice holiday meal with turnkey and all the trimmings. We did Village Idol but that too unless your kids really like performing isn't a must do but it did bring tears to our eyes to see all of the kids perform their talents. The princess and pirate party was fun too! We left before Mayor Clayton's birthday party but we got to all of her must do's. We were able to do the Magic Kingdom parade, Wishes, and fireworks after the Candy Land Party. We just made sure that we came back in enough time to get naps and dinner, did the Candy Land and then went back to the park for the evening. That night it was open until 2 am but we stay until about midnight. We also did the evenings parade, etc. again on one of the nights we didn't do the party because Mackenzie wanted to see it again.

There is so much to do that you just have to figure out what works best for your family and do the things that are important to your kids. We have seen Fantasmic and the Epcot night show before and while they are good my kids didn't think they were a must do and wanted to do some of the other things more.

No matter what you decide you can't go wrong and you will have an amazing time!

 

[threelittlebakers]

We just picked the most important ones and asked Mackenzie which ones she wanted to do. She wanted to do Candy Land which was a blast and they had carnival games, cotton candy, and snow cones. She wanted to do Halloween because she was in the hospital and didn't get to trick or treat last year. She wanted to do the Big Splash Bash but that was our least favorite. It was hamburgers and hot dogs by the pool with a few games but could have done without that since she loves to swim on her own and we did that every day. She loved Christmas and I would encourage you to do that one if time allows. They make the kids feel really special and they all get to pick out gifts from Santa, decorate cookies, there is a Christmas parade, a craft, the dinner is a nice holiday meal with turnkey and all the trimmings. We did Village Idol but that too unless your kids really like performing isn't a must do but it did bring tears to our eyes to see all of the kids perform their talents. The princess and pirate party was fun too! We left before Mayor Clayton's birthday party but we got to all of her must do's. We were able to do the Magic Kingdom parade, Wishes, and fireworks after the Candy Land Party. We just made sure that we came back in enough time to get naps and dinner, did the Candy Land and then went back to the park for the evening. That night it was open until 2 am but we stay until about midnight. We also did the evenings parade, etc. again on one of the nights we didn't do the party because Mackenzie wanted to see it again.

There is so much to do that you just have to figure out what works best for your family and do the things that are important to your kids. We have seen Fantasmic and the Epcot night show before and while they are good my kids didn't think they were a must do and wanted to do some of the other things more.

No matter what you decide you can't go wrong and you will have an amazing time!

Is Fantasmic a worth wild show or do you recommend christmas night at the village. Getting presents are nice but i waste so much money on toys every years. Matthew and Emmy play with there imagination then toys. Do you think 4 and 5 year would like Fantasmic or Christmas at village. It so hard to choose. Ugh

 

[roach3770]

Is Fantasmic a worth wild show or do you recommend christmas night at the village. Getting presents are nice but i waste so much money on toys every years. Matthew and Emmy play with there imagination then toys. Do you think 4 and 5 year would like Fantasmic or Christmas at village. It so hard to choose. Ugh

It is hard to choose. My girls like Fantasmic. There are lasers, quite a few of the characters come out on a boat at the end,there are a few fireworks and they project things onto water that sprays up. It is a very good show but there is a part that has villians that try to take over. Some of the younger kids got scared and were crying but it is really up to your kids.

 

[Moodyzblu]

Is Fantasmic a worth wild show or do you recommend christmas night at the village. Getting presents are nice but i waste so much money on toys every years. Matthew and Emmy play with there imagination then toys. Do you think 4 and 5 year would like Fantasmic or Christmas at village. It so hard to choose. Ugh

In all honesty, I wouldn't leave the park early for the party. Don't get me wrong... the ones we went to were fun ... but we just happened to be there those nights. Like the Christmas party is mainly getting to see Santa and choosing a present. Then there's some crafts and cocoa .. but the boys got bored and we left the party early. it was fun that they had Christmas music playing (all day) and we met Mrs Clause .. but I wouldn't have wanted to miss a park specialty to attend. That's just my honest opinion .. others may feel differently. I think younger kids may have more fun at the parties than older ones ... mine are 7 and got bored and wanted to go back to the villa to play !

 

[blessedmom4]

I second the fact of understanding you will NOT be able to do it all. My children were ages 8 to 21 when we were at GKTW and even my older ones found ways to truly enjoy themselves. You will not be an overnight guest at GKTW ever again (unless more than one of your children are eligible for a wish trip). Our philosophy was to enjoy as much of it as we could...were we there for every party? Absolutely not, but we tend to have fun wherever we go and whatever we do...so we did enjoy ourselves when we were at the parties. My opinion, Mayor Clayton's BD was our least favorite, not much going on. LOVED Christmas, riding the carriage ride, seeing Santa and getting our pics made, dancing in the streets. It was our arrival day and weren't hitting the parks anyway! We also LOVED Halloween, loads of fun. Read as many TR's as you can, learn the schedule, make a tentative plan and KNOW your plans might change! You know your children/family better than anyone else!

Speaking of fun, more excitement happened for Lisa at DHS if you want to read the latest update.

 

[threelittlebakers]

i probably will go with the flow. If we happen to be at the village for one of their parties we will go if not oh well. I have to keep reminding myself its a vacations of a life time just have fun.

 

[Kenziema]

For Kenzie I know a few of the party's she will love, Xmas, pirates and princesses, Halloween. I also know she loves fireworks so we will do 2 nights at Disney and the rest at GKTW. However I would say I depended on why your family prefers.

 

[threelittlebakers]

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.

 

[nesser1981]

I'd have to agree on the parties, my kids liked them, but if you're having a good time at the park, don't leave for those.

We were always home early enough each night to go.

But my favorite of them all was the Pirates & Princess Party and I think the kids loved it the most too.

 

[Moodyzblu]

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 did 3 loads of laundry when we were there ! It was SO nice to not have a ton of dirty laundry to take with us. The boys had tons of outfits but I had to re-wear a few things since I didn't bring as many outfits for myself and my oldest son. But we also extended our trip and needed more outfits than for just the 5 days.
We never wore long pants or sweaters the whole trip. We even wore shorts to and from the airport and just took along hoodies but never used them.