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

[brookerene]

wow! I feel like I have been gone a month!

I have some catching up to do!

You have been missed! Glad you are home!

 

[maroo]

Hi Jeannie! OUr chapter gave us an envelope full of travellers cheques for our expense money. I know they are all different. We had absolutely no trouble cashing them anywhere, even the smaller food carts and counter service restaurants at Disney. DH and I each signed some of them beforehand, so if we split up, either one of us would have the ability to spend them. We made sure to bring our ID with us to the park, but no one ever really asked for it, or watched us sign them in their presence. If you have $100 travellers cheques, once you break them, then you have the cash in hand to give to whoever is buying. It was a great way to go, IMO.

This sounds like a GREAT way to do it!!!

Does anyone know if my family would be able to come visit us at GKTW?
Yes! As long as they are with you, they can visit. They are usually allowed to pay a small fee and even eat a meal (or get ice cream) with you guys, too.

In rare cases, they have even allowed a family member to stay in your villa - as long as you don't exceed 7 people in the villa.


Do Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure have a Wish Lounge?

no...but they do have a good reputation for helping wish families get through the lines pretty quickly!

Do I need to use the Fast Pass if I go on an Adult ride without the wish kid?

Many families have done this. Some end up splitting up - leave the GKTW button with the wish child and take the GAC - tell the CM that you are on a wish trip with your child and see if they will let you go ahead and ride. So far I have never heard of a family being turned away.

Does anyone know if MJ gets to see a specific character and have a meet and greet?

You won't have to really wait for character lines - but a special private meet and greet is relatively rare. It can happen on trips, but it would be totally pixie dust!

Does Make A Wish help set-up a character meal if needed?

Depends on the chapter - some certainly will!

Does anyone have any other information that would be helpful?

Bring your camera with you everywhere you go - you never know when you will have a magical moment.

Take notes every day on your trip of the magic your family experienced - you will treasure them later.

Enjoy GKTW! Take some time and really explore. It is a magical place.

Does anyone know if I can purchase discounted tickets for the parks for my family that will be with us?

Not usually. Disney gives away tons and tons of tickets, so they normally don't discount any more.

Sorry to bother everyone but I’m new to all this and want to make sure my family has the best trip ever.

Truly yours,
Roxanne.

You guys are going to have a wonderful time!!!!!

I have a quick question...my hubby is doing some quick research and was wondering...are the Parking fees included for MAW/GKTW families? I can't remember it being discussed and we were just curious...Thank you in advance!!

Parking is free!!

 

[maroo]

You have been missed! Glad you are home!

thanks, my friend!

I didn't actually leave home...

Had a crazy week and forgot my computer charger at Lauren's...so I was without a computer for almost 3 days. torture, I tell you, torture!!

 

[blessedmom4]

You have been missed! I was thinking about you this afternoon, I hope all is well!

I missed you too, Maroo...

 

[maroo]

Hello! My daughter, Ireland, will be taking her wish trip on April 10th (Disney Dream Cruise). How do I start a post for her? Thanks so much!

to the DIS!! And to the wish trippers thread!

I wanted to just thank everyone who has provided so much information on all the different things for Make a Wish trips. My daughter Aliann has been granted a wish trip next month, and we have been racking our brains for a while trying to figure out what is going to happen. We tend to be such control freaks about trip planning and so little information was given to us about what happens, and how things work.

After spending the last three days reading so many peoples wonderful suggestions and explanations of their own experiences I felt compelled to offer a thank you to everyone.

I do however have one questions that I am hoping someone may be willing to share their experience with. My daughter was diagnosed with Fanconi Anemia in 2010, which is a life threatening genetic condition that has the most immediate result of bone marrow failure. Currently she is in the initial stages and we elected to have her complete her wish now, which she is basically healthy and can fully enjoy it. While she has low platelet counts she is otherwise normal looking an energetic. I'm curious is any other family has experienced a Make-a-Wish trip without any physical or other issues that readily confirmed or identified the child as being a Make-a-Wish child?

I know so many others had so much more to deal with and go through prior to having a Make-a-Wish trip, and we are not normally ones to take advantage of a situation, but worry if we wait she may not ever be able to take advantage of this later. With the GKTW button and all I'm wondering if others have different experiences than most of those I have read?

Thanks again for any help anyone has.

Sincerely,

Jeff

to the DIS!!

First of all - so sorry that you guys have a diagnosis that qualifies you for a wish trip!

Many wish kids "look" typical - so you shouldn't have any trouble there. But...since you won't have obvious things (like a wheelchair or something), then you might want to make sure the magic button is clearly visible on the child's clothes - because that basically triggers a lot of the "magic"!

This is exactly how lots of families do this...for children with muscular dystrophy, for example - or CF - or recovered from cancer - they really look like typical kids!

Hey everyone!

We have our meeting with the Make A Wish team this Friday. Our youngest, Hannah , was approved for a wish, and we would like to take her and our other kids to Disney World.

She has significant neuro and physical involvement due to her disease, and this puts her at about a 1yo level developmentally.

I was told that Hannah has to be able to "express" her wish, but that is almost impossible outside of her smiling and getting happy when she is seeing or doing something she likes.

She loves Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and I know that she would love the parades with the lights and music because that is what gets her excited. I think it would also be a great experience to be able to share with her brother and sister, and those are the memories that I want them to have about their little sister (her disease is progressive, and she has already outlived her prognosis).

Can you give me some insight into the meeting and how this is all going to work? Has anyone else had children who really cannot express a true wish?

Thanks

How did this go?!? They should really be able to help you guys decide what would be best for her and it sounds like Disney would be perfect!!

 

[maroo]

I missed you too, Maroo...

thanks!!!

 

[tinytreasures]

Maroo you are home. I have missed you

 

[wishin' on a star]

Steven really wants to do this and I was wondering how you sign a child up. I believe the Jedi is at DHS...which is our first park. We won't be able to get there until at least 12 since we have the Orientation that morning too. Will it be too late to do this? where do you sign the child up and are there special times for this. I tried to look up Jedi Training and can't find anything on it. Oh...can you call and sign up?

We were there for Star Wars Weekends on our wish trip, and really wanted to do this. Being SWW, I'm sure there was more demand than usual...but maybe they did more Jedi trainings than usual for those weekends as well. Didn't really have any idea how to sign up, and never really thought about it before hand. We ended up in the area where they do the training, and my DH just asked if they would be able to work some magic for a wish family. You were supposed to have signed up near the entrance to the park I guess, but, we had no idea...she worked her magic and told us to return in an hour for the next training. They included all three of our kids. The kids loved it, and it was a definite highlight of the trip.

 

[maroo]

Maroo you are home. I have missed you

thanks!

We were there for Star Wars Weekends on our wish trip, and really wanted to do this. Being SWW, I'm sure there was more demand than usual...but maybe they did more Jedi trainings than usual for those weekends as well. Didn't really have any idea how to sign up, and never really thought about it before hand. We ended up in the area where they do the training, and my DH just asked if they would be able to work some magic for a wish family. You were supposed to have signed up near the entrance to the park I guess, but, we had no idea...she worked her magic and told us to return in an hour for the next training. They included all three of our kids. The kids loved it, and it was a definite highlight of the trip.

I was there for SWW last year and I don't think they did any more Jedi Training missions. If you want to go on SWW, then I would try to go on Friday...unless it is the FIRST Friday, then I would avoid it like the plague.

You will want to get there early and sign up early for the training...but if for some reason you don't get there and can't get him signed up - go to guest services and ask them when would be a good time to come and do it...but let them know this is your only day at DHS. I think they will try to accommodate you guys.

 

[MitoDadMO]

16 days to go!

Starting to make lists.

This weekend we went swimming and tried a device for special needs kids to be able to swim easier. Check out the video here

 

[jj0plin]

I just called GKTW to ask about the Cessna flights and she said that they can be done pretty much any day. She is emailing me information on it.

I also asked about my mom and sister coming up to spend the night (which would cause us to have 7 in a villa)... she said 7 was right at fire code and it would be a tight fit. She said that I'd have to call our wish organization and get them to approve their stay, and then they would contact GKTW for them to approve it too. She really made it sound like it wouldn't be possible I guess if they don't approve it my mom could get a hotel close by... anyone know of any decent, reasonably priced ones near GKTW?

 

[blessedmom4]

I just called GKTW to ask about the Cessna flights and she said that they can be done pretty much any day. She is emailing me information on it.

I also asked about my mom and sister coming up to spend the night (which would cause us to have 7 in a villa)... she said 7 was right at fire code and it would be a tight fit. She said that I'd have to call our wish organization and get them to approve their stay, and then they would contact GKTW for them to approve it too. She really made it sound like it wouldn't be possible I guess if they don't approve it my mom could get a hotel close by... anyone know of any decent, reasonably priced ones near GKTW?

Great news on the Cessna flights Christy! Would you PM me the info when you get it please?

Maybe call your MAW co-ordinators to see if they can approve your mom and sister for the night? Don't give up...If you don't mind the "tight fit", I would think it would be okay...

 

[Cheshire Figment]

If you have a current AAA Florida Tourbook, look at the map on Page 655, which is Kissimmee. You will see Bass Road on the left, GKTW Village is on Bass Road. #5, 6, 7, and 10 seem to be closest. They are listed on Page 669 and that listing gives the actual page where the location is described.

 

[Mom2Miracles]

Great news on the Cessna flights Christy! Would you PM me the info when you get it please?

Me too please!

 

[wishin' on a star]

thanks!



I was there for SWW last year and I don't think they did any more Jedi Training missions. If you want to go on SWW, then I would try to go on Friday...unless it is the FIRST Friday, then I would avoid it like the plague.

You will want to get there early and sign up early for the training...but if for some reason you don't get there and can't get him signed up - go to guest services and ask them when would be a good time to come and do it...but let them know this is your only day at DHS. I think they will try to accommodate you guys.

LOL...that is exactly when we were there. It was the first Friday, first SWW of 2010. While the park was incredibly crowded, it was an AMAZING day for us as a wish family. My kids LOVED all of the characters, and we got great VIP treatment. They all still say that this was their favorite day of our trip, until my son fell in the bathroom and split his chin open . Thankfully, this was after dinner, so our little ambulance ride to the ER only spoiled this day a little bit, at the very end.

 

[blessedmom4]

LOL...that is exactly when we were there. It was the first Friday, first SWW of 2010. While the park was incredibly crowded, it was an AMAZING day for us as a wish family. My kids LOVED all of the characters, and we got great VIP treatment. They all still say that this was their favorite day of our trip, until my son fell in the bathroom and split his chin open . Thankfully, this was after dinner, so our little ambulance ride to the ER only spoiled this day a little bit, at the very end.

Laura, I think only Wish families or those who deal with LOTS of medical problems could really appreciate the irony of this...we just roll with it, don't we....So happy the other memories are so GREAT! Everything is relative...

 

[blessedmom4]

Laura, I forgot to say...I STILL hope you find time to finish that TR...

I know you were thinking about it!

 

[jj0plin]

cross posting this on my ptr....

I just finished our countdown calendar!! I cannot believe our 30 DAY countdown begins tomorrow!!!

I cut out 30 Disney characters and stuck them on this posterboard. Behind each character is a number, counting down until the day we leave, which is marked by all the things we will be enjoying while on Elliot's Wish Trip. The kids decided that they will just remove the character of the day we are on, then put it back when the next day is removed that way all the characters are still around
Here is what it looks like right now

what it will look like when a character is removed

this is what I used to stick the characters to the board

If anyone ever wants a copy of all the characters, they are all saved in jpg documents and I can email them.

 

[brookerene]

that looks like a great calendar!

 

[fulseasmama]

Cute, cute, cute calendar...so creative!