Make a Wish (and other organizations) - Wish Trippers UNITE! Volume THREE! :)

[LindaBabe]

which department at walmart did you find these? i'd like to look for them, but i always seem to just wander in circles at walmart and never find anything. maybe it's just me!

I'm thinking either "seasonal" or sporting goods ie the camping section - that's where I found ponchos and ice packs. PS - the Walmart on the corner of Bass Lake Road, less than a mile from GKTW has an AMAZING disney/theme park section. That's where I go for my hard to find charactor post cards - but they have so much theme stuff I can't begin to tell you. Chances are, if there's something you need to make your vacation complete, they have it.

Um.... We totally need to meet up! I will be there Sept 30th to 10/4!

And this goes for any of you guys, too. This trip will be solo for me! I have several "meets" planned and I won't have a car (so I will have to do all meets on Disney property somewhere) - but if any of you guys are in Disney from the 30th to the 4th and want to meet up for a bit, PM me.

Pm- ing you my cell number. We have a lot going on with the 'grand' kids, and meets, but I *will* make time just for the opportunity to hug you, Maroo!

 

[jbrnhrt]

I'm thinking either "seasonal" or sporting goods ie the camping section - that's where I found ponchos and ice packs. PS - the Walmart on the corner of Bass Lake Road, less than a mile from GKTW has an AMAZING disney/theme park section. That's where I go for my hard to find charactor post cards - but they have so much theme stuff I can't begin to tell you. Chances are, if there's something you need to make your vacation complete, they have it.

thanks! We're planning to run over to this walmart sometime on our first day, there's some things we need that just aren't worth the hassle of trying to get past airport security.

 

[jen-y]

There has been some new posters here over the last few days. I just wanted to say HI and to all of you!


For those of you who are 'long timers' (I was going to type old timers but I didn't want to go there LOL) I'm sure you remember Stefani and her family. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2356709

They have been told some not so good news about Bella. I will link her caring bridge page, if anyone would like to post there. I haven't seen her on the DIS in a while, but I'm sure you will understand why. Please keep Bella and the whole family in your thoughts and prayers.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/isabellagriggs/journal/2

Venting alert...... All I can say is THAT SUCKS!! I think most people have no idea how many sick kids are out there. I really didn't untill Nicky got sick and we started spending a lot of time in the hospital. I felt so bad for a boy I saw last time. He looked 8 or 9 and he was bald with a big scar on top of his head. I assumed some kind of brain tumor. You could tell he just felt like crap. Then a teenage girl who relapsed after being in remission for almost 10 years. Not to mention the kids throwing up in the waiting room cause they just got chemo. Nicky is in remission, and I assume he will be fine (I can't even think another way) but thats always in the back of our mind haunting us. OK. thats my rant. hope I did not offend anyone

 

[jen-y]

Anywho....does anyone know if the rental car companies provide booster seats? or does everyone bring theirs from home? I am not even sure which rental car company we have (I don't have that info yet), but with the extra charges the airlines are doing now for luggage - I need 2 boosters and I wonder if they will charge extra for those

 

[ALLmom]

Maroo,

I really appreciate that you spent the time to read the posts you missed while on vacation and answered all of our questions. Your dedication to this site is truly amazing!

 

[Mom2mitokids]

Anywho....does anyone know if the rental car companies provide booster seats? or does everyone bring theirs from home? I am not even sure which rental car company we have (I don't have that info yet), but with the extra charges the airlines are doing now for luggage - I need 2 boosters and I wonder if they will charge extra for those

We got a carseat for free charge through Avis last time. I'm shocked that you don't know the rental car info yet.

 

[Mom2mitokids]

Venting alert...... All I can say is THAT SUCKS!! I think most people have no idea how many sick kids are out there. I really didn't untill Nicky got sick and we started spending a lot of time in the hospital. I felt so bad for a boy I saw last time. He looked 8 or 9 and he was bald with a big scar on top of his head. I assumed some kind of brain tumor. You could tell he just felt like crap. Then a teenage girl who relapsed after being in remission for almost 10 years. Not to mention the kids throwing up in the waiting room cause they just got chemo. Nicky is in remission, and I assume he will be fine (I can't even think another way) but thats always in the back of our mind haunting us. OK. thats my rant. hope I did not offend anyone

Nope...I feel the same way.

 

[Mom2mitokids]

yes! She was at KKI for a feeding program.

I am just sick for them.

Then she is the same little girl. She stopped posting on the message board after her KKI stay.

 

[maroo]

Maroo,

I really appreciate that you spent the time to read the posts you missed while on vacation and answered all of our questions. Your dedication to this site is truly amazing!

Thank you, my friend!

I am single and have the time and love it. I promise I get a lot more out of this than I give. Most parents of special needs kids simply do not have time to do something like this and I really do enjoy it!

I don't normally take that much "time off" either...but it was nice to have a break from all of life, even the DIS (which I missed!)

Venting alert...... All I can say is THAT SUCKS!! I think most people have no idea how many sick kids are out there. I really didn't untill Nicky got sick and we started spending a lot of time in the hospital. I felt so bad for a boy I saw last time. He looked 8 or 9 and he was bald with a big scar on top of his head. I assumed some kind of brain tumor. You could tell he just felt like crap. Then a teenage girl who relapsed after being in remission for almost 10 years. Not to mention the kids throwing up in the waiting room cause they just got chemo. Nicky is in remission, and I assume he will be fine (I can't even think another way) but thats always in the back of our mind haunting us. OK. thats my rant. hope I did not offend anyone

Totally agree with you and not offended at all!

Anywho....does anyone know if the rental car companies provide booster seats? or does everyone bring theirs from home? I am not even sure which rental car company we have (I don't have that info yet), but with the extra charges the airlines are doing now for luggage - I need 2 boosters and I wonder if they will charge extra for those

Don't know... But you *should* be able to "check" a medical bag for free. So anything that is completely medical should not count (but it has to be all medical).

Nope...I feel the same way.

 

[Mom2mitokids]

I totally remember this feeling.... "Celebration?!?!?" Nope! So glad everyone is ok!!



For the passes...most expire about 14 days after you get them...so they should all be good for the extension part.

The magic button and GAC will be "expired" dates - but don't worry about that - most CM's aren't going to stare at your dates - they just want to help you have a magical time.

You should be able to use the Universal passes for those two days with no problem at all.



YES! You definitely will need an extra bag...all of you guys will.

I would bring TWO extra bags.



Oh no!!! What happened? I totally missed this while I was gone!

Kylee had another stomach pain episode so we took her to another hospital(right by Disneyland) that has a motility doctor. It took them 5 days to fully clean her out and then they did an Endoscopy, Colonoscopy, and placement of probes for her Manometry testing that was preformed in 2 steps. First day was Colonic Manometry and the next day was Andodential(sp) manometry. All test came out normal. Though we still know she has a Motility issues. Was a very hard stay. She doesn't have much vein access anymore.

Ok...that is hilarious!

I really enjoyed your blog and can't believe we didn't run into each other!!



You guys are going to have such a great time!!



I am not sure if anyone answered this question or not... not sure if anyone saw it...so sorry if we didn't answer ya.

This varies greatly by chapter - some chapters allow families to extend and some don't allow it at all (and forbid it, actually)...

those that do allow it have different ways they do it...some will book flights for the trip home, some won't - some will book the rental car, some won't... totally depends.

Definitely call your chapter.



Hello!!!



Awesome!



Um.... We totally need to meet up! I will be there Sept 30th to 10/4!

And this goes for any of you guys, too. This trip will be solo for me! I have several "meets" planned and I won't have a car (so I will have to do all meets on Disney property somewhere) - but if any of you guys are in Disney from the 30th to the 4th and want to meet up for a bit, PM me.



I am so glad he is getting his wish!!!! You have found a great board here.



Good advice!

I love the Mom's Panel (and know some of those ladies), but I would ask wish trip questions here...they don't know wish trip "rules" - the experts on that are over here. LOL



You crack me up.

I loved the blog posts that I have read and plan to read the rest tonight! I have a night of DISing coming my way!



That's me! It is on my "list" for tonight.





Nope, just me. Actually, a mod could edit any post, too...but they would probably just wait for me. Usually I buy internet access at least one night...but never did on this trip. It was a full week of fun!



Very lucky indeed!! It was a GREAT trip!



We had so much fun!!



We had a blast! I will put a link to the TR in my siggie once we get it started. "All7ofUs" will be the thread author, but I will be posting on there, too.







It was so awesome!



It was so awesome!



I like the way you think here...to focus on doing the things during your time that will be the quickest...makes a lot of sense!

I think you will be pleased with the "quickness" of everything.



Feel free to ask questions here or on a pre-trip report! Totally up to you!



Wow! That was fast! I will link it!



Here are a few tips...

- Wear a hat and sunglasses (I almost forgot mine!)
- Try to make it to the parks early and take a break somewhere during the day...
- Remember that you can get FREE ice water at any counter service spot in Disney World! That helped keep us hydrated this last trip!

We did a lot of going in and out of rides and shops and restaurants and I didn't think the heat was too terrible.



Tim,

Thank you so much for posting this! I had a TON of email and missed this update.

Posted in purple

 

[Love_Monkey]

Nicky is in remission, and I assume he will be fine (I can't even think another way) but thats always in the back of our mind haunting us.

I can SO relate.

I recently heard of another pediatric melanoma patient who had a relapse after about 4 years and died within the year and it put me in a mini tailspin until I CHOSE to not think about it anymore. I still have to raise a successful child who will not be spoiled rotten and expect M&M's for dinner and so I must assume she will be fine and not think about it any other way.

 

[jen-y]

We got a carseat for free charge through Avis last time. I'm shocked that you don't know the rental car info yet.

I know. Wish coordinators said they are stopping by this weekend with some stuff, but that is cutting it close. Kinda need to know about the boosters.

 

[Haybuggsmom]

Venting alert...... All I can say is THAT SUCKS!! I think most people have no idea how many sick kids are out there. I really didn't untill Nicky got sick and we started spending a lot of time in the hospital. I felt so bad for a boy I saw last time. He looked 8 or 9 and he was bald with a big scar on top of his head. I assumed some kind of brain tumor. You could tell he just felt like crap. Then a teenage girl who relapsed after being in remission for almost 10 years. Not to mention the kids throwing up in the waiting room cause they just got chemo. Nicky is in remission, and I assume he will be fine (I can't even think another way) but thats always in the back of our mind haunting us. OK. thats my rant. hope I did not offend anyone

I agree!! I know when Jonathan was diagnosed with testicular cancer it hit us hard. He was turning 18/ in less than a month. We thank God he has been can cer free for over 2 years. But we are realistic that it can return.
I'm hoping we can see you at the village. Are you attending the Christmas celebreation?!?

 

[jbrnhrt]

I know. Wish coordinators said they are stopping by this weekend with some stuff, but that is cutting it close. Kinda need to know about the boosters.

I would give your maw co ordinator a call. They can tell you the rental info, and if you don't have an exact time/date that you're meeting with your maw volunteers to get your travel info I'd tell your co ordinator that too. We had to call twice to say " we haven't heard from our volunteers". Hope you get your info soon, that's frustrating!
our rental car is through avis, I looked and they charge $65 a week for a carseat, I'm not sure if that's for boosters too, but I imagine all companies are similarly priced. We're bringing our own and gate checking it on the plane

 

[jbrnhrt]

maw has a limo driving us to and from our home and our local airport. (which is very cool) Am I supposed to tip the driver? I"ve never rented a limo, so I don't know. Is so what is an appopriate amount? The ride to the airport is about 1-1 1/2 hours. Thanks

 

[Haybuggsmom]

maw has a limo driving us to and from our home and our local airport. (which is very cool) Am I supposed to tip the driver? I"ve never rented a limo, so I don't know. Is so what is an appopriate amount? The ride to the airport is about 1-1 1/2 hours. Thanks

We are also going in a limo. They told us the tip was already paid for.

 

[dlewish]

I know. Wish coordinators said they are stopping by this weekend with some stuff, but that is cutting it close. Kinda need to know about the boosters.

Yes, I would call your MAW office and ask them about boosters in the rental car. I asked this a few weeks ago b/c I was not sure if we would need to take the car seats with us. Our MAW office said we can use the carseasts/boosters in the limo and the limo company will hold them for our return home and the car rental will have carseats. I was a little nervous leaving carseats w/ a limo company, but it sounds like they do this all the time (well at least our MAW office).

Hope you find some answers soon.

 

[wishin' on a star]

Answers to a couple of the questions that have been asked...

Regarding the booster seats, we opted to bring our own, had them to use in the limo, and then the kids were in their own comfy seats in Florida. We were offered whatever we needed with the rental car, but we opted out. This was something that our wish granters asked at one of our first meetings. I do like the idea of leaving the seats with the limo company, and never thought of that. We knew we wanted them in the limo, so we just decided to go with bringing them all the way. I checked Southwest's website prior to travelling, and it said that two carseats count as one piece of luggage. They allow two checked pieces per passenger, so with a family of 5, we were fine. But, I know that all airlines are different with bag allowances these days, so check with whoever you are flying with. I do think that certain check-in agents would perhaps waive any fees or bag restrictions since you are MAW, but there is no guarantee of that prior to going. In our experience, people at the airport and car rental bent over backwards to help us and provide whatever assistance we needed.

Regarding tips...

Our MAW paperwork/itineray specifically stated that the tip for the limo driver was taken care of. If you use a skycap at all at the airport, you will want tip money for that. We had a fantastic guy who went far out of his way to help us get our luggage from the rental car to the baggage check in Orlando.

Oooh...one more thing...our rental came through National, and when they gave us the SUV, they said absolutely DO NOT worry about filling the gas tank before returning. So, that may be a question worth asking if they do not offer that information! In an SUV, that gave us $50 extra spending money that we didn't have to spend on gas!

 

[Haybuggsmom]

Answers to a couple of the questions that have been asked...


Oooh...one more thing...our rental came through National, and when they gave us the SUV, they said absolutely DO NOT worry about filling the gas tank before returning. So, that may be a question worth asking if they do not offer that information! In an SUV, that gave us $50 extra spending money that we didn't have to spend on gas!

I just got an email from our Org telling me not to refill it for retun. They cover it.
Just be sure to ask!!!

 

[jbrnhrt]

I just got an email from our Org telling me not to refill it for retun. They cover it.
Just be sure to ask!!!

that's nice of them. our papers specifically say we must fill the gas tank, not that it's an issue, just one of those things you need to know one way or another. maybe i should email our maw co ordinator to ask about the tip for the limo driver, as it seems some groups/chapters cover more things than others