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

[jen-y]

My computer is toasted, and it might be a couple weeks before I get a new one, so if you don't see me on here, thats why:

 

[kdzbear]

Oh no! Im sorry to hear that.I hope you get your computer fixed.

Ok so after checking the menu (AFTER I BOOKED) Im not too sure I'm going to keep the reservation just yet. Im not sure what flanked steak is and I know Sierra will not eat Catfish and that looks like the two main entrees. But Im going to leave them for just a bit until I can think this through. Still trying for Chef Mickeys though. Nothing yet but Im going to take Maroo's advice and check 45days out(aside from checking every day when I can).The poor CM's are going to get tired of me

Keep this reservation! The food is great! It is served family style. They also have turkey and something else. There was an orange cranberry relish to go with the turkey that was awesome! The kids can eat mac and cheese and chicken nuggets if they don't like the adult food. The dessert is a cobbler type dessert served with fresh cream. It was blueberry when we were there. They also bring a salad. We tried it for the first time last November and it was awesome. The characters often make it around twice. I have pictures in Tyler's Nov. Wish trip if you want to look at them. You can also get seconds of the items that you like without having to order the items you don't like.

 

[casper_jj11]

Hi everyone. The children's hospital called and Sydney's tests are now normal. I had a nice sigh of relief for about, oh, 4 seconds and then said "What the he*&?" We still haven't spoken with the oncologist. The nurse said we'd see her in September but retracted once I said the paed told us we'd see the oncologist soon so who knows. We still want further testing because this is just too bizarre for us. Something has to be happening. I knew I wouldn't trust the results irregardless of what it came back as. Anyway, we apparently have a contact at Comer Children's Hospital in Chicago (Univ of Chicago). Several have mentioned the great care at Children's Memorial in Chicago. Is this the same place? If not, what can you tell me about Comer? Good and bad.

Ok so after checking the menu (AFTER I BOOKED) Im not too sure I'm going to keep the reservation just yet. Im not sure what flanked steak is and I know Sierra will not eat Catfish and that looks like the two main entrees. But Im going to leave them for just a bit until I can think this through. Still trying for Chef Mickeys though. Nothing yet but Im going to take Maroo's advice and check 45days out(aside from checking every day when I can).The poor CM's are going to get tired of me

I had the same reaction when I saw the menu. I have ressies because we all love Chip and Dale but I'm still not sure we're going to keep this one.

 

[maroo]

Hi everyone. The children's hospital called and Sydney's tests are now normal. I had a nice sigh of relief for about, oh, 4 seconds and then said "What the he*&?" We still haven't spoken with the oncologist. The nurse said we'd see her in September but retracted once I said the paed told us we'd see the oncologist soon so who knows. We still want further testing because this is just too bizarre for us. Something has to be happening. I knew I wouldn't trust the results irregardless of what it came back as. Anyway, we apparently have a contact at Comer Children's Hospital in Chicago (Univ of Chicago). Several have mentioned the great care at Children's Memorial in Chicago. Is this the same place? If not, what can you tell me about Comer? Good and bad.





I had the same reaction when I saw the menu. I have ressies because we all love Chip and Dale but I'm still not sure we're going to keep this one.

Aw man!

That totally stinks that apparent good news is not really good yet.

I hope you can get somewhere in the States that you feel comfortable so that they can ease your mind once and for all!

 

[choochmac]

Hi,

I am new to this thread. Just a word of introduction and a few questions.

We just got our Wish dates, May 18th - 24th, very quickly. Our daughter has DIPG, a brain tumor considered the worst possible (only google it if you want to be very depressed). While I am immensely grateful for Make A Wish acting so quickly to make sure she is goes so soon (while she can enjoy the parks), I am now realizing that the usual vacation is only 3 days in Disney and the rest Universal and Seaworld. She really won't care for the others nearly as much. My son will have a blast I am sure at Universal, but I am concerned that with only 3 days and 4 Disney parks, she will not get to see everything.

I know that Wish kids in bad condition sometimes get to go to the front of lines, but right now besides her double vision and limp she is doing amazingly well. Her stamina is an issue, but she will be able to use a stroller as a wheelchair, so I don't think she is bad off enough to qualify for front of the line. Given that this is going to be her only trip to Disney I want her experience as much as possible.

So here is my question. Can we do the whole 4 parks in 3 days and if not, what should we skip given that she is a 5 year old girl? I was thinking of skipping Epcot, but I think she would love some of the stuff (e.g. the Turtle Talk thing and doing the Kim Possible hunt with her brother). Any suggestions from those who have already gone? Many thanks.

 

[maroo]

Hi,

I am new to this thread. Just a word of introduction and a few questions.

We just got our Wish dates, May 18th - 24th, very quickly. Our daughter has DIPG, a brain tumor considered the worst possible (only google it if you want to be very depressed). While I am immensely grateful for Make A Wish acting so quickly to make sure she is goes so soon (while she can enjoy the parks), I am now realizing that the usual vacation is only 3 days in Disney and the rest Universal and Seaworld. She really won't care for the others nearly as much. My son will have a blast I am sure at Universal, but I am concerned that with only 3 days and 4 Disney parks, she will not get to see everything.

I know that Wish kids in bad condition sometimes get to go to the front of lines, but right now besides her double vision and limp she is doing amazingly well. Her stamina is an issue, but she will be able to use a stroller as a wheelchair, so I don't think she is bad off enough to qualify for front of the line. Given that this is going to be her only trip to Disney I want her experience as much as possible.

So here is my question. Can we do the whole 4 parks in 3 days and if not, what should we skip given that she is a 5 year old girl? I was thinking of skipping Epcot, but I think she would love some of the stuff (e.g. the Turtle Talk thing and doing the Kim Possible hunt with her brother). Any suggestions from those who have already gone? Many thanks.

First of all to the Wish Trippers thread!!

I am so sorry that you even qualify for a wish trip!


I totally see how it seems impossible to do all 4 parks in 3 days...but it can be done. And is probably easier than you imagine!

The front of the line access is for ALL wish families, regardless of how mobile, etc that the child is. You will get a special button and a special issued Guest Assistance Card provided to wish families. These two things will help you make the most of your stay!


I think the key is picking out the must do's at each park. You may want to pick out the parks you think will take the longest and do those 1 day each and then have one "long" day where you split your two other parks.

Honestly...you could just go to Give Kids the World and have a magical time! But I do think you can easily hit all four parks!

Check out some of the trip reports listed on first page here and you will see families that did EVERYTHING they wanted to and had time left over! And you will see some families that couldn't get it all in, but had a blast trying!

Ask any questions you want here! We are glad to answer them!

 

[casper_jj11]

Welcome to the board! I'm fairly new myself but the group here has been incredibly supportive, whether planning the trip or with other things going on in our lives.

We've been several times and our 4yr old daughter is our wish child. I wouldn't skip Epcot. Its actually one of our favourite parks. I haven't been yet but I do believe that with the special treatment that wish kids receive that you can do it all. We're planning to extend our trip a bit so Sydney has a few more Disney days but if we only had the three, I'd blend HS and AK in the one day and then have one day for MK and one for Epcot. As Maroo said, decide what your little girl and the whole family would like to do most and go from there. I know our oldest will love Universal but I don't think Sydney is old enough for it yet which is why we've never been. Our plan is to do Universal only one day which leaves more free time for things she'll like to do. HTH

 

[TTomlinson]

Glad you found this board! Its been an immense help for me planning. Looks like you will be there part of the time we will Maybe we can meet at the Christmas party! Don't know if you've looked yet, but Star Wars weekends start on Friday of that week at DHS so you may want to avoid that park on that weekend (or plan for it like us if you are Star Wars lovers!).

Best of luck on your trip and hopefully we will see you there!

 

[TTomlinson]

BTW I just wanted to encourage people to ASK I've sent emails to a couple of different places that we really wanted to do something special while in Florida and so far I've gotten the most amazing responses. I always figure the worst they can say is No or that they just can't do anything, but if you don't ask they will never know that you would like some special assistance or experience. One of Tyler's biggest things is that he wants to be "Steve" and play with Blue while in Florida. I know that Blue is not even really a current show or character but I emailed Nick Hotel to ask about the possibilities after trying to make a reservation for either the character breakfast there or the Dora Show one evening and I was told that since we weren't staying at the hotel we couldn't make any reservations. Well I just got an email from the VP of the hotel saying that they will be scheduling a private meet-and-greet just for us with Blue! And a special invite to see the new 4D Dora & Diego movie. He is arranging things with the Entertainment coordinator as far as dates and times they can accommodate us but it just goes to show that asking can get you what you want sometimes. If you read our PTR you'll also see how Ridemakerz responded to an email from us, they are throwing a private, complimentary VIP bash for my boys before store opening one day of our trip! So, if there is something special your wish kid wants to do that is not standard, take the leap and call or email to ask for it. You never know who will be able to help make their dreams a reality until you put the word out there of what you are looking for. Like I said, the worst they can say is no and you know you are still going to have an amazing time!

 

[choochmac]

Glad you found this board! Its been an immense help for me planning. Looks like you will be there part of the time we will Maybe we can meet at the Christmas party! Don't know if you've looked yet, but Star Wars weekends start on Friday of that week at DHS so you may want to avoid that park on that weekend (or plan for it like us if you are Star Wars lovers!).

Best of luck on your trip and hopefully we will see you there!

Thanks, hopefully we will see you around. We will be at DHS for one day over the weekend for sure. Our son Cameron, 8, is a Star Wars fanatic, so being there for that will be a must. In fact, we are keeping it a secret from him so he will get a "surprise". We want him to not feel like the entire trip revolves around only his sister. (He has been feeling the emotions of everyone doting on Elise.) The funny thing is she loves Star Wars almost as much as he does, so it is a win-win.

 

[teresajoy]

Hi,

I am new to this thread. Just a word of introduction and a few questions.

We just got our Wish dates, May 18th - 24th, very quickly. Our daughter has DIPG, a brain tumor considered the worst possible (only google it if you want to be very depressed). While I am immensely grateful for Make A Wish acting so quickly to make sure she is goes so soon (while she can enjoy the parks), I am now realizing that the usual vacation is only 3 days in Disney and the rest Universal and Seaworld. She really won't care for the others nearly as much. My son will have a blast I am sure at Universal, but I am concerned that with only 3 days and 4 Disney parks, she will not get to see everything.

I know that Wish kids in bad condition sometimes get to go to the front of lines, but right now besides her double vision and limp she is doing amazingly well. Her stamina is an issue, but she will be able to use a stroller as a wheelchair, so I don't think she is bad off enough to qualify for front of the line. Given that this is going to be her only trip to Disney I want her experience as much as possible.

So here is my question. Can we do the whole 4 parks in 3 days and if not, what should we skip given that she is a 5 year old girl? I was thinking of skipping Epcot, but I think she would love some of the stuff (e.g. the Turtle Talk thing and doing the Kim Possible hunt with her brother). Any suggestions from those who have already gone? Many thanks.

I Googled it. Like Maroo said, I am so sorry you qualify for a Wish. But, I'm glad you found this thread. I don't post much here, but I lurk around quite a bit! I sent you a PM.

BTW I just wanted to encourage people to ASK I've sent emails to a couple of different places that we really wanted to do something special while in Florida and so far I've gotten the most amazing responses. I always figure the worst they can say is No or that they just can't do anything, but if you don't ask they will never know that you would like some special assistance or experience. One of Tyler's biggest things is that he wants to be "Steve" and play with Blue while in Florida. I know that Blue is not even really a current show or character but I emailed Nick Hotel to ask about the possibilities after trying to make a reservation for either the character breakfast there or the Dora Show one evening and I was told that since we weren't staying at the hotel we couldn't make any reservations. Well I just got an email from the VP of the hotel saying that they will be scheduling a private meet-and-greet just for us with Blue! And a special invite to see the new 4D Dora & Diego movie. He is arranging things with the Entertainment coordinator as far as dates and times they can accommodate us but it just goes to show that asking can get you what you want sometimes. If you read our PTR you'll also see how Ridemakerz responded to an email from us, they are throwing a private, complimentary VIP bash for my boys before store opening one day of our trip! So, if there is something special your wish kid wants to do that is not standard, take the leap and call or email to ask for it. You never know who will be able to help make their dreams a reality until you put the word out there of what you are looking for. Like I said, the worst they can say is no and you know you are still going to have an amazing time!

THAT is AMAZING!!! Good for you!!! That is going to be so much fun!

 

[pipersmom]

We're finally home, and I think I'm caught up with everything we missed! Piper is doing well, her lung function is at 61%, but we're keeping her on homebound for the remainder of the school year. In the fall she'll start in the classroom, and we'll see how it goes.

For those of you that had questions about packing..we ended up with a TON of extra stuff between souvenirs and things GKTW gave us. It would have been at least 2 extra suitcases. Rather than paying the baggage fees, I shipped a (50 lb!!!) box home, and it was only around $35.. much cheaper than the 55 we would have paid in baggage. So it's definitely something to keep in mind. It was also less to lug around the airport, and was fun getting the box a few days after we got home and opening it and re-living things again. Also..so for any snowglobe fans..you CANNOT pack or carry-on snowglobes onto a plane...another reason for the box shipping for us..Piper picked up two or three different snowglobes while we were there, and I wasn't going to tell her no because of the plane rules when I knew they were something she'd keep forever.

Anyway...welcome to all the new arrivals I'm going to start working on getting caught up on PTRs too!

 

[rcq925]

So I have been a member of the DIS boards for a few years and lurking on the Make A Wish thread for a few months. My daughter, Hayley, is 6 years old and has Cystic Fibrosis and our wish volunteers are coming for the first time tonight.

Her wish is to go to Disney and stay the night in Cinderella's Castle. We went to Disney in 2008 during the year of a million dreams campaign and she remembers all the commercials stating that one lucky family per day won a night in the castle. We have also watched all the Disney specials on the travel channel and one went behind the scenes at Disney and showed inside the suite in Cinderella's castle. She REALLY wants to stay there one night (and the rest at Give Kids the World). I keep telling her that we may not be able to stay in the castle, but we can still have the time of our lives.

Just wondering, has any other wish family been able to stay in the castle?

I have been lurking on here for months and I am addicted to the trip reports, I love reading them!!

Thanks in advance!

Becky, Mom to Nathan, age 9, and Hayley, age 6 (Wish Kid)

 

[wishin' on a star]

Hi everyone. The children's hospital called and Sydney's tests are now normal. I had a nice sigh of relief for about, oh, 4 seconds and then said "What the he*&?" We still haven't spoken with the oncologist. The nurse said we'd see her in September but retracted once I said the paed told us we'd see the oncologist soon so who knows. We still want further testing because this is just too bizarre for us. Something has to be happening. I knew I wouldn't trust the results irregardless of what it came back as.

I'm sorry you are not able to celebrate good news yet. I hope you get a duplicate of the normal test soon!

Hi,

I am new to this thread. Just a word of introduction and a few questions.

We just got our Wish dates, May 18th - 24th, very quickly. Our daughter has DIPG, a brain tumor considered the worst possible (only google it if you want to be very depressed). While I am immensely grateful for Make A Wish acting so quickly to make sure she is goes so soon (while she can enjoy the parks), I am now realizing that the usual vacation is only 3 days in Disney and the rest Universal and Seaworld. She really won't care for the others nearly as much. My son will have a blast I am sure at Universal, but I am concerned that with only 3 days and 4 Disney parks, she will not get to see everything.

I know that Wish kids in bad condition sometimes get to go to the front of lines, but right now besides her double vision and limp she is doing amazingly well. Her stamina is an issue, but she will be able to use a stroller as a wheelchair, so I don't think she is bad off enough to qualify for front of the line. Given that this is going to be her only trip to Disney I want her experience as much as possible.

So here is my question. Can we do the whole 4 parks in 3 days and if not, what should we skip given that she is a 5 year old girl? I was thinking of skipping Epcot, but I think she would love some of the stuff (e.g. the Turtle Talk thing and doing the Kim Possible hunt with her brother). Any suggestions from those who have already gone? Many thanks.

Hi and to the board. I'm sorry to hear about your daughter's diagnosis. I don't have a whole lot of advice, only because we are thinking along the same lines as you. We hope to buy one more day of Disney tickets so we can have 4 days at Disney parks without rushing around too much. I know Disney will be the highlight for my kids.

I noticed you were from Arlington, we are in Montgomery County in MD, so not too far. And...we will be at GKTW pretty much the same time also...hopefully we can meet. My dd who is getting her wish is 6.

We're finally home, and I think I'm caught up with everything we missed! Piper is doing well, her lung function is at 61%, but we're keeping her on homebound for the remainder of the school year. In the fall she'll start in the classroom, and we'll see how it goes.

Anyway...welcome to all the new arrivals I'm going to start working on getting caught up on PTRs too!

I'm glad to hear Piper is home and dong well. I hope the rest of the school year at home goes well for her!

So I have been a member of the DIS boards for a few years and lurking on the Make A Wish thread for a few months. My daughter, Hayley, is 6 years old and has Cystic Fibrosis and our wish volunteers are coming for the first time tonight.

Her wish is to go to Disney and stay the night in Cinderella's Castle. We went to Disney in 2008 during the year of a million dreams campaign and she remembers all the commercials stating that one lucky family per day won a night in the castle. We have also watched all the Disney specials on the travel channel and one went behind the scenes at Disney and showed inside the suite in Cinderella's castle. She REALLY wants to stay there one night (and the rest at Give Kids the World). I keep telling her that we may not be able to stay in the castle, but we can still have the time of our lives.

Just wondering, has any other wish family been able to stay in the castle?

I have been lurking on here for months and I am addicted to the trip reports, I love reading them!!

Thanks in advance!

Becky, Mom to Nathan, age 9, and Hayley, age 6 (Wish Kid)

Hi Becky! I know nothing about staying in the castle, but I wanted to welcome you to the thread, and say hello! I hope your visit tonight with the wish granters goes well! Do you have any idea when you would like to go?

 

[rcq925]

Thanks for the welcome Laura!

We want to go in November if possible when all the Christmas decorations are up! I think that would be so special. I was wondering is there a certain day of the week that people usually arrive at GKTW or does that not matter?

I just got a call from our wish grantors who are coming tonight and they want some possible dates for our trip. I am n ot sure what day of the week the trip should start and end. Does Make A Wish get better deals on flights if you leave on certain days. At GKTW is it 5 nights or six nights that you get to stay?

Anyone else been in November and have any advice?

Thanks again!

Becky, Mom to Nathan, age 9, and Hayley, age 6 (Wish Kid)

 

[maroo]

So I have been a member of the DIS boards for a few years and lurking on the Make A Wish thread for a few months. My daughter, Hayley, is 6 years old and has Cystic Fibrosis and our wish volunteers are coming for the first time tonight.

Her wish is to go to Disney and stay the night in Cinderella's Castle. We went to Disney in 2008 during the year of a million dreams campaign and she remembers all the commercials stating that one lucky family per day won a night in the castle. We have also watched all the Disney specials on the travel channel and one went behind the scenes at Disney and showed inside the suite in Cinderella's castle. She REALLY wants to stay there one night (and the rest at Give Kids the World). I keep telling her that we may not be able to stay in the castle, but we can still have the time of our lives.

Just wondering, has any other wish family been able to stay in the castle?

I have been lurking on here for months and I am addicted to the trip reports, I love reading them!!

Thanks in advance!

Becky, Mom to Nathan, age 9, and Hayley, age 6 (Wish Kid)

Hello there! I love it when lurkers come out of lurkdome! I hope you will do a pre-trip report!

As far as I know no one has been able to stay in the Castle. I think the issue MAW/GKTW has is that there are over a hundred families at GKTW each night and I am not sure how they would choose the one family.

Lauren asked about sleeping in the castle and they told her that they can't grant that wish...however, you never know until you ask!

There was some talk here on the DIS about this and they were saying there were rumors that Wish Kids would be allowed to stay there one day.

Thanks for the welcome Laura!

We want to go in November if possible when all the Christmas decorations are up! I think that would be so special. I was wondering is there a certain day of the week that people usually arrive at GKTW or does that not matter?

I just got a call from our wish grantors who are coming tonight and they want some possible dates for our trip. I am n ot sure what day of the week the trip should start and end. Does Make A Wish get better deals on flights if you leave on certain days. At GKTW is it 5 nights or six nights that you get to stay?

Anyone else been in November and have any advice?

Thanks again!

Becky, Mom to Nathan, age 9, and Hayley, age 6 (Wish Kid)

Since you are from the US, you will be able to stay 6 nights at GKTW.

I am not sure about the deals on flights?

I think you can pick the dates that you want to go.

We are going back Thanksgiving Week this year and will be able to visit GKTW. I would avoid Thanksgiving week since the parks will be busy - but otherwise November is a great time to go!

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

My computer is toasted, and it might be a couple weeks before I get a new one, so if you don't see me on here, thats why:

Oh no Im sorry.

 

[that's nice]

We are going back Thanksgiving Week this year and will be able to visit GKTW. I would avoid Thanksgiving week since the parks will be busy - but otherwise November is a great time to go!

What are the dates you are going to be there? We are hoping for December 1-7.

I feel weird doing this but if we wanted to extend the trip by a day or 2 to try to fit in seeing some family, trying to enjoy GKTW (ie. not being on the go every day), and fit in a MVMCP, does MAW have a problem with this? I know other people have extended.. just wanted to know the best way going about this.

Are the park tickets only good for the time you are at GKTW.. meaning if we are at GKTW from 12/1-12/7 can I use a park ticket on the 8th?




WOW by the looks of this post am I officially starting to plan for Juliana's wish trip?

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

Keep this reservation! The food is great! It is served family style. They also have turkey and something else. There was an orange cranberry relish to go with the turkey that was awesome! The kids can eat mac and cheese and chicken nuggets if they don't like the adult food. The dessert is a cobbler type dessert served with fresh cream. It was blueberry when we were there. They also bring a salad. We tried it for the first time last November and it was awesome. The characters often make it around twice. I have pictures in Tyler's Nov. Wish trip if you want to look at them. You can also get seconds of the items that you like without having to order the items you don't like.

Thank you! I did look at your pictures. You got some great pics! That helped a ton.

Hi everyone. The children's hospital called and Sydney's tests are now normal. I had a nice sigh of relief for about, oh, 4 seconds and then said "What the he*&?" We still haven't spoken with the oncologist. The nurse said we'd see her in September but retracted once I said the paed told us we'd see the oncologist soon so who knows. We still want further testing because this is just too bizarre for us. Something has to be happening. I knew I wouldn't trust the results irregardless of what it came back as. Anyway, we apparently have a contact at Comer Children's Hospital in Chicago (Univ of Chicago). Several have mentioned the great care at Children's Memorial in Chicago. Is this the same place? If not, what can you tell me about Comer? Good and bad.

Im sorry there are mixed feelings with the news. I can understand why I do not know anything about Comer or Univ of Chicago but hopefully somone here has some information. It is not the same place as Childrens Memorial.




I had the same reaction when I saw the menu. I have ressies because we all love Chip and Dale but I'm still not sure we're going to keep this one.

Call and ask for the menu. This will definately help. They tell you a little more about the menu. Somone here mentioned about the turkey and that helped me.

Hi,

I am new to this thread. Just a word of introduction and a few questions.

We just got our Wish dates, May 18th - 24th, very quickly. Our daughter has DIPG, a brain tumor considered the worst possible (only google it if you want to be very depressed). While I am immensely grateful for Make A Wish acting so quickly to make sure she is goes so soon (while she can enjoy the parks), I am now realizing that the usual vacation is only 3 days in Disney and the rest Universal and Seaworld. She really won't care for the others nearly as much. My son will have a blast I am sure at Universal, but I am concerned that with only 3 days and 4 Disney parks, she will not get to see everything.

I know that Wish kids in bad condition sometimes get to go to the front of lines, but right now besides her double vision and limp she is doing amazingly well. Her stamina is an issue, but she will be able to use a stroller as a wheelchair, so I don't think she is bad off enough to qualify for front of the line. Given that this is going to be her only trip to Disney I want her experience as much as possible.

So here is my question. Can we do the whole 4 parks in 3 days and if not, what should we skip given that she is a 5 year old girl? I was thinking of skipping Epcot, but I think she would love some of the stuff (e.g. the Turtle Talk thing and doing the Kim Possible hunt with her brother). Any suggestions from those who have already gone? Many thanks.

Welcome!! I have to agree with the others. I would go but go online to the parks on the disney website and pick out what you would like to do at each. And you can even order a map of the things you would like to do. That would cut down on time for you.

We're finally home, and I think I'm caught up with everything we missed! Piper is doing well, her lung function is at 61%, but we're keeping her on homebound for the remainder of the school year. In the fall she'll start in the classroom, and we'll see how it goes.

For those of you that had questions about packing..we ended up with a TON of extra stuff between souvenirs and things GKTW gave us. It would have been at least 2 extra suitcases. Rather than paying the baggage fees, I shipped a (50 lb!!!) box home, and it was only around $35.. much cheaper than the 55 we would have paid in baggage. So it's definitely something to keep in mind. It was also less to lug around the airport, and was fun getting the box a few days after we got home and opening it and re-living things again. Also..so for any snowglobe fans..you CANNOT pack or carry-on snowglobes onto a plane...another reason for the box shipping for us..Piper picked up two or three different snowglobes while we were there, and I wasn't going to tell her no because of the plane rules when I knew they were something she'd keep forever.

Anyway...welcome to all the new arrivals I'm going to start working on getting caught up on PTRs too!

Glad to hear you are home hun! Thank you for the tip. That is a great idea. Do they ship right from GKTW or is there a shipping place nearby?

So I have been a member of the DIS boards for a few years and lurking on the Make A Wish thread for a few months. My daughter, Hayley, is 6 years old and has Cystic Fibrosis and our wish volunteers are coming for the first time tonight.

Her wish is to go to Disney and stay the night in Cinderella's Castle. We went to Disney in 2008 during the year of a million dreams campaign and she remembers all the commercials stating that one lucky family per day won a night in the castle. We have also watched all the Disney specials on the travel channel and one went behind the scenes at Disney and showed inside the suite in Cinderella's castle. She REALLY wants to stay there one night (and the rest at Give Kids the World). I keep telling her that we may not be able to stay in the castle, but we can still have the time of our lives.

Just wondering, has any other wish family been able to stay in the castle?

I have been lurking on here for months and I am addicted to the trip reports, I love reading them!!

Thanks in advance!

Becky, Mom to Nathan, age 9, and Hayley, age 6 (Wish Kid)

Hi Becky! Welcome to our little "home". I am not sure about the castle but I dont think it would hurt to ask at all

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

Verdict on Garden Grille (Chip and Dale)
We are keeping the ressies!

When I called and asked about Chef Mickeys this morning I also asked what the menu was for the Garden Grille. They do indeed have turkey and dressing so that was a go for me. Sierra likes that too so no problem there. She did say that they will have different breads and Ty will eat some bread sometimes so if he choses to he will eat if not no biggie. I told her that is all he would eat if anything and she told me to just let the CM at the podium know when we check in.Since my kids are older they would not be on the kids menu.

Chef Mickeys is still a no go but Im ok with that. Since others here have said Garden Grille is more of a laid back place I think that would be better for Ty anyways.