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

[alaskanabbott]

I'm also curious to get some opinions on what's worth seeing and what isn't for a toddler. I want to get the most out of the trip while still allowing time to enjoy GKTW so I don't want to overdo it at the parks. Does anyone have advice? Is SeaWorld worth taking a toddler and baby to? What about IOA - is there even anything there for small kids? I thought of that as more of a roller coaster-type park.

our youngest is 5, but we would've skipped IOA altogether...big waste of time, and a very very long walk to get to even from disabled parking, even US was a let down and the only kiddie thing there was the little water play area, and a roller coaster that my 5yr old said was too scary (though she loved Space Mountain). There is a tiny little play structure, but if your little ones want to play in a playground I'd let them do Mathew's Boundless Playground instead. So if you don't want a soaked cranky kid, avoid the US kiddie area. I know some people here loved IOA for the Dr. Seuss land, we never made it to Seussville, because three rides broke down as we were getting on, so we gave up and decided playing at GKTW would be more fun...we were right

 

[yinyanggirls]

On the bright side, he is the most happy, loving, funny little kid and he can't WAIT to go to Disney. He also wants to be Steve from Blues Clues for part of his wish so we will see.

Welcome Tami! My 8 yr old dd loves BLUE! We definitely prefer Steve also. He did a great job on that show. We mentioned to the Wish granter that she would enjoy meeting her but they've never mentioned it again and since it's not a Disney or US show I'm not expecting it. I know that Blue has occasionally visited GKTW though.

One way or another, God is going to heal Mya - but in the meantime - I really hope that we, as her DIS family, will surround her with love and support.

Just left her a note. I'm so sad they are going through this.

 

[xanphylus]

A very special person from Mya's guestbook made a video collage of Mya that is beautiful and captures the spirit of Mya. If anyone wants to watch it they can here.

Oh gosh! That was the best! I know you love it to pieces Shardai. I just woke up at 3:30 am for some reason, checked here and watched it...I cried like a baby- I really did. I LOVE the song. Anyone know what song that is or who wrote it? Hope your having a better night. I will check your caringbridge in a min.

 

[The Lurker]

Blue does occasionally visit GKTW on a Tuesday morning. If your wish organization doesn't make the arrangement for your child to see Blue, contact GKTW and ask. While we never know which character is coming on a given Tuesday, I do remember one Tuesday being told that Sponge Bob was there because a child had requested to see him. If that doesn't work, on Tuesday ask the short guy, Charlie, who comes with the character where can you go to see Blue during the week and he will tell you Blue's schedule. Just remember, if they tell you Blue is coming, he (or she is Blue male or female?) will only be there from 8:30 to 9:15 in the morning. Charlie is a wonderful man, but at 9:15 and not 9:16, he announces that the character is leaving and they leave. It has to do with union rules.

 

[cajunfan]

A very special person from Mya's guestbook made a video collage of Mya that is beautiful and captures the spirit of Mya. If anyone wants to watch it they can here.

I watched this when I saw it posted on Mya's Caring Bridge site. (I am not going to watch it this morning as, I need to go to work...and I know it will make me cry again). It is a beautiful video. Thank you to the person that made this for Shardai!

 

[pacrosby]

I have a question about the Wish Lounges... I've seen reference to them on here. Where are they? What are they like? Last year I found out about the baby stations or whatever they're called and they were pretty nice... are the Wish Lounges similar? I'll still be nursing my son when we go in July and I know with a 3 year old and baby in tow we'll need a place to take a break.

I'm also curious to get some opinions on what's worth seeing and what isn't for a toddler. I want to get the most out of the trip while still allowing time to enjoy GKTW so I don't want to overdo it at the parks. Does anyone have advice? Is SeaWorld worth taking a toddler and baby to? What about IOA - is there even anything there for small kids? I thought of that as more of a roller coaster-type park.

I know nothing about the lounges as we never went (our trip was in December) but regarding US/IOA

I had a 4, 6, 8 and 9 yr old on our trip and we absolutely LOVED US/IOA and Seaworld!!!!!!!! In fact if I had to make a choice because of limited time (with or without very young children) I'd probably get rid of one of the Disney parks All of my kids had an absolute ball at each one of those parks and we had no problem spending a whole day at each (could've gone back for more). I guess my point is that....................who knows if you'll like it. The fact that your kids are soooooooo young makes me think that you probably wouldn't need to do a whole day at each but I don't know if you want to just skip them completely (will you ever get free tickets and front of the line access again?). Keep in mind with a baby and a toddler that even many of the Disney parks will have limited appeal (particularly Epcot but Hollywood Studios as well). I would think a toddler (how old? I missed the exact age) would enjoy the animals at Seaworld (as would you). IOA has Suessville as AlaskanAbbot mentioned (a hoot in and of itself) and US has a whole kiddie area with different themed play areas and shows (i.e. Barney/Fievel/Curious George). I have alot of px from those parks on my Trip Report if you want to check it out (if I have time after the kids get off to school I'll let you know what pages they are on so you don't have to scroll through the entire 30 pages LOL). Plus I'd suggest spending some time on their websites really checking out the different rides and shows that are available before making your choice. Someone else's opinion (good or bad) unfortunately won't tell you how you would feel. Amber (AlaskanAbbott) thought it was a colossal waste of time. Me? I felt like it was a absolute blast (and not just Seussville, ALL of it). Who really knows what you would think

 

[wishin' on a star]

I'm glad to read all of the different opinions about US/IOA. We've been trying to decide whether to include it in our time down there, and I hope we can fit in some time there. We still have Saturday open on our schedule, so it's very possible that will be our US/IOA day...I know that makes you happy Pamela!

We want to fit in as much as possible, but with 7 days, two of them travel days...well, you guys know that you just can't do it all!

I also know that once we get down there, my entire itinerary may go out the window!

Do you think we could do US/IOA one morning and then Epcot in the afternoon? I know nothing about how far everything is and how much time we would spend in the car, parking, etc. We want to do Illuminations one evening, and my kids are actually really excited about the World Showcase and seeing all of the different countries...so I want to make sure we spend enough time there.

So much to think about!!!

 

[pacrosby]

I'm also curious to get some opinions on what's worth seeing and what isn't for a toddler. I want to get the most out of the trip while still allowing time to enjoy GKTW so I don't want to overdo it at the parks. Does anyone have advice? Is SeaWorld worth taking a toddler and baby to? What about IOA - is there even anything there for small kids? I thought of that as more of a roller coaster-type park.

Ok...............I'm back

I now see that Adri is 3. So that is on the young side. I guess one of the questions would be is she 'just' 3 or closer to 4. And, how tall (and adventurous) is she? I wrote a summary of US/IOA on this Wish Tripper's Unite thread a couple of months ago that lists what rides might specifically appeal to younger kids, height requirements etc. It's on page 45, post # 668 if you want to check it out. And if you so desire you could also check out my Trip Report (the Gingerbread Boy, link below). Pages 10, 11, 12, 18, 19 and 20 have px of US/IOA; pages 22 and 23 have px of SeaWorld.

Hope that helps

 

[pacrosby]

I'm glad to read all of the different opinions about US/IOA. We've been trying to decide whether to include it in our time down there, and I hope we can fit in some time there. We still have Saturday open on our schedule, so it's very possible that will be our US/IOA day...I know that makes you happy Pamela!

We want to fit in as much as possible, but with 7 days, two of them travel days...well, you guys know that you just can't do it all!

I also know that once we get down there, my entire itinerary may go out the window!

Do you think we could do US/IOA one morning and then Epcot in the afternoon? I know nothing about how far everything is and how much time we would spend in the car, parking, etc. We want to do Illuminations one evening, and my kids are actually really excited about the World Showcase and seeing all of the different countries...so I want to make sure we spend enough time there.

So much to think about!!!

yeah, having two travel days does make it tough. We were able to extend by two days which really helped ease the rush. You are absolutely right, you (unfortunately ) just can't do it all. In answer to your question you absolutely could do US/IOA in the morning and another park in the afternoon assuming you got up and out early. Or you could come back to GKTW for an afternoon break and go back and do Epcot in the evening (if your kids would tolerate that). It's probably close to a half hour tops to drive from GKTW to the different parks/park to park (probably less than if you were on property and needed to rely on Disney transportation).

That's great that your kids are so interested in going to the World Showcase. My three boys would've been bored to tears

 

[yinyanggirls]

Blue does occasionally visit GKTW on a Tuesday morning. If your wish organization doesn't make the arrangement for your child to see Blue, contact GKTW and ask. While we never know which character is coming on a given Tuesday, I do remember one Tuesday being told that Sponge Bob was there because a child had requested to see him. If that doesn't work, on Tuesday ask the short guy, Charlie, who comes with the character where can you go to see Blue during the week and he will tell you Blue's schedule. Just remember, if they tell you Blue is coming, he (or she is Blue male or female?) will only be there from 8:30 to 9:15 in the morning. Charlie is a wonderful man, but at 9:15 and not 9:16, he announces that the character is leaving and they leave. It has to do with union rules.

Thanks for this info Katie! Blue is a girl dog. I haven't heard any final details from MAW (we don't have plane tix yet or expense check) so I know they still have stuff to give/tell us but who knows when? We leave in about a week. I'll try calling GKTW a few days before and see if they can help.

 

[Wee Annie]

I wrote a summary of US/IOA on this Wish Tripper's Unite thread a couple of months ago that lists what rides might specifically appeal to younger kids, height requirements etc. It's on page 45, post # 668 if you want to check it out. And if you so desire you could also check out my Trip Report (the Gingerbread Boy, link below). Pages 10, 11, 12, 18, 19 and 20 have px of US/IOA; pages 22 and 23 have px of SeaWorld.

Hope that helps

THANKS for that, Pamela! Very very helpful!

My wishkid is almost 4 (in several weeks), and I was going to write off US/IOA completely until I read Pamela's TR. Now I think we may spend one day there, specifically targeting a handful of attractions that I think might appeal to Elke and my older children. Mainly starting out in IOA in Suessland, but giving my older kids a chance to ride Spiderman, and then, and only if we have time, going over to the US side to do Shrek and/or ET. think I may avoid the whole "kiddy" wet area in US like the plague. I'd rather just have Elke play at the playground at GKTW and go in their pool.

If I had children who were three and under, I might either just skip US/IOA altogether, or just hit Suessland in IOA. My two cents (and only worth two cents, since I've never been there!).

 

[Wee Annie]

I haven't heard any final details from MAW (we don't have plane tix yet or expense check) so I know they still have stuff to give/tell us but who knows when? We leave in about a week. I'll try calling GKTW a few days before and see if they can help.

Melissa,

I haven't heard a peep from our MAW people either re send-off paperwork. I actually emailed our coordinator just to "confirm" that everything was still on (I was getting nervous).

 

[Wee Annie]

Okay, so we're going in oh, what, 10 days and I'm finally getting to planning.

Question: are there Wish Lounges in all the Disney Parks, or just the MK? Are they open all day, or just certain hours? Inquiring minds want to know....

Thanks!

Just wanted to bump this up again. Amber told us where the MK lounge was and gave us some info re the Epcot lounge being closed on weekends (thanks, Amber!), but does anyone know whether AK, specifically, has a lounge? On our last trip with our older girls, I recall that that was the park where we experienced burn out the quickest. For some reason it just feels more crowded, humid and hot than the other parks. So a wish lounge would be a God-send there!

 

[TTomlinson]

Of course I couldn't sleep last night thinking about all the planning for this trip. 6 weeks sounded like a long time to keep Tyler patient but now thinking about it... 6 weeks!?! OMG I have a lot to do.

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone has gone to see the Cirque de Soliel show? I believe its called La Nouba? I love Cirque and have always wanted to take the boys but its always so expensive when it comes to Denver and seems a little long and boring for them to spend that much. Is the one at Disney more geared to kids? Is this something that we might be able to include in our MAW trip?

I started my PTR I'm so excited/nervous/scared hehe

Tami

 

[pouty_tink]

Oh gosh! That was the best! I know you love it to pieces Shardai. I just woke up at 3:30 am for some reason, checked here and watched it...I cried like a baby- I really did. I LOVE the song. Anyone know what song that is or who wrote it? Hope your having a better night. I will check your caringbridge in a min.

What a beautiful video!! the song is 'breathe in, breathe out' by Mat Kearney. beautiful song!!

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

What a sweet video of Mya. Precious just too precious. Your friend did a great job and picked a perfect song. Thank you for sharing it with us

 

[Mtopher4]

: Tears

That Smilebox show was Beautiful... Mya is such a beauty.

(((((((((Many Positive thoughts and prayers)))))))))))))

 

[Adrismommy]

Ok...............I'm back

I now see that Adri is 3. So that is on the young side. I guess one of the questions would be is she 'just' 3 or closer to 4. And, how tall (and adventurous) is she? I wrote a summary of US/IOA on this Wish Tripper's Unite thread a couple of months ago that lists what rides might specifically appeal to younger kids, height requirements etc. It's on page 45, post # 668 if you want to check it out. And if you so desire you could also check out my Trip Report (the Gingerbread Boy, link below). Pages 10, 11, 12, 18, 19 and 20 have px of US/IOA; pages 22 and 23 have px of SeaWorld.

Hope that helps

She just turned 3 a month ago, so she won't even be 3 1/2 when we go. I don't think we'll avoid it altogether but instead of doing a day at each of US/IOA, I think we'll do one day (probably just a half day at US). I've already decided that at least two of our 5 days that aren't travel we're going to commit to come back and take naps. She still takes a long nap every day and of course the baby still takes 2/day. He'll sleep in the stroller (hopefully!) but she'll probably just miss her nap on those days. I need to find the right balance of enjoying this trip without burning out the kids. We really pushed her too hard when we went last year and I literally sat up crying at night because I was so tired but she wouldn't sleep because she was so cranky & overtired that she couldn't rest. I want this to be enjoyable without leaving w/regrets that we missed something... that's going to be an interesting balance!

 

[alaskanabbott]

I just was checking Mya caringbridge, it looks as if she is now an angel. My heart is just so broken for her family. I know this is a reality for many of us, but it just is so so heartbreaking. Prayers for her family

 

[maroo]

What a sweet video of Mya. Precious just too precious. Your friend did a great job and picked a perfect song. Thank you for sharing it with us

: Tears

That Smilebox show was Beautiful... Mya is such a beauty.

(((((((((Many Positive thoughts and prayers)))))))))))))

I just was checking Mya caringbridge, it looks as if she is now an angel. My heart is just so broken for her family. I know this is a reality for many of us, but it just is so so heartbreaking. Prayers for her family

Beautiful Mya is no longer in pain.

She passed away at 12:10 EST today.





Shardai - We are all praying for you.