Owen's Wish DISNEYWORLD 2011!!

[Owensheart]

If you can swing it, 5 would be nice! I think when you are staying on property there are some special things to enjoy, especially around the holidays when things are so festive. Decorations are just absolutely beautiful!!!!!! Plus, it would give you some time to "relax" after running like crazy the whole week before! ( :

I dont' know why it has taken me so long to figure out this "quote" and "reply" on the threads, but now that I have it down.. I'll be on here tons more.

I am so excited to see all the Christmas decor up. I heard Osborne lights are amazing, as well as the MVMCP. I am trying to figure out which resorts have what decorations.. but am planning an entire morning of resort hopping to soak it all in.

 

[Owensheart]

It was March 17th when Owen had his meeting with the Wish Granters and we haven't heard a peep from them. I emailed one of the wish managers in the local office to find out if she had any info and she said Owen is definetly approved, but the wish granters will contact me with details.

It's been a few weeks and I called the wish granters today to see how things were progressing and to ask a few more questions. Like do I pay for the $400 portable oxygen concentrator for the plane, or is that covered? There are a few more like it.

Long story short.. I called the wish granter tonight and she has moved to South America! She has not been his wish granter for a while and said "Oh.. I thought they would have informed you that you need new wish granters!"

I emailed the wish manager back to see if new wish granters were assigned and to make sure she knew we were still here.. Ha. I know they are so busy and the granters are just volunteers. I just want to keep in the loop and make sure Owen doesn't get lost amongst the wishes.

 

[Owensheart]

Our wish manager is amazing and got back to me this morning!! She was so sweet. Owen has new wish granters and we'll hear from them shortly. We are just working on logistics of Owen's wish.

We need to decide to stay Onsite or at GKTW. I really wanted to do GKTW for our wish week and then at a Disney Resort for our extended stay (out of pocket). My huge concern is what to do with Owen's oxygen tanks. Eek. I posted a question on the Make A Wish board regarding this.

So Owen will have "D" sized oxygen tanks that are portable enough to get on and off rides and throw inthe stroller. But they don't last but a couple hours and there is no way to refill them. So we'll have to take several to the park each day and we will need to find a place to store them.

The other option is to stay at a disney resort hotel so we can go back to the room to switch out tanks during the day .. perhaps during nap time. But then we give up the option of staying at GKTW.

Big decisions!

We should have dates in the next month, I hope. Our requested dates were for the first week of December(ish) and that puts us about 4 months out. I'll have lots of planning to do and ADR's to make. Exciting!!

Everytime Owen watches a Disney movie.. which is daily.. he sees the castle and says "THAT'S MY MAKE A WISH MAMA!!!" He is so stoked!!

 

[vegaangel82]

We are not a Wish family, but we just had a great stay at AK villas.We loved it there and the CMs were wonderful! They made our stay better than we dreamed it would be.

Have fun planning. You got me hooked on following to hear about your cuties wish.

We are staying at the Villas too in September! I'll let you know how it is!!

 

[vegaangel82]

Everytime Owen watches a Disney movie.. which is daily.. he sees the castle and says "THAT'S MY MAKE A WISH MAMA!!!" He is so stoked!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE! Thats SO cute!

 

[Owensheart]

WE GOT DATES!!!​

I just got an email forward from our newest wish granter and our wish manager. All the long wait makes sense.. we went through two wish granters, and our wish manager is leaving the foundation. So it looks like we will have a new wish manager soon too! We are so excited about our new wish granter and she is so great!! I know she's going to stay on top of things and make everything wonderful from here on out.

DECEMBER 4 - DECEMBER 14!!​

We are planning to extend the last 4 days out of pocket and moving from GKTW to one of the Disney Resort hotels! Nothing is more magical than Disney at Christmas time!

Owen is so excited to see Mickey, Donald, Stitch, Buzz, Woody and Mr Incredible! He is going through a Spiderman phase and so I am so excited to tell him he will get to see his Spiderman hero at Universal!!

Let the planning begin...

 

[angcmom]

Congrats on getting your dates. We just got ours yesterday....we leave on November 8th. We are planning on extending our trip by 3 nights....still trying to decide where to stay those dates.

We've have decided not to tell the kids for a few days....I want to come up with a special way to let them know!

Can't wait to read your plans!

Terri

 

[blessedmom4]

WE GOT DATES!!!​

I just got an email forward from our newest wish granter and our wish manager. All the long wait makes sense.. we went through two wish granters, and our wish manager is leaving the foundation. So it looks like we will have a new wish manager soon too! We are so excited about our new wish granter and she is so great!! I know she's going to stay on top of things and make everything wonderful from here on out.

DECEMBER 4 - DECEMBER 14!!​

We are planning to extend the last 4 days out of pocket and moving from GKTW to one of the Disney Resort hotels! Nothing is more magical than Disney at Christmas time!

Owen is so excited to see Mickey, Donald, Stitch, Buzz, Woody and Mr Incredible! He is going through a Spiderman phase and so I am so excited to tell him he will get to see his Spiderman hero at Universal!!

Let the planning begin...

I am so excited for you! How wonderful you will be able to extend and stay on property, that will be a GREAT way to end the trip! Looking forward to the plans!

 

[Owensheart]

I am so excited for you! How wonderful you will be able to extend and stay on property, that will be a GREAT way to end the trip! Looking forward to the plans!

You guys are extending too right? You'll have to let me know where you end up staying!! Mid October is coming up!!

Congrats on getting your dates. We just got ours yesterday....we leave on November 8th. We are planning on extending our trip by 3 nights....still trying to decide where to stay those dates.

We've have decided not to tell the kids for a few days....I want to come up with a special way to let them know!

Can't wait to read your plans!

Terri

I should have waited and come up with a special reveal.. that's a great idea!! November is a great time to go!!

We haven't decided on a place to stay yet. There are too many options and I can't narrow it down. I have a tentative itinerary, but I'm trying to figure it all out.

 

[xanphylus]

Congrats on your dates! Can't wait to hear more as you plan!

 

[Owensheart]

I received a call from our new Wish Manger on Friday! He wanted to confirm our extended dates. He will be booking our stay at GKTW for December 4-10th and our airline tickets for December 4th and 14th! It all seems so real now.

I have been looking at every Disney resort hotel from Value to Deluxe and I can't figure out which one to go with! Ha. There are just too many choices. If we stay on site and pay full price, we will be there for FREE DISNEY DINING. I'm thinking that puts us in the "moderate resort" price range. I keep thinking.. free dining will save tons of money and we can eat at one character meal per day!

Another option is to see if a pin code comes in the mail for 25-40% off "deluxe resort" and then we can stay at the Poly or Contemporary and pay for our food.
I just need to figure out what to do.

Here is my tenative itinerary...

December 4
Travel Day -- GKTW Orientation
GKTW -- Worlds Largest Candyland Game!!

December 5
GKTW -- Disney Photos at 8am!
IOA -- 9am-7pm
Reservations @ Confisco Grill

December 6
GKTW -- Nickelodeon Character meets AM!
Rest Day -- GKTW

December 7
Magic Kingdom -- DISNEYWORLD!!
Breakfast -- GKTW
Lunch -- at the park!
Dinner -- GKTW

December 8
Morning at Animal Kingdom
Breakfast -- GKTW
Lunch -- Tusker House @ 11
Dinner -- GKTW
Christmas @ GKTW in the Evening

December 9
Universal Studios or Sea World??
Breakfast -- GKTW
Lunch--Eat at Park.
Dinner--GKTW

December 10
Enjoy GKTW AM -- DTD -- Transfer to Disney Hotel!!
Breakfast -- GKTW
Dinner -- Downtown Disney somewhere and buy souvineers!
What's good in DTD to eat??

December 11
Hollywood Studios
3pm Pixar Parade
6:30 -- FANTASTMIC!
Osbourne Lights!!
MAGIC HOURS 8-11:30pm!
Any suggestions about where to eat??

December 12
Magic Kingdom
Breakfast -- Eat in Room
Lunch -- Crystal Palace @ 2:05
Dinner -- counter service somewhere.
EMH -- 8-11pm

December 13
EPCOT
EMH -- 8-9am
Lunch --
Dinner --

December 14
Breakfast -- Chef Mickeys @ 8:30
Travel Day

It's not a perfect itinerary, but I don't like to follow a schedule. I just want to make sure we see everything the kids want to see. I also want to make sure we have enough downtime. Owen only has 1/2 a heart and is on 2.5 liters of oxygen to keep his saturations at 75%. Needless to say, he tires easily and his reserves are low. We'll have his stroller tagged as a wheelchair so even on the extended portion of the trip, he won't be standing in long lines.

Let me know what ya think! This board has been amazing so far!!

 

[tzeitel]

Hi! So glad Owen is getting his wish

DTD has some really great places to eat, is Owen into dinosaurs? There is TRex - similar to Rainforest Cafe. I f you want a CS meal I highly recommend Earl of Sandwich and Wolfgang Puck's Express.

If you are going to Fantasmic! have you considered doing a package? You can choose Hollywood and Vine, Mama Melrose or Brown Derby and they give you a ticket for the show - so you don't have to wait too long for the show. If you don't want to do the package you could try Sci-Fi Dine-In it's a fun restaurant.

Epcot has great restaurants pretty much everywhere you look if you are looking for characters then Garden Grill is great - Chip n' Dale are there!

 

[billwendy]

Woo Hoo!! The planning has begun!!!!

 

[Owensheart]

Hi! So glad Owen is getting his wish

DTD has some really great places to eat, is Owen into dinosaurs? There is TRex - similar to Rainforest Cafe. I f you want a CS meal I highly recommend Earl of Sandwich and Wolfgang Puck's Express.

If you are going to Fantasmic! have you considered doing a package? You can choose Hollywood and Vine, Mama Melrose or Brown Derby and they give you a ticket for the show - so you don't have to wait too long for the show. If you don't want to do the package you could try Sci-Fi Dine-In it's a fun restaurant.

Epcot has great restaurants pretty much everywhere you look if you are looking for characters then Garden Grill is great - Chip n' Dale are there!

Thank you so much for all the info!! We have never been to the World, so I have no idea what to expect. I heard Garden Grill is so great.. so maybe we will try that at Epcot. Kamryn wants to walk around and sample all the different foods, so it's a good thing we'll be walking a ton to burn those calories.

I heard Sci-Fi Dine-In is fun.. with the cars right? I need to look into the Fantasmic packages as well. Good info!

Woo Hoo!! The planning has begun!!!!

Wendy.. I am SO excited to plan!! I'm trying to keep some surprises for the kiddos, like Character meals and the Christmas light shows. They have no idea about Wishes at Magic Kingdom or Osbourne Lights at HS. Owen is obsessed with Spiderman so I have to make that happen and Mickey is at the top of his "must meet" list. While Disney is fun for adults.. nothing beats enjoying it through the eyes of a child.

 

[tzeitel]

Thank you so much for all the info!! We have never been to the World, so I have no idea what to expect. I heard Garden Grill is so great.. so maybe we will try that at Epcot. Kamryn wants to walk around and sample all the different foods, so it's a good thing we'll be walking a ton to burn those calories.

I heard Sci-Fi Dine-In is fun.. with the cars right? I need to look into the Fantasmic packages as well. Good info!

You are very welcome Sci-Fi is the one with the cars, the food is ok, shakes are awesome and the atmosphere is so cool. We go every time we are at DHS. Eating around Epcot is a good way to go so you can sample all the countries. I love the CS in Morocco and Mexico and UK and France and the sweets shop in Germany...ok I love them all

 

[pacrosby]

It's been almost a year I think since I've last been back to these forums but today, for some crazy reason, I popped on and saw you guys From one HLHS mom to another....best wishes for a wonderful trip!

My Matty (now 8) took his Wish Trip back in 2009 (December 9th -16th). It was truly a trip of a lifetime. Last year we celebrated the anniversary of his trip by doing a community donation drive and on December 9th 2010 we returned to the village to deliver 400 stuffed gingerbread men to GKTW (the choice to collect the gingerbread men was related to the theme of the trip). We're hoping to something similar this year.

Anyway just wanted to pop on and wish you the best with your planning and the upcoming trip. Your boy is a beautiful miracle and his life deserves to be celebrated.


Pamela (Matty's mom)

 

[Owensheart]

It's been almost a year I think since I've last been back to these forums but today, for some crazy reason, I popped on and saw you guys From one HLHS mom to another....best wishes for a wonderful trip!

My Matty (now 8) took his Wish Trip back in 2009 (December 9th -16th). It was truly a trip of a lifetime. Last year we celebrated the anniversary of his trip by doing a community donation drive and on December 9th 2010 we returned to the village to deliver 400 stuffed gingerbread men to GKTW (the choice to collect the gingerbread men was related to the theme of the trip). We're hoping to something similar this year.

Anyway just wanted to pop on and wish you the best with your planning and the upcoming trip. Your boy is a beautiful miracle and his life deserves to be celebrated.


Pamela (Matty's mom)

I just spent over an hour reading through Matty's entire trip report.. AMAZING!!!

 

[blessedmom4]

You guys are extending too right? You'll have to let me know where you end up staying!! Mid October is coming up!!

We haven't decided on a place to stay yet. There are too many options and I can't narrow it down. I have a tentative itinerary, but I'm trying to figure it all out.

I REALLY wanted to extend our stay on Disney property..ONE of these days!!! We are actually staying at The Palms Hotel and Villas...they made us an offer we couldn't refuse...

I just spent over an hour reading through Matty's entire trip report.. AMAZING!!!

I LOVE Matty's TR, such wonderful magic...it was one of the first TR's I ever read...

I hope you all have a marvelous weekend!!!

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

Congratulations on the wish!!

 

[Owensheart]

I have been busy planning the extended portion of our trip. After researching, reading reviews and looking through many pictures.. I have narrowed things down. We will be extending December 10 - December 14th and we plan to take full advantage of FREE DISNEY DINING those days. The Deluxe resorts are a little too pricey so I am leaning towards the Moderate resorts. The two I am trying to decide between are Coronado Springs Resort or Port Orleans Riverside. Anyone have experience with either of these?

With free disney dining comes LOTS of fun ADR's to be made!! I have reservations at Aksherus, Chef Mickeys, Crystal Palace and Hollywood and Vine. I am so excited!! More excited that the kids have no idea how many character meals we have planned!

Health Update..

Owen's heart continues to remain "Stable". We have a cardiology appointment on Friday and we will do another big increase in medications. Owen is tolerating his increased oxygen and is only getting a few nose bleeds a week. He's had increased vomitting, but that comes with the territory. Tomorrow he gets fitted for foot orthotics.. his ankles and legs are so skinny and weak. We just need to get him walking correctly so he can develop his muscles correctly.

Staying busy. Loving life.