Princess Phoebe's Pre-WISH-Trip Report (arriving in MK 4/17/10)

[Momofwishkid]

Melissa, Im so sorry to hear about your grandma. I cant imagine what your going through. My thoughts are with you and your family and try not to worry about the trip, If need me I hear it's pretty easy to re schedule but Im really hope it wont be necessary.

 

[dawnbu40]

I'm sorry to hear your grandparents aren't doing well. Try not to worry too much but I know that is easier said then done.

 

[pipersmom]

I know we spoke about it last night hon, but keeping you and your family in my thoughts.

 

[TokyoDina]

I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother.

 

[yinyanggirls]

Thanks guys. I just have "that feeling" about this, but I'm hoping I'm wrong. I spoke to my mom and she sounds like she's in denial. Everything was about how good she's doing if only this or that. I did find out that one of my uncles had just arrived coincidentally so at least they have some help for the week. I'm gonna try not to worry too much until they have something more concrete to share.

 

[myasma]

I am sorry to hear about your grandmother and hope it does not affect your trip. But if it does, MAW is very good with rescheduling and secondary plans. You have such a beautiful family and I hope you get to go.

 

[kayrosek]

So sorry to hear about your grandmother. My thoughts are with you and your family.

 

[StefaniLyn]

I am so sorry to hear about your grandmother's health. It must be difficult to deal with those mixed emotions. I hope you include peace of mind for yourself as well when you pray.

 

[yinyanggirls]

Thanks guys. I know it's just part of life, but it stinks. I'm glad I have somewhere to vent.

Okay, back to planning. I've been getting antsy these last few days and really wondering if I need to shake up my whole itinerary. With my current plan there is no fireworks planned for the night we are to be at MK. I avoided all Disney parks for the first few days of the trip because those were the most crowded but I'm thinking maybe we need to just brave it and do MK on one of the first few days so there will be fireworks. So I need help....

Where is that darn fireworks schedule again??? I can't find it!
How common is it for them to add a show if it's not scheduled now?

Are crowds a huge no-no if we have a choice, or will it be a non-issue with the GKTW button? Our park days have the following ratings for crowds:
7, 7, 7, 5, 7, 4, 4 so I planned out SW, US, IOA, MK, Ep, DHS/AK with the last day being open because we leave GKTW but do not fly out yet so we can use that day if needed (or if we get the Give a Day tickets). When I find the fireworks schedule I'll know my other choices but I'm pretty sure they were scheduled for the more crowded nights.

I was afraid to change it when I thought about it before because I was able to get CRT for our MK day and I figured being 3 months away those ADRs would no longer be available and able to be switched. I decided to check (duh) and I was surprised that there is a res available every day that week (lunch). So if I hurry I might still be able to coordinate it all. I just have to figure out the right flow.

 

[dawnbu40]

When we travel in the spring the crowd levels are typically 7's and that is very easily managed. The key is to arrive at rope drop when possible and to have a good "plan" for the rides. IMO the worst park for crowds is AK and I would never go there on a day where they had morning EMH UNLESS I was arriving before that opened. (it is a matter of how crowded the paths get not just the ride lines) Of course "4" days are your best but do what works best with your overall plan. It's Disney you're going to have fun no matter how many people are there!

 

[Momofwishkid]

Isnt this planning crazy! There is so much involved. I think it completley depends on what will work for your family. As in how the girls do in large crowds. Of course I havent been yet but I believe with the pass your line waits still wouldnt be to long but just the atmosphere could be an issue. I would so try to do a fireworks show though if your family is into them. I see Amanda got you the fireworks schedule so good luck working it out. Im still trying to fix ours up a bit.

 

[Wee Annie]

I am so truly sorry to hear about your grandmother, and your concerns for your grandfather on top of those. You all will be in my prayers.

I can relate, because we just found out this week that my MIL is dying. Imminently (she made her funeral arrangements the other day). Her cancer has metastasized to her brain and liver. For some reason, cancer seems to devastate our family (Elke -- my wish child -- has cancer), and so does my FIL. My MIL is a second mother to me -- she moved in and cared for my older girls when Elke was in the hospital for two months last year, even though she had to drive half way across the country to do so. So know that I am praying for you and your family, and can, oh-so-unfortunately, relate to what you are going through. We are all going to need this wish trip so badly come April....

On a brighter note, as you know, we are going to GKTW on the exact same day you are (4/17 - 4/23). Our chapter only gives us 7 days there, so we are leaving that Friday instead. But we are also planning, God willing, on extending our trip at WDW.

I can't answer your questions about fireworks because I just completely ruled them out for us so I didn't take them into consideration in my planning. But I can tell you our planned schedule, although it might go by the wayside as we get closer. We are doing IA, MK, AK, MK and then DHS on Thursday, our last full day at GKTW. We will do Epcot when we extend our trip. As you can see, we are doing almost all WDW. May change that, but that's what we are doing thus far. I hadn't planned on doing MK that first Monday, but had to change our itinerary when our wish granters told me that they had booked CRT for lunch for us that day, which was truly wonderful of them to do. I had planned to do Epcot that day, but don't want to have to run from Epcot to MK for lunch, so shuffled things around. I am hoping that, with our GKTW button and mellow expectations for how much we are going to accomplish, things will work out okay. I recall that AK does indeed feel miserably crowded (and hot) very easily, so am planning for rope drop there, and will just up and leave if it gets bad. We are going to do AK again on Saturday, 4/24, after we move hotels.

If we stick to our current schedules, it looks like we will be at MK on the same day -- Wednesday -- correct?

Looking forward to sharing more planning tips and meeting you at GKTW in April!

Ann

 

[yinyanggirls]

When we travel in the spring the crowd levels are typically 7's and that is very easily managed. The key is to arrive at rope drop when possible and to have a good "plan" for the rides. IMO the worst park for crowds is AK and I would never go there on a day where they had morning EMH UNLESS I was arriving before that opened. (it is a matter of how crowded the paths get not just the ride lines) Of course "4" days are your best but do what works best with your overall plan. It's Disney you're going to have fun no matter how many people are there!

Thanks so much Dawn! I really value your opinion, having been there at the same time of year. My whole family is early risers except me, so I will be the only one I have to nag to get moving.

Isnt this planning crazy! There is so much involved. I think it completley depends on what will work for your family. As in how the girls do in large crowds. Of course I havent been yet but I believe with the pass your line waits still wouldnt be to long but just the atmosphere could be an issue. I would so try to do a fireworks show though if your family is into them. I see Amanda got you the fireworks schedule so good luck working it out. Im still trying to fix ours up a bit.

I'm afraid of losing Tessa in any size crowd, so we're thinking of renting one of those kid GPSs. We had to leave the fireworks early last spring at Dland because they were too loud for Phoebe. She was screaming and Tessa was covering her ears as well. For 4th of July's we've been fine being further away, so I'm hoping some earplugs will do the trick and make them enjoyable.

So know that I am praying for you and your family, and can, oh-so-unfortunately, relate to what you are going through. We are all going to need this wish trip so badly come April....

I'm so sorry to hear about your MIL! I can't imagine the day that I lose one of my parents. Grandparents are hard enough.

On a brighter note, as you know, we are going to GKTW on the exact same day you are (4/17 - 4/23). Our chapter only gives us 7 days there, so we are leaving that Friday instead. But we are also planning, God willing, on extending our trip at WDW.

I can't answer your questions about fireworks because I just completely ruled them out for us so I didn't take them into consideration in my planning. But I can tell you our planned schedule, although it might go by the wayside as we get closer. We are doing IA, MK, AK, MK and then DHS on Thursday, our last full day at GKTW. We will do Epcot when we extend our trip. As you can see, we are doing almost all WDW. May change that, but that's what we are doing thus far. I hadn't planned on doing MK that first Monday, but had to change our itinerary when our wish granters told me that they had booked CRT for lunch for us that day, which was truly wonderful of them to do. I had planned to do Epcot that day, but don't want to have to run from Epcot to MK for lunch, so shuffled things around. I am hoping that, with our GKTW button and mellow expectations for how much we are going to accomplish, things will work out okay. I recall that AK does indeed feel miserably crowded (and hot) very easily, so am planning for rope drop there, and will just up and leave if it gets bad. We are going to do AK again on Saturday, 4/24, after we move hotels.

If we stick to our current schedules, it looks like we will be at MK on the same day -- Wednesday -- correct?

Looking forward to sharing more planning tips and meeting you at GKTW in April!

Ann

Thanks for the tip about AK. You have me worried about our dates now. I just assumed we would be at GKTW until the 24th. Living in the west we will likely spend the whole day on the 17th traveling. Yours will be a direct flight I assume? We will have to transfer somewhere, probably Dallas, adding time to our flights. So if we arrive Sat at night I assumed we'd leave the following Sat morning, but maybe not! I just emailed her Wish Granter to ask. She told me to request the dates and I sent her an email asking to start the 17th and extend on our own until the 30th. She called to tell me the dates were approved but she didn't go into any details and we haven't heard anything about our exact flights. Hopefully, she'll get back to me soon. It's been slow to get answers in the past, since she has to contact the main office and wait for their reply, etc, etc.
Jennifer - remind me of your dates. What days do you arrive and depart GKTW? Being a fellow westerner it might be the same for us.

 

[Wee Annie]

. You have me worried about our dates now. I just assumed we would be at GKTW until the 24th. Living in the west we will likely spend the whole day on the 17th traveling. Yours will be a direct flight I assume? We will have to transfer somewhere, probably Dallas, adding time to our flights. So if we arrive Sat at night I assumed we'd leave the following Sat morning, but maybe not! I just emailed her Wish Granter to ask. She told me to request the dates and I sent her an email asking to start the 17th and extend on our own until the 30th. She called to tell me the dates were approved but she didn't go into any details and we haven't heard anything about our exact flights. Hopefully, she'll get back to me soon. It's been slow to get answers in the past, since she has to contact the main office and wait for their reply, etc, etc.


It could just be a difference in MAW chapters, or also, as you pointed out, a difference in travel time. But definitely check in with your MAW contact -- you really don't want to plan an itinerary and then have to change it at the last minute! (Well, at least I, as an obsessive planner, would rather not!)
Yes, we have a direct flight from Newark to Orlando -- due to arrive in the early afternoon. We got our own tickets, as we had a credit from Jet Blue from last year, when we had planned to spend Elke's 3rd birthday at WDW until she was diagnosed with leukemia. So now we are using that credit to celebrate her 4th birthday there!!

Ann

 

[myasma]

Thanks guys. I know it's just part of life, but it stinks. I'm glad I have somewhere to vent.

Okay, back to planning. I've been getting antsy these last few days and really wondering if I need to shake up my whole itinerary. With my current plan there is no fireworks planned for the night we are to be at MK. I avoided all Disney parks for the first few days of the trip because those were the most crowded but I'm thinking maybe we need to just brave it and do MK on one of the first few days so there will be fireworks. So I need help....

Where is that darn fireworks schedule again??? I can't find it!
How common is it for them to add a show if it's not scheduled now?

Are crowds a huge no-no if we have a choice, or will it be a non-issue with the GKTW button? Our park days have the following ratings for crowds:
7, 7, 7, 5, 7, 4, 4 so I planned out SW, US, IOA, MK, Ep, DHS/AK with the last day being open because we leave GKTW but do not fly out yet so we can use that day if needed (or if we get the Give a Day tickets). When I find the fireworks schedule I'll know my other choices but I'm pretty sure they were scheduled for the more crowded nights.

I was afraid to change it when I thought about it before because I was able to get CRT for our MK day and I figured being 3 months away those ADRs would no longer be available and able to be switched. I decided to check (duh) and I was surprised that there is a res available every day that week (lunch). So if I hurry I might still be able to coordinate it all. I just have to figure out the right flow.

When we went down, we didn't actively plan to stay for the fireworks but it worked out that as we were eating dinner at Ohana's they piped in the audio and it could be seen out the restuarant. Crowds are definitly not an issue with the GAC card but the crowd itself was the issue when we went down. Alot of carelessness and sometimes there is downright rudeness. I hope you are able to atleast catch Wishes. We mistakingly caught it and it was one of the best memories of our trip.

 

[Momofwishkid]

Thanks for the tip about AK. You have me worried about our dates now. I just assumed we would be at GKTW until the 24th. Living in the west we will likely spend the whole day on the 17th traveling. Yours will be a direct flight I assume? We will have to transfer somewhere, probably Dallas, adding time to our flights. So if we arrive Sat at night I assumed we'd leave the following Sat morning, but maybe not! I just emailed her Wish Granter to ask. She told me to request the dates and I sent her an email asking to start the 17th and extend on our own until the 30th. She called to tell me the dates were approved but she didn't go into any details and we haven't heard anything about our exact flights. Hopefully, she'll get back to me soon. It's been slow to get answers in the past, since she has to contact the main office and wait for their reply, etc, etc.
Jennifer - remind me of your dates. What days do you arrive and depart GKTW? Being a fellow westerner it might be the same for us.
[/QUOTE]

Melissa we fly out on March 3rd (wednesday) dont get in until 8pm, and leave the 9th (tuesday) 3 pm so really we are only getting 5 usable days.

 

[TokyoDina]

Thanks guys. I know it's just part of life, but it stinks. I'm glad I have somewhere to vent.

Okay, back to planning. I've been getting antsy these last few days and really wondering if I need to shake up my whole itinerary. With my current plan there is no fireworks planned for the night we are to be at MK. I avoided all Disney parks for the first few days of the trip because those were the most crowded but I'm thinking maybe we need to just brave it and do MK on one of the first few days so there will be fireworks. So I need help....

Where is that darn fireworks schedule again??? I can't find it!
How common is it for them to add a show if it's not scheduled now?

Are crowds a huge no-no if we have a choice, or will it be a non-issue with the GKTW button? Our park days have the following ratings for crowds:
7, 7, 7, 5, 7, 4, 4 so I planned out SW, US, IOA, MK, Ep, DHS/AK with the last day being open because we leave GKTW but do not fly out yet so we can use that day if needed (or if we get the Give a Day tickets). When I find the fireworks schedule I'll know my other choices but I'm pretty sure they were scheduled for the more crowded nights.

I was afraid to change it when I thought about it before because I was able to get CRT for our MK day and I figured being 3 months away those ADRs would no longer be available and able to be switched. I decided to check (duh) and I was surprised that there is a res available every day that week (lunch). So if I hurry I might still be able to coordinate it all. I just have to figure out the right flow.

Tada~~!!!


http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/aprfw10.cfm

Annnnnnnnd Magic Hours schedule too!!

http://www.wdwinfo.com/Wdwinfo/apr10.cfm?requesttimeout=1000

I'm horrible...I have only once in my life stayed for the fireworks but quickly changed my mind to never do it again. DH fell asleep during them...Don't ask how it happened...I'm not even sure myself...but he managed it. I guess getting up at the crack of dawn and then keeping him in the park to closing is what took him out.

 

[kellyw8863]

I'm so sorry to read about your grandmother. When I was in college, my father passed away less than a week before I was due to leave to study abroad. He had said he still wanted me to go, so we expedited the wake and funeral so that I could go. His funeral was on December 24th and I left for Mexico on December 26th. For me, it was the right decision and truly cathartic because so much happened on that trip that made me feel like my father was truly still there. When I returned, I even got a tatoo of an Aztec sun on my hip because there was just so much that was right about it.

I hope that you are not faced with this decision. Thinking of you and your family.

 

[yinyanggirls]

It could just be a difference in MAW chapters, or also, as you pointed out, a difference in travel time. But definitely check in with your MAW contact -- you really don't want to plan an itinerary and then have to change it at the last minute! (Well, at least I, as an obsessive planner, would rather not!)
Yes, we have a direct flight from Newark to Orlando -- due to arrive in the early afternoon. We got our own tickets, as we had a credit from Jet Blue from last year, when we had planned to spend Elke's 3rd birthday at WDW until she was diagnosed with leukemia. So now we are using that credit to celebrate her 4th birthday there!!
Ann

UGH! I feel like a dunce! I don't even know where I came up with the assumption that it was seven days at GKTW. Our chapter hasn't given us any specifics, other than saying "your dates are approved". And with our extending the trip on our own the departure date has nothing to do with GKTW. I did get a quick reply from her Wish Granter saying that she does not have flight info, so they may not even have that booked yet (I guess that makes sense with all the possible postponements etc). She also said that she would get the info over the weekend.

When we went down, we didn't actively plan to stay for the fireworks but it worked out that as we were eating dinner at Ohana's they piped in the audio and it could be seen out the restuarant. Crowds are definitly not an issue with the GAC card but the crowd itself was the issue when we went down. Alot of carelessness and sometimes there is downright rudeness. I hope you are able to atleast catch Wishes. We mistakingly caught it and it was one of the best memories of our trip.

I definitely want to give it a try! I'm glad it ended up being a fave memory of your trip. What a lucky coincidence!

Melissa we fly out on March 3rd (wednesday) dont get in until 8pm, and leave the 9th (tuesday) 3 pm so really we are only getting 5 usable days.

I'm going to go ahead and start working on the NEW plan with only 6 days total and see how I can squeeze it all in. How on earth are you guys finding room for everything? I was having trouble when I thought we had a full 7!!!

Tada~~!!!

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/aprfw10.cfm

Annnnnnnnd Magic Hours schedule too!!

http://www.wdwinfo.com/Wdwinfo/apr10.cfm?requesttimeout=1000

I'm horrible...I have only once in my life stayed for the fireworks but quickly changed my mind to never do it again. DH fell asleep during them...Don't ask how it happened...I'm not even sure myself...but he managed it. I guess getting up at the crack of dawn and then keeping him in the park to closing is what took him out.

Thanks for the links! It's helpful to know the EMH to avoid!
That's funny that your dh fell asleep. I have no problem walking out if the kids don't care or don't like it. I do want to try the ear plugs though. My philosophy for this trip is to try to experience everything that's available with the knowledge that we may never be back. If we don't like something, we'll leave. No problem. Not an attitidue I would normally have on a trip.

 

[yinyanggirls]

I'm so sorry to read about your grandmother. When I was in college, my father passed away less than a week before I was due to leave to study abroad. He had said he still wanted me to go, so we expedited the wake and funeral so that I could go. His funeral was on December 24th and I left for Mexico on December 26th. For me, it was the right decision and truly cathartic because so much happened on that trip that made me feel like my father was truly still there. When I returned, I even got a tatoo of an Aztec sun on my hip because there was just so much that was right about it.

I hope that you are not faced with this decision. Thinking of you and your family.

Thanks Kelly. I'm so sorry to hear about your dad. That's a hard time of your life to lose a parent, and a hard time of year to remember it. I'm glad he told you to go so that you didn't have any guilt or doubts about it. It sounds like you really needed that trip.
Things would be different for a parent, but I will definitely keep things as planned unless it literally came down to the wire and there was a funeral to be missed. I couldn't ask my family to postpone or speed it up just for us. My grandparents are Mormon and there are a million descendants who will be trying to get there as well. I don't even know what state it would be in, which would complicate things, if we tried to travel to both in the same week. Anyway, I'm trying not to worry until I have something to worry about. My mom sounds optimistic about her getting out of the hospital but it sounds to me like she's in denial. It's hard to know what's really happening since I'm not there to hear the docs myself. Thanks again, to everyone, for the support. Hopefully things will be stable until we are home from the trip.