Sam's Make A Wish Trip (July, 2017)

[adamsloco]

Hello! We are back from our trip, and I am now posting our trip report. You can find it here: Samuel's Make A Wish Trip Report

Pre-Trip Planning

Hello Everybody!

My wife just received confirmation from our MAW representative, that Samuel has been approved for travel by the doctor, and that his Make A Wish Trip is a go for July 10 - 17, 2017. Actually, Sam was approved by Make a Wish a couple of years ago, but at the time, Sam (who was 5 years old) wanted to go on a cruise, and the doctor wouldn't approve that, since there wasn't any easy access to hospitals. A couple of weeks ago, though, Sam said he wanted to go to Disney World instead "Because they have rides!" So, we contacted our Make A Wish representative to ask about changing. She said it was no problem, and here we are!

Taking part in this Make A Wish Trip will be my Wife, Anna, my eldest son, Johnathan (19), my eldest daughter, Alicia (15), my youngest daughter, Rachel (11), and of course, the Wish Child himself, my youngest son Samuel (or Sam) (7).

Here they are. Left to right, Alicia, Johnathan, Rachel, Samuel, and Anna.
You don't need a picture of me. Really, it's not a pretty sight.

Our proposed itinerary is as follows:

July 9 - Travel from home to Ottawa, stay overnight at a hotel.
July 10 - Flight from Ottawa (YOW) to Orlando (MCO) Arrive at Give Kids the World (GKTW)
July 11 - Magic Kingdom
July 12 - Universal (Day 1)
July 13 - Day Off
July 14 - EPCOT/Disney Studios
July 15 - Universal (Day 2)
July 16 - Animal Kingdom
July 17 - Flight from Orlando (MCO) to Ottawa (YOW) and home again.

So at the time of posting, we are 81 days out.

There are some things we are working on pre-trip, beyond packing. For example, Samuel has difficulty communicating at times. It can take a long time for him to form answers when asked a question. To help with this, we are working on coaching him on questions that are likely to come up. Like, "Who are you travelling with?" and "What's your name and how old are you?" If you have any other suggestions, I would love to hear them.

We also need to gather information on the whole flight process. Unexpected situations don't go down well with any of my kids, so we want to talk them through the whole flight process before we go. What is the security check like at Ottawa? I haven't flown since pre-911 and have no idea what it's like. I assume customs is at Toronto, how is that? Do they do the kids under a certain age separately? If that's the case, that's something else I will have to coach Sam on.

I noticed that there hasn't been many Make a Wish and/or Give Kids The World Trip Reports recently. I'm hoping that posting our experiences may be of help to others.

Back in March 2014, Samuel was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Type B (High Risk). It has been a roller-coaster 3 years, but Sam's treatment will be finished at the end of June. He has been doing very well for the past couple of months, and we have high hopes that the cancer will be in remission. So this will be a celebratory trip for us, Samuel has beaten the cancer!

Adam Parker

edit: Small schedule adjustments

 

[csjordan]

I'm so happy Samuel is doing well! it looks like you have a jam-packed, fun schedule! Enjoy your trip!

 

[AndreaT22]

Hi Adam! Glad to see you and the family are finally able to make your trip!

I can help with the Travel questions. 1st of all Clearly mark all of your medical items. Make it very easy to access and I suggest putting each persons drug in zip lock bags so that customs can pull them out when your in line (assuming your putting these in your carry on). Your family will be screened together - (Customs is in Ottawa), but they will make each one of you walk through the metal detectors one at a time. I suggest either you or Anna go through first - this way one will be on the other side if they need to pat down a kid - and since Murphy is always at work - it will probably be Sam. They'll ask for your boarding passes and passports so keep these very handy. They don't normally ask kids anything. Wear sandals and no belts (be prepared for them to ask to take your shoes off). Easy comfortable clothes. I recommend the ladies NOT wear wire bras. This SHOULD minimize the screening process. NO liquids in your carry on (unless its meds - then make sure its clearly labeled) . They will ask you to pull out any electronics that you carry on. And for the good camera - as long as it's in its case - it should be ok. Also I recommend everyone carry on 1 change of clothes going south - just in case there are luggage issues. It's usually 1 carry-on bag + 1 purse per person allowed (check with the airline). Also show up 2 hours early for your flight, you probably won't need it - but like I said Murphy's Law is always working!

If you or the kids do get "randomly" selected for a pat down - just warn everyone that it is a FULL BODY pat down. Females will be patted down by female security - but they do pat everywhere.

Once it's time for boarding if Sam has an issue with crowds you can ask the staff if your family can pre-board. This is standard for families with small kids but most airlines will let you if you think this may be an issue. Also you may want to bring some gum or candy for landing as the "ear pressure" can be a bit much for some.

Bring a couple of pens so that you can fill out your customs papers - usually given mid flight.
They'll want to know length of trip, where your staying ect.

Hope this answers a couple of questions. Have a great trip!

Andrea

 

[adamsloco]

Thank for all of the info, Andrea! It is much appreciated.

I knew that there was going to be screening, but I wasn't sure of who they selected for pat downs. I will make sure that all of the kids are prepared for that, if it happens. Even if it's full body, it probably won't be as invasive as what Sam has every couple of weeks in his examinations. Thanks for the tip about making sure one or the other parent goes through first. That's helpful to know. With luck, Samuel will be done with the chemo, so we shouldn't be needing to bring meds through customs. No liquids. Right. Is there a place to buy juice/water etc after the security screening?

Especially like the tip about an extra change of clothes in Carry On. I wouldn't have thought of that, myself.

 

[AndreaT22]

You are very welcome!

Once you pass through customs there are a bunch of shops to browse and yes you can buy juice & water in that area to take on the plane. Prices are higher, but it's not like you have much of a choice...

As for the pat downs, I've worn the same clothes and sometimes it will flag me others (same airport) it won't. Have also done the xray screening, it's painless, but not always an option. And for the girls they do pat down the bra area. Thinking teenagers may have an issue with this!

When you arrive in Florida they will have you line up again to finalize customs and hand in your blue customs sheet. Usually Canadians because we have been pre-screened check in under the American line. They will post this if this is the case - this line is MUCH quicker.

 

[adamsloco]

Great! Thanks again. Now just need to wait for further information from MAW. Anticipation building ... Especially for Samuel.

 

[adamsloco]

Confirmation of Confirmations
Pre-planning Part 2

Our MAW Rep emailed last night to say that she has gotten confirmations for everything. So our trip is definitely going to be July 10 - 17, 2017. She also mentioned the airline she booked with, so I have a good idea of which flights we are taking. She also said that she would contact us when the wish package is ready for delivery. I'm guessing that will be the tickets and travel information -- everything we need to go on the trip.

She also sent us three forms to fill out. Two are the sort of standard forms you would expect. A Waiver of Liability and a Publicity Release. The third form is all about the Wish Child's favorites. They have spaces for Color, book, food, snack food, restaurant, athelete and sport/team, to name but a few. And questions like "When I am outside, I like to: [blank]" or "When I'm with my friends I like to:[blank]". She asks that we get that back as soon as possible. We'll sit down with Sam tonight, and get it all done.

Since we know the airline, I can look up the baggage size and restrictions, to make sure that we are in compliance. I don't want any problems (or extra costs) do to over weight or over sized luggage. We have started putting together our packing list for the trip too. It's starting to feel like a reality. We've been coaching the kids on the weather expected, and once it is warmer, we will be getting them to go out in the rain, to try to get them used to it. We're talking to them about what to expect in the airport, customs and on the plane. So I don't think there will be any surprises for them.

Ok, so to use an old and/or British saying, it's all laid on. Send back in those forms, remind the kids about customs once in a while, and away we go!

 

[liliyann]

Glad to see some new reports. Hope you guys have a blast. Remember when packing to try to bring an extra empty bag (pack smaller bag and fit it into larger empty one) as you will have a bunch of goodies to bring back home with you.

 

[adamsloco]

Piecing it Together
Pre-planning Part 3

First off, thanks for the tip re: extra bag, liliyann. I have seen that mentioned before, and we as we have a set of, how do you call them, interlocking? suitcases, we are going to pack into the smaller one, and then put that in the larger one for the trip.

The forms are off, and planning is now starting in earnest. One word about the forms though. There is one that comes from Give Kids the World (GKTW) that requires a *witness* signature. It is titled Family Forms, and it is a general release and liability waiver form. When we filled it out, we ended up forgetting to get a witness for it and ended up having to redo that one. It can be anyone (not participating in the trip) who witnesses it, no need to get a Notary Public or lawyer, etc. to do it. Anyway all the forms are in.

As I start to plan, I am beginning to foresee the difficulties and problems. One sort of overarching one is that a Make a Wish Trip is so much different from the usual Disney trip. Most of the advice on the Web for planning your trip simply doesn't apply. Because of the Genie Pass, we don't need to worry about being there first thing to beat some of the lines, and getting Fast Passes ahead of time isn't necessary. At least, I think it isn't. Trying to figure out how much time in the parks we will want or need is also difficult for the same reason. So overall, the MAW trip doesn't need a touring plan, and can be spontaneous. But Disney, with the Character Meals, Fast Passes, and long lines is not. It requires planning things out well ahead of time to be able to do what you want.

Finances are still up in the air. We know that we will get some money from MAW for meals and souvenirs, and other expenses such as gas for the rental, but we have really no idea how much. As we are planning to eat most meals at Give Kids the World, we don't need to much cash, but I have realized that I will need some way to track it. Last time the family went, we used the Dining Plan, and so I didn't worry about tracking cash during our trip. We had a set amount per person for souvenirs, and each person was responsible for making sure they didn't go over that. For the kids I had made up our own currency. If they wanted something, they paid us for it, and we made the purchase. That way, they could tell how much they had left. It is easier, I think, to budget when you are actually holding the cash in hand. We are likely going to do the same for Samuel this year.

I have decided that this year, I will use a spreadsheet in Google Docs to track the money. I figure I can set it up with how much is left per person per day for food and souvenirs, and how much is left overall. Thanks to the wi-fi in the parks, I can share it with Anna, Johnathan and Alicia, so the adults (and teen) can see where we stand at any given time. I used something similar waaaaaay back in 2000 when Anna and I went. That was on a Palm Pilot, and for the two of us, it worked quite well.

I have more things I want to post, but I think I will call it here, for now, and do another post in a few days.

Thank you so much for reading!

 

[liliyann]

So I found this document.... http://www.gktw.org/wgo/pdf/wish-step-by-step.pdf
It seems to be a kind of behind the scenes information packet from KGTW to MAW or other wish organizations. It had some suggestions on per diem and a bunch of other general info that wish family might ask MAW. Basically a cheat cheat for MAW to answer questions about KGTW. So if you were looking on a rough idea on how much $ you might have to spend this might be close? I thought it was an interesting read. ymmv

 

[adamsloco]

Food & Weight
Pre-planning Part 4

Thank you liliyann for linking that document. Coming from Canada, I don't know if they will take the exchange rate into account, but it will do to get an estimation. Using that, I was able to finish the spreadsheet I was working on. I'm slightly proud of it, if I do say so myself. Everyone has their own page for tracking, and there is a totals page I can use as an overview. The individual pages show a food budget for each day, and an overall souvenir budget. The food amounts change depending on the previous day(s) spending. So if you spend less than your budget one day, the following days budget is bigger accordingly. Or if you overspend, the following days budgets are less accordingly. And the part I'm proud of, each day's line is highlighted automatically depending on the date. All I have to do is put in how much we have to spend on the Totals page, and all the budgets are updated automatically.

Speaking of Food budgets, food is another big concern for us in the parks. Our kids are VERY picky eaters, and looking through the menus for Magic Kingdom, etc, it seems that every counter service restaurant has basically ONE thing on the menu. So, I have to go *here* for pizza, *there* for a hot dog, *hither* for a salad, and *yon* for a burger. We are planning on eating only one meal in the parks, lunch or dinner depending on when we go back for a nap, so it could be worse. We aren't planning on doing any sit down meals, as those pretty much require getting reservations. And I've read that you have to book those 6 months out to have any chance of getting what you want. While we will buy some snacks in the park, I'm going to be buying a supply of granola bars and bottle water at Walmart on arrival to have 'food-on-hand' while we trek across the park to whatever food they want to eat. I hope it cuts down on crankiness. My kids get really cranky when they are hungry. And they don't realize they are hungry UNTIL they are cranky.

The last area of concern is much more personal, and centers on me. You see, I'm a large guy. Very large. 58" waist, nearing 400 lbs. large. Ok, let's call a spade a spade. I'm fat. And I'm not as concerned about whether or not I can keep up, but whether I can actually DO anything at the parks. I've been fat for a long time, and therefore have the stamina to haul the bulk around, as it were. But I have heard/read that there are many rides, especially at Universal, that I won't fit on. I understand that there are safety considerations here, and I have no problem with the policies. Perhaps I'm being selfish, but I'm worried that I will be spending most of the time watching the rest of the family enjoy themselves. Not to mention the airplane seats. I'll be beside family, so I won't be encroaching on a stranger's personal space. at least. And most of the weight is in the belly -- I don't stick out to the sides very much. Any tips or suggestions for me, especially at Universal?

Anyway that's it for now. Once we get final numbers. Then I can start solidifying our plans.

 

[AndreaT22]

Hi Adam

Ask for a seatbelt extension on the plane. it clips into both ends of the seatbelt, you can ask the stewardess once you've found your seat.

Can't help with the Universal questions- been too long since i've been there.... That and I suffer motion sickness - rides are not really my thing



Andrea

 

[SirDuff]

You might find this thread helpful: https://www.disboards.com/threads/the-everything-pooh-sized-thread.2424021/ (it started in 2010, so maybe start reading from the last few pages). I"m not sure if there a similar one for Universal (in general, being large seems to be more of an issue there).

 

[adamsloco]

Christmas in June
Pre-planning Part 5

Good morning everybody! At the time of writing, we are 24 days out, and last night we received our Trip Package from Make-A-Wish (MAW). Now, I was expecting a shirt for everybody, and a folder with the paperwork and information for the trip. What we received was this:

I'm sorry for the blurriness of the photo. I was using my phone, and supper was going to be ready soon so I had to hurry. So as you can see, we did indeed receive our t-shirts, and the folder of documents, but we received oh, so much more. It was like Christmas in June as we unpacked everything. Samuel especially likes the McQueen towel.

And the Mickey head Afghan(It looks as if it might be handmade):


The insulated cooler Mickey bag beside it will also be very helpful in the parks, I am sure, as will the sunscreen. The DVD will be useful for the driving portions, too.

Most surprising to me was the new camera that was included in the package. A Sony Action Camera. Wow. We won't have any trouble capturing the memories between my DSLR, Waterproof Point-n-Shoot, and our new Movie Camera. Not to mention the phone's and/or tablets ... Or the Disney Photographers ... Or the On-ride Photos ...

While I nailed the outgoing flight, I guessed wrong about the return flight. It is earlier than I hoped. You see, I think by the end of the trip it's going to be hard to get everyone up and out the door. We'll need to be packed and on our way by about 08:00 I think. It will be vitally important that everyone has a good breakfast because we will be in the air over lunch. A mid afternoon snack at Toronto, and then we will land at dinner time in Ottawa. Then we will drive home. I should also mention that for our trip we need to make our own way to and from Ottawa. MAW is providing a hotel so we don't have to leave so early in the morning, which is very helpful. Otherwise, we would need to leave at something like 04:15 to arrive 2 1/2 hours ahead of our flight.

Lastly, the money. The amount we are receiving from MAW is see-sawing between 'ample' and 'generous'. Oh, the joys of the USD/CAD exchange rate. As I write, the exchange rate was climbing through .75 cents US. The higher it goes, the better for us!

Thanks for the tip about the extender, AndreaT22. I certainly will ask for one. I haven't looked through that thread yet, SirDuff, but I plan to once schools out and it is just plainly busy, instead of insanely busy. I think that just about does it for the pre-planning posts, although I will post if anything comes up. Just 24 more days, and away we go! Samuel's going to love this ...

 

[MaggieBags]

What wonderful news about your son's treatments. Look forward to hearing all about the trip!

 

[liliyann]

Wow what a swag bag.... just a little over a week away! Time flies, hope you guys are ready its right around the corner. For your spending funds did they just cut a check or do you have to fill out a spend list? Was the amount to cover everything, gas food ect? I remember gktw had suggested rate of $45 per person/day but didn't know how maw handled additional out of park spending??? Looks like the exchange rates is the highest its been all year. perfect timing. Hope you have a easy trip down.

 

[adamsloco]

Hi Liliyann,

Yep, everyone is getting quite excited. This last week, which is the last week of school for us, (today being the last school day) has been insanely busy. I expect that the excitement can only build from here, as we are in the Final Countdown (10 days to go).

Yes, MAW included a check to cover all of our extra spending. I expect it will be mainly gas, food/water in the parks and souvenirs. Give Kids the World provides free meals while we are in the resort, but we have to pay for any meals/snacks/drinks in the various parks. We didn't have to fill out any spend list, but I did have to sign and return a form letter promising that I would only spend the money on Samuel's Trip, and if there was any money left over, that it would be spent on Samuel. There was a possible 'gotcha' with the money though. On the bottom of that form letter was a line reading "The check has been post-dated to [blank]. Please do not cash before that date. Even though it was blank I thought to check the check, and sure enough, it had been post-dated to 2 weeks before the trip. I don't know what would have happened if I tried to deposit it early, but my bank probably wouldn't have liked it. As it happens, I had to go into town on that day, so it was no hassle to deposit it then.

I had found where GKTW makes the $45/day/person suggestion. I'm assuming that's USD, in which case the amount given to us falls a little short. I'm afraid I don't feel comfortable in stating publicly how much money they did provide. As I mentioned above, I think it was ample to generous. Indeed, unless I'm missing something big in the budget, the recommended $45/day is extremely generous. Of course, as the Canadian dollar rises, we are getting closer and closer to that suggested amount. Go Dollar Go!

I don't think there will be much problem going down. We have been given a number that we are supposed to call just before reaching the airport, so that a Westjet Rep can meet us and speed us through the registration/customs. It looks like everything is all arranged for the trip down. Coming home, I'm not so sure about that. I have the flight info, but there hasn't been any mention of greeters, helpers, etc. for the way home. I'm probably worrying needlessly, though.

I know it's a little early, but so I don't miss it:

Happy Canada Day!

&

Happy Independence Day!

 

[noblemaidenfair]

Have a magical vacation and warmest wishes for his continued health!

 

[adamsloco]

Today, Samuel was at Kingston General Hospital for his usual two week visit for counts. But today was also a special day, because Samuel finished his last dose of chemo on Sunday night. Today was the first follow-up appointment, and today was the day that Sam was able to ring the bell to signify the end of his cancer treatment! Here he is, ringing the bell!


Our whole family was there to witness this historic occasion, and we would like to thank Oma and Opa, Aunt Jenn and Daniel for coming to celebrate. There were also several hospital staff present. Thanks to all of you, for all your help and patience through out the treatment! It has been appreciated.

Now, clear the decks, pack and prepare. We leave for Disney on Sunday!

 

[SorcererHeidi]

Pre-Trip Planning

Hello Everybody!

My wife just received confirmation from our MAW representative, that Samuel has been approved for travel by the doctor, and that his Make A Wish Trip is a go for July 10 - 17, 2017. Actually, Sam was approved by Make a Wish a couple of years ago, but at the time, Sam (who was 5 years old) wanted to go on a cruise, and the doctor wouldn't approve that, since there wasn't any easy access to hospitals. A couple of weeks ago, though, Sam said he wanted to go to Disney World instead "Because they have rides!" So, we contacted our Make A Wish representative to ask about changing. She said it was no problem, and here we are!

Taking part in this Make A Wish Trip will be my Wife, Anna, my eldest son, Johnathan (19), my eldest daughter, Alicia (15), my youngest daughter, Rachel (11), and of course, the Wish Child himself, my youngest son Samuel (or Sam) (7).
View attachment 232152
Here they are. Left to right, Alicia, Johnathan, Rachel, Samuel, and Anna.
You don't need a picture of me. Really, it's not a pretty sight.

Our proposed itinerary is as follows:

July 9 - Travel from home to Ottawa, stay overnight at a hotel.
July 10 - Flight from Ottawa (YOW) to Orlando (MCO) Arrive at Give Kids the World (GKTW)
July 11 - Magic Kingdom
July 12 - Universal (Day 1)
July 13 - Day Off
July 14 - EPCOT/Disney Studios
July 15 - Universal (Day 2)
July 16 - Animal Kingdom
July 17 - Flight from Orlando (MCO) to Ottawa (YOW) and home again.

So at the time of posting, we are 81 days out.

There are some things we are working on pre-trip, beyond packing. For example, Samuel has difficulty communicating at times. It can take a long time for him to form answers when asked a question. To help with this, we are working on coaching him on questions that are likely to come up. Like, "Who are you travelling with?" and "What's your name and how old are you?" If you have any other suggestions, I would love to hear them.

We also need to gather information on the whole flight process. Unexpected situations don't go down well with any of my kids, so we want to talk them through the whole flight process before we go. What is the security check like at Ottawa? I haven't flown since pre-911 and have no idea what it's like. I assume customs is at Toronto, how is that? Do they do the kids under a certain age separately? If that's the case, that's something else I will have to coach Sam on.

I noticed that there hasn't been many Make a Wish and/or Give Kids The World Trip Reports recently. I'm hoping that posting our experiences may be of help to others.

Back in March 2014, Samuel was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Type B (High Risk). It has been a roller-coaster 3 years, but Sam's treatment will be finished at the end of June. He has been doing very well for the past couple of months, and we have high hopes that the cancer will be in remission. So this will be a celebratory trip for us, Samuel has beaten the cancer!

Adam Parker

edit: Small schedule adjustments

Hope Samuel (and all) have a wonderful, magical trip!!