"The Return of the Gingerbread Boy!" (December 8th -15th)

[pacrosby]

ok....so I told myself I didn't have time to do this.

And truth be told, I most definately do NOT!

Somehow, however, I"ve managed to convince myself that it'll be a good way to keep track of all this information I'm collecting during my last minute planning here.

So, here goes......


We're going to Disney!!


Here are the particulars:

Who? Me (Pamela, aka "mom"), Stephen (my other half, aka "dad"), Olivia (dd 10), Nicholas (ds 9), Matty (ds 8), Brennan (ds 5), and my 82 yr old Mom (aka Nani). We tried to get my Dad to come to but, no go. And although we'll miss him greatly, as my own Mother has said......"we'll probably have a lot more fun without him"

What? Silly question. Why, a Disney trip of course!

Where? off site.......Parkway International..........two bedroom plus pull-out sofa, full kitchen and in-unit laundry for 7 nights for 475 bucks!!! What a bahgain! (sorry, I'm from Boston)

When? December 8th - 15th

How? Amtrak Yes, 24 hours on a train with 4 kids (did I say ?) Are we crazy? Maybe but, let's face it, life is all about the adventure.

Why? hmmmmmmmm.....long story. For the sake of brevity let's just say that my Matty had his Wish Trip last December. So I guess this trip is to celebrate the First Anniversary of that unforgettable experience. Le's call it "The Return of the Gingerbread Boy!"


So that's the introduction. Thanks for reading

I'll be back........................(my famous last words)

 

[pacrosby]

ok, so wee bit of background regarding this trip......

As mentioned above, my 7 yr old son Matty went on a Make-A-Wish Trip to Disney last December. We were there from 12/9 - 12/16 and stayed, like many, at Give Kids the World. Not to sound overly dramatic but, yup, the experience leaves an indelible mark.

Anyhoo, Matty wanted to be a gingerbread man in the MVMCP and, although that wasn't possible, what was arranged was a dream in of itself for my little boy: a private meet and greet with the MVMCP gingies and an invitation to march in the GKTW Christmas parade alongside Murphy, their gingerbread man mascot

We returned from Matty's trip with a strong desire to give back and our wheels were turning from the get-go. Our first project? A Community Donation Drive for Give Kids the World. It's actually in full swing right now. We're collecting stuffed animals.......................stuffed gingerbread men to be exact As of today the count is up around 200 with another week to go. The plan is to take them down with us and have Matty present them personally. We can't wait!

So there you have it. A return trip to Disney to celebrate the first anniversary of Matty's Wish with alittle goodwill thrown in for good measure. We feel so lucky to be able to do this. So blessed for Matty's continued good health. Here's hoping that this will be the first of many more to come!

Details to follow............

 

[pacrosby]

ok....quick itinerary to keep me organized



Tuesday -

leave by Amtrak 6:30 am​

Wednesday -

arrive Kissimmee 10:50 am
early check-in Parkway International
tour of resort holiday decorations
dinner reservation 5 pm at Whispering Canyon Cafe​

Thursday -

mini-golf at Winter Summer land
a visit to Downtown Disney
Give Kids the World for dinner/Christmas celebration (and presentation of our donation)​

Friday -

Hollywood Studios morning/afternoon
MVMCP​

Saturday -

SeaWorld​

Sunday -

Breakfast at Chef Mickey's 9 am
Stephen/Liv/Brennan head home on 1:15 train
Universal Studios/IOA (?)​

Monday -

Animal Kingdom
Farnum and Fosters' Family Night (?)​

Tuesday -

Epcot
late lunch at St Angel Inn (3:50 ressies)​

Wednesday -

head home (train leaves 1:15)​

Thursday -

arrive home 6:00 pm​

it's sure to be a good one

 

[pacrosby]

ok....so transportation is ALL set!


-the 7 of us are traveling from Boston to Kissimee for just under 1000 dollars! Woohoo.....can't beat that, huh? Now granted it will certainly be interesting being on a train for 24 hours BUT the power of positive thinking shall prevail! We're gonna have a great time! I do still need to get a list together of items to take to pass the time. I mean we're talkin' a good 15-16 hours of awake time These kids haven't traveled more than 8 hours at a time. Of course that was in a car so I'm hoping the time will pass more quickly on the train, especially seeing that it will be their first time.


-finally secured the second of the two rental cars we need. Last minute Lucy, that's me LOL Went back and forth many times about whether to just get a minivan that would fit us all but the prices were nuts! The combined cost of the two compact cars I reserved from Budget will cost us about 400 dollars less than the cheapest mini-van I could find. No brainer. Plus it will make it easier on Sunday when dh and two of the kids go home. The rest of us won't lose the whole morning taking them to the station.


-ordered the MVMCP tickets yesterday That'll surely be a highlight of the trip as it will bring back so many memories of Matty last year druing the parade and afterwards during his private meet and greet with the gingerbread men. It is quite possible that a few tears will flow


And speaking of gingerbread..........Tthe Great Gingerbread Man Drive is almost over. I'll need to go and pick up the collection boxes tomorrow and pick up the cash donations at the bank. Honestly, the response has been more than we ever could have expected. Don't have a final count just yet but I'm thinking we'll be taking about 400 stuffed gingerbread men to Give Kids the World


I'll be back with a list of must-do's later!

 

[xanphylus]

O love the gingerbread man drive!!! Great idea to pay tribute to Matty's wish trip. I am sure more are reading, just not posting. And just wait until the wish thread finds out you guys are going again- then you will have more replies!

PS- love the title! That's what made me stop to read it- I recognized the "gingerbread boy!"

 

[pacrosby]

O love the gingerbread man drive!!! Great idea to pay tribute to Matty's wish trip. I am sure more are reading, just not posting. And just wait until the wish thread finds out you guys are going again- then you will have more replies!

PS- love the title! That's what made me stop to read it- I recognized the "gingerbread boy!"

Hey, thanx for poppin' in

This is such a last minute, pull-it-all-together, in-and-out PTR that I wasn't really expecting anything for anyone. Just fun to see it all in writing, ifykwim?

Three more days (or rather "three more sleeps" as the kids would say LOL)

 

[xanphylus]

Hope you are having a great trip!!!! Have fun for me! We canceled our last two trips for various reasons and I sooooo can't wait to go back again. Dance with a gingerbread man for me!

 

[Emilyswish]

I hope you're having a great time! I too remember reading your gingerbread trip report, your son is just adorable.

We're going on a wish trip in 18 days for my daughter Emily and I think it's so great that you're going back to visit the village!

 

[kaileighbug]

I think it is awesome the way you and your family are giving back to GKTW