What rides would be possible for us? (MAW)

[mom2jandjands]

Typically, right after the New Years crowd clears out is a good time to go. The weather is nice, and can even be a bit cool at night. If you get there by the 2nd of January (we usually aim for the 2nd or 3rd) you can sometimes still catch some of the Christmas decorations around the Parks and Resorts. There's a brief window there before Epcot starts the Arts Festival, and it's probably about as good as it gets, attendance-wise now.

He sounds like a kid who would really love WDW and Uni and all of that... but would he like other stuff too? What if he could shadow a real-life Meterologist (who is a weather scientist, after all!) at a TV station for a day instead, and then maybe meet some storm chasers, and see those big trucks they drive around in? Maybe he would want to spend a couple of days at a Maker Lab, where he could learn to 3D print his own toys, and maybe even do some programming! Or, what if he could "work" at the planetarium for a day, and then go see the stars in a telescope that night? I am *not* saying that he shouldn't go to WDW if he wants to, but it sounds like you want to make sure that his Wish is what *he* really wants (which is how it should be, right? ) Maybe start the conversation by telling him that he gets to pick, and if he wants to, you all could help him make a list, and then he can cross things off one by one until he has the perfect "wish" for him! We have known several Wish kids over the years, and it seems like everyone around them automatically assumes that they child will want to go to Disney World, but sometimes they just want to ride on a fire truck, and be in charge of the siren!

Whatever he decides to do, it sounds like he has a wonderful family that will be going along with him!

Yes! You understand my kid. Those are the kinds of things he'd like, and yes, we'll probably take some time to build a list and then let him pick. I know that "robot" stuff, like a programming computer and the kits with materials that you can use to build and rebuild would be on his list. He would love that, and so the only way we'd do a trip would be if it was set up in a way that he'd love just as much. Neither Disney nor Universal would be enough to make that decision, but that doesn't mean that we wouldn't stop by if we were down there for something science related. Also, his brothers would probably LOVE Disney and Universal, and they'd have a lot of time when he isn't with them, so they'd probably visit more.

I think early January isn't going to work, thinking about when he has medical stuff scheduled. The last week in February or the first week in March might, or maybe sometime in November or early December 2020. I found a crowd calendar that makes it look like those would be decent? Is this reliable?

https://www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/crowd-calendar/February-2020/
I'm sure you guys all think I'm a little crazy for asking all these questions when he hasn't even picked yet. I just don't want to set something up where we add something to a list, help him research it, he chooses it and then we find out that it isn't realistic. Clearly, we also have a lot of time to figure this out.

 

[mamabunny]

Yes! You understand my kid. Those are the kinds of things he'd like, and yes, we'll probably take some time to build a list and then let him pick. I know that "robot" stuff, like a programming computer and the kits with materials that you can use to build and rebuild would be on his list. He would love that, and so the only way we'd do a trip would be if it was set up in a way that he'd love just as much. Neither Disney nor Universal would be enough to make that decision, but that doesn't mean that we wouldn't stop by if we were down there for something science related. Also, his brothers would probably LOVE Disney and Universal, and they'd have a lot of time when he isn't with them, so they'd probably visit more.

I think early January isn't going to work, thinking about when he has medical stuff scheduled. The last week in February or the first week in March might, or maybe sometime in November or early December 2020. I found a crowd calendar that makes it look like those would be decent? Is this reliable?

https://www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/crowd-calendar/February-2020/
I'm sure you guys all think I'm a little crazy for asking all these questions when he hasn't even picked yet. I just don't want to set something up where we add something to a list, help him research it, he chooses it and then we find out that it isn't realistic. Clearly, we also have a lot of time to figure this out.

I get it. This is an important thing that affects your entire family, even though only person gets to make the "wish"! Plus, I'm that person who has to be prepared (some would say "hyper-prepared", I prefer to think of it as "Mary Poppins Mode" ) for everything.

Kenny the Pirate has great crowd calendars as well. LOL I don't know if they necessarily agree with Undercover Tourist, but it also kind of depends on how you use those types of planning aides.

One thing to think about is school groups (like Cheerleaders) start showing up more in February through to about Spring Break - you can see the schedule for those types of actives (along with Race Days, for the special Disney runs) at the ESPN calendar here. It doesn't really affect your WDW planning other than it can get a bit crowded (imagine hundreds, if not thousands of teenage girls, all with string bags, swarming through every Park, filling every available space! LOL)

November to December is a great time, just because you get all the Holiday decorations, but the downside is that the closer you get to the each of the big 3 (Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New Years Eve) the more crowded and crazy everything becomes. Typically, New Years Eve/New Years Day everything is just *packed*. Between those Holidays, there are quieter periods - try to pick a spot about halfway between Thanksgiving and Christmas for the best result. From Christmas through New Years will be very busy, and you won't see low crowds again until about Jan 2 or 3, when everyone has gone back to work or school.

 

[mom2jandjands]

Thank you! The more I think about it, the more I realize that we will need to be very picky about dates for medical reasons. So, I am not sure that being super picky about dates for other reasons will work.

If you were super specific about the dates you needed, were they able to accommodate? We could easily be in a position where we need to travel on one of two consecutive Thursdays in Feb. or wait until Nov. Is that realistic?

 

[mamabunny]

Thank you! The more I think about it, the more I realize that we will need to be very picky about dates for medical reasons. So, I am not sure that being super picky about dates for other reasons will work.

If you were super specific about the dates you needed, were they able to accommodate? We could easily be in a position where we need to travel on one of two consecutive Thursdays in Feb. or wait until Nov. Is that realistic?

I can't help you there, because we have never done a Wish trip - but I think it's a great question for your coordinator!