What rides would be possible for us? (MAW)

[mom2jandjands]

I posted above about my 9 year old who is trying to decide what to wish for. In order to help him decide, we're hoping for more information about what things there might be to do in various parks for a kid with the following restrictions.

1) Between 44 and 48 inches

2) Uses a wheelchair, but can stand, and walk a short distance, transfer etc . . . . He's also tiny, so easy for someone to lift into and out of a ride vehicle.

3) Severe osteoporosis, so anything that might knock him around, wouldn't be an option.

4) On continuous flow oxygen via trach.

5) Can't be submerged in water (e.g. no swimming or baths), but could be sprinkled or splashed (e.g. he can take a shower with protective equipment).

6) Not afraid of "scary" theming or imagery.

7) Particularly loves anything scientific, whether that's animals or space. He also enjoys super heroes, science fiction, and fantasy. He does not have a particular interest in Disney or costumed characters, but is pretty open to almost anything.

Any suggestions for things he might particularly enjoy? Ideas for things that might particularly appeal to him? Things to avoid because they'll just be frustrating?

 

[gap2368]

there would be a lot at the MK

POTCB ( there is one small drop)
jungle curse
the magic carpet of aladh
haunted mansion
small world
peter pan
the little mermaid
maybe the teacup
buzz
the people mover ( if he can stand for about 30 seconds going up a ramp and then walk 25-50 feet)
dumbo
and all the show there ( 4 of them)

EPCOT
space ship earth
living with the land
journey into the imagination
the ride in Mexico
Nemo and friends
all the show in the world showcase ( both inside and outside)

HS
I am not too sure here maybe TSMM

there is a lot of show where and if you go after star wars opens then theme in this land is great if he is a star wars fan

AK

maybe the Safia it is bumpy and being in the front helps

Navi river journey

if he likes animals there are some really cool path and cool animals all over

and two really good show.

I hope this helps

 

[mom2jandjands]

there would be a lot at the MK

POTCB ( there is one small drop)
jungle curse
the magic carpet of aladh
haunted mansion
small world
peter pan
the little mermaid
maybe the teacup
buzz
the people mover ( if he can stand for about 30 seconds going up a ramp and then walk 25-50 feet)
dumbo
and all the show there ( 4 of them)

EPCOT
space ship earth
living with the land
journey into the imagination
the ride in Mexico
Nemo and friends
all the show in the world showcase ( both inside and outside)

HS
I am not too sure here maybe TSMM

there is a lot of show where and if you go after star wars opens then theme in this land is great if he is a star wars fan

AK

maybe the Safia it is bumpy and being in the front helps

Navi river journey

if he likes animals there are some really cool path and cool animals all over

and two really good show.

I hope this helps

Thank you! That is super helpful.

For the people mover, could one of us carry him? Or is that not allowed? 50 feet is pretty far!

I don't suppose you have a sense of what he could do at Seaworld, or Universal for comparison?

 

[gap2368]

Thank you! That is super helpful.

For the people mover, could one of us carry him? Or is that not allowed? 50 feet is pretty far!

I don't suppose you have a sense of what he could do at Seaworld, or Universal for comparison?

Yes you can carry him before you go up the ramp I would talk to the CM and let them know your son has mobility problems ( some times there is a bit of a line up top too but I have seen them help other guests with mobility problem not have to do the one switch back and walk on faster up top and since this will be his MAW trip I am almost 100% sure they will do this for him ( I can try to show a video of the ramp to the people mover so you can see what I am talking about) but yes you can carry him up there and too the ride vehicle.

here is a video of the line at 25 seconds you can see the person going up the ramp to the right you can see the small switch back ( there is just one there ) it looks like to be this is the whole switch back the line on the ground is the long part but I think MAW families can just go up to the CM down there and ask to get on. video of the people mover


It has been years and years since I have been to universal or sea world that I would not be much help there. but I am sure someone else could add what he can do there

youtube would be a really good thing to watch so that you can get an idea of the ride. what one might think is ok might not be ok for your son. I would double check the rides your self.

also the Big fat panda has some really good on ride video that you can look at to see if something would be good or not good for your son

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Thank you! That is super helpful.

For the people mover, could one of us carry him? Or is that not allowed? 50 feet is pretty far!

I don't suppose you have a sense of what he could do at Seaworld, or Universal for comparison?

at Sea World less to ride but he could do the shows. have been on 2 grandsons MAW trips both to Disney. one thing you get at all the Parks is a special pass that allows you to skip most of the lines even characters and things with no Fast Pass. Ps from what you have said I would skip TSMM at Disney very jerky spins. on another post if I remember right you talked about Give Kids The World make sure you allow time for some of the things to do there esp the Christmas Party which used to be on Thursday nights. on the people mover at MK the ramp moves so it is more standing than walking but hardest is the moving platform to get on the ride.

 

[mom2jandjands]

at Sea World less to ride but he could do the shows. have been on 2 grandsons MAW trips both to Disney. one thing you get at all the Parks is a special pass that allows you to skip most of the lines even characters and things with no Fast Pass. Ps from what you have said I would skip TSMM at Disney very jerky spins. on another post if I remember right you talked about Give Kids The World make sure you allow time for some of the things to do there esp the Christmas Party which used to be on Thursday nights. on the people mover at MK the ramp moves so it is more standing than walking but hardest is the moving platform to get on the ride.

Thank you!

I don't know if we'd be allowed to stay at GKTW, if his wish is Kennedy Space Institute. If it's a possibility it's probably what we'd choose. It sounds amazing!

Looking at the various websites, I feel like Kennedy, and SeaWorld would be most closely aligned to what he'd want to do, and where the things that he's most likely to want to do are the most accessible. It looks like we could spend an entire day at SeaWorld watching shows and doing "animal encounters". Do you know if that's true?

He loves Harry Potter, but I found a website that talks about where oxygen can be used, and none of the HP rides allow it. With no rides, I can't imagine he'd want to spend more than a few hours there. It also talks a lot about crowds, which can be really disconcerting when you're a tiny kid, and low to the ground in a wheelchair. I think it's someplace we might visit but it doesn't seem like the right choice for the actual wish. I have similar concerns about the Star Wars area.

On the other hand, my other kids would love the roller coasters, and the water parks, and all sorts of things that my middle son (the wish kid) wouldn't be able to access. Do you know what the rules are about them? My middle kid's stamina is very limited, so I imagine mornings in the park where we're all doing something together, and then afternoons where one parent takes them to the ride roller coasters, while the other parent takes middle kid for a nap. Could they get fast passes or something that would allow them to ride during that time? What if middle kid wasn't even in the park? For example, if he was at the hospital getting an infusion. Could the other kids still go to a park?

 

[gap2368]

Thank you!

.

On the other hand, my other kids would love the roller coasters, and the water parks, and all sorts of things that my middle son (the wish kid) wouldn't be able to access. Do you know what the rules are about them? My middle kid's stamina is very limited, so I imagine mornings in the park where we're all doing something together, and then afternoons where one parent takes them to the ride roller coasters, while the other parent takes middle kid for a nap. Could they get fast passes or something that would allow them to ride during that time? What if middle kid wasn't even in the park? For example, if he was at the hospital getting an infusion. Could the other kids still go to a park?

You are given genie pass this is what let you skip the lines ( go in the fP lines) the wish child does not need to have it anyone in your group can have it and use it so when the wish child needs to take a break the other kids can use it. ( or this is what someone told me)

also if you have not seen the pined thread on MAW at the top I would look in there too

 

[mom2jandjands]

You are given genie pass this is what let you skip the lines ( go in the fP lines) the wish child does not need to have it anyone in your group can have it and use it so when the wish child needs to take a break the other kids can use it. ( or this is what someone told me)

also if you have not seen the pined thread on MAW at the top I would look in there too

Do you know if they could use it, and the tickets, if he wasn't even in the park?

Let's say I took him to the hospital for the morning, and the other kids wanted to go see Star Wars, and then meet back at GKTW, or at another park later in the day. Would that be allowed? Or does he need to be there to get into the park?

 

[mamabunny]

I know that Orlando has a Science Center (look for Tim Tracker's YouTube videos on it) that is lots of fun!

Legoland is nearby as well, but I'm not sure how close it actually is to WDW/GKTW.

Would he be interested in how things work at WDW? Or is he better off just enjoying the "Magic"? They have several "behind the scenes" tours that show some of the technology that makes everything work.

I believe some families have asked for Disney Cruises instead of going to the Parks? I'm not sure how that works - just a thought.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Do you know if they could use it, and the tickets, if he wasn't even in the park?

Let's say I took him to the hospital for the morning, and the other kids wanted to go see Star Wars, and then meet back at GKTW, or at another park later in the day. Would that be allowed? Or does he need to be there to get into the park?

if I remember correctly you would need to drop them at the park then take son for treatment then pick them up as you will only have one car. maybe GKTW could arrange something but I don't know

 

[mom2jandjands]

if I remember correctly you would need to drop them at the park then take son for treatment then pick them up as you will only have one car. maybe GKTW could arrange something but I don't know

I think we would probably need two vehicles, even if we had to pay for the second. I don’t think we could fit enough oxygen tanks to last us for the trip down, the wheelchair, everything else we’d need for the trip and six passengers in our mini van.

But even if we didn’t bring a second car, I would probably spring for an Uber, so as not to waste middle kid’s time.

 

[mom2jandjands]

I know that Orlando has a Science Center (look for Tim Tracker's YouTube videos on it) that is lots of fun!

Legoland is nearby as well, but I'm not sure how close it actually is to WDW/GKTW.

Would he be interested in how things work at WDW? Or is he better off just enjoying the "Magic"? They have several "behind the scenes" tours that show some of the technology that makes everything work.

I believe some families have asked for Disney Cruises instead of going to the Parks? I'm not sure how that works - just a thought.

The science center and the tours are great ideas! I will check them out.

I don’t think a cruise is for us, both for medical reasons (e.g. too far from an E.R., infusion appointments), but also because we can’t do the beach, and that seems like a big part of a cruise.

 

[redberyl]

Everyone who stays at gktw gets 3 day disney park hoppers, 2 days universal, and one day sea world. There are additional tickets you can get for free once you are there, both legoland and kennedy space center are included (i just called gktw to verify andvthat hasnt changed since we went. You can definitely do the space center on a disney wish). Your family can use the genie pass in disney even if your son isnt with the group. Harry potter area of universal is completely worth doing even if you dont do the rides. The interactive wands are so much fun; you can buy a wand and all the different shop windows have displays where you can practice spells; in one area you do wingardium leviosa to mak a feather float, aguamenti to turn on a water fountain, etc. The shops are worth looking at, he can go through the hogwarts castle even if he doesnt ride, try butter beer, and ride the hogwarts express. It wont take more than a couple of hours but its worth doing even without the rides. The genie pass for star wars land is a golden ticket for your family; lines will easily be 4 or more hours long, but you get to skip allvthat! I would definitely take advantage of that. There is so much to do on an irlando wish trip yoy cant pissibly do it all. You can do 1 whole day space center, day 2 a half day at universal in the morning and disney in afternoon, day 3 a whole disney day day 4 legoland and day 5 sea world. Or something like that. With all the free tickets and the special access passes, you have a ton of flexibility. When we took my daughter she was so worn out by all the activity we only did 3 short disney days and 1 universal day, then took 2 whole day to rest. But with the genie pass even only doing 4 hour days we got soooo much done! You mention bringing oxygen tanks; make a wish should be able to get you a portable concentrator for the trip (they did for my daughter(, it is sooo much easier than lugging tanks around.

 

[mom2jandjands]

Everyone who stays at gktw gets 3 day disney park hoppers, 2 days universal, and one day sea world. There are additional tickets you can get for free once you are there, both legoland and kennedy space center are included (i just called gktw to verify andvthat hasnt changed since we went. You can definitely do the space center on a disney wish). Your family can use the genie pass in disney even if your son isnt with the group. Harry potter area of universal is completely worth doing even if you dont do the rides. The interactive wands are so much fun; you can buy a wand and all the different shop windows have displays where you can practice spells; in one area you do wingardium leviosa to mak a feather float, aguamenti to turn on a water fountain, etc. The shops are worth looking at, he can go through the hogwarts castle even if he doesnt ride, try butter beer, and ride the hogwarts express. It wont take more than a couple of hours but its worth doing even without the rides. The genie pass for star wars land is a golden ticket for your family; lines will easily be 4 or more hours long, but you get to skip allvthat! I would definitely take advantage of that. There is so much to do on an irlando wish trip yoy cant pissibly do it all. You can do 1 whole day space center, day 2 a half day at universal in the morning and disney in afternoon, day 3 a whole disney day day 4 legoland and day 5 sea world. Or something like that. With all the free tickets and the special access passes, you have a ton of flexibility. When we took my daughter she was so worn out by all the activity we only did 3 short disney days and 1 universal day, then took 2 whole day to rest. But with the genie pass even only doing 4 hour days we got soooo much done! You mention bringing oxygen tanks; make a wish should be able to get you a portable concentrator for the trip (they did for my daughter(, it is sooo much easier than lugging tanks around.

We actually own a portable oxygen concentrator, but recently he's been having enough difficulty that it hasn't worked well enough at keeping his sats up, especially when he's asleep (e.g. if we took a nap in First Aid, he'd need tanked oxygen), or active, or excited. Technology gets better every day, and we're trying some new medical stuff, so maybe he'll be in a different place by the time we go, if we go. I was looking at his medical calendar, and the crowd calendars, and some other things, I think there's no way we'd be able to travel before the end of January. A lot could change between now and then.

I wonder if I'm putting too much weight on the question of "what to wish for". Obviously, he needs to decide if he wants a trip or stuff, but I was under the impression that they tailor the trip a little according to what the kid asks for. So, for example, I know a kid who wished to meet Elsa, and she got the same GKTW package as everyone else, but Elsa also came and spent like 20 minutes with her in the wish lounge, and the wish granting people brought her an Elsa balloon and other stuff. Or I read about a kid whose actual wish was Kennedy Space Institute and they had an astronaut come out and spend 1:1 time with him, and gave him an astronaut suit. Unfortunately, I can't tell if that kid was at GKTW or not.

If the package will be the same, regardless of what he wishes for, then maybe he wishes to pet stingrays at SeaWorld, which he'd like and I think would lead to GKTW, and then just take advantage of the tickets to Kennedy Space Institute.

 

[mom2jandjands]

Everyone who stays at gktw gets 3 day disney park hoppers, 2 days universal, and one day sea world. There are additional tickets you can get for free once you are there, both legoland and kennedy space center are included (i just called gktw to verify andvthat hasnt changed since we went. You can definitely do the space center on a disney wish). Your family can use the genie pass in disney even if your son isnt with the group. Harry potter area of universal is completely worth doing even if you dont do the rides. The interactive wands are so much fun; you can buy a wand and all the different shop windows have displays where you can practice spells; in one area you do wingardium leviosa to mak a feather float, aguamenti to turn on a water fountain, etc. The shops are worth looking at, he can go through the hogwarts castle even if he doesnt ride, try butter beer, and ride the hogwarts express. It wont take more than a couple of hours but its worth doing even without the rides. The genie pass for star wars land is a golden ticket for your family; lines will easily be 4 or more hours long, but you get to skip allvthat! I would definitely take advantage of that. There is so much to do on an irlando wish trip yoy cant pissibly do it all. You can do 1 whole day space center, day 2 a half day at universal in the morning and disney in afternoon, day 3 a whole disney day day 4 legoland and day 5 sea world. Or something like that. With all the free tickets and the special access passes, you have a ton of flexibility. When we took my daughter she was so worn out by all the activity we only did 3 short disney days and 1 universal day, then took 2 whole day to rest. But with the genie pass even only doing 4 hour days we got soooo much done! You mention bringing oxygen tanks; make a wish should be able to get you a portable concentrator for the trip (they did for my daughter(, it is sooo much easier than lugging tanks around.

Do you, or anyone else, have experience with a childsized wheelchair in the places that are really crowded, like HP world, and Galaxy's Edge when it opens?

My son likes both themes, but I have trouble imagining what the crowds would feel like when you're trapped in a sea of legs. Anxiety, related to PTSD, is a big issue for my child, and my gut tells me that it might be too scary. I also worry that he would never see anything, so the theming would be lost on him.

We have a jogging stroller, that might give him a little more shelter, but it's hard for him to lean forward in it, which might make it hard for him to see or participate. It would also mean he'd have zero independent movement, where in his manual chair he can push it, albeit only for short distance, which would let him explore a playground or a store, unless there were crowds there too.

We could probably schedule our trip for the lowest crowd times, but my understanding is that even at those moments there can be a lot of people!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

We actually own a portable oxygen concentrator, but recently he's been having enough difficulty that it hasn't worked well enough at keeping his sats up, especially when he's asleep (e.g. if we took a nap in First Aid, he'd need tanked oxygen), or active, or excited. Technology gets better every day, and we're trying some new medical stuff, so maybe he'll be in a different place by the time we go, if we go. I was looking at his medical calendar, and the crowd calendars, and some other things, I think there's no way we'd be able to travel before the end of January. A lot could change between now and then.

I wonder if I'm putting too much weight on the question of "what to wish for". Obviously, he needs to decide if he wants a trip or stuff, but I was under the impression that they tailor the trip a little according to what the kid asks for. So, for example, I know a kid who wished to meet Elsa, and she got the same GKTW package as everyone else, but Elsa also came and spent like 20 minutes with her in the wish lounge, and the wish granting people brought her an Elsa balloon and other stuff. Or I read about a kid whose actual wish was Kennedy Space Institute and they had an astronaut come out and spend 1:1 time with him, and gave him an astronaut suit. Unfortunately, I can't tell if that kid was at GKTW or not.

If the package will be the same, regardless of what he wishes for, then maybe he wishes to pet stingrays at SeaWorld, which he'd like and I think would lead to GKTW, and then just take advantage of the tickets to Kennedy Space Institute.

I know for grandsons trips esp at Universal character handlers had us come back stage for a special group meet and greet. lots of pictures. at Sea World it was a dolphin interaction that was included

 

[mom2jandjands]

I know for grandsons trips esp at Universal character handlers had us come back stage for a special group meet and greet. lots of pictures. at Sea World it was a dolphin interaction that was included

Is that because one wished to meet the Universal characters and one wished to meet a dolphin or were those just random?

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Is that because one wished to meet the Universal characters and one wished to meet a dolphin or were those just random?

no to both questions. the Universal was just because handler saw our pass and had us wait until M&G was over and to come back stage with him. the dolphin meet was part of the Sea World ticket that we got

 

[redberyl]

Do you, or anyone else, have experience with a childsized wheelchair in the places that are really crowded, like HP world, and Galaxy's Edge when it opens?


depending when you go harry potter might not be that crowded. we went once in january and once in february and it really wasn't crowded at all, was actually less crowded than any of the disney parks. my daughter was 5 and in a regular stroller first time, 8 and in an adaptive stroller the second time and wasn't bothered by it at all

 

[mamabunny]

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!