Wish Trippers...Unite!! Volume One

[Iluvmickeymouse!]

Hello everyone, I am new here But have been reading this forum for the last couple of days, My 6 year old son who has leukemia got his wish to go to disneyworld, we are going july 23-29.. We are not able to stay a GKTW because they are booked, so was wondering if anyone has ever went and stayed off sit and if you did where did you stay? Any other tips for us would be greatly appreciated too Thanks

Glad you found us!!!! LeeLee2U stayed at the Boardwalk I believe. You can find her link to her trip report on the first page. They did not go throuhg MAW, but a different wish org. They had a great time. Camster also stayed on Disney property. I have heard that if you can't get in to GKTW, they sometimes try and get you on-site on Disney property.

Hope you stick around, we're a great group!! Plus we really like to help and answer any questions you may have!!!



Hey, Misty.....yay on your dates!!! Now the more detailed planning begins!!

 

[alizesmom]

Thank you for saying that! Actually, the Nickelodeon Hotel is exactly where we would choose to stay if we did extend. That was my son's original wish..."to stay in the Nickelodeon Hotel and go to Disney World", but he loves and wants/hopes to meet Spiderman, Goofy, Mickey Mouse and SpongeBob, so the Wish Granter explained that with GKTW we will get the tickets to Universal Studios AND Disney--hence, the more complete package. So his wish ended up veering in a slightly different direction. Also, although the Nick Hotel looks like tons of fun, we can go there any time, but GKTW is a "once in a lifetime" opportunity!! Part of what makes me sad, though, is that we could possibly have added on a few days at Nick Hotel at the end since that was, after all, his original wish. He is SO easy to please, though, that I don't think he'll think twice about the Nick Hotel once we're there.

And won't we be exhausted by the end of the week??

One week is enough to satisfy without feeling overfull. Get a taste of what each place is like. Sort of like eating a gourmet meal. You don't fill up on one specific thing. Later on, if possible, you can return and see old favorites as well as add new things. The idea is to enjoy yourselves (especially your son). Too much and the memories all blend together. Did that help? Karen

 

[GoofyDoo]

One week is enough to satisfy without feeling overfull. Get a taste of what each place is like. Sort of like eating a gourmet meal. You don't fill up on one specific thing. Later on, if possible, you can return and see old favorites as well as add new things. The idea is to enjoy yourselves (especially your son). Too much and the memories all blend together. Did that help? Karen

Yes, that is very helpful. Thank you so much. I am already finding myself planning when we can go back. I would actually like to go back with just my husband because I think it would be a totally different trip. This one will be all about the kids, which is just the way I want it.

Thank you for putting things into perspective for me.

 

[angie1445]

Hi everyone:
I have been lurking for awhile and decided to introduce myself. I guess I will start with a little background. I had spent the last two years planning a family vacation at Disneyworld during Christmas week of last year. My 3 grown kids and all nine of my grandchildren were going to be there. One of my daughters lives in Ohio with her husband and twin 5 year old boys and 9year old girl and we were so excited that they were going to be able to join us since we dont get to see them that often. I live in Seattle and so do the other kids and grandkids. A couple of weeks before our trip one of the twins was diagnosed with Leukemia. We were all just devasted. We wanted to cancel our trip but my daughter insisted that we go. We didnt really have the best time because of our worry over Justin. I am thankful to say that Justin is doing very well and is the maintenance phase of his treatment. Anyway the MAW granted Justins wish to go to Disneyworld and my husband and I will be joining them. My daughter mentioned to them about the msissed trip in December and they even said that we could stay in their villa the the GKTW. I am so excited for the kids. From all that I have read this will be a very magical trip for all of us. Anyway any advice would be appreciated. I did make some adrs when I found out what dates we were going. I have planned breakfast with Spiderman for the boys and a special day for my granddaugter who will be having a birthday while we are there. She is getting a visit to the Bibbity Boutique and we are all having lunch at the castle. My daughter is very happy to let me make the plans so that is what I have been doing. Before our last trip I stressed about everything. When we got there all I did was run around collecting fast passes all day so I am hoping that I dont have to do that this trip. Anyway thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.

Angie

 

[GoofyDoo]

Hi everyone:
I have been lurking for awhile and decided to introduce myself. I guess I will start with a little background. I had spent the last two years planning a family vacation at Disneyworld during Christmas week of last year. My 3 grown kids and all nine of my grandchildren were going to be there. One of my daughters lives in Ohio with her husband and twin 5 year old boys and 9year old girl and we were so excited that they were going to be able to join us since we dont get to see them that often. I live in Seattle and so do the other kids and grandkids. A couple of weeks before our trip one of the twins was diagnosed with Leukemia. We were all just devasted. We wanted to cancel our trip but my daughter insisted that we go. We didnt really have the best time because of our worry over Justin. I am thankful to say that Justin is doing very well and is the maintenance phase of his treatment. Anyway the MAW granted Justins wish to go to Disneyworld and my husband and I will be joining them. My daughter mentioned to them about the msissed trip in December and they even said that we could stay in their villa the the GKTW. I am so excited for the kids. From all that I have read this will be a very magical trip for all of us. Anyway any advice would be appreciated. I did make some adrs when I found out what dates we were going. I have planned breakfast with Spiderman for the boys and a special day for my granddaugter who will be having a birthday while we are there. She is getting a visit to the Bibbity Boutique and we are all having lunch at the castle. My daughter is very happy to let me make the plans so that is what I have been doing. Before our last trip I stressed about everything. When we got there all I did was run around collecting fast passes all day so I am hoping that I dont have to do that this trip. Anyway thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.

Angie

Welcome, and I'm so glad your grandson is getting his wish as your family is obviously very deserving!! When is the trip? Happy planning!! No more fastpass-collecting for you! xo

 

[Bill_Lin]

Wow, I leave for an hour and there are LOTS of new posts. HURRAY! Where do I start?
It is so awesome to see so many of my friends posted today, and some new friends have arrived.

GOOFYDOO-

One week is all your family will be able to handle. I will admit that your heart will be saying, "I don't want to go home yet," but your body will be saying, "I SURE WANT TO GO HOME AND RECOVER." The trips are physically and emotionally draining, in a good way. There is so much emotional intensity, mostly joy, wonder and excitement, but draining, never the less. Our Princess slept all the way from Orlando to Seattle on the plane home.

You really can take in all of the parks in the time you have, but you will need to split some by half days. Universal/ Islands of Adventure can easily be split as they are RIGHT together. It will be necessary to pick and choose your favorite attractions. It is not realistic to do everything that is offered. That would be like going to an all-you-can-eat buffet and trying to have EVERYTHING there.

CHEYENNEBLUE and ANGIE1445-

Welcome to this thread! We are thrilled to have you here. Cheyenne, if you are staying off site, will you be able to take in the activities at GKTW and use the attractions there? LeeLee did not, but they had PLENTY to do. We met them on this board, then met up with them at Animal Kingdom and Disney Studios. One of the highlights of our trip was going to the Beauty and the Beast musical with them there. Your trip is right around the corner. You must have a lot of questions. Check out the links in my signature for lots of information.

Angie, I am happy for you and your kids and grandkids. GKTW is paradise. You will be treated well at all of the parks and will be treated royally at WDW. To get an idea how this can work, read my trip report, the link is in my signature. Lunch at the castle will amaze you.

WENDY- No internet!!!!!!!! How are we all going to manage without you having instant access. You are the Fairy Godmother to us all. I hope you spend a LOT of time at the library.

Bill

 

[Bill_Lin]

Uh oh! I am subscribed to 60 threads, so far. Do I need help?



Oh wait, I only have 233 posts (as of the writing of this post), and some of you have a LOT more.

 

[Queenie122]

And won't we be exhausted by the end of the week??

Yes, you will be exhausted. We extended our trip and we were exhausted. There is no way to do everything, we missed so much at GKTW and so much at the parks, you just can't do it all.

I'm not going to lie - it was a pain in the butt to return the car to the airport and get a new one and move all our stuff to a new place. We stayed with family, otherwise the cost would have been too great for us to extend the trip. The expense just for the car for 4 days plus food... was a lot.

It was nice to get to Seaworld during those days, yes, and I am glad we did it. But it's not as easy as it seems, lol.

 

[Bill_Lin]

If we had extended our GKTW trip, we would have spent more time at the village, done a whole day at Epcot and a whole day at Disney Studios. Perhaps we would have done a day each at Universal and Islands of Adventure, but I am not sure about that. I know we would have been beyond exhaustion though.

How about if we make a list of Wish Trip Myths that we try to believe. I think they call this denial. I will start with my favorite. Please add your own.

WISH TRIP MYTHS

1) We will get up early and arrive for rope drop each day (yeah right).

 

[alylee777]

Hi all,
Last night our fabulous wish granters came to the house with cake, ice cream, a back pack full of goodies, a big check and part of our itinerary. We had a fabulous time celebrating with them and Jared really started to get excited. I am thrilled with most of the trip planning so far except for a few tiny little details. 1. they would not let us extend...just could not do it. 2. the flight home had a major stopover that was unecessary and will make the travel time over 8 hours. 3. Since we are only there for 5 days I was hoping for atleast a 4 day park hopper but instead we got a 3 day and tickets to Sea World. I guess this is standard but the boys don't want to do Sea World and we need more then 3 days to do 4 major parks. and 4. I requested a minivan 3 separate time for my sons scooter to be able to fit with the luggage and we are set up for a full sized car. I tried to change it and just pay out of the spending money but Avis said no way. It has to be the person who paid for the car to change it at all.
I know these are all minor difficulties but I guess I'm so used to planning everything myself that it just frustrates me. They say just leave everything to us and it will be great but can you imagine if we had arrived at Avis at 8 p.m. and our stuff would not fit and they refused to change the rental agreement?? I would have freaked after a full day of travel.
Anyway...it should be worked out by our trip planner. Anyone know if I can add to my 3 day parkhopper and make it a 4 day?? It would be way cheaper then adding 4 whole tickets for WDW.
Thanks for listening.
A
PS we leave in 2 weeks .YAY!!!

 

[alylee777]

would love to post a photo

 

[alylee777]

bit I need

 

[alylee777]

oops but I need 10 posts

 

[alylee777]

nine.......

 

[alylee777]

10..............................................................................

 

[alylee777]

YAY!! Check out last night with our wish granters Sue and Richard and Jared's buddy Alex. Sweet!!

 

[Bill_Lin]

I did some checking on my own about airline reservations, car rental, and GKTW reservations for our trip (I tend to be over-cautious to be sure). I am glad that I did. Wish Trip Planners are awesome, but they are human. They deal with so many wishes every year that they have their hands full. These volunteers are true heroes to us all. The folks they deal with, such as rental companies and airlines, are also human and can make errors. In fact, we parents, stressed and excited and inexperienced, can also make mistakes in how and what we ask to have provided.

For this reason, it can be a good idea to verify that you all have a common understanding of what will happen when you get off the plane. We had a few little issues of our own to unravel. It all came out in the wash, but some of it was a bit "last minute" for an over-planner like me.

There always seem to be some things that throw a curve to us on Wish Trips and have to be weathered. I used to perform a lot of weddings and would tell the bride upfront, every time, "Expect something that you consider significant to go wrong... it always does... just relax and let go of the idea that you can achieve perfection." Perhaps perfection is not even all that desirable. These little emergencies can certainly make life interesting.

For every obstacle and disappointment on your Wish Trip, there will be an unexpected magical moment of blessing to more than make up for it. Look for the magic.

Bill

 

[Bill_Lin]

Let me share my ignorance (believe me, I have plenty to spare). I have heard, I think (checking my limited memory), that park-hopper passes cannot be extended. They would have to be issued as 4-day passes.

Here is something I actually know something about:

There is a way to do all the Disney Parks in 3 days and survive. That is what we did.

We did MK, which for a 5-year-old Princess was the #1 priority, on a day when it would be open the longest hours (without extra magic hours). We hit the road early that day and stayed until the fireworks were over, then hit the souvenir shops. That was one LONG day.

Because of our GAC we had time for Splash Mountain, Pirates, Thunder Mt., Haunted Mansion twice, Small World, Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh, Brunch in the castle, Peter Pan, Stitch, Monsters Inc., the go carts, Space Mountain and Aladdin (I think that covers it, plus late lunch-early dinner at Columbia Harbor House).

We did AK in one day. The hours there are pretty much the same every day without extra magic hours. There are a lot of kid-friendly things to do there.

We did Everest, Kali River, Safari, Africa Trail, Dinosaur, the Oasis and the Lion King Festival.

We did Epcot and Disney Studios together in one day (most guide books and sites suggest hitting Epcot on a weekend day, to avoid school groups I suppose). She was not as much into the World Showcase and was not interested in Test Track (yikes!). We chose a day when Disney Studios would be open later. We did future world first at Epcot, then breezed through World Showcase. We caught the boat ride from there to Disney Studios (mainly so we could rest for a bit on the ride) then spent the rest of the time at Disney Studios.

We did Nemo, Ellen's Energy, Journey Into Imagination, Turtle Talk, (older brother did Test Track while we were on the Ellen ride), Soarin' 3 caballeros, Norway Maelstrom....... Tower of Terror, Beauty and the Beast Show, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Star Tours, Great Movie Ride and Fantasmic. We took the Disney bus back to the Epcot parking lot.

Sea World, which is not open quite as long as some places, is worth a day. We loved the Arctic Ride, Atlantis (my Princess thought it was too intense), Shamu roller coaster, Shamu Show, dolphin feeing, manatees, penguins, seal feeding and some kiddie rides. We had time for a nice counter service meal and shopping. Big Brother loved Kraken while we fed the seals.

I hope this is helpful.

Bill

 

[oklamomof4boys]

We finally got to meet with our wish granter ( 3 months after Nathan was "approved" for a wish!). Oh well, we're not wanting our trip until March. We met for ice cream and she had a basket full of goodies for Nathan. He said his first wish was a Disney Cruise- I was a little worried because I read that some chapters no longer do Disney Cruises. But she assured us that they still do! His second choice would be WDW. We plan on extending our trip ourselves after the cruise- I didn't realize that some chapters won't let you, so I didn't think to ask. But I think maybe she mentioned it. I will check into that more once we get more details. Nathan was very excited about it all- he really likes being the center of attention! She gave him a Disney sticker book and in the front cover, you are supposed to write your name. Nathan wrote, " Nathan, wish child".

I do have a question. If we extend the trip on our own, I know we won't have the MAW or GKTW button for those dates. I know we won't get any special treatment for rides ( but we are going to check into a GAC), but is there any way they would let us use the MAW lounge? If not, would they let us take Nathan into first aid just to cool off and rest ( he overheats very easily-not sure how warm it will be in March.)

 

[Bill_Lin]

A GAC may be sought, based on need, for anyone visiting WDW. To learn more about GACs check out the DISabilities board. You will find information in one of the first several posts.

I have been told that the First Aid stations may be used by children with disabilites to cool down and do needed health-maintenance procedures. Guest services at WDW can tell you more. Again, check out the DISabilities board.

Try these links:
GAC http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=595713

Cruise http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1851495

Congratulations on your WISH!

Bill