Wish Trippers...Unite!! Volume One

[bex271]

Alison,
we are going nov 20-26 so we're going after you.

i just wanted to let those with trips coming that seaworld has a seasame street show going on through sept.1 for those little ones that like elmo and company. I just thought I would pass on what i found out in search.

becca

 

[GoofyDoo]

You may already be aware, but I thought I'd share something I learned from the free planning DVD we requested and received from Disney. If you go to www.disneyworld.com, you can click on "My Disney Vacation", and once registered, you can plan your trip out!! You can fill out your profile and plan out your itinerary...but my most favorite feature is the customized maps. There is a map for each park with all attractions listed. You click on the ones you want to do, then you can print those maps out and take them with you. Cool, huh?

 

[bex271]

I talked to our MAW coordinator (Joy, i thinks that's a cool name to have for working for MAW) and we are staying at GKTW and we are going to more than likely be flying air tran airline but that's all she could tell me today. She is going to look into trying to get some of jonah's equipment to be delivered to the village so we don't have to take so much with us. Becca

 

[Bill_Lin]

Amy, you are so right about the maps. They are beautiful souvenirs. They are too nice for actual trip planning or for the kids to play with. I understand that you can order more after 6 months if you need to.

Becca..... HURRAY... you are going to GKTW. It is such an amazingly magic, loving, blessed place. There is something special about being surrounded by folks who are all on Wish Trips and all feeling SO grateful for the experience. You will love it as we all do.

Bill

 

[alizesmom]

Hey guys, I'm going to bow out and disappear for awhile. Just too much happening in our lives right now. I hope to have the time later on to check in on all of you. Sending some pixie dust to all of my DISfriends. Karen

 

[bex271]

Karen,
hope everything settles down for you soon and the kids soooo cute.

becca

 

[twinmum]

We'll be here when you get back! Hope life calms down soon.

 

[alylee777]

Hi all,
We are back from our amazing WDW trip with my 14 year old wish kid Jared, my DH Al and Jared's best buddy Alex. We had the best time ever so I thought I would share some suggestions, info and just plain fun.
MAW took such great care of us the plane ride was smooth and easy and our suv rental fit all our luggage and our scooter easily. We stayed off property 3 nights at a gorgeous 3 bedroom condo they rented through Florida Sun homes. It was so clean and comfy and so close to the parks I was amazed. Our last 2 nights we went to the Animal Kingdom Lodge villas on our own dime to make sure we had the full Disney experience. Jared had his MAW tshirt and button and they did work wonders. We used the GAC at each park and always were treated with kindness and respect by all the CM's. We were able to get photos with Mickey and Minnie just by saying MAW kid to the CM's handling the lines. Amazing!!

We spent a day in each of the following parks, MK, Epcot, Disney Studios and AK. It was hot and humid but starting the day early and hitting each park opening really helped. We did MK at night because we used the extended magic hours. Sweet!! At epcot we got so hungry and had no lunch reservations. We went to Le Cellier which had no tables....until I mentioned MAW and we were seated in 2 minutes!!!

What not to miss if you have older kids....we loved
California Grill at night, window seats with the fireworks going during dessert. Make reservations for this one.
The boys loved all the coasters from Space Mountain to Rockin coaster to Everest. We did almost all the coasters twice. Soaring was the ultimate ride...don't miss it!!!
Staying at the Animal Kingdom was magical. I made contact with the curator who made time for a private safari on the hotel savannahs for our family! This to me was the hilight of the whole trip. We were in a van with the door open and a giraffe 5 feet away! He spent an hour driving us all over and told us all about his job, the animals and the savannahs. Totally amazing and all because of MAW. We loved the rainforest cafe which is always fun for a yummy lunch and only took 5 minutes for seating. The food at Jiko was very good but the service and atmosphere were better. The fireworks at MK should not be missed and we saw the 4th of July spectactular!! Stars and stripes on the castle set to America the Beautiful...how do you beat that??

I would skip the Stitch ride at MK...just gross and dumb. Lots of little ones seemed to get frightened at Honey I shrunk the kids so consider that. Nemo ride was only good for really little ones. Kind of dull. Mission Space made me a bit queasy so if you have trouble with your body going one way and your eyes another like on Star Tours you might want to forget it.

We had lots of wild storms but were lucky to miss almost all of them by going to the parks early. The one night at MK our trusty rain ponchos really saved the day. So did our mister fans during the blazing, hot days.

Anyway...getting tired. I know folks might think I was crazy to skip GKTW but I think for my family it really worked well the way in which we did it. Feel free to ask any questions...and PS our MAW money covered everything...and we did not skimp!!!

Much love,
Alyson

 

[alylee777]

I thought you guys might like this photo. He reluctantly posed with Mickey.
Cute Huh??
A

 

[bex271]

I'm glad you're back and had a great time. The picture is really cute can't wait to hear more.

becca

 

[bex271]

I hope that everyone has a good and safe 4th of july. We're going out of town for a couple days and just wanted to wish every a HAPPY 4TH of JULY


becca

 

[bigdisgrandma]

Hi all,
We are back from our amazing WDW trip with my 14 year old wish kid Jared, my DH Al and Jared's best buddy Alex. We had the best time ever so I thought I would share some suggestions, info and just plain fun.
MAW took such great care of us the plane ride was smooth and easy and our suv rental fit all our luggage and our scooter easily. We stayed off property 3 nights at a gorgeous 3 bedroom condo they rented through Florida Sun homes. It was so clean and comfy and so close to the parks I was amazed. Our last 2 nights we went to the Animal Kingdom Lodge villas on our own dime to make sure we had the full Disney experience. Jared had his MAW tshirt and button and they did work wonders. We used the GAC at each park and always were treated with kindness and respect by all the CM's. We were able to get photos with Mickey and Minnie just by saying MAW kid to the CM's handling the lines. Amazing!!

We spent a day in each of the following parks, MK, Epcot, Disney Studios and AK. It was hot and humid but starting the day early and hitting each park opening really helped. We did MK at night because we used the extended magic hours. Sweet!! At epcot we got so hungry and had no lunch reservations. We went to Le Cellier which had no tables....until I mentioned MAW and we were seated in 2 minutes!!!

What not to miss if you have older kids....we loved
California Grill at night, window seats with the fireworks going during dessert. Make reservations for this one.
The boys loved all the coasters from Space Mountain to Rockin coaster to Everest. We did almost all the coasters twice. Soaring was the ultimate ride...don't miss it!!!
Staying at the Animal Kingdom was magical. I made contact with the curator who made time for a private safari on the hotel savannahs for our family! This to me was the hilight of the whole trip. We were in a van with the door open and a giraffe 5 feet away! He spent an hour driving us all over and told us all about his job, the animals and the savannahs. Totally amazing and all because of MAW. We loved the rainforest cafe which is always fun for a yummy lunch and only took 5 minutes for seating. The food at Jiko was very good but the service and atmosphere were better. The fireworks at MK should not be missed and we saw the 4th of July spectactular!! Stars and stripes on the castle set to America the Beautiful...how do you beat that??

I would skip the Stitch ride at MK...just gross and dumb. Lots of little ones seemed to get frightened at Honey I shrunk the kids so consider that. Nemo ride was only good for really little ones. Kind of dull. Mission Space made me a bit queasy so if you have trouble with your body going one way and your eyes another like on Star Tours you might want to forget it.

We had lots of wild storms but were lucky to miss almost all of them by going to the parks early. The one night at MK our trusty rain ponchos really saved the day. So did our mister fans during the blazing, hot days.

Anyway...getting tired. I know folks might think I was crazy to skip GKTW but I think for my family it really worked well the way in which we did it. Feel free to ask any questions...and PS our MAW money covered everything...and we did not skimp!!!

Much love,
Alyson

WOW! It sounds like you had a wonderful experience. Thanks so much for sharing. I am so envious of your Safari. I love Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Welcome back.
Denise

I hope that everyone has a good and safe 4th of july. We're going out of town for a couple days and just wanted to wish every a HAPPY 4TH of JULY


becca

Have a wonderful time away. Hope it is to someplace cool and relaxing for your family.

Denise

 

[twinmum]

Alyson: I don't think I'd realized before that we share the same name, if not the spelling!

What a wonderful trip you had!!! Thanks for sharing some of the memories, and that very cute picture of Jared. It's a great shot, and good for him for cooperating, if it really wasn't his thing.

Your safari sounds amazing! I would love to get a "close and personal" safari. On our first trip to WDW, we did do a special one that you could reserve. While it was great, yours sounds even better!

We also love Cali Grill! And yes, wehave already made our reservations, even though we don't go until November. That was, hands down, our best dinner/evening during our first trip. Of course, by the next day, our boys had started taking turns getting sick, so there were lots of reasons why it was the best!

Welcome back!

Alison

 

[Bill_Lin]

Karen.... I will miss you... Come back as soon as you can.


Alyson,

That is the best first report ever!!! Great job. You have the knack of saying a LOT in a few words. I am so HAPPY for you. Jared is so typical for his age, resisting meeting Mickey, then smiling in such a way that you can tell he really loves it.

I second the thought on Stitch, though a lot of early adolescent boys like it as it appeals to their sense of humor with belches and bad smells and bad behavior. The truth is that it almost scared the you know what out of Lysi. She has shown NO inclination to want to watch Lilo and Stitch since that ride.

It is awesome that you got special treatment at restaurants. I have to put in another pitch for Lotus Blossom Cafe at China in Epcot, quick, excellent, inexpensive food. YUM!

The private safari is the coolest thing I have heard yet. WOW! I am so glad.

I agree that ponchos are WORTH IT.

Bill

 

[twinmum]

Quick question - I'm hoping Bill is still on the boards right now. I know I've seen the answer to this, but can't find it,

Are the WDW passes provided by GKTW park hoppers or not? If not, we may buy hoopers for the "add-on" days that we are puchasing.

Thank you!
Alison

 

[bigdisgrandma]

Quick question - I'm hoping Bill is still on the boards right now. I know I've seen the answer to this, but can't find it,

Are the WDW passes provided by GKTW park hoppers or not? If not, we may buy hoopers for the "add-on" days that we are puchasing.

Thank you!
Alison

Alison,
As I understand it they are park hoppers.
Denise

 

[GoofyDoo]

Hi all,
We are back from our amazing WDW trip with my 14 year old wish kid Jared, my DH Al and Jared's best buddy Alex. We had the best time ever so I thought I would share some suggestions, info and just plain fun.
MAW took such great care of us the plane ride was smooth and easy and our suv rental fit all our luggage and our scooter easily. We stayed off property 3 nights at a gorgeous 3 bedroom condo they rented through Florida Sun homes. It was so clean and comfy and so close to the parks I was amazed. Our last 2 nights we went to the Animal Kingdom Lodge villas on our own dime to make sure we had the full Disney experience. Jared had his MAW tshirt and button and they did work wonders. We used the GAC at each park and always were treated with kindness and respect by all the CM's. We were able to get photos with Mickey and Minnie just by saying MAW kid to the CM's handling the lines. Amazing!!

We spent a day in each of the following parks, MK, Epcot, Disney Studios and AK. It was hot and humid but starting the day early and hitting each park opening really helped. We did MK at night because we used the extended magic hours. Sweet!! At epcot we got so hungry and had no lunch reservations. We went to Le Cellier which had no tables....until I mentioned MAW and we were seated in 2 minutes!!!

What not to miss if you have older kids....we loved
California Grill at night, window seats with the fireworks going during dessert. Make reservations for this one.
The boys loved all the coasters from Space Mountain to Rockin coaster to Everest. We did almost all the coasters twice. Soaring was the ultimate ride...don't miss it!!!
Staying at the Animal Kingdom was magical. I made contact with the curator who made time for a private safari on the hotel savannahs for our family! This to me was the hilight of the whole trip. We were in a van with the door open and a giraffe 5 feet away! He spent an hour driving us all over and told us all about his job, the animals and the savannahs. Totally amazing and all because of MAW. We loved the rainforest cafe which is always fun for a yummy lunch and only took 5 minutes for seating. The food at Jiko was very good but the service and atmosphere were better. The fireworks at MK should not be missed and we saw the 4th of July spectactular!! Stars and stripes on the castle set to America the Beautiful...how do you beat that??

I would skip the Stitch ride at MK...just gross and dumb. Lots of little ones seemed to get frightened at Honey I shrunk the kids so consider that. Nemo ride was only good for really little ones. Kind of dull. Mission Space made me a bit queasy so if you have trouble with your body going one way and your eyes another like on Star Tours you might want to forget it.

We had lots of wild storms but were lucky to miss almost all of them by going to the parks early. The one night at MK our trusty rain ponchos really saved the day. So did our mister fans during the blazing, hot days.

Anyway...getting tired. I know folks might think I was crazy to skip GKTW but I think for my family it really worked well the way in which we did it. Feel free to ask any questions...and PS our MAW money covered everything...and we did not skimp!!!

Much love,
Alyson

Alyson, thank you for giving us an overview of your trip!! I am so glad y'all had a wonderful time. Jared has the cutest smile--his pic with Mickey is adorable, I don't care how old he is!! Thank you especially for the tips on what not to ride. Those are the kind of tips I'm looking for since we are feeling the time crunch! All of your information was great, and I just feel excited with you. Would love to see more pics!!!
Amy

 

[wendygrace]

I am so sorry I am having trouble keeping up. I have updated the first page with two new trip reports. Please PM me with any more. I still have no internet and I'm super busy with the kids. Michael is doing well. Mick is starting a new job so I am currently dealing with insurance issues as well as getting ready for another set of deductibles (that will be over $20,000 in about 14 months! Wheeeeee!).

So glad to see so many people here! Bill, keep up the good work!

 

[Iluvmickeymouse!]

I thought you guys might like this photo. He reluctantly posed with Mickey.
Cute Huh??
A

I love it!!!! The safari sounds incredible. Please share more about your trip when you are rested up!!

 

[hotmamac]

Hey there ~
Ali's trip is December 13-19 2008