Wish Trippers...Unite!! Volume One

[bex271]

I have started on our trip report, hopefully i'll be able to work on it more after jonah goes to bed but i had a second and went on and started.
Heres the link http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=26133538#post26133538
How do i get the name over the link?

becca

 

[Bill_Lin]

I encourage everyone to check the updates on the Recent and Upcoming Wish Trip Reports post. There are some new TR links there and more information about others.

Bill

 

[LeeLee2U]

Hi to all!!! WOWWEE! We have got some necomers and I wasn't around to WELCOME any of you!1 Hi and WELCOME!!!
So glad Bill was here to usher you all in! Can't wait to catch up and meet you all!!
We are doing fine just been w/out the net for a few months and actually WAY too Busy to even use it!! Dh had surgery today and is doing as well as can be expected! Braeton is hanging in ther. Still fighting migraines and now his leg is growing very curved. But you know Braeton, He is a Toughie and full of laughs. Just today My older sister told him he might get to play with one of his cousins today and he looked up at her and replied, Well that would be just marvelous. If fact that would be marvelously Marvelous!!! That child! He is now SkiBoy. That is his new superhero name and He skis around and saves the day! Sometimes he takes his supersonic powered Jetplane to rest a little on his way! He is so full of joy and fun!!

Well I've got to get but I will be back so BE AWARE!!!!!!

 

[Bill_Lin]

All I can say is HUGGGGGGS for LeeLee and Shannon. Our prayers are with you.

That was so cute, what you shared about "marvelous" and the skiing superhero.

Its good to have you back.

Bill

 

[Iluvmickeymouse!]

Amber...hopefully I can help a little here....

Here are some questions for you fellow Wish trippers:

Earlier in the week we received a bit of bad news from our Wish Granter, Erin. She told us that it was determined that once we check out of GKTW any tickets that we did not use will have to be given back. We only have four full days at Give Kids the World before we check out, but they give you tickets to see seven parks. We knew there was no way we could accomplish this but didn’t want to pass up the once in a lifetime opportunity to see all these parks (not to mention our kids are ride junkies). Hence, the extension. Any other wish trippers out there have any experience with keeping their tickets during their “extended” portion of the stay?
we did not keep our US/IOA tickets, only because we knew we were not going to use them, I thought I remembered that Who'syourmickey was able to keep there's but that they had to use them within two weeks. If you really want to reassure yourself, email or call GKTW and see what their policy is.

Will we at least be able to keep a ticket to see a park the day we are checking out?
I would think you would be able to. Now that I think about it, I don't remember them specifically asking for any unused tickets back, we just offered ours back

The weekly Christmas celebration at GKTW takes place the day that we check out. Does anyone know if we will be able to participate in the GKTW festivities this evening even though we will be "checked out" of our villa?

I would think you should be able to, again, talk to GKTW to reassure yourself. I'm sorry but not every MAW chapter is going to know "exactly" what is going on, it never hurts to ask!!

Should we book a Fantasmic dinner package or can Wish kids use the special
side entrance for Fantasmic to the reserved seating area?
I would do what Bill suggested, call Guest Services, we just went in the regular way, We sat in the back because I wasn't sure how my two dd's would do with everything (they did well!)

Should we purchase the Universal Express passes ($19.99 each) Since Brian and I would like to do a couple of the adult rides like Mummy and Hulk.

can't help you here, sorry

Does Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure have a Wish Loung (like the ones at Magic Kingdom and Epcot) that we can use to recharge and get the kids naps. Does Disney Studios have one?

No lounge at DHS, but there is always the first aid station

Did any of you fellow wish Trippers need to use Fast Pass? Especially if you
did an adult ride without your “wish kid?”

no need for fastpasses, you will be amazed at how many rides/attractions you will actuially get to do, DMIL and I were going to do Soarin', DD wasn't tall enough, so we were going to child swap, but it was going to take to long so we didn't do it....but we would have been able to use the GAC to assist us also (does that make senses??)

We are planning to purchase tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party as Make A Wish has told us this is not something they do.

Some do, some do not.....we did not ask our chapter for MNSSHP tix, we go our own, then they ended up getting us tickets, BUT I wonder now if they got them because that was the night we had dinner in the castle....MAW arranged this and surprised us with it, a lot of others on here have had to get their own tickets

Erin told us that the Florida chapter will make arrangements for Sebastian to meet with one special character. We told them it was no question: Buzz Lightyear! We are wondering what to expect. Anyone have any experiences with Make A Wish coordinating a specific character meet and greet for them?

I would suggest that when you are at DHS, go back to the Toy Story area and talk to a CM about how it was part of your child's wish...you may be surprised to see what happens. DD wanted to see Timon at AK one day...don't know why...just really wanted to...ok..so we headed over towards the lion king show and I asked the cm outside of the show if she knew if Timon was making appearances today....siad she didn't think so...so we walked around a little...even had a cm call the character hotline to see if he was going to b eout...nope he wasn't. While we were at that cart..the previous cm that I had talked to at the show found us and told me to find her before the show...she had a surprise for us after the show. ok....so first we get front row seating and then at the end of the show we were led out a back door where we hd a PRIVATE meet and greet with Timon!!!!!! What an amazing surprise!!!! DD was ecstatic!! I think we spent a good 10 minutes with him. so...you never know..and it doesn't hurt to ask!!!!!!!!

We also told Make A Wish that we would like to eat at Chef Mickey’s the first day that we arrive since we won’t be visiting a park on this day. Anyone have experience with Make A Wish coordinating a character meal for them? We did not ask for a certain character meal, I had made my own ressies and then they surprised us with dinner at the castle. I would say that if there is a specific one you want...make your own ressies, you can always cancel it later

December is an amazing time to go. I think I have said this a few times before...but I love WDW at christmas time!!! Crowds will be low and the temp is awesome!!!! The next time we go , we are going at the beginning of Dec. Don't ask me when that will be 'casue all I know is that it is tooooooooo far away!

 

[Iluvmickeymouse!]

oh yeah I forgot....i guess I could quit calling dd.....dd Her name is Koryn (pronounced like Corrinne....not many get it right ), youngest DD is Karmyn, mine is Karla and DH is Carlton.

 

[AmberGreenawalt]

Hi again All,

I have yet more questions for you veterans

Does every kid staying at GKTW get a GAC card? Sebastian doesn't have any mobility issues. He just has to wear a helmet to protect his head.

Do you turn the GAC card, MAW and GKTW buttons in when you check-out? Just trying to know what to expect/plan for on the "extended" portion of our trip!

Thanks In Advance!

Amber

 

[Bill_Lin]

GKTW will have a GAC ready for you as a part of your Wish Trip. Many of the kids do not have mobility issues. Some have stamina, vision, hearing, seizure or other issues.

You will keep the GAC and buttons when you leave, but the GAC is dated for your trip only.

My Make a Wish Button rusted after we returned due to all the water rides. I guess I can view it as a badge of honor.

Bill

 

[special-angel]

I have to admit i'm a lurker reliving my daughters wish trip she had in March by reading everyones PTR & TRs.But to help answer Ambers ? about returning unused park passes, we were undecided on where to go after we checked out at GKTW & we didnt have to be at airport until 5:15.We had 1 day left on our IOA/US passes & our SW passes.After some bickering ,we decided to go to IOA.Needless to say we came home with unused SW passes,but i wasnt aware they had to be returned .

 

[smatterchu]

Hey folks -- I just wanted to check in and let folks know that I still haven't sent out this week's MAW Disney postcards. I hope to do it by Saturday/Tuesday...

In the meantime, guess what I get to do tonight!!! I'm working in the GKTW Gingerbread House for Christmas Dinner!! Once a month, the PhotoPass group volunteers to help serve dinner on Thursday night, so maybe I'll get to see some of you when you are down here -- even if it's not at Hollywood Studios!

So anyway - I'm kinda nervous -- they said it's pretty fast-paced...hope I can figure out what I'm supposed to be doing and keep up. I'm looking forward to seeing The Village in person for the first time. I've been a big fan of GKTW for as long as I've lived in FL (7 years), but this is my first visit.

Just wanted to share -- I'll be back with details/stories, I'm sure....can't wait!!

 

[Bill_Lin]

Dear Tara Laine,

You continue to go up in our esteem. You are an awesome person!

I am so excited that you are going to be serving at GKTW. As long as you can successfully turn over a serving spoon and operate tongs, you should do GREAT. Remember, everyone who is there is having the time of their lives. Your CM smile will serve you well there. Just let your sweetness show and everyone will be blessed.

Thank you so much for sending the cards. I have a new idea for those who are receiving cards from you. They could send cards when THEY get there to kids who have already gone home from their trips, to say, "We remember you here at WDW," or something.

What does everyone else think about that?

Bill

 

[smatterchu]

Aw Bill, you're a sweetheart - I appreciate it. I didn't post for the kudos, though -- just knew that you guys would know EXACTLY where I was going and what a special night it is for the families!

I think it's a great idea to send Post-Trip Postcards....very cool...

 

[bex271]

hope you have fun at GKTW tonight

becca

 

[Iluvmickeymouse!]

Hi again All,

I have yet more questions for you veterans

Does every kid staying at GKTW get a GAC card? Sebastian doesn't have any mobility issues. He just has to wear a helmet to protect his head.

Do you turn the GAC card, MAW and GKTW buttons in when you check-out? Just trying to know what to expect/plan for on the "extended" portion of our trip!

Thanks In Advance!

Amber

Yes, your child will get a GAC from GKTW, it is in your orientation packet. You get to keep everything...they are yours. The GAC is dated for your stay at GKTW, however, we used ours for the 2 days we were there longer, no cm ever looked at the date, plus we still had Koryn wear her GKTW and MAW button. It was a once in a lifetime opp. for us to be treated that special and Koryn deserved it, so I did it. Sorry if any of you feel differently about that.

I have to admit i'm a lurker reliving my daughters wish trip she had in March by reading everyones PTR & TRs.But to help answer Ambers ? about returning unused park passes, we were undecided on where to go after we checked out at GKTW & we didnt have to be at airport until 5:15.We had 1 day left on our IOA/US passes & our SW passes.After some bickering ,we decided to go to IOA.Needless to say we came home with unused SW passes,but i wasnt aware they had to be returned .

Thanks for reading along and we would love to have you here sharing your knowledge!!

Hey folks -- I just wanted to check in and let folks know that I still haven't sent out this week's MAW Disney postcards. I hope to do it by Saturday/Tuesday...

In the meantime, guess what I get to do tonight!!! I'm working in the GKTW Gingerbread House for Christmas Dinner!! Once a month, the PhotoPass group volunteers to help serve dinner on Thursday night, so maybe I'll get to see some of you when you are down here -- even if it's not at Hollywood Studios!

So anyway - I'm kinda nervous -- they said it's pretty fast-paced...hope I can figure out what I'm supposed to be doing and keep up. I'm looking forward to seeing The Village in person for the first time. I've been a big fan of GKTW for as long as I've lived in FL (7 years), but this is my first visit.

Just wanted to share -- I'll be back with details/stories, I'm sure....can't wait!!

Hope everything is going well for you tonight. I can't wait to hear about how well it went. Could we do birthday postcards????? Both Koryn and Karmyn's bdays are in August. Just wondering.

 

[LeeLee2U]

About the GAC If for some reason they would actually look at the date or if you just would feel better, you can get one at Guest relations at any of the WDW parks. The GAC will cover all the parks no matter where you get it at. We did not go through GKTW as ours is an unaffiliated wish foundation. Any way we got ours at MK the 2nd day we were there (Our actual first full day!) but we didn't hardly have to use it. Most people saw the wish buttons and waved us on thru. Make sure to always, always always have either your wish button or wish shirt or GKTW button on at all times. We gpt quite a few once in a lifetime moments because of our shirts and buttons. We even got an official dream that we got to share with another Wish family!!! It fullfilled the wishchilds dream of that family!!! And made winning the dream for me that much more special to be allowed to share it!

 

[smatterchu]

hope you have fun at GKTW tonight

becca

Hope everything is going well for you tonight. I can't wait to hear about how well it went. Could we do birthday postcards????? Both Koryn and Karmyn's bdays are in August. Just wondering.

Thanks, guys, it was great!! I got to work the hostess station - checking in all of the sweet families. All of the smiles and glowing faces - so neat to see them all enjoying their wish week.....and they were so precious, so appreciative of any gesture or effort...

We had a youth group from Houston that came to volunteer with us tonight -- they rocked the house!! The kids really hustled and were so sweet to the families. We served over 400 meals tonight -we were pretty busy!!

I loved helping, and hopefully I'll get to go each of the 'Disney PhotoPass' nights every month. We work the 2nd Thursday of the month, so that means... Aug 14, Sept 11, Oct 9, Nov 13, Dec 11. Hopefully, I'll get to meet some of you if you come during those weeks.

Thanks for the -- everybody was really great. They have lots of fantastic volunteers and staff -- just a great organization. I'll be back next month!!

 

[bex271]

I'm glad you had such a great time and we're gonna miss you seeing you there in nov, by a week so hopefully we can get to see you @ DHS

becca

 

[laurenmama]

Hey ya'll! Just wanted to let you know I started a PTR....I can't paste
the link for some reason though...can I get some help?!?!?

 

[bigdisgrandma]

Thanks, guys, it was great!! I got to work the hostess station - checking in all of the sweet families. All of the smiles and glowing faces - so neat to see them all enjoying their wish week.....and they were so precious, so appreciative of any gesture or effort...

We had a youth group from Houston that came to volunteer with us tonight -- they rocked the house!! The kids really hustled and were so sweet to the families. We served over 400 meals tonight -we were pretty busy!!

I loved helping, and hopefully I'll get to go each of the 'Disney PhotoPass' nights every month. We work the 2nd Thursday of the month, so that means... Aug 14, Sept 11, Oct 9, Nov 13, Dec 11. Hopefully, I'll get to meet some of you if you come during those weeks.

Thanks for the -- everybody was really great. They have lots of fantastic volunteers and staff -- just a great organization. I'll be back next month!!

I am so excited because we will be at the party on September 11. Although that is a day with some not so pleasant history, this year will be incredible as it will be our first full day in Florida and we might get to see you at GKTW.

Thanks again for all you do for us all. You are truly the best of the best!

Have a marvelous day.
Denise

 

[twinmum]

Tara Laine - We'll also miss seeing you in November, by 2 week. Guess we'll just have to search for you at DHS!

Thanks for all you do for our Wish families!

Alison