Wish Trippers...Unite!! Volume One

[NicoleDisneyFan]

Ok, silly question but was wondering. Is there someone who cleans the room like they would at a hotel? Not that a mess bothers me since my house is always a mess..lol

Also, should I bring towels for swimming or is there some in the room. I think I have seen a list of what is included in the room, I will try GKTW website but always nice to hear what people actually seen in the rooms.Thanks

 

[AmberGreenawalt]

I really should be sleeping right now since I won't be getting much sleep after this baby is born, (which could be any day now). Instead I've been working on my Pre-Trip Report.

I posted our "rough draft" itinerary. I don't expect anyone to actually read the oranizational freakishness that I've created...but I did include lots of fun pictures for anyone who loves pics as much as I do

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1880798

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Nicole: Peopel will come and clean, and there are towels available.

 

[special-angel]

Ok, silly question but was wondering. Is there someone who cleans the room like they would at a hotel? Not that a mess bothers me since my house is always a mess..lol

Also, should I bring towels for swimming or is there some in the room. I think I have seen a list of what is included in the room, I will try GKTW website but always nice to hear what people actually seen in the rooms.Thanks

There is no maid service at GKTW .They clean & wash dirty linens after you check out.Your responsible for the cleanliness of your own villa.We weren't there that much to get it dirty anyway & there was 6 of us !I didn't even make the beds.I made sure the bedroom doors were shut before we left for the day so the volunteers that dropped off the kids surprises didnt see we were living like slobs for the week ! Heck , we were on VACATION !You need to take out your own trash & wash your towels that are supplied.You can get xtra supplies like towels,laundry det,soap,t.p.,trash bags ,etc,at the House of Hearts.I did the laundry in the AM while we were getting ready to go to the parks .Kill 2 birds with 1 stone !

 

[HeatherN]

Hi all, Ok I need some help. Now that our trip is getting so close I am starting to panic a bit. I am trying to come up with a tenative plan on which days we will be doing what parks. I am so torn because of the three day passes to the disney parks.We will have to do two of the park in one day...in fact we were kind of wishing we could do all 4 parks, one each day and skip Universal and IOA but that is not the way it works.I am sure that Universal and IOA are great but our kids are not into the comic book stuff and big rides.I actually toyed with buying a one day pass for us for the disney parks but it sounds way expensive.

Anyway....my questions are
1.- The fireworks, are they only at Magic Kingdom and are they every night?? We have to make sure we see these.
2-Epcot- I noticed that they listed hours as : Future World 9am-7pm and Worl Showcase 11:00am -9 pm.Does this mean that only part of the park is open at 9 and they open the another part later?? I am a little confused.
3- The extra magic hours are for resort guests I think. Should we try to avoid the park on that day due to bigger crowds???

Thanks for listening to me ramble!

 

[GoofyDoo]

Hi all, Ok I need some help. Now that our trip is getting so close I am starting to panic a bit. I am trying to come up with a tenative plan on which days we will be doing what parks. I am so torn because of the three day passes to the disney parks.We will have to do two of the park in one day...in fact we were kind of wishing we could do all 4 parks, one each day and skip Universal and IOA but that is not the way it works.I am sure that Universal and IOA are great but our kids are not into the comic book stuff and big rides.I actually toyed with buying a one day pass for us for the disney parks but it sounds way expensive.

Anyway....my questions are
1.- The fireworks, are they only at Magic Kingdom and are they every night?? We have to make sure we see these.
2-Epcot- I noticed that they listed hours as : Future World 9am-7pm and Worl Showcase 11:00am -9 pm.Does this mean that only part of the park is open at 9 and they open the another part later?? I am a little confused.
3- The extra magic hours are for resort guests I think. Should we try to avoid the park on that day due to bigger crowds???

Thanks for listening to me ramble!

Heather, I'm panicking, too!! But I might can answer at least a couple of questions, just based on what I've heard and read:

1. Here is a link that will lead you to park hours, EMH, and fireworks/parade schedule for each park: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/themeparks.htm#themeparks-nav. I think every park except AK has fireworks, at least at the time of year you and I will be traveling. I think EPCOT's fireworks are a huge show, but less geared toward the kids. We are wanting to see the shows at MK and DHS because they ARE very kid-friendly, from what I've heard. We also want to see the day and night parade at MK...hope we can make it until that late at night.

2. EPCOT's hours do seem weird to me as well, and I can only assume that it is divided into two parts, as you suggested. Maybe someone else will comment.

3. I've heard it's best to avoid EMH if you are not using them yourself. I have scheduled our stuff to avoid them.

For what it's worth, we have decided to do this:
DAY 1--MK, all day (see day parade, "Dreams Come True", and night parade, "Spectromagic", then watch MK fireworks, "Wishes")
DAY 2--AK until around 2pm, then DHS, finishing with Fantasmic (DHS's fireworks show)
DAY 3--EPCOT for as long as it takes to ride the rides we want to do, then go through the World Showcase, then if we can possibly manage it, go back to MK. This will be our last night there, so I hope we have a second wind by then!!

Hope this helps a little.
~Amy

 

[AmberGreenawalt]

Hi all, Ok I need some help. Now that our trip is getting so close I am starting to panic a bit. I am trying to come up with a tenative plan on which days we will be doing what parks. I am so torn because of the three day passes to the disney parks.We will have to do two of the park in one day...in fact we were kind of wishing we could do all 4 parks, one each day and skip Universal and IOA but that is not the way it works.I am sure that Universal and IOA are great but our kids are not into the comic book stuff and big rides.I actually toyed with buying a one day pass for us for the disney parks but it sounds way expensive.

Anyway....my questions are
1.- The fireworks, are they only at Magic Kingdom and are they every night?? We have to make sure we see these.
2-Epcot- I noticed that they listed hours as : Future World 9am-7pm and Worl Showcase 11:00am -9 pm.Does this mean that only part of the park is open at 9 and they open the another part later?? I am a little confused.
3- The extra magic hours are for resort guests I think. Should we try to avoid the park on that day due to bigger crowds???

Thanks for listening to me ramble!

Hi Heather,

The folks who wrote The Unoffical Guide to Walt Disney World have a website called Touring Plans. They have a very good "crowd calendar" that reccomends which park/s to visit on each day of the year and which park/s to avoid. http://www.touringplans.com/tp2/UG2_index.php?PageID=14

You might want to try doing one morning each at Epcot, Disney Studios and Animal Kingdom and then breaking up the magic kingdom over three afternoon/evenings. You can focus on one-two lands at a time and then a parade/show. I find Magic Kingdom to be the most overwhelming park with so much to see and do. Breaking it up means less walking and backtracking.

The schedule for the Wishes Fireworks displey is posted on the calenadr on the Walt DinseY World website. My humble advice is to see Spectromagic Parade and then head for the exits. You'll still be able to see the fireworks from far away. We vowed that we will never again try to leave with the mass exodus after the Wishes fireworks display. If you do this in July-August I would plan on it taking you two hours to get back to Give Kids the World. Not trying to scare you...just our experience. I personally didn't find the fifteen minute show worth that headache.

Futureworld does open before World Showcase. Honestly that's where the thrill rides you would want to ride early in the day are open anyway.

And you definetly want to avoid visiting whatever park has EMH if you won't be using them. You'll find that's what the "experts" at touring plans say too

Hope this helped

 

[GoofyDoo]

Oh, and Heather, you might find that one day at Universal is enough, but we are super-excited about going there...especially Islands of Adventure. It's supposed to be really kid-friendly!! I don't think it's just comic-book stuff at all (although some of it is). We are really excited about getting to see it for free b/c I know that when we go back to Orlando someday, we'll probably just be willing to pay for Disney. US and IOA (Islands of Adventure) both have excellent photo ops, too, I know. I am very excited about that as well b/c I love pics! And we get one free per either character greet or photo op. I want to take advantage of that!! There's not a TON we want to do at US, but there are a few things that are must-dos, one being the Jimmy Neutron thingy (where SpongeBob is). And we want to do Shrek and ET, too. Have you looked on their website? It's really informative. And I bought a guide to US off of Amazon.com a while back. I also bought the Complete Guide for Disney. (I'm a book junkie.)

Anyway, we'll spend most of our US time at IOA because it's the most kid-friendly.

 

[oklamomof4boys]

I think I read this somewhere on this thread but now I can't find it- and I don't have time to read ALL the posts-lol! MAW called a little while ago and let me help book our flights. We are going to get to Orlando at 3:00pm. Can we go to orientation that day or do we have to wait for the next morning? My kids are all early risers and are all used to being at DL before the gates open.

 

[Ppufi]

Also, if you are relaxing at the villa, see if the pony rides at Clayton's Corral are going on. Your kids can ride a horse, and there are spotters for safety. After you ride you get a cowboy hat! It's fun.

 

[AmberGreenawalt]

Heather, I just wanted to let you know I edited my post to include the touring plans link for you.

 

[SallyfromDE]

I always avoid the parks on a EMH day. I avoid MK on Sat and Mon. Actually here, I follow this from Intercot.com

What days are historically the busiest at the Parks?
Walt Disney World parks tend to be the busiest on the following days:

Magic Kingdom: Monday, Saturday & Sunday
Epcot: Wednesday & Friday
Disney-MGM Studios: Tuesday, Wednesday & Saturday
Animal Kingdom: Monday, Tuesday & Friday

We don't usually make it to the fireworks, but DO NOT miss Fantasmic at the Studios. If you want to do 2 parks on the same day, one of my favorite things to do is take the boat ride from Epcot to the Studios or VS.

At Epcot, the front of the park is open to the 7pm, except for the most popular rides, like Soarin' and Test Track. The countrys are open to 9 when they have Illuminations.

Does that help?

 

[special-angel]

I think I read this somewhere on this thread but now I can't find it- and I don't have time to read ALL the posts-lol! MAW called a little while ago and let me help book our flights. We are going to get to Orlando at 3:00pm. Can we go to orientation that day or do we have to wait for the next morning? My kids are all early risers and are all used to being at DL before the gates open.

Your orientation would be at 7:45 the night you arrive

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

heather:

The fireworks at MK and Epcot are very single night. DHS has a firework/stunt show called Fantasmic that is a bit more varied. On less crowded times they have it a few times a week, when it is crowded it goes twice a night, so look at the schedule. Fantasmic is awesome and is a must see, it has pretty much every Disney character ever in it, so the kids go nuts for it.

1.) The other great entertainment is the parades. I used to perform in them, and they are awesome (if I do say so myself.) MK has the Disney Dreams Come True parade every day at 3 pm. Spectromagic goes anywhere from a couple of times a week to twice a night depending on the season. That is a nighttime parade in which all the characters light up. At DHS there is the new Pixar Block Party Bash, it is all Pixar characters and very interactive. It is great, they really get the kids involved with it. At DAK they have Mickey's Jammin Jungle parade which has large puppets, floats like animals, stilktwalkers, live percussionists. It's amazing. Jammin' Jungle and BPB are at varied times so check the times guide. Remember that for parades you need to get seated about 30 mins to an hour early to get a good view.

2.) Epcot does have some strange hours. Future World opens and closes before World Schowcase. This is because World Showcase is primarily a shoppnig and dining area, there are very few actual attractions, so it atracts a later crowd. IllumiNations is shot off from the World Showcase lagoon, and peopel start seating for that about an hour ahead of time, so there's not enough traffic in Future World to justify keeping it open. The hours will be on a times guide as well as signs around the park.

3.) Yes, the parks are more crowded on EMH nights.

If planning a schedule, look at the entertainment options your kids are interested in. If Fantasmic and Spectro are not running every night, you may want to schedule around them. The same is true of GKTW events.

 

[Robin+5]

HeatherN and GoofyDoo, the surprises you have been getting from the Disboutiquers is just amazing It is so cool that a total bunch of strangers would do something like that for you. My faith in people is being restored. There are still kind and thoughful angels still left in the world . I am soooo excited for you both. Your trips are coming up so fast. You are going to have a blast. I can't wait to hear about them.

We went to WDW in June 07 (before Nathan got sick) and had a blast . We stayed at Pop Century and did the EMH and got on and off rides quickly. It worked out good for us.


This is just my opinion, I am no expert so here it goes...

The must sees are: MK parade at 3pm, Disney Dreams Come True; the MK fireworks and Spectomagic parade. At AK the Mickey's Jammin Jungle parade was really cool . The stilt walkers were awesome. My oldest daughter thought it was creative and very different from any of the other parades. My kids were not that impressed with the Epcot Illuminations show. We would not go see it again.

We did not see the Fantasmic show. Is it a firework display? Is it a sit down show? Do you need reservations?

We made ADR on our 07 trip. We ate at Liberty Tavern in MK (good food and characters were great), Biergarten in Epcot (I am an Air Force Brat ha ha, and I lived in Germany for 3 years and the food and atmosphere in the Beirgarten was just like I remembered, flashback from the past), Tony's in Mk was good. We also got last minute reservations at Wilderness Lodge for the Hoop Dee Doo Revue show. What a great show and the food was fantastic. Very expensive though. We had the dinning plan and it worked out great.

Last year we barely went to the World Showcase in Epcot. My kids are older and we will spend time this year going through the countries. We will get Nathan a wheelchair so he can relax and enjoy the view.

We have no intrest in going to US/IOA on this trip so we will buy an extra day for MK. We have an extra day so we might go to a water park or check out Disney Quest. Has anyone been to Disney Quest? It looks really cool.

I have to tell you about something that I did as a surprise for my kids (even the teenagers ). I am patting myself on the back here I made them each activity folders for the airport and the plane ride. I bought pocket folders with 3 prongs (8 for $1). I will decorate the front with their names and favorite characters and the MAW logo. There is coloring pages of their favorite Disney characters and movies. There is Disney trivia questions, crossword puzzles, word search and travel activities, I even found an airport activity to help the time pass waiting to board the plane. Inside the folder is also journal pages for them to keep track of the days and the activities. This really really help Nathan and help him to retain the new memories that he will create. My oldest keeps asking me what I am doing and if she can see. I told her she will have to wait like everyone else.
Robin

 

[bigdisgrandma]

Robin,
Well said. This is the best thing that has happened to us in a long time as well. My husband asks me everyday what's happening with the Wish Trippers. There truly are angels among us!

I love your idea of the activity folders for the trip. We have such a long plane trip from Salt Lake that I am thinking that even for the "adults" in our group, something like that would be wonderful. Where did you get your pages? I think I remember someone else or maybe it was you (a little Part time alzheimers) posting something like this with links. Could someone help a grandma and post the info for me?

To my dear friends Heather and Amy, I am so excited for your trips. Your families will have so much fun and your kids will be so gorgeous/handsome in all their wonderful new clothes. Think of me when you are on Splash Mountain

All of you, Have a wonderful day!

Denise

 

[Robin+5]

Denise,

I have to take Nathan to therapy now but later today I will post the web sites where I found all the info. I even printed off "fact sheets" all about their favorite characters. I have been following your TR and think your grandchildren are just beautiful. I will pray for you granddaughter Karlyn. I am watching to see what the fairy godmothers sent to Karlyn and her family. It is just an overwhelming feeling of gratitude that we have. It is hard to explain and put into words.

Robin

 

[GoofyDoo]

HeatherN and GoofyDoo, the surprises you have been getting from the Disboutiquers is just amazing It is so cool that a total bunch of strangers would do something like that for you. My faith in people is being restored. There are still kind and thoughful angels still left in the world . I am soooo excited for you both. Your trips are coming up so fast. You are going to have a blast. I can't wait to hear about them.

We did not see the Fantasmic show. Is it a firework display? Is it a sit down show? Do you need reservations?

We made ADR on our 07 trip. We ate at Liberty Tavern in MK (good food and characters were great), Biergarten in Epcot (I am an Air Force Brat ha ha, and I lived in Germany for 3 years and the food and atmosphere in the Beirgarten was just like I remembered, flashback from the past), Tony's in Mk was good. We also got last minute reservations at Wilderness Lodge for the Hoop Dee Doo Revue show. What a great show and the food was fantastic. Very expensive though. We had the dinning plan and it worked out great.

Fantasmic is the fireworks show at DHS. It's supposed to be awesome!! You just need to get their early, I've heard, to get a good seat (no ressies necessary). I am really second-guessing whether I should have made ADR's. All this time I've been thinking we'll be in such a time crunch, but I hope I haven't made a mistake. I've heard we'll get to mingle a little with characters at GKTW, too, so hopefully that'll be enough in addition to the character greets in the parks. We may go by the Wish Lounge while at MK to see if they can get us in at the castle on the day of--we'll see what we feel like. Robin, can you tell me a little more about Tony's? That sounds fun--we love Lady and the Tramp!!

To my dear friends Heather and Amy, I am so excited for your trips. Your families will have so much fun and your kids will be so gorgeous/handsome in all their wonderful new clothes. Think of me when you are on Splash Mountain

All of you, Have a wonderful day!

Denise

Thank you, Denise!! We're all super-excited!! Clay asks me every day, "Mama, don't we need to get ready for Disney World???". I suppose he's right, but I haven't started packing yet. I'm going to work on laundry today so at least we'll have something to pack. This morning I've been gathering pics of our BigGive outfits to email to my MIL and SIL. They want to see!! One thing I wish I could do is ride Splash Mountain with you!! And I'll be thinking of your MIL on BTMR!!!

 

[HeatherN]

Thanks for the great advice everyone. I feel a lot less panicked now. I have to say how much I am loving this group. It is amazing how having something like this can bond people you have never even met in person.We all just "get it". Even though I may not always comment about everything please know all of your families are in my thoughts and prayers every day.

 

[AmberGreenawalt]

Thanks for the great advice everyone. I feel a lot less panicked now. I have to say how much I am loving this group. It is amazing how having something like this can bond people you have never even met in person.We all just "get it". Even though I may not always comment about everything please know all of your families are in my thoughts and prayers every day.

I was just telling my husband yestersay how absoluetly awesome it is to have found this "Wish Trippers" group! The feeling of mutual understanding, support and excitiment for the special experiences awaiting everyone is truely magical! I am forever grateful