Make a Wish (and other organizations) - Wish Trippers UNITE! Volume SIX!

[mamaVonna]

I'm so excited, my boy has been granted a wish trip to disneyworld by starlight! (We're from the uk) we haven't picked our dates yet but due to exams and tests for both his sisters we are looking at oct - jan 2017. I can't decide whether he'd enjoy Halloween or Christmas more!
We are extremely lucky to be staying at gktw. A few people have asked if I'm planning on extending the trip at my expense, it wasn't something I initially considered but the more I think about it, the more I worry we won't manage to see everything he would want to see! None of us are big thrill riders, more sensory stuff, parades, shows and characters etc. We are avoiding the school holidays and hopefully the busiest times (if we go in dec it won't actually be over christmas itself! ) There is me, my husband, our son (wish kid) who is a full time wc user, our daughters who will be 16 and 10, and our baby who will be 2 by then. It's very unlikely we will get to come back sadly, so I'd like it to be everything to them! I've seen people on here say three days is plenty, is that true? We've done disneyland paris before which I know is much smaller and three days was enough - just! I don't mind paying to stay on an extra 2-3 days, just want to know if it's worth the hassle of sorting out transport, another hotel, extra disney tickets etc? Plus I feel incredibly rude asking the charity if they would mind, even though I know it shouldn't cost them any more!
He will enjoy universal too I think, like many boys (and girls <<superhero loving mum ) he loves marvel and his sisters adore harry potter! I'm not sure about sea world though, he does like watching fish but I have to admit I'm a bit uncomfortable about it. I'm tempted to use that day as a gktw rest and exploration day? Will I regret it?
Grateful for any help and suggestions!

Hello!
I say go for it and plan to extend! First check with your chapter to be sure it's ok. Although it'll be at your expense, some organizations don't actually allow it. We went on my oldest daughter's trip last December (9-15). I really wish I had chosen to extend. It's such an incredible experience, you won't want it to end. This time around for my youngest daughter we do plan to extend a few days. We've booked a 2 bedroom deluxe suite at The Fountains resort. We'll have to pay (a discounted rate) to keep our rental car. Rather than visiting the Disney parks again, we're going to drive to Legoland one day (free tix from GKTW), Ripley's Believe it or Not museum (free using the parks Passport you'll get when you leave GKTW!), and one day at Disney Springs where we'll go bowling, shopping, get a family picture taken, and try a couple unique restaurants and treats.
To cut costs, you could return the rental and just use an Uber (download the app when you arrive), they have wheelchair accessible vans!! and consider booking a hotel offsite. Disney property is sooooo expensive and not very spacious for a large family (we're a family of 6 plus we'll have a cna with us). Have fun planning!!

 

[honeyb35]

Hello!
I say go for it and plan to extend! First check with your chapter to be sure it's ok. Although it'll be at your expense, some organizations don't actually allow it. We went on my oldest daughter's trip last December (9-15). I really wish I had chosen to extend. It's such an incredible experience, you won't want it to end. This time around for my youngest daughter we do plan to extend a few days. We've booked a 2 bedroom deluxe suite at The Fountains resort. We'll have to pay (a discounted rate) to keep our rental car. Rather than visiting the Disney parks again, we're going to drive to Legoland one day (free tix from GKTW), Ripley's Believe it or Not museum (free using the parks Passport you'll get when you leave GKTW!), and one day at Disney Springs where we'll go bowling, shopping, get a family picture taken, and try a couple unique restaurants and treats.
To cut costs, you could return the rental and just use an Uber (download the app when you arrive), they have wheelchair accessible vans!! and consider booking a hotel offsite. Disney property is sooooo expensive and not very spacious for a large family (we're a family of 6 plus we'll have a cna with us). Have fun planning!!

Hi, thanks for the reply!
We've been given permission by our wish granters to extend our trip but they are looking at a week, we only wanted an extra three days!

Minimum stay at a Disney hotel is 5 days so we will have to look elsewhere.

In my mind, the plan is to use the three Disney tickets whilst we are at gktw, buy party tickets for one night whilst we are there and spend that day as a rest day :m/ gktw. The other day as another rest day or buy a one day Disney ticket at the gate depending on how we feel. If we do this, do they offer discounted carer tickets like Disneyland Paris does? Is the genie pass tied to the gktw tickets or would we be still be able to use it that day? If not my son would qualify for a das pass.

Then booking somewhere like cabana bay for a few nights and using the universal and possibly the seaworld tickets then.

Can anyone see any flaws in this plan? I want to get the dates sent back to our wish granters

 

[ashtonrg]

Hi!
Some wish granters or organizations want the child to be able to tell them, some will simply ask the parent(s) what they feel would be the child's one true wish. Both my girls are non-verbal. For our first meeting with the wish granters, I made picture cards to help my oldest "tell" them what she liked. I put velcro stickers on the backs and stuck them to a felt covered board. I had pictures of her favorite princesses, rides, and Christmas decorations (we went a couple weeks before Christmas so she could see all the decorations and attend the Christmas party).
I also ordered a planning dvd from Disney and had that playing when they arrived-my daughter was so excited watching it for the first time!
We met with them in June and I gave them the dates we wanted (they asked for 3 dates). 3 weeks later we were approved and booked at the resort for our first choice of dates. Unless it's a rush wish, most people wait anywhere from 2-6 months or even longer depending on their child's health, travel restrictions, etc.
For my youngest daughter, we actually (finally) got a call just yesterday from the volunteer that is granting her wish. He asked me over the phone what I think her wish would be. I told him Disney and he said ok, cool. Happy planning!

He's a very hard child to understand We took him to select a movie from the store & ask which one he wanted and he pointed at every movie on the shelf. Then at Christmas time when he's opening gifts he seems to be thrilled about every gift.

He cannot draw And if I tried the picture idea he would just point to them all and be fine with it.

I do know he seems happy when in the store or at a pet shop to go by the fish aquarium, he bobs his head around when Minions, Disney Cars or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse comes on. When at home the 3 things you'll catch him doing most is rolling his cars on the floor, playing Legos, or watching kids play on YouTube kids. He enjoys being in water as long as it's warm water as well.

 

[mamaVonna]

Hi, thanks for the reply!
We've been given permission by our wish granters to extend our trip but they are looking at a week, we only wanted an extra three days!

Minimum stay at a Disney hotel is 5 days so we will have to look elsewhere.

In my mind, the plan is to use the three Disney tickets whilst we are at gktw, buy party tickets for one night whilst we are there and spend that day as a rest day :m/ gktw. The other day as another rest day or buy a one day Disney ticket at the gate depending on how we feel. If we do this, do they offer discounted carer tickets like Disneyland Paris does? Is the genie pass tied to the gktw tickets or would we be still be able to use it that day? If not my son would qualify for a das pass.

Then booking somewhere like cabana bay for a few nights and using the universal and possibly the seaworld tickets then.

Can anyone see any flaws in this plan? I want to get the dates sent back to our wish granters

Unfortunately there's no discount at the gate, but you may find some deals. The Walmart near gktw sells 1-day tix at a slight discount.
I've read a few posts lately of people telling gktw they were extending their trip and got the passes marked to expire on the later date. I've also recently been told that guest services at MK extended their pass when they explained extending their child's wish trip. I'm still deciding if we're going to purchase park tickets for our extension, but if so, I hope we can use the genie pass. If not, the das will be the useful as well.

 

[mamaVonna]

Hi, thanks for the reply!
We've been given permission by our wish granters to extend our trip but they are looking at a week, we only wanted an extra three days!

Minimum stay at a Disney hotel is 5 days so we will have to look elsewhere.

In my mind, the plan is to use the three Disney tickets whilst we are at gktw, buy party tickets for one night whilst we are there and spend that day as a rest day :m/ gktw. The other day as another rest day or buy a one day Disney ticket at the gate depending on how we feel. If we do this, do they offer discounted carer tickets like Disneyland Paris does? Is the genie pass tied to the gktw tickets or would we be still be able to use it that day? If not my son would qualify for a das pass.

Then booking somewhere like cabana bay for a few nights and using the universal and possibly the seaworld tickets then.

Can anyone see any flaws in this plan? I want to get the dates sent back to our wish granters

I don't remember the details, but some of your park tickets expire at the end of the wish trip. Last I checked I believe the Universal tickets had to be used during the first week. Sea World is good for a month. Not sure about the Disney tix. You can request (free & discounted) tickets to many other local attractions from gktw. Ripley's, Kennedy Space Center, Legoland, Gatorland, etc. You could easily fill your days for almost nothing.

 

[KatieBluebird]

mamaVonna Thank you for the TSA tip. I haven't even begun to think about airport stuff yet, I've been so excited thinking about Disney lol. I tried to join the facebook group awhile back, but don't know what happened. And no I haven't really planned to go to any of the parade/parties type events. My son doesn't do well sitting still in large crowds, he rather be moving and on the go. He's g-tube fed and doesn't like restaurants so no dining reservations. Our trip will be just going on rides for the most part lol.

 

[Kim Sid]

We received the medical approval letter over two weeks ago fromy MAW. I was just curious- and I know all chapters are different, but whenot did you hear from them about coming to meet your child and actually pick the wish, etc? I am hoping we can still go sometime before January because my wish child has been in the hospital every winter Jan, Feb and March and April and does not tolerate the heat well. We were in Florida first week of June and it was so hot and humid. I just want to be able to go when he can enjoy himself the most. Maybe it will be too late for a November or December date?

 

[ashtonrg]

We received the medical approval letter over two weeks ago fromy MAW. I was just curious- and I know all chapters are different, but whenot did you hear from them about coming to meet your child and actually pick the wish, etc? I am hoping we can still go sometime before January because my wish child has been in the hospital every winter Jan, Feb and March and April and does not tolerate the heat well. We were in Florida first week of June and it was so hot and humid. I just want to be able to go when he can enjoy himself the most. Maybe it will be too late for a November or December date?

We got the call about our online application on the 13th of this month. They said they were sending over the papers to the physician & would contact us either way once they heard back. We got a call same day about 5 hrs later that they received his qualification. I received an email 2 days ago that they assigned the volunteers and sent them their package etc, we also have something on its way in the mail she said. And we should get a call end of week to setup meeting.

 

[lilysgigi]

I am hoping to reach out to anyone who might have some info or suggestions for me for a somewhat unique situation.. I am planning to do our own "make a wish trip" for my special needs young adult son. I am sadly aware that "adults" are not eligible for make a wish or most of the other wish granting agencies. I am not asking for the financial side of a "wish" and we already have RSVP and flights booked..with our fingers crossed that my son stays well enough to travel. What I would love to be able to arrange is the extras that come with a wish..attention, possible shorter waits for special characters, possible access to a medical wish lounge and such. I am doing this trip mostly on my own, with my adult daughter coming for a few nights at the beginning. My Timmy is the sweetest, most pure Disney Fan there ever was. The last three years have been very hard on him, leaving him now mostly in his wheelchair, intestinal failure so he receives all his nutrition through a central line, and recently we received a very serious and rare additional diagnosis to add to all his others where he may need stem s
Cells of BMT if he relapses.. He has spent many weeks in the hospital this past year but keeps fighting on and is able to make some special trips. His mental level and his appearance is of a young teenager..but he just turned 29. Does anyone have anything to share with me? Thank you so much

 

[redberyl]

If he is visibly disabled, you might get a lot of the extra attention anyway. We went twice, first with maw then on our own. My daughters condition is obvious, and we were given lots of "pixie dust" on our second trip.As for shorter waits,only kids through certain wish organizations get front of the line passes. there are simply far too many people going to Disney with severe medical needs to give it out to anyone else. Your son may qualify for a das pass, have you looked into that yet? it is a decent system, not as good as that genie pass, obviously, but overall it works pretty well. Our biggest hurdle with it was for characters, since many of the ones she wanted didn't have fast-paced and were outdoors, we missed several she wanted to see. The lounge I believe is only available for kids on official wish trips, but anyone can rest at first aid.

 

[JesseD]

Hi, thanks for the reply!
We've been given permission by our wish granters to extend our trip but they are looking at a week, we only wanted an extra three days!

Minimum stay at a Disney hotel is 5 days so we will have to look elsewhere.

In my mind, the plan is to use the three Disney tickets whilst we are at gktw, buy party tickets for one night whilst we are there and spend that day as a rest day :m/ gktw. The other day as another rest day or buy a one day Disney ticket at the gate depending on how we feel. If we do this, do they offer discounted carer tickets like Disneyland Paris does? Is the genie pass tied to the gktw tickets or would we be still be able to use it that day? If not my son would qualify for a das pass.

Then booking somewhere like cabana bay for a few nights and using the universal and possibly the seaworld tickets then.

Can anyone see any flaws in this plan? I want to get the dates sent back to our wish granters

We are going to Orlando in about 6 weeks (late September). The local Make-A-Wish has informed us that it is not possible to extend due to liability. Did you go through MAW or a different organization?

I was kind of dumbfounded by their answer - as far as I know, they have no liability for the trip.

 

[honeyb35]

We are gong through starlight, we are from the uk and make a wish here doesn't do trips to Florida any more, it's Disneyland Paris, which is great, but we've been, and there isn't that much accessible for wc users - not an issue when he was younger but he's 12 now and getting heavier to transfer. The more shows, parades and fireworks etc at Florida will make the trip for my son!

 

[Gorechick]

NM, got answer.

 

[Laura Cioe]

Hi Everyone! I'm not exactly sure if I'm posting in the right spot so please forgive me if I'm not!
My son, Nicholas- 12yo, was referred for a wish trip and approved about 2 weeks ago!!! We met with the wish granters last night and they are looking at booking our trip within the next 3 months, likely November. We have 2 other children, Adam-14 and Claudia-9. We will be staying at GKTW and I'm sure this is all pretty standard but we will be getting a rental car along with the typical park tickets. I have SO many questions!!! Hopefully, it's ok to throw them all out here... if anyone can help I would be ever so grateful!
While Nicholas has a lot of things going on, the major issues for this trip will be his difficulty controlling his body temperature along with low energy levels. He will be in a w/c to get around the parks and then he'll be able to get out for each ride. What is the best way to get into the parks since we'll be driving in from GKTW? We do have a handicap tag.
I've read through some posts and it sounds like some families choose to extend their stay. We are so on the fence about it. Nicholas fatigues easily and it takes awhile for him to get back to baseline, I'm afraid that after the initial 7 days he may not have much more in him to stay longer. How have you all handled this?
I'm also wondering how you plan your days? GKTW sounds amazing and I know we'll want to spend time there and hit all the parks... we've never been to Disney! There's so much do and see! Does anyone have an itinerary they can share?
Lastly, Nicholas was on the fence about a trip to Discovery Cove, he really wants to swim with the dolphins, but ultimately chose Disney. How is the dolphin encounter at Sea World? Does it compare at all? If not, maybe we can extend our trip by 2 days and do Discovery Cove and either the Halloween or Christmas parade... would that work?

As you can see, I'm all over the place! LOL!

Thanks again- Laura

 

[Pridemom]

Hi Everyone! I'm not exactly sure if I'm posting in the right spot so please forgive me if I'm not!
My son, Nicholas- 12yo, was referred for a wish trip and approved about 2 weeks ago!!! We met with the wish granters last night and they are looking at booking our trip within the next 3 months, likely November. We have 2 other children, Adam-14 and Claudia-9. We will be staying at GKTW and I'm sure this is all pretty standard but we will be getting a rental car along with the typical park tickets. I have SO many questions!!! Hopefully, it's ok to throw them all out here... if anyone can help I would be ever so grateful!
While Nicholas has a lot of things going on, the major issues for this trip will be his difficulty controlling his body temperature along with low energy levels. He will be in a w/c to get around the parks and then he'll be able to get out for each ride. What is the best way to get into the parks since we'll be driving in from GKTW? We do have a handicap tag.
I've read through some posts and it sounds like some families choose to extend their stay. We are so on the fence about it. Nicholas fatigues easily and it takes awhile for him to get back to baseline, I'm afraid that after the initial 7 days he may not have much more in him to stay longer. How have you all handled this?
I'm also wondering how you plan your days? GKTW sounds amazing and I know we'll want to spend time there and hit all the parks... we've never been to Disney! There's so much do and see! Does anyone have an itinerary they can share?
Lastly, Nicholas was on the fence about a trip to Discovery Cove, he really wants to swim with the dolphins, but ultimately chose Disney. How is the dolphin encounter at Sea World? Does it compare at all? If not, maybe we can extend our trip by 2 days and do Discovery Cove and either the Halloween or Christmas parade... would that work?

As you can see, I'm all over the place! LOL!

Thanks again- Laura

You will receive instructions after you arrive at GKTW on parking at the parks. They will give you a book they've made with driving directions they've tested to be quick and easy. We had to take some time off from parks to recover. While my daughter who was given the trip was fine in her energy levels each day, we were worn out from walking and pushing a wheelchair. We had two park days, then took a beach day to take it easy, then went back to the parks. I took day 6 off and let hubby take the kids to Universal for their second day because I needed a down day. I stayed back, did laundry for packing, and enjoyed the peace. My daughter was done with the parks most days by 6 our 7 and she's 16. It was a lot for her as her disease was flaring. We would go back to GKTW, eat, and then the kids would be refreshed for an evening activity (ice cream was always part of this).

I have said the biggest gift of our trip was not feeling like we had to be at the parks open to close in order to get our money's worth. We were able to enjoy the time in the parks, but also really enjoyed GKTW.

I can't answer about Dolphins. We didn't do Sea World or Discovery Cove.

 

[KatieBluebird]

To those of you who've had send off parties, where did you have them? Restaurants, your homes, other venues? I'm not sure where to have my sons party. The city I live in has a lot of restaurants, but none with separate party rooms. My son is non verbal but kinda yells a lot so he can be kind of loud. So I don't want to be somewhere that will disrupt other peoples meals.

 

[JesseD]

Hi Everyone! I'm not exactly sure if I'm posting in the right spot so please forgive me if I'm not!
My son, Nicholas- 12yo, was referred for a wish trip and approved about 2 weeks ago!!! We met with the wish granters last night and they are looking at booking our trip within the next 3 months, likely November. We have 2 other children, Adam-14 and Claudia-9. We will be staying at GKTW and I'm sure this is all pretty standard but we will be getting a rental car along with the typical park tickets. I have SO many questions!!! Hopefully, it's ok to throw them all out here... if anyone can help I would be ever so grateful!
While Nicholas has a lot of things going on, the major issues for this trip will be his difficulty controlling his body temperature along with low energy levels. He will be in a w/c to get around the parks and then he'll be able to get out for each ride. What is the best way to get into the parks since we'll be driving in from GKTW? We do have a handicap tag.
I've read through some posts and it sounds like some families choose to extend their stay. We are so on the fence about it. Nicholas fatigues easily and it takes awhile for him to get back to baseline, I'm afraid that after the initial 7 days he may not have much more in him to stay longer. How have you all handled this?
I'm also wondering how you plan your days? GKTW sounds amazing and I know we'll want to spend time there and hit all the parks... we've never been to Disney! There's so much do and see! Does anyone have an itinerary they can share?
Lastly, Nicholas was on the fence about a trip to Discovery Cove, he really wants to swim with the dolphins, but ultimately chose Disney. How is the dolphin encounter at Sea World? Does it compare at all? If not, maybe we can extend our trip by 2 days and do Discovery Cove and either the Halloween or Christmas parade... would that work?

As you can see, I'm all over the place! LOL!

Thanks again- Laura

We just returned from GKTW on Monday - great trip. While it was brutally hot last week (90s), November is typically very nice.

• Getting into the parks: you get free parking either with your GKTW button or with the compassion ticket. Since you have a disability sticker - you will have no issues with the distances into the park.
• You also can get free W/C rentals. If you need the rental, most parks have complimentary w/c in the parking lot that can be used to get to the rental location.
• I think Frozen was the only ride we did that required her to transfer. There are probably others, but she was more interested in character photos.
• BTW, at Disney Parks, find the CM wearing a blue shirt at the Character Shoots. They will treat you like a VIP when you show the Genie pass (which was a godsend for some of the lines).
• Also, Uber is very easy. We used that since my son is autistic and could only do 1-2 hours in a park before having meltdowns. So I would typically take him back to GKTW while my wife stayed with our daughter (I left her the rental car).

Extending your stay - no clue. Our local Make-A-Wish said absolutely not (liability reasons).

Our itinerary - here is a trip report I posted on a different board...


We had planned on going to Disney on Day 1 (to the Halloween party) - unfortunately, my son's right ear would not clear after the flight so I had to take him to a clinic instead. Turns out he had an ear infection (I had taken him to his primary dr the day before and he was cleared grrrr.

Day 2, we started at Universal Studios. After an hour, my son had a meltdown (12 years old but is highly functional autistic). Turns out he did not like Universal - the whole atmosphere had him in tears (that and the HEAT). I went ahead and took him back to the GKTW and we spent the day in the arcade and pool. My daughter and wife spent the rest of the day doing everything Harry Potter related. They loved it.

Day 3, we went to Magic Kingdom in the AM and then Epcot for lunch. We started at Magic Kingdom (Wishes Lounge) with a character meet with Belle (45 minutes). After that, we wondered around and she took every picture she could with characters. She is 16 going on 17, but she still loves meeting the characters. After Lunch, my son was fried so I took him back to the Villa and wife/daughter went back to Magic Kingdom - they had dinner at Cinderella Royal Table. We might have gone overboard with the gifts - tiara, wand, and glass slipper (~$400) but her smile was worth the expense.

Day 4, my daughter developed severe ankle pains and her feet were swollen 2x normal (could not walk). So my wfie and son went to Seaworld while we stayed at the villa with ice/pool to try and get her ankle/feet under control. Unfortunately, due to her platelet count, she cannot take NSAIDs without the express approval of her Doctor. Tylenol just does not reduce swelling. She was ok by the evening so we went to Mickey's Halloween party (using a wheelchair). She loved the villain spectacular and the parade. She wanted to leave before the fireworks but I convinced her to watch from the transportation center dock (which might be the best place to watch from).

Day 5, Magic Kingdom again. I don't remember much of this day - the heat was brutal. I know we ended the day early and went back to GKTW to spend the afternoon in the pool.

Day 6, Aquatica - nice break from the heat by staying in the water. This was my sons 2nd favorite activity (he loved Seaworld). In the afternoon, my wife and daughter went to Hollywood Studios to do all things Star Wars while I took the boy to disneyquest.

Day 7, in the morning my daughter and I went back to Epcot. She was out of days so we purchased a day pass. Genie pass was a lifesaver at the Frozen exhibit and with Elsa (we did not wait longer than 5 minutes at either one - lines were fricking long). We also did Soaring and some Ellen thing. My wife stayed with my son at the villa. We departed at 3 for the airport and got home around midnight (yesterday).

 

[Aristomommy]

Can anyone recommend companies that make wish shirts at reasonable cost? Or other Disney/ Universal apparel? We have 6 children and our wish child will receive a shirt from MAW but others won't. I have 3 little girls that love princess stuff and would like to make this trip special (on our limited budget of course). Thanks for any suggestions or recommendations you may have!

 

[JesseD]

Can anyone recommend companies that make wish shirts at reasonable cost? Or other Disney/ Universal apparel? We have 6 children and our wish child will receive a shirt from MAW but others won't. I have 3 little girls that love princess stuff and would like to make this trip special (on our limited budget of course). Thanks for any suggestions or recommendations you may have!

I would ask your local MAW officer. My wife went in (to the local MAW office) to swap shirts that were too small and asked where she could buy more. They gave her 4-extra shirts (1 for each of us). You can also buy online at https://www.makeawishmarketplace.com/MAW/products/caps-amp-t-shirts

 

[Aristomommy]

I would ask your local MAW officer. My wife went in (to the local MAW office) to swap shirts that were too small and asked where she could buy more. They gave her 4-extra shirts (1 for each of us). You can also buy online at https://www.makeawishmarketplace.com/MAW/products/caps-amp-t-shirts

Thanks! I will look them up online. Our office is in another city and they already said only our daughter would receive a shirt. They have been so generous already, I can purchase more.