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

[5dwarves]

It is my pleasure!

How are you? How is your family?

We are good. Adam's transplant is still going strong. It has been 4 years since transplant, and 3 years since GKTW. We are planning a family reunion type trip for next summer, when my oldest graduates from High School. I can't wait to show my sisters and their families the impact GKTW has on families.

 

[yinyanggirls]

Has anyone gone back to Disney after a wish trip? We are considering the Disney Cruise, right now they have "kids sail free" and we could actually afford it! We're just worried that after doing a wish trip, we're spoiled for just a "normal" vacation. If you read our TR you know our wish trip was complicated with the NoroVirus that broke out, which of course my kiddo's caught. We still had so much fun and realized that taking a vacation brought so much joy to us, we really want to do it again, and Disney was so wonderful in how they took care of us, we want to stick with Disney. So the question would be, are we ruined forever for Disney?

Amber, my thoughts are that Disney is really so great to guests with disabilities, and if James is still using a wheelchair, they will be bending over backwards for you guys still. They are great at guest services anyway, but it seems they have the corner market on pleasing people who (for reasons beyond their control) have a hard time being pleased.

 

[kctwinmommy]

Thanks for all the replies to my other questions! I'm going to start writing things down, so I can actually get more plans down. Here's another one - what's a typical day like?? I mean, how much should we "plan" to do every day? Our DD does get tired during the day, and if we're at home, not doing anything, she'll fall asleep for about an hour or so. It's not that she always DOES it, if we're on the go, doing something, she'll keep going. But I also don't want her to be so exhausted that it causes her to become respiratory compromised.

I'm just trying to figure out how much we really can do, what's realistic, which things we just should not miss. My kids aren't these massive Disney buffs, it's not like this is the thing they've always wanted, etc... If that makes sense! LOL! I mean, my DS currently love "Phineas & Ferb" although I'm not sure that's even anything with WDW. And Lego's. Our DD does like the Princesses, but she's not much into playing, so she doesn't have the dolls, toys, etc... It's a little hard to explain, it's just that she's not a typical little girl when it comes to that stuff.

Thanks for any ideas, advice, and tips! Oh, and I do have the Birnbaum Guide. It's from 2008, although I'm sure that it's still very useful.

 

[yinyanggirls]

The one thing I tell people when they ask how our trip was, is "exhausting"! Phoebe usually naps about once per day. On her trip she fell asleep in her chair while we were walking around unless we let her take a nap. I would read through the guide and pick your family's "do not miss" rides or attractions and then don't feel obligated to go to all the parks just because you have tickets to them all. I highly recommend taking a day off to relax in between any long park days.

 

[Kate&Laura]

Hi everyone,

We're at the early stage of this with our daughter Laura who is 10.5 yrs. We have two wish volunteers coming to visit us tomorrow and I'm very excited but nervous about making the right wish for Laura (she does not talk).

I think she would enjoy Discovery Cove over the Magic Kingdom as she wasn't at all interested in the Disney characters when we visited Disneyland Paris in 2007 and she does love water and birds. She did like the rides at Disney once I got her on them (she is reluctant trying new things at first as she has autism as part of her neurological syndrome).

I'm not too keen on driving whilst there as we are from England, and so am wondering about whether wishtrippers ever stay close to Discovery Cove and Seaworld rather than at GKTW. There do seem to be a few hotels nearby although am not sure about whether the area is suitable for visitors walking with a wheelchair.

As I say I am nervous about making the right wish decision for Laura and keep thinking perhaps we should ask for play equipment rather than a trip, but part of me knows she would love this trip and we would have loads of good memories of our time there. Of course reading all the trip reports here has made it all look so exciting and so wonderful for the wish kids.

 

[rcq925]

My understanding is that Sea World is only about 20-30 minutes by car from GKTW. We have not been yet, but are going in November. GKTW is a once in a lifetime place to stay and I think it would be worth it to stay there and drive to Sea World/Discovery Cove!!

Good luck making your decision.

 

[maroo]

Thanks for all the replies to my other questions! I'm going to start writing things down, so I can actually get more plans down. Here's another one - what's a typical day like?? I mean, how much should we "plan" to do every day? Our DD does get tired during the day, and if we're at home, not doing anything, she'll fall asleep for about an hour or so. It's not that she always DOES it, if we're on the go, doing something, she'll keep going. But I also don't want her to be so exhausted that it causes her to become respiratory compromised.

I'm just trying to figure out how much we really can do, what's realistic, which things we just should not miss. My kids aren't these massive Disney buffs, it's not like this is the thing they've always wanted, etc... If that makes sense! LOL! I mean, my DS currently love "Phineas & Ferb" although I'm not sure that's even anything with WDW. And Lego's. Our DD does like the Princesses, but she's not much into playing, so she doesn't have the dolls, toys, etc... It's a little hard to explain, it's just that she's not a typical little girl when it comes to that stuff.

Thanks for any ideas, advice, and tips! Oh, and I do have the Birnbaum Guide. It's from 2008, although I'm sure that it's still very useful.

The days are really all up to you!

I would make a list of each person going and what they would consider a Must Do...

It may be that you spend a lot of your time at GKTW or at parks other than Disney. There is a huge Lego Store and display at Downtown Disney.

For us - we planned to only do 3 Disney Parks (we were going to skip the AK) and skip Universal. We were doing Sea World, MK, Epcot and DHS. We knew Lauren could not handle doing any more than that.

Turns out we were right...we did WAY too much that first day. We ended up doing MNSSHP that first night and stayed out too late. Lauren got really, really sick. The trip, travel, etc was just too much for her.

The trip was wonderful - even if she spent a day in the room and the hospital - But I really wish we had not tried to do even as much as we did - just focus on a few things they wanted to do and not try to see it all.


But many families go and go and go and go and do GREAT and get TONS done because they have the magic button.

So...it just depends on what you think your family can handle and would enjoy. It is your trip.

Some kids go on their wish trip and are so sick that they only stay at GKTW the whole time. We don't have many TR's on here from those families - because most of them are way too busy to post - but I do a PM from time to time from a family in that place.

What we see here is a lot of families that go all out in planning and reporting what they have done - but most families just go with very little planning and have fun.

Hi everyone,

We're at the early stage of this with our daughter Laura who is 10.5 yrs. We have two wish volunteers coming to visit us tomorrow and I'm very excited but nervous about making the right wish for Laura (she does not talk).

I think she would enjoy Discovery Cove over the Magic Kingdom as she wasn't at all interested in the Disney characters when we visited Disneyland Paris in 2007 and she does love water and birds. She did like the rides at Disney once I got her on them (she is reluctant trying new things at first as she has autism as part of her neurological syndrome).

I'm not too keen on driving whilst there as we are from England, and so am wondering about whether wishtrippers ever stay close to Discovery Cove and Seaworld rather than at GKTW. There do seem to be a few hotels nearby although am not sure about whether the area is suitable for visitors walking with a wheelchair.

As I say I am nervous about making the right wish decision for Laura and keep thinking perhaps we should ask for play equipment rather than a trip, but part of me knows she would love this trip and we would have loads of good memories of our time there. Of course reading all the trip reports here has made it all look so exciting and so wonderful for the wish kids.

to the Wish Trippers thread!

I am not sure how to answer your question...because I don't know the "rules" for a wish from England.

Here in the States - they have two different wishes - the Disney wish that includes 3 days at Disney, 2 days at Universal and one day at Sea World. At Sea World you can pet the dolphins and be around a lot of Sea stuff...but it isn't Discovery Cove.

The Discovery Cove wish is completely separate and doesn't include a stay at GKTW or any of the Disney parks.

Lauren had the choice and decided she really could not interact with the dolphins as much as she would want anyway - so she opted for the Disney part.

But from England, they may do it differently?

Here there are wish granters that come and they have books with pictures in there and they can pick stuff from it, too.

Do you think she would enjoy playing with the dolphins? If she was able to feed them (and not be in the water) would that be as cool for her? If so...I might suggest doing GKTW and the Disney part. ??

Regardless of what you choose, I hope you really enjoy it!

 

[yinyanggirls]

Welcome! And congrats on your daughter's wish about to come true! My daughter is 8 but mentally more like one year and she is also non verbal. It was very hard to think of something that would really be a "dream come true" for her. She loves many things. I thought of the dolphins also, but she doesn't swim on her own (or at all, I guess is more accurate) so when I read the descriptions of the dolphin encounter I couldn't picture how it would work for her. I'm not saying it's not worth pursuing for you guys, but that was how I ruled it out for us. I was very tempted to choose a cruise for her, but when I found out that our wish granting chapter would give her a 3 day cruise, or a 6 day theme park/GKTW stay I decided to choose the longer package. She loves meeting new people, exploring new places, eating good food, playing in the water, etc and all of those things could be done at either place. A cruise and GKTW would also have the advantage of having a "home" base. Somewhere that she can go crash of the stimulation is getting to be too much. Do you think she would enjoy several days of Dis. Cove? Or would it get old after a while? My daughter doesn't know who the Disney characters are either, but she did enjoy meeting most of them, and she loved the rides and the parades and the atmosphere in general. It is such a tough decision. I wish you luck in deciding!!!

 

[The Lurker]

I went to Discovery Cove a few months after it opened and it was an awesome experience - but really a one day experience. The dolphin encounter is limited. You stand in shallow water small groups. The dophins are trained to come over and perform set encounters - for example you can pet and kiss the dolphin and you do have an opportunity to go into the deeper water to meet the dolphin, hang on and be pulled by the dolphin to the shore. It is fun, but limited - not exactly swimming all day with dolphins. In addition they have a very neat area for snorkling - but it is a created area, not real wild area.

The Sea World attraction area actually has 3 parks. Discovery Cove, Sea World and their new water park.

Sea World also offers dolphin experiences. I haven't done it, but we gave it to my son as a birthday present and he loved it. I don't remember all the details but it did involve working with a trainer. In addition, all wish kids are given a tray of food for to feed to the dolphins.

I also believe Sea World has more birds, in fact looking at all the birds is one of my favorite activities.

I am only familiar with one of the hotels at Sea World - the Renaissance. It is nice, but nothing special.

I would suggest you consider the GKTW because it offers a better variety of activities - more choices. You can vary your program according to how your child is feeling.

Katie

 

[The Lurker]

Harry Potter review from some locals:

Be sure to look in the shop windows for special effects and magic tricks - can be difficult with all the crowds but worth it.

Food service is an issue. There is only one restaurant in the area - The Flying Broomsticks - so it is very crowded and has a long, long line. Once inside, the food is ok - but limited variety - just fish and chips and few other choices. However, the pumpkin juice is delicious - much better than the bland butter beer. The menu is magical - it changes but not the choice of food. Be sure to look up and see the stuff flying around - and if you stick around the flying car talks. In summary - 3 hour wait for so-so food, but the place itself is neat and entertaining.

Since everyone wants to see Harry Potter, the rest of Universal is crowd free.

One thing the locals are concerned about is the crowds in September and October when Universal normally has its very popular and scary "Halloween Horror Nights". How the two will blend will be interesting. Day time visits might be better.

Katie

 

[jen-y]

Harry Potter review from some locals:

Be sure to look in the shop windows for special effects and magic tricks - can be difficult with all the crowds but worth it.

Food service is an issue. There is only one restaurant in the area - The Flying Broomsticks - so it is very crowded and has a long, long line. Once inside, the food is ok - but limited variety - just fish and chips and few other choices. However, the pumpkin juice is delicious - much better than the bland butter beer. The menu is magical - it changes but not the choice of food. Be sure to look up and see the stuff flying around - and if you stick around the flying car talks. In summary - 3 hour wait for so-so food, but the place itself is neat and entertaining.

Since everyone wants to see Harry Potter, the rest of Universal is crowd free.

One thing the locals are concerned about is the crowds in September and October when Universal normally has its very popular and scary "Halloween Horror Nights". How the two will blend will be interesting. Day time visits might be better.

Katie

oops, I did not even think about "Halloween Horror Nights" Here I thought it may be less croweded the end of September.....Oh well, whataya gonna do?

 

[J'sMum]

Hi everyone,
Not sure how to begin... but I have been reading many of your trip reports and pretrip reports. I stumbled upon this place when i was looking through info for my sons upcoming dream trip. I'm not sure where/ How I am suppose to begin. I feel honored and blessed that my son will be given this opportunity to have a week where he can simply be a kid that i would like to share it with you and others who may be looking for more information. Basic info is my son is 14yrs old with severe crohns disease, which in turn gave him arthritis among other difficulties. along with this he has asthma. 3 years ago he almost lost his life due to this disease and it has been a long slow trip back to stability with many bumps in the road. Once I know where/how to begin a proper thread I will elaborate. Thank you everyone for those who have been sharing their stories my daughter and I have spent quite a few hours reading along

 

[maroo]

Hi everyone,
Not sure how to begin... but I have been reading many of your trip reports and pretrip reports. I stumbled upon this place when i was looking through info for my sons upcoming dream trip. I'm not sure where/ How I am suppose to begin. I feel honored and blessed that my son will be given this opportunity to have a week where he can simply be a kid that i would like to share it with you and others who may be looking for more information. Basic info is my son is 14yrs old with severe crohns disease, which in turn gave him arthritis among other difficulties. along with this he has asthma. 3 years ago he almost lost his life due to this disease and it has been a long slow trip back to stability with many bumps in the road. Once I know where/how to begin a proper thread I will elaborate. Thank you everyone for those who have been sharing their stories my daughter and I have spent quite a few hours reading along

First - to the DISboards! I am so glad you found us!

The DISboards is a HUGE place and it takes some time to figure out how to navigate it all.

Check Post 2 in this thread for information about how to start a pre-trip report (if you want) and how to post pictures and such.

You can go "all out" and do a fancy pre-trip report or just post questions on this thread - whichever you would prefer. Totally up to you. (Or you can do something inbetween.)


It is a strange coincidence but I am writing from the hospital right now. I am doing the "Prep" for a colonoscopy I get to enjoy tomorrow. They are looking for possible chrons disease. (Or ulcerative colitis or other junk.) But it is not nearly as bad as what you are talking about.


Anyway...I hope you guys will excuse my absence for the last day or two and it may be a day or two before I feel ok to get on the DIS again. Hope all is well with everyone.

 

[yinyanggirls]

It is a strange coincidence but I am writing from the hospital right now. I am doing the "Prep" for a colonoscopy I get to enjoy tomorrow. They are looking for possible chrons disease. (Or ulcerative colitis or other junk.) But it is not nearly as bad as what you are talking about.

Mary, I hope the test is helpful to you. It's never fun hanging around a hospital all day. No matter what you are there for. Good luck!!!

 

[sacall]

Just a little background....

My daughter Emma has been granted a MAW trip and of course she picked Disney World She is 13 and has CF. We are going August 13 through the 22nd (Emma, her sister Abby (11), Mom (me) and Dad). We know it will be hot in August, but Emma didn't want to miss any school since she is entering High School in the fall.

We are staying at the Polynesian, so we can take many breaks during the day. We are then moving over the Hard Rock (which we are paying for) to go to Universal.

I do have a couple of questions:
1. I know we receive 3 day park hoppers. Since we plan on taking it easy at the parks and will be there for 6 days, I wanted to get an additional two days. Can you upgrade the 3 day to a 5 day and just pay the difference or will I have to just buy a 2 day ticket? I don't mind either way, just seeing what we need to do.

2. If I need to buy a 2 day ticket, is it better to buy them when we get there or get them through a discount ticket place?

3. When we arrive in Orlando, we need to go to GKTW to pick up our tickets and attend an orientation. We get in at about 11:00 am and I'm assuming we should get to GKTW by around noon or so. How does the orientation work? Do we need to schedule one or do they have them as each family comes to GKTW? I thought we would have lunch there, check it out and then go to our Disney hotel. We have an ADR at Crystal Palace for 4:30 pm - I'm assuming that won't be a problem?

The girls are very excited to be going to WDW

Emma was just diagnosed three years ago after suffering though years of weight loss, failure to thrive and stomach problems (her CF affects mainly her digestive system, she has really good lung function so far). She has finally started gaining weight and getting stronger, so this trip will be just what she needs

Stacy

 

[casper_jj11]

Hi everyone,
Not sure how to begin... but I have been reading many of your trip reports and pretrip reports. I stumbled upon this place when i was looking through info for my sons upcoming dream trip. I'm not sure where/ How I am suppose to begin. I feel honored and blessed that my son will be given this opportunity to have a week where he can simply be a kid that i would like to share it with you and others who may be looking for more information. Basic info is my son is 14yrs old with severe crohns disease, which in turn gave him arthritis among other difficulties. along with this he has asthma. 3 years ago he almost lost his life due to this disease and it has been a long slow trip back to stability with many bumps in the road. Once I know where/how to begin a proper thread I will elaborate. Thank you everyone for those who have been sharing their stories my daughter and I have spent quite a few hours reading along

Welcome! This is truly a wonderful group ... so very helpful. Do you know your dates yet?

It is a strange coincidence but I am writing from the hospital right now. I am doing the "Prep" for a colonoscopy I get to enjoy tomorrow. They are looking for possible chrons disease. (Or ulcerative colitis or other junk.) But it is not nearly as bad as what you are talking about.


Anyway...I hope you guys will excuse my absence for the last day or two and it may be a day or two before I feel ok to get on the DIS again. Hope all is well with everyone.

Thinking about you and hoping you're doing ok.

Just a little background....

My daughter Emma has been granted a MAW trip and of course she picked Disney World She is 13 and has CF. We are going August 13 through the 22nd (Emma, her sister Abby (11), Mom (me) and Dad). We know it will be hot in August, but Emma didn't want to miss any school since she is entering High School in the fall.

We are staying at the Polynesian, so we can take many breaks during the day. We are then moving over the Hard Rock (which we are paying for) to go to Universal.

I do have a couple of questions:
1. I know we receive 3 day park hoppers. Since we plan on taking it easy at the parks and will be there for 6 days, I wanted to get an additional two days. Can you upgrade the 3 day to a 5 day and just pay the difference or will I have to just buy a 2 day ticket? I don't mind either way, just seeing what we need to do.

2. If I need to buy a 2 day ticket, is it better to buy them when we get there or get them through a discount ticket place?

3. When we arrive in Orlando, we need to go to GKTW to pick up our tickets and attend an orientation. We get in at about 11:00 am and I'm assuming we should get to GKTW by around noon or so. How does the orientation work? Do we need to schedule one or do they have them as each family comes to GKTW? I thought we would have lunch there, check it out and then go to our Disney hotel. We have an ADR at Crystal Palace for 4:30 pm - I'm assuming that won't be a problem?

The girls are very excited to be going to WDW

Emma was just diagnosed three years ago after suffering though years of weight loss, failure to thrive and stomach problems (her CF affects mainly her digestive system, she has really good lung function so far). She has finally started gaining weight and getting stronger, so this trip will be just what she needs

Stacy

Wow! I could have written this. DD's wish trip is from Aug 7 to 14 and we're extending to Aug 18. We're at the Grand Floridian, going through GKTW. I may be able to answer some of your questions.

I know you didn't ask about this but you said you're going through GKTW but plan to move to the Hard Rock for Universal... is there a reason you aren't staying at the Poly for the extended part of your trip? We've changed resorts each trip so far and we're so looking forward to staying in one place this time (extended stay is also at the GF). If you're moving to the Hard Rock for the benefit of express pass, you'll also get tickets to US/IOA from GKTW and it includes a GAC like pass that will give you FOTL access to the rides and characters. You may want to consider staying at the Poly and doing US/IOA from there rather than the hassle of changing hotels.

1. We also plan to stay in WDW longer than the 3days. I've tried to ask as many people as I can. I've actually been waiting 2 wks for a response from WDW ticketing but the bottom line seems to be that you cannot upgrade the complementary tickets that we'll be given. Because the first 3 days are the most expensive, and after that, its really not much per day, we plan to purchase 7d non hopping tickets for everyone so, if we want to, we can do WDW every day including arrival and departure if we want to. There is one day we plan to hop (my bday) so we'll make sure to use the complementary hopper ticket on entry that day.

2. Its a bit cheaper if you buy them from a discount broker I believe but I'm waiting until we get there to buy it just in case there's an exception somewhere that will allow us to extend the 3d complementary ones. Its extremely doubtful but you never know when magic may hit.

3. We arrive in Orlando at 1pm. We have an ADR for Chef Mickey for 5pm. I believe the orientations at GKTW are at 9amish and 7pmish. There's occasionally a 3pm orientation if needed. I contacted my wish organization about the ADR issue (as we didn't actually know until recently that we're booked through GKTW). They said to keep the ADR as its difficult to get. Let GKTW know once we receive our package that we have an ADR and they may be able to provide a private orientation. I'm really hoping they'll be able to do this but ultimately, I am trying to plan another CM ADR in case its too rushed to get there. This is also our chance to really see GKTW and decide if we want to go back during the trip so we may get there for 230pm, hopefully get the orientation around 3pm, and wander for a bit before leaving to check in to GF. We also need to figure out when to get groceries for breakfast since we usually stop on the way from the airport. If I was you, I'd contact GKTW once you get your package. Since you arrive much earlier than us, if you can't get a private orientation, check into the Poly and enjoy the pool or MK for the afternoon. Go to your ADR and then head to GKTW for the 7pm orientation. My kiddos are so young that the 7pm orientation would really be hard for us. Your kiddos are older so it may work out ok.

HTH

 

[sacall]

I know you didn't ask about this but you said you're going through GKTW but plan to move to the Hard Rock for Universal... is there a reason you aren't staying at the Poly for the extended part of your trip?

1. We also plan to stay in WDW longer than the 3days. I've tried to ask as many people as I can. I've actually been waiting 2 wks for a response from WDW ticketing but the bottom line seems to be that you cannot upgrade the complementary tickets that we'll be given. Because the first 3 days are the most expensive, and after that, its really not much per day, we plan to purchase 7d non hopping tickets for everyone so, if we want to, we can do WDW every day including arrival and departure if we want to. There is one day we plan to hop (my bday) so we'll make sure to use the complementary hopper ticket on entry that day.

3. We arrive in Orlando at 1pm. We have an ADR for Chef Mickey for 5pm. I believe the orientations at GKTW are at 9amish and 7pmish. There's occasionally a 3pm orientation if needed. I contacted my wish organization about the ADR issue (as we didn't actually know until recently that we're booked through GKTW). They said to keep the ADR as its difficult to get. Let GKTW know once we receive our package that we have an ADR and they may be able to provide a private orientation. I'm really hoping they'll be able to do this but ultimately, I am trying to plan another CM ADR in case its too rushed to get there. This is also our chance to really see GKTW and decide if we want to go back during the trip so we may get there for 230pm, hopefully get the orientation around 3pm, and wander for a bit before leaving to check in to GF. We also need to figure out when to get groceries for breakfast since we usually stop on the way from the airport. If I was you, I'd contact GKTW once you get your package. Since you arrive much earlier than us, if you can't get a private orientation, check into the Poly and enjoy the pool or MK for the afternoon. Go to your ADR and then head to GKTW for the 7pm orientation. My kiddos are so young that the 7pm orientation would really be hard for us. Your kiddos are older so it may work out ok.

HTH

To answer your questions

We are staying at the Hard Rock - club level for a couple of reasons. We have stayed here once before and we love it! Plus, with the club level, we have our breakfast and dinner covered. Plus, it is less than a 10 minute walk to and from the resort, so if we need a mid afternoon break from the heat, we can be back to our resort within minutes.

As for the tickets - I'll have to look into this and see if that works better for us - gives us more reasons to come back!

As for GKTW - I will have to call and see if we can get a private orientation. We can't go to Crystal Palace without our tickets since we need them for admission to MK. Plus, the park is open until 2:00 am and we want to do as much as we can at night, when it is cooler for Emma.

Thanks for the answers

Stacy

 

[casper_jj11]

The HR sounds wonderful. I was thinking that you wanted to stay there for the express pass, which you won't really need this trip.

As for CP, if you do end up getting another 2 or 3d pass, you could use that one to enter on your arrival day rather than the hopper which you may want to use for hopping later. Just a thought

 

[J'sMum]

It is a strange coincidence but I am writing from the hospital right now. I am doing the "Prep" for a colonoscopy I get to enjoy tomorrow. They are looking for possible chrons disease. (Or ulcerative colitis or other junk.) But it is not nearly as bad as what you are talking about.

I hope you feel better soon and they have your diagnosis rather quickly, sooner you know sooner you can start making the necessary changes in diet and medications needed to help. Your in my prayers. Thank you for the reference to the 2nd posting on my way to read that now

 

[J'sMum]

Welcome! This is truly a wonderful group ... so very helpful. Do you know your dates yet?

ty for the welcomes and as far as we know we are looking at October 16th - 22nd and this will be the very first trip for our entire family

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2499099 Not sure if i have started the pretrip report correctly but thats the link