Make a Wish (and other organizations) ~ Wish Trippers UNITE! Volume FOUR!

[jj0plin]

I just posted Day One!!!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2612264&page=25

 

[brookerene]

I just posted Day One!!!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2612264&page=25

I'm there !!!



Also please pray for a kidney family who just lost their little one.. his name was Connor!

 

[twinmum]

thank u maroo- u have been so helpfull- so full of info- im deff gonna print the park maps and talk to rosie about what she want to do because ari is very easy- for him its all about the charachters ! our wish granters said they would be coming around with the gktw sechedule and maps and stuff but i have no clue when- but in the meantime is there somewhere i can go to see the upcoming sched. for gktw and party nights and so forth?
also do u know anything about sign interpeters at disney parks? because ari signs i thought it might be good to have someone with us at the charachters so he can "talk to them" i mean, we know signs and stuff but alot of disney signs .................no clue and ari learns the signs so fast it would be great learning for him too. just dont know if they do that sort of thing.
now secondary i just felt the need to comment that i have been reading around the forum and i came across ur trip with lucas. reading it just gave me goosbumps and brought me to tears! i hope one day to meet u and be able to thank u in person. just ur info alone has calmed me down a bit!!! and im begining to not feel so overwhellmed. thank u.

Hello! I knew I'd seen this somewhere. Here's some information about sign interpreters at the parks. One thing I learned from our son's Wish Trip is that if you explain a need (and you do need this to make your son's Wish come true), the WDW CMs will go out of their way to do their best to provide. They cannot do everything, but helping a Wish child communicate with beloved characters sounds to me like something they'd want to do. I'd read this info, think about which character(s) Ari would want to talk to most, plan for that day, and be in touch with WDW as soon as possible. It probably wouldn't hurt to confirm the plan at Guest Services on the day of, as well.

Here you go: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guests-with-disabilities/hearing/

As a side note, on out recent Disney Cruise, I watched spell-bound as sign interpreters signed for each of the live shows. They really poured their hearts into it.

And here's the schedule for activities at GKTW (I thought I remembered where to find it...someone else will correct me if I'm wrong): http://www.gktw.org/pre/village/schedule.asp?p=village

Happy planning!

 

[mom2pixies]

I'm there !!!



Also please pray for a kidney family who just lost their little one.. his name was Connor!

Thoughts with Connor's family....

 

[mommy2girlswv]

Quick Question: Disney Characters at GKTW, are they always Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse? Disney Characters is on MOnday and Thursday

 

[mommy2girlswv]

What would be the best park to see Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse?

 

[rosieari9197]

thank u so much for ur help and info im gonna check the link right now! this my friend is why i love this thread! wish trippers unite! thanx twinmum!

 

[SueM in MN]

Hello! I knew I'd seen this somewhere. Here's some information about sign interpreters at the parks. One thing I learned from our son's Wish Trip is that if you explain a need (and you do need this to make your son's Wish come true), the WDW CMs will go out of their way to do their best to provide. They cannot do everything, but helping a Wish child communicate with beloved characters sounds to me like something they'd want to do. I'd read this info, think about which character(s) Ari would want to talk to most, plan for that day, and be in touch with WDW as soon as possible. It probably wouldn't hurt to confirm the plan at Guest Services on the day of, as well.

Here you go: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guests-with-disabilities/hearing/

As a side note, on out recent Disney Cruise, I watched spell-bound as sign interpreters signed for each of the live shows. They really poured their hearts into it.

And here's the schedule for activities at GKTW (I thought I remembered where to find it...someone else will correct me if I'm wrong): http://www.gktw.org/pre/village/schedule.asp?p=village

Happy planning!

If you lose the link, you can find it in post #3 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread. That thread is locked near the top of the thread list for this board, or you can follow the link in my signature in any of my posts.

 

[HeatherSP]

I am looking for suggestions on where we should eat dinner on Friday night. We arrive in orlando at 9am and plan to hang out at GKTW most of the day. That evening we will be going to downtown disney to explore. We are hoping to eat dinner somewhere there. But since we have 5 kids 4 -14 we need somewhere kid friendly. We don't want fast food since we will probably be doing many counter service meals in the parks.

 

[jj0plin]

Quick Question: Disney Characters at GKTW, are they always Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse? Disney Characters is on MOnday and Thursday

It is always Minnie and Mickey in the theater, but the characters outside change... while we were there Pluto and Mary Poppins came, but I've seen pictures of Goofy and Belle too.

 

[fulseasmama]

I am looking for suggestions on where we should eat dinner on Friday night. We arrive in orlando at 9am and plan to hang out at GKTW most of the day. That evening we will be going to downtown disney to explore. We are hoping to eat dinner somewhere there. But since we have 5 kids 4 -14 we need somewhere kid friendly. We don't want fast food since we will probably be doing many counter service meals in the parks.

We went to T-Rex for lunch one day in DTD. It is basically a Rainforest Cafe with Dinos instead. Pretty loud place so pretty good for kids. The food was okay...portions were pretty big and the adults split some meals. I would recommend reservations. We were there at lunch time during a pretty slow week and the place was packed and had a long wait if you did not have a reservation. Hope you have a fun night out.

 

[mommy2girlswv]

It is always Minnie and Mickey in the theater, but the characters outside change... while we were there Pluto and Mary Poppins came, but I've seen pictures of Goofy and Belle too.

Thanks that is great info..I just want to know it 100% that she will met Mickey and Minnie Mouse

 

[wbh1964]

Hey everyone...got another question. I referred my daughter to maw several weeks ago thru the internet. I have also called and left several messages with our local chapter but no return phone calls and we have not heard ANYTHING from the internet referral. My dd's doctor is ready to provide all needed medical info but obviously we have not gotten anywhere close to giving info as we have not heard back from anyone with MAW...any suggestions???
Thanks!

 

[mom2pixies]

We went in late Sept and it rocked! Not as crowded, but still hot enough to swim. It was actually really hot when we went, but that changes year to year. It was great though! The Halloween party is a separate ticket- about $50 each, but very worth it! They had rare characters out, like all 7 dwarves with Snow White and Cinderella's carriage and stuff. And Villians galore- oh and the fireworks show was AMAZING!! Great parade too with the headless horseman and everything. Overall great night!

And if you do it right- you can use that as an extra Disney day too. Like visit Sea World that morning- since it might not take as long, or just spend the day at GKTW and go to disney that night, and you only use that halloween ticket, not a park hopper too.

Dunno if I made sense there, but then you could have 4 Disney days if you buy those tickets for much less than a reg one day disney ticket.

I love this time of year at Disney! The Halloween party is my favorite and I don't really "celebrate" Halloween at home. It is a fun party!

We used this as an "extra" day...using our other three Disney days on different days and getting to the MK at 4:00 and staying late.

The best part about doing this on a wish trip is that it is the only time you can go to Disney and break character lines - which is a huge bonus for these parties because they normally have very long lines to visit characters.

Plus it gives you a 4th day for less than the price of a regular full priced full day. The tickets are approaching $60 these days, but still cheaper than a one day ticket.

Thanks for the advice! I hadn't even thought of the Halloween party as acting as a fourth Disney day, but that would be pretty awesome! And, we certainly don't mind paying for the special ticket out-of-pocket considering the generosity of the actual wish trip itself. A small price to pay for such an amazing experience.

We are big Halloween folks ourselves, so I think it would be pretty awesome to go then. And, we're Canadian--so we don't mind swimming in pools when the temp drops to 70 degrees! That's an average summer's day, here! LOL!!

Definitely something to consider! Thanks again.

 

[chelleydi77]

Hey everyone...got another question. I referred my daughter to maw several weeks ago thru the internet. I have also called and left several messages with our local chapter but no return phone calls and we have not heard ANYTHING from the internet referral. My dd's doctor is ready to provide all needed medical info but obviously we have not gotten anywhere close to giving info as we have not heard back from anyone with MAW...any suggestions???
Thanks!

Sometimes it takes a while. I think it was just over a month before anyone initially called us.

 

[Bill_Lin]

You can print about all the maps for each park, but disney.com you can get maps send to you!! We are first timer and leave in 4weeks so I don't know much, but I've learn a lot reading other PTR and TR.

You don't really need a map for GKTW since it is not that large and you will get one when you arrive. You will find the kiddie railroad, fishing dock, riding stables, Castle of Miracles (with play rooms and carousel), mini golf, swimming pools and movie theater, plus the chapel, Ice Cream Palace, snack bar and Ginger Bread House Cafe.

You will find the map of the village here.

 

[Bill_Lin]

Hi everyone,

We've been discussing dates as it seems that early summer is becoming less likely (we still haven't heard from wish grantors) and we're not all that certain high summer will work either scheduling-wise (plus, I've never been to Florida in July and August--but I imagine it's very hot and humid!--and the crowds would be crazy), so we were thinking maybe late September or early October (around Canadian Thanksgiving might be a good time to go) if we are given an option. Brooke's birthday is in early Oct (mine is later that month), so it would be awesome to celebrate her b-day there.

What do people think of that time of year in terms of crowd, weather, etc?

I know Disney has Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at that time (is that a different ticket or is that just a seasonal event included in regular park hopper tix?) and that they have a special Halloween parade at Sea World, but what about Universal Studios or GKTW--any specific Halloween events? I figure GKTW must have a costume party or a trick-or-treat event close to Halloween, but because they already have so much going on, I thought I'd ask.

Thanks

We went at that time of year. It was around 80 most days, and humid, but it did not bother me, even while recovering from a heart condition. If you get too hot, take in a cool attraction like Philharmagic, Small World, or other indoor ride or find the misting stations at Universal Studios. Expect a daily brief downpour in the afternoon lasting about 20 minutes to an hour and sun the rest of the time. It is hurricane season then, but that would be pretty hard to predict. Orlando does not generally have serious problems with that anyway.here.

 

[Bill_Lin]

Hey everyone...got another question. I referred my daughter to maw several weeks ago thru the internet. I have also called and left several messages with our local chapter but no return phone calls and we have not heard ANYTHING from the internet referral. My dd's doctor is ready to provide all needed medical info but obviously we have not gotten anywhere close to giving info as we have not heard back from anyone with MAW...any suggestions???
Thanks!

Just keep trying. Your MAW volunteers are probably understaffed and overworked. It is amazing how much work the volunteers do to prepare for a wish granting. I recently completed volunteer training and there is so much that I learned goes on behind the scenes. I had no idea when we went on our trip. Now I have a whole new appreciation for our wish granter.

 

[mommy2girlswv]

Come and check out what was fake in this box...This mommy loves fake!!!

 

[twinmum]

thank u so much for ur help and info im gonna check the link right now! this my friend is why i love this thread! wish trippers unite! thanx twinmum!

Hello! rosiari9197 had a chance to read our (never finished) TR and like these tshirts:
http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n441/twinmum1023/HPIM1601.jpg

She thought her kids would love these - if she wanted to try her hand at making them, does anyone know where she might find a template? Or I think there's a thread with lots of ideas...but I couldn't find it!

FYI...I took one of these shirts and put it in a shadow box. It hangs in the study nook in Mark's room. Each time I see it, I remember all those happy memories, and the kindness of the Big Givers...