Pseudo Wish Trip Help

[Elvskitty]

Hi, everybody,

My friend's daughter was diagnosed with a terminal illness that will soon result in her regression into unresponsiveness prior to her death. They have 2 other well children and the doctors suggested they do something as a family so the other children will have some fantastic and "normal" happy memories with their baby sister while she can still interact. Money is not a problem, but time very much is. As I understand, they have booked plane tickets and medical transport. I am waiting to hear back as to whether they have already booked rooms.

Trip is planned for January, so good crowd wise. However, this is a first Disney trip and short notice for reservations, etc.

I have planned trips for my husband with ALS, but I have months to prep those. I did advise Care Medical Equipment for the medical equipment, but not sure how else to advise them.

Should I hook them up with a travel agent, like Small World at this point or is it too late? I did tell them about VIP touring. The husband feels like they don't want special treatment with ride lines since it is the littlest one who is sick and she may not ride, so he thinks it is unfair for the other kids to get special treatment as they are not sick. I tried to remind them it is about making a special family memory and that they may need some accommodations as the sick baby can't be in the sun too much, will need periodic tube feeding, etc.

Sorry it is so long winded. I am over my planning head and I knew if anyone can bail me out it is the Dis crew here.

MB

 

[mistysue]

I would have them get either a package or tickets they can register to do fp+ in advance. They may benefit from a crowd calendar that suggests parks per day, such as easywdw.com. Then if they have any sort of equipment they need to keep with the baby that is not easily carried, I recommend seeing guest services as getting a pass for the stroller as a wheelchair so it can go through lines. If there are temperature sensitive items, they may want to rent a stroller with room for a cooler to keep things a stable warm or cool temp. Without knowing specific needs there is little to revommend besides the standard advice for WDW with kids. They can go to guest services and ask for recommendations to make their days easier. The CM's may have advice for their needs.

I recommend looking up construction schedules and things to let them know anything that may effect them, the trip will likely be draining and stressful even without tiny unpleasant surprises.

 

[Friend of a Mouse]

Have they contacted make a wish or similar organization? MAW can do what is called a rush wish which will get them to Disney with accommodations provided that is what the child wants. They will be able to go to the Give Kids the World Village which will have a lot of things the little girl can participate in. They may want to try to get a DAS that can be used when the little one rides if they need more than just the wheelchair entrance. Every park has multiple rides that are gentle and are truly meant for the whole family. I woulld see families like this all the time. There are quite a few rides made for the hwole family that are gentle and will give them some good memories. I would also suggest the shows, particularly at studios and animal Kingdom.

If she has trouble with sunlight, I would suggesst getting there early and leaving the parks around 11 or 12 to go back to the hotel for some downtime. Maybe one parent can stsasy with her if the other kids want to continue riding. Then they can go back in the evening for the night time entertainment where the sun will not be an issue. I would also choose a resort they like for the theming and proximity as they end up spending a lot of time there. They may still be able to get reservations and can alw try to walk in to sit down restaurants (we were able to over the Christmas holidays a few years ago on our honeymoon. Many people don't make their reservations so they wmay have tables, particularly if they do not go at the prime eating time).

Depending on their ability to navigate, they may want to look into one of the tours geared to families with children. There are a couple of short ones that are not too strenuous and that might be something that all will enjoy.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

How old is the "baby"? Make-a-Wish only gives wishes for kids 3 and up, but they do have the possibility of rushing a wish if possible. The other reason I ask about age is some of my recommendations will depend on the age (especially of the youngest, but the older kids as well).

I'd suggest they estimate which park they're likely to spend the most time at and then try to get one of the resorts closest to that park. If it's Magic Kingdom, it would be best if they could stay at a monorail resort. That way it's easy to return to the room, as needed. Since money is not an issue, it's really going to be a matter of when/where they can get a reservation. If they can avoid going during school vacations/long weekends, January & February are actually quite nice times to be at WDW. It's cooler and lines are shorter. Staying on property is definitely preferable so that they can use FP+ and just be close enough to get back to the hotel easily. Even staying on property, they may want to consider renting a car (assuming they aren't driving themselves) just for ease. It will always be easiest to take WDW transportation to Magic Kingdom, but for other parks they may prefer to drive to the park.

Your friend's daughter may qualify for a DAS if she has needs that can't be accommodated just by having a stroller (with or without a DAS they can get a tag to bring the stroller in lines). The DAS will allow them to wait somewhere else if the daughter can't tolerate lines. The only ways to get faster access are FP+ and for kids who are on a Make-a-Wish (or similar wish organization) trip and medically fragile. (Even MAW kids generally don't automatically get faster access.) If one of the parents has a smartphone there are also several apps that can give real-time information (not guaranteed, but approximate) on which park is most crowded and line waits. Even without smart phones, there are services online that can give information on which parks tend to be least crowded on certain days to help them plan.

If they can, I'd really suggest they plan a longer trip with days schedule to be "off" days where they don't go to a park. Even for the older children, having a day to hang around the resort and play in the pools, doing less intense things than park visits, can be incredibly helpful.

For actually visiting parks, it's worth picking one or two things each park/day that are priorities. That way they aren't trying to do everything. It will relieve some of the pressure and taking the parks slowly can be loads of fun. If the older kids can read, it might be worth getting some guide books. I actually read the entire UnOfficial Guide in the month between my parents surprising my brother & me by announcing the trip and when we went as kids. We didn't stay on property and 90% of it had no relation to my family, but it was fun to read. Also, for all kids, there are youtube videos of many rides so if they're unsure how some of them may do with scarier or more intense rides, they can use those to get a sense of what happens.

They may also want to consider Park Hopper passes. On most of my trips, I've gone to dinner somewhere else from where I spent most of the day. That also gives them some flexibility if they have trouble getting ADRs in the parks they plan on going to each day (since it sounds like they'll be scheduling much closer to 180 days) or if they get to a park and discover they aren't enjoying it.

 

[kritter47]

Just for clarity, kids are eligible for MaW starting at 2 1/2 years of age. The rationale is MaW wants the wish (in theory) to come from the child his or herself, and very young children aren't able to identify this at even the most basic level. It's an arbitrary line, but most wish granting organizations use 2.5 or 3 (or even 4) as their youngest age.

 

[amykathleen2005]

You can book private Disney tour guides who will make your own tours which could include attractions that want to go on.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/vip-tour-services/

 

[disneymom04]

Something else for them to be aware of is the first aid centers at the parks. (I know Epcot and MK have these that we have used, don't know about AK or HS) They provide a nice, quiet place for the child to get away from the stimulation, do a tube feeding, change a diaper and relax a bit. When we used the first aid centers with my terminally ill son, they were always so nice and said we could stay as long as we needed. And as long as his sibs were quiet, they could stay too. Praying for the family to make great memories.

 

[Elvskitty]

Thank you all so much for your input. I know I can always count on the Dis for great ideas.

The "baby" is just over a year old. This trip is really about the older siblings, a boy age 6 and another girl age 3.

At the time I posted, I had very little information. I have since found out that they are staying across 2 rooms, both on property. Half the party is staying concierge level and the other half DVC both at the contemporary. I feel confident that Contemporary has everything in hand. I did also get a call back from Disney with a contact number for them and the reassurance that any one in Disney would be happy to lend a hand when needed.

Thank you for all the tips. I have made sure I told them that the First Aid Centers are a great resource and I let them know about VIP tours. I gave them my list of vendors (travelling with a 6'6" quadriplegic one develops favorites) and the links here.

Thank you all again.

 

[Pooh2]

Do not have any advice to share but want to wish you and your husband wonderful memories on your trips as well as the same to this young family. May your beautiful memories carry you through the tough times!