trying again- MAW trip

[digilala]

I have not had much luck trying to post this message.
We are 99% sure we will be at GKTW and WDW in early February. My son will have his 5th birthday while we are there.
I have some questions- I have read just about anything I can find about GKTW and MAW on these boards but still have a few ??s.
I have read that the WDW tickets are 3 day park hoppers. Can you still do all four parks realistically? We had thought about going to AK in the morning and then MGM after that. I know we will stay all day at MK for his birthday. We would like to go to SW and US/IOA also. And i think my son would enjoy EPCOT-How do you do it all and still have time for the activities at GKTW.
Also will fantasmic be showing in February?
and one last question for now Our oldest son is also going and he is 19 years old, I understand GKTW really try to make all kids feels special- what can i expect for my 19 year old. He has been so good with my younger son and I want to do something special for him on this trip- any suggestions?
one last thing, I promise for now- can you send me any links for MAW trip reports, I am trying to do a search on the trip report board but it keeps saying it is too busy- thank you so much- Laura

 

[eternaldisneyfan]

My ticket was a four day park hopper. Then we spent one day at Universal & 1 day at Seaworld. I am pretty sure you can get a ticket for two days at Universal. You can also get a ticket for Busch Gardens and a Crocodile park. All your ticket options are explained in orientation.

A lot of the special events are held in the morning or evening. Like one day I ate breakfast, rode Lippizian horses (8ish), then went to WDW. The pool would be a great stop for the afternoon break and then grab some free ice cream before heading back to the park. I always rode the carousel atleast once a day because it was wheelchair accessible and I usually couldn't ride carousels. Going to GKTW I didn't know about all the activities, or I might have stayed there a little more. I wish my parents would of told me more about orientation so I could have made better decisions...

EPCOT has always been my favorite park! I am pretty sure Fantasmic plays all year-a must see-along with Festival of the Lion King in AK. Siblings are treated well. They get welcoming presents and have access to everything at the GKTW. Every night the wish child and each of their siblings get surprise gifts. There is a family Minnie/Mickey picture. Characters visit at breakfast and also interact with siblings...

My wish trip was 10 years ago and I still remember and treasure it...


Christamae

 

[roseprincess]

Hi digilala and welcome to the disABILITIES boards!
My dd had her MAW WDW trip last yr. We did not stay at GKTW, we opted to stay somewhere else, a more alternative resort.
Because we opted to stay at a different resort, our MAW office had to cut my dd's wish trip a day, that was the policy. We did get the 3- day hopper passes even tho I requested the 4 day hopper passes. MAW told me they don't give the 4 day hopper passes anymore. MAW does change their policies every so many yrs. as of hopper passes and length of wish trips, etc.

As of trying to do everything in the 6 or 7 days of the length of the wish trip, is very hard. We tried to do almost everything on our trip, but was just too much. We did not make it to AK. Would have loved to go, but just ran out of time. Plus my dd is frightened of animals,so skipping AK for us was not a big deal. You do need to take into consideration the traveling time on the plane, when you arrive and check-in to GKTW. I know upon check-in at GKTW, there is supposed to be an orientation to go to.
Also, when we went, it rained every evening, not just a half- hour rain, but hours into the night. That in itself delays your time, esp when you have kids that cry and scream because it is raining (like my kids). Even tho we had rain ponchos, my kids don't like the rain and get upset when it does rain.
So, you would need to prioritize what your son wants to see and do as of the parks, not get too overly scheduled, and go by your son's pace.

I have heard from some of my friends that have been to WDW many times, that it takes a good 2-3 weeks to see everything at the parks.

Best wishes to you and your ds's.
Have a great wish trip in Feb!

Rosemarie

 

[JenJen]

We went for 14 days and still did not see everything! That place is huge! I hope you have a wonderful time. Just enjoy yourself. If you miss somethings it is okay you will still ahve a blast!
(((((((((((hugs)))))))))))
Jen

 

[joanchris]

We just got back from a wish trip (did not go through MAW though). We opted not to stay at GKTW as another poster mentioned.
We had 7 day hopper passes and did not do all we wanted to! Be sure to prioritize what you think your son will like to do, and try to do those things first thing in the mornings if that works for him. We found that the first hour or two in the morning that the parks were opened we could get so much done, the crowds just weren't there! And for Epcot, making the mask in the different countries was great, we were over in the World Showcase right at 11 when it opened and there were countries where there was hardly anyone there!
Just know that you wont' be able to do it all, and alter plans if you're tired. We didn't go back to Animal Kingdom later in our week like we wanted to because we were just tired and wanted to swim and hang out for a couple of hours.
Have a great trip!

 

[digilala]

thank you all for your replies. My son's wishes and enjoyment are top priority. I have struggled with how much to try to pack in and I have decided to cut back on a lot of activities. We will be at MK for his 5th birthday and will go to mgm the next day so he can go to pizza planet- that is on his list of things to do. He wants to touch a dolphin so seaworld is on the list too.
We plan on spending some time just hanging out at GKTW and he wants to go to the lego store.
We had talked about going to US/IOA but I think we will pass on that.
Again thanks for all the replies. He still does not know that we are going for sure- I hope the wish lady tells him soon cause I am about to bust or burst

Laura

 

[spotdog]

It sounds like MK, Sea World, MGM and a stop at Legoland in Downtown Disney are the top priorities. It's good to here you are listening to your child's wishes.

Epcot is a bit more big kid and adult oriented so I would try for a morning at Animal Kingdom, if you have enough time. I like the information in the Disney Passporter books. Hope you have a magical adventure.

 

[jtopp]

We were able to get only a three day parkhopper pass to WDW, a two day to US/IOA, and one day to Seaworld. We ran out of time and did not get to use seaworld, but had a great time averywhere else. Going in Feb means that crowds will be lighter, thus you have the ability to see more in less time. That, in addition to the access granted by the GAC, and you shoukd have no problem seeing most of what you want to see. If you are staying at GKTW, you will be surprised at the extent they will go to to help you during your stay.