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

[thatkid]

We will be running fluids with Ty as well. Can he stay hooked up to his pump for most of the rides? Or will we need to unhook and hook him?

I was hooked up to my feeding pump with no problems on rides.

 

[pipersmom]

ok....I finally found one of your posts where you talk about going back and volunteering at GKTW.

We need to talk there girl!! We just got back and have already decided we are returning around the same time next year. There's no question we will visit and spend some time at GKTW but dh and I would love to volunteer some time too. Can you share how you made the arrangements? I noticed that your son will be involved too. May I ask how old he is? Do you know how old kids have to be to volunteer? Matty is 7 (today!!!!!) so he'll be just a month shy of 8 next December. My other kids will be 9 and 10 (and 5, but that's obviously too young). Any info you can share would be great!!

Thanx

Pamela

Matty's Wish Trip PTR http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2325607

Matty's Wish Trip TR "Mom, Dad, 3 Kids, and a Gingerbread Boy" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2356739

Happy Birthday, Matty!!!

 

[dmbfan]

ok....I finally found one of your posts where you talk about going back and volunteering at GKTW.

We need to talk there girl!! We just got back and have already decided we are returning around the same time next year. There's no question we will visit and spend some time at GKTW but dh and I would love to volunteer some time too. Can you share how you made the arrangements? I noticed that your son will be involved too. May I ask how old he is? Do you know how old kids have to be to volunteer? Matty is 7 (today!!!!!) so he'll be just a month shy of 8 next December. My other kids will be 9 and 10 (and 5, but that's obviously too young). Any info you can share would be great!!

Thanx

I just called the volunteer services there, explained that we are a returning wish family, and that we were coming back to Disney in Feb and we want to volunteer. We did all the paperwork, and background checks, and than someone contacts you and ask what days and time work for you.

Being a returning wish family, all the kids can help. We choose the Castle of Miracles cause we could it all as a family. And being a returning wish family, your kids can help as well. So we choose to do 2 nights from 5-9pm. We can't wait...

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

In regards to the IV Fluids, it sounds like you have some kind of backpack for it?

At Disney tha should not be much of a problem as you take your stuff with you on rides. They are one of few themeparks that do that.

Universal is giong to be another matter entirely. They do not even allow bags in line. I'm sure they have a policy like Six Flags where you can get a medical pass for your bag, but you won't be able to take it on rides as this is considered a safety issue. At the theme park I work at here it doesn't matter if your bag contains medical stuff like IV Fluids, we simply cannot allow it on our roller coasters.

I'm looking at their rider guide and not seeing any mention of their bag policy. You may want to contact them directly to ask.

I have no idea what Sea World's bag policy is as I have not been there.

 

[2specialkids]

I finally found you guys!...page 6 already...good gracious have I got some serious reading to do...

 

[maroo]

In regards to the IV Fluids, it sounds like you have some kind of backpack for it?

At Disney tha should not be much of a problem as you take your stuff with you on rides. They are one of few themeparks that do that.

Universal is giong to be another matter entirely. They do not even allow bags in line. I'm sure they have a policy like Six Flags where you can get a medical pass for your bag, but you won't be able to take it on rides as this is considered a safety issue. At the theme park I work at here it doesn't matter if your bag contains medical stuff like IV Fluids, we simply cannot allow it on our roller coasters.

I'm looking at their rider guide and not seeing any mention of their bag policy. You may want to contact them directly to ask.

I have no idea what Sea World's bag policy is as I have not been there.

You guys are not going to have a problem with this on a wish trip with Universal - you don't wait in line there - you are escorted to the back door of the attraction and taken right on, so no worries there. The employee that helps you will be able to tell you where you need the put the bags for that attraction and if you can keep them with you, etc... If they say you can't the bag, let them know it has your TPN/fluids, etc in it and that it is attached and they will let you on - if it is safe.

I have no idea on Sea World, though?

 

[kellyw8863]

Okay, now I have worries. Shannon, I was reading on Brigitte's CP that GKTW is all full up the week of the 24th which is why you're staying at AKL. We want to go the week of the 17th (April) and are pretty adamant on staying at GKTW (for us, it's part of the experience and even having never been there, I always tear up reading others' TR and looking at their pictures). SO...if GKTW if full the week of the 24th, is it logical to assume it is also full the week of the 17th?!?! For various reasons, if we can't go that week, we can't go until next year. Even though I would be hugely disappointed if we couldn't stay at GKTW, would there still be an option for us to go that week if we were willing to stay somewhere else? And, if we ended up having to stay somewhere else, how do they work meals? I do find it odd that I'm getting so stressed about a trip we don't even have booked yet

 

[maroo]

Okay, now I have worries. Shannon, I was reading on Briggite's CP that GKTW is all full up the week of the 24th which is why you're staying at AKL. We want to go the week of the 17th (April) and are pretty adamant on staying at GKTW (for us, it's part of the experience and even having never been there, I always tear up reading others' TR and looking at their pictures). SO...if GKTW if full the week of the 24th, is it logical to assume it is also full the week of the 17th?!?! For various reasons, if we can't go that week, we can't go until next year. Even though I would be hugely disappointed if we couldn't stay at GKTW, would there still be an option for us to go that week if we were willing to stay somewhere else? And, if we ended up having to stay somewhere else, how do they work meals? I do find it odd that I'm getting so stressed about a trip we don't even have booked yet

Bless your heart...

Please don't be too stressed.

Have you told your wish granters that your week is the only week you guys can go? I would make sure they know that.

I think that for Bridgett they asked to stay at AKL rather than GKTW and I am not sure GKTW is full that week? So don't be too stressed. If it IS - they will put you up in a resort - probably deluxe and you will get extra spending money to cover the meals (this varies by state). You would have some perks for staying onsite that you would not get at GKTW - but GKTW has obvious perks and it would be a totally different trip.

But don't stress...hopefully they will let you know soon that you are booked and ready to go!!

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

Hey hon..this is an issue for us as well..some of the things I plan on doing with/for Piper are:

1. Pressed pennies..they cost .50 + a penny each and are something she can save as a souvenir as well. I plan on getting 2 $10 quarter rolls and a roll of (hopefully) new pennies from my bank right before we leave to use. I think there are also dime presses (?) but I haven't looked into those yet.

2. Hidden Mickey photo hunt..self explanatory.

3. Hair-do at the Barber shop..for around $8 (If I remember right) they'll put the sparkly gel and glitter in just like they do at Bippity Boppity!

4. Pin trading.. there are a couple of recommended e-bayers on the first page of this thread..again, for about $20 it's something she can enjoy the whole time we're there. My personal plan is only to let her trade with CMs though, my understanding is there are adults so into it they will try to fleece a kid of a pin if they know it's valuable.

The nice thing about the pennies and the pins are that they're things I can start buying now as I have the cash, in small increments, lol.

Ohh Ty would love the pennies and dime presses.

The Hidden Mickey hunt sounds neat. They would love that.

Unfortunately we wouldnt be able to do pin trading. Ty does not give Anything away once it has been in his posession. He gets very easily attached to anything as little as erasers as big as a game cube box he carries around.

They would like the Barber Shop where is that located?

Thank you for the ideas! I am so happy I found the Dis boards. We would miss out on so much. I had no idea alot of these things existed!

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

Jake was hooked up to his TPN and did fine on the rides. A couple of times we had to take the backpack off and hold it on my lap when he went on the upside down rides, but other wise worked fine. So keeping the G-tube going is not going to be an issue at all.

We are doing the trading pins, my husband just bought about 200 of them off Ebay... so we should be set with that...I hope..

Oh that's good to hear. I was hoping we wouldnt have to constantly hook and unhook him.

We are unable to do the trading pins. Ty gets too attached and would never part with them.

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

Hi! I actually am the one who wrote that and perhaps it didn't come across properly because I wasn't really thinking of things that cost money. Rather I was thinking about the experiences that can be yours as a result of it being a Wish Trip as opposed to simply a vacation (not to minimize the special opportunity to be together as a family that you experience on a vacation). The GKTW Village is one of them........just planning time to play there and taking in the activities. I think as adults it can be easy to dismiss that/those in favor of fancy hotels/more time in the parks etc. (I made that mistake myself) but for the children that place is magic. And, once you give in to it yourself, you start to feel it too. I also was thinking about the 'theme' that we created for Matty (IDK if you've caught any of our story).............the whole Christmas/gingerbread man theme. It took on a life of it's own. Other families have had similar experiences revolving around a favorite character or place or whatever. If you can identify something like that for your child, since this is a Wish Trip, the potential for magic becomes endless. And the memories become extra special "Wish Trip" memories.............you create something that sets this trip apart from other fabulous family vacations.

RE: money and budgeting for extras: Are you going through MAW???? If you are, an expense check is typically part of the package. Although they don't generally reveal the amount until right before the trip, if you call and tell them you really need to know in order to plan properly, they will tell you (they told me). If you are going through another organization, you might want to call and ask if they provide something similar. That expense check allowed us to many many things we would NEVER have done on a typical vacation.

Just so you know, GKTW also provides tickets to other places during the week, in addition to, not instead of, the typical package. PM me if you want the list. Again there might be experiences available that you would never have an opportunity to do otherwise (my Matty took a ride on a Cessna airplane) and really might add something extra special to the trip.

I hope that helped

Pamela

Matty's Wish Trip PTR http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2325607

Matty's Wish Trip TR "Mom, Dad, 3 Kids, and a Gingerbread Boy" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2356739

This is Ty's MAW trip.

He wants to swim with the Dolphins and Shamu. I told him we may just be able to feed the Dolphins but he really want's to swim with them. I had to let him know swimming with Shamu is out LOL!!!
He would love a cessna airplane ride. He loves airplanes!

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

Thank you all for the info on the backpack/fluids.

I will be using our itenerary somewhat loosley. If GKTW is what they want to do more of then we will definately hang around there. I have never done an itinerary before as we usually just go with the flow but I want to make somewhat of an itinerary b/c of so many special things we will get to do that we wont be able to do if we go back.

 

[pacrosby]

This is Ty's MAW trip.

I do believe the dolphins and Shamu are going to be the highlight of his trip. And maybe Expedition Everest too. He absolutley loves roller coasters. And he has talked alot about the dolphins. It was Jaws but when he found out about the dolphins Jaws took a back seat.

He would love a cessna airplane ride. He loves airplanes!

OK....so dolphins, shamu and roller coasters..........there are some ideas!! Maybe check with SeaWorld about anything special you could do with dolphins. They have dolphin shows.....maybe he could meet the performers afterwards or something. Make sure you do the dolphin feeding. And we got pulled into a 'behind the scenes' tour at one point that allowed my kids to get close-up, learn hand signals and work with the dolphins themselves. That just 'happened' by chance.....but maybe you could ask if they have anything like that, you never know what they will do. Don't forget the Shamu show. They had a picked out a little boy in the audience to be a part of that show. And there is always Discovery Cove.....that sounds like it might be right up Ty's alley (I don't recall if Ty's diagnosis limits him at all). I know DC is very expensiive but you never know.......it might be doable (if only for maybe Ty and one adult). Check on that expense check. Our expense check allowed us to pay for 6 MVMCP tickets and we still had plenty left over for souvenirs, meals in parks (including a few character meals)etc.

on Ty's love of roller coasters. The button will allow him to ride and ride and ride.................with very little waiting (at Universal.IOA he'll go straight to the front of the line). He could have fun setting records!!! And maybe make sure you buy the pictures that are available (the ones they take while you are riding some of the roller coasters). At Universal/IOA you are entitled to one free px and at WDW parks sometimes they will add those to your photopass. Also does he have a favorite character?? Now, I may really be running away with myself (and they'll probably kick me off the boards for causing trouble) but I've heard of Wish kids getting to a ride a ride with a character!! Use your imagination, your button and your voice.

Oh gee, look at me.......................I'm just FULL of ideas Hope you don't mind. Of course none of these things can be guaranteed but there's the potential. It's a matter of making phone calls before your trip and talking to people when you are on your trip. Letting them know your child's is on their Wish Trip, the things that your child would love to do, and 'wondering' if there is anything special that can be done. You just might be surprised.

Pamela

Matty's Wish Trip PTR http://www.disboards.rcom/showthread.php?t=2325607

Matty's Wish Trip TR "Mom, Dad, 3 Kids, and a Gingerbread Man" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2356709

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

wow Discovery cove is quite expensive. I think we will have to stay with Sea World. I will see if we can do anything there. We would be including our daughter too so if need be dh could take a break during that time or I could just be the filmer chick since Im not into touching anything that lives in water(but you never know)

His favorite character is Goofy oh how he loves Goofy. I think it should be Grumpy but what do I knowI want to find him a shirt with Grumpy on it. With his hands folded and all!That would be so perfect for him to wear throughout the park lol!Ty might let Goofy sit with him if he makes friends with him a bit first. I can just see the two of them riding together how awsome would that be!!Two peas in a pod I tell ya!

 

[pacrosby]

Check out the dining experiences at SeaWorld......there's a Dine With Shamu!
And the 'button' might get you good seats


Pamela

 

[kellyw8863]

Bless your heart...

Please don't be too stressed.

Have you told your wish granters that your week is the only week you guys can go? I would make sure they know that.

I think that for Bridgett they asked to stay at AKL rather than GKTW and I am not sure GKTW is full that week? So don't be too stressed. If it IS - they will put you up in a resort - probably deluxe and you will get extra spending money to cover the meals (this varies by state). You would have some perks for staying onsite that you would not get at GKTW - but GKTW has obvious perks and it would be a totally different trip.

But don't stress...hopefully they will let you know soon that you are booked and ready to go!!

Thanks, Maroo! I guess I was just confused. I do follow Brigitte's CP and on there, Shannon did say that they are staying at AKL because GKTW is full, but here I did get the impression that AKL was their choice. At any rate, I'm glad that it may not be the case afterall and that even if it is full, we may still have the option of going and staying somewhere else. Didn't you do that on Lauren's trip? Did she initially want to stay at GKTW, and how did she feel about not being able to, if (she) don't mind me asking? We speak with Ali's wish granter again on the 5th, so I'll be sure to mention then that we are extremely limited in terms of when we can go and see what he has to say.

wow Discovery cove is quite expensive. I think we will have to stay with Sea World. I will see if we can do anything there. We would be including our daughter too so if need be dh could take a break during that time or I could just be the filmer chick since Im not into touching anything that lives in water(but you never know)

Did you let Ty's wish granters know that he is crazy about Sea World and would totally dig Discovery Cove? Perhaps that is something that they could work out for him? It is frightfully expensive, though I did something similar many moons ago in Mexico, and it was an incredible experience.

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

I thought about the dine with Shamu but I know Ty will not eat any of that food so I wasn't sure about it. I will give them a call on Monday.

Kelly I will add that to my list for the Wish granter. I hope to call on Monday thanks!

 

[Joanna71985]

Hey everyone. I hope it's ok if I pop in here from time to time. I am currently on the College Program in FL, and I am planning on volunteering at GKTW. I think it would be a good experience.

 

[maroo]

This is Ty's MAW trip.

He wants to swim with the Dolphins and Shamu. I told him we may just be able to feed the Dolphins but he really want's to swim with them. I had to let him know swimming with Shamu is out LOL!!!
He would love a cessna airplane ride. He loves airplanes!

One more thing to look into...that would be cheaper than Discovery Cove...

Dolphins In Depth tour at Epcot. I believe you could just pay for him to do it and help him, maybe? And I am not sure of the age limit...but something worth looking into. They don't have to be able to swim to do it...the water is waist deep. It is still expensive...being a dolphin swimming experience...but it is a lot more doable than Discovery Cove.

Backstage at Believe is a great option for seeing close up Shamu and learning about the killer whales. Check my TR for info on that meal. And it is not terribly expensive.

Thanks, Maroo! I guess I was just confused. I do follow Brigitte's CP and on there, Shannon did say that they are staying at AKL because GKTW is full, but here I did get the impression that AKL was their choice. At any rate, I'm glad that it may not be the case afterall and that even if it is full, we may still have the option of going and staying somewhere else. Didn't you do that on Lauren's trip? Did she initially want to stay at GKTW, and how did she feel about not being able to, if (she) don't mind me asking? We speak with Ali's wish granter again on the 5th, so I'll be sure to mention then that we are extremely limited in terms of when we can go and see what he has to say.

In Lauren's case, she was selected to be a part of Wish Flight...but then that fell through...so they had to put her offsite because GKTW was full...but it was really full because of Wish Flight (they bring in lots of families for that).

They had us somewhere...Port Orleans maybe? I don't remember...but then they put us at The Contemporary - mainly because they wanted her on the monorail line for transportation purposes. Lauren is not the only person in her family with significant medical issues, so sometimes William had to go back to the room so the monorail resort was a good thing.

Hey everyone. I hope it's ok if I pop in here from time to time. I am currently on the College Program in FL, and I am planning on volunteering at GKTW. I think it would be a good experience.

Of course!! Awesome that you are going to be volunteering at GKTW and College Program sounds so awesome!

 

[pnutallergymom]

Thanks, Maroo! I guess I was just confused. I do follow Brigitte's CP and on there, Shannon did say that they are staying at AKL because GKTW is full, but here I did get the impression that AKL was their choice. At any rate, I'm glad that it may not be the case afterall and that even if it is full, we may still have the option of going and staying somewhere else. Didn't you do that on Lauren's trip? Did she initially want to stay at GKTW, and how did she feel about not being able to, if (she) don't mind me asking? We speak with Ali's wish granter again on the 5th, so I'll be sure to mention then that we are extremely limited in terms of when we can go and see what he has to say.

Hey Kelly,

I'm sorry if I confused you. We did request to stay on site at Disney...and after our local chapter made the arrangements, they told us that GKTW was full for that week anyways....but, who knows whether that is actually true or not..I LOVE our wish granters, but we have had some issues with people in the main branch and ALOT of confusing information. Its kind of been a mess. Don't forget though, our school vacation is a week later than yours too. So they may have plenty of room the week before if the info I was given was accurate to begin with!!! How is Ali feeling??