Ottakee Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 I just got a call from my daughter's Make A Wish coordinator finalizing a few things---including the 4:15 AM limo pick up at our house. We leave March 5 and will be back on the 11th. We will be staying at Give Kids the World and have a rental car. I know we get 3 days of park hopper tickets to Disney parks, then 1 day at Sea World and 1 day at MGM I think. My daughter doesn't know it yet but she will get a meet and greet with the High School Musical crew there. That was about the only thing she really asked for specifically. We will have dh and I, then 23 year old son (mildly mentally impaired), 15dd (mildly mentally impaired) and then 14dd, the wish kid. We will have a wheelchair for the girls to share/take turns as they might fatigue quickly. They are tiny for their age but at this point, quite healthy and "look" like there is nothing wrong. Any good hints/tips, etc. We didn't plan any meals, etc. as I don't even know what day the High School Musical thing is yet, etc. We can eat breakfast and supper at Give Kids the World but I am sure we will want to stay in the parks for lunch. Do we bring water bottles along? My dh and ds might enjoy a few of the milder roller coasters/thrill rides but other than that, we are not huge thrill ride people. I think that dd will enjoy the shows, safari in Animal Kingdom, etc. Any good tips for us? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 Is it Disneyland, if so Blue Bayou is great restaurant. Try to see if you can get preferred seating to all the parades and fireworks, they do have it to everyone. Than you dont have to wait for hours. Go on as many tours, you always learn something wonderful. They do have concierge at the hotel who can set up all your dining plans and you dont have to worry about anything. Grand Californian has an excellent concierge staff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicagoshannon Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 Make sure to take advantage of your wish status. They usually let the wish kids cut in line to see characters and do rides due to fatigue. Just ask the cast member when you get to an attraction/character. I"m not sure if Give Kids the WOrld will give you a special pass or not. IF they dont' make sure to stop at guest relations first thing to get your special ID card thingy. You can bring water bottles in if you like. You can even bring a small cooler with snacks/lunch as long as it doesn't have wheels. They will also give you a free glass of tap water and ice if you ask. They don't allow glass though. I'd try to do most of the rides if you can. I'd say if you're not thrill seekers you'll want to stay away from Expedition Everest (in animal kingdom), Mission Space in Epcot, Space Mountain in Magic Kingdom and Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster in Hollywood Studios. I"d say collect as many fastpasses as possible but because you're going on a Wish trip you probably won't need any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 (edited) MGM is one of the Disney parks (it's now called Disney Studios). Do you perhaps mean three days at Disney, one at SeaWorld and one at Universal Studios? I hate lines, and I think managing lines is key to a good Disney trip. Based on that, I'd recommend spending the $11 and subscribe to http://www.touringplans.com. They'll tell you the best and worst Disney parks for each day, best on historical crowd levels. We tend to love the coasters, but a great non-coaster ride is Toy Story Mania at Disney Studios. It had long lines last time we were there, so definitely following the touring plans advice on when to ride it. Have a great trip! ETA: I completely forgot about you possibly being able to skip some lines because of being there with Make A Wish. Still, I think the less crowded parks are probably more enjoyable even for walking around. Edited February 22, 2011 by Melinda in VT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 Definitely have the pass where you can get to the front of the line and stuff due to your child's condition. I'm not sure what it is called, but you should be able to get one. We never bring water bottles as they are a pain to lug around. Any refreshment booth or counter service restaurant that offers fountain drinks will give you HUGE cups of ice cold water for free, as many times as you want. So we do that. That way we can drink what we want, toss it, and then get more later. MGM (now called Hollywood Studios) is a Disney park. Like someone else mentioned, maybe you were thinking of Universal Studios? You guys are going to be worn out after all those parks LOL! You'll have tons of fun and so many memories though. I'll tell you a few of my fave attractions in case you want to hit them: Animal Kingdom: Festival of the Lion King - this is a show. It's the caliber of a Broadway performance....really awesome. All three of your kids should enjoy it. Kilimanjaro safaris - really neat....you get to see the animals up close from your safari jeep. We've had a giraffe cross our path before! Magic Kingdom: Pirates of the Caribbean, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin (you play a game while you ride to compete for the most points by shooting lazers at targets), the Haunted Mansion. Make sure you see the parade at 3 PM, the Main Street Electrical Parade at night, as well as the Wishes fireworks show. Those are three must sees. Hollywood Studios: Lights, Motors, Action stunt show - your guys should really love this but it's very entertaining for us girls as well....lots of cool car stunts, etc. If you watch American Idol, definitely hit the American Idol Experience. Epcot - we love The Land ride. Also Maelstrom back in Norway. Plus, meander through Innoventions to see all the neat interactive things. We're not big thrill ride people either, so we skip most of those. The biggest thrills we do are Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain. No rollercoasters. As for lunch, if you want anything besides counter service, you will need to make reservations. It could be too late, but you might want to try if you are able to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 Make sure to take advantage of your wish status. They usually let the wish kids cut in line to see characters and do rides due to fatigue. Just ask the cast member when you get to an attraction/character. I"m not sure if Give Kids the WOrld will give you a special pass or not. IF they dont' make sure to stop at guest relations first thing to get your special ID card thingy. The special pass is golden! It makes life so much easier because you go in the fast pass entrance and the waits are shorter. There are also lots of other special needs patrons in these lines so you won't have to worry so much about being stared at. If Make a Wish doesn't handle the paperwork, make sure you take a doctor or school letter and get the pass at guest relations. I'd take a water bottle along because it's easier to carry than a cup and it's insulated. There are lots of water fountains to fill it at. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 (edited) -- Edited November 10, 2021 by prairiewindmomma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 Nothing helpful to say for your trip..... but I am just so thrilled for you, and so glad and touched that they have programs like this! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 You are not going to need fast passes. Your VIP badge will allow you to cut to the front of the line. It will feel very awkward at first doing that, but PLEASE do it. The whole idea is that your wish child should be able to experience as much of the parks as possible. Absolutely! I felt guilt cutting in line at Dumbo for a few minutes. The line was very long. But I thought about it logically--Not one of those persons would want to trade places with me, meaning have one of their dc have a permanent disability. And honestly, I never experienced anyone during our stay at Disney who questioned our "line cutting." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarfoot Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 We just got home from Orlando on Sat. The weather started out chilly, but ended lovely and warm. It was way more crowded than I've ever seen it there in February. There were lots and lots of large touring groups from South American countries, and judging by the numbers of school-age children, you'd have thought it was summer vacation.:glare: Having said all of that, don't feel badly about using your GKTW status to manage your time. Do your research on each park and decide what you want to do beforehand. There's so much atmosphere to soak up at each one that it's fun to just look around for awhile, too. MGM, now Hollywood Studios, has a fewer number of attractions, but they tend to take longer. The Backlot Tour takes 30-40 min., the Great Movie Ride takes about 25 min, the shows take about 30 min, etc. Star Tours is still closed until May. We were at Universal Studios in October. The crowds weren't bad, except in Harry Potter World. That's where everyone was, and it was densely packed.;) Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 Absolutely! I felt guilt cutting in line at Dumbo for a few minutes. The line was very long. But I thought about it logically--Not one of those persons would want to trade places with me, meaning have one of their dc have a permanent disability. And honestly, I never experienced anyone during our stay at Disney who questioned our "line cutting." That is what my husband said. He said that when he and my ds went to Cedar Point, they were fine with the special pass people (sorta like Make a Wish) cut in line. Seriously, if I could erase my daughter's special medical needs, I would certainly skip the Disney trip all together or stand in the long lines. This trip is for her and for her to enjoy so we will make the most of it. I do have some tour guides and we will highlight stuff we really want to do and cross off stuff that we don't. Then the rest of the stuff we can do if there is time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 We just got home from Orlando on Sat. The weather started out chilly, but ended lovely and warm.We were at Universal Studios in October. The crowds weren't bad, except in Harry Potter World. That's where everyone was, and it was densely packed.;) Have fun! Well, we are coming from COLD Michigan where we all rejoice and don our sweatshirts (no coats) when it hits 42 with sun so I think we will be OK with the temps. I actually need to get out some shorts and T-shirts for the trip as I don't think my vintage 1970s snowmobile suit and winter boots are quite the fashion statement we are looking for :-) We have no interest in Harry Potter so that is fine with us if everyone else is there and we are in the rest of the park. We are not huge crowd fans so avoiding crowds (if that is even remotely possible) would be great. I am thinking that we will take 1 day in the middle to SLEEP in and maybe just spend an afternoon at a park and head back early. I know that if my girls get overly tired, they don't do as well. What is funny is that my 14dd, esp. is very excited that they have horseback rides at GKW one day. She can't wait to ride. The kicker is that she has her OWN horse here in our backyard that she rides almost every day on her own----yet she is excited about being led around on one of their horses. Hey, this is HER thing so if she wants to hang out there and ride, that is fine with me. On that note, has anyone visited the stables for the Disney horses? She wanted to do that and see the horses up close, maybe pet them, watch the farrier work, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 (edited) --- Edited November 10, 2021 by prairiewindmomma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 Sorry to hear about your daughter. Thankfully my kids are used to those types of things and I dont' think it will bother them. They might want to ask questions though---is that really offensive? Just questions of interest about the various things, hopefully nothing offensive or too personal. My MIL is a kidney transplant patient so we saw her on home dialysis, I gave her shots, etc. My FIL is legally blind and on dialysis. DH is diabetic so they see the testing and shots daily. We have had a foster child with feeding pump, vesicostomy, etc. so that won't phase them. My mom is in a wheelchair full time so that is no big deal. Ds's girl friend is in a wheelchair most of the time or has crutches. Being that they are both in special ed classrooms they see kids that are non ambulatory and non verbal daily (and help with them), have friends that are blind, etc. WOW--looking at that, I guess my kids have a lot of experience with kids/adults with special medical needs. That has been good though as they don't think twice about nursing homes, programs for those with lots of special needs, etc. Probably the only thing that might be different for them would be girls who have lost their hair. Any hints for them asking questions--either to me or just out loud? One thing is that my girls dont' nec. have a terminal illness---as in not something where they have been given x months to live, etc. They do though have life threatening mitochondrial myopathies. They just don't know the seriousness of their conditions right now---and until the time comes, we don't want to focus on that. I am thinking though that GKW does NOT focus on the fact that many of the kids there aren't lilkely to live another year or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarfoot Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Well, we are coming from COLD Michigan where we all rejoice and don our sweatshirts (no coats) when it hits 42 with sun so I think we will be OK with the temps. I actually need to get out some shorts and T-shirts for the trip as I don't think my vintage 1970s snowmobile suit and winter boots are quite the fashion statement we are looking for :-) We have no interest in Harry Potter so that is fine with us if everyone else is there and we are in the rest of the park. We are not huge crowd fans so avoiding crowds (if that is even remotely possible) would be great. OK, you should enjoy the weather, then;) We definitely needed our sweatshirts and were glad we had long pants in the evenings. Having everyone crowded into the Harry Potter area was great for enjoying the rest of the park! We did lots of stuff with hardly any waiting! Hopefully, it will still be like that when you're there. I can't imagine it's changed that much since October, and we didn't get over there on this last trip. We did the cruise and then a few days at the Disney parks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Nothing helpful to say for your trip..... but I am just so thrilled for you, and so glad and touched that they have programs like this! :) :iagree:Have a great time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 That is what my husband said. He said that when he and my ds went to Cedar Point, they were fine with the special pass people (sorta like Make a Wish) cut in line. Seriously, if I could erase my daughter's special medical needs, I would certainly skip the Disney trip all together or stand in the long lines. This trip is for her and for her to enjoy so we will make the most of it. I do have some tour guides and we will highlight stuff we really want to do and cross off stuff that we don't. Then the rest of the stuff we can do if there is time. I absolutely agree that you should take advantage of whatever perks go along with the Make a Wish trip. As much as I hate lines, I don't begrudge anyone with a medical pass or special needs pass getting to move to the front. Disney is exhausting. (We return to our condo every single day and all of us--little kids, teens, and adults--take a nap. An actual sleeping nap.) It has to be even more so if you are dealing with medical issues. Reducing your line time will help you make the most of the energy you have. Go for it! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyOwl Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Not much to add on the medical side, but for sanity's sake, don't try to do EVERYTHING, even if this is your only trip to Disney. There is just so much to see, it can seem overwhelming. Don't feel guilty if you miss this or that. Enjoy what you are able to do and you'll have great memories of your trip. :001_smile: I've seen too many parents having meltdowns along with their kids because everyone is trying to do too much. Just relax and have fun! Have a wonderful vacation :001_smile::001_smile::001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 (edited) --- Edited November 10, 2021 by prairiewindmomma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheryl Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Yes - bottled water! Snacks: trail mix, string cheese, crackers, etc Sunscreen Keep mobile phone charged if you have one Know where restrooms and medical stations are GOOD quality wicking socks GOOD quality (even new) walking shoes Camera/charged Sunglasses and/or visors, etc DW maps Know what y'all are wearing if one gets lost There's more. I didn't read the replies and don't know if I repeated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheryl Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Forgot to add HAVE A GREAT TIME! :party::party: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 24, 2011 Author Share Posted February 24, 2011 That should be easy with the questions. My girls are pretty good about things like that. Since I am a woman between 40 and 60 I will be very careful with my questions though :-) I can't imagine the things people say though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarfoot Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Also, my kids enjoy finding "Hidden Mickeys," which are everywhere. There's a book that you can buy once you get there in every park and resort. It's yellow and not too big, and called, Hidden Mickeys. You could probably get it on Amazon, too. It's just a fun little diversion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglei Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I don't have anything specific to say about your Make-a-Wish destination - I think prairiewindmomma spoke very well from personal experience, and others have given good advice as well. I just wanted to say that, when Make-a-Wish sets up a trip, they do it RIGHT. My son's MAW request was very different than your daughter's. Nonetheless, you will feel pampered and very special - as you and your family certainly are. You will have tons of wonderful memories. Don't worry about the details. MAW has already done that for you, and you will be surprised with how smoothly all the logistics go, and with how special your daughter (and your family) will be treated and made to feel. Enjoy this special vacation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs_JWM Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Just posting to say have a wonderful time, takes lots of pictures, and enjoy a special trip with your family! I wonder what the best memories will be when you look back on it years later. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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