Make a wish Trip to Disney Help please

[starryfish]

Hi all!

I normally frequent on other boards but my nephew (8yo) is getting his wish trip to Disney/Universal next month. my DH and I are going with him since my MIL has custody and wants our help (approved by MAW already). 

Can you give me any tips or helpful info? I am planning our schedule to each park and taking care of everything. I have never done Disney as an adult with kids (plus my baby who is 9m will be coming with us). How long should I estimate for us to be in the parks each day? He might tire easily from the chemo has has been on. My baby is pretty easy going and will nap in the stroller. 

Even if you haven't done a wish trip, I would appreciate any Disney help as I don't know what a 8yo boy would MOST like to see. I know some of his interests. 

Thanks! :-)

[Deleted]

for a baby and a compromised 8 yo, i would plan a midday break...a few hours in the morning, back to the hotel for a rest and then some afternoon fun (assuming you're staying at a disney hotel?)

If you're able to go to all 4 disney parks, i'm thinking and 8 year old would really enjoy the star wars stuff at hollywood studios. And the magic kingdom is perfect for everyone.

Personally, i would plan a sit down lunch each day...get to the parks in the morning (breakfast in room or a quick bite at the hotel cafeteria). I would try to get your fast passes for that morning slot, ride those rides/see those characters, and then eat your sit down lunch...then head back when people need a rest and the remainder of your day is open. You can swim, rest more, or head back to the parks to see more things/eat some quick service type stuff.

(I'm not any help about universal, so hopefully somewhere here can touch more on that)

You could also rent a wheelchair for your nephew to lessen his walking/stress, if you really want to press through your day or are staying off property which might not be totally worth going back midday.

[Deleted]

Just thinking....Does make-a-wish not assist with plans? For some reason i thought they did, but again, someone more knowledgeable can maybe answer that.

Also, i hope this is a wonderful trip for your family and that it is especially fun and cathartic for your nephew!

[CrazyLucky]

My son is 7 and we are going to Disney in November. I think he will be most excited about Star Wars and Toy Story at Hollywood studios; Test track, Soarin', and mission space at epcot; Pirates of the Carribbean, Big Thunder Mountain railroad, Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, Tomorrowland Speedway, and the Seven Dwarfs Mine train at Magic Kingdom; Expedition Everest, Na'vi River at Animal Kingdom.

I hope you have a great time!

[covergirl82]

Echoing @sing4mysavior, I thought MAW helped with plans too...

Anyway, we went last year when my DS was 7. His favorites were anything Star Wars (although Star Tours might not be good as it can cause motion sickness) and Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios, and the Buzz Lightyear, Pirates of the Caribbean, and race track rides in Magic Kingdom. The safari at Animal Kingdom would also be fun, and more relaxing. The road is somewhat bumpy, though, if that would be a concern.

I would also say that you may want to take a lot of breaks, maybe go late some mornings, or take midday breaks, and do sit-down meals as PPs suggested. The parades are an easy way to see a number of characters.

Are your meals already planned? If not, one meal both my kids enjoyed, that they want to go to again when we go back to WDW next year, is Whispering Canyon Café, in the Wilderness Lodge resort. They have endless milkshakes and the food is delicious.

[starryfish]

Oct 3, 2017 13:25:26 GMT -5 @sing4mysavior said:

Just thinking....Does make-a-wish not assist with plans? For some reason i thought they did, but again, someone more knowledgeable can maybe answer that.

Also, i hope this is a wonderful trip for your family and that it is especially fun and cathartic for your nephew!

We get a free wheelchair rental. They have lots of helpful info about parks and special stuff we get to do. Great bonus and getting the "genie pass" where we get to fastpass every ride or use the HC entrance. That will definitely save time. 

I just joined a MAW Disney group on FB and they have been very helpful!

We are staying at the Give Kids the World which is the makeawish resort there

[starryfish]

@sing4mysavior, covergirl82, my MIL gets the info and doesn't share much even though I am doing the planning and organizing. So I am just winging it with what little info I have.

[starryfish]

Oct 3, 2017 14:27:34 GMT -5 covergirl82 said:

Echoing @sing4mysavior , I thought MAW helped with plans too...

Anyway, we went last year when my DS was 7. His favorites were anything Star Wars (although Star Tours might not be good as it can cause motion sickness) and Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios, and the Buzz Lightyear, Pirates of the Caribbean, and race track rides in Magic Kingdom. The safari at Animal Kingdom would also be fun, and more relaxing. The road is somewhat bumpy, though, if that would be a concern.

I would also say that you may want to take a lot of breaks, maybe go late some mornings, or take midday breaks, and do sit-down meals as PPs suggested. The parades are an easy way to see a number of characters.

Are your meals already planned? If not, one meal both my kids enjoyed, that they want to go to again when we go back to WDW next year, is Whispering Canyon Café, in the Wilderness Lodge resort. They have endless milkshakes and the food is delicious.

That is what I am worried about meals.....most good dining reservations are long gone. I will ask on the FB group on if MAW does anything for that. They feed us at the MAW resort. 

What lunch spots would be good to hit? In the past I did BOG and then just quick serve stuff that required no reservations. 

[curbsideprophet]

Touringplans has a free reservation finder. You put in the time/restaurant you want then they will send you a text of a spot opens up.

I would study the park maps/layout so you can avoid crisscrossing back and forth.

I believe touringplans lets you create custom plans under the free account. You can plug in the rides/shows/stops and they will map it out for you.

[curbsideprophet]

I would also look at the QS restaurants to offer mobile order. There are a bunch now and that could save you some time waiting in line for food. I have. It used it myself yet but I have heard good things.

[fancynewbeesly]

We went on MAW trip to Disney a few years ago. MAW doesn't really plan anything. And each chapter is different. But you will be staying at Give Kids the World--which is SOOOO completely amazing. Every night is a different holiday/activity. They leave surprises in your villa every day. The villa i believe sleeps 8. It has a mini kitchenette. Everything is free there. Food, etc. Make sure you have ice cream for breakfast.

MAW will provide a car, because you will have to drive to the parks--about 15/20 minutes. They also give you a stipend to spend on food/souvenirs IN the park. Now, that varies the amount from each different MAW chapter.

Make sure your genie pass is showing. My daughter was three, so the adult wore it...We have it in a lanyard. You seriously won't have to wait on any lines for anything. My daughter's favorite special thing was when she got to act as Belle in Storytale Theater and when she got to go up on stage to introduce the Little Mermaid Show.

You do have to make reservations yourself for restaurants though. And plan anything extra.

If I think of anything else I will let you know.

[covergirl82]

Oct 3, 2017 14:56:27 GMT -5 starryfish said:

Oct 3, 2017 14:27:34 GMT -5 covergirl82 said:

Echoing @sing4mysavior , I thought MAW helped with plans too...

Anyway, we went last year when my DS was 7. His favorites were anything Star Wars (although Star Tours might not be good as it can cause motion sickness) and Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios, and the Buzz Lightyear, Pirates of the Caribbean, and race track rides in Magic Kingdom. The safari at Animal Kingdom would also be fun, and more relaxing. The road is somewhat bumpy, though, if that would be a concern.

I would also say that you may want to take a lot of breaks, maybe go late some mornings, or take midday breaks, and do sit-down meals as PPs suggested. The parades are an easy way to see a number of characters.

Are your meals already planned? If not, one meal both my kids enjoyed, that they want to go to again when we go back to WDW next year, is Whispering Canyon Café, in the Wilderness Lodge resort. They have endless milkshakes and the food is delicious.

That is what I am worried about meals.....most good dining reservations are long gone. I will ask on the FB group on if MAW does anything for that. They feed us at the MAW resort. 

What lunch spots would be good to hit? In the past I did BOG and then just quick serve stuff that required no reservations. 

Cosmic Ray's in Tomorrowland in MK was good.  Lots of indoor seating if it's hot outside.  At HS, we liked Catalina Eddie's / Rosie's All American Café (on Sunset Blvd); there is ample covered outdoor seating.  There is also the ABC Commissary at HS, which has indoor seating, but we didn't eat there.  At Epcot, there is a QS place in The Land building if you'd prefer a cool, indoor place to eat.  I can't recall eating at a QS place in AK recently, so I'm not sure what to recommend there.  If you're at Disney Springs, I've heard that the Wolfgang Puck place is really good. 

[mainelyfoolish]

Since you don't have to worry about fast passes and you don't know how your nephew will feel each day, I wouldn't worry about getting dining reservations now. There will be reservations available at the last minute as people cancel plans during their trips. Check the app the day before or the morning of the day you want to have a restaurant meal and book whatever appeals to you the most.

[katiescarlett]

Give Kids the World is amazing! I'm not sure how they do things now, but we went in 2002 and got tickets to Disney and Sea World and Universal. We didn't have enough time to use them all. The pass to get to the front is so incredibly helpful. I wouldn't worry too much about dining. There are tons of quick service places and the food is fine. If he is on chemo he may not be up to eating much anyway. I would just plan to try and keep things low key. There is SO much to see and do. Pick what sounds the best, plan around that. Everything else is a bonus. DS is 8 and he really likes anything that involves star wars, competition like toy story mania, and a lot of the rides and theming at universal.

[revolution]

Get him a pirate makeover at Pirates League! Call and get him a reservation:
disneyworld.disney.go.com/shops/magic-kingdom/pirates-league/

make them fit you in!

[revolution]

ADR: I'd do BOG at MK. My DS liked the Sci Fi Dine in at Hollywood studios.

Does he have any interest in meeting characters? Mickey? Pooh?

[revolution]

Back again - I'd go to the touring plans and look at the rides and see what he might like. THen you can map out what you want to do at each park.

I'd plan a sit down lunch each day for a break and good food. And, if needed, go back to the resort for a nap if he wants. Or go all day and head back for dinner at the resort and some evening downtime.

How many nights are you there? I'd try to get back for the fireworks at MK one night.

[momof2]

I know I'm late, but we did our MAW trip a few years ago. We have been back to GKTW as alums for a couple of years. Here are some things that may help you to plan this:

1. Go on the GKTW website and really look at all the fun stuff they have going on there. There are likely certain activities at GKTW that you will want to prioritize. It is an amazing experience that you will never be able to replicate. Each night is a different theme - Xmas, Halloween, Pirates and Princesses, Tea Party, etc. If he wants to go fishing, ride the ponies, etc, then some of that is during the day time at GKTW. Also, you can meet Disney/Nickelodeon characters at GKTW (we didn't because we got to the parks early instead).
2. Don't plan to buy a bunch of souvenirs. You will literally get gifts every day at GKTW -- make sure you have an empty bag to bring it all back.
3. Disney is a bit of a haul from GKTW (particularly MK where you have to park, ride the boat, etc). We never considered going back to nap and coming back later. We did all the evening activities at GKTW because they are amazing. You may feel completely differently about your schedule, but I felt like it was really 30 minutes door to door to MK.
4. You will get a lump sum to cover expenses that is generous, but it isn't enough to cover an expensive Disney character meal every day. We did one breakfast at Tusker House. We did breakfast at GKTW in the mornings before we left, ate something quick at the park (we prioritize rides over meals) and then came back for dinner at GKTW.
5. The GKTW food is pretty good. For dinner, you basically go to the cafeteria. They have 3 sections -- one is some sort of cafeteria food (some nights it is a theme, like Italian or Chinese), then they always have Boston Market rotisserie chicken/meatloaf/sides section, then they have a section of kid food (chicken strips, mac and cheese, etc). You can also have pizzas delivered to your villa. You can always cook at your villa if there are very specific eating preferences that you have to navigate.
6. Because you will Fastpass everything, you will likely get done everything you want to get done in 6-8 hours (if you don't do long meals).
7. Make sure you really understand your nephew's energy and eating patterns. I assume that your MIL has picked a date where his white blood cell count will be the highest. This is usually also the time our kid had the most energy so it typically works in your favor.
8. You will likely eat a lot of ice cream at GKTW.
9. We had a 3 year old so there wasn't much for us at Universal. My main thought on this for an older kid is to know whether he is prone to nausea. All that 3D type stuff at Universal could be hard if your nephew's stomach is rocky. Make sure you MIL brings all the Zofran she can even if it is typically a week when he would not be nauseous (or whatever med he takes for this).
10. And my final point is not to stress about this, whatever you end up doing will be amazing. And honestly, if your nephew doesn't feel well and you barely set foot in the parks and just hang out at GKTW, he will have an amazing time. We actually go back to Disney every year and that is when we visit GKTW as an alum. My kid actually likes the time we visit GKTW even more than Disney.

[VillainV]

We are doing our son's MAW trip in a few weeks! Honestly, we are trying really hard not to "plan" much, which is hard for us. BUT, we don't know how much energy C will have, and want to make it as fun for him as possible without feeling like we have to cram in absolutely everything. The hard part for us is that we have family in Orlando who are desperate to spend time with us, and are trying to make the trip all about THEM instead of letting it be all about what C wants to do.

Our going-in gameplan is to eat breakfast at GKTW, get to the parks relatively early, leave mid-afternoon, and go back to GKTW for a rest, swim, dinner, activities, etc. C is 3, so we will probably do all 3 days at Disney (probably 1.5 at MK, .5 at Epcot, 1 at Animal Kingdom), 1 day at Sea World, and 1 day at Universal. The last day we will probably try to spend at GKTW, and maybe have our family members come spend the day with us there. But there is a good chance we'll change it up when we get there, and that's okay too.

If you want, I'll PM you when we get back and let you know how everything went!

[VillainV]

@startyfish, I just PMed you!!!