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

Also, has anyone done the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party during a Make-A-Wish? I have heard conflicting reports about character photo lines: some people say, Make-A-Wish kids go to the front-others say no Make-A-Wish kids wait in the character meet and greet lines. Either way I am fine, just want to prepare the kids for lines.
We just went on our trip in September. The magic band isn't worth it because you cannot link your credit card to it if you are not staying at a resort. You can download the Disney App for free and see all of the pictures on your phone right after they are taken and then download after your trip t your computer. We also bought tickets to the Mickey Halloween party with our spending money. You do not wait in any lines for characters for that....I will saw the Halloween ones are quite spread out and they were hard to find. But you can go in as early as 4 pm and they are open late, so essentially it gave us an extra day at Magic Kingdom!
 
Thanks a million PrincessTeacher. I am always afraid people will upset when we are going to the front of lines. How did it work for you with the character greets? Did you have to see someone to go to the front? Even with rides we are not 100% sure how to bypass the lines.
We just went on our trip in September. The magic band isn't worth it because you cannot link your credit card to it if you are not staying at a resort. You can download the Disney App for free and see all of the pictures on your phone right after they are taken and then download after your trip t your computer. We also bought tickets to the Mickey Halloween party with our spending money. You do not wait in any lines for characters for that....I will saw the Halloween ones are quite spread out and they were hard to find. But you can go in as early as 4 pm and they are open late, so essentially it gave us an extra day at Magic Kingdom!
 
GKTW will give you a pass that looks like a genie on a lanyard. Whoever is wearing that (we had my older daughter because I was scared our wish kid might loose it), will show it to the cast member with the character and they will get you in to see the character with little to no wait. For rides you go to the Fast Pass line and instead of swiping your magic hand to show them the genie pass as well. Some people gave us snotty looks but for the most part the cast members are good about letting people know that you are on a wish trip and then People settle down! Plus, who cares they have all healthy kids! Haha!
 
GKTW will give you a pass that looks like a genie on a lanyard. Whoever is wearing that (we had my older daughter because I was scared our wish kid might loose it), will show it to the cast member with the character and they will get you in to see the character with little to no wait. For rides you go to the Fast Pass line and instead of swiping your magic hand to show them the genie pass as well. Some people gave us snotty looks but for the most part the cast members are good about letting people know that you are on a wish trip and then People settle down! Plus, who cares they have all healthy kids! Haha!

Perfect, I am sure my son would lose the genie pass pretty quick, but we shall try. He will be in a stroller for the most part anyway. We think alike in that the people should be happy their kids are healthy. I would skip 3 days of jumping to the head of lines at Disney, if my kids didn't have to go through all their treatments.
I am sure GKTW will explain everything to us when we get there. A little nervous because we have the tickets for the first night we arrive, so things might be a little chaotic.
 
Perfect, I am sure my son would lose the genie pass pretty quick, but we shall try. He will be in a stroller for the most part anyway. We think alike in that the people should be happy their kids are healthy. I would skip 3 days of jumping to the head of lines at Disney, if my kids didn't have to go through all their treatments.
I am sure GKTW will explain everything to us when we get there. A little nervous because we have the tickets for the first night we arrive, so things might be a little chaotic.
Yes! They go over everything with you. You have to do a little one on one orientation the day you check in. It takes about 30 minutes to get all of your passes and things. The genie pass also gets you free parking....which is expensive! So don't forget that!!! You will have a wonderful time! The volunteers are amazing! Make sure to schedule a tuck in with the Mayor!
 
Yes! They go over everything with you. You have to do a little one on one orientation the day you check in. It takes about 30 minutes to get all of your passes and things. The genie pass also gets you free parking....which is expensive! So don't forget that!!! You will have a wonderful time! The volunteers are amazing! Make sure to schedule a tuck in with the Mayor!

I have seen people talk about a tuck in with Mayor Clayton. Sounds fun, except my son is petrified of things in costume. He hates when he cannot see their real faces. He loves Mickey, and we might not even be able to say hi to him. As it is his wish, he shall take the lead on what he does and does not want to do!
 
We are headed on my son's wish trip on December 22nd. I have been going back and forth about getting a magic band. I was told by a Disney representative online that I would not be able to hook my credit card to it because I am not staying at a Disney property. Is this false information? Would it be beneficial to get the magic bands? Or at least one that has the photo pass and my credit card, if that can be done? Soany questions, so little time!!!
Yes- if at all possible Magic bands are a must!
 


Yes- if at all possible Magic bands are a must!
Hi Minnie Mouse 2789....can you please elaborate on what I will be using the Magic Bands for? Can we get away with a single band because of all the extra perks of the Make-A-Wish trip? I am still on the fence about the benefits of the Magic band with all the other benefits of the Make-A-Wish.
 
Hi Minnie Mouse 2789....can you please elaborate on what I will be using the Magic Bands for? Can we get away with a single band because of all the extra perks of the Make-A-Wish trip? I am still on the fence about the benefits of the Magic band with all the other benefits of the Make-A-Wish.
I'e done a maw trip without magic band and a regular trip with the magic band, and you do not need the magic band for the maw trip. You cant' link your tickets or credit card to it, you dont need it for fast pass because you get genie pass instead,and maw will give you a photopass that is separate from magic band. There just wouldn' be any point in having the magic bands
 
I have seen people talk about a tuck in with Mayor Clayton. Sounds fun, except my son is petrified of things in costume. He hates when he cannot see their real faces. He loves Mickey, and we might not even be able to say hi to him. As it is his wish, he shall take the lead on what he does and does not want to do!

Luckily GKTW is the perfect place to test this all out. They have special meet and greets at the village with Mickey and some of the other characters and the lines are generally very short, plus you get more time than in the parks. You can take your son there and see how he does. At GKTW you wouldn't feel guilty for holding up the line and the characters can spend some more time trying to warm up to your soon. Mayor Clayton (and friends) are out and about sometimes and are at the parties, so your son can also see him from a distance and see him dancing around with other kids which might help. You can try to schedule the tuck in later in your trip because by then he might be more keen about meeting him. If not, oh well! I HATED the characters as a kid. Looking back, it saved me a lot of time because I would have rather waited on a ride line than a character line!
 
We are headed on my son's wish trip on December 22nd. I have been going back and forth about getting a magic band. I was told by a Disney representative online that I would not be able to hook my credit card to it because I am not staying at a Disney property. Is this false information? Would it be beneficial to get the magic bands? Or at least one that has the photo pass and my credit card, if that can be done? Soany questions, so little time!!!
Yes you need to stay on site to have your CC linked ( or it has been like this in the pass)
 
For parades, is there a special viewing area for Wish families? If so, where is it located? Is the viewing area available during special ticketed events like MVMCP?
 
For parades, is there a special viewing area for Wish families? If so, where is it located? Is the viewing area available during special ticketed events like MVMCP?
We sat in an area reserved for wheelchairs at Magic Kingdom on my daughter's wish trip. However, she was using a wheelchair for at the parks.
 
So how does the Make a Wish process work? My daughter was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma a few weeks ago. We were told by a friend they applied on her behalf, and up to that moment we didn't know she was eligible. I'm pretty sure she'll pick Disney, but who knows, I just want it to be what she wants. We are a long way from her being able to go, but I do want her to have something to look forward to.
 
I'm very sorry about your daughter's diagnosis. My daughter had stage IV ERMS & and she's been in remission for almost 2 years. We're finally going on her wish trip next month. You are a great father & you will get her through this.

The MAW process for a cancer kid is very easy- her oncologist just signs a form and she gets a wish (easy like that you don't need, I know). A volunteer or two will come to your house & talk to your daughter about what she's thinking about for a wish. Your social worker & other parents are great resources for ideas.
 
I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter.

If you find your local MAW chapter's website, they will have all the information you need about getting her referred. If you don't know which chapter is local to you (some states share a chapter, some larger states have multiple chapters) MAW America's website has a zip code locator. There are four people who can recommend a child - a parent, the doctor, a social worker, or the child themselves. You should have no problem doing this as a parent, and they will walk you through the rest. The referral form is right on the website.

As mentioned above, make sure to look for ideas for wishes! A really good resource is the MAW websites themselves. They usually list their past wishes so you can look at what other kids wished for. When MAW volunteers come to your house to help the wish kid figure out what they want, they sometimes play the "wish game" which you can play yourself. All wishes usually fall into four categories: I wish to go, I wish to be, I wish to meet, and I wish to have. The wish game asks the kid "If you could go to any three places, where would you want to go? If you could be three different things/professions, what would they be, etc." Then they trim it down from there. Ex: "You said you would want to go to Disney World, Hawaii, and to Paris. If you could only pick one of those, what would it be?" Eventually, as the kid eliminates things they don't care that much about and start talking about what they are really passionate about, you get a good picture of what they want.
 
Dose anyone know if the genie pass is giving at Disney or at gktw. We're local and our tickets are going to be at will-call. So will we get the genie there or do we need to see about getting it before hand? Thanks
 
Dose anyone know if the genie pass is giving at Disney or at gktw. We're local and our tickets are going to be at will-call. So will we get the genie there or do we need to see about getting it before hand? Thanks
We had to go to an orientation our first night at gktw, and got our genie pass then.
 
Dose anyone know if the genie pass is giving at Disney or at gktw. We're local and our tickets are going to be at will-call. So will we get the genie there or do we need to see about getting it before hand? Thanks
I wouldn't think they'd give it to you early. We got ours from GKTW, but it's been 6 years, so I don't know how much has changed. I'd contact your local MAW chapter and see what they say.
 
I’m glad I found this thread. My coworker’s daughter was granted a Wish trip and they’ve never been to Disney and I’ve been asked for any tips or advice I can offer since I’ve been to WDW several times with my family (not on any Wish trips though). I know they will have a three day park hopper and will be staying at GKTW. I think MAW is handling her daughter’s specific request to meet and dine with Cinderella and they will have character meet and greets at GKTW and don’t have to worry about scheduling fastpasses or lines. I helped her order some matching family shirts and a Cinderella outfit for her daughter. The mom has no interest in the Disboards as she said she felt it was overwhelming. I think she more so wants advice on how to go about touring and what to do or skip since they will have a three day park hopper ticket. Her daughter is an only child so they are able to completely focus on this trip being about what she is primarily interested in. She did ask me about the magic band and I told her it isn’t really necessary since they aren’t staying at a Disney resort and won’t have scheduled fast passes. Are there any specific tips I should give her? I am so excited for this family. This little girl is so awesome and deserving of this.
 

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