We're back from MAW trip!!

2morrow

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jul 25, 2004
We are back and wanted to give a full report on our adventures!! :Pinkbounc
We left for the airport early wednesday morning 5-4, everything went really smooth, no problems with our flights or connecting flights! My dd 7 did throw up on the first flight and our ds 10 (maw child) threw up on the second flight!! That happened b/c we had no time to eat at all!! We had some left overs from the limo ride to the hotel but it wasn't a meal that they needed! We did have one small problem: We were told from our wish cordinators that a shuttle would pick us up in the morning to take us to the airport, but when we asked the front desk about it, there was no shuttle! So we took a cab to the airport which was only about 5 min. away. We got to GKTW around 2:00, so we had alot of time to check out the village, it is fantastic!! :cheer2: For those of you that will be going soon you are in for a wonderful treat!! My kids wanted to stay at this place more than the parks and we did! They have so much to do there, and then they give you so many places you could go to besides the parks! The villas are great also we were in #108 it was right across a pond and it was beautiful!! J-me another disboard member was in the villa about 4 doors down from us, so we did get to meet! IT WAS NICE MEETING YOU J-ME! We did go to MK and it rained of course but just off and on, we only had to wait 10 min. at the most for a ride so that was nice, and when we got in line for a character meet and great they came and pulled us aside and the characters came to us, the cm told us to always go to a cm with the characters b/c you get to be first! We also did SW and dining with shamu that was nice but it was very crowed there and it was hard to get to one show to another, and we didn't get to see everything ther. ANd at the pets ahoy show we started to walk in (10 min until show time) and a cm stopped us and said that the handicapped viewing area was full :guilty: so we didn't get to see that one and was kinda of surprised that it could be full, b/c all the other shows had plenty of seating for w/c. Oh well! We also went to Animal kingdom I loved this place! If anyone is going do the lion king show it is awesome!! We wanted to do the safari ride, so when we came to the entrance the cm pointed me into the regular line, I didn't much about it b/c we saw other w/c ahead and thought ok, BIG mistake, we were in that line over a half an hour! I think he should have put us in the fast pass line , that's what they did everywhere else we went, he must not have seen our button. Then we went to the river rapids line, and the cm there told us to go in a regular line and I questioned him about it and showed him our button and then he let us go in the fast pass line! So word to the wise question the cm if they try to put you in a regular line!! This only happened at AK. Animal kingom closes at 5:00 so again we didn't get to see everything so we went back the next day for a few hours and then hopped over to epcot, the only trouble we had at epcot was when we went to get a stroller for our dd they tried to charge us for it we keeped telling him that we get a free one with the GKTW button, but he said he knew nothing about it, so we showed him the reciept for the one from AK and got one that way! We didn't enjoy epcot very much, not a whole lot of rides for my kids, we did eat at the coral reef restraunt- did not like this place, the food was too fancy for us common people and it just didn't tast very good and it was expensive! Most of our time was spent at the village we played putt-putt golf over 7 times, watched a movie, one day we swam at the pool, played games, etc, we always ate breakfast and dinner there- the food is great by the way! DS fished about three times and the kids just loved playing in the castle and at the train place, it was alot of fun there!!! One night they had christmas with snow, another night was Mayor Clayton's b-day party, that bunny cracks me up!! Every day and night there is some kind of activity and they have characters come to get your pictures taken with: AND they are not kidding when they say bring empty luggage with you b/c they send you home with so much you will need the extra room!! We packed light but we still could have left some of the kids' t-shirts at home they get two t-shirts when you check in!! And they gave us plenty of laundry soap to do laundry!! There is so much more I could tell but that will take awhile to type, if anyone has any ? I can probably answer them!
 
Thanks for the report.
Sounds like you had a great time.
By the way, for the Safari, we have actually been waiting in the wheelchair area and seen them bring MAW guests in thru the exit to the wheelchair area. That was during a busy time when there were already quite a few special needs guests waiting so that may be why they did it that way. But it sounds like you got a few CMs who didn't know what they were supposed to do.
 
It was great to read your report and I'm glad your family had a good time! We are really looking forward to our trip this fall. ( Crossing our fingers that everyone stays healthy!) It's good to know that you liked the GKTW restaurant. My boys have feeding issues so I'm planning to call when our date gets closer and check on some things. What characters did you see at the village? What did you do at the Christmas party? We are looking forward to Seaworld too. Do you have any tips? Did your kids get to feed the rays or dolphins? ( I read about this in a guide book)
Both of my boys are in wheelchairs and the oldest has stamina problems so I'm trying to work out a plan before we go. Thanks for sharing!

PS. Just noticed you are in Wabash. I'm up in NW Indiana in Griffith.
 
I'd love to hear more about GKTW. I've googled and been reading trip reports, on one I saw that they gave1 pass to other theme parks around the country to be used in the next year. Are they still doing that? Did you get a tuck in? How do you schedual that? There's so much I want to know :rotfl: I think I'm more excited about this trip than DD..

Amanda
 
2morrow,
Thanks for posting about your ds's MAW trip. Sorry to hear about the shuttle bus mishap and the vomitting. Last yr, we went on dd's MAW trip. There were a couple of mishaps with our limo sevice, dropping us off at the wrong gate, etc. My dd's wish coordinator would tell us one thing and the limo people would tell us another. I guess that is kind of usual with MAW, what I've been hearing from other people in my area. Oh well.

Sounds like overall you had a great trip with lots of nice memories!


Rosemarie :flower:
 
2morrow said:
They have so much to do there, and then they give you so many places you could go to besides the parks!
Really?! care to elaborate? I suck at surprises :rotfl:

2morrow said:
when we got in line for a character meet and great they came and pulled us aside and the characters came to us, the cm told us to always go to a cm with the characters b/c you get to be first!
Ohh that's a very nice perk!

Did Sea World go the extra mile? How about Universal?
 
MarieS: The second day we were there, we got our pictures taken with Mickey and Minnie, they give you the picture when you check out, it is a nice 8x10!! One day there was Jimmy Nutron and some other character with him I can't remember, my kids didn't always want to meet the characters. On other days there was: Goofy, pluto,alice in wonderland, and other various ones. They seemed to always be there right after we ate breakfast(8:30) if there wasn't characters there, then they had(on certain days) pony rides, carriage rides, one day there was a dog to pet! Like I said they always seemed to have something going on right after breakfast or around dinner time!! Everynight when you get back to your villa, they always had something for the kids and a newsletter telling you what would be going on in the village the next day!! We spent alot of time in the village, b/c we knew this would be the only time we would ever be there, the parks we can always go to in the future! We did not go to Universal. Tips for SW: I don't know really, when we got there we went to the dolpin place, they were showing off the dolpins and how they train them ,etc. It was so crowded that we couldn't get the kids close to the wall to see them, so we got in line to get some food to feed the dolpins( you get one free tray of fish(3) with your button) then we had to have a trainer help clear out a section so that we could feed them!! And it was great!!! A must do! They get right up to you and you can reach down and touch them! And they also take your picture for you, we did not get this free we had to pay for it, it was a nice picture and I think it was
$18.00 for a 8x10( you can get smaller sizes) we also got to feed the sting rays, both kids got a tray for free with the button, and we feed the sea lions, and the baby sharks, you also get one tray of food with the button! My best tip for you at SW is to NOT go on the weekend, we went on a Friday, and it was so crowded! All the shows are fun, it is just hard to see all of them! We went to the sea lion show, and both shamu shows! We did not get to see pets ahoy!
Reyasmom: We did get a pass to go to other places around the world for a year! Living in Indiana there is only 5 places on the list, so it looks like we will be doing some more traveling through out this year! We did not do the tuck in, my kids didn't want it, but when you have your orientation they show you where to sign up for it then! When they give you your bunny book(very handy book, has all the driving directions in it- keep this with you at all times) in the back it has a list of other tickets you can get: Gatorland, Green meadows petting farm,Kennedy space center, Pirate's island golf, pioneer museum, titanic exhibit, wet n' wild, bush gardens, central air boat, thats all I see listed. Magic kingdom was the only one that let our kids go to the front at a meet-n-greet. When we were leaving AK we saw Pocahontus and Meeko, and took our kids over there to see them and just as we got there the cm was telling all the kids that were waiting to see them that they were done for now and so I started to tell my kids that they were getting ready to take a break, the cm lady turned saw our button and said" oh sorry" and let us go on up to them! That was nice of her to do- but don't expect them to always do that The buuny book says that the pass or button is invalid for the character greets. We didn't see any characters at SW and did not go to Universal!
 


At the christmas party, they made it snow in front of the castle, there was cookies to decorate and eat, Santa claus was there! The kids got to sit on his lap and they took a picture with all of us with santa, and the kids got to pick out a t-shirt and one toy. We the parents, also got to pick out a shirt, my husband picked out a sweatshirt with the espn logo on it! The christmas party was on Thursday night at 7:30! Don't forget they also show movies every day at 5 and7, It is a nice theater and it is so cool to go and get popcorn and candy and pop without paying for any of it!! They showed a variety of movies like: the incredibles, peter pan, and garfield( we watched that one) at first I didn't really want to spend our time watching movies but the kids wanted to and I'm really glad we did! As soon as I can figure out how to post a picture in my signature I'll put up the ones they took of us!
 
Thanks for all the wonderful info! Hearing about your trip makes me more excited about going with my boys! Can I ask one more question about Seaworld? Both of my ds are in wheelchairs, I am wondering if they will be able to reach to pet the dolphins, etc for the feeding time? What do you think? Thanks again!
 
MarieS said:
Thanks for all the wonderful info! Hearing about your trip makes me more excited about going with my boys! Can I ask one more question about Seaworld? Both of my ds are in wheelchairs, I am wondering if they will be able to reach to pet the dolphins, etc for the feeding time? What do you think? Thanks again!

It was hard to get my ds w/c close to the wall edge, we had to turn the w/c sideways, he could throw the fish to them but not able to reach them that way. My ds was able to sit on his knees in his w/c seat so that he could lean over to reach them. And still wasn't able to get to them as easily as other people, the dolpins are fast and don't stick around too long to be petted. We had a trainer help us b/c they see the trainers and follow where they go, but they never suggested any other spots to go to, so that it would be easier for ds to reach them. My suggestion would be after you get the fish food find a trainer and ask if they could help keep the dolphins close to your kids so they have a chance to touch them! Maybe there is someplace better to go then where we were! Just try to go during the weekday, it was so crowded when we went nobody would even move out of the way to let my kids feed the dolphins, which is why I found a trainer to help us!
Oh yeah I also mentioned in my previous post that gktw gave us a 8x10 pic with mickey and minnie, sorry it is a 5x7!
You and your family are going to have a blast whatever it is you do while you are there, did you say you are going in October? That will be a good time to go, not as hot or crowded!
 
Yes, we are scheduled to go the end of October.( fingers crossed!) Our pulmonologist recommended we not go in the summer and I know that would be too hard on them with the heat and humidity. I am suppose to call our wish coordinator in July to go over the equipment the boys will need. It's still months away, but we are all looking forward to it- I am already thinking of what pictures I want to take for the boys scrapbook! LOL
We are seeing ads on TV with Shamu and my oldest is getting excited about seeing him. I will definitely take your advice about finding a trainer. I might be able to hold my younger son up to the dolphins, but not my oldest.
Thanks again!
 
I know what your going through with all the planning, We planned ours out for almost a year the wait seemed endless, but it finally got here and now is gone! The memories will last a lifetime, right now I keep trying to find some good pictures to put in my signature, this one looks better then the last one I had up!
 
2morrow said:
At the christmas party, they made it snow in front of the castle, there was cookies to decorate and eat, Santa claus was there! The kids got to sit on his lap and they took a picture with all of us with santa, and the kids got to pick out a t-shirt and one toy. We the parents, also got to pick out a shirt, my husband picked out a sweatshirt with the espn logo on it! The christmas party was on Thursday night at 7:30! Don't forget they also show movies every day at 5 and7, It is a nice theater and it is so cool to go and get popcorn and candy and pop without paying for any of it!! They showed a variety of movies like: the incredibles, peter pan, and garfield( we watched that one) at first I didn't really want to spend our time watching movies but the kids wanted to and I'm really glad we did! As soon as I can figure out how to post a picture in my signature I'll put up the ones they took of us!

We fly out on a Thursday.. somehow I suspect it'll be that day :(

Also did you participate in Parent's night out? What do the adults do? Is it something that all the adults go do together or can we go to the parks alone? How bout the kids? Thank you so much for reporting back! Your trip sounds awesome!
 
Also did you participate in Parent's night out? What do the adults do? Is it something that all the adults go do together or can we go to the parks alone? How bout the kids? Thank you so much for reporting back! Your trip sounds awesome!

We did not do the parents night out, and the reason for that it was conflicting with his normal nightly routine. The parents night out is on Wednesday and Sunday nights. The parents are provided with a complimentary dinner to a local resturaunt. I don't know if all the parents go out together and what resturaunt you get to go to. Maybe someone else knows the answer to that one. The kids I think spend time at the castle, they provide games and things for them to do while the parents are gone, and they also have dinner at the gingerbread house with special treats! They say the space is limited so you need to sign up early. And you sign up before 9:00pm on tuesday and saturday at the front desk.
 
I volunteer at GKTW (well I actually haven't been in a few months) for Parent's Night Out. The parents are given a dinner at a local restaurant. They do not all go to the same restaurant. The parents are given a pager so they can be contacted if needed. The children are paired up with a volunteer. We have dinner together, get ice cream, then head back to the castle for something- sometimes a clown, sometimes a magician, always something fun. Then it is "play" time until the parents come back.
 
mco-missy said:
I volunteer at GKTW (well I actually haven't been in a few months) for Parent's Night Out. The parents are given a dinner at a local restaurant. They do not all go to the same restaurant. The parents are given a pager so they can be contacted if needed. The children are paired up with a volunteer. We have dinner together, get ice cream, then head back to the castle for something- sometimes a clown, sometimes a magician, always something fun. Then it is "play" time until the parents come back.

DD is always happy to to attend "no parents allowed" events! It sounds like fun. I'm getting very excited :banana: :Pinkbounc

Amanda
 
Hi Bobbi!
I love the picture! Sounds like you enjoyed a magical trip! Our trip is in December. We are looking forward to it like crazy! I am so glad I founf this board!! :cool1:

We live in southern Indiana. You mentioned the passes that you recieved to admit into other places. I think the Indianapolis Childrens' Museum is one of them. It is a great place to go! We are going there Saturday to celebrate ds's birthday.

Thanks for sharing your trip! :earsboy:
 
Hi abbylukesmom, Yes the childrens museum is on the list, we will probably go there in the fall we have been there a few times before. You and your family are in for a wonderful treat, when you stay at the village!
 

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