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Welcome!
Erin's Make-A-Wish trip consists of two travel days (May 3 and May 9) and five full days at the Give Kids the World Village - along with trips to the DisneyWorld parks and Universal Studios. We will attempt to keep a running log here each day of our trip. If we miss a day or have a delay (during the trip) it's probably because we'll be exhausted!
We hope you enjoy the trip with us!
Day 1
(May 3)
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Day 1 summary
Our morning started unlike most - today was not hectic at all! We were treated, promptly at 7:15 AM, to a limo waiting outside to take us to the airport for our 9:45 flight. It's not every day you get a limo ride to the airport! And of course we made him go through the drive-through at Burger King for breakfast!
On the plane promptly at 9:30, we flew to Detroit for our connection to Orlando (Yep, went North to go South).
Tragedy strikes!
We landed in Orlando at 2:30 only to find as we went to take a photo (for all of you) of us arriving in Orlando that my wonderful camera (for which I hauled ten pounds of gear) had it's shutter self-destruct. Obviously I was distraught and Lisa was distraught knowing I was now consumed with the camera issue. So, we don't have any photos of our arrival in Orlando or at the Give Kids the World Village!
Tragedy gone!
But, luckily Lisa remembered we had a service plan on the camera from Best Buy. So, driving 45 minutes to the nearest Best Buy, I explained our problem (being on Erin's Make-A-Wish) and was promptly and happily given a brand new replacement camera from Best Buy. Our extreme thanks to Marnie Bernstein, Operations Manager of the Best Buy #510 in the Florida Mall in Orlando for making this so easy!
So, then it was back to the Give Kids the World Village, an orientation, lots of ice cream and finally - putting the kids to bed. A long travel day, but a good one. Tomorrow - The Magic Kingdom! We'll post some photos and details of GKTW during the week to make up for today's lost memories.
So long for now!
Day 1 photos
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Day 2
(May 4)
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Day 2 summary
The Magic Kingdom
Today was Magic Kingdom Day - and a long one too! After two days of little sleep, and not getting back till after midnight, we're exhausted!
Important Update Note:
As many of you already know, we experienced serious computer problems while on the trip, and couldn't continue to post during the trip. So, all the summaries are now being completed after we've returned home. The culprit turned out to be a virus (sasser.B) that kept shutting the system down every few minutes. Quite a nasty little thing. Anyway, what you'll read is now obviously influenced by having some time to think about the trip and rate experiences against each other - so it's not actually a day-by-day diary. Hope that's okay!
Now, on with the story...
As Erin's main Wish was to meet Mickey and Minnie, we truly believed we may spend a few days at the Magic Kingdom alone. And from what we'd been told, the day would be a wonderfully amazing day with Erin being treated like a princess. We couldn't wait.
But things don't always turn out as planned...
Arriving at the Magic Kingdom we were overwhelmed by the number of people there. Everyone had said this was low season for Disney, but in fact you almost couldn't move around. Most rides and attractions had over an hour wait, even at 11 AM. Thank goodness for the special pass that let us go in the FastPass line at each attraction.
Erin was decked out with Make-A-Wish buttons, her Give Kids the World button, DisneyHand stickers and her Genie (DisneyHand) hat. She was a walking posterboard for a child on her Make-A-Wish trip.
Unfortunately, other than being allowed to enter the FastPass lines, no-one from Disney seemed to notice her - or really care. When we asked about doing parent exchange on the rides, we were told simply that we had to wait in the FastPass line a second time, we couldn't do what is a "normal" parent exchange (and we were told this numerous times). Sometimes we simply gave up because the FastPass line was 15 minutes long itself, and that would have taken over 30 minutes to do the ride. What Erin really wanted to do was meet Mickey and Minnie and other characters, but when ever she approached characters, the Disney staff "handlers" for the characters would either tell her to move back or that the characters had to go and couldn't stop to see her. And she was never offered a chance to see characters without waiting in the 45+ minute lines.
There was only one exception. When we were walking through Adventureland, Erin saw Rafiki (from the Lion King) walking (and obviously going to a scheduled event) and ran up to him and gave him a hug before we could stop her. Again, the Disney "handler" told her to move away and that they couldn't stop. However, the character himself turned to the staff handler and shook his hand at him and then pointed to Erin's hat (with all her Make-A-Wish buttons). He then knelt down and gave her a hug and took a picture with her - while the staff begrudgingly stood by. Seems odd that the character could notice Erin and not anyone else.
There were two other noticeable exception for the attractions. Disney Cast members took special care of her on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and at the Haunted Mansion. Otherwise it was "go in the FastPass line" and not even a "Hi" to her from the staff.
Now, don't think that this all made the day bad in any way - everyone still had a great time and we got to do just about everything, with the exception of meeting characters. And the Mickey's Philarmagic 4-D show was a favorite of everyone. Every attraction was great.
But with the huge crowds, cast members complaining about their day, and the lack of anyone noticing Erin - it was less than the magical Disney experience we had expected at the Magic Kingdom. Plus, we made the mistake ourselves of not getting a stroller for Erin, so everyone was exhausted by the end of the day.
But hey, live and learn - we still have five more days!
Day 2 photos
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Day 3
(May 5)
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Day 3 summary
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Like every day, today started out early. Up by 7am and out to breakfast by 8am, we got a good start on the day. Today was Animal Kingdom day. And since this park closes at 5pm, we have a lot to do. After yesterday's experience at the Magic Kingdom, we didn't know what to expect here. But we started the day with optimism. Besides, it was going to be a very hot day - so there was no room for being sad.
When we first entered the park (in the car) we were already treated differently when the parking attendant, recognizing Erin's badge, told us to park in the medical parking close to the gate. First order of business: get that stroller that we should have gotten yesterday! Wow, what a difference that made during the day.
Once inside the park, it didn't take long to realize that the cast members at the Animal Kingdom were different than those at the Magic Kingdom. They almost immediately noticed Erin and she was smiled at and talked to quite a bit. Most asked her if she was enjoying her special trip. The attractions were much better than we had expected too. Grant absolutely loved the Kilimanjaro Safari where we saw rhinos, hippos, giraffes, lions, elephants, and more. Erin liked it too - but not the alligators!
Then there was the "It's Tough to be a Bug" 4-D show. A great show, even though Erin found parts of it very scary. But she still watched it all. The best show of all though was the Festival of the Lion King. An amazing performance with singing, dancing, acrobatics and characters to see. After the show we had lunch where we taped Jack trying to eat while he slept - an America's Funniest Video if ever there was one. Then it was on to do the rest of the attractions, which we finished by about 4:30pm (this park closes at 5pm)
On our way out we saw Goofy and Erin wanted to get an autograph sp we stopped and got in line. Almost immediately, the Disney "handler" here pulled us out of line and walked Erin right up to see Goofy. Wow, someone had noticed her again! Then they whispered that if we waited about five minutes they'd bring Mickey and Minnie out to see Erin. Well, five minutes later, out came Mickey and Minnie for hugs and photos. Erin was thrilled - she finally got to meet Mickey!
After the park, we went to the Disney Marketplace to eat dinner at the Rainforest Cafe and let the kids do some souvenir shopping. We finally got back to the village at about 10pm and got to bed by midnight. But after three days of fun and travel and very little sleep, everyone was simply exhausted. Tomorrow was going to be a Universal Studios day, but we've changed out plans to sleep in and have a day off here at the Village. We all need a relaxing day.
Day 3 photos
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Day 4
(May 6)
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Day 4 summary
Give Kids the World Village
Okay, we weren't kidding - at least the parents were completely exhausted. So today was "relax" and sleep-in day. So, of course, everyone was up by 7:30 again! Well, actually we had to get up early because we forgot that this was our photo with Mickey day here at the Village - and we had to meet Mickey at 9 am. So, we had our "late" breakfast at 8:30 and walked over to the theatre where Mickey would be. He comes specially to the GKTW Village each week, but Disney is very strict on his time out of the parks, so you need to make it on time.
After our photo with Mickey, we saw Alice (in Wonderland) walking around and Erin got to see her for a while. Then it was off to play putt-putt at the Dino-Putt course. Of course no one really kept track of the score - and Jack simply walked from hole to hole dropping his ball in - but we all had a good time hitting our golf balls and trying to avoid the popping up dinosaurs. After putt-putt it was off to the pool to spend the day doing nothing.
In typical fashion (for us), the huge outdoor heated pool - which had been so nice and warm earlier in the week - wasn't heated today. And boy was that water cold! But the day got very hot so after a while, the water felt great. Erin was in her best element because she found a new friend (named Emily) and they stayed and played together the rest of the day. Erin and her brothers had a great day of simply being kids.
At 6:30pm, the Village had a special Christmas Party for all the kids - complete with Santa, Mrs. Claus, presents, and (believe it or not) "snow". Well, okay they were more like bubbles, but... The kids had a great time and did crafts like painting angles and christmas trees and decorating cookies - to eat with their ice cream, which they had every day and night. In case we forgot to mention it, the kids were getting into the habit of having ice cream at breakfast and dinner and at night before bed. We think little Jack will be the hardest hit by reality when we get back home - no more ice cream.
By the way, have we mentioned how wonderful the Give Kids the World Village and all the volunteers here are? Well, they are. With breakfasts provided by Perkins and ice cream provided by Friendly's it's tough to stay on anything that resembles a diet here. And the people everywhere are just wonderful. You truly feel you're in a special place.
We actually got to bed a little early tonight in anticipation of another big day tomorrow. Universal Studios here we come.
Day 4 photos
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Day 5
(May 7)
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Day 5 summary
Universal Studios Florida
We started a bit later today (8:30) so Erin and Jack could meet Barney - who had come to the Village to meet all the kids. Then, it was off to Universal Studios (to see Barney again of course!).
After two days of Disney parks, and the better treatment we had at the Animal Kingdom, we felt we were just starting to get the hang of the trip. So obviously, we now decided to go to a different park completely where everything was sure to be much different.
And it was...
From the minute we drove through the gates at Universal, and were given special parking privileges, there didn't seem to be an employee at the entire park that didn't spot Erin and come to greet her. Every employee we came near would come and kneel down next to Erin and ask her how her trip was going and if she was having a good time. They took her hand and walked her from character to character to meet them. She was given free gifts, photos, and wonderful one-on-one service almost everywhere she went. She was escorted to the front row to see Barney, and kept after the show for a special personal visit from him. In fact, she was truly treated like a special princess. The treatment from Universal and their staff was simply amazing. It's as though they knew she was coming and were all looking for her.
Many of the rides and attractions at Universal Studios are a bit more "thrill" seeking than the attractions at Disney and we worried that Erin would be scared or not like them. But boy were we wrong. We started with ET which she loved and then proceeded with Back to the Future (an extremely wild virtual reality ride that throws you around). I thought Erin was going to cry until she looked up at the end and said "Let's do that again." After that it was Jaws and Earthquake. About all we missed was Twister, which was down at the time, and T2 3-D (which Grant rode with his mom).
One additional note is that when we wanted to do a parent exchange, we stood at the exit of the ride and the operators of the ride were even apologetic that we had to wait a single turn to ride again. Very different than the Magic Kingdom.
By the time Universal was closing, we had done just about everything there. It had been the best day by far yet of any at the theme parks. Even on our way out, they gave us a photo and let us take the stroller out of the park and all the way back to the parking garage and drop it off there.
It was definitely a wonderful day. And as odd as it may sound, it was Universal Studios that had the Disney Magic this time. And they definitely showered it on us.
Day 5 photos
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Day 6
(May 8)
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Day 6 summary
Disney MGM Studios
Well, it's Saturday already and only one more day to have fun. So, we chose to go to MGM instead of Epcot because there seems to be more there that will appeal to 2-8 year olds. So, up at 8am (a bit late for us) and out by 9am we headed towards Disney once again.
After reviewing our week, and our visits to the other parks, it was evident that not all parks are created equal. And after talking to other parents at GKTW, it was evident that the treatment you received seemed to be related to the actual Disney cast members you met. So, we decided that today we'd be very upfront about the fact that this was Erin's Make-A-Wish trip. We wouldn't wait for them to notice or take the initiative - we'd simply announce it to them. While this isn't really "like" us, we only had a day left so what was there to lose.
Well, our idea either worked very well, or else MGM was simply a better staffed park than the Magic Kingdom - and similar to Animal Kingdom. When we arrived at an attraction we simply stated "this is Erin and she's on her Make-A-Wish trip - where should we go?" or "what can you do for her?" Without fail, we were whisked away to the front of lines, given special seats, taken immediately to see every character you could ever think of and even taken to a special spot for the parade. In fact, we never had to show the special disability pass either - her GKTW and Make-A-Wish buttons were enough. And all the cast members were very friendly. This was night and day difference from the magic Kingdom - and a wonderful last day.
Erin met so many characters today she didn't know what to do - but we think Snow White was her favorite. And she kept asking Snow White "where's the mean witch?" Erin also got to see Bear in the Big Blue House live at Playhouse Disney. They let her in first so she could be front and center, and she danced during the whole show.
We had lunch at the Sci-Fi Dine In Theater, a fun place where you sit in a 57 Chevy replica and watch trailers from old B-Movies on a drive-in screen. they were very nice to us there (getting us a table in 10 minutes instead of the 2 hour wait) and even gave the kids a free dessert - more ice-cream! If there was any negative to MGM it was only one thing. When we went to look at the photos they had taken and inquired as to whether there was a discount or any were free (as they were at Universal) the lady behind the counter snipped "This is Kodak, not Disney and we don't do anything for Make-A-Wish." Really, I don't make this stuff up! So, obviously we left without a photo. Oddly enough, it was Kodak at Universal who gave us our photos... But that was a minor issue and the day was wonderful. Grant loved the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular - and bought his share of souvenirs there.
This day at MGM truly capped off the trip and Erin (and all of us) felt like she had done it all.
When we got back to the GKTW Village, it was just in time to celebrate Mayor Clayton's birthday (with cake, and ice cream of course) and then we had just enough time to get back to the villa before Mayor Clayton came around to tuck the kids in for their final night's sleep at the Village. Erin was all giggles while the silly rabbit was tickling her and trying desperately to tuck her in.
Unfortunately, the trip is about over and tomorrow we head home. It has been an amazing time and we're sad that it's already over - but we have memories that will last forever.
Day 6 photos
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Day 7
(May 9)
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Day 7 summary
The never-ending trip home
First, our warning: What you are about to read is not for the faint of heart!
If you're getting the feeling that this didn't turn out to be an uneventful trip home, you would be right. The day started like every other day with the exception that we packed up and loaded the van. We then went for our final breakfast at the Gingerbread House, and of course one last ice cream!
At check out from the Village, we were given our photo with Mickey and a pass for a free day at our choice of numerous attractions worldwide. Plus, an invitation to come back and visit for a day any time. What an amazing place Give Kids the World is.
We had a few hours to kill before getting to the airport by 1pm, so we stopped back at the Disney Marketplace and let the kids get any last minute things they forgot. And we also got a personalized sketch of Mickey commemorating our trip which we will hang at home. Then it was off to the Orlando airport.
The only thing we were not looking forward to was that we were scheduled for a 3-hour layover in Detroit. We were flying on Northwest Airlines, and Detroit is their hub, so even flights to places like Cincinnati (that they fly over going to Detroit) go to Detroit first. But, it's a small price to pay for such a great vacation as this was. The flight into Detroit was uneventful, except that they ran out of their good meals before getting back to us in row 44, but we had plenty of snacks to last us. We arrived in Detroit at 6:10pm and got to our gate at 6:20pm to wait for our 9:07pm flight. As was the case with Northwest (we came to find out) there are no agents anywhere to be found in the terminal until about 45 minutes before your flight. So, we parked everyone by a power outlet at the gate nextdoor and let the kids watch a movie on the laptop.
And then the fun began....
At about 8:15, we noticed there was still no-one at the gate, so we checked the Departure board again to see if the gate had been changed. Instead, we were greeted with the word "CANCELLED" next to our flight number. We had never heard an announcement to the fact that the flight was cancelled and there was no-one from Northwest anywhere around. So I headed down the terminal to find someone - anyone.
About 4 gates down, there was a gate attendant and I explained we were on the cancelled flight and needed to know what to do. "Everything to Cincinnati's cancelled" he said "there's nothing till tomorrow at 7am." So I politely explained to him that we were returning from our Make-A-Wish trip and asked again what were we supposed to do. His response was "You can go rent a car and get a hotel or I could fly you to Lexington and you could drive home from there". I explained that neither of those were an option and wanted to know know if they could get us on another airline, and this time the response was, "This is weather related, there's bad weather in Cincinnati, so we're under no obligation to do anything - there's nothing we can do for you. I could call a supervisor but they can't help you either."
There are several reasons I was dumbfounded by his response at this point. First, the fact that he could care less about this being part of the Make-A-Wish trip, but second (and most of all) that they were calling this a cancellation due to weather in Cincinnati - so they were under no obligation to help *anyone* - when in fact the weather in Cincinnati was sunny and calm. We had just talked to both family, and the limo service (near the airport) and there was no bad weather at all in Cincinnati. So, I demanded to see a supervisor personally.
About ten minutes later, the gate supervisor (a woman named Iris) appeared. I explained the situation to her and told her that even though I hated to use this as a bargaining chip, the fact that Northwest is a Make-A-Wish partner makes the response I got from the gate attendant totally unacceptable. Iris was extremely cordial and checked all other airlines for flights to Cincinnati (it was now after 9pm) but there were none. So she offered to put us up in a Hotel, and get us there, and put us on the first flight in the morning at 7am. So, we made our arrangements and headed to the hotel for about 5 hours of sleep. Of course we didn't have our luggage, so we felt beautiful in the morning at 4am when we got up!
So, we again arrived at the airport at 5am for our 7am flight, along with several people we met the night before. As soon as we all got through security and got to the gate we were greeted by the wonderful words of "CANCELLED" yet again! And, in apparent Northwest style, there was no-one around to help and when we did find someone we were all given the same story again: "Cancelled due to weather in Cincinnati. Since it's weather related were under no obligation to do anything for you." We were given $5 food coupons to get something to eat while we waited another 4 hours for the 9:00 flight. The kids were not happy. But we waited, and eventually got on the 9am flight and left Detroit after being stuck there for 15 hours.
To make a long story short, we finally arrived home at about noon on Monday, our eighth day. Remember, we were in the Orlando airport 24 hours earlier. Yep, could have driven home in that time.
The Northwest story
Our biggest complaint with Northwest is that they lied, not only to us but to everyone on the cancelled flights. It seemed apparent to us that Sunday night's flight was cancelled because the weather in Detroit was backing up flights and they started dropping smaller flights (this was only a 50 seat plane) to reduce traffic. Then Monday morning's flight at 7am was supposed to be on a DC-9, but it had very few passengers on it - so they cancelled that one to save money, and instead flew everyone out again at 9am on the 50 seat plane (which at this point was full). All the while they swore the cancellations were due to weather in Cincinnati (of which there was none) and in doing so saved themselves from having to compensate anyone on those flights. Shame on Northwest.
Finally home! Thanks to everyone!
Oh well, we were finally home and everyone took a much needed 4-hour nap. And now it's back to life as usual. School, work, chores .... and no free ice cream!
Day 7 photos
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Trip summary
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The good, the bad, and the.... wonderful!
Well, there you have it - our trip in a nutshell. A wordy nutshell at times, but still a nutshell. Like many trips, this one had its high and low points. Sure, there were a few glitches and disappointments - but when isn't there? But unlike any other trip, this one had moments of sheer magic and was filled with the wonder of many many people who all made this trip a once in a lifetime event.
While the Magic Kingdom was not as magic as the rest, and our trip home was truly an adventure, Erin's Make-A-Wish trip still exceeded all our dreams. To all the staff at Disney's Animal Kingdom and MGM we are truly thankful for the wonderful days there. To everyone at Universal Studios, we can't think of a more wonderful time or place where we were ever treated better.
To all the volunteers and sponsors at Give Kids the World Village - we can't say enough about how special the Village is or how special we were all made to feel. The gift you provide to families is nothing short of a miracle. And to everyone at Toyota and the Make-A-Wish foundation who made this all come true, we can only repeatedly say Thank you, Thank you for this marvelous gift!
If you need to know how much this trip was worth, you only need to see the smiles and hear the laughs of Erin and her two brothers. Smiles and laughs that for a short while replaced the years of pain and tears - and let our kids be kids.
What more could you Wish for?!
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