Howdy Jonathan!
Thank you so much for stopping by planDisney with your question. First of all, I hope your son is doing well. As a parent of a Make-A-Wish Kid, I certainly understand what it’s like to have a child with a life-threatening illness. My daughter's wish was to go to
Walt Disney World, and she had the most amazing time. The magic of the Disney Parks and Resorts is why it’s the most granted destination wish.
So, early park entry is limited to guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort or other Select Hotels. Now that being said, I would not worry about that at all. The reason is that you should receive a Disney Wish Pass with your packet. This lanyard will be your magical key to the kingdom. You will show it to access the Lightning Lane queue for all rides and experiences you choose. We found that cast members are trained to identify this pass and help make your experience as enjoyable as possible. They often took us to the front of the line during character meet-and-greets as well. I don’t want to potentially spoil anything, but you never know when they may sprinkle you with a little pixie dust as well.
One additional thing I would like to share about planning your trip. Be sure to download the
My Disney Experience app. This will help you navigate the parks to find rides, dining options, character experiences, parade times, and firework & nighttime experiences. We spent some time before our trip making a list of everything our Wish Kid and family wanted to do and see, so we had an idea of where it was in the park and could plan how we wanted to spend our day. This really helped with planning our dining as well, since we wanted to do some character dining experiences for lunch and dinner, but didn’t want to miss out on the parades and fireworks shows. You will want to capture all of the magical memories you will make while in the parks, and Disney’s PhotoPass is how it’s done. You can find
PhotoPass cast members throughout the parks; they are easily identified by their cameras and costumes that say "PhotoPass" on them. Our favorite family picture is in front of Cinderella’s Castle. They might even add a little magic to your pictures.
I hope your family has an absolutely magical time during your son's Wish Trip. I hope, during this time, you all can put aside any worries and experience the joy and magic of Disney as a family. May all of your sons’ wishes come true. Please stop back by if there is anything else I can do for you here at planDisney.
Wishfully yours,
Robert