Howdy!
Thank you so much for stopping by planDisney with your question. First of all, I hope your grandson 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.
Alrighty, so the great thing about the Walt Disney World parks is that there are a ton of options for him and the family to experience, which can certainly feel a little overwhelming. What I would do first is visit the
Walt Disney World website and visit each park’s webpage to learn a little about what each offers. The Magic Kingdom has 5 lands, each with rides and experiences that the whole family can enjoy. It has all of the classic rides like Peter Pan, the Haunted Mansion, and Dumbo. It also has thrill rides such as Tron Lightcycle / Run. Disney's Hollywood Studios has Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Toy Story Land, and more. Disney's Animal Kingdom has some of our favorite rides, but it is also a great place to just stroll and see all the wildlife. EPCOT is an amazing place to eat and enjoy a few popular rides. After he has a chance to take a look at what they all have to offer, I would prioritize what he would like to do most, along with any other family members who will be joining. A couple of other things to think about: there are a ton of character meet-and-greets available at all the parks. Everyone has to have their picture taken with Mickey and his pals. Each park also has amazing daytime and nighttime entertainment for everyone to enjoy.
So you will not have a guide to assist you during your visit to the parks. You should receive a Disney Wish Pass as part of 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. Many times, they took us to the front of the line during character meet-and-greets as well. You never know when they may sprinkle you with a little pixie dust as well.
The final thing I would love to share with you about planning your trip that may help. 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. 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 sprinkle in a little pixie dust with your pictures.
I hope your family has an absolutely magical time during your grandson'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 childs wishes come true. Please stop back by if there is anything else I can do for you here at
planDisney.
Wishfully yours,
Robert