We’re just a few days away from bringing more than 50 Disney Princess wishes to life alongside our friends at Make-A-Wish during an enchanting wish-granting event being held in honor of World Princess Week. With nearly 300 honored guests set to join us for the full-day affair, Once Upon A Wish Party is shaping up to be the biggest wish-granting event we’ve ever planned here at Walt Disney World.
Cast and characters are anxiously awaiting arrivals as our guests travel from kingdoms near and far in anticipation of the big day, and I hear our wish families are pretty excited too. Take a look at some of the heartwarming reactions as they learned the news their wishes were being granted in this distinctly Disney way.
As you can see, we receive quite a few Disney Princess wishes and we wanted to find a way to make them even more memorable for these children facing critical illnesses and their families. So, with the help of Fairy Godmother, we dreamed up this first-of-its kind event with all those wishes in mind. It’s going to be filled with all the adventures you would expect of a fairytale – a tea party in Wonderland, a Royal Ball with Disney princesses and princes, and more … I can’t spoil everything!
Once Upon A Disney Wish …
Once upon a time, we received these wishes that helped inspire Once Upon A Wish Party:
8-year-old Lily from Middletown, Delaware wishes to have a princess tea party.
7-year-old Scarlett from Orlando, Florida wishes to have a Disney Princess experience at Disney World.
4-year-old Andi from Bridgewater, New Jersey wishes to visit Disney World and meet Ariel, Tiana and Elsa.
After hearing about the event, one inspiring princess specifically wished to go to “Disney Princess Week.” Her Royal Highness Lainey is a 5-year-old from Maine with chronic ventilator dependence. Her all-time favorite Disney princesses are Belle and Elena. I know I said no spoilers, but I’ve heard both princesses have RSVP’d for this ultimate princess party, and Lainey just can’t wait to meet them.
“This trip means a lot, especially as we’re getting close to our one-year anniversary of when everything happened,” said Lainey’s dad, Brian. “It’s a milestone for us to be able to get out and have some normalcy and do something special together as a family. It feels like the turning of a new chapter for us.”
A Special Performance at Disney World’s Royal Party
Another wish we’re making come true is 17-year-old Mikayla’s who began her battle fighting cancer three years ago. She wishes to perform onstage at Disney, and on World Wish Day this year, we surprised her with the news that her dreams would soon be coming true in a royal way at Once Upon A Wish Party. At the Royal Ball, she’ll take the stage for a special singing performance that I hear will be a “Tale as Old As Time.”
“It feels surreal that the time for my wish has finally come,” said Mikayla. “I am so thankful and can’t wait to perform!”
As you can see, this party is shaping up to be practically perfect in every way. The anticipation is great, and after a year of planning, it’s well worth the wait. Wish events like these are incredibly important for kids facing critical illnesses and their families as they oftentimes provide the hope and strength needed to fight against and even overcome a critical illness.
I better get back to helping my fellow cast members put the finishing touches on all the royal décor at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Be sure to stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog for other World Princess Week updates from Disney Parks around the world. And to learn more about our longstanding relationship with Make-A-Wish and the more than 150,000 wishes we’ve granted together since 1980, visit Wish.org/Disney.
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