Disney World Guest Spends 13 Hours on Pirates of the Caribbean Ride

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom

Steven Amos spent his August 6 birthday riding Walt Disney World’s famed Pirates of the Caribbean attraction for an entire Park day as a part of a marathon fundraising challenge. Amos vowed to ride the attraction once for every hundred dollars raised before donating all profits to Give Kids The World, a nonprofit for whom he serves as the Vice President of Advancement.

According to their mission, Give Kids The World (GKTW) “exists only to fulfill the wishes of critically ill children and their families from around the world to experience a memorable, joyful, cost-free visit to Central Florida’s attractions, and to enjoy the magic of Give Kids The World Village for as long as there is a need.”

GKTW partners with more than 250 Wish Granting Organizations globally to identify and serve children who have been diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses.

The nonprofit was founded by Florida hotelier Henri Landwirth in 1986, who learned of a young girl diagnosed with leukemia who passed away from her illness before her dream of visiting the Orlando area theme parks was realized.

Give Kids The World Towne Hall

Landwirth was inspired to start GKTW so that going forward, a child in need would never again run out of time before their life’s one wish is granted. After three years of arranging for families to stay in area hotels for their wish vacations, Landwirth once again enlisted the hospitality and theme park industry’s help to create the GKTW Village.

According to their website, the Village is an “84-acre, nonprofit resort complete with 166 Villa accommodations, entertainment attractions, whimsical venues, and fun specifically designed for children with critical illnesses.” To date, it has served more than 160 thousand families across 75 different countries.

Enlisting the help of corporations such as Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando, and many more, as well as countless volunteers and other generous individuals, GKTW is able to serve over 8,000 families annually. Individual stories are shared on their YouTube channel so that supporters can see the difference their help makes for families in need.

Amos began his journey with GKTW in 2019 after spending ten years working for the Walt Disney World Resort in various capacities. This year he used his birthday to bridge his past with his present in an all-day fundraising event that served to “raise awareness for the GKTW mission in new and creative ways,” a passion he lists in his company bio.

On his fundraising page, he wrote that the challenge would be the longest he’d ever done as he planned to ride the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction repeatedly from the moment Magic Kingdom opened until its 11 pm closing. With 100% of the profits going directly towards GKTW, he set goals tied to incentives that unlocked additional mini challenges in an effort to inspire donors.

pirates of the caribbean jack sparrow disneyland

The total fundraising goal was set at $6,000, or “the cost of a wish,” and the mini goals were listed as follows:

UNLOCKING FUNDRAISING GOALS

$100 – For each $100 raised, I will ride Pirates of the Caribbean

$3,000 – Chug some of that sweet Beverly drink!

$6,000 (cost of a wish) – I will continue my quest of punishing my stomach and only eat turkey legs for the entire day

$10,000 – I will dress as a pirate as much as Magic Kingdom will allow me for the day

$11,101 – If we beat last year’s fundraising goal, I will allow someone that donated to choose face paint for me to wear all day long

Over the course of 13 hours, Amos rode the attraction a total of 28 times and raised over $11,000, posting frequent updates to his Twitter account.

pirates-caribbean

He used his photo editing skills in his first post, updating the Magic Kingdom signage with his name and age to honor the occasion.

He updated again, presumably when the $6,000 mark was hit, sharing a photo of himself and a turkey leg.

He continued to show off his photo editing skills with a series of posts picturing Amos participating in various parts of the attraction.

And finally, his last post contained a heartfelt thank you and a fundraising results recap.

At $11,413 raised, this years event surpassed last years total by several hundred dollars.

For more information about GKTW’s mission and fundraising efforts, or to learn about how to get involved, click here. 

Night of a Million Lights at Give Kids the World Village

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Uncategorized

One of our favorite nonprofit organizations is Give Kids the World Village. It’s an 89 acre complex in Kissimmee, Florida that gives Wish Kids and their families a week that they will never forget. Critically ill children have the opportunity to forget about treatments and tests for a few days, and their parents make memories that will last a lifetime. This is all at no cost to the families. Give Kids the World Village works closely with Walt Disney World, since that is the desired destination for many children. For the holiday season, Give Kids the World Village is even more magical, and the public is invited to be a part of it.

It’s called Night of a Million Lights. The event officially runs from November 12, 2021, until January 2, 2022, but I was invited to a preview on November 9. If you are going to be in Central Florida this holiday season, you will want to check it out for yourself. Last year was the first year of the event, and they welcomed over 92,000 Guests. This season it’s bigger and even better.

Over 3.2 million lights were donated by Walt Disney World. I’ve been told by multiple sources that they were originally from the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, but that hasn’t been confirmed. Night of a Million Lights has the same feel, without the overwhelming crowd.

There is a beautiful trail of trees that you can walk through, or you might want to take the Village Tram Tour right through the village. That is narrated by Jodi Benson. The cottages around the lake are all decorated, and every few minutes they “dance” to the music. The effect is stunning! There are multiple picture opportunities.

South Pole Marketplace has Give Kids the World and Night of a Million Lights merchandise for sale. There are also places where you can grab a snack or a chicken sandwich. There are strolling entertainers in the area. The best part of South Pole Marketplace, though, is that you can meet Santa in his summer home! You’ll first see the cottage where he and the Mrs. are staying (she’s not there) and then you can meet him in his living room. It’s been years since meeting Santa was a priority for me, but this was a lot of fun.

If you would like an even more immersive experience, you can sign up for a private behind-the-scenes tour. Another option is a dessert party ticket. The cost will include your admission. The dessert party is held in the playground area that is also the world’s largest game of Candyland. Private events are also possible.

Many local companies have helped to make the second year of Night of a Million Lights possible. Walt Disney World has decorated a cottage with an “it’s a small world” theme. The Universal Orlando Resort cottage features minions. SeaWorld, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, and some other businesses also have decorated cottages. There are also sponsors on some of the trees along the trail. The sponsorship adds to the fun and can make for some whimsical pictures.

The best part of Night of a Million Lights is that you know that it’s to raise money for a worthy cause. Since 1986 over 177,000 critically ill children and their families have visited for the week of a lifetime. Tickets start at $15 for kids and $25 for adults. Peak nights and holiday nights cost more, but it is still affordable. If you go, please remember that most of the workers who you may encounter are volunteers. This is one holiday event that you don’t want to miss.

Night of a Million Lights Will Return to Give Kids the World Village

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Give Kids the World has officially announced the return of their hit holiday event, Night of a Million Lights. The event will run on select nights from November 12, 2021 – January 2, 2022.

Give Kids the World, located in Kissimmee, FL, provides families with critically ill children an all-inclusive, week-long vacation. Everything from meals, to transportation, to theme park tickets are included during their stay at one of their villas.

It began last year while the village was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the village is open and hosting Wish families, so there are a few operational changes.

night-of-a-million-lights-2021-give-kids-the-world-village-4029749

Concept art for this year’s event shows an upgraded tunnel of lights. Last year, the village was decked out in over 3.2 million lights, donated by Walt Disney World Resort. This year’s event will feature “a spectacular dancing lights show; a tram tour with storytelling; a holiday marketplace; enhanced food & beverage and merchandise offerings; a dazzling tree trail; and more.” While last year was a self-guided walking tour, a portion of the event will only be accessible on the tram tour this year.

Also new this year are add-ons, including a VIP tour and VIP dessert parties. Tickets are on sale now at GKTW.org.

Disney Imagineer Helps Design “Gives Kids The World Village” New Ice Cream Parlor

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Dining, Disney Parks

Need a dose of good news? Look no further! Give Kids The World Village has offered a magical respite for critically ill children and their families since 1986. What better way to share sweetness than with a yummy ice cream scoop?! Well, a very special Disney Imagineer stepped up and helped design their new ice cream parlor.

As shared by Walt Disney World Cast and Community Facebook page: “Since 1986, Give Kids The World Village has offered a magical respite for critically ill children and their families. Now, visitors to the Village are able to enjoy an extra helping of sweetness with the addition of Henri’s Starlite Scoops — a space-themed ice cream parlor that was designed to be accessible for all, with the help of our very own Cast Members. Imagineer Joe Parinella was part of the design team and took part in a special ribbon cutting ceremony alongside members of the community. Here’s to the entire Walt Disney Imagineering team for making some extra magic for Central Florida and beyond! #Community #GKTW #Imagineering #DisneyCastLife”

3.3 Million Lights Borrowed from Walt Disney World for Kissimmee’s Give Kids The World Light Display

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

As shared by OrlandoSentinel: The fantastical 89-acre vacation village of Kissimmee’s Give Kids The World — normally off-limits to the public — is opening its gates for seven weeks this holiday season for what promises to be one of the most extravagant light displays in the nation.

The event, Night of a Million Lights, will actually have 3.3 million lights, borrowed from Walt Disney World Resort, and run from Nov. 13 to Jan. 3. In that time, the charity hopes ticket sales to some 50,000 visitors will help it raise thousands of dollars for its mission.

With help from Disney, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND, Hasbro, the Kennedy Space Center, some three dozen other sponsors and a small army of volunteers, in recent weeks the village has been slowly transformed into a whimsical winter wonderland — with a glittering 150-foot tunnel, 50 holiday-themed structures up to several stories high, a massive gingerbread arch and 45 villas decorated in various themes.

Visitors will be able to stroll among more than a mile of light displays, eat ice cream or drink hot cocoa and ride carousels and other open-air mechanical attractions. Tickets for the event start at $15 for kids and $25 for adults. For more information, go to gktw.org/lights/.