Celebrating Disney Week of Wishes Across Disney Experiences

During Disney Week of Wishes, we’re celebrating the extraordinary power of a wish — and the incredible Make-A-Wish kids who inspire us every single day.

All week long, Disney Experiences around the world are coming together with Make-A-Wish to help make wishes come true for children facing critical illnesses. This page will be updated throughout the week with stories of courage, happiness, and imagination as Make-A-Wish kids and their families experience unforgettable moments across Disney Parks, resorts, and beyond.

Since the first official wish was granted at Disneyland 45 years ago, Disney has worked with Make-A-Wish to grant more than 175,000 life-changing wishes around the world.  Whether they’re stepping into immersive adventures, meeting beloved characters, or seeing their biggest dreams come to life, each wish is a powerful reminder that true heroism is found in bravery, hope, and heart.

Check back all week long as we continue to share new stories from around the globe, each one celebrating the magic that happens when a wish comes true.

During Disney Week of Wishes, Disney parks and resorts around the world helped create life-changing moments for children and their families, granting wishes and letting children everywhere find the Super Hero within.

This year, we teamed up with Make‑A‑Wish to grant unforgettable wishes across the globe, each uniquely designed around the passions and stories of the wish children at the heart of it all. From Paris to Hong Kong and more, we are reminded that wish children near and far are the real heroes in every story.

In honor of World Wish Day, Disneyland Paris welcomed 80 wish children and their families from 10 European countries for a magical three‑day celebration inspired by Frozen.

Over the course of the weekend, wish families experienced unforgettable moments throughout the parks—from favorite attractions and shows to special wish‑granting surprises designed just for them in the newly opened World of Frozen.

Among the weekend’s highlights, Luca saw his wish come true as his little sister, Elena, was crowned a Disney Princess during a magical moment at Sleeping Beauty Castle. And over at Avengers Campus in Disney Adventure World, two new recruits joined Spider‑Man, Thor, and Loki for a moment they’ll never forget!

Shanghai Disney Resort teamed up with Make‑A‑Wish Shanghai to help three wish children step into their own heroic stories through a Super Hero-themed wish-granting experience.

The children received heroic face paint, hands‑on training at the Avengers Training Initiative, and the chance to meet their favorite Super Heroes in the park – experiences designed to empower, inspire, and create meaningful moments that stay with the children long after the day ends.

Tokyo Disney Resort helped make a child’s wish come true, inviting a Make-A-Wish family for a special day filled with joy and imagination.

The experience included magical attractions such as it’s a small world with Groot — a themed overlay featuring some of the wish child’s favorite characters — along with thoughtfully woven moments throughout the day, creating lasting memories in a place that holds special meaning for him.

At Hong Kong Disneyland, a 14‑year‑old wish child saw his passion for photography come to life through a one‑of‑a‑kind, photography‑themed wish experience.

The wish included a professional photography lesson and the opportunity to capture special moments with Disney friends and Super Heroes throughout the park. Through the lens of his camera, this wish child shared his unique perspective and creativity, turning a personal passion into an unforgettable wish.

His Disney‑inspired photographs were showcased during a World Wish Day reunion party, bringing together more than 250 wish families, alumni, ambassadors, and Hong Kong Disneyland leaders to reflect on 20 years of wish-granting with Make‑A‑Wish Hong Kong.

During the celebration, the resort also announced a HK$800,000 donation to support the organization’s mission.

From Frozen-themed fairytale moments in Paris to heroic journeys in Shanghai — and heartfelt, creative celebrations in Tokyo and Hong Kong — Disney Week of Wishes is a reminder of the life-changing power of a wish.

No matter the destination, every wish is powered by the same belief: that joy can change lives, and that magic is strongest when shared.

Calling all heroes!  

Our Disney Week of Wishes continues on the high seas, where 5-year-old Ryland recently embarked on a Super Hero-sized adventure aboard the Disney Wish. For a child whose daily mission is to be brave while facing critical illness, Ryland got a major boost when he finally came face-to-face with his favorite web-slinger, Spider-Man.

Every hero needs a great support squad, and our Disney Cruise Line Crew Members were ready to fly into action. Their dedicated service to creating meaningful epic touches for Ryland and his family made them feel like royalty (or, at the very least, Avengers). Whether it was a high-five in the hallway or a specialized photo shoot to capture Ryland’s bravest poses, the goal was simple: make Ryland feel like the most important hero in the world. 

The impact of this mission was truly felt by Ryland’s mom, Jennah, who shared how much this recharge meant to their entire team:

“In a time when life can feel overwhelming, this trip gave our family the gift of laughter, wonder, and simply being together. Seeing his excitement and pure joy throughout the trip is something we will carry with us forever.”

Meet 5-year-old Lilo, a Make-A-Wish kid who wished to meet Princess Cinderella at Disneyland Resort.

But, Lilo and her family’s connection to Disney began way before her wish was granted. Back in December, Disney threw a holiday party featuring a character visit from Stitch, a Zootopia 2 movie party and screening at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. There, we met Lilo and her family of Disney super fans. (That’s right, Lilo was named after Disney’s Lilo and Stitch.)

As soon as we learned about Lilo’s wish to visit Disneyland and meet Princess Cinderella, we knew we had to make it special for them.

Flash forward a few months, and it was time to make Lilo’s wish come true! Wish granting is at the core of what we do at Disney – bringing joy to kids when it’s needed most. These efforts wouldn’t be possible without the thousands of Disney cast members and employees who go above and beyond to create extraordinary experiences for the kids. In fact, many cast members are wish-granting volunteers, parents of wish kids, or even wish alumni themselves. 

Their passion for Make-A-Wish was on display when Lilo and her family arrived at Disneyland park, before it opened, and were welcomed by 158 Disneyland Resort cast members lining Main Street, U.S.A. to give them the royal reception they deserve. The magic didn’t end there. Once inside the park, Fairy Godmother made a surprise appearance, arriving inside Cinderella’s royal coach. After giving Lilo the biggest hug, she helped her into the coach for an early morning story time.

Lilo later experienced the full princess treatment at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, where she got her hair and makeup done by a Fairy Godmother’s Apprentice while donning her favorite Disney Princess’s dress – Cinderella. After her magical princess makeover, Lilo’s wish came true when she got her very own experience with Cinderella.

From witnessing the joy Disney brought Lilo in the hospital to seeing her face light up with pure giddiness when her wish to meet Cinderella finally came true, it was so special for Disney to be part of this full circle moment with Lilo and her family.

Disney Week of Wishes also provides a meaningful opportunity to engage cast members and employees around the world in supporting wish families. During this year’s celebratory week, Disney VoluntEARS will assemble more than 10,000 wish kits, which will be distributed to Make-A-Wish chapters across the U.S.

Each kit marks a special moment for families, creating joy and excitement as they learn their wishes are about to come true. They include wish trip travel essentials, like a luggage tag, memory book, and more!

This effort is part of a nationwide initiative, with Disney cast members and employees from California and Hawaii to New York uniting this week to assemble the kits.

The series of VoluntEARS projects kicked off at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, and today, around 100 Florida-based Disney cast members gathered to continue the momentum, packing 2,500 wish-granting kits to help bring a little magic to the Make-A-Wish families.

In honor of Disney Week of Wishes, Walt Disney World recently rededicated the newly reimagined Wish Lounge at Magic Kingdom, a special space reserved exclusively for Make‑A‑Wish families to rest, recharge, and spend time together during their visit.

At the center of the rededication celebration was Paxton – 6 years old, with a wish to visit Walt Disney World. He stood alongside his family, Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum, Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle, and cast member and former Make-A-Wish kid Abigail to celebrate the magic the lounge will create for all of the wish families to come.

The moment became even more special when Paxton’s favorite characters, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, surprised the group, turning the celebration into an unforgettable memory.

Cast member Abigail, whose own wish trip brought her to Walt Disney World over a decade ago, first visited the Wish Lounge during her wish. After experiencing the lasting impact of her own trip, she knows how life-changing a Disney wish can be for kids with critical illnesses.

Today, Abigail creates that magic herself and helps bring wish‑granting moments to life for other families as part of the more than 7,000 wishes granted at the resort each year.

“As part of the entertainment team, I help kids and their families meet their favorite characters,” said Abigail. “It’s so special to be able to do that because that’s what the cast members did for me on my Make-A-Wish trip. So it really is a full-circle moment.”

Recently refreshed with new artwork and thoughtful design details inspired by wish‑granting moments from beloved Disney stories, the Wish Lounge reflects the heart of a Disney wish, offering families a quiet, welcoming retreat during a day full of magic.

Now open to wish families from around the world, the newly reimagined Wish Lounge stands as a place of comfort, hope, and joy, and a meaningful reminder of the impact wishes have every single day at Walt Disney World.

Stay tuned throughout Disney Week of Wishes as we share more inspiring stories of wishes come true!