Cruise Dedicated to Make-A-Wish

Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas not only has a reputation for wows, but also delivers on wishes. NY1’s Valarie D’Elia filed this report.

The Grubb family of New Jersey might look as if they are central casting for a cruise ship commercial, but two years earlier, they were navigating some very rough seas.

“When I was 9 years old, I was playing football. One day, in the game, I dropped to my knees and had a seizure, and my doctors found out that I had brain cancer. I had the surgery, I think I did two days of chemo and was back on my feet where I was supposed to be,” says Make-A-Wish child Joshua Grubb.

Not long after, Joshua was treated to an African safari courtesy of Make-A-Wish, an organization that gives families – like the Grubbs – a brief respite from a scary reality.

“My wish was granted. The time of my life, the animals were amazing,” says Joshua.

“It brought us back to the Josh we knew before the surgery, so we were happy to see that,” says Steven Grubb, Joshua’s father.

Fast-forward a couple of years and The Grubb’s are invited to be among the first guests onboard Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas, meeting some of the people who make wishes come true.

“We have a lot of Make-A-Wish donors who are on this ship, so they’ve made a significant contribution, to be here. One of the really cool things is that because of this event, nearly a million dollars, $850,000 has been raised,” says Make-A-Wish CEO David Williams.

As one of Make-A-Wish’s travel partners, Royal Caribbean donates 200 staterooms a year.

“Three quarters of all our wishes involve travel,” says Williams.

Airlines like Southwest also help to contribute to the 2.5 million miles a year that Make-A-Wish needs to give flight to a special child’s dream trip.