On The Road Travel

This is the third part in a series. Be sure to check out part one and part two first and check back next week for part four! PARK #2 – ANIMAL KINGDOM Since this is the kids version of the challenge we only needed to get 5 rides at Animal Kingdom (AK). We were holding FastPasses (FP) for 3 of them, so I felt we could get through AK in just a few hours. We ran on over to Pandora for ride #11 Na’vi River Journey (FP1) and then on to Africa for #12 Kilimanjaro Safaris (FP2). While on the Safaris, I knew we needed to start looking ahead and grab a FP at Hollywood Studios (HS). So I modified our Kali River Rapids FP so I would have more time to search while we did standby for the Dinoland rides. While on line for #13 Kali River Rapids (FP3) I scored our first HUGE fastpass of the day….SLINKY DOG DASH! If you’re familiar with Disney World, you know that this is one of the toughest FastPasses to book after the 30-60 day window. After Kali River Rapids, we finished up Animal Kingdom wit...

This post is the second part in a series. If you haven't already, be sure to check out part one then check back next week for part three! MISSION #1 – EVERYRIDEKIDS CHALLENGE At 5:30 am the alarm went off. It was go time! John was super excited and couldn’t wait to get the day started. After eating breakfast, I checked all my portable chargers (six in total) and packed the rental with a change of clothes and the cooler. We left Pop Century around 6:40 am and made our way to Magic Kingdom. We parked at the Contemporary Resort a little before 7 am and walked over to the security booth rocking our Finding Nemo inspired “Big Dude, Little Dude” shirts! After a short wait, we walked down to the main entrance. While waiting, we struck up conversations with a few families and explained to them what we were doing. Most were really intrigued and supportive. A few just shook their heads and stated they could never do something like that. We had 40 attractions to ride in this version of ...

MISSION COMPLETE! The time is 11:43 pm and after waiting nervously for 46 minutes, thinking the whole time “please don’t break down on us now” John, aka Little Dude, and I were next to load onto the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train. A journey that had started at 7 am that morning was about to end in celebration. We sat down, strapped ourselves in, and took our 40th and final on-ride photo of the day. As the train left the station, I looked at John. His infectious smile that never wavered the entire day was bigger than ever. I put my arm around my son and screamed, “we did it John!” Without missing a beat, he looked up at me and said, “I knew we were going to complete it!” At that moment we threw our hands in the air and I let out the biggest Ric Flair “woooooooooooo” I could muster up. Upon entering the mine, we sang along to Dig-A-Dig Dig and Heigh Ho capping off our Singing Challenge (Thank you @CheshAndTigg & @DisneyBerg), which earned donations for our Give Kids The Rides page. As we exite...

We all know that Ohana means family, but in my family, the adults are outnumbered! On our most recent trip to Walt Disney World, there were 5 kids and 2 adults. The kids ranged in ages of 10 years old to just a year old, and to say that my Fiancé and I were a little stressed out about it would be an understatement. Booking a room for 7 can sometimes be a challenge in and ofitself. We decided the best plan for us was to book two separate but adjoining rooms at All Star Sports. The older kids loved the fact that they were able to have their “own” room, even if we never shut the adjoining door. Plus, it also allowed us enough room to store all of our luggage and since there was double the space, we had double some of the items that you need when traveling with toddlers and young children - like the pack n play.   Trouble can also arise once you get to the parks and are looking to ride some rides. Many times, not everyone wants to ride - Haunted Mansion might be too scary for little o...

We’re kicking off the summer by welcoming a new team member to the On The Road Travel family. Julie Boardman is the newest member of our team and we are excited to introduce her to you!   Julie’s love for Disney started back in 1986, when she was only 6 months old. That Christmas, her Mom took her to Walt Disney World for the very first time, and from that point on she was hooked! Julie and her family visited Disney World at least once a year up until she graduated high school. In addition to visiting Walt Disney World often, Julie and her family also visited Disneyland and sailed on Disney Cruise Line. Julie estimates her total number of Walt Disney World visits are in the hundreds and she will forever choose Disney as her #1 vacation spot! Julie has helped many friends and family members book their vacations over the years and is excited to start doing it as a career!   Julie went to college at Indiana University, majoring in Paralegal Studies, but decided after two years ...