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WDW Every Ride Kids Challenge Part Two

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 the challenge. 21 at Magic Kingdom (MK), 9 at Epcot and 5 each at Animal Kingdom (AK) and Hollywood Studios (HS). Our Fastpasses (FP) were booked between 10 am-12 pm at AK.

One of the first things you come to realize is that just because you are starting at one park doesn’t mean you need to use your Fastpasses there. Our plan would be to get on as many rides as possible from 8-10 am (8-9 EMH) at MK before heading to AK where wait times would be higher and the need for FP greater.

MAGIC KINGDOM – RIDES 1 THRU 10


At, 7:44 am we were let into Magic Kingdom and a Main Street Vehicle was parked right out front just waiting for us. Now MSV is one of the trickiest rides to get, and one that can end a lot of runs early. It’s important to know the operation schedule because the vehicles are only out for a few hours each day. After waiting a minute or so, we were off down Main Street and started singing our first song challenge of the day. “Who’s the leader of the club that’s made for you and me?!” $1 would be donated for every song we sang (Thank you @CheshAndTigg & @DisneyBerg) on a ride. Our vehicle dropped us off in front of the castle and we walked over to the Tomorrowland rope drop pumped up and ready to roll!

Like I mentioned previously, our plan was to get on as many rides as possible in the first hour. Since most guests will try to get on the big E-ticket attractions first (Space Mountain, 7 Dwarfs, etc), that leaves minimal wait times for other attractions. In our mind, the ride count is important early on. You want to get the feeling that you are ahead of the game especially when starting at Magic Kingdom.

Our next 35 minutes went as follows: #2 Buzz, #3 Astro Orbiter, #4 Dumbo, #5 Barnstormer, #6 Teacups and #7 Carrousel.

It was the perfect start for us. We knocked out a bunch of quick rides with little to no wait!

After the Carrousel, we walked back to the hub and found a spot near the Liberty Square entrance. What a lot of regular guests don’t realize is that during Extra Magic Hours at Magic Kingdom, only half of the park is open (Tomorrowland/Fantasyland). So at 9 am there is a second rope drop where the rest of the park opens up. Since we weren’t using Fastpasses, it was important to be at the front of this line for our next two rides: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain. My hope was to get on both quickly and hop on the second Riverboat departure of the day.

Our strategy worked to perfection! And before hopping on the Riverboat we were able to stop and pick up a much needed snack. #8 Big Thunder, #9 Splash Mountain and #10 Liberty Belle Riverboat.

PARK HOP #1 – MAGIC KINGDOM TO ANIMAL KINGDOM

We left Magic Kingdom at 10:22 am and entered Animal Kingdom at 10:52 am. So a 30 minute park hop which is considered pretty good when doing a run. Now there are plenty of different ways to hop from park to park and every challenger has their preference. Personally, I feel that driving is the only way to run a challenge. There are few instances throughout the course of the day where you can make up time. Park hopping is one of them. Every second you spend outside of the parks is a wasted second. So I take my hops very seriously. We run to the car (in this instance it was parked at the Contemporary) and get to where we need to go. We eat/drink/change clothes in the car if need be and once parked we run to the entrance.

Check back next week to read the third part of the WDW Every Ride Kids Challenge! If you want to take on the challenge yourself, contact your On The Road Travel Agent. You can also connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

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