The Every Ride Challenge isn’t for the faint of heart. Four Walt Disney World parks, 45 rides … in just 18 hours. For anyone who’s been to Walt Disney World, they know riding every ride in just one park can be difficult.
The challenge, with strict rules and many tough competitors, was completed by the #EveryRideChallenge Group in the summer of 2018, who raised money for Give Kids The World as people pledged to donate for each ride they rode. If they could accomplish this extreme challenge – so could I!
So, in the early morning of December 5, I was determined and excited as we waited for the Magic Kingdom to open. The moment the rope dropped we hurried to start the day. We began the day with the Main Street Vehicle, which is only open in the morning, before heading to our next park.
We’re about to start #GiveKidsTheRides! Such a beautiful morning waiting to rope drop @WaltDisneyWorld’s Magic Kingdom. pic.twitter.com/WfeHxyg2XH
— Pamela Landwirth (@plandwirth) December 5, 2018
One of the biggest obstacles to this challenge is timing. We had to map out the day’s agenda if we wanted to reach our goal. Since not every ride is open all day, our plan had to be thought out and perfectly timed. Weather, closed rides or long lines could keep us from finishing the challenge. We hopped from park to park: Magic Kingdom to Hollywood Studios, followed by Animal Kingdom and Epcot, before heading back to Magic Kingdom to close out the day.
Here we go! Racing to ride 1: Main Street Vehicles. #GiveKidsTheRides @plandwirth pic.twitter.com/znNYgsD7I1
— GiveKidsTheWorld (@GKTWVillage) December 5, 2018
We walked for miles, stood in lines – but most importantly, we screamed and laughed our way through ride after ride. We kept the day lighthearted and fun, skipping, singing Christmas songs, and taking in all the beautiful holiday decorations of the parks. It was a great reminder of the joy these experiences bring to our wish families.
When our energy dipped, our spirits stayed high. We read letters of encouragement written by wish kids and we even ran into wish kid Noah and his family while we were at Animal Kingdom!
We may be racing, but there is always ample time for wish families! We bumped into sweet little Noah from WI. He reached out to @plandwirth and said “Hi, I’m Noah!” #GiveKidsTheRides @RideEvery pic.twitter.com/fikg65osbR
— GiveKidsTheWorld (@GKTWVillage) December 5, 2018
I don’t often get to see wish children outside of the Village, especially in the parks. So, we stopped to chat and made sure they were enjoying their day. He introduced himself and started sharing all of his favorite Disney moments. After spending a little time with the family and hearing the joy in Noah’s voice, I got the boost I needed to finish more rides.
We said goodbye and jumped back into our mission. The next few hours were a blur of rides and attractions. As the end of the night got closer, we were almost running from ride to ride! Our feet were aching, as we had been riding for over 14 hours, but I was determined to finish the day strong.
We completed seven rides at @WaltDisneyWorld’s Animal Kingdom and just arrived at EPCOT for another nine before heading to end the day at Magic Kingdom. Keep the encouragement for @plandwirth coming! @RideEvery #GiveKidsTheRides pic.twitter.com/UvfAFYyyWk
— GiveKidsTheWorld (@GKTWVillage) December 5, 2018
We finished 43 out of 45 rides at all four parks, which feels like quite the accomplishment. This challenge was no easy feat, but it was worth it to thank the #EveryRideChallenge Group, who raised over $50,000 in 2018, and to experience the magic of these exciting parks, just like our families do.
Thank you to everyone who followed along, offered encouragement, and donated to our nearly perfect @RideEvery Challenge! 43/45 rides at all four @WaltDisneyWorld parks – I’d say that’s a pretty big day and we couldn’t have done it without you! #GiveKidsTheRides @GKTWVillage pic.twitter.com/sh3tTR58Vv
— Pamela Landwirth (@plandwirth) December 6, 2018
