Our story begins in 1998. Our owner, Chet McDoniel was on his 2nd trip to the Walt Disney World® Resort. The only other time he had been was when he was five years old, so this trip was very special. While the trip was amazing, something happened that made him fall in love with Disney. He tells in his own words:
To set the stage, let me tell you that I couldn’t wait to see SpectroMagic. It was the one thing I was most excited about. On our day at the Magic Kingdom, we arrived to watch the parade too late to get a decent spot to view it, and did not know about any other seating options, so I watched it from a distance, while at the time my hopes were crushed. Being in a wheelchair, I couldn’t even see the parade due to all the people around me.
On the last day of our trip, we were at MGM (now, Disney’s Hollywood Studios™) and as we were leaving, I noticed that there was an hour before the SpectroMagic parade. We decided (upon my request) to make another attempt at viewing the parade. I was fearful when we arrived because when we had seen it a couple of days earlier, we tried to get seats about an hour early, and here we were attempting the same at about 20 mins before the parade. When we arrived, Main Street was PACKED. Here I am in a manual wheelchair with someone pushing me through holes that people couldn’t even walk through. I would never make it. My hopes dashed again, I was ready to leave…
We pushed and shoved through the crowd as my parents had decided that if we couldn’t see the parade, we might as well ride a high-profile attraction while we were here. Then a Cast Member walked right up to us on the street as we were trying to hurry to get out of the parade’s way. It hadn’t started, but Jimminy Cricket had made several announcements. She knelt down, eye-to-eye level with me and in the middle of the chaos, said with a great big smile, “I saved a special place just for you sweetheart.” She turned and walked over to handicapped seating area not 10 ft away, where, there was just enough room to park my chair. My front wheels were practically hanging off the curb. I turned to say thanks and she winked and left. I watched the parade in all of its splendor. My dreams came true, and my vacation was made perfect.
That kind of vacation magic is what we are all about at Off to Neverland Travel®. Our owners, Chet & Joni McDoniel are strong believers in the wonderful memories that are made when families go on vacation. We chose to specialize in Disney travel because we believe Disney provides a level of service and entertainment that no other destination can provide. While Disney is our specialty, we are a full-service travel agency, and we can help you with your vacation plans to any destination.
Chet & Joni McDoniel have worked in the travel industry for over 9 years, and they love their careers. They welcome any and all to join them in selling travel and helping families make memories that will last for years to come. You can find out more information here, on our career page.
Off to Neverland Travel® is here to serve you and your vacation needs. Our level of service and dedication to details goes far beyond the average, and helping you make vacation memories is what we do best. Whatever your vacation dreams may be, they are only “a wish away” here at Off to Neverland Travel®. Please let us know how we can serve you.
