See the World, One Disney Park at a Time

HONG KONG (AP) – The rain was pouring, the skies were a murky gray and Mickey's magic wasn't work-ing on the visitors cursing and scampering for cover at Hong Kong Disneyland. But Keith Simpson and his six friends from Sydney – all Disney fanatics sporting matching polo shirts that show Mickey ears over Australia's map – couldn't have been happier. The group was in Hong Kong on the second leg of their Disney-themed round-the-world tour, realizing months of planning for a 32-day trip that takes them to every Disney park in the world – from Tokyo to Hong Kong to Paris, to the US flagships, Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., and Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla. It was a dream come true for the "Down Under Disneyana" fan club members, who have all been to one or more Disney parks before but have never done them all at one go. The idea of a world tour was especially appealing for Australian fans because they live so far away from all the Disney parks, Simpson said. "We can't go to Disneyland every week. We can only go once every year, and that's if we're lucky," said Simpson, 36. The nearest park – Hong Kong – is more than eight hours' flight away. The fans also organized the trip so that it coincided with several important dates for Disney. The group was in Hong Kong for the first anniversary celebrations at Disney's newest theme park on Sept. 12. They planned to finish on Sept. 30, the last day of 50th anniversary fes-tivities at the original Disneyland in Anaheim. Along the way, members expected to mark the occasion with group photos in front of all the iconic Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella castles, said Wayne Godfrey, the organizer of the trip. They also planned to spend minimum time sightseeing outside the parks, while trying to go on every single ride at every single park they're visiting. In fact, discounting time spent on-board flights and transfers from airports, virtually every minute of the month-long trip was to be spent in one Disney park or another. The world trip cost about $4,661, inclusive of discounted rates for hotels, transfers and passes to the parks, Godfrey said. The Tokyo leg cost an extra $526, because the air miles went over the prescribed mileage limit in the round-the-world airfare, he said. "Coordinating the airfare was the trickiest part," he said. "But once we decided to go with a regular round-the-world airfare, it all came together really quickly." Godfrey has a word of advice for anyone trying to organize a similar trip. "I would book a round-the-world airfare. I would try to stay at the moderate (Disney) hotels. I'd also make sure I go out of season, not on holidays when the parks are crowded," he said.