Man visits all 12 Disney theme parks across the globe and goes on every ride

By Adam Dutton via SWNS

A Mickey Mouse-mad man has fulfilled his dream of visiting all 12 Disney theme parks across the world - going on EVERY one of their 216 rides.

Ben Wooldridge, 35, has forked out thousands of pounds on his globe-trotting adventure travelling to every Disney park across four countries and three continents.

His travels have seen him fly 54,300 miles to Florida, California, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai over the past six years as he completed his incredible feat.

Superfan Ben first fell in love with Disney when he visited Disneyland Paris as a four-year-old boy in 1992.

But it wasn't until 2016 when the Chinese park opened that he decided to set himself the task of visiting every single one of the 'happiest places on Earth'.

Ben, who works as a publicist, could now possibly be the first Brit to go on every ride at every Disney park after ticking off Shanghai on November 6.

In total, he has been on 216 rides, visited 12 parks, seen six Disney castles and been to the USA, China, France and Japan.

Ben, of Leamington Spa, Warks., said: "My love of the Disney parks comes from my mom and dad when they took us to the Disneyland Paris when it opened in 1992.

“The took us to Florida every few years and it was always a big magical occasion.

"I wanted to feel that sense of occasion as an adult too and when you're there it always really feels like your doing something very special.

“I knew when I did another one, we'd end up doing all of the others. If you go to the parks, you're naturally going to do all the rides too.

“I definitely can't pick a favorite park as they’re all so different and so unique, they’re all so fascinating.

"In terms of my favorite Disney character, it's highly predictable but it will always be Mickey.

"He's the symbol and mascot for Disney and as Walt Disney said 'it all started with a mouse'."

Disney currently have castle parks in Orlando, in Florida, Los Angeles, in California, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Ben added: “As I got older and more into travel, it was the perfect match. I wanted to complete them all.

"It was just ticking off the list, it was also interesting to see Disney through a different culture and consuming the brand in a different way.

“In Shanghai and Hong Kong the experience is much more about taking photos.

"The character meet-and-greet take priority over the rides. It’s even more special over there.

“Also in the Asian parks are characters who exist who don’t exist over in the western parks.

“It’s a different Disney culture and a different park culture. The things I love the most is the attention to detail.

"The Asian parks I'm the most keen to go back to but that’s because I've done Florida and Paris a lot.

“I think it was probably around the time the Shanghai park opened in 2016 that I decided to do this. It has the biggest castle park of them all.

"I started with my first Disney experience 30 years ago but it has mainly been completed in the last six years.

"You have to save hard. They were all done over separate holidays, and I did them one-by-one."

Ben said he planned his dream Disney trips alongside holidays with family and friends to make it more affordable.

He believes Shanghai Disneyland has the best rides but his favorite is 'Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance' at Walt Disney World.

Ben added: "The key is to plan, there’s so much to do.

“I have no idea how much it cost, but spread over the years, it’s definitely thousands, I haven’t ploughed all of my savings.

"I can't deny that I've spent thousands on visiting the Disney Parks over the years, but with the right planning and know-how, it doesn't need to break the bank.

“There’s six castle parks and then there’s some locations with multiple parks in those countries.

“You’ve got the original in LA and Disney World in Florida, and then Disneyland Paris.

"Then you’ve got parks in Asia in Shanghai, the newest, and then Hong Kong and Tokyo.

"Being the newest of the Disney parks, the rides at Shanghai Disneyland are at the cutting edge of technology.

"Even Disney classics such as Peter Pan’s Flight are given an extra touch of magic by incorporating new technologies.

"My favorite ride is probably Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Anaheim and Walt Disney World.

"The experience goes far beyond a ride and the attention to detail is mind blowing.

"I do like a good bucket and tick list, or doing everything in order like watching all the Star Wars films in order. It’s like that. It’s just in my personality.

"I've completed the parks with various family and friends. I bring them along to experience and share the magic together.

“The most important thing about going to Disney is sharing and enjoying it with friends and family.”

List of 12 Disney locations:

• Walt Disney World Resort, Florida, USA. (Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Animal Kingdom).
• Disneyland Resort, Los Angeles, California (Disneyland, California Adventure).
• Tokyo Disney Resort (Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea).
• Disneyland Paris (Disneyland Paris, Walt Disney Studios Park).
• Hong Kong Disneyland Resort (Hong Kong Disneyland).
• Shanghai Disney Resort (Shanghai Disneyland).