Disney Global Ride Challenge: Man plans to visit 12 Disney theme parks in 12 days
ORLANDO, Fla. - Nathan Firesheets loves a good challenge, and he loves Disney theme parks. He's using that love to take on something that's never been done before – visiting 12 Disney theme parks across the world in 12 days. It's called the Disney Global Ride Challenge.
He started his Disney Global Ride Challenge at Disneyland Paris, then it was off to Shanghai Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland. And so far, so good. But the challenge doesn't come without its hurdles. When Firesheets says 12 parks in 12 days – he means 12 days in a row. There's no extra day for travel.
"The parks are the easy part. The travel logistics, that's what the hard part is. And I think that's why so many people can't believe that I'm doing this in a literal 12 days, I think. Oh, 12 days in the parks. He's not counting travel in and out, literally. 12 days, start to finish," he says.
He's not jumping to the front of the lines. He's using premier access at the international parks which is similar to Disney World's lightning lanes.
MORE NEWS:
- Giant blob of seaweed twice the width of US taking aim at Florida, scientists say
- Oscars 2023: 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' wins best picture
But for the rides that don't offer the option, he's waiting in the standby line.
"Nobody's holding spots in line for me, you know, none of that. I'm just out here doing it like a normal person," he said.
Timing is everything when it comes to this challenge. Firesheets has been planning it for months.
He started a rough outline backing August but he needed all the COVID-19 restrictions overseas to be lifted.
"As you know, Japan dropped some of their requirements and then Hong Kong dropped some of their requirements and then China dropped the mandatory 14-day quarantine and then just kind of tracking all those things," he said.
That happened in January when he booked the trip.
"A lot of the enjoyment of this for me is figuring out how do all those pieces fit together into this giant puzzle piece or this giant puzzle of a trip to make it all work," Firesheets said.
The final piece of the puzzle is a weekend in Orlando.
"One of my friends has joked that by the end of this, it's going to be like that scene from Forrest Gump. And I'm going to have just a crowd of people running behind me," he said.