If you wish upon a star... you might get a holiday to one of these locations. Photo / Getty Images
If you wish upon a star... you might get a holiday to one of these locations. Photo / Getty Images
Disneyland has sold itself on being "the happiest place on earth", not the cheapest.
Ranging from around $93 New Zealand dollars to enter Disneyland Paris to over $220 for a day at the original Anaheim resort - the cost of visiting any one of Disney's six theme parks can be prohibitively expensive. It's even harder to budget all of them in.
According to Go Banking Rates the cost of admission and a week's holiday at every single resort – not including meals or flights – comes out at NZ$10,277.30.
That's a huge, and expensive, undertaking for any Disney super-fan.
Ahead of next month's long awaited Star Wars-themed expansion, The Galaxy's Edge, tickets aren't getting any cheaper - or less sought after.
This month the park warned that customers will have to pre-book visiting slots for the attractions based on the sci-fi franchise, and that there would be a limited time allotted to visitors.
So, as well as being expensive, there is no guarantee you'll see everything you wanted to.
But we might have a travel solution for the bargain-hunting cartoon enthusiast.
We've come up with a list of 14 real world destinations that have inspired Walt Disney's cartoons.
And some just might be cheaper, easier, less busy and, dare I say it, more fun to travel to.
Moana: Samoa. Photo / Disney, Getty Images
It's a small world after all.
Moana: Samoa
The fictional island of Motunui is the home of Disney's Pacific princess Moana. For Taika Waititi's script the directors John Musker and Ron Clements spent months exploring the South Pacific. They finally settled on the Samoan islands as the basis for their Disney Pixar animation.
Hercules: The Acropolis, Greece. Photo / Disney, Getty Images
Hercules: Rhodes, Greece
Disney's 1997 movie on the mythical hero Hercules draws inspiration from many real-world ruins. While many of the places such as the Colossus of Rhodes are long gone, the islands of the Aegean are still littered with Doric columns.
The Little Mermaid: Château de Chillon, Geneva, Switzerland. Photo / Disney, Getty Images
The Little Mermaid: Château de Chillon, Geneva, Switzerland
Although the statue of the Little Mermaid is famously found in Copenhagen ( the home town of fairytale spinner Hans Christian Anderson) Disney looked further afield for inspiration for their movie. The Prince's waterfront castle is actually based on the Château de Chillon in Switzerland. Note to mermaids: Geneva is a fresh water lake, far away from any oceans.
Mulan: The Forbidden City, Beijing. Photo / Disney, Getty Images
Mulan: The Forbidden City, Beijing
The dramatic finale of Mulan takes place in what is unmistakably the Forbidden City in Beijing.
In spite of the name, the Imperial palaces in Beijing are some of the city's most popular attractions.
Aladdin: Taj Mahal, Agra. Photo / Disney, Getty Images
Aladdin: Taj Mahal, Agra
The white city of Agrabah might be a muddled approximation for a Middle Eastern kingdom, India's most famous landmark is an obvious influence. The onion-domed tomb in marble white attracts between 7 and 8 million visitors a year, though surprisingly only 800,000 from overseas.
This is the original fairytale castle, built by Ludwig II of Bavaria. Although not the most practical of castles, the fairytale schloss was designed as an attraction for the count's own fantasy kingdom – a sort of private Disneyland. Walt Disney built his version at the centre of the Anaheim Disneyland resort in 1955 and then depicted it in his 1959 film Sleeping Beauty. You'll now find six Neuschwanstein look-a-likes at Disney resorts around the world.
The bridge to Eilean Donan Castle is the perfectly rugged and romantic setting for a Disney film.
Unlike Sleeping Beauty's castle, this is no fairy tale palace. Situated where three lochs (Loch Long, Loch Duich and Loch Alsh) meet, it was the perfect spot for building the 13th century defense. When the road bridge opened for visitors to the Isle of Skye it became a popular stop off, just 12 km away from the Kyle of Lochalsh.
Up: Angel Falls, Venezuela. Photo / Disney, Getty Images
Up: Angel Falls, Venezuela
The world's highest uninterrupted waterfall, you'll need more than a hot air balloon to summit Angel Falls. The first person to climb the slopes was Latvian explorer Aleksandrs Laime, in 1946. Before this, and long before the Pixar film, the remoteness of the falls had inspired many other stories such as Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World and Walter Raleigh's search for El Dorado.
The Norwegian wooden church is inimitable. So when Elsa's coronation was depicted in the 2013 movie, it could only be St Olaf's. The Anglican stave church is located in the town of Balestrand in the Sognefjord, not far from Bergen. Named after Olaf II the first Christian king of Norway, he also shares his name with the animated snowman in the movie.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Alcázar of Segovia, Spain. Photo / Disney, Getty Images
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Alcázar of Segovia, Spain
An Unesco world heritage site, this castle-palace is truly "the fairest of them all."
Situated to the north west of Madrid, the irregular sides and turrets are designed to be difficult to scale and at times it has served as a prison, an artillery academy and a fortress.
However the intricate fairytale towers show its true nature as a pleasure palace for the Spanish royal family.
The Emperor's New Groove: Machu Picchu, Peru. Photo / Disney, Getty Images
The Emperor's New Groove: Machu Picchu, Peru
A story about a man who gets transformed into a llama, you might be grateful for an extra pair of legs if you take on this Incan mountain-top settlement. The South American landmark is world famous, and Peru's government is worrying about mounting tourist problem. However the Andes are full of archaeological sites, such as Kuelap and Choquequirao which are just as magical but without the Disneyland-like crowds.
Tangled: Mont Saint-Michel, France. Photo / Disney, Getty Images
Tangled: Mont Saint-Michel, France
In Disney's recent take on Rapunzel, the castle of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy the splitting image of the one in the film. This is the tower from which the princess lets down her locks. The coastal island off the coast of mainland France guards the mouth of the Couesnon River at the north of the country.
Lion King: Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Photo / Disney, Getty Images
Lion King: Tanzania
The stylised Savanah of the 1994 film looks unreal. However, you might be surprised by how true to life they are. Drawing from African art and animals, the cartoon is heavily influenced by the colours and landscapes of Central Africa. The Serengeti National park holds such picture perfect sunsets.
You just have to pull over if you pass the U-Drop Inn, in Shamrock Texas. The Art Deco pit stop is a great place to fill up the tank and gawp at the décor. Built in 1936 the stop was renovated to former glory in 1999 with a federal grant. Far along route 66, it sits on Highway 40, between Oklahoma City and Amarillo.
