Prince Fahd
Al-Saud, who is Saudi royalty, reportedly spent $20 million on a three-day
Disney world tour that ended in Paris to "celebrate his degree." The
Saudi prince allegedly booked entire areas of parks, had special performances,
and commissioned rare Disney characters to appear for him.
Prince Fahd
Al-Saud's $20 million Disney tour began May 22nd and ended the 24th. He had 60
guests go with him. The tour began in Hong Kong's Disneyland, followed by the
park in Tokyo, California, Orlando, Fla., and finally Paris. Although the
Prince's arrival came with exclusive access to park areas and special
characters, no employees were allowed to leak the news while he was there.
"The prince
had fun. He was there all along, but we are not allowed to speak about him,
that was the order," Julie Guedon, editor of Disney Gazette, told The
Daily Telegraph U.K. "This is the first time there has been such a
grandiose, private world tour."
To experience
all that the Disney parks had to offer, Al-Saud and his guests adhered to a
strict schedule starting at 6 a.m. and ending at 2 a.m. every night. Regular
visitors also got to experience Disney, but had to leave the parks at 11 p.m.
$20 million, or
15 million euros, got the prince the royal treatment while visiting the parks,
ending at Disneyland Paris. Areas were roped off for his arrival, extra
security was provided for him and his entourage, and exclusive characters
appeared, including Jessica Rabbit, the Aristocats, the cast of "Up"
and characters from "Atlantis, the Lost Empire," according to UPI.
The
"costumes and scenarios [were] all specially shipped in for the event,
along with 80 dancers," and many of the guests attending were
"diehard Disney fans and bloggers" who would appreciate the
spectacle.
The prince was
also generous with some of the specialties he requested; many visitors also got
to meet and interact with the special characters. Dancers and other employees
were paid their regular wages, though.
Prince Fahd
Al-Saud is used to extravagant spending. The son of late Saudi Crown Prince
Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz al Saud spent 800,000 euros to mark the 20th anniversary
of Paris' Disney, according to The Telegraph.
Both large
expenditures could help the struggling park, which has not made a profit since
its opening in 1992. Still, it's doubtful the influx of cash will make it profitable
this year.
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