AS the Disney Wonder cruise liner sails full steam ahead towards Southampton, two local women are counting down the days until the ship comes in. And they're not taking the Mickey.

That's because Liz Shannon, 33, from Rownhams, and her friend Lisa Booth, 30, from Woolston, are quackers about Donald Duck, that mouse and his Disney chums.

Walk in to Liz's home and you think you're in a Disney Store. The famous rodent appears on almost everything. There's a Mickey Mouse dinner service, towels, soap, a toast rack, photo frames - to name but a few. Her bathroom decor was even inspired by a Disney hotel she stayed in.

Liz and her husband Mike have never been on holiday anywhere else - clocking up six visits to DisneyWorld and a couple of trips to Disneyland Paris. They even spent their honeymoon at the Magic Kingdom. Liz, decked out in Mickey Mouse ear-rings, brooch and T-shirt, said: "People do think we're a bit mad always going back to the same place but we just never get bored of Disney. The atmosphere is incredible.

There's always something new to see or do and there's much more to this kind of holiday than just going on the rides.

"The Disney motto is 'For the young and young at heart'. We are both in our thirties. I guess we are the latter," said Liz.

Liz and Lisa haven't yet been on holiday together but are planning to do so. "As soon as one of us comes back from DisneyWorld, we get together and have a debriefing session," said Lisa who is fanatical about Winnie The Pooh.

And far from people taking the Mickey, the women have become a leading authority on the world of Disney.

"We get asked for advice so often that we've written a list of tips which give the low-down on everything from where to buy the best ice-cream to how many golf-courses there are," said Lisa.

Their Mickey Mouse operation has cost both women thousands of pounds but they believe it's money well spent.

"Every penny has been really worth it. The amount of time we spend at the theme parks is the best two weeks in the year," said Liz.

And now to have Disney on their doorstep is a wish upon a star come true.

"We're not going to Florida this year because we're saving, so I'm over the moon that Disney is coming to our home-town," said Liz.

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