Booked/ticketed my flight - finally. Was pleasantly surprised that there was an open reward seat on every flight, which I'm still amazed at. Taxes seemed a bit high, relative to some of the threads I've read, but went through them with the agent and their were just a ton of little charges here/there - nothing stood out. So, I leave today for London, and will start my RTW itinerary from there in August. So excited! Thanks to Austinrunner for his comments/advice. I think i spent 5-6 hours on the phone with AA, but it would've been many many frustrating hours longer if I hadn't read up on this site.

LHR-NYC-SFO-NYC-MAD-AMM-DXB-JNB-HKG-SGN-HKG-MEL-SYD-BKK-NRT-CDG-LHR

Business class - $750 in taxes

Thanks again. Happy traveling