MNTwinsMom
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2009
This board was helpful when planning my recent trip, so I thought I would share some of my thoughts and hopefully help out some of you currently planning a trip.
I visited Hong Kong Disneyland on Thursday, January 28, 2015 with my sister, brother-in-law and nieces (age 3 and 6). This was the first to trip Hong Kong Disneyland for all of us. I am the Disney fan of my family, having participated in the College Program at WDW, 10+ visits to WDW and 2 visits to DL California. I have 12-year-old twin boys so my most recent park touring has been fast-paced and attraction-centered. Travelling with smaller kids and those not familiar with Disney parks was different, but exciting.
Traveling to the Park
We rented a flat in Discovery Bay on Lantau Island. We travelled by bus from Discovery Bay to the Sunny Bay MTR (subway) station and took the Disneyland Line to the park. Even though it is technically part of the public transportation system, the train to Disneyland and the Disneyland station when you arrive set up the Disney theming well and you feel you are stepping into the Disney bubble as soon as you board the train. The train ride is less than 10 minutes.
Entering the Park
Be sure to allow time to take pictures and look around the entrance area before heading into the park. The Hong Kong Disneyland sign and Mickey fountain provide great photo opportunities. We arrived at 9:20am and were waiting in the hub just before 10am for the opening. At park open we headed for the Anna and Elsa fast pass distribution. This may have changed, but in January the only way you could meet Anna and Elsa was getting a return time/fast pass. The fast past distribution was just to the left of the castle. We waited in line for about 10 minutes and were given a return time of Noon – 12:15pm.
First impressions
With the castle currently under scrims, the initial site on Main Street did not exactly take your breath away. Part of Main Street was also under scrims. However, we knew this was going to look this way, so it was not a huge disappointment. There are plenty of other beautiful sites and photo opportunities. Not to mention the lush green mountains that surround the park.
Character Interactions
Hong Kong Disneyland does character meet and greets well. The Fantasy Gardens area in Fantasy land is similar to the character trails at Camp Mickey Minnie in AK. There are separate gazebos and queues for 5 different characters (Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Pooh). The longest we waited was about 15 minutes for Mickey. Pluto and Goofy often had just one family waiting. Princesses were meeting near Snow White’s grotto next to the castle with waits of less than 15 minutes in the afternoon. This was not a busy time of year, so obviously wait times will vary greatly depending on how busy the park is.
Food
Lunch at the Lucky Nugget Saloon in Grizzly Gulch was far better than the US parks counter service food. The food was better quality and freshly prepared. The service was fast and there was plenty of outside shaded seating. Popcorn options were plentiful, with each cart offering 2 flavor options (salt & pepper, curry and carmel corn, etc.) Although we aimed for Western style food offerings, there were options for all types of food throughout the park.
Photopass
If you are interested in photopass pictures you must decide before you leave the park. We made the mistake of thinking we could view the photos once we had left the park and were disappointed to find out this was not an option. You must go to a kiosk inside the park the same day the photos were taken and they can tell you the options to buy prints and/or downloads.
Attractions
The It’s A Small World attraction at HKDL is exceptional. The exterior is stunning, set on the side of a mountain and the attraction itself is flawless. It is different enough from the US parks that it feels familiar, but also like a whole new attraction. Don’t skip this attraction thinking it is the same as you’ve experienced at the US parks.
Mystic Manor is exceptional and should not be missed. If you are any kind of a theme park fan you will enjoy it from start to finish. If you are a Disney fan and remember what it felt like to experience Tower of Terror for the first time, this will be similar. It is immersive, full of details and an original story different than any other Disney attraction. This is not a haunted house.
There are many play areas, splash zones and photo locations around the park that although technically are not attractions, provide great opportunities for kids to play and parents to relax. My nieces particularly enjoyed the Grizzly Gulch play area and the splash zone near Space Mountain in tomorrowland.
Overall Impressions
Visiting a foreign Disney park was at the top of my Disney bucket list, so I was extremely excited to visit Hong Kong Disneyland. It felt familiar, yet unique and I absolutely loved it. If I had the time, I definitely would have spent another day in the park to experience more of it. We were in the park at an off-peak time of the year (longest wait of the day was 30 minutes for Mystic Manor at 2pm and many attractions were less than 10 minutes waits) and didn’t experience even half of the offerings in our one day.
I’d be happy to answer any questions you have. Thanks for reading!
I visited Hong Kong Disneyland on Thursday, January 28, 2015 with my sister, brother-in-law and nieces (age 3 and 6). This was the first to trip Hong Kong Disneyland for all of us. I am the Disney fan of my family, having participated in the College Program at WDW, 10+ visits to WDW and 2 visits to DL California. I have 12-year-old twin boys so my most recent park touring has been fast-paced and attraction-centered. Travelling with smaller kids and those not familiar with Disney parks was different, but exciting.
Traveling to the Park
We rented a flat in Discovery Bay on Lantau Island. We travelled by bus from Discovery Bay to the Sunny Bay MTR (subway) station and took the Disneyland Line to the park. Even though it is technically part of the public transportation system, the train to Disneyland and the Disneyland station when you arrive set up the Disney theming well and you feel you are stepping into the Disney bubble as soon as you board the train. The train ride is less than 10 minutes.
Entering the Park
Be sure to allow time to take pictures and look around the entrance area before heading into the park. The Hong Kong Disneyland sign and Mickey fountain provide great photo opportunities. We arrived at 9:20am and were waiting in the hub just before 10am for the opening. At park open we headed for the Anna and Elsa fast pass distribution. This may have changed, but in January the only way you could meet Anna and Elsa was getting a return time/fast pass. The fast past distribution was just to the left of the castle. We waited in line for about 10 minutes and were given a return time of Noon – 12:15pm.
First impressions
With the castle currently under scrims, the initial site on Main Street did not exactly take your breath away. Part of Main Street was also under scrims. However, we knew this was going to look this way, so it was not a huge disappointment. There are plenty of other beautiful sites and photo opportunities. Not to mention the lush green mountains that surround the park.
Character Interactions
Hong Kong Disneyland does character meet and greets well. The Fantasy Gardens area in Fantasy land is similar to the character trails at Camp Mickey Minnie in AK. There are separate gazebos and queues for 5 different characters (Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Pooh). The longest we waited was about 15 minutes for Mickey. Pluto and Goofy often had just one family waiting. Princesses were meeting near Snow White’s grotto next to the castle with waits of less than 15 minutes in the afternoon. This was not a busy time of year, so obviously wait times will vary greatly depending on how busy the park is.
Food
Lunch at the Lucky Nugget Saloon in Grizzly Gulch was far better than the US parks counter service food. The food was better quality and freshly prepared. The service was fast and there was plenty of outside shaded seating. Popcorn options were plentiful, with each cart offering 2 flavor options (salt & pepper, curry and carmel corn, etc.) Although we aimed for Western style food offerings, there were options for all types of food throughout the park.
Photopass
If you are interested in photopass pictures you must decide before you leave the park. We made the mistake of thinking we could view the photos once we had left the park and were disappointed to find out this was not an option. You must go to a kiosk inside the park the same day the photos were taken and they can tell you the options to buy prints and/or downloads.
Attractions
The It’s A Small World attraction at HKDL is exceptional. The exterior is stunning, set on the side of a mountain and the attraction itself is flawless. It is different enough from the US parks that it feels familiar, but also like a whole new attraction. Don’t skip this attraction thinking it is the same as you’ve experienced at the US parks.
Mystic Manor is exceptional and should not be missed. If you are any kind of a theme park fan you will enjoy it from start to finish. If you are a Disney fan and remember what it felt like to experience Tower of Terror for the first time, this will be similar. It is immersive, full of details and an original story different than any other Disney attraction. This is not a haunted house.
There are many play areas, splash zones and photo locations around the park that although technically are not attractions, provide great opportunities for kids to play and parents to relax. My nieces particularly enjoyed the Grizzly Gulch play area and the splash zone near Space Mountain in tomorrowland.
Overall Impressions
Visiting a foreign Disney park was at the top of my Disney bucket list, so I was extremely excited to visit Hong Kong Disneyland. It felt familiar, yet unique and I absolutely loved it. If I had the time, I definitely would have spent another day in the park to experience more of it. We were in the park at an off-peak time of the year (longest wait of the day was 30 minutes for Mystic Manor at 2pm and many attractions were less than 10 minutes waits) and didn’t experience even half of the offerings in our one day.
I’d be happy to answer any questions you have. Thanks for reading!
