Disneyland Entrance Fountain with Mickey Surfing.

Hong Kong Disneyland is located on reclaimed land on Penny’s Bay in Lantau Island and was officially opened on September 12, 2005. The park resembles the other Disneylands worldwide, with four themed lands: Main Street USA, Fantasyland, Adventureland, and Tomorrowland.

But the only difference was that the cast and crew at this particular Disneyland are all Chinese, so expect communication in Mandarin, Cantonese, and some English. Signages are in dual languages, making it easy for non-Chinese, but to my surprise, the princess of the Enchanted Castle was a Caucasian girl.

Mickey Mouse video surfing on top of a fountain

Hong Kong Disneyland also attracts about 35,000 visitors daily and is the smallest of the Disneylands worldwide. When I booked my Disneyland Package from the hotel concierge, I paid about HK$400 per person, including transfer, tickets and pickup from the Dorsett Seaview Hotel.

This was a good deal on a Disneyland package, especially for those without pre-booked tickets. Again, it may be a little more, but think of the other logistics included. So, if you are in Hong Kong and suddenly want to visit Disneyland, check with your hotel’s concierge, as they may have some great packages for Hong Kong Disneyland.

Disneyland Main Street, USA.

Disneyland’s Enchanted Castle.

Getting To Hong Kong Disneyland

We took the Disneyland shuttle service from the Dorsett Seaview Hotel in town, which made a few stops at some other hotels before proceeding to Lantau Island. The journey, which started at 8.30 takes, took 30 minutes. Upon arriving, we were dropped off at a bus parking area where the van would pick us up at 8.30 pm for our return.

Walking to the main entrance of Disneyland from the car park took us another 10 minutes before going through the main entrance and into Hong Kong Disneyland, this fantasy world.

Disneyland Fire Department.

Disneyland City Hall Building.

Wandering around Main Street, USA, we had already felt hungry as the hotel breakfast was not enough, so we went into one of the pastry shops and bought some pies and drinks for our second breakfast. Sitting along the main street was interesting, as several classic or antique buses and taxis passed by, ferrying guests to a drop-off point.

Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

At one area, Mickey and Minnie Mouse are spotted for photography with the visitors. How could one resist taking a picture with these two iconic Disneyland figures for over 80 years? By the way, did you know Mickey Mouse was born in 1928?

Photo opportunity with Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

And there, we did it—the legendary Mickey and Minnie Mouse picture moment. I am told it is every child’s dream, except if Ben 10 were there, there would be significant confusion.

Disneyland Jungle River Cruise.

We then made a trip to Adventureland next, and several rides reminding me of Indiana Jones are available here for those who love something different. But since most of them were pretty children-friendly, we quickly walked around and went to Tarzan’s Island and then out of Adventureland.

So, you know, there is a great Jungle River Cruise if you plan to visit with kids. A Broadway show called ‘Festival Of The Lion King‘ is also happening here.

Since my first solo trip to Tokyo Disneyland in 1990, Fantasyland has been one of my favourite areas. It is a very cheerful and colourful place, and children would love this section of Disneyland. Below are a few videos taken inside ‘It’s A Small World’—The Ride.

Video of It’s A Small World Ride in Fantasyland

Trust me, the catchy theme song continues while you’re here, and if it does not get to you after the ride, you are indeed a Disney lover. Each ride unit can carry two persons, and it takes about 15 minutes to complete the ride while travelling through various cultures and places worldwide.

What makes this ride unique is all the animatronics of cute characters dressed in various cultures. And yes, you can take photos, but the ride does not stop.

It’s A Small World Ride in Fantasyland Video #2

In this section, the same music continues but in another language. Throughout the ride, I must have heard about six languages of the famous song ‘It’s A Small World’.

While admiring the beautiful and cute kid figures moving about throughout the entire ride, I examined their fine details, especially the costumes and countries they represented. Please note that they are robotic toys and not kids, just in case you thought wrong or it is your first time going on this ride.

Tomorrowland Entrance.

Finally, we have Tomorrowland, which would be crazy if you have boys for kids. This part of Disneyland features most modern rides, like Space Mountain (not recommended for the weak), and cartoon rides like Toy Story, Stitch Encounter, UFO Zone, and some others.

Honestly, this is probably my number one place in Hong Kong Disneyland. Why? Because it does not look childish and has a more mature look and feel.

A spacecraft provides water mist during a hot day.

Some props resembling spaceships and rockets from movies like Toy Story are placed around Tomorrowland. This is also great for taking pictures, which will bring a smile to your kids and possibly some adults.

One of the futuristic structures in Tomorrowland.

One of the structures that caught my eye features a mechanical planet with more minor planets orbiting the main structure. That structure must have been about 50 feet tall and quite interesting from an adult point of view.

The Best Roller Coaster Ride in Disneyland.

Space Mountain is also called a ride in every Disneyland and is not for the faint heart of those with lygophobia (fear of darkness) and toddlers. Trust me, this ride is pretty dark; even lining up is dimly lit, as if you are in a space station getting ready to board your shuttlecraft.

Once the ride starts, you start to climb pretty high up, and then… two minutes of speed and darkness until the end. It’s a total rush if you love roller coasters. Heck, it made me go once more since the line was short, and I tell you, I can never get enough of this ride. Every Disneyland I visit, Space Mountain will be the ride I must try.

Buzz Lightyear at HKDL.

Buzz Lightyear is as famous as Michael Jackson, but not enough to compete with all-time cartoon hero Ben 10. For serious Toy Story fans, there is a huge statue of Buzz Lightyear here, which is awesome for a photo.

The writer does the legendary Disneyland pose.

I admit I had to take the picture above, as I have a collection of pictures (from non-DSLR days) of me holding the same post in front of the ever-famous Enchanted Castle of Disneyland.

By the way, as the humidity was high, we could not take the heat anymore and decided to leave this place early at about 4.00 pm. I contemplated staying for the world-class Disney On Parade Show every evening, but once you have seen one, they are about the same, so off we went.

Disneyland sign as you are leaving.

With this trip, I have successfully visited three Disneylands worldwide, and only the Euro Disney, Disney World (or Shanghai Disneyland), left to visit. Update 2014: I finally made it to Euro Disney on a working trip to France, and I am only left to visit Shanghai Disneyland.

Disneyland Resort MTR Station.

Returning to Kowloon, we walked to the Disneyland Resort MTR Station and purchased our one-way tickets. I thought the Disney experience was over until I got onto the station’s platform, and I guess they want to give you the full Disney experience.

Posing by one of the MTR Train Mickey Mouse-shaped windows.

The special Disney MTR Train that runs to the resort was one of a kind, complete with windows shaped like Mickey Mouse. How cool is that? This is truly an experience for any Disney fan to remember for the rest of your life.

Even the MRT train handrail was in the shape of Mickey.

Even the handrail was Mickey Mouse-shaped, which totally caught me off guard. I never expected such details. Looking around inside the train, I saw bronze statues of Goofy, Minnie, Donald, Pluto, and other Disney characters encased in special perspex casings on each side of the interior.

How To Go To Hong Kong Disneyland?

• Kowloon Area: Take the Tung Chung Line from Kowloon to Sunny Bay and then transfer to the Disneyland Resort Line. The journey is about 30 minutes. Ticket/Fare: HK$16.2/Octopus or HK$18.0/Single ticket
• Mongkok Area: MTR Mong Kok Station, take Tsuen Wan Line to Lai King station and then transfer to Tung Chung Line to Sunny Bay station to take Disneyland Resort Line to get to Hong Kong Disneyland.
• Tsuen Wan Bus station: Take bus R42 (Tsuen Wan – Disneyland). The journey is about 40 minutes.
• From Hong Kong Airport: Take bus S1 from the airport to Tung Chung MTR station (HK$5) and then take MTR(Disney Resort Line) from Tung Chung to Disneyland Resort (HK$2.5)
• Taxis: Generally fast and expensive from around Hong Kong

*Children under 3 are free. More information on Hong Kong Disneyland Tickets

Tip: You can also check with your hotel if they have special Disneyland Package Tickets for visitors from different countries around Southeast Asia.

Conclusion

This theme park is a must-visit if you have children. Planning a trip to the other Disneylands may be a little expensive, so thank the heavens for opening one in Southeast Asia. If you are a young couple, a full day here is sufficient as you can take your time to explore the entire Disneyland in Hong Kong.

If you stay for a few days in Hong Kong, you can enjoy other interesting areas here, like visiting the Charlie Brown Snoopy Cafe to see something unique and different. For those who love shopping, check out the many shopping areas of Hong Kong, or indulge in some shoe shopping at Sports Shoe Street in Mong Kok.

If you have children, you may want to plan a stay at Disneyland, as it can and will get tiring for you and the kids. Hong Kong Disneyland offers two luxury four and 5-star Hotels on the premises, while several others are outside the central park.