Hong Kong Disneyland Review
The only ones left for me to visit is the Euro Disney (Edit: Visited in 2014), Shanghai Disneyland and Disney World in Florida.
Anyway, since I was having a long working trip to Hong Kong, I thought not, since I had some free time to kill.
So, the child in me came out the minute I reached Hong Kong Disneyland’s gates, and I am sure many Disney fans would feel the same way.
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 also 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 actually a Caucasian girl.
Hong Kong Disneyland also attracts about 35,000 visitors a day and is also 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 actually a good deal for a Disneyland package, especially for those who have not pre-booked any tickets. Again, it may be a little more but think of the other logistics packaged in.
So, if you are in Hong Kong and suddenly has the urge to visit Disneyland, do check with your hotel’s concierge as they may have some great packages to Hong Kong Disneyland.
The general weather was quite humid when I went there in September, but the crowds were really nice and moving around was relatively easy, minus any huge crowds.
Honestly, the best time to visit this theme park is during the cool season or winter period in Hong Kong. Trust me, you do not want to come here in the summer to get really hot and humid.
As if you come here in the winter months of December, be prepared for hordes of people and super long queues for rides.
I would not want to ever experience this after trying out the other Disneylands in Japan and America.
Getting To Hong Kong Disneyland
We took the hotel’s 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 us about 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 back.
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.
The first place you see when you enter the park is Main Street, USA, where buildings are similar to the American style Victorian architecture from the early 20th century.
A series of other retail stores selling candy, souvenirs, and gifts line Main Street here, and you will also see restaurants, cafes and ice cream shops in this themed section.
Several old-styled buildings like city hall and a fire station are also well decorated for picture taking purposes.
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 would pass by ferrying guests to a drop off point.
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?
And there, we did it—the legendary Mickey and Minnie mouse picture moment. I am told every child’s dream, except that if Ben 10 was there, there would be major confusion.
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 much children-friendly, we made a quick walk around and ended up going to Tarzan’s Island and then out of Adventureland.
Just so you know, there is a great Jungle River Cruise if you plan to visit with kids. There is also a Broadway Show called ‘Festival Of The Lion King‘ going on here too.
Fantasyland has always been one of my favourite areas since my first solo trip to Tokyo Disneyland in 1990.
It is a very cheerful and colourful place, and children would absolutely fall in love with this section of Disneyland.
Below are a few videos were taken inside ‘It’s A Small World’ – The Ride.
Trust me, the catchy theme song goes on and on during your here, and if it does not get to you after the ride, you truly are a Disney lover.
Each ride unit can carry two persons and take about 15 minutes to complete the ride while travelling through various cultures and places around the world.
What makes this ride special is all the animatronics of cute characters dressed in various cultures. And yes, you can take photos, but the ride does not stop.
In this section, the same tune of music goes on but in another language. I must have heard about six languages of the famous song ‘It’s A Small World’ throughout the ride.
While admiring the beautiful and cute kid figures moving about throughout the entire ride, I took a look at the fine details of them, especially the costumes and countries they represent.
Please note that they are robotic toys and not real kids, just in case you thought wrong, or it is your first time going on this ride.
Finally, we have Tomorrowland, which would be absolutely crazy if you have boys for kids. This part of Disneyland features most modern rides like Space Mountain (Not recommended for the weak), cartoon rides like Toy Story, Stitch Encounter, UFO Zone and some other rides.
Honestly, this is probably my number one place in Hong Kong Disneyland. Why? Because it does not look childish and has a more matured look and feel.
Some of the props that resemble spaceships and rockets from various movies like Toy Story are placed around Tomorrowland.
This is also great for picture taking that will bring a smile to your kids and possibly to some adults.
One of the structures that caught my eye features a mechanical planet with smaller planets orbiting the main structure.
That structure must have been about 50 feet tall and quite interesting from an adults point of view.
Space Mountain is also called rides in every Disneyland and is not for the faint heart or those with lygophobia (fear of darkness) and toddlers.
Trust me, this ride is pretty much in the dark; even lining up to get in 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…. 2 minutes of speed and darkness till the end. 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 that I must try.
Buzz Lightyear is famous as Michael Jackson, but not enough to compete with all-time cartoon hero Ben 10.
For the serious fans of Toy Story, you can find a huge statue of Buzz Lightyear here, which is awesome for a photo.
I admit I had to take the picture above as I have a collection of pictures (non-DSLR days) with me holding the same post in front of the ever famous Enchanted Castle of Disneyland.
By the way, as the humidity was really high, we could not take the heat anymore and decided on leaving this place early at about 4.00 pm.
I contemplated staying for the world-class Disney On Parade Show that goes on every evening, but once you have seen one, they are about the same, so off we went.
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 the Shanghai Disneyland.
Heading back to Kowloon, we walked to the Disneyland Resort MTR Station and purchased our one-way tickets back.
I thought that 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 all the way.
The special Disney MTR Train that runs to the resort was one of a kind, complete with windows in the shape of Mickey Mouse.
How cool is that? Honestly, this is truly an experience for any Disney fan to remember for the rest of your life.
Even the handrail was in Mickey Mouse’s shape, which totally caught me off guard as I never expected such details.
Looking around inside the train, there were bronze statues of Goofy, Minnie, Donald, Pluto and other Disney characters encased in special perspex casings on each side of the train interior.
How To Go To Hong Kong Disneyland?
Kowloon Area: Take the Tung Chung Line from Kowloon to Sunny Bay and then transfer to 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$2.5)
Taxis: Generally fast and expensive from around Hong Kong
Hong Kong Disneyland Opening Hours:
10:00 to 19:00 (weekdays)
10:00 to 21:00 (weekends and holidays)
Tickets Selling Hours: From 09:00 until the park closes
Park Tickets:
One-Day Tickets
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Annual Passes Prices
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Value
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Deluxe
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Premium
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Adults
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HK$ 350
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HK$ 650
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HK$ 1,300
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HK$ 1,800
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Students (12-25)
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HK$ 350
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HK$ 460
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HK$ 930
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HK$ 1,250
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Children (3-11)
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HK$ 250
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HK$ 460
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HK$ 930
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HK$ 1,250
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Seniors (65 or above)
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HK$ 170
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HK$ 370
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HK$ 740
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HK$ 1,000
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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.
For a complete guide and more information, visit the official website for Hong Kong Disneyland.
View Hong Kong Disneyland on a larger map.
This theme park is a must-visit if you have children, as planning a trip to the other Disneyland’s maybe 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 the other interesting areas here, like visiting the Charlie Brown Snoopy Cafe for something totally 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.
The Hong Kong Disneyland offers two luxury 4 and 5 Star Hotels on the premises while several others are out of the main park.
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