Hong Kong Disneyland

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We have just had two days at Hong Kong Disneyland. One of the most magical places on earth for kids and adults alike. It us a bit to get there, having to travel from Copenhagen to Helsinki, wait for twelve hours and then take a nine hour flight to Hong Kong crossing several time zones. A big CF of 10 to the kids for managing to stay away for the best part of 24 hours without spitting the dummy. So all up we left at 9.00am on September 2nd and landed in Hong Kong at 3.00pm on September 3rd. There was also a significant change in the temperature. When we left Helsinki it was only 12 degrees Celsius (max) and Hong Kong was 30 degrees Celsius and raining. No need for jeans or jumpers for the next 5 weeks.

Now Hong Kong Disneyland is billed as a “Magical Land where all your dreams come true”. After being there I have to say that it lives up to the claim and here is why;

1) We get to the hotel and we get an up grade in room (CF of 10).
2) We get given our pass for the Disneyland Park and we get a bonus second day instead of just one day (CF of 10).
3) We get into our room and there is a bed for each of us which is very uncommon in Asia (CF of 10).
4) Each room has its own TV pretty much dedicated to Disney shows (a CF of 10 from the kids) and it also had the Australia network so I could watch the football finals (more about that later - go Freo).

We decided that even though we were very tired from a lack of sleep, that using our extra day of our pass would be a great idea. It would keep the kids awake until bedtime at the very least. It was raining pretty hard but that didn’t worry the kids. We grabbed some umbrellas and caught the hotel bus to the park. Because it was a Friday and very wet the park was pretty empty. We were able to familiarise ourselves with the park once again (it had been 3 years since we were last there) and get the kids on some of their favourite rides again. We also decided on what we would do the next day and which souvenirs the kids wanted to get. At 7.30pm we watched the fireworks display and headed home for showers and bed. We have been a bit slack with the bedtime stories while we have been on the road (CF of 3 to us poor teachers) but no worries; the Disney TV actually had bedtime stories every 30 minutes (CF of 10 Walt) so the kids got a few stories before lights out. We crashed soon afterwards and slept in pretty late the next morning.

We almost missed breakfast because of our late start but we wolfed it down to get to Disneyland Park pretty much right at opening time. What a day the kids had; countless rides, lots of live shows, a couple of souvenirs, photos with Disney characters and more fun than you could poke a stick at. We again made it to the very end and watched the fireworks from a much better vantage point. Once again back to the magic. Because of the rain the previous day we decided to by some ponchos. Of course it didn’t rain at all. Unbelievable. The kids did not stop smiling for the whole day. Even the walk home to the hotel was full of fun and adventure.

Now back to the Fremantle game. I made the choice not to watch the big game live on the TV, instead I spent the whole day at Disneyland with the family. A risk I was sure but again some Disney magic; Fremantle won. A CF of 10 boys, a CF of 10. What a perfect way for a perfect day to finish.

Disney is like no other place we have visited so far on our trip. It is all about fantasy. You are completely blocked off from the reality of the outside world. The hotels and park are all there is in the area. There are no delis, restaurants or housing. Everywhere you walk, look and listen is Disney. Everyone is smiling, wishing you a good day and making sure the kids are the centre of attention. They would even have characters from the park come into the hotel to have photos with people. I lost count at the number of little girls who were dressed up as Princesses getting there photos taken. Mind you there were a surprising number of adults who were booked into the hotel and didn’t have children.

So if you want a place to visit where it is almost impossible for you to hear about flooding, earthquakes, murders, politics or financial ruins (or winning the wooden spoon if you are a West Coast supporter) then this is the place to be. Your kids will give it a CF of 10 which will come in handy in future years when they are thinking about a nursing home for you in your old age. Just whip out some photos from Disneyland where they have big smiles on their faces and I am sure there will be no metho baths for you.

Unfortunately the fantasy for us has ended and we are off to Vietnam for the next month; one of the places I have been looking forward to since our trip first started.

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Photos

Disney Fun
The kids (and parents) were pretty excited about going to Disneyland.

From our room.
We had a great view from our room over the water and above the hotel maize.

Kiddie paradise.
It is all about the kids. Everyone just wants them to have fun.

Alex the wizard.
Alex truely thought he could do everything, including driving a car. Fortunately it was a closed track.

Rides galore.
The kids could not get on the rides quick enough or often enough.

Ending with a bang.
The fireworks and light show at the end of the night was great; and we got to see it twice.

Ho Ho Hi Ho its off to bed we go.
After a long day the kids are ready to walk back to the hotel and have a sleep dreaming about princesses, wizards and rides,