Disney Hong Kong (HK trip part 2)

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Okay. Here's what happened next on our HK urban adventure. Fear not, culture lovers, the next and likely final installment about this trip will be about Hong Kong sights, sounds, people and of course FOOD.

We wanted to get an early start on the day, but that didn't happen due to a late night on Thursday and a long stay at the hotel breakfast. We Slavens love a good breakfast buffet. Especially when it's part of our room rate. I used extreme restraint both days and did not partake in the dessert and chocolate fountain stations. I cannot say the same about my companions. I did indulge in the free flow espresso drinks, however.

We still managed to head out at about 10:15 and Disney only opens at 10am. We took the subway to Disneyland and it was an impressive subway at that. Shanghai's subway is very similar to HK's, so we navigated the station and the various lines easily. The signage is all bilingual and many people spoke English. We took 3 trains to Disneyland, but the transfers were simple to make and the last train was the special "Disney" train. Fancy cars with Disney characters with plush seats and windows shaped like Mickey Mouse. That last train was a very quick ride and helped build the excitement of all the passengers. We were not the only ones going to the Magic Kingdom on this beautiful 70 degree Friday morning.

The park is steps away from the train stop. We got off the train, exited the station and there we were. On the grounds of the Magic Kingdom. Emily was thrilled. Nathan was more subdued but still excited. Mark and I were excited but a little apprehensive as our last trip to the original, California Disney was disastrous. The lines were horrific and we spent a lot of money to go on maybe 3 rides and eat an overpriced meal we waited over an hour to procure. It was like one of those Chevy Chase everything that can go wrong does go wrong vacation movies, except it was us, and it wasn't really funny at the time.

Well this Disney experience was the opposite of that last one. The park is modeled after the original Disneyland in California. Not the expanded edition that is there now, but the original, "classic" Disney. So the park is smaller than the current LA park but it is incredibly familiar. I knew my way around. Me, the one who gets lost ALL the time. I was navigating the park like a...like a person who can find her way around. That's right. Like that.

I think we went on every ride. We waited in a few lines, but the longest was 10-15 minutes. We did Space Mountain twice! And both times--front car. We had to wait an extra minute to get that exact spot, but the kids were thrilled to be in the very front. I screamed a lot on Space Mountain. So much so that I was really regretting taking my cough drops out of my bag earlier that morning--thinking there was no need to haul them around all day since we are all healthy.

We saw a High School Musical show which was cute and a little funny. It was the English songs but Chinese narration. The park has Disney characters all over the place--so photo opps were plentiful. We saw a second show called The Golden Mickeys and again, Chinese narration, but this time there were screens with English translations on the stage. Nice touch. The songs were in English, and it was nicely done. Again, Emily and I enjoyed and the boys endured.

Our only disappointment of the day was learning that It's a Small World was closed for maintenance. It's a family favorite, but we didn't let it get us down. We took a picture in front of the closed ride and moved on. We caught the parade mid-way through, did a bunch more rides, and finally headed back to the hotel at 6:30pm. Long day, lots of fun.

The food options were mostly Asian with a few western options. We saw burgers and fries but we opted for a few Chinese dishes and it was not too expensive and pretty good taste-wise.

I was pleasantly surprised with the entire Hong Kong Disney experience. The staff was very friendly, the park was Disney signature clean, and the lack of long lines on the warm but not too hot day made it a magical day indeed.

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Photos

welcome message
made out of loose rocks