Phil's Adventures in Hong Kong Disneyland - April 2016 *new June 29th - link to PTR added*

[Dugette]

Thanks for the update on Hong Kong and your exploration. Very cool - love to see new sights. Sounds like you made the most of the time you had to sightsee there. Thanks for sharing!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

What a great update, you got some really amazing pictures! I'm glad you were able to experience what you did!

That chocolate fountain sure does look amazing As does that last panoramic shot!

Thank you! Yeah, I really was trying to focus on things that I don't normally see around where I live

and I just thought that was such a cool chocolate fountain!

That's not a bad view from the office!

That subway map is pretty cool ... but I actually kinda prefer what the newer subway cars have (the digital one on the R160s). It may not have the whole system, but I find it to be infinitely more readable than anything the older cars have. Of course ... no Disneyland on the NYC subway maps .

Wow ... I'm so used to thinking of Hong Kong as an industrial and financial center, I never really thought about what amazingly beautiful stuff there is to see there! Thanks for sharing!

The food looks and sounds pretty good too.

Not a bad view at all - and that is the space they allot for visitors which is nice

The new ones in the NY subway are definitely a huge improvement over the old ones and are great, like you said, for the line you are on. Obviously this is a smaller system as well so showing the entire system is more realistic than in NY - would be awesome though to get on a subway and magically there is a Disneyland on it!

It's interesting from a cultural standpoint in that a lot of the traditional looking offerings really aren't that old, even though they look it. Certainly not the same as getting to see the Great Wall of China or something - but still different than what I see in my normal day-to-day life

Food was one thing I was really happy with - really good and lots of variety!

Nice view! It would be hard to work, with that in front of you.

Thanks for the tour, really interesting and the food looks delicious!

I guess you could get used to the view over time but for me it definitely was a bit distracting at times!

Thank you - Lots of good food!

What an amazing trip!! And so nice that you got to have some fun on a work trip like that!! The view from that cable car was fantastic!

It really was a cool experience and I am very thankful to my wife being ok with me taking some extra days (meaning, more days she was alone with the kids - though her parents did come to visit for a bit). View from the Cable Car definitely was cool - though wish it was an even clearer day, but still not bad!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

That was awesome!! You know you had a good trip when you take a "Big Buddha Selfie"! The food sounds amazing! And that wine dispenser?! Even were you did your work looks amazing. My annual meeting for my job is not usually that fun! Looking forward to your DL side trip.

What, you don't get to take a "Big Buddha Selfie" every day? Overall i was really happy with the food we got. Obviously you need to be ok with Southeast Asia type food but I found there to be quite the variety among that theme

This was the first time we got to go to Asia for these meetings. Normally we do them in Zurich though, which is pretty cool too! Next year we will be hosting so boring old New York!

Seriously this post just got me so excited for HK!! When we started planning, we weren't excited about China at all, minus Disney, and I felt more excited about actual China vs HK, and now I'm thinking that I'll enjoy HK as a city WAY more than the others!! Who knows though! Lol.
Glad you shared!!

HK s a really great city - good vibe and lots to do and easy to get around. The cultural stuff is interesting in that it looks old but most of it really isn't that old - so I would think mainland China would be better for most of that sort of stuff but there is definitely neat stuff to do in Hong Kong. Plus Macau is right there if you are into gambling

Oh my gosh, maybe this is another reason they don't want alcohol served at Disneyland!

This is great!

Good job. And what a signature you have!

This is awesome! I enjoy Autopia at Disneyland, but if it had these features, i'd go on it more I think.

Because of you, we're going to make a huge effort to see it on Wednesday night! We're doing a quick Disneyland/Knottsberry Farm trip and this parade is high on the priorities list. You said you sat over by IASW right? Like on that platform over there? Depending on the time we show up, we'll try to head to that spot!

Yeah, and at first I thought it might just be a translation thing that they really just meant "good health" or something - but one of my co-workers said they have gone out for a few drinks and then decided to head to Hong Kong Disneyland so I guess it is a really concern!

I thought the Aliens were a nice and surprising touch!

Thank you!

I think it was great for Autopia to be electric and I think would change up the MK version a ton - and I wouldn't think it would take that much of an investment. Maybe they could get Tesla or something to sponsor it

Well, now I really hop you enjoy the Paint the Night! Though I really can't imagine you not liking it. Yeah, at California Disneyland we watched it from that raised platform along the path that goes towards It's a Small World. During the day we saw Alice and the Mad Hatter meeting there. Considering we only got there about ~10-15 minutes before the start of the parade it was a pretty darn good view!

That is so strange that there is not more of a strong presence of Mulan there

What an amazing view. I bet it's just as gorgeous at night!

Totally helpful

Wow this is beautiful! I bet it's a peaceful place for business people too.

AGHH! Those little turtles are absolutely adorable!

I was a little surprised that I didn't notice more Mulan - I mean, maybe there was more there if you knew where to look, but definitely wasn't obvious

it was a neat view and we saw some cool views at night as well

It was a very neat spot and I just thought it was awesome being right in the middle of a busy area of a city - like a mini-Central Park

The turtles were pretty darn cute!

Did this freak you out at first?

This is super cool.

I would be so excited to try all the food!



I've seen this on tv! This is so cool! Did you recognize any of the wines?

I was ok with the glass floor Gondola - though if anyone was freaked out I would totally understand!

I think you would have definitely gone over all the food - so much variety and all so good! One night we went to the seafood market - so right at the port where the boats come in - and had some of the freshest and most varied seafood I have ever had!

I recognized a few wines - a lot of French wines so I stuck with that.

Thanks for the update on Hong Kong and your exploration. Very cool - love to see new sights. Sounds like you made the most of the time you had to sightsee there. Thanks for sharing!

You are quite welcome - glad you enjoyed it. Definitely something I never thought I would get a chance to do!

 

[Volunteer]

Love the shirt!

My selfie game was off this day, but I did managed to sneak Hong Kong airport in mine ...

 

[Imagineer5]

below is a picture of one of the streets with a lot of stalls - we picked up some souvenirs here, including some chop sticks and I got a traditional style dress for my youngest daugther. I did notice a sign for New York Station so that made me feel a bit at home:

Aw I'd love to see that!

The next major outing I did was actually after the off site and my colleague had already left (she actually was heading directly to another corporate function in Kenya, Africa)

Umm, can you say jealous!?!? From HK to Africa!

I decided to take one of the gondolas that had a glass floor (there was a bit of an up-charge) which definitely created some unique views as you could see the water below you but also we would travel over trailways and you could see people hiking up

Gorgeous! What an outing!

Really awesome!

I then walked to the Po Lin monetary which was really beautiful. I didn't get a ton of pictures as many of the buildings were there for worshipers and they asked you not to take pictures. One of them was the hall of 1,000 Buddha's and it contained what looked to be at least 1,000 Buddha statues of varying sizes - really impressive! The architecture was really cool too as all the cornices and ridges on the roofs had carvings in them.

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Also gorgeous!

Once the rain stopped I headed back down and it was still only early afternoon and since I had to pass the transfer spot to the train to Disneyland I figured I might as well stop in again - but that is for another post

Oooh!

One meal we did as a team was for Japanese teppanyaki style cooking. It was defintiely different than what we have in the U.S. - much less of a show and different types of food/cooking techniques. The location I think is popular for business lunches so they put these bibs on everyone to keep our work clothes clean which I think was cute

Food sounds amazing, and love these bibs!

It also had the most amazing chocolate fountain I have ever seen and a really cool wine system in that you bought a pre-paid card that you would hold up to the machine and then select how much you want the machine to dispense of it - it was pretty neat

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YUM on both!! the chocolate fountain is stunning. They had the wine systems in France! So cool.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Love the shirt!

My selfie game was off this day, but I did managed to sneak Hong Kong airport in mine ...

thank you! I did get one great compliment on the t-shirt later that day

and I didn't get a selfie with the airport in the background but it was neat to watch the plans takeoff and land while riding the cable car!

Aw I'd love to see that!

Umm, can you say jealous!?!? From HK to Africa!

Gorgeous! What an outing!

Really awesome!

Also gorgeous!

Oooh!

Food sounds amazing, and love these bibs!

YUM on both!! the chocolate fountain is stunning. They had the wine systems in France! So cool.

I'll have to get a picture of Emma in the outfit and post that

yeah, no kidding! Though I was definitely ready to get home so having both things back-to-back wouldn't have been the best scenario for me

Definitely was glad to get the cable car ride in and see the village and Big Buddha - just something I don't think I will have a lot of opportunities to do

I've see wine systems like that before (there is a bar/place in NYC that does it) but this one was pretty large. Near me there are also some that have it for beer and last time there me and my friends just loaded up one care do use rather than each have a card and it kept shutting down the machine as it thought I was drinking too much (when really it was for like 4 people)

 

[MarbleBob]

Hi Phil! Just getting caught up after settling in from our trip last week. Seems like I'm always behind, there's just too much cool stuff on the Disboards, but your posts are always some of my favorites.

I love the photo of their tea cups ride. Seems like a nice compromise to have the shelter to protect people from all that rain, but the lanterns like Disneyland. cool!

I'ts just about lunchtime here in the Midwest, and that Darth Vader sweet bun looks delicious! I'm starving right now!

Love the view of Space Mountain from the view of the autopia car. And super cool that they are electric. Pow-pow-power wheels!!!!
Interesting to see their version of Paint the Night. Thanks for sharing so many photos, despite being a terrible DISer at the end. LOL.


All the various Hong Kong photos are awesome too. Especially the ones of the gondola, that's just too cool!!!!

Looking forward to reading about the rest of your adventures.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

That subway map is pretty cool ... but I actually kinda prefer what the newer subway cars have (the digital one on the R160s). It may not have the whole system, but I find it to be infinitely more readable than anything the older cars have. Of course ... no Disneyland on the NYC subway maps .

I was thinking of you as I was in the NYC Subway and noticed a more advanced sign than I have in the past. This one had 2 different train lines and had the lights and directions and showed where the lines overlapped an how you could transfer to others, etc. .... obviously a way more complicated system than in Hong Kong so can't show everything, but I thought this was pretty good too:

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Hi Phil! Just getting caught up after settling in from our trip last week. Seems like I'm always behind, there's just too much cool stuff on the Disboards, but your posts are always some of my favorites.

I love the photo of their tea cups ride. Seems like a nice compromise to have the shelter to protect people from all that rain, but the lanterns like Disneyland. cool!

I'ts just about lunchtime here in the Midwest, and that Darth Vader sweet bun looks delicious! I'm starving right now!

Love the view of Space Mountain from the view of the autopia car. And super cool that they are electric. Pow-pow-power wheels!!!!
Interesting to see their version of Paint the Night. Thanks for sharing so many photos, despite being a terrible DISer at the end. LOL.


All the various Hong Kong photos are awesome too. Especially the ones of the gondola, that's just too cool!!!!

Looking forward to reading about the rest of your adventures.

Thanks for the kinds words and as a side note, I am super pumped you are doing a TR for your latest adventure as I always love reading yours and definitely some unique aspects to this one!

Yeah - exactly! Felt like there were a few attractions/aspects to this park that took the best parts from DLR and WDW ... almost like this was a "greatest hits" record

It was a tasty bun!

There definitely was an element to the autopia cars that reminded me of power wheels ... but at least it was a bit "futuristic" compared to what we have at WDW

Maybe that just shows how much I love that parade that I considered that to be "not many pictures"

The gondola ride was super cool and glad I got it in. The original plan was to do that earlier in the trip but the weather didn't cooperate

Next installment coming up soon!

 

[afwdwfan]

Loved the updates from Disneyland and I look forward to the next.

I have to say that I thought the Aliens popping up from behind the wall was a nice touch!

I think the US parks could really take a queue from HK Disneyland about how to upgrade Autopia and Tomorrowland Speedway.

I'm glad the weather cleared and you were able to see Paint the night and the fireworks show. Of course your co-worker was more impressed by everything than she expected.

On to Hong Kong... not a bad view at all from where you were working! I love how it is such an urban place, but with mountains and nature so close by.

I'm glad you got some time to see some more traditional Hong Kong sites as well as HK Disneyland. I mean, I understand the call of the mouse and everything, but it is always great to get to soak in some of the culture and see those sites as well. That gondola ride to see Big Buddha looks like it provided some pretty incredible views.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Loved the updates from Disneyland and I look forward to the next.

I have to say that I thought the Aliens popping up from behind the wall was a nice touch!

I think the US parks could really take a queue from HK Disneyland about how to upgrade Autopia and Tomorrowland Speedway.

I'm glad the weather cleared and you were able to see Paint the night and the fireworks show. Of course your co-worker was more impressed by everything than she expected.

On to Hong Kong... not a bad view at all from where you were working! I love how it is such an urban place, but with mountains and nature so close by.

I'm glad you got some time to see some more traditional Hong Kong sites as well as HK Disneyland. I mean, I understand the call of the mouse and everything, but it is always great to get to soak in some of the culture and see those sites as well. That gondola ride to see Big Buddha looks like it provided some pretty incredible views.

Thank you - yeah, I am really glad I got in to see some more of the other sites as well. One reason I went as early as I did but glad it worked out. There was one major site I didn't get to which is "The Peak" - but we were supposed to have a team outing there which is why I didn't plan to got there but then it got rained out so we went bowling as well. As a side note I can now say I have gone bowling on three different continents

Fully agree with you about the US parks updating their speedways like the HK one - it wasn't anything revolutionary but was definitely more modern than what they have in the US

I am definitely not surprised my co-worker enjoyed it more than she thought she would but was relieved that was the case in the end.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Chapter 12 - Back to Hong Kong Disneyland and Grizzly Gulch ​

By the time the rain cleared enough for the gondolas to start up again and I got back down the mountain it was around 3pm. I figured I had enough time to fit in another trip to Hong Kong Disneyland and it was only one train stop away form where I was - so before I knew it I was seeing this train again:

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I took some time to take in the posters under the train tracks as I always love this element at the Magic Kingdom/DLR as it is like move posters or coming attractions for the park. I took pictures of a few that stood out to me:

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Once into the park I did notice that Mickey and Minnie were meeting in alternate outfits. I would have loved to stop but time was a bit short and I had some place to be - I did snap a picture though:

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Also snapped a picture of these eggs that were out (they were all around the park in honor of spring / Easter time), and then another shot of the Castle with the mountains in the background - with a bit of fog rolling in, thought it was a neat shot:

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But I was on a mission, first had to go through Adventureland first:

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So where was I headed? Well, when we first came one of the mini-lands was closed for their annual maintenance, but it was opened now and going here was one of the main things pushing me back for a second date. However, due to some member event, all the new lands were only open until 6pm so I knew I had to head there early. And that location? Grizzly Gulch!!!!

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And more specifically - I was headed to ride the Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars attraction:

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I raced to the entrance to find they had a single rider line - though it was fairly empty so it probably only saved me waiting one more car, but still. This was one of the rides that they wouldn't let me have my camera out on so I don't have any pictures from the actual ride - so I am embedding a youtube someone else took. Plus, I gotta agree with the filmer - I like waffles too!

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Holy goodness this is a great ride! The best way I can describe it is that it is about the intensity of 7 Dwarfs Mine Trian, but about 2.5 times longer, has the animatronics and backwards section of Expedition Everest (though this has bears that actual work, rather than a disco yeti) and then an added launch like rock n roller coaster. And it is neat that it has 2 separate lift areas plus the launch, so it never gets super high, but has a lot going on. Just really cool - and very unique!

I got off and right around to get back on - and again, no wait for single rider!!!!

Warning sign - and again, you should be sober to ride:

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So, these shots I took after riding again and show the end of the backwards part where the car goes into the mine. In there, the bears set off some explosions which propel you out at a pretty fast rate - really cool!

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The whole Grizzly Gulch area is pretty cool - very well themed. They had a music bad out playing and then this big water area with different components and kids could shoot off the water guns, etc.

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In the back of that last picture you can see a Lucky Springs Guyser they have. I waited around for it to go off and it sprayed up pretty good - got a bit wet!

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After this I had to move on and back to my favorite - this beauty:

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So much cool stuff to see in the queue. This is a sign they have up about the Society of Explorers and Adventurers (S.E.A):

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They also had a full model of the entire Mystic Point Land and then a display of a number of artifacts collected and featured in the Manor:

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Another great ride - really love this attraction ... great example of how Disney can create something unique and use new technology to make something special. I spent a a little time exploring the rest of Mystic Point - had some neat artifacts that are set up to create optical illusions but they definitely pale in comparison to the main attraction.

After this I headed off with hopes of seeing Mickey and the Wondrous Book .. but unfortunately the only show left on the schedule was reserved for that pass holder event. Oh well - definitely bummer but time to move on ... this time, to Tomorrowland!

TTFN

 

[amberg93]

I fell a bit behind but I'm caught up again!

Firstly, as I haven't been on the train at WDW I can't say what I think of it but the little aliens in Tomorrowland are adorable. Facing outward does seem a bit odd for me though. I hate when I'm on the metro and not facing the direction the train is moving, it makes me feel off.

Also, the theme of Autopia there looks incredible, much better than ours.

I watched Paint the Night on youtube and it looks spectacular, your gifs just second that. I need to see it in person sometime.

As for your sightseeing, it looks like Hong Kong is gorgeous and going to see some sights while you were there seems like a great idea.

I'm jealous of the metro light thing too. Ours just has a screen that says what station is coming up as we approach it but you have to look at the maps to know what your progress is.

Your glass floored experience though? Nope, nope, nope, nope. You couldn't pay me. With my fear of heights that is my worst nightmare.

Wow, that's a lot of steps to reach the big Buddha, but it looks like it was worth it.

That chocolate fountain is insane. I want one.

Edit: I'm always catching up while you're writing updates it seems.

Mickey and Minnie are adorable in those outfits.

The Runaway Mine Trains seem really interesting and I'm glad you were able to go back and experience them.

The way you talk up Mystic Manor is making me want to ride it so much more.

 

[rteetz]

I really like Mickey and Minnie's outfits there.

I feel like the overseas parks do way more than the US parks for Easter.

Grizzly Gulch looks great. I am a big BTMRR fan so I can see that area appealing to me.

I really want to experience Mystic Manor at some point in my life.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I really like Mickey and Minnie's outfits there.

I feel like the overseas parks do way more than the US parks for Easter.

Grizzly Gulch looks great. I am a big BTMRR fan so I can see that area appealing to me.

I really want to experience Mystic Manor at some point in my life.

I do wish I got a chance to meet more of the characters in different outfits - but that is one thing that had pretty long lines

Fully agree about Easter - it was fun just seeing the eggs out - got a good shot of the storm trooper eggs coming up!

I would say this was a bit tamer that Big Thunder but really well done - and the launch part is handled really well!

Mystic Manor is just awesome. I know I've said it like 20 times now but I would love if they updated Journey into Imagination with a version of this / similar technology

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I fell a bit behind but I'm caught up again!

Firstly, as I haven't been on the train at WDW I can't say what I think of it but the little aliens in Tomorrowland are adorable. Facing outward does seem a bit odd for me though. I hate when I'm on the metro and not facing the direction the train is moving, it makes me feel off.

Also, the theme of Autopia there looks incredible, much better than ours.

I watched Paint the Night on youtube and it looks spectacular, your gifs just second that. I need to see it in person sometime.

As for your sightseeing, it looks like Hong Kong is gorgeous and going to see some sights while you were there seems like a great idea.

I'm jealous of the metro light thing too. Ours just has a screen that says what station is coming up as we approach it but you have to look at the maps to know what your progress is.

Your glass floored experience though? Nope, nope, nope, nope. You couldn't pay me. With my fear of heights that is my worst nightmare.

Wow, that's a lot of steps to reach the big Buddha, but it looks like it was worth it.

That chocolate fountain is insane. I want one.

Edit: I'm always catching up while you're writing updates it seems.

Mickey and Minnie are adorable in those outfits.

The Runaway Mine Trains seem really interesting and I'm glad you were able to go back and experience them.

The way you talk up Mystic Manor is making me want to ride it so much more.

I think I was posting/commenting while you posted so I think we are even

The aliens that popped up were cool and I just appreciate little touches like that which add to a bit of a static experience. The sideways trains are a bit different - we went on one when we were at Disneyland so I was kinda used to it but it throws me a bit as well. When I ride the train into NYC I always have to sit forward facing

It's hard to put into words how good Pain the Night is ... just everything good about Disney and parades and technology and music - I bet you would love it!!! (just another reason to go to Disneyland )

They did have gondola's without glass floors but at times it still wouldn't be a great option for you if you were scared of heights. You can hike up though!

I also loved that it was Mickey and Minnie meeting together - always a fan of those meets!

The Mine train ride was just really fun and different and cool!

Yeah, I feel like I am talking up Mystic Manor so much - but it really was that cool! I hope they bring the technology at least to the US parks in some fashion (I think the boat ride in Pandora is using a trackless system)

 

[missangelalexis]

I'm glad you were able to sneak some more time in at the park!

Love the posters- I too love that element in the US parks!

Mickey & Minnie look so cute in their outfits.

Wow, the Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars sound awesome! It sounds as if they combine alot of the fun elements of those others rides! I'm glad you were able to get back to the park if only to ride that! Oh and of course another spin on Mystic Manor

 

[PrincessInOz]

Catching up. Loved your pics from HK proper. Looks like you covered a bit of ground. That view from the office is wonderful!
Great update from HKDL. Looking forward to the next edition.

 

[SarahDisney]

I love Mickey & Minnie's outfits - super cute!

Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars sounds pretty cool! I really think that some of the attractions at the international parks really show how imaginative and inventive imagineering can really be!

The queue for Mystic Manor sounds pretty awesome. I love when queues have some unique stuff to look at - it makes the waiting a little less boring and definitely helps add to the anticipation for the ride!

Sorry you missed the Mickey and the Wonderous Book show ... but now you have an excuse to go back to Hong Kong Disneyland!

 

[Imagineer5]

Wow, that ride sounds amazing. It would be so cool if they'd add a few more bigger rides to WDW, but it is cool they separate the parks enough to make each unique. I love the Mystic Manor too, cool you got another ride on that.