Disneyland HK

[SusanEllen]

For the first year or so after MK opened in FL (when it was the only Disney park there and one of the few things of interest to tourists in Orlando at the time), there were often miles of backed-up traffic left out after the gates had closed due to crowd size. Everyone wanted to take their kids to this brand new, wonderful place and so got in those lines even after hearing that the park was almost certainly going to fill up--just on the chance that they'd be able to get in. Three decades later this is happening in Hong Kong. Human nature is embarrassingly predictable. So sorry about their upset and disappointment.

 

[disneyholic family]

For the first year or so after MK opened in FL (when it was the only Disney park there and one of the few things of interest to tourists in Orlando at the time), there were often miles of backed-up traffic left out after the gates had closed due to crowd size. Everyone wanted to take their kids to this brand new, wonderful place and so got in those lines even after hearing that the park was almost certainly going to fill up--just on the chance that they'd be able to get in. Three decades later this is happening in Hong Kong. Human nature is embarrassingly predictable. So sorry about their upset and disappointment.

there is a big difference between getting in your car with the kids and driving down to florida to see WDW (which I did back when WDW opened, when i was a teen - drove down with my friends - a two day drive)..
and getting on a train that is so packed during Chinese New Year week that you can't even sit down....and you have to stand up that way for days, wearing diapers (the adults) because you can't move from the spot you're standing in (i've done this and i can tell you it's not a pleasant experience)...
and then after all of that, getting to the park that's closed....

it was a given that this would happen since the park is not even built for regular day capacity in HK.....they should have had a contingency plan....either warn people away....tell them not to get on that train because there's not going to be room when they get there.....or some form of entertainment for them while they wait....something....you have to have a contingency plan when you know the park is too small as it is.....

talk about how to generate badwill.....

 

[cheryl.UK]

WDW guests are guarenteed theme park entry but not necessarily the theme park of their choice. Once it is at full capacity it's at full capacity. Doesn't matter where you stayed or what reservations you have. On NYE 1999, MK, Epcot and MGM were all at capapcity before 11am. (Epcot was at capacity before 9) The only park allowing WDW guests in was Animal Kingdom after this point.


HK Disney similarly guarentees their hotel guests guarenteed entrance IF they prebook dated tickets and as there is only one park it's a bit of a given. But then there are only 2 hotels and neither are enormous.

 

[disneyholic family]

Is the positive side to this story that Hong Kong Disneyland is really popular or is it empty the rest of the time?

Susan

it was built at very low capacity considering the population of the area....
and unlike the French, the Chinese are coming in droves...

not only is it NOT empty the rest of the time....it has been reaching near capacity every day since opening....
the entire park is a case study in poor planning...

as for the 6 month tickets and not realizing what attendance might be during Chinese New Year......that can only be defined as extraodinary ignorance....they didn't do their research....research of the most basic kind...

why didn't those long term tickets have black out days on them?...

from what i remember, florida resident annual passes have blackout days....
why didn't they black out the two weeks around Chinese New Year?....

they could have had special tickets for these two weeks....just like they have for special events at WDW.....and on these two weeks the only way to get into the park was if you were holding a special ticket for that day.....and the number of tickets would of course be limited...

simple solution to a very predictable situation....

It's Chinese New Year, any idiot who has even the slightest experience with Chinese New Year in China could have told Disney what would happen...

I am the biggest Disney fan around, but on this they blew it totally....completely...unbelievably.....

as for the insufficient capacity of the park on regular days.....the word is that the only solution they can come up with now, because of the design of the park, is to build a second park...

the imagineers screwed up big time on this one....

 

[mark&sue]

Would this all lead us to believe there will be second park coming to Hong Kong soon (and should I start planning now)?



Susan

 

[urglewurgle]

It's Chinese New Year, any idiot who has even the slightest experience with Chinese New Year in China could have told Disney what would happen...

whilst i do agree Beth... you'd also think that the visitors to the park would've cottoned on to the fact the place was gonna be busy right? i mean, there was probably stuff on the news about it, or on the website... yeah, Disney messed-up but the guests didn't help themselves at all!

From what i understand the park isn't fully opened yet, maybe the congestion will ease a little when it's working to full capacity, and as the novelty wears off a little...

 

[disneyholic family]

whilst i do agree Beth... you'd also think that the visitors to the park would've cottoned on to the fact the place was gonna be busy right? i mean, there was probably stuff on the news about it, or on the website... yeah, Disney messed-up but the guests didn't help themselves at all!

From what i understand the park isn't fully opened yet, maybe the congestion will ease a little when it's working to full capacity, and as the novelty wears off a little...

the Chinese would assume that if you sold them a ticket, then they would be able to enter the park (which actually makes perfect sense - i have a ticket, i should be let in, otherwise why did you sell it to me)......the closings began with the new year holiday when they were already traveling to get there....

this must have been one of the last eisner babies....the lack of foresight is apparent...

 

[urglewurgle]

the Chinese would assume that if you sold them a ticket, then they would be able to enter the park (which actually makes perfect sense - i have a ticket, i should be let in, otherwise why did you sell it to me)......the closings began with the new year holiday when they were already traveling to get there....

but didn't they say on the tickets the usual stuff about admission being subject to guest levels or whatever?

anyways.... this topic is upsetting! i can't imagine turning up at a disney park and not being able to get in!! ARGH! lol...

 

[disneyholic family]

but didn't they say on the tickets the usual stuff about admission being subject to guest levels or whatever?

anyways.... this topic is upsetting! i can't imagine turning up at a disney park and not being able to get in!! ARGH! lol...

i've never seen that on any ticket i've had.....unless it's there in microscopic fonts...it's certainly not on the key card tickets...