crcormier
<font color=green>We laughed, as it was quite appr
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2003
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I've included a few photos in the trip report, but the rest of the album can be viewed here: My Hong Kong Disneyland Album
Cast: Me Programmer extraordinaire, or at least the one with seniority
Charlie my other programmer, from northern China but now living in the US.
Date: Sunday, September 18th, 2005, first Sunday after Disneyland Hong Kongs Grand Opening, also the first day of Hong Kongs Mid-autumn Festival.
We were staying in the Kowloon region of Hong Kong, just across from Hong Kong Island. I had already ordered our tickets, and the park opened at 10 so I asked Charlie to meet me for breakfast at 8AM so we could leave for the train by 8:30, since I knew that trip would take about an hour total.
Breakfast completed, we headed out towards the metro station. Of course, the weather had been hot and humid since our arrival on Tuesday, but since it was now the weekend and we actually had a little time off, it was time for them to announce a tropical cyclone wind advisory 1 on Saturday. Now this isnt that severe, it usually has up to 30 mile an hour winds and moderate to heavy rain, but still, not exactly the weather forecast I was looking for after a week of sunny skies.
When we left the hotel it was overcast, but rain free at the moment. The humidity was definitely high though. I took a picture on the street of our hotel as we set out and found it was a cloudy picture because my lens had fogged up from going from the AC in the hotel to the heat and humidity outside. But being a veteran of three July/August trips to Orlando in the past four years, I was undeterred by the warm and muggy weather.
A few blocks down to the KCR (Hong Kong rail system) and we were on our way. After about 30 minutes and a transfer of trains we had emerged from the tunnels underneath Hong Kong and Kowloon to cross the bridges towards Lantau Island, home of Disneyland Hong Kong. And were greeted by rain. Heavy rain. Pelting the train. What a sad refrain. I promise not to rhyme again.
Four more stops before reaching the stop to transfer to Sunny Bay, the area of DHK. And apparently this place was aptly named. Because we pulled into this station to the sunshine. Which actually isnt something you see that often in Hong Kong, being where it is, it is overcast quite often. But my spirits were lifted in hopes that perhaps a little Disney magic and this typhoon would just head out into the lagoon. (See what I did there? No? Thats all right, its wasnt really very funny, so I wont bother explaining it.)
At this point we transferred onto the train that would take us a mile or so to the other side of the island and Hong Kong Disney. And of course, being Disney, this was no ordinary railway car. This car was decked out with Mickey Mouse shaped windows, a colorful paint job, and statuettes of the characters running up and down the cars inside. Heck, even the handholds were shaped like Mickey heads.
The Disneyland MTR train
With my excitement peaking the train pulled out to head through the tunnel cut into the hills to reach the opposite side and Sunny Bay. The sunshine greeting us, the train filled with excited people, we pulled into Disneyland Resort Station. Which was done up in a lovely old Victorian station theme. Well, except for that big electric train running through it.
I must say that Hong Kong has one of the most efficient, clean and easy to use metro systems that I have yet encountered. And they spared no expense in expanding it to reach to the Disneyland resort. Traveling to the park from Hong Kong is very easy to figure out and achieve.
Up the stairs and through the turnstiles, we were greeted by the large sign with Mickey atop it welcoming us to the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. We headed down a long walkway with high well manicured bushes blocking the views to either side towards a fountain in the center with Mickey riding a surfboard atop the water from the blow-hole of a whale, with other characters surrounding the fountain. To the right was the entrance to Hong Kong Disneyland; ahead was the pathway to the resorts. (Though the pathway was originally designed to be straight, it was altered to bend at the fountain in the middle, in accordance with Feng Shui. This is to keep the energy of the land from simply flowing straight down the pathway into the sea.) To continue down the path would take you to the two hotel resorts.
Walkway Entrance
We turned and picked up the tickets from the automated dispensers. (You can buy your tickets ahead of time online.) Right now you have to book for whatever day you want. Capacity is 30,000 so selling ahead of time for a fixed day helps to that end. Once you have the confirmation number of your tickets you can pick them up in the Central KCR railway station in Hong Kong, the customer service booths at Disney or they have automated machines that read your credit card and print your ticket out based on the card you purchased with.
Tickets now in hand we headed under the bridge familiar to us all to take us under the Disneyland railroad and into Main Street U.S.A. For those who have been to the park in California, HKDLs Main Street is a complete recreation of the California parks. Always happy to break in a newbie Charlie and I walked around the town square as he asked questions about things and I pointed things out to him. We saw Goofy, Pluto, Donald and Daisy all out for pictures in their typical American garb. Walking right down the middle of Main Street U.S.A, snapping pictures as we went I pointed out the various names in the window and explained what Main Street, U.S.A was to my coworker.
Main Street, U.S.A.
Down to the hub and the castle, which is a fairly close replica of Sleeping Beautys castle in Anaheim, I was struck by two things. How small the castle is compared to the castle in Orlando (I havent been to California in about 20 years) and the fact that the park is surrounded by and the castle is back dropped by the mountains of Lantau Island. Though they are green and pristine and dont offer an invasion of the real world from the outside, it is a different experience that makes the park feel a little smaller and a little cozier, like its tucked away.
We had just finished taking pictures from the hub when we heard the announcement by Minnie that the park was just about to open, in both English and then in Chinese. Then the rope drop. This was a completely foreign concept to Charlie. He simply could not understand why people were running around. (And given the temperature and humidity level this day, I would have to almost agree with him on this one.)
Sleeping Beauty's Castle
We decided to head to Tomorrowland first, since with not that many attractions (or games, as the Chinese call them,) I thought we best start with Space Mountain in case we didnt have a chance later. The queue was already about 30 minutes long and the queue to get a fastpass was almost as long, so I instead led us into the Single Rider line. We waited about 5 minutes this way, and ended up only separated by one train, so neither of us waited long for the other. I enjoyed Space Mountain, the styling is much more futurist and almost cartoonish, or perhaps illustrations from old Popular Mechanics magazines kind of futuristic. The cars sit you side by side with built in speakers, and the climb consists of two hills. The music and effects were great. The cars get up a bit of speed, though most of it is high speed turns, there are very few drops involved.
Heading out (through the gift shop, of course,) we strolled past the future home of the Autopia, due to open next summer, with electric cars on quite a long course. Past the Autopia was Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin. Very similar to California and Orlando, except that like in California the guns are held freely instead of mounted.
The last attraction that we passed on were the astro orbiters which serve as a centerpiece to Tomorrowland, though they are on ground level with a set of colorful globes that make up their middle. Two restaurants also service Tomorrowland, one with western food (burgers, chicken, fries,) the other with Asian fare. Most of the restaurants in the park mainly serve different variations of Asian cuisine; western food is only served at a couple of them. Though this isnt your American Asian cuisine, this is true Asian fare, the type you find only at your either upscale American Asian restaurants or the small ones in Chinatown. Chicken wings and fried rice are not oft on the menu.
Passing through the rear of Tomorrowland we crossed the parade route, pausing long enough to hide from a 5 minute shower, we headed into Fantasyland, which the first thing we encountered actually was the theater which is currently showing The Golden Mickeys, a live musical show. But what really struck me was this was one building that seemed out of place. It really was more themed towards Main Street, yet was at the end of the parade route away from the hub, nestled in between the back of Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. It was a nice looking building, dont get me wrong, and it was actually on the other side of the tracks surrounding the park, so it technically wasnt in either Tomorrowland or Fantasyland, but anyway.
Moving into Fantasyland again the size of the park became apparent, as you could feel the expanse of Fantasyland extending no further than your eye could see. The décor was lovely, full of vibrant colors, and it all struck me with a more European medieval flair than the U.S. parks. To our right was the Mad Hatter Teacups, something I skip every single time (my stomach does not enjoy spinning, though it does all right with Mission: Space the show there is well done to fool, mind over matter, I guess.) To our left was a restaurant called Clopins Festival of Food. Back to our right, a fountain statue of Sorcerer Mickey and the brooms from Fantasia. This borders the entrance to Fantasy Gardens, the character picture area of the park. (Characters can be found in other areas, but this is akin to Camp Minnie Mickey in the Animal Kingdom, an area set up specifically for character pictures.
The centerpiece of Fantasyland was of course the carousel. To its left was The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The train station was to the right past the gardens, and the last spot on our left where we headed was Mickeys Philharmagic. This was truly enjoyable to experience with Charlie, who had never been to a Disney park before, had no idea what to expect. He does have two young daughters so he has seen all of the films, but he had never experienced a sense surrounding show as this one. One disadvantage to this attraction compared to the US was that the entrance into the theater was on the back left, so you entered into the theater with all the seats on the right. This did cause a stampede effect with people flowing down the aisle on the left and pushing (rather hard at times) into whichever aisle it was that they felt was the best. Asian folks are also rather garrulous, and the chatter continued throughout the film. The most entertaining part for me though was hearing the little girls singing along to the songs. The show itself is identical to the one in the US and is done in English, since it is mostly music and musical shows, like opera, are usually best presented in the language created in.
Fantasyland Performer
Ahhh, my favorite...
Philharmagic over and back out into the heat we ventured next into Adventureland. To the right you could see the end of the Jungle River Adventure. The rain found its way back but again, passed very quickly. We headed past the Jungle cruise into the heart of Adventureland where we saw a performance by Lucky the Dinosaur. Apparently he has made his way to Hong Kong, with the only change being the handlers and the fact that he was wearing a rain hat.
For anyone who missed this fellow in the US, he is the first full free roaming audio-animatronics figure. He walks, interacts with his handlers and the crowd, and can even sign his name. What is truly amazing is to think that this fellow is really just a prototype, and what will come out of his creation.
Next on the agenda we took a raft (ala Tom Sawyers Island) over to Tarzans Treehouse. This is in place of the Swiss Family Robinson tree house, a sensible move, since even people my age have never seen the Swiss Family Robinson movie, but most of us have seen Tarzan. The tree house was very well done, filled with scenes from the movie (and the only hidden Mickey that I found, though Im sure the park was filled with them as the others are.) The view from the top of the tree house was worth the climb in the heat. This holds true in the US parks as well, the tree house is one of the best places to view the parade from.
Tarzan's Treehouse
Back from the tree house we headed into the Lion King show to escape the heat. We found that a new park does have its quirks though; as we waited the show was delayed twice before they finally had to cancel the performance. I dont know if they managed to get the show to perform later that day, Im sure they did, however, we missed out. We did enjoy some sitting time in the A/C for a while, at least.
It was getting near time for the first parade of the day, so we headed back over to where the parade started, between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. We pulled up some pavement and waited for the parade to begin. And the parade was excellent. A theme song that was a mix of English and Chinese, the dancers were wonderful as were the floats. And I really take my hat off to the dancers who manage to dance in that heat and humidity for the half hour or so it must take the parade to get through the park. We were at the beginning of the route and I was sweating bullets just WATCHING them.
Disney on Parade - Come Join the Magic
The parade over, we decided it was again time to try and grab some A/C time and we headed over to see The Golden Mickeys. We were nervous as a delay was announced while we were outside waiting in line that this show would go the way of the Lion King, but after about five minutes another announcement was made and before they made it in English I knew the show would go on from the applause. This show was really excellent. Ive been told that this show is actually one that has been taken from the cruise line. The difference being this show was entirely in Chinese. (The voices of Mickey, Minnie and Donald aurally sound the same despite the language difference; however, the voice of Goofy is completely different. I dont know if this is from a historical difference, from the first time it was dubbed and imported into this region and they have kept it true into the park or what, but this is the only voice that is not immediately recognizable as Goofy.) The show is a review of several musical scenes from several movies, including Tarzan, Lilo and Stitch, Toy Story and Beauty and the Beast. I really enjoyed the show, probably as one of the highlights of the day.
From here we decided it was time for some lunch so we headed over to Adventureland and sat down for a meal. Typically Asian meals are served for a group of four or more at a circular table with several different dishes. I went for a shredded pork dish with some white rice while Charlie went for beef with a black bean paste. Both were delicious.
Hoping to see the Jungle River Adventure, we went here next. Though a listed wait of sixty minutes, this ride is different from all the others in the park. First of all, there is no fastpass for this ride. The second difference is that there are three different boats that traverse the river. Each one has a guide that speaks a different language; Mandarin, Cantonese or English. The lines for both Chinese languages made for the sixty minute wait. We opted for the English line, since Charlies is quite good and my Mandarin is comprised of perhaps two dozen words, one dozen of them being numbers. By making this option we waited only about ten minutes. Just in time, actually, to get in the boat and be covered from a sudden downpour. The ride itself was similar to its sisters around the world, the same wonderfully bad jokes, the same animals (though slightly more realistic.) The difference is at the end, with an encounter with the fire god who makes an attempt to destroy the boat in great theatrical flash.
Nearing 6 oclock and getting near the time we needed to head back to the hotel to meet coworkers for dinner, we headed back to Tomorrowland to try and catch Buzz Lightyear. Unfortunately the ride had gone down at the moment, so we settled for a viewing of The Jammitors, one of my favorite groups of street entertainers from Epcot. The show was a perfect transplant from Florida, same jokes, same outfits and equipment, heck even the same cadences. But every bit as enjoyable as its counterpart.
Our time coming to a close we headed back to Main Street to do some final shopping at the Emporium and then closed out the day with a ride around the park on the Disneyland railroad. This one however was seated towards the park, like the railroad to Conservation Station in the Animal Kingdom. I think this is due in part to the fact that there is no real way for them to hide anything on the outside circle from the train, so its easier to focus it on the inside of the park. An enjoyable ride around the park and it was time to head back to the station and the mainland. One amusing cultural difference was to see a sign on the way back asking people to please refrain from burning candles in the park. Something that would obviously make sense to a native, but to me, an absurd request.
Now it's time to say goodbye...
Back on the train we headed back, having enjoyed a thorough, if hot and humid day, and the newest entry into the Disney park legacy. My opinions? Well planned and thought out, it is a park that holds true to the Disney legacy. And over the next few years it should expand to a point where it really will be a multiple day park excursion. One of my few disappointments was the fact that none of the characters were in any costumes that were traditional to the area. I would have liked to have seen that. But definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. I hope youve enjoyed this virtual visit to Hong Kong Disneyland!!!
Cast: Me Programmer extraordinaire, or at least the one with seniority
Charlie my other programmer, from northern China but now living in the US.
Date: Sunday, September 18th, 2005, first Sunday after Disneyland Hong Kongs Grand Opening, also the first day of Hong Kongs Mid-autumn Festival.
We were staying in the Kowloon region of Hong Kong, just across from Hong Kong Island. I had already ordered our tickets, and the park opened at 10 so I asked Charlie to meet me for breakfast at 8AM so we could leave for the train by 8:30, since I knew that trip would take about an hour total.
Breakfast completed, we headed out towards the metro station. Of course, the weather had been hot and humid since our arrival on Tuesday, but since it was now the weekend and we actually had a little time off, it was time for them to announce a tropical cyclone wind advisory 1 on Saturday. Now this isnt that severe, it usually has up to 30 mile an hour winds and moderate to heavy rain, but still, not exactly the weather forecast I was looking for after a week of sunny skies.
When we left the hotel it was overcast, but rain free at the moment. The humidity was definitely high though. I took a picture on the street of our hotel as we set out and found it was a cloudy picture because my lens had fogged up from going from the AC in the hotel to the heat and humidity outside. But being a veteran of three July/August trips to Orlando in the past four years, I was undeterred by the warm and muggy weather.
A few blocks down to the KCR (Hong Kong rail system) and we were on our way. After about 30 minutes and a transfer of trains we had emerged from the tunnels underneath Hong Kong and Kowloon to cross the bridges towards Lantau Island, home of Disneyland Hong Kong. And were greeted by rain. Heavy rain. Pelting the train. What a sad refrain. I promise not to rhyme again.
Four more stops before reaching the stop to transfer to Sunny Bay, the area of DHK. And apparently this place was aptly named. Because we pulled into this station to the sunshine. Which actually isnt something you see that often in Hong Kong, being where it is, it is overcast quite often. But my spirits were lifted in hopes that perhaps a little Disney magic and this typhoon would just head out into the lagoon. (See what I did there? No? Thats all right, its wasnt really very funny, so I wont bother explaining it.)
At this point we transferred onto the train that would take us a mile or so to the other side of the island and Hong Kong Disney. And of course, being Disney, this was no ordinary railway car. This car was decked out with Mickey Mouse shaped windows, a colorful paint job, and statuettes of the characters running up and down the cars inside. Heck, even the handholds were shaped like Mickey heads.
The Disneyland MTR train
With my excitement peaking the train pulled out to head through the tunnel cut into the hills to reach the opposite side and Sunny Bay. The sunshine greeting us, the train filled with excited people, we pulled into Disneyland Resort Station. Which was done up in a lovely old Victorian station theme. Well, except for that big electric train running through it.
I must say that Hong Kong has one of the most efficient, clean and easy to use metro systems that I have yet encountered. And they spared no expense in expanding it to reach to the Disneyland resort. Traveling to the park from Hong Kong is very easy to figure out and achieve.
Up the stairs and through the turnstiles, we were greeted by the large sign with Mickey atop it welcoming us to the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. We headed down a long walkway with high well manicured bushes blocking the views to either side towards a fountain in the center with Mickey riding a surfboard atop the water from the blow-hole of a whale, with other characters surrounding the fountain. To the right was the entrance to Hong Kong Disneyland; ahead was the pathway to the resorts. (Though the pathway was originally designed to be straight, it was altered to bend at the fountain in the middle, in accordance with Feng Shui. This is to keep the energy of the land from simply flowing straight down the pathway into the sea.) To continue down the path would take you to the two hotel resorts.
Walkway Entrance
We turned and picked up the tickets from the automated dispensers. (You can buy your tickets ahead of time online.) Right now you have to book for whatever day you want. Capacity is 30,000 so selling ahead of time for a fixed day helps to that end. Once you have the confirmation number of your tickets you can pick them up in the Central KCR railway station in Hong Kong, the customer service booths at Disney or they have automated machines that read your credit card and print your ticket out based on the card you purchased with.
Tickets now in hand we headed under the bridge familiar to us all to take us under the Disneyland railroad and into Main Street U.S.A. For those who have been to the park in California, HKDLs Main Street is a complete recreation of the California parks. Always happy to break in a newbie Charlie and I walked around the town square as he asked questions about things and I pointed things out to him. We saw Goofy, Pluto, Donald and Daisy all out for pictures in their typical American garb. Walking right down the middle of Main Street U.S.A, snapping pictures as we went I pointed out the various names in the window and explained what Main Street, U.S.A was to my coworker.
Main Street, U.S.A.
Down to the hub and the castle, which is a fairly close replica of Sleeping Beautys castle in Anaheim, I was struck by two things. How small the castle is compared to the castle in Orlando (I havent been to California in about 20 years) and the fact that the park is surrounded by and the castle is back dropped by the mountains of Lantau Island. Though they are green and pristine and dont offer an invasion of the real world from the outside, it is a different experience that makes the park feel a little smaller and a little cozier, like its tucked away.
We had just finished taking pictures from the hub when we heard the announcement by Minnie that the park was just about to open, in both English and then in Chinese. Then the rope drop. This was a completely foreign concept to Charlie. He simply could not understand why people were running around. (And given the temperature and humidity level this day, I would have to almost agree with him on this one.)
Sleeping Beauty's Castle
We decided to head to Tomorrowland first, since with not that many attractions (or games, as the Chinese call them,) I thought we best start with Space Mountain in case we didnt have a chance later. The queue was already about 30 minutes long and the queue to get a fastpass was almost as long, so I instead led us into the Single Rider line. We waited about 5 minutes this way, and ended up only separated by one train, so neither of us waited long for the other. I enjoyed Space Mountain, the styling is much more futurist and almost cartoonish, or perhaps illustrations from old Popular Mechanics magazines kind of futuristic. The cars sit you side by side with built in speakers, and the climb consists of two hills. The music and effects were great. The cars get up a bit of speed, though most of it is high speed turns, there are very few drops involved.
Heading out (through the gift shop, of course,) we strolled past the future home of the Autopia, due to open next summer, with electric cars on quite a long course. Past the Autopia was Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin. Very similar to California and Orlando, except that like in California the guns are held freely instead of mounted.
The last attraction that we passed on were the astro orbiters which serve as a centerpiece to Tomorrowland, though they are on ground level with a set of colorful globes that make up their middle. Two restaurants also service Tomorrowland, one with western food (burgers, chicken, fries,) the other with Asian fare. Most of the restaurants in the park mainly serve different variations of Asian cuisine; western food is only served at a couple of them. Though this isnt your American Asian cuisine, this is true Asian fare, the type you find only at your either upscale American Asian restaurants or the small ones in Chinatown. Chicken wings and fried rice are not oft on the menu.
Passing through the rear of Tomorrowland we crossed the parade route, pausing long enough to hide from a 5 minute shower, we headed into Fantasyland, which the first thing we encountered actually was the theater which is currently showing The Golden Mickeys, a live musical show. But what really struck me was this was one building that seemed out of place. It really was more themed towards Main Street, yet was at the end of the parade route away from the hub, nestled in between the back of Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. It was a nice looking building, dont get me wrong, and it was actually on the other side of the tracks surrounding the park, so it technically wasnt in either Tomorrowland or Fantasyland, but anyway.
Moving into Fantasyland again the size of the park became apparent, as you could feel the expanse of Fantasyland extending no further than your eye could see. The décor was lovely, full of vibrant colors, and it all struck me with a more European medieval flair than the U.S. parks. To our right was the Mad Hatter Teacups, something I skip every single time (my stomach does not enjoy spinning, though it does all right with Mission: Space the show there is well done to fool, mind over matter, I guess.) To our left was a restaurant called Clopins Festival of Food. Back to our right, a fountain statue of Sorcerer Mickey and the brooms from Fantasia. This borders the entrance to Fantasy Gardens, the character picture area of the park. (Characters can be found in other areas, but this is akin to Camp Minnie Mickey in the Animal Kingdom, an area set up specifically for character pictures.
The centerpiece of Fantasyland was of course the carousel. To its left was The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The train station was to the right past the gardens, and the last spot on our left where we headed was Mickeys Philharmagic. This was truly enjoyable to experience with Charlie, who had never been to a Disney park before, had no idea what to expect. He does have two young daughters so he has seen all of the films, but he had never experienced a sense surrounding show as this one. One disadvantage to this attraction compared to the US was that the entrance into the theater was on the back left, so you entered into the theater with all the seats on the right. This did cause a stampede effect with people flowing down the aisle on the left and pushing (rather hard at times) into whichever aisle it was that they felt was the best. Asian folks are also rather garrulous, and the chatter continued throughout the film. The most entertaining part for me though was hearing the little girls singing along to the songs. The show itself is identical to the one in the US and is done in English, since it is mostly music and musical shows, like opera, are usually best presented in the language created in.
Fantasyland Performer
Ahhh, my favorite...
Philharmagic over and back out into the heat we ventured next into Adventureland. To the right you could see the end of the Jungle River Adventure. The rain found its way back but again, passed very quickly. We headed past the Jungle cruise into the heart of Adventureland where we saw a performance by Lucky the Dinosaur. Apparently he has made his way to Hong Kong, with the only change being the handlers and the fact that he was wearing a rain hat.
For anyone who missed this fellow in the US, he is the first full free roaming audio-animatronics figure. He walks, interacts with his handlers and the crowd, and can even sign his name. What is truly amazing is to think that this fellow is really just a prototype, and what will come out of his creation.Next on the agenda we took a raft (ala Tom Sawyers Island) over to Tarzans Treehouse. This is in place of the Swiss Family Robinson tree house, a sensible move, since even people my age have never seen the Swiss Family Robinson movie, but most of us have seen Tarzan. The tree house was very well done, filled with scenes from the movie (and the only hidden Mickey that I found, though Im sure the park was filled with them as the others are.) The view from the top of the tree house was worth the climb in the heat. This holds true in the US parks as well, the tree house is one of the best places to view the parade from.
Tarzan's Treehouse
Back from the tree house we headed into the Lion King show to escape the heat. We found that a new park does have its quirks though; as we waited the show was delayed twice before they finally had to cancel the performance. I dont know if they managed to get the show to perform later that day, Im sure they did, however, we missed out. We did enjoy some sitting time in the A/C for a while, at least.
It was getting near time for the first parade of the day, so we headed back over to where the parade started, between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. We pulled up some pavement and waited for the parade to begin. And the parade was excellent. A theme song that was a mix of English and Chinese, the dancers were wonderful as were the floats. And I really take my hat off to the dancers who manage to dance in that heat and humidity for the half hour or so it must take the parade to get through the park. We were at the beginning of the route and I was sweating bullets just WATCHING them.
Disney on Parade - Come Join the Magic
The parade over, we decided it was again time to try and grab some A/C time and we headed over to see The Golden Mickeys. We were nervous as a delay was announced while we were outside waiting in line that this show would go the way of the Lion King, but after about five minutes another announcement was made and before they made it in English I knew the show would go on from the applause. This show was really excellent. Ive been told that this show is actually one that has been taken from the cruise line. The difference being this show was entirely in Chinese. (The voices of Mickey, Minnie and Donald aurally sound the same despite the language difference; however, the voice of Goofy is completely different. I dont know if this is from a historical difference, from the first time it was dubbed and imported into this region and they have kept it true into the park or what, but this is the only voice that is not immediately recognizable as Goofy.) The show is a review of several musical scenes from several movies, including Tarzan, Lilo and Stitch, Toy Story and Beauty and the Beast. I really enjoyed the show, probably as one of the highlights of the day.
From here we decided it was time for some lunch so we headed over to Adventureland and sat down for a meal. Typically Asian meals are served for a group of four or more at a circular table with several different dishes. I went for a shredded pork dish with some white rice while Charlie went for beef with a black bean paste. Both were delicious.
Hoping to see the Jungle River Adventure, we went here next. Though a listed wait of sixty minutes, this ride is different from all the others in the park. First of all, there is no fastpass for this ride. The second difference is that there are three different boats that traverse the river. Each one has a guide that speaks a different language; Mandarin, Cantonese or English. The lines for both Chinese languages made for the sixty minute wait. We opted for the English line, since Charlies is quite good and my Mandarin is comprised of perhaps two dozen words, one dozen of them being numbers. By making this option we waited only about ten minutes. Just in time, actually, to get in the boat and be covered from a sudden downpour. The ride itself was similar to its sisters around the world, the same wonderfully bad jokes, the same animals (though slightly more realistic.) The difference is at the end, with an encounter with the fire god who makes an attempt to destroy the boat in great theatrical flash.
Nearing 6 oclock and getting near the time we needed to head back to the hotel to meet coworkers for dinner, we headed back to Tomorrowland to try and catch Buzz Lightyear. Unfortunately the ride had gone down at the moment, so we settled for a viewing of The Jammitors, one of my favorite groups of street entertainers from Epcot. The show was a perfect transplant from Florida, same jokes, same outfits and equipment, heck even the same cadences. But every bit as enjoyable as its counterpart.
Our time coming to a close we headed back to Main Street to do some final shopping at the Emporium and then closed out the day with a ride around the park on the Disneyland railroad. This one however was seated towards the park, like the railroad to Conservation Station in the Animal Kingdom. I think this is due in part to the fact that there is no real way for them to hide anything on the outside circle from the train, so its easier to focus it on the inside of the park. An enjoyable ride around the park and it was time to head back to the station and the mainland. One amusing cultural difference was to see a sign on the way back asking people to please refrain from burning candles in the park. Something that would obviously make sense to a native, but to me, an absurd request.
Now it's time to say goodbye...
Back on the train we headed back, having enjoyed a thorough, if hot and humid day, and the newest entry into the Disney park legacy. My opinions? Well planned and thought out, it is a park that holds true to the Disney legacy. And over the next few years it should expand to a point where it really will be a multiple day park excursion. One of my few disappointments was the fact that none of the characters were in any costumes that were traditional to the area. I would have liked to have seen that. But definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. I hope youve enjoyed this virtual visit to Hong Kong Disneyland!!!
