HK Disney - Not Magical so far...

[CareCoordinatorRic]

Preparing for our family HK Disneyland trip for Christmas 2016!

So far, I'm still trying to find the magic! For those who may be new to the HK experience, there are several note worthy differences that I can point out in my planning stages for this trip that may be helpful to others...
First - Yes, every call I've had to make - English has not been an issue and each representative has understood very well. However, it is noticeable that reservation agents/customer service folks do not have that Disney Magic in their voice or helpfulness. It was only when I had to elevate an issue and spoke with a manager that I finally got what we tend to have here in the US - that "Magic" can do attitude.

So here are some tips that I have learned so far that may help others...

1) - yes, you can order a Magic Access pass (MAP) online - but be aware - that they do not make it very clear that you have to pick these up within 3 months! I read all the terms & conditions and somehow managed to miss this detail. Ah, I live in the US, picking these up in person is rather difficult! However, a few calls later and finally speaking to the manager - he was able to extend this to the end of 2016, so that I could redeem them upon arrival.

2) - MAP stuff - Yes, we all want the discounts and doing some quick math - the platinum pass paid for itself with the hotel discount - However, what was confusing is that I read there were no blackout dates for platinum members- this ONLY applies to the entry to the park, blackout dates for dining, shows and hotel still apply - so once again, after speaking to another rep for clarification - my 25% was only for the 1st night, not my entire stay as the proceeding nights did not qualify.

3) MAP discounts - these are only published for 6 month periods. So any discounts I may have in December and not out yet and can change from the current ones, however Patrick, my new best manager friend, said to call back in a few weeks. (They tend to forget that I am calling from the US and after long hold times listening to disney tunes, I finally had to kindly ask them to not place me on hold, and they asked for my phone number and called me back).

4) MAP website - another fun piece of knowledge - you don't get access to MAP guest services or the website for MAP members, until AFTER you pick up your cards in person! So wait - I can pay for it over the web, but they hold your membership # hostage until I'm there in person! - Yup! you got it... the confirmation you receive is just a "reservation" for this - but until they verify in person your photo id and take your thumbprint scan - this membership is pretty useless.

5) Reservations for shows/dining - you can only make these reservations less than 4 months before your arrival - so another call in September it is - oh wait - they still won't give me my MAP number - so I still cannot enjoy any upgrades or priority benefits! Again, frustrated that this is not exactly the Disney experience we have come to know and love here in the US... Platinum here in the US gets you a little royalty treatment - in HK, you are just part of the masses...

6) Reservations for Hotel (2 rooms) - again, very disappointed in my experience - yet another phone call and long hold times and MAP issues. Once we finally worked through all of the MAP issues, my rep was almost irritated that she missed that I said 2 rooms in the beginning and when I had to remind her - not very disney in her voice for the rest of the call. I was clear - 8 of us, 2 rooms - Ah, hello disney - 2x's the money I'm spending to have that magical Disney experience - it starts with my phone call - not upon arrival! So you have to pay 10% deposit upfront to reserve - you can't just hold them by CC# like we do here, and yes - that's per room. Tip - 1 MAP per room is what they indicated - However, still only used my membership for both, so this didn't hold true.

7) MAP 1 or 2 memberships - there are some ways to go with this - I did 1 adult and 1 senior (mother in law) so that when you can bring 3 with you - it was a total of 8 needed for our family. However, you only need 1 for discounts. So depending on what you are trying to use the MAP for, you have to draw a flowchart to understand the different discounts/benefits it has and what you will need. Yes, I could have done 1 child and 1 senior to be less expensive - but another little catch is the CC that you will use to pay for everything (and make sure you have one that does not contain international transaction fees - we love the new venture card from Capital One - great customer service and no issues on our international trips so far)... so the MAP needs to be related to the member and the CC on file for that member.

Gosh, I think that's all for now - I'll post more as things unfold if it may help anyone else in planning future trips. HK folks think I'm a bit crazy to be planning so far in advance and don't understand our american christmas time mindset... LOL this might be the most relaxing christmas trip we've ever taken! LOL

For those who have already been -
Quick question - with no magic bands in this park - do you just pay for everything with your Visa? I'm not finding much information on this, as they do not have room key or magic band technology here yet. I'm a little shocked for HK - as they are so much more progressive than other parts of the world.

Anyway - from the 8 of us - to all of you - Have a Magical Disney Day! We shall post more as our adventure continues.

 

[Karin1984]

I don't have the answer to your question, as I haven't been to Hong Kong yet, but isn't WDW the only Disney park that has magic bands? I believe all the other parks just take cash or cards like a normal shop.

*edit*Just checked Disneyland Anaheim also has Key to the World cards, but I think it's not promoted that heavily as Magic Bands and KTTW cards they had in WDW as the majority of visitors in Anaheim doesn't stay in the Disney Hotel. Anaheim has too many cheaper options around the park, which are much more attractive for familes and people on a budget. In WDW the percentage of onsite visitors is much higher and worth investing into a charge-to-the-room system. I think it's not worth it for the other parks. Also in WDW people stay for a longer time, what is probably of influence on this decision, I guess. I think in the other parks the average stay is 2 or 3 nights.

 

[AngelDisney]

Sorry to hear that your HKDL experiences have not been magical so far. However, so far I have been having a magical experience dealing with my hotel and dining reservations. I live in Canada and had been avoiding calling by phone until I started to use a long distance calling app. You can call using land line or cell phone and it's only a 3.5 cents/min calling to Hong Kong. PM me if you are interested in getting the app. You can use it to call back to US from HK as well. I deposited $5 and have made many calls to Beijing, Seoul and HK. My balance now is $4.26.

Have fun planning!

 

[hkkatie]

Yes, you just pay with cash or credit card in the park.

 

[taiko225]

Ok... I think I might be able to clear up some of you queries here. I lived in HK and has Disney Magic Access Pass / previously they call annual pass for over 8 years.
Firstly, if you are coming during Christmas time. Don't count on any MAP discount (no matter which pass you buy) for hotel or dining within the hotel. The only discounts you can get is when you are in the park the "food court" and shopping discount which is 10%.

They don't need to scan your fingers anymore for MAP, they only need to take your photo and print the card on the spot for you. But they need you to fill out a form and check your government ID (passport in your case). You will only get your MAP# when they issue the card on the spot.

For point 5 you mentioned upgrade and benefits with your MAP membership, what do you mean by that? The priority access to the shows? You only need to walk up to the designated area before 15-20mins before the show. There is a different queue for platinum members, rock up there and show them your pass and you will be let into the theatre before all the others.

Dining reservation, I called last year and they said they only take bookings for Christmas 6-8 weeks before hand. So I bet when you call back in Sept, the reservation won't be open yet. And the price for buffer dinner during Christmas period is much more expensive.

As for access to your hotel room, you will be given a key card but that is only to access your room nothing like magic band or key to the world card.

My advice is no need to plan this early. Just book your flights first and reserve your hotel room. Sit back relax until end of Sep or even Oct before you arrange for dinner.

I will suggest Enchanted Garden for Character dining. They normally comes in 2 time slot 6-8pm or 8:30-10:30pm or if you are will to pay more you could book a all time session. They have Mickey, Minnie, Duffy and Shelliemay

And some in park tips, Photopass is not as popular in HK as the memory maker in WDW, so you might consider skipping that and save a couple of hundred dollars for souvenir. And you could find out the schedule for character that you want to meet at City hall guest service. Currently we have B-Max, Judy&Nic, Duffy & Shelliemay, Stitch, Mickey & Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Donald (I don't recall seeing Daisy though), Lotso, Buzz, Woody, Jessie, Pooh and some of the princesses

As for the 10% discount on tickets. We could easily get it on some of the travel agents which could issue email tickets that you could exchange for physical ticket when you arrive at the gate. (search for a website call kkday.com they have discounted tickets and is very reliable).

And one more disappointing thing for you.... we have the HK disneyland app, but it does not show any wait times.

Hopes this could help, if you need any further information, let me know, I try to find out for you. And try to email them instead of calling in, they normally handle email quite efficiently as oppose to phone calls.

 

[zanzibar138]

Most of the issues you've had aren't really unique to HKDL. WDW is really the only Disney property that requires or even allows for such advance planning. Even DLR doesn't release its hours/show timings until 90 days out and you can't book dining reservations until 60 days out. And you can't even book accommodation for Tokyo until 3 months out!

I had the same thing when I bought an AP for DLR as well, couldn't activate my pass until I arrived at the resort, and so couldn't get access to the AP website or any special discounts etc ahead of time. There are definitely blackout periods for hotel discounts, or at least times when there's a bigger discount than others, but I haven't heard of a blackout period for dining/merch discounts before. I guess it's part of experiencing a new park!

FWIW I've never had anything but magical experiences with the HKDL resort, both on the phone and while I'm actually there. You have to remember that for most people English is not their first language, and there are also all sorts of cultural differences, so you can't expect CMs to be exactly the same as they are in the US. I'm not saying that you won't get the occasional unmagical CM (as you also do in the US), but in my experience I've found the CMs in general to be friendly, happy and enthusiastic. In fact, I've had wonderful interactions with the CMs and they are a large part of why HKDL is pretty close to being my favourite Disney property!

I'm sorry you haven't had a magical time so far, but for now I would just take a step back and try to relax. There's really no need to have everything organised this far in advance for a HKDL trip. I'm sure you will have a magical time when you arrive