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

[Dugette]

Yay, a trip report I'm not behind on (yet!) Can't wait to hear all about it!

 

[Imagineer5]

So awesome!! Great start- how cool to have that dedicated train/subway thing to the parks all decked out and disneyfied. How perfect to meet Baymax there, and love all the details.

 

[afwdwfan]

This is such a neat experience! I know hardly anything about Hong Kong, so I'm really looking forward to learning some about it and seeing some pictures!

I love the castle with the hills in the background. Definitely a different look and feel from the other parks and it actually makes it seem more like that castle has been there for a long time. It also looks like Main Street is a little more wide open than the US parks?

I'm glad you got a chance to meet Baymax and learn a little bit about a Disney Legend that isn't as well known. I think most of us here can appreciate some good Disney trivia.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Ooh! Another HKDL TR.


Pulling up a chair as well.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I know hardly anything about Hong Kong, so I'm really looking forward to learning some about it and seeing some pictures!

*cough* *cough* I wrote a pretty detailed TR for a 10-day trip to HK in 2012. *cough* *cough*

<self-promo disclaimer over. TR can be found in the siggie below>

 

[mindylee847]

Wow!! Hong Kong Disneyland!! That is so cool. Definitely joining in for your report.

The train windows are SO cute! Disney magic and you aren’t even there yet. So many great details on it. All trains should look like this.

The castle looks absolutely stunning in front of some hills. My favorite castle may be changing now….

I love meeting Baymax. Hugging him is such a magical experience, lol. Also – interesting. I suppose the character lines would be longer in Hong Kong than here.

Can’t wait for more!!

 

[Dramatic Muffin]

I was in DLHK last month. That whale & Mickey fountain was amazing! I loved the Disney metro train--so cute! Looking forward to your next installment.

 

[katt789]

Yay!!! Super excited about this one!
Glad to know that the signage in HK is also in English! I'm still kinda stressed about the China portion of our trip, but I'm sure it'll all workout!!
It's so weird to see something so familiar, yet, so different! I'm excited to see it in person, the hills do make a beautiful backdrop for the park, all the pictures I've seen have just been GORGEOUS. Kara & I basically decided we need a day alone for photography lol!
Nice to know selfie sticks are allowed! That will help!
Didn't know Bay was there either!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

So excited to read about this trip, Phil!

Love the photo to start...everyone with umbrellas/ponchos and you are just basking in the rain

So cool that the train to the park was Disney themed!

Love how the train station looks so similar to the US parks.

The castle does look pretty with the greenery in the background!

Interesting that the rides don't open when the park does. At least you got to squeeze in the Baymax meet.

The Philharmagic theater looks exactly the same! I'm glad your coworker enjoyed it.

Can't wait to read about Toy Story Land!

Alexis! Thanks- yeah, I didn't catch on until later in the trip that you really need an umbrella in Hong Kong

I thought the train to the park was really cool - just a little extra magic to start! The train station and even the train itself in the park was very similar to the US parks. I'll get to it later in the report but the train cars on the train were all named after California locations connected to Disney

I thought it was a pretty setting for the castle - often couldn't see the hills though with the fog/clouds

yeah, didn't realize that about the other lands not opening at the same time as the park. And the announcement said they would open the lands starting at 10:30 1 by 1 - though not sure exactly how that worked as after meeting Baymax where we were headed was open

Yeah, Philharmagic was the exact same - even had the animatronic Donald butt in the wall at the end!

Coming up next update!

Loving the report so far. Can hardly wait until next year when we hit both Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Thank you! That is awesome you are going to see both parks!

I'm so excited about this! It will get me ramped up for visiting Tokyo next year!

Good you are here! I am so excited for your trip next year, it sounds awesome!

I'm joining in! I can't wait to hear about Hong Kong. I really want to get there some day.

I love the train that takes you there.

That's weird how main street opens at 10 but then the rest of the park doesn't open until 10:30.

I love Baymax he is always a fun meet.

it was pretty cool, I must say. Definitely a neat place to visit (the whole city, not just Disneyland)

The train was really cool - great to get you in the spirit!

I had no idea about the lands not opening with the main entrance - seemed a little weird, but hey, guess it works for them. I know people there are into the character meets and there were a number in the Town Square area so I think a lot of people do that first anyway

I hadn't met Baymax before so I am glad that worked out!

I'm new here but I haven't consulted a veteran ... is that going to be a problem?

I'm really looking forward to reading about this trip. Hong Kong is one of those places I'll probably never visit, so the only way I'll ever see HKDL is through pictures!
And that castle with the hills in the background ... amazing. I'm excited to read more about the trip!

no problem .... just be prepared for puns and animated gifs and honest opinions about what was good and what wasn't!

I really thought I never would visit there either, but was super excited that the opportunity presented itself!

It was pretty cool to see the castle like that. Was hard to get good pictures as often there was lots of cloud cover

 

[AngelDisney]

I am originally from Hong Kong but have not been back for 21 years. The major touristic places in HK are actually quite English friendly.

Thanks for sharing your trip report! I will be visiting HKDL the first time this July and it gets me more excited about my visit. I hope Baymax would still be there for meet and greet in July. Meeting him first thing before rope drop would be a great use of time since I am planning to arrive early for rope drop and getting photopass for my second day of visit there.

 

[OKW Lover]

I'm wondering if the umbrella (rain) issue is specific to a certain time of year in Hong Kong? We will be there later in the year (Oct). Do you know if there is a "wet" season and a "dry" season in Hong Kong?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I haven't even started to read it yet but AHHHHHHHH I'm so excited to start!!

Oooh the hills behind the castle are very pretty.

Aww Baymax, I love him. The Hong Kong Disneylander's seem like people after my own heart, I do love to meet the characters!

I wouldn't have been too worried about Mickey's Philharmagic being her first attraction, that show hits all the feels so long as you liked Disney movies growing up. Was the show in English? How did the work?

I'm so excited to read more. I think the boyfriend and I have finally decided that we need to set dates for a trip to Japan...and I'm sure you know what that means! Even though I know the Japanese parks are very different from Honk Kong, I always love to read about the different parks. And to be honest, I'm not sure if Hong Kong is high on my list of vacation destinations (after Japan will be an Everest base camp trek in Nepal) so I don't know if I'll ever get to see it.

Fully agree that the hills behind the castle were pretty and made it unique!

Lot's of interest to meet characters - that was one line we didn't wait in which was for Mickey & Minnie in their special outfits (we did meet Mickey in his regular outfit)

I think I just had in my head starting with a ride and something unique and then we head in to see a "movie" but it obviously worked out fine. Yes, it was all in English - nearly everything was all/mostly in English ... for a few things they had different versions (like the Jungle Cruise)

That's exciting you are going to Japan! I did hear/read that you can often get flights that go U.S. -> Hong Kong -> Japan with a day or two layover in Hong Kong for the same price as just U.S. -> Japan so some people that are going to Japan do a quick trip to Hong Kong to see that park as well

Yahoo!!! So stoked that you are doing a legit TR on this visit!!!

It's cool that you had a co-worker to share the experience with. And she really lucked out to have such a seasoned Disney fan to tour the park with. I'm betting that you played a big part in helping her to enjoy it more than she thought she would

The resort line cars are totally cool. Wasn't expecting that!

Love, love, love the hills behind the castle. Just too cool! Based on that phot seems like the hub area and distance to Main Street might be a little smaller than The US versions?

Love that you got to meet Baymax. Was he pretty mobile/flexible?

Anyway, looks like you are off to a great start, and happy that you'll be sharing your experiences. This is probably the closest I'll ever get to HKDL, so looking forward to your next chapters!!!!!

Matt! seems like there was interest so thought I would do at least a mini-TR for this!

It was cool to have someone to go with - though I was trying to not let me Disney Freak Flag fly too much. She definitely got into it though which was fun

Yeah, I wasn't expecting that either with the train cars - it was really neat!

It was really cool with the hill behind the castle - gave it a very unique look. I think you are right that the hub was closer to the castle than in the US parks and was a bit more open there as well so it felt closer as well

Baymax was really cool to meet! he wasn't super mobile but he could move a bit and raise his arms and stuff

happy to share and glad you are following along! I never thought I would get to Hong Kong, so you never know

Yay! I'm so excited to read this mini trip report Phil!
I LOVE all of the Disney details on the train, so cool!

I'm interested to hear how Hong Kong Disneyland compares to WDW and DL. It must be strange walking in to a brand new place with so many familiar sights!

I hope the TR lives up to your hopes and expectations! The train was really cool - I loved the hand-holds that were Mickey themed

It was a bit strange and familiar at the same time. I'll do more of a full take and the end but one thing that struck me was that everything was almost "too perfect" - especially on Main St. The buildings looked a little fake and the bricks in the roadway were all too perfect. Not sure if that makes sense but just didn't have quite the level of realism that I find in the US parks. On the other hand some of the attractions were better than the US counterparts and Tomorrowland as a whole I loved!

I'm so glad you enjoyed your trip to HKDL! Very jealous you got to meet Baymax.

Can't wait to read more!

Thanks - definitely enjoyed it. I was glad I got the meet in with Baymax and one other meet / selfie I got later on I was happy about! (oooh, a tease)

Excited to follow this! Something new & different to learn about. Thank-you!

thanks for joining! Definitely a little different - but familiar at the same time. I really enjoyed it!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Of course I'm here to follow along

I have to say that the metro there is super cute. I wish we had a cute metro that was Disney themed.

Also, a Baymax meet is a solid first thing to do.

Mickey's Philharmagic is one of the best things in Fantasyland at WDW so I don't know why you were nervous about that being a first attraction I'm glad your coworked enjoyed it though.

Amber - glad you are here!

The metro train was really cool. I think that would be great if they had themed trains like that everywhere!

Meeting Baymax was something I was hoping to do so it was nice to check that off right away.

I think I just had in my head to do something unique and a ride and when we "settled" for a "movie" just wasn't sure if it was exciting enough - but she really enjoyed it so that was a good sign for the day I thought!

Can't wait to hear all about your trip.

thanks for joining!

I'm here and following along! How great that you got to squeeze this bit of Disney into your work trip.

Very affordable tickets and it seems pretty easy to get to the park.

I love the shot down Main Street with the castle and hills in the background!

Fun meet with Baymax - looking forward to seeing him in just a few days down in Epcot! And I'm a big Philharmagic fan so that seems like a nice first choice, especially with the weather. Is is a mirror of the WDW version?

I am glad it worked out - I just couldn't imagine going all the way to Hong Kong and then not going to Disneyland!

yeah, tickets to all the Asia parks are affordable compared to the US parks is my understanding so that, and the ease to get to the park were other reasons motivating me to go

It was a neat, and different, view of the castle with the hill in the back

Baymax was definitely a fun meet - I am sure you will have fun! Philharmagic was the exact same as in the US - including the animatronic Donald butt at the end

Awesome!

thanks!

I think I will be going to Hong Kong next year. I can't wait for the next installment.

That's great you are going next year. Not that I am an expert or anything but if you have any questions, let me know!

Thanks for the ping!

Super excited to follow along!

no problem! thanks for joining!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Yay, a trip report I'm not behind on (yet!) Can't wait to hear all about it!

thanks for joining! Sorry to add another TR for you to keep up on though

So awesome!! Great start- how cool to have that dedicated train/subway thing to the parks all decked out and disneyfied. How perfect to meet Baymax there, and love all the details.

thanks for joining! The trains were really cool! and fun to get in the spirit on the way. I was glad to get the Baymax meet in early to check that off the list

This is such a neat experience! I know hardly anything about Hong Kong, so I'm really looking forward to learning some about it and seeing some pictures!

I love the castle with the hills in the background. Definitely a different look and feel from the other parks and it actually makes it seem more like that castle has been there for a long time. It also looks like Main Street is a little more wide open than the US parks?

I'm glad you got a chance to meet Baymax and learn a little bit about a Disney Legend that isn't as well known. I think most of us here can appreciate some good Disney trivia.

definitely was a neat experience and not something I thought I would ever get to do! Happy to share some other thoughts and pictures form Hong Kong. I really enjoyed the city and it was easy to get around as all the signs were also in English.

The castle with the hill in the background was really cool an unique. Main St. didn't feel any wider - certainly not than WDW, maybe a tad more than DL in California. I think the buildings were a little lower and the roadway bricks were a bit brighter in color so I think it felt a bit bigger/wider but I don't think it was

I agree, it was neat to read about that lesser known Disney legend and I was glad to meet Baymax!

Ooh! Another HKDL TR.

Pulling up a chair as well.

*cough* *cough* I wrote a pretty detailed TR for a 10-day trip to HK in 2012. *cough* *cough*

<self-promo disclaimer over. TR can be found in the siggie below>

I'll have to check out your TR as well!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Wow!! Hong Kong Disneyland!! That is so cool. Definitely joining in for your report.

The train windows are SO cute! Disney magic and you aren’t even there yet. So many great details on it. All trains should look like this.

The castle looks absolutely stunning in front of some hills. My favorite castle may be changing now….

I love meeting Baymax. Hugging him is such a magical experience, lol. Also – interesting. I suppose the character lines would be longer in Hong Kong than here.

Can’t wait for more!!

thanks for joining! It was definitely a cool experience and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity!

I loved the train getting us to the park - really got you in the spirit and the only place that train goes is to Disneyland so everyone on it was heading there

It was really neat with the Castle in front of the hills ... I took some more picture in the future trying to get it from different angles

Meeting Baymax was definitely fun! I had heard ahead of time that the character lines can be long so I knew I wouldn't get to meet that many - but pretty happy with the ones I got!

I was in DLHK last month. That whale & Mickey fountain was amazing! I loved the Disney metro train--so cute! Looking forward to your next installment.

The fountain really is cool and I didn't know about it so it was a fun surprise on arrival. The train is really cool!

Yay!!! Super excited about this one!
Glad to know that the signage in HK is also in English! I'm still kinda stressed about the China portion of our trip, but I'm sure it'll all workout!!
It's so weird to see something so familiar, yet, so different! I'm excited to see it in person, the hills do make a beautiful backdrop for the park, all the pictures I've seen have just been GORGEOUS. Kara & I basically decided we need a day alone for photography lol!
Nice to know selfie sticks are allowed! That will help!
Didn't know Bay was there either!

Katt! I can't speak about the rest of China but Hong Kong was super easy to navigate as a whole and everyone (well, nearly) spoke English, so very easy to get around.

It really was that - with things being different but familiar! You will really like it I think - lots of different details to take in. And definitely a lot to photograph. Also, it gets cloudy/rainy at times (well, a lot of the time) so you need to take advantage of when it isn't to get in what pictures you can!

Lot's of selfie sticks but signs out front of most attractions saying you can't use them on the attracts and a number of them they wouldn't even let me use my camera at all - so not as many ride photos/videos as I normally have for trip reports

Yup - Baymas is there. Just him though, no Hiro

I am originally from Hong Kong but have not been back for 21 years. The major touristic places in HK are actually quite English friendly.

Thanks for sharing your trip report! I will be visiting HKDL the first time this July and it gets me more excited about my visit. I hope Baymax would still be there for meet and greet in July. Meeting him first thing before rope drop would be a great use of time since I am planning to arrive early for rope drop and getting photopass for my second day of visit there.

thanks for joining! I found the whole city to be easy to navigate and get around. A couple of super local restaurants, etc. language was a bit of an issue, but really, was easy to tour the city.

That's great you are getting to visit. I am pretty sure there are not plans to remove Baymax. Hopefully some of the new stuff, like the Ironman ride will be open when you go!

I'm wondering if the umbrella (rain) issue is specific to a certain time of year in Hong Kong? We will be there later in the year (Oct). Do you know if there is a "wet" season and a "dry" season in Hong Kong?

So, not sure if there is any "dry" season in Hong Kong but I did hear that September/October is probably the best time to go so you should be good. When I went is kinda rainy but the early summer is the really rainy time

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Looks like a great report! I am actually doing some work on and off in southeast Asia up to the end of the year, so I am trying to arrange a stop over in Hong Kong. It hasn't worked out yet, but I'm hoping to get there in the coming months. Looking forward to the rest!

And I may have to check out another HKDL report after that very subtle hint from @PrincessInOz

 

[noubaguy]

Loving your report and looking forward to more. Thinking of visiting next month!

 

[SorcererHeidi]

So I'm not in the Podcast Forum - think I'm legally allowed to post here?

Thanx for doing this report, and letting me know about it. Like Sam said - I'll probably never get a chance to visit, so it's great to read/see somebody's pics that I "know" at least. That Mickey-themed train is SO cool! I would love to meet BayMax some day, and do a "fist bump" and sound effect with him. As others have said, the hills in back of the castle are really pretty, and you took a great pic!

 

[PrincessInOz]

I've been called many things on the Dis.

subtle

That's not one I remember anyone saying about me!!

 

[Volunteer]

You made it to Hong Kong!

I have been a bad DIS-er and I haven't been around much (life has been crazy).

BUT, I also visited Hong Kong and HKDL - I think I was there on 4/4. We just missed each other! Unfortunately Grizzly Glutch was closed for my visit ...

But I still had a lot of fun!