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

[MAGICFOR2]

Grizzly Mountain looks like a great ride! Pretty cool how they have combined the best parts of several rides. There are so many unusual attractions at HKD- it really makes me want to try to make a trip out there happen some day.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Great update!

Im really surprised space mountain has short waits there.

Stitch encounter there sounds better than the stitch attraction in WDW. I really like how they accommodate multiple languages in Hong Kong.

From what I've heard iron man will be just like star tours.

I love the lights on everything in fantasyland at night.

I was really surprised how short the wait was at Space Mountain - it is one of only 2 rides there that has FP so I was thinking it would be longer but obviously Fastpass was not needed

The Stitch ride was cute - I mean, probably not the most amazing thing but lightyears better than what WDW has

I've heard similar about Iron Man or at least that it is a simulator - and it being similar to Star Tours makes sense as they didn't have that ride

I loved how Fantasyland came to life at night with the colored lights!

I am glad you were able to pick up where you left off! I love the Tea Cups lightening effects. I also liked the Ice Cream choices, what looks like a Stitch Paw Bar? Was that a Lotso Bar also? Bet it is strawberry flavored!

I liked all the lighting Fantasyland but the Tea Cups especially looked good

Yeah, it was a Stitch Paw and a Lotso Bar (they had Toy Story characters switch out throughout the day at the meet are in Toy Story Land and Lotso was one of the characters meeting at times. Not sure of the flavor

So nice you fit in another day!

I find it so strange hat in some parks one ride can have such a long wait and in others no wait at all. Was the park just not crowded or people just don't like space mountain?

The food looks yummy! Nice to not be burgers and fries, I know you can get other things at WDW I just think burgers always seem to be the best option at the larger quick service....we always seem to end up at cosmic rays at least once a trip!

A trip in a month! Hope you'll do a TR (did I miss a PTR?)

Not sure why there was no line for Space Mountain - it is one of two rides that has Fast Pass so I thought it would have more lines. The park was fairly empty but other rides and character meets had at least some lines so doesn't fully explain that lack of line for Space Mountain ... so not really sure

I was very pleased by the variety of the food especially considering it isn't a huge park. There were burgers available at a couple of places if you wanted that but I definitely wanted to check out the different options

Hoping to do a Trip Report for the upcoming trip ... I didn't really do a Pre-trip report but I did cover it in my Disneyland Trip Report in one post:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/tr...5-hk-disneyland.3458644/page-15#post-55094173 (though we've adjusted the road trip part a bit and going through Durham, NC on the way down to see some college friends and saving Dogfish Head for a separate trip

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Space looks so neat - and glad that their Stitch attraction is neat - would be SO awesome if they updated the WDW one with something worth visiting.

Mmm lunch looks delicious (well minus the shrimp!) and the frozen treats are cute!

Beautiful pics of IaSW, love the façade.

And love the snow white grotto, how cute! love all the different details in the parks.

Fully agree that they need to do something with Stitch at WDW ... not every ride needs to be amazing but to have something that so many people just hate seems like a waste of space

I loved their IaSW facade and the lights were an added bonus

And seeing the Snow White Grotto was another bonus for me - totally unexpected

Happy Belated Father's Day, Phil!

I'm glad the Stitch attraction was much better than WDWs!!

Great selfie with the Stormtrooper

OoOoh the different ice creams are so cool- I spy Lotso and Minnie!

Those facade pictures of IASW are so beautiful!

Thanks very much Alexis!

definitely better than the WDW Stitch ride that is for sure!

thanks! i knew they had the Storm Troopers but didn't see them the first day so I was glad to see them at this time and get the selfie

I thought the Minnie ice cream was really cute and a good idea to have that to go along with Mickey's

Loved the IaSW facade especially with the lights!

That Stitch attraction sounds interesting ... I'd be all for them replacing Stitch's Great Escape with that.
Then again, I'd be all for them replacing Stitch's Great Escape with a pile of bricks. So maybe I'm the wrong person to ask.

It's a Small World all lit up like that looks beautiful. It actually reminds me a lot of when I went to Disneyland and saw the Christmas version of IASW ... just a little less Christmasy. I think the lights really add something special to the facade.

Yeah, I am not a fan of Stitch at WDW - I like Alien Encounter before it, but this version just stinks. What they had in Hong Kong was much better

Fully agree about the lights - just made it seem really cool and stand out - especially against the mountain

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I bet I'd be the only one there standing in front of this and trying to figure out what time the next showing was! Not used to seeing times like that.

Now THIS Stitch attraction is something i'd be on board with and i'm sure tons of fans would agree! Wonder when WDW execs will ever figure out that NO ONE likes Stitches Great Escape

How difficult was this? See, another issue i'd run into. I'd probably give them WAY too much money without even knowing!

This looks really delicious.

Ah cute!

So so pretty.

Is it similar to the two small passages they have at DLR? I love using them and they're never really busy since they're a little hidden.

haha - well, they did have a standing sign as well saying what the next show was and what the language would be - but yeah, the electronic sign was different!

It is a bit bizarre that something that so many people hate continues to exist - I think this would be a pretty easy version to bring over

The money conversion wasn't too bad - I kinda figured in my head that 100 HK Dollars was about $15 USD so worked off of that ... wasn't super exact but gave me an idea of what something was costing

The noodle bowl was really good and just felt like a real meal - maybe being served in a real bowl helped as well - and not just a grab-and-go type thing

This castle was modeled after the Disneyland one so I bet the side passages are the same (we didn't go into/see the ones at Disneyland in California so can't say with 100% certainty)

Grizzly Mountain looks like a great ride! Pretty cool how they have combined the best parts of several rides. There are so many unusual attractions at HKD- it really makes me want to try to make a trip out there happen some day.

Grizzly Mountain was awesome! It really did feel like the "best of" from several other rides and then with the thrill level of a nice family coaster - and a lot longer that 7DMT to boot!

It is a long way to go just for HK Disneyland but if you are ever close I think it is totally worth a visit - I really enjoyed it!

 

[Dugette]

I definitely would welcome this version to replace what is at WDW

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I think we all would!

Nice!

Oh, wow, Izzy would LOVE a Minnie bar!

 

[KathyM2]

Wow thanks so much for sharing. I love hearing all about the details that make it different there than at the USA parks. The food choices especially...I would have loved to try that noodle bowl...and don't think I could have resisted the ice cream either lol. I can't believe how short the wait times were for rides!

 

[khertz]

I hope you had a wonderful Father's Day!! I just realized when you posted that your next trip is a month away that DH and I hit the road for our trip 4 weeks from tomorrow! I look forward to seeing you at the podcast taping at the very least, if not more throughout the weekend!!

The Stitch attraction looks cute! Definitely better than the abomination (haha) that we have in WDW!

I love that like the DL version of Small World, this one has the addition of the characters, but even more of them! So neat. And the facade is beautiful, just like its California counterpart. Definitely way more photogenic than WDW's version.

 

[chillitsanne]

All caught up!

Hong Kong looks like a cool city. The cable car thing looks really awesome and terrifying all in one. - I am a little scared of heights lol

It is awesome that it wasn't that crowded while you were there so you got to experience stuff more than once. Was this a non busy time to go or is it usually not that crowded?

Once again i really love the castle shots with the mountains in the background, looks so cool. Really makes me when go and see it in person!

Grizzly Mountain looks like a fun ride

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I think we all would!

Nice!

Oh, wow, Izzy would LOVE a Minnie bar!

I think most of us would be happy if a pin trading store replaced Stitch at WDW .. although I wouldn't mind if it went back to the original Alien Encounter either

I did think it was cute they had a Minnie Bar to go along with the traditional Mickey Bar

Wow thanks so much for sharing. I love hearing all about the details that make it different there than at the USA parks. The food choices especially...I would have loved to try that noodle bowl...and don't think I could have resisted the ice cream either lol. I can't believe how short the wait times were for rides!

It was pretty cool in how it was very familiar but still had those exotic elements to it. And for such a small park I thought the food options were really good and a lot of variety

I was amazed by the short lines and then also that some things (like Autopia) had long lines - very different than in the U.S.

I hope you had a wonderful Father's Day!! I just realized when you posted that your next trip is a month away that DH and I hit the road for our trip 4 weeks from tomorrow! I look forward to seeing you at the podcast taping at the very least, if not more throughout the weekend!!

I know - we leave on the 14th for the first part of our road trip so that is only 3 weeks from today!

Would be great to compare schedules a bit to see when else we can meet up during the trip!

The Stitch attraction looks cute! Definitely better than the abomination (haha) that we have in WDW!

I love that like the DL version of Small World, this one has the addition of the characters, but even more of them! So neat. And the facade is beautiful, just like its California counterpart. Definitely way more photogenic than WDW's version.

Yeah - vastly superior to what we have in WDW. It wasn't amazeballz or anything but cute and at least a bit of fun

yeah, it definitely reminded me of the DLR version of IaSW - just amped up a bit

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Chapter 15 - I Just Want to See the Lights Gleam!​

While we had a pretty good viewing spot for Paint the Night the first nights I was hoping to score an even better spot this time - and I think I lucked out pretty well!

They have a dining package there and the viewing area is the middle of the hub/within the fencing. I managed to find a spot just in front of the fencing next to a garbage can that was next to the entrance facing the Castle - with only greenery behind me so no issues blocking anyone's view. And it seemed like everyone in front of me sat so I had a great view. To map it out, here is roughly where I stood:

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Below is my view of the Castle and then the view back across the hub and down Main St. All-in-all - not bad!

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Before the parade started, they did this little projection show to celebrate the 10th anniversary - and it was little. Only about 60 seconds and just instrumental music and not that much happens other than Tinkerbell using pixie dust to turn the Castle golden ... it's cute, but definitely a bit of "is that all?" Oh well, the rest of the shows make up for it!

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And then it was time for Paint the Night! I didn't take much video this time, just really tried to enjoy the show. I did take some still pictures and tired to be artsy and get shots of the floats with the Castle behind it ... to mixed results.

First, Tinkerbell rounding the corner and then one of my favorite pictures I got as Tinkerbell just looks so derpy:

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Monster's Inc - Sully and Mike:

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Then the Cars section. Not sure if it came through in the picture but on the side of Big Mac in lights was the shape of cars racing across - it looked pretty cool and I didn't recall seeing that in the California Disneyland version (but maybe I just missed it):

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Little Mermaid section - first the coral dancers and then probably my second favorite picture - just because King Triton has that look of "oh yeah, I see you checking out my abs"

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Beauty and the Best was next - I thought these dancers were the best - looked very fancy and regal

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Up next was Woody and Buzz with the later shot I think definitely qualifying as "artsy"

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Then some of our friends in Goofy, Donald, and Minnie (I think I got her mid-kiss)

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And I did manage to get Mickey this time:

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This was now the third time I had seen this parade live (once in California and twice here) and it blows me away every time - just amazing technology and the music is perfect and keeps the energy up. Disney really nailed it with this one!

Fireworks next post

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Chapter 16 - Time to Say Goodbye​

Not long after the parade ended it was time for the Disney in the Stars fireworks and Castle projection show. I tried to take it all in but focused on the Castle projections which were really good and some were pretty creative (though it did come out a bit dark with my cheap-o camera)

First up, the Fantasia brooms:

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Then was Snow White which led into Aladdin:

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One thing they did that I loved was they projected on like there were giant windows on the Castle you could see in through. This photo was from the Cinderella part but they did something similar for Beauty and the Beast. 2nd picture is of fireworks during the Cinderella scene. In that picture I think you can see how everyone in front of me was sitting down and everyone had their phones out to take pictures/video

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A very cool Alice in Wonderland part:

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And they had giant flames at parts - which, I mean, giant flames!!!!

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Another "artsy" shot of just the outline of the Castle with the colored fireworks behind:

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and this was part of the finale:

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and then it was time to head out ... with the masses (I guess I found the crowds):

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On the way out I stopped by City Hall just to check it out and they had a cool map of the park along with some nice pictures of Walt:

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It was after seeing those pictures that it hit me that, other than these pictures, there really wasn't any reference to Walt Disney in the park anywhere. I think that was the biggest difference between the U.S. parks (especially Disneyland, but Walt Disney World too) is that they celebrate the history of Disney and how the parks were able to be built and why, etc. - there wasn't that feeling here and I think that made it feel less authentic, if that makes sense.

On the way out I did stop by the cool fountain they had and noticed the Donald sculpture:

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And then it really was time to say good bye. BTW - the building to the left on this picture is the train station, so you can see just how close it is to the park):

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Well, I hope you enjoyed my Trip Report for a trip I never thought I would get to take. I really enjoyed Hong Kong Disneyland - maybe even more than I was expecting. The low crowds really helped (and a huge contrast to what we experienced at California Disneyland back in October) and I loved their Tomorrowland and the food - and Mystic Manor and Grizzly Mountain Runaway Railway are two of the absolute best Disney attractions. Plus, I kinda, sorta, liked Paint the Night (not sure if that came across or not )

If anyone has any questions or wants me to get into any more details I am happy to do so .. also in the middle of scheduling FP+ for our next trip so if anyone want more details or a mini-Pre-trip report, let me know.

TTFN

 

[Volunteer]

I didn't get to comment as much, but I enjoyed reading about your trip to Hong Kong! Looking forward to your next adventure!

 

[SarahDisney]

You got an awesome spot for the parade and fireworks! The pictures look really amazing ... definitely seems like they know how to do nighttime entertainment well out there!

Thanks for sharing your trip report - it was great to read along and see a little bit of a park that I'll probably never get to experience.

 

[rteetz]

They make the castle look a lot bigger than it is on that online map.

Great Paint the Night photos! That parade is just awesome and I really want to see it in person.

That fireworks/projections show looks very nice. I am surprised they didn't do more for the 10th.

Being a Chinese park I can see why they don't have more Walt in the park.

Awesome trip report! I loved reading all about HKDL. I hope to visit it someday in my lifetime. It sounds like you had a wonderful time.

 

[Imagineer5]

The train station again reminds me of DLP, the train station is also right there (although we didn't take it). I wonder what sort of resorts are at HKDL?

The parade and projection show and fireworks are just beautiful!! I wish I had been able to see them at DL (their version anyway).

Thanks so much for taking the time to write up the TR!

 

[missangelalexis]

Love the parade pictures, glad you were able to get a good spot!

It's funny to see everyone up front sitting during a show. Not something you normally see in US parks.

Great fireworks/projection pictures. Really looks like a nice show to experience.

Really enjoyed this TR and glad you were able to cross this off the bucket list!

I would totally be interested in reading a PTR for your upcoming trip

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I didn't get to comment as much, but I enjoyed reading about your trip to Hong Kong! Looking forward to your next adventure!

Thanks very much! I think I will post a link to the PTR or TR for the next one - which is road-tripping down to Florida for the DIS Mega meet!

You got an awesome spot for the parade and fireworks! The pictures look really amazing ... definitely seems like they know how to do nighttime entertainment well out there!

Thanks for sharing your trip report - it was great to read along and see a little bit of a park that I'll probably never get to experience.

Thanks - I was really happy with the spot I got for the parade. The fireworks they really upgraded as part of the 10th celebration ... my understanding is that before this they were mediocre at best

You never know ... I never thought I would get there!

They make the castle look a lot bigger than it is on that online map.

Great Paint the Night photos! That parade is just awesome and I really want to see it in person.

That fireworks/projections show looks very nice. I am surprised they didn't do more for the 10th.

Being a Chinese park I can see why they don't have more Walt in the park.

Awesome trip report! I loved reading all about HKDL. I hope to visit it someday in my lifetime. It sounds like you had a wonderful time.

Yeah, that's true about the Castle on the map.

Thanks! It really is an amazing parade - hopefully you get to see it in the future ... perhaps at Walt Disney World in the future

Well, the main projection show/fireworks were created for the 10th (my understanding is before this they were kinda lame) it was just that odd little pre-show that was a bit underwhelming

I get why they don't have more on Walt but guess it is just the Disney fan in me that thinks you should remember how it all started and why this is different than a regular amusement park

Thanks so much - hope you get there some day!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

The train station again reminds me of DLP, the train station is also right there (although we didn't take it). I wonder what sort of resorts are at HKDL?

The parade and projection show and fireworks are just beautiful!! I wish I had been able to see them at DL (their version anyway).

Thanks so much for taking the time to write up the TR!

There currently are 2 resorts/hotels at HKDL but they are almost done with the third.
- The main one (The Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel) looks a lot like the Grand Floridian
- The second one is more moderate and is called the Disneyland Hollywood Hotel. It sort of reminds me of the Disneyland Hotel in California with the classic Disney look, etc.
- The one being built is called the Explorer's Lodge and is sort of based on the Adventure's Club/Adventureland theme - a bit like the Animal Kingdom Lodge as well

The evening entertainment is just awesome there. I think the versions at Disneyland in California are a bit better - similar but amped up a bit ... and rumors of Pain the Night coming to Walt Disney World starting in November but we shall see

Thank you for reading!

Love the parade pictures, glad you were able to get a good spot!

It's funny to see everyone up front sitting during a show. Not something you normally see in US parks.

Great fireworks/projection pictures. Really looks like a nice show to experience.

Really enjoyed this TR and glad you were able to cross this off the bucket list!

I would totally be interested in reading a PTR for your upcoming trip

Thanks! - I was really glad I got that spot - seeing the parade again was definitely a priority

It was really just that spot in front of the castle that everyone sat - not sure if they were encouraged to do so or just something cultural .. but I didn't mind!

Thank you - and thank you for reading!

I have one more day of making FP+ and then I think I might do some form of Pre-TR ... if for nothing else than to get my schedule straight and see if anyone can find holes in the plans!!

 

[annie170]

Your lunch looked delicious. How much did that cost in us dollars? I tried doing the yen to dollar conversion and kept coming up with a little over a dollar, so I knew that wasn't right.

WDW needs to change their Stitch ride to the way Hong Kong does it.

Wow! That parade and those fireworks are just amazing!

Another fantastic trip report, Phil! Thanks for sharing this wonderful opportunity with us. Hope your upcoming is safe, enjoyable and not too unbearably hot!

 

[Li Li]

Great report!! Hope your DIS road trip goes well!