TR~ Friday, Jan 4th in HKDL *LAST-9/22-Getting Tired*

[dizneeat]

I love to see all the pics, Yuki! The fountain looks pretty cool, and so does the train! I would love to ride on that!

The pictures of the entrance and rope drop are cute, but it's a bit sad they did not announce anything.
Can' wait to see (and read) more!

 

[zanzibar138]

Hey I remember that now about opening that there was something going on but I had no idea what

Great job getting such a good spot in line

 

[BillyBuff]

Getting There


Our trip to HK was to visit family that lived in North Point on Hong Kong Island, so we chose to stay on Hong Kong Island to be close to them. We rented an apartment on www.airbnb.com. If you haven't already checked this site out, you should! I highly recommend it. Our apartment was a short 5 min walk away from the Wan Chai MTR station.

Thanks for the site! I'll check it out on my next visit to HK. Staying at my wife's parents place is fine but she thought it was annoying. I guess u know how Chinese parents talk to their kids right?

 

[jenshell75]

I'm loving all the info and photos they are really giving me an idea on the layout of the park.

Any chance you can PM me with the actual hotel details I have checked out that site it looks great but I would feel better if I had a personal review of a particular hotel.

If you have any photo of your apartment I would love to see those

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Yuki! I'm here and looking forward to seeing your HKDL report! Your wedding will be here before you know it. I'll bet you are busy making plans - I'll have to get over to your PTR - I've had a hard time keeping up lately.

 

[YukiPhnx]

Thanks for sharing that site. Seems like a great way to look for accommodation.

Looking forward to seeing how park entry went for you and the extended family.

Yes, Airbnb is a great way to find a place~ You should watch the video on their website. It explains a lot.

Looking forward to seeing the pics! Besides being annoying, it always amused me that work had blocked photobucket, but not facebook or any of the forums that I was part of, which were always a much bigger time waster

Anyway, back to your trip...

I loved the Disney train too, thought it was so cute with the Mickey windows! And the fountain - I like Donald and Pluto And I particularly loved not having to get up at the crack of dawn to go and line up to get into the park

The hotels are definitely worth checking out too for next time.

Looking forward to seeing how your trip is influenced by the kids in your party and what things you did that you wouldn't have normally done.

Yeah, I was surprised I didn't need to be there an hr before opening too! But that might've been because it was a weekday and cold? I dunno about the summer vacation days

I love to see all the pics, Yuki! The fountain looks pretty cool, and so does the train! I would love to ride on that!

The pictures of the entrance and rope drop are cute, but it's a bit sad they did not announce anything.
Can' wait to see (and read) more!

Yeah, it was really weird. We just saw Mickey and Minnie wave to everyone. Then a family is taking pictures with them....There was nothing too special. Also, the train came by a couple of times which just made us more excited, but then nothing happened...

 

[YukiPhnx]

Hey I remember that now about opening that there was something going on but I had no idea what

Great job getting such a good spot in line

Yeah...didn't there used to be a show at the castle? It was such an unceremonious opening.

Thanks!

Thanks for the site! I'll check it out on my next visit to HK. Staying at my wife's parents place is fine but she thought it was annoying. I guess u know how Chinese parents talk to their kids right?

Airbnb is international, so you can check it for your next trip even if it isn't HK! In fact, I'm always on it, just to see what kind of properties people are putting up haha.

Yeah...I totally get that. I never want to move back in with my parents again, as much as I love them.

I'm loving all the info and photos they are really giving me an idea on the layout of the park.

Any chance you can PM me with the actual hotel details I have checked out that site it looks great but I would feel better if I had a personal review of a particular hotel.

If you have any photo of your apartment I would love to see those

Sent you the PM! And thanks about the photos! My goal was to provide as much info as possible and pictures are so helpful!

Hi Yuki! I'm here and looking forward to seeing your HKDL report! Your wedding will be here before you know it. I'll bet you are busy making plans - I'll have to get over to your PTR - I've had a hard time keeping up lately.

TAMMIE! I'm coming up on the 6-month mark for my wedding and I realize, I haven't done anything at all! Crunch time.

Don't worry about keeping up, I haven't been doing well with that either. I'm so happy that you're here.

 

[YukiPhnx]

Getting In

Andrew's sister and her family got to the gate at around 9:50am but a line of about 20 people were already behind me, so they decided to get in line instead of cutting in front of all those people.

The opening of the park was very unceremonious. I kept waiting for something to happen but nothing did. I once read that they did a show at the castle but I guess they don't anymore? So after I got my bag checked and went through the turnstiles, I took more pictures while I waited for his sister's family.

It was so wonderful to walk under the train station and see Mainstreet USA again. Sure, it's not the same as the one at The World, but it still gives me the same feeling of excitement. I took a LOT of pictures of this area. There's just so much to look at!

As soon as the kids got through, we headed to the firestation on the left of the entrance and rented some strollers for the kids. Even though the oldest was 5 and had no trouble walking, I knew a stroller would be a good idea for them. Unlike WDW, HKDL has no double strollers. So if you need 2, you just rent 2 singles. All the strollers have a sign at the back where you can write your child's name. I thought this was a great idea for identifying them!

While they were renting the strollers, I went up to the Town Hall next door to see if I could get any buttons. I loved having them in WDW and hadn't really read anything about them in HKDL. I also read about the Star Guest program but unfortunately, they only do that for a limited time.

Turns out, HKDL only has ONE button. A birthday button. For your actual birthday. The button says, "My birthday is today!" and they actually verify this with ID. This was kind of disappointing. I wish they'd add more buttons like at the other parks.

Andrew's sister's family decided to join us less than a week before our visit, so I had little time to prepare for going to the park with little ones. One thing I DID know was I had to hit Fantasyland and Toy Story Land first, so that's where we headed! As we were walking down Mainstreet, I saw a lot of people going into the stores and restaurants. I couldn't help but think, "You fools! (in a Gilbert Gottfried voice)". There will be plenty of time for that AFTER all the rides!

Ok, so one of the things I did that I wouldn't have done is head to Fantasyland first. If it were just me and Andrew, we would've high tailed it over to TSL first and them to TL for Space Mountain. Another thing is...I wouldn't have stopped to rent strollers? That part is pretty obvious but I'm glad I had the chance to find out more about buttons.

Some things I noticed. Andrew and I were the only ones with ears. Their selection of ears was pretty dismal. It was VERY COLD that day and we're from Toronto. We were very ill-equipped. Please keep in mind that the temperatures on Hong Kong Island and Lantau Island may differ because Lantau is a smaller island. The mountains around HKDL totally dwarf the castle and gives this park a totally different feeling.

Stroller rentals are here, to the right of the entrance.

That's my sister-in-law! And behind her is the Plaza Inn.

THE CASTLE!! It's definitely teeny compared to Cindy's castle.

Towards Mainstreet from the hub.

Through the castle we go, into Fantasyland!

Next up: Getting Shrunk

 

[zanzibar138]

Glad to hear that Andrew's sister is not a line cutter I did generally find there to be more pushing and shoving in HK than the US, will be interested to see how you found it.

I think when we were there last there was some sort of show or something for the rope drop at the hub, in front of the castle. We were too far back to see though.

I love that Main Street USA is such a familiar place even in Asia. Will be interesting to see what happens in Shanghai as they're supposed to be getting something a bit different. I suppose if you're going to move to China you'll be spending a bit of time there

I love that you can write your kid's names on the strollers. That's a great idea!

I was fortunate enough last year to be there when the star guest program was on. It wasn't really anything that special, but I did get to wear the button I was disappointed that they didn't have honeymoon buttons!

My plan is to hit Grizzly Gulch first and make my way clockwise around the park from there. I'll be skipping most of Fantasyland though unless I find I have heaps of time to spare. It will definitely be my last point of call though.

I also noticed the lack of ears when I was there, and definitely felt like I stood out wearing mine and also being pale and blonde!

 

[YukiPhnx]

Glad to hear that Andrew's sister is not a cutter I did generally find there to be more pushing and shoving in HK than the US, will be interested to see how you found it.

I think when we were there last there was some sort of show or something for the rope drop at the hub, in front of the castle. We were too far back to see though.

I love that Main Street USA is such a familiar place even in Asia. Will be interesting to see what happens in Shanghai as they're supposed to be getting something a bit different. I suppose if you're going to move to China you'll be spending a bit of time there

I love that you can write your kid's names on the strollers. That's a great idea!

I was fortunate enough last year to be there when the star guest program was on. It wasn't really anything that special, but I did get to wear the button I was disappointed that they didn't have honeymoon buttons!

My plan is to hit Grizzly Gulch first and make my way clockwise around the park from there. I'll be skipping most of Fantasyland though unless I find I have heaps of time to spare. It will definitely be my last point of call though.

I also noticed the lack of ears when I was there, and definitely felt like I stood out wearing mine and also being pale and blonde!

The pushing and shoving in Hong Kong and China in general I'm used to. I don't think I experienced as much of that during my visit because the park was so quiet. I imagine it gets worse when it gets busy.

If there was a show at the Hub, they were sure quiet about it. I didn't hear or see anything going on.

I won't be in Shanghai when it opens But we may extend our China stay just a bit....We're only going back so Andrew can get his mba which takes 2 yrs.


Yeah, I thought the signs were great too! I'll post some of the pictures I have of the strollers.

Yeah, I was hoping to get some buttons! It's too bad they don't even have generic buttons. I wonder why. What's wrong with creating a little more magic for your guests? The overall sense I got from CMs were, "I'm here to work and nothing else". I'll get more into HKDL CMs later.

Your clockwise plan sounds good.

Surprisingly, there were a couple of girls dressed Minnie-like, besides me. HKDL doesn't even sell the Minnie ears I have! They have very child-like ones but I guess that's what Chinese people like?

Haha, yes I'm sure you stood out by being Caucasian. We also saw a lot of Japanese people. Andrew's sister asked me why they would come here if they already have a park in Tokyo haha. I told her it might be because only HKDL has Toy Story Land and Grizzly Gulch. I WANTED to say, "It's Disney! Why not?"

 

[BillyBuff]

lol I think the pushing it normal in Asia! My wife told me most people from China usually walk in line until they run into something then they stop. So we put it to the test..

This elderly woman was like stuck to me. Her chest was planted on my arm and back! So my wife said let's bump her a bit and take a few steps forward...and again glued to me! Yuck! So my wife got in between us and now she's glued to my wife!

So we took a pic with her behind us lol

 

[PrincessInOz]

Is that "My birthday is today" button new?
WOW! It must have been really cold if you were cold at the park.




And Billy Buff - that's a very nice attachment that you and your wife have. How long did the glue last?

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Hi Yuki!

I am enjoying your trip report very much and will be visiting HKDL next year myself. I am looking forward to reading more and maybe picking up some tips on the way!!!

I can't wait to see and ride the train! I am also a very keen photographer, so I will be one of those people stopping all the time to take pics!

So sad about the buttons. As we will be visiting 4 castles on our trip, I was hoping to get a "my first visit" button from HKDL, Tokyo DL and also WDW as we have never been to these parksbefore. I have some from Disneyland and was hoping to add to the collection!

Looking forward to more

 

[BillyBuff]

Is that "My birthday is today" button new?
WOW! It must have been really cold if you were cold at the park.

And Billy Buff - that's a very nice attachment that you and your wife have. How long did the glue last?

Our glue lasted when we made the cutoff point for the ride lol

 

[YukiPhnx]

lol I think the pushing it normal in Asia! My wife told me most people from China usually walk in line until they run into something then they stop. So we put it to the test..

This elderly woman was like stuck to me. Her chest was planted on my arm and back! So my wife said let's bump her a bit and take a few steps forward...and again glued to me! Yuck! So my wife got in between us and now she's glued to my wife!

So we took a pic with her behind us lol

HAHAH, that's hilarious!! I totally know what you're talking about.

Is that "My birthday is today" button new?
WOW! It must have been really cold if you were cold at the park.

I assume that button is new because I've never heard of it before.

Yeah, it was super chilly in the parks. We all had those packets of hand warmers in our pockets. I regret not wearing mittens.

Hi Yuki!

I am enjoying your trip report very much and will be visiting HKDL next year myself. I am looking forward to reading more and maybe picking up some tips on the way!!!

I can't wait to see and ride the train! I am also a very keen photographer, so I will be one of those people stopping all the time to take pics!

So sad about the buttons. As we will be visiting 4 castles on our trip, I was hoping to get a "my first visit" button from HKDL, Tokyo DL and also WDW as we have never been to these parksbefore. I have some from Disneyland and was hoping to add to the collection!

Looking forward to more

Hey Sue, great to see you here!

Yeah, I was really disappointed in buttons. When I was asking them about it, it didn't seem like they ever had any buttons to give because they were very confused.

Wow, 4 castles in 1 trip! That sounds amazing

 

[YukiPhnx]

Getting Shrunk

Sorry y'all for the lack of pictures. I haven't had time to get on my PC to upload the pics, and now there's something wrong with my 1st post that I need to change....On with the show!

I knew we had to pass through Fantasyland to get to Toy Story Land so I was initially going to get an FP for Winnie the Pooh but saw how EMPTY the line was, so we walked right on for our first ride in HKDL! Believe it or not, this was my first ride on Pooh. I love the bouncing Tigger part but got a little creeped out by the heffalumps. They remind me of the drunken elephant scene in Dumbo I don't really like.

After we got off, we made our way to Toy Story Land excitedly. I couldn't wait to become Toy sized! I LOVED TSL. It's definitely a bit small and looks like it won't be able to handle large crowds well, but the theming was just awesome. As you first enter it, there's a giant Woody that talks to you! My favourite phrase is, "Oh, when you see Rex, act real scared! He'll appreciate that." I took a lot of pictures of this area to give everyone a good idea for its feel.

Our first ride was on Slinky Dog Spin. It's your typical carnival ride. They ask adults to sit on the outside because as the ride spins, whoever is on the inside of the ride will slide towards the outside. I was sitting with my neice-in-law and she was gripping onto the handle bar for dear life, trying not to slide too much. I normally wouldn't have gone on this ride, but it was so cute to go on with little kids!

Next ride was RC Racers. This is the adult ride in the land. Since there was no line, Andrew and I went on first while his sister and brother-in-law stayed with the kids. This ride is pretty intense! I was not expecting it to be so thrilling. Its fast and gives you that dropping feeling. Be careful about whats in your pocket. I had a hair tie that I didnt know of, tucked in my jacket pocket and it fell out! Went we got out, we looked after the kids while his sister and BIL went on. She had tears in her eyes when she came out, haha.

Last was Toy Soldier Parachute Drop. Again, we walked right on. Unlike Soarin', there is no space under your seat for your belongings. There are stacked boxes on the ground for you to keep your things in while you're on the ride. This ride allows very small children. The 2 year old and our group was allowed to ride it. The ride may seem tame because it doesnt lift you very high or drop you very fast, but its pretty fast for children that dont like that dropping feeling in their stomache. The 5 year old and 2 year old did pretty well on it, but the 3 year old was screaming and crying. If there was any line for this ride, I probably wouldnt ride it.

This land has a little snack stand but it wasnt open when we were there. They're also working on a kids area which I hope will bring more to this land. On our way out, Woody had just come out for pictures in the barrel! So we quickly got in line for him. When it comes to taking pictures with characters for me, I only ever get in line if there was 20 or less people in line. Which is pretty rare in WDW! But in HKDL, it wasnt a problem at all.

It was so great to see the kids react to Woody. The 2 year old was SO HAPPY to see him and even gave him a kiss! It was the cutest thing to see. He rarely smiles but he couldnt stop smiling that day. I noticed that there werent that many autograph books out. Maybe its just not that popular in the Asian parks? I didnt see many of them in the gift shop.

Can't wait for Mystic Point!

Love these signs

Talking giant Woody!

The play area that's under construction.

Slinky Dog!

This is right across from Slinky Dog Spin

Each group was given this bone to let the CMs know who was riding with whom.

Andrew went with one neice

And I sat with another while his sister was behind me with the littlest one.

Pictures continued in next post.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Sounds like you had a great time. Thanks for sharing.

 

[YukiPhnx]

Getting Shrunk-more pictures

Oh, and Duffy was with me too.

Love the theming of this queue!

I snapped a picture right before the CM asked me to put it away.

Here we are, waiting for the older adults to ride. This is an eating area right behind a snack stand.

The kids were very good and patient!

If you're seated in a parachute facing Fantasyland, you get a great view of the castle.

I love these drawings!

In line for Woody, before Andrew took the camera

He took 4 shots of this...

That's me with McDuff!

Coming up: Getting Adventurous

 

[PrincessInOz]

Love the pictures and nice to "see" you.

 

[abbadackerygirl]

I just loved, loved, LOVED this! We are leaving in about two days, AAAA!!!!

Going to go to all three Asian parks, but our first stop is in Hong Kong. I am a little concerned about personal space, but I don't think I will have quite the same problems with it as you because I will be riding in an electric mobility scooter, due to a pregnancy complication that doesn't allow me to walk for long periods. (Previa.)

Anyway, I am just super stoked, and everything I can learn about these parks I gobble up.

Thanks for posting!