TR(tdl/sdl/hkdl)-> This Is Where Your Dream Begins; A New World in Every Chapter. COMPLETED 12/8!!!

[katt789]

Well, this was it guys, this IS IT!



IT WAS OUR LAST FIRST DAY IN A NEW DISNEY PARK!!



AND even more crazy, was the fact that this was KARA’S ABSOLUTE LAST DISNEY PARK on the board to cross off! So to say that today was going to be insanely magical would be 100% TRUTH!



15288439_10153954828382624_8124716231927155501_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr



IT IS TIME!!!



15181405_10153954828032624_3928469551986549914_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr



15289207_10157923268940360_1192217060895022028_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

14925229_10157934056320647_9037451924177435251_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

15073398_10157934056420647_8896863933922049346_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr



Kara & I were bummed that somehow I ended up with the Kylo ticket, and she got R2, lol #backwards, but hey, we’d make it work!



As we headed down the open Main Street, we had some time to kill, and new we needed breakfast!

IMG_4745 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4746 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



YUM! The Darth Vader was mine, and was red bean? I feel like that could be right but honestly who knows lol. They’re both waffles, and they’re both delicious! Post breakfast it was CLEARLY time for CASTLE PICS!!



14980739_10157813511870360_1886470528666285278_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4749 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

15073559_10157934055965647_5934852025739291216_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4754 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

15253480_10153954828482624_6891359153093601132_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4756 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4760 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



And Kara & I took our last heart photo of the trip!

IMG_4767 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4773 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4774 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



We all seriously LOVED the look of the castle with the MOUNTAIN background, like, it was absolutely gorgeous!!

IMG_4775 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4778 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



As we were mid photoshoot/finishing up, who should walk by, but ANNA & ELSA?!?!?! WHAT EVEN IS THIS PLACE?! They disappeared around the corner, where they literally had NO line, like, actually. We waited less than 5 minutes for them!



15252553_10157923269020360_322956275358153129_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

15304622_10157923269035360_1487617918140819215_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr



They were super lovely, obviously. We had a nice chat with them, and continued through the castle archways to see what Fantasyland contained!

 

[katt789]

The three of us photoshoot at the opposite end of the castle for a bit.

IMG_4781 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



And the sisters made a SECOND appearance through Fantasyland as they made their way off set!

IMG_4783 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4784 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

We were all just so shocked by this as it just something that could NOT happen in the Statesides parks lol!



IMG_4788 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



Okay, I’m not gonna lie, it’s been a YEAR since we GOT HOME from this trip, and I didn’t take notes (though even if I did, they were lost in the numerous computer/ipad/phone DEATHS that I’ve had to deal with over the past year). I also know that a lot of these things were already probably out of order, I’ve gone through the pics to try and remember, BUT, the rest of these 2 days is probably going to be pretty picture heavy and kinda more a rundown of what happened with teensy details.



So, we had a priority of Mystic Point & Grizzly River Gulch…Run? Lol! we could never remember the proper name of it! They’re both 100% unique attraction, and completely new to us, and main attractions of the parks, so like, we figured they’d be crazy busy, and, FUN FACT THAT AREA OF THE PARK DOESN’T EVEN OPEN TIL 11:00 AM!! (Pretty sure the park opened at 10am? So, if you were staying offsite, it’d be okay, it opens late enough it gives you enough time to get there)



I know we rode Jungle Cruise and wandered while we waited for a the lands to open so we could see some amazing new attractions!



IMG_4791 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

15304630_10157923268990360_3884613380323494530_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4795 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4798 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



SO EXCITED!!

IMG_4804 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



Mystic Manor is their version of Haunted Mansion since they’re not big into ghosts and such over in Asia, so the plot line is more that the owner of the estate has collected all these amazing artifacts, and his monkey, Albert, who starts messing around and the artifacts all come to LIFE! The ride is all TRACKLESS too, like Hunny Hunt, and JUST LIKE THAT RIDE, IT WAS FREAKING UNBELIEVABLY AMAZING!!! LIKE HOLY POOP I SERIOUSLY CANNOT BELIVE IT!!



Naturally, we saw the Albert Tsum Tsums in the shop and promptly bought some!

15037231_10157934056595647_1566455513047677160_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr



Next, we had to continue over to the Grizzly Gulch! It’s a coaster, and that’s really all we knew about it, lol! There were bears involved, we knew that! I think it’s something like they get in the way of the miners? ANYWAYS,



SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!***************







SPOILERS FOR THE RIDE!!





So, it’s very similar to Big Thunder in concept, it’s a nice WILD ride through the mountain type scenery, there’s some bears messing around with dynamite, and it SHOOTS you forward, and then we climbed to the top of a hill, Kara was blogging, we’re all joking around about how scared we are, AND THEN THE RIDE STOPS, AND SHOOTS US BACKWARDS FASTER THAN WE COULD IMAGINE AND WE ALL SHRIEEEEKKKED LIKE DAMN! DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! Then we came back up to a cave, watch a bear for a hOT SECOND, and WERE SHOT FORWARD AGAIN LIKE OMG!! The ride was SO fun, SO unexpected and we absolutely LOOOOVED it!! Damn! GUYS SERIOUSLY! I wish we had this coming to Florida instead of Tron, bahahha!!!









SPOILERS OVER!!!!!********************



If you skipped that bit, the ride was amazing, so amazing, we loved it so much, I wish we could ride it again right now! When we got off the ride was saw Chip & Dale doing the hokey pokey and a little sing a long, which, duh, we had to stop for!

IMG_4811 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4813 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4816 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4817 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4824 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



The Munks ended up doing a meet and greet post show, so DUH, we had to pay them a quick visit, because they ARE OUR BOYS!

15230601_10157923269345360_7431862714317545374_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

14937265_10157813511035360_4419382710837730445_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr



The meet was AMAZING, they were super interactive, super hilarious and just so fun!! Dale knew he was my boy, and Chip literally went straight to Kara, it was just hilariously awesome!!



We said goodbye to our boys and headed into our next land of enchantment!



IMG_4828 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4829 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

TOY STORY!!!

I kinda low-key LOVE Toy Story. Not entirely sure why though, the movies aren’t my favourite, but they’re pretty awesome, and I loved Toy Story Land!

IMG_4831 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4834 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

15267976_10157923269890360_8572436432936620416_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr



ALSO super cute they had BENCHES MADE OF POPSICLE STICKS!

15304432_10157923269945360_5122834923133663970_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr



ALSO, LAWL! We joked about a Zootopia reference, with the popsicle sticks being red….wood…aka. Redwood. It was hilarious at the time, but like, we were probably very under slept! LOL.



We also found the Toy Story Tokyo shirts in the gift shop! Unluckily we didn’t find any of the other patterns!

 

[katt789]

The three of us continued around the circle of the park, and ended up over in Fantasyland, where there was an amazing walk through dedicated to all the princesses!

IMG_4836 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4837 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

15271833_10157923271200360_4385574856080129176_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4839 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

Tangled was amazing, well, all of it was, like, seriously just LOOK AT ALL THE DETAILS!

IMG_4842 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

And it was awesome to explore the opportunities as a photographer!

IMG_4844 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

All the little shadowboxes had cranks to turn that would animate the scene, or something around them, and play some music, it was SUPER CUTE!

IMG_4848 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



Snow White was next!

IMG_4850 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



Followed by Beauty and the Beast!

IMG_4854 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



Cinderella!

IMG_4859 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4861 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



In some cases there weren’t shadowboxes but the cranks would like, open the side of the castle to show the princesses & princes dancing!



MERMAID!

IMG_4862 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4867 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

Naturally, I shrieked and proclaimed “I’M A MERMAID TAKE MY PICTURE”

15304427_10157923306190360_8797957012555463133_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr



Thank god for Kara…..bahaha!

IMG_4871 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

LOOOOK AT THAT DETAIL AND BEAUTY LIKE DAMN!

IMG_4873 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



When we finished our journey through the storybooks (Tinkerbell’s meet and greet was also in there, but she wasn’t meeting quite yet), we found an ice cream cart, and it’s ALWAYS time for a snack!

15055641_10157813511605360_6590292210299726076_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

15032213_10157813511650360_8546471144800771535_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

15056413_10157934056185647_6187331827155457013_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4876 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



I like Stitch a heck of a lot more than Lotso, BUT I really DONT like blue flavoured things lol,it worked out though because the Lotso one was DELICIOUS!!



But it was NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT WAS COMING NEXT!!



IMG_4875 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



KNJDEEFFRRKOP;EFWIJOFRJUFRBGHJTUR5ERIOERTHIUGYT78TNOJDFSHOPUIERTLN’GAERHOUPFDSANJKLVDSH89



I cannot explain….

 

[katt789]

IMG_4878 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



MICKEY AND THE WONDROUS BOOK



I PHYSICALLY CANNOT





I STILL CANNOT AND ITS BEEN A FREAKING YEAR



AND EVEN MORE SINCE I’D WATCHED IT ON YOUTUBE



SERIOUSLY



It’s clear that it was so crazy since I didn’t actually take a single picture of it, I needed to enjoy it, and Kara certainly wasn’t taking pics! So! This show, if you’ve seen Mickey and the Magical Map, it’s a similar idea, I ASSUME similar to Mickey and the Magician(?)in DLP. SO, There’s a cast of BEAUTIFUL dancers, singers and SONG, (which has now moved to WDW’s Fireworks show). Then we see Mickey & Goofy, attempting to get Olaf back to his story, so they go through a various amount of stories of Disney characters to find his home along live singers, dancers, acrobats and contortionists.



AND IT IS AMAZING!!



I’ll go through some more details/reactions of the girls in the next day when I have pics to go along cause #spoilers!!



Post show, we were in awe, probably tears in our eyes, but it was time for LUNCH! Right across from us was CLOPINS



YES



CLOPINS!

Like, from the HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, LIKE,, WHAAAAT?!?!?!

15073424_10157934056545647_5424505799230673750_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr



It’s a QS place, they offer a variety of WOK dishes and more, I’m pretty sure I was eating majority vegetarian still, so I’m assuming I had a veggie WOK meal. We had a nice chill meal, and weren’t even done when we started to double check what time we should start to get ready for the parade when we REALIZED THAT THE PARADE WAS STARTING WAY SOONER THAN WE’D THOUGHT, LIKE IN 10 MINS! WHAT?! OOOPS!



Luckily, we were able to grab a rope side spot before the parade even hit the hub, and had some time to chill!

IMG_4886 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

I knew the parade was basically the same music as Soundsational, but I hadn’t watched any videos in a very long time, so I was excited to see what it had in store!



IMG_4899 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4903 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



We also laughed that it was called Flights of Fantasy, cause the abbreviation is FoF, the same as Florida, but like, not the same, lol.

IMG_4915 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4919 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

I was intrigued to see performers that were not from Hong Kong in the parade, like, damn, how do i get a job there!? Lol

IMG_4935 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

THE CUTEST TIGGER OUTFITS!

IMG_4939 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

The Winnie the Pooh Unit had the most amazing bumble bee “dancers” which was Kara’s favourite part!

15250700_10157923307935360_475259984204948507_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4949 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

The parade does stop for a bit, do a little dance party with the kids, and then continue to move on!

IMG_4954 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



MY GUUUURL!

IMG_4977 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4978 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

15338840_10157923308300360_4806945847456673896_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

IMG_4999 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_5002 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr



IMG_5024 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_5030 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_5036 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

The parade was super cute, we all really enjoyed it, I liked that it had such similar feels to a stateside parade, but also had so many different elements, so many cool floats (the stitch float had a moving surfboard, pics later)

we all really liked it!!

 

[missangelalexis]

Your hotel looked awesome! And the Disneyland Hotel is super swanky!

Beautiful castle photos!

Mystic Manor and Grizzly Gulch both sound awesome!

Chip & Dale's outfits are adorable!

Wow, that Princess walk through is amazing! Need to get to HKDL... haha

The parade looks cute!!

 

[katt789]

Earlier in the day, I'd obviously been posting to Instagram, and had received a message from a mutual who was a HK Local, was in the park and was pretty sure he'd seen us earlier! We'd chatted a little bit and he said that with his AP he got special seating at Folk, and invited us to join! So sweet! I'm 99% sure we went straight there after parade, probably took a bathroom or snack break, who really knows lol!

The special AP seating was a super awesome thing, they had it for a few shows around the parks, around with other awesome incentives, but naturally these types of incentives would NEVER work stateside lol!! We chatted for a little bit and he was super nice and friendly, and we talked about our experience with all the parks so far and the differences mainly between WDW and HKDL since he'd never been. We also talked about FOLK at Dak, and how he had heard that it wasn't as good because it didn't really have a story, it was just a party kinda feel. Which, to be fair, is 100% true, but still, FOLK is my BABY, and I will defend it till the day I die lol!

Thanks to Nevil, we had front row seats, and were excited to see what the show had in store for us!
IMG_5060 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
15369191_10157923309190360_6759211801864028165_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5061 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
The concept's pretty similar, it starts with a Rafiki character doing circle of life, dancers start coming out, then the floats all start coming out, but they move more freely than the ones at DAK, like a trackless ride, they're able to move around more and it's super smooth.

Rafiki also has 2 little monkey friends that translate things into Cantonese as the singers in this show are not locals.IMG_5075 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5100 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

They have actors portraying Simba, Nala & Scar, more like the broadway version! Samba pops up out of the basket that's onstage too, which is super cool, Asia REALLY utilizes trap doors & lifts like the other parks DO NOT. The dancers also do a lot more technical stuff here than in the WDW version!
IMG_5111 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

You can kinda see in that last picture THAT THE LITERAL FLOOR MOVES UP, LIKE IT MOVES UP AND DOWN ON ITS OWN AND FREAKING SPINS TOO!! IT CREATES MULTIPLE LEVELS AND I AM SCREAMING.
IMG_5112 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5130 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
They even have literal hyena costumes for the dancers during Be Prepared. And they tell the whole story of the elephant graveyard and all that kinda stuff, it is much more a mix of an actual story!
IMG_5150 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5194 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
15289311_10157923310060360_5624796780748319046_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
The fire part was during the finale/fight scene instead of during Be Prepared too.

Simba & Nala sing Can You Feel the Love Tonight, and I COULD SEE the wire coming down from the ceiling, I KNEW there was a bird dance part coming up (anyone who knows me KNOWs that's my favourite part/dream job/goals in WDW's) BUT I DID NOT EXPECT THE BIRD TO COME FLYING OUT FROM THE DAMN FLOOR LIKE WHAT THE HECK OMG I PHYSICALLY CANNOT!!! I definitely slapped Kara WAY harder than I meant to....and was clearly too busy freaking out to take pics, but there's more tomorrow!

They go on to actually include the fight with Scar & Simba, and have a really cool fight/dance choreography with the hyena's and the dancers!
IMG_5205 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
(this is where the fire guys are, and they use Be Prepared as the background music/Scar sings a little bit)

Samba obviously wins, tells Scar to run away and never return, and they cast breaks into the song that plays when SImba's running back home to Pride Rock in the movie
IMG_5205 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
They conclude everything and finish off with Circle of Life again for their bows
IMG_5235 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

AND THEN THINGS GO FREAKING CRAZY AS THEY ALL JOIN HANDS IN VARIOUS CIRCLES AND THE STAGE STARTS LITERALLY SPINNING AGAIN WHILE RAISING ITS DIFFERENT LEVELS OUT AND i AM TOTALLY NOT CRYING, YOURE CRYING.
IMG_5249 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5262 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

They get the same megamix/finale that WDW's does moving from Hakuna Matata, to Can You Feel, to Be Prepared, Just Can't Wait & Circle of Life.
IMG_5268 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

Major difference: the floats all move out from their places in the corner to centre stage, all back to back, and then move around in a circle for the finale
IMG_5280 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5292 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5295 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

So...thoughts?!?!

WE LOVED IT!! Seriously, I absolutely loved it, now WDW's version is still my preferred version, but it was super nice to see a similar show, with a similar concept with a completely different perspective behind it, like, it blew my mind! The way the stage moved around, both turning and how many times people/things came up/went down through trap doors was just insane! The talent in this show was crazy, the dancers were so expressive, energetic, and their technique was ON POINT. Definitely in top 5 shows across all the parks!!

 

[missjackiemcg]

This version definitely reminds me of the Broadway version of The Lion King. I really enjoy FoTLK in AK, too, but the Broadway show is amazing. This looks incredible!

 

[katt789]

Now, things get a little out of whack here, for example, I'm sure we ate dinner or another snack, but honestly couldn't tell you when!

We said our huge thank you's to Nevil, and made our separate ways, he'd also specified where Duffy & Friends (at the time it could be any mix of Duffy, Shellie May & Gelatoni) was, so we figured we'd head over there next! On the way, we ended up walking past Matt & Jessie again, and with them, I noticed a VERY familiar face from when I'd spent so much time in the bayou over in Florida, and since it'd been YEARS since we'd seen each other, and I don't think she knew we were even in Hong Kong, there may have been some excitement over it!
14991893_10157934056715647_5714580974466140339_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

We caught up for a bit, chatted about my time in Florida, and what kind of crazy adventures we'd been on in Asia so far, introduced her to the girls, she recognized Kara too, so awesome!! She'd been working earlier that day but we'd somehow missed the show times she was in, which kinda sucked, but we still had another day to try! Jessie was decked out in Duffy & friends gear, and we commented on how cute she looked, she mentioned that it was Shellie and Gelatine out when they'd been past, so we quickly said our goodbye's and spend on over there, hoping that we'd luck out too!

14963276_10157813511465360_2008818849316675529_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
14962550_10157813511260360_3254613925519160652_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

Y'ALL!!! HAVE YOU EVER SEEN SOMETHING SO STINKING CUTE?!?! They were seriously adorable, like, they opened the door and Gelatoni just POPPED right up with his adorable face and we just lost it like teen girls would. SERIOUSLY.

Post meet & greet we spent a good chunk of time exploring the shops, stocking up on Tsum Tsums & exploring the fun march they had!
15220171_10153954828717624_7598317136264139195_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
15073538_10157934056985647_2696305433414079399_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
14962705_10157813511550360_4234877585964214276_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
15259199_10157923270390360_6210118736046035356_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

I was HEARTBROKEN when I found a GORGEOUS piece of art in one of the stores that WASN'T FOR SALE
14993295_10157934057445647_8271042757091872250_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
Like, whatever, it's fine, I don't love Aurora or anything. I know I could easily get one of the sketches from Main St in MK, but there was something about actually FINDING one, especially of her as Briar Rose, like, damn. While we were inside, it quickly turned to night, and we popped back out on Main Street to grab spots for the parade, but not without saying hi to our trusty Indian friend first!

14963168_10157934057275647_3007172637812586095_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
(the Indian on Main St in Florida marks the spot where the Trolley Show makes its second stop, so we spend a lot of time hanging out...)
15288662_10157923301350360_3563893098462906085_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
15304180_10157923274200360_6125752965793132867_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5302 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5305 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
Look at that TINY castle, seriously, you could barely see it half the time, lol....not for much longer!!

IMG_5310 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5311 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
I was also SUPER happy that through this trip we saw Halloween all over Japan, and Christmas here in HKDL, though I was also SUPER happy it was just decorations so far! They swap out some of their daytime/regular entertainment for Holiday stuff and I would've been bummed to miss it!
15304276_10157923296630360_5779718812614498309_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
We laughed at how Olaf was being such a creeper over the top of the balloons lol!!

 

[katt789]

ARE YOU READY?!?!?!

Because we were PSYCHED!!! It was time for Paint the Night!!! As much as I love MSEP, and as amazing as Dreamlights was, Paint the Night is my all time favourite (permanent) Nighttime Parade (Boo To You wins if we include seasonal....) It's just SO amazing! The technology, the lights, the performers are always so energetic and adorable and perfect and it's JUST AWESOME! I knew there were some differences between the DLR & HKDL one's, but wasn't too concerned, and honestly the biggest change we noticed was the difference in the energy in the crowds, like, the guests in California are usually screaming & hooting & woooo-ing, but that's more of a cultural thing, I think?

IMG_5343 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5353 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5359 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

There were some neat costumes we hadn't seen before!
IMG_5375 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5400 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5417 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_5421 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5434 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

The parade was obviously amazing as always, and when it finished, we moved into the street for the fireworks! When we'd been hanging with Steve, he'd mentioned that it was set to the Aladdin soundtrack, or at least, the main bits, but with a children's choir singing, so we knew we were in for a heartfelt night! Lol!

IMG_5508 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5545 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

It was a super awesome show and we all enjoyed it tons! Super cute, heartfelt, had awesome moments, and lots of fireworks, since obviously they can't do much projection wise...I suspect that will change when the castle is done it's refurb!

We stuck around for a few more photos at night with less people in them!
IMG_5589 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
15304246_10157923301345360_4690541863357599875_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5604 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5613 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5621 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5623 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

We made our way back to the hotel, where we chose to eat in the lounge since it was basically the same price as the QS and the options were better, and we had our lovely server again!
15036475_10157934053235647_921808156774764136_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

And then we called it a night! It was awesome to have gotten SO much done in the park in the first day, we'd basically done everything (I know we went on space & star tours and such, it might not've been 'til the second day, but I KNOW we literally did everything in the park) and it gave us a good chance to do things twice, especially the shows!! TOTALLY WORTH IT!

In our opinions, 2 days is definitely enough, we rode the main e-ticket rides midday and they were basically walk ons. This obviously is affected by time of year, and I would NEVER say no to doing a 3rd day in the park, more time to chill, check out the little details....spend all day going back & forth between MWB & FOLK....#noshame.

Stay tuned for OUR LAST DAY!

 

[katt789]

GOOOOD MORNING!!!!

IT was officially our LAST DAY in the parks/doing anything fun! Literally, tomorrow was a travel day (technically...) The three of us all had kick-butt Disneybounds for today too! Abby had bought a Rapunzel dress at Secret Honey while we'd been there earlier in the week, I'd ordered an Aurora dress from Angel Secret (they also do AWESOME cosplay dresses for great prices, Steven gets most of his company dresses from there) and Kara had her super cute Belle Disneybound to wear! Naturally, because of this, and knowing that Mystic Point & such didn't open till later, our priority today was PHOTOS!

IMG_5625 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5629 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
The christmas tree had some AWESOME and cute details/ornaments on it!
IMG_5631 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
15252466_10157923307470360_4466320667807892994_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5634 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
I REALLY am going to miss the view of the mountains behind the teeny castle! I'm hoping it makes the new big castle look even more majestic!
15267511_10153954829907624_2205194939487529251_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
Behind the castle I made Kara take pictures of me in my dress, I guess Aurora gets the castle, so she doesn't get a section in the walkthrough...#whatever
IMG_5636 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5638 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
Twirling didn't really work out lol.
IMG_5643 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
14991965_10157939602825647_2325260568852160531_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
And one on the phone cause naturally I needed to post to social media...bahaha

We then reached Abby's kingdom in the walkthrough!
IMG_5648 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
15253577_10157923302280360_4222410515423881207_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
15252573_10157923302885360_2896877861708173412_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
15285073_10157923302540360_2944175625974684275_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
15241880_10157923303160360_3116036785442799530_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
15319110_10157923302475360_131702888124584901_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
15284857_10157923302855360_7590884235628380635_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

And then Kara's!
IMG_5657 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
15350515_10157923303205360_5181786108199305798_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5659 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

And we continued on through!
IMG_5660 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5661 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

The three of us had collectively decided that Mickey and the Wondrous Book needed at LEAST 2 viewings today, so we wanted to hit up the FIRST showing of that, so we started our way over there next!

 

[katt789]

Find Your Happily Ever After!!

That's the link to the show, if you'd like to watch, or even just listen along! Be warned though there's LOTS of talking and it's all in Cantonese. The theatre was awesome and had English Subtitles up on these little screens...like...they're all black & lights would make the words so it wasn't distracting. It was nice to have the first time so we kinda understood what was going on, as compared to some other shows where we HAD NO IDEA.

IMG_5667 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
The two singers come out first and are singing in English (all the songs are)
IMG_5672 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
Then our Main Man Mickey comes out along with Goofy, and IT IS HILARIOUS THE WAY GOOFY SAYS MICKEY'S NAME IN HIS ACCENT! Like, take a listen, and you will CACKLE. It's like MOIIIKEY. It's to hard to type. Just listen. THEN, our little snowman friend pops out!
IMG_5678 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

To give you a run down, Olaf appears, and Mickey & Goofy obviously want to help their new friend find his way back to his story, so they go through the pages of the book (there's a giant book on the stage, it forms the back of the set with projections and stuff, similar to Magical Map at DLR, the pics from the next show I used a different lens so it'll make more sense!)

Our first stop?
IMG_5682 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5699 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5704 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

I really enjoyed the costumes for this piece, and the choreo was all "Bollywood" style, which I did a unit on in high school (and end of year dance, so that's neat) I enjoy it!
BUT THE REAL COOL PART IS THE CONTORTIONIST! She literally blends in with the chair until her solo hits, so it's a surprise! I'm 90% sure even the first time we saw the show Kara didn't even notice her cause there was a lot more going on. Kara was a dancer growing up too, and specialized/loved Acro, I knew it was coming, so I looked over to her and naturally she freaked and proclaimed "I WANNA BE HER!" Lawl.

IMG_5715 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
15337389_10157923303540360_677467309197019900_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr


IMG_5735 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
Olaf comes back to be all "nope, that's not where I'm from, but like, totally enjoying what I assume is summer, but who knows? And they continue onto one of my top 2 favourite parts of the show!

IMG_5736 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5746 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5749 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

We also lucked out today with the most PERFECT princesses, like, they were all amazing, their voices were so beautiful, they blended together perfectly, it was just PERFECTION.

I mean, we start with a mermaid, which, in case it wasn't clear, I LOVE HER, and the music from Little Mermaid is just perfection. Then we blend into Abby's favourite:

IMG_5755 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5763 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

And they do a beautiful mash up of their songs

IMG_5767 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

AND THEN JUST WHEN YOU THINK THINGS COULDN'T GET ANY FREAKING BETTER OR MORE INTENSE, BECAUSE THE MUSIC OF THE 2 GIRLS ONSTAGE IS BUILDING BEAUTIFULLY THE CLAN OF DUNBROCH'S MUSIC STARTS TO PUMP IN AND MERIDA SLIDES IN CASUALLY FROM THE SIDE AND I SERIOUSLY LOSE IT, LIKE THIS PART GIVES ME CHILLS AND MAKES ME WANT TO CRY OVERTIME (ps it's happening rn)

IMG_5783 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5784 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5790 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
As the kids say nowadays...I was SHOOK.

For the next bit, they do like a jazzy version of Friend Like Me, the singers from the beginning come back as Genie, and at the end Jasmine & Prince Ali pop out to say hi very briefly!
IMG_5806 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_5812 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5819 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

A picture from this show was actually the first time I'd seen pictures of Jasmine's new look, which I promptly went "IS THAT SERIOUSLY IT?!?" It still confuses me/blows my mine JUST HOW INSANELY different this one is, I understand keeping with the times, and when they updated all the merch/pictures of the girls, they updated the dresses. Some of them took some getting used to BUT JASMINES WAS STILL A TWO PIECE IN THE ARTWORK, WHY IS SHE NOW FORCED TO WEAR A TURTLE NECK?! I just don't get it.... Kara & I were super happy she was still in the OG costume in Tokyo (she's since now switched over). HOWEVER, in this show specifically she DOES look awesome under all the lights, it sparkles and moves beautifully, I'm just still salty that it's a turtle neck...

ANYWAYS, MOVING ON TO MY OTHER FAVOURITE PART OF THE SHOW!!.....

 

[katt789]

IMG_5822 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

It moves smoothly into this one, as a man playing the trumpet comes onstage, and kicks it off with some smooth jazz in a backlight stage. Now, again, I knew it was coming, we all knew it was Princess and the Frog, but, you could tell by the silhouette that Tiana WAS IN HER WAITRESS OUTFIT?!?! WHAT THE HECKIN' HECK?!?! Kara naturally FREAKED going "WHAT?!?! WHAT?!?! WAIT WHAT?!?!!" Like, we ONLY ever see her in the ballgown (minus now on the Wonder in her restaurant) despite the fact that she spends all of 0.2% of the movie in that gown....

IMG_5826 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_5831 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5832 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

LOOK! AT! HOW! CUTE! SHE! IS!

It kicks off with Almost There and moves into a more upbeat Dig a Little Deeper, where all the FLAPPER DANCERS come in and its just freaking incredible!
IMG_5844 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
15271759_10157923305865360_6674270910667806674_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5847 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5851 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5871 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

Now, i just need to RANT about Tiana today, in the BEST of ways, because GURL!!! She was ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL!! Like, please check out our HKDL Vlog because I left that audio in, she just BLEW me away, goosebumps, just insane!!

IMG_5872 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

Now, Mickey & Goofy get impatient, and skip through like, half the book until the find Olaf's home, Anna comes to life in the book, Olaf ends up back where he belongs, and naturally, we get a visit from the Queen of Arendelle!
IMG_5879 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5884 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5891 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5901 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
Elsa killed it today too! SO GOOD!

After let it go, the book goes through some other stories(aka a video clip of said characters) AND BOY OH BOY, they have one for Lion King, but it's literally the fur character of Rafiki, LIFTING UP A STUFFED SIMBA ON PRIDE ROCK, and it makes me laugh everytime!! They're signing the theme song at this point, there's dancers on stage and it all wraps up beautifully!
IMG_5916 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5928 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

I also just REALLY love the Happily Ever After song, I'm so happy they brought it to WDW and made it more epic over there! I know I've said it before, but MWB is HANDS DOWN, one of my top 5 favourite shows on property, there's something that separates it from Magical Map, Kara pointed out that it could be all the costume changes for the dancers, but I honestly like it better! Between iT & FOLK, there's no question as to why I want to dance in HKDL!!!

 

[katt789]

Alright, so from here on out, I don't have a lot of stories, just lots of pictures, so thank goodness Kara & I are okay-ish at photography....bahahaha!!!

Post show we met some characters, Rapunzel was super cute, though Abby was more excited about the dress Abby had on than Rapunzel was...#whoops
15259326_10157923274655360_6467267972840951496_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
15267528_10153954829752624_5048862859245195239_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

We popped back over to the Fantasyland Forest(?) to say hi to a special Tinker!
15272217_10157923275045360_6619532524443952901_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

Now, the next bit makes NO sense, so I'm putting it in here, we ran into our friend from the other day, as she was on her way INTO work, so I feel like it HAD to be prior to the parade, cause a start time after 3pm for a show at HKDL seems super late, but I honestly don't remember when we were in the Town Square area...
15073386_10157939603290647_5650562640328719015_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

She commented on how much she loved our dresses, and we double checked her show times and somehow they didn't match with our plans (on rethinking I'm pretty sure this means we'd already seen FOLK for our day 2 & wanted to watch Book again, otherwise we would've gone to one of her FOLK's instead....but #yolo) So, pretend this picture was after all this:

FESTIVAL OF THE LION KING ROUND 2!!

IMG_5943 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5947 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5962 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_5984 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_5999 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_6021 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_6032 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_6036 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_6043 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_6061 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_6062 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_6065 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

JUST LOOK AT THAT HAPPY FACE!!! LIKE!!! I WANT MY JOB TO MAKE ME THAT HAPPY ONE OF THESE DAYS!!

IMG_6074 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

UGH I CRY.
Naturally, the show was just as amazing the second time around. If I'd have my way, I would've watched both it and book twice today, but the scheduling just didn't allow for it!!

 

[katt789]

We headed to Main Street for the parade next, since we'd watched from Fantasyland area last time!
15325276_10157923307775360_6749023550067221226_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

IMG_6106 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_6113 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_6117 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_6123 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_6127 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_6136 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

OOOH! I don't think I mentioned it last time, but the parade comes out, and does a little stop & go thing. It stops for a little dance party with the kids, then keeps moving, and then I'm pretty sure stops again at one more point to do the same thing, it's cute!

IMG_6138 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_6141 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_6150 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_6159 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_6171 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_6177 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr
IMG_6178 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_6185 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

Such a cute parade!!!

The three of us then headed back over to Grizzly Gulch, where we literally walked right on the ride, which was SUPER surprising to us! If I remember correctly, it was a Saturday, and we'd been stressed about crowds, but there was LITERALLY NO REASON TO BE! It was dead....ish...lol...the lines for shows were worse, but no one was on rides!

14962617_10157939603170647_1325913329178582163_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
You can't really tell, but the mountain looks like a bear head...

We stopped for some dinner/snack here, and got some chicken nuggets at the little stand beside the ride.

14991948_10157939603025647_5412160044635992541_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr
If you're thinking they look weird, you are TOTALLY right, they also tasted weird....

Then it was back to Mystic Manor! AMAZING ride, duh, as always, as always will be, the technology just will forever blow my mind, SO COOL! Abby loved Albert so much she bought a little stuffed one that talks! It would make monkey sounds and then go "Nihao" then make monkey noises and say "bye bye" when you squeezed its hand, which made more hilarity when we got home. She'd roll over in bed onto it and I could hear it through the wall and it always made me laugh lol.
15202685_10153954829987624_3079781372121934899_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

Okay, now I DEFINITELY know this bit is out of order, BUT literally I just don't really care too much at this point...I just want this TR done, and the big stuff is all here, and I can answer questions with better detail. The girls really wanted to ride It's A Small World, so we headed over there, and the entrance to that is near the backstage of Wondrous Book, and we ended up running into 3 girls! One of who I'd known from Tumblr/Insta for a while, they were all SUPER polite/friendly, commented on all our outfits, and were just SO NICE to talk to for a little bit, I was super glad we'd ran into them! On the ride, it was nice to see the Disney characters hanging around too!
15027921_10157939603175647_7223106955252261453_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

15037133_10157939603000647_214351589195818996_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

 

[katt789]

We had one last stop before our day became evening activities, and naturally, that was back to Wondrous Book!!

IMG_6192 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_6214 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

IMG_6225 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

It was JUST as incredible the third go around, and it was nice to sit back a bit further to take it all in and get all the effects of the "book".



I'm sure we did some shopping and probably got a snack in here, maybe this is when the nugs came in?! God I wish I'd taken more notes lol!! Before we knew it, it was time for our FINAL PAINT THE NIGHT (legit final because by the time we'd be back in California....it was CLOSED)

IMG_9957 by Katt mccluskey, on Flickr

It was also then THAT MY CAMERA DECIDED TO FREAKING DIE!! I'd been DUMB and thought it'd be fine through 2 park days without a charge, as it usually was, but I guess with all the shows & photoshoots, it just wasn't up to it...boooouuurrrnnnsss.



We watched the fireworks again, holding back the feels and the tears, and then spent some more time in the shops, debating all the last minute purchases that we wanted. We killed a bunch of time waiting for the park to empty out, before we headed back into a basically empty Main Street to take a million and a half photos. lol.



15259636_10157923297350360_6774556947156882431_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

15250673_10157923297895360_3181613369901721815_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

15289297_10157923297390360_4482800862820973134_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

15326541_10157923298235360_1830332256149954741_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr



At some point, we were waiting for the street to clear out, just sitting on the side of the road, keeping to ourselves, and this Mom from an English speaking country (maybe from HK, who knows, she wasn't Asian but who knows) came up and asked if we worked there.... Uhmm..what? We said no, because we didn't, like, where/how would we? She was SO CERTAIN that we DID work there, and that we were the princesses, since we were "dressed up"uhm...no...you are mistaken...first off...there is only ONE of each character, secondly, we already said we didn't work there. THIRDLY, if we WERE friends of royalty, WHY would we be in the parks in Disneybounds (that honestly, pushed the boundaries) after our shifts? Like....no...that would just never happen! She also just would not accept that we didn't work there, and wouldn't leave us alone about it, we adamantly repeated that we did NOT work there, or for Disney, and were from Canada, and SHE FINALLY left us alone....



15304351_10157923296970360_7800329037376994032_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

15304511_10157923298695360_414666432302849795_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

15319281_10157923297665360_8559894172735627876_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

15327373_10157923297715360_7956375915140018480_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

That's become my new go to pose when I'm over taking photos...#noshame



NOW, onto the MOST ADORABLE interaction of the night. There was this little Chan who came out of one of the shops & saw us taking pictures, and was just TRANSFIXED by us, her parents, either spoke no English, KNEW we weren't CM's, either way, they were nice, and we waved to her a bit before she was brave enough to come over. In Asia they don't really do the hugs, but they'll hold/shake hands a bit, so I extended my hand out to her, and we exchanged this just MOST adorable moment and it was like, ALL the motivation I needed to get into shape to ACTUALLY make magic one day soon!! We ALSO had another little chan come out who was intrigued, and ended up taking a picture with us, which was JUST ADORABLE!



15259594_10157923297275360_2719555966115663722_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr



LIKE HOW CUTE IS THAT?!



We left Main Street, but our photoshoot wasn't done, we finished off in the Train Station...my favourite way to say goodbye to the park, and thank you to Walt for making such an incredible dream reality for so many people AROUND THE WORLD!



15289073_10157923296075360_2447086609194965078_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr



15232178_10157923296115360_3841891836700725640_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

15181496_10157923296340360_4400665583552830233_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

15027496_10157939603770647_7674696333715231670_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr



We were all super sad to leave.



15055821_10157939603875647_4587837524483049112_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

We got back to the hotel, and spent a good more chunk of time shopping (my Visa had just been paid and I SURE DID OVERSPEND). I even bought some Tsums for the girls that they'd been talking about really wanting but didn't think they could afford!

15078598_10157939604000647_7539711316860756751_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

15032211_10157939603910647_4502193352836052645_n by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

THAT was my HKDL haul (I took a picture of the entire Asia haul at some point on my Insta, and had planned to do a Vlog about it but that clearly never happened)

Now, the shirt on the right, spent about us $30 on it, it was on sale at the Disney store for $16 later that year #derp. Camera strap? Not long enough for my liking...Phone case, a clip case, which I usually don't buy, dropped my phone once and the screen basically shattered...well...mainly the top half but it was just horrible. ANYWAYS, totally worth it in the moment!!



****************



The next morning came quicker than we would've liked it to, either that night or next morning we all showered and packed ALL of our things up, and collected together all the things that we decided we were leaving in Hong Kong. Some of it was left around the room, but I always feel bad so I tried to organize it. The Aladdin sequels were on TV, so we watched them and stayed lying in those COMFY beds for as long as we could. We stored our luggage, and did one last loop between the resorts, the princesses usually do meets at the Disneyland Hotel, but weren't that day. We explored the maze outside, and sat on the sea wall goofing around, blogging, pretending I was a mermaid, the usual for a bit. Then it was back to the lounge, we had some food & a drink, watched the movie that was on, and before we knew it, it was time for Abby to leave. Her & Kara said their goodbye's, I told her I'd see her at home (remember we lived together) in a day or so, and she was off.



Kara & I meanwhile, continued to sit in the lounge ordering some more drinks or snacks every so often. As it turned out, we realized we normally would've taken the train to the airport around the exact time the park closed, so we veto-ed that to have a nice nap on the pool chairs! We also realized, at least for the 2 of us, it would've been worth it to buy a ticket to the parks for that last day & just duck out before the parade, we would've made the exact time.



NOW, in case you forget, cause it's been a YEAR, Kara had been pricing flights, and it was cheaper to book a roundtrip Vancouver-Tokyo, then fly back to Tokyo from HK at the end than do a multi-stop/2 one ways, SO, here's a general time line for you.



November 12: Noon: check out of hotel

-8pm-ish, get on train to airport

-Sit around airport for hours trying to sleep but we're both exhausted and have our luggage cause NOT EVEN THE CHECK IN IS OPEN YET until like 1am

-I'm pretending our flight was around this time

November 13: EARLY BUTT IN THE AM, land in Tokyo

-11 hour layover (or something ridiculous like that)

-We'd joked about NEEDING to see Esmerelda, or pick up march at Tokyo Disneyland that we'd "forgotten" but when it came down to it, $40/pp for the bus, PLUS tickets, PLUS luggage lockers, it JUST wasn't worth it. Honestly, kinda regret it now cause we would've been able to see Happiness is Here one last time.

-9 hours of a turbulent as eff flight later, land in Vancouver (and like 7.2 hours of anxiety from me, I hate flying over water as is, add in that turbulence and Imma NOT have a good time)



I honestly can't figure out the time change right now cause it's late, but Japan is a day ahead of Vancouver, so technically it was like ,2 days worth of travel to get home...I watched like an ENTIRE season of Gilmore Girls in the Tokyo Airport....



When we got home, I was EXTREMELY jet legged, and my manager FORGOT when I was coming back, so I had no reason to get up in the mornings (plus I lived in a basement suite with no windows in my room #pitchblack) so it was SUPER easy to sleep late. Luckily, I was able to pick up my computer from Best Buy repairs (only to find out the track pad didn't want to work) and work on photos, and reapply for the CRP to keep myself occupied. Alicia was basically on the same jet leg schedule as me considering she'd just gotten back from a visit in Shanghai so that was nice too.



********************



I know it's been an INSANE trip report, and I thank you from the BOTTOM of my heart for reading along, especially for putting up with all the waiting, spam posting, and all the challenges I had to go through while writing this. I mean,

-Tablet died, lost all Windows saved updates/notes up to Kyoto

-Computer died, luckily my pics were fine, but I lost updates

-Phone decided to die, lost updates, lost notes/updates that were on there that WEREN'T on the computer

-Got new window's computer, had some updates back, spilt wine on it, lost that

-Window's computer turned on for 4 mins at a time, managed to send most of what I needed to myself

-Had Ipad, could post, but couldn't copy & past pictures, couldn't link stuff properly

-Nearly ONE YEAR LATER, have borrowed computer, managed to power through. like...how..



SO THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Also to anyone who may be newer, I hope you enjoyed our journey through Asia and through the far away Disney parks, it truly was a once in a lifetime AMAZING and INCREDIBLE opportunity, and I am so happy that it got to happen! If you EVER have questions about the parks, the culture the cities, I will do my absolute best to answer them in an accurate manner! I HIGHLY suggest you visit these countries, and these Disney parks, especially if you've only ever been to the Statesides ones, seeing the differences will blow your mind!!



***********



Onto some summaries:



Japan: as a whole, my literal favourite place on Earth. Everyone was incredibly friendly, the entire country is one of the safest, and safest I've felt at all in like, my entire life. The place is IMPECCABLY clean, despite there being no garbage cans. Vending machines! WHAT A CONCEPT! I miss those coffee's SO MUCH. Daiso! Incredible, so many GOOD and good quality products for so cheap. Don't even get me started on the Donki stores!! LIKE, 32G memory card for $12, YES PLEASE! Also Hamazushi.... Bummed that we cut out Hakone, and never went to Osaka. I would LOVE to get an opportunity to live and work in Japan, so pray/send all the pixie dust in 2018 for all the auditions to go swell for me lol.



Tokyo Disney Resort is EASILY my NUMBER ONE, & I'm 99% sure Kara's number one favourite park (and she's been to all of them). Part of it does come from the Japanese culture. The fact that you must sit during parades, but no one will shove there way in beside you, they respect your space if you lay a mat/towel down. No recording above your head, no ears or large hats on! The performers are all SO insanely talented and beautiful, the park itself had rides you never would have dreamed about, and the shows were just a whole other level of amazing.



China: I'm glad that we went. I am still amazed that I've climbed the Great Wall, and SO thankful we did the tour we did to get such an isolated experience. Nothing else in Beijing interested me TBH. It was neat. Shanghai was much more my style, I kinda wish we'd had more time/the air hadn't gotten to me so much so I could've seen more of the city. I know Abby felt the same, especially cause the Bund was so "bougie" which is all her style. The Disney Store was awesome too! I have a 10 year Visa for China, so I figure if i'm over in Asia again in that time I'll swing by SHDR, and I'm still bummed we didn't go to Chengdu to see the pandas cause I LURVE THEM! ALSO that we cut out Guilin/the....river...town? that is associated with it. It's gorgeous and I would've loved to go BUT financially it just didn't make sense. I do want to go back, would never want to live there. Especially after all the fires in BC over the summer and my asthma appearing out of nowhere and appearing to be heat activated, not sure I’d MAKE it through a summer there lol



Shanghai Disney: It was beyond amazing to get to experience a park within it's first year of operation, and to meet Bob Iger, WHAT?! I would honestly go back to ride Pirates....the ride was THAT insane. The entertainment was great, the use of new technology was incredible, and again, to see the newest Disney park, to have Disney have an idea what works and what doesn't and be able to build off that from scratch to make a super efficient park. I would say Pirates and Tron make this park as incredible as it is, despite HATING Tron lol.



Hong Kong: literal just a more cool Vancouver....bahahahha!! I REALLY loved Hong Kong though, because of it's cultural, it was easier to find your way and feel more at home than China. Felt pretty safe, but I was still aware the entire time. Abby also fell in love with the city, we both said we could see ourselves living there! The city/area (province?) was a beautiful combination of tiny, crammed streets, places full of culture, and amazing seaside towns, beaches, and hiking trails/mountains. I REALLY wish we’d had more time in the city, but when planning it didn’t seem like it, which is just proof that you never really know.



Hong Kong Disneyland: Incredible. I loved it, and knowing all the expansions that are coming it’s way (new castle, new castle show, new Moana show, the whole Iron Man Experience/Marvel stuff and new hotel are now open) I think the park is truly going to grow into an amazing place. The park was small, quaint, but still had enough to do, and the entertainment truly BLEW my mind!! The 2 shows they have are just incredible!! Not to mention their completely unique rides of Mystic Manor & Grizzly Gulch, both completely unique, amazing concepts, and completely unexpected!! I hope to see more of that style stuff in HKDL as it continues to grow & expand!



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With that, again, from the three of us (and our countless guest stars) I say THANK YOU FOR READING!! I hope this was entertaining, and helped you get a better understanding of the Asian parks (specifically Shanghai as it was a headache to plan!)



Now for some shameless self promotion so you can keep up on our adventures!!!



Check my signature for my most recent WDW trip! Kara & I did Disneyland in October for our Friendiversary, but there’s no trip report unless I get bored and try to remember facts of what happened (….i just might…)



Kara & Abby are both headed back down to Florida on another CRP come February, so follow along their instagrams!! i’ll be back down a TON during their year to visit, so follow along my insta! Also don’t forget about our Youtube Channel! It has ALL our videos from this trip (minus China & a couple of Japan ones due to multiple crashing computers…) AND all the ones since then!! ALSO, Kara has an Etsy shop, bows, ears, skirts, costumes, CUSTOM things, BUT, she closes in Feb, so get those orders in!



If you have ANY questions, comments, anything, we’d LOVE to hear from you! Let us know when you’re going to WDW next and maybe we can say hi!!



Katt: kattwyllie kattwylliephotography



Kara: karavanriel sewitsmagic



Abby: abbywithsparkles



Youtube: festivalofpixiedust (there’s also an Insta but it’s currently not really being used)



THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! Without all of you I’d just be typing to myself, so it means a lot when I know people are reading and commenting!!!



I hope you all have the most wonderful weekend!! From, the girls at Festivalofpixiedust



15325345_10157923296750360_1202328074820806458_o by Katt McCluskey, on Flickr

 

[mhowens]

Great report! Thanks for sticking with and getting it done. We are planning HK, Osaka and Tokyo for 2020 so this was really helpful! Good luck with your auditions.

 

[missangelalexis]

OMGGGG SHellie and Gelatoni! I die lol So so cute!!

Great Paint the Night pics!

Those early morning/late night photoshoot pics are all so gorgeous! I love your Aurora dress!

Sounds like such a great last day!

Wow what a rough travel schedule home!

Thank you so much for sharing all this! It really was awesome to get perspective on the Asian parks!

That's awesome that Kara & Abby are doing another CRP! And that you will get to visit a lot!

 

[missjackiemcg]

So glad you were able to power through all of the technology problems and get to the completion of this trip!! I didn't comment much, but read along the whole way through. How very excited for Kara and Abby to head back to the parks as CRP CMs again!! Looking forward to continuing to follow along

 

[AusAnnie]

That was an awesome trip report!!! Your photos were amazing and i look forward to reading about any further adventures that the three of you have

 

[katt789]

Great report! Thanks for sticking with and getting it done. We are planning HK, Osaka and Tokyo for 2020 so this was really helpful! Good luck with your auditions.

Thank YOU for sticking around and reading!!! AH! That's amazing!! We're planning a quick Tokyo trip Feb 2019!! Let me know if you have anymore questions or concerns or anything!! It was crazy to plan this trip!!!

OMGGGG SHellie and Gelatoni! I die lol So so cute!!

Great Paint the Night pics!

Those early morning/late night photoshoot pics are all so gorgeous! I love your Aurora dress!

Sounds like such a great last day!

Wow what a rough travel schedule home!

Thank you so much for sharing all this! It really was awesome to get perspective on the Asian parks!

That's awesome that Kara & Abby are doing another CRP! And that you will get to visit a lot!

RIGHT?!?! I DIE!!! I am DYING to meet Stella Lou!! She's SO FREAKING CUTE!

Thank you!! I'm pretty sure they're mainly Kara's lol!! And all the nighttime ones are, my camera decided to die on me, #whoops lol. Thank you!! I love it too!!

It was an awesome day! I'm so glad the trip ended up so well!!

ugh woooorst!! but at least I got through a TON of Gilmore Girls lol!!

Thank you so much for sticking around and reading, this tr would be nothing without readers!!!

So glad you were able to power through all of the technology problems and get to the completion of this trip!! I didn't comment much, but read along the whole way through. How very excited for Kara and Abby to head back to the parks as CRP CMs again!! Looking forward to continuing to follow along

UGH WORST, I'M SO HAPPY/IMPRESSED THAT I FINALLY FINISHED IT!!! It's awesome!! I'm excited for them!!

That was an awesome trip report!!! Your photos were amazing and i look forward to reading about any further adventures that the three of you have

Thank you!!!! I'm so glad you enjoyed!!