Trip Report - - First Time to Hong Kong and HKDL!!

[BillyBuff]

UPDATED 1/19/2013 - Added itinerary below and uploaded some videos!

>>> VIDEOS <<<
Here's a list of videos from my Hong Kong Disneyland, Guangzhou & Macau trip. I'll add them here once they're posted up:

- Dumbo Ride in HKDL http://youtu.be/6LNt379PLnU
- The Jungle Cruise Boat Ride in HKDL http://youtu.be/2ImdRSzeZwQ
- The Christmas Tree Lighting Show in HKDL http://youtu.be/1WLz742a2bc
- Traffic in Guangzhou http://youtu.be/QpgBNWA8F0k
- Guangzhou Cultural Park http://youtu.be/2jOWCU6VGR8
- The House of Dancing Water Show in Macau http://youtu.be/nJRzcm4GXPA
- Walking Around Macau http://youtu.be/HldPxIPUwBA
- Venetian Macau - Winter in Venice Light Show http://youtu.be/HEmYeBTfGCo
- The Galaxy Casino Fountain Light Show http://youtu.be/HhPjdpCLbuA
- Wynn Macau Water Fountain Show http://youtu.be/O3A8sPG9bh8
- You can smell food everywhere in Macau! http://youtu.be/ruutuiH2oEk
- Riding the Star Ferry from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui http://youtu.be/5UHvxKOGTOk
- Tram to Victoria Peak http://youtu.be/zLBdZCt9VHw
- Penguins @ Ocean Park http://youtu.be/g6jAK2yEwYs
- Panda @ Ocean Park http://youtu.be/E5ByVpB-yMY
- The Ocean Express Train @ Ocean Park http://youtu.be/LTYvXm0ds4M


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Let me write up the short trip description and itinerary of my trip below so everyone can get an idea of my first trip to Asia:

(Also by clicking on the dates below may take you to that specific post)
12/8/2012 - 9AM direct flight from JFK to HKG (16 hours!!)
12/9/2012 - Flight landed an hour early at due to awesome jetstream flow. Wife's relative's friend picked us up to head to Shum Wan (in-law's place located between Aberdeen Marina and Ocean Park)
12/10/2012 - Mostly hung around Central area and the ifc Mall. Definitely lots to see and do around here.
12/11/2012 - Heading to HKDL
12/12/2012 - At HKDL. Left early to meet in-laws for snacks and dinner in Causeway Bay.
12/13/2012 - Hung out with the in-laws around Aberdeen then had a huge buffet dinner with wife's relatives and family (about 40 people) at the Mandarin Oriental
12/14/2012 - Headed to Guangzhou via train at Central. P.S. Go pee before going on the train. I'm not used to the little hole on the floor used for peeing. Stayed at the Hotel Landmark Canton. Pretty nice hotel. Finally got free wifi! No Facebook or Google though
12/15/2012 - Checked out and went to the Sheraton near Tianhe. Now this is a more convenient area!
12/16/2012 - Last day in Guangzhou. More visiting of wife's relatives and cemeteries.
12/17/2012 - To Macau on the CTS bus. Venetian Macau is a really nice hotel to stay at. Too bad no free wifi. Internet withdrawal right now
12/18/2012 - Food, shopping & walking. Maybe some more gambling too Then back to HK at night!
12/19/2012 - Went to The Peninsula Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui for "high tea". Checked out the museums (free on Wednesdays), Avenue of Stars and more shopping Later checked in at L'Hotel in Wong Chuk Hang (near Aberdeen and in-laws) for some alone time.
12/20/2012 - Dim Sum, Times Square, wax people and the Peak.
12/21/2012 - Checked out of L'Hotel and off to Ocean Park. Wow so crowded! Went to Chai Wan at night for dinner at relatives.
12/22/2012 - More walking and shopping
12/23/2012 - More walking and shopping (seriously?? )
12/24/2012 - Traveled to Tai Koo cityplaza to meet a colleague for dim sum. This mall is huge and confusing to walk around in! Got lost several times..
12/25/2012 - Merry Christmas! It's time to BBQ in Stanley Bay.
12/26/2012 - More walking & shopping! Aaahhhh! But rewarded with suckling pigs for dinner
12/27/2012 - Last day in HK. Wife wanted to eat and shop a bit before leaving.
12/28/2012 - Good bye HK! We'll miss you!!
​

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As you can see from the title....this is my first time to Hong Kong and Hong Kong Disneyland. Actually it's my first time to any where in Asia!

Our trip started in the beginning of December 2012 and ended near the end of the month so we didn't get to see any of the New Years fireworks

But overall it was a complete culture shock. But it's a place I would want to visit again!

Our 3 week trip consisted of Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Macau but on this report I'll stick mainly on HKDL which was just a 2 day/1 night stay at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel.

December 11, 2012
We took the MTR from my in-laws place straight to HKDL. It wasn't that bad since it was a Tuesday and a bit after 9:00am so the trains weren't crowded. The ride was quick and not more that 30mins from the Hong Kong station in Central.

At Sunny Bay waiting for the MTR to HKDL

We're here!

It wasn't that difficult finding the quiet trail to the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel so we walked which took no more than 15 mins. This route was extremely quiet and overall it looked like a waste of unused space. I hope they're planning to add something here...

Up next...Checking in at The Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel

 

[BillyBuff]

Continued from previous post...

Checking in at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel
We got here at 10:00am.

Okay so check-in isn't until 1:00pm so we dropped off our bags at the bell service and checked around the area for lunch. The only place that is open is Walt's Cafe.

Checked out the store at the hotel..

Coming up next....To the Park!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Oooh! Another TR. Great start!


BillyBuff - I hope you'll also write up Guangzhou and Macau in your TR and how you got about the place. It might be worth building up the information bank on this part of the Dis.

Personally, I'd love to read about your Guangzhou trip, if you'd care to share.

 

[BillyBuff]

Oooh! Another TR. Great start!


BillyBuff - I hope you'll also write up Guangzhou and Macau in your TR and how you got about the place. It might be worth building up the information bank on this part of the Dis.

Personally, I'd love to read about your Guangzhou trip, if you'd care to share.

Thanks!

Let me write up the short trip description and itinerary of my trip below so everyone can get an idea of my first trip to Asia:

(Also by clicking on the dates below may take you to that specific post)
12/8/2012 - 9AM direct flight from JFK to HKG (16 hours!!)
12/9/2012 - Flight landed an hour early at due to awesome jetstream flow. Wife's relative's friend picked us up to head to Shum Wan (in-law's place located between Aberdeen Marina and Ocean Park)
12/10/2012 - Mostly hung around Central area and the ifc Mall. Definitely lots to see and do around here.
12/11/2012 - Heading to HKDL
12/12/2012 - At HKDL. Left early to meet in-laws for snacks and dinner in Causeway Bay.
12/13/2012 - Hung out with the in-laws around Aberdeen then had a huge buffet dinner with wife's relatives and family (about 40 people) at the Mandarin Oriental
12/14/2012 - Headed to Guangzhou via train at Central. P.S. Go pee before going on the train. I'm not used to the little hole on the floor used for peeing. Stayed at the Hotel Landmark Canton. Pretty nice hotel. Finally got free wifi! No Facebook or Google though
12/15/2012 - Checked out and went to the Sheraton near Tianhe. Now this is a more convenient area!
12/16/2012 - Last day in Guangzhou. More visiting of wife's relatives and cemeteries.
12/17/2012 - To Macau on the CTS bus. Venetian Macau is a really nice hotel to stay at. Too bad no free wifi. Internet withdrawal right now
12/18/2012 - Food, shopping & walking. Maybe some more gambling too Then back to HK at night!
12/19/2012 - Went to The Peninsula Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui for "high tea". Checked out the museums (free on Wednesdays), Avenue of Stars and more shopping Later checked in at L'Hotel in Wong Chuk Hang (near Aberdeen and in-laws) for some alone time.
12/20/2012 - Dim Sum, Times Square, wax people and the Peak.
12/21/2012 - Checked out of L'Hotel and off to Ocean Park. Wow so crowded! Went to Chai Wan at night for dinner at relatives.
12/22/2012 - More walking and shopping
12/23/2012 - More walking and shopping (seriously?? )
12/24/2012 - Traveled to Tai Koo cityplaza to meet a colleague for dim sum. This mall is huge and confusing to walk around in! Got lost several times..
12/25/2012 - Merry Christmas! It's time to BBQ in Stanley Bay.
12/26/2012 - More walking & shopping! Aaahhhh! But rewarded with suckling pigs for dinner
12/27/2012 - Last day in HK. Wife wanted to eat and shop a bit before leaving.
12/28/2012 - Good bye HK! We'll miss you!!

 

[BillyBuff]

NYC was so dreary on the day of departure.

The meals on Cathay Pacific were good but too small for my appetite. We were served two meals with snacks in between. There was plenty of onboard entertainment so I didn't get to sleep.

Breakfast

Dinner

We're landing!

Not sure where we are right now but I see tall buildings

Perhaps the longest underground tunnel ever...

Home! This is the view from my in-laws apartment

Walked around the area and Aberdeen to get a feel of "Hong Kong"

This is a common sight in Hong Kong. Bamboo scaffolding without much supports

Popular place in Aberdeen to get eggballs and other stuff

Markets

Let's call it a night....jet lag

 

[BillyBuff]

12/10/2012

First time on a double decker bus! We're headed to Central. I'll walk around the area while my wife has some personal business to take care of.

I was surprised to see a Pret A Manger here

I didn't get used to the money conversion so this was definitely sticker shock! Iberico Jamon...awesome stuff!

Better than proscuitto

Finally free wifi! Hong Kong has wifi everywhere but I can't seem to get it since I couldn't read Chinese. But the Apple Store was a life saver! No withdrawals!

Lunch was at this place called Tai Hing. We complained about some food and they take complaints very seriously. So we got another dish with a discount. They thought I was a food blogger or something since I was taking pics of their food and they gotten very nervous.

Their char siew cannot compare to anywhere else! Yummy!

Their bathroom...walk through this alley into another room

More walking. This time it's uphill around the Soho Square area! Nothing this Army veteran can't handle

Some of the older buildings are still around

Finally see the "ding dings"! It's a nickname they call for these electric rail cars

Met up with the father-in-law later along with relatives at this place (I can't read Chinese). The food was great. There's like a line outside this place but the service and attitude...it's pretty bad! They talk back to you if you complain about something. Their motto is "If you don't like our attitude, then you can go elsewhere" But their food is really awesome hence why there is a line outside this place!

Back to Shum Wan to call it a night

 

[PrincessInOz]

Thanks. I'm really pleased to see and read about your time in Hong Kong and Guangzhou.

That's a great view from your in-law's place. Have they just moved there? How cool that your first trip to HK is to visit relatives and get a more local perspective on where to eat!!!

Loving the pictures of the local stores around SoHo, Central and the markets.

Looking forward to the next installment.

 

[zanzibar138]

Yay another HK TR! I would also love to read about the rest of your time over there.

Really enjoying your report so far. And great photos

 

[BillyBuff]

Thanks. I'm really pleased to see and read about your time in Hong Kong and Guangzhou.

That's a great view from your in-law's place. Have they just moved there? How cool that your first trip to HK is to visit relatives and get a more local perspective on where to eat!!!

Loving the pictures of the local stores around SoHo, Central and the markets.

Looking forward to the next installment.

I'll try to post more soon. Today's a really sleepy Monday

My wife is from HK so that her parent's place that we stayed at. Besides them, I don't know anyone else in HK except for a coworker at our international office.

I think I've only visited .01% of Hong Kong because there is so much to see even though it's a small city. I guess it's time to start planning my next HK trip lol

Yay another HK TR! I would also love to read about the rest of your time over there.

Really enjoying your report so far. And great photos

Thanks! More coming soon! (after I grab some coffee )

 

[BillyBuff]

12/11/2012 - Off To HKDL!

Early morning wake up to grab the bus from Shum Wan/Aberdeen to Central's Hong Kong MTR station that will take us to Sunny Bay and then on to Disneyland Resort!

It's easy to forget about the early morning rush hour while you're on vacation

I love seeing these electric rails aka "ding dings"

I apologize for this discombobulated post. But the rest of the story for 12/11/2012 is in the post right above starting at post #1 and #2: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=47095883&postcount=1

I guess I can continue with the rest of the 12/11/2012 next lol

 

[BillyBuff]

12/11/2012 - Off To HKDL! (Continuation)

Back to where we left off from http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=47096006&postcount=2

After eating at Walt's Cafe and checking in our bags with bell services, off to the park we go!

Crowds were slightly light today. We went through the security bag check point and ticket turnstile pretty quick.

Wow, the castle is smaller than the other parks but the mountains in the background makes up for that.

This shop does stick out like a sore thumb but no complaints here. It is what is it

Things I want to eat like right now!

It's a Small World looked crowded as we saw lots of people walking towards that direction. I hope the lines are not that long. Whoa! Lines are NOT that long! I guess people like to stay outside and take pictures and watch the "mini show". There was no wait at all!

There was an incident that stopped out ride in the middle. Someone held their kid up onto their shoulders so they stopped the ride. Who puts their kid on their shoulder while sitting at the back of the boat??

I like seeing the unique topiary here

I thought I couldn't ride the Dumbo because of my size. I'm definitely bigger than the average Hong Konger. (I'm 5'8" and around 195 lbs) But we did fit and it wasn't tight at all!

Went to check out the Golden Mickeys since I heard it was unique to HKDL. Glad they had English subtitles Overall it was a great show! Weird to not hear anyone applaud except us and foreigners so we yelled and applauded loud lol

My wife was going goo goo ga ga over Tarzan

Great show!

Next up was the Jungle Cruise. We opt for the English version because that's the language I speak and understand. Well...I guess any version would have been fine for us as I couldn't understand the cast member's English! Overall I enjoyed the ride. No corny jokes here. It's more like "Look over there! A spider! And over there..more spiders!" I'll upload some videos of this ride later.

We hungry! So across the Jungle Cruise was the River View Cafe. Since I wanted to try that lil piggy buns...

It was getting dark soon so we headed to Tarzan's Treehouse. The view of the park from up top was gorgeous!

Grizzly Gulch

We're almost done so we're going to head out to the HK Disneylandand Hotel get our room

Snow! But it's weird to see everyone wearing jackets while I'm in a T-shirt. I didn't think it was that cold

The walkway from the park to the hotel was virtually empty. Such a wasted space. I wonder if they're doing something here in the future?

Yay we got our room! We booked the Fantasia room with a king bed.

Sweet! My wife is planning to soak in the jacuzzi/whirlpool

Time to call it a night. I plan on checking out the gym tomorrow morning.

 

[BillyBuff]

12/12/2012 - Last Day at HKDL

Since we can only post 25 images per post, here's what was supposed to be from my previous post...

View from our corner room

The next day...time to hit the gym!
It's well equipped

Indoor heated pool

Outdoor heated pool. We decided to get some sun since it was a pretty hot & sunny day. Plus it was too early for breakfast as Crystal Lotus isn't open yet

Finally lunch at the Crystal Lotus! Too bad we found out that the Disney themed dim sum was supposed to be booked in advance. Oh well. Next time then.

Never had whole abalone before so I'm not sure if these are supposed to be huge...

Time to check out and head to the park! We left our bags with bell services and took the bus to the park. Crowds were slightly busier today. There's like a long line at the security check point and ticket turnstile. They were checking everyone's bags. Glad I only had a camera with me and nothing else.

Most of the foods and snacks are Asian. I'll come back later to try

Inside the Victorian shop

Lines for character pictures are always long

Time to grab a bite from all the walking and shopping. My wife didn't want any of the Asian snacks. She said those are for tourists like me

I wanted to try the turkey pie

We decided to leave around late afternoon. Meeting up with my mother-in-law later.

I'll update more after I finish uploading the photos!

 

[abbadackerygirl]

NYC was so dreary on the day of departure.

...Home! This is the view from my in-laws apartment...

Fantastic! My in-laws live in Hong Kong too! (Our excuse for going to Hong Kong next month, (and Tokyo too,) lol)

We're going to HKD and TDL & TDS...uh, I mean, we're going to visit our in-laws! LOL!

I am loving your posts!

Also, what kind of camera are you using, the colors are quite amazing, and the detail is superb!

 

[BillyBuff]

Fantastic! My in-laws live in Hong Kong too! (Our excuse for going to Hong Kong next month, (and Tokyo too,) lol)

We're going to HKD and TDL & TDS...uh, I mean, we're going to visit our in-laws! LOL!

I am loving your posts!

Also, what kind of camera are you using, the colors are quite amazing, and the detail is superb!

For most of HKDL i was using my Canon 5D MKII DSLR and iPhone 5. Then the rest of the trip it's only my iPhone 5. I found it a bit cumbersome to carry a DSLR around especially when it's crowded. The iPhone allowed me to snap shots without getting in people's way.

 

[BillyBuff]

12/12/2012 - Leaving HKDL!

It's so sad to leave..

After meeting up with my mother-in-law and brother-in-law off to food and shopping!

Being led through a "shortcut"

Huge lines for stinky tofu...yuck!

These cars are like the norm in Hong Kong. Seems like we see one on every corner...

Mysterious street meats..I think one of those is squid or something

We're in the Times Square area

Must be quittin' time coz there's suddenly a lot of cars!

Din Tai Fung...this place has the best soup dumplings! (aka ciao long boa)

They make it fresh on the spot

Times Square is definitely crowded

We stopped by for this dessert place that reeks of durian before heading home

That's it for the today. Until tomorrow!

 

[PrincessInOz]

BillyBuff - Is this you? If so, nice to "see" you!


Great updates and pictures.

I'm guessing that Victorian Collection shop was being built when I was there. I remember seeing the construction boards around that area. I'm not sure I like the architecture of that shop either. It does stand out and is out of place in Main Street.

Love the food porn. And I'm glad you got a picture of that dim sum with the abalone on it. I ordered that as well and then couldn't remember if it was abalone or not. Certainly they are the smallest abalone I've ever seen....I normally expect them to be much bigger.
I love durian so I'm kinda wishing that there was smell-o-vision right now.

 

[BillyBuff]

BillyBuff - Is this you? If so, nice to "see" you!


Great updates and pictures.

I'm guessing that Victorian Collection shop was being built when I was there. I remember seeing the construction boards around that area. I'm not sure I like the architecture of that shop either. It does stand out and is out of place in Main Street.

Love the food porn. And I'm glad you got a picture of that dim sum with the abalone on it. I ordered that as well and then couldn't remember if it was abalone or not. Certainly they are the smallest abalone I've ever seen....I normally expect them to be much bigger.
I love durian so I'm kinda wishing that there was smell-o-vision right now.

That's me! I wanted to show everyone how it didn't feel that cold to me while everyone else there was wearing jackets.

Durian? Noooooo! My wife loves durian. Even my dog! I don't think I can get used to smelling that so-called stinky fruit.

 

[BillyBuff]

12/13/2012 - Jumbo & Central

Today's a slower paced day. Since we're right next to the Jumbo floating restaurant, we decided to go check out the dim sum. What? Not open at 10:30am?? Hungry!! Okay, I guess off to Central District we go! Ended up at this Myanmar Thai place. The food was absolutely delish!

A curry casserole dish

Rice served in a pineapple

FYI - My guide to all the restaurant for Hong Kong is at http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/index.htm It definitely helped me out when looking for places to eat at.

We did some walking and shopping around Central District before our buffet with friends & relatives at the Mandarin Oriental. It's definitely slower paced since we're heading to Guangzhou the next morning.

Tiffany & Co is a sponsor for the Christmas decorations around Central

Ready for the buffet!

A lot of mingling with my wife's family, friends & relatives. I think we'll call it a night since we're getting an early morning start to head to Guangzhou via the Intercity train.

Coming up next...Guangzhou!

 

[BillyBuff]

12/14/2012 - To Guangzhou We Go!

We had booked tickets through CTS (China Travel Service) for the train ride to Guangzhou earlier in the week. Exiting Hong Kong customs was no problem at all since I have all my paperwork & visa. It is a bit confusing while waiting in the wait area. I didn't know where to look for my train departure, etc. Luckily my wife and mother-in-law are HK locals and can read & speak Chinese. There's actually a lot of people going to Guangzhou from HK! There was a long line boarding the train.

I definitely recommend going to the bathroom prior to boarding. First they don't let anyone use the bathroom while train is in the station. Second, the bathroom itself is tiny and you into a small opening. But I had to do #1 pretty badly so I asked the woman (who was in a military looking Chinese uniform) in English and she unlocked the bathroom for me. Yay for speaking English lol

The ride itself was about 2 hours from HK. They do sell drinks and food on the train but we brought our own.

Your baggages can be places overhead. Anything that is large will be placed in the baggage area near the exit doors. So the two women behind us needed someone to lift their bags to the overhead compartment so I lended a helping hand. Bad idea! My back went into a muscle spasm after that. Ugh!

Best pork belly jerky ever!

The train overall didn't feel clean. There was a stink to it. I think too many stinky feet mixed with body odor.

We finally arrived in Guangzhou! You can definitely tell by the haziness that there's a lot of smog here.

My mother-in-law haggled the price of the cab ride down a bit and headed to our hotel. Check-in was at the Hotel Landmark Canton which sits right next to the Pearl River. Convenience of the location was not so good. There's not much places to go around the area unless you're local and know what you want. Also be careful at the restaurants. They charge you for everything! If you drink tea, they'll charge you per person. Bring tissues or napkins because they'll charge you if you used their napkins. Sitting on the inside cost more than sitting near the outside And make sure you wash your utensils in hot tea or hot water (which they provide to you). And be wary of pickpocket teams. My wife's cousin almost got her wallet taken out from her purse. Luckily my aunt caught the person (a young girl) and scolded her. I think it's normal there to grab your perpetrator and yell at them. lol

The view from our hotel room.

Our room

This place is next to our hotel. Food is good but watch out on the charges

Night view

Later that night we met up with my wife's relatives for dinner at this place that is famous for their Hainanese chicken

It's not odd to see restaurants located near the top floors of the malls

Hainanese Chicken

Some tofu casserole

Everyone assumed I like to drink Coca Cola because I'm American...

Don't use their supplied napkins. It'll cost you lol

There's an ice skating rink inside the mall

Remember I mentioned about my back muscle spasm? We went here for a therapeutic massage. It definitely fixed my back!

That's it for today in Guangzhou. More Guangzhou tomorrow!

 

[abbadackerygirl]

Mmmmm! My kind of food too! A lot of people would be put off by the chicken feet, but I say, "bring it on!"

I guess I'm weird for a white chick, but there really isn't something that I wouldn't eat. Just all depends on how it's flavored.


Why shouldn't we use the napkins? Are they expensive? Or laced with bubonic plague?