First Time to Hong Kong & HKDL! - A Trip Report

[BillyBuff]

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]

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!

 

[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 :confused3

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 :cool1: 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.

So that was my first time at Hong Kong Disneyland! It was well worth staying a night at their resort!
Here are some videos I took at the park:
- 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

 

[Kuhio]

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!

Thanks for posting this trip report -- the photos look great.

I'm planning a return visit to HKDL sometime soon, and I'm looking forward to the new lands and attractions. What did you think of Grizzly Gulch and the runaway mine train coaster?

 

[BillyBuff]

Thanks for posting this trip report -- the photos look great.

I'm planning a return visit to HKDL sometime soon, and I'm looking forward to the new lands and attractions. What did you think of Grizzly Gulch and the runaway mine train coaster?

Grizzly Gulch didn't look too "developed" It felt like a lot of stuff was missing. I don't know. Maybe I'm used to the the Magic Kingdom. The runaway train coaster was pretty fun though.

 

[alissafalco]

Wow! Everything looks amazing. Great photos, I really enjoyed them

 

[RandomPrincess]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Grizzly Gulch didn't look too "developed" It felt like a lot of stuff was missing. I don't know. Maybe I'm used to the the Magic Kingdom. The runaway train coaster was pretty fun though.

That could have something to do with the fact that the park was only built 8 years ago. Everything looks great. Thanks for sharing. Those of us who have only been to the American parks and who have no intention of going internationally anytime soon really enjoy these.

How much English did they speak there? Besides Jungle Cruise, were there any rides that you could enjoy in English?

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Was just looking back at Tarzan...could go to Hong Kong Disneyland just for that view! lol

 

[BillyBuff]

That could have something to do with the fact that the park was only built 8 years ago. Everything looks great. Thanks for sharing. Those of us who have only been to the American parks and who have no intention of going internationally anytime soon really enjoy these.

How much English did they speak there? Besides Jungle Cruise, were there any rides that you could enjoy in English?

Yeah, I noticed a lot of empty space at HKDL. The biggest empty space was the walkway promenade between the Disney hotels and the entrance to the park.

I think majority of the cast members do speak English but sometimes you have to listen closely lol

Winnie the Pooh Adventures is in English. We didn't go see Mickey's PhilharMagic though but heard it's exactly the same as the Magic Kingdom.

Was just looking back at Tarzan...could go to Hong Kong Disneyland just for that view! lol

My wife was going "ooooooooh" when Tarzan came out

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Great photos and report, the hotel and park look very nice.

It's also good to see a decent gym at a Disney hotel, as the one at Boardwalk in WDW is looking its age (as was the Yacht/Beach Club last time I went).