Recently went on vacation and visited HKDL & Universal Singapore for the first time, along with another visit to TDR. This thread won't be so much a day-by-day trip report, but my feelings about the three resorts/parks during this visit.
Hong Kong Disneyland
I'll start with the elephant in the room. I went straight from the airport to HKDL and back and did not see or hear anything relating to the protests. There was a note in the room from the hotel manager about paying attention to the news and that travel around the area could be impacted, but it did not affect me for this trip. I realize I was lucky in that the airport and nearby roads were not targeted on the days I visited. I had originally planned to stay in the city proper and visit there, but decided it would be safer to stay on site. I guess I was right, but with these things you never know.
I stayed on site at the HKDL Hotel, because it wasn't much more than the other two, but I liked the theme better, it had more amenities and was a closer walk to the park's front gate. I truly loved staying here. I always wanted to stay at Grand Floridian or another of the "Mickey Mouse Victorian" hotels, but this was the first one I could realistically afford and it did not disappoint. I only paid for a "standard room" but was lucky enough to get a large corner room with King bed in one of the turrets with a view of the pool and Hong Kong Bay. Very nice to watch the boats go by on the water and be in a somewhat private area surrounded by trees. I went to the pool before visiting the parks and very much enjoyed the water slide. They have a nice gym too, but I did not get around to working out during my stay. The hotel also has one gift shop with the same stuff you can find on Main Street.
I ate at both Walt's Cafe and Enchanted Garden's character breakfast. Walt's was fine, they have a set lunch menu that hotel guests could get 20% off for and that was worth it, but Enchanted Garden was not. It was around $45-$50 USD pp after gratuity and there were only 4 characters who were slow to make their rounds, even though the restaurant wasn't full. Buffet selection was just OK, with strangely no egg option (scrambled, omelet or anything). You can pre-book EG as part of your room package at a slightly lower rate, but I paid full price out-of-pocket and did not think it was worth it. I skipped Crystal Lotus, the resort's signature restaurant, because of time constraints and I didn't want to spend $100+ on one meal.
The resort's grounds and guest areas are beautiful, including a neat hedge maze and walking paths to the park and other hotels along with a ferry pier with departures one or twice a day to the city around noon (I think?). They also have a piano player and orchestra in the lobby and I made a point of listening to them when I heard The Avengers theme drifting down the hallway towards the elevators after one of my swims. Best use of Marvel in a Disney park that I've seen so far! Mickey and Minnie announce the floors on the elevators, Mickey in English, Minnie in Cantonese.
Without question I would stay here again, especially at a similar price point. Staff was helpful and they all spoke English. I know many Disney fans love and prefer Explorer's Lodge, but I don't see the point in staying there when again, the HKDL Hotel is not much more and has better facilities and is an easier walk to the park's front gate. Maybe I'm just biased towards the style of the hotel, but I would recommend it to anyone wanting to stay on site.
Next post on the park itself...
Hong Kong Disneyland
I'll start with the elephant in the room. I went straight from the airport to HKDL and back and did not see or hear anything relating to the protests. There was a note in the room from the hotel manager about paying attention to the news and that travel around the area could be impacted, but it did not affect me for this trip. I realize I was lucky in that the airport and nearby roads were not targeted on the days I visited. I had originally planned to stay in the city proper and visit there, but decided it would be safer to stay on site. I guess I was right, but with these things you never know.
I stayed on site at the HKDL Hotel, because it wasn't much more than the other two, but I liked the theme better, it had more amenities and was a closer walk to the park's front gate. I truly loved staying here. I always wanted to stay at Grand Floridian or another of the "Mickey Mouse Victorian" hotels, but this was the first one I could realistically afford and it did not disappoint. I only paid for a "standard room" but was lucky enough to get a large corner room with King bed in one of the turrets with a view of the pool and Hong Kong Bay. Very nice to watch the boats go by on the water and be in a somewhat private area surrounded by trees. I went to the pool before visiting the parks and very much enjoyed the water slide. They have a nice gym too, but I did not get around to working out during my stay. The hotel also has one gift shop with the same stuff you can find on Main Street.
I ate at both Walt's Cafe and Enchanted Garden's character breakfast. Walt's was fine, they have a set lunch menu that hotel guests could get 20% off for and that was worth it, but Enchanted Garden was not. It was around $45-$50 USD pp after gratuity and there were only 4 characters who were slow to make their rounds, even though the restaurant wasn't full. Buffet selection was just OK, with strangely no egg option (scrambled, omelet or anything). You can pre-book EG as part of your room package at a slightly lower rate, but I paid full price out-of-pocket and did not think it was worth it. I skipped Crystal Lotus, the resort's signature restaurant, because of time constraints and I didn't want to spend $100+ on one meal.
The resort's grounds and guest areas are beautiful, including a neat hedge maze and walking paths to the park and other hotels along with a ferry pier with departures one or twice a day to the city around noon (I think?). They also have a piano player and orchestra in the lobby and I made a point of listening to them when I heard The Avengers theme drifting down the hallway towards the elevators after one of my swims. Best use of Marvel in a Disney park that I've seen so far! Mickey and Minnie announce the floors on the elevators, Mickey in English, Minnie in Cantonese.
Without question I would stay here again, especially at a similar price point. Staff was helpful and they all spoke English. I know many Disney fans love and prefer Explorer's Lodge, but I don't see the point in staying there when again, the HKDL Hotel is not much more and has better facilities and is an easier walk to the park's front gate. Maybe I'm just biased towards the style of the hotel, but I would recommend it to anyone wanting to stay on site.
Next post on the park itself...