HKDL gets new castle, frozen land and marvel land.

Robbiem

Robbiem

Well-Known Member
Sir_Cliff said:
That sounds like very good news for the resort. Hopefully this helps them build their loyal local customer base and, post-pandemic, the resort really turns the corner.

Haven't been to either HKDL or SDL, but from all the pictures and videos HKDL appeals a lot more to me as it looks a lot more like a Disney resort than SDL and the setting is beautiful.
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Havent been to Shanghai but Hong Kong is a great little park and as you say the setting makes it really magical. Is has the charm of the original Disneyland and the cast members are great
 
Sir_Cliff

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
Animaniac93-98 said:
Despite being so small, it's the nicest looking Disney resort complex thanks to its location between mountains and sea. Stay at HKDL Hotel or Explorer's Lodge and pay extra for a "sea view" room. It's now a full day park IMO (especially once Frozen is done) and very much worth visiting. :)
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I have a cousin living in HK I've never gone to visit, so it could be a good excuse! Some friends with a little kid used HKDL to break up the long trip from Europe back to Australia and stayed at the Explorer's Lodge for a few days, and they loved it. One thing that struck me from the pictures they sent was how nicely and inventively presented a lot of the food was! It also seems to me that it has finally filled out, especially so once Frozen opens.

To bring this back somewhat to the castle, whatever the flaws in this one I still prefer it to the SDL castle. I am honestly with people who find that it looks a little too much like a Barbie Playset version of the castle, but at least it looks nice from certain angles and presents a good silhouette against the mountains down Main Street. I have yet to see a picture of the SDL castle where it didn't look flat-out ugly. Everything from the shape to the colour choices on that castle just seem off to the point where it seems like a bit of an eyesore. I don't know, maybe those who have actually been to Shanghai have a different view, though!
 
SplashJacket

SplashJacket

Well-Known Member
Sir_Cliff said:
I have a cousin living in HK I've never gone to visit, so it could be a good excuse! Some friends with a little kid used HKDL to break up the long trip from Europe back to Australia and stayed at the Explorer's Lodge for a few days, and they loved it. One thing that struck me from the pictures they sent was how nicely and inventively presented a lot of the food was! It also seems to me that it has finally filled out, especially so once Frozen opens.

To bring this back somewhat to the castle, whatever the flaws in this one I still prefer it to the SDL castle. I am honestly with people who find that it looks a little too much like a Barbie Playset version of the castle, but at least it looks nice from certain angles and presents a good silhouette against the mountains down Main Street. I have yet to see a picture of the SDL castle where it didn't look flat-out ugly. Everything from the shape to the colour choices on that castle just seem off to the point where it seems like a bit of an eyesore. I don't know, maybe those who have actually been to Shanghai have a different view, though!
Click to expand...

I don't think Shanghai deserves all the hate it gets. I'd rank the castle 2nd to last, but all the castles are now gorgeous worldwide. I have to admit, Shanghai is very unique, but it fits China perfectly.

As for visiting Hong Kong, I'm thrilled we did visit, but we don't plan on going back for quite some time. We did a mega trip where we went to SDL, HKDL, and TDL back in 2018. We were already planning on returning to Tokyo this past summer but Covid got in the way. We will wait for SDL to get a second gate before we return and when we do we will probably stop by HKDL while we are over the pond.

When we went, we stayed at Explorer's Lodge, and it was beautiful. They had a really expensive breakfast buffet, but it was the best buffet we had ever experienced, so we ended up doing it 3 times during our 4-day stay. Hong Kong was interesting, everything was quaint, the castle will definitely help with this, but the park was built on the ultra-cheap so there's still a lot of progress to be made.

HKDL just felt like a regional theme park, which is fine, but to travel halfway across the world you need an external justification. The resort has gotten a lot of expansion, but if you've traveled to other parks throughout the world, most things are better elsewhere.

It sounds harsh, I loved the resort, it had a very unique atmosphere, but it is good to know what you're going to.

I'm going to list off all the rides.
  • Space Mountain - Essentially the same coaster as Tokyo and Anaheim.
  • Iron Man - Massively inferior Star Tours.
  • Ant-Man - Overly panned, but still not good. SDL Buzz is much better and people complain about it too.
  • Jungle Cruise - Definitely the most unique in the world, but doesn't do anything revolutionary. Not necessarily a jump up like PotC in Shanghai, it's just different, which is cool, but not necessarily super exciting.
  • Lion King Show - Similar to Jungle Cruise in the sense it is different to AK LK. It was pretty good, not necessarily amazing, but it was a solid variant.
  • Runaway Mine Cars - Honestly, a poorly designed coaster. Cool to look at, adds nice kinetic energy, but just feels like the whole ride is transferring the rider between launches. It's just not very good.
  • Toy Story Land - I don't know what to say other than it exists. Better variants exist in other parks, but pretty generic as a whole.
  • Fantasyland - No original rides or anything noteworthy. There's a show that's good enough to do once.
  • Mystic Manor - Saved the best for last. Absolutely amazing. 10/10.

The Frozen rides seem to be a variant of Epcot and 7DMT which will be a very solid addition to the park. Who knows what the Avengers E-ticket will be like.

As a whole, HKDL is a fascinating park because of its environment and I have grown attached to it in an odd way, but the park itself lacks the draw that the other international parks have. It's important not to expect the world from it, but instead, appreciate it for what it is.
 
Sir_Cliff

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
BrianLo said:
I'll argue Hong Kong is the justification, the park is simply the side show.
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That would be my attitude. HKDL would be an extra push to visit Hong Kong, which I have been meaning to visit. The resort seems nice enough to dedicate a few days and a short hotel stay to within that vacation.

As much as I like DLP, I would have similar advice to anyone thinking of visiting from across the world. I honestly don't know that I'd suggest travelling halfway around the world just for DLRP... but you'll also be in Paris which definitely is worth travelling half way around the world to visit! I also would recommend staying out there for a few days amidst a long Paris/European vacation.
 
Robbiem

Robbiem

Well-Known Member
Sir_Cliff said:
That would be my attitude. HKDL would be an extra push to visit Hong Kong, which I have been meaning to visit. The resort seems nice enough to dedicate a few days and a short hotel stay to within that vacation.

As much as I like DLP, I would have similar advice to anyone thinking of visiting from across the world. I honestly don't know that I'd suggest travelling halfway around the world just for DLRP... but you'll also be in Paris which definitely is worth travelling half way around the world to visit! I also would recommend staying out there for a few days amidst a long Paris/European vacation.
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This is exactly it! Hong Kong is an amazing city with lots to do, especially if you throw in Macau and the nearby mainland. Add on the HK countryside and you have a lot of variety as well. HKDL is part of that but its not the sole reason for a trip there.
 
616.1314

616.1314

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
SplashZander said:
I don't think Shanghai deserves all the hate it gets. I'd rank the castle 2nd to last, but all the castles are now gorgeous worldwide. I have to admit, Shanghai is very unique, but it fits China perfectly.

As for visiting Hong Kong, I'm thrilled we did visit, but we don't plan on going back for quite some time. We did a mega trip where we went to SDL, HKDL, and TDL back in 2018. We were already planning on returning to Tokyo this past summer but Covid got in the way. We will wait for SDL to get a second gate before we return and when we do we will probably stop by HKDL while we are over the pond.

When we went, we stayed at Explorer's Lodge, and it was beautiful. They had a really expensive breakfast buffet, but it was the best buffet we had ever experienced, so we ended up doing it 3 times during our 4-day stay. Hong Kong was interesting, everything was quaint, the castle will definitely help with this, but the park was built on the ultra-cheap so there's still a lot of progress to be made.

HKDL just felt like a regional theme park, which is fine, but to travel halfway across the world you need an external justification. The resort has gotten a lot of expansion, but if you've traveled to other parks throughout the world, most things are better elsewhere.

It sounds harsh, I loved the resort, it had a very unique atmosphere, but it is good to know what you're going to.

I'm going to list off all the rides.
  • Space Mountain - Essentially the same coaster as Tokyo and Anaheim.
  • Iron Man - Massively inferior Star Tours.
  • Ant-Man - Overly panned, but still not good. SDL Buzz is much better and people complain about it too.
  • Jungle Cruise - Definitely the most unique in the world, but doesn't do anything revolutionary. Not necessarily a jump up like PotC in Shanghai, it's just different, which is cool, but not necessarily super exciting.
  • Lion King Show - Similar to Jungle Cruise in the sense it is different to AK LK. It was pretty good, not necessarily amazing, but it was a solid variant.
  • Runaway Mine Cars - Honestly, a poorly designed coaster. Cool to look at, adds nice kinetic energy, but just feels like the whole ride is transferring the rider between launches. It's just not very good.
  • Toy Story Land - I don't know what to say other than it exists. Better variants exist in other parks, but pretty generic as a whole.
  • Fantasyland - No original rides or anything noteworthy. There's a show that's good enough to do once.
  • Mystic Manor - Saved the best for last. Absolutely amazing. 10/10.

The Frozen rides seem to be a variant of Epcot and 7DMT which will be a very solid addition to the park. Who knows what the Avengers E-ticket will be like.

As a whole, HKDL is a fascinating park because of its environment and I have grown attached to it in an odd way, but the park itself lacks the draw that the other international parks have. It's important not to expect the world from it, but instead, appreciate it for what it is.
Click to expand...
No I don't think you are harsh
In fact, as a Hongkonger and a Disney fan, IMO what you've said is very accurate indeed
Except maybe for Grizzly Gulch - I do think the Runaway Mine Cars is a very decent coaster
I also agree that HKDL needs more unique E-ticket attractions to stand out from the Disney Parks line up
And I don't think 2018-2023 expansion plan alone is enough to solve all the current issues

But as mentioned by many others, I believe Hong Kong itself is a city wonderful and diversified enough to draw tourists
A theme park is not and should not be the only reason for one to visit a place
 
IMDREW

IMDREW

Well-Known Member
EnRT0cvVEAMlxjv-2.jpg

Does anyone know if these are still meant to light up? In most nighttime concept art they are lit, and I was expecting that.
Some examples:

Hong-Kong-Castle.jpg
126481706_1778279868987261_9207056644918184492_o.jpg
 
616.1314

616.1314

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes

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