Trip Report Sometimes going halfway is a good thing - Max's Hong Kong Adventure

Hello All and welcome to another Max Trip Report

This one is solo - sans family - as it was a quick stop at a new park for me
Hong Kong Disneyland (HKDL) opened in 2005 and has slowly been growing into itself
Initial feedback on HKDL was too small and not enough to do.
As you will see in this brief stop I had plenty to do (and actually did not accomplish everything I wanted to do)

Who: Max , aka Clarence to those who read my Cali report recently.
What: HKDL for a day and a bit
When: Friday Oct 6and Saturday Oct 7
Why: A Disney park I have not been to AND my company was sending me back to Japan so I detoured at the start of the business trip to catch this gem of a park.

Up next: Intercontinental travel !!

Max

 

[amjt660]

So does anyone have a guess on my title?

If not I will spill the beans later tonight

Max

 

[D Hulk]

Ah, so glad this TR is up and running!

It's a trip seeing pics of the Hollywood Hotel two months after first visiting it in person, some even from the same angle. The west-facing view is beautiful (I got east-facing towards the park)...but every view is beautiful on Lantau Island. They were only juuust starting to decorate for Halloween when I visited, and in your pics there's plenty more decor.

Really excited to hear of your adventures inside HKDL. Very curious about their Halloween festivities, which I hear are exceptional. And no word yet on heat or humidity? The weather must've been more temperate for your visit.

 

[Swissmiss]

DLP has a large Mickey face in flowers/plants and although pretty, it has nothing on the fountain at the entrance of HKDL (and just before the Mickey face at a slightly higher elevation is a fountain area surrounded by more greenery). And then the large and impressive DL Hotel is the backdrop to this. I was trying to find a good photo of it but didn't manage to find one that showed the whole area and even if I had, I wouldn't know how to post it!

 

[Zipadeelady]

A few tags to get some people involved!!

So here comes the list (in no particular order) - I hope I was able to get everyone

@LisaBelle @RedNoseMickey @abzoo @samantha788 @Kiwiduck @Sheriff Woody @Tuvalu @TrolleyFollower91 @Woodywrkr @Zipitidoda
@Figaro Family [USER=31553]@mcstensrud @75disney @Tiggertoo56 @DisneyShe @TheMouseFan @riverside @krause @Stacey LeDuc @wdisney9000
@gdisneyfans @DisneyBound2017 @Longers @Trisha Lynn @wdwfamilynh
@MinnieM123 @bee @wdisney9000 @Courtney6682 @DisneyBound2017 @Laurenciaa @Vivian_apfm @Plowboy @Missy_May @dmatt87 @blgauger @becca_ @PacNWTigger @ajrwdwgirl @Doc Disney @DonnaOnTheRocks @Mr Ferret 88 @fractal @Swissmiss @dizfan917 @Ciara @Songbird76 @TheMouseFan @littleroo @dddisney @prfctlyximprct @Princess Leia @stephmax975 @MiniMax @LadyBelle @21stamps @joshsprincess921 @gdisneyfans @mlegerto @Second Star to the Right @luvinthemajik @MySmallWorldof4 @Monty @Matty30 @Jess G @myhappyplace @gwhb75 @*Flynnderella* @Jae99 @ @DisneyShe @lostpro9het

And yes @lostpro9het - I put you at the end again
Because you can handle it
AND
Lets face it - you are a back of the bus type of guy!!

Max[/USER]

A few tags to get some people involved!!

So here comes the list (in no particular order) - I hope I was able to get everyone

@LisaBelle @RedNoseMickey @abzoo @samantha788 @Kiwiduck @Sheriff Woody @Tuvalu @TrolleyFollower91 @Woodywrkr @Zipitidoda
@Figaro Family [USER=31553]@mcstensrud @75disney @Tiggertoo56 @DisneyShe @TheMouseFan @riverside @krause @Stacey LeDuc @wdisney9000
@gdisneyfans @DisneyBound2017 @Longers @Trisha Lynn @wdwfamilynh
@MinnieM123 @bee @wdisney9000 @Courtney6682 @DisneyBound2017 @Laurenciaa @Vivian_apfm @Plowboy @Missy_May @dmatt87 @blgauger @becca_ @PacNWTigger @ajrwdwgirl @Doc Disney @DonnaOnTheRocks @Mr Ferret 88 @fractal @Swissmiss @dizfan917 @Ciara @Songbird76 @TheMouseFan @littleroo @dddisney @prfctlyximprct @Princess Leia @stephmax975 @MiniMax @LadyBelle @21stamps @joshsprincess921 @gdisneyfans @mlegerto @Second Star to the Right @luvinthemajik @MySmallWorldof4 @Monty @Matty30 @Jess G @myhappyplace @gwhb75 @*Flynnderella* @Jae99 @ @DisneyShe @lostpro9het

And yes @lostpro9het - I put you at the end again
Because you can handle it
AND
Lets face it - you are a back of the bus type of guy!!

Max[/USER]

A little late but so glad I was tagged. Thanks Max!!

edit *I guess I'm not late.

 

[Zipadeelady]

YOU STOLE SOMEONE'S DOOR DECORATION!!!

 

[LadyBelle]

So does anyone have a guess on my title?

If not I will spill the beans later tonight

Max

Sounds like something from Seinfeld, but I hardly watched that show, so I can't be sure.

Or maybe Friends.

 

[amjt660]

It's a trip seeing pics of the Hollywood Hotel two months after first visiting it in person, some even from the same angle. The west-facing view is beautiful (I got east-facing towards the park)...but every view is beautiful on Lantau Island. They were only juuust starting to decorate for Halloween when I visited, and in your pics there's plenty more decor.

Really excited to hear of your adventures inside HKDL. Very curious about their Halloween festivities, which I hear are exceptional. And no word yet on heat or humidity? The weather must've been more temperate for your visit.

More to come on the Halloween decorations, parades, etc
Oh and it was hot and humid - Just have not mentioned it yet!!

DLP has a large Mickey face in flowers/plants and although pretty, it has nothing on the fountain at the entrance of HKDL

Perhaps this...

It this inside the gate or outside? I cannot remember

YOU STOLE SOMEONE'S DOOR DECORATION!!!

Perhaps that is one of the shenanigans that @ajrwdwgirl was talking about....

OK to set the record straight I did not walk up to someone else's hotel door and take the decoration off of it
I did see one fall off a door and land in the hallway.
I simply decided to clean up the place by taking it off the floor

Sounds like something from Seinfeld, but I hardly watched that show, so I can't be sure.

Not a Seinfeld or Friends reference (at least I do not think so)
Thanks for playing

Max

 

[Swissmiss]

That's outside the gate - you walk "underneath" the hotel to get into the MK.

 

[amjt660]

That's outside the gate - you walk "underneath" the hotel to get into the MK.

Thank you
So pretty much the same idea - a photo magnet outside the park - but the floral Mickey is not unique like this fountain or the Disney Sea globe and ship

(again, not my picture)

Max

 

[DisneyGigi]

Count me in! I didn't get a notification, but I feel special because I see my name twice, I am getting caught up on my reports now that I am semi over my Post Disney trip depression and as soon I saw you had been to a park again, had to read. Jealous, but in a good way.

 

[kaitertot5249]

To put in in perspective I visited WDW only up to my 39 year on this planet. Then came DLR (2005) , TDR(2006), DLP(2011) and now HKDL (2017). So four other resorts in only 12 years. Good things come to those who wait???

Thanks for the encouragement, Max! I'm sure I'll make it to at least a few of the international parks in my time. I've already been to Disneyland so I guess I'm in pretty good shape! My family went on a trip to CA in July of 2016 and we spent 2 days at Disneyland - I'm already itching to go back and spend more time there!

 

[MinnieM123]

Wow, if your "business class" was that nice in the plane, I can only wonder what First Class must have been like?!

I like your hotel--nicely designed, and not over the top.

 

[amjt660]

Sometimes going halfway.....

So the title is based on the travel to Hong Kong but I realize now that I was incorrect

When I went on this journey the time difference between my home and HKDL was exactly 12 hours
Hence - halfway around the world

However now I realize that it is actually 13 or 11 time zones away now that we are now back on EST (and not on daylight savings time)

Oh well - so I went 46% of the way around the globe

That title would not be very catchy though

OK moving on

Max

 

[amjt660]

Walking up to the gate:
I would put this somewhere around 5pm or so
So not a big crowd trying to get in

Halloween floral Mickey!!

Same message as you pass under the train tracks - just more!!!

Animation Academy and Opera House

Train station

Halloween decorations

City Hall

Both city hall and the fire station were tarped up - not sure what was exactly was being done.

 

[amjt660]

Now having just been to Disneyland in California and being blessed to have gone into Walt's apartment over the firehouse ...

This... was very disappointing

The fire station is the stoller rental for HKDL - the blasphemy of it all

More decorations

@D Hindley - I thought you said HKDL was not busy!!

Caught the afternoon parade on my way toward the caste

 

[D Hulk]

@D Hindley - I thought you said HKDL was not busy!!
View attachment 242273

It WASN’T busy, I swear! Granted, I visited on a mid-September Monday during a heatwave, and I gather you were there Friday and Saturday closer to the ever-busy Halloween.

Going through my HKDL pics, this is actually the most crowded image I took:

 

[12in12]

Tuesday in September 2016 was also not busy.

 

[amjt660]

Count me in! I didn't get a notification, but I feel special because I see my name twice, I am getting caught up on my reports now that I am semi over my Post Disney trip depression and as soon I saw you had been to a park again, had to read. Jealous, but in a good way.

I am glad you are along for the ride and I hope this helps with the PDTDS (Post Disney Trip Depression Syndrome)

I'm already itching to go back and spend more time there!

If you like Guardians of the Galaxy you should go back ......

Wow, if your "business class" was that nice in the plane, I can only wonder what First Class must have been like?!

I like your hotel--nicely designed, and not over the top.

It was a nice hotel with beautiful grounds

It WASN’T busy, I swear! Granted, I visited on a mid-September Monday during a heatwave, and I gather you were there Friday and Saturday closer to the ever-busy Halloween.

Going through my HKDL pics, this is actually the most crowded image I took:

You are correct - I was there on Friday evening and all day Saturday
I was just poking fun!!!

Tuesday in September 2016 was also not busy.

Tuesday!!! Well yeah, of course it was not as busy

Now if only I could convince my bosses to let me not have to go to work on Monday and Tuesday......

Max

 

[12in12]

Flying out to HK in business class on your boss' dime makes up for the heavier crowds. I had to slum it in economy that I paid for myself.

 

[Tuvalu]

So the title is based on the travel to Hong Kong but I realize now that I was incorrect

Max admits he is wrong!!