Hong Kong Disneyland

Visiting the Disneyland Park is a must for every traveler in Hong Kong. So what if you are not a kid anymore? I believe all of us are child at heart.

Unlike the other Disney parks (Anaheim, Florida, Tokyo, etc.), this is created to be enjoyed in one day. Step into a wondrous world of exciting and enchanting lands which are divided into four areas:

THE ADVENTURE PARK (my personal favorite) which features cruise hippo-thrilled rivers, overgrown jungles and Tarzan's treehouse. But the show called THE FESTIVAL OF THE LION KING is a must see!

TOMORROWLAND showcases many futuristic ideas and thrilling, out-of-this-world adventures. Characters such as Buzz Lightyear and stitch will greet you here! Don't miss the Space Mountain ride and feel like a real
space rider!

FANTASYLAND is home to our favorite princesses like Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Also, The Golden Mickey's which is a grand, star-studded gala that celebrates great Disney classics like Mulan, Disney-Pixar's Toy Story and Lilo and Stitch is not to be forgotten. By the way, this show is only presented here in Hong Kong Disneyland. My other favorite is Mickey's Philharmagic, where one will Live a 3-D adventure with Mickey Mouse and his pals.

U.S.A MAIN STREET is a quaint boulevard exudes the small-town charm of more than one hundred years ago. This is home to new and unique attractions such as Animation Aacademy, Mickey's House and Muppet Mobile Lab. The Disney Pararade crosses here, too. And before the day ends at the Main Street, one can witness the night sky come alive with this dazzling pyrotechnic pageant with Disney In The Stars!

HOW TO GET THERE: Hong Kong Disneyland is located on Lantau Island, and is accessible via an array of convenient transportation options. What I recommend is by MRT Disney Resort Line, where it is conveniently located Disneyland Resort Station is your gateway into the magic. It's faster and CHEAPER!

You may aslo check their website www.disney.com.hk for more info.

Haveing a stop over in Hong Kong, requires a visit at Disneyland. The park is not as gigantic as the US parks, which makes it possible to get around in a day, and hence suitable for like a one day stay in Hong Kong, and perfect for the location.

In my mind Hong Kong is a nice place to be for 2-3 days - and an interesting gateway to asia - but not a place where you would stay for a week or two, another reason why the size of the Disneyland Hong Kong is just about right because you can do it in a days stop over, and once you've placed your feet in Hong Kong - you have to go here.

Being here really makes your mind wonder, it is like magic because you feel that you are in a totally diffrent world of phantasy and adventure and time flies here.

The 3 main shows are all well worth watching - It's High School Musical Live, Lion King Festival and Disney On Parade - very well organised shows and especially the effects on the Lion King Festival amazed me.

Once you are inside, all attractions are free of charge and the park is really not as expensive to be in as I had feared. So buckle up and enjoy the ride!

The best thing about Disneyland HK was that we were able to get in for free. Talk about saving a lot of money. We met up with a friend who works there and I think one of their perks is that they can bring in a number of guests for free each day.

Of course the very reason I wanted to go to Disneyland was to have a picture taken with Donald Duck, who's always been a favorite. I think the queue to have a photo taken with Donald was the longest, hence I wasn't able to have that taken. Boohoo. And then it rained. Boohoo again.

Having heard about how Disneyland HK from friends (it's not like other Disneylands, It's small etc), hence i went there with very low expections. Besides, this vacation was not mine, it was for my nephews. And yes, I've always been a child at heart, and I guess I'll enjoy it too (And i did!).

The kids particularly enjoyed the rides, while us adults enjoyed the shows. I think i only got into one ride - the Jungle River Cruise which I immensely enjoyed! I'm all for that big adventure stuff so without a doubt, my favorite part of the park was Adventureland. And there were them pirates too. Jack Sparrow. He's Cool. Another part of Adventureland that really go me going was the festival of the Lion King. That was one enjoyable show!

In Fantasy are the classic mad hatter tea cups, the dumbo ride and the sleeping beauty castle. I am so proud of myself for getting a very good crowd-free shot of the Sleeping Beauty's Castle before the fireworks show. And of course we had to watch The Golden Mickeys at the Storybook Theatre as a courtesy to our friend who got us in since he's part of the show. And that was a fun show, I particulary enjoyed the Tarzan section.

Tomorrowland was were I took some rest. That was already late in the afternoon. I was wet from rain and sweat - time to freshen up. As the kids were busy with the rides, I was busy taking candid people shots. It was pretty seeing people - young and old enjoying their inner child. And there's that weirdo Stitch too. I don't really get that character. I passed on the opportunity to watch the "Stich Encounter".

Another must-see in Disneyland is the parade held later in the afternoon. By that time, the weather cleared. Thank God for that. I was too busy taking shots of those in the parade. I must say say, that was a big deal for me. Most of my shots came from that parade.

Our last stop was Main Street USA. We just had a blast enjoying the shops... and shopping of course.

Disneyland was something i unexpectedly enjoyed given the weather situation. But I really had loads of Fun! My nephews surely enjoyed it and that's what really mattered ( I hear them talk about wanting to go back... and for sure we will in a couple of years).

Location: Lantau Island

Getting There: Take the MTR and interchange at the Disneyland Resort Line at Sunny Bay Station.

Getting Around: On Foot (it's small and maps are available)

Food: Each section has it's own dining opportunities waiting for you. There's the Royal Banquet Hall and and the Festival of Foods at Fantasy Land; Comet Cafe and Starliner Diner at Tomorrowland etc.

Shopping: A couple of shops are located in each section and quite a number of finds in Main Street USA.

Hong Kong Disneyland is small compared to the Disneylands of the United
States. We stayed there for a whole day, and got to experience Hong
Kong's sunny heat.