Timmy in Hong Kong Disneyland

[TimmyTimmyTimmy]

When I go to Hong Kong I always want to go to a few places even if I know them by heart and have been visiting them many times before. It´s like a ritual that I have to repeat everytime I get there. I really like to visit the peak, the markets of of Kowloon and Hong Kong Disneyland.

Hong Kong Disneyland lays on Lantau island in Hong Kong. It´s on the same island and the airport and the huge sitting Buddha on the mountain. It takes about 30 - 40 minutes to get there from the more central parts of Hong Kong.

The area around the themepark is green and calm. Even if they build a Downtown Disney there someday it will still be the best looking resort area of all Disneylands. It all reminds me of Florida for some reason.



Hong Kong Disneyland is one of the calmest places for tourists in Hong Kong. It´s rarely crowded and even when it gets acked it´s not much worse than any normal street in Hong Kong.The worst time to visit when it comes to crowds semes to be around Halloween. The good thing about that time is that the park sees many many changes when it comes to light and temporary attractions. National hollydays also tend to attract alot of people. But otherwise this is the calmest of all Disneylands.​



The castle is just way too small. The mountains make it look like a cottage and the new addition Mystic Manor wich is absolutely huge feels more like the castle of the park than this does. I know that it´s never ment to feel huge but this is just too small. Some of the old cocepts for this castle depicted a stunning bigger building more in the style of what we see in Disneyland Paris castle.


The rush one has to be a part of to get a hold of the fastpasses to "hottest" attractions in Tokyo Disneyland does not excist in Hong Kong. The only rides that ever seme to have any wait time to notice at all is Pooh and Dumbo. Pooh loads slowly and Dumbo... is just Dumbo.

Walking around in Adventureland is like talking a strol in a park in any small town. It´s only crowded when people come out of the Lion King show building. The wait area for the Lion King is huge. I find it strange to waste space like that. The entire land feels like one long road. It´s very good looking but not very fun at all. There is nothing more than the rafts and the Jungle Cruise to ride. Not what most people would call an adventure.



This time on of the skippers on Jungle Cruise made me laugh for the first time. The key here semes to be to have a CM that knows the english language well.



Space Mountain laks a theme. It´s very poorly lit. The darkness is not a problem but they could have added some LEDs to create a few effects in the sterile looking wait area. The ride itself is great. It both looks and sounds good.





Toy Story Land, the most unthemed area of the park is not that bad at all. It´s themed enough to get an "ok" from me and the surroundings in the park really gives it a feeling of being a real land on it´s own without tresspassing on other areas of the park like it does in WDS. This Toy Story Land is hidden away from the the other lands and does impose on the overall look of Hong kong Disneyland. It´s very clear that Toy Story as a addition was a great idea for this park. This is to prefer over the version in Paris. The problem of bad design will make it precence when the two other new lands will open. People will have to walk "outside" Disneyland to enter the long "road" that will be Toy Story Land, Mystic Point and Grizzly Gulch.



One of my favorite rides in the park is RC Racer. Perhaps because there is not that much to choose from but also because it is fun to go back and forth and ride the ride over and over without having to ever stand in line.


Plaza Inn is my favorite place to eat in the park. The food was really good even if it was kind of pricey. Dim sum is something that anybody going to Hong Kong should try.


Flights Of Fantasy is a great parade and has one the best soundrtracks ever in a Disney park. I hope this type of parade music is here to stay. I just hate the tunes in the parks in America.














Fantasyland semes to be the most popular area of the park.

















This ride is not made for big people.





The park looks it´s best after dark.






The fireworks show is good but not great. It would be better if they could have used a few bigger shells in the in the end. It just comes off as a bit cheap as it is now. Does anybody know why they don´t use bigger shells? The park is on an island where very few would have something to say about a bigger display. It´s not like in France where they take pride in their chances to complain and voice oppinion on the fireworks from Disney.




I really feel at home in Hong Kong Disneyland, just like I do in Tokyo´s parks. I will always be annoyed over the small castle, the bad Pooh and the strange layout of the park.
If in Hong Kong, mainland China or even Thailand, go to Hong Kong Disneyland. It´s really worth a day or a half.

Here is one of my visits to TDR: From Asakusa to Disney

[keithlee83]

great report Timmy! Thanks!
The castle is really small , I hope they rebuild it ! Looks ugly!

[steve76]

Great photos!

Maybe the lack of large fireworks is due to the proximity of the airport on Lantau Island? I remember that the planes come pretty close to Disneyland - I got an amazing view of Disneyland all lit up (and empty) as I flew out last time.

[Witches of Morva]

ORWEN: Thank you for your trip report and pictures, Timmy, duckling! It was nice to see you in at least one of them.

ORDDU: I assume these are recent pictures, Timmy? If they are, it's nice to see they finally took down all the 5th decoration bling from the castle. It seemed they would NEVER get around to doing that.

[TimmyTimmyTimmy]

The pics are new. Im in 4 of the pics. One is a "hidden Timmy"

They took down the decorations a month ago Tinkerbell has to hide behind the castle in her photo spot.

[Dagobert]

Nice trip report and pictures. It seems HKDL is a wonderful, but little park. Even if you liked TSPl at HKDL better than at WDSP, I don't want to see it both parks. I'm glad that in Paris it wasn't built in DLP.

Did you stay in a Disney Hotel?

[whaleatcoast]

Love to see trip reports, especially I just been there twice in this week and I just back home from there now. I love the time that the park has not too many people. Last Sunday was the exclusive day for all the Magic Access can get into HKDL(originally only the two most expensive MA can get into the park in weekend), then there were many people inside. Except Space Mountain(since the most thrilling ride in HKDL was replaced by RC Racers), most of the attractions has to queue at least 40 minutes. And the restaurants were filled with people waiting for the people who are waiting for a seat, to finish their meal, it's too horrible for me.
Today, the amount of people just like in your pictures, because it's a weekday. I have not to be queue too long for playing Pooh, or RC. And there are a lot of vacant seats in every restaurants.

I hope the castle can be repaint the color soon since the wall had a lot of new cements that used to fill the holes made by the 5th decors, the color looks old.

[TimmyTimmyTimmy]

Nice trip report and pictures. It seems HKDL is a wonderful, but little park. Even if you liked TSPl at HKDL better than at WDSP, I don't want to see it both parks. I'm glad that in Paris it wasn't built in DLP.

Did you stay in a Disney Hotel?

The theme of a land of toys fits very well in the Disneyland concept. The toys are ugly but when hidden away in a place of their own they form a childs garden environment in a good enough way. The soldier tower should not be there... otherwise I like the place. It would fit ok in DLP if it was hidden away from the other lands like in HKDL. It would truly be a land of it´s own... toys in a garden. In WDS... it´s in the middle of everything sticking up everywhere and just not as immersive enough like in HKDL.
But that´s just my oppinion. I hope HKDL wont get anymore cheap rides.

I never stay in the resorts. I just can´t afford it. I stay in some of the better hotels when in Hong Kong... this time I was at Langham Place in Kowloon and Harbour Grand in Hong Kong Island. Both were great and cheaper than the two Disney options. It only takes 30 minutes to Disney in HK. I don´t see the need to pay extra to visit just one single park.


When in Florida I rent a villa just outside WDW. It then takes about 15 minutes to drive to the resort and the parks. It´s cheap and good enough for me/us.

[Dagobert]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I have to say I'm in general against TSPL, I just don't like the overal look of it. I have to admit I haven't seen it in person. You are right it fits better into a DL park than into a Studios park. I just can't see the connection to a movie studio. But DLP deserves something better than three carnival rides for an expansion.

The hotel you have stayed looks nice.

[Witches of Morva]

ORWEN: By the way, Timmy, duckling, while you were at HKDL did you happen to notice whether or not Rapunzel is still making regular meetings and greetings there? I know she had been out for a while but just wondered if she's a 'regular' character over there.

[TimmyTimmyTimmy]

ORWEN: By the way, Timmy, duckling, while you were at HKDL did you happen to notice whether or not Rapunzel is still making regular meetings and greetings there? I know she had been out for a while but just wondered if she's a 'regular' character over there.

I did not see her in the park. I don´t really know if she is a regular there heh

[Witches of Morva]

ORWEN: Thank you for answering, Timmy. I know that Rapunzel has become a 'regular' in the American parks--at both Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom--but just wondered if she was popular enough in HKDL for her to be seen on a regular basis there.

[bennettshiu]

Rapunzel is still there, but not as regular as Snow White or Cinderella. Probably you could only see her in weekends.

[TimmyTimmyTimmy]

They could take away the ugly Tinkerbell photospot and build a permanent one for Rapunzel. It wouldn´t cost much to build a simple tower and to have Rapunzel sitting either in it or have standing outside.

[robbiem]

Great report. It always looks to me like Hong Kong was such a wasted opportunity the mountain setting looks loverly and if the had built a real resort and full park it could have been the best Disney resort - too bad we need up with what we did