IT WAS a leisurely train ride down Hong Kong’s MTR (Mass Transit Railway) to Disneyland. You go through tunnels and then see landscapes of the small towns of Lantau and seascapes of the China Sea.
Then you make a change in Sunny Valley and the train that takes you straight to Disneyland has windows carved with the silhouette of Mickey Mouse and you see pedestals on each corner of Disney characters. Unknowingly, you are being prepared for a magical journey. As you get off the train, the ticket booths await you. Then a big arch welcomes you to Disneyland.
Disneyland Hong Kong is the youngest of all the Disneyland parks in the world. In 2013, it was declared as the 13th most visited theme park in the world with 7.4 million visitors. It occupies an area of 49.9 hectares and hosts 7.92 million to 8.92 million visitors annually.
The park consists of seven themed areas: The first of which is Main Street, which brings you back to the Old Days of USA. Before us are delicate buildings, dim gas lamps and Paddy Wagons, antique taxicabs, the railroad and the City Hall where we got our wheelchair again for Nana. As we are in China, Chinese elements are added on.
We were now ready to explore all the different theme lands. Mystic Point was something new. Set in 1909, it is an uncharted rain forest surrounded by mysterious forces and supernatural events. The site features Mystic Manor, home of Lord Henry Mystic, a world traveler and adventurer and his mischievous monkey, Albert. We enjoyed that very much.
Then we were off to Toy Land which features all the toys of Andy. This theme park is based on the Toy Story movie series. I could see Iñigo’s face light up. These were all so familiar to him. There were Woody, Buzz, Rex, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. We allowed him to ran and pose with all the giant figures. We even rode in Slinky, the springy dachshund toy that spins and chases his tail along the ride. We have 11 dachshunds at home and what a joy that was for Iñigo.
We had a sumptuous lunch in Adventure Land, the jungle theme park of wild animals, savage headhunters and totems. Here, we caught the showing of Lion King Festival. I did not realize that this would really be a fabulous production. The musical extravaganza based on the story of Simba was complete with acrobats, dancers in spectacular costumes, giant-sized characters performed in a circular stage. As Nana was in her wheelchair, we had ringside seats and enjoyed not only interacting with the dancers but had countless high five’s with them.
An interesting note is that my cousin Susie Lizares Mamabaquio’s husband, Chito, was one of the dancers in the Lion King Festival. After many years in Hong Kong Disneyland, he is now specializing in special event and parades.
Apres, we headed for Grizzly Gulch in the Old Western town. It had a mining mountain, golden nuggets, gashing geysers, a town jail and more. The roller coaster was a runaway mining car which was a thrilling ride. Luigi decided to go for seconds. We entertained Iñigo with a water game and lined up for a photo op with Mickey and Minnie.
The next stop was Mickey's PhilharMagic. The 4-D film attraction is a 12-minute-long show featuring 3D effects, scents, and water, as well as a number of characters from Disney movies. It is shown on the largest purpose-built 3D screen ever made, at 150 feet wide. The central character is Donald Duck and you can practically touch him with your 3-D glasses. Iñigo was so amazed that every now and then, he would take off his glasses if indeed Donald was an arm’s reach away!
It was starting to get dark and we were told not to miss the Disney Paint the Night. It features seven original floats containing over 740,000 individual lights followed by a cascade of dancers fully lit. If we are talking about Electrical Parades, this is it.
This trip to Disneyland was intended for Iñigo and we haven’t even reach Fantasyland. Dumbo became a must-rise and then we entered It’s a Small World which looked very much improved since the last time I was there. The Philippine section did not have the solitary lady in a terno which before we felt was representative of Imelda Marcos. Now, there are two ladies dressed in Filipiniana in a balcony with a Tarsier hanging in a tree.
We could not leave without visiting Tomorrow Land. We flew in a space capsule and fought against aliens with space guns in Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters. With front size precision, my score was not bad at all!
The evening was capped with Disney in the Stars, a nightly fireworks and pyrotechnics coordinated to orchestrated classic Disney music.
Who says Disneyland is only for kids? Even my adult sons said this was the best trip to Disneyland ever. Looking at Iñigo enjoying all the rides and the shows was bliss for us! Thank you Lord for that precious week of family bonding and enjoying the wonderful sights!