FOR someone not raised with Disney films, I still consider our whole day stay inside Disneyland Hong Kong Park superb. How much more for those who are really fans?
The experience of finally meeting in the flesh your favourite Disney characters including prince and princesses must have been a sort of fulfillment of childhood dreams!
“Mura kog nibalik pagkabata (It seems like the child in me was awakened),” my girl (Jandi) put her experience just that. Seeing the genuine smiles of people from around the world while enjoying the rides and attractions inside this amusement park reaffirmed what Disneyland claimed for years – the happiest place on earth!
Hong Kong Disneyland Park is a magical amusement park inspired by fairy-tale dreams and is composed of seven lands – Adventureland, Grizzly Gulch, Mystic Point, Toy Story Land, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and Main Street USA.
It was a rainy Wednesday when we arrived at Hong Kong Disneyland. It was raining really hard that caused us to be slightly wet even with our umbrellas on. It could have been nicer to visit this place on a sunny day to roam around the park freely without the fear of getting wet and achieve those photos you see online with the HK Disneyland on the background.
But fate let us experience its rainy version and who are we to complain? We are already here and there is no other ways but enjoy the best of the moment – rain or shine.
And the good thing about this park, you still get to enjoy what you paid for – even if it’s raining - because a lot of its rides and shows are indoors.
We first tried the Hyperspace Mountain in Tomorrowland and it was hell of a start! Clueless as we are, we really had no prior knowledge on what we entered into but I was glad we made that choice. There was no better way to start this whole Disneyland experience but this thrill-filled, fast-paced indoor roller coaster.
We loosened up a bit and allowed the child within us enjoy a cruise of It’s a Small World. During the nine-minute musical boat tour, we marveled on some 300 traditionally dressed dimple darlings from almost every part of the globe singing in their native languages – including Filipino - about harmony and peace.
Apart from rides, live shows are other best things when in Disneyland. And the Festival of The Lion King is on top of the list. The 30-minute show is a spectacular production bringing to life the well-loved story of The Lion King in lively dances, song number, aerial performances, giant floats, and fire dancing. In fact, I was on LSS with their song Hakuna Matata, a Swahili language phrase which means “no worries”.
We enjoyed noodles during lunch at Clopin’s Festival of Foods. Yes, it’s quite pricey but we all wanted noodles which are perfect fit for the kind of weather that day. Good thing, just minutes after lunch, the rain stopped and clear skies started to appear allowing us to try some outdoor rides like RC Rider.
But only Jandi and I braved the adrenaline-fuelled attraction because mama is restricted for medical reasons and Ralph has fear of heights. We caught ourselves shouting the whole ride. But I must admit, it was kind of liberating and fulfilling, after taking the 27-meter tall U-shaped race track swing ride you feel like you overcame one of your greatest fears. What made it more special is that I did it with her.
Some other rides and attractions we experienced and visit were: Jungle River Cruise; Iron Man Experience; Mad Hatter Tea Cups; Orbitron; Toy Soldier Parachute Drop; Fairy Tale Forest; Mickey’s PhilMargic; Dumbo the Flying Elephant; Cinderella Carousel; The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh; and Star Wars Command Post.
We ended our day on a bright note – figuratively and literally. We waited until 8:30 to witness the Paint the Night parade highlighted with a flurry of performers and Disney Characters on their glowing outfits dancing to the beat of music. Mickey and Minnie are awesome with glowing costumes on.
Dedicating our whole day in HK Disneyland Park is a good decision. A day is even not enough to enjoy the whole of this magical kingdom but a day here is all we need to rediscover the happy child within us.
*How to get to HK Disneyland Park
If you are from Tsim Sha Tsui, walk to MRT station near you. Take the Tsuen Wan line and stop at Lai King station, then transfer to Tung Chung line and alight at Sunny Bay Station. Lastly, transfer to Disneyland Resort Line which will bring you to the happiest place on earth.
For the last part of this travel series, let me take you to the little Vegas in Asia – Macao.
For suggestions, comments, and questions, email me at aceperez.manlalakbay@gmail.com