Calvin’s Hub

You can view Part 1 of our trip here.

Our plan for the next day was to visit Hong Kong Disneyland. This was my main purpose going to Hong Kong (not shopping) and I was pretty excited to go. Tickets for adults costs HKD295 during regular days and HKD350 during peak days.

To get to Disneyland from Dragon Hostel via MTR, take Mong Kok -> Lai King -> Sunny Bay -> Disneyland Resort.

Citygate Outlet Mall

But first, my wife wanted to visit Citygate which was also in the Tung Chung MTR line right after Sunny Bay. Citygate is a mall with lots of outlet stores for popular brands such as Giordano, Benetton, EDC, Columbia, Armani Exchange, Roots, etc.

Unfortunately, most of the shops doesn’t open till noon so we just had a quick cheap lunch at their food court before going to Disneyland.

Hong Kong Disneyland

Finally, we arrived at Disneyland at around 12 noon and were both excited. Even before we got to the ticket booth we took a lot of pictures by the entrance and the whale fountain.

After a while, we got our tickets and quickly took a map of the place and an attraction guide so we could plan our day. It was a great cool day and the heat from the sun was kinda refreshing.

Our plan was to make it to all the shows and at the same time take photos before it gets dark. We can ride the attractions and visit the shops afterwards.

Royal Christmas Ball

First show we went to was the Royal Christmas Ball in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. We rode the Disney railroad train by the Main Street going to Fantasyland.

Looking back, we should’ve just walked straight to the castle instead of waiting for the train so we could get a nice spot for the show. But anyway, at least we experienced riding it.

If you don’t want to watch Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy in their Christmas garb and Sleeping Beauty with Prince Charming dancing, you might want to skip this show. You’ll be standing under the heat of the sun the whole time.

The Golden Mickeys

Right after the show, we headed straight to the Golden Mickeys held at the Storybook Theater which is still in Fantasyland.

This show is a musical celebration of Disney’s films and characters, from Mulan, Toy Story, Tarzan to Aladdin. The host spoke in Chinese and you have to read the prompters for the English translation while watching the show.

Try to line up 30 minutes before the show so you could get good seats inside. The place is not that elevated so if you’re stuck with a tall guy in front you might not enjoy the show.

It’s A Small World

After the show, we lined up for the It’s A Small World ride which is just beside the Golden Mickeys. We spent a long time waiting for this ride which I didn’t really enjoy.

This is a 15-minute indoor river cruise where you will see lots of miniature children of the world sing and dance to the song “It’s a small world”. You can hear a Filipino version of the song in here as well.

I really think that the ride was not worth the waiting time that we did here. You might want to skip this if you have no kids with you.

Fantasy Gardens

Next stop is a photo op in the Fantasy Gardens (still in Fantasyland).

Fantasy gardens is composed of 5 gazebos with Disney characters where you could have your photos taken. When we got there, the characters were Mickey and Minnie, Winnie the Pooh, Donald, Goofy and Pluto.

We only got to take a picture with Goofy and Pluto because they were the ones with the shortest line. We should’ve just spent a lot of time here instead of It’s A Small World.

There will be park attendants on each gazebo who can take good photos with their DSLR for you or you could ask them to use you own camera. The characters know how to make wacky poses so exploit them.

Mickey’s PhilharMagic

Still in Fantasyland, we quickly went to line up at Mickey’s PhilharMagic auditorium.

This was the best show for me! You’ll watch Donald trying to catch Mickey’s wizard hat across different Disney films while wearing 3D glasses. You get to experience 3D objects flying straight at you, smell the food and get slightly shocked by the eels.

Kids will enjoy this one so you shouldn’t miss it. Don’t forget to look at the back of the theater right after the show.

Festival of the Lion King

Afterwards, it’s time to leave Fantasyland for Adventureland to see the Festival of the Lion King at the Theater in the Wild.

In this 30-minute show, you’ll get to witness a colorful pageant of music and dance inspired by and celebrating Disney’s “The Lion King.”

It pays to be early for this one because the place is huge and you don’t want to be far from the center stage. You get to high five and handshake the performers if you’re seated at the front row.

“Let It Snow” Christmas Parade

After The Lion King we quickly rushed to the main street to get a good spot near the sidewalk where the Disney Parade will happen. There were already a lot of people around but we still managed to get a good spot.

Too bad the parade started late in the afternoon when the sun is already setting. It’s hard to take good pictures with a point and shoot camera so it’s nice to have a tripod for this one. During peak days, the parade starts at 3pm.

It was already dark when the parade ended so it’s time to keep the camera and enjoy some rides at Tomorrowland.

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters

I really wanted to try this ride after hearing it from my sister-in-law. It’s like a mine cart ride for two with laser blasters included.

Your goal is to zap enemy targets all over the place with your blaster while riding the cart. Each successful hit will net you points which is displayed in your side of the cart. Harder to hit or moving targets will give you more points and I only managed 28,800 points good enough just to reach the next rank.

Lots of flashing lights on this ride that gave me a headache afterwards.

Space Mountain

This is the closest thing to a roller coaster that Disneyland has to offer. There will be sharp turns and drops on this interstellar roller coaster ride.

It’s an indoor roller coaster so it’s not that scary. I kinda strained my neck on this one. Hehehe.

Autopia

This ride is like a very tame go-kart. Basically you will just ride some sort of a bumper car on a defined track. There’s no chance that you’re gonna get off the track and all you have to do is avoid bumping the car in front.

Pretty lame car ride in my opinion and the wait is pretty long for such a so-so ride.

Where To Eat?

After Autopia we decided to grab dinner before the fireworks start (8 PM).

There are three types of food establishments in Disneyland where you could have a decent meal. There are restaurants on each world that serves ala-cart meal that is suitable for the family. A bit expensive though.

There are also food court on each world that serves rice meals, noodles, or fast-food (except in Adventureland) such as burgers and fried chickens. I think the most variety of food can be found in the Royal Banquet Hall in Fantasyland. Maximum price of such meals is HKD50.

Finally, you can also stick to eating hotdogs, dumplings, fish balls, squid tentacles and other food cart items located all over the place.

When we got to the Comet Cafe in Tomorrowland, they ran out of rice meals. We don’t want to be far from Main Street where the fireworks will happen so we went to Adventureland. Unfortunately, all they had left were noodles so that’s what we ate for dinner. Hahaha. But we still managed to finish before 8.

Disney in the Stars Fireworks

It was already cold in the evening and most couples were in the mood for snuggling while waiting for the fireworks to start.

We arrived 10 minutes before 8 so we didn’t get a good spot. Poor Tia having a hard time enjoying the fireworks show. I only managed to take photos of the night sky without the view of the castle.

If you want to get a good position, be at the front of the castle 30 to 45 minutes before the fireworks start.

Afterwards, they let some snow fall on the streets as people started heading for the exit. The place was gorgeous with all the lights and the huge Christmas Tree on Main Street. We visited some shops first before heading out.

Overall, it was a very great day and we really had a grand time. Thanks to the cool weather which made the experience more enjoyable.

In Hindsight

If I’m going back to Disneyland, I would want to start early when they open at 10 AM. I would also want to see the Stitch Encounter which we completely missed.

I’d pass on the It’s A Small World and maybe try the Jungle River Cruise (the line was too long so we skipped it) instead.

I would also want to spend more time in Fantasy Gardens so I can have my picture taken with all the Disney characters available.

I”ll write about our trip to Macau on the next part.

You might also be interested in:

• Hong Kong Trip for Two Part 1: The Plan
• Hong Kong Trip for Two Part 3: Visiting Macau
• Off to Hong Kong
• Pepper Lunch in Hong Kong

Filed under: Travel