A Mom Tells You The Best Way To Navigate Hong Kong Disney!

Disney has a special place in any child’s heart and is an undeniably huge part of childhood and growing up. It was for me and it definitely is for my children too! If your children are in the age range of 3-13, chances are they know everything there is to know about Disney and are fans of its many, many shows!

Image Source: www.letsdochina.com

This holiday season why not surprise them by taking them to meet many of their favourite characters? KSP brings you the complete lowdown on Hong Kong’s Disneyland Park and be prepared to be transported to a magical land that will enthrall your kids and remind you of your childhood!

Getting There

• Fly to Hong Kong’s Lantau Island from any major Indian city. Land at the international airport and transit to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. It takes only 10 minutes by taxi.
• When planning to visit Hong Kong Disney make sure you factor the weather and the crowds. September- November is lovely fall weather but it also tends to be extremely crowded at the park. Spring and summer from March – August is manageable both weather and crowd wise. But winter is when the crowds ease up.

Tips for Accommodation: 

As a mom I like to make sure I get the most out of my trip with the kids and try to avoid unnecessary commuting. So to make sure we were not travelling on public transport with the kids too much, we chose to stay as close to Disneyland as possible. There are two options to choose from – The Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Hollywood Hotel. Once at the hotel make sure to check out the multiple Disney themed things for kids to do at the hotel itself and get them started! The hotels next to the park have free shuttle busses departing to the park every 10 mins and back.

Pick up brochures and plan ahead for the next day. If you would like to pack some food and keep some snacks on hand then make sure you buy ahead at stores close to the airport. Once you reach the hotels there are no stores to purchase basics from.

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and Main Attractions

Make sure you get an early start the next morning so you can avoid the long queues. As soon as you get to the park go to guest services to pick up passes, enquire about specials for the day, and ask about show and movie timings.

The Disney park has something for everyone. The park itself is divided into seven lands to make it easy to explore.

Adventureland:

1. Jungle River Cruise
2. Tarzan’s treehouse
3. Lion King Show

 Grizzly Gulch

Image Source: www.hongkongdisneyland.com

1. Big Grizzly Mountain – This is a roller coaster and has height restrictions.

 Mystic Point:

Image Source: www.hongkongdisneyland.com

1. Mystic Manor – Must do for older kids and adults!

 Toy Story Land:

1. Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop
2. Slinky Dog Spin – Little kids will love this ride.
3. RC Racer
4. Meet characters from Toy Story (or meet them later at the parade)

Fantasyland:

1. Mad Hatter Tea Cups – Giant, rotating teacups will be a hit with the little ones and bring out the child in you!
2. Cinderella Carousel – Little girls will love this one.
3. Dumbo
4. It’s a Small World Ride
5. Many adventures of Winnie the Pooh
6. Meeting the characters – If your kids are keen on meeting Mickey, Minnie, Belle, Goofy etc, make sure to check the timings at Guest Services or see them later at the parade.
7. Mickey’s PhilharMagic – 4D film, best to avoid with little ones.

Tomorrowland:

1. Autopia
2. Space Mountain – Roller coaster ride has height restrictions.
3. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters – strictly if you are a Buzz Lightyear fan
4. Orbitron

Main Street, U.S.A.:

1. Animation Academy
2. Art Of Animation
3. Main Street Vehicles

Each area has its own share of attractions, so make sure to plan ahead. Talk to your kids about what they are most excited about and head there first. Chances are there are shorter queues in the morning! You can always circle back for round two later in the day.

Here’s why we chose to visit Hong Kong Disneyland with the kids:

1. Age Appropriate: Perfect introduction to the Disney Parks for younger kids. This park is smaller than other Disney parks worldwide, so far less stressful and easy to navigate. Kids from ages 4 – 8 will be able to go on most rides.
2. Easy to reach: Direct flights to Hong Kong (duration only 5+ hours), Disney park 10 mins by taxi/metro train from Hong Kong International Airport and 30 mins by taxi/ metro train from Hong Kong City or Kowloon.
3. Visa on arrival: Free, two weeks visa on arrival.

How many days to visit:

While I prefer to travel over a period of 9-10 days so the kids are not on a hectic travel schedule, a week is more than enough to have a great time at Hong Kong Disney. Depending on the age of your children, make sure to plan ahead and earmark what you want to see. It is a huge waste of time to go to one ride and realise that children of a certain age are not allowed on it.

Tips: 

• When you arrive at Guest Services make sure to enquire about a Fast Pass. This is a small ticket that will help you avoid long queues.
• If your child is a huge Frozen fan go first to Fantasyland under the castle to collect meet and greet passes for Elsa and Anna at specific timings all through the day. I ask you to go fast as they get sold out within minutes. The pass allows you to meet, greet, and take photos with Elsa and Anna.
• As a mom I am well aware of just how much my kids will walk. So take a stroller with you. Even if they insist on walking you can dump your belongings in it. Once they are tired they can sit and take a break. If you don’t have a stroller of your own, you can rent one from the park.
• If you don’t want to be carrying an expensive (often heavy) camera for pictures, you can ask Guest Services for the Photo Pass. This helps a lot as Disney reps all through the park can take unlimited photos of your entire family and you can download and print them later.
• If you do get a headstart, take a break after lunch and come back to the hotel. Rest and go back to see the parade and fireworks later in the evening.
• For Fireworks later in the evening (around 9:00 pm) the Main Street Train Station is the best vantage point.

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Image Source: disneyparks.disney.go.com