The HKDL Source

Update for July 16  to July 22 - News and Commentary

 

Skip To: Current Closures, Refurbishment and Construction |  Events & Important Dates | Current Discounts/Promotions | Park Hours/Schedule/Annual Pass Blockout Days

---

News This Week: | Mickey's Summer Blast | Chief Spy's Trip Report | HKDL Theme Store in Guangzhou | Happy Birthday HKDL Source |

 

Oh, and welcome back! It's good to be back in my own chair in my own city and state. Not that the good people of Brisbane, Queensland weren't pleasant to me, but there is nothing like coming home after a week away on pseudo-business. So as we stare at each other across the great divide, connected only by our computer monitors and fumbling our way through long and uncomfortable pauses because we don't really know each other (but may like to in some significantly touching way) let us go forward together through the passages of time and space as we reach the 1st Anniversary of this humble site and we embrace the power that is This Week in Hong Kong Disneyland.

 

Mickey’s Summer Blast

 

So what happened during my 'absence'? Not much really. Oh yes, there is the small matter of all those new attractions opening in the park this week.

 

Thanks to Spy Bennett and Mickey20d, we've covered the event fairly heavily in the last week. Starting with Tom's post covering the New Summer Benefits for Annual Passholders; some of our coverage has included:

 

• Mickey's WaterWorks Debuts: Our first collection of Mickey's WaterWorks photos from Spy Bennett. This wonderful collection contains full shots of the new parade, as well as a wonderful parade route map showing you how to stay alternatively wet and dry during the event. Thanks to Bennett for the snaps!
• More WaterWorks and Animation Academy Photos: Long-time contributor and fan Mickey20d sent us almost 60 new photos of both the WaterWorks parade and the Animation Academy, both of which opened for previews last week. This wonderful collection provides an alternate take on the previous set, and goes to show that every eye behind a camera offers a unique view. As a bonus, we get some of Mickey20d's artwork from the Animation Academy sessions! Thanks again to Mickey20d for the photos.
• HKDL Officially Kicks Off the Summer Blast: On July 10, Disney staged its media preview for the Summer events. They got in popular Taiwanese band, Fahrenheit and provided us with a few new photos of the event and summer attractions...not to mention merchandise.
• Mickey's Summer Blast 2007 Gallery: Thanks to the above contributors, we've expanded this section to well over 100 photos, all gathered together for your viewing pleasure. We guarantee you won't get wet in here.

 

We have to admit that we are pretty excited by these new attractions. While we could be cynical, and we have been known for our cynicism on occasion, this new Summer event is exactly the kind of thing that is going to set Hong Kong Disneyland apart from other ventures in the area. The consistent criticisms of Hong Kong Disneyland all centre on the idea that it is somehow a lesser park with little to do. While it is hard to argue that it is a little light on attractions, this event seems very much in line with the Tokyo Disneyland idea of unique parades and events. While the Mickey's WaterWorks Parade and other activities may be only temporary, the streetmosphere that is being provided is pure Disney. There are more than simply "two new attractions" lining the street, including street performers such as the Main Street Water Brigade and the puzzles and games available to kids around the park. While this may potentially still put HKDL in the 'just copying someone else's crowning achievements' box (if such a box exists), we feel that it is starting to give the Hong Kong audience its own special niche. Hong Kong Disneyland guests seem to have been responding well to the mini-games and streetmosphere more than anything else, especially in light of the success of the Pirate Land Takeover that began in May this year. As it is extending through summer, and as such is running in tandem with the new summer events, it suddenly seems as though Hong Kong Disneyland is a great deal more dense than it was a few months ago. Coupled with the fact that this new parade runs daily - and the existing Disney on Parade is still running at is regular mid-afternoon timeslot - it means that there is suddenly a hell of a lot more to do in Hong Kong Disneyland than there has been at any other time. Hopefully this will send a clear message to the powers that be that a successful Disney park is one that gives the audience something to do and absolutely every turn.

Nemo's Puzzle Challenge

 

I guess we should also mention this excellent video found on You Tube by a poster under the name of kelvinssea, depicting the WaterWorks Parade. NB: This video is not hosted by HKDL Source, but we thought we'd include a mention of it here simply because it is such a great depiction of the park. If you have any videos of the parade, or any other aspect of the park you just want to show off, please feel free to Contact Us. We'll be opening our  brand new video section this week, and will soon be populating it with fan and other videos.

 

If you want to see this new parade for yourself, it is on at 1:00 PM daily all through summer. If you are a fan of the old parade, don’t worry as it is still going strong at 3:30 PM daily as well. Check the official site for details.

 

Our Chief Spy's Summer Blast Trip Report

 

Of course, something that is hosted by HKDL Source is the always excellent reporting of our Chief Spy. She took a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland on Friday the 13th (spooky!) to investigate the new parade, street activities and Animation Academy. Here's what she had to say:

 

We got there around 2:00 and Main Street was deserted, except for the long line to take a picture with the mice. We lucked out and went to the Animation Academy and drew Donald Duck! 20 minutes of a crash course in drawing! Amazingly good fun.

 

Had a very late lunch, bought a water pistol and went to the parade. By the time it had finished, we were both soaked to the gills. It was like a wet t-shirt contest. Thank goodness I wasn't wearing white! With the exception of the idiot behind us who kept hitting me in the head with the umbrella, the crowd loved it. As predicted on mice chat, we were dry again within 20 minutes. One of the Cast Members told me it was 33 degrees. It felt like 40+.

 

After the parade we went back to the Animation Academy and drew Mickey! The animator gave [my daughter] his drawing of Mickey so she was thrilled. A word of warning though, almost the entire thing was in Chinese. 

Animation Academy

 

We decided to go for a walk to Fantasyland, and what did we find...Games! Under the Seas (which is like a 'Finding Nemo' ball toss), and Nemo's Puzzle Challenge, which was a wall-based puzzle with large pieces.  The ball toss was hard for [my daughter], I didn't try. I let her have my turn because the line was a bit long. The puzzle was fun, you compete against another person and the winner got a Summer splash straw, the looser got two stickers, one Mickey and one Donald Summer Splash. There was supposed to be a stitch dance, but I couldn't find it. Maybe next time...

 

Didn't get to Pirate Land until dark so I didn't see anything interesting or new there. We did Jungle Cruise three times in a row: twice with another family from Australia, and once by ourselves. It is amazing after dark, it was my first time to see that.

 

All in all, with the two new attractions and the games, it made for a really fun day, the kind I haven't had for a while. (Yes, mom is getting a bit tired of Pooh 14 times in a row). It was a very busy day for a little girl. So much new, exciting, fun stuff to do. She passed out after her bath. (Thank goodness). And me, I'm about to hit the hay. One of the CM's told me later in the summer they will try to have different characters to draw. If we go on the right day we can draw as many as 6 different ones. That would be a day in itself.

 

So as we can see from our Chief Spy's report, there is certainly a lot more than just the two main new attractions going on. For a park that many label as 'empty', it seems to have more than your average amusement park going on at the moment. Should it matter that this is not filled with Disney 'E-tickets' and other big attractions? If the audience is happy, surely that is the main thing? Once again, being a seasonal event, it is hard to tell what kind of momentum this thing is going to have. When summer is over, it is only a short hop, skip and jump to the triple treat of Halloween/Christmas/New Year but we continue to wonder about the longevity of a park that relies solely on seasonal activities. Perhaps this is exactly what the local market wants, but we can't help but think about the old Field of Dreams adage: If you build it, they will come.

 

Don't forget, a complete collection of her photos - and those of our other spies - can be found in our Mickey's Summer Blast 2007 Gallery.

 

Hong Kong Disneyland Theme Store in Guangzhou

 

Hong Kong Disneyland and GZL International Travel Services this week opened the first GZL Hong Kong Disneyland themed store in Guangzhou. They describe it as "a multi-sensory interactive experience. From the moment guests enter the store, they gain a deeper understanding of the amazing array of Disney attractions, Broadway-style entertainment, dining, shopping and accommodations that is available at Hong Kong Disneyland[...]In addition to the multi-media displays and whimsical decorations, such as mini replicas of the different themed lands in the Park, guests will be introduced to the magical world of Hong Kong Disneyland through monthly activities and will come to understand the international level of entertainment for which the Disney brand is renowned."

 

GZL Hong Kong Disneyland themed store is located at Huili Shangwu Lou, 113 Jiaoyu Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou. More details can be read here.

 

Happy Birthday HKDL Source

 

We turn 1 this week. Tomorrow in fact. Who would have thought that a humble thread on MiceChat would lead to this massive undertaking that you see before you today. It's funny looking back at that thread now, as we literally went from Tom's innocent question about why there were no dedicated fan sites on Hong Kong Disneyland to the planning stages of the site in less than a week. It was also Tom's suggestion for the name that we ultimately chose as well. "There's always "The HKDL Source"", he said. With Alex volunteering to host and design, and Tom and I willing to fill it with content, how could we possibly go wrong?

 

 

We didn't go wrong. In fact, it all went very right for us from day one. Officially opening our doors on 17 July 2006 - to commemorate the 51st anniversary of the original Disneyland in California - we seemed to have tapped a willing fanbase. To this date, we are strongly committed to being the definitive source of HKDL news out there. Some highlights over the last year have included:

• Seeing Autopia, Stitch Encounter and UFO Cool Zone launch in July 2006
• Watching HKDL Celebrate its First Anniversary
• Bringing you Exclusive Photos of the it's a small world construction
• Richard's visit to Hong Kong Disneyland in September 2006
• Sharing the joy of hearing about Three New Attractions in HKDL
• Launching this column in November 2006!
• Changing Servers at least twice!!!
• Tom's visit to Hong Kong Disneyland in February 2007
• Exclusively revealing the Pirates Takeover Overlay for Adventureland
• Launching the new-look HKDL Source in April
• Being invited by Disney to join them in launching Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End in the park
• Watching Mickey's Summer Blast 2007 kick off this week and all those lovely photos we received!

 

Of course, we couldn't have done this without the support and generosity of our regular readers and fans of Hong Kong Disneyland. For their tireless efforts, we have to send big props to our Chief Spy, Spy Bennett, Mickey20d and SleeplessinSG who have provided us with so many photos over the last year that our gallery section has kept expanding. They also keep us abreast of everything happening in the park on a regular basis, and for that we thank them. We’d also like to thank some of the websites that have supported us in their continual linkage back to us, such as DLRP.fr; Disney Portal; Down Under Disneyana; Gordon over at Mousevine; Laughing Place; the inspirational Mouse Planet and DLP.info;  Mouse Savers and of course, Mice Chat. We’d also like to thank Disney Publicity for their putting up with our perpetual questions – and hopefully for some time to come – and absolutely anybody else we’ve forgotten in the rush to get this column out.

 

So to thank you for all the time you’ve helped put into this community, we are going to be staging something a little bit special over the next few weeks. Tomorrow see the launch of HKDL Source 2.0, a far more interactive version of the site with expanded multimedia, RSS feeds and all that other stuff we’ve been talking about for months. Plus, we’ll be launching our very first competition right here on HKDL Source, and you’ll have the chance to win some goodies from some of the recent seasons in the park.

 

Here’s to at least one more!

 

Standard Sign Out Section

 

Remember, as always, if you have any news, photos, trip reports or just a question, feel free to contact us. Another way you can help out the site is by voting for us on The Disney Portal. They rank all of the Disney sites on the web according to popularity and numbers of hits, and we are slowly making our way up the ranks. If you want to help us move up even higher, please use the link below to vote for us.

 

 

Current Closures, Refurbishments and Construction

 

• Fantasyland: No closures in Fantasyland, but there is constant construction going on ‘beyond the berm’ for the forthcoming it’s a small world attraction (Coming April 2008).
• Land appears to be cleared and built upon behind Adventureland and the Promenade for as-yet-undisclosed project. While some contend that this land has always been in this state, we have reports that some construction was seen to be going on in this area. Others still say that this is prep-work for a Downtown Disney style area and the Pirates extension to Adventureland. The HK Building Department reports this as a 'Dangerous Goods Storage Area'. Time will tell.
• Construction work is being carried out near the main gates, allegedly for some new toilets and Cast Member break room.

 

Events & Important Dates

 

If you know of any events that should be listed here, please let us know. 

 

On Now

• Mickey's Summer Blast: Mickey's WaterWorks and Animation Academy (July 14 - August 31): Officially launching for Summer on July 14, Annual Passholders have been told to expect to see these events from July 7. Now incorporating...
• ...Pirates Overlay (May 4 to August): Disney has announced that they will be celebrating the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End in grand style, with pirates taking over Adventureland and the hotels. See here for more details. Now extended throughout summer.

 

July

• First Anniversary of HKDL Source (July 17): We turn One in July, and you know we aren’t going to let it slide. There will be street parades; fireworks…well, ok, maybe not. The budget won’t cover that. However, stayed tuned for competitions; more member interactivity and a whole makeover for the site!

September

• Hong Kong Disneyland’s Birthday (September 12): Hong Kong Disneyland turns two. No official word on any celebrations, but given that the First Anniversary was relatively low-key, we can’t imagine any huge events on the horizon. Don’t quote us though.

 

October

• Halloween: Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialise all through October, as Hong Kong Disneyland celebrates its second official Halloween. Look for the decorations to go up early October, and then segue into the Christmas/New Year celebrations in November. Rumour has it that this year will see a haunted house walk-through attraction temporarily erected.

 

November/December

• Christmas: From mid-November until New Year's Eve (December 31), Hong Kong Disneyland's Main Street will become a Winter Wonderland, with a tree lighting ceremony; musical events; special meals and the big man himself, Santa.
• Magical New Year and Countdown: Concluding the Christmas festivities, this big event will be a dance party for some; some old-school shindigging for others and an excuse to have fun for all. Count down to midnight in the park, and then go back and drain the hotels of all alcohol.

 

April 2008

• it’s a small world (April 2008): RTHK News reports that the attraction is set to open in April 2008, which is consistent with Disney’s official line of ‘early 2008’.

 

Current Discounts/Promotions

• Annual Passholders: From July 1 to August 31, Passholders will receive an exclusive deals. Full details can be found here.
• Interest Free Installment when Purchasing Annual Passes: Purchase Annual Pass now with a Standard Chartered VISA Card or MANHATTAN VISA Card to enjoy a 12-month interest free installment. Offer Period: 1 December, 2006 – 31 December, 2007. See here for details. 
• Stay and Play for 2 Days: Book a hotel stay and enjoy an extra day at Hong Kong Disneyland when you purchase a one-day ticket! The offer has been extended until 29 September 2007!
• Dining Deal: Book breakfast in advance and receive 30% off. Conditions apply.

 

Park Hours/Schedule/Annual Pass Block-out Days

 

Starting from Friday July 13, park hours will stay at the extended time of 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM all week until the end of summer (August 31). Every day from now until the end of August is classed as a “Peak Ticket Day” and the ticket prices will be reflected accordingly.

 

Value Annual Passholders will have all weekends blocked to them during July and August. Deluxe and Premium Annual Passholders get to go crazy, as no dates are blocked to them.

Comments

Leave a Comment

You Must Be Logged In to Post a Comment