The HKDL Source

Update for July 30  to August 5 - News and Commentary

 

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

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Third Hotel in Sight | It's Easy Being Green | Halloween Auditions | Panlilio Plot? | Summer Days | Stay Tuned

 

Ever have one of those weeks where you are doubting what you are doing is useful? When writing for a niche audience, as one is when writing for a site specifically on Hong Kong Disneyland, it is difficult to tell what impact you are having. After all, what can we offer beyond tons of photos, the odd trip report and the various ramblings of a madman? There are dedicated Disney sites that seem to be privy to far more insider gossip than us, or at least far more educated guesswork, so why should you spend your time on us? Well, we can’t give you a reason, but I think we are sexier than most other sources of news. Frankly, there are weeks when we can barely raise enough enthusiasm to write a paragraph on the park, let alone a whole column. When all is said and done, like Hong Kong Disneyland itself, it’s not the size of the thing that counts, but the heart inside. So our low-rent paying, palpitating, pulps inside our shirts slink their way into another week of Hong Kong Disneyland discussion...

 

Third Hotel in Sight

 

Perhaps it was a shock to no-one when Bill Ernest commented to the Chinese media that Hong Kong Disneyland had plans for a third hotel. The land between the existing Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and Disney's Hollywood Hotel has long been mooted for development, and while we had once speculated that this was the site for future park expansion, it now seems to be mapped for a new hotel.

 

As long-time fans will know, the land had been largely used as either the scene for the Asia-Pacific Little League Regional Tournament or a place where yellow boxes found a home during the construction phase of other projects. While Bill Ernest did comment that the project would not be completed for a few more years, and that the land proposed for the site will continue to be used for sporting activities such as the Little League Tournament, we have to wonder out loud whether this is what Hong Kong Disneyland needs right now?

 

If the hotels are genuinely full, and there is a demand for them, we say 'Why not?' After all, Disney is a company like any other, and they will play to whatever their earners are in a given market. As Ernest says, the existing hotels have a "satisfactory room occupancy", although that doesn't necessarily imply that they are fully booked every night of the week. Either way, absolutely every Disney fan around the world, even those that haven't been to Hong Kong Disneyland, will be able to tell you one thing: there is no point in building more hotels unless you give the guests more of a reason to stay on site for a multi-day activity. As it stands, Hong Kong Disneyland offers a full day to a day-and-a-half at best for new visitors, perhaps less for repeat customers. By comparison, Disneyland's three hotels in Anaheim offer two parks with a easy three-day stay if you want to see absolutely everything. It is a no-brainer that to keep people in the parks, you need more stuff.

 

 

 

 

However, to play devil's advocate for a bit, let's assume the hotels are an attraction unto themselves. We have already heard a number of reports of Disney being keen to build stand-alone hotels and resorts around the global, bringing the Disney hospitality - if not the full experience - a little closer to those countries not blessed with the multinational corporation's presence. Taking that concept a little further, imagine Hong Kong Disneyland and its three hotels as a boutique park and resort. It is a Disney "hub" that offers international guests a Disney port to stay at while they explore the easily accessible Hong Kong. After all, Disneyland's MTR Station connects the resort to the rest of Hong Kong by rail anyway. Hong Kong itself has many things to see and do. If you are only visiting Hong Kong for the Disney parks, then we question your spirit of adventure...

 

The other possibility is that Disney has learned very little from its obsession with hotels. During former Disney CEO Michael Eisner's regime, a deeply misunderstood period if ever there was one, Disneyland Paris (opening as Euro Disney) began its life with a whopping seven hotels (or 5,200 rooms, if you include the Davy Crockett Ranch) had been built. The contracts committed the building of a 18,200 total rooms! As beautiful as those hotels were, especially the Disneyland Hotel itself over the entrance to the park, we need not remind readers of the disappointment Euro Disney caused when it first opened. Indeed, the slight miscalculation of guests in Hong Kong was nothing compared to the utter disaster that Paris was depicted as in the mainstream and popular media. At least The Simpsons hasn't parodied the lack of Hong Kong attendees yet, as they have famously done with the Parisian park and Disney's California Adventure (DCA), another park with low-attendance that built an additional two hotels (the magnificent Grand Californian and slightly cheaper Paradise Pier) upon opening. With this track record, many comments I read this week in response to this news have feared that despite a regime change at Disney, with Bob Iger now in Eisner's hot seat - and Jay Rasulo now sitting in the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman spot once occupied by Paul Pressler - Hong Kong Disneyland would be repeating the mistakes of old. After all, the Internet crowd maintained, why do you need another hotel when the park is clearly in need of more TLC?  However, given the caution exercised in the building of the rest of Hong Kong Disneyland - especially seeing they clearly didn't splash unlimited loads of cash on the park itself - we suspect the motivations behind "announcing" a third hotel may be slightly less misguided.

 

When all is said and done, this media "announcement" is more than likely a publicty push. It is very telling that, to quote the article, "Disneyland says they will fix a schedule for the construction of this hotel based on the demand and will discuss details with the government later". It is also no secret that the Hong Kong SAR Government has been less than pleased with spending more of their money on an investment that has to date been something of a disappointment. Perhaps this is merely an attempt by Disney to pressure the government into stepping up the infrastructure needed to expand the park to its full potential. That is something we will always be in support of.

 

Until further announcements are made, we will exercise our given right to speculate randomly. With the Art Deco (Disney’s Hollywood Hotel) and Victorian (Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel) already covered, we wonder if Disney would consider doing something radically different or following the hotel themes they have done successfully around the world. There is the Arts & Crafts/lodge style hotel (Grand Californian in Anaheim; Wilderness Lodge and to a lesser degree, the Animal Kingdom Lodge in Florida and Paris’ Sequoia Lodge); the whimsical character-based All-Star line in Florida (which would offer something even cheaper in the area) or an exquisite Hotel MiraCosta, such as the beautiful old-world Italian-style one in Tokyo’s DisneySea. With Disney, the possibilities are endless. Whatever happens, we look forward to seeing what comes next for the Resort!

 

It’s Easy Being Green

 

With the global frenzy over environmental issues at the moment – and it’s about bloody time – it is good to see that Hong Kong Disneyland’s contribution isn’t going unrecognized. Hong Kong’s Information Services Department reports that Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Donald Tsang, in speaking about the effectiveness of their greening master plans, points to Hong Kong Disneyland as a success. The article reads: “The infrastructure works for Hong Kong Disneyland had won the Sixth Tien-Yow Jeme Civil Engineering Prize, which was the highest honour in the field of civil-engineering construction nationwide.” Tsang saw such high quality infrastructure as a great step in reducing the chance of landslides in the region. So yay for Hong Kong’s Civil Engineering & Development Department staff.

 

Halloween Auditions

 

Don't forget that this week in Hong Kong Disneyland, the park is seeking energetic performers to be part of the new 2007 Halloween Event.

 

Performers must be available full-time from September 3, 2007, through October 31, 2007. All performers must be fluent in Cantonese. The talent will be asked to read from a Cantonese script. The script will be provided at the audition.

 

Date: 5 August 2007, Sunday

Time: 10:00am

Location: Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts

Please email auditions@hongkongdisneyland.com to schedule an audition.

 

If you do go, don't forget to let us know what kind of things you were expected to say and do, as it may give us some kind of hint as to what to expect from this "new Halloween event".

 

Panlilio Plot? Pfft! Park!

 

ABSCBN Interactive reports that "Fourteen Pampanga mayors who spent a "group vacation" in Hong Kong have denied that the trip was part of their alleged plot against Gov. Ed Panlilio. They said the trip was entirely spent on sightseeing at the Hong Kong Disneyland". With HKDL already being used as a convention point for various business people around the globe, perhaps they have missed a potentially lucrative new market - alleged plotters! We'll be keeping our eyes on this story. As some who has, and still does to some extent, worked in the realm of the law; I'll be fascinated to see how the "Hong Kong Disneyland Defence" pans out in the courtroom. It could set a whole new level of precedent for alleged criminals across the globe!

 

 

Summer Days

 

Would you believe this week the year reaches August already? Ah, 2007 - we barely get to see each other theses days, and you are growing up so fast! Significantly for Hong Kong Disneylanders, this means that the days are drawing to a close for Mickey's Summer Blast. If you are yet to catch Mickey's WaterWorks Parade or enter the made-over Adventureland presently masquerading as Pirate Land, then you only have until 31 August to do so! This has been a really exciting year for Hong Kong Disneyland, as it is one of the first major original parades that the park has hosted since opening in 2005. I know that a few of you have communicated to us that you are yet to catch this parade, so avoid disappointment and head on over to Hong Kong Disneyland before the end of August or miss out forever!

 

Stay Tuned

 

As part of the ongoing First Anniversary of HKDL Source celebrations, we are making a number of upgrades to the site. Our tech guy, Alex, mysteriously told me "Stay Tuned" yesterday. I think that is some advice that we should all take. Keep your eyes peeled to this site for some exciting new features!

 

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.

 

 

Also, don't forget that you can now subscribe to The HKDL Source Newsfeed via the links below:

 

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If you have any trouble using the feed, or have spotted some pesky bugs, please feel free to Contact Us and we'll try and sort it out.

 

Current and Forthcoming 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'. We now have an indication that a hotel will be going up in the area. Time will tell.
• Construction work is being carried out near the main gates, allegedly for some new toilets and Cast Member break room.
• Mickey's WaterWorks (Closes 31 August 2007 through Summer 2008?)

 

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.

• First Anniversary of HKDL Source (July 17 onwards): We turned One on July 17, 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

 

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.

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