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It must be that time of week again. We know this because we are lost for words. Still, other people have words and that's what we are looking at this week - the growing perception that Hong Kong Disneyland just might be a decent place to visit after all. Plus, what to do in the event of bad weather - run! We also bring you the usual slate of important dates; promotion; schedules and other nice things that you probably couldn't bake in a cake.

 

Update for  August 13 to August 19 - News and Commentary

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

News This Week: A Pirate's Life for Many | Stormy Days |  Website Updates

This week's column is like a zebra. It's black, then white, then black and white again. It's a crazy kind of horse and you just don't know which way it's going to go. Then someone will throw in a platypus. You won't know him. There will be some awkward conversation and the inevitable questions about evolution. Before too long, you've dressed up an iguana to look like your sister and started riding it around the city streets. Traffic will come to a stand-still, and the only possible solution is to buy an icy-cold drink, just sit back and watch the chaos. You've just brought down a major city, and you know what? It's only Monday!

A Pirate's Life for Many

In lieu of actually having any real news to report this week - and a quick look at the front page will yield the word 'library' and a band you've never heard of - we've hit up Google news as a source of inspiration. Not the most original idea, I'll grant you, but it does in a week when there is few little to do.

The Star Online, in an article entitled "Pirates Pulling them into Disneyland", speaks of the success of the Pirates Takeover campaign in Hong Kong Disneyland. The source quotes sales and travel trade marketing vice-president Josh D’Amaro as saying that much of the campaign was focused around agents and outlets coming up with creative ways to promote the event. “We developed a whole bunch of creative materials, which gave them an opportunity to create some excitement in their shops...We hope this will drive some business for them while at the same time create a message for Hong Kong Disneyland.”  He goes on to talk about expanding the idea to other territories. As Disney fans will know, Anaheim has already seen a permanent takeover of Tom Sawyer's Island with a Pirate theme. So be warned lovers of the status quo - Hong Kong Disneyland's campaign may be coming at you like a frog in a sock whether you like it or not.

What I found more interesting was the comment further down in the article that was a response to the lower than expected attendance figures for the first year of operation. “Attendance is one thing, but you also have to look at occupancy, spending on merchandise and food, and how guests react to our product.” The thing is, Josh (if I may call you Josh), it seems to us (the fans) that you really can't isolate the attendance figures and how people look at the park into separate categories. if attendance is low, then the perception of the park is not a terribly good one. We published a trip report from a first-timer last week, and we thought it nicely illustrated that people enjoy the park once they discover it. Chances are, they will make a return visit. However, two things seem vitally important to that: having a good product to start with, and marketing it well. It does not seem to us that the onus should be on travel agents to market the products in the region. Further, while we will always maintain that Hong Kong Disneyland is a good product, we can't deny the argument that there needs to be more of it. The Field of Dreams 'build it and they will come" argument has a great deal of merit, but so does "let them know it is there, and they might take a look as well".

We guess that next year is going to start seeing a few changes, especially with the opening of the biggest attraction since the park's debut in 2005 - it's a small world. This will be Disney's opportunity to really market the place with a brand new attraction that actually gives people something to talk about. Who knows, they might be so bold as to market the thing!

Stormy Days

Something that is whipping up some activity is Tropical Storm Pabuk, which hit Hong Kong on Saturday 11 August 2007. Tropical Typhoon Signal 8 was hoisted. To put that in perspective, the signals go up to 10. As a result, Hong Kong Disneyland was closed for operation that day. This is in compliance with Disney's weather arrangements: "If the signal is hoisted by the Hong Kong Observatory during operating hours, the park will be closed as soon as possible. If the signal is hoisted before the park opens, the park will delay opening until approximately three hours after the warning is lowered, and will have limited operations. If the signal is lowered after 12:00pm, the park will remain closed for all day".

At various times, the weather conditions can result in the park remaining open with some outdoor activities suspended, all the way through to the park being closed. Floridian fans will no doubt be familiar with dodgy weather conditions, and is something totally out of Disney's control. However, perhaps it is time to start thinking about far more indoor rides - say...oh, I don't know, dark rides perhaps?

HKDL Source Website Upgrades

New stuff coming soon, but nobody seems to pay attention to it, and chances are you won't even read this section anyway. Prove me wrong and make a comment below. I'm told some new 'mods' are forthcoming with a new look for the site. Keep your eyes peeled for that and the The Zone.

To fully use the facilty, you need to Register with the site. This is free, and doesn't take very long to do so.  Simply visit the Register link  in the sidebar on the left hand side of the screen. Once you have logged in, you will be able to comment on any news story or gallery item on the site. For those of you that are existing members, and have been having trouble with the Log in to the site, this problem has been fixed. Likewise, any of the problems associated with registering as a new member have been fixed as well.

Be sure to register not just to comment on the site, but to be able to Enter the Zone. The Zone is coming VERY SOON, and will host our Competition; profile management; exclusive content and anything else we can come up with between now and then.

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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.

Click to Vote for Us and boost the site!

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

• Disneyland Railroad: Still running, but in "shuttle" rather than "loop" mode due to the construction for the forthcoming it’s a small world attraction (Coming April 2008).
• 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. The WaterWorks now appears to be running twice daily, with no Disney on Parade at the moment. 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!

August

• Character Auditions: 26 August 2007 (Sunday). Email for an audition. Your chance to be part of the show. Full details here.

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. Merchandise, including pins, T-shirts and biscuits, is already out in the shops.

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 September 2008!
• 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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