The HKDL Source

Update for August 20 to August 26 - News and Commentary

 

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

 

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News This Week: Second Year Struggles | Bring a Friend Free | Two Parades |  Website Updates

 

 

Second Year Struggles

 

Well, by now you've no doubt heard the news all over the net - first broken by the South China Morning Post and reported by us on Thursday - that Hong Kong Disneyland isn't going to meet its second-year attendance targets. Perhaps it was completely unsurprising to most, and marginally disappointing to others, but Hong Kong Disneyland has only had 4 million people through the gates with just one month to go before their second anniversary in September. This figure is shy of projections of 5.2 million, and with just 11,000 people through the gates each day - or 33% of capacity - it doesn't look like Hong Kong Disneyland will come anywhere near meeting its second year target.

 

Many will remember that last year's figure of just over 5 million missed the original target of 5.6 million by a margin, and the fact that this is down a further million can't be a good sign. This is, after all, meant to be a project that is trying to gain a foothold on a nation of several billion people. While many theme and amusement parks are said to experience a dip in their second year, Hong Kong Disneyland certainly hasn't had an easy path either. Massive budget cuts saw the original six-land park slashed down to a mere four, cutting out two of the more crowd-pleasing lands (Frontierland and ToonTown) completely out of the mix. Indeed, there were an additional twelve attractions slated on the 1999 press release for the park. (We've fully documented this loss in our Lost Lands page). Many would argue that if Disney had stuck to this original plan, there wouldn't be this kind of shotfall in the first place. However, not being ones to cry over spilled milk, HKDL Source wonders what Hong Kong Disneyland can do now to help dig themselves out of this potentially cavernous hole.

 

 

 

For most, the solution is a dead-cert: build more and they will come. While it is all very well for Kevin Costner to live by that philosophy, theme park building costs a tiny bit more than a baseball diamond in the middle of a corn field. As fans, we are all too willing to spend someone else's money. "They should put in more E-tickets", I hear fans cry. "it's a small world in 2008 won't be enough to pull the crowds". The thing is, the fans are right: it doesn't take a genius to figure out that a better park has a better chance of drawing more crowds. This, however, begs the question of where the money is going to come from. Is it the theme park budgets that are currently looking to spend US $1 billion "fixing" the similarly maligned Disney's California Adventure? Or the Hong Kong Government, who have already put 57% into something they are yet to see their potential return on? Of course, it is mutually beneficial for the Hong Kong SAR Government to keep up this relationship, but even we start to wonder: why should they? While we have already established some wisdom in "building a better mouse trap", is there good business sense in throwing good money after bad?

 

Now, I'm playing devil's advocate, of course. I personally believe what the park needs now more than any other time is more attractions. However, it also needs good publicity. Paris was always a good foundation, but it took years to get past the stigma of being a "dead end". Hong Kong Disneyland is a smaller park, so it is going to take lots of work beyond those attractions to really make it a success and to have people believing more than what they read in the local papers. Word on the street is that Disney CEO Bob Iger is keen to see this one succeed, but we wonder if Disney has the follow-through to do what it takes to keep this ship from sinking.

 

So what do you think the park needs right now? Care to comment?

 

Bring a Friend Free

 

In what is probably a direct response to the above dilemma, Hong Kong Disneyland are introducing a special deal for Annual Passholders in September: bring a friend for free.

 

Straight from Disney's lips:

 

All Annual Passholders are eligible to bring 1 guest free to Hong Kong Disneyland for one time during 1 September to 23 September, 2007. Value and Deluxe Annual Passholders can only enjoy this special offer on their corresponding Annual Pass valid dates.

 

Bring a friend for free in 2 easy steps!

1. Redeem 1 complimentary ticket for your guest at Hong Kong Disneyland Main Entrance Ticket Booths on the day of visit. The complimentary ticket will be date stamped and can be used on the issued date only.
2. Enter the Park with your guest and enjoy a full day of fun. Please note that your friend cannot enter the Park on his/her own.

 

What you need to Bring

• You will need to show your Annual Pass and personal identification for ticket redemption at Hong Kong Disneyland Main Entrance Ticket Booths.

 

A full list of terms and conditions can be found on the official site.

 

Seems like a great deal, although should this mean that we are really starting to worry about the crowds not being there? At any rate, Annual Passholders would do well to introduce a friend to the park during this period, with the hopes that they will get their own annual pass and bring their own friend. Think - you could singlehandedly make the entire population of Hong Kong and China annual passholders by bringing along one friend. Oh, the power you would wield!

 

Two Parades

 

A few weeks ago, we reported that the Mickey's Summer Blast Parade - Mickey's WaterWorks - had taken over Disney on Parade's traditional 1:00 PM timeslot and was running twice daily. This week's official calendar now indicates that they are back to running Disney on Parade at 1:00 PM and Mickey's WaterWorks at 3:30 PM. This means that if you hang about, you can get two unique Disney parades for your dollar value again! Hey, check it out - Hong Kong Disneyland added a new attraction without effort!

 

 

We'd also like to remind readers that the Mickey's Summer Blast activities - which also includes the Animation Academy; Pirates Takeover and countless street games and entertainers - only lasts for another week and a bit. Mickey's Summer Blast official ends on August 31, so hurry!

 

 

HKDL Source Website Upgrades

 

New stuff coming soon, including a new printable version of our pages and some other neat tricks up our sleeves. 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.

 

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.
• Some work is being done next to the Plaza Inn on Main Street, for an alleged Haunted House walkthrough to begin assembly here at some stage in the near future.
• Mickey's WaterWorks & Pirate Land (Closes 31 August 2007)

 

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.

 

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. Expect an official announcement late August.

 

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’. You can follow the progress in our Construction Photo Gallery .

 

Current Discounts/Promotions

• Annual Passholders: From July 1 to August 31, Passholders will receive an exclusive deals. Full details can be found here. September to December Passholder deals can be found here. Discounts for early renewals are also available.
• Bring a Friend Free: Annual Passholders can bring a friend to the park for free between September 1 and September 23! 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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