The HKDL Source

Update for December 17  to December 24 - News and Commentary

 

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News This Week: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like... | Shanghai Surprise | Housekeeping

 

There is something of a formula to writing these columns. I do a brief introduction, usually talking about the methods of writing the column each week, and that tends to be followed by some photographic updates from construction, or maybe even a trip report or two. We don't have any of that this week. It's just over a week until Christmas, and that looms mighty large in all of our social calendars. Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, it is hard to not be impacted by it in some small or major way. Have you  gone to your seventeenth office Christmas party for the week, gotten slightly tipsy and started to hit on your coworkers and friends (again)? Or are you simply looking forward to a few public holidays off and the excuse to have a calorie-free meal (because it is scientifically proven that you can't put on weight over Christmas)? Either way, 'tis the season to be silly, and absolutely nothing seems to be slowing down.

 

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

 

...Main Street covered in snow? Although Christmas is just over a week away, Christmas has been raging in Hong Kong Disneyland since late November. Remember when there were only twelve days of Christmas? No, me neither. The festivities seem to be getting closer and closer to Easter every year. This year in Hong Kong Disneyland, we've had Pirates, the anniversary of the HK SAR and a massive Halloween between Easter and Christmas, so time has just flown by.

 

We won't waste your time by talking about what you can and can't do in the park this year, as we've covered all of that to death by now. However, we will talk about what you can buy people for Christmas. 'Tis the season of giving, after all. Now, it is very easy to get bogged down in the whole "must buy something for so and so" mentality, but that seems to negate the whole point. Why bother getting something if you don't mean it?

 

My suggestion, if you'll take it, is this: either buy some token gift, like a box of chocolates, and concentrate on having a great day with the people you want to be with; or get all those people to agree to donating to a charity together. Join a charity where you can buy a donkey, or a water pump, for a small village. That may sound like it would cost money, but if all of your family and friends added up what they were buying each other for Christmas, you could probably feed that village for several months and make a real difference in their lives. If it's too late to do it this year, think about doing it for next year. Or take the spirit of the season as an opportunity to start donating to a worthy cause, be it for the environment, anti-poverty or to cure a disease. After all, as the song goes, it's a small world after all.

 

The again, you could buy someone a gift annual pass - it just keeps on giving!

 

 

Shanghai Surprise

 

The story that doesn't seem to want to go away is that China will be getting a second theme park. e-Travel Blackboard reports:

 

A Disneyland in Shanghai once again appears to be on the cards, after local media outlets reported a slice of land on the Chongming Island was being set aside by the government. The Walt Disney Co. has recently set up shop in Shanghai, but it re-iterates that its current focus was to develop the existing theme park in Hong Kong. Yet insiders say that it is the possible opening of a Shanghai Disneyland at the mouth of the Yangtze River that really has it excited. After years of waiting in limbo, it appears that Beijing may finally be ready to establish a new Disneyland in the north of the 1,200 square kilometre island. While no official final decision has yet been made, some have said that the new amusement park is slated to open after the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.  By which time, the island would also be connected to the mainland via new tunnels and a bridge. Currently the island is mainly dependent on agriculture as the main industry for the livelihood of its 650,000 residents. The Hong Kong's Commerce and Economic Development Bureau currently has not voiced any objections to a possible new Disneyland, indicating that it felt China would be able to support more than one international theme park.

 

Personally, I don't believe it for a second. Given how much trouble HKDL has been over the last two years, do you think Disney is really ready to sink billions more into another potential disaster? One thing at a time people!

 

Housekeeping

 

Well, by now you've probably noticed that the glaring red banner has disappeared from the front page, and that means that the registration system is working again. You can now all sign up, sign in, comment and play around with the few user features we have at the moment...all leading up to the Member Zone and Competition we have coming this (Australian) summer.

 

Alex's Note: If you have already tried to create an account while the system was down, use our handy Resend Validation Email tool (creative titling by moi). Just go to http://memberszone.hkdlsource.com/resend and enter the details you used to register, and voila - an email will arrive telling you how to proceed with your registration. After that, you can do such amazing things as comment on how bad my spelling is at the bottom of this article! We have also fixed a bug with the snowstorm that affected our users using IE, and a fix to the bugs in the RSS feed are on their way!.

 

Also be sure to check out our new-look YouTube Channel. Alex has been tweaking the graphics a bit so it looks a little bit more like "us". We look forward to really expanding it during 2008.

 

 

 

 

 

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Remember, as always, if you have any news, photos, trip reports or just a question, feel free to contact us.  We like to think of ourselves as the people's site.

 

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Current and Forthcoming Closures, Refurbishments and Construction

 

• Disney on Parade will be temporarily replaced with the Let it Snow Christmas Parade.
• 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.

 

Events & Important Dates

 

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

 

November/December

• Christmas: From 23 November until New Year's Eve (December 31), Hong Kong Disneyland's Main Street will become a Winter Wonderland, with a castle lighting ceremony; musical events; special meals and the big man himself, Santa. A new parade is in the works as well, we're told.
• 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.

 

January 2008

• High School Musical: A hybrid version of the bafflingly popular US TV hit will come to HKDL in January 2008.

 

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 .

 

May 2008

• Richard visits Hong Kong Disneyland late in the month. Prepare the fortifications!

 

Current Discounts/Promotions

• Annual Passholders: September to December Passholder deals can be found here. Discounts for early renewals are also available.
• 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!
• Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Victorian Escape Package for 2 Persons: Enjoy the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Victorian Escape Package at the starting price of HK$2,280 and indulge in a relaxing spa with your beloved or friends! Offer period: 27 November, 2007 to 31 March, 2008. See here for details.
• Dining Deal: Book breakfast in advance and receive 30% off. Conditions apply.
• Cathay Pacific and Dragonair Deal: From now until 31 January, 2008*, you can take advantage of the "Buy 2 get 1 Free" or "Buy 3 get 1 Free" travel package from Cathay Pacific and its partner airline Dragonair, featuring an array of value-added benefits. See Offer Details.

 

Park Hours/Schedule/Annual Pass Block-out Days

 

Throughout December, hours will extend to the later time of 8:00 PM, as the Christmas festivities begin. All weekends will be Peak Ticket days, and the ticket prices will be reflected accordingly. December 21 to December 30 hours will be 10:00 AM to 11:00PM. New Year's Eve will extend those hours to 12:30 AM.

 

Value Annual Passholders will have the remaining weekends blocked to them during November, as well as December 21 to 31. Deluxe Annual Passholders also have December 21 to 31 blocked to them.

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