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Update for May - News and Commentary

 

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News This Week: Cheif Spy's Report | Adventureland Activity | 3 Minutes Silence

 

Yes, all that you read in the little introduction is true.  This month sees three attraction closures, as if the park has been desperately waiting for the headlining it's a small world to open before taking some others down for work.  At least one of these closures is linked to work in Adventureland, rumoured to be for new Halloween offerings, although it seems like a lot of work is occuring for it to be just for a seasonal offering.  The promised Turtle Talk attraction has also debuted and has been tested several times by our Chief Spy, who also had the pleasure of communing with our other main staff member, Richard.  On this note I suppose I'd better address the differences between today's update and those that you're used to.  Yes, it does say 'This Month in Hong Kong Disneyland'.  This is primarily because I haven't gotten around to giving you weekly updates in Richard's absence and a monthly edition is probably more sustainable anyway.

 

With all of that out of the way, crank that Eurovision 2008 music, sit back, relax and enjoy the Chief Spy's report and photos along with the usual "weekly" features in this month's report!

 

Adventures of the Chief Spy

 

By the Chief Spy

 

Last weekend I went to HKDL sans child. It felt odd when cast members came up and asked where the little one was, but I don't wear guilt easily, and the feeling soon went away. I met a fellow mice chatter in the park, and spent the better part of the afternoon with him.

We met at the hub around 3, and headed over for a small world ride. I pointed out a few of the characters he hadn't seen yet, and he told me about the differences in Florida. When it was over we met a friendly cast member and she gave us a set of stickers. Now, this mice chatter was unaware that he could get stickers around the park so it felt great to let him in on one of the wonderful secrets of HKDL. For the rest of the day, whenever I saw a cast member He got a new sticker. I was tickled when a custodial staff gave us a full set when I asked for one. (Sometimes it pays to be recognized) By the end of the day he must have had 100.

We wandered around for a while looking for a small world spinner pin, but sadly they are all sold out. We headed over to Adventureland in search of Prince Caspian but he was no where to be found. When I entered the park I saw that Turtle Talk with Crush was open, so Next stop was the show. Once again, I was told about the differences. I have to say, that while it is cute, it's for the little ones. More on that later. While waiting for Crush, I chatted with a cast member about the construction in Adventureland. She said it would be a haunted house for Halloween. Something more permanent perhaps?

We watched the High School Musical show, and as always, it was cute and bouncy. We headed to the corner cafe for dinner, and while there, we were looking through the stickers and one of the busboys saw us so he brought over a few more. When he asked who my favorite was I said Tinkerbell knowing full whell that they didn't have a Tink. He came back and did a bit of slight of hand magic for us and then moved me to the verge of tears. He pulled out a set of the CNY stickers for us. I've always said it's the little things that count.

After dinner it was over to Small World for the clock and light show at night, but sadly, it was broken (and still was today). Back to Main Street for the fireworks and time for us to head out for the night.

Yesterday I took my little one to HKDL and spent the day wandering around the park. We took in Turtle Talk 3 times. Two in English and one in Cantonese, I didn't think the humor translated as well, and thought that Crush was too fixated on one poor little guys attempt to talk. (The kid was hard to understand. but to be fair though, he was only 2) My little one loved it and was tickled when Crush asked to talk to the "dudette in White shell" She talked about it non stop for the rest of the day.

We saw my favorite Disneyland bird--The giant Crane, so we headded over to Tarzan's tree house for some pictures of the construction going on. I can't see the point of putting up the fencing when you can climb a tree and get a great view of what is being built. Oh well, more for me to do over the summer. You can be sure that I'll be up there more often in the next few months.

In Adventureland we met a nice CM who is working his way through Uni. We chatted for a while about his schooling and working for the Mouse. I figured I'd give it a try and asked about the construction once again. His take on it was a maze. At any rate, he said it would be ready to go for the Halloween season. He did tell us that Mickey's Waterworks starts again on the 31st of May! The games were out in force yesterday, Adventureland had a matching game, Fantasyland had a character/ride game, The candy shop had a tossing game. We attempted all and have the stickers to prove it (or I should say that Richard does).

And speaking of him, I was surprised by his post from NYC but happy all the same. I got on line and couldn't find any mention of the Nature trail book so I stopped by city hall and asked about it. If you want one, you have to go to the hotels, or download the pdf file in chunks from http://www.hongkongdisneyland.com/eng/discover/naturewalk_download.html I was a bit miffed about something said by a cast member, and so I didn't "embarass her to death" I didn't make a complaint. In hindsight, she was right. But no negatives here. We took a stroll over to the hotels and picked up a book in each. (My brother in law is an avid hiker so I passed on a copy) Dinner at the Studio lounge was quite nice, and the Little one spent an hour in the Malibu Toy Shop drawing and playing with the other children. All in all, it was a great day.

Today 25 May, I took the little one to the park again, and met up with Richard. I was thrilled to finally meet him and the Mrs. Both were very friendly and put up with us for probably a bit too long, but I could tell they were exhausted. I want to thank them for the help they gave me and appologize for monopolizing so much of hteir time. I'm so used to sitting in the park and doing nothing I forget others want to go play.

The first thing we did was head to the Animation academy and draw Daisy. This was the first time ever that I heard the commentary in English. I was surprised to say the least. The animator was a bit confused at times though I think...He kept refering to the force within us. (Wrong movie?) His sound effects however, were fantastic . My Daisy was drunk as usual, one of them was not too bad, and the other looked like a Roswell project. It was a good laugh though.

During a cruise around Adventureland looking for Prince Caspian, we ran into a game at the waterfall and the little one sat Richard and the Mrs. down to play a matching game with her. (I think Richard won) They all got cards and stickers for their trouble.

Turtle Talk with crush was cute again and got a few laughs out of them. A ride on Small world and I pointed out a few tidbits, but they told me they were the first in the door this morning so they had already spotted all the characters. The little one decided she would ride with the Mrs. I hope she wasn't overly talkative.

For some reason, my little one loved Richards better half. The Mrs. was the recipient of lots of flowers and should have a lovely smelling bag when she gets home. I hope she doesn't forget them before she goes through customs.

As we were heading over to Small World, we came upon a couple of CM's playing games and handing out magical moment cards. We convinced Fiona and Richard to have a go. They are just two clever birds, and walked away with a certificate.

I glanced at my watch around 4:30 and realized how much of their time I had taken so we parted ways. I wish them a safe trip home and a wonderful future together.

They went off in the direction of Tomorrowland while we went to see the next Turtle talk. It was an hour later, so we decided to find the prince again. Again, it's the surprises and the little things. As we entered, we ran into the jungle parade. Turned around after a few photos and there was the Prince. My little one asked about his brother and sister and he told her he didn't have one. Today he was on the ball though, when she gave the names he told her they stayed in Narnia. The White witch is just mean and she wants to take over the world that's why they sometimes have to fight her, but it's been a while. (Another good character double.) I was almost as impressed as I was with Jack Sparrow. Anyone who takes the time to get a feel for the character and can answer the questions of a young child can't go wrong in my book.

We wanted to drop off a couple of "state-side stickers" for a CM in Adventureland, but he wasn't in today. We met a different girl and played another game for a Tarzan's River Raft Magical Moment and extracted a promise of more stickers. (That is my theme for the month--I'm missing 3 in my amazing collection and I will fixate until I get them-you've all been warned!) Back for one more Turtle Talk before heading over to book a few rooms at the hotel for next month.

Did you know that Crush only eats sea grass, that his gender is determined by the temperature in the sand, that giant sea turtles can be up to 6 feet long, weigh 900 pounds, and live up to 180 years? I didn't until Crush told us. Most of the kids ask his name, or his age, but once in a while a precocious one will ask a general question about turtles. My judgement the other day was too quick. I've decided I like the show. The kids love it, the audience becomes involved and sometimes I learn something new. What more could a girl ask for?

And with that, I wish you all a million dreams.
Good night from a very exhausted,
Chief Spy

For more photos, see the Scenes from the Park and Spring 2008 Attractions galleries.

 

Adventureland Activity

 

As you are probably already aware (you did read the Chief Spy's report, didn't you?) part of Adventureland is fenced off for officially unspecified works. Both the Cheif Spy and Spy Bennett have provided us with some shots of the site, which is currently sporting a giant crane. Word on the street is that 1 or 2 haunted mazes will appear in this part of Adventureland for Halloween although it seems like an awful lot of work just for an attraction that will only be around for a month, doesn't it?

 

 

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For more photos, see the Other Construction 2006 to 2008 gallery.

 

3 Minutes Silence

 

The Standard reports that, along with the rest of Hong Kong, Disneyland held 3 minutes silence at 2:28pm on May 19 in memory of those affected by the Sichuan earthquake. Rides at the park were suspended and the Disney in the Stars fireworks were also cancelled that day.

 

Standard Sign Out Section

We're just getting warmed up! With our membership sign-up section fixed, there is no stopping the onslaught of the Member Zone; the fabled competition and anything else we've written down on the back of a coaster over the last few years. 2008 is going to be huge.

 

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

 

• UFO Zone (CLOSED): Tomorrowland attraction UFO Zone is temporarily closed for maintenance. It will reopen May 31.
• Taihitian Terrace (CLOSED) - Tuesdays  to Thursdays
• Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad (SUSPENDED): Will be suspened from May 18 to June 15, "to bring innovative and exciting entertainment experience to our Guests" - the works in Adventureland.
• Disneyland Story (CLOSED): Main Street attraction has closed, rumoured for the introduction of the previously promised Art of Animation offering.
• 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.

 

Events & Important Dates

 

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

 

May 2008

 

• Richard visits Hong Kong Disneyland late in the month (May 24 to May 27). Prepare the fortifications!
• Summer Season (May 31) At least a partial kick off of the summer season with the return of the Mickey's WaterWorks parade. (Rumour)

 

September/October 2008

 

• Tom visits Hong Kong Disneyland late in September and through into October for Halloween.

 

Current Discounts/Promotions

 

• Visa Double Your Dreams: Book your Hong Kong Disneyland hotel getaway before May 31 with your Visa card to win a trip to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Details here.
• Annual Passholders: Benefits 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, 2008. 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 30 September 2008!
• Hong Kong Residents Save, Dine and Save: Hong Kong Residents get-away for a magical night that includes fabulous dining for two. Stay and Dine package price starts at just HK$1,488 (Save over $400). Offer period: 17 February to 30 June, 2008. Details can be found here.
• Hong Kong Disneyland Victorian Spring Package: Stay amidst the magic in our Victorian hotel and enjoy a relaxing spa vacation with the Victorian Spring Package with your beloved or friends at the starting price of HK$2,380! Offer period: 1 April 2008 to 30 June 2008. Details here.
• Chef Mickey Buffet Deal: Book lunch or supper buffet in advance and pay only HK$128. Conditions apply.
• Dining Deal: Book breakfast in advance and receive 30% off. Conditions apply.

 

Park Hours/Schedule/Annual Pass Block-out Days

 

Hours are 10:00 to 8:00 PM daily in May and June.

 

Value Annual Passholders will have the remaining weekends in May blocked to them, all weekends in June as well as Monday June 9. Deluxe Annual Passholders can go crazy for a few months, although it should be noted that June 9 (and all weekends) will be Peak Ticket Days.

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