The HKDL Source

Trip Report for Period 24 May 2008 to 27 May 2008

 

Flying in over Hong Kong at sometime after 2 PM on a Saturday afternoon (24th May), I was in no way surprised to see Space Mountain out the airplane window. It could be the 16 hour flight. It could be that I had visited both Disneyland and Walt Disney World in the US in the previous few weeks. It may even have been the slight temperature I was no doubt running, having sniffled most of my way from New York. Yet despite, or perhaps because of, all of these things; the sight of Hong Kong Disneyland out the window of the plane did not surprise me. What did strike me was just how small it was, and how nestled it was in the mountains of Lantau Island. Did I not know better, I was willing to believe that it was a secret place of Disney creation birthed wholly of imagination and pixie dust. Now that was probably the fever talking.

 

 

All my life I’ve wanted to be one of those people that had the little man with the little sign at the airport. So it was great shock that I spotted a man in a fluro-green jacket holding up a “Mr. Gray x 2” sign at the arrivals gate of Hong Kong International. Despite insisting on calling me “Mr. Gary” - a name that would stick for days – we were pleasantly escorted to a private car (a black Mercedes, no less) and taken for a brief drive to Disney’s Hollywood Hotel. We’d used this company before (DMC Destination Asia, for the record); but had only ever been bused about. A private car was a godsend after that sleepless flight from New York, and the swift check-in service meant we could go straight to the room and crash for a bit. Crash we did, but not before a few photos of the room and view for our fans; and a quick trip to our favourite bar (Studio Lounge) for a Vegetarian Pizza. I wish I had more to report for the first afternoon, but I hit the hay before the first fireworks had poked their heads in the sky. A shame, for we had been inexplicably been ‘upgraded’ to a Park View room on the 9th floor, offering magnificent views of the entire park and neighbouring hotel.

 

The next day (Sunday 25th May 2008), we were both up insanely early and unable to sleep. There’s probably some irony in there somewhere, but I was still too wired to recognise it. After enjoy the joys of Hong Kong television for a few hours, and a small snack down at the Hollywood and Dine quick-service eatery, we took a stroll around the hotel grounds before heading over to the park. Reception had told us that the park opened at 10am that morning, but we gave ourselves a bit of time and left around 9ish to catch the Resort shuttle. We got there not long after 9, and strangely found ourselves being let straight into the park. This was in error, we think, as there were character breakfasts going on at this time, and nobody thought to ask us this at the gate. Main Street was roped off at the Hub, of course, but we pretty much had an hour to wander Main Street by ourselves. It was almost like having our own little park for a short period of time, and it afforded me the opportunity to take some great photos of the area without people in them. (Insert your favourite Hong Kong Disneyland attendance joke here). It was a little bit spooky, and we kept feeling as though we really shouldn’t be there, but it was a unique opportunity to see the park ‘waking up’ in the morning.

 

 

When the Main Street rope dropped, we eschewed with the tradition of going straight for Space Mountain for there was a new ride in town: it’s a small world. It was a bit full circle in a way, for construction had begun around the time of my last trip to HKDL in September 2006. The structure itself was mighty impressive, although nobody else seemed to be heading towards it. Indeed, we were the first and only riders at that time of the morning, a fact that would be remember by a Cast Member later that afternoon, when the ride was somewhat busier. Having been on the Floridian version mere weeks beforehand, I must say that the Hong Kong version of the ride is a winner in every respect. I know many traditionalists are freaking out at the addition of Disney characters to the attraction, but it is seamless and adds a certain something to the attraction. As this is the latest version of the ride, it is the most technically advanced, and some of the set-pieces are just amazing. A real winner methinks, and a fine addition to the growing Hong Kong Disneyland stable.

 

 

Not being able to contain ourselves any longer, we went to Space Mountain – another literal walk-on – and thought it seemed a little slow. This was just the ‘cold start’ morning I think, for a ride later in the day was a real rush. Space Mountain was ridden a total of five times during this visit, and every time ‘felt’ different (although I know better). I also noticed that they were making a point of handing out flyers that warned people that the ride was a high-speed rollercoaster in the dark. Had there been complaints, I wonder? The rain was on-and-off all day in Hong Kong, so much of the morning was spent trying to keep ourselves dry (and fairly unsuccessfully at that) by ducking in and out of various rides. The weather didn’t really bother us, as it was still quite warm, and a pleasant change from rainy AND cold New York City the week before. As such, a trip to Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters was on, but Autopia was definitely out. I won’t embarrass myself by revealing my score here. The rain held off long enough for us to head to Adventureland, but promptly poured on us the second we passed the entrance. Intrepid explorers that we were, we struggled on and went straight for the Jungle River Cruise. This was probably the longest line of the day (at ten minutes), but the ride was a pleasure as always. Hong Kong’s Jungle River Cruise, for those unfamiliar with it, combines the area traditionally called the Rivers of America in Disneyland; with Tarzan’s Treehouse replacing Tom Sawyer’s Island and the River Cruise itself combining the original Jungle Cruise and Mark Twain Steamboat in a way. It is a genius combination, and it also gave us a chance to see the construction cranes around Adventureland. There is some major construction going on back there, and our spies assure us that it is for a permanent new attraction.

 

 

As soon as I stepped off the Jungle River Cruise, I promptly dropped and cracked my lens cap, rendering it unusable, and the heavens opened up again. In my slightly cranky state, I sought refuge in what I thought was The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, but turned out to be Philharmagic. A Cast Member was telling us to “hurry up”, and we decided to go elsewhere. Naturally, my girlfriend Fiona and I would never forgive ourselves if we didn’t ride The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh at least once, so that was the next stop. It never fails to impress. Around this time, we must’ve popped on Space Mountain for the second time, because it probably wouldn’t have been a good idea after lunch. Speaking of which, the Royal Banquet Hall was the place of choice again, because I knew they’d have a decent vegetarian selection, and with a meal; soup and rice for a bargain price, it met our budgetary demands as well. (Just while I’m on the subject, the vegetarian selection seems to have improved at not only this park, but the US parks as well. I never had a problem finding something healthy and non-meaty, and kudos for Disney for this global effort).

 

Back to Main Street for a bit of window shopping, as well as the real kind, I was excited to see the Muppet Mobile Lab near the entrance. However, as you may have read in our Chief Spy’s Report for that day, we ran into none other than the Chief Spy and her daughter. This was the first time we had met, despite much correspondence via email, and it was lovely to finally catch up. Despite what our Chief Spy says in her report, she certainly did not monopolize our time. Having been ‘on the road’ for a month, it was nice to actually meet up with some friendly faces, and I’d like to take the opportunity to thank the Chief Spy for showing us a side of HKDL we may have otherwise missed.

 

Case in point was our first stop, the Animation Academy. Although it has opened since my last visit, I would not have thought to stop in were it not for the excitement of the Chief Spy and her daughter. The instructor was a little odd, but he was on the money with his Daisy drawing instruction (that’s for you Alex!) and the room was so cute. Another one was Turtle Talk with Crush, which is something I think you have to be a kid to really appreciate. Being there with the Chief Spy and her little one allowed us a child’s eye view of the attraction. This was also true of the new High School Musical show at the Hub, which we watched briefly and I may never understand the appeal of.

 

 

Wandering around Adventureland and Fantasyland, the Chief Spy introduced me to the wonderful world of sticker collecting and Kid’s Zone games – as well as a much-appreciated Sesame Ice Cream (a real tastes sensation to be sure) and a strawberry one (with real strawberries) for Fiona from the new Small World Ice Cream. Having already spoiled me with packets full for brochures and stickers she had collected for me over the last few months – she knows all too well that I am a sucker for these things, and once again I want to thank her for the effort – we discovered that the janitors and cleaning crew give out stickers when asked, and there are so many ‘hidden’ prizes for kids (and us big kids alike). When people are quick to put down HKDL, I don’t think they realize this culture has sprung up and captured people’s imagination.

 

After an instructional ride on it’s a small world – in which the Chief Spy pointed out a number of things I had missed the first time around – we parted company for the day, with a bag full of flowers that the little one had collected for Fiona. Of course, I couldn’t help but decorate my shirt with one. After all, why else would they put epaulettes on casual shirts? Still a bit jet-lagged, we headed out of the park and I crashed for a few hours. Yet again, I must say that it was a pleasure catching up with the Chief Spy, and as I sit her going through the wonderful collection of stuff she has gathered for me, and consider the amount of work she has done for us in the last two years, I humbly thank her for her time and patience.

 

 

Our final day in the park (Monday 26th May 2008) started out in a surprising way. Once again, we were up way too early, but took our time getting to the park. Padding around the hotel, we went and picked up one of the free Nature Trails Guidebooks from the front desk on the advice of the Chief Spy. I was not prepared for just how lavish a production this book was. I was expecting a glorified pamphlet, but instead received a 168-page, spiral bound hardcover, with glossy full-colour pages. The dual-language text has detailed information on most of the plants, trees and butterflies along the Adventureland; Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel; Park Promenade; and Inspiration Lake Trails. This is a great initiative of HKDL, and they should be applauded for this quality production.

 

Then came the surprising bit. We arrived at the park just before 10am, and there was actually a noticeable line at the gates of the park. They did not open them until some time after 10:00, which I thought was quite unusual. Had someone lost the keys? Then again, we managed to get through the gates early the day before, so I guess it was only fair! Traditions were reinstated that day, and we went straight to Space Mountain. Crowds had spread out over the park, and it really didn’t seem as busy as we had originally thought. Indeed, we rode Space Mountain twice in a row with little-to-no waiting. This would not be the last ride, of course, but Space Mountain is always a highlight.

 

With the weather being a bit more pleasant, we decided to take a turn on Autopia. The lines were very short, but the Cast Member made a point of telling us there was a “5 minute wait”. How very odd! Even stranger was a similar flyer to the Space Mountain one, which warns of the kinds of dangers you typically only get on a rollercoaster. Is it occupational health and safety gone mad, or simply the result of more complaints? Lest we forget, the ride did derail at one point in the last year…Speaking of which, there was another odd repeated warning over the PA as we waited in a short line that didn’t seem to move for 15 minutes. It told patrons to not stop their car in the middle of the road, and not to bump the cars ahead of them. Surely it was one or the other, I exclaimed flippantly! The ride is definitely one of the better versions around the world, and it’s proximity to Astro Blasters caused a second attempt at a high score on that. I did significantly better, but still not worth repeating here.

 

 

Next stop was Fantasyland for a viewing of Philharmagic, something that never ceases to amaze. More so is the audience, who continue to reach for objects they must know are not there. The nearby Teacups were a must ride for us – but only once this time, and not the four times we did last time – but even they paled into comparison to the lifelong dream that was about to be fulfilled. Don’t ask me why, but the sight of a grown woman in an Alice costume makes me giddy. One such Cast Member was present at the Teacup exit, and you better believe I ran over, got lost for words and had my photo taken with the lovely young lady. Recovering eventually, aided partially by Fiona medicinally rolling her eyes at me, we headed over to Adventureland to check out this construction from a better vantage point: Tarzan’s Treehouse.

 

The Adventureland construction is quite noticeable now, and not just hidden beyond the berm as it was when we first started reporting on it. I’m surprised I missed it the day before, but I was more interested in staying out of the torrential rain and keeping my camera (and myself!) dry. A large fence proclaims “We Are Creating New Magic For Your Future Enjoyment!”, and from the top of Tarzan’s Treehouse we can see just how large the construction is now. It comes right up to the Railroad tracks, and is the cause of the Railroad’s closure from May 18 to June 15 this year. Rather than me describing it to you, why don’t you go check out the pictures in our Other Construction Gallery?

 

 

The pangs of hunger called us towards the Main Street Bakery. As we sat down for a sandwich on Main Street, our friends the Muppets came past again. Although entirely in Cantonese (presumably), the show was a fun one and a great additional to the characters of Main Street. I have posted a video on our You Tube Channel so you can have a look at what we are talking about. With our hearts as full as our bellies, we went back to hotels via the Main Street shops and a few purchases for the folks back home. We stopped in at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel on the way back, and it was a near copy of the Grand Floridian. The beautiful gardens contain a maze, and the Victorian design is wonderful (albeit a bit frilly for my more Art Deco-inclined tastes, making the Hollywood Hotel an obvious choice for me).

 

We returned to our own hotel to finish packing before our booked dinner at Chef Mickey’s. While I remember this fondly from my last trip, it was a little lacklustre this time around. Perhaps it simply paled in comparison to the meals I’d had at other Disney hotels on this trip – especially the Napa Rose in California; and the California Grill, Boma and Jiko in Florida - but it simply did not seem to offer the value and variety it did in the past. The vegetarian selections were fine, but there seemed to be a lack of imagination and variety in the offerings. Even the desserts were a bit bland. Indeed, for my money, the à la carte offerings at the Studio Lounge Bar were a bit more special than the combined offerings of Chef Mickey’s. That said, they are targeted at very different audiences, although I don’t necessarily think that a family-themed menu has to be simplistic.

 

 

The evening ended with the first fireworks I had managed to stay awake for since stepping off the plane, and the spectacular view from our hotel room was…well, spectacular! With that, the trip was just about over. A little more packing before a very early flight out the next morning and our month-long holiday through the US and Hong Kong was over. Of course, the Hong Kong Disneyland Store at the airport ensured I didn’t go home without seeing a little more Disney during my stay.

 

It may be some years before I get back to Hong Kong Disneyland, and that is largely due to the time and distance (and money) involved in getting there. However, thanks to the friendly Cast Members and the even friendlier Chief Spy, it was one of my more memorable Disney vacations. The addition of it’s a small world has already made the park seem so much bigger, and with so many things going on at the moment, it really didn’t seem like a small park anymore. With the new construction in Adventureland, and the rumours that a new attraction will be under construction every year for the next ten, Hong Kong Disneyland is certainly a place I will return to whenever I get the chance.

 

 

More photos for this report can be found in Richard Gray's May 2008 Holiday Gallery and the Other Construction Gallery.

 

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