Hong Kong Disneyland Guide: Established in 2005, this compact park combines classic Disney magic with unique attractions like Mystic Manor. Experience traditional Disney with a Hong Kong twist. Ideal for all travelers.
(The Ultimate Guide to Hong Kong Disneyland)
Introduction to Our Hong Kong Disneyland Guide
The hard part is over.
You decided to venture halfway around the world and visit Disney’s first Chinese theme park; its fifth “castle” park in the world.
And now some nerves settle in.
You begin to wonder what it will be like to arrive in China.
How to get around, where to stay, how to communicate. Well fret not – Disneyland Hong Kong is an easy place to visit even for occasional traveler.
Built in 2005, Hong Kong Disneyland is the smallest of the Disney “castle” parks and it also sports the smallest castle in the Disney arsenal.
Much of this is due to change with the recently announced $1B+ investment to refurbish the park….but more on this later.
As it stands today, Hong Kong Disneyland is worth a visit.
Its a world-class theme park with state-of-the-art attractions including several exclusive to this property.
An introduction to Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland has Beautiful Surroundings
As the plane descended into Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), the Disney Park Nerds were struck by how much of an island Hong Kong really is (technically it’s comprised of 263 islands with the biggest being Landau where the airport and Hong Kong Disneyland are located) and the unbelievably lush green landscape.
The flight was long including the first 12+ hour leg from LA (LAX) to Shanghai (PVG), a two hour layover and finally another three flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong.
The great news is that airline and airport employees spoke communicative English and were able to help point us in the right direction.
English is the second official language of Hong Kong, owed to the 150 years of British rule, and communication is not much of an issue.
Airport Arrival and Transfer
Our destination was the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel.
The Nerd had done some homework and exchanged several emails to the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Reservation Center (online.reservations@hongkongdisneyland.com) to identify the best options for first-time visitors.
The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort’s recommended option is to take a taxi from the airport to the hotel; a 15-20 minute drive a cost of HK$150 (about $20) for up to four passengers.
The other option is to book a private car at a cost of HK$1150 (about $148). This is the way to go if you are at all nervous about arriving in Hong Kong and have the, “I just spent 15 hours getting here, I’m incredibly jet-lagged, I’m nervous because I do not speak Chinese, etc” feeling in your stomach.
This option is not only a stress reliever, it is a true VIP experience as you will be greeted by an English-speaking airport employee holding a sign with your name as soon as you deplane.
This person will walk you through the airport to Immigration, ensure you have the right forms and direct you to the proper line.
Once you’ve gone through Immigration, they will be waiting for you with a baggage cart and guide you to the proper baggage carousel where they will load your luggage and lead you to a Mercedes Benz, trunk open and waiting, parked directly outside the airport.
Your bags will be loaded while you climb in the spacious back seat for the drive to the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort.
We arrived on a Sunday in mid-November around 11:30am to find the airport nearly deserted and the roads wide open.
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Property
The drive is lush green and only intensifies as the car enters the Hong Kong Disneyland property.
Seriously, it’s like you were dropped into Isla Nubar from Jurassic Park.
Large overgrown trees, plants with enormous green leaves (and some gigantic lizards and spiders as you walk the outskirts of the property during your visit….thankfully none were spotted near the hotel and park!) line the colored cement and paver streets as the car makes its way to Disney’s Hollywood Hotel or the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel; the property’s two bayside hotels with a third on the way (Disney Explorer Lodge is set for an early 2017 opening).
The property is gorgeous having more in common with Disney World in Florida owing to the heat, humidity and greenery with the one major difference…everything still feels new (the park opened in 2005) and immaculately kept up.
The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort borrowed heavily from the parks that preceded it.
Disney’s Hollywood Hotel is a dead-ringer for the Disney Ambassador Hotel at the Tokyo Disney Resort while the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel is a scaled down replica of Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, both heavily influenced by San Diego’s famous Hotel del Coronado (this is wild ironic to us as the Nerds live in San Diego and flew halfway around the world to seemingly end up where we started).
Both hotels opened September 12, 2005 along with Hong Kong Disneyland.
Whereas Disney’s Hollywood Hotel is art-deco, the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel is ensconced in a Victorian theme; a throwback to a Disneyland that never was.
Timing is Everything
The Disney Park Nerds and Nerdlings subscribe to one cardinal rule when visiting theme parks: avoid crowds.
And the one universal Disney rule that applies over all others is “children in school = good time to visit”.
We read up on Hong Kong Disneyland and settled on the Fall between mid-September through November (with the exception of dates near national holidays on 9.16, 10.1 and 10.10) and ultimately selected November to make use of the Thanksgiving holiday.
It took us all of 20 minutes to realize we had made an excellent choice! Our first afternoon was focused on relaxing and exploring the resort area.
Once we unpacked, we suited up for the pool where we found one other person.
That’s it.
One.
And he appeared to be simply be sitting poolside to work in the shade.
The sprawling outdoor pool and waterslide and the nearby indoor pool had more lifeguards (at least 6) than patrons as we increased their numbers 300% upon arrival.
It was something out of a Disney dream. 82 degrees, humid, sunny and hot and not a single person (except me) in the pool!
The lifeguards looked bored out of their minds and I was enjoying watching one nod-off and do the “head bob” several times.
Apparently, there is a law in Hong Kong requiring all pools – even private pools – to have a minimum of two lifeguards on duty while in use.
All this being said, google pictures of Hong Kong Disneyland crowds around national holidays like Chinese New Year and you’ll see the park bursting at the seams with people… you’d be wise to plan around these times, avoid the summer and its hot and sticky weather and make use of other US holidays that do not overlap with Chinese and Hong Kong holidays.
From here, we decided to beat jet-lag by going for a walk around the resort. Be sure to grab a jogging map at check-in!
It is possible to walk the entire Hong Kong Disneyland Resort in a 2.5 mile circle (3.5 miles if you elect to do a full lap around Inspiration Lake)…more daunting than it sounds in a hot and humid environment while staving off jet-lag!
The only real sign of people – and there were a lot of folks here – were those at Inspiration Lake where many Hongkongers seemed to be enjoying an afternoon with family and some picnicking.
We made a lap around the property and stopped by the ticket booth to collect our tickets for the next couple of days and we noticed several things that made us realize we are not in Kansas anymore.
First, people were leaving the park in a steady stream at 6pm despite the park opening at 10am and closing at 8pm.
Second, we were struck by the small size of the entrance plaza (more on this later).
Third, as we made our way back to the hotel – a .4 mile / 700 meter path we would follow more than a dozen times during our stay – we passed by fewer than 5 people.
We had giant paved pathways to ourselves.
Areas in Anaheim or Florida that would be crawling with tourists were deserted.
As instrumental Disney music blared over the speakers, it was an eerie feeling to be so utterly alone in an areas designed to accommodate large crowds….and at 6pm on a weekend!
We would continue to find that even the few people staying at the resort hotels would walk the 300 meters to the bus stop in order to return to their hotel vs. walking 700 meters in the opposite direction to arrive at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel.
We knew we were in for a treat!
A Little Studying Goes a Long Way
In the weeks leading up to the trip, the Nerds did some nerdy things as we were bound and determined to make the very most of our two days to explore Hong Kong Disneyland!
The patterns were just as you might suspect based on what you’ve read so far: crowds were extremely light at opening and closing and only slight to moderate waits were seen during the day.
This helped decide how to approach our visit and made it clear that we needed to be at the park for opening and closing and that a mid-day rest (okay, okay, nap!) would enhance our trip and not cause us to miss out on any of the action.
There are very few English-language guidebooks for Hong Kong Disneyland.
A quick search on Amazon yields only one book specific to the resort publish in 2015.
Books by Fodor’s, Frommer’s, Eyewitness and Lonely Planet will provide a good overview on Hong kong overall, but dedicate little more than a paragraph on Hong Kong Disneyland.
However, the most important studying can be done from the comfort of your catch on a smart phone.
Making the most of your time at Hong Kong Disneyland includes avoiding crowds.
Download the official Hong Kong Disneyland app in the weeks ahead of your trip.
Simply logging on the app when the park opens and a few sporadic time during the park’s operating day will yield some very obvious patterns on when wait times are at their longest.
Looking at the app on the two Tuesdays and Wednesdays preceding our trip, we were able to see some very basic crowd patterns and plan our day accordingly.
Notably, the longest waits were consistently at Dumbo, Orbitron, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Toy Soldier Parachute Drop by mid-day while Mystic Manor (amazing!!) and Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars typically saw their longest waits in the two hours before closing.
The Jungle River Cruise had the most consistently long wait all day long, though we quickly uncovered this is because the “cruise” is given in three languages (English, Cantonese, and Mandarin) so the actual wait is often much shorter than posted.
Using the information we uncovered in less than 30 minutes of homework allowed us to plot out our day and during our mid-November trip.
The result?
We did not wait more than 5 minutes for a single attraction and walked directly on the vast majority of them!
In Hong Kong, the Early Bird Still Gets the Worm
If you have traveled to Disneyland in Anaheim and the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida, then you know how critical it is to be at the park at “rope drop”.
The bloodshot eyes of those around you, the parents nursing their coffee and feeding granola bars on the go to their children is a mainstay of Disney park visits.
Here’s some great news about Hong Kong Disneyland…during slower times of the year, the park does not open until 10am or 10:30am and the crowds present at rope drop are practically non-existent.
Even after more than 11 years, Hongkongers do not rush the gates of the Magic Kingdom like they do in the rest of the world.
So those who stroll through the gates around 10:15am, grab a waffle or hot dog or corn on the cob at the food cart along Main Street (you cannot even get a pretzel or churro at the original Disneyland this time of day), peruse the shops and amble straight up to the rope with 75 of your closest friends for the official opening time will relish this wonderful cultural difference!
Small Crowds and Big Fun
The joy that is Hong Kong Disneyland owes a huge debt to the lack of crowds at the slower times of the year.
Those Gen Xers and Baby Boomers who vaguely remember a time when Disneyland was void of crowds in the “off months” like September and October will find those memories flooding back on a leisurely trip through Hong one Disneyland.
On top of this, there are three one-of-a-kind attractions and two one-of-a-kind lands anchored by Grizzly Gulch’s Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars – a cross between Disneyland classic Big Thunder Mountain and Animal Kingdom’s Expedition Everest with the smooth as silk ride system Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train, Mystic Point’s Mystic Manor – Hong Kong’s fantastical answer to the Haunted Mansion using the trackless technology from Tokyo Disneyland’s Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, and Tomorrowland’s Iron Man Experience debuting in early 2017.
Additionally, there are true gems to be found throughout Hong Kong Disneyland with none more pleasantly surprising than Fairy Tale Forest complete with interactive dioramas featuring many Disney classics.
Is it Worth a Visit? You Betcha’
The Case for Hong Kong Disneyland is a strong one.
The resort is beautiful and lush, the rooms are less expensive than any other Disney property (except for Shanghai), the crowds are non-existent if you time your visit properly, and Disney ingenuity is at its best with several of the park’s attractions.
There is even more on the horizon with the recently announced overhaul to Hong Kong Disneyland including an area dedicated to Frozen’s Arendelle, one focused on Marvel characters and a larger castle is on the way (it’s a bit ironic that in a city where appearances often matter more than reality, they will be taking the smallest of the Disney castles and reimagining it to compete with the Shanghai Disneyland’s largest).
Hong Kong Disneyland is Disneyland made easy.
It’s a fun, world-class park offering exclusive attractions in a beautiful setting and it is absolutely worth the adventure!
Hong Kong Disneyland is an intimate, fanciful and wonderful Disney park meant to be experienced in the off-season (an absolute must) when crowds are sparse and its size enhances the experience.
What you’ll find in Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland opened with Main Street, U.S.A., Tomorrowland, Fantasyland and Adventureland and given the relatively few attractions – and very limited differences to the original Disneyland, a trip in the early years may have been disappointing.
Now, with the 2011 opening of Toy Story Land, 2012 launch of Grizzly Peak and 2013 addition of Mystic Point, the park is not only 25% larger than opening day, it feels like a full-scale Disney park.
The size and scale of the park are the first things any first-time visitor will notice (our Nerds sure did!). It’s small, but quaintly so.
The entrance area feels more like a small regional kids’ theme park located in a larger city park – the type of park with a carousel that can be seen just over the fence and a few kiddie rides and playgrounds to explore. The ticket booth area consists of four buildings, all close together with a relatively narrow walking path in between.
The entrance gates are obscured by the ticket booths and appear even smaller than they are since you cannot see the full scale of the turnstiles from a distance.
The Mickey flowerbed and train station directly beyond the turnstiles are scaled-down from the original Disneyland in Anaheim and dwarfed by the entrance plazas of the two foreign parks that preceded it – Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris – while it would be swallowed up entirely by the mammoth beast that is Shanghai Disneyland.
And yet, it feels incredibly special…like a secret park to explore on your own (at least during the off season).
1. Main Street, U.S.A.
Main Street at Hong Kong Disneyland is shorter than its Disneyland sister with a brick street, long low curbs and no interference from railroad tracks.
The area is flanked by shops – fewer than others – a food stand with waffles, hot dogs and corn on the cob for hungry visitors awaiting its mid-morning “rope drop”.
That’s right…mid-morning!
Each day of our visit, the park opened at 10:30am and the Disney Park Nerds were split on this….at first.
Once we’d established that crowds would be light, the idea of a casual morning and long un-rushed breakfasts only added to our enjoyment!
Guests can explore Main Street 30 minutes prior to the official opening time and are corralled here until the music officially announces the park is open.
From here, you and 150 of your closest friends – because it’s just dead (in a great way!) during the off-season – quickly walk or stroll or meander to some of the first attractions of the day.
2. Tomorrowland
Did we mention it is small?
Orbitron is the centerpiece with flying saucers spinning around a cadre of planets.
Buzz Lightyear (which never seems to have a wait longer than 5 minutes) is a near clone of the Anaheim original.
Autopia was recently shut down for the new Iron Man Experience; a re-themed Star Tours-like attraction starring the Marvel superhero.
Space Mountain – whose curves and track layout are very similar to Anaheim – is here and is one of only two attractions that offer Fastpass in the entire park.
This particular Space Mountain saw the birth of Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy during the Fall of 2007; now a crowd favorite at Disneyland.
Other “attractions” include Star Wars: Command Post.
3. Fantasyland
Hong Kong Disneyland’s Fantasyland is home to just one dark ride – the one other Fastpass attraction The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (a clone of the Shanghai and Magic Kingdom versions) plus the familiar Mickey’s PhilharMagic, “it’s a small world”, Mad Hatter Tea Cups, Cinderella Carousel and Dumbo.
There is also a Disney’s Storybook Theater presenting the live-acton Mickey and the Wondrous Book asa well as, a character and Princess greeting areas. The Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad makes a stop here and, the park map lists Sleeping Beauty Castle as an attraction despite there not being anything that would justify this designation like an interactive walk-through, gallery or show.
Fairy Tale Forest is the unsung hero of Hong Kong Disneyland’s Fantasyland. This quaint and unobtrusive garden-like setting is home to charming self-triggered dioramas and effects in a selfie-haven for Disney stories.
Guests are encouraged to engage, watch, snap and enjoy numerous Disney Classics including Tangled, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella and The Little Mermaid as they make their way through the Fairy Tale Forest.
Fairies are said to inhabit this enchanted forest and a meet and greet with Tinkerbell is an option for those who are interested.
4. Adventureland
Hong Kong Disneyland’s Adventureland is the largest such land in the Disney arsenal.
It’s home to the Festival of the Lion King show as well as Tarzan’s Treehouse and accompanying rafts to Tarzan’s Treehouse (the treehouse is a knock-off from Anaheim with the “twist” that guests have to wait to take a raft to and from the treehouse).
Another “attraction” is the Liki Tikis…tiki statues that spray water and is more of an interactive decoration. Hong Kong Disneyland’s Jungle River Cruise is a bit unique in the Disney canon.
First, the waterways for the attraction are wider and more expansive, if less intimate than other Disney park settings.
Guests cruise around the island upon which Tarzan’s Treehouse resides.
Hong Kong Disneyland’s version does add some pep to this Disney classic with shooting and rushing water and fire effects.
The Jungle Cruise has long been loved for the captain’s witty banter, though in Hong Kong it falls a bit flat in English.
The great news is this attraction allows guests in line up in one of three queues: English, Mandarin or Cantonese.
The latter two versions are delivered with more enthusiasm (though nowhere near the delightfully enjoyable manic delivery at Tokyo Disneyland) and the skippers often try to accommodate their English-speaking passengers with some Chinese/English variations.
This makes the trip aboard Jungle River Cruise more interesting and a unique Hong Kong Disneyland experience!
5. Toy Story Land
While the 2011 opening of Toy Story Land saw the only existing land focused on Pixar’s Toy Story franchise, the attractions are clones of Disneyland Paris’ RC Racer and Slinky Dog Zigzag.
Disney Park Nerds and Nerdlings always enjoy RC Racer!
The Toy Soldier Parachute Drop is fun if you ride it early before the slow loading and minimal capacity can cause 30+ minute waits even in the offseason (meanwhile the e-ticket attractions hover below 10 minutes).
Parachute Drop is most similar to Jumpin’ Jellyfish at Disney California Adventure and Tokyo DisneySea.
Overall, this land is weakest in Hong Kong in both theming and attractions. Building a land with toy blocks and tinker toys is cute, but lacks the charm of the rest of the park.
6. Mystic Point
Yes, please!
Hong Kong Disneyland’s Mystic Point debuted in 2013 and along with it the amazing, sensational, magical, and fun Mystic Manor!
This first-and-only-of-its-kind attraction is Hong Kong Disneyland’s answer to the Haunted Mansion.
This wonderful ride combines top-notch show elements with the state-of-the-art trackless ride technology of Tokyo Disneyland’s Pooh’s Hunny Hunt to wow guests.
Mystic Manor is Disney at its very best!
The rest of Mystic Point’s “attractions” include Gardens of Wonder and Mystic Point Freight Depot; two areas to take photos and explore some optical illusions.
While mildly interesting, these are both minor distractions and certainly not full-fledged “attractions”.
7. Grizzly Gulch
Like Mystic Point and Adventureland, two of the distraction “attractions” in this land include Wild West Photo Fun (photo ops) and a chance to get wet at Geyser Gulch.
The headliner here is Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars!
Debuting in 2012 and combining the smooth-as-silk track technology used in the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train along with the surprise backwards element of Animal Kingdom’s Expedition Everest, Hong Kong Disneyland’s coaster is a lot of fun.
Short waits in the off-season mean you will get to experience this attraction over and over to your heart’s desire!
What to expect from the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotels
Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel
Hong Kong Disneyland’s flagship hotel debuted alongside the park in 2005.
Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel is ensconced in a Victorian theme; a throwback to a Disneyland that never was.
The hotel is elegant and charming and is a scaled down replica of Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, both heavily influenced by San Diego’s famous Hotel del Coronado.
Sea View rooms are available and the hotel’s restaurants are top-notch.
Disney’s Hollywood Hotel
Disney’s Hollywood Hotel is a dead-ringer for the Disney Ambassador Hotel at the Tokyo Disney Resort.
It, too, opened September 12, 2005 along with Hong Kong Disneyland and has an art-deco theme. Views of the sea are available and its main restaurant, Chef Mickey, is outstanding.
Hong Kong Disneyland is definitely worth a visit and spending a few days during the off-season at its “on property” resorts makes for a relaxing and unique Disney-going experience.
Getting to Hong Kong Disneyland
Seriously, the Disney Park Nerds couldn’t be more excited for you!
Preparing a trip to explore Hong Kong Disneyland is an amazing adventure and one you will, no doubt, be glad that you did!
Let’s get a few essential Disney tips in order to make the trip as easy as possible and ease some of the intimidation you may be feeling.
Visa Requirements to Visit Hong Kong Disneyland
First things first. There is no Visa requirement for Americans traveling to Hong Kong for leisure.
Just make sure your passport is good for more than six months after the date of entry and your stay is less than six months.
You can always check out these requirements as well as contacting the US State Department.
If your travel plans take you to mainland China, the rules are a bit different. Be sure to contact the Chinese Embassy for specific information.
As of the writing of this article in 2016, Shanghai allows visits for up to 144 hours without a Visa while some cities, like Beijing allow up to 72 hours without a Visa.
If you plan to take a trip without securing a Visa, check with the US State Department, call and speak with the Chinese Embassy/Consulate, research it on the web site and call both agencies to verify everything again.
Measure three times, cut once.
Why?
Because getting this particular portion of your trip incorrect could amount to some massive headaches upon arrival as well as potentially barring you and your party from entering the country and exploring Hong Kong Disneyland.
Should you need to obtain a Visa, it will require an in-person visit to a Chinese Consulate or Embassy or engaging a third party Visa company (the Nerds have used Passport Visa Express many times without a hitch) who will visit one of these locations on your behalf.
This requires being without your passport for at least a handful of days as you will be shipping it to the third party company.
These third party companies make the process very easy, offer a selection of expedited options as well as tiered levels of service ranging from travelers who choose to fill the paperwork out on their own (we did this and it was relatively painless, if a little bit confusing) to arranging a call with an expert who will fill out all of the documentation for you and send it to you for signature.
The lower cost options start at about $220 per person, including the $140 application fee to the Chinese Consulate, plus shipping of your document(s) both directions.
Should you choose to visit the Consulate in person, they are located in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, or San Francisco or you can make your way to the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC.
Again, verify everything multiple times and confirm they will be open for the date of your visit as well as the hours of operation for Visa applications.
This sounds intimidating…but it doesn’t have to be!
The $79 (plus shipping) processing fee for a third party firm is well worth the money.
Airline Experience
There are many airlines that travel to Hong Kong and China. Chinese state-run airlines like China Eastern are every bit as good (if not better) than U.S.-based airlines like American or United.
The flight attendants from asian-based airlines, almost always young women, will be able to communicate with you in English, sometimes a bit “broken”, and there is always someone aboard who is fluent for more complex requests and questions.
Announcements, safety videos and demonstrations, movies and everything else will be available in both Chinese and English.
If you’re lucky, you’ll get to watch every safety video twice on each flight and it might be a world record for lengthy videos aboard China Easter and China Southern….seriously, it doesn’t end.
Like…I’m watching it right now and it’s still going.
Websites like www.seatguru.com allow you to run searches based on specific flight routes to see images of the planes and confirm details like specific aircraft, aircraft age, recommendations on seats to request and seats to avoid, seating arrangements, etc.
If you want to plan ahead for your return, check out our article on Global Entry and finding a credit card that will pay for it!
Airport Transfer Experience
If you are lucky enough to travel from the U.S. (or your home country) directly to Hong Kong, skip this section.
If you are connecting through a Chinese city, like Shanghai, read on!
Overall, this experience is pretty easy but there is one thing you can do at your home airport that will avoid confusion and that momentary moment of “what do I do and where do I go” jet-lagged induced panic (I suffered this for about 45 seconds because I failed to follow this step).
STEP 1: Confirm your luggage is checked through to your final destination (e.g. Hong Kong).
That’s it!
That’s the big one!
If you’ve confirmed this (and it cannot hurt to look at the luggage tag before they send your bag down the carousel) deplane and follow the signs – in Chinese and English, thankfully – to connections/transfers.
Be prepared to show your boarding pass, clear much-slower-than-TSA security (take out those laptops, throw away the water bottles and be sure to take your umbrella out of your carry-on….no joke), and head to your assigned gate to board your next flight.
You don’t need to fill out the boarding card since you are continuing to Hong Kong and the flight attendants should confirm this when they hand out the forms.
For flights departing from China, be prepared to sit on the tarmac for an extended period of time and to experience delays for any number of reasons ranging from weather to the 90+ minutes the Nerds sat on the ground due to issues loading cargo.
For the record, the safety video is STILL playing. Just thought you should know.
Airport Arrival and Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Transfer
Hong Kong International airport follows the same general arrival process as any other international airport. Deplane, head through Immigration (you are a foreigner..so that’s your line!), collect your bags, walk through customs and now you’re out in the world and ready to begin your adventure!
Regardless of your hotel, do your homework.
Email the concierge and inquire about transportation options whether via taxi or hired car.
Our destination was the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and several emails to the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Reservation Center (online.reservations@hongkongdisneyland.com) helped identify a couple of options for first time visitors.
Taking the Metro was “out”.
Arriving many times in my youth to a foreign country jet-lagged and exhausted only to try and unravel the mysteries of the local transportation system (because no matter how much research you do, being there is always a bit unique) was one thing, but arriving in this exhaustive state to Asia – where none of us spoke the language – was not an option.
The Hong Kong Disney Resort recommended I take a taxi from the airport to the hotel; a 15-20 minute drive at a cost of HK$150 (about $20) for up to four passengers.
The Disney Park Nerds opted to splurge on this selection and book a private car at a cost of HK$1150 (about $148).
Boy, oh boy, was this worth it!
Let me tell you….this is the way to go!
Booking a private car eliminated all nervousness about arriving in Hong Kong because it eliminated the need for us to even have to think.
And that “I just spent 15 hours getting here, I’m incredibly jet-lagged, I’m nervous because I do not speak Chinese, etc” feeling in your stomach? Gone!
This option is not only a stress reliever, it is a true VIP experience.
You will be among the only passengers greeted immediately upon deplaning by an English-speaking airport employee holding a sign with your name.
This person will grab your carry-on and walk with you through the airport to Immigration, ensure you have the right forms and direct you to the proper line.
Once you’ve completed Immigration, they will be waiting for you with a baggage cart and guide you to the proper baggage carousel where they will load your luggage and lead you to a Mercedes Benz, trunk open and waiting, parked directly outside the airport.
Your bags will be loaded while you climb in the spacious back seat for the drive to the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. No fuss, no muss and a heck of a lot of fun.
Departure Information from Hong Kong Disneyland
It’s too soon to think about leaving…heck, you haven’t even arrived yet!
Nonetheless, it’s time to think about heading to the airport.
Again, there are multiple methods from which to choose including Metro, taxi and private transfer.
No doubt, you will be far more comfortable in your surroundings having spent some time in Hong Kong (yes, even outside of Hong Kong Disneyland) and with English as its official second language, surely you found communication easier than expected.
The taxi for a return trip is a very viable and affordable option.
So, too, is the private transfer if you want a car waiting for you, someone to handle your luggage and a private escort, just as when you arrived, to help you check-in, clear Immigration as you leave the country and walk you to your gate.
It’s still fun to spoil yourself sometimes, though if you are going to choose one time to do this, splurge for the private car upon arrival at Hong Kong International Airport.
Now, get to planning and have an amazing adventure at Hong Kong Disneyland!
If you are looking for more guidance, you can read our 1 and 2-day itineraries.
Hong Kong Disneyland: 1 and 2-day Itineraries
Grab your Hong Kong Disneyland map, your itinerary and get ready to explore knowing you can conquer this park in a day if visiting in the off-season.
If you have the time, two days will allow you the ability to explore the park at a pace more akin to a laid back beach vacation rather than a grueling Disneyland or Disney World vacation.
It is truly a relaxing experience….one where you will find yourself wondering many times, “what should I do now?”.
There are very few English-language guidebooks for Hong Kong Disneyland.
A quick search on Amazon will yield one book specific to the resort publish in 2015. Books by Fodor’s, Frommer’s, Eyewitness and Lonely Planet will provide a good overview on Hong Kong overall, but dedicate little more than a paragraph on Hong Kong Disneyland.
However, the most important studying can be done from the comfort of your catch on a smart phone.
Making the most of your time at Hong Kong Disneyland includes avoiding crowds.
Download the official Hong Kong Disneyland app
Download the official Hong Kong Disneyland app in the weeks ahead of your trip.
Simply logging on the app when the park opens and a few sporadic time during the park’s operating day will yield some very obvious patterns on when wait times are at their longest.
Looking at the app on the two Tuesdays and Wednesdays preceding our trip, we were able to see some very basic crowd patterns and plan our day accordingly.
Notably, the longest waits were consistently at Dumbo, Orbitron, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Toy Soldier Parachute Drop by mid-day while Mystic Manor (amazing!!) and Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars typically saw their longest waits in the two hours before closing.
The Jungle River Cruise had the most consistently long wait all day long, though we quickly uncovered this is because the “cruise” is given in three languages (Mandarin, Cantonese and English), so the actual wait is often much shorter than posted.
Using the information we uncovered in less than 30 minutes of homework allowed us to plot out our day and during our mid-November trip, we did not wait more than 5 minutes for a single attraction and walked directly on the vast majority of them!
If you have traveled to Disneyland in Anaheim and the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida, then you know how critical it is to be at the park at “rope drop”.
The bloodshot eyes of those around you, the parents nursing their coffee and feeding granola bars on the go to their children is a mainstay of Disney park visits.
Here’s some great news about Hong Kong Disneyland…during slower times of the year, the park does not open until 10am or 10:30am and the crowds present at rope drop are practically non-existent.
Even after more than 11 years, Hongkongers do not rush the gates of the Magic Kingdom like they do in the rest of the world.
So those who stroll through the gates around 10:15am, grab a waffle or hot dog or corn on the cob at the food cart along Main Street (you cannot even get a pretzel or churro at the original Disneyland at 10am most days despite the park having been open for hours), peruse the shops and amble straight up to the rope with 75 of your closest friends for the official opening time will relish this wonderful cultural difference!
Hong Kong Disneyland opens and closes in stages
First to open is Main Street, U.S.A. generally 30 minutes before the park’s official opening time.
There are special lines for season pass holders (called Magic Access at Hong Kong Disneyland) and for guests staying at the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort hotels.
In the offseason, these lines could save you as much as 60 to 120 seconds (exactly…any line will do).
Arrive as early as you’d like in that 30 minute stretch before the park officially opens – 20 minutes will give you enough time to walk leisurely around Main Street and still be at the rope for the park’s opening.
At “rope drop”, most of Tomorrowland and Fantasyland are open as well as the Jungle River Cruise in Adventureland.
30 minutes later, the rest of the attractions in those lands will open along with those in Grizzly Gulch, Mystic Point and Toy Story Land.
The reverse is the same with Rafts to Tarzan’s Treehouse and the Treehouse themselves closing about an hour before fireworks/official closing time along with Grizzly Gulch, Mystic Point and Toy Story Land.
Undoubtedly, you will make numerous interesting observations during your trip and chief among them will be the lack of school-aged children – owing, no doubt, to Asia’s grueling school schedule and homework expectations – though a handful of kids will show up in the late afternoon/early evening complete with backpacks indicating they hopped on the subway right after school.
The lack of teenagers and the abundance of selfie-addicted women will provide the seasoned Disney park goer a decided advantage for experiencing their favorite attractions.
As you queue up and wait for the lands to open, you might find yourself thinking, “Okay, I’m not far back.
Get it together.
Let’s walk fast and see if we can get in front of that group over there.” Strategy in hand, the rope is dropped and you are ready to go!
But then, the unthinkable happens.
The groups diverge in different directions and the largest contingent rush to take pictures in front of statues, signs, decorations, etc before other people can ruin their selfies.
You’re still in first gear, ready to make a full sprint appear more like a walking speed so the Cast Members don’t yell at you, you look around and you find that you’ve distanced the entire crowd in less than 30 yards.
Now, you’re standing in front of the castle 60 seconds after the park opened and there is not a person in sight.
You literally have the magical picture opportunity you’ve dreamed of your entire Disney-going life… you can have a picture of the park’s centerpiece without another soul in the shot!
But what do you do?
Do you stop?
Do you forge ahead to get in line for your favorite attraction before the throngs of Hongkongers rush past you?
Fret not!
Take your time, get a good picture and leisurely walk to your first attraction.
As an aside, you’ll have plenty of time for all of those other pictures by mid-afternoon.
We Nerds were blown away at what a different Disney Park experience this was.
The visit to Hong Kong Disneyland was so relaxed, there was no need to walk quickly/run/sprint to the first several attractions of the day; meandering from attraction to attraction worked just fine.
Now….for those wise enough to visit in the offseason, here is a sample itinerary for your days in Hong Kong to minimize waiting times should even larger crowds arrive.
On to the itineraries!
- Get a Fastpass for Hyperspace Mountain (good for +/- 60 minutes in the future)
- Ride Hyperspace Mountain. If you walk here directly following rope drop, odds are you will have to wait a couple of minutes before there are enough people to fill up the first car. We know..crazy, right?
- Ride Orbitron
- Ride The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- If it’s not yet open, line up for the second “rope drop” at the entrance to Toy Story Land as accessed from Fantasyland
- Ride Toy Soldier Parachute Drop
- Ride RC Racer
- Ride Slinky Dog Spin
- Ride Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars
- Ride Mystic Manor
- Use your Fastpass and ride Hyperspace Mountain
- Ride Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters (and keep re-riding until you are happy with your score)
- Have Lunch
- Ride the Jungle River Cruise aboard the first available boat (the jokes largely fall flat in English, take the trip in Mandarin or Cantonese.
- Ride It’s a Small World
- Ride the Mad Hatter Tea Cups
- Work in an afternoon show of Mickey and the Wondrous Book (arriving 10 minutes early in the off-season is sufficient)
- Ride the Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad from the Fantasyland Station (you will have to exit at Main Street and hustle to get back in line to complete the round trip to Fantasyland)…and make it a round-trip
- Explore Fairy Tale Forest
- Take the rafts to Tarzan’s Treehouse
- Explore Tarzan’s Treehouse
- Explore Geyser Gulch and WildWest Photo Fun
- Repeat any of your favorites
- Make time for the “Disney Paint the Night” Parade
- End the day with “Disney in the Stars” Fireworks
Anything that you miss can easily be experienced the second day along with repeats of favorites.
Take the time to try some new restaurants and snacks while checking out every shop that interests you.
What you are likely to find is that you will explore the entire park and possibly even have time for an afternoon swim or nap; on Day 2 a swim and a nap are near certainties!
BONUS: How to spend non-Disney time in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Disneyland here you come!
But now what?
You’re planning to jet-set halfway around the world and your friends might mock you if you only spent time at Disneyland.
So you want to see more of Hong Kong? No problem!
The city is full of spectacular things to do, see and experience for all ages and interests.
Time to map out your itinerary, eh?
Not sure what to do?
Well, let’s start at the very beginning (I hear it’s a very good place to start).
You’re going to lose some time traveling to Hong Kong.
If you leave, say, California late Friday evening around 11pm, you will arrive in Hong Kong mid to late Sunday morning.
What happened to Saturday?
Due to the time-space continuum – coupled with the international date line – you arrived in the future.
Remember, your bound to be a bit jet-lagged and sleepy from your 20+ hours of travel.
Doing anything productive that first afternoon is likely a waste of time because you will be hallucinating and will not remember a thing.
Go for a walk to explore your surroundings, find a pool, get some food and do your best to stay up to a respectable time (like 6pm).
This will pay huge dividends as you have a strong shot at being reasonably rested the next morning and can kick off your touring in fashion.
If you’re visiting in the off-season, Hong Kong Disneyland can be done in a day though we’d highly recommend two to thoroughly enjoy the park as discussed in our Ultimate Guide to Hong Kong Disneyland.
If Hong Kong Disneyland was your impetus for the trip, make two days a priority and you’ll have the time to smell the roses, see every nook and cranny and bask in every detail of every shop and every attraction throughout the park.
Now the question becomes, how much time do you need for Hong Kong? It’s a question for the ages.
How much time do you need for Los Angeles or San Francisco? It just depends and here, a little research will go a long way.
What’s important to you?
- Is it Buddhist monasteries and Chinese gardens?
- Is it immersing yourself in the daily lives of Hongkongers?
- Is it dining?
The options are endless.
We reached out to our favorite – and highly rated on Tripadvisor – Hong Kong tour guide by the name of Jamie over at J3, an Englishman who has lived in Hong Kong going on four decades, for his top recommendations…though we promised to tell you that you can always customize a tour!
We had some very specific requests for our first tour with Jamie and accomplished the following in about 8 hours:
- We took the MTR (subway system) to many stops with expertly efficient guidance
- Rode a Blue Taxi to the Giant Buddha and saw a lot of wild cows
- Visited the amazing Giant Buddha (and walked up 268 steps to the statue)
- Had fun with the Echo Chamber
- Saw the “old and rather fabulous” new Po Lin Monastery
- Gawked at a jade bracelet priced at $1,935,000
- Dined at Din Tai Fung at the Miramar Mall – fusion dim sum, Michelin 1 star restaurant
- Toured Nan Lian Garden with its bonsai trees, rocks, koi, waterfalls, pagoda, “red” bridge and more
- Gawked some more at a 24K gold Mickey Mouse statue weighing more than 23lbs and a price tag of $498,000
- Walked down the longest road in Kowloon – Nathan Road – with nearly 2 miles of shopping
- Explored the iconic Peninsula Hotel during Afternoon Tea (and saw 14 Rolls Royce Phantoms)
- Traversed the waterfront and TST Promenade for the amazing view of the harbor and Hong Kong Island
- Set sail on the Star Ferry across the harbor to Hong Kong Island
- Took pictures of the Hong Kong Ferris Wheel
- Peppered Jamie with endless questions that he was gracious enough to answer (and answer…and answer)
Dining out in Hong Kong
*
24K Gold Mickey Mouse
Nerd Alert: Jamie easily allowed us to see nearly 3 days’ worth of DIY touring in a no-stress, though very exhausting day. We Nerds believe this time savings more than offset the cost and left us plenty of time for Hong Kong Disneyland.
7 Hong Kong Disneyland Tips
Sometimes the Nerd learns of a Disney tip the hard way… such is the case with a recent visit to Hong Kong Disneyland!
So, take it from the Nerd and follow these simple Disney tips and tricks to save time on your Hong Kong Disneyland Adventure.
1. Study the Traffic Patterns
The most impactful Disney tip studying can be done from the comfort of your couch on a smart phone.
Making the most of your time at Hong Kong Disneyland includes avoiding crowds. Download the official Hong Kong Disneyland app in the weeks ahead of your trip.
Simply log on to the app when the park opens and at a few sporadic times during the park’s operating day.
Make note of the wait times (taking a screen shot with your phone is even easier) and some very obvious patterns on when wait times are at their longest.
Use this information to come up with your touring plan for the day or use our sample plan.
2. Email Hong Kong Disneyland with Questions
The folks at the Hong Kong Disney Reservation Center do their best to help answer questions and provide guidance about your upcoming visit to Hong Kong Disneyland.
If you have questions, want to confirm your itinerary or do some homework ahead of your trip, email them at online.reservations@hongkongdisneyland.com.
Be forewarned, they can be a little slow at responding and it can sometimes take a day or two to hear back, so communicate well ahead of your trip.
3. Book a Private Transfer Upon Landing in Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Disney Resort generally recommends taking a taxi from the airport to the hotel; a 15-20 minute drive at a cost of HK$150 (about $20) for up to four passengers.
They also offer a private car at a cost of HK$1150 (about $148). If this splurge is in your budget, this is the way to go!
This Disney tip eliminates all nervousness about arriving in Hong Kong – especially for first-time visitors – because it eliminates the need to think and stress.
And that “I just spent 15 hours getting here, I’m incredibly jet-lagged, I’m nervous because I do not speak Chinese, etc…” feeling in your stomach?
Gone!
This option is not only a stress reliever and huge time saver, it is a true VIP experience.
You will be among the only passengers greeted immediately upon deplaning by an English-speaking airport employee holding a sign with your name. This person will grab your carry-on and walk with you through the airport to Immigration, ensure you have the right forms and direct you to the proper line.
Once you’ve completed Immigration, they will be waiting for you with a baggage cart and guide you to the proper baggage carousel where they will load your luggage and lead you to a Mercedes Benz, trunk open and waiting, parked directly outside the airport.
Your bags will be loaded while you climb in the spacious back seat for the drive to the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort.
No fuss, no muss and a heck of a lot of fun.
4. Book a Private Tour to See Hong Kong
There is a lot to see and do in Hong Kong and undoubtedly you will want to explore at least some of the city during your trip. While the Nerd is a fan of “getting lost” in foreign cities – you often find some wonderful off-the-beaten-path treats – if your time is limited, book a tour.
If timing is extremely limited or you want to spoil yourself, book a private tour.
A full-day private tour will cost in the neighborhood of $650 plus transportation costs and entrance fees.
5. Confirm Your Luggage is Checked Through to Hong Kong
Prevent a minor panic attack with this Disney tip.
If you are connecting through another mainland China airport, like Shanghai.
If you’ve confirmed this (and it cannot hurt to look at the luggage tag before they send your bag down the carousel) deplane and follow the signs – in Chinese and English, thankfully – to connections/transfers.
Be prepared to show your boarding pass, clear much-slower-than-TSA security (taking out those laptops, throwing away the water bottles and being sure to place your umbrella in a separate bin….no joke), and head to your assigned gate to board your next flight.
6. Plan Your Arrival to the Park in Advance
If you are not staying at a Hong Kong Disney Resort property and need to plan on using a taxi, bus, or metro, be sure to ask your concierge for specific instructions on how to get to Hong Kong Disneyland.
It will be very important that you know how long it should take to arrive 20-30 minutes before the park’s scheduled opening time being mindful of rush hour or closures that will impact your travel time.
If you are staying at the Hong Kong Disney Resort, ask the Concierge about the timing of the bus/shuttle or obtain a jogging map with approximate distances from the hotels to Hong Kong Disneyland.
The Nerds and Nerdlings enjoy the peaceful – almost eerily empty – walk from the hotel to the park in the off-season.
7. Stay at a Hong Kong Disney Resort Hotel
Our final Disney tip. If saving time is a priority, spend the extra money to stay at least one or two nights at a Hong Kong Disney Resort property.
In the off-season, prices can be very affordable especially once transportation costs are factored in.
Final thoughts on Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland is a wonderful park and definitely worth the trip.
We Disney Parks Nerds have a thing or two to say about it in our Hong Kong Disneyland: How it Compares article.
After gushing over so much of what the park has to offer, we also found a few things we would LOVE to see…they would have made our day all the more magical!
1. More Popcorn Options!
One of the Nerd’s favorite things about the Tokyo Disney Resort is the seemingly endless selection of popcorn flavors at carts all around Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea.
From Nerd favorite Corn Pottage (the name does not do the taste justice) to soy sauce or curry or honey and more….your food budget will quickly be challenged with the “I’ve got to try this” mentality.
Hong Kong Disneyland offers regular “U.S. style” popcorn and a mediocre caramel popcorn.
We’d pop over more options!
2. Fresh Baked Cookies
The Nerds LOVE, LOVE, LOVE a white chocolate chunk cookie at the Disneyland Resort and the Walt Disney World Resort.
Unfortunately, fresh baked (or even “non-packaged”) cookies are extraordinarily difficult to come by at the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort.
Even if you find one, it won’t take the place of the vast selection available in the U.S. parks. Souvenirs are big (BIG!) business in Asia and people returning from vacation are expected to bring gifts – food gifts are often the “go to” choice.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that pre-packaged souvenir cookies in everything from bags, to plastic packages and collectible tins are found everywhere around the resort.
We just wish there was a a little love in the form of a freshly baked white chocolate chunk cookie was available to satisfy a hungry tourist’s sweet tooth.
3. Mickey Pretzels
Need we say more?
There are no Mickey Pretzels (capitalized due to its importance in Disney lore) available at the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. It’s sad, it’s true, and it should be changed.
End of story.
4. Longer Hours for Mystic Point and Grizzly Gulch
Mystic Point’s Mystic Manor attraction and Grizzly Gulch’s Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars are two of the best attractions at Hong Kong Disneyland (Nerd Alert: Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars is expected to fall to number three when Iron Man opens in January 2017).
Yet, neither land is accessible when the park opens and both close about an hour earlier – at least in the off-season – than the rest of the park.
The Nerd is a fan of ending Disney visits with the best attractions and the absence of lines would make experiencing Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars and Mystic Manor an enviable 1-2 punch at the end of an amazing day visiting Hong Kong Disneyland!
5. Round Trips Aboard the Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad
The Nerd, like everyone before and millions after, likes a good ol’ fashioned rest aboard any Disneyland Railroad. With only two stations – Main Street, U.S.A. and Fantasyland – the ride is relatively short, though there are a couple of interesting and unique things to see (though not as amazing as the dioramas at Disneyland in California, but fun nonetheless).
Unfortunately, guests are required to disembark after each leg of the journey. Maybe this makes sense on the more crowded days, but during the off-season, this rule does little more than force people to exit the train and hustle through the exit and back in line to join the boarding process for the same train.
Oh…to be able to ride the train on a complete round trip journey….
6. More Theming on Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars
Grizzly Gulch’s headliner is Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars!
Combining the smooth-as-silk track technology used in the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train along with the surprise backwards ride element of Animal Kingdom’s Expedition Everest, Hong Kong Disneyland’s coaster is a lot of fun!
What could make it better?
More animals and props alongside the track and inside the caves and caverns a la Big Thunder Mountain. No need to go overboard, but a little spice is awfully nice.
7. A Bigger Castle, Additional Hotels, More Attractions and New Themed Lands!
Okay, this is a gimme given the announcement Disney made about upcoming improvements to the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort.
Hong Kong Disneyland recently announced a multi-billion dollar investment in its park.
Rumors include a larger Hong Kong Disneyland castle, additional Marvel-themed attractions and a new land!
The Disney Park Nerd loves Hong Kong Disneyland….but there is always room for improvement (and a Mickey Pretzel…did we mention that?).
