I just returned from the June 30 China ABD and had a great time. I arrived several days early to Hong Kong and, based on Cousin Orville’s recommendation, used Hello Hong Kong to do Lantau Island and a food tour. Both were awesome and worth the cost. I also took a tour to Macau that allowed me time to sightsee, spend time in the casino, and have dinner at Robuchon a Dome before taking the ferry back. The average wait time at HKDL on my pre-day was about 30 minutes and I was able to ride everything I wanted.
Below are some tips based on my experience and things that I really obsessed with in the planning stage. I hope these suggestions will help others planning or who are concerned about similar things.
1). Weather— it didn’t really rain on our tour during the day until Shanghai even though the weather app said otherwise. We were in SHDL in the rain which wasn’t the best but Korey said would keep the lines down. Even with that wait times were about 60+ minutes for the popular rides. The fast passes really made a difference but could only be used for Tron, Roaring Rapids, and Pirates. I took my raincoat but rarely wore it. The guides gave us ponchos in the duffle and lots of people had umbrellas. Bring a hat and wear it! Being from the south, I still wasn’t prepared for the humidity. Moisture wicking clothes are a must!
2) Squat toilets— I really obsessed before the trip about having to use these. Thankfully, I never had to. If you use the bathroom at the places ABD gives you access to, there are typically 1-2 western toilets along with plentiful squat toilets. Bring your own tissues to wipe with. Not all bathrooms have TP in the stall or on the wall as you enter the bathroom. I also brought wet wipes which were very useful for wiping surfaces and hands.
3) Guilin—Due to weather, our group never got to Guilin. Our flight was delayed leaving Xian because planes weren’t leaving Beijing or getting into Guilin. The guides also mentioned that the boat tour in Guilin would probably be canceled by the government, which it was. Thankfully, we were in the airport having dinner before our flight when Disney made the decision for us to spend another night in Xian. They got us rooms at the airport hotel and we toured the Ancient City Wall,Tang Bo art & history museum, Muslim Quarter & market& puppet show, and had lunch at De Fa Chang restaurant. Dinner was at the hotel with the white elephant exchange. We were the first tour that had ever done these activities and IMO they were a good enhancement to the Terra Cotta Soldiers. We later found out that the Guilin airport was closed for 2 days because of the rain and our original flight from Guilin to Chengdu would have been delayed 8 hours. Good call Disney!
4) Dressing for dinner— You only need nice clothes for dinner for the welcome and farewell dinners. The other dinners we had were normally at the end of a day of touring and we went straight to dinner from the last activity. Other times, we had maybe 1-1.5 hours before dinner. If you do a restaurant dinner OYO on the free nights, you will want business/smart casual clothing. Many families opted for KFC, pizza, McDonalds, or room service on the OYO nights because everyone was so tired. Starbucks are plentiful, so you won’t have a problem getting your fix.
5) DL— Everyone in the group was really tired by time we got to HKDL because of the heat. We were given the option of going back to the hotel on our own before the parade if it was too much, but nobody did. Most people tried to ride the rides that had AC and the night parade was worth it.
SHDL wait times are outrageous!! It was difficult to ride a lot of rides in the time provided because of the wait times, but I did more than most. I went back the next day but didn’t arrive until the afternoon, because I was so tired, when wait times were even longer. Definitely consider getting the premium ticket if you go another day. By time I arrived all the free fast passes were gone. Some families purchased additional fast passes on the day ABD went. That is really the only way to ride the big rides without standing in line 1+ hours. Soaring had a 2 hour wait, Winnie the Pooh- 1 hour, 7 dwarfs mine train—2 hours. What the heck???
6) Souvenirs— if you’re looking for a specific gift or souvenir, ask the guides which city you should buy it in. The markets are fun and each is slightly different. I liked Stanley Market in HK best.
This tour has A LOT of walking and early morning departures, but is soooo worth it. I’m glad I was finally able to check it off my bucket list.
Below are some tips based on my experience and things that I really obsessed with in the planning stage. I hope these suggestions will help others planning or who are concerned about similar things.
1). Weather— it didn’t really rain on our tour during the day until Shanghai even though the weather app said otherwise. We were in SHDL in the rain which wasn’t the best but Korey said would keep the lines down. Even with that wait times were about 60+ minutes for the popular rides. The fast passes really made a difference but could only be used for Tron, Roaring Rapids, and Pirates. I took my raincoat but rarely wore it. The guides gave us ponchos in the duffle and lots of people had umbrellas. Bring a hat and wear it! Being from the south, I still wasn’t prepared for the humidity. Moisture wicking clothes are a must!
2) Squat toilets— I really obsessed before the trip about having to use these. Thankfully, I never had to. If you use the bathroom at the places ABD gives you access to, there are typically 1-2 western toilets along with plentiful squat toilets. Bring your own tissues to wipe with. Not all bathrooms have TP in the stall or on the wall as you enter the bathroom. I also brought wet wipes which were very useful for wiping surfaces and hands.
3) Guilin—Due to weather, our group never got to Guilin. Our flight was delayed leaving Xian because planes weren’t leaving Beijing or getting into Guilin. The guides also mentioned that the boat tour in Guilin would probably be canceled by the government, which it was. Thankfully, we were in the airport having dinner before our flight when Disney made the decision for us to spend another night in Xian. They got us rooms at the airport hotel and we toured the Ancient City Wall,Tang Bo art & history museum, Muslim Quarter & market& puppet show, and had lunch at De Fa Chang restaurant. Dinner was at the hotel with the white elephant exchange. We were the first tour that had ever done these activities and IMO they were a good enhancement to the Terra Cotta Soldiers. We later found out that the Guilin airport was closed for 2 days because of the rain and our original flight from Guilin to Chengdu would have been delayed 8 hours. Good call Disney!
4) Dressing for dinner— You only need nice clothes for dinner for the welcome and farewell dinners. The other dinners we had were normally at the end of a day of touring and we went straight to dinner from the last activity. Other times, we had maybe 1-1.5 hours before dinner. If you do a restaurant dinner OYO on the free nights, you will want business/smart casual clothing. Many families opted for KFC, pizza, McDonalds, or room service on the OYO nights because everyone was so tired. Starbucks are plentiful, so you won’t have a problem getting your fix.
5) DL— Everyone in the group was really tired by time we got to HKDL because of the heat. We were given the option of going back to the hotel on our own before the parade if it was too much, but nobody did. Most people tried to ride the rides that had AC and the night parade was worth it.
SHDL wait times are outrageous!! It was difficult to ride a lot of rides in the time provided because of the wait times, but I did more than most. I went back the next day but didn’t arrive until the afternoon, because I was so tired, when wait times were even longer. Definitely consider getting the premium ticket if you go another day. By time I arrived all the free fast passes were gone. Some families purchased additional fast passes on the day ABD went. That is really the only way to ride the big rides without standing in line 1+ hours. Soaring had a 2 hour wait, Winnie the Pooh- 1 hour, 7 dwarfs mine train—2 hours. What the heck???
6) Souvenirs— if you’re looking for a specific gift or souvenir, ask the guides which city you should buy it in. The markets are fun and each is slightly different. I liked Stanley Market in HK best.
This tour has A LOT of walking and early morning departures, but is soooo worth it. I’m glad I was finally able to check it off my bucket list.