zanzibar138
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2007
I'll put up a link to my actual TR when I get to the HK part, but in the meantime I thought I'd share a few more details in case it's any help to anyone. Sorry it's a bit wordy!
My flight from London touched down in HK at about 2:30pm on Sunday afternoon. After going through immigration and customs I made my way to the train. I was just making myself comfortable on the train when a man sat down next to me. It took me a moment to realise it was my husband (who as far as I knew was at home in Melbourne)!
Anyway we got to Disneyland and checked into the Hollywood Hotel. Since the room had only been booked for one, I mentioned that DH had surprised me for our anniversary and would be staying too. The room was pretty good, a decent size and nicely decorated. It was directly overlooking the park, but you couldn't see much through the trees. About 5 minutes after we got to our room, there was a delivery of roses made out of serviettes, a happy anniversary card from Mickey, and anniversary buttons!
We head down to Chef Mickey's for dinner, wearing our anniversary buttons. There was a great variety of yummy foods at the buffet, but I actually didn't see that much that appealed in the dessert section. Drink service was pretty slow, but the drinks were yummy when they finally came! Someone came to get us between mains and desserts to have our photo with Mickey. It looked really good, but I didn't think we needed to buy the official one when we had the photos on my camera anyway. I found out later that they didn't actually turn out that well. Nevermind.
When we got back to the room we turned on the TV to channel 39, turned off the lights, and watched the fireworks!
The next day we spent the whole day in the park. I wanted to get there for opening, but by the time we had breakfast at Walt's (at the Disneyland Hotel), it was just after 11am when we got there. We rushed straight to Grizzly Gulch, hoping that the line wasn't too long for BGM. We were surprised to see the land practically empty, and mine trains going around with only a few people on them! We took the opportunity to explore, take lots of photos, and have photos with Kenai and Koda before going for a ride on BGM. We walked right on. Then had a bit more of a wander around the land before walking on again!
After that we wandered around in a clockwise direction, doing various attractions as we came across them. FOTLK was closed again (was closed last year when we were there too!), so we went straight to the Jungle Cruise. The line was about 15 minutes. Our skipper had a very strong accent and wasn't very easy to understand, but it was an enjoyable ride nonetheless.
Next we checked out Toy Story Land. I took a few photos of Andy's Toy Box, and we decided not to line up for photos with Woody. RCR was down, but the parachutes only had a 10 minute wait so we rode them.
Then it was onto Fantasyland where we saw Mickey's Philharmagic. We had lunch at the Royal Banquet Hall before checking out the line for Pooh. It was 30 minutes, so I decided to just grab a fastpass, then we headed to Space Mountain, which had a wait time of 10 minutes.
DH was getting a bit restless, so I suggested we do some shopping then go back to the hotel for a while. I mainly wanted to buy some tins of biscuits, but also picked up a pin. I had planned to do most of my shopping in the hotel shops. After a spot of shopping DH decided he wanted a snack from the bakery, so I had a Minnie ice-cream bar - love those things!
By the time we finished our snacks, there was only about 15 minutes until the parade, so we decided we may as well stay to watch it and casually strolled to one of the many vacant spots left right at the front along Main Street. I love the HK parade, it has a great soundtrack too! It was made even more magical by all the performers and characters wishing us a happy anniversary! (Although we did find that there was a fair bit of confusion around the anniversary buttons and most CMs wished us a happy birthday).
After the parade we walked back to the Disneyland Hotel, where we decided to ask about massages at the spa. Unfortunately they were fully booked for the next 24 hours. While we were there I did some more shopping, bought a top, cardigan, and some earrings. Then we just chilled for a bit in the lobby with some drinks, listening to the band playing.
We decided to go back to the Hollywood Hotel for a quick-ish bite to eat and to drop off our shopping before heading back to the park to ride BGM again in the dark and to see the fireworks. We ended up at the Studio Lounge, with some more drinks and pizza. Then made a quick trip back up to the room to drop off the shopping before heading back out to the park. We decided to take the bus back.
We got back into the park just after 7pm, and made our way back to Grizzly Gulch again. I was in a bit of a rush since I wanted to make sure I had time to take plenty of night time photos. We walked onto BGM again, then decided to wait for the front row - we only had to wait for one train, and it was worth it! Then it was photo taking around the land before heading back to Main Street. I was a bit sad there was no time for night photos of Fantasyland.
We viewed the fireworks from the very middle of the street, not far from where the shop fronts end. We could have got a better spot than that, but since I wasn't really planning to take photos I wasn't that bothered. The fireworks are up in the air, so it doesn't really matter if you can't see the whole castle (though there are some nice lighting effects). It was a decent view, but I got annoyed at the people who kept moving, and the person who insisted on filming the show on his ipad that he was holding over his head.
After the fireworks we made a leisurely exit so I could take more photos. We managed to catch the little show at the whale fountain which was good timing. Then walked back to the hotel. It took about the same amount of time as catching the bus, but it was practically empty and a nice walk.
The next day I'd also planned to be at the park for opening, but that didn't happen either! We had breakfast at Hollywood & Dine at the hotel, which was fine, more cafeteria style, but good for a quick brekky. Then back up to the room to pack and then check out. We left our cases at the luggage storage area just outside the park for HK$60 a piece.
We got into the park just after 11am again, and headed straight for Winnie the Pooh, since I'd forgotten to use my fastpass the day before. It was no more than a 15 minute wait. We had a quick look in the shop on the way out, then checked out Fantasy Gardens. It was due to open at 12pm, which was about 10 minutes away.
We decided to have lunch in the meantime, and headed to Clopin's Festival of Foods. We shared a beef and rice dish while watching the teacups. Then headed back to Fantasy Gardens just as the characters were beginning to come out. We lined up for Minnie first. Next was Pooh, then Goofy, then Donald dressed in a Chinese outfit. We gave Mickey a miss since we have plenty of photos with him. We got great interaction from all of them with our anniversary buttons, and it took us about 20 minutes all up. We bought one of the photos with Minnie and also keychains with one of the Pooh photos.
There was a Golden Mickeys show starting at 12:45pm, so we headed over there next. By the time we got there the theatre was already open, so we just headed straight in and got a seat on the side, but towards the centre, and a row in the middle. Unfortunately the show we saw had a technical glitch in the middle, when the Mulan number was starting. It took them about 10 minutes to get the show started again, and lots of people were starting to leave. When it finally did get going, it started from the next section, which was a real shame since the Mulan part was my favourite last time.
After the show, we got ice-creams again, then did a whole lap of the park on the train from Fantasyland station. When we got off, we headed back to Grizzly Gulch again for a last visit. Cowboy Mickey and Minnie were out for photos when we arrived, so I lined up. DH was a bit over characters by then so he picked up some fish and chips at the Lucky Nugget Saloon. He was still there when I was done, so we sat for a while and watched a guy playing the banjo. Then we took one last ride on BTM - this time we had to line up for about 2 minutes
After that we went back to Space Mountain, which was a 10 minute wait again. When we came out we saw the Muppet Mobile Lab. We stood and watched for a couple of minutes, but of course we didn't understand anything being in Chinese so we gave up and went on Buzz for our last ride. It was about a 10 minute wait. Unfortunately my lazer didn't work, so it was kind of a disappointing last ride! I told the CM when I got off and he pointed us through a door to ride again straight away
Much better!
After that it was time to leave, but DH wanted to pick up something for his friend's new baby, so we hit the shops one last time on the way. While we were in the shops, the parade went past, so I watched the first couple of floats from the door and enjoyed the song.
Then it was time to grab our luggage and take the train back to the airport, and eventually, the flight back to Melbourne. Phew! What a fantastic whirlwind trip!
My flight from London touched down in HK at about 2:30pm on Sunday afternoon. After going through immigration and customs I made my way to the train. I was just making myself comfortable on the train when a man sat down next to me. It took me a moment to realise it was my husband (who as far as I knew was at home in Melbourne)!
Anyway we got to Disneyland and checked into the Hollywood Hotel. Since the room had only been booked for one, I mentioned that DH had surprised me for our anniversary and would be staying too. The room was pretty good, a decent size and nicely decorated. It was directly overlooking the park, but you couldn't see much through the trees. About 5 minutes after we got to our room, there was a delivery of roses made out of serviettes, a happy anniversary card from Mickey, and anniversary buttons!
We head down to Chef Mickey's for dinner, wearing our anniversary buttons. There was a great variety of yummy foods at the buffet, but I actually didn't see that much that appealed in the dessert section. Drink service was pretty slow, but the drinks were yummy when they finally came! Someone came to get us between mains and desserts to have our photo with Mickey. It looked really good, but I didn't think we needed to buy the official one when we had the photos on my camera anyway. I found out later that they didn't actually turn out that well. Nevermind.
When we got back to the room we turned on the TV to channel 39, turned off the lights, and watched the fireworks!
The next day we spent the whole day in the park. I wanted to get there for opening, but by the time we had breakfast at Walt's (at the Disneyland Hotel), it was just after 11am when we got there. We rushed straight to Grizzly Gulch, hoping that the line wasn't too long for BGM. We were surprised to see the land practically empty, and mine trains going around with only a few people on them! We took the opportunity to explore, take lots of photos, and have photos with Kenai and Koda before going for a ride on BGM. We walked right on. Then had a bit more of a wander around the land before walking on again!
After that we wandered around in a clockwise direction, doing various attractions as we came across them. FOTLK was closed again (was closed last year when we were there too!), so we went straight to the Jungle Cruise. The line was about 15 minutes. Our skipper had a very strong accent and wasn't very easy to understand, but it was an enjoyable ride nonetheless.
Next we checked out Toy Story Land. I took a few photos of Andy's Toy Box, and we decided not to line up for photos with Woody. RCR was down, but the parachutes only had a 10 minute wait so we rode them.
Then it was onto Fantasyland where we saw Mickey's Philharmagic. We had lunch at the Royal Banquet Hall before checking out the line for Pooh. It was 30 minutes, so I decided to just grab a fastpass, then we headed to Space Mountain, which had a wait time of 10 minutes.
DH was getting a bit restless, so I suggested we do some shopping then go back to the hotel for a while. I mainly wanted to buy some tins of biscuits, but also picked up a pin. I had planned to do most of my shopping in the hotel shops. After a spot of shopping DH decided he wanted a snack from the bakery, so I had a Minnie ice-cream bar - love those things!
By the time we finished our snacks, there was only about 15 minutes until the parade, so we decided we may as well stay to watch it and casually strolled to one of the many vacant spots left right at the front along Main Street. I love the HK parade, it has a great soundtrack too! It was made even more magical by all the performers and characters wishing us a happy anniversary! (Although we did find that there was a fair bit of confusion around the anniversary buttons and most CMs wished us a happy birthday).
After the parade we walked back to the Disneyland Hotel, where we decided to ask about massages at the spa. Unfortunately they were fully booked for the next 24 hours. While we were there I did some more shopping, bought a top, cardigan, and some earrings. Then we just chilled for a bit in the lobby with some drinks, listening to the band playing.
We decided to go back to the Hollywood Hotel for a quick-ish bite to eat and to drop off our shopping before heading back to the park to ride BGM again in the dark and to see the fireworks. We ended up at the Studio Lounge, with some more drinks and pizza. Then made a quick trip back up to the room to drop off the shopping before heading back out to the park. We decided to take the bus back.
We got back into the park just after 7pm, and made our way back to Grizzly Gulch again. I was in a bit of a rush since I wanted to make sure I had time to take plenty of night time photos. We walked onto BGM again, then decided to wait for the front row - we only had to wait for one train, and it was worth it! Then it was photo taking around the land before heading back to Main Street. I was a bit sad there was no time for night photos of Fantasyland.
We viewed the fireworks from the very middle of the street, not far from where the shop fronts end. We could have got a better spot than that, but since I wasn't really planning to take photos I wasn't that bothered. The fireworks are up in the air, so it doesn't really matter if you can't see the whole castle (though there are some nice lighting effects). It was a decent view, but I got annoyed at the people who kept moving, and the person who insisted on filming the show on his ipad that he was holding over his head.
After the fireworks we made a leisurely exit so I could take more photos. We managed to catch the little show at the whale fountain which was good timing. Then walked back to the hotel. It took about the same amount of time as catching the bus, but it was practically empty and a nice walk.
The next day I'd also planned to be at the park for opening, but that didn't happen either! We had breakfast at Hollywood & Dine at the hotel, which was fine, more cafeteria style, but good for a quick brekky. Then back up to the room to pack and then check out. We left our cases at the luggage storage area just outside the park for HK$60 a piece.
We got into the park just after 11am again, and headed straight for Winnie the Pooh, since I'd forgotten to use my fastpass the day before. It was no more than a 15 minute wait. We had a quick look in the shop on the way out, then checked out Fantasy Gardens. It was due to open at 12pm, which was about 10 minutes away.
We decided to have lunch in the meantime, and headed to Clopin's Festival of Foods. We shared a beef and rice dish while watching the teacups. Then headed back to Fantasy Gardens just as the characters were beginning to come out. We lined up for Minnie first. Next was Pooh, then Goofy, then Donald dressed in a Chinese outfit. We gave Mickey a miss since we have plenty of photos with him. We got great interaction from all of them with our anniversary buttons, and it took us about 20 minutes all up. We bought one of the photos with Minnie and also keychains with one of the Pooh photos.
There was a Golden Mickeys show starting at 12:45pm, so we headed over there next. By the time we got there the theatre was already open, so we just headed straight in and got a seat on the side, but towards the centre, and a row in the middle. Unfortunately the show we saw had a technical glitch in the middle, when the Mulan number was starting. It took them about 10 minutes to get the show started again, and lots of people were starting to leave. When it finally did get going, it started from the next section, which was a real shame since the Mulan part was my favourite last time.
After the show, we got ice-creams again, then did a whole lap of the park on the train from Fantasyland station. When we got off, we headed back to Grizzly Gulch again for a last visit. Cowboy Mickey and Minnie were out for photos when we arrived, so I lined up. DH was a bit over characters by then so he picked up some fish and chips at the Lucky Nugget Saloon. He was still there when I was done, so we sat for a while and watched a guy playing the banjo. Then we took one last ride on BTM - this time we had to line up for about 2 minutes
After that we went back to Space Mountain, which was a 10 minute wait again. When we came out we saw the Muppet Mobile Lab. We stood and watched for a couple of minutes, but of course we didn't understand anything being in Chinese so we gave up and went on Buzz for our last ride. It was about a 10 minute wait. Unfortunately my lazer didn't work, so it was kind of a disappointing last ride! I told the CM when I got off and he pointed us through a door to ride again straight away
Much better!After that it was time to leave, but DH wanted to pick up something for his friend's new baby, so we hit the shops one last time on the way. While we were in the shops, the parade went past, so I watched the first couple of floats from the door and enjoyed the song.
Then it was time to grab our luggage and take the train back to the airport, and eventually, the flight back to Melbourne. Phew! What a fantastic whirlwind trip!
Sounds like the lines were perfect and you were really able to enjoy almost everything (except the guy with the Ipod videoing)
and thanks a lot for taking photos of Andy's Toy Box 
just before our little boy will go to school so we can just go any time really... and off season would be much better to budget too...
