This review is part of a series on my travels to Hong Kong and Beijing China in February 2019

See Trip Report Index: A Trip To Nowhere; Sprinkled In With A Bit of Disney

I had one glorious morning at Hong Kong Disneyland!! I hadn’t been here since 2012 and was so excited to go back.

I love love love Disney, and I was so looking forward to getting to try out a few new rides and experiences that didn’t exist when I was here last. Since I only had four or so hours to play here, I made sure to get her prior to rope drop which was at 10 AM. I know late right? I took an uber from the Sky City Marriott, which was only a 15-minute $12 USD ride and was through the turnstile by 9:30. This gave me plenty of time to walk down Main Street and enjoy something

oh so familiar yet different all at the same time. What I found so amazing is that there were less than 1000 people waiting to start the day. If this was Florida or California there would be so many more people waiting. I was in fact at the very front of the que, and I noticed they only had tape on the ground and staff at the invisible rope. People weren’t pushing or shoving they were just waiting. I’m so not use to this.

 

 

 

Since I got here so early, I was able to ride all the rides I wanted without having to get a fastpass (Disney’s pre-reserved tickets). I made sure to hit the popular rides first just to make sure that I did what I wanted to do and didn’t leave without saying “I wish I did that ride”. I was important to me to get a chance to enjoy what I could in the time that I had.

 

My first ride with Marvels’ Iron Man Experience. This was a perfect first ride for sure. I don’t want to ruin what this 3-D event is, but I would say that it’s an updated version of Star Tours with an Iron Man twist taking place in Hong Kong. The ride was funny and exciting all at the same time. It sets the bar very high for other 3-D thrill rides in the future.

 

Being a California native, Space Mountain has a very special place in my hear. Yes there are other great thrill rides at Disneyland and California Adventure, but Space Mountain is at the top of my list. So getting to try Hyperspace Mountain and enjoy the Star Wars theme kicked butt. What I enjoyed so much about this ride and Big Grizzly Mountain was how smooth these coasters were. The comfort level was on par if not better then Snow White Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and the Slinky Coaster (both in Florida).
Toy Story Land was sadly ho hum for me. It was pretty to look at but was in my opinion setup more for kids, unlike the new lands at California Adventure and Hollywood Studio which cater to all. That being said, I’m a Toy Story FAN BOY and loved seeing the land.

Mystic Manor, is the HKDL version of the Haunted Mansion. Damn was this ride so cool. It’s not the same as the other versions, but it’s so on another level. I don’t want to give it away, but I want to say that if you like the silly, spooky and funny mansions, across the world you’ll like this one too.

Big Grizzly Mountain, was the other thrill ride I was able to enjoy. It’s part Expedition Everest (once you ride it you’ll know what I mean) and also Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Again I was blown away at how smooth the tracks are, and how un herky jerky it was. Yes I’m old and I enjoy rides that don’t throw out my back. Ha. Let me just say, I had a fun time. Period.

Conclusion:

I had a great time at HKDL. Yes it was short and yes I’d like more time, but I just didn’t have it. Yet in the time I was there I went on all the major rides and got to walk around the entire park. I was happy with the progress of the park too. Back in 2012, when Mystic Point and Grizzly Gulch didn’t exist the park was so small. As the park continues to grow they keep adding more attractions and making this a place to spend the day at.  Getting to the park early is a must, I was told that people arrive late and stay late so for short lines get there early. In my case I really never waited more then 10 minutes in the stand by lines.

If you’re like me, and only speak English, don’t worry. Everything has signs in English and all the rides I went on were either 100% in English or played multiple languages so you never felt like you missed out. Getting to and from the park is super easy too, the Metro (MTR), comes right to the park. Plus uber’s and taxi’s are cheap and plentiful. Lastly, they have FREE WI-FI at the park so you can text, chat and even check wait times on the Disney AP. I was even able to FaceTime my family back in California when I was there. Huge plus all around.