Budget family tour in Hong Kong - part 4 - itinerary

First Day: HongKong Disneyland

7.30 AM Arrive at the Airport
9 AM Leave things at Dragon Hostel
10 AM to 8 PM Hong Kong Disneyland
9 PM Check in Hostel

Second Day: Macau

8.30 AM Breakfast
9 AM Go to Hong Kong Ferry Station

Note: Take MTR to Sheung Wan Station then take the Exit D to go to Shun Tak Center, 3rd floor. Buy tickets at Turbojet desk. If not sure what time you want to go home, buy one way tickets only. Make sure you know the last trip back to Hong Kong

1030 AM Ferry boat from HK to Macau

1130 AM Arrive Macau. Get maps and guide books from airport personnel. Get bus routes at the bus station also. Then take bus 3A to Senado Square (3.20 each), check out the sights and have lunch there. Tell the driver where you want to go, show him the map

1 PM Head out to St. Paul Ruins for photos

2PM A-Ma Temple. Ride Bus 18 (3.20 each)

3PM Macau Tower (we weren’t able to go here). From A-Ma temple, take bus 21.

4 PM The Venetian. (we weren’t able to go here). From bus stop outside Macau Tower convention center, take Bus 21 again and ask driver to bring you to Cotai. Walk there to get to the Venetian.

5.30 PM Ferry Terminal. Take free shuttle bus from the casinos to get to the Ferry Terminal. When you get there buy your tickets back to HK in advance to avoid the long lines.

6.30 PM Walk to Fisherman’s Wharf (very near the Ferry Terminal) for some more picture taking and go back to the ferry terminal when its time for your trip. You might want to skip Fisherman’s wharf and head back to HK asap so you can see the light show. If you can’t make it back to HK by 7 PM, might as well enjoy Macau because you wont be able to see the light show. It starts on time and lasts about 10-15 minutes.

7 PM Hong Kong enroute to Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront between the Avenue of Stars and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

8 PM Symphony of Lights light show.

10 PM Ladies Night Market (Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon (MTR Mongkok Station Exit E2) If you've been to Divisoria, the goods here are the same, I tell you. And the salesladies are very, very pushy. If you don't want them to nag you, don't ask if you don't intend to buy. Just look around till you reach the very end of the street because some offer the items for much less. We didn't do much shopping because we were in Hong Kong for the sights.

Thoughts on Macau trip: We missed The Venetian as well as the Macau Tower because we wanted to head back again to HK and watch the Symphony of Lights light show. After all the kids will not enjoy the casinos. It's more for the adult visitors. If you want to maximize your Macau trip, better head out early. And don't forget your passport.

Other Shopping Destinations

Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon (MTR Jordan Station Exit A. Turn right into Jordan Road, then right into Temple Street)
4pm – midnight

Stanley Market
Stanley Market is the perfect place to buy something special for friends or relatives. The historic lanes in this old fishing village are jam-packed with vendors selling Chinese artwork, silk collectibles and curios, as well as larger-sized clothing. Plan to stay for a few hours and sample the fine restaurants in the restored Murray House or along the main street on the waterfront.

Stanley Market Road, Stanley, Hong Kong Island (MTR Hong Kong Station Exit D and take bus 6, 6A, 6X, 66 or 260 from Exchange Square Bus terminus, Central)
10:30am – 6:30pm

Jardine's Crescent
A long, packed roadside market great for inexpensive clothing, accessories and domestic goods. Tiny stalls have goods tumbling off tables and shelves into shoppers' bags. Many stalls feature hair-related items, bags, women's tops and blouses, fine knits, cellphone accessories and household items, and at the end is a small wet market and flower stalls with very low prices.

Jardine's Crescent, Causway Bay, Hong Kong Island (MTR Causeway Bay Station Exit F)
11am – 9:30pm

Li Yuen Street East and West
Find ready-to-wear garments or have them made to order. Featuring great designs, fine silk and other fabrics, traditional styles and beautiful colours.

Li Yuen Street East and West, Central, Hong Kong Island (MTR Central Station Exit C then walk along Des Voeux Road Central towards Sheung Wan)
10am – 7pm

Third Day: Around Hong Kong

9 AM Star Ferry Cruise
We took the Star Ferry Cruise from MTR Tsim Sha Tsui. We just walked to the ferry station. When the trip ends, you'll be at the Central area. Look for Central Pier 6.

11 AM Victoria Peak (Peak Tram)
From Central Pier 6, take Bus 15C. It will take you to the Peak already. When you’re done, you can take the same bus again and go down the next MTR station.

2PM Ngong Ping Cable Car/ Giant Buddha
Take MTR to Tung Chung Station. From there, you can walk to the Ngong Ping Cable Car station. Better to buy roundtrip cable car tickets because its cheaper. The lines here are long because of the spectacular views.

When you alight from your cable car ride, just walk to where the Giant Buddha is and take photos.

6PM Citygate Mall (Tung Chung MTR Station)
When you’re done and still have time, you can check out the Mall near the Tung Chung Station. lots of sale items here.

7 PM Checkout and head to the Airport via MTR Airport Express
Get your bags from your hotel and go to the airport now. You have to be there at least two hours before your flight so you can relax and check out the shops. No taxes here. In our case we got there about an hour before our flight but that was really scary. Checking in might take a long time and we might be stranded in Hong Kong.

9 PM Airport – check out the Duty Free shops
10.30 Flight back home
12.30 Arrive Philippines

Budget family tour in Hong Kong - part 3 - Macau day tour

On our second day in Hongkong, we didn’t wake up the kids and let them rest as much as they can before heading out for a heavy breakfast. We let them have their McDonald’s breakfast fix – after all they were old enough to be left by themselves –while we went to have our own meal next door in an authentic Chinese fast food joint.

We finished our morning ritual around 9 AM, and then headed for the MTR to get to the Turbojet station at the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal.

First we bought one way tickets to Sheung Wan. When we got there, we went up to the 3/F of Shun Tak Centre. We would have bought our tickets directly from the Turbojet ticketing booth, but then we asked one of the travel agencies – Beng Seng Travel – and we got a good package rate for four. We only paid HKD 1080 for a roundtrip fare for four. We saved HKD 160 from the package. Be sure to check the Turbojet website before you go, though, because they might have promotions like this one.

By the way, be sure to bring your passport and fill out those departure cards so you'll have a hassle free trip to Macau. And remember to bring loose change. Though HKD is also accepted in Macau, they might give you Macau money as change and these aren't accepted back in HK.

Seasick

All four of us felt seasick when we boarded our ship. The trip to Macau is about one hour, give or take a few minutes, and we tried to get some sleep while onboard.

When you get to Macau, ignore the people offering trips etc. Instead head out toward the bus and get a copy of Macau maps and whatnots from legitimate airport personnel.

At the bus stop we also took a flyer with the bus routes so we know where to go.

Senado Square

Our first destination was Senado Square, which is nearby the iconic St. Paul Ruins of Macau. The bus ride is an experience actually. There was no conductor, you just drop off exact money at the entrance of the bus. The locals have smart cards that they just tap at the machines. Children below eleven are only charged half fare. We went to Macau on a Tuesday, so we had a glimpse on how locals spend an ordinary day.

When the driver dropped us off the station and told us to go right up (all sign language,he didnt speak English) we actually thought we got there, because we told the bus driver to drop us off Senado Square. We were spooked because it didn't look like a tourist spot, just a regular busy street. It took us half an hour to realize WE GOT LOST, thanks to the bus driver.

At this point I decided that I like Hong Kong better, because it's more tourist friendly. We tried to talk to the locals but they didn't speak English. We showed them the map and where we wanted to go, and they showed us where we were - at the tip of Macau right at the border.

Anyway, we just headed off to the nearest McDonald's to eat and cool off our near flaring temper (what a waste of time!) and from there the McDonald's Manager gave us a bigger map of Macau and showed us how to go to the real Senado Square. So we went back to where the bus driver left us to again ride another bus.

Lesson learned: better show, don't tell. Show the driver the map and point where you want to go, exactly. That's the best and simplest way not to get lost.

Lisboa Casinos

We maximized our bus tour and the sights outside. Macau used to be a Portuguese colony so there was plenty of historical old buildings to look at. Even the street signs are Portuguese names.

We took the bus up to the Lisboa casinos to take photos and marvel at the facades of the buildings and just walked back to Senado Square.

Okay so when we got to Senado Square we were again hungry. haha. I think we spent about two hours with our bus/ walking tour of the city proper. We really took our time in that place, and even found a fellow Filipino selling Macau souvenirs. Also,from here we bought our token Macau shirts, which we got at 4 for HKD100.

A-Ma Temple

It was getting late so we decided to move on to our next stop, the A-Ma temple. Better prepare your noses for the smell of incense, I assure you you'll smell a lot of those in here.

We bought a set of incense sticks and proceeded to do what the locals were doing.

Actually, our son debated that we shouldn't copy what the other tourists are doing. He actually invoked the first commandment and looked at us with a mixture of disgust and incredulity. Well we weren't really "worshipping" other icons but rather showing respect for the Chinese culture.

Anyway, by this time we had to head back to the pier, because we wanted to go back to Hong Kong by 7PM. It was our second and last night, and we would be able to catch the Symphony of Lights Show, which starts at 8PM at the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront between the Avenue of Stars and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

Although we've heard great reviews about the Venetian and the Cotai strip (which was part of our itinerary) we decided the kids will like the light show better than the casinos, so we moved on and said goodbye to Macau.

The trip back was much better because it was a smaller boat and we didn't feel seasick at all, unlike our first trip.

Budget family tour in Hong Kong - part 2 - HK Disneyland

Day 1: Hong Kong Disneyland

Our flight left Manila at exactly 5.30 AM, and we were at the Hong Kong International Airport by 7:15 AM, ahead of schedule.

Soon as it’s legal, the cameras went a-flashing in the airport. We took as much information brochures as we can (they’re everywhere in the airport) before we figured out where the buses were. We planned to buy an Octopus Card right in the airport to make commuting easier (http://www.octopuscards.com/consumer/en/index.jsp) but then they don’t accept credit card payments so we figured we’ll just buy MTR cards when we need them.

We took the Citiflyer Airport Bus No.21 to Dragon Hostel. The fare is HKD 33 per person, and only HKD 17 per child.

We went to the Hostel not to check-in but to leave our bags so we can enjoy a worry-free day at Disneyland. Here I changed my US dollars to HKD, and they give a better rate than at the airport or the neighborhood money changer.

Also, I discovered that they sell discounted tickets to Disneyland! Too late because we already paid for our tickets even before we got to HK. We could have saved about HKD 180, but then they only accept cash payments so good thing we have tickets already. Our mindset was to conserve our cash and charge whatever we can to our credit card. After all, we were set on spending only USD 400 in our trip.

The first thing we did when we left our bags was to grab some breakfast. We were already very hungry by that time so we went to the neighborhood resto where we blew HKD 135 for a for a modest meal for four.

Don’t even think of converting to pesos because it costs so much! Imagine paying PhP 850 for a common breakfast which you can have for only PhP 300 at Chowking.

Anyway, from the hostel, we took the Mongkok MTR to Disneyland. We don’t really know how to get there but the information guy at the MTR was very helpful and there was a route map of the MTR in all the guide brochures in HK.

The trip to Disneyland was around 30 minutes to 1 hour. I forgot the exact distance already, I was

too busy taking photos. In the train we met two other Filipinas on holiday, and it was a good thing because they took our pictures and they shared their experiences and where to score great bargains. The train to Disneyland has nice Mickey Mouse windows so you get really excited.

Be sure to get a Disneyland Map at the entrance so you’d know how to navigate and what to expect around the park. You might also want to drop by at guest services right after the gate just to be sure on the show schedules.

There are four main destinations in Disneyland:

• Tomorrowland
• Main Street, USA
• Adventureland
• Fantasyland

Tomorrowland

Of all, my kids liked Tommorrowland the best, because the rides there are so much meaner than the other lands.

First we tried was the roller coaster ride in Space Mountain. That was really fun and your picture will be taken while you look really funny right before the ride ends. You may or may not get your photo, it’s up to you. For us we just took a picture of our picture (haha) just to remember how we looked.

We also rode in the Orbitron where you’ll be going around in circles. The kids loved it because they can maneuver the “aircraft.” They can make it go up or down.

There was also the Autopia, which is like a bump car ride except that you can’t bump the other cars. Weird, right. The kids liked it as well because they felt like grown ups driving their own Honda cards. The waiting line for this ride is so long, so be prepared to entertain yourself and chat with the other park goers. In our case we had a nice chat with a Malaysian mommy and we compared notes on our expenses.

Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters was closed for the day so we just took our picture outside with the replica Buzz Lightyear.

In Fantasyland, we really liked the Madhatter teacup ride, because it left us dizzy afterwards. The kids really turned the wheel with all their might. The more you turn it, the faster your teacup will spin.

There’s also the It’s a small world ride, which was really just a boat ride. The idea is you can go around the world while inside the boat. You’d see nice little people dressed in costumes. It’s eye candy for the kids. Everywhere you turn there’s so much to see and hear.

We wanted to watch the Golden Mickeys Show, but then it was postponed right after the first song number.

We skipped Fantasy Gardens for the photo ops with the Disney Characters because we wanted to spend our time in the rides.

Other rides were Dumbo the flying elephant and the Cinderella Carousel.

Adventureland, was the least explored land for us. We just went to Tarzan’s treehouse and then went back to Fantasyland. We took the Fantasyland train station ride only because we were tired already and we wanted to go to Main Street without walking.

Main Street, USA is the place to be for the Art of Animation and Animation Academy. There’s also the Disney on Parade of all the Disney Characters, and the High School Musical live show in the afternoon.

After seeing High School musical, we grabbed our dinner so we can rest our tired legs. The fireworks is at 8 pm so we went back again to Tommorrowland for a second round of Autopia and Space Mountain.

The fireworks is spectacular, a great way to end the day.

Just a note, water in Disneyland costs HKD 12 a bottle, while soda costs HKD 20 each. Be prepared to spend a lot of money for water and other beverages because its so hot and tiring to go around the park. They say its just a small park compared to other Disneyland parks, but still tiring nevertheless. It opens at 10am and closes right after the fireworks at 8 pm.

Budget family tour in Hong Kong - part 1 - preliminaries

Finally our family was able to go on a trip to the magical world of Disneyland – where else but in neighboring Hong Kong?

Apart from Disneyland, we were also able to go to Macau and around the most scenic places in Hong Kong during the three days and two nights that we were, as they say, “out of the country.”

When

The original date of our trip was November 2008. However, because of unforeseen circumstances (read: birth certificate fiascos) we had to reschedule it on March 16-18, 2009. The original booking costs only PhP 20,000, but since we had to rebook it, our roundtrip airfare via Cebu Pacific reached PhP 38,000.

Anyway, I was able to pay my Citibank credit card for the airfare by the time we flew, so I have enough credit on my card to book for a place to stay, buy Disneyland tickets, and charge food and shopping bills.

Getting round trip tickets

Airfares are getting cheaper and cheaper, and Cebu Pacific’s mantra that “Every Juan can fly” really is true. Be sure to check their website often because they have great offers on both domestic and international flights every now and then.

Aside from the fare promos, they offer an additional P 200 off if you don’t have check in baggage. So travel light and be rewarded!

Note on Passports

Be sure that you have passports by the time you intend to fly because you would have to pay rebooking fees if you don’t have the necessary travel documents. Learn from my experience.

The first step to getting that passport is an NSO birth certificate. Once you have the birth certificate, head off to the nearest DFA office for your passport. If you have time, you can get yours in 14 working days for only PhP 500, but if you’re in a hurry you can get the passport in 7 working days for Php 750.

If you live in Central Luzon, you might want to go to the DFA Consular Office in Clark, Pampanga. However, the waiting time for the issuance of the machine-readable passports there is 9 days for the expedited and about 16 days for the regular version. And they cannot guarantee that your passport will be there after the said waiting periods. They will advise you to wait for another 3-5 days before picking up your passport because there will be certain delays.

If you’re getting your passport in DFA-Manila, be sure to be in line by 4 AM (no kidding!). For my son’s passport we were in line by about 4.30 AM and already there were more than a hundred people ahead of us.

Download the passport application form at the DFA website before going there so less hassle for you. I suggest that you have your picture taken in DFA-accredited photo centers to be sure that you have the right photo.

You can learn more about passport requirements from the DFA website at www.dfa.gov.ph.

Booking a hotel

I came across the site tripadvisor (www.tripadvisor.com) and I trusted the reviews on where to stay in Hong Kong. We opted to stay in a hostel instead of a hotel because we figured we’d only be sleeping there, so no need for the bells and whistles. Luckily, I came across Dragon Hostel (www.dragonhostel.com) which has a good rate and great location.

Read about my review of Dragon Hostel here (http://www.tripadvisor.com/members-reviews/ddg858)

Buying Disneyland tickets

Because the bakasyonistas are excited already, and to avoid the hassle of lining up to buy on site, we bought our Disneyland tickets online (http://park.hongkongdisneyland.com/hkdl/en_US/home/home?name=HomePage) Adult tickets cost HKD 350 each, while children aged 2-11 are charged HKD 250 each. I paid HKD 1300 for the tickets. In pesos, this amounted to PhP 8,417.36.

Drafting the itinerary

I spent a lot of time online trying to make sure that we have the best possible itinerary. When we got there, however, I realized I only had directions to go to Dragon Hostel and the Turbo Jet that will take us to Macau.

There’s no need to worry, thought, because the Hong Kong public transport system is very efficient. You just need an MTR card to take you to your destination.

We purposely did not enlist in any guided tour because we wanted to be flexible with our plans. While our first and second days were surely dedicated to Disneyland andMacau, the third day was a free day, where we put in as much Hong Kong sights as we can.

It would be better if you can bring with you a cap or a small umbrella because it’s hot walking around the park. Be sure to bring with you comfortable walking shoes because you’re in for three days of “hiking” if you really want to maximize your trip.

Going out of the country

At the Naia 3 airport, be sure to bring with you enough pesos to cover for the travel tax which is PhP 1620 per person (about Php 1010 for children 11 and below) and the departure tax of P 750 per person (no discount for children here).

So, for taxes alone, we had to pay around PhP 9,000. Good thing there are ATMs in the airport, or else we would have missed our plane – or exchanged our US dollars back to pesos just to pay the taxes.