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.