Powell Boys at Hong Kong Disney! (featuring a Guest Blogger!!!)

If you've known us for five minutes, you know that the Powell family LOVES Disney.  So, when we discovered that there were no flights available to leave Hong Kong on July 3 and that we would be there an extra day waiting for a flight on the 4th, we decided to use our time wisely.... Hong Kong Disney, baby!  Because there are a LOT of things that could go wrong on a trip like this (delayed Visa, transportation issues, etc.), we didn't tell the boys about it until the night we got to HK.  They were so excited!  We decided that it would be best if just the boys went on this adventure and Mary and I stayed back at the hotel.  We wanted the boys to REALLY enjoy this day after they'd endured all the adoption-related stuff on this trip, and having a hot, tired, and grumpy 20 month old might detract from that.  Plus, it will be a little while before Mary is ready for a whole lot of stimulation.  Disney might just be too much for Little Miss, so she and I did some serious bonding while the boys had the perfect day.

Because I was busy monitoring the Ritz cracker consumption in our hotel room and strolling baby girl around the mall attached to our hotel, I wouldn't be able to do a very good job blogging about the boys' adventure.  So, I have invited a guest blogger to share the experience.  We'll set this up interview-style and then share a whole bunch of pictures!  This is gonna be fun!

Mikki:  Hello, Joe Powell.  Welcome to the blog.

Joe: Hello, Mikki. Or, should I tell them what I really call you? Thanks for inviting me behind the curtain.

Mikki:  So, you got to visit Hong Kong Disney with your boys.  Let's go ahead and get the pity factor out of the way..... did you feel sorry for Mikki because she missed this once-in-a-lifetime experience?  What exactly do you plan to do to make this up to her?

Joe: Uh, next question, please. (But yes, actually, I was a little distraught much of the day thinking about how much I wanted you to be there and see what we were experiencing, along with Mary.)

Mikki aside...(is it just me, or did he NOT answer the second half of that question?)

Mikki:  Go ahead and do a quick comparison of the HK park and Disney World in Orlando.  Differences?  Similarities?

Joe: It's alike but it's different. For one, there's just 1 park (not 4 parks, 1 world...) But that one park packs a big punch if you ask me.  It is set up like Magic Kingdom in that it has TomorrowLand, FantasyLand, AdventureLand, FrontierLand... but no Liberty Square or Hall of Presidents! It's very Disney. You know you are in a Disney Park. Music in the bushes and all that. And just beautiful. It's not built in a swamp but rather in the mountains on an island.

Mikki:  So, how did you get to the park?

Joe: Well, when we got to the hotel late the night before, I secretly checked with the Concierge about the down-low on the Hong Kong DisneyLand. They gave me directions by Metro, plus there is a GrayLine Tours desk at the hotel that had a package. I decided to take the tour bus, including tickets, to get there, and then brave the Metro on the way back. This worked out great and the cost was actually less than WDW.

Mikki:  Is there a definite "Disney" feel or is it different?

Joe: Definitely Disney. The workers all wear those different little themed outfits in the various lands, there are cast members everywhere helping, it is extremely clean, they even sell turkey legs.

Mikki:  Is the layout of the park the same?

Joe: It's pretty much the same as Magic Kingdom with a few variations. Also, they have the standard Disney topiaries and beautiful landscaping.

Mikki:  Describe the castle.  Is it as much of a central focus in this park?

Joe: It is central architecturally but it is nothing more than a passageway. There is not a restaurant in it. It is Sleeping Beauty's Castle, not Cinderella's. So, it is much smaller. Still very pretty. I think the original DisneyLand in Anaheim has this same castle.

Mikki:  What were some familiar rides?

Joe: Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, It's a Small World, Jungle Cruise, Lion King Show (which is in Animal Kingdom at WDW), Tea Cups, Pooh Ride, Philharmagic, Carousel.

Mikki:  What rides were different?

Joe: There is a whole Toy Story Land with several very neat rides and great oversized decorations. Also, their version of Big Thunder Mountain is called Grizzly Gulch and has several neat features like part of the train ride going backwards (think Expedition Everest - Animal Kingdom) and updated audio animatronics with bears.

Mikki:  We all know by now that one of the main things at Disney is the FOOD.  What did you eat and where?

Joe: Well, we had a lot of great choices. They had the usual variety of street vendors with popcorn and colas and bottled water (which we consumed by the gallon since it was sweltering hot - also another similarity to WDW in July, which is why we don't go then). Also, there were counter service restaurants and table service restaurants. All the restaurants looked good but we couldn't go to all of them like I would have preferred (!). We did a quick service for lunch at a fish&chips type place. For supper we visited their version of The Plaza at the end of Main Street. Usually you can't get in there for anything at WDW but we walked right in. Milkshakes, burgers, and a great shrimp salad.

Mikki:  Do they speak English or Chinese?  Like are they singing "It's a Small World" or something else?

Joe: All the cast members are multi-lingual. If you happen to find one that isn't then there's another one close by who is. In fact, the queue in Jungle Cruise is set up in three lines, Chinese, English, and Hong Kong Chinese (there's a difference).

Mikki:  Did they have the usual Disney shortcuts like FastPass and Single Rider line?

Joe: YES! We never worked the Fast Passes (usually my favorite part) but the boys and I WORKED Single Rider line. They only had three rides that use FP. Single Rider was very efficient. If you have older children or have done the ride before and can stand to not sit together it is always the better choice.

Mikki:  What was your favorite thing?

Joe: I would have to say their "It's a Small World" was my favorite. It was just so different (AND BETTER) than WDW. It was really the same ride, but it had so many subtle improvements like signs indicating which area or country you were entering, plus numerous Disney characters being included in the ride (like Peter Pan and Wendy in England, Pocahantas, Buzz & Jessie, many more - that was very neat), plus the Small World was more like a Land itself. It was really built up and had its own kind of outdoor gardens. I was just extremely impressed.

Mikki:  What did the boys like best?

Joe: The Grizzly Gulch ride was their favorite, followed closely by the Mystic Manor ride. I already talked a little about Grizzly Gulch. Mystic Manor must be a new attraction because it is featured in all their promotions and in the park guide map (a sure sign). It's inside a big Victorian mansion and makes you think of Haunted Mansion at WDW in the queue but inside it is really neat with adventures of an explorer and his mischievous monkey. Lots of special effects. Very neat.

Mikki:  Do they have fireworks at the end of the day?

Joe: Yes, but we decided to not close down the park based on our previously noted distress over your not being there with us.

Mikki:  How did you get back to the hotel?

Joe: We rode the metro. And in Disney-style, the park has its own spur from the City Metro line. And on this spur are special Disney rail cars. That was very cool. The ride back took about 40 minutes but only cost $8.00 for all 3 of us. Many things there are inexpensive and many things are not. This was one of the nice surprises on cost savings.

Mikki:  Okay..... let's get to some pictures.  I'll put a picture up, and you describe what we're seeing.  Is okay?

Joe: Yes.

Mikki:  Great.  Let's get started.

This is the view from our hotel room. On the left is a convention center and the right is a Metro stop that basically serves our hotel and the very large commercial area around it.

This is just one of the many beautiful vistas around the harbor in HK. There are skyscrapers everywhere and it is dense. 

I took these so Mikki would be able to appreciate the beautiful scenery.

These are our park tickets. 2 Adults, 1 Children.

Here is the first real sign you're at a Disney park - the Welcome sign. Yep, sure thing, it's real!

Second sign you're at Disney, obligatory photo at the park entrance. Do you see that, Hong Kong DisneyLand. Yes, HONG KONG.

Notice how the signs have both English and Chinese.

Another usual photo spot, right in front of the train station! Yes, they have one too and all the cars have American names.

Castle Shot

Here's the proof of the FastPass and Single Rider entrance to Space Mountain, our first ride. Well, the boys' first ride. Even in HKD I was not willing to brave that one. 

Max's Space Mountain photo!!!

Jack & Max in front of the Buzz ride

at Space Mountain

They have a moving, talking Buzz, just like WDW

I was in the car ahead of the boys so I could get a good pic of them. I still outscored both of them combined!!

Here is the entrance to the It's a Small World area. Nice Hong Kong person took our picture. I noticed that all the locals were very good at taking pictures for the foreigners.

Look at that would you. Orlando, take notes. Small World.

The boats are the same. We got the front row to ourselves. Yes!

See, there's Lilo & Stitch right up in the Island area of Small World. Many other characters were featured throughout, not just the usual small world dolls.

I never pass up a picture with a princess. Here is Alice in Wonderland. Boys had already joined the lone for Tea Cups. They don't care for the princesses any longer.

Mikki note:  Alice is not a princess.  Just a girl.

There they GOOOOOOO!

Here are a couple of shots from the Lion King show. Pretty much the same show. But...

... the choreography and singing are a tad disjointed. I think it's because you have another culture trying to mimic very Americanized songs from The Lion King. But it was still a good show.

Notice their Dumbo ride has water features.

Giant Woody greets you at the entrance to Toy Story Land.

Here is the RC Racer ride. Boys are in the back on this side.

This is that Mystic Manor ride. We all really liked it.

Here is one outside the Grizzly Gulch ride. I only got a little queazy right at the end on a couple of sharp turns.

Here's a shot of the castle from the Fantasy Land side.

Railroad cast member took our pic here as we left for the day.

See ya real soon!!

Mikki note:  Not if it requires another 13 hour plane ride.  Find me another way to get there and I'm in.

Here are the sharp Disney Metro cars.

Notice the Micky-shaped windows. Only for the Disney cars. The handles for standing passengers inside the cars are also shaped like Mickey and feature his trademark black, red and yellow formal colors. 

Oh, here's the milkshake at the Plaza traditional shot. They call their Plaza the Corner Cafe, but it really is the Plaza. Same location, same decor. It's the Plaza. 

Mikki:  Thank you, Joe, for visiting with us today!  Glad you and the boys had a magical time!  Can't wait to take Little One to experience Disney someday!