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Plan a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland: Our Family Adventure

Travelling to Hong Kong Disneyland with a Toddler

The last time we had our family adventure out of the country was May last year. We went to Tokyo Disneyland and Disneysea! We obviously had a great time, so this year, we scheduled a trip to go to Hong Kong. The last time I went to Hong Kong was decades ago. I think I was ten! I don’t even think that Disneyland existed in Hong Kong.

Well, we had a wonderful time in Hong Kong. But this article is really for the parents who want to bring their kids to Hong Kong Disneyland. And my point of view and the experience that I will share in this post is really for mothers with kids from 4-6 years old. I’ll probably write one again when Zeeka’s a little bit older and taller (measuring her height here at home has become a “thing” after going to different theme parks).

Okay, so let’s get started. I hope you’re ready for one long article, packed with tips and tricks! haha!

Plane and Accommodations

I actually went ahead because I had to attend a conference for a few days. The conference was at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, which was at near Wan Chai (where I stayed for a couple of nights). The plan was to meet EJ and Zeeka at our Hotel in Hong Kong Disneyland. So to get to Disneyland, you have to take the MTR to Sunny Bay from Central (orange line), then transfer to the Disney Resort line.  I left the hotel at around 8:45 am and arrived at the hotel probably around 9:45 am. Taking the MTR in Hong Kong is actually quite easy. You can purchase tickets via the machines or via the customer service booth.

Disney’s Hollywood Hotel

Okay, so when you get to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, you need to go straight and turn right to go to the Bus Station (buses that take you to the three hotels in the resort). Their are buses that come and go every 10-15 minutes. These buses are free. Do not try to walk with luggages and toddlers by your side! haha! Although it’s walkable, your kids may get tired. Ride the bus! Also, when we were there (month of July), it was hot! So be sure to use sunscreen.

So for our our accommodations, we booked directly from this link: https://www.hongkongdisneyland.com/offers-discounts/ We stayed there for 3 days and two nights. We got the package with no meals but with park tickets. We figured out that we would eat in the park anyway, because Zeeka would be so excited to leave (which actually happened). EJ and Zeeka arrived at the hotel around 10 am plus. Zeeka wanted to leave to go to the park as soon as she got to the hotel room so we were all rushing to get to park that EJ forgot his phone in the hotel room the first day! haha!

So we got on the bus to go to the park as EJ shared stories of his stressful morning that involved Zeeka asking him that she wanted to pee the minute they arrived at the airport, waiting in long lines then realizing they forgot to pay TIEZA or the travel tax so they had to go back, waiting in long lines again then realizing again that Zeeka left her small backpack at the TIEZA counter, running while carrying a 5 year old girl so that they won’t miss the flight, and finally boarding last just in time before the gates closed. Haha! You could see that energy was zapped out from him, so him forgetting his phone was just “normal” (at least for that morning).

Anyway, when we got to the park, we realized that the tickets were in Ej’s phone, but it was a good thing that he saved it on Google Drive and had sent me the link to the tickets the night before. I used the FREE wifi at the park, which was convenient by the way, and I saved it on my phone. Whew!

So just a few tips…

  • When you’re inside the park, if you come around this time of the year, bring an umbrella, or better yet, buy a cute umbrella (like what we did!) I bought a foldable one with Mickey Mouse on it.
  • For your kids, just buy them a cap. We ended up bringing Zeeka’s umbrella. Oh, but buy water for your kids!
  • Wear sunscreen!

Inside the park

I highly recommend that you download the Hong Kong Disneyland Mobile Application. You can download it from this link: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1077550649 Also, once you get inside, head for one of the following rides to get a Fast Pass. Note that you can get a Fast Pass again only after the time indicated in the Fast Pass that you got. These are the rides that I remember that have Fast Pass machines: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars, Mystic Manor, Hyperspace Mountain, Iron Man Experience, etc. (I forgot the rest! Please let me know if I missed anything).

Once you have your Fast Pass, you can start checking out the show schedules, too, in the app. For preschoolers like Zeeka, they will love Mickey and the Wondrous Book (I super loved this, too!), Moana: A Homecoming Celebration, and Mickey’s Philharmagic! They also have parades that you can watch (sad though that we didn’t get to catch the Pixar Water Play Street Party! because we were busy going through the rides and we didn’t get to see the Disney Paint the Night Parade because it rained and they cancelled it.. huhu!). But then again, we had fun riding all the rides.

Zeeka’s top three favorite rides were:

1) It’s a Small World in Fantasyland, which we rode three times

2) Slinky Dog Spin in Toy Story land and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in Fantasy land, which we both rode twice (tied in second place!)

3) Iron Man Experience in Tomorrowland, which we rode twice, too.

Daddy and Mommy’s favorite rides were:

1) Hyperspace Mountain in Tomorrowland, which I rode thrice (BTW, Zeeka rode this, too!)

2) Mystic Manor, which was cool

3)The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in Fantasy land and Iron Man Experience in Tomorrowland (Tied in 3rd Place)

*We didn’t get to ride Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars since we couldn’t leave Zeeka with anyone, but I know we would have loved this. We rode a “sort of similar” ride in Tokyo Disneyland and we loved that, so I think this would have been great, too. Zeeka didn’t make the height requirement.

Meet and Greets

Zeeka loved the meet and greets with the different characters. She lined up for Jessie, Duffy and Cookie. We also saw Mickey and Minnie, Moana, Tinkerbell, and other characters. You do have to check out the schedules though because they only come out at certain times of the day, so you have to fall in line.  They close the line after a while.

What I love about Hong Kong Disneyland is that everything is done in an orderly manner. In some rides, they give you numbers, just to be sure that you have seats. The rides’ instructions are in both in English and Chinese. You wont have a hard time communicating with the staff if you have questions.

Dining

For breakfast, we would by at Hollywood & Dine, one of the restaurants in our hotel. Have a budget of around 100 to 200 HKD. They also serve coffee here from Starbucks (just the basic Starbucks variants though). Then for lunch, we would eat in the restaurants inside the park. We ate at the Starliner Diner, which Zeeka loved. We also tried the Main Street Corner Cafe Hosted by Coca Cola. Food there was a little bit pricier but the servings were huge! We should have just split the burger with fries. Food was yummy, too!

We had a lot of snacks from popcorn (which we loved and bought to take to the hotel, too! — that’s how good it was!), to ice cream, etc. And for dinner, we would order one whole pizza from Studio Lounge at our hotel to take to our room while watching Disney cartoons on our TV.

Other tips…

  • Make sure that you bring chewy candy for your toddler on board a plane. It relieves pressure in her ears.
  • Don’t forget ballpens while inside the plane so you can write on the Immigration departure and arrival cards.
  • Slow is fast when it comes to kids. Just relax!
  • Zeeka’s tip is to “breathe in and breathe out” when you’re stressed! haha!
  • Don’t give your toddlers anything that they need to hold or remember, because they won’t 🙂
  • In the airport, the internet is fast. Download shows that you can watch during the flight. Since we went with a budget airline, we knew that we needed to entertain her another way.

And last, but not the least, Zeeka says, “DON’T LEAVE YOUR KIDS!” hahaha!

PS: Watch our videos here!

 

Hope you have a great time at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort!

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort launches “Carnivale of Stars” this summer

This July, I planned a trip to go to Hong Kong with a colleague, Trish, to represent Taxumo (my tech startup). We got discounted tickets because they were celebrating women in tech. Not a lot of women are in this industry. We’re attending RISE, a tech conference. Everything was all set and we were ready-to-go, until someone and something came up. That someone was my daughter Zeeka, and that something was this new “Carnivale of Stars” at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort (HKDL).

Part of the Carnivale of Stars are the all-new atmosphere stage show “Moana: A Homecoming Celebration,” the “We Love Mickey!” Projection Show, and a new African-style Karibuni Marketplace.

We didn’t think of turning this trip into a vacation (initially, my husband was supposed to stay in Manila), but honestly, we felt guilty. The reason why we, as parents, decided to spend the last part of the trip in HKDL was that we want Zeeka to know that family time is important, too. We’ve been focusing on building our startup, that we have been spending less time with her.

Since we’re talking about Moana, we thought of how her grandmother was so supportive of her desire to go on an adventure — which then led to personal growth and new experiences. As parents, “adventures” like these are necessary for our children to grow and learn. We’ve noticed that during our travels and family bonding activities, Zeeka picks up new things, learns to be more creative, becomes more open to new ideas and to new ways of thinking and we grow closer together as a family.

So, we are really looking forward to spending time in Hong Kong Disneyland Resort as a family this summer!

Zeeka’s so excited to go to the “Moana: A Homecoming Celebration” which is in a new exotic outdoor venue called Jungle Junction, in Adventureland. Moana will invite guests to join her adventure in a 20-minute live show rich with inspirational music, dance, puppetry and immersive storytelling. When I told her what she should expect, Zeeka bought a mini Moana-like locket in a store which she said she’ll bring on her adventure.  

In Adventureland, you will also find the Karibuni Marketplace, which is next to Theater in the Wild. This area will take you through a lively African ambiance with interactive games such as the Wheel of Fortune, Blongo Balls and Plinko where you could win souvenirs!

In the evening, Minnie Mouse and her pals are inviting guests to a surprise party for Mickey Mouse as part of Disney’s all-new “We Love Mickey!” Projection Show. We all obviously love Mickey! My daughter had a blast and she still remembers the time she met Mickey in Japan. I’m sure she’ll go crazy when I tell her that we’re throwing a party for Mickey! This new celebration transforms the buildings of Main Street, U.S.A. into a canvas for vibrant, colorful visuals that pay tribute to Mickey’s major milestones. I can’t wait to see this!

These will run from June 21 to September 2! We’ll be there sometime July, so I came across this at the perfect time! Zeeka doesn’t start school until August so this is the perfect vacation for her.  

Aside from the things I mentioned, she will definitely enjoy seeing her favorite Disney∙Pixar characters leading HKDL’s first-ever “Pixar Water Play Street Party!”  From June 21 onwards, we can all meet Mr. and Mrs. Incredible from The Incredibles, Woody, Buzz Lightyear and their pals from Toy Story, along with other Disney∙Pixar stars in this water-based celebration. My husband and I love The Incredibles (We already watched Incredibles 2! They remind us so much of ourselves! LOL!) so we will definitely have a picture taken with Mr. and Mrs. Incredible at the “The Incredibles Arrive!”

For the total Disney Experience and just for plain convenience, parents may want to stay at any of the 3 nearby uniquely themed hotels for a “play, shop, dine, and stay” total Disney holiday experience. All the 3 hotels adjusted to the theme! The “Adventures of Oceania” poolside party at Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel will entice young guests to join poolside games! A Disney friend is ready to have fun with guests at an afternoon poolside party at the Rain Drop Pool at Disney Explorers Lodge.  

Do you know that you can also have your room customized? How amazing is that? For HK$600 (from June 21 onwards), guests can have their hotel rooms decorated with the theme of The Incredibles. The room decoration package includes themed bed runners, slippers, door stickers, amenities kits, sweet delights plus two water bottles and a set of kid’s utensils!

Guests staying at the resort’s hotels will receive at least one Priority Admission Pass for selected attractions, as well as the season’s exclusive souvenirs, including an amenities box, Disney slippers and door stickers.

Committed to creating memorable stays for guests, HKDL is introducing an all-new Express Online Check-in service in late-April, allowing guests to complete online check-in within 7 days prior to their arrival day to simplify the check-in process on arrival. For those with weird flight schedules, guests can now spend a day at the theme park before checking into the hotel. They can make use of the Luggage Valet Service to have their bags transferred to their hotel for a fee and make the most of their time at the park! Great time-saver!

Guests can start planning their magical journey with the following attractive offers:

For details, please visit: https://www.hongkongdisneyland.com/offers-discounts/ and selected travel agencies. Terms and conditions apply.

Bring home Summer souvenirs!

There are over 100 exclusive, summer-themed memorabilia at the park that will be extended this summer to include new collections of Duffy and friends series with exotic fruit themes. I am excited to get The Incredibles souvenirs which will be available for the first time. I’m ready to get superhero shirts and apparel! To get ready for school or to add spice to your school supplies, grab Tsum Tsum school bags, utensils and more. Specially designed Moana outfits and necklaces which look just like Moana’s in the film will also be available for guests to dress up like their favorite heroine.

It doesn’t end there!

Seasonal entertainment like “Carnivale of Stars” will continue and change all throughout the year. The Disney Halloween Time will start in September. Jack Skellington of The Nightmare Before Christmas will set the mood for this Disney theme.

From November to January 1, 2019, Mickey and friends will share Christmas carols for a heart-warming celebration of “A Disney Christmas,” as Christmas tree lighting and romantic snowfalls create a memorably festive experience for guests.

The transformation of Hong Kong Disneyland’s castle is fully underway. The transformed castle will pay tribute to 13 Disney Princess stories (something all our little ladies will love!!!)  and take the park to new heights with all-new day and nighttime entertainment.

We’re super excited to go on this adventure! This is the first time that we’ll be visiting Hong Kong Disneyland as a family. We’ll share photos with you.

If you think I missed anything (anything that I should do during our visit to HKDL), please do let me know! 🙂 I will add it to my list.

For more information, please visit: https://www.hongkongdisneyland.com/carnivale-of-stars-sum-intl/