It’s not even halfway through the month of September, and things at work are becoming so hectic, no thanks to the rollout of a new computerized system the office has developed. On the other hand, I am counting the days until the 19th when I can let loose with Jonghyun and the guys.
So, amid all the bustle and pressure at work, what do I do? Reminisce about one day spent at the “happiest place on earth”. I’m talking, of course. about our visit to the Hong Kong Disneyland.
(This is part 1 of a two-part post on our HK Disneyland visit. Apologies in advance for the image-heavy blog post.)
I confess to not being the typical child, one who knows who Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto and the gang were supposed to be. I grew up with male cousins, and playtime usually involved pulling toy cars, climbing trees, losing ourselves in the undergrowth in the nearby forests, and lots and lots of scraped and bruised knees (I still got the scars to prove it).
The closest brushes I had with anything Disney were the movies. I didn’t even find the slightest bit drawn to the Mickey Mouse cartoon shows aired on the telly. I was THAT disinterested.
But I’m all for checking out new things. And I was already in the area. And my folks were curious. So we went.
Hong Kong Disneyland is the other one of two theme parks in Hong Kong (the other one is Ocean Park Hong Kong), and is located within the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, which is also where the two Disney hotels are located.
It’s so easy to get to Hong Kong Disneyland, regardless of where in HK you are coming from. As long as there is an MTR nearby, you can just take the Disneyland Resort Line. (Yes, it has its own line.)
You will then transfer to another train that is all Disney. Plush seats (I couldn’t take a photo because if I did, all you’d see are people inside. It was that packed.), colorful interiors… and, of course, the obviously Mickey-windows. By the way, this was the first trip for the day.
When we arrived, the place has not fully opened yet. We’ve already secured our tickets when we arrived at HKIA (Hong Kong International Airport). In fact, all our tickets (Ocean Park, Disneyland, Madame Tussaud’s, etc.) we already secured upon our arrival. It beats lining up in ticket counters with everyone else. I suggest you do that, too, if you’re pressed for time like we were.
Since we allotted only one day for the place, we purchased the 1-Day Park Ticket, which cost HK$ 450. My aunt was already a senior citizen, so she only paid HK$100 for it (whaaaaaaat~!!!!)
It’s quite a long walk from the welcome arch to the entrance to the Resort.
Since the Park was not yet open to the public, we hung out for a few minutes by the huge fountain.
We finally made our way in when the Park was opened to the public.
Holiday cheers were all around us!
Upon entering the Park, you’ll find yourself on Main Street, U.S.A., a busy “thoroughfare”, with many Main Street vehicles, The Animation Academy, and the Art of Animation Gallery.
We also went to the Main Street Station and rode on the Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad to take a circuitous tour of the Park.
And we also managed to catch the Flights of Fantasy Parade of Mickey and friends on Main Street.
One thing I noticed during this visit: there were sooooooo many Filipinos working at the Park, most of them as entertainers.
And because the temptation was simply too strong….
Spot the Sleeping Beauty Castle in the distance!
But we made a detour and stopped by Tomorrowland first.
It was also in Tomorrowland where we decided to have lunch, which we also availed with the tickets.
I don’t even remember what these were. Foodies probably won’t be too impressed, but it was heartier than what I expected, although I wished there were more greens/veggies. It served its purpose, though, which is to fill us right up and sustain us for the rest of the day!
My folks and my aunt were definitely having a great time. My aunt even said she felt like she was in an entirely different world.
And I will talk more about this visit to another world in my next post. See ya then!