Hong Kong Disneyland and the Big Buddha
When Alyx and I planned the extra days after our Ensemble trip, I knew I wanted to celebrate my birthday at Shanghai Disneyland. And since we were already all the way over there, we added Hong Kong Disneyland on our way home too. We had two days in Hong Kong, with time for the park and a trip to the Big Buddha.
Friday August 28 Our First Day at Hong Kong Disneyland
We flew from Shanghai to Hong Kong in the morning (2.75 hour flight), and then checked into our hotel. I truly enjoyed a quick dip in the pool (our hotel in Shanghai did not have a pool) to escape the humid heat. This was the furthest south we've been on this trip - Hong Kong is the same latitude as Mexico City and Key West (for perspective). We weren't in a hurry to get to the park because we have been told it's a park easily done in one day.
We are staying at the Explorer's Lodge, which feels like a cross between Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and Disney's Polynesian Resort (both in FL). I splurged a little on a "sea view" room, and it was worth it!
When it started to cool down, we headed to the park. This felt much more like Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom (FL) - the entry under the train station, Main Street, and the castle. When the park opened, the castle was so small you had to stand to the side when taking a picture so you could see it behind you. In 2005, they more than doubled the size from 77' high to 167' feet high.
When we entered the park, the parade was happening.
We quickly found our way to Mystic Manor - their version of the Haunted Mansion that some have said is the best Disney attraction anywhere. It was good, but we would definitely argue that Pirates of the Caribbean in Shanghai Disneyland is THE BEST.
We had dinner in the Frozen area of the park, then stayed for the fireworks. It was a full first evening, and we still had another day to explore.
Saturday August 29 The Big Buddha and More Disney
We began with a character breakfast in our hotel.
We were seated next to another American who actually works in the parks. I asked him, if he had just a half day in Hong Kong, what would he recommend? It really felt like we should see just a little more than Disney. He said usually he would recommend the peak tram, but that was quite a distance away, and if it was foggy (which it frequently is), there is no view. So he recommended that we go to the Big Buddha, which was also on Lantau Island (where the airport and Hong Kong Disney are also located), so off we went!
We took a cab and rode the cable car to the Big Buddha. We paid a little extra for a clear cable car and the views were great! And yes, we were able to glimpse the Big Buddha through the fog.
Once down off the mountain, we took a cab back to Disneyland, and saw the Festival of the Lion King and returned to Mystic Manor. We also visited it's a small world and Space Mountain, with time for a waffle and popcorn along the way.
We went on Wandering Oaken's Sliding Sleighs in World of Frozen, and later had dinner. The Pixar drone show was on our must-see list for the evening, so we made sure to stay for it.
Hong Kong was our last stop before home. We had made room for one more Disney park and for the cable car trip to the Big Buddha. It was a lovely way for Alyx and me to finish the journey we had begun together in Beijing.
Comments