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| Characters at Hong Kong Disneyland pose after a parade. |
While the first Disneyland theme park opened in California more than half a century ago, Hong Kong Disneyland just celebrated its fifth anniversary last Friday.
The theme park welcomed guests from all over the world to celebrate the special day and I was among them, along with a small but merry band of Indonesian reporters.
The fun started when we boarded a Disney-themed train at Hong Kong’s Sunny Bay station. With mouse-ear-shaped windows and a host of Disney character statues inside the train, the magic started to work before we even reached our destination.
We arrived at the park half an hour after it opened at 10 a.m. to find that long queues had already formed for the park’s most popular rides. Luckily, as invited guests, we had the luxury of using media fast passes to skip the long queues.
On a normal day, these same fast passes are available for purchase, but can only be used to skip the lines of three rides. Having them at our disposal definitely made the day that much more enchanting.
Our first ride was called Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. Inspired by Disney Pixar’s “Toy Story,” visitors use laser guns during the ride in a bid to defeat the evil Emperor Zurg.
Each object the riders pass has a target to shoot and each time riders score a hit with their laser guns, the ride automatically adds it to their scores.
I finished the ride with my laser gun smoking, but somehow missed the top score by a mile. It was, however, a fun ride and suitable for all ages.
Compared to the relatively slow-moving Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain literally takes your breath away.
The ride starts as the roller coaster enters a pitch black, outer space-like staging area with glittering planets for decorations.
After a few seconds of peaceful silence, things start to move very fast.
All of a sudden we were going so quickly I couldn’t see much, but I was well aware that I was moving up and down while turning this way and that. For a second I was sure I was going to lose my glasses, so I kept tilting my chin to keep them from flying off.
The Golden Mickey is a Broadway-style musical show performed by a cast of Disney characters.
Guests are entertained by songs from the soundtracks of famous Disney films like “Toy Story,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Tarzan,” “Mulan,” “Lilo and Stitch” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
The show is 30 minutes long and takes place five times a day.
A 4-D film, “Mickey’s PhilharMagic,” was an eye-popping experience. As a 4-D attraction, it blends a great 3-D film with things like the delicious smell of cake, water spray and wind.
Having your hair literally blown back during Aladdin’s carpet ride is real Disney magic at work.
Finally, if you should make your way to Hong Kong Disneyland, don’t miss the Flight of Fantasy Parade. The performance, which begins at 4:15 p.m. every Friday, starts on the ground and soars 40 feet into the air on a special Mickey airship.
The peak season for Hong Kong Disneyland is mid-June through late August, and also the last week of December. Hong Kong Disneyland is currently offering a few special packages to celebrate its fifth anniversary.
There is a buy two get one free vacation package offered through Cathay Pacific Airways and a chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip through a promotion on the park’s Facebook site. A day at Hong Kong Disneyland costs 350 Hong Kong dollars ($45) for adults, 250 HKD for children aged 3-11 and 170 HKD for seniors aged 65 and above.
Hong Kong Disneyland is a 20-minute drive from the airport. The park also has great transit tickets available for passengers who arrive and depart Hong Kong by air on the same day. Source
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