This is my home park. Actually, after the pandemic ended, the park has been busier than ever. There are a lot of tourists from other countries visiting Hong Kong Disneyland and the short wait times days became rarer and rarer.
The natural aesthetics of this Park definitely make it such a bucket list visit for me, on top of Mystic Manor, of course. Absolute love how unique the mountains & views are at HKDL. Great review, fellas!!
OMG I literally went to the park the same two days as you! I have NO idea why but on National Day I expected a HUGE crowd but there were even less people than the day before! I would say that it might have been because in Hong Kong apparently the kindergarten kids would get annual passes and visit in the afternoons since their kindergarten ends around noon. So we were at Mystic Manor and Grizzly Peak when the crowds started to pick up and Mystic Manor was actually at like a 40 minute wait and it usually is at around 20 or even less! Thankfully I am not the biggest thrill seeker (my maximum is probably Grizzly Peak’s rollercoaster lol😂) Toy Story Land is not my go-to but the Slinky Dog spinner was one of my childhood favourites!!! The entirety of Toy Story Land at both Chinese parks are always above 30 mins for every attraction probably cuz it is very popular here but it temporarily closed for around 45 mins and as soon as we got off of Mystic Manor I looked at the app and it just opened back up and it was a 15 minute wait!!! On National Day I mainly just re-did my favourites and I expected to not even be able to get into Frozen land but I surprisingly got to ride Frozen Ever After AGAIN! I also took the time to watch the villains show cuz it was one of the only times I went during Halloween and I heard it was really good! And it was honestly I really liked it! National Day crowds in the mainland are CRAZY so I expected for Disney to be packed but yeah I had some of the lowest wait times for some of the rides that are usually huge! I have been to the park more than 15 times since I live close to Hong Kong. A few other things I wanted to comment on are that first: MICKEY AND THE WONDROUS BOOK IS A MUST SEE!!!!!!!! It opened for the park’s 10th anniversary and it is amazing! The story is fun and shows you multiple Disney characters and has beautiful props. It is similar to the Magical Map show but all the characters are articulated and it is just more interesting! Also, since it opened for the 10th anniversary, it has the 10th anniversary theme song as its opening and finale. And many people don’t realise but the popular Disney World Firework Anthem Happily Ever After ORIGINATED FROM HONG KONG DISNEYLAND! So the original English version of Happily Ever After can be heard in the show. I don’t know if the mid burger you said was from Comet Cafe but I will say the StarLiner Diner burgers are AMAZING!!! Like for a Theme Park burgers it is one of my favourites! Comet Cafe’s burgers are not as good though. It is my go to restaurant for the park actually! Also I would like to say that the Fairytale Gardens (or whatever it’s called I only remember the Chinese names😅) walkthrough is EXTREMELY UNDERRATED!!! I don’t know if it is just me but I love tiny houses/places and models like that. For example the Lego mini lands that you see are some of my favourites. The one at Disney is sorta like the canal boats that you see in California. But the things with Hong Kong Disney’s one is that it is interactive. You can spin little levers and then you could see the ball gown transformation from Cinderella or water fountains in Ariel’s castle. It is even more magical at night as well! For Duffy and Friends, well, they are literally more popular than Mickey in China. Both Chinese parks’ Duffy meet and greet have the longest lines. In Shanghai it is even more crazy because sometimes you need to fight for the popular Duffy merch! And it is also really popular in Tokyo as well but not as crazy as here😅 For the Hong Kong Jungle Cruise, I am sad that it doesn’t have the famous BACKSIDE OF WATERRRRRR but it is really good! When it opened it had three separate entrances and queues for Cantonese, Chinese and English., It was still there when I visited April 2023 but October 2024 it was gone I think because of the low crowds? But I think it is still easy to understand and the cast members are great with continuing to talk in 3 languages at once! I can understand all three so it is easier for me but I think you get an equally good experience if you only speak English! For Tomorrowland, well, compared to Shanghai Disneyland’s Tomorrowland it is weird. The pandemic really messed up their Tomorrowland plans with Marvel. But I think globally Tomorrowland is not the greatest apart from maybe Shanghai and Paris because of the Tomorrowland problem (Shanghai’s TRON theme pushes the land to be more futuristic looking and avoids the problem better and Paris just ignores it altogether by not even calling it Tomorrowland and themed it after a scientist’s prediction of what “tomorrow” would look like). But I think before the Marvel changes it was OK in terms of the ride but there needs to be repairs for sure. In terms of the cast members and guests being rude or careless, I never noticed it much honestly. The cast members are definitely not as “inviting’ as America but I think it is because of the culture here but they are still great! The guests, well I don’t really know but yes during the fireworks the phone thing is real. And by the way Momentus is an AMAZING fireworks show you can’t miss it is a close second to Happily Ever After for the current Disney nighttime spectaculars. For the parades apparently Paint the Night is getting a refurb and adding a new Frozen float but I am sad both parades are gone but I think it is because of the economical loss during COVID and some cast members had to be fired so it is probably due to budget cuts. This is also seen in the Disneyland Hotel’s character dining when there used to be 4 characters walking around but now there is only 2. I dearly miss the parades but I hope they will be back soon! Finally, for the hotels. I have stayed in all three and I would say they are really great! The Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel is basically a mini version of Grand Floridian and it is honestly beautiful so much better than Shanghai and Paris (I forgot what Tokyo’s one looks like but it’s definitely good I am sure and I have never been to the American parks). It is pretty pricy though but Hong Kong’s prices are really bad compared to mainland China. The Explorers Hotel is the newest and biggest and I think that it is actually the most “bang for your buck” since it is big and new with 5 courtyards that are wonderfully themed and great rooms. It just depends on what theme you would like for the Hotel you wanna stay in. For the Hollywood Hotel it is more like a retro Hollywood vibe but it has a gorgeous piano shaped pool. It is the cheapest and for a good reason but it is definitely not bad! If you have a lower budget then I would recommend this one! It is just not my go-to. All in all I love this park and although it is tiny it is great and you never need to stress about planning ahead of time! You could enjoy the atmosphere more (especially in Frozen land) and it is just great!❤
THANK YOU for giving a good review of this park. It gets so much flack but is actually such a good park with some amazing unique attractions and one of the most insane looking castles ever created.
I happen to love the Hong Kong park. It’s a really nice scale and has special experiences. I also love that Disneyland Hotel. It’s the Grand Floridian on an intimate scale.
I was in Hong Kong for work back in the summer of 2007, and being an Orlando resident of 27 years who likes the theme parks, I was disappointed that I didn’t have the leeway to visit this park. I remember even seeing the signs for it on the freeway as we drove. Probably a stretch that I’ll ever get back, but I do hope that I can.
I love Hong Kong Disneyland, I proposed to my wife at the wishing well so it has a special place in my heart. I have visited many times before the pandemic and enjoyed seeing it grow. My favorite experiences were when they did proper Universal style Halloween mazes, the Nightmare Experiment that had Disney characters was really unique. Can't wait to get back and see the new additions since my last visit.
I hope they bring the maze back. They replaced the maze with shows because some parents complained the mazes are too scary for kids. But like why would they bring their kids to the maze in the first place? 😑
@alishanightshade3270 I will say I've been to many haunted mazes over the years and not many stuck with me but that mad hatter scene is still pretty vivid in my memory.
Was waiting for this review since July, again, another honest and good overview. Thanks RT, I'm glad I met you two the day before the public holiday 😭😭
Hong Kong Disneyland could be called my home Disneyland. I’m an annual pass holder along with my family and we make weekly visits so I think I can comment on a few things such as the good and the not so good and things that can be improved. I’ve tried to find somewhere to give HK Disneyland feedback but normally it gets ignored. The good - setting in the mountains with no sight of outside world influence seems to give it a magical feel. - the size of the park is good as you don’t get overwhelmed by the number of rides. You can do most of the rides in one day or do it very comfortably over 2 days - crowd size is normally good as most of the time lines aren’t more than 20mins - momentous fireworks The not so good - time to update and renovate a few of the dining areas. Some of the seating and tables need to be replaced and maybe some bit of a touch up with some refurbishment. Especially after paying so much for a meal to sit on an old chair and rocky table that’s seen better days. - the price increase of seniors and children’s annual passes. They grouped them all into a general price bracket now which means the seniors (over 60) is triple the price that it was last year. - park hours. I see a lot of other parks open earlier and close later than they do here. And why does it mean the end of the night after the fireworks. Normally the operating hours are 10:30am- 8:30pm (peak days might increase an hour) I remember back a few years earlier it was open earlier and closed a lot later everyday. - the parades and character meet and greets. Considering these are a signature thing for all Disney’s, you would think that they would do these better. Unless u go to line up within the first 2 hours of the park opening, you won’t be able to get a photo with Mickey and Minnie. The cast close off the lines well ahead of time. The characters only seem to be out until it starts to get dark but HK Disney is well lit at night. The parades have been the same for the last 3-4 years. Whether it be for the summertime, avengers or their Mickey and friends street celebration. They just the same thing, nothing has changed. At least make the parade longer than 3 mins. Why can’t they have it like the flights of fantasy. I really like taking my daughters to HK Disney, I think it’s perfect for their age group as most of the rides are very family friendly. As I said there are Lots of good but also things that need immediate attention. Making seniors pay general concession rate is outright disrespectful for those people. Seniors go normally with their grandkids and they mostly aren’t going to go on very many attractions so it makes No sense for them to bump up the price on them. Most won’t get the annual pass anymore and won’t visit HK Disney anymore instead opt to go Ocean park which is cheaper. I’m glad u guys liked HK Disney. I just feel they aren’t marketing it right and some strange tactics to get the park more revenue is questionable for the long term. They also missed getting the extra piece of land to make an extra park but I don’t think it would have been viable at the time for them anyway
It's funny that you didn't mention Toy Story Land at all in your review 😂. You included footage of it, but I wonder what you thought of it? Would it have been similar to your feelings on Hyper-Space Mountain? 😜
I've been to all of the Disney Parks, and I think your review is spot on. I grew up in Orlando and to me, Hong Kong Disneyland still holds some of that 90's/early 2000's magic that has faded from the US Parks. We really enjoyed our stay at the Explorer's Lodge and the standout for us at the resort was all of the Asian food offerings. Everything we ate was great, especially at the Main Street Bakery and both breakfast and dinner at Dragon Wind. The one thing I don't think your review mentioned was the weather in Hong Kong. We went the first week of April, and the tropical humidity and heat rivals Florida, so I would definitely avoid visiting in the summer!
I would love to visit Hong Kong even tho I’m not Chinese. I’m very obsessed with its culture and history including British colonial era. Hong Kong Disney is very underrated. Needs water rides and 2nd park.
Agree, sadly I don’t think there will ever be a second park thanks to Shanghai, but I’m really surprised that in Hong Kong, which is near the equator, the only water ride where you get wet is indoors. I hope they eventually make a pirate themed area with a log flume, like the one they cancelled years ago.
What a glow up! I recently went to HKDL last year (twice!) for a holiday and business trip! The Fairytale Forest walkthrough is so charming, the experience is as underrated as the Storybook Land Canal Boats!! The money was well spent on the expansion ❤ Edit: Sad to see Mystic Manor facade being refurbished during my visit (twice) 😭😭
Hong Kong Disneyland will add 20th anniversary parade and Spider-Man Tower. Hong Kong Ocean Park will also undergo a new phase of expansion, similar to Japan's recently opened Junglia Okinawa theme park.
I had the chance to visit both Hong Kong Disneyland and Zhuhai Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, whereas Disneyland had better theming and food, I arguably had more fun in the rides in Zhuhai😂 The Parrot coaster (great g-force) and Penguin mountain/water coaster were special stand outs, the latter of which had a section where real brown bears got to wave at me before the ride enters the mountain, which was pretty crazy. The large variety of animal exhibits did make the park more special too. If you guys have a chnace to visit HK again, I highly recommend you guys hopping over to Zhuhai too like I did for that park, its fairly unique.
We need 2~3 more lands and this will be top tier. We also need to add the classic rides and streetmosphere! I would also love to see a downtown Disney of some sort
The difference between your day one experience and the one in day two was probably something most people overlook or forget about. If working in the attractions industry in China is like working in the attractions industry in the US the days right before a holiday and right after can be horrible for the people who work there during the week year round. That's because you have visitors extending the vacation but you don't have the seasonal, weekend, and student workers to back you up. The day of the holiday is usually much better staffed, so you can schedule more people, so everything runs smoother. It's why holidays like President's Day, Easter and most of August are much more chaotic than Memorial Day, Christmas/New Year's and the 4th of July. The college student workforce really makes a difference. That's why I'm guessing there would have been more staff on the second day. Did I miss a section about food?
I got to experience HK Disneyland last year and was blown away by how great it was. My main reason for going was Mystic Manor (with music by Danny Elfman!) and I wasn't disappointed. And as someone whos 'home' park is Walt Disney World in Orlando, I always appreciate a park you can walk to. :)
I loved this park, had an amazing day there. It was not full, almost no lines, mistic manor was amazing ❤️ good food, the castle is beautiful. I wanna Go back one day 🇭🇰
I think most of the 'rude' guests may be the surge of mainland tourists coming to hong kong disneyland. I also went to the starliner diner in tommorow land and the cast member working in the front counter was breaking down and crying because people were starving as the kitchen ran out of fried chicken making a simple meal take 30-40 minutes long.
HKDLcastle is beautiful. A HUGE upgrade to the Disneyland dump they had. being the least visited park that makes it even better regarding wait times. If they could just fix Tomorrow Land/ Avengers Campus, it would be a fabulous park. If they could expand or replace Toy Story Land then it would be their best one.
You what I love especially about this place, it’s not completely surrounded by flat terrain, theres some of the hills that surround Hong Kong near by like seen in this footage 1:30,
I've been to HKDL 3 times, the last time being January of 2024 and I totally agree that Tomorrow Land is a complete mess, the rest of the park however is lovely, I'm even planning a trip there in March with the whole family because it's very comfortable with it's low wait times compared to the other parks.
I went to this park in 2007, I arrived at the park opening, there were no lines at all and before lunch I had already gone on all of the park’s attractions, I was very disappointed, but I’m glad to know that the park is much better nowadays. By the way, the small castle is Disney’s original castle from Disneyland, the one that Walt built. I know it’s small, but for me it’s more classy than this thing that they built on top of it, I’ve never seen it in person, but it doesn’t look good IMO. The castle in Paris is a beautiful original one, this thing I wouldn’t say so.
The reason the opening stages of HKDL was a little rough and uninspired was for the years prior to groundbreaking in Hong Kong it was intended to be a Disney park for a country with an entirely different culture. The initially intended country’s State and Federal governments weren’t willing to come to the party and assist in footing some of the bill, so a certain recently promoted COO decided that wasn’t good enough and at the time Hong Kong’s then Chief Executive got wind of it and convinced the company to bring the project to them. So now Hong Kong and China combined have two Disney parks, and the other country has a Costco and a Housing Development. I’m very much looking forward to visiting this year for their 20th! ❤️🏰
I only visited Hong Kong and Tokyo’s. I think it’s a nice place to go. The Halloween season is the best. I love the cruella show so much. I don’t understand why many westerners think the show is weird and boring. But my problem with HKDL is that the park doesn’t have many details to explore. That’s why I love visiting Tokyo’s. I hope they bring back a regular parade soon. They finally got the money to update philharmagic. I would like to see a new castle show, a frozen float and no zootopia stuff, they overused the try everything song.
So I managed to go before and after the makeover. It was a totally different park. It feels less like I am slumming it by cheaping out going there. The marvel section is cool but it is frozen that sold me. I loved frozen ever after. Mystic manor is still the best ride I ever have been on, and is so unique story wise. I stayed at explorers lodge and that is the best themed hotel in any of the international parks. Having the included breakfast their is a must, with character meet and greet included where they wear themed outfits.
Expensive would be my single word. Yikes. But imagine that would be the same for any Disney park. Second word crowded and third Hot. With fourth word being incredible as it all is a marvel of human ingenuity, creativity, engineering, fun and it’s located in a very pretty valley. Worth a trip if you can afford to loose the money and have exhausted what Hong Kong has otherwise to offer, which is considerable.
I hated how it was originally almost a 1 to 1 copy of Disneyland in Anaheim. Gave it such a bizzaro alternate universe vibe. I’m glad it’s becoming its own thing.
@23:55, can someone please explain why Duffy & Friends are SO popular in Hong Kong & Shanghai Disneyland? When I visited Shanghai Disneyland in December 2024, the attraction with the longest wait was literally a photo-op with Duffy & friends characters - a whopping 270+ minutes wait when the next longest, Tron Lightcycle Power Run and Zootopia: Hot Pursuit, were only at most 100 minutes wait. I still can’t figure out why or how Duffy & friends got so big in China & Hong Kong?!!
thanks for this great review. it looks like a great park, especially the integration of the mountains in the sight lines seems very impressive. unrelated question: do you have plans for a trip to europe because it would be interesting to hear your views on parks like efteling, europa park and phantasialand?
The 20th anniversary new parade is coming. Paint the Night might return after that. Hopefully more new expansion would announce soon beside Marvel E ticket ride.
Hong Kong disneyland is great for the price and its usually quiet. I think in comparison to ocean park this is the best value (for theme parks in hong kong) unless you go on Chinese new year.
Wanna say the Frozen Ever After ride at Hong Kong is no joke in the thrill point of view, the drop in the ride is definitely not very family friendly, it could be too much for some, just the ride is not entirely family friendly to me.😬
Mystic Manor is a ride that current corporate disney will NEVER do again! Iger and the board have said so. No originality allowed at the former WDI which should be called something like CRH (Corporate ReHash). As nothing without Iger era IP is allowed.
And they never show any appreciation to Mystic Manor. The music is created by Danny Elfman and they never talk about it after the land was built. It’s a shame that they pushed such a great attraction to the back of their store room.
I am so happy someone finally said something about how Hong Kong Disney is becoming 20 and this park is especially close to me because I have been going ever since I was like 4 or maybe younger but in my opinion ( buzz is better then ant man it’s extremely lazy ) but I am still happy a lot more people are noticing and talking about this park as this is my local disney park Also still very sad they didn’t bring back flight of fantasy or paint the night and why is Disney not doing anything for hk Disney 20th nothing is stopping them I swear this feels like the most neglected park at times
HK disney is one of my favorite parks been living in Hong Kong compared to Tokyo Disney. I prefer the HK land theming of Frozen compared to Tokyo Frozen though Tokyo frozen has a slightly better dark theme ride than HK (just more original than an Epcot clone).
This was the first proper review of Hong Kong Disneyland. If I can offer one critic it would be that you are not offering any layout of the land, just footage. Neither a map when talking about the location of the park or the attractions nor an overview of the various sectors. It ends up being an undifferentiated mass of information without having proper orientation. Have something on the screen other than just footage. Like lists for attractions, countdowns for rides and maps for locations. It would differentiate you from commentary channels using stock videos.
I know this park has an underwhelming start, but it truly seems like one of the most unique and interesting Disney Parks these days. I’ve yet to visit any of the Disney Parks outside of the US, but this park is definitely on my bucket list.
@ even if you have the best versions of some rides it’s not gonna make me want to go back. I want to see something exclusive go to dlp. I’m tired of Disney building the same rides at multiple locations.
I've been visiting this park for a very long time, but its over-promotion on Duffy and negligence on Mickey and other classic characters in recent years just makes me less interested. It just doesn't feel Disney when everything is just Duffy&Friends over and over.
This is my home park. Actually, after the pandemic ended, the park has been busier than ever. There are a lot of tourists from other countries visiting Hong Kong Disneyland and the short wait times days became rarer and rarer.
The natural aesthetics of this Park definitely make it such a bucket list visit for me, on top of Mystic Manor, of course. Absolute love how unique the mountains & views are at HKDL. Great review, fellas!!
OMG I literally went to the park the same two days as you! I have NO idea why but on National Day I expected a HUGE crowd but there were even less people than the day before! I would say that it might have been because in Hong Kong apparently the kindergarten kids would get annual passes and visit in the afternoons since their kindergarten ends around noon. So we were at Mystic Manor and Grizzly Peak when the crowds started to pick up and Mystic Manor was actually at like a 40 minute wait and it usually is at around 20 or even less!
Thankfully I am not the biggest thrill seeker (my maximum is probably Grizzly Peak’s rollercoaster lol😂) Toy Story Land is not my go-to but the Slinky Dog spinner was one of my childhood favourites!!! The entirety of Toy Story Land at both Chinese parks are always above 30 mins for every attraction probably cuz it is very popular here but it temporarily closed for around 45 mins and as soon as we got off of Mystic Manor I looked at the app and it just opened back up and it was a 15 minute wait!!!
On National Day I mainly just re-did my favourites and I expected to not even be able to get into Frozen land but I surprisingly got to ride Frozen Ever After AGAIN! I also took the time to watch the villains show cuz it was one of the only times I went during Halloween and I heard it was really good! And it was honestly I really liked it! National Day crowds in the mainland are CRAZY so I expected for Disney to be packed but yeah I had some of the lowest wait times for some of the rides that are usually huge! I have been to the park more than 15 times since I live close to Hong Kong.
A few other things I wanted to comment on are that first: MICKEY AND THE WONDROUS BOOK IS A MUST SEE!!!!!!!! It opened for the park’s 10th anniversary and it is amazing! The story is fun and shows you multiple Disney characters and has beautiful props. It is similar to the Magical Map show but all the characters are articulated and it is just more interesting! Also, since it opened for the 10th anniversary, it has the 10th anniversary theme song as its opening and finale. And many people don’t realise but the popular Disney World Firework Anthem Happily Ever After ORIGINATED FROM HONG KONG DISNEYLAND! So the original English version of Happily Ever After can be heard in the show.
I don’t know if the mid burger you said was from Comet Cafe but I will say the StarLiner Diner burgers are AMAZING!!! Like for a Theme Park burgers it is one of my favourites! Comet Cafe’s burgers are not as good though. It is my go to restaurant for the park actually!
Also I would like to say that the Fairytale Gardens (or whatever it’s called I only remember the Chinese names😅) walkthrough is EXTREMELY UNDERRATED!!! I don’t know if it is just me but I love tiny houses/places and models like that. For example the Lego mini lands that you see are some of my favourites. The one at Disney is sorta like the canal boats that you see in California. But the things with Hong Kong Disney’s one is that it is interactive. You can spin little levers and then you could see the ball gown transformation from Cinderella or water fountains in Ariel’s castle. It is even more magical at night as well!
For Duffy and Friends, well, they are literally more popular than Mickey in China. Both Chinese parks’ Duffy meet and greet have the longest lines. In Shanghai it is even more crazy because sometimes you need to fight for the popular Duffy merch! And it is also really popular in Tokyo as well but not as crazy as here😅
For the Hong Kong Jungle Cruise, I am sad that it doesn’t have the famous BACKSIDE OF WATERRRRRR but it is really good! When it opened it had three separate entrances and queues for Cantonese, Chinese and English., It was still there when I visited April 2023 but October 2024 it was gone I think because of the low crowds? But I think it is still easy to understand and the cast members are great with continuing to talk in 3 languages at once! I can understand all three so it is easier for me but I think you get an equally good experience if you only speak English!
For Tomorrowland, well, compared to Shanghai Disneyland’s Tomorrowland it is weird. The pandemic really messed up their Tomorrowland plans with Marvel. But I think globally Tomorrowland is not the greatest apart from maybe Shanghai and Paris because of the Tomorrowland problem (Shanghai’s TRON theme pushes the land to be more futuristic looking and avoids the problem better and Paris just ignores it altogether by not even calling it Tomorrowland and themed it after a scientist’s prediction of what “tomorrow” would look like). But I think before the Marvel changes it was OK in terms of the ride but there needs to be repairs for sure.
In terms of the cast members and guests being rude or careless, I never noticed it much honestly. The cast members are definitely not as “inviting’ as America but I think it is because of the culture here but they are still great! The guests, well I don’t really know but yes during the fireworks the phone thing is real. And by the way Momentus is an AMAZING fireworks show you can’t miss it is a close second to Happily Ever After for the current Disney nighttime spectaculars.
For the parades apparently Paint the Night is getting a refurb and adding a new Frozen float but I am sad both parades are gone but I think it is because of the economical loss during COVID and some cast members had to be fired so it is probably due to budget cuts. This is also seen in the Disneyland Hotel’s character dining when there used to be 4 characters walking around but now there is only 2. I dearly miss the parades but I hope they will be back soon!
Finally, for the hotels. I have stayed in all three and I would say they are really great! The Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel is basically a mini version of Grand Floridian and it is honestly beautiful so much better than Shanghai and Paris (I forgot what Tokyo’s one looks like but it’s definitely good I am sure and I have never been to the American parks). It is pretty pricy though but Hong Kong’s prices are really bad compared to mainland China. The Explorers Hotel is the newest and biggest and I think that it is actually the most “bang for your buck” since it is big and new with 5 courtyards that are wonderfully themed and great rooms. It just depends on what theme you would like for the Hotel you wanna stay in. For the Hollywood Hotel it is more like a retro Hollywood vibe but it has a gorgeous piano shaped pool. It is the cheapest and for a good reason but it is definitely not bad! If you have a lower budget then I would recommend this one! It is just not my go-to.
All in all I love this park and although it is tiny it is great and you never need to stress about planning ahead of time! You could enjoy the atmosphere more (especially in Frozen land) and it is just great!❤
I’ll be there in 5 weeks! So excited! I was last there in 2008 when it was tiny. This trip I’ll be taking my 10 yr old daughter. Can’t wait!!!
THANK YOU for giving a good review of this park. It gets so much flack but is actually such a good park with some amazing unique attractions and one of the most insane looking castles ever created.
“Mickey and the adjective noun show” is something I’m gonna start saying until I die
I happen to love the Hong Kong park. It’s a really nice scale and has special experiences. I also love that Disneyland Hotel. It’s the Grand Floridian on an intimate scale.
I was in Hong Kong for work back in the summer of 2007, and being an Orlando resident of 27 years who likes the theme parks, I was disappointed that I didn’t have the leeway to visit this park. I remember even seeing the signs for it on the freeway as we drove. Probably a stretch that I’ll ever get back, but I do hope that I can.
I love Hong Kong Disneyland, I proposed to my wife at the wishing well so it has a special place in my heart. I have visited many times before the pandemic and enjoyed seeing it grow. My favorite experiences were when they did proper Universal style Halloween mazes, the Nightmare Experiment that had Disney characters was really unique. Can't wait to get back and see the new additions since my last visit.
I hope they bring the maze back. They replaced the maze with shows because some parents complained the mazes are too scary for kids. But like why would they bring their kids to the maze in the first place? 😑
@alishanightshade3270 I will say I've been to many haunted mazes over the years and not many stuck with me but that mad hatter scene is still pretty vivid in my memory.
Was waiting for this review since July, again, another honest and good overview. Thanks RT, I'm glad I met you two the day before the public holiday 😭😭
It was a pleasure to meet you!
Hong Kong Disneyland could be called my home Disneyland. I’m an annual pass holder along with my family and we make weekly visits so I think I can comment on a few things such as the good and the not so good and things that can be improved. I’ve tried to find somewhere to give HK Disneyland feedback but normally it gets ignored.
The good
- setting in the mountains with no sight of outside world influence seems to give it a magical feel.
- the size of the park is good as you don’t get overwhelmed by the number of rides. You can do most of the rides in one day or do it very comfortably over 2 days
- crowd size is normally good as most of the time lines aren’t more than 20mins
- momentous fireworks
The not so good
- time to update and renovate a few of the dining areas. Some of the seating and tables need to be replaced and maybe some bit of a touch up with some refurbishment. Especially after paying so much for a meal to sit on an old chair and rocky table that’s seen better days.
- the price increase of seniors and children’s annual passes. They grouped them all into a general price bracket now which means the seniors (over 60) is triple the price that it was last year.
- park hours. I see a lot of other parks open earlier and close later than they do here. And why does it mean the end of the night after the fireworks. Normally the operating hours are 10:30am- 8:30pm (peak days might increase an hour) I remember back a few years earlier it was open earlier and closed a lot later everyday.
- the parades and character meet and greets. Considering these are a signature thing for all Disney’s, you would think that they would do these better. Unless u go to line up within the first 2 hours of the park opening, you won’t be able to get a photo with Mickey and Minnie. The cast close off the lines well ahead of time. The characters only seem to be out until it starts to get dark but HK Disney is well lit at night. The parades have been the same for the last 3-4 years. Whether it be for the summertime, avengers or their Mickey and friends street celebration. They just the same thing, nothing has changed. At least make the parade longer than 3 mins. Why can’t they have it like the flights of fantasy.
I really like taking my daughters to HK Disney, I think it’s perfect for their age group as most of the rides are very family friendly. As I said there are
Lots of good but also things that need immediate attention. Making seniors pay general concession rate is outright disrespectful for those people. Seniors go normally with their grandkids and they mostly aren’t going to go on very many attractions so it makes
No sense for them to bump up the price on them. Most won’t get the annual pass anymore and won’t visit HK Disney anymore instead opt to go Ocean park which is cheaper. I’m glad u guys liked HK Disney. I just feel they aren’t marketing it right and some strange tactics to get the park more revenue is questionable for the long term. They also missed getting the extra piece of land to make an extra park but I don’t think it would have been viable at the time for them anyway
It's funny that you didn't mention Toy Story Land at all in your review 😂. You included footage of it, but I wonder what you thought of it? Would it have been similar to your feelings on Hyper-Space Mountain? 😜
I've been to all of the Disney Parks, and I think your review is spot on. I grew up in Orlando and to me, Hong Kong Disneyland still holds some of that 90's/early 2000's magic that has faded from the US Parks. We really enjoyed our stay at the Explorer's Lodge and the standout for us at the resort was all of the Asian food offerings. Everything we ate was great, especially at the Main Street Bakery and both breakfast and dinner at Dragon Wind. The one thing I don't think your review mentioned was the weather in Hong Kong. We went the first week of April, and the tropical humidity and heat rivals Florida, so I would definitely avoid visiting in the summer!
I would love to visit Hong Kong even tho I’m not Chinese. I’m very obsessed with its culture and history including British colonial era. Hong Kong Disney is very underrated. Needs water rides and 2nd park.
Agree, sadly I don’t think there will ever be a second park thanks to Shanghai, but I’m really surprised that in Hong Kong, which is near the equator, the only water ride where you get wet is indoors. I hope they eventually make a pirate themed area with a log flume, like the one they cancelled years ago.
If you do go, you should check out Ocean Park. It's like part SeaWorld/San Diego Zoo/Knottsberry farm all rolled into one!
@@supertouring1 Heard about it. I do knew it was built during British Hong Kong rule
And it’ll have so much more to offer when the 20th celebrations kick off!!!
Glad to hear that this seems to be the best park to go to for someone who's never visited a Disney Park like myself.
What a glow up! I recently went to HKDL last year (twice!) for a holiday and business trip! The Fairytale Forest walkthrough is so charming, the experience is as underrated as the Storybook Land Canal Boats!! The money was well spent on the expansion ❤
Edit: Sad to see Mystic Manor facade being refurbished during my visit (twice) 😭😭
Oh man, I love Hyperspace Mountain!!!
Hong Kong Disneyland will add 20th anniversary parade and Spider-Man Tower.
Hong Kong Ocean Park will also undergo a new phase of expansion, similar to Japan's recently opened Junglia Okinawa theme park.
I had the chance to visit both Hong Kong Disneyland and Zhuhai Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, whereas Disneyland had better theming and food, I arguably had more fun in the rides in Zhuhai😂 The Parrot coaster (great g-force) and Penguin mountain/water coaster were special stand outs, the latter of which had a section where real brown bears got to wave at me before the ride enters the mountain, which was pretty crazy. The large variety of animal exhibits did make the park more special too.
If you guys have a chnace to visit HK again, I highly recommend you guys hopping over to Zhuhai too like I did for that park, its fairly unique.
We need 2~3 more lands and this will be top tier. We also need to add the classic rides and streetmosphere! I would also love to see a downtown Disney of some sort
The difference between your day one experience and the one in day two was probably something most people overlook or forget about. If working in the attractions industry in China is like working in the attractions industry in the US the days right before a holiday and right after can be horrible for the people who work there during the week year round. That's because you have visitors extending the vacation but you don't have the seasonal, weekend, and student workers to back you up. The day of the holiday is usually much better staffed, so you can schedule more people, so everything runs smoother. It's why holidays like President's Day, Easter and most of August are much more chaotic than Memorial Day, Christmas/New Year's and the 4th of July. The college student workforce really makes a difference. That's why I'm guessing there would have been more staff on the second day.
Did I miss a section about food?
I got to experience HK Disneyland last year and was blown away by how great it was. My main reason for going was Mystic Manor (with music by Danny Elfman!) and I wasn't disappointed.
And as someone whos 'home' park is Walt Disney World in Orlando, I always appreciate a park you can walk to. :)
I loved this park, had an amazing day there. It was not full, almost no lines, mistic manor was amazing ❤️ good food, the castle is beautiful. I wanna Go back one day 🇭🇰
I think most of the 'rude' guests may be the surge of mainland tourists coming to hong kong disneyland. I also went to the starliner diner in tommorow land and the cast member working in the front counter was breaking down and crying because people were starving as the kitchen ran out of fried chicken making a simple meal take 30-40 minutes long.
HKDLcastle is beautiful. A HUGE upgrade to the Disneyland dump they had. being the least visited park that makes it even better regarding wait times. If they could just fix Tomorrow Land/ Avengers Campus, it would be a fabulous park. If they could expand or replace Toy Story Land then it would be their best one.
No, the Disneyland castle is nicer looking and more classy, even though it’s smaller. The castle in Paris is beautiful, this one look weird.
12:25 this line I CANT-
You what I love especially about this place, it’s not completely surrounded by flat terrain, theres some of the hills that surround Hong Kong near by like seen in this footage 1:30,
I've been to HKDL 3 times, the last time being January of 2024 and I totally agree that Tomorrow Land is a complete mess, the rest of the park however is lovely, I'm even planning a trip there in March with the whole family because it's very comfortable with it's low wait times compared to the other parks.
I went to this park in 2007, I arrived at the park opening, there were no lines at all and before lunch I had already gone on all of the park’s attractions, I was very disappointed, but I’m glad to know that the park is much better nowadays. By the way, the small castle is Disney’s original castle from Disneyland, the one that Walt built. I know it’s small, but for me it’s more classy than this thing that they built on top of it, I’ve never seen it in person, but it doesn’t look good IMO. The castle in Paris is a beautiful original one, this thing I wouldn’t say so.
The reason the opening stages of HKDL was a little rough and uninspired was for the years prior to groundbreaking in Hong Kong it was intended to be a Disney park for a country with an entirely different culture.
The initially intended country’s State and Federal governments weren’t willing to come to the party and assist in footing some of the bill, so a certain recently promoted COO decided that wasn’t good enough and at the time Hong Kong’s then Chief Executive got wind of it and convinced the company to bring the project to them.
So now Hong Kong and China combined have two Disney parks, and the other country has a Costco and a Housing Development.
I’m very much looking forward to visiting this year for their 20th! ❤️🏰
What country are you talking about? Australia?
I only visited Hong Kong and Tokyo’s. I think it’s a nice place to go. The Halloween season is the best. I love the cruella show so much. I don’t understand why many westerners think the show is weird and boring. But my problem with HKDL is that the park doesn’t have many details to explore. That’s why I love visiting Tokyo’s. I hope they bring back a regular parade soon. They finally got the money to update philharmagic. I would like to see a new castle show, a frozen float and no zootopia stuff, they overused the try everything song.
So I managed to go before and after the makeover. It was a totally different park. It feels less like I am slumming it by cheaping out going there. The marvel section is cool but it is frozen that sold me. I loved frozen ever after. Mystic manor is still the best ride I ever have been on, and is so unique story wise. I stayed at explorers lodge and that is the best themed hotel in any of the international parks. Having the included breakfast their is a must, with character meet and greet included where they wear themed outfits.
Expensive would be my single word. Yikes. But imagine that would be the same for any Disney park. Second word crowded and third Hot. With fourth word being incredible as it all is a marvel of human ingenuity, creativity, engineering, fun and it’s located in a very pretty valley. Worth a trip if you can afford to loose the money and have exhausted what Hong Kong has otherwise to offer, which is considerable.
that Antman and the wasp ride is an ABOMINATION
I hated how it was originally almost a 1 to 1 copy of Disneyland in Anaheim. Gave it such a bizzaro alternate universe vibe. I’m glad it’s becoming its own thing.
@23:55, can someone please explain why Duffy & Friends are SO popular in Hong Kong & Shanghai Disneyland?
When I visited Shanghai Disneyland in December 2024, the attraction with the longest wait was literally a photo-op with Duffy & friends characters - a whopping 270+ minutes wait when the next longest, Tron Lightcycle Power Run and Zootopia: Hot Pursuit, were only at most 100 minutes wait.
I still can’t figure out why or how Duffy & friends got so big in China & Hong Kong?!!
Duffy and Friends are so popular in Asia Parks. Tokyo also but only in DisneySea since Duffy is only appear in that
Sounds like disneyland paris but without the queues, and with better rides. Really shows how neglected and budget cut the paris parks are.
thanks for this great review. it looks like a great park, especially the integration of the mountains in the sight lines seems very impressive.
unrelated question: do you have plans for a trip to europe because it would be interesting to hear your views on parks like efteling, europa park and phantasialand?
We are trying to get to Europe in 2026!
it does have the best roller coaster of any Disney park; Big Grizzly Runaway Mine Cars.
The 20th anniversary new parade is coming. Paint the Night might return after that. Hopefully more new expansion would announce soon beside Marvel E ticket ride.
Hong Kong disneyland is great for the price and its usually quiet. I think in comparison to ocean park this is the best value (for theme parks in hong kong) unless you go on Chinese new year.
Wanna say the Frozen Ever After ride at Hong Kong is no joke in the thrill point of view, the drop in the ride is definitely not very family friendly, it could be too much for some, just the ride is not entirely family friendly to me.😬
Mystic Manor is a ride that current corporate disney will NEVER do again! Iger and the board have said so. No originality allowed at the former WDI which should be called something like CRH (Corporate ReHash). As nothing without Iger era IP is allowed.
And they never show any appreciation to Mystic Manor. The music is created by Danny Elfman and they never talk about it after the land was built. It’s a shame that they pushed such a great attraction to the back of their store room.
It’s always funny to me because I didn’t even realize Hong Kong Disneyland even existed until like 2010. I had no idea they built one there.
I am so happy someone finally said something about how Hong Kong Disney is becoming 20 and this park is especially close to me because I have been going ever since I was like 4 or maybe younger but in my opinion ( buzz is better then ant man it’s extremely lazy ) but I am still happy a lot more people are noticing and talking about this park as this is my local disney park
Also still very sad they didn’t bring back flight of fantasy or paint the night and why is Disney not doing anything for hk Disney 20th nothing is stopping them I swear this feels like the most neglected park at times
I stayed at explorers lodge for $120 a night! My only way to afford staying on property haha unlike Florida
going this month... looking forward i t
Nice Park
Hey! Is the podcast ever coming back?
It is back!
HK disney is one of my favorite parks been living in Hong Kong compared to Tokyo Disney. I prefer the HK land theming of Frozen compared to Tokyo Frozen though Tokyo frozen has a slightly better dark theme ride than HK (just more original than an Epcot clone).
I noticed you glossed over Toy Story Land. Not surprised
It’s worth a gloss over.
@@ReviewTymeToy story land isn’t that bad
I notice you didn't even mention the lackluster Toy Story Land
It’s not bad
This was the first proper review of Hong Kong Disneyland. If I can offer one critic it would be that you are not offering any layout of the land, just footage. Neither a map when talking about the location of the park or the attractions nor an overview of the various sectors.
It ends up being an undifferentiated mass of information without having proper orientation. Have something on the screen other than just footage. Like lists for attractions, countdowns for rides and maps for locations. It would differentiate you from commentary channels using stock videos.
That’s a great point! Cheers for the feedback. We will definitely look at adding something like this in our future reviews!
I know this park has an underwhelming start, but it truly seems like one of the most unique and interesting Disney Parks these days. I’ve yet to visit any of the Disney Parks outside of the US, but this park is definitely on my bucket list.
I’m 16 I went when I was like 6 I don’t remember much except their version of haunted mansion
1. Disneyland
2. Hong Kong Disney
3. Tokyo Disney
4. Disneyland Paris
That’s my personal list of Disney parks so far
Why is DLP last?
@ nothing exclusive to that park, everything there is available at any other Disney park, best thing is that the space mountain has inversions
@@BlackMambaFan124 It has the most beautiful castle, we have unique walkthroughs and the best versions of rides
@ even if you have the best versions of some rides it’s not gonna make me want to go back. I want to see something exclusive go to dlp. I’m tired of Disney building the same rides at multiple locations.
@@BlackMambaFan124 Then go next door to Walt Disney studios because they have a few exclusive rides such as crush’s coaster
It's a shame they canceled the avengers ride
Best park itw
1:43
Hong Kong is planning to rebuild Space Mountain into something completely new
Another Marvel themed or completely different theme?
@ I think it was gonna be completely unique
It looks amazing but I don't like the way the castle looks now. I understand why they did it.
I've been visiting this park for a very long time, but its over-promotion on Duffy and negligence on Mickey and other classic characters in recent years just makes me less interested. It just doesn't feel Disney when everything is just Duffy&Friends over and over.
I just sold all of my stocks recently. I think there’s too much uncertainty and market fluctuations materialize.
First