Tag Archives: Hong Kong Disneyland

Hong Kong Disneyland: Other impressions

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I have to say that English was a really useful language during the trip to Hong Kong. All the signs at HK Disneyland had English and all the workers spoke enough for their jobs.

Hong Kong Disneyland menu

Hong Kong Disneyland menu

The menus were easy to understand, and the workers often brought out a menu with pictures of the food. All the restaurants had some kind of barbeque, some kind of stir-fry, and some kind of noodles. There was dim sum (yam cha) to be had, and you could get burgers (served with plastic gloves for your use; a first for me to see!), pasta, sandwiches, and other familiar food. I got the impression that they were going out of their way to make sure there was something for just about everyone.

The pin trading at Walt Disney World is the best, but, surprisingly, HK Disneyland’s pin trading was much better than at Disneyland Resort in California! Most of the workers had pins for trading, and were quick to let you have a look. The workers in California, for the most part, didn’t seem to want to be bothered with it, and that included the pin trading stations!

Hong Kong Disneyland Autopia landscaping

The landscaping at the Autopia in Tomorrowland was cool and included

Hong Kong Disneyland Autopia landscaping

a peeled banana.

Hong Kong Disneyland Autopia height limit

This boy was cute in that despite not being tall enough to drive his own car, he went back to the “You must be this tall to drive” sign at least 10 times. ;-) Even his parents got in on it trying to convince the worker that he should have his own…

Hong Kong Disneyland Castle

The castle is much smaller than those of the other parks I know, obviously the result of Eisner’s cost-cutting during construction. Perhaps a makeover is in store…

Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel balconies

The Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel was great, and the staff was very friendly and helpful. The design is from the Grand Floridian at WDW, which is based on the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego.

Hong Kong Disneyland Exit sign

The final shot comes from the exit sign as you leave. All-in-all, it was a great place to visit.

Hong Kong Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise

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Hong Kong Disneyland Jungle Cruise

If you veer left after Main Street you’ll cross the bridge into Adventureland at Hong Kong Disneyland. The first ride on the left is the ubiquitous Jungle Cruise. The layout of the area is a bit different than I’m used to. The Jungle Cruises in Tokyo, Anaheim and Orlando are mostly self-contained, meaning your experience is mostly part of that attraction. In Hong Kong, the Cruise heads around Tarzan’s island and his treehouse (there’s no Tom Sawyer to be found here).

Hong Kong Disneyland Tarzan's Island

As you head around the island, you pass the rafts (same style as Master Sawyer’s, just named for Tarzan characters) and get a chance to wave to the adoring crowds. ;-)

Hong Kong Disneyland Jungle Cruise language choice

Another big difference, and one that I was surprised to see because it could work in some of the other parks, is that you have a choice of three languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, or English. We took the English route. Our guide was very lively and did a great job of telling jokes and pointing out all the sites. I have to say, though, that for all her hard work, I could not understand anything she said. I’ll write more on the language thing later.

Hong Kong Disneyland Jungle Cruise guide

As we got on, we noticed that the right front seats were wide open AND there was quite a bit of water around the gunwale (cool nautical word, huh?) As you can see from the shot above, our guide took the brunt of the blast from (I think it was one of the elephants; you have been warned).

Hong Kong Disneyland Jungle Cruise fire

The Hong Kong Disneyland Jungle Cruise has to be the best of the four I’ve been on. The robotic animals and natives were a bit more realistic and this fire and steam creature made of stone was an interesting surprise. Take the ride and check it out for yourself.