The resort’s newest hotel, Disney Explorers Lodge, gives guests a panoramic view of the open sea, or a landscape view of any of four lush gardens, each named after Disney characters like Squirt from Finding Nemo, and Rafiki from The Lion King.
The top attraction of the moment is the Iron Man Experience (above) in Tomorrowland. It is the first ever Marvel-themed ride to feature in any Disney Park and brings a distinct Hong Kong feel as guests speed alongside Iron Man through the busy streets of West Kowloon and downtown Hong Kong, past landmarks from the Tsing Ma Bridge to Victoria Harbour.
Disneyland super fans should also check out Hyperspace Mountain, a Star Wars-style take on the Space Mountain rides of international parks. Toy Story Land is aimed at a younger crowd but the best thing about it is the amount of photo opportunities and engagement with the environment.
SEE ALSO: How to keep kids entertained in Hong Kong
A beautiful time to visit is during the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations when the park is transformed with lucky red decor and Mickey and Minnie wear traditional Chinese garments (above). Even outside of Chinese New Year, red is prominent in Hong Kong Disneyland, as it is a lucky colour in Chinese culture.
This is also a great time to meet and greet Mickey and Minnie; we met them under a gorgeous Chinese canopy at the centre of the park. However, as expected, the queue was an hour and a half long, so just one character meet is advised during your time here to maximise the rest of the park’s experiences.
We recommend dim sum at the Crystal Lotus restaurant (above) where the dumplings and steamed buns come in the shape of Disney characters, and are more than Instagram-worthy.
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A huge highlight is Disney’s Storybook Theatre, which is home to ‘Mickey and the Wondrous Book’. This is a half-hour musical which tells a mini tale in song with popular characters including Baloo and King Louie from The Jungle Book, and Jasmine and Abu from Aladdin.
Our absolute favourite was the combined extravaganza between Ariel from The Little Mermaid and Rapunzel from Tangled. Fans of the movie Frozen will be delighted with the epic finale. The whole show is a fantastic modern presentation of Disney classics, old and new, spoken or sung both in English and Cantonese.
At the end of the day, stop by the gift shops in Main Street USA to pick up some Hong Kong Disneyland Resort merchandise. The tiny Tsum Tsum Disney soft toys (above) of your favourite characters are adorable and there is a huge selection which makes for great easy-to-pack gifts for friends and family at home. The transportation to and from this Disney Park is especially fuss-free, with Disney Resort line connecting from the local MTR subway lines to the park entrance.
SEE ALSO: Review: Tokyo Disney Resort
For tickets, hours and directions, visit www.hongkongdisneyland.com.
PHOTOS: HONG KONG DISNEYLAND FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, SUPPLIED
This article was originally published by Singapore Press Holdings.
