I am such a girl and so it’s probably no surprise that Fantasyland was my favorite area in HK Disneyland. This was the place filled with gardens and girly stuff (you know, like princesses!) but I guess what I really found beautiful was this cluster of trees decorated with colored lights. They were absolutely pretty and nostalgic, like I was walking into a well-produced movie set located somewhere in small town USA (like, say, Twilight), or something that you can only see on TV (like The Vampire Diaries). Very romantic 🙂
I didn’t quite know how to capture the whole feel of the place with just a G11 camera and just ended up getting multicolored bokeh 🙂
And I loved the look of this gazebo as well:
More bright lights at the Mad Hatter Tea Cups:
The whole feel of Fantasyland is as if you’re in an Americana carnival/circus or at the boardwalk, complete with a carousel of course.
Surely, Fantasyland takes on an extra sparkle at night with all its color and glitter. But sadly, there were some attractions there that were probably best seen in the light of day, like the Fantasy Gardens, where we could have our pictures taken with lots of Disney characters in gazebos set in a lush, enchanted garden. At the time, that attraction was already closed though so I guess that’s better left for another trip. Anyway, I actually saw Mickey Mouse in one area of the Fantasyland but the line was a bit too long. What was more important for us at that point was to go as much rides and attractions as we can before the park closes.
What we did see was Mickey’s Philharmagic, and this is one of the best shows in the park!
While the story revolved around Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, it was still very entertaining—one that I would recommend for kids and adults alike 🙂 We watched the show using 3D glasses but actually, it’s a 4D multi-sensory experience. There was even a point in the show when we got wet!
In the store off Mickey’s Philharmagic, we bought this starter set for a pin collection.
I was also content to have a photo taken with the requisite Minnie Mouse headband (didn’t even need to buy one!):
Next we went on The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It was ok but probably best for younger kids 🙂
No trip to any Disneyland park would be complete without the fireworks show. While it would have probably been better to see the fireworks set against Sleeping Beauty Castle, we were already at the back portion of the park and so we decided to watch the fireworks from there. Since it was around that area where the fireworks were being launched, we actually found ourselves closer to the action. My pictures probably didn’t do the fireworks justice though:
After the fireworks, we got on one of the most iconic rides in any Disneyland park: It’s A Small World.
I think all Disneyland parks all over the world have this ride (but for the first time, the HK version had Disney characters!), where you cruise on a boat and voyage through the seven continents filled with colorful sets and dolls wearing each country’s national costumes, all set to the unforgettable tune of It’s A Small World. When I was little, I remember my aunt telling me stories of how she went to Disneyland in California and went on this ride and that there’s a Filipino doll singing the song in Tagalog. I went to Tokyo Disneyland when I was fifteen and wasn’t able to get on this classic ride. So we just had to get on this ride in HK Disneyland!
The sets were all colorful and fantastic. Yes, they’re just dolls but I had fun seeing how the costumes differed from each country and continent. Even the accompanying music changed as we cruised along the countries, since It’s A Small World was being sung with the lyrics of each particular doll’s country.
And of course, we couldn’t miss the Philippine dolls, dressed in Filipiniana finery and housed in their cute bahay kubo, complete with matching tarsier.
The host city, Hong Kong, was of course very much well-represented:
Everything was a visual treat, something that kids and the-kid-in-you will definitely like.
While I’m no longer a kid, rides like It’s A Small World surely bring out the child-like spirit in me.
Then we went to Tomorrowland, HK Disneyland’s decidely futuristic space-age section.
We wanted to go on Space Mountain, which was the park’s rollercoaster ride then (now it has a new rollercoaster in Toy Story Land) but we were quite daunted with the line and I was still feverish at that point and wasn’t really that up for a too-thrilling ride. Even if it was an indoor rollercoaster, it was still a rollercoaster.
So instead we tried, Autopia. And I’m glad we did because this was one of my favorite rides in the park.
My travel companion graciously took the passenger seat and let me drive. Up until then, it was the closest thing I had to actually driving a car
in such conditions 🙂 It was cool! Nothing like the usual bump cars at all!
We also got on the Orbitron, which was fun.
But the must-try ride in Tomorrowland is probably the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.
You get into a mine cart of sorts and you have to zap enemies with your laser gun. It was very interactive.
We each went on separate carts so that we can each have our own lasers and could even have a mini competition of how many enemies we killed since each cart had its own panel that keeps track of your score. This was a really cool ride!
And all too soon, we found ourselves back on Mainstreet USA as the park was about to close. This time it was all decked out with lights and Halloween horrors.
There were even some Halloween dancing action along the way:
People were slowly filing out of HK Disneyland, but not before doing some more shopping in the souvenir shops and taking more souvenir pictures:
One last look at HK Disneyland (and a selfie!):
Then we all took the train back to the city after quite a long day and evening in HK Disneyland.
Disneyland is truly a magical place. For one day, you can be a kid again and be able to enjoy the awesome pleasures of simply having fun and enjoying yourself, with no serious stuff to worry you. As it says in the entrance to the park: Here you leave Today and enter the world of Yesterday, Tomorrow and Fantasy.
They say Disneyland is best enjoyed by kids or when you’re with kids but I say, it’s never too late to enjoy being like a kid and to enjoy a bit of your childhood again, even for just one day in HK Disneyland. Sure, I would love to visit next time with my little nephews and nieces but it was also great to have experienced HK Disneyland as an adult, with adults. Even if I wasn’t able to go to Disneyland as a young kid, I’m still glad and grateful that I was able to experience it with the appreciation that I can only get and give as an adult. 🙂
HK Disneyland Tips: Â
- Think about the best timing for your visit. If there’s a special celebration best experienced at night (like Halloween or Christmas), it may be better for you to go to HK Disneyland after lunch so that you’d have more energy to last until the park closes. Otherwise, be at the park at opening time (10 AM) to maximize your 1-day ticket. If you think you have the will and energy to last from opening to closing time, then by all means, go!!
- When you enter the park at opening time, start with the rides and attractions on the left (Adventureland) instead of on the right (Tomorrowland) to avoid less crowds and lines.
- Choose the rides you will prioritize just in case there’s a big crowd on the day you visit HK Disneyland.
- Food and drinks are not allowed inside the park.
Wishing you fabulous (and magical, nostalgic) travels. Cheers!
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