Ever since I met Walt at Disneyland when I was a kid, I’ve been a fan of all things Mickey. Now there’s more reason to celebrate as Hong Kong Disneyland opens today, with a nod to feng shui experts who chose this date and advice for the park to face the ocean with the mountains in the back. This is the fifth worldwide Disneyland, after Anaheim, CA (commemorating its 50th year) and Orlando, FL in the US; Japan and France. Signage is in English and Chinese, while food is global, with hamburgers, dim sum, sweet and sour pork, BBQ pork buns, Kashmiri chicken curry, tempura, and chocolate croissants.
Though smallish by Disney standards, the 310-acre theme park plans to expand beyond its current Main Street USA, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and Adventureland attractions. Popular rides include Space Mountain, the Mad Hattter Tea Cups, Dumbo the Flying Elepahnt, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, the Jungle River Cruise, and the “Festival of the Lion King” show.
Look for the trademark Sleeping Beauty Castle from Disneyland pointing skyward, “the Golden Mickeys” — a Broadway-style musican revue, and Mickey’s PhilharMagic — sure to be an audience favorite with 3-D glasses for all.
There are two hotels on the property: Hong Kong Disneyland has rooms from $205 US per night and the Disney Hollywood Hotel has rooms starting at $128. Less expensive rooms can be found about 25
minutes away by subway in downtown Hong Kong, about a $3 ride away.
Admission: $45 weekends and holidays; $38 weekdays –– the lowest prices among Disney parks.
Children 11 and under are $32 on weekends and $27 weeekdays.
More info: Hong Kong Disneyland.