HK Disney

Our day at Hong Kong Disney was a dream come true.  Really it was.  I love Disneyland and always have!  We went to tokyo disney last year and it was too much for me to enjoy.  The Japanese are so extreme in their love for Mickey Mouse that the park is almost always insane. We went on what was supposed to be a 'calm' day and there were still 20 minute lines for popcorn!!!  

Hong Kong was the exact opposite.  The entire day was spent riding rides and NOT waiting in any lines!  we rode every ride in the park!! some of them even 6-7 times!!!!

Disney has their own stop on the Hong Kong metro.  and the cars are decked out all disney.  It was so cool.

Doesn't this mickey hand ring just make you happy inside?!

we arrived nice and early to snag a spot in line.  only there was no line.  we were the first people there!!!  We were 90 minutes pre opening- but STILL!!

a few people showed up around the same time we did- and they  loved our kids :)

as the crowd started to arrive- we were up front and somehow (maybe our pale skin and light hair and my extreme excitement?!) employees noticed us and approached us to be Disney's first family!!!  we got into the gates early, got to open the park with a golden key!! and got our own meet and greet with mickey and minnie!!!!!!!!  seriously. dream come true.

see the other American family in the right of our pic?  they were another military family (from Okinawa) that we'd met in line and we asked them to join us to be the first family!  why not share the fun!?

Our kids thought it was cool- but I don't think they understood just HOW cool.  

But, I knew. and I soaked up every minute of it!!

as soon as we opened the gate- we booked it down main street with the characters!!!

empty!! how many people get this view of disney?

first stop, autopia.  It's the only super super busy ride at HK Disney.  

after autopia- we just sailed through the park.  There were plenty of people- and a few 5 minute lines- but nothing more!! 

Mystic manor is similar to the Haunted Mansion- but totally different :)  It was really cool and all of our kids loved it.

Buzz's astroblasters were great, too.  I'm so glad mack could enjoy most of the rides this time!  last year in tokyo- he could only ride 2 or 3!

the jungle safari cruise was awesome.  They offer the ride in cantonese, mandarin, and english.  You just choose your line and get on the right boat!  

It was pretty different from any of the other jungle cruises we've been on!  tokyo's was the same as florida's and California's- but not HK.  There's a scary volcano that erupts just as we got stuck next to it.  Metta was super nervous.

Metta probably wouldn't have been so shaken had she not just gotten off space mountain!!!  she was millimeters under the height requirement for space mountain- so we took her socks off- shoved them into her shoes under her heals- and we got on :)  She was a champ. but a little shaken up.  She still says she loved the 'space ride'- but I think that's mostly because Zeb and Ike loved it so much.  There were some tears as we finished the ride (and maybe for the duration of it).

 I think  Ike went on it 4 times in a row!!  There's a little area inside the ride where one adult would wait with mack- and the employees just let us keep switching off between Kent and me!  there wasn't a line- and they were happy to let us go again and again and again!

My favorite ride was grizzly gulch.  It's a lot like thunder mountain railroad- which is my favorite traditional disney ride! only on this one- you get sucked into a cave and come to a sudden stop at the top of a hill- and then you shoot BACKWARDS through the rest of the ride!! so fun- and so unexpected.

the old mining town that surrounds grizzly gulch was also pretty cool!

the late night new parade was awesome. and mack was enamoured by the giant mack truck.  Truly this is why he's named mack!!

The show on the castle with fireworks was magical.  Disneyland is such a wonderful place.  surely the happiest place on earth.

At closing we meandered down main street and got our last disney snacks!  the kids got mickey waffles and I got the most delicious ham and cheese on  melon sweet bread sandwich!!  

I LOVE the talking garbage can.  this garbage can spoke English, Chinese, AND Japanese.  Those were just the languages we heard while we were standing conversing with him!!

The winnie the pooh ride is the MOST popular HK attraction.  It even has fast passes.  How strange is that?!  It was pretty boring- but mack was enthralled.

we loved the popcorn here- but passed on the flattened korean squid!!

The shows here were UNREAL.  We saw Lion King and it was spectacular.  Basically front row tickets to a shortened broadway production.  Only bigger and better!!!

Toy story land was so cool. Everything looks JUST like the movie.  I was the only one who wanted to ride that giant orange ride in the background!  It's like a giant hot wheels track ramp! and I LOVED it.  The entire family got to ride the slinky dog ride pictured here.

and it was obviously a hit.

look how cool the tinker toys and strung lights and scrabble letters are!!

Ike couldn't figure out if these guys were real.  I love that you can just barely tell they are asian!!  Asian green army men are the coolest.

we took mack on the giant paratrooper ride and he was terrified.  You shoot up and then drop suddenly down to the ground!!!!  He was exactly the right height to get on all of the 'mellow' rides- but I don't know if he'd consider this one mellow!!

Here are the wimpies in the slow teacup.  Metta, Ike, and I went CRAZY in ours.

I had such a perfect day.  I love disneyland so much!!  I have vowed to just fly to hong kong instead of heading into tokyo when I want my next disney fix!!