After making it to Hong Kong's own theme park, Ocean Park, a couple of weeks earlier, I finally convinced Julian it was time to go spend the day at the happiest place on earth- Disneyland. As an L.A. resident and college student, Disneyland in Anaheim was one of my favorite places to go for friends' birthdays, study breaks, and just because. So we jumped on the MTR and headed to Disneyland!
We went ahead and bought annual passes, because cost-wise it was a good deal and I knew before going in that I would want to come back. The moment you walk toward the entrance you can hear the tunes playing, smell the delicious snacks, and see smiles all around! Since Chinese New Year was fast approaching, the entire theme park was decked out in red, orange, and gold holiday decorations. As a Disneyland veteran, I knew the first thing we had to go was go get fast passes for Space Mountain. Not only is it my favorite roller coaster at Disneyland, but also the line is notoriously long.
Here's a brief rundown of the Disneyland Hong Kong park. It's separated into seven different themed sections: Mystic Point, Grizzly Gulch, Toy Story Land, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Adventureland, and Main Street, U.S.A. Since Disneyland Hong Kong caters to a different market, there are less rides throughout the park and more attractions and shopping. But it still has all the fun and lively spirit of the Disney you know and love!
We started at Fantasyland and watched the Mickey's Philharmagic 3D movie which is most definitely underrated and hilarious. Then, I forced Julian to go on the all-time classic Mad Hatter Tea Cups where we spun ourselves silly! After that, we headed back to Tomorrowland and used our fast passes to skip the line for Space Mountain. Believe me, I was not disappointed! I really love that the ride is pitch black and all you see are stars and shooting comets as you are whipped around space. Even better, the ride was longer that I remember it being!
We started at Fantasyland and watched the Mickey's Philharmagic 3D movie which is most definitely underrated and hilarious. Then, I forced Julian to go on the all-time classic Mad Hatter Tea Cups where we spun ourselves silly! After that, we headed back to Tomorrowland and used our fast passes to skip the line for Space Mountain. Believe me, I was not disappointed! I really love that the ride is pitch black and all you see are stars and shooting comets as you are whipped around space. Even better, the ride was longer that I remember it being!
Next, we went straight to Toy Story Land which amused me the most because I'd never seen this part of the theme park before! Besides all of the giant toys, the R.C. Racer ride takes you on a U-shaped toy car coaster which makes you dangle from the edge of your seat. Enough excitement for one morning! We decided to go to Royal Banquet Hall because it serves international food including American grill, Japanese noodles, Chinese dim sum and specialty rice dishes. And better yet, we got a discount with our annual passes.
After getting our fill, we headed over to the Winnie the Pooh ride (which surprisingly always has the longest line) and then made our way over to Mystic Point. I've never been to Mystic Point at any other Disneyland, but the main Mystic Manor ride reminds me of the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland in Anaheim. But this ride focuses on fine arts and antiques from around the world that magically float rather than spooky ghosts (more kid friendly!).
To end our day, we made our way to yet another section of the park I was unfamiliar with, Grizzly Gulch. The Runaway Mine Cars takes you for a spin through the wild west, and then whips you backwards on a little "detour". A must-do for any Disneyland fan. On our way out to the exit, we ended up right in the middle of the parade so we got to see the show and left the park singing. Successful day at the "happiest place on earth"!