| # | Author | Message |
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| AutoPost
Wed 5/21/2008 6:58a | This topic is for Discussion of: LP Column: 5/21/08 Bob Welbaum: My Hong Kong Non-Adventure
Bob details his first trip to Hong Kong Disneyland including what he liked and what disappointed him. |
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| wahooskipper
Wed 5/21/2008 7:46a | I enjoyed the commentary. Hope you can post some more pictures. Any specific thoughts on the Jungle Cruise. As a former skipper I'm curious to hear about the differences that have been alluded to from the US versions. |
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| Bobwelbaum
Wed 5/21/2008 7:31p | Thanks for the comment. I was only in the park for a day and didn't feel comfortable writing a complete review, so I simply gave my impressions. And I took mostly videos.
I did take a bit of video of the Jungle Cruise. If I get a chance I'll see if any of it jogs my memory. What I distinctly remember is the dock is on the "Rivers of Adventure". It would be like loading on the "Rivers of America" at Disneyland. And they did have a special section toward the end called "Canyon of the Gods" with geysers.
Then I went on to Tokyo, and I vividly remember that Jungle Cruise. First, it was much closer to Disneyland's. Second the young lady who was our guide gave the most amazing -- and physical -- performance: running from side to side, cowering under the wheel, almost throwing herself over the railing. Even in Japanese, it was very entertaining. And the Japanese guests on the boat seemd to take it all in stride!
Bob |
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| X-san
Wed 5/21/2008 7:42p | Yup, the Jungle Cruise in Hong Kong is quite different and a definite highlight of the park. The canyon is very cool. |
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| ExpDave
Wed 5/21/2008 8:23p | It's great to see such a positive review of this park, I hope it is a huge success. Still one thing that really disappoints me about HKDL and TDL is the castle. I love Disneyland's castle and that's the point, it should be unique to DL not duplicated at HKDL, just as WDW's shouldn't have been duplicated at TDL. Duplicating attractions and lands, sure (although there usually are some differences) but the central icon of each park should be distinctive and special to that park only. I am so glad that PDL's masterpiece (my favorite Disney Castle so far) is and I hope that it remains unique to PDL only, just as the others should be unique and not copies. |
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| jeffshultz
Thu 5/22/2008 8:14a | You should have tried the squid! :) One thing I really enjoyed about living in Hawaii was the ability to sample, in a clean environment, cuisine from across the Pacific Rim.
I like regular squid, so this would have been something I would have happily tried. |
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| Mickeyfan1
Fri 5/23/2008 9:37a | It look's to be a beautiful Park. I understand ExpDave's comment about the castle duplication, but personally I have always felt Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland is still the best castle in all Disney Parks. It's smaller more intamate feel has always appealed to me. Just has a more fantasy fell for me. Don't get me wrong, the castles in the other Parks are beautiful I have just always liked the Disneyland castle the best and I think it was nice they duplicated it in HKDL. |
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| ExpDave
Fri 5/23/2008 10:39a | ^ Disneyland's castle is still my sentimental fav. It is charming, with a small scale that feels more intimate just as you said. DW's is beautiful too, but it is grand and more like fine china. The DPS castle is my personal fav because I feel they accomplished a wonderful balance between charm of DL castle and the grandeur of DW's, they really did a fantastic job. But it can't replace DL's castle's place in my hart. So I guess you could call DL's my hart fav, and DLP my head fav!
Many things in the parks should be duplicated for continuity. Many things should be different for diversity, to give people more reasons to want to visit each park. When it comes to Magic Kingdom parks central Icon the continuity should be that it's always a castle (DLP almost wasn't) The diversity should be that it is a different design, that is unique to each park.
Don't know if it will ever happen but I'd even love to see TDL and HKDL (where the copies are) do major renovations to their castles so that they are clearly unique to those parks. They don't even need to be absolutely hugely different, but enough so just by looking at the castle you'd know that WDW or TDL, DL or HKDL. |
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| The Goddess Mara
Fri 5/23/2008 7:04p | The Jungle River Cruise in Hong Kong is considerably different both in feel and substance than the ride in other parks.
It completely lacks the feeling of intimacy present in the other versions of the ride because it runs on what would be the Rivers of America--a wide waterway with Tarzan's Tree House plopped where Tom Sawyer Island would normally be.
The whole thing is just plain odd.
On the plus side, the attack by natives in Hong Kong benefits greatly from being built recently, and the natives blow darts at you from behind their large shields (and peek out from behind them as well). The final bit, with the gods of water and fire, is fun, but too brief.
The piranha attack doesn't work nearly as well as it does at Disneyland, because the skippers don't stop the boat so you can see the piranhas coming toward you in the churning waters. |
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| WorldDisney
Sat 5/24/2008 4:58a | I said this before, but I find JC in HKDL the least interesting one. Besides the lack of intimate feel as you describe, it feels much shorter, waaaay less animals and the hosts, while sweet, leaves a lot to be desired.
The ending is fun and different, but really not enough to be anything special IMO. |
