Hong Kong Disneyland
Topic: LP Column: 5/21/08 Bob Welbaum: My Hong Kong Non-Adventure

#	Author	Message
11	X-san Sat 5/24/2008 5:45a	Wow. Thinking back, I must say that I guess part of the reason I was so impressed was just simply for the fact that it was different. Plus it was actually an attraction, something pretty rare at HKDL :p.
12	The Goddess Mara Sat 5/24/2008 7:23a	Ha ha, sad but true X-san.
13	Bobwelbaum Sat 5/24/2008 12:55p	You should have tried the squid! :) Yes, I guess I should have! At that point in the trip, though, I was pretty cautious.
14	X-san Sat 5/24/2008 6:26p	I know the feeling, Bob. :p
15	SuperDry Sun 5/25/2008 3:32p	Regarding the humor on the HKDL Jungle Cruise, one thing I noticed is that none of the jokes involve any sort of pun or double-meaning, which is a staple of the jokes and some would say the best part of the DL and WDW JCs. One reason for this might be that the English version of the HKDL JC will probably be used by most guests that don't speak Chinese, even if English is their second language. And the humor of puns and double-meanings are very often completely lost on non-native speakers, so if they were used, the narration would not be just mildly funny as it is now, but completely un-funny if not confusing. But that's just my theory.
16	SuperDry Sun 5/25/2008 3:52p	That was a great trip report and photos - thanks Bob for going to the trouble to put it together. There were some things that missed the point, however, and I wanted to shed some light on them: <<< Two steam locomotives are named "Walter E. Disney" and "Roy O. Disney", and their railroad cars have place names from Disney history, like Chicago, Kansas City, Marceline, California, Burbank, Orlando... >>> They are not steam locomotives, but in fact diesel electric. This makes HKDL the only MK park worldwide to not have actual steam locomotives. The names of the engines and cars though are a really nice touch. <<< This is a joint venture between Disney, which manages the resort and has a 43% equity interest, and the Chinese Government, which owns the majority 57%. >>> Actually, it's not the Chinese government, but the local Hong Kong government that owns 57%. Put in US terms, this would be akin to a city or a state owning the park, as opposed to the federal government, so it is an important distinction, especially since... <<< I realize these overseas parks are major business decisions, especially when your partner is a foreign government with a different political philosophy. >>> Actually, the Hong Kong government is based on the western model, and the legal system is based on British Common Law, just like the US. In many ways, the Hong Kong government and economy is actually more capitalist than the US. There's virtually no interaction between Hong Kong and mainland China when it comes to government, finances, or the economy. For example, the Hong Kong government is completely self-sufficient, with no tax money paid to or received from the national government, and no national taxation or other laws are applied to anything that occurs in Hong Kong. With the limited exception of some issues involving sovereignty, it's the same in Hong Kong today as it was under British rule. So the notion of a "different political philosophy" having anything to do with HKDL is off base. What may or may not happen in mainland China, such as the oft-rumored development in Shanghai, is a completely different matter. <<< It was interesting to travel from Hong Kong to the Tokyo Disneyland Resort, where the cast has an unparalleled reputation for courtesy and service. I quickly concluded that Tokyo's cast reputation is well deserved; ... But I would actually give the Hong Kong cast the edge because of one aspect: better command of the English language. >>> And this makes total sense, as English is one of two official languages in Hong Kong. In fact, many students in Hong Kong go through their entire academic careers being taught in and speaking English in all subjects at school (and this was true for almost 100% of students prior to 1997). So, any younger person in Hong Kong that grew up there is bound to speak English quite well as a second language. The situation is totally different in Japan.
17	Bobwelbaum Mon 5/26/2008 7:21p	Thanks for the comments. Frequently there are none at all; at least this way I know someone is reading! My description of the locomotives was based strictly on their appearance, so that was an interesting revelation (clever Imagineers!). On the governmental arrangement, I have a data base of articles, so I went back to find my source. I haven't been able to find that information exactly, so that local-national distinction must've gone right over my head when I was writing. Which makes the slow (glacial?) progress of this resort all the more mystifying. The only reasons I can think of are either a desire to gradually introduce the Disney characters and entertainment style to the Chinese people or a concern about China's failure to vigorously enforce copyright laws. I know my time spent there was very limited, but certainly Hong Kong seemed prosperous enough in general to support the resort. In any event, I can't wait to see how it all plays out. Bob
18	The Goddess Mara Mon 5/26/2008 7:54p	Hong Kong may be prosperous enough, but there really aren't enough people there to support the resort. It was designed to draw a large percentage of its visitors from Mainland China, which is why the Hong Kong Government is both steamed and terrified at the prospect of Disney building a much more expansive park in Shanghai.
19	SuperDry Mon 5/26/2008 8:19p	There is one other thing I wanted to mention: <<< And even despite the weak U.S. dollar, we thought the prices were quite reasonable. >>> Unlike Japan or France, Hong Kong has a currency that's directly pegged to the US dollar. One US dollar equals about 7.8 Hong Kong dollars, and it's been this way for 25 years (Hong Kong maintains its own currency separate from the mainland China). The currency is freely exchangeable, but the government maintains the fixed exchange rate through the setting of interest rates and the use of a huge reserve fund that it uses to counter-balance market forces so that the net supply and demand always makes 1 USD = 7.8 HKG. What does this mean to the US tourist to Hong Kong? It's always exactly the same price. There's no notion of the US dollar being weak at the moment and therefore making a visit to Hong Kong more expensive. This is in stark contrast to Japan or France, where if the dollar is weak against the yen or euro, a trip to the Disney resorts in those countries can get very expensive.
20	The Goddess Mara Mon 5/26/2008 8:30p	True, but the airfare to Hong Kong has, like all other plane tickets in the US, gone up greatly and will continue to rise. A few years ago I could fly to Japan for $800 on United. It's now over $1200 and going up.

All times are Pacific Time (US)

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