Hong Kong Disneyland
Topic: Malin's Hong Kong Trip Report

#	Author	Message
1	Malin Sun 6/8/2008 2:41a	Hong Kong Trip Report 15th to the 22nd of May We left London's Heathrow Airport on a Cathay Pacific flight on direct route to Hong Kong. Flight was ok if you enjoy Asian movies and sub titles, only good thing was that the flight wasn't fully booked so we could move and spread out a bit more. Slept for a couple of hours before arriving at 13.20 in the Afternoon. After going through immigration and collecting suit cases, we came to the arrivals hall where I met someone who had my transfer details. A short wait one of the staff members started up a conversation asking why I was visiting Hong Kong during May as it was far too hot. Boarded a very cool air conditioned bus and we were on our way to the Hotel which was the Metropark in Causeway Bay. Journey took about an hour. Upon arrival I had the staff run straight over to collect the luggage and guided me upstairs to check in. Check in was a breeze and I was handed a MTR map. I had a few hours before I needed to be at the Hong Kong Convention Centre for the James Blunt concert which I had pre booked tickets for before leaving the UK. So thought I would take the MTR over to Hong Kong Disneyland and pick up my Value Annual Passport which I would be using for the week. MTR station was only across the street from where I was staying and thanks to the map from the hotel it was easy enough to work out where I needed to go. First I purchased a Octopus Card, which was recommended. Journey took about an hour and involved two transfers, but I made it without getting lost or on the wrong train, so that's a result. According to the Hong Kong Disneyland website I would be able to pick up my tickets from a dispensing machine, which I was unable to find. So I ended up going over to the booth and picking up the ticket from there! Feeling kind of hungry by now I decided I would actually pop inside the park and find something to eat. Now I've heard the only restaurant that sold western food was in Tomorrowland which I ended up going to and had a rather nice meal of chicken pieces and fries from Starliner Diner. Next I sneaked in a quick ride on the new it's a Small World attraction and made my way to leave the park. On the way out I was sidetracked by the High School Musical show, which I caught a bit of before leaving. I will have much more on this park later including pictures. Arriving back at the hotel I only had about an hour to get to the Hong Kong Convention Centre before the start time. So I grabbed the tickets and enquired about the quickest way to get to the Convention centre from here. Luckily it was only 2 stops on the MTR. Arriving at the Station I followed the sign to the where I needed to go. It was actually about a 20 minute walk passing though quite a few passage ways and up one or two escalators. Finding the right Hall I found the crowd outside waiting. Doors opened at 20.00 which was supposed to be the start time and the show didn't start until 21.00. The actual show was really good and I recommend if you get a chance to go to one of his concerts, to do so. I don't have any actual footage of the show but others at the show have posted YouTube videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...Rl7b_OaI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...=related Leaving the show on a high I made my way back to the hotel and purchased a bottle of water from the 7 - Eleven store next to the hotel before calling it a night.
2	X-san Sun 6/8/2008 6:38a	Cool report so far...sounds busy! Hope you had a great time. :)
3	Malin Sun 6/8/2008 2:39p	Thanks it was an excellent time, and yeah I certainly don't like to relax too much when I'm on holiday. What I forgot to mention is that I have plenty of pics from Hong Kong and even Macau to come soon.
4	Malin Wed 6/11/2008 6:27a	Please Note due to circumstances beyond my control the Disneyland part of the trip report is going to take a bit longer to post. So instead of keeping the whole trip report on hold I'm going to skip it for now and keep it going with my day trip to Macau. Macau Day Trip 2008 Today I wanted to visit Macau which is in the process of becoming the Las Vegas of China, thanks to heavy investment from American Investors. Macau is situated between the western side of the Pearl River Delta bordering Guangdong Province in the north and facing the South China Sea in the east and south on an Island about an hour away by boat from Hong Kong. And its the only place in China where it is legal to gamble. Macau like Hong Kong is under Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and was once a former Portuguese colony. The Ferry's to Macau are easy to get to by MTR, but you must remember to bring your passport. Journey like I stated above takes about an hour and if you wish to avoid the crowds your best avoiding Weekends. As many people from Hong Kong and the Mainland visit Macau to gamble on Weekends. Upon arrival you need to queue up to get your passport stamped before your allowed though. Also visitors need to fill out a landing card like you do when arriving in Hong Kong. Once you reach the main terminal building head outside and either take a taxi to your destination, or if like me instead you only wishing to visit the Casino's follow the signs for free shuttle, as all the major Casino's and hotels offer complimentary service. I had heard from reading the net that Steve Wynn has recently opened up a new Hotel and Casino in Vegas named after his Vegas Resort The Wynn. So I decided I would head here first and check it out. Like in Hong Kong most people can speak English but Cantonese is the main language, and I was greeted with a hello morning and welcome to the Wynn sir as I entered the building. The first area I arrived at was the Tree of Prosperity, which is one of those Casino attractions that keeps you from leaving. Show time was not for another 30 minutes so I ended up snapping a few pictures of the massive hand sculptured dome, which had a number of animals, and checked out the shops which were getting ready to open. The shops were big name brands like Gucci, Chanal and Giorgio Armani and as you can expect were there for the purpose of entertaining people with money to burn. At 10.00 o clock the Tree of Prosperity show began, and its hard to explain what the show is about as I have no idea but it involves a crystal chandelier and a gold painted tree turning and changing colour to music. More about it can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...CIDL7HhI After the show I checked out the surrounding area, including the MGM Grand. While this Hotel and Casino shares the same name as the one found in Vegas the theme is not based on entertainment and is built around an area referred to as the Grande Praca. Leaving the hotel and entering back out in the street I took in sights like the Grand Lisboa Casino and the Macau Tower in the background. It was coming up to 11 o'clock and I took my place along the lake in front of the Wynn for the Fountain shows which is a Vegas tradition that can be found at the Bellagio which is a Vegas property that Steve Wynn built before selling it on. The fountains while located in a smaller set up is actually enhanced by the addition of fire effects, in this show the music was set to Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. Seeing that I had booked a return trip for Hong Kong at 4.00 pm I decided it was time to leave and head back on the coach to the Ferry Terminal. At the Terminal I located the Venetian Macau bus and headed there next. It would have been easy to get a taxi but why pay money. Journey took a bit longer but we finally arrived to find the Vegas style Strip with only the Venetian. All the other hotels are in the process of being built. Made my way though the Venetian's Casino which is said to be largest in the world and entered the Canal Shops, which are twice the size that the shops in Vegas are! Feeling a bit hungry I stopped of at a Restaurant called the Three Wise Monkeys or something similar and it had very similar theming to the Rain Forrest Cafe chain. Lunch was a Chicken and BBQ pizza which was rather tasty. After lunch I walked around the shops taking in anything of interest, although not surprised to find the usual StarBucks and McDonalds. Next I had a bit of a go at the Casino mainly just the machines before venturing outside and taking a closer look at the Cotai Strip. It was starting to get late so I headed back inside and purchased a drink before getting on board the coach back down to the Ferry Terminal. The Journey on the way back was uneventful, however when passing by Lantau Island I spotted the Tian Tan Buddha on top of one of the peaks. Arriving back I made my journey back to the hotel. The Hotel is located next to the Tin Hau Temple and I spent a couple of minutes checking it out. I had read from the Hotel reviews on Trip Advisor to take the lift up to the top floor and visit the Swimming pool, as the views were fantastic. I spent a couple of minutes snapping a few shots which will be available in a upcoming album. Leaving the Hotel again I took the MTR to the other Ferry building and taking a ferry over to Kowloon using by Octopus card. The trip takes about 5 minutes. Leaving the Ferry building on the other side you were greeted by people trying to sell you stuff. After about 3 attempts of saying no, my language turned quite colourful. Anyway I was left alone after that. I walked over to the Waterfront where people were already staking out a spot for the Symphony of Lights show that takes place each night. I had a look around the Avenue of Stars which is the Asia version of Hollywood Walk of Fame before finding a spot. A live band was performing on a stage so I heard a bit of that. After the show I had a look around the museum areas, and took a few pics of the Olympic Mascots, before walking what seem like miles to find the MTR station. On the way back I stopped of at Causeway Bay for a Mcdonalds and checked out the main area before heading back to the Hotel. Thanks for reading, pictures from Macau can be found at this link enjoy. http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/...y=18geoc
5	X-san Wed 6/11/2008 6:49a	Great stuff, Malin. I'm loving the report and all the details! ***or if like me instead you only wishing to visit the Casino's follow the signs for free shuttle, as all the major Casino's and hotels offer complimentary service.*** This is new, or else I didn't notice it. I suppose it makes sense, since when I was there a few years ago they were just *starting* the escalation of things and only Sands was open at the time (I went to Lisboa on SuperDrys' recommendation with a little help from dumb luck (see below)...worth a look just for the sake of it to any "old school" gambler...NOT a "fun" place, more like a hardcore gamblers den but VERY old and very famous, and actually it's the only place I actually won any money lol). ANYWAY, I'm sure it's much more built up now and they have shuttles and the like. When I arrived it was just like landing on the moon. NO bearings whatsoever, and I jumped on the first bus I found (after being hounded by "local" taxi drivers pretty much every 5 feet as I walked along), and asked the driver where the "casino" was and he drove me right past the sands (I noticed it, but figured he knew what he was doing) and on through the town for 40 minutes or so with me sitting in the front seat hoping for some help til he finally got to a stop and pointed and said "casino", and I got out. Lisboa was right in front of me. ;p (yes, I realize it's actually totally close to the Sands and all the new stuff...I guess I got the grand tour lol, and I think it only cost 50 cents or something like that)
6	X-san Wed 6/11/2008 6:53a	***Show time was not for another 30 minutes so I ended up snapping a few pictures of the massive hand sculptured dome*** That is also new. They no longer confiscate bags, and in particular cameras, at the door? The Sands did that to me (a HUGE bummer since I really wanted to snap some pics), and I believe the Lisboa had some weird policies as well about any sort of items on your person...but they were especially picky about cameras and the like. I guess times have really changed there (when the heck was I there, like 4 years ago??). Awesome reports Malin...thank you so much! This is fun to read.
7	davewasbaloo Wed 6/11/2008 7:05a	Sounds great James, I really am looking forward to visiting Macau in a few years when it is further developed. Between the developments at Macau/HK and Dubai, after our last trip to the States, it is getting harder to justify going back all the time when there are so many new things to see elsewhere, and they are doing it better too it seems.
8	davewasbaloo Wed 6/11/2008 7:07a	But why the tease about HKDL?
9	X-san Wed 6/11/2008 7:08a	Hey Dave. <--waves.
10	davewasbaloo Wed 6/11/2008 7:10a	And oh my word, Man U get everywhere, even Macau!

All times are Pacific Time (US)

Note: Information on the discussion boards is sometimes based on rumors or incorrect information and should not be assumed true. Messages do not necessarily reflect the opinion of LaughingPlace.com or its editors.

More messages:

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-33

< Previous Topic

Next Topic >

You must be a registered user to post messages.
Click here to register.
After registration you will automatically be brought back to this topic

Disneyland Attraction Posters at
The LaughingPlace Store
The LaughingPlace Store now carries a Disneyland Attraction Posters from Sanders CC Gallery

What's on
The Latest
A Wave of Enhancements In-Store for the Disney Magic Cruise Ship as it Heads Into Dry Dock in September 2008
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Invites Fans of “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” to Exclusive Red-Carpet Premiere Oct 16
Calling All Walt Disney World Vacation ‘Know-It-Alls’: The Mouse Searching for 16 Parents for 2009 Moms Panel
Sara Lee Dances with Disney's 'High School Musical 3: Senior Year' in Extensive Film-Driven Campaign
The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning premiere pictures added to LP Lotion
The Haunted Halloween returns to Hong Kong Disneyland
It’s a “Suite Life” on the Disney Wonder with Disney Channel World-Premiere Event
Miss America 2009 contestants visit the Magic Kingdom
Halloween, Disneyland Resort Paris Style! Oct 4 - Nov 2
Meet Santa this Christmas at Disneyland Resort Paris Nov 6 - Jan 9

Click here for The Latest