Hong Kong: Disneyland

March 7th, 2011

It is the small things that make Hong Kong Disneyland unique. First things first, everything is smaller there. The park has only three “themed” areas, all of the rides can be ridden within three hours, and even the ride itself is built smaller with less leg room. The greatest part about the small factor, however, is the short lines. No line was longer than 15 minutes. Surprisingly, the longest ride was not for the solo roller coaster, Space Mountain, either. The longest lines were for the Jungle River Guide or the shows. Much of the emphasis in Hong Kong Disneyland is also put on picture taking with the Characters. The Chinese people love to take pictures and everyone seemed to have a camera on them.

Food differences were apparent as well. You can purchase squid, fish (which some say looks like eyes on a stick), and other Chinese snack foods. It is also surprising to see the number of adults in the park outnumbered the children. Though this may have been due to the fact that it was Monday and kids were in school. They also had to present instructions in three different languages, English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. Nevertheless, the foundation, principles, and philosophies of Hong Kong Disneyland are the same as in the United States. It is all about the Characters, building “Disney Moments”, and making people smile. What else can you expect from the happiest place on earth?