Hong Kong is almost identical with Disneyland. Almost everyone who visits Hong Kong will always put it on the first list of their travel plan. Is Disneyland that attractive? What does it have that people would love going there despite the pricey entrance fee? Mmh... I was trying to figure it out during my second visit to Hong Kong. This time I went with my mom and boyfriend. My mom always heard from her friends that she must visit Disneyland because it is the icon of Hong Kong. My boyfriend who has visited Disneyland several times also said the same thing. However, when we wanted to go there he could not join because he had a church ministry. So, finally only mom and I set off for the park.
It was Saturday afternoon, and the sun was very sunny. Before we went there, we had expected that the Disneyland would be very crowded as it was summer holiday. Of course, many parents would bring their children to the park. Therefore, if you want to visit the park you’d better avoid weekends and peak seasons unless you want to end up having a time-consuming and tiring holiday. Actually, I dislike visiting too crowded places, but this time I had no choice because I had to accompany my mom since it was her first time at Hong Kong. I recklessly tidied up and then together with my mom rushed to the MTR. It was already 1 pm. and we did not want to waste our time.
Located next to Discovery Bay and the North Lantau Highway on the western shore of Lantau Island, Hong Kong Disneyland is easily accessible because it has its own MTR line. The line is distinctive because there are only two stations; the Sunny Bay and the Disneyland, and the train has unique decor with Mickey Mouse windows. If you travel from the Hong Kong International Airport by Airport Express, you just need to change to the Tung Chung Line at Tsing Yi station and then move to the Sunny Bay station for the Disneyland resort line. The park is only a 10-minute trip from the airport. This special line makes the travel more comfortable and convenient. We took the MTR, changed several lines and arrived there. The Disneyland MTR was like a special train to the adventure land.
We took the train for only 10 minutes and arrived at the Disneyland or the so-called Adventure Land. As we walked to the entrance, we were still considering not to enter the park as it was very expensive. General admission ticket is HK$ 399 for adults (aged 12-64), HK$285 for Children (aged 3-11) and HK$100 for Seniors (aged 65 and above). But, finally we decided to buy the HK$ 400-entrance tickets because we did not want to come in vain. If we had not entered the park that time, we would have always been curious about it. So, we thought it was better to visit the park as we had already stood in front of the entrance gate.
After getting off the MTR, we walked through a long park promenade before reaching the real entrance gate. I was standing in front of the gate of Disneyland’s Park Promenade. The gate has the statue of the Disneyland’s famous icon, Mickey Mouse. 
There were many people waiting for their turn to have their pictures taken at this Park Promenade. The site is a beautiful place to relax, but the sun was so hot that I could not stand standing there for a long time.
Situated on Lantau island, surrounding by mountains at three sides facing the South China Sea, the Hong Kong Disneyland is the fifth Disneyland Park built in the mode of Disneyland and the eleventh theme park of Disneyland in the world. The park only occupies an area of about 1.1 square kilometers so it is fairly small compared to other Disneylands. At the beginning, the construction of Hong Kong Disneyland was expected to attract up to 10 million visitors per year. However, the number was revised to 5-6 million. When it was first opened on 12 September 2005, the expenses of years of reclamation and construction had cost more money while the number of visitors continued to fall short of predictions. Although the resort is the first theme park in China, the Ocean Park on Hong Kong Island remains Hong Kong's favorite theme park and it attracts mainland Chinese and younger people with new thrill rides and cheaper tickets. What makes Disneyland is less popular than Ocean Park is that it has smaller size, limited attractions and more expensive tickets. However, it is a must-see site for it combines Western and Chinese culture together.
I was standing at the Disneyland’s entrance gate. You could see how crowded the park was…
Hesitantly, we stepped into the park and took photos. Unfortunately, there were only two of us, so it was hard to get our pictures together. We just took turns taking pictures. To my great disappointment, the park has a standard design just like what an amusement park should have. I would tell the truth, there was nothing really special. I agree with what most people say that Ocean Park is more attractive and interesting than Disneyland. Indeed Disneyland is more suitable for smaller children who still live in their fantasy world.
Standing in front of the Mickey-shaped flowers arrangement.
The park is open daily from 10 am to 8 pm and it consists of six major themed lands, the Main Street U.S.A., Fantasyland, Adventure Land, Tomorrow Land, Toy Story Land and the new Grizzly Gulch. As soon as we stepped inside, the first section that welcomed us was the Main Street USA. I found a line of shops selling dolls and other items in the form of Disney’s character images. We did not buy anything there because it was so expensive. The Main Street USA section is filled with delicate buildings, dim gas lamp, antique taxicabs, Disneyland Railroad and the City Hall that will bring you back to America in the early 20th century. On the Main Street USA, you will find typical old architectures from America, all kinds of antique cars and delicious foods from both Western and Eastern countries. There is also a Disney on Parade featuring all Disney characters singing and dancing along the main street USA, but we skipped this performance because we wanted to see the Golden Mickeys show that was performed at the same time. At this section there were also Mickey and Mini Mouse with who you could take pictures. However, we did not want to waste our time to queue so we skipped this too. It was ridiculous to wait for a long time just to have a picture with Mickey and Mini…
The souvenir shop at the Main Street USA. It sells various things in the form of Disney’s character images. 
This is the Main Street USA section, the first section you will find as soon as you enter the park. Along the street you will find many buildings in Western architecture. 
This shop sells various Teddy Bear dolls
The second section we visited was Tomorrow Land. This section features various attractions and rides that offer visitors a thrilling experience of exploring the universe and outer space, but we did not ride any of them because we hated to queue. We just took pictures there.
After briefly exploring the Tomorrow Land, we continued to the Fantasy Land.
Fantasy Garden at the Fantasy Land. The color theme of this section is pink, a typical color for girls. 
“It’s a small world” is the latest addition to Hong Kong Disneyland that themes around world of understanding, love, peace and friendship.
The castle at the Fantasy Land where you can travel across continents on a boat and find many surprises. 
The Sleeping Beauty Castle at the Fantasy Land
It was 4 pm and I got myself ready to watch the Golden Mickeys performance at Disney’s Storybook Theater. Once the gate was opened, there were many people lining up. O my gosh…I could not forget how smelly the people were. We sat in a cozy sofa ready to watch the show.
The Toy Story characters at the Golden Mickeys Show
The Hunchback of Notre dame characters at the Golden Mickeys Show 
The story of Mulan at the Golden Mickeys Show shows a good combination of Western and Chinese culture
The story of Lilo and Stitch at the Golden Mickeys Show 
The story of Little Mermaid at the Golden Mickeys Show
The story of Beauty and the Beast at the Golden Mickeys Show
Each scene of the show describes the summary of famous Disneyland stories. At the end of the show, all the characters went out on stage and danced together. At this time, Mickey and Mini Mouse were the king and queen of the dance party.
After the Golden Mickeys show, we walked to the Mickey’s PhilarMagic show. After quite a long queue, we finally entered the auditorium hall and were given 3D glasses to watch the show. The first scene showed Donald Duck was making a bottle of elixir. In the middle of the show, we decided to walk out of the room because the show was uninteresting. As we walked outside, I got a phone call from my boyfriend telling me to have a dinner with him and the pastor. So, we had to stop our adventure at 5 pm and walked toward the exit gate.
The entrance to the Mickey’s Philharmagic show
This is the last photo I took before leaving the Disneyland…
Finally we arrived at the exit gate of the park and were heading to the ticket counter to buy MTR tickets to go back to Causeway bay. My boyfriend was already waiting for me there. Of all the six sections, we missed two of them, the Adventure Land and the new Grizzly Gulch. Because of time constrain, we unfortunately also missed watching The Festival of the Lion King and the nightly fireworks over the Sleeping Beauty Castle. If I had had more time in the park, I might have found other interesting things and would not have wasted my money for such a very short trip. Anyway, I was thankful to God that I had visited the Hong Kong Disneyland. People might have different opinions about the park. Some people like the park very much while some do not. Overall, in my opinion the park is not attractive enough for older children and adults like me, but it indeed appeals to younger children. If you have small children or if you are an adult of a young heart, the Disneyland is a good place to spend a quality time with family. You can take your whole family to embark on a magical journey in the adventure land. However, do not expect too much from it because it is only a very small-scale Disney franchise.
Sources:
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