If you know me, you know I have been to each of the Tokyo Disney Parks (Tokyo Disneyland and Disneysea) more than 25 times each and am obsessed with perfecting my perfect one day strategy in order to share with other families (we love rides and hate waiting.). We have also recently visitied Disneyland Paris and I’ve written about it here.
Today, I’m writing about our experience at Hong Kong Disneyland with kids (from someone who can compare it directly to the Tokyo options.)
We flew from Melbourne to Hong Kong and then on to Ishigaki (Cathay Pacific.)
Melbourne to Hong Kong takes 9 hours and there is a 2 hour time difference.
This blog post contains some affiliate links. This means that I will receive a small commission if you book a hotel or make a purchase using one of my links – at no additional charge to you.
What to organise ahead of time when visiting Hong Kong Disneyland:
Hong Kong Disneyland Tickets
Most of the hotels at Hong Kong Disneyland do not include ticket sales while booking accommodation. Tickets and early entry tickets to Hong Kong Disneyland have to be organised ahead of time.
Download the Hong Kong Disneyland app
Real time wait times and maps etc. Unlike the Tokyo Disney app – you don’t need to look at the app all day long or anything but can be helpful – particularly when getting your bearings.
What to pack for visiting Hong Kong Disneyland with kids:
*A mist fan for hot humid weather
*Sunscreen
*Hats
*Bug Spray
*A water bottle
*Snacks (they check bags but didn’t mind snacks. My kids go hard so it’s good to have a pack of mini M&Ms etc to give them while in a line for a little energy)
This blog post contains some affiliate links. This means that I will receive a small commission if you book a hotel or make a purchase using one of my links – at no additional charge to you.
Where to stay near Hong Kong Disneyland with kids?
We stayed at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and we LOVED it. I would 1000% stay here again.
I have written about it in more detail here.
Attractions & Shows at Hong Kong Disneyland
Mystic Manor
This is Hong Kong Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion. Although it has a couple of spooky parts, this story is much more fantasy focused. The main character of the ride is Albert the Monkey. He looks a lot like Apu from Aladdin. My little boy is such a fan that he left with the T-shirt.
Reenacting the “Circle of Life” with his Albert monkey toy from
Hong Kong Disneyland from the balcony of our room at the Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama in Tokyo.
I really regret not getting to see The Lion King show and the Storybook Stage!
We just ran out of time and the kids wanted to do other things. I’ve heard that they are both really good!
Is Hong Kong Disneyland better than the Tokyo Disney Parks?
To me? No way. No-one pays closer attention to detail and has staff members who get 100 % into it more than the Tokyo Disney Parks. But it was nice to not have to worry about such long queues. It was the first time we have ever left Disney in the middle of the day in order to go for a swim back at the hotel.
The food at Hong Kong Disneyland is a bit more tricky if you have picky eaters compared to Tokyo parks.
It was nice that the rides were pretty much completely in English.
The Frozen ride is better at Hong Kong Disneyland as it has a drop ! (that surprised me!)
Space Mountain here was also really fun (the one at Paris Disneyland is my favourite though.)
The Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars ride at Hong Kong Disneyland was my favourite of all – and there is nothing like that at Tokyo Disneyland (Big Thunder Mountain would be the closest but Grizzly was better, for me.)
