“To all who come to this happy place, welcome. Many years ago, Walt Disney introduced the world to enchanted realms of fantasy and adventure, yesterday and tomorrow, in a magical placed called Disneyland. Today that spirit of imagination and discovery comes to life in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Disneyland is dedicated to the young and the young at heart – with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration, and an enduring symbol of the cooperation, friendship and understanding between the people of Hong Kong and the United States of America.” Michael Eisner and Donald Tsang on September 12, 2005
Located on Lantau Island near the airport in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Disneyland is the smallest Disney Parks Resort with one theme park and three hotels. The Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Hollywood Hotel, and Disney Explorer Lodge are all about a 15 to 10 minute walk to the park down a beautiful pathway, but there is also a complimentary shuttle for guests as well. I highly recommend dining at Walt’s Cafe at the Disneyland Hotel.
Sleeping Beauty Castle recently underwent a huge transformation to become the Castle of Magical Dreams which opened on November 21, 2020 as part of Hong Kong Disneyland’s 15th anniversary. This gorgeous castle—which I cannot wait to see in person one day!—is designed to represent all 14 of the Disney Princesses.
Hong Kong Disneyland offers something called a Priority Special Pass (which can be upgraded to the Priority Special Pass +.) This is similar to a paid FastPass system, where guests can get one-time priority access to either three out of a selected five rides, or access to all eight selected rides (Priority Special Pass +) for a higher price. To learn more about this system, check out this information on the Hong Kong Disneyland website.
Main Street, USA
Hong Kong Disneyland’s Main Street, USA is very similar to the original Disneyland’s. There is currently an exhibit called Building the Dream: The Magic Behind a Disney Castle which shows how the Castle of Magical Dreams was built. The website has a detailed look at this exhibit found here. There is also an Art of Animation exhibit as well as an Animation Academy. Classes at the Animation Academy are only taught in Cantonese. Main Street is also home to some classics like the Main Street Vehicles and a Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad Station.
There are many little quick service restaurants on Main Street including Midtown Delights (an ice cream stand), Market House (Starbucks in disguise), and Main Street Bakery. The Main Street Corner Cafe is a table service restaurant which offers daily afternoon tea. The Plaza Inn is another table service restaurant.
Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland is currently undergoing a lengthy expansion that will eventually lead to it being split into two lands. One will be the classic Tomorrowland, and the other will be a Marvel themed land called Stark Expo. This will tie into the Avenger Campus lands at both DCA and Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris. The original part of Tomorrowland has a lot of Star Wars themed attractions and entertainment including: Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple, Star Wars Command Post, and Hyperspace Mountain. Guest must be 102 cm (40 inches) to ride Hyperspace Mountain. Nearby is the Orbitron. In the future Stark Expo area, there is Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle!, Iron Man Experience, and Iron Man Tech Showcase. Both the Ant-Man attraction and the Iron Man attraction offer the Priority Special Pass, and guests must be 102 cm (40 inches) to ride Iron Man Experience.
There are two quick service restaurants in Tomorrowland called the Comet Cafe and the Starliner Diner. And I usually don’t mention snack carts, but the BB-8 Snack Cart is too cute not to mention.
Fantasyland
Hong Kong Disneyland’s Fantasyland is quite spacious and spread out. Inside the Castle of Magical Dreams, guests can meet and greet with princesses in the Royal Reception Hall. Nearby are classic attractions such as Cinderella Carousel and Dumbo the Flying Elephant. A super popular ride in Hong Kong Disneyland is The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh which offers the Priority Special Pass. This pass can also be used for Mickey’s PhilharMagic. A Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad Station can be found in Fantasyland, and behind the train tracks is It’s a Small World. This version has a special scene featuring Victoria Harbour in downtown Hong Kong.
Nearby is the Mad Hatter Tea Cups. There are two outdoor walkthrough attractions in Fantasyland. The Fairy Tale Forest features living storybooks from classic Disney films. It reminded me of a walkthrough version of Storybook Land Canal Boats. The Fantasy Gardens is home to various gazebos were characters do meet and greets. At Disney’s Storybook Theater, guests can catch a show of Mickey and the Wondrous Book.
There are two large, and uniquely themed, quick service restaurants in Fantasyland: Clopin’s Festival of Foods and the Royal Banquet Hall. There is also the Small World Ice Cream stand.
Toy Story Land
Toy Story Land is one of the most popular lands at Hong Kong Disneyland. RC Racer is a half-pipe coaster which shoots guests straight up and down a 27 meter track. Guests must be 120 cm (48 inches) to ride. Both Slinky Dog Spin and Toy Solider Parachute Drop offer the Priority Special Pass. Toy Solider Parachute Drop was the most popular attraction when we were there, and guests must be 81 cm (32 inches) to ride. With the long line and the height restriction, this ride may seem like a thrill ride at first glance, but it’s more of a cousin to Jumpin’ Jellyfish in DCA and Tokyo DisneySea.
Jessie’s Snack Roundup is the only place to get food in Toy Story Land, and it’s a walk-up window quick service.
Mystic Point
Home to my favourite attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland, Mystic Point’s backstory is that it’s the site of supernatural events and mysterious forces located in an uncharted rain forest in Papua New Guinea. Lord Henry Mystic built his home, Mystic Manor, here for guests to come and view his collection of artifacts and antiques. Mystic Manor has a trackless ride system and is not to be missed! It offers the Priority Special Pass. Located nearby is the Garden of Wonders, an area filled with sculptures and mosaics of optical illusion.
There is one restaurant in Mystic Point which is the Explorer’s Club Restaurant. This quick service is well themed with five different dining rooms each representing a different country: China, India, Russia, Morocco and Egypt.
Grizzly Gulch
Grizzly Gulch is named after the fictional mining town, founded August 8, 1888, the land is based around and is home to one of the best rides at Hong Kong Disneyland. Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars is an awesome roller coaster with an adorable backstory featuring the bears Rocky, Mother Lode, and Nugget. They cause all sorts of chaos for the guests riding the mine train, such as sending them down the wrong track and playing with dynamite. This attraction offers the Priority Special Pass, and guests must be 112 cm (44 inches) to ride. There is a water play area here called Geyser Gulch.
The only restaurant in Grizzly Gulch is a quick service location, the Lucky Nugget Saloon.
Adventureland
Adventureland is also large and spread out, though there aren’t too many attractions. What’s unique at this park is Tarzan’s Treehouse is located on an island, and guests must board rafts there to explore. The river around the island is home to the Jungle River Cruise. There are three different queues for the Jungle River Cruise so guests can decide which language they would like their excursion to be in: English, Cantonese, or Putonghua. My favourite part of this version of the classic Jungle Cruise is the epic battle at the end between the god of fire and the god of water. Liki Tikis is a water play area located nearby, and guests can interact with different characters at the Karibuni Marketplace. There are two stage shows located in Adventureland. At the Theater in the Wild, guests can see a performance of the Festival of The Lion King and an outdoor theater features Moana: A Homecoming Celebration.
There is one table service restaurant in Adventureland, River View Cafe, and one quick service, Tahitian Terrace.
Check out my other Quick Guides to the Disney Parks!
Leave a Reply