Disneyland – ‘The happiest place on earth’
July 9th, 2007 by Zofia
Today Rachel and I ventured out on our own. We were up early again and headed towards the nearest MTR (Mass Transit Railway) station on Jordan Road where we experienced the Hong Kong underground railway system. It was amazing! The trains were really regular, changing from one train to another couldn’t have been easier because everything was so well signposted, and the trains were so clean and fresh. It took two changes of train to get to Disneyland. The second switch was to the Disneyland Resort Line - yes Disneyland has its own train line as well as it’s very own train complete with Mickey Mouse shaped windows and rings to hold onto if you are standing. It also had statues of Disney Characters throughout the train. Very cool, and couldn’t have been easier to use.
Once we arrived at the wonderful world of Disney is was full steam ahead to do and see as much as possible! First up was buying a hat to protect me from the hot hot sun a bit more since this would truly be a day outdoors. Next up was a photo with Donald Duck, and then we went on to explore Pirate land. We visited Tarzan’s Treehouse, went on a river cruise, saw Captain Jack Sparrow, had a photo with pirate Goofy and pirate Pluto, saw the “Festival of the Lion King” Show, then saw Disney on Parade own Main Street. In Fantasyland we rode the Cinderella Carousel, had lunch at the Royal Banquet Hall, rode the Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride, went on the “Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” ride, and the Mad Hatter Tea Cups. We then went and had photos with Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, and had an impromptu dance then a photo with the Chipmunks! We also went and saw “Mickey’s PhilharMagic” which was an amazing 4 dimensional show. The screen was in 3 dimensions (we had to wear cool 3-d glasses) and then there were extra effects like being splashed with water etc.
In Tomorrowland we rode Space Mountain the rollercoaster, rode the Orbitrons, met Buzz Lightyear and then helped him defeat the Emperor Zurg, and then drove around in futuristic cars in Autopia. It was lots of fun!
Later on we did some shopping on Main Street USA in all the gift shops and then we watched the Fireworks display.
By the time we headed back for the train it was about 9pm and both Rachel and I had experienced a very happy day full of highlights and no lowlights! What a great way to finish our trip to Hong Kong. The next day was all about travelling to London, so Disneyland was a great way to spend the day before all that travelling.
On the whole, despite first impressions, Hong Kong won me over and I really liked it, not for the shopping I have heard about but for the sights to be seen and the experiences to be had. I would love to visit again one day.