Max at Hong Kong Disney

 

Today we went to Disneyland which was so cool! We started off the day with another breakfast buffet. This time I made a sandwich with a waffle covered in maple syrup and butter, then 2 hash browns on top of that, then 2 pieces of bacon, then a pancake likewise drowned in maple syrup and butter. After this diabetes provoking first meal, we checked our suitcases in and went off by train to Disneyland! The train was awesomely decorated with Disney themed stuff such as Micky Mouse shaped handles and glass encased metal statues. It was pretty funky. 

The architecture at Disneyland, as always, was simply incredible. On arrival you walk down this long road which has a huge fountain at the end – this is before ticketing and entering the actual park! In the fountain was a life-sized whale with Mickey Mouse surfing on the stream of water coming out of its blow hole. Speakers all along the lane played enchanting up-beat music. The whole thing had a classic, magical, Disney vibe. Once in the park, main street USA leading onto the castle was breathtaking. We got ourselves organised before we headed out.

Firstly, Luke, Aidan and I went on Hyperspace Mountain which was like Space Mountain but Star Wars themed. The best bit of the ride was when we flew straight towards a screen with a Tie Fighter on it shooting at us. To avoid it the coaster shot straight down on a massive plummet. Other cool part were taking long banking curves with X-Wings flying alongside you. It was really awesome.

Secondly, we went on the Buzz Light Year Astro Blaster ride. I went with Ethan and really enjoyed the competitive shooting style of it, a lot of fun. After that we went on the Jungle Cruise. The technology was impressive involving fire, exotic animals, tribals with blow darts synchronised with timed splashes in the water and slightly awkward commentary from a “Hongkongese” man reading off a scripted talk in his second language.

Next we went on the Grizzly Gulch roller coaster ride. This was really good, very similar to Expedition Everest but with clumsy bears. Very entertaining and thrilling with multiple winding tracks as well as dips, backwards and incredible scenery. In order the next places we went were:- Mystic Manor (an Asian version of the Haunted Mansion), Slinky Dog Spin in Toy Story Land, the Royal Banquet lunch, It’s a Small World (with its iconic purple Koalas), Floaty parade and then the Spinning Tea Cups. The Tea Cups were uniquely fun as Ethan, Luke and I made an effort to spin around as fast as possible.

 After the Tea Cups we all enjoyed Mickey’s Philla Magic 4D experience which was funny and engaging like it was at all the other parks. We reminisced of the fact that this was the very first thing we went on, on our first trip. Next we did the animation class and drew Goofy. It was super fun like it was the last three times and entertaining struggling through it with the rest of the family. Also the teacher taught everything in Cantonese which was pretty funny and a good challenge.

Following this we watched Mickey and the Wondrous book and repeated a few of the rides. Also that day we saw a Lion King musical which was fairly cringe worthy at some points until an incredible ballet/acrobat dancer who completely stole the show. Her exit was the best with two men running on holding a long piece of silk and as they ran past she seamlessly joined them perfectly disappearing off stage. The captivating illusion was breathtaking! Another great part of the musical was some to the dancing in the final fight scene between Simba and Scar. They would spin their staffs incredibly fast with both hands and then would swap to just one and continue at the same pace; this would merge to a flourish if manoeuvres through their legs and behind their backs.

To finish off the day we went on Hyper Space Mountain again and Grizzly Gulch, watched the children’s light-sabre class which was hilarious watching them teach in a range of Cantonese, English and Mandarin. The final ride we went on was the Buzz Light Year Astro Blasters and I got a Level 6 out of 7 and was pretty proud! After that we headed out watching the parade a bit as we went. We then caught the train home and had a make-shift dinner of assorted bread rolls in the Novatel adjoined super-market. We then got changed and caught a bus to the airport saying our good byes to Hong Kong along the way. We walked around the airport till 12:10am when we flew out to France.