Third Disney Resort ticked off! I ended both my May 2024 and February 2025 trips with a stop in Hong Kong and I just had to make a visit to Hong Kong Disneyland given that I was there already … and I LOVED it! On my first trip, I went for almost 2 full days, staying 2 nights at the Disney’s Explorers Lodge on site, on my second trip I made it a daytrip from the city – and had a great time on both occasions. I even have a third trip planned, it really has become one of my obsessions XD I loved the World Of Frozen so much and took so many pictures that that’s going to be a separate post, but onto the rest of the park!
Hong Kong Disneyland is situated on Lantau Island in Hong Kong, a handy short journey from both the airport and the city. It’s a one-park resort and is relatively smaller and quiet compared to other resorts, making it a great place for a short trip or a first trip to Disney. Despite having never visited before, nor visiting a Disney park as a child, on my first trip I just got a very nostalgic feeling being in the park – I really liked it and there was something that felt so easy about being there. Having done both Shanghai and Paris before, I felt maybe a little more chilled here, but also compared to both of those, there are fewer visitors here so it was a really nice casual experience.
The park entrance is very typical, you first come across the train station and a beautiful floral display – on my May 2024 visit it was a cute Duffy design on a pink background with sweets at the side, on my February 2025 visit Duffy was now wearing his traditional hat and on a blue and yellow background which matched the station decorations very nicely.
Castle of Magical Dreams – day and night
The Castle of Magical Dreams is beautiful – and a very new castle, having been built on top of the original Disneyland-dupe castle and debuting in 2020 after a complete renovation of it. While it seems a daunting thing completely changing a castle, the new one is stunning! And whilst I didn’t see it before, the after looks amazing and it’s great to have a unique design here, there are so many tiny details to look out for – plus it was designed alongside the nighttime spectacular so the two were almost designed for each other and that really works well (but more on that later in the post). For me this new castle is like a bridge between the original classic castles of Disneyworld and Disneyland Paris and then the humungous castle that is at Shanghai Disneyland. I really think it fits the park here perfectly, and also looks stunning against the Hong Kong landscape beyond the park boundaries.
At night the castle also looks stunning, it just lights up beautifully and the colours look stunning and I love that about it.
We also have the back of the castle which of course is in Fantasyland, looks cute and you also get the back view from the bench where the dream makers statue of Walt and Mickey is – compared with other parks I’ve seen, it does seem tucked away here, but I like that as it’s always quiet for a picture. Here Walt is sitting overlooking the carousel, which comes back to Walt’s original ideas and thoughts for what became Disneyland.
Main Street, USA
The first place you enter under the train station is Main Street, USA – where of course you can also enter the train station to take the train! On my February 2025 trip the station, train and some areas around the route were all themed to Duffy and friends, this was a cute touch. You also get a great view down Main Street, USA from the station level, so also worth going up here to get some photos. The main square is very similar to the other parks with the City Hall and the ‘Fire Department‘ (stroller and wheelchair rentals) and a pagoda in the middle. The actual Main Street, USA itself is also similar to other parks but with some different shop fronts to the main stores lining the street. The Emporium goes down one side, while on the other are some food options and a shop entirely dedicated to Duffy and friends (although Duffy and friends merch is also available in other shops too). The square also had some super cute Duffy and friends displays – in May 2024 this was done in topiary while in February 2025 they were now plastic statues which were designed with the ‘Journey Together’ theme in mind, which was the Spring 2025 event. These were very popular for photoshoots. Also in this area was the very cute and fun drawing class! I’m not sure if this wasn’t open in May 2024 or if I just missed it, but I didn’t see it at all then, but was so excited to go this year after having done the drawings at Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Here they have the characters and schedule at the front, so you can check it first thing to know when to come back for your preferred character – I chose Stella Lou and came back to queue for the first session. These are only offered in Cantonese, however I didn’t find it difficult to follow along, although the animator did go quite quickly! The only thing I clearly missed was to not start in the middle of the page as I ended up running out of room for the ears, but otherwise super fun activity and a nice souvenir to take home.
Adventureland
Adventureland is the first land on the left of the park after coming down Main Street, USA – I have to say, I never really spend a lot of time here, it’s a bit of a smaller land in terms of attractions as there’s just 1 ride and 1 show. The Jungle Cruise is fun and is a bit different to that at other parks, the ending is great! The first time I went they only offered one line for the ride, so the skipper was actually running it in all 3 of the offered languages, which is quite some feat! When I was there this year they had all 3 language lines open (Cantonese, Mandarin, English), so this time I heard it all in English. Mostly the same as in Magic Kingdom, it’s a fun ride, but not a ‘must-do’ for me, especially if the line is long – when I waited for the English queue this year, the staff said all the queues were running with equal wait time, but in reality that wasn’t the case and I waited at least twice the advertised 20mins. Adventureland does also have Tarzan’s Treehouse (along with rafts to get there) however it’s been closed on both my visits. There are 2 entertainment options, however I haven’t done either – there is Festival of the Lion King (closed on my first visit, and ran out of time on my second) and the Moana: A Homecoming Celebration which is in a small open-air theatre, I just never made it there at the right time to watch. There are quite a few dining options here, with snacks and quick service both available – I haven’t eaten here at all, however recently the Wayfinders’ Table has reopened with a Moana theme so I think I will check that out at my next visit!
Grizzly Gulch
Grizzly Gulch is located just off Adventureland, or also accessed via Toy Story Land and Mystic Point, and is unique to Hong Kong Disneyland but is a bit of a take on the more typical Frontierland. The theming is Western styled and super fun although it’s quite a small land. Grizzly Gulch opened in 2012, 7 years after park opening, and it brought a fun-looking thrill coaster to the park, the Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars. On my first trip this was closed for maintenance, but I opted not to go on on my second trip, I think it might just be a little too intense for me, but who knows, maybe I’ll pluck up the courage on my next trip. Think of it as a cross between Big Thunder Mountain and Expedition Everest at Disney World! There is a fun kids water play area here, and a snack stand with fried chicken etc. here, but no shop and no entertainment options, so I haven’t spent much time here at all.
Mystic Point
Mystic Point was another new addition to the park after opening, debuting in 2013 and located between Grizzly Gulch and Toy Story Land – this one is small but great and I love it! My favourite ride in the park is here, Mystic Manor, Hong Kong Disneyland‘s take on Haunted Mansion/Phantom Manor and it’s absolutely fantastic. Completely unique IP and so much going on with an impelling storyline that draws you in – I don’t know who wouldn’t be feeling for adorable Albert on this one^ I was worried about feeling motion sick on this one as I really didn’t get on well with Ratatouille in Disneyland Paris, but I think it was the addition of the 3D that didn’t work for me there, because I was completely fine on this one and even went on twice in a row and was fine (a miracle XD). There also never seems to be a long wait for this one, I don’t think I’ve ever waited more than 10 minutes, which is such a surprise given that it’s such a great ride. On my first trip I was sad that the building facade was covered for repainting, so seeing it unveiled on my second trip was amazing, the details are fab. There is also a great shop here, this is my go-to for pins as it seemed to have the best selection in the park on both my visits, plus you can get all your Albert merch here too^ And there’s a restaurant, the Explorer’s Club Restaurant, which operates a semi-buffer, where you order a specific main meal, but have buffet for starters and desserts. I did a package on my first visit, where I had the semi-buffet then got premium viewing for the nighttime spectacular. Even though my main meal of choice wasn’t great, I enjoyed the buffet options and I thought it was completely worth it for the view of the show.
Toy Story Land
Toy Story Land is the third one added after park open in the 2011-2013 period, opening in 2011 and accessed via the junction between Adventureland and Fantasyland or Grizzly Gulch and Mystic Point. For me, it’s probably my least favourite land – it’s very similar to the other Toy Story Lands that I’ve been too and doesn’t have any unique rides or rides that I really want to go on. The theming is definitely cute, but I just don’t spend time here, just passing through to get to Mystic Point. The rides are the same as in Paris. There is one snack cart which does always have cute Toy Story themed options which I think is fun, but it’s not a place that comes to mind first when I want to grab a snack in the park.
Tomorrowland
Moving over to the right side of the park with Tomorrowland – this is a weird one for me, because it has completely different vibes to any of the other Tomorrowlands I’ve been in and doesn’t feel particularly futuristic or themed at all. There have been huge developments in this land and in reality it’s still progressing and will overall become Marvel themed within the upcoming years, which does seem right for it given the two Marvel-themed rides already! There are 3 rides in the land, of course Space Mountain is here, but that’s too much thrill for me, along with the Iron Man Experience which is a take on Star Tours (got motion sick on that one before, so another no from me) – however I do love Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle! which is their Buzz equivalent. It’s such a fun ride and the laser shooter is very responsive, it’s easy to know what targets you’re aiming at and get points quickly, and it’s addictive so I’ve been on so many times in just 3 days worth of visits, plus the queue never seems to get long either. There are two quick service restaurants here giving both Asian and Western options, and a couple of snack carts too – while I’ve not eaten here, the Marvel-themed burgers look fun and I think I’ll try one next time. There are 2 shops in the land as well, it’s all about Marvel, which isn’t so much my thing for merch, but plenty of options for those who do like it.
Fantasyland
I love Fantasyland, universally across all parks, it’s my favourite land and here in Hong Kong Disneyland it’s the biggest land and so much to see and do. There are 8 attractions and 1 entertainment option, along with character meets and snack and dining options. I really like all the attractions here, I love the classics like the carousel and during early entry I’ve even had the whole carousel to myself on more than one occasion! Winnie the Pooh and Small World are also top on my list. I love Winnie the Pooh characters a lot, and the ride is so cute and fun with a nice range of scenes. It’s not a unique ride and is similar to the ones at Disney World and Shanghai Disneyland, but I still find it enjoyable – it’s a more popular ride here and the line can get quite long. Small World is fantastic here, there are a lot of Disney characters throughout all of the scenes which make it a fun ride. The ride front is also super impressive, it’s huge and looks amazing. The Fairytale Forest was also a beautiful walk through area, the scenes were beautiful and it was very quiet in here so good to get some space.
Entertainment – shows
I have really liked the shows that I’ve seen at Hong Kong Disneyland. Now much can beat Mickey and the Wondrous Book, this show is fantastic with a range of favourite characters and different dance and music styles – I just love the Princess Tiana scene in this one, she’s always amazing in it! On my first trip it rained a lot, so the castle stage show was cancelled for all performances, luckily on my second trip I got lucky with the weather and saw both outdoor shows. At the castle was the Duffy and Friends The Joy of Sharing Show, featuring dancers and then Duffy and his friends came out and got their own moments to shine in the show. The music was cute, and there was a join-in dance scene as well which many people were enjoying. It was quite busy here watching the show (I went to the 12:55PM viewing), but although I only turned up 5mins before the start, I could still get a spot to see quite well. I did however prefer the second show, Adventure Together, which was on the steps of the train station – it was a shorter show but the songs were catchier, and even though there were only 4 of the Duffy and friends characters, I really liked this one. On my first visit there was a small parade on, because of the weather it was a ‘wet weather’ version, but I still enjoyed seeing the characters out and there were quite a lot to see, not only just Duffy and friends.
Momentous: Nighttime Spectacular
Momentous: Nighttime Spectacular completely tops the rankings of nighttime castle shows for me! I’d watch this show every night if I could. I really love music and film soundtracks, and I think that’s the major point for my enjoyment of this show, it has a great theme song, features some classic Disney music and has amazing projections both on the castle itself and on the water fountains along the front of the castle. On my first visit I was in the front VIP viewing from buying the package with the semi-buffet, it was amazing to be so close and you can very clearly see all the projections so well. On my second visit I got there around 40mins before the show and got a good spot right at the end of Main Street, USA which gave a great view too – with the new show including drones, I think a further back spot like this on Main Street, USA would be perfect for getting the best spot for viewing them.
What to eat
Unfortunately, there’s only so much 1 person can eat across 3 days in a Disney park! So I haven’t tried a lot at Hong Kong Disneyland, but have enjoyed eating what I did get. I ate a lot from the World of Frozen, so that will come in the next post, but have eaten elsewhere in the park. On the first day I was in the park I had a few snacks during the day because I was saving myself for my semi-buffet at the Explorer’s Club Restaurant! Here I had the mushroom lasagna (vegetarian option) as my main, then had starters and desserts from the buffet. For starters I had some salad bits and pasta bake. There were also quite a few fish and meat options, but I don’t really eat either of those – I was fine with what was there because I knew I wanted plenty from the dessert table! The lasagna was ok, but really very mushroomy. The desserts on the other hand were very good, really nice range of choices and lots of cute designs as well. On my second day in the park I exclusively ate in World of Frozen. On my second visit, my third day in the park I also ate a lot in World of Frozen, but I also had a hot dog for lunch from one of the stands near the castle, this was a pretty solid lunch option and also well-priced. I didn’t end up having dinner because I ran out of time with wanting to fit in rides and getting a spot for the nighttime spectacular.
So what do I want to prioritise eating next time? I’ve not had a waffle or egg-waffle cone yet and these are super popular here, and I also want to try out one of the Marvel-themed burgers. Plus a themed ice cream that’s not Olaf – I’ve had 3 of those, so time to try something different!
