Disneyland is supposed to be the  “The Happiest Place on Earth” – for kids anyway. So we decided to spend a whole day in  Hong Kong Disneyland.

However, at the end of the day I found myself asking, “Is that all?”

Disney on Parade

Maybe it’s because I’m not a child anymore. Maybe my expectations were too high. Maybe (and this is more probable)  it’s because this is the 4th (and hopefully last) time I’ve been to a Disneyland park. The first 3 times were at Anaheim, USA.

Hong Kong Disneyland is small in comparison, and there are only a few good attractions that both kids and adults can appreciate equally. If there weren’t any lines, you could probably go on all the rides in less than half a day.

The park is divided into 4 areas: Main Street USA, Adventureland, FantasyLand, and TomorrowLand. Each area has a different theme, and its own rides, attractions, restaurants, and shops. Upon entry into the park, you can get a map and use it to plan where to go to. Here’s an online map at their website.

The lines for the nicer attractions can get LONG, especially in the afternoons, so I would suggest going there early, when the park opens. Otherwise, you might spend most of the day queuing at one of the rides. The longest I waited in a line was for about 45 minutes, for the Stitch Encounter. I have a confession… I really LOVE the character Stitch from the Lilo and Stitch movie! Was the attraction worth the long wait? Hmmm, I’ll have to get back to you on that.

Since we went there during the Christmas season, Sleeping Beauty’s castle was all decked out in dazzling lights at night. There was a character parade, and a fireworks display at 9PM, when the park closes.

Sleeping Beauty's castle all lighted up

Somehow given that the fireworks are like the finale of the day, and having seen the beautiful fireworks display in the Disneyland in Anaheim USA, I was expecting something similar. But I didn’t experience the same magic. I thought that the fireworks display here in MOA (SM Mall of Asia) in Manila was much better.

Overall, I think if you haven’t been to any other Disneyland Theme park before, you won’t be disappointed like I was.  But if you’ve been to the US ones, maybe you should consider spending the day in Ocean Park instead.