Monday, November 12, 2007

Second Day in Hong Kong-Disneyland and Mongkok

The family started the day bright and early to meet for breakfast. Hubby and I prepped them the night before by telling them explicitly that we have to be in Disneyland before the gates open so that we can have more time to see all the attractions.

Breakfast was at Delifrance located along Peking road, just a few minutes' walk from our hotel. We had typical French breakfast fare of croissants, sausages, eggs and fruit. The kids started having fun by taking turns playing with Jay-jay's toy laptop.



Fortified with a heavy breakfast, we made our way to Disneyland. We opted to take the MTR so that kids can experience the Mickey Mouse train. It took three train transfers to transport all 14 of us. From Tsim Sha Tsui MTR, transfer trains at Lai King (Tung Chung Line), alight at Sunny Bay Station and transfer to the Disneyland Mickey Mouse train. It was a bit nerve wracking for me because we had five children with us and I was constantly counting them to make sure every single one was accounted for.





The kids were pretty excited about the Mickey Mouse MTR and had tons of pictures taken.











We arrived about half an hour earlier to Disneyland. The weather was cloudy, which was perfect for us. Our early arrival gave us time to browse through the Disney Map and plot where we want to go first.



The kids also had a blast playing around the huge fountain. Here I am, "surfing" :-)









Hong Kong Disneyland is not as vast as its American and European counterparts. You will still have a great time there nonetheless. A Disney experience will never be complete without posing with the Disney princesses and the rest of the gang.





Terno si hubby at si Timon, he he he ;-)

Our group decided to explore the park separately. Hubby and I took Tim and Nica with us to ride the Buzz Lighyear attraction and the Autopia. Both were equally fun and interactive. Tim got his Disney license and Nica got a cute sticker from the staff.





We were extremely disappointed that the Space Mountain attraction was closed for maintenance. That attraction is a unanimous favorite for those of us who've been there in the previous year. We were happily telling the kids the day before that they will enjoy that ride and the look on their faces when they realized that the attraction was closed was hearbreaking.

However, there are other attractions that needed to be discovered. The rest of the clan made their way through the rest attractions. If you're in Disneyland, never ever miss The Lion King Show. It's got great special effects and the actors sing the songs live. My nephew Jay-jay and niece Ashley were enthralled with all the special effects, moving stage, huge puppets and the pyrothechnics.



Another favorite is the Philharmagic attraction, a 3D cinema complete with special "water" effects and opera glasses. My niece Daniele enjoyed it so much, she went in twice.




By mid-afternoon, my feet were already killing me. Hubby and I decided to take it easy for a while and I promptly fell asleep leaning on hubby in one of the benches. I only woke up when I heard my godson Tim exclaimed "Ayun sila ninang O!"

After waking up, we were hungry, hubby and I tried the Bakery along Main Street USA and ordered egg tart, cheesecake and black forest cakes. They were all rich and quite good. Hubby liked the black forest better. I liked the cheesecake better (my cheesecake tastes better though, he he he)



The parade was right along the Bakery and we moved closer to get a better view.



One of the highlights of our Disney trip was the fireworks. My mom and Tita Honey already saved a bench near the castle so that we all could get a better view of the fireworks. We all wowed and were all amazed with the show. If you're in Disneyland, never miss the fireworks. Come December, there's even fake snow (made of bubbles) after the fireworks along Main Street USA.



It was a very happy day for everyone. My Mom and Tita Honey, had several bags' worth of shopping in Disneyland.

After Disney, half of the family decided to dine in Spaghetti House again since it's located right at the hotel. The rest, decided to explore Mongkok instead of going back to the hotel to have dinner.

After dinner, my brother Jake and his wife Angel, Hubby and myself made our way to Mongkok for more shopping. Mongkok stores are open until midnight, some extend up to 1a.m. Mongkok is famous for it's Ladies' Market, Street Market and electronic goods. I was too tired to fully explore Mongkok's streets, after hubby bought a spare battery for the camera, we decided to go home. Jake and Angel stayed a few hours more and bought some clothing for them and the kids.

Oh my feet, why did you give up on me?

1 comment:

ericbau said...

This day was a complete hit with the kids, both young and old! The rides! The cotton candy! The shows! The cotton candy! =)

I just wish Hong Kong Disneyland will improve their customer service by posting changes in rides availability more prominently at the park entrance instead of fine printing it in leaflets. Had we known Magic Mountain was closed before we paid for the park tickets, we would have had the option to decide if we still wanted to go or postpone another day.