MK vs HKDL

[skyzoober]

So I have just got home from a trip to Hong Kong which included a trip to DL.
I was amazed by the size of it....TINY!! It's what I expected though....
In terms of rides, I thought Space Mountain was incredible, a great mix of old and new....still had the MK old school feel but was updated as MKs should be!
Its A Small World was also awesome...loved the integration of Disney characters, didn't destroy the classic feel of the ride.
Jungle Cruise was also much better than MKs. The ending with the fire effect etc etc was brilliant.
Overall I was impressed by the park, but disappointed that its not going to get much attention with Shanghai getting the focus....
What do you think of HKDL compared to MK?

 

[marni1971]

Overall? Cheap and tiny. So many things were done wrong. Hopefully it will be the last mistake from a dark era. The JC is an example of what happened when they were allowed to break the box and do something right. Even Space Mountain was cost cut - they got a carbon copy of Anahiems new version, with the tracks being made at the same time. Still an impressive ride though.

With all the work and money spent on preparing the land and transport links you'd have expected something a little more like Tokyo 1983 perhaps.

 

[skyzoober]

yeah, good call...the infrastructure is there for a lot more.

i forgot to mention The Golden Mickeys....a really good live action show that I miss at the current WDW. it may be a good replacement for American Idol in the next couple of years?

 

[MarkTwain]

yeah, good call...the infrastructure is there for a lot more.

i forgot to mention The Golden Mickeys....a really good live action show that I miss at the current WDW. it may be a good replacement for American Idol in the next couple of years?

Golden Mickeys was actually a clone from a show on Disney Cruise Line. For that reason, it's unlikely that the show will come to DHS in the near future, since so many people go straight from WDW to the cruise ships.

I do agree it's an excellent show, though.

 

[LoriMistress]

Do you have any pictures you can share with us from HKDL?

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Do you have any pictures you can share with us from HKDL?

I have a TON... But I'll post the one that I think is most "telling" of the park. It's the hub, with basically literally no one there. This was a Friday mid-afternoon, and there was virtually no one anywhere. The park is VERY small... I've said before that I could walk from the corner of Tomorrowland to the corner of Adventureland in less than a minute, and that's walking at a leisurely pace. Obviously this park suffers from lack of attractions, and hence lack of crowds. It will be interesting to see what effect the planned expansion has on crowd levels.

That said, it's a pretty park. It's just so small and has a complete lack of attractions. It's sad, really.

So here's a picture I took in the hub, on a Friday afternoon:

 

[misterID]

WOW, that is a telling picture.

Why on earth are they still going ahead with Shanghai?

 

[Missymoe4]

Thanks for the picture.

It does look picturesque...from the mountains in the background and the castle centerpiece.

I can't believe that it would be that empty...

 

[Buried20KLeague]

WOW, that is a telling picture.

Why on earth are they still going ahead with Shanghai?

Some say that the HK park was intentionally made that small and underdeveloped because the real goal was Shanghai... That the HK park was basically to get the "foot in the door" with the Chinese Government. That after that was done, they'd have the groundwork already in place to open a second resort in that country.

I could completely believe that, too. I own a manufacturing facility in Mainland China (hence why I was in HK), and lemme tell ya... They do things VERY differently over there business-wise. Buying a business over there (or in Disney's case, opening a business) is not an easy thing to do, and takes years of jumping through hoops in some cases.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Thanks for the picture.

It does look picturesque...from the mountains in the background and the castle centerpiece.

I can't believe that it would be that empty...

Yeah, it is a pretty park. I'll give them that much. It was a bit like being in "Bizzaro-Disney" though... The only Disney park with mountains in the background... How small it was... The fact that there was literally no one there... The fact that the stands that you would buy popcorn at in the states were selling dried squid... Pretty crazy.

And the jungle cruise that has 3 different language options!! You haven't lived until you've heard a Chinese girl that obviously only understands basic English attempt to make mother-in-law jokes. :lol:

As a side note to the original post... I completely disagree on the final scene of their jungle cruise. I didn't think it made sense, and it felt completely out of place. :shrug: And most folks on the few English discussion boards regard HKDL seem to agree. I mean sure. Some smoke, some fire, and a few water effects. But there's no lead up to it, and it comes out of nowhere. It's the same kind of jungle cruise you're used to here in the states, then at the end it's similar to catastrophe canyon. :veryconfu

 

[TP2000]

You haven't lived until you've heard a Chinese girl that obviously only understands basic English attempt to make mother-in-law jokes. :lol:

That is actually the first thing anyone has ever said that makes me want to go to Hong Kong Disneyland! It sounds hilariously horrific!

But I'm spoiled by Tokyo Disneyland/DisneySea. When I'm in that part of the world I always allocate time and money to visiting Tokyo Disneyland for a few days. I don't think I could justify the expense and time just to see how small Hong Kong Disneyland is, as I don't have a business reason for going to Hong Kong. But the Jungle Cruise jokes in broken English has me intrigued...

 

[Buried20KLeague]

That is actually the first thing anyone has ever said that makes me want to go to Hong Kong Disneyland! It sounds hilariously horrific!

But I'm spoiled by Tokyo Disneyland/DisneySea. When I'm in that part of the world I always allocate time and money to visiting Tokyo Disneyland for a few days. I don't think I could justify the expense and time just to see how small Hong Kong Disneyland is, as I don't have a business reason for going to Hong Kong. But the Jungle Cruise jokes in broken English has me intrigued...

Oh, you have NO idea. :lol:

Honestly, that Jungle Cruise ride made the day for me. I was disappointed overall in the park and lack of things to do, and then I rode the JC. The poor girl literally had NO idea what she was saying, you could tell. It would be the same as if I were handed a version of the JC in German and asked to read it.

Our boat was about half full, and we were the only "Westerners" on it. We spent the whole ride CRACKING UP... Mostly because we had to work so hard just to figure out what she was saying, and then we'd figure out the joke she was trying to make, and it would crack us up at how bad it was.

Our guide was also visably nervous... Sitting right next to her, in the front of the boat, was a supervisor. She had a clipboard, and was basically grading her as they went. Right there in front of everyone, she was checking boxes on a form. So our poor guide was dealing with that, too. I'm telling you... It was bizzaro-Disney.

Thing is... I've got a full ride-through of the whole thing on HD video!! If I could just figure out how to get it on to youtube... You could see for yourself...

And I COMPLETELY agree. TDL/TDS is AMAZING, and worth every penny when you're in that part of the world. You done right by not swinging over to HK. At least not yet.

 

[imagineer boy]

I remember when the park opened, I was just appalled at the lack of attractions and small size of the park. It was just insulting.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

I remember when the park opened, I was just appalled at the lack of attractions and small size of the park. It was just insulting.

That's how I felt walking around the place.

Although I didn't feel too bad about it, because if I recall it was only about $35 to enter.