Monday 28 October 2013

[Day 1] Weekend Getaway To Hong Kong Disneyland

[Hong Kong Disneyland - Disney's Hollywood Hotel]
Our recent trip to Hong Kong Disneyland during September school break was rather an impromptu decision but we did have a wonderful weekend there. And since it was our first visit plus free and easy trip in Hong Kong I was feeling rather insecure with things like our baggage and moving around in Hong Kong from one place to another.

But thanks God, everything went on smooth and it is much easier than what I have expected to explore Hong Kong with its efficient transport systems like Taxi, Airport Express and MTR and etc. So in my Hong Kong Travelogue posts I will share with you our itinerary to the Magical Disneyland together with transport, food and hotel details throughout the subsequent post which I hope it will help to ease your planning if you are heading there soon.


Waking up at around 3.00am in the morning is no joke as we need to reach the Singapore International Airport before 4.30am to do our check-in and catch the earliest plane to Hong Kong Disneyland. And I still remember vividly before we left the house it was raining heavily so we decided to drive to the airport instead of taking a cab which will be difficult at that hour with raining weather.

Moreover the mid-night charges plus airport surcharge to and back from our trip will cost much more than parking our car in the airport.

Note:
For your information parking charges at Changi Airport is cap at SG$20.00 max per day for car, so it's still quite worth for us to leave the car there for 3 days which cost only SG$60.00 when we returned on Sunday).

[Singapore Changi Airport] United Airline - UA896
Honestly this is the earliest check-in time we have ever encountered but thanks God we managed to be in time for the baggage check-in plus boarding.

[United Airlines] Interior View Of Economy Cabin
United Airlines has two different type of Economy cabin seats with Economy Plus offering up to 5 inches of additional legroom at a slightly higher price. And like most In-Flight Entertainment, United Airlines also offers a variety of entertainment options including audio selections, television programming and movie selections on board too.

[United Airlines] Window Seats View
Although there was a beautiful sun rise that morning but due to the direction that we were seated I could not get a good shot of the view. So above is the best shot that I could get from our side  window view.

[United Airlines] In-Flight Breakfast Menu
Breakfast was served an hour plus after the plan took off with two choices such as:- Asian-style Chicken Noodles or Omelette With Chicken Sausage. Each set is served together with fresh cut fruits, apple danish bread and coffee/tea.

Overall their In-Flight food still tastes quite edible but just as we expected their western choice is more worth trying than the Asian. And go for the tea instead of coffee which is just too dilute without the usual coffee aroma and taste.

Hong Kong International Airport
The flight journey takes about 3 hours 50 minutes and we finally touch down safely at Hong Kong International Airport, Terminal 1.

[STAY CONNECT] Just a quick note there is FREE WiFi service available in both Terminal 1 and 2 at Hong Kong International Airport. So if you wish to send a text message thru WhatsApp / LINE, check email or goggle for some information, you can tap on to their WiFi network @ #HKAirport Free WiFi under your phone setting option.

[Hong Kong International Airport]  Automated People Mover
Upon arrival at Terminal 1, Hong Kong International Airport, we follow the sign showing "Immigration / Baggage Reclaim" to board the Automated People Mover (游客捷运系统) train to the Immigration counters. It's pretty easy to follow as they have clear instruction sign board written in both English and Chinese Characters and it takes about 5 - 7 minutes from the arrival gate to the immigration counters.

[Hong Kong International Airport] Maxim Bakery
After clearing the immigration and pick up our baggage (about 15 minutes), we walk around the airport to grab some snacks and drinks as well as searching for the mobile shops at level 7 for our local Hong Kong 3G SIM. And on the way I am so happy to spot my favourite Bo Lou Bun with Butter (经典菠蘿油) for HK$8 (SG$1.30)  as well as Egg Tarts from Maxim's Bakery.

[Hong Kong International Airport] Mobile Shops @ Level 7 (Departure Level)
[Hong Kong International Airport] Prepaid SIM Card from 3 (Three)
[STAY CONNECT] If you are like us who wants to stay connect via the mobile network with friends and family back home during the holiday trip. You can easily do so by purchasing their International Roaming Prepaid SIM Card from one of the mobile shops (ToTo or 3-Three) which are located at Level 7 (Departure Level) .

 It seems like most of the tourists are queuing at ToTo counter but as we were rushing for time, we just go for the shorter queue (less than 5 person) over at 3 - Three (3香港). We bought the 3 Days Prepaid SIM Card for HK$98 (SG$16.00) which is a good steal for us as I can share my network access with my boy's iPad using "Hotspot" function too :p

Note:
~ Overall we are happy with the network service from Three (3香港) and so far throughout the 3 days their network access is also pretty fast for browsing, uploading and sending of photos and emails too.

From the airport we decided to take a taxi to Disneyland and basically there are three different coloured taxi that operate at different area in Hong Kong (read more about the pricing and destination served here). But with both Airport and Disneyland located on Lantau Island you can board either green or red colored taxi which will brings you to Disneyland in less than 15 minutes from Hong Kong International Airport at about HK$105 (SG$17).

Alternatively if you have lighter baggage, you might want to consider taking their MTR Tung Chung line to Sunny Bay Station, then change to Disney Themed Train to Disneyland Resort Station. But as compared, taking taxi will be much cheaper for us (family of 3) if based on the fare shown above and also it stops directly outside the hotel itself too.

Tips:
~ If you are planning to move around Hong Kong using their MTR, here is their MRT Journey Planner site which is very useful for you to calculate the transport fare plus journey time (refer to the Airport to Disneyland sample above).

[Disney's Hollywood Hotel]
Our dreams finally came true when we arrived at Disney's Hollywood Hotel after about 15 minutes from Hong Kong International Airport by taxi. The furnishing of the hotel with mickey logo and baby blue colour definitely brighten up our day with excitement as we were all eager to explore more about it upon check-in.

[Disney's Hollywood Hotel] Lobby Front Desk
[Disney's Hollywood Hotel] Mickey Themed Lift
The check-in procedure was rather fast on Friday noon and we managed to get into our room in less than 10 minutes of waiting time.

[Disney's Hollywood Hotel] Our Room At Level 8
Here! We present you our Disney themed room with Sea View at Level 8! The room is pretty spacious and it can accommodate up to a family of four per room with basic room facilities like TV, Safe Box, Mini Fridge and etc shown in the photos below.

[Disney's Hollywood Hotel] Panorama View From Our Hotel Room
A short clips of our room view which I shared over at @cuisineparadise Instagram (here) if you cannot view it from the above.

[Disney's Hollywood Hotel] Bathroom Facilities
[Disney's Hollywood Hotel] Some Mickey Themed Toiletries
I am very particular when it comes to hotel toilet whenever I go for holiday and this one in Disney's Hollywood is pretty good with neat and clean Mickey themed toiletries, towels and etc which makes you feel comfort and ease.

[Disney's Hollywood Hotel] Complimentary Room Slipper
Base on our room reservation, the hotel also arrange different sizes of Mickey room slippers for our family and this is also my first time seeing kid's size room slipper too. Agrrr.... should have bring it back as a memory souvenir.

[Disney's Hollywood Hotel] Room Facilities
In-Room phone that you can call and request for different guest services plus note and letter pad for guest to use. My boy did send home two letters using the hotel bell service which you just need to pay them the postage fees (HK$3 - SG$0.50; from HK to SG) and they will handle the mail on your behalf.

[Disney's Hollywood Hotel] Room Facilities
Besides the above, the room also equipped with Flat-screen LCD, Electric Kettle, Coffee/Tea, Mini Fridge and In-room safe. There is also an ice-bucket for you to re-fill complimentary ice cubes (look for the ice and vending machine) from the pantry near the lift area on each floor.

You can read more about the hotel facilities and restaurants on another separate post on Disney's Hollywood Hotel here

Disney's Hollywood Hotel
Hong Kong Disneyland
Lantau Island
Hong Kong
Telephone: +852 3510-5000
Website: Official Website


Itinerary for 3D2N Hong Kong Disneyland (2013) travelogue are as follow:-
~ [Day 1] Weekend Getaway To Hong Kong Disneyland
~ [Day 1] Lunch at Crystal Lotus (晶荷轩), Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel
~ [Day 1] Exploring Hong Kong Disneyland - Part I plus Short Clip on Firework
~ Disney's Hollywood Hotel (香港迪士尼乐园酒店)
~ [Day 2] Breakfast Plus Meet-and- Greet with Disney Characters at Enchanted Garden (翠乐庭餐厅)
~ [Day 2] Exploring Hong Kong Disneyland - Part II
~ [Day 2] Dinner at Walt's Cafe (华特餐厅), Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel
~ [Day 3] Buffet Breakfast at Chef Mickey (米奇厨师餐厅), Disney's Hollywood Hotel
~ [Day 3] Taking Disneyland Train to Hong Kong Station for In-Town Check-in via Hong Kong Airport Express
~ [Day 3] Visiting The Peak, Hong Kong
~ Dim Sum Lunch at Tim Ho Wan (添好運)

* Disclosure: Hong Kong Disneyland Magical Experience was partially sponsored by Hong Kong Disneyland. No monetary compensation was received, and all opinions are on our own.

16 comments:

  1. I was planning to visit Hong Kong and was thinking would it be difficult to travel around, alone?

    HK Disneyland is one of my dream places to go! It seems so magical and your post has helped me understand better about travelling Free and Easy in HK. :) Looking forward to your subsequent posts!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Yun,

      I was having the same thought as you before we went over but after to be frank their transport systems to get around was pretty easy and straight forward plus their people are friendly to guide you too.

      Hope you can find some useful tips through the rest of the post for your Hong Kong trip :)

      Delete
  2. So detailed and I love all your photos. Too bad, I think will not be able to read all your posts before my trip. Hehe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yoooo I am sure you will enjoy your stay over at Hong Kong and the magical Disneyland :)

      Delete
  3. Looks so fun! especially your boy was smiling so happily :) would love to try the po lo bun too

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Li Tian! How I wish we could flying over to Tokyo this winter again!!

      Delete
    2. Haha..but it will be so cold and I dread winter the most :P but anyway, do let me know if u r coming anytime! btw, I've read ur other Disneyland posts and looked so exciting! Was the queue for HK Disneyland very long?

      Delete
  4. By far the most helpful blog about HK Disneyland! :) The room is adorable! How much did the room cost you? :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Liz, Thanks for your kind words. The room rate for Disney's Hollywood Hotel that we stay, Sea View is around HK$2100 (SG$330++) per day.

      Delete
  5. caroline lee14/6/14 7:12 pm

    Is united airline okay? Is definitely cheaper compare to others normal flight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Caroline,

      Sorry for the late reply. Emmm personally I don't really prefer UA if there is other alternative. service and food wise not to our expectation.

      Delete
  6. I really love your very detailed HongKong Disneyland trip. I'm saving all of these for our disneyland trip next week. Thank you very much!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cathy,

      Thanks for your kind words. Hope you and your family have a great time at Disneyland.

      Delete
  7. Hi there.. U mentioned united airlines.. How is the baggage weight like? Do we hav to purchase separately or comes together?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Gillian, the economy tickets that we hold comes with a 20kg baggage weigh for each passenger :)

      Delete
  8. Hi gillian here.. Sorry abt the previous msg without my name..

    ReplyDelete

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