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Post by Brian5581 on Aug 7, 2023 12:31:53 GMT -5
Great trip report and avatar! That is a bucket list trip for me. I really want to do an all Asian Disney trip. Most definitely agreed. Ready when you are... |
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Post by PirateLinda on Aug 7, 2023 17:00:03 GMT -5
Great trip report and avatar! That is a bucket list trip for me. I really want to do an all Asian Disney trip. DH and I do too. It's on our bucket list after we both retire. |
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Post by Adelard of Bath on Aug 7, 2023 19:38:32 GMT -5
I've always said I would love to see Tokyo DisneySea, there's something about the pictures I see.
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Post by salmoneous on Aug 10, 2023 12:54:12 GMT -5
Sorry about the delay - jet lag from hell turned out to be viral infection from hell. Better now (fingers crossed)
The hotels? There are three. Disneyland Hotel = Grand Floridian. Most points / night. Slightly cheaper is the Explorers Lodge = Animal Kingdom Lodge without the Animals. And the Hollywood Hotel which I didn’t go in and isn’t a copy of a Disney World resort. Every cast member I met was super nice and spoke perfect English. All have beautiful grounds and gardens. Other than the lack of a beach, it felt like Hawaii. All three are on a sea wall on the South China Sea with views of the main city off in the distance. You can walk between them. HKDL would be a great place for kids in Hong Kong as they can run around and play safely. Downtown HK is amazing, but I’d be super nervous with kids. At HKDL, Grounds, hallways, room all feel extremely familiar. I spent most of my days exploring the more alien environments of Hong Kong and it sure felt nice coming “home” at night. Worth noting that there is zero mention of DVC anywhere. Don’t expect a “Welcome Home” or perks booklet or anything.
The resorts have the typical craft and pool activities for the kiddos. Most of the adult recreation - gym, tennis courts, spa, are at the Disneyland Hotel but are open to guests from all the hotels. Disneyland Hotel also has the only pool bar, which I might have mentioned was closed.
One thing to understand us that there is nothing else near the Disney resorts. No stores, no restaurants, not even the equivalent of a Hess Station. If you want anything, you are getting it from Disney or going on a trek. And the gift shops have extremely limited food/snack/sundry selections. There is a mini fridge in the room if you bring stuff in.
So what *is* in the gift shops: Duffy merchandise. Lots (and lots!) of Duffy merchandise. And all Duffy’s friends. I don’t get the whole Duffy thing, but they are way more popular in Asia than Mickey and the traditional characters. Instead of Mickey ears kids (and young women) walk around the park in Duffy ears.
To be cont.
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Post by tomandrobin on Aug 11, 2023 12:07:00 GMT -5
So what *is* in the gift shops: Duffy merchandise. Lots (and lots!) of Duffy merchandise. And all Duffy’s friends. I don’t get the whole Duffy thing, but they are way more popular in Asia than Mickey and the traditional characters. Instead of Mickey ears kids (and young women) walk around the park in Duffy ears. Duffy started in Japan and is widely embraced in the Asian Theme Parks. Ironically, the bear was originally created in 2002 for Once Upon a Toy shop at Disney Springs (Downtown Disney) for it opening. The Oriental Land Company (owners of the Tokyo Disney Parks) saw the bear and took the opportunity to market the Bear in Japan, with teddy bears already being popular. They gave the bear its name and created a backstory for its parks and the Duffy the Bear fandom was born.
Disney tried to import it back to the states but it never quite took off like in Asia.
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Post by sherrih on Aug 11, 2023 19:49:55 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing with us.
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Post by salmoneous on Aug 13, 2023 20:09:47 GMT -5
Sorry guys - just cannot shake whatever this virus is and get back to the trip report. I offer up a picture as penance. Attachments:Photo-min.pdf (104.23 KB)
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Post by tomandrobin on Aug 14, 2023 7:06:58 GMT -5
Immaculate landscaping.....so pleasing to the eye.
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Post by salmoneous on Aug 14, 2023 8:47:47 GMT -5
Continued
Food? The hotels all have several table service restaurants. The food’s probably pretty good, but $50-100 is outside my cheapo budget. My hotel - Explorer’s Lodge had a quick service place. Disneyland Hotel did not have quick service; not due about the third hotel. QS food wasn’t terrible, but not a whole lot of choices and everything was pricy. Scrambled eggs and Mickey waffles were over $20. Food in the park was terrible. Not just compared to US Disney terrible, but compared to Six Flags terrible. Compared to the county fair terrible. And few choices. And ungodly slow service for some reason. And, again, pricy. Burger and fries was over $20. (Actualky, for all I know that’s normal for US parks these days.) On the plus side, tons of tasty looking snacks everywhere.
What makes the food situation that much worse is we are in Hong Kong. Home of some of the greatest food and service anywhere in the world. From amazing hole in the wall food stands, street food, Michelin star restaurants, Hong Kong is overflowing with spectacular food options. If you are a foodie, go to Hong Kong. Just don’t eat much at HKDL.
A good reminder to me how much I enjoy DVC. Even a studio has enough to make breakfast and sandwiches for the park.
To be continued.
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Post by starofthenorth on Aug 14, 2023 11:59:00 GMT -5
By staying at one of the Disney resorts, would the experience provide a feeling of being inside the "Disney bubble"? If so, would imagine perhaps not on the scale of the onsite WDW bubble. Regardless, sounds like you would recommend making a trip into HK, if staying at a Disney resort? Thanks for sharing about your trip.
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