What's Hong Kong without Disneyland? Hong Kong Disneyland is the closest Disneyland to Singapore and is a must-go for families with young children. Even for adults, you'll find yourselves at the happiest place on earth, with the vibrant colourful architecture and many character mascots.
And the best way to enjoy Disneyland is to STAY there!
There are three hotels at Hong Kong Disneyland: the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, Disney's Hollywood Hotel, and the newest addition - the Disney Explorers Lodge.
Why stay at Disneyland hotels?
Before you book your trip to Disneyland, you may be wondering if it is necessary to stay at Disneyland hotels? What are the perks and advantages of staying in Disneyland hotels? What are the alternative options aside from the Disneyland hotels?
1. The proximity to Disneyland
The nearest hotel to Disneyland is a good 20 minutes by car, and 40 minutes plus walking by public transport. Otherwise, getting to Disneyland from popular Tsim Sha Tsui or Hong Kong island takes a good hour or so. You'll want to be able to enjoy the park without worrying about getting TO and BACK from the park!
Place for naps for young children!
Firstly, even though Hong Kong Disneyland is not as big as the other Disney resorts like Disneyworld, bringing children and heading around the park can be exhausting. Not to mention the afternoon naps the younger children require. Do you then want to let them sleep in the prams under the hot sun?
One day may not be enough!
Furthermore, although it is quite possible for young adults to complete the park in a day, the same may not necessarily be the case for families with young children. Many families head to Disneyland and the kiddy rides often have long queues. Besides that, even though you may be able to queue for 30 minutes or so, it may be quite frustrating for an active kid to stand and even stay in line for extended periods of time. As such, you may need to space out the queuing process.
2. Priority Pass Perks
For Disneyland hotel guests, you'll get a priority pass to up to 4 attractions (dependent on your room type) from a selection of 8 attractions, including the newest Iron Man Experience. This means that you can cut down the waiting time for these queues! For those staying in the higher tier of rooms, you'll also get seat reservations to shows!
3. Designated Park Entry
Though this may not seem like much, but again it saves you the trouble to queue with the rest of the eager patrons of the park in the early morning!
4. Stay till late and avoid the crowds!
This is my absolute favourite! Staying all the way till the park closing fireworks and the night parade can be a chore. Especially when you've started your day really early, travelling TO the park. Staying at the resort means that you can retreat to your rooms for a rest before you head back to enjoy the fireworks. After the fireworks and night parade, you can then hop on the complimentary shuttle that brings you to your respective hotels!
I remember that our decision to stay at a Disneyland hotel in Paris was lifesaver! Because the night fireworks was at 11pm! Can you imagine the horrors to navigate back to your hotel at such a late timing in a foreign land??
5. Proximity to the airport
10-minutes by car from the airport! I also like to put my Disneyland experience either as the FIRST or LAST stop when visiting Hong Kong. This saves me the trouble of heading all the way to downtown and back again. Don't worry also for your bags because you can leave them at the resort while you enjoy all the rides and shows in Disneyland!
6. Great for Families
An additional advantage is that Disneyland Hotels are designed to be family-friendly. When travelling in a group of four, you may sometimes face difficulties of splitting rooms but in the Disneyland resorts, you can all share a room of four! :) Baby and kids amenities are also available for families with young children visiting Disneyland. Plus, there's story time to keep your children busy even after the park closing hours.
There are also various character experience that you can enjoy without having to "fight" or "queue" as part of being the privileged few who stay in the hotel!
The Experience - Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel
PLUS, enjoy the full magical experience in Disneyland! I would say, even though the Disneyland hotels are a tad more expensive that the hotels downtown, you can't visit without having the full package!
The first thing that will greet you is the majestic and posh-looking lobby area.
Right outside the lobby, you'll can heading into the maze and have a fun time catching one another and solving the puzzle to find your way out!
Other amenities include the indoor and outdoor pools. The indoor pool is great for those who are visiting during the cooler months, or those who want to get some exercise without having a tan! The outdoor pool features a slide and children's pool!
After your swim, retreat to an almost private jacuzzi and sauna room. It is not exactly private but look at the crowd - there were none!
The Room - Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel
The rooms were victorian-theme and we even got a balcony overlooking the sea! There was a lot of space in the room for children to roam about at night. Two double beds were in the room, great for a family of 4!
The Food at Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel
For our dinner, we enjoyed the buffet dinner at Mickey's Cafe at the Hollywood Hotel. It was an amazing feast and it was easy to get there by the resort's shuttle buses that allow you to explore the other resort even if you're not staying there! There is also a Chinese restaurant at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel that serves dim sum in various Disney characters!
You can also purchase the Plaza Inn (Chinese restaurant located in the park) lunch and dinner set for SGD 39.40. This is a really good deal because you settle BOTH meals for just under $40! You can purchase the tickets here, with a minimum of two travellers.
It was a restful stay and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly in the park, as well as the hotel! We can't wait to try out the new hotel the next time we visit! :)
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