All kids love the idea of a theme park, but what becomes of those kids who have theme park challenged mums or dads?
When your kids find out that Disneyland is right here in Asia and start bugging you, its time to throw down the gauntlet and head to Hong Kong Disneyland. You will find that it is a far less painful experience for parents than expected.
Kids below ten are a good age for Disneyland. The theme park has plenty of rides to keep them happy, which is easy at that age as they are easily impressed and don’t need all the extra bells and whistles.
From the parents’ point of view, a holiday in Hong Kong makes up for a whole lot of theme park related hardship.
Here are some tips for visiting Hong Kong Disneyland with young kids:
Pick your day
If you don’t pick your day well you might end up at Hong Kong Disneyland on a public holiday. By late morning, many of the rides will have hour-long queues.
On a typical hot and busy public holiday you will be done and dusted by late afternoon. Due to the crowds you will be lucky to cover about half of the rides, one show and the parade.
Weekday mornings are quieter so aim for that, if you can. If you buy your tickets online you will be able to skip the queues at the ticket office.
If you are there for the whole shebang – shows, princess makeovers, character dining, fireworks and more, then you should probably buy the two-day ticket.
Plan ahead
Have a good overview of the site map and rides before you go. If there is a particular ride that is a must on your list, go there first. At opening time the rides are empty, so you can make the most of them without the queues.
If there are specific characters or shows that you want to see, check the schedule and try to build your day around those scheduled times.
While the parade is quite spectacular, it can be a lot for your little ones to wait for, especially in the summer heat. Not all the characters are in the parade, so check the schedule to see if all your favourite ones do appear, and if not, where and when they are scheduled to appear.
If your kids are looking for the princess makeover experience try Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, do remember to book this in advance.
Many little Disney goers come to the park already dressed up as princesses. This makes your job of finding the right train from Hong Kong station a breeze.
See the shows
The shows are indeed a feast of great performances, which also make for welcome air-conditioned respite from the summer heat. Your experience is like a mini-Broadway, with music and fantastic special effects.
Great for both kids and adults, but even more so for the adults considering the ticket prices for such shows elsewhere. If it’s a busy day go early and be sure to bring drinking water if it’s hot.
Use the fast passes
While there are only a few rides that take fast passes, it is worth it. Chose a designated time for the ride, grab the fast passes from machines outside the ride, and then head off for other things, assured that you can be back at your designated time able to enter and skip the queue.
Space Mountain, a popular thrilling roller coaster ride in the dark, is included in the fast pass system. There is a lot of information out there to make planning your trip easier.
Happy Go KL is the go-to site for families in the Klang Valley. Their content is written by parents for parents, so you know where to get out and about with your kids in KL and the surrounding region.