Calling all Arendellians...Arendelliates?...Arendelles'?...FANS OF ELSA!
Come with me as we embark on a journey to Hong Kong Disneyland and see the new World of Frozen! Read on for my take on the new Disney princess themed land, and my verdict if you too should add this new magic wonderland to your itinerary too!
(I seem to be starting a kind of annual - and expensive - tradition of going to Disneyland😁. Of course, the only people participating in this tradition are me, myself and my dwindling bank account. I would have posted this sooner but I did catch the Covid-19 virus after my trip and had to pack for my next trip. Stay tuned to that story!)
[This is, admittedly, an overdue post. A lot has been happening with juggling a full time internship and full-time postgraduate studies. Nevertheless I still had fun writing this whilst reliving the magic. Enjoy!!]
Scroll to the end for quick tips & important notes for your HK Disney trip.
On a whim, we booked a flight to Hong Kong for Dec 2023, mainly so that I can visit the new World of Frozen that opened on 20 November 2023. Opening on the same month when the first Frozen movie was released 10 years ago, World of Frozen brings the stories of Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and all their friends from Arendelle to life!
Original photo owned by Clarice Nicole Lee, taken by Clarice Nicole Lee HK Disneyland, 5 Dec 2023
There are many guides out there already on planning for a Hong Kong Disneyland trip so this is just a quick summary of my personal experience at World of Frozen and other Christmas related activities.
World of Frozen Highlights
Let's jump into the main highlights of this new themed land. Arendelle's beautiful castle sits across this peacful lake, I imagine Queen Anna is secretly watching her subjects from the castle walls while she goes about her royal duties 🤭. Though we did bump into her equally beautiful sister, Elsa, introducing us to her friends, The Trolls. And again near Frozen Ever After greeting the younger Arendellians.
Original photo owned by Clarice Nicole Lee, taken by Clarice Nicole Lee HK Disneyland, 5 Dec 2023
Original photo owned by Clarice Nicole Lee, taken by Clarice Nicole Lee HK Disneyland, 5 Dec 2023
The World of Frozen has two rides: Wandering Oakens Sliding Sleighs and the ever popular, Frozen Ever After. While Frozen Ever After made its first debut in Epcot at Walt Disney World, this is the first time we're seeing Wandering Oaken's Sliding Sleighs so we had to ride that first! Wandering Oakens Sliding Sleighs is a roller coaster but not the level of Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain (or any of the mountains); it's more of a kid-friendly coaster with no big drops or intense turns.
Original photo owned by Clarice Nicole Lee, taken by Clarice Nicole Lee HK Disneyland, 5 Dec 2023
The queuing area delivered the most for me, theming wise. It was so interactive, there was so many details to take in - the trolls carved into a totem pole, Oaken himself in the sauna greeting us with his classic "Yoohoo" (not pictured), Kristoff's workstation where we can see his detailed designs for different sleighs.
Wandering Oaken's Sliding Sleighs. Photo owned by Hong Kong Disneyland (retrieved 10 May 2024)
As a Disney adult who does not particularly enjoy fast rides, this lil' coaster was the perfect balance of speed, fun and absolute terror (jk). The entire ride was less than a minute which is pretty short for a coaster, I thought I was gonna be zipping around a bit more. All in all, it was a great ride ; if you can handle the speed of Test Track, you'll be fine here.
Yummy Eats
Of course I can't finish this article without talking about the food. We had a few great eats and a few not-so-great meals, you can check out my reel at the link down below, summarising all the food I tried in our one-day trip in Hong Kong Disneyland.
Here are my top 3 favourites:
Original photo owned by Clarice Nicole Lee, taken by Clarice Nicole Lee HK Disneyland, 5 Dec 2023
Olaf Celebration Cake (55HKD) from Northern Delights
This was delightfully summery and such a happy dessert thanks to the lil chocolate Olaf which sits atop a moist carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. This cake earned the Asian platinum-level compliment: "not too sweet".
Though it was a little pricey, I noticed that food in World of Frozen was pricier than the rest of the park. The Golden Crocus Inn, the quick service restaurant in WoF was out of budget for me but reviews of the food have been good so far.
Original photo owned by Clarice Nicole Lee, taken by Clarice Nicole Lee HK Disneyland, 5 Dec 2023
Special Mention: Olaf Soft Serve Cone (65HKD)
The other exclusive treat in Northern Delights is the Olaf Soft Serve Cone. This is a vanilla soft serve with an adorable Olaf....i wanna say marshmallow on the front with two chocolate stick arms. This was refreshing for a hot December morning. But the cake was more up my alley than the cone.
Original photo owned by Clarice Nicole Lee, taken by Clarice Nicole Lee HK Disneyland, 5 Dec 2023
Giant Mickey Waffle (90HKD, comes with a drink) from Main Street Market
Can you really say you went to Disneyland if you didn't eat something Mickey-shaped? This was a great breakfast item, comes with a side of fruit, strawberry sauce and some kind of creamy custard. The price I paid was for the combo that includes a bottled drink of your choice. Waffle was the standard flavour and texture consistent throughout the US and Japan parks, thankfully.
Original photo owned by Clarice Nicole Lee, taken by Clarice Nicole Lee HK Disneyland, 5 Dec 2023
Baked Pork Chop Rice (155HKD) from the Royal Banquet Hall
This was a hearty meal, shareable for 2 if you are a small eater. Flavour of the sauce and cheese was decent, the rice wasn't too hard and pork not too dry or tough. Though I wished they gave more vegetables. Royal Banquet Hall is the largest quick service (cafeteria style) restaurant in HKDL with a good variety of cuisines available at a more reasonable price range.
Unfortunately, HKDL food for me ranks the lowest of the 3 Disney Resorts & Parks I've visited so far, with Tokyo Disney Resort still topping the charts.
Santa Mickey Meet & Greet
I could not leave Disneyland without giving my favourite mouse boss a big hug! I did this just before rope drop when I noticed a big green sign for a character greeting with Santa Mickey! I missed out the chance to see Mickey in his holiday costume back in Magic Kingdom in 2022 so I rushed to the line this time around. He was so sweet and adorable! Literally redirected my family whom were already making a beeline to the castle, to go meet Mickey 😁.
Original photo owned by Clarice Nicole Lee, taken by Disney Photopass HK Disneyland, 5 Dec 2023
(One girl had a santa Mickey plushie and she was taking a photo of it with the sign haha)
Original photo owned by Clarice Nicole Lee, taken by Disney Photopass HK Disneyland, 5 Dec 2023
Disney Photopass
Also, my family and I had decided to give Photopass a try during this trip, hence the pretty themed borders around the photo. TLDR: There aren't as many character greeting spots as I initially thought so we went for quantity over variety; granted I didn't take as many rides so I didn't have the in-ride photos. We met an amazing cast member-photopass photographer who was stationed in front of the castle and we got so many amazing shots! But I would still give this paid add-on a miss when in HK Disneyland, until they add more phototaking opportunities.
We paid 398HKD (~69SGD) for the 1 day package with unlimited downloads of all the photos you've taken that day. You can get started with your photopass by approaching any photographer and have your picture taken, they'll give you a card that will store your photos. You can use the same card to continue tapping as you take more pictures. Once you're ready, you can head to any of these locations to purchase your photopass package:
Kingdom Gifts ay Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel
Celebrity Gifts at Disney’s Hollywood Hotel
The Trading Post at Disney Explorers Lodge
You will need to create a separate Disney Photopass account at this website to view and download your purchased photos. (Yes, it's a different account from the normal account linked to the park app.)
Original photo owned by Clarice Nicole Lee, taken by Disney Photopass HK Disneyland, 5 Dec 2023
To end off, here's a quick list of advice for your next HK Disney trip planning:
Tips for your HK Disneyland Vacation
Avoid visiting during peak periods like the Golden Week, Lunar New Year or any major Chinese holiday. Tickets to the parks are tiered based on peak/non-peak times throughout the week so some days are cheaper than others.
Download the Hong Kong Disneyland app for an easier/smoother experience.
!IMPORTANT! The Disney account you use for the HK Disneyland app is NOT the same account for the Japan or US parks. I tried logging in with my existing Disney account details only to be prompted to create a new one. This was really strange because normally ShopDisney, Walt Disney World Resort, California Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Resort can be accessed through the same Disney account, so we were quite surprised.
Character greetings are a little different in the Asia parks, I didn't really see kids asking characters for autographs which was a little bit of a bummer. The character greetings weren't as interactive and organised than the US parks. There also aren't as many character greetings in Hong Kong Disneyland. (will get into detail about the Tokyo Disney parks character greeting experience in a separate article)
Bring your own water bottles, water fountains/refill stations are available around the park- (usually near the restrooms). Save on the disposable plastic!!
No tripods and selfie sticks are not allowed, as per usual.
Hong Kong Disneyland, though the smallest park amongst its international counterparts, still packs a punch with its Disney magic and being closer to home, it's definitely easier to access for us Disney adults residing in Asia. Can it fully replicate the wonder and fantasy of Disney World? Maybe not, it's pretty hard to beat the biggest Disney park. But it's still a great option for first time Disney park goers to dip your toes into a Disneyland experience and definitely easier for parents with children to manage just cause it's a smaller land space. Nonetheless I had a great time experiencing a new land opening - the last new land I had visited was Star Wars Galaxy's Edge in Hollywood Studios back in 2019. Well, that's all folks and with that....
See ya real soon friends!
And remember your daily scoop of pixie dust! ✨
Kommentit