http://sparklette.net/travel/china/hong-kong-disneyland/ http://sparklette.net/travel/china/hong-kong-disneyland/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:00:41 +0000 Veron Ang http://sparklette.net/?p=1288 I can’t think of a better way to start off this series of posts than stating the fact that I love Disneyland! It doesn’t matter how old or how young you are. Being in a Disneyland theme park is always such a… magical experience.

Those of you who have been following Sparklette on Facebook and Twitter would have seen me micro-blogging from Hong Kong Disneyland. This isn’t my first Disneyland visit (I went to Tokyo Disneyland before) but it’s my first trip to Hong Kong Disneyland. Amazing experience nonetheless!

I’m excited to be sharing more photos and videos from the happiest place on earth and hope these would make you happy too.

Getting to Hong Kong Disneyland by MTR

If you are going to Hong Kong Disneyland from the Hong Kong International Airport, the easiest (and cheapest) way is by cab. But if you decide to commute by Mass Transit Railway (MTR), you get to hop into this cute Mickey Mouse themed train!

How often does one get to ride in a cute train like this?

Apart from the windows, the handle bars are made in the shape of Mickey’s head too! There are also glass capsules containing bronze sculptures of Disney characters on display within the carriages.

Finally, we arrive at Hong Kong Disneyland!

Better get your admission passes ready.

Toy Story Land, the newest “land” in Hong Kong Disneyland (as of 2012) opened in November 2011. That is probably why the tickets feature Toy Story characters. I’m especially thrilled because the Toy Story films are my favourite Disney/Pixar movies, and the characters feature quite heavily throughout various attractions in the park. Plus, you can keep these passes as souvenirs afterwards.

Here it is, the Disney Train Station and the iconic Mickey Mouse head made out of colourful flowers and plants!

And we’re in!

Flights of Fantasy Parade

One of the best highlights at Hong Kong Disneyland is the Flights of Fantasy Parade. You should get there about 15 minutes in advance to secure a good viewing spot along Main Street USA.

So it begins!

The Disneyland Band

Dumbo

The parade includes seven elaborate floats and various Disney characters such as:

• Mickey and friends
• Dumbo
• Winnie the Pooh
• Snow White
• Cinderella
• Belle
• Simba
• Tinkerbell
• Stitch
• Woody & Buzz Lightyear

That’s Mickey’s Magical Airship! Can you spot your favourite Disney characters?

The Romance Takes Wing float is such a looker with the gorgeous Disney princesses! Who’s the fairest of them all?

Probably the largest float of all is the Jumpin’ Jungle Jam float. I’m ashamed to admit that I actually don’t know most of the characters on it.

It’s not just about the floats though; there is also music, the Disneyland Band, dancing, acrobatics and various performers coming together to put up a continuously entertaining parade. Don’t just take my word for it though; watch these videos I recorded to get a feel of this one-of-a-kind experience!

My favourite float has got to be To Infinity and Beyond, featuring — who else — the Toy Story characters! It’s so cool to see the female version of the Buzz Lightyear costume, and of course Buzz Lightyear himself, along with Woody, Rex, Hamm and even the army guys (not so plastic in real life)! They are such fun, as you would see in this video:

Main Street USA

One of the attractions that I have very much been looking forward to seeing at Hong Kong Disneyland is Main Street USA, designed to resemble an early 20th-century Midwest town.

Why don’t we have such nice houses here in Singapore?

The beautiful houses and shops lining the street from end to end make you feel as though you’re in a different place and time!

Every tiny detail such as the pastel colours of the façades, the names painted in the windows, and the fonts used on the signs are a work of art.

I can’t get enough of how pretty the sweets shop looks. I love the baby pink and blue shades, the deep red awning and the large sweet displayed at the side of the store entrance.

Even the vehicles at Main Street USA are so unique. You can hop onto turn-of-the-century vehicles like an old-style double-decker bus or an automobile that will take you to other areas of the park.

A Mickey Mouse waffle for you? We get to eat loads of it at the various Disney restaurants afterwards. Topped with chocolate sauce, no less!

Fantasyland

Finally, here is the Sleeping Beauty Castle! You can see its multiple blue-roofed turrets from afar, juxtaposed against the mountains in the background.

The gold swirls that glisten under sunlight are pixie dust, decorated by Tinkerbell.

Here’s a picture of the castle from the other side. Photo bugs tend to get only the frontal shot, whilst the back of the castle is neglected. Even with the medieval look, it still looks so pretty in pink!

Recognise which film this bronze statue of Mickey comes from?

The Cinderella Carousel is just gorgeous.

I took the colourful It’s a Small World ride in Tokyo previously and recorded some videos during the ride. You can check out my Tokyo Disneyland post to see what it’s like. Basically it has a lot of happy music and tiny people throughout.

Apart from rides, there are quite a number of entertainment shows and even a 4D movie that you can sit in to watch with special glasses.

The Golden Mickeys show

The Golden Mickeys is a musical/theatre show played live on the stage. Disney characters and dancers in character costumes perform songs from these films:

• Toy Story
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame
• Tarzan
• Mulan
• Lilo and Stitch
• The Little Mermaid
• Beauty and the Beast

It even thrills you at times with aerial acrobatics, martial arts and good looking cast members.

The whole show has me hooked from the beginning to the end, but my favourite part is again the Toy Story segment. It features the cheery You’ve Got a Friend in Me (a song which I love to bits) from the movie soundtrack. Check it out in the video below. Plus, ever wonder what Mickey will sound like when he speaks in Cantonese? You can hear him at the beginning of the video. I have no idea what he says though!

Love this show!

When it’s time for the Disney in the Stars fireworks at night, that’s when you truly get to see how many visitors there are at Hong Kong Disneyland. It’s like going to Chinatown on Chinese New Year. Everyone in the park is gathered at the front of the castle to catch the colourful fireworks.

Credit

And what a massive show it is. The fireworks last for the whole of 12 minutes! Very impressive. You can hardly ever get tired of fireworks regardless of how many times you’ve seen them. The fact that it all takes place at a fairy tale castle just makes it that much more magical.

If you can’t get enough of the castle, various replicas of it are available at the merchandise shops. One in particular, is made of jewels and diamonds!

Fit for royalty

Stay tuned for Part 2 for more photos and videos of Hong Kong Disneyland! Thrill rides and the new Toy Story Land are coming up next!

---

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/travel/china/hong-kong-disneyland/ | 2 comments

Like on Facebook | Follow on Twitter | Download free iPhone app

© 2011 Sparklette.net

]]> 2

While this isn’t my first visit to Disneyland — I went to Tokyo Disneyland previously — being in the world of Disney is always one heck of an amazing experience. This is one of those places that should be on anyone’s bucket list.

One perk that we will have this time round over the last Tokyo Disneyland visit is the cool weather in Hong Kong, which will definitely make the trip far more enjoyable compared to the 40C summer heat in Japan.

Sleeping Beauty castle at Hong Kong Disneyland (Credit)

The newest attraction of Hong Kong Disneyland is Toy Story Land that just opened in November 2011. The land is themed after the excellent Disney/Pixar Toy Story film series, and will house thrill rides such as the Toy Soldier Parachute Drop, a ride that dangles people 25 metres above ground then drops them like they’re parachuting.

I can’t wait to:

• See the Disney characters come to life (as long as they don’t fall like one particular Care Bear).
• Indulge in some Disney-themed food, like dim sum or Mickey Mouse-shaped waffles.
• Stay at Disney’s Hollywood Hotel.
• Take all the rides I can handle, such as the RC Racer, a horseshoe-shaped roller-coaster ride that reaches up 27 metres.
• Check out the interesting buildings along Main Street USA, designed to resemble an early 20th-century Midwest town.
• Watch the fireworks at the Sleeping Beauty castle.
• Share the experience virtually with you.

Did I miss out on anything? Please feel free to share any tips on Disneyland or Hong Kong in general in the comments section!

I’ll be updating on Facebook and Twitter with photos and snippets of our Hong Kong Disneyland experience. So be sure to check over there for all the colourful Disney updates from Hong Kong!

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/travel/china/hong-kong-disneyland-trip/ | 4 comments

Like on Facebook | Follow on Twitter | Download free iPhone app

© 2011 Sparklette.net

Credit

Credit

Very impressively, the builders and designers have taken care to include various details from the movie, such as the mailbox, framed photographs of Carl and Ellie hanging on the walls and that glass jar with “Paradise Falls” written on it.

Credit

This, along with the Harry Potter theme park, would be one great addition to any movie buff’s list of film-inspired places to visit.

Credit

When completed, the 2,800 square foot house will be sold for a cool $400,000, which amazingly is still cheaper than the average public housing (3-bedroom apartment) in Singapore. Personally, I would love to see it remain as a mini museum that pays tribute to a brilliant film.

Video tour

Take these video tours to see the furniture and furnishings inside the Up house.

Flying Up house

This isn’t the first time the colourful house has been built in real life. National Geographic successfully launched a lovely replica up into the air with a cluster of 300 weather balloons! It flew for an hour, reaching an altitude of over 10,000 feet.

This is filmed for the network’s new series called How Hard Can it Be?. Check out these photographs to see how they achieved this incredible feat.

The people in the floating house are the balloon pilots. They managed to launch and land it!

Tell me, didn’t that just make you smile? :)

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/travel/usa/disney-pixar-up-house/ | 8 comments

Like on Facebook | Follow on Twitter | Download free iPhone app

© 2011 Sparklette.net

So when I checked out the newly revamped Anchorpoint shopping mall, I was ecstatic to find Disney Naturally, a Disney-themed restaurant. And what a rare find it was! According to the staff, this is the first Disney-themed eatery outside of Disneyland! Given how commercially successful Disney is, that is certainly a surprise.

Of course, everything here is decked out in the full flavours of Disney. Life-sized statues of Mickey, Donald and Goofy greet visitors at the entrance of this 1,400 square foot restaurant. Don’t forget to wash your hands at the giant Mickey’s hand wash basin before dining!

All the chairs here are baby blue and shaped like Mickey’s head. Cute! And the Mickey-shaped things here are not limited to just the chairs.

Minnie’s Secret
S$15.90+
Rating:

The pizzas are Mickey-shaped too! 6 different kinds of pizza dominate the rather small menu. I can’t resist listing down their names so here they are:
- Mickey’s Classic
- Daisy’s Garden
- Donald’s Legend
- Minnie’s Secret
- Pete’s Pan
- Pino’s Fancy

We share a Minnie’s Secret which was just about right for two not-so-hungry people. It comes with toppings of cajun chicken, tomato and mushroom. While the taste isn’t exactly that memorable, what is unique about it (other than its distinctive shape) is that spinach bits have been sneakily hidden in its crust! It’s a healthful treat especially suitable for people that dislike vegetables. In fact, I didn’t even realise there was spinach until I read the menu more carefully!

Despite the small menu, it is certainly packed with healthful goodness! Colourful little square booklets at every table serve to inform diners about the nutritional value of all menu items.

Prince Charming’s Kiss (pink) & Goofy’s Favorite (red)
S$5.50 each+
Rating:

For drinks, options include the usual juices and cuppas, as well as icy fruit blends. I think most people would go for the fruit blends which, again, sport very colourful names:
- Goofy’s Favorite
- Winnie’s Rainforest
- Prince Charming’s Kiss
- Mermaid’s Whisper
- Fairy Godmother’s Magic
- Pluto’s Pick

Goofy’s Favorite is a red-coloured blend of apple, orange, blueberry and cranberry that tastes very refreshing. Prince Charming’s Kiss, a sweet pink-coloured blend of strawberry and mango fails to charm. There’s just too much of the chunky ice shavings!

That said, these fruit blends have no sugar added, and stands true to Disney Naturally’s philosophy of promoting healthy eating.

Fun activity: Try making a guy order the Prince Charming’s Kiss. Sure, the drink itself isn’t impressive, but the ordering process would be so worth it!

While enjoying a cute Disney-themed meal, you can also watch movies at the same time! Popular titles include Finding Nemo and even the more recent Ratatouille.

The movie schedule is displayed at the storefront. I think it changes weekly so be sure to call them up and find out what movie is playing before heading down!

To keep children busy while waiting for their food, game sheets are available at every table that allow them to engage in some fun activities such as crossword puzzles and quizzes. There are also Mickey-shaped computer terminals for children to surf the Disney website and play Disney games. Man, these guys think of everything!

One thing to note: if you are going there with your children, you may be forced to buy a pre-paid card at one counter, top it up with cash on top of a $2 deposit, then proceed to order and pay for your food at another counter. At the end of the visit, you can choose to keep the card for the next visit, or get your refund back at the first counter.

It’s all quite a hassle and the purpose is to educate kids on @#$!&#!. I don’t quite remember; the guy lost me at the $2 deposit. In the end, we found out that since we didn’t go there with kids, we could do away with all the hassle and just pay with good ol’ cash.

Little hassles aside, this is a fun place to visit for everyone, and not just families with children. It provides a nice little Disney experience outside of Disneyland. Perhaps, having Disney characters walking around the restaurant or sitting down with diners would make it even more memorable!

Disney Naturally ( Halal certified)
Anchorpoint
370 Alexandra Road
#01-05/06 Singapore 159953
Tel: +65 6479 2823
Service:

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/food/disney-naturally/ | 22 comments

Like on Facebook | Follow on Twitter | Download free iPhone app

© 2011 Sparklette.net

Youtube link

Here’s a video of the parade with colourful moving floats and characters such as Snow White and Beauty and the Beast.

After walking through the World Bazaar, we came upon the highlight of Disneyland. This castle forms the centrepiece of the entire Disneyland park. It’s really big and tall! You can see the castle from most places in the park.

Ahhh! I was expecting more castles though, like Snow White’s castle, Sleeping Beauty’s castle, Beauty and the Beast’s castle. But as it turned out, this was the only castle we saw in Disneyland.

Beyond the World Bazaar, the park is divided into 6 areas — Adventureland, Westernland, Critter Country, Fantasyland, Toontown and Tomorrowland. We had a chance to explore the entire park and take rides in each of the 6 areas!

Alice in Wonderland!

Castle Carousel! I had a really hard time climbing and stumbling onto a horse. Of all horses (there were 90 of them) I picked the one that was mounted the highest! It was like 1.5 metres high!

Sprinkled around the park were numerous gift carts selling hair bands, hair clips and hair gear all in the style of various Disney characters. For example, there were Shrek ears, Mickey Mouse ears, and Stitch (as in Lilo and Stitch) hair bands.

Got me these Minnie Mouse ears! (and now I have no use for them anymore. Any takers?)

The big Thunder Mountain was a wild ride on a runaway mine train through the mountains! Because the place was so crowded, every single ride we went to, the queue time was at least 40 minutes!

The queue for this mountain ride was so long, we had to get a Fastpass. With our Fastpass, we could come back at the designated time printed on our ticket and take the ride without having to queue (for too long).

There is a certain length of time during which everyone is only allowed to hold one Fastpass. The machines dispensing these Fastpasses are smart enough to tell if you’re trying to get hold of a second Fastpass before the allowed time. We had no choice but to queue for the Haunted Mansion.

The haunted ride took us through a long tunnel (it was an underground ride I think). It wasn’t that scary since this was after all a kids-friendly place; we ended up scaring ourselves more! What impressed me about the ride was when we saw translucent spirits floating about. They were probably done using holograms and the effect was pretty darn real!

A steam train runs round the Adventureland and Westernland. People would wave back at you when you wave at them.

This is Peter Pan and Wendy. Wendy’s gorgeous! She’s the most gorgeous girl I’ve seen in Japan, the land of beautiful people. The irony is that she’s not even Japanese!

In the end, we spent most of our time queuing for rides than taking the rides themselves. It was a hot summer afternoon and we sweat like dogs!

So, we hopped onto the Mark Twain Riverboat for a leisurely ride through the rivers of America.

This was a rather long boat ride.

Spotted several native Americans and their teepees along the way!

Then, we saw this boat. Can you tell what’s so ridiculous about this photo?

People were rowing the boat vigorously! What’s most ridiculous isn’t the fact that they were all rowing completely out of sync with one another. What’s most ridiculous is that it was 40 degrees Celsius and people would still queue to canoe in the hot afternoon sun. The dude sitting at the back had his shirt soaking in sweat! My gawd!

Trees pruned to various shapes! Oblongs, cylinders, etc.

Over at the Fantasyland, we went into Winnie the Pooh’s cottage and peeked at his cosy little bed.

They had a large selection of Pooh and friends merchandise. Cookies and pastries in the shapes of cartoon characters are the norm in Japan. I’ve seen all sorts of character-shaped cookies including Hello Kitty, Doraemon, and now Winnie the Pooh!

It’s A Small World! This is one large building that’s extremely eye-catching and very colourful!

Over here, people are boarding the boat rides.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. As it turned out, “It’s A Small World” is meant in its most literal sense. The long boat ride took us through a world of little people singing — what else — “It’s A Small World”! There were colourful props and backdrops. It was very pleasing and delightful!

Check out the videos of our musical ride!

Youtube link

Youtube link

Other than taking rides and visiting cute Disney merchandise shops, there are also a number of parade routes plying the park at certain times of the day. People would sit at the designated picnic areas, roll out their mats and start picnicking while watching the floats go by.

A word to advice to Disneyland visitors: go there the moment it opens in the morning and stay there until it closes at night! The place is so huge and the lines are so long, one whole day is barely enough to see everything! By the end of the day, we had taken the following rides:

- Haunted Mansion
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Mark Twain Riverboat
- Castle Carousel
- Snow White’s Adventures
- It’s A Small World
- MicroAdventure
- Splash Mountain
- Space Mountain

The Space Mountain ride was the most dizzying and thrilling ride of all! Just don’t expect any 360 degree rotation though. Disneyland is still primarily a kids’ paradise.

My souvenir from Disneyland — a gold necklace with key and lock charms in the shape of Nickey Mouse.

Yay! I finally went to Disneyland!

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/travel/japan/tokyo-disneyland/ | 46 comments

Like on Facebook | Follow on Twitter | Download free iPhone app

© 2011 Sparklette.net