A (2019) HalloXmas trip to Asia - Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo! - COMPLETED 5/1!!!

[KathyM2]

Loving reading your TR and living vicariously as usual. Mystic Manor looks so amazing. And the lights of IASW at night are so pretty.

I'm so sorry that you are having to deal with the stress of the fires and I'm sad for all of California right now. Well I'm sad for all of the USA right now but that's another story lol!! Hang in there and we are thinking of you and praying that you are able to stay safe and not have to evacuate!

 

[KEK1]

Hope the fires stay under control and you don't have to leave. I live in Australia so I know totally what that feels like summer is a nightmare.
Love the lights on ISW and totally love those little dioramas, how cute!

 

[paradesintherain]

Their Small World is so pretty! The night lighting is wonderful, and those mountains!

So far, HKDL at night is pretty dreamy in general. Cant wait to see more!

 

[missjackiemcg]

I love the It's a Small World facade! So pretty all lit up.

The Fairy Tale Forest, too, takes on a whole new look at night! Just beautiful.

glad you're staying safe and that you and your family have a plan for just in case. I hope it doesn't come to that!

 

[buzzrelly]

There wasn’t a line for the Slinky Dog Spin, so I decided to go ahead and give it a whirl! I did like it in Paris, though it’s not something I would bother waiting in line for!

What? No Slinky Dog Dash? That's a shame

I considered this but ultimately passed!

Probably a good call!

 

[lindseyanne]

Hoping that you and yours stay safe! What a frightening situation to deal with. I'm thinking good thoughts for all you guys on the West Coast.

On a happier note...gloves to eat fried chicken with! This is blowing my mind and this is another idea we need to institute in the US immediately.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Thanks for everyone's kind words! It looks like we are out of the woods. Finally got some blue skies after weeks of smoke! The fire is still raging in other areas, so hopefully they will be able to get it under control.

HKDL at night looks awesome. The mountains really add to the photos.

So sorry you're living with so much stress. I pray the fires stay away.

It was cool to have mountains in the back!

So scary what you are going through! Hoping for the best for you

IASW looks so pretty at night!

Love the pics of Fairtytale Forest!

IASW was pretty cool! And Fairytale forest too!

I can't even imagine having that in your backyard!!! YIKES!!!! Praying that they can keep it under control...

HKDL looks cool at night!!!!

It was cool at night!

Loving reading your TR and living vicariously as usual. Mystic Manor looks so amazing. And the lights of IASW at night are so pretty.

I'm so sorry that you are having to deal with the stress of the fires and I'm sad for all of California right now. Well I'm sad for all of the USA right now but that's another story lol!! Hang in there and we are thinking of you and praying that you are able to stay safe and not have to evacuate!

Thank! Mystic manor was spectacular!

Hope the fires stay under control and you don't have to leave. I live in Australia so I know totally what that feels like summer is a nightmare.
Love the lights on ISW and totally love those little dioramas, how cute!

Nighttime was cool to see those spots!

Their Small World is so pretty! The night lighting is wonderful, and those mountains!

So far, HKDL at night is pretty dreamy in general. Cant wait to see more!

It's too bad there wasn't a lot of time to experience HKDL at dark. Just not enough hours open!

I love the It's a Small World facade! So pretty all lit up.

The Fairy Tale Forest, too, takes on a whole new look at night! Just beautiful.

glad you're staying safe and that you and your family have a plan for just in case. I hope it doesn't come to that!

Yeah, both of those were awesome!

What? No Slinky Dog Dash? That's a shame




Probably a good call!

Only DHS gets Slinky Dog Dash! The others get Slinky Dog Spin, where it literally just goes around and around in a circle!

Hoping that you and yours stay safe! What a frightening situation to deal with. I'm thinking good thoughts for all you guys on the West Coast.

On a happier note...gloves to eat fried chicken with! This is blowing my mind and this is another idea we need to institute in the US immediately.

The gloves were a nice addition!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Part 11 (?) - End of the night.

After Toy Story Land, I headed onto Mystic Point. These were lanterns in the Explorer Club Restaurant

And of course I had to do a couple rides on Mystic Manor!

One of the coolest things happened on my last run through. So, if you kept track I had ridden this ride at least 4 times during the day (it’s very possible I did another run that I just lost track of via photos). And it’s not like there were a lot of people, plus I’m somewhat recognizable with my Sally ears and being a solo American. So the CMs definitely recognized me (also due to HKDL’s low hours I did notice the same CMs working all day on the rides). Well, on my final run, the CMs presented me with this certificate! I know it may have been a joke but I LOVED it! I actually got a bit teary since it was such a fun ride!

Onto Grizzly Gulch, which had plenty of people walking around, though still no line on the ride! I think I did 1-2 rides, but again, I don’t remember exactly how many!

I also picked up a Lotso Serbet bar, though I preferred the Minnie Bar the day before

More Grizzly Gulch photos

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[Lesley Wake]

While I walked through Adventureland I decided to take some random photos of the lights and atmosphere.

And I stopped up initially just to take a photo of the Lets Get Wicked sign.

Only I realized they were still letting people into the show. I had thought the final show was 30 minutes earlier, but turns out I was wrong! So, yes of course I wanted to see this awesome show again!

I ended up coming in during the pre-show and was seated in a different section but went ahead and sat further up the stands to get a slightly different perspective!

The opening number

Bowing to the villains as they came out!

Ursula of course

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[Lesley Wake]

The talented Dr Facilier portion

You can see here, the guy has made his choice!

Slinky Cruella!

And Gaston

I think I mentioned fire earlier but never actually showed photos of it!

Saying bye to the villains!

An altogether awesome show!​

 

[Lesley Wake]

Leaving Adventureland

I decided at this point I had gotten to see everything I wanted to! And I knew I had another travel day tomorrow, so even though the park was open for another 30 minutes, I headed out.

I think the Villain stage show was happening while I was leaving.

Some more Main Street windows

Goodbye Hong Kong Disneyland! Again, I’ll be back!

The bus heading back to the resort. Often we had full tour bus (think DME) but this time we had a shuttle.

I believe I must have stopped at the Main Street Bakery to pick up some snacks for the evening, a meat pie and an egg tart (I didn’t think I could leave HK without trying one). The meat pie was good again, but unfortunately the egg tart was not that good. Showing people photos though confirmed this did not look like a well-made tart, so I’ll have to give them another chance one day!

Back in the room I cleaned up and packed up! Time to head to Japan the next day!
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Some thoughts on Hong Kong Disney:

-As obvious, I also really loved this park. It is so low-stress and a nice respite from the other parks around the world!

-Seasonal events here are awesome! So I’d recommend planning a trip to visit then so you can enjoy that entertainment.

-You don’t have to stay on-site, but it can be nice.

-Mystic Manor is just as good as everyone says!

-Be prepared for less hours, but that is offset by low wait times. Some people say you can do it in a day, but with the low number of hours, I would still say do 2 days.

-The pools at the hotels (at least Explorer’s Lodge and Hollywood) are so much fun and really tempting in the hot weather! So if you need a good time in your trip for a rest day, I recommend it here!

Coming up: A final meal at HKDL and travel to Tokyo!​

 

[buzzrelly]

Well, on my final run, the CMs presented me with this certificate! I know it may have been a joke but I LOVED it! I actually got a bit teary since it was such a fun ride!

That's awesome! Love the certificate!

Looks like an amazing place! I doubt I'll ever get there so it was nice to see it all through your trip report!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

So glad to hear the fires didn't get worse around you. It really looked like they were getting close. Shoutout to all those firefighters doing their best. Real heroes right there.

Awww, that's so sweet that they gave you a little certificate. I know knowing that I would absolutely DIE for Albert, I'd have the same reaction and tear up a bit. It's the little things. Also, I love how your vid is called "Albert is the cutest" because CORRECT.

Glad to hear overall you enjoyed HKDL! I never hear enough entirely positive reviews of the place so I'm glad it was that way for you. So excited to hear about TOKYO!!!! The supreme of Disney parks. Cannot wait!! Will be wearing my Oswald purse while reading lol

 

[cindianne320]

Glad you are ok, and that the fires are getting under control. So scary.

I loved your nighttime pics- especially in the Mystic Manor area!

You have me really wanting to travel to Asia!

 

[missangelalexis]

So cool that the CMs gave you the Mystic Manor certificate!

Awesome luck getting to see the Villains show again!

I'm glad you loved HKDL!!

 

[missjackiemcg]

I'm so glad to hear that the fires have been held back from your area, and things seem to be OK for the time being. What a relief!

LOVE that you got a little certificate from Mystic Manor! It's so awesome to have a little souvenir keepsake (that was free!!!!) to remember your favorite attraction.

 

[vamassey1]

Sounds like the perfect night and perfect way to say goodbye to HKDL.

 

[Lesley Wake]

That's awesome! Love the certificate!

Looks like an amazing place! I doubt I'll ever get there so it was nice to see it all through your trip report!

Yeah it was fun! And definitely like the uncrowded old Disney days, where you don't have to plan everything like crazy!

So glad to hear the fires didn't get worse around you. It really looked like they were getting close. Shoutout to all those firefighters doing their best. Real heroes right there.

Awww, that's so sweet that they gave you a little certificate. I know knowing that I would absolutely DIE for Albert, I'd have the same reaction and tear up a bit. It's the little things. Also, I love how your vid is called "Albert is the cutest" because CORRECT.

Glad to hear overall you enjoyed HKDL! I never hear enough entirely positive reviews of the place so I'm glad it was that way for you. So excited to hear about TOKYO!!!! The supreme of Disney parks. Cannot wait!! Will be wearing my Oswald purse while reading lol

Well, he is the cutest, so I just state facts, Lol!

I did have a very positive trip. Unfortunately Tokyo was more of a mixed bag... but I'll get into that eventually!

Glad you are ok, and that the fires are getting under control. So scary.

I loved your nighttime pics- especially in the Mystic Manor area!

You have me really wanting to travel to Asia!

You definitely should one day! It's fun to see the other parks!

So cool that the CMs gave you the Mystic Manor certificate!

Awesome luck getting to see the Villains show again!

I'm glad you loved HKDL!!

Yeah, it was great getting that certificate and an unexpected 3rd viewing of an awesome show!

I'm so glad to hear that the fires have been held back from your area, and things seem to be OK for the time being. What a relief!

LOVE that you got a little certificate from Mystic Manor! It's so awesome to have a little souvenir keepsake (that was free!!!!) to remember your favorite attraction.

It did feel like getting the certificate was a great parting gift!

Sounds like the perfect night and perfect way to say goodbye to HKDL.

Yeah, pretty awesome!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Day 7
October 26, 2019

Part 1 Disney DimSum!

I was so tired I actually woke up from my alarm this morning! The previous days I was so raring to go, I woke up beforehand! I was travelling to Tokyo this afternoon, though my flight wasn’t leaving until later, so I had a partial (no-park) day.

I left my bags at luggage storage, which was so cutely themed!

Some views of the entryway into the hotel

I ended up going to the shop – I think I had to make a merch exchange as I bought the wrong item (thankfully I double checked the night before or else I would have been screwed)!

I also loved the Explorer’s Lodge themed merchandise! Though I didn’t get any of it (minus a pin for my collection and a keychain to turn into an ornament, which I do for all the Disney Hotels I stay at).

At this point I did a mini hotel tour of portions I hadn’t explored yet, but I included those photos in previous installments of this report!

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[Lesley Wake]

Instead I had a date at the Disneyland Hotel, so I decided to take the scenic route, walking along the ocean path! It was very hot and fairly humid, and didn’t have a lot of shade, though it was still a nice walk.

Hong Kong in the distance. If you squint you can see it through the fog (smog?)

I think on busier days they actually have ferries connecting to the resort!

And the Disneyland Hotel. Look familiar to a certain place in Florida?

I wandered the gardens a bit

And the lobby is nice, but not as grand as some other places! I did like the open elevator in the lobby though.

Halloween details in the flower arrangement

I had time, so some more window shopping. I regret not getting the star wars chop sticks!

I loved the paintings in the hallways – it made it seem like HKDL was truly from Victorian times!

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