Hong Kong & Tokyo

[HMANSION LOVER]

I have looked at the Tokyo threads and it contains a fair amount of information. But I was wondering, considering the close proximity, if any of you Australian Disney fans have any experience with these two parks. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[zanzibar138]

I have been to HKDL a few times. What information are you after?

Have you considered tacking on a side trip to Shanghai while you're in the area?

 

[allthenamesaretaken]

I've been to Tokyo this year but never to HKDL. What do you want to know?

 

[Agent 86]

I've been to Hong Kong Disneyland once (for two days) and to Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea three times.

What advice do you require? Both parks are easy to get to by public transport and easy to navigate. HKDL was very quiet when we visited. Tokyo DL and DS can be extremely busy - it's best to try and visit during quieter periods and only on week days.

 

[HMANSION LOVER]

Thank you for responding, I am a picky eater, daughter too. How easy is it to get western style food. Is it worth it to stay on property? We figure we have to stay at the Mira Costa as it is the only Disney hotel in the world that is actually inside the park itself. While at TDL approx. how many rides can we expect to get on during a given day (have read the wait times can be insane)? Being from the west will we be more comfortable staying on sight or are their places to stay that won't give me culture shock? Have a million of these questions but the phone keeps ringing and the work has to get done somehow

 

[zanzibar138]

Thank you for responding, I am a picky eater, daughter too. How easy is it to get western style food. Is it worth it to stay on property? We figure we have to stay at the Mira Costa as it is the only Disney hotel in the world that is actually inside the park itself. While at TDL approx. how many rides can we expect to get on during a given day (have read the wait times can be insane)? Being from the west will we be more comfortable staying on sight or are their places to stay that won't give me culture shock? Have a million of these questions but the phone keeps ringing and the work has to get done somehow

Well I can only give advice about HK, but here goes.

It's pretty easy to find western style food at HKDL and the hotels. I would definitely recommend the fish and chips at Grizzly Gulch. Other western style food we tried wasn't that great. Do you ever eat Asian style food at home? A lot of it is very simple and non-threatening, and seemed to be done to a more consistently high standard than the western food offerings.

I'm afraid you're not going to be able to avoid culture shock, even within the parks. Try to embrace it - it's all part of the excitement of visiting international Disney parks! If you go in expecting the CMs, other guests, and even the general atmosphere to the same as US Disney parks, you're setting yourself up for stress and disappointment. Try to do some research on the culture of the places that you're visiting, even if you're just going to Disney. It will help you to get an idea of what you can expect while you're in the parks and give you some background on why things are happening a certain way. Reading a few TRs will help you to get a feel for it. There are plenty of TRs in the Tokyo and HK sub-forums.

Having said that, I would definitely stay onsite if you can afford to. Both parks are a fairly long commute from the city centres, on a very non-magical crowded train. Much better to just have a short walk (or worst case shuttle bus or monorail ride). The HKDL Hotel is beautiful, and a lovely walk to the park along a nicely landscaped promenade with Disney music piped in. We found it the perfect way to start and end the day. The hotel itself is also lovely. The Hollywood Hotel is a bit further away, still walkable, but you may be tempted to take the shuttle bus after a long day or if you're in a hurry. It's also a nice hotel, although it's not as luxurious as the HKDL Hotel.

If you've got more questions, feel free to ask away!

 

[zanzibar138]

Was just having a browse around the forums and this thread was at the top of the HK sub forum.

Menus and pictures!

It's definitely worth having a look around those forums and perhaps asking some questions in there too. I know there are some APs in the HK sub forum who are very knowledgeable about the park, and also have the opportunity to find things out for you on their next visit.

 

[Agent 86]

1. Western Style Food

I don't think you'll have a problem in either park. Although personally, I find the western style food (e.g. burgers and fries) to be less appetising than the other food available in the parks.

2. Staying at Disney Hotels

I would love to do this, but it outside of my budget (except for the value resorts at WDW). I'm not sure whether it is "worth it". I think both parks offer early entry for Disney hotel guests and the fact that you don't have to travel to the park by public transport each day is obviously a bonus (potentially a BIG bonus as travel times to / from Tokyo Disney sometimes took us up to an hour).

I guess it depends upon how much you value staying on site.

3. Number of rides at Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea

That will depend what month you go and what day you go. With proper planning and the dedicated use of Fast Passes, I don't see why you couldn't do 15 to 20 rides at Disneyland. Probably less at DisneySea simply because there are less rides (or at least there seems to be less rides, potentially because I ignore most of the kids rides in The Little Mermaid area).

It will really depend upon crowds, ride closures (whether due to maintenance or weather) and what rides you're interested in.

On my "worst" day at Tokyo (split between Disneyland and DisneySea), I think we only went on ... maybe three or four rides with only one ride at DisneySea (Tower of Terror with a three hour standby time). But, that was due to the fact that we'd already spent a full day at each park, the Fast Passes at DisneySea were all gone by the time we arrived around midday, Journey was closed which put more pressure on the other rides and after spending so much time in line for ToT, couldn't really tolerate any other long waits.

4. Culture Shock

I'm not sure about this one. I think it depends upon your expectations.

For example, I've been to Tokyo Disney with INSANE crowds. I was also at Disneyland LA in May 2016 and it was CROWDED. But, I much preferred the atmosphere of Tokyo Disney's crowds as they were orderly and polite. The crowds at Disneyland LA were disorganised and rude.

If anything, the US parks are probably more of a "culture shock" for me than the other parks. I guess Tokyo Disney is a "culture shock", but it's a positive one because I can't get over how polite and friendly everyone is and how ... dedicated everyone appears to be to enjoying themselves and sharing the fun with others.

In terms of language, bathroom facilities, food, etc I don't think there is any real culture shock. Just understand that you're in another country and that it may take one or two attempts to communicate something, but remain friendly and open and I'm sure you'll get there in the end.

I can't think of any local customs in Tokyo or HK which would be "shocking" in a negative manner. HK Disney may attract guests from mainland China, but with Shanghai Disney now open, I presume most of them would go there.

 

[sailorsour]

Hi. We've been to both HK and Tokyo.

I am a picky eater and found it more difficult in Tokyo to get Western food that wasn't super expensive. The buffet in the Disneyland Hotel was the best meal we had but it was crazy prices. I think we ended up eating churros for breakfast everyday because well they're churros but the also didn't break the bank. Servings are also pretty small over there (and I'm not a big eater), especially for the price.

In HK again, the buffets were winners. My DH still can't get over the hot dog he got in Tomorrowland that had lettuce and tomato on it - almost a cross between a hot dog and a burger. We didn't love the food on either trip but we made do.

We stayed in Disney hotels at both places. There isn't really anything else close to HKDL. We liked being able to walk for the Disneyland Hotel there.

We stayed at both the Ambasador and Disneyland Hotel in Tokyo. Loved the early entry you got at the DLH. The Hilton and Sheraton are good non-Disney options that are close by and not a far walk from the monorail station. We didn't book exactly six months out so couldn't get a room at Miracosta that didn't cost an arm and leg (the Disneyland Hotel we lucked out with something that only cost a leg LOL).

Language wise, Tokyo is much harder than HK. While there I just worked off the assumption that everyone spoke some English - and they did (well the ones we saw in the parks and hotels both staff and guests). Shows were also all presented in English. In Tokyo most people didn't speak English (or didn't want to) which wasn't a huge issue since we were familiar with Disney parks but could have been for a newbie. Even in the hotel we really only encountered one cast member that spoke really fluent English. We were also one of only a few people we saw each day that probably didn't speak any Japanese - it really is a park that caters for the locals. Only two shows there had captioning devices with English subtitles, everything else was in Japanese.

Afternoons and evenings at Tokyo were pretty busy crowd wise (and we went in a relatively slow time). As soon as school and work finishes people start coming to the parks. We got everything done with two days at each park and using FastPass.

Tokyo definitely has more to do than Hong King and DisneySea is gorgeous and so unique. I'd probably head back there before Hong King but DH would head to Hong Kong. With the later, I'd try for a Kingdom Club room I think and stay a few nights. Disney hotel pricing wise, the club level there isn't so ridiculous.

 

[aussie shaz]

We stayed at the Hilton Tokyo Bay when visiting TDR. It was literally across the road from the monorail station and so easy to get to/from the parks.
I really don't eat anything other than western food and I never had a problem in Japan. I'm not a 'foodie' so was happy with what was on offer. For breakfasts we bought pastries etc from the mini mart at the hotel the night before.

 

[HMANSION LOVER]

First I want to apologize for not being prudent and checking up on my post. And second for not being able to thank all of you for your fantastic responses in a timely fashion. THANK YOU all for your very helpful responses.