Hong Kong Disneyland
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| Disney theme park | |
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| Hong Kong Disneyland | |
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| Location | Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong |
| Opening Day | September 12, 2005 |
| Resort | Hong Kong Disneyland Resort |
| Theme | Magic Kingdom |
| Website | Hong Kong Disneyland Homepage |
| Operator | Hongkong International Theme Parks |
Hong Kong Disneyland (Traditional Chinese: 香港迪士尼樂園; Cantonese Jyutping: hoeng1 gong2 dik6 si6 nei4 lok6 jyun4; Mandarin Pinyin: Xiānggǎng Díshìní Lèyuán) is the first theme park inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, which is owned and managed by the Hong Kong International Theme Parks, an incorporated company jointly owned by The Walt Disney Company and the Government of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Disneyland, the fifth and most recent Magic Kingdom style park in the world, is located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. After years of negotiations and construction, the park finally opened to visitors on September 12, 2005. Officially, the park is able to handle a maximum of 34,000 visitors daily.[1]
The park consists of four themed lands similar to those found in the other Disneyland parks around the world. They are Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Adventureland in Hong Kong Disneyland is the biggest one among all the Disneyland parks.
Although the park is the smallest Disneyland in the world, the park has announced the planned opening of two new attractions in the summer of 2007. In addition, the classic Disney attraction, "it's a small world," will open in early 2008. The park will continue to expand by adding more new attractions in the future. After completing the expansion, the park will be able to handle 10 million visitors annually.
The theme park uses both English and Chinese (mainly in Traditional for text, both in Traditional and Simplified for Guide Maps, Cantonese and Mandarin in verbal) in its communication. The park also provides Guide Maps in Japanese.
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[edit] Dedication
To all who come to this happy place, welcome. Many years ago, Walt Disney introduced the world to enchanted realms of fantasy and adventure, yesterday and tomorrow, in a magical place called Disneyland.
Today that spirit of imagination and discovery comes to life in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Disneyland is dedicated to the young and the young at heart - with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration, and an enduring symbol of the cooperation, friendship and understanding between the people of Hong Kong and the United States of America.
—Michael Eisner & Donald Tsang, September 12, 2005
[edit] Construction
On September 23, 2004, a special castle "topping ceremony" was held in the park to commemorate the placing of the tallest turret of Sleeping Beauty Castle. Many important people were present, including Tung Chee Hwa, then chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Jay Rasulo, president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts; Michael Eisner, CEO of The Walt Disney Company; Bob Iger, president of Disney; as well as Mickey Mouse and other costumed characters. Hong Kong Disneyland had the shortest construction period from the start to the opening day among all the Disneyland-style theme parks.
[edit] Future Construction
Phase 1 Extension has started with three new attractions to Tomorrowland having opened in summer 2006. After completing the Phase 1 Extension, the Disneyland park is expected to be able to handle 10 million visitors annually.
With the reclaimed land reserved for the Phase 2 Extension and the Disneyland park being blocked by Park Promenade (a pedestrian walkway which links the MTR Disneyland Resort Station, Disneyland park and Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel), it is expected that the resort's second Disney theme park will be built on that site.
Alegedly a Phase 3 Extension is being considered by the Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong Government.
[edit] Attractions and Entertainment
The park currently features four themed lands similar to those at other Disneyland parks: Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. The park is missing a fifth classic land; Frontierland is not present at the park, as Disney chose not to build a park big enough to contain it.
The park features a daytime parade "Disney on Parade" and "Disney in the Stars" fireworks show in the evening. Occasional celebrations, such as Disney's Halloween, A Magical Christmas and Disney's Chinese New Year, are held in the park.
In total, there are only 22 entertainment items in the Hong Kong Disneyland, compared to 44 in Paris, 45 in Tokyo and Florida, and 65 in California. None of the attractions are unique to Hong Kong Disneyland.
[edit] Main Street, U.S.A.
Hong Kong Disneyland's Main Street, U.S.A. is an almost exact replica of the Disneyland in California, including the train station, the buildings, and the Sleeping Beauty Castle. The only exception to this is that there are no horse-drawn streetcars, meaning no tracks are embedded into the ground.
[edit] Attractions
- Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad - Main Street Train Station
- Take a grand tour of Hong Kong Disneyland aboard an excursion-style train. The train stops at Fantasyland.
- Main Street Vehicles
- Cruise up or down Main Street, U.S.A. aboard newfangled motorised vehicles: the Ominibus, Paddy Wagon or Main Street Taxicab.
- The Disneyland Story, How Mickey Mouse Came to Hong Kong
- Original artwork, rare film footage, artefacts take you on a journey from the creation of Mickey Mouse to a creation of Hong Kong Disneyland, with an exciting peek in the future.
- City Hall
- Guest relations and information.
[edit] Adventureland
This features a large island area, home to Tarzan's Treehouse, which is circled by the Jungle Cruise. It is also home to the Festival of the Lion King show.
[edit] Attractions
- Jungle River Cruise
- Tarzan's Treehouse on Tarzan's Island
- Rafts To the Tarzan Island
- Festival of the Lion King at Theater in the Wild
- Liki Tikis
- Sway to the beat of the jungle rhythms pounded out by these "leaky" tiki poles.
[edit] Fantasyland
[edit] Attractions
- Mickey's PhilharMagic
- 3-D adventure starring Maestro Mickey Mouse and a surprise "con-DUCK-tor".
- Cinderella Carousel
- a Carousel based on the Disney movie Cinderella
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Board a hunny pot and join Pooh for a whimsical storybook journey through the Hundred Acre Wood.
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Fantasy Gardens
- Meet and take photos with Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh and all of your favourite Disney friends at this one-of-a-kind attraction.
- Fantasyland Train Station
- Board the train at this stop for the Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad.
- Mad Hatter Tea Cups
- A tea cup ride based on the Disney movie Alice in Wonderland.
- Sleeping Beauty Castle
- Walk through this magical portal into a timeless realm of imagination and enchantment where childhood dreams come true.
- Snow White Grotto
- Sword in the Stone
- The Golden Mickeys at Disney's Storybook Theater
[edit] Tomorrowland
[edit] Attractions
- Space Mountain
- Take a thrilling high-speed journey to the far reaches of the universe and back to this interstellar roller coaster featuring music and sound effects synchronised to the ride's twists, turns and drops. Minimum height for this attraction is 102 cm.
- Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
- Journey to infinity and beyond to help Buzz Lightyear save the universe from the evil Emperor Zurg on this interactive adventure.
- Orbitron
- Pilot your own flying saucer high above Tomorrowland on this out-of-this-world adventure.
- Autopia (Opened July 13, 2006)
- Drive into the future aboard electric cars that cruise along the highways of tomorrow. No driver’s license is necessary and the road is open to guests of all ages. The only requirement is that they be tall enough to “put the pedal to the metal” in their battery-powered “zoom” buggies with on-board instrumentation and audio effects. The cars jet around an alien landscape filled with strange-looking trees and shrubs that are (or at least appear to be) out of this world; this attraction has been listed on the Park Map since opening day.
- Stitch Encounter (Opened July 13, 2006)
- Guests are invited to visit Space Traffic Control for a tour. Space Traffic Control (or STC) is the nerve center for this quadrant of the galaxy and where all space traffic is closely monitored. The tour goes as planned until the host is interrupted by Stitch, a fluffy blue mischievous alien known also as "Experiment Number 626" in a “borrowed” space ship. Stitch interacts in real time with the guests, plays games with the kids and even teaches everyone how to speak Hawaiian. Ultimately, Stitch’s nemesis, Gantu shows up and wants his ship back. It is up to the guests in the audience to help Stitch escape! The show is a combination of action and comedy, and never the same show twice. Separate experiences are offered in Cantonese, English and Putonghua respectively. This attraction is not related to Stitch's Great Escape at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, but is similar to Turtle Talk with Crush at Epcot and Disney's California Adventure.
- UFO Zone (Opened July 13, 2006)
- Guests are invited to get up close and personal with some UFOs (Undeniably Fun Objects) in this interactive play area designed for guests of all ages. The colorful, oversized props include a mischievous robot that sprays water and makes noises when his buttons are pushed, a water-squirting ray gun, a crashed rocket ship (still “smoking” from impact), a flying saucer in take-off mode and an alien plant that unexpectedly wiggles to watery life every few minutes. Guests can choose to get wet – or not – amid all the pop jets, bubblers, misters, thrusters and squirters. This is one alien invasion people will be running to, not from.
[edit] Entertainment
- Disney on Parade
- Disney on Parade is a daily cavalcade of Disney characters and music in a magical procession starting in Fantasyland and proceeding down to Main Street, U.S.A.
- Disney in the Stars
- A magnificent, magical fireworks spectacular choreographed to classic Disney songs and music.
[edit] Future Attractions
[edit] Confirmed
On 14 December 2006, the Hongkong International Theme Parks announced[2] three forthcoming attractions for 2007 and 2008.
- it's a small world
- This update of the classic Disneyland ride will be located in Fantasyland and boast 30 additional characters from Disney films; previously unseen Chinese, Middle Eastern, North American and Hong Kong's scenes and a new optical effect not seen in other versions of the ride.
- Mickey's WaterWorks
- A summer water-themed parade, due to open in Hong Kong's Summer 2007.
- Animation Academy
- Where guests will learn how to draw Disney style. Will be located on Main Street, USA.
[edit] Rumored
According to Tim Delaney, vice president and executive designer of Walt Disney Imagineering, new moderate attractions, such as the confirmed "it's a small world", will be built in the near future. Also, rumours suggest Frontierland and Mickey's Toontown will be built in the next 3 to 5 years. After completing Phase 1 Extension, Hong Kong Disneyland will then consist of six themed lands.
According to a recent article by seasoned Disney observer Al Lutz, an entirely new version of the Pirates of the Caribbean, based closely on the movie trilogy, will be built in Hong Kong by 2010. [1] A semi-circular lagoon will front this huge expansion area, and it will be used for the Hong Kong version of Fantasmic!.
The following are possible attractions that may be added soon for the Phase 1 Extension:
- Disney's Electrical Parade
- An evening-parade featuring lighting choreographed to work in sync with the memorable melody. Mentioned on the Official Disneyland Podcast, although no further information has been provided by the company.
- Disney's Halloween Parade
- Though only to be in October, the parade will be a fun halloween-themed event in where the characters will be in their own costumes, and will be much longer than the previous one. scheduled in 2007.
- Disney's Dream On Parade
- This event will be replacing the original daytime parade and will be based much more on Tokyo's version. scheduled for 2008.
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Pirates of the Caribbean was originally believed to take the format already created at Pirates of the Caribbean attractions at other Disney Theme Parks and mixed with the Splash Mountain format, creating a dark ride with a log flume. Pirates will be given an entire subland themed to Port Royal. However, recent articles [2] have indicated that a more traditional version of the attraction will be used, albeit based closely on the film of the same name.
- Fantasmic!
- A semi-circular lagoon will front the new Pirates area, and it will be used for the pirates version of Fantasmic!.
- Haunted Mansion
- Will be featured in the Pirates subarea with an exterior more along the lines of the original with a pirates based story. It will likely open two years after pirates.
- Raging Spirits
- A clone of the Tokyo DisneySea roller coaster with the same name.
- Peter Pan`s Flight
[edit] Criticisms
[edit] Overcrowding problems
Just before the grand opening, the park was also criticised for overestimating the daily capacity limit of 30,000 visitors. The problem became apparent on the charity preview day on 4 September 2005, when 29,000 locals visited the park. The reported queue time for fast food outlets exceeded 45 minutes and over 2 hours for rides.
Although the community, and the park's biggest shareholder, the Hong Kong Government, put pressure on the park to lower the limit, the park insisted on keeping the limit and only agreed to relieve the capacity problem by extending opening time by one hour or introducing more discounts during weekdays. However, the park said local visitors tend to stay in the park for about nine hours per visit, implying the mentioned practices would do little to solve the problem[citation needed].
During Chinese New Year 2006, many visitors arrived at the park in the morning bearing valid tickets, but were refused entry, because the park was already at capacity. Disgruntled visitors attempted to force their way into the park or gain access by climbing over the barrier gates.[3] Disneyland management were forced to revise their ticketing policy, designating future periods close to Chinese public holidays as 'special days' during which admission would only be by a date-specific ticket.
[edit] Food Safety panel
Officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene department were asked by Disney staff to take off their badges and caps in order to enter the park to investigate a food-poisoning case in the park's restaurants, left the park visitors feel very uneasy.[4] The chairman of Legco's Food Safety panel, Fred Li, described the incident as shocking, and called on the director of the department to take follow-up action against Disney. Hong Kong Disneyland says what happened was inappropriate and has apologized for the incident. Secretary for Justice said that the government did not have enough evidence to make a prosecution, thus dropping the case.
[edit] Staff behaviour
Some celebrities who participated in the Hong Kong Disneyland promotional videos, including Kelly Chen and Daniel Wu, complained that the park employees had been rude.[5]
[edit] Guests' behaviour
On the opening day of Hong Kong Disneyland, the park estimated that of the 16,000 guests that entered the gates, one third were from mainland China. The Apple Daily and Ming Pao showed pictures of visitors smoking in non-smoking restaurants; a woman helping a young child loosen his trousers to urinate beside a flower bed.
Hong Kong Disneyland spokesman declined to say whether the reports would tarnish the park's image but reiterated that all guests were required to wear shoes within the park, and that public urination in the park is illegal.
[edit] Public relations
Disney initially refused to release the statement after media reports surfaced saying the park's attendance numbers might be lower than expected. Disney finally relented, and declared[6] on November 24, 2005, that Disney had officially welcomed over 1 million guests during its first two months of operation.
In response to negative publicity locally from the above, and to boost visitor numbers, Hong Kong Disneyland offered $50 discounts for admission to the park to holders of Hong Kong I.D. cards in the period before Christmas in 2005. In the period from March to June 2006, the park offered holders of Hong Kong I.D. cards the opportunity to buy a two-day admission for the price of a single day.
[edit] Trivia
- The Haunted Mansion was not added to Hong Kong Disneyland apparently in due deference to the Chinese views and beliefs about the afterlife.
- Although the park originally planned to offer shark's fin soup on its restaurant menus, objections from environmental and animal rights groups led to this plan being cancelled, making it the first organisation to formally do so.[7]
- Disney paid close attention to Chinese culture, customs, and traditions when building Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. The resort was built with many interesting settings according to the rules of Feng Shui.
- The opening date and time of the Hong Kong Disneyland was determined to be extremely lucky by an expert. The day of September 12, 2005 is considered to be an auspicious date for the opening of a new business, according to a Chinese almanac.
[edit] References
- ^ Chan, Carrie (December 20, 2007). Disney ups intake for new year. Hong Kong Standard. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
- ^ http://www.hkdlsource.com/news/viewstory&story=73
- ^ Fan, Maureen (November 22, 2006). Disney Culture Shock. Hong Kong Standard. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
- ^ Leung, Wendy (November 10, 2005). Wong under fire as Disney escapes action in FEHD case. Hong Kong Standard. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
- ^ http://www.alivenotdead.com/node/334
- ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051124/ap_on_bi_ge/hong_kong_disneyland_2
- ^ Yung, Chester (June 25, 2005). Disney ditches shark's fin. Hong Kong Standard. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
[edit] External links
- Hong Kong Disneyland (Official Website)
- Google Maps (Satellite Image) (Latitude: 22.313 Longitude: 114.041)
- Hong Kong Disneyland Secrets and Facts
- Dreamagic World - Fans site of HKDL providing the most updated news
Categories: NPOV disputes | Cleanup from January 2007 | All pages needing cleanup | Articles lacking sources from February 2007 | All articles lacking sources | Articles with unsourced statements since March 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles lacking sources from October 2006 | 2005 establishments | Hong Kong Disneyland Resort | Disney parks and attractions
