Hong Kong - May 2015 (Day 5)

We started off the day with a stroll to the waterfront. We wanted to walk along the Avenue for Stars and take some photos - since we could not do that the day before due to the nasty weather.

We caught a cruise ship leaving the harbour, and gosh, it was SO HUGE! Wow!

We enjoyed a delicious buffet breakfast before leaving for the airport. Hong Kong is definitely a destination we can visit again as a family! Till next time, Hong Kong!

Hong Kong - May 2015 (Day 4)

Day 4 saw us dealing with abysmal weather. The Cathay flights we purchased came with a free half day tour to visit places like Stanley, Aberdeen, and the Peak, amongst other things. It was pouring, and it was really troublesome to get around. Sigh. The road to Stanley was winding and via a mountain/hill-side; and going up in a bus in bad weather wasn't a good idea. Definitely not something I would do again.

The first stop was a gem factory, and then we went to take a short boat tour in Aberdeen to see the floating village- which I thought was a real disappointment. It felt like we were just seeing boathouses in a big pond, surrounded by skyscrapers! Hmmm.

Next up was Stanley- where we did not even have the time to browse the markets. We had time for a mid-morning snack (because the kids were hungry.. *roll eyes*), and a toilet stop. That was it. I definitely was NOT a happy bunny, given how much effort it took to get there.

What about The Peak? Well, it looked like this. Suffice to say, it made no sense to go up the viewing platform. Visibility was probably close to zero. Anyway., we left the tour group early and decided to hang out at The Peak on our own for a while longer, hoping that the weather would clear up. Sadly, it never did. So we took the Peak Tram down and decided to try and get to the Hong Kong Science Museum.

We decided to take the Star Ferry across the harbour (Victoria Harbour), and boy-oh-boy, this was the experience that defined our trip to Hong Kong! The winds and waves were SO strong, and it was really pretty scary. We even had to hold out an umbrella INSIDE THE FERRY, to try and keep the water from splashing us! And when we got to the other side- there were virtually no taxis to be found. We finally found the taxi stand- which was inadequately built to protect from the elements, and had to stand in the torrential rain, for a long time. We were entirely drenched, right down to our shoes and socks! In the end, we decided to skip the museum (as we were way too wet and it was already too late), and head back to our hotel.

We capped the day with a yummy buffet dinner at the hotel (complimentary for kids)- so it wasn't all that bad in the end. Plus, we had great memories of our Hong Kong trip- although it was about getting stuck in the pouring rain!

Hong Kong - May 2015 (Day 3)

Another day in Hong Kong Disneyland! We got on this rather fun car ride- did this early in the morning before the queue got too long.

Guess what- we did the It's a Small World ride again.. haha. What's not to love about it?

Mickey pizza!

I loved Toy Story Land! This was new- it wasn't here the last time we visited. The concept was really cool- the rides and decor were basically oversized toys. It felt like we had been shrunk and had to wander our way through a giant toy box.

Mystic Point was really cool as well. The ride in Mystic Manor was very entertaining- although it was a tad spooky. The Garden of Wonders (sorry, no photos here) was quite fun for photo opportunities as well.

It's really hard to refrain from buying anything at the stores, especially when you're there with kids. The colleague of mine who helped us secure the free passes into Disneyland also helped us buy merchandise at special rates! Ever so grateful for such kindness.

Flights of Fantasy- round two

We decided to head for the Animation Academy and learn how to draw Donald Duck. It was more fun than I expected- check out the final product (that was drawn by the hubby, of course)!

Goodbye Hong Kong Disneyland!

That evening, we checked into our hotel in the city- the Holiday Inn Golden Mile in Tsim Sha Tsui. More adventures to come!

Hong Kong - May 2015 (Day 2)

Off to Hong Kong Disneyland! As you can imagine, the kids were so excited. The weather was a little dreary that day, but nothing too bothersome. We got there before the park opened, and of course, there was already a queue at the gates.

Check out the lovely Sleeping Beauty Castle, modelled after the late-19th century Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany.

We went on the Winnie the Pooh ride, and of course- the iconic It's a Small World ride. I have sung the song for as long as I can remember (thanks to my mum); and this was my first time going on the ride. I really loved it; it made me feel so happy. The colours, the music, the way the figurines moved- it was awesome!

We also queued for a special photo opportunity with Elsa and Anna (sorry, no photos here), and took the trouble to change the little girl into her Elsa dress, just for the photo. She loves Frozen, and she is absolutely mad about Elsa (as probably all little girls are, at the moment)!

We watched a show next- I think it was called Golden Mickey. Quite entertaining; especially for the kids- or at least I hoped so, anyway!

One of the highlights in Disneyland is of course the parades. We watched one in the afternoon named 'Flights of Fantasy'- check out the photos below! Too cute.

I can't believe we didn't get to visit Tarzan's Treehouse this time either! I guess we thought there were many other more fun things to do. Ah well, maybe next time?

We went on the Jungle River Cruise, which was really quite fun. We had to navigate some 'treacherous' waters- haha.

The famous Lion King show

Next up was Grizzly Gulch- with it's Wild Wild West theme. It seemed quieter compared to the rest of the park, which wasn't a bad thing. I went on a ride alone- the Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars, and it was oh so fun! There was a section of the ride where it suddenly went backwards- yikes!

We stayed on at the park until it was dark, and time for the night parade and the famous fireworks. I must say- the night parade was very nice; look at how the psychedelic the floats are! 

Mickey waffles!

As you can see from the last photo above- we enjoyed the beautiful fireworks against the Sleeping Castle, capping off a great day. We were absolutely exhausted, but I am sure we would all be raring to go again, tomorrow!

Hong Kong - May 2015 (Day 1)

The kids' first overseas trip! (Since Singapore doesn't really count, haha)

We stayed 2 nights at the Hollywood Hotel and spent 2 full days in Disneyland, which was really nice. Having 2 days there meant we didn't have to stress as much about missing out on rides and shows. Planning is still required of course, to ensure we optimised our time at the park.

Here are some photos of our first day in HK. After we arrived, we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the hotel and having a bit of fun in the games room. Loved the hidden and not-so hidden Mickeys everywhere; too cute!

All set for the theme park tomorrow! Did I mention that a colleague of mine managed to secure us free passes into the park? Yay!