I must admit, I had doubts when Zhiyi first brought up the idea of visiting Hong Kong Disneyland and had preferred instead to go to Tokyo Disneyland. I didn’t fancy the thought of having to spend half the time queuing with hordes of unruly tourists from the mainland, negative accounts which I have heard from many a friend who had gone before. Thankfully, all my fears were unfounded and the experience was a total opposite of what I had anticipated. While crowded, it wasn’t overly so and everyone was on their best behavior. Queues were long but things still moved briskly. The sun was hot but the cool temperature (it averaged 22 degrees C when we were there) and relatively drier air made walking around the whole day pleasant.

I can’t for the life of me remember which princess that famous castle, which has become Disney’s icon, belongs to.

Speaking of hot, I feel for the poor guys who have to walk or stand around in costumes of Disney characters the whole day. Having seen how damp Merv got on his wedding day after spending an agonizing 30 mins in his Gingerbread Man costume, these chipmunks could not have fared any better. Those thick layers of cloth and fur, devoid of any ventilation holes, must have also made it very challenging for them to go to the toilet, something these guys did almost every hour. Yes, I was actually in the queue(s) long enough to notice this happening.

Strangely, the longest queues were not for the exciting rides but for photo ops with various Disney characters.

Disneyland Hong Kong is divided into a few themed areas – Main Street USA, Adventureland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. As with any theme park, the rides are the attraction; and thankfully, for someone coasterphobic like me, the more child oriented rides were perfect. Rides that simply go round and round and occasionally up and down in either a gentle or controlled manner are the best. They help keep my stomach inside where it belongs. Rides like these…

The Dumbo Ride (not to be confused with what my wife calls my cab rides to work in the morning)

The Cinderella Carousel (can you believe that carousels were invented over 100 years ago?)

Mad Hatter Tea Cups (the girls love getting giddy, the mum, not so much)

Another great thing about Disneyland, something which will appeal to adults a lot, are the shows. You’ll be forgiven for wanting to stand up and sing along when theme songs from the hit cartoon movies you used to love when growing up are performed live in front of you.

The Golden Mickeys – a celebration of songs from Toy Story, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Mulan, Lilo and Stich, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Tarzan.

The Lion King – I loved the ingenious use of animal costumes in this one!

There also outdoor parades at specific times of the day so it pays to study the schedule carefully.

We ended this really awesome day by shopping for souvenirs at Main Street USA while it snowed foam outside (how I wished for the real thing!) and watching the closing fireworks show in front of the princess castle. Despite covering only slightly over half of the park, we were exhausted and happy knowing that there was more to look forward to the next day.

One day, she’ll be able to see the real thing!

View the full gallery here.