Hong Kong Disneyland
Encyclopedia : H : HO : HON : Hong Kong Disneyland
| Disney theme park | |
  | |
| Hong Kong Disneyland | |
|---|---|
| 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: }; 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. The Disneyland park is owned and managed by the Hongkong International Theme Parks, an incorporated company jointly owned by The Walt Disney Company and the Government of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Disneyland, the fifth Disneyland 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. The Walt Disney Company and the Government of Hong Kong expect to have a total of 5.6 million visitors entering the park in the first year of operation.
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, three new attractions will open on 13 July 2006, they are Autopia, Stitch Encounter, and UFO Cool Zone. Other attractions, such as "it's a small world", have been rumoured to be built as part of the Phase 1 Extension. The park will be able to handle 10 million visitors annually after completing the extension.
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.
- 1 Dedication
- 2 Construction
- 3 Attractions and Entertainment
- 3.1 Main Street, U.S.A.
- 3.2 Adventureland
- 3.3 Fantasyland
- 3.4 Tomorrowland
- 3.5 Entertainment
- 3.6 Possible Future Attractions
- 4 Miscellaneous
- 5 Criticisms
- 5.1 Insufficient attractions
- 5.2 High financial risk over investment on the government
- 5.3 Problems over estimation of the number of visitors
- 5.4 Rudeness of employees
- 5.5 Lack of government law enforcement
- 5.6 Poor working conditions of Disney employees
- 5.7 Environmental issues
- 6 Problems
- 7 Public Relations
- 8 External links
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 placed 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
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 (possibly because it is the smallest one).
Future Construction
Phase 1 Extension has been started and will bring three new attractions into the Tomorrowland by summer 2006. After completing the Phase 1 Extension in 2008, the Disneyland park will be able to handle 10 million visitors annually.Besides, as the reclaimed land reserved for Phase 2 Extension and the Disneyland park are being blocked by Park Promenade (a pedestrian walkway which links the MTR Disneyland Resort Station, Disneyland park and Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel), it's expected that the resort's second Disney theme park will be built on that site.
Moreover, the Phase 3 Extension is being considered by the Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong Government.
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 Imagineers saw it as the least relevant of the five to Hong Kong Disneyland.
The park features a daytime parade "Disney on Parade" and "Disney in the Stars" fireworks show in the evening.
Main Street, U.S.A.
Hong Kong Disneyland's Main Street, U.S.A. is an exact replica of the Disneyland in California, down to the last detail, including the train station, the buildings, and the Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Current Attractions
- Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad - Main Street Train Station
- Take a grand tour of Hong Kong Disneyland aboard an excursion-style train. Train will be proceeded to Fantasyland for the next stop.
- Main Street Vehicles
- Cruise up or down Main Street, U.S.A. aboard a newfangled motorized vehicles
- The Disneyland Story, How Mickey Mouse Came to Hong Kong
- Original artwork, rare film footage, artifacts 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.
Adventureland
Current Attractions
- Jungle River Cruise
- Liki Tikis
- Tarzan's Treehouse
- Rafts To Tarzan Island
- Tarzan Island
- Festival of the Lion King at Theater in the Wild
Fantasyland
Current Attractions
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh 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
- Space Mountain Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters Orbitron
- Pilot your own flying saucer high above Tomorrowland on this out-of-this-world adventure.
- Autopia 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 13 July 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.
- 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
- It is a magnificient, magical fireworks spectacular choreographed to classic Disney songs and music.
- Adventureland
- * Pirates of the Caribbean - Pirates of the Caribbean will 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.
- * Raging Spirits - A clone of the Tokyo DisneySea roller coaster of the same name.
- Fantasyland
- * it's a small world and Peter Pan's Flight (open in 2007/2008) - Both well-known Fantasyland attractions and will be included in the latter part of the Phase 1 Extension.
- Frontierland
- * Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- * Haunted Mansion - Since the "classic" attraction hasn't been built inside Hong Kong Disneyland, Haunted Mansion is a possible new attraction to be added when Frontierland is opened. However, Haunted Mansion had also been rumored to be built in Adventureland and feature a voodoo theme.
- [Hong Kong Disneyland (Official Website)]
- [Hong Kong Disneyland Secrets and Facts]
- [Gallery of publicity photos and park map]
- [Disney information and Maps]
- [Google Maps (Satellite Image)] (Latitude: 22.313 Longitude: 114.041)
- [Brief intro and tips about Hong Kong Disneyland]
- [Tips about Hong Kong Disneyland]
Tomorrowland
Current Attractions
July 2006 Expansion
Entertainment
Possible Future Attractions
Three new attractions will be built and opened inside Tomorrowland in summer 2006, said Bill Ernest, the managing director of the theme park. Also, rumours suggest Frontierland and Mickey's Toontown will be built in the near future. After completing Phase 1 Extension, Hong Kong Disneyland will then consist of six themed lands. In addition, new attractions will be added during the Phase 1 Extension.The following are possible attractions that may be added soon for the Phase 1 Extension:
Miscellaneous
Feng Shui
The Walt Disney Company have been criticized for ignoring French culture when it built Disneyland Paris in the early 1990s. This time 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.Moreover, the opening date and time of the Hong Kong Disneyland was determined to be extremely lucky by a Chinese consultant. That day is considered to be a good date for the opening of a new business, according to a Chinese almanac.
Criticisms
Insufficient attractions
Disney fans have complained about the small number of opening-day attractions. None of these attractions are unique to Hong Kong Disneyland, and many classic attractions (such as the Haunted Mansion) have not been included. And although the ticket is the most inexpensive among all Disney theme parks, there are only 22 entertainment items in the Hong Kong Disneyland, comparing to 44 in Paris, 45 in Tokyo and Florida, and 65 in California. The per-item cost is the highest among all Disney theme parks though the number of items increase as other phase completed.The management of Disney and Disneyland, especially Michael Eisner, was heavily criticized and the financial crisis that EuroDisney is experiencing was cited as the reason for the recent trend in mini-Disney parks. They are small in the beginning - to be expanded once it is financially safe to support a bigger park.
High financial risk over investment on the government
Another issue is whether the Hong Kong Government secured good terms in its deal with Disney. The government is bearing most of the financing risk, including the construction of a new subway line to the park, but it has not secured an exclusive deal for the region. Disney has already been in talks with cities in China to host another Disney theme park - most notably Shanghai (see Shanghai Disneyland Resort). A park in Shanghai would decrease the market for the Hong Kong Disneyland by taking mainland visitors from the Hong Kong park.Problems over estimation of the number of visitors
Just before the grand opening, the park was also criticized for overestimating the daily capacity limit of 30,000 visitors. The problem became apparent on the charity preview day on 4 Sep 2005, when 29,000 locals flocked to the theme park and found the most dominant attractions in the park to be queues. The estimated queue time for fast food outlets exceeded 45 minutes and for rides, over 2 hours. The day was summed up by the local press as a massive chaos.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.
During Chinese New Year 2006, many visitors including tour groups from Mainland China arrived at the park in the morning and were informed by the staff that the park was already full. This led to chaotic scenes as some of these visitors attempted to force their way into the park or climb over the barrier gates. Disneyland management responded to the problem by designating future periods close to Chinese public holidays as 'special days' when admission would only be by a date-specific ticket.
Rudeness of employees
Further complicating this public relations snag were complaints from several music stars who participated in the Hong Kong Disneyland promotional videos, including Kelly Chen. They complained about the rudeness of park employees, especially from senior levels of Disney management. Disney has not acknowledged nor tried to correct this problem, even though several stars threatened not to promote or go to Hong Kong Disneyland ever again.Lack of government law enforcement
The lack of government law enforcement within the resort also made headlines two days before the park's grand opening. Officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene department were asked by Disney staff to take off their badges and caps when they wanted to enter the park to investigate a food-poisoning case in the park's restaurants, lest the park visitors get scared. 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 apologised for the incident. It said there was a mix up in communications and in the future they'd comply with all local laws.The police also insisted that it has definite power to enforce law in the park. But they admitted they cannot get into the park whenever they need to, unless their admission is arranged by the security inside the park.
Poor working conditions of Disney employees
Some scholars and university students also complain that Disney produced its souvenirs in mainland China, by contracts with local factories. The production conditions are said to be poor, the workers exploited. Some further criticize that Disney behaves irresponsibly by quickly severing deals with these factories when they discover poor working conditions.Staff at the park working in costumes as 'meet and greet' Disney characters have complained about poor working conditions including low pay (HK$9000 per month), long working hours in extremely uncomfortable costumes and having to tolerate being treated abusively by some of the park's guests.
Environmental issues
Environmental issues were also a problem. Reclamation works were carried out before an environment report was concluded. Fishing farms on the island of Ma Wan nearby were not compensated for their loss during the reclamation phase of construction, creating a high level of toxins in the sea that killed fish. Residents of nearby Discovery Bay are upset about Disneyland's decision to put on fireworks every evening, which produces airborne particles that might be hazardous to people with cardiac and respiratory diseases. Disney uses more environmentally-friendly fireworks at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, USA.In an effort to appeal to Chinese visitors, the park originally planned to offer shark's fin soup on its restaurant menus, but objections from environmental and animal rights groups led to this plan being cancelled.
Problems
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. Although they did bring good business to the park, they also caused some problems. Sources such as the Apple Daily and Ming Pao showed pictures of visitors from mainland China smoking in restaurants in non-smoking areas and a woman helping a young child loosen his trousers to urinate beside a flower bed. Some mainlanders were barefoot and laid their feet on chairs; others were spitting in public, a habit regarded as unsanitary and poor etiquette in Hong Kong, especially since the SARS and avian flu outbreaks. Many Hongkongers were upset that Disney allowed this behaviour in the park.Hong Kong Disneyland spokeswoman Esther Wong declined to say whether she thought the reports would tarnish the park's image. She said the rules require that all guests wear shoes within the park, and that public urination in the park is illegal.
Public Relations
In other news, Disney released a press announcement[link] on November 24, 2005, that Disney has officially welcomed over 1 million guests during its first two months of operation. Disney finally decided to release the statement after media reports surfaced saying the park's attendance numbers might be lower than expected.In response to negative publicity locally, 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.
External links
| Walt Disney Parks and Resorts | |
|---|---|
| Disneyland Resort:
| Disneyland > Disney's California Adventure |
| Walt Disney World Resort:
| Magic Kingdom > Epcot | Disney-MGM Studios | Disney's Animal Kingdom |
| Tokyo Disney Resort:
| Tokyo Disneyland > Tokyo DisneySea |
| Disneyland Resort Paris:
| Disneyland Park | Walt Disney Studios |
| Hong Kong Disneyland Resort:
| Hong Kong Disneyland |
| Disney Cruise Line:
| Disney Wonder > Disney Magic | Castaway Cay |
| Disney Regional Entertainment:
| ESPN Zone |
| Disney Vacation Club | Adventures by Disney | World of Disney | |
| Walt Disney Imagineering: Walt Disney Creative Entertainment | |
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