Our 4th castle stop on our Ultimate Disney Road Trip brought us to Hong Kong Disneyland! Although, Hong Kong Disneyland is the smallest of the Disney Parks you should not let its little size fool you. We love each of the Disney parks for different reasons, and Hong Kong Disneyland’s size was exactly what we loved about it!
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Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Hotels
Let’s back up a bit. If you are visiting Hong Kong Disneyland on the Spectrum and want your day to be as smooth as possible I would recommend staying at an on-site resort hotel. We stayed at the Disney Explorers Lodge and it was the perfect way to stay fully immersed in the Disney magic throughout our trip, but also ensured our day flowed smoothly for Roo.
After our visits to the Tokyo Disneyland Resort, we were feeling a little frazzled, and I have to admit we were nervous about tackling a third Disney park in less than a week. As soon as we stepped off our Disney Explorer’s Lodge resort bus I knew that our concerns were going to be put to rest. We arrived shortly after rope drop and the crowds appeared to be thick, but as we got closer to the gates we realized that Hong Kong Disneyland had the entry process down pat. We breezed through the turnstiles utilizing the designated resort guest entrance into the park.
Disability Access Pass/ Guest Assistance Card
I have to admit this was the most stressful of all the Disney resorts (so far) to obtain the Disability Access Pass for Roo. Hong Kong Disney’s Guest Services required formal documentation of her autism and inability to wait for long periods of time. I instantly started to panic because we had left all of that paperwork back at the room, primarily because we have never been asked for it before. Thankfully, I had a SIM card and I was able to pull up documentation from her evaluation from my email, and they accepted it because it was on official letterhead. Unfortunately, their website is a bit lacking when it comes to preparing guests with disabilities as it primarily focuses on guests who have mobility and vision challenges, versus other Disney resort websites that address a variety of disabilities.
The Hong Kong Disneyland Guest Assistance Pass is to be presented to the ride host at each attraction. This allowed for us to utilize an alternate entrance to the rides, in most cases, it was the FastPass line and we showed our pass to host to gain entry to the ride. Just like all other Disney Disability Access Passes it cannot be used for character greetings, shows, and for the first time we encountered a ride that it cannot be used on (Iron Man Experience).
Overall, we appreciated having the pass but found ourselves incredibly frustrated that rides that don’t normally have a ride host, like the Mad Hatter Tea Cups meant making the decision to wait in line or skip the ride altogether.
Aside from the minor hiccups we encountered with the pass, we had a relatively easy day at Hong Kong Disneyland, and as I mentioned earlier, it’s small size was our favorite aspect of the park. The parks smaller size allowed us to feel less rushed to see & do it all, this meant that if there was a ride that didn’t have a ride host and the line was too long for Roo we were able to come back to it later. Because of it’s smaller size and later opening time, we were able to repeat rides that we really liked like Mystic Mansion. It was the first park in a long time where Roo exited the park not only meltdown free but not even on the verge of one.
Hong Kong Disneyland Food
The food we tried at Hong Kong Disneyland was not only the most affordable we have encountered so far, but it was really delicious. I am usually a big advocate of eating one meal in the park and eating off-site for other meals, but we actually ended up having several meals in the park, including some delicious fried chicken! I think this also played a large factor in Roo being able to stay meltdown free throughout the day, she was full, which always helps with mood.
Roo’s favorite Rides & Attractions at
Hong Kong Disneyland
Iron Man Experience
If you love the setup and mechanics of the Star Tours ride, then you will LOVE the Iron Man Experience. You get a chance to experience the latest Stark Industries Iron Wing vehicle while going on a thrilling tour of Hong Kong. Although Roo is very sensitive to sound there is something about Star Tours and now Iron Man Experience that she just loves. She was able to ride it 4 times using a combination of FASTPASSes and the priority passes that come as a premier benefit for guests staying on-site at a Hong Kong Disneyland resort hotel.
Mystic Manor
I have to admit this was my absolute favorite ride at Hong Kong Disneyland! The entire family was able to ride it and even Lightning Bug seemed to enjoy it. If you or your kiddo are Haunted Mansion fans you will notice that they are missing at Disney theme parks in China. Respecting the dead and worshiping the spirits of ancestors is a very serious tradition in China and the jovial manner that ghosts are portrayed in the Haunted Mansion ride would inherently be disrespectful. Quite frankly I think we loved Mystic Manor much more, and unlike Phantom Manor in Disneyland Paris, Mystic Manor is an entirely unique attraction.
The ride takes you on a magical tour of 8 galleries filled with antiques that come to life before your eyes are you enter each room on an incredible trackless system! For kiddos who are sensitive to loud sounds, spinning, or the dark may want to sit this ride out. The final room is a little intense and unexpected, but is brief, and did not seem to bother Roo at all. The queue was relatively short when we visited, so if you have a larger party you may want to pre-ride the ride to make sure your ASD kiddo can tolerate it well.
Toy Story Land
Roo could have easily spent the entire afternoon exploring Toy Story Land, the attention to detail is incredible! As you round the corner into Toy Story Land, you are greeted by either Woody or Rex (depending on which side you enter on), and they aren’t just stagnant massive statues, they say fun phrases as well. Roo stood listening to Rex’s dialogue for over 5 minutes and I loved how interactive his scripting was.
Once you enter the land it feels as though you have been shrunk down to the size of a toy and the entire land is your playground. Roo was only interested in riding the Slinky Dog Spin because the parachute drop was intimidating. I wanted to ride the RC racers, but because it is a single track, and what I call a “one load on, one load off” system the queue was going to take forever, so we opted to skip it this time around.
Character Greetings
Within Toy Story Land is the Barrel of Fun where you can Meet Woody and Jessie! Although we have seen Woody and Jessie in parades at California Adventure, we have never had the opportunity to meet them one-on-one, so it was great to meet them! They were very high energy and Roo was so excited to meet them and interact with them.
We also got the chance to meet Pooh & Piglet which was a real treat! The queue was bearable and they were also very energetic and interactive with the entire family.
Speaking of character greetings, did you know you can also meet Baymax at Hiro and Hong Kong Disneyland?!?! We didn’t get a chance to see them, but they are on my meet and greet bucket list, so I will have to make it a priority for our next visit.
Festival of the Lion King
I will preface this Roo favorite by saying that if at any point during the day she was on the verge of a meltdown it would be in the queue for this show. They open the line approximately 30 minutes prior to the doors opening, but everyone crowds in front of the rope, pushing and invading personal space. Once they opened doors I was terrified that we would be trampled, despite the cast members asking people to not run, there was a mad dash into the theater.
The combination of people pushing Roo and invading her space for 30 minutes took her to the brink of a meltdown, but I am so happy we didn’t decide to get out of line (we considered it multiple times). The theater is a round stage and I can’t imagine that there is a terrible seat because they have choreographed the show to play to the entire theater. If you are worried about the wait, I would either have a member of your party wait in the crowded area and someone else find a quiet waiting place for your ASD kiddo or arrive about 10-15 minutes before the show. The show was INCREDIBLE, I am talking Broadway quality show.
My Honorable Mentions
It’s A Small World Ride
I was a HUGE fan of the design of It’s A Small World, although it was closed when we visited. It had this fun, playful, almost bubblegum feel to it. I really hope we can experience the ride next visit!
Hyperspace Mountain
I have to admit, the adults rode Hyperspace Mountain twice because it was so awesome! The Star Wars theme was so detailed and the twists and turns in the dark really made “space mountain” even more fun.
Paint The Night Parade
One of our favorite parades from Disneyland Park in Anaheim is the Paint the Night Parade, so it was so much fun to get to experience it in a different language! We also have been so burnt out at the other theme parks that we have missed the nightly parade, so it felt good to be able to catch this one as it closes the park.
Have you experienced the magic of Hong Kong Disneyland? Do you think size matters when it comes to Disney parks? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Special thanks to the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort for sponsoring our visit. As always, all opinions are my own.
