(From top) The Disneyland Railroad goes all around the park; Mickey and Minnie Mouse; A Jungle River Cruise in progress

In my youth, I’d dream about making a special trip either to Anaheim in California or Orlando in Florida. Instead, here I was winging my way to Disneyland in Hong Kong. Would an Oriental Disney be as good as the original in North America? I was about to find out.

One thing’s for sure. Flying to Hong Kong is much easier than making that long expedition around the globe. The visa is on arrival and it’s a hassle-free process.

A cloudy and windy day isn’t uncommon for March in Hong Kong. I had stepped out of the airport on just such a day. It was an 18km-drive along the Lantau Highway but it was a smooth journey and I was soon at the unmistakable gates of Disneyland.

The people at Disney leave nothing to chance and have an eye for the most painstaking details — which is why they are still making so much money from cartoon characters, I guess. The entire surrounding parts of Lantau have been Disneyfied. There are Disney signboards and Mickey Mouse road signs. Even the bushes and hedges in the park are trimmed into the shapes of cartoon characters.

I checked into the Disney’s Hollywood Hotel, and dug into some Mickey Mouse-shaped waffles for brunch. Once again, I was struck by the awesome attention to detail. The waffles were served with a side dish of fruits moulded into the shape of Mickey Mouse.

After a nap, I headed out for a proper glimpse of this cartoon world come alive. I was almost a bit overwhelmed by the constant Disney assault from all directions. I’m told, though, that Disney Hong Kong is much smaller than the parks in North America.

It crossed my mind that I should have been here a decade ago when I was still in a “Mickey Mouse phase”. Nevertheless, I set out to have some fun. As evening set in, the fireworks went soaring into the sky, which made me feel that I was reliving childhood memories of Disney TV shows.

At some point, I realised that there was faint, but constant fairytale music playing in the background. I was told that it never stops — it goes on till late at night and into the wee hours of the morning, long after guests are shepherded out every evening.

The next day, I was ready to see the park by daylight. The day began early and I breakfasted on more Disney characters — mini bite-sized pancakes, dumplings and another round of Mickey Mouse shaped waffles.

The next step was to take the free shuttle to Disneyland park and bravely head for the rides. The queues in the morning are a lot longer than those in the evening. But it’s all splendidly organised and it didn’t take longer than five minutes to get from the end of the queue to the front. Of course, I took a few mandatory pictures with a perky Goofy and moved on to Toy Story Land.

The rides inside the Toy Story Land impressed me more than I had actually thought they would. These are aimed primarily at younger children and don’t go very fast. But there are a few that young adults should also enjoy: The RC Racer, shaped like a car, is an adrenaline pumping 27m-high U-shaped track inside Toy Story Land. The ride can take up to 20 people and swings from end to end. If you don’t have motion sickness, then this one is perfect to hop on to.

For the brave, there’s the indoor roller-coaster — with a twist, since the ride is mostly in the dark. I’d assumed it would be child’s play sitting there, but it was scarier than I had expected and at one point when the seat twisted to almost 150°, I felt I would fall off into the darkness.

Now, I decided to pull up my socks and give the Toy Soldier Parachute a try. You stand on a platform while it climbs up to about 25m. Then, suddenly, you whoosh down at high speed. If you want a good overview of the park, it’s excellent as it overlooks the whole fantasy destination.

Parents can even rent strollers for little children at the entrance of the park and there are also points for stroller parking at crucial points, so children can get onto rides. Also, amazingly, there are disability-friendly rides. A gentleman standing ahead of me, in a wheelchair was put carefully on a special boat with space to park a wheelchair and room for his family. An attendant accompanied him throughout the ride.

On day three, I had a few hours left, so I looked for a different experience. I sauntered around Main Street USA and made a quick trip into Hong Kong. I stopped by at Mong Kok, the city’s famous flea market and then headed up to Victoria Peak from where you can look down at the glittering city.

I had been very worried about going to Disneyland on my own. But at the end of the trip I had ceased to worry about that. Disneyland may be aimed at kids but it’s just fine for everybody.

Ready reckoner

 

Getting there: There are several flights to Hong Kong from Calcutta. Disneyland is about 18km from HK International Airport.

 

Staying there: There are two hotels within the island area. The Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel room rates begin at Rs 18,200. Disneyland’s Hollywood Hotel’s room rates begin at Rs 13,300 (HK$1,900).

 

 

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Travel trivia

Formula Rossa is the world’s fastest roller-coaster, going from zero to 240kph in just 4.9 seconds. Located in Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, which is the world’s first Ferrari theme park, the Formula Rossa cars are designed to resemble Ferrari Formula One cars and run along a 2.07km long track.

Pix courtesy: Hong Kong Disneyland