Originally Posted By Malin End of the day I have purchased a Vaule Annual Passport so I have full access to the park through out my stay, except on peak days and Weekends. So I can come and go as often as I would like. WorldDisney and Mr X with your experience's in visiting Hong Kong would you be able to advise me on what other sights and attractions I must also do during my stay? That above question is open to anyone too!
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan Malin, how was the Crystal Lotus? I'll be staying at the HKDL Hotel for 2 nights in July and am planning to have dinner there. I'm spending 2 nights in Tsim Sha Tsui (at the Peninsula) before HKDL and will be sampling several world-class restaurants. I know there are several outstanding Chinese restaurants in the region, but I don't want to spoil my experience at the Crystal Lotus and end up being disappointed. That being said, I'm still keeping my expectations down and will be judging the Crystal Lotus for what it is; a Disney restaurant.
Originally Posted By Malin I never got around to giving it a try TDR_Fan, but I did get a quick look in and its a stunning restaurant. I think you will be impressed by the decor but the food while being high standard though out the Resort may not level up that you can find else where in Hong Kong. However its worth going to even for just the experience, and if you enjoy the fine dining found at the other Disney Resorts, you should have no problems here as I stated above the quality and standard in cusine is very high and in variety. Good to see your spending a few days over at Hong Kong Disneyland too, while certainly no Tokyo Disney Resort when it comes to attractions, the standards in customer service and maintenance, plus the beauty of the Resort more than makes up for it.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan Thanks for the input. I'm sure the Crystal Lotus is fantastic for a Disney restaurant and certainly well above every other eatery at the resort. I'm glad I'm giving the park a try, but I'm actually more excited about the city to be honest. Did you manage to spend time outside the resort? I only have 2 days in the city, but I've seen a large chunk of it already. Also, they have this amazing deal at the Peninsula right now where you get a second night's stay free if you stay 2 nights. I managed to book an enormous harbour view suite (about 1635 sq.ft) with phenomenal views of Victoria Harbour and the Hong Kong skyline. And all for just under $2500. I'm also looking forward to the Rolls-Royce ride from the airport, as well as to the HKDL Hotel. It's not cheap though; about $140 each way, but well worth the price in my opinion.
Originally Posted By Malin I spent a lot of time in the city checking out various locations and attractions. Certainly the city is the main draw of a trip to Hong Kong. And I think this is why Hong Kong Disneyland suffers a little bit in attendance. A lot of people who visit Hong Kong use it as a stop over and may only spend a couple of days here before leaving. With such an amazing city as Hong Kong to see, why would you want to spend it at a Disney park.
Originally Posted By X-san ***WorldDisney and Mr X with your experience's in visiting Hong Kong would you be able to advise me on what other sights and attractions I must also do during my stay?*** Oops. Sorry I missed this one (WD certainly has much more experience with HK anyway, as do DavewasBaloo and LeeMac). Sounds like you had a great time in any case! Agreed 100% on the "the city is the draw" on Hong Kong. Even Tokyo pales in comparison (though Tokyo is an awesome city in its' own right of course), and I wouldn't blame anyone for skipping Disney if they only had 1-4 or so days to spend there. In fact, I'd probably recommend it. Of course, I'd say the same of Tokyo. Disney is great, but for short term or first time visitors it's tough to recommend skipping a day in "the real world" in favor of an amusement park, no matter how great it may be.
Originally Posted By X-san ***Also, they have this amazing deal at the Peninsula right now where you get a second night's stay free if you stay 2 nights. I managed to book an enormous harbour view suite (about 1635 sq.ft) with phenomenal views of Victoria Harbour and the Hong Kong skyline. And all for just under $2500. I'm also looking forward to the Rolls-Royce ride from the airport, as well as to the HKDL Hotel. It's not cheap though; about $140 each way, but well worth the price in my opinion.*** I can totally understand the $2,500 being "a bargain" relatively speaking with two nights in a suite being the price of one. But for the ride? I just don't get paying extra for a limo for something that will last all of 50 minutes. A taxi works fine for me in most cases, and sometimes it's actually fun to take a bus or something else (like in HK where you can do the double decker experience, in particular). Then again, you are paying less for a Rolls than you would a taxi in Tokyo, so more power to ya! ;p
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan <<Then again, you are paying less for a Rolls than you would a taxi in Tokyo, so more power to ya!>> True, true. It was around $200 from Narita the last time I checked, which is pretty ridiculous. At least the Rolls-Royce transfer includes personalized service right after you step off the plane.
Originally Posted By Malin <<< Agreed 100% on the "the city is the draw" on Hong Kong. Even Tokyo pales in comparison (though Tokyo is an awesome city in its' own right of course), and I wouldn't blame anyone for skipping Disney if they only had 1-4 or so days to spend there. In fact, I'd probably recommend it. >>> Personally I wouldn't recomend to anyone visiting Hong Kong for the first time to ever visit for just 1-4 days as its just not enough time. <<< Of course, I'd say the same of Tokyo. Disney is great, but for short term or first time visitors it's tough to recommend skipping a day in "the real world" in favor of an amusement park, no matter how great it may be. >>> Regarding Tokyo I would advise people to visit the Resort if it was to just take in Tokyo Disney Sea. No other theme park on earth is like TDS and that for me is worth atleast one trip. Obviously if your short on time a trip to TDL could be missed, but where else on earth can you find a park as unique as TDS.
Originally Posted By X-san ***Obviously if your short on time a trip to TDL could be missed, but where else on earth can you find a park as unique as TDS.*** Sure, I understand that. And like you said, I'd never recommend anyone come to Tokyo or Hong Kong for such a short time anyway (sometimes that's how things work out, either people have only a short time for leisure on a business trip, or else they're trying to squeeze in many countries in one big "once in a lifetime" trip (not recommended, by the way)). And of course, if someone were a Disney fan I'd sure want them to see DisneySea. No doubt. I'd be hard pressed to recommend it over a day trip to Mount Fuji or an extensive tour of Tokyo Proper if time were limited though. Wouldn't you?
Originally Posted By Malin Problem when you end up only booking a few nights in any destination is that you are likely to miss out on some cool sights. Its the gamble you pay really. Of course I would find it difficult to advise someone a trip to Mt Fuji if the weather wasn't clear.
Originally Posted By X-san Very true. And the weather around Fuji can be very unpredictable in any case, so that's always a crapshoot (unless it's summer and you're climbing). I remember one time we went out that way (for the roller coasters, not the mountain lol), and I was shocked to find that while it was clear as day when we arrived at 9:00am, by 11am it was no longer visible (we were totally nearby too).
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< I'd be hard pressed to recommend [TDS] over a day trip to Mount Fuji or an extensive tour of Tokyo Proper if time were limited though. Wouldn't you? >>> It all depends on the person. Certainly that's true for regular people. But if someone is a Disney park fanboy, I think that TDR in general and TDS in particular would be near the top of my recommended list for a visit to Tokyo, even a first-time visit and even for a limited amount of time.
