Latest: Hong Kong Disneyland Future Attractions

Originally Posted By TDLFAN

DALMATIANS!!

 

Originally Posted By MarchHare

Dalmations again!

 

Originally Posted By TP2000

If Chinese people are so culturally different from Americans, Canadians, English, Japanese, Brazillians, Norwegians, etc. that they don't care about going on rides when they pay to visit an amusement park..... then why did they bother with the rides at all?

And how does that other amusement park in Hong Kong, Ocean Park, stay in business? From the looks of Ocean Park on the Travel Channel show I saw recently, all they really have there at that theme park is a bunch of thrill rides. Roller Coasters, log rides, round rides, etc. They don't have any "picture gardens" at Ocean Park, so how do they stay in business?

I assume Ocean Park is to Hong Kong what Six Flags Magic Mountain is to Los Angeles; the charmless big thrill ride park with minimal theme applied to the attractions. And yet Ocean Park has more rides that Disneyland, plus a bunch of aquatic and animal exhibits.

The existence of Ocean Park in Hong Kong and it's thrill rides, plus a bunch of Sea World style animal shows, tells me that the whole line about "Chinese people mainly like to eat and shop and take pictures when they go to an amusement park" is a bunch of Marketing Department dribble and spin. Remember the spin about DCA and how all of the restaurants and movies would make up for the lack of rides? This Hong Kong stuff is coming from the same people that brought you that DCA spin.

If Hong Kong folks like to go on rides at Ocean Park, why wouldn't they want to do the same thing at Disneyland? And a follow up question... why does Disneyland only have 8 actual rides to go on, half of those being minor 90 second spinners?

<a href="http://www.oceanpark.com.hk/eng/main/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.oceanpark.com.hk/en
g/main/index.html</a>

 

Originally Posted By MarchHare

Hmm........and Ocean Park also bills an escalator as an attraction. I'm seeing some parallels here....

 

Originally Posted By trekkeruss

<<If Chinese people are so culturally different from Americans, Canadians, English, Japanese, Brazillians, Norwegians, etc. that they don't care about going on rides when they pay to visit an amusement park..... then why did they bother with the rides at all?>>

I am not saying they don't care about rides. I am only saying that their expectations *may* be a lot different than our own. I really do not know. But just as we don't seem to understand the cultures of the middle east (and vise-versa), there are bound to be things that the average american just doesn't understand about the chinese.

 

Originally Posted By TDLFAN

Unlike Magic Mountain... Ocean Park has a killer view of the Pacific Ocean below...

 

Originally Posted By davewasbaloo

Ok, I've been away on business the last few days, but there are a few things I would like to pick up on:

1st - I think HKDL will be a success, but the waits will be massive. Even when DLP opened and was seen as failing, there would be a 3 hour wait for Big Thunder and a 90 min wait for Peter Pan, and this was with an 11 million guest forcast for opening year (they did not achieve their target). The park opened with 35 attractions. I am concerened about the queues here, they will be unbearable.

Thankfully the scenery in some areas and the restaurant attractions really appeal to me. But can you imagine, 3 hours for dumbo and 5 hours for JC/Space Mt?

 

Originally Posted By davewasbaloo

2nd: I agree though, a good Disney park experience does not need to have attractions. IU am very happy sight seeing, chilling out, dining and watching entertainment in a park. After all, we are spending some reasonable money on the LP meet in OCtober in DLP, but I know with a 3 month old and 2 year old, we will not do much. But I don't care, I go for he vibe and magic, and I am sure the HK people will love it.

It's not just marketting spin, when I went to HK on business a few years ago, much of the socialising we did was in parks and restaurants.

However, I will not let Disney off on this point. There should be a choice here. Ok, we know PotC is not as big a success in Tokyo as in the States or Europe, but it at least is different. When Walt opened DL, they said he was crazy for not having a ferris wheel or coaster, but he created new things. Problem is, HKDL seems to have very few new offerings.

I am facinated to see how the public perceive this new park.

 

Originally Posted By davewasbaloo

Lastly - msaft, I had eve forgotten that people are still insulted by the us of JC as an exclamation.

In the UK, it's not thought of in a bad way, and indeed in Ireland, who are devoutly Christian it's used all the time (they even insert the "F" word in between the first and second names).

While many of us try to be tolerant of people's feelings and beliefs, tolerances go both ways. At the end of the day, they are only words. It's the meaning behind them that matter. If someone like WD did not mean it in a bad way (and I do not think he did), then let it slide. You are no less devout.

I don't mean to tell you how to live or think. But as a human, civil and disability rights activist, language annoys me all the time. But it is the issues, not the words I focus on.

Did you know Handicap is a very derogatory word? The etymology comes from cap in hand, where disabled people would beg for food and money. Not very nice, but it used all the time. I let it slide, and focus on the issues.

May I advise you do the same.

God bless you msaft.

 

Originally Posted By leemac

<<If Hong Kong folks like to go on rides at Ocean Park>>

Well again it is the only theme park in the area and it attracts a lot of tourists. In a city of 7m people there isn't as many tourist-type attractions as you would expect IMO. Lots of shopping (more than you could ever possibly imagine) and restaurants.

 

Originally Posted By leemac

<<And a follow up question... why does Disneyland only have 8 actual rides to go on, half of those being minor 90 second spinners? >>

Plus a parade and fireworks and two excellent shows. Why don't anyone ever include those in their lists????

The parade is not TDL's finest ever show but it is good enough, the fireworks are brand-new and are very good with the smaller shells. Festival of the Lion King is still the best US entertainment product and the Golden Mickeys is also good.

 

Originally Posted By TP2000

leemac, I understand you've been taking the photos here on LP and I must say I am LOVING them! Thank you very much for allowing all of us here in the USA to see what this new Park looks like up close. It is very much appreciated.

I look forward to seeing how the Hong Kong citizens and Chinese tourists react to this Park after September 12th when they will all be paying to get in for the day. Something tells me 30,000 people all trying to get on those 8 rides won't be pretty, but that's just me.

Keep the pics and info from HKDL coming leemac! We love it!

 

Originally Posted By davewasbaloo

"Festival of the Lion King is still the best US entertainment product"

I can't fully agree on this point. I much prefer Alladin or even Steps in Time to this overrated production.

Then again, the Parisian offerings have often wiped the floor with the US offerings:

Mulan, Tarzan le Recountre, and Le Legend du Roi Lion! Now if they took one of those over to HK (well maybe not Mulan), then there would be something worth seeing.

 

Originally Posted By leemac

^^ Ironically locals don't like Mulan but Disney will be pushing the characters at the park though.

Dave it is all a matter of opinion. I love Aladdin to bit but I still feel FoLK has a awesome look and feeling. The medley at the end always gets me but then it is my favourite Disney movie!

TP2000 you are welcome. The Adventureland series will run early next week to be followed by the first showing of both hotels. Those will probably be split into two series for each hotel as I took so many pix of the rooms, restaurants, gardens etc.

Lee

NB. They are actually paying to get in at present. The initial feedback has been good. Jungle Cruise is the big draw though. I'm sure word-of-mouth will blow the competition away it is that good.

 

Originally Posted By CMM1

I find the comments about Hong Kong residents willing to accept a chance to simply get out of their apartments and into a park-like setting very interesting - isn't that something akin to Tivoli park (in the middle of busy Copenhagen), supposedly the inspiration for the original Disneyland?

Additionally, I'm wondering if Disney is counting on visitors to the HKDL park to spend multiple days there or at Disney hotels near the park? It sounds like HKDL is much more designed for the local day-trip kind of guest (at least for the early going).

Another opinion: just because most of us posters find the Autopia boring and uninteresting as an attraction doesn't mean that kids and a bunch of non-driving adults won't find it one of the best attractions in the park as they get to live out one of their biggest fantasies.

Granted, for "gluttons" of the Disney experience this park appears to be no more than a few pieces of meat left on the bone - but to an area of the world "starving" for a taste of a Disney theme park, it might seem like a big juicy T-bone that just fell on the plate in front of them.

For those for whom all points of the world are accessible, there is TDS as a relatively new and sensational Disney park, there is DLP as a distinctly different park with some very unique versions of the Disney "classics", there is WDW as the flagship for major new attractions at the rate of 1 every two to three years and there is DLR with its compact design and unparalled collection of Disney classics in a small space - how much more does Disney need to provide for such people?

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

"Or is it just more difficult to do a Magic Kingdom style park that looks cheap just by the nature of its theme?"

Have you ever seen the "Main Street", European village, or futuristic theming at a Six Flags? Even the Busch parks look pretty cheap, but they still look better than SF. I think the only decent western theming I've seen is at Cedar Point, but that only covered about 100 yards. And come to think of it, I can't really remember any other parks with a jungle area, other than zoos, but that's cheating. : )

 

Originally Posted By TDLFAN

>>we know PotC is not as big a success in Tokyo as in the States or Europe<<

You know that davewasbaloo?? How? This is what I know and I go there monthly... POTC is just as popular or attended at TDL as anytime at the MK or DL. When TDL is packed, the lines here are long..and when the park is slow.. it is a few minutes wait or near walkon just like it is at WDW. If anything...TDL has more attractions than any other park except DL in CA. POTC may suffer a bit from other worthy rides that we do not have in the USA like Hunny Hunt and many special event and shows thru the resort. But I think believe based on my personal observations that POTC is just as well attended at TDL as any other DL park out there, regardless of what others here may say, especially since the last time I went on it at TDL, I waited 25 mins for it (during Xmas)

 

Originally Posted By davewasbaloo

^^^OK, I may stand corrected. However, I remember speaking to some imagineers when I was a kid about TDL, not that long after opening, and they said they were surprised that PotC was no where near as popular as in the US. But that was circa 1985. Although, is it not also true that the attendenca of Sinbad at TDS has fallen below expectations?

 

Originally Posted By gurgitoy2

"^^ Ironically locals don't like Mulan but Disney will be pushing the characters at the park though."

I wonder if that's because she's an amalgum of Asian cultures?

 

Originally Posted By leemac

TDLFAN I'd have to side with Dave on the POTC issue. I believe its attendance at TDL ranks around the same as at DL but it is definitely less than DLP and DL.

I always wondered why. Again maybe it is the whole "you can't see what it is" concept. Mansion is another example of an E-ticket that always seems a lot quieter than it should be. Luckily HMHN has breathed some new life into it as the Holiday version of iasw has for that attraction.