Trip report - HK Disneyland with 2.5yo toddler

Hi everyone! I thought I would do a trip report to help others visiting HK Disneyland (HKD) from overseas with little ones. I’ve been to all the Disneys except Paris and Tokyo and truly believe HKD is the perfect starter and intro to the parks if you have little kids - it was such a magical experience! Also, I really appreciated the information I found here and the advice of others so here’s my contribution :)

Trip itinerary: - 3 days, 3 nights staying at Explorers Lodge from Wed to Sat in late April as a layover to our main holiday destination - Note that the period we went was off-peak so the park was closed on Wednesday - We travelled internationally from Australia, two adults and one toddler 2.5yo - Park days were Thursday and Friday - we purchased two-day tickets and Early Park Entry for both days (note children under 3 are free for all ticket types, early entry, priority passes etc) - We planned for our first day to be a resort day, to ease into our holiday and give our toddler a chance to adjust to the two hour time difference, have a good nap, and relaxed free play before two busy park days. This worked out well and I would recommend it if you have the time to spare during your trip. - We also decided to spend two days in the park even though HKD is on the smaller side. I honestly felt this was perfect with a toddler - we were able to do things at a slower pace and not overwhelm him, let him rest/nap when needed, take time out to eat properly, soak in the atmosphere and do his favourite attractions multiple times (if you have a little one, you know this is important lol) and having two days meant we could easily space out all the shows and attractions we wanted to do. It was still two very full days and we were exhausted after!

Arriving from the airport - Very easy to either catch a taxi (cash only) or order an Uber to the resort, it was under 20min to Explorers Lodge - Public transport is also an option but we opted for taxi for convenience - We had an overnight flight into HK and arrived early morning (FYI if you have a toddler or young child, I feel like the overnight flight worked perfectly for us - our little one slept all night and woke up ready to rumble lol, we also used this opportunity to help him adjust to the new time zone)

Accommodation and resort facilities: - Stayed in a Deluxe Room at Explorers Lodge - We checked in upon arrival but understandably our room was not yet available - the kind staff gave us a map, explained all the resort facilities and told us we would get a text when our room was ready. All our pre-arrival requests (quiet room, cot in room) were confirmed and accommodated. They were also happy to store our bags while our room was being prepared. - If you stay at one of the HKD resorts, you can access all the restaurants facilities in any of the other resorts. You can walk between the resorts but there is also an airconned shuttle that runs regularly from outside the hotel lobby so we usually took this. - We visited all three resorts on our first day and all the facilities and activities kept us busy and toddler happy. Each resort has its own unique theming and shop, and playrooms for the kids. There is also a schedule of free and paid activities that take place throughout the day and you get a copy of this at check-in or it’s easily accessible on the HKD app/ on signage around the resort. We really enjoyed checking out each resort, shopping (there’s slightly different merchandise at each store) and our son loved the different playrooms - the Nemo Reef playroom at Explorers Lodge was his favorite and he asked to go back several times. - Our room at Explorers Lodge was clean and spacious, and serviced daily while we were out. Slippers are provided and it was such a nice touch for them to provide kid-sized slippers and robes - my son was delighted by this and loved that we all matched! Note that there is no bathtub in the rooms so you will need to shower your little ones. There is a water machine in the room that provides clean drinking water - this was really useful as bottled water is quite expensive at the resort. - One thing that pleasantly surprised us was that they provided us with a large wooden cot complete with mattress and bedding - not the usual pack and play arrangement that most hotels provide. This was great as my son is quite tall for his age and he was comfortable during our stay. - Bring your swimmers! HK is so humid and hot and Explorers Lodge has such a lovely outdoor pool - there is a shallow roped off area as well for little kids, life guards on duty and floaties (vests) were provided and encouraged. My son loved the pool and there was even a poolside dance party and character meet and greet (free activity at the resort). - Throughout the day, Disney characters will also appear at various locations around the resort so it’s a great chance to get in your meet and greets in a more relaxed way, with minimal queuing. - For getting to and from the resorts to the park, there is a regular shuttle that goes back and forth. You can also choose to walk (~15min) but we found the buses to be really convenient. - Having visited all three resorts I think you can’t go wrong with any of them, especially as you can resort hop so easily. It will be a matter of personal preference based on theming, and pricing (Disneyland Hotel is the most expensive)

Food and Dining - We enjoyed the buffet breakfasts at the Enchanted Garden restaurant (Disneyland Hotel) or the Dragon Wind restaurant (Explorers Lodge) most mornings of our stay. These dining experiences included character meet and greets with Disney characters - we met Pluto and Goofy one morning at Enchanted Garden, and Donald and Goofy on separate mornings at Dragon Wind. Even though we got Goofy twice, it worth noting that all the Disney characters at Explorers Lodge are dressed in their explorer outfits so it’s quite unique and spot on for theming :) The food at both restaurants was great and reflective of a high quality hotel buffet with a good range of Western and Asian selections. We had no trouble finding plenty of things for all of us to enjoy (noting that my husband is vegetarian and he was happy with his meals). It is on the pricier end at ~70AUD per head for breakfast but well worth it for the experience. Our son was also free since he was under 3, and we ate so well that we only needed a light lunch/snack. We also grabbed a juice, yogurt and fruit to go for our son each morning - which seemed like accepted practice as we observed other diners, and servers never raised any issues with us doing this. - A few times we ate dinner at the Chart Cafe in Explorers lodge - they had an easy, casual menu with reasonable prices. Also, no bookings were needed (we tried eating at one of the restaurants at Hollywood Hotel for dinner and it was fully booked!) and service was efficient. I believe this is also the only resort restaurant where you can also purchase snacks, drinks, sandwiches etc if you’re just looking for something light. - Food was not a main priority for us while we were in the parks, we ate at whatever was close by when we got hungry - we found all the food, snacks and drinks to be decent, with generous portions and vegetarian and toddler friendly. - That being said, we did book the Explorers Semi-Buffet with Momentous Package for our Friday park day and thoroughly enjoyed it - it was probably our favourite meal. Each person picks a main from the menu but then there is also a bunch of appetisers, drinks and desserts set out as a buffet - these were a highlight and the desserts were all themed and very cute. There is also a signature mocktail included for each person and it is delicious! Again, under threes were free and there was plenty for my toddler to eat from the buffet.

Priority passes and paid experiences - Early Park Entry is available for purchase on each day the park is open and is around AUD40 pp (again under 3 is free). For us, this was the best part of each day - one hour early in the morning with minimal crowds, and our toddler at full energy haha. Only the two rides in World of Frozen and select rides in Fantasyland (Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, Carousel) are open during this hour, but it worked out great for us as these were some of my son’s favourite rides and we could get on a few times. Shops and restaurants in these areas and along Main Street are also open during early entry. Each morning we were able to ride Frozen Ever After twice, Winnie the Pooh twice and Dumbo or the carousel (based on our toddlers preference), so you can see that it’s an hour well spent! - Given we had early entry, we didn’t buy any other priority passes except for the Momentous Viewing package (for fireworks), Stella Lou’s ballet and Duffy’s Playhouse during our visit. We found this to be worth it because Duffy’s Playhouse was the only character meet and greet we wanted to do in the park itself and the wait times were regularly above one hour (which for most toddlers, is too long to wait). For Stella Lou’s ballet, it meant we didn’t need to queue and got front row seats which was a lot of fun for our toddler - the theatre was packed for this show so we agreed we made a good decision! - Otherwise, we didn’t find that priority passes were needed during our visit- most rides were a less than 15min wait, if not a walk-on

Rides and attractions for toddlers (note our toddler was 2.5yo, fairly adventurous personality, 93cm tall at time of visit) - Frozen Ever After - this is a ride for all the family and our son’s favourite ride - we went on it 4 times during our visit. Note that there is a fair drop in the dark towards the end of the ride (similar to a typical log flume drop) and it feels more intense if you are sitting at the back of the boat). They will let kids lap-sit on this ride, with the exception of the front row where kids must sit on the seat. - Mystic Manor - another dark ride and another favourite for my son. We went on this one several times too, he absolutely loved the monkey, especially during the pre-show and at the end when “monkey is back with daddy” 😆. Some parts could be a bit scary for some toddlers but you can cover their eyes/ears if needed. - Winnie the Pooh - a classic dark ride and likely to be well loved by all toddlers - my son loved it! - Dumbo and Orbitron - essentially the same ride with different theming, very mild and most toddlers will enjoy. The views of the park are beautiful from these rides so it’s a nice one for the whole fam. Both are fairly short and your toddler will definitely ask to go on multiple times haha - Cinderella’s Carousel and Mad Hatters Teacups - typical rides for children, very mild and likely to be enjoyed by all toddlers - It’s a small world - classic and great for escaping the heat! Toddler loved pointing out all the details he could see in the displays. We went on this a few times at his request. - Antman and the wasp - dark shooter ride, kids are allowed to lap sit which makes it way more fun for toddler cos you can help them shoot the targets and they think they are awesome 😝 - Jungle River Cruise - generally mild but the ending could scare some more sensitive kids, especially if you are sitting on the right of the boat. - Slinky Dog Spin - surprisingly our least favourite ride incl. my son. He seemed to not really enjoy the relatively faster speed and repetitive circling of this ride, I also found it slightly nauseating. But lots of other kids seemed to love the ride so I would definitely give it a go if your child meets the height requirements. - Parachute Soldiers - we didn’t go on this ride but regret it! We had heard it is more thrilling than it looks and ummed and ahhed about it a lot. By the time we decided that our son would probably be okay on it since he loved the drops in Frozen, we were too tired and had other things we wanted to do. You only live once, take your kid on the ride! :P - Additionally, all the shows and parades at HKD are really enjoyable and likely to be well received by little kids

Parent rooms - There are two baby care centres in the park, one in Tomorrowland and one in Grizzly Gulch. - The one in Grizzly Gulch we found to be a lot less busy and quieter - our son took a nice long nap in his pram there while we took turns riding Big Grizzly Mountain (so much fun!) which is right next to the centre.

Strollers - There is stroller parking at the front of every attraction. They have umbrellas for you to put the strollers under for rainy days, but I would strongly recommend bringing a rain cover. It was raining for parts of the day when we visited and the rain cover was vital! - You can rent strollers at the front of the park but we brought our own.

Shopping - You’re going to want to buy a lot! HKD has really great merch, different merch across different stores and Duffy and friends merch which is always very popular - You can shop at the park during the day and they can send your shopping back to your resort for pick up later that night so that you don’t need to lug it around - Be warned that prices are relatively high - more so than other Disney parks around the world.

This is quite lengthy but I hope it helps someone planning their own visit! Happy travels everyone!