Hong Kong 4D3N: Day 1

May 23rd '07: Too early to even mention the hours

I decided to sleep early the night before, and woke up at around midnight when hubby went to bed. This is to avoid missing the flights, since we both have the tendency to cheat the alarm clock. Woke up at 12:30 am and fixed myself some coffee. All bags are packed, so I need to find other activities to keep awake. Thank goodness for HEROES! Hubby managed to get the latest episodes of Season 1 which is not yet shown in Malaysia. So with my big coffee mug and some candy, I watched Heroes episode 17-20, a marathon which kept me awake till 4:30am.

My eldest, Amirul woke up by himself (without any alarm clock! must have been very excited) at 5:00am sharp. The entire family was ready to get out of the house at 6:00am. Luckily we have my younger bro to drive us up to the airport (which is only 15 mins away from home) so we don't have to wait for the "highly" dependable Malaysian taxi.

Checked in and had a light breakfast at Coffee Bean. We were the last ones to board but didn't cause any delay. The flight was barely filled. Amirul was excited when he learned from the in-flight magazines that there'll be interactive games on the individual monitor & consoles. But he was soon dissapointed since there were only available for Bussiness Class. (Note to Cathay Pac - SIA provides such entertainment throughout the classes since I believe they realize those who travel with kids, can't afford bussiness). But again, blessing in disguise since the boredom of not having any games (just other adult boring movies) have forced them to sleep. A good chance to recharge their batteries for the longgggg walk in Disneyland.

After getting more passangers from KLIA, which filled up the empty seats like a sworm of ants, we were on our way again. We reached HK at 1:15pm. After passport control, getting the luggage, we decided to take a taxi (since MTR requires a change-over). We bought 2 octopus cards (costs HK$150 each) for later use on MTR & food outlets. We were confused at first, didn't know where to get a taxi (Lift labels show level 3, but people told us it's downstairs). We were with a bunch of stewardess in the lift, and I stupidly decided to ask for help. They barely looked at me. And when I queued up in the wrong lane (the lane was meant for crew only), nobody bother to correct me. If it was 10 years ago, I could've dismiss it as a mere confusion since they might think I'm one of them. But after having 2 kids; and the lost look, I thought it was obvious that we needed help.

We finally managed to get outself a taxi (which by the way, on the lower ground. Turn right as you get out of the elevator, away from those gorgeous, "friendly-only-on-the-flight-or-when-you-are-an-ah-moh-kiao" people.) The driver was wearing a see-thru singlet, proudly showing off his buffed 6-packs. No greeting, just simply "Disneyland?!" I nodded and rush the kids into the taxi. It was a 15 minutes ride, thanks to his 120km/hr driving skill which cost us HK$120. We checked in at Disney Hollywood Hotel. The personnel over there were extremely friendly and helpful; a rare quality from my many experience of China trips. It could be because they are new (the Hotel only a few years old) or Disney has one hell of a training team.

Disney Hollywood Hotel, Lantau Island, HK

I was so excited (more than the kids, apparently) and in complete awe with all the decorations. At every nook and corners, they were hidden mickeys! Mickeys emblem were on the lift button, carpets, luggage trolley, shampoo bottle caps, lamp posts, slippers (they gave 3 pairs: 2 for Adults & 1 for kids....so cute!), bathrobes and even the benches are mickeys!

Some people are under the impression that Disney Hotel might be expensive. Let me tell you what you get for a night stay at Disney Hollywood Hotel of HK$1100 (approx. RM 500), then you decide for yourself if it's worth the money.

- Friendly, helpful staffs

- Cute, free mickey souveniors (will attached pics later on)

- From now till 3oth Sept '07, for a night stay at the hotel, you get a 'Stay-and- Play for 2 days' offer. Meaning for a day ticket; you get to enter the park for 2 consecutive days! Which is quite a saving compared to buying a 2-day ticket.

- My favorite: Malibu Toy Shop. A very deceiving name, since it's not a shop at all. They should call it Kids' heaven on earth. All the Disney toys you can play for free! They also have 2 staffs; to do activities like crafts, drawing, games, story telling, etc! It was a good showcase since the experience will give parents an idea of what toy to buy at Disneyland since we've played them all!

- Free, very convinient, punctual, air-conditioned shuttle bus which goes to Disney at every 15 minutes. And if you overstayed at the park and somehow missed the shuttle bus, just call them and they'll pick you up for free!