Hong Kong 4D3N: Day 0

Trip Facts:

• Passenger: 33 year old mom & dad with 7 y.o son & 3 y.o daughter
• Site of Residence: Penang, Malaysia.
• Ethnicity: Muslim Malays

Trip Intention:

• To give the kids, their first feel of Disneyland.
• Mom wants to do some shopping, since rumours had it that HK is a shopping heaven (a myth I soon will bust).
• Trip should be done during June school holidays.
• Not to coincide with any public holiday in China; to avoid crowd and long queues.
• Not to go in the mid-end summer since it'll be hot and humid.

Trip Plan:

• Wanted to get Cathay Pacific offer of buy 3 tickets, free 1 ticket
• Take early morning flights from Penang straight to HK to maximize hours at Disneyland

Trip Actual (summary):

• We did lots of study on Hong Kong experience (travel blogs, reviews, friends & relatives), until we lost track of the time and missed the Buy 3 free 1 deal since it was sold out!
• At Cathay Pacific, we found out all tickets were sold out during (Malaysia) school holidays. Had to buy a few days earlier than plan, so dear son had to skip 3 days of school (Thank God exam was over). No buy 3 free 1 deal for us; ended up have to pay normal price (*sigh*).
• After having the tickets in hands (in such a haste too since there were limited seats available), only then we realized that it's not a straight flight from Penang. We had to stop over at KL to pick passanger & refuel. This means the plan on the air time was increased from 3 hours to 6.5 hours!
• But alas, it turned out to be a blessing since that gave the kids the chance to catch their noon nap on the flight. A definite MUST since they were up at 5:00am to be able to check in at 6:00am (an hour before the flight).
• A few days before travelling, we found out that 24th May (our planned 2nd day at Disney) is Buddha's birthday, which is a public holiday for China. And what's better, the biggest Buddha statue is ON Lantau Island, which is where Disneyland is located. Nice! How on earth did we miss that one out after all the planning! Darn the Murphy's Law!

The Verdict

You'll love Hong Kong, IF:

• you want to give your kids, their first Disney experience. Provided of course they are already familiar with Disney characters such as Mickey and Friends, Toy Story, Lion King and the Princesses.
• you've never been to any other Disneyland parks, and do not expect a lot of rides like other team parks. Disneyland is a place for you to enjoy beautiful scenary, manicured lawn, cute characters & state of the art show.
• you are not a picky eater. For muslims, I suggest to print out the list of Halal Restaurants if you cannot survive without rice/meat for a few days. Halal restaurants can be found near the Islamic Center on corner of Nathan Road & Haiphong road. We found none in Mongkok, where our hotel were.
• you have daughter who love princess. Having to see a real life castle and princess is a dream come true for any girls.
• you don't mind 'in-your-face' bargaining (or in my vacabulary I called harrassing). Will tell more on my experience in later Chapter on shopping (Day 3).

Hong Kong is definitely NOT for you IF:

• you have teenagers who expect lots of rides (Space mountain is the only roller coaster ride, but I think it is still lame to today's teenager's standard).
• you are a hard core fan of Disney who has been to any other Disney parks. HK Disneyland is so tiny, you can finish all rides in a day.

Curious to find out more details?.....read on to the next chapters, and be amazed with my photocrappy skill (Haha). To view the complete album, please follow this link http://asia.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/shilarazlan/album?.dir=/ab23scd&.src=ph&.tok=phMfK6GBOrlxv5Nf

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!

Hong Kong 4D3N: Day 1 @ Disneyland

Day 1: Disneyland, here we come!

After the kids had their shower and changed to much lighter clothing (it was a staggering 31degC) and I'm about to recover from my hang-over from mickey-emblem overload, we hurriedly down to catch the shuttle bus. Following is a brief comparison between our original plan vs what actually happened (in purple):

Day 1 @ Disney

1. Main St USA

• 
  
  catch Disney on Parade at 3:00pm (Couldn't make it in time. We reached the park at 4:00pm. Postpond to Day 2)

2. Tomorrowland

• Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster (The very first thing we did. Amirul had a blast. Even get to get picture with Buzz...no queue at all!)


• 
  
  Autopia (didn't get to do it; waiting was too long (20 min since the track is far). Plus the heat was a bit too much)



• 
  
  Orbitron (the kids refused to get on them - it's a ride that goes round and round endlessly. But I bet the view is great from up there)



• 
  
  Space Mountain (Couldn't get in. Alyssa couldn't pass the min height requirement. It's a small roller coaster ride)



• 
  
  Stitch Encounter (didn't get in...not too sure why....)

3. Adventureland/Pirateland

At the entrance, saw a line for Mickey meet & greet. The line was short (about 10 ppl), so we hurriedly grab a place. But then Mickey had to take a break (Poor guy/gal, all hot and sweaty in that thick suit). So we had to wait, but not for too long..about 5 min later Mickey came out again and the kids (and the kids at hearts adults) went haywire.

• Tarzan Tree House - Lining up for the raft ride to Tarzan's tree house. Alyssa loves it since it's an exact reproduction of the pictures in the books.



• 
  
  "Festival of The Lion King" at 6:00pm. - Best show ever! In fact, I felt the entrance ticket of HK$290 (RM130) was worth it just for that show alone.



• Jungle boat ride (had to cancel and push to Day2 since we felt sorry for Alyssa haven't got any chance to see her princess).- On the way to Fanstasyland, we stumble upon a line for Gooffy & Pluto dressed as pirates. The queue was of 4 ppl. And we were the last ones. So we snapped more than just 1 photos, played around with Gooffy.

4. Fantasyland

• Disney Phillarmagic Show. No queue at all, we were the first at the entrance. Had to wait about 5 minutes before the show starts. Total audience: <50>



• 
  
  Winnie The Pooh ride. Nice rides with creative imagineering. Amirul loved the way they created the mock rain with strings and lights.

5. 8:00pm Disney in The Stars Fireworks

We had a good seat on Main Street right in the center of the round-about. Lots of people rushed for the front places near the palace. But I doubt you can enjoy the view without having a stiffed neck the day after. You can see the fireworks well along Main St. USA, hence there's no need to rush for a good spot, unless of course you want to take a nice shot of fireworks with the castle in the middle. My daughter and I danced to the music during fireworks..which was so memorable, it almost brought tears to my eyes seeing how happy she was.

6. Shopping for souvenirs.

Don't waste your daytime with shopping, you better off go enjoy the rides, the shows & the scenery since the rides closed at 8:00pm, but the shops are well open till 9:00pm. Daughter wanted the headband with the Minnie Ears & ribbon, but we managed to coaxed her to get a full Minnie cap instead. Would be useful for the hot Day 2. Though me managed to find an imitation Minnie Ears at Ladies Market, Kowloon the next day which cost 1/4 of Disney's price, the quality is just not the same as Disney's. But to a 3 y.o, Minnie ears are Minnie Ears, no matter what the quality is.

We went back to hotel with aching legs. Ladies, Disney is not the place for you to show off your stilettos. Wear flat shoes or best, good walking shoes. Had dinner at the Hotel (a few choices, according to your budget). We chose the cheapest; next to Malibu Toy Shop. A Tuna Sandwich cost HK$35 and a canned drink HK$14.

Hong Kong 4D3N: Day 2 @ Disneyland

Who says this park is tiny?!

Before we came, we read a lot of reviews saying that the park is small. During our study time, we did visit Disneyworld in Florida, and I don't remember complaining about how huge the parks were. But 10 years had past, and even this small HK Disneyland did get to us...so, it's official now: we're old. That, and combined with our air-conditioned, sit by the laptop kinda career and too-lazy-too-exercise attitude; we were darned tired on Day 1 (remember: were we there only from 4:00pm till 9:00pm).

If I had a pedometer on, I'd say we had walked the entire Penang Bridge length (and back probably). But thank goodness, you can rent a nice, sturdy stroller for HK$50 for the entire day. Just wish they have a bigger ones for the adults too! The second day (May 24th a public holiday for China), we reached the park around noon, since the kids were so preoccupied with the toys at Malibu Shop at the hotel. Since it was hot, we let the kids play with the water shoots in Tomorrowland. We met a very cool dustbin which can go around and greet people! The water was so cooling, that we parents couldn't resist ourselves and joined in as well. Right after, we plan to get on Autopia, but the line was even longer that the day before. And the sun was right on the head, so we decided to do something indoors. Amirul would like to go for another Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster, so we did. As any other theme parks, on the way out of the rides, you'll bump into booby traps - Toy/Gift/Souvenir shop. I actually fell for the trap of the one after Astro Blaster ride. For HK$125, you get to buy a box of Mr.Potato Head and its accessories. You can stuff as much as you can in the box they provided, and the cost is still the same. If you're not familiar with Mr.Potato Head, it's a toy where you can place different eyes, nose, hair, shoe, hands, accessories on a block of 'potato'. So it help to induce creativity in children, hence the reason I bought it. If you plan to buy this, please don't forget to make use of the compartment in the back of Mr.Potato head...its pretty roomy in there. And for Amirul, we bought his a cool hat where you can turn it inside out to change from Buzz Lightyear to the evil Zurg (HK$88.95).

Then we headed to Starline Diner for lunch. It's a good place for lunch in the hot summer, since the seats are right next to a space shuttle which shoot water steam; so it helps to cool us a bit. Since we can't have any of the meat (non-Halal), the kids had fish burger and chips and we had caeser salad. 2 sets of those cost us HK$130 (and our family are small eaters!). The salad was great; it was so fresh and crunchy. Guess they must have gotten them freshly delivered from the mountains in Mainland China.

We headed to Adventureland to catch the jungle cruise which we missed on Day 1. Adventureland is another good place for lunch, since it is surrounded by lushes greenaries, so it's very cooling. The Jungle cruise was unique; they separated 3 entries; English, Cantonese & Mandarin. Though our line was the shortest, the other 2 kept moving faster. My guess is they have only one boat with English speaking guide, hence the wait (about 5-7 minutes). Our boats were filled with fellow tourists from Japan, India and the Philipines. The ride was fun, but relatively shorter than the one in Florida. I suggest to ride twice for greater satisfaction. On the way to Fantasyland, we passed by Mickey &amp;amp; Goofy, but didn't stop for picture since we already had the day before (please read with a bragging tone here). But we did stop to snap photo with a bunch of pirates and Captain 'Jack Sparrow'...who didn't even remotely look like Johnny Depp's distant cousin (*sigh*).

Then we headed to Fantasyland for Winnie The Pooh (2nd time) but the queue was so long, we decided.

Hong Kong 4D3N: Day 3 Shopping!!

Today is Mummy's day!

That's what I told the kids before leaving the Hotel (we stayed at Metropark Kowloon, mainly because they have free shuttle service to shopping area). After a 5 min ride on the shuttle (shuttle seating based on 1st come 1st serve basis, if you miss it, you have to wait for the next one, about 1/2 hour later), we got off at the first stop somewhere on Fa Yuen Street. It was 11am ish in the morning, we were very surprised to see none of the shops were open. We walked towards the Lady's market, some peddlers are setting up their stalls. The only shops that were open were George and Me. I was excited at first since one guy recommended this shop on his blog, saying you can get item as cheap as HK$5. Well, they are cheap allright, but you really get for what you pay for. It's worse than Malaysian typical bundle store. Guess if you really spend the time in the hot (no air conditioned and poorly ventilated) shop, you might find sth that you really like.

Before I reached HK, here are the list of things I wanted to buy:

1. A pair of leather boots

2. A pair of sport shoes for my futsal

3. Handbag

4. Silk Scarfs

Fa Yuen St is actually a Sport goods street. All the shops along it sells Nike, Adidas, etc. The prices are more or less same as Malaysia. But of course since the entire street sell the same thing, you are spoiled for choices. My only problem is, I am not too sure if they are genuine. Some look suspiciously fake. Since the price is not much lesser that Malaysia or Singapore, I ended didn't buy any sport shoes. Felt scared that I'd get con into paying an original price for a faked product which might fall apart after weeks of wear.

The kids started to grumbled; tired of walking and the heat started to get to them too. We decided to go back to the Hotel and let the kids rest a bit before heading out again to search for halal food (we were starved; 2 days no meat or rice!). On the way back, we passed by Lady's Market again, this time more stalls were opened. I stopped by a stall selling handbags. The starting price was HK120, managed to bargain down to HK$70..again could've gotten the same thing at the same price at Batu Feringghi. But then again I don't wanna risk getting slash (literally) after all the bargaining, so I just bought it.

They hardly put price tag on any of the item, so it's very hard to shop since the moment your eyes aim at something, the seller would sworm at you like bees. I was planning to some some souvenirs for some friends, and was thinking of buying nail clipper key chains. When first asked how much "20 dollar!"...I started to walk away since I didn't want to start the price bargaining war. She grabbed my sleeve and said "Come a...come! you tell me your price! I give you cheaper!" When I told her I'd only pay for no more than HK$6 a piece and will buy more...she cursed in Cantonese. When I started to walk out again, she grabbed me again and asked me to add a bit more...the kids were grumbling since it was bloody hot on the street (noon, over 30 degrees). We finalized our sales, I ended up buying handphone holders as souvenirs.

After the kids had rested, we headed out again, this time all the way down to Tsim Tsha Tsui, where there are supposedly lots of halal restaurants. We managed to find one at the end of Ashley Street called Ebernezzer. All Halal restaurant is not exactly halal since they serve alchohol too (guess it's a must since alchohol is like coffee to the locals). But since we didn't have any choice, we went in anyway. Was so happy that they have Briyani rice & Kebab. And the food was so delicious (not too sure now if it's the food or the fact that we were starving). The Manager there is very nice and polite (he has worked in Penang before). The place isn't exactly a high class restaurant, more of an eating joint where people would go to grab a quick lunch. But it was cozy & clean.

Then we headed across the Island to go to Victoria Peak. We didn't expect too much, other than a nice view but we were proven wrong. The ride was short & the tram is very convinient (they move every 10-15 min). Once up there, we were surprised to see many shops (since we thought it'll be liek Penang Hill). I honestly believe Penang State Goverment official should try to emulate Victoria Peak management in order to attract more tourists. Amirul (and Daddy alike) were in heaven since they have EA Sport Shop where they put on display all the latest games gadget you can think of from PS3 to XBox complete with a 42 inch LCD Display. Plus you get to play any of them for free!!

We wanted to see the skyline at nite, so we decided to stay a while longer (not a problem since there' so much to do). Madam Tussaud is also located on top of Victoria Peak. We had dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp...I just had to go in, since I love the movie so much. The food was great, but we couldn't try the main course since the batter was all mixed with alchohol. nevertheless, it was a great place with a superb view of the city at night. The staffs were wonderful and the ambiance was good as well.

It was 10pm when we headed down and back to Mong Kok. The kids were tired but still full of energy. When we emerged out of the subway, we were surprised to see a different side of Mong Kok. The city now is so lively, most streets were closed for pedestrian walking. And people were everywhere! We thought of buying Amirul a PSP (as a gift for his exam results) since we saw it's a lot cheaper than in Malaysia (HK$1100). But we ended up didn't buy any PSP since Hubby got into a nasty argument with the seller. Most of sellers in HK are very intimidating and rude. This particular guy (who is the owner, I think) answered all our question in a rude manner (often used "of course!" while rolling his eyes & with a smirk on his face). When asked to get the PSP out of the box, he grumbled in Cantonese. Hubby realized that the manual is in Dutch insted of English. When my son wanted to touch the PSP, the rude seller snatched it from my boy's hand and that was the last straw! Hubby shouted at him and we left the store.

Generally, if you can stand rude, intimidating seller and don't mind giving these kind of people, your hard earned money...then Hong Kong is a shopping heaven for you. As for us, we better off taking out business elsewhere, even if it means we need to pay a little bit more.

Hong Kong 4D3N: Day 4 Heading Home

Shopping Heaven...my foot!

After such a dissapointing experience shopping in Mongkok, I decided to give HK another try on my last day. May target: the outlet mall nearby the airport. The plan was, if we get there early enough, I might be able to cross out one or two things on my shopping lists.

Unfortunately, since we all slept late, we woke up around 10:00am on the last day. After checking out, we took a taxi to the Airport Express Terminal (which is about 15 min away) and cost us only HK$30. We checked in at the Airport Express and bought ticket to the airport (HK$220 for 4 people). I highly recommend to use the Airport express, though a bit dissapointed to see Kuala Lumpur is not listed as one of the 'major Asian Cities' in its in-train infotainment service. Airport Express is the best way to get out of HK since:

• it's the fastest way to the airport without the hassle of traffic
• after checking in (they give you your boarding pass on the spot, and take care of your luggage), you can go out and enjoy the city without your luggage
• you can check in as early as 24 hours before your flight

By the time we reached the airport, it was already noon. I figured I wouldn't have enough time to shop at Citygate Outlet mall, so I settled with the airport shops. I read on the website about Sky Plaza at Terminal 2, where the price is guaranteed to be the same as downtown. Seing how frustrated I was, hubby offered to take charge of the kids, while I shop for something nice for myself. I manage to buy a couple of silk scarfs, which I'm sure if I look hard enough, I can buy cheaper ones in Malaysia. They are a few interesting places at Sky Plaza one can do to kill time; Asia Hollywood (a museum of some sort of displays of Asia Hollywood; Gundam robots, Initial D cars, etc), Oxygen Bar (wanted to try this, but didn't have time), 4D Cinema and Aviation Center. Bought some chocolates & dried fruits as souvenirs for friends and went to Terminal 1. Only then I realized that Terminal 1 have lots more to offer; more variety and choices...but we hadn't much time left to shop. We had to walk a great deal to get to our gate (Gate 30).

All in all; I wouldn't go to HK for shopping, but will head on to KL or Singapore where I'm sure I can find much nicer things at reasonable prices during sale season, WITHOUT the 'in-your-face' intimidating sellers. Will only go back when Disneyland has added more attractions, and will only stay at Disneyland Resort.

Hong Kong 4D3N: Tips & Tricks

Tips & Tricks

• Do bring along paracetamol & vitamins if your children are prone to catch fever. My son catched fever on the 2nd day, luckily we were able to prevent it from spreading by giving him paracetamol and plenty of rests.
• Do try their fruit juices, they are very fresh and tasty. (In Disneyland they sell for HK$22 per bottle, downtown HK$8-$10).
• For muslims, if you can afford it, please stay in Tsim Sha Tsui area where access to Halal food is relatively easier. For a list of Halal restaurants, please follow this link. Do visit Ebernezzer on Ashley Street for a nice Briyani Rice. http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/gourmet/dining/images/gp_pdf_hala.pdf
• Do go up to Victoria Peak, spectacular view of the city. The tram trip is short and convinient. Quite some stuffs can be done up there (a role model for Penang Hill, Tan Sri Dr.Koh Su Koon might wanna bring MPPP staffs overthere to learn a thing or two). Go in the late afternoon, so that you can have both view of daylight & at night.
• Do bring snacks from Malaysia since HK is a very expensive city. Our kids survived with Campbell's Soup (powder packed in packet, serve with hot water) eaten with bread. Even the small, pirated Twisties (made in Penang, by the way) cost HK$3.70.
• Do use the Octopus Card if you plan to use any of the public transportation (except for Taxi). They offer discounts and refund you the whole unused balance (at any MTR station).
• Summer in HK can be very hot and humid. You might want to go in winter.
• Avoid any kind of holiday (China, Singapore & Malaysia) if you plan to go to Disneyland. Long queues are inevitable since they offer limited rides.
• No high heels for Disneyland, or you will regret it.