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Hong Kong Disneyland Review: Why It's Worth Considering, Even If You're Not "Disney People"
- 2 days ago
- 12 min read
We are not a Disney family. We’d never been to Disneyland or Disney World, and with only five days to explore Hong Kong, we weren’t entirely sure Hong Kong Disneyland was worth dedicating a full day of our trip to.
We’d heard the usual Disney horror stories about hour-long queues, packed walkways, and spending more time waiting than actually having fun.
Our experience couldn’t have been more different.
We ended up loving it, and we'd genuinely recommend it, even to families like ours who don't usually plan trips around theme parks.
Just as importantly, we thought it was excellent value. Our family of four spent approximately CAD $360 on park tickets for the entire day, which felt very reasonable given how much we packed into it.
This Hong Kong Disneyland review is based on our experience as complete Disney first-timers travelling with two kids.
This isn't a comprehensive ride-by-ride guide, and it's not a comparison to Disneyland in Florida, California, or anywhere else, since it's the only Disney park we've been to.
We'll touch on a few of the attractions our kids loved most, but this is really our honest take on whether Hong Kong Disneyland is worth it, what a day there looks like with kids, and how to choose the right tickets, reservations, and add-ons for your family.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only ever share honest reviews of products and experiences we genuinely love.
Table of Contents
Why We Chose Hong Kong Disneyland
We picked Hong Kong Disneyland over other Disney parks fairly deliberately. It's smaller, cheaper, and by most accounts far less crowded than the Florida or California parks, which appealed to us as a family that wanted a fun day out without turning it into a multi-day, budget-blowing event.
We also wanted a few genuinely memorable, once-in-a-lifetime experiences for our kids during our 100-day trip, and Hong Kong Disneyland felt like one of those opportunities.
Going in with low expectations probably helped. We're not the family that plans a whole trip around a theme park, but we came away thinking Hong Kong Disneyland is a genuinely good fit for:
Families who want a taste of Disney magic without a huge time or money commitment
First-time Disney visitors who aren't sure it's "their thing"
Anyone already in Hong Kong looking for one big, easy family day out
How to Book Hong Kong Disneyland Tickets
Booking Hong Kong Disneyland is a little more complicated than simply buying a ticket and turning up. You’ll need to choose the right ticket type and decide whether any of the optional add-ons are worth paying for. We actually found this to be the most confusing part of planning our visit.
When booking your tickets, there are three main decisions you’ll need to make:
1-Day or 2-Day tickets
Whether to add Early Park Entry
Whether Disney Premier Access is worth paying for
Whether staying at a Disney hotel changes the equation
1-Day or 2-Day Tickets?
For most families, this is the biggest decision, as you’ll need to decide whether you can (or want to) see everything in a single day, or if it’s worth paying for a second day.
We opted for a 1-Day ticket, which was plenty for us. Hong Kong Disneyland is smaller than the Disney parks in Florida or California, and we managed to experience the highlights without feeling rushed.
That said, 2-Day tickets can be surprisingly good value. If you're booking through Klook, you can add a second day for HK$100 extra (roughly CAD $18), making it one of the easiest upgrades to justify if you have the time.
Our schedule didn't allow for two park days, so we stuck with a 1-Day ticket, but if we'd been spending longer in Hong Kong, we would have seriously considered it.
Staying at a Disney Hotel?
If you're staying at one of Hong Kong Disneyland's on-site hotels, a 2-Day ticket becomes much more appealing.
We already had accommodation booked elsewhere in Hong Kong, so it wasn't something we seriously considered, but if we were planning the trip from scratch, we'd be very tempted. The themed hotels look fantastic for kids, and splitting your visit across two days would make for a much more relaxed experience.
If the hotels appear to be sold out, it's worth checking Klook before giving up, as they often have room availability when other booking channels showed no availability.
One of the advantages of staying within the resort is being able to break up your day. Instead of powering through from opening to closing, you can head back to your hotel for a swim, some downtime, or even a nap, then return later for rides, the parade, or the evening entertainment. If your kids are younger than ours, I can see this being a huge advantage.
If you're staying elsewhere in Hong Kong, as we were, a 1-Day ticket is likely enough unless you're determined to experience absolutely everything.
What About Early Entry and Queue-Skipping?
You'll also see an option for a few add-ons during the booking process.
Early Park Entry lets you enter before general admission, which can be a great way to experience popular areas like World of Frozen before the crowds arrive. - $37 CAD.
Disney Premier Access (Fastpass) is Disney's paid skip-the-line system, allowing you to bypass regular queues on selected attractions. - $36 CAD.
We didn’t buy either add-on and, honestly, we didn’t feel we needed them at all. We rarely queued for more than 15 minutes, and we managed to go on every ride we wanted without feeling rushed.
That said, if you’re visiting during school holidays, weekends, or other busy periods, they may still be worth considering.
Where We Bought Our Tickets
We booked through Klook, the same platform we used for most ticketed attractions during our time in Asia.
At the time of booking, Klook was considerably cheaper than buying directly from the Hong Kong Disneyland website. We also liked having all of our attraction bookings in one place through an easy-to-use English-language platform, which made managing everything much simpler.
To illustrate the savings, I priced out a sample 2 day pass in August for a family of four. Through Klook, the total came to HK$3,132, while the same tickets on the official Hong Kong Disneyland website cost HK$3,962.
That's a difference of HK$830, or roughly CAD $150 in savings, when booking through Klook rather than directly through the official website.
The screenshots below show the comparison side by side.
Prices change regularly, so it's worth comparing options before purchasing, but we'd happily use Klook again.
How to Get to Hong Kong Disneyland
The magic starts before you even reach the park.
To get there, you'll take the MTR to Sunny Bay Station, on the Tung Chung Line, and transfer onto the dedicated Disneyland Resort Line, which is a short shuttle line that exists purely to ferry guests between Sunny Bay and the resort itself.
It's only two stops and the ride takes just a few minutes, but it's genuinely a fun part of the day as the excitement starts to build, especially if your kids haven't figured out where they're heading yet.
The train windows are shaped like Mickey Mouse's head, and the seating is arranged in comfy curved couches rather than standard metro benches - they even have bronze statues of Mickey, Minnie, and other classic characters dotted throughout.
You’ll arrive at Disneyland Resort Station, which feels completely different from the rest of Hong Kong’s MTR network. It has a Victorian-style, open-air design, so feels like the start of the Disney experience rather than just another train station.
From the station, it’s a short and pleasant walk along a tree-lined path towards the park entrance. This is where the anticipation really builds as you get your first proper view of the gates and the welcome garden waiting ahead.
Park Layout & Getting Around
Hong Kong Disneyland is compact and is the smallest Disney park in the world, making it easy to get your bearings quickly. There is a great interactive map on the official website here.
After scanning your tickets and passing through the gates, you’ll find yourself on Main Street, U.S.A., a turn-of-the-century American street lined with shops and cafes. It leads you straight towards the Castle of Magical Dreams at the heart of the park, with everything else branching out from there.
The park is made up of eight themed lands in total: Main Street U.S.A., Adventureland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Grizzly Gulch, Mystic Point, Toy Story Land, and World of Frozen.
Fantasyland sits directly behind the castle, Tomorrowland and Adventureland branch off to either side, and Grizzly Gulch, Mystic Point, Toy Story Land, and World of Frozen wrap around the southern edge of the park.
It sounds like a lot, but because everything is so close together, you can comfortably walk between the different lands in a short amount of time.
A few tips for getting around:
Download the official Hong Kong Disneyland app before you go, it has an English setting and shows live ride wait times and showtimes, which makes planning your day much easier.
Main Street, U.S.A. is where the daytime parade runs, and many people stake out a spot early to get a good view.
The Castle of Magical Dreams area is the hub for stage shows and the evening entertainment, including the nighttime Momentous show, so it's worth building your day around finishing up near there.
Food is spread across every land rather than concentrated in one spot. The food wasn’t great but we do recommend the Frozen character ice creams!
A Quick Land-by-Land Overview
While we're not going to review every ride and attraction individually, here's a quick overview of the themed lands and what each is known for.
Adventureland is home to the Jungle River Cruise and Tarzan's Treehouse, and is actually the largest Adventureland of any Disney park in the world.
Fantasyland covers the classics, It's a Small World, the carousel, and most of the character meet-and-greet spots.
Tomorrowland leans into sci-fi and Marvel, including Hyperspace Mountain and the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Nano Battle ride.
Grizzly Gulch is a Wild West-themed area built around the Big Grizzly Mountain runaway mine coaster.
Mystic Point is home to Mystic Manor, which was unfortunately closed on the day we visited, more on that in the FAQ below.
Toy Story Land features toy-themed rides like RC Racer and Slinky Dog Spin.
World of Frozen is the newest land, built around Frozen Ever After and Wandering Oaken's Sliding Sleighs.
Our Kids' Favourite Attractions
If you’re trying to decide whether Hong Kong Disneyland is worth adding to your itinerary, it can help to know what other kids enjoyed. Our girls were 8 and 11 when we visited, and these were their favourite parts of the park:
Frozen Ever After
It seemed fitting that our girls’ first ever Disney ride was Frozen Ever After. After years of watching Frozen on repeat, they absolutely loved finally stepping into that world. It felt genuinely magical, and even though they’re a little older now, the whole family enjoyed it, parents included.
The ride gently floats through the kingdom of Arendelle, passing familiar characters, songs, and scenes from the films. There’s one small backwards section and a short drop near the end, but it’s very mild and most kids who are comfortable with dark rides should have no trouble handling it.
Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars
Grizzly Gulch turned out to reveal something about our youngest daughter that we hadn’t quite realised before - she’s a genuine thrill-seeker!
At first, the ride feels like a fairly typical mine train coaster as it winds its way around Big Grizzly Mountain. Then comes the moment that caught us completely by surprise. The train begins climbing a steep section of track, making it look as though you're heading for a dramatic drop. Suddenly there's a loud click, the train changes direction, and you're racing backwards through the mountain.
It's easily one of the most thrilling rides in Hong Kong Disneyland and is probably best suited to older children or younger kids who already enjoy roller coasters. Our youngest absolutely loved it and wanted to ride it again straight away.
Hyperspace Mountain
Speaking of thrilling rides.....
Hyperspace Mountain was on a completely different level! It is a fast-moving indoor coaster that hurtles through the darkness to a full Star Wars soundtrack, making it easily the most intense ride in the park.
Our youngest was pretty nervous before her first ride, but by the end of the day she'd gone from cautious first-timer to confident repeat rider, even taking it on by herself with her sister.
We actually rode it three times in a row and never waited more than 10-15 minutes. Of course, wait times vary depending on the season and crowd levels, but experiences like this are one of the reasons we don't recommend paying extra for the queue-skipping add-ons. We simply didn't need them.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle!
This ride quickly turned into a genuine sibling rivalry, with our girls competing to see who could rack up the highest score.
The concept is simple: you use an interactive blaster (like a gun attached to the ride) to help Ant-Man and The Wasp battle swarms of invading robots while your score is tracked throughout the ride.
But it was that scoring element that our kids liked. Instead of being a one-and-done attraction, it became a challenge to see who could improve their score on the second go around.
The Friendtastic Parade
The parade ended up being one of the most enjoyable parts of the day. Admittedly, we've never visited another Disney park, so perhaps this is standard Disney magic, but it felt pretty special to us.
At one point, one of the performers came over and started interacting with Jess, which she absolutely loved.
The parade itself lasts quite a while, and standing in the Hong Kong heat can get pretty uncomfortable. Fortunately, Main Street, U.S.A. is lined with shops, so it's easy to duck inside for a few minutes of air-conditioned relief without straying too far from the action.
Mystic Manor
We did have one major disappointment.
Mystic Manor, the attraction we were most excited to experience, was closed for maintenance on the day we visited.
It's one of Hong Kong Disneyland's most unique and highly rated attractions, so if it's on your must-do list, it's worth checking the current operating status before you go.
Practical Tips & FAQ
How long do you need? We felt like a full day is enough to experience the park comfortably without feeling rushed. If you're short on time, a focused half-day hitting four or five key attractions is realistic too.
What are the opening hours? Opening hours vary by season and day of the week, but the park typically opens around 10:00 a.m. and closes between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Check the official calendar before your visit, as showtimes and operating hours can change.
What's the best time to visit? Weekdays are generally both cheaper (thanks to Hong Kong Disneyland's tiered ticket pricing) and noticeably less crowded than weekends and public holidays.
Do you need a park reservation? Yes you do, and frankly you would want to even if you didn't have to. You can make a reservation up to 90 days prior to your visit.
Do you need Disney Premier Access or other paid add-ons? We didn't. During our visit, queue times were short enough that we rode everything on our priority list, including multiple repeat rides. If you're visiting during a peak period, your experience may differ.
Is Hong Kong Disneyland suitable for younger kids? Absolutely. While there are a handful of thrill rides, much of the park is geared towards families, with gentle attractions, character meet-and-greets, shows, and plenty of Disney-themed experiences.
What age is Hong Kong Disneyland best for? Based on our experience, the sweet spot is probably somewhere between 5 and 12 years old. Our girls were 8 and 11 and absolutely loved it. That said, Disney clearly appeals to a much wider audience. Realistically, if you're willing to embrace a bit of Disney magic, there's something here for almost everyone.
How much walking is involved? Less than we expected. Hong Kong Disneyland is the smallest Disney park in the world, and we found it easy to move between lands without spending ages crossing the park. We still walked plenty over the course of the day, but it never felt overwhelming.
Can you bring food and water into the park? Yes you can bring in food and drinks (within reason). We found it helpful to carry water bottles and a few snacks. For example, apples, bananas, bags of chips, packaged biscuits, bread and sandwiches, etc. are allowed.
What is the food like? Honestly, we weren't huge fans of the food. Like most theme parks, we found it fairly expensive for what it was. That said, there are plenty of options spread throughout the park, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding something that suits your family. Our favourite treat was the Frozen character ice creams, which made for a fun and refreshing way to end the day before heading back to the hotel.
Hong Kong Disneyland Review - Is It Worth it?
We didn't expect Hong Kong Disneyland to be a trip highlight, and it genuinely was.
If you're on the fence because you're not big theme park people, or you're worried it'll blow the budget, we'd suggest giving it a second look. Book smart, keep your expectations realistic, and focus on enjoying the experience rather than trying to tick off every single ride.
For the rest of our Hong Kong trip, including where we stayed and what else we got up to, take a look at our 5-day Hong Kong itinerary.
We're a Calgary-based family that travelled for 100 days, documenting each step so other families can get an honest, real-life look at long-term travel with kids.
You can browse the full 100-day daily diary contents list here.