Our 1-day itinerary for an ideal day in Hong Kong Disneyland, balancing an environment friendly technique with slowing all the way down to benefit from the ‘Disney Particulars.’ Along with a plan of assault for doing points of interest with quick traces, this 1-day HKDL touring plan recommends eating places, character meet & greets, rides & exhibits, and extra. (Up to date June 1, 2025.)
None of our different itineraries are “commando model” touring plans, and we definitely aren’t going to begin that strategy with Hong Kong Disneyland. To make certain, we provide environment friendly technique for getting as a lot carried out throughout a day in HKDL, however that’s extra so you are able to do Mystic Manor and Large Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Vehicles ten instances every (solely a slight exaggeration). You received’t have to spend the day operating between rides to do as many as doable on the expense of the environment.
Hong Kong Disneyland is the final Disney park that may require such an strategy. On the contrary, you’ll be able to accomplish all of HKDL’s highlights in a single day, which is a giant a part of the attraction. Hong Kong Disneyland is now the quaintest and most charming fort park, and actually needs to be loved as such. Nonetheless, it doesn’t harm to have a plan, so we’re right here with a tough define in your day in Hong Kong Disneyland…
There are a couple of assumptions with this Hong Kong Disneyland itinerary: visiting on a reasonably crowded day, arriving at park opening, and staying till shut. These assumptions are straightforward to meet as HKDL’s laid again strategy extends even to working hours (the park has a staggered opening that seldom begins earlier than 10 a.m.).
Whereas this Hong Kong Disneyland 1-day plan does virtually each attraction, there are some we suggest skipping and others we recommend repeating. When you’ve got extra time or need an outline of all rides within the park, learn our Hong Kong Disneyland Attraction Rankings & Experience Information put up.
Let’s check out how you must strategy this perfect day…
Early Park Entry at HKDL – Along with extra relaxed purchasing on Important Avenue U.S.A., taking spectacular photographs in entrance of the Fort of Magical Desires, and getting in additional rides in Fantasyland, you can too be one of many first to expertise the brand new World of Frozen. Discover the dominion of Arendelle at your personal tempo, and revel in Frozen Ever After and Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs with minimal waits earlier than different visitors.
Early Park Entry prices HK $199 (so ~$25 US) and is not included with on-site resort stays besides some particular packages. Kids aged beneath 3 obtain free admission to Hong Kong Disneyland and thus don’t require a go for early entry when being accompanied by a mum or dad or authorized guardian with legitimate admission ticket and go.
In our view, Early Park Entry isn’t price the associated fee–though it’s comparatively low–until you’re visiting on a busy weekend or Chinese language public vacation, or need empty park photographs. Hong Kong Disneyland is essentially the most laid again Disney theme park on this planet and simply doesn’t require that stage of effort.
Common Rope Drop – Like most of Disney’s worldwide parks, Hong Kong Disneyland is a good distance outdoors the city-center and commuting to the park can take an hour or extra from downtown Hong Kong. Not like these different parks, staying downtown throughout your HKDL day (or days) isn’t a lot of a problem, because the park doesn’t normally start opening till 10 a.m. or 10:30 a.m., and a few lands don’t open till 11 a.m.
Nonetheless, we do advise arriving a bit earlier than then, particularly if you wish to meet Duffy & Mates or different characters. One other factor price noting right here is that there’s a particular entrance for on-site resort visitors, which usually strikes quicker and has a shorter line than different turnstiles.
Duffy and Mates Play Home – On a traditional day, the one lengthy traces earlier than midday are usually for the character meet & greets on Important Avenue. The truth is, the “attraction” with the longest wait at Hong Kong Disneyland is normally Duffy and Mates Play Home.
That is the meet & greet the place you’ll be able to go to the Duffy and Mates’ Morning Glory Dwelling Room and CookieAnn’s kitchen. With augmented actuality expertise, you’ll be able to play music with ‘Olu Mel on the seaside shore, discover Gelatoni’s artwork studio, and depend butterflies in LinaBell’s forest maze. When the enjoyable is completed, you’ll be able to meet Duffy and Mates for a play date in considered one of three character meet & greet rooms. Characters rotate each day, with the constant one we noticed being LinaBell.
If you happen to’re assembly LinaBell, we might implore you to buy Disney Premier Entry. It prices HK $99 per particular person, and is a significantly better use of cash than Early Entry. We rope dropped LinaBell one not-so-busy day and beat 95% of the group to Duffy & Mates Play Home, nevertheless it didn’t matter. Regardless of solely a dozen or so individuals forward of us in line, the wait time was almost two hours because of DPA.
On subsequent days, we rope dropped different characters and had zero points–wait instances of 20 minutes or much less (excessive by HKDL requirements, however not dangerous). If wait instances are beneath half-hour for different characters when you’re carried out, do them now. Character meet & greets have the longest traces at Hong Kong Disneyland and needs to be prioritized accordingly. I’m bolding this since you may really feel stress to begin knocking out rides based mostly on standard touring knowledge. Don’t.
No rides could have wait instances so long as the worst character encounters. The highest 3 common wait instances at HKDL are the three Duffy and Mates character meet & greets. Though they don’t put up wait instances, the meet & greets for Mickey & Mates on Important Avenue would even be longer, on common, than most rides within the park.
If you happen to’re doing HKDL as a part of a ‘Grand Circle Tour’ of the Asian parks, and are desirous about ready till Tokyo to satisfy Duffy and Mates…don’t. Hong Kong Disneyland is by far the most effective place to satisfy them. The interactions will not be as rushed and the picture guidelines will not be almost as strict as Tokyo–so get in line twice if you wish to see all or most characters.
World of Frozen – This new Arendelle-themed land is the most important growth at Hong Kong Disneyland in a decade. World of Frozen is residence to 2 points of interest, together with an enhanced model of the Frozen Ever After boat experience and the all-new curler coaster, Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs. World of Frozen additionally presents distinctive character experiences on the Playhouse within the Woods, plus a restaurant, retail, and different issues to do.
Frozen Ever After and Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs are sometimes the #4 and #5 wait instances on common at Hong Kong Disneyland, with 30 minute or longer traces occasionally. Doing these earlier than lunch is perfect, and you could possibly expertise each rides as walk-ons. Which line is longer is normally a toss up.
Word: To benefit from the theatrical expertise at Playhouse within the Woods, all visitors are required to carry a Disney Standby Cross, obtainable by way of the Hong Kong Disneyland App ranging from 12:00 p.m. utilizing your park ticket after you’ve gotten entered the park. Registration for a Disney Standby Cross is freed from cost however topic to each day quota.
To benefit from the exhibits earlier than 12:30 p.m., see Solid Members at Playhouse within the Woods (it’s mainly obtainable on a first-come, first-served foundation earlier). If you happen to fail/overlook to attain a Standby Cross, you should buy admission to Playhouse within the Woods for HK $109. When you’ve got younger Frozen followers in your loved ones, that is arguably price it. Our daughter loves Playhouse within the Woods. It’s an absolute must-do for us.
Placid Level & Light Gulch – When you’re carried out with World of Frozen, head in the direction of Mystic Level and Grizzly Gulch, each of which usually open at 11 a.m. Not as a result of the rides in these lands could have prolonged waits (they received’t) however as a result of they’re the best and most original lands at Hong Kong Disneyland, and there’s an excellent likelihood you’ll have them completely to your self when you go proper at 11 a.m.
Spend a while taking empty park photographs, then do Large Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Trains and Mystic Manor, each of that are elite worldwide Disney points of interest, and the 2 important causes each Disney fan ought to go to HKDL. (Mystic Manor is not only considered one of Disney’s greatest new points of interest, however considered one of Disney’s greatest ever points of interest.)
If you wish to do any of the Toy Story Land points of interest, that is additionally when you must do them. We suggest solely RC Racer, which is deceptively enjoyable, after which returning to repeat Mystic Manor and Large Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Trains.
Marching Alongside We’re Explorers, Singing the Music of Explorers – Far and away the most effective and coolest eating possibility in Hong Kong Disneyland is Explorer’s Membership Restaurant, an eatery in Mystic Level.
At lunch, Explorer’s Membership Restaurant serves the Explorer’s Semi-Buffet, which options beautiful elements from totally different nations and cultures. From appetizers to salads and from important dishes to desserts, the choices mix unique flavors spanning the globe, taking you and your family members on a magical journey of style.
At dinner, it’s nonetheless a Semi-Buffet. However with a barely totally different menu and reserved viewing for the Momentous nighttime spectacular. With the Momentous Particular Viewing Space Package deal not solely can take pleasure in reserved viewing of the present in entrance of the fort, however can even benefit from the “Explorer’s Semi Buffet Dinner” that includes beautiful elements from totally different nations earlier than the present begins. The dinner package deal is about double the value of lunch. If you happen to’d want the Momentous reserved seating (we don’t view it as crucial), flip-flop our lunch and dinner suggestions–and do lunch earlier than leaving World of Frozen.
Explorer’s Membership is a veritable treasure trove of element, and a literal treasure trove of…treasure. This restaurant accommodates some artifacts collected by Lord Henry Mystic and is a gathering place for the Society of Explorers and Adventurers, and (enjoyable reality for Walt Disney World followers!) a few of its assortment comes from the fan-favorite, now-defunct Adventurers Membership at Pleasure Island. I hesitate to hype it up too a lot, as Hong Kong Disneyland doesn’t all the time open each restaurant–it’s crowd dependent–however that is the must-do eating possibility if it’s open throughout your go to.
Fantastical Enjoyable – Not like different fort parks, Fantasyland in Hong Kong Disneyland doesn’t have an abundance of family-friendly darkish rides. The truth is, that is the primary itinerary for a Disneyland-style park the place we don’t suggest beginning in Fantasyland.
The one conventional darkish experience right here is the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and also you may really feel compelled to do it as a result of it’s the one one. That’s your name, however this can be a clone of the very same experience we deem skippable in all places else it exists.
As a substitute, we’d suggest making time for Mickey and the Wondrous E-book and ‘it’s a small world’, in addition to the Fairytale Forest walk-through. Do Mickey’s PhilharMagic after the walk-through if it’s sizzling out and also you want a respite from the warmth.
Afternoon Journey – Adventureland at Hong Kong Disneyland is residence to 2 stage exhibits: Competition of the Lion Kong and Moana: A Homecoming Celebration. The previous has some stunning pageantry, nevertheless it takes lots of time and is an inferior model of the present in Animal Kingdom (when you’ve already seen that one). Moana: A Homecoming Celebration is a smaller scale manufacturing aimed squarely at a really younger viewers with low manufacturing worth. It’s good in case you have youngsters, however in any other case, each are skippable.
The primary must-do in Adventureland is Jungle River Cruise, which additionally tends to be one of many longer traces within the park. Our hope by this level within the late afternoon is that waits have died down, and also you’re taking a look at a 30 minute wait, at most. Whereas the jokes don’t all the time land on Jungle River Cruise, the upgraded results in some scenes make the attraction worthwhile. If waits are nonetheless lengthy, think about Afternoon Tea at River View Cafe or an early dinner at Tahitian Terrace earlier than doing Jungle Cruise. (For options, see our Prime 10 Eating places at Hong Kong Disneyland put up.)
Tour Tomorrowland – Your final land to expertise in Hong Kong Disneyland is Tomorrowland, which we’ve saved till the top of the day each for strategic causes and since that is the most effective time to see the land. At night time, Tomorrowland has stunning lighting and a dynamic kinetic power. It’s enjoyable simply to gaze on the Orbitron–or experience in case you have time!
Nevertheless, the principle priorities listed below are Hyperspace Mountain and Iron Man Expertise. At this level, these ought to each be close to walk-ons on a traditional day.
Night in Arendelle – Earlier than staking out a spot for fireworks, return to World of Frozen to see this gorgeous panorama illuminated for the night. Our suggestion goes round sundown or nightfall, so you’ll be able to nonetheless make out the mountains within the background, which add a way of magnificence and depth to Arendelle.
At this level, you’re right here primarily to absorb the environment, and maybe catch some roaming atmospheric leisure or have ice cream. If you happen to’re within the temper for a meal, we extremely suggest the Golden Crocus Inn, which is the most effective counter service restaurant in Hong Kong Disneyland (it’s a bit expensive, although).
Dinner Alternate options – If the menu isn’t to your tastes on the Golden Crocus Inn or the meals is simply too expensive, take a look at our record of the Prime 10 Eating places at Hong Kong Disneyland. That’s due for some updating, nevertheless it’s largely correct.
Specifically, we’re nonetheless huge followers of Royal Banquet Corridor in Fantasyland and Tahitian Terrace in Adventureland on the subject of counter service eating places that supply good selection and worth for cash.
Momentous – The brand new fireworks present above Fort of Magical Desires options near 40 basic Disney moments, almost 150 cherished characters, and involves life with multimedia parts, together with giant scale 3D projection mapping expertise, choreographed fountains, illuminated water projection, lasers, theatrical lighting, pyrotechnics, and fireworks results. What’s extra, your ears might be regaled with newly-reimagined basic Disney songs. It’s a spellbinding expertise that’s positive to soften hearts, heat smiles, and reawaken beloved reminiscences.
Momentous is within the Fortunately Ever After lineage, however with messaging extra consistent with Luminous at EPCOT. High quality and emotion-wise, I might put it in the identical league as HEA and Wondrous Journeys at Disneyland. All three are totally different, however roughly equally glorious. Sarah ranks it as #1 of the trio. Both method, it’s one of many all-time greatest nighttime spectaculars at any Disney park.
For a super view of the projections, fountains, fireworks, and particular results, we’d suggest viewing Momentous from close to the top of Important Avenue nearer to the fort. For extra distinctive views, get even nearer to the fort or farther away–I actually love being atop the second stage of the Practice Station!
Shut Down Important Avenue – On most nights, as soon as Momentous ends, Hong Kong Disneyland might be closed. Nevertheless, when you’re fortunate or the fireworks are earlier, you may nonetheless have time to run again to Tomorrowland and do a type of rides once more (or simply take in extra futuristic night ambiance).
If it’s inconceivable to get to different lands, take your time lingering on Important Avenue, which usually stays open for purchasing half-hour or so after park closing. We suggest strolling as much as the second flooring of the prepare station, the place you’ll be able to see the mountains behind the park–even in the dead of night, they’re fairly!
All of this needs to be pretty straightforward to perform in a single day at Hong Kong Disneyland, it doesn’t matter what time of 12 months you go to. As Disney followers, we usually spend a second day at HKDL, doing Mystic Manor and Large Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Vehicles time and again and time and again and time and again and over (phew) and over once more, in addition to different issues we missed land regardless of the seasonal leisure is likely to be (notably true at Halloween and Christmas, the most effective seasons of the 12 months at Hong Kong Disneyland). We additionally wish to take the second night time to skip Momentous, and as an alternative spend the night over in Grizzly Gulch and Mystic Level, that are stunning and serene at night time, particularly when just about each different visitor has left for the fireworks.
For the remainder of your planning wants, seek the advice of our Hong Kong Disneyland Journey Planning Information. It covers all the things you should know for a go to to HKDL, together with opinions, technique, packing, and extra. If you happen to’re visiting the town as nicely, please seek the advice of our Hong Kong Metropolis Information on TravelCaffeine, our non-Disney planning web site.
YOUR THOUGHTS
If you happen to’ve visited the park, what do you love to do most at Hong Kong Disneyland? Any ideas of your personal for exploring HKDL? If you happen to’ve by no means been to Hong Kong, what pursuits you most in regards to the park? Anything so as to add? Any questions? Listening to from you is half the enjoyable, so please share your questions and ideas within the feedback!
