W
hen my parents came
to visit this past
November, we were
looking for somewhere
to take them and our 11-month-old
daughter, Holly. So, we headed off for
a one-night staycation at the Hong
Kong Disneyland Hotel.
We booked a one-night plus two-
day pass package, for four adults (two
rooms) and one baby. It was not cheap,
but if you know the dates, I advise you
book as far in advance as possible –
the prices went up by about $1,500
per room between the time I thought
about it and the time I booked.
We booked the sea view room with
balcony, on the basis we would need
somewhere to sit and drink wine once
Holly was in bed. The balconies do
not come with any furniture however,
so we had to haul out the armchairs
from the room and use a footstool
as the card table! I booked a cot in
advance and this was set up in the
room – for older kids in a twin-bed
room with their parents they offer bed
guards which they will set up for you.
You can only check in from 3pm,
which suited us as we knew not
everyone would be able to spend the
whole day in the park and keep awake
for the fireworks as well, but if you
want two full days, you may need
to see if you can pick the tickets up
earlier. There was ample car parking,
and the hotel is only a 10-15 minute
walk from the park – the signs say
30 minutes but as it is well under a
kilometre, we did it in half that time,
even with two OAPs and a stroller!
Lights, camera, action!
Having checked in, we set off for the
park at about 4.30pm. This was on
a Tuesday, but it was wonderfully
empty and we left Holly with her
grandparents while we went on the
grown-up rides as there were no
queues. As the sun began to set, we
headed to It’s a Small World, which
is just enchanting when lit up. In fact,
the whole park looks gorgeous under
lights. After that it was time to line
the streets and wait for the Paint the
Night parade: Bright lights, dancers,
characters and very, very loud music.
Then we had a quick bite to eat (the
food is not fantastic, be warned!) and
a wander around the shops (which are
everywhere, and at the exit of every
single ride and attraction) followed by
taking our position for the fireworks.
We stayed towards the top end of
Staycation with
the Stars
Jo Allum
takes three generations of her
family to Disneyland Hong Kong for the
weekend and finds fun for all.
March 2016
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