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Disneyland Hongkong Opening

by Ruth on September 13th, 2005

The Hongkong franchise of Disneyland opened officially yesterday, and well, browsing through the news, it didn’t seem as magical as the organizers hoped. I was expecting an exhilarated report from the Disney Blog, but til now, the blog remains quiet. Searching for fascinating news as to be expected with anything Disney, I come across this article, complaining how the park is reeling from culture shock:

“Mainland Chinese tourists visiting Hong Kong Disneyland on its debut day smoked in non-smoking areas, went barefoot and even let children urinate in public.”

Aw, c’mon guys, that’s part of the business! Your feasibility research should have told you that! If not, then at least consider that before you open another park in Shanghai!

But hm, am starting to suspect that it went as the NY Times suggested it will be: that Hongkong Disneyland is simply much too popular for its modest size. Obviously, this park, which is about 1% as big as that in Florida, is not quite comparable to that in Paris or Orlando:

Hong Kong Disneyland has only one roller coaster, Space Mountain, and it is so tame that any child taller than 3 feet 4 inches is allowed to ride it. Most rides are gentle, like the spinning Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups or the Cinderella Carousel. That may have reflected Disney research showing that tourists from mainland China in particular wanted a fairly tame experience.

And that’s $45 for adults and $32 for children. Doesn’t sound like a magical deal, eh? Oh well, on with the search for that story with a happy ending…

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POSTED IN: Family Destinations in Asia