Hong Kong Disneyland
393323
223624981
2008-07-04T23:14:51Z
65.41.67.3
{{Disneyparkinfo|
image= [[Image:Hong Kong Disneyland Logo.png|150px]]<br>[[Image:HKMickeyMinnieMainStreetSummer07.JPG|250px]]<br /><small>''Mickey and Minnie in summer outfits at Main Street, U.S.A.'' <br />|
bgcolor=#b92234|
fgcolor=white|
name=Hong Kong Disneyland|
location=[[Penny's Bay]], [[Lantau Island]], [[Hong Kong]]|
opening=[[September 12]], [[2005]]|
resort=[[Hong Kong Disneyland Resort]]|
theme=[[Magic Kingdom]]|
website=[http://www.hongkongdisneyland.com Hong Kong Disneyland Homepage]|
operator= [[Hong Kong International Theme Parks]]|
}}
{{HKDL}}
[[Image:HK Disneyland 2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The fountain featuring Mickey Mouse in the Park Promenade next to [[Hong Kong]] Disneyland]]
'''Hong Kong Disneyland''' ({{zh-tspcy|t=香港迪士尼樂園|s=香港迪士尼乐园|cy=heung1 gong2 dik6 si6 nei4 lok6 yun4|p=Xiānggǎng Díshìnílèyuán}}) is the first [[theme park]] inside the [[Hong Kong Disneyland Resort]] and is owned and managed by the [[Hong Kong International Theme Parks]], an incorporated company jointly owned by [[The Walt Disney Company]] and the [[Government of Hong Kong]].
The fifth Disneyland style park, the park is located on [[Land reclamation|reclaimed land]] in [[Penny's Bay]], [[Lantau Island]]. After years of negotiations and construction, the park opened to visitors on [[September 12]] [[2005]], considered an auspicious date according to [[Tung shing|Chinese almanacs]] for the opening of a new business. Disney attempted to avoid problems of cultural backlash by attempting to incorporate [[Chinese culture]], customs, and traditions when designing and building the resort, including adherence to the rules of [[Feng Shui]].
The park consists of four themed lands similar to other Disneyland parks: [[Main Street, U.S.A.]], [[Fantasyland]], [[Adventureland]] and [[Tomorrowland]]. There is as yet no Frontierland, although it may be included in future expansion projects. The theme park's cast members use [[English language|English]] and [[Chinese language|Chinese]], including Cantonese and Mandarin dialects, to communicate verbally. Guide Maps are printed in both Traditional and Simplified characters, [[Japanese language|Japanese]], and in English.
The capacity of the park is 34,000 visitors per day<ref>{{cite web | last = Chan | first = Carrie | title = Disney ups intake for new year | date = [[December 20]], [[2007]] | publisher = [[The Standard|Hong Kong Standard]] | url=http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=34507&sid=11427047&con_type=1&d_str=20061220&sear_year=2006 | accessdate = 2007-03-19 }}</ref>, and is the smallest Disneyland park. It has so far fallen short of meeting its targeted visitorship figures. The park attracted 5.2 million visitors in its first year, below its target of 5.6 million. Visitor numbers fell 20% in the second year to 4 million, which was below company targets,<ref>[http://www.fool.com/news/associated-press/2007/12/18/hong-kong-disneyland-fails-to-hit-target.aspx Hong Kong Disneyland Fails to Hit Target<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> inciting criticisms from local legislators.<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/21/business/AS-FIN-Hong-Kong-Disneyland.php Hong Kong legislators criticize Disneyland results - International Herald Tribune<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
The resort currently has {{convert|310|acre|km2|1}}, with the actual park taking approximately {{convert|100|acre|km2|1}}.<ref>[http://www.disneylandreport.com/disneysecrets/hong_kong_disneyland_secrets/hong_kong_disneyland_secrets_facts_general.html Hong Kong Disneyland Secrets and Facts General - The Disneyland Report - Disney Secrets, Rumors, and Facts!<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> With its small size cited often to explain its under-performance, the park has announced various plans for expansion. The classic Disney attraction, "it's a small world", opened on [[28 April]] [[2008]]. Furthermore, according to [[Bill Ernest]], the executive vice president and managing director of [[Hong Kong Disneyland]], the park is planning to add two unique theme lands in its future expansion. Over a 15 year expansion period, the park capacity will increase to handle up to 10 million visitors annually.<ref>[http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/199911/02/1102137.htm Background information on Hong Kong Disneyland<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==Dedication==
{{cquote|''To all who come to this happy place, welcome. Many years ago, Walt Disney introduced the world to enchanted realms of fantasy and adventure, yesterday and tomorrow, in a magical placed called Disneyland. Today that spirit of imagination and discovery comes to life in Hong Kong.''
''Hong Kong Disneyland is dedicated to the young and the young at heart - with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration, and an enduring symbol of the cooperation, friendship and understanding between the people of Hong Kong and the United States of America.''|30px|30px|}} [[Michael Eisner|Michael D Eisner]] and [[Donald Tsang]], [[September 12]], [[2005]]
==Construction==
An audience of more than 400 guests celebrated the ground breaking of Hong Kong Disneyland on [[January 12]], [[2003]]. Those present included [[Tung Chee Hwa]], then Chief Executive of the [[Hong Kong Special Administrative Region]] of the [[People’s Republic of China]]; Michael D. Eisner, Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company; and Robert A. Iger, President of The Walt Disney Company.<ref>[http://www.hongkongdisneyland.com/eng/discover/2003index.html Hong Kong Disneyland | Discover More<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
On [[September 23]], [[2004]], a special "castle topping ceremony" was held in the park to commemorate the placing of the tallest turret on [[Sleeping Beauty Castle]]. Among those present were [[Tung Chee Hwa]], then Chief Executive of the [[Hong Kong Special Administrative Region]]; [[Jay Rasulo]], president of [[Walt Disney Parks and Resorts]]; [[Michael Eisner]], then CEO of The Walt Disney Company; and [[Bob Iger]], president of The Walt Disney Company, in addition to [[Mickey Mouse]] and other costumed characters. Hong Kong Disneyland had the shortest construction period among all of the [[Disneyland]]-style theme parks.
The park adds new attractions continuously. ''See [[Hong Kong Disneyland#Future construction|Future construction]] for more details''
==Themed areas==
The park currently features four themed lands similar to those at other Disneyland parks: [[Main Street, U.S.A.]], [[Adventureland]], [[Fantasyland]] and [[Tomorrowland]]. The park is missing a classic land, [[Frontierland]], but it may be built in the future.
===Main Street, U.S.A.===
[[Image:HKMainStreetUSAatnight.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Main Street, U.S.A. at Hong Kong Disneyland]]
{{main|Main Street, U.S.A.}}
*[[Animation Academy]]
*The Disneyland Story *
*[[Disneyland Railroad|Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad]]
*Main Street Vehicle
*[[Turtle Talk with Crush]]
*[[Disney on Parade]]
*High School Musical: LIVE!
*Muppet Mobile Lab
*[[Mickey's WaterWorks]]
''*Note'': Opera House will be closed for renovation from May 13, 2008 until further notice
===Adventureland===
{{main|Adventureland}}
*[[Jungle Cruise|Jungle River Cruise]]
*Raft to the Tarzan's Treehouse
*[[Swiss Family Treehouse#Tarzan’s Treehouse|Tarzan's Treehouse]] on Tarzan Island
*[[Festival of the Lion King]]
*Liki Tikis
===Fantasyland===
{{main|Fantasyland}}
*[[Mickey's PhilharMagic]]
*Cinderella Carousel
*[[The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (attraction)|The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh]]
*[[Dumbo the Flying Elephant (ride)|Dumbo the Flying Elephant]]
*[[Fantasy Gardens (Disney attraction)|Fantasy Gardens]]
*Fantasyland Train Station
*[[Mad Tea Party|Mad Hatter Tea Cups]]
*[[Sleeping Beauty Castle]]
*Sword in the Stone
*[[The Golden Mickeys]]
*Snow White Grotto
*[["it's a small world"]]
===Tomorrowland===
{{main|Tomorrowland}}
*[[Space Mountain (Hong Kong Disneyland)|Space Mountain]]
*[[Buzz Lightyear (attractions)|Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters]]
*[[Orbitron]]
*[[Autopia]]
*[[Stitch Encounter]]
*[[UFO Zone]]
==Characters==
===Main Street, U.S.A.===
*[[Mickey Mouse]]
*[[Minnie Mouse]]
*[[Pluto (Disney)|Pluto]]
*[[Chip and Dale]]
===Adventureland===
*[[Timon and Pumbaa|Timon]]
*[[Timon and Pumbaa|Pumbaa]]
*[[The Aristocats|Marie]]
*[[The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian|Prince Caspian]]
===Fantasyland===
*Mickey, and Minnie
*[[Winnie The Pooh]]
*[[Alice]]
*[[Snow White]]
*[[Princess Aurora]]
*[[Cinderella]]
*[[Prince Charming]]
*[[Belle (Disney)|Belle]]
*[[The Aristocats|Marie]]
*[[Mulan]]
*[[Mushu]]
*[[Sheriff Woody|Woody]]
*[[Jessie (Toy Story)|Jessie]]
*[[Stitch (Lilo & Stitch)|Stitch]]
===Tomorrowland===
*[[Buzz Lightyear]]
==Entertainment and celebrations==
The park features both a daytime parade "[[Disney on Parade]]" and "[[Disney in the Stars]]", a fireworks show, in the evening. Seasonal entertainment, such as Disney's Haunted Halloween, A Sparkling Christmas and Disney's Chinese New Year, are held in the park to celebrate main festivals.
===Entertainment===
[[Image:Hong Kong Disneyland by Denn.jpg|thumb|200px|Fireworks over [[Sleeping Beauty Castle#H ong Kong Disneyland|Sleeping Beauty Castle]]]]
[[Image:Disney on parade.JPG|thumb|200px|The [[Mickey mouse]] float in [[Disney on parade]]]]
;[[Disney on Parade]]
: A day-time parade which features 9 floats with famous Disney characters including Mickey and Friends, Chip 'n' Dale, Disney Princesses, Alice, Buzz Lightyear, Woody and Jessie.
;[[Disney on Parade|Disney's Rainy Day Express]]
: A parade shown on rainy days that consists of a specially design train with characters wearing brightly colored raincoats.
; '''High School Musical: LIVE!'''
: A uniquely created mobile stage-show inspired by the movie ''[[High School Musical]]'' and its sequel ''[[High School Musical 2]]''. It will feature a troop of singers and dancers mostly from the [[Philippines]] and [[Hong Kong]] which will travel along the Main Street and sing hit songs from the movie, including "What Time Is It?" and "Get'cha Head in the Game". This is a new attraction launched on [[March 7]], [[2008]] apart from the announced [[It's a Small World]].
; [[Disney in the Stars]]
: Nightly fireworks based on a similar format used in the [[Fantasy in the Sky]] fireworks at other Disney theme parks, fireworks and pyrotechnics are co-ordinated to orchestrated classic Disney music such as "[[A Whole New World]]".
; [[Muppet Mobile Lab]]
: a free-roving, [[audio-animatronic]] entertainment implemented on a [[Segway]] platform, an interactive comedy show performed by two Muppet characters, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant, Beaker. The characters ride their two-wheeled rocket-ship/laboratory vehicle.
===Seasonal entertainment===
; [[Mickey's WaterWorks]]: A summer, water-themed parade that consists of seven new floats, 100 performers and 30 Disney characters. This parade was originally created for Mickey's Summer Blast celebration, Mickey's WaterWorks made its debut on [[July 7]], [[2007]], and now runs annually in the summer months.
; [[Glow in the Park Halloween Parade]]: This parade, designed for the Haunted Halloween event, featured seven brand-new floats and over 100 cast members including eight never-before-seen characters. The parade has now ended after the Halloween event.
; [['Let it Snow' Christmas Parade]]: A brand-new Christmas parade that will feature floats with Christmas decorations from ''Disney on Parade'' during the A Sparkling Christmas event from [[23 November]] [[2007]] until [[2 January]] [[2008]].
===Park celebrations===
[[Image:HKdisneyexit.JPG|thumb|205Px|right|The "Thank you for visiting" sign]]
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 85%" width= align=
|+ '''List of past and current celebrations'''
|- bgcolor=lightgrey
|-
! Celebration
! Attractions and entertainment*
! Year
|-
|align=center| A Magical Christmas
| ''Tree Lighting Ceremony''
| 2005
|-
|align=center| Magical Chinese New Year
| ''Chinese New Year Celebration Stageshow''
| 2006
|-
|align=center| Disney's Halloween
| The Villains' Lair; and <br/> ''Halloween Costume Mini-Parade''
| 2006
|-
|align=center| A Magical Christmas
| Santa's Corner; and <br/> ''Mickey's Sing-a-long Tree Lighting''
| 2006
|-
|align=center| Disney's Chinese New Year
| ''Disney "Come and Celebrate" Stageshow''
| 2007
|-
|align=center| Pirate Takeover
| Captain Jack Sparrow's Pirate Boot Camp; <br/> Mirabella, the Gypsy Fortune Teller; <br/> ''"The Doctor of Soul" Voodoo Drum Show''; <br/> ''Pirate Procession''; and <br/> ''Pirate Party Nights''
| 2007
|-
|align=center| Mickey's Summer Blast
| ''Mickey's WaterWorks''; and <br/> ''Stitch's Summer Blast Dance Party''
| 2007
|-
|align=center| Disney's Haunted Halloween
| Main Street Haunted Hotel; <br/> Space Mountain - Ghost Galaxy; <br/> Villain in Adventureland; and <br/> ''Glow in the Park Halloween Parade''
| 2007
|-
|align=center| A Sparkling Christmas
| Santa's Workshop; <br/> Ice Fantasy; <br/> '''Let it Snow' Christmas Parade''; and <br/> ''Sparkling Castle Lights''
| 2007
|-
|align=center| Year of the Mouse Celebration
| Mickey's House; <br/> A Salute to Mickey Statues; <br/> ''Mickey's Rockin’ the Mouse Castle Show''; <br/> ''Adventures in Fashion''; and <br/> ''Rhythum of Life: Dragon Procession''
| 2008
|-
|align=center| Nonstop Summer Fun
| "it's a small world"; <br/> Turtle Talk with Crush; <br/> ''Mickey's WaterWorks''; <br/> ''High School Musical: LIVE!'' and <br/> '' Muppet Mobile Lab''
| 2008
|-
|}
''Note*'': Festive entertainment is shown in ''italic''
==Future construction==
===Finished construction===
[[Image:HKDisneylandreservedland.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Land planned for future expansion viewed from the Tarzan's Treehouse in Adventureland]]
The '''Phase 1 Extension''' began with three new attractions for [[Tomorrowland]] that opened in the summer of 2006. In 2007, [[Animation Academy]] and Mickey's Waterworks Parade (a water-based summer parade) are added. In 2008, [[High School Musical: LIVE!]], [[Muppet Mobile Lab]], [[Turtle Talk with Crush]] (Limited for Summer) and the classical attraction [[It's a Small World|"it's a small world"]] is added.
===Recent construction===
The outer edge of [[Adventureland]] has been under construction since early May 2008, next to '''Festival of The Lion King''' and '''Rafts to Tarzan's Treehouse'''. Digging is under way beneath the berm, to permit expansion beyond the railroad track perimeter. No official announcement has been made by the park as to their plans, but the expansion is most likely to be Frontierland/Westernland (a themed land found in other Disney parks), or something to a similar end.
'''The Opera House''' is closed, and as of yet has no re-opening scheduled. It is suspected that the current '''Disneyland Story''' may be upgraded or a new attraction will take its place.
===Planned construction===
For short-term expansion, a new attraction called '''The Art of Animation''' is scheduled to open in Autumn or Winter 2008.. It will be a walk-through attraction that mainly shows the concepts of Disney's and Pixar's films, including some never-seen concept art.
For long-term construction, with the reclaimed land reserved for the '''Phase 2 Extension''' and the Disneyland park being blocked by the Park Promenade (a pedestrian walkway which links the [[MTR]] [[Disneyland Resort (MTR)|Disneyland Resort Station]], Disneyland park and [[Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel]]), it is expected that the resort's second Disney theme park will be built on that site.
A '''Phase 3 Extension''' is also being considered by the Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong government.
==Criticisms==
{{Refimprove|date=April 2007}}
<!-- Some of the content under this section should be moved to [[Hong Kong Disneyland Resort]]. -->
===Overcrowding problems===
Just before the grand opening, the park was criticized for underestimating the daily capacity limit. <!-- well exactly how much is the official limit, then?? opening paragraphs say 32,000! --> The problem became apparent on the charity preview day on [[4 September]] [[2005]], when 30,000 locals visited the park. The reported queue time for fast food stands exceeded 45 minutes and over 2 hours for rides. Before the park opened, some within the Disney Company were concerned that the park would not offer enough because of the small number of attractions present.
Although the community, and the park's biggest shareholder, the Hong Kong Government, put pressure on the park to lower the capacity, the park insisted on keeping the limit and only agreed to relieve the capacity problem by extending opening time by one hour or introducing more discounts during weekdays. However, the park said local visitors tend to stay in the park for about nine hours per visit, implying that the mentioned practices would do little to solve the problem{{Fact|date=March 2007}}.
During Chinese New Year 2006, many visitors arrived at the park in the morning bearing valid tickets, but were refused entry, because the park was already at capacity. Disgruntled visitors attempted to force their way into the park or gain access by climbing over the barrier gates.<ref>{{cite web
| last = Fan
| first = Maureen
| title = Disney Culture Shock
| date = [[November 22]], [[2006]]
| publisher = [[The Standard|Hong Kong Standard]]
| url=http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=20&art_id=32372&sid=10991562&con_type=1&d_str=20061122&sear_year=2006
| accessdate = 2007-03-19 }}</ref> Disneyland management was forced to revise their ticketing policy and designated future periods close to Chinese public holidays as 'special days' during which admission would only be allowed through a date-specific ticket.
===Food safety panel===
Officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene department, who were asked by Disney staff to take off their badges and caps in order to enter the park, left park visitors feeling very uneasy. The officers investigated a food-poisoning case in the park's restaurants.<ref>{{cite web
| last = Leung
| first = Wendy
| title = Wong under fire as Disney escapes action in FEHD case
| date = [[November 10]], [[2005]]
| publisher = [[The Standard|Hong Kong Standard]]
| url=http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=25410&sid=5401592&con_type=1&d_str=20051110&sear_year=2005
| accessdate = 2007-03-19 }}</ref> The chairman of [[Legislative Council of Hong Kong|Legco]]'s food Safety panel, [[Fred Li]], described the incident as shocking, and called on the director of the department to take follow-up action against Disney. Hong Kong Disneyland says what happened was inappropriate and has apologized for the incident. Secretary for Justice said that the government did not have enough evidence to make a prosecution, thus dropping the case.
==Public relations==
Disney initially refused to release the attendance figures after media reports surfaced saying the park's attendance numbers might be lower than expected. Disney finally relented, and declared<ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051124/ap_on_bi_ge/hong_kong_disneyland_2</ref> on November 24, 2005, that Disney had officially welcomed over 1 million guests during its first two months of operation.
In response to negative publicity locally and to boost visitor numbers, Hong Kong Disneyland offered $50 discounts for admission to the park to holders of Hong Kong I.D. cards in the period before Christmas in 2005. In the period from March to June 2006, the park offered holders of Hong Kong I.D. cards the opportunity to buy a two-day admission for the price of a single day.
<!-- Shark Fin soup is redundant as it is already covered in the resort page. -Toadwildride -->
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
===Official websites===
*[http://park.hongkongdisneyland.com/hkdl/en_US/home/home?name=HomePage Hong Kong Disneyland (Official Website)] (Chinese & English)
*[http://maps.google.com/maps?t=k&q=22.313317+114.041090+(Hong+Kong+Disneyland) Google Maps (Satellite Image)] (Latitude: 22.313 Longitude: 114.041)
===Fan websites===
*[http://hkdl.fan-site.net/ Dreamagic World - Fans site of HKDL providing the most updated news] (Japanese)
*[http://www.disneybox.com/ 神奇一刻-迪士尼迷的網站]{{zh icon}}
*[http://hongkongthemeparks.wordpress.com 香港主題公園博客誌(Hong Kong Theme Parks Blogazine)]{{zh icon}}{{en icon}}
{{Hong Kong Disneyland}}
{{disneyparks}}
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[[Category:2005 establishments]]
[[Category:Hong Kong Disneyland Resort]]
[[Category:Disney parks and attractions]]
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