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HONG KONG DISNEYLAND
Lantau Island, Hong Kong
Walt Disney Theme Parks
---- THE LATEST BUZZ ----
(5/20/13) Fun news for Hong Kong Disneyland fans, as RideSims.com has announced that their newest ride simulation game is Mystic Manor! (MORE...)
(5/17/13) A detailed look at the inside of Mystic Point’s Explorer’s Club Restaurant, the shops and exclusive attraction merchandise has been posted over at Disney & More this week. A second update (MORE...)
(4/24/13) I don’t know if it is true or not, but I’ve heard it rumored that an artifact or two from the beloved Adventure’s Club (MORE...)
(4/23/13) Disney & More is back with another update from Mystic Point. This time we don’t just look a bit more at the Mystic Manor ride (MORE...)
Ride Rehabs - The following information is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate.
Nothing is known at this point in time...
General Park News - (3/27/13) Hong Kong Disneyland will officially raise their ticket prices starting today. The new prices for an adult ticket are HK$450 (up 12.8%) and a child ticket will cost HK$320 (up 12%). If you are a local Hong Kong resident however, you can still enjoy the old ticket prices from now through to June 30th.
(3/25/13) Sometime in the near future, likely to take place just before the opening of the Mystic Manor attraction, Hong Kong Disneyland is expected to raise their ticket prices. So far the park has held back on raising the price of admission for the last two years, but with the completion of their grand expansion project that has added three new lands (Toy Story Land, Grizzly Gulch and soon Mystic Point) to the park since the last increase, the time has come. Disney wont say much the price will go up, but many experts expect to see an increase of around 10%.
(2/20/13) Bloomberg reports that the combined one-two punch of Toy Story Land and Grizzly Gulch was enough for Hong Kong Disneyland to post its first profitable year since it opened seven years ago. While HK$109 million ($14 million us) may not seen like a lot on the surface, when you compare it to a loss of HK$237 million over the previous year, you can see that there was a significant surge of new guest spending (up 18%) and attendance (up 13%) at the resort in 2012. Hong Kong Disneyland hosted 6.73 million guests over the past year.
(1/14/13) Dejiki has posted a photo tour of the day-time parade at Hong Kong Disneyland, the Flights of Fantasy Parade, complete with song lyrics translated into English for the entire parade.
(1/11/13) This week Dejiki is back with the second installment about Grizzly Gulch, this time focused entirely on the Big Grizzly Mountain coaster itself. Check it out.
(1/3/13) Take a detailed photo tour of the entire Grizzly Gulch area in the latest update over at Dejiki.
(12/19/12) Curious to see how Hong Kong Disneyland celebrates the Christmas holiday season? According to the video released, in pretty spectacular fashion it seems. Watch it below.
(10/26/12) Theme Park Review has posted a new POV video of the Big Grizzly Mountain coaster at Hong Kong Disneyland, along with some good off-ride footage. Check it out.
(9/17/12) A fun article about the creation of Hong Kong Disneyland has been posted to Disney and More this week, the 2nd part in the series. Lots of photos and concept art that you may have never seen before as they interview Imagineers Tom Morris and Tim Delaney.
(9/10/12) The Theme Park Guy drops into Hong Kong Disneyland and gives us his impression of the new Grizzly Gulch land. Lets see if the new coaster met his expectations.
(8/15/12) Great new aerial photos of Hong Kong Disneyland have been posted to The Theme Park Guy this week.
 Summer 2013 - Mystic Point / Mystic Manor - (5/20/13) Fun news for Hong Kong Disneyland fans, as RideSims.com has announced that their newest ride simulation game is Mystic Manor! Check it out!
(5/17/13) A detailed look at the inside of Mystic Point’s Explorer’s Club Restaurant, the shops and exclusive attraction merchandise has been posted over at Disney & More this week. A second update can also be seen showing off pictures taken during the grand opening ceremony for the new attraction.
Want to know how the ride system works and how each trackless car travels around the ride compared to the rest in the group? Check out the below embedded at the bottom for an amazing video that helps explain the way it all works.
(4/24/13) I don’t know if it is true or not, but I’ve heard it rumored that an artifact or two from the beloved Adventure’s Club attraction now removed from Walt Disney World’s Pleasure Island. If you happen to spot one for sure, I’d love to hear about it. This could just be fan-boy dreaming... but it is not unheard of for Disney Imagineers to hide things from one attraction inside another.
For example the Pooh ride in Florida has a hidden reference to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride if you know where to look, as well as the Pooh ride in Disneyland also including the talking heads of Max, Buck and Melvin from the Country Bears Jamboree show. While this is more common when one ride replaces another, there is already a connection between Mystic Manor and the Tower of Terror at Tokyo DisneySea as the owner of the mansion (Lord Mystic) is a member of the same Society of Explorers and Adventures club that Harrison Hightower III (owner of the Hightower building in Tokyo) is involved with. So it stands to reason that an artifact or two from the closed Adventure’s Club in Florida could have made it’s way to Hong Kong, either in the attraction, or possibly in the queue.
(4/23/13) Disney & More is back with another update from Mystic Point. This time we don’t just look a bit more at the Mystic Manor ride, but we also take a look around the entire themed land, into the gift shops, the Explorer’s Club Restaurant and more.
If you’ve watched the two ride through videos you’ll have noticed how the points
of view from the two different cars is a little different as they work their way through the mansion and each view certain scenes a little differently. A reader sent in a picture of an old concept model of the attraction they found, and then labeled the various sections from what we’ve seen from the videos, showing off the ride paths taken by the two different cars, which is really very fascinating and unlike anything we’ve seen Disney do in the US to date.
(4/22/13) Mystic Manor has soft opened to guests at last and we’ve got not just one, but two different on-ride videos that show off all the crazy action inside Disney’s latest and possibly greatest creation. The first is just a POV of the ride while the second shows off the preshow as well, including our introduction to Albert. SPOILER ALERT… you’ll see everything in these videos, so if you don’t want to know what mysterious lie inside Mystic Manor until you ride yourself, don’t watch them yet. But for most of you, I think Hong Kong is a bit too far away to wait… so watch and enjoy! (The musical score for the attraction rocks… as it should since it was done by Danny Elfman.) It is worth watching both videos, as they were shot from trackless cars, each with a different point of view of the action taking place all around you.
(3/20/13) Disney and More tells us that Hong Kong Disneyland has confirmed that the new Mystic Manor ride along with the Mystic Point land will officially open in May. If you are ok with some spoilers, head on over and read the article which details the background behind the story told in the attraction.
(2/14/13) One of our readers visiting Hong Kong Disneyland sent in a couple of pictures of Mystic Manor as they finish up the final details around the outside of the attraction area. According to signs spotted inside the fence, the ride system continues to undergo testing.
(12/21/12) Disney and More has posted the second part of their look at Mystic Manor and uncovers the mansion that inspired the Imagineers who designed it. You’ll never guess what the original building was used for...
(12/20/12) Disney and More has posted a great new photo update of Mysic Manor this week, as we get a look at the unique blend of architectural styles that form this crazy looking new park land.
(12/13/12) Thanks to Dejiki, we can now get up close and personal with Mystic Point at Hong Kong Disneyland. A lot of the barriers blocking the view of the area have been moved which provided a fantastic view of the incredible looking Mystic Manor building and all it’s eclectic detailed stylings as well as the nearby structures that will house the gift shops and Adventure’s Club restaurant.
(12/7/12) Disney & More has posted some interesting developments for Hong Kong Disneyland this week. In addition to some coverage of the park’s new “A Sparkling Christmas” event, they also reported that the opening of Mystic Manor is said to have been delayed from Spring 2013 to Summer 2013. So far no word on the reason for the delay.
(9/5/12) Disney and More takes us on a little stroll down the Mystic Point Path, a construction walkway that runs between Grizzly Trail and Toy Story Land.
(7/20/12) The Theme Park Guy went to Hong Kong Disneyland again… and like last year, visiting the park just wasn’t enough. He had to go on another 7-hour hike up to the top of the surrounding mountainside behind the park to take some stunning new aerial view pictures of the park. He swears this was the last time he was going to do it… but I dunno… he just can’t seem to stay put. Plus you get all new incredible views of Mystic Manor under construction from an all new angle.
(7/16/12) Disney and More has another report showing off footage from the opening of Grizzly Gulch at Hong Kong Disneyland along with a video that shows off some of the opening events, construction on the rides, a commercial shoot for the ride and more. The end of the video shows off a sneak preview inside Mystic Manor and the early word on Mystic Manor is that this may be a classic Disney dark ride in the making. One that could possibly stand up side by side with Disney classics like Haunted Mansion and Pirates, so check it out.
(7/11/12) Disney and More has posted an updated article all about the new Mystic Manor ride set to open next year. Check it out.
(12/21/11) The Disney and Blog has posted a nice update showing off the peaks of Grizzly Gulch, which are forming nicely, and takes us for a nice long look at what we can expect to find inside Mystic Manor when it opens in Spring 2013.
(4/25/11) New construction picture added this week.
(3/28/11) I’m not sure how I missed this when it was announced a week or two ago, but Disney and More has confirmed that Danny Elfman (popular movie score composer and former front-man for Oingo Boingo) will compose the music for Hong Kong Disneyland’s new Mystic Manor attraction. There are some great pictures of Elfman peering into the Mystic Manor scale model and talking about how he jumped at the chance to do this project when asked, as Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion was his favorite ride. Check out the video clip embedded below. Danny also reveals that the ride itself will only be four and a half minutes long.
(8/26/10) According to a posting at Laughing Place the Mystic Manor dark ride, intended to be Hong Kong Disneyland’s version of a Haunted Mansion style dark ride, may have been changed significantly. They report that the budget, ride system (no more trackless cars) and entire attraction may have come under review and had the budget slashed to the point where what is eventually installed will be quite a bit different than what Disney showed off to theme park fans at the D23 Expo last year.
(7/13/09) Some great new artwork showing off all the proposed new Hong Kong Disneyland attractions and lands has been posted to the Disney and More blog.
(7/1/09) Set up between Toy Story Land and Grizzly Trail is Mystic Point where you will encounter Mystic Manor, a large creepy home hidden away in the heart of the dense uncharted rain forest. The home belonged to a very eccentric world traveler and adventurer and serves as a large showcase for all of the various exotic and perhaps magical artifacts he had collected over the years. Thanks to a “mischievous monkey” an enchanted music box is activated and is the cause for the dark ride adventure that follows. Nothing was said about the exact story or what happens within the ride itself, but it was mentioned that it will feature a trackless ride system that will allow the cars to move about anywhere they want inside Mystic Manor. Nearby the Manor is Mystic Point, a garden full of relics and statues that hide a hidden world of illusions. In a move sure to really bother some Walt Disney World fans, the area will also feature a restaurant with a very interesting theme… The Adventure’s Club. Guests will dine in a restaurant themed around a vast collection of strange and unique artifacts discovered all around the world. Yep… the Adventure’s Club restaurant idea that was once rumored for DisneySea is actually going to Hong Kong. I’d assume they will take many of the props from the closed Florida location to build this one.
???? - Star Tours 3D - ON HOLD - (7/2/12) Screamscape sources tell us that the previously semi-leaked plans to add Star Tours 3D to Hong Kong Disneyland have been put on indefinite hold for some reason. This could perhaps have been caused if the Hong Kong government failed to approve the budget for this kind of expansion, or if perhaps they have decided to take their future plans in an entire new direction. Stay tuned…
(1/26/12) Disney and More reports that if HKDL can’t work out their plans to get Star Tours 2 open by 2014, they will likely wait until 2016, as there are big Entertainment ideas being planned for 2015 to celebrate the park’s 10th Anniversary.
(1/16/12) As rumored last week, Disney and More has also confirmed this week that Hong Kong Disneyland does have plans in development to bring Star Tours 2 to the park in the 2014/2015 timeline. There is even a link to a map where you can find the site ear-marked for the attraction in Tomorrowland, nestled into a corner kind of between the Autopia and Buzz Lightyear.
(1/13/12) There was an interesting comment made in this report about Hong Kong Disneyland’s performance growth. The park’s annual attendance hit an all time high of 5.9 million guests, up 13% from the previous year, and revenue was also up by 20%. As previously reported, hotel occupancy rose to 91%, hence the desire for funds to build new resorts. And then there is this comment… “The park reportedly plans to build an artificial lake and another amusement facility with a theme similar to Star Wars.”
So could this be the first leak about possibly building a brand new Star Tours attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland once they are done with Grizzly Gulch and and Mystic Manor?
2015 - New 10th Anniversary Entertainment - (1/26/12) The only rumors go far claim that in typical Disney park fashion, for the park’s first big anniversary celebration, they will likely focus on adding major new entertainment options such as shows and parades.
2016/2017 - Marvel Land - In Development - (4/23/13) In a bit of a Spin Job, the news reports that the Hong Kong city govnerment jumped the gun when they announced that a dedicated Marvel land would be built at the park. Disney Resorts Chariman, Tom Staggs has reported that Disney has yet to confirm anything about it yet and that it was just one possible option for Hong Kong Disneyland.
(2/28/13) It’s official… according to China editon of the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Secretary of Hong Kong told commented that Hong Kong Disneyland will next open a new nighttime parade AND build a new area themed to “Marvel heroes” that will be “the first of its kind in the world.”
Meanwhile our friends at Disney and More have come forward with a few more details and thoughts on the project. It was mentioned that a 7 hectare expansion area was left open for future development which is assumed to be a site behind Tomorrowland, once eyeballed for the Star Tours 2 project before that was put on hold. They speculate that we could see a Marvel Land open by 2017.
From what I’ve heard there will be no Marvel rides built at Shanghai Disneyland on opening day, so handing over Marvel to Hong Kong Disneyland is a great move to give that park something unique that the Shanghai park will not have.
???? - New Hotel(s) - Planned - (11/9/12) According to this news report the rumors about Hong Kong Disneyland’s plans to try and add more hotels are true. In fact, they may be looking a a long term masterplan to add as many as three new hotels to the resort over the next decade. The news comes with new rumors claiming that the park may actually post its first profit this year as well.
While the article does not mention this, I had also heard rumors that a Downtown Disney style area may also be pitched to link up the hotels with the park, as well as any future expansion planned to open in the years to come.
(1/26/12) Disney and More talks about how Hong Kong Disneyland will celebrate The Year of the Dragon this week. There is also a correction to an earlier posting, as HKDL is only seeking to add two more hotels and not four. (They want to have 4 total…)
It also seems some of the future growth options for HKDL may hinge on a massive 29km sea-bridge that is planned to link Lantau Island to Macau, and will include an 1.4km underwater tunnel segment.
(1/11/12) Good news for Hong Kong Disneyland this week as MSNBC reports that the theme park resort has moved even closer to profitability over the past year. The resort reported a reduced loss of 237 million HK Dollars ($30.5 million US) in 2011, down from 718 million HK Dollars in 2010. Attendance was up 13% as the park welcomed 5.9 million guests, who reported a 6% increase in PerCap spending. Hotel occupancy rates also rose from 82% to 91% in 2011.
While we’re talking about HKDL, Disney and More reports that the resort has now asked the Hong Kong government for funds to build four more on-site hotels, one large and three smaller hotels, which will be connected by a tram to the park. (More than likely the hotels will be added in phases if approved and not all at once.)
(7/26/07) While attendance at Hong Kong Disneyland is below expectations, that hasn’t stopped the Disney Resorts on site from filling up. Based on the occupancy rates at the resorts existing two resorts, HKDL is moving ahead with plans to build a 3rd hotel to fill the growing demand. The new hotel is only in long term development and wont open for several years, but is earmarked for a site between the resorts other two hotels that is currently used for “sporting activities”.
Downtown Disney - Planning - (6/8/11) According to the latest word from Screamscape source, a meeting between WDI and Cirque du Soleil at the Grand Californian hotel last week was actually to talk about adding a new Cirque show to Hong Kong Disneyland and not to the California park. It’s felt that a new Cirque theater building could serve as an anchor to a new local Downtown Disney style retail between the park and the resorts.
(6/6/07) Sources claim that a Hong Kong version of Downtown Disney is on the drawing boards right now, though we have no idea when they may try to move forward with it. We’ve also heard they have plans for another themed hotel too, but those plans will only move forward if and when the current attendance problems have been solved. Right now the focus is on improving the park experience and adding new attractions that can draw in bigger crowds.
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