December 6, 2010. Hong Kong Disneyland family trip, Day 1: Hong Kong night views & A Symphony of Lights.
Canon EOS 500D 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 + Speedlite YN468
Continuing from the previous post, "Hong Kong Disneyland Family Trip - Itinerary Planning."
The first day of this Hong Kong Disneyland family trip was not really a full park day yet. The plan was simple: fly out from Taoyuan around noon, check in at Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel in the afternoon, then go to Tsim Sha Tsui at night for A Symphony of Lights.
But traveling with kids is like this. The real trip often does not begin at the attraction. It begins at the airport, in the hotel room, while waiting for a train, and while trying to find something to eat.
Starting Slowly At The Airport
Our flight on the first day was at 12:40 in the afternoon.
Why not take an earlier flight? Mainly because we had to consider the kids' daily rhythm.
The actual flight from Taoyuan to Hong Kong takes only about an hour, so there was no need to rush. A 9:30 pickup in the morning was more than enough. Once we arrived at the airport, we still had plenty of time to walk around slowly ^.^
While wandering around...we saw the Taipei Flora Expo figures...
And Lisa...used the moment when Mom and Dad were having coffee to put on some makeup @.@'"
Belle, meanwhile, pretended to nap beside us ^.^
That is the rhythm of traveling with kids. Adults may think we are still just waiting for the flight, but the children have already turned the airport into a playground. Adults want to sit down for coffee; they immediately find their own little drama.
After immigration, we arrived at the fashion shopping area...
CHANEL's latest highlight fragrance - No. 5.
Honestly, Taoyuan Airport is actually a pretty good place for photos ^.^
As we kept walking, we suddenly found a dreamy phone booth sponsored by the duty-free shops, plus a Hello Kitty nursery...
We had not even left the country yet, and the airport alone was already enough to keep us busy for half a day...haha~~~
Checking In, Better Than Expected
We checked into the hotel at around 2:30 in the afternoon.
Last time we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, buying park tickets let us enter for two days. This time they said that promotion had already ended in July >.<
So each person had to add another HK$48 ~.~'"
We went into the room, unpacked, and rested a little.
At first, when I found out our room was on the first floor, I felt like we had been "exiled to the border" and was quietly annoyed...
But after opening the room door, sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, with a green garden right outside. It actually felt even better than the upgraded third-floor sea-view room we had last time ^.^
These two girls, every time they see cartoons, they stare at the screen like they have lost their souls ~.~'"
I really do not know what we came here for @.@'"
After finally tricking them into leaving the room...
Since it was still early, we went to walk around the courtyard~~~
The two of them actually walked into the Mickey garden maze hand in hand @.@'"
Sure enough, not long after, Belle was crying and had to be rescued by Mom ~.~'"
The Disneyland Hotel is expensive, but it is maintained pretty well.
Since we already spent the money to stay here, we should at least slow down and enjoy it properly ^.^
Taking The Disney Train To Tsim Sha Tsui
Next, we took the shuttle bus to the MTR station near the park entrance, then headed toward Tsim Sha Tsui.
The Disney train was decorated in a particularly dreamy way...even the hand straps were Mickey-shaped ^.^
By the time we reached Tsim Sha Tsui, both kids were hungry, so we went straight to Serenade Chinese Restaurant upstairs in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre for dinner.
Poor wife. Her shopping plan was sacrificed just like that @.@'"
For some reason, we did not see many tourists there. According to a Hong Kong expert's tip, if you are not sure which dim sum place on Nathan Road is cheap and good, Serenade can be considered a top choice.
As for price...during afternoon tea, two adults and two kids could eat until completely full for about HK$200, at least based on my memory from last time.
This time we arrived later, after 5:30 p.m., so we could only order regular dishes. Each plate started at about HK$88...
We ordered char siu with soy sauce chicken, roast suckling pig, scrambled egg with shrimp, two bowls of dan dan noodles, and a pot of Dong Ding oolong tea, which was really good.
The total was HKD$391, about NT$1,600. Probably a bit more expensive than King Join in Taiwan...but we ate very happily ^.^
A Symphony Of Lights And The Hong Kong Skyline
After dinner, we went downstairs to the Star Ferry Pier area to watch A Symphony of Lights.
There were no dramatic bursts of fire, so it was quite different from what I had imagined...but it still counted as an experience~~~
As for the night views, I had already taken quite a few photos during previous business trips to Hong Kong.
Back then I only used a compact digital camera, but because I had a tripod and could do long exposures, the results were not worse than this time's handheld DSLR shots...
For more night views, see: "Hong Kong Star Ferry Pier Night Views"
After watching A Symphony of Lights, we went back out to walk around the streets.
Last time at Hui Lau Shan, my wife had the "Mango Mania" dessert and kept thinking about it. Unfortunately, it was sold out today ~.~'"
We switched to a mango sago dessert instead, and wasted HK$27 for nothing @.@'"
By the time we wandered into Harbour City, most shops were already closing @.@'"
So we had no choice but to head back...(my wife quietly sobbing inside~~)
Back To The Hotel, Day 1 Done
Finally, we took the MTR back to Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel.
Why is the train still not here?!
Well then...watch my performance~~~
Ah...the train is here...bye~bye~~
By the time we returned to Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, night had changed the whole entrance and lobby into a different atmosphere.
The hotel that felt painfully expensive during the day did feel a little like a vacation resort at night.
Whew~ tired...
Good night. Tomorrow we keep fighting~~~
Series Posts
Hong Kong Disneyland family trip - Itinerary Planning
Hong Kong Disneyland family trip - Day 1 A Symphony of Lights
Hong Kong Disneyland family trip - Day 2 Hong Kong Disneyland Family Guide, Part 1
Hong Kong Disneyland family trip - Day 3 Hong Kong Disneyland Family Guide, Part 2
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