Hong Kong Disneyland New Rides

New Rides at Hong Kong Disneyland

Hong Kong Disneyland has recently launched their latest attraction this year (2013) and since my last time there back in 2008, I had some serious thoughts about the new ride.

Anyway I am going to cut a long story short and get straight to the good part. Disneyland has always been Disneyland to me and I am pretty sure to many others as well. Once you visit this fantasy land, you have done it all. Well, guess what? I was absolutely wrong!

New Rides at Hong Kong Disneyland

My second trip to Hong Kong Disneyland in early June 2013 was an eye opener for me. You see, the last time I came here; I stayed at Kowloon in Hong Kong and took a day trip to Disneyland with one of the tour companies.

For this time around, I actually stayed in one of the park hotels, the Disney’s Hollywood Hotel which is just five minutes to the park with their free shuttle service.

Now, the stay here is something I would highly recommend to all families but I will write about that in another article. 

Disneyland Mickey Mouse Fountain
Mickey Mouse Fountain outside the Hong Kong Disneyland

So, the first day walking into the park one more time saw a decent crowd on a Friday morning. Entering Disneyland brought back many memories of my previous trip.

The Fire Station on Main Street USA, the various shops selling all sorts of Disney products and candy and the beautiful building facades all looked like they never aged a bit. Thumbs up to the team that maintains the park.
 Hong Kong Sleeping Beauty Castle
The Sleeping Beauty Castle

Passing the ever famous Sleeping Beauty Castle me of my childhood days watching the many cartoons on television where the theme song suddenly ran in my head.  

After humming to myself I was greeted by the extremely large and colourful Merry-Go-Round which is called the Cinderella Carousel and is still one of the most popular rides here.

Walking pass here, we were led to the Toy Story Land, where the featured RC Racer ride was in bright orange looking like a giant horseshoe put upright.

So, me and the boys looked at each other thinking that looked kind of easy, I mean, its Disneyland right?

Oh well, we got into our express lanes and waited our turn. For your added info, the Toy Story Land is also and Asia Exclusive attraction. 

 
(Left) RC Racer and (R) Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop at Toy Story Land

The RC Racer is a huge car that can seat 25 people at one go. It is projected to the front and then free falling back and front and back.

So this goes on for a few seconds before you are shot to the top of one end. And then, the weightlessness kicks in when you fall back to the other end, and it kicks in again and again.

Ok, the boys started to show signs of fear when I looked at them during the ride and at one point, I even felt like my heart was left back each time we reached one end.

Overall, the ride is quick and fun. In total, it took us about two minutes of wow, gulps and screams. Something I never expected out of Disneyland but well worth it. 

There are also another two rides here at the Toy Story Land which is quite exciting too. One called the Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop where you are brought up about 20 meters high and then get dropped and then taken up again.

There is a minimum height but overall, this is good fun for families. The other ride is called Slinky Dog Spin which resembles a slinky dog chasing its own tail. Patrons sit in between the slinks and you get spun around which is loads of fun. 

After the RC Racer, our next destination was Mystic Point which is a world exclusive from what I read. No other Disneyland has this except here in Hong Kong.

Arriving at the beautiful mansion on a hill, I could not figure what kind of ride this was going to be. So with our express passes, we went in easily as the waiting line can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes and even longer on weekends or holidays.

Mystic Point Hong Kong Disneyland

Mystic Point Hong Kong Disneyland
Mystic Point Freight Depot Show

Mystic Point was the latest attraction here at Disney as it only opened on the 17th of May 2013 therefore, many people were curious to see what it was all about.

The entire ride is a unique adventure of theatrical wonders that combines traditional storytelling with innovative technology and special effects.

The story revolves around an ornate music box where the owner’s pet monkey Albert messes around with it and takes us through an amazing journey.

Disneyland Mystic Point
Going in the Mystic Point attraction

When we got into the room, there was a narrative and video, in Chinese of course, before the main doors opened to a ride where we could sit in moving carriages which take you through the entire mansion.

I have to say; it was a good five to seven minutes of excitement even for an adult so you can imagine how the kids would feel.

No more clues and spoilers just head over to Hong Kong Disneyland and experience it yourself.
 
Albert, the pet monkey seen during the ride at Mystic Point

The ride carriage inside Mystic Point

The ride takes you through mysterious rooms

Albert has a time of his life during the ride
 
Albert and Lord Henry stuffed toys on sale at The Archive Shop

 
Mystic Point Magic Box replica souvenir on sale

T-shirt Hong Kong Disneyland
Some really cool t-shirts sold at the shop

Mystic Point also has a themed photo area called Garden of Wonders with mystifying 3D illusions, the Explorer’s Club Restaurant, which offers international cuisines ranging from Chinese, Asian, Korean and Japanese to Halal food in very unique and exotic surroundings.

The Archive Shop which is the souvenir shop where guests can purchase exclusive novelty items and collectibles.

For some live entertainment there is the Mystic Point Freight Depot, where Lord Henry’s grandnephews share with guests stories from their adventures with Lord Henry. Good photo spot too.

Grizzly Gulch Hong Kong Disneyland

Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars Ride

Finally there is the Grizzly Gulch, another cowboy and western themed ride where at one look, you would imagine sitting in a wooden roller coaster that takes you through the old western mines.

Simple and straightforward wouldn’t you think so? Again, for the third time, I was wrong, wrong and wrong.

My fingers want to type every detail but my mind is telling me to just keep the surprise for everyone reading this.

If you love roller coasters (not those death-defying-zero-gravity-upside-down ones), the Grizzly Gulch is one you have to try!

No thinking twice, or three times in my case, just go in, line up and feel the fun.Below are some photos of Grizzly Gulch where everything reminds you of an old western town.

Western performers as you enter Grizzly Gulch

A huge novelty gold nugget!
 
Mystic Manor at night

Conclusion

In a summary, all the three rides I mentioned here were totally unexpected, coming from Hong Kong Disneyland.

These rides have brought new life to the conventional Disney theme parks where it has also increased the park size by an additional 25%.

Yes, in other words you will have more time to spend here exploring the many attractions and shows where your magical experience would be enjoyed by both, adults and children. Stay tuned for my other Hong Kong Disneyland stories.

Malaysia Asia

Blogging since 2007, but writing online since 1997. I belong to the 1st generation of worldwide bloggers, which is of course old-school. Since 2008, I created Malaysia Asia and this travel, flood, gadget and lifestyle blog has won numerous physical awards from tourism boards around Malaysia. (Not those online awards). After 12 years of blogging, I have semi-retired and now blog about things I like, do product reviews and enjoy life. My work has been featured in Lonely Planet, CNN Travel, Yahoo Travel, Wall Street Journal, and many other international publications. Find out more about me and thank you.

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