Hong Kong is always nice, but this is the first time that I've gone to Hong Kong with a kid. A 5yr old might put up with walking until your feet fall off the first day, but on the second she's gonna complain (actually on the first she'll complain, on the second she'll cry). Don't get me wrong Babes is a pretty good traveler (actually she's a great traveler-so easy going), she loves to sight-see, and try new foods, and go to exotic locations, but she's not up for just wandering about, which is what we usually do in HK. BUT! We had a surprise for her-HK Disneyland.
As you all know, I am not a Disney hater. As a child I loved Disney, and as an adult I like it even more. Is Disney a huge soulless corporation built to suck money out of your pocket? Yes! Am I willing to put up with it? YES! Because lets face the facts, folks, they are good at what they do. Are their movies perfect? No, I wish their girls had a bit more backbone, their boys a little more personality, and who gets married after three dates anyway? BUT, as with anything Babes watches we make sure to talk about what we're watching and try to balance out Disney's message with our own.
But I appreciate Disney on a whole new level as an adult. When I was a teenager I used to live near Disneyland CA. I loved it because it was a place safe enough that my parents would let me go there by myself without asking a million and two questions. However, taking Babes there for the first time was amazing. She was all smiles and starry eyes. Because we went during the week there were virtually no lines, I don't think we waited longer than half an hour for anything. She was always front and center for every parade, and we have pictures of her dancing in the parades with the cast members. We walked into every show and got seats whenever we wanted. The food was good, and kid centric, as well as a selection wide enough that the adults were able to enjoy it as well (it was expensive, but not ridiculously so).
From the moment we stepped onto the Disneyland express train the experience was a positive one. There were tons of D-employees walking around making sure you weren't lost. They were happy to answer questions in English or Chinese. They made an effort to keep the lines running smoothly without line cutters. The park was sparkling spotless clean. And as simple as it was, all the D-employees had stickers in their pockets to hand out to little kids (and adults) whenever they felt like it.
