General Hong Kong Disney News

[Gavin]

There was stuff posted on Screamscape, linking to Disney and More, a while ago, but I forgot to put it here until now.

2014 - New Night Parade

Apart from the Halloween parade, HKDL doesn't yet have a night parade. They're starting one later this year called "Disney Paint the Night", which is supposedly getting some kind of new interactive element.

With the new "Disney Paint the Night" parade there will be new devices which will enable guests to send signals to change colors on the parade floats or costumes.

http://disneyandmore.blogspot.hk/2014/02/hong-kong-disneyland-new-disney-paint.html

Regardless of how the technology will work, it's about time they got a night parade. It's one of the only things now that you notice as "missing" when compared to the other parks.

2015 Attraction?

Screamscape is reporting on rumours of a "non-ride style attraction in 2015 to Fantasyland." Ideas suggested have been some kind of walkthrough in the castle. It's all purely speculation at this point though.

2016 - Iron Man

Already a topic about that here: http://www.coasterforce.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=36859

2017 - New Hotel

This will be the third hotel at the site. It will also be the biggest.

It will be located next to the Hollywood Hotel, still leaving room for a fourth hotel in the future.

http://disneyandmore.blogspot.hk/2014/02/hong-kong-disneyland-to-build-third-and.html

Business Report

Hong Kong Disney have published their financial review for 2013. Some key points/facts:

Record attendance figures - 7.4 million (up 10%)
94% hotel occupancy
Record revenues of HK$4.9billion (US$631million, £377million) - Up 15% from the previous year
Record profits of HK$242million (US$31million, £18.6million)
The Hong Kong government own 52% of the park, with Disney owning 48%
Management of the park is 100% Disney
4,800 full-time and 2,600 part-time staff
Mainland Chinese make up 47% of guests, locals 33% and others 20%

Full report here: http://ahongkongdisneyland.disney.g...US/aboutOurCompany/AnnualBusinessReview13.pdf

Basically, it's all excellent news for the park.

 

[nadroJ]

The 2017 hotel looks a lot like Animal Kingdom Lodge, and there is a safari jeep in the concept art, I wonder if they are planning an animal based expansion to go with this hotel? Doesn't make sense for the jeep to be there otherwise?

 

[marc]

It's great to see this park doing so well.

Just goes to show how new attractions can turn things around, the right attractions anyway.

 

[Gavin]

I wonder if they are planning an animal based expansion to go with this hotel? Doesn't make sense for the jeep to be there otherwise?

If they are, I'm pretty sure it won't be happening at the same time as the hotel. Firstly, the amount of money being pumped into building it is enormous. Also, I'm sure they would have announced it with the hotel as well if that was the case.

An animal-based expansion would only really be feasible with the second park, and that's still years away yet as they've still got room to add another 2/3 lands to the current one. I'd also expect to see a Downtown Disney crop up first as well, especially given the large number of hotel rooms/guests they'll have with the three hotels.

Also, based on the direction they've been taking, I can see the second park being something we haven't seen at Disney before. Having said that, Hong Kong doesn't really have a decent animal attraction. Yeah, there's Ocean Park, but it's 95% aquarium-based. There is a small zoo in the city centre, but it's really not up to much and focuses on smaller animals. Shenzhen and Guangzhou, both right across the border, have safari parks though, so I'm not sure that another one here would be a massive draw.

I don't know that a hotel needs to necessarily "fit" an existing theme anyway. They're pretty separate from the park and could be seen as quite autonomous really. For example, the Hollywood Hotel is 1930s Art Deco which bears no correlation with anything currently at the park. Well, perhaps tenuously with Mainstreet USA, but it's still pretty much its own unique theme.

 

[nadroJ]

I meant more as part of the hotel experience than anything, as opposed to a full blown Animal Kingdom style thing. Animal Kingdom Lodge has a separate animals enclosure for the hotel alone with giraffe, zebra, etc, something like that could totally be feasible as part of this project, no?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gavin]

^Yeah, there seems to be space in the grounds of the hotel looking at the plans above, so in that respect I'd say it's feasible. I would've thought that they'd have mentioned something like that though.

Saying that, they haven't released much information at all yet, not even a name, so I guess there's still the possibility.

 

[Gavin]

The night parade has been open for about a week now:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6P7-1YfIoc[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OTuKQYreW8[/youtube]

I haven't seen it in person yet, but if the videos on YouTube (quite a few around now) are anything to go by, then it's looking pretty amazing. Rumours point towards the California park getting this next year for their anniversary.

Their website mentions that all the rides/buildings are going to be lit up as well, though I'm not sure if that means a new lighting package or highlighting what is already there; the lighting at night is already really impressive.

Next year's Fantasyland attraction seems to be a maze (similar to the Alice in Wonderland maze in Paris - the land area seems to be of a similar size) with a princess theme and possible interactive elements and/or meet and greet at the end. There's not a lot of information at the moment though, just some construction boards blocking off an area at the back of Fantasyland.

 

[marc]

That show is stunning, bit too much Pixar but you have to go with what's popular.

Really hope other parks gets this as the old light parade is very dated.

I'm just so impressed how this park has turned around.

 

[valleyfair!]

That parade is fantastic! I like the Main Street Electrical in Orlando, but this takes it to a whole new level. Haven't read up much on planned parades for Shanghai, but I wouldn't be surprised if something similar is there at the opening. I have to try and work Hong Kong into my travel plans when I go to Shanghai for the opening next year!

Would love to see this parade inspire an update back in the US. Even if it is just the Tinker Bell Float, I think that would be a hit if a variation of that was subbed into the Main Street Electrical.

 

[Gavin]

^^ Agreed on Pixar, especially seeing as Toy Story is the only Pixar product with any representation in the park at all.

^ California are rumoured to be getting it.

A word of advice: I'd avoid getting to the Shanghai park for opening. Hong Kong's opening was disastrous due to the sheer numbers; Shanghai will be ten times as bad. In China, ME FIRST!!!!! overrides any form of common sense.

I'm personally going to leave it until at least Easter. The initial rush would have calmed down slightly, and it's not a big holiday in China.

 

[valleyfair!]

^ Yeah crowds will be a pain. It's more of a experience to see an opening like that. I'm a big Disney guy so I'm sure I'll get back there again within a few years anyway.

 

[Gavin]

^ Crowds will be a pain is a massive understatement.

There are crowds, then there are Chinese crowds. You can basically forget about manners and etiquette.

It'll be an experience at least!

 

[Ben]

Oh God, I cannot think of anything worse than Shanghai Disney for opening.

Experience is a word for it. Like waterboarding is an experience.

 

[marc]

Yeah going to give that about two years before heading over there.