Ranked: The Attractions of Hong Kong Disneyland

Welcome back to another “Ranked” article here on Laughing Place. I recently had the incredible opportunity to visit Hong Kong Disneyland for the very first time, as part of a media event for the grand opening of World of Frozen. In addition to checking out the park’s newest land, I had the chance to explore all that Hong Kong Disneyland has to offer. The best way I can describe this park is as a park that feels both small and large at the same time. Main Street feels appropriately quaint, just like Disneyland’s, but then you have the towering Castle of Magical Dreams with even bigger, and real mountains behind it. Going further into the park, each land also feels large, but also with quaint walkways ripe for exploration.

I had the chance to experience most attractions and shows at Hong Kong Disneyland. Here’s what I wasn’t able to experience, due to a lack of time, or quite honestly, just wanting to ride Mystic Manor over and over again!

17. Slinky Dog Spin

The “worst” attraction that I experienced is by no means a bad experience, but rather just nothing spectacular. Slinky Dog Spin is a simple flat ride that is delightfully themed, with lots of fun details in the queue and the wonderful Toy Story score playing over. But it is, however, just a simple flat ride.

16. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Another attraction that was somewhat unremarkable to me was The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, simply because it's a carbon copy of the attraction at the Magic Kingdom. In fact, the facade brought me back in time to how the Walt Disney World version used to look prior to New Fantasyland. The two rides are so similar, that the Hong Kong version even includes the Mr. Toad references put in the Magic Kingdom original as a tribute to the former Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, which was previously located in that building. Still, it is an enjoyable dark ride, and perhaps the best version that isn’t Pooh’s Hunny Hunt.

15. Playhouse in the Woods

Playhouse in the Woods is another fun experience, allowing many guests at once to get up close with Anna, Elsa and Olaf in an interactive setting. It all takes place in a theater in the round, although it’s standing-room only. The closest thing I can compare this to is Enchanted Tales with Belle at the Magic Kingdom. It’s a quick, fun and easy way to see your favorite Frozen characters, without having to wait in a long queue to meet them. Some fun projection effects are also worked into the experience.

14. Toy Soldier Parachute Drop

Another Toy Story Land attraction, Toy Soldier Parachute Drop is elevated (quite literally) due to the impressive views it provides of the rest of the park and the surrounding Lantau Mountains. The ride experience itself is enjoyable enough, with some slight sensations of airtime provided by the drops. I will note that from my experience riding this at both Hong Kong Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios Paris, it was quite the slow loading attraction – leading to lengthy lines – so be aware if you plan to ride.

13. Mickey and the Wondrous Book

Similar in premise to the “Mickey and the Magical Map” show that once called Disneyland home, “Mickey and the Wondrous Book” features Mickey and Goofy coming across a “wondrous book” that enables them to travel to various different Disney stories. They come across Olaf from Frozen, who has become lost, and they have to return him to Arendelle. This leads to a strange pairing of Mickey, Goofy and Olaf throughout the show, that I’m not sure really worked. Some of the individual numbers were quite impressive, especially the “Almost There” number from The Princess and the Frog, but overall, I thought the show was a little disjointed. I did, however, enjoy the use of “Happily Ever After” (with some reworked lyrics) as the main theme of the show.

12. Fairy Tale Forest

Fairy Tale Forest is a delightful walk-through experience that is essentially a more interactive Storybook Land Canal Boats. Guests walk past miniature vignettes of various different Disney icons and moments, such as the Dwarf’s Mine from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the “I See the Light” scene from Tangled and, most impressively, the Beast’s Castle from Beauty and the Beast. Things get scaled up slightly towards the end, as guests enter Pixie Hollow, and have the chance to meet with Tinker Bell. Fairy Tale Forest is a delightful, well landscaped, and beautiful diversion that everyone should check out when visiting Hong Kong Disneyland.

11. RC Racer

RC Racer is a strange attraction, one that you wouldn’t immediately expect to be in a Disney park. Themed around an old-school racing set, you’ll climb aboard RC in a very tight row of seats and launch forward and backward for an experience that is surprisingly thrilling, which provides some fantastic airtime. My main criticism is it's a short experience without much substance, but for what it is – it’s fun! Beware, this ride can get some of the longest lines in the park due to its low capacity, so you may want to head here first or last thing.

10. Momentous

Hong Kong Disneyland’s nighttime spectacular, Momentous, is quite different from what we’re used to at the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland. This is a 20 minute show that features minimal fireworks, mostly focusing on projections on the park’s gorgeous castle, lasers and fountains. Aside from the difference in presentation and length, it’s largely similar to shows like Happily Ever After or Wondrous Journeys, featuring a variety of songs from different Disney movies, with an original song to open and close the proceedings. The projection mapping is quite stunning, often taking on somewhat of a steampunk vibe. I enjoyed the show, but it’s definitely not one I’m clamoring to revisit.

9. Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs

I was pleasantly surprised by Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs. While it is indeed a short roller coaster, similar in length to The Barnstormer at the Magic Kingdom, it does pack a bit of a punch and offers up some stunning panoramic views of Arendelle. In fact, the theming is the best thing this ride has going for it, as with the rest of World of Frozen. The queue is quite wonderfully detailed, also offering some great views of the coaster. Add in the great Olaf and Sven animatronics at the beginning of the ride, and you have a perfect first-timers coaster.

8. Hyperspace Mountain

Hong Kong Disneyland’s version of Space Mountain has seemingly permanently been transformed into Hyperspace Mountain, the Star Wars-themed overlay that sometimes takes over Disneyland’s version. Speaking of DIsneyland, the ride experience is an exact clone of Anaheim’s version. So from that, it’s definitely enjoyable, however I’m not the biggest fan of the Hyperspace overlay. The projection effects are impressive, but I much prefer hearing Michael Giacchino’s impressive, timed score playing as I careen through the cosmos. The queue and station are also much less impressive here, aside from a cool full sized X-Wing in the exterior queue.

7. Jungle River Cruise

Perhaps the most unique iteration of the Jungle (River) Cruise can be found at Hong Kong Disneyland. Instead of the station being set back, this version is right in the center of Adventureland, in what would be the Rivers of America in other Magic Kingdom style parks. The boats begin by encircling Tarzan’s Treehouse along a wide riverbed, before the path narrows and we go through many familiar scenes – including the elephants bathing, the lost Safari, African veldt, and more. The attraction uniquely ends with a fiery and water-filled scene in front of a cave, where we come face-to-face with two gods feuding. It’s a unique, and explosive way to end the attraction!

6. “it’s a small world“

Heavily inspired by the original version of “it’s a small world” at Disneyland, this newest version of the classic attraction is almost as good. The scenes are set up very similarly to Disneyland’s, with the narrow trough and set-pieces right by the canal, as opposed to being further away in Walt Disney World or Tokyo Disneyland. This was also the first version of the attraction to feature Disney characters, and they are wonderfully and thoughtfully integrated. While the attraction does feature an expanded Asia section, the finale feels smaller than others, and not quite as impressive. Although I am quite partial to the color scheme of the facade, which sits behind the train tracks in its own delightful courtyard.

5. Iron Man Experience

Who would have thought we’d see a brand-new Star Tours-esque motion simulator open in 2017? That’s exactly what the Iron Man Experience is! But let’s back up a bit. The queue takes you on a tour through the Stark Expo, featuring many props and artwork from and inspired by the Iron Man films. It has a wonderful futuristic vibe, complete with music from EPCOT’s Test Track, which I absolutely love. The simulator ride experience itself is also fun, feeling significantly smoother than the older Star Tours simulators. What begins as a scenic tour of Hong Kong quickly goes awry, in typical Marvel fashion, and it’s up to Iron Man to save the day. A unique and fun addition to Hong Kong Disneyland!

4. Frozen Ever After

Frozen Ever After, while very similar to its EPCOT counterpart, still has some significant differences. Guests enter through the clock tower first seen in the Frozen Fever short, into a queue that is very similar to the one at EPCOT, but just more fleshed out. The attraction itself features all of the same show scenes, however some are spread further apart, such as the opening scene with Olaf and Sven, going into the next scene with the trolls. As Imagineers didn’t have to work around a pre-existing layout, they had more freedom to play around. What follows are many scenes that just radiate pure joy. Perhaps the best scene is the “Let it Go” scene, where the action of going backwards down the waterfall is perfectly timed to the music. The Hong Kong version also greatly improves on the EPCOT original with the updated animatronics that feature more lifelike faces.

3. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle!

Probably the biggest sleeper hit in Hong Kong Disneyland for me was Ant-Man and the Wasp: Nano Battle! This shooting dark ride is actually a reskin of Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, with a track layout pretty much identical to the versions at the other DIsney parks. It was fun to try and tell where certain scenes from Astro Blasters once were. Nano Battle uses updated technology, making it much easier to visualize where you’re shooting – which some could say makes this too easy, but I think it makes it more fun. Certain targets will also trigger action on the setpieces, leading to even more interaction. I especially love the use of the wonderful Ant-Man score throughout the attraction, which really gets you pumped up!

2. Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars

Theme park wise, the highlight of my year was absolutely visiting Hong Kong Disneyland for the very first time. One of the attractions that I was most excited to experience was Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars. Think of this coaster as a cross between Big Thunder Mountain’s theming, Expedition Everest’s coaster experience and the mountain of Grizzly River Run – with some antics from the Country Bears added in. Yes, this impressive western-themed coaster has a lot going for it, and none of it disappointed. The coaster begins calmly enough, with a couple of lift-hills and careening through some rockwork. On those lift-hills, we’re introduced to some mischievous animatronic bears, who really add a lot to the whole feel of the attraction. The second lift-hill gives us a surprise backwards drop, which is much more abrupt than what happens on Expedition Everest. Lastly, we come to a stop as the bears are at it again, this time setting off some explosives, which leads to the coaster train being blasted out of the mineshaft for the most thrilling moment of the experience. From top to bottom, this is an excellent, unique coaster experience, and a highlight of Hong Kong Disneyland.

1. Mystic Manor

You didn’t think anything else would make the top spot, did you? One of my most anticipated attractions at any Disney park across the globe, Mystic Manor had a lot to live up to in my mind, and it did not disappoint! Hong Kong’s variation of The Haunted Mansion instead brings us into the home of Lord Henry Mystic, who along with his lovable monkey companion Albert, travel the globe collecting all sorts of antiquities. We get to see many of those, along with lots of fun easter eggs tying into the Society of Explorers and Adventurers in the queue. The preshow tells more about the backstory, introducing us to an animatronic Albert, who is honestly the most adorable little guy. The attraction itself is a trackless dark ride, perhaps one of the best uses of the technology. Each room takes you into a different part of Mystic’s collection, and is covered in details from floor to ceiling. The animatronics and effects are really impressive, and each time I rode, I would spot some new detail. Mystic Manor is not only the best attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland, but also one of the best Disney attractions of all time!

I hope you all enjoyed this ranking of my Top 17 attractions at Hong Kong Disneyland. If you want to see some more theme park rankings, feel free to check out our “Ranked” tag for some of my other theme park rankings.