Hong Kong Disneyland Review: Everything To Know About Taking Your Toddlers

As a child, I was obsessed with Disney and Disneyworld/Disneyland. My parents were too and when we moved to Hong Kong, they bought us annual passes to the new Hong Kong Disneyland (we were both in our twenties by then) and we would regularly head out there on weekends to eat burgers and watch the fireworks. As a family we loved the stories, the princesses, the rides, everything.

Now as a mum-of-two, I’ve been desperate to bring my kids to experience “the magic of Disney”. But I was weary of doing it at the right time. Disney parks aren’t cheap and we wanted to make sure they would remember or at least take away a lot from the experience. While my four year-old is a big fan of Frozen, the Disney princesses (we love you Moana!) and Mickey Mouse, I wasn’t sure how she would be on rides. Funnily enough, I also have an almost-two year-old, and I was pretty sure she’d be more of a thrill-seeker, but I wasn’t sure if she could go on any rides as she is below 80cm. 

So we decided to do our first Disney trip this year in January 2024, bringing along my Disney-obsessed parents and sister (for both moral and physical support). Honestly, it was a great trip (core memories for everyone!) though definitely a learning experience. Here are some of the most important things to remember taking toddlers to Disney.

Trip planning

Hong Kong Disneyland is not known to be one of the more “popular” Disneylands to visit. In Asia, Tokyo undoubtedly appeals to all ages more, while Shanghai is more easily accessible to Chinese tourists. But as parents with young kids, we purposely wanted to start small. Theme parks can be overwhelming as can crowds and loud noises, we wanted a space that was more contained and that we already knew (see above mention about annual passes) would be safe and secure for our kids.

So in many ways the smaller nature of the park worked in our favour. We bought discounted hotel tickets during Black Friday and got tickets to the park at the same time. Children below two are free so our youngest didn’t have to pay. Tip: Tickets for seniors (above 60 years old) are only HKD$100 so bring the grandparents, it’ll be worth it. Also Klook often has ticket discounts.

Download the Hong Kong Disneyland app (there is one for every Disney park) and register an account on the website. Once you’re there, it’s extremely useful for everything from purchasing photos to making reservations and checking how long the wait times for each ride is. 

Where to stay

While Hong Kong’s public transport can quite easily get you from Central to Disneyland in an hour, that means fighting rush hour traffic in the mornings to get the train and the fireworks crowds to get out to the park. We decided to stay at one of the Disneyland Resorts to make getting to the park faster and more convenient, and to get the “full Disney experience”.

Of the three hotels, the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel is the most iconic. Designed to resemble a fairytale castle, with all the gilded trappings within, the hotel sort of feels like a luxury stay from yesteryear. The room sizes do not vary much, most rooms can sleep two adults and two kids quite comfortably in two double beds.

There are also now Frozen themed suites for the super fans which are the size of two standard rooms. The Disney Explorer’s Lodge is the newest hotel, having just opened end of last year. The rooms feature two queen beds so might be better in terms of size. This new hotel is themed around adventure and has a dark, woody feel. The final hotel, Disney’s Hollywood Hotel has an art deco feel.

One day or two?

Honestly, if you are efficient, your children cooperate and the park isn’t too busy, you can quite conceivably do everything within a day, including the Momentous fireworks show at 8.30pm. But having said that, it can be quite a lot for young kids, and there’s no guarantee you can tire them out enough to get them to nap (also since when do children cooperate in just the right way?).

What really helped was that for one of the days we went to the park, we bought the Early Park Entry Pass. For HKD$199 per person, this allows you to enter the park an hour before general admission. That means for us, that we could get into World of Frozen CROWD-FREE at 9.30am (NOTE: Park opening times can vary throughout the year so be sure to check the website ahead of your trip). This really helped because by noon, the wait time for the rides there was at least 30 to 60 minutes. We tried to avoid anything that required that long a wait time as we didn’t think the kids would be able to take it.

On the first day, we were able to go take a break in the afternoon, take the kids back to the hotel for a rest and a shower and some playtime, then we headed back into the park for dinner, a few more rides, and the fireworks. On the second day, we headed to the park later and stayed for half the fireworks show before heading back. I wouldn’t say two days is necessary if you are dedicated and determined on what shows you want to see and at what times, it gave us some flexibility and some down time but on our second day at the park, it was very crowded and so actually if we hadn’t gone, I don’t think it would have been a huge loss.

World of Frozen - yay or nay?

The newest attraction in Hong Kong Disneyland, and the only World of Frozen in the world, Arendelle at Hong Kong Disneyland is pretty stunning. Kids will be amazed (maybe also a bit scared) to see their favourite show come to life. 

Oddly enough though, the rides in World of Frozen are not very kid-friendly. Frozen Ever After appears to be a simple, traditional boat ride featuring the movie’s beloved characters, but the ending involves a sharp drop, turning it into a log flume ride which is not quite suitable for younger children (though there is no height limit) who aren’t used to these types of rides. My four-year-old was not a fan and my friend said her daughter of the same age was “traumatised”. The only other ride in World of Frozen is Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs, which is a rollercoaster with a height requirement of 95cm. It’s pretty fast and again, maybe not quite suitable for children (or for tired parents whose backs and necks aren’t quite what they used to be). 

The show, Playhouse in the Woods is probably the most kid-friendly experience in World of Frozen. This interactive theatre show allows you to “meet” Anna and Elsa as they explore elemental spirits. Personally, we found the show underwhelming and because it’s standing-room only, it can be quite hard for shorter children (and adults!) to see what’s going on. 

Best rides for toddlers

One of the best things we found about Hong Kong Disneyland was that there weren’t many rides that required a minimum height for kids. Besides the rollercoasters and some of the simulators, most of the rides were open to my almost-two-year-old. As a result, I think she might have been the one to take away the most from the trip. Here are some of our favourite rides for younger kids:

Dumbo: Simple and aesthetically-appealing to young kids, this flying ride is a classic but also has long lines all day long.

Cinderella’s Carousel: The perennial favourite. We rode this about 10 times over two days. Best part is the turnover is very quick so you don’t usually have to line very long.

The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh: More fun if your kids know the characters but is still a gentle ride with some fun bumps.

Mad Hatter Tea Cups: While this ride can get quite dizzying, this drops dramatically if you don’t spin. Then kids can enjoy the sensation of going round without finding it too overwhelming.

It’s A Small World: A good, slow boat ride with a catchy song. Great air-conditioned escape if you travel in the summer.

Orbitron: Same concept as the Dumbo rides but with infinitely shorter wait times. I’m not sure why this is less popular but it also seats four people per carriage so turnover is faster.

Slinky Dog Spin: Both my children LOVED this mini rollercoaster. It’s a lot of fun as it goes round and round with some slopes. It also increases in speed a little bit mid-way.

What to eat

All the Hong Kong Disneyland Resorts have their own collection of restaurants that range from elegant Chinese to Western quick bites. If you have the luxury of time and want to explore each hotel for what they have to offer, this could be a good way to entertain the kids as each hotel also has a kids club. The breakfast buffet at the Enchanted Garden at the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is well-recommended as your kids can meet Mickey and friends without having to queue in the park. It’s expensive starting at HKD$358 per adult (HK$188 for kids aged 3-5 and HK$248 for kids aged 6-11), but it’s quite a cool experience and includes all sorts of fun Disney-themed food.

In the park itself we found dining options a bit limited (but we have a picky eater so that compounded things). The kids’ set at the Royal Banquet Hall near the carousel was basically rice, corn and some Mickey biscuits, which was adequate. Food options otherwise was a mix of Western (burgers and fries at the Starliner Diner in Tomorrowland) and various Asian and vegetarian options. We found eating at the kids’ usual lunch times of 11.30am worked well as the crowds only really set in for lunch about an hour later.

It also helped that there are restaurants open for reservations in the park. We ate at The Plaza Inn in the park two nights in a row because it houses two Chinese restaurants and the menus were easy for the girls. For something extra special, the Explorer’s Club Restaurant located at Mystic Point offers a semi-buffet dinner with admission to “Momentous” special viewing area package where you can enjoy an exclusive view of the fireworks. The package starts at HKD$558 for adults and HKD$382 for kids.

Final thoughts

This trip to Disneyland will undoubtedly be a core memory for me and my husband when we think about family trips we did when our girls were young. Watching them both exist in a place where some of their favourite characters came to life was pretty magical for us and seeing them test their bravery on theme park rides – and learning it could be fun – was a joy to watch as well.

It wasn’t without drama (of course, with two toddlers how could it not?). My 4 year-old who was allergic to peanuts as a baby, snuck one at dinner time causing mild panic, then curiosity when she didn’t have a reaction. There was some push-and-pull tension with the grandparents regarding just how many toys to buy the kids. And there was lots of inevitable “are they warm enough?” questions as we stayed at the park from morning to night. So on that note, here are my last must-dos before you plan your trip to Hong Kong Disneyland.

• Prep your kids in advance. Remind them that it will be crowded, it might be loud, but that they are safe with you and the rest of the family.
• Strollers are a must. Whether you're using them to dump all the stuff your kid buys or the actual tired child, it really helps with the speed of whisking everyone from one end of the park to the other. The park also has strollers for rentals. Wagons are not allowed.
• Don’t forget the essentials: Sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, and if you’re travelling when it’s cooler, extra clothes, sweaters, or scarves to wrap around your toddler when they inevitably don’t want to wear a sweater.
• The nightly fireworks show, Momentus, really packs the park, so if you want a good viewing spot you should get to it by 8pm (the show starts at 8.30pm most nights). If you’re staying at one of the Disney hotels and don’t mind a walk, it’s probably faster to do that then wait for a bus after the fireworks because it will be busy.

• We made a deal with the grandparents ahead of time, and told the kids they could have one present from Mama and Kong Kong, and one present from Mummy and Daddy. This worked out surprisingly well and we came home with more meaningful memories than toys.