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HONG KONG DISNEYLAND
Lantau Island, Hong Kong
Walt Disney Theme Parks
 Park News - (11/9/09) According to this report, Hong Kong Disneyland has been put on notice by the Secretary of Commerce that they need to try and complete all of their major expansion plans for the theme park by 2014 in order to stay competitive against the new park planned for Shanghai.
(7/10/09) I’ve been told that a special upcharge version of Disney’s FastPass system (with quicker or instant access times), dubbed the “Magic Pass” is currently being tested at Hong Kong Disneyland. An extra fee Magic Pass system has been rumored to have been in the works for years in the US, but has yet to surface… could be they are testing the guest reaction to such a system and how to blend it in with the free FastPass system.
(12/11/08) According to this article Hong Kong Disneyland only drew in 4.5 million guests this year, falling short of the 6.2 million they had hoped to get. This number is an improvement over last year’s 4.17 million however. Of course these numbers are at odds with a previous article we quoted from over the summer that claimed that the resort was targeting only 5.6 million this year.
(8/28/08) According to the local news Hong Kong Disneyland is expected to finally meet or at least get close to their target attendance figure of 5.6 million, up from just 4.2 million last year.
By 2014/2015 - Toy Story Land - Confirmed - (9/15/09) Some new artwork shown at  the D23 Expo is now on Westcoaster and has a peek at the models of the new Hong Kong Disneyland expansion lands and attractions.
(7/1/09) What is likely to be the first new land to open of the three announced is Toy Story Land, since it is near identical to the land announced for Walt Disney Studios Paris. Toy Story Land will start a new pathway that will branch off from the back of the park where Fantasyland connects to Adventureland and feature three flat rides. The rides will include a half-pipe ride themed to RC Racer, a kid friendly parachute drop themed to the Green Army Men and a Slinky Dog themed Music Express style ride. Hong Kong Disneyland hopes that their big expansion plans will be enough to increase attendance at the theme park by 60% by 2015, bringing in around 7.3 million visitors. To read more details and see some awesome concept artwork, make the jump over to Disney and More.
By 2014/2015 - Mystic Point - Confirmed - (7/13/09) Some great new artwork s howing off all the proposed new Hong Kong Disneyland attractions and lands has been posted to the Disney and More blog.
(7/1/09) Set up between Toy Story Land and Grizzly Trail is Mystic Point where you will encounter Mystic Manor, a large creepy home hidden away in the heart of the dense uncharted rain forest. The home belonged to a very eccentric world traveler and adventurer and serves as a large showcase for all of the various exotic and perhaps magical artifacts he had collected over the years. Thanks to a “mischievous monkey” an enchanted music box is activated and is the cause for the dark ride adventure that follows. Nothing was said about the exact story or what happens within the ride itself, but it was mentioned that it will feature a trackless ride system that will allow the cars to move about anywhere they want inside Mystic Manor. Nearby the Manor is Mystic Point, a garden full of relics and statues that hide a hidden world of illusions. In a move sure to really bother some Walt Disney World fans, the area will also feature a restaurant with a very interesting theme… The Adventure’s Club. Guests will dine in a restaurant themed around a vast collection of strange and unique artifacts discovered all around the world. Yep… the Adventure’s Club restaurant idea that was once rumored for DisneySea is actually going to Hong Kong. I’d assume they will take many of the props from the closed Florida location to build this one.
By 2014/2015 - Grizzly Trail - Confirmed - (11/16/09) The LA Times has posted a brief update about about the Big Grizzly Mountain Coaster, along with a couple of new pieces of artwork. They claim at the ride could open as early as 2012.
(7/1/09) Branching off from Adventureland arou nd to the backside of the Jungle Cruise river will be Grizzly Trail, which is themed around an old west frontier gold mine town called Grizzly Gulch. According to the story the town was founded on August 8th, 1888 – the luckiest day / month / year ever to happen… however wild bears have been causing a lot of trouble for the Big Grizzly Mountain Mining Company.
In addition to fun photo opportunities, geysers and scenic props all around the abandoned town area, the major attraction of the area is the Big Grizzly Mountain Coaster, a runaway mine train that passes through the nearby mountain and empty town area. This isn’t just a copy of the popular Big Thunder Mountain concept however, as guests will encounter plenty of life sized Animatronic bears along the way, and the coaster itself may have more in common with Expedition Everest. According to the description the coaster will feature a run backwards down an incline that I assume will twist and turn through tunnels in the mountain before the train hits a launch section that will “blast” it back out of the mountain.
???? - New Hotel - Planned - (7/26/07) While attendance at Hong Kong Disneyland is below expectations, that hasn’t stopped the Disney Resorts on site from filling up. Based on the occupancy rates at the resorts existing two resorts, HKDL is moving ahead with plans to build a 3rd hotel to fill the growing demand. The new hotel is only in long term development and wont open for several years, but is earmarked for a site between the resorts other two hotels that is currently used for “sporting activities”.
Downtown Disney - Planning - (6/6/07) Sources claim that a Hong Kong version of Downtown Disney is on the drawing boards right now, though we have no idea when they may try to move forward with it. We’ve also heard they have plans for another themed hotel too, but those plans will only move forward if and when the current attendance problems have been solved. Right now the focus is on improving the park experience and adding new attractions that can draw in bigger crowds.
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