November 4, 2006

On Saturday, we arrived at the Hong Kong Airport at 6:33 AM. We used the Airport Express to get from the airport to the hotel. The Airport Express is part of the Hong Kong subway system (MTR). The Airport Express stops at the airport and only three other stations in Hong Kong. At the three other stations, there are free Airport Express shuttle buses that transport people to/from area hotels. We were at our hotel by 8 AM. We are staying at the Renaissance Kowloon Hotel. It is on the waterfront on the other side of Hong Kong Island (where downtown Hong Kong is located). Kowloon is very busy with lots of businesses and very upscale restaurants/stores.

Susan and I did not get much sleep on the plane so we used the morning to recover. At 1 PM, we left for Hong Kong Disneyland using the Hong Kong subway system. The Hong Kong subway system is very easy to use and clean. All of the signs and instructions are in English and the ticket machines are very intuitive to use.

Hong Kong Disneyland is much smaller than the Disneyland in California. There is no Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Carribean, Raiders of the Lost Arc, or It’s a Small World. There is the Buzz Lightyear ride, Dumbo, Teacups, Space Mountain, and River Cruise. There are major expansion plans for Hong Kong Disneyland. It was a fun day. We stayed until the closing fireworks at 7 PM. Most of the restaurants at Hong Kong Disneyland serve Chinese food (which was actually very good).