Hello, hello!
The time has finally come. I am going to Hong Kong Disneyland!! I’ve been thinking about making this trip for a few years now, but surprisingly enough I’m actually not that keen on traveling outside of Japan. Mainly because I fear the unknown and I just really like Japan. There are so many places here that I haven’t visited yet. Can you believe that I still haven’t been to Hokkaido?!
Anyway, as I was starting to say, this is my first trip to Hong Kong and I have a lot of questions. I thought I might as well write down said questions and see if I can get some answers for myself and anyone else who may have the same questions in the future. I’ll have a followup post after my trip with my answers.
- Will I need cash at Hong Kong Disneyland and if I do, how much?
- Am I going to be able to survive the humidity and heat?
- Do they pin trade at Hong Kong Disneyland?
- What kind of amenities do I need to bring?
- Am I going to go bankrupt?
I think we all know the answer to the last question, but let’s not talk about that one. There are no mistakes after all. Only happy accidents that will hopefully come in the form of lots and lots of Duffy & Friends merchandise! (Can we talk about how upset I am that I’m going to miss Duffy’s new friend by a week. Arghhh!)
July 3rd, really?!Let’ s start with question number one. Will I need cash at HKDL? My friend who visited earlier this year told me that they got by at the park with just their credit card and I would probably only need cash to get to and from the airport. Now, they had a pretty quick trip that consisted of Disneyland only, but I plan on going into the city for a day. I don’t plan on buying much non-Disney merch (famous last words, ha!) but I would like to indulge myself in as much dim sum and other yummy treats as I can get my hands on. I’m hoping that most places will take credit card and am planning on exchanging about $200 USD worth at Narita Airport before we leave. Thoughts?
Question number two! Am I going to be able to survive the humidity and heat? Google tells me that in Hong Kong, June through August is the worst for heat, humidity, and rain. Looks like 83℉/28°C and 78% humidity is going to be the average for while I’m there. The rain part is a bummer, but it doesn’t sound too different from a Japanese summer day. I know that my husband is going to be miserable and begging to go back to the hotel, but it should be survivable. Hopefully Hong Kong is more generous with their air conditioning than they are here in Japan. We’ll see what I have to say at the end of the week.
Number three. Pin trading! One of the highlights from my trip to Anaheim a few years ago was being able to pin trade. I know that a lot of people are over the pin trend, but it was new and exciting to me. I do know that HKDL releases a lot of cute limited edition pins and I plan on buying the Duffy & Friends ones for sure, but am not sure if cast members trade pins or not. If anyone has any info on this, please let me know!
Final question, what amenities do they provide? Usually I bring everything and the kitchen sink with me when I travel, but this time we booked super cheap flights, plus the fact that we want to get into the park on the first day ASAP, we’re going to be traveling carry-on only. (Oh, the horror!) Vanilla Air allows 7kg/15lbs per person. We’re going to be away for a full week and sweating through our clothes multiple times a day so I definitely want to focus my allotted weight on clothing. My plan at the moment is to take the bare necessities: sun screen, hair conditioner, and moisturizer. I’ve given up on the idea of makeup as I was told I would sweat it all off within minutes anyway. We’re going to be staying at Disney Explorers Lodge and I’m hoping for a nice shampoo and body soap.
What else am I forgetting? If you have any other questions you’d like me to try and get an answer to while I’m there, just leave me a comment down below and I’ll do my best! I do plan on vlogging my experience and reviewing as many foods as I can so please look forward to that as well. Let me know if there are any must-eat foods that I need to have!
First of all, I hope that you and your husband have a happy and safe trip! My family doesn’t have a lot of experience traveling in Hong Kong so I don’t have much advice about Disneyland. However, my family loves traveling to hot places (Malaysia, Singapore, Bali etc.) so I might be able to tell you a bit about the heat.
Remember that you are on vacation so fashion rules do not apply to you and your husband. I wear a tank top, shorts and flip-flops (tennis shoes when lots of walking is required) anywhere south of Okinawa. This really reduces the amount of luggage I need to bring and keeps me from sweating through my clothes every 5 minutes. I recommend bringing a long sleeve shirt or light jacket you can keep in a backpack while you are out. Most places outside of Japan go crazy with the air-conditioning — I’m talking meat locker temperatures. I remember when my wife and I had to huddle together for warmth when we went to a movie in Guam.
Regarding how much cash to bring, I always feel safe when I bring lots of cash on vacation. You can always bring Japanese yen with you and exchange more when you need it. My parents visited Japan a few years back and their travel agent told them that since Japan was so modern they would most certainly not need any cash for the trip. As you know, this is NOT good advice when visiting Naka city! My advice is to put most of the cash in your hotel safe and bring it home if you don’t need to use it.
I hope that you and your husband have a fantastic trip to Hong Kong. We are all looking forward to reading your blog post!
My mother in law went to Hong Kong two years ago and she wasn’t a big fan of their food… let me know how it goes with you!!
Oh noo! I have heard mixed reviews about the food, but I’m hoping for the best!