Disneyland & the MTR: Our Family’s Experiential Hong Kong Getaway

Just like June’s Taipei revisit, more than a decade has passed since we last stepped into Hong Kong.

Did the image of delicious Dim Sum, roasted goose and egg tarts come to mind?

Sorry foodies, these aren’t our priorities. The trip was more of an escapade which allows us to spend time doing things together, including the experience at the airport and journeys on various transports.

Before I get into the specifics, here’s a highlight reel of our trip.

2-Day Fun @ The Happiest Place on Earth

With kids, theme park is a must-go place, and Disneyland is the perfect destination to soak in the joyous atmosphere while enjoying the fun rides.

Relaxing Disneyland in the Evening

Staying at Disney’s Hollywood Hotel for a night and going for 2-Day pass turned out to be the correct choice.

This meant enjoying a sparsely crowded Disneyland on our weekday evening’s arrival, where we could get onto some rides in under 10 minutes!

Moreover, visiting Disneyland at night has a different charm. The lighted decorations against the dark sky, with the cooler weather just felt romantic.

What did not go as planned though was the suspension of the Momentous: Party in the Night Sky till 7 December, out of respect for the unfortunate fire tragedy at Tai Po.

While we did feel a tad of disappointment, it’s totally understandable.

Life is filled with joyful moments when you have little anticipation.

Greeted by an unexpected drone show after exiting from the Frozen Ever After ride was a pleasant surprise!

The sky was filled with lights and choreographed shapes, making it a spectacular sight. And the ‘snow’ near the castle concluded our first day visit with a smile on our faces.

Energetic Disneyland in the Day

Besides the convenience of the hotel shuttle services, staying at Disneyland Hotels also allows you to access the park at a dedicated entrance at Disneyland.

That didn’t make a difference on the previous evening when there was no crowd, but we were definitely happy to skip the entrance queue on the second day.

The crowd though energised the park, and it’s now buzzing with activities and joyful laughters.

While we skipped a few adrenaline rides, we were still able to cover a number of simpler rides and shows, at our own pace.

These are my personal favourites from this trip:

• Frozen Even After
• Hyperspace Mountain
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Mystic Manor

We were exhausted by late afternoon and left the park at around 5 pm to travel to our new base: the Royal Plaza Hotel in Mong Kok, where we would spend the next three days.

The Royal Plaza Hotel proved extremely convenient, being located right next to the MOKO Mall for easy access to dining and the MTR station.

Hong Kong City Walking Tour

While it’s easy to move around in Hong Kong and language wasn’t a barrier for us, we decided to book a City Walking Tour this time to reduce navigation time and also to gain more insights on its key landscapes and buildings.

It’s a four-star experience as the enthusiastic guide organised the tour well and shared tons of information with us at each venue.

Catering to a group, not every item on the itinerary lived up to our expectation, but that itself is expected.

Among the landmarks, we enjoyed the Central Market, Tai Kwun and PMQ, with Tai Kwun being the most memorable for its beautiful revitalised historic structures and engaging art installations.

Taking a ride on the iconic trams and crossing Victoria Harbour on the Star Ferry provided much-needed relief to our tiring legs, offering classic, scenic views to end the 6-hour tour on a high note.

MTR Rides and CUPNOODLES MUSEUM

After three days of walking, a day on the MTR and attractions around them is an easy decision, especially with my train-enthusiast boy.

While the Tourist Day Pass wasn’t cheaper than buying single tickets, it’s definitely a lot more convenient and freed up the time and mind space as we traversed among the stations and lines.

My son, the train-enthusiast, loved navigating the sheer efficiency and extensive network of the Hong Kong MTR, which was an adventure in itself.

CUPNOODLES MUSEUM: The Surprise Highlight

Our primary destination for the day was the CUPNOODLES MUSEUM in Tsim Sha Tsui, which wasn’t originally in the itinerary until we chanced upon it nearer to the beginning of our trip.

The experience of creating your own cup noodles was simple and short but it brought much joy to both my children. My elder girl even decided to buy some of these cup noodles as souvenirs for her friends.

Happiness doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive!

*Please note that the current CUPNOODLES MUSEUM Hong Kong will operate until 11 January 2026 (Sunday).

The Overwhelming Weekend Crowd

Typically, I avoid a vacation over the weekend to avoid the crowd, but we couldn’t do it for this trip.

That said, this allowed me to discover the healthy footfall at Festival Walk. Though I’m no longer vested directly in Mapletree Pan Asia Commercial Trust (SGX: N2IU), it still felt good to know that this Singapore-owned property is well-managed.

Situated just next to Kowloon Tong station which is served by two MTR lines (Kwun Tong and East Rail), it is easily accessible.

However, unlike Langham Place and MOKO mall which are situated in the vibrant Mong Kok market streets, it probably doesn’t attract as many tourists.

And vibrant is an underwhelming word to describe the swarming weekend crowd at Mong Kok market streets!

While some people would thrive in that intense atmosphere, it’s definitely not for us. We quickly cut short the walk and headed back to the hotel for a much-needed reprieve.

The Bottom Line: Putting a Number on the Experience

In total, this family’s getaway cost about S$6,000, which was 20% more expensive than June’s Taipei vacation. The increased cost can be attributed to a few factors:

• Flights: Our airfare was S$200 more despite a shorter flight time, likely due to the higher demand for December travel.
• Accommodation: The bump was expected, given our choice of Disney’s Hollywood Hotel and the more luxurious Royal Plaza Hotel. If not for the Klook deal of S$788 for the Royal Plaza, accommodation would have cost over S$1,500!

While Hong Kong felt pricier than Taipei, the cost was justified by the unique experiences we chose to have in each city, and more importantly, we built another unforgettable family memory, all within the planned budget!