Minnie Expectations, MASSIVE Surprises – We Came for Disney, but Didn’t See THIS Coming
What started as a magical Disney holiday for the kids turned into a Hong Kong adventure packed with unexpected surprises, unforgettable experiences and a little bit of family chaos! From meeting beloved Disney characters to exploring bustling markets and discovering a whole different side of Hong Kong, Brit and her family quickly realised there was so much more to this destination than Mickey Mouse.
Travelling with three kids in tow is never without its challenges, but between thrilling theme park rides, incredible local food and breathtaking sightseeing, this family holiday delivered memories they’ll be talking about for years. And let’s just say, there were a few moments that even the best travel planning couldn’t have predicted!
Now, Brit is sharing her first-hand experience, including the highlights, hilarious moments and clever travel tips that made their Hong Kong adventure one to remember. Whether you’re planning a family getaway or simply curious about what Hong Kong has to offer, there’s plenty to discover beyond the Disney gates.
But nothing could have prepared them for what they witnessed when a 67-metre dragon came to life in the streets of Hong Kong…
Checking In the Disney Hollywood Hotel
Hong Kong with myself and 4 kids, sorry, I mean with My HUSBAND, 3 kids and I.
We were picked up by Acacia, who showed up unlike Uber or Taxis at 415am and left on the first flight out of Townsville to Brisbane, 3 hour wait in the airport and then an 8-hour connecting flight to Hong Kong. Our transfer was there to pick us up then straight to Disney Hollywood Hotel, spotting those Mickey Symbols on the highway on the way to the hotel was one way to keep the kids awake after a big day of travelling!
We checked into the hotel with ease, surprised the kids with Marvel Themed rooms and unswiftly went to bed as they were far too excited to get any sleep! As soon as we woke up, the whispers spread that Minnie Mouse was down at breakfast so we of course got up and ready to go visit her for ourselves. We had a great buffet breakfast and then photo ops with the main Mouse herself – Minnie.
Going Up the Picturesque Victoria Peak
I had found out that it was the Lantern & Fire Dragon Festival in Hong Kong and it only runs for 3 days, what are the chances of that being on whilst we were there, so we of course bought tickets and ventured out for the day. This is generally a free festival but with 2 kids under 5 I was not fighting the masses from front row viewing, so we paid for the seating area.
The tour started with the Victoria Peak tram ride, crazy, and that view – unless you see it in person, it’s hard to explain. They had plenty of shops and stalls there so we found those viral toffee covered strawberries and of course had to try them. Next stop was Hong Kong Park with lanterns setup throughout, waterfalls & turtles. This was great to occupy the kids for an hour, whilst ours ran up and down the stairs and around the ponds for an hour, we all watched on with exhaustion. The final stop before the main event was a traditional Dim Sum dinner – no words needed, ok just one – Amazing!
The Lantern & Fire Dragon Festival in Hong Kong
Now for the main event, we got there around 7pm and the show started at 8/830pm. I found myself being interviewed and asked questions by the main hosts of the event (still trying to find the video) this event is run mainly by the police and they want to keep it going, so getting the kids involved and excited to participate helps with future generations continuing it.
We saw lanterns, which Lucy got a kiss from a fish, we saw drums, we saw the illuminated fire dragon, then it went as quiet as it could be with thousands of people around, the air filled with the smell of incense, the drums started up again and then we saw it, the 67 meter Fire Dragon adorned with 12,000 burning incense sticks, weighing over 100kg handled by 300 dancers, taking turns controlling it. It was insane, insane!
Our Magical Day in Hong Kong Disneyland
The next day was Disney, we did a total of 4 days whilst we were in Hong Kong and especially if you’re travelling with kids, I would recommend this amount of time! We were able to go on every single ride, more than once, we saw every show and got to meet sooo many characters!
Everything in Disney is blended Cantonese & English. We met Anna & Elsa from Frozen “for real life” quote Lucy 2026, Toy Story Land for Christopher & then Wade was pulled aside and interacted with Loki & Thor. Lucy was pulled up into the parade to dance with the characters. We did Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for Lucy and then dinner with Jack & Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas (can’t go past a character dinner) and the boys got lightsabres – I’m sure every parent knows how that ended!
In between the Disney Days we also did a day tour to Ngong Ping, rode on the Cable Car up to see the Tian Tan Buddha (Big Buddha) – 280 steps & poor Matt counted every.single.one with Lucy firmly on his shoulders – nothing like kids to keep you fit.
Hong Kong Fishing Villages After Ngong Ping
We went down to the fishing village and had the most amazing lunch, we stopped and bought some stingray to taste which was cooked on a little bbq in front of us and I bought a whole frozen mango on a stick and the kids a watermelon (it was 42 degrees that day). We then went on a fishing boat out a bit on the ocean to try spot Pink Dolphins, we were advised numerous times that we may not see them as it wasn’t the season and they are going extinct BUT you’ll never guess what, we actually saw one and it was an adult so it was pink! In and out of the water, it was amazing, we loved it, what more could you ask for, going on a tour and getting to see what you booked to see. We all know nature can’t be forced so to see it in the wild like that was incredible.
We saw houses on stilts, full dried shark skins, fish being salted & dried, puffer fish, starfish, seahorses – you name it from the ocean, we saw it.
What to Expect when going to Hong Kong Disneyland
- Any of the attractions that said “shows” or the drawing academy was actually character meetings, in aircon! We met Iron Man, Anna & Elsa, Goofy, Mickey.
- Look into the different ticket options, we bought 1 platinum pass for myself, which allowed us to get discount tickets for everyone else, hotel, merch & food discounts in the park and at the hotel. The discounts more than covered the cost of the Platinum Pass.
- Hire the stroller! For $20 a day, with a 3 & 5 year old, it was a lifesaver, also for us to hold the water bottles & bags, merch etc.
- You need the Hong Kong Disney app, it tells you what’s on when, the wait time, you can order from restaurants, book VIP & fast pass, it’s all in the one place and easy to use!
- Free shuttles every 15-20mins from the hotel to Disney & Vice Versa
Tips for your Hong Kong trip
- Take a water bottle with you, they have clean filtered water stations everywhere to fill up
- Travelling with kids I always take little packs of wet wipes & tissue packs (came in handy at those random toilet stops)
- Everywhere accepted tap-and-go payments, apple pay is what we used and if they didn’t offer that they only accepted cash.
- Ladies Market, go around 5pm wasn’t too busy and you could barter without lots of people around (she did keep running to her “back room” but I can now say I own a Birkin
) - For FNQldrs whilst it was hot and 42 degrees, it was manageable without the humidity and a little fan. Highly recommend travelling with a little fan!
- Apparently the QLD accent is easy to identify, we had other Australians say, “you’re from QLD aren’t you”
- Travelling tip in general – bumbags, we got given one when we purchased some sunglasses and Matt and I looked at each other and thought haha we’re not going to wear that. We then proceeded to wear it every. Single. Day! It held our passports and cash, an actual life saver.
