Hong Kong Disneyland | 8 attractions you don't want to miss

I’m coming up on my third week in Hong Kong, and without surprise, I’ve already made my first trip to Hong Kong Disneyland. Being the Disney fanatic that I am, (in a healthy, adult, sort of way), I was eager to check out this theme park and compare it to Walt Disney World (WDW) and Disneyland in Anaheim, while exploring the new additions that were unique to Hong Kong.

Upon first entering the park, I immediately felt like I was home. With familiar Disney-themed music playing in the background, I walked down Main Street, U.S.A just like at WDW’s Magic Kingdom. In fact, all of Hong Kong Disneyland is designed to be a replica of WDW's Magic Kingdom, with the same classic territories including, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and Adventureland.

But since this park was new to me, I was more focused on finding the attractions and experiences that make Hong Kong Disneyland a unique Disney destination. Here are my top picks for don’t-miss attractions and experiences that are exclusive to Hong Kong Disneyland.

New Territories to Explore

Hong Kong Disneyland has three territories that you can only find at this theme park.

Toy Story Land

Toy Story Land (which I believe is currently being built in WDW) is exactly what you would imagine it to be.

Think: stepping inside a childs bedroom. The attractions here are mostly designed for younger kids, with rides such as the Toy Soldier Parachute Drop and Slinkys Dog Spin, however there is one thrill-ride, the RC Racer, but it was closed during my visit.

Of all the territories, this was my favorite one in terms of true Disney imagination. Although small, every detail is executed perfectly. Even the signs for the bathroom were built to look like multi-color stacking blocks. For the Halloween season, a few of the villains from the movie could be found in this territory as well, which I thought was a nice touch.

Mystic Point

Mystic Point is designed to be a territory about the magic and wonder of history, with ancient artifacts from around the globe and a garden of archaeological antiques and illusions at every corner. Mystic Point is also home to one of Hong Kong Disneyland’s greatest attractions (in my opinion), Mystic Manor.

Grizzly Gulch

The Grizzly Gulch territory is most closely related to WDW’s Frontierland, but with a few twists. With “wild West” attractions, this park is home to my absolute favorite ride of Hong Kong Disneyland, Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars (arguably, Disney’s longest title for an attraction, as well).

New Attractions

Mystic Manor

Mystic Manor, as I mentioned above, is housed in Mystic Point, a territory centered on historical artifacts from around the world. Mystic Manor is the focal point of this entire territory, and some would say, is Hong Kong Disneylands’ most famous attraction.

I initially thought this attraction would be just like WDW’s Haunted Mansion (or very similar), but I was completely wrong. Without giving away too many spoilers, I’ll say that I now realize why this attraction is so popular, and something you don’t want to miss if you ever find yourself in Hong Kong Disneyland.

For starters, the technology behind the ride is great, both from a theatrics standpoint and the way in which the ride is operated. I felt like I was involved in the action, rather than being a spectator that followed a set track.

The plot follows an archaeologist and his mischievous monkey, Albert. I won’t give away any more clues, but you can already tell it’s nothing like WDW’s Haunted Mansion. Think less “spook” and more mystery. A don’t-miss for sure.

Hyperspace Mountain

Hyperspace Mountain or Space Mountain, as I thought it would be, is a full-blown Star Wars ride. The only aligning element to WDW’s Space Mountain is the fact that it’s in the dark, everything else is different.

This ride combines all the fun from Space Mountain with the action and suspense of WDW’s Star Tours – The Adventures Continue. Because you’re traveling at high speeds through the dark, while also battling the unknowns of outer space, it makes for an exciting thrill that’s quite a long ride.

It’s also a little newer than Space Mountain, which means a much more comfortable ride (Space Mountain is the worst when it comes to comfort).

Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars

Last, but not least, my favorite Hong Kong Disneyland surprise. Your classic roller coaster, Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars (or BGM, as I’m going to refer to it). BGM combines the similar wild west elements of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with the chase and fright of WDW’s, Expedition Everest.

Instead of an old mining town operating a reckless train, BGM takes guests through the mountains trying to escape a menacing bear. There is a huge surprise in this ride that I won’t mention, but I will say that I ended up riding it three times.

It’s a Small World

I know this isn’t a new ride, but Hong Kong Disneyland is the only park that includes a little twist. In many of the countries, you can find Disney movie characters hidden throughout. I loved this touch, as it highlights the diversity in Disney film.

This ride is just such a Disney classic, no matter what park you’re in.

Parades & Holiday Decorations

Villains Night Out and the Nightmare Experiment

While on my trip, I was excited to check out the Halloween décor and parades. I was actually just in WDW last month, so comparing the two parks on “how they did Halloween” was interesting to me.

Holy crap, Hong Kong Disneyland scary! I love Halloween, so it was nice to be at a place that celebrates every ghost and ghoul, but I did wonder how this would be for kids under the age of 10. For starters, the “Villains Night Out” parade was pretty much in the dark, with scary music and evil skeleton holograms dancing on the castle. I know this doesn’t really sound scary, but I imagine it would NOT fly in WDW. Additionally, the decorations could not have been “Mickey’s not so scary Halloween” approved. It made me wonder about the approval process for varying types of holiday celebration in Disney-dom.

Hong Kong Disneyland also has the Nightmare Experiment during the weeks of Halloween.

Per the website, “Step into a nightmarish world with strange visions inspired by the darker side of Disney lore, featuring some of Disney’s most mischievous Villains.” When reading about this attraction from guests online, many are saying that it’s actually quite terrifying, and not appropriate for kids. Who knew! I hope to get to this sometime during the week when the wait isn't 60 minutes.

Although you can tackle Hong Kong Disneyland in about a day, there is so much to see and do, you don’t want to miss a thing!