My YouTube Channel is going through a bit of a transition!
With not travelling as much as I used to, I decided to add a new category of content – Tech Content! Beyond travel and music, it’s one more thing I’m quite passionate about.
There is a lot that I want to talk about between retrocomputing history, Internet of Things, and various projects I have going on.
This week I was asked by a co-worker, whom I am mentoring, “What are your tips and tricks for travel?” She was writing a speech for her Toastmasters meeting and given I am a bit of a road warrior, who better to ask?
Here are my tips and tricks for the newly initiated to business travel. This also applies to anyone who is starting their own personal adventure travels as well.
1. Align yourself with an airline program, hotel program and even a car rental program
That is in order of importance too. Consider where you are flying, the airlines available in your area, and what your goals are for those miles. Here in Canada we’re heavily skewed towards Star Alliance with Air Canada being the dominant carrier. I could fly American Airlines to the US to build up my One World status, but I am more likely to use Air Canada to go somewhere.
2. Get yourself Global Entry/NEXUS/Clear
Want to get through airport security quickly? Get yourself a Global Entry, NEXUS card, or Clear. NEXUS is really useful for those who cross the Canada/US border or travel internationally to/from Canada. Global Entry is great if you travel internationally to/from the US.
You get dedicated lines, in the US you don’t have to pull your laptop out of your bags, and you don’t have to take off your shoes, depending on the security checkpoint you’re at.
In Canada you get a dedicated line at most airports, but have to pull your laptop out of your bag. I have found inconsistent service.
Clear is only offered at 11 airports in the US, and honestly, I don’t see much value in the program.
The only caveat is that I am finding a lot of people are now getting NEXUS cards and slowing the process down, however airports like Toronto Pearson are opening up additional security lanes.
3. Get a points credit card
If you can, get yourself a points credit card so that you’re earning points on any purchases you make. Make sure this aligns with the airline or hotel program you are aligning yourself with.
Personally, I aligned my airline miles with my credit cards. While as of January first, I have only earned around 11,000 status miles, I have earned 30,644 miles total with my credit cards.
Also you get great sign up bonuses which add up quickly too.
Some cards also let you get through security quickly too, so if you don’t have status with an airline or a NEXUS/Global Entry card, you do have an opportunity to get expedited service through some airports.
4. Research your destination in advance
Look at what is happening at your destination in advance to see what is going on. Check the news, weather, look for events.
5. Stay at the same hotel
If you’re like me, consistency is a good thing. I’ve been staying at the same three hotels in Portland OR and Vancouver WA for the past 4 years. I know what to expect, I know the comfort of the beds, and I’m getting the hotel points and status. You also get to know the staff members, and they recognize you, which sometimes helps with extra perks or if you need that extra level of care and service.
6. Consider a connection
Most of us who travel prefer to have direct flights to destinations. It’s a pain to be delayed, to not get to your destination or back home on time, etc. But sometimes connections can be advantageous, especially if you’re about to hit a status milestone.
Last year I flew Toronto to Dallas via Houston because that was the only flight available. You earn just over 1,000 miles on Aeroplan/Air Canada Altitude with this direct flight. If you fly via Houston, you get just over 1,500 miles. This year with the changes to Aeroplan, you would probably only get over 1,250 miles. That’s a bit of a nice bonus.
Also, some airline programs consider flight segments towards earning status. i.e. 35,000 status miles or 35 segments. If you have 1 connection point in your travel, that equates to 2 segments. If you’re 1 segment short of status, why not connect?
7. Pick your favourite airports
Know which are your favourite airports for connections, and which airports are horrible.
For example, I don’t like ORD or PHL because it they are either very busy, or there are long walks between connecting gates.
I refuse to fly through LAX for connections because of the walk between terminals and terminal transit is horrible. As well, Customs Border Patrol staff are rude.
I love SFO and DFW.
So there you go – What other tricks and tips do you have?
From the Disney Castaway Cay 5K.
From the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon
In 2007, Scott and I jogged our first 5K. It was the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 5K. Scott entered for a fundraiser, as a way to celebrate 100lbs lost, as a way to reclaim exercise, and I joined him. We finished in 42 minutes, 30 seconds, hand in hand in relatively cool September weather.
Last year, 10 years after running that 5K, I had set a goal of running a 10K, myself, in Q1 2018. I had asked, for Christmas 2016, the Learn to Run course from The Running Room. I enrolled and started in March 2017, but with 130 days on the road for work, sadly, I really could not keep up with the course.
As a result of non-stop work travel in 2017, I knew I was not in any shape to run or jog a 10K. I do know I can easily walk 10K for sure. Walking around Stockholm and New York City this past summer clearly showed this to me.
Scott and I had booked our February cruise to the Caribbean so that we could get into sun and warmth after a particularly grey winter. We’re both prone to the winter blahs (aka SAD). Our trip included a stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge on both ends, and our cruise includes a stop at Disney’s Castaway Cay.
One of the ‘excursions’ at Castaway Cay includes the Castaway Cay 5K. If I wasn’t going to be able to meet my goal of running a 10K, I can easily do a 5K. I had to do this.
I’ve known about the Castaway Cay 5K for many years after my friend Stephen had run the Walt Disney World Marathon, and then after also ran the Castaway Cay 5K. Since then, it’s always been one of those life milestone things I’ve wanted to do. Don’t ask me why, it just is.
Before, I get to the Castaway Cay 5K, our overnight stay at Walt Disney World actually coincided with the runDisney Princess Half Marathon weekend, and in particular, the 5K held on Friday and the 10K held on Saturday.
I have to admit, sitting down in Boma, Saturday morning, I was quite blown away at the people who were wearing the participation medals for the Disney Princess Enchanted 10K. People of all shapes and sizes. This helped break stereotypes I’ve held in my head. I kept coming back to my mind that running, jogging and participating in 5Ks and 10Ks Isn’t just for “crazy super fit thin people”, that there is a place for me and Scott, that people of all shapes and sizes run and jog and can participate. This took it to a whole new level for me. I was inspired and excited about the Castaway Cay 5K and figuring out how I could do a 10K.
What was coming up for me is, this IS something I can do. This IS something that a big person can participate in. I don’t have to hold on to the previously held notions of what a jogger looks like. I can break that stereotype for myself, and maybe I can break that image for someone else just as others have inspired me, without realizing it.
Unfortunately, after boarding the Disney Fantasy, I started to realize – Damn it all, I’m coming down with a cold! That’s NOT going to stop me from registering, and that’s the first thing Scott and I did, headed to Guest Services and got ourselves registered.
Map of the Castaway Cay 5K
The Castaway Cay 5K is meant to be a fun 5K. You start out at the Bike Rentals area, you proceed down the Castaway Cay Airstrip, around a path that leads to the Castaway Cay lookout tower, back around and then down to the end of the airstrip near Serenity Bay which is the adult beach, and then repeat backwards.
You have 90 minutes to finish the 5K and you can run, jog, or walk. Essentially, do it on your own time. You’re not given a tracker that tracks your start and end time so it’s not a formally tracked event. You won’t find your results on the runDisney website. Again, it’s meant to be fun to do, on your own terms.
Here’s a tip – if you register for the Castaway Cay 5K, you’ll be some of the first people off the ship. I’m not saying just register to be the first person off the ship. Register and do it! You’ll have fun! Seriously!
Why again, would I want to do a 5K as part of my holiday? Okay, part of it may have to do with wanting the really cool participant medal that’s given to everyone. Look at it to the right – there it is in all it’s glory. *GRIN* Oooh shiny! Seriously, it’s a very nice incentive, and way cooler than any participant ribbon you received in elementary school. Why wouldn’t you want a piece of coveted Disney magic like this?
Scott and I both wanted to walk and jog the route. For Scott, it was about being active and sharing in the experience. For me, it was about taking what I had learned from the Running Room, and seeing how fast can I do a 5K, pushing my own boundaries.
While I was able to get through most of the cold and was well enough to attempt the 5K, Scott picked up the cold from me, starting a few days later.
While we picked up our bibs and pinned them to our shirts on the ship, once we walked from the ship to the Bike Rentals shop where the 5K starts, Scott had decided, smartly, that with the cold, the heat and the humidity he would not run. Even I was a bit nervous about how I would handle the course, but I seemed fine on the long walk to the starting line. I was going to proceed.
I tried to do a 1 minute jog/1 minute walk routine I had learned from The Running Room, however it probably ended up being 1 minute jog/2-3-4 minutes walking. I kept my head up, my mind was positive, I picked up three cups of water at different times during the course to stay hydrated, I had some great tunes playing streaming from my watch to my headphones – no need to carry a bulky iPhone. Despite the heat, humidity and the strong sun, I was feeling good.
I finished the run in about 39 minutes and 45 seconds. I don’t know for sure because, as I said earlier, there isn’t a tracker to track when I crossed the starting and ending line. What I do know is that the clock just flipped over the 40 minute mark, and I crossed the starting line at about 25 seconds after the start, based on video Scott took.
Despite the changes I’ve made to my body, losing the weight I have, despite working on my health, I still have this weird relationship with jogging, that some how it’s not for me, that I hate it. Yet I jog during spring and summer and I’ve enjoyed it, seriously enjoyed it. I do this thing and I feel accomplished, like I’ve overcome something and I want to continue challenging myself – and it’s solely about challenging myself and not comparing myself to someone else.
You have no idea what a huge win this is for me, and how much it actually moves me to tears every time I think about it. I don’t understand the shift that’s happed in my thinking, but I feel proud of the accomplishment, that I’ve been able to push past self imposed baggage. It feels really freaking good.
I’m really looking forward to doing another 5K and a 10K. Is a half marathon in my future? Let me get through the 10K first, but it is a possibility. (Yes, I just said that and it’s in writing).
Even more magical though, was Scott. One of the cruise staff had noticed he had his bib on, but was not jogging and she asked why not. He explained that he had picked up a cold and was doing the smart thing by not doing the 5K. For being smart, he was awarded a Castaway Cay 5K participant medal. While he refused to wear it because he didn’t feel he earned it, as far as the cruise staff and I are concerned, he did. Something like this needs to be recognized.
And there will be an opportunity to do it again in the future, together.
As you can see below, I finally put the medal on him. 🙂
Our next step? Scott and I are going to do the runDisney Virtual Running Shorts this summer.
I’ve spent the past three weeks in New York City. Does this count as trips 6, 7 and 8, or is it 1 trip despite flying back and forth to Toronto? I like big numbers, so trips 6, 7 and 8 it is.
My trips to New York have always been in Autumn or Winter. Never the summer, so it’s kind of a treat to be here in really good weather and people have said that I’m here during the perfect season.
I had an interesting reaction to starting on this new project in New York. First was excitement, and then it progressed to, ugh, New York.
Now that I’ve spent three weeks here, I can definitely say I’m excited to be here, on several levels, much I’ve learned while here:
In my past trips, I’ve had glimpses of what makes this city tick, but it’s always been a bit superficial because I’ve never spent a long enough time here.
NYC is more magical than I thought it could be. I can see why people are attracted to this city.
On a personal note, I’ve been able to get way more down time than I’ve had in the past three years. It’s been good to be offloaded and to start feeling more myself again, the real me who is considerably more funny and uplifting than I have been for a while. A lot of energy seems to have come back too, which is a very good thing.
The second in my series about cruising with Disney. In the first blog, I talked about things we learned prior to going on our cruise. We learned a lot more during and after the cruise!
Culture, Entertainment
Activities
The ship
Dining, Drinks and Service
Shopping, Photos, Excursions
Personal Lessons Learned
Normally I am pretty oblivious to the reactions of others. I simply don’t care what anyone thinks if, say for example, I’m holding Scott’s hand somewhere or show a quick PDA.
In Manila, I seem to be almost hyper aware of reactions.
I am sure there are others as well.
The latter of all of these really somewhat irks me. Just because I look a certain way, I don’t feel I should get any different treatment from anyone else. I understand, to a degree why – I’m not saying it’s right.
My favourite interactions so far have been around going into a high end shopping mall like Greenbelt, or even Glorietta, walking into a store – whether name brand or independent, and starting to haggle the price for something.
For example, walking into Oakley at Greenbelt, and the guy starts haggling with me for a backpack that I wasn’t about to buy. CA$200 is a little too steep and I’m not about to pay that for a backpack.
I always though haggling was just tacky or left for contracts that people negotiate. Set the price, be fair, and people will buy. But hey, if you’re going to talk lower prices and such, I’m game to play, especially if I have a net connection and a calculator.
Walking into an electronics shop in Glorietta and looking at a relatively higher-end Android Wear watch, and haggling for well under what it’s being sold for in Canada – That’s fun!
All in all, I do like it here.
Where to start with Universal Studios Orlando…
Universal Studios Orlando has kind of blown Scott and I away, and we didn’t think it was possible to out-do Disney.
We spent our first day at both Diagon Alley and Hogsmead, making this pretty much into a day full of Harry Potter.
Before, we go there, here are some tricks for Universal Studios:
Scott and I got up around 8:30am, choosing to take out time to get to the park by 10am.
How did we approach the park? You could do everything in two days but keep in mind that lines are regularly 30 to 45 minutes or even longer. We did one day all Harry Potter, one day dedicated to Universal Studios and then one day for Islands of Adventure, with extra time to hit things we wanted to do again.
We also got Photo Connect which works great, although you won’t find as many photographers around the park, practically none in the Harry Potter areas, and you have to hunt them down. You do get all your ride photos.
It was a gamble of a strategy. Harry Potter is (and has been for years) the most popular attraction at Universal Studios Orlando, which means it is perpetually busy, and it’s very clear to see why. The area is stunning!
You walk in and you are completely immersed into the world of Harry Potter, Diagon Alley and Hogsmead when you head over to Islands of Adventure.
Highly recommended… Everything, but the key points:
Talking generally about Universal Studios – It’s clear that Universal Studios has the 4D ride experience down pat. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey are amazing, especially the latter. Just amazing! Transformers 4D, The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman, Revenge of the Mummy… All great!
Also a word of warning – We got Photo Connect for three days, but it was three consecutive days, and we were doing two days and then one a week later. When we went to look at photos on our phone we noticed watermarking. As a result we stopped in at one of the stores and they thankfully comped us a day, saving all the photos we had taken that third day. *phew* Thank you!!
Another thing that was awesome – We were at the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman which had a 45 minute line. Given we had very limited time at the parks we were going to go on the single rider lines. The ride attendant asked us what our next ride was going to be which we weren’t sure. Ultimately he let us on the ride on the Express line and told us to drop his name at any other ride we wanted to get on and it would put us through the Express line. Admittedly, we didn’t go on any other rides that day, and I always feel awkward about dropping names to get special treatment. It’s just not my way, but it was appreciated.
Some other notes about Universal:
Admittedly, Scott and I kept on going back to the glory days of “Paramount Canada’s Wonderland”. Admittedly, Wonder Mountain’s Guardian, after seeing what Universal has done with their rides, just pales in comparison. That could be a way cooler ride than it is.
We spent a bit of time at Universal Citywalk. Comparing it to Disney Springs, I think I prefer Citywalk as it’s more upbeat and has places I’m interested in such as the Fossil Store, and restaurants-a-plenty. By the way, we also saw local Joey Fatone (N*Sync) walking around, who was very gracious while talking with some fans.
That said, Disney Springs is kind of like the elderly statesman of the industry with shops like Art of Shaving, etc… It’ll be interesting to see what happens as Downtown Disney transforms into Disney Springs as it is looking rough around the edges, especially the west side. It’s a little more chilled every time I’ve gone there.
Also it’s worth noting that everyone has to go through Universal Citywalk to get into the two parks, so that could also explain why it’s a bit livelier, where Downtown Disney/Disney Springs is a destination unto itself.
Both have their demographic and are worth checking out
Food-wise, you can eat healthy. There’s always a salad option available at most restaurants which is on dining plan.
The upshot? We were very surprised by Universal Studios Orlando and it is worth checking out!
As I’ve said many a time before, ever since Scott and I went on our Honeymoon, I’ve committed that we’ll do some form of holiday together each year.
I fully admit, I try to be frugal when it comes to holidays, but I’m also practical in that when I can, I like to kick things up.
In 2016, we’re actually doing two holidays. Here’s why – I’ve been saving up my vacation time and I’ve been on a pretty tough work project for the past two years, and going almost a year between holidays has been pretty gruelling. In short, I forgot or didn’t feel I was able to take any vacation time in 2015 other than the two weeks (ended up being close to 15 days of work time) off. I still have 88 hours (11 days) of vacation time.
I’m taking a week off at Christmas – Something I wasn’t planning on doing originally as it’s a stay in Toronto year.
That still leaves me with 40 hours (5 days) of vacation time I need to take in Q1. On top of that, I get 5 weeks (25 days) of vacation time so that means 6 weeks of vacation I need to use up.
February
For February, I decided that we needed to go to a sun destination. Scott doesn’t always do well with the dark of winter, and admittedly neither do I. I have wanted to get us on to a winter vacation routine to help and I’ve finally been able to do it!
We’re taking a cruise on Royal Caribbean from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas – Specifically RCI’s private island, CocoCay, which is really Little Stirrup Cay. We then go on to Nassau, a day at sea and then back to Port Canaveral. We’re also going to stay on either weekend days and soak up the Florida sun, possibly hitting Universal Studios and I am not sure what else.
Rocking the Points for February
We’re not going to stay at any of the Disney properties preferring to use my Starwood points! We found an AWESOME deal at the Sheraton Lake Buena Vista Resort where I got us rooms for 3,000 to 3,333 Starwood Points per night at the beginning and end of our trip.
To put it into perspective, that is an insanely cheap rate for that area. Here are some comparisons
So that saved us about US$750.
On top of that, I’ve been working on the Hertz Gold Plus points and membership. I’ve rented from Hertz so many times that I’m now Hertz Gold Plus Five Star. I was able to rent a car:
That alone saved us about US$500.
Sweet! This means we are pretty much out of hotel points and car rental points until I go on more business trips.
Excursions
One excursion we are already booked for, which for us is a no-brainer – Kennedy Space Centre.
For Nassau we have several options such as a tour of Nassau, or going to Atlantis. Checking out the prices for Atlantis, seriously, while it’s such a neat place, it is ungodly expensive for very little value. And when I say value, I admit, I’m looking for food and non-alcoholic drinks to be included in the $125-$350 price to visit the water park and the aquarium. Nope! So I’m not sure what we’ll do.
For CocoCay, we have so many options for things to do there such as learning about Stingrays, parasailing, a nature walk… We’ll see. I’d love to try parasailing admittedly.
September
We saved our DVC points from the 2014 Use Year (ending December 2015), used our 2015 Use Year points (ending December 2016), and borrowed from our 2016 use year ((ending December 2017) to book a cruise on Disney Cruise Line.
We were originally hoping to use the points for the 2016 Member Cruise, however the itinerary was not something we were interested in, for so many points (New York City to Halifax and back). Yes it will probably be a fantastic trip from the special entertainment that will be on board and the unique gifts (it’s the 25th Anniversary), but not worth it.
Scott and I need something a bit more relaxing and, well, bigger.
If we were not going to do the Member Cruise, then I had through we would go to Alaska. Then looking at the options of what we could use our points for, the lengths of the various trips, and we had two other options also come up – Denmark & Norway, or a Transatlantic.
All three options are amazing. I felt like we wanted to go somewhere different, so Alaska fell off the list – leaving Denmark & Norway or the Transatlantic. I started researching Denmark & Norway, and beyond all the Frozen festivities on board the ship, it would be a fantastic trip with some neat cultural points – Trolls, food, etc…
I was surprised when Scott actually suggested the westbound Transatlantic from Barcelona to New York City stopping in the Azores; Sydney, NS; and Halifax, NS. The romanticism of doing a Transatlantic caught his eye. 11 days total, with 7 or 8 of those being sea days. Honestly, I can’t think of a more relaxing time rather than jumping on and off the ship all the time at ports, and having to get up early, as we experienced with our Princess Cruise.
I’ll be honest, I always thought we’d do a Transatlantic on something like the QE2. That said, I’m not a huge formal kind of guy, so that’s kind of lost on me. I have to admit, I’m a bit apprehensive about Disney Cruise Line from the standpoint of, will it be too much Disney? For 11 days? I know there are a lot of areas strictly for adults on the ship. Comparing to what Royal Caribbean is offering, I’m almost wondering if there will be more to do on an RCI ship for me versus Disney. We shall see.
And admittedly, I do want to try the Quantum Class ships on Royal Caribbean.
The stops will be interesting. The routing loosely follows the route our new MINI took from Southampton, through the Azores and over to Halifax, and then the ship went on to New York City.
This cruise will start in Barcelona, sail by Gibraltar and on to the Azores, then on to Cape Breton which will be the furthest east Scott will have been in Canada, Halifax which is a great city and to New York City which Scott has not been to.
Japan and Hong Kong was awesome and I wouldn’t change this for anything. It was a pretty hectic trip, and I know I need sometime to just sit back and enjoy myself and not rush around places. I think Scott could use the time too.
Rocking the Points for September
I’ll save points by using them to fly us to Barcelona and from NYC. In fact, I could use my companion fare to get Scott a free ticket from NYC. Booking Barcelona one way is going to be interestingly tricky. Airfares were ungodly expensive, although we’ll see if Disney can come up with an alternative. To put it into perspective, I’m not paying Air Canada, $3000 one way in Economy on Rouge when it’s ~$895 return. They can kiss my Elite 50K butt for that.
For the hotel in Barcelona, I’m going to try and save up points for that. Alternatively, to help me keep my elite status with Starwood, we have several options for that.
Same with New York City which has the cheapest hotel at $328 a night.
Alternatively, if I don’t have the points, I can always revert to using Hotels.com which is not a bad service. 🙂
It should be illegal for Mickey Mouse to call you at 4:50am with such a happy disposition to say it’s time to get up and at-em because we’ve got amazing things to see and do.
If anything, it should be Grumpy calling us. LOL
So we got up at 4:50am to finish packing and showering, for a 5:30am pick up by taxi to take us to the airport for what was supposed to be an 8:05am flight on Air India.
Funny thing is, checking Air India’s website, it showed that AI310 does not fly on September 9th, flying between HKG and ICN. Checking Hong Kong Airport’s website, it shows it was flying at 10:30am. Interestingly, Flight Aware’s website shows it arriving at HKG but not flying on to ICN.
Hong Kong’s airport reminds me of a British Airport, a massive and better version of Stanstead, in particular with the way the check-in gates and security are arranged.
The airport continues the Hong Kong experience with high-end shopping everywhere and certainly better choices in the actual Duty Free shops found at Incheon.
I had said to Scott that I didn’t want to spend hours upon hours at Incheon waiting around. Hong Kong is definitely a nicer airport with the views, and open concept, and simply better lounges. And I got my wish with our Air India flight being late.
This also gave Scott and I the chance to try a few lounges:
One thing that’s clear, all of the lounges at Hong Kong are run by Plaza Premium and they pretty much serve the same foods at breakfast with the exception of things like ice cream, i.e. Hangen Danz at Singapore, Nestle at Thai.
The Air India flight was surprisingly good. The food was amazing, probably the best scrambled eggs I’ve ever had on a plane, and presentation was better than some flights I’ve had on Air Canada.
We actually got an amenity kit of slippers and socks, which was nice and not expected. The menus were leather bound and included western and vegetarian indian options.
I do have to say, the Air India Executive Class seats were awesome. Very comfortable, and way more comfortable than the air mattresses on Air Canada these days, which don’t help my lower back. Kudos to Air India!
Service-wise, Air India were alright. As Scott said to me, the difference between Asiana and Air India was stark. As I said to Scott, you don’t fly Air India for the service, but because they’re cheap. After the initial service, you won’t see staff offering water on a regular basis during the flight, but there were other things that Air India staff were great about.
Would I fly Air India again? I would consider it, but I would not go out of my way to specifically choose them. I knew what to expect, and I know what to expect from them. I was pleasantly surprised. On the other hand, I do question how well maintained their jets are.
With that, we arrived at Incheon, checked in at the Business Class lounge and picked up a few gifts for family at home.
I think I have figured out what drives me nuts about Incheon as an airport.
Despite all the talk of shopping, we actually did more window shopping rather than actual shopping. I like looking at stores because you see different facets of a culture, especially in food halls and grocery stores. As evidenced in Hong Kong and even to a degree in Japan, you do see the evidence of globalization in that you see the same crap in the same shops everywhere.
We boarded our flight to Vancouver from the satellite terminal. For the flight from Seoul, Air Canada offers a Korean meal of Galbijjim which is tasty! I also recommend Air Canada’s World film selection having watched a film from Hong Kong and Chile.
CATSA failed us at Vancouver. When connecting you have to go through security (I am used to this as I go through this checkpoint all the time). The problem is, Scott was selected for a second inspection after being selected to go through the millimetre wave scanner. Of course, if you’re sweaty, and it was very warm at YVR, that detector won’t work. There were no men available to do the private search. As a result of CATSA’s ineptness, we ended up missing our flight to Toronto by five minutes.
Thankfully there was another flight in 30 minutes.
We got home to Toronto at 9:30pm. 29 hours after getting up in Hong Kong.
What an amazing journey, and I’m very fortunate to have had the air miles and hotel points to be able to make this holiday happen. Definitely a trip of a lifetime for Scott and me.
Hong Kong Disneyland is 10 years old and has a daily capacity of 34,000 visitors — the fewest of all Disneyland parks. The park was also constructed very quickly, taking 2 years and opened early, with additional lands such as Mystic Point, Grizzly Gulch and Toy Story Land opening later.
It’s funny looking at the reactions of people who asked if we were going to Hong Kong Disneyland. Ranging from “Oh cool” to “Don’t go there, only Mainlanders go!” Funny, given most of the people who visited the day we were there, were mainly people from Hong Kong. I think Hong Kongers are afraid to admit that they actually like something as kawaii as Disney, maintaining the British-influenced stiff upper lip.
To get there, you can easily get to Hong Kong Disneyland via MTR from Sunny Bay. There is s dedicated line featuring a subway with Mickey Ear windows. Inside the train has statues of Disney characters. Seating is very similar to the monorail at Tokyo Disneyland.
Hong Kong Disneyworld is a small park, and it can be done in half a day, especially if the park attendance is lower, which it was. Scott and I had no problems getting on rides within 5 minutes of joining the queue.
One question we get asked is, “Are the rides big enough for big people?” We can say, without a doubt, yes. It’s not like Canada’s Wonderland where Scott and I have problems getting on rides. Both Hong Kong and Tokyo Disneylands fit big people.
The park is gorgeous, and the lands around the park just add to the stunning scenery – the green hills and mountains. Local foliage used.
When you arrive at the park, check out the fountain at the entrance, especially the Mickey riding on top of the Whale’s blow spout.
Main Street is uncovered, different from Tokyo and Paris, and refreshingly does not feature a Starbucks! You will notice that Sleeping Beauty’s castle is even smaller than the one at Disneyland. Funny thing is, the first time I went to any Disney park, which was Disneyland in Anaheim, I thought Sleeping Beauty’s castle was really quite small and I was disappointed. For the record, Shanghai Disneyland’s castle will be the biggest in the system, bigger than the one at Magic Kingdom at WDW.
We started out in Tomorrowland which seems more futuristic than than it’s retro-futuristic brother at WDW. Not a criticism, just different and they both have their charms.
Definitely check out Space Mountain and Autotopia. Space Mountain is definitely different and has some very cool visual effects. Autotopia features electric vehicles!
I really would love to return for the Iron Man Experience which opens in 2016. Beyond Stitch, Iron Man is my next favourite Disney, uh, Marvel character. Yeah, that’s it.
The parades at Hong Kong Disneyland are fantastic- Flights of Fantasy is the 3pm parade, and Paint The Night is the night parade. During both of the parades, the people actually in the parade REALLY ham it up, getting into their character and interacting with the crowds in a big way.
For Flights of Fantasy, they pull people into the parade to dance at one point. With Paint the Night, if you have the Hong Kong Disneyland Magic Brush or one of the colour wants from WDW, you can change colours of some of the dancers and a massive electronic wall that’s part of the parade. It’s quite something. Also if you have the Made with Magic Mickey Glove, Glow Ears or Glow Headband with bow, those will change colour with the parade too.
I’m torn between Tokyo’s or Hong Kong’s night parade being my favourite. Both have amazing night time photography opportunities, but I think Hong Kong’s wins out for the interactive nature. If you can’t get to Hong Kong, you can see the Paint the Night Parade at Disneyland in California, so be sure to check it out.
If you don’t have a glow brush to interact with the shows, you can get a package of a glow brush and a glow hand or a glow band for CAD$25. That’s cheap and a great deal!
It’s fun to have colour change duels with staff selling the brushes at the park. *GRIN*
Admittedly, I’m not one for parades. The thought of standing in the heat of the sun drives me nuts. I will say, for both Tokyo and Hong Kong, I’m glad we stuck around for the parades. They blew me away.
It’s a Small World, always a classic to go on, features characters singing in their native language as well Canada has a significantly bigger presence in the ride than it does in other Small Worlds I’ve been to. It’s refreshing to see.
Toy Story Land is fantastic! I am a huge fan of Pixar films and I’ve always wanted to visit Toy Story Land. Be sure to go on the RC Racer coaster.
Mystic Point is where you’ll find the Mystic Manor which features Disney’s new GPS ride system. It is AMAZING and a must-do ride!
Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars in Grizzly Gulch is an awesome rollercoaster and almost a combination of Expedition Everest and Big Thunder Mountain. That’s all I will say as I don’t want to ruin any surprises.
Food-wise, Hong Kong Disneyland caters to local tastes. We found restaurants that offered Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, and Singaporean, in addition to some North American favourites. We didn’t actually eat at the park due to the huge lunch we had at Crystal Lotus, but did have a snack of curried fish balls which were tasty!
In Tomorrowland you can even get a Mickey lunch box with your meal!
We stayed at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, which is almost a mini version of Grand Floridian. Such gorgeous hotel with a great view of Discovery Bay. If you stay at the hotel, it includes entrance to the park. Not a bad deal.
Crystal Lotus? I’ll let the pictures below speak for themselves.
All in all, a nice ending to the holiday. Tomorrow we get up at 4:50am to start our 24 hour journey back to Toronto.
