Tomorrowland Takeover – Hong Kong Disneyland In Detail

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Moving through a tour of Hong Kong Disneyland it’s time for Tomorrowland!  When I visited Hong Kong Disneyland it was the second day of the Star Wars Takeover, and much of the pictures reflects it.  Though it’s not quite the extent of other takeovers like at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, it still had a very Star Wars quality to it.  But, before we get to the futuristic land, there’s one stop from Main Street to take care of…

Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad

HKDLandMainStreet 12This is a hard attraction to put into one single post.  Though the first stop is on Main Street, it does circle the park and eventually have another stop in Fantasyland.  So, it ends up covering the park fairly well.  The first thing noticed with the train is the station, and how much it resembles Anaheim’s style.  The building is virtually the same, which is nice for a train fan like me.  The entrance way to the train itself has that same feeling as the California equivalent.  It doesn’t seem like anything is different until the train pulls up.

Blues and reds dominate the color palette of the train.  The engines are named Walter E Disney, Roy O Disney, and Frank G Wells.  They pull a few cars behind them which are named after cities in Southern California that have some Disney history, like Anaheim, Glendale, etc.  The seats on these cars don’t face forward, and direct your view to the park and not any of the possibly visible outside areas.

The trains first go past Adventureland, a similar route to the original.  But, this jungle atmosphere has some animals that seemed to escape the Jungle River attraction.  Not only that, but signs of natives are abound.  Through the trees you can see some of the river attractions that exist in the adventure area.

Approaching Fantasyland’s station has a few glimpses into the land.  One is of the new Fairy Tale Forest walkthrough attraction.  The station is near it’s a small world and the Mad Tea Party ride.  After stopping at this part of the attraction, more of Fantasyland is displayed, including a view of Mickey and the Wondrous Book’s queue.

Past Fantasyland is Tomorrowland.  The views here present itself with the tower that is Space Mountain and their Buzz Lightyear ride.  During this visit, construction was happening for the new theater for Jedi Training Academy, and so there was a part that was under tarp.

After Tomorrowland it’s back to Main Street Station.  So, now onto Tomorrowland!

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Fanciful Future

Each Tomorrowland across the globe has a different style and theme to it.  Hong Kong Disneyland has probably the most cartoony look to it.  To me, it seemed like an alien planet I’ve seen in animation.  There are bright colors, lots of lights, and even flying saucers.  It’s a fun land to HKDisneyland_Tomorrowlandventure into, and speaks most to the kid-like heart.

Flying Into The Beyond

Two classic attractions that had a bit of a twist to them was Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and Flying Saucers.  The Saucers were the typical spinner ride found in many of the Tomorrowlands around the world.  But, usually the vehicles have a rocket shape to them.  This version has the circular flying saucer shape (which, of course, makes the name).  For passengers, there is the joystick to travel up and down, but a couple extra buttons makes it unique.  These buttons trigger sounds to make this more of an intergalactic experience!

Buzz Lightyear was almost entirely identical to the Anaheim ride.  Some of the hidden targets were found here too.  But, there was less of a rapid fire to the blasters which made it a bit of a challenge to get that high score.  The queue was a bit extended too.  It had a very nice building to it, since it was able to be built just for the attraction.

Futuristic Food

There are two restaurants, but only one was available the days I went to the park.  Starliner Diner was the venue I got to chow down at.  It mostly featured American fare, which is an interesting notion for a land that looked forward in time.  I had a burger, which helped me get reacquainted with US food again (it was my last meal in China before heading back to the States).  It was a decent burger that reminded me of McDonald’s.  Before you think that this is a cheap way to go for the park, McDonald’s in Hong Kong is different than we have it.  I know this is a popular item in this Disney park as the restaurant was one of the busier ones and I saw many grabbing this meal.

Jump To Hyperspace

HKDisneyland_Tomorrowland 19The first attraction I went to when I got to the park the first day was Hyperspace Mountain.  It is one of my favorite back in California, but long lines prevent me from going on a lot.  I went on this version at least 6 times during my whole trip!

Following the same story and featuring some of the same effects, this Hyperspace was still unique.  It had greatly improved projections, and even more of them.  Seeing the battle more clearly made this much more of a Star Wars ride than a dark roller coaster.  I loved the angle of lasers at times as it made it much more dynamic than before.

Before getting to the vehicles is shorter than most other Space Mountains I’ve been on.  The outside queue does contain a great X-Wing prop featured in a hangar.  With that the placemaking is great and effective to transplant you in the world of Star Wars.  Inside, monitors constantly have Admiral Ackbar explain the mission at hand.  Graphics on the wall also tell of the impending battle ahead.  It’s a great setting for a great ride.

To the left of Hyperspace’s entrance is Command Post – the intergalactic greeting area for Star Wars characters.  For the first half of the day is a chance to meet Chewbacca.  In the second half is a greeting by R2D2.  Though it’s space is modest, the backdrop is excellent!  It takes guests through a rebel base and in a control room.  The walls and panels are detailed and it is perfect for that Star Wars photo!

Back In Time

Here in Hong Kong Disneyland, Tomorrowland is an intimate alien setting.  It’s easy to get from ride to ride.  It has fun neon to illuminate the night.  It’s a great area to spend time in with some of the best attractions.  Star Wars Takeover has brought more life to a vibrant land, which means it’ll continue to grow and take shape with Iron Man Experience coming later this year.

Come back for more on the tour as we keep venturing through the park!

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