Barbie and Bernice on the bus ride to Disneyland
My smile courtesy of the Starbuck frap I had taken earlier.
We then arrived at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel - one of two hotels in the entire place, and it came across as a sort of Somewhere in Time (the movie) Old English (I'm reluctant to say Victorian, but it came to mind) design. This struck me as... well, a bit disappointing - after all, what had Disneyland to do with 'old English'?
Disneyland hotel (from the back) - Old English elegance meets Disney magic
What exactly was I expecting in a Disney hotel, you might say? I dunno... maybe a few more overt Disneyland-related designs... I mean, it need not be a castle - but I was hoping to see more visible Disney-related themes. Still, I brushed this initial reaction off - after all, we would not be staying in the hotel for long periods of time, it was a place to rest after the busy Disneyland exploration.
When we entered the hotel's lobby some of my expectations were met. Right after entering the double door, and at opposite sides of the lobby's entrance were the first overt manifestations that this was a Disney hotel... two bronze statues of Disney's first couple - Mickey and Minnie, placed on green marbled pillars (or pedestals). Both Disney - and stylishly matching the hotel's theme.
Bernice posing beside a bronzed statue of Minnie Mouse.
Checking-in took some time, as we were apparently coming in together with some convention delegates. And as we were on our way to our room, we bumped into a few recognizable characters, as seen in the pictures below.
Alice (of Wonderland fame) taking time to pose with us before continuing her chase for the White rabbit.
Snow White and Bernice - two of the fairest in the land?
After those pictures were taken and once we reached our room, we decided to let the kids have a power nap and freshen up before going to the Disneyland theme park proper... this while I studied the schedules of shows we would like to catch to maximize the day.
Had I been more rested, I would have probably taken more pictures - but I was also making sure my batteries would not run out while I was at Disneyland proper... yes I had a spare, but it was not cooperating too well with me, hence the sparse pictures of the hotel, since there was not much to take back then.
By the way, there were a lot of hidden Mickey's in the hotel - including the floor's designs. I apparently just wasn't looking hard enough... but they were there... at the main lobby's waiting area, the floor's marble design, the maze garden outside at the back... all Easter eggs ready to be found, as I eventually did the next day after a full bight's sleep. As for the hotel's wall paintings - I guess you can't get more overt than that.
I guess its safe to say that the slight disappointment I felt reagrding the hotel was just a first impression - one that was easily removed upon closer scrutiny of the hotel's surroundings. I must also say that the hotel staff were very accomodating and definitely helpful. Our room smelled great as we entered - and we had a nice view of the garden as well as the South China Sea. The rooms's television was large - and the kids naturally switched to the Disney Channel - yes, even in Disneyland they wanted to watch Disney shows. All in all - great service and facilities... but I'm getting ahead of myself.
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