Disney The Place of Magical Childhood Dreams

Sunday March 11th 2012

After a great night's sleep we ventured out to try and find some breakfast before making our own way to Disney Land. Much like our hunt for food the day before, good places to eat still seemed to be in short supply (we later discovered that many shopping centres with food courts etc only open 10am-10pm). After considering our limited options Star Bucks was the place of choice.

With breakfast out of the way it was time to navigate our way to Disney Land. We found an MTR station without too much trouble. While wandering through the underground halls trying to work out where to buy tickets we met a lovely couple from Flagstaff Hill who were able to point us in the right direction. David was able to buy 4 Octopus tickets without too much difficulty. Once we had the tickets it was very easy to make our way to Disney. As we have come to expect from other Asian cities the MTR was very clean, efficient and user friendly. After a couple line changes, once we hit the Sunny Bay Station the train, complete with Mickey Mouse window and handles, only goes straight to Disney.

It was a great adventure getting there on our own. One the boys seemed to enjoy. It was as if with each station we passed their levels of excitement grew and grew exponentially. When we got off the train they could barely contain their excitement. Ryan was particularly taken with the Beauty and the Beast music playing as we walked towards the main gate. Their first truly Disney vision was Mickey Mouse surfing on the top of a whale spout surrounded by all his famous Disney character friends. It was amazing watching the sheer happiness and delight on their faces!!!

After a brief wait we got our tickets and entered the park. The boys loved the Mickey Mouse head garden.

When we could tear the boys away from Mickey we grabbed a map of the park and began to plan our assault.

First port of call for any visit to Disney Land has to be Sleeping Beauty's castle of course. It was really beautiful. Let the fairytales and dreams begin to come to life.

With Sleeping Beauty's castle out the way Connor chose to go to Tomorrow Land first. We enjoyed many rides there including the Orbitron, Buzz Light Year, and Autopia. Connor and David's favourite by far was Space Mountain.  At times it was pouring with rain and after having queued for some time we were unable to go on a ride but it still couldn't dampen our spirits - thank God for soft shell jackets!! It just meant it was time for chicken and rice or pork and rice for lunch out of the weather.

After our fantastic time at Tomorrow Land Ryan chose to go to Adventure Land. There was not as much to do here but we did take a raft across the river to Tarzan's Treehouse. We climbed through it and Ryan and I jumped out of our skin when the sabre tooth tiger spat at us. 

Time to move on to Fantasy Land. The place where Disney really began and the rides and images we remember from our childhoods. There is no way anyone can go to Disney Land without going on the Tea Cups so this was our first stop in Fantasy Land. Ryan and I were in one tea cup while Connor and David were in another. It was so much fun.

After the tea cups I got to enjoy another fun ride climbing into the flying Dumbo with Ryan. Ryan loved being in control of Dumbo flying up and down. We even took photos of ourselves.

While we enjoyed our joy flight David and Connor were drawn back to the thrills of Space Mountain. After our ride was finished we braved the crowds at the street parade and made our way back to Tomorrow Land where we were greeted by David and Connor who had the most delicious Mickey Mouse waffles with whipped cream, maple syrup and strawberries. After the waffles it was time for more rides at Tomorrow Land - the clear favourite.

The final land we braved was Toy Story Land. David and Connor bravely undertook parachute training and then we all went on Slinky Dog chasing his tail.

After tea, the boys enjoyed some glow in the dark fairy floss while we waited for the fireworks. The fireworks really were a beautiful end to what had been a fabulous day. David and I had been to Disney Land in the USA before we had children but it was a million times better being able to share this with our boys and to see the smiles on their faces and to hear their beautiful laughter. It was wonderful to share these special childhood moments and experiences with them. Disney Land really is a place of magic where dreams can come true. Perhaps Ryan summed it up best saying it was simply the most awesome day of his life.