Pinoy talents deliver razzle-dazzle at Hong Kong Disneyland

What to do in Hong Kong Disneyland Resort with only half-a-day to spare?

Guidebooks, travel agents, and websites recommend spending an entire day at Hong Kong Disneyland, which opens its doors 10 am and closes at 8 pm. But what if you missed your bus stop, got a bit off course and thus, delayed your arrival?

That was what happened to me and my two friends, Joy and Vicki, when we decided to be a tad more adventurous in our first-ever trip to this major tourist spot at the former British colony recently. We did away with tourist guides, counting on maps pulled out from brochure racks at the airport and taking on the unfamiliar yet cheapest means of transportation—the bus. (You can also get to Disneyland by the Mass Transit Railway; the price of a single trip ticket if converted to pesos start from around P40 to P170 or less. From Sunny Bay station, a Disney themed train will transport you to the resort.)

Hong Kong Disneyland is located in Lantau Island, the travel to which is bounded by more of nature than the sophistication Hong Kong is known for. This I learned: 70 percent of Hong Kong’s total area is actually park land, which remains largely unexplored by first-time travelers, while the remaining 30 percent comprises of urban areas.

Because we arrived around noontime we missed the grand welcome Disney traditionally affords guests who arrive at 10 am pronto. Nevertheless, even with a belated arrival and even as they say that this Disneyland is the smallest amongst all Disneyland parks around the world, you can still get dizzy with all the action.

The attractions spread throughout its four themed lands—Main Street, USA, Adventureland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland—are sure to keep your mind off all the compulsory legwork as well as awash you with wistfulness as you relive Disney stories that enchanted the imagination of your growing up years.

Aside from the "Disney on Parade" and the spectacular "Disney in the Stars" fireworks show, the best-est attractions on my list are…

Mickey’s PhilharMagic. A 3-D adventure starring Maestro Mickey Mouse and a surprise "con-DUCK-tor," who will lead the audience on a merry chase from one animated scene to another. The theater echoed with laughter, wonder, and delight as we were splashed with water as Ariel sang "Part of Your World," our taste buds teased by the aroma of cinnamon-flavored apple pie when Lumiere invited us to be his guest, and a flying carpet with Donald onboard piloted us to a whole new world where Princess Jasmine’s perfume wafted in the air, followed by a breath-taking "Star Wars-style" chase through the alleys of Agrabah.

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters is another popular attraction based on the Disney/Pixar film "Toy Story 2," which is equal parts of a shooting gallery and a dark ride. Here’s you’ll board on a "space cruiser" and get to fight like a real space ranger.

Festival of the Lion King. This vibrant presentation of song and dance is inspired by Disney’s animated classic "The Lion King." I highly recommend this one mainly because two of the only four live singers are Cebuanos. Singer Anna Fegi and her sister Jhing alternately play Nala, the love interest of Simba, the Lion King. (Interestingly, their architect brother, Reymond Fegi plays Shang in "Mulan.") There are also Filipinos among the show’s numerous acrobats, dancers, and puppeteers.

Above all, Hong Kong Disneyland is a must-see because I learned that about 60 percent of the performers are Filipinos! You can see them as parade dancers, as the marching band, as character performers and even as "African" percussionists. For me, they are the real stars of Disneyland. Keeping thousands of daily visitors of different nationalities entertained like no other is certainly no ordinary feat.

When Hong Kong Disneyland opened in September 2005, a lot lamented that there might be a "brain drain" in the field of performing arts what with our professional thespians and artists "migrating" to Hong Kong Disneyland. But it has since been proven to be a false cause of alarm, as our country has never run out of talents to discover and train. This goes to say, we should be proud that in the foreign destination that is HK Disneyland, Pinoy talents are the ones delivering the razzle-dazzle that its international audiences and visitors are looking for.

Admission tickets to Hong Kong Disneyland cost 295 (weekdays) and 350 (weekends) Hong Kong dollars for adults.