Disney adds rides in Hong Kong park

[Kellie19891992]

Disney adds rides in Hong Kong park

Critics say the theme park just hasn't clicked yet with its Chinese visitors.

Kelvin Wong
Bloomberg News

February 28, 2006

Walt Disney Co. will introduce three attractions at its Hong Kong theme park this summer and said its performance during May's "golden week holiday" in China will show whether it has regained the public's confidence.

The three attractions include a game based on cartoon character Stitch, a new interactive water ride, and Autopia, in which riders drive small model cars around a track, park managing director Bill Ernest said Monday.

Public dissatisfaction over the park's management heightened during the Lunar New Year holiday when lawmakers criticized Disneyland for underestimating the number of tourists from China. Many ticket holders were turned away from the park after Disneyland said it had reached capacity.

Disney will adjust the park's ticketing system after many people endured long lines during the holiday, which fell on the last week of January and the first two weeks of February.

Hong Kong legislators also have accused the park, which opened in September, of failing to understand the habits and culture of local and mainland Chinese.

"We have spent a lot of time to address many questions," said Ernest, adding the best way to show the park has learned its lesson "is to have a successful May."

The park's management will closely monitor the situation during the one-week labor day holiday in May, when thousands of mainland tourists are expected to visit the city, he said.

A spokeswoman for Hong Kong Disney, Esther Wong, would not say how much was being spent to construct the three attractions.

Wong said the Hong Kong government is expected to finish reclaiming land by 2008 for the construction of the second phase of the park, which now covers 310 acres.

Ernest said the park will not ask for additional investment from the Hong Kong government for the expansion. Disney spent $314 million for its 43 percent stake in Hong Kong Disneyland on Lantau Island, its first park in China.

The Hong Kong's government, which owns the remainder, paid $2.4 billion for the park's construction, according to official figures.

[kylewhit89]

everyones last name is either wong or smith

[The_Heat]

Where's my Pirates and HM??????

That sure isn't a joke about the long lines, when Joyce took me on my birthday, it took me 10 minutes to walk all the way to the end of the line....and that was just for the park entrance, not including the ticket line. I think if we had to stay at the end, it would have taken a good 1 to 2 hours.

I have a video of the walk there from the beginning if I can ever figure out how to upload videos.

[MayBWeRMnt2B]

They'll have to add a lot more rides there eventually. I know looking at all the rides they have there so far, they hardly have anything at all yet!

[minidibs]

what rides is there at the moment then? anything good at all

[The_Heat]

well, for rides.....they have Hong Kong Disney Railroad, Jungle River Cruise, Rafts to Tarzan Island, Dumbo, Mad Hatter Tea Cups, Cinderella Carousel, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Buzz Lightyear's Astro-Blasters, Space Mountain, and the Orbitron.

for shows, they got Festival of the Lion King, The Golden Mickey's, and Mickey's Philharmagic

[Soccergirl426]

they need to add classics like PotC and HM, also ToT or RRC, they just need more rides!

[dznyfreak42]

wow sounds like they hardly have any thing but there adding autiopia, a stich show like turtle talk, and this thing called robot invasion which you get wet