Hong Kong Disneyland or Ocean Park, which theme park is better?

Hong Kong lives on its reputation as a world class shoppers paradise. But what to do if you have toddlers gnawing at your knees or when the reflection of another designer boutique window finds you looking tired and jaded? Luckily Hong Kong has a myriad of outdoor activities to break the mall cycle and provide you with thrills and spills of a different kind.

Disneyland and Ocean Park are the two big amusement behemoths in Hong Kong and our blog quest today is to investigate both in infinite detail to decide whether Mickey’s ears trump over a docile but oh so cute panda and why.

Disneyland – Sitting exclusively in its own corner of Lantau Island, Disney is so exclusive it has its own train line (well from Sunny Bay anyway). Take the Tung Chung line and swap at Sunny Bay.

Getting on at Sunny Bay the excitement is palpable on young faces. The train even has Mickey ear shaped windows and hand grips! Journey time is 35-45 minutes from Central or Tsim Sha Tsui. Use your octopus card if you have one.

CLICK TO BUY YOUR DISNEYLAND TICKETS HERE

Ocean Park – If location is the sole criteria then Ocean Park wins hands down. If there is an amusement park with better views then we’d like to see it! Getting here is very straight forward. Take the South Island line and alight at Ocean Park where the entrance is metres away! We’re talking only 10 minutes from Admiralty so super fast!

If using Bus 629 or taking a taxi, just beware that traffic in the Aberdeen tunnel is very heavy during peak hours so could add to travel time for buses and taxis. There can be long lines for taxis too at the end of the day so factor that in if planning on taking a cab. Journey time is 25 minutes for bus and car.

CLICK TO BUY OCEAN PARK TICKETS HERE

Both are very easy to get to from Central or Tsim Sha Tsui. Hong Kong MTR is really a breeze and the buses are good as well.

Disneyland – Obviously Disney is aimed at a younger audience so families with children between 4-12 will relish the chance for some quality family bonding time on Main St USA.

The park is divided up into 7 themed zones which can be explored in a circular motion with Toy Story Land and FantasyLand being the pick for infants. Grizzly Gulch and Tomorrowland offer some faster rides for the teens and Adventureland is a laid back affair centred around the mysterious Rivers of Adventure. Main Street has the usual array of eateries and souvenirs.

CLICK TO BUY YOUR DISNEYLAND TICKETS HERE

Ocean Park – OP is a different beast altogether. A huge park with attractions for the little ones at ground level after entering (Waterfront) while the serious rides for teens and adults are spread out at the top of the mountain (Summit).

For those heading to the top, you can get there by scenic cable car with stunning views of the bay or the 1300m long funicular train which is an immersive experience in itself!

Several rides are clustered together in different locations with long walks between them. It is highly advisable to study your map carefully beforehand and plan your attack as it very time consuming and hard on the feet to move from one location to another (and its up and downhill as well!). Use your time well or you will be knackered before you know it. The humidity can be a killer!

The rides are good with nothing too extreme except for those on Thrill Mountain. Several rides have amazing views of the bay. The dolphin show arena is also here so check for show times and factor that in if you want to attend.

At the base of the mountain are rides for the younger kids and other attractions like the animal exhibitions featuring pandas, koalas, fish and birdlife. A logical idea would be to start at the top and finish off at the bottom before exiting.

One tip to remember is that rides can be offline for maintenance and you usually won’t know until you arrive. More than a bit annoying if you’ve been looking forward to a particular ride.

CLICK TO BUY OCEAN PARK TICKETS HERE

Crowds can be horrendous on weekends and public holidays and the hordes of tourists from the mainland that swarm upon the parks by the busload only add to the crush. Having said that, Mondays to Thursdays are usually pleasant enough crowd wise and obviously arrive early if coming on a weekend or public holiday.

Lines can be lengthy to buy tickets and to enter and of course for the rides. Queues for some rides can reach 45-60 minutes. Always pre-purchase your tickets before arriving by using our links here:

DISNEYLAND TICKETS

OCEAN PARK TICKETS

One tip is to arrive at opening time and get in multiple rides before the tour buses arrive and queues get lengthy.

If you have children or are just big kids and have the time, do both. You’ll need a full day for each park.

If you only have time for one, then it will depend on various factors.

If you’ve done Disney somewhere else then you would probably opt for Ocean Park.

If you have younger kids and haven’t been to Disney, then Disney would be the go.

If you have older kids or a mix, then Ocean Park is the one for serious rides and sideshows as well.

If you have problems with mobility then avoid Ocean Park. It is a sprawling giant  that leads off in all directions at the summit. In one section you need to take the worlds 2nd longest escalator to get to a few of the rides.

In contrast, Disney is all on level ground and is easy to navigate and enjoy. Ocean Park has the better rides and sideshows, but is exhausting in hot weather.

We enjoyed both and so will you if you plan well and pre-purchase tickets!

DISNEYLAND TICKETS

OCEAN PARK TICKETS