Mickeyland

Thursday was always going to be a special treat for Luke, we had been telling him that if he was good he would have a special treat but secretly we were always going to take him to Disneyland in Hong Kong. We toyed with the idea of the hotel shuttle bus which took you directly to the gates of the park (for £10 each) but opted for the £2.50 train journey with two changes and a walk between stations. We arrived at about 30 minutes after the park had opened, with Luke none the wiser until we boarded the special Mickey Mouse train which took you to the park.

The walk from the train to the gates was filled with anticipation as Luke had finally realised that we were at 'Mickeyland'. I was surprised at how quiet the park actually was, but then it is Thursday. Disneyland is divided into 4 areas, Main Street, Fantasyland, Adventureland and Tomorrowland. We headed up Main Street, stopping to watch the Dragon Parade, towards Fantasyland where we knew the Winnie the Pooh area was. The picture above is the only picture that Luke would have with a character - he's a bit unsure of grown-ups dressed in cartoon outfits! Once we had met Pooh we had a theme for the rest of the day, the hunt for Lumpy and Roo for another photo. We had a few tears when we couldn't find them and even more when the day was drawing to a close and we still couldn't find them. Excuses for the shocking failure of mum and dad to find Lumpy and Roo ranged from '...it must be their day off...' to '...perhaps they're on holiday...'. The only response that Luke had to offer was for us to go and find them on their holiday and bring them back. Luke is still concerned that Lumpy and Roo weren't aware that he was at Disneyland today!

We only braved one ride, the story of Winnie the Pooh, which Luke enjoyed in the end. We saw all the main characters, and enjoyed the Disney Parade down Main Street. We saw the Rockin' Mickey show in front of the castle and decided to stay until the very last minute to see the fireworks which closed the day.

Writing this now I'm not sure whether it was Luke or Claire which enjoyed the day most......maybe it was even me! Luke's face was a picture on many occasions throughout the day, which we shall remember for many years to come. Disneyland really is a magical place.......