Hong Kong Disneyland is the quietest Disney theme park in the world. Waiting in any line for more than half an hour is out of the norm on most weekdays. The pace is easier and seeing the park’s essentials in one day shouldn’t be a problem. But, what are those essentials? Hong Kong Disneyland boasts some classic attractions that you’ll see in other castle parks as well as some wholly original rides. In this post, we’ll rank those attractions!

The days when we get to add to our Attraction Rankings series are always exciting! Melissa and I had talked about going to Hong Kong Disneyland for years and it didn’t disappoint once we finally arrived. The park isn’t perfect but felt like a callback to a simpler theme park era, one that didn’t revolve around constantly checking wait times on your phone. Entering standby queues as you pass by them instead of having to stick to a strict itinerary feels like a novelty these days.

Attractions in the park make up some of that relaxed, charming setting. There’s a nice range in Hong Kong Disneyland, and it leans toward family-friendly rides. For big thrill seekers, this might not be the most interesting attraction roster but there is a little something for everyone. After the last decade of additions in Walt Disney World and Disneyland, it was refreshing to visit a spot that emphasized family rides. Or maybe I’m just saying that because I’m in my mid-30’s and roller coasters can still terrify me. You be the judge!

The downside to the attraction roster is that Hong Kong Disneyland offers the least amount of rides of any castle park. The bottom half of the list has a lot of filler and replaceable rides, as well. While the park continues to evolve and does showcase some great entertainment, there’s a need for a few more top notch attractions.

Before we get to ranking, let’s brush up on our ranking rules!

• No Meet & Greets – These are impossible to rank since each experience is unique. Meeting Duffy and his friends is a great time though!
• No Live Shows – Hong Kong Disneyland has some fantastic entertainment, including stage shows and a nighttime spectacular. You should definitely go see a few of them! That said, they’re incredibly hard to rank against rides as they just offer different things. I will include the park’s one 3D movie in these rankings but none of the other shows.
• These Are My Opinion – As with everything on Wandering in Disney, this post is my opinion. Melissa helps me craft the list and we go from there. You’ll likely disagree at some point! We try to judge the rides based on certain criteria but there’s also an element of just how much do you like it! This post should give you a good idea on what to prioritize but, if you have the time, make up your own mind on how these should rank.

We visited the park multiple days but, so far, all of those days came over the course of one trip. That means that a few rides were closed. The Hong Kong Disneyland attractions we haven’t experienced are Orbitron, Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad, and Tarzan’s Treehouse as well as the rafts to it. The latter has been closed indefinitely for some time and has no opening in sight. Orbitron and Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad were just going through normal refurbishment when we were visiting.

That leaves us at 19 rides ranked! There are a number of Gardens listed on the Hong Kong Disneyland website as attractions. We haven’t included those, as they feel more like decor than a walkthrough. We did include Fantasy Forest, as that’s more of a classic walkthrough attraction.

With all foreign parks, it’s hard to not emphasize the attractions that are unique to Hong Kong Disneyland. Thankfully, a couple of the park’s unique rides are easily some of the best, to the point where I don’t think anyone would argue with where they fall in these rankings. Let’s get to it!

19. Slinky Dog Spin

For all of Hong Kong Disneyland’s positives, Toy Story Land is not one of them. The three attractions the land offers all rank in the bottom half of this list. Slinky Dog Spin is the worst of them, going around and around using a caterpillar ride system. It reminded me of the Central Washington State Fair that I grew up going to, except there was significantly less risk of this breaking compared to some of those rides. While I don’t want to disrespect Slinky Dog, this attraction is just not very good.

18. Cinderella Carousel

It’s not Cinderella Carousel’s fault for being ranked so low. For being a carousel, this one is pretty! There’s some nice artwork along the inside of it and I love the classic golden glow once the sun goes down. And yet, that which we call a carousel by any other name would… still just have you going around and around slowly.

17. Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Speaking of going around and around, there’s a theme going with these lowest ranked rides. Hong Kong Disneyland’s version of Dumbo is behind the Castle of Magical Dreams and offers a nice view of that, as well as the surrounding mountains. Otherwise, there’s nothing particularly memorable about this Dumbo.

16. Toy Soldier Parachute Drop

We’ve got another attraction where you should come for the views and not expect much else. Parachute Drop is also in Toy Story Land, taking guests up high before dropping them at a moderate speed and then doing it all over again. It’s kind of like Jumpin’ Jellyfish in California Adventure and Tokyo DisneySea, but taller. The views are nice. The rest of it is just okay.

15. Mad Hatter Tea Cups

These are the same teacups that you’ll find at every Disney castle park. This version is covered, similar to Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Paris. It’s hard not to laugh when you ride and it does look pretty good! But chances are that you’ve ridden this classic ride elsewhere and this won’t be a different experience.

14. RC Racer

This half loop coaster is easily the best attraction in Toy Story Land. The ride is more thrilling than it has any right to be, sending guests back and forth up the track. If you’ve ever wondered what being an Olympic snowboarder would be like then this coaster halfpipe might be as close as you can get! Or, you might be screaming, “I thought this was a kid’s ride!” halfway through. Not that I speak from experience or anything.

13. Fairy Tale Forest

This Fantasyland walkthrough is cute, with miniature castles and icons from Disney’s classic fairy tales. There’s some interactivity, which is pretty well done. The walkthrough can feel half-baked in some areas and is a slightly worse version of Disneyland’s Storybook Land Canal Boats. This is still worth doing though as it doesn’t take up much time, won’t have any wait, and it looks pretty!

12. Animation Academy

If you’re already bad at drawing while receiving instructions in English and are wondering if hearing the instructions in a language you don’t understand would help then I can confirm that it does not! Hong Kong Disneyland’s Animation Academy (fully in Cantonese) is still an enjoyable experience, and it’s easy enough to follow along even with the language barrier. Following the drawing, you can take a photo with the a character while showcasing your drawing. That’s a cool add-on! I didn’t want to embarrass myself by showing off my drawing (if you can call it that), so I skipped that part.

11. Mickey’s Philharmagic

This is the same Mickey’s Philharmagic that plays in a number of different parks and is even shown in English here. Along with providing a nice break from Hong Kong’s climate, this theater was made specifically for Philharmagic! The screens are very impressive and all of the effects work well. This isn’t an especially high bar but this is the best version of the attraction in the world.

10. Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs

World of Frozen offers 2 attractions. One of those is Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs, a kiddie coaster that’s dressed up as something a little more. Think Seven Dwarfs Mine Train but without the show scenes. This does succeed in looking really pretty and bring a fun little coaster. If expectations are in tow then this attraction is a pleasant surprise.

9. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

The only Fantasyland dark ride in the park (unless you count Frozen Ever After), Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh seems to be a replica of the Magic Kingdom attraction. There might be a scene flipped around. On the bright side, this edition of the ride looked well maintained and was really enjoyable.

8. Iron Man Experience

Taking the place of Star Tours, Iron Man Experience is a simulator ride that cleverly includes Hong Kong throughout. Iron Man shows up to save the day and guests ride around with him. The attraction is enhanced if you’ve already seen different sights in Hong Kong. It’s a nice redo of Star Tours, although there are parts of the on-ride experience that don’t look great.

7. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Nano Battle!

The other Marvel ride that was redone in Tomorrowland is Nano Battle! Replacing Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, this attraction uses the same ride system as riders need to help Ant-Man defeat Arnim Zola. The setup feels similar to WEB Slingers in California Adventure (Nano Battle came first) and the on-ride experience is enjoyable while looking pretty good.

6. it’s a small world

A classic attraction that uses the Mary Blair facade, like Disneyland’s. This edition of the ride incorporates Disney characters better than any other one and has a fun nod to Hong Kong toward the end. While not the best version, this is a solid addition to the IASWU (it’s a small world universe).

5. Jungle River Cruise

Hong Kong Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise is unique in a few ways. The track circles Tarzan’s Treehouse, which is more like Tom Sawyer Island. It’s not quite to the point where the Jungle Cruise is on the Rivers of America, but there are plenty of similarities. Along with that different layout comes a huge finale, that is a little manic but exciting! Finally, the ride is offered in 3 languages – English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. I don’t think this is necessary, the ride would work just as well being solely in Cantonese. Still, this is an ambitious version of the ride that doesn’t quite come together.

4. Frozen Ever After

I’ve been critical of Frozen Ever After in Epcot since it opened. Not only is that ride shoehorned into the Norway Pavilion, it’s also shoehorned into an existing ride building that doesn’t do it many favors. Frozen Ever After in Hong Kong was a completely new build and looks like it. Yes, the scenes are the same but it’s incredible how much better this attraction is than the Epcot version. We thought the ride was exceptional.

3. Hyperspace Mountain

One of the few thrill rides in Hong Kong Disneyland has gone with a permanent Star Wars overlay. Does that mean it’s not an overlay anymore? Anyway, this ride looks great. We love the planets hanging above the loading room. Once on the coaster, there are some great effects to go with a fun, fast track. While this area of Hong Kong Disneyland currently feels like a bit of an afterthought, this ride is anything but!

2. Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars

In the middle of Grizzly Gulch is Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars, a coaster that’s one part Big Thunder and one part Expedition Everest. It’s the most thrilling attraction in Hong Kong Disneyland AND features animatronic bears! What more could you want? The coaster fits nicely within the gold rush-inspired land and has a story that includes some sly grizzlies.

1. Mystic Manor

There was never a doubt on what attraction would be number 1. Certain rides have become popular enough to be known even before people have ridden them and Mystic Manor’s reputation has spread far and wide. This trackless ride lives up to the hype, telling the story of Albert, a wily monkey, and the owner of this manor, Henry Mystic. Albert lets out some boxed-up spirits as the ride takes you on a wild tour of Mr. Mystic’s collection. It’s brilliant, beautiful, layered, and simply one of the best theme park rides in the world!

Overview

Hong Kong Disneyland is a little short on E-ticket attractions and could really use one in both Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Even with that, the park is carried by two excellent original attractions as well as some improvements on replicas. The attraction roster isn’t the best in the world but, paired with excellent entertainment and a beautiful setting, is strong enough to make this an excellent theme park.

Have you been to Hong Kong Disneyland? Let us know your favorite rides in the comments below, as well as any questions you might have. Planning a Disney trip? Check out our Travel Guides to help get you there! Here’s a link to discount tickets at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. If you enjoy what you’re reading here on Wandering in Disney please subscribe to the blog via email or WordPress and like our social media pages. You can find all of those things on the right side of this page. Thank you very much for reading, we appreciate it!