First trip to Hong Kong - Questions

[Version 6]

Hello All

In the early stages of planning a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland for our family of 4 in January 2025.

Had a few questions, if I may...

1. We understand we should avoid New Year which in January falls on 29 January. My question here is how many days before New Year are crowded? Is the whole week leading up to Luna New Year crowded?

2. Is HKDL like California in that there are lots of ride closures/refurbs in January? Going when Mystic Manor is opened would be very important to us, as well as both Frozen rides.

3. Is January generally a quiet time to visit?

4. What is weather typically like in this part of Hong Kong in January. I've read varying things.

Thanks in advance

 

[gelatoni fan]

Hello All

In the early stages of planning a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland for our family of 4 in January 2025.

Had a few questions, if I may...

1. We understand we should avoid New Year which in January falls on 29 January. My question here is how many days before New Year are crowded? Is the whole week leading up to Luna New Year crowded?

2. Is HKDL like California in that there are lots of ride closures/refurbs in January? Going when Mystic Manor is opened would be very important to us, as well as both Frozen rides.

3. Is January generally a quiet time to visit?

4. What is weather typically like in this part of Hong Kong in January. I've read varying things.

Thanks in advance

The first few days of the Lunar New Year will usually have the biggest crowds of the entire year with the week after being bad as well because that's when many mainland tourists visit. Avoid that time because not only are crowd levels higher but crowd behavior is at its absolute worst. The week leading up to the Lunar New Year tends to have elevated crowds because of kids being out of school but is not as bad as the week after.

But crowd levels leading up to the New Year can swing wildly depending on the Magic Access blockouts and the start date of the Chinese New Year event in the park. The first few day and the first weekend of the event will have higher crowd levels and the last day before Gold and Silver pass blockouts will also usually have high crowds.

March seems to have the most refurbishments and HKDL wants all rides open during the Lunar New Year so it's not something to worry about in January.

The narrow window in between the end of Christmas breaks and start of Chinese New Year breaks can have below average crowd sizes but is not exactly quiet by HKDL standards either. I'm not sure I'd recommend shifting a trip to late February just for lower crowds though because some rides like Toy Story Parachute Drop may start refurbs that last until mid-April.

January is probably the coldest month in Hong Kong with temperatures ranging from mid 40s to mid 70s Fahrenheit. Indoor heating isn't common except in hotels so locals will often find it very cold but foreign tourists will have a temperature controlled room to return to at night.

 

[Version 6]

The first few days of the Lunar New Year will usually have the biggest crowds of the entire year with the week after being bad as well because that's when many mainland tourists visit. Avoid that time because not only are crowd levels higher but crowd behavior is at its absolute worst. The week leading up to the Lunar New Year tends to have elevated crowds because of kids being out of school but is not as bad as the week after.

But crowd levels leading up to the New Year can swing wildly depending on the Magic Access blockouts and the start date of the Chinese New Year event in the park. The first few day and the first weekend of the event will have higher crowd levels and the last day before Gold and Silver pass blockouts will also usually have high crowds.

March seems to have the most refurbishments and HKDL wants all rides open during the Lunar New Year so it's not something to worry about in January.

The narrow window in between the end of Christmas breaks and start of Chinese New Year breaks can have below average crowd sizes but is not exactly quiet by HKDL standards either. I'm not sure I'd recommend shifting a trip to late February just for lower crowds though because some rides like Toy Story Parachute Drop may start refurbs that last until mid-April.

January is probably the coldest month in Hong Kong with temperatures ranging from mid 40s to mid 70s Fahrenheit. Indoor heating isn't common except in hotels so locals will often find it very cold but foreign tourists will have a temperature controlled room to return to at night.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

So if lunar new year is 29 January and we were there say 20 January, would that be OK crowd wise?

 

[dragonflymom]

Deleted

 

[gelatoni fan]

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

So if lunar new year is 29 January and we were there say 20 January, would that be OK crowd wise?

It should be OK. But going on a weekday before may be a bit better crowd-wise, especially if Gold passes are blocked out the next weekend.

 

[DisneyISA]

It was quite crowded when went in December but it was just a month after the opening of the World of Frozen as well as the Christmas festivities.

For you if you are looking to go between the new year and Chinese new year, you should be safe.


But glad you are avoiding Christmas and Chinese New Year period, you can see how bad the crowd gets from the link here.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Quick update:
Today (June 6) is the last day before Gold passes get blocked out until the 19th. Crowd levels are quite high for a weekday with Mystic Manor at an elevated 90 minutes posted wait.

I'm not in the park but there's already reports of many line cutting mainland Chinese tourists which means the rest of the week will likely get worse in terms of crowd behavior.

So it seems like it's definitely best to go earlier in the month rather than later.

 

[Version 6]

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[Version 6]

It should be OK. But going on a weekday before may be a bit better crowd-wise, especially if Gold passes are blocked out the next weekend.

Hey there. Looks like our dates in the park will actually be Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd January. What kinds of crowds can we expect?

 

[GoingSince1990]

One option you may want to consider is a VIP tour. English language tour guides are available (or at least they were when we went in 2017).

 

[gelatoni fan]

Hey there. Looks like our dates in the park will actually be Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd January. What kinds of crowds can we expect?

The 22nd is the last day that Silver passes have access before they get blocked out till mid February. There is a good chance that crowds will be elevated that day, especially in the afternoon to evening.

If you're not going to change your dates to the week before, then the best thing to do is arrive early. The gates can open up to 30 minutes before scheduled park opening time. A VIP tour is probably unnecessary but you may want to consider purchasing Premier Access or Early Entry (assuming it's still offered) if you're not confident about rope dropping Arendelle.

 

[Version 6]

The 22nd is the last day that Silver passes have access before they get blocked out till mid February. There is a good chance that crowds will be elevated that day, especially in the afternoon to evening.

If you're not going to change your dates to the week before, then the best thing to do is arrive early. The gates can open up to 30 minutes before scheduled park opening time. A VIP tour is probably unnecessary but you may want to consider purchasing Premier Access or Early Entry (assuming it's still offered) if you're not confident about rope dropping Arendelle.

Would Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th be better park days for crowds?

Thanks for your help so far.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Would Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th be better park days for crowds?

Thanks for your help so far.

I doubt it would be better. The park probably expects a lot of mainland Chinese tourists to start coming down those two days which is why Silver passes are blocked out.

The 22nd being a Wednesday does work out in your favor though. As of right now, the park normally isn't open on Wednesdays so assuming that doesn't change, most people who plan in advance would likely not plan to be in the park that day. Even though you'd expect the park to be open the two Wednesdays before and after a major holiday, not everyone expects it.

 

[Version 6]

I doubt it would be better. The park probably expects a lot of mainland Chinese tourists to start coming down those two days which is why Silver passes are blocked out.

The 22nd being a Wednesday does work out in your favor though. As of right now, the park normally isn't open on Wednesdays so assuming that doesn't change, most people who plan in advance would likely not plan to be in the park that day. Even though you'd expect the park to be open the two Wednesdays before and after a major holiday, not everyone expects it.

We could theoretically swap the trip around so that our Disney days are 31 December, 1 January and 2 January. Is that likely to be better, or worse?

 

[gelatoni fan]

We could theoretically swap the trip around so that our Disney days are 31 December, 1 January and 2 January. Is that likely to be better, or worse?

Worse in terms of crowds. But if they do the countdown event again this year, you'll have more time in the park on 31 December and the special event.