I woke up early Wednesday morning and wrapped up the always-a-blast task of packing up my room (oh the sarcasm) before my requesting my Didi ride to the airport. Luckily, the time to head home had not yet arrived. No, this was the day I flew to Hong Kong! The Shanghai airport is massive, but the customs and security process is so efficient I only had to wait about 20 minutes. Once inside, there are Starbucks everywhere, so I caffeinated up and found my gate.

I have to say, flying within China is pretty fantastic. Gone are the days of in-flight meals and seat-back movie libraries here in the states, but not in China! My experience on Cathay Dragon, while a bit cramped, was wonderful, and, just like that, I was in Hong Kong.

As I stepped off the plane there was no doubt I was in a tropical climate. Now, I realized Hong Kong was a beautiful, tropical region, but I had no idea just how far south it was! Locations that immediately spur thoughts of jungle adventures - Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam – are at roughly the same latitude. How did I miss that?! Once I boarded the Airport Express toward the city, the jungle locale was abundantly

obvious. The lush vegetation and sheer beauty of the seaside island scene was incredible! After a couple transfers to different MTR lines, I arrived at the Sunny Bay station, ready to board the Disneyland Resort Line.

Yes, Hong Kong Disneyland has its own light rail line.

As the train approached, Disney music began to play, and the doors opened with a magical chime letting me know, without a doubt, I had entered Disney territory. The windows and hand-holds are Mickey-shaped, statues of Disney characters line the walls, and the unmistakable tune of classic Disney songs played over the speakers. After a 6 minute ride capping off a 9 hour travel day, I arrived.

There’s no question you’ve been whisked into Disney magic when you step off the train. The station is painted entirely with that classic Disney green (if you’ve ever been to the Disneyland Resort you know exactly what I’m talking about!), and “A Whole New World” burst from the speakers above. Unlike the Shanghai Disneyland Resort, this felt much more “Disney,” the entire area plussed to feel as though I’d entered a whole new region (don’t you dare close your eyes). Okay, I tried.

Rather than explore the entrance plaza, because, well, I was tired, I found the bus depot and made my way to the hotel.

Now, when researching the trip, I decided to book the moderate resort, middle-of-the-road. It was just a few bucks more per night than the value resort, and this was the trip of a lifetime, so hey, why not? When we pulled into the Disney Explorers Lodge I realized…

… I mistakenly booked the best hotel I’d ever seen.

The lobby is immaculately themed, reminiscent of Adventureland, complete with desk areas for each of the Fab Five. I chatted the cast member’s ear off as he checked me in, and he was so happy I traveled so far to visit. I wanted to ditch my gear and start exploring, so after getting my resort map, keys, and instructions on utilizing Extra Magic Hours, I made my way to my room.

The room was huge! Far bigger than what I was expecting given my experience at the Toy Story Hotel in Shanghai. Everything within it screamed “Adventure awaits!” and I couldn’t help but open every drawer and cabinet.

With my bags dropped and water bottle refilled, I made my way to the pool area. Once I stepped outside, I knew I wouldn’t be stopping at the pool. Turns out the hotel – and all three Hong Kong Disneyland Resort hotels – are right on the water. A boardwalk winds along Discovery Bay, part of the South China Sea, offering stunning views of the surrounding islands. It was so beautiful, unlike anything I’d ever seen, I actually teared up a bit. I walked along the path, taking pictures of every tropical flower, sneaking peeks of the Hollywood and Disneyland Hotels, and taking it all in. Once the sun began to set I took a seat on the edge of the boardwalk to take it all in. The water taxis quietly skimmed across the bay, seagulls calling as the sky slowly turned pink, then purple. The lights across the bay began to turn on, set against the backdrop of the mountain jungles and tropical skies.

Once darkness began to settle in I made my way to Dragon Wind, an Asian themed restaurant at the hotel. I was pretty hungry after a long travel day, so I kinda went to town on dinner, devouring dumplings, an amazing wok-fried pork and Fuzhou cauliflower dish, and their signature Mickey-shaped pineapple buns. Those buns were quite possibly the best thing I tasted on the entire trip, and I almost didn’t order them! Huge thanks to the server who convinced me to do so.

After exploring a few more nooks and crannies of the hotel, I opted for a relatively early bed time, because the main event was just one sleep away!