Down Under Disneyana Australian Disney Forum

Hello everyone. The club (through the awesome efforts of Barry and Narelle) is currently in the process of arranging a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland for March 2011. At present, we are looking to go around the week of 13 March 2011, returning Sunday 20th March.

As you may or may not know, Barry and Narelle were Hong Kong Disneyland's first "Star Guests" - a new promotion that began in 2009.


Since then, they have been in constant contact with the management of HKDL and have recently returned from a second visit where they met the park's senior management. Since then, they've been hard at work brokering a deal for the club, as well as arranging some special events for DUD members.

The date in March has been selected because the park will be in the middle of its 5th anniversary celebrations, the star guest program will be active (and we can all be star guests), and a new parade will be debuting.

This week, the hotel operations manager for HKDL has offered the club a special group rate to stay at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel in a Garden Room for $1,200 HKD a night +10% GST for the length of stay! Normally, the regular rate for the Garden rooms is $2,100HKD + GST. The offered rate is even cheaper than the Hollywood Hotel Garden Room - which is $1,500HKD + GST. $1,200HKD is approximately $170-$180 Australian at today's rates. But we need to book 8 rooms, hence the early announcement!

Here are some views of the hotel:


Additionally, Hong Kong Disneyland will be arranging a private cocktail function for us on our first night, to be attended by Andrew Kam, the Managing Director of Hong Kong Disneyland, and a number of other HKDL officials.

More details on this trip will become available in the coming months, however it is already looking like it'll be a very special event.

Obviously being this far out, dates, prices and events are still subject to change - but this should give a good indication of what is in store!

I really wish we could make this, but with our trip this year....

I really wish we could make this, but with our trip this year....

Yep - same with us. Although rather than going for a whole week, Della and I are thinking about going up there on Thursday 17/3 and returning Monday 21/3, four nights and only three or four annual leave days from work.

Hmmm....

Having worked out my itinerary in China and what and where and how much, who with and also WHEN!!! this announcement couldn't have been better timed if you tried.

Being quite seriously days away from booking my trip for September this announcement has stopped me in my tracks.

As you all probably know, I've been trying to get to HKDL for at least a year now. What you dont probably know, is that due to one of my kids being seriously ill for the last 10 months or so, I've had to put this on the backburner more than once thanks to the specialist bills and the need for constant monitoring - being away, even for a weekend, is not easy to arrange. Now that there are glimmers of improvement I had dared to start thinking about the trip again.

So ... I'm thinking, what I had planned for the HKDL leg wasn't anywhere near as good as what is already in the planning stages for the club trip, and I've waited this long anyway, a few more months might work in my favour on a few levels.

Definite food for thought.


Lisa.

Sounds like it was meant to be Lisa

Hope all is well with your sick kiddo now.

When it was first raised at the Feb meeting I didn't express an interest but I am wondering if my family will let me escape even for just a long weekend.

-/ go on Beth... we could share?

Lisa.

Now there's an idea

even for just a long weekend.

Yep - that's our idea too so we don't use up too many annual leave days. Then we could possibly go to the D23 Expo in August and maybe the family museum as well - not really sure yet.

Hows the prep for this trip going? just wondering if there's any more news? No pressure... just curious

No further news as yet - we'll probably have an update after the next meeting in a couple of weeks.

Okay everyone. We've put together a draft guide to the Hong Kong Disneyland DUD Club Trip - the link is available on the home page for you to download it...but if you are too excited to go to the home page and just have to get it right NOW, then click the link below
http://www.dudisneyana.info/images/stor ... _guide.pdf

It provides details of the generous HKDL accommodation offer, the deluxe annual pass, the Star Guest Program, and gives you a rough itinerary of what has been arranged (not everything mind you - there are still lots of surprise bits which we'll unveil to everyone over the next few months - we aren't giving away all the surprises just yet!). I cannot wait to have our regular March 2011 meeting in the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Ballroom - can you imagine the special guests we may be able to get to come along

Obviously this far out, not everything has been finalised and even the exact date is still to be confirmed (it could move a week here or there). We will endeavour to have firm dates shortly.

I'll be keeping the guide up to date as new information is received - whenever there is an update, I'll post it here and update the homepage with a message.

We'd be really grateful if we could get an idea of numbers during the July meeting - you don't have to commit yet, but it will assist with planning.

This is going to be so much fun and we've never had this level of cooperation and engagement with the management of a Disney Park before - so this is sure to be a once in a lifetime experience for us. So download the guide and start saving

Thanks once again goes to the wonderful organising efforts of Barry and Narelle McBride! -/ -/

OK... now that is AWESOME!!!! Nope... thats thats BE-AWESOME!!! -/

I'm tentatively in... dates dependant. But thats a 90% 'in' as opposed to 50%. If I manage to squeeze in the study course I plan to do later THIS year, then dates won't be such an issue.

Now... any girls out there want to share the accom ( BETH? SANDIE?) to make it even more user-friendly than it already is?


Lisa.

Oh the temptation!!!

Greg

Oh MAN! That is going to be such a fabulous trip. If Spongey weren't arriving in Dec/Jan I think we would have scrimped and saved to be there. I can't wait to hear all about it from you guys though