HK Disneyland will open on 12 September 2005

[skylee]

Take a look -> TVB News

[Ian_Lee]

I wonder how HK Disneyland will operate -- each ride requires the guide to repeat the instruction in three languages or the ride is divided into 3 language sessions?

Anyway, glad to hear that they are probably not going to serve turkey drumstick inside the park.

[geek_frappa]

OMG! i hope it doesn't turn into another Ocean Park... ai~~~~~~~

[bhchao]

Given what happened to France Disneyland, I wonder how successful HK Disneyland will be.

[skylee]

What do you mean? Paris Disneyland is not unsuccessful.

[TSkillet]

Given what happened to France Disneyland

It took 10 years, but Disneyland Paris is now very profitable for the Walt Disney Company. It just took a while to adjust the American theme park for Europeans.

[skylee]

Some more news -

1000元可住迪士尼酒店 現接受預訂 首日4小時訂房逾百

韓報﹕首爾擬建迪士尼 政府否認協議

I am a bit confused by the last sentence in the second report - "香港迪士尼樂園將於今年10月開幕，而上海迪士尼樂園預計於2010年落成。" First, the opening day is 12.9.2005. Second, has it been decided (contract signed etc) that there will be one in Shanghai?

[skylee]

迪 士 尼 八 月 率 先 「 試 玩 」

Thousands of job vacancies! Free trial run!!

[confucius]

Shanghai originally lost to Hong Kong in the competition to build a Disneyland on Chinese soil during 1999 bidding. Then Disney went back to Shanghai after signing the agreement with Hong Kong and negotiated for an additional park. This upset Hong Kong officials therefore, in order to appease the SAR, Disney promised not to build anything in Shanghai until after 2010 thus allowing Hong Kong Disneyland a 5 year head start on its future competition.

Disney is banking on Hong Kong becoming the destination for SE Asian families and cheap Australians who don't want to travel all the way to expensive Tokyo for the obligatory kids vacation. The Disneyland in Shanghai will be oriented primarily to the domestic mainland China market, thus reducing some but not too much of the expected traffic from China's affluent coastal provinces to the long lines at Hong Kong immigration.

[Ian_Lee]

I seriously doubt if any Disney theme park will be built in the foreseeable future. The reasons are:

(1) If there is a choice, Disney always prefers to build its theme park in the warmer part of that country because its park is mostly open space and operates year round. Since Shanghai is much colder than Hong Kong in the winter time, HK's theme park will definitely generate more revenue than Shanghai's in that season;

(2) Since Mainland still exercises foreign exchange control, Disney will still ponder about how to manage the huge amount of RMB it generates from the daily operation if it builds its theme park in Shanghai;

(3) After the recent relaxing of immigration, about 200 million people from Mainland (Guangdong and most affluent coastal areas) can freely travel to Hong Kong. And the infrastructure have been perfected that visitors can easily arrive the park by any means. In fact, the park is just about 10 minutes by train from the airport.

(4) Moreover, HK's park has a more steady and balanced mix of customer base -- 50% Mainland, 30% Taiwan/SE Asia and 20% local.

Of course, if the HK park is highly successful, then Disney will start to build the 2nd park in Shanghai.

But it looks like Disney will complete the second phase in HK before 2010 first.

[wix]

bump

It opens tomorrow. What's the goss?

[skylee]

They have overdone it ->

迪士尼兩次要執法者除制服

樂園逼執法者除制服捱轟

食環署兩名衛生督察上月底到迪士尼樂園執勤，調查懷疑涉及一宗食物中毒個案的兩間餐廳時，被樂園人員要求除下制服帽和肩章，始可進入樂園﹔兩人「順應要求」照做。事件引起政府震怒，食環署強調「不能接受」，並去信迪士尼重申執法人員權力。事件主角的迪士尼昨晚隨即公開致歉。

......

事緣衛生署得悉3名市民於8月28日在樂園內兩間餐廳用膳後懷疑食物中毒（見另稿），遂通知食環署派員到迪士尼調查。食環署助理署長勞月儀接受商台電話訪問時承認，兩名衛生督察於8月30日巡查迪士尼樂園食肆，調查一宗懷疑食物中毒個案時，被迪士尼工作人員以「避免引起公眾不安」，要求衛生督察脫帽及除下肩章。而兩名督察沒有即時請示上司，自行決定除去帽及肩章。

勞月儀強調「這是不能接受，署方會提醒員工法例賦予他們的任務和職責，《公眾衛生及市政條例》授權署方人員巡查食肆，以及就違例事項執法」。

......

據知，政府當局對此事非常不滿，認為迪士尼的做法不能接受，打算以食環署長梁永立的名義向迪士尼發出警告信，作出嚴厲警告，表明迪士尼今次的做法，可能會構成妨礙公職人員條例，表明希望不會再發生這些情，並就信件內容徵詢律政司法律意見。