Canny Hongkongers do Disney on the cheap
Few can match the ingenuity of thrifty Hong Kong people when it comes to finding ways of getting the most bangs for their buck at a Disney theme park, according to experiences drawn by Disney managers after a series of rehearsals.
At any of the popular Mickey Mouse entertainment venues around the world, visitors enjoying the rollercoaster rides can often be seen observing the action afterwards on a monitor and snapping up professional photographs of all the fun.
Not for local fans of Hong Kong Disneyland, however. They have found a way to get the pictures for free: they use their own cameras to photograph the monitor image.
A popular free photo opportunity also exists by the balloon stand. Local fans have no problem sending their loved ones and children to stand by the balloon seller for a quick snapshot but have a big problem when it comes to buying a balloon.
They also have no qualms about capturing important moments on film, even if it means interrupting a ride. At Space Mountain, just before the ride begins, people get out of their barricaded seats to take pictures. The breach automatically halts the ride.
The same happens at the spinning Mad Hatter Tea Cups, where passengers disembark from their individual cups to take snaps, only to set off the safety mechanism. To prevent the situation from escalating, the park will place a stationary cup by the queue in the hope passengers will satisfy their camera cravings before going for a spin.
"Taking photographs is just phenomenal in Hong Kong," said group managing director Don Robinson.
Meal times are largely dictated by the parades, which occur at 1.30pm and 3.30pm. This means the roughly two-hour period in between is crunch time for the theme park's catering staff, who can only churn out 10,000 meals an hour. The park can accommodate a maximum of 30,000 people.
"Everybody eats at the same time and this puts a lot of stress on our operations," Mr Robinson said.
He said one possible solution was to extend the period between the parade times.
The lunch crowd often hangs around in the restaurant after their meal and some customers continue to occupy their tables, which they use as their base camp for the day.
On average, Hong Kong visitors spend 9.3 hours at the park, with many arriving early and leaving late. The average in the US is eight hours.
Mr Robinson is considering extending the park's operating hours and this has already been planned for the busy Mid-Autumn Festival.
He said bookings were coming in and that two firms had inquired about taking over the park for a day of staff activities.
Taking the mickey?
* Hongkongers can't get enough of taking photographs. But they don't want to pay for them and will photograph the monitor image of the Space Mountain ride, for example
* Parents will also photograph their children standing next to a balloon seller but won't buy a balloon
* At the Mad Hatter Tea Cups, they will get out just before the ride starts to take photographs, causing the ride to stop automatically
* Groups occupy a table in a restaurant for the whole day as a base camp for their trip
this and the piece about Wu are both taken from the unlinkable S.C.M.P.