THREE DUDES AT DISNEYLAND
August 21 Sunday 2005

Get three guys to go to Disneyland, and you're inevitably going to start discussing who you think the hottest "Disney Chick" of all time is.

I've always been torn between the Gypsy Girl Esmeralda (because she's voiced by the husky Demi Moore) and Belle (simply because she's an avid reader and loves her Dad so much). I would have said Jessica Rabbit too (for a couple of obvious reasons), but I'm not sure if she's really a full-blown Disney character.

After much deliberation, I think the general consensus is that Belle is the "finest Disney Chick" of all time; for it was Belle who got Nate, Chris and I, free entry into Disneyland. Belle is played by our friend McClain in one of the shows, and she got us limited "rehearsal day tickets", even though Disneyland isn't open to the public yet.

We managed to get on most of the major rides, and we were having such a blast that it was on more than one occasion that Disneyland staff thought of taking action. But it was all innocent fun, at least until the "spinning tea-cups", which left the three of us incredibly disorientated and nauseous like you wouldn't believe. The "Golden Mickey's" show was fantastic (I highly recommend it), and we certainly let Belle hear our appreciation, much to the annoyance of the people around us and to the amusement of those on stage.

As the day went on I noticed that queues were twice as long for having your photo taken with Disney Characters, than it was to get on most of the rides. And there were probably twice as many restaurants and souvenir shops than anything else. Interestingly, I read an article that said: ... when asked what they most wanted to get out of Disneyland, two-thirds of main-land Chinese people said, "to take photographs and buy things".

So if you're looking for a theme park with lots of white-knuckle rides and roller coasters, your best bet is still Ocean Park. But if you're looking for that special "Disney-Experience" - Hong Kong Disneyland is the place to go. Just remember to bring your camera.

Addendum: I've just realised that neither Esmeralda, Belle or Jessica Rabbit are actually "princesses" - unlike many of the Hong Kong girls I've had the pleasure of meeting lately.