A bit of a late night out on the Star Ferry exploring last night sets us back in getting out the door again this morning. Luckily the Hong Kong metro is efficient and we arrive at Ocean Park from our apartment in Causeway Bay in about half an hour, virtually no time!
The boys are excited. We only told them about this outing this morning (admittedly due to a last minute change of plans, rather than a conscious effort to build the suspense).
We line for tickets and the queues are once again efficient. We are in the gates quickly. Our luck runs out a little as we make a beeline for the cable car ride from the Waterfront to the Summit and encounter a 30 minute wait. Instead we opt for the no-wait Ocean Express train to the Summit.
Here we emerge, seemingly on top of Hong Kong once again (similar to the feeling on Victoria Peak). There is a multitude of rides to choose from. We select the Arctic Blast roller coaster to begin with, providing enough of a thrill to be dubbed a success. A turn on the Rapids is followed by the Exhibition Trail through a rainforest setting where you can view tropical birds up close, joining them in their own enclosure.
There is other exotic fauna here too – frogs, turtles, lizards and snakes. We take out time.
Next, we make our way to the dolphin and seal show. A long build up in a large crowd for one of the two shows a day leaves me slightly underwhelmed by the presentation, particularly when compared to the spectacular show and information that is provided during the likes of similar shows at Sea World on the Gold Coast, the Dolphin Park in Dubai (both have dolphins and seals) or Taronga Zoo (seals only). Nevertheless, the boys enjoy it well enough.
By now it is lunchtime and we stop in at Cafe Ocean for a laksa with a view. After lunch we split up. The reason is twofold. Harley (5 years) is still to small for many of the rides. This, combined with the fact that the boys have been at each other all morning indicates that we all need a little time apart.
Jason takes Harley off for some more suitable rides and an ice cream while Jasper and I work our way through The Dragon, the Raging River, the Mine Train and the Shark Mystique exhibition.
The Dragon is a three loop scream enducing 130 seconds of your life that will either leave you green and queasy or grinning for more.
The Raging River is a rather pleasant boat ride down a moderately fast man made ‘river’ until you come to the almost vertical drop right at the end. I ended up soaked – though I was warned!
The Mine Train is Hong Kong’s first virtual reality (VR) roller coaster. The train takes you on a roller coaster ride out over the edge of Hong Kong Island with a dramatic drop down to the Aberdeen Channel. As if that’s not thrill enough, add the VR experience to adventure through the rainforest, dive into the ocean and fly through the sky whilst dodging robot attacks, the wind in your hair and butterflies in your stomach.
The Shark Mystique is a large aquarium where you enter at the top of the round shark pool and wind your way down a spiralling ramp to the bottom of the ocean. Once again, I think we have been a bit spoiled with prior shark encounters at Sea World, Sydney Aquarium and Dubai Aquarium.
After our own ice cream treat we join the line for the cable car back down to the Waterfront. I pick this a likely the highlight of my day although remember my screams from The Dragon does bring a grin, wishing for more. Partly because it was fun and partly because I still can’t believe I agreed to ride it in the first place – triple loop and all!
As we ride the Cable Car – which feels more like a human sized canary cage – back down to the Waterfront, the sun is setting and the lights of the fun fair begin to twinkle in the dusk.
There is much more to do here, we have virtually missed half of the park spending the day at the Summit, including The Grand Aquarium, but given the string of late nights and our jet lag nagging at the edges, Jason prompts our departure and I, somewhat reluctantly despite the arguments in favor, agree. We leave the twinkling lights and promise of more thrills behind for another day.
Good To Know
Admission to Ocean Park is comparable to other theme parks (HK$480 for an adult and half price for children aged 3 to 11).
Get there early on the very efficient metro from Admiralty to avoid queues that build as the day progresses.
For small and young children (under approx. 132cm) Hong Kong Disneyland may be a better option for rides as it better caters for the younger ones.
Would I Return?
No. Perhaps with older children for the rides or with very young children if you have never seen large aquatic life up close before. We may have been better off at Disneyland given the age of our children. However, in my opinion, although an enjoyable experience, there are better theme parks/rides (Tivoli Gardens, Motiongate) and better ocean/aquarium experiences out there. For me it seemed a shame both to mix the two (rides and ocean life) in a park so big that it could really be two experiences. It also seemed a shame to spend a day in Hong Kong, with its rich cultural offerings, at a theme park. The boys did enjoy it, but to be fair, they enjoy all theme parks!
