Our stay at Hong Kong Disney Explorers Lodge

For our son Sabre's 7th birthday, we decided to just go to Hong Kong for a family vacation. Personally, I think I've become more practical through the years since his Ate Miley also didn't have a big party when she turned 7. We just celebrated in McDonald's because she wanted to have her own room as her main gift. I guess going on a trip was also a good idea since Sabre's birthday is during the summer. So it was the perfect time to travel since they wouldn't have to miss school or anything.

Anyway, I definitely wanted to book in a Disney hotel even for one night since the kids had so much fun the last time when we stayed in Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. This time, I wanted to try the Explorers Lodge since it's the newest hotel which only opened last year (April 30, 2017).

Featuring an “adventure” theme, the resort’s third hotel sits on a breathtaking waterfront location and has 750 rooms, three restaurants, four gardens, and an outdoor swimming pool. The exploration theme expands to the four unique tropical climates of Asia, Oceania, South America and Africa.

ONLINE BOOKING

I booked directly at the Hong Kong Disneyland website where you can find special offers. Price-wise, Hollywood Hotel is the cheapest and I believe has the smallest rooms. Disneyland Hotel is the most expensive, so Explorers Lodge is in the middle.

But Explorers Lodge is the only one that offers 2 Queen Beds, since Hollywood Hotel and even Disneyland Hotel only has 2 Double Beds (or a King Bed). So for me, Explorers Lodge is the most sulit for families.

I was supposed to get a Room + Park Tickets package, but then I was surprised when Miley and Sabre said they didn't want to go to Disneyland anymore. They've been there before and I guess they wanted something new naman. They got excited when I told them about Ocean Park and they decided they wanted to go there instead.

Anyway, if you're not aware, the Sleeping Beauty castle is under renovation plus there's no fireworks until probably next year. So it was okay lang pala na we didn't go kasi parang lugi right? Good thing I was still able to see the castle one last time and take lots of pics last August when I celebrated my birthday there!

I was able to get a Limited Time Hotel Offer deal for a total of 1,848 HKD* for a Standard Room (this includes taxes already) with Online Exclusive Privileges:
1) Free Room Upgrade - applies to the following room categories: Standard -> Deluxe
2) Attraction Priority Admission Pass to at least 1 park attraction
3) Dining coupons

* converted charge to my credit card was P12,513.93

Sayang we didn't even get to use these coupons since we didn't go to the park and we just ate in our room. But it was the room upgrade I was most after naman.

GETTING THERE

To get to the hotel, we took the MTR then boarded the Disney train at Sunny Bay Station.

Right when you exit the station you see the Hong Kong Disneyland arc, so of course we took pictures first. We also walked to the main entrance where the fountain was since we were there na din naman.

Afterwards, we walked to the shuttle area. We passed by the Disneyland Hotel first, then Explorers Lodge (last stop is the Hollywood Hotel).

HOTEL AMENETIES

We got to the hotel at 2:30pm and we were already given our room keys even if check-in was supposed to be at 3pm. Check-out the next day was at 11am.

lobby

love all the exploration theme details

The Trading Post which is the hotel's Disney store is also on the lobby level and offers special edition pins, toys, apparel, and collectibles for sale.

The kids ended up getting these - an Avengers bow and arrow set for Sabre (his birthday gift) and a bubble glow wand. The kids had been wanting this bubble wand ever since they first saw it at Ocean Park, so finally their dream came true lol! ;p

Complimentary wi-fi access is also available in guest rooms and in many public areas, including the main lobby and restaurants.


OUR ROOM

Based on the online booking, we were supposed to be upgraded from a Standard to Deluxe room. However, it seems we were upgraded to a Premium room since we were located on the 8th level (the topmost floor) Africa side. YAY!

To be honest, I really don't know if there's any difference in the rooms based on the size. I think it's just what floor you're on since Standard Rooms are located on 1/F, Deluxe Rooms are on 2/F to 6/F, and Premium Rooms are on 7/F and 8/F. All rooms have 2 Queen Beds and views of Garden or Landscape. The Sea View Rooms are the most expensive since obviously they have views of the sea.

Maximum occupancy of all rooms is 4 people. But I emailed the hotel and said I had 3 kids just to be sure and they said it was no problem.

2 Queen Beds and lots of floor space

view from our window

Just like the Disneyland Hotel, the Disney elements were subtle. But I preferred this because the exploration and adventure decor were more fun compared to the Victorian decor in the Disneyland Hotel.

above the beds are carvings of Mickey and Minnie

I liked the open closet with lots of hangers. There were 2 complimentary big bottles of water (although we also brought our own), a small ref, and water kettle.

above the mini bar is a picture of Daisy, Donald, and Goofy

Disney channel all day! More storage space in the dresser as well.

black-out curtains

the bedside lamps had dimmers so you could control how bright the lights were

For the bathroom, the sink area was separate from the toilet and shower. And there was no bathtub, unlike in Disneyland Hotel.

And of course I brought home all the toiletries and this cute tin can which contained the shower cap, shaver, toothbrush, etc.

Easter design for the tin box

SWIMMING POOL

The Rain Drop Pool is located close to the promenade and overlooking the South China Sea. It is open from 8:00AM to 10:00PM.

they provide lifevests for the kids and lifeguards were on patrol nearby

We went swimming at around 4:30pm and right when we got there we saw Goofy! He was just there dancing and taking pictures by the pool. Perfect timing!

It was great how the boys were the only ones swimming that time! There were lots of cabanas and lounging areas around the pool as well.

Ate Miley didn't want to swim so we just took a walk around the area

GARDENS

I got a chance to better explore the gardens the next morning with Sabre. We both woke up early and I decided it was a good opportunity to take pictures of him since we were celebrating his birthday.

There are four uniquely themed gardens that flank the four wings of the hotel:
Kevin Garden (Up) - the South American garden
Little Squirt Garden (Finding Nemo) - the Oceania garden
Hathi Jr. Garden (Jungle Book) - the Asian garden
Rafiki Garden (The Lion King) - the African Savannah garden

DINING

You have three in-house choices for places to eat:

Chart Room Cafe - This is their casual dining option with Western, Vegetarian, Snacks, International, Bakery, and Asian Cuisine. Still a bit pricey but this is the cheapest option in the hotel. This is where we ordered take-out and just ate in our room.

World of Color - They offer a large selection of cuisine from Western, Vegetarian, International, Halal, and Asian.

Dragon Wind - Serves International and Chinese Cuisine. I wasn't able to check the place out but this is where the character breakfast takes place, where you can have your photos taken with Mickey and Minnie in their adorable Explorers Outfits.


ADD-ONS

Btw, you can purchase themed room decoration packages for an extra charge. There was a “Celebration Room Decoration Package” for an additional 1,099.00 HKD.

This was around P7k and I personally thought it wasn't worth it considering we already have Mickey and Minnie stuffed toys from previous trips and the slippers were provided as part of the room amenities anyway (which I also took home of course). The balloons we can't take home as well, so I just decided to bring my own decors lol!

All these decors were less than P100 per piece from a department store. Just don't forget to bring a straw to inflate your foil balloons and masking tape as well. I was thinking of bringing our own Mickey and Minnie stuffed toys pa nga e, pero sayang lang sa luggage space haha! But you get the idea.

Happy 7th Birthday Sabre!

Final thoughts, we definitely liked it here more than the Disneyland Hotel. The room was spacious and the beds were big and fit all of us comfortably. And I just liked the overall adventure theme more. I'm glad we were able to maximize our stay considering our room cost P12k+. I mean if you're going to spend so much for the hotel, then dapat buong day ka talaga dun right? ;p

Sabre definitely enjoyed his birthday and as expected, the kids didn't want to leave the hotel. I promised them we're definitely coming back, probably for Skyler's 7th birthday naman. It was definitely a wonderful and magical experience, one that we'll never forget!