As a kid, I had always heard of Ocean Park in Hong Kong and assumed it was just like SeaWorld (although oddly enough, I had been to neither). But a few weeks prior to going to Hong Kong, we had just returned from DisneyWorld. I thought we were going to suffer from amusement park overload. But fortunately, not only was the weather nicer in Hong Kong than in Orlando, but Ocean Park was also a lot nicer than I had originally envisioned.

In fact, I might even go ahead and say that I liked Ocean Park more than Disney World. Let us begin with the ticket price. You really get more bang for your buck. It was only about $30 for admission and a short bus ride away. Currently they are also building a new metro station there to up the convenience factor. You know how in many popular amusement parks you have to spend all day waiting for rides and not actually get to see most of the park? We actually covered a lot of ground. Just prepare to have a bunch of mainlanders who have no understanding of a queue to cut you in line. It happens very often.

There are two modes of transportation from the lower section of the park to the summit: shuttle train (Ocean Express) and cable car. From afar, it looks like cable car is the obvious choice. You get to see the water, the mountains, the entire park in all its beauty. And it really is an awesome ride. BUT unless you want to wait at least an hour in line for that, I suggest going with the shuttle train in the morning (only about a 5-10 min wait) and then take the cable car down later in the afternoon once you’ve explored the summit. Much shorter lines. Besides, the train is air conditioned and a lot faster.

There are a bunch of standard amusement park rides, and the park is divided up into themed areas. Kind of like DisneyWorld. Except all in one park! We didn’t go on too many of the rides because I’m a scaredy cat, but the observation tower was quite nice for its view of the park.

There are pandas, several aquariums, and sea-themed performances. Including a dolphin show that’s not to be missed. Throughout the park they’ll keep hammering the message of environmental protection into your head. A noble effort, but then again, they still have wild animals performing. Just remember not to eat shark fin soup, people!

My favorite part of the park is the Little Hong Kong area, where they recreate old Hong Kong. Very nostalgic, especially since modern-day Central is all glitzy and glamorous with its high rises. Plus, if you’re hungry you can have some decent Chinese amusement park food at decent prices while listening to 忘不了.

At night, stick around for the water show. there’s fire, fireworks, projections – it’s worth the wait.