Hong Kong Disneyland announced yesterday evening that they will be canceling this year’s New Year’s Eve Countdown Party.
The park released an official statement which cites possible transportation issues as the main cause for the cancelation and promised a refund for all guests who purchased the Disney New Year’s Even Countdown Party Package through Hong Kong Disneyland’s website.
Guests who are staying at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Hotels such as the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and the Disney Explorers Lodge will be able to take full advantage of separate countdown celebrations. But there is no word yet on whether or not this is simply a concern for guests visiting off-property which would allow for a “hotel guests only” night in the park. Disney’s New Year’s Eve Countdown Party! was scheduled to take place at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort on December 31, 2019.
Here’s the official statement as it appears on the website:
After evaluating the possible late night transportation situation, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort regrets to announce that the “Disney New Year’s Eve Countdown Party!” on December 31 will be cancelled. A refund will be arranged for each Guest who has purchased the Disney New Year’s Eve Countdown Party Package from the Hong Kong Disneyland official website. An email for the refund arrangements will be sent to each affected Guest within 1 one week.
The resort, same as previous years, will have countdown activities for our hotel guests. Guests are welcome to join us to celebrate and enjoy our Hotel and F&B offerings. For the latest offers, please go to our website for more information.
An Unsurprising End to Hong Kong Disneyland’s 2019
Hong Kong Disneyland‘s decision to cancel this event simply caps a very unfortunate year for the park as well as the entire archipelago. Disney’s second Far-East theme park has suffered greatly from a plummet in park attendance caused by Hong Kong’s intense civil unrest.
Related: Hong Kong Disneyland left a ghost town amid protests
The build-up of immense over-encroachment of Mainland China’s aggressive authoritarian communist government with the help of Hong Kong’s pro-China government–which included an extradition bill that was eventually dropped–has sparked pro-democracy protests all across the city.
Pro-democracy Protestors occupy the streets and their escalating clashes with violent, tear-gas-throwing police forces constantly bring transportation systems to a standstill. It is most likely that this is the “possible late-night transportation situation” Hong Kong Disneyland is referring to.
Disney’s Plans for Hong Kong Disneyland Continue
But while the protests have thinned the crowds for now, Disney’s plans for Hong Kong Disneyland’s Transformation marched on. At this year’s D23 Expo, Disney shared more information on its plans to replace the replica of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle with a brand new reimagined castle that will feature new daytime and nighttime spectaculars.
Hong Kong Disneyland will also host an entire themed land exclusively dedicated to the world of Frozen, and will magically transport guests to the Kingdom of Arendelle. Disney plans involve the release of something new at Hong Kong Disneyland at several points between now and 2023.
Have you visited Hong Kong Disneyland recently? Do you have a trip planned sometime in the future? What advice would you give someone wanting to plan a trip there? Let us know in the comments.
Sources: hongkongdisneyland.com; bloomberg.com