Last month it was announced that both Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland would both close for the foreseeable future to help prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. I had originally planned to visit Hong Kong Disneyland last week when I was in the city for work to renew my Magic Access annual pass. However I decided to visit the resort just to be able to see what a closed Hong Kong Disneyland looks like with no one else around. How could a place that I’m so used to seeing full of people suddenly be so empty?

Despite Hong Kong Disneyland being closed, the Disneyland Resort Line on the MTR is still running but with a reduced service of six trains an hour as the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel is still open at this time – the Explorer’s Lodge Hotel and Disney’s Hollywood Hotel are also both closed. The MTR is also needed by the Cast Members at the resort to get to and from work.

I took the MTR from Tung Chung close to Hong Kong Airport to Sunny Bay and the first strange thing that has never ever happened before was that I was one of only two people to get off the train at this station. I am used to seeing so many people waiting here for the train to Hong Kong Disneyland but there was only three other people standing on the platform. Once the train arrived, they all boarded the first carriage so I had the other two carriages all to myself. I have been on the train when it’s been quiet before but never this empty – it felt really bizarre.

After arriving at Disneyland Resort station, it was also strange to see no one on the platform waiting to get back onto the train – there was only a few members of staff meticulously cleaning every part of the station. Next to the escalator in the station was also the first sign that I saw that said the park was closed.

Even though I had barely seen another person, walking out of the MTR station was strange as the first thing you see is the Hong Kong Disneyland sign which is always surrounded by crowds of people taking photos (even more so at a weekend given I was there on a Saturday which is usually packed) but on this day, there was no one in sight.

Walking towards the entrance to Hong Kong Disneyland were more signs mentioning that the park was closed due to the Coronavirus outbreak. It also took me a few minutes to realise that there was no background music playing which there always is – that’s when it really felt eerie.

At this time I also saw a few people hanging around and taking some photos so I was not the only one there. Despite wearing a face mask throughout my visit to Hong Kong and making sure to wash my hands at every opportunity, I (and the other tourists I saw) did not feel the need to wear a mask whilst here as there was so few people to be seen – it often felt like I was there alone.

There were also banners up for the Hong Kong Disneyland Chinese New Year event which had only run for just over two weeks before the park had closed and this would have been the final weekend for it.

Seeing the Surfing Mickey fountain next to the park entrance with the water turned off and not working was incredibly bizarre.

Even with everything I had seen so far and knowing that the park was closed, seeing the closed gates of Hong Kong Disneyland was heartbreaking.

I decided to walk to the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel as I wanted to look in the gift shop as I knew some of the new Easter park merchandise was available. During the walk I saw some groups of tourists heading from the hotel towards the MTR station – possibly people staying at the hotel who could not cancel their travel plans and wanted something to do as they could not go to the park as they had originally planned.

Once at the hotel I wore a face mask (I tended to follow what everyone else was doing) and had my temperature checked before I could enter the hotel – this was not unique to the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel but to most hotels in Hong Kong. Once inside there was some people walking around, some in the restaurant as well as some in the shop too. I bought a mug I had seen a photo of online and was even given some free gifts with my purchase.

After saying thank you to the incredible and kind Cast Members at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, I walked back to the MTR station to go back to my hotel near the airport. I did see a few more people on my way back taking photos at the closed Hong Kong Disneyland park gates just like I had done a little while beforehand. There was a few more people on the MTR back to Sunny Bay than there had been when I arrived at the resort.

Seeing Hong Kong Disneyland closed like this was incredibly surreal and something I never ever thought I would see. I remember back in December on a very quiet day at the park wondering if the crowds would pick up again for Chinese New Year but never thinking that the park would be closed instead.

Hong Kong is one of my most favourite cities in the world and my heart is breaking for everyone who lives there right now as they have had so much to deal with in the last year from the protests to the Coronavirus outbreak. I hope everything soon gets better and life goes back to normal. I cannot wait to go back.

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