Family Fun in Ocean Park, Hong Kong

It was our third day in Hong Kong and I felt like we have only been there for a day. We’ve only been to a few interesting places and I am still craving for more! I am so glad that for this day, we are not required to join our organized travel tour, so we are free to visit any place to our liking. I actually thought of going again to Disneyland, even though we have visited the said theme park for our second day, we weren’t really able to enjoy because we only had limited time to spend there. However, because our ticket was only valid for one day, we decided to visit another famous theme park at Hong Kong, Ocean Park!

yay for cuddly pandas at Ocean Park HK!

At that point, I was still at awe with Hong Kong’s efficient train system and it was also our first time to ride a double-decker bus. I was told by a friend recently that a new MTR station is being constructed and once completed, you can just take the train directly to Ocean Park, cool! At the year that we went there (2010), there was an ongoing promotion that enabled us to get discounts for the entrance ticket, we just needed to present our entrance ticket to Madame Tussauds that we also saw on our first day at HK.

with the whole family!

For starters, Ocean Park Hong Kong is an oceanarium, animal theme park and an amusement park in one package. It is one of Hong Kong largest theme parks and was opened in 1977 and since then, it has developed over 80 attractions, shows and rides which is why it is no question how it manages to draw millions and millions of tourists each year. The park is separated into two areas, The Waterfront and The Summit which are connected by a cable car system and the Ocean Express Railway.

Our family decided to focus on all the attractions except for riding any thrill rides. :( Apparently, we were with our parents who thought it would not be safe to try them even though it looks safe enough! We started our tour by seeing the Amazing Asian Animals. My younger sister likes panda very much so we probably took some of our time here. The area also has educational signage that walks the tourists through important must-knows about pandas.

I also didn’t know that there are actually red pandas! These pandas shares characteristics from both bears and raccoons maybe this is why they are so cute! We also got to see some playful otters that have too much energy to play around.

too bad they were all sleeping :(

Afterwards, we marveled around large helium balloons but sadly, we weren’t able to try and ride them because they were not operating it at the time. We then waited to have our turn for the ten-minute cable car ride to transfer to The Summit section. Alternatively, you can also take the Ocean Express Railway that we forgot to try because we just had so much fun at the cable car that we decided to ride the cable car again when we needed to go back to The Waterfront.

mudra and pudra! haha

Ocean Park's cable cars

We didn’t know what time the marine show at The Ocean Theater starts but boy, was I glad to have made it just in time! We got to watch a set of dolphins and seals put up a good show for everybody with their beautifully orchestrated leaps, jumps and twists. At the nearby Pacific Pier, we were also able to spot a habitat of seals and sea lions frolicking around.  

We had our lunch of ramen noodles that helped equip us with needed energy for the remaining time of the day, we still had lots of stuff to check out, more walking! As I have mentioned, animals are everywhere in Ocean Park, and even though you won’t have a chance to have an up close meet and greet with them, there are cute animal statues scattered all around the park. We were also able to catch a promotional display of characters from the movie How To Train Your Dragon.

you glorious creature you!

The Grand Aquarium that houses around 5,000 fishes was our next stop. You will be introduced to the friendly creatures of the sea, the display shows these sea creatures in different colorful illuminations that is pleasing to the eye.

For a needed break, stretch your legs and escape at a Japanese-themed garden wherein you could also relax by looking at these koi fishes. To end our trip, we made a quick stop for the gift shops but because there weren’t any items that my sister and I could afford with our meager budget, we were satisfied just to take pictures of them.

hayy so adorable but so expensive!

With the sun setting as our signal, we knew that it was time to go home. Even though we weren’t able to fully explore the park because we didn’t try the rides, I can say that we were able to spend quality family time! Here's to wishing I can get free tickets to Hong Kong soon! :P