Visit Hong Kong: Ocean Park

One of my kids wanted to see a panda since we were in a Special Administrative Region of China, after all, so we made a decision to go to Ocean Park.

Ocean Park is an aquarium / zoo / amusement park all wrapped into one (it reminded me of Sea World).

It is a huge property, full of steep hills, and to get from one side to the other, you can take the Ocean Express (a train ride which shows videos as if you were underwater) or ride the Cable Car.

There were all sorts of carnival type rides, thrill rides, and other types of experiences. 

The Rapids

The Rapids is similar to the white water rides at other parks, but it was much shorter in duration.  It was fun, however, and we did get wet.  The family rode this ride multiple times.

They do offer FasTrack to beat any standby lines for rides and attractions, but there was no need for them at all when we went.  The lines were pretty non existent for everything.  

We did see a panda!  When we arrived to the Giant Panda Adventure, Ying Ying and Le Le were nowhere in sight.  We waited for a while, and thought we may have to return to try our luck, but as soon as a bunch of kid groups came in, Le Le emerged (we think he was brought out because of the kids).

We saw all sorts of animals and sea creatures.

My favorite exhibits were the Sea Jelly Spectacular and Shark Mystique.

The Grand Aquarium was large, but they had a lot of Baby Shark props and decals over some of the tanks, which may be appealing to some kids, but IMO they shouldn't have been on some of the displays. The props were fun for photo ops, however.  

They had numerous eateries on site (including Michelin Guide recommend eateries), and we went to Ice Cream Delight for some much needed cool treats.  

We had lunch at Club Panda, since it was air conditioned.  

There were several gift shops, animal experiences (for extra), and even a water fountain show.  

Of note - I did get a lot of bites here (from both mosquitoes and midges), so make sure to bring insect repellent in addition to sunscreen.

There really was a lot to do at Ocean Park.  You can spend an entire day there!  

Ocean Park Hong Kong

180 Wong Chuk Hang Road

Aberdeen, Hong Kong

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Visit South Korea: Lotte World

Some links below are affiliate.

Lotte World was not on our itinerary for South Korea, but when my oldest son requested we go there, we figured, "Why not?"

We bought "Foreigner" discounted tickets off of Klook, which included one Magic Pass ride per person.  

We caught the train to Lotte World, and had to go to a specific entrance to redeem our tickets.  We went on the Wild Jungle and Wild Wing Rides, both of which had fairly short waits.  They were essentially "virtual" rides, where you watch a huge screen and the ride car moves according to what is on screen, so you feel like you are spinning, falling, or flying through the air.

Then we went to look for more rides.  The area we were at, Underland, consisted of more "kiddie" rides, so we went to look for the big kid rides . . . which turned out to be not so easy!

Eventually we found our way to the Adventure area, which consisted of a number of rides, a small food court, and shops, all indoors.

There are multiple levels in Adventure, which we eventually figured out after looking for rides, and for the most part, lines were pretty long, so we pretty much just ate lunch and watched the parade in Adventure.

There is very limited seating in the food court area, which was very surprising considering the number of people at the amusement park, so be prepared to scramble for seats!

Parade is show on the big screen

The food options were limited, but I thought what we ordered was good.  

We were satisfied, and ready to go to Magic Island - the outdoor portion of the amusement park.

It was very difficult to even find out how to get there!  After getting lost a few times, we finally found the bridge to get to Magic Island.

We happened to go during Halloween festivities, so the park was decked out in ghoulish decor.

It was amazing how many people were there.  It was just a sea of tweens and teens at Magic Island.  I saw very few adults and young kids (they were mostly at Adventure).

Lines were crazy long for both food and rides, but fortunately we had a Magic Pass each for the rides.

The rules to redeem the Magic Pass had changed, and after searching online and asking people around the park, we finally figured out that you simply had to go to the Magic Pass entrance, show your ticket, and the park employee manually writes something on the ticket to show that your Magic Pass has been used.  Not as technologically advanced as I thought it would be, but it worked.

My oldest son loves rides so he was the one who made use of the Magic Passes to ride a few things at Magic Island.

As it was getting late and started to rain, I helped him use up a Magic Pass, and we went on the Atlantis coaster.

The castle was lit up with Halloween images, and it was pretty neat.

Lotte World packs a lot into very small spaces, and I imagined the rides to be more spread out across a bigger area.  The small area made it feel way more cramped, considering how long the lines were.

There is of course a Disney vibe, and many of the rides are a take on classic Disney ones.

We got lost a lot, and didn't get to do as much as we had hoped, but it was still something to experience.  

Lotte World
240 Olympic-ro

Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea

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Visit Minneapolis: Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America

An amusement park in a mall?  That's right.  At the Mall of America, you'll find Nickelodeon Universe, the nation's largest indoor theme park, with seven acres of attractions dedicated to beloved characters such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora, Blue, and more.

Stepping into the Nickelodeon Universe, the kids couldn't help but get excited seeing rides based on The Backyardigans, Wonder Pets, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and other Nickelodeon favorites.  

Our family was fortunate to receive all-day wristbands, which meant unlimited rides all day long.

There are rides for all ages and all levels of thrill-seekers.

From mini bumper cars to coasters that spin and plunge, there is something for everyone!

My youngest enjoyed the Paw Patrol Adventure Bay, which was full of places to slide, climb, and crawl.

My middle son liked the Backyardigans Swing-Along and kept going on it again and again.

My oldest loves roller coasters, and he rode the Pepsi Orange Streak coaster several times.

My fave was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shell Shock, a high-flying ride that enables riders to completely flip over - if you're daring enough (I wasn't daring enough).

At the end of the night, guests can watch the Universe of Light Show, a fun laser and music show that will get kids dancing!

I loved that Nickelodeon Universe is in the Mall of America, which meant air conditioning!  Even though the outside temperature was in the 80s, it was so cool and comfortable at the amusement park.

In addition to rides, there are food stands as well as retailers to buy Nickelodeon gear.  

As a parent to a child with autism, I appreciated the fact that the Nickelodeon Universe is a Certified Autism Center, with staff trained on sensory disorders.  

The lines were minimal, seating was plenty, and if we needed a break, we could always shop or browse at one of the hundreds of stores at the mall.

Nickelodeon Universe was definitely a highlight during our visit to Minneapolis!

Nickelodeon Universe
Mall of America® Address

5000 Center Ct

Bloomington, MN 55425

Mahalo to the sponsor for the complimentary admission.

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Visit Orlando: Our Favorite Eats at Disney World

You can find this all-beef foot long hot dog at Casey's Corner in the Magic Kingdom along with Corn Dog nuggets! 

We spent two days at each of the Disney World parks and ate to our hearts' content!  Thank goodness for all the walking we did in between!  Here's a quick recap of what we enjoyed! 

Ooh this pastry with chocolate chips was yummy!  The Cheshire Cat Tail is sold in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom. 

This colossal pretzel was bigger than Cade's head!  Find it in Pandora inside Animal Kingdom.   

I absolutely loved this ice cream cone!  Enough to share even if you don't want to and perfect to combat that Florida heat!  Find it at Anandapur Ice Cream Truck in Animal Kingdom. 

This delicious fruity pebble ice cream sammie was actually off the kids' menu, but it was the highlight of our meal at the Coral Reef restaurant in Epcot. 

A variety of fresh French pastries from France in Epcot.  My favorite was the chocolate cream filled beignet.  The pastries were so delicious we stopped at the bakery each time we visited Epcot. 

We also found some delicious fish and chips in Epcot.

After the Soarin' Around the World ride in Epcot, we looked for a snack at their café.  Cade found a cute Mickey cheesecake. 

The Belle cupcake was sold out so we decided on this red velvet cupcake for Lauren. 

This spicy chicken and waffle sandwich was truly one of my favorites!  You can find it at Sleepy Hollow Refreshments in the Magic Kingdom along with other waffle creations.

We didn't realize how huge this ice cream sandwich would be when we ordered one for each kid!  Two huge scoops of your choice of ice cream sandwiched between two gigantic chocolate chip cookies!  Get it at Hollywood Scoops in Disney's Hollywood Studios.

While we enjoyed the tasty fried chicken and pot roast, the chocolate-peanut butter layered cake was a fave!  Get it at the 50's Prime Time Café in Hollywood Studios.  

Of course we had to try the grey stuff!  It was delicious!  Don't believe me?  Ask the dishes!  Every guest will receive some grey stuff for dessert at the Be Our Guest restaurant in the Magic Kingdom.

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