The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul.
– Wyland
*Note: For this article, $ = HKD.
GETTING THERE
From Central/Tsim Sha Tsui:
1a. If coming from Tsim Sha Tsui, ride the MTR train going to Central direction at Tsim Sha Tsui station. Alight from the train at Admiralty Station. ($9.50 on single journey / $9.00 using octopus, 5 minutes).
1b. If coming from Central, ride either the Tsuen Wan Line train going to Tsuen Wan direction or Island Line train going to Chai Wan. Alight from the train at Admiralty Station. ($4.5 on single journey / $4.2 using octopus, 3 minutes)
2. Follow the directions in the MTR station leading to Ocean Park bus station (also known as Admiralty West Bus Station).
3. Ride Route 629 going to Ocean Park. ($10.60, 25 to 30 minutes).
From HK International Airport:
1. Ride the S1 bus going to Tung Chung Station. (30 – 35 min, $3.50) ***
2. From the Tung Chung Bus Station, go to Tung Chung MTR station by passing through Citygate Mall. ***
3. Ride MTR and alight from the train at Hong Kong Station. ($24.00 using single journey / $21.00 using octopus, 30 minutes) ***
4. From Hong Kong Station, use the subway to go to Central Station.
5. Follow the directions above going to Ocean Park coming from Central.
*** Alternative route going to Hong Kong Station from the airport: Ride the Airport Express. ($100 either on single journey or octopus, 25 minutes)
Entrance to the Ocean Park
TICKETS AND DISCOUNTS
Standard Day Tickets for adults cost $320 each. ($160 each for kids)
You may purchase discounted Ocean Park tickets at the China Travel Services (CTS) in HK International Airport. Also available in CTS are tickets in Disneyland HK, The Peak (plus Madame Tussauds and Sky Terrace 428), Ngong Ping Skyrail, Prepaid Sim Card, etc.
Discounted tickets are also available online: Asia Travel, Ticket Mart.
PREPARATIONS
Trying to ride and see all the attractions in Ocean Park Hong Kong would really be tiring. Plan your day. Visit their website and familiarize yourself to the park map and on the attractions that the park offers. Decide on which attractions to prioritize and how you want the flow of your tour to happen. If you have an Android or iPhone, it is highly recommended that you download the Ocean Park app to help you make your decisions. Using the app, you may also confirm the shows’ schedule on the day of your visit. The Ocean Park HK app is available in Google Play and in the App Store.
Drinking water fountain are available in the park so I suggest that you bring water bottle so that you have something to drink while in a queue. A small face towel would be your friend especially during summer. It is also desirable to bring a traditional fan or portable electric fan whichever is more convenient to you. For the water rides, it’s good to bring disposable poncho — ponchos are also available in the park, but are so expensive. Some rides require to leave your things in the provided shelves, so it would also be great if you have a small bag where you can put all your items on.
Take note that it is nearly impossible to ride and see everything in a day during peak season. Also, this article is written for adult audience, attractions for kids were skipped.
MUST-RIDE AND MUST-SEE ATTRACTIONS
Rides:
– Hair Raiser
– The Rapids
– Mine Train
– The Flash
– Cable Car
Shows/Encounters:
– Ocean Wonders (schedule for Sept 9: 12:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:30pm, 5:30pm) **
– Sea Jelly Spectacular (whole day)
– The Grand Aquarium (whole day)
– Symbio! (7PM for September 2014) **
** Show schedules are not fixed. Please do not rely on this article for the schedule. It is best to check the official park’s show schedule before going there.
MAXIMIZE YOUR DAY
In order to make the most out of your day in Ocean Park HK, you must be in the park entrance at least 10 minutes before it opens. The park opens at 10:00 AM. If you will be coming from Tsim Sha Tsui or Central, leave your hotel not later than 9:15 AM. Once there, grab a park map.
Ocean Park is divided into two large areas: The Waterfront and The Summit. The Waterfront is where you will land upon entering the park. To go to The Summit, you have to ride either the Cable Car or the Ocean Express. Each large areas are further subdivided into sub-areas, where each sub-area has a unique theme.
The moment the park opens, the crowd will be able to enjoy Aqua City, wherein the Lagoon and the Grand Aquarium are located. As experienced, the visitors are held at Aqua City for few more minutes before actually allowing everyone to go to any other part of the park. Do not be tempted to go to the Grand Aquarium yet. Most people would go there and you would not want to be part of a long queue. Besides you would want to finish the most in-demand attractions first to avoid the very long queues in the afternoon.
The moment the visitors are allowed to roam around the whole park, go directly to the Ocean Express and ride the train going to The Summit. Once there, go to either the Hair Raiser in the Thrill Mountain sub-area or The Rapids in the Rainforest, whichever you prefer to do first. These two are the rides that have queues getting really long in the afternoon (like an hour to 75 minutes waiting time). Hair Raiser is HK’s first and only floorless roller coaster. It is so extreme that riders are plunged towards the sea with their legs dangling in the air — precautions must be observed. The Rapids is a ride on a rushing river. It could get you wet, so better wear a poncho.
You may opt to ride either the Whirly Bird, the Flash or the Rev Booster next. All these three are spinning, so, again, observe precautions.
Whirly Bird is a classic chair swing ride wherein riders are able to maneuver their plane using a sensitive joystick.
The Flash is described by Ocean Park website as a diabolical ride, rising over 22 m high, that could turn you around 360 degrees, at a dizzying max speed of 60 kph. Now, imagine a giant bolt spinning on its body and rotating vertically.
The diabolical “The Flash”
I never ride Rev Booster because, as observed, the riders seem dizzy right after their alight the trains. And I don’t like that feeling. Rev Booster is driven by strong musical rhythms into sudden reversals of direction, generating body-twisting centrifugal force (and yes, makes you dizzy). Try not to eat before trying this attraction.
After this triple threat spinning attractions in the Thrill Mountain, go to the Polar Adventure sub-area. There you may meet walruses and spotted seals (North Pole Encounter), different species of penguins (South Pole Encounter), and Arctic fox (Arctic Fox Den). Aside from these encounters, there is Arctic Blast, which is a roller coaster that the whole family (including kids, yes) can enjoy. Since the queues involve groups of families, it can be very very long even in the morning — so I do not prefer to ride it.
Take your lunch! 😀 I personally like the ones in the Marine World sub-area.
Speaking of Marine World, there is where you should go next. Since you just had your lunch, it would be better to start off with Sea Jelly Spectacular and Shark Mystique. It is also a good time to watch Ocean Wonders at the Ocean Theatre. Take note of the show sched!
There are six rides at the edges of Marine World: The Abyss, Crazy Galleon, The Dragon, Eagle, Ferris Wheel and Flying Swing. I would suggest not to miss the first three in the list and ride the last three when you still have time later.
The Abyss is a turbo drop type of amusement ride. It raises the passengers in the sky for half a minute before thrusting them downward at a speed faster than a freefall. Crazy Galleon is a suspended ship that tilts passengers back and forth like of a pendulum while the Dragon is super fast roller coaster with two giant loops where the cars will twist and turn. The Eagle is a double-spinning ride with four legs. The gondolas revolves around the end of each leg while the legs are also revolving around the tower.
The double-spinning “The Eagle”
After those breathtaking rides, relax again with the seals and sea lions in the Pacific Pier. Or you might want to ride the Ocean Park Tower, an observation tower with rotating observation deck, to have 360° views of the South China See, Aberdeen and Lantau.
From Pacific Pier, look for the escalator going down the Adventure Land, wherein you can find three rides: Raging River, Mine Train and Space Wheel. Raging River is a log-flume-type water ride that takes passengers through waterfalls, ravines and finishes by shooting them down a slide. Mine Train is a roller coaster perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking Aberdeen Harbour. Space Wheel is a rotating ride that rises to a 90 deg elevation. Space Wheel could make you dizzy, so think twice before riding it.
After the Adventure Land, it’s time to go back to The Waterfront area. This time ride the Cable Car, which is 1.5 km line and offers a nice view of the South China Sea to passengers. You might want to take some snack first before riding it. Or have a taste of the street food in the Old Hong Kong sub-area once you get out of the Cable Car ride.
Most of the attractions in The Waterfront area are animals and plants. See the cute Giant Pandas and the Red Panda at the Panda Village. Or goldfish at the Goldfish Treasures. Or monkeys at the HK Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures.
The most important, of course, is the Grand Aquarium, which boasts the world’s largest viewing dome in an aquarium. Guests have a chance to get up close with 400 species of fish including hammerhead and manta rays. At this time, the queue to enter the Aquarium would be relatively shorter. Take your time to explore this aquarium. Spend at least an hour. Breathe and feel the ambiance. Be a kid again. Read the information in each of the areas. Imagine and learn.
After the amazing Grand Aquarium, the next would be Symbio! which schedule varies from 7PM to 8PM depends on the month and day. Again, better to see the park show’s schedule for that day before going to Ocean Park — use the mobile app! If there still a lot of time, go back to the attractions that you were not able to ride.
Symbio! is hosted at the Lagoon in front of the Grand Aquarium in Aqua City. It is a night time show that features the world’s first and only 360° water screen. The show also features fireworks and sound effects, set against a soundtrack composed by a composer. It illustrates the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature through the story of two dragons.
DECISIONS ARE UP TO YOU
The plan provided above is just one of the many possible ways to enjoy Ocean Park HK in one day. You may follow it, modify some parts or create your own plan. It’s really up to you to decide.
There could also be a moment that you would need to prioritize a certain attraction over another. So follow what your heart says and enjoy the moment!
TL;DR
To maximize a day in Ocean Park Hong Kong, do the following:
- download the Android or iOS app
- plan which rides you want to prioritize, check the schedule of the live animal shows
- bring a refillable bottle of water to save money, water fountains are available in the park
- bring a small bag to place your things in
- be at the gate before the opening time
- get a park map before entering the park
- ride the most in-demand ride first in the morning to avoid the long queues in the afternoon
- do not miss the shows
- do not ride an attraction if you believe that it is too extreme for you
- see the cute Pandas!
Enjoy!
For questions, feel free to leave a comment below!
Love,
Lakwatserong Developer
Lakwatserong Developer 
