Ocean Park or Disneyland?

The short answer, by group

Both parks are big, both are easy to reach by train, and neither is a bad choice. The difference is what each is built around. Ocean Park is built around animals, rides and a mountain setting. Hong Kong Disneyland is built around characters and stories from films. Match the park to the people in your group rather than to a ranking, and the choice usually settles itself. The list below is a rule of thumb, not a verdict. Both parks are real full-day trips, so the useful question is who is coming with you, not which park has more attractions.

• Ocean Park suits: travellers who want giant pandas, an aquarium, roller coasters and views over the South China Sea.
• Ocean Park suits: teenagers and adults who would rather ride than meet characters.
• Hong Kong Disneyland suits: families with younger children who know and love the characters.
• Hong Kong Disneyland suits: groups who want shows and themed streets more than rides.

What Ocean Park is

Ocean Park Hong Kong opened on 10 January 1977 and, according to Wikipedia, is the largest theme park in Hong Kong by area. It began as a marine-life centre and grew into a park with two main areas, the Waterfront and the Summit, set on either side of a mountain. A cable car and an underground funicular called the Ocean Express link them. Wikipedia counts seven zones across the two areas. The park is run by Ocean Park Corporation, which the park's site lists as a charitable institution. The idea of a marine-life centre on this headland was first proposed in 1959, and a large redevelopment from 2006 added zones such as Aqua City, the Rainforest and Polar Adventure over the following years.

What Hong Kong Disneyland is

Hong Kong Disneyland sits on reclaimed land at Penny's Bay on Lantau Island and opened on 12 September 2005, according to Wikipedia. It is owned by a joint venture between the Hong Kong government and The Walt Disney Company. Wikipedia says the park is divided into themed lands, and that on entering a land a guest is meant to be surrounded by that land's setting. It also says the design drew on Chinese customs, including feng shui, and that its daily capacity is the lowest of all the Disneyland parks. Wikipedia adds that it was the second Disneyland in Asia to open, after Tokyo.

Getting there

The two trips are different. Ocean Park is on the south side of Hong Kong Island: the South Island line starts at Admiralty, and Ocean Park station sits beside the main entrance, with a footbridge to the gate. Hong Kong Disneyland is on Lantau: Wikipedia describes a shuttle train, the Disneyland Resort line, that runs between Sunny Bay station and the park, with Sunny Bay as the interchange for the Tung Chung line. Neither needs a car, and both stations are built for visitors. The station is recent: it opened in December 2016, which is why older advice online may describe a bus-only trip.

Read next: Getting to Ocean Park

Layout and walking

Ocean Park is hilly by design. The Waterfront sits at the base and the Summit sits up the mountain, so a day involves slopes and stairs as well as the two lifts between them. Wikipedia notes an outdoor escalator system that links zones on the Summit. Hong Kong Disneyland, by Wikipedia's account, is a set of separate themed lands, each screened from the others. If anyone in your group tires quickly, the lifts between Ocean Park's halves help, but plan rest stops either way. The cable car between the two halves crosses the headland with views of the South China Sea, and Wikipedia calls it a signature of the park.

Animals or characters

This is the real dividing line. Ocean Park keeps giant pandas, red pandas, penguins, sharks and rays, sea lions and dolphins, and runs programmes that put visitors near some of them. Wikipedia says the park has housed giant pandas since 1999. Hong Kong Disneyland is organised around characters and stories rather than animals. If a day with the pandas and the aquarium sounds right, book Ocean Park. If a day with characters and parades sounds right, that is the other park. At the aquarium, Wikipedia describes a reef tunnel and a panoramic gallery, and the park's Get Closer to the Animals programmes offer supervised encounters with some residents.

Rides compared

Ocean Park's rides are concentrated on the Summit. The park's own attractions page lists thrill rides such as Hair Raiser, a floorless roller coaster, and The Flash, a ride that lifts riders 22 metres into the air and spins them, alongside gentler family rides. Wikipedia lists four roller coasters in the park. Hong Kong Disneyland's rides are tied to its lands and stories. Each park publishes its own height and age rules, so check them for the youngest and tallest members of your group before you choose. The Rapids, a river-raft ride in the Rainforest zone, is built to soak its riders, so bring a change of clothes if you plan to try it.

Time, crowds and a second day

Treat each park as a full day. Wikipedia names Hong Kong Disneyland as the most visited theme park in Hong Kong, followed by Ocean Park, so neither is a hidden place. If you have two days to spare, doing both on separate days is easier than trying to squeeze them together, because they are on different islands. The park's own Twin Park Offer has paired Ocean Park with its sister park Water World, not with Hong Kong Disneyland, so there is no joint ticket to look for.

If you have more than one day

With a single spare day, pick one park using the list at the top of this guide and do not try to squeeze a second in. With two days, doing one park per day works well, and the order matters little. With three or more days, Ocean Park pairs naturally with a quiet museum day, since Hong Kong has several large museums in West Kowloon. Whatever you pick, leave a buffer for weather, because both parks are mostly outdoors.

Booking Ocean Park from here

The booking button on this site goes to Klook, which sells Ocean Park admission in several packages: a fixed-date adult ticket, an open-date ticket valid for 180 days, admission with an Ocean FasTrack priority pass, and a child ticket. Every one of them is non-cancellable once booked. That matters for the comparison, because if you are still undecided between the two parks, you should settle it before you pay. The ticket guide on this site explains which package fits which plan. Klook shows the fare in your own currency at checkout.

Read next: Open-date or fixed-date?

Who Ocean Park isn't for

Ocean Park is not the right choice for visitors who object to marine mammals being kept and shown to the public. Wikipedia records that wildlife advocates have criticised the park for the wild capture of dolphins and orcas in its past and for shows featuring such animals. It is also not built around film characters, so children who mostly want to meet them will be happier elsewhere. And a non-cancellable ticket is a poor fit for anyone whose dates are uncertain, unless they take the open-date option.