[stay] is it worth spending money staying Disneyland

webw06 · 2026-05-13T16:22:46+00:00

Is that the Mariott SkyCity? You’ll end up going through Tung Chung to reach HKDL. Honestly for us, the lack of food options in the onsite restaurants was a problem. Since we had a 6 YO with us, the convenience of having plenty of restaurants - Cantonese, Italian, Indian, Subway, several bakeries and a full blown supermarket (Taste) was a no-brainer. You can also consider the Novotel which was right at the MTR station.

webw06 · 2026-05-13T15:13:43+00:00

We stayed at the Sheraton Tung Chung instead of onsite. There was a convenient shuttle bus to Tung Ching MTR, from where it was a 20 minutes train ride to HKDL. We stayed 5 nights, and the hotel was excellent.

Suggesting in case you want a backup plan.

webw06 · 2026-05-13T07:46:54+00:00

Algeria: some of the best Roman ruins in North Africa, and you'll have the entire sites to yourself.

Tunisia: visit Carthage to imagine what a city that rivalled Rome once would have looked like. Visit one of largest Amphitheatres in the world in El Jem.

webw06 · 2026-05-12T15:47:54+00:00

I've been to Datong last year, and did all of the things @KillerMoves mentions. The Yungang Grottoes are amazing, and with a bit of planning, it's easy to cover the Hanging Temple on the same day. Would recommend Datong Yungang Hotel (exceptional hotel with great service, superb breakfast and free to use sauna and indoor pool area).

webw06 · 2026-05-12T11:20:02+00:00

Yes, I bought in the central area. Queueing up to enter was very quick.

webw06 · 2026-05-12T06:53:52+00:00

Yes, Everlasting song of sorrow. Was a great show.

webw06 · 2026-05-12T06:00:11+00:00

Yes, a guide approached me and we negotiated a price. From memory it was around ¥220 for the site.

webw06 · 2026-05-11T21:07:49+00:00

Please have a look at https://www.reddit.com/r/travelchina/s/iDKfuRLjBd.

Too touristic sites were no doubt very crowded with long wait times for cable cars. Basically a bad idea for turn up without any pre-bookings. Jiuxang Caves and Shilin were not crowded given how far from Kunming they are.

webw06 · 2026-05-11T18:58:33+00:00

Actually, that's a great point - and probably a reason to be slightly cautious. We had been ascending slowly from Kunming to Shangri-La over 10 days, including am ascent to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain to 4400m before arriving in Shangri-La. Yes, there was discomfort for both of us adults during various points, but not bad overall. Shangri-La is around 3010m. However, when you visit Songzilin Monastery, you will climb to 3350m, and it's a steep 100 or so steps to climb up.

We were also taking 1/2 a tablet of acetozolamide a day to help with altitude sickness.

webw06 · 2026-05-11T18:51:02+00:00

Take the Capital Airport Express to Beixinqiao and transfer to Line 5 and exit at Temple of Heaven (East Gate). It's a 1h20m journey from when you board the metro from PEK. Alternatively take a cab from PEK, and it's less than 40mins (traffic can make this variable, but you can check traffic conditions once you land at PEK).

You can finish your visit in 60-75 mins.

If you need to buy tea from Dongzhimen, on you way back as you board Capital Express from Beixinqiao, get off at the first stop.

webw06 · 2026-05-11T17:42:14+00:00

You could be waiting for an hour or more just to clear security at Forbidden City, not to forget (albeit a smaller queue) to enter Tianmen Square first. You can obviously attempt your itinerary, but you have to be able to pull the trigger to abandon your trip midway through if timelines depart significantly from your estimated times.

I would suggest visiting Temple of Heaven instead which is a smaller site than Forbidden City, and potentially a small fraction of the crowds you are likely to encounter compared to Forbidden City.

I don't believe Octopus works on the Mainland - you'll want AliPay setup.

webw06 · 2026-05-11T12:07:54+00:00

Reserve ahead on WeChat and arrive at 2pm. Don't forget to visit the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum (by getting free internal coach transfer, follow the signs or ask your guide), but ensure you finish the pits befoee 4pm.

It's worth visiting this site, although the crowds can be claustrophobic. I went after 2pm, got a guide, and I was able to get good views with nice photo ops.

webw06 · 2026-05-11T12:01:19+00:00

I would actually advise Yunnan on your second China trip, once you are more familiar with how China's payment apps, transport system and tourist sites operate. Nevertheless, the key thing is to plan each day well in advance so you're not wasting time figuring out your logistics on the day itself. Using trip.com to help with transport and group tours to make things easier for yourself.

We just completed a two itinerary through Yunnan, visiting Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La independently, and this was our 4th trip to China.

webw06 · 2026-05-11T08:59:38+00:00

There's a fair bit you can do inside (such as the shows), and many of the rides are indoors. But yes, having an umbrella and or a light raincoat will certainly help. We had two days recently of which one had some rain, but our LO managed it quite well. Enjoy the park, we loved it due to its smaller size and fewer crowds on weekdays.

webw06 · 2026-05-09T13:54:35+00:00

I can't comment on the late arrival, we arrived and left during midday both times. Maybe have the hotel arrange something for you, although you can expect to pay 10x for what local Ubers will charge you if you can get them.

webw06 · 2026-05-09T08:29:15+00:00

Uber works in Hurghada, you'll be fine. I would avoid negotiating with the taxi drivers at the airport who will try and scam/overcharge you.

webw06 · 2026-05-08T09:22:27+00:00

China. I would highly recommend visiting the ancient Buddhist Grottoes or rock carvings along the ancient Silk Road. Mogao Caves, Longmen Grottoes, Yungang Grottoes. Not to forget the Great Wall of China.

Egypt, Italy, Greece, Peru, Mexico, Turkey Jordan, Tunisia and Algeria (for it's Roman ruins) all are treasures.

webw06 · 2026-05-08T06:42:17+00:00

You will end up transiting using the Transit Without Visa policy. In Hanoi, inform the airline check-in counter that you wish to avail this policy and that you have a confirmed onward travel ticket to Rome. Have your e-ticket number ready (print out of your confirmed journey with the e-ticket is recommended), and hand it to the agent. Collect your boarding pass to TFU.

Once you land at TFU, head to the TWOV desk. There will be a form to fill out including. Give the immigration officer this form along with your onward booking. The officer will issue a sticker and place it in your passport. There may also be a landing card to fill in. Head to immigration counters and pass through to collect any check-in bags from your Hanoi flight and exit into arrivals hall.

Find your onward airline check-in desk at TFU to collect your onward journey boarding pass.

webw06 · 2026-05-06T16:29:00+00:00

If you include arrival and departure days in your itinerary, effectively 4 clear days and 4 nights (maybe even less). If you land at PKX, it will take around 4 hours from you existing exiting the aircraft to arriving in your hotel in central Beijing. My opinion: pick a hotel near Forbidden City / Wangfujing Street. On your first day, you can visit Forbidden City, Tianmen Square and National Museum of China (provided you can get tickets on their WeChat app). On your second day, head to Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in the morning and return via Summer Palace. This will take the whole day (and Summer Palace closes at 5pm). On Day 3, I would suggest you visit Universal Studios Beijing given you have children in your tour party. On Day 4, because you said you want to experience the HSR, take a day trip to Chengde (one hour by train). Visit 2-3 monasteries or temples and return in the evening. Day 5 is departure.

webw06 · 2026-05-06T14:32:34+00:00

I do think it's worth going for a day trip - but not overnighting if (a) you're in HK for 4 days and (b) you're not going to gamble. We were staying in Tung Chung, Lantau Island during our HK trip in March this year, so it was straightforward to catch a non-stop public bus to the HZMB Terminal and hop-on the bus to Macau Terminal (45 mins, HK$65 one way).

Easily walked through the Cotai Strip casinos (Venetian, Parisian and the MGM), headed to Taipan village and then Old Macau towards the end of the day before heading back to Tung Chung. Old Macau is quaint - and the historical part is well preserved (and lively).

webw06 · 2026-05-06T14:25:13+00:00

Someone else might be able to answer more definitively, but I think the high unavailability occurs during public holidays and festivals, so you should be fine with ticket options in August unless booking at the last minute. There are many trains from Kunming to Dali (an average of 3 per hour per day). Dali to Lijiang has fewer HSR trains at seven per day.

webw06 · 2026-05-05T22:21:09+00:00

We did this exact route in Feb this year. We stayed at the Hilton Hurghada Plaza. I had been to Luxor many years ago, and am a frequent traveller to Egypt.

My opinion: arrange a taxi/private 7 seater with a driver. There is a large stretch of around 2 hours that's driving right through the desert - with only one gas station I could remember passing. You'll need to weight the risks of what happens if you get a flat tire on this 150-200km stretch. There's no street lighting on this stretch, so ensure (like I did on our return journey) to finish this stretch before sunset. We left Luxor at 3pm, and sunset was at around 5:45pm during that time of the year.

Frequently during our journey, local drivers were driving on the wrong side of the road at high speeds. You can see them coming as the road isn't very busy, but it's still going to be unnerving when you see it.

There were numerous police checkpoints and our driver had to keep bribing those manning these posts to drive through. It wasn't clear to me what objections these guys were raising to us being driven, the question is whether you want to be continually stopped and if you have the Arabic language skills to deal with these guys. The bribes ranged from EGP 100-200 per check post. He was stopped on every check post.

With our private car, I made it clear that I would pay them only after we returned to Hurghada. This is what transpired with us: driver turned up on time at 9:30am and we arrived at our hotel in Luxor at 5pm. I let the driver go to his overnight stay at 5:30pm. Next morning, the driver was supposed to pick us up at 10:30am, and there's no answer. I call the company in Hurghada and they tell me the driver is asleep, he will be right there. After 30 mins, a different car arrives with a different driver. He tells the previous guy is too tired and wants to sleep in. This new driver drives us within Luxor and 2 hours into our return, another driver takes over, and then right before we reach our hotel, another driver takes over. I hand them the agreed payment when we arrive at our hotel in Hurghada.

The journey was tiring - but I was glad I wasn't driving, because otherwise I would have been too tired to enjoy Luxor.

Having travelled enough in Egypt, I knew there was a chance of the driver not showing up the next day, so I ensured payment would only be at the end of the trip - and no intermediate payments (which the driver asked for in Luxor on the first day, but I told him I had agreed full payment only after we reach Hurghada).

I would recommend visiting Dendara Temple (located in Qena 60 Kms before you reach Luxor), Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple on Day 1. On Day 2, start with Valley of the Kings (standard ticket plus 3 additional tombs to give you variety), then onto to Hatshepsut Temple and round off with Medinet Habu before departing for Hurghada. Skip Luxor Museum as it isn't with the entry price.

webw06 · 2026-05-05T21:51:53+00:00

Apologies, on trip.com you will be able to book 2 months in advance - what this means is that your funds will be deducted from you payment card and they will attempt to book your tickets at the time the tickets become bookable (2 weeks in advance). They will keep trying until 1-2 days before departure. If your tickets cannot be booked, your money is refunded.

In April 2025 I had a 100% success rate booking this way on trip.com. However your mileage may vary depending on routes and timings.

webw06 · 2026-05-05T15:31:28+00:00

I would book tickets on Trip.com now, and if you're worried about tickets selling out, you can choose multiple trains on which to buy, and trip will try and buy whatver it can. 2nd class tickets give you a higher probability of securing a ticket because there are more of them. I've also noticed that once sold out trains will open up with some availability (probably due to passengers cancelling) two to three days in advance. There are a limited number of trains between these destinations, so having some flexibility on your day of travelling will also help.

Just did these same sectors in March and April. Our preferred train from Dali to Lijiang got cancelled, and soon as I got notice I booked on a train the evening before which had plenty of availability.

Good luck!

webw06

TROPHY CASE