REVIEW: Frozen Ever After at Hong Kong Disneyland + Tips

Opened in November 2023, Frozen Ever After is the crown jewel of World of Frozen, Hong Kong Disneyland’s (HKDL) eighth themed land. Tucked away in the back of the land, this attraction first originated in the Norway Pavilion at Epcot and shares many similarities with the Florida attraction. However, it also has a lot of differences that, in my opinion, elevate this ride above the version found in Epcot. How does Frozen Ever After stack up against the other attractions at HKDL? Read this review to find out!

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Background

World of Frozen was first announced on November 16, 2016 as part of a multi-year, multi-billion dollar expansion of the Hong Kong Disneyland that included the Castle of Magical Dreams, Stark Expo, and other attractions. Since the announcement, a lot of buzz has surrounded World of Frozen and its flagship attraction: Frozen Ever After.

I will admit, when Disney announced that Frozen Ever After was coming to HKDL, I was a bit disappointed. I had thought that maybe the Frozen ride coming to Tokyo would also be cloned for HKDL (sadly, it was not, which makes sense as they wouldn’t have two similar Frozen rides a three-hour flight from one another) but I was just glad that it wasn’t going to replace anything and was instead adding to the ride count of the park (unlike a certain Marvel themed Tomorrowland attraction). So when I went to Hong Kong Disneyland in January 2024 to check out the then-newly-opened World of Frozen expansion and the two new Frozen rides, I went in with an open mind and low expectations, not wanting to be disappointed by a ride I had seen countless times on video from Epcot.

And let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

The Story of Frozen Ever After

The story of the land is tied to the story of Frozen Ever After, with the entire land celebrating Summer Snow Day, also known as the anniversary of the day Anna saved Elsa with an unselfish act of true love and thawed a frozen heart (look at me, remembering AND quoting the ride in my review). Hong Kong Disneyland has a habit of centering one land around one attraction’s story (see: Mystic Manor and Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars) but I think World of Frozen suceeds the most among all of them.

Summer Snow Day is a fun context that the imagineers and cast members get to play with. Everyone you meet in the land, from cast members to characters, will wish you a Happy Summer Snow Day as you walk around. It’s even on their name tags! The story of Summer Snow Day really brings the land together and gives it a narrative cohesion that helps it stand out from other lands.

It’s also a unique storyline that won’t be replicated anywhere else in the world. Disneyland Paris’ World of Frozen will have a completely different story than the World of Frozen in Hong Kong, ensuring that Summer Snow Day is a Hong Kong exclusive. I really like that they’re doing this. Even though the lands are going to look somewhat identical, their stories are going to be completely different, and so will their entertainment, attraction lineup, and food offerings. This makes each land special in their own right, even if they look similar.

The story of Frozen Ever After is that you’ve been invited for a tour of Arendelle, complete with a trip to Elsa’s Ice Palace, as part of the Summer Snow Day festivities. It’s as simple as that, and I will say I think they could have come up with a better backstory for the ride. It comes off as basically just another excuse to string together Frozen songs in quick succession. It also lacks dramatic tension. There’s no “everything goes wrong”, no ticking clock, no life-altering consequences. It’s a trip to an ice palace. That’s it.

Because of that, I have to dock some points from the ride itself. I think Frozen Ever After is well-done for what it is (and we’ll get to the ride itself in a second) but with a stronger premise and story points, it could have been an even better experience.

Ride Vehicle and Queue

Upon arriving at the attraction, you enter through the same clock tower that Hans and Anna were seen dancing on in the number “Love is an Open Door”. After entering the queue area, you’re greeted by Kristoff’s office where he collects and stores the ice needed by Arendelle as part of his duties as Official Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer. It’s a well-themed, incredibly detailed queue area, complete with a window that shows some ice in storage. The queue on the whole is very well themed, even if it is a bit on the shorter side. I don’t know how they’re going to be able to manage crowds on very packed days, but maybe there’s an extended queue that can handle bigger crowds if necessary.

In comparing how this queue sets up the story of the ride compared to other HKDL queues, this queue falls in the middle of the pack. While being detailed and immersive, it doesn’t really set up the story of the ride itself, with the exception of there being one banner serving as a “royal proclamation” for Summer Snow Day. One could argue that the story of Frozen Ever After is so simple that it doesn’t need to have a lot of setup in the queue, but anything extra that could have been added to the queue to add another story layer, such as explanations for how Summer Snow Day became a holiday in Arendelle or an itinerary of what guests will see on the their tour of the kingdom, would have been neat to see.

After passing Kristoff’s workshop, we enter the Arendelle dock from where boats depart to go to Elsa’s Ice Palace. It’s here that we see the ride vehicles. They look to be noticeably larger than the Epcot boats and, most importantly, they have a lap bar restraint, something that was missing from the Epcot version. I would recommend sitting in front so you have a good view of every show scene, especially the Elsa scene. But be warned, you may be sprayed with water if you sit up front.

Soon after strapping in, we’re headed towards our first show scene of the ride.

Ride Experience

We first go through what feels like a cave and, upon exiting the cave, are greeted by Olaf and Sven. Olaf sings us a modified version of “Do You Wanna Build a Snowman”, similar to the version he sings at the Epcot version of Frozen Ever After. At the end of the short song, however, Olaf speaks in Cantonese. It’s to be expected given that the ride is located in HKDL, but it actually surprised me how little Cantonese was used throughout the attraction. Including this line from Olaf, there are only 2 lines of dialogue of Cantonese in the whole attraction. Which I guess is an improvement over rides like Mystic Manor, but Iron Man Experience and Ant-Man and the Wasp both have way more Cantonese lines than Frozen Ever After does.

After seeing Olaf and Sven, you turn a corner and come face to face with the trolls from the movie. Grand Pabbie mentions that on this day, Anna saved Elsa with an unselfish act of true love, as depicted in the movie. A troll then translates this into Cantonese, the second and final Cantonese line in the attraction. You then reach the lift hill as you go up to Elsa’s Ice Palace. The Frozen theme music plays as your boat makes its way up the lift hill.

Once you reach the top, you enter Elsa’s Ice Palace. You encounter Olaf once again. This time he’s skating on the ice while singing “For the First Time in Forever”. You then float past him and see Kristoff, Sven, and Anna, who are all singing a new version of “For the First Time In Forever”. They hype you up for your meeting with Elsa as you turn a corner and the doors open to reveal Elsa in all her audio-animatronic glory.

It’s at this point that the boat stops in front of Elsa. You then swing to the right (the farther back you are, the more dramatic the swing) and then once she gets to the chorus of Let it Go, you’re sent flying backwards via a small drop away from the castle.

Your boat continues backwards until you reach an area with the snowgies and Marshmallow the giant snow monster. The boat then swings left (the more forward you are, the more dramatic the swing) and then with a roar from Marshmallow, you’re sent down a drop. The drop actually mimics one of the drops on Splash Mountain, now Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, that goes down initially then rolls upwards then goes back down again. I’ve never ridden the Epcot version, but apparently this one is longer and steeper than the Epcot drop, meaning it’s more intense.

You then see Arendelle castle at night as fireworks explode above you. You make a right and enter the final room that has Olaf, Anna, and Elsa (in their Frozen Fever get ups) as they greet you while singing In Summer. You finally make your way back to the dock before exiting Frozen Ever After.

Frozen Ever After Review

Frozen Ever After solved one fundamental problem HKDL had: the lack of a water thrill ride. Sure, the drop isn’t as dramatic as the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure drop, but it’s a welcome addition to the park as HKDL already has 2 boat rides with non-thrill elements (unless you count the ending of the Jungle River Cruise as a “thrill element”), so it’s nice that Hong Kong Disneyland has one water ride with a thrill element, even though as mentioned it isn’t as thrilling as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Splash Mountain.

Frozen Ever After is very well themed and has amazing animatronics. I’m glad HKDL and the HK government shelled out a few extra dollars to get Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff non-projected faces. They look so much better than the projected faces animatronics, so much so that Epcot changed their animatronics to look more like the Hong Kong Disneyland animatronics, giving the Epcot version a huge upgrade. But even with their animatronics now being the same, Frozen Ever After Hong Kong has better pacing because of the more spread out show scenes, a more intense drop, and a better queue, which in my opinion makes it the better attraction.

Another reason why Frozen Ever After Hong Kong shines brighter than Frozen Ever After Epcot is because of the parks they are in and the histories associated with each park. Frozen Ever After Epcot replaced what was a classic Epcot attraction in Maelstrom, and that has soured its reputation with fans and guests. Frozen Ever After Hong Kong, on the other hand, has done nothing but plus the park that it’s in. Frozen Ever After will be received as a strong addition to HKDL’s lineup for years to come, and it’s because of this that I think it’s superior.

But now we go into the not so positive aspects of this Frozen Ever After review. Frozen Ever After, although technically impressive, is lacking in the story department. There’s no buildup of stakes, and the ride doesn’t have any sense of danger. While a story centering around Summer Snow Day and visiting Elsa’s Ice Palace is fun, it doesn’t really make for an engaging story. It lacks the story beats found in attractions such as Rise of the Resistance, which are compelling because they give us a beginning, middle, and end that is satisfying.

As mentioned, there are also no stakes in Frozen Ever After. You don’t stand to lose anything and there is no “lowest point” to speak of. At parts, the plot of Frozen Ever After feels manufactured as an excuse to string Frozen songs together and it feels like it was forcibly made to appeal to a younger demographic, as if a younger demographic can’t comprehend the complexities of plot.

Adding to that, the drop doesn’t serve the story as well. It just sort of…happens. You don’t drop down for any story reason such as in Splash Mountain. Instead it just happens in the room with Marshmallow and the snowgies. The drop itself is great, but aside from getting you from the North Mountain back to Arendelle, I don’t really see the point of it.

Maybe they would have been better off cloning Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey from Fantasy Springs. As clunky as that ride is, it tells a story that is compelling with some impressive scenes. But on the whole, this is still a solid entry into HKDL’s lineup.

Frozen Ever After Tips

Frozen Ever After is THE ride to rope drop at Hong Kong Disneyland right now. I would arrive at the park 30-45 minutes prior to opening time so you can be at the front of the crowd for rope drop. Once that rope drops, people will be running to World of Frozen. I recommend walking to the right of the castle, walking through the castle into Fantasyland, and then walking to the right past Winnie the Pooh to get to the World of Frozen entrance.

If you don’t want to rope drop with the crowd, I would suggest buying an Early Park Entry Pass. Early Park Entry Passes allow you to enter Hong Kong Disneyland an hour before regular guests. Rides open during Early Park Entry include Frozen Ever After, Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, and the Carousel. Other rides will also be included with Early Park Entry depending on the time of year. I would recommend buying this pass if your time at the park is limited as it does save you a lot of time.

As a rule of thumb, if the line for Frozen Ever After extends to the outside of the attraction and doesn’t look like it’s moving, you’re looking at a wait time of about 45 minutes or more. Also, even though this is a water ride with a drop, I wouldn’t recommend wearing a poncho as every time I’ve ridden it I didn’t get too wet. That being said, I should tell you that some people have reported getting quite soaked on the attraction. But still, it shouldn’t be as bad as Tiana’s or Splash Mountain.

The best seats on Frozen Ever After are the seats in the front row. The front row is the row that has an unobstructed view of Elsa as she uses her ice powers. After row 1, the best place to sit would be on the right side of the boat as you get a good view of the Anna and Kristoff animatronics, as well as the ending scene of the ride.

This is also a good ride to do in the 90 minutes before Momentous starts as most people in the park would’ve ridden the ride by then, meaning its line shortens by a lot around dinner time. If you purchased a Premier Access package that includes Frozen Ever After, use your Premier Access pass for this attraction at midday (1pm-3pm) to save the most time in line.

Frozen Ever After Review Conclusion

Overall, Frozen Ever After is a welcome addition to Hong Kong Disneyland that will be enjoyed by guests for generations to come. I’m glad I got to experience what is undoubtedly the best version of this attraction, and look forward to my next journey to the North Mountain.

8.5/10

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