Explorers Lodge Review
Explorers Lodge is the newest hotel at Hong Kong Disneyland themed to adventure, and the tropical climates of Asia, Oceania, South America, and Africa. In this post, we’ll share room photos, discuss strengths and weaknesses, and offer our take on whether Explorers Lodge is worth the money.
As relatively little is known about Explorers Lodge, a lot of influences have been speculated: Aulani, Trader Sam’s, S.E.A., and even the Adventurers Club. While it’s possible I missed an Easter Egg or small nod to these, none of them offer significant inspiration in the design of Explorers Lodge.
Rather, this hotel is Animal Kingdom Lodge minus most of the cultural authenticity. As the name suggests, it focuses more generally on exploration, and while it’s faithful to that theme and , that’s accomplished via Disney characters and with a more caricatured style. Basically, Explorers Lodge is to Animal Kingdom Lodge as Jungle Cruise is to Kilimanjaro Safaris. Except, in the case of Explorers Lodge, minus animals–even the fake ones.
This isn’t to say Explorers Lodge is cartoonish or cheesy. To the contrary, it feels very lived in and has an aura of authenticity. To what, I have zero idea, but it somehow manages to evoke that rugged spirit of exploration. I think this is accomplished via a mix of the obvious along with the subtle. While the obvious details are things like trunks filled with Duffy or Goofy’s travel supplies, the subtle are authentic patterns on a strip of trim.
There are many instances of both the obvious and the subtle, and it’s pretty impressive how this all congeals into something that works remarkable well. Another comparison seems apt here, and that’s Adventureland. That land manages to graft real-world inspiration into a fictionalized locale, merging worldly with Disney in a way that largely works. (At least, in the versions of Adventureland that don’t have a giant Aladdin spinner dropped into their center.)
All of this is to say that Explorers Lodge is richly-themed, making it a joy to just wander and…explore. While similarities to Animal Kingdom Lodge abound both in terms of overarching design and visual motifs, Explorers Lodge is distinct and unique. In this regard, it is our unequivocal top thematic pick among the three hotels at Hong Kong Disneyland. Now, let’s see how it stacks up in other regards.
Namely, the rooms. I’ll cut to the chase: these are the nicest at Hong Kong Disneyland. They are also far and away the most spacious, to the point that you’ll wonder whether you were given a free upgrade when you enter the room. (Nope, that’s how large the standard room is.)
Once this initial excitement wore off (for me at least, because I have a knack for sucking the joy out of everything), I noticed that a lot of this space is wasted.
There’s ample room for a sofa or comfortable chair, yet none is present. Instead, there’s a large gulf between the beds, desk, and dresser/television. Great if kids need empty floor space to play and also nice from a psychological perspective if you don’t like cramped quarters, but of little functional value.
With that said, the rooms are wonderful. Theme is on the understated side, but decorations (like the awesome Mickey & Minnie masks), patterned carpet, and various fixtures offer enough to give the room the perfect flavor.
If you want rooms that beat you over the head with their theme, this is not for you (then again, none of the hotels at Hong Kong Disneyland do that). If you favor a balance of theme and luxury, Explorers Lodge will be a home-run. Even those who find Animal Kingdom Lodge’s rooms drab are likely to like these, as they are lighter and airier.
For being a hotel in Asia, the beds are surprisingly comfortable. They are not downright soft, but they’re not super firm, either. They hit the sweet spot somewhere in between, and having two queen-sized beds is excellent. We stayed here with a party of four adults, and found the room to be quite pleasant. (Part of that, admittedly, comes down to that “wasted” space.)
The bathroom is fairly unremarkable, with separate spaces for the sink and toilet/shower. This area is also a bit cramped, which stands in contrast to the rest of the room. While this is consistent with the other HKDL hotels, I could’ve gone for a layout allocating more space to the bathroom and slightly less to the main area.
In terms of other amenities, Explorers Lodge shines. Most notable among these is its wealth of dining options. There’s Chart Room Cafe on the counter service end, plus World of Color and Dragon Wind, both of which are mixed use (table service and buffet, depending upon the meal).
The dining scene at Explorers Lodge is incredibly ambitious. This is readily apparent even in Chart Room Cafe, which features numerous dishes and desserts with artful presentation and premium ingredients. With this counter service restaurant, I wonder if it’s a bit too ambitious. Presumably due to quality, prices are high and portions are small.
We enjoyed everything we ate at Chart Room Cafe, but left every meal hungry. This was particularly true at breakfast, where all of the dishes were way too small. Personally, I could go for something a bit more utilitarian and heartier to start my day, but maybe that’s just me. I will say that the food at Chart Room Cafe was excellent across the board–it just could use a bit better balance.
World of Color wowed us, and was a winner in pretty much every regard. We particularly enjoyed the weekend dessert/small plate buffet. The quality was very high, and we stuffed ourselves to the point that it was all we could do to make it back to our room and pass out. (Pro tip for Americans: buffets are where you win all your money back in the Asian parks.)
In terms of other amenities, the pool is a winner. It’s a nice size, has pleasant ambiance, and you’ll even see Goofy out mingling with guests throughout the day (or perhaps other characters–Goofy was the only one scheduled during our visit).
WiFi is included and works well throughout the resort–much better than the spotty WiFi in the park. There’s also a nice gift shop that (for now!) sells Explorers Lodge merchandise. I wouldn’t expect this to last long beyond the initial supply stays in stock, so definitely get to the hotel sooner rather than later if you’re keen on hotel-specific merch.
There’s also a complimentary shuttle service that runs between the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Hollywood Hotel, Disney Explorers Lodge, and Hong Kong Disneyland. Even though it stops at all of the hotels, it’s pretty efficient since they’re all right next to one another.
There also seems to be a surplus of buses, so you should never have to wait more than 10 minutes for a bus. (We have either had absurdly good luck with the buses at HKDL or they are just that good–we’ve never waited more than 5 minutes.)
Walking to Hong Kong Disneyland is also an option, and I enjoy this tranquil stroll past Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and through the peaceful garden-like promenade, but the bus is definitely the more efficient, and feet-saving option.
In terms of cost, Explorers Lodge rack rates are around $300/night. Those prices can vary significantly based upon season and available discounts, with weekends being the priciest time to visit. (Disclosure: our stay was comped for the purpose of this review.)
Whether it’s worth those rates is in the eye of the beholder. I’d peg the value here at being below Animal Kingdom Lodge, as the overall strength of the resort is not as high (and there are no animals). Of course, comparing it to a hotel in Florida is not entirely practical, as they are not equally accessible to the theme park in Hong Kong.
If you can score a discount bringing its price down to the $250/night range, I’d say Explorers Lodge is a no-brainer. It’s definitely worth that much. If you’re looking at prices at or above $300/night, it’s a closer call. Relative to other hotels at Hong Kong Disneyland, Explorers Lodge is a great option. It’s priced between the flagship Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Hollywood Hotel, and I’d argue that it’s better than both.
Ultimately, that’s probably the salient point of this entire review: Explorers Lodge is the best hotel at Hong Kong Disneyland. Even though we said plenty of positive things about the other two resorts in our Disney’s Hollywood Hotel Review and Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Review, neither one is this good. Explorers Lodge may start with the familiar concept of Animal Kingdom Lodge, but it brings plenty of originality to the table. The result of this is the most unique and compelling resort at HKDL. If you only have the chance to stay at one hotel during your visit to Hong Kong Disneyland, this should be the one.
For the rest of your planning needs, consult our Hong Kong Disneyland Trip Planning Guide. It covers everything you need to know for a visit to HKDL, including reviews, strategy, packing, traveling in the city, and more! If you want to read about our first visit to the park, check out our Hong Kong Disneyland Trip Report.
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you stayed at Explorers Lodge or any of the other hotels at Hong Kong Disneyland? What did you think of your hotel stay? Did Explorers Lodge stack up to Animal Kingdom Lodge (or other Disney resorts at which you’ve stayed)? Does this hotel interest you? If you have any questions or thoughts to share, please post them in the comments. We love hearing from readers!
The front desk staff was rude and we have been discriminated in our very first time stay in Disney Explorer Lodge yesterday. I have been told our room had been upgraded and when we got in the upgraded room it was actually a room for disable. We changed the room after that but it wasted us our time for the theme park and I was really upset that the front desk staff might have did it on purpose since i received no explanation from the front desk staff although I had asked several times for that. It wasn ot a good experience at all.
So I thought I commented on this ages ago, but I clearly didn’t. I’m staying at Explorer’s Lodge now and it reminded me.
I honestly think this hotel is better than AKL. “No animals” is a huge issue, but in every other way it easily surpasses it, in my opinion. From the wonderfully themed elevators to the beautiful mezzanine floors to the luxurious gardens to the location to the rooms themselves. AKL is one of the best resorts in the world, but you don’t have to look around too many corners before you spot things being made to fit a budget. I also think there are minor maintenance issues at AKL. I don’t get that same sense at EL.
But the most important way it surpasses AKL is the dining. Dragon Wind is easily in my top 5 restaurants in all Disney resorts worldwide (I hesitate to put it in #1, but factoring in value and theme I think a case could be made!), and World Of Color is high up there. By contrast, the top restaurants at AKL are not in my top 5 (and that’s despite absolutely loving them!).
Unfortunately, they have closed off approximately two thirds of the hotel, presumably due to severe under-occupancy. It’s heartbreaking to see. I hope you get back down to Hong Kong again soon. I have been all over the city and haven’t felt unsafe. (Deeply saddened by the mood, and almost a little guilty for enjoying myself, but better to try to support its inhabitants than to enjoy myself not supporting HK).
Solid point about the restaurants (and in fairness, we haven’t dined at them all), but I think there are just as many instances where cheaper design decisions were made with Explorers Lodge. Beyond that, Explorers Lodge would have to be significantly better than AKL in all other regards to overcome the “no animals” issue–at least, for me. That’s not just a minor amenity–it is the selling point of the lodge.
Regardless, they’re both excellent resorts.
I just wanted to update on my previous post – we just returned from our stay at Explorer’s Lodge and absolutely loved it! Although the cold weather took away from some of the outdoor activities, there were a ton of special decorations and theming up for the Lunar New Year that made it extra special (though the New Year also led to a noticeable increase in crowds) and we loved the exclusive Explorer’s Lodge merchandise and amenities!
One new event at Explorer’s Lodge that we were able to take advantage of was the “Dragon Wind Culinary Academy”. At check-in we saw that they were offering the class from 13:30-15:00 for 288 HKD a person and signed-up immediately. The class takes place in Dragon Wind where you go through four stations with their own chef (pastry, entree, bartender, dessert) and you are able to cook / learn how to make a dish at each station. Alongside us we had hosts / translators to help guide us and communicate with the chefs that did not speak English. We were the only people who had signed-up (and later learned it was only the second time they had offered it) and we had an excellent experience. After completing each of the stations, we were served our delicious meal and at the end were presented with keepsake graduation certificates (signed by the head chef!) as well as a copy of the recipes we had prepared that day and two coupons for 100 HKD off a dinner at Dragon Wind.
Needless to say, this was an incredible highlight of our stay at Explorer’s Lodge and I would highly recommend the experience next time you visit!
Your review sealed the deal! Luckily they have a current promo of upgrading our stay from Hollywood Hotel to Explorers Lodge by adding a certain amount. We will be traveling next weekend. We’ve finally made a decision on staying here instead. Thanks!
Great review, Tom! We made our first trip to Hong Kong in 2017 and we decided to splurge and stay at the Disneyland Hotel…MISTAKE! We visited the Explorer’s Lodge for breakfast each morning and really loved it! Given the lack of quick service dining at the Disneyland Hotel, going to both the Hollywood Hotel and Explorer’s Lodge were our best options for a quick bite before a day at the park. Being a fan of the Poly, AKL, Trader Sam’s, The Enchanted Tiki Room, et al, the Explorer’s Lodge really hit home. Our next trip will definitely include a stay here. Cheaper than the Disneyland Hotel and much better dining options.
Thanks for the review! It’s always fun to see the different Disney Resorts around the world.
Any specific recommendations on Dragon Wind? We are planning on doing two breakfasts and one dinner at the hotel – I wonder if it would be worth it to experience Dragon Wind and World of Color, or to just do World of Color for both breakfasts. Thank you for the review, I can’t wait to experience Explorer Lodge for myself in a few weeks!
We were there last month and did World of Colour for breakfast. It is a partial buffet where the cold items are buffet and you order your hot dish from the menu. It was lovely and we enjoyed everything, but if you wanted a full buffet try Dragon Wind. Goofy in his Explorers gear is really cool!
We had dinner at Dragon Wind but, although being regular eaters of Chinese food, struggled with the menu and the staff were unable/unwilling to assist. We had to flag them down for every request and ended up leaving hungry while other tables had a procession of lovely looking food coming out.
A few nights later we bussed over to Enchanted Gardens at HKDL hotel which was fantastic. Great food in a mix of cuisines and fantastic character interaction for tables with children and without. It was my adult daughter and myself travelling and often character interaction is brief for us but not this time. Then we walked (waddled!) back to the park for fireworks.
Dragon breakfast is “character” breakfast. But the character doesn’t go table to table. When I ate there, Mickey and Minnie in explorer outfits come out, walked to a corner, and guest lined up to take pictures with them. And each guest is given a coupon you hand to the handler CM, so maybe you are only suppose to interact with Mickey and Minnie once. I love their outfits, the interactions is lovely. but calling itself a character seems…questionable. The spread is normal hotel buffet, pretty good. But value for money is a little meh.