When we gathered at the entrance of Ocean Park for its 'Nighttime in the Ocean's Depths' adventure, both of my children were thrilled to be camping out at their favourite Hong Kong theme park.
However, after an initial briefing, it became clear that this sleepover was about marine environment education and not roller coaster rides.
My husband and I agreed that the best part of the evening was dinner in the restaurant overlooking the Grand Aquarium. Watching fish swim by as you eat your dinner can be quite meditative, although our children chose to over-intellectualise the act of eating seafood at the same time.
The Symbio light and sound show following the meal offered sensory stimuli, with music, fireworks, light, colour and shadow effects. Another highlight was feeding the fish after the show, and learning how the ocean water is filtered into the tanks that house the fish and then recycled back into the sea.
The actual sleepover was not as much fun. First, we didn't get to pitch our tents until after 10pm, exhausted though we were.
Then, with hard yoga mats to sleep on and the sound of teenagers chatting and cellphones ringing until the wee small hours, it took quite some time to get to sleep. The next morning, we were woken at the crack of dawn - well, 7am - to be whisked off to the Panda Cafe for breakfast.