MTR questions
 

I am arriving late into the Hong Kong airport next Fri and have looked at the MTR map to deduce a way to get to the Royal Plaza hotel which is next to the Mong Kok stop. It looks like I can take the airport train to Tsing Yi and transfer to the Tung Chung Line and then ride to Lai King and get on the Tsuen Wan Line where I can ride to Mong Kok. Does this look correct? Also, will my ticket work for all these transfers? Also, do all these lines run until after midnight like the airport line does? Finally, is it safe to ride the train late night, as I will be alone. Thanks!!!

Do not do this exercise.

While MTR trains run until about 1am, frequencies are down to about 10-12 minute per train. The last train you can take from Tsing Yi is at 12:31am, and you may still have to wait a bit at Lai King.

And it's still a walk from the Mong Kok or Prince Edward MTR to the hotel, if you have luggage. It's generally safe if you look at crime statistics, but you may not feel that way, walking alone, with luggage, especially if you're female.

But to answer your question, you can get free transfer to the MTR. So your cost will be HK$60.

It's much better to take the AE to Kowloon and transfer to a taxi. The taxi fare should be <HK$50.

If you want to save money, take the Cityfler bus A21 instead. Single ride to Mong Kok MTR with no transfer. Every 15 minutes till midnight. Save yourself $27, no transfer necessary, and faster than the AE/MTR/MTR option at night.

Thanks again for the helpful info..I've called my hotel and for 100$HK I can ride a coach from the airport directly to the Royal Plaza hotel, which I think I'll do. Can I ask you one more question? I need to make some local calls while in Kowloon...is there a calling card I can buy, if so where, and also, do phones accept coins to make a call like they do here in the states? Thanks again!!

Most of the public payphone in HK accept coins. Local call costs HK$1 per 3 minutes. Free phones are also available in some hotels/restaurants/supermarkets. Unless you need to make a lot of calls, phone card is not recommended/needed.

Yes, a hotel shutle is a good idea at that time. $100 is a good price, as it's usually $120 to Kowloon hotels if you just walk up to a counter at the airport.

Locals hardly use any coins in Hong Kong anymore. Most, if not all, pay phones will take the Octopus stored value cash card. Everybody living or visiting Hong Kong should get an Octopus card first thing you arrive there. Do a search on "Octopus" on this forum if you don't know about it. It can be used on all public transportation, supermarkets, convenient stores, payphones, etc...

Having said that, payphones are getting harder and harder to find. Since there are more active cellphone accounts than there are human beings in Hong Kong, basically everybody uses one.

Local calls from your hotel room are probably free. Confirm this with your hotel.

Oh, I doubt outgoing calls from your room are free. Most hotels still charge that.