One Day in Shanghai Disneyland

growingupdis

Mouseketeer
Joined
May 2, 2013
I've just returned from a quick 5 day trip to Shanghai for school purposes and thought I could share a few of my observations from my one solo day spent at the Shanghai Disney Resort.

I took the took the metro in from a city suburb and access from the station could not have been any easier! I arrived at the park around 8:15 on a Sunday with a 9:00 opening time. Had I not already spent a few days acclimating to the Shanghai way of queuing I would have found the security line quite overwhelming. Contraband ticket sellers lined the path and while there was no pushing or shoving (thankfully), if you wanted to get in - you had to keep alert and keep pace directly behind the person in front of you.

Hvaing purchased my ticket the night before online, I made it into the park at almost exactly at 9 am after a quick show of my passport at the turnstiles.

I found the paper tickets and localized FP kiosks quite managable, though if I were to return I would bring along a lanyard to hold all the small paper cards and plastic photopass ones. About 2 hours into my morning I gave in and downloaded the Shanghai Disney app which made the day even easier! FP bookings, wait times, entertainment schedules and restaurant menus were easily accessbile with the good wifi in the parks.

Atmosphere wise the park is lovely and well themed. I especially found the layout of tomorrowland appealing and uber futuristic. All pathways in the park were wide and open and helped the park to never feel too crowded.

I was however a little bit dissapointed in the lack of SHnaghai specific souvenirs I found. Much of the merchandise was general disney parks items which could be found anywhere.

Attraction Highlights:
Soarin' Over the Horizon - significantly less "bent" than the images on WDW's version and the scents were stronger. Otherwise, the exact same ride.

Buzz Lightyear - Updated blasters = easier shooting and a more enjoyable experience!

Camp Discovery Challenge Trails - Did this during the day and after dark. I highly reccomend an evening run as the course is well lit and the views of the park lit up are beautiful. For each obstacle you can choose your own difficulty from 3 levels. Having seen women in heels attempting the course, I can safely say theres a route for everyone.

Pirates - Jaw. Dropping. The most incredible ride technology. Despite a history of feeling woozy on screen heavy rides, I felt no motion sickness whatsoever.

Tron - A fun and unique roller coaster. Very smooth ride, excellently themed, will be a great addition to the MK.

One thing I noted about many attractions (especially the Once Upon a Time Storybook Adventure) was the amount of stairs one needed to navigate in order to ride. While I believe there are some accesibility pathways, they are much less visible than in the US parks.

Entertainment:
The Jack Sparrow show was the only place in the park I experienced the previously reported pushing, shoving and running. The show was entertaining and easy to follow for a non-Mandarin speaker, with a killer finale!

Due to smog and polution control measures the nighttime show focused more on projections and lasers than fireworks. It was good, but rather underwhelming in comparison with other parks.

Food:
While everything I ate was tasty, I found much of it to be quite expensive - even by Disney standards. A 40 RMB Minnie Ice Cream Bar translated to almost $8 CAD! Good thing it was delicious :)

Remy's Bakery had some fun options for all tastes at lunch and Wandering Moon restaurant provided a hearty Beef Udon soup for dinner.


I aboslutely think this park can be done in one day. I managed to hit every atrraction I was interested in, see a couple shows, and meet a few characters, plus take a quick visit to Disneytown before park close. Overall it was a great experience and I can't wait to see the rest of the Asian parks soon!
 
Thanks for the post. How long ago did you go to shanghai Disney? (which month)
I can't decide if I should spend 1 or 2 day in the park on my trip to shanghai next yrar.
 
Thanks for the post. How long ago did you go to shanghai Disney? (which month)
I can't decide if I should spend 1 or 2 day in the park on my trip to shanghai next yrar.

I was there just over a week ago on Novmeber 12. If characters, shows and parades are important to you I'd definitely reccommend 2 days. Even being there from open to close I missed most of the shows (sacrificed them for attractions). Otherwise you can get through all or neatly all attractions in one day plus a few extras.
 
How was the opening crowd in the morning? How many people do you say are in front of you in the line when you get there at 8:15am? Thanks.
 


I went in May this year. I arrived around an hour early each day and there were plenty of people in front of me.

Not Tokyo Disneyland levels, but quite a lot of people. Maybe ... 50 to 100. To be honest, the lines are quite chaotic with a lot of pushing and shoving, people cutting in, people pushing through to sell knock-off Minnie and Mickey Ears and other rubbish, etc. So, it's hard to really judge.

It felt more chaotic than Tokyo Disneyland, even though there were probably less people in line. It was also more stressful as you had to keep fighting for your position in line and to prevent others from pushing past (while also still trying to main a small degree of personal space). But, that's just "normal" for Chinese people, so I can't judge them harshly.

I'd also say two days if you want to see everything. Or one day (during the week, not weekend) if you just want the highlights and are happy to skip the shows and parades.
 

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