SDL Opening Day - I'm In!

[zanzibar138]

So I'd kind of given up on getting to Opening Day at Shanghai Disneyland. I've still been keeping an eye on proceedings though, and when they announced the official opening date, I couldn't resist! I still had 2 people to convince that I needed to go - DH and my boss!

DH was easier than expected. I just reminded him how huge an opportunity it is to go to an opening day and he folded. Next, I pleaded my case to my boss. He agreed to let me have the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off. When I was putting my leave into my calendar, I noticed that the Monday that week is a public holiday. I thought it really wasn't worth cutting my trip short just to have one day in the office, so I approached my boss (again) for an extra day off. He agreed!

So long story short, I now have a week in China (or surrounds) in June!

 

[zanzibar138]

The story so far...

Sunday - Wednesday: ???
Thursday: Opening Day!
Friday: More SDL
Saturday: More SDL before returning home overnight on Cathay business via HK

 

[zanzibar138]

So this trip is proving somewhat difficult to plan. There are still so many unknowns.

The only thing I already have locked in is my return flight from Shanghai. I was very lucky to pick this one up! I had been eyeing it off while waiting for my leave approval to come through etc, then by the time I went to book it, that flight had gone. DH and I spent hours trying to find an alternative cheap or reward flight to no avail, and decided to start the search again in the morning. When DH logged on in the morning, there were the flights I had been eyeing off back again! He quickly booked it in (from his own account with his own FF points in case they were gone by the time he logged out and in again as me), and we’re now all set! So I have a DragonAir (subsidiary of Cathay) flight leaving Shanghai late in the evening, then a connecting Cathay flight leaving Hong Kong just after midnight. All in business class of course. DH even managed to choose a window seat for me (usually I go aisle because I hate having to disturb people if I need to get up, but Cathay business class is a 1-2-1 configuration, so the window seat will also give me the most privacy!).

Before I realised about Queen’s Birthday long weekend, and I was just going to have the 3 days off work, I was going to grab one of the AirAsia flights to Shanghai for $250, arriving just after midnight. I hadn’t booked yet though, because I was still holding out hope that I might find a relatively cheap option that would get me in a couple of hours earlier! Now that I have that whole week off and have a few extra days up my sleeve, it opens up a whole world of options – I don’t even know where to start! I could go somewhere else in China for a few days, or make it a real Disney trip and finally get to TDL, or I could do something completely different and go to Taiwan or South Korea. Or just go via somewhere in SE Asia. Or follow in DH’s footsteps and add in a status run. Or just go early and spend some time sight-seeing in Shanghai before SDL opens (Shanghai hasn’t really been an area of interest for me, but I’m sure I could fill in a couple of days there!). So as you can see, I’m still very much up in the air about that at the moment. What I do know is that I want to be careful about blowing out the trip too much – I want it to remain a quick, simple and relatively inexpensive trip, with the main emphasis being on Opening Day.

I do have some plans for the Wednesday onwards. I plan to stay at the Toy Story Hotel for the first 2 nights, then move to the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel for my final night. Prices and dates have not been released yet though, so I have no idea whether this will be feasible. I also have no idea how the tickets will work. There has been talk of them selling date specific tickets for the first few days, in order to avoid overcrowding and having to turn people away at the gate. If this is the case, I will have to get onto it as soon as ticket sales open to be in with a chance of getting one! Some estimate park capacity to be around 50,000. Having said that, there is also talk of the onsite hotels offering guaranteed entry to guests. They are large hotels, but I imagine I’ll also have to be careful not to miss out on those, especially if they’re going to offer that huge benefit!

I want to allow myself the opportunity to visit the park on all 3 days if I want to (Thursday, Friday, Saturday). I imagine all 3 days will be insanely crowded, and will probably experience some opening hiccups as well. If it all gets too much, I can spend some time exploring the hotels, Downtown Disney District, or the huge park that’s part of the resort. I will have to write up a list of must-dos and high priorities based on attractions/shows that look like they should be ready for Opening Day. I had been wondering if I would be able to fit in a few hours of sight-seeing, but now that I have those few days at the beginning of the trip, I probably won’t bother to leave the SDL Resort area. SDL is very close to Pudong International Airport, so leaving late in the evening on Saturday will really give me all day to explore/relax (that was very important when the trip was only going to be 3 nights!).

 

[Montanabel]

Wow Zanzibar, being at SDL on opening day is going to be an amazing experience. Well done on getting the time off work and a great deal on flights.

The Toy Story Hotel sounds really fun.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Good on you trail breaker for the rest of us. I have to admit while being there on Opening Day would be exhilarating I don't think I could cope with the crowds and happy to follow some time later (though I do have hopes for a vacay later this year all being well and China isn't too far.....). I am surprised they actually making the June date - it looked like a lot still to do a couple of months ago. Good on you for wangling the time off - brilliant. I would probs see a bit more of China whilst there rather than head off elsewhere in Asia. Save TDL for when you have time to do it properly I reckon as you need at least 4 (or more days) really to appreciate both parks.

 

[zanzibar138]

After doing some research, Tokyo is far too expensive anyway (flights AND accommodation). Otherwise I would actually be able to get 4 days there.

I've considered joining a small group tour for the first few days in China, but most tour companies only seem to offer independent tours for the shorter stays. I'm not sure about the idea of just hanging out with a guide and driver on my own for 3-4 days...

I did find a 2 day small group Great Wall trek which I am considering. Will have to find out more information about departure dates, what happens if not enough people book etc. If it all works out, I could fly into Beijing, maybe spend a day in the city, join in on that tour, then take the bullet train down to Shanghai.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Small group Great Wall trek sounds interesting. DD had a friend who visited China with another friend whose Dad lives there so he was her guide for Beijing. They hiked a less touristy section of the Great Wall and crossed a ravine (not sure if wall broken or if it was to get off the wall at that point) but it involved a zipline/flying fox - Em knows what she is doing - they didn't have the thingy at the top (I don't know the terminology) clipped in properly nor the fixings on the harness on the person done up properly-she fixed the latter but while reaching up to clip I think it was the safety clip, on properly - a stretch as she is short, they sent her off so she just hoped it wouldn't come undone halfway over this 100's feet drop - not quite up with international safety standards yet! I would like to do a 7 to 10 small group day tour taking in the classic Beijing, Great Wall, X'ian etc then finish with some days in Shanghai by ourselves including DL of course. Do you think the DL Hotel over there might be more affordable than some?

 

[zanzibar138]

It would be awesome to know someone over there and be able to hang out with them! There was another tour I really liked the sound of, where you got to camp in watch towers for the 2 nights, but it was BYO group lol! Besides not being as much fun, it was $1200 or something crazy to do it with just 1 person. The group one I found, you just walk a section, then get driven to accommodation for the night, and the next day walk a completely unrelated section. I guess it's a good way to get some variety though - it reckons you do both restored and original sections in a pretty low tourist area. I hope there's no unsafe zipping over ravines though! Your plan sounds exactly like what I would like to do this time around! Mine will be a bit more condensed though, and I won't have time for Xi'an.

I hope that onsite accommodation at SDL is going to be more affordable than in other locations. If not, I'll have to rethink my plans, which would be less than ideal! There's really nowhere else in the area to stay, and I don't fancy commuting from the city every day. Plus there's the priority entry thing, which may be a make or break thing for Opening Day. Park tickets are supposedly going to be cheaper than anywhere else, so hopefully accommodation will follow suit.

 

[marvel]

looking forward to hearing about your trip. Hoping SDL is a viable option with our slowly tumbling aussie dollar.

 

[zanzibar138]

So after further consideration and doing some sums, I think I've decided to stick with Malaysia on my way through to SDL. I'm just not comfortable with the idea of getting myself around in China, and the extra cost of joining the high quality tours that I'd want to is going to put me over budget.

I'm currently looking at flying into either Singapore or KL (both easy, cheap options with a low cost carrier) on the Saturday. Unfortunately I just missed AirAsia's specials into KL (was $244, has now gone up to $319), so I might hold out for a while and see what happens there.

The idea I really love is to fly into KL and get directly onto an overnight train to Kota Bharu. The train wouldn't get in until late afternoon on the Sunday, and passes through amazing looking jungle scenery. If I could get one of the premier cabins (single berth with private bathroom), it would also be a nice relaxing option. There are a couple of issues with that though. The first is that the 1st class sleeper carriages are currently out of action, so I may need to rough it in 2nd class. I'll have to decide whether that's an option. It's not that I'm a snob, but for an introvert like me, the thought of being locked in a carriage with 20 other people for a night and a day is pretty scary! Secondly, the line itself is currently not fully operational due to damage from floods a couple of years ago. It sounds like the damage is nearly fixed, and I've reports that the line should be fully functional again by April, but definitely can't confirm that. In the meantime, it is possible to still take the train to a certain point, then get a taxi for a little while, and take another train from another station after the damaged line, but that seems to defeat the purpose of travelling by train. At the other end, accommodation and flights out of Kota Bharu are pretty good value.

My back up plan is to spend a couple of days in Melaka. Looks like a fairly relaxed kind of place where 'wandering' (ie self-guided walking tour) is a great way to see the sights. Unfortunately one must take a bus from KL, but that's no big deal really.

There haven't been any other big announcements as far as SDL is concerned. I'm checking daily for the onsite hotels to become available for booking, but no luck yet.

 

[lffam]

You are right, that sort of opportunity does not come around very often, so great for you to be taking it . I'll be keeping and eye out for the report!

 

[zanzibar138]

So as usual, there's been a change in plans lol!

I decided to try to see some of China while I'm there, but Beijing was too overwhelming, Shanghai doesn't interest me that much, and anywhere else was going to be too much mucking around to get to/from. Then I stumbled onto some AirAsia flights to Xi'an, which are only $40 more expensive than flying into KL, and found a deluxe sleeper train from there to Shanghai. Accommodation there is also pretty cheap. For some reason, getting around on my own in Xi'an doesn't fill me with as much dread as doing the same thing in Beijing. If anyone has been to these two places before, I'd be interested to read a 'compare and contrast'!

So now the plan is...
Saturday: Fly to Xi'an via KL with AirAsia, arriving at about midnight. Arrange a transfer from the airport so I don't have to think about it after a big day of travelling!
Sunday: Trip out to see the Terracotta Warriors - I'm not trying to see a lot on this day because I imagine I'll be pretty tired from the previous day, and I don't want to have to rush around on my own.
Monday: Perhaps a day trip somewhere. Huashan looks amazing, and reasonably easy to get to, but is pretty expensive (approx $40 entry fee, and $50 high speed train each way). I'll continue to investigate options, or may just do some sight-seeing in the city.
Tuesday: Do some sight-seeing in the city before heading to the train station late in the afternoon for my sleeper train. Main points of interest are the city wall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and the bell and drum towers.
Wednesday: Arrive in Shanghai first thing in the morning. Maybe spend a couple of hours sight-seeing if I can find somewhere to stow my luggage (I will just have one small wheel along duffle bag at that point), then take the train out to Disneyland and check into the Toy Story Hotel.
Thursday: Opening Day!
Friday: More SDL
Saturday: More SDL before flying out of Shanghai late in the evening with Cathay, landing back in Melbourne late morning.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Sounds exciting!

 

[zanzibar138]

We have a date! Tickets and hotel rooms will be available from 28th March (I can only imagine that this will be in local Shanghai time, although no specific time has been mentioned). If there is no mention of times between now and then, it's going to be a very long day for me constantly refreshing my computer until it opens!

The good news is that tickets will be dated! This makes it even more important to be one of the first in line (or should I say 'online') so that I can get the coveted Opening Day ticket! Unfortunately there will be no 3 day ticket (not really surprised with only one park), so I'll have to buy two separate tickets to cover my whole 3 days. Tickets will be sold in peak and non-peak pricing, the whole of June being 'peak'. They are doing this, along with the dated tickets, in an effort to control crowd levels. I know that has been a high concern among those interested in the park, so hopefully this will really help.

Arrgghh! The next 6 weeks is going to drag!

 

[aussie shaz]

I was just coming on here to tell you exactly that Zanzibar! I thought you'd know, but just in case you didn't

 

[zanzibar138]

Thanks for thinking of me aussie shaz! I only found out this morning on the SDL planning thread. Where did you find out? Sounds like you've got a good source I'm hoping that there will be a leak on the hotel prices. I don't want to find out how much it's going to be when I have to actually book!

 

[Agent 86]

That is so awesome zanzibar138!

Xian is a lovely city. The Terracotta Warriors are awe-inspiring. Although, I would recommend doing the tour in the "opposite" direction. When we visited, the first stop was the "pit" and the last stop was the "museum". I think it would be best saving the pit for last since it has the biggest "wow" factor.

The City Wall was fun. We hired terribly old bicycles and rode around the terribly bumpy city wall. It was painful, but enjoyable.

I can't remember too much about the pagodas or temples, but only because we saw so many of them in China!

I would definitely visit the Shanghai Old City / Yuyuan Garden (with the famous zig-zag bridge) in Shanghai. It's also great for shopping and the tall buildings (e.g. Shanghai World Financial Center aka Bottle Top Opener Building).

 

[zanzibar138]

Thanks for the tips about the Terracotta Warriors - will definitely keep that in mind Cycling the city wall sounds like fun too - hoping there will be a small group of people I can join for that.

Hopefully there will be somewhere I can stash my luggage in Shanghai so I can have a look around before heading out to Disneyland. I guess worst case I could always go and drop off my stuff, then go back into Shanghai. After all, it will still be early, and there won't be anything to do at Disneyland yet!

 

[aussie shaz]

I follow TDR Explorer on Facebook and they had a post. Thought you might be interested!

 

[PrincessInOz]

WOW! Just catching up on news on the Dis.

This is super exciting!