Shanghai Disneyland Grand Opening Trip Planning Thread

[zanzibar138]

Nope, I wasn't charged and didn't have to give any credit card details or anything. I'm not doing the castle dining though, just Lumiere's at the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel.

 

[wtdanceisthrough]

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2016/05/09/2003645815

Apparently there will be a "three-day event to mark the opening of the park". This is the first I'd heard of this. Does this mean 16th-18th or is it including some days before 16th (when the park would not be open to the general public)?

 

[xmansmom]

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2016/05/09/2003645815

Does this mean 16th-18th or is it including some days before 16th (when the park would not be open to the general public)?

I looked around online but only find the same press release. I won't be there until the 22nd but I'm hoping it starts the 16th for all of you going then. On a selfish note - I want to experience it through my fellow DISers since I can't be there myself.

 

[Hesperus]

Found this on instagram.. seems like they might start on the 14th!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFK2ZryrigI/

 

[datunofficialDP]

I started planning for a spring break trip for 2017 and im excited!
i haven't gone to china before but i have traveled out of the country before.
any tips for traveling to shanghai?

 

[wtdanceisthrough]

Found this on instagram.. seems like they might start on the 14th!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFK2ZryrigI/

Thank you - that's so helpful!! I don't suppose anyone has more details than this? As the image is cut off before the end. I will be arriving in Shanghai on 13th, and while obviously I can't attend the private functions on 14th-15th, it would still be interesting to know what they are so I can hang around Disneytown on those days and soak up the atmosphere!!

 

[zanzibar138]

From a selfish point of view, I was hoping that the 3 day celebration would be the 16th, 17th and 18th, as those are the 3 days I'll be at the park lol!

 

[Frankiemelb]

Would be amazing to go, next year, the Pirates ride looks amazing

 

[newbss]

Someone posted a video of the Tron ride:

I will be there on 6/20 and 6/21 with my daughter, staying at the Toy Story hotel.

 

[wtdanceisthrough]

I called reservations today though to book breakfast at Lumiere's for the 17th. Be aware that the 6:30am time slot has already been booked out, so if you're planning to make any dining reservations I would get onto it ASAP. I ended up with the 6:45am slot so not too bad.

I called up today (well, yesterday in Chinese terms) and I was told they still have "plenty of availability" for the 6:30am slot. Strange?!

I ended up with the 6:45am slot so not too bad. Apparently the park will open at 8am in peak times, so I may still decide to ditch the dining in favour of being at the park for rope drop.

I reckon it only takes about half an hour to WALK from the hotel to the park - and surely will be even quicker by boat. I think we'll be fine getting an early breakfast and still being there for rope drop.

 

[wtdanceisthrough]

^^ Amazing video of lots of Shanghai Disneyland stuff!! This whetted my appetite

 

[zanzibar138]

I called up today (well, yesterday in Chinese terms) and I was told they still have "plenty of availability" for the 6:30am slot. Strange?!

I reckon it only takes about half an hour to WALK from the hotel to the park - and surely will be even quicker by boat. I think we'll be fine getting an early breakfast and still being there for rope drop.

That's weird, but I'm not at all surprised. Not sure if I can be bothered to call China again to move my ressie - will see how I go.

I generally allow an hour for a character breakfast, so I think it will be a struggle to get through that, organise payment etc, and walk to the park in time for rope drop (I plan to walk rather than take transportation as I think the lines/crowds will be out of control!). I hate that nothing's on Google Maps yet, so it's really hard to get any idea of how long it will take to get from A to B! I'm expecting huge crowds at the entrance and would prefer to beat the majority if I can by being there early. But if I can get a 6:30am slot it'll definitely be more doable. I guess it all depends on how quickly the characters do their rounds.

I'm still really tossing up which day is going to be best for the breakfast. I don't even know if they'll do it on the 16th, but I'm not sure how early I'll be able to get there on the train, and really just want to go straight to the entrance to line up. Part of me is thinking it would be better to do it on the Saturday (I'm staying concierge level on Thursday night, so I'll get free breakfast on Friday, and it would be a nice way to start the last day of my trip too). Any idea how far away the hotels are from each other?

Has anyone found out much about the castle dining? Is it just lunch and dinner that they do there? I wasn't planning to waste too much park time on table service restaurants, but maybe it would be worth booking for a bit of time out. After all, I am planning to Disneybound as Cinderella on my last day

 

[zanzibar138]

And by the way, loving all the photos and video that have come from the CM previews!

 

[wtdanceisthrough]

I generally allow an hour for a character breakfast

Any reason? To be honest, I think on 17th, I'll be less interested in the characters, and more interested in getting through my breakfast so that I can get to the park on time There's time for character meals on other days/later the same day.

walk to the park in time for rope drop (I plan to walk rather than take transportation as I think the lines/crowds will be out of control!). I hate that nothing's on Google Maps yet, so it's really hard to get any idea of how long it will take to get from A to B!

Google Maps is not too inaccurate actually. I made this map using a distance calculator:

Distance: 0.707 miles
Approximate walking time (according to Google Maps): 17.1 minutes

So I think it should be fine to do it in 30 minutes.

I'm still really tossing up which day is going to be best for the breakfast. I don't even know if they'll do it on the 16th, but I'm not sure how early I'll be able to get there on the train, and really just want to go straight to the entrance to line up.

I'm really not sure what I'm going to do about breakfast on the 16th. I'm not the kind of person who can function well without breakfast... I have no idea where I'm going to get it! Certainly breakfast at a Disney hotel on 16th is not an option for me. I need something really quick or that I can eat while travelling.

Any idea how far away the hotels are from each other?

Google Maps is slightly less accurate here (the car park south of TSH is not there), but still helpful.

Distance: 1.202 miles
Approximate walking time (according to Google Maps): 29.0 minutes



By the way, I found that if you cancel a meal two days in advance, it's free to cancel, otherwise you have to pay a cancellation charge (not the full meal charge). For now I just booked breakfasts on all my days and figure I'll work out what to do later...

 

[zanzibar138]

Wow thanks for the tips!

The only reason I'm doing a character breakfast at all is for the characters. I love meeting characters, and I'm afraid that the lines will be prohibitively long in the park (as much as I love characters, I also want to ride some rides). So that's why I think I could be an hour. If I wanted a quick breakfast I could just grab something from the concierge lounge that morning. Perhaps you have the right idea with doing it later in the day - don't want to waste too much time going back and forth though. Ah, first world problems huh?

As for the 16th, my hotel has a free breakfast, but not sure that it will be early enough for me. If not, I'll probably try to grab something the night before that I can eat in my room/on the way, as well as some snacks to get me through to opening time!

 

[Dentam]

Just did an online search for Shanghai Disney and there are some great photos and video being posted by all the people who are getting in for the test runs. The new Pirates ride looks really cool!!

 

[wtdanceisthrough]

The only reason I'm doing a character breakfast at all is for the characters. I love meeting characters, and I'm afraid that the lines will be prohibitively long in the park (as much as I love characters, I also want to ride some rides).

To be honest, I also want to have a character breakfast to meet characters!! Character meeting has not really been a focus of any of my previous Disney trips (WDW, DLP). But since my last trip in 2014, I have somewhat caught the bug of wanting to meet characters, and looking forward to starting that journey on this trip. But I just think 17th is not the right time to be trying to meet characters before the park opens. I want to do a "proper" character breakfast on another day. I think we may be thinking along the same lines here.

If I wanted a quick breakfast I could just grab something from the concierge lounge that morning.

I had considered that but I feel quite confused how it is going to work. Do you have any experience gleaned from prior trips? Because the other breakfast venues at the hotel (e.g. Bacchus Lounge, Ballet Cafe) are not bookable, I don't know if there will be massive queues or if they will even be properly open (i.e. have a range of food available) that early. I thought to book the only bookable breakfast restaurant (Aurora Restaurant does not do breakfasts) was the safest way to ensure I could get a quick breakfast on time before heading to the park. But if there are almost certainly going to be other options available, I may look at cancelling that reservation.....

Unfortunately the staff on the helpline are a bit unhelpful in this regard. They literally just read out what it says on the website word-for-word, and can't seem to answer any more complicated questions.....so if anyone else has ideas based on past experience, it would be really interesting! (I've never stayed on property before.)

As for the 16th, my hotel has a free breakfast, but not sure that it will be early enough for me. If not, I'll probably try to grab something the night before that I can eat in my room/on the way, as well as some snacks to get me through to opening time!

I am in the same position. My hotel offers breakfast (not free though like some lucky people!) but I don't know what times. I don't quite know what I would buy the night before which would keep and also sort out my hunger!! Here at home I'd go to a local newsagents and buy a cereal bar brand which I know I like. But in China it is going to be a bit of a minefield - who knows what you are getting or even what it says on the front of the packet!!

 

[zanzibar138]

To be honest, I also want to have a character breakfast to meet characters!! Character meeting has not really been a focus of any of my previous Disney trips (WDW, DLP). But since my last trip in 2014, I have somewhat caught the bug of wanting to meet characters, and looking forward to starting that journey on this trip. But I just think 17th is not the right time to be trying to meet characters before the park opens. I want to do a "proper" character breakfast on another day. I think we may be thinking along the same lines here.

I'm not sure that there is going to be a 'good' time to do a character breakfast during my stay. The 16th is out, and the only other day I'm there is the 18th. I'm thinking of doing the castle dining then. If not, I may try to move my character breakfast and just put up with having to walk between hotels.

I had considered that but I feel quite confused how it is going to work. Do you have any experience gleaned from prior trips? Because the other breakfast venues at the hotel (e.g. Bacchus Lounge, Ballet Cafe) are not bookable, I don't know if there will be massive queues or if they will even be properly open (i.e. have a range of food available) that early. I thought to book the only bookable breakfast restaurant (Aurora Restaurant does not do breakfasts) was the safest way to ensure I could get a quick breakfast on time before heading to the park. But if there are almost certainly going to be other options available, I may look at cancelling that reservation.....

Unfortunately the staff on the helpline are a bit unhelpful in this regard. They literally just read out what it says on the website word-for-word, and can't seem to answer any more complicated questions.....so if anyone else has ideas based on past experience, it would be really interesting! (I've never stayed on property before.)

I just checked the information for the club level rooms again. It says the club lounge operates from 7am - 10pm daily. I'm guessing that the quick service restaurants in the hotel would have similar hours, although if they're opening the character breakfast earlier you might be in luck. The only time I've stayed onsite is at HKDL, and I haven't felt the need to be at their restaurants right on opening (the park there doesn't open til 10am and it doesn't get busy until the afternoon if at all!).

Not sure about the queues, but I'm guessing that pretty much everything on site (in the park, both hotels, and Disney Town) is going to be busy and pretty chaotic for those first few days. I'm hoping that the club lounge may be a bit quieter than the others because only a selection of people will be able to get in. But it might be so small that it feels busier even with fewer people - who knows! It will be my first time staying club level anywhere, so I really have no idea what to expect!

Personally I'm the kind of person who is happy to just live on snacks for a few days, so if I'm not having a meal for the experience of it, it's not worth the hassle and expense of going somewhere specific.

I am in the same position. My hotel offers breakfast (not free though like some lucky people!) but I don't know what times. I don't quite know what I would buy the night before which would keep and also sort out my hunger!! Here at home I'd go to a local newsagents and buy a cereal bar brand which I know I like. But in China it is going to be a bit of a minefield - who knows what you are getting or even what it says on the front of the packet!!

I don't know what I'll buy the night before either, but there's bound to be something suitable. Like I said before though, I'll be happy to just buy a selection of appealing looking snacks and pick at those rather than have to have something 'breakfasty'.

 

[D23Ry]

Is everyone staying at the DL Hotel? I was looking online today for a trip next year and it looks like EVERYTHING is sold out.

 

[zanzibar138]

Wow next year? I would keep checking, something might become available. Or maybe you're trying to book too far in advance? Might even be worth calling the reservations line.

If you're not that set on staying onsite, I did find a hotel in my search which seems to be like a 'good neighbour' style place offering Disney packages with a free shuttle to the Disney train line (only twice a day though). If you're interested, it's the Dorsett Shanghai right near the Maglev station. I was tempted to try it out, but it was a bit over budget since I totally blew all my money on my club level stay at the DL Hotel. I ended up booking a cheaper place just around the corner.

I'm imagining that once things are up and running the local hotels surrounding Disneyland will get a much bigger international prescence and start getting more English reviews on TripAdvisor etc. We'll probably even see some more international chains spring up in the area. If it was me, I would hang out and keep checking in with the onsite hotels for availability, but if you have missed out on them, you'll probably find it much easier to choose a hotel in a few months when there are more reviews and TRs etc around.