10 Tips for visiting Shanghai Disneyland


 
Shanghai Disneyland Castle
Shanghai Disneyland Castle ©Corbin

This week we have a Guest blog post about Shanghai Disneyland. Three students who were on a University Study Tour visited the park in late November 2018. Their names are Corbin (21 years old), Clare and Fumiko (also in their early 20's). They went to Disneyland as part of a small group of fellow study tour students during their free time. 

These are their tips:

1. Where did you stay in Shanghai. Can you recommend?

Corbin: I stayed at the Tianping Hotel which was a nice hotel with a really good location. Unfortunately, our particular room's air conditioner didn't seem to work properly so it was really hot. Other than that, it was nice.

Clare and Fumi: Tianping Hotel Shanghai, Xujuahui, Xuhui (near the French Concession). It was a very clean area which felt safe at any time of the day or night. There were also a lot of malls within walking distance, many only just completed/about to be completed. Only downside would be that it was a little far from the Bund, however the Metro is convenient and there were two stations within walking distance.

 2. Any info here on Shanghai, getting to Disneyland Shanghai and getting around??

Corbin: I would advise using the Shanghai metro and walking as the main ways to get around. The taxis are comparatively cheap and easy to use but can sometimes be difficult if you lack knowledge of Chinese. Furthermore, some taxis may attempt to charge a higher rate for foreigners if you do not ensure the meter is running. The Shanghai Metro was very easy to use and was very convenient. There is a direct metro line to Disneyland which is an approximately 30-minute-long trip for 6 yuan. It was easy to get a ticket and there were options in English.

I would recommend, if someone has an iPhone, that they use Apple Maps as it is not blocked in China. It is convenient as it is in English whereas local alternatives like maps on Chinese search engines like Baidu are in Chinese only.

Clare and Fumi: Metro Line 11 takes you direct to Disney Resort, which is only a short walk to the park entrance, for less than $5 AUD. However, be aware that not every train on line 11 goes all the way to Disney. Our train terminated three stops before Disney and we were all shuffled off onto the platform to wait for another service. It wasn’t a real problem though as we only had to wait around 10 minutes for a train to arrive that was going all the way to Disney.

Shanghai Disneyland Castle Cloocktower
©Corbin

Shanghai Disneyland Castle
©Corbin

3. What were your favourite rides and why

Corbin: It is really hard to say as I enjoyed all the rides I went on. I didn't get to go on too many rides due to limited time. I personally really enjoyed the Seven Dwarfs ride due to the immersion and the sense of childhood fun. It also felt like a very well-designed roller coaster. I also enjoyed the Toy Story Car Racer Ride as I absolutely loved Toy Story as a child. The Tron ride was unique and quite cool. Despite all being quite fast rides with many turns, I did not feel sick at all despite being someone who has felt quite sick on rides before. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride used special effects and they worked really well as they  provided a good sense of immersion. All of the rides at Shanghai Disneyland were well designed and I did not feel nauseous on any. My personal favourite was the Seven Dwarfs ride but that did also have the longest line sadly.

Clare and Fumi: The Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure definitely lived up to its expectation as one of the go-to rides for Shanghai Disneyland. It truly felt like we were living out our own Pirates of the Caribbean adventure, from entering the line-up with the dark and gloomy aesthetic, to hopping onto the boats that transported us across the water passing by shipwrecks and treasures including escaping canon blasts. The use of the impressive animatronics and cinematography to allow Captain Jack Sparrow, Davy Jones and other famous characters and settings come to life also made it all the more realistic. As there were many seats on the ride and being a quiet day, the lineup was only 10 minutes meaning we were lucky enough to ride it twice!

Pirates of the Caribbean Shanghai Disneyland
Pirates Ride - ©Clare and Fumi
The Tron Ride is a visually impressive rollercoaster that feels like you’re in the middle of a game. While the lines may be long (we heard 2hrs+ on busy days) the wait itself is quite exciting as the theme music plays as you walk down a dark passage, lit up in the signature neon blue. The ride itself is short, initially starting outdoors (so onlookers can hear you scream) before moving indoors with Tron graphics making for a heart racing experience. Would definitely recommend!

Tron Shanghai Disneyland
Tron Ride - ©Clare and Fumi

Peter Pan's Flight and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh were very memorable as riding them felt like we were little kids again who believed in magic. On Peter Pan, the enchanted ship we sat on was suspended on the roof which created a real feeling of flying in the air, taking us above cities and into the stars. Winnie the Pooh on the other hand, took us on a quest to find his honey pots, with help from friends Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore. While these rides initially seem to be targeted to the younger audience, we would recommend them for all ages, as they will not only blow you away with their design but also see your childhood come to life!  

Winnie the Pooh Shanghai Disneyland
Winnie the Pooh Ride ©Clare and Fumi
We had read about Soaring Over the Horizons while doing some research online, but we couldn’t quite understand the appeal. It was described as a 4D film where you travel around the world to iconic places such as the pyramids in Egypt, the African Safarah and even our very own Sydney Harbour. This may not sound super exciting compared to the thrill coaster rides, but you really MUST give this a go. Let’s just say, your feet won’t touch the ground the entire time!

The Rapids were touted as one of the best rides at Shanghai Disneyland, but unfortunately it was closed for refurbishment when we were visiting.


5. Fireworks? How were they?

Corbin: The variety that Disneyland’s fireworks had was amazing and made it the best fire works I have seen in my life. The show lasted about 20 minutes with various acts and started on time. My personal favourite had to be the Aladdin performance as it probably had the best fireworks, good use of fire and used special effects well. I noticed that the Fireworks did have quite a lot of fire effects that were quite cool. The fire was seen as long flames and was on both sides of the castle. It was presented together with other traditional fireworks which emerged from the castle.

Clare and Fumi: Unfortunately, we were catching a flight that night, so we couldn’t stay for the fireworks.

6. Where did you eat at Disneyland?

Corbin: Food was comparatively expensive to Shanghai prices but compared to Australian prices it was pretty decent. I cannot remember exactly where I ate but for dinner I got a few bbq skewers which were about 110 yuan. It was quite expensive but they did taste really nice. The food is relatively expensive but, in my experience, was not poor quality. It was relatively good quality food that was nice. The main issue was that quite a lot of items were sold out, particularly at stalls. I really wanted to try a Mickey Pretzel or donut but they sadly were both sold out.

Clare and Fumi: The main meal we ate was a very scrumptious turkey leg at Barbossa’s Bounty in Treasure Cove. It is highly recommended by the staff and it was clear to see as nearly everyone in Treasure Cove was eating one. It is quite oily but they provide gloves and many napkins therefore you’ll easily stay clean.

From what we saw it was definitely expensive compared to local Chinese cuisine, however it would have been in the cheaper range for Disney. For snacks they had multiple carts around the park selling Mickey ice cream, dagwood dogs and popcorn. However, have cash handy as many did not accept foreign bank cards.

Mickey Icecream Shanghai Disneyland
The Mickey ice cream, around $5 AUD
©Clare and Fumi

7.    Queues and Lines?  How did you find them? Was it busy? Longest line up?

Corbin: The lines were not that long. The longest ride was Seven Dwarfs which was about 60/70 minutes whereas the shortest line was Pirates of the Caribbean which was about 10 minutes. The Toy Story ride was probably about 20 minutes and Tron was probably about 30 minutes.

Clare and Fumi: We went on a Thursday which proved not to be a busy day as most lines were only 10 minutes long. The longest lines we saw were Tron and Adventure Park which were around 40 minutes long. This may have been unusual, as talking to other student members who went on a Friday afternoon, they mentioned they had to wait over an hour to go on the Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure. 

We purchased the 'Disney Concierge Service' online which included Fastpass entry for the main rides in each section of the park. This included Tron, Pirates, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan, but we could only use the Fastpass once for each ride. We also used Fastpass for the Pirates restaurant where we got the turkey leg. However, as the lines weren’t long on the day, the Fastpass didn’t really make a difference for some rides but it did for the food. We also got VIP seating for the parade as part of the Concierge Service and you could also get it for the fireworks if we had of stayed at the park later.

8.  How did you find the language barrier?

Corbin: Shanghai Disneyland was my very first Disneyland and I do not feel that the language barrier took away any of the magic. I still felt like a child going in and had a really fun time. Many of the signs were in English so it was easy to navigate despite the language barrier. I had the advantage of knowing a bit of Chinese as well. Although it was a bit weird hearing Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean speaking Chinese and Chinese only. That ride nevertheless was a lot of fun but some rides that might have a lot of speaking, such as Storybook, might be quite hard to enjoy due to the language disconnect. Given that I grew up with Disney being in English, some of the Chinese did break some of the immersion. Despite that, I still had a really enjoyable time and the language barrier will not take away any of the fun.

Clare and Fumi: Navigating the park itself was easy as there was English signage everywhere, however, 80% of the rides safety instructions were in Chinese and most attendants only spoke in Chinese. For instance, when asking for number of riders or providing for ride directions they automatically spoke in Chinese. As we knew enough Chinese, we did not have a problem to move around rides and areas of the park, however for those who do not, it might beneficial to have a translator app handy or carry around an English Map which you can point too if wanting to go to a specific area.


9 . Download the ‘Shanghai Disney Resort’ App

Clare and Fumi: Using the app you can view an interactive version of the park map with ride wait times, see show times and even purchase tickets. There is also free wifi throughout the resort for those that don’t have international sim cards. However, a word of warning, the explanation of tickets are not very clear on the app, especially for those with limited understanding of the pricing system. We made the costly mistake of purchasing a Disney Concierge Service (knowing we had a very limited amount of time at the park) believing it came with a ticket, only to be told at the gate entrance that we needed to purchase a ticket separately. This wasn’t enough to dampen our experience, but I hope others can learn from our mistakes! After we bought the Disney Concierge  Service  ticket an employee provided us with an English map and told us what we should see first and at what times which was helpful.


©Clare and Fumi

10. What do you love about Disneyland?

Corbin: I loved the atmosphere, the comparatively cheap price ($80 AUD for entrance and being about to do anything for an entire day) and the fact that once you were in, you didn't have to pay.

Clare and Fumi: After continuously hearing people say that Disneyland is ‘the happiest place on Earth’, the day we had at Shanghai Disneyland really made us realise that it is truly ‘the happiest place on Earth’. It really feels like you’re in a magical place and every ride is unexpected in what you may find or experience. We didn’t have time to spend a whole day at Disney, but thankfully Pudong International Airport is only a 20 minute drive away so we managed to squeeze it in before catching a flight that night, which was handy because you’ll definitely want to have a Disney movie marathon after. Well that’s what happened to us on the plane back anyway! 

Shanghai Disneyland Castle
©Clare and Fumi
Thanks to Corbin, Clare and Fumi for taking the time to answering all my questions.

If you would like to comment please do so in Comments as I would love to hear about your experiences. 

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