We just got back from a quick trip to Shanghai, China. We were there mainly to visit the new Disneyland. It was a magical time! Well, it didn't start out magical. Most people need a visa to visit China, so apply early for that. We had a visa snafu. If you want to hear about it or learn about the new 144-hour Visa-free travel in Shanghai, CLICK HERE.
I am going to do this blog post a little different. I will put most of the relevant information and tips at the beginning of the post. If you are just browsing for Shanghai Disneyland information, I won't make you scroll through the ton of pictures. :)
We were at SD on March 9th and 10th. Friday and Saturday. Saturday was LESS crowded. Go figure. The only thing I can think of is that there were several large school groups visiting on Friday. Weather was in the 60's, with lows in the 50's. The only ride not open during our two days was the Roaring Rapids. I am assuming that was because it was too chilly to get wet. The park was open from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. There were no extra hours for those staying on property. Plan on arriving 30 minutes before the park opens. I read that advice more than once, and no, I did not get there that early. So, we were in long lines waiting to go through security. If you buy your tickets the day of, there were practically no lines to do that.
How long should you plan your visit for? Well, it is almost impossible to see everything in one day. You will have to make some tough choices. I was there two days and did and saw just about everything I wanted to. In fact, I had no desire for a third day, so I say two is perfect. Although if you only have one day available, by all means, go anyways! I did find a few 1-day itineraries online. The problem with those is that you have to stick to a strict plan and be traveling with people who are also willing (a tough sell in my case.) And sometimes we found the line for Fastpass longer than the line for the ride itself!! In our case, the line for the Mine Train was about 30 minutes, and the single-rider line was a 10-minute wait! Oh by the way, if you see a single-rider line, it can be a great time-saver. And parade time is a great time to catch some of the bigger rides. This is a good plan for a two-day stay, because who wants to miss the parade?? Just make sure you are on the right side of the park before parade starts. The parade route basically runs through the middle of the park.
Be sure to download the Shanghai Disneyland app. It is free and fabulous. The way we used it the most was for wait times. If we only had 45 minutes before a show, for instance, we could predict what rides we had time for. The park has free wi-fi throughout. Theoretically... The free wi-fi was spotty at best. Luckily we were with friends who live in China, so they used their data plan. If I had it to do again, I would get a SIM card at the airport. And another thing. Make sure your phone has VPN installed on it. It will allow you to access Facebook, gmail accounts, and Google. I thought I had a VPN, but it turns out I only had a trial account. It ran out my first day. Yes, I did survive without Facebook for a few days, but since I also had gmail, I felt a bit disconnected from the world. The VPN needs to be installed before you come to China. One more note. My husband, daughter, and I all opened We Chat accounts before getting to China. That is China's answer to Facebook. It was how we communicated with our friends and each other.
Now on to pictures!
We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. It was beautiful!! It is the nicer of the two hotel options on the property. There was a ferry behind the hotel that took us to the park. I do want to mention that there are only two restaurants at the hotel. Lumiere and Ballet Cafe. The cafe offers coffee, pastries, and Chinese food. Not a huge menu, just the basics. Lumiere has the character meals. I say that because Savannah and her friend, Hannah, wanted to eat at hotel one night, and it was a pricey character meal. But they did get cute pictures with Mickey! There are lots of restaurants in Disneytown, next to the park.
Julie and I in the hotel lobby, getting ready to head to SD!
There is no train station, but here is the entrance.
Joe, me, Julie, Mark
These balloons were everywhere!
A Chinese tea house. About the most Chinese-looking structure in the park.
It has been about 10 years since I have been to Disneyworld in Florida. I remember the Pirates of the Caribbean ride there. You basically rode in a boat between moving figures, set up as scenes in the movie. Not very exciting. Well, how technology has changed this ride! It is definitely one of the best rides ever!! You are still in a boat, but instead of cheesy animatronics, you are floating between giant screens, making you feel like you are either under the sea or between a ship battle! And I promise, the ride is even better the second time. We actually found a time with only a 10-minute wait and rode it for the third time.
Most of the signs in the park are written in Mandarin and English.
In the front of the Enchanted Storybook Castle
This castle is not dedicated to any one princess.
I made a reservation ahead of time for lunch at the Enchanted Castle. I didn't include the guys. Good thing, because the whole thing was pretty girly. But fabulous! Lunch began with a photo op with Princess Aurora.
After we ordered, we got a visit from Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and
Mickey! All dressed in their regal best.
My teriyaki salmon was delicious!
Hannah's dessert was served in a Cinderella slipper. The whole experience of lunch at the castle was a wonderful one!
Later, we got pictures with Goofy and Pluto. There were quite a few characters around and most had short waits for pictures. I don't think the Chinese people quite got the whole character thing.
We loved this spot for pictures. You will walk straight here as you enter the park. But everyone wants to stop here for pictures. Do yourself a favor and head for a ride. It is much better to take pictures in the afternoon, where you can find a spot with no crowds.
This is part of the afternoon parade. We watched the parade both afternoons. It is hard to avoid, especially if you are on the other side of the park from where you want to be. But that's okay, it is wonderful. I especially appreciated seeing the Mulan float while in China!!
These female drummers were fierce!
The soldiers from Toy Story
This was in Tomorrowland, under the TRON ride. By the way, you could watch TRON, Pirates of the Caribbean, Alice in Wonderland, Frozen, and other Disney movies featured at the park in your hotel room.
This was in the line to start the ride. Those are motorcycles, that you sit in like you would a motorcycle. We waited quite a while to ride this was, and it was a super fast ride. More fast than thrilling.
Night time picture of the Enchanted Storybook Castle, the largest of all Disney castles.
That evening, we had reservations for one of the tables on the second floor at Wolfang Puck restaurant in Disneytown. It was more of a private room. There was a small balcony off the room, with a clear and perfect view of the castle. Every night there is a show called Ignite the Dream. I cannot overemphasize how great this show is! The entire castle turns into a movie screen with scenes and music from many of the Disney movies (including Star Wars, which is now owned by Disney.) There are also lasers and fireworks. We timed our reservation so we could see the show, which was at 8:00 pm on this day. The music was piped into Disneytown, so that was great. We could not see all the details projected on the castle from this distance, but we could see most of it. And best of all, we didn't have to get to a viewing spot an hour early. It was truly a magical end to a magical day! And the food and drinks were great.
This video is off-center and I can't seem to move it. But watch it anyways! :)
The next morning began with a buffet breakfast at the hotel. Again, we didn't realize that all meals here were character meals, so it was a $40 breakfast. But hey, can you really put a price on meeting Minnie and Mickey?
Lobby flowers the second morning
Here we are, waiting in line for Soaring. This ride consistently had the longest wait time during our two days. The posted wait time was 90 minutes but we got in in an hour. Yes, I wore my ears the whole time. I was in good company at this park. :)
Saturday was supposed to be chilly and rainy. Surprise! We had a lovely, sunny day. I bought Hannah and Savannah these t-shirts at the GAP beforehand. I have to say, I didn't find that the park had a really good selection of Disney apparel. Oh, and I have been to Disneyland and Disneyworld in the US, and these are they best dressed park visitors I have seen! I saw quite a few fur jackets and high-heeled boots. And the cutest Disney Ugg boots on a toddler.
Alice in Wonderland Maze
The musical show in front of the Castle
I love this picture of Joe and Walt!
Savannah and her Mickey bar! I never saw these. We used to get them a lot in Disneyworld.
Oh, a little video of the parade.
This mural was by the pool at the hotel. It is an indoor pool.
One of the last things we did was to go shopping in Disneytown. You can buy your bear a Chinese outfit.
I will end my post with the strangest thing I have seen. It is a Minnie...
ear pick!!!! There was a whole display of these ear picks. I just don't know what else to say.
I have read lots of reviews and observations about SD, with quite a few criticisms. I found it to be a very enjoyable and magical visit. TRON and the Pirates rides were down for a few hours of the second day, but they were up and running in the afternoon. The cast members struggled to speak English, but they got their message across and it was fine. There were a few line cutters, but not as many as I had feared. Hannah and Savannah would adopt their 'bat wing' poses to block anyone who tried. I did choose spring, and not the heat of the summer, so that was helpful. So if you have the chance, go!!! Have a magical time!!
