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I wanted to give my thoughts on Shanghai Disneyland and prepare people for what to expect. This was part of a larger trip to Tokyo and Hong Kong. Please feel free to comment and agree/disagree.
The Great:
- Pirates
- Tron
The Surprise hits:
- Buzz Lightyear
- Peter Pan
- Roaring Rapids
The Bad:
- Smoking (On sidewalks, in bathrooms(every one in the park), in hotels (Toy Story Hotel))
- The knockoff sellers in the park
- The behavior of the people
- Did I mention the smoking?
Bottom Line: Go there NOW if you want to experience Pirates (Tron is coming to WDW) and say you have been to every Disney Park in the world. I say go now because the place is already falling apart. The park is less than 2 years old and it looks like it could be 10 or 20 years old in a lot of places. Either the quality in construction was poor or they have no consistent maintenance program. Also, it doesn't help that people treat the park like crap.
So we arrived at the airport in the evening and immigration was fairly painless. We were transiting through Shanghai from Tokyo on our way to Hong Kong. You don't need a Visa for stays in Shanghai of less than 144 hours (more than enough time IMO). Please make sure you Google and read up on the rules prior to going on your trip. Also, make sure you get in the proper Visa line, it was marked with 144 hours and there is a paper you need to fill out separate from the one they give you on the flight.
After immigration I went to the ATM. As a side note the ATM is the BEST way to get your money with the best exchange rate and as little fees as possible. I recommend the Charles Schwab online checking account, it has ATM fee reimbursement and no foreign transaction fees. This is where we were greeted by "Chinese Hospitality".
As I was trying to get my money out I ran into a problem. A friendly airport employee told me that the ATM was for Chinese cards only. This was new to me but hey, it's a communist country so that might actually be a thing. The airport employee was official. He had a sport coat on and a nice badge that said "Airport Staff" with the China Eastern Air logo. He then asked if we needed transportation and I told him we were just taking a taxi. He then kindly informed us that cab service had stopped for the day (it was about 9-930pm). He would guide us to an area in the airport with car service that could take care of us...
I had not questioned the ATM advice because it seemed plausible but my traveler alarms started going off. A huge international airport not having taxi service at 9pm made no sense. So, I told him I know that's not true and we ignored him and walked away. Sure enough, outside there were TONS of cabs.
So the cab trip to the hotel was uneventful but I will say be thankful we do not live in a communist country. Before even leaving the airport authorities checked the cab information, then took a photo of the driver. This was the first of about 10-15 spots on the drive where cameras are set up along on the road to take photos of the cars. They slow down as they go through and you see the flash of the camera. I know we have this system on toll roads but this was security. And it was only a 20 minute drive to the airport.
We arrived at the Toy Story Hotel and it was a solid moderate hotel. Check in was relatively easy except for the need for our passports so the hotel could register us with the local police (standard procedure in China). We were informed the hotel was 100% non-smoking...
We took the elevator up to our floor and as soon as the door opened up we were blasted with cigarette smoke. Turns out the 100% non-smoking is just ignored. People would smoke in their rooms and open the doors to clear out the smoke from their rooms into the hall way. This wasn't just one person, one day. We saw it daily on several floors (we had other people in our group in different rooms). One morning on the way to get coffee you could see clouds of smoke in the ceiling lights.
The next morning was our first park day. We decided to walk from the hotel to the park which is not complicated. Disney did their best to landscape and beautify the area even though it was filled with trash, I assume from motorists and other park visitors.
Once you end up in the area that is called Disneytown (Their version of Downtown Disney) you figured out things were truly going to be different. There were tons of local police, Disney security and temporary barricade after barricade. Disney spent some time designing a grand entrance that wasn't good for crowd (and knockoff/scammers) control. Since we were staying onsite we had special entrance through Disneytown. That saved us probably 45 minutes and got us into the park before official opening. Know that you need your passport at ALL TIMES in China and they require them with tickets at the gate. They also take your picture. Disney must of had issues with fraudulent tickets and misuse of tickets because they took this very seriously.
My impression of SDR is that they made it massive. The walkways and areas are all massive. The castle is massive, the hub is massive. It's big... but it lacks personality. Mickey Ave (Their Main Street) feels like a hodgepodge of stuff thrown together to feel like a Toontown without trying to be one. Most of the park feels like a knock off... it looks kinda like Disney but just feels off.... as if the China decided it was going to make a Disney on its own.
Our first ride of the day was Pirates. And boy did we save the best for first. It is great. However, it is already falling apart. There were some key animatronics not working and in B mode. However, still an excellent ride.
Other park highlights included Tron. I am glad this is coming to WDW and I hope they improve on it. The ride is a bit short. Buzz was fantastic and I hope WDW/DLR get updates soon. Peter Pan was also really well done. Roaring Rapids was a surprise hit. Think GRR with a story.
Now, the people. The smoke everywhere... I mean everywhere. It was horrible and rampant.I could see Disney went to work trying to educate and inform people but you can tell they gave up... Pushing and shoving is the norm (which I understand is a cultural norm in the area) but it seemed out of control. We got SDR mouse ears and they were putting your name in Chinese for free. I did Google Translate and asked for "no smoking". They LOVED it and made it. They even told me thank you.
The other thing that is crazy is the people selling knockoff goods. There would be a person standing in a pathway holding up their wares and someone watching out a few feet away. We saw this with various goods including keychains, ears, umbrellas, ponchos, and more. Somebody at Disney is getting paid off because the second day we went in it was raining and they were there selling ponchos right after you get in the gate. I mean FEET from employees and security. These were not Disney employees or ponchos, those were being sold in the park stores.
Overall this is a park you should visit sooner rather than later. It is just 2 years old and is already falling apart. I don't think they have the same standards of car as they do in other parts of the world. The guests also treat the park like crap. They drop trash (including cigarettes) all over the place and ignore barriers to green space, etc.
Thanks for reading, I am sure I am missing some thoughts or insight but feel free to ask me any questions. I would love to start a conversation about the park including Asia trip planning!
Chris in the Parks
The Great:
- Pirates
- Tron
The Surprise hits:
- Buzz Lightyear
- Peter Pan
- Roaring Rapids
The Bad:
- Smoking (On sidewalks, in bathrooms(every one in the park), in hotels (Toy Story Hotel))
- The knockoff sellers in the park
- The behavior of the people
- Did I mention the smoking?
Bottom Line: Go there NOW if you want to experience Pirates (Tron is coming to WDW) and say you have been to every Disney Park in the world. I say go now because the place is already falling apart. The park is less than 2 years old and it looks like it could be 10 or 20 years old in a lot of places. Either the quality in construction was poor or they have no consistent maintenance program. Also, it doesn't help that people treat the park like crap.
So we arrived at the airport in the evening and immigration was fairly painless. We were transiting through Shanghai from Tokyo on our way to Hong Kong. You don't need a Visa for stays in Shanghai of less than 144 hours (more than enough time IMO). Please make sure you Google and read up on the rules prior to going on your trip. Also, make sure you get in the proper Visa line, it was marked with 144 hours and there is a paper you need to fill out separate from the one they give you on the flight.
After immigration I went to the ATM. As a side note the ATM is the BEST way to get your money with the best exchange rate and as little fees as possible. I recommend the Charles Schwab online checking account, it has ATM fee reimbursement and no foreign transaction fees. This is where we were greeted by "Chinese Hospitality".
As I was trying to get my money out I ran into a problem. A friendly airport employee told me that the ATM was for Chinese cards only. This was new to me but hey, it's a communist country so that might actually be a thing. The airport employee was official. He had a sport coat on and a nice badge that said "Airport Staff" with the China Eastern Air logo. He then asked if we needed transportation and I told him we were just taking a taxi. He then kindly informed us that cab service had stopped for the day (it was about 9-930pm). He would guide us to an area in the airport with car service that could take care of us...
I had not questioned the ATM advice because it seemed plausible but my traveler alarms started going off. A huge international airport not having taxi service at 9pm made no sense. So, I told him I know that's not true and we ignored him and walked away. Sure enough, outside there were TONS of cabs.
So the cab trip to the hotel was uneventful but I will say be thankful we do not live in a communist country. Before even leaving the airport authorities checked the cab information, then took a photo of the driver. This was the first of about 10-15 spots on the drive where cameras are set up along on the road to take photos of the cars. They slow down as they go through and you see the flash of the camera. I know we have this system on toll roads but this was security. And it was only a 20 minute drive to the airport.
We arrived at the Toy Story Hotel and it was a solid moderate hotel. Check in was relatively easy except for the need for our passports so the hotel could register us with the local police (standard procedure in China). We were informed the hotel was 100% non-smoking...
We took the elevator up to our floor and as soon as the door opened up we were blasted with cigarette smoke. Turns out the 100% non-smoking is just ignored. People would smoke in their rooms and open the doors to clear out the smoke from their rooms into the hall way. This wasn't just one person, one day. We saw it daily on several floors (we had other people in our group in different rooms). One morning on the way to get coffee you could see clouds of smoke in the ceiling lights.
The next morning was our first park day. We decided to walk from the hotel to the park which is not complicated. Disney did their best to landscape and beautify the area even though it was filled with trash, I assume from motorists and other park visitors.
Once you end up in the area that is called Disneytown (Their version of Downtown Disney) you figured out things were truly going to be different. There were tons of local police, Disney security and temporary barricade after barricade. Disney spent some time designing a grand entrance that wasn't good for crowd (and knockoff/scammers) control. Since we were staying onsite we had special entrance through Disneytown. That saved us probably 45 minutes and got us into the park before official opening. Know that you need your passport at ALL TIMES in China and they require them with tickets at the gate. They also take your picture. Disney must of had issues with fraudulent tickets and misuse of tickets because they took this very seriously.
My impression of SDR is that they made it massive. The walkways and areas are all massive. The castle is massive, the hub is massive. It's big... but it lacks personality. Mickey Ave (Their Main Street) feels like a hodgepodge of stuff thrown together to feel like a Toontown without trying to be one. Most of the park feels like a knock off... it looks kinda like Disney but just feels off.... as if the China decided it was going to make a Disney on its own.
Our first ride of the day was Pirates. And boy did we save the best for first. It is great. However, it is already falling apart. There were some key animatronics not working and in B mode. However, still an excellent ride.
Other park highlights included Tron. I am glad this is coming to WDW and I hope they improve on it. The ride is a bit short. Buzz was fantastic and I hope WDW/DLR get updates soon. Peter Pan was also really well done. Roaring Rapids was a surprise hit. Think GRR with a story.
Now, the people. The smoke everywhere... I mean everywhere. It was horrible and rampant.I could see Disney went to work trying to educate and inform people but you can tell they gave up... Pushing and shoving is the norm (which I understand is a cultural norm in the area) but it seemed out of control. We got SDR mouse ears and they were putting your name in Chinese for free. I did Google Translate and asked for "no smoking". They LOVED it and made it. They even told me thank you.
The other thing that is crazy is the people selling knockoff goods. There would be a person standing in a pathway holding up their wares and someone watching out a few feet away. We saw this with various goods including keychains, ears, umbrellas, ponchos, and more. Somebody at Disney is getting paid off because the second day we went in it was raining and they were there selling ponchos right after you get in the gate. I mean FEET from employees and security. These were not Disney employees or ponchos, those were being sold in the park stores.
Overall this is a park you should visit sooner rather than later. It is just 2 years old and is already falling apart. I don't think they have the same standards of car as they do in other parts of the world. The guests also treat the park like crap. They drop trash (including cigarettes) all over the place and ignore barriers to green space, etc.
Thanks for reading, I am sure I am missing some thoughts or insight but feel free to ask me any questions. I would love to start a conversation about the park including Asia trip planning!
Chris in the Parks
We were there a few months after it opened, and it's disappointing to hear about it in your review. When we were there, it was pristine and so much fun. I loved Tron so much, and places like the Snow White castle and Alice in Wonderland-everywhere was interesting and exciting. I've only been to Disneyland in California (twice) otherwise, so don't have much to compare, but I felt Shanghai was going to be a place to go back to when we are in China next. After your review, it sounds like it's heading to a letdown. 
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