4077
I'll fly for this Mickey Mouse outfit!
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2013
Well.... Shanghai Disney was a lot of fun for me with a great weather day...sunny and high 60's with 50's after sun went down. I think I will start with my general experience getting there and then pics and whatever else enters my mind as I go...
Day before conundrum.... which ticket to buy? There were a LOT of choices (a basic entry ticket, multi-day, tickets with dining coupons, tickets with various sets of "premier access" rides (the "fastpass" Shanghai Disney)... I ended up choosing the "Disney Dream Day Adventure package of 6". This is entry plus premier access to a specific set of 6 rides. The set of 6 rides listed is subject to change/substitution if rides close, break, etc. The 6 rides I had premier access to were Seven Dwarfs Mine train, Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue, TRON Lightcycle Power Run, Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure, Zootopia: Hot Pursuit, and Roaring Rapids.
Ride from hotel to Disney was 60 minutes with morning traffic, ride home 35 minutes. Not sure what cost would have been from my location as I had the ride provided by our flight handling company here in Shanghai (Thank you, Shirley! - the founder/CEO of the company). Once I made it to the drop off area, up an escalator and walked along an elevated walkway to the main plaza area where metal barriers were set up in a lengthy back and forth queue (can't imagine how long it would take to get in during a warm weekend or public holiday here!) that dumped you into an area where you chose left or right to enter 2 additional back and forth type queues that took you up to the security screening and turnstile area. Oh, when you buy your ticket online (the only option, BTW) you have to create an account for Shanghai Disney, and as a foreigner not from China, Hong Kong, and one other territory I can't recall, you need to enter your passport information (number). When you arrive to park, you need to bring your purchase confirmation and your passport which you must present to the cast member at the turnstile. They take your passport, enter your passport number, and then print out the paper ticket (or tickets if you bought multiple) associated with your passport and in you go. You SHOULD download the Shanghai Disney app as this makes it nice to scan the paper ticket QR code after you have it so that all your premier access passes are in the app. You then scan the phone (or the paper ticket if you so choose) at each premier ride entry to use that pass. Oh, and your picture is taken at the park entrance as well and associated with your ticket so that only you can use that ticket at the ride....your face pops up to prove it is you entering the premier line. All in. all it moved along ok and I would say 45 minutes from drop off to entry.... I was dropped off just before 8:30 AM (opening time) and was inside the turnstile about 9:10.
Seeing the castle from the car as we approach
Getting closer.... BTW, green-ish license plate with black letters on that taxi indicates EV.... gasoline engines have blue tag with white lettering.
Parking lot entry......
I, admittedly, did not use my Roaring Rapids access as I was not feeling like getting soaked this day, but the other rides in the set were rides I wanted to do, so I accepted I was paying for one I would not be using. Ticket cost me $165 US. I figured I wanted to get through these rides with no waiting since I do not know if or when I would ever be back, so worth the cost. Most of the "main" rides had 40-60 minute waits from opening time (in a country whose population tops one billion, their Disney resort is ALWAYS busy!), but with premier access, was always 10 minutes or less from entry to on. I did wait 50 minutes for Soarin' and 30 minutes for Peter Pan. Anyway, after this aside, here we go....
Almost to drop off....
On the elevated walkway to the plaza area.....
Just after coming off the elevated walkway and just before entering the queue for getting to the security queues....
Donald here inflated on the lake at the resort...after the above the Mickey ears as I walk to the aforementioned queue...
Exiting the first queue and I went left to this pictured queue for security screening...about 30 back and forth lanes from queue entry at the orange there to the security point. Security is similar to previous at Disney before the current walk through set up in Florida. They have bag inspection and metal detector.
Now that security is finished, the actual turnstile queue....
Moving on to next post.....
Day before conundrum.... which ticket to buy? There were a LOT of choices (a basic entry ticket, multi-day, tickets with dining coupons, tickets with various sets of "premier access" rides (the "fastpass" Shanghai Disney)... I ended up choosing the "Disney Dream Day Adventure package of 6". This is entry plus premier access to a specific set of 6 rides. The set of 6 rides listed is subject to change/substitution if rides close, break, etc. The 6 rides I had premier access to were Seven Dwarfs Mine train, Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue, TRON Lightcycle Power Run, Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure, Zootopia: Hot Pursuit, and Roaring Rapids.
Ride from hotel to Disney was 60 minutes with morning traffic, ride home 35 minutes. Not sure what cost would have been from my location as I had the ride provided by our flight handling company here in Shanghai (Thank you, Shirley! - the founder/CEO of the company). Once I made it to the drop off area, up an escalator and walked along an elevated walkway to the main plaza area where metal barriers were set up in a lengthy back and forth queue (can't imagine how long it would take to get in during a warm weekend or public holiday here!) that dumped you into an area where you chose left or right to enter 2 additional back and forth type queues that took you up to the security screening and turnstile area. Oh, when you buy your ticket online (the only option, BTW) you have to create an account for Shanghai Disney, and as a foreigner not from China, Hong Kong, and one other territory I can't recall, you need to enter your passport information (number). When you arrive to park, you need to bring your purchase confirmation and your passport which you must present to the cast member at the turnstile. They take your passport, enter your passport number, and then print out the paper ticket (or tickets if you bought multiple) associated with your passport and in you go. You SHOULD download the Shanghai Disney app as this makes it nice to scan the paper ticket QR code after you have it so that all your premier access passes are in the app. You then scan the phone (or the paper ticket if you so choose) at each premier ride entry to use that pass. Oh, and your picture is taken at the park entrance as well and associated with your ticket so that only you can use that ticket at the ride....your face pops up to prove it is you entering the premier line. All in. all it moved along ok and I would say 45 minutes from drop off to entry.... I was dropped off just before 8:30 AM (opening time) and was inside the turnstile about 9:10.
Seeing the castle from the car as we approach
Getting closer.... BTW, green-ish license plate with black letters on that taxi indicates EV.... gasoline engines have blue tag with white lettering.
Parking lot entry......
I, admittedly, did not use my Roaring Rapids access as I was not feeling like getting soaked this day, but the other rides in the set were rides I wanted to do, so I accepted I was paying for one I would not be using. Ticket cost me $165 US. I figured I wanted to get through these rides with no waiting since I do not know if or when I would ever be back, so worth the cost. Most of the "main" rides had 40-60 minute waits from opening time (in a country whose population tops one billion, their Disney resort is ALWAYS busy!), but with premier access, was always 10 minutes or less from entry to on. I did wait 50 minutes for Soarin' and 30 minutes for Peter Pan. Anyway, after this aside, here we go....
Almost to drop off....
On the elevated walkway to the plaza area.....
Just after coming off the elevated walkway and just before entering the queue for getting to the security queues....
Donald here inflated on the lake at the resort...after the above the Mickey ears as I walk to the aforementioned queue...
Exiting the first queue and I went left to this pictured queue for security screening...about 30 back and forth lanes from queue entry at the orange there to the security point. Security is similar to previous at Disney before the current walk through set up in Florida. They have bag inspection and metal detector.
Now that security is finished, the actual turnstile queue....
Moving on to next post.....
)
