Shanghai Disneyland Grand Opening Trip Planning Thread

[Flounder89]

Any idea how long they will keep out Opening Merch? Only for a few days or do we think the first few months? Visiting early September^^

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Really sorry to hear that. Hope you recover quickly, all the same. Next time you come to SDL, at least Roaring Rapids will probably be open!! It's just a massive dry rock right now......

Oh, what rotten luck! The others are right though, you'll have a fully functioning park by the time you get there, and possibly less crowded and chaotic too once the initial novelty has worn off.

Thanks I'm not sure when I will actually get to go this was never a planned trip it was added in after buying the opening day tickets I never expected to get

Have a Fantastic day today, I hope it's a magical experience for you all!

 

[wtdanceisthrough]

I think this thread has run its course. It was about planning a trip to the grand opening and the park is now open! As others have said, a new subforum is appropriate!!

I got into the park at about 11.40am today which surprised me (as official opening was at noon)! Managed to do Soaring, Roaring Rapids (which I was thrilled was open, although my feet got totally soaked), TRON and PotC all in one day, plus some more minor attractions like Once Upon A Time and Buzz Lightyear. Great day - TRON is particularly amazing, especially as I was on the front row.

By the way there was no event from 12-1pm as I had previously been told. When we got inside, we could see a large stage, but that was actually for the dedication ceremony which was at 10.30am and the stage was in the process of being dismantled when we came in.

 

[Dentam]

I don't think the thread has run its course... I'd love to see trip reports linked here or just included here for those of us who couldn't make the opening!

 

[wtdanceisthrough]

I don't think the thread has run its course... I'd love to see trip reports linked here or just included here for those of us who couldn't make the opening!

Okay good idea! I wasn't denying the need for that kind of thing...just thinking there is probably a better home for it than a planning thread.

To be honest, for me, the opening was not much different from any other day. There was mostly nothing special to mark the occasion. One notable thing was that there were certificates given out after certain rides saying "You're the first guest to ride <name>". I got them after Roaring Rapids, TRON and Pirates but not Soaring. Not sure what other rides they were given for.

I spoke to a CM who told me that they originally had planned and even rehearsed a lot more things, but that lots of opening day events got cancelled because Disney didn't want to look "too happy" in the wake of the Disney World accident and the Orlando shootings.

Another cast member to whom I expressed my disappointment at not being able to see the dedication ceremony, told me "believe me, you are not the first person to have expressed that" so I guess a lot of people are annoyed. I watched the dedication ceremony online last night (recorded) after getting back from the park.

Few things from the rides:
- Pirates: I deliberately hadn't watched the "on-ride" video in advance but had heard lots of people talking about the "underwater" sequence...I was blown away by how good the special effects were with that part. With the movement of the boat perfectly synchronized with the screens, it felt like you were really there. When I was on the ride, our boat got stuck a couple of times and the boat behind almost caught up to us. Later in the day, the ride got closed for the rest of the day.
- Once Upon A Time: As with lots of things, the narration is key here and it was all in Chinese, which did lessen the enjoyment. But it's in the castle which is great.
- Roaring Rapids: The monster looked way less impressive than in the concept art. Not sure if they have toned it down due to the technical issues. Also, despite wearing a poncho to cover most of my body, my feet got absolutely soaked and stayed that way for the whole day
- Camp Discovery Challenge Trail: Queued up for it for about an hour and then it closed due to weather conditions
- Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue: It took me ages to figure out you can shoot targets more than once. The guy next to me got a much higher score than me. All the important instructions are pictoral so at least I understood the basics of what was going on!
* TRON: It's cool how they have a separate front row queue. I only had to queue for about an extra 5 minutes and I think it was worth it. This ride gives you the most amazing feeling!
* Soaring Over The Horizon: There's a fake mountain behind the entrance which looks massive and I have no clue how they created the illusion! In general the queueing system for this ride is the best one IMO. There's a pre-show for the ride that's all in Chinese (except for the safety briefing part which is subtitled - cheers Disney for not subtitling the rest!) and I had no idea what was going on there. The real ride seemed to have some flaws as I could often see black gaps above the screen or gridlines. Some parts were too obviously computer generated, while others were more realistic.

I saw lots of instances of angry Chinese people demanding to get on rides which had already closed or had restricted access. The CMs were doing the best they could.

The gap between Adventure Isle and Treasure Cove is very subtle... You can only really tell because of the change in music.

That's all I can think of for now!!

 

[Dentam]

Thanks so much for your insight! I am hoping to go at the end of July but we'll see if it works out or not. I think the Pirates ride and TRON are the ones I'm most interested in since they are so different and use the newest technology available! I also really want to stay at the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel if I go and am really interested to see how it compares to the Deluxe resorts in the U.S.

I do hope they start a special forum for this new park on the DIS soon!

 

[cfcoo]

excited and can't wait to go

 

[Dentam]

Here is a great article about the opening - people who came from around the world were interviewed and it shows the excitement and happiness of the day.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/disney-719505-first-guests.html

 

[Traveling NGs]

The grand opening was amazing!! I cant wait to be there! Does any know the dinner menu of the Royal Palace? We will be there for my daughter's birthday! And sure more tips, please!
Thanks a million!!!

 

[zanzibar138]

The grand opening was amazing!! I cant wait to be there! Does any know the dinner menu of the Royal Palace? We will be there for my daughter's birthday! And sure more tips, please!
Thanks a million!!!

I had lunch at the Royal Banquet Hall today! It was awesome - the classic characters in their royal costumes are so cute! Obviously the dinner menu will be different, but I took photos of the menu and all my food, so it will give you some idea of what's in store for you (as well as some of the décor and the characters). When is your daughter's birthday? Just wondering if it's likely that I'll have that part of my TR done by then

 

[Traveling NGs]

I had lunch at the Royal Banquet Hall today! It was awesome - the classic characters in their royal costumes are so cute! Obviously the dinner menu will be different, but I took photos of the menu and all my food, so it will give you some idea of what's in store for you (as well as some of the décor and the characters). When is your daughter's birthday? Just wondering if it's likely that I'll have that part of my TR done by then

Great! Please share the pictures of the menu. My daughter bday is on 8/24. I made reservation already and cant wait to be there!!!

Thanks you!!!

 

[Flounder89]

I would also love to see the menu

 

[zanzibar138]

Great! Please share the pictures of the menu. My daughter bday is on 8/24. I made reservation already and cant wait to be there!!!

Thanks you!!!

I would also love to see the menu

No problemo! I'll try to get some pictures uploaded here in the next few days for you.

 

[Traveling NGs]

No problemo! I'll try to get some pictures uploaded here in the next few days for you.

Great! Looking forward to them!! Thank you!!!!!!

 

[zanzibar138]

Sorry it's taking so long to get these pictures up. I'll start off with a few from the entrance to the restaurant to whet your appetite

 

[Traveling NGs]

Sorry it's taking so long to get these pictures up. I'll start off with a few from the entrance to the restaurant to whet your appetite

Great pictures! Cant wait to see more!
Thanks for sharing!

 

[Corbisblue]

It was suggested I add my TR here for the opening. I have started an "overall" TR and will add detailed ones for all the days we were there. This is the original thread I started.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/my...-experience-trip-report-faq-answered.3520388/


Hey, everyone! We just got back from Shanghai and what an incredible experience it was. Not only did we get to experience the park for the opening (which is fantastic by the way) we met so many great Disney fans from around the world (Australia, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Canada, United States, and Japan). It really was an experience I will always cherish.

I just finished writing a preliminary report on my thoughts and first impressions along with answering some questions that I got quite a bit. I am sure some have been addressed already in other threads too. I will continue working on a proper trip report going into more detail of the trip along with reviews of restaurants and the hotels (we stayed at both).

I will post the links here and continue updating them as I write them. I can try and answer any questions people have as well.

http://tdrexplorer.com/shanghai-disneyland-grand-opening-experience-first-impressions/

 

[zanzibar138]

And for those who haven't seen it yet, I've also started a TR - link is in my signature.

 

[Dentam]

I'm really enjoying reading the TR's! Thanks for doing them!

 

[Traveling NGs]

It was suggested I add my TR here for the opening. I have started an "overall" TR and will add detailed ones for all the days we were there. This is the original thread I started.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/my...-experience-trip-report-faq-answered.3520388/


Hey, everyone! We just got back from Shanghai and what an incredible experience it was. Not only did we get to experience the park for the opening (which is fantastic by the way) we met so many great Disney fans from around the world (Australia, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Canada, United States, and Japan). It really was an experience I will always cherish.

I just finished writing a preliminary report on my thoughts and first impressions along with answering some questions that I got quite a bit. I am sure some have been addressed already in other threads too. I will continue working on a proper trip report going into more detail of the trip along with reviews of restaurants and the hotels (we stayed at both).

I will post the links here and continue updating them as I write them. I can try and answer any questions people have as well.

http://tdrexplorer.com/shanghai-disneyland-grand-opening-experience-first-impressions/

This is awesome!!! Thanks for sharing!!!