Shanghai - staying @TS- advantage/disadvantage to buying tickets w hotel ressie?

diana13

Mouseketeer
Joined
Sep 6, 2005
I see how you can get FP onsite at Toy Story Hotel when you check in. I understand it is to use the next day and you only get 1. Is there a reason to buy or not buy your park tickets ahead of arrival, from the Disney Shanghai website, so it is with your hotel reservation? Is the price different in advance than from onsite at check in?

I really appreciate the tips here. I will be going this April and my first Disney park outside of US!

Thank you,
Diana
 
The extra FPs are not for staying on site, but if you purchase your park tickets from the hotel as a hotel guest. I believe you can do this when you book your hotel room online. But if you miss it this step, you can't go back in and just buy park tickets online - you won't receive the extra FPs. I've read reports where getting a refund and repurchasing on site was problematic or took a long time for refunds to show.

I would recommend just buying them from concierge desk when you arrive at your hotel after you check in. That way it's all taken care of at that time. The prices are the same and as a hotel guest, you are guaranteed entry to the park.
 
If you can't buy tickets when you make your reservation, wait until you're at the hotel and buy from the concierge. As bkmanhole said, it's problematic if you buy tickets online but separately from your reservation.

Last year I booked our hotel a few months before going so couldn't buy tickets at the same time. I just waited until we got to the hotel. It was no problem. However, make sure you have some idea of what attraction you want your 1 fastpass (each) for, and the time, because you have to book it right then. The fastpass you get at the hotel doesn't affect getting fastpasses at the park but at Shanghai Disney, fastpasses are all gone by midday, if not earlier, so the extra fastpass is a great perk (along with the early entry).

If you want to go on Soarin (and some don't because it's only the ending that's different from DCA and WDW), that'll be the one to book because those fastpasses go like lightning in the Park (with Roaring Rapids second) and the standby line is huge.

Shanghai Disney has my favourite ride in all the world (although Tron, Gringotts and FOP are pretty good too and I have yet to ride ROTR), so I'm a big fan. Hope you enjoy your first Disney outside of the US.
 
As others have noted...if you are staying at a Disney hotel...wait to buy your tickets from your resort concierge.

Last year was our first trip to SHDR and thought that was really weird. We kept trying to buy tickets online and we were not able to do so (was rejecting our credit card). Even after speaking to our CC company it was SHDR that was rejecting the card, not our card company. We even tried using our travel card that was loaded with local currency...still would not allow us to buy tickets online. After many phone calls to SHDR they noted this happens a lot with their online system and said we can just buy tickets from the hotel.
You are guaranteed park tickets as a resort guest with a valid reservation.

Flash forward to our check in at the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel.
Was no issue buying the tickets and getting our hotel fastpasses. Just know ahead of time what attraction and rough time you want your hotel fastpasses for, you have the let them know right then and there. The hotel's concierge arranges the fastpasses for you and they will load into your SHDR account.
You can not select your hotel FP from the app.

There was other foreign couple that was having issues with their tickets they bought online and trying to get the hotel fastpasses
While the Disneyland resort is amazing...their English is pretty good...but they were not able to clearly understand or communicate the issue to this other couple. This couple was clearly upset and really confused on what was happening. Same the the hotel staff...as more and more cast member cam out and were trying to explain the issue.
From what we understand the hotel was not able to refund their online ticket purchase. Hotel concierge has to sell you the tickets on site to get the extra Fastpasses.

I think this is due to the fact that SHDR has a real issues with fake tickets and fastpasses being sold.

They take your photo with the ticket to use as proof that the tickets are "official" Disney tickets
 


Another plus about buying tickets from the concierge - they check passports then. So you don't need to show it at the entrance tapstiles, which you would need to do if you buy in advance.

Also, you get one FP per ticket day. But you do have to select them all at once. I didn't try to change Day 2, so don't know if that is possible.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Latest posts

Top