Shanghai Disneyland Grand Opening Trip Report – Part 2
We ended Part 1 of our Shanghai Disneyland Grand Opening Trip Report as Sarah and I ate lunch, after splitting up from Mark and Molly so they could watch Mickey’s Storybook Express parade. Once they were done blowing kisses to Olaf, we rejoined them. That’s where we’ll pick up in this spoiler-free trip report installment…
Wanting to soak up more of the ambiance of opening day, we did some wandering. By this point, we had walked through every land, and the clear favorites were Adventure Isle and Treasure Cove. Each of these lands have flashes of Tokyo DisneySea, albeit without quite that same level of detail.
While in Treasure Cove, we noticed Pirates of the Caribbean – Battle for the Sunken Treasure had “only” a 30 minute posted wait. Given the triple-digit waits for Roaring Rapids and Soaring, doing this again seemed like a no-brainer. Before getting in line, we inquired about Single Rider, only to be told “no” a few times because we had multiple people. This ended up not being a big deal–while having this conversation, we noticed no one was entering the left side of the standby line on Pirates. We did, and it was essentially a de facto FastPass line as a result.
I took photos on Pirates this time, but I’ll save those for a later post. The attraction was just as good the second time, and I’m looking forward to covering it in meticulous detail at some point. Suffice to say, I noticed details this time I had missed before, and remained in awe at some of the Audio Animatronics and other visuals throughout. The Pandora N’avi River Journey is rumored to use the same ride system, and while I don’t expect it to be as ‘epic’ of an attraction, I’m salivating at the thought of a boat ride through an extraterrestrial, bioluminescent landscape. (Maybe I will get my Terrapin Station scene, after all!)
While in the area, we stopped in Laughing Monkey Traders in Adventure Isle. This is essentially the gift shop for Roaring Rapids, which has the most merchandise of any attraction at Shanghai Disneyland. (Interestingly, the most popular attraction, Soaring Over the Horizon, didn’t have any merchandise–or I missed it.)
It was a little surreal to see so much Q’araq merchandise only a day after the tragedy in Orlando, and I was half-surprised Disney didn’t pull it. Not because it’s disrespectful halfway around the world, but because it would’ve only taken one out-of-context viral photo on social media of someone wearing a Q’araq tail or hat to cause more PR headaches. The above is actually a glove for eating turkey legs; I wanted to get it, but opted against it.
Mark and Molly had yet to eat, so we headed to Tangled Tree Tavern. Although we had a huge meal a little over an hour ago, I decided to order fish & chips in the name of “research.” Mark and Molly also enjoyed their meals. So far, 2/2 on the dining front at Shanghai Disneyland.
We timed this meal perfectly, as it really started raining almost as soon as we got inside the restaurant. A deluge of such magnitude that the world’s greatest waterfalls flowing together for more than a million years would only begin to approach its results. For when it finally stopped, well…the sidewalks had some puddles, but it didn’t rain again the rest of the day, so maybe I embellished just a bit there. 😉
Fully stuffed, it seemed like the perfect time for an intense roller coaster, so we headed to TRON Lightcycle Power Run to redeem our FastPasses. As mentioned in the first installment, we wanted to do this at night, but we had decided to play it safe with FastPasses and get earlier ones. With the wait now steadily climbing, we decided to just do it.
Along with Pirates, this is probably the most hyped attraction at Shanghai Disneyland. Admittedly, my expectations were low. I’m that pretentious fan who often is more about “attractions” (found at Disney parks) than “rides” (found at amusement parks), and I worried this would rest of the allure of the Lightcycles, but otherwise be unthemed.
I was pleased to be (mostly) wrong. There are numerous nods to Tron throughout, and it has enough visual effects to create the impression that you’re racing around the Grid. Going outside during the day takes away from that, but I’m willing to give that a pass due to the kinetic energy it brings to Tomorrowland. The ride being just a bit longer would also be nice, but all things considered, it’s a very well done attraction.
I see a lot of rumors of this attraction coming to the U.S. parks, and I assume this is all just wishful thinking on the part of fans. The way the primary ride vehicles contort guests into a forward-leaning position seems like it would be uncomfortable (or impossible) for guests that don’t fit within a specific height/weight body parameter.
I think U.S. guests are far more diverse in both regards than their Chinese counterparts. Additionally, even those who do fit that parameter might have trouble getting up if they have knee problems, arthritis, etc. (By day 2 in the park, my knees were sore from so much walking, and it took me a bit to hoist myself out of the seat.)
In the merchandise department, TRON Lightcycle Power Run rivals Roaring Rapids for the most merchandise devoted to a single attraction. There’s a ton in the gift shop, including some unique designs that push the envelope. I think I “christened” the shop on the blogging front by posing Mickey for the above photo, much to the bemusement of a nearby Cast Member.
I’m well aware that I take a lot of bizarre photos for this blog, but I feel like Cast Members (and to a lesser degree, other guests) are mostly cognizant of the why behind what weirdos like me do in the U.S. parks. In China, not only do you have the theme park as a new concept, but on opening day you have an influx of Americans documenting things that no sane person would document. That has to be a lot, all at once, for these new Cast Members.
Although our FastPasses for Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue had expired, the ride had a 5-minute wait, so we decided to do it while in the neighborhood. As sophisticated, intelligent, and attractive readers of this blog, you no doubt agree that the various Buzz Lightyear ‘blaster’ attractions are better than the Toy Story Mania games. This is primarily because they combine elements of traditional, dimensional dark rides with interactive games, rather than being Wii games you move through.
Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue seems like a good mix of the two. I write seems like there because I’m not entirely sure. In Part 1 and in prior trip reports, I’ve made a big point of how I don’t take photos during my first ride through of an attraction so that I can savor the experience. Well, I should follow the same rule when it comes to ‘blasting, as I tend to ‘get in the zone’ when I blast (regular readers of the blog also know I’m obsessed with ‘blastin’, as demonstrated by my longstanding rivalry with Guy “Zurg’s Minion” Selga). Instead, I was so fixated on beating Mark that I didn’t fully soak up the experience.
I do know that the targeting and shooting system of the new attraction is a considerable improvement over every other version of the ride. One thing that seemed to be the case is that Planet Rescue didn’t have quite the same cartoonish feel nor did it have as many dimensional figures. I’d still say the attraction experience was an improvement, and one that integrated traditional sets with projections and screen-based elements for another solid iteration on traditional (with one everywhere else, I guess Buzz has become that) attractions found elsewhere.
Oh, and guess what? I still lost. I bring great shame upon my legion of blasters. (I know what you’re thinking: “but Mark had unfair beginner’s luck!!1!!” Well, let’s not diminish his victory just because his blaster game is normally vastly inferior to mine. Just give him his moment.)
On the plus side, Sarah beat Molly in a match-up reminiscent of Rocky IV, representing America in a similar triumph over communism. (Sorry Molly–you’ve lived there for 6 months: you now are the face of communism.) If you want to stretch a tortured analogy even further, you could also say that, like Rocky avenges Apollo Creed in that film, Sarah avenged my defeat at the hands of communism. How? Because…
PLOT TWIST: Much like the real Steve Rogers, this Captain America is also a secret agent of Hydra…and he has infiltrated Shanghai Disneyland! What are his nefarious intentions…?!
We’ll pick up with this stunning revelation on Page 2.
(And that is how you sell comic books blog posts!)
Aw Tom, you old softie!
Thanks Tom, looks like another great trip report! Looking forward to the next installment.
Great report, Tom! Thanks for documenting everything and of course I’m always laughing at your jokes and pop culture references. Your pictures are so beautiful! I can’t wait for the next installment.
Always been tempted to try one of the parks outside the US, thanks again for sharing your experience!!!
q’araq is not an alligator, it is a crocodile-like prehistoric beast, anyway what happened in america stays in america
How was dealing with the language barrier I the park, at restaurants, and at the hotel? Were there headphone translators for the rides? How many days do you think are needed to experience the park/ disney town ?
I’m so thankful my phone suggested this article for me to read. I’ll be sure to keep up on your posts!
Is the Tron coaster like the horse race one at Knotts Berry Farm? Where you lean forward against a rest and they tighten the rear of the ‘seat’ up against your lower back? I looooved the horse race ride at Knott’s! So fun and quick!
Great post as always, Tom. As someone who’s attended countless concerts, sporting events, and theme park spectaculars your description of the fireworks viewtopia perfectly captured the anxiety of the pre-show “sit down vs. stand up” social dynamic…bravo.
One line that did throw me for a moment was “It was a little surreal to see so much Q’araq merchandise only a day after the tragedy in Orlando”. Not remembering who/what Q’araq was (Google is surprisingly unhelpful without image search) or the day you visited, seeing “tragedy in Orlando” immediately turned my thoughts to the Pulse shooting, which confused me for a few minutes. I had to walk my mind backward to remembering what happened at the Grand Floridian. Sad that there has been so much pain in Orlando in the past few weeks.
Tom, thank you so much for posting these trip reports. I can imagine how much work they are and I really, really enjoy them. Probably especially because the chances of me ever going to SDL are so low. Excellent work!
Thank you for your trip report. I will probably never make it out to Shanghai, so it is really cool to visit vicariously through your trip report. I was curious if you are going to do a write up on the photography of the trip, such as what you shot with, new lenses, tripods, new accessories, challenges of shooting that park, all that good stuff. I really enjoy your photography posts. Actually, you inspired me to take it up as a hobby and I am absolutely loving it. Thanks for all you do! 🙂
I love hearing about the new original park-specific music that has been produced for Shanghai. The music for the Grand Opening tag is especially nice.
Ah, I wondered what was going on at Pirates that first night. I ran over there straight after Ignite the Dream, hoping to ride with a short wait and disappointed to find it closed. I ended up on SDMT instead.
And speaking of which… Amazing photos of Ignite the Dream! I watched from a spot right on the rail near Dumbo. My view was a little obstructed by the giant red structures in front of the castle, and I didn’t see the projections anywhere near as clearly being on the side, but it was a decent spot to get half an hour before the show and the reflections in the little pond made for a nice view. I agree, the finale was spectacular!
I’m trying to figure out where I might have seen you guys at the park – you look VERY familiar! Did you happen to be at the Royal Banquet Hall for lunch on the Saturday, around 1:30pm?
Love the trip report (both installments) but this typo had me giggling: “. . . it seemed like security didn’t really know what to do about the stranglers.”
Security really should step up its game if they aren’t sure how to handle stranglers!
Hahahaha that made me giggle too 😀
Thanks for the report and the thoughts on the park. I enjoyed the pictures – particularly since this is your first trip to the park and you didn’t have time to plan anything out.
We experienced fireworks viewtopia 2 years ago at MNSSHP – we went over in front of the castle for the stage show and everyone sat down to wait for the show. Once the show started, everyone remained sitting. Then after the show, everyone remained sitting for Celebrate the Magic and the Fireworks. It’s a little close to the castle for “prime viewing”. But… sitting!
As for my thoughts – it looks like a very nice park overall and I think the Tron Lightcycle visually looks better than Space Mountain. I’m still not sold on the castle (looks or name – “Enchanted Storybook Castle” doesn’t sound as nice as cinderella or Sleeping Beauty Castle to me). I’m not sure if there are any attractions I’d be in a hurry to clone – I like the parks to have their differences. I would like an upgrade to the blaster system in WDW’s Buzz, and something like the Crystal Grotto would be nice in Florida as well. Or maybe, again, the Tron ride (agree that this seem l ike wishful thinking) becuase I think th eUS parks could use a bit more o nthe “thrill ride” side of things.
I’m not wild about the name of the castle (and I think the concept that it’s a castle for “all of the princesses” is sorta weak), but based on the models and aerial photos, I expected to like it a lot less.
As for the Tron coaster, maybe I’m too quick to dismiss it. Sitting in the vehicles the way they’re set up in China is awkward, and wouldn’t be feasible for many guests, but maybe they could make a slight modification so it’s not such a contorted position? Alternatively, add regular coaster seating to the second half of each train of cycles to make it easier to get in/out? (I could see that happening even in Shanghai over time–the positioning could be really awkward if you’re even in your 40s…I can’t imagine trying that attraction as a retiree.)
I admit to being surprised when I saw a video of the ride and that you were sitting in a cycle-like position. That does seem difficult for a large number of body types. But I’d still like to try it. 🙂
That quote right about the beginning seems a lot insensitive. Seriously?
That was not my intent at all with that, but in re-reading it, that was most definitely inappropriate.
Especially as I have been critical of another site for pushing a xenophobic agenda with regard to Shanghai Disneyland, I should have exercised better judgment and rethought that joke. My apologies–I’ve removed it.
You’re definitely apologizing too much about stuff on your blog…
This site is amazing and you’re doing such a wonderful job with it!
People just need to remove the sticks from their butts!
<3
I certainly don’t come to this site for political correctness.
Your humor is much appreciated, even when it dances on that line.
Please, please don’t limit it.
“Up-tights” can go elsewhere.