Shanghai Disneyland Grand Opening Trip Report – Part 5
In our 3 page finale, we pick up after our previous Shanghai Disneyland Grand Opening Trip Report installment on our final morning at the park and take you through to our excursion to Hong Kong Disneyland. After 2 days in Shanghai Disneyland, you’d think we would’ve seen it all–or most everything–by this point, but that was not the case. So, rather than sleeping in, we arrived to the turnstiles prior to park opening, and the scene was even more of a free-for-all than the previous day.
The lines for each turnstile were not organized, and the masses of people coupled with little personal space (Shanghai is a densely-populated city) made for an unpleasant way to start the day. This was exacerbated by our constant impulse to refresh the official Shanghai Disneyland app, which showed that Roaring Rapids was actually open! At first, we were elated by this. We were maybe 10 minutes from the front of the line, and the wait was only showing as 30 minutes.
Fifteen minutes later, we were still almost to the front of the line, and the Roaring Rapids wait had spiked to 60 minutes. The ticket voucher redemption process made lines getting into the park move really slowly–hopefully this is something that is addressed once the park has been operating longer. Once we were finally inside the park and made our way over the Adventure Isle, the posted wait was in the triple digits. We feared it would only get longer, but getting into line meant forgoing short waits at other attractions.
So, we skipped Roaring Rapids and instead headed to Camp Discovery and its rope courses. I had noted that the posted wait time for this was really high the previous day, and it’s something we definitely wanted to do. We started by waiting in line for a locker (they are in short supply) and then got in line for the attraction. The posted wait was around 15 minutes, and we easily waited double that.
In fact, one thing we noticed throughout the second two days of our visit was that wait times were rarely–if ever–inflated. To the contrary, we often found ourselves waiting longer than what was posted. Coming from parks where the actual wait is routinely half the posted wait, this came as a bit of a surprise to us.
In any case, it was easy to see why the posted wait for Camp Discovery was so long, as there was quite the process for receiving a harness, having Cast Members strap you in, having another Cast Member check your harness, and then starting out on the course.
This “process” is totally understandable and necessary, as the rope course is unlike anything you will encounter in any other Disney park. There is real danger of falling on the course and without the course, you would die if you fell. This is not some shock-value inducing hyperbole. Obviously, you could theoretically die anywhere if the stars aligned. The only thing that needs to align here is falling (I almost fell–and I’m no stranger to intense hikes) and having your harness fail.
There was already one section of the rope course that was closed, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see others close in the future, and a bunch of safety nets added. I had preconceived notions of this being a ‘kiddie play areas’ and was expecting something akin to Redwood Creek Challenge Trail (no slouch in its own right, but tame). It was not even remotely similar. I don’t know how this attraction made it off the drawing board, but I am so glad that it did. It’s one of the most exhilarating and satisfying attractions in any park, and it gives you a real sense of adventure. You could even call it “scary” I would say.
Unfortunately, you’re not allowed to take cameras, cell phones, or anything in your pocket, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. If you do visit Shanghai Disneyland, this is a must-do. (There were a few no-camera scenarios on our last day–the photos interspersed throughout this installment of the report aren’t necessarily illustrative to the text.)
After finishing up, we wandered past Roaring Rapids to check the wait time–now 130 minutes. We decided to pass, and instead do the castle walk-through, which was already posted a 30 minute wait. The previous day it had eclipsed 60 minutes, and since the line was almost entirely in the sun, we decided to go when the line would be shorter.
This walk-through was fine. Some scenes were better than others–some were complete whiffs and others were mildly cool. It seemed very much like a case of Imagineering wanting to flex its tech muscles in situations that really didn’t call for it. I shudder to think about how much this probably cost to build, but whatever that cost, it probably was not worth it. Personally, I prefer the charm of the Sleeping Beauty Castle walk-through.
After this, it was decision time. I had warned Sarah and Mark that I was going to do Roaring Rapids one way or another because I had been so hyped about seeing Q’araq (after years of hearing about it) that I couldn’t pass that up. Especially without knowing when we’d be back, and with knowing what happened with the Yeti in Expedition Everest.
The wait for Roaring Rapids was 120 minutes and we had about 160 minutes until our lunch reservation at Royal Banquet Hall. Normally, I don’t wait in any line that’s over 30 minutes, but I had to make an exception. Sarah isn’t a huge fan of raft rides in the first place, so she opted to go off on her own. Mark and I headed over to Roaring Rapids, where we encountered Chris from TDR Explorer and his friend, Bryson. We got in line with them, and started the long wait.
With the queue constantly moving, the time passed relatively quickly. After waiting about 130 minutes, the line stopped moving. By my estimation, we were 10 minutes (or less) from boarding the rafts at this point. An announcement was made in Mandarin to the collective groan of the line, at which point we surmised that the attraction had broken down. We knew this was a possibility when we had gotten into line, as it had occurred the first two days of operation, as well.
Maybe another 10 minutes later, another announcement was made. At this point, the line started emptying, with a good half (or more) of guests getting out of line. The rest were mostly seated at this point, presumably braced for the long haul. We encountered a young woman who spoke English, and she indicated to us that they announced the attraction had broken down, and it was unknown when it would be repaired.
Another 10 minutes later (with our lunch reservation around 10 minutes away), we asked a Cast Member about the ride status, and whether they were issuing re-admission passes for people who got out of line. She had no updates on status, and indicated that they were not issuing re-admission passes. At this point, she was virtually besieged by irate guests who were yelling at her, so we just thanked her and left her alone.
To add another wrinkle to our dilemma, between the 3 of us, we only had one MiFi unit, and Sarah had that. We had planned to meet her at Royal Banquet Hall at a set time–which had passed. Fortunately, Bryson allowed me to use his phone to text her letting her know what the situation was.
We knew we had to get out of line for lunch, but with virtually every Cast Member in the vicinity being yelled at, we knew we weren’t going to get anywhere trying to figure out the re-ad situation here. As we left the queue and headed out of Adventure Isle, we saw a cluster of managers who appeared to be from the U.S. parks.
We approached one and described the situation, and he advised going to Guest Services after lunch, as they would be able to assist. He also walked us to Royal Banquet Hall (the parade was coming through) and made sure we wouldn’t have any issues. By this point, we were going to be 5-10 minutes late. (Later, while walking up the stairs of Royal Banquet Hall, we saw a U.S. manager we knew, and he advised that he could assist.)
After a few minutes of chaos trying to meet up with Sarah, we went into the waiting area for Royal Banquet Hall. I won’t sugar coat this: I was in far from a good mood at this point. The combination of the Roaring Rapids breakdown, rushing over to the castle, and the humidity was really getting to me. I was probably on the cusp of an adult temper tantrum, and it took the first half of our meal just for me to cool down. (So, sorry Sarah and Mark!)
My feelings on the meal are a bit mixed. Part of my perception is undoubtedly colored by my mood at the time. The food was good (maybe a rung below Cinderella’s Royal Table, which I like) and the characters were great. I really appreciated that the royalty here was Mickey and friends, rather than princess face characters. The environment fell a bit flat for me. The restaurant was huge and the cavernous spaces didn’t feel all that regal.
Maybe it’s just me, but I expected something more medieval in style, with ornate features and lavish design. Instead, it was light and airy, with some detail work but mostly a cartoonish vibe. There was nothing necessarily wrong with it, but it didn’t remind me much of eating inside a castle. (On the plus side, the overall experience was far better than our recent breakfast at Akershus.)
Mark wanted to see the Frozen Sing-Along, so he split from lunch just before dessert arrived. After Sarah and I finished, we saw our homie NORI on the way out. (That’s NORI’s Mickey above.) We seem to run into him (randomly) everywhere: Japan, China, and Disneyland. I think this was like the 4th time we’ve seen him this year alone.
After that, we walked up to Guest Services. The Cast Members there spoke excellent English, and after a brief discussion, one Cast Member gave us a “No Strings Attached” certificate for Roaring Rapids. As an added bonus, they gave it to us for 3 people instead of 2.
Thanks for sharing! Doubt I’ll ever get to visit that Disney park myself, but it’s great hearing and seeing everything in your reports.
Thank you, Tom!
Just booked a trip to Hong Kong in October. We are going mostly to explore the city, but are going to HKDL for our last day. Thanks mostly to posts like this series.
Cheers!
There’s a small wording problem here, I think: “. As we left the queue and headed out of Adventure Isle, we saw a cluster of managers from appeared to by from the U.S. parks. “
Haha, that’s more than a “small” wording problem. That’s like 3 typos in one sentence! Thanks for the heads up. 🙂
I figured you were just typing in Mandarin and it was a bad Google translate. 🙂
Thank you Tom and Sarah!! We are planning to visit SDL in December so your trip report and opinions are extremely valuable to us. Thank you for all of the time and effort you take to provide and share Disney info!
Thank you Tom……..really enjoy all your trip reports…….you truly are a Disney nut 🙂
I really enjoyed your article on Shanghai Disneyland and appreciated all the details, humor and frankness you gave related to the park, it’s operations and the people! Your articles are so refreshing and I love your bluntness Tom! You also make me smile when I read them! The pictures were also fantastic and I look forward to visiting Shanghai Disneyland in the future, preferably not during summer…
I love reading these trip reports and I appreciate that you even update older articles to keep up with the times. I consider myself a Disneyland expert and am headed there in a couple weeks on a three-day park hopper but even with my current knowledge, looking at your suggestions of what to pack, where to eat, and your own Disneyland experiences inspire me to do or try something new. I hope you get lots of $$$ in sponsorships or ads so you continue this blog for a long time. PS, the snark and photography skills keep me coming back for more.
I’m not quite making Mark Zuckerberg money from this blog (yet), but I predict a day when so many Americans are planning trips to Shanghai Disneyland that this blog skyrockets in popularity past Google and Facebook, at which time I’ll finally claim my rightful throne as king of the internet! 😉
Thank you so much for sharing such a detailed and interesting trip report. Being a writer myself, I can only imagine the effort that goes into these. It is your trip reports on the Asian parks that have motivated me an my husband to visit them all. (Leaving for Shanghai in three days!!!) I honestly had no idea they existed until I started reading your blog posts on them. So far I have visited Tokyo and Hong Kong, and I absolutely love both. Thanks again for the detailed trip report which will be a lot of help in preparing!!!
Have a great trip–hope you report back on your experiences in SDL!
Thanks so much for your trip report! It’s been a blast to experience a brand new park with you and Sarah. I really hope to visit someday (along with my top bucket list park, Tokyo DisneySea!) and I appreciate having all your work as a resource if/when the time ever comes!
Day at the park booked for August 30. Will be using this as my touring plan. Thank you for the great trip report!
You mentioned that in the parks you are used to, the posted wait time is often inflated. I didn’t know that, is that true in all the Disney world parks?
I knew it! You probably don’t remember by now, but I was the girl Disneybounding as Cinderella having a solo lunch at the table next to you at the Royal Banquet Hall. I wanted to say I loved Sarah’s Cheshire Cat dress, but the moment passed and then it would have been awkward lol!
So glad to hear that you loved Shanghai Disneyland too. Seems like we had quite similar experiences (although I didn’t get the thrill of waiting in line for 2 hours only to have the ride break down – never did get to Roaring Rapids), and I could have also done with at least another day there. I never got to Disney Town or fully explored the hotels either.
Thanks for writing your TR – I’ve really enjoyed following along 🙂
Where were you able to find that info about Halloween at Hong Kong Disneyland? We get there September 18th and I assumed we’d be too early!
Whoops replied to the wrong comment haha
First of all, thank you as always for your long trip report – although I would have loved reading another on HKDL 🙂 We leave for Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo next week (been to Tokyo twice but not the other parks). I am also glad that you said Shanghai is worth more days as we will have 4 park and 2 city/Disneytown/hanging at the pool days while there, also because we wanted a more relaxed pace.
In regard to what you said about HKDL: the parade closures are indeed connected to Halloween, as it will start Sep 15 this year (a huge bummer for us as we leave early on the 15th, we expected Halloween to start early Oct). The three lands being closed early happened because of private events, apparently, at least according to the website – some of them are also scheduled for dates in Sep, but at least not during our visit. Just to let you know this should not be a sign of permanent changes to the operational schedule of the park.
One question about Shanghai: You never seemed to have any issues taking taxis while there? I’ve heard some bad stories…we also just want to go between Disneyland and the airport twice, otherwise we will take the Metro. We heard as long as we have the hotel address written down in Chinese, use the dedicated taxi line at the airport and possibly have the attendant there write down the cost in advance we’ll be fine? Thank you!
Where were you able to find that info about Halloween at Hong Kong Disneyland? We get there September 18th and I assumed we’d be too early!
Hi Sabrina! I live in Shanghai — maybe I can help. If you do not speak Chinese you want the address written down (phone works just as well) in Chinese to show to your driver. When you leave security and customs declaration at the airport, there will people asking if you need a cab. Ignore them, especially the people wearing suits who speak very good English. You’ll get a cab, but you will pay out the nose for it. All of the signage is English at the airport so, using that, find the taxi line. It isn’t too hard to get to. You will see a line forming and typically at least one person pointing you toward cabs. These are all typically legit, if old. So long as you point to the address as you get in, you will be okay. Have this down before you leave for China because there is no guarantee the attendant will speak English. If you want, you can say Wo yao qu zheli (wo yao chuu je-li) or “I want to go here” as you point. Just in case, I recommend someone sit in the front seat, just so you can watch the guy put don the meter (big ol’ thing on the dash, you won’t miss him do it). If you arrive during the day, the meter will show 14 RMB as the base ($2.10). If it is late at night, it will read 18 RMB. There are stories of people with luggage being taken on scenic routes to their destinations to raise the fare. This has happened to me, but never to or from the airport. These shifu (cabbies) tend to be more responsible, and tend to like going to the airport for the higher fare. It may help to ask the hotel to call one for you when you leave if there isn’t a taxi line at the hotel. Also, no tipping! Only the illegal ones know to ask. I hope this helps!
And to add to Chason, if you’ll have some sort of cell service, I highly recommend downloading the SmartShanghai App. The app is English and is a great resource for Taxi Cards throughout the city. You just look up your destination in the app and the Taxi Card with the Address in Mandarin will show in large print to show the cab driver. Even if you’re relying on Wifi you can look up the destination before you leave the hotel and have it ready for the driver.
Thanks for the tips Chason & Eric. I had never even heard of that app.
To anyone else wanting trip planning info, our Shanghai Disneyland Planning Guide will be posted on Sunday! 🙂
Thank you Chason!
@Eric Absolutely. If you are planning time in the city as well, SmartShanghai is a fantastic resource!
I found this trip report a bit of a relief actually. We tend to do longer Disney trips (5 days usually for DLRP; 6 for TDR; 3 for HKDL) We have booked 5 days and 6 nights at Shanghai Disneyland (two days in Shanghai proper). I was a bit concerned five days may be too much but from what you’re saying this seems OK?
These are amazing! Thank you.
Thanks for writing such a positive post! As much as I love Disneyland and Disney World, your trip reports really inspire me to step outside my boundaries – and tonight, I’m going to figure out which international park to visit first!
Love your reports and pics as always! My wife, son and I are trying to do all the international Disneys as a “bucket list” and so far we just have Shanghai and Hong Kong left. We hope to hammer those off the list in a few years. You and Sarah’s travels have inspired us!
I have been to Shanghai, mainly Pudong, many times for work in the past. Not Disney related but have you ever been to the knock off market under the Shanghai Science and Tech museum? That place has more thrills and crowds than any Disney park combined!
Thanks for finishing up such a long trip report. I have a friend who has lived in Shanghai for the past year (and colleagues who have traveled a lot to the city for work) and they back up your claim that beautiful sunsets are rare.
I’m jealous of your experience going back to the airport less than 2 hours before the flight – leaving DLP for CDG airport, we left with what we thought was plenty of time. A series of navigational mixups got us to the ticket desk an hour and ten minutes before the flight departed. At this point we were told that the last check-in is 1:15 before the flight (even though we weren’t even checking bags!), so we “missed” our flight. Even though there was no line at security and we could easily have made it to the flight if we had crawled down the terminal. Argh. Anyway, I’m glad Chinese airports are nicer than French!
I read all your Disney trip reports, from beginning to end. I will most likely never make it beyond WDW so I do these trips vicariously through your trip reports. I love them and all the gorgeous pictures. Thank you. 🙂
I’m so happy you enjoyed visiting Shanghai! I went to Beijing several years ago with a few friends and we had a fabulous time. The monuments are breathtaking and the locals were very sweet and helpful. We didn’t speak a single word of Chinese, but it’s amazing how far one can go just based on smiling, nodding, and pointing. Thanks for the trip reports, I can’t wait to visit the park myself. But not in the summer!