Shanghai Disneyland from a first timers view

[Moon Waffle]

Shanghai is a great park. I've only been once and that was in 2018 shortly after they added Toy Story Land. So I've not seen Zootopia. Will head back after Spider-Man coaster opens.

Tron, Pirates, Peter Pan, Roaring Rapids, Challenge Trails, and Buzz are all absolutely worth it. And the castle is fantastic - we spent several hours exploring and admiring.

Never had any issues with cast members (above and beyond), park cleanliness (immaculate), or safety. A bit of line-pushing/jumping, which is a cultural norm there, and if you stand your ground, you are generally fine. Nothing I don't see regularly in the US parks ("excuse me, I'm catching up with my group...." *eye roll*). A couple of guests smoking and spitting...again, cultural norms that Westerners might find off-putting. We saw one family let their kid pee in the bushes...honestly, have seen this at WDW once before so can't really get too worked up about a one-off like this.

Language barriers are a near non-issue at Shanghai (and in any of the Disney resorts around the world for that matter). You can always find someone that speaks "enough" English to help you with whatever you need.

The food at Shanghai is the weak spot...at least for someone not used to authentic Chinese cuisine. TBH, wasn't too crazy about HKDL cuisine either. Tokyo, on the other hand.....fantastic....

 

[PiratesMansion]

I'm curious about the food comments, as I found the food at SDL (and Hong Kong and Tokyo, for that matter) to be of excellent quality during my 2019 visit; the price was egregious for locals at SDL, but that's a separate issue.

Has the quality of the food declined since then, or is this potentially an individual palette issue?

 

[Haymarket]

... and spitting...again, cultural norms that Westerners might find off-putting.

It's the same in South Korea, where it's just very old men who do it. No one approves of it but they have to tolerate it because it's elders doing it.

It'll be gone in less than a generation in both South Korea and China's more developed coastal regions.

 

[marni1971]

I'm curious about the food comments, as I found the food at SDL (and Hong Kong and Tokyo, for that matter) to be of excellent quality during my 2019 visit; the price was egregious for locals at SDL, but that's a separate issue.

Has the quality of the food declined since then, or is this potentially an individual palette issue?

We found the food (in both parks) to be very good. And I don’t do that much Chinese! And cheap coming from Europe too.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Anything has to be better than the food at Disneyland Paris

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Anything has to be better than the food at Disneyland Paris

What are you talking about? Is the Disney Village McDonald's not the height of French cuisine?

 

[PiratesMansion]

What are you talking about? Is the Disney Village McDonald's not the height of French cuisine?

Lies!

The height is clearly the adjacent Earl of Sandwich.

 

[BrianLo]

Hope you don’t mind tag teaming your thread Martin. This was my third visit to SDL (opening + March 2018).

I agree with the broader sentiment that I SDL seems a bit under rated by the broader English language community. I suspect because the vast chunk of us only went around those opening timeframes and with the pandemic people are only really finally making their way out to it again.

Now that we’re hitting year 10 the litmus test on Shendi as an operator is coming to head. Like you, I agree. The place is spotless. Immaculately taken care of. This is no Euro Disney or domestic operation. I think Shendi deserves to be spoken of like OLC.

I already felt the place was generally landscaped with more maturity and thought than something like Epic and that is really coming to head. Highlights are the tree lined guest entry plaza queues - there is really nothing else like it! Hundred acre woods, voyage through the crystal grotto is markedly improved, even Tron is markedly less problematic.

Zootopia: Hot pursuit is likewise a bit better than I was anticipating from the bugaboo here. I already rather like Runaway Railways and I think it’s generally an even better attraction.

All in all a remarkably like-new park, remarkably well taken care of and a massive improvement with its landscaping decade of growth.

 

[BrianLo]

I didn’t have the wherewithal to do perfect before and after photos, but hopefully this single one gets the point across.

(2016)

(2025)

Most of my pictures taken were gathered just for this conversation. These are some outdoor elements I really wouldn’t expect to look good if maintenance was not up to snuff.

Then a few choice pictures of my trees over walkways fetish.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Hope you don’t mind tag teaming your thread Martin. This was my third visit to SDL (opening + March 2018).

I agree with the broader sentiment that I SDL seems a bit under rated by the broader English language community. I suspect because the vast chunk of us only went around those opening timeframes and with the pandemic people are only really finally making their way out to it again.

Now that we’re hitting year 10 the litmus test on Shendi as an operator is coming to head. Like you, I agree. The place is spotless. Immaculately taken care of. This is no Euro Disney or domestic operation. I think Shendi deserves to be spoken of like OLC.

I already felt the place was generally landscaped with more maturity and thought than something like Epic and that is really coming to head. Highlights are the tree lined guest entry plaza queues - there is really nothing else like it! Hundred acre woods, voyage through the crystal grotto is markedly improved, even Tron is markedly less problematic.

Zootopia: Hot pursuit is likewise a bit better than I was anticipating from the bugaboo here. I already rather like Runaway Railways and I think it’s generally an even better attraction.

All in all a remarkably like-new park, remarkably well taken care of and a massive improvement with its landscaping decade of growth.

I think it's very much a Hong Kong-like situation where people made their assessment in 2016 when they went-or more likely, read about others who went-and they have not-and will not-revise their assessment as the park has continued to grow, mature, and evolve.

Whether it's because of distance, culture, politics, or something else I'm not putting my finger on, you see quite a few people run to the more-mixed Paris operation while studiously ignoring the Chinese parks. It's really unfortunate.

 

[marni1971]

Whether it's because of distance, culture, politics, or something else I'm not putting my finger on, you see quite a few people run to the more-mixed Paris operation while studiously ignoring the Chinese parks. It's really unfortunate.

Being European, Paris is quicker and cheaper for us. But I’d seriously tell those flying across the pond to reconsider.

 

[marni1971]

Highlights are the tree lined guest entry plaza queues - there is really nothing else like it!

I think that’s when I first realised we weren’t in Kansas anymore. Walking from Toy Story after we passed the bus station I was amazed not just by the cleanliness but the size of the promenade, the landscaping and the trees. And then the sheer size of the entry procedure, the amount of real iron fenced ornate switchbacks, the amount of lanes, and again the landscaping and trees all over and in between the queues. And the distance from security to the turnstiles, and again the distance from there to the park. And the wide wide pathways. Very impressed.

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

How friendly to American tourists is China? I think I speak for a lot of people that are just nervous about heading over there.

 

[SplashJacket]

How friendly to American tourists is China? I think I speak for a lot of people that are just nervous about heading over there.

Everyone we encountered was extremely nice and friendly (pre-covid).

Locals would randomly ask to take photos of us, especially wandering around Shanghai because they were not used to seeing white people.

 

[marni1971]

Everyone we encountered was extremely nice and friendly (pre-covid).

Locals would randomly ask to take photos of us, especially wandering around Shanghai because they were not used to seeing white people.

Same. Not American but we found Shanghai and Hong Kong to be both very welcoming in and out of the bubble (in the bubble is amazing in HKDL, even more so in SDL)

And we’re in at least 3 group photos with strangers taken on their cameras

 

[PiratesMansion]

Being European, Paris is quicker and cheaper for us. But I’d seriously tell those flying across the pond to reconsider.

Distance is definitely part of it for pretty much every English-speaking fan, to be sure.

But I'd say that it could pretty well be assured that most English-speaking fans, for a long time, if they were going anywhere that wasn't the US, it was Paris, and Tokyo is only now really starting to permanently be in people's heads as a possibility, even though for most of my time as a Disney fan there was always a noticeable difference in feedback between the two and that feedback pretty much always favored Tokyo.

Maybe it really is just distance, but it's always felt to me like most people need to be talked into the Asian parks in a way that doesn't feel as true of Paris. Whether that's because of the language barrier real or perceived, Distance, ownership (though I recognize that Paris itself was not fully owned and operated by Disney until relatively recently), etc.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Distance is definitely part of it for pretty much every English-speaking fan, to be sure.

But I'd say that it could pretty well be assured that most English-speaking fans, for a long time, if they were going anywhere that wasn't the US, it was Paris, and Tokyo is only now really starting to permanently be in people's heads as a possibility, even though for most of my time as a Disney fan there was always a noticeable difference in feedback between the two and that feedback pretty much always favored Tokyo.

Maybe it really is just distance, but it's always felt to me like most people need to be talked into the Asian parks in a way that doesn't feel as true of Paris. Whether that's because of the language barrier real or perceived, Distance, ownership (though I recognize that Paris itself was not fully owned and operated by Disney until relatively recently), etc.

Paris, and Europe at large, is a much more traditional tourist destination for most Westerners than anywhere in Asia

Paris especially still has a cultural cache and allure to it thanks to our media far more than Shanghai or Hong Kong

It's also culturally and logistically more accessible, when you consider transportation, Visa requirements etc

Having said all of that, people are missing out on HKDL if they haven't been

 

[BrianLo]

Proximity as well for east coasters (therefore cost), though somewhat more of an equidistant choice out west.

Paris (and Italy) are very basic first international bucket list fodder.

I’d tell people to skip Universal Osaka and prioritize Shanghai Disneyland in the general approach that people here seem to have with the Asian parks. Or Hong Kong, I prefer HK as a city.

I’m still riding out a ten year visa for China and plan to be back next fall, though not for SDL. I went to see some of the less spoken of Fantawild Holding Parks. This was just a stopover on the way to Singapore to do a cruise to Mumbai.

Also skip US Singapore! Which I’m currently skipping. While I might be accused of having a brand tilt, this officially completes my having been to every Disney and Universal city without stepping foot into their resort. Including Abu Dhabi.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Proximity as well for east coasters (therefore cost), though somewhat more of an equidistant choice out west.

Paris (and Italy) are very basic first international bucket list fodder.

I’d tell people to skip Universal Osaka and prioritize Shanghai Disneyland in the general approach that people here seem to have with the Asian parks. Or Hong Kong, I prefer HK as a city.

I’m still riding out a ten year visa for China and plan to be back next fall, though not for SDL. I went to see some of the less spoken of Fantawild Holding Parks. This was just a stopover on the way to Singapore to do a cruise to Mumbai.

Also skip US Singapore! Which I’m currently skipping. While I might be accused of having a brand tilt, this officially completes my having been to every Disney and Universal city without stepping foot into their resort. Including Abu Dhabi.

I thought Universal Singapore was worth the day trip, especially for how cheap it is compared to the American parks

Jaws is the main reason to visit Universal Osaka at this point

 

[BrianLo]

I thought Universal Singapore was worth the day trip, especially for how cheap it is compared to the American parks

Jaws is the main reason to visit Universal Osaka at this point

I meant in terms of people planning trips around parks. If you are going to be in Singapore for a week anyways. Sure, but there is very little of merit to it compared to Orlando.

I haven’t been to Beijing (Universal)… so there’s my theme. Osaka is just unpleasant for crowds. I just don’t think Universal has done a good job delineating their parks and they are all somewhat adherent to the studio’s corpse, which is by far the worst version of park they have conjured.