@mickEblu you know I have OPINIONS.
And now, my definitive guide to choosing international Disney parks and the cities they are nestled in:
TOKYO is the cleanest, most amazing city in the world. It's, and I do not say this lightly, life changing. The city is wondrous, pristine, sprawling. The culture is fascinating. The food is incredible (and I don't even eat seafood). I never want to leave Tokyo. TOKYO DISNEY RESORT is the pinnacle of modern Disney theme parks. Tokyo Disneyland is a greatest hits park with its own signature mind-blowing attractions found nowhere else. Tokyo DisneySea is the single most beautiful, enveloping, stunning theme park in the world. It's impossible to describe and pictures can't communicate it.
Downsides: alcohol in Japan is very weak, TDR will ruin every other Disney park for you and you'll be one of those insufferable people who's constantly saying "Well in Tokyo..." while you're at DLR
PARIS is Paris. There's nothing like it. It's a bit grimy, it doesn't sparkle like Tokyo, but it's PARIS. It's a must. Airbnb it in a French apartment and save some serious dough while feeling like a local (this is good advice for Tokyo as well). Culturally Paris is second to none. DISNEYLAND RESORT PARIS is an exercise in extreme contrasts. Disneyland Paris is stunning - Tony Baxter's nerd version of what his ideal Disneyland would be. Pirates is incredible here, so is Phantom Manor (closed till September though). The castle is by far the most beautiful of them all, and the dragon underneath is not to be missed. DLP is there to be explored - nooks, crannies, walkthroughs abound. WALT DISNEY STUDIOS PARIS is the ugliest, vilest piece of crap Disney has ever built. It's stark, hideous, harsh. But unlike DHS at WDW, it has attractions. Mickey and the Magician is the best Disney park stage show on the planet right now. Ratatouille is impressive, even if it ultimately misses the mark. DCA TOT will weird you out. Crush's Coaster is, uh, certainly there. Don't miss Armageddon! It's hilarious.
Downsides: Paris has crime, no way around it. You have to be vigilant for pickpockets and scammers in a way you just don't have to in Asia. Operationally, DLRP is a mess. Restaurants close early, if they open at all, some rides operate at permanently slashed capacity.
HONG KONG is probably the best way to start in Asia, if you're American and you've never been. English is a primary language, transit is simple, there's tons of cheap food, and the city itself is a dream. Really. Hong Kong was never some place I aspired to visit but once I went I couldn't believe I'd waited so long. It's enchanting in its own way and just wildly unique. It's like New York and San Francisco had a clean baby that was shoved into a mountainside jungle. HONG KONG DISNEYLAND is desperately charming. Anaheim fans will feel very weird on Main Street, as it's nearly an exact copy. The park is small-ish, but it's on the original Disneyland scale. The mountainous backdrop and jungle foliage is exciting and palpable. Mystic Manor is, if not the greatest, one of the greatest attractions Disney has ever created. Iron Man Experience is an upgrade (IMO) from Star Tours and Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars is way more fun than its Big Thunder counterparts.
Downsides: Toy Story Land
SHANGHAI is a place I would never send you to if you had not already been to Hong Kong and Tokyo. The city, while impressive and full of some amazing sights, is culturally difficult to navigate. English is almost non-existent so it behooves you to learn some basic Mandarin phases. Mainland Chinese culture is starkly different from ours, let along Hong Kong and Japan. You should absolutely go here after you've been everywhere else. All of the Orlando lifestylers who left the country for the first time to go to SDL's opening were NUTS and probably had culture shock on a scale they weren't prepared for. SHANGHAI DISNEYLAND is sprawling, so much so that some parts of it don't feel like a theme park. Just grass. Pirates is insane. It's indescribable. The scale of it is unlike anything else, the effects are jaw-dropping. The park has a lot to be proud of, but it's not the be all end all it's sold as. Tron is fun, but incredibly short and now on its way to WDW. Food and merchandise are weirdly expensive.
Downsides: Culture shock can be difficult to navigate, park very far from city center
Anyway, hope all this helps! Wherever you end up you're going to have an amazing time!
