Grand Circle Tour of Asia June 2019: Questions and Reports

[PiratesMansion]

I've been given a wonderful opportunity to go back to Japan and TDR this upcoming June! Naturally, since I'm already 'right there,' I'd love to be able to revisit HKDL and hit SDL for the first time! As I'm considering the feasibility of that, I have a few questions:

1) How long does it usually take for the Chinese parks to post hours and refurbs? TDR of course has all of this already up. Shanghai right now has hours until...mid-January, which is mildly concerning.
2) Do the Chinese parks have a history of refurbishing attractions during summertime?
3) Would you recommend two or three days for Shanghai?
4) Has the opening craziness at the turnstiles sorted itself out in Shanghai, or am I better off splurging on the Toy Story Hotel for the early entry and the quieter DisneyTown entrance?
5) Do you still need a Chinese phone number to get electronic FPs in Shanghai?
6) I've heard that weather in HK especially can be quite brutal in the summer (when I went last time, it was mid October). What should I know/expect?

Any and all help is appreciated!

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Hours and refurbs are posted with short notice at SDL, unlike TDR. I wouldn’t expect much to be closed during the summer though.

Go for Toy Story Hotel, it’s well worth it to be on property and have early entry.

Two days in the park is sufficient. Be wise with your time - Soaring, Rapids, and Challenge Trail are the most popular and time consuming attractions.

Don’t know about the phone number issue.

HK is brutal in the summer. Super hot with tropical maximum humidity.

 

[malice]

I used my regular US cell number earlier this year and had no trouble obtaining the digital fast passes.

 

[BrianLo]

I've been given a wonderful opportunity to go back to Japan and TDR this upcoming June! Naturally, since I'm already 'right there,' I'd love to be able to revisit HKDL and hit SDL for the first time! As I'm considering the feasibility of that, I have a few questions:

1) How long does it usually take for the Chinese parks to post hours and refurbs? TDR of course has all of this already up. Shanghai right now has hours until...mid-January, which is mildly concerning.
2) Do the Chinese parks have a history of refurbishing attractions during summertime?
3) Would you recommend two or three days for Shanghai?
4) Has the opening craziness at the turnstiles sorted itself out in Shanghai, or am I better off splurging on the Toy Story Hotel for the early entry and the quieter DisneyTown entrance?
5) Do you still need a Chinese phone number to get electronic FPs in Shanghai?
6) I've heard that weather in HK especially can be quite brutal in the summer (when I went last time, it was mid October). What should I know/expect?

Any and all help is appreciated!

I wouldn't stress too much about Shanghai having many things closed, especially in the summer time.

I think 2 days for Shanghai is appropriate, fuller days.

2x 2/3rd days for Hong Kong is also my preferable way to go if I have the time. It allows for a more casual enjoyment without feeling like you really run out of things to do. A single day visit might get a bit crammed if you want to enjoy some of the subtler aspects of the park.

You do not need a Chinese number for FP.

I think Disney hotels are routinely overpriced, but perhaps that's just me sitting on the outside missing 'something'. The Hong Kong ones all look lovely but are outrageously expensive. HOWEVER, Toy Story Hotel was relatively affordable. I think it provide value with a pre-selected Fastpass as well as the secondary entry. Shanghai is still early days/Orlando like in size meaning the whole partner hotel concept hasn't totally taken off. You don't have Tokyo partner hotels on the monorail, or Harbour Blvd Hotels that are honestly in some ways more convenient or a Val D'Europe type nearby transit option. I'm sure that will change, but for the moment I think Toy Story is 'worth it'. Otherwise you are schlepping it from quite a distance with multiple subway changes.

The wait for the morning bus can be a bit of a long line though. I'd actually recommend lining up early for the bus, as weird as that sounds. It pays off later to be ahead of the pack as people seemingly still have difficultly getting through the turnstiles in a timely fashion.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Thanks to everyone who has provided feedback already.

I have a (hopefully) silly question about booking at Shanghai. I just re-booked Toy Story Hotel and tickets with a better rate than what I had originally. However, when I was filling out the personal information for two people, it autofilled my information on the second line instead of the first. Because this goes against every hotel booking I've done ever, in which the first name listed is the primary contact, I moved my info to the first box.

Now the room is in my friend's name. I have heard stories about Shanghai being very strict about who is listed on the room and that I need to have a hotel reservation to show airport staff to get the transit visa. Do I need to call and change the booking so that my name is the primary contact, or will it be fine?

I'm really hoping that I'm overthinking this.

 

[cosmicgirl]

Thanks to everyone who has provided feedback already.

I have a (hopefully) silly question about booking at Shanghai. I just re-booked Toy Story Hotel and tickets with a better rate than what I had originally. However, when I was filling out the personal information for two people, it autofilled my information on the second line instead of the first. Because this goes against every hotel booking I've done ever, in which the first name listed is the primary contact, I moved my info to the first box.

Now the room is in my friend's name. I have heard stories about Shanghai being very strict about who is listed on the room and that I need to have a hotel reservation to show airport staff to get the transit visa. Do I need to call and change the booking so that my name is the primary contact, or will it be fine?

I'm really hoping that I'm overthinking this.

Sorry for the OT question, but did you find the better rate on the official site or elsewhere? I'm probably doing a spur of the moment SDL/HKDL trip next month and have been looking at hotels. The Toy Story hotel is double the price of the Courtyard but if I could find a cheaper rate I might consider it.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Sorry for the OT question, but did you find the better rate on the official site or elsewhere? I'm probably doing a spur of the moment SDL/HKDL trip next month and have been looking at hotels. The Toy Story hotel is double the price of the Courtyard but if I could find a cheaper rate I might consider it.

To be honest I didn't look elsewhere. I figured it was better off to stay with the official site in this instance.

So it looks like I will definitely need to call Shanghai again to add my name to the reservation. A bummer, but not unexpected.

In case anyone's curious, here's my itinerary:
June 1: Fly from Chicago to Dallas, than Dallas to Hong Kong (American; paid extra for more legroom)
June 2 (whatever's left of it when I arrive) and June 3: Hong Kong Disneyland
June 4: Fly to Pudong (Cathay Dragon) and meet friend; transfer to SDL.
June 5-6: Shanghai Disneyland
June 7: More of the park or Shanghai touring in the morning, then fly to Tokyo (JAL).
June 8: Tokyo DisneySea first half of day; Shinkansen to Kyoto
June 9-10, 12: Kyoto and outskirts
June 11: Hiroshima
June 13-16: Tokyo
June 17-21: TDR
June 22: Fly home (JAL)

 

[cosmicgirl]

To be honest I didn't look elsewhere. I figured it was better off to stay with the official site in this instance.

So it looks like I will definitely need to call Shanghai again to add my name to the reservation. A bummer, but not unexpected.

In case anyone's curious, here's my itinerary:
June 1: Fly from Chicago to Dallas, than Dallas to Hong Kong (American; paid extra for more legroom)
June 2 (whatever's left of it when I arrive) and June 3: Hong Kong Disneyland
June 4: Fly to Pudong (Cathay Dragon) and meet friend; transfer to SDL.
June 5-6: Shanghai Disneyland
June 7: More of the park or Shanghai touring in the morning, then fly to Tokyo (JAL).
June 8: Tokyo DisneySea first half of day; Shinkansen to Kyoto
June 9-10, 12: Kyoto and outskirts
June 11: Hiroshima
June 13-16: Tokyo
June 17-21: TDR
June 22: Fly home (JAL)

Nice trip! As tempted as I am by Tokyo I'm saving that for a big trip next year. Where are you staying in HK?

 

[PiratesMansion]

Nice trip! As tempted as I am by Tokyo I'm saving that for a big trip next year. Where are you staying in HK?

I found a hostel near Yau Ma Tei station for about $100/night. I thought about doing one of the HKDL hotels but ultimately there's no reason to other than proximity (no perks) and the price was too high for me with that in mind. Unfortunately there's nothing else particularly close or particularly affordable. When I looked in the past I found some decently priced lodgings on Hong Kong Island, but the prices had gone up when I looked again.

One thing I can say from personal experience is that the commute from the main part of the city, although long, is relatively painless. The MTR is clean, reliable, and easy to use. And since Hong Kong often opens after 10 anyway it's not as important to be there super early.

 

[cosmicgirl]

I found a hostel near Yau Ma Tei station for about $100/night. I thought about doing one of the HKDL hotels but ultimately there's no reason to other than proximity (no perks) and the price was too high for me with that in mind. Unfortunately there's nothing else particularly close or particularly affordable. When I looked in the past I found some decently priced lodgings on Hong Kong Island, but the prices had gone up when I looked again.

One thing I can say from personal experience is that the commute from the main part of the city, although long, is relatively painless. The MTR is clean, reliable, and easy to use. And since Hong Kong often opens after 10 anyway it's not as important to be there super early.

Thanks. I've been to HK before (2011) and agree that it's very easy to get to HKDL. It's a budget trip so I'll see what I can find in the city.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Finally got the nonsense with the Shanghai hotel sorted out. To my knowledge I'm good to go for the transit visa at this point.

My (hopefully) last question for you all:
I'm very excited that as of a week or so ago, my friend is going to be able to join me in Shanghai! He and his wife have been teaching English in China for several months and he just found out that he can make the trip to be there with me.

But there's one aspect of him joining that's new to me: He's never been to a Disney park. He simply was never in a position growing up to go to any of the American parks. So far as I know, his park experiences have been our local Six Flags, Cedar Point, Kings Island, and Busch Gardens in Virginia. He's adventurous with rides, food, and life.

Is there anything I should do differently with a Disney park noob? A certain order of attractions or experiences that would make him enjoy the day more? I've been wondering, say, if maybe I should start with some of the more minor things (Pooh, Pan) first so that he can appreciate them more, perhaps. Or should I just proceed as normal?

I'm not worried about him being caught off guard with the cultural stuff because he's been teaching in China for several months already and had spent time there years ago too. Just trying to give him the best first Disney experience.

Do you have any traditions or ways of setting expectations when going to a Disney park with someone who's never been to a Disney park before?

 

[cosmicgirl]

I would just let them take the lead without going on a military style FP hunt. For us, spontaneity was key on our first trips.

 

[Disney Loving Swede]

Finally got the nonsense with the Shanghai hotel sorted out. To my knowledge I'm good to go for the transit visa at this point.

My (hopefully) last question for you all:
I'm very excited that as of a week or so ago, my friend is going to be able to join me in Shanghai! He and his wife have been teaching English in China for several months and he just found out that he can make the trip to be there with me.

But there's one aspect of him joining that's new to me: He's never been to a Disney park. He simply was never in a position growing up to go to any of the American parks. So far as I know, his park experiences have been our local Six Flags, Cedar Point, Kings Island, and Busch Gardens in Virginia. He's adventurous with rides, food, and life.

Is there anything I should do differently with a Disney park noob? A certain order of attractions or experiences that would make him enjoy the day more? I've been wondering, say, if maybe I should start with some of the more minor things (Pooh, Pan) first so that he can appreciate them more, perhaps. Or should I just proceed as normal?

I'm not worried about him being caught off guard with the cultural stuff because he's been teaching in China for several months already and had spent time there years ago too. Just trying to give him the best first Disney experience.

Do you have any traditions or ways of setting expectations when going to a Disney park with someone who's never been to a Disney park before?

Did you call to get it sorted out with the hotel. I just made our reservations as well and switched where my name was because of course it went against logic to have the person making the reservation filled in the second line and now the confirmation only shows my husbands name...Thanks!

 

[ChiGuy4Now]

Just fair warning to be prepared for a long and frustrating wait in the queue for the transit visa in Shanghai. When we went in 2016, we waited for at least two hours with only 10-15 people in line in front of us. The officers were less than helpful; we even witnessed them laughing at instead of helping a non-English-speaking French-Canadian tourist, because he couldn't figure out which forms he needed to fill out. We eventually helped him once we were able to make sense of the necessary forms.

Make sure to know exactly what paperwork you need filled out before you reach the officer or they will send you out of line to find the forms yourself and fill them out. If they're in a good mood, they will let you cut the line once completed, but we did see them send some to the back of the line.

Good luck!

 

[Disney Loving Swede]

Just fair warning to be prepared for a long and frustrating wait in the queue for the transit visa in Shanghai. When we went in 2016, we waited for at least two hours with only 10-15 people in line in front of us. The officers were less than helpful; we even witnessed them laughing at instead of helping a non-English-speaking French-Canadian tourist, because he couldn't figure out which forms he needed to fill out. We eventually helped him once we were able to make sense of the necessary forms.

Make sure to know exactly what paperwork you need filled out before you reach the officer or they will send you out of line to find the forms yourself and fill them out. If they're in a good mood, they will let you cut the line once completed, but we did see them send some to the back of the line.

Good luck!

Thanks, we've been reading as much as we could about it, trying to figure out what might go wrong, so we hope to be as prepared as we can when we get there. It's our last park to check off the list, so I'm excited to get the opportunity to check it out...as long as we get in the country!

 

[PiratesMansion]

Did you call to get it sorted out with the hotel. I just made our reservations as well and switched where my name was because of course it went against logic to have the person making the reservation filled in the second line and now the confirmation only shows my husbands name...Thanks!

Yep, that's exactly what happened to me. Unfortunately I had Skype problems, and I struck out with the SDL phone line more often than not. Ultimately my friend in China was able to call and get it resolved for me.

There are other methods besides the phone, but I can't say I was successful with them. I tried to use the chat feature at one point, but the person on the other end wrote back that for English I would have to call the phone line. There is an email address they give you when they play the "we're sorry the line is busy" message, but I could never make out precisely what the address was. There is a place on the site to write an email, but they never got back to me.

That said, before the naming snafu I had to call SDL to cancel a hotel room, and I was able to get through one day by calling at precisely the moment they opened, so I'd recommend that. Expect that you will probably have to call a few times on different days before you're able to get through. It's a pain, but unfortunately there's no other option.

Just fair warning to be prepared for a long and frustrating wait in the queue for the transit visa in Shanghai. When we went in 2016, we waited for at least two hours with only 10-15 people in line in front of us. The officers were less than helpful; we even witnessed them laughing at instead of helping a non-English-speaking French-Canadian tourist, because he couldn't figure out which forms he needed to fill out. We eventually helped him once we were able to make sense of the necessary forms.

Make sure to know exactly what paperwork you need filled out before you reach the officer or they will send you out of line to find the forms yourself and fill them out. If they're in a good mood, they will let you cut the line once completed, but we did see them send some to the back of the line.

Good luck!

Sounds just like the China I remember. Thanks, I'll make sure I have all of that ready!

 

[PiratesMansion]

I wanted to check in with a few thoughts on Hong Kong Disneyland, which I just finished up today.
-If you're going to do multiple parks on your trip, and you're going to do one right off the bat, make it Hong Kong. Jet lag hit hard today and I truly feel like if I was at any other Disney park other than Hong Kong it would have really got the best of me. But Hong Kong is so easy and empty that it almost didn't matter!
-Seriously, if you've never been, I cannot stress enough how easy Hong Kong is compared to any other Disney resort. And if you're worried about a language barrier, I'd say the language barrier for attractions is basically non-existent, better even than Paris. That said, one of the big takeaways of this trip vs. my last is that I feel like there's way less English spoken in the city, in general, compared to 2010.
-Mickey's Philharmagic has scents and water effects? Either my memory is seriously poor, or they were busted the last time I was at WDW because it seemed new to me.
-At first I thought people were exaggerating about the humidity, but it was pretty bad by the afternoon. It wasn't even that hot and I don't know that I can explain it, but the morning and evening (because I went to the park last night before going for a full day today) lulled me into a false sense of security. Then afternoon happened and I totally understood why people were saying it was so brutal.
-On the upside, HKDL has a ton of water bottle fountains. There's at least one at every restroom.
-That said, when I asked for a cup of water from the bakery on Main Street, they said they couldn't give me one. Alrighty then.
-It was seriously jarring to see how slow they were dispatching the rides. Granted, the park was dead and my average wait time was less than five minutes, so I'm not complaining. It's just weird to go ride Space in Hong Kong and people are loading very leisurely, the cast members are actually checking the restraints and not just telling me to pull up on the bar, and then the cast is taking their time looking through the seats after people exited, etc. Vs. Disneyland and Tokyo where the car has to be dispatched in ~20 seconds to avoid a shutdown. All because the crowds just aren't there. You can tell that all of the older rides, especially, were designed to serve guest numbers that don't exist yet, or at least that don't exist outside of Chinese New Year.
-First time doing Hyperspace Mountain. I didn't care for it.
-I liked Iron Man much more than I thought I would. It came off to me like an interesting combination of Transformers (plot, pacing, and movement), Star Tours, and new Soarin' (for CGI frequency and quality).
-Ant Man isn't bad, exactly, but it's very, very lazy. It feels like there are fewer targets, there are definitely more screens, and you can no longer control the spin of your vehicle. Also had some baffling decisions: you've shrunken! But you only know this because we told you! And if you don't speak English it's not our problem if you don't figure it out!
-I didn't fully grasp until I got there just how much Grizzly Mountain really interacts with the entire area. It's really well done.
-Everything about Mystic Manor and Mystic Point was fabulous, restaurant included! It was clear that everyone enjoyed the ride and Albert especially. It's also kind of the feel-good version of Tokyo's Tower of Terror.
-I met Duffy and Gelatoni right after they let everyone into the park. I was mostly doing it just because I was in Asia and that's the thing to do at the Asian parks. I'm not usually a character person. However, the character interaction was genuinely fantastic,and I'm really happy I stopped to meet with them!
-Disney should drop the pretense and just go ahead and retheme Tomorrowland already, at this park especially.
-With the castle's plastic surgery ongoing, you can only enter Fantasyland through Adventureland or Tomorrowland, which basically means the park is, for now, a Duell loop, which I found mildly amusing.

I'm flying to Shanghai tomorrow; if anyone has any questions about Hong Kong, let me know and I'll be happy to answer them.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Shanghai thoughts:
-After all of the drama with the reservation and getting everything just right for the transit visa, staying at Toy Story Hotel turned out great! Service was fantastic and the room was nice and well-kept. Still not crazy about the theme, and the included restaurant wasn't great, but the service, proximity, and especially Early Entry made it more than worth it. I would absolutely stay there again!
-DisneyTown is really nice and easily one of the best Disney shopping areas. Disney Springs and Ikspiari (maybe? Haven't thoroughly explored it) are the only ones that might be nicer.
-If there's one weakness of the resort, it's signage. I didn't notice tons of it in the park, which ultimately didn't matter as we figured out where we needed to go for the attractions, but the size of the resort outside of the park is massive and there isn't enough info about where to go. When I was looking for the Toy Story bus for the first time, I saw a sign that directed me to a massive bus complex a la DLR and then the signage ended. I saw an electronic sign that said to go to Complex C for the Disney resorts; I find one with Toy Story on the schedule, but it stops in random places in addition to the park and hotel. The bus driver asked for fare; I said I was staying at the hotel, and he said that I needed to go to Complex A. But, again, no signage. A big problem for a resort the size of Shanghai IMO.
-I think it's one thing to experience the park and another to look at it from afar online. I'm not saying there aren't valid criticisms (and I agree with the Fantasyland ones a bit and I think the Tomorrowland and TSL criticisms are dead on), but so many of the things people have complained about on the internet weren't a big deal in person.
-There's a noticeably increased use of tech in all attractions and shows. It'd be nice if some of that could make its way into our parks too.
-Both of the major stage shows, Tarzan especially, were stunning. Far beyond most everything we have in scope, and no way would many of the Tarzan stunts happen in the US. Pirates could have been shorter and more comprehensible but ultimately I'd say it was worth seeing, and it got better as it went along.
-I didn't fit on Rex's/RC Racer in Hong Kong, but fit easily in Shanghai. I guess they see more larger guests?
-The park is unbelievably massive and desperately needs some kind of transportation system to get people around.
-Roaring Rapids is probably the world's best rapids ride other than Popeye but still merited a meh reaction overall.
-Pirates is just as great as you've heard. I don't like the movies at all and I deplore the movie additions to the others, but here it works.
-Tangled Tavern is a huge missed opportunity. No indoor seating? Not calling it the Snuggly Duckling?
-All of the food was very, very good but the venues were dead. Pricing was out of whack for the locals, as my friend, teaching English in China, also struggled to justify the cost of food and pretty much stuck to one meal a day as a result.
-My friend had never been to a Disney park before, and he was very impressed! He especially enjoyed Pirates, the parade, and the projection show.
-The park needed more capacity yesterday. Wait times were generally obscene and FastPasses ran out super fast, sometimes even before Early Entry was over for the biggest ticket attractions. I remember walking into the park at 7:35 or so and already the best time for Soarin' was after 3:00! Multiple times the FastPass I was going after was taken after I "waited too long" to book it.
-In terms of attraction disappointments, Crystal Grotto was really bad, and the "finale" seemingly deflates it even more. "New and Improved" Buzz turned out to basically be a trial run for Ant Man and had an aesthetic totally at odds with the movie. Yes, I know it's supposed to be based on the video game from Toy Story 2; still doesn't work for me. There's a better Buzz ride from someone with imagination waiting to be built.
-On the other hand I really thought the walkthroughs (Alice maze, Columbia-esque pirate ship, the castle walkthrough) were very well done. The castle walkthrough is several leagues beyond the others in tech, if not necessarily in charm.
-We were lucky in terms of guest behavior. None of the behavior I saw when I studied abroad in 2010 or read about from other people's reports happened on our trip. No line jumping, nothing that would be out of the ordinary at many of the other parks.
-Overall, my friend and I had a fantastic time! I'd probably put Shanghai 4th overall on the resort hierarchy- above Hong Kong and Paris, but below WDW (for quantity) and DLR and TDR (for quality).

 

[PiratesMansion]

Back from Tokyo Disney!
Disneyland:
-My appreciation for Tokyo Disneyland went way up this trip. It may have been designed by the B-team, it may have ugly areas, but it has excellent collection of attractions (and plenty of them!), fabulous entertainment, and lots to see and do.
-My mother came with me, and Pooh is her favorite Disney character. It was a treat to be able to take her on Pooh's Hunny Hunt!
-Caught One Man's Dream II since they're getting rid of it. It's very surreal to see Terk and Frollo in a Disney stage show in 2019, and the characters from A Bugs Life got their own lengthy sequence.
-I found the Cinderella walkthrough to be very underwhelming and short.
-I really hope that when TDR starts doing FP through the app that they make it available in the app store, in English. It's quite frustrating that TDR is the only Disney resort where I am unable to use their app to look at wait times, make reservations, and do other basic things that I can do at every other Disney park.
-As expected, the parades were fantastic and on-point. A special shout-out to Dreamlights: My only previous visit was in 2010. How many floats hadn't been changed or updated since that time? One. Really puts the US parks in perspective.
-Having what is roughly the DL Pirates and the WDW Mansion in the same park is HUGE.

-There really aren't enough superlatives for DisneySea. I could go on about so many things, but really you just need to go and experience it. The atmosphere, the theming, the attractions...all of it is fantastic.
-That said, this park hurts badly for some kind of regular daytime presentation in the harbor. To go from Mythica to only a Tanabata greeting was very disappointing, even though they were put together for very different purposes.
-I think, music usage aside, Tokyo easily has the superior Indy.
-Big Band Beat is almost too good for a theme park. The show could be running outside of the park with little to no changes, and I think it could still find an audience.
-The new Mermaid show was a wash. For every step forward from the old show, there was an equal step back.
-The most impressive thing about Nemo are the massive simulators. Nothing else was that great.
-I highly recommend eating at both Magellan's and Ristorante di Canaletto. Magellan's was a superior experience, but Canaletto's five-cheese pizza was also far superior to any other pizza I've had on Disney property and probably the best single food item of the trip.

Got a chance to explore Ikspiari this trip. Really nice with a lot of variety and probably the best shopping district other than Disney Springs. Shinseido is an awesome electronic store with TONS of CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays of park entertainment. Not just current things either-they had sets from shows and entertainment that had long been discontinued. I spent...way too much money in this store. If only the US parks offered the same options!

If you're able to, every Disney fan should really try to make it out to Tokyo. There's so much to do, and the service and staff is much better than the other parks.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

-I found the Cinderella walkthrough to be very underwhelming and short.

The Mystery Tour was much better. Probably the worst attraction replacement in TDR history.

-Having what is roughly the DL Pirates and the WDW Mansion in the same park is HUGE.

This is part of the reason why TDL is my favourite Magic Kingdom. It's the best of Orlando and Anaheim in one, but with better customer service and entertainment. And with a lower admission price!

-Big Band Beat is almost too good for a theme park. The show could be running outside of the park with little to no changes, and I think it could still find an audience.

It's the best stage show in any Disney park, no contest.

-The most impressive thing about Nemo are the massive simulators. Nothing else was that great.

I skipped Nemo when I was at DisneySea earlier this year. I didn't think I missed anything. I wish Storm Rider were still around.

IMO Port Discovery is the weakest land in the park. I get and like how it's a water version of DLP's Discoveryland, but the line up of things to do isn't that interesting. They even got rid of the popular character meals at Horizons Bay for some reason.