Shanghai Disneyland Trip Report: October 21-23, 2016
Posted: Oct Fri 21, 2016 8:59 am
Greetings! I'm writing this from the Toy Story Hotel at Shanghai Disneyland. An international work trip took me to several stops in China and I was able to swing a weekend here at the new park. As I write, it's Friday night at about 9pm. I'm here through Monday morning and have a park ticket for Saturday and Sunday, so expect loads of pics and detail.
Day 1: Friday, October 21
There are two airports in Shanghai: Pudong and Hongquao. SDL is closer to the former, but my work had me over near the latter so the first decision today was how to get from there to here. Traffic in Shanghai is terrible and the roads are always under construction. My co-worker who lives here recommended I simply take the subway. That worked out great. I rode Line 10 to Line 11 and followed that out to the end, which is the Disneyland station. Super easy and it took a little over an hour and cost about $1 US. Way cheaper and faster than a taxi. The Line 11 train was even Disney-themed to get me in the mood.
Arriving at the Disney station, you need to take the blue bus (not pictured) from the transportation center to the resort hotels. Len, I think you are the one who loves the WDW busses. You'd be in hog heaven here as the resort buses are hybrids. It's like riding in a giant Prius.
I checked in and secured my guide map and times schedule, then it was off to the room. The rooms are very similar to those in Paris. Identical bathrooms. They supplied six bottles of water and there's a mini fridge. Nice. No safe though, which I would really appreciate with all my work gear that I have to leave in the room. I'm sure there's a safe in the office but what a hassle. Anyway, the walls are still thin - I can hear people showering and voices in other rooms - very much like what I didn't like about the All Star rooms and the cheaper hotels in Paris.
The view outside my room is a bit blurry as there is a big storm blowing through but I can see the Tron coaster and the castle from my window. If I wait, I can even see the Tron coaster trains zip by. Can't wait to ride it.
Other amenities include slippers and a cute little metal box shaped like a lunchbox that contained some tooth brushes. All the toiletries are branded Toy Story Hotel, not generic Disney. Classy.
The entire hotel still has the new construction smell and everything is clean and functional. Well, except for this strange thing I noticed in the elevator. As you can see below, there is a separate keypad for wheelchair guests to select rooms. Nice, but unfortunately you need to scan your keycard on a pad on the OTHER SIDE OF THE ELEVATOR to activate the floor. I can just imagine someone in a wheelchair trying to figure that one out. Baffling.
There's one eatery in the Toy Story Hotel that offers food stations similar to the Sunshine Seasons setup in Epcot's Land pavilion. All Asian menus at each station. There is, however, a small coffee and dessert stand that also offers some sandwiches. But no pizza, no burgers, no chicken fingers. Surprising for a family hotel but I guess this being geared toward locals rather than foreign tourists it makes sense.
I took the bus over to the Disneyland Hotel. The architecture is nothing like the sister hotels at the other parks. This one is a classic/modern fusion. Very nice looking and unique. I don't know my architecture enough to name the style - maybe one of you can. But I found it ornate without being overdone.
There is a small bar, a couple restaurants, and a buffet themed to Beauty & The Beast.
Outside the Disneyland Hotel there is a little garden area themed to The Lion King that includes a walking maze (not quite a hedge maze) and water play area.
The appeal of the DL Hotel is that it overlooks Disneyland from across a small lake. There is a "Friendship"-style boat that made me feel like I was back in Florida. The boat is slightly larger and, while there is an outdoor stern section you cannot sit outside. Oddly, there is a "Family Mart" convenience store right at the boat dock. I think this is a chain, and it was a non sequitor both for the non-Disney operation and the location, which really doesn't make much sense.
Here's an example of something that bugs me about this park. While there is certainly a lot of Disney in what I've seen thus far, there are also disturbing shortcuts that feel cheap. Aside from the aforementioned Family Mart, look at the video screen on the ferry. Note that the user interface pops up onscreen when each video starts. This is obviously the video player doing its thing but it's something that could easily have been avoided with a different media player or even a setting change. It looks lazy.
I've seen this sort of thing on Florida's Magical Express and forgave it for being a Mears bus, but here, on Disney property it is just a little, sloppy miss. I realize this is a nit but it's such an easy fix it really bugs me.
OK, now since it was about 6pm in this next sequence the rest of this evening was devoted to Disneytown. This is just past the plaza (the fountain below is in front of the main gates) and is their Downtown Disney. I was pleased that it was built out so much - I expected it to be a small set of shops and some open pads for future development. But no, it's fully built and feels complete. The paths are intimate but spacious and there was a variety of restaurants and shopping.
Want to talk about bread while you eat it? Try here:
Like your bread toasted? Well we've got you covered too:
Yes, this restaurant serves toast. Note the menu below, a slice of peanutbutter toast and milk, tea, or coffee will set you back 27 yuan, or about 4 bucks.
The Blue Frog Bar and Grill offers an incredible BOGO happy hour drink special from 4-8. Wow, two Manhattans for the price of one. For some reason I left feeling happier.
There aren't a lot of people in these pics because the park hadn't closed. It closed at 7pm, so it started getting busier but at this time, around 6pm, I had Disneytown pretty much to myself. There was a little corner where a trio were playing traditional Chinese instruments. Lovely, considering nobody was around and it was raining. I stopped to listen for a bit and give them a little love.
I was happy to see an effort to bring Halloween to China!
Here are some more views:
Finally, back in my room, here's one more pic of the Tron show building as seen from my window:
More to come...
Day 1: Friday, October 21
There are two airports in Shanghai: Pudong and Hongquao. SDL is closer to the former, but my work had me over near the latter so the first decision today was how to get from there to here. Traffic in Shanghai is terrible and the roads are always under construction. My co-worker who lives here recommended I simply take the subway. That worked out great. I rode Line 10 to Line 11 and followed that out to the end, which is the Disneyland station. Super easy and it took a little over an hour and cost about $1 US. Way cheaper and faster than a taxi. The Line 11 train was even Disney-themed to get me in the mood.
Arriving at the Disney station, you need to take the blue bus (not pictured) from the transportation center to the resort hotels. Len, I think you are the one who loves the WDW busses. You'd be in hog heaven here as the resort buses are hybrids. It's like riding in a giant Prius.
I checked in and secured my guide map and times schedule, then it was off to the room. The rooms are very similar to those in Paris. Identical bathrooms. They supplied six bottles of water and there's a mini fridge. Nice. No safe though, which I would really appreciate with all my work gear that I have to leave in the room. I'm sure there's a safe in the office but what a hassle. Anyway, the walls are still thin - I can hear people showering and voices in other rooms - very much like what I didn't like about the All Star rooms and the cheaper hotels in Paris.
The view outside my room is a bit blurry as there is a big storm blowing through but I can see the Tron coaster and the castle from my window. If I wait, I can even see the Tron coaster trains zip by. Can't wait to ride it.
Other amenities include slippers and a cute little metal box shaped like a lunchbox that contained some tooth brushes. All the toiletries are branded Toy Story Hotel, not generic Disney. Classy.
The entire hotel still has the new construction smell and everything is clean and functional. Well, except for this strange thing I noticed in the elevator. As you can see below, there is a separate keypad for wheelchair guests to select rooms. Nice, but unfortunately you need to scan your keycard on a pad on the OTHER SIDE OF THE ELEVATOR to activate the floor. I can just imagine someone in a wheelchair trying to figure that one out. Baffling.
There's one eatery in the Toy Story Hotel that offers food stations similar to the Sunshine Seasons setup in Epcot's Land pavilion. All Asian menus at each station. There is, however, a small coffee and dessert stand that also offers some sandwiches. But no pizza, no burgers, no chicken fingers. Surprising for a family hotel but I guess this being geared toward locals rather than foreign tourists it makes sense.
I took the bus over to the Disneyland Hotel. The architecture is nothing like the sister hotels at the other parks. This one is a classic/modern fusion. Very nice looking and unique. I don't know my architecture enough to name the style - maybe one of you can. But I found it ornate without being overdone.
There is a small bar, a couple restaurants, and a buffet themed to Beauty & The Beast.
Outside the Disneyland Hotel there is a little garden area themed to The Lion King that includes a walking maze (not quite a hedge maze) and water play area.
The appeal of the DL Hotel is that it overlooks Disneyland from across a small lake. There is a "Friendship"-style boat that made me feel like I was back in Florida. The boat is slightly larger and, while there is an outdoor stern section you cannot sit outside. Oddly, there is a "Family Mart" convenience store right at the boat dock. I think this is a chain, and it was a non sequitor both for the non-Disney operation and the location, which really doesn't make much sense.
Here's an example of something that bugs me about this park. While there is certainly a lot of Disney in what I've seen thus far, there are also disturbing shortcuts that feel cheap. Aside from the aforementioned Family Mart, look at the video screen on the ferry. Note that the user interface pops up onscreen when each video starts. This is obviously the video player doing its thing but it's something that could easily have been avoided with a different media player or even a setting change. It looks lazy.
I've seen this sort of thing on Florida's Magical Express and forgave it for being a Mears bus, but here, on Disney property it is just a little, sloppy miss. I realize this is a nit but it's such an easy fix it really bugs me.
OK, now since it was about 6pm in this next sequence the rest of this evening was devoted to Disneytown. This is just past the plaza (the fountain below is in front of the main gates) and is their Downtown Disney. I was pleased that it was built out so much - I expected it to be a small set of shops and some open pads for future development. But no, it's fully built and feels complete. The paths are intimate but spacious and there was a variety of restaurants and shopping.
Want to talk about bread while you eat it? Try here:
Like your bread toasted? Well we've got you covered too:
Yes, this restaurant serves toast. Note the menu below, a slice of peanutbutter toast and milk, tea, or coffee will set you back 27 yuan, or about 4 bucks.
The Blue Frog Bar and Grill offers an incredible BOGO happy hour drink special from 4-8. Wow, two Manhattans for the price of one. For some reason I left feeling happier.
There aren't a lot of people in these pics because the park hadn't closed. It closed at 7pm, so it started getting busier but at this time, around 6pm, I had Disneytown pretty much to myself. There was a little corner where a trio were playing traditional Chinese instruments. Lovely, considering nobody was around and it was raining. I stopped to listen for a bit and give them a little love.
I was happy to see an effort to bring Halloween to China!
Here are some more views:
Finally, back in my room, here's one more pic of the Tron show building as seen from my window:
More to come...