Shanghai Disneyland

Pudong, China

“One of the most unusual Disney theme parks on Earth”

As a Belgian, I don’t consider China as an easy travel destination. It’s not exactly close to my hometown, visa procedures seem complicated and the language barrier may cause some difficulties. However, China has become a must do destination since 2016. In that year, the Walt Disney Company opened its newest theme park near the city of Shanghai. The park boasts world-class rides like TRON Lightcycle Power Run and Battle for the Sunken Treasure, so it’s definitely worth all the hassle. The park is conveniently located near Pudong Airport, one of Asia’s main transportation hubs. Most international flights land at Pudong, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to get here. From the airport, shuttle buses and the subway could get you to Disneyland, but I recommend taking a taxi. Queues to get a taxi are generally short, they’re cheap and you’ll arrive at the resort within 30 minutes, without having to carry your luggage in the busy subway.

BEAT THE CROWDS

Is Shanghai Disneyland really as busy as most people say? Yes, it is. There undoubtedly are slower times, but January turned out to be crazy crowded because of the Lunar New Year festivities. We’ve seen wait times of over two hours for major attractions. But once again, it’s perfectly possible to avoid the hassle. Just book a room at an on-site hotel and enjoy the perks of being a Disney hotel guest. One of those perks is being able to enter the park through a private entrance. Another perk is Early Park Entry, which means that you get to enter the park one full hour before the big crowds. And believe it or not… during those 60 minutes, all of the big rides are operating. An Early Park Entry pass is also for sale for regular visitors, so please don’t expect the park to be totally empty. During these 60 minutes, I recommend riding Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Soaring Over The Horizon and/or Zootopia Hot Pursuit.

In 2016, we stayed at Shanghai Disneyland Hotel’s Magic Kingdom Club. That was a magical experience, but also an expensive one. This time, we opted for the more budget-friendly Toy Story Hotel. Both the exterior and the interior are rather simple, but it’s a fine hotel. Rooms are spacious, they added some funny decorative touches and beds are surprisingly comfortable. Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to enjoy those beds infinitely: we need to get up very early if we want to enjoy that extra hour at Shanghai Disneyland. The park officially opens at 8.30 AM, which means that our private access starts at 7.30 AM. I’m definitely not a morning person, but hey… it’s Shanghai Disneyland we’re talking about.

ROLLER COASTERS

It’s 7.30 AM and our Early Park Entry starts. Many people walk towards Soarin’ or Zootopia, but we decide to head to Fantasyland at the back of the park. This area is home to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, a ride which is known for its ridiculously long queues. You will recognise this family roller coaster if you’re familiar with Walt Disney World. It consists of a curvy coaster part and a stunning dark ride section. It’s fun, but the ride doesn’t excel in any way. The coaster parts are tame and the dark ride is a little too short. Besides, the ride’s location isn’t nearly as awesome as in Orlando. At Magic Kingdom, the Mine Train is the dynamic centerpiece of Fantasyland. The Chinese version, however, is placed in a remote corner of the park. Don’t get me wrong: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is a good family attraction and I enjoyed my ride, but it’s not worth the lengthy queues it usually gets.

The coaster highlight at Shanghai Disneyland is obviously TRON Lightcycle Power Run, one of the most beautiful roller coasters on the planet. Despite the fact that only 200 metres of track are visible from the outside, I could watch it all day long. It’s truly fascinating to stare at those motorcycles passing by at nearly 100 km/h. And because the canopy is filled with fabulous lighting effects, this spectacle becomes even more mesmerizing in the evening.

Staring at a coaster is great, but riding it is even better. That’s why we quickly enter the queue, which is nearly empty at this time. The most stunning part of the queue can be found above the launch platform, which literally feels as if it’s copied from a computer game. It’s visually perfect and Daft Punk’s incredible soundtrack makes the total experience even better. And the ride itself? Well… I don’t want to exaggerate, but TRON Lightcycle Power Run comes very close to coaster perfection. The launch is surprisingly forceful, the music is fantastic and the whole ride is smoother than a brand-new B&M. In addition, the indoor part is filled with cool lighting and clever mirror effects. You may notice that the experience is rather short, but I’m more than happy to compensate this with a second and third ride. Team Blue for the win.

DARK RIDES

Shanghai’s version of Tomorrowland opened in 2016. This means that it’s still a world of the future, rather than the old-fashioned hodgepodge you encounter at the American Disney parks. It looks very modern and those floating pathways add a cool dynamic vibe to the area. TRON is the icon of Tomorrowland, but Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue isn’t bad either. This is an interactive dark ride with laser guns, just like the ones at other resorts. The Chinese copy got an upgrade, though. The atmosphere is nicer and the Imagineers integrated some fine projections. I’m not a huge Toy Story fan, but this ride shouldn’t be missed. Astro Blasters 2.0.

Fantasyland is usually the place to be for dark rides. It’s strange to notice the absence of It’s a Small World, but two other Disney classics are present: The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh and Peter Pan’s Flight. The Winnie ride looks identical to the versions in Hong Kong and the United States. I don’t want to call it bad, but I expected a more elaborately themed dark ride at Disney’s newest theme park. Peter Pan’s Flight, however, got the upgrade it deserved and the result is amazing. Scenes seem more detailed and the ride is longer than its predecessors. Also, Shanghai Disneyland makes clever use of projections to optimise the experience. I never considered Peter Pan’s Flight as a must do in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris or Tokyo, but my opinion changed here in Shanghai. Stunning family attraction.

Zootopia was a box office hit in the United States… and in China. In fact, the Chinese liked the film so much that they decided to add a Zootopia-themed land to Shanghai Disneyland. This brand-new area opened in December of 2023 and it’s simply huge. Imagineers managed to recreate the city centre of Zootopia, including the central station, the police office and a colourful bunch of skyscrapers. The land is full of detail and it really invites its guests to explore all the hidden secrets. The biggest draw is a large-scale attraction called Zootopia: Hot Pursuit. This is Shanghai Disneyland’s first trackless dark ride and it’s clearly based on similar rides at other Disney resorts. We recognise some scenes and effects from Mickey’s Runaway Railway and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. Just like those rides, Hot Pursuit combines real-life scenes with screens and projections. Unfortunately, the amount of screens is a bit excessive. The first part of the ride is quite cool and makes good use of the trackless system, but the second part just feels like a Universal-style simulator ride. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not calling Hot Pursuit a disappointment. But if I’m being totally honest, my expectation were on a higher level. On a brighter note, we were quite impressed by the beautiful indoor queue and the ride’s sky-high capacity.

Hot Pursuit is okay, but it’s not the best dark ride at Shanghai Disneyland. This honour is reserved for Pirates of the Caribbean – Battle For The Sunken Treasure, a totally reimagined version of Walt Disney’s classic attraction. Please try to forget everything you know about Pirates of the Caribbean before entering. Imagineers got rid of the singing pirates, the burning facades and the famous auctioneer. Besides, boats no longer travel past the scenes, but they literally become part of the action. This new approach is due to an innovative ride system, which allows Disney to control the speed and revolve the boats in every possible direction. Battle For The Sunken Treasure is brilliant in every possible way. Timing is fantastic, animatronics are extremely realistic and it’s often impossible to tell the difference between real scenes and projections. You won’t detect any unthemed ceilings and the repetitive Yo-Ho song was exchanged for breathtaking onboard-audio. If perfection exists, Pirates of the Caribbean is very close to it. 

ENCHANTED STORYBOOK CASTLE

A castle is the most striking element of every Magic Kingdom-style Disney park. That isn’t any different here in China. The Enchanted Storybook Castle is huge and it contains a walk-through, a meet and greet location with Disney princesses and an upscale restaurant. The walk through is called Once Upon a Time Adventure and it’s just okay. This attraction explains the story of Snow White in five different scenes. Although we don’t understand the Chinese narration, it’s visually pleasing.

There’s another way to discover the Enchanted Storybook Castle, or at least its basement: a ride on Voyage to the Crystal Grotto. This ride was exclusively designed for Shanghai Disneyland, which makes it a must do. Consider it as a combination of Jungle Cruise and Storybook Land Canal Boats. We board a boat and we then sail past colourful scenes depicting famous Disney movies, while our captain is telling stories in Chinese. The scenes are mostly static, but they feature a large number of fountains. Nothing too extraordinary, but local visitors react in an ecstatic way. Especially the Crystal Grotto at the end of the ride evokes amazement for my fellow passengers, but it’s rather underwhelming to me. Am I spoiled or are those Chinese people easily filled with astonishment? I guess the truth lies somewhere halfway.

A labyrinth is defined as a complicated irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to find one’s way. If I consider this as the only true definition of a labyrinth, Shanghai Disneyland did a terrible job with our next attraction. It’s literally impossible to get lost in the Alice in Wonderland Maze, which can be found right next to the Enchanted Storybook Castle. Most visitors don’t seem to care and they just consider this as an ideal photo spot. The place is filled with selfie queens and young couples searching for a perfect Instagram photo. And although I don’t like the Tim Burton version of this classic Disney movie, the actual maze definitely looks amazing.

ADVENTURE ISLE

Adventure Isle is one of the busier lands at Shanghai Disneyland. That’s because this area is home to some of the most popular rides of the park: Soaring Over The Horizon and Roaring Rapids. The wait time for Soaring climbs to an incredible 180 minutes and the rapids ride has queues of up to 75 minutes, despite the fact that we’re visiting the park during winter. Try to visit these both rides as early as possible or buy a Premier Access pass, which enables you to skip a large part of the line.

What makes Soaring Over The Horizon that special? Does this ride have anything its American counterparts don’t have? No, certainly not. The setting and the story line differ from the Soarin’-rides at Epcot and California Adventure, but the actual film and the effects are identical. I understand why this ride is so popular, though. I remember being blown away by my first ride on Soarin’ Over California in 2008, so I guess these Chinese visitors experience a similar feeling today. However, I’d never enter a 3-hour queue for this ride. Soaring is great, but it has some flaws. The pre-show is vague and the overall experience depends heavily on the seat you’re assigned to. Only the first row of the middle gate is treated to an unforgettable experience. Everyone else should settle with an inferior view, a curved Eiffel Tower and a crooked Taj Mahal.

A ride on Roaring Rapids in January? I’m not interested, but many other visitors don’t seem to mind the cold temperatures. Roaring Rapids is a wild rafting ride with some serious waves, so quite a few people get soaked. As I remember from our previous visit, Roaring Rapids counts as one of the best rapid rivers in the world. Its layout is great and we encounter one of the most fantastic animatronics in theme park history. Furthermore, this is one of those few rapid rivers where the lift hill is placed at the start of the ride, exactly where it should be. Please let this be the next addition to Disneyland Paris’ Adventureland… Please please please.

Both Soaring Over The Horizon and Roaring Rapids were integrated in Roaring Mountain, the focal point of Adventure Isle. This mountain and its waterfall are visible throughout the park and that’s an incredible sight. By using the Camp Discovery Challenge Trails, it’s possible to get an up-close look of Roaring Mountain. This rope course takes us to mysterious caves and waterfalls. It certainly isn’t the most intense rope course in the world, but some adventurous spirit is needed. In my opinion, these Challenge Trails shouldn’t be missed. It’s fun and Shanghai Disneyland is the only Disney park on Earth with such an attraction. Because of its limited capacity, I’d recommend to be there early.

ENTERTAINMENT

Asian visitors adore live entertainment and Shanghai Disneyland has plenty to offer in this particular segment. The resort offers Mickey’s Storybook Adventure (a fantastic stage show that’s nearly identical to Mickey and the Wondrous Book at Hong Kong Disneyland) and the inevitable Frozen Sing-a-Long. We also pay a visit to El Teatro Fandango. This place is home to Eye Of The Storm – Captain Jack’s Stunt Spectacular. The theatre consists of a pre-show and a main auditorium. The pre-show is very boring and childish, but the main performance is pretty good. The second half of the show is filled with unique special effects and some of the stunts are very spectacular. However, Eye Of The Storm has the same problem as most stunt shows: there’s lots of talking, but the actual stunt sequences are limited.

Then I actually prefer Mickey’s Fairytale Fanfare, which is performed on the castle stage. This is one of those many Disney shows with princesses in the lead and it includes timeless songs like A Whole New World and Let It Go. This may sound as pure horror to you, but I adore these kinds of feel good shows. By the way: Shanghai Disneyland has the longest parade route and the largest castle viewing area of any Disney theme park in the world. This makes it convenient to watch Mickey’s Storybook Express and a nighttime spectacular called Illuminate, but both performances are rather mediocre. It wouldn’t hurt to skip these shows, if you’re short on time.

WORTH A VISIT?

The fireworks weren’t exceptional, but this doesn’t change my overall opinion: Shanghai Disneyland is an outstanding theme park. It’s actually hard to believe that it opened less than 8 years ago. This is a mature park with enough rides and shows to fill an entire day. I love the park’s experimental layout, the huge themed lands and the rides. Some of those rides even count as the best Disney has ever created. TRON is a monumental roller coaster, Roaring Rapids may be the world’s best rapid river and Imagineers have rewritten dark ride history with Pirates of the Caribbean. Even smaller rides like Peter Pan’s Flight got some exciting touches in Disney’s newest park.

How about the people? Cast Members are very friendly, but how well-behaved are the guests visiting this park? You might have heard crazy stories about arrogant and shameless park visitors, but believe me: these stories aren’t true. In general, people are nice and line cutting isn’t as common as it is at Disneyland Paris. People seem to come here to have a good time, just like we did. And they appreciate the Disney quality, just like we do.

Shanghai Disneyland isn’t the best Disney theme park on Earth (it’s nearly impossible to beat Tokyo DisneySea), but it’s definitely in the upper half of the list. I’m very excited about the park’s future and I hope to be back soon. It takes a 12 hours’ flight to get here, but it’s worth every minute in a cramped airplane seat. Shanghai Disneyland, you were amazing.

Is TRON the best Disney roller coaster on Earth? Do you like Shanghai Disneyland’s modernized park layout? And tell me… how awesome is Battle for the Sunken Treasure?! Share your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of this page.