​I went to Disneyland this year in July as a couple. I'm going to write about my experience and recommendations for anyone who's thinking of going. We purchased our tickets through Trip.com as well as a Chinese eSIM which gave us global internet access without needing a VPN.

​We decided to purchase tickets for 2 days because it was the summer holidays and we were worried about not being able to complete the whole park in a single day. Our preferred method of exploring the park was also just to randomly go through the park section by section; we enjoy the theming and experience so we didn't rush to any lands or rides. This also meant we didn't purchase any premier access passes. The weather was extremely hot when we were visiting the park. I believe around 35-38 degrees.

​Queueing to enter the Park

​The first day we went close to opening time and the second day we went a little later. You don't need any ticket to get in, you just need your passport. A large portion of the walkway to enter the park queue is outdoors and exposed, so I recommend bringing an umbrella for the sun if its hot. You also have to enter through the main gate for your first entry of the day. It did take a while to get into the park on the first day. We discovered on the second day that there is a no-bag line to the right-hand side of the queueing area which might have shortened our entry time if we'd known about it and left our bag at home.

​Day 1

​We began Day 1 by going to Tomorrowland and riding the Tron ride. We waited about 60 minutes for this ride. The initial part of the queue was outside and without air conditioning, but once you get past the initial part of the queue it is air conditioned on the inside which was a nice break from the summer heat. The ride itself is amazing, it's the biggest roller coaster at the park and it rides very smoothly.

​Toy Story Land was our next stop, and although we enjoyed the theming of the land and the merchandise shops, the rides here are mostly for kids. I think compared with how impressive some of the other lands are, we didn't find this area to be so impressive.

​Finally, we decided to go on the Peter Pan ride which was definitely worth a visit before eating lunch at Pinocchio Village Kitchen. We ordered two pizzas, one of the Winnie the Pooh ham and pineapple, and one of the BBQ beef brisket pizzas. The ham and pineapple was dry and tasted average but the BBQ beef was exceptionally good. You order the food through QR codes and pay using an online payment. There is a counter available for if you're using cash. It's not possible to request changes to any of the food in the app, but you can also order at the counter if you wish to remove something from your dish.

​After lunch, we headed over to Pirate Cove. We explored the land a little bit. The theming here is exceptional and you can really immerse yourself in the area. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride is potentially the best ride at the park with 3D effects and attention to detail I haven't seen anywhere else. The queue is also relatively short for this ride, so for anyone interested in purchasing Premier Access, it's definitely not necessary on this ride. The ride also has the most unique merchandise shop which was fun to explore.

​Our next stop was Zootopia Land for the early evening before sunset. We purchased some snacks, the pawpsicle and some mini donuts, which were both good, although the flavour of the pawpsicle was a little unusual. The theming in this part of the park is exceptional and you could easily spend a lot of time just looking around at all the Easter eggs. There are also some amazing animatronics both inside the ride queue and in the land. As for the ride, the ride is quite interesting because the queue itself is part of the ride. As you queue, you explore the police station from Zootopia and learn about the upcoming story, then you hop on the ride for a police chase with Nick and Judy to complete. This means that I would definitely not recommend getting a Premier Access for this ride.

​After Zootopia, we headed over to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride. This ride consistently had the longest queue in the whole park whilst we were there, and the queue itself is mostly outside and lacking any entertainment. We had to queue for almost 2 hours for this ride and whilst it is a fun roller coaster, it's nothing exceptional and I'd probably not recommend waiting that long for the ride.

​For dinner, we opted for the Mickey & Pals Cafe near to the entrance of the park. We had the spaghetti and meatballs and a noodle soup dish. The food was quite good and we ate in the restaurant themed from Lady and the Tramp.

​Finally, to finish the evening, we decided to skip the show on the first night to return to Tomorrowland to ride Tron again. The queues for rides are incredibly short during the evening show and I don't think we waited more than 15 minutes. Tomorrowland is also a whole new experience and feel at nighttime and I highly recommend spending some time here after dark. This might have been some of my favourite moments at the park. We were also able to watch the fireworks going off from Tomorrowland, although without the view of the show it didn't make a lot of sense.

​Day 2

​The second day we began by eating food at Disneytown. There's a few more food options here and retail stores and the prices can be a little lower than inside the park. We ate ramen which was delicious.

​Our next stop was to complete the final major rides that we missed on the first day with the rapids and Soaring in Adventure Isle. The rapids was an average experience, especially with the weather so hot. The queue was long and outdoors in very intense heat. I recommend purchasing a raincoat before arrival too, as the ones available for sale were sticking to my skin. The second ride, Soaring, also had a very long queue although it's almost entirely indoors, which again, during the summer was quite a nice break from the heat. Soaring as a ride is also an exceptional experience at Shanghai Disney. The sounds, smells, and movements all perfectly match up to the images on the screen. We decided to skip the challenge trails due to the intense heat.

​We spent the rest of the day riding our favourite rides from day 1 and exploring the merchandise shops from the areas we liked the best before watching the Illuminate nighttime show. Before the show we ate dinner at the Tomorrowland Stargazer Grill. The food here was good for pictures and tasted not too bad, although not as good as the pizza we had the day before.

​We took some pictures with the castle near dumbo which gave a great view of the castle and then camped out for about 2 hours before the show, which turned out to be very necessary. The staff ensure that the areas you camp out are limited to a certain number of people and the later it gets the worse your viewing location would be. The show is incredible, making use of lighting effects and fireworks. One thing I wish we'd done is purchased a seat in the guaranteed viewing area as that would have allowed us to spend the 2 hours waiting to ride, and also would have given us a better view of the show.

​After the show you're directed to exit the park, although the merchandise stores remain open near the entrance for an additional hour.

​Overall Thoughts & Final Notes

- ​Shanghai Disney is a very new park with some of the best rides I've ever been on at Disney. It's a park primarily made for the locals which makes the park very unique. Some examples include most of the toilets being squat toilets (all bathrooms have a sitting toilet that's usually free), unfamiliar flavoured foods, or the main character at the park, LinaBell, being someone I hadn't heard of before. However, in my opinion, this just added to the uniqueness of the park. Overall in spite of any flaws it was a 10/10 experience for us.

- ​Getting home from the park at nighttime is easy. We had a hotel shuttle to pick us up, but on the night we missed it, it was still easy to get a Didi taxi with the price and pick-up time being normal.

​

- Some of the staff don't speak much English, so you may need a translator app for some conversations or perhaps to look for a different staff member/manager if you need assistance.

- There are portable phone chargers available throughout the park. You need Alipay to be able to use them.

- Merchandise at the park is amazing. Id recommend being patient with your purchases if you plan to purchase merchandise as there's a lot of good shops near the entrance but also after each ride.

- We did a lot of character meetings I didn't mention above. They usually rotate the characters at each meeting spot and the staff won't inform you what time the characters are coming. For some popular characters like Nick and Judy, they don't rotate, but the lines for character meetings in Shanghai disney can exceed the ride wait times.

- The park is probably doable in 1 day with premier access and not in the summer, but its also good enough to do 2 days at if you prefer to. Many of the rides are worth riding more than once.

Hope this review can help out for people planning a trip to Shanghai Disney. If anyone has any questions or wants information id be happy to help also.

Location: Shanghai Disneyland

Shot on: Fujifilm XT50 - NC& CC

By: Rein_jie54

I arrive on Monday 22nd March to Pudong at 9am. Initially I was going to check-in to the hotel and go to Disneytown/sleep/take it easy after my flight. I would gone to Disney the next day for a full park day (which actually would only be 3 hours longer).

Now, I'm thinking that I could just drop my bags off at the hotel (Melia) and get into the park before midday, meaning I'd have more time for the rest of my trip (as I'd be staying 1 night not 2).

Given that crowds should be lower on a Monday in March and I'll be solo (so can use Single Rider), do you think 8ish hours would be enough? I will be going purely for rides (no character meets, seeing fireworks would be a bonus but not essential).

I am quite efficient in theme parks - I rode every Ride in Tokyo DisneySea during the Easter holidays, using only 1 Premier Access pass, when some queues were 2-3 hours. Given that Shanghai has less rides and should be less busy, do you think I have enough time?

What would you recommend?

Hi everyone! First Timer (33F) going to Shanghai Disneyland this fall with my elderly parents (80M and 80F). My dad walks much slower but doesn't need a cane or anything like that - but he will need sitting breaks for sure. The other is healthy and can walk. I am not a local, its my first time in China and I'm anxious.

Two questions:

1) I heard that the Taxi drop off area is SUPER far from the entrance (30 min walk)? Is there any way we can get dropped off directly at the entrance? This is a lot of walking for my Dad off the bat and I'm concerned. We are staying off-property somewhere else in Shanghai and then my plan is to get a taxi or uber there.

2) Should we get a priority pass package? My parents can only go on the "slower" rides. Pirates is fine, if it has a mild drop that's okay. My Dad handled RoTR in Disneyland Anaheim OK last year. My concern is the wait times. My dad can't stand in line for anything over 45 minutes - he would need a place to rest his legs by then. Waiting up to 30 minutes is ok, however.

3) What rides should we definitely avoid; or which ones are OK?

Thank you so much for your help.

Hey folks! I’m visiting Shanghai from October 1 - 6th. I was just made aware that this is holidays for locals (bad planning oops).

For those that have been, what would your suggestion be for priority access packages and the day to go if I’m looking at October 2-5 for potential days? My instinct is to avoid the weekend so October 2 or 5 seem like the best bet.

For priority access, what pack would you recommend? Should I risk waiting until the day of given that it’s holidays? Will I still be able to purchase packs on the day-of or will I need to buy them individually?

Thanks in advance!

Hey! 23 yrs old and Male here, I’m solo travelling in Shanghai and planning to go to Shanghai Disneyland this Monday, September 7th.

I couldn’t find anyone to go with, and it would be a bummer to miss out just because I’m travelling alone, so I’m going regardless! But I figured I’d post here in case there are any other solo travellers (or anyone who doesn’t mind an extra person tagging along) going the same day.

Could be fun to get a little group together, hit the rides, grab some food and just enjoy it lol. The bigger the group the better I guess lol.

No pressure to stick together the entire day either, I just thought Disney would be more fun with some company.

If you’re going this Monday and want to join, comment or DM me! :)

i bought these second hand shanghai disney ears but i’ve seen fakes on ali express and etsy so im not sure these are the official ones

First I would like to apologize in advance for my lack of English skills! Its my second language so hope you can understand 🙏🏻

I’m planning on going to Disneyland shanghai in either February or march, what time would be the best to visit? (Family of two kids 2/7 and three adults)

Also is the vip private guided tour worth it when visiting with small children? We plan on staying 4 nights at the toy story hotel and have 3 full park days, so not visiting on the arrival day.

Thanks in advance! Also any tips are appreciated

Any reason I should purchase a separate e-SIM (e.g. Airalo) if I plan to take advantage of Verizon’s Int’l plan? Want to be sure I have access to Google.

I'm considering going to shanghai disneyland during early to mid september for two days, and am wondering how crowded it will be. Is it better to choose a weekday over saturday or sunday or wouldn't it make a difference? or any other month is better?

It’s been a month since we’ve visited Shanghai Disneyland and my 5 year old and I are still on a high thinking about that trip. Sharing these snaps for y’all ✨🎊

Hi! I have a friend going to Shanghai Disney soon, and I love Halloween so I was thinking about giving her money to get me ears. Could anyone share with me what the Halloween ears look like this year?? Thank you!!
Or if there is a website I can look, that would be wonderful.

Hi! 😊 We’re visiting Shanghai Disneyland soon with 2 adults, a 5-year-old and a 9-month-old baby.
For anyone who has used Rider Switch recently (2025/2026):
-How do you register for it — at the ride entrance?
-Does the waiting parent get a physical card/paper, or is it linked to the Disney ticket/app?
-When it’s time to swap, what does the second parent need to show?
-Can our 5-year-old ride twice, once with each parent?

Would really appreciate anyone sharing their recent experience! 🙏😊

Hey guys! I will be in Shanghai in October. I arrive around lunch time at Pudong airport. I am planning to stay near the Disney park (not on property). I plan to drop my bags off at hotel and look for something for lunch! Any recommendations for where to go that is nearby? And what to eat! As I want to go to Disney town after lunch and check it out. Or should I drop my bags off and make the hour ish trip into the main part of Shanghai and go for lunch?

I hope to try xiaolong bao, peking duck and other things while i'm in Shanghai as well 🙂

TIA!

In HK, it is allowed to visit the hotels without booking. Is it the same for Shanghai?

Thanks!

Hi everyone !

We are visiting China for the first time in October, and as big Disney fans, we are planning to spend 2 days at Shanghai Disneyland. We're super excited as this will be our 2nd Disney resort around the world (we're French, so we go to Disneyland Paris every year!).

We want to make the most out of our trip, and I'd love some advice! I'm looking at all the ticket options and feeling a bit lost. We are hesitating between:
- Standard 2-day ticket: ¥854 / person
-1-day ticket + Tron Premier Access + FREE Peter Pan Premier Access (or Zootopia PA + FREE Winnie the Pooh PA): ¥655 / day

We are visiting on October 19th and 20th (Monday & Tuesday), and TRON and Zootopia: Hot Pursuit are our absolute must-dos! We'd love to ride TRON at night for the lighting effects on the canopy, but I'm worried about losing too much time in line and not having enough time to see the whole park, other rides, and shows without rushing.

Considering the dates (mid-October weekdays) and the experience we want, do you think it's worth getting the Premier Access combo tickets for both days (total of ¥1,310 / person), or should we just stick with the standard 2-day ticket (¥854 / person) ?

Thank you so much for your help and tips!

We arrive 10/09 early afternoon (staying at DLH). If we plan to visit the park that afternoon, as well as on 10/10 and 10/11, which ticket type do we want to maximize our time?

Hi everyone! I'll be visiting Shanghai Disneyland at the end of December. It'll be my first-ever Disney park and also my first trip to China. I'll only have one day in the park, so I want to make the most of it.

A few questions:

• Is Disney Premier Access worth it for a one-day visit, or is a regular ticket enough?
• What rides, shows, and experiences would you prioritize if you only had one day?
• What food or snacks inside the park are must-tries?
• Do first-time visitors get any complimentary souvenirs, badges, or keepsakes?
• What should I budget for food and souvenirs?
• Which apps and payment methods should I set up before arriving? Is cash accepted, or should I rely on Alipay/WeChat Pay?

Any other first-timer tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! 😊

Per title. I bought the tickets through Pelago and was wondering how to import it into the Disneyland Shanghai app in order to scan in on the day itself? Thanks in advance!

Hi all!
My daughter is obsessed with Duffy and friends, and she qualifies for a DAS pass due to medical conditions. I’ve seen things for 5 hour waits etc to meet Duffy characters. Are you able to use DAS on these lines?

https://x.com/i/status/2088069391040823591

Whichever ride you prefer, I will write a Zootopia-centered fanfic on one of them. Leave your questions in the comments for what it will be and I will answer. Sorry I can’t make it a poll, but I will be fine with whatever answer you make first.