Can not wait - going in January to Shanghai/Tokyo

[xiphoid76]

I am so excited. We bought our airline tickets, so we are now going no matter what We decided to go to Shanghai and then Tokyo and then home to the USA. That way we do not need a visa to travel to China and we get to hit 2 Disney Parks
We booked the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel - splurged there and booked Concierge level floor as we want to be able to maximize the use of our time there with the help of the staff. We are staying 3 nights and therefore only have 2 days to enjoy the park - and 3 nights to walk around and explore the hotels and Wishing Star Park.
I am not sure if we will make any reservations for food or just enjoy quick service as our time is limited. I think most of our time will just be enjoying the details - we can get fastpasses for the rides we have to do like Tron, Peter Pan, Pirates. Not sure if Crystal Grotto will have FPs - but that is the other must-do. Once the park opens will be fun to follow disboards and see where else we have to go or if there are any must-do eats
Then heading to Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea for 3 days/4 nights. Staying cheaper at the Hilton Tokyo Bay. We have been fortunate to be there before, so I am not stressed about what we see or do there - I could just ride Sindbad's Journey all day long there and relax!
The flight was expensive, but not unexpected and not outrageous - although coach from Seattle to Shanghai and then Tokyo to Minneapolis will be fun :/ (I wish I could sleep on a plane - or could afford first class!).

 

[Royal Consort]

It sounds amazing! You must be feeling very excited!!!!

I agree with you regarding Sindbad; we could also keep re-riding this over and over.

 

[Karin1984]

Same here! Planning to see all three Asia parks in May next year. It will be so wonderful to see a Disney park in Shanghai where everything is new and modern and Tokyo where they have something completely different with Disney Sea. Not just looking forward to new rides, sights and shows, but also people watching will be so different in Tokyo

I wish I could start booking already, but I have to wait for work to approve my vacation days. Which shouldnt be a problem, being it a year away, they just like to keep me waiting

 

[zanzibar138]

I am so excited. We bought our airline tickets, so we are now going no matter what We decided to go to Shanghai and then Tokyo and then home to the USA. That way we do not need a visa to travel to China and we get to hit 2 Disney Parks
We booked the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel - splurged there and booked Concierge level floor as we want to be able to maximize the use of our time there with the help of the staff. We are staying 3 nights and therefore only have 2 days to enjoy the park - and 3 nights to walk around and explore the hotels and Wishing Star Park.
I am not sure if we will make any reservations for food or just enjoy quick service as our time is limited. I think most of our time will just be enjoying the details - we can get fastpasses for the rides we have to do like Tron, Peter Pan, Pirates. Not sure if Crystal Grotto will have FPs - but that is the other must-do. Once the park opens will be fun to follow disboards and see where else we have to go or if there are any must-do eats
Then heading to Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea for 3 days/4 nights. Staying cheaper at the Hilton Tokyo Bay. We have been fortunate to be there before, so I am not stressed about what we see or do there - I could just ride Sindbad's Journey all day long there and relax!
The flight was expensive, but not unexpected and not outrageous - although coach from Seattle to Shanghai and then Tokyo to Minneapolis will be fun :/ (I wish I could sleep on a plane - or could afford first class!).

How exciting!

I'm staying Club Level at the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel *next week* (eep!)!

There is no FP for POTC or Crystal Grotto, but POTC does have a single rider line. Tron has both FP and SR, and Peter Pan just has FP. I'll be trying to do as many rides as I can twice if possible to just enjoy it the first time around, then attempt to document it. Hopefully I'll also be able to get to most of the shows. The night time show looks pretty spectacular, similar to 'Dreams' in Paris (which is amazing!). I might have to invest some time in staking out a good spot for that one night. I have made a booking at the Royal Banquet Hall for lunch inside the castle. Other than that I plan to eat at the Wandering Tea House and Barbossa's Bounty, and just wing it the rest of the time. Feel free to keep an eye out for my TR

I hear you on the flights! I can't sleep in economy either. Luckily we've managed to get onto booking business class with airline points for a lot of our overnight flights. However, for Shanghai I will be stuck back in economy. It's only a 5 1/2 hour flight from Perth to Singapore though, followed by another 5 1/2 hours to Shanghai. On the way home I've got the 5 1/2 hour flight to Singapore then about 7 1/2 hours back to Melbourne, so even if it's uncomfortable and I can't sleep, it's only a few hours for each flight.

Looking forward to following along with the rest of your plans

 

[Royal Consort]

How exciting!

I'm staying Club Level at the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel *next week* (eep!)!

There is no FP for POTC or Crystal Grotto, but POTC does have a single rider line. Tron has both FP and SR, and Peter Pan just has FP. I'll be trying to do as many rides as I can twice if possible to just enjoy it the first time around, then attempt to document it. Hopefully I'll also be able to get to most of the shows. The night time show looks pretty spectacular, similar to 'Dreams' in Paris (which is amazing!). I might have to invest some time in staking out a good spot for that one night. I have made a booking at the Royal Banquet Hall for lunch inside the castle. Other than that I plan to eat at the Wandering Tea House and Barbossa's Bounty, and just wing it the rest of the time. Feel free to keep an eye out for my TR

I hear you on the flights! I can't sleep in economy either. Luckily we've managed to get onto booking business class with airline points for a lot of our overnight flights. However, for Shanghai I will be stuck back in economy. It's only a 5 1/2 hour flight from Perth to Singapore though, followed by another 5 1/2 hours to Shanghai. On the way home I've got the 5 1/2 hour flight to Singapore then about 7 1/2 hours back to Melbourne, so even if it's uncomfortable and I can't sleep, it's only a few hours for each flight.

Looking forward to following along with the rest of your plans

Zanzibar138: Please post a trip report about your experience! We will be flying over to Shanghai early next year and will also be staying club. I'll be interested in finding out information as there's very little on it!!

 

[zanzibar138]

Zanzibar138: Please post a trip report about your experience! We will be flying over to Shanghai early next year and will also be staying club. I'll be interested in finding out information as there's very little on it!!

Definitely!

 

[Feistygirl916]

Tell me more about the not having to get a visa to visit Shanghai park, please. It's in the middle of our stays between HK and Tokyo, and we will be there 3 nights as well. We're doing two days in that park, too.

 

[zanzibar138]

Tell me more about the not having to get a visa to visit Shanghai park, please. It's in the middle of our stays between HK and Tokyo, and we will be there 3 nights as well. We're doing two days in that park, too.

Depending on what country you're from, China offers a no visa clause for stopovers. I thought it was for up to 72 hours, but I've heard reports of it being longer than that - I didn't look into it that much because Shanghai wasn't a stopover for me. The definition of a stopover is that you must be transiting between 2 different countries (so visiting 3 countries all up). It's also limited to certain airports, but Pudong is one of them. Sounds like it's something you would be eligible for

 

[Feistygirl916]

I'm coming from the US

Thanks for the info, zanzibar. This must be somewhat new, but something I am grateful for! There hasn't been any reports of people being denied into China, has there? That's my huge worry with this one.

 

[zanzibar138]

From what I understand you still have to apply for a 'transit visa' (that's how it seems for us Aussies anyway). I'm guessing that it's a less detailed form and you don't need to provide your passport and photos etc like you have to with an actual visa. So you'd still know in advance if there was some sort of problem with your application and wouldn't just be denied entry when you got off the plane.

I haven't heard of anyone being denied, but then I don't know that many people who have attempted to go to China. I can't see why you would be denied without reason (like, I might be worried if I had a criminal record, or if I'd been denied entry before/into another country). I was a little worried about my application because for the actual visa you need to specify what your whole family does for a living, and my mum works for the government. Still came through with no problems for me though.

 

[Karin1984]

It really differs per country, I'm from the Netherlands and we can have a stopover of 6 days in China. (If I googled correctly )

Check with the Chinese Embassy in your country. Or, if available look for reliable agencies who handle visa for a living. They might able to tell you what you need.

 

[xiphoid76]

The transit visa for USA citizens is when you get to China - it is not actually a visa - you just go thru a different line at customs that says "transit visa". No application needed. It is good for 6 days as long as you land in Pudong and leave from the same airport to a different country and do not leave the province during your stay. Each country may be different - China is complicated