China in late August

[dolewhipdreams]

Hi everyone. I'm looking at two different dates for the China ABD. The one that works best for our schedule is August 30-Sept 10. I've read online that the weather at that time of year can be brutal between the heat and the rain. Has anyone been at that time of year?

The other option is April 5. I think the weather will by far be more pleasant but it will take some serious rearranging to work out.

On a completely unrelated note...for the China trip what kind of park tickets do you get for both of the parks?

 

[starry_solo]

I've been in Taiwan in the summer and OMG, the heat and humidity. Just walked a block and your shirt was soaked....

 

[Poohlie]

We were on the August 4th departure this summer and it was indeed hot. Hot and humid, probably even hotter than Orlando at that time of year, but not as rainy although we just missed typhoons in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Korey & Jennie gifted us with personal electric fans at the beginning of the trip which were a godsend. The hotels are spectacular and have nice pools which provided relief at the end of the day. It was a truly magical trip despite the the heat.

We were given single day tickets and a number of fast passes at each park. The fast passes were less critical at Hong Kong Disneyland, but were necessary at Shanghai Disneyland. We were given fast passes to Tron, Pirates, Roarin Rapids and at least one other. If the parks are important to you I would recommend a pre-day at Hong Kong Disneyland and a post day at Shanghai Disneyland just to make sure you get on everything you want to.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

I've been in Taiwan in the summer and OMG, the heat and humidity. Just walked a block and your shirt was soaked....

Yeah that's what I've heard. Just wondering if it would be a deal breaker for enjoying the trip!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

We were on the August 4th departure this summer and it was indeed hot. Hot and humid, probably even hotter than Orlando at that time of year, but not as rainy although we just missed typhoons in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Korey & Jennie gifted us with personal electric fans at the beginning of the trip which were a godsend. The hotels are spectacular and have nice pools which provided relief at the end of the day. It was a truly magical trip despite the the heat.

We were given single day tickets and a number of fast passes at each park. The fast passes were less critical at Hong Kong Disneyland, but were necessary at Shanghai Disneyland. We were given fast passes to Tron, Pirates, Roarin Rapids and at least one other. If the parks are important to you I would recommend a pre-day at Hong Kong Disneyland and a post day at Shanghai Disneyland just to make sure you get on everything you want to.

That's so good to know. Korey & Jennie were your guides? One thing I'm definitely worried about is the typhoons. The heat I could maybe deal with but I would just be super upset if our days (especially at the parks) were just a deluge of rain.

I assume that the tickets could not be upgraded? We plan on doing just what you said and add on a day before and after to have more park time. I'm guessing we will need to just buy our own separate tickets for those extra days.

 

[sayhello]

I assume that the tickets could not be upgraded? We plan on doing just what you said and add on a day before and after to have more park time. I'm guessing we will need to just buy our own separate tickets for those extra days.

We went in 2017, and the tickets were definitely not upgradeable. We just bought separate tickets. (Plus, that wouldn't work for DLHK anyways, because the Guides got the tickets at the parks, so you wouldn't even have the tickets yet for a pre-day).

Sayhello

 

[Poohlie]

That's so good to know. Korey & Jennie were your guides? One thing I'm definitely worried about is the typhoons. The heat I could maybe deal with but I would just be super upset if our days (especially at the parks) were just a deluge of rain.

I assume that the tickets could not be upgraded? We plan on doing just what you said and add on a day before and after to have more park time. I'm guessing we will need to just buy our own separate tickets for those extra days.

Yes, sorry Korey and Jenny were our (amazing!) guides. Those rechargeable personal fans are definitely a “thing” in China - they are for sale at every airport so don’t bother buying them ahead of time.

I’m no weather expert but I would think that the risk of a typhoon is similar to traveling to Orlando during hurricane season. My sister (who was on the China ABD last October) recommended the pre and post days to alleviate the risk of a wash out on our scheduled park days. However, the biggest impact from weather was not a typhoon but storms in the metro NY area which delayed our departure to HK by a day. Our two planned pre-nights at the HKDL hotel became just one but we were really glad we had that cushion. We also booked a pre-night at the HK Peninsula through ABD. We ended up having beautiful sunny days for the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and the Pandas in Chengdu.

We bought the HK Disneyland tickets at the hotel when we got there and booked a Concierge ticket package through the Shanghai Disneyland app (VIP entrance to the park, Fastpasses for all the rides that offer them) while we were in China. We took a taxi from the Shanghai Peninsula on our post day and it was pretty reasonable.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

I’m no weather expert but I would think that the risk of a typhoon is similar to traveling to Orlando during hurricane season

Ohh okay so it's a risk, but it's not like it's constant horrible storms. I get it now.

Concierge ticket package through the Shanghai Disneyland app (VIP entrance to the park, Fastpasses for all the rides that offer them)

Ooo I may have to look into that! We should have 2.5 days in Shanghai DL between the ABD and our post days but that might help us make sure we get everything done, especially since we don't know when we'll be back! I'm looking up the cost now but for you was it an appropriate value for what you got?

 

[Poohlie]

It was definitely a splurge but way cheaper than a VIP guide and we wanted to make sure we got on Tron and Pirates again. Given the heat and August crowds it was worth it to us, and we too didn’t know when would be back. We only had one post-day because we flew to Tokyo the next morning for a quick visit which included TDL & Tokyo Disney Sea. Had we stayed in Shanghai for another day we would probably have taken a water town tour and have done some additional touring in Shanghai.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

It was definitely a splurge but way cheaper than a VIP guide and we wanted to make sure we got on Tron and Pirates again. Given the heat and August crowds it was worth it to us, and we too didn’t know when would be back. We only had one post-day because we flew to Tokyo the next morning for a quick visit which included TDL & Tokyo Disney Sea. Had we stayed in Shanghai for another day we would probably have taken a water town tour and have done some additional touring in Shanghai.

Okay good to know! The price doesn't look too terrible considering what you get.

 

[Poohlie]

I should add that the Concierge at the Shanghai Peninsula also recommended that ticket package, but keep in mind that you can only purchase it from about 2 weeks before your park visit to one day in advance. You can’t purchase it on the day of from what I recall. I think I purchased it on the app while I was in Chengdu because I was afraid it might sell out for that day.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

I should add that the Concierge at the Shanghai Peninsula also recommended that ticket package, but keep in mind that you can only purchase it from about 2 weeks before your park visit to one day in advance. You can’t purchase it on the day of from what I recall. I think I purchased it on the app while I was in Chengdu because I was afraid it might sell out for that day.

Very good to know, thank you!

Now my biggest concern is all the unrest in HK. We wouldn't go for another 9 months but who knows if it will be better or worse by then. If we go, I'll be darn glad it's with ABD.

 

[abdgeek]

We plan on doing just what you said and add on a day before and after to have more park time. I'm guessing we will need to just buy our own separate tickets for those extra days.

I did the China ABD this June/July and the heat/humidity was awful. Being from the south, I didn’t think it would be an issue but there was no way to anticipate how different it would be. The one thing that made it bearable was that I only packed moisture wicking clothing for our daily activities based on the recommendations in previous trip reports.

Because I wanted to make sure I could do everything I wanted to in the parks, I did a pre-day at HKDL and a post day at Shanghai DL. The guides said that our tour group ended up getting to HKDL earlier than other groups, so we had a little more time in the park. However, most of us were so tired that we didn’t ride many rides. I made sure I used all the fast passes ABD provided. Because I had been there the day before, I didn’t feel the need to rush while in the park. It also rained while we were there, so make sure you always keep the ponchos you’re given with you. They also came in handy for riding Roaring Rapids and I was surprised by how many locals had them on for the ride. I went online and bought my HKDL ticket before I left the US. I also downloaded the app, but didn’t find it that helpful while in the park. I took the subway to HKDL on my pre-day and it was an easy trip.

Unfortunately, my post day at Shanghai DL was less enjoyable due to the over 2 hour wait for most rides. I bought my ticket online before leaving home (you have to give them your passport number and bring your passport to the park to retrieve your ticket). I had planned to purchase fast passes in the app once I got to the park, but they were all sold out. I draw the line at standing in line for more than 30 minutes for a ride even at Disney. Therefore, I only rode a couple of rides the second day and went back to the hotel. I second the recommendation from @Poohlie that you get a package that includes fast passes. Without them, you won’t see much at Shanghai DL. I took the subway from the Peninsula Shanghai to DL. It took an hour, but was super easy thanks to Joe telling me how to get to the station. I also downloaded their subway app which made getting around super easy.

 

[cschaaf]

We did a Viking China trip in early July 2017 and it was hot - but everyone just dealt with it and enjoyed the time we had. One of our hottest days was at the Three Gorges Dam. It was something like 110-degrees. The local guide showed us a screen capture of the weather from the previous week (last week of June) and it was something crazy like 118.

My wife and I took one of the days and went to Disney. It was super hot. Fortunately, the drinks were relatively cheap, so we bought a lot of those. We left our hotel around 5am to get to the park at opening and, as we were about to leave the park (maybe 7pm), we both realized that we had only used the restrooms once that entire time. We just sweated the rest out.