Disneyland or Shanghai Disney

[aleh021]

I figured this would be a good place to ask this question

I am almost done planning our Disney trip for July. Our Tokyo Disney part of the trip is all set. I am just trying to figure out the days before we get to Tokyo.

Right now I have 2 possible ideas.

For some background information we would be flying out of Boston, MA on July 13. Depending where we go our departure date could be 15th or 16th.

We arrive in Tokyo on July 16.

1.) Disneyland (California) - July 13 to July 15 then head to Tokyo from here.
2.) Shanghai Disney - July 14 to July 16 then head to Tokyo from here.

The reason why I started looking at Disneyland is because of Pixar Fest coming over the summer and I am such a huge fan of Pixar and it's something I would love to go and experience!

Any thoughts? Thanks guys!

 

[HydroGuy]

My answer depends on if you have been to DLR before - and how long ago. If so, I would do SDL. Also, how likely are you to get back to Asia? If not likely, that is another vote for SDL.

The time difference as I recall between Shanghai and Tokyo is 2 hours - so you will only have a big jet lag once.

Of course Boston to California is a 3 hour time change. The advantage of that it is would break up a long flight, I suppose. Not sure of the flight time from Boston to Tokyo. Is there a direct flight?

 

[Nonsuch]

...We arrive in Tokyo on July 16.

1.) Disneyland (California) - July 13 to July 15 then head to Tokyo from here.
2.) Shanghai Disney - July 14 to July 16 then head to Tokyo from here.

The reason why I started looking at Disneyland is because of Pixar Fest coming over the summer and I am such a huge fan of Pixar and it's something I would love to go and experience!

Shanghai Disney has Toy Story Land opening April 26 (so you still get your Pixar "fix")
The permanent Toy Story Land will likely be more impressive than the temporary Pixar Fest.
Logistically it makes much more sense to do Shanghai and Tokyo in one trip, and save California for another vacation.

 

[chickapin parterre]

....So...I just clicked on to the Pixar Fest.......do it....once in a life time experience and i read the word "Exclusive"....always do Disneyland if the word 'Exclusive is used................There use to be a amtrak train from Salem Oregon that traveled along the southern California Coast in your sleeping car and that transported you to with within a mile of Disneyland.......That train is now gone!!!!! I rode it many times and have fond memories, but my heart breaks for the folks who missed that southern route to Disneyland, an opportunity missed!!!

 

[Sorata]

I figured this would be a good place to ask this question

I am almost done planning our Disney trip for July. Our Tokyo Disney part of the trip is all set. I am just trying to figure out the days before we get to Tokyo.

Right now I have 2 possible ideas.

For some background information we would be flying out of Boston, MA on July 13. Depending where we go our departure date could be 15th or 16th.

We arrive in Tokyo on July 16.

1.) Disneyland (California) - July 13 to July 15 then head to Tokyo from here.
2.) Shanghai Disney - July 14 to July 16 then head to Tokyo from here.

The reason why I started looking at Disneyland is because of Pixar Fest coming over the summer and I am such a huge fan of Pixar and it's something I would love to go and experience!

Any thoughts? Thanks guys!

Well, China will have updates on rides and they have some interesting things there. Now, consider this summer is in full swing there and if you have never been to China during holidays be in for a sea of people, I'm almost sure Disneyland there will be hitting their limits there. Now, the time from shanghai to Tokyo is a short flight. (If you choose China make sure you get your travel visa to enter or you will be disappointed upon arrival.)

California on the other hand it will for sure be less crowded. The flight from LA to Tokyo is about 13 hours if I recall correctly. There is the pixar fest and the DCA pixar peir will be open. So new rides and Pixar themes there as well. I would lean more towards california than shanghia just due to the crowds alone.

Then try to hit Shanghai during an off peak time, which is still hard to do.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Have you been to Shanghai in the summer? I passed through the airport one day in August. All I did was walk outside a bit and the humidity was oppressive. If it wasn’t summer, I’d go to Shanghai, but it is so I’d definitely do Disneyland.

 

[BecAus]

Hi
We went to Shanghai Disneyland last weekend - it was so worth it. We had an absolute ball - my 12yr old son and I.
We flew out Friday morning from Perth, Australia - transited in HK - then arrived in the evening. We flew back out Monday morning. 12 hour journey each way : )
We had Sat / Sun in the park. We stayed at Toy Story Hotel - highly recommend it for the perks - free FP's for each day we were in the park, designated hotel guest (early) entry to park through the entrance in Disney Town, very convenient shuttle service to the parks. TSH was half the price of the Disneyland hotel, and closer apparently. It was much cheaper than the on-site hotels in the US - totally worth it!

They were VERY busy over Chinese New Year - hit capacity for about 1 week straight and no tickets were being sold onsite at the resort those days.
Hotel guests are guaranteed entry though. I booked my accommodation online and included the tickets that I picked up on arrival at the hotel so we were right to go first thing the next morning - you do have to select a date that you wish to use the tickets. They have one or two day tickets that I believe have to be used on consecutive days.
I gather it would be quite busy on your dates being their summer break but probably not as busy as CNY was - I watched that period on the app and wait times blew out to 3-4hours : )

SDL has the free fast pass bookings on the app (the same as MaxPass that they charge for in Disneyland) but there is no charge to use the service at SDL.
They also had free wifi as I recall but I also had a package from home in case there was a problem (my telco charges $10/day so it was minimal) - I think the wifi was pretty good though from memory.
On busy days the fast passes do not last and go very quickly for the whole day. You do have the option to purchase a set of the fast passes (or just select ones).
There are 8 attractions available through the Premier Fast pass Access - Pirates of the Caribbean is also included even though it is not a FP attraction normally.
The set of 8 FP's is usually 275 Yuan on a slow day, when we were there last weekend, and from memory it was about 900 Yuan for the set over CNY period.
I wouldn't have hesitated to purchase them if I was there at a busy time, we weren't flying all that way to stand in 4 hour lines : )
It was unnecessary however, Saturday wasn't too bad and on the Sunday it was 5 - 10 minute waits for nearly everything all day and a beautiful 24 degrees celsius.

The attraction with the longest wait / first FP to run out at the moment is Soaring - it is the same as the one in Disneyland (Soarin Around the World) except the last sequence doesn't show Disneyland but something else : )
Having done it many times in the USA I would have skipped it if need be but we got on twice as the wait times were so good for our weekend.

The next most popular at the moment is 7 Dwarfs and then probably Tron and the Rapids ride.
I watched the wait times on the app over a couple of weekends (excluding CNY which was an anomaly) and came up with a touring plan based on that. It worked out really well.


Have a look into the visa issue carefully. If you are only there for less than 72hours and then flying on to another country before heading home there may be an exclusion from needing a visa - read the info for yourself though, but it may work out for you. I asked a question about it on a forum and it was deemed necessary for us to get a visa - I wasn't sure if transmitting through HK exempted us from needing it. Visa wasn't cheap ($110 AUD each ) but I wasn't going to risk flying all that way and not being allowed into the country. We would have loved to combine Tokyo as well but simply couldn't take the time as it is during school term and my son's first year in high school.
Hoping to do Tokyo next year maybe. I believe there is only a 1hr time difference between Shanghai and Tokyo.

We love Disneyland - it is our 'home' park. We've been there 7 times since 2012. We've been to Orlando four times but only did WDW twice - we prefer Disneyland. If we had more time we would have gone to WDW again but unless we can spare 10 - 14 days over there we found it too tiring.
We will probably get there again and combine it with a cruise out of Florida perhaps - maybe one day.
I had read a review (from Theme Park Guy I think) and he stated that the long flight was worth it just to see Pirates of the Caribbean, I tend to agree I think.
Also, I think they've adjusted the design of the rapids ride there. Everyone had ponchos on (including me) but you don't need them. Barely a splash on you. Apparently the Chinese don't like getting wet : )

We did the character dinner in the castle - this was great. I believe you can do lunch or dinner. You do have to ring to book though.
Also, over near Pirates they have a counter service restaurant called Barbossa's Bounty. They serve ribs, chicken etc with rice / veg.
You can go inside and sit 'inside' the Pirates ride and see the boats going past whilst you eat. This is very similar to Blue Bayou at Disneyland but they charge a small fortune to do so there - although it is a full service restaurant.
The counter meals at Barbossa's Bounty were 110 Yuan for the ribs, 75 Yuan for the chicken and I think 85 Yuan for ? lamb steak. This price included rice, veg and a drink.

I loved SDL - we had a great time. As mentioned, Toy Story land is opening on April 26 so that will be a bonus.
I would have thought the weather will probably be fairly similar to Anaheim at that time of year but, as mentioned above, maybe it would be a bit humid - I don't know?
All I can say is we loved it!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Does SWL:GE make any difference in your plans for DLR? If it matters at all that you see DLR one last time before SWL:GE opens (and for some posters here it really makes a big difference), then clearly your choice would have to be DLR, unless you would be able to get back to CA sometime before summer 2019 (which is when most people believe the new land would open). On the other hand, if you want to wait to see the new land in all its glory (and the crowds that will accompany that!), do SDL this time and wait until 2019 or later for DLR.

 

[MalkaR]

Hi
We went to Shanghai Disneyland last weekend - it was so worth it. We had an absolute ball - my 12yr old son and I.
We flew out Friday morning from Perth, Australia - transited in HK - then arrived in the evening. We flew back out Monday morning. 12 hour journey each way : )
We had Sat / Sun in the park. We stayed at Toy Story Hotel - highly recommend it for the perks - free FP's for each day we were in the park, designated hotel guest (early) entry to park through the entrance in Disney Town, very convenient shuttle service to the parks. TSH was half the price of the Disneyland hotel, and closer apparently. It was much cheaper than the on-site hotels in the US - totally worth it!

They were VERY busy over Chinese New Year - hit capacity for about 1 week straight and no tickets were being sold onsite at the resort those days.
Hotel guests are guaranteed entry though. I booked my accommodation online and included the tickets that I picked up on arrival at the hotel so we were right to go first thing the next morning - you do have to select a date that you wish to use the tickets. They have one or two day tickets that I believe have to be used on consecutive days.
I gather it would be quite busy on your dates being their summer break but probably not as busy as CNY was - I watched that period on the app and wait times blew out to 3-4hours : )

SDL has the free fast pass bookings on the app (the same as MaxPass that they charge for in Disneyland) but there is no charge to use the service at SDL.
They also had free wifi as I recall but I also had a package from home in case there was a problem (my telco charges $10/day so it was minimal) - I think the wifi was pretty good though from memory.
On busy days the fast passes do not last and go very quickly for the whole day. You do have the option to purchase a set of the fast passes (or just select ones).
There are 8 attractions available through the Premier Fast pass Access - Pirates of the Caribbean is also included even though it is not a FP attraction normally.
The set of 8 FP's is usually 275 Yuan on a slow day, when we were there last weekend, and from memory it was about 900 Yuan for the set over CNY period.
I wouldn't have hesitated to purchase them if I was there at a busy time, we weren't flying all that way to stand in 4 hour lines : )
It was unnecessary however, Saturday wasn't too bad and on the Sunday it was 5 - 10 minute waits for nearly everything all day and a beautiful 24 degrees celsius.

The attraction with the longest wait / first FP to run out at the moment is Soaring - it is the same as the one in Disneyland (Soarin Around the World) except the last sequence doesn't show Disneyland but something else : )
Having done it many times in the USA I would have skipped it if need be but we got on twice as the wait times were so good for our weekend.

The next most popular at the moment is 7 Dwarfs and then probably Tron and the Rapids ride.
I watched the wait times on the app over a couple of weekends (excluding CNY which was an anomaly) and came up with a touring plan based on that. It worked out really well.


Have a look into the visa issue carefully. If you are only there for less than 72hours and then flying on to another country before heading home there may be an exclusion from needing a visa - read the info for yourself though, but it may work out for you. I asked a question about it on a forum and it was deemed necessary for us to get a visa - I wasn't sure if transmitting through HK exempted us from needing it. Visa wasn't cheap ($110 AUD each ) but I wasn't going to risk flying all that way and not being allowed into the country. We would have loved to combine Tokyo as well but simply couldn't take the time as it is during school term and my son's first year in high school.
Hoping to do Tokyo next year maybe. I believe there is only a 1hr time difference between Shanghai and Tokyo.

We love Disneyland - it is our 'home' park. We've been there 7 times since 2012. We've been to Orlando four times but only did WDW twice - we prefer Disneyland. If we had more time we would have gone to WDW again but unless we can spare 10 - 14 days over there we found it too tiring.
We will probably get there again and combine it with a cruise out of Florida perhaps - maybe one day.
I had read a review (from Theme Park Guy I think) and he stated that the long flight was worth it just to see Pirates of the Caribbean, I tend to agree I think.
Also, I think they've adjusted the design of the rapids ride there. Everyone had ponchos on (including me) but you don't need them. Barely a splash on you. Apparently the Chinese don't like getting wet : )

We did the character dinner in the castle - this was great. I believe you can do lunch or dinner. You do have to ring to book though.
Also, over near Pirates they have a counter service restaurant called Barbossa's Bounty. They serve ribs, chicken etc with rice / veg.
You can go inside and sit 'inside' the Pirates ride and see the boats going past whilst you eat. This is very similar to Blue Bayou at Disneyland but they charge a small fortune to do so there - although it is a full service restaurant.
The counter meals at Barbossa's Bounty were 110 Yuan for the ribs, 75 Yuan for the chicken and I think 85 Yuan for ? lamb steak. This price included rice, veg and a drink.

I loved SDL - we had a great time. As mentioned, Toy Story land is opening on April 26 so that will be a bonus.
I would have thought the weather will probably be fairly similar to Anaheim at that time of year but, as mentioned above, maybe it would be a bit humid - I don't know?
All I can say is we loved it!

Sounds so cool! Do they speak English there? Any issues with communication?

 

[BecAus]

Sounds so cool! Do they speak English there? Any issues with communication?

Hi - English is definitely limited but we had no major issues. It probably helped that I had done a fair bit of research beforehand and having been to Disney parks a fair bit in the past I had a fair idea of what was what. I printed out the hotel name and address in Mandarin as I had read it was a good idea to do that. There is the option on the website to choose English or Mandarin at the top so that was easy enough. The taxi driver at the airport didn't know any English so I think this definitely helped. SDL has only been open 18mths or so and apparently not a lot of taxi drivers etc.. are very familiar with it.

Had no issues at the hotel, certainly knew enough English to be able to convey all the required information. Most things were also written in English and Mandarin.

The shows at the park are mostly in Mandarin but we actually still enjoyed them. We sat up the back in case we wanted to make a quick exit but they were quite enjoyable (and I'm not really a 'show' person) The Captain Jack Stunt Spectacular and Tarzan shows were worth going to and the Golden Fairytale Fanfare show in front of Storybook Castle was good too.

Most ride attendants attempted to convey instructions to us in English when they saw we were Westerners. Obviously some had better English than others. All in all we had no major issues.

What I didn't do in all my research was write down a few Chinese phrases which I wish I had done - it's just courtesy to perhaps know at least a few phrases.
My 12yr old made the comment they should know English or something like that - I was like 'no - actually son, we are in their country and we should be speaking their language'.

Outside of the Disney bubble I get the feeling English may not be as widely spoken and may be more of an issue but we had no real problems at all.

 

[Mousequake]

I'll echo BecAus's comments on the language barrier. While it was very occasionally an issue, we never felt like it was a major problem when we visited in November. At the Disneyland Hotel, it was NEVER an issue-- there were always several employees who spoke English fluently. Occasionally in the park we'd run into a cast member at a snack cart or retail location who we had problems communicating with, but were always able to get by with some rudimentary sign language.

We also traveled to Hong Kong Disneyland on that same trip, and found the language barrier there to be non-existent. Virtually everyone spoke English to some degree.