I am all caught up again.
The room looks very nice.
The Cast Members will check your passports to make sure that there is a China Visa in your passport. Apparently, it is Government policy that they do that at every hotel you check into.
That is a little strange considering you would need a visa to even get there.
We were told that the first time we used each card we would need to show our passport to the Cast Member on entry duty.
That is good to know.
This is a really nice touch.
The buttons? They were in the cardboard folder!
I really like those celebration buttons.
Did you spot the water bottles? We got 4 bottles in the room.
That kind of surprises me. It is not like Disney to provide free water/
This is the Reception Desk.
This is very pretty.
I love all the stained glass.
There was a pianist in the corner playing Disney tunes. Actually, there were two of them and they were both amazing. They just kept playing a set each and changed over. It was non-stop music from about 5 – 7 pm.
Oh, I would love this. This is one of the things I really enjoy at the Grand Californian.
Afterall, this was my view.
That is quite a view.
I thought the décor was functional. It was almost the same as the Ballet Café only the upholstery is a little different.
I actually quite like it.
Perhaps this might give you a better idea of the view.
That is definitely a nice view.
It was a little prettier at night.
This is just stunning.
Ignite the Dream is billed as a Nighttime Spectacular of Magic and Light at the Storybook Castle, Shanghai
Disneyland. Like most other displays at Disneys around the world, this attraction combines building projections, fire, lasers and fireworks; and throws in water fountains as well.
This sounds very much like Disney Dreams that used to be at Disneyland Paris.
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I really enjoyed the fireworks photos.
The downside of viewing Ignite the Dream from this location is that there are a LOT of seemingly dark gaps between the firework bursts. I gather from Zanzibar that the relatively smaller amount of fireworks could be due to the strict pollution standards that Shanghai is under. I think there are only about 15 or so firework bursts in the whole show. Those gaps are where you would be viewing the building projections, laser, fire and water fountain displays if you were right in the park.
Again, that sounds very similar to Disneyland Paris.
From this vantage point and with the telezoom lens, I just had to take a picture of the Tron building.
That looks very impressive.
I had hoped for sunrise colour in the sky. Sadly, the sky was not awake. Sunrise was just not going to happen.
I love the colours in this photo.
At Disneytown, it’s opened from 7 am. It’s about the only establishment opened at this time of morning at Disneytown.
This is the same as at Disneyland Paris.
This is one of my regrets. I had decided that this set of mugs needed to come home with me on this first morning. It had the name of a number of Chinese cities, including Suzhou on them. I just forgot to buy a set!
What a shame. They are very nice.
I will say that we did see a few instances of queue cutting during our time here. By and large, they were in the minority. The majority of queues were quite orderly.
This is also a problem at Disneyland Paris. Continental Europe does not really do standing in line.
Err…….I think I figured out why the scammers were wanting your phone number and why it would take an hour to collect the FP. I guess that’s the time it would take for them to custom print your fast pass with your ticket number and deliver them to the park.
Talk about attention to detail/
Since our return, I gather that Disney have now introduced Countermeasure Mark 2. They are now selling Premium Access passes. And they aren’t exactly cheap! A single land-specific FP sells for 120/150 Yuan for peak/off peak (about $24/30 in my money) or a set of 7 FPs for all the FP rides sells for 480/600 Yuan (about $96/$120 in my money).
That is very expensive.
And no! We didn’t plan it. We’re all such Disney-philes that Rope Drop is the only option! Plus, if you tarry a little at the entrance, you’re bound to bump into each other!
That is nice how this worked out.
We (FireflyFi and her DF went off to do their own thing. The rest of us hung about as a group.) wandered slowly down the only Disneyland park without a Main Street, USA and ran into a group of Cast Members.
I thought Tokyo Disneyland did not have a Main Street either. I think there the entrance area is called World Bazaar.
At the end of Mickey Avenue was a major drawcard for me. The Storyteller’s Statue is the same as the one found at DCA. I was just lucky to get there with no one around.
Oh, it is nice to see something familiar.
My glasses? I kept them on. I had specially purchased a sports strap from my local optometrist before I left because I knew that they did check and ask people to put all loose items away. And yes, the CM did indicate that I should put my glasses away until I showed him the safety strap. He let me keep them on after that.
That is good to know. I don't see too well without my glasses.
We were heading back towards Treasure Cove after our returning from the I/O Portal when we realised that there was a 10-minute stand-by wait for Peter Pan.
That is what I call a result.
There is a seating area in here that overlooks the Pirates of the Caribbean ride much like Blue Bayou does in Disneyland.
This area is very popular with the diners. Sadly, we didn’t get a table by the water.
That is a really neat touch.
I missed the orange smell.
I am worried that I will really miss this.
I absolutely adore this.
Dining here for the character breakfast will set you back 248 Yuan; or about $50 in my money.
This looked really expensive, but when I converted this in Pounds, it looked very fair.
That’s because Shanghai Disneyland does have PhotoPass photographers located around the park. I found them mostly down Mickey Avenue (the prime spots!) and in the character meet and greet locations.
That is good to know. In Paris, they only have Photopass photographers with the characters.
The PP+ option at SDL will set you back 369 Yuan.
This is fair.
After the transaction was completed, I got given the card at the top of the picture below.
It is almost worth it for just that.
We were the first table the characters came to visit and the characters all came to visit complete with their handlers as well as PhotoPass photographers.
That is nice. I always have said that they should have Photopass photographers at the character meals.
My favourite station was the Dim Sum selection.
Oh, I would like this.
Compared to US pricing….it IS expensive.
I suppose it depends on what currency you compare it with. From my perspective, they are about the same.
You’ll find the Meet Mickey attraction on the Tomorrowland side of the Gardens of Imagination. We powerwalked from the transportation hub here as quickly as possible. The wait time was 5 minutes.
Wow, that is amazing.
…..everyone else walked PAST Mickey in his official Shanghai Disneyland jacket. I guess the Chinese haven’t yet worked out who he is!
I am shaking my head in disbelief. How can anybody enter a line to meet Mickey and then walk straight past him.
I really like this costume.
Poor Spiderman was spinning webs waiting for someone – anyone – to hang with him.
I wish I would encounter Spiderman with nobody around.
Repeat Rides as much as Possible (Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue)
I like the look of this.
Thankfully, the gun is based on the DLR version so you get to remove it from the holster for better aim.
I am glad to read this.
Heading to infinity and beyond was mostly just 2-dimensional.
That seems kind of strange.
Oh, I am glad that Stitch is at Shanghai Disneyland.
Yet again, we were the only ones seeking out the Meet and Greet. Stitch was just happy to spend extra time posing for me as well.
I would have been in my element there.
I did eventually realise that the view from the deck was stunning.
That is a beautiful photo.
Oh, the boats have the same scrollwork as the
DCL ships.
They really worked to get a clear shot of us.
That is an amazing photo.
I gather that there is a similar garden in the Paris Disneyland. If I ever make it there, it will be on my to-do list.
There is a similar one, but that is based on the animated version.
I loved the characters in the royal outfits at lunch.
Corinna
