The 'I survived SDL's Opening Day' TR!

[Dentam]

Oh, how disappointing about Pirates! I noticed there was a thread here about it being down for a while. I hope they get it fixed nice and quick! Sounds like similar wait times to Grand Opening still. I guess it doesn't help when one of the most popular and high capacity rides is down. Yep, you've definitely got to get in quick for FPs! Sounds like they need to sort out the room keys as tickets thing. At least with the nice wide paths, even at full capacity, it's still pleasant to just wander around and enjoy all the details in the park. That is one of the things I can't stand at DLR when it's crowded - even if the waits aren't as long for attractions, it's just so difficult to do anything or get anywhere!

Yes, I was really disappointed but what can you do? I even thought about checking the next morning, which was the day we were leaving to come back home, but I thought that would be silly to pay for a park ticket just to ride one ride. I definitely thought seriously about it though! I'm guessing it was still down since they didn't sound too optimistic that it would be reopening the next day when we asked.

You are right that the very wide pathways did make it pleasant to just stroll around the park, unlike DL and many times WDW. They did a great job with that.

I don't think I would bother to try and stake out one of the highly coveted spots for shows/parades because of this behaviour. My view from over near Dumbo would have been perfect if it wasn't for that stupid box, and because it was a pond in front of me rather than a garden bed, no one was going to climb over the railing to stand in front of me lol! I'd also try spots in the different lands. Sure, you don't get the full effects of the projections, but there are plenty of places with a full view of the castle and fireworks. Some of the spots in Adventure Isle/Treasure Cove could be really nice with the lagoon in the foreground. Because I wasn't in the crowded spaces for the night time show, I also didn't see any of the rubbish on the ground afterwards - the CMs seemed to do a really good job of getting that stuff cleaned up nice and quick.

We probably should have thought more about it, but at least we were seated against a fence so we were able to keep our spot pretty well. I was actually surprised that the crowd stayed seated through the entire show, which was nice because it ensured that everyone could see - no kids up on their dad's shoulders which was a nice change from the other parks I've been to! Your shots are great and I love the reflections in the water - good viewing spot! Oh, and yes - the CM's were picking all of the garbage up very quickly - it just bothered us that people were such slobs...

Fortunately I didn't have the experience of shoving in lines, just people looking for the first opportunity to sneak past. While it made the waits more uncomfortable than they had to be (being pushed right up against the other people in line so there were no gaps), I was reasonably ok with it once I got used to it. I actually saw quite a few people being reprimanded for actual line cutting (rather than 'line squeezing' as I called it), both by CMs and other guests.

It was just crazy to feel so on edge and like you had to defend your spot every second for the entire 90 minutes. I didn't see any guests reprimanding each other for cutting - they all seemed pretty relaxed about it so I guess it is mostly accepted there. After that line we really couldn't bring ourselves to wait in anymore long lines though!

I'm sorry you had some disappointing experiences, but glad that you still managed to enjoy the park

We still had a great time and really enjoyed looking in the shops and getting lunch at Tony's and bakery snacks at Remy's, which was really cutely themed. I just want to go back to ride Pirates someday, lol!

 

[GusIsaFoxhound]

You're getting closer to your stay at Toy Story Hotel, I assume? I'm waiting for that- no pressure, mind you!

(BTW, can anyone tell me how to put my own "upcoming trips" bits onto my bit? I can't see where to do it, coz I'm hopeless if it isn't in front of me from the start!)

 

[zanzibar138]

You're getting closer to your stay at Toy Story Hotel, I assume? I'm waiting for that- no pressure, mind you!

(BTW, can anyone tell me how to put my own "upcoming trips" bits onto my bit? I can't see where to do it, coz I'm hopeless if it isn't in front of me from the start!)

Yep, the Toy Story Hotel is definitely coming up. I think I'll have another 2-3 updates to finish off my first night, then a few more updates on the next morning before I finally get to checking in.

As far as the 'upcoming trips' goes, I assume you mean your signature? You go to your personal profile at the top of the page next to your inbox and alerts, hover over that and click on Signature. Then you can edit your signature however you like and just save it. It'll show up on all your posts automatically.

 

[GusIsaFoxhound]

Zanzibar, did you get PhotoPass before you left, or once you were there? I'm trying to figure out how to get it, but can't get a straight answer yet. We're only a month off leaving for China, so want to have it sorted if necessary. I don't really want to waste time getting it in the park- I just want to go, go, go!

 

[zanzibar138]

Zanzibar, did you get PhotoPass before you left, or once you were there? I'm trying to figure out how to get it, but can't get a straight answer yet. We're only a month off leaving for China, so want to have it sorted if necessary. I don't really want to waste time getting it in the park- I just want to go, go, go!

I didn't even know that they would be offering PP! It's pretty easy to do when you get there, and no time wasted at all. When you get your first photo taken, just get them to give you a PP card. I've heard that you can even use your park ticket as your PP card so you wouldn't even need to get one! I would recommend it though as the tickets are just flimsy paper ones, and the PP cards are plastic with all the PP information on them. You don't need to buy anything in the park - just go to the website or the app within 30 days of your visit to purchase any photos you want.

Hope that helps!

 

[zanzibar138]

Igniting the Dream Part 2

After Pirates, the show transitioned into a Mulan scene, starting off with an instrumental version of Reflection. Continuing in the Mulan photography tradition, I didn't come away with any amazing shots.





It finished off with a battle scene accompanied by an instrumental version of Be a Man, with a finale of fireworks caused by Mulan letting off a rocket.

Next there was a very short, random Up scene. It was just the balloons from the movie rising up the castle, accompanied by a short reprise of Once Upon a Dream.



It was a bit of a weird way to transition to Star Wars, which it looks like I didn't actually manage to get many photos of. It was a long-ish scene featuring the Star Wars soundtrack.



And then of course, there was Frozen.



This was all in English, featuring Let It Go of course, followed by the First Time in Forever reprise at Elsa's ice palace. It was one of the more spectacular parts of the show, with lots of fireworks.











The sequence finished with Anna being unfrozen, and transitioned to a montage of Disney couples and random Disney clips, with a grand finale of fireworks.











I started gathering my thoughts and my things, planning to rush off to Pirates. However, the show wasn't finished!

 

[zanzibar138]

Igniting the Dream - Grand Opening Special

To my surprise, the lights dimmed again and we were treated to a special Grand Opening finale! This really was special, as it was the only time that this section was performed in its entirety.

My apologies for all the photos - I got a bit carried away, and I can't choose between them!

It was actually a beautifully simple section, which as a side note was great for photography lol! The projections were inspired by Chinese traditions, and included blossoms and traditional architecture. The score was created by a Chinese composer, and seemed to be influenced by classical or possibly operatic Chinese music. It was specifically created for the Grand Opening, and was also used at the official opening ceremony. It was punctuated throughout with kind of rhythmic fireworks, getting larger, more complex, and more frequent towards the end.















I missed the Mickey ears fireworks in the main show, but I managed to recreate them in this section using the reflections in my little pond!





















The grand finale was magnificent, showcasing the castle in its ‘natural’ show lighting against a backdrop of tumbling fireworks.





It was a really beautiful way to end the show, and I felt privileged to have been part of it.

FWIW, they did run the finale throughout the Grand Opening period (it was definitely on the next night, and I’ve heard reports of it having been shown other nights too), but without the fireworks. I’m not sure how long it will run for.

 

[Dentam]

They did a bit of an extra finale while we were there also, without any additional fireworks. Just more lights and music as people were filing out. We hung back and got right up close to take more pics and allow the crowds to die down.

Nice pics!

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Love the reflections in the firework pics and pleased you got to see something extra special for your opening visit. Sounds like something they should keep and shorten some of the rest to make it more inkeeping with China (I sometimes think they should do a little more country theming as they start opening these parks elsewhere but I guess that's not what the locals want just the offshore visitors - lol!).

 

[zanzibar138]

They did a bit of an extra finale while we were there also, without any additional fireworks. Just more lights and music as people were filing out. We hung back and got right up close to take more pics and allow the crowds to die down.

Nice pics!

Will be interesting to see how long they do this for then.

Love the reflections in the firework pics and pleased you got to see something extra special for your opening visit. Sounds like something they should keep and shorten some of the rest to make it more inkeeping with China (I sometimes think they should do a little more country theming as they start opening these parks elsewhere but I guess that's not what the locals want just the offshore visitors - lol!).

I totally agree! Love seeing the different cultures infused into the international parks. I was pleased to see quite a lot of Chinese influence in Shanghai Disneyland. FWIW the local audience seemed to really get into the finale - the song probably would have meant a lot more to them than it did to me.

 

[zanzibar138]

And the Park Emptied Out

After the show, there were announcements every so often throughout the park (in both Chinese and English) reminding visitors to leave in time to catch their train. It was nice to know that I could just catch the shuttle bus back to my hotel at any time, and didn’t have to rush.

A huge amount of people were leaving the park, and even though there was less than half an hour until the park closed, I suspected I would be able to get in a couple more rides with minimal wait. I rushed over to Pirates first. It was the first time I’d been over that side of the park at all! I was happy to rush through though, and even kind of tried not to look too much as I went, so that I would still be blown away the next day lol! So I’m afraid you’ll still have to wait for photos.

Unfortunately Pirates was closed for some reason. I didn’t want to waste time hanging around trying to understand why, especially with the language barrier. FWIW, I have since read that there was some sort of private event that closed down Pirates for the last hour of park operations that day. Instead, I rushed back to Fantasyland, hoping to catch the Seven Dwarves Mine Train.

Success! Only a 20 minute wait. I was only a little disappointed that I hadn’t gone straight there – I might have only had a 10 minute wait!



I really enjoyed the theming in the queue, with all the chunky timber, and the cute ‘lockers’ for each dwarf.







There were plenty of other little details too. For those who have experienced this ride at WDW, I believe it’s pretty similar. However, not sure if the WDW version has such a great view of the castle from their queue!





Towards the end of the line, in a fairly boring interior part with many switchbacks, I had my next and final observation of little kids urinating in inappropriate places. This kid was probably 5 or 6, so well above toddler age, and I just looked over as he was trying to pee in a bottle. Of course kids of that age don’t have the greatest amount of control, and so not very much was actually getting in the bottle, and a small puddle formed around it (eww!). The kid’s father then picked up the bottle and put the lid back on, and proceeded to stuff it into a crevice in the rockwork! I hate to think what surprises await the clean up crew at the end of each day, but they do an incredible job of making everything fresh and pristine again for the next day’s guests.

I didn’t have time to dwell on that incident too much, because soon it was my turn!



I thought the ride was very cute and enjoyable. I wasn’t expecting the ride vehicles to swing from side to side, and thought it was a fun extra. Theming throughout the ride was great – I especially loved the small climb inside the mine shaft when all the dwarves knock off work! As a nice bonus, there was an absolutely stunning view of the castle going over one of the rises. Our train was held up for a few minutes right at the end, and I took the opportunity to take some photos.

 

[distravel]

Zanzibar138,

Loving your trip report! Reading it is a little treat for my day. Your photos are lovely, especially the fireworks and castle reflected in the water. Very creative!

 

[zanzibar138]

Zanzibar138,

Loving your trip report! Reading it is a little treat for my day. Your photos are lovely, especially the fireworks and castle reflected in the water. Very creative!

Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying it

 

[GusIsaFoxhound]

It's only 4 weeks til I go- it's coming around so fast now! I love reading this (and Dentam's) TRs, and the timing is perfect for me. Thanks for the effort, and keep it coming!

 

[zanzibar138]

It's only 4 weeks til I go- it's coming around so fast now! I love reading this (and Dentam's) TRs, and the timing is perfect for me. Thanks for the effort, and keep it coming!

Glad you're enjoying it!

I actually was going to do several updates over the weekend since I had plenty of time, but I was having major issues with the photo editing software. So frustrating! Hopefully you'll get to see a bit more over the next 4 weeks.

 

[zanzibar138]

Night Time Wandering

I was (unsurprisingly) getting pretty tired by that time, so I decided not to bother trying to get in one last ride, and just leisurely made my way to the exit, taking plenty of photos along the way. From Fantasyland, I took the path towards the castle (which turned out to be the main shortcut between the two sides of the park).







From the raised walkway, I enjoyed some of the views of the Alice in Wonderland maze.



I also spied the boats for Voyage to the Crystal Grotto.



I took the path right through the middle of the castle, into the central chamber area.





There were a few people around, and I couldn’t be bothered to hang around long enough to get exactly in the centre for the iconic ceiling photo. I was happy enough with this one shot from slightly to the side.



That is pretty much as close as I got to the Once Upon a Time castle walkthrough, as the wait time was pretty consistently at an hour or more, and it hadn’t been a high priority for me.

I didn’t look very closely at the princess mosaics, thinking I would come back to view them properly on another day. Unfortunately I never did, and I couldn’t even tell you which other princesses were represented! I did love this Merida mosaic though!



I came out the other side of the castle and walked back by the Gardens of Imagination, as I hadn’t taken any night time photos there yet. I would have liked a higher quality photo of the lanterns at Wandering Moon Teahouse, but this will have to do!



Garden of the Twelve Friends took on a new life at night, with an avenue of pretty purple lit trees.



I also swung by the Fantasia Carousel, which was quite the popular spot at that time of night.





I got a few last shots of the castle on the way out.





And finally made my way through the exit.



I had really overdone it today and my hip and now foot were constantly reminding me. I had been planning to walk back to the hotel, but knew that I should save my energy for the next 2 days! I had a bit of a sticky beak as I walked past anyway, and it looked like they weren’t allowing people to enter Wishing Star Park from Disney Town, so I would have had to go the long, boring way along the road. I did also briefly consider taking the ferry, but I didn’t know where to find it or even whether it would be operating, and didn’t want to waste time and energy wandering around looking for it. Yep, bad opening day DIS correspondent! So of course I hobbled back to the bus stop, and was quite relieved to finally be able to sit down. I had also been planning on wandering around the hotel when I got back and taking some more photos, but I was absolutely done for the day by the time I arrived.

There was a little surprise waiting for me in my room! My bed had been turned down (not sure if that’s part of the normal club level service), with a lovely bookmark and cute Monsters Inc themed packet of sweets on the bed! I didn’t know about the bookmark, but I figured the sweets were still to do with my room not being ready on time.



Unfortunately I still had to organise my outfit for the next day and repack my suitcase before I could curl up in bed (to save time in the morning of course). I also did my usual routine of uploading my photos to my laptop, connecting to the wifi so that they would back up to the cloud, and putting all my electronics on charge for the night. The bed was super comfortable and cosy when I eventually did get in there, and watched the little fireworks explode above my head on the light up headboard. I drifted off to sleep with magical memories from the day dancing through my head. Bliss.

 

[disney144]

Zanzibar- your nighttime photos are amazing! What camera/lens are you using?

 

[zanzibar138]

Zanzibar- your nighttime photos are amazing! What camera/lens are you using?

Thank you so much! I was just using my little Sony Cybershot HX90v. Love that camera for travelling - it's small and lightweight, but has an amazing zoom and takes great quality photos just in automatic mode. To be fair though, I have done a small amount of basic editing, just using the program embedded in Flickr.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

I agree I like your Sony capabilities. Love the Merida mosaic too. You had amazing stamina on this day - no wonder you were so tired. Whenever I go somewhere that warrants a TR next, I will be trying out Flickr too.

 

[zanzibar138]

I agree I like your Sony capabilities. Love the Merida mosaic too. You had amazing stamina on this day - no wonder you were so tired. Whenever I go somewhere that warrants a TR next, I will be trying out Flickr too.

Thanks Wendy! It was definitely the excitement that got me through - the moment I got home I came down with a nasty head cold!