Trip Report - Hong Kong Disneyland Resort & Shanghai Disney Resort - Oct/Nov

[Daphne0890]

Day 9 - Part 1

The day starts early again, hoping to enjoy a bit more space before the crowds arrive. This time, we use our hotel entrance, which brings us straight to the central plaza in front of the castle.

Ready for the day

We quickly snap a photo with the iconic 'Storytellers' statue of Walt and Mickey, before it gets too busy. This statue is a variation of the well-known "Partners" statue found in other Disney parks, but it shows a younger Walt arriving in Los Angeles with a suitcase and an early 1930s design of Mickey.

Walt & Mickey

Next, we take time to admire the details of Mickey Avenue. Shanghai Disneyland doesn’t have a traditional Main Street, but instead offers the equally charming Mickey Avenue. It’s a bit shorter, but the buildings are full of delightful details – different doesn’t mean less fun!

Scrooge's House/Bank

Streetname

Goofy's house with his laundry lol

Gusteau's School

Hi Mickey & Minnie

detail of a window

Dance Studio

Art Gallery Clarabella

love it haha

Il Paperino

Venice Inspiration Mural

The Halloween season is over, so pumpkins have been swapped for snowmen.

Hello Snowmen

We continue to the Garden of the Twelve Friends, a wall of mosaics representing the twelve Chinese zodiac signs, portrayed by Disney and Pixar characters.

The murals are made up of thousands of small glass tiles, all handcrafted by Chinese artists and craftsmen. A person’s zodiac sign is determined by their birth year, according to the Chinese lunar calendar.

Impressive

Rabbit / Judy

Dragon / Mushu

Sheep / Jolly Holiday Lambs from “Mary Poppins

Of course, we capture everything on camera and pose next to my own zodiac sign – the horse – which is represented here by Maximus from Tangled.

Horse / Magnus​

 

[Daphne0890]

Day 9 - Part 2

Next, we head toward Soaring Over the Horizon, a flight simulation over major cities around the world.

On the way, we pass through Treasure Cove again. Now that we see it in daylight,
we really notice how beautiful this area is!

Entrance

Treasure Cove is unique to Shanghai Disneyland. As you enter, you're greeted by a large pirate ship inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean.

new stamp

The park created an elaborate backstory for this zone: it was founded in 1690 by Don Diego Sevilla Portillo, a Spanish nobleman. His arrival brought many changes, including the construction of the El Teatro Fandango theater. Later, the British took over and renamed the city’s fort to Fort Snobbish. Eventually, Captain Jack Sparrow arrived and turned the entire town into a pirate hideout.

The One & Only

so beautifully done

feeling the Pirate Spirit

Who needs rum?

Then we head to the Adventure Isle section for a trip around the world. It’s beautifully done and comparable to the American version.

Entrance

Rock Animal

Entrance of the attraction

After Soaring Over the Horizon, we see Kevin from Up near the exit – always fun to run into him!

Hi Kevin! ​

 

[Daphne0890]

Day 9 - Part 3

As we walk through Adventure Isle, we pass the Happy Circle, two character greeting spots – one with jungle characters and the other with characters from Up.

I secretly hoped to see Timon, but we got to say hello to Baloo – and without a line, which is always a bonus!

Gentlemen Baloo

Then we queue up to meet Dug and Russell. They were really fun, and the background was beautifully designed.

Cuties

He was really the sweetest

There was a cute little Coco corner where we took some pictures.

Time for breakfast: a croissant filled with Nutella from Chipmunk Snacks – delicious! And the packaging here is always so beautifully done.

Flat croissant & nutella

Right next to it, there’s also a shop entirely themed around Chip & Dale, so it’s a must-see as well. I know I’m repeating myself, but the details and wall paintings are excellent.

love the sign

Themed lamp

Stamp machine in the shop

<3

After that, we ride Roaring Rapids, a river rapids attraction that takes us on a wild ride through a fast-flowing river and into the cave of Apu Taku.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t thrilled about getting wet, so I – like many others – bought a €1 poncho (they sell them in the queue)!

I was not the only one, haha

Still, it was a really fun ride – and the boat spun more than enough!

Roaring Rapids

ready for the downhill​

 

[stacey6disneyparks]

That's genius to sell ponchos in the queue! They should do that on Tiana's in California, they'd make so much money. I wish I didn't get motion sickness or else I'd ride that.

Your Walt/partners statue picture is so good! I love that you got the castle in the background. And so lucky to get a pic before the hoards.

I also wanted to add that I have realized through your posts that pictures/blogs can give so much more detail of the area than instagram. It is refreshing to see the smallest details and the point of view of a fellow disney lover!

 

[Daphne0890]

That's genius to sell ponchos in the queue! They should do that on Tiana's in California, they'd make so much money. I wish I didn't get motion sickness or else I'd ride that.

Your Walt/partners statue picture is so good! I love that you got the castle in the background. And so lucky to get a pic before the hoards.

I also wanted to add that I have realized through your posts that pictures/blogs can give so much more detail of the area than instagram. It is refreshing to see the smallest details and the point of view of a fellow disney lover!

Yes, it works — I also bought the poncho, haha!

Thanks! I'm really happy with that photo. Early entry for hotel guests is a must-do in Shanghai!

Glad to hear you're enjoying my trip report! I totally get what you're saying — I feel the same way when reading other trip reports!

 

[Daphne0890]

Day 8 Part 4

Then we head to Tomorrowland, a section we haven’t done yet. A fun fact: unlike the other five Tomorrowlands around the world, this one is located on the left side of the park instead of the right.

entrance sign

a lot of open space

Shanghai Disneyland is the first Magic Kingdom to go without Space Mountain. The Chinese park does not have the iconic shell-shaped building where a roller coaster races through the dark.

Instead, Imagineers developed an entirely new concept that could later be featured in other Disney parks as well: TRON Lightcycle Power Run. This is the original version, but I haven’t done it yet at WDW either, so I’m very curious!

Tron Building

In any case, the attraction looks seriously cool! It’s quite strange to sit on, just like a motorbike, but the ride itself is so much fun! You accelerate instantly and race through the building! The light effects are also really well done.

at the queue

it's nice to see the vehicles leaving the station

Then, we make a stop at Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue, which currently has a short wait time. The concept is the same as in Paris, but more modern, and the targets are easier to hit — we all have high scores

one of the few attractions where the wait time stayed fairly low throughout the day

much more modern than I'm used to

another stamp in the book!

We also drop by the Marvel building, Heroic Encounter at the Marvel Universe, where you can do a few meet-and-greets and see an exhibit about Iron Man’s suits.

It’s located just before Tomorrowland, in the Gardens of Imagination section.

We see there’s only a 5-minute wait to meet Gamora and Star-Lord, so we get in line. It’s funny because with most people it’s just a quick photo and done, but with Jonas and me we ended up chatting for about five minutes — it helps when you speak some English.

Gamora noticed Stella Lou’s signature, who signs with a star, and then we started joking about how Star-Lord has to share his symbol with a ballerina bunny, and we debated who could dance better!

great duo

With The Wasp, it was clear she spoke less English, but we still got a photo, which was fun in the end.​

Selfie with The Wasp

Iron Man’s suits
​

 

[Daphne0890]

Day 8 Part 5

After lunch, we head to the Alice in Wonderland maze, based on Tim Burton’s live-action film.

lunch (using the coupon that came with our entry ticket)

It’s fun to walk through—not really a traditional maze, but the perfect spot to take some great photos. And it shows: people even hire personal photographers here! Ofcourse, I’m taking plenty myself too.

You begin by entering one of the doors leading into the Wonderland Garden, where you’ll first see illustrated pages from the movie. As you wander further, you come across life-sized—sometimes grumpy—flowers, the spot where the Red Queen hides her fearsome Bandersnatch, and playful armored creatures who guide you toward a secret underground cave.

ready for the maze

armed animals

Bandersnatch (with noise effect)

Cheshire Cat

Once you emerge from the cave, heart-shaped arches, mighty knights, and ruby red rose bushes signal that you’ve arrived in the Red Queen’s courtyard. At the center is her throne, complete with her signature oversized head! One of the nicest parts is that no matter where you stand, you have a beautiful view of the Enchanted Storybook Castle.

beautifully done

Funhouse mirror

Red Queen

Next, you reach the actual maze section, which eventually leads you to the Mad Hatter’s tea party! There’s also a stamp machine in this area—so of course, we had to make a quick stop there.

And before we knew it, we’d escaped the maze!
Although I personally prefer the original story, I must say this maze is really well done and a lot of fun!​