16 Things I Learned From Visiting Shanghai Disneyland

It’s the youngest and biggest Disney castle park, and when it opened in 2016, it opted to be unique rather than copy Disney parks from the U.S.: It’s Shanghai Disneyland.

My wife and I spent a day here at the end of June 2024, and we found Shanghai Disneyland really interesting. It was missing a few of our favorite rides, but the park compensated with other offerings you can’t find anywhere else. In many respects, we liked the park itself, but we both left thinking we wouldn’t return unless there’s a jaw-dropping addition to the park that beckons us back.

Here’s what we learned from our visit to Shanghai Disneyland — our fifth out of 6 Disney castle parks we’ve visited.

1. Your First Stop Should Be Guest Services

The most important stop for a visit to Shanghai Disneyland is guest services, which are to the right of the flower garden after you scan your ticket. Why? Because you won’t be able to use the park’s free Wi-Fi without going here.

The internet system requires sending a one-time passcode to your phone in order to join the Wi-Fi, and these codes can only be sent to a Chinese phone number. If you don’t have one, staff at guest services will receive the code on your behalf.

Using the Wi-Fi, you can check wait times and purchase skip-the-line passes using the Shanghai Disney mobile app.

2. Reservations Are Still Required

At present, you still need a reservation to get into the park each day. This matters most for those who buy tickets without a fixed entry date, but ensure you have both an admission ticket and a reservation. Reservations can only be made using the mobile app, which is available in English.

3. It Has Disney’s Biggest Castle

Go big or go home. That was the mentality when constructing the largest castle of any Disney theme park in 2016. On top of size (a full 196 feet tall), the Enchanted Storybook Castle is unique in another way: It’s meant to convey a feeling that every Disney princess has lived here at some point.

Having the biggest castle matches the park’s large size in general. It covers 225 acres, making it the third-largest Disney park in general, behind EPCOT and Animal Kingdom (both in Florida). In terms of castle parks, Shanghai Disneyland is a full 100 acres bigger than the second-largest, which is Disneyland Park in Paris.

4. The Castle Hosts 2 Attractions

Size isn’t the only unique aspect of Shanghai’s castle. Rather than simply walking through it, like you would at other Disney parks, you can visit 2 attractions related to the Enchanted Storybook Castle.

Inside the castle itself, you can visit the “Once Upon a Time” Adventure, a walking discovery up a few flights of stairs. You get the feeling of stepping through the pages of Snow White’s fairy tale, watching digital animations inside specially made glass and mirrors to immerse you in scenes from the movie.

Under the castle — yes, under — you finish Voyage to the Crystal Grotto. This all-ages boat ride departs near the back of the castle and lazily floats through scenes from “Aladdin,” “The Little Mermaid,” and other Disney movies, complete with music and fountains, before entering the grotto under the castle and following Tinker Bell through additional scenes.

Hot Tip:

Make sure to grab a seat at the edge of the boat, not a middle seat, to get the best views. Scenes pass on both sides, so either side will do.

5. Getting There With Public Transit Is Easy and Cheap

The last stop on the Shanghai Metro’s Line 11 is Disney Resort, and signs make it easy to find the park entrance when exiting the station. Dark red on the subway map, Line 11 passes through the center of Shanghai and connects to multiple lines to make transfers easy.

The first train arrives at Disney Resort station just after 7 a.m. daily, and the last train out departs around 10:30 p.m. daily. This schedule corresponds well with the park’s hours, typically from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The maximum fare for a subway ride in Shanghai is ¥10 (less than $1.50), depending on how far you’re riding to reach Disneyland. From central Shanghai, plan for 45 minutes to reach the park by subway.

6. Chinese Culture Is on Full Display

You’ll see several nods to China and Chinese culture throughout the park. While we were surprised to not find any Mulan-specific rides, she does make an appearance in Voyage to the Crystal Grotto.

Our favorite uniquely Chinese aspect of the park was the incorporation of famous Disney animals in a mural showcasing the 12 characters of the Chinese zodiac calendar. Think Mushu (“Mulan”) as the dragon, Abu (“Aladdin”)(as the monkey), and of course Rémy (“Ratatouille”) as the rat.

You’ll find this mural — called the “Garden of the Twelve Friends” — near the Gardens of Imagination in the center of the park. If you’re looking at the castle, it’s on your right.

7. Premier Access

Shanghai Disney doesn’t offer FastPass or Genie+. Instead, it uses Premier Access, and you can buy skip-the-line privileges for a single ride (starting at ¥140, or roughly $19.25).

It’s also possible to skip the line at 3, 6, or 8 rides, which come in predetermined packages with themes like “adventure,” “carefree,” and “inspiration.” You pay anywhere from $55 to $160 per person for these packages, depending on demand, date, and which rides you choose.

Note that you can only skip the line at each ride in your package once.

8. Get There Early, Even if You Don’t Pay for Early Entry

Shanghai Disneyland uses a tiered pricing structure for tickets, ranging from ¥539 to ¥659 (roughly $74 to $91). If you want to get in up to an hour early, you can purchase an Early Park Entry Pass. Prices vary by date, according to how busy the park will be. Early Park Entry can only be purchased the week before your visit.

Whether you decide it’s worth paying or not, you need to show up at the park early. When we scanned our tickets for early entry, there were already hundreds of people in line for general admission — an hour before the park officially opened.

If you don’t want to find a massive line when you arrive at the park, you have 3 options: Staying at a resort hotel for priority access, paying for early entry, or getting in line super early. Alternatively, try your luck visiting on a less-crowded date, but I haven’t read anything that says this park is ever without crowds.

9. Zootopia, the Newest Land, Is Awesome (and Busy)

There’s only 1 ride here (Hot Pursuit), and we found the area outside better than the ride itself. The same goes for the scenes you encounter waiting in line for the ride.

The City of Zootopia opened at the back corner on the right side of the park in December 2023, and it’s simply fantastic. It incorporates all of your favorites from the film, such as signage at giraffe height and pawpsicles for sale. You’ll even see familiar signs at the crosswalk.

Be warned: Crowds in Zootopia can be intense. As we visited during the peak summer season, park staff were only allowing one-way traffic into and out of Zootopia. The side for entering was near the Seven Dwarves Mine Train, exiting near the Hunny Pot Spin.

10. Some Familiar Favorites Are Missing

Now, for some bad news: There’s no Main Street, no Frontier Land, and no Space Mountain at Shanghai Disneyland. Sadly, all of these classics are absent.

And while the spinning tea cups aren’t totally absent, they’ve been transformed into spinning honey pots — sorry, hunny pots. And there’s no Splash Mountain, either, but you will find Roaring Rapids, which takes you down the river in a circular raft as you try to (or try not to) get wet, depending on how hot it is.

An abbreviated Mickey Avenue welcomes you after entering the park, and not walking down Main Street to enter or exit the park felt odd.

11. Unique Attractions Make the Park Special

While Shanghai Disneyland is missing some classics, it does have many of your other favorite rides: Soaring, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Dumbo, and the carousel immediately in front of the castle.

On top of rides that have stood the test of time at other Disney parks, you’ll also find special attractions, like the Alice in Wonderland Maze in Fantasyland. It ends with a fun stop at the Mad Hatter’s tea party.

Shanghai Disney’s Tomorrowland also has a TRON ride, making it 1 of just 2 parks with this ride (the other being Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida). Before spending time waiting in line — the line gets long, trust me — you can test out the unusual seats for this motorcycle-style ride before going inside.

Hot Tip:

Heading to TRON as soon as the park opens is a good idea for beating the crowds.

These unique rides complement the other 2 described above: Voyage to the Crystal Grotto and “Once Upon a Time” Adventure.

12. The Merchandise Is Top-Notch

I’m not a souvenir guy. My wife is the souvenir person in our relationship, and the merch at Shanghai Disneyland exceeded her expectations in many ways. We came home with this summer-themed Mickey souvenir cup from the Tribal Table in Adventure Isle.

If you’re looking for pet costumes, the park didn’t disappoint. Maybe your cat wants to be Lotso, Ham, or Rex (from the “Toy Story” movies).

Toy Story Land had some of our favorite items to gawk at. “Toy Story” aliens came in numerous costumes, like riding RC (also “Toy Story”) or dressed as Kevin from “Up.”

13. Vegan Options Were Mostly Good

While the on-site coffee shop lacked plant milk, things were pretty good if that was our only disappointment.

Fantasyland had the best vegan food, including plant-based nuggets at Tangled Tree Tavern, Omnipork sandwiches at Merlin’s Magic Recipe Kiosk, and ZRou minced plant-based meat with mushrooms and rice at Pinocchio Village Kitchen.

In Adventure Isle, we had the plant protein balls with dao xiao noodles at Tribal Table. My wife thought the sauce was too spicy, but I wanted it to be stronger, so take that into consideration, depending on what you like.

Hot Tip:

Front-line staff at the restaurants didn’t speak great English, but a manager appeared out of thin air to communicate with us at every restaurant we visited to eat or simply peruse menus.

14. There’s a Side Entrance

Looking for a shortcut between Disneytown (the local version of Downtown Disney but much smaller than Disney Springs) and the park itself? You got it.

You can exit the park directly into Disneytown, and you can also use this entrance into the park under a few circumstances. Guests staying at Disney Resort hotels can use this entrance for priority access to the park. Other guests can use this entrance to reenter the park on the same day, such as exiting to get lunch in Disneytown and then returning to the park. This can help avoid some of the long queues at the main entrance.

15. Booking Hotels With Points Is Tricky

There are 2 hotels on the Disney campus: Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and Toy Story Hotel. Unfortunately, neither of them participates in a rewards program like Hilton Honors or Marriott Bonvoy.

Even worse, you won’t find these hotels with popular portals like Chase Travel or AmexTravel.com.

Thus, if you want to stay at either of these hotels with points, your best option is paying with a credit card and then redeeming points afterward to offset the purchase. Using Capital One miles this way is a solid option, but you should also consider annual travel credits on cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® to offset hotel costs.

Alternatively, use fixed-value rewards to cash out points and recoup what you spent on your credit card, helping you use points after the fact to cover travel expenses.

However, if you’re willing to stay off Disney property, your options increase. All the major rewards programs have something in the area, putting you a few minutes from the park by bus, taxi, or Metro.

16. The Crowds Can Be Intense

Here’s the reason why I said in the beginning that I don’t plan to return to Shanghai Disneyland: the crowds. It’s not simply the fact there were a lot of people. I’ve been to New Year’s Eve at Walt Disney World several times, full of people and sold out for the day.

The problem was the behavior of the crowds. People literally shoved us — with all their strength — to get in line in front of us numerous times throughout the day. I actually fell down at one point, thanks to a woman who shoved me from behind, wanting me to move out of her way so she and her child could get on a ride in front of us.

I’ve never been to a theme park, Disney or otherwise, where people routinely shoved me as a method of moving up in the line. It happened to my wife, as well. We never saw locals shoving locals, either. It could’ve happened, but we never witnessed it. Instead, we saw locals shoving us and other foreigners quite regularly. The shoving appeared directed at foreigners, which was an experience shared by others we talked to in line for rides and while eating at restaurants inside the park.

Bottom Line:

Whatever the reason, being intentionally shoved throughout the day made for a frustrating experience, and I don’t see myself returning to Shanghai Disneyland unless there’s a major park expansion that feels like a must-see experience.

Final Thoughts

If you consider just the park itself, there were many positives elements to our first time visiting Shanghai Disneyland. Tickets were cheaper than a visit to a U.S. Disney park, unique rides provided a fresh experience, and we had some good food.

The crowds made it difficult to enjoy these experiences, unfortunately, with numerous people forcefully shoving us out of the way — or down to the ground — in a fight to get to the front of the line for various rides. That’s something we aren’t eager to experience again, and it will be a long time before we visit this Disney park again, if ever. There are numerous other Disney parks we’ve enjoyed, and we plan to visit those instead.

However, don’t let me talk you out of visiting Shanghai Disneyland at least once. It’s a park worth checking out, even if you leave thinking, “I won’t go back.”