Disneyland Shanghai 2018: My Ultimate Pack

The year was 2018. Got myself into the list for the BAUMA exhibition in Shanghai. After spending 2 full days covering almost everything at the exhibition, I head to the happiest place in Shanghai in the 3rd day

The Shanghai Disneyland.

After stopping by the BAUMA exhibition, I head to the Shanghai Metro. It was several stops and changing stations before I was in the way to Pudong.

Before the entrance of the resort was the garden park. Beside the lining trees was a lake. Locals were bringing their kids here just for the scenery itself. Taking photos and stuff.

Queuing to enter the theme park was surprisingly relatively easy. There was not much visitors on that morning. The ticket price was comparable with Hong Kong Disneyland and the Tokyo Disneyland. 

Every Disneyland have their own unique attraction.

The 1st thing that I've attracted upon was the TRON attraction in the Tomorrow Land. Entering the area, you'll first get into a hall that full with the TRON movie theme bike and car. There was even some interactive games with TRON theme.

But the main pull was the TRON roller coaster ride. You'll be riding a bike pulled into a twisting, turning, and riding with the moto-metal in the cyber-fi world of TRON. 

The queue line for this ride was unexpectedly low that day. I've managed to get on this ride 3 times that day.

One thing unexpected about this Disneyland was how they wasn't stingy sharing the magical moment in the theme park, compared to their other counterpart in Tokyo and Hong Kong.

There are 3 permanent selfie spots that open throughout the day. 

Want to snap a photo with the evergreen Mickey Mouse? There is a selfie spot with Mickey in the Garden of Imagination.

Want to snap a photo with the Disney princess? There is a selfie spot with the Princesses in the Fantasy Land.

There is another selfie spot at the Adventure Isle for the Disney Jungle Characters.

In fact you can feel the vibe of socialism in the whole park (instead of just the capitalism; the ticket is still pricey). Maybe because this park is in Shanghai? I can't help but keep thinking about that while strolling through the park by myself.

The 2nd attraction that I would strongly suggest would be the Pirate of the Caribbean ride in the Treasure Cove area. 

There was also a Pirate of the Caribbean ride in Tokyo. While the ride in Tokyo were mainly animatronics - which by the way was so lifelike, the ride in Shanghai was vastly different from my expectation.

The ride was the combination of thrill ride with visual effects. It have the same theme of following the adventure of Captain Jack running into his adversaries. 

I've kept pinching myself. The ride defeat all of my expectations. Being in the boat would convinced you that you're actually in the action movie instead. 

One of the anxiety being outside of Malaysia is getting the halal food. Don't worry. They have you covered at Disney Shanghai.

There was only one halal restaurant at the theme park which more than enough. Located in Disneytown, you actually have to step outside the theme park. The gateway was located near end of the Garden of Imagination lake.

I went into the Food Republic and found the Yershari Restaurant. They serve mostly some spicy chicken rice. Price are good. Importantly, it was a convenience for me, compared to its Tokyo and Hong Kong counterparts.

Going for the prayer was pretty much straightforward in this part of the world. I've requested to use the personal room at the Guest Services. Actually, I've learned this tips from Iqbal from our previous trips together.

The 3rd attraction that I would suggest would be the Once Upon a Time Adventure. 

The attraction itself isn't a literal adventure, but more of a indoor interactive attraction. Why I strongly suggested it? Because basically it is inside the main castle itself. 

Compared to its the other Disneyland castles, the Shanghai Disneyland castle is the only one that visitors can actually go inside. The castle itself is the largest castle of them all. 

The Once Upon a Time Adventure was an interactive indoor attraction of Snow White. You'll climb through the stairs unto the storytelling of the Disney's Snow White. You'll experienced the fantasy as being a part of the story. The Enchanted Forest, The Magic Mirror awaits.

There are some tips about the facilities in Disneyland.  I had some problems when trying to use the lockers. To use them was quite pricey. I had problem when I want to pay with my credit card and had to use cash instead. This posed some problem when I didn't have that much change. The language used in the interface will be mildly confusing. I would suggest to elude using them if possible.

The last attraction that I would suggest was the Marvel Universe.

There was just one ride - the Spiderman ride. But the queue line was long, so I forgo to try the ride. 

The attractions all came from the MCU. If you're a fan of the MCU, this place will amazed you.

Another problem that I faced was when using the free FastPass tickets. Unlike its Tokyo and Hong Kong counterparts, Shangahi Disneyland have moved their FastPass from the machine/cubicle to the smartphone apps. 

And that is a big issue. You see, China didn't use Google services compared to the whole world. I've resort of getting the HK simcard, thus evading this issue. To get the FastPass properly, I would suggest that to get the apps installed in the 1st place. I didn't get any pass that day due to the limitation of the internet coverage plus the language barrier in the website.

The best thing about this trip was that I could walk around the park with my own pace and speed. 

Just managed to catch up with the famed Disney parade.

The park closed at 10pm. During the night, I tried to catch up with the other attractions.

The night just got beautiful with the laser projection show at the castle. 

I got to the hotel that night just before midnight. It was worth every second of it.