Disney: Yeah, It's Good. But Still, Never Again.
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To be fair, I spent a whole week planning, but plans often go awry. In the end, it was just way too crowded; otherwise, I wouldn't have spent the entire morning rushing around for nothing.
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Bringing your own food to Disney isn't practical? Hahaha!
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I snagged early entry tickets and arrived at 6:50 AM to a sea of people. Security made me take everything out of my bag. Even though I didn't have much, it still held me up for a good while. And you expect me to bring lunch too?
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Since when can't you bring your own food? First I've heard of it! As long as it's not strong-smelling things like self-heating hot pots, it should be fine.
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Sigh, the whole point of early entry tickets is to get in quickly, so bringing food isn't practical. Manual security checks are pretty slow, and the people ahead are rushing like their lives depend on it. If you're a local, you're probably used to it, so you can come later, bring food, and just enjoy the park's scenery – that’s nice. We do that at our local amusement parks too, bring our own food and drinks, and watch others race around.
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Went to Hong Kong Disneyland in March and Shanghai Disneyland in April. When it comes to rides, I'd give Hong Kong Disneyland a million votes!
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I was shocked to find that Shanghai Disneyland actually has 'fan culture' (like for pop idols). What kind of trend is that?
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Let me summarize your demands: You're saying they don't allow food (which isn't actually the case), you want early entry but don't want your ticket checked (?), and you don't want to store your phone for the climbing attraction (even if it's in your pocket, how can they ensure you won't take it out mid-activity? Should you sign a pledge?). Honestly, it all sounds very strange.
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When I said bringing food wasn't 'practical,' I meant because I wanted to get through security quickly, not that it's not allowed. I read in guides that many people get held up at security, and since it was my first time, how was I to know how strict or lenient the check would be? Secondly, to save time, I put the tickets in my bag and gave it to my husband. I had no idea I'd need to show the early entry ticket again for rides later on. There were no signs or loudspeaker announcements about this when we entered and did the facial recognition scan. Consequently, I rushed all the way to a ride entrance only for the attendant to refuse me entry. Seriously, with tickets this expensive, can't the park do a better job of reminding visitors? Most of us are from out of town, and even if you do your research, you can miss things. What's wrong with a simple reminder? Our local amusement park always has signs at the entrance: 'Please watch your children, wallets, and phones. Your first ride requires facial scan activation to proceed.' One time, it was extremely crowded, and I went to the service center to complain about them not limiting ticket sales. The customer service manager came out, gave me his business card, said they would add a reminder service to their app, and told me I was welcome to call him directly if I had any issues. Isn't that something they could learn from?
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This is the longest queue I've ever seen. Took a screenshot to commemorate it.
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That's considered short! When I went, I had to queue for eight hours.
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I just went in the middle of last month. Tickets for our family of three were 1100. We were on a tight budget inside the park and only spent a little over 100 RMB in total because we brought all our own food.
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You're really something! Didn't buy anything at all? So you paid over 1000 just to stroll around?
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I don't get it. If you didn't have your ticket on you, isn't it perfectly normal for staff not to let you in? You genuinely didn't have it. But if simply saying 'I don't have my ticket' was enough to get in, couldn't people who haven't bought tickets do the same? For the climbing attraction, they inform you in advance that phones aren't allowed. You can bring your phone on all other attractions, or you can choose not to do this particular one. Not bringing your phone just means a bit more time spent at the lockers. The climbing course involves water and can be slippery; if your phone falls and breaks, who pays? You or Disney? Can you guarantee everyone would take responsibility for their own broken phone? The long queues are definitely real, and the food is very expensive – that's true.
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So true. I was thinking the same thing.
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For my first visit, I started reading guides many days in advance!! But even the best-laid plans can go awry. We specifically chose a Tuesday, a workday, but then we ran into elementary school spring trips. We arrived at 8:40 AM, not realizing entry itself would take so long – it was already 10 AM by the time we got inside. I was the only one who managed to reserve a spot for a show; my three friends couldn't, so in the end, none of us saw it. Plus, we picked the Pirates ride first – it would have been a 10-minute wait in the afternoon, but we ended up queuing for a full hour that morning! I also didn't keep track of the parade time, which turned out to be different from what I'd found online, so we missed it while queuing for something else. We had even planned our lunch, but one friend thought a set meal for over 100 RMB was too expensive and refused to eat, just sat there watching us. It was so awkward.
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I queued for 90 minutes for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and it wasn't thrilling at all. Haha! Since you live nearby, you should just go again on a weekday.
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Our security check was quick; we didn't even have to take everything out. We brought enough snacks and actually had no time for a proper lunch. We ate dinner in Disneytown, which wasn't too pricey. We also bought some souvenirs and took lots of pictures. For a first trip, it was a pretty good experience! We're planning to go again when our child is older.
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Any tips or a guide to share?