Alas, I genuinely wish for Shanghai's tourism to improve all the time, but my recent visit to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom has truly been disappointing!

To be honest, their operations and management are far from satisfactory. (Back in 2021, when I first visited, it still seemed to be adequate.)

What about now?

Long lines, feeling hopeless! It felt like they aren't regulating the number of people entering, as there were endless queues everywhere.
- ️ Heads up, friends: If you can't stand queues or you're bringing someone who isn't patient, you may want to reconsider. Without proper daily crowd control measures, popular attractions could have waiting times of one to two hours. To avoid long queues, you may need to start early and get in before opening or test visiting on a weekday.
Limited attractions to enjoy. Compared with theme parks like Disney, there are fewer activities in terms of both variety and quantity.
Pushy salespeople everywhere! It feels almost impossible to escape vendors who try to sell items to you constantly, which is quite annoying.

Moreover, this park is located far away from the central urban area!

️ Note for first-time visitors to Shanghai: Chimelong Ocean Kingdom is rather away from the city centre (in Lingang New City, Pudong), taking considerable times by taxi or Metro from downtown districts (e.g., Huangpu River Bund or Renmin Square).
All that travelling took me far, only to end up with a bad experience, leaving me with no intention of returning anytime soon.

In short, this #ChimelongOceanKingdom trip has somewhat put me off (not really recommended). I hope they will make efforts to improve the situation!

Sonja Schroeder