What to do at Shanghai Disneyland

Shanghai Disneyland

Shanghai Disneyland opened June 16, 2016, as Disney's second theme park in China (after Hong Kong Disneyland) and fourth theme park resort outside the United States. Disney owns 43 percent of the park, with the remainder held by the Shanghai government through Shendi Group. The park features Disney's largest theme park castle, the 200-foot Enchanted Storybook Castle, and an 11-acre "Gardens of Inspiration" at the hub of the park, in front of that castle. Shanghai Disneyland attracted 14 million visitors last year, making it the fifth most-visited theme park in the world.

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Our recommendations below come from our year-end survey of Theme Park Insider readers. Locations with star ratings ranked especially highly among our readers.

What to Do

Readers' Pick

  1. Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
    All-new version inspired by the 'Pirates' movies instead of the original Disneyland ride, featuring a unique ride system with spinning boats as well as projection mapping and screens to accompany animatronics and practical effects. Located in the Pirates-themed Treasure Cove land. Height requirement: 32 inches

Other Attractions

Mickey Avenue

  • Mickey's Storybook Adventure: Live stage show

Gardens of Imagination

  • Illuminate! A Nighttime Celebration: Shanghai Disneyland's nighttime spectacular on and around the Enchanted Storybook Castle. 🎦 Video
  • Dumbo the Flying Elephant
  • Fantasia Carousel

Adventure Isle

  • Soaring Over the Horizon: Shanghai's installation of the "Soarin' Around the World" flying theater show. Height requirement: 40 inches
  • Roaring Rapids: River rapids ride. Height requirement: 42 inches
  • Camp Discovery: Themed play area

Treasure Cove

  • Eye of the Storm - Captain Jack's Stunt Spectacular: Pirates-themed live stunt show
  • Explorer Canoes
  • Shipwreck Shore: Splash play area
  • Siren's Revenge: Pirate ship play area

Zootopia

Fantasyland

  • Alice in Wonderland Maze
  • Hunny Pot Spin: Teacups ride
  • Frozen - A Sing-Along Celebration: Live musical show
  • Once Upon a Time Adventure: Walk through
  • Peter Pan's Flight: Suspended dark ride
  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: "Snow White"-themed family roller coaster. Height requirement: 38 inches.
  • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Dark ride
  • Voyage to the Crystal Grotto: Boat ride around and underneath Shanghai's Enchanted Storybook Castle. 🎦 Video

Toy Story Land

  • Rex's Racers: Intamin surfrider halfpipe coaster
  • Slinky Dog Spin: Caterpillar ride
  • Woody's Round-Up: Crazy Daisy spinner ride

Tomorrowland

  • Tron Lightcycle Power Run: A 3,169-foot, 59-mph Vekoma launched straddle coaster. Height requirement: 48 inches. 🎦 Video
  • Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue: Interactive dark ride. 🎦 Video
  • Avengers Training Initiative: Stage show
  • Jet Packs: Spinner
  • Stitch Encounter: Interactive show

Coming Next

Where to Eat

Restaurants in Shanghai Disneyland include Mickey and Pals Market Cafe on Mickey Avenue; A Celebration of Duffy and Friends at Tribal Table in Adventure Isle; Barbossa's Bounty in Treasure Cove; Pinocchio's Village Kitchen, Tangled Tree Tavern, the Royal Banquet Hall character meal in Fantasyland, and Stargazer Grill in Tomorrowland.

Find the cast member with the "Scan to Order" QR code sign at the entrance to counter services restaurants to use the Shanghai Disneyland website to order and pay for your meal in English. An Alipay account is all but essential for using international credit cards easily while in China. Download that app and set it up with your cards in advance of your visit. Remember the PIN that you set up for Alipay, as you will need it to complete many transactions.

Map

The Shanghai Disney Resort is located about 30 minutes by taxi or Didi car from Shanghai Pudong International Airport. By rail from the city, take Metro Line 11 to Terminal Station Disney Resort and walk through the Disneytown shopping district to the park.

Strategy

Visit during the final four months of the year to enjoy the lowest crowd levels, with Tuesday through Thursday being the best days of the week. Buy your tickets in advance, then remember to bring your passport to the park with you, as you may need to show it to enter the park.

The longest attraction wait times here are for Zootopia: Hot Pursuit, Soaring Over the Horizon, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Roaring Rapids. If you are not buying Premier Access (see below), consider buying an Early Entry Pass (if available) and go for Zootopia first thing in the morning. Guests at the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and Toy Story Hotel get 30 minutes of early access with their room, but your admission ticket must be bound with that benefit before entering the park. Ask the concierge desk to do that for you. Arrive 20-30 minutes before your early entry time, as the park typically opens extra early for early entry guests. With early entry, you should be able to do Zootopia and then get in line for Soarin' or Mine Train before the park opens to regular guests.

Beyond the rides, the longest wait times here are for character meets, especially LinaBell. I'm talking hours here. People do dress and makeup for these like a wedding.

Download the official Shanghai Disneyland app before you arrive. Through that, you can purchase Disney Premier Access (prices vary by date) that allows shorter, alternate queue access to select attractions, subject to availability:

  • Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue
  • Challenge Trails at Camp Discovery
  • Dumbo the Flying Elephant
  • Eye of the Storm: Captain Jack's Stunt Spectacular
  • Frozen: A Sing-Along Celebration
  • Illuminate! A Nighttime Celebration
  • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
  • Mickey's Storybook Adventure
  • Mickey's Storybook Express
  • Peter Pan's Flight
  • Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure
  • Rex's Racer
  • Roaring Rapids
  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
  • Soaring Over the Horizon
  • Tron Lightcycle Power Run
  • Voyage to the Crystal Grotto
  • Woody's Roundup
  • Zootopia: Hot Pursuit

At select busy times, a Standby Pass might be required to access the following attractions. This is a free virtual queue, available through the app, but you can hold only one Standby Pass at a time:

  • Roaring Rapids
  • Peter Pan's Flight
  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
  • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
  • Tron Lightcycle Power Run
  • Mickey's Storybook Adventure
  • Eye of the Storm: Captain Jack's Stunt Spectacular
  • Frozen: A Sing-Along Celebration

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