Summer Break in China - Day 11
June 23, 2024
Today, we booked a full day premier tour of Shanghai Disneyland. Unlike the US Disney parks, the premier tour here charges by the person, so since we have a lot of people, it was a lot of money. But with my parents being elderly, it was the only way to do it.
We started our day by having breakfast at the hotel. Our room rates include breakfast, which is quite impressive. I saw champagne on the bar, and asked if that was included. I was told no, it's a separate charge. But I saw many patrons freely pouring it for themselves (there were champagne glasses next to it) and no one said anything so I had some too, and was not charged.
The champagne was a little flat. So maybe they were giving it away because of that? I don't know. The breakfast was buffet style but also had a menu to order from, all for one flat price (included in our room rates). There was plenty of options for both eastern and western cuisine.
After breakfast, we took a taxi to start our day at Disneyland! With premier tour, we have a special entrance and do not have to wait in any lines.
Even though the Disneyland website said your tour guide would speak English, our tour guide did not speak much English at all. She was a very good guide though. It was a dreary day, so it wasn't as busy as expected. The tour guide told us the previous day was a lot more crowded.
We got pictures taken with Mickey Mouse.
Then we took a ride on the Jet Packs.
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Alice and Ava on the Jet Packs |
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Uncle Ma and Linda on the Jet Packs |
Next, we rode Tron. The fastest coaster in the park. Alice and Ava actually rode this twice.
Next up was Rex's Racer.
Then Slinky Dog Spin.
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Slinky Dog Spin |
Next up was Woody's Roundup.
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Woody's Roundup |
Then, Peter Pan's Flight, an indoor ride where you go through pretending to be Peter Pan.
Next we rode the boat ride called Voyage to the Crystal Grotto. This is a long ride that lets you see many parts of the gardens, and characters from many Disney movies.
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Voyage to the Crystal Grotto |
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The Crystal! |
Next we went to the show called Frozen: A Sing-Along Celebration. When we pay for premier tours, we try to cram as much in a day as possible, which is hard to do when we have so many people and everyone has different interests. Teddy usually likes shows, but most of the shows are in Chinese, so it means quite little to him. The kids like the thrill rides. I thought the shows would be good for my mom, but the bass makes her chest hurt. So we had to keep switching things up... The shows take a long time because we have to get in before the theater is open to public - so we can pick whatever seats we want. Once the theater opens, it's a madhouse and mad dash of people running to grab the seats. The tour guide told us to grab seats in the front row, so we did. Perhaps we should have sat back a little bit and the bass sounds wouldn't have been as strong.
About half of the songs were in English, the other half in Chinese. I thought the show was very good! You can definitely tell the singing is live, which I was surprised.
After the show, we are back to the rides. We rode Zootopia: Hot Pursuit, where you ride around in a police car. One of my favorites of the day.
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Outside Zootopia: Hot Pursuit |
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On the Zootopia ride |
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Picture taken by the ride (the lady in glasses sitting behind Linda is our tour guide!) |
Next we rode the ride, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. A cute, non-thrilling ride where you sit in a honeypot.
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Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh |
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Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh |
Next up, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
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Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (Linda, Alice and Ava in the very back) |
The girls wanted to ride in the very back, so that's what we did. With Premier Tour, not only do you not wait in line, you can ask for the specific row you want to ride in.
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Seven Dwarfs Mine Train |
Next up, Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure. This is a popular boat ride where you see animatronics Jack Sparrow.
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Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure |
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Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure |
The rain is not letting up, so we might as well get wet on the Roaring Rapids.
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Roaring Rapids |
We've ridden many similar rides, but this one features volcanoes and geysers and waterfalls and an audio-animatronic monster!
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Roaring Rapids |
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You can see this from the raft |
Next we are getting ready for dinner. The rain isn't letting up, so we took some group shots in front of the castle in the rain.
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Picture in front of Enchanted Storybook Castle |
Next, we were lead inside the castle to have our special dinner. With our Premier Tour purchase, we enjoy a 20% discount for dinner at the castle. Although we must still book the reservation separately, so plan ahead!
Once we went inside, we were told that there's a surprise waiting for us! The surprise was Princess Belle!! Princess Belle spent a lot of time talking to the girls, answering all their questions. Princess Belle spoke perfect English, and seem to speak French as well, as she should be (Belle's nationality is French).
The meeting with Belle was absolutely magical and enchanting. It was very special. Next, we were seated at the Royal Banquet Hall, the restaurant inside the castle. The menu here are prix fixe 3 course menus, for 428 RMB per adult (about $60), and 298 RMB per child (about $40). The menu is printed in both English and Chinese.
Royal Banquet Hall
First Course: Appetizer
We have a lot of people, so we chose some different options. Everything was presented BEAUTIFULLY and tasted very good. There are many eastern and western options for each course.
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Chinese Mixed Appetizer |
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Seared Scallop w/Cauliflower Puree (kid's version) |
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Tomato Buffalo Cheese Salad w/Pesto & Iberico Ham |
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Seafood Bisque w/Clams, Halibut & Squids |
Personally I was most impressed with the Chinese Mixed Appetizer platter. It had a good variety of Chinese treats. Unfortunately, that item is no longer on the menu. Maybe they'll bring it back.
Second Course: Entree
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Duck Confit w/Cherry Red Wine Sauce & Frisee Salad |
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Mandarin Fish w/Sweet Sour Sauce, Pea Shoots & Shrimps |
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Braised Abalone & Pork Belly in Soy Sauce |
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Braised Pork, Rice, w/Wagyu Beef Meatball (Kid's menu) |
I think the best option was the Mandarin Fish. Although everything was very good. We were served with a bread course between the appetizer and entree also, with butter stamped with a castle imprint.
Third Course: Dessert
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White Chocolate w/Passionfruit Mousse |
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Cheesecake w/Vanilla Ice Cream |
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Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake (after opening the glass lid) |
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Cheesecake w/Vanilla Ice Cream (Kid's version) |
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Tiramisu w/Chocolate High Heel |
The best dessert in my opinion was the tiramisu. Unfortunately that's no longer on the menu either. I hope they bring it back.
The meal was magical. Service was very good. I also liked the fact tea and coffee are included. Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy danced around the rooms and paid special attention to us.
After dinner, we walked around the park, now all lit up and covered in the hues of sunset.
We no longer have Premier guide with us, so we have to wait in line for everything like everyone else, but at this hour, most things don't have a long line any more. The kids wanted to do the ropes course, so we took them there. The ropes course is called Challenge Trails at Camp Discovery. It actually looks pretty impressive.
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Challenge Trails at Camp Discovery |
After this, we are ready for the finale of the day - the night time show called Illuminate! A Nighttime Celebration. Since we purchased the Premier Tour, we are given a special viewing area access for this night time show. It's a front and center area that's dedicated to Premier guests only, so despite the fact it's the best spot, it's also not crowded at all. We were lead to the area and got some pictures taken, then waited for the show.
The night time spectacular show:
Unpopular opinion perhaps: this show isn't as good as the shows I've seen in the past at other Disney parks. There was no live performers. Just a large display of fireworks, lights, laser projections, fire, fountains, and speakers. I was also disappointed with how little English there was. I understand we are in Shanghai, but I think they should have told the message of the story in both languages. Perhaps I'm asking too much. Overall, this park was definitely doable for people who don't speak Chinese. The dedicated app was entirely in English (I downloaded the app in the US so that probably had to do with it). All of the signs were in both languages. Most of the rides gave instructions (over speakers) in both languages, some did not, but there was nothing extraordinary in those instructions anyway, if you've been to other Disney parks. I did not take pictures of every ride we went on. In fact, our unanimously favorite ride of the day was Soaring Over the Horizon, which I have no pictures of. Most of the rides are very similar to other iterations of them in other Disney parks. For example, the Soaring ride is just like its counterparts in other parks, except this one ends on a flight over Shanghai. If you are a Disney fan, you should definitely put this park on your to-do list!
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