Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo by cruise ship

[Machta]

Good morning, all. We are longtime DVC members and have been to Disney Paris once. DH & I traveled extensively in Europe to see ancestral lands and other wonderful sights. We've never been to Asia, but we've booked a 2-week cruise on Holland America in March 2024 from Hong Kong through Shanghai to Japan, ending in Tokyo. Imagine my delight when I realized that it MIGHT be possible to briefly visit all 3 Disney parks in Asia on one trip!


Questions for those who have been there before:

What's the best way to handle airport transfers? Are there cabs, and if I show them the destination on Google Maps will that work? How about Google Translate--is it effective? Can we pay with a credit card, or should we get local currency before we go? Should we work with Disney or Holland America for the airport transfers instead of taking cabs?

We would like to stay 2 nights at Hong Kong Disney before the cruise departs. What hotel is most convenient to the parks?

What are the cultural differences to be most aware of? I've heard that taking photos with other people in the frame is frowned upon, especially in Japan. Is that right? How about queueing up in lines?

The US State Department is currently saying that Americans should "reconsider" travel to Hong Kong and PRC. Thoughts?

This is a weird question, but given some of our experiences in Europe I have to ask: where, how, etc. do we access restrooms? Is there a fee, or are they "free?" Are the restrooms "combined?" Any other restroom protocols to be aware of?

When we arrive in Tokyo, our ship docks in the early morning and we have a late afternoon (5:35pm) flight home, so if we go to Tokyo Disney it will only be for a few hours. We will each have two large suitcases and a backpack. Are there luggage storage facilities at the gate? Other suggestions? (It's not possible for us to change the flight home since I bought the tickets using UA miles on a day they were having a flash sale -- 70k miles for Polaris cabin nonstop from Tokyo to Denver. I'll NEVER get a deal that good again!)

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[gelatoni fan]

For all three locations, you'll need cash to pay the cab fare. You can use credit cards in the park. Since Shanghai is in the middle of your cruise, maybe see if there's some way Holland America can do an excursion out to the park so you can pay for it in advance with a credit card. Taxis in Hong Kong and Shanghai are not expensive but taxis in Tokyo can get expensive.

Hong Kong hotels
For Hong Kong, the Disney hotels are the most convenient for the parks but a huge downside is that you're just stuck in the Disney bubble and there isn't much else to see. It makes the most sense to take a taxi from the airport and then the Disney bus to get to the park.

Instead of being trapped in the Disney bubble though, I recommend looking into the W and the Ritz Carlton at Kowloon station if it's within your budget. You can easily take the airport express when arriving and get to Disneyland by taking the Tung Chung line to Sunny Bay and then transferring to the Disneyland Resort Line. Kowloon station is less then 10 minutes by taxi to the Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui.

For something a little cheaper, you could also select the Novotel aor Silveri in Tung Chung. Tung Chung is right between the airport and Disneyland. They both have complementary airport shuttles and it's just one stop on the Tung Chung Line to transfer to the Disneyland Resort Line. If you don't want to pay for a taxi to the cruise terminal, the subway only requires one transfer at Nam Cheung to get you to Tsim Sha Tsui East and then it's about a 10-15 minute walk.

Cultural Differences
In terms of cultural differences, in the US parks, it's kind of normal for children to be allowed in front of adults to see better during shows. In Shanghai and Hong Kong, DO NOT allow this to happen. Mainland Chinese kids may try to squeeze their way in and then their parents may physically assault you if you don't let them in front of you to "join their kids". Line cutting and shoving are rampant in Shanghai so hold your ground and be willing to shove back if necessary. Don't try to reprimand parents for misbehaving children, even if you see them take off their pants and pee in the street. Do not buy anything off street vendors. Pre-pandemic, I would sometimes see random guests in Shanghai Disneyland sell fake Disney merchandise to other guests but I don't know if this is still a thing anymore.

In Tokyo, kids will not be allowed to go to the front during shows and you should be respectful of people's personal space. Ducking under ropes in Tokyo like people do in the US parks is absolutely not OK. If you take any character photos be aware that it's ONE photo per group. You may see more people in the parks smiling and waving at you so be willing to smile and wave back.

Travel advisory/google
In terms of reconsidering travel, you've already booked a cruise so it's probably too late to think about. Unless you're super active in politics, religion or journalism, I wouldn't think about cancelling the trip for personal safety reasons. If you feel unsafe, you may want to bring a burner phone into China and use a VPN, especially in Shanghai.

Google is banned in mainland China so google maps and translate will not work. By law, maps in mainland China are not allowed to be accurate so even if you get google maps to work using a VPN, I wouldn't trust it 100% to get someplace. Just print out the names of places you're going and show it to the cab driver in Shanghai. Google maps is fine for Hong Kong and Tokyo but I wouldn't start off a conversation by shoving google translate in anyone's face. Just try asking in English first because a lot of people in Hong Kong actually speak reasonable levels of English. In Tokyo, you can ask if they speak English while also being ready to pull out google translate.

Restrooms
In Hong Kong, it's very easy to just walk into a shopping mall to find a restroom. Since Shanghai and Tokyo seem to be mostly Disney, you shouldn't have too many issues. If for some reason you're going to some further excursion near Shanghai, you may want to bring some small RMB bills and coins because there some restrooms that charge you to use them. Also bring a pack of tissues because there are places in Shanghai and Hong Kong where toilet paper is not provided. Some restaurants also don't provide napkins. Not an issue in the Disney parks though.

Tokyo lockers
There are coin lockers to store your luggage at the gates of both the Tokyo parks. There's some that are big enough for a large checked bag. Make sure you check the time of the bus schedule if you plan to take it to the airport and bring 1,000 yen notes for that (or a Suica/Pasmo if you have one). I generally like to go to the ANA lounge but if there's a super long wait for the shower, you can check the UA Club.

 

[Machta]

Wow! gelatoni fan Thank you so much for the detailed information! I really appreciate that you took the time to give me such in-depth answers to my questions! I will read over and ponder.

One follow-up question regarding your note about phones -- we are slightly active in local politics, have no interest in journalism, but we are quite active in our local church. We will need our iPhones in Japan, for sure, so we were thinking of doing a factory reset on them, and then only loading what we need to send a few messages home, pay electronically, and take photos. I don't think we would need to check email or anything while we're in Hong Kong or Shanghai. Do you think that would be a reasonable course of action?

Again, many thanks!

 

[gelatoni fan]

Wow! gelatoni fan Thank you so much for the detailed information! I really appreciate that you took the time to give me such in-depth answers to my questions! I will read over and ponder.

One follow-up question regarding your note about phones -- we are slightly active in local politics, have no interest in journalism, but we are quite active in our local church. We will need our iPhones in Japan, for sure, so we were thinking of doing a factory reset on them, and then only loading what we need to send a few messages home, pay electronically, and take photos. I don't think we would need to check email or anything while we're in Hong Kong or Shanghai. Do you think that would be a reasonable course of action?

Again, many thanks!

You're welcome!

I think an approach would be to ask yourself: If someone in the Chinese government looked at the contents of my phone and browsing history while in China, would there be any evidence that I support organizations/causes they don't like, saw things they didn't want me to see or tried to share my faith with locals?

Unless you go about taking pictures of everything including security at the airport, seems like your answer would likely be "no".

 

[Douglas Dubh]

We would like to stay 2 nights at Hong Kong Disney before the cruise departs. What hotel is most convenient to the parks?

The Disneyland Hotel is closest, followed by the Explorer Lodge and then the Hollywood, but there are shuttles between them and the park, and none are too far a walk.

 

[OKW Lover]

Imagine my delight when I realized that it MIGHT be possible to briefly visit all 3 Disney parks in Asia on one trip!

You'll actually be able to visit all 4 Disney parks in Asia!!! One each in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Two in Tokyo.

 

[MimitoAlex]

Our friends are on their retirement vacation of a lifetime. Originally the were both suppose to retire then covid happened and both of them work in essential services and felt it was the right thing to do and stay on until things settled down. So they have been gone 8 weeks now.

Disneyland Shanghai was chaos, she said while the park was really beautiful and unique, the pushing and bumping was terrible she said she did not know if it was because they were Americans, or just a cultural thing. She said do not give away bump right back. She said that people will empty a poopie diaper out in the bushes and let the kids pee where-ever even kids that are way way old enough not to be doing this. She said that the private tour that they were suppose to go on - cancelled and AMEX ended up dealing with it and getting there money refunded. They decided to leave and went on to Hong Kong for 3 days before going to Hong Kong Disneyland. She said that the cost of changing the flights for them was worth it, and Amex, helped them with finding a proper hotel, and other info. I got a email that Hong Kong was amazing.
Today they leave Japan, they have been there almost 3 weeks, they are stopping in France to visit their DD and brand new Grand-daughter before returning home to the US, just in time for Halloween and the holidays.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Our friends are on their retirement vacation of a lifetime. Originally the were both suppose to retire then covid happened and both of them work in essential services and felt it was the right thing to do and stay on until things settled down. So they have been gone 8 weeks now.

Disneyland Shanghai was chaos, she said while the park was really beautiful and unique, the pushing and bumping was terrible she said she did not know if it was because they were Americans, or just a cultural thing. She said do not give away bump right back. She said that people will empty a poopie diaper out in the bushes and let the kids pee where-ever even kids that are way way old enough not to be doing this. She said that the private tour that they were suppose to go on - cancelled and AMEX ended up dealing with it and getting there money refunded. They decided to leave and went on to Hong Kong for 3 days before going to Hong Kong Disneyland. She said that the cost of changing the flights for them was worth it, and Amex, helped them with finding a proper hotel, and other info. I got a email that Hong Kong was amazing.
Today they leave Japan, they have been there almost 3 weeks, they are stopping in France to visit their DD and brand new Grand-daughter before returning home to the US, just in time for Halloween and the holidays.

It's crazy that they had such a bad time in Shanghai that they changed their flight!

Pushing and shoving in mainland China is normal.

Mainland Chinese visitors to Hong Kong Disneyland also let their kids pee everywhere but seeing multiple in one day is really rare. The more "polite" parents will have a water bottle ready to catch the stuff when their child starts peeing in the middle of a store or restaurant.

 

[MimitoAlex]

It's crazy that they had such a bad time in Shanghai that they changed their flight!

Pushing and shoving in mainland China is normal.

Mainland Chinese visitors to Hong Kong Disneyland also let their kids pee everywhere but seeing multiple in one day is really rare. The more "polite" parents will have a water bottle ready to catch the stuff when their child starts peeing in the middle of a store or restauran

Our friends are seasoned travelers, so for them to change plans and go, it must have been pretty unpleasant. She did say that the park itself is really something to see. I was surprised she said you need at least 3 full days to see everything, at an slower pace. She said that's the great thing about being retired.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Our friends are seasoned travelers, so for them to change plans and go, it must have been pretty unpleasant. She did say that the park itself is really something to see. I was surprised she said you need at least 3 full days to see everything, at an slower pace. She said that's the great thing about being retired.

I think a normal traveler would be able to see pretty much everything they wanted in Shanghai Disneyland in 2 days so 3 days at a slower pace makes sense. Things are kinda spread out in the park with large swaths of empty space so just walking from one ride to the next area can take some time.

 

[Karin1984]

I did Shanghai end of August and the crowds were rough. We did 2.5 days, staying onsite. I think that was enough for us. We were basically able to do everything, but also helped with buying a fastpass for soaring and doing things during parades & shows.

I was prepared for a lot of the cultural differences, the biggest shock for me was the amount of garbage people left behind on the square in front of the castle after the fireworks ended. It was all clean the next day, but in the moment it was a shock.

 

[Absimilliard]

For all three locations, you'll need cash to pay the cab fare. You can use credit cards in the park. Since Shanghai is in the middle of your cruise, maybe see if there's some way Holland America can do an excursion out to the park so you can pay for it in advance with a credit card. Taxis in Hong Kong and Shanghai are not expensive but taxis in Tokyo can get expensive.

Hong Kong hotels
For Hong Kong, the Disney hotels are the most convenient for the parks but a huge downside is that you're just stuck in the Disney bubble and there isn't much else to see. It makes the most sense to take a taxi from the airport and then the Disney bus to get to the park.

Instead of being trapped in the Disney bubble though, I recommend looking into the W and the Ritz Carlton at Kowloon station if it's within your budget. You can easily take the airport express when arriving and get to Disneyland by taking the Tung Chung line to Sunny Bay and then transferring to the Disneyland Resort Line. Kowloon station is less then 10 minutes by taxi to the Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui.

For something a little cheaper, you could also select the Novotel aor Silveri in Tung Chung. Tung Chung is right between the airport and Disneyland. They both have complementary airport shuttles and it's just one stop on the Tung Chung Line to transfer to the Disneyland Resort Line. If you don't want to pay for a taxi to the cruise terminal, the subway only requires one transfer at Nam Cheung to get you to Tsim Sha Tsui East and then it's about a 10-15 minute walk.

Cultural Differences
In terms of cultural differences, in the US parks, it's kind of normal for children to be allowed in front of adults to see better during shows. In Shanghai and Hong Kong, DO NOT allow this to happen. Mainland Chinese kids may try to squeeze their way in and then their parents may physically assault you if you don't let them in front of you to "join their kids". Line cutting and shoving are rampant in Shanghai so hold your ground and be willing to shove back if necessary. Don't try to reprimand parents for misbehaving children, even if you see them take off their pants and pee in the street. Do not buy anything off street vendors. Pre-pandemic, I would sometimes see random guests in Shanghai Disneyland sell fake Disney merchandise to other guests but I don't know if this is still a thing anymore.

In Tokyo, kids will not be allowed to go to the front during shows and you should be respectful of people's personal space. Ducking under ropes in Tokyo like people do in the US parks is absolutely not OK. If you take any character photos be aware that it's ONE photo per group. You may see more people in the parks smiling and waving at you so be willing to smile and wave back.

Travel advisory/google
In terms of reconsidering travel, you've already booked a cruise so it's probably too late to think about. Unless you're super active in politics, religion or journalism, I wouldn't think about cancelling the trip for personal safety reasons. If you feel unsafe, you may want to bring a burner phone into China and use a VPN, especially in Shanghai.

Google is banned in mainland China so google maps and translate will not work. By law, maps in mainland China are not allowed to be accurate so even if you get google maps to work using a VPN, I wouldn't trust it 100% to get someplace. Just print out the names of places you're going and show it to the cab driver in Shanghai. Google maps is fine for Hong Kong and Tokyo but I wouldn't start off a conversation by shoving google translate in anyone's face. Just try asking in English first because a lot of people in Hong Kong actually speak reasonable levels of English. In Tokyo, you can ask if they speak English while also being ready to pull out google translate.

Restrooms
In Hong Kong, it's very easy to just walk into a shopping mall to find a restroom. Since Shanghai and Tokyo seem to be mostly Disney, you shouldn't have too many issues. If for some reason you're going to some further excursion near Shanghai, you may want to bring some small RMB bills and coins because there some restrooms that charge you to use them. Also bring a pack of tissues because there are places in Shanghai and Hong Kong where toilet paper is not provided. Some restaurants also don't provide napkins. Not an issue in the Disney parks though.

Tokyo lockers
There are coin lockers to store your luggage at the gates of both the Tokyo parks. There's some that are big enough for a large checked bag. Make sure you check the time of the bus schedule if you plan to take it to the airport and bring 1,000 yen notes for that (or a Suica/Pasmo if you have one). I generally like to go to the ANA lounge but if there's a super long wait for the shower, you can check the UA Club.

To add to what Gelatoni Fan says:

- Bring the name of Shanghai Disneyland in mandarin and show that to a cab driver from the cruise terminal. It is about a 30 km (18 miles) from the international cruise terminal in Shanghai and while taxis are not very expensive, your driver won't speak english or be able to read english characters. Bring the address in mandarin of the cruise terminal with you for when you take a cab back to the cruise terminal.

- Shanghai Disneyland is different guest behavior wise, but do remember that you are in China and things are different culturally. Expect massive waits to enter the park, airport style security.

- I've been to mainland China a few times and had no issues getting both tourist and business visas. Keep your opinions and views to yourself there and you should be fine. Shanghai Disneyland is the most "americanised" place in mainland China.

- Hong Kong Disneyland is a beautiful park with a lot of heart and charm. One day is more than enough to do everything there unless you go during holidays there. Spend some time exploring Hong Kong beyond the Disney small bubble and enjoying the amazing food.

- Disney Premier Access is what is offered at all 3 Disney asian resorts. At Shanghai Disneyland, I bought the full set as soon as I entered for me and my wife and that, along with single riders queues (at TRON Lightcycle Power Run and Roaring Rapids) allowed us to do everything in a single day. At Hong Kong Disneyland, I didn't have to use them and at Tokyo Disney Resort... that's a subject for a different post!

- Food wise, it is very cheap and usually quite good. The burgers in Tomorrowland at Shanghai Disneyland were really good, while I found the BBQ inside Pirates of the Caribbean overrated and not good. At Hong Kong Disneyland, I love the Explorer's Club near Mystic Manor. It is a mix of various southeast asian dishes that are exceptional. At Tokyo Disney Resort, it is harder to find bad food than to get good food!

 

[Absimilliard]

For Tokyo Disney:

You will have a single partial day at the resort, correct? Go to Tokyo DisneySea then, as nothing compares to it in the world. Tokyo DisneySea currently opens "officially" around 9am, but in practice, early entry guests who are staying at the Disney Ambassador Hotel and Miracosta Hotel enter as soon as 8am and line up for rides. Soaring Fantastic Flight will open soon after and as a result of that, the line will be MASSIVE when day guests enter.

Speaking of day guests, Guests will start lining up around 6-6:30 am around the turnstiles, so don't be shocked to see a sea of humanity when you arrive at the park.

Disney Premier Access is offered currently at Tower of Terror, Soaring Fantasic Flight, Toy Story Mania! and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Single riders queues are offered at Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull and Raging Spirits. Beside that, Fast Pass on the Tokyo Disney App just returned and is offered at the rides without Disney Premier Access.

If you're limited in time, skip Toy Story Mania (clone of the rides in the US), Soaring Fantastic Flight (its the Soaring around the World film, with a different finale) and the various flat rides like the Flying Carpets and the ones in Mermaid Lagoon. Concentrate on Indy, Tower of Terror, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Sindbad Storybook Voyage.

Food wise, I love the two eateries in Lost River Delta.

The picture below was the line last march at around 8:30 am for Soaring Fantastic Flight, far in the distance.

 

[gelatoni fan]

I mostly agree with the previous poster except a couple points:

1. One day can be enough for Hong Kong Disneyland but I wouldn't consider it more than enough given that Arendelle is opening next month. HKDL crowd levels are not as low as they used to be since so many people stuck in Hong Kong during the pandemic bought Magic Access annual and 2-year passes. Premier Access is probably still not worth buying for HKDL on most days but it can be on some weekends.

2. While food in Tokyo and Shanghai Disneyland is inexpensive by Western standards, I don't think food at HKDL is particularly cheap. Explorer's Club doesn't really have that much Southeast Asian food anymore but the semi-buffet is decent quality if you're OK with the price (298 HKD or around 40 USD per person).

 

[Absimilliard]

I mostly agree with the previous poster except a couple points:

1. One day can be enough for Hong Kong Disneyland but I wouldn't consider it more than enough given that Arendelle is opening next month. HKDL crowd levels are not as low as they used to be since so many people stuck in Hong Kong during the pandemic bought Magic Access annual and 2-year passes. Premier Access is probably still not worth buying for HKDL on most days but it can be on some weekends.

2. While food in Tokyo and Shanghai Disneyland is inexpensive by Western standards, I don't think food at HKDL is particularly cheap. Explorer's Club doesn't really have that much Southeast Asian food anymore but the semi-buffet is decent quality if you're OK with the price (298 HKD or around 40 USD per person).

That's interesting for the Explorer's Club. I last dined there in May 2019 and wrote about it was an halal restaurant. Now I don't see any mentions of an Halal menu for the buffet.

Happy to hear the crowds picked up, but I still find it hard to believe you could spend two days at Hong Kong Disneyland.

 

[zanzibar138]

Happy to hear the crowds picked up, but I still find it hard to believe you could spend two days at Hong Kong Disneyland.

The last time I went to HKDL was in 2019, and I very happily spent 3 full days there and wished I had more time But I know I am definitely the minority

 

[European]

We spent 2 days at Hong Kong Disneyland, but did repeat a few attractions. 1 would have been doable, but not knowing when I will ever return ( & it was our first visit), happy we did 2.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

We spent 2 days at Hong Kong Disneyland, but did repeat a few attractions. 1 would have been doable, but not knowing when I will ever return ( & it was our first visit), happy we did 2.

Pretty sure we rode Mystic Manor at least 4 times over two days. And definitely did a couple of rides on Grizzly Mtn.

 

[iheartglaciers]

For all three locations, you'll need cash to pay the cab fare. You can use credit cards in the park. Since Shanghai is in the middle of your cruise, maybe see if there's some way Holland America can do an excursion out to the park so you can pay for it in advance with a credit card. Taxis in Hong Kong and Shanghai are not expensive but taxis in Tokyo can get expensive.

I just got back from Japan and I used Uber in Tokyo and Kyoto (including to/from Tokyo Disney). It generally sends a taxi, but you can pay through whatever payment method you normally use at home in the Uber app and you can input your destination directly into the app.

The couple times we got a taxi from a taxi stand, some took credit cards and some didn't. It's good to have yen on hand, but you can save it if you're able to use Uber or find a cab that takes credit cards.

 

[gelatoni fan]

I just got back from Japan and I used Uber in Tokyo and Kyoto (including to/from Tokyo Disney). It generally sends a taxi, but you can pay through whatever payment method you normally use at home in the Uber app and you can input your destination directly into the app.

The couple times we got a taxi from a taxi stand, some took credit cards and some didn't. It's good to have yen on hand, but you can save it if you're able to use Uber or find a cab that takes credit cards.

Thanks for the update. I always flag a taxi off the street have never used a taxi that took credit cards. But then again, the last time I took a taxi was in Osaka in 2020 and Tokyo was even before then. Uber was barely a thing in Japan until 2019 so I haven't used it.