Planning an Around the World Disney Trip

[Majide]

Interestingly enough, Provost Park Pass cancelled their Shanghai portion of their trip day of based on State Department recommendations as well as on some advice from a friend they have who is a travel “expert”. He was on his way from Hong Kong to Shanghai and literally changed his plans at the airport. There is a new law in China that went into effect on 7/1 regarding espionage. His friend said he probably would not have issues but still advised he not go. It’s an interesting video in their series. Something to look into.

Huh very weird, thanks for the video suggestion. The articles I could find related to the updated law only specified Beijing, not all of China. Either way, I am thinking/hoping that stuff will settle down by next year, but after Covid I know that stuff can change last minute I think traveling in China overall just depends person to person on comfort and risk tolerance level.

On the other side there is a travel Youtuber I follow (Oskar and Dan) and they just visited Shanghai using the 144 hour visa I am also planning on using and they had an awesome time. They vlogged the whole trip even said in their video that they never had anyone ask them to stop filming. It made me feel more comfortable with my plans, but I always think it is interesting to watch content that has completely opposite view points.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Huh very weird, thanks for the video suggestion. The articles I could find related to the updated law only specified Beijing, not all of China. Either way, I am thinking/hoping that stuff will settle down by next year, but after Covid I know that stuff can change last minute I think traveling in China overall just depends person to person on comfort and risk tolerance level.

On the other side there is a travel Youtuber I follow (Oskar and Dan) and they just visited Shanghai using the 144 hour visa I am also planning on using and they had an awesome time. They vlogged the whole trip even said in their video that they never had anyone ask them to stop filming. It made me feel more comfortable with my plans, but I always think it is interesting to watch content that has completely opposite view points.

It is all of China and I personally know people that were taken in by police for interrogation and are on Chinese government watch lists. What they were questioned for would not be considered a crime in any Western country and I won't expand any more on that. Let's just say that nothing will convince me to ever go back to mainland China in the current political environment.

For most people, visiting China would be like driving a car to someplace unfamiliar. There's a very low probability that it ends in a serious, potentially life threatening situation. If you work in journalism, religion or technology/business, visiting China would be like driving after pulling an all nighter.

 

[dunkindonut]

Yeah, I would love to see Shanghai or Hong Kong but the whole visa situation is very finicky. Not sure it it will ever absolve, kind of makes me wish Shanghai was Disney Sydney instead to avoid these kinds of situations. It's quite sad that these parks are so far and so inaccessible.

 

[zanzibar138]

Yeah, I would love to see Shanghai or Hong Kong but the whole visa situation is very finicky. Not sure it it will ever absolve, kind of makes me wish Shanghai was Disney Sydney instead to avoid these kinds of situations. It's quite sad that these parks are so far and so inaccessible.

Not sure what part of the world you're from, but as an Aussie, the visa situation isn't actually that difficult. We don't require any visas for Hong Kong, and the visa for China was just another form (and another passport photo) but not difficult per se. I found the process more difficult for Vietnam, and don't even get me started on Russia! They even have a visa waiver program for China if you're just transiting and spending less than 72 hours there (which is plenty of time to see SDR).

Not that I'd be complaining if there was a Disney park in Australia Although for the vast majority of the world's population, it would be just as far if not further than China

 

[gelatoni fan]

Not sure what part of the world you're from, but as an Aussie, the visa situation isn't actually that difficult. We don't require any visas for Hong Kong, and the visa for China was just another form (and another passport photo) but not difficult per se. I found the process more difficult for Vietnam, and don't even get me started on Russia! They even have a visa waiver program for China if you're just transiting and spending less than 72 hours there (which is plenty of time to see SDR).

Not that I'd be complaining if there was a Disney park in Australia Although for the vast majority of the world's population, it would be just as far if not further than China

I think it's more the fact that there is a Visa requirement to go to mainland China which isn't the case for most places in the world if you hold a top tier Western passport. Mainland China also isn't tourist friendly due to internet restrictions, laws that make accurate maps illegal, pollution and some places only accepting payment from Chinese payment apps which foreigners generally won't have.

Sydney is much simpler for an English speaker, even if it isn't geographically closer.

 

[zanzibar138]

There's definitely no denying that there are easier places to travel to, but if someone was desperate to see SDR, I wouldn't necessarily write it off. A lot of the issues you mentioned may not be a deal breaker for someone just spending a couple of days in the Disney bubble, especially if they are able to take advantage of the transit visa waiver.

Hong Kong I've always found incredibly easy, especially if it's just for Disney.

At the end of the day, we all have different ideas of what we're comfortable with and people have their own reasons for wanting to avoid certain places. I just wanted to add my experience that it wasn't as complicated or overwhelming as I'd been expecting.

 

[Majide]

There's definitely no denying that there are easier places to travel to, but if someone was desperate to see SDR, I wouldn't necessarily write it off. A lot of the issues you mentioned may not be a deal breaker for someone just spending a couple of days in the Disney bubble, especially if they are able to take advantage of the transit visa waiver.

Hong Kong I've always found incredibly easy, especially if it's just for Disney.

At the end of the day, we all have different ideas of what we're comfortable with and people have their own reasons for wanting to avoid certain places. I just wanted to add my experience that it wasn't as complicated or overwhelming as I'd been expecting.

I agree with you completely, we all have different comfort levels and that's not a bad thing. For me personally, this is a trip I have been dreaming about for over 15 years. While I currently have no interest to explore the rest of China, I feel confident in traveling between the airport and the resort, and obtaining a transit visa on arrival.

I do have to say, I would love a Sydney Disney. Who knows, now that Disney Cruise Line is starting to do cruises down there, maybe they are partially testing the market for a park

 

[Kestryl]

It is all of China and I personally know people that were taken in by police for interrogation and are on Chinese government watch lists. What they were questioned for would not be considered a crime in any Western country and I won't expand any more on that. Let's just say that nothing will convince me to ever go back to mainland China in the current political environment.

For most people, visiting China would be like driving a car to someplace unfamiliar. There's a very low probability that it ends in a serious, potentially life threatening situation. If you work in journalism, religion or technology/business, visiting China would be like driving after pulling an all nighter.

I am incredibly bummed about the barriers for visiting Shanghai. I'm worried I won't ever be able to visit there (or Hong Kong, which I realize is on the same travel advisory level as France, Germany, and other countries but may still be difficult to visit).

 

[zanzibar138]

This thread seems to be getting off topic, and I can see that Gelatoni Fan's PP has been removed, and we're maybe getting a bit too political here.

I just wanted to add for Majide's benefit, as I would hate for any of this to impact their excitement about their upcoming trip. While there is always some risk in travelling, and we can all agree that some destinations are higher risk than others, and some people fit into higher risk groups than others, many people from these boards have enjoyed uneventful trips to SDR and even greater China. I would encourage you to read through some of their trip reports, check any current travel advice, and make up your own mind.