Trip to Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo

[Paul Stupin]

My wife and I are considering a bucket list trip to all three Disney parks in Asia for two weeks in 2023. Does anyone know of a travel service or agent who can handle all the logistics? We went to the Tokyo parks several years ago on a trip I planned, which worked out ok, but this time around would be great to get some help.

 

[cpc430]

Here is a great site to start at!

https://tdrexplorer.com/disney-asia-parks-itinerary/

 

[Paul Stupin]

Here is a great site to start at!

https://tdrexplorer.com/disney-asia-parks-itinerary/

Thanks! I’m quite familiar with that site, and watch his YouTube channel as well. I also actually bought his digital book about Tokyo Disneyland prior to our trip there several years ago. It wasn’t as helpful as I had hoped.

What I’m looking for is an actual travel agent or agency who will handle basically everything, much the way they do for more conventional trips elsewhere. Someone who will book the hotels, transfers, flights and ideally tickets. I know Adventures By Disney has a China trip with stops in Shanghai and Hong Kong Disneyland, but neither of them stay on site and we’ve already been elsewhere in China. The thing is, I’m not sure such a service exists. If I have to, I’ll just do all the research and book it myself. I’d just rather not!

 

[GoGoJulie]

My wife and I are considering a bucket list trip to all three Disney parks in Asia for two weeks in 2023. Does anyone know of a travel service or agent who can handle all the logistics? We went to the Tokyo parks several years ago on a trip I planned, which worked out ok, but this time around would be great to get some help.

My husband and I are in the same boat. We have been teetering on this for years. I have listen to most of the TDR podcasts and read a lot of articles. I get overwhelmed at the language barrier, visa’s and airport transfers. I often wished Disney would do an ABD specifically for the Asia parks. We have not done Tokyo as we figured if we are buying tickets to Asia, we would just conquer it all at once.
I came across an article that sounds like TDR partnered with a tour group to see all Asia parks in 2017. I am guessing either there wasn’t enough interest, or it wasn’t successful in some way as it sounds like a one time thing. I’ll attach the image of the search that I found the article as I can’t remember if links are allowed here. It was sponsored in part by Maction. The unusual thing is they do clothing and tours!?!

Surely there must be a lot of Disney fans who are interested in hitting all of the Disney parks. It would be nice to get a group of 20 - 30 interested and have ABD do a custom trip. They did run an all Asia Disney theme park trip for travel agents a few years back. I listened to a podcast about it. I called the travel agent to try to see if it would be offered to the public and they said there were no plans for it.
We were hoping to go in April 2023, but like you, logistics are bogging me down so much that it likely won’t happen for us.

 

[Paul Stupin]

My husband and I are in the same boat. We have been teetering on this for years. I have listen to most of the TDR podcasts and read a lot of articles. I get overwhelmed at the language barrier, visa’s and airport transfers. I often wished Disney would do an ABD specifically for the Asia parks. We have not done Tokyo as we figured if we are buying tickets to Asia, we would just conquer it all at once.
I came across an article that sounds like TDR partnered with a tour group to see all Asia parks in 2017. I am guessing either there wasn’t enough interest, or it wasn’t successful in some way as it sounds like a one time thing. I’ll attach the image of the search that I found the article as I can’t remember if links are allowed here. It was sponsored in part by Maction. The unusual thing is they do clothing and tours!?!

Surely there must be a lot of Disney fans who are interested in hitting all of the Disney parks. It would be nice to get a group of 20 - 30 interested and have ABD do a custom trip. They did run an all Asia Disney theme park trip for travel agents a few years back. I listened to a podcast about it. I called the travel agent to try to see if it would be offered to the public and they said there were no plans for it.
We were hoping to go in April 2023, but like you, logistics are bogging me down so much that it likely won’t happen for us.
View attachment 674208

Yeah, I temporarily stopped researching due to all the COVID issues still in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo. I don’t think Japan is even all the way open yet.

I think involving ABD would certainly solve the logistic issues, but would also cause the price to skyrocket. Sooner or later, maybe late 2023 or early 24, we’re still going to go. I think what I’ll do is find some high end travel agent to organize everything. With all the travel sites and online booking, the number of travel agents out there is dwindling, but not nonexistent. There’s got to be someone out there who will want to handle the booking and do the work. Not me…that’s for sure! I had to get a China visa once for my wife and I a few years ago. There are services for that. They handle all the paperwork and made it easy. The trip
Isn’t impossible. All you need is a visa service and good travel agent. That’s my plan.

 

[Karin1984]

I did the 3 Asia parks in about 2 weeks in 2017, the parks + 1 or 2 days in each city. We had 2.5 days in Disney Shanghai, 2 in Disney Hong Kong and 4 in Disney Tokyo.

First mistake, we did it last week of August, first week of September. It was so incredibly hot and humid (100%) that we were not very comfortable.

Second mistake, doing it in 2 weeks. We should have taken 3 weeks at least. Because everything was new and we might not return for a long time we had full days every day. I was so tired by the end of the trip, I couldn't fully enjoy it. Plan for a rest day every 2 days.

The organization itself isn't hard. It is just a lot.
We booked our longhaul flights separately from our interasia flights. We had 2 hotels in Shanghai (offsite first to explore the city, then onsite. As the park closed at the same time as last subway we stayed onsite), 1 city hotel in Hong Kong, and a partner hotel in Tokyo.
We used the 144 hours rule for China to not need a visa.

 

[Royal Consort]

Yeah, I temporarily stopped researching due to all the COVID issues still in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo. I don’t think Japan is even all the way open yet.

I think involving ABD would certainly solve the logistic issues, but would also cause the price to skyrocket. Sooner or later, maybe late 2023 or early 24, we’re still going to go. I think what I’ll do is find some high end travel agent to organize everything. With all the travel sites and online booking, the number of travel agents out there is dwindling, but not nonexistent. There’s got to be someone out there who will want to handle the booking and do the work. Not me…that’s for sure! I had to get a China visa once for my wife and I a few years ago. There are services for that. They handle all the paperwork and made it easy. The trip
Isn’t impossible. All you need is a visa service and good travel agent. That’s my plan.

I'd put the whole thing on the backburner for some time to come. China is pursuing Covid 0 due to their own politics. Even if travel is allowed in China, it's going to look vastly different over the next several years. I wouldn't be surprised if quarantine is maintained whenever they do decide to open the borders for a substantial time. Japan is likely to open well before. This is going to be a long game.

In the before times not only was the trip possible, it wasn't that difficult. No travel agent or visa service required.

 

[Paul Stupin]

I did the 3 Asia parks in about 2 weeks in 2017, the parks + 1 or 2 days in each city. We had 2.5 days in Disney Shanghai, 2 in Disney Hong Kong and 4 in Disney Tokyo.

First mistake, we did it last week of August, first week of September. It was so incredibly hot and humid (100%) that we were not very comfortable.

Second mistake, doing it in 2 weeks. We should have taken 3 weeks at least. Because everything was new and we might not return for a long time we had full days every day. I was so tired by the end of the trip, I couldn't fully enjoy it. Plan for a rest day every 2 days.

The organization itself isn't hard. It is just a lot.
We booked our longhaul flights separately from our interasia flights. We had 2 hotels in Shanghai (offsite first to explore the city, then onsite. As the park closed at the same time as last subway we stayed onsite), 1 city hotel in Hong Kong, and a partner hotel in Tokyo.
We used the 144 hours rule for China to not need a visa.

Hadn’t thought of the 144 hour visa extension. Did that include both Shanghai and Hong Kong, parks plus city exploration?

 

[Paul Stupin]

I'd put the whole thing on the backburner for some time to come. China is pursuing Covid 0 due to their own politics. Even if travel is allowed in China, it's going to look vastly different over the next several years. I wouldn't be surprised if quarantine is maintained whenever they do decide to open the borders for a substantial time. Japan is likely to open well before. This is going to be a long game.

In the before times not only was the trip possible, it wasn't that difficult. No travel agent or visa service required.

Not a bad idea. The Japan parks are amazing, with a a huge new area called Fantasy Springs, that looks beyond spectacular, opening in 2023, not to mention the Beauty And The Beast ride/land at Tokyo Disneyland that‘s been up and running for a while. Japan is also an easier trip to organize, that we might combine with a stay at Aulani, for possible consideration in 2023. If we go, we’d probably take the train to Osaka for a couple days and add in a visit to Universal.

 

[Karin1984]

Hadn’t thought of the 144 hour visa extension. Did that include both Shanghai and Hong Kong, parks plus city exploration?

With all that is happening between China and Hong Kong I do not know how this is changed.
The 144 hour visa is that you can enter China from country 1 and then leave to country 2, making China your transit point for max. 6 days. In 2017 Hong Kong was considered a different country than China for this visa. So we flew in from Europe, spend 5 days in Shanghai and then continued to Hong Kong, we had another 5 days.

 

[Paul Stupin]

With all that is happening between China and Hong Kong I do not know how this is changed.
The 144 hour visa is that you can enter China from country 1 and then leave to country 2, making China your transit point for max. 6 days. In 2017 Hong Kong was considered a different country than China for this visa. So we flew in from Europe, spend 5 days in Shanghai and then continued to Hong Kong, we had another 5 days.

Ah. Of course. Not sure what the deal with Hong Kong is these days. We’ve been to both Hong Kong and Shanghai, but not the parks. Would be great to visit them, but it does seem like now isn’t the best time.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Ah. Of course. Not sure what the deal with Hong Kong is these days. We’ve been to both Hong Kong and Shanghai, but not the parks. Would be great to visit them, but it does seem like now isn’t the best time.

You don't need a Visa to visit Hong Kong as an American and it is open to tourists right now. But it is a huge pain due to the quarantine rules. Right now, you have to reserve a quarantine hotel (you pay for this) where you will stay for 7 days. After you get out, you have to go back to specific testing centers twice to get more Covid tests. If any of your COVID tests in Hong Kong including the multiple COVID tests you take during quarantine come back positive, you get sent to a hospital or quarantine camp until the government decides you are allowed to leave. Last year, if anyone on your floor of your quarantine hotel tested positive, you'd be sent to a quarantine camp for 14 days. If you already checked out of the quarantine hotel and someone who arrived at the hotel after you and stayed with any amount of overlap on your floor tested positive, the government would track you down and send you to the quarantine camp. They may have loosened up a bit since then but from friends of relatives who have been sent to the quarantine camps, it's awful. There's no wifi; they may forget to deliver your meals; and sometimes, lots of crying children make it impossible to sleep. Everyone I know in Hong Kong who tested positive in the Omicron wave using at home kits has hidden their positive test from the government to avoid being sent to the camps. If you must go to Hong Kong, make sure you get a burner phone and never connect it to the internet in order to use their COVID tracking app. You'll have to scan it everywhere including Disneyland and if they find out you've been to someplace where someone tested positive, you may get a mandatory testing order which could waste a lot of your time and get you sent to the camps.

I don't imagine Shangai opening at all anytime soon but dealing with COVID restrictions there is even worse. The company of one of relatives is spending huge amounts of money trying to get food for their employees in China who are basically starving while trapped in their homes. They are genuinely worried that some of their engineers are going to starve to death.

 

[Paul Stupin]

You don't need a Visa to visit Hong Kong as an American and it is open to tourists right now. But it is a huge pain due to the quarantine rules. Right now, you have to reserve a quarantine hotel (you pay for this) where you will stay for 7 days. After you get out, you have to go back to specific testing centers twice to get more Covid tests. If any of your COVID tests in Hong Kong including the multiple COVID tests you take during quarantine come back positive, you get sent to a hospital or quarantine camp until the government decides you are allowed to leave. Last year, if anyone on your floor of your quarantine hotel tested positive, you'd be sent to a quarantine camp for 14 days. If you already checked out of the quarantine hotel and someone who arrived at the hotel after you and stayed with any amount of overlap on your floor tested positive, the government would track you down and send you to the quarantine camp. They may have loosened up a bit since then but from friends of relatives who have been sent to the quarantine camps, it's awful. There's no wifi; they may forget to deliver your meals; and sometimes, lots of crying children make it impossible to sleep. Everyone I know in Hong Kong who tested positive in the Omicron wave using at home kits has hidden their positive test from the government to avoid being sent to the camps. If you must go to Hong Kong, make sure you get a burner phone and never connect it to the internet in order to use their COVID tracking app. You'll have to scan it everywhere including Disneyland and if they find out you've been to someplace where someone tested positive, you may get a mandatory testing order which could waste a lot of your time and get you sent to the camps.

I don't imagine Shangai opening at all anytime soon but dealing with COVID restrictions there is even worse. The company of one of relatives is spending huge amounts of money trying to get food for their employees in China who are basically starving while trapped in their homes. They are genuinely worried that some of their engineers are going to starve to death.

Wow! Well, clearly, Hong Kong and Shanghai are out. Maybe Japan in a year or two. Or three. Thank you for the intel! Its both frightening and fascinating.

 

[KEK1]

Any recent updates on this situation, please, from people in the know? We were thinking of a HK/shanghai trip Oct next year coming from Australia.. thanks!

 

[Paul Stupin]

We’re still hesitant to book a China trip with the quarantine rules still in effect. Japan is much easier, and has just reopened. The huge new ”port” at DisneySea, Fantasy Springs, with elaborate new rides and attractions based on Tangled, Frozen and Peter Pan opens next year, while next door Tokyo Disneyland’s new Beauty and The Beast land is supposed to be amazing. We’re considering a trip there.

 

[KEK1]

I hear you! I do want to do Japan at some stage but am concerned about the crowds for those 2 parks..
DCL is coming to Aust next year so considering a cruise. Not my 1st option but I've heard lots of raving so I am curious!

 

[Jean Claude Henrie]

My husband and I are in the same boat. We have been teetering on this for years. I have listen to most of the TDR podcasts and read a lot of articles. I get overwhelmed at the language barrier, visa’s and airport transfers. I often wished Disney would do an ABD specifically for the Asia parks. We have not done Tokyo as we figured if we are buying tickets to Asia, we would just conquer it all at once.
I came across an article that sounds like TDR partnered with a tour group to see all Asia parks in 2017. I am guessing either there wasn’t enough interest, or it wasn’t successful in some way as it sounds like a one time thing. I’ll attach the image of the search that I found the article as I can’t remember if links are allowed here. It was sponsored in part by Maction. The unusual thing is they do clothing and tours!?!

Surely there must be a lot of Disney fans who are interested in hitting all of the Disney parks. It would be nice to get a group of 20 - 30 interested and have ABD do a custom trip. They did run an all Asia Disney theme park trip for travel agents a few years back. I listened to a podcast about it. I called the travel agent to try to see if it would be offered to the public and they said there were no plans for it.
We were hoping to go in April 2023, but like you, logistics are bogging me down so much that it likely won’t happen for us.
View attachment 674208

Hello,
I was wondering how both of you two ended up? We are trying to book a 2025 April vacation. Any tips or recommendations are appreciated

 

[Paul Stupin]

Hello,
I was wondering how both of you two ended up? We are trying to book a 2025 April vacation. Any tips or recommendations are appreciated

We still haven’t gone! Maybe sometime in 2025 for us as well.

 

[GoGoJulie]

We still haven’t gone! Maybe sometime in 2025 for us as well.

We still haven’t gone! Maybe sometime in 2025 for us as well.

We have not been able to do this trip yet. We have been going on too many Disney cruises. I guess they are so much easier to plan. Your nudge on the topic has me thinking we shouldn’t wait much longer. For us, it may be just doing Japan on one trip, then planning another trip for Shanghai and Hong Kong. To do all 3 Asia park in one trip continues to overwhelm me. I will ditto everyone and hope for 2025. I still think April is the month I would prefer to go. I live in Arizona, so I definitely do not want to travel in the hot months. I found this article about the best months to travel. https://wanderingindisney.com/2023/01/24/which-month-to-visit-tokyo-disney-resort/ The new land/ area “Fantasy Springs“ opens in 2024 at DisneySea, so definitely after that.

 

[Paul Stupin]

Yes, even though we’ve already been to Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea we’d wait for Fantasy Springs as well, and probably just go there, and then plan a separate trip to Shanghai. Not sure if Hong Kong is worth adding on, because it’s so small, but maybe.