# Shanghai Disneyland planning help 4/26-4/28



## Nick6300

I'm not a traveler, I'm directionally challenged... I've been known to pass my own driveway on numerous occasions, and traveling alone. What makes matters worse is that I'm a mono-lingual, Asian American, which I'm afraid may mean that the locals in China will likely assume that I speak Mandarin. I typically plan for several months for WDW, even though I could be near trip #100 there, and this is very last min decision to add SDL, an extended layover, if you will, from Seoul S. Korea to Pudong before coming back to Chicago.

What I've done so far:
1) I called Verizon and set up unlimited data for next month + travel notice ($10/day)... while there is wifi most places, I'm scared of the incoming texting fees, roaming, data use, and I'll prob. also have to call my wife occasionally back in the U.S. This will be about an extra $150 to not worry about using my phone.
2) Wife said I don't need a visa in either China (4/18-4/19 connection/ 21 hr layover , then 4/26-4/29 from S. Korea) or S. Korea (4/19-4/26).
3) Will put travel notices on a visa, master, and amex w/ no foreign trans. fees tonight.
4) Looks like $10 shipping and 2-7 days wait on if I take out some Yuan and whatever the S. Korean currency is. If I plan on using cards as much as possible, any tips on how much cash I'll need?, I'm assuming even the taxis take credit cards.
5) we recently booked Novotel, mainly for the close proximity and multiple times for free bus shuttle, and shuttle to airport (but not from). It was I think $70s per on hotels.com, we also earned a free night.
6) flight is via China Eastern Airlines the crazy long connection was essentially to save $ on a last min. trip I didn't intend to make. we'll look into their check in seating and bag policies later.
7. I downloaded the SDL app.

Still to do:
1) We still need to book the initial 21 hr layover hotel near Pudong. Has anyone been to the garden or few of the nearby tourist activities?
2) I'll get a translator app or 2. Thinking about getting 2 pocket translator books too to be able to quickly attempt to ask a basic questions via an index but maybe not necessary with an app.
3) Book park tickets. I probably won't do the premier pass, although I'm a bit scared of the 4/26 Toy Story Land opening and I think there's also a national holiday (Labor Day I think it was), in terms of crowds. However, I'll be there 2 or 3 days, I'm versed in WDW at least, and I'm a speed walker. I'm leaning towards booking a Thurs Fri 2 day and another 1 day for Sat instead of touring the city... I'm assuming everyone buys direct from Disney online instead of a Parksavers or some sort of authorized seller.
4) figure out a touring plan. When to get to the gate, when are the fireworks, etc.
5) figure out what I want to see in Seoul.

Observations:
I've only read a trip report and few comments here and glanced at the SDL website. But it sounds like
1) Prioritize Soaring FP. And I would guess go on Pirates, Tron, and the other few rides before going to the shows. I'd welcome any sort of touring tips. I'll likely try everything but the spinning rides and maybe the Marvel meet and greet. I don't know anything about the Toy Story opening.
2) I've heard there's a lot of running to attractions. That's ok, I can outrun most people . just kidding. And if there's a lot of personal space invasion, like I've seen reported, I plan on just wrapping my arms around them and giving them a hug. That might teach them, or get me slapped / arrested.
I'm mainly concerned with the language barrier and how to get around (i.e. airport to hotel).
3) Seoul seems to be about the same climate as Illinois, it'll be roughly 50s F for late April. for a high and cold for a low. Shanghai avg. is supposed to be about 70F for a high and 50F for a low. I'm thinking shorts for the SDL days and warm clothes for Seoul. Hoping for no backpack, but maybe take a poncho.
4) I think I saw it's about $20-25 taxi from the Pudong to Novotel and it's just easier than figuring out the subway. I'm surprised there isn't Uber where you can translate within the app.

Hoping the next time I have to go to Seoul, my wife can come. And maybe we'll go to Tokyo Disney. Our 10 yr is supposed to be a Europe trip so definitely thinking Paris. I'm not sure where Hong Kong ever fits in our schedule.

Any general tips or specific touring advice or otherwise is welcome. Thanks!


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## MommaBerd

@Nick6300 - How exciting that you will get to do a “layover” to SDL! As I have not yet been, I don’t have much advice based on experience, but I’ll share some of what I have learned/read. One tip I have seen is to make sure you have any hotel addresses written/printed in Chinese, especially if you take a taxi to Disneyland. I don’t think it’s necessary to get yuan in advance, and ATMs are plentiful (check with your bank for fees). The Chinese use more electronic payment methods such as WeChat or AliPay than credit cards; however, you have to have a Chinese bank account to use. So, you will need cash. Many of the carts in SDL will not take credit cards, so you will need cash for snacks, etc.

The thing about your phone is that you will be blocked from a lot of websites, and I *think* you won’t be able to use the app at SDL (I may be wrong about this)...which could be a pain. I would look into getting a China SIM card, if your phone is unlocked, and even a VPN. My guess is that this route will be cheaper and a lot less frustrating than going status quo and incurring fees. With the VPN, you can use Skype or FB or other video chat app rather than making an actual call.

As for the subway, it seems like it is actually fairly easy to navigate, should you choose to. The hotel will be able to direct you as to which lines to take. Also, you have to be careful not to get scammed by taxi drivers at the airport. Apparently you should not agree to a ride with anyone in the airport hustling rides. Go to the outside taxi stands and make sure they use the meter.

Weather-wise, I am packing for cool, warm, and rainy. Shanghai is on about the same latitude as south GA/north FL, and during this time of the year, it’s impossible to predict what the weather will be like. It could be 70° and sunny one day and then 40° and rainy the next.

I will do my best to post a trip report when I get back - and hopefully share some actual experience then...


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## Nick6300

MommaBerd said:


> @Nick6300 - The Chinese use more electronic payment methods such as WeChat or AliPay than credit cards; however, you have to have a Chinese bank account to use. So, you will need cash. Many of the carts in SDL will not take credit cards, so you will need cash for snacks, etc.
> 
> The thing about your phone is that you will be blocked from a lot of websites, and I *think* you won’t be able to use the app at SDL (I may be wrong about this)...which could be a pain. I would look into getting a China SIM card, if your phone is unlocked, and even a VPN. My guess is that this route will be cheaper and a lot less frustrating than going status quo and incurring fees. With the VPN, you can use Skype or FB or other video chat app rather than making an actual call.
> 
> ...


Thanks Robin, I will look for your trip blog if you do one or commentary. I think I saw that you're going in about 2 weeks, so beg. of April. You'd hope that you could use the SDL app at SDL, right? That be embarrassing for Disney if they couldn't at least figure that out. Unless it some government enforced blocking related. Are you planning on just going after paper FPs then?

So are you similarly paying for the travel notice on your phone provider? I'm going back and forth on going to unlimited data or just going from 4gb to like 16/24gb in case translator, navi, and other apps take a lot of data. Hopefully at least those translator and map apps work. I think I'll mostly be outside of wifi in Korea. Heard about these wifi eggs but idk if you can only get those in Korea and not in China. It's a $150-160 to go to unlimited and travel notice for me.

I'm also swaying a bit on Novotel vs. Toy Story if there really is a 1 free FP booking and a significant wait time cutting at the entrance. Toy Story is obviously kid themed (but I don't mind, I'm used to the All Stars and Pop Century) and I doubt I would use the pool and gym at the Novotel. Think it was $471 for 3 nights at Toy Story vs. $258 for Novotel so it's really the price difference vs. a FP (if true) and Disneytown gate entrance.

My bank said it was something like 3% fee and possibly 1 additional fee for atm use, so I was going to try to avoid that by taking money out beforehand and either just spending what I have left over or paying the $10 fee in the U.S. to exchange the leftover. I don't have any big bank accts except a Bank of America acct... doubt any of the big banks, even Chase will have atms there, but BOA does have an affiliation with China Construction Bank. Maybe I can find out somehow if those atms are near SDL or even better, inside SDL. But I guess thinking about that more 3% of say, $200, is only like $6. I've heard that coins can't be exchanged back, so spend that at the airport, and the airport exchange booths sometimes rip you off. I plan on buying food mostly at counter service at SDL - hopefully they take credit cards.

Good advice on the transportation - going to try to map out what subways I'd need to take and where they are located in relation to my terminal and where the legit taxis are too.

Are you taking pocket translators or relying on phone?

Haven't looked to see if Toy Story Land opening is similar to the WDW opening 6/30 with the slinky dog coaster and the aliens attraction. Between going on opening day/wknd of Toy Story Land and Labor Day being May 1, I wondering how crowded it might be and if I almost need to book the Toy Story Hotel just in case it hits capacity. I've heard that SDL is pretty spacious though. I've only witnessed the capacity warnings and ticket blocking at the diminutive MK during Christmas. Labor Day at WDW is the least busy holiday, but I'm not sure how popular the holiday is for the Chinese, in terms of vacationing.


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## MommaBerd

I am commenting below in blue.



Nick6300 said:


> Thanks Robin, I will look for your trip blog if you do one or commentary. I think I saw that you're going in about 2 weeks, so beg. of April. You'd hope that you could use the SDL app at SDL, right? That be embarrassing for Disney if they couldn't at least figure that out. Unless it some government enforced blocking related. Are you planning on just going after paper FPs then?
> 
> So are you similarly paying for the travel notice on your phone provider? I'm going back and forth on going to unlimited data or just going from 4gb to like 16/24gb in case translator, navi, and other apps take a lot of data. Hopefully at least those translator and map apps work. I think I'll mostly be outside of wifi in Korea. Heard about these wifi eggs but idk if you can only get those in Korea and not in China. It's a $150-160 to go to unlimited and travel notice for me.
> 
> I probably need to look again into whether US(?) phones work in the park, but we are going to get SIM cards and a VPN. So, I will be using the app in the park, not paper FPs.
> 
> I'm also swaying a bit on Novotel vs. Toy Story if there really is a 1 free FP booking and a significant wait time cutting at the entrance. Toy Story is obviously kid themed (but I don't mind, I'm used to the All Stars and Pop Century) and I doubt I would use the pool and gym at the Novotel. Think it was $471 for 3 nights at Toy Story vs. $258 for Novotel so it's really the price difference vs. a FP (if true) and Disneytown gate entrance.
> 
> Getting 1 free FP is new! That’s exciting news. We like to be in the Disney bubble, but more importantly, I wanted easy access for us since we have three kids. Granted, they are older. But this is our first overseas trip and I want things to be as easy as possible.
> 
> My bank said it was something like 3% fee and possibly 1 additional fee for atm use, so I was going to try to avoid that by taking money out beforehand and either just spending what I have left over or paying the $10 fee in the U.S. to exchange the leftover. I don't have any big bank accts except a Bank of America acct... doubt any of the big banks, even Chase will have atms there, but BOA does have an affiliation with China Construction Bank. Maybe I can find out somehow if those atms are near SDL or even better, inside SDL. But I guess thinking about that more 3% of say, $200, is only like $6. I've heard that coins can't be exchanged back, so spend that at the airport, and the airport exchange booths sometimes rip you off. I plan on buying food mostly at counter service at SDL - hopefully they take credit cards.
> 
> Just this morning I got a confirmation letter and touring tips from a tour operator we are using while we are in downtown Shanghai. And, the recommendation was NOT to use the foreign currency exchanges in the airport. So, I definitely had conflicting information. Their recommendation was for ATMs, too. I just found a good article from The Points Guy here (you may already know this): https://thepointsguy.com/2014/02/the-top-11-checking-accounts-for-avoiding-foreign-atm-fees/
> 
> Good advice on the transportation - going to try to map out what subways I'd need to take and where they are located in relation to my terminal and where the legit taxis are too.
> 
> I will PM you the info on taxis from the previously mentioned confirmation email.
> 
> Are you taking pocket translators or relying on phone?
> 
> I will be relying on apps, the tour guides we have (for Hangzhou and Shanghai), and good luck with some English speakers!
> 
> Haven't looked to see if Toy Story Land opening is similar to the WDW opening 6/30 with the slinky dog coaster and the aliens attraction. Between going on opening day/wknd of Toy Story Land and Labor Day being May 1, I wondering how crowded it might be and if I almost need to book the Toy Story Hotel just in case it hits capacity. I've heard that SDL is pretty spacious though. I've only witnessed the capacity warnings and ticket blocking at the diminutive MK during Christmas. Labor Day at WDW is the least busy holiday, but I'm not sure how popular the holiday is for the Chinese, in terms of vacationing.
> 
> The Toy Story Land at SDL will officially open on April 26, and it will not be an exact clone of the WDW version. They will have Rex’s Racer, similar to RC Racer at DLP and HKDL, Slinky Dog Spin, a caterpillar children’s ride, and Woody’s round-up, similar to the Alien Swirling Saucers coming to DHS. I’m hoping that they might have a “soft opening” while we are there, but I’m not holding my breath.
> 
> We will be in the parks during a national holiday(s); it couldn’t be helped. So, again it will be something with which I will get first-hand experience. Wish us luck!


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## MommaBerd

@Nick6300 - I wanted to add, especially in regards to using the app in the park, things are continually changing where the park is concerned. So info I read at one point in time may no longer be the case now...just like the 1 free FP with the hotel stay.


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## Nick6300

MommaBerd said:


> I am commenting below in blue.


I don't think you can remove sim cards from iphones, ugh.

Congrats on the free FP! I saw that on the SDL site. Have you selected yours yet? Think I've heard that Soaring has the longest wait times.

I saw the points guy article this am, thank you for posting. I actually tried looking up / calling banks such as Chase, BOA, Capital One. And they don't have ATMs there. I was actually thinking of opening a CapOne 360 checking like the article suggests - but per CapOne they don't have ATMs there and the non affiliated ones charge you the 3% plus flat fee (usually $3-5), despite the article. If you have/open a BOA checking, the China Construction Bank atms are fee free, and fairly common in Shanghai. Otherwise, look for the Global sign on atms - as there are 2 types of atms- and expect the fees. I've heard to always decline DCC dynamic currency conversion as vendors will offer to convert purchase transactions into dollars for you but tend to give you unfavorable exchange rates. Instead, let the credit card exchange the transaction into dollars for you. Visa and MasterCard have the best exchange rates for credit cards. They're nearly identical with MasterCard being ever so slightly more favorable today:
https://usa.visa.com/support/consumer/travel-support/exchange-rate-calculator.html
https://www.mastercard.us/en-us/consumers/get-support/convert-currency.html

I've actually bookmarked those 2 sites on my phone as I'm taking no foreign trans. fee cards from visa, master, amex. CapOne has no foreign trans fees on any of their cards. The no foreign trans. fees will still charge you a built in premium on exchanging the currency that you won't notice as fees, comparable to if you went to a bank here before you left to exchange some currency. Visa/master are supposed to be more accepted than amex and discover. Chase said that they will exchange without shipping or other charges here, but I no longer have a bank acct there, and my local branch wants me to have had an acct for more than 60 days to order foreign currency. And yes, multiple articles suggest that exchange booths in airports and transportation hubs have more taxing exchange rates. A lot of people suggest getting a CapOne card for credit (I won't have one) and BOA checking/atm card via China Construction Bank ATMs.  

I understand wanting to stay within the Disney bubble. I try to for the most part at WDW (we didn't on our only trip to DL), but lately have been trying to do ultra budget trips with cheap off site hotels, renting a car, mainly to better utilize more frequent trips with our APs.

Thanks for the info on Toy Story Land. I haven't been to the other int'l Disney Parks but I believe we will be at WDW in Aug., just after the 6/30 opening, to compare my experience at SDL 4/26 opening. We haven't really planned much for the Aug. trip other than a couple of Be Our Guest reservations.


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## Nick6300

https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/cre...ction-vs-currency-conversion-fees-difference/

here's an article on DCC. You may already be aware of this. Tourists are often offered by local merchants: "do you want to see how much the transaction would be in dollars," so it seems reasonable to say yes, but they would be exchanging the transaction and pocketing the cushion.

I've seen bloggers running into transactions where merchant is asking for a pin when attempting to charge on a credit card as a credit... running it in incorrectly. I don't think I even have pins for my credit cards to avoid doing cash advances.


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## MommaBerd

Nick6300 said:


> I don't think you can remove sim cards from iphones, ugh.
> 
> Congrats on the free FP! I saw that on the SDL site. Have you selected yours yet? Think I've heard that Soaring has the longest wait times.



We purchased our iPhones directly from Apple, so they are unlocked, thank goodness. Sometimes, if your contract with your carrier has expired, you can get them to unlock your phone by explaining that you are traveling overseas.

I would, however, highly recommend a VPN. It is such a small charge to get so much access. Without one, you can’t access FB; Google maps, docs, translate, etc.; any entertainment like Netflix or YouTube; and who knows what else. The one most recommended is ExpressVPN, and that is what we are going to use.

As for the FP, I am not sure how it will work. My guess is that they will let us select it when we arrive.

Thanks for all the helpful tips, too. I have put DH in charge of handling the cash!  I will be sure to share this knowledge with him, too. We have accounts at a couple of the banks, but that was smart of you to call/research directly to make sure.


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## Nomarian

Lots of good information here.  I just wanted to add my two cents or maybe one cent for our trip coming up in June. 

*Phones*  - I planned on renting a MiFi device when we get to China so we can just connect our phones to that for Internet access.   I also have a VPN already installed on them since I use that from time to time for my job.   In the parks, I know they have free WiFi, so you might not even need your phone data if you can access the app via the free WiFi.   Look on the right side of your phone.  You should see a little oval with a hole in it.  If you stick a paper clip in there, that will pop out your SIM and you can swap it for another.   I use AT&T and they don't lock the device, but you might need to check with your carrier.

*Hotels* - We booked an onsite hotel as we always do this for any Disney Park and at least you get the perk of going through the hotel only entrance to the park in DisneyTown and avoid the crazy long lines getting in.  We actually are staying in Shanghai for 3 days before moving on to Disney.

*Money* - We plan on pulling cash as soon as we land at the airport and everyday from the ATM.   Our bank reimburses us for any fees and I did this same procedure in Tokyo.  I am also trying to setup WeChat with my credit card to see if it will let me pay with that.

*Visa **- *Since we are staying longer than 144 hours, we went and got a full visa for 10 years.  It was actually easy to do with the Chinese Consulate here in Houston.

*Translator* - I am in the same boat as you.  I am Asian American and can speak some Cantonese, but not a lick of Mandarin.   I think I will get more puzzled faces than you would.     I actually got on the kickstarter for this device and although it is only one way, I plan on using it a lot.  https://iamili.com/index.html


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## CaptainCook

I'll be watching this thread with interest. We are headed to China in July including stops at SDL and HKDL, and there isn't much board activity about either one!

I'd be interested to hear recommendations for MiFi rentals. We will be arriving in Shanghai and departing from Hong Kong (or Yangshuo, as our last stay in mainland China). I would be looking for MiFi that can be dropped off in a different location than it is picked up.

Phones are something we haven't figured out yet. I'll take my iPad and can stay in touch on email etc. that way, but I don't have a personal cell phone (work phone only - and it can't go to China with me - company policy). I'm not sure if getting one just to have it for walking around and translating is worth it or not.

We have hotel and park tickets booked at SDL (directly through Disney - though sometimes Klook offers a deal for $5 or so off tickets - it's not much but it's the only discount I've seen). We're not booked at HKDL yet. Can anyone clarify - the free FP included with a stay at a Disney hotel - is it one FP per park ticket day, or one FP per night at the hotel? 

Our next step is probably our visas, but we're probably still a bit early for that.


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## cschaaf

We found the Shanghai metro very easy to use. And cheap. A 24 hour pass was something like $6US. We found a few good metro maps before we went and knew our route from the city to SDL with 2 transfers. At one of the transfers, we weren't sure if we were at the right platform so I just said the name of the next stop a few times and everyone around nodded to indicate we were in the right place.

We didn't have any problems with the language barrier. In a few instances, we had to ask a few people in a few different ways, but we always got the info we needed.

For money, I opened a checking account with Fidelity. They have an ATM card with no international fees. We got money from an ATM (large bills), then took them to the front desk at our hotels and they would swap them out for smaller bills.

In the park, we used the SDL wifi. When we were there, you needed a mainland phone number, which we didn't have. We stopped at a customer service kiosk and asked the CM. He said all we had to do was enter a mainland number. When we said we didn't have one, he said, "I do!" and asked to see our phones. He entered his number then received a PIN on his phone which he then entered into mine. Then he did the same for my wife. Took less than 5 minutes and we had wifi all day.

I've heard that you can now use international numbers, so this might be an option while you are in the park.


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## MommaBerd

CaptainCook said:


> Can anyone clarify - the free FP included with a stay at a Disney hotel - is it one FP per park ticket day, or one FP per night at the hotel?



I think this is fairly new! I will be there in about two weeks, so I will report back.



cschaaf said:


> For money, I opened a checking account with Fidelity. They have an ATM card with no international fees.



I have retirement and 529 accounts with Fidelity. So, I wouldn’t have a problem getting a checking account. The real question is how fast can we get an ATM card?


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## Nonsuch

I’m a mono-lingual Asian American current in my room at the Toy Story Hotel (checking out today), so have a few relevant and timely comments:


Nick6300 said:


> ...What makes matters worse is that I'm a mono-lingual, Asian American, which I'm afraid may mean that the locals in China will likely assume that I speak Mandarin.


All locals will assume you’d speak Mandarin, but it’s not much of a problem. I just use simple English phrases to reply to anyone, and try to speak first. “Hello” “Good Morning” “Thank You” makes it clear you are an English speaker, and all CMs (in the hotel and park) will accommodate. Many CMs speak some English or will use hand gestures. English speaking CMs will be available a check-in and other critical locations (Concierge and Guest Services).


Nick6300 said:


> I'm also swaying a bit on Novotel vs. Toy Story if there really is a 1 free FP booking and a significant wait time cutting at the entrance. Toy Story is obviously kid themed (but I don't mind, I'm used to the All Stars and Pop Century) and I doubt I would use the pool and gym at the Novotel. Think it was $471 for 3 nights at Toy Story vs. $258 for Novotel so it's really the price difference vs. a FP (if true) and Disneytown gate entrance.


I highly recommend the Toy Story Hotel for the dedicated morning entrance. I’ll try to make a detailed post when I return home (flying to Tokyo today ), but this is a major benefit.

We did not get the free fastpass, since our rooms were booked long before the promotion and tickets purchased separately.

Someone else in our group arranged the hotel reservations and travels extensively in Asia for business. They were able to arrange a hotel car for airport pickup, so after leaving customs we were at the hotel in 20 minutes 
(I’ll try to find out the cost)

A few other quick comments:

Shanghai Disney App is essential
WiFi in parks and hotel works well, but a local phone number is needed in the parks unless already logged in at the hotel — I need to write another long post about this. 
Crowds were light last week, we visited 3 days. Several times Tron and Pirates were walk-on
The Toy Story Hotel building is shaped to form an Infinity Sign. Perhaps this is obvious, but other members of my party did not notice.


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## MommaBerd

@Nonsuch - Thanks for your responses and quick highlights. So glad for you that crowds were light - how awesome!!! 

To get the free FP, I would have had to purchase tickets on property? I bought our tickets at a discount on Klook, so I will be bummed if that is part of the deal (as it doesn’t state that on the website).


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## Nick6300

MommaBerd said:


> @Nonsuch - Thanks for your responses and quick highlights. So glad for you that crowds were light - how awesome!!!
> 
> To get the free FP, I would have had to purchase tickets on property? I bought our tickets at a discount on Klook, so I will be bummed if that is part of the deal (as it doesn’t state that on the website).



https://www.shanghaidisneyresort.com/en/fastpass-advanced-reservation/

Hey Robin,
See the link above... unfortunately, I saw on the SDL site states you have to buy the ticket/hotel package to be eligible for the advance FP, and it would be done at concierge for the next day.


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## Nick6300

Nonsuch said:


> I’m a mono-lingual Asian American current in my room at the Toy Story Hotel (checking out today), so have a few relevant and timely comments:
> 
> All locals will assume you’d speak Mandarin, but it’s not much of a problem. I just use simple English phrases to reply to anyone, and try to speak first. “Hello” “Good Morning” “Thank You” makes it clear you are an English speaker, and all CMs (in the hotel and park) will accommodate. Many CMs speak some English or will use hand gestures. English speaking CMs will be available a check-in and other critical locations (Concierge and Guest Services).
> 
> I highly recommend the Toy Story Hotel for the dedicated morning entrance. I’ll try to make a detailed post when I return home (flying to Tokyo today ), but this is a major benefit.
> 
> We did not get the free fastpass, since our rooms were booked long before the promotion and tickets purchased separately.
> 
> Someone else in our group arranged the hotel reservations and travels extensively in Asia for business. They were able to arrange a hotel car for airport pickup, so after leaving customs we were at the hotel in 20 minutes
> (I’ll try to find out the cost)
> 
> A few other quick comments:
> 
> Shanghai Disney App is essential
> WiFi in parks and hotel works well, but a local phone number is needed in the parks unless already logged in at the hotel — I need to write another long post about this.
> Crowds were light last week, we visited 3 days. Several times Tron and Pirates were walk-on
> The Toy Story Hotel building is shaped to form an Infinity Sign. Perhaps this is obvious, but other members of my party did not notice.


Thank you Nonsuch -

Sounds like you'd pay the extra $220, if you were me, to stay at the Toy Story Hotel, and avoid what sounds like could be idk 30min-1hr wait at the gate each morning? Other than the price difference, one of the reasons I had picked Novotel was because it had free shuttle to the airport when leaving and the drop off/pick up to SDL.

I didn't know about the discounted park tickets, but if its something like $5, it's probably worth it to do the package and get the advance FP.

It sounds like you had a good trip. Safe travels to Tokyo!


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## Nick6300

Nomarian said:


> Lots of good information here.  I just wanted to add my two cents or maybe one cent for our trip coming up in June.
> 
> *Phones*  - I planned on renting a MiFi device when we get to China so we can just connect our phones to that for Internet access.   I also have a VPN already installed on them since I use that from time to time for my job.   In the parks, I know they have free WiFi, so you might not even need your phone data if you can access the app via the free WiFi.   Look on the right side of your phone.  You should see a little oval with a hole in it.  If you stick a paper clip in there, that will pop out your SIM and you can swap it for another.   I use AT&T and they don't lock the device, but you might need to check with your carrier.
> 
> *Hotels* - We booked an onsite hotel as we always do this for any Disney Park and at least you get the perk of going through the hotel only entrance to the park in DisneyTown and avoid the crazy long lines getting in.  We actually are staying in Shanghai for 3 days before moving on to Disney.
> 
> *Money* - We plan on pulling cash as soon as we land at the airport and everyday from the ATM.   Our bank reimburses us for any fees and I did this same procedure in Tokyo.  I am also trying to setup WeChat with my credit card to see if it will let me pay with that.
> 
> *Visa **- *Since we are staying longer than 144 hours, we went and got a full visa for 10 years.  It was actually easy to do with the Chinese Consulate here in Houston.
> 
> *Translator* - I am in the same boat as you.  I am Asian American and can speak some Cantonese, but not a lick of Mandarin.   I think I will get more puzzled faces than you would.     I actually got on the kickstarter for this device and although it is only one way, I plan on using it a lot.  https://iamili.com/index.html



Visas - So I'm in Shanghai on April 19 just for a connection to Seoul, and back from Seoul to Shanghai on April 26th-29th. I'd think that they would not count the 1st connection and I'm ok not getting a visa (hopefully for either S. Korea or China)?

Translator - which apps do you recommend? will they work in China?

Money - I've beaten this horse to death. You're fortunate to get the reimbursements. Please let us know on the WeChat if you're able to add that without a Chinese bank acct.

Hotels - Can you guesstimate how much time you save at the gate by staying onsite and going through the other entrance? How early do you have to get there if staying offsite? I think that the park is open at 9am, so maybe 7:30? I know that Disney hotels don't offer a Magical Express type service to the resort, but do they offer free shuttle to the airport and airport check in service? Is it a long walk from Toy Story Hotel or better just to wait for a bus (except maybe avoid a bus at night after fireworks?).

Phones - I'm afraid I'm pitifully horrid on tech knowledge, and probably more concerned with this (not having a translator, SDL app, and navi app) than anything else.

 So what is the recommended thing to do with your phone? I gather from Mommaberd that having your sim card replaced at idk an airport phone store and VPN access (at the same store? How do you get it ahead of time) gets you access to your apps and browsing in China. I added unlimited data then the $10/day travel notice so that I don't get the foreign per text, call, roaming charges. But I'm worried about paying the $160 extra and still not being able to access apps and such. I know you can also get a prepaid phone too. With going from Shanghai to Seoul and back to Shanghai, I'm not sure that throws a curve on what to do. When calling Verizon, the only options they give me is to do the per day travel notice and a monthly travel notice with only 100mb of data.  The right side of my iPhone 6 is just an oval button w/out a hole. I'm out of contract so I've heard you can pay a fee to get unlocked, in order to remove the sim. It sort of sounds like from the other posters, that they didn't do the VPN and had a CM enter a local number on their phones? Sorry for being clueless in this area.


----------



## Nick6300

CaptainCook said:


> I'll be watching this thread with interest. We are headed to China in July including stops at SDL and HKDL, and there isn't much board activity about either one!
> 
> I'd be interested to hear recommendations for MiFi rentals. We will be arriving in Shanghai and departing from Hong Kong (or Yangshuo, as our last stay in mainland China). I would be looking for MiFi that can be dropped off in a different location than it is picked up.
> 
> Phones are something we haven't figured out yet. I'll take my iPad and can stay in touch on email etc. that way, but I don't have a personal cell phone (work phone only - and it can't go to China with me - company policy). I'm not sure if getting one just to have it for walking around and translating is worth it or not.
> 
> We have hotel and park tickets booked at SDL (directly through Disney - though sometimes Klook offers a deal for $5 or so off tickets - it's not much but it's the only discount I've seen). We're not booked at HKDL yet. Can anyone clarify - the free FP included with a stay at a Disney hotel - is it one FP per park ticket day, or one FP per night at the hotel?
> 
> Our next step is probably our visas, but we're probably still a bit early for that.


https://www.shanghaidisneyresort.com/en/fastpass-advanced-reservation/

It sounded like the free FP is 1 per night, booked the day before for the next day. But again, only if you have the ticket/hotel package through Disney, unfortunately.

I haven't purchased - but my wife had found pocket sized translator books for something like $6. It may be easier for some people to scan through an index rather than typing it in, and also draining your battery on your phone.


----------



## Disney127

Looking forward to following everyone's posts/reports.  Thank you for sharing all the helpful information.  Just booked our flights to Shanghai, HK and Tokyo - planning to visit all 3 Disney parks on top of other sights in Japan.   With limited times at SDL and HKDL, going to try to experience what we can.  We are used to just going with the flow at Disneyland in California.   I too am worried about not being able to speak Mandarin but hoping to learn a few simple phrases.  After debating between the Novotel and Toy Story Hotel, we have decided to go with the Toy Story Hotel - DD and I love Toy Story   Probably won't spend much time in the room but like the hotel entrance perk and purchasing tickets directly at the hotel.  Going have to look into the phone/SIM/VPN since we are coming from Canada, not sure what we have compared to the US.


----------



## MommaBerd

Nick6300 said:


> https://www.shanghaidisneyresort.com/en/fastpass-advanced-reservation/
> 
> Hey Robin,
> See the link above... unfortunately, I saw on the SDL site states you have to buy the ticket/hotel package to be eligible for the advance FP, and it would be done at concierge for the next day.



UGH! When I made my new hotel reservation (two days ago), it definitely did not mention anything about having to purchase the park tickets to get the FP. That is SO frustrating!!!


----------



## Nick6300

MommaBerd said:


> UGH! When I made my new hotel reservation (two days ago), it definitely did not mention anything about having to purchase the park tickets to get the FP. That is SO frustrating!!!



sorry Robin! I probably would have done what you did and found a discount on tickets and ran with it.

I just went and opened a Fidelity "cash management account" on Fidelity.com. Fidelity as a broker, not a bank, doesn't have a true checking account but this is essentially the same thing. There is mention of $1 atm fee for ea. debit more than 5 debits per month, but that's for cash accts linked to a brokerage acct, not the cash management account. There are no commonly seen $5+ flat fees for international atm access. You can be charged by the external bank, but Fidelity will reimburse you automatically that day. You don't have to save a receipt and go to a fidelity location. There is a 1% foreign transaction fee that is included in the amount charged to your acct (you won't notice it as a fee per rep) but this is better than the 3% I've seen for chase/boa. I spoke to a few reps - in regards to your concern on how long it would take - they said it would take about 48 hrs for them to process the debit card request and ship - then it could take about a week or however long it takes for the mail service. The rep applied for an acct Sat and it hasn't shipped yet. You don't have to fund the acct to have the atm card shipped. But initiated a $100 transfer just in case.


----------



## MommaBerd

At the risk of sounding crazy, I swear the resort landing page has changed somewhat since yesterday...the benefits were listed as bullet points and there was no way to click through. I don’t know...anyhow, at this point it doesn’t matter. I may try to talk my way into one, especially since we’re staying club level.

Thanks for the additional Fidelity info. DH saw that PNC was in the article, so he was able to upgrade his account to one where we have no ATM or associated fees. Fidelity would have been our back up.


----------



## Nomarian

Nick6300 said:


> Visas - So I'm in Shanghai on April 19 just for a connection to Seoul, and back from Seoul to Shanghai on April 26th-29th. I'd think that they would not count the 1st connection and I'm ok not getting a visa (hopefully for either S. Korea or China)?
> 
> Translator - which apps do you recommend? will they work in China?
> 
> Money - I've beaten this horse to death. You're fortunate to get the reimbursements. Please let us know on the WeChat if you're able to add that without a Chinese bank acct.
> 
> Hotels - Can you guesstimate how much time you save at the gate by staying onsite and going through the other entrance? How early do you have to get there if staying offsite? I think that the park is open at 9am, so maybe 7:30? I know that Disney hotels don't offer a Magical Express type service to the resort, but do they offer free shuttle to the airport and airport check in service? Is it a long walk from Toy Story Hotel or better just to wait for a bus (except maybe avoid a bus at night after fireworks?).
> 
> Phones - I'm afraid I'm pitifully horrid on tech knowledge, and probably more concerned with this (not having a translator, SDL app, and navi app) than anything else.
> 
> So what is the recommended thing to do with your phone? I gather from Mommaberd that having your sim card replaced at idk an airport phone store and VPN access (at the same store? How do you get it ahead of time) gets you access to your apps and browsing in China. I added unlimited data then the $10/day travel notice so that I don't get the foreign per text, call, roaming charges. But I'm worried about paying the $160 extra and still not being able to access apps and such. I know you can also get a prepaid phone too. With going from Shanghai to Seoul and back to Shanghai, I'm not sure that throws a curve on what to do. When calling Verizon, the only options they give me is to do the per day travel notice and a monthly travel notice with only 100mb of data.  The right side of my iPhone 6 is just an oval button w/out a hole. I'm out of contract so I've heard you can pay a fee to get unlocked, in order to remove the sim. It sort of sounds like from the other posters, that they didn't do the VPN and had a CM enter a local number on their phones? Sorry for being clueless in this area.



Nick6300

Visa - I am not 100% sure about the 144 hour visa either, but I would probably ask customs to be safe as you will pass through them.   I just didn't want to deal with it and got a full visa.   

Translator - I am going to be using both Google Translator and my Ili device while in China.  I am thinking I should be good with both of them active.

Money - I will definitely let you know if WeChat works.  Cash is my fallback.

Hotels - I really can't tell you what the time difference is, but someone else said that the waits at the main gates can take up to an hour.   We are on our last two Disney Parks (HDL and SDL) on this trip to complete our set of all the Disney Parks before my kids finish high school and have stayed onsite for the experience.   Any extra help in getting into the parks early is just icing on the cake for us.

Phones - I had a friend who recently came back from Shanghai as her family lived there.  She told me that she actually had a hard time getting taxis and other things because she did not have a Chinese phone number.  (She has a US phone).   She said that everything now seems to be tied to a China phone number.   This has be thinking that I will get a SIM while I am there, but still do the MiFi device (https://www.tepwireless.com) for the rest of my devices.  I have a Verizon iPhone which is unlocked.  I still plan on using my VPN software as well.   I know there are other VPN software out there, but I already use one called IPVanish for my computer and since the single payment lets me use it on multiple devices, I just installed it on my phone as well.


----------



## MommaBerd

@Nomarian - I looked up Teppy and I’m wondering if you have had problems with it being spotty coverage. I read a lot of customer feedback regarding that issue.


----------



## Nick6300

Nomarian said:


> Nick6300
> 
> Visa - I am not 100% sure about the 144 hour visa either, but I would probably ask customs to be safe as you will pass through them.   I just didn't want to deal with it and got a full visa.
> 
> Translator - I am going to be using both Google Translator and my Ili device while in China.  I am thinking I should be good with both of them active.
> 
> Money - I will definitely let you know if WeChat works.  Cash is my fallback.
> 
> Hotels - I really can't tell you what the time difference is, but someone else said that the waits at the main gates can take up to an hour.   We are on our last two Disney Parks (HDL and SDL) on this trip to complete our set of all the Disney Parks before my kids finish high school and have stayed onsite for the experience.   Any extra help in getting into the parks early is just icing on the cake for us.
> 
> Phones - I had a friend who recently came back from Shanghai as her family lived there.  She told me that she actually had a hard time getting taxis and other things because she did not have a Chinese phone number.  (She has a US phone).   She said that everything now seems to be tied to a China phone number.   This has be thinking that I will get a SIM while I am there, but still do the MiFi device (https://www.tepwireless.com) for the rest of my devices.  I have a Verizon iPhone which is unlocked.  I still plan on using my VPN software as well.   I know there are other VPN software out there, but I already use one called IPVanish for my computer and since the single payment lets me use it on multiple devices, I just installed it on my phone as well.



Thank you, I will have to look into the phones. I had found this article this am: http://startuplivingchina.com/whats-best-china-sim-card/
It states to buy a 3G Plan A (66RMB) sim at China Unicom. If you have a WeChat you are able to add 1GB for 21RMB.
You can buy sim card before you leave but data costs more. You can also buy the ExpressVPN ahead of time. Idk how this fits in for me going to China-S. Korea-China.

I read this article today too:
https://www.smartertravel.com/2017/06/19/best-way-carry-money-overseas/

Nothing really new we hadn't discussed but a good overview. I may only take enough cash for the 1st day as a result of the article. I am setting up PINs for my credit cards since apparently many places there won't have the chip reader and you'd have to punch in a pin or ask to swipe the card. Two of my no foreign trans. fee credit cards are from Bank of America, and the super annoying thing with them is that this is the 4th time I've called to put on a travel notice on my debit and credit cards (30+ min hold ea. time I call) and the notices keep disappearing ea. time. I may have to apply for a capital one card soon as backup.

A good thing to maybe consider is taking photos of the front/backs of your cards with the international toll free #s just in case something happens.

Also opened a Charles Schwab High Yield Investor Checking, completely free of int'l atm fees, including the conversion % fee. Link here for info/apply. The catch is that you have to apply in conjunction, a brokerage acct, but there's no fees or min. balance (you'd don't have to ever fund it). The other bank's atms access fees are reimbursed at the end of ea. month. I'll have Fidelity (no access fee, 1% conversion fee) as backup, and China Construction Bank atms as 2nd backup.
https://www.schwab.com/resource-center/insights/content/5-ways-to-save-money-when-traveling-abroad

I thought about those electrical outlet converters last night and my wife had already ordered one for about $20 on Amazon.

I got a response from SDL that they accept visa, mastercard, and china unionpay cards. They think that there will be a lot of anticipation for 4/26 Toy Story Land opening and a lot more crowds. If you're used to DL, WDW letting you bring in a bunch of food and snacks... SDL updated their policies to prohibit food and all drinks exceeding 600ml. Glass and cans are prohibited except baby food/formula.


----------



## Nomarian

@MommaBerd - I have never used Teppy, so I can attest to whether they are good or not.  I am still researching to see if there are better MiFi devices out there for China.


----------



## MommaBerd

Nomarian said:


> @MommaBerd - I have never used Teppy, so I can attest to whether they are good or not.  I am still researching to see if there are better MiFi devices out there for China.



Sorry - I thought you already owned it...just misunderstood.


----------



## Nomarian

MommaBerd said:


> Sorry - I thought you already owned it...just misunderstood.



No worries.  I actually did decide to go with this instead of the Teppy.   The price might look expensive in the cart, but you get the $100 refund, so it is actually not bad at all.

https://www.3gsolutions.com.cn/mifi-hotspot-rental.html


----------



## MommaBerd

Nomarian said:


> No worries.  I actually did decide to go with this instead of the Teppy.   The price might look expensive in the cart, but you get the $100 refund, so it is actually not bad at all.
> 
> https://www.3gsolutions.com.cn/mifi-hotspot-rental.html



I’ll check them out! I’m not sure we’ll need it or not...I’m on the fence.


----------



## NeverlandKat

Hey everyone, just want to hand over some advice to people coming to China for the first time! 

Translators: I recommend Microsoft Translator. It's free and you can use it without a VPN. I deleted Google Translate from my phone because I was tired of having to turn my VPN on each time I wanted to quickly translate something as Google is completely blocked by the Great Firewall. You can also take a picture of something and it translates it. It's not always the best translation, but you get the gist of what it might be.

Language Barrier: I've been living in China for almost a year now and I only use very simple words and phrases. If you can learn the words for "hello" (ni hao), "thank you" (xie xie), "this one" (zhe ge), "I want" (wo yao), "I don't want" (bu yao), "I don't have" (mei you), you're golden.

Transportation: Someone in this thread or maybe another thread, I can't remember mentioned something about how they wished there was Uber or something. Well, there is! It's called DiDi! And it's in English! A nice alternative to taxi's and usually a little bit cheaper. I use it everyday. I recommend. 

Phones: It's true, everything is tied to the Chinese phone number here. I mentioned DiDi, but I think you have to register with a Chinese phone number (but not 100% sure on that). If you're going to be here for awhile and want to have complete access, I'd opt for the SIM. 

Been lurking for a long time on these boards, but as I'm finally planning my SDL trip in June (been living here a year and haven't made it there yet is unbelievable) I'm loving all the advice I'm finding on this board so I thought I would also give some advice back!


----------



## cschaaf

Nomarian said:


> Money - I will definitely let you know if WeChat works.  Cash is my fallback.



I tried WeChat for money transfers and couldn't get it to work. It kept asking me to have another WeChat user connect to my account to prove it was me. Between cash and a no foreign transaction fee credit card (Chase Sapphire), we didn't have any issues. Hopefully you have better luck than I did.



NeverlandKat said:


> Language Barrier: I've been living in China for almost a year now and I only use very simple words and phrases. If you can learn the words for *"hello" (ni hao)*, *"thank you" (xie xie)*, "this one" (zhe ge), "I want" (wo yao), *"I don't want" (bu yao)*, "I don't have" (mei you), you're golden.



I bolded the three phrases we used. The locals seemed very appreciative when we attempted, a very poor version I am sure, of ni hao and xie xie. And "bu" was like magic when we were in tourist areas with people trying to sell you stuff. A simple "bu" and they moved on to the next person.


----------



## MommaBerd

Awesome info @NeverlandKat! Thanks so much!


----------



## Impromark

Watching and reading with a keen eye here too - we're off to Shanghai & Hangzhou in early-mid April and our SDL day is a Wednesday before the opening of Toy Story Land - hoping this means we won't be in the middle of either heat, monsoon weather, or throngs of fellow tourists. Here's hoping - the current forecast is for 20-40mm (uh, 0.8 - 1.6 inches) of rain the day we arrive, which thankfully ISN'T the SDL day!

I'll be travelling with the DW and 8yo DD on this one, first time in China for all of us, though we've done TDS in Tokyo before (and LOVED it). I'm a bilingual Vietnamese-Canadian ( and my wife is from Quebec), but neither English nor French will be terribly useful here, so I'm in the same boat as a lot of you too.

We're staying offsite at the Novotel Atlantis, but the subway seems to be analogous to the system in Tokyo so we aren't expecting problems - their public transportation card seems to be able to handle subway, maglev, and even taxis equally. For connectivity, we have a couple unlocked phones (and battery packs! Always bring at least one!) and are arranging to have Chinese SIM cards (data only) to be there when we arrive. They're supposed to have a VPN included, but we're getting another one anyway as a backup. 

So far I haven't found much info on getting connected to the SDL wifi so we can take care of our FPs that way... Also hoping to figure out reservations for one of their better restaurants, as I've only just discovered that a lot of them are in Disneytown adjacent to the park (but we're allowed re-entry with the tickets, so this shouldn't be a problem). 

As for money, we're Canadian and the banks here are a little less forgiving. We've gotten some Mastercard ATM cards which SHOULD work over there, but for our ten days we've exchanged a bunch of cash and will be using it locally as possible. Hoping to avoid too many credit card fees.

Hoping to find more gems of information and more strategies in the days to come!

Mark


----------



## MommaBerd

Impromark said:


> For connectivity, we have a couple unlocked phones (and battery packs! Always bring at least one!)



Welcome aboard the planning train! Just as info/caution, people from the DIS/Dreams Unlimited China ABD trip reported that some back-up battery packs were confiscated at airport security (along with some umbrellas!?!). I’m thinking of taking mine anyway and hoping for the best. If they take it, it’s nbd as I need a more powerful one for my new phone anyway.


----------



## Impromark

Heh, I just GOT a more powerful one as one of the phones we're using is the older one with a battery that won't hack most of the day anymore. 

Looking it up, after several cases of shoddy batteries exploding at airports, the authorities will be on the lookout for batteries without a proper sticker or marking (we should be good if we bought them in North America - it's because China is the land of the knockoff), or if the maximum battery power exceeds 160mH, which few will. You can only carry a maximum of two, and they have to be with you and not in the checked luggage. This ought to cover it:

http://www.goforeign.net/home/chinese-aviation-law-restricted-power-banks 

I have a pair of 10,000 mAh batteries whose label states they are 36wAh, so we should be good. If yours DOES get confiscated y0ou can alwasy buy one while in China, but you may have difficulty bringing it back with you if it's the knockoff variety. 

But thanks for the heads up, I hadn't researched that end of things just yet!

Mark


----------



## MommaBerd

Thanks for all that great info, @Impromark! I had not researched it - just a low priority. So, I appreciate what you shared.


----------



## cschaaf

We carried 2 battery packs through 3 Chinese airports without issue. Both are Anker brand. One shows 15000mAh, the other is 13000mAh. 

When going through security, have all batteries separated out. They looked, very closely, at the number on each of the battery packs, then let them through.

Don't leave any batteries, this includes AA-type batteries, in your checked bags.



Impromark said:


> So far I haven't found much info on getting connected to the SDL wifi so we can take care of our FPs that way... Also hoping to figure out reservations for one of their better restaurants, as I've only just discovered that a lot of them are in Disneytown adjacent to the park (but we're allowed re-entry with the tickets, so this shouldn't be a problem).
> 
> Mark



A CM used his mainland phone number to get PINs for us to use the in-park WiFi. It was easy for us, we didn't even ask him to do it, but I've seen others that have asked several CMs and couldn't find someone to help.

We went to Disneytown for lunch and it was empty - and we were there on a sold out day. I don't know for sure what time we went to lunch, but I would guess it was around 12:30 (the parade was going on when we left the park) and there was no one walking around Disneytown. We walked to the front of each restaurant and checked the menus. Some of the places looked like they were closed until we got to the front door and could see a few people inside.

I don't remember the name of the place that we went to, but we walked right in and got a seat and there were empty tables all through the place.

I've seen others say Disneytown was packed when they went, so maybe we just got lucky.

It was simple to exit and reenter through Disneytown.


----------



## Impromark

Fascinating. How did you approach the CM and did you have to do the I'm-a-foreigner-need-help-please dance with the eyes and hands? And where were you?

Interesting that Disneytown was deserted at lunch… From my research I’m starting to think that a lot of the domestic Chinese like to picnic or bring their own stuff into the park, perhaps in front of the castle. We’re hoping to do lunch somewhere in the park and then dinner in Disneytown - but we're worried about how busy it'll be and if we should figure out how to make reservations. At least getting out and in is easy. What day of the week did you go?

Mark


----------



## MommaBerd

cschaaf said:


> We carried 2 battery packs through 3 Chinese airports without issue. Both are Anker brand. One shows 15000mAh, the other is 13000mAh.
> 
> When going through security, have all batteries separated out. They looked, very closely, at the number on each of the battery packs, then let them through.
> 
> Don't leave any batteries, this includes AA-type batteries, in your checked bags.



Oh my goodness - such great info!!!


----------



## Nick6300

cschaaf said:


> I tried WeChat for money transfers and couldn't get it to work. It kept asking me to have another WeChat user connect to my account to prove it was me. Between cash and a no foreign transaction fee credit card (Chase Sapphire), we didn't have any issues. Hopefully you have better luck than I did.
> 
> 
> 
> I bolded the three phrases we used. The locals seemed very appreciative when we attempted, a very poor version I am sure, of ni hao and xie xie. And "bu" was like magic when we were in tourist areas with people trying to sell you stuff. A simple "bu" and they moved on to the next person.


We also tried to add WeChat unsuccessfully. We downloaded the app for my wife and I to talk to ea. other while she's here in the U.S. and I'm in China/S. Korea. But a Disney CM said that we need local credentials (ID or Chinese phone#?) in order to use WeChat for payments and such.

But I want to update you guys on a few things:
ATM Visa cards
It took a little less than a week to get my debit cards from Fidelity and Charles Schwab - They both arrived last night and I think I applied last Wed. When I called to set up pin and set travel notice, they said that if the foreign atm gives you a choice between U.S. debit and Visa transaction, to choose U.S. Debit for less chance of some sort of fee that you'd later have to get waived. It does take a while for external transfer deposits to fund - at least 5 bus. days because of the hold they place, just in case you cancel the transfer. I need to do my last transfer deposit for these at least a week out. I applied for an HSBC mastercard as another backup no foreign fee credit card since my Bank of America cards' travel notice keeps purging by itself. Wanted the CapOne venture and there was another that had 3% on restaurants (no capone cards have foreign fees) but apparently I've had too many apps lately. 

Verizon
We decided to not go through the trouble of a sim, mainly because of the hassle of finding a China Unicom, the language barrier, then adding data without WeChat. We're going to buy the VPN Express. It technically has a 30 day refund guarantee, so you could wait until close to the trip and get that if you so choose. I upped my data plan from 4gb to 8gb for next month (for approx. $16 more). Between carryover and a promo bonus, I should have over 10gb for the 10-11 days and wifi at airport/hotel/park. I set the text reminders on data usage, so if I get close to running out, I can call and change my plan before I go over. VZW said that before I go, I should turn off International CDMA, background refresh, wifi assist, and turn on wifi calling and imessages. Another tip before putting on airplane mode is to turn off cellular data so that when you accidently hit or turn off airplane mode, you don't automatically get charged with the travel plan I set up ($10/day). I'm deleting all of those photos, trying to make space for new apps on my phone. I did figure out that my iPhone 6 from VZW was unlocked. The only times I may run into trouble without the sim is when I'm not in wifi - which shouldn't be terribly often. But notably when walking to the Bund on my 1st Shanghai layover (on way to Korea). We bought a Mandarin and Korean pocket phrase book and we'll print a walking map in case I want to leave my phone on airplane mode when outside of wifi.

I'm going to take advantage of the new battery from Apple offer for $29/30. I think Apple normally charges something like $79 except the new operating system drains our batteries quicker and they rolled out this special when everyone put up a big stink. I don't have a nearby Apple store, but there's an auth. mac repair store that can honor the price (your carrier won't do this). The battery on my 1.5 yr old iPhone 6 is supposed to be rated for 500 full charges. I've heard that my battery will drain quicker overseas because of the roaming. Not really planning on buying a new phone soon, so this is just in case it helps a little.

With carrying around a battery charger, charging cord, my passport, phone, wallet... wife asked if I'll be sporting a fanny pack. Let's hope not.


----------



## Nick6300

Impromark said:


> Watching and reading with a keen eye here too - we're off to Shanghai & Hangzhou in early-mid April and our SDL day is a Wednesday before the opening of Toy Story Land - hoping this means we won't be in the middle of either heat, monsoon weather, or throngs of fellow tourists. Here's hoping - the current forecast is for 20-40mm (uh, 0.8 - 1.6 inches) of rain the day we arrive, which thankfully ISN'T the SDL day!
> 
> I'll be travelling with the DW and 8yo DD on this one, first time in China for all of us, though we've done TDS in Tokyo before (and LOVED it). I'm a bilingual Vietnamese-Canadian ( and my wife is from Quebec), but neither English nor French will be terribly useful here, so I'm in the same boat as a lot of you too.
> 
> We're staying offsite at the Novotel Atlantis, but the subway seems to be analogous to the system in Tokyo so we aren't expecting problems - their public transportation card seems to be able to handle subway, maglev, and even taxis equally. For connectivity, we have a couple unlocked phones (and battery packs! Always bring at least one!) and are arranging to have Chinese SIM cards (data only) to be there when we arrive. They're supposed to have a VPN included, but we're getting another one anyway as a backup.
> 
> So far I haven't found much info on getting connected to the SDL wifi so we can take care of our FPs that way... Also hoping to figure out reservations for one of their better restaurants, as I've only just discovered that a lot of them are in Disneytown adjacent to the park (but we're allowed re-entry with the tickets, so this shouldn't be a problem).
> 
> As for money, we're Canadian and the banks here are a little less forgiving. We've gotten some Mastercard ATM cards which SHOULD work over there, but for our ten days we've exchanged a bunch of cash and will be using it locally as possible. Hoping to avoid too many credit card fees.
> 
> Hoping to find more gems of information and more strategies in the days to come!
> 
> Mark



Hi Mark - I'll be there the day after you arrive. Maybe I'll run into you. I found a number of no foreign fee credit cards, virtually all capital one cards... there are several credit card filter sites you can search by no foreign trans. fees. The Capital One Venture gets you 2% on all purchases and the $500 bonus after like $3000 in purchases in 90 days; annual fee waived for first yr (you can cancel right before). I'm taking 2 mastercards and a visa without the foreign fees, but expecting to only be able to use the cards some of the time. Disney CM said that all restaurants inc. quick service will accept visa/master. But others have noted the snack carts won't accept them.

Haven't really researched the weather... I guess I should take ponchos.


----------



## Nick6300

Impromark said:


> Heh, I just GOT a more powerful one as one of the phones we're using is the older one with a battery that won't hack most of the day anymore.
> 
> Looking it up, after several cases of shoddy batteries exploding at airports, the authorities will be on the lookout for batteries without a proper sticker or marking (we should be good if we bought them in North America - it's because China is the land of the knockoff), or if the maximum battery power exceeds 160mH, which few will. You can only carry a maximum of two, and they have to be with you and not in the checked luggage. This ought to cover it:
> 
> http://www.goforeign.net/home/chinese-aviation-law-restricted-power-banks
> 
> I have a pair of 10,000 mAh batteries whose label states they are 36wAh, so we should be good. If yours DOES get confiscated y0ou can alwasy buy one while in China, but you may have difficulty bringing it back with you if it's the knockoff variety.
> 
> But thanks for the heads up, I hadn't researched that end of things just yet!
> 
> Mark



Ugh - we're going to have to research this (*hint to wife. Our battery is the strong 10,000+ variety that does like 6 full charges. Thanks for the info


----------



## Nick6300

Impromark said:


> Fascinating. How did you approach the CM and did you have to do the I'm-a-foreigner-need-help-please dance with the eyes and hands? And where were you?
> 
> Interesting that Disneytown was deserted at lunch… From my research I’m starting to think that a lot of the domestic Chinese like to picnic or bring their own stuff into the park, perhaps in front of the castle. We’re hoping to do lunch somewhere in the park and then dinner in Disneytown - but we're worried about how busy it'll be and if we should figure out how to make reservations. At least getting out and in is easy. What day of the week did you go?
> 
> Mark


So I've sent several emails and yesterday I actually made 2 very long (30+ min) phone calls to CMs. And they've said the new rules are that you aren't allowed to bring in any food/drinks. They will toss anything they find at security.

Here's some other info I found from CMs:
Buses run from 6am-11pm, at least an hr before and after. So you can get to the park pretty early if you want to be near the front of RD. I was told the bus ride from Toy Story is about 10 min, and despite the advertising on the web site, it's not recommended to walk to the park.

idk if this is on the web site, but you can only get a max of 3 FP's/day and only 1 at a time. You can't have one booked via app and go get a paper one. But I've heard that they run out for the popular attractions by 11am anyhow, so you'll be hard pressed to get those 3. I've looked the past few days and FPs were gone in the early afternoon there.

Expecting it to be extremely long waits. At around 1pm, it was 180min for Soaring, 135 for rapids/SDMT, 105 for Tron, 90 for pirates, 70 for Pan. Even the likes of Dumbo and the carrousel were 55min, which is quite different from what I'm used to at WDW. I think Soaring will by 1st target (even though I've been on the Epcot version as much as 10x in a day), then either SDMT/water ride/Tron, since no FP are avail. for pirates. CM said there is a lot of anticipation for opening of Toy Story Land, and expect it to be busy. That was one of the reasons I canceled my Novotel this week and booked Toy Story Hotel for the guaranteed entrance in the park (I doubt it would reach capacity, but just in case w/ Labor Day/Toy Story Land).

My wife will told me that I've created a mess once we canceled Novotel and then booked Toy Story for 3 nights, added 1 & 2 day park ticket package - in order to get the advance FPs we discussed here on this blog. I decided to cancel this booking to go for a Spring/Summer Season Pass. The weekday one for 1235CNY is only slightly more than the 1040cny for the 1 & 2 day, but you can use it for 10% off your Disney hotel, and get 20% off all merchandise and restaurant purchases (even quick service and disneytown/hotel restaurants). The weekday one includes Sat 4/28 because of either Labor Day being that following Mon. or the Toy Story opening (prob. the former)... so it works out for me. If we had seen this earlier, it was on sale until 3/18 for like 900 something cny. It's still at that price on weChat, but we couldn't get that work. Because we're supposed to bind via wechat, your season pass to get the coupon book (with 100 cny off quick service, merchandise, x off photopass, etc.), I may not get this perk. I will also likely no longer get the advance FP booking. But I'm still going to ask concierge and argue that the season pass is an upgrade (CM thinks it will be a no). I will have to go to the hotel to hold my bags, maybe request for a room near the bus stop if the line isn't long, and activate my season pass at Guest Services (w/ passport and confirmation # on hand). Guest services is past security and to the right. Overall I had like 80-100cny savings off the room/tickets I would have purchased and I'll enjoy that 20% off food/merchandise. You can't buy the season pass on the Disney web site. You would be able to buy it online at an auth dealer Disney mentions but foreigners can't properly activate it in order to get the 10% hotel savings (you'd have to buy the season pass and then activate it at the park and then go back to the hotel to book and hope there is space). see web page for perks/details.
https://www.shanghaidisneyresort.com/en/ticket/

VZW charges 2.49/min to call to China. I added the global calling plan that is $15/mo, and canceled it after 1 day ($0.49 prorated). I figured I'd be on hold or have trouble interpreting a CM (and I did, I had to call back for another CM). Operating hours for the CMs were 8am to like 8pm which was like 7pm and later Central U.S. +86 21 3158-0000 (the 400 number wouldn't dial without the China county code). So CM canceled my prior package (web site will state that you can't refund tickets, only exchange). She booked my season pass, then gave me 10% off on Toy Story.


----------



## Nick6300

The CM insists that I will be required to buy a visa and I need my hotel confirm#. Because I'm flying in from Seoul 4/26 and heading back to Illinois on 4/29 (under 144 hrs), hoping she's wrong - as long as show my itineraries from S. Korea and to the U.S.

ok, I should probably actually get some work done. sorry for the novel.


----------



## Impromark

There IS no work when you are researching vacations! 

Thanks for the hard work and posting about it! My Disney Day is in early April, and you're arriving for the final weekend, so I think we'll be missing each other. Still, all of your work is sure to pay off.  

I'm trying to strategize my FPs - the wife doesn't want to do anything that gets too wet (so Rapids is out for the family) and the DD is too small for Tron. Luckily both have single rider lines so I may deal with my spouse to let me do one or both while the daughter is on the carousel / dumbo / etc. I'm thinking we should all do Soarin' as it's been a good ten years since my wife and I last did it, and the duaghter should love it; so maybe that'll be my first beeline to get a FP unless I can figure out the app. 

Regarding batteries, a 10,000 mAh should be safe in any sense. To get the wH value, you divide the mAh by 1,000, then multiply it by the voltage it's capable of giving out (usually up to 5V). Basically anything under 100 wH should be safe as long as the legal guff sticker is intact and legible. They're taking away anything that doesn't have a sticker, that's packed in your checkin, or that's above 160 wH, which no typical power bank should be. 

Mark


----------



## Nick6300

Impromark said:


> There IS no work when you are researching vacations!
> 
> Thanks for the hard work and posting about it! My Disney Day is in early April, and you're arriving for the final weekend, so I think we'll be missing each other. Still, all of your work is sure to pay off.
> 
> I'm trying to strategize my FPs - the wife doesn't want to do anything that gets too wet (so Rapids is out for the family) and the DD is too small for Tron. Luckily both have single rider lines so I may deal with my spouse to let me do one or both while the daughter is on the carousel / dumbo / etc. I'm thinking we should all do Soarin' as it's been a good ten years since my wife and I last did it, and the duaghter should love it; so maybe that'll be my first beeline to get a FP unless I can figure out the app.
> 
> Regarding batteries, a 10,000 mAh should be safe in any sense. To get the wH value, you divide the mAh by 1,000, then multiply it by the voltage it's capable of giving out (usually up to 5V). Basically anything under 100 wH should be safe as long as the legal guff sticker is intact and legible. They're taking away anything that doesn't have a sticker, that's packed in your checkin, or that's above 160 wH, which no typical power bank should be.
> 
> Mark



Thanks Mark,
Ironically, I think I planned my 8/2017 (near opening of Pandora at AK) trip for over 6 months, and this trip, I barely know what the attractions are less than a month out. So far, I've been more concerned with the Great Firewall.

I think I must have thought you were going near the Toy Story Land opening which I thought was Thurs, 4/26 and thought you were going on Wed 4/25.

I saw somewhere that the rapids ride (not the canoes)- you actually don't get soaked like a Kali River Rapids or even the off chance on Splash Mt.  But of course, I haven't been there to confirm. But I usually don't care if I get wet. You're chatting w/ someone who tries to go on Kali River 16x in a row in the am. If I'm getting on the plane or if it's cold, that might be a different story.

There aren't a ton of comments on the attractions here, but a lot of people grab Soaring as a FP first (due to the high wait times) and head to Pirates (because no FP avail.) or one of the other popular rides like Mine Train/Tron. Both Mine Train and Soaring are supposed to be very similar to the U.S. versions, but I'd never skip anything, except the few spinning rides and maybe the likes of Dumbo and some of the meet and greets. I plan on not moving on to any of the shows, maze, and such until it gets too busy. I'm going to continue checking times to plan that 2nd FP... it may be based on both wait times and proximity to where I think I'll be. But like many Disney fans from the States, I'm going to be more keen on riding Tron and Pirates multiple times. Given Pirates is different, and Tron won't be at WDW until 2021 for the 50th anniversary. I think I only saw like 8 available FP attractions. When you compare that to MK, it's understandable how the wait times could get rough.

Soarin' remains one of our favorites, certainly at EPCOT (over Frozen Ever After and Test Track). A lot of people don't love the updated version, but we like both the California and global Soarin's. There was 1 anomaly day and a couple super rainy days where we were permitted to stay in our seats and ride Soarin' over and over again. I believe 12x is our record, 8x is 2nd. Despite this, I find it interesting that Soaring is so popular there (vs. Tron for instance). It was also funny to see that Captain America would be like 30 min. wait time and Kylo Ren would be 5min. I guess it doesn't pay to be a bad guy.

I thought I saw the popular challenge trails were listed on the app as closed last night for maintenance - idk how long or if just real temporary. But I heard you can't take anything on the trails and you have to locker even pocket items for Tron.

Either the VPN or a CM adding in a local # should get us on the app for adding FP's after the turnstyles. Hopefully you're able to utilize the app/e-FP's. Given the 3 FP limit, I'm leaning towards getting the 1st for as early as possible to try to go for 3 (vs. getting just the 1 FP for a peak time).

I've heard that it's usually worth it to even split up to do the single rider lines whenever avail. (think I may have seen that Mine Train may even have it?). We almost always go the single rider route on RnR, Everest, and Test Track... but for me on this trip - I'm by myself anyhow. I'm getting into the park on the 1st day too late for FPs, but I will try to get there early for day 2/3.

I don't mean to be a downer... the posts we keep seeing on Americans returning from SDL and upset about the pushing, shoving, running, line cutting, and smoking. Maybe if we go there expecting to see it, it won't be as big of a negative impact.


----------



## Impromark

Well, when the fam and I went to Disney Paris, we were quickly put off by all the smoking and selfie sticks and all, despite ample signage advocating the contrary. I think if you go in understanding why it is the way it is, versus dreading it, I think it'll be a fair ways to remembering the good parts instead of the annoying. We got over it in Paris (but all of us being fluent in French didn't hurt), and overall came away satisfied from that one.

Personally, I'm most worried about the public defecation (in the park and out) and the line jumping. I do get how both evolved, and credit the Chinese government for at least trying to change things, but there's well over a billion people to convince and no time limit to do it. When we did Tokyo Disney Sea, it was easy to realize a line jumper was a Chinese tourist compared to the throngs of orderly and patient Japanese Disney goers, but here will be an exercise in patience. 

I grew up in an Asian family (my wife didn't) and know a lot of the bluntness and he-who-is-loudest-is-right aspects common to many Asian cultures; so hopefully I can help buffer things if/when they get annoying. And failing that, there's always yelling at the line jumpers in unintelligible random English words.

Alas, I'm unable to convince my wife that Roarin' Rapids would be a dry ride, after she was the one between us that got soaked on Splash Mountain.  I personally don't mind it! But as they say, happy wife, happy day at Disney. OTOH, we did Everest four times at WDW during our honeymoon, once with the FP, then the remaining times when the lines disappeared at the end of the day. I've only ever done single rider once at the INdiana Jones ride in Paris, and was in and out in twenty minutes; hoping Tron will be a similar fun time because I am NOT missing that one! 

Mark


----------



## Nick6300

Impromark said:


> Well, when the fam and I went to Disney Paris, we were quickly put off by all the smoking and selfie sticks and all, despite ample signage advocating the contrary. I think if you go in understanding why it is the way it is, versus dreading it, I think it'll be a fair ways to remembering the good parts of the annoying. We got over it in Paris (and all of us being fluent in French didn't hurt), and overall came away satisfied from that one.
> 
> Personally, I'm most worried about the public defecation (in the park and out) and the line jumping. I do get how both evolved, and credit the Chinese government for at least trying to change things, but there's well over a billion people to convince and no time limit to do it. When we did Tokyo Disney Sea, it was easy to realize a line jumper was a Chinese tourist, but here will be an exercise in patience. I grew up in an Asian family (wife didn't) and know a lot of the bluntness and he-who-is-loudest-is-right aspects common to many Asian cultures; so hopefully I can help buffer things if/when they get annoying. And failing that, there's always yelling at the line jumpers in unintelligible random English words.
> 
> Alas, I'm unable to convince my wife that Roarin' Rapids would be a dry ride, after she was the one between us that got soaked on Splash Mountain.  I personally don't mind it! But as they say, happy wife, happy day at Disney. OTOH, we did Everest four times at WDW during our honeymoon, once with the FP, then the remaining times when the lines disappeared at the end of the day. I've only ever done single rider once at the INdiana Jones ride in Paris, and was in and out in twenty minutes; hoping Tron will be a similar fun time because I am NOT missing that one!
> 
> Mark



Our running joke was that we've never really, really been wet on Splash Mt. and we always kind of look at each other and smile when we see people scrambling to rush on a poncho before boarding the rafts... and this past Dec., we were soaked in the front row, and of course it was a cooler evening. Maybe not worth revisiting but perhaps your wife might go on Rapids with a poncho and you could still try it out. But if only going for a day or short time, I can understand that you have to be choosy on what you prioritize.

That would be so neat to have gone to Paris and Tokyo too. Jealous. Perhaps some day for us. We've (I mean me) been reluctant to venture away from WDW from any other possible vacation destinations. I've been going at least once a year since 1987. We lived in Tampa, FL near Clearwater Beach in 2015-2016 and I never made it to the beach a single time. Wife went without me the week we were moving to Illinois. I was made fun of by co-workers for going to WDW every, single, week. My mom said I'd get tired of going - and she was WRONG. Got to the pt. where I could tell you which specific drinking fountain or sink in a particular bathroom had the highest water pressure.

Agree with you on your thoughts on the cultural etiquette differences. That's funny - regarding yelling at line jumpers in English. We almost always let the line jumpers go, but I can remember at least once where I moved right back in front of a group without saying a word. As a runner, I have to admit that sometimes I have trouble being ok with people running past me while I'm being good and walking (after having gotten to the park super early to be 1st in line at the turnstyles).

This is only the 2nd time seeing mention about the public potty, but I'm still having trouble believing I'll see it. Hope not! Even a brief whiff of smoke gives me an instant headache. Probably a bad idea to walk around with a gas mask.


----------



## cschaaf

Impromark said:


> Fascinating. How did you approach the CM and did you have to do the I'm-a-foreigner-need-help-please dance with the eyes and hands? And where were you?
> 
> Interesting that Disneytown was deserted at lunch… From my research I’m starting to think that a lot of the domestic Chinese like to picnic or bring their own stuff into the park, perhaps in front of the castle. We’re hoping to do lunch somewhere in the park and then dinner in Disneytown - but we're worried about how busy it'll be and if we should figure out how to make reservations. At least getting out and in is easy. What day of the week did you go?
> 
> Mark



For the WiFi, we went to a small customer service kiosk. It was just a CM standing in a little hut with a bunch of maps and times guides. We needed one of them, can't remember which, so we stopped. While we were there, I figured I'd ask the CM about the WiFi. I don't remember exactly where the kiosk was, but it was probably back around Pirates. That was our first ride and we got WiFi not long after that. Maybe between Pirates and Challenge Trails. ETA: It must have been between those two. We did not have WiFi when we did Pirates and the second thing we did was Challenge Trails and we had Wifi while my wife waited for me to do that.

The CM spoke good English, so it was easy. I asked how to get on WiFi and he said we had to enter a mainland number. I said we didn't have one and he said, excitedly, "But I do!" and whipped out his phone. He asked to see my phone and I handed it over. He had the PIN sent to his number, then entered it into my phone for me. Then he asked for my wife's phone and did the same.

We were there on July 4th last year, a Tuesday. It was a sold out day as was most of the week before our trip. We didn't eat dinner in Disneytown, so I don't know what that would have been like. It was a crazy end of the day, though. A nasty storm went through in mid afternoon and shut down most of the rides and emptied the park early.



MommaBerd said:


> Oh my goodness - such great info!!!



A few other flight tips - keep your umbrella with you and out. They will inspect that, too. And everyone there has one. DSLRs and lenses also needed to be separate. At two of the three airports we flew out of, they inspected my DSLR and lenses... very closely.

At two of the airports, they let you take liquids on the plane - just like in the US, you couldn't take them through security, but anything you purchased on the air-side, you could take on. When we flew out of Beijing, they wouldn't let any liquids on the plane. Even if you bought it at the duty free shop. It didn't make sense why they'd sell it to you, then not let you take it on. There was a small note that they gave you in your ticket jacket that explained that you couldn't take liquids on and we noticed that right away. I looked in the duty free shop and didn't see any notes telling you that. It could have been a restriction just if you were flying to the US, not sure. That would explain the lack of signs and the selling of bottles that you couldn't carry.



Impromark said:


> Well, when the fam and I went to Disney Paris, we were quickly put off by all the smoking and selfie sticks and all, despite ample signage advocating the contrary. I think if you go in understanding why it is the way it is, versus dreading it, I think it'll be a fair ways to remembering the good parts instead of the annoying. We got over it in Paris (but all of us being fluent in French didn't hurt), and overall came away satisfied from that one.
> 
> Personally, I'm most worried about the public defecation (in the park and out) and the line jumping. I do get how both evolved, and credit the Chinese government for at least trying to change things, but there's well over a billion people to convince and no time limit to do it. When we did Tokyo Disney Sea, it was easy to realize a line jumper was a Chinese tourist compared to the throngs of orderly and patient Japanese Disney goers, but here will be an exercise in patience.
> 
> I grew up in an Asian family (my wife didn't) and know a lot of the bluntness and he-who-is-loudest-is-right aspects common to many Asian cultures; so hopefully I can help buffer things if/when they get annoying. And failing that, there's always yelling at the line jumpers in unintelligible random English words.
> 
> Alas, I'm unable to convince my wife that Roarin' Rapids would be a dry ride, after she was the one between us that got soaked on Splash Mountain.  I personally don't mind it! But as they say, happy wife, happy day at Disney. OTOH, we did Everest four times at WDW during our honeymoon, once with the FP, then the remaining times when the lines disappeared at the end of the day. I've only ever done single rider once at the INdiana Jones ride in Paris, and was in and out in twenty minutes; hoping Tron will be a similar fun time because I am NOT missing that one!
> 
> Mark



*Smoking* - I really don't remember seeing much in SDL. If we did, it wasn't anything that stuck out to us.

*Public 'elimination' *- didn't see any signs of that at SDL. We saw it on the side of a highway somewhere - I think in Beijing headed to The Great Wall - but nothing at Disney.

*Trash* - saw a little trash. First thing in the morning, we were in the ticket line and a guy grabbed a map from the wall. Looked at it for less than about 8 seconds, crumpled it, and threw it in the bushes. We figured the rest of the say would be like that, but we didn't really see it. We saw a few garbage cans that didn't look to be full, but there was trash on the ground around them or just sitting on top. Some of the queues had trash in them, but not as bad as we expected. In fact, we went to Magic Kingdom for the Christmas party this past December and the queue for SDMT was much worse than what we saw in SDL.

*Line jumping* - we didn't really experience this to the degree that we expected, either. There were a few incidents of 'no personal space', but it was worse on the metro than in the queues (note: we had the Fast Pass package thing, so we only stood in a few standby lines - maybe those are worse?). The only time we got jumped was in the Peter Pan line. We were looking around and didn't notice the line had moved up. The people behind us just slid into the opening - which was probably 6' or so. We just took it as a lesson learned and made sure to pay closer attention.

In the line for the Challenge Trails, there was a 3-generation group behind me: grandmother, mother, and son (probably about 5). I was in that line by myself and figured I'd have to deal with jumping since I didn't have a partner to help block. The boy kept squeezing in front of me and the mom would yell and he'd come back. Mostly, I think he was just trying to see what was ahead and not following some 'it's okay to line jump' standard. I turned and smiled at the mom and tried to indicate that it was okay... and she said she was sorry he was doing that. I said it was fine and that was the end of that. He did it a few more times, but no big deal.

You get to a point in that line where you get fitted for a harness. The people in front of me were slower than I was (being that they were a group as opposed to me being solo) and I stood back and waited for them to get fit. I didn't want to line jump even though I think it would have been appropriate even in the States. One of the group looked at me and waived me ahead.

*Roarin Rapids* - I hate getting wet on rides. At WDW, I'll ride Splash, but desperately hope I won't get wet. At Universal, I'll ride Jurassic Park. I won't ride Kali or Bluto's or Dudley Do-Right. I don't mind it when there is a _chance_ of getting wet; I hate it when there is a _guarantee_ that you will get wet.

We road Roarin Rapids and I mostly enjoyed it - it spun. A LOT. Which I don't like, either.

You sit in groups of two and there are openings on either side of each of you. There were two young girls (maybe 8 or 10) two groups from my left. Early in the ride, a wave came up through the opening next to them and got one of them wet. The other girl laughed at her friend that got wet and I kind of smiled and chuckled a little bit. Later in the ride, a huge wave came through the opening next to me and soaked my right side - from top to bottom. Also went behind me and down my back. The little girls pointed at me and laughed hard. lol I had a map in my back right pocket and it was like a large spitball when I got off the ride.

It was super hot that day, so it wasn't so bad and I dried quickly. My wife was next to me and she didn't get a drop on her. Only the one girl and I ended up getting wet, so it's very hit or miss.

*Lockers* - When we were there, the Tron lockers were free while you rode. It looks like that is no longer the case.

We didn't see the lockers for Roarin Rapids, but it looks like those are free.

On the Challenge Trails, you can't take anything in your pockets. There are two lines: one goes through the locker area, the other skips the lockers. They weren't marked at all when we were there. My wife wasn't doing the trails, so she held all the stuff. I stood in the line for a while and we were barely moving. We finally turned a corner and I could see I was in the locker line, but it still wasn't clear if there was a separate line. A CM walked past and I asked if I had to stay there if I didn't need a locker. She said I did.

A few minutes later, another CM walked past and I tried again. He said I had to stay there.

When a third CM walked past, I asked him and explained I didn't have anything in my pockets. He said that I needed to stay in that line to put my phone in a locker. I said I didn't have a phone and he said, with a shock, "You don't have a phone!?!?!" I didn't think I'd be able to get across the message that my wife was holding our stuff. After he got over the shock, he told me I could go under the rope and pointed me where I could join the line for the attraction, skipping the lockers.


----------



## Nick6300

cschaaf said:


> For the WiFi, we went to a small customer service kiosk. It was just a CM standing in a little hut with a bunch of maps and times guides. We needed one of them, can't remember which, so we stopped. While we were there, I figured I'd ask the CM about the WiFi. I don't remember exactly where the kiosk was, but it was probably back around Pirates. That was our first ride and we got WiFi not long after that. Maybe between Pirates and Challenge Trails. ETA: It must have been between those two. We did not have WiFi when we did Pirates and the second thing we did was Challenge Trails and we had Wifi while my wife waited for me to do that.
> 
> The CM spoke good English, so it was easy. I asked how to get on WiFi and he said we had to enter a mainland number. I said we didn't have one and he said, excitedly, "But I do!" and whipped out his phone. He asked to see my phone and I handed it over. He had the PIN sent to his number, then entered it into my phone for me. Then he asked for my wife's phone and did the same.
> 
> We were there on July 4th last year, a Tuesday. It was a sold out day as was most of the week before our trip. We didn't eat dinner in Disneytown, so I don't know what that would have been like. It was a crazy end of the day, though. A nasty storm went through in mid afternoon and shut down most of the rides and emptied the park early.
> 
> 
> 
> A few other flight tips - keep your umbrella with you and out. They will inspect that, too. And everyone there has one. DSLRs and lenses also needed to be separate. At two of the three airports we flew out of, they inspected my DSLR and lenses... very closely.
> 
> At two of the airports, they let you take liquids on the plane - just like in the US, you couldn't take them through security, but anything you purchased on the air-side, you could take on. When we flew out of Beijing, they wouldn't let any liquids on the plane. Even if you bought it at the duty free shop. It didn't make sense why they'd sell it to you, then not let you take it on. There was a small note that they gave you in your ticket jacket that explained that you couldn't take liquids on and we noticed that right away. I looked in the duty free shop and didn't see any notes telling you that. It could have been a restriction just if you were flying to the US, not sure. That would explain the lack of signs and the selling of bottles that you couldn't carry.
> 
> 
> 
> *Smoking* - I really don't remember seeing much in SDL. If we did, it wasn't anything that stuck out to us.
> 
> *Public 'elimination' *- didn't see any signs of that at SDL. We saw it on the side of a highway somewhere - I think in Beijing headed to The Great Wall - but nothing at Disney.
> 
> *Trash* - saw a little trash. First thing in the morning, we were in the ticket line and a guy grabbed a map from the wall. Looked at it for less than about 8 seconds, crumpled it, and threw it in the bushes. We figured the rest of the say would be like that, but we didn't really see it. We saw a few garbage cans that didn't look to be full, but there was trash on the ground around them or just sitting on top. Some of the queues had trash in them, but not as bad as we expected. In fact, we went to Magic Kingdom for the Christmas party this past December and the queue for SDMT was much worse than what we saw in SDL.
> 
> *Line jumping* - we didn't really experience this to the degree that we expected, either. There were a few incidents of 'no personal space', but it was worse on the metro than in the queues (note: we had the Fast Pass package thing, so we only stood in a few standby lines - maybe those are worse?). The only time we got jumped was in the Peter Pan line. We were looking around and didn't notice the line had moved up. The people behind us just slid into the opening - which was probably 6' or so. We just took it as a lesson learned and made sure to pay closer attention.
> 
> In the line for the Challenge Trails, there was a 3-generation group behind me: grandmother, mother, and son (probably about 5). I was in that line by myself and figured I'd have to deal with jumping since I didn't have a partner to help block. The boy kept squeezing in front of me and the mom would yell and he'd come back. Mostly, I think he was just trying to see what was ahead and not following some 'it's okay to line jump' standard. I turned and smiled at the mom and tried to indicate that it was okay... and she said she was sorry he was doing that. I said it was fine and that was the end of that. He did it a few more times, but no big deal.
> 
> You get to a point in that line where you get fitted for a harness. The people in front of me were slower than I was (being that they were a group as opposed to me being solo) and I stood back and waited for them to get fit. I didn't want to line jump even though I think it would have been appropriate even in the States. One of the group looked at me and waived me ahead.
> 
> *Roarin Rapids* - I hate getting wet on rides. At WDW, I'll ride Splash, but desperately hope I won't get wet. At Universal, I'll ride Jurassic Park. I won't ride Kali or Bluto's or Dudley Do-Right. I don't mind it when there is a _chance_ of getting wet; I hate it when there is a _guarantee_ that you will get wet.
> 
> We road Roarin Rapids and I mostly enjoyed it - it spun. A LOT. Which I don't like, either.
> 
> You sit in groups of two and there are openings on either side of each of you. There were two young girls (maybe 8 or 10) two groups from my left. Early in the ride, a wave came up through the opening next to them and got one of them wet. The other girl laughed at her friend that got wet and I kind of smiled and chuckled a little bit. Later in the ride, a huge wave came through the opening next to me and soaked my right side - from top to bottom. Also went behind me and down my back. The little girls pointed at me and laughed hard. lol I had a map in my back right pocket and it was like a large spitball when I got off the ride.
> 
> It was super hot that day, so it wasn't so bad and I dried quickly. My wife was next to me and she didn't get a drop on her. Only the one girl and I ended up getting wet, so it's very hit or miss.
> 
> *Lockers* - When we were there, the Tron lockers were free while you rode. It looks like that is no longer the case.
> 
> We didn't see the lockers for Roarin Rapids, but it looks like those are free.
> 
> On the Challenge Trails, you can't take anything in your pockets. There are two lines: one goes through the locker area, the other skips the lockers. They weren't marked at all when we were there. My wife wasn't doing the trails, so she held all the stuff. I stood in the line for a while and we were barely moving. We finally turned a corner and I could see I was in the locker line, but it still wasn't clear if there was a separate line. A CM walked past and I asked if I had to stay there if I didn't need a locker. She said I did.
> 
> A few minutes later, another CM walked past and I tried again. He said I had to stay there.
> 
> When a third CM walked past, I asked him and explained I didn't have anything in my pockets. He said that I needed to stay in that line to put my phone in a locker. I said I didn't have a phone and he said, with a shock, "You don't have a phone!?!?!" I didn't think I'd be able to get across the message that my wife was holding our stuff. After he got over the shock, he told me I could go under the rope and pointed me where I could join the line for the attraction, skipping the lockers.



Thank you for this! Was it tough to get 3 FPs in a day? Could you please go over some of the park strategies learned like how early to get there, when let through, which FPs you went after, did you have to wait long in advance for a good spot for fireworks or just show up because there's a lot of space in front of castle. I don't table service dine by myself, did you like certain quick service over others?  

I always use just a poncho so that I don't have to take an umbrella. I'm not sure yet if I'm taking a little bag or trying to fit everything in pockets. I hope it'll be warm enough for cargo shorts.

So since you had a CM enter in a local # on your phones, it sounds like you went to China without buying a sim or VPN?


----------



## Nick6300

Impromark said:


> There IS no work when you are researching vacations!
> 
> Thanks for the hard work and posting about it! My Disney Day is in early April, and you're arriving for the final weekend, so I think we'll be missing each other. Still, all of your work is sure to pay off.
> 
> I'm trying to strategize my FPs - the wife doesn't want to do anything that gets too wet (so Rapids is out for the family) and the DD is too small for Tron. Luckily both have single rider lines so I may deal with my spouse to let me do one or both while the daughter is on the carousel / dumbo / etc. I'm thinking we should all do Soarin' as it's been a good ten years since my wife and I last did it, and the duaghter should love it; so maybe that'll be my first beeline to get a FP unless I can figure out the app.
> 
> Regarding batteries, a 10,000 mAh should be safe in any sense. To get the wH value, you divide the mAh by 1,000, then multiply it by the voltage it's capable of giving out (usually up to 5V). Basically anything under 100 wH should be safe as long as the legal guff sticker is intact and legible. They're taking away anything that doesn't have a sticker, that's packed in your checkin, or that's above 160 wH, which no typical power bank should be.
> 
> Mark



So our battery pack has an etched in vitals that states: Endurance Lithium Polymer, capacity 12000 mAh. Input 5V/IA. Output 5V/3 4A Total. 2015 TZUMI. 12,000 mAh / 1000 = 12 x 5V = 60. I think it's ok based on your description


----------



## Impromark

Yep, my the math I saw online, you're in the clear. The border guys will take issue however if these markings are rubbed off (which happens) or not included (which happens on knockoffs). I expect to find out for myself in a matter of days. 

The FP thing continues to intrigue! I've not been able to find a how-to video once a CM gets us online. If we can get and manage the FPs while online, it would be better to avoid the stampede of people heading for the FP kiosks for the selected rides!

https://www.shanghaidisneyresort.com/en/download-shanghai-disney-mobile-app/ 

And the videos of SDL prove that LOTS of people will bring umbrellas on sunny days - it's the default parasol for many Asian cultures, and depending on your height you can expect to get poked a lot by shorter people brandishing their bumbershoots. I've got an Aussie bush hat I use for such days, hopefully THAT won't make me stick out too much. We also got TDL rain gear when that visit was nearly rained out in the morning, so thinking of bringing it along. 

Mark


----------



## Nick6300

Impromark said:


> Yep, my the math I saw online, you're in the clear. The border guys will take issue however if these markings are rubbed off (which happens) or not included (which happens on knockoffs). I expect to find out for myself in a matter of days.
> 
> The FP thing continues to intrigue! I've not been able to find a how-to video once a CM gets us online. If we can get and manage the FPs while online, it would be better to avoid the stampede of people heading for the FP kiosks for the selected rides!
> 
> https://www.shanghaidisneyresort.com/en/download-shanghai-disney-mobile-app/
> 
> And the videos of SDL prove that LOTS of people will bring umbrellas on sunny days - it's the default parasol for many Asian cultures, and depending on your height you can expect to get poked a lot by shorter people brandishing their bumbershoots. I've got an Aussie bush hat I use for such days, hopefully THAT won't make me stick out too much. We also got TDL rain gear when that visit was nearly rained out in the morning, so thinking of bringing it along.
> 
> Mark



Mark -
https://www.shanghaidisneyresort.com/en/guest-services/fastpass/

there's a "How it Works" section for both getting FP at kiosk and on your app, which you'd have to do right after passing the turnstyles. Unlike WDW, the CMs will scan your ticket or look at your plan on your app.

If you're going to a CM to get access to the app, I'd think they'd also help you/show you how to obtain your first FP if you ask. With the VPN - I'm assuming I don't have to do the CM step. I'm thinking I can scan my ticket, link myself, and get a FP with access to the app right away.

That's funny about the hat! I didn't think about the umbrella eye-poking problem. I don't have a similar hat. But maybe I can find some sunglasses or goggles/pirate outfit with an eye patch (50% protection is better than nothing). I am 6'1 and a 1/4" though, that 1/4 inch might make the life/death difference. Are you taking a bag or bagless to avoid bag check? Sounds like you can't avoid lockers on the trails but maybe Tron you could keep stuff in pockets since it doesn't flip upside down (although I never have trouble with stuff falling out on RnR).


----------



## Impromark

Oh snap - I'd totally missed that section of the page, thanks so much!

I've got the app of course and can set it up, but the way I've understood it is that you can only log into the local, wifi with a PIN sent to a Chinese phone number, which we won't have. The SIMs we're using are data-only and we weren't anticipating needing a phone number until we learned about this... Which is why I want to know everything I can about getting a CM to do it for us if at all possible.

Mark


----------



## Impromark

Additional: YouTuber and perennially perky Brit "ThisNatasha" is posting her trip to SDL this month. She's solved the questions of what they do with your bags at least on the Tron ride:






Edit: the board system seems to remove time-coded videos, so skip to 21:49 for the segment. Less secure, but the lockers people are talking about appear to be gone.

And regarding bags overall - I'm planning on being the only real bag-toting person for our party of three. If they are really being militant about taking all your food and such away, we'll do our best to carry things in pockets and keep the shopping to what can be fit inside my backpack, and skipping any larger items at least until the end of the day. I'm also thinking my backpack can also be used as erstwhile armament against line-jumpers should they prove to be a particular problem. 

Mark


----------



## Nomarian

It is interesting to note that the normal Fastpass system does not list Pirates, but if you do the Premier Fastpass, you get one for Pirates.  It almost sounds like they are going to implement that for Pirates soon there.

Thanks for the info on the seasonal pass.  I am going to email the CM I was talking to before and see if I can get a summer one and then the discount on the hotel room as well.


----------



## cschaaf

Nick6300 said:


> Thank you for this! Was it tough to get 3 FPs in a day? Could you please go over some of the park strategies learned like how early to get there, when let through, which FPs you went after, did you have to wait long in advance for a good spot for fireworks or just show up because there's a lot of space in front of castle. I don't table service dine by myself, did you like certain quick service over others?
> 
> I always use just a poncho so that I don't have to take an umbrella. I'm not sure yet if I'm taking a little bag or trying to fit everything in pockets. I hope it'll be warm enough for cargo shorts.
> 
> So since you had a CM enter in a local # on your phones, it sounds like you went to China without buying a sim or VPN?



*FP* - We bought the Premiere Passes, so we didn't have to worry about the FP system. When we went, it was all paper passes.

Also, at that time, you didn't get a Pirates FP with the Premiere. So it was an easy choice of where to go first. The next obvious choice was the Challenge Trails since they don't have FP. After that, we just walked counter-clockwise. When we got to Tron, there were still paper FPs left, so we grabbed one that was later in the day.

We only had one park day, and we knew it would likely be a short day. We landed in Shanghai the night before around 10PM and were staying in town so we knew it would be an early morning to get to SDL at open. We were leaving Shanghai the next morning, so we knew we didn't want to stay in SDL too late. The Premiere was perfect for us.

*When to arrive *- we are 'rope drop people'. We had to leave our hotel at 5:30AM to get there at park open.

*Fireworks* - they were cancelled the night we were there. A nasty storm went through in late afternoon and shut down most of the park. A few rides opened up, but they announced there would be no fireworks.

*Food* - the only place we ate was a sit-down place in Disneytown. I don't remember the name of the place - even looking at the list of restaurants hasn't jogged my memory. It was fine but a little expensive for the portion size. We brought some snacks with us and we probably grabbed a snack somewhere along the way. I can't remember. I do know we bought a lot of water and Gatorade - and they were reasonable priced.

We decided to skip dinner at the park and head back downtown. Turned out to be a mistake. We were exhausted by the time we got downtown and didn't feel like walking around looking for a place to eat. We went to one place that had food that was outside of our comfort zone and left. We ended up at McDonalds - which was fine and _very_ cheap. It was something like $6US total for our 2 meals.

*Umbrellas* - I always take a backpack and we bring ponchos. We might have been the only people in the park without an umbrella.  A tip we got before we went was to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from getting poked.

*Cell phone* - we debated for a long time on getting a SIM card or a MiFi device and eventually decided against them. We were on a Viking River Cruise for our trip, so we knew we'd have internet on the ship and in the hotels. For SDL, we went on our own and skipped the Viking tour for the day. We figured we could survive the day without internet or phone service if we had to - again, at the time, they were paper FPs and we were going to buy the set anyway, so wait times of FP through the app weren't an issue for us.




Impromark said:


> Additional: YouTuber and perennially perky Brit "ThisNatasha" is posting her trip to SDL this month. She's solved the questions of what they do with your bags at least on the Tron ride:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Edit: the board system seems to remove time-coded videos, so skip to 21:49 for the segment. Less secure, but the lockers people are talking about appear to be gone.
> 
> And regarding bags overall - I'm planning on being the only real bag-toting person for our party of three. If they are really being militant about taking all your food and such away, we'll do our best to carry things in pockets and keep the shopping to what can be fit inside my backpack, and skipping any larger items at least until the end of the day. I'm also thinking my backpack can also be used as erstwhile armament against line-jumpers should they prove to be a particular problem.
> 
> Mark



The lockers aren't 'gone', but you don't _have_ to use them. There was a shot of her walking past the lockers. The lockers there are no longer free - 60 Yuan (~$9.50 US) for the day. If you don't want to do that, you can drop your stuff in those bins be the ride track. The 1 Yuan coin lockers might still be there - they were along the walls in the locker area.


----------



## MommaBerd

So many helpful hints and tips and so many things I’d love to comment on...but I’m worn out. We leave in about 36 hours, and I feel like I still have tons to do. Maybe after our first overseas adventure, it’ll get easier...We won’t go to SDL until Thursday, so I still have a little more time to plan. I just peeked at the wait times - scary! The park is open until 10 both the days we are there, so that’s something good (hopefully).


----------



## Nick6300

I looked at the wait times tonight too. A little disheartening. I’m actually thinking I’ll see how it goes but may have to buy the premier 1 day or buy a few FPs. I mean, at 9-10am the main atttactions were 90-180 min already with few of the FP gone at 10am (soaring first then SDMT, though rapids have been slightly longer waits than SDMT) and completely gone by 11am (pan and Pooh FPs lasted the longest). Even the carousel and dumbo were like 75min in the morning. Beginning to see why there are line cutters.

The challenge trail was closed for maintenance on the app again and pirates down.


----------



## Nick6300

cschaaf said:


> *FP* - We bought the Premiere Passes, so we didn't have to worry about the FP system. When we went, it was all paper passes.
> 
> Also, at that time, you didn't get a Pirates FP with the Premiere. So it was an easy choice of where to go first. The next obvious choice was the Challenge Trails since they don't have FP. After that, we just walked counter-clockwise. When we got to Tron, there were still paper FPs left, so we grabbed one that was later in the day.
> 
> We only had one park day, and we knew it would likely be a short day. We landed in Shanghai the night before around 10PM and were staying in town so we knew it would be an early morning to get to SDL at open. We were leaving Shanghai the next morning, so we knew we didn't want to stay in SDL too late. The Premiere was perfect for us.
> 
> *When to arrive *- we are 'rope drop people'. We had to leave our hotel at 5:30AM to get there at park open.
> 
> *Fireworks* - they were cancelled the night we were there. A nasty storm went through in late afternoon and shut down most of the park. A few rides opened up, but they announced there would be no fireworks.
> 
> *Food* - the only place we ate was a sit-down place in Disneytown. I don't remember the name of the place - even looking at the list of restaurants hasn't jogged my memory. It was fine but a little expensive for the portion size. We brought some snacks with us and we probably grabbed a snack somewhere along the way. I can't remember. I do know we bought a lot of water and Gatorade - and they were reasonable priced.
> 
> We decided to skip dinner at the park and head back downtown. Turned out to be a mistake. We were exhausted by the time we got downtown and didn't feel like walking around looking for a place to eat. We went to one place that had food that was outside of our comfort zone and left. We ended up at McDonalds - which was fine and _very_ cheap. It was something like $6US total for our 2 meals.
> 
> *Umbrellas* - I always take a backpack and we bring ponchos. We might have been the only people in the park without an umbrella.  A tip we got before we went was to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from getting poked.
> 
> *Cell phone* - we debated for a long time on getting a SIM card or a MiFi device and eventually decided against them. We were on a Viking River Cruise for our trip, so we knew we'd have internet on the ship and in the hotels. For SDL, we went on our own and skipped the Viking tour for the day. We figured we could survive the day without internet or phone service if we had to - again, at the time, they were paper FPs and we were going to buy the set anyway, so wait times of FP through the app weren't an issue for us.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The lockers aren't 'gone', but you don't _have_ to use them. There was a shot of her walking past the lockers. The lockers there are no longer free - 60 Yuan (~$9.50 US) for the day. If you don't want to do that, you can drop your stuff in those bins be the ride track. The 1 Yuan coin lockers might still be there - they were along the walls in the locker area.



Thank you so much for writing this! I’m sorry you missed the finishing show. 

We normally carry a bag too but we stuff it with a bunch of stuff we don’t need, plus food, water (and sdl no longer allows them). 

With these recent long wait times, I’m not sure I’ll take the time to hang out much (or go at all) to Disneytown. Maybe shop a little after fireworks. Sort of confirms my early plan to not take the time for table service, especially going stag. it’s funny that at first, based on the number of atttactions, I thought I’d breeze through all of them in a day easily. An article I read - the author claimed this to be a half day park. Must have been when it newer, more obscure, nowhere near as popular. 

I’d have been ok with sdl sticking with just paper FPs. Would have made it more simple for me and gave me a competitive leg up. Get up early and power to the attraction of choice, without getting help/figuring out app. Although 5:30 is pretty early (still dark) when you’re on vacation! 

The risk of umbrella eye poking injuries...
Maybe the high incidence of umbrellas in Shanghai are not just for uv protection or to ward off the fashion police - but to help protect your personal space. You just twirl your open umbrella around like a bumper shield as crowds close in. 

As a banker, I whine to coworkers when I get a tiny paper cut. I can’t wait to tell them about my umbrella eye injury when I get back.


----------



## cschaaf

Nick6300 said:


> Thank you so much for writing this! I’m sorry you missed the finishing show.


Not sure we would have stayed that long anyway, and if we had, we might have tried to use that time for another ride on Pirates while the crowd was pulled away.



Nick6300 said:


> With these recent long wait times, I’m not sure I’ll take the time to hang out much (or go at all) to Disneytown. Maybe shop a little after fireworks. Sort of confirms my early plan to not take the time for table service, especially going stag. it’s funny that at first, based on the number of atttactions, I thought I’d breeze through all of them in a day easily. An article I read - the author claimed this to be a half day park. Must have been when it newer, more obscure, nowhere near as popular.


We were touring counter-clockwise from Pirates and ended up at Tron right around lunch time. To get to the rides remaining, we had to walk pretty much past Disneytown anyway, so it was an easy jump for us. If you are over by Pirates at lunch, it would be a large time sink to make the walk over to Disneytown unless you planned on doing something in that area after lunch. 

The walking alone makes this park tough to do quickly. I don't have the times, but we got in the park a few minutes after the official opening, and stayed probably 10 hours (minus the ~hour we took for lunch). We had FPs for every ride that had FP at the time and we still didn't get to everything. 

We aren't fast walkers, so that worked against us. 

We were there on a sold out day and were able to do, in order: some shopping, Pirates (no FP), Challenge Trails (no FP), 7DMT (FP), Peter Pan (FP), Buzz (FP), Tron (FP), lunch, Roaring Rapids (FP), Soaring (FP), Tarzan show, shopping, Tron (paper FP).

We waited about 45 minutes for the next Tarzan show, so that was time 'wasted', and all heck broke loose with the weather after that. We camped out in the Tarzan theater for over an hour for the storm to pass. Shopping after that was insane - most of the rides were closed for the day, so everyone was jammed in the shops. We waited probably 45 more minutes until Tron started running again and we used the paper FP we had.

The only things we wanted to do, but weren't able to were: Jack Sparrow show (we had this timed perfectly to head there after the Tarzan show, but the storm put an end to that), 12 more rides on Pirates , and another 2 or 3 runs on Tron.

We had a Pooh FP, but skipped it to save some time. Crystal Grotto was never lower than an hour wait, so we skipped that. 



Nick6300 said:


> I’d have been ok with sdl sticking with just paper FPs. Would have made it more simple for me and gave me a competitive leg up. Get up early and power to the attraction of choice, without getting help/figuring out app. Although 5:30 is pretty early (still dark) when you’re on vacation!


We were there in July, at 5:30 AM, it looked, and felt, like noon at home. It was bright, hot, and humid. It was easily in the mid 80s at 530 lol Mu wife is an early riser every day of the year. I get up as late as possible every day of the year... except when I am on vacation. I like to get my money's worth on vacation; I can rest after we get home.  Not for everyone, I know. But it works for me. 



Nick6300 said:


> The risk of umbrella eye poking injuries...
> Maybe the high incidence of umbrellas in Shanghai are not just for uv protection or to ward off the fashion police - but to help protect your personal space. You just twirl your open umbrella around like a bumper shield as crowds close in.
> 
> As a banker, I whine to coworkers when I get a tiny paper cut. I can’t wait to tell them about my umbrella eye injury when I get back.


By about our 3rd day in China, we were ready to join the locals and use our umbrellas as sun shades.


----------



## Nick6300

MommaBerd said:


> So many helpful hints and tips and so many things I’d love to comment on...but I’m worn out. We leave in about 36 hours, and I feel like I still have tons to do. Maybe after our first overseas adventure, it’ll get easier...We won’t go to SDL until Thursday, so I still have a little more time to plan. I just peeked at the wait times - scary! The park is open until 10 both the days we are there, so that’s something good (hopefully).



Hope you have a great trip Robin! Please let us know how it goes. 

Happy Easter everyone!


----------



## Nomarian

Nick6300 said:


> So I've sent several emails and yesterday I actually made 2 very long (30+ min) phone calls to CMs. And they've said the new rules are that you aren't allowed to bring in any food/drinks. They will toss anything they find at security.
> 
> 
> 
> My wife will told me that I've created a mess once we canceled Novotel and then booked Toy Story for 3 nights, added 1 & 2 day park ticket package - in order to get the advance FPs we discussed here on this blog. I decided to cancel this booking to go for a Spring/Summer Season Pass. The weekday one for 1235CNY is only slightly more than the 1040cny for the 1 & 2 day, but you can use it for 10% off your Disney hotel, and get 20% off all merchandise and restaurant purchases (even quick service and disneytown/hotel restaurants). The weekday one includes Sat 4/28 because of either Labor Day being that following Mon. or the Toy Story opening (prob. the former)... so it works out for me. If we had seen this earlier, it was on sale until 3/18 for like 900 something cny. It's still at that price on weChat, but we couldn't get that work. Because we're supposed to bind via wechat, your season pass to get the coupon book (with 100 cny off quick service, merchandise, x off photopass, etc.), I may not get this perk. I will also likely no longer get the advance FP booking. But I'm still going to ask concierge and argue that the season pass is an upgrade (CM thinks it will be a no). I will have to go to the hotel to hold my bags, maybe request for a room near the bus stop if the line isn't long, and activate my season pass at Guest Services (w/ passport and confirmation # on hand). Guest services is past security and to the right. Overall I had like 80-100cny savings off the room/tickets I would have purchased and I'll enjoy that 20% off food/merchandise. You can't buy the season pass on the Disney web site. You would be able to buy it online at an auth dealer Disney mentions but foreigners can't properly activate it in order to get the 10% hotel savings (you'd have to buy the season pass and then activate it at the park and then go back to the hotel to book and hope there is space). see web page for perks/details.
> https://www.shanghaidisneyresort.com/en/ticket/
> 
> VZW charges 2.49/min to call to China. I added the global calling plan that is $15/mo, and canceled it after 1 day ($0.49 prorated). I figured I'd be on hold or have trouble interpreting a CM (and I did, I had to call back for another CM). Operating hours for the CMs were 8am to like 8pm which was like 7pm and later Central U.S. +86 21 3158-0000 (the 400 number wouldn't dial without the China county code). So CM canceled my prior package (web site will state that you can't refund tickets, only exchange). She booked my season pass, then gave me 10% off on Toy Story.




The information here is already paying off!   I read the part about the seasonal pass and since we plan on visiting SDL for 3 days during the week, it only made sense to calculate the costs.   After going through my spreadsheet, I actually save a bit over $300 going with a weekday seasonal pass with the 10% hotel savings.  I just called the reservation number and choose English and had a CM that had very good English.  We setup my seasonal passes for my family and then he gave me the 10% off my current hotel booking, so that was pretty painless.   Now we also get 20% off food and shopping in the park, so my savings will get even better when we are there.  I am okay with not getting the coupon book if that is the case along with the additional FP, but I will know for sure if that is case when Nick6300 goes as we are not going until June.  As for my phone call cost, Vonage only charges 2 center per minute to call China, so my total cost to call was $0.43.   Thanks for the info!


----------



## Nick6300

Nomarian said:


> The information here is already paying off!   I read the part about the seasonal pass and since we plan on visiting SDL for 3 days during the week, it only made sense to calculate the costs.   After going through my spreadsheet, I actually save a bit over $300 going with a weekday seasonal pass with the 10% hotel savings.  I just called the reservation number and choose English and had a CM that had very good English.  We setup my seasonal passes for my family and then he gave me the 10% off my current hotel booking, so that was pretty painless.   Now we also get 20% off food and shopping in the park, so my savings will get even better when we are there.  I am okay with not getting the coupon book if that is the case along with the additional FP, but I will know for sure if that is case when Nick6300 goes as we are not going until June.  As for my phone call cost, Vonage only charges 2 center per minute to call China, so my total cost to call was $0.43.   Thanks for the info!



Great that you were able to get the pass and save too! Seems like many of us are stating just a day or 2. we are still working on getting a refund (cm said it could take a month) from our first hotel/ticket package we booked ourselves prior to getting the season pass. The cm had accidentally booked my room in separate day charges instead of a single transaction. It sort of seems like I lost out a little in the credit card conversion that way. But I’m more concerned with how split stays are a pain at wdw and hopefully the separate transactions won’t mean checking in and out several times (Idt so). 

I’ll let you know on the discount booklet and regarding the advance FP at the conceirge. I think the food and merchandise savings will be nice. Like I stated cm said we’d have to go to guest services to the right, after turnstiles... show your passport and purchase confirmation number.. (I saved a note in my phone) in order for them to activate our passes. 

Currently thinking about switching from Verizon (had my carrier for 20 years) to T mobile for the zero roaming, free unlimited texting in China (140 countries), unlimited data (but up to 2g there which I’m not sure would do any good) and .20/min. It’s $25 mo. Extra for the unlimited talk included but you could always add it for a month and change back (texting if sufficient for me). Kind of a bummer that the free mlb network promo is ending tomorrow night... don’t want to sign up until the day before I leave. But there’s free Netflix inc. still and the $120 unlimited 2 lines with autopay discount. 

So it’s 1230 there right now and wait times are much better than they havd been (but still high)... 165 minutes soaring, 135 SDMT, 90 tron, 75 rapids, 70 Pooh, 65 Pan, 55 dumbo. Challenge trails still closed for maintenance- hopeful that it’s back up in a couple weeks. Web site states nothing closed for refurb.


----------



## Nick6300

cschaaf said:


> Not sure we would have stayed that long anyway, and if we had, we might have tried to use that time for another ride on Pirates while the crowd was pulled away.
> 
> 
> We were touring counter-clockwise from Pirates and ended up at Tron right around lunch time. To get to the rides remaining, we had to walk pretty much past Disneytown anyway, so it was an easy jump for us. If you are over by Pirates at lunch, it would be a large time sink to make the walk over to Disneytown unless you planned on doing something in that area after lunch.
> 
> The walking alone makes this park tough to do quickly. I don't have the times, but we got in the park a few minutes after the official opening, and stayed probably 10 hours (minus the ~hour we took for lunch). We had FPs for every ride that had FP at the time and we still didn't get to everything.
> 
> We aren't fast walkers, so that worked against us.
> 
> We were there on a sold out day and were able to do, in order: some shopping, Pirates (no FP), Challenge Trails (no FP), 7DMT (FP), Peter Pan (FP), Buzz (FP), Tron (FP), lunch, Roaring Rapids (FP), Soaring (FP), Tarzan show, shopping, Tron (paper FP).
> 
> We waited about 45 minutes for the next Tarzan show, so that was time 'wasted', and all heck broke loose with the weather after that. We camped out in the Tarzan theater for over an hour for the storm to pass. Shopping after that was insane - most of the rides were closed for the day, so everyone was jammed in the shops. We waited probably 45 more minutes until Tron started running again and we used the paper FP we had.
> 
> The only things we wanted to do, but weren't able to were: Jack Sparrow show (we had this timed perfectly to head there after the Tarzan show, but the storm put an end to that), 12 more rides on Pirates , and another 2 or 3 runs on Tron.
> 
> We had a Pooh FP, but skipped it to save some time. Crystal Grotto was never lower than an hour wait, so we skipped that.
> 
> 
> We were there in July, at 5:30 AM, it looked, and felt, like noon at home. It was bright, hot, and humid. It was easily in the mid 80s at 530 lol Mu wife is an early riser every day of the year. I get up as late as possible every day of the year... except when I am on vacation. I like to get my money's worth on vacation; I can rest after we get home.  Not for everyone, I know. But it works for me.
> 
> 
> By about our 3rd day in China, we were ready to join the locals and use our umbrellas as sun shades.



No ceiling on FPs would have been nice  vs the 3 cap currently. But I not sure I’d get more than 1-2 before they're gone at 1030-11 (besides Pooh and maybe Pan). The reviews I’ve seen are all from 2016 when wait times were much lower (“you could experience over 30 min wait for the less popular attractions”... try 75 min for the carousel). But one review that seemed more comprehensive suggested to try to do tron at night (but it’s busier since everyone wants to do it at night when it’s lit up). The article suggests soaring first then rapids, SDMT.

Couldn’t remember the reason but they suggested to not do table service in park - instead go to Disneytown or limit to quick service (I wasn’t going to do table service anyhow).

The author also found a sim/WiFi egg service that shipped to your hotel and left you a bag to return a rental at the hotel desk for them to pick up (assuming you’d only return the WiFi and not a sim). 3G services. Just $3.5 for airport or hotel shipping. Still don’t know for sure if having vpn is sufficient for getting at least access to everting while on WiFi or does the WiFi at hits and park suck and I need the sim/data?


----------



## cschaaf

I don't think there are many table service options in the park. I think the only one is the character meal in the castle. I've seen good reviews of that, but it's not something we were interested in.

We didn't have much issue with the in-park WiFi and the park app. During the storm, we tried using WiFi and it was very slow. Surprisingly, not a single person around us in the theater was looking at weather maps. We tried finding a site that showed live radar, but we could not find one. I'm not sure if that's a 'thing' in China or if we just couldn't find it because the WiFi was bogged down with all the people playing games while waiting out the storm. 

The only other issue was that WiFi was spotty in Disneytown - in the park, I don't remember having any issues.


----------



## Impromark

I'm fairly sure we haven't covered this yet - but are there any experiences to relate on dining in Disneytown? We're hoping to eat a lunch somewhere in the park (I've heard Barbarossa's in POTC is nice), but to exit to Disneytown for a dinner at one of the restos there, then back for late rides and/or the finale show. I'm curious about queues to get in, the need (or even possibilities) for reservations, etc. Any wisdom on this subject?

Mark


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## Nick6300

Impromark said:


> I'm fairly sure we haven't covered this yet - but are there any experiences to relate on dining in Disneytown? We're hoping to eat a lunch somewhere in the park (I've heard Barbarossa's in POTC is nice), but to exit to Disneytown for a dinner at one of the restos there, then back for late rides and/or the finale show. I'm curious about queues to get in, the need (or even possibilities) for reservations, etc. Any wisdom on this subject?
> 
> Mark



Mark, was hoping someone who's actually been there responded to you. I had found these articles as a quick refresher (including what to do to get the visa exemptions) from all of your research:
https://tdrexplorer.com/shanghai-disneyland-planning-guide/
http://www.disneytouristblog.com/shanghai-disneyland-trip-planning-guide/

*Recommendations*
The Park consists of quick service restaurants, all of which offer varying numbers of options. Here’s a quick list of where to get specific types of food:


*Pizza*: Pinocchio Village Kitchen
*Burgers*: Stargazer Grill
*BBQ Ribs*: Barbossa’s Bounty
*Chinese Cuisine*: Wandering Moon Restaurant
*Dining Tips*

The official website has their menus online for restaurants
Make a reservation at the Royal Banquet Hall ahead of time, which is done over the phone.
Make reservations at Aurora and Lumiére’s Kitchen when you arrive at the Resort.
Bring a water bottle—your hotel should offer free bottles of water—to refill at the Park. The fountains are labeled as “Drinking Water,” so you know it’s safe.
*Guests seem to take breaks in the quick service restaurants, even during off-peak dining hours. Check if you can find a table before you order.*
Pepsi products are available in the Parks, while Coke products are not offered. If you’re not a fan of Pepsi, then stick with tea, juice, or other Pepsi products.
If a Cast Member doesn’t speak English, there are menus which you can point at that have selections written in English. All menus have English on them.
Like Cschaaf mentioned, there's just the Royal Banquet for table service at the Park (other than the 2 at S. Disneyland Hotel + ones at Disneytown), which requires the advance resie and most seem to like it. The author liked Chip/Dales, Il Paperinos in the park for snacks. I watched videos of people dining - and thought that the patisserie is one of the places I was going to go for snacks, along with the ice cream shop near the entrance. A couple of people thought the Stargazers western did the job for them as  they're not adventurous for items like octopus at Barbossa's. A lot of the quick service combos include the tiny 20oz or 12oz cold/hot drinks - different from the U.S. parks. Carmel hot chocolate is an option.

I've seen guests choosing cheesecake factory, Starbucks, and getting noodles/ramen at Disneytown, and comments that the quick service seems cheaper/better at Disneytown. There is a spring themed show at Disneytown going on and I think there might be Beauty and the Beast broadway there. I'm likely to only take the time to go to Disneytown after the the park is closed (8-830 for park vs. 10-10 for Disneytown hours are posted on app but not on web site very far out) to shop World of Disney for merchandise. I saw on the app that Wolfgang Pucks was in Disneytown - I've always liked their food at the locations at Disney Springs, WDW.

I noticed that the app had Toy Story Land on the map. Challenge Trails was open again after refurb. The wait times have been better in recent days but still something like 120-135min for Soaring, 90-105 for SDMT, 70-105 for Rapids. There was still a FP avail for Buzz into 1pm, with most gone at 1045am. Several of the non Soaring/SDMT wait times had peaked early and went down by 4pm (I couldn't sleep). While most people recommend going to the right and counterclockwise (i.e. Soaring, Rapids, SDMT...). For my stay, I think a lot of people will start out going straight for Toy Story to the left (right of Tron). I also noticed that Challenge Trails lists that closed toe shoes (no sandals or open heal - I'm guessing even the strap ones) are not allowed. I was planning on taking sandals.

https://tdrexplorer.com/disney-premier-access-now-available-at-shanghai-disneyland/

Found that the premier access is for the set of 1 time use of FPs not for unlimited rides that day, as I had hoped. Looks like you can buy 5 for the price of the set. So it's probably better to wait towards the end of the trip - see what you didn't get to experience and didn't get as a FP the last day and potentially buy a select 1-3. I wouldn't buy one for Soaring or SDMT unless really itching to see that different ending to Soaring. It looked like you could test buying one via the app (did that last night) and they were sold out for Soaring in the afternoon. I think I'd mainly consider Rapids and Tron at night time.

Yesterday, I ordered a sim  - 2GB of data only from 3GSolutions https://www.3gsolutions.com.cn/page/mifirental/. I'm going to switch off to T Mobile sim while in S. Korea, and back to the 3G Solutions sim for my Disney trip. It was about $33, delivered to my hotel. We will also get the express VPN too.


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## Impromark

Fantastic - your insomnia is to the benefit of all!

For connectivity, we're also using 3G solutions to equip our two phones. I didn't realize that our package also comes with phone numbers - hopefully that means I'll be able to receive the PIN number I need when we arrive at the park, so we can get online and get into those FP ressies. 

I also examined the wait times before going to bed and then waking up the following morning. I looked at things around 11am in Shanghai and Soaring, Rapids, and SDMT were all up over 100 minutes (Soaring was at the 135 mark, the highest I'd seen). Pirates was at 50 minutes. In the morning, it was around 7pm there and and everything was down to less than an hour, with Soaring still ruling the roost at 55 minutes - Tron was 50, probably for folks who wanted to do it at night. 

I didn't know that Disneytown remained open after the park "closes" at 8. So much the better to catch everyone leaving for last-minute shopping and snacks before the ride home or trek to the hotels. 

As for food, as much as I'm okay doing street food and convenience stores during an entire trip (especially in Japan - you can eat like a King in a 7-11, IMO), for my family's sake I do want to step things up. Barbarossa's sounds like a good option (always wanted to dine while watching people float by, themselves hungry from an hour or more in the line) and Wandering Moon sounds like a good option for sanitized local cuisine. I've still an eye on Disneytown for dinner though, and the Crystal Jade is enticing - a franchise also found elsewhere in Shanghai it seems, and one worth trying out there, so should be good here too. Definitely gonna report back when it's all said and done.

I'll be there a week from today. Excitement mounting!

Mark


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## Nick6300

Impromark said:


> Fantastic - your insomnia is to the benefit of all!
> 
> For connectivity, we're also using 3G solutions to equip our two phones. I didn't realize that our package also comes with phone numbers - hopefully that means I'll be able to receive the PIN number I need when we arrive at the park, so we can get online and get into those FP ressies.
> 
> I also examined the wait times before going to bed and then waking up the following morning. I looked at things around 11am in Shanghai and Soaring, Rapids, and SDMT were all up over 100 minutes (Soaring was at the 135 mark, the highest I'd seen). Pirates was at 50 minutes. In the morning, it was around 7pm there and and everything was down to less than an hour, with Soaring still ruling the roost at 55 minutes - Tron was 50, probably for folks who wanted to do it at night.
> 
> I didn't know that Disneytown remained open after the park "closes" at 8. So much the better to catch everyone leaving for last-minute shopping and snacks before the ride home or trek to the hotels.
> 
> As for food, as much as I'm okay doing street food and convenience stores during an entire trip (especially in Japan - you can eat like a King in a 7-11, IMO), for my family's sake I do want to step things up. Barbarossa's sounds like a good option (always wanted to dine while watching people float by, themselves hungry from an hour or more in the line) and Wandering Moon sounds like a good option for sanitized local cuisine. I've still an eye on Disneytown for dinner though, and the Crystal Jade is enticing - a franchise also found elsewhere in Shanghai it seems, and one worth trying out there, so should be good here too. Definitely gonna report back when it's all said and done.
> 
> I'll be there a week from today. Excitement mounting!
> 
> Mark



I recall you saying you got the data only Sim (not the mifi). I know that if you got mifi, that's only data, and you'd have to get VPN for the firewall access. The Sim, like you said... think you get a local number. I'm trying to make sure getting VPN on top of sim is necessary for firewall access or if the sim is sufficient and VPN only gets you added security while on wifi. VPN Express is money back gty though. Are you going just with the sim or also getting VPN? I didn't get the texting or calling options added to sim because I figured I could just weChat or whatever app we decided to add will work well there. Think I've seen 3GSolutions bloggers state they got instructions with the sim.

Trying to decide if I'll be able to squeeze 12 days of stuff (t shirts and shorts) in a carryon and back pack to avoid baggage claim and not knowing for sure if my bag on my long layover in China will arrive in S. Korea or not. I prob. won't be able to do it.

leaning towards not taking any cash, hitting the atm at the airport for the taxi.

Been seeing Soaring consistently hitting 180 nearly every am until the past few days it's been in the 135 peak. While everything seems to hit that high early on, and drift down, I can understand the desire to go on Tron at night with it all lit up in fluorescents. Plus a lot of people are working the park counterclockwise and ending at Tron. Even if I'm able to land Soaring FP, I'm not ever going to Mine Train 1st - if it's anything like the WDW version, it breaks down 1st thing a lot/stuck at the front of a RD line while everything gets crowded. I think I'd go Roaring or even the ropes because of the limited lockers. The 7pm down times you described is pretty typical of the Disney parks late if you think about it... as you get close to fireworks time, a lot of people are grabbing their spots and not on the rides. I'm probably doing the fireworks only once and taking advantage of the lower wait times. One of the articles I posted today recommends hitting Tron at 5 min. before park closes. So they must let you stay in line after the park's closed. There are certain attractions that close earlier, the Canoes closes like at 430 (can't be on water at night), many of the shows stop like at 5 something it seems.

Excited for you, a week will fly by.


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## Nick6300

https://tdrexplorer.com/shanghai-disneyland-planning-guide/
interesting read on Chinese line queuing.


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## Nomarian

I used the TDRexplorer guide when we did TDL and I even met him while waiting in line to check in at the Disneyland Hotel there.  Very nice guy and his main base is TDL, so while his guide is a decent start, I feel that SDL is ever changing and certain things apply while others do not anymore.   I like watching Natasha's videos as she is the most current person to have gone there and show everyone.   I watched the same video from her with regards to the fastpass on the phone and found that extremely helpful and much easier to use.  

With regards to the VPN for Nick6300, you only need the VPN software if you want to access things like Google or Facebook as they are blocked by the Great Firewall.  If you plan on just doing the normal things like accessing the disney app, wechat, etc, then you should be fine.   VPN also does give you added security since the Great Firewall logs everything.  I am in IT and that alone is enough for me to have it on all the time.


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## Impromark

Actually, I did forget to mention - in addition to the VPN that 3G gave us (I configured one of our phones yesterday, it seems to work fine), I also got a subscription with Strong VPN as a backup. Apparently China will block services or servers with no particular pattern or reason, so I wanted to be doubly sure. 

Mark


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## zavandor

NeverlandKat said:


> Transportation: Someone in this thread or maybe another thread, I can't remember mentioned something about how they wished there was Uber or something. Well, there is! It's called DiDi! And it's in English! A nice alternative to taxi's and usually a little bit cheaper. I use it everyday. I recommend.



+1 for DiDi. It's incredibly cheap: we paid for short trips the equivalent of $1-2, with 30 minutes trip being around $10-15.
Another big advantage is that you can search for your destination in the app so you don't have to have it written in advance in chinese (as no taxi driver speaks english). The drawback is that they will probably call you on your chinese number to try and communicate. DiDi has a few premade sentences you can send via text to the driver, I found that sending "My GPS location is accurate please reach me here" or something like that was enough to avoid being called.
No problem getting a DiDi to the park, but getting back wasn't possible: the resort is a bit isolated from the city so no driver hangs around waiting for customers. We ended taking a taxi which was only 10% more expensive.

I would reccommend avoiding the free shuttle from and to the hotels. At least, I had a bad experience: when the park closes the coach parking for the hotel shuttles fills to capacity so our shuttle wasn't let in until most of the others left. It was a huge delay and also a bit worrying as we weren't sure what was happing and couldn't find our shuttle. Also that parking is the furthest away and it quite a hike after a full day in the park. A taxi is cheap enough to not have to deal with that madness.

The park app works well without a VPN. Actually it works better.


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## Nick6300

Nomarian said:


> I used the TDRexplorer guide when we did TDL and I even met him while waiting in line to check in at the Disneyland Hotel there.  Very nice guy and his main base is TDL, so while his guide is a decent start, I feel that SDL is ever changing and certain things apply while others do not anymore.   I like watching Natasha's videos as she is the most current person to have gone there and show everyone.   I watched the same video from her with regards to the fastpass on the phone and found that extremely helpful and much easier to use.
> 
> With regards to the VPN for Nick6300, you only need the VPN software if you want to access things like Google or Facebook as they are blocked by the Great Firewall.  If you plan on just doing the normal things like accessing the disney app, wechat, etc, then you should be fine.   VPN also does give you added security since the Great Firewall logs everything.  I am in IT and that alone is enough for me to have it on all the time.



It would be awesome to visit TDL. I only just discovered TDR (since we haven’t ventured outside the U.S. parks).

@Nomarian,
With the 3GSolutions Sim being shipped to my hostel on 4/19, I can't load it in before entering Shanghai. Hope no issues there. Going to Korea 4/20-early 4/26. I believe I have to remove the sim and replace with my U.S. sim (cycle phone) since the Chinese one might not work in S. Korea? And then reinsert the Chinese one on 4/26? Hope no issues changing sims back and forth. Heard of someone getting their phones locked when swapping sims back to U.S. sim.

For deciding on VPN: apps - we were thinking WeChat for texting because less likely blocked (but it takes up more space than others). Microsoft translator was recommended here on my post over Google translator. I think I'll add DiDi per zavandor, and perhaps some sort of currency converter app. Not really sure what's blocked when having that 3GSolutions Sim - I can live without FB.

Haven't focused much on learning how to do the FP on your phone. I only got that Chinese text confirming purchase of the season pass. So hopefully simply showing that (having confirm# handy too) + passport at Guest Services will get me either a paper pass or text (preferably something printed). I don't have any hopes of getting a FP the 1st day (getting their around 12 after dropping bags/pre check in). But I can ask concierge that night if they're willing to allow advance FP or at worst get me squared away for adding in the am.

@zavandor,
thanks for the transportation tips. I had wondered if riding the bus to hotel at night would be an issue but also wondered if many of the Chinese didn't stay on site. At WDW, we typically either skip the fireworks in favor of last rides and stay later until the park clears more or sacrifice viewing a bit more and be among the first out. I was mainly planning on last ride/shopping at Disneytown and staying out later.

Do you have to get a locker if you just have a phone/wallet/passport for Tron? I get that you have to have everything out of your pockets for the rope challenges and should for Rapids.

Only saw the Toy Story Land photos for the first time yesterday - that Rex's ride looks a little scary to me! I'm not sure I want to be the 1st g. pig.
There were 4 hour wait times for Soaring yesterday (200+ for Roaring/7DMT too)... hopefully able to ride more than 2 attractions per day.

What do you guys think on approx. cash (in USD) on hand per day needed for 1. Dining/merchandise at SDL should accept Visa so I'm thinking just transportation (up to $25 max per trip) and any food in the city.


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## zavandor

I have used 3GSolutions Sims for my trip. All Google apps (Gmail, maps, translator, Drive, google.com...), Facebook, Instagram were blocked. Didn't try Twitter but I bet it was blocked. WeChat and DiDi did work, as well as the SDL app. I have used pureVPN but we had often problems connecting.
The SIM did work in an Iphone to create a wifi hotspot to allow other devices to share the internet connection, but it didn't work in an Android phone (3 different models, so it wasn't a brand issue).

Park closed at 8pm, Disneytown officially at 9pm. I didn't stay after that time to see if they actually closed everything, but I wouldn't plan a sit down meal after park close.

We didn't stay onsite so I cannot comment on the shuttle situation for the onsite hotels. What I experienced was for a shuttle for an offsite hotel.

Lockers at Tron were not in use. CM let us in with out bags and then asked to put all the bags in a box that they then moved to the disembark station. It doesn't seem 100% secure and I wouldn't leave anything valuable or a passport in the bag.

At the gate they used the passport number to retrieve our tickets. I brought with me the confirmation email but they didn't look at it. I went the evening before to guest services to havethe ticket printed in advance, I wasn't sure if that would have saved us any time, but they told us that we had to get the tickets at the gate the next day. As soon as you pass the gate, scan the tickets with the app and you're ready to book your first FP.


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## Impromark

@zavandor what was your experience getting online with the app with your 3G SIM? Did you go to Guest Services?

I have the DiDi app but am trying to avoid registering my credit card. I'm doing an improv show while I'm there and the locals say they can hook me up if needed though.  

Mark


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## Nomarian

@Nick6300 
Yes, you will have to replace your US SIM with the 3G one if you want that to work in China with the local number.  I don't think the China one will work in Korea, but you can test.    I have not heard of phones getting locked because you swapped out SIMs.   If the phone is unlocked, then you can insert whatever SIM you want.

As for translators, I would also recommend Microsoft Translator as that is not blocked yet, but Google Translator is blocked and won't work without a VPN.  WeChat and DiDi are local apps, so they are not blocked.   I have a good friend that goes to China all the time and he is going to lend me this device while I am there as he uses it all the time.   https://www.travistranslator.com/

The Fastpass on the phone is pretty slick.  You will register your ticket and your families tickets as a group and then you can just book the fastpass on the app.  The park is so huge, that running to get the FPs is just crazy.   Just standing in line and using the app is much easier and saves so much time.  It will also allow you to maximize your fast passes.

I am in the same boat as you.  We arrive at the parks around 1pm our first day. I plan to use that day to sort out our tickets, photopass and any other items that need to be taken care of to make the next few days easier.   My seasonal passes are tied to my passport as well and I was told to get that done before I can check into the hotel there.

As for Tron, if you watch that video that Impromark posted about Natasha, she films getting on the ride and they have these big blue bins that you drop your bags into before the ride and then pick them up once you get off.   I guess if you are the only riders for that platform, it should be fairly secure, but I would not leave valuables in there.


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## Impromark

So just for the record, I’m in Shanghai now and both the 3G Solutions SIM and its bundled VPN work fine, as does the StrongVPN we got separately. You have to flip it back on periodically for some reason, but it gets the job done and we can access everything we need to outside the Great Firewall, including this site. 

Two more sleeps till our Disney day! Hoping the jet lag abates by then, it’s almost 2am local and here I am typing stuff wide awake. 

Mark


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## cschaaf

The Tron ride vehicles also have a little storage bin. We had the Premier Access passes and they required you to show your phone, so I had to carry it with me. I stored my phone in the ride vehicle bin. There was enough room for a wallet, phone, and passport. 

I worried the entire ride that I'd forget to collect my phone at the end, though.


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## Nick6300

cschaaf said:


> The Tron ride vehicles also have a little storage bin. We had the Premier Access passes and they required you to show your phone, so I had to carry it with me. I stored my phone in the ride vehicle bin. There was enough room for a wallet, phone, and passport.
> 
> I worried the entire ride that I'd forget to collect my phone at the end, though.



I think the end of March 2018 thisNatasha videos - she said riders on Tron weren't using lockers at all, just the bins. I think she left her bag in the bin (she had to). But wouldn't you be allowed to keep your phone, passport, and wallet in your pockets for Tron?


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## Nick6300

Nomarian said:


> @Nick6300
> Yes, you will have to replace your US SIM with the 3G one if you want that to work in China with the local number.  I don't think the China one will work in Korea, but you can test.    I have not heard of phones getting locked because you swapped out SIMs.   If the phone is unlocked, then you can insert whatever SIM you want.
> 
> As for translators, I would also recommend Microsoft Translator as that is not blocked yet, but Google Translator is blocked and won't work without a VPN.  WeChat and DiDi are local apps, so they are not blocked.   I have a good friend that goes to China all the time and he is going to lend me this device while I am there as he uses it all the time.   https://www.travistranslator.com/
> 
> The Fastpass on the phone is pretty slick.  You will register your ticket and your families tickets as a group and then you can just book the fastpass on the app.  The park is so huge, that running to get the FPs is just crazy.   Just standing in line and using the app is much easier and saves so much time.  It will also allow you to maximize your fast passes.
> 
> I am in the same boat as you.  We arrive at the parks around 1pm our first day. I plan to use that day to sort out our tickets, photopass and any other items that need to be taken care of to make the next few days easier.   My seasonal passes are tied to my passport as well and I was told to get that done before I can check into the hotel there.
> 
> As for Tron, if you watch that video that Impromark posted about Natasha, she films getting on the ride and they have these big blue bins that you drop your bags into before the ride and then pick them up once you get off.   I guess if you are the only riders for that platform, it should be fairly secure, but I would not leave valuables in there.



I had planned on going to the hotel first to store my bags, since it will be too early to check in early. But I was thinking about still going to the check in desk to make my room requests (instead of late at night after the park closes, when I'd be checking in), request a celebrating pin. Prior to grabbing a bus to park Guest Services for activating my season pass. I wasn't told that you must activate your season pass before check in, but I suppose that must be because of the discount that was applied to the rooms via season pass.

Verizon tech support person was the one that told me she just had to help troubleshoot someone who was switching from local sim to her U.S. sim and it locked her phone while in Asia (was unlocked before trip). I was just concerned if you had to insert the china sim before you got there and when to swap out for the U.S. one. The Chinese 3GSolutions one - I don't pick up until the Chinese hostel - it seems like they would have warned me if I had to have it shipped to U.S. if I had to have it in beforehand. I guess I'd take out the Chinese sim at Pudong, before boarding plane to S. Korea? I just rec'd an email from 3GSolutions that if I try to use the sim in Korea, that it may not work once I return to China.

Hadn't decided on photopass. I'd be taking a bunch of selfies otherwise. If we get the season pass coupon book, there was a discount in there for it. They may give you one after you activate your season pass - if you ask to use that discount anyhow. If the main attraction wait times are horrid when you get there that 1st day, you could try to squeeze in some of the shorter wait rides (Pooh, Pan, Buzz), maze, castle walk, with the parade and shows that 1st day, and decide between a last ride or fireworks.

Our biggest planning concern right now is making sure I don't need a visa for either country and what forms and steps you have to take for the 144 hr exemption. the 3 days between S. Korea and China before returning to U.S. is the one that's more in question. But I think we're safe given the 144 hrs should reset after the U.S. to China to S. Korea arrival and then lack of a country between China and U.S. going home should still comply with 3rd country rule since I arrived back to China from S. Korea and not the U.S. There's a lot of articles on forms to fill out and which lines to get in but it would be pretty awful if I have trouble with whomever I talk to over there.


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## Nomarian

@Nick6300

The CM who I bought the seasonal pass through told me that I had to take my passport and get our passes first before checking into the hotel.  He said we could drop our bags off while I went and got them, but needed them to check in, so I guess one of us will see. 

Verizon phones are unlocked, so you can swap out SIMs at will.  I would just pull out the SIM before I landed in China and then get my China SIM and insert it, so you don't incur any roaming charges if you are worried about that.   Once you land, it will try to connect with whatever SIM you have inside it.    I have switched SIMs before and never had problems.

That first day was really to take care of all the small stuff and get that out of the way and if time permitted, maybe see the fireworks show so we can use that time the rest of the days for rides.   It is pretty open for us at this point.

I feel for you with regards to the 144 hour visa.  I know that Korea is one of the countries you can come from and still qualify for the 144 hour visa.  I just didn't want to deal with it and got the whole family 10 year visas.   We were going to stay for more than 144 hours anyways as we have 4 days in Shanghai as well.


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## Nick6300

Nomarian said:


> @Nick6300
> 
> The CM who I bought the seasonal pass through told me that I had to take my passport and get our passes first before checking into the hotel.  He said we could drop our bags off while I went and got them, but needed them to check in, so I guess one of us will see.
> 
> Verizon phones are unlocked, so you can swap out SIMs at will.  I would just pull out the SIM before I landed in China and then get my China SIM and insert it, so you don't incur any roaming charges if you are worried about that.   Once you land, it will try to connect with whatever SIM you have inside it.    I have switched SIMs before and never had problems.
> 
> That first day was really to take care of all the small stuff and get that out of the way and if time permitted, maybe see the fireworks show so we can use that time the rest of the days for rides.   It is pretty open for us at this point.
> 
> I feel for you with regards to the 144 hour visa.  I know that Korea is one of the countries you can come from and still qualify for the 144 hour visa.  I just didn't want to deal with it and got the whole family 10 year visas.   We were going to stay for more than 144 hours anyways as we have 4 days in Shanghai as well.



Yeah I guess I'll have to drop off bag 1st, since I think drivers can't really take you close to the park entrance, go get pass and go into park and check in at the end of the night, to avoid a 2nd back and forth. Did you limit obtaining season pass to just adults or get them for kids too? 

I had tried calling Chinese Consulate and they tell you that you must email them - which of course they haven't responded to. Articles - I've seen that my situation is both a yes and a no in examples of whether or not the 3rd country rule works for me with going from China back to U.S. without another country in between. Hopeful that I can pay extra for an application right at the airport if need be and not be delayed too long if I decide to chance it.


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## cschaaf

Nick6300 said:


> I think the end of March 2018 thisNatasha videos - she said riders on Tron weren't using lockers at all, just the bins. I think she left her bag in the bin (she had to). But wouldn't you be allowed to keep your phone, passport, and wallet in your pockets for Tron?



Yes, based on her video, you don't have to use the lockers anymore. You can if you want to, but you don't have to. 

If you carry a bag, you'll have to put it in a locker or in one of the rolling bins that are in the load area.

For smaller items, you can put them in the little cubby that is on the ride vehicle. If you imagine sitting on that ride, you are leaning way forward, the little cubby is kind of under your chest or chin.

You might be able to keep the stuff in your pockets, I can't remember if they said you could or not, but my point is, even if you can't, there is a simple solution that is literally right in front of you on the ride vehicle.


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## Nick6300

zavandor said:


> +1 for DiDi. It's incredibly cheap: we paid for short trips the equivalent of $1-2, with 30 minutes trip being around $10-15.
> Another big advantage is that you can search for your destination in the app so you don't have to have it written in advance in chinese (as no taxi driver speaks english). The drawback is that they will probably call you on your chinese number to try and communicate. DiDi has a few premade sentences you can send via text to the driver, I found that sending "My GPS location is accurate please reach me here" or something like that was enough to avoid being called.
> No problem getting a DiDi to the park, but getting back wasn't possible: the resort is a bit isolated from the city so no driver hangs around waiting for customers. We ended taking a taxi which was only 10% more expensive.
> 
> I would reccommend avoiding the free shuttle from and to the hotels. At least, I had a bad experience: when the park closes the coach parking for the hotel shuttles fills to capacity so our shuttle wasn't let in until most of the others left. It was a huge delay and also a bit worrying as we weren't sure what was happing and couldn't find our shuttle. Also that parking is the furthest away and it quite a hike after a full day in the park. A taxi is cheap enough to not have to deal with that madness.
> 
> The park app works well without a VPN. Actually it works better.



I downloaded the DiDi app but I elected to "skip" the step of entering your phone number because I don't want a driver to call me. But I wonder if you have to put a number in for it to track your location or allow for you to place an order. If it has to be a Chinese #, I don't get my sim until I get to the hostel from Pudong (and may have to use a taxi). I didn't see where you can enter the pre-made texting?


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## zavandor

Nick6300 said:


> I downloaded the DiDi app but I elected to "skip" the step of entering your phone number because I don't want a driver to call me. But I wonder if you have to put a number in for it to track your location or allow for you to place an order. If it has to be a Chinese #, I don't get my sim until I get to the hostel from Pudong (and may have to use a taxi). I didn't see where you can enter the pre-made texting?



When a driver accepts the request and is coming to you, you'll see the option to send a message (premade or not) or call him.


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## Nick6300

zavandor said:


> When a driver accepts the request and is coming to you, you'll see the option to send a message (premade or not) or call him.


Thanks zavandor, do you think you must enter a phone number to place an order? I suppose I'd have to enter my U.S. number for the first ride - and I wonder if I'll have to delete the app in order to punch in my local # once I get it at the hostel. Trying to decide if I should wait until I get that Chinese sim.


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## zavandor

I'm sorry I don't know


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## Nomarian

Nick6300 said:


> Yeah I guess I'll have to drop off bag 1st, since I think drivers can't really take you close to the park entrance, go get pass and go into park and check in at the end of the night, to avoid a 2nd back and forth. Did you limit obtaining season pass to just adults or get them for kids too?
> 
> I had tried calling Chinese Consulate and they tell you that you must email them - which of course they haven't responded to. Articles - I've seen that my situation is both a yes and a no in examples of whether or not the 3rd country rule works for me with going from China back to U.S. without another country in between. Hopeful that I can pay extra for an application right at the airport if need be and not be delayed too long if I decide to chance it.



I bought a season pass for each of us in the family.  My youngest is 13 and does not qualify as a child anymore.  Plus, it still saved a lot just getting a season pass for everyone.

I hope they answer your question regarding the 144 hour visa.   It seems like one of the big hit or miss things traveling there.


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## Nick6300

Nomarian said:


> I bought a season pass for each of us in the family.  My youngest is 13 and does not qualify as a child anymore.  Plus, it still saved a lot just getting a season pass for everyone.
> 
> I hope they answer your question regarding the 144 hour visa.   It seems like one of the big hit or miss things traveling there.



I wouldn't want you to have to go through getting a refund (finally got my original room/ticket package refund yesterday- slightly higher too due to conversion rates) but I was just wondering if you might have been able to get 1 or 2 passes and still get the room discount. If booking 2 rooms you could have it under ea. adult passholder, ea. room with a kid stowaway, and just have the passholder(s) buy meals/merchandise. For wdw AP - you're allowed to book a room for like 5 I think. Perhaps not worth the hassle.

Despite poor service from consulate/airline/immigration - none of them will reply to my email (I wanted a response in writing) or answer the phone. Interesting that I got a response from Korea right away. I've scoured through immigration web site and think it'll be ok. The risk is obviously that I will have to turn right around and buy another flight back to the U.S. - but it's too late to buy a visa and get it in time anyhow. I'll try not to look overly nervous at immigration!


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## Nomarian

Nick6300 said:


> I wouldn't want you to have to go through getting a refund (finally got my original room/ticket package refund yesterday- slightly higher too due to conversion rates) but I was just wondering if you might have been able to get 1 or 2 passes and still get the room discount. If booking 2 rooms you could have it under ea. adult passholder, ea. room with a kid stowaway, and just have the passholder(s) buy meals/merchandise. For wdw AP - you're allowed to book a room for like 5 I think. Perhaps not worth the hassle.
> 
> Despite poor service from consulate/airline/immigration - none of them will reply to my email (I wanted a response in writing) or answer the phone. Interesting that I got a response from Korea right away. I've scoured through immigration web site and think it'll be ok. The risk is obviously that I will have to turn right around and buy another flight back to the U.S. - but it's too late to buy a visa and get it in time anyhow. I'll try not to look overly nervous at immigration!



When are you going?   I know that this might not work for you, but we did a normal visa application for 10 years and drove down to the Chinese Consulate here in Houston and turned in my forms.  We got them back in a week.

As for the passes, that might work, but I didn't want to go through the hassle and we were already saving money and will save more with the discounts.


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## Nick6300

Nomarian said:


> When are you going?   I know that this might not work for you, but we did a normal visa application for 10 years and drove down to the Chinese Consulate here in Houston and turned in my forms.  We got them back in a week.
> 
> As for the passes, that might work, but I didn't want to go through the hassle and we were already saving money and will save more with the discounts.



Flying out next Wed. am early. I had called the Chicago consulate and they said I had to give them 5 bus. days (submit by this past Tue). Chi. is about 6 hrs round trip. I think we've sort of resolved that we're taking our chances.


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## AquaDame

You guys are lucky to be so close to a consulate... we're having to pay a lot for a service to do it for us. We live in Oregon and the closest one to us is in San Fran.


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## Impromark

Whelp, I'm back! I think I'll write up my experiences in a full-on TR-esque report in this forum, but overall: I enjoyed it. Coles notes:

- App: Invaluable. The FP kiosks weren't even functional when I went. They directed us to the app. I didn't have a functional Chinese phone number to receive a text and no CM would help me with their phone, so I ended up using roaming on my phone to accept a text to my Canadian phone number and get active that way. By that point Soaring was sold out and I only got a FP for Peter Pan late in the day. Still managed okay.

- Line jumping: Visible and annoying. Decreased through the day but happened several times, especially in the initial security and entrance lines. I have a story about how one couple of line jumpers were called out by a whole family and security got involved, which I'll write up in detail later.

- Third-party merch sales: surprised to see this inside the park, but I did - only once though, a guy selling Mickey and Minnie ears in the Pirates lineup for 20 RMB / $4 CDN. I'm amazed they allow it, but understand how tough it would be to police all the little corners in the long lineups. Still seemed to be a popular item, though, especially the Minnie ears (which were almost indistinguishable from the real ones my DD got at Disney Paris). I found a pair of Mickey ears someone had dropped on Buzz Lightyear and on close inspection they're clearly fakes, with no tags, glued-on ears and hat, etc. Clearly knockoffs.

The park itself: Lives up to its hype. It's BIG, but very navigable. Here's the lightning round observations:

- We went on a Wednesday and by all accounts it was a slow day.
- We never waited more than 25-30 minutes for anything we did.
- Longest observed waits: Soaring (105 minutes), Seven Dwarfs Coaster and Peter Pan (75 minutes).
- Shortest wait: Buzz Lightyear. Did it three times including a walkon late in the day. 
- Pirates was a 25 mintue wait at the top of the day and 10 minutes for our second time.
- The park space is clearly set up for future expansion.
- Toy Story Land was not yet open for us but you could peep inside while walking by.
- Closed on our day: Raging Rapids (darnit!), Wandering Moon Restaurant
- Camp Discovery was initially closed but opened late in the morning.
- Tron Lightcycle coaster: DO IT. It's unique in Disney (for now) and SOOO worth it.
- Pirates: DO IT. Unique among its counterparts in other parks and SOOO worth it.
- Live shows seen: POTC Stunt Spectacular and Tarzan. Both good fun.
- Mid-day parade is standard Disney fare IMO but also a fun diversion.
- Didn't stay for the day-end fireworks - didn't want to be in the crush of people heading out.
- No issues taking the subway there and back - three transfers for us from our hotel.

If you're on Facebook, I think you'll be able to see our (as yet uncaptioned) picture albums from the day:

Part 1: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.1865502540149276&type=3

Part 2: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.1865835766782620&type=3

Now back to work. 

Mark


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## Nomarian

@Impromark  - Great information there.  I am glad everything worked out.  Looking forward to your full trip report!


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## Nomarian

Just an update.  I saw that the prices for our stay at Disneyland hotel dropped again in June, so I called the reservation number and pressed for English and walked through canceling my current reservation and making a new one.   With my seasonal pass discount, the room was $100 cheaper per night and the CM gave me a park view room to boot!   It pays to watch the prices.


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## Nick6300

Impromark,
Thanks for your post! I did my 1st layover in Shanghai and in korea now. But since you had the 3Gsolutiins sim, did you have any issues where it would work fine then just go out. You could manually change in settings to 3g and re-cycle to get connected but it’s gone out again. This was at Pudong, only my WiFi would allow me (very slowly) to access wechat and nothing else. Support has been no support in fixing, concerned that I may need to waste more time 1st day finding a local carrier.

The phone issues I’m having in Korea are that my bag of universal plugs don’t quite have one that stays plugged. You’d have to hold the charger at a specific angle to get any sort of charging! 

That’s too bad the cms wouldn’t help you with your phone. But good you figured it out yourself and had better wait times.


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## Impromark

Hum, no problems like that... Our SIM worked pretty well for data the whole way through. At one point we tried to call a local number and couldn't get it to connect, but that could easily have been our lack of understanding of how the numbers worked. We never got to the bottom of it, as we'd returned to the hotel by that point and got them to call the number we wanted on their phone. Other than that (and the VPN being inconsistent), we were okay with 3G.

And universal plugs... They SAY universal, but are often anything but. In China, they largely have plugs compatible with two-prong ones you'll find at home, but not ALL of them are sized to take our plugs which have one prong larger than the other OR that have the third grounding prong. I have that for my laptop and the adapter is pretty much exclusively for that. 

Mark


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## MommaBerd

@Nomarian - Awesome about the lower price!!!


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## Nick6300

Nomarian said:


> Just an update.  I saw that the prices for our stay at Disneyland hotel dropped again in June, so I called the reservation number and pressed for English and walked through canceling my current reservation and making a new one.   With my seasonal pass discount, the room was $100 cheaper per night and the CM gave me a park view room to boot!   It pays to watch the prices.



I’m glad you have had a few positives even before your trip began.

My stay has been ‘unavailable’ (maybe sold out?). Maybe dw will check once more. 

Rapids is no longer closed for maintenance which is great. They’ve extended hours for the thurs opening for 8am-10pm. I haven’t slept past 5am this trip so far, hope it doesn’t take its toll by the time I need my strength at SDl. 

I’m not pleased to have realized today that im missing the nfl draft.


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## MommaBerd

Nick6300 said:


> I’m glad you have had a few positives even before your trip began.
> 
> My stay has been ‘unavailable’ (maybe sold out?). Maybe dw will check once more.
> 
> Rapids is no longer closed for maintenance which is great. They’ve extended hours for the thurs opening for 8am-10pm. I haven’t slept past 5am this trip so far, hope it doesn’t take its toll by the time I need my strength at SDl.
> 
> I’m not pleased to have realized today that im missing the nfl draft.



Hey Nick! I hope your trip is going smoothly! We found that we didn’t sleep much past 5:30 am on most days, and we traveled from EDT. The bad thing about that is that we were worn out by 8:00 pm. However, when we did our SDR days, of course we slept in!!! I think we could relax more knowing we were in “good hands”! 

I’m glad for you that the rapids ride is open. It is a fun ride! MUCH better than Kali River Rapids at AK. (That ride is just sad, IMO.) Also, hopefully the extended hours doesn’t reflect anticipated crowds!


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## Disney_Fanatic

Just wanted to say thank you to all DISers for all the info. We jumped on the wagon and got a seasonal pass too for the room and food discounts. Now we just need to keep watching the room prices in case they come down. 3 more weeks to go!!


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## Nick6300

thanks Robin,
Yes I think when I checked my room rates and they were unavailable that means sold out. And coupled with extended hours for toy story land opening and Labor Day wknd, busy is probably going to be an understatement!

Have gifts to take home that includes gold/diamond jewelry, cash (from passed grandmother) worried about the declaring process, timed involved, and what happens if they decide to confiscate. I think that if all goes well- I’ll arrive after it’s a madhouse in the pm thurs. A lot of the visa screening/security has taken a lot longer than I ever expected. I went through a quarantine screening, visa screening, and security in Korea, with forms to fill out on plane then again after the several lines to get out. If declaring things I’d be doing that 3x korea, China, USA!

I’m excited to try rapids, any trouble getting a locker here (I know we’ve all been obsessed with
Locker related questions . I will wear my sandals supposed to have nice weather! Upper 79/80 F for high / 58ish F for low, no rain.


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## MommaBerd

Nick6300 said:


> I’m excited to try rapids, any trouble getting a locker here (I know we’ve all been obsessed with
> Locker related questions . I will wear my sandals supposed to have nice weather! Upper 79/80 F for high / 58ish F for low, no rain.



Lucky you with that weather!!! Since my DH and older son weren’t riding, they held our items, and so I have no idea what the locker scenario was like. But, at DLR Grizzly River Run, I inquired about lockers at a gift shop, and they gave me a clear plastic shopping bag because, they said, sometimes the lockers are full. I can’t guarantee that the SDL CMs will do that. But if you are taking a bag into the park, you could slip a plastic hotel laundry bag (usually they are drawstring) into your park bag and use that. And, it never hurts to ask about getting a shopping bag either...


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## Nick6300

Today’s wake up was slightly worse at 1am. So far my sleep in days have been 4-5am! Going to have to rely on my inner, over-enthused disney disposition to help fuel me through the lines (or the shoving into my back). 

@Impromark took subway and maybe robin did too... it looks it takes quite some time from pudong. Does anyone know specifically near what terminal (presumably on ground floor outside of baggage) where the official taxi hub is? I’d like to try didi but in case my phone decides not to cooperate. 

Thurs plans are fairly easy because it’ll be too busy for most of the attractions by the time I get there- more of a setup day. Could be tempted though to buy PA because of the lines, maybe still not ultra premium pricing because Thurs (but could see it being high because of the expected crowds). I’m not sure if fri is considered a wknd rate like sat would be for PA. 
I still wouldn’t buy the set - wouldn’t have time to use them all. But fri sat I could be looking at 1000cny.


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## Nick6300

That’s a good idea- I’m not sure if the less fancy toy story hotel will have laundry bags for me to lift. But I could also try to buy a garbage bag to pack- did you see others permitted to take bags onto ride?


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## Nick6300

And I suppose pa may be sold out on thurs well before I get there anyhow.


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## MommaBerd

Meant to include/comment on this as well...


Nick6300 said:


> Have gifts to take home that includes gold/diamond jewelry, cash (from passed grandmother) worried about the declaring process, timed involved, and what happens if they decide to confiscate.



How much is the total value? Is the jewelry “antique”? Is there anyone you know with legal knowledge to help with this? I would *think* that once you clear Korea (this is where you are leaving with these items, correct?), you should be fine...unless the cash is a significant amount of money. Any way to get it wired into your bank account versus carrying it around? You didn’t purchase the jewelry, right? So, once you leave Korea with it, I wouldn’t think there is a need to declare it any more. I traveled with jewelry and I didn’t declare it. (Of course the value was relatively small.)


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## MommaBerd

Nick6300 said:


> That’s a good idea- I’m not sure if the less fancy toy story hotel will have laundry bags for me to lift. But I could also try to buy a garbage bag to pack- did you see others permitted to take bags onto ride?



Yes, people took bags and even backpacks on. 

As for the airport, I do not know where the official taxi hub is, but the directional/location signs are fairly clear - and in English. Since we were not staying in Shanghai for the first part of our trip, we had a private driver pick us up. I think reports I have read have said it’s about a 45 minute ride? 

*PRO TIP: Download the Shanghai Metro app by Metro Man. It was great!!!


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## Nick6300

MommaBerd said:


> Meant to include/comment on this as well...
> 
> 
> How much is the total value? Is the jewelry “antique”? Is there anyone you know with legal knowledge to help with this? I would *think* that once you clear Korea (this is where you are leaving with these items, correct?), you should be fine...unless the cash is a significant amount of money. Any way to get it wired into your bank account versus carrying it around? You didn’t purchase the jewelry, right? So, once you leave Korea with it, I wouldn’t think there is a need to declare it any more. I traveled with jewelry and I didn’t declare it. (Of course the value was relatively small.)



It looks like 40 yrs old yellow gold/ diamond ring, gold/diamond necklace, gold bracelet, maybe few other smaller items. And over the $5k usd but maybe $500 Ea in Korean won and cny. I thought you had to declare in departing from and Ea arrival country too? USA and Korean I think is $10k in cash you don’t have to declare, very small amounts like 2-3grams gold I thought ok but I’m guessing I have way more than that. I’m hoping to convince my mother to let me mail some of the jewelry (doesn’t want to allow).


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## MommaBerd

Nick6300 said:


> It looks like 40 yrs old yellow gold/ diamond ring, gold/diamond necklace, gold bracelet, maybe few other smaller items. And over the $5k usd but maybe $500 Ea in Korean won and cny. I thought you had to declare in departing from and Ea arrival country too? USA and Korean I think is $10k in cash you don’t have to declare, very small amounts like 2-3grams gold I thought ok but I’m guessing I have way more than that. I’m hoping to convince my mother to let me mail some of the jewelry (doesn’t want to allow).



Well, I am no expert for sure...I’m not even sure why I added my $0.02.  I guess it just interests me...


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## Nick6300

MommaBerd said:


> Well, I am no expert for sure...I’m not even sure why I added my $0.02.  I guess it just interests me...



Don’t worry, I appreciate your input robin. 

I like your new profile pic too. I for some reason thought you were in Cali near DL, not near WDW.


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## MommaBerd

Nick6300 said:


> Don’t worry, I appreciate your input robin.
> 
> I like your new profile pic too. I for some reason thought you were in Cali near DL, not near WDW.



Thanks! After Shanghai, we “stopped by” DLR on our way back to GA. When the PP Photographer suggested that pose, I kinda rolled my eyes. But she insisted that it would be really cute...and she was right!


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## Nick6300

https://www.disboards.com/threads/shanghai-disneyland-post-trip-report-4-26-18-4-28-18.3680023/

should be a link to my trip report, for anyone interested in how it turned out! Thanks for the many of you who helped me with the planning.


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