Having opened in 2016, Shanghai Disneyland is the newest Disney park in the world. It was the first park to have the TRON ride which has since opened in Disney World, but it remains the only Disney park in the world to have the Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure ride and a dedicated Zootopia land. Not to mention the crown jewel of Disney castles sits in Shanghai with the Enchanted Storybook Castle being the largest Disney castle at any Disney park in the world.

It was also the topic of multiple scandals and negative posts due to a culture of pushing, smoking in the park, and scalpers selling fake Disney merch… inside the park (crazy right?)!

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So here it is. Every trick and tip we know so you can get the most out of your Shanghai Disney experience.

How Much are Tickets to Shanghai Disneyland?

There are plenty of theme parks whose tickets are better to purchase directly from the park, but KLOOK has them a lot cheaper. First, here are the Early Bird prices on KLOOK which are available if you reserve your tickets at least 2 weeks ahead of your visit. You can also get an additional 5% discount with the code LEXI5OFF at checkout.

• Regular: 56 USD
• Regular Plus: 74 USD
• Peak: 92 USD
• Peak Plus: 103 USD

These prices are among the cheapest for international Disney parks, especially when compared to the US parks. The merch as well as hotel accomodations aren’t overly expensive either, making this one of the more affordable Disney experiences.

Direct ticket sales can be made through the Shanghai Disneyland app, at hotels, onsite at the theme park or online. Purchasing tickets at the theme park is a last ditch option as lines are massively long to enter the park. Buying your tickets day of will only make things harder.

• Regular: 87 USD, 70 USD (Child/Senior/Guests with Disabilities)
• Regular Plus: 104 USD, 83 USD (Child/Senior/Guests with Disabilities)
• Peak: 121 USD, 96 USD (Child/Senior/Guests with Disabilities)
• Peak Plus: 132 USD, 104 USD (Child/Senior/Guests with Disabilities)

Where is Shanghai Disneyland?

Shanghai Disneyland is located in the outskirts of Shanghai in Chuansha New Town. It’s not in the middle of nowhere, but it is a significant distance from the city center. There isn’t too much to do around the area, so we’d recommend leaving the area once you’re done with the park and you want to explore the city proper.

• Address: 4MV5+945, Pu Dong Xin Qu, Shang Hai Shi, China, 201205 (Google Maps)

How Many Days Should We Spend at Shanghai Disneyland?

Oh, the big question! We’re big proponents of the 2-day Disney trip. Shanghai Disneyland may only have one park, but it’s massive enough that you should spend 2 days there walking the grounds and soaking in the experience.

Disneytown (or Downtown Disney) is worth exploring for a morning or afternoon. There’s the World of Disney store which has a lot of merch you won’t find in the park (especially stuff from past seasons). And, in an homage to the giant rubber duck, there’s a giant rubber Donald Duck in the lake to enjoy.

What is Exclusive to Shanghai Disneyland?

Shanghai Disneyland has two exclusive rides. The first is Pirates of the Carribbean: Battle for Sunken Treasure while the second is Zootopia: Hot Pursuit. Of course, the Hot Pursuit ride is located in the Zootopia land which is only available in Shanghai Disneyland.

The TRON Lightcycle Run is currently available at Disney World, but it premiered in Shanghai Disneyland and it remains one of the best rides in the park. It’s 100% worth the wait and the queue is one of the coolest ones we’ve been through.

The Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Sunken Treasure is exclusive to Shanghai (so far) and is the ultimate Pirates’ fan’s dreams come to life. It takes the initial concept of the Pirates of the Caribbean and brings it into the 21st century with a ride that moves forward, backwards and sideways. The experience is similar to trackless rides like Rise of the Resistance and Mystic Manor. But the use of large screens really immerses you into the experiences and legitimately makes you feel like you’re underwater.

The Enchanted Storybook Castle in Shanghai Disneyland is one of the most beautiful pieces of Disney architecture anywhere. It is also the biggest castle amongst all the Disney parks. While it’s not a 1-to-1 recreation of a castle, its interior has been expanded. And for good reason, the castle is home to the Royal Banquet Hall, a character meet-and-greet restaurant and the main dining attraction in Shanghai.

Merch-wise, there’s always seasonal Mickey and Minnie ears exclusive to the park. These can be found on Main Street, but the big draws have been the popcorn buckets at the many popcorn carts found throughout the park. Just like Tokyo and Hong Kong, the Disney company only owns a part of the park so you’ll be able to find exclusive merch in Shanghai unavailable anywhere else in the world.

Finally, there are holiday events specific to Shanghai Disneyland. For example, we visited over Chinese New Year and were surprised by a number of performances and experiences throughout the park. The coolest thing we saw were all the cast and characters dressed in Chinese New Year outfits throughout the park. It was pretty amazing.

Where Should We Stay?

There aren’t any accomodations close to Shanghai Disneyland apart from the official hotels. The main Shanghai Disneyland Hotel (KLOOK) is beautiful while the Toy Story Hotel (KLOOK) is the “budget” accomodation being about 100 USD a night cheaper.

Being more budget conscious, we opted for the Toy Story Hotel on our trip. It was a bit barebones as far as amenities and hotel facilities, but definitely worth the price in our opinion. For more information, check out our review.

Most importantly, staying at an official Disney hotel comes with shuttle service, early admission (Magic Hour), and a priority entrance which comes in really handy. If you’ve been on TikTok, you’ve probably seens crowds and lines to get into the park. Hotel guests skip all of that and enter the park just beyond mainstreet.

What Should We Do at Shanghai Disneyland?

We recommend a 2-day trip and splitting the days into being performance-centric and ride centric. Take one day to experience the parades, nighttime fireworks, the Royal Banquet Hall and shows while taking in the rides in-between. Then the next day, focus on rides and snack foods. Using this strategy, we were able to go on every ride at least once (with multiple re-rides for TRON and Pirates), enjoy the snacks, and lunch at the Royal Banquet Hall without breaking a sweat.

Tips and Tricks

1. Just like Hong Kong, Shanghai Disneyland staff give away stickers if you ask. Each attraction and shop has different stickers, so get a few. Or more than a few. Get a lot. Then share them with friends and family when you get home.
2. One little know secret for Shanghai Disneyland are the souvenir passports. They can be purchased on Main Street. There are hints in the book to help you find the stamps throughout the park. Once you’re done, you receive a prized pin to go with your completed passport!
3. Tickets are significantly cheaper on KLOOK than direct through Disneyland Shanghai’s app. The savings are higher when you take advantage of the Early Bird by reserving about 2 weeks ahead of your trip.
4. The best times to target popular rides is during the parades and specifically after 7 PM when everyone goes to find good spots to watch the fireworks display. Once the fireworks start, rides that had 1 to 2 hour long waits all day suddenly had 10 minute waits.
5. Shanghai Disneyland has two main popcorn flavors: regular and caramel. But, certain carts also carry extra flavors of popcorn. We hunted down cherry on our trip (amazing!!), but I’ve heard of steak and strawberry depending on the season.
6. Make sure you check the popcorn carts throughout the park for the various popcorn buckets you can find exclusively in Shanghai. We went for the Lotso popcorn bucket, but there have been many more since.
7. Line cutting is rampant. If you’re visiting as a couple or group, make sure you take up the full width of the line queue or you’ll be passed up while in line. We were cut in line by a father who used his young daughter to make an opening.
8. Stay at an official Disney hotel to take advantage of Magic Hour (1 hour early admission) and a priority entrance to skip past the general entrance. The priority entrance is amazing with the normal gate requiring a +1 hour wait to get in.
9. Do I have to tell you to install the app? Probably not… but install the app.