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Stephen, Jess, Hunter and Cola visit Shanghai Disneyland, their final Disney park, and stay at Toy Story Hotel. The room has small Toy Story details, while early park entry helps them reach Zootopia before queues grow. They explore the trackless ride, crosswalk and architectural Easter eggs, and try Jumbo’s Cafe ice cream, a blueberry waffle and a frittata. Rain leads them to indoor shows, including Mickey’s Storybook Adventure with Mulan and Zootopia, and a pirate stunt show. They watch the parade, visit the castle’s princess shop and movie ride, and ride Woody’s Roundup, the honey pot spin, Tron, Pirates of the Caribbean and Snow White’s Minecart. The family praises Pirates’ backward coaster and animatronics, but criticizes the expensive, flat-priced fast-pass system.
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More about the current video:(Published on 2025-08-17)
Toy Story Hotel and early entry to Zootopia
Stephen, Jess, Hunter and Cola arrive at Shanghai Disneyland, the family’s final Disney park. They stay at Toy Story Hotel, where Buzz and Woody appear at check-in. Their room includes aliens above the window and a Rubik’s cube bedside table; they say the Kung Fu Panda room they had seen elsewhere was more elaborately decorated. The hotel provides early park access, which the family plans to use. They first visit Disney Town and eat at the Cheesecake Factory before entering the park for a preview. The castle is large and brightly lit, and they watch fireworks that Stephen calls the best they have seen at Disney.
The next morning, early entry lets them head to Zootopia before general opening. They describe the land as the only one of its kind and its queue as a police station and jail cell. The ride uses trackless vehicles and large screens. The family notices a working crosswalk and architectural Easter eggs. Jumbo’s Cafe serves large ice creams; they also try a blueberry ice cream waffle and a frittata. Cola responds to Shakira’s “Try Everything” playing in the land, while the family finds corn-flavored popcorn unusual. They advise using hotel early entry because the wait for Zootopia rises to more than 80 minutes after the park opens.
Shows, rides and the final day
Rain sends the family indoors for shows. Mickey’s Storybook Adventure includes Mulan and Zootopia, and a pirate stunt show moves from slapstick to action. The parade features an elaborate Mulan float. They observe that Winnie the Pooh and Duffy & Friends attract long queues, while Mickey has a shorter wait. Inside the castle they find a princess shop, a ride through movie scenes and a mirror portal. They also criticize the fast-pass system: it is expensive and prices rides at the same level.
On their last day they head left at rope drop to avoid Zootopia crowds and ride attractions in Tomorrowland and Toy Story Land. They try Woody’s Roundup and the honey pot spin. Tron is thrilling but short, so they recommend avoiding a long wait. Pirates of the Caribbean is a highlight: its backward roller-coaster section, Davy Jones animatronic and skeleton-to-life Jack Sparrow make it distinct from other versions. Stephen ranks it among his top five rides. They also ride Snow White’s Minecart, explore Fantasy Springs, and win large arcade prizes that create packing difficulties. The family ranks Shanghai Disneyland as its best Magic Kingdom-style park and places Tokyo DisneySea above it. They mention Toy Story Hotel at $250 per night and value its early-entry benefit.
The family also use the hotel’s early-entry key to plan their route. Their advice is to start left at rope drop on the final day, avoiding the heaviest Zootopia crowds and then covering rides in Tomorrowland and Toy Story Land. Cooking Anne in Fantasyland has spring-themed pastries, including a mango pancake and crepes. Elsewhere they try a blueberry waffle, frittata and corn-flavored popcorn, with the latter an unusual flavor for them. When rain arrives, indoor shows keep the day moving: Mickey’s Storybook Adventure includes Mulan and Zootopia, while the pirate stunt show begins comically and builds into an action scene. They watch the parade and notice the Mulan float, as well as long lines for Winnie the Pooh and Duffy & Friends compared with a shorter wait for Mickey. The castle holds a princess shop, a ride through film scenes and a mirror portal, and the family rates it highly. On rides, the honey pot spin, Woody’s Roundup, Snow White’s Minecart and Tron sit alongside Pirates, whose backward coaster and animatronics make it the family’s favorite. They also explore Fantasy Springs and Toy Story Land. Arcade prizes are large enough to create a packing problem. Their final ranking puts Shanghai Disneyland first among Magic Kingdom-style parks and second overall to Tokyo DisneySea, with the fast-pass system as the main weakness.
FAQs (From the traveler's perspective)
- Q: Which ride stood out most to the family?
- A: Stephen names Pirates of the Caribbean among his top five rides worldwide. The Shanghai version includes a backward roller-coaster section and animatronics of Davy Jones and Jack Sparrow transforming from a skeleton.
- Q: What did the Toy Story Hotel cost and include?
- A: The family says the room cost 250 US dollars per night. The hotel also offered early park entry, which helped them reach Zootopia before its wait grew after general opening.
- Q: What did the family think of the park’s fast-pass system?
- A: They found it expensive and poorly tiered because rides were priced at the same level. This was one of the drawbacks in their overall view of Shanghai Disneyland.
