Shanghai Disneyland planning help 4/26-4/28

Nick6300

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 3, 2017
:crazy2: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 :crazy2:, 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 :D. 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!
 
@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...
 
@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.
 
I am commenting below in blue.

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!
 


@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.
 
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.
 
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.
 


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! :D 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.
 
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
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.

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?
 
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:
...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).
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 :goodvibes), 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 :thumbsup2
(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:jumping1:
  • 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.
 
@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).
 
@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.
 
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 :goodvibes), 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 :thumbsup2
(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:jumping1:
  • 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!
 
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.
 
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.
 
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 :D 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.
 
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