THE ATTRACTIONS
We're taking them one at a time, in no particular order at all.
Just kidding, we're obviously starting with the most important one!

Despite being the park's marquee region, Shanghai Disneyland's Tomorrowland isn't as grandiose as you might expect. Unlike the busy retro-futuristic look of other Tomorrowlands, you'd be forgiven for mistaking the huge, sleek wave-shaped building pulsating with neon for Pudong Terminal 3. At least before you get closer and the TRON Lightcycle Power Run comes screaming over your head at nearly 100 km/h.

As you might have guessed, the rides here lean futuristic.

Jet Packs
Ages: Mostly young
Popularity: High
This is the first ride you'll notice if you're approaching Tomorrowland from Mickey Avenue. Unlike the flying rockets in Tomorrowlands around the world, Shanghai gets jet packs. It's essentially your usual flying carousel type ride, where you go up and down as well as round-and-round. It's tame, meant for kids small enough to be blown away by movement through a whole three axes, but it offers up a great view, as it’s raised and outdoors.

Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue
Ages: Young kids and teens
Popularity: Low
Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue is an on-rails light gun game based on the only good role Tim Allen's ever voiced. Ride goers get into a pod with two zap guns on the dashboard and proceed down a five minute long crawl through a robot warzone, with Buzz popping in every once in a while on screens to provide encouragement. Your job is to shoot as many of the little targets that pop up around you as you can, trying to rack up a high-score. It sounds a little lame, but it's actually great fun. The sound design and the visual effects are almost overwhelming at first, and the zap gun is satisfyingly loud. Zap zap! Blap bloop bzeow!
Another great benefit is that since the pods are moving at a constant pace, the line doesn't stand still long.

Stitch Encounter
Ages: All
Popularity: Low
The Stitch Encounter is a character meet-up, or more like an intergalactic Skype videocall with the furry blue alien as he's out there, cruising around space. It is the best thing in Tomorrowland, and I'm including the Light Cycles. Stitch, voiced in real-time by an actor in a control room somewhere, banters with members of the audience (in Mandarin), complete with custom animations of Stitch reacting to what's going on. His reaction to a young audience member accidentally speaking the nuclear launch codes is a masterclass in comedic timing.
A few minutes later, Stitch makes a pass at one of the ladies in the audience, and when she points out her boyfriend is sitting right next to her, he asks her why she's going out with a potato. Savage. If your Mandarin is even slightly decent, go see Stitch.

TRON Lightcycle Power Run
Ages: Teens and older
Popularity: Mega
Saving the headline act for last.
The TRON Lightcycle Power Run son! This sucker got the most media attention when it first opened with the park in 2016. A roller coaster themed after the TRON movie from 2010, it's Shanghai's answer to Space Mountain. Starting with a drag-race acceleration to 95 km/h that will knock the wind out of your lungs if you're not prepared, it hurls you over the head of before diving inside again to zoom around in the dark with animation and light shows exploding around you. The ride features these motorcycle seats with a plate in your back holding you in place. It's a novel position, even if it mostly affords you a view of someone's ass in front of you, but it can feel a little unnerving the first time around. The second time around, you'll feel comfortable lifting your head up and getting a better view.

The only downside is that the ride is over in a literal minute. The Seven Dwarves Mine Cart might not be as thrilling, but at least it isn't over before you've registered that you're moving at very, very unhealthy speeds.
TRON Lightcycle Power Run has been successful enough that Florida's getting its own version in 2021. Saw it here first!
The lines are long and typically remain long most of the day. However, they're all indoors, and feature some very cool views over the loading bays. Take the opportunity to explain TRON's complicated lore to your partners, or your theory about how The Dude ended up becoming a computer programmer.
Star Wars Launch Bay (Now Closed)
Unfortunately, the Star Wars segment of Shanghai Disneyland appears to have closed in June 2019. Perhaps due to its obscure location in the rear of Tomorrowland, perhaps owing to Star Wars not being as big a thing here in China北京快3, it was reportedly mostly empty. As a result, we've lost our chance to see Kylo Ren up close or take a picture inside the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.
Bantha poodoo.
TRON Realm, Chevrolet Digital Challenge

Might be a good opportunity to mention the sponsorship: Disney is branded to hell. You might not expect the company that trademarked the Western imagination to need cash infusions from other corporations, but most rides and attractions have some sort of corporate sponsor. The degree of their visibility changes. TMALL just gets a little banner after the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, while Chevrolet gets an entire showroom with Kinect games and Chevrolet car models made up to look like they're from The Game Grid. It's actually very well done.

This region, lying across the park from Tomorrowland, isn't themed after any specific Disney property, unless it's the Jungle Book and Tarzan. It's more a loving pastiche of the jungle adventure movies from the early 1900s. A lot of "tribal" elements scattered about. It's a relic from a time before indigenous representation was really on Disney's radar. More Pocahontas than Moana. However, it is 北京快3 to one of Shanghai Disneyland's best features!

Camp Discovery
Ages: Young and up
Popularity: High
It's really a surprise a bigger deal wasn't made of this attraction when the park opened. It's unlike anything you'll find at other Disney parks. Camp Discovery is a ropes course, with three separate trails weaving their way through caverns, over broken rope bridges and around obstacles. Most of the obstacles have several difficulty options (including an option to just bypass), and while none of them are exactly dangerous, there are a few that get close. Trail 1, for example has a waterfall obstacle that requires you to inch along a very, very narrow and very, very slipper stone ledge.
The queue passes by several instructional videos on how to put on your harness, but staff double and triple-check you before hooking you in. Note that you can only do one Trail per visit: if you want to try another trail, you'll have to wait in line again.

One tip for the queue here: you have to put all your loose items into a locker so you don't drop them on anyone. They have coin and WeChat operated lockers: bring a 1rmb coin with you, and you could skip a couple spaces while the people paying with phones wait their turn.

Roaring Rapids
Ages: All
Popularity: High
This ride is effectively the same as it is in all the other parks: splish splash down a circulare log-float and get soaked. A fun ride for a group, with rain ponchos provided, and intermittently timed water spouts so you never really know when you're going to get drenched.
Soaring Over The Horizon
Ages: All
Popularity: Mega Jumbo
Soaring Over The Horizon is a "simulated aerial amusement ride." Basically an IMAX screen, with mechanical chairs that move to simulate movement, plus smellovision. The aerial tour of 13 landmarks around the world, including the African savannah and, natch, the Great Wall of China北京快3, comes complete with rousing soundtrack and vertigo. The effect is somewhat ruined by the feet of the people on the row above you dangling just over your head, if you're not in the first row. Apart from the finale over Lujiazui that makes the fireworks ban hurt all over again, it's the same ride as the other parks.
It's impressive. It's not quite 175-minute wait impressive, though. This ride is one of the most popular in the park, and since each ten minute session only seats maybe 100 people, the line moves at a snail's pace.
Meet Disney Jungle Characters
Adventure Island's only other actual attraction is the Happy Circle, where you can meet various Disney characters, depending on the day's schedules. Some, such as Rafiki, make sense. Others, such as Zootopia's fox, seem like a bit of a stretch. They're camping out here until they get their own park extension (construction starting in 2019!)
Disney Pixar Toy Story Land

Opened a year and a half after the park opened, and the park's first expansion, Toy Story Land leans towards younger kids, with the cartoonishness really cranked up to 11 and the rides staying mostly tame. No Slink Dog Dash or the Alien Swirling Saucer here. Notable outlier to that is the Rex's Racer ride.


Rex's Racer
Ages: Teens and Up
Popularity: High
A steel shuttle ride, this is Shanghai's third roller coaster and our version of the RC Racer. Based on the Mattel Hot Wheels line, it's one of those back-and-forth rides. You just seesaw around a massive half-pipe. They never look that impressive the ground, but 25 meters feels pretty freaking high when the cart is nearly tipping over at the top of the pipe.

Slinky Dog Spin
Ages: Young
Popularity: Medium
A kid-friendly dog-chase-tail ride, literally, just going up and down and round and round, forever and ever and ever...

Woody's Roundup
Ages: Young
Popularity: Medium
Located inside Jessie's Stable, Woody's Roundup is a cartoonish ride that I'd be describe as "what if a merry-go-round saw Tokyo Drift." It'll yeehaw you back and forth, but not so hard that it'll make you sick or anything. The queue for this ride is one of the more interesting ones, starting in sort of a farmyard area and winding its way through a fake-y Western jail cell.


Fantasyland describes the area immediately surrounding the Storybook Enchanted Castle and is probably the largest and most varied part of the park.

Apart from the attractions inside the Castle itself, this is where the larger parks are, as well as all the rides for the... uh. Winnie the–– uh. Hm.

Alice in Wonderland Maze
Ages: All
Popularity: Insta
Alice's Maze isn't much of a maze, despite the three doors you choose from at the start. It's more of a fun walk around in a garden with little set pieces and dioramas from Lewis Carrol's wigged-out fever dream scattered about. Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatters, naturally. Don't feel the blue caterpillar was given a prominent enough appearance though. And no Johnny Depp here. Excellent spot for photoshoots, and there are plenty of visitors taking advantage of that.

Hunny Pot Spin
Ages: Little children
Popularity: Moderate
Your every-day tea-cup ride, but with Winnie and friends.

Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Ages: Young
Popularity: Medium
A cart ride through stories from the Silly Old Bear himself, like a Pirates of the Caribbean ride but for kids! It's essentially the same ride as the one that debuted at Disney World in 1999. Endearing, but kids only.

"Once Upon a Time" Adventure
Ages: Young children
Popularity: Moderate
This is just a walking tour through the Castle's upper floors, which house a gallery of animated story-book elements about Snow White. Although interesting to see how they meld animation with physical objects, it's… let's say kid-friendly. The interior of the castle is stale and lifeless, and the cool fountain at the top of the castle doesn't make up for the fact that you never get a good view from the tower. Missed opportunity, that.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Ages: All
Popularity: High
Shanghai Disneyland's other rollercoaster and another mainstay of the other parks, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is much closer to what you'd expect a rollercoaster to be. It only manages to reach a measly 45 km/h, and the acceleration or turns are nowhere near as extreme as TRON but it's longer and still pretty awesome.

Most of the line for this ride is exposed to the elements. We do not envy anyone who has to entertain a child in that environment.
Storybook Court Meet Princesses
Ages: All
Popularity: Ultra
The northwest corner of the castle has a little alcove dedicated to opportunities to meet the Disney Princesses, from Belle to Snow White to the girl from Brave. It happens at fixed periods, and it only lasts for about half an hour. Presumably the Cast Member can't handle the throng of humanity pressing in and the same three questions. Each person only gets a few seconds with the princess, basically enough to snap a handful of shots and exchange a few words before they're ushered away.
By the way, shout out to the Princesses. Consummate professionals. Unflappable.

Character Interactions
Character interactions are a big draw for Disney, but they operate on a variable schedule. Although the Storybook Court happens every day at set intervals, and certain staged events like Donald Duck's Tai Chi lesson (yes) you're more likely to see characters walking around in the park and interacting with guests during the busy weekends rather than during the week. You can check the schedule on their website or on the app on the day-of to get an idea of who you can see where. With the rare exception of the Princesses and one or two Princes, interactions are entirely in Mandarin.

Voyage to the Crystal Grotto
Ages: All
Popularity: Medium
A sedate ferry ride through the canals near the castle, passing by statues and set pieces dedicated to the Disney classics. Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast. It's a rather dull trip. Little kids appear to love it, though.

Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Ages: Young
Popularity: Medium
Much like the Jet Packs, this is your flying carousel ride, themed after the (cartoon, not CGI) movie of the same name and largely unchanged since it debuted in 1955 in Disneyland. Interesting trivia, the original design was meant to evoke Dumbo's Pink Elephants champagne-induced fever dream. It wouldn't really be an amusement park without one of these but save it for younger kids.

Fantasia Carousel
Ages: Young
Popularity: High
Located at the end of Mickey Avenue, the carousel is a spectacle. It's enormous, beautifully designed and... well, it's a carousel. It goes around and around. As cool as that is, it's for children or nostalgia freaks.

Marvel Universe
Ages: All
Popularity: High
As the name might suggest, this pavilion in the Gardens of Imagination is dedicated to everything Marvel, the gold mine that Disney acquired in 2009, and which has since funded a large portion of Disney's world domination. It's a gaudy marketing stunt, showing all the past movies and occasionally hinting at what's coming next. They've got some activities, scale replicas of all the Iron Mans, a VR game where you play the Hulkbuster, as well as the occasional comic drawing workshop.

But you're here for the dudes in spandex. At set periods throughout the day, the cast of the Avengers will show up to take pictures, strike superhero poses and engage in stilted conversation. Cap's real superpower is dealing with dickhead adults trying to be clever. He keeps a straight face. For the kids.
Black Panther, Captain America, Spiderman, Star Lord and Captain Marvel have all been spotted. The ones who are obviously Caucasian don't speak much Mandarin beyond a couple of stock phrases.

Meet Mickey Tent
Ages: All
Popularity: Medium
The Mouse himself! The right hand of Walt! The four-fingered iron fist! Sit on the lap of the Sorcerer's Apprentice and say something nice, for the crown weighs heavy on that troubled brow.

Treasure Cove is the most atmospheric of all the regions in Shanghai Disneyland. Themed after the Pirates of the Caribbean, it plays host to the Battle for the Sunken Treasure, which is easily in the top three rides in the park. The whole thing is meant to look like Port Royal, and it's probably the most convincing get-up the park has to offer.

Explorer Canoes
Ages: Teen and Older
Popularity: Low
Take a log canoe across the lake and past the pirate galleon, paddling with about 15 other mugs. The primary purpose of this ride seems to be to give photographers something interesting to shoot against the stunning backdrop of the Camp Discovery Adventure Trails waterfall visible in the distance.

Siren's Revenge
Ages: All
Popularity: Medium
Not a ride, the Siren's Revenge is a three-story, interactive pirate vessel docked at the port. It's in this siloed off dock space accessible by turnstile, where pirates will stage the occasional slapstick comedy routine and Jack Sparrow occasionally appears. They've got some water cannons on the docks as well. That one seems like a hit with the kids. Thankfully the cannons are only on when the weather's warm enough to justify it.

Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure
Ages: All
Popularity: Mega
Easily one of the finer rides in the park, this classic ride was revamped for Shanghai Disneyland to give a whole new experience. Gone are the questionable ethics of pirates pillaging a settlement, and in its place is a ten-minute indoor ferry ride, moving past a combination of physical set design and actual puppet animatronics (Davy Jones' tentacle beard is magnificent) and clever projection work that gives you the impression you're sinking under the sea and getting caught in the crossfire between the Kraken and the Black Pearl. It is, however, entirely in Mandarin, so unless your HSK is up to scratch, you won't be catching any of the witty repartee, and you won't get much in the way of Roaring Rapids drops, but the audiovisual prowess on show more than makes up for it.
Our only regret is that now that we see how good the animatronics on the rides can be, we're disappointed there wasn't more. In one case, they utilize a method where they project a face onto a blank white mask, which gives the impression that the mannequin has a face. Unfortunately, it just doesn't provide the same wow factor as seeing an actual Jack waving his hands and moving his head like he's actually drunk and/or brain damaged.