DISNEYLAND/DISNEYWORLD APPRECIATION THREAD vol. The price increase heard round the world

New Aquatic Theme Park Opens in Shanghai to Take On Disneyland



Move aside, Disneyland. Shanghai is now home to a second major theme park. On Friday, the city debuted the 73-acre Haichang Ocean Park, a little more than two and years after the doors opened at Shanghai Disneyland and Resort.

The park is owned by Haichang Ocean Park Holdings, which is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The company already operates other smaller leisure facilities in China and is building another full-scale theme park at Sanya, on China’s tropical island Hainan.

Development and construction of the Shanghai park took five years. It was built at a published cost of $795 million.

The park will allow Shanghai city-dwellers to come face to face with sharks, beluga whales and polar bears. It boasts five themed zones, three animal theaters where marine creatures such as dolphins will perform, and thrill rides, including a roller-coaster and what its developer claims is the “world’s longest rapids ride.” There’s also a mermaid bay, a fake volcano, exhibits on deep-sea creatures, and a “360-degree penguin super bowl,” where tourists can observe the birds. A local TV news report from early last month during its soft opening showed bare-chested African drummers dancing in front of a statue of leaping killer whales.

Tickets are cheaper than for Disneyland, with standard day tickets at around $50. Hollywood-based Legacy Entertainment, which designed the park, said it expects to draw 5 million to 6 million visitors each year.

Legacy on Friday also announced two other new Asian projects in Indonesia. In Bali, the company will work with Indonesian partners CT Corp. and Trans Studio to create what it calls the “world’s first social media theme park,” set to open in early 2019.

“Nowadays, everyone is viewing the world through their smartphone cameras, so we thought it could be an exciting idea to draw that parallel by creating the world’s first park specifically ‘designed for camera,'” managing director Marcus King said. Another park in Cibubur, an administrative region near Jakarta, will also debut next year.

 

Fam and I are road tripping down for Christmas from Seattle. Mentally preparing for MASSIVE crowds (We will be visiting DCA Dec 23,26 and DL Dec 24 and 27). It's funny, as an adult im less driven to ride the rides and more just enjoy taking everything in. I love looking around and marveling at how well kept the park is. Can't wait to see it all decked out for the Holidays though!

 

I've never been to the park during xmas eve but i can imagine it being extra nice

you guys will have a good time, xmas is the best time to visit especially if it's the theme and environment that you want to experience

enjoy!

 

Oh i'm well aware. I've been around the 4th of July when the park was at capacity but honestly, if you get there before the parks open and plan well, it's ok.

 

did about 5 hours at the disneyland today and hit up Indy, pirates, haunted mansion, thunder mountain and space mountain...not bad at all

apparently there was an issue with max pass today. we actually got a free max pass out of thaybshowed up on our app out of no where

 

Can you do monthly payments on a AP or is it all upfront?

 

you can still do monthly

 

yah you can do monthly, i just renewed

can't believe they stopped giving discounts to renew though

 

couldn’t spare the few dollars you saved by renewing

 

It added up to 200 bucks for us, but we renewed anyways.

 

Planning to go to Disneyland and CA on Black Friday. Am i crazy?

Don't have enough time to go during December and we want to check out the Christmas decor. Not worried about the rides since my son only goes on a couple of them.

 

Yes.

 

Really?! My pass expires on Dec 9th. Been really going back and forth if I want to renew this year. The discount when you renew was always one of the "justifications" I used to renew lol

 

Worst day to go. Do not recommend.

 

happy 90th Mickey

 

Shoutout to @mrpolo23 for all the advice on booking my Disney World trip in March.

Ended up booking a weekend stay at Saratoga Springs for a great price.

I haven't been to the park in 10 years! Can't wait to see how much things have grown.

 

If ANYONE needs help planning a trip please message me .

 

Mickey Mouse nighttime show coming to Disneyland

Disney is bringing an all-new nighttime show to Disneyland starting in January that features Mickey and Minnie Mouse, including projections, lighting and lasers. This show will only feature fireworks “on select nights,” according to the press release, unlike the current schedule which has fireworks nightly, weather permitting.

The new show will launch Jan. 18 and include a new song, “It’s a Good Time.” It’s being billed as a family fun dance party throughout the park. The projections will be visible on Main Street, water screens on the Rivers of America and the façade of “It’s a Small World.”

As part of what’s being billed as “Get Your Ears On — A Mickey and Minnie Celebration,” January will also mark the return of “Mickey’s Soundsational Parade” on Jan. 25, including Chip ‘n’ Dale with a “birthday cake,” a drum corps and more.

Holiday events have been very successful at attracting crowds for Disneyland, and this year the park plans to hold a special Valentine celebration from Jan. 22 to Feb. 18 to “celebrate the love of Mickey and Minnie,” according to the press release. This includes Valentine’s Day-themed décor, a portrait of Mickey Mouse in flowers, a scavenger hunt and more.

During the “Get Your Ears On” event, the park also plans to feature special foods, beverages, merchandise and … wait for it … popcorn buckets.

 

We’re doing a one day trip this Black Friday. It’s my sister-in-law and her family’s first time (1 8 year old boy, fiancé, etc) and they wanted to just do Disneyland. First time back in about two years so I’m pretty pumped.

My son is around the same age as theirs, so I was thinking CA Adventure would be better for them but what are your thoughts?

 

i know it'll be crowded as hell but i'd go with Disneyland as there are more things to do

when I went to over last week, I did DCA first and Racer and IncrediCoaster were down here and there (Racer was down half the day) and it resulted in other rides with long wait times and we ended up walking around while we wait for our fastpass time

it also helps that Disneyland closes much later and they have both parades and fireworks so if i were to experience one park, it's definitely DL

 

Yeah if it’s just a single park trip then Disneyland has to be the choice...Have either of the kids or the rest of your group ever been? If not then that’s even more of a pull for Disneyland...It’s THE park...

 

@vegetaray123 Yeah, the wife and I had a SoCal Select pass before we moved back to Seattle so we took our son quite a bit. Being that it's their first time, I figured DL would be the obvious choice. Still no alcohol being served at DL until Star Wars Land opens right?