A Luxury Guide to Making the Most of Shanghai Disneyland

We recently had the opportunity to experience Shanghai Disneyland firsthand, and uncover what the experience is actually like for an international family. Above all, we wanted to cut through the noise and answer some of the most pressing queries:

• How do you navigate the language barrier?

• Are priority passes worth paying for?

• How much walking is involved?

• Which elements should you book in advance?

• How can you experience one of Asia's busiest family attractions without feeling completely overwhelmed?

For those travelling to Shanghai with children—and perhaps even grandparents or multiple generations of family—Shanghai Disneyland is undoubtedly an experience worth considering.

Below, discover our curated guide covering everything from the best times to visit to navigating the plethora of dining options.

First Things First: Plan Before You Arrive

Our biggest piece of advice for international visitors is to do as much preparation as possible before arrival.

Shanghai Disneyland is enormous, spanning roughly 963 acres, and it is significantly larger than both Tokyo Disney Resort and Hong Kong Disneyland. It is also home to the record-breaking Enchanted Storybook Castle—the tallest, largest and most complex Disney castle ever built.

The scale is impressive, but it also means that spontaneity alone may not be the best strategy, particularly when travelling with young children.

Before your visit, we highly recommend downloading the Shanghai Disneyland app and familiarising yourself with the park layout, attractions, dining outlets and any priority or exclusive access options available. The bilingual app is particularly helpful for international visitors and makes navigating the park considerably easier.

Guests should also ensure that their tickets and any relevant passport or identification information are completed in advance. Once everything is in order, the entrance process itself is relatively straightforward. During our visit, identification documents were scanned upon entry and, after approximately 20–25 minutes, we found ourselves inside the park.

When Should You Visit Shanghai Disneyland?

If your itinerary allows, we would strongly recommend visiting during the weekday rather than over the weekend in the late afternoon. 

The park understandably attracts enormous crowds, and while there are ways to navigate this more comfortably, visiting outside the busiest periods will naturally make the overall experience more enjoyable.

We would also carefully consider the time of year. Shanghai can become extremely hot and humid during the summer months, which may be particularly challenging for younger children, grandparents and anyone planning to spend an entire day walking around the park. The milder months feel infinitely more comfortable and less physically demanding.

Getting There: Straightforward, But Prepare for a Walk

Getting to Shanghai Disneyland from the city centre is relatively straightforward. Visitors can easily arrange a taxi, with the journey taking approximately one hour, depending on traffic and where you are staying in Shanghai.

It's worth noting that the journey doesn't end at drop-off... There is still a considerable amount of walking involved before guests reach the main entrance. During our visit, we found ourselves walking for approximately 10–15 minutes before we even started to explore the park itself.

For families travelling with children, we would highly recommend renting one of the on-site strollers. Initially, we thought this might only be necessary for our five-year-old, but given the sheer amount of walking involved, it proved equally useful for our nine-year-old.

If there is one additional service we would love to see Shanghai Disneyland introduce in the future, it would be a private buggy or premium transfer service from the drop-off point to the entrance. For guests travelling with younger children, elderly family members or simply those wanting a more comfortable arrival experience, we feel this could add real value.

Our Best Advice? Pay for Priority Access

If you are wondering whether priority access is worth the additional cost, our answer is very simply, yes. This was perhaps the biggest surprise of our visit.

Given the size of the crowds, we wanted to understand how guests could experience Shanghai Disneyland in a more efficient and comfortable way without spending a vast amount of time standing in queues. Armed with priority access, our waiting time for many key attractions was reduced to approximately five minutes, allowing us to explore a greater portion of the park.

For families, the benefits are more pronounced. Children aren't left waiting for long periods, and parents don't have to spend hours entertaining restless children. In short, the day feels more conducive to adrenaline-fuelled adventure than snappy tantrums.

During our visit, we used priority access for Zootopia, Pirates of the Caribbean and Soaring Over the Horizon—all three of which we'd highly recommend to families.

Each offered something entirely different, from immersive storytelling and special effects to genuinely thrilling experiences that both adults and children can enjoy. The reduced waiting times even had us considering a second spin.

In our eyes, this is where the idea of a more premium Disneyland experience really comes into play. While the park itself remains a hugely popular attraction for the masses, there are ways to experience it that feel considerably more luxe.

Don't Miss the Nighttime Spectacular

One experience we would strongly recommend planning your day around is ILLUMINATE! A Nighttime Celebration. Top tip: opt for the VIP viewing section for enhanced comfort.

Centred around the enormous Enchanted Storybook Castle, the nighttime spectacular combines projection mapping, lasers, water fountains, flames and pyrotechnics in a visually striking finale.

For families visiting for the first time, this is one of those moments that genuinely captures the magic of Disney and is well worth sticking around for. The only caveat is that if you're travelling with younger children, a full day at the park followed by a late-night show can be exhausting, so plan wisely.

Dining Options

Shanghai Disneyland offers a surprisingly broad selection of options, all of which can be viewed and located in the bilingual app. For international visitors who may be concerned about navigating a Chinese-speaking environment, the technology does much of the work for you, making the overall experience considerably easier.

Whether you are looking for local options or something more Western, there is a wide enough variety to suit most families and dietary preferences.

Our advice would be to avoid wandering around when everyone is already hungry. Consider where you might want to eat before the children reach the point of complete exhaustion, particularly during busy periods.

What Should International Families Bring?

Shanghai Disneyland is an all-day experience, and packing accordingly will make a noticeable difference.

If visiting during the warmer months, we would recommend bringing:

• Sunscreen

• A reusable bottle that can be refilled throughout the day

• Comfortable shoes

• A camera

• Any essentials required for younger children

It is also worth remembering that certain items, including tripods, professional photography equipment, suitcases and selfie sticks, are not permitted.

Crucially, international visitors should also remember to bring the relevant identification or passport documents required for entry.

Final Verdict

While Shanghai Disneyland may not be the first place that springs to mind when considering luxury travel, the park can be experienced in a premium way, even with young children in tow.

Provided that you prepare in advance, we found Shanghai Disneyland to be relatively straightforward for international visitors. There was occasionally a language barrier (most staff members primarily speak Mandarin), but there are English-speaking staff members available, and we found that assistance was available when required.

The biggest advantage for foreign visitors is the bilingual app, which allows guests to navigate the park, understand the attractions and locate dining options with ease.

Our recommendation would be to ensure you have everything downloaded and organised before arrival, including all the necessary park apps and payment apps. Don't risk it and wait to figure things out at the park entrance!