One thing is for sure, living a 40 minute fast train ride from Shanghai is awesome. And with Disney opening up in 2016 it has been a treat. And that is what this blog is all about, our trip to Disneyland.
It started off with having to travel from Hangzhou East railway station to Shanghai. The station was very, very busy. Living in China for 6 years now, I know it is challenging traveling during the public holidays. And we were traveling during Mid-Autumn Festival. So the station was choc-a-block. But even so, there is order at the gates. There is the odd pushing-in in the lines, but that seems to be the norm here in China. You just have to go with the flow.
We travelled with Alicia and Sunet. When traveling on the trains in China, it is best to book 1st or Business class tickets. Only because it is more comfortable as the chairs are smaller and more crowded. You can get 2nd class as well as standing carriage. The second and standing carriage are usually the same price. Once we arrived in Shanghai we spoiled ourselves to some Burger King in the station which is usually a clever plan as the queue for the taxi's are usually very long. So biding time in Burger King helps to alleviate the wait.
The hotel we stayed at was called the Renaissance Yu Garden Hotel. This hotel is situated very close to the Yu Gardens and a short walk to the Bund. We first went on a walk about trying to find a Western Union to send some money back to our home country as we have not been able to due to not receiving any tax certificates in the first 3 months. We did find one, however, you can only receive money from other countries, but not send.
Then we went to Disneyland. You need a whole day to explore otherwise you won't see everything. It was fantastic. Although the park is mainly in Chinese, there are still lots of props and rides you can go on. Hong Kong Disneyland has more extreme rides. Here in Shanghai, most rides are family orientated. No food or liquid or aerosol cans can be taken into the park and you can buy food in the park. We however decided we will leave the park to have lunch as you can re-enter again as long as you have your tickets. When you enter Disneyland, you photo is taken as you scan your ticket so when you re-enter again, they make sure it is you using your own ticket. We went to Blue Frog for lunch and then through to Cheese Cake Factory for dessert. It was a really enjoyable day and by the time we got back to the hotel, our feet were so sore. It was a short weekend spoil and the next day we checked out and headed back to Hangzhou.
It started off with having to travel from Hangzhou East railway station to Shanghai. The station was very, very busy. Living in China for 6 years now, I know it is challenging traveling during the public holidays. And we were traveling during Mid-Autumn Festival. So the station was choc-a-block. But even so, there is order at the gates. There is the odd pushing-in in the lines, but that seems to be the norm here in China. You just have to go with the flow.
At the station with hundreds of people.
The hotel we stayed at was called the Renaissance Yu Garden Hotel. This hotel is situated very close to the Yu Gardens and a short walk to the Bund. We first went on a walk about trying to find a Western Union to send some money back to our home country as we have not been able to due to not receiving any tax certificates in the first 3 months. We did find one, however, you can only receive money from other countries, but not send.
On the way to our hotel.
Some sights of Shanghai while walking around looking for a Western Union.
Then we went to Disneyland. You need a whole day to explore otherwise you won't see everything. It was fantastic. Although the park is mainly in Chinese, there are still lots of props and rides you can go on. Hong Kong Disneyland has more extreme rides. Here in Shanghai, most rides are family orientated. No food or liquid or aerosol cans can be taken into the park and you can buy food in the park. We however decided we will leave the park to have lunch as you can re-enter again as long as you have your tickets. When you enter Disneyland, you photo is taken as you scan your ticket so when you re-enter again, they make sure it is you using your own ticket. We went to Blue Frog for lunch and then through to Cheese Cake Factory for dessert. It was a really enjoyable day and by the time we got back to the hotel, our feet were so sore. It was a short weekend spoil and the next day we checked out and headed back to Hangzhou.
Dinner at Blue Frog.
Keep reading and I will keep writing.
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