Note from Shawn: A few weeks ago I visited the Shanghai Disney Resort with a few friends. While I stayed in the Toy Story Hotel (see review link below), they splurged and stayed in the resort’s flagship property. My friend Karl kindly agreed to write this review for me so we could have complete coverage of the resort. Thanks Karl!
Navigation:
- Shanghai Disneyland Review – Part 1
- Shanghai Disneyland Review – Part 2
- Toy Story Hotel Shanghai Disney Resort Review
Shanghai Disneyland Hotel Review
Overview & Pricing
- Base Room Price: 1,650 CNY or about $244 USD
- Award Costs: No award option available.
- Service Charge: 15%
- Parking: Complimentary self parking
- My Stay: 1 night in a Park View room for a total cost of 2,365 CNY (2,150 CNY + 10% service charge) or about $350 USD.
Location
The Shanghai Disneyland Hotel is actually not the closest hotel to the park or Metro. In fact, it takes about 20 minutes or so to walk around the lake to the park’s entrance, while you can get from the Toy Story Hotel to the park in about 10. Still, the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel’s location gives it a nice sense of separation which adds to its charm. For those who don’t care to walk, a water taxi crosses the lake every 15 minutes to connect the two sides.
Lobby & Check-In
The Shanghai Disneyland Hotel is the crown jewel of the Shanghai Disneyland Resort. It’s noticeably different from any of the other Disneyland hotels I have seen. The entire property had none of the ‘cartoony’ feel to it and felt much more adult and upscale. We arrived in the evening and our taxi pulled up to the front entrance which lead to a grand lobby. I felt like I was about to experience something unlike I had seen before (and was i right!).
Immediately I noticed there were triple the amount of staff compared to other hotels I have seen of a similar size. English was widely spoken and the Disney magic was everywhere. The middle of the lobby has a massive statue of all the main Disney characters that we’ve grown to love. The ceiling is huge with a massive stained glass domed light and columns that dominate the entire area. Huge plush Queen Anne chairs, a piano player, and fireplace continue towards the back of the lobby. Floor to ceiling glass windows overlook Wishing Star Lake and Disneyland Itself.
Room Review
The rooms were somewhat spacious and were a decent value compared to Disneyland Hotels at the other resorts. Our room had a park view and included two VERY HARD queen beds and a neatly tucked away Murphy bed. The bathroom was quite large with dual sinks and a large vanity. The rooms aren’t large compared to other hotels of this caliber, but the materials are high quality and the furniture comfortable. (Other than the hard beds.)
The true star of our room was the amazing view of Shanghai Disneyland park. In fact, we were so excited to see the view when we arrived, that we forgot to take any photos of the room! By day we could stare out at the gardens and lake and by night watch the park come alive. Every night we would push a button on the wall to begin a fireworks light show on our headboards. It was a great way to end a night.
Facilities & Food
There is a massive garden between the hotel and Wishing Star Lake. This garden was stunning both by day and night. Topiary and ceramic characters from all the Disney movies adorn the garden. A grand double staircase will take you from the lobby down to the ground level. One had to walk through the garden to get to either the water taxi for transfer to Disneyland or walk around the lake via a glass lined half moon suspension bridge.
On our first morning at the hotel we decided to partake in the character breakfast at Lumeire’s Kitchen for about 200 CNY or $30 each. While pricing wise was comparable to something similar in the United States, the experience was incredible. The restaurant itself is stunning (themed after Beauty and the Beast) and the buffet style breakfast was massive.
5 characters would come by from time to time and we would stop and have our photos taken with each and every one. I would highly recommend this. The hotel also has Bacchus Lounge (a fully stocked bar) and Ballet Cafe (their version of a coffee shop). We didn’t partake in the bar but did use the Cafe often and prices were very reasonable for a Disney property.
Internet
Just like Shawn mentioned in his Toy Story Hotel review, the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel’s internet was slow. The Great Firewall is in full effect, so expect to use a VPN if you want to access social media sites like Facebook. Just don’t expect to get much work done. It is good for basic email and surfing, but not much beyond that.
This & That
As I mentioned above, the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel is located across the lake from the park. This gives it a quiet isolated feel which is nice. You can walk around the lake and reach the park in about 20 minutes or take the water taxi which runs about every 15 minutes. To save money there is also a Family Mart right at the boat dock which has normal (non-Disney) prices on snacks and drinks!
Conclusion
Overall, I’d have to say I was blown away by the Disneyland Hotel and felt it was worth the experience despite the pricetag. It truly is both uniquely Chinese and uniquely Disney. The only downside truly are the beds, which are hard as a rock. But overlooking that, I would highly recommend staying at this hotel. It far exceeded my expectations and should exceed yours as well
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Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Thank you for this awesome breakdown of the hotels at Shanghai Disneyland! I’m researching options for a trip in the future and this is exactly the info I’ve been looking for. Is the easiest way to get to the parks usually walking? It’s strange to consider when I’m used to the sprawling nature of WDW, but it sounds amazing!
What a terrible terrible CUSTOMER SERVICE! We booked Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and read the term and conditions for cancellation policy, which stated 52 hours prior to check in date. When we called the hotel, they said it was not 52 hours but 3 days. The customer service said the policy was not updated and the correct one is 3 days. I had to postpone hotel for 1 day because my husband is stuck in rig offshore, could not get chopper in time to come back. The customer service even suggested me to travel with my two kids alone and my husband can come the day after. I asked to talk to the manager because I want to raise up this cancellation policy inconsistency but was rejected multiple times. She said her manager does not speak English and that the only manager left only speaks Chinese. So I asked my sister who speaks Chinese to talk to manager and yet she still did NOT want to pass the phone to the manager. I have never, ever, received such bad customer service before and was NOT expecting this from hotel chain like Disneyland. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT to have an experience like this. This is my first time choosing Disneyland and I will stick to other hotel chains next time. Never again.
Disagree…spent time there a few weeks ago and split nights between Toy Story and the Resort Hotel. It takes longer to get to the park from the Resort (especially if you take that LONG walk). We had the character buffet dinner and you are correct in the fact that they have MANY different dishes but the quality was sub-par (cold/off flavor) for the most part. It IS a very grand property and the design and style is a reflection of the price. I found that the level of service and amenities were just as good at the Toy Story. If price is not an object or hotel design is your thing, I would stay at the Resort. If you are taking a family to the park and are only looking for a place to shower and sleep (we spent our evenings at Disneytown or off property) then I’d recommend the Toy Story. You can always take a morning/evening to walk over to look at the Resort or have a meal if you’d like. Use that money saved to buy a few more souvenirs!
“I was blown away despite the price tag”
Odd comment considering you only paid $350. All of the Disney resorts in Tokyo, Paris, and Anaheim are much more expensive. And the theophylline Disney properties in Florida are all more expensive.
I’d say 350 is an absolute bargain.
Well you need to consider that China is significantly cheaper than the other countries you are talking about. Thus you can get 5 star hotels for less. This was also the offseason as well and the hotel can/will get more expensive. I do agree it is cheaper than Disney elsewhere, but still very expensive by Chinese standards and thus is not a bargain. Of course, Karl still felt it was worth what he paid, so I think he feels he got what he paid for.
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