Amazing Drone Pictures of an Empty Shanghaî Disneyland as the Park is Closed Due to Coronavirus Outbreak

As we know Shanghaî Disneyland is currently closed because of the coronavirus outbreak in China and considering that the outbreak is far to be over, it might take some months before the resort will reopen. But how looks Shanghaî Disneyland when there is no guests at all inside? These drone pictures posted on Twitter by DONGDONG - and beautfiful shots, by the way - will show you how it look.

The first picture above shows the full park with DisneyTown on the left, when the picture below shows the Gardens of Imagination and the Castle with a bit of Fantasyland behind it.

Next drone picture shows the Mickey Avenue at the park entrance with Treasure Cove lagoon on the bottom left and Adventure Isle on the top left.

On this last picture you have a perfect vertical view of Roaring Rapids the raft ride of Adventure Isle with no more water in it during the closure.

Pictures: copyright DONGDONG

D&M Exclusive: More About Shanghaî Disneyland Zootopia Land - and also SDL Marvel Land, Star Wars Land, and more

I'm reposting this article that i had posted just three months ago as new infos and artwork released by Bob Chapek at D23 Disney Parks and Resorts presentation bring a confirmation to what i was telling you but which was not yet revealed by Disney last May. When Disney Parks announced that a Zootopia land was coming to Shanghaî Disney Resort last year they didn't provided any infos about what will be the attraction except that it will be "a state-of-the-art ride". Then, last week-end at D23 Disney Parks  released the above rendering, always didn't give specific details about the attraction,  except that it will be "a state-of-the-art ride", etc, and mentioned the Zootopia Central Station that you can see on the above rendering as where will be the attraction.  It's an highly important point as it means that what i told you last May in my article was right - not all of it, but the major part of it - about what kind of ride it will be. The article also included others exclusive infos about the future of Shanghaî Disneyland park, so here we go:

The Zootopia land will be Shanghaî Disneyland’s eighth themed land,  the first-ever “Zootopia” land at any Disney theme park and will be built on the available land behind Winnie the Pooh and Pirates of Caribbean show building,  see the plan below on which the red line encircled the area for the Zootopia land. Which of course reduce quite a lot the land that i had encircled for a Marvel land in the previous article.

Before talking further about what will be the awaited Zootopia attraction, here are some pictures posted recently by a Chinese fan, showing the fences now in place at Shanghaî Disneyland for Zootopia construction. 

Now, you probably noticed that the area encircled in red for the Zootopia land is a pretty big one,  in fact you could put in it three show buildings like the one on the right of SDL Pirates of Caribbean attraction, which is a huge one. We know, thanks to the concept-art below, that they'll build a huge backdrop decor for Zootopia buildings as well as shops and restaurant but why would they need such a big space for the E-Ticket ride - as Zootopia will have only one attraction? 

The land description released by Disney didn't tell a lot about the attraction itself but simply said "Guests will be invited to experience the mammalian metropolis of Zootopia “where anyone can be anything,” with a new major attraction that will seamlessly blend Disney storytelling and state-of-the-art technology to bring this fan-favorite movie and its characters to life – including Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. Entertainment, merchandise, and food and beverage offerings will invite guests to fully immerse themselves in the Academy-Award-winning animated movie".

If you've seen the animated film you know that the "real" Zootopia is supposed to be huge and it's of course impossible for Disney Imagineers to build all of it. On the other hand this buddy cop movie had a great script but the sequence that everyone remember the most is the great scene at the start showing a monorail running all over Zootopia with Judy Hopps, and arriving at Zootopia's train station. I mean: this sequence below, watch it, it's important for what is coming next:




Now,  last Sunday Disney Parks released a new rendering - the oartwork below or at the top - for the Zootopia land showing, on the left, the Jumbeaux's Cafe and in the background ...Zootopia Central Station! Don't think it's a coincidence as it's not and it confirms what i've been told. Here it is: from what i was told the Zootopia attraction will be an indoor E-Ticket ride with a "monorail vehicle type”, most certainly looking like the one in the movie, and, as it is of course out of question that Disney will create an indoor ride with a real Zootopia monorail, the Imagineers found a different way to give to Shanghaî Disneyland guests the illusion they travel through Zootopia. How, you ask? Remember the King Kong or Fast and Furious rides at Universal Studios, with guests inside a tram going through a long tunnel with 3D projections on each side? Well, from what i've heard the Zootopia ride will be like this, not with a tram of course but with a Zootopia theming, in addition to a dark ride portion with Audio-Animatronics - as it would be difficult to do a land based on Zootopia without Audio-Animatronics animals, right?



My guess - but what is below was not told to me and is just my guess so i can be wrong here - is that the ride will partly recreate this short travel through Zootopia as seen in the movie, up to the point when eventually "something will go wrong", as i think they can't have a visual travelogue only during the whole ride, something a bit more thrilling must happen. But the question in fact is this one: will SDL guests need to embark first in the monorail to access "Zootopia", then arrive to Zootopia's train station like in the movie and then enter the land - which would be the smartest way to give the illusion that you arrived in a real Zootopia - or: will the guests enter the land as they do usually, simply by walking inside it, and then the ride will provide them a look all around Zootopia? The first option might be difficult on a guest flow point of view - though Universal somewhat did it with the Hogwarts Express bringing guests to IOA Wizarding World and it works perfectly - even if the technology is not the same as it is a train really moving - but i still think that the first option would be the best - we'll see...

That said, even if the monorail designed attraction vehicle won't move on a one km long track like the Hogwarts Express, it still will need to move at least some few hundred meters to enter the part with the projections on each side. Which would explain why the land ( the one circled in red on the Google Earth capture above ) is quite long as the "monorail" will need - after entering the part with the projections - to come back to a station one way or another.

And they might also need to build two different "train stations",  specially in my first option, one for the start, one for the arrival at Zootopia. Will SDL Imagineers recreate the train station like the one in the movie? - pictures below - that would be a smart idea, after all Universal did it with the Hogwarts Express train station in Diagon Alley... And i remind you that Shanghaî Disneyland is the only Disney "Magic Kingdom" with NO railroad, so this ride could be a chance to introduce one which will give SDL guests at least the illusion of a train ride...







Once arrived, guests will find themselves inside Zootopia as shown on the official rendering below., with themed shops and restaurants. A good idea by the way, if guests will need to take the "monorail" to enter the land ( first option described above ) and to take it back again to return to "reality", would be to have a different kind of projections during the ride back, like Universal do in the Hogwarts Express when guests come back from Islands of Adventure Wizarding World to Diagon Alley... That's what i would do personally, but may be we're asking too much... Not to mention that i can be totally wrong and that SDL Imagineers may have planned something totally different for the ride inside the monorail, so as usual consider all this as a rumor until announced officially, may be we'll learn more in August at the next D23.



That was for Zootopia, let's talk now about the Marvel land for Shanghaî Disneyland and what i've heard about it. As said in the previous article Bob Iger announced recently that they intend to do a big Marvel land at Shanghaî Disneyland. You can see on the above Google Earth capture that, even after Zootopia will be built, they'll still have land available on the left of it. It could be big enough for a Marvel land but probably not big enough for what Bob Iger has in mind. So, guess what, from what i've heard the plan is to build the Marvel Land in Shanghaî Disneyland SECOND park ...scheduled to open in 2031, 15 years after the first park which opened in 2016.

But eventually the second park could open before, but not before 2029. Why 2029? Because in the meantime the Marvel land at Hong Kong Disneyland will be finished and HKDL will have an exclusivity on the big E-Ticket Avengers ride during 5 years. So, Shanghaî Disneyland second park is scheduled for 2031 but there’s apparently an option to start the works by 2026 which, with 3 years of construction, will bring its opening to 2029, and will resolve the question of HKDL 5 years exclusivity on the Avengers ride - the one on the artwork below.



Wait, as, as you might expect they're not going to build Shanghaî Disneyland second park with one Marvel land only, as big as it might be. So, the idea - at least for now as plans can change at Disney as we know - is to build also a Star Wars land in the second park - yes, the dream of Disney fans to have a brand new park with both Marvel and Star Wars land in it instead than having like at Disneyland Resort a Star Wars land in Disneyland and a Marvel land in California Adventure might become a reality at Shanghaî Disneyland... And if the Avatar sequels happen to be succesful in China i personally won't be surprised if a Pandora land would be also added in SDL second park... That said, note that nothing is set in stone for SDL second park, though all the ( many ) ideas bouncing around have a Marvel and a Star Wars land included in SDL second park. Not totally sure, though, that they both stick as apparently some big Imagineers think that having both lands in the same park is a waste... so, we'll see.

But we're not done yet, as things gets even more complicated because Disney is currently trying to decide where to build first the next Star Wars land in Asia ...as Tokyo Disneyland was supposed to get it ( it would be built behind Tomorrowland on part of the remaining parking lot ) but Oriental Land - who still have to pay for the Beauty and the Beast land and TDS Fantasy Springs - would apparently prefer to wait for a better Japanese economy... Recently, for the "Fantasy Springs" groundbreaking ceremony and name announcement, you've seen on the picture released by Oriental Land that Bob Iger and Philippe Gas were both at Tokyo Disney Resort, with OLC President and others TDR executives and some of you who know that Philippe Gas is Shanghaî Disney Resort President may have been surprised to see him there. Well, in fact Philippe Gas is no longer Shanghaî Disney Resort President since March and he is now "Walt Disney Attractions Japan and Disneyland International" President - it is Joe Shot ( previously Chief Operating Officer - Senior Vice President at Disneyland Paris ) who is now President / General Manager of Shanghaî Disney Resort. And apparently Bob Iger and Philippe Gas were not only in Tokyo for Fantasy Springs groundbreaking ceremony but also for talks and eventually convince Oriental Land executives to bring a Star Wars land at Tokyo Disneyland. As for what decision went out of the discussions, sorry, but i'm afraid you'll have to wait for an official announcement.

Pictures: copyright Disney, Google

D&M Exclusive: Shanghaî Disneyland Update: Zootopia Land, Marvel Land, Star Wars Land, and more

I have for you today some exclusive infos about the future of Shanghaî Disneyland park but, first, i have to apologize for a big mistake i did recently in the article HERE about the location of the Marvel land envisioned for Shanghaî Disneyland, as i had totally forgot the already announced Zootopia land!!!

The Zootopia land will be Shanghaî Disneyland’s eighth themed land,  the first-ever “Zootopia” land at any Disney theme park and will be built on the available land behind Winnie the Pooh and Pirates of Caribbean show building,  see the plan below on which the red line encircled the area for the Zootopia land. Which of course reduce quite a lot the land that i had encircled for a Marvel land in the previous article.

Before talking further about what will be the awaited Zootopia attraction, here are some pictures posted recently by a Chinese fan, showing the fences now in place at Shanghaî Disneyland for Zootopia construction. 

Now, you probably noticed that the area encircled in red for the Zootopia land is a pretty big one,  in fact you could put in it three show buildings like the one on the right of SDL Pirates of Caribbean attraction, which is a huge one. We know, thanks to the concept-art below, that they'll build a huge backdrop decor for Zootopia buildings as well as shops and restaurant but why would they need such a big space for the E-Ticket ride - as Zootopia will have only one attraction? 

The land description released by Disney didn't tell a lot about the attraction itself but simply said "Guests will be invited to experience the mammalian metropolis of Zootopia “where anyone can be anything,” with a new major attraction that will seamlessly blend Disney storytelling and state-of-the-art technology to bring this fan-favorite movie and its characters to life – including Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. Entertainment, merchandise, and food and beverage offerings will invite guests to fully immerse themselves in the Academy-Award-winning animated movie".

If you've seen the animated film you know that the "real" Zootopia is supposed to be huge and it's of course impossible for Disney Imagineers to build all of it. On the other hand this buddy cop movie had a great script but the sequence that everyone remember the most is the great scene at the start showing a monorail running all over Zootopia with Judy Hopps, and arriving at Zootopia's train station. I mean: this sequence below, watch it, it's important for what is coming next:




Now,  here it is: from what i've been told the Zootopia attraction will be an indoor E-Ticket ride with a "monorail vehicle type”, most certainly looking like the one in the movie, and, as it is of course out of question that Disney will create an indoor ride with a real monorail, the Imagineers found a different way to give to Shanghaî Disneyland guests the illusion they travel through Zootopia. How, you ask? Remember the King Kong or Fast and Furious rides at Universal Studios, with guests inside a tram going through a long tunnel with 3D projections on each side? Well, from what i've heard the Zootopia ride will be like this, not with a tram of course but with a Zootopia theming, in addition to a dark ride portion with Audio-Animatronics - as it would be difficult to do a land based on Zootopia without Audio-Animatronics animals, right?

My guess - but what is below was not told to me and is just my guess so i can be wrong here - is that the ride will partly recreate this short travel through Zootopia as seen in the movie, up to the point when eventually "something will go wrong", as i think they can't have a visual travelogue only during the whole ride, something a bit more thrilling must happen. But the question in fact is this one: will SDL guests need to embark first in the monorail to access "Zootopia", then arrive to Zootopia's train station like in the movie and then enter the land - which would be the smartest way to give the illusion that you arrived in a real Zootopia - or: will the guests enter the land as they do usually, simply by walking inside it, and then the ride will provide them a look all around Zootopia? The first option might be difficult on a guest flow point of view ( though Universal somewhat did it with the Hogwarts Express bringing guests to IOA Wizarding World and it works perfectly - even if the technology is not the same as it is a train really moving ) but i still think that the first option would be the best - we'll see...

That said, even if the monorail designed attraction vehicle won't move on a one km long track like the Hogwarts Express, it still will need to move at least some few hundred meters to enter the part with the projections on each side. Which would explain why the land ( the one circled in red on the Google Earth capture above ) is quite long as the "monorail" will need - after entering the part with the projections - to come back to a station one way or another.

And they might also need to build two different "train stations",  specially in my first option, one for the start, one for the arrival at Zootopia. Will SDL Imagineers recreate the train station like the one in the movie? - pictures below - that would be a smart idea, after all Universal did it with the Hogwarts Express train station in Diagon Alley... And i remind you that Shanghaî Disneyland is the only Disney "Magic Kingdom" with NO railroad, so this ride could be a chance to introduce one which will give SDL guests at least the illusion of a train ride...







Once arrived, guests will find themselves inside Zootopia as shown on the official rendering below., with themed shops and restaurants. A good idea by the way, if guests will need to take the "monorail" to enter the land ( first option described above ) and to take it back again to return to "reality", would be to have a different kind of projections during the ride back, like Universal do in the Hogwarts Express when guests come back from Islands of Adventure Wizarding World to Diagon Alley... That's what i would do personally, but may be we're asking too much... Not to mention that i can be totally wrong and that SDL Imagineers may have planned something totally different for the ride inside the monorail, so as usual consider all this as a rumor until announced officially, may be we'll learn more in August at the next D23.



That was for Zootopia, let's talk now about the Marvel land for Shanghaî Disneyland and what i've heard about it. As said in the previous article Bob Iger announced recently that they intend to do a big Marvel land at Shanghaî Disneyland. You can see on the above Google Earth capture that, even after Zootopia will be built, they'll still have land available on the left of it. It could be big enough for a Marvel land but probably not big enough for what Bob Iger has in mind. So, guess what, from what i've heard the plan is to build the Marvel Land in Shanghaî Disneyland SECOND park ...scheduled to open in 2031, 15 years after the first park which opened in 2016.

But eventually the second park could open before, but not before 2029. Why 2029? Because in the meantime the Marvel land at Hong Kong Disneyland will be finished and HKDL will have an exclusivity on the big E-Ticket Avengers ride during 5 years. So, Shanghaî Disneyland second park is scheduled for 2031 but there’s apparently an option to start the works by 2026 which, with 3 years of construction, will bring its opening to 2029, and will resolve the question of HKDL 5 years exclusivity on the Avengers ride - the one on the artwork below.



Wait, as, as you might expect they're not going to build Shanghaî Disneyland second park with one Marvel land only, as big as it might be. So, the idea - at least for now as plans can change at Disney as we know - is to build also a Star Wars land in the second park - yes, the dream of Disney fans to have a brand new park with both Marvel and Star Wars land in it instead than having like at Disneyland Resort a Star Wars land in Disneyland and a Marvel land in California Adventure might become a reality at Shanghaî Disneyland... And if the Avatar sequels happen to be succesful in China i personally won't be surprised if a Pandora land would be also added in SDL second park... That said, note that nothing is set in stone for SDL second park, though all the ( many ) ideas bouncing around have a Marvel and a Star Wars land included in SDL second park. Not totally sure, though, that they both stick as apparently some big Imagineers think that having both lands in the same park is a waste... so, we'll see.

But we're not done yet, as things gets even more complicated because Disney is currently trying to decide where to build first the next Star Wars land in Asia ...as Tokyo Disneyland was supposed to get it ( it would be built behind Tomorrowland on part of the remaining parking lot ) but Oriental Land - who still have to pay for the Beauty and the Beast land and TDS Fantasy Springs - would apparently prefer to wait for a better Japanese economy... Last week, for the "Fantasy Springs" groundbreaking ceremony and name announcement, you've seen on the picture released by Oriental Land that Bob Iger and Philippe Gas were both at Tokyo Disney Resort, with OLC President and others TDR executives and some of you who know that Philippe Gas is Shanghaî Disney Resort President may have been surprised to see him there. Well, in fact Philippe Gas is no longer Shanghaî Disney Resort President since March and he is now "Walt Disney Attractions Japan and Disneyland International" President - it is Joe Shot ( previously Chief Operating Officer - Senior Vice President at Disneyland Paris ) who is now President / General Manager of Shanghaî Disney Resort. And apparently Bob Iger and Philippe Gas were not only in Tokyo for Fantasy Springs groundbreaking ceremony but also for talks and eventually convince Oriental Land executives to bring a Star Wars land at Tokyo Disneyland. As for what decision went out of the discussions, sorry, but i'm afraid you'll have to wait for an official announcement.

Pictures: copyright Disney, Google

There is Still Disney Parks Where the Entrance Ticket Will Cost You $59 Only !

Sick of the never ending increase of the ticket prices at Disneyland and Walt Disney World? If you find that now the price to pay to enter Disney's U.S magic kingdoms is just insane i have good news for you: there is still Disney parks on the planet where the entrance will cost you not more than $59 / 52€ - and for a regular entrance ticket! Sure, the parks are not in the U.S and the plane ticket will cost you more but as you will see at the end it might cost you less for one week than a week at WDW.

Here we go: The entrance ticket for Shanghaî Disneyland starts at 399 CNY which equals $59 only. No kidding. All you have to do is to visit the park during the week and avoid the three weeks of Chinese New Year in February. As you'll be in Asia why not enjoying a visit to Hong Kong Disneyland at the same time? Entrance ticket for HKDL starts at 619 HKD which equals $78 only.



If you live in the U.S, chances are that you know already almost all attractions of DL and WDW and that you've never visited HKDL and SDL and both of them have plenty of attractions that you'll find nowhere else ( Tron Light Cycles, Jet Packs, Raging Rapids, Adventure Isle Challenge Trails, Pirates stunt show, Alice in Wonderland Maze, Voyage to the Crystal Grotto,  at SDL, Mystic Manor, Grizzly Gulch, Iron Man Experience, Ant-Man and the Wasp : Nano Battle, at HKDL and more ) or awesome new versions of your favourite attractions ( Pirates of Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure, Peter Pan's Flight, Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue at Shanghaî Disneyland ) and some of the best themed lands you've seen!

And here comes the good news: by chosing to visit both parks it will allows you to get insanely cheap plane tickets round trip prices! First let's see what cost normally a round trip ticket from New York or L.A or Toronto to Orlando International Airport, thanks to a search with the great skyscanner.com website ( below prices from NY La Guardia or Los Angeles LAX or Toronto YYZ ):

Now, let's see how what it would cost to go from the same cities in the U.S or Canada to Shanghaî, then Hong Kong then back to the U.S or Canada, with dates chosen in March. The search was done again on skyscanner.com and you must choose the "multi-city" option on the top to get the right prices. And i remind you that we're not talking now about a two hours flight but about 12 or 14 hours flights which are of course generally more expensive.

New York JFK - Hong Kong - Shanghaî - New York JFK, from $644 for the THREE flights:

Los Angeles - Shanghaî - Hong Kong - Los Angeles, from $632 for the THREE flights:

or:

Toronto - Hong Kong - Shanghaî - Toronto, from $688 for the THREE flights:

Don't want to go to HKDL but only visit Shanghaî Disneyland? Here is what will cost you the round trip flight to Shanghaî from New York JFK, and it starts at $408 only:

Editing: For our friends in England who like usually to go to WDW and here is what would cost a round trip London Heathrow - Hong Kong - Shanghaî - London in July. Star Wars land won't yet be open at WDW this summer, neither the awaited new Harry Potter roller coaster at Universal Orlando, so why not going this year to visit Disney parks in Asia instead? It'll cost you for the THREE flights £655 when the cheapest round trip flight at the same dates in July from London to Orlando cost £610!



And for our friends in France, here it is and it will cost you 624€ only for the three flights, and on Lufthansa and Cathay Pacific, two legendary airlines!



Now, although these flight prices are surprisingly cheap,, the idea to fly to Disney parks in Asia and save money will probably work better for a couple than a family of four. There is no doubt that it cost more than flying to Orlando, meaning that you need to save money somewhere else so the trip will remain competitive with a week spent at WDW. 

The first important thing you need to know to save money is this one: normally everyone needs to pay for a visa to enter China main land ( Shanghaî ), and the visa for U.S citizens is quite costly ( around $120 or so ). The trick to avoid to pay this insane price - and so to save money - is to use the 72 hours tourist free visa which allows you to stay 72 hours / 3 days in Shanghaî from the moment your next destination when you will leave Shanghaî is NOT the same one you were coming from, which will be the case if you go to Hong Kong next and not back to the U.S to the city you came from. Got it? Thanks to this you'll save $250 if you're two people, $500 if you're a family of four.

Now, even if the park entrance tickets will cost you half ( or almost ) than at WDW you still will need hotel rooms. This is where you can save a lot of money. If you stay in Disney resorts at HKDL or SDL - which are wonderful, no doubt about that, but expensive - you have to be ready to spend a lot of money for the hotel room only. BUT if instead you stay in hotels at Hong Kong itself or Shanghaî you'll find great hotels for a third or half of the price. And Shanghaî and Hong Kong are fantastic cities, you don't want to miss the view of Hong Kong harbour at night or the one of the stunning Shanghaî Bund when the sun goes down, believe me! And for those of you Americans afraid of security your really don't have to worry, both cities are more safe than where you live in the U.S!

Use Agoda.com to find rooms in Hong Kong or Shanghaî - for Hong Kong my favourite area to stay is Hong Kong "Central" and for Shanghaî as close as possible to the Shanghaî Bund. Two hotels in Shanghaî that i recommend at reasonable price: the Jinjiang Metropolo Hotel Classiq Shanghai Bund Circle and the Bund Riverside Hotel, both art-deco style, with prices starting from $50 or $70 only on Agoda. In Hong Kong room prices might be slightly more expensive but you even have on Lantau Island, same island where HKDL is, next door to it, the Silvermine Beach Resort with rooms, if you're lucky, starting at $50 only on Agoda ( HKDL Hotels will cost you at least $170 even on Agoda ). On Hong Kong Island itself it will be harder to find a decent room under $100 but you'll still save money.

So, here it is, you can enjoy two great Disney parks which will be "new" for most of you - and two parks with some of the best "entrance" i've seen - in exotic and safe locations for a price equivalent or probably less than what will cost you a week at WDW but you have to forget about staying in Disney hotels to keep the price competitive with a week at WDW. Which might be a bit annoying i agree but Shanghaî and Hong Kong are so great that in exhange you'll discover two fantastic cities, and access to both parks are easy and direct with the subway. Who will be the first to book his flights?

Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park, Shanghaî Disneyland First Competitor, Opens on Nov 16!

For Shanghaî Disneyland the times when the park could reign without no real competitor is over! On November 16 Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park, will open officially and the new park located at less than 30 minutes from SDL will be the next major attraction in Shanghaî with a trial run starting on Oct 1! The park also include a new themed hotel, which will also open on Nov 16, and will start to accept reservations from Oct 20.

Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park was designed by Gary Goddard Entertainment - now Legacy GGE - who won five years ago in front of three others companies proposals, with the blue-sky design below. As a former WDI Imagineer Gary Goddard also designed many E-Tickets attractions for Universal Studios and Legacy GGE team include artists who also worked for WDI, all this to say that even if Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park is not a Disney park it was designed by people who know very well how to create quality theme parks. Below, renderings of the Blue Sky Concept design, first design for the park entrance, and the final design.

Regular admission for Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park will run $48 (330 RMB) for adults, and $28 (190 RMB) for children. Peak days – all days in July and August, as well as weekends and holidays - will run $58 (399 RMB) for adults, and $36 (249 RMB) for children. As a point of comparison, nearby Shanghai Disneyland's standard weekday adult admission is $58 (399 RMB) and $84 (575 RMB) on weekends and peak days. With an entrance ticket price 30 cheaper than Shanghaî Disneyland and located at just 30 minutes from SDL, there is no doubt that Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park will be a competitor to SDL, or at least one which must not be underestimated.

Shanghaî Disneyland won't have direct competition from Universal like Disney has in Orlando but instead SDL will have Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park like they have Sea World in Florida, except that Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park will be much more themed than Sea World and will be also much more than just a sea life park as it will include a great Intamin launch roller coaster aimed at families, the world’s longest rapids ride, a train ride, an aerial skyway gondola ride, and plenty others family rides. Click on the picture below to see locations and names of each attraction.




Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park is located off the coast of east China sea, beside the Dripping Lake of Pudong New Area, a core tourism destination of Yangzi River Delta area, where seaport, airport, railway, highway and waterway are interconnected. The project covers an area of about 29.7 hectares, with an overall floorage of about 205,000 square meters, of which 147,000 square meters are above the ground. Below, artworks and concept designs for the park.

Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park is Haichang flagship park and the pinnacle among all the ocean-themed parks built over the past two decades in China, with its top international standards achieved in thematic features, project quality, park scale and construction level. Themed on ocean culture, this project can be divided into 5 major theme areas and 1 ocean resort, consisting of 6 exhibition venues, 3 large-scale animal interactive performance venues, 2 large-scale cinemas and over 10 recreational facilities. Guests will enjoy the unique arctic and antarctic scenery, the fantastic deep sea view and the stunning volcano lava, the extraordinary adventure and wonderful animal show, the world’s first 360-degree penguin super bowl where guests can closely observe the daily life of these creatures, and a five 5-star animal-themed hotel rooms with 360-degree panoramic rooftop.

Tickets can be purchased through official channels of the ticket offices, its official website and WeChat platform, as well as a number of retailers such as online travel agency Ctrip and Tuniu.
The park features five theme zones, three animal theaters, two high-tech cinemas and an ocean-themed resort hotel, and below more original artworks and concept designs as well as latest pictures of the park soon to be finished.

Above and below, ODYSSEAS Undersea World Pavilion beautiful facade, suggesting a futuristic marine life research base bored into the tropical mountainscape, was designed by Christopher Smith, translated into color by Tony Archer, and features a logo by Erik Christensen.

Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park's "STEEL DOLPHIN" Intamin LSM Launch Coaster. As shown here in these beautiful sketches by Christopher Smith, Branislav Hetzel, and Christian Hope, this was done intentionally as a means to activate the park's Aquaria entry zone and Rainbow Falls land with high-decibel excitement and visual energy.

More original artworks...

Bird's eye view of the east side of the park, themed to a tropical environment and located next to the in-park hotel.



Bird's eye view of the west side of the park, themed to a polar environment and located next to the parking garage.



A colossal MOSAIC MERMAID will greet visitors as they arrive at Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park.

Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park's entrance zone massive MOSAIC SHARK who swallows the track of the STEEL DOLPHIN Intamin LSM launch coaster.




The Steel Dolphin coaster will pass twice over the park's central creek and be the first attractions that guests will see after the entrance plaza.






Below, artwork and pictures of Glacier Court pavilion facade as it approaches completion.

Below, the artwork ( bottom ), models and drone pictures for the "Ice Mountain"

The park's arctic-themed mountain include the Alpine Express train ride, polar animal exhibits and the west Skyway station






Below, artworks, models and current pictures of the huge restaurant designed as a "sand castle".

Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park's ISLAND HOPPERS Skyway runs an impressive 550 meters (1800' feet) from one end of the park to the other.









The park also has a huge volcano named Rainbow Falls mountain and beneath it guests will find Rainbow Caverns, a whale shark exhibit.

This illustration of Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park's Rainbow Falls land by Danilo Montejo depicts the way in which guests will constantly be immersed in the high-energy sights and sounds of the Spinning Rapids Ride and Intamin LSM Launch Coaster. Regrettably, the Dynamic Swing Glider was cut after Schematic Design was completed.


These beautiful custom Flat Ride concepts were created by Scott Sherman for Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park's GOLD COAST attraction zone.


A drone view of the huge Dolphin show stadium.



Below, Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park's killer whale theatre.





Another prominent structure in the construction shots of SHANGHAI HAICHANG OCEAN PARK is the CORAL CATHEDRAL- the park's Jellyfish & Coral pavilion. Seen here as designed by the brilliant Richard Gutierrez, the "Coral Spires" marquee and Ropes Course integrated into the facade were regrettably eliminated in later design phases.



This colorful structure is home to Haichang Shanghai Ocean Park's JOYFUL CIRCUS- a comedic show starring the park's resident Seals, Sea Lions, and Walruses.

The facade, and a drone view for show building of the park's seal/sea lion exhibit.




Inspired by the year-round Christmas boutiques of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, WINTER WONDERLAND was designed as an immersive retail experience for Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park's PORT MAJESTIC land.

Once open, Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park's in-park Hotel designed to remind a cruise ship will put its guests right in the heart of the action with dramatic views of the STEEL DOLPHIN Intamin LSM Launch Coaster, CORAL CATHEDRAL Jellyfish & Coral Pavilion, as well as the SAND CASTLE Food & Beverage venue, among other areas and attractions.




Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park trial run starts on Oct 1 and the park grand opening is scheduled for Nov 16!

Artwork: copyright Legacy GGE - Thanks to Themeparx.com who found on Chinese websites part of the pictures included in this article.