Shanghaî Disneyland Launch Disney Premier Access : Now You Can Avoid the Long Queues of SDL Rides but you'll Have to Pay For It

As you've probably heard queues at Shanghaî Disneyland can be really long on some rides ( Soaring, TRON light cycles, Roaring Rapids, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Buzz Lightyear, Winnie the Pooh and more. Now the good news is that Shanghaî Disneyland just launched "Disney Premier Access" which "allows guests to customize their experience and make their day more flexible than ever". It works on these specific attractions: Soaring Over the Horizon, Roaring Rapids, TRON Lightcycle Power Run, Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan’s Flight.

The BAD news is that you'll have to pay for this "Disney Premier Access" and it'll cost you for ONE "Premier Access" - i.e ONE ride - between 16 and 20 euros depending if it's on peak or regular days, or for the Premier Access Set for all seven attractions between 65 and 80 euros ( peak or regular days ), which mean that this Disney Premier Access Set  will cost you as much as the entrance ticket itself!

It's basically a Fast Pass that you can buy - and you'll have to go through the Fast Pass entrance for each ride - but here at the difference of the usual Fast Passes that you can get for only one ride at a time you can "buy" them for all the rides with the longest waiting times. The regular "free" Fast-Pass is of course still available. Let's have more details about this from the SDL website.

More Flexible Access to the Fun: New Disney Premier Access provides you with more flexible access to the fun and putting choices in the hands. Guests can maximize their day by purchasing the new Disney Premier Access to enjoy priority access to participating attractions at Shanghai Disneyland.

Disney Premier Access Peak Price: RMB 150 (valid on Peak Days) Regular Price: RMB 120 (valid on Regular Days)

Disney Premier Access Set Peak Price: RMB 600 (valid on Peak Days) Regular Price: RMB 480 (valid on Regular Days) Attractions Offering Disney Premier Access Include:

A Disney Premier Access will provide guests with flexible access to one of the seven participating attractions at Shanghai Disneyland.

Attractions offering Disney Premier Access service at Shanghai Disneyland include:

Soaring Over the Horizon – Adventure Isle Roaring Rapids – Adventure Isle TRON Lightcycle Power Run – Tomorrowland Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue – Tomorrowland Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – Fantasyland The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – Fantasyland Peter Pan’s Flight.

Fantasyland Disney Premier Access is non-transferrable and subject to the availability and operating schedule of the attraction.

Disney Premier Access Purchase Locations

You can visit Avenue M Arcade at Mickey Avenue to obtain information and purchase Disney Premier Access for any of the seven attractions and Disney Premier Access Set.
Disney Premier Access will also be available at the designated merchandise locations located in the land of the participating attraction.

Intergalactic Imports in Tomorrowland
Hundred Acre Goods in Fantasyland
Laughing Monkey Traders in Adventure Isle

For example, you can purchase a Disney Premier Access for any of the Tomorrowland participating attractions from Intergalactic Imports at Tomorrowland and any Fantasyland participating attractions from Hundred Acre Goods at Fantasyland.



To ensure access to the attraction, guests should only purchase Disney Premier Access in one of the designated Disney merchandise locations at Shanghai Disneyland. How to Validate:

Upon purchasing a Disney Premier Access ticket in one of the merchandise locations at Shanghai Disneyland, the guest using the ticket will be required to take a photo with a Cast Member. The photo matching the guest using the Disney Premier Access, together with the Disney Premier Access ticket, will be required to gain attraction entry.

Disney Premier Access Rules

Disney Premier Access is subject to availability.
Disney Premier Access is non-transferrable, not for resale and non-refundable unless otherwise required by the law.
Disney Premier Access is subject to the operating schedule of the attraction.
Disney Premier Access is date-specific and valid for admission for one person, one time only on the date purchased.
Disney Premier Access holders should queue up and enter the selected attractions through the Disney Fastpass entrance.
Presentation of this Disney Premier Access along with your corresponding unique photo taken at the sales location at time of purchase is required upon attraction entry.

Pictures: copyright Disney

What Makes Seven Dwarfs Mine Train a Unique Ride

Let's start first with the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train dedication that happened this morning by Tom Staggs, Snow White, and of course the Seven Dwarfs. Short but cute dedication as you can see below.

The good guys of Inside the Magic filmed a video of the dedication that you can see below.
They did a big report on the press event with plenty of videos so make sure to check their others articles, too.




Now, to come back to the title of this article, what's make Seven Dwarfs Mine Train a unique ride? Sure, there is the new Audio-Animatronics with the rear projection effects for the Dwarfs faces... and then there is gorgeous theming everywhere... and of course the fantastic rock sculptures which i like personally really a lot, also because it's a different kind of rocks / shape than the one they did previously in others attractions.

But there is something else that makes this mix of dark ride and family coaster unique and here is what it is: if you remember all the others dark rides created by Walt DIsney Imagineering - Peter Pan's Flight, Pinnochio, Snow White Scary Adventures, etc... they all finish well after the guests have been through the usual encounter with the evil character. I mean: the last scene is generally a typical "and they lived happily ever after..." scene, right?

The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is different. Contrary to the old Snow White dark ride there is no scary scenes and it's a happy ride all along, whether because of the scenes inside the mine or in the dwarfs cottage at the end, and not to mention the coaster itself and the new twisting vehicles which for sure will enjoy everyone. But, also contrary to the old dark ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train doesn't end on a "happily ever after" scene, it ends with a "threatening" scene, as the very last thing that the riders can see is the evil witch waiting its time outside the cottage, with her basket full of poisoned apples!

 Chronologically speaking all the scenes are in perfect respect to the original movie storyline. In the movie the witch indeed appear at the cottage after Snow White dances with the dwarfs, so on this plan everything is right. In fact where the old dark ride was telling the Snow White story from the start to the end - in a way sometime too scary for very young children - the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train concentrate on the dwarfs themselves and the middle part of the movie. Still, it ends almost with a "cliffhanger" with the evil witch who as we know will poisoned Snow White anytime soon.

And that's another element which makes this brilliant ride unique, the fact that at first sight it ends well - the dance in the cottage - but with a scene including the threatening evil character, not defeat,  just two seconds later.

Pictures: copyright Disney

Movie: copyright inside the Magic

WDW Magic Kingdom New Fantasyland and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train From Above !

Disney released a video showing WDW Magic Kingdom New Fantasyland and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train From Above. The video was shot from a helicopter and i embedded it in the article below but i repost it here for those of you who missed it.




As it is probably forbidden for anyone except Disney to fly with a helicopter right above the Magic Kingdom no need to say that we won't see another video as good as this one anytime soon. So, i did screen captures of the best shots and as the contrast was a bit poor on the video i enhanced the pictures contrast, colors and sharpness and here they are. Click on each to download them in large size!

Next, some great aerial shots of Cinderella Castle...

More aerial pics of New Fantasyland and Magic Kingdom...

And here is a greats series of night shots...

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Press Event - Official Pics and On-Ride Video ! Now Edited with FULL Ride Videos !

The awaited Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Press Event is currently happening at WDW Magic Kingdom Fantasyland and Disney released a set of great pictures as well as two videos including one showing half of the ride!

Editing: That's it, we now have a REAL FULL RIDE POV video of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train including the final scene, and more, thanks to Theme Park Review!




And here is another one filmed by WDW Magic, also ( twice ) full ride, with better colors than the other one below but which strangely don't show the final cottage scene.




This next one filmed by Inside the Magic will show you the ride at night and, important note, because of the night time you see much better the inside of the cottage at the end with the dwarfs and Snow White!




But here is may be the best Seven Dwarfs Mine Train video filmed by Big Fat Panda. And it's because it's a multi angle video and it also shows the interactive queue at the start, so it worth to give it a look!




Disney also released a fantastic video shot from helicopter and showing the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and all Fantasyland ( and even more ) from above! Don't miss this one!




This next video shows the reverse angle, and is interesting as it shows a family riding the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Sure, you won't see the decor as well as in the other videos below but the amazement and fun of the two children in the foreground is charming, really and you understand why the coaster is going to be very successful with young kids.




You've probably noticed that there is a little story in this ride. You see first the dwarfs at work in the mine, then it's time for them to go back home and i think the chinese shadows scene on the wall with them is a great idea, and it also legitimate why you can see them again dancing inside the cottage at the end of the ride as they went back home. And you even have the witch waiting its hour outside.

I think they did a great work on this attraction and i'm definitely impressed by the theming of everything and specially by the quality of the outside rocks sculpture which i find amazing, really.

And now, here we go with great official pictures! Below, the seven dwarfs at the entrance of the attraction.

As you know there is an interactive queue and he first shot below shows guests at the first interactive station in the attraction queue, where Doc’s note explains the jewel washing game. As the jewels flow by in a wooden trough, or sluice, guests touch and drag them into a tray on the side of the sluice, matching them by color and shape. The trough is about 15 feet long and is accessible from both sides.

Another scene from the interactive queue. Here guests, by turning the diamonds can see images appearing on the ceiling. You'll see the scene in the video below.

This first Disney video below will show you a bit of the interactive queue...




And this next one from Inside the Magic will show you all the interactive queue!




And now, all aboard for a ride through the forest and the dwarfs mine.

Below, great pictures of the scenes with the dwarfs with the new Audio-Animatronics.

Right after these scenes the train goes out of the mountain for this big drop below... 

...and then pass on the little bridge above.

You've probably noticed that due to the daylight we can't see very well on the videos the inside of the cottage at the end of the ride. Thanks to the nighttime video from Inside the Magic we can see it much better and i did from it two screen captures sticked together.

Also, here is the evil witch standing behind the cottage at the very end!

Let's end with the Disney POV ride video. The one they've released as a "full ride POV video", is not, a big part is missing. But you'll see the inside scene above with the dwarfs AAs. Unfortunately they've put on the video a music which has absolutely no link with the story and probably with the ride which is pretty bad, so not only it shows just a part of the ride but you also don't hear the real soundtrack of the ride.





Pictures and video: copyright Disney, theme Park Review, WDW Magic

New Imagineering Behind-the-Scenes Video of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Audio-Animatronics !

Jesus... will this incredible day with plenty of awesome news ever end? After the Star Wars 7 casting announcement and the ones about the new huge investments in SDL and TDR - see articles below - Walt Disney Imagineering release a new "behind the scenes" video showing the making of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Audio-Animatronics!

As you'll see in the video below they've worked in team with animators of Walt Disney Animation Studios who went back to the original film to study each Dwarf’s individual motions and even facial expressions in order to get them just right for the AAs that guests will see in the awaited Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride.

Not only they used the face projection effect on the dwarfs but also on some of the little animals...

And here is the Imagineering video! Go ahead, watch it in full screen mode!




Pictures and video: copyright Disney