Overview
One day of Disney magic, two days of Shanghai, and none of the logistics that usually make the combination exhausting.
Day one is Disney: we collect you early, brief you on the park's largest rides and how to use the standby system, and leave you to it with your pre-booked tickets and a plan. Your guide remains reachable and rejoins you for the evening fireworks.
Days two and three bring the city down to a child's level — the Bund ferry, the koi ponds and rockeries of Yu Garden, a maglev ride to the airport at 430 km/h, and the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium if the weather turns. Hotels are booked with family rooms, and the pace includes a rest block every afternoon.
It is the most efficient way to give a family both the theme park they asked for and the city they did not know they wanted.
- Full day at Shanghai Disneyland with pre-booked tickets and a ride plan
- Evening fireworks over Enchanted Storybook Castle
- Maglev train ride at 430 km/h to Pudong airport
- Yu Garden's koi ponds, rockeries and zigzag bridge
- Ferry across the Huangpu with the Pudong skyline ahead
- Family rooms in a centrally located 4-star hotel
Itinerary
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1 Arrival & Orientation
No meals Shanghai, 4-star family roomAfternoon: Your guide meets you at Pudong (PVG) or Hongqiao (SHA) airport and transfers you to the hotel. If you arrive early enough, we take the maglev from the airport — 430 km/h, eight minutes, and worth doing on arrival rather than departure when the novelty has worn off.
Evening: An early dinner near the hotel and an early night. Tomorrow starts before the park opens.
Practical note: Disney tickets are issued in your name and are non-transferable, so please send passport details for every traveller at least seven days before departure.
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2 Shanghai Disneyland (Full Day)
Breakfast Shanghai, 4-star family room07:30 - Departure: A private transfer to the park, around 40 minutes depending on traffic. Arriving 30 minutes before opening is the single biggest advantage you can give yourself.
08:30 - Entry and plan: Your guide walks you through security and the turnstiles, then hands over a plan: which of the headline attractions to head for first, which to leave until evening, and roughly where the queues form at what hour. The park's standout rides here are TRON Lightcycle Power Run, Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure, and Roaring Rapids.
Daytime: The park is yours. Your guide stays reachable by phone and can be rejoined at any point. Families with younger children usually base themselves in Fantasyland and the Gardens of Imagination; older children head straight for Tomorrowland and Adventure Isle.
Evening: Your guide reconvenes the group for the fireworks over Enchanted Storybook Castle. We leave shortly after the display to beat the exit crowds, with the private car waiting.
Practical note: Meals inside the park are expensive and queues are long at midday. Your guide will point out the less obvious outlets near the park edges before leaving you.
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3 Yu Garden, the Bund & Departure
Breakfast Not included09:00 - Yu Garden: A gentler pace after the park. The Ming-dynasty garden has koi-stocked ponds children can stand over for a long time, a Great Rockery to climb, and a zigzag bridge that is more fun than it sounds. The surrounding bazaar sells kites, fans and toys.
11:00 - Huxinting teahouse: Xiaolongbao and jasmine tea, with a warning about the scalding broth inside the dumpling that every child needs to hear exactly once.
12:30 - The Bund: A walk along the riverfront, then the ferry across the Huangpu. The crossing costs a few yuan and delivers the best value view in Shanghai — the colonial buildings behind you, the towers ahead.
14:00 - Free time or aquarium: If the weather is poor or the children have energy left, the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium in Pudong is one of the largest in Asia with a 155-metre underwater tunnel.
16:00 - Departure: Transfer to Pudong or Hongqiao airport, or to the railway station, with your guide assisting at check-in.
Gallery
What's included
- 2 nights in family rooms at a centrally located 4-star hotel
- Daily breakfast
- Shanghai Disneyland one-day admission ticket
- Round-trip private transfer to Disneyland
- English-speaking guide (Disney day is guided at entry and for fireworks)
- Private vehicle and driver for city days
- All city entrance fees listed (Yu Garden, Ocean Aquarium if selected)
- Maglev ticket to Pudong airport
- Airport or station transfers
Not included
- Flights and trains to and from Shanghai
- All meals other than breakfast
- Disney Premier Access and paid fast-pass products
- Travel insurance and visa fees
- Tips for guide and driver
- Personal expenses and hotel incidentals
