Shanghai Photo TR

[soundn8I Guess Donkeys Are Okay]

Great report! My wife and I both agreed that Pirates is the coolest ride we've ever ridden (by far). It's been almost two years and we still talk about it.

[LootyDon't let this donkey melt you with its laser eyes!]

Day 4 (Nov. 20, 2018): Haichang Ocean Park

Ocean Park had been open for less than a week when I visited and the park was still very much under construction. It’s located at Lingang Avenue station on Line 16 which was about 90 minutes from People’s Square and about 50 minutes from Disney (1 transfer). Go out exit 1 and hop on the free shuttle bus. Look for the big white bus with the park’s orca logo on the side (it comes every 10-15 minutes) or you could walk directly to the west for about 15-20 minutes.

Upon arriving at the park, you are greeted by the park’s impressive entrance and surrounding area. They have built condos, a hotel, parking structures and retail locations. The park is located in the middle of nowhere so all of this really makes an impression. Tickets were a bit steep (300 yuan or about $45) with them being slightly cheaper during “non-peak days.”

Once you enter the park, the Intamin coaster, Dolphin Coaster, greets you with a mess of track. You can choose to go straight and take the bridge over to the coaster and back of the park, or go right and visit the ‘Christmas town’ and the impressive Artic Hall mountain which hosts several artic species. Also, the park’s orca stadium/show sits here. As I said, the park was still under construction so a lot of the landscaping was still muddy, bags of unused concrete were laying around, workers were crawling all over the place (including under the launch track of the coaster right as we dispatched), and some exhibits were not open.

I chose to go straight. Probably my biggest gripe with the park is the river that bisects the park. I know that it’s a river and there isn’t much that can be done about it, but it’s absolutely filthy and an eyesore for such a new park. I saw artwork around the park advertising an evening light show on the river with floats and dancers...I can’t imagine how that would look or smell.

I hit up Dolphin Coaster first. It’s a beautiful coaster and takes you all around the front half of the park. The coaster also features a lighting package similar to HangTime and Monster with lights that follow the trains. Seeing as how there were more employees in the park than guests, they were only running 1 train with the other sitting in the unfinished transfer shed. The coaster itself reminded me A LOT of Cheetah Hunt meaning that it has an intense beginning, a somewhat-calm middle part, and a twisty ending around the jellyfish building. It’s a fun coaster and probably a perfect choice for the park. I rode 7 times with the front being my favorite seat.

After Dolphin Coaster, I headed toward the back of the park. The kiddie section of the park lies in the middle of the park and offers a solid collection of rides for the little ones (including 1 coaster). The large volcano structure at the back of the park hosts the whale shark exhibit with several other smaller tanks with various sharks and fish. Also, the volcano contains the unfinished rapids ride (complete with sleeping construction worker) as well as the sky ride which takes you to the Artic Hall/mountain at the front of the park. The dolphin stadium/Burger King sits directly next to the volcano. The dolphin show was the only show operating during my visit but I chose to skip it. On the other side of the volcano sits another large aquarium with a walk-through tunnel. After checking out the AWESOME whale shark (more on that later), I took the sky ride to the front of the park.

The Artic mountain was my favorite part of the park. It contains the park’s polar train ride which takes you around several wintery scenes while weaving in and out of the top of the mountain. The inside of the mountain is home to several Artic species including polar bears, beluga whales, foxes, wolves, and the most impressive sea lion exhibit I’ve ever seen. After the mountain, I checked in on the orca and then headed for the front of the park. Overall, I think the park has a lot of potential with a vast array of sea life. I’d suggest a visit if you’re in Shanghai and looking for something to do for half a day.

[Canobie CoasterWhy do I still have a donkey title???]

Great report! I absolutely love that shark tunnel and that random slide in the (what appears to be) a wolf exhibit.

[3MuttsFluffy, Fluffy, Donkeys Filled With Medicine and Goo!]

Nice report, you got really lucky on the weather Shanghai is usually clouded with disgusting smog from all the factories. I remember when I went in 2008 and only a couple days had blue sky every other day was smoggy.

[DBruI will provide you with maximum pleasure.]

Awesome trip reports! I'd love to visit these parks some day. The Happy Valley parks get bad reps but their ride collections are so cool that I still want to give them a try. Haha

Just for comparison's sake, what rating would you give to Happy Valley's megalite and dive machine? I've always thought Fireball looked fantastic so if you gave that a 7 I'm curious to see how those numbers compare.

Shanghai Disneyland's castle looks absolutely gorgeous.

[LootyDon't let this donkey melt you with its laser eyes!]

Awesome trip reports! I'd love to visit these parks some day. The Happy Valley parks get bad reps but their ride collections are so cool that I still want to give them a try. Haha

Just for comparison's sake, what rating would you give to Happy Valley's megalite and dive machine? I've always thought Fireball looked fantastic so if you gave that a 7 I'm curious to see how those numbers compare.

Shanghai Disneyland's castle looks absolutely gorgeous.

I liked Fireball, but it’s not a coaster I could ride over and over. It has a solid layout and several pops of air, but it’s a bit too shaky through all the transitions for me. I’d say it’s a top 20-30 wooden coaster though.

Megalites are simply fantastic and probably the closest you can get to perfection on a coaster (especially of that height and speed). Definitely a 10!

Sheikra has my favorite B&M dive coaster layout. Obviously this one lacks the themeing, but the 10 across seating really makes the ride experience a bit better. I’d probably give it a 8.5/10 but would still take Sheikra for the overall experience.

[GaretI love donkeys more than me.]

Ha I'm guessing you didn't check out the Jeju aquarium on your visit to Jeju? They have a big whale shark statue out front, use it as their logo for that aquarium sell plushies of it and pictures on the site when the only clue it isn't in the park anymore is a little note buried on a picture of their site. http://www.aquaplanet.co.kr/jeju/eng/01aqua/gallery_info3.jsp

[PKI JizzmanJizzy jizz jizz jizz jizz]

Great report! Great to hear such glowing reviews about the attractions and landscape at Shanghai Disney.

Dolphin coaster looks like soooo much fun!

[NrthwndBAYSIDE STATION!!!]

Very cool sky ride in that park! A lot of awesome shots from up there, I see.

And so close to Disney, too!

Great look at this new park in the world. Thanks for sharing this, too.

[LootyDon't let this donkey melt you with its laser eyes!]

Ha I'm guessing you didn't check out the Jeju aquarium on your visit to Jeju? They have a big whale shark statue out front, use it as their logo for that aquarium sell plushies of it and pictures on the site when the only clue it isn't in the park anymore is a little note buried on a picture of their site. http://www.aquaplanet.co.kr/jeju/eng/01aqua/gallery_info3.jsp

I didn’t check it out. ‘That’ does sound very Korean though