Happy day as Shanghai Disneyland reopens
Strolling down Mickey Avenue, Daisy Chen felt like she was going home as she made it back to Shanghai Disneyland about four months after her last visit.
“I’ve been waiting for so long. I really missed it,” she said. “I felt so happy even when I was just looking around, and I almost cried when I heard the familiar background music.”
Chen and 5-year-old daughter Nuan Bao were among the “super” Disney fans invited to attend a ceremony on Monday morning to celebrate the reopening of the park after a 107-day closure. It is the company’s first theme park to reopen.
No matter locals or foreigners, many dressed up, wearing Mickey Mouse ears and clothes printed with Disney characters. Chen wore a Minnie-style red polka dot dress and her daughter wore an Elsa costume.
“We always dress up to play different Disney characters during our Disney visits,” Chen said. “Amid the closure, my daughter often asked me when the park would open. Today she woke up 6am and urged me to hit the road. We arrived about 7:30am.”
Shanghai Disneyland welcomed visitors on Monday after a 107-day closure.
After their temperatures were taken, and ID cards, health codes and reservation codes checked, they were allowed to enter the park.
“Everyone is doing great in keeping social distancing in queues, and they all wear masks. I feel safe to breathe fresh air here in the park,” Chen said.
At about 8:30am, Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Daisy, hand in hand, showed up against a colorful backdrop of the iconic “Floral Minnie.” They waved to their fans and danced to live music, prompting cheers and applause.
When more characters, including Duffy and Friends, Marvel Super Heroes, Disney princesses and Toy Story friends, appeared, some visitors burst into tears.
“I was close to tears, but I held back,” Chen said. While her daughter grinned: “I’m so happy today.”
“Since the reopening of Disneytown, Wishing Star Park and Shanghai Disneyland Hotel in early March, we have been deeply moved by the encouragement from our guests and Disney fans,” Joe Schott, president and general manager of Shanghai Disney Resort, said at the reopening ceremony.
“Today, we are extremely pleased to reopen Shanghai Disneyland thanks to the unwavering efforts of our cast members and our community. Today’s celebrations will be remembered with joy, as we look forward to welcoming our guests back to this happy place,” he said.
Shanghai Disneyland held a special ceremony before the park officially reopened.
Disney is the happiest place in the world, according to Chen.
“I started to buy a seasonal pass to Shanghai Disneyland in 2017, and when the park launched the annual pass, I didn’t hesitate to buy it,” she said. “When my daughter was very young, we took her to the park every weekend. As she grew up and went to kindergarten, we didn’t have much time. But we would still spare time to visit the park every month.”
Wang Xin and her friend Sun Yifan were visiting Shanghai Disneyland for the first time.
They came to Shanghai from Beijing several days ago, and were among the first visitors at the park at 9am. They couldn’t wait to take pictures in front of the iconic castle.
“I’ve always wanted to visit Shanghai Disneyland. I love Mickey. I think Disney is a place where we can get rid of all worries and where we can be children. Today, indeed, I felt like entering a fairytale world,” Wang said.
They didn’t find it easy to get tickets.
The park currently limits daily visitors to 20 percent of its maximum capacity, and visitors have to book in advance. When tickets went on sale at 8am on May 8, Monday soon sold out.
“We set the alarm before 8am trying to grab tickets. We tried the park’s WeChat account and two online travel agencies. Finally, we managed to buy two tickets. We were lucky,” Wang said.
As visitor numbers were limited, long queues — once a main feature in the park — had disappeared.
Around noon, the wait for most visitor favorites, such as the Tron Lightcycle Power Run at Tomorrowland and the Pirates of the Caribbean virtual experience, was less than 10 minutes. At 3:45pm, usually a busy time, visitors needed to wait for just 30 minutes for the “Soaring Over the Horizon” ride, compared to the usual two to three hours.
A Disney fan takes a selfie in front of the park's iconic castle.
“With the limited number of tourists, it’s much easier to experience everything,” said Zhang and with her 6-year-old daughter from Tianjin. “This is our fourth time here. My daughter currently is not busy with her online schooling, so I’m really happy she can make it on the first reopening day. Wearing a mask is a big challenge under such hot weather, though.”
While Wang and Sun had put the lightcycle ride and Fantasia Carousel on their to-do-list, Chen and her daughter just looked around, took pictures and had snacks.
“We don’t have plans today. In fact, we’ve experienced every attraction many times. The visit to Shanghai Disneyland itself has made me happy,” Chen said.
On Monday, the majority of attractions, rides, some shows and shopping and dining locations were open. But interactive attractions and experiences, such as children’s play areas, theater shows, parades and night-time spectaculars remain closed. Also, close-up photos with Disney characters were suspended.
However, a special Disney character procession, the Mickey and Friends Express, will take place several times a day, and the enchanted Storybook Castle will come to life with light and music at dusk each day in a Magical Moments evening.
“Compared with the situation before the pandemic, it’s a pity that the parades and all shows are canceled, but it’s still good to have the Disney magic back,” said Angelique Michelle, a science teacher from the US currently working in Shanghai.
A fervent Disney lover, she has been to almost every Disneyland in the world. She said she was glad to see the Shanghai park open and said it would set a good example for Disney parks in other countries.
“They’ve really done a good job in terms of prevention measures and safety controls, like hand sanitizers everywhere and the safety distance. There are a lot of methods that other countries can take a leaf from China’s book in the future,” she said.
Throughout the park, social distancing is required in queues, restaurants, ride vehicles and other facilities. There are hand sanitizers in more than 300 spots across the park and litter bins for waste masks have been prepared.
Police at Disneyland have strengthened security measures around the park, with more patrols at key areas.
They are responsible for assisting with overall health inspections of visitors and crowd control, including reminding visitors to keep a safe distance while queuing.
The park has worked with the local health commission to ensure the health of its staff. All staff from outside the city have been discharged from medical observation.
“We’ve been on duty since 6am to coordinate the traffic nearby and maintain order. Apart from normal duty, we’ve also associated with the park management team to improve the safety measures at entrance including limit control and emergency plans,” said Wang Haifeng, sheriff at the Shanghai Disneyland Resort Public Security Office.
