Here is the part two of the Shanghaî Disneyland photo report by Alexis Lefranc. If you've missed the part one you will find it below or HERE.
As you've seen in the first part Alexis was incredibly lucky - and so are we - to have an incredible sunny day with a clear blue sky when he shot the pictures, and i have to say that, after months of pictures of SDL shot early morning and with a grey sky, i'm really happy that the first D&M exclusive report about Shanghaî Disneyland shows pictures with a weather over the park at its best. That said, there we go for the second part of Alexis visit and i let him now describe his visit and his feelings about Shanghaî Disneyland, and we start with Tomorrowland:
Tomorrowland is the land of the park with which i was a little bit disappointed. With its grey and too sleek design it loses the magic which has our Jules Verne style Discoveryland and her goes to a new cool but somewhat sanitized futurism. The Buzz Lighther attraction is nice, the addition of the Marvel Universe is also a good idea but I stayed on my hunger. The Star Wars area was not open yet, and neither Star Tours , Autopia, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with the Nautilus or Space Mountain exist here, and the land looks a bit empty. But the TRON attraction is absolutely amazing !!! A little too short and probably reduced in speed to appeal to a wider audience, it is still very strong and will score points. It is closer to Space Mountain than Rock'N 'Roller in terms of sensation but the immersion in the TRON universe is just phenomenal. The decorations, lights, sounds, music, lightcycles vehicles for a run through the grid are just crazy and I had never experienced anything like it.
Let's move now to the other side of the park and say a little hello to Shanghaî Disneyland castle when we walk in front of it on our way to Adventure Isle while the parade is passing by.
At Disneyland Paris Adventureland we have an Adventure Isle, and at Shanghaî Disneyland it became a whole land with shops, restaurants and entertainment with the Tarzan show and two major attractions that are not at DLP but that i could not do unfortunately. The first - Soarin over the Horizon - had 2 hours of waiting and the second - Roaring Rapids- remains closed until the park official opening ( Ndr: there is also Camp Discovery that apparently Alexis didn’t do, too ). This land is super pretty, but nevertheless we lose DLP Adventure Isle "Center of the Earth" with the caves, the Disneydendron - the Swiss Robinson Tree, or even the Indiana Jones ride.
A new land appeared: Treasure Cove! It is superb, by far the most successful after Fantasyland and is themed on the theme of the seven seas and pirates. The decors are amazing, there is palm trees, wrecked ships on abandoned beaches, taverns and pirates hideouts with a galleon that can be visited and an explorer canoes ride around an island not to mention of course the fort in which is the Pirates of the Caribeean : Battle for the Sunken Treasure attraction. ThisPOTC attraction is INSANE. So I did it twice. You probably have never seen such a ride. By cons, it has very little to do with the original version that we love, even if we always hear the phrases "Yo ho! "" Dead men tell no tale "and certain sequences are obviously a tribute to the original ride - like this scene with the prisoners in jail always calling the dog holding the keys ... except that they’re now skeletons. It is so impressive...
Below, three great panoramic pictures of Treasure Cove shot by Alexis. Click on each to see them in big size!
We will end this photo report by going back near the castle and through Alice in Wonderland Maze at sunset time. I also saw SDL night show "Ignite the Dream" happening in front and over the Castle at 9pm, and it's magical. There were holographic projections, water fountains, lights show, sound effects, lasers, fireworks… and a fantastic music from Disney classics from the Lion King to Fantasia, Aladdin, Frozen, Mulan, Star Wars and more!
I want to thanks personally again Alexis for kindly providing to Disney and more this great pictorial report on Shanghaî Disneyland, and as i'm sure you'll be happy to join me, don't hesitate to leave a comment below!
Pictures: copyright Alexis Lefranc
6 comments:
To me you can't really compare Shanghai Disneyland to Disneyland Paris or any other Disney Park because its so radically unique.
Of course Tomorrowland is different from Paris's Discoveryland. Both are completely different themes.
It's just, I feel comparing it to Disneyland Paris is pointless is all. Every Disney Park is unique and should always be that way.
Also can't be too harsh on the Park as its not technically open and who knows what else will be added.
As Walt said, "Disneyland will never be complete as long as there's imagination left in the world."
Yes indeed each park is unique! That's the reason why I did not really compare them actually. I am just seeing SDS with my European eyes that were used to DLP and its own aesthetic. Their unique theme should remain unique but we cannot deny the fact that each park has a certain influence on one another, and that's only underlined in some of my comments :)
Hey, Alexis. You did another wonderful job today.
I absolutely love the image of the Canoe with Pirate Ship in the lagoon and Storybook Castle rising above in the background. It's these types of juxtapositions that make the Disney parks magic to me. It's like a castle watching over its kingdom.
I have to say the Adventure Isle mountain with waterfall looks underwhelming. I thought it would be much larger. Definitely lacks the majestic quality of the Matterhorn, Expedition Everest or Mount Prometheus. Perhaps in person it feels different.
Thanks for another wonderful article. Hope you are here often on D&M. Thanks to you too, Alain.
Nice pics! Thanks!
The map of Treasure Cove posted on the wall looks neat! Hope to see a bigger version of that at some point.
After reading this website daily for a number of years, I just have to say -- this is the BEST place to learn about the non-USA Disney parks.
Out of curiosity, why isn't there a "Jungle Cruise" ride at this park?
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