Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park, Shanghaî Disneyland First Competitor, Opens on Nov 16!

For Shanghaî Disneyland the times when the park could reign without no real competitor is over! On November 16 Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park, will open officially and the new park located at less than 30 minutes from SDL will be the next major attraction in Shanghaî with a trial run starting on Oct 1! The park also include a new themed hotel, which will also open on Nov 16, and will start to accept reservations from Oct 20.

Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park was designed by Gary Goddard Entertainment - now Legacy GGE - who won five years ago in front of three others companies proposals, with the blue-sky design below. As a former WDI Imagineer Gary Goddard also designed many E-Tickets attractions for Universal Studios and Legacy GGE team include artists who also worked for WDI, all this to say that even if Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park is not a Disney park it was designed by people who know very well how to create quality theme parks. Below, renderings of the Blue Sky Concept design, first design for the park entrance, and the final design.

Regular admission for Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park will run $48 (330 RMB) for adults, and $28 (190 RMB) for children. Peak days – all days in July and August, as well as weekends and holidays - will run $58 (399 RMB) for adults, and $36 (249 RMB) for children. As a point of comparison, nearby Shanghai Disneyland's standard weekday adult admission is $58 (399 RMB) and $84 (575 RMB) on weekends and peak days. With an entrance ticket price 30 cheaper than Shanghaî Disneyland and located at just 30 minutes from SDL, there is no doubt that Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park will be a competitor to SDL, or at least one which must not be underestimated.

Shanghaî Disneyland won't have direct competition from Universal like Disney has in Orlando but instead SDL will have Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park like they have Sea World in Florida, except that Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park will be much more themed than Sea World and will be also much more than just a sea life park as it will include a great Intamin launch roller coaster aimed at families, the world’s longest rapids ride, a train ride, an aerial skyway gondola ride, and plenty others family rides. Click on the picture below to see locations and names of each attraction.




Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park is located off the coast of east China sea, beside the Dripping Lake of Pudong New Area, a core tourism destination of Yangzi River Delta area, where seaport, airport, railway, highway and waterway are interconnected. The project covers an area of about 29.7 hectares, with an overall floorage of about 205,000 square meters, of which 147,000 square meters are above the ground. Below, artworks and concept designs for the park.

Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park is Haichang flagship park and the pinnacle among all the ocean-themed parks built over the past two decades in China, with its top international standards achieved in thematic features, project quality, park scale and construction level. Themed on ocean culture, this project can be divided into 5 major theme areas and 1 ocean resort, consisting of 6 exhibition venues, 3 large-scale animal interactive performance venues, 2 large-scale cinemas and over 10 recreational facilities. Guests will enjoy the unique arctic and antarctic scenery, the fantastic deep sea view and the stunning volcano lava, the extraordinary adventure and wonderful animal show, the world’s first 360-degree penguin super bowl where guests can closely observe the daily life of these creatures, and a five 5-star animal-themed hotel rooms with 360-degree panoramic rooftop.

Tickets can be purchased through official channels of the ticket offices, its official website and WeChat platform, as well as a number of retailers such as online travel agency Ctrip and Tuniu.
The park features five theme zones, three animal theaters, two high-tech cinemas and an ocean-themed resort hotel, and below more original artworks and concept designs as well as latest pictures of the park soon to be finished.

Above and below, ODYSSEAS Undersea World Pavilion beautiful facade, suggesting a futuristic marine life research base bored into the tropical mountainscape, was designed by Christopher Smith, translated into color by Tony Archer, and features a logo by Erik Christensen.

Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park's "STEEL DOLPHIN" Intamin LSM Launch Coaster. As shown here in these beautiful sketches by Christopher Smith, Branislav Hetzel, and Christian Hope, this was done intentionally as a means to activate the park's Aquaria entry zone and Rainbow Falls land with high-decibel excitement and visual energy.

More original artworks...

Bird's eye view of the east side of the park, themed to a tropical environment and located next to the in-park hotel.



Bird's eye view of the west side of the park, themed to a polar environment and located next to the parking garage.



A colossal MOSAIC MERMAID will greet visitors as they arrive at Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park.

Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park's entrance zone massive MOSAIC SHARK who swallows the track of the STEEL DOLPHIN Intamin LSM launch coaster.




The Steel Dolphin coaster will pass twice over the park's central creek and be the first attractions that guests will see after the entrance plaza.






Below, artwork and pictures of Glacier Court pavilion facade as it approaches completion.

Below, the artwork ( bottom ), models and drone pictures for the "Ice Mountain"

The park's arctic-themed mountain include the Alpine Express train ride, polar animal exhibits and the west Skyway station






Below, artworks, models and current pictures of the huge restaurant designed as a "sand castle".

Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park's ISLAND HOPPERS Skyway runs an impressive 550 meters (1800' feet) from one end of the park to the other.









The park also has a huge volcano named Rainbow Falls mountain and beneath it guests will find Rainbow Caverns, a whale shark exhibit.

This illustration of Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park's Rainbow Falls land by Danilo Montejo depicts the way in which guests will constantly be immersed in the high-energy sights and sounds of the Spinning Rapids Ride and Intamin LSM Launch Coaster. Regrettably, the Dynamic Swing Glider was cut after Schematic Design was completed.


These beautiful custom Flat Ride concepts were created by Scott Sherman for Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park's GOLD COAST attraction zone.


A drone view of the huge Dolphin show stadium.



Below, Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park's killer whale theatre.





Another prominent structure in the construction shots of SHANGHAI HAICHANG OCEAN PARK is the CORAL CATHEDRAL- the park's Jellyfish & Coral pavilion. Seen here as designed by the brilliant Richard Gutierrez, the "Coral Spires" marquee and Ropes Course integrated into the facade were regrettably eliminated in later design phases.



This colorful structure is home to Haichang Shanghai Ocean Park's JOYFUL CIRCUS- a comedic show starring the park's resident Seals, Sea Lions, and Walruses.

The facade, and a drone view for show building of the park's seal/sea lion exhibit.




Inspired by the year-round Christmas boutiques of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, WINTER WONDERLAND was designed as an immersive retail experience for Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park's PORT MAJESTIC land.

Once open, Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park's in-park Hotel designed to remind a cruise ship will put its guests right in the heart of the action with dramatic views of the STEEL DOLPHIN Intamin LSM Launch Coaster, CORAL CATHEDRAL Jellyfish & Coral Pavilion, as well as the SAND CASTLE Food & Beverage venue, among other areas and attractions.




Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park trial run starts on Oct 1 and the park grand opening is scheduled for Nov 16!

Artwork: copyright Legacy GGE - Thanks to Themeparx.com who found on Chinese websites part of the pictures included in this article.