As Shanghai Disneyland opened this week, global audiences were peering in to see how it went. Successful social distancing protocol, combined with a detailed reservation system, reduced guest headcount to allow a safer Disney Theme Park-going environment.
Instagram user @dischapoppy visited Shanghai Disneyland and used the new Shanghai Disneyland Reservation System to choose her Park ticket. Inside this new system, we can see the detailed process of how a guest chooses a date (and time) to visit. The system seems to work very well, and we’re hoping we may learn what to expect from Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort once they announce a reopening.
The Shanghai Disneyland Reservation System
Shanghai Disneyland has advice and protocol instructions for potential visitors posted on their main pages. You can see either on the Annual Pass Holder page or the General Admission Tickets page rules and guidelines for choosing a date to visit, as well as how to use the Reservation System. Instagram user @dischapoppy’s highlight reel shows her process for purchasing a Disney Park ticket or using an Annual Pass to return to Shanghai Disneyland.
1. Visit the Ticket Site and Verify Your Phone
@dischapoppy started her process at https://www.shanghaidisneyresort.com/reopen-digital-form/, which is a MOBILE site. Desktop users will want to visit https://www.shanghaidisneyresort.com/en/tickets/. She was then asked to verify her mobile phone via a phone number. This was the first part of the verification process and may create an ID.
2. Guest Registration and General Information
Once a user enters general information, they can choose between a Park Ticket or using their annual pass. After she checked out, @dischapoppy attempted to make another theme park reservation for later that week but found that she needed to USE her Park Ticket/Reservation System Time before she could make another one.
This is incredibly interesting since Walt Disney World is mainly a vacation destination with guests visiting many parks over the course of many days. This “one reservation at a time” is reminiscent of a Max Pass or FastPass, but will inevitably need to change for use at Walt Disney World Resort.
3. Choose a Date and Time Slot
Once a user selects a ticket type, they will need to choose a date and time in the Shanghai Disneyland Reservation System. Guests from both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland will recognize the Disney online calendar layout. Guests will also need to choose an arrival time that corresponds with their ticket. Shanghai announced that they will continue to update arrival times and reservation slots every day at 1 pm as the reopening process continues (and hopefully) resumes to normal operations.
4. Obtain the QR Code
If the checkout within the Shanghai Disneyland Reservation System is a success, guests will see a QR code pop up on their screen. The concert-like ticket will also have the chosen date and time bolded on the upper portion of the screen, as well as the number of people on the group.
What This System May Mean for WDW and DLR
As mentioned above, the single date-at-a-time system will need to be revised if Park vacations as we know them at Walt Disney World Resort continue. The QR code will cut down on entrance time as well as eliminating fingerprint scanning, keeping contact to a minimum. There is not yet word on what may happen as far as virtual queues in either US Park, although we have seen the presence of them in our WDW and DLR apps. Perhaps we will see the advent of Disney Genie taking over these sorts of duties?
Of course, social distancing will play a part in any Disney Park as it reopens, with small tweaks being made as necessary. After all, Walt Disney World Cast Members are otherworldly professionals with crowd control and flow. They’ve nailed it down to a science, as former Imagineer Bill Coan mentioned in an earlier article about what protocol measures Walt Disney World will need as they reopen.
Shanghai Disneyland’s Social Distancing Protocol
Shanghai’s May 11th Press Release detailed more about what guests could expect as far as entertainment during the reopening process, and as we expected, some options are limited. There will be no interactive play experiences, such as playgrounds, theatre shows, or nighttime spectaculars. @Dischapoppy did experience a very short parade (Mickey and Friends Express Train), as seen in her highlight reel, and was happy to experience any of it, no matter how short it was. She also saw something much like the Kiss Goodnight at dusk called “Evening Magical Moments” before the park closed early due to supposed sanitation measures.
On May 11, the majority of Shanghai Disneyland’s attractions, rides, some shows and shopping and dining locations will resume operations, with controlled attendance. Some interactive attractions and experiences, such as children play areas, and theater shows will remain closed. Guests can check the availability of attractions and entertainment through the resort’s official website and app.
To accommodate social distancing, parades and nighttime spectaculars will also return at a later date. During the initial reopening phase, a special Disney character procession, Mickey and Friends Express, will take place several times daily, and the Enchanted Storybook Castle will come to life with light and music at dusk each day with Evening Magical Moments.
Beloved Disney characters will appear in the park in a new way, as they make appearances in each of the themed FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE lands, greeting and welcoming everyone back to Shanghai Disneyland. Close interaction and close-up photos with characters will be suspended during the initial phase of reopening.
Characters did not stop for photos but waived and posed from afar, and guests and wore masks and stood on taped out squares in queue lines. The park seems very empty, with queue lines having minimal waits. It was evident from Instagram user @dischapoppy’s highlight reel that the Park was operating well below capacity, with ride vehicles being only partially filled and characters maintaining a good distance from all guests. We saw a few weeks ago that Shanghai had been testing social distancing measures and illustrating how the Park would operate, but even with the obvious crowd changes and changes in overall “kinetic energy” in the park, it didn’t stop @dischapoppy from her tears of joy at being back in her happy place.
Are you looking forward to something like the ?
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