Duration: 1 day. Time: July. Per capita cost: 800 yuan. With whom: Alone. The author visited these places: Thunder Mountain Rapids, Frozen, Tron Lightcycle Power Run, Disney Town. Published on July 30, 2020 at 17:36. I woke up very early in the morning and was so excited that I couldn’t sleep. Checking the weather for the day, it was cloudy and the temperature was not high, so I wore a coat. Unexpectedly, this coat was really useful because the temperature at night was only a little over ten degrees and the wind was also very strong. As for what I carried with me, I traveled light and only carried a small shoulder bag, in which there was also a disposable raincoat. I didn’t bring an umbrella, but I took a large-brimmed canvas hat that can block the sun and rain. I brought a water cup from Beijing because I heard from a friend that there are many drinking water supply points inside Disneyland. Without having breakfast, I went to the lobby to wait for the shuttle bus. Everyone else was traveling in groups, only I was alone, but I didn’t feel lonely at all. In less than half an hour, the shuttle bus arrived at the parking lot of Disneyland. The driver explained the gathering place and the shuttle bus schedule, and then we disbanded. Walking on the bridge leading to Disneyland, accompanied by the background music of the Beauty and the Beast animated movie, I was filled with excitement. When I arrived at the place where people line up for admission, I felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on me because there were so many people. After waiting for a long time, security check and admission began. After entering, I still had to line up to pick up the ticket, and there were all kinds of scalpers and people cutting in line in between. Later, I calculated that it took me more than two and a half hours from the time I arrived at the admission place to when I played the first project (Soaring Over the Horizon). After getting the ticket, I truly entered Disneyland. I began to bind the ticket to the official Shanghai Disneyland APP to obtain a FP (Fastpass. Each person can draw up to three per day). As a result, the FP card for Soaring Over the Horizon could no longer be obtained, but I got a Tron Lightcycle Power Run card. The time period was approximately from 9:30 to 10:30. Since there was still some time before that, I also saw on the APP that the queuing time for Soaring Over the Horizon was less than an hour, so I went to line up at the Soaring Over the Horizon first, thinking that I could catch up with the time to use the Tron Lightcycle Power Run card anyway. During the queuing process for Soaring Over the Horizon, you can scan the QR code on the wall to participate in the popular science knowledge quiz game, and you can also choose which team to join. Since it is indoors, the answering situations of various teams will be projected on the high walls on all sides. I joined the snake team and actually had a feeling of traveling to the world of Harry Potter. The questions were very difficult, but I finally achieved the third place in my team. It was quite interesting. Finally, it was my turn. The staff first led everyone to watch a video about Grandma Thunderbird.
Then we entered the hall of the project installation. There are several rows of seat equipment. I was arranged in the last row. As the equipment rises, the huge circular screen in front also wraps us in it. This project is a combination of visual, auditory, olfactory and tactile experiences. I won’t reveal the specific situation because only when you experience it in person can you perceive the fun in it. However, I can say that my acrophobia and thalassophobia are about to attack (ps. In fact, there is no scene of going to the sea). Plus, I didn’t eat anything in the morning. When I came out, I actually felt a little nauseous and had to hold it back. After finally experiencing the first project, I found that I couldn’t reach the Tron Lightcycle Power Run area before 10:30. So I started to walk and look around leisurely and took many photos by the way. The reference value of the strategy I made before is basically zero. Battle for the Sunken Treasure is a relatively popular project in Disney. When I walked to the Pirates of the Caribbean area, I went to line up. Unexpectedly, although there seemed to be a lot of people, it actually only took me more than twenty minutes to reach my turn. Compared with Soaring Over the Horizon, the queuing time for Battle for the Sunken Treasure is too reasonable. I also got the FP card for the Roaring Rapids during the queuing process. The time period is approximately from 15:30 to 16:30 in the afternoon. I really like this adventure project of Battle for the Sunken Treasure. Captain Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl, Davy Jones and the huge sea monster. It seems that I am really participating in this fierce naval battle. By the way, there will be a small surprise at the end. Although I still had some lingering feelings, I continued to participate in the next project. Fortunately, when I accidentally walked to the location of Frozen: A Sing-Along Celebration, the performance was about to start immediately. Since I was alone, I was directly put in at the end. Although it was very difficult to find a seat at the back in the end, and the content of the performance was not as wonderful as I imagined, the children were really enthusiastic. They sang loudly along with the music and wore Queen Elsa’s dress and circled in front of the stage under the leadership of the actors. Their interaction with the actors is pleasant and enviable. Finally, it comes to my favorite and most regrettable project, that is – Tron Lightcycle Power Run. At that time, I was already very hungry, but I walked near the Tomorrowland area. I was a little hesitant. First, because I think this project is still relatively thrilling. Second, I am afraid that I will really vomit after playing this project. Thinking of the bragging I had with my friends before, I still went to line up. In fact, when I saw the relevant pictures of the Tron Lightcycle Power Run on the Internet before, I felt that the scene was somewhat familiar because I watched the movie ‘Tron: Legacy’ in high school. It’s really cool and even has a cyberpunk flavor.
Upon hearing from friends about the single rider line, I indeed found myself swiftly making my way to the innermost part of the queue while others formed a long line. With only two people ahead of me, and the ride having two seats per row, those of us in the single rider line were directed by staff to sit in any available single seat. At that moment, I was truly nervous, my palms were sweating, and without company around, it was one of the only times I felt lonely in Shanghai. While the regular line took approximately 45 minutes, I managed to get to my seat in just a few minutes. The experience was exhilarating, with a perfect blend of thrill and entertainment. I had previously ridden the world’s fastest roller coaster at Ferrari World, which was truly terrifying, with the entire ride at high speed accompanied by a sense of weightlessness, as if my soul was always a step behind my body. However, the combination of speed and visual effects on the Tron Lightcycle was masterfully executed, with minimal weightlessness, and as the wind howled past my ears, I felt as if I had truly traveled to a futuristic world. Thinking I could experience the Tron Lightcycle again in the afternoon, I went to Disney Town for a quick meal. Incidentally, there are many restrooms in Disney, but for some reason, I struggled to find one when I urgently needed to use it at night. Next, I visited the Marvel headquarters, where there were staff dressed as Captain America available for photos, but I wasn’t particularly interested. The Iron Man armor was quite dazzling, and I took many photos. In fact, I really enjoy the Avengers series, but the Marvel headquarters in Disney were not as exciting as I had hoped. Unexpectedly, as I walked out, it started to drizzle. Wearing my wide-brimmed hat was enough to shield me from the light rain, and it was quite pleasant. Before I knew it, I had walked to the Disney Castle, where there were few people on the platform in front of the castle, and I quickly took a panoramic photo of the castle. Unfortunately, the sky was overcast, giving the scene a somewhat desolate atmosphere. Checking the schedule, I found out that the afternoon parade would not start until half past three, so I had just enough time to try another ride. I went back to the Pirates of the Caribbean area and visited the Sea Demon Revenge, which had a large mermaid at the bow. Finally, I found the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and waited in line for about an hour. During this time, the sun came out, and it finally became a bit warmer. On the mine train, I screamed with my eyes wide open the whole way. In fact, this kind of ride is quite common in other amusement parks, but because it’s the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, it carries a sense of nostalgia, adding a lot of points to the experience. The experience was very enjoyable and suitable for children to play on. On my way to the parade area, I also walked through the Alice Maze.
The maze was a simple affair, as the walls made of greenery were quite low. This could also be considered a small amusement project, with the Red Queen statue standing tall within, providing an excellent backdrop for beautiful photographs. I arrived at the parade area about half an hour early, where the roads were lined with people. I found a spot with a clear view of the parade and was vigilant to ensure no one obstructed my sight. Accompanied by the joyous music that bound us together, the familiar Disney classic cartoon characters and floats with massive props passed by, with everyone lifting their phones to capture these wonderful moments in images. Rapunzel and Eugene looked so happy, Elsa was stunningly beautiful, Mulan on her majestic horse was so valiant, and the girl waving the military flag was truly sweet… The parade ended close to four o’clock, and I didn’t want to miss out on FP. So, I hurried to the Thunder Mountain Rafting, where I donned my prepared disposable raincoat during the wait. To my surprise, the hood of my raincoat was broken (the raincoat was given for free during a long-distance run last year), leaving me speechless and resigned. The rafting was not thrilling at all; our fellow riders were chatting and laughing throughout. It wasn’t until the final small descent near the end that water poured into my seat, drenching me instantly. My hair was wet, and my shoes filled with water. Fortunately, the sun was out, so I could dry off. Seeing a rope course in front of the artificial mountains and waterfalls, I was tempted to give it a try. However, I really wanted to experience the Sunken Treasure and the Speed Light Wheel again, so I continued on. Next, I followed the previous route to the Pirates of the Caribbean area and experienced the Sunken Treasure once more. It was still only a twenty-minute wait, and the girl sitting next to me was clearly frightened by the sudden appearance of the sea monster, but I didn’t experience any deep-sea phobia throughout. After finishing this project, I was quite torn. On one hand, I really wanted to experience the Speed Light Wheel again; on the other hand, I also wanted to try the rope challenge I hadn’t played before. So, I made a regrettable decision—to try the rope challenge. After waiting in line for over an hour, I regretted it as soon as I reached the plank road. Because I am really afraid of heights, the spaced stone pillars were terrifying, and I dared not step on various suspended planks and ropes, only timidly walking on the regular plank road on the side. Watching the children in my batch walk across the net, I decided to challenge myself. As I tremulously stepped onto the net, taking only one step, I realized there was no turning back. Being short, the safety rope was too short, and when I finally slowly reached the middle part, I suddenly felt like a piece of hanging bacon, unable to move.
Without the encouragement of others around me, I suddenly felt envious of those who traveled in groups. At this point, I had fallen behind the others and didn’t want to be seen by the next group in my helpless state. Thus, I tightly gripped the safety rope and slowly made my way to the other side. From then on, I behaved prudently, always sticking to the safe and solid path, watching in awe as the agile young man swiftly traversed the most perilous rope bridge. This activity is well-suited for those who love high-altitude adventures but is quite unfriendly to those with acrophobia. Even now, I regret choosing the rope challenge, as the time spent in line was enough for me to ride the Speeding Lightning Roller Coaster twice. I silently resolved that next time I visit Disney, I must ride the Speeding Lightning at least three times to make up for this regret. The grand finale was the Disney Castle Nighttime Spectacle. The show began at half past eight in the evening, and I started looking for a good spot at seven, but many people had already claimed the best positions. Since everyone in front was standing, I didn’t dare to sit down for fear of being trampled. During the wait, I felt pain throughout my body. I calculated that the total time I spent standing in line throughout the day, from the moment I arrived at the Disney entrance area, was over six hours. To be precise, if you count all the sporadic waiting times, it could reach seven hours. The Nighttime Spectacle was beautiful and moved me, someone who has seen many Disney productions. There are many videos online with good angles and clarity, but only by experiencing it in person can you truly enter this wonderful dream. I really love Disney and want to visit all the Disney parks around the world. After the Nighttime Spectacle ended, I took some pictures of the illuminated castle and carousel while the number of tourists was decreasing. The temperature was low, and the wind had picked up. Since our hotel’s shuttle would not arrive until ten, I spent my time wandering around the Mickey Store. The items inside were not inexpensive, and the quality was not very satisfactory, but it was still nice to look at. The lady holding the sign at the parking lot was very dedicated. We took the last shuttle back to the hotel, concluding a full day of Disney adventures. I ate warm food at the convenience store, and with that warmth, I drifted into dreamland.
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