RadioRoryNewest Disneyland
The newest Disneyland is open for business in Shanghai. It’s true, I do love theme parks, but I don’t drink all of the Kool-Aid. This is the company’s first park in Mainland China and the rollout hasn’t been perfect (It opened the same week the boy was killed by a gator at Disney World). The pricing issues and cultural differences that caused problems with the opening of EuroDisney seem to exist at the Shanghai park too, but on a much (much) smaller scale. They’ve got a great product and I won’t be selling my Disney stock.
The park is amazing and filled with familiar rides and some very impressive new ones too. Back in Orlando, there’s been talk that Disney is “losing its edge” since Universal created their new and immersive Harry Potter lands. Let me assure you, Disney’s Imagineers are still at the top of their game. The “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride is, without a doubt, the greatest theme park attraction ever built . I was able to ride it twice and both times I was awe-struck. It really is that good.
Now the best RIDE in the park is the Tron Lightcycle Power Run. I never saw any of the Tron movies, but as a child of the 80s I dropped plenty of quarters into the Tron video game and imagined myself on my own Lightcycle. The steel coaster’s ride car uses a unique system to strap you onto your bike but it isn’t too confining (even for someone my size). Holy cow is this ride fun. It’s just pure adrenaline and two-minutes of thrills indoors and out.
The castle at the center of the park is a beast. I mean this thing is massive, and pretty.
It’s the first park castle that has a ride inside (two actually) and it serves as the screen for a nightly projection show that ends the night. It is interesting to see how each park has its own personality and different vibe.
At the entrance to the park, Disney has the Shanghai version of Pleasure Island, I mean Downtown Disney, no wait, Disney Springs. It’s just a lot of stores shops and restaurants that I usually ignore. They do have their own Boathouse, one of my favorite places at Disney Springs in Orlando. The bar was empty, and I do mean empty, when I ducked inside to beat the heat.
I was a curiosity to the cute little bartender, and not just because I was her only customer. I encouraged her to speak English and to ask me questions about America and travel. Soon, another of her bored coworkers joined the discussion and they used their phones to translate the exact English word that didn’t come to mind. It didn’t take long before their manager saw what was happening and came over. Rather than break up the discussion, he encouraged it and he used his considerable English language skills to make a class out of it for his staff.
My Shanghai host finished work and joined us at the bar and so did three or four more Boathouse workers. Soon we were holding court with waiters, sushi makers, and bus boys, talking about drinking ages, driving laws, and smashing myths about each of our cultures.
There was one law that came up in particular.
It seems the cute little bartender, a.k.a. potential future Mrs. O’Neill, is just 17.
Time to go!!