Shenyang - Shanghai Disney - Wuzhen - Hangzhou Family Trip
I believe for families with children, just hearing 'Disney' makes the kids burst with excitement, and it's no different in my home. Now, I'd like to share our travel experience with you as a reference!
We started planning this trip a week in advance. It was a five-person journey with our parents and child. Our budget was 20,000 yuan, and our itinerary included one day at Shanghai Disney, one day for the Shanghai Museum + The Bund + City God Temple, one day in Wuzhen, and one day at Hangzhou's West Lake. We looked up some travel tips online beforehand, but there were still many poorly arranged parts.
We booked a flight for the evening of March 31 (cheaper fares and no disruption to daytime work), with an expected arrival at midnight on the 31st. Unfortunately, due to thunderstorms in Shanghai, our flight was canceled and rescheduled to 11:00 a.m. the next day. Since the flights before and after ours were delayed but not canceled, we were furious. However, not wanting to disrupt the next day's plans (we had pre-purchased early bird tickets for Disney on April 1), after negotiating with the airline for a while, we ended up rebooking the tickets ourselves. By then, the prices had doubled from what we originally paid. (At this point, I want to remind everyone to choose your airline carefully and try to avoid late-night flights, as there are many uncertainties.) Of course, there were others on our route heading to Disney the next day who persisted in negotiating with the airline and eventually got rebooked for the following morning. That shows persistence matters. We ended up spending an extra 2,000 yuan. Also, since I had never experienced a flight cancellation before, I didn't know we could negotiate with the hotel to cancel our reservation, so we lost another 700 yuan for nothing. (I blame my own ignorance—lesson learned the expensive way.)
We boarded our flight the next morning as rescheduled and arrived at Shanghai Airport around 10:30. Our hotel for April 1 was located midway between the airport and Disney, offering free shuttle services to and from both, which was very convenient. After checking in, since the Disney shuttle ran only in the morning and evening, we took a taxi to Disney at noon (23 yuan). Getting in was smooth. We thought arriving late meant we wouldn't get to do much, but surprisingly, most rides had very short queues—just 10 to 20 minutes each. Since we had elderly and a child, our ride choices were limited. (Follow the official Shanghai Disney WeChat account in advance to check showtimes.) We watched about five shows, with the parade and fireworks being our favorites—so exciting! We also experienced classic rides like Pirates of the Caribbean – Battle for the Sunken Treasure, TRON Lightcycle Power Run, Soaring Over the Horizon, and the carousel, among over ten attractions. The first three are must-dos—they were fantastic! We didn't have time for other things, so we look forward to a two-day visit next time to try everything. In the evening, we took the hotel shuttle back.
On April 2, we had breakfast at the hotel (the breakfast was rich and catered to all ages—kudos to them!). The hotel was an 8-minute walk from Metro Line 2, which was convenient because The Bund, the Shanghai Museum, and City God Temple are all accessible via Line 2—we had considered this when choosing the hotel. For our second night, we stayed at another hotel between Line 2 and The Bund to make it easy to enjoy the night view. After checking in, we first visited the museum (much bigger than expected), then went to City God Temple for snacks in the afternoon. In the evening, we returned to The Bund for the night view and also booked a group deal for local specialties nearby. It was a packed day.
On the morning of April 3, we took Line 2 to the train station and then a high-speed train to Jiaxing, arriving at Wuzhen around 11 a.m. After checking in, we found a local specialty restaurant and spent just over 200 yuan for five people—great value. My tip for Wuzhen: enter after 3 p.m. That way you see both the daytime scenery and the charming night view without getting too tired. We walked in and took a boat back. The only downside was that it was freezing that day, and we were lightly dressed, which dampened our mood (check the weather forecast in advance!).
On April 4, we hired a car to get to Tongxiang Railway Station early and took a high-speed train to Hangzhou. This West Lake visit was a big letdown. With an evening flight scheduled, we only had time for a quick boat ride. And it turned out to be a public holiday—the crowds were enormous. (Avoid traveling to tourist spots during public holidays at all costs—it ruins the mood, and everything from lodging to food to activities costs much more.) In the evening, we flew back home from Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport.
In summary, to truly enjoy Disney, you need at least two days and must avoid public holidays. If we had stayed an extra night in Hangzhou on the last day, the trip would have been much better. That was our itinerary, and the total cost came to 15,500 yuan.
This is just my personal opinion, for your reference!
