Shanghai residents may be turned off by the surge of crowd they expect to arrive beginning June 16 when Shanghai Disneyland formally opens its door to the public.
The management of the resort would surely not feel the absence of locals since residents from other Chinese cities and provinces are more than enough to keep the park’s cash box busy accepting payments.
Among the most talked about rides in the soon-to-open resort is the Pirates of the Caribbean which is a popular ride in other Disneyland parks in other countries, reported The South China Morning Post. The one at Shanghai would have the newest characters, Captain Jack Sparrow and octopus-faced Davy Jones. The ride includes a deep dive to the bottom of the ocean and a battle between two groups of ships.
Disney’s original plan for Pirates of the Caribbean was initially a wax museum featuring villains in history with focus on pirates. But at the 1964 World’s Fair, Disney’s It’s a Small World and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln animatronics were such a big hit that the wax museum idea was scrapped.
Instead, Disney spent $8 million to build the Pirates of the Caribbean at New Orleans Square. No less than Walt Disney supervised the creation of the ride before he died, according to Mentalfloss.
Besides the Pirates of the Caribbean, other rides expected to have long lines are the Tron Legacy roller coaster, the Incredible Hulk roller coaster and a ride through Peter Pan’s Neverland which features all favorite characters from the classic tale.
Most of the people who have been inside the park after its soft opening have thumbs up for the resort. Given the excitement the park has created, Shanghai Disneyland is expected to meet its target of 10 million to 15 million visitors a year.