The price of admission to the world’s newest and largest Disneyland, opening June 16 in Shanghai, will be the lowest in the world. However, that’s not stopping netizens from complaining that prices are far too high, and that they have no intention of going.
A standard single day ticket for Shanghai Disneyland will cost 370 yuan ($56), while a peak-day ticket for festival, holiday periods, and weekends cost 499 yuan ($76). The park will offer a 25 percent discount for the disabled, elderly patrons over the age of 65, and children between 1 and 1.4 meters in height. Children under a meter high enter for free.
To put the prices in context, a one-day ticket to Hong Kong Disneyland costs 539 Hong Kong dollars ($69), while admission to Tokyo Disneyworld costs 6,900 yen ($58). Admission to US Disney theme parks located in California and Florida cost approximately $100, as does EuroDisney in France.
One person wrote, “I am disappointed at the admission prices. Are the people of the Celestial Kingdom (China) so full of money, and so lacking in sense? The holiday prices are so much more than the regular prices, so much more! You might as well travel to (the Disneyland in) Japan.”
Another person expressed their disappointment by writing, “The prices are scary high!! And there aren’t any student discount rates!!!! The enthusiasm I had for going has now disappeared. As a student, I’m not able to afford going even once.”
One person put the blame squarely on Disney asking, “Weekends, festivals, and holidays are all classified as ‘peak days’. Do you want us to skip school so that we can purchase tickets at the regular price?”
Another looked to the government: “It’s not the government’s money being invested in this, but our money — doesn’t the government’s money belong to the people? Using (the people’s) money to build something that most of us can’t attend — that’s something that only makes sense to rich people like you.”
One person simply gave up, saying, “(Shanghai Disneyland) is a tuhao (nouveau riche) world, and has nothing to do with me.”
The $5.5 billion Shanghai Disneyworld theme park will feature the world’s highest Enchanted Storybook Castle as well as an all-Chinese language version of the Lion King musical. It is expected to attract ten million visitors a year. Tickets go on sale March 28.
