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Shanghai Disneyland Hotel vs Toy Story Hotel
Are you planning a trip to the Shanghai Disneyland Resort? Then you may have noticed that Disney has two on-site hotels. One is the Shanghai Disneyland Resort. The other is the Toy Story Hotel.
But how do you choose which one you should book for your family for your Disney holiday? Well, don’t worry! We’ll compare the two on key features. And by the end, you should have a better idea of which hotel you want to stay in during your Disneyland family holiday!
Luxury
The Shanghai Disneyland Hotel is a true luxury hotel. It was a lot of great amenities that you would expect in a luxury hotel. For example, you can book a club level room and get access to the Magic Kingdom Club on the concierge level of the hotel. And regardless of room choice, when you step inside the luxurious hotel and you know you are at, well, an expensive hotel.
The Toy Story Hotel is not set up that way. It has a fun feeling. But not a luxury feeling.
Winner: Shanghai Disneyland Hotel
Room Options
There aren’t a lot of room options at the Toy Story Hotel. There are standard rooms with one queen or two double beds. They sleep up to two adults. You can choose between a garden, courtyard, or park view. And that’s about it.
But there are a lot more options at the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel. They have deluxe rooms with a garden, lake, or park view. These rooms have one king bed or two double beds. They sleep up to three adults.
But then they have rooms beyond that. There is a Frozen-themed room! This is perfect if anyone in your party loves Frozen. It has two double beds and sleeps up to three adults.
But then they have suites. There is a Magic Kingdom Suite. It has a bedroom area and a living room area. This hotel room has one king bed and a queen sleeper sofa. You can have up to three adults in this room.
Then there is a Fantasia Suite. It has one king bed, one double bed, and one sleeper sofa. The sleeper sofa is in the living room area which also has a dining room table with chairs. It sleeps up to four adults.
And then there is the Sorcerer Suite. It is huge with a big living room area with a dining room table and sofa and two bedrooms. One bedroom has a king bed and the other has two double beds. It sleeps up to six adults.
There is also a Club Level Room with access to the hotel’s Magic Kingdom Club, which he referenced earlier.
So as you can say, there are a lot more room options at Shanghai Disneyland Hotel.
Winner: Shanghai Disneyland Hotel
Kid-Friendly
Now, as I said, the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel is the most luxurious and opulent. But unfortunately, these are features that are often lost on young kids. So if your goal for your Disney trip is to pick a hotel your kids like, the Toy Story Hotel would be your best. Because if your kid loves the Toy Story movies, they will love to stay at a hotel that is themed to the movie. Especially one where you can meet some of their favorite Toy Story characters in the lobby.
Winner: Toy Story Hotel
Theming
One thing I like about Disney hotels is theming. I like being able to feel like I have escaped into a different world.
Toy Story Hotel definitely delivers on that front. Since Disney chose to stick to just one movie with this hotel, everything is properly themed to Toy Story. From the lobby to the rooms, everything is Toy Story. Even the bathrooms are themed to Toy Story!
And the popular Toy Story characters play a part in this hotel. Woody and Jessie talk to you in the elevator, telling you your floor (both in English and Mandarin). You can get a wake-up call from Buzz Lightyear.
Disneyland Hotel is beautiful with Art Nouveau decor and architecture. It has the feel of Paris, France in the early 1900s. But I am not sure if that is overly apparent when you enter. There are Disney themes throughout the hotel, like the dining options themed to Beauty and the Beast or Fantasia. There are hidden Mickeys throughout and Mickey railings. And Disneyland Hotel shines in its luxury. But not as much in a cohesive theming experience that makes you feel you are transformed into another world.
Winner: Toy Story Hotel
Disney Experience
Now, what exactly is a Disney experience? What I mean by this is, is it overly evident that this hotel is Disney?
Now, this may not matter to everyone. It really depends on what you would like.
But if you are a big Disney fan and want your entire vacation to revolve around Disney characters & movies, you will like the Toy Story Hotel more. Because it’s pretty apparent throughout the hotel that this is a Disney hotel.
And while the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel does have its Disney theming in obvious (like the Beauty and the Beast-themed restaurant) and not so obvious ways (like the Hidden Mickeys), you can feel at times like you are at any luxury brand hotel. Which, by the way, could be a positive for you. You may enjoy the Disney parks but at the end of the day want to feel like you’ve escaped into a luxury experience rather than another Disney experience. And that is fine.
But if you want your holiday to be the most Disney imaginable, you will prefer the Toy Story Hotel.
Winner: Toy Story Hotel
Views
Disneyland Hotel offers guests amazing views. It is right on Wishing Star Lake, so you can get beautiful lake views. You also get an entire view of Shanghai Disneyland Park. But perhaps the best view is the unobstructed view of the Enchanted Storybook Castle! You can also get a room with a garden view.
You can get garden or theme park view at the Toy Story Hotel. But the views aren’t as good as what you would see from the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel.
Winner: Shanghai Disneyland Hotel
Dining
Toy Story Hotel has quick-service dining options. Sunnyside Café (remember Sunnyside Daycare from Toy Story 3?) is a food court. You can get grab and go options at the Sunnyside Market.
But Shanghai Disneyland Hotel has sit-down options. Aurora is a five-star restaurant with modern, delicious Asian cuisine. And while the food is great, perhaps the best part of this restaurant is the views. You can see Disneyland Park and Wishing Star Lake from the restaurant. You can enjoy family-friendly, character dining (more about that later) at the Beauty and the Beast-themed Lumiére’s Kitchen. If you have a sweet tooth (or are a big fan of Beauty and the Beast like me), you’ll love the Beauty and the Beast-themed sweets here.
But if you like quicker (and cheaper) options, Shanghai Disneyland Hotel has that, too. The Ballet Café has quick-service items and grab and go items. It, by the way, is themed to the beloved dancing hippo scene from Fantasia. So Shanghai Disneyland Hotel has similar options to the Toy Story Hotel, but then a lot more.
Winner: Shanghai Disneyland Hotel
Transportation to Shanghai Disneyland Park
Food is important. But the real reason you’re visiting the Shanghai Disneyland Resort is to go to the theme park, right? Both hotels offer busses that frequently go to the park.
But each hotel offers another way to get to the park. You can take a water taxi from the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel. Those are neat because, with the views, they are almost a ride itself! And you can walk from the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel.
But the quickest walk is from the Toy Story Hotel. It’s actually a short walk to the theme park. This is really neat to me because Toy Story Hotel is considered a “budget hotel”, and most of the Disney budget hotels at other Disney parks (like Walt Disney World) do not have this option.
Personally, walking is my favorite way to get to the park because that way, I don’t have to bother waiting for transportation. So if you are like me, you will think the Toy Story Hotel wins for this category. But if you do not want to walk, Shanghai Disneyland Hotel will win for you because it has a water taxi in addition to the bus.
Winner: Toy Story Hotel
Character Dining
Do you love meeting the characters? A great way to do that is to do a Character Buffet Meal. A great thing about character meals is you can meet the characters and take lots of pictures. But you don’t have to wait in line. You can just enjoy your meal and the characters will come to you!
Shanghai Disneyland Hotel has one right inside the hotel. Lumière’s Kitchen has a character buffet with cuisine from around the world. You’ll see popular characters like Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Goofy, and more.
Toy Story Hotel does not have onsite character dining.
Winner: Shanghai Disneyland Hotel
Pool
Shanghai Disneyland Hotel has an indoor pool. The pool, the King Triton Pool, is appropriately themed to The Little Mermaid (after all, you are in water).
The Toy Story Hotel does not have a pool. So if you like to use a pool while you’re on a vacation, this is a big downside.
Winner: Shanghai Disneyland Hotel
Cost
So I like to keep costs until the end. That way, you can already start to see what you like before we bring price into the conversation.
But you can probably already guess what is the most expensive option. And that is the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel. Because with great luxury comes high prices.
But there is good news! There are ways to find the cheapest rate for these hotels. Click here to find the best rates for the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel. Click here to find the best rate for the Toy Story Hotel.
Winner: Toy Story Hotel
Further Reading
Did you enjoy learning about the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel? Then check out Shanghai Disneyland: An Unofficial Guide to Disney’s Newest Theme Park. It’s a really great read if you love Disney like me.
