Today was our last day. It’s been such a fun trip. We are already book on a Disney Cruise to Greece next summer, but I just requested to add the ABD trip to it. The trip is already waitlisted, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
We had a wonderful Penensula breakfast this morning. I’m going to miss someone bringing me tea every morning! Coral had pancakes and I had the Frittata.
We met our group in the lobby at 8:30 and boarded our bus. We went to the Yu Garden that has been around since the Ming Dynasty. It was a wonderful example of traditional Chinese architecture and landscaping.
After meandering through the home we walked over to the market. This is what our guides called the “nice” market. Here you could get quality jade and silk, and we
bought both! Coral really wanted a jade ring so we both picked one out. It was more expensive than I thought it would be. Prices were comparable to what we would see in the states. We each bought a scarf that was silk on one side and cashmere on the other, even though Coral kept insisting that it never gets cold enough in Texas for it.
We got a little lost because the market meanders around. We finally asked someone
where Starbucks was and got pointed in the right direction. Later, as we walked out we saw a second Starbucks, so we got lucky! We found our meeting point with 20 minutes to spare so I went into another silk shop and ended up with another scarf. They are just so pretty and feel so good! Another person on in our group bought a knock-off Luis Vuitton wallet. She said the shop keeper led her to the back to see it, they don’t have them displayed. It was a great replica. I’ve read a lot about how to spot a fake and from the outside this one really looked authentic. 
After our foray in shopping it was off to Disneyland. Shanghai has the biggest castle, which was especially welcoming since the castle at Hong Kong was under construction. We went in as a group and they gave us tickets with 3 fast passes each.
We took a group picture in front of the castle and then they told us our surprise: we
were having dinner at Club 33!
If you’re not a Disneyphile like us, Club 33 was the only place at Disneyland that served alcohol. Walt wanted a place where he could dine in style with his corporate guests. There is now a Club 33 in Tokyo and Shanghai. Our guide said there was a 15 year waitlist for membership and once you get to the top of the list the initiation fee is $40,000 and annual dues are $20,000. That just gives you access!
We went in to drop off our bags. They told us we would need to change because our dinner restaurant had a dress code. We checked our bags and then headed out to do the rides. We used our fast passes for Pirates of the Caribbean which was great and very different from The Pirates ride in Tokyo or Orlando (at least since the last time I was there). Next we did Tron, which may be our new favorite ride. You sit on a motorcycle for the ride and it zooms! It was fast and fun! We did a few more smaller
rides, not wanting to wait in long lines. We were disappointed though that there was no Small World ride there!
At 6:30 we went back to Club 33 and changed for dinner. They let us shop the Club 33 merchandise. They said that was a new benefit and previous tours hadn’t been able to, but I read a blog for this trip that was taken a couple of years ago and they purchased a Club 33 pin, so I’m not sure if that is accurate. I went ahead and bought Coral the Club 33 pin and the scarf for myself. Yes, another scarf! It was so pretty though, it had a scene from Fantasia with the feather fairies on it.
Dinner was assigned seating for the first time since the welcome dinner. I thought the food was good, I had the beef Wellington, but Coral didn’t like anything. It was too fancy for her I guess. At 8:30 we walked out onto the private balcony and had a perfect view of the fireworks and light show. I have now seen every character from Elsa to Simba to Kylo Ren speak Japanese, Cantonese and Mandarine. It amazes me how Disney characters are able to transcend multiple languages and cultures. Mickey Mouse for president!
After dinner and the fireworks it was back to the hotel for one last night.
Total Fitbit steps for the day: 21,386, mostly at Disneyland
In the morning we packed the last of our items and had breakfast. Our flight was at noon and our guides arranged a car to take us to the airport at 8:00. We gave them each a big hug as they loaded our bags.
It was a wonderful trip. I can’t wait to do another one.
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