Visas for me and my wife for Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Shanghai

Me and my wife are leaving 1 May 2018 from Charlotte, NC - USA on a cruise from Sydney, Australia to Singapore 22 May. Then we have flights to Hong Kong on May 22 (less than 17 hours in Hong Kong). I want to cross over and visit friends in Shenzhen PRC for a few hours. Then fly to Shanghai and arrive 22 May at 11:45 PM. We plan to sight see until 26 May when we fly back to Charlotte, NC.

I can email copies of our passports and applications, but we can't give up our passports because we are flying to Sydney, Australia 1 May 2018. What can we do. Could be pick up the visas at customs in Hong Kong?