12 Parks in 16 Days - Disney Parks Around the World Trip Report

[Rimmit]

There has been an absolute gamut of transportation on trip, but if all the transportation I must say the Toyota van he picked us up in felt more like a Lexus. It was a Toyota Vellfire which is a model not available in the US. This Toyota van was super nice and had captains chairs with a recliner option that Lucy really enjoyed using to take a quick nap as we made our way to our hotel.

We then arrived at Fantasy Springs Hotel.

The exterior of the hotel leaves much to be desired to be honest and looks a little like it’s out of a Dr. Seuss novel.

The hotel is brand new, just opening this June and it shows. The interior is immaculate and in areas still has that new hotel smell. Fantasy Springs is divided into two parts, Fantasy Chateau and Grand Chateau. We are staying at the Fantasy Springs Grand Chateau. Grand Chateau is part of the newer “hotel within a hotel” concept and only has 56 rooms versus 419 of the Fantasy Chateau section. It also comes with several perks such as 15 minutes earlier entry to the park than anyone else. This is even earlier than those with Happy Entry that grants 15 minutes earlier access to the general population. Also included is an exclusive park entrance, 8 attraction tickets which are basically anytime Lightning Lane passes with the ability to purchase more, an exclusive restaurant, and more.

While the exterior leaves much to be desired the inside is absolutely stunning. Most bloggers have been saying it Fantasy Springs is pretty underwhelming and lacked personality, but I found it pretty elaborate.

The Grand Chateau is accessible only via keycard access, and on arrival they escort you to the lounge where you check-in as it is completely separate from the regular hotel.

You wait in the lounge until it’s your turn to check in and they take you to their desk where you also sit down and check in which was nice. The cast member checking us in spoke excellent English. Really the best I’ve encountered since we left Hong Kong. She then went over our stay with them, and she offered us the chance to buy our park tickets and additional attraction passes, and to make reservations for your included reserved show time and any dining you might have be interested in. Prior to arrival the concierge had made us reservation for the hotel exclusive restaurant, La Libellule, for breakfast tomorrow at 8:40AM.

It felt more like checking into an all inclusive resort than it did a hotel.

The lounge is very pretty and ornate. The windows overlook, Fantasy Springs, the brand new land in Tokyo DisneySea. It was our first view of a Tokyo Disney park so it definitely amped our excitement.

After we finish checking in, they give us all the tickets, passes, room keys, etc. They also bring out the wheelchair that we had prebooked prior to our arrival. It is quite a bit to keep track off and makes me realize how much I appreciate the paperless system all the other parks have gone too.

The cast member starts to walk us to our room. On the way they stop and tell us the story of Fantasy Springs and how the area and hotel came to fruition.

We then walk down a very long and absolutely stunning hallway.

The hallway is lined with these gorgeous princess dresses.

There is also artwork based on various Disney films lining the walls.

It feels more like a walk in Versaille or other European palace than a Disney Hotel to be honest. Conveniently enough our room is very close to the hallway. It was the 2nd room we passed and was on the same floor as the check in. We enter the room and it is gorgeous.

 

[DianaMB333]

Thanks for sharing!
Hope that family is doing well.
It was quite the adventure… all the details you are posting are helping my own planning process

 

[Rimmit]

Thanks for sharing!
Hope that family is doing well.
It was quite the adventure… all the details you are posting are helping my own planning process

That's the goal. When I planned this, I could find almost no information on a trip like this so I'm writing about it so hopefully people can avoid any mistakes we made and there were many.

Which family exactly?

Stay tuned. I still have 7 more days to go.

 

[DianaMB333]

That's the goal. When I planned this, I could find almost no information on a trip like this so I'm writing about it so hopefully people can avoid any mistakes we made and there were many.

Which family exactly?

Stay tuned. I still have 7 more days to go.

Luci and Kendall

I plan to go to all parks in Asia around Nov/Dec this year, then the thread is very helpful.. thanks!

 

[Rimmit]

Luci and Kendall

I plan to go to all parks in Asia around Nov/Dec this year, then the thread is very helpful.. thanks!

Gotcha. Feel so stupid. You meant, "Hope that the family" not "Hope that family." LOL. gotcha.
They are great. I'd much rather go to the Asia parks than the US parks at this point. Especially Tokyo. Tokyo is sooo much better than the US.

 

[DianaMB333]

(Thanks for clarifying, English is not my first language then it helps me improving)

 

[Miffy]

Just barging in to say how much I'm enjoying this trip report, since vicariously is the only way I'm ever going to experience something even a little bit like this!

 

[Rimmit]

(Thanks for clarifying, English is not my first language then it helps me improving)

Well, for not being your first language, you do better than most in which it is their first language!

Just barging in to say how much I'm enjoying this trip report, since vicariously is the only way I'm ever going to experience something even a little bit like this!

Thanks! Barge away!

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

Just chiming in to say I have binge read your whole trip report… exciting, sad, stressful, magical. I could go on and on!

Thank you for sharing and detailing this amazing trip of a lifetime!!!

 

[Rimmit]

Just chiming in to say I have binge read your whole trip report… exciting, sad, stressful, magical. I could go on and on!

Thank you for sharing and detailing this amazing trip of a lifetime!!!

Thanks for following along! Yes, it was ALL the emotions in one trip!

 

[Rimmit]

She gives us a tour of the room showing us all the features. Unlike the Murphy beds we’ve had in previous rooms, Lucy get’s her own little alcove here to sleep in.

It comes with the standard robes, slippers, amenity kits, and complimentary mini bar.

The room also came with a free memory book that you could put your room key in, and other moments of your stay, a felt lined card thanking you for your stay, and 4 coins exclusive for staying for New Year’s Eve.

The room really exceeded expectations in all aspects except for the bathroom. The bathroom adhere’s to the design that the bath and shower are all one room with a water tight door. It did come with a half bath though so that was nice. The bathtub was a typical fiberglass bathtub and lacked a luxury feel as did the shower, but aside from that the rest of the room had excellent lighting and very nice furnishings.

After we finished our room tour she showed us the balcony and she offered to take our picture from the balcony overlooking the park.

The view from our room is great.

As we look around we see Ariel doing a meet and greet from our room.

It was truly top notch service to be honest and some of the best service I’ve had of any hotel ever. After she leaves another cast member then arrives to offer us drink service and serve us a snack.

Despite it being December 31st, today is a scheduled rest day, and we have no plans today. We basically haven’t stopped moving since we landed in Hong Kong the night of the 28th, have had minimal sleep and have been pretty jet lagged, so we plan to just enjoy the room and take it easy. We haven’t done laundry since we were in Paris, so we are definitely due as we are basically out of clothes.

 

[alohamom]

What an incredible room and the view into the park is outstanding.

 

[Rimmit]

What an incredible room and the view into the park is outstanding.

It was an amazing room. Perfect day for a rest day. Kendall and Lucy didn't leave the room the whole time we had it until the AM when we went to the park. Lol. In all the Disney parks in the world, I'm almost 100 percent certain, it is the 2nd closest room to a park entrance in the world.

 

[Rimmit]

There is no laundry in Grand Chateau, but thankfully I do not have to walk 18 minutes like in Paris to get to a laundromat. Fantasy Chateau is just on the opposite side of the building and it has a laundromat so I walk over there to start some laundry. On the way to do laundry I get a little distracted and start taking some pictures of the hotel

I briefly walk outside and take some pics from the balcony overlooking the park.

It’s starting to get a little dark. There is a small garden with a fountain and some sculptures based on Beauty and the Beast. It looked gorgeous at night.

I eventually finally get to the laundromat.

The laundry experience here was totally different from the archaic coin system at Disneyland Paris. Here, I scan a QR code and pay via a link and then it starts the laundry.

I scan the QR code, and it brings up the site. I don’t know any Japanese.

Thankfully Google Translate bails me out here.

Not exactly perfect as I’m not sure how “driving time” and “course content” relates to the laundry, but it’s good enough for me to pay.

For those that remember my tragic laundry experience in Disneyland Paris at the end of our second day with having to buy tokens at the general store, this is a complete and total 180 on that. It was incredibly fast and efficient once I got past the language barrier. There was no inserting the same coin for three straight minutes desperately trying to get the machine to start. No drama of losing a coin after the general store had closed or trying to get to the general store before it closed just to buy a token. It was beautifully in its simplicity. You just scan and pay! That was it! It was laundry the way it was meant to be. And as an added bonus when you pay they have the most adorably cute graphics that make you smile. I love kawaii culture! Who wouldn’t love doing laundry here???

I start two loads and head back to our room. We plan to just order room service but we can’t find anything appealing on the menu. Instead we decide to get some KFC. I know what you’re thinking, but in Japan their tradition is to have KFC as a Christmas meal. So much so that if you don’t put your order in at least several days in advance you will not be able to get KFC for Christmas. Since KFC is the traditional Japanese Christmas meal we figured we’d extend that to New Years Eve as well. Random fun fact, but I used to do a fair amount of moonlighting in Corbin, KY which is the home of the very first KFC.

After making our DoorDash order I go back to the laundromat and move over the laundry. The dryers are huge, and we don’t really have that much laundry so I throw all our clothes into one dryer and start it up for an hour. For our dryer at home this would be ample time for that amount of clothes and go back to the room to wait for our food.

Our DoorDash arrives with our KFC, and we all enjoy a taste of home. Two interesting things about our KFC order. One, there is no ketchup as an option to add when I made our DoorDash order. The Japanese traditionally do not really do order modifications or substitutions, but I figured for an American Fast Food franchise, ketchup would be a condiment that could be added. Two, the biscuit has a hole in it like a donut.

There is nothing going on at the resort for New Year’s Eve which we thought was interesting. The parks close at 9AM and there is no party, no decorations or anything in the hotel to signify it was New Year’s Eve. We figured there would be SOMETHING, or at minimum some New Year’s Eve decorations and maybe some balloons.

Prior to leaving for our trip, I did some investigating into New Year’s Eve activities at Tokyo Disney Resort and was shocked to see absolutely none. From my understanding, the parks can never close late as all the Cast Members overwhelmingly use the train to get home, and it stops running pretty early from my understanding. So for them to get home, they have to close the parks at 9PM at the latest every night in order for the Cast Members to be able to use the train to get home. Upon planning this trip the park hours do not ever seem to ever waiver unlike at Disney World where they adjust the hours based on the crowd. Tokyo Disney has the exact same hours everyday regardless of the crowd except in a rare situation where it closes even earlier, likely due to a private event. 9:00PM hits and that is closing time for the park and it empties out.

We try to make it to midnight given it’s New Year’s Eve, but it’s been a crazy busy couple days so we hit decide to hit the hay at about 10:00PM to the sounds of muffled theme park music outside our window and Elsa’s castle overlooking our room.

Day 13, December 31th, 2024 Step Count – 13,264 Steps

Total Step Count – 208,339

 

[Rimmit]

Day 14 - Tokyo DisneySea
“Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional.”

I was up at 4:15AM today. Given I went to bed about 10:00PM that tells me I’m getting back to a more normal schedule as I traditionally only sleep about 5-6 hours at home. I decide since I’m up, I might as well do some of laundry as I missed some of the laundry yesterday.

I’m continuing to enjoy the beauty and simplicity of this laundromat. To be honest, though, I’m not sure if I’m just so traumatized by my last laundromat relationship that this might have become my rebound laundromat. It could be lust, or it could be love, but for now I’m just living in the moment.

Unfortunately, my love affair with the laundromat died faster than a snowflake in August. I thought yesterday it was me overloading the dryer as the reason it was taking so long to dry. I thought I was the problem, it’s me. Well today I had no more than a handful of pieces and I divided them up into two dryers. After 60 minutes it was still damp. Apparently, I was NOT the problem in this relationship, and it was actually the dryers. This was definitely a rebound laundromat, and the magic I felt between us quickly evaporated. It was so sad but we always knew it was a one night stand at best anyway.

I head back to the room after another round of drying finally got the clothes to at least be in packable condition. The sun is now up and it’s a beautiful day.

We have till 11:00AM to check out so for that reason we decided to put off packing for now as we have an exclusive early entry which I am going to dub “Happy Happy Entry.” Just regular Happy Entry is being allowed to enter into Tokyo Disneysea 15 minutes before the general population. This is available to guests staying at the Fantasy Springs Fantasy Chateau and the Hotel Miracosta. Since we are staying at Fantasy Springs Grand Chateau, we are allowed to be in the park 15 minutes before Happy Entry for a total of 30 minutes before any other guests. There are only 56 rooms eligible for this benefit making it very exclusive.

So we head to the elevators right around the corner from our room at 7:45AM where they instructed us to meet for the Happy Happy Entry yesterday. Not surprisingly we are nowhere near the first in line and there are at least 40 people already ahead of us. They slowly ferry us all via the elevator down to the private entrance to the park and we wait in line at the entrance a floor down.

I honestly think we are in the 2nd closest room to a park gate in the ENTIRE world, as I honestly don’t see how a hotel room could be much closer, and we’ve stayed in nearly every Disney hotel that is attached to a park except the Hotel Miracosta, which we will stay at in two nights, and the Grand Californian. The layout for those hotels does not have any rooms as close our current room. We get in shortly after 8:00 AM. Not surprisingly there is absolutely no one around till about 8:15AM. We take some pics as there is nothing else you can do right now as the rides do not open till 8:30AM.

Once Happy Entry starts at 8:15AM Fantasy Springs starts to get a little more crowded, but still minimal crowd, as most are entering the park from the front entrance which is about a 20 minute walk away.

Our first priority was to do Tinker Bells Busy Buggies. This may seem like an odd pick for our first ride given it’s a kiddie ride, but we picked it because today we had the Fantasy Springs Passport ticket. This is a ticket only available to those with either a Vacation Package or staying at Fantasy Springd Hotel. This ticket allows you unlimited access to Fantasy Springs and unlimited use of the Premiere Access lines for three out of four Fantasy Springs rides.

The only one that is not included is Tinker Bell Busy Buggies. For that reason we wanted to do it before a line formed. We got in line about 8:20AM and were the first in line.

They opened the ride right at 8:30AM and we walked quickly through the queue. I wish we had more time to look at it as it was a very cute queue.

We walk right onto the ride. It’s short cute ride, and actually better than expected which isn’t saying much as our expectations are pretty low. It’s kinda like a Mr. Toad’s wild ride but outdoors.

It’s nothing spectacular and not very long, but if we still had younger children it would be very enjoyable ride for the younger crowd. I definitely wouldn’t devote any time to do it again though. They did have a nice animatronic at the end which was cute.

Today is one of the few days we actually have a scheduled sit down breakfast and it is at 8:40AM at La Liebellule so the moment we get off the ride we head back to the hotel to make our reservation. From the Grand Chateau entrance to the restaurant is a 2 minute walk at most, so we make it to the restaurant right on time.

La Libellule is the Grand Chateau’s exclusive restaurant. In order to eat here you must be staying at the Grand Chateau. This is only our 4th sit down meal this whole vacation, so it’s kinda nice to take a moment to just relax, eat, and be served.

We initially had not planned on eating breakfast here, as it is very hard to get a reservation and I didn’t feel like stalking down a reservation. Interestingly enough, 10 days prior the concierge contacted me asking some questions about our stay, and they said they’d made a reservation for us at the restaurant for breakfast. It was kinda random, as I never asked for a breakfast reservation and they are hard to come by, but they made me one anyway.

We were kinda curious about the restaurant so figured we’d just keep the reservation.

The restaurant was very nice and was very spacious. I’m used to the restaurants in WDW that pack as many tables as possible into a small amount of space. The space between tables here is pretty immense and gives it a very luxurious feel. Felt more like a setting for a super fancy tea, then a breakfast in Disneyland.

In Disney World this would have three times more tables at minimum.

 

[Rimmit]

The breakfast was composed of some pastries and charcuterie on a buffet and an a la carte selection from the menu.

Kendall and I chose the Pancakes with Cream Cheese with Vanilla served with Three Types of Condiments and Lucy ordered some eggs and bacon from the kids menu. While we waited and snacked on the buffet we also were served some croissants. They were very large and fluffy. We really enjoyed them.

It was super duper fancy and definitely the fanciest breakfast we’ve ever had. They also brought out a salad which I definitely did not touch. For those that do not know me personally, I am a meatatarian. I avoid vegetables pretty much at all costs unless it’s a potato or corn.

The pancake was kinda interesting in appearance, but actually tasted pretty good. It was definitely not the kind of pancake you get at IHOP.

Most food was not to our taste to be honest but the presentation and service were top notch. They even made eggs and bacon look good.

Since I did zero research for this restaurant I had no idea it came with a meet and greet. Apparently, we get to meet Mickey as part of the breakfast. Unlike a typical character breakfast where the characters walk around from table to table, here you just sit at your table and when it’s your turn they come get you and escort you to a small separate room where you meet Mickey.

This was much less hectic than having a character walk around the room taking pictures and a pleasant surprise. Also of note, here they are very eager to take your camera and take pictures for you. No asking required. They literally ask you to hand them your camera the moment you walk in the room. This is nice so you can focus on the character and not your camera. This was the way it was in Paris as well. It’s definitely a contrast to the US where you need to proactively ask them to take your camera for a picture.

After the meet and greet, we finish up our breakfast and pay our check. It was just 16,000 yen which is just over $100 USD. For the fanciness of the meal and an included meet and greet this felt like an absolute bargain compared to US pricing. We go back to the room and pack it up. At Tokyo Disney Resort you can just leave your bags in the room, and they will transport them to your next hotel for you while you are at the park, which is a huge convenience as it is EXTREMELY common to have to bounce around hotels in Tokyo Disney.

 

[Rimmit]

We check out and bring the wheelchair this time as Tokyo Disney Sea is a huge park, and we are doing three straight park days so Kendall opts for a wheelchair so we don’t potentially burn her foot out.

Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey is supposedly the best ride in Fantasy Springs and the entire DisneySea based on some blogger’s opinions so we decide we will start with it. We have unlimited Disney Premiere Access for all the rides in Fantasy Springs via the Fantasy Springs Passport so we just use the Premiere Access line. It took about 15 minutes after entering the line to board the ride which is a dark boat ride similar to the other Frozen rides, but that’s where the similarities end.

The ride was absolutely stunning. The show scenes were totally different from Hong Kong and Epcot.

The ride is also much longer than the Frozen rides. It tells the whole story from the beginning and has some very impressive special effects. They play the majority of the songs from the movie although there was no “In Summer”. It would not have fit thematically so I was ok with the omission. It was definitely one of the best rides we went on this vacation thus far for sure.

Afterwards, we start walking toward Peter Pan’s Neverland Adventure. On the way we pass a popcorn cart and get in line. We get to the front of the line to discover that apparently they only sell one flavor of popcorn which is apparently roast beef.

We decide to give it a shot despite not being super enthused about roast beef as a popcorn flavor.

Unfortunately, none of us were a fan of roast beef popcorn, but we at least gave it a try. We then arrive at Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure. I guess Peter Pan is notably more popular in Japan as I just can’t imagine devoting an E-ticket level attraction in this day and age to Peter Pan in the US with so many other IPs available.

We enter via the Premiere Access line. The queue is well themed to a Lost Boys hideout.

There was a short pre-show in Japanese, and then you exit toward the ride. The ride vehicles were themed to a small ship that could fly.

The ride was quite impressive and very long. It did require 3D glasses as there was a combination of physical and screen elements. Overall ride was very similar to the Spider-Man ride at Universal Studios Orlando. The ride technology was impressive, and definitely one of the funner non thrill rides we’ve done on this vacation.

We then head to Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival. We use the Premiere Access line and the wait isn’t even 5 minutes.

This a boat ride that initially starts outdoors and then transitions into an indoor show building. You pass by a tower that has a Rapunzel that sings random songs. The ride is pretty short, and to be honest pretty underwhelming except for one thing. It has the most beautiful scene of ANY RIDE IN ANY DISNEY PARK.

The lantern festival scene is just JAW DROPPING and pictures do not do it justice. The combination of the lighting, suspended lanterns, and the song “I See the Light” playing in the background just makes the ride, and it’s worth doing the ride just to experience this scene. It really is unfortunate they did not make the ride longer.

Afterwards, we decide to go on Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey again. Having the unlimited Premiere Access truly helps simplify our day, as during this time of year, there are many people that do not even get to go on this ride AT ALL, due to the fact that in order to ride this ride, you either need to purchase a Premiere Access pass or obtain a Standby Pass. A Standby Pass is just a pass that allows you to stand in the regular queue. These Standby Passes run out incredibly fast, and often will run out minutes after the park opens. People who arrive early to enter the park on time, often do not even have a chance as by the time they cross the turnstile the passes have already run out. So even with arriving BEFORE park opening they did not even have the opportunity to obtain a pass to ride the ride. This is very similar to the issues many had when Rise of the Resistance first opened up. The ability for us to literally go on any of the rides in Fantasy Springs whenever we wanted and use the Premiere Access line is truly a life saver.

For our second ride, I let Lucy take some pics with my camera. This makes for a much more relaxing experience and I enjoy ride even more. You definitely notice more of the small details when you’re not taking pictures.

Then we head to the Fantasy Springs gift shop.

I look for a Fantasy Springs hotel magnet but sadly there is none. Doing our research prior to arrival, I had read about how the prices at Tokyo Disney are considerably more reasonable than the prices in the US, and they weren’t kidding. Lucy got a pack of 4 pens for 12.73 USD. One pen at Disney World is 12.99 + tax.

It was then time for lunch and we headed over to The Snuggly Duckling.

In order to enter the restaurant you needed to make a mobile order. We made our order and waited a short bit and then were notified our order was ready. We entered and were very impressed with the theming. The interior definitely looked like what you would have expected the interior of The Snuggly Duckling to look like.

We order two cheeseburgers and fries to split.

To our complete shock when we open our hamburger there was actually ham on it!!! I’ll never totally understand the fact we call what are technically “beef”burgers, hamburgers but I guess in Japan they realized that the rest of the world needs to get their act together and actually put ham on a hamburger.

We did end up separating the ham from the beef burger as while I love meat, a hambeefburger might have been a little too much. The ham was actually very good and tasted similar to typical ham you’d get for breakfast. We finished up our lunch and then went to bathroom which was located in Arendelle. It was one of the best themedh bathrooms I have seen in Disney competing with the bathrooms in Galaxy’s Edge for theming. For privacy I have no pics, but even the bathroom doors were even themed to Arendelle.

As we walk around we definitely notice that themed popcorn buckets are definitely a thing. At least 75 percent of families have at least one, if not multiple popcorn buckets. We felt a little awkward without a popcorn bucket, but we will get ours tomorrow with our Vacation Package.

Prior to leaving Fantasy Springs we decide to do Peter Pan again. It was a slightly shorter wait this time using the Premiere Access line. It was just as enjoyable the second time. It’s a pity we don’t have a ride similar to this in any US parks.

Afterwards, Lucy wants to go play in the pirate ship.

 

[Rimmit]

It’s not exactly a playground in the traditional sense, but it is pretty neat with lots of things to explore and play with.

For our last ride prior to venturing outside Fantasy Springs we decide to go on Tangled one last time. While it is very short the ending scene is just jaw dropping and makes it well worth doing the ride again. This ride reminds me so much of Navi River in Animal Kingdom in that’s very beautiful, just too short.

I do appreciate the detail on the ground outside the ride.

It’s getting to be early afternoon and we then head out of Fantasy Springs. While we don’t have unlimited Premiere Access on the rides outside of Fantasy Springs we do have 3 attraction passes per person that came with our Grand Chateau room. These passes allow us to enter the Premier Access line once per pass at any time, so we have 3 rides can skip the line for.

Raging Spirits is the only roller coaster in DisneySea, has a Premier Access line, and it just happens to be right outside of Fantasy Springs so we figure we might as try it out.

Everyone in our party loves roller coasters so we figured this would be pretty fun. It definitely looked it.

The theming was great as well.

The expectations were even further amped as they actually had me leave my camera in a locker. There is only one other ride in all the Disney Parks that require a locker and that’s Tron in Magic Kingdom and it’s a a great coaster. Unfortunately, unlike Tron this coaster is incredibly tame and boring. It lacks speed and any excitement. It actually has a loop, but there is so little speed I was impressed it made it all the way around the loop. Despite the incredible theming and a loop, this was actually one of the worst attractions we went on this vacation. It had gotten mediocre reviews but I figured how bad could a coaster be?? Apparently pretty bad.

Our showtime for Big Band Beat was then coming up and from where we were it was at least a 20 minute walk as it was located in the American Waterfront on the other side of the park so we start trekking. Then started trek to big band beat. Long 20 min walk. On the way we kept looking for regular popcorn but could not find any. They have tons of flavors like soy sauce and curry, but no regular in site.

While there was no popcorn we did meet Max on the way.

We eventually find a stand with milk chocolate popcorn and that sounded appealing so we got some. It actually tasted ok. It wasn’t great but it wasn’t bad either. It was at least tolerable unlike roast beef. Another, interesting observation is that they don’t sell drinks at the popcorn stands. If you want a drink you’ll need to find another stand. Popcorn stands only sell ONE flavor of popcorn and that’s it. We continue walking toward the America Waterfront. On the way we pass by an area that feels like Cape Cod.

We notice a ton of birds in the water. They are so evenly spaced I thought they were fake.

New flash! They actually are not. They definitely fly and move. We continue to search for a stand with a drink as we are dying of thirst. As we walk, we pass by a replica ocean liner, Columbia.

This ship is definitely different from the Columbia in Disneyland which is a replica sailing ship and used in Fantasmic.

We finally find a drink at a stand close to the theater. Another observation, snack vendors AND restaurants sell very minimal selections. Almost every snack stand only sells ONE item. If it sells popcorn, it only sells popcorn. If it sells a churro it only sells a churro. It is very rare to actually have a choice and not every stand sells a drink. If you find a stand that sells a drink you typically have only one option, tea. If you are lucky they may sell tea AND Coke or tea and another option like juice. The restaurants only sell between 1-3 entrees. They also may have 1-2 dessert items and typically 4-5 drink options so you at least get just a little more selection at a restaurant. For example, the hot dog stand where we bought a Coke only sold hot dogs and 2 drinks, tea and Coca-Cola.

It’s now time for Big Band Beat and we arrive about 15 minutes early. This is in the area of the park called the American Waterfront, and they do a great job simulating America in the 1940s.

This was the only reservable show option in DisneySea. It was in a beautiful indoor theater and in all honestly the theater was nice enough to where you coulda convinced me I was seeing a broadway show on broadway rather than a theme park production show. Our reserved seats were in a great location on the first row of the second section.

No pictures were allowed during the show so I have none.
This show pre-covid had a live band and was supposedly amazing. Most bloggers say it’s just a shell of its former self since the loss of the live band. We still found it high energy and fun. There were lots of dance routines to 1920s era big band songs, and we really enjoyed it. I can see where a live band would bring even more energy though and make it even more entertaining.

After it ends we start walking toward Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Crystal Skull. This ride has no relation to the movie. Since we didn’t have unlimited Premiere Access today we did use the free 40th Anniversary pass system which is basically a free fast pass for certain less high profile rides. I managed to snag a time Indiana Jones for after our show so we were in a minor rush to make it in time. The annoying thing is that this ride was by Raging Spirits which meant it was on the exact opposite side of the park 20 minutes away where we just came from. We take a different way back and we see the Mount Prometheus, the volcano, for the first time.

It is absolutely huge, and without a doubt the biggest of any mountain in any Disney Park anywhere.

 

[Rimmit]

It houses not one, but TWO rides, Journey into the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. We also see Mediterranean Harbor for the first time as well.

Lucy has been looking for a churro all day and on the way we finally find a churro stand and buy one.

I didn’t notice this but Lucy noted that the churros here are in the shape of Mickey. We really need to bring these to the US.

We make it to Indiana Jones just in time for our standby pass.

The temple is beautifully lit at night and looks like something you’d see in the middle of a jungle.

Despite using the Premiere Access line, the queue for Indiana Jones was quite long taking about 20 minutes to board the ride. The queue was very elaborate. It had been since 2017 since I was in the Indiana Jones queue in Disneyland but I don’t remember it being this elaborate. It was missing the “traps” that definitely added to the Disneyland version.

It has the exact same ride vehicle as the California version.

The ride was amazing and just as enjoyable if not more enjoyable than the Disneyland version. It’s very similar and at the same time different than Disneyland and 1,000 times better than Dinosaur in Animal Kingdom despite using the EXACT same ride system and track. This ride has some effects that they don’t have at Disneyland which were pretty neat. This is a perfect example of how it’s not just the ride but the theming that makes an attraction.

Lucy absolutely loves it and wants to do it again, but we don’t have time today but we’ll definitely do it again in two days for our second DisneySea day.

There are still two attraction passes we need to use, so we pick Journey to the Center of the Earth for our next one. I had avoided reading about almost all the rides we were going to go on this vacation aside from some very basic reviews so I could I could go into them completely blind, unbiased, and unspoiled. I had no idea what this ride would entail to be completely honest. We walk back to Mount Prometheus where the attraction is. To go through the volcano there are a variety of tunnels that allow you cut through.

Journey to the Center of the Earth is exclusive to Tokyo DisneySea and is their headliner ride that exists inside the volcano which is the parks centerpiece.

We get into the queue and I must say it is an incredible queue. It definitely feels like you are going into the center of the earth based on the queue especially when combined with the fact you already walked inside the volcano to get there.

It’s loosely based on the Jules Verne book. There isn’t a preshow in the traditional sense, but there are a variety of props to give you the sense you are exploring into the center of the earth from an underground research lab.

You then take an elevator down “deep” into the earth to board the ride vehicle.

I won’t talk too much about this ride as I don’t want to spoil anything, but having zero expectations or knowledge of what the ride was going into it, we were all totally impressed. It’s basically a dark ride, but definitely different from any other dark ride we’ve done. It was Lucy’s absolute favorite ride to date this vacation and has now named it “Whoop! Jump Scare!” Both Kendall and I absolutely loved it as well, and it was one of the funnest moments of the vacation that left us talking about the ride for days. The theming was incredible and it definitely does a great job of misdirection and doing the unexpected.

For our final attraction pass of the night we decide to do Soarin’. I was skeptical to do Soarin’ as we have done it a ton of times in Epcot and California Adventure, but everyone said that this is the best version and the story is totally different from the other Soarin’s so we feel the need to experience it.

I must say that the story and queue and theming are 100 percent different.

The whole ride has an Italian Renaissance theme, which is vastly superior to the hanger bay theme of the US Soarin’. I’m not sure if you could really even call the US versions themed to be honest as the theming is so weak.

 

[Rimmit]

The story and preshow were told in Japanese so I am not 100 percent sure what the story was, but based on the queue, I’m pretty sure it was about the history of flight. The ride is the exact same except the ending sequence that has you return to Tokyo instead of Disney World or Disneyland.

We are out of attraction tickets at this point and it’s about 7:00PM so we go decide to go and pick up our vacation package from the Hotel Miracosta which is the hotel connected to DisneySea. We were told at check in at the Grand Chateau we could not get it the day before. The online bloggers and people in the Facebook groups say you can so we went to try and pick it up. The vacation package was in a very nice plastic envelope which would make a nice souvenir.

Picking it up now saves a ton of time in the AM, as the Vacation Package contains your park tickets, and unlimited Premier Access passes, and pretty much EVERYTHING you need to actually go to the parks. It is only available for pick up a the hotel you are staying in for your vacation package which is for us is the Hotel Miracosta. Tonight we are staying at the Disneyland Hotel which is right across from Disneyland. If we did not pick it up tonight then we’d have to take the monorail over to the Hotel MiraCosta in the morning, pick up the vacation package, and then ride the monorail back to Disneyland which is a total waste of time. The Hotel Miracosta is literally connected to Tokyo DisneySea via a hotel entrance so we just exit via that entrance and go to the front desk. Thankfully, the bloggers were right and we pick up our vacation package without issue.

Believe: Sea of Dreams, the nighttime spectacular, was starting in 45 minutes at 8:00PM but since we still have one more day in the park we decide to see it the second night. Unfortunately, we have to return the wheelchair all the way across the park at the Fantasy Springs Hotel which is a 20 minute walk.

We walk across the park and leave via the Grand Chateau entrance and return the wheelchair.

Then we walk to the monorail station right next to the hotel passing the Fantasy Springs Entrance on the way.

Of note, this entrance is ONLY for use of hotel guests of Fantasy Springs hotel. There are a number of hotels within a 2-3 minute walk of this entrance, but they are not allowed to enter or exit via this entrance. This can be very aggravating as it is a 25 minute walk to the front of the park, and then a monorail ride to the station here, so literally about 35-40 minutes in transit minimum, rather than just walking out this gate. This is a huge point of aggravation for many Tokyo DisneySea goers at this point. The picture below illustrates what an inconvenience this. The red line below shows the distance you’d travel if you could go out the Fantasy Springs gate. The yellow line shows the distance you travel if you are not staying at the Fantasy Springs Hotel. The yellow line involves a monorail ride as well.

We arrive at the Bayside Station.

Unlike the monorails in the US parks that are free the monorails here require you to buy a ticket to ride. I attempt to use my credit card but for some reason it won’t take our card. In general using a US credit card in Asia I’ve noticed is hit or miss. Sometimes some cards work, and sometimes they don’t. It really seems random to be honest if our card gets accepted. We end up just using cash. It’s only 300 yen per adult and 150 yen per child so just 750 yen total, which isn’t even $5 USD.

The monorail compared to the US versions are much bigger and nicer and actually themed.

I would gladly pay the small amount to ride the monorail in the US if it meant they were better maintained and had this level of theming. It was really cute, and just puts you in a Disney mood. We take the monorail to the Disneyland Station.