A (2019) HalloXmas trip to Asia - Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo! - COMPLETED 5/1!!!

[cindianne320]

Welcome back!

How amazing that you have been to all of the Parks!

I'm sorry it rained all day- glad you were able to catch the boat parade- love their costumes!

 

[josefina022]

Day 10, Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Part 1 - DisneySea

Today was the day… DisneySea! I felt this one was the most beloved of all the parks I was going to visit. And I hoped for a better experience than the day before.

And a preface – I don’t have crazy detailed photos this day. But I have several more days coming up a week later when I will be showing more photos! Doesn’t mean there aren’t still a lot of photos, it is a Lesley trip report after all… just not as many as you would expect!

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Unfortunately the fates hated me and it decided to rain all day long! And relatively chilly rain too… oh well, I had to make the most of it!

I hoped on the monorail, though I don’t have a photo of my ticket, but I think I got the festival of mystique version of the day ticket!

You can see the sea of umbrellas out there!

I actually stopped at a cart to try and buy a poncho because I realized, while I had a raincoat, my bag wasn’t covered, so I basically finagled something with the poncho covering my bag (though it was questionable as to how well it worked). (FYI – I don’t use umbrellas…I’ve broken so many in the past that I think I’m cursed). I also had brought rubber shoe covers, basically like thick plastic raincoat for my feet. This definitely helped avoid getting my feet totally soaked, though it was a bit weird wearing them!

Also, right after scanning into the park I grabbed my first fastpass – Tower of Terror, which was good in 15 minutes, woohoo! Definitely the rain helped decrease the crowds today.

And into the park!

I had now visited all Disney parks in the world!

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So awesome!!!

 

[tundra1]

Wow! I would love to go there! What an amazing place and such a great way to experience what you love in totally different culture!

 

[KEK1]

Yay, you are back! Congratulations on visiting all the parks, that is very cool.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Bummer aboutt the rain but I know you would make the most of it. Your breakfast looked interesting. Was most of the food similar to what we would eat but yet somehow different?

 

[Alicefan]

OMG I am just now finding this TR! I am loving this luxurious report and love love love the fact that you are traveling all by yourself! You would be my ideal travel partner....if I were a Kardashian I mean, because you're not afraid of your own company (and probably know that solo trips are always the best ones anyway). I can't wait to read more about your snazzy adventure and sorry I'm sooooo late to the party! Super jealous but so so cool to see a review from the fancier side of things. I don't think I ever have before! Carry on!

 

[NancyLuvsMickey]

Welcome back and Happy New Year!!!

 

[KathyM2]

Today was the day… DisneySea! I felt this one was the most beloved of all the parks I was going to visit. And I hoped for a better experience than the day before.

I'm excited to live vicariously for this one!! It looks like such a different park than all the others...looking forward to following along!

(FYI – I don’t use umbrellas…I’ve broken so many in the past that I think I’m cursed).

I'm so with you on this. Hate umbrellas, hate holding them, breaking them, trying to see around them!

Too bad TOT was a bit disappointing. That must have been a challenge trying to pick your FP's and plan things when everything is in Japanese on the app? Did you research all the rides first and know what you wanted to try to get on and be able to recognize them all by the pictures? Or just hope for the best? I'd have a hard time because I wouldn't want to mistakenly end up on something like TOT that I would never ride lol

 

[Lesley Wake]

Welcome back!

How amazing that you have been to all of the Parks!

I'm sorry it rained all day- glad you were able to catch the boat parade- love their costumes!

Thanks! And yeah, it's pretty awesome going to all of them! Now I just need to do all the cruise ships (I've done 2 so far), visit Aulani (hopefully this fall), and maybe eventually Hilton Head and Vero Beach!

Thankfully it was my only rainy day. I was pretty lucky with the weather!

So awesome!!!

Thanks!

Wow! I would love to go there! What an amazing place and such a great way to experience what you love in totally different culture!

Yeah, it was familiar, yet different!

Yay, you are back! Congratulations on visiting all the parks, that is very cool.

Thanks! Sorry for such the delay!

Bummer aboutt the rain but I know you would make the most of it. Your breakfast looked interesting. Was most of the food similar to what we would eat but yet somehow different?

Yeah, sort of. Like, they would throw in different ingredients. Corn in pizza is pretty popular, lol (and I actually sort of liked it)! Also, they like putting lots of sauces, especially mayonnaise based sauces. I know it would be rude to ask for it without them, so I just used lots of napkins to wipe them off!

OMG I am just now finding this TR! I am loving this luxurious report and love love love the fact that you are traveling all by yourself! You would be my ideal travel partner....if I were a Kardashian I mean, because you're not afraid of your own company (and probably know that solo trips are always the best ones anyway). I can't wait to read more about your snazzy adventure and sorry I'm sooooo late to the party! Super jealous but so so cool to see a review from the fancier side of things. I don't think I ever have before! Carry on!

I've been away for a couple months, so it probably hadn't shown in the TR page! I figure if I have to wait for people I would never get to go! Solo trips are fun because I don't have to think about anyone else and can do whatever, whenever!

I've seen a couple reports, but that is also why I posted in the main TR thread, so other people could see it (but check out my friend @RachelleBeaney who did a 7-week trip to all the Asian Disney and Universal trips a couple years and took absolutely amazing photos)!

Welcome back and Happy New Year!!!

Thanks! Happy New Year too!

I'm excited to live vicariously for this one!! It looks like such a different park than all the others...looking forward to following along!



I'm so with you on this. Hate umbrellas, hate holding them, breaking them, trying to see around them!

Too bad TOT was a bit disappointing. That must have been a challenge trying to pick your FP's and plan things when everything is in Japanese on the app? Did you research all the rides first and know what you wanted to try to get on and be able to recognize them all by the pictures? Or just hope for the best? I'd have a hard time because I wouldn't want to mistakenly end up on something like TOT that I would never ride lol

It really was different! Didn't even feel like a theme park, which was sort of their point!

I'm always terrified someone will poke out my eye with an umbrella. And usually end up getting stuck in the waterfall coming off other people's umbrellas!

I definitely researched all the rides (hell, I researched all the menus and had a whole spreadsheet with photos to check things off (which came in handy especially when there was a language barrier)). So at least for Fastpasses I could mostly figure out which was the ride from the icon. And if you see in some screenshots, there will occasionally be a Gelatoni figure with a time - that was my profile icon, which would indicate which ride/location and what time to be there! But hopefully once tourists get back, the english app will work well.

Also, if you go, you should check out their TOT. It's not as scary as any of the US versions, so if that worries you, it would be a way to experience the ride without being scared!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Part 2 – Cape Cod and Port Discovery

After the mini-show I headed up to Port Discovery for my next fastpass, Nemo & Friends SeaRider.

Oh and it looks like I grabbed another fastpass once I scanned in at Nemo, this one for Indiana Jones in about 1.5 hrs

I honestly had no idea what to expect for this ride! I was pretty good at keeping a handle on ride spoilers for this park so wasn’t sure what type of ride it was at all!

Turns out it is sort of like star tours, but in the ocean! I thought it was super cute and a fun ride. I think Nemo was added just a few years ago, before that it was StormRider, with a different video (no IP). But I was a fan!

Since I was there, I hoped on Aquatopia, one of the first trackless rides built by Disney. Oh and you are NOT ALLOWED to take photos on the ride…I actually was told off this time. I guess they don’t want you to lose your camera?

The ride itself is sort of like autopia in water. But you don’t actually control your cars. There are two separate sides and on each side there are different paths you can take, sometimes getting close to a waterfall, sometimes a whirlpool, etc. Unfortunately the tracks have worn away the paint on the ground so you can sort of see the idea of where you can go, but it still was fun. My notes do say it would be better with music though.

Oh, and funny story. I had read about Aquatopia in an Imagineering book way back in high school (it must have been when the park first opened). I heard DisneySea and for some reason assumed it was a water park. And seeing Aquatopia I still assumed it was a water park, which I don’t quite understand considering all the guests were fully clothed… Only about 5 yrs ago when I started branching out away from Disneyland did I start hearing about how great TDR is. And saw some photos of Mount Prometheus and was super confused. I finally understood…oh it’s not a water park… yeah, I’m an idiot!

On with the trip!

I stopped at Seaside Snacks to get another Halloween treat, the Teriyaki Chicken Roll. In past years this has been Ursula themed with some spicy filling, so I was happy it was food I’d like this time (I don't do spicy at all)! There was a decent line, all outdoors in the rain, but I dealt with it! (I think I actually tucked it in my pocket to eat under cover since it was raining steadily - which explains why some of the bun looks a bit wrinkled/humid instead of smooth steamed - but I’ll include the photos here). Overall it was pretty yummy! I’m a big bao fan, so this was right up my alley!

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[Lesley Wake]

Due to the rain I knew I needed to get indoors. So I stopped nearby in Cape Cod Cook Off to get some of the fall Duffy treats (they are super big into seasonal foods)! The purple potato montblanc with souvenir plate. And the Milk Chocolate Mousse with cranberry topping and souvenir mug. I think I remember both being good. The montblanc was so pretty and had a nice meringue filling. The mousse was more like pudding, but it worked well together. And both the souvenir plate and cup were too cute for words! The cup was a bit smaller than typical coffee cups, but I'm ok with that since it's always good to have choices!

I stopped briefly in the Duffy store next door to see the autumn goods. I actually had ordered the plush keychains and some plush armbands from a reseller and they arrived at home in September (but I didn’t use luggage space to bring them along). Which was good since they all sold out quickly! Merch is insane in Japan!

My shoulder ghost buddy (I think we named him Marshmallow?)

Armbands and keychains - the keychains are about 4-6" tall.

They had added some more things like mittens and sweaters. I would have liked the Gelatoni sweater but it didn’t come in my size.

Some more photos in the Cape Cod area.

Back in Port Discovery I stopped at Bayside Takeout to get another food item. While it wasn’t Halloween themed, I think it was coming off the menu at the end fo the month, so I made sure to get it now! The Deep Sea, which was a pineapple slushie/smoothie with boba balls. It definitely looked pretty and actually was pretty good, despite it being rather chilly!

Coming up: Continuing to eat around the park.​

 

[KathyM2]

They had added some more things like mittens and sweaters.

Those are adorable!!! I can't believe the amazing merch...it would be so hard to decide what to buy. I love the souvenier plate and mug you got too, they seem big on those!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Yeah, sort of. Like, they would throw in different ingredients. Corn in pizza is pretty popular, lol (and I actually sort of liked it)! Also, they like putting lots of sauces, especially mayonnaise based sauces. I know it would be rude to ask for it without them, so I just used lots of napkins to wipe them off!

Intresting. I was JUST telling Gwen that she needs to expand her food palate before she can go to Japan. It is now her "bucket list trip" What 10 year old has a bucket list vacation trip!?!?

This gives me anxiety! If we do ever go, I think I will have to try and learn at least some Japanese!

Turns out it is sort of like star tours, but in the ocean!

That sounds really cool

The ride itself is sort of like autopia in water. But you don’t actually control your cars. There are two separate sides and on each side there are different paths you can take, sometimes getting close to a waterfall, sometimes a whirlpool, etc. Unfortunately the tracks have worn away the paint on the ground so you can sort of see the idea of where you can go, but it still was fun. My notes do say it would be better with music though.

This sounds so fun and different than anything we have here even if it is trackless.

ea, which was a pineapple slushie/smoothie with boba balls. It definitely looked pretty and actually was pretty good, despite it being rather chilly!

Ohhhh That sounds good. Totally up the girls alley.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Those are adorable!!! I can't believe the amazing merch...it would be so hard to decide what to buy. I love the souvenier plate and mug you got too, they seem big on those!

Yes, the merch is pretty amazing! And Japan is basically fully unique merch (HK and Shanghai had some copies from US merch).

The plates and mugs were great!

Intresting. I was JUST telling Gwen that she needs to expand her food palate before she can go to Japan. It is now her "bucket list trip" What 10 year old has a bucket list vacation trip!?!?


This gives me anxiety! If we do ever go, I think I will have to try and learn at least some Japanese!


That sounds really cool


This sounds so fun and different than anything we have here even if it is trackless.


Ohhhh That sounds good. Totally up the girls alley.

I am pretty picky, so if she likes sushi and ramen, she could be good! And for Tokyo Disney, as long as she is ok with scraping off sauces, she can prob find burgers or something!

At least since my trip, they brought out the English app, which would have been a big help!

SeaRider would fit in great in Epcot! It could even fit with the existing Nemo ride, since it's always helpful having a simple ride for families.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Part 3 Lost River Delta and Arabian Coast

Continuing my loop around the park, I headed up to Lost River Delta to ride Indiana Jones Adventure, Temple of the Crystal Skull (I guess my time on SeaRider and stopping for food was enough for my fastpass to be ready).

Another where they use video boulders to stop you from taking photos of the photo, but I just took a video (but of course the seam in the photo was where my face was)!

Something funny. When I was in line for the ride I saw a big group of girls before me who all had Hamm the Pig hats! And they secured them to ride on the ride! I had to take a photo of their on-ride picture because it was hilarious!

The ride itself was fun. Pretty much identical ride setup to the one in Disneyland, though a different storyline and some different effects. I liked it well enough though!

Though the CMs made me take off my raincoat before getting on the ride. I guess to avoid getting other people wet who could sit in that seat? It took a while for me to understand what they were telling me to do since I thought they were telling me to stow my backpack, which was stowed!

Some more atmospheric photos

One thing that is great about TDS is the kinetic energy. These boats circle the whole park and really help connect the spaces.

Since I was there, I stopped for more food! At Miguel’s El Dorado Cantina.

I got the special set, which was Tumeric Rice, Pork Cutlet, Pancetta Cream Sauce, Bone Sausage. This was actually pretty good and I liked all the various textures and flavors! The Woody rice was too cute!

For “dessert” I stopped at Tropic Alz for the Purple Potato Tipotorta. This is their version of a churro in Disneysea, basically a filling surrounded with puff pastry. The packaging was pretty cute and the “stick” was served warm. Unfortuntely it was a bit on the dry side, so while it was good, it wasn’t amazing.

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[Lesley Wake]

Into the Arabian coast

Not many people riding Jasmine’s Flying Carpets in the rain!

So I hoped onto Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage, which I think was a minimal wait.

This ride was so cute! I loved Chandu from the start – the story is Sinbad goes on a voyage around the world with his sidekick Chandu the tiger. It really was a lovely boat ride! And I’ll definitely be riding again!

At this point I must have grabbed another fastpass, for The Magic Lamp Theatre. It was about a 45 minute standby wait but FPs were good in 10 minutes!

In those 10 minutes I checked out the carnival games in this area. Each of the parks in Tokyo has carnival games which are only like $5 to play. Things like launch a ball into a hole sort of things. If you win you get an exclusive plush or pillow which are often themed around the season. But if you “lose” you still get a pin or little clip keychain which are also seasonal. They usually have several options (I think there were 5 options, each featuring a different member of Fab 5). And when it rains they have one extra option which only comes out when its rainy! I had wanted to play so I could purposefully lose and collect the pins, but unfortunately whenever I went by them it was a long line (like 30 minutes), so just not worth it, especially because I would have had to wait in that line 5 times to get all the pins!

Anyways, once it was time I made my way into the theatre. Again, another show I had no idea what to expect!

The animatronic cobra who introduced the show in the waiting area.

It ended up being sort of like Philharmagic, but with live action actors doing magic tricks in the beginning. I think there was a full story, but again, all in Japanese, so I didn’t really understand it. But it was fun enough!​

 

[Lesley Wake]

I grabbed another immediate fastpass, for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (the rain really helped reduce crowds this day, though it meant there wasn't as much entertainment)

Made my way past the Little Mermaid area. (It's all covered and people say that is usually a good place on rainy days, but it also meant it was more crowded, so I skipped this day.)

And into Mysterious Island

This was a very cool area, with a totally different atmosphere! (Unfortunately Journey to the Center fo the Earth, the e-ticket ride, was under refurb during my trip so I didn’t get to experience it rushing through the area occasionally.)

Onto the ride. I think it didn’t have a huge standby line, but I was able to walk right onto it! A nice version of the submarine ride…without having to climb into a submarine! Though I definitely hit my head leaving the capsule despite the CMs warning me!

While I was in the area, I stopped at Nautilus for another seasonal snack, the “Special man”. I don’t know what it’s actually called, but that was the translation. It was a chicken and vegetable roll and substituted the gyoza dog during the Halloween season. It was pretty good though!

Coming up: Big Band Beat​

 

[KathyM2]

for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (

I used to love this ride back in the day at MK when I was really little!!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Happy New Year, Lesley!!!! I'm glad you came back to this report!

You're certainly making the most of the rainy day so far, it seems!! You continue to impress me with all the snacks and rides and research you did to be so prepared and make the most of your days!

I just love those little plates and cups and souvenir items that come as parts of meals there. I would totally be suckered into buying SO many of those! I also LOVE the Duffy gloves in the pic you posted from that store. I just might have to look for one of those resellers because I must have them.

 

[missangelalexis]

So awesome that you've visited every park!

Sounds like a really fun time at DisneySea so far that day!