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

[Lesley Wake]

And some other banners/decorations (the decorations were up, as well as the food offerings, but the Christmas entertainment hadn’t started yet)

As I was wandering the area I happened upon another show – the Diamond Sisters, tap dancers. I think it was only the last part of their show, but it was cute.

Coming up - A boat ride and some more decorations​

 

[missjackiemcg]

I absolutely love the pictures of the Hightower Hotel!! I was expecting a rave review of the ride....but this was a surprise!

You look like you're in time out!!! What a bummer that the ride isn't more exciting with such an amazing theme as it has!

Oh, boy!! The start of Christmas has me SO excited for more!

 

[KEK1]

Oooh love the decorations! Sooo pretty!
Your face is hilarious. I will make a note of that- love TOT in WDW second fave ride so that would be a big disappointment.

 

[Lesley Wake]

I absolutely love the pictures of the Hightower Hotel!! I was expecting a rave review of the ride....but this was a surprise!

You look like you're in time out!!! What a bummer that the ride isn't more exciting with such an amazing theme as it has!

Oh, boy!! The start of Christmas has me SO excited for more!

Yeah, the theming of the ride is great. The actual ride - a disappointment!

Christmas stuff was pretty fun in both parks!

Oooh love the decorations! Sooo pretty!
Your face is hilarious. I will make a note of that- love TOT in WDW second fave ride so that would be a big disappointment.

Yeah, I'm sure other people like it, but it was just over-hyped to me. Honestly, lots of the rides at Tokyo Disney were overhyped (though I never got to ride Journey to the Center of the Earth since it was closed the whole time I was visiting).

 

[Lesley Wake]

Part 3 – A boat ride and more decorations


I walked over to Mediterranean Harbor and stopped at Mamma Biscotti’s for a snack. They have similar options as the Sweetheart Café in Tokyo Disneyland.

Theming like an Italian bakery.

I got the Green Alien Mochi (love those guys so much), as well as a Christmas offering, Chocolate and Caramel mousse with a souvenir cup. Both were so yummy!

Some more photos and decorations in the area.

You can see here the walls of the Miracosta hotel, with the windows actual hotel room windows! The balcony in the first photo is the one from Oceano restaurant, which I couldn’t go out on the night before. And the second glass walls are from Bella Vista Lounge. Most of it is flat wall, but the painting provides great texturing.

Just missed the volcano explosion!

I took a ride on the DisneySea Transit Steamer Line. The Mediterranean Harbor Dock is cool and Da Vinci themed.

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[Lesley Wake]

I got a spot in the back of the boat on the edge, which made for good photos/video.

I like the (fairly obvious) easter egg here!

So, I mentioned earlier how they don’t have a train with multiple stops in Disneyland due to some rules about Japanese transit. I guess that applies to boats, so the steamer doesn’t have multiple stops, with specific routes. I was on the route which went from Mediterranean Harbor to Lost River Delta and everyone has to disembark, and if they want to ride back, they have to get in line again. There is one other dock at American Waterfront, and I think that one also just goes back and forth from Lost River Delta (I didn’t take that route though).

The station in Lost River Waterfront

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[Lesley Wake]

Anyways, I got off and wandered around Lost River Delta. Lots of decorations already up and very cute. They go ALL IN on the Three Caballeros.

I figured it would be really pretty at night with the lights on, so I would be back.

More decorations. I did love all the colors!

They should have sold these (or recreations), but alas, the ornament selection in Tokyo Disney was relatively light. (So I just turned keychains into ornaments.)

Coming up - Mermaids and Magellans​

 

[KEK1]

Amazing pics!
I'm looking forward to your overall impressions of all the parks.
Interesting you think the rides are overhyped.. Did you like Sinbads?

 

[missjackiemcg]

That steamer ship is just so incredible looking!! Is it just there for show? Like, no walk through or anything?

I really love their Feliz Navidad and Three Caballeros decor! So fun!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

This is hilarious!!! So unammused...

Is it me, or does the guy look a little like Joe Rhode?

 

[Lesley Wake]

Amazing pics!
I'm looking forward to your overall impressions of all the parks.
Interesting you think the rides are overhyped.. Did you like Sinbads?

I did like Sinbad! Very cute and a catchy song.

That steamer ship is just so incredible looking!! Is it just there for show? Like, no walk through or anything?

I really love their Feliz Navidad and Three Caballeros decor! So fun!

It's actually a restaurant! The SS Columbia, and one floor is the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge. I didn't end up going in there though.

This is hilarious!!! So unammused...


Is it me, or does the guy look a little like Joe Rhode?

Yeah, and funny how everyone else was so excited! Guess they really freak out on US rides!

Just a little, lol! I hope he shows up in the possible SEA tv show on Disney+

 

[Lesley Wake]

Part 4 – Mermaids and Magellans

I wandered around and decided to explore the Mermaid Lagoon area. This space is almost entirely indoors (I think 1-2 rides are outdoor). But the theming is great.

Fun hidden mickeys

The upper level entry way

You can actually look down into Ariel’s grotto from here

And a view of the whole indoor space.

A lot of rides are similar to the (now gone) A Bug’s Land from DCA. Also a store, theatre, and food place.

Lots of places for kids to explore and climb. And it definitely feels like you’ve walked right into the movie.

Shadow area, where the light imprints your shadow temporarily onto the wall.

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[Lesley Wake]

Ariel’s Grotto. Lots of people taking Instagram photos here so I had to wait until I could get an empty shot!

I think this was an effect where you try to grab the gem, but can’t because it’s a reflection

The store is cute, looking like a sleepy whale (complete with eye that opens/closes).

Some merch – love the play food!

The quick service, Sebastian’s Calypso Kitchen (didn’t get anything here; I think they had burgers and pizza).

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[Lesley Wake]

It was time for lunch, with my only advance reservation at Magellans. I’ve heard great things about this place, which is in the fortress in the center of DisneySea, so I decided to give it a whirl! (I had to go through some hoops to get a reservation, mostly just regarding setting up the account, but since then, they’ve made it easier for non-Japanese to book them.)

The restaurant definitely is gorgeous with lots of SEA references. And I was fortunate to get a spot in the bottom central hall with a great view of the globe.

For food, I got the “North Star” meal option. I think there were several prix fixe options, where you select a starter, entrée and dessert; I don’t remember if you could just order individual dishes.

For a starter I got the Cream Soup of the Day. Of course, I forgot to take a note on the actual flavor… but I liked it, lol! (It was probably thing potato…) Also, I got some bread…

For a main course I got the Sauteed Lobster with Tomato Cream Sauce, which was also good (the other option was Red Wine-braised Beef Tongue… so that was an easy pick). Though the portions were pretty small, but I tend to be a snacker, so smaller portions, more often, work well.

And dessert I got the crème brulee. At first when I saw the strawberry I thought it was underripe, but it ended up being super delicious (I think the white flesh is just a Japanese variant of strawberry).

Overall, it was a very good meal. Though it was pretty expensive for the portions. And I made a mistake of ordering a coke, which came in the smallest cup imaginable, with no refills. But I still recommend going there if you visit TDS.

Some other photos as I walked around the restaurant. There is a hidden wine-cellar room and I kept an eye out for it, but couldn’t find the entrance. Until I was about to leave and happened to see the door/wall open, which I had walked by several times already! So definitely pretty well hidden!

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[Lesley Wake]

After lunch I wandered the fortress a bit. There were lots of rooms and alcoves with things to explore. There is a Leonardo Challenge (i.e. scavenger hunt), but it was a long line, so I decided to save for another day.

The planet room was super cool with a moving map of the solar system. There were cranks around the device which let you make the planets orbit the sun.

Leonardo’s flying machine

The laboratory. I think there was some sound/lighting effects which were triggered by the scavenger hunt (of course any dialogue was all in Japanese).

Coming up - Adventure is out there​

 

[KEK1]

Lunch looks yummy. I would have chosen the same things. How much was it, can you remember?
Fortress looks cool.

 

[KathyM2]

What amazing theming they had!! I love the whole under sea world with shop and restaurant etc...so cool!! Your lunch looked really good too!! I think snacking all day there would be ideal because there are so many new and different things to try!! Those alien mochi were adorable!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Lunch looks yummy. I would have chosen the same things. How much was it, can you remember?
Fortress looks cool.

I think it was about $50. There were some other set menus which were more expensive, and this was the lunch pricing. Sodas were expensive though, lol!

What amazing theming they had!! I love the whole under sea world with shop and restaurant etc...so cool!! Your lunch looked really good too!! I think snacking all day there would be ideal because there are so many new and different things to try!! Those alien mochi were adorable!

The Mermaid Lagoon area was pretty cool! Very good for little kids.

Snacking definitely is a great option at TDR. That's why this was the only actual meal I ate! (It can be expensive though!)

 

[Lesley Wake]

Part 5 – Adventure exploring and a show

I headed back over to the Lost River Delta area for my Indiana Jones fastpass.

As I passed through Mysterious Island, the ocean exploded a bit, lol! My notes do say the whole park was just insanely crowded though!

Time for another ride on Indiana Jones. And I took some photos in the queue this time.

The big cavern which was very cool

I wish this wasn’t blurry, but the pit was full of skeletons, which was dark but cool!

In one of the rooms there were lighting effects which would reflect off mirrors.

And some more lighting effects

No John Rhys Davies this time. Instead it was Paco.

Overall the ride is fun. Same layout as the one at Disneyland, but a different story. (My face doesn't look as fun but that's also because I didn't know where the photo locations was!)

Other photos (and Christmas decorations) in the area

There is a character meet and greet area (with Mickey, Minnie, and I think Donald). Always super long lines, so I didn’t bother. (But if you look at the statue in the back of the truck, it looked awfully similar to the motifs in the Explorer’s Lodge hotel room!)

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[Lesley Wake]

Back across the bridge to the Yucatan (and Three Caballeros) area

I had won the lottery for one of the shows, so it was time for Song of Mirage. I think this was relatively new, opening in July 2019.

As with all Tokyo Disney indoor shows, photos are forbidden, and I actually got told off by a CM for taking a photo of the stage well before the show even started! It was actually super cool because this was a video screen that looked like you were in a hanger, with ceiling fans moving and sunlight changes. (But I did have good luck with my seating location again – about the 5th row in the center section)

So, here are some official photos.

The actual show was all in Japanese, but involved live singing and dancing (I really wish they had captions on the side of the stage like in Hong Kong). I think the story involved Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy, who search for the Rio Dorado and city of gold. There’s some magic and lots of projection mapping which drawings you into the set. I definitely recommend seeing!

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