Easter and The Year of Wishes… food allergy princess goes to Tokyo Disney! -June 2016 TR

[MomoMama]

We started walking, and ended up seeing the same parade from different areas. The walkways were blocked, but eventually we made it to Tomorrowland, and tried Space Mountain. I thought it was actually better than Big Thunder Mountain, but it was so dark inside we did not know what was happening. And DD felt uncomfortable in the seat.

DD then wanted to go on Star Tours again. The wait time was short, so I agreed.

We got on a different shuttle, and we did not know the movie would be different! What a good surprise, and we both enjoyed it. We were humming the theme song again as we came out…

I think we rode Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters after that. Then I said we should get dinner before the restaurants would close. But DD was not hungry… all those popcorn she had been eating made her full. We went in to the Plaza restaurant, and I ordered the chicken bun for myself.

And then I ordered one thing I really wanted to try at TDL… Mike 和zowski!

DD could not eat those cute green alien or scrump dumplings because they have eggs in them, but she could eat Mike! It is made of sweet paste, I think based on white beans. I ordered 2, one for each of us.

 

[MomoMama]

Then I realized it was time for Once Upon a Time. I hurried DD and got out of the restaurant, but the show had already started. We just decided to watch it from outside of the restaurant.

I love the Disney shows and sometimes I get teary. But somehow I was not moved this time. Maybe I was tired, or the location was not good…I just did not get the wow feelings I got at WDW.

Before we left the park, DD begged to go back to the Monsters, Inc. ride. I think we were ones of the last people to go in there. DD was happy she got another chance at this ride. I am not saying she did great, just saying she was happy...


I know we did not cover everything, but we did a lot that day. DD is more about rides at the park, so we did not participate in the Egg hunt. We must have missed many eggs in the park, but we still got to see those cute eggs everywhere we went.

DD fell asleep in the short shuttle ride back to the hotel, and I used the foot massager that was in the room. That felt soooooo good after a day of lots of walking!

 

[momtotaryn]

I love reading your TR! Looks like your DD had a magical time!

We were at TDL in late March, but only for a limited time on one day (part of a group that traveled with my DD's high school band), so we didn't get to do much. We did see the Hippity Hoppity Springtime Parade, though! I told my DH that we will have to return to Japan for more of TDL, and definitely go to TDS too!

 

[MomoMama]

I love reading your TR! Looks like your DD had a magical time!

We were at TDL in late March, but only for a limited time on one day (part of a group that traveled with my DD's high school band), so we didn't get to do much. We did see the Hippity Hoppity Springtime Parade, though! I told my DH that we will have to return to Japan for more of TDL, and definitely go to TDS too!

Thank you for reading! Glad to hear you enjoy my TR!

Sounds like you definitely have to go back! Not getting everything done is always a good reason to go back!

 

[MomoMama]

Wednesday

We were both tired, but managed to get up early for DisneySea day!

Again we went downstairs for coffee and breakfast. DD had milk and banana, and maybe one of those vegetable/fruits juice (like V8 Fusion). I knew we were not getting enough vegetable and the juice was not a sufficient substitute, but I figured it was better than nothing, so whenever I had a chance we bought one of those. They come in small single-serving pack, and many did not seem to have added sugar.

We got to DisneySea before it opened at 8 am, maybe around 7:30 am, and again crowd was already there. We went to line up, and looked like they did not have clear lines. I asked a CM for “Today,” which contained park information for that day (or more like ½ of the month).

I forgot to get it the previous day at Disneyland, but here is what it looks like along with the maps.

 

[MomoMama]

Shortly after we lined up, CMs closed the gate behind us. But just before the park opened, the gate was opened and the people just moved in, finding any small spaces to move forward. I guess they were not cutting the line since there seemed to be no lines… I held DD’s hand tight, as finally the park opened. It felt more intense than the park opening at Disneyland the day before, and I saw few people running.

Mickey and Minnie were greeting people right at the entrance. Not many were stopping to see them.

It seemed everyone was going to the same place…Toy Story Mania!

We were going there too, but I was thinking of skipping it if there were too many people. But as we headed that way, we were swallowed in the crowd going there to get the FastPass, and we could not move out of there. So we stood there to get the FastPass too.

Here is the time posted for the FastPass as we walked by, but when we finally got our passes, the actual return time was later than that!

 

[MomoMama]

We headed to Mermaid Lagoon. Now this was such a cute area, surely a little-girl pleaser. There was this “Crystal Point” in front of Ariel’s grotto.

I wanted to let DD meet Ariel before there is a line. But when we got there, she was not there yet. Ariel was to show up at 9 am. So I took DD to King Triton’s Kingdom.

I saw there was no line for Mermaid Lagoon Theater, so we went in. But once we were inside, we had to wait a little before the door was opened. We were able to seat close to the center stage, but the theater was designed in the way you could have a good view from anywhere, so I felt we did not have to be there early for this attraction.

Now this was a charming show. Ariel swam above us beautifully. While swimming, she even noticed DD and waved at her.

 

[MomoMama]

After the show, DD wanted to ride those kiddie rides at the King Triton’s Kingdom. First we rode Jumpin’ Jellyfish, and then Blowfish Balloon Race.

Those are quick kiddie rides, nothing too special about them. But they are cute, and DD was happy.

And then the Whirlpool…which span faster than I expected, got me a little dizzy…

 

[MomoMama]

DD wanted to try those rides again, but I reminded her that we should go see Ariel before there is a long line for it. Now I am not sure how popular Ariel usually gets, but this was only chance to meet a princess this trip. We did not see any roaming princesses the day before, and I was not expecting any other princesses that day. When I saw the wait time of 20 minutes, I was relieved.

CM asked how many were in the party, and who would be in the picture. Tokyo Disney has very strict photo policies for those scheduled meet and greet… You are allowed to take only one photo using your own camera, and another one with the photographer’s camera (they would give you a written information for this). It is not a bad policy since we would not have to wait for a large group of people trying to get 10 different pictures…one photo of each kid and princess only, one photo with all the kids, and one photo with everyone in it…etc. I thought the reason for this is to move the line quicker, so I asked a CM if I could take more than 1 photo while DD is interacting with Ariel. They would not be posed photos, so it’s not like I would be needing extra time. The CM replied that I could take a photo, but that would count as the 1 photo allowance. And said their photographers would be taking the photos during the interaction. Well, rule is a rule…

So finally it was DD's turn to meet Ariel. I put a starfish on DD’s hair, and she went up to Ariel happily. DD had a little Pocahontas doll with her, and Ariel said something about it. I heard DD replied back something about she had all other plush too, like Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle. Since I was not going to be in the picture, I was instructed to move to the side. It was pretty dark in Ariel’s grotto, so I was trying to check the settings of my camera, pointing my camera at Ariel and DD. Then a CM joined Ariel and DD’s conversation, coming between me and them, blocking my view completely. I was not sure why DD would have to talk to a CM when she is there to talk to Ariel, and I thought maybe she was preventing me from taking the photos???

I am not sure. I could not hear what CM was saying. But after the meet and greet was over and we left the grotto, DD told me that CM was speaking Japanese to DD… Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? DD does not speak Japanese, and I think CM must have heard her speaking English to Ariel. DD said she did not know what CM was saying and could not talk. Poor DD, she was going to ask Ariel all the questions she had, and tell her about getting swimming lessons this summer, but she could not…
At least before we left DD got to tell Ariel that she was her favorite princess, and Ariel was so happy that she said she was going to tell that to Eric. Of course DD loves all princesses, and her favorite may change every day, but Ariel does not need to know that…

I thought all the CMs at Tokyo Disney were fantastic, except for this one at this meet and greet. I told DD that she could say “I do not speak Japanese” whenever anyone speaks Japanese to her, but she feels very uncomfortable doing so. She is only 6 and can be sometimes shy especially with someone who speaks different languages.

And since I had the Photokeycard, I checked the interaction photos their photographer had taken. I was not very impressed…

So this was a little disappointing experience, but DD did not seemed to be bothered by it as much as I was. We went on to have more fun!

 

[Jade-Elise]

Ah I am loving reading this thank you so much for taking the time to write! Very interesting information you are sharing! I was wondering if they package up your souvenir cups! Strange they don't. Is it plastic or porcelain cup from Alice?
Also photo keycard some people say is not very good. What do you think? Sounds like Ariel meet wasn't so good
Thank you for tip of dressing like characters! I will make sure my children stand out so they too can get easy photos with Characters!

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[MomoMama]

Ah I am loving reading this thank you so much for taking the time to write! Very interesting information you are sharing! I was wondering if they package up your souvenir cups! Strange they don't. Is it plastic or porcelain cup from Alice?
Also photo keycard some people say is not very good. What do you think? Sounds like Ariel meet wasn't so good
Thank you for tip of dressing like characters! I will make sure my children stand out so they too can get easy photos with Characters!

Can't wait to hear more!

Thank you for reading!

The cup is porcelain. Since the food was in the liner plastic cup, I did not need to wash it, but I had to wrap it with my cardi. I did not ask, but now I wonder if CM would have been able to help me pack it...after all, those CMs at Tokyo Disney were mostly so nice and very helpful!

I thought the price for the photo CD was reasonable. There really are not many photographers in the parks though. At Disneyland, I only see 4 spots for the photographers, from the entrance to the castle. And they seem to leave at 4 pm (not sure if this is the fixed schedule year-round, but that's the info on their website now). The photos they took turned out good.

Ariel was great, she was beautiful and lovely. I am a little upset that CM interrupted DD's meet with Ariel, that never happened before...
And I am fine with their 1 photo policy. I am a rule follower, and was not going to take multiple photos. But wish their photographer did better job. I do not like the way the photographer zoomed in and chopped off the bodies. Also I can't even see Ariel's face in those.

I think the characters in general would come to kids... There was no mob for the Pinocchio cat or Jungle Book monkeys, and those characters came to DD even though she was not dressed as a character that time. But dressing up sure helps! I always dress up DD as characters, and those face-characters notice and comment on the dresses too. Ariel did say DD looked like a mermaid

 

[wanderlust7]

Ah I am loving reading this thank you so much for taking the time to write! Very interesting information you are sharing! I was wondering if they package up your souvenir cups! Strange they don't.

Thank you for reading!
The cup is porcelain. Since the food was in the liner plastic cup, I did not need to wash it, but I had to wrap it with my cardi. I did not ask, but now I wonder if CM would have been able to help me pack it...after all, those CMs at Tokyo Disney were mostly so nice and very helpful!

We bought 3 souvenir cups and each time bubble wrap was put on our tray. MomoMama - I think they just forgot that time. It's a bubble wrap bag, so very easy and secure to put the cup in and stuff the open end into the cup. Then we just stuck it into our backpack.

 

[MomoMama]

We bought 3 souvenir cups and each time bubble wrap was put on our tray. MomoMama - I think they just forgot that time. It's a bubble wrap bag, so very easy and secure to put the cup in and stuff the open end into the cup. Then we just stuck it into our backpack.

Oh, that is good to know!
I think you are right, they just forgot. I was asking about allergies and ingredients, I just kept them busy.

 

[MomoMama]

We moved on to Arabian Coast. There, first thing that caught DD’s eyes was Caravan Carousel! The line was pretty short, like 5 minutes wait. DD was so happy to ride on the purple Genie!

After our ride was over, DD wanted to ride it again. The line was still short, and since she did not get the carousel ride the day before (Castle Carrousel was closed), I let her. This time we went to ride on the second floor. While we were waiting, we saw the ride before us started…and then stopped. A mother decided to sit on a little pony with her kid (the kid was old enough to ride on hew own), and CM stopped them. I guess 2-riders are not allowed! Later when it was our turn, the ride stopped again… but I could not tell what the issue was. Maybe something happened on the first floor. But it’s good to know CMs are taking safety measure seriously!

 

[MomoMama]

After the third ride on the carousel, we were hungry and went to have an early lunch. We went to Vulcania Restaurant, which serves Chinese inspired dishes. Again this restaurant does not require advanced reservation, has low-allergen kid’s plate, and we don’t usually get to go to a Chinese restaurant with DD’s allergies, so I wanted to go there.

When I inquired about the low-allergen menu, they called the manager for me again. She showed me the menu and DD was happy with what she saw. Here is what she got:

The photo is not good, but it was so dark in there. After all, we were inside the volcano…or underground power plant, or whatever it was. I was not going to retake the photo until I would get the perfect shot, DD was hungry!

I ordered Vulcania set, and chose to have cold noodle, mapo tofu, and dim sum appetizer. I just could not resist having this cute Goofy bun (15th celebration special menu item)!

I also ordered an almond pudding dessert because that was something DD could eat, but she did not like it. So I ended up eating all, I was full!

 

[MomoMama]

After lunch we started to walk towards American Waterfront, to use our Toy Story FastPass.

Hey, is that a Mickey ship (Disney cruise ship)???

We noticed a show going on in front of the ship. It was A Table Is Waiting. There were steps of stones (and maybe a stature there…can’t remember) between Waterfront park and the stage, and we stood there to watch the show. We did not get to see it all, and kind of guessed the story-line. The show did not “wow” us, but loved those fun costumes!

I especially loved Goofy’s costume. He is covered with fish cakes! And he carries the tofu skin bag and the sword that looks like a toothpick? So brilliant and goofy!

 

[MomoMama]

Tower of Terror was right there, and DD was afraid I was going to make her go there. I told her we were so full, we should not ride on it…but maybe try it later? She said “maybe.”

So we used our FastPass to ride the Toy Story Mania! We tried this at WDW, so I thought I did not have to explain it to DD, but it seemed she had forgotten about it. She did not get a good score, and wanted to try again, but I had to tell her about the long waiting line. And by this time, FastPass was all gone!

So here are our scores, I know they are not impressive…

I let her play a little with the kids games next-door.

You are supposed to run as fast as you can on this. There was a big grown man trying this next to DD, he was stumping so fast and loud! I don’t know if he reached the “deer” level, but I think the best DD could be was “bobcat.”

 

[MomoMama]

I told DD it was time to go get some rest. It was getting pretty hot by then, and a midday break was needed.

When we walked to the entrance area, we saw Mickey was greeting. The line was so long, we were not going to stay for that. But we caught a photographer taking photos in front of the golden ship, a part of the 15th celebration. I think the ship is called Wings of Wishes, or something like that. It was sunny and not an ideal time for a photo, but I wanted to have this done just in case we may not get to do it later. I handed over the Photokeycard, and also asked to use my camera too.

We went back to a hotel, and DD went to sleep fairly easily. I guess she was tired. Again I let her sleep longer than I planned.

 

[coolbluewater]

Loving your trip report. My son has allergies, too - that's part of why we like Disney so much. he's always able to eat something!

 

[MomoMama]

Loving your trip report. My son has allergies, too - that's part of why we like Disney so much. he's always able to eat something!

Well hello!
Thanks for reading!

Same here, Disney can feed our multiple-food allergy kid, making it easier for us to travel!
I have read stories of other people with food allergies having incidents with Disney dining, but so far we have not had any issues (...and hope it will stay that way!) .

I certainly can't cover all food allergy related issues in my report, but hope our experiences may help others looking for the information!