My first solo trip to Japan - Fantasy Springs Opening Day Trip Report

[Tippytoes925]

Loving the detail in your posts!!! Reading your update has put a big smile on my face and also got me right in the feels when you described BATB. It's my all time favourite and I'm pretty certain I'm going to be very emotional and a few tears might escape when I experience it!!!

 

[Nakkira]

The alien mochi were a mere 400¥!

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These were served cold to my surprise! Each had a filling, I think it was vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.

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The chocolate filling was like chocolate pudding, strawberry was more of a cream, the vanilla custard was really rich and very vanilla flavored. I liked all of them equally, the mochi was so soft and chewy. No point in sharing with how cheap they are and you will want to try all three flavors!

I am so looking forward to the Alien Mochi (I am a HUGE fan of Mochi anything). I told my husband we will each be getting our own order, I will not be sharing. LOL

 

[Annabell]

Love reading your trip report, brings back great memories. It is such a great country and I love DisneySea in Japan!

 

[BigEeyore]

Really enjoying your TR! I will be going to TDR for the first time in early March and feeling a little overwhelmed with the planning, but also super excited to visit! It really looks incredible, thanks for your detailed TR!

 

[dunkindonut]

Not sure if you know, but in TDL the jungle cruise has an exclusive nightly layover. It's such a different experience for the ride and I love it.

 

[deadvc]

Following

 

[Disneyhanna]

Thanks all for the support! I am planning to make a few updates tonight so stay tuned, I finally have a free evening as life has been busy. My sweet kitty (tabby on the left) passed away recently and I wasn't in the mood to write much. I can't remember if I posted this picture or not, but here are the cookies I bought in Kyoto to match my cats. It was hard to eat them but they were delicious

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/5: Tokyo Disney (Disneyland VP Day Pt 10)

I didn't take as much time as I would have liked to admire the decor, but loved these Donald plants!



I know most of the vacation packages are only available to Japanese guests, such as packages that include excellent seating for the evening shows...sure wish they had this type of seating in Magic Kingdom for Happily Ever After!



I browsed a few shops, I really liked this mug but I think it was hand wash only which is a no from me!



My mom is feeling her age a bit too much to travel across the world with me, so I enjoyed sending her fun pictures. She's a golfer so I had to send her this game I found in one of the shops.



I headed to MiraCosta around 6:30pm to check in, I was hoping to have time to check out Bon Voyage but alas, another time! It was the most beautiful day ever, I think this time of year was great as the crowds were pretty low (not just in Disney, even the parts of Tokyo/Kyoto I visited were pretty quiet) and it wasn't too hot yet.



I had just enough time to get a penny medallion before hopping on the monorail. I got a preview of the Hilton which I'd be staying at my last night as we went past Bayside Station. Toy Story Hotel looked so cute!

Also, check out that sunset! I think that was the only beautiful sunset I saw in all my two weeks. Where was this when I was at Shibuya Sky?!



MiraCosta looks absolutely massive when coming off the monorail!



Everyone takes pictures at this sign just outside the lobby. I suppose it's a pretty big deal to stay here even for locals, but most people from the US would be like Mira-WHAT?!



I picked up vacation package stuff at the MiraCosta shop, wow the tote bag is actually very nice.

Even though I picked up my package stuff the night before I still had to check in officially, it was just before 7:00 and there were only a few people in line. I got my happy entry tickets for the next two days, which was 8:00 for DisneySea!



While waiting to be shown to my room, I checked out the MiraCosta's special park entrance. You could already see the people seated to watch Believe!



The hotel was pretty lively at that time of the evening, lots of people around.

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/5: Tokyo Disney (MiraCosta Harbor View Room Tour)

I think I waited 10-15 minutes in the lobby before being shown to my room, they brought my bags of course, which had been sent over from the DLH that morning.



I made it to my room by 7:20PM, just in time for Believe at 7:30! I was in room 3133 which was a bit of a jaunt from the lobby.



The room was very similar to the DLH in size and arrangement, obviously the decor was very different. It was definitely a darker color scheme!



Lots of slippers which got replenished daily.



Nice big bathroom.



Now, I am embarrassed to say I struggled with this toilet. In all of the hotels I stayed at this trip, there was a flush button (with different levels of flush intensity, I think). I could not find it for the life of me! I even was googling it! Trying to translate the text on the buttons, everything. Well eventually I realized there was a normal metal handle to flush. But after over a week in Japan I forgot that using a metal handle was the typical way to flush a toilet



Basically the same bathroom as the DLH, with nice shower pressure. I am still not used to showering outside of the tub though!







I have to say I preferred the decor of the DLH! But MiraCosta was still very beautiful.



Free reusable tote bags that were replenished daily, so I ended up with plenty of bags from TDR! I took the postcards as well.

Another struggle I had with this room, the hall light was on a motion sensor. I couldn't figure out how to get them to turn off when I went to bed that night, as there was no switch anywhere. Finally I went to bed with the hall light on and what do you know, a minute or two later it switched off on its own

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/5: Tokyo Disney (Believe! Sea of Dreams from MiraCosta Room)

My room ended up being right above a terrace, perhaps the Oceano terrace for dinner guests, I'm not entirely sure. It was just a level below me so it was sort of funny watching them.



Here was my view of the Harbor. Absolutely spectacular! It's too bad there's no balcony, that would have been amazing. I could open the windows just enough to let the sound in but no further.



The floats were so lovely. Most of them were too far to see the faces of the characters, but the lights and visuals were beautiful. I prefer being up close like the electrical parade but it was nice to be watching from my room.



There were projections on Mount Prometheus.



I was lucky with my view to be able to see the projections on the MiraCosta itself.



I loved the medley that included A Whole New World, Part of Your World, and I See the Light.



The Frozen II segment was spectacular as well, with Into the Unknown and Show Yourself of course!



My favorite boat was the one with Mickey and Minnie on at the end, I got a really good view of that as they came close to my side of the Harbor.



Here is a realistic view from my room if you were sitting in a chair by the window. Most of the time I was standing with my face pressed against the glass



Afterwards as people left DisneySea, I got to experience the flashlight waving. People turn the flashlights on their phones and wave as they leave the park, and people in their rooms with the Harbor View do the same! I saw so many flashlights and when I turned mine on, I could tell people nearby got excited as they'd wave theirs wildly towards me!

I probably stood there for 15 minutes waving at everyone leaving, I see why it's a fun tradition when you stay in the Harbor View rooms. Definitely felt magical!

Overall I enjoyed Believe! but it's not something I'd need to watch every time. Happily Ever After remains my favorite Disney show of any form

Was it worth paying the extra $$$ for the Harbor View? I don't regret it, but it's probably a one and done for me I think it was around 30k-40k yen extra for the Harbor View compared to the regular Venice/Tuscany view. Maybe $200-300 USD at the time.

My exact room type was Porto Paradiso Side Superior Room Harbor View (Twin Bed + Trundle Bed) and I think this is the cheapest Harbor View room type. I had to do lots of room stalking to get this 1-night package to be the same room type as my following night which was a room-only of the exact same room type, which allowed me to stay in the same room both nights. I emailed prior to the stay to confirm I could stay in the same room (which they confirmed), and at check-in, they had my reservation for two nights, so they were obviously able to merge it on the backend.

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/5: Tokyo Disney (Ikspiari Ippudo Dinner)

My room ended up being right next to ice machine, but I didn't have any issues with noise thankfully.

I left my room at 8:15 to head to Ikspiari to get some dinner. I knew my options would be limited since most places closed at 9:00.

I missed the monorail but thankfully it goes about every 3 minutes. I never experienced even a remotely full monorail, amazingly enough!

Finally I was in line at Ippudo Ramen at 8:30, the line was quite long but I was committed. I believe they closed at 10:00 so open a bit later than everything else.

While I was in line they started doing drone show in the distance?! I think this ended up being part of a live show for the opening of Fantasy Springs and it ended up being on YouTube. I couldn't see much from my angle but it was fun to spot.



At 8:45 the line finally started moving a bunch, I had almost been ready to give up! There were some mosquitos there, I didn't see any in the parks at night.

They took our orders when we got close to the front which was nice.



I got in 8:55 and the food came out almost immediately. I forgot how goo their sprouts were, I could literally eat bowls of this stuff, I kept refilling my little plate lol.



The gyoza were so small (looks normal sized in picture but they were tiny), I got a half order but should have gotten all 10, they were so good! I was literally ravenous at this point though



I got the same spicy ramen that I got at the Ippudo in Kyoto Station, and it tasted the exact same. Not the most amazing flavor but it did grow on me by the second time. Very spicy, my nose ran so much! And of course blowing your nose in public isn't very polite in Japan so I was dabbing with a tissue when no one was looking



I finished around 9:20, and the line outside was even longer than when I got in! Dinner options are pretty limited at Ikspiari especially that late, they might have been the only food place that was open after 9:00 (and they cut the line off early).

I spotted a Krispy Kreme which we don't have here in MN anymore, so I had to stop.



Options were limited that late at night, but it was just over 500¥ for a glazed and creme brûlée donut.



I think it was around this time I found out the luggage transfers to hotels like the Hilton were no longer provided, this changed in late May. Bummer! I was glad to have discovered this before I planned to do the luggage transfer in two days though.

Loved the monorail theming so much!



The store at MiraCosta was so tiny, only a couple shelf-stable packaged snacks and drink options. No cooler with ice cream, onigiri, or prepared foods. That alone is the reason I would probably only stay at the DLH for future trips to TDR.

The view from my room was so lovely, it was cool seeing the park empty. Security was walking around with flashlights!



Overall, I got 22k steps that day. A bit light for a Disney day, but I did leave the parks early to watch Believe! I went to bed around midnight, alas I was back on "Hanna" time

Thanks for reading my very very very long report on my first full Tokyo Disney day! We'll see how much I blabber on for the next two park days

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/5: Tokyo Disney (Disneyland Shopping Haul)

The tote bag included with the vacation package was so nice. One side had a pocket to put stuff in on the outside. The bag is very heavy duty.





The inside was lined with another pocket.



I also got this little pouch, maybe for a phone? It had a zip pocket that I heard is good for putting all of your package tickets in. And the cute Mickey keychain!



Somehow I only bought two ears from Disneyland, alas this was not the end of my ear purchasing I regret not buying more, honestly, since they were 1/3 the price of in the US. I think I need to plan a Marie outfit for Marathon Weekend.



My Pooh popcorn bucket!



My beautiful Small World bucket.



I got the most adorable Pooh bag charm and a Hunny Hunt pin of course. I'm not a pin collector but I am starting to collect pins okay?! Trying to limit myself to more special/exclusive ones and not just cute ones.



Just look at how cute Pooh is on my backpack!



They gave me this card at check-in, no idea why



I'll try not to make you all wait too long for the next posts, aka the start of Fantasy Springs Opening Day!!! Thanks for reading as always!

 

[Nakkira]

Thanks all for the support! I am planning to make a few updates tonight so stay tuned, I finally have a free evening as life has been busy. My sweet kitty (tabby on the left) passed away recently and I wasn't in the mood to write much. I can't remember if I posted this picture or not, but here are the cookies I bought in Kyoto to match my cats. It was hard to eat them but they were delicious

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Sorry for your loss

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/6: Tokyo Disney (DisneySea Fantasy Springs Opening Day Pt 1)

(I started this post during the MN Lynx game and let's just say I was very distracted...Lynx won, game 5 of WNBA Finals let's go!!!)

Despite my past few late nights, I leapt out of bed at 6AM, when at Disney they say

From my view into DisneySea I could see CMs going to work and cleaning. Pretty cool!



The lobby was very quiet at the MiraCosta, I suppose everyone was already in line

I had the earliest reservation for Oceano breakfast, which was included in my package. It was for 6:30 but they did start seating us at 6:26, to my surprise! There were a couple other groups waiting to be seated, all anxious to get into DisneySea I'm sure.



This was a buffet, pretty expensive but included in the package so I made time for it. The restaurant was simple but very airy and lots of natural light.



There were some Western options but definitely leaned more Japanese. Not my favorite breakfast of the trip but there was a pretty wide variety. I just am not really hungry that early in the morning so I didn't have much.



The Mickey melon bread was delicious, like a sweet yeast dinner roll. I would have enjoyed a more leisurely breakfast usually but I had to eat and run! I was definitely missing American bacon at this point of the trip



Since I was one of the first seated I was by the window with a nice view. Probably a more exciting view once the park actually opens though!



I finished breakfast and headed to the DisneySea entrance a little before 7. The line was already quite long for happy entry, down and back facing in multiple directions. There were lots of regular guests in the other lines mostly seated, but from my understanding this was not the only entrance to DisneySea so I'm not sure how the lines at the other entrance were.



Security started promptly at 7AM.



Lots of people were dressed up in Disney bounds and a lot of people already had Fantasy Springs merch.

I know there were a lot of previews and soft openings before official opening.



It was about 10 minutes before I was finally facing security, I was definitely at the back of the happy entry line for 8AM happy entry.

There were three metal detectors for the right line and I definitely picked the wrong one, as the others were moving way faster. Oops!



I was through security by 7:24, not too bad, hardly anyone came behind me even with me being an hour early

It was nice and cool that morning thankfully, no sun!

The only people eligible for happy entry on opening day was were MiraCosta guests, so I think that made the happy entry line much shorter than usual.

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/6: Tokyo Disney (DisneySea Fantasy Springs Opening Day Pt 2)

There were tons of separate lines for the ticket gates after security, they were all pretty short since the single happy entry line got split into many different lines. I was over an hour early and only a few people at most ended up behind me. So I could have come like 15 minutes before happy entry and probably been in basically the same spot

They started lifting the gates at the ticket scanners at 7:50AM. Not that many people in front of me as you can see, being limited to MiraCosta only was a huge plus.



Service on T-mobile international pass was a bit spotty but still usable. Overall I was very satisfied with the cell service on this trip.

They started scanning people in exactly at 8AM, and I was into DisneySea by 8:03. The crowd was moving relatively calmly! Since I had my Fantasy Springs passport and DPA already booked, I didn't have to rush to book any passes as soon as I got in.



The downside of going for FS opening was I didn't really taking in much of DisneySea as I walked in, it was my first time in the park and I barely took any time to look at everything!



They had so many CMs lined up and waving Fantasy Springs flags, there was so much excitement!



Characters were meeting in the Harbor, I didn't stop but got this cute shot of Chip!



I thought this booth was funny as I walked by. Good thing the crowd knew where they were going because I sure didn't, and FS is in the back of the park!



Sadly Sinbad was closed during my trip, I'll have to catch it next time.



While walking I booked a 5PM Tower of Terror DPA.

Finally I made it to the entrance to FS at 8:16, so about a 13 minute walk! It felt longer!



Since entrance was restricted to those with the FS passport, DPA (timed entry), or standby (timed entry), the crowds heading into FS really weren't that bad. Just tons of people at DS early to try and secure a DPA or standby pass.



Everything was roped off and before entering the land they were checking for your pass. Not many people were entering early as I imagine it was really just MiraCosta guests with a vacation package. I think DPA and standby were extremely limited at least the first couple of days, so very few people probably got the first slot of the day.

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/6: Tokyo Disney (DisneySea Fantasy Springs Opening Day Pt 3)

The sculptures were so beautiful! I cannot believe how much went into all of this, the theming was just so beautiful throughout FS. The music was wonderful too, it fit the land very well.





I think my favorite one at the entrance was Peter Pan!



I got my wristband very quickly at 8:19AM, no wait. They had plenty of CMs there to scan your ticket. I got a wristband for the vacation package as it came with unlimited access to the priority line for Peter Pan, Tangled, and Frozen. That wasn't clear when I booked the package so I realized that it was going to be unlimited access and not just once per ride.



As I walked into FS, I was greeted with the Japanese press! I wonder if I made it on TV?



All of the CMs were out and waving, the energy was so high and full of excitement!



Skull rock was very impressive!



All of the ride signage was so pretty. Loved the CM costumes throughout the land. The CMs were so cheerful for opening day!



Walking into Arendelle was amazing, it really felt right out of the movie. Epcot just cannot compare!



I'm pretty sure all of the rides were operating for happy entry, so I decided to do Frozen first in case the lines built. I had heard the lines got pretty long (at least an hour) during previews, so I was hoping riding during happy entry would allow me to ride at least twice without waiting too long. I was fully expecting long waits once more people got into the park.

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/6: Tokyo Disney (DisneySea Fantasy Springs Opening Day Pt 4)

I did spoil myself a bit on Frozen by watching some very grainy partial footage of the ride, so I knew there were going to be lots of animatronics.



I was a bit confused how the FS passport would work, but the CMs just scanned my ticket and checked for my wristband and waved me along at 8:22AM. It was a total walk on, no line at all, and even through the priority lane I think I saw a majority of the queue.



I was onto the ride by 8:26 in the last row, I think they were filling most of the seats, I don't think I had my own row like I always get when riding Epcot's version.

Most people were taking pictures and videos during the rides so I didn't feel awkward having my phone out most of the ride, no flash obviously!



The ride felt so long and there were more animatronics than I could count. They had actual faces, not just projections, and they moved so fluidly!



There were a lot of small drops but no really big drop like in Epcot, so definitely friendly for all ages.



Seriously there were so many animatronics!





The transformation scene was as amazing as everyone said, I still don't know how this worked.



I was off the ride by 8:34, very happy that I got my first FS ride done with no wait!

The Snuggly Duckling looked amazing, but I picked up a 9:30 mobile order slot for Lookout Cookout first since I wanted something more substantial to eat and the snack boxes looked good.



But first, rides! Next up I headed to Rapunzel's Lantern Festival.


I got in line at 8:37 and it ended up being literally just me and the guy on the right, who was dressed for the part

I seriously cannot get over how amazing this first morning was, there were just so few people there!

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/6: Tokyo Disney (DisneySea Fantasy Springs Opening Day Pt 5)

The priority queue was pretty short in terms of what you see, I did end up in the standby lane the next day and there was a bit more to see in that queue.



The other guy and I were on our boat by 8:39, just the two of us lol. Perfect since it meant I could get a view from both sides! I figured I'd take lots of photos and videos of the first rides while there were less people and then put my phone away on subsequent rides to enjoy them.



This ride was very slow moving and very peaceful.



The highlight for me was the tower and hearing Rapunzel sing! Even though it was in Japanese it was so beautiful. You can watch her sing without going on the ride, just from a bit further away, which is nice.



Fun how you can see the Snuggly Duckling in the ride and then go to the actual restaurant!



I saw photos of the lantern scene before going on the ride so I knew it was going to be amazing. Experiencing it was something else, it was so immersive and really magical. Even though the ride itself is pretty short without much of a story, this scene is totally worth it. The animatronics were so realistic, it really felt like I was in the movie.



Loved this little guy



Overall this isn't a groundbreaking ride or anything, but it's very beautiful, and I appreciate Tokyo Disney for building rides that can be enjoyed by everyone. Not everyone can do thrill rides and I wish WDW/DL would build more rides like this!



I wore a Tangled shirt for FS opening day so had to get a selfie on the ride of course!



I was done by 8:46, I was expecting long lines even with the passport so I was very pleasantly surprised with how the morning was shaping up!

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/6: Tokyo Disney (DisneySea Fantasy Springs Opening Day Pt 6)

Sorry this day is going to be like 20 posts, darn 10-picture limit

I scanned into Peter Pan around 8:50. Even if you have the wristband they still scan your ticket. I suppose they do the wristbands so that people in a group can't all share a ticket, since they don't have photos tied to the tickets.

Since I wanted to do a few more rides I moved my Lookout Cookout mobile order to 9:40, no problem.

So nice to use the priority access line with the package!



There was lots of overflow queue space that they were not using at all for opening day.



Lots of cute chalk art on the walls.



There is a preshow for this one and with priority access you got the front rows, vs standby goes to the back section of the show. Not sure if that's still the case.



The preshow was very cute, all in Japanese but still fun to watch.



Beware of Croc! So much theming for this queue.



The ride vehicle names were so funny, I appreciate them being in English!



I was front row this time! I believe there were three rows. This ride felt like watching Philharmonic but riding a cross between Flight of Passage and Ratatouille. Definitely not for anyone with motion sensitivity, if any of those rides or Star Tours are not for you, I'd skip this one.

The screens were SO immersive especially in the front row. They were so high quality too, great 3D glasses.



The ride is actually quite long, so if you're motion sensitive it could be a rough time

I was so impressed by all the transitions between the screens and physical scenes, it was done so flawlessly where there'd be trees or buildings in the edge of the screen and then suddenly there would be physical versions as you moved between screens. So much attention to detail. I was off by 9:03.

As I left, there was a circle of people waving flags with the CMs! So much fun! This is probably where I should say I hardly saw any kids at TDR. Definitely mostly adults at least during my trip



I passed by the infamous roast beef popcorn stand. There was a decent line at this most of the time, maybe 10-20 people. I passed for now but came back for it later.

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/6: Tokyo Disney (DisneySea Fantasy Springs Opening Day Pt 7)

I planned to get in line for Frozen again in case the line built up, but alas, it was down! Glad I rode it right away.



The flowers in Arendelle were beautiful, and upon further inspection, fake



Had to get a picture on the sleigh of course!



There were lots of cute windows in Fantasy Springs, I do wish there were some shops though.



The theming in Arendelle was my favorite, perhaps because it feels like you're really there.



I was having trouble understanding the app at this point, because it was showing all the FS rides as unavailable. However looking back I think it may have just meant the standby times were not showing. I noticed that the standby times were not always listed in the app for the FS rides on those initial days. Tink's Busy Buggies were running when I went by, so I decided to get in line.

There was only one standby line at the time, I think they may have since given priority/passport users a different line now. I got in at 9:13 and there was no wait time listed that I could find. The CM costumes for this ride had wings, so cute!



This queue was absolutely delightful, so much to look at and so many details.



Everything was miniaturized, reminded me a lot of Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios.



Around 9:25 I was able to make an Emperio standby pass to shop later at 12:30, they had been showing sold out previously. At the time the pass was needed to shop there for FS merch at the front of DisneySea.



I made it onto the ride at 9:35, so just over a 20 minute wait even though the line didn't seem that long.