serendipity
DIS Veteran
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- Aug 18, 2006
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Very cool. I love all the pictures and hope I'll be able to get there one day!
Turning Japanese: A Disney Nut Does Tokyo Disney!
- Thread starter CriminyCrafft
- Start date
CriminyCrafft
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2006
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- 331
Actually I believe at this point we headed back over to Lost River Delta and rode Raging Spirits and Indy again using the single rider line. I couldn't believe more people weren't using it! The wait on both was probably about 70 minutes, and we bypassed the line and got to ride with virtually no wait!!! I guess most people want to ride together, but we'd much rather ride quickly! To my knowledge those are the only two rides at DisneySea that have a single rider line.
I just realized I left out something in my TR. ARRRGH!!! I forgot to include our Raging Spirits fastpass return and describe the ride! This is why I need to take more/better pictures! I went back and added this where it should be but I'll also quickly describe it here. It was perfectly fine, a good rollercoaster with a 360 loop, but nothing special. No Disney magic or fancy theming. It was good enough to do again, courtesy of the single rider line.
I then stopped off at a snack stand in Lost River Delta and got another large Hi-C. The cup had the 5 year anniversary theme. Hard to believe DisneySea has only been open since 2001.
We headed back over to Mermaid Lagoon to ride Flounder's Flying Fish Coaster. DH likes Goofy's Barnstormer and he liked Gadget's Go Coaster, so we figured we would like this. It was cute and fun enough. When we were exiting the ride we saw Prince Eric and a CM dressed up as Chef Louis coming out from a hidden door near the ride. The Prince Eric CM was American because I overheard him saying something like "Louis, I've told you to stay away from those fish!" CUTE!
We walked next door to Triton's Kingdom, which is indoor/underground. We knew there were a few "kiddie rides" inside but we had no idea how beautiful it would be. We walked inside and found ourselves on a little balcony area. When we looked down, we were awestruck.
This place was gorgeous! It was like a fairyland. We walked down the stairs and just stood there, staring. The ceiling was decorated like the surface of the ocean and had ripples on it, so you really felt like you were in an undersea wonderland. It took my breath away. Here's a crummy but (I think) pretty picture.
There are a few rides in Triton's Kingdom: Jumpin' Jellyfish (a crappier version of which apparently exists at Disney's California Adventure), Blowfish Balloon Race (where you ride under a blowfish going round and round) and the Whirlpool (which is similar to the teacups). There's also the Mermaid Lagoon Theater, which houses a Little Mermaid show. We headed over to that first. It was very good, featured an American Ariel, and had some really cool puppets. Even DH said "That was pretty cool."
Then we hopped in line for Jumpin' Jellyfish. You basically just sit in a clamshell seat with a jellyfish above it that goes up and down pretty slowly. Pretty boring if it weren't for the beauty of the ride is and for the views of Triton's Kingdom it provides. Here's the ride:
We then rode Blowfish Balloon Race and poked around Ariel's Playground, an area for kids to explore.
Then I walked over to the Sleepy Whale gift shop. How cool is this? See the bones in the whale's mouth?
I saw a neat blue and white DisneySea zip-up jacket that had the 5 year anniversary logo on the front right pocket and a big Disney scene on the back with a bunch of characters. It was so cool. But for SOME UNKNOWN REASON I thought, "eh, I don't really NEED this." So I put it back on the hanger and left the store. AM I CRAZY???? Arrgh!
We sadly left Triton's Kingdom and went back to American Harbor for our dinner reservations at the SS Columbia Dining Room. We headed back through Lost River Delta and then into American Harbor. Here's dusk against the lighthouse in the Cape Cod area of American Harbor:
I'll start a new post for the FINAL INSTALLMENT!
I just realized I left out something in my TR. ARRRGH!!! I forgot to include our Raging Spirits fastpass return and describe the ride! This is why I need to take more/better pictures! I went back and added this where it should be but I'll also quickly describe it here. It was perfectly fine, a good rollercoaster with a 360 loop, but nothing special. No Disney magic or fancy theming. It was good enough to do again, courtesy of the single rider line.
I then stopped off at a snack stand in Lost River Delta and got another large Hi-C. The cup had the 5 year anniversary theme. Hard to believe DisneySea has only been open since 2001.
We headed back over to Mermaid Lagoon to ride Flounder's Flying Fish Coaster. DH likes Goofy's Barnstormer and he liked Gadget's Go Coaster, so we figured we would like this. It was cute and fun enough. When we were exiting the ride we saw Prince Eric and a CM dressed up as Chef Louis coming out from a hidden door near the ride. The Prince Eric CM was American because I overheard him saying something like "Louis, I've told you to stay away from those fish!" CUTE!
We walked next door to Triton's Kingdom, which is indoor/underground. We knew there were a few "kiddie rides" inside but we had no idea how beautiful it would be. We walked inside and found ourselves on a little balcony area. When we looked down, we were awestruck.
This place was gorgeous! It was like a fairyland. We walked down the stairs and just stood there, staring. The ceiling was decorated like the surface of the ocean and had ripples on it, so you really felt like you were in an undersea wonderland. It took my breath away. Here's a crummy but (I think) pretty picture.
There are a few rides in Triton's Kingdom: Jumpin' Jellyfish (a crappier version of which apparently exists at Disney's California Adventure), Blowfish Balloon Race (where you ride under a blowfish going round and round) and the Whirlpool (which is similar to the teacups). There's also the Mermaid Lagoon Theater, which houses a Little Mermaid show. We headed over to that first. It was very good, featured an American Ariel, and had some really cool puppets. Even DH said "That was pretty cool."
Then we hopped in line for Jumpin' Jellyfish. You basically just sit in a clamshell seat with a jellyfish above it that goes up and down pretty slowly. Pretty boring if it weren't for the beauty of the ride is and for the views of Triton's Kingdom it provides. Here's the ride:
We then rode Blowfish Balloon Race and poked around Ariel's Playground, an area for kids to explore.
Then I walked over to the Sleepy Whale gift shop. How cool is this? See the bones in the whale's mouth?
I saw a neat blue and white DisneySea zip-up jacket that had the 5 year anniversary logo on the front right pocket and a big Disney scene on the back with a bunch of characters. It was so cool. But for SOME UNKNOWN REASON I thought, "eh, I don't really NEED this." So I put it back on the hanger and left the store. AM I CRAZY???? Arrgh!
We sadly left Triton's Kingdom and went back to American Harbor for our dinner reservations at the SS Columbia Dining Room. We headed back through Lost River Delta and then into American Harbor. Here's dusk against the lighthouse in the Cape Cod area of American Harbor:
I'll start a new post for the FINAL INSTALLMENT!
CriminyCrafft
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2006
- Messages
- 331
And then we were back at the ship.
We walked onto the ship and it was like the Titanic on the inside. Just beautiful. It also houses the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge, which we again stupidly didn't get a picture of. It's on the floor below SS Columbia Dining Room and it looks like an old bar out of the 1930s. Again, WHY didn't we get more pictures of the interior of the ship!!! We were all walking around in amazement so I guess photo-taking wasn't a priority at the time. Now that I've done a TR, I know how to do things better the second time around!
The stairs were heavy dark wood and there were old-timey photos all along the walls. Here's the (fuzzy) entrance to the SS Columbia Dining Room:
Wait staff was standing right near the door to assist you, just like you'd imagine it would be back in the 1930s. So cool! We sat down and couldn't believe how pretty this place was. Impeccable design and detail, just amazing.
The people sitting on the other side of the room backed right up to Tokyo Bay, so they had a gorgeous view of the sea from their window!
The restaurant even had a singer doing all Disney songs, which I loved. She sang "So This is Love" from Cinderella, which came out as "So This is Ruv." So cute.
Sorry some of these are so flippin' fuzzy!
Our waiter spoke no English but was so nice, just like every other Japanese person I've ever met (except maybe the dude in the Stitch costume at Tokyo Disneyland!). While we were eating a show started on the ship deck right outside the window! I believe the show was called Over the Waves. It looked VERY cool from what I could see. Catchy tunes, and the CMs on the deck were dressed in sailor outfits and waving big scarves at the folks on the ground. Sigh...I was in heaven!
The food here was way better than our other Tokyo Disney meals. I don't usually eat fish but I did on this trip (it's tough not to in Japan, and I can't feel *too* horribly bad for fish). I can't remember exactly what I had (again, another thing to improve on in my next TR) but I know I had a yummy salad, fish, potatoes, and asparagus. I had dessert and I think it was something chocolate but I can't recall! Argh! The meal was slightly expensive (I think about $40 per person) but the experience was well worth it!!! I loved this place.
It was now dark, so we headed over to the Mediterranean Harbor area to hopefully do some shopping/browsing and kill time until BraviSEA!mo, which started at 8 pm. Here's Mediterranean Harbor at night.
Here's American Waterfront from Mediterranean Harbor at night. Look how pretty TOT is!
We wandered around a bit in the shops. It was very cold by this point, about 45 degrees (well, that's cold for me - I'm from the South!) We went into Figaro's Clothiers and I saw that cool white and blue DisneySea zip-up again! I also saw a cool black tshirt that had the castle on the front and said "Tokyo Disneyland Resort" on it. I wanted both of these, but they would be about $65. I was conflicted! We were going to Singapore after we left Japan, and I'd heard Singapore had the best shopping ever. I was afraid to plunk down the $65 because it might mean less to spend in Singapore. My brain said "GET THEM, you need a MEMENTO from TOKYO DISNEY, you moron!" But I was COLD and didn't want to try anything on. MAN I wanted those two shirts! But for some ungodly reason I defied all logic and walked out of the store WITHOUT BUYING ANYTHING! You may wonder if I'm crazy, and the answer is YES. How could a huge Disney fan go to Tokyo Disney and come back empty-handed?? Answer: she's INSANE. Since then I've tried to get the shop to ship those two items to us (courtesy of a phonecall to them by Asami), but they won't do it! ARGH! I hated myself for two weeks after we got back. NEXT TIME I will get several shirts without hesitation!
While we were walking around Mediterranean Harbor we heard a heart-shattering announcement on the loudspeakers. BRAVISEAMO! WAS CANCELLED DUE TO WINDS!! NOOOOOOOOO! Asami and I looked at each other and yelled "WAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!" I was so looking forward to BraviSEAmo! It is very popular and I had been drooling over the soundtrack in Tower Records two days before. I wanted to cry. The fireworks at Disneyland had been cancelled and now I'd miss another amazing show. I was upset for about ten minutes and then told DH "Oh well, next time!!"
It was about 7:30, and at this point we discovered Fortress Explorations. We had admired its beauty earlier but hadn't been inside it. Here it is at night.
This place was flippin' sweet. I could see kids spending HOURS messing around in here. It has all these cool turrets and towers and nooks and crannies to explore. It has a crusty old ship with cannons that you can actually fire. DH *loved* it and kept walking around saying "This place is SO COOL!" Here's a foto of the "ship sailing room," where you can sail a little ship around (for a small fee!)
Here's the "astronomy room," which was very cool.
We had about 45 minutes till our Journey to the Center of the Earth fastpasses were ready. We were all freezing and I was getting pretty tired and grumpy. Jet lag was hittin' me hard. AND DH had already said we had to get up early the next morning to do stuff he wanted to do. So I made an INCREDIBLY STUPID DECISION - I decided we should LEAVE THE PARK and GO TO SLEEP rather than wait 45 minutes to ride Journey again! DH and Asami were fine to go ahead and leave. Again you will ask "IS SHE COMPLETELY INSANE?!" The answer is yes. Fatigue and having your sleep cycle totally thrown off will do crazy things to you!! I cursed myself the rest of the trip!!! In all fairness to my stupid self, we did go to Journey early but the CM wouldn't let us in. THEY DO IT ALL THE TIME IN AMERICA! I wanted to say. SNIFF! So...cold, sleepiness, and the irritation about no BraviSEAmo! clouded my logic and foresight. I should have known I would kick myself if we left. But we did. Here's our final picture taken in DisneySea:
You may notice I have on the same Mickey sweatshirt as the previous day in Disneyland. I promise I have a different shirt on underneath! I had to wear it again because it had a hood, and I knew I'd need it at night.
So, we left the park with no Disney merchandise, no BraviSEAmo!, and no second ride on Journey. All huge mistakes that I will correct next time! Asami hopped on her train home, and DH and I took the train as well instead of that terrible bus. Already on the bus home I was filled with regret and cursing myself!
Here's a photo I took back at the hotel of my 2 day passport, the unused Journey fastpass, and the fastpass replacement card I was given when the fastpass machine starting spitting my passport back at me. You can also see a business card for DH's friend in this photo.
So, here's my summary of the visit and general thoughts on Tokyo Disney. Overall, I loved it and can't wait to go back. I think it was unnaturally crowded due to a school break, so if you're thinking of going just avoid the third week in March! All the CMs were very nice and helpful. Tokyo Disneyland was great, very magical. I loved Pooh's Hunny Hunt and the parade. DisneySea was, as I've said many times before, just AMAZING. Its beauty and fantastic detail can't be conveyed in pictures. I especially loved TOT and Journey. DisneySea had Disney magic but with a very sophisticated twist. DH says it's the best of ALL the Disney parks (although we haven't been to Paris Disney). In theory, I agree. It's the most beautiful, most well-designed.
I was sad that we didn't get to do as much as I wanted. There was so much to do at both parks, especially DisneySea, that we would need four days to do it all. There were about four shows at DisneySea I wanted to see that we couldn't even contemplate making time for. The canceling of BraviSEAmo! and Winter Magic in the Sky was very disappointing, as was the fact that Electric Dreamlights parade wasn't even happening while we were there.
I will say that I do prefer WDW to Tokyo Disney. Aside from the obvious fact that there's more to do in WDW, WDW just has that special Disney magic. When Walt built Disneyland he wanted to recreate part of his childhood, and in doing so he created the childhoods of millions of Americans. So, going to WDW re-creates my childhood for me - it makes me feel like I have no worries, no problems, no responsibilities - and everything is simple and fun. In my book, nothing can top that. But Tokyo Disney comes a close second! I don't know if I mentioned this before, but Tokyo Disney is not owned by the Walt Disney Company anymore. It's owned by the Oriental Land Company, which licenses the Disney stuff from Disney. Oriental Land built DisneySea.
WE WILL GO BACK to Tokyo Disney!!! DH and I are now arguing about whether we should spend two or three days in Tokyo Disney next time - of course I say THREE! I'm also pushing to stay at MiraCosta in DisneySea. He LOVES Japan though and there are tons of things he wants to do there, so I feel like we will go back to Tokyo in the next year or so, and a Disney trip will be included. So hopefully I will have another, better report with MORE pictures before 2008 is over!!
Interesting off-topic side note - I saw TONS of Disney Crocs in Singapore!!
Thanks for reading, and I will be back in November with my WDW Halloween Blowout TR!
THE END!!!
We walked onto the ship and it was like the Titanic on the inside. Just beautiful. It also houses the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge, which we again stupidly didn't get a picture of. It's on the floor below SS Columbia Dining Room and it looks like an old bar out of the 1930s. Again, WHY didn't we get more pictures of the interior of the ship!!! We were all walking around in amazement so I guess photo-taking wasn't a priority at the time. Now that I've done a TR, I know how to do things better the second time around!
The stairs were heavy dark wood and there were old-timey photos all along the walls. Here's the (fuzzy) entrance to the SS Columbia Dining Room:
Wait staff was standing right near the door to assist you, just like you'd imagine it would be back in the 1930s. So cool! We sat down and couldn't believe how pretty this place was. Impeccable design and detail, just amazing.
The people sitting on the other side of the room backed right up to Tokyo Bay, so they had a gorgeous view of the sea from their window!
The restaurant even had a singer doing all Disney songs, which I loved. She sang "So This is Love" from Cinderella, which came out as "So This is Ruv." So cute.
Sorry some of these are so flippin' fuzzy!
Our waiter spoke no English but was so nice, just like every other Japanese person I've ever met (except maybe the dude in the Stitch costume at Tokyo Disneyland!). While we were eating a show started on the ship deck right outside the window! I believe the show was called Over the Waves. It looked VERY cool from what I could see. Catchy tunes, and the CMs on the deck were dressed in sailor outfits and waving big scarves at the folks on the ground. Sigh...I was in heaven!
The food here was way better than our other Tokyo Disney meals. I don't usually eat fish but I did on this trip (it's tough not to in Japan, and I can't feel *too* horribly bad for fish). I can't remember exactly what I had (again, another thing to improve on in my next TR) but I know I had a yummy salad, fish, potatoes, and asparagus. I had dessert and I think it was something chocolate but I can't recall! Argh! The meal was slightly expensive (I think about $40 per person) but the experience was well worth it!!! I loved this place.
It was now dark, so we headed over to the Mediterranean Harbor area to hopefully do some shopping/browsing and kill time until BraviSEA!mo, which started at 8 pm. Here's Mediterranean Harbor at night.
Here's American Waterfront from Mediterranean Harbor at night. Look how pretty TOT is!
We wandered around a bit in the shops. It was very cold by this point, about 45 degrees (well, that's cold for me - I'm from the South!) We went into Figaro's Clothiers and I saw that cool white and blue DisneySea zip-up again! I also saw a cool black tshirt that had the castle on the front and said "Tokyo Disneyland Resort" on it. I wanted both of these, but they would be about $65. I was conflicted! We were going to Singapore after we left Japan, and I'd heard Singapore had the best shopping ever. I was afraid to plunk down the $65 because it might mean less to spend in Singapore. My brain said "GET THEM, you need a MEMENTO from TOKYO DISNEY, you moron!" But I was COLD and didn't want to try anything on. MAN I wanted those two shirts! But for some ungodly reason I defied all logic and walked out of the store WITHOUT BUYING ANYTHING! You may wonder if I'm crazy, and the answer is YES. How could a huge Disney fan go to Tokyo Disney and come back empty-handed?? Answer: she's INSANE. Since then I've tried to get the shop to ship those two items to us (courtesy of a phonecall to them by Asami), but they won't do it! ARGH! I hated myself for two weeks after we got back. NEXT TIME I will get several shirts without hesitation!
While we were walking around Mediterranean Harbor we heard a heart-shattering announcement on the loudspeakers. BRAVISEAMO! WAS CANCELLED DUE TO WINDS!! NOOOOOOOOO! Asami and I looked at each other and yelled "WAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!" I was so looking forward to BraviSEAmo! It is very popular and I had been drooling over the soundtrack in Tower Records two days before. I wanted to cry. The fireworks at Disneyland had been cancelled and now I'd miss another amazing show. I was upset for about ten minutes and then told DH "Oh well, next time!!"
It was about 7:30, and at this point we discovered Fortress Explorations. We had admired its beauty earlier but hadn't been inside it. Here it is at night.
This place was flippin' sweet. I could see kids spending HOURS messing around in here. It has all these cool turrets and towers and nooks and crannies to explore. It has a crusty old ship with cannons that you can actually fire. DH *loved* it and kept walking around saying "This place is SO COOL!" Here's a foto of the "ship sailing room," where you can sail a little ship around (for a small fee!)
Here's the "astronomy room," which was very cool.
We had about 45 minutes till our Journey to the Center of the Earth fastpasses were ready. We were all freezing and I was getting pretty tired and grumpy. Jet lag was hittin' me hard. AND DH had already said we had to get up early the next morning to do stuff he wanted to do. So I made an INCREDIBLY STUPID DECISION - I decided we should LEAVE THE PARK and GO TO SLEEP rather than wait 45 minutes to ride Journey again! DH and Asami were fine to go ahead and leave. Again you will ask "IS SHE COMPLETELY INSANE?!" The answer is yes. Fatigue and having your sleep cycle totally thrown off will do crazy things to you!! I cursed myself the rest of the trip!!! In all fairness to my stupid self, we did go to Journey early but the CM wouldn't let us in. THEY DO IT ALL THE TIME IN AMERICA! I wanted to say. SNIFF! So...cold, sleepiness, and the irritation about no BraviSEAmo! clouded my logic and foresight. I should have known I would kick myself if we left. But we did. Here's our final picture taken in DisneySea:
You may notice I have on the same Mickey sweatshirt as the previous day in Disneyland. I promise I have a different shirt on underneath! I had to wear it again because it had a hood, and I knew I'd need it at night.
So, we left the park with no Disney merchandise, no BraviSEAmo!, and no second ride on Journey. All huge mistakes that I will correct next time! Asami hopped on her train home, and DH and I took the train as well instead of that terrible bus. Already on the bus home I was filled with regret and cursing myself!
Here's a photo I took back at the hotel of my 2 day passport, the unused Journey fastpass, and the fastpass replacement card I was given when the fastpass machine starting spitting my passport back at me. You can also see a business card for DH's friend in this photo.
So, here's my summary of the visit and general thoughts on Tokyo Disney. Overall, I loved it and can't wait to go back. I think it was unnaturally crowded due to a school break, so if you're thinking of going just avoid the third week in March! All the CMs were very nice and helpful. Tokyo Disneyland was great, very magical. I loved Pooh's Hunny Hunt and the parade. DisneySea was, as I've said many times before, just AMAZING. Its beauty and fantastic detail can't be conveyed in pictures. I especially loved TOT and Journey. DisneySea had Disney magic but with a very sophisticated twist. DH says it's the best of ALL the Disney parks (although we haven't been to Paris Disney). In theory, I agree. It's the most beautiful, most well-designed.
I was sad that we didn't get to do as much as I wanted. There was so much to do at both parks, especially DisneySea, that we would need four days to do it all. There were about four shows at DisneySea I wanted to see that we couldn't even contemplate making time for. The canceling of BraviSEAmo! and Winter Magic in the Sky was very disappointing, as was the fact that Electric Dreamlights parade wasn't even happening while we were there.
I will say that I do prefer WDW to Tokyo Disney. Aside from the obvious fact that there's more to do in WDW, WDW just has that special Disney magic. When Walt built Disneyland he wanted to recreate part of his childhood, and in doing so he created the childhoods of millions of Americans. So, going to WDW re-creates my childhood for me - it makes me feel like I have no worries, no problems, no responsibilities - and everything is simple and fun. In my book, nothing can top that. But Tokyo Disney comes a close second! I don't know if I mentioned this before, but Tokyo Disney is not owned by the Walt Disney Company anymore. It's owned by the Oriental Land Company, which licenses the Disney stuff from Disney. Oriental Land built DisneySea.
WE WILL GO BACK to Tokyo Disney!!! DH and I are now arguing about whether we should spend two or three days in Tokyo Disney next time - of course I say THREE! I'm also pushing to stay at MiraCosta in DisneySea. He LOVES Japan though and there are tons of things he wants to do there, so I feel like we will go back to Tokyo in the next year or so, and a Disney trip will be included. So hopefully I will have another, better report with MORE pictures before 2008 is over!!
Interesting off-topic side note - I saw TONS of Disney Crocs in Singapore!!
Thanks for reading, and I will be back in November with my WDW Halloween Blowout TR!
THE END!!!
CatfishWifMickeyEarz
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2007
- Messages
- 1
CriminyCrafft sure does know how to party Disney style!
That was a great summary of your trip and I enjoyed it immensely!
Kristina
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2004
- Messages
- 2,237
Again, thank you for your amazing report and for posting your beautiful pictures! 
They are a real treat and I must say, I've been in a bit of a Tokyo Disney obcession the last few days, searching and reading up as much as I can. 
It sure is fun having new (for me!) Disney parks to discover, even it it is only through the internet, for now anyway! Over and over there is the ooohs! and ahhhs! that come with it and your report certainly contributed a great big amount of those!
I plan and hope to visit one day and was happy to see that flights from here in Sweden where I live right now cost almost the same whether we travel to Tokyo or Florida so that makes it seem more doable! I'm funny because even though there isn't a chance of seeing the parks in the near future I couldn't help take a peek at Trip Advisor to check out hotels in the area. You didn't mention where you stayed, were you happy with it?
I've seen horror images on the Travel Channel (once) about train travel in Japan and how crowded
it can get but from your report it didn't sound to bad correct? Even with the huge crowds at the park your first day? I am would so stay at the Mira Costa if I could, ooooh that place is amazing! I'd want to spring for a balcony room overlooking Disney Sea but I probably couldn't afford a standard room when push comes to shove! Promise and do us another report when you return!
Oh and has your DBF called the Disney Store yet to see if they
deliver? Or will thank be a surprise for you, I hope it works out and you get some great stuff!
They are a real treat and I must say, I've been in a bit of a Tokyo Disney obcession the last few days, searching and reading up as much as I can. It sure is fun having new (for me!) Disney parks to discover, even it it is only through the internet, for now anyway! Over and over there is the ooohs! and ahhhs! that come with it and your report certainly contributed a great big amount of those! I plan and hope to visit one day and was happy to see that flights from here in Sweden where I live right now cost almost the same whether we travel to Tokyo or Florida so that makes it seem more doable! I'm funny because even though there isn't a chance of seeing the parks in the near future I couldn't help take a peek at Trip Advisor to check out hotels in the area. You didn't mention where you stayed, were you happy with it?
I've seen horror images on the Travel Channel (once) about train travel in Japan and how crowded
it can get but from your report it didn't sound to bad correct? Even with the huge crowds at the park your first day? I am would so stay at the Mira Costa if I could, ooooh that place is amazing! I'd want to spring for a balcony room overlooking Disney Sea but I probably couldn't afford a standard room when push comes to shove! Promise and do us another report when you return! Oh and has your DBF called the Disney Store yet to see if they
deliver? Or will thank be a surprise for you, I hope it works out and you get some great stuff!CriminyCrafft
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2006
- Messages
- 331
Again, thank you for your amazing report and for posting your beautiful pictures!
YAY I'm happy you liked the TR and that it inspired you to go to Tokyo Disney. I did the same thing and spent so much time looking into it before I went. Unfortunately there's not too many resources out there for non-Japanese speakers!
We stayed at the Tokyo Hilton in Shinjuku, which was about an hour and a half away from Disney. It was a very nice hotel and I would definitely stay there again. It's in a decent location (close to train station), and was okay for us because we spent another three days in Tokyo in addition to our days at Disney. BUT if you're going to Disney I would stay close to the parks at least on those days because Disney is a hike from central Tokyo. I've (unfortunately) never been to Sweden, so I'm not sure what hotels are like there, but my impression is that in general Japanese hotels are far nicer than American hotels in terms of cleanliness and service. So probably all the Disney hotels are nice. I would say if you go to Tokyo Disney, definitely stay on site or very close by. That's what we'll do when we go back!
I've seen horror images on the Travel Channel (once) about train travel in Japan and how crowded
Subway travel is indeed very nasty in Tokyo at times, especially rush hour. We left very early for Disney both days and got back pretty late, so we beat the major crowds. Disney was very crowded but I think it was mostly due to the school break, and even so the subway wasn't too terrible. On our first trip to Tokyo one subway was so crowded that I was literally lifted off the floor because people were squeezing me in so tight! Also, some of the stations can get *miserably* crowded. But if you avoid rush hour it's not too bad. Also, if you stay on site you can avoid that problem at least on days you're at Disney! Another problem to plan for is that there is no place to put large luggage on the trains, so you need to arrange bus or "airport limousine" transportation to your hotel. There are buses to take you from Narita airport to Disney for about $15 US each way, and most hotels can arrange transportation for you. Taxicabs are VERY expensive in Tokyo!
I think the "partial" overlook room at MiraCosta is about $325 US a night during value season. Which isn't too terrible in my opinion for what you get - a fancy hotel and easy access to Disney. I will definitely do another Tokyo Disney TR. I'm pushing to go back in August or September of 2008, so we'll see how that goes!
Oh and has your DBF called the Disney Store yet to see if they
He said Asami called Bon Voyage, the Disney Store right outside Tokyo Disney, and they won't ship to America!!
But maybe he just said that so I'd have a bigger surprise? I doubt it. So next time I'll have to stock up!Thanks for reading, and good luck with hopefully booking a Tokyo trip! Feel free to ask me any other questions you might have!
CriminyCrafft
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2006
- Messages
- 331
Thanks CriminyCrafft, for your beautiful TR!!! I just told DH that we have to go to Tokyo Disney sometime! He didn't say no!Good luck with law school and win all your cases!!!
Thanks for reading. Glad you liked it! Good luck convincing your DH that you HAVE to go to Tokyo Disney! Try spinning it as a cultural trip.
There really is so much other cool stuff to do in Tokyo, and right now the exchange rate for the dollar is pretty good!
Married_Him_@_Disney
A Disney Mom
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2007
- Messages
- 518
Great pictures!!! Thanks for posting!
MAGICFOR2
Condimentessa
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2005
- Messages
- 11,044
celerystalker
<font color=green>Look! I'm yankeepenny!<br><font
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2006
- Messages
- 5,539
That crowd looked crazy! Do you think the popularity of Marie is to compete with Hello Kitty? Is Hello Kitty still popular there? Do they have Keropi items (the Sanrio frog)? What castle is that? The glass slipper fountain is cool, but why isn't it at WDW in front of Cinderella's castle? Gadget like Inspector Gadget? Did you see any Kingdom Hearts merchandise? They had the Chef from The Little Mermaid?!?!?!
Can I ask more questions?
Heh.
One of my favorite parts of MNSSHP this past year (besides the boo to you parade - is that a catchy song or what?) was seeing an Asian guy dressed as Sora (from Kingdom Hearts). His costume was INCREDIBLE. I told him so. I'm still mad at my self for not getting his picture.
Note to self - If you ever make it to Tokyo Disneyland, get your hair professionally done. Cuz the slubby (is that a word?) excuse for a ponytail you usually sport will be laughed out of the park.
Eek!
So I guess dressing in lime green from head to toe (with your lime green crocs and baggalini) is not "dressing up" for Tokyo?
Thank you SOOO much for your trip report. I loved it.
Can I ask more questions?
Heh.
One of my favorite parts of MNSSHP this past year (besides the boo to you parade - is that a catchy song or what?) was seeing an Asian guy dressed as Sora (from Kingdom Hearts). His costume was INCREDIBLE. I told him so. I'm still mad at my self for not getting his picture.
Note to self - If you ever make it to Tokyo Disneyland, get your hair professionally done. Cuz the slubby (is that a word?) excuse for a ponytail you usually sport will be laughed out of the park.
Eek!
So I guess dressing in lime green from head to toe (with your lime green crocs and baggalini) is not "dressing up" for Tokyo? Thank you SOOO much for your trip report. I loved it.
CriminyCrafft
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2006
- Messages
- 331
That's a very interesting observation about Marie. You're probably right. To be honest I didn't see a ton of Hello Kitty or Keropi stuff the two times I've been to Japan. But I may not have been looking for it since I'm not into it myself? There is one very popular toy store in Harajuku called Kiddyland that has a ton of Hello Kitty and Keropi stuff. Stitch is very popular - I've seen a lot of people on the subway with Stitch cell phone danglers.
I think Tokyo Disneyland is modeled after Disneyland California, but I don't recall if they have the slipper there. So I'm not sure why it's not at WDW.
Yup, Gadget's Go Coaster refers to Inspector Gadget. I didn't see any Kingdom Hearts merchandise unfortunately. We saw the KH soundtrack CD box set the HMV store, though! DH and I both love Kingdom Hearts - he's played both games for the PS2. Yes, DisneySea did have the Chef from the Little Mermaid.
Absolutely.
I love MNSSHP and Boo to You. I would love to have seen that Sora costume! I remember seeing some really expensive KH Halloween costumes on ebay last year that were handmade in Hong Kong. I'm going back to MNSSHP this year so hopefully I will run into that dude!
Note to self - If you ever make it to Tokyo Disneyland, get your hair professionally done. Cuz the slubby (is that a word?) excuse for a ponytail you usually sport will be laughed out of the park.
Eek!
My experience has been that most people in Tokyo dress up pretty fancy a lot of the time (especially women). Most girls in the Disney parks had on (smallish) heels or boots. You'd NEVER, EVER see that in America. My normal Disney attire is the equivalent of a total slob-out compared to how other people were dressed at Tokyo Disney. Crocs have not caught on in Japan at all, I guess because they're not dressy enough. In Singapore, however, Crocs were EVERYWHERE. Tons of people had them and they were sold in *lots* of stores. I saw loads of people with Disney crocs and Disney jibbitz there.
You're most welcome!
SpaceMounatin
Just one of those Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah-Days
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2003
- Messages
- 667
You got to eat dinner at the SS Columbia? I am so jelous! I stood on it's ramp, that's the closest I got. It looks so beautiful on the inside! And unlike you, I preffer Journey over Tower, and I'm punching my self now for not riding Stormrider. We had the opertunity, but we wanted to do Jounrey again! I'm happy I get to see some one elses TDL experience.
-Dainan "Good job" Rafferty
-Dainan "Good job" Rafferty
Thank you so much for sharing this trip report. I had never really had a desire to go to Disneyland Tokyo until reading your TR and seeing your beautiful pictures. DLT looks absolutely AMAZING. BEAUTIFUL. I have to go now!! I don't know when, but someday!
CriminyCrafft
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2006
- Messages
- 331
Thanks, I appreciate the kind words. Glad you liked it. It's funny that you say you have to go to Tokyo Disney now - I'm dying to go to Paris Disney! I've been to Paris before but skipped Disney, and now I want to go badly. It's so expensive for Americans these days though. Sniff!
Now I'm off to read your trip report!!
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