Who's been to Disneyland Tokyo?

[Disneyland1084]

Is it at all like Disneyland in CA? What are the similarities and differences? And I don't mean the languages.

 

[MouseEXP]

I have been to Japan and the Tokyo Disney Resort three times and WDW only once since my first visit to Tokyo and that was mostly for Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure. With that being said I would currently choose to go to the TDR than WDW.

The Tokyo version of Disneyland is a combination of WDW's Magic Kingdom and the original Disneyland. All of the attractions are in great shape. I never noticed an audio-animatronic broken or an attraction that needed a fresh coat of paint.
The walkways are huge, the World Bazaar (their Main Street) is definitely a bit bazaar because of the canopy roof and that the train does not go around the entire park. Tomorrowland is a bit old looking and needs an update.

The Winnie the Pooh attraction is one of the greatest attractions ever made. Monsters Inc. is a good attraction, but head and shoulders above what is at California Adventure. Splash Mountain is an entire land that envelops Critter Country like Cars Land does at California Adventure (the indoor queue is AWESOME). Big Thunder Mountain, is similar to the Disneyland version, but with an incredible finale.

Tokyo DisneySea is the greatest theme park Disney has ever done and I choose it as a close second to the original Disneyland. You can literally pay for a full price ticket and not ride one attraction and still feel like your money was well spent. Think of an entire park themed in the same quality as Cars Land or Harry Potter. It's breathtaking!

If I had I had only one word to say about TDS, it would be "original". I think Indiana Jones as the only non original concept, but even then it has differences to what is at Disneyland. Journey to the Center of the Earth, Voyage of Sinbad, Mermaid Lagoon (it's Bugs Land with a MUCH better theme), and Tower of Terror. Heck even the queue to Toy Story Mania will blow you away.

In regards to food, you have a ton of choices and the quality is better than any Disney Park. Flavored popcorn... Yum.

In regards to shows. UNBELIEVABLE and probably the best theme park entertainment that you can find. Only the fireworks would be considered weak, but I hear they will be fixing that soon.

Hotels are all very cool. The Disney Hotels are top notch, but can be expensive. The cool part is that the surrounding hotels like the Hilton and Sheraton feel like Disney hotels because of the level of service and transportation available to you. They even have their own monorail station.

The BEST part of TDR and Japan in general is that the people are unbelievably polite, kind and helpful. At TDR you will find Cast Members that exceed service on every level. They are the epitome of what every Disney CM should be like. The guests do not yell at each other or their children. IT IS AWESOME and they are fanatical when it comes to all things Disney.

DO NOT let the language barrier effect your decision in a visit to Japan. After the first day or two you will be able to get around with ease in Japan. At TDR its even better because everyone will go out of their way to help you (Cast Members and Guests) and you truly feel like you are having an experience that Walt Disney himself would be proud of.

 

[guynhawaii]

Aloha,

I went to Toyko DL and was greatly discouraged. I went on a Monday during a work week in the Spring with school in session. The lines were huge. The FPs were all out by 11 AM. The wait times were over two hours for any of the E ticket rides except Indy (due to its extreme location). No Disney music inside the park. Good luck.

 

[Mousequake]

I'm planning a trip over Thanksgiving, and I cannot WAIT. I'm of course most excited about DisneySea, since it's a completely original park that can't be found anywhere else.

 

[HydroGuy]

Is it at all like Disneyland in CA? What are the similarities and differences? And I don't mean the languages.

Click on my report in my signature line and there you can find some info that will help.

 

[AndyR]

We went there in April of this year.

TR is here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3092378

Andy

 

[lucysmom]

My son talked about taking us there next year, but , boy does it look crowded.....and expensive! What an adventure, though!

 

[Disneyland1084]

Thank you everyone for your responses. It's my dream to visit a foreign Disneyland some day.

 

[jrenckly]

Because I go to Japan frequently for business, I've been to TDS 6 times and TDL 3 times. Having only been to California DIsneyland for a few hours when I was ten, I can't really compare the two. But I can tell you that:

1) Tokyo Disney parks are crowded. I went on an American exclusive Monday holiday and it was just as packed as it was on Christmas Day. The line for Toy Story Mania, within weeks of its opening took a coworker and I almost five hours to get through. (I'm sure it has died down a bit now). Usual wait times for Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, Raging Spirits, and Winnie the Pooh, and the new Star Tours, are generally a bit under 2 hours. For some reason, Space Mountain (my personal favorite) usually only has about an hour long line while I'm there. However my enjoyment of the parks hasn't ever been dampened by this, with the exception of the fore mentioned Toy Story Mania 5 hour wait. That almost killed me. Got to the park before ten, got on the ride at three, sunburned and parched.

2) Tokyo Disneysea is awesome. The architecture is amazing. Beer is sold all over. Some of the rides are unique and very entertaining. If you go, be sure to stop by the Cantina across the river from Indy and relax with a couple Coronas. This is my personal favorite pastime while there. As someone mentioned above, a trip to Disneysea without riding rides is still an awesome day.

3) The people are SO NICE. I don't remember how it is in the states, but at Tokyo Disney parks all the employees are super friendly and helpful (even to people like myself who barely speak a word of Japanese). Outside of The Haunted Mansion, it is rare to see a cast member not smiling.

4) A 1 day 1 park adult pass is ¥6200 (about $65) Not too bad compared to the $1000+ plane ticket.

Sorry for the jumbled notes. I'm taking my extended family to California Disneyland December 1st. After that, writing comparisons between the two should be easy.

 

[afnaechiquita]

i went last year. it was definitely a different experience, but still very much disney. the one thing that sticks with me is that i've been to many countries, and never really had an issue with the language barrier (as far as being frustrated goes). i had a hard time finding a CM to get me the subtitle thingy in one of the attractions, but rather than being frustrated i had an "oh, this is what it's like for every non-english speaker visiting WDW/DL" moment.

the day i went wasn't too crowded, but i waited around 30 minutes for all the big ticket attractions. my little trip report is down there vv

 

[Leilanie94]

We went there in April of this year.

TR is here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3092378

Andy

Thank you for sharing your awesome trip photos!
We are banking our DVC points.......hoping to go there, soon.