-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
A Tokyo Disney Trip Report
- Thread starter MichWolv
- Start date
HM was about the same as Disneyland's, except the narration was in Japanese. Paris and MK versions, are, IMHO, better than Tokyo's.
On to some more discussion of DisneySea.
When I entered the park the first day along with massive numbers of very fast moving Japanese people, I was completely unprepared for how awestruck I would be by the place. You enter the park in a little "Town Square" like area with a fountain lined by (at least for now) some very colorful statues of Disney characters. Turning toward the rest of the park, you go under the Mira Costa Hotel, with your standard shops on both sides, and open into a large expanse that is sort of triangular shaped. Two sides are shops on the ground floor and the 6 or 7 floors of the MiraCosta above. The third side is the huge lake/lagoon, which you can see in the picture a few posts ago. Unlike the wide open spaces in TDL that are just themed as open spances, this one is both immersive and open at the same time. It looks like you're in an Italian seaside village square (or at least what the movies make those look like). Breathtaking.
The lake here is very large (probably 1/2 the size of World Showcase lagoon), and it is where DisneySea's equilvalent of parades and nighttime spectaculars are shown. Unlike WS lagoon, which is surrounded by pavilions of different themes, the lagoon here is completely surrounded by Mediteranean Harbor themed area all the way around. As you walk in, Mysterius Island is behind the lagoon and the Fortress Expoloration attraction ahead of you (see the pic in the previous post). To the left is an area themed to Venice, and to the right is more Italian-themed areas. The MiraCosta borders one side of the Land and the Mysterious Island mountain the other. You are completely immersed.
I didn't realize as I was stopped in my tracks at the sight of this land that this was just the first of several times I'd have those thoughts at TDS.
After catching my breath, I realized I didn't really know which fastpass to run for first. Journey to the Center of the Earth was closed for maintenance, so I guessed at Stormrider and headed there. I walked over a bridge that separated Med Harbor from American Waterfront, around the left side of the mountain, and down into Port Discovery, where I was stopped in my tracks for the second time that morning.
Port Discovery
Port Discovery looks like what Future World would look like if it were on the water and its look had been kept up-to-date. A Port Discovery-like weather pavilion in Future World would be perfect. As I was smiling about that, I realized that the BGM was the Innoventions loop (or a reasonable facsimile thereof). As I grabbed a fastpass for Stormrider, I realized that even the Fastpass machines at TDS are themed. These matched the "weather" theme of the attraciton perfectly.
Port Discovery has two real attractions, Stormrider and Aquatopia, both themed as part of the weather institute. Aquatopia is a really odd attraction, but I found it to be a lot fun. You ride in what look like floating bumper cars with high seats. There is about 6 inches of water in the "lagoon" the ride uses, but the vehicles actually roll along the bottom -- they don't actually float. The vehicles are controlled by computer in the same way that Pooh's Hunny Hunt is, so you never know what path you're going to take. So you randomly move around this little lagoon, sometimes backing up, spinning around, heading toward rocks and waterfalls, etc. It isn't fast, but it is unpredictable and fun. A well-conceived ride that kids and kids at heart should enjoy. Teens probably just say "What the heck was that?" and head back to Stormrider.
Stormrider is a simulator ride. Take the best of Star Tours (version 1) and Body Wars, add a few more special effects and you've got Stormrider. The idea is that you're going to board an airplane that can drop an explosive device to diffuse a storm. You on the backup plane -- Stormrider 2, and supposed to just observe. Of course, things don't go as planned, and you're whisked into the center of the storm, bomb at the ready. The simulator effects are great, and the plot is easy to follow, even if the narration is all in Japanese, except for the English display in the pre-show area. The simulators (there are 2) are huge in this thing, probably holding upwards of 150 people each, so it has a very high capacity. That kept the standby line down around 60 minutes or so most of this not all that crowded day. I rode 3 times.
Port Discovery really could use a walk-through exhibit dealing with weather to complement these two rides. Instead, the rest of the area includes a tabl-service restaurant, and, on the upper-level, one end of the DisneySea electric railway, which goes between the American Waterfront and PD. The railway provides great views of PD and AW and the stations are perfectly themed to their two lands. Board in PD, which had virtually no line all day, even when AW had a big line to board.
Mysterious Island
Mysterious Island is in the center of the park, so you wind up walking through it fairly often. I first visited it right after grabbing my initial Stormrider FP. As I entered MI, I stopped in my tracks for the third time. Neither my words nor my lost pictures can do this land justice, but I shall try.
You enter MI through one of the three walkways (two passes and one tunnel) into what is supposed to be the caldera of a long extinct volcano. As you enter, you about 40 feet above the "floor" of the crater, which is now filled with water. The caldera walls rise another 40 feet above you, and the mountain another 100 feet or so above that. Needless to say, there is no visual contamination from other lands at all.
In the water as you look down from the catwalk you are on, you can see a nautilus submarine, and the seating area for a nautilus-themed quick-service restaurant. Sticking out of the mountain is a giant "drill" -- the boring machine that has allowed the creater of the land to tap into the power of the volcano to power everything in Misterious Island, or so the story (recounted, in English, on plaques around the catwalks) goes. Although JttCoE was closed and I can't rate it, I can say that just the look of MI makes me really wish the rumors of it being cloned for DAK had come to pass.
The other attraction in MI is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. But this isn't your father's 20K. Fastpasses are distributed in the power plant of MI, and it looks like an engine room of a ship. The wait was only 5 mins, so I continued down the ramps to board the ride at water level. This version of 20K doesn't have slow-loading huge subs requiring a stairway. Instead, you ride is small 6 person "submersibles" the board in an almost constant stream. The storyline is familiar, but the narration is in Japanese. No matter -- you can figure out what's happening as you pass ancient artifacts, encounter the giant monster squid, and...I won't spoil the rest. Suffice to say that the effects are very well done. This is what should be done to bring 20K back to WDW. I suspect Jules Verne would approve.
Also in MI is a counter-service restaurant called Vulcania, where I wound up having lunch. It serves Chinese/Thai type food, and was pretty good. It was at this lunch that I realized that the counter-service restaurants in TDR all seem to have real plates and silverware, not paper stuff. I heartly approve. I also approve of the music in Vulcania, which was, like PD, Innoventions BGM.
Lost River Delta
After my ride on 20K, I headed out the back of MI and went to look at the Lost River Delta area. Once again, I was awestruck. This is a South American jungle-themed area, with a "river" running through the center of it. On the side of the land near the mountain (the "upper level") are several restaurants, a theater, and several stores, as well as opportunities to descend to river level for some great views. On the other side of the river, which you reach only by a few perfectly-themed bridges, are the two big attractions of the area, more restaurants and stores, and greeting trails for the three caballeros, which had massive lines all day.
I had been alerted that Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull had a single rider line. After looking for it for 10 minutes while also marvelling at the 20 minute line to get barbecue turkey legs and the already 90 minute standby line for the IJ attraction, I asked the attendant at the fastpass line, who directed me to use the FP line. When I got to the spot in the highly detailed queue where they would normally collect FP tickets, they simply directed me to a single rider corridor. I was on the ride in 5 minutes. Conclusion -- RIDE THIS THING as a single!
The ride was the same layout the IJ ride at Disneyland with a plot revolving around the Crystal Skull articfact seen in IJ4. A good ride, although it appeared the timing was off on a couple of effects. And, they have an Indiana Jones that actually looks like Harrison Ford.
The other major attraction in Lost River Delta is Raging Spirits, a heavily-themed roller coaster. It is not a great coaster. It is not a very good coaster. Japanese visitors must love coasters, though, because the line was 120 minutes or more all day. I rode Raging Spirits only because there was a single riders line. Again, it was hard to find, but once I did, I waited 10 minutes the first time, and 15 minutes the second time I rode. While this is not a real good coaster, it isn't a terrible one either (i.e., it beats Goofy's Sky School and the terrible IJ roller coaster at Disneyland Paris), and it does sport one of the tightest inversions I've ever seen. Give it shot in the single rider line, but if you wait two hours for this thing, you'll be really mad at yourself. The theming is really good, though, so even if you aren't going to ride, walk up the exit ramp and take in the sights for a few minutes.
The other attraction in LRD is the show in the Hangar Stage called Mystic Rhythms. I had no idea what to expect here. The show is something like Cirque du Soleil in that it features some dance, some performance, some acrobatics. Like CdS, there are a few "featured" segments in which a particular performer or small group of performers takes center stage, with these segments stitched together with lively movements from a large group of performers. The theme here is a rather broad "back to nature" message. The theater itself is dressed up as an old theater that nature has begun to reclaim, and the performers are in costumes that suggest various animals and plants. There is no dialogue, but there is, again like CdS, live musical accompaniment. I found the show to be enjoyable but not particularly memorable. See it if time allows, but don't rearrange your day for it.
When I entered the park the first day along with massive numbers of very fast moving Japanese people, I was completely unprepared for how awestruck I would be by the place. You enter the park in a little "Town Square" like area with a fountain lined by (at least for now) some very colorful statues of Disney characters. Turning toward the rest of the park, you go under the Mira Costa Hotel, with your standard shops on both sides, and open into a large expanse that is sort of triangular shaped. Two sides are shops on the ground floor and the 6 or 7 floors of the MiraCosta above. The third side is the huge lake/lagoon, which you can see in the picture a few posts ago. Unlike the wide open spaces in TDL that are just themed as open spances, this one is both immersive and open at the same time. It looks like you're in an Italian seaside village square (or at least what the movies make those look like). Breathtaking.
The lake here is very large (probably 1/2 the size of World Showcase lagoon), and it is where DisneySea's equilvalent of parades and nighttime spectaculars are shown. Unlike WS lagoon, which is surrounded by pavilions of different themes, the lagoon here is completely surrounded by Mediteranean Harbor themed area all the way around. As you walk in, Mysterius Island is behind the lagoon and the Fortress Expoloration attraction ahead of you (see the pic in the previous post). To the left is an area themed to Venice, and to the right is more Italian-themed areas. The MiraCosta borders one side of the Land and the Mysterious Island mountain the other. You are completely immersed.
I didn't realize as I was stopped in my tracks at the sight of this land that this was just the first of several times I'd have those thoughts at TDS.
After catching my breath, I realized I didn't really know which fastpass to run for first. Journey to the Center of the Earth was closed for maintenance, so I guessed at Stormrider and headed there. I walked over a bridge that separated Med Harbor from American Waterfront, around the left side of the mountain, and down into Port Discovery, where I was stopped in my tracks for the second time that morning.
Port Discovery
Port Discovery looks like what Future World would look like if it were on the water and its look had been kept up-to-date. A Port Discovery-like weather pavilion in Future World would be perfect. As I was smiling about that, I realized that the BGM was the Innoventions loop (or a reasonable facsimile thereof). As I grabbed a fastpass for Stormrider, I realized that even the Fastpass machines at TDS are themed. These matched the "weather" theme of the attraciton perfectly.
Port Discovery has two real attractions, Stormrider and Aquatopia, both themed as part of the weather institute. Aquatopia is a really odd attraction, but I found it to be a lot fun. You ride in what look like floating bumper cars with high seats. There is about 6 inches of water in the "lagoon" the ride uses, but the vehicles actually roll along the bottom -- they don't actually float. The vehicles are controlled by computer in the same way that Pooh's Hunny Hunt is, so you never know what path you're going to take. So you randomly move around this little lagoon, sometimes backing up, spinning around, heading toward rocks and waterfalls, etc. It isn't fast, but it is unpredictable and fun. A well-conceived ride that kids and kids at heart should enjoy. Teens probably just say "What the heck was that?" and head back to Stormrider.
Stormrider is a simulator ride. Take the best of Star Tours (version 1) and Body Wars, add a few more special effects and you've got Stormrider. The idea is that you're going to board an airplane that can drop an explosive device to diffuse a storm. You on the backup plane -- Stormrider 2, and supposed to just observe. Of course, things don't go as planned, and you're whisked into the center of the storm, bomb at the ready. The simulator effects are great, and the plot is easy to follow, even if the narration is all in Japanese, except for the English display in the pre-show area. The simulators (there are 2) are huge in this thing, probably holding upwards of 150 people each, so it has a very high capacity. That kept the standby line down around 60 minutes or so most of this not all that crowded day. I rode 3 times.
Port Discovery really could use a walk-through exhibit dealing with weather to complement these two rides. Instead, the rest of the area includes a tabl-service restaurant, and, on the upper-level, one end of the DisneySea electric railway, which goes between the American Waterfront and PD. The railway provides great views of PD and AW and the stations are perfectly themed to their two lands. Board in PD, which had virtually no line all day, even when AW had a big line to board.
Mysterious Island
Mysterious Island is in the center of the park, so you wind up walking through it fairly often. I first visited it right after grabbing my initial Stormrider FP. As I entered MI, I stopped in my tracks for the third time. Neither my words nor my lost pictures can do this land justice, but I shall try.
You enter MI through one of the three walkways (two passes and one tunnel) into what is supposed to be the caldera of a long extinct volcano. As you enter, you about 40 feet above the "floor" of the crater, which is now filled with water. The caldera walls rise another 40 feet above you, and the mountain another 100 feet or so above that. Needless to say, there is no visual contamination from other lands at all.
In the water as you look down from the catwalk you are on, you can see a nautilus submarine, and the seating area for a nautilus-themed quick-service restaurant. Sticking out of the mountain is a giant "drill" -- the boring machine that has allowed the creater of the land to tap into the power of the volcano to power everything in Misterious Island, or so the story (recounted, in English, on plaques around the catwalks) goes. Although JttCoE was closed and I can't rate it, I can say that just the look of MI makes me really wish the rumors of it being cloned for DAK had come to pass.
The other attraction in MI is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. But this isn't your father's 20K. Fastpasses are distributed in the power plant of MI, and it looks like an engine room of a ship. The wait was only 5 mins, so I continued down the ramps to board the ride at water level. This version of 20K doesn't have slow-loading huge subs requiring a stairway. Instead, you ride is small 6 person "submersibles" the board in an almost constant stream. The storyline is familiar, but the narration is in Japanese. No matter -- you can figure out what's happening as you pass ancient artifacts, encounter the giant monster squid, and...I won't spoil the rest. Suffice to say that the effects are very well done. This is what should be done to bring 20K back to WDW. I suspect Jules Verne would approve.
Also in MI is a counter-service restaurant called Vulcania, where I wound up having lunch. It serves Chinese/Thai type food, and was pretty good. It was at this lunch that I realized that the counter-service restaurants in TDR all seem to have real plates and silverware, not paper stuff. I heartly approve. I also approve of the music in Vulcania, which was, like PD, Innoventions BGM.
Lost River Delta
After my ride on 20K, I headed out the back of MI and went to look at the Lost River Delta area. Once again, I was awestruck. This is a South American jungle-themed area, with a "river" running through the center of it. On the side of the land near the mountain (the "upper level") are several restaurants, a theater, and several stores, as well as opportunities to descend to river level for some great views. On the other side of the river, which you reach only by a few perfectly-themed bridges, are the two big attractions of the area, more restaurants and stores, and greeting trails for the three caballeros, which had massive lines all day.
I had been alerted that Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull had a single rider line. After looking for it for 10 minutes while also marvelling at the 20 minute line to get barbecue turkey legs and the already 90 minute standby line for the IJ attraction, I asked the attendant at the fastpass line, who directed me to use the FP line. When I got to the spot in the highly detailed queue where they would normally collect FP tickets, they simply directed me to a single rider corridor. I was on the ride in 5 minutes. Conclusion -- RIDE THIS THING as a single!
The ride was the same layout the IJ ride at Disneyland with a plot revolving around the Crystal Skull articfact seen in IJ4. A good ride, although it appeared the timing was off on a couple of effects. And, they have an Indiana Jones that actually looks like Harrison Ford.
The other major attraction in Lost River Delta is Raging Spirits, a heavily-themed roller coaster. It is not a great coaster. It is not a very good coaster. Japanese visitors must love coasters, though, because the line was 120 minutes or more all day. I rode Raging Spirits only because there was a single riders line. Again, it was hard to find, but once I did, I waited 10 minutes the first time, and 15 minutes the second time I rode. While this is not a real good coaster, it isn't a terrible one either (i.e., it beats Goofy's Sky School and the terrible IJ roller coaster at Disneyland Paris), and it does sport one of the tightest inversions I've ever seen. Give it shot in the single rider line, but if you wait two hours for this thing, you'll be really mad at yourself. The theming is really good, though, so even if you aren't going to ride, walk up the exit ramp and take in the sights for a few minutes.
The other attraction in LRD is the show in the Hangar Stage called Mystic Rhythms. I had no idea what to expect here. The show is something like Cirque du Soleil in that it features some dance, some performance, some acrobatics. Like CdS, there are a few "featured" segments in which a particular performer or small group of performers takes center stage, with these segments stitched together with lively movements from a large group of performers. The theme here is a rather broad "back to nature" message. The theater itself is dressed up as an old theater that nature has begun to reclaim, and the performers are in costumes that suggest various animals and plants. There is no dialogue, but there is, again like CdS, live musical accompaniment. I found the show to be enjoyable but not particularly memorable. See it if time allows, but don't rearrange your day for it.
smithdavid
New Member
I known to do lists are:
See everything there was to see in Tokyo DisneySea & Tokyo Disneyland
Tour Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings sites in Tokyo
Check out a “cat café”
Ride a bullet train
View cherry blossoms
Visit Totoro at the Ghibli Museum
See as many temples, shrines, castles, palaces, and gardens in Tokyo and Kyoto as humanly possible
Purchase innumerable adorable stuffed anime characters
Eat a bunch of stuff that we didn’t know what it was
See everything there was to see in Tokyo DisneySea & Tokyo Disneyland
Tour Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings sites in Tokyo
Check out a “cat café”
Ride a bullet train
View cherry blossoms
Visit Totoro at the Ghibli Museum
See as many temples, shrines, castles, palaces, and gardens in Tokyo and Kyoto as humanly possible
Purchase innumerable adorable stuffed anime characters
Eat a bunch of stuff that we didn’t know what it was
Mermaid Lagoon
I first entered Mermaid Lagoon on the afternoon of my first day at TDS. It didn't wow me like the other lands I had visited. It is very nicely themed to the various environments from the Little Mermaid, but I just wasn't awestruck.
Mermaid Lagoon has an outdoor area with two kiddie rides (a coaster and a spinny ride), some nice themeing, and a meet-n-greet area for Ariel that had a line that 45 mins or more everytime I walked past.
ML also has a very unique indoor section that is, and I cannot possibly overstate this, HUMONGOUS. It dwarfs any Epcot pavilion, at least in terms of the area guests can walk around in. Within the heavily-themed indoor portion are 3 more kiddie rides (think Flik's Fun Fair at DCA, but inside), a playground, a very large CS restaurant, a huge store, room for character interactions, plenty of space to wander around in, and a huge theater.
The indoor space uses decorations and lighting to put forth the idea that you are underwater, in caverns, and reefs, etc., like you saw Ariel swimming around in. It's well done, although not totally convincing because of the realities of huge crowds, safety signs, etc. Still, a great attempt at an indoor area, which I presume was considered necessary due to the comparatively poor climate of TDR compared the US parks.
The rides here are nothing to write home about. Feel free to skip them. But do not under any circumstances miss the show in the Mermaid Lagoon Theater. This is a hidden gem of TDS. The show, which is largely, but not entirely (big plot change) a retelling of The Little Mermaid, is presented in a huge theater-in-the-round with only a tiny stage in the center. I was at first confused as how such a small stage could work, until the show started. Most of it is presented overhead, taking advantage of what must be a 40 foot high ceiling. Performers are on wires, making it possible for them to simulate swimming -- the audience being on the floor of the ocean. Actors are complemented by huge overhead puppets. The performance is unique and very effective.
Dialogue is in Japanese, but singing is in English here. Still, you must get a hand-held English language translation device (just ask one of the very friendly CMs). This device will display the Japanese dialogue in English throughout the performance. This was very important so I could understand the big plot change from the movie -- I'd have missed what the heck was going on without it, although I'd have enjoyed the performance anyways. The show plays continuously, not just at limited times, but it does typically end performances a few hours before the end of the day. Don't miss it.
Arabian Coast
AC has two entrances -- I highly recommend you first enter from Mermaid Lagoon. From there, you enter through an Arabian arch into an area themeed as the courtyard of a Sultan's palace. It looks great. The other entry from Lost River Delta just rounds a bend into a small corner of Arabian Coast and you don't get any kind of visual picture of the land.
AC has a lot of Aladdin characters and references, but unlike ML, which is completely themed to The Little Mermaid, Aladdin references are highly visible and influential, but not dominating, in AC. Still, you will think "Agrabah" upon entering through the Arch. The land has a number of interesting attractions.
Built into one side of the courtyard is the two level Caravan Carousel, in which some of the animals you can ride are actually versions of Genie. It's very well done.
The main attraction in the "palace" itself is The Magic Lamp Theater, a combined 3-D animation and live action show. Here, both the diaglogue and singing is in Japanese, but English display devices are again available -- don't forget to ask for one as you enter the pre-show area. As you learn in the pre-show (if you remembered to get your English display device), the plot here is that the Genie has teamed up with a local performer to do a magic show. The man, however, has become convinced he doesn't need Genie, and has locked Genie in a chest, intending to become a solo magician. We are to attend the first solo show. The magician's assistant, however, wants to free Genie, and seeks our help in finding the key to the chest.
The live action/3-D animation works together pretty well, and show is engaging, but not great. It's certainly worth a visit, but don't have your expectations set too high -- this is not Terminator II:3-D from Universal. For some reason, they have Fastpass here. The FP return time was always about the same as the stand-by time, so grab a fastpass, ride the carousel and Sindbad (see below), the use your FP.
The other major attraciton in AC is the Voyages of Sindbad (and yes, there are two "d"s in the attraction name -- it looks wrong to me, but maybe that's because I've seen the comedian Sinbad too often). This was clearly an attempt to have a Small World/PoTC attraction at TDS. The animatronics are not as realistic as PoTC, but not dolls like IaSW. There is a repetitive song that plays throughout, written by Alan Menken, no less, called Compass of Your Heart. Unfortunately, that line is the only English one in the song, which is otherwise sung in Japanese. Signs and decorations in the ride are, however, in English.
The plot of the ride follows Sindbad on his voyages. I'm not all that familiar, but there are battles with pirates, a friendly giant, freeing of slaves, etc. It's well-done, and never had much of a line (much like its inspirations, PotC and IaSW), and I did find myself humming the song for a few days, so I guess it accomplishes its goal, but the story and theme didn't feel very compelling. I even rode a second time to see if it would grow on me, but, other than the song, it did not.
AC is rounded out by a version of the carpets (Jasmine's carpets here -- apparently, females have rides in Japan, not males, as the teacups were called "Alice's" instead of the Mad Hatter's). A very large CS restaurant where I had a good plate of curry and naan, and several stores selling Aladdin and Duffy stuff that actually had lines to get in them.
I also saw a street show with Abu and some Arabian swordsman that was well-done, and some other "streetmosphere"-type stuff going on.
I first entered Mermaid Lagoon on the afternoon of my first day at TDS. It didn't wow me like the other lands I had visited. It is very nicely themed to the various environments from the Little Mermaid, but I just wasn't awestruck.
Mermaid Lagoon has an outdoor area with two kiddie rides (a coaster and a spinny ride), some nice themeing, and a meet-n-greet area for Ariel that had a line that 45 mins or more everytime I walked past.
ML also has a very unique indoor section that is, and I cannot possibly overstate this, HUMONGOUS. It dwarfs any Epcot pavilion, at least in terms of the area guests can walk around in. Within the heavily-themed indoor portion are 3 more kiddie rides (think Flik's Fun Fair at DCA, but inside), a playground, a very large CS restaurant, a huge store, room for character interactions, plenty of space to wander around in, and a huge theater.
The indoor space uses decorations and lighting to put forth the idea that you are underwater, in caverns, and reefs, etc., like you saw Ariel swimming around in. It's well done, although not totally convincing because of the realities of huge crowds, safety signs, etc. Still, a great attempt at an indoor area, which I presume was considered necessary due to the comparatively poor climate of TDR compared the US parks.
The rides here are nothing to write home about. Feel free to skip them. But do not under any circumstances miss the show in the Mermaid Lagoon Theater. This is a hidden gem of TDS. The show, which is largely, but not entirely (big plot change) a retelling of The Little Mermaid, is presented in a huge theater-in-the-round with only a tiny stage in the center. I was at first confused as how such a small stage could work, until the show started. Most of it is presented overhead, taking advantage of what must be a 40 foot high ceiling. Performers are on wires, making it possible for them to simulate swimming -- the audience being on the floor of the ocean. Actors are complemented by huge overhead puppets. The performance is unique and very effective.
Dialogue is in Japanese, but singing is in English here. Still, you must get a hand-held English language translation device (just ask one of the very friendly CMs). This device will display the Japanese dialogue in English throughout the performance. This was very important so I could understand the big plot change from the movie -- I'd have missed what the heck was going on without it, although I'd have enjoyed the performance anyways. The show plays continuously, not just at limited times, but it does typically end performances a few hours before the end of the day. Don't miss it.
Arabian Coast
AC has two entrances -- I highly recommend you first enter from Mermaid Lagoon. From there, you enter through an Arabian arch into an area themeed as the courtyard of a Sultan's palace. It looks great. The other entry from Lost River Delta just rounds a bend into a small corner of Arabian Coast and you don't get any kind of visual picture of the land.
AC has a lot of Aladdin characters and references, but unlike ML, which is completely themed to The Little Mermaid, Aladdin references are highly visible and influential, but not dominating, in AC. Still, you will think "Agrabah" upon entering through the Arch. The land has a number of interesting attractions.
Built into one side of the courtyard is the two level Caravan Carousel, in which some of the animals you can ride are actually versions of Genie. It's very well done.
The main attraction in the "palace" itself is The Magic Lamp Theater, a combined 3-D animation and live action show. Here, both the diaglogue and singing is in Japanese, but English display devices are again available -- don't forget to ask for one as you enter the pre-show area. As you learn in the pre-show (if you remembered to get your English display device), the plot here is that the Genie has teamed up with a local performer to do a magic show. The man, however, has become convinced he doesn't need Genie, and has locked Genie in a chest, intending to become a solo magician. We are to attend the first solo show. The magician's assistant, however, wants to free Genie, and seeks our help in finding the key to the chest.
The live action/3-D animation works together pretty well, and show is engaging, but not great. It's certainly worth a visit, but don't have your expectations set too high -- this is not Terminator II:3-D from Universal. For some reason, they have Fastpass here. The FP return time was always about the same as the stand-by time, so grab a fastpass, ride the carousel and Sindbad (see below), the use your FP.
The other major attraciton in AC is the Voyages of Sindbad (and yes, there are two "d"s in the attraction name -- it looks wrong to me, but maybe that's because I've seen the comedian Sinbad too often). This was clearly an attempt to have a Small World/PoTC attraction at TDS. The animatronics are not as realistic as PoTC, but not dolls like IaSW. There is a repetitive song that plays throughout, written by Alan Menken, no less, called Compass of Your Heart. Unfortunately, that line is the only English one in the song, which is otherwise sung in Japanese. Signs and decorations in the ride are, however, in English.
The plot of the ride follows Sindbad on his voyages. I'm not all that familiar, but there are battles with pirates, a friendly giant, freeing of slaves, etc. It's well-done, and never had much of a line (much like its inspirations, PotC and IaSW), and I did find myself humming the song for a few days, so I guess it accomplishes its goal, but the story and theme didn't feel very compelling. I even rode a second time to see if it would grow on me, but, other than the song, it did not.
AC is rounded out by a version of the carpets (Jasmine's carpets here -- apparently, females have rides in Japan, not males, as the teacups were called "Alice's" instead of the Mad Hatter's). A very large CS restaurant where I had a good plate of curry and naan, and several stores selling Aladdin and Duffy stuff that actually had lines to get in them.
I also saw a street show with Abu and some Arabian swordsman that was well-done, and some other "streetmosphere"-type stuff going on.
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
Great report.
Thanks for putting it up ... shame more folks don't head down here and give it a read.
Having been to TDR, I have some thoughts ... I agree with you about almost everything on TDS, but feel you're a bit harsh on TDL (even though it was certainly developed in an interesting manner).
Anyway, I hope to have some time to comment on your actual discussion points.
~But I'd rather be on a plane for Tokyo now!~
Thanks for putting it up ... shame more folks don't head down here and give it a read.
Having been to TDR, I have some thoughts ... I agree with you about almost everything on TDS, but feel you're a bit harsh on TDL (even though it was certainly developed in an interesting manner).
Anyway, I hope to have some time to comment on your actual discussion points.
~But I'd rather be on a plane for Tokyo now!~
WDWFigment
Well-Known Member
I've already spent thirty minutes of lunch reading this and am really enjoying it thus far. Bookmarking it for future reading and commenting.
Thanks.
Thanks.
There are two lands at TDS that I haven't really touched on yet -- American Waterfront and Mediterranean Harbor. They are the last I have discussed, because I mainly spent time in them on my second day in TDS, although I did walk around both on the first day. What follows then, are thoughts on these two lands that are combined from multiple walks through them on two separate days.
American Waterfront
This area of the park is quite large, and is really broken up into two segments -- a portion that is themed to New York City, and another portion themed to a Cape Cod or Nantucket-like area. So you've got the big city waterfront, and the quaint town waterfront, with a small lagoon in between. Although very close to each other physically, the theming each half is so well done that you do get the right feel in both parts.
The New York part of the land is dominated by the Hightower Hotel, which houses TDS's Tower of Terror, and the SS Columbia ship, which houses a restaurant, a lounge, and Turtle Talk with Crush. The ship is really very large, but the tower still dominates. Small streets with shops and restaurants and the AW stations of the Electric Railway (other end in Port Discover) fit the New York theming very well.
The seaside town portion of AW includes a number of sailboats in the lagoon, a lighthouse, and winding paths that go past seaside-looking shops and restaurants.
AW has three table service restaurants, none of which I sampled, a couple of large counter-service places, including a New York deli and fish fry place, and a boatload of stores, including the largest Duffy and SallieMae shop around, which had a 45 minute line to get into the store. I confirmed that Duffy and Sallie were not doing photo ops in the store. Found the line for a Duffy photo nearby -- that was also 45 minutes.
In any event, on to the attractions. The headliner (until Toy Story Mania opens later this year) is the Tower of Terror. As it turns out, this is where I should have headed when I arrived the first day, instead of Stormrider. By 11:30 am on my first day visiting, FPs were gone, and the standby line was 2 hours+ and remained that way all day. While the website indicated there was a single-rider line, CMs said there was not. So I didn't ride on Day 1. On my second day, I knew where to go, got an FP right away and then entered the stand-by line, which, 5 minutes BEFORE official part opening, was already posted at 70 minutes.
The backstory created for this attraction is amazingly detailed and amazing well-told in the queue. The hotel is the pride of Harrison Hightower III, a wealthy 19th century adventurer, world-traveler, and all-around arrogant rich guy. As the story goes, Harrison brought back a very important artifact from a recent trip, and hosted a grand party on New Year's Eve, 1899. The artifact, of course, was powerful, and during the party, Hightower went up to his penthouse suite with the artifact in an elevator. When the crashed elevator was found later, the artifact was fine by Hightower was gone. We arrive 13 years later, for a tour of the hotel put on by the New York Preservation Society.
Throughout the queue, there are newsclippings about Hightower's exploits and his disappearance, and banners advertising the mystery of what happened to him, put up to welcome those going on the tours. You don't have to read all that much for the backstory to really come to life. You can, however, read all you want, because it's all in English!
The backstory continues in the lobby of the hotel, and then in the hallways off the lobby where you await the pre-show. Pictures of HHIII on various adventures are there, including shots of him visiting the Temple of the Crystal Skull and Mysterious Island, just for some fun thrown in. Look closely at the pictures of HHIII -- as I did, and you'll eventually come to believe that you have seen the man dressed as HHIII. Turns out that my suspicions were correct, but I won't spoil it here .
The pre-show occurs in a study or office, and it isn't on televisions of course. Instead, the pre-show begins with a phonograph recording of HHIII (in Japanese, unfortunately) being played in a room where the artifact stands on a pedastal. After a few seconds, the recording stops, the room gets dark, the pictures in a stained glass window changes, and the artifact starts glowing. There are a few lines of dialogue in Japanese as the stained glass windows replays the events of the night HHIII disappeared. Some special effects, a starfield, and an incredible effect that remained just as incredible the second time around occur. The imagineers outdid themselves in this pre-show, which is worth the wait all by itslef.
Then we move into the loading area, which is the storeroom for HHIII various treasures. There are many that are fun to look at, and read the shipping crates as well. The ride system is the same as in Paris and DCA -- three two-level elevators. No forward motion into the dropshaft like at DHS. The actuall ride was as expected, with many scared Japanese kids. Japanese parkgoers aren't as big as Americans, I guess, so the extra seat in the back still exists, and I got it. Behold the giant-looking American in the Japanese version of Tower of Terror.
As you can see, I took a picture of my picture. Many people were doing that, so I didn't feel too bad. However, I would have actually purchased this shot if the line to purchase were not so long that it went out the door of the little shop. Wow -- merchandise must be making at mint at Tokyo Disney.
American Waterfront
This area of the park is quite large, and is really broken up into two segments -- a portion that is themed to New York City, and another portion themed to a Cape Cod or Nantucket-like area. So you've got the big city waterfront, and the quaint town waterfront, with a small lagoon in between. Although very close to each other physically, the theming each half is so well done that you do get the right feel in both parts.
The New York part of the land is dominated by the Hightower Hotel, which houses TDS's Tower of Terror, and the SS Columbia ship, which houses a restaurant, a lounge, and Turtle Talk with Crush. The ship is really very large, but the tower still dominates. Small streets with shops and restaurants and the AW stations of the Electric Railway (other end in Port Discover) fit the New York theming very well.
The seaside town portion of AW includes a number of sailboats in the lagoon, a lighthouse, and winding paths that go past seaside-looking shops and restaurants.
AW has three table service restaurants, none of which I sampled, a couple of large counter-service places, including a New York deli and fish fry place, and a boatload of stores, including the largest Duffy and SallieMae shop around, which had a 45 minute line to get into the store. I confirmed that Duffy and Sallie were not doing photo ops in the store. Found the line for a Duffy photo nearby -- that was also 45 minutes.
In any event, on to the attractions. The headliner (until Toy Story Mania opens later this year) is the Tower of Terror. As it turns out, this is where I should have headed when I arrived the first day, instead of Stormrider. By 11:30 am on my first day visiting, FPs were gone, and the standby line was 2 hours+ and remained that way all day. While the website indicated there was a single-rider line, CMs said there was not. So I didn't ride on Day 1. On my second day, I knew where to go, got an FP right away and then entered the stand-by line, which, 5 minutes BEFORE official part opening, was already posted at 70 minutes.
The backstory created for this attraction is amazingly detailed and amazing well-told in the queue. The hotel is the pride of Harrison Hightower III, a wealthy 19th century adventurer, world-traveler, and all-around arrogant rich guy. As the story goes, Harrison brought back a very important artifact from a recent trip, and hosted a grand party on New Year's Eve, 1899. The artifact, of course, was powerful, and during the party, Hightower went up to his penthouse suite with the artifact in an elevator. When the crashed elevator was found later, the artifact was fine by Hightower was gone. We arrive 13 years later, for a tour of the hotel put on by the New York Preservation Society.
Throughout the queue, there are newsclippings about Hightower's exploits and his disappearance, and banners advertising the mystery of what happened to him, put up to welcome those going on the tours. You don't have to read all that much for the backstory to really come to life. You can, however, read all you want, because it's all in English!
The backstory continues in the lobby of the hotel, and then in the hallways off the lobby where you await the pre-show. Pictures of HHIII on various adventures are there, including shots of him visiting the Temple of the Crystal Skull and Mysterious Island, just for some fun thrown in. Look closely at the pictures of HHIII -- as I did, and you'll eventually come to believe that you have seen the man dressed as HHIII. Turns out that my suspicions were correct, but I won't spoil it here .
The pre-show occurs in a study or office, and it isn't on televisions of course. Instead, the pre-show begins with a phonograph recording of HHIII (in Japanese, unfortunately) being played in a room where the artifact stands on a pedastal. After a few seconds, the recording stops, the room gets dark, the pictures in a stained glass window changes, and the artifact starts glowing. There are a few lines of dialogue in Japanese as the stained glass windows replays the events of the night HHIII disappeared. Some special effects, a starfield, and an incredible effect that remained just as incredible the second time around occur. The imagineers outdid themselves in this pre-show, which is worth the wait all by itslef.
Then we move into the loading area, which is the storeroom for HHIII various treasures. There are many that are fun to look at, and read the shipping crates as well. The ride system is the same as in Paris and DCA -- three two-level elevators. No forward motion into the dropshaft like at DHS. The actuall ride was as expected, with many scared Japanese kids. Japanese parkgoers aren't as big as Americans, I guess, so the extra seat in the back still exists, and I got it. Behold the giant-looking American in the Japanese version of Tower of Terror.
As you can see, I took a picture of my picture. Many people were doing that, so I didn't feel too bad. However, I would have actually purchased this shot if the line to purchase were not so long that it went out the door of the little shop. Wow -- merchandise must be making at mint at Tokyo Disney.
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
Great trip report. I like the observational style as that's how I tend to write them and did on my TDR report, which was posted on another site in 2010.
I agree about TDS's beauty ... I think my traveling companion put it best (and he has, like me, been to every Disney park on the planet) when he said that other Disney parks make you feel like you're on the set of a film ... and TDS makes you feel like your in the film. I agree.
There literally wasn't one spot that wasn't photogenic. I wondered what the OCD O-Town bloggers would do with stuff actually worthy of taking thousands of photos of ( I can see Tom Bricker drooling at this though!
:wave I seem to recall that much of the important signage (like safety as you noted) were dual language, but it was a deliberate OLC choice dating back to 1970s planning. They wanted the American Disney experience. Not one tailored to the Japanese market. That's why when TDL opened it had only one restaurant that served local cuisine (can't recall the name, but it is full serve on the right about halfway up World Bazaar).
I was with American friends (that had Japanese spouses) on all but my first day there and had NO trouble at all getting around and communicating.
I don't think it's quite so simple. Older attractions feature more English. Newer ones are either all Japanese or close. For instance, PoC was entirely in English except for the Talking Skull (yes, they still have it!) before the drop. When I was there the CBJ X-Mas show was playing and it was about 70% Japanese vs. 30% English. But attractions like Monsters: Ride and Go Seek are almost all Japanese.
I really think it depends largely on when the attraction was built. The newer it is, the less you'll understand.
In our 4 1/2 days at the resort in November/December 2010, that generally was the makeup of visitors. We didn't encounter a single American. There were a few Aussies and one group from Toronto we met in line for Peter Pan, but it's definitely a park that strongly skews to the home market.
I found almost no CMs that understood more than 3-4 words of English, except at Guest Relations at both parks where they had fluent CMs, including one at TDS that had worked the CP at EPCOT and loved chatting about WDW and her home resort!
Yes, the one thing you notice everywhere is the sheer number of CMs that are working whether you are loading on Splash Mountain, dining at a QSR or waiting for a parade (I'd guess TDL has 10 crowd control CMs for every one at MK!)
~Love the report and talking about TDR!~
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
That is standard practice across Asia. If you walk into a McDonald's or a KFC, they'll pull out the same thing if it isn't already on the counter (usually looks like a placemat menu). I had no problems ordering by pointing, although at TDS and the TDLH I had CMs with knowledge of English too.
And small too. VERY small portions. The typical WDW ECV driver would have to order 4-5 meals to feel full. I learned this lesson on Day 1 and wound up snacking quite a bit.
Part of it is the Japanese don't consume the roughly 11,234 calories a day that the average American does. But part of it is that the OLC (see, I can criticize them as well!) also chooses to serve very small portions because dining elsewhere in Tokyo (both local places and western chains, the portions were larger than TDR).
The food choice, though, is amazing. This isn't WDW where every QSR serves burgers, fries, chicken nuggets, pizzas/flatbread etc. You actually have to search if you specifically want a certain type of food ... sorta like you once did at WDW.
Also, (here comes another criticism of the OLC -- too bad it's down on a thread where no one reads!) anyone who drinks Diet Coke is in for a nasty surprise (I don't, but my traveling companion did and wasn't a happy camper) as there are only about two locations in BOTH parks as far as QSR or ODV carts that serve/sell either Diet Coke or Coke Zero. And for diabetics, your options are either go to those ... or buy water ... or iced tea, but here they fail again as they don't have any artificial sweetener. And they don get complaints about this as I gathered when we asked at Guest Relations.
But TDR is also unique in that it has two official soft drink suppliers: Coke and Kirin. And every QSR seems to have a different menu of choices (always Coke) but then it might be Fanta GRape ... or Kirin Grapefruit ... or some lime-flavored conconction. I loved it (but I went to Burger King yesterday for lunch just to play with the new Coke Freestyle machine).
For an American expecting Diet beverages everywhere, they're in for a rude awakening.
I strongly believe, and from talking to my local friends it would seem to be true, that many people opt for the snacks because the food is so expensive.
On the other hand, the Mickey shaped maple churro that I got in front of Sinbad's Storybook Adventures was the best I have had in my life for 350 yen. (Do we have a drooling smiley? ... hey ... Lee ... drooling smiley, please!)
Yep. I will always remember that Fantasyland at TDL smells like chocolate popcorn!
My favorites were mile tea and honey.
Characters
Characters were out quite frequently, and not only in specially built meet n greets. No matter where they were – lines were long. Some interaction was permitted, and several times, I saw characters run around an area shaking hands and high-fiving patrons without ever actually stopping for a photo set. It was nice, but odd as well because the character greetings in many areas were incongruous. Witness Goofy dressed as a wizard at Mysterius Island in TDS. Huge line of people materialized as soon as he did.
View attachment 27750
Unusual characters were out as well. I high-fived Abu as he ran around, almost got run over by a group of people chasing after what I think was Phil (from Hercules), and caught this foul fellow mingling with the crowd.
View attachment 27751
I clearly went at a slower time that you did (even after hearing warnings about how busy it would be -- Monday-Thursday overlapping the last few days of November and first few days of December) ... but only certain characters were popular. Mickey and Minnie, for instance were mobbed.
But standing near Zambelli Bros in TDS before Mythica, Pinnochio, his old man and his foes stepped out and were just hanging out so lonely with no handler and no one posing for pics, so we actually went up to them. After about 5-6 minutes, some Japanese office girls came up, but only wanted a photo OF them, not WITH them.
Duffy is to the Tokyo parks, what pintrading, vinyl, cards and all the character meets put together are to WDW.
It is that scary.
I realized this on Day 1 at TDL where everyone had some sort of Duffys, with smaller ones dangling from backpacks and cellphones and the like ... and not just little girls, old women, men of all ages ... it is a scary phenomenon.
All I needed was to see one thing: in the middle of the walkway from Westernland to Fantasyland, not too far from Dumbo, a female between age 16-25 was sitting and rocking a Duffy while attempting (I KID YOU NOT!) to breastfeed her plush (and I think fanbois are bad!
). No, she wasn't exposed, but it was very obvious what she was doing. Worse, hundreds of people passed her by (they could have tripped on her), including many CMs, and no one said a thing or even glanced at her in a funny way.I kept threatening to buy a Duffy and start beating him and yelling at him, but I was reasonably sure that is a criminal offense at TDR!
~Not Kidding At All!~
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
Yes. And they don't really pay much different than Disney does (with far fewer benefits -- no free main gate admissions for example), but the parks always have people around ... sorta like WDW did back 20 years ago!
It rains at TDR a lot, so most queues are covered and several other things (see further discussion) are arranged to deal with rain as well. Oriental Land has installed the latest technology to dry out public areas after it stops raining, too, as you can see in this pic from TDS --
View attachment 27749
maybe they have a few too many CMs -- they were actually taking bath towels, laying them on pavement, and then walking over them to soak up water. Over at TDL, CMs were bailing out the explorer canoes with cups from a nearby QS restaurant.
Finally, before I get into the attractions and atmosphere of the parks, a word or two about the Japanese people, at least those at Disney. Polite to a fault. Helpful as can be. Although almost everybody in the place was Japanese, most people seemed embarrassed that they couldn’t speak English to me. They went out of their way to assist when needed. Almost invariably, lines were a pleasant, orderly function at TDR – no pushing and shoving, no rushing (with one exception at park opening – I’ll mention later because it’s important). WDW, DLR, and especially Paris would be more enjoyable if guests were as polite and helpful there as they are at TDR. That said, there were very few attempts at conversation. This was OK with me, but noticeable. And everybody, I mean everybody, was playing with their smart phones in queues, while eating, watching parades, etc.
Yep. And my local friends tell me that many Japanese know some English, but are shy and don't want to say the wrong thing, so they act like they don't know any. It's weird, but I saw it myself in a few situations when a friend would switch from English to Japanese and then get the CM to start talking haltingly in English!
Much of that (and Duffy especially) is a culture of 'kawaii' in Japan ... it basically means anything 'cute' is in ... that (partially) 'splains everything from Hello Kitty to 64-year-old women dressing in school girl outfits to maid cafes.
I could offer that it all is cultural and a response due to Japan's role as an aggressor in WWII and the embarrassment that causes today's Japanese, but this is a discussion much better had with friends in the shadow of Mount Prometheus!
~Yes, I had that discussion!~
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
Sounds like you had typical crowds. I did a Monday/TDL, Tues./TDS, Weds./TDL, Thurs./TDS during the early Christmas season in 2010. I was worried about huge crowds (seeing and hearing about 2-3-4 hour waits for anything major etc) ... was thrilled that only Monday came close to being moderately crowded by TDR standards and that in four days the longest I waited for anything was 35 minutes for the Jungle Cruise (wished I had a translator along for that one!)
But I never get to parks in the morning (we were staying at a Good Neighbor Hotel about 20 minutes away via motorcoach) and made sure to arrive at 7:45 for an 8:30 opening! (guess I was too excited to sleep!)
Yes, another complaint I had about TDR. The OLC ticket policy really isn't guest friendly at all. If someone in your party gets sick and you have to skip a day, then you lose it. Also, I was negotiating a contract in China (that didn't work out) and thought I might like to upgrade my four-day ticket to a one-park (TDS AP). Guess what? They don't upgrade anything. Even if you have three days left on a four day ticket. Doesn't matter. You want an AP, you buy and pay full price. And you get NO discounts with it. None. On anything. And if you want to guarantee access to a park on days when they reach capacity, don't but the two-park AP because it doesn't guarantee anything. I have friends locally that own passes to both parks individually because that's the only way they are assured admission on the busiest of days.
On the other hand, when I went in late 2010, the four-day pass was about $180USD and that was a steal when you realize how much TDR gives you for your money.
Yep. It is chaos when the gates open with people of all ages running (and I do mean running) down WB to get FP's usually for Hunny Hunt and Monsters first, but also Mansion with the NBC overlay and Buzz Lightyear (for some strange reason).
Friends tell me they used to try and police it, but it just doesn't work.
it was crazy to watch a CM bending down to pick up popcorn that spilled, one piece at a time, yet not saying a word as folks ran. On the other hand, no one had a spill that I saw ... and, if they did, they wouldn't be doing the American thing of calling a lawyer and blaming Disney for their own behavior.
I think it's more of a hybrid that started out with more MK elements.
Tomorrowland and parts of Fantasyland do look like MK circa 1980. But then you have the New Orleans Square part of Adventureland and the Typhoon Lagoon type area of Adventureland ... Frontierland is a bit strange with the RR (due to Japanese laws) only going around parts of two lands (but also having far more to see than MK's) ... Fantasyland also has the weird juxtiposition of FLA's Mansion and original Dumbo, but also the unique Queen of Hearts Dining Hall and Pooh's Hunny Hunt ... oh, and right behind the 1975 circa Star Jets, you have almost a carbon copy of DL's Toontown.
This is a park with no transitions, you literally know you've changed lands by looking down and seeing the pavement color (also did you notice how 'rubbery' the pavement felt? it's a coating material they use due to seismic activity) change.
Some people criticize the place for this and I think it's valid. But the sheer quality of EVERTHING there just cancels it out for me.
BTW, don't know how much you did, but on my first day we did 18 attractions (including all the big E-Tix, Pooh twice ... 19 if you count Disney Gallery), saw THREE different and great parades, saw pyro, had two QSR meals and numerous snacks and shopped ... oh, and we left 20 minutes before the park closed. I was very excited by what we were able to do ... and it got better because crowds disappeared with each day. Thursday at TDS was virtually empty ... we got FP's for a scrapbook, not to use!
~I REALLY miss TDR!~
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
They gave it a different name because originally, and to some point today, World Bazaar may have similar facades to MK, but the shops and merchandise and dining was supposed to be more eclectic and not something themed to turn of the century Main Street.
Even now, there are places with art deco styling (the diner on Center Street heading toward T-land) that would totally look bizarre on MS, but fit fine on the Bazaar.
I wasn't bothered by it. Or by the Christmas tree being set up right in the middle of WB where Center Street bisects it.
I like the slow buildup to seeing the Castle ... like you used to get at WDW before they murdered every tree they could find.
The castle shouldn't dwarf everything else, but beckon guests further into the MAGICal realm! :animwink:
I think it looks different. I disagree that it doesn't look good.
Nope. Sadly, I went preparing to spend a few thousand dollars on stuff to bring home for family and friends (but mostly myself) and barely spent $200. You can't even find a decent tee shirt or baseball cap. They're not into pin madness (trading was banned less than a year after it started), so they don't have that many. There are a few nice books, but you can buy them for less on Amazon.com.
Oh, and WB also has a Club 33 hidden near the bank. And unlike Anaheim where quality has gone down as fanbois have bartered favors to get in on Disney forums and Craig's List etc ... Club 33 there still has some cache and is largely used by businessmen.
You have to view TDL's hub like a double hub because that's really what it is ... on the left you have the Crystal Palace like MK on the first 'ring' and the Plaza Pavilion (now Jolly Holiday Bakery and Cafe like DL) on the second ... on the right side, you have the Plaza Pavillion (like MK) on the first and the Tomorrowland Terrace (now Cosmic Ray's at MK) on the second.
It is just expansive and is needed due to crowds as well as parades and even the seasonal displays they set up.
BTW, I had to touch the grass to see if it were real as it is so green and so perfectly manicured.
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
Fantasyland
Fantasyland is home to the things you expect, including Dumbo, Peter Pan, Snow White, Philharmagic, a carousel, etc. It also has Winnie the Pooh and the Hunny Hunt, which we’ve all heard is the state of the art dark ride. Well, I would say that what we’ve heard doesn’t do it justice. This is what all dark rides should be. The queue is richly themed, as you walk amongst huge pages of a Pooh story (in English, ‘natch – see the pic below). I amused myself in line reading the pages with a faux John Cleese/Sebastian Cabot accent, which amused the Japanese people in line around me as well.
View attachment 27753
The cars (honey pots) in the ride aren’t on a track, but move independently with their motion controlled by computers, it would seem. The story hits the familiar blustery day, bounce with tigger (you can hear “The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers!” in Japanese, as all audio is in Japanese despite the queue being all in English), and heffalump areas, but instead of just moving through them on a track, each car does a slightly different route and sees different things. It was wonderfully enjoyable, and I rode three times. This is the ride to get your fastpass to first thing. The line was upwards of 75 minutes most of the day, except early in the morning, and last thing at night. This is what all F-land dark rides should be like. Every one in every park should be redone using this kind of ride system.
Yep. This is the same ride system they will be utilizing at Mystic Manor at HKDL and Ratatouille at DSP and at ... an attraction at SDL that I can't talk about yet (but maybe able to VERY soon!
) It takes a typical dark ride to an E-Ticket level. The storyline is pratcically identical from Otown, Anaheim and HK, but the execution makes it a must see. And understand it also uses REAL AAs ... so imagine the opening 'Blustery Day' scene in MK and change the static figures for AAs.
I went there first on Day 1. Grabbed a FP good for about 90 minutes later and got in a stand-by line that said 10 minutes. It was accurate, but by the time we got out, it was already up to an hour!
You do get closer on ALL attractions. You could touch Captain Jack Sparrow in PoC if you wanted to. They just don't have issues with people being all handsy at TDL. I went when IASW had its holiday overlay and enjoyed it ... the dark rides were all much superior to the MK because every effect actually worked. I believe we did Pan, SW and Pinnochio at least twice each.
PhilharMagic wasn't open yet and unfortunately we had missed a chance to see the Mickey Mouse Review, a childhood fave.
Never have gotten the real reason why Mansion was placed there. Marty Sklar told me once that it was either there or Frontierland (as the OLC 'ordered'/'bought' the MK version) and with the layout of the park, it seemed to best fit there because they knew BTMRR was going to be the first big E-Ticket addition, so it couldn't have gone there and would have clashed worse with the Old West look.
I saw the NBC version and loved it. Thought it was plussed over Anaheim by having extra AA's of the film's characters. I loved the way it looked at night, knowing how it would have looked in WDW.
[/QUOTE]The main problem with F-land is that the rides are just sort of placed there with little theming of the area. For example, this is an actual pic of Dumbo, not a flying elephant ride a local carnival. It just looked bad.
View attachment 27754
I am surprised it hasn't been updated yet. I know there have been plans for both Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, but they haven't really gone anywhere. T-Land was going to get a whole new look around Y2K, but OLC decided to put the $$$ into TDS and I can't argue with that. T-land looks like 1980, but at least it is perfectly maintained and the attractions are fine.
WDW1974
Well-Known Member
To be fair, they NEED that open space. When you have attractions that can have four-hour queues, you need lots of space.
I think there are lots of visual conflicts in this park that are so stark because of the perfection across the way. Sorta like DCA stands against DL or DSP against DLP.
I wonder if it looked any better when the Skyway was overhead ... and before the toons took over T-land (although complaining about that in this park is wrong when the tooned attractions are like Monsters: Ride and Go Seek!)
With three exceptions ... Space Mountain with the original speedramps out front are pure 1977 DL! ... And the Star Tours/Pizza Port complex is unique to TDL and still looks good to me!
Buzz is exactly like the DLR version, from queue to ride experience. Indeed, I visited DL-Anaheim one week later, and confirmed that the queues are identical. This pic is from Tokyo, but could be Anaheim.
View attachment 27755
On my first TDL day, Buzz had a steady wait of 110-120 minutes. I had no plans to ride there and never did. But it is hugely popular. Since I can walk on in HKDL anytime or wait a short time in DL or DLP, it made no sense to even attempt to ride it.
I only rode once with a FP. It is the same layout as Anaheim and HK without music and with a few different effects/projections. If it weren't that I had the FP, I probably would have skipped it. But I loved the lighting on it at night!
I also went to the stage show here, called One Man's Dream. It was a remarkable menagerie of various Disney characters dancing and singing, along with a talented crop of performers as backing singers/dancers. TDL has no problem mixing characters from different movies, it would appear. Here, for exmaple, is a shot of an early number, featuring Turk and King Louie.
View attachment 27756
Other numbers featured villains from various films all together, and a pirate number that included Captain Hook and Jack Sparrow. Overall, the number of characters in the 35 minute show was remarkably high. The tunes were the ones you one, but it was all sung in Japanese, except for the theme song of the show, "One Man's Dream", which was all sung in Japanese except the title, and the song "Hooray for Hollywood", which was sung in Japanese except for the title and the line "You could be Donald Duck!". Odd, that one. Good show, and it was nice to be back in a tomorrowland theater. No parking lot here.
You didn't mention how shows are so popular that you have to enter a lottery to get tickets! ... I thought it reminded me of an old Kid of the Kingdom type of show. And since it seemed to stop with the films of the late 90s (like Tarzan), it seemed a little tired although I enjoyed it and think MK needs a show like this. Just updated! ... Oh, and a venure to hold it in!
I think we had a 15-minute wait for it. I enjoyed riding it more for the queue and post-show.
The highlight of Tomorrowland for me was Monsters Inc, Ride & Go Seek. This is a great little ride. The plot is that Boo has come to visit Mike & Sully and they are going to play hide n seek in the laugh factory. You are loaded into a little car, which has flashlight in it, holstered like the guns in Buzz. You shine your flashlight looking for Boo and for friendly monsters hiding around the factory. It's great fun, and of course, at the end, you find Boo, but not until after evading Randall a few times.
View attachment 27757
This is a fun ride with a great premise. Very different than both the WDW and DL Monsters, Inc. attractions. Humorous bit from this attraction. At the end, just like at the end of the DCA ride, you go past, and stop in front of, Roz. And she's interactive. She said something to my little group of three cars. Everybody but me laughed. Then she said something else. Everybody else looked at me and laughed. Then Roz turned towards me and said "Bye-Bye". So I was mocked by a Japanese Roz, and I don't have any idea what she said.
E-Ticket all the way. And had the longest waits when I was there (consistently around two hours) ... parts seem lifted from UNI's MiB, but it is terrific. These are the expensive family-pleasing attractions that Disney steadfastly refuses to build at WDW anymore.
They are called attraction cards. And understand that there are certain American Disney Lifestyle freaks that are going to ruin this for guests from western countries because they are like art (I am framing a set of mine for my home office) and they'll go in and demand 5-6 of them a day across multiple days. I had a friend who used to work there help me score some from friends, but I've heard they've cracked down on giving them out ... and that was right after some famous 'online Twitter personalities' went and bragged about how many they brought back.
These folks are poison.
Anyway, have enjoyed reliving TDL through your thread ... will hopefully return later in the week, hope others find it because this does deserve reading for all the WDW fans who have never left the east coast of the USA etc.
Chrononymous
Well-Known Member
What a great trip report! I have always wanted to go there...and it's nice to visit it vicariously through someone else.
