Trip Report COMPLETED: BEST (DISNEY) MONTH EVER !! - Dec 2016 - 2 Continents, 2 Resorts, 6 Parks !!

amjt660 · Jan 19, 2017

Hello All
Just a quick note regarding tickets for TDR.
I purchased in advance through a travel agent.

I originally tried to do it online but I was unable to use a North American credit card (needed a local card and address).
So I had two options - Show up in Japan and buy at a Disney store or at the park or use the TA

Because the dates are considered peak season I had to buy for the exact days I was visiting (even had to decide which park to visit on each day).
My concern was that if I waited until I arrived to purchase I may not get a ticket (Yes it is that busy).
So I sucked it up and paid extra to the Travel Agent to buy them for me.

The two day pass is 13200 Yen online ( approx. 132 US) but I paid 16090 Yen (approx. 160 US) to the TA.

Another thing to note is that even though the parks are side by side (Disneyland and Disney Sea) the ability to park hop does not exist until the third day of your stay. So I could not park hop in my 2 days.

You pick a park for Day 1, then the other park for Day 2 and then Day 3 you can enter both.

I will do another update tonight - I do not have my pictures on my work laptop

Thanks
Max

amjt660 · Jan 19, 2017

Part 1 Day 9 - Disneyland

OK so now we can get to some of the fun stuff.
As I mentioned above I was staying offsite so I went down after breakfast and boarded the shuttle.
And by shuttle I mean full size coach bus. (I did not take a picture but it was decorated for Disney and said Good Neighbour Hotel")

This was probably my biggest regret of this trip. My coworker helped me book the shuttle and it was free so I used.it.
But the first available was at 7am and the park opened at 8. So by the time I got there and made it through bag check it was 7:25.
The line was already long. Probably at least 300people in front of me in my line for my gate only.
When I went in 2006 I took 2 trains to get to the park really early (85min)but I was 10 people back in line.
So I probably lost one ride per day in those first 20 min.
(learn from my mistakes)

Monorail - check out the windows!!
Note: This is the bag check line - in the distance you can see the lines for the actual gates

Ths is the Disneyland Hotel - did not get to go inside

It was a little cool in the morning - above freezing - probably around 5 C or 41 F.
By mid day it got up to around 12 C or 55F

I meet this two young ladies in front of me in line.
We had a broken English / some limited Japanese / mostly using my phone to show pictures conversation
They were going to TDL for today only and were very surprised to hear that I was going to both parks in 2 days.
And if you are not aware the "peace" sign is very popular in Japan whenever taking pictures - so get used to seeing it!!

They opened the gates at exactly 8am ( everything in Japan runs nearly exactly on time - you can set your watch by the train departures)

I got through the gates at 8:20 and ran to the first ride - Yes ran - they do not police it anywhere close to the US sites.

Some quick pictures on the way in...

Now the Main Street is actually called World Bazaar and as you can see above it is covered.
Can you get a feel for how many people are here??

First stop was Monsters Inc Ride and Go seek - to get a fast pass

Old school Fast Pass machines and boards.

As you can see above this pic was around 7:25am
My time window ended up being 12:25-13:25pm (at 8:30 am in the morning!!)
So I could not get my next one till 10:25 am (2 hours)

Next stop was to try to ride Standby for Pooh's Hunny Hunt
But by the time I got there the line was already posted at 60 min and it looked even longer
So I moved on to my first actually ride.

Before going though I spotted these two and they were very willing to have their picture taken
The Disney Spirit is alive and well in Tokyo!!
Make note of the sunglasess - that is the wonderful thing about Tiggers you know

One more thing though
As I was walking/jogging to Pooh at 8:35 am I witnessed multiple families claiming spots on the sidewalk for the 12:30 parade.
It was going be that type of day...

Up Next - I actually get onto a ride!

amjt660 · Jan 19, 2017

Part 1 Day 9 - I finally get on a ride

So my next stop was Peter Pan's flight. When I did my whirlwind tour in 2006 ( I did TDS from open to 3pm and then TDL from 3:30pm to 10pm close) I did not do many rides in TDL. It was late afternoon and very busy ( A common theme).

So I was trying to catch the rides I missed last time and Pan was one of them

Some pics along the way

Poohs Hunny Hut - I will see you again much later...

Small World - look a lot like DLR in Anaheim

The back of the castle (dont worry I took pictures of the front later)

And finally I made it to Peter Pan (look familiar??)

I met these 2 in line at PP- I noticed a lot of people sporting some pretty awesome head gear - a lot more than actual tshirts or sweatshirts.

A couple of pics of the loading area - I did not take any pictures on the rides - I wanted to soak it all in if you know what I mean

Pan was fun - did not notice anything drastically different

After the ride I looked at the wait time for the Haunted Mansion - it is transformed for Nightmare before Christmas
The line was long so I decided to skip (I rode it here last time and have experienced it in Cali before too)

I then walked past the entrance way towards Critter Country
It was not warm enough for Splash yet so I decided to come back

Next up: Ride number 2 - I know - very exciting!!

amjt660 · Jan 19, 2017

I forgot to add this pic of the Monster Inc Fast Pass machine

It actually laughed and giggled at you as it printed out your FP

amjt660 · Jan 21, 2017

Part 1 Day 9 - Ride number 2?
So after walking past the entrance to Critter Country I headed toward Westernland.
It is pretty much the same as Frontierland ( Country Bear, Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain Riverboat and Big Thunder)
Unfortunately this is what I found

The big bushes are the universal symbol of closed for refurbishment. Its too bad because I missed this one last time.
Moving on I found a cool Toy Story display

I decided to go to Adventureland to ride...

The wait was 30 min so I got into line. There was a very nice family behind me and we started talking about Disney (of course).
I was using my phone to translate English to Japanese when the conversation stalled out.
The last thing I typed in was " tell me when to laugh" - the Dad understood that I would not be able to get any of the jokes !!

I loved the matching hats and they were happy too!

Next Up - the Jungle Cruise

amjt660 · Jan 21, 2017

Part 1 Day 9 - Jungle Cruise
So after a 35 minute wait I boarded and took off for a jungle adventure.
I only took a few pictures and regret that I did not take one of the skipper
He was so enthusiastic and energetic - I assume he was funny because everyone else was laughing
At one point I did look at the Dad right after a joke and smiled - so did he - we had an international Disney moment together !

af

After the cruise I wandered around abit and headed back to Tomorrowland.
Space was up to 60 min and I decided to hold off ( mistake #2 - it would never be below 90 after that and I would miss it again)

Kept walking and wandered into ToonTown - this one reminds me of DLR

The Maleficent girls noticed my Canada hat and we chatted for a few minutes
This was the go crazy pic - the normal smiling one was not as fun

I did not ride Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin - I did it once at DLR and got very dizzy (I also avoid the teacups now).

So next up was a classic ride around the world...

This one felt very familiar and comfortable

Next up: More Small World!!

amjt660 · Jan 22, 2017

After small world I walked back over to Poohs Hunny hunt.
It was almost 10:25 so I was hoping to get a Fastpass
I waited to my exact time (acutally tried 1 minute early but it did not work) and got a Fast Pass for 9:40pm !!
Yes, I almost missed out on all the FP"s (since the park closes at 10).

Next up I went to Splash Mountain

This the only ride at TDL that has a single rider line so I took advantage of it.
Regular standby was over 1 hour - I was able to get on in 9 min (most of it being the walk through the queue!)
I was lucky (?) enough to be put in the front row. Had a great ride with the lady besides me and the result was this...

I adopted the local culture (peace sign)
I really should try to show more emotion when I am on rides

Next Up : Lunch (line)

amjt660 · Jan 22, 2017

Part 1 Day 9 - Lunch(line)
So I decided to try to find some food at this point. (having not eaten since 6:45am)
Unfortunately the lines for food were similar to rides and shows.
So when I came off Splash and found a food counter with only 6 people in front of me I jumped on it.
Lunch was a hot dog tortilla (actualy tasted great) and 2 churros and a hot chocolate).
It was still cool, the wind was picking up and the water to my face on Splash was cold too!.

After eating I walked over to Fantasyland and caught a few minutes of the day time parade (Happiness is Here).
Unfortunately I did not stake out a spot for a few hours so I was only able to watch as I walked along.
As you can see in the one pic below I was being told to keep moving as I tried to take a picture.

After the parade cleared out I went to a show

I have seen this one enough to get the plot even in Japanese.
Next up was my FP for Monsters Inc

This was a really good dark ride addition to the park.
The concept is similar to Buzz but without points.
Each passenger has a flashlight.
When you aim it at a monster inc helmet emblem then something happens
Monsters jump up Boo starts to sing, etc.
It was vey fun
C is a huge Boo fan - she would have loved this one (this is one many times in the day when I wish my family was with me)

I grabbed a FP for Star Tours (only one available that I wanted -Space was "sold out") then I got back in line to ride Monster Inc again
The line was 70 min and being so unique to TDL I wanted to do it again.

Next Up : Wandering around checking out the hub

amjt660 · Jan 22, 2017

I forgot to mention in the last post to take a close look at the Monsters inc world map.
This one is on the ceiling of the building.
I liked how the map is pictures of doors to kid's bedrooms.

Max

amjt660 · Jan 22, 2017

Part 1 Day 9 - Checking out the hub
So after 2 rides on Monsters Inc I went to the hub and the World Bazaar and took some pics.

Below is a line up in the Bazaar to have your picture taken with the tree
Basically if you go to TDR you better be ready to queue up for everything.
Especially on the weekend.
Now the cool thing about it is that everyone is very polite and orderly about it.

Next up was my FP for Star Tours (so I used 3 FP all day)

C3PO talked in Japanese - R2D2 sounded the same.....
This one is "the Adventure continues" We had Vader at the start - I was not the Rebel spy

I did some shopping in the Bazaar but held off on souvenirs .
Disney Sea is celebrating 15 years and I knew I wanted to pick up something based on that on Sunday.

Next Up : The search for food continues

amjt660 · Jan 23, 2017

Part 1 Day 9 - Search for food (Part Deux)
So after some shopping I was starting to get hungry again
First stop did not look promising

So I went back to Fantasyland and found this

It is a cafeteria style restaurant
The line outside looked short but was longer inside - I would guess a 30 minutes wait

amjt660 · Jan 23, 2017

The theming of this was was top notch.
I again did not take food pics but I remember eating 2 entrees because I was so hungry at this point.
So I grabbed two trays at the start and ended up with 1 drink, 1 salad, 2 entrees and 2 desserts
After I paid a CM asked if I needed help and I say yes (or High! in Japanese).
The embarrassing part was when he asked me how many people and I said 1.
He gaves the trays a quick look and walked me to a table. (lol)

Next up I walked over to Adventureland and walked up the Swiss Family Tree House

Found a Christmas display

And took some pictures of the Cindy's castle at night (no icicle lights)

So with long lines everywhere I decided to camp out on a curb in the hub to catch the nighttime parade
Next up : Dreamlights!!

Tuvalu · Jan 24, 2017

Enjoying your report very much since I will never visit Tokyo. :geek:

amjt660 · Jan 24, 2017

Tuvalu said:
Enjoying your report very much since I will never visit Tokyo.

Tuvalu
Thanks for the reply and for following along
I really enjoy reading about your adventures and I am jealous at the frequency that you can go to Disney.

With regard to Tokyo (or Shanghai, Hong Kong, Paris, Anaheim) all I can say is never say never!!
If you asked me 15 years ago when I took my two daughters for the first time if I would ever get to 3 other resorts in my lifetime I would have laughed in your face.
Never say Never - Keep the faith - Make it happen !!!

Max

PacNWTigger · Jan 24, 2017

The theming of the Alice restaurant looks amazing! I love the look of the stained glass windows! Thank you for sharing your wonderful pics.

kimberlymautz · Jan 24, 2017

Love your Trip Report so far! I've always wanted to go to Tokyo but now I'm not so sure with those crowds! Haha.

amjt660 · Jan 24, 2017

PacNWTigger said:
The theming of the Alice restaurant looks amazing! I love the look of the stained glass windows! Thank you for sharing your wonderful pics.

Your very welcome and thank you for following along.
The theme was the main reason I went to the Banquet Hall
I think the food was good (to be honest I was so hungry I could have eaten tree bark and thought it was good!!) but I knew I enjoyed the atmosphere last time and wanted to do it again.
Thanks
Max

amjt660 · Jan 24, 2017

kimberlymautz said:
Love your Trip Report so far! I've always wanted to go to Tokyo but now I'm not so sure with those crowds! Haha.

Thank you for replying

To be honest on crowd volume I did sort of pick the perfect storm - going to Disneyland on a Saturday a few weeks before Christmas.
Their Christmas event (Christmas Fantasy) runs from Nov 8 to Dec 25. Compared to WDW which was Nov 13 to Jan ?? - sometime after New Years. So by going Dec 10 - 11 I was getting close to the end of the celebration.

Also understand that Tokyo as a city is about 14M people but when you add in the surrounding cities and treat as a whole it is 38M.
That is larger than the entire population of my country (Canada is around 35M).

According to most theme park attendance estimates TDL is #2 behind WDW Magic Kingdom for attendance. I saw a 13.7M customer number for 2014 posted on an internet page.

So I would not be scared away by the numbers or crowds - I just lowered my expectations.
If you go on a personal trip just go midweek.

Japan has national holiday weeks (one is called Golden Week). For most locals these can be the only vacations that they get. So if you go midweek and avoid these special holiday weeks I am sure it is much better than what I experienced.

Thanks
Max

amjt660 · Jan 24, 2017

Part 1 Day 9 - Dreamlights
So I decided to camp out for a good spot for the parade. Mind you I was only 90 min prior to the start - not 4 hours like some were doing in the morning.
So as I sat down on the cold concrete and the wind picked up and the temp dropped I realized that I was not prepared for this at all.
I brought a winter hat and gloves with me to Japan but did not bring them into the park (Mistake #3 for those counting!!)

So I asked the family beside me to watch my backpack (that was saving my spot) and went looking for a blanket.
I did not like what I found until I saw this ...

It is a mat to sit on - complete with foil base - in science terms the ground was no longer acting like a heat sink drawing every Joule of heat out of body (like the post if you get this point!!!)
So now I was able to lie back, relax , pull my hoody up and try to stay warm.
But in the end it was worthwhile because IMHO..
Move over Spectromagic, MSEP , Paint the Night and Tapestry of Dreams - Dreamlights is the best night parade I have ever seen!
I am sure this might spark some debate but for me this parade rocks

So without further adieu I give you Dreamlights - I will not comment on individual pics - the way the floats changed colours as they passed by was unbelievable.