Trip Report *COMPLETED* I've climbed the mountain, I've crossed the river, and I'm almost there!

Introduction

We've only been back from Japan since Saturday night but I am just itching to get started on this report! We had an absolutely AMAZING trip and I'm not ready to let it go, and writing my TR is one way for me to delay the inevitable return back to "the real world." :) This was the longest vacation I've ever taken, and like any long trip-or any new experience, for that matter-there were ups and downs, good moments and not-so-good moments. There were mistakes, mishaps, mountains, and monkeys. Yes, monkeys! There were surprises and there was DRAMMA!* There were things we will do differently next time we visit Japan, and believe me, we knew less than halfway through the trip that there WILL be a next time someday!

In case you missed the PTR, here it is: Bee's Big Birthday! There you can read about the cast, the general plans, and the reasons for planning this particular trip.

Now about the title: It's a reference to this song from The Princess and the Frog:



I have been kind of obsessed with this song lately and I found myself singing it in my head repeatedly during the trip. You'll see why soon!

So, if you're ready for a journey halfway around the world, thousands of photos, and Double Disney bookends, keep reading!

EDIT: The Tokyo Disney stuff starts here.

*I've mentioned it in previous TRs, but I like to spell "dramma" the Italian way because I'm an opera singer and what's more DRAMMAtic than Italian opera?? So please don't think I'm an idiot (for that reason anyway :hilarious:)!
 
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bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 17, cont.

As we exited the monorail I received this notification from the SPG app:

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Uhhh, thanks?

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Looking back at the station

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Approaching the hotel

On the way to the room we checked out some of the restaurants and amenities at the hotel.

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Explicitly vegetarian foods??? WHAAAAAAT??

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In the elevator:
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Some rooms had housekeeping staff inside. These rooms were clearly marked:
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I had stopped at the vending machine for a drink:
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Here are some more pictures of the room.

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(between the two beds)

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On the table:
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And out the window:
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Up next: Nap time
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'll be sure to leave my jet pack at home.....
😆 That might have been a better way to evacuate Aquatopia!!

Thanks for taking and sharing so many pictures! As I scrolled down there were times that I felt I was “walking along” and experiencing itwith you.
You're welcome! I am so enjoying reliving the trip through my photos, and I'm glad you're enjoying it too!
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 17, cont.

Back in the room we all agreed we needed a nap. We each set our alarms for two hours later. I woke up first well before the alarm and then the other two woke up, but neither of them realized the other was awake and they were being quiet so as not to wake the other. I sent a group text that said, "Everyone is awake." They both read it and laughed.

When I opened the curtains I saw this:

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(to the left from the balcony)

We all got ready to go and headed back to the monorail.

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There were actually two outside entrances on the front side of the hotel. The first time we went up a ramp to the second floor as that's where the lobby is. As we exited this time we went to the first floor, which is where buses and such go.

Back to the monorail...

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Dolphin??

We got to the park, scanned our tickets, and showed our hand stamps.

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The first order of business was food. Again I had researched and I knew that our only option in DisneySea besides the curry we'd had earlier was a pizza at Zambini Brothers Ristorante in Mediterranean Harbor.

Once we arrived, M found a table for us, and S and I ordered. I ordered all in Japanese and the CM responded all in Japanese and I understood (enough)! Woohoo!

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Pizza, wine, and minestrone. Turns out if an item doesn't EXPLICITLY say it's vegetarian...it's not 😢

After dinner we explored the nearby area.

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Beautiful like a rose

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Venetian gondolas

There was a whole kind of "hidden" area by the Venetian gondolas that was absolutely gorgeous. This was one of many times when I wished that WDW would learn from TDR. This area was soooo detailed and beautiful and there was so much to explore! It was like seeing what the Italy pavilion could be.

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I was trying to remember why we hadn't ridden the gondolas. Then I saw this photo of the line ;)

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Up next: American Waterfront
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
Loving this recent batch of photos -- and what a nice view from your hotel room, too!

Sorry to hear that you cut your finger when the ride started up. Sort of reminds me of how I always end up with war wounds from vacations, too! :hilarious: I always come home with leg bruises, usually from departing moving platform vehicles such as SSE, for example. Obviously, I am not coordinated! :p
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Loving this recent batch of photos -- and what a nice view from your hotel room, too!

Sorry to hear that you cut your finger when the ride started up. Sort of reminds me of how I always end up with war wounds from vacations, too! :hilarious: I always come home with leg bruises, usually from departing moving platform vehicles such as SSE, for example. Obviously, I am not coordinated! :p
Thank you! I feel like it's not a vacation without at least one injury or illness-and I got to have both on this trip! :hilarious:

Loving the TDS pics!!


Max
Thank you!
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 17, cont.

We spent a little more time in the Harbor before going to American Waterfront.

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Not a single veggie item!

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Look at the name of the olive oil company. It's Zambini Brothers-which is the name of the restaurant where we ate dinner. This "ad" is in American Harbor. So apparently the Zambini brothers emigrated to the US and now sell olive oil! I loved this little detail and how each land blended into the next, while maintaining its unique identity.

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We checked out the Toy Story area.

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We continued moving in American Waterfront.

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Up next: We try Aquatopia again...and what's the deal with the popcorn??
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 17, cont.

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We next went back to Port Discovery to try Aquatopia again as it had a short wait.

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I am pleased to say no one was evacuated this time and we actually got to ride. :joyfull: It was a fun ride and we had a good time.

When I was doing my research for this trip, I knew I wanted--no, NEEDED--to try the different popcorn flavors.

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We had heard about the special popcorn buckets, and they really were EVERYWHERE.

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Each kiosk only sold one flavor for simplicity. We noticed that most snack kiosks only sold one or MAYBE two things, and most restaurants had a very limited menu as well. I guess when your park is that busy you need to simplify and streamline!

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This particular flavor was black pepper and it was SO. GOOD.

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Next M got a churro from somewhere.

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It was also good!

Up next: I have a big butto... 😳
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 17, cont.

We went back to Mermaid Lagoon to check out some of the rides we'd missed earlier. Flounder's Flying Fish Coaster had a 25 minute posted wait so we queued up.

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At least they didn't have to use this part of the queue!

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We actually waited the full 25 minutes, but soon we were boarding! There was just one problem...this is a kiddie coaster and these cars were clearly made for children and/or Japanese-sized adults, NOT American-sized adults with big buttos like me! M got in first and I could not actually sit all the way down next to her! So we were stuck in a very uncomfortable and, at times, painful position for the entire ride. 😫 :hilarious:

Luckily, our Roaring Spirits FP window opened soon and those cars are made for all sizes of buttos!

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Up next: Back to Arabian Coast
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 17, cont.

We wandered back over to Arabian Coast and explored a bit.

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Some of the above photos are of a double-decker carousel (which I had never seen or heard of before!). We decided to ride.

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The carousel is Aladdin-themed (some of the "horses" are Genies!) and plays music from the film, but in waltz time as is traditional for carousels.

Up next: The song that is still stuck in my head to this day
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 17, cont.

S knew she wanted to see the fireworks show "Brand New Dream" and you know I was excited! We found a spot sort of in between Arabian Coast and Mermaid Lagoon, bought some snacks, and camped out to wait for the show.

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This time I had curry popcorn. It was also good, though black pepper remained my favorite.

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Waiting...blurrily...

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It's starting!

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It was a cute little show. I am used to Wishes and HEA and of course IllumiNations which all run 15ish minutes, and this one was only about five minutes. I did like the music, and the main "Brand New Dream" theme was stuck in my head for the whole rest of the trip, and still gets stuck in my head almost four months later! 😆 Here's a video with the full soundtrack:



I also realized later than the music I had been hearing at the monorail station as a train pulled in was an instrumental version of "Brand New Dream."

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Up next: It's cold...
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 17, cont.

S was flying back the next morning and this was her only park day, so we wanted to make sure she did everything she wanted to do. It was also getting quite cold, even for me (and I am hot all the time!) so we decided our next--and probably last--activity should be indoors. We decided to check out The Magic Lamp Theater, which houses a show that is part 3D film, part magic show, and part comedy show.

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NGL, we spend a LONG time outside waiting. Had we know how long it would take, we probably wouldn't have bothered.

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Preshow

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FINALLY in the theater

It was a cute little show, though of course if I spoke Japanese I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more! It was nice to finally sit down and be inside for a bit. Afterward we were done and walked back to the front of the park and then to the monorail.

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At Bayside Station we saw one of the cute Mickey buses. 🥰

We showered and got ready for bed. S packed as she had a somewhat early departure the next morning.

Day 17 Stats
Distance: 11.5 miles
Steps: 27790
Flights: 12


Up next: Disneyland Day!
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Sorry this is taking me so long! I just opened an opera in NYC so the past few weeks have been crazy with rehearsals! Maaaaaybe I'll finish my TR before we close??

Day 18: Thursday, January 3

We got up early so we could (maybe) beat the crowds a little better today than we had the day before. Since S was leaving we said our goodbyes and then M and I headed to the monorail.

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Mt. Fuji!

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Disneyland Hotel

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Well, we tried to beat the crowds!

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The night before we had bought some breakfast bread at one of the convenience stores in our hotel

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Even I was cold today! That's me in the hat and Mickey sunglasses :)

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Finally inside! One minute before opening!! :D

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This is Tokyo Disney's version of Main Street USA, called World Bazaar. It is covered since the weather can vary greatly in Tokyo!

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Up next: The FastPass hordes!
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 18, cont.

Our first goal was to get a FP for Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek, so we headed to Tomorrowland.

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Standby at 80 minutes, 8 minutes after opening

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Standby 100 minutes, 10 minutes after opening

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No Space for us!!

Surprisingly to us, Star Tours had a short standby wait, so that's where we went next.

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The ride was exactly the same as in Florida and California, but in Japanese. The loading area was a little different, as you can see above.

Next we needed a bathroom stop so we went into a nearby QS.

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Loved seeing these child seats in the bathroom stalls!

Up next: Pirates!
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 18, cont.

Pirates had a short(ish) wait posted so we went there next.

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View from the queue

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Tokyo Pirates is identical to Disneyland Pirates, but the redhead scene has not been updated (and probably won't here, if I had to guess).

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One hour and eight minutes after opening

We were hungry again and really wanted to try the Great American Waffle Company.

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But the line was about eight years long. So M waited on that line while I went to investigate other breakfast options nearby.

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Oops, I got distracted by the castle!

Up next: We find food! More castle pics!
 

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