A Tokyo Disney Trip Report

[MichWolv]

While Tower of Terror is amazing, and the visuals in American Waterfront are great, there is little to recommend in terms of attractions in the rest of the land. Turtle Talk has a great queue, showing scenes from the life of the SS Columbia, in which the attraction is located. I didn't actually bother with the attraction itself, as speaking turtle in japanese didn't appeal. A dockside stage played a show hosted by Minnie, and there were vehicles that you could ride from the New York portion of the land to the Cape Cod portion, but that's about it, except for stops on the TDS Electric Railway and the TDS Transit Steamer.

I did ride the Electric Railway between PD and AW. It's a nice ride, but you can certianly walk it faster. Take the railway if there's a short line for a great views, but otherwise, its real purpose is ambiance, and blocking off Mediterranean Harbor from AW, which it does well. I noticed that the line at the PD station was generally short, while the line in AW was longer, so ride from PD if you'd like.

The Transit Steamer has stations in AW, Lost River Delta, and Med Harbor. I boarded in AW, intending to disembark in Med Harbor, as it seemed the Transit Steamer served the same function as the MK railroads in every MK park but TDL. I was a bit surprised when the Steamer I boarded in AW just did a round trip! It wasn't transportation at all, but just a ride. I got good views of the LRD and MH docks that I didn't stop at. And other boats were serving them. I don't know what happened, as all the narration was in Japanese, so I really don't know if I experienced the normal service or an anomoly. That being said, you MUST take a ride on the Steamer. The views are incredible, especially going around Port Discovery, through the river in LRD, and, most especially, through the crater of Mt Prometheus/Mysterious Island. Being on the Steamer is the only way to see the crater from center of the bottom of it, and the view is simply amazing. So take the Steamer, and let me know if you are given the chance to get off somewhere other than where you got on.

Mediterranean Harbor

The last land to discuss is the first land you see upon entry. Mediterranean really has three somewhat separate areas at this point. First is the entry area, with shops and restaurants under the MiraCosta Hotel. Second is a Venice-themed area with canals (including a gondola ride), more restuarants and cafes, and more shops. Third is the harbor/lagoon which is surrounded by pathways and viewing areas. The harbor is where the DisneySea versions of parades and nighttime spectaculars are shown.

There are only two "attractions" in MH. First is the gondola ride. I didn't ride, but did see some boats in the canals. From what I could tell, it seems to be a variation on the Jungle Cruise, as the gondolier was talking and the passengers were laughing from time to time. The gondolier was also teaching some Italian to the passengers on the way. I would have ridden if time had permitted, but didn't really feel like I was missing much, given the language problem.

The second attraction is called Fortress Explorations. The Fortress is is a multi-level area between the lagoon and Mt Prometheus, featuring a ship and dock at water level, towers and observation levels above, and a bunch of passageways, bridges, and arches that lead all over the place. It's all styled as something that you would think Leonard da Vinci and his peers might have built. And indeed, that is the plot. This is a walk-through attraction that is the some of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. Throughout the fortress are gadgets and gizmos aplenty that the members of the society built hundreds of years ago to show off their knowledge and discoveries. There are some English attraction cards that describe four different characteristics that members of the society encouraged the pursuite of -- Romance, Discovery, Adventure, and Innovation. The cards point out some of the wonderful little rooms and gadgets that you can play with, look at, use, or just admire.

It is difficult to explain how incredibly interesting and amusing this area is. Take time to wander around and explore. Like everything else, the signs in the rooms are in English, so you can figure out how to work most things. This is exactly the kind of attraction that most people miss and think they are missing nothing. But Disney nuts like us know that these are the hidden gems that make the Disney park experience special. Take your time. Wander around. Go up and down the different towers and staircases (and an elevator if need be). Play with the moving planets in the planetarium. See the foucalt pendulum. Look for the things the little cards point out, and be alert for other interesting sights. And just explore.

As you do, you will notice Japanese families exploring with a special map and sometimes triggering hidden message and functions in the rooms. Yes, this is actually the precursor to Kim Possible, and Sorcerors of the MK. Leonardo's Challenge adds a whole additional level to the Fortress Explorations, as hidden (and sometimes not so hidden) things pop up and information is revealed. Unfortunately, the maps for the Challenge are all in japanese, and the messages that you can trigger are also only in Japanese. I decided to try anyways, and sort of mucked around triggering a few things without really understanding. Still, the longer I studied the pictures and things on the Challenge map, the more fun I had with it. And then I started following a Japanese family around and gained a bit more insight. Give it a shot -- the worst that happens is that you go home with a cool-looking map that you couldn't do anything with.

I'll cover the lagoon shows a bit later, but first a few other notes about MH. I ate lunch at a counter-service Italian place that was actually pretty good, although, as I'd come to expect, quite expensive. Visually, this area is a remarkable accomplishment. MH is huge, completely encircling the lagoon and including the canals and shops, and yet the theming never breaks and you can just about never see anything that looks out of place. Take a walk around the lagoon and you'll be amazed at how this was accomplished.

 

[WDWFigment]

I'm through the Tokyo Disneyland (park) portion of the report so far--great stuff. Sorry to hear that your photos were lost. Since you said you've recovered some of them, I assume you've used memory card recovery software? If not, try a few different pieces of software (you can easily find it free online)--that might help recover the rest.

Do you happen to know whether you stayed in one of the "Celebrio" rooms at Hilton Tokyo Bay? We are staying at the Hilton Tokyo Bay later this year, and the person with whom I spoke about booking us the room was very excited about the Celebrio room. I've heard great things about this hotel, so I'm curious to hear more of your insight regarding it.

As for the rest of the report (that I've read), very insightful. Most of what you've written falls into line with what I've read elsewhere. Thanks for the perspective on the crowds at opening. I've always heard they're crazy, but hearing it and having it described in terms I can envision brings more perspective. Twice the area of the MK entrance-bus station area. Wow.

Thanks to the advice of WDW1974, which aligned perfectly with Japanese crowd calendar sites I found and translated, we're visiting during a time of year that is generally the slowest, but I'm still concerned about crowds. I think we'll avoid the parks Friday - Sunday, the worst days from what I understand, and will do other things in Tokyo those days.

TDS days are next on my reading list. Thanks for the great report!

 

[Amber]

Loving this report - thank you!

"gadgets and gizmos aplenty" verrrrryyyy niiiice. :lol:

 

[MichWolv]

I'm through the Tokyo Disneyland (park) portion of the report so far--great stuff. Sorry to hear that your photos were lost. Since you said you've recovered some of them, I assume you've used memory card recovery software? If not, try a few different pieces of software (you can easily find it free online)--that might help recover the rest.

Yes, I did try several pieces of software to recover, and they did help some, but sadly, most seems to be lost.

Do you happen to know whether you stayed in one of the "Celebrio" rooms at Hilton Tokyo Bay? We are staying at the Hilton Tokyo Bay later this year, and the person with whom I spoke about booking us the room was very excited about the Celebrio room. I've heard great things about this hotel, so I'm curious to hear more of your insight regarding it.

I stayed in a "Happy Magic" room -- ridiculous name, but nice room. It was the cheapest room available, and since I was travelling alone, anything with a bed, a shower, a desk, and reasonable climate and noise-control would suffice. The room I had, despite being on the cheap end of things (although not anything that I would actually call cheap, given general Tokyo price levels), was large and well appointed. It even had a few built in "Happy Magic" things, like a large key that, when put into a keyhole in one wall, would trigger a sparkly effect on the ceiling.

The things I liked best about the hotel overall were breakfast and the convenience store. Breakfast was a buffet including Japanese and western foods. The food was hot, tasty, and constantly refreshed. Having a huge breakfast before experiencing Tokyo Disney Resort food prices was very helpful. The convenience store is essentially a 24-hour 7/11 in the hotel. Grab some snacks and drinks there before heading to the parks in the AM.

As for the rest of the report (that I've read), very insightful. Most of what you've written falls into line with what I've read elsewhere. Thanks for the perspective on the crowds at opening. I've always heard they're crazy, but hearing it and having it described in terms I can envision brings more perspective. Twice the area of the MK entrance-bus station area. Wow.

No matter how prepared you are for this, you won't be fully-prepared. The number of people that arrive before opening is insane. And the speed with which they change from a well-ordered, well-mannered, polite group of people while waiting to get into the gates to a rampaging herd like the one that trampled Mufasa as soon as they are through the gates is truly shocking. Thankfully, they return to the well-mannered organized group as soon as they get their first fastpass and ride their first attraction.

Thanks to the advice of WDW1974, which aligned perfectly with Japanese crowd calendar sites I found and translated, we're visiting during a time of year that is generally the slowest, but I'm still concerned about crowds. I think we'll avoid the parks Friday - Sunday, the worst days from what I understand, and will do other things in Tokyo those days.

TDS days are next on my reading list. Thanks for the great report!

I was there Thurs-Sat in a slow time of year (winter when school was in session), and while all three days had good crowds, nothing close to unbearable.

 

[MichWolv]

Loving this report - thank you!

"gadgets and gizmos aplenty" verrrrryyyy niiiice. :lol:

It was the best thing I could think of, and since Ariel has such a large presence in the park, it seemed fitting.

 

[MichWolv]

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

While I won't comment on what Tom Bricker is thinking, I agree. Never at TDS did anything look out of theme. From buildings, to pavement, to fastpass machines, to water fountains, everything you can see fits.

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 surprised that the "American Disney experience" meant attraction signs and backstory only in English (which most Japanese don't understand), but didn't mean "Burgers and fries at every restaurant". No complaints from me, as it made navigation easier and the attractions more enjoyable, and I didn't go to Tokyo for a burger.

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.

No, it isn't quite so simple, which is why I tried to comment when discussing individual attractions as to the language used. But in general, if you go expecting signs in English and audio in Japanese, you'll be right a lot more often than you'll be wrong.

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!)

I think TDR has three times as many CMs as WDW in every area. Crowd control, attractions, food service, custodial, security, merchandise. It's amazing.

 

[MichWolv]

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.

I agree that the variety of food choices at TDR is excellent, the prices are large, and the portions small. But as for the Japanese not consuming as much food -- with the number of snacks and boatloads of popcorn they were snatching up, I'm guessing the caloric intake was comparable to WDW visitors.

And as an aside, I think WDW does a pretty good job at having a variety of food options, except at MK.

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'm a diet pop drinker, and I noticed this, but it was easy to deal with. The Hilton had a convenience store, and I just grabbed a couple bottles in the morning before heading to the parks.

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!

Well described. I agree, and I think the breast-feeding lady was still there.

 

[WDW1974]

TDL, visually, has two problems, I think. The first is the frozen in time problem with Tomorrowland. The second is that it doesn't seem that much attention was really paid to the visuals parkgoers would see -- attractions, restaurants, and shops were plopped down into the lands they belong in but with no thought towards sightlines or visual perceptions.

The frozen in time doesn't bother me as much as others because I have watched them butcher the American T-lands in attempts to redo them. ... I think the visuals issue is fair, although it also has gotten much worse as the park developed. Originally, there was some more open space/transition area that has disappeared as the park added two lands and many new and, often, large scale attractions.

I know the visuals really bug some people, but I'd rather have a top quality MK with some quirky vistas. Besides, they've totally ruined the MK's visuals in FLA so that you can see things from all over that you really shouldn't ... and they HAD it right there for decades.

The second mistake was avoided when Splash Mountain was built, and then completely avoided for DisneySea, which has such perfect visuals from anywhere in the park that I could just wander around for hours looking at stuff and smiling.

True and true ...

~TDR is magical!~

 

[WDW1974]

Ok, continuing with the rest of TDL.

Westernland

The area we are familiar with as Frontierland is called Westernland at TDL, but is instantly recognizable. Architecture and style is what you’d expect. Westernland also has some rather unthemed wide open space as well, about as big as the unthemed open space in Tomorrowland.

The Rivers of America are here, with the riverboat and rafts to Tom Sawyer’s Island. Frontierland’s big attraction is Big Thunder Mountain, and it had 80+ minute lines just about all day. Finally, towards the evening, the line was around 40 minutes when I rode. Ride is comparable to the MK with no significant differences that I noted. However, Big Thunder and the Westernland Railroad (more on that later) run close to each other and close to the river in a way that creates nice visuals.

I noticed a few extra effects and props on BTMRR ... pretty much what I noticed in each and every attraction that was also in the USA ... they all were plussed at least a small bit and they were all run in great shape.

I do like the way the WRRR, BTMRR and the RoA are all sorta intertwined with Critter Country looming in the distance.

Also, liked walking into a western themed shop and finding boots, coats, hats, western themed items etc. Much preferred over a pin shop.

I don't think we waited at all for BTMRR ... no, I know we didn't. Used a FP on it both times we rode.

Westernland also has the Country Bear Jamboree, which rotates shows different parts of the year between the original Jamboree, the Vacation Hoedown, and the Christmas Spectacular. Unfortunately, Jamboree was playing on my visit – I’d have liked to see one of the other shows that I haven’t seen in a long time. Songs here are presented roughly half English/half Japanese, and it isn’t exactly the same set, but pretty close.

Seeing the CBJ's X-mas show was definitely a plus for me ... although I am fairly certain it isn't exactly the same as the version that used to play at DL and MK ... and not just 'cause most of it was in Japanese.

Loved seeing the Marc Davis artwork all over the theater lobby too. Even an attraction like this sees so much love, care and detail, it's shocking when you consider the WDW product.

Visible from just about anywhere in Westernland is the Western River Railroad, which oddly boards in Adventureland. The RR has most of the elements from Disneyland’s railroad, including the scenes of settlers and Indians, and the Grand Canyon and Primeval World dioramas. It also does a complete circle around the Rivers of America, and in certain parts, is set up about 10 feet above the water level right by the shore, so it’s a nice view. It runs around and adjacent to parts of the Jungle Cruise and Big Thunder, offering views of parts of those attractions. It does not run through Splash Mountain, however. Narration is all in Japanese, but it wasn’t too hard to figure out what you were looking at. The big difference though is that this train is a round trip starting and ending in Adventureland – it does not provide transportation around the park. As such, it felt odd. A sort of eclectic group of things to see that don’t necessarily go together and don’t form a plot. But with some nice views. And the fact that the train travels around the Rivers of America makes for some nice view of the train from all over Westernland.

No choice, as any train that has multiple stops is considered transportation by law and requires paid admission (like the TDR monorail system), so they did what they could. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Critter Country

Critter Country is a small land that, rather oddly, branches off of Fantasyland around the corner from the Haunted Mansion. However, once you enter the area, it is very nicely themed. Winding paths go in various directions and take you in and out of the rockwork, allow great views of Splash Mountain, and go under the railroad tracks down to the shore of the Rivers of America. The paths are tranquil and interesting. You can tell this land was built after the rest of the park. The visuals that are missing or incongruous elsewhere are done very well here.

Yep ... and it also hosts a great QSR -- Grandma Sara's Kitchen, which almost is an extension of Splash Mountain. Had my first TDL meal here. Tasty food too.

Unfortunately, Splash Mountain was down, so I couldn’t ride. The only other ride in the area is the explorer canoes (called “Beaver Brothers Explorer Canoes”, I think). I didn’t take time to ride the canoes, but the experience looked familiar, save the time I saw the CMs bailing out the canoes after the rain using plastic and paper cups.

That is a shame as TDL's Splash is the best version out there. Not only is it plussed, not only does everything work like it just opened yesterday, but you don't get wet (let alone soaked) on it. You get a tiny bit of mist at the bottom ... because I guess Japanese people are just classier than Americans and Europeans and don't think it's fun walking around in soaked clothing!:drevil:

This is one of the park's best. Shame you didn't get to ride it!

Toontown

Toontown here branches off from the spot where Fantasyland and Tomorrowland come together. Seeing the three lands in one view was rather jarring. Once in Toontown, it looks like (and is) an exact mirror image of Disneyland’s Toontown. I spent little time, as I would be in Disneyland only a week later.

Yeah. Didn't see many changes. Spent less time here than any other land ... basically did a 20-minute walk and rode Roger Rabbit, which is identical to Anaheim except in language!

Adventureland

Adventureland, like Tomorrowland, is huge and benefits from having the extra entry direct from World Bazaar rather than only through the hub.

Pirates of the Caribbean is here. It is the version we know, updated for Sparrow, Barbossa and Davy Jones, and the audio is largely in English.

I would just point out that it's very close to the DL version, not the MK, as befitting its New Orleans Square-esque locale. But it has a larger indoor queue (not needed in my experience ... one night during fireworks we rode and had an entire boat to ourselves, a very MAGICal moment), Blue Bayou restaurant, but only one drop down the waterfall (not two like DL), also you see a chest with a heartbeat sound coming from it when you get into the caverns to tie into the PoC movie mythos. Also, pirates chase women as it should be ... and they aren't looking for a turkey leg, either!

The Tiki Room is also here. The waiting area is beautiful. It has the Tiki god statues and descriptions (in English, like all other written signs) like at Disneyland, and is set up for a pre-show performance like at WDW. Unfortunately, there was no preshow, and the Tiki statues never did their little show either. Disappointing. The actual Tiki room show is very Hawaiian themed, with Stitch playing a large part, and is presented entirely in Japanese. It was enjoyable, and featured Hawaiian Roller Coaster, the Hawaiian War Chant, and other appropriate songs. Jose, Michael, Fritz, Pierre are there, but have Hawaiian names. Stitch wants to be in the show and pretends to be a Tiki god in order to join. In the end, of course, everybody ends happy. At this point, you may be wondering how I followed the plot. It’s because this show has a device available that shows the dialogue and lyrics in English during the show. Without it the only words I would have understood were "Stitch" and "Big Kahuna" which apparently don't translate to Japanese. Ask a cast member while you are in the lack of a pre-show area and she’ll hook you up with a translation device.

I didn't realize the translating machines were available, but I was able to figure enough out from what I had read and just watching ... I actually found the show to be OK, not nearly as bad as the Under New Management show in FLA.

There is also the Jungle Cruise in Adventureland, but I did not have time to experience the backside of water in Japanese.

It's no different!

Adventureland is also home to another large unthemed area of wide open space -- one side back of World Bazaar, one side wall with a cast door, one side trees and shrubs and open to the hub, and one side Pirates of the Caribbean. It really looked bad.

I really didn't think it was bad, different, but not bad. You also have a show venue there near Cafe Orleans ... it hosted a Minnie-themed foamhead show when I was there, although it was closed for rehab with walls up.

I do wonder what it looked like before the early 90s addition that brought the Swiss Family Treehouse, which I didn't climb, and the complex of dining and shopping locales that were all ripped from Typhoon Lagoon's development ... because there was clearly a huge amount of space then ... wonder if there were trees or cast areas or something else?

~Did he really say that?~

 

[WDW1974]

Parades

I had heard good things about the parades at TDL, and watched both the afternoon parade, Jubilation, and night parade, Dreamlights. Both were great. Guests at TDL grab spots very early for parades. They spread towels or plastic mats and sit and wait…and wait. However, they also sit during the parade, very calmly, and don’t push and shove. The sitting combined with the fact that I’m taller than 90% of Japanese adults worked in my favor. I snagged spots to see both parades with only a few minutes of waiting.
Jubilation has intricate, colorful floats as you can see in these pics.

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It has a standard array of characters plus a few more, as several floats combined characters from different movies, but in a way that actually worked pretty well. Some of the singing in the parade was in English, and some of the princesses “spoke” in English as they went by. Most was in Japanese, however. The parade didn’t have a particular theme, but it didn’t need one. The floats and music were great. This is what MK should strive for in a parade. For those who have seen Soundsational at Disneyland, which generally gets very good reviews, I would rate Jubilation as even better.

I definitely agree about being an American there being a great thing at parade time. Since 90% of the people are calmly sitting on mats, all you do is show up, stand behind them and have an unobstructed view with no wait.

Loved all three parades I saw (I especially liked seeing a Christmas Parade that was brand new for 2010 and hadn't been running in mostly the same state since the 1980s!) ... Jubilation is absolutely a great parade. I am still trying to figure out if TDR entertainment has more CMs than the other four worldwide resorts put together ... I know they have more than WDW and DL!

As good as Jubilation was, Dreamlights puts it to shame. Dreamlights is essentially an updated Main Street Electrical Parade, and the MSEP music is used. But virtually all of the floats in Dreamlights transform using the lights, rather than just lighting up. Snow White’s tree, for example, “grows” as the parade moves, and Aurora’s dress goes from pink to blue as the fairies play.

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But the star of Dreamlights is Genie. The Genie float is essentially a rolling Las Vegas strip sign shaped like Genie. The lights on his body appear and disappear, change colors, dance, etc. He turns into a tiger, Nemo, and various other things. I had a great video of him which, sadly, disappeared with the rest of my pictures. Dreamlights puts MSEP and Spectro to shame. This is the parade that should replace MSEP when it’s done at WDW.

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What can I say other than you are 100% correct, sir?

Food

Just to wrap up from my day at TDL, I’ll tell you that I had lunch at Tomorrowland Terrace – apparently the food of tomorrow includes fried rice with ground beef and egg. It was fine, and it took me only about 4 minutes to order and get my food, so that was good. But the place was so crowded at lunch time that I actually had to sit on the floor. I was not alone, however. There were probably 100 people sitting on the floor of the extremely large entryway into the restaurant. Why there were no tables there I’m not sure. I can only assume the place was so crowded despite short lines because many families were taking up the tables with food they brought with them.

The lunch portion wasn’t large, so I was ready for dinner early. I ate at the nicely-themed Hungry Bear restaurant in Westernland. Japanese bears apparently like curry, so it was chicken curry for dinner. Quite tasty, but my “spicy” curry was on the mild side. Apparently, TDL restaurants cater to the masses like WDW restaurants.

I HATED my burger meal at Tomorrowland Terrace ... thought it was one of the worst QSR dining experiences I've had at any Disney park. Tiny (think McD's smallest hamburger) overcooked on a tasteless bun with a weird sauce and mediocre fries and a Coke for what seemed like $15 a person.

A shame because we had walked through Hungry Bear and I loved the theming and the curry looked very good (got some later in the week at TDS!)

Later that night, just before Dreamlights, I walked up to a little gazebo looking snack stand just off the hub figuring I’d get an ice cream or something. But this was a soup stand, so I grabbed a sampler with a little bowl of miso and a little bowl of clam chowder. Both were actually very good, although $8 for two small cups of soup seemed excessive.

That’s it from TDL. I’ll continue shortly with my next two days at TDS.

Loving the report. Helping me relive my own!

 

[alissafalco]

love love love reading your trip report. Thank you so much for sharing

 

[Tessimm]

super active

Why I must buy expensive pills while I can get generics viagra super active on line with delivery to my place and for considerably lower price. I am ready to accept the situation that customer support sometimes can be dull when I want to trace my order plus order priligy

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences!

And thanks to Spirit for plugging this thread in a WDW trip report - I wouldn't have found it otherwise.

The detail you're providing is extremely helpful. I'm planning a TDR trip for 2013, and I'm looking for all the help and tips I can get! I didn't do my research before visiting DLP, and while I had an excellent time, I wish I had been better prepared.

 

[alissafalco]

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.



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!~

If the girl was 16-25 and doing that its probably because she was a special needs person.

 

[unkadug]

If the girl was 16-25 and doing that its probably because she was a special needs person.

I think that WDW1974 is intelligent enough to have recognized if that were the case...I would hope that anyone would be able to tell the difference between inappropriate behavior and Special Olympics.

 

[MichWolv]

The detail you're providing is extremely helpful. I'm planning a TDR trip for 2013, and I'm looking for all the help and tips I can get! I didn't do my research before visiting DLP, and while I had an excellent time, I wish I had been better prepared.

Glad you're finding it helpful. Feel free to Post or PM with any questions. I'm putting in lots of detail, but can't get it all in there.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Loving the report. I really wanted to get out there this year but didn't want to plan it with school ending. Now that I know I will have a month before starting a job I wish I had someone to go with and could plan it quickly. Hopefully I can make it a reality in the not too distant future. Then after Shanghai opens I will get over there and to hong kong to complete my world tour.

 

[alissafalco]

I think that WDW1974 is intelligent enough to have recognized if that were the case...I would hope that anyone would be able to tell the difference between inappropriate behavior and Special Olympics.

There are many people that have special needs that you can not tell just by their appearance, but only until they actually speak or by their actions. Just an FYI they are called people with special needs not "special olympics".

 

[MichWolv]

To finish up with TDS, I need to discuss the TDS version of parades and nighttime shows. There were three on the day I visited, all performed on the lagoon in Mediterraean Harbor. The lagoon is situated so that there are great spaces to view these shows from all around. Indeed, the walkways that surround the lagoon are 10-25 feet above water level much of the way around, and there are two viewing areas that provide seated viewing in tiers down to the water level. I would imagine that even on crowded days, it is possible to find a decent spot for viewing. I watched the two daytime shows from an elevated spot just outside the entrance from MH to Mysterious Island, and Fantasmic from a good seat in the slightly off-center tiered viewing area. Views were good from both spots.

The major daytime show is called the Legend of Mythica. This show had many many elements. There is a floating "centerpiece" as it were that has fountains. There are jet skis. There are floating "floats" that are extremely colorful. There is, of course, music. There are fast paced sections and slower paced sections. The show was everything a daytime parade on the water should be. It makes great use of the unique lagoon venue, and provides something for everybody. The floats feature characters specific to the theme of the show (revealing the Legend of Mythica) and Disney characters as well. There are also some puppetry and kite-flying elements as well. In addition, several of the floats stopped at water level viewing areas and performers did a small land-based routine.

Sightlines are great because you are generaly above the level of the performance, and there is a lot to look at at any moment, unlike a parade where you have one float at a time to see. I really enjoyed the unique way of viewing what was essentially a parade adapted to being shown in a lagoon. I highly recommend this show.



The second daytime show was a limited run show for the 10th anniversary of DisneySea called Be Magical. It's limited run, however, ended already, so I won't bother with it.

The nighttime spectacular is a new version of Fantasmic, created specially for Tokyo DisneySea, which just opened in 2011. You might guess because the show is new and performed in a huge lagoon that it would include some World of Color elements, but it does not. This is an updated version of Fantasmic, tailored to the fact that, unlike at DHS and DL-Anaheim, there is no island or other land-based performance space. Everthing must be on the water.

It's F! music, and water screens, along with a big sorcerer hat that lights up like a Vegas sign and does all sorts of cool things, and 4 floats that serve up effects and some really cool sort of blow-up snow-globe balls that also serve as spherical movie screens. Hard to explain and this pic doesn't help much, but it's all I've got!



Most of the lyrics were in Japanese, but some were in English. No matter -- you'll recognize the songs! The show was excellent, and is a must-see. It is similar enough to be recognizable as Fantasmic, but different enough that it couldn't really be called anything close to a clone of the US F! shows. Despite how much I enjoyed it, I think I prefer both US F! shows to this one. See it and enjoy, and let's compare notes!

 

[MichWolv]

With that, I have, at long last, completed my Tokyo Disney trip report. A 2 1/2 day trip and it only took me 5 weeks to finally get the report all up there. I hope everybody reading has enjoyed the report and that you feel a little less nervous about visiting Tokyo Disney and a little more knowledgable about what to expect, how to navigate, and where to spend your time.

I'm happy to see that a few folks have already taken notice of the report, made some comments, and asked some follow-up questions. I'm happy to respond, so fire away.