As a multiple time Disney Worlder, I always wondered if I was missing something by not visiting any of the other Disneys around the world (particularly Disneyland.)
Though many others have discussed it, I though my perspective of unexpectedly being able to do both Disneyland and Tokyo in quick succession the last six months might give some perspective to those wondering if they should ever leave the Disney World bubble. (Hopefully this is the right place to put this thread, as it's not really a trip report...)
Until this summer, I was a 100% Disney World guy who had never visited any Disney park outside of Orlando. Nor did I plan to. But work travel brought me through both Tokyo and LA, so I had to give them a try.
Here’s my short summary: If forced to rank them, I’d put Disney World first, Disney Tokyo second, and Disneyland/DCA third.
But – and this is my main point and NOT what I expected – if you possibly can, you have to visit each. Sad to say it, but I’ll never be happy with just Disney World again.
Why Disney World reigns supreme. For those of us who were introduced to Disney parks through Disney World, nothing else will ever really compare for one major reason – scale. You all know this, but Disney World really is a world. Yes, transportation, planning, and logistics can be difficult, but that’s sort of like saying the logistics of climbing Everest are difficult. It’s almost part of the fun of the whole thing. Resort hopping, four entire parks, just being in an entire Disney empire is just a blast. Add in the uniqueness of Epcot and Animal Kingdom and it’s a slam dunk. Disney World is the indisputable champ, in my book.
However, you really have to go to both Disneyland Tokyo and DL/DCA if you possibly can.
Why go to Tokyo? Because the Japanese do Disney better than we Americans do. It’s that simple. At the risk of being stereotypical here, It’s like the perfect marriage – the uniquely American vision of something like a fairytale kingdom full of princesses and pirates and such with the Japanese love of perfection, esthetics, cleanliness, and order. The result is that you have the Disney vision where just about everything feels well-maintained, beautiful, and cared for. For my money, it blows DL away. Pretty much every ride was better in Tokyo, and in some cases much better. I enjoyed Indy in DL, but I LOVED it in Tokyo. Every effect was better. The queue is brilliant. The theming and queues are generally magnificent. The queue for Splash Mountain – wow. Food is good, in some cases excellent. Service is friendlier and just more professional seeming. It has a few unique rides (like Honey Hunt). It’s just a really great Disney experience. If I could pick only one castle park to visit ever again, it be Tokyo’s.
And here’s a strange one, but it mattered to me. Not only are the crowds generally well-mannered and polite, in my short time there, I found the Japanese to be less cynical and more engaged in a way that really blends well with Disney. To me, they seemed less skeptical and more “bought into” the Disney magic.
Having said all that, is it worth crossing an ocean for? Well, to some people, the difference in upkeep and detail doesn’t matter that much. For me it does, but maybe for you it doesn’t.
…but then you have to factor in Disneysea. Man, what a beautiful park. I won’t rehash it again, as many others have commented on it, but it’s special. It’s everything a Disney park should be. Creative, beautiful, theming everywhere, unique. I’ve heard it called the best theme park on the planet, and I agree. Now, it’s still a theme park! It’s not going to cure cancer or anything. But it’s about the state of the art in the topic, so far. I think the best way to say it is like this – if you think Carsland in DL is beautiful, imagine a whole park that well done. That’s Disneysea.
And Japan is way easier than you’d think. Our simple (off-site but close) hotel room was small (as they are in Japan) but cheaper than a budget at DW. Tickets were surprisingly cheap (around $75). Food was probably comparable. Depending on where you’re flying from, you might find it not that much more to do Japan. If you did just Disney, it would be very easy. If you added in a couple of days in Tokyo, you could make it a mini international adventure.
I’m not going to say it would work for everyone. I’ve travelled overseas a lot and it doesn’t intimidate me. But I will say this – Tokyo is about as easy as anywhere else I’ve been. Trains are everywhere, easy, and bi-lingual. Google maps are perfectly accurate for riding the trains. The city is (generally speaking) crazy safe. People are courteous and will generally do their best to help you out. I don’t speak any Japanese at all, and had no problems.
However, due to the scope and size of Disney World, I still would have to pick Disney World if I could only pick one location to visit again. And we haven’t gotten Star Wars yet.
Why go to Disneyland/DCA? Here’s the thing – for me personally, I wouldn’t go to Disneyland again. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed my time there. It was nice to see the “original” park and see where it all started. But… it wasn’t all that. Special magic because “Walt walked there”? Hmmm… not so much for me. It’s more like a really interesting and nostalgic look where the idea started – an interesting “first draft” with plenty of mis-steps (like too few bathrooms!). It has some “charm” factor to it, but to be honest, it also seemed less well maintained – past quaint and right into “long in the teeth.” For instance, IASM and SM both seemed smaller and a bit dingy. The DL only rides like Matterhorn, Storybook, and the castle walkthrough were fun, but old and nothing I absolutely had to experience. (I will say I was very impressed with Fantasmic...)
So, after day one, I would have said DL is nothing you should feel bad about missing. If you want a full-multi-park, all-encompasing experience, then you want Disney World. If you want the best parks in the world, IMO, Tokyo it is. The sentimentality of Disneyland is nice and all, but not worth a trip.
BUT then... I went to DCA. And that’s where it all gets hard. If I’m blessed with the chance to do it, I would be thrilled to do DCA again sometime soon. And the reason comes down to just two things – Radiator Springs Racers and Mission Breakout. Again, they are just theme park rides, they won’t change your life. But as far as theme park rides go, after experiencing everything Disney had to throw at me across 8 of the 12 theme parks they have in the world, Mission Breakout and Radiator Springs Racers and #1 and #2 on my list of favorite rides. IMO, they are that good. (And believe me, as a ToT fan, I was VERY skeptical about Mission Breakout. I was wrong.)
Given that there will be new rides at DCA in the superhero land, the nice Frozen show, and a good and unique river rapids ride, well… DCA is back on my “must go back if I can" list.
Conclusion: I’m firmly a Disney World guy at the end of the day, but I’ll be sorely disappointed if I can’t get back to both DCA and Tokyo in the near future!
If you have the chance, IMO they are both well worth leaving the DW bubble for.
Though many others have discussed it, I though my perspective of unexpectedly being able to do both Disneyland and Tokyo in quick succession the last six months might give some perspective to those wondering if they should ever leave the Disney World bubble. (Hopefully this is the right place to put this thread, as it's not really a trip report...)
Until this summer, I was a 100% Disney World guy who had never visited any Disney park outside of Orlando. Nor did I plan to. But work travel brought me through both Tokyo and LA, so I had to give them a try.
Here’s my short summary: If forced to rank them, I’d put Disney World first, Disney Tokyo second, and Disneyland/DCA third.
But – and this is my main point and NOT what I expected – if you possibly can, you have to visit each. Sad to say it, but I’ll never be happy with just Disney World again.
Why Disney World reigns supreme. For those of us who were introduced to Disney parks through Disney World, nothing else will ever really compare for one major reason – scale. You all know this, but Disney World really is a world. Yes, transportation, planning, and logistics can be difficult, but that’s sort of like saying the logistics of climbing Everest are difficult. It’s almost part of the fun of the whole thing. Resort hopping, four entire parks, just being in an entire Disney empire is just a blast. Add in the uniqueness of Epcot and Animal Kingdom and it’s a slam dunk. Disney World is the indisputable champ, in my book.
However, you really have to go to both Disneyland Tokyo and DL/DCA if you possibly can.
Why go to Tokyo? Because the Japanese do Disney better than we Americans do. It’s that simple. At the risk of being stereotypical here, It’s like the perfect marriage – the uniquely American vision of something like a fairytale kingdom full of princesses and pirates and such with the Japanese love of perfection, esthetics, cleanliness, and order. The result is that you have the Disney vision where just about everything feels well-maintained, beautiful, and cared for. For my money, it blows DL away. Pretty much every ride was better in Tokyo, and in some cases much better. I enjoyed Indy in DL, but I LOVED it in Tokyo. Every effect was better. The queue is brilliant. The theming and queues are generally magnificent. The queue for Splash Mountain – wow. Food is good, in some cases excellent. Service is friendlier and just more professional seeming. It has a few unique rides (like Honey Hunt). It’s just a really great Disney experience. If I could pick only one castle park to visit ever again, it be Tokyo’s.
And here’s a strange one, but it mattered to me. Not only are the crowds generally well-mannered and polite, in my short time there, I found the Japanese to be less cynical and more engaged in a way that really blends well with Disney. To me, they seemed less skeptical and more “bought into” the Disney magic.
Having said all that, is it worth crossing an ocean for? Well, to some people, the difference in upkeep and detail doesn’t matter that much. For me it does, but maybe for you it doesn’t.
…but then you have to factor in Disneysea. Man, what a beautiful park. I won’t rehash it again, as many others have commented on it, but it’s special. It’s everything a Disney park should be. Creative, beautiful, theming everywhere, unique. I’ve heard it called the best theme park on the planet, and I agree. Now, it’s still a theme park! It’s not going to cure cancer or anything. But it’s about the state of the art in the topic, so far. I think the best way to say it is like this – if you think Carsland in DL is beautiful, imagine a whole park that well done. That’s Disneysea.
And Japan is way easier than you’d think. Our simple (off-site but close) hotel room was small (as they are in Japan) but cheaper than a budget at DW. Tickets were surprisingly cheap (around $75). Food was probably comparable. Depending on where you’re flying from, you might find it not that much more to do Japan. If you did just Disney, it would be very easy. If you added in a couple of days in Tokyo, you could make it a mini international adventure.
I’m not going to say it would work for everyone. I’ve travelled overseas a lot and it doesn’t intimidate me. But I will say this – Tokyo is about as easy as anywhere else I’ve been. Trains are everywhere, easy, and bi-lingual. Google maps are perfectly accurate for riding the trains. The city is (generally speaking) crazy safe. People are courteous and will generally do their best to help you out. I don’t speak any Japanese at all, and had no problems.
However, due to the scope and size of Disney World, I still would have to pick Disney World if I could only pick one location to visit again. And we haven’t gotten Star Wars yet.
Why go to Disneyland/DCA? Here’s the thing – for me personally, I wouldn’t go to Disneyland again. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed my time there. It was nice to see the “original” park and see where it all started. But… it wasn’t all that. Special magic because “Walt walked there”? Hmmm… not so much for me. It’s more like a really interesting and nostalgic look where the idea started – an interesting “first draft” with plenty of mis-steps (like too few bathrooms!). It has some “charm” factor to it, but to be honest, it also seemed less well maintained – past quaint and right into “long in the teeth.” For instance, IASM and SM both seemed smaller and a bit dingy. The DL only rides like Matterhorn, Storybook, and the castle walkthrough were fun, but old and nothing I absolutely had to experience. (I will say I was very impressed with Fantasmic...)
So, after day one, I would have said DL is nothing you should feel bad about missing. If you want a full-multi-park, all-encompasing experience, then you want Disney World. If you want the best parks in the world, IMO, Tokyo it is. The sentimentality of Disneyland is nice and all, but not worth a trip.
BUT then... I went to DCA. And that’s where it all gets hard. If I’m blessed with the chance to do it, I would be thrilled to do DCA again sometime soon. And the reason comes down to just two things – Radiator Springs Racers and Mission Breakout. Again, they are just theme park rides, they won’t change your life. But as far as theme park rides go, after experiencing everything Disney had to throw at me across 8 of the 12 theme parks they have in the world, Mission Breakout and Radiator Springs Racers and #1 and #2 on my list of favorite rides. IMO, they are that good. (And believe me, as a ToT fan, I was VERY skeptical about Mission Breakout. I was wrong.)
Given that there will be new rides at DCA in the superhero land, the nice Frozen show, and a good and unique river rapids ride, well… DCA is back on my “must go back if I can" list.
Conclusion: I’m firmly a Disney World guy at the end of the day, but I’ll be sorely disappointed if I can’t get back to both DCA and Tokyo in the near future!
If you have the chance, IMO they are both well worth leaving the DW bubble for.
