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Miscellaneous Tokyo Thoughts
- Thread starter Animaniac93-98
- Start date
In all likelihood Florida. Tokyo Disneyland in 1983 did not feature much in the way of original facades.
BasiltheBatLord
Well-Known Member
20,000 Leagues is finally reopening at TDS on Dec. 1. As far as I remember it was the only attraction that stayed closed after the Corona reopen.
Btw I’m at the park right now and they have dramatically increased ride capacity of pretty much all attractions it seems. The past couple months I was regularly getting my own vehicles on many rides but now they’re sending full vehicles on most attractions. They’ve stepped up enforcement of social distancing in queues compared to last time I was here though.
Also incidentally USJ announced Nintendo Land is opening February 4 today.
Btw I’m at the park right now and they have dramatically increased ride capacity of pretty much all attractions it seems. The past couple months I was regularly getting my own vehicles on many rides but now they’re sending full vehicles on most attractions. They’ve stepped up enforcement of social distancing in queues compared to last time I was here though.
Also incidentally USJ announced Nintendo Land is opening February 4 today.
SweetDuffy101
Well-Known Member
to add things up Cinderella Castle, Goofys playhouse and Toon town park will reopen on December 01.
At Tokyo Disney Sea Village Greeting place featuring Duffy and Friends will re open same date as well. (entry pass is required for this meet and greet.)
Auditions for Big Band beat have started popping out online signaling a return in the near future.
things are looking bright in the resort despite numbers had been rising up as of late.
hoping that all entertainment will return in time for the olympics and the 20th anniversary celebration,
from what im hearing is that a new Dockside stage show is in the works already.
A rough overlay I did comparing "Royal Street" at TDL with the original New Orleans Square:
Obviously much was copied for Tokyo, though the building that houses the French Market Restaurant and Mint Julep Bar was replaced by an outdoor theater in approx the same spot. I wish TDL had those Mint Juleps too! And the Monte Cristo sandwiches.
Pirates is laid out differently and looks bigger, despite being a shorter ride. That's because it's basically on one level with only a minor drop at the start of the ride compared to the more downward, steeper spiral that leads to the caves in California. I'm sure the total square footage is higher in DLR. Tokyo's Pirates also includes a split level indoor queue next to the ride that I've marked on the map. DLR has a narrow alleyway with chain link switchbacks in the same spot, more or less.
I'm happy that WED decided to include most of New Orleans Square in Tokyo
Obviously much was copied for Tokyo, though the building that houses the French Market Restaurant and Mint Julep Bar was replaced by an outdoor theater in approx the same spot. I wish TDL had those Mint Juleps too! And the Monte Cristo sandwiches.
Pirates is laid out differently and looks bigger, despite being a shorter ride. That's because it's basically on one level with only a minor drop at the start of the ride compared to the more downward, steeper spiral that leads to the caves in California. I'm sure the total square footage is higher in DLR. Tokyo's Pirates also includes a split level indoor queue next to the ride that I've marked on the map. DLR has a narrow alleyway with chain link switchbacks in the same spot, more or less.
I'm happy that WED decided to include most of New Orleans Square in Tokyo
Robbiem
Well-Known Member
I think its a shame New Orleans theming hasn’t been used more in the international parks. I think a New Orleans area in Paris would have been a really good fit in Disneyland park or as a hotel and blended well with French culture.
similarly it would make a great theme for the downtown area in hong kong if they ever build it
similarly it would make a great theme for the downtown area in hong kong if they ever build it
Robbiem
Well-Known Member
Interesting I never knew that. I think it would have worked better than the santa fe which just doesn’t really work in the climate.
I think the plan was to have both, with the New Orleans hotel being where the event space is on Lake Disney.
Robbiem
Well-Known Member
I remember Tony Baxter saying in an interview they moved a hotel from lake disney when they had the idea to build the Disneyland hotel at the entrance to the park. The Santa Fe was an interesting idea on paper but its execution isn’t great and I always felt it feels cold and sterile compared to the Cheyenne
thinking about it if they ever build another Disneysea a New Orleans bayou port with a hotel would be a good fit
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SweetDuffy101
Well-Known Member
So, I just took a quick trip to Tokyo DisneySea this past friday here are some of my thoughts about the park not in general but from what ive experienced and noticed during my trip.
Part 1
Entrance- We have started the day queueing for the opening of the park, The schedule was 9:00 am opening we arrived an hour before the park opens, and surprise surprise Time check 08:30 We got in the park and yes you need to reserve your booking weeks in advance.
Beginners tip- If you live in Japan I dont recommend going into shops and buying souvenirs you can buy it on the Disney resort app while doing something.
Lets start off with Meditteranean Harbor first off that They have finished some construction in the middle of the harbor the park feels nice its sad because there are no entertainement besides fireworks and greeting show which is kinda sad, there were some christmas decor around the park and the park looks stunning.
Soaring Around the world- The attraction is a great addition you get it via standby pass.
Tip: It is better if you get in the park on opening so you can get the earliest booking I got the standby wait time 5 mins after opening of the park and you dont need to run on standby pass attractions. and after you have obtained the pass for soaring,Get the toy story mania pass after riding the attraction.
Venetian Gondolas - Its a romantic ride but Just wear something really warm because winter wind is really cold. and i recommend doing night time its more romantic.
American Waterfront- The area is decked out for the season less the Giant christmas tree this year.
All entertainment/ Show venues have now turned into Meet & greet areas you can get in Via lottery you can use the app and register for the lottery (character varies from day to day.)
Toy Story Mania- We got in 11:10 am for our standby pass, Honestly the standby pass is a real helpful addition especially for those who dont want to wait or run, Its like fastpass but slower, But you only wait for 20-25 mins tops, the thing about the attractions for Disney Sea is that all of them depending on the capacity uses the entire queue line. It might look like long but you move constantly, So That you dont realize that its already 20 mins. The ride is still the same but needs improvement on Screen quality, It looks outdated and the ride and the queue in general is still fine.
Tower of terror had the longest wait time throughout the day maxing out 60 mins wait time. Turtle talk was 30 mins but it was more or less 15 to 20 mins.
S.S. Columbia Dining- Oh boy i Cant believe im saying this but, Um It was one of the worst restaurants i have ever experienced in my entire Disney experience. They try to imitate a fancy restaurant but the food and service was terrible i dont really recommend it. it was just bad from the entree to main dish to dessert and your paying 4,800 for the special course and 8,800 yen for the steak. The ambiance is good but ITS a NO for me and the wine was bad.
wait part 2.
Part 1
Entrance- We have started the day queueing for the opening of the park, The schedule was 9:00 am opening we arrived an hour before the park opens, and surprise surprise Time check 08:30 We got in the park and yes you need to reserve your booking weeks in advance.
Beginners tip- If you live in Japan I dont recommend going into shops and buying souvenirs you can buy it on the Disney resort app while doing something.
Lets start off with Meditteranean Harbor first off that They have finished some construction in the middle of the harbor the park feels nice its sad because there are no entertainement besides fireworks and greeting show which is kinda sad, there were some christmas decor around the park and the park looks stunning.
Soaring Around the world- The attraction is a great addition you get it via standby pass.
Tip: It is better if you get in the park on opening so you can get the earliest booking I got the standby wait time 5 mins after opening of the park and you dont need to run on standby pass attractions. and after you have obtained the pass for soaring,Get the toy story mania pass after riding the attraction.
Venetian Gondolas - Its a romantic ride but Just wear something really warm because winter wind is really cold. and i recommend doing night time its more romantic.
American Waterfront- The area is decked out for the season less the Giant christmas tree this year.
All entertainment/ Show venues have now turned into Meet & greet areas you can get in Via lottery you can use the app and register for the lottery (character varies from day to day.)
Toy Story Mania- We got in 11:10 am for our standby pass, Honestly the standby pass is a real helpful addition especially for those who dont want to wait or run, Its like fastpass but slower, But you only wait for 20-25 mins tops, the thing about the attractions for Disney Sea is that all of them depending on the capacity uses the entire queue line. It might look like long but you move constantly, So That you dont realize that its already 20 mins. The ride is still the same but needs improvement on Screen quality, It looks outdated and the ride and the queue in general is still fine.
Tower of terror had the longest wait time throughout the day maxing out 60 mins wait time. Turtle talk was 30 mins but it was more or less 15 to 20 mins.
S.S. Columbia Dining- Oh boy i Cant believe im saying this but, Um It was one of the worst restaurants i have ever experienced in my entire Disney experience. They try to imitate a fancy restaurant but the food and service was terrible i dont really recommend it. it was just bad from the entree to main dish to dessert and your paying 4,800 for the special course and 8,800 yen for the steak. The ambiance is good but ITS a NO for me and the wine was bad.
wait part 2.
I liked it when I ate there last year, I'm sorry to hear it isn't good right now.
Some notes on the Castle Mystery Tour:
Much of the online discourse of the attraction centers around how ridiculous it was to have so much of it based around The Black Cauldron, a movie that was not a success. Besides the obvious fact that WDI didn't know this when the walkthrough was in development, it still worked in the end because the movie fits the style and tone of the attraction.
Claude Coats could have used any number of Disney movies as inspiration, but he chose three very specific Disney films to include; Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and The Black Cauldron. All three of them feature medieval-like dungeons and could be blended together to create a seamless, credible environment that was appropriately spooky. There are many memorable Disney villains like Captain Hook or Cruella de Vil, but they don't fit within the castle environment. Mad Madame Mim is part of a medieval fantasy, but her character and her movie's tone are far from scary. The Horned King is. Coincidently, three of the featured villains (Maleficent, Chernabog and The Horned King) all have devil-like horns, which makes them visually fit together in a line up. Cinderella of course, does not have any dungeon scene, but cultural osmosis tells us that if there is a castle, then there must be a dungeon and so it makes sense to look at the Disney library to see what other movies have creepy castles. That The Black Cauldron was new, was just an added bonus of cross promotion and is actually one of the few examples of a Disney attraction opening the same year as the movie's release (1986 for Japan, where it was simply called "Cauldron".)
The scene where a CM explains the plot of the movie served two purposes. It introduced the premise of the movie to those unfamiliar, but also gave time for the group in front to finish with the Cauldron Born. It also gives the audience a moment to pause between the various scares to catch their breath and get caught up with what is happening. Despite Disney's reluctance to build walk-through experiences out of concerns for capacity and show control, Claude seems to have taken everything that was explored in the 25+ years since Sleeping Beauty Castle had got its walkthrough (the main predecessor to this one) and the unbuilt versions of Haunted Mansion, to create something that was able to maximize its limitations on effects and space and become a worthwhile addition to the park. That it was the last attraction he would design for Disney, makes it all the more sadder for me that it's gone. Like 20,000 Leagues at Florida's Magic Kingdom, it's the attraction I wish the most was still there.
Much of the online discourse of the attraction centers around how ridiculous it was to have so much of it based around The Black Cauldron, a movie that was not a success. Besides the obvious fact that WDI didn't know this when the walkthrough was in development, it still worked in the end because the movie fits the style and tone of the attraction.
Claude Coats could have used any number of Disney movies as inspiration, but he chose three very specific Disney films to include; Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and The Black Cauldron. All three of them feature medieval-like dungeons and could be blended together to create a seamless, credible environment that was appropriately spooky. There are many memorable Disney villains like Captain Hook or Cruella de Vil, but they don't fit within the castle environment. Mad Madame Mim is part of a medieval fantasy, but her character and her movie's tone are far from scary. The Horned King is. Coincidently, three of the featured villains (Maleficent, Chernabog and The Horned King) all have devil-like horns, which makes them visually fit together in a line up. Cinderella of course, does not have any dungeon scene, but cultural osmosis tells us that if there is a castle, then there must be a dungeon and so it makes sense to look at the Disney library to see what other movies have creepy castles. That The Black Cauldron was new, was just an added bonus of cross promotion and is actually one of the few examples of a Disney attraction opening the same year as the movie's release (1986 for Japan, where it was simply called "Cauldron".)
The scene where a CM explains the plot of the movie served two purposes. It introduced the premise of the movie to those unfamiliar, but also gave time for the group in front to finish with the Cauldron Born. It also gives the audience a moment to pause between the various scares to catch their breath and get caught up with what is happening. Despite Disney's reluctance to build walk-through experiences out of concerns for capacity and show control, Claude seems to have taken everything that was explored in the 25+ years since Sleeping Beauty Castle had got its walkthrough (the main predecessor to this one) and the unbuilt versions of Haunted Mansion, to create something that was able to maximize its limitations on effects and space and become a worthwhile addition to the park. That it was the last attraction he would design for Disney, makes it all the more sadder for me that it's gone. Like 20,000 Leagues at Florida's Magic Kingdom, it's the attraction I wish the most was still there.
SweetDuffy101
Well-Known Member
A quick Update TDR- This is kind of a late news but Tokyo Disney resort will be adding more attractions to standby pass coming Dec 22, 2020.
Here is the link for Disneyland:
DisneySea:
Here is the link for Disneyland:
東京ディズニーリゾート・オフィシャルウェブサイト
東京ディズニーリゾートでは、遊ぶこと、泊まること、食べること、ショッピング、すべてがエンターテイメント！東京ディズニーランド、東京ディズニーシーの2つのテーマパークを中心とした滞在型テーマリゾートです。
www.tokyodisneyresort.jp
DisneySea:
東京ディズニーリゾート・オフィシャルウェブサイト
東京ディズニーリゾートでは、遊ぶこと、泊まること、食べること、ショッピング、すべてがエンターテイメント！東京ディズニーランド、東京ディズニーシーの2つのテーマパークを中心とした滞在型テーマリゾートです。
www.tokyodisneyresort.jp
I don't think they're doing it this year, but you can still watch the Jingle Bell Jamboree on YouTube:
Like the Japanese version of the Vacation Hoedown, some of the songs are different from the American version, but it's still fun to watch.
Like the Japanese version of the Vacation Hoedown, some of the songs are different from the American version, but it's still fun to watch.
choco choco
Well-Known Member
That's one of my favorite pieces of artwork in all the Imagineering archives (at least of those that have ever been publicly released).
However, it has always made no sense as a built environment. What's being depicted seems to be on four different levels and it's unclear which one is "ground." So not really buildable. As a piece of fantasy architecture though, it is just fantastic.
BasiltheBatLord
Well-Known Member
I’m at DisneySea right now.
The new standby pass system is a disaster. I have no idea what they’re trying to accomplish with it.
For the unfamiliar, it’s basically mandatory fast pass for most/all e-tickets (meaning these rides have NO standby lines anymore). And it locks you into one ride per day per attraction. It totally takes away guest choice by only letting you do stuff ONCE per day, only at certain times, pending availability. Kinda kills the fun of being at a theme park and riding what you want to ride.
Soaring standby passes were already gone by the time I got to the park so it sounds like that’s a rope drop-required thing.
The cherry on top is that this system is not improving queue management or wait times at all. I still waited about an hour for Center of the Earth. Lines at these attractions are the longest I have ever seen them. For reference, IJA’s line is backed up all the way over the bridge out of Lost River Delta.
Is this supposed to be a COVID measure? If it is I pray they drop it immediately after things calm down. I don’t see how this is even supposed to prevent infection considering it’s just made the queues even more of a huge mess of long lines.
The new standby pass system is a disaster. I have no idea what they’re trying to accomplish with it.
For the unfamiliar, it’s basically mandatory fast pass for most/all e-tickets (meaning these rides have NO standby lines anymore). And it locks you into one ride per day per attraction. It totally takes away guest choice by only letting you do stuff ONCE per day, only at certain times, pending availability. Kinda kills the fun of being at a theme park and riding what you want to ride.
Soaring standby passes were already gone by the time I got to the park so it sounds like that’s a rope drop-required thing.
The cherry on top is that this system is not improving queue management or wait times at all. I still waited about an hour for Center of the Earth. Lines at these attractions are the longest I have ever seen them. For reference, IJA’s line is backed up all the way over the bridge out of Lost River Delta.
Is this supposed to be a COVID measure? If it is I pray they drop it immediately after things calm down. I don’t see how this is even supposed to prevent infection considering it’s just made the queues even more of a huge mess of long lines.
SweetDuffy101
Well-Known Member
The main goal for standby pass is literally to eliminate Standby lines and add a premium fastpass tier.
BasiltheBatLord
Well-Known Member
That’s extremely disappointing and another reason why my interest in theme parks is dropping lately.
I’m tired of all this app required, boarding pass/entry ticket stuff. I just want to pay admission to a theme park and ride rides. I feel like that’s not a lot to ask for.
I know these days it’s a small minority, but my grand parents do not own a phone which can do anymore more than text and make phone calls. Not that they ever would but what are they supposed to do if they visit a theme park?