After arriving in Tokyo late on Saturday Oct. 12 and spending a few lovely days doing non-Disney things, we transitioned to Tokyo Disney Resort and promptly got our ‘Vacation Package’ underway.
Tokyo Disneyland Resort | Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta + Tokyo Disneyland Hotel | 2 Nights each
Tuesday October 15 - We took a cab from the Mitsui Garden to Disney's MiraCosta, got slightly lost along the way, but despite the language barrier we still made it, and we shared some great laughs too! We could’ve taken a train, of course, but, with our luggage, we favoured speed and ease and were fine to pay the premium (about 7,000Y). We arrived around 8 AM and got our ‘vacation package’ folio instantly and a ticket to pick-up our room keys later in the day. Heading into Tokyo Disneyland, it was extremely busy, the day after Sports Day. Started with the unique Stitch Tiki Room (which was closing for maintenance before our second day in Disneyland), then enjoyed a pumpkin maple churro before a ride on Big Thunder Mountain (vacation package pass). We stopped and ate some pork curry lunch (shared), then did the Happy Ride with Baymax (we paid for premier access), and then used a timed-entry vacation package ticket for Enchanted Tales with Belle and Beast. What a remarkable ride! We stopped for a pizza snack and some cheesy hash browns, and then did Pooh's Hunny Hunt (free 40th Anniversary Pass). Taking a midday break, we ventured back to the MiraCosta to get our room! Back to Disneyland around 6 PM, started at Pirates (quick wait), then I ate a ‘sausage on a bone’ and we had free drinks (vacation package). We scored a great spot for the Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade and enjoyed the whole show, then went on Haunted Mansion with its holiday overlay (using our final vacation package pass for the day) and ended the night sharing more curry and a tandoori chicken thigh.
Wednesday October 16 - Woke up at the MiraCosta and had a yummy buffet breakfast in the hotel (part of the vacation package). Near the end of the meal, we noticed Mickey and all his friends down in the DisneySea park entrance area waving to everyone in the restaurant, so we hurried up and left to use our Happy Entry pass and get into the park. The band started playing when we first entered. All of this in combination, I teared up a bit. Yes, we’re big Disney fans. Yes, DisneySea is stunning! We rode Sinbad with a 5-minute wait, then Indiana Jones with a 40th Pass we scored upon entering the park. After that we ventured into Fantasy Springs (guaranteed entry via our vacation package) and spent quite some time there wandering, shopping, and doing all four attractions with priority access. We ate the Oaken’s Yoo-Hoo Bread and used two drink tickets. After leaving Fantasy Springs, we had lunch at Cafe Portofino and had the coffee-crusted roast beef before watching the Halloween Boat Show with Duffy, Mickey, and friends - very cute! Went back to the room for a bit and explored some more of the resort. Then we re-entered DisneySea, grabbed a pumpkin maple churro and iced coffee, and used a vacation package ticket for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (a very trippy ride!). We used another vacation package ticket to ride Indiana Jones for the second time and got a bonus escort from a Cast Member, utilizing a different queue path, to skip even the priority access line (not sure why this happened, but we didn’t complain!). Then we re-entered Fantasy Springs as it was beginning to get dark and wandered again, riding all four rides in the dark, and had dinner at the Snuggly Duckling - the burgers were okay, and we also tried the special Rapunzel dessert. Afterwards, we slowly wandered out of the park, shopping a bit, and rode Aquatopia in the dark as it was a walk-on. Many sweet Cast Member interactions especially in the Lost River Delta Store where we purchased an Olu Mel keychain. I showed them a picture of our Olu Mel Disney Pin collection; they loved it and wrote us out a sticker to commemorate our first visit and wrote our names in Japanese. We did observe that two rides went down temporarily in Fantasy Springs this evening, but they came back up quickly (compared to the American Parks, this was nothing!).
Thursday October 17 - Second day at Tokyo DisneySea (and final day of our vacation package) - we enjoyed another buffet breakfast and then checked out of the MiraCosta, leaving our luggage with Bell Services to be transferred internally. We used Happy Entry and ended up actually being early, so we waited in a short line to enter. Met Pluto, and Mickey, and many other characters who were out and about. We wandered slowly through the park, just taking in all the beauty of DisneySea. We started the day again with a ride on Sinbad. Before the ride we played one of the pay-to-play games which Laura attempted to lose - because ‘losers’ are still given a Disney Pin - but she actually won a giant Pluto plush! At this point, we didn’t know how - or if- we’d get him home (we did not, haha, and gifted him away). Next, we used a free 40th Pass for Indiana Jones and then took the Transit Steamer Line over to the front of the park. Seeing the park from water-level was amazing! Unboxed some unique pins and got back in line to take the Transit Steamer Line to complete the whole circuit. We mobile ordered lunch at El Dorado Cantina (Halloween-themed steamed buns and smoked chicken; with a Mickey churro and pumpkin pudding). We went back again on the Transit Steamer Line, taking it so that we could catch the Big Band Beat show from the third row (we scored free tickets on the app at the beginning of the day via the lottery system). This one was fun but also had me tearing up multiple times; I think just the passion and sincerity of the performers. Afterwards we finally decided to do Tower of Terror (it was quite a bit milder than the Hollywood Studio version); we used a vacation package pass. From there we proceeded to use another vacation package timed entry pass for Soaring. It’s much better than Orlando - no distorted images, more and stronger scents, and the final scenes were downtown Tokyo (including Tokyo Tower which we visited three days prior) and a flyover of DisneySea. Then we went to use a 40th Pass for 20,000 Leagues. We took a break to check-in to the Disneyland Hotel and had our bags delivered up to our room by Bell Services. Back to DisneySea, ate dinner at Zambini Brothers' Ristorante (long pizza, small garden salad, and a beer for me). Wandered through the Mermaid Lagoon and then rode Indiana Jones one last time with our final vacation package ticket. Sauntered around the Arabian Coast and ended the night using a vacation package voucher for black pepper popcorn served in a souvenir case. Watched Believe! Sea of Dreams - truly remarkable!
Friday October 18 - Used Happy Entry to get into Disneyland early! Castle views and characters to start the day. I snagged a free 40th Pass for Monsters which we rode before exploring ToonTown. We then bought some pins and walked through Minnie's House (in ToonTown) before strolling over to Fantasyland and doing Pinocchio's Daring Journey which had a 15-minute wait. We got another 40th Pass, this time for Haunted Mansion, and were able to ride it immediately. Then we mobile ordered lunch. Wandered Critter Country and nearly did the Canoes but the weather forecast was too risky. Stood around and waited for lunch to be ready, had pizza and some hashed potatoes with cheese. After lunch we headed over to the Belle ride and used our paid DPA pass - what an amazing, epic ride! Walked through Tomorrowland and tried the famous alien mochi and an iced coffee from Pan Galactic Pizza Port. After the snack we did some shopping and headed out for a little break in the room until about 4:00. Time to go back in! Jungle Cruise stand by line - about 25 minutes, very cool, and the language barrier did not detract from the experience. Afterwards, we did a pin unboxing in a quiet corner of Adventureland! Dinner at Tomorrowland Terrace - chicken burger, nuggets, fries, and a salad. Free 40th Pass for Pooh's Hunny Hunt, and then a maple pumpkin churro each, and a ride on Pirates (was about a 15-minute wait). Left the park around 7:15 as we had done everything we wanted to, and it was quite drizzly out at that point. Came back to the gorgeous Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, managed to do a load of coin laundry, and had a great interaction with a local family while waiting. We were sitting outside in the gazebo area waiting for our laundry to finish and this family was meticulously arranging a collection of Duffy & Friends plush on a bench, I offered to take their picture and then showed them a pic of our Disney Pin collection which they seemed to love. After their photo session they offered to take photos of Laura & I with their plushies. It was just a fun and unique little memory to cap off the magical Disney portion of our trip. Overall, a wonderful time at Disney and great weather throughout the entire trip so far too - mid 20's the whole time and only a bit of rain, for the first time, on our final Disneyland day.
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After this, we proceeded to have another full week where we enjoyed time in Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Ogoto Onsen, and Tokyo (again).
