Gakusei Travels

ディズニーの日

It’s my last day in Tokyo so as one last final hurrah I went to Disney!

Two years ago I wrote about my experience at Tokyo Disneyland. This time, I went to Disney Sea to be able to compare the two, but also because this year was the 25th anniversary for the park. There was an anniversary jubilee with exclusive merch and blue decorations that I really wanted to see. I’m glad I was able to go, because I thought I was going to be so busy we with my project and not have any extra time.

I left my hotel about 8 in the morning. The park doesn’t open until 9, but I remember from last time that people line up hours beforehand to enter the park. It took me about an hour to get to Disney, putting me there right at nine. And honestly, there’s no real need to get there several hours beforehand. If you want to get into the park as soon as they open, then go for it. But I got there right at 9 and by 9:30 I was through security and in the park.

I lowkey came unprepared. It was pretty hot today and it finally wasn’t going to rain as for most of my trip there had been stormy weather. But not only did I forget my hand fan in my hotel, but my body wipes and my sunglasses. (T_T) I at least remembered to pack a bottle of water.

The first place you enter is called the Mediterranean Harbor, and it honestly gives the vibe of a port town. There’s a giant world globe that sprays water with tons of people trying to take pictures. And for the 25th jubilee, there was this statue of Mickey and Minnie where they could take your picture. I think I waited about 30 minutes for my picture. They could take them professionally but I just wanted them on my phone. Some people though were a bit rude and would walk in front of groups trying to take pictures. One thing that’s a bit difficult about being a solo traveler is not having anyone to take your pictures. So any time I cast member was willing to take one for me, I’d take it.

The other kind of sucky thing about being a solo traveler is not always having someone to talk to. The first ride I went on was Journey to the Center of the Earth. The wait was around 80 minutes and just standing in line by yourself made to be more boring than lonely. And standing around for so long, your back starts to hurt. So for the remainder of the major attractions that had super long lines, Tower of Terror and Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival, I just bought the priority pass. They were 1500¥ and 2000¥ respectively or about $20. I could’ve gotten one for the first ride I went on but I was already in line by that point. I also got the passes because, I didn’t want to spend the whole day waiting in lines and wanted to maximize my time there.

One thing that definitely always impresses me is the local Japanese’s commitment. And what I mean by that is they arrive completely decked out in Disney gear. They have the plushies attached to their bag straps. They have ears on. Their entire outfit from the shirt to the accessories match. Usually it is all coordinated to look like one character too. A lot of times as well, couples will match or at least coordinated their outfits to be from the same movie. It makes me feel underdressed haha.

Anyway back to the rides. I waited over an hour and a half for Journey to the Center of the Earth. I’m not even gonna lie, this ride lowkey scared me lol. So it’s set in this underground cavern, hence the name. And you start by going down this elevator to where you board the cars. At first, the ride started off fairly slow with a few drops or turns, but nothing crazy. There were little animatronics of creepy creatures and mushrooms. Just imagine you’re going to the center of the earth or something.

Then, out of no where, there is this massive animatronic. I’m not when sure what it was supposed to be. Some bug-like mutant monster. Then the next thing, we’re plunging into darkness. I’m not even sure what terrified me the most, the drop in the dark or the robot. Either way, by the time I got off, my hands were shaking. lol. In a good way though. But yeah, it definitely caught me off guard considering how slow it started. And we don’t have this ride back home in America, so I truly didn’t know what to expect.

After that wait I was like yeah. Priority pass for the rest of the day. I did not want to spend my whole day waiting in lines.

The next ride I did was Tower of Terror. We have one back in the States but I’d never actually rode it before. With the priority to pass I got in within ten minutes. And of course, I got stuck sitting in the front of the elevator (T_T) I was like “I don’t want to be all the way up here.” Especially cause I know this ride will take your photo.

I didn’t expect the elevator to go up and drop a few times. I personally do not like the weightless feeling it brings, cause I swear my stomach drops to my feet. The pictured they captured though could’ve been worse haha. I’m convinced some people are pros at this ride, because they had thrown up a peace sign at the perfect time while I was sitting there looking like “please get me off this thing.” Overall it was still fine I felt bad though because two girls left the ride crying. One was a kid and I kind of wondered why her mom brought her on that particular ride anyway. And the other might have been high school or early twenties, and it seemed like her friends made her get on it when she didn’t want to.

Tower of Terror was located on the American Waterfront so I just wandered in a random direction to seek out lunch. I ended up passing Port Discovery before ending up at the Lost River Delta. I really wanted to ride the Indiana Jones attraction, but it was closed that particular day. The next ride I got on was called Raging Spirit. I actually got on pretty quickly because they had a separate line for single riders. There is a 360 loop on this particular ride so I wouldn’t recommend it if you have a weak stomach. It’s why I decided to ride it first then get go lunch. Also, the seats are fairly small on this ride. There’s not a lot of leg room so it’ll be tight if you’re pretty tall. Even when they put the bar down on me it was hard to move my leg, and I’m not that tall.

Next, I explored Fantasy Springs. The two major attractions I wanted to see at Disney Sea were Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey and Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival. First though, I got lunch at the Snuggly Duckling. If you’ve seen Tangled, it’s that tavern Rapunzel and Flynn meet all the ruffians. I was surprised that they were only doing mobile orders. I was a little worried, because I didn’t get the chance to withdraw cash before coming, but honestly, I’ve mostly been paying for things through the Disney App. This is something different from the last time I went. But it all worked out.

I got a burger at the restaurant. I’m not really sure what was on that bun. It was like a regular hamburger patty then a slice of ham or something with red lettuce and tomato. It wasn’t bad though and it came with a drink and fries in the set.

After lunch I went on the Tangled ride (again thank you priority pass). It was cute. It was just a boat ride that took you through the movie. But the animatronics of Rapunzel and Flynn were so life like that it was kind of eerie. I also don’t know any of the song lyrics in Japanese, so I’m just humming quietly along to the music in English haha. These rides though in particular are fairly short. That’s really why I just spent the money for priority passes cause you spend all this time waiting for a 3 minute ride. I feel like I was able to see more that way.

Surprisingly, around 3, priority passes opened up for the Frozen ride. I’m going to assume that maybe the reason they weren’t available earlier was cause they sold out or there was a cap. Either way, I’m glad cause I really did not want to wait two hours for that ride. I was going to just take the L. While I waited for my pass to activate, I hopped over to Peter Pan’s Flight. A note with this ride, it’s a 3D simulation attraction with goggles. Keep this in mind if you’re prone to motion sickness.

So of course, right as it’s now time for my priority pass to go ride the Frozen attraction, the ride’s operation is suspended. I’m not sure what the cause was but I was definitely disappointed. They essentially gave me a new priority pass that I could use for any ride to compensate. I at first decided to wait it out to see if the frozen ride would open back up. Then I considered maybe riding Journey to the Center of the Earth again, but when I walked by the ride, I heard people screaming and changed my mind lol. Ultimately, I ended up not using it, and Disney will eventually refund me for it which is fine. I’ll just make sure to ride Frozen the next time I make it back to Japan, which I most definitely plan to do so.

I didn’t plan to stay at the park until it closed, because I wanted to go back to my hotel and finish packing. I circled back toward the front and got a tshirt from the gift shop. Since I’ve started packing up my suitcase, I know I had a limited amount of space remaking. So I told myself not to get anything big. But the exclusive Sparkling Jubilee shirt was cool.

At 4, there was actually a parade. The Sparkling Jubilee celebration was at the Mediterranean Harbor. All the characters, like Mickey Mouse and friends, were on a tug boat that had the anniversary insignia displayed on the side while they were all dressed in special blue costumes. One thing I kind of noticed is that the local Japanese tend to be quite reserved with performances. Like when the performance ended or the performers told people to clap their hands, it was a very polite clap. It wasn’t very loud, if that makes sense whereas in the U.S., I’m used to people yelling and cheering. It was just an interesting cultural difference I noticed.

The last thing I ended up doing was the Toy Story mania ride. Of course, while I’m waiting in line I bird flies in my face. There was a lot of popcorn and stuff on the ground and one literally got way too close for comfort. The ride itself was fun. It was like a shooting game that felt like a carnival. And the decor was all super big to make you feel like a small toy. Your car had a little blaster attached to it, and as it whirled around the area, you would have to shoot at the targets. My final score ended up being 131,000 with 40% accuracy! After waiting in that ride for an hour, it was about 6, so I headed out to go finish up my packing as I have an early flight in the morning.

I think my final consensus is that both parks are fun. Obviously, if you have time and can afford to do both, I’d say do it for the experience. But to be honest, I think I like Disney Sea better. For me, I’ve been to Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida. Tokyo Disneyland honestly feels more just like a copy of the ones in the United Stated whereas Tokyo Disney Sea is its own unique experience exclusive to Japan.

There are a few unique rides only found at Tokyo Disneyland like the Beauty and the Beast ride. If you’re set on riding that, then yes! Go. But there’s a Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and several other rides that are also at the park in the United States. So if you’ve been to the parks in California and Florida, then you really aren’t missing anything in Tokyo. If you’ve haven’t been to the U.S. parks, however, then definitely try to go, because the tickets are way cheaper (9,400¥/$58USD) by comparison.

But if you really just have time for one and want an experience that you can’t get elsewhere, then I would definitely go to Disney Sea! I had a great time and the next time I return to Japan, I hope I can bring my friends and family! ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡