Photo TR: Shanghai Disneyland and the Tokyo Disney Resort

I'm going later this month... these photos make me even more excited!

Excellent report and great photos! The more I see of Tokyo DisneySea, the more I want to go there.

Great trip report of DisneySea Adam! And you're right, there is so much to see in either park, whether the theming is right in your face,

or slightly hidden from view, for you to discover and enjoy.

Looking forward to more of your TR.

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Our trip continued with our first day at Tokyo Disneyland! This was an entirely new experience for both of us as I had only visited Tokyo DisneySea during my trip eleven years earlier and this was my wife's first trip to Asia. Tokyo Disneyland is unique in that it presents a "best of" approach, borrowing elements from Disneyland Park and Magic Kingdom in Florida, while also having a lot of elements exclusive to this park. This was such an incredible experience for me in that it presented a true opportunity for me to fall in love with Tokyo Disneyland.

Like a full-size Starspeeder 1000 parked inside of the entrance of the queue!

And this gorgeous video monitor in the extended queue area.

From here it becomes more familiar...

But there are unique touches like these Hitchhiking Droids.

The loading terminal is simply gorgeous!

Monsters Inc's ride building was built from the ground up with none of the former Meet the World structure retained.

First stop, Monsters Inc. Ride and Go Seek!

This is the key to your experience!

You point your flashlight at the many Monsters Inc symbols found throughout the ride, mostly atop these impressive animatronics.

Such a well themed ride! There aren't any points earned for shining light on the targets--just the fun of triggering interactions through the ride!

Honestly not much else to compare this one to, but a really fun experience! We went back for several more rides throughout our visit!

We'll be coming back for this in a little bit thanks to some Fastpasses!

With some time to kill on this corner of the park we figured we'd knock out Star Tours.

While the ride itself is the same as the stateside (and now Parisian) counterparts, the show building is expansive and has some very unique elements...

We went back several more times thanks to the old-style Fastpass system still being in use at the resort!

There are some clever gags in the exit of Monsters Inc. that are worth a look.

The Tokyo Disneyland Band was one of many spontaneous performances we witnessed during our day in the park!

Pirates of the Caribbean is located in the park's New Orleans Square.

Similar to Disneyland's version complete with the Blue Bayou Restaurant, but interestingly enough, riders exit before the lift hill return back to the entry station.

Something's crashed in Adventureland and I couldn't be more excited!

Honestly, this version of the Tiki Room was one of my most anticipated experiences in Tokyo Disneyland.

The queue is like a cross between Disneyland's and Magic Kingdom's with the Tiki Garden from California...

But the water features from Florida. This was likely used in the previous versions of the shows' pre-shows, but it is not in use for this version.

I loved every minute of the show! I know purists will take great issue to this approach but the audience loved the show and it just felt so energetic and modern compared to the classic version of the show.

Jungle Cruise Wildlife Expeditions is a recently-updated take on the classic Jungle Cruise.

It is the first version of the ride to have a custom-designed audio track along with a new narrative featuring the spirits seen in these hanging totems. We couldn't understand any of the spieling but the ride was fun all the same.

The ride's audio actually triggers the opening of "The Circle of Life" here which oddly works perfectly. Again purists may take issue but it garnered a ton of laughs in our boat!

And the classic scenes remain intact.

Wouldn't want to be the low man on that totem pole.

Photos don't do it justice (so I won't try) but the inside of the temple has been updated with a neat projection mapping effect that I can only hope will make its way to Florida at some point.

Good old Trader Sam!

The Leaky Tikis don't leak here.

Look at this beauty!

I love the alternate brickwork that was applied to the lower portion of the castle... It just makes the whole thing feel that much more *real*.

I was bummed I couldn't see the old Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour but Fairytale Hall was a cute replacement.

Look at this detail!

A pretty interior scene!

And a neat little element that happens every few minutes or so.

I always make it a point to look up in Disney attractions for design elements like these.

It made me smile to see this beautiful tile mural originally designed for Florida's Magic Kingdom also present in Tokyo!

And credit was even given to the original artist, Dorothea Redmond, a name many Disney fans know well.

Time for another of my most hotly anticipated rides of the trip... Pooh's Hunny Hunt!

Several other trackless rides have debuted around the world since this first opened but I don't think any hold a candle to this.

Just so incredible!

And the Heffalumps & Woozles scene is arguably one of my favorite moments in any Disney ride.

Does it have to be?

We rode Pooh's Hunny Hunt a total of seven times this trip, second only to the 8 times we rode Sinbad's Storybook Voyage!

Even the exit is gorgeous!

We rope dropped the park for our first day to make sure we could get our first rides in on Monsters Inc. and Pooh's Hunny Hunt. The super polite cast holding up "For safety please walk" signs really made me smile.

(continued)

Time to check out something that has intrigued me for years!

The Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall!

In case you wondered what a menu in such a place would look like.

The interior is beautiful!

Definitely neat to see an Alice in Wonderland dining venue fleshed out!

Time for lunch in a place that looks so similar to home but was so different...

Plazma Ray's Diner opened last year and the menu caught our eye...

It turned out to be so good we went back twice during the trip!

The artwork inside of the venue is great and features easter eggs for many past Disney sci-fi attractions and films.

Even more easter eggs!

Another spontaneous performance in Tomorrowland!

The Star Tours building is absolutely huge!

I was incredibly excited to see Happiness is Here having fallen in love with the parade's soundtrack years earlier!

Some great character interactions!

These floats are all much bigger than I'd expected for daytime parade!

Shoutout to Clarabelle Cow!

I love how much Casey Jr. has been featured in the recent parade designs!

It was also neat to see an Aristocats float and to know that those characters are still so popular here!

I love the walking pelicans from Finding Nemo!

The Toy Story float was cute too!

Elephant Abu!

The Disney Princesses!

This be one of my favorite parade characters ever.

The Mad Hatter is a much-beloved character here.

And of course, Pooh and Tigger!

Almost time for the finale...

I love when these parades give Mary Poppins some love!

One more spontaneous performance in Tomorrowland!

We scored tickets for One Man's Dream II in the lottery, thankfully on our first try!

The show is a cute, classic Disney revue...

We parked ourselves in the Hub with a second serving from Plazma Ray's so that we could see Dreamlights and the park's fireworks shows...

Definitely worth the visit if you have the time!

Another one of those experiences I was more excited about that I probably should have been.

I wasn't old enough to remember the seasonal versions of the Country Bear Jamboree that ran in Florida so I was thrilled to be able to see this in person!

While I didn't understand all of the lyrics I got the gist of the show and I loved it!

Big Al still wins the show as comedic relief.

And this octopus isn't in the Collector's Vault!

It was refreshing to hear some familiar tunes in the show!

Camp Woodchuck is a newer area of the park that I was excited to check out.

It is a cute little corner!

And there's a great view of Splash Mountain to enjoy too!

I'll be coming back to ride this later!

I finally tried the Curry Popcorn and it was delicious!

Even though I didn't get to ride the Explorer Canoes in Shanghai, I made it a point to ride the ones in Tokyo!

The park's railroad has such a unique and picturesque layout!

I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to see the classic Haunted Mansion! Check out the original Bride!

The graveyard looks fantastic!

And the original Hitchhiking Ghosts!

So neat to see this again!

(continued)

There's something special about the classic Tomorrowland architecture still being maintained in Tokyo!

Look at this castle!

Dreamlights is easily the most impressive night time parade I've seen... And I used to believe that title was reserved for Paint the Night!

Dream Lights is Tokyo's Electrical Parade but it consistently sees floats taken out of rotation and upgraded or replaced so that the show is always fresh!

Just two weeks after we left three new floats debuted in the show!

I love it!

The floats are huge and the lights do some incredible things!

A very different Pete's Dragon float than the one I'm used to seeing!

This Peter Pan float was incredible! The sails are screens that transform as the story told progresses!

The Finding Nemo float is one of the newer floats introduced over the last few years...

Along with a new Toy Story float featuring characters from all three films!

The Genie float is the most incredible of the parade!

The Genie transforms into Mr. Incredible!

Then he becomes Mr. Smee!

The Aladdin float is gorgeous!

The Tangled float is great too!

Pixie Hollow gives Tinkerbell her chance to shine!

The finale floats represent "it's a small world" which is a such a pleasant surprise!

And they transform from black & white to full color as they move along the parade route!

Stunning!

I love these!

Such an incredible parade!

I also think it is so neat that all of the Tokyo parades have a float at the end of the parade dedicated to the parade's sponsor.

The fireworks were fun too!

It was neat to see Snow White's Grotto in this park as it exists in Disneyland but not In Florida’s Magic Kingdom.

Time for another Fastpass!

A classic nighttime run of Big Thunder Mountain was definitely a great way to round out the day!

Frontierland's shooting gallery was very different and super fun to play in!

Looking back towards the entrance of the park.

I love this shot!

I also found the park's original dedication plaques!

Heading towards the entrance...

The World Bazaar shop windows feature tributes to those involved in the park's creation, just like the Main Street windows do in the other parks.

The Oriental Land Company gets their own set of windows.

I dreamed of seeing this in person for so many years!

This park has a charm that I could have never expected...

I absolutely adore Tokyo Disneyland as a result of our visit!

Back in the monorail station on the way back to our hotel I noticed this tribute to monorail history!

Shoutout to Alton Towers!

Wow, what a great TR of TDL Adam! Very thorough and lots of photos of stuff

that I don't see in reports that often. Even my own, LOL!

And not only a monorail shout out to AT, but where it came from, too!

Thanks for sharing all of this. Some really awesome shots in this report.

p.s. Um, the Snow White Fountain isn't in Shanghai DL you meant, yes?

Glad you enjoyed this update! And good catch! I meant to say that the grotto is found in Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland but not the Magic Kingdom in Florida!

wow. . some absolutely gorgeous pics, Jedimaster!

thanks so much for sharing, as not only are they stunning, but it's a great way for those of us who have never been overseas to get a great look at a park we likely will never physically get to.

looks like y'all had a blast to, so it was an added bonus to know what a great time you had, while enjoying the pics/

Great trip report! Tokyo Disney Resort is beautiful, and has a unique charm that any theme park junkie would love!

Glad you enjoyed this update! And good catch! I meant to say that the grotto is found in Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland but not the Magic Kingdom in Florida!

That's okay. I understand your enthusiasm and total joy in remembering all of your trip there.

And stuff is sometimes forgotten. Heck, it happens in my reports, easy.

And so - many - Magic Kingdoms - to keep track of, lol.

I got back from Tokyo a few days ago... wow. These photos remind me of how amazing it was.

DisneySea takes themeparks to a whole new level i'd never imagined. Insanely awesome.

And the main Magic Kingdom park in Tokyo is different but in a good way, it has the magic feel to it and I loved it so much.

Why oh why does crappy Disneyland Paris have to be the closest park to me.

^ I am very curious what you consider "crappy" about Disneyland Paris?

As for bad cast members there... I met a few stern and/or angry

cast members at DL and DCA when I was there in 2016. But that doesn't

negate the whole resort for me.

(Pardon for the sidebar, here.)

^ I am very curious what you consider "crappy" about Disneyland Paris?

 

As for bad cast members there... I met a few stern and/or angry

cast members at DL and DCA when I was there in 2016. But that doesn't

negate the whole resort for me.

 

 

(Pardon for the sidebar, here.)

It has the worst of everything. It's full of rude, obnoxious french people. Always seems to have lower standards in every way (mainly cleanliness and staff). And it's in France which isn't a good start!

Anyway, Tokyo Disney is awesome. I think DisneySea has to be my #1

^Awwwwwwww cute, you clearly haven’t been to Shanghai yet.

Love everything about your TR! I really should explore Shanghai Disney’s Adventure Isle a bit more. And can’t wait to return to Tokyo Disney Resort sometime!

Great pictures! Can't wait for my next visit to TDL only 6 months away!

Our trip continued with our second day at Tokyo DisneySea... Still my favorite theme park on the planet! On this day we spent more time focusing on the smaller attractions and taking in the theming, entertainment, shopping and dining of the park.

Another morning rush at rope drop and still the most polite rope drop rush I've experienced.

So many neat little nooks the ride paths can take you to!

I absolutely love Aquatopia!

With the arrival of SeaRider in Port Discovery, the land has seen some subtle but adorable added touches.

So freaking cute!

Like too freaking cute!

Hello beautiful!

It still astounds me that this is a theme park.

With as popular as SeaRider is at the park we avoided experiencing it during our first day at DisneySea but I'm especially glad that we revisited it during our second day.

Stormrider was an odd attraction, one that I couldn't really explain or describe in 2006, so I wasn't overly disappointed to see it replaced. The preshow experience for Searider is much more impressive...

As is the Searider experience in the ride vehicle. The ride sequences are fully animated to the same level as the Finding Nemo films and the randomization eclipses that found in Star Tours with seamless transitions between several different ride paths. We rode three times thanks to our Fastpass usage and each time we had entirely unique set of sequences.

We absolutely loved Searider!

And I wasn't going pass up the chance to try more themed treats like this orange creme churro or the pineapple jelly slushie!

I'd waited over a decade to ride Aquatopia once again!

And it was just as fun as I remembered!

I fell in love with the American Waterfront all those years ago and I was overjoyed to revisit it years later.

Fans of the Disney Cruise Line ship, the Disney Magic will recognize this statue in the Cape Cod area of the park.

Not a corner or side left unthemed.

The chicken roll was quite tasty!

This was new since the last time I was here.

I love the Palisades Park/Coney Island inspirations that went into integrating Toy Story Mania into the American Waterfront.

I can dig it!

And my favorite...

Still the best Tower of Terror story out there.

The preshow is an experience in and of itself.

The stained glass effect is incredible.

And Shiriki Utundu is the best.

Unfortunately the Shiriki Utundu merchandise is much less plentiful than it was the last time I was here. I still stocked up on what I could!

It still blows my mind that there's a life-size steamliner parked inside of Tokyo DisneySea.

The SS Columbia is another example of the park's above-and-beyond design.

The Pork Roll (definitely bacon wrapped) was awesome too!

We found a hidden Hank from Finding Dory in Port Discovery!

And more impromptu performances throughout the park to be found! Seriously, Tokyo's entertainment game is unrivaled!

Thank goodness for Fastpasses!

I want the Lost River Delta closer to home!

Still love this nod to Indiana Jones and Star Wars' film connection.

Out of Shadowland was a unique show not featuring any Disney characters telling the coming-of-age story of a young girl in the woods. The story was a little odd but the projection mapping nature of the sets was a neat approach.

Raging Spirits was a fun coaster that had been entirely retracked since my last visit.

For a pretty standard layout, the theming and fog effects make it a step above.

The way the coaster cuts through the fog is a pretty neat effect in person.

Another new addition since my last visit.

Something neat that is unique to the Tokyo Disney Resort is the games of skill that they offer... It isn't the fact that the games exist that is unique, rather that if you win you get the normal prize but if you lose, you still walk away a winner...

If you lose you're able to choose a pin to take away. So in this sense, either way you're a winner.

There's no bad angle when it comes to looking out Mount Prometheus.

Mermaid Lagoon is still one of the coolest environs here.

So cool!

The Sea Salt Ice Cream Monaka was unique and really delicious!

I want this tateside.

Neat to see this as a walkthrough scene as opposed to something passed in a ride.

I could stay here all day!

(Continued)

There's nothing about Mermaid Lagoon that I don't love!

I spent some more time over by Raging Spirits between my Fastpasses...

I really do think they did a great job taking a very standard coaster and making it fit into this superbly themed park.

About as themed as this kind of coaster could be.

I really liked it!

The Yucatan Sausage Roll lived up to the hype!

ShellieMay has quite the following in Tokyo!

Hiya!

StellaLou was just introduced to the parks before our visit, so a set of daily greeting parades were being run to share her with the public.

Disney details...

The Teddy Roosevelt lounge was a neat nook in the park to relax and take in a good drink.

Taking in the view from the SS Columbia.

One of the few parts of the park that you can see the border between the park, the road and the ocean beyond.

You can some of the Tokyo bay hotels along the park's skyline.

Still unreal.

Extremely realistic and astoundingly surreal all at once.

A look back towards the Mediterranean Harbor.

You can see a giant ferris wheel located near the JR Maihama Station from inside of the park.

Cruella de Vil had quite the entourage when we saw her in the American Waterfront.

She was looking for the puppies...

And she found them!

I ate at the New York Deli during my first visit to the park and it was a highlight of my visit (oddly enough). For some reason, I've always been attracted to the romanticized versions of real-life locales that Disney has designed (much for the same reason that I always appreciated Paradise Pier).

Punny.

Believe it or not, this is my favorite land in the park.

The Priority Seating system for table service restaurants works really well!

We decided to give Restaurant Sakura in the American Waterfront a try for lunch.

Go big or go home.

Such a great value!

The seafood lover in me was loving every bite!

I wished I had time to experience the Venetian Gondolas during my last visit to Tokyo DisneySea so I wasn't going to pass up the chance to do it this time.

Super clever.

The canals are authentic and provide a real atmosphere to the area that evoke the feeling of being back in Venice.

Such an awesome extra experience!

For Larry...

This is real.

I had to keep telling myself this is real.

The gondoliers even sing!

A look at the future location of Soarin' Around the World in Tokyo DisneySea.

The inside of Magellan's is stunning!

We didn't get to dine here this time but definitely next time!

Time to take in some SEA lore.

I always wondered where this was after seeing Robb play with it in the Coaster Expedition videos... I found it all these years later!

"Come let us sing the sailor song..."

Quite the view!

I can't get enough of it!

Another look at the site of Soarin' Around the World.

This room was super neat!

Back to Mysterious Island.

One of my favorite rides ever sponsored by one of my favorite companies.

I'm still in love with this structure.

The Arabian Coast is another land I fell in love with on this trip.

I'm snake charming in rain, snake charming in the rain!

Can't get enough!

A lasting remnant of the former Stormrider attraction.

OFF! OFF! OFF!

Aquatopia is still the best ride of its kind.

The lighthouse at Cape Cod is a nice touch.

Did you know Cape Cod is the home of Duffy the Disney Bear?

Authentic.

The best.

The absolute best.

I wasn't ready to say goodbye...

Time to make my way out.

In 2006 I took a photo in front of the park's entry icon...

11 years later I did the same.

I drowned out my DisneySea farewell sorrows with some delicious sushi at Iskpiari...

And a few of these! Up next, photos from our final day at Tokyo Disneyland!

Great report and pictures as always Adam, thanks for sharing. Tokyo Disney Sea continues to amaze me every time I pictures of it.

absolutely incredible pictures.

I tell myself that SOMEDAY I'll get to see this incredible park with my own eyes. . but if that never happens, at least I've gotten to experience it thru this amazing pictures.

great report, thanks for sharing!

(and that sushi looks so, so good)

Great photos! I cannot wait to visit Tokyo Disney.

To everyone who had the chance to visit this amazing park . . . I'M JEALOUS OF YOU! Great report!

Ugh, this is making me miss Tokyo again...

Unfortunately the Shiriki Utundu merchandise is much less plentiful than it was the last time I was here. I still stocked up on what I could!

I was really wanting to get something Journey related while I was out there, but I was kinda disappointed that all they had was a die cast toy vehicle replica. If they made Lava Monster versions of the plush keychains or those plush hats, I'd do pretty much anything I could to get my hands on them.