Mrlittle Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 (edited) Hello everyone! Just a few weeks ago I got to go on my first international trip with my lovely girlfriend Laura. We started off in San Diego for a few days before going to Japan for an amazing two weeks then ended in Portland before flying home. I was nervous going to Japan because of the language barrier. Spoiler alert: I loved Japan. The people are so nice and the food was great. We will get to that soon enough. I hope you enjoy and comment. TR Updates: Legoland California and San Diego Fair First two days of JAPAN with unexpected quick visit to TDL Space World Mitsui Greenland Kijima and Wonder Rakutenchi Himeji Central Park and more Nagashima Spaland Universal Japan Tobu Zoo and Thunder Dolphin Fuji-Q Cosmoworld and Sea Paradise Taco Bell, Joypolis and TDR Tokyo Disneyland Tokyo DisneySea Last day at Tokyo Disney Resort Portland Parks Our first two days started in Sunny San Diego. We started the first day by going SeaWorld San Diego. I've been to SeaWorld San Antonio and Orlando but never to this one. I was pleasantly surprised with the park. Manta was a fantastic roller coaster and the launch surprised me. Journey to Atlantis just reminded me why I dislike the version here in Texas so much. The park was packed too, but we had fun for the few hours we were at SeaWorld. Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? We also hit up TWO random carousels and Belmont Park on the same day. Laura is a huge fan of carousels. I just like getting all I can out of my rental car. Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? Ahh, Laura and I at Seaworld. Hope you can tell who's who? He was putting on a show for food. Still over there putting on a show. He was hungry! Big hunk of love Penguins. At this park, you can just walk in to see them. He just kept walking around in circles. As if he was bored or something. Manta really was great. We never had a long line for it so we rode multiple times. Just a fun coaster that everyone can ride. Shark! Shark! These sharks were more exciting than Sharknado 3 Can you ever have to much shark? SeaWorld/Busch parks do such a great job with the queues and walkways interacting with the coasters. Our first ride on Manta and we did not expect that launch. Look at Laura's face. My favorite photo of Manta that I took. Random carousel #1 at Balboa Park Best part of the carousel, they still do the rings. If enough people ask. And there off... Laura was very happy we stopped here. A lot of history for this carousel. Can't beat this view you get within walking distance of Belmont Park. Thanks for reading, keep an eye out for my next update. Last stop of the day, Belmont Park Laura smiles her biggest around carousels. I actually rode Giant Dipper a few years ago and was glad it rode better this visit with a full train Laura won the brass rong but she cheated. Something so simple makes a carousel that much better. Random carousel #2 at Seaport Village. (Costly to park nearby, wait for the FREE parking) I love when the carousel organ is working and playing. Throw your Rings here Edited October 28, 2015 by Mrlittle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I"m going down to San Diego after West Coast Bash with some friends. I haven't been to SeaWorld since I was a kid. Thanks for the photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Great start to the report. Looking forward to the Japan stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bert425 Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 great pics thus far, and cannot wait to read the Japan portion! I'm hoping TPR does an overseas trip again next year, as I really want to go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Also, I'm glad you liked Manta! I feel like it's such an underrated coaster due to its size and because "It's not Orlando's Manta" but I think it's a solid family coaster and more parks I wish would install something like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 ^I'm really looking forward to riding Manta in September (and to hitting Belmont Park and Pizza Port, too). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 SWSD looks like a great place to spend some time in. Can't wait for the Japan part! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 (and to hitting Belmont Park and Pizza Port, too). Two very awesome features of the San Diego area! Belmont does not disappoint! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 (and to hitting Belmont Park and Pizza Port, too). Two very awesome features of the San Diego area! Belmont does not disappoint! I'm especially intrigued by Pizza Port, as I've heard people talking about it for years, and Belmont looks like fun (it'll be my first visit). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gisco Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 I can't believe my daughter has been going to school in San Diego for three years now and I haven't been to Pizza Port! Looking forward to the Japan photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 Thanks for the comments so far. I'm mad at myself for not remembering about Pizza Port. I ate there on my last visit. Lots of Japan photos to come but first our second day in San Diego. We went to Legoland California for half a day. I loved playing Legos when I was a kid so I was excited for my first visit to a Legoland. I liked the theming through out the park. Even if it was kind of blocky. (get it) We both enjoyed the park overall. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. So after Legoland, we went to the San Diego Fair. You actually drive past it on the way to Legoland from SD. I recommend to anyone going that you park at a nearby parking lot with the free shuttle buses as traffic near the fair is horrible. I did not know we were going to the fair till the day of so it was a fun stop. We didn't stay late because we had to be up bright and early to start our journey to Japan. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Laura showing how to put out the fire. We won by the way. Looks like home. Not really. Our favorite ride 2 thumbs up at the park. It's a pretty cool set. I was probably to excited when I saw this. Everything is Awesome I liked the movie a lot so yeah this was cool. The minilands were cool. Definitely neat little details Star Wars! Ryan has left Legoland She gets so happy for the cutest things. Like when an employee hands her a giant Lego. The Knights Tournament was a fun ride by the way. Love dark rides but I can't remember anything from this one. I did like how they had a Lego play area for the kids while the adults waited in line. Engineering flaw. The Star Wars minilands were cool. Seemed to just take a corner and I think they should expand it. Missing the random costume characters Throw me some beads. Vegas! You can make the S&S tower work. This was before even Disney or Six Flags banned them. All the rides are towards the back of the fair. Reminded me of Houston Rodeo. Laura later told me, it was the same company. Here we are.. For you train lovers. This is a hard coaster to find, I guess? Thanks for reading, next update will be JAPAN! Credit whoring! So I can do spinning rides but this one always gets me. I was "done" after riding but at least I rode the two big coasters before this. I wish we would of rode it more than once. Legoland Cali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfoot12 Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Awesome report! Like others in this thread, I may go to SeaWorld and Belmont that sometime around West Coast Bash. Looking forward to Japan adventures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Zo Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Nice start to the report! Belmont's high on my list for whenever I finally make it out to southern California. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted August 3, 2015 Author Share Posted August 3, 2015 One of the very first updates I saw on TPR many years ago was when they went to Japan. I knew from then on that it was #1 on my list of places I wanted to travel to. I took a lot of photos and I will share some stories along the way. I was nervous about the language barrier but ts amazing how many things are translated to English. There were still times were language was a problem but overall, the people are so nice and patient. We showed up at our hotel in Shinagawa and met up with friends for some beer and food. After traveling all day, I never imagine we end up going to one of the primary reasons we went on this trip. A group was going to Tokyo Disneyland that night to ride Space Mountain since we knew it would be closed down in a few weeks when we were scheduled to visit. So with nothing else going on but maybe sleep, we decided to go. Plus Tokyo Disney has a night ticket and after 6 its only $34. Yes, just $34 dollars to go to the best resort in the world. Sadly, Space Mountain was broken down but we had about two hours to spend around the park. So we rode Pirates, Monsters Inc., Star Tours, Buzz and then my new favorite dark ride Pooh. It was worth it to ride 5 rides on our first day in Japan. It was like a teaser for the park that we would go back to later. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. We made it. The 9 hr flight wasn't bad but I only got like an hour of sleep. I just can't sleep on planes. Amazing how efficient the trains were. Always on time. Can you tell I am tired? This was when we decided to head to Tokyo Disneyland. It was a lot of switching stations and running to catch a train but we got to the park with about two hours till closing. View from 36th floor while eating and drinking One could get lost in this city. First of many trains while in Japan. This was around 3:00 PM. The train stations never really slow down. Our view from our room. We stayed at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel the first night. Such a large city. Monsters Inc. was a fun dark ride. Better than any Monsters Inc ride we have in the U.S. Still waiting to see if Space Mountain would reopen for the night. We rode Star Tours and Buzz. Basically finishing Tomorrowland in 1 hour I don't remember which planets we went to but Laura was the REBEL on board. I was more excited then she was about it. A great night at Tokyo Disneyland for our first day in Japan. In this version, the Pirates still chase the women My one attempt to take a night photo of the castle. I'm not a photographer. It was actually at this moment, that it dawn on me. I'm in JAPAN FINALLY! (I was like half asleep from flying) Space Mountain - I would of loved to been able to ride but just another reason to go back. Hearing Buzz in Japanese was different. Why can't we have a dark ride like this in America? Seriously, everyone needs to go ride this. I will talk more about it in later updates. Our second day in Japan was a travel day which consisted of Bullet trains. Sleepy head Some of the stations, you can see the Bullet trains just fly by at their top speeds. Its a sight to see. Japan is huge on safety and germs. This was okay. I think I was hoping it would taste more like lemonade. Our hotel in Fukuoka for a few days. Thanks for reading and next update will be SPACE WORLD!!!! There also huge on vending machines. So many different options to try out. Most of the coke products like Sprite and Fanta tasted great. I could be wrong but they tasted like they had more sugar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 Great first start to the report! I always say, if there is a major coaster at Tokyo Disneyland to miss out on, Space Mountain is one of the better ones, and here's why - it's pretty much exactly the same ride (sans the music) as Space Mountain in California and at Hong Kong. Tokyo Disney always has a major ride shut down as they are constantly doing maintenance, and I've heard of people going when totally unique rides like Journey or Pooh are down, and I think that would be a real bummer. Sad you guys missed it, but like you said, now you have more than one reason to go back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Zo Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 Great start to the report -- will be following along with this one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 (edited) That night was one crazy rush, Tokyo Station was enormous! What a great memory! Edited August 3, 2015 by gerstlaueringvar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 Awesome report! Can't wait to see the rest of yours! A bummer that Space Mountain was closed, but now you have one more reason to go back, besides that Disney Sea is worth visiting anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted August 5, 2015 Author Share Posted August 5, 2015 Space World is a fun park. I thought overall the coasters were great. We went to Japan during the rain season and we were lucky with the rain for the most part. Unfortunately while at Space World it started to rain hard but we made the best of it. They had Venus GP and Clipper coasters closed because of their brakes but the rest of the coasters were open. We ended waiting to see if the rain would let up but it never did. We did spend some time at nearby mall before heading back. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. This is the view you get as soon as you exit the train station. On the new trains, these are the song choices. Let's all sing together "Go to the Space World" Zaturn had a great launch on it. Before you can get on any coasters in Japan, you must empty your pockets. Wanna Fanta Our first coaster in Japan. I didn't think it was terrible but watch out for the last few turns. I guess shes some kind of alien? Celebrating 25 years. Spaaaaaaace World We all got our wristbands and started to walk towards the first coaster of the day. Some of the mascots came out to greet us. I loved the alien signs around the park. Go to the Space World I seriously want these vending machines in America How does a park in Japan have a rocket but my home town does not? Waiting to see if they open the kiddie coaster but it started to rain. I love me some Mario Kart. We were also hoping to ride Venus but they don't trust the brakes in the rain. Random toys you can win. So this was a neat indoor area. It included a rollercoaster and simulator ride. There was other attractions but they were closed during our visit. This was a decent roller coaster in the dark. Reminded me of an EPCOT pavilion. The ride sign for the Boogie-woogie Space coaster. I remember this coaster being kind of meh. I want to believe. They do have some awesome things in them. The nearby mall was really nice. Just a few of the thousands of toy capsule machines. Japan is huge on beauty products. Thanks for reading and next update will be Mitsui Greenland. They have arcades, vending machines and toy capsule machines everywhere in Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azza29 Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Great update, Ryan. Space World was a fun park! Fortunately even though Venus was closed in the rain we still managed the other major rides. I didn't mind Titan V at all, the new trains were pretty decent even if the track was a bit weird in spots. I'm sure that theme song will stick around in my head for a while... Go. To. Space. Go. To The Space World... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 That song is coming back! Oh noooo! It was a fun day at Space World, even with the rain. Their log flume is just awesome! Two of the best videos ever: [youtu_be]http://youtu.be/mLVYDvH6B-A[/youtu_be] [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yubstep101 Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 What manufacturer made those trains? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KBrylczyk Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 No photo of the random Buddha in Black Hole Scramble? For shame! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Great update Ryan! I remember our trip to the mall where Yin bought this facial thing! CRAZY! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDG Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 What manufacturer made those trains? Sansei. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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