disneysea/japan advice

Hey, I haven't posted in a while but I lurk a lot.

I'm heading to Japan November 12-29 and will be in Tokyo probably for around half that time, although I don't know exactly when (also Kyoto and Osaka most likely). I love theme parks but I love travelling and seeing things maybe even more, so I'll probably only reserve one day for theme parks, which I definitely want to spend at Disneysea. I know, only one day? (Disneyland looks pretty great too, but Disneysea is unique)

So I was wondering- what is the best way to see disneysea in one day? Obviously I won't be able to see all the attractions. I definitely want to go on Journey, Indy, and Tower of Terror, and then whatever other dark rides/ major attractions you would recommend the most. I especially am interested in how to go around the park so I can minimize crowds and still see everything. What I mean is, how would you structure your day to just hit the good stuff: Do you head straight to tower, get a fastpass, then head to journey, then back to tower, etc? I definitely also want to know what rides just aren't worth it. Probably a stupid question too- but do you get the fastpass for a specific ride at the entrance to that ride?

Other than that, advice on things like where to get the best food, how bad I can expect crowds to be (bad), would be really appreciated!

Also, I'm 18 and speak no Japanese. If I found myself with nothing specific to do one day, would it be difficult (or worth it) to head over to Thunder Dolphin and get some rides in? Might aswell ride some rollercoasters seeing as there's nothing in Sydney

Thanks,

me (10 year old me chose a crappy username )

Also, I'm 18 and speak no Japanese.

If you're heading to Japan you might want to think about learning a few key phrases before you head over. Don't assume that everyone (or anyone!) will speak English.

Yeah, I do understand that not as many people speak English in Japan as do in other Asian countries, and I plan on learning some phrases. Just as soon as HSC is over... or whatever they call it in Melbourne

I've only been to the park with TPR but here is what I did on the two days. Unfortunately, the single rider line was down for Tower and that affected our strategy. My group headed to Journey right away rode it and then grabbed a Fast Pass, we continued to head back throughout the day to grab Fast Passes. Utilized the single rider lines for Raging Spirits and Indiana Jones. Since we didn't mind using the single rider lines the park was very easy to cover in one day. Keep in mind Toy Story was not built at this time. If you skip the night time show, you can repeated ride the major attractions with minimal lines at this time.

The only bad food I had at DisneySea was the Mexican.

^Did you have the teriyaki pork tacos, Larry?

If you're only going to be there one day, you might want to spring for a meal at Magellan's (it's in the big castle under the volcano)--and don't forget to sample all the popcorn.

14 days in Japan and only one day for a park?

Japan is real easy to get around and if you had a free day you could hit a lot more then Thunder Dolphin. I would go to Tobu Zoo and hit Kawasemi. Much better ride then Thunder Dolphin.

^Did you have the teriyaki pork tacos, Larry?

I don't recall exactly what I ordered, but I sampled two different items and both were equally bad.

^Well, I can vouch for the badness of the teriyaki pork tacos.

Are you going on your own or in a group?

Mania is the busiest ride in the park right now, so if you've done the other versions it's probably the easiest to skip but I'd still try for it. The area looks beautiful in the evening if you're a photographer.

As for a plan, in all reality you can ignore everything I'm about to say and just enjoy the park, the Ops are great and you should get your rides in no problems. Much as the rides are awesome, you'll enjoy just wondering around the park just as much (maybe even more!) so take your time, look everywhere and really take the place in. That said, if you want an efficient attack plan to get the three rides you said you wanted, here you go..

The most important thing you can do is arrive early, 30 minutes before park opening will give you vital time at the start of the day. If you're in a group get the fastest runner to grab Journey fastpass while you head to Tower. They're a bit seatbelt crazy and it takes longer than the other parks for them to dispatch Tower so it's worth trying to get out the way. After that walk up the left side of the park past the American waterfront all the way up and back to Indy. The single rider on Indy is the best single rider I've ever seen so unless you really want to ride in a group I'd just single ride it a bunch of times. In 2011 we had a group that would just go over there for 30 mins and get 3 or 4 rides each. After Indy continue the parks loop back to the Volcano (ride Raging Spirits as you pass) and the use your fastpass for Journey.

Have a great day, we expect many pictures!