cfc Posted October 31, 2018 Author Share Posted October 31, 2018 The Most Magical Kingdom of Them All: Tokyo Disneyland One little thing I forgot to mention last time was that this visit marks the second time I’ve been at Tokyo Disney with TPR during some sort of “anniversary” event. This year it’s the . . . . . . which I presume means this is the resort’s “35th anniversary.” Well, I was last here with TPR in 2013, and that was the 30th anniversary, so, let’s see, do the math . . . yep--35th anniversary. Tokyo Disneyland is the best of Disney’s “Magic Kingdoms,” which immediately puts it in the top two of theme parks worldwide. It was modeled after the park in Florida, but there are some notable differences, such as: 1. There’s no Liberty Square, so the Haunted Mansion is located in Fantasyland (Splash Mountain, is located just behind the Mansion). 2. Their Winnie the Pooh dark ride is a big step up from other versions, thanks to a trackless ride system, full animatronics (not just statues and cutouts), and just a higher general level of fun. (People who hate that “silly old bear” love this ride.) 3. Space Mountain is a clone of the California version. 4. The International Bazaar, their “Main Street,” is enclosed under a canopy (a very nice feature in a country where it rains quite bit). 5. This is no knock against the customer service at the Florida park, but TDL reaches their level, then takes it a step or two higher. Hurry up! The Monorail is almost here! “The ring came off my pudding can! Take my penknife, my good man.” I guarantee that you will be happy at least 35 times/day at Tokyo Disneyland. Most likely more. Just in case you missed this earlier, it’s the “35 Happiest Celebration.” Looks a lot like you’re in Florida here. Hmm--appears to be a mite busy today. This will siphon off some of that crowd. The dude with the black pack on his chest looks worried. Maybe he’s allergic to bee stings. Well, if you’re gonna have a lovely garden, you’re gonna need bees. Since we rode this first thing, the wait was fairly short. “A story about Winnie the Pooh, and how, in his selfish lust for honey, he invoked Satan to raise a storm that nearly destroyed the 100 Acre Wood. I love that story!” “I say, jolly fun shooting the rapids while standing on a bear butt, eh wot?” “Oh, bother! I never should’ve drawn that pentagram in Eeyore’s blood.” “Damn you, Pooh! You’ve doomed us all!" Thus did the Gates of Hell open . . . . . . and chaos was vomited forth! Welcome to the Ninth Circle of Pooh Corner Gift Shop. Dear USA: Please note how neatly the Japanese line up their strollers and learn from their example. Thank you. Nearly time for our Space Mountain Fast Passes. Note how close DisneySea is to Disneyland, even though the park’s entrances are so far apart. Sorry, folks, but Coca Cola now owns the galaxy. This door is for Pepsi drinkers. It leads to the icy vacuum of SPACE! Making Space Coke is really high tech. It is no less crowded now. Thought you should know. Looks like the 999 Happy Haunts are doing a little sprucing up. No more Fast Passes left, so the queue winds through here. But it’s a pretty fast-moving line. “Have a drink. Our fresh spring water tastes likes bourbon and will appear once you sign over your soul!” Hmm--I think this retaining wall needs some work. I’m surprised the homeowners association hasn’t fined them for this. Aw, poor Fluffy! That’s odd. I thought Fluffy ate Skimmer. Such a cozy little room--from which there is no way out! I want these light fixtures for my house. According to the “Ghost Hunters” app on my phone, there are absolutely no ghosts here . . . OH MY GOD! Stupid app. Hey, “Paul Tergyst”! Get it, guys? Come on, it’s funny! One more set of photos to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 31, 2018 Author Share Posted October 31, 2018 Some more photos from our full day at Tokyo Disneyland. Clever segue, eh? Always drink official Tokyo Disney Water. I hear it comes from Lost River Delta. Yes, this happened, but I don’t remember on which day. Perhaps I've blocked this evil memory! They have a really nice station, and you can check your luggage. Elsa, Anna, and Olaf just lettin’ it go. You see, Mickey! The Three Caballeros are a Donald "thing"--not your "thing"! Even Moana is here. I like how they’re working the Disney characters into the Small World rides. We had a few minutes to kill before we could use our Monsters, Inc. Fast Pass. How to pass the time? Perhaps we could buy a personalized Star Wars name tag. Aw, cutest widdle Darth Vader ever finds your lack of faith disturbing. He'll disintegrate you from his adorable bubble ship. The Monsters, Inc. queue reminds me a bit of the queue for Dinosaur at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Don’t forget your Panasonic flashlights! I like this ride a lot, even if the vehicles are a bit cramped. Don’t screw with Roz. It would be quite unseemly. Even monsters can get hurt. And a hurt monster is an unhappy monster who will eat you. We headed out to grab lunch. . . . . . when we stumbled over a 35 Happiest Celebration. The dancers were dressed as janitors, and they were really good. Yes, Walt Disney interviews potential cast members here--from beyond the grave! We had lunch at the Ikspiari Outback, then spent some time in the Disney Store. If Elissa had a vegetable garden. I think we had a Big Thunder Fast Pass, . . . . . . which was fortunate. Enjoy the Rivers of America. In Japan. I’m going to end this here and move on the park-hopping days later (with some night photos--well if they don’t look like crap). See you later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Sigh...I miss Japan and it's plethora of rodent related merchandise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 ^ Ditto. With my affection for all things Shiriki Utundu. Excellent ongoing TR of TDLR, Chuck. Most appreciated. Got Him, during the TPR 2011 Japan Tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 “Oh, bother! I never should’ve drawn that pentagram in Eeyore’s blood.” I didn't think I could like TDR Pooh any more than I already do. But I'd ride the hell out of Chuck's version!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKI Jizzman Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 This has such a fun trip to follow along with. Love all of the photos and notes, thanks Chuck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEdMc91 Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 Curious, is everything in English at the Japanese Disney parks? I do see a few things translated and written in Japanese, just curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted November 3, 2018 Author Share Posted November 3, 2018 ^Signs and menus are often in Japanese and English. You'll hear announcements in multiple languages, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamico2 Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 Also, if a cast member hears you speaking English, while waiting for the Tiki Room, he'll give you a hand-held translator for the show! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted November 6, 2018 Author Share Posted November 6, 2018 “Our Revels Now Are (Almost) Ended”: Day & Night Tokyo Disney Park Hopping Tokyo Disney has a unique approach to park hopping. I’d signed up for four Disney days, which meant that I could visit one park for one day, the other park the next day, then hop between the two parks for the last two days. I don’t think any other multi-park Disney resort does this. I like this system, as it spreads out the crowds over both parks and gives you a chance to explore them thoroughly. Then you can hit what you missed, and do other stuff multiple times on the park-hopping days. For example, you definitely must have more than one . . . . . . Magic Kingdom Mickey Waffle per trip. So, let’s spend our last two days in Japan hopping between Disneyland and DisneySea. Lots of photos to come, including one thing I’ve never done before, some relatively decent night photos, and the saddest photo in any Tokyo Disney trip report. I'll start with more Tokyo Disneyland, then finish up with DisneySea. But feel free to hop between the photos as you wish. You know, I don’t think we need to consult this Monorail map anymore. After all, we already know how to get to . . . BAYSIDE STATION! More Tokyo Disneyland? Why not? We studied this map carefully. Never know when you might have to hike back through the jungle. Hmm--remind me to dine here only on Saturdays. Then again, they don't say what sort of "chicken." “I say, you chaps in the boat . . . is it Saturday? We’d hate to miss chicken night back at the dock.” What? We have to go through a forbidden temple, just like in Florida? What an odd coincidence. This is a lousy photo, but they have some cool projection work in the temple. Trader Sam is offering 50% off coupons for giant-stag-beetle night at the Jungle Cruise dock. Sorry, but he’s all out of chicken-night coupons. Tokyo Disneyland’s train has only one station. Because if it made multiple stops, the government taxes it as a “transportation" system, and they’d have to charge an extra fee. It starts in Adventureland . . . . . . but leaves the jungle for Westernland. You get some good views of Big Thunder. Then you get to see some pink dinosaurs, which I guess is as good a transition as any to get back to the jungle. Let’s check out TDL after dark. Well, this is more like twilight. I suspect they’re waiting for some sort of parade. Just a hunch. It’s the 35 Happiest Celebration? Who knew? Many Japanese people like to dress alike and hang out at Tokyo Disney. Here’s a more “traditional” group. As the sun sets, the park lights up. The castle at twilight. We’ll check it out again, later. This mural was used as evidence in the Prince’s stalking trial. May Mickey bestow his blessings upon thee. I would not mess with these two. More TDL to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 MMmmmmmm Mickey Waffles and Four Day Passes.....what could be better than that? Great stuff Chuck. Looking forward to how your Pass works out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted November 6, 2018 Author Share Posted November 6, 2018 (edited) Who's ready for a nice evening river cruise? Mickey gets around. Here he is hanging out by the river in Westernland, probably wondering where Minnie is with his mint julep. When you take a cruise on the Mark Twain, . . . . . . be sure to have your passport stamped. Otherwise, Goofy will probably interrogate you somewhere, and nobody wants that. It’s mighty restful on the river at night. But work goes on at the Indian village. I recommend riding the Mark Twain after dark. It’s tougher for some drunken fur trapper to draw a bead on you at night. More waffles? Why not? I went with the more “traditional” maple walnut this time. “Good choice of waffle, mate. Ask ‘em for a ‘Captain Jack’ next time, eh? They soak it rum and set it afire. Aye, you'll feel good after eating one of those.” Well, here’s something I’ve never done at Tokyo Disneyland before. Hmm--Stitch's Great Escape in Florida immediately improved because they closed it. Still, it has to be better than Florida’s Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management. EDIT: I realized later that I'd used the wrong name for the Florida Stitch attraction. Stitch Encounter is like Turtle Talk and is fairly entertaining (especially if you're chosen as Stitch's old cellmate at "Space Prison"). That will be difficult, as I don’t have your number. Were these figures ever “animated,” like they are at California Disneyland? I remember that Pele had fire shooting out of her head there. Let’s see . . . singing birds, check. Singing flowers, check. This is better than the Stitch attraction in Florida for two reasons: 1) Stitch wears a cool Hawaiian shirt and sings in Japanese, and 2) he doesn’t burp a chili dog in your face. Hoo boy--they’re gonna have a hell of a time cleaning this off. We were all suitably enchanted, thank you. Here’s the castle after dark. I love the lighting. Speaking of people dressing alike and hanging out at Tokyo Disney. Aren't those bows adorable? Space Mountain sort of matches the castle at the moment. Enjoy your ride on Space Castle. I love the lighting package and mini-show in World Bazaar. Great way to end the evening. Let's hop over to DisneySea, shall we? Edited November 11, 2018 by cfc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted November 6, 2018 Author Share Posted November 6, 2018 Well, we're getting near the end, but at least we still have DisneySea. Shiriki is very excited that we're coming back. I think he's waving at us! I don't make cheesy, shaky gifs very often. Don't get used to it. You can never get enough of Tokyo DisneySea. I’d like to stay in the Hotel Mira Costa someday, but it’s pretty expensive (shocking, I know). You can actually get wet on Aquatopia during certain times of the day. Looks like KT and Megan are OK with that. How can you make Mysterious Island even better? Visit it when the sun goes down. Nemo Mickey is ready to explore. My somewhat blurry photo doesn’t do this area justice. Yep--I’m a big fan of the classic Disney Nautilus. Looks like it’s ready to head out to sea. A very nice evening on Mediterranean Harbor. I like stopping at the USS Columbia on the American Waterfront. It’s always nice to drink a gin-and-tonic here. Teddy Roosevelt is one of my favorite presidents. This is my favorite bar at any Disney resort--and it’s usually packed. The Hotel Hightower looks especially creepy after dark. Again, there is no such thing as a bad view in this park. So, that’s how Scrooge McDuck got so rich. When you see this building at night . . . . . . how could you think it’s anything but this? Shiriki strikes again! Such an adorable little imp! “And whoever walked the floors of Hill House, walked alone.” And that would be Shiriki. (He also adorns my Christmas tree each year.) Hightower: All the babes wanted him, until Shiriki came along. Don’t miss the theming under your feet. One last post to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted November 6, 2018 Author Share Posted November 6, 2018 Well, it's our last night. Let's try to make the most of it. "The horror . . . the horror . . ." It’s no surprise that Port Discovery looks even better after dark. Aquatopia is the prettiest pointless ride ever. I love it. Even the water glows. They run it a bit drier after dark. The future needs to look like this--now! One last look at the Aquatopia station. This is what California Disneyland’s Tomorrowland should look like. The volcano looms ominously. Not nicely, but ominously! “Arise, Asmodeus, arise! Duffy invokes thee!” The phallic symbols of Mermaid Lagoon come to life at night. (That sounded bad. Sorry.) Sheik Mickey awaits his harem. (Don’t tell Minnie!) Yeah, we rode Sindbad again. These guys are still stoned on those bananas. We stopped here to relax and get a drink. Some played Pokemon. I think I’ll grab a meal here someday. The curry looked pretty good. “Ah, so this is your first time in the Casbah, effendi? Well, watch yourself.” “There are cutthroats and villains everywhere! And they like to trap monsters!” Chandu wants you to know that he’s sort of a big deal. We ended our night with Toy Story Mania Fast Passes. You have to enter via the gaping maw of Woody. You’re a toy in Andy’s bedroom--best theming of the Toy Story rides. One last look at the volcano. Sigh. The saddest photo ever--the shuttle to Narita. Oh, the anti-climax of it. That’s all! Thanks for reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 Yup, we were playing Pokemon Go in that food court! A nice Japanese man flagged us down and showed us a picture of the North America Exclusive Pokemon and we traded! We're still friends in the game now. I miss Japan and pretty much everything about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted November 9, 2018 Author Share Posted November 9, 2018 ^You never know who you will meet in the Casbah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteVeUrkle Posted November 10, 2018 Share Posted November 10, 2018 I have to say Chuck, I do really enjoy your TRs. I like your photos and your humor is fun. One question I do have is about this monorail photo which I'm so glad you shared! I have never seen it before at Tokyo Disney. I was trying to figure out what that little "Timetable" box in the bottom right means? What do the numbers on the left in the blue box represent, and what do the numbers in the white box represent? I can't figure it out and I tried to think about for a while! If someone could explain that would be great! Thanks for sharing, visiting Tokyo Disney is definitely a goal for me, but until then, your reports really hold me over! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy T. Koepp Posted November 10, 2018 Share Posted November 10, 2018 This was an awesome TR Chuck. I know I will one day get to these amazing parks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted November 10, 2018 Share Posted November 10, 2018 ^^ Lol, there's going to be a new fresh strip of "TDS blue" below Bayside Station in that map, once Magic Springs is built. Will look interesting on all the Resort maps they have, heh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MayTheGForceBeWithYou Posted November 10, 2018 Share Posted November 10, 2018 I was trying to figure out what that little "Timetable" box in the bottom right means? What do the numbers on the left in the blue box represent, and what do the numbers in the white box represent? I can't figure it out and I tried to think about for a while! If someone could explain that would be great! Standard format for Japanese timetables. The numbers in the blue represent hours (Japan uses a 24 hour system, so PM times will use numbers past 12), while the white box represents the respective hours' minutes. By reading a row with a given hour on it, you can see at what times a train would arrive or depart in that hour. The 33, 46, and 59 next to the 6 indicate arrival times of 6:33, 6:46, and 6:59 respectively. The 23 indicates 11PM, so reading across would give us arrival times of 11:06, 11:19, and 11:32. Since monorails run fairly constantly between 7AM and 11PM, there's no real need to list specific times for that period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garet Posted November 10, 2018 Share Posted November 10, 2018 ^I think that style of timetable, right down to when it gets frequent changing to time intervals is common in most of Asia, not just Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted November 10, 2018 Author Share Posted November 10, 2018 They display the wait time for the next monorail on the station platform, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted November 10, 2018 Share Posted November 10, 2018 Great photos of Tokyo Disney! All of this looks incredible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted November 10, 2018 Share Posted November 10, 2018 Great report, Chuck...awesome as always!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 An awesome update as always! I really really need to get back to Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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