Lesley Wake
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2017
Hello and welcome to my latest trip report! This trip covers my crazy 3-week solo journey to the other side of the world to visit all of the Disney parks in Asia! It covers the good, the excellent, the stressful, and the aggravating moments on my trip. So, I do have to emphasize – these were my personal experiences and thoughts! I know lots of people visit these parks and have their own experiences. So when you visit (which I definitely recommend) know, you could have a better or worse time!
Some introductions:
My name is Lesley and I'm a 34 yr old engineer, living in Los Angeles. I've been a huge Disney fan all my life and have been a Disneyland AP for the past five years (with a few month break). Prior to my first WDW trip in September 2017, I upgraded that Annual Pass to a Premier, which made financial sense. And somehow that visit led to 3 years of Premier Aps, 5 trips (and 2 upcoming), and a cruise (with 2 upcoming)! In the past year I also became a DVC owner (AKL via resale), so I will have many trips to come in the future!
My history in the parks:
Park 1: Disneyland – I’ve been going here since I was a kid (probably around age 4?). I live about 45 minutes away and occasionally am working only a mile away, so I try to get out to DLR as often as possible (at least once a month).
A photo from my first visit:
Park 2: Disney’s California Adventure – I actually got to go to this park before it ever opened, due to a preview my dad was invited to! And I still go often and love it (though not as much as DL)
For some reason, I couldn’t find any photos from my first 10 years of visiting DCA, so here’s the earliest one (during original construction of World of Color)
Parks 3, 4, 5, 6: Walt Disney World – For some reason, I never really pushed my parents to take a WDW trip growing up. And they visited in the 80s, when they did 1 afternoon at Epcot and were not the biggest fans, so never felt the need to return! But once I became an adult and started becoming a more intense Disney fan, I had a great desire to visit! So, my sister and I ended up visiting in September 2017 (during Hurricane Irma), which turned into a pretty awesome trip! And I’ve been back plenty times since (Trip Report links are in my signature)
Parks 7, 8: Disneyland Paris – In 2018, we did a family trip to France. Of course I wanted to see DLP, so ended up doing an additional 4 night/5 day stay and got to see that beautiful park! That trip report is also in my signature
Trip Background
As for this trip, it was floating around in my brain for a few years, especially once I started reading about all the Asian parks. Immediately after Disneyland Paris, where I didn’t have the best experiences with the other guests, I didn’t feel as much of a drive to go. But after a few months, I finally decided I really did want to visit these parks everyone talks about! Disney Tourist Blog talked about a HalloXmas trip, where you time it to experience both Halloween and Christmas at Tokyo Disney, which seemed like an ideal way to go (little did I know…). So, I figured, 2 weeks in Japan for that, plus some time experiencing Japanese culture.
But then, in early Fall 2018 I started seeing Halloween photos from Hong Kong Disneyland, which just looked awesome! I started considering adding on a couple days for a visit to HKDL. And then, that made me realize, it would leave Shanghai as the only Disney park worldwide I hadn’t visited. Well, that wouldn’t do, so I figured out I could add another week to my trip, visit both Shanghai and Hong Kong Disneylands, before heading over to Japan. A long trip (maybe too long for me), but one I was really looking forward to!
Follow along to find out:
Trip basics:
Dates: October 19 – November 10
Part 1 – Shanghai.
Part 2 – Hong Kong
Part 3 – Tokyo Disney, Halloween celebrations
Part 4 – Kyoto
Part 5 – Tokyo
Part 6 – Tokyo Disney, Christmas celebrations
Oh, and a disclaimer – I took a lot of photos on this trip… like, a lot! And I had my phone, plus a nicer camera. So, it may take some time to go thru everything and get it all posted! If you have specific questions about a future aspect of the trip, feel free to ask in advance!
I also decided to post this on the main Trip Report board, as I know it can be hard to find TRs on the “Other Lands” board!
Some introductions:
My name is Lesley and I'm a 34 yr old engineer, living in Los Angeles. I've been a huge Disney fan all my life and have been a Disneyland AP for the past five years (with a few month break). Prior to my first WDW trip in September 2017, I upgraded that Annual Pass to a Premier, which made financial sense. And somehow that visit led to 3 years of Premier Aps, 5 trips (and 2 upcoming), and a cruise (with 2 upcoming)! In the past year I also became a DVC owner (AKL via resale), so I will have many trips to come in the future!
My history in the parks:
Park 1: Disneyland – I’ve been going here since I was a kid (probably around age 4?). I live about 45 minutes away and occasionally am working only a mile away, so I try to get out to DLR as often as possible (at least once a month).
A photo from my first visit:
Park 2: Disney’s California Adventure – I actually got to go to this park before it ever opened, due to a preview my dad was invited to! And I still go often and love it (though not as much as DL)
For some reason, I couldn’t find any photos from my first 10 years of visiting DCA, so here’s the earliest one (during original construction of World of Color)
Parks 3, 4, 5, 6: Walt Disney World – For some reason, I never really pushed my parents to take a WDW trip growing up. And they visited in the 80s, when they did 1 afternoon at Epcot and were not the biggest fans, so never felt the need to return! But once I became an adult and started becoming a more intense Disney fan, I had a great desire to visit! So, my sister and I ended up visiting in September 2017 (during Hurricane Irma), which turned into a pretty awesome trip! And I’ve been back plenty times since (Trip Report links are in my signature)
Parks 7, 8: Disneyland Paris – In 2018, we did a family trip to France. Of course I wanted to see DLP, so ended up doing an additional 4 night/5 day stay and got to see that beautiful park! That trip report is also in my signature
Trip Background
As for this trip, it was floating around in my brain for a few years, especially once I started reading about all the Asian parks. Immediately after Disneyland Paris, where I didn’t have the best experiences with the other guests, I didn’t feel as much of a drive to go. But after a few months, I finally decided I really did want to visit these parks everyone talks about! Disney Tourist Blog talked about a HalloXmas trip, where you time it to experience both Halloween and Christmas at Tokyo Disney, which seemed like an ideal way to go (little did I know…). So, I figured, 2 weeks in Japan for that, plus some time experiencing Japanese culture.
But then, in early Fall 2018 I started seeing Halloween photos from Hong Kong Disneyland, which just looked awesome! I started considering adding on a couple days for a visit to HKDL. And then, that made me realize, it would leave Shanghai as the only Disney park worldwide I hadn’t visited. Well, that wouldn’t do, so I figured out I could add another week to my trip, visit both Shanghai and Hong Kong Disneylands, before heading over to Japan. A long trip (maybe too long for me), but one I was really looking forward to!
Follow along to find out:
- What did I think of the Disney parks in Asia?
- What were my favorite rides?
- Which ride did I get a certificate from?
- How many times did I ride Tron?
- Which memorable character meets did I experience?
- What was my most stressful travel experience (maybe ever)?
- What was it like to fly business?
- Would I try the Green Alien Mochi in Tokyo?
- What would I do differently in the future?
- When will I visit again?
- What surprise dismeets did I have?
Trip basics:
Dates: October 19 – November 10
Part 1 – Shanghai.
Park days: 2
Hotel: Shanghai Disneyland Hotel
Part 2 – Hong Kong
Park days: 2
Hotel: Explorer’s Lodge
Part 3 – Tokyo Disney, Halloween celebrations
Park days: 2
Hotel: Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay, Park Wing room
Part 4 – Kyoto
Days: 2.5
Hotel: CMM Crystate
Part 5 – Tokyo
Days: 1.5
Hotel: Tokyu REI Hotel Shibuya
Part 6 – Tokyo Disney, Christmas celebrations
Park days – 5
Hotel: Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay, Ocean Dream room
Oh, and a disclaimer – I took a lot of photos on this trip… like, a lot! And I had my phone, plus a nicer camera. So, it may take some time to go thru everything and get it all posted! If you have specific questions about a future aspect of the trip, feel free to ask in advance!
I also decided to post this on the main Trip Report board, as I know it can be hard to find TRs on the “Other Lands” board!