# An Engaging and Magical Asian Adventure (2017 trip) - New Update 09/12/2021



## Flossbolna

Introduction

Let’s start with a warning: This is not the freshest of all trip reports. Our trip was in summer 2017. Life got hectic with many things just after our trip and now it is finally slowing down and I have many notes and pictures from the trip, so I hope it will still write a trip report that is worth reading. I am definitely excited about sharing our adventures with you!

Not fresh?!?! You can get fresher seafood at the local Red Lobster! For my part, I will simply say that M and I have had a roller coaster few years. And it isn't easy to write on a roller coaster, believe me, I am always taking out my pen and journal on RnRC and Big Thunder! We have had all sorts of good, bad and ugly ... everything from my mom having her car stolen to hurricanes to health issues with family to weddings to ... to ... even spending the longest 45 minutes of my life in a Disney outlet store with a bunch of crazed wide-eyed newbies from ... from ... sorry, this is hard to get out ... from ... from ... Delaware! So, as you can see trip report writing just wasn't on our minds. Besides, I think we still owe a trip report from our January 2016 trip to Europa Park and DLP and Paris ... and I think we never finished a trip report from M's short visit to FL in February of 2017 and ... you get the point. But I can promise you two things here: 1.) This report will be worth it; and 2.) It will REALLY be worth it!

On to the hard facts about this trip:

Travel time:
June 28 to July 16, 2017 

Destinations visited:
Shanghai Disneyland, Shanghai, Tokyo Disney Resort, Tokyo and Kyoto

Travelers: 
Me (Magdalene) and my – then boyfriend, now – husband Michael
Yes, she used the Dark Arts and Black Magic and somehow gained a husband. Please, please save meeeeeeee!!!!!!

Authors of the trip report: 
Mainly me – in this lovely blue color – and some comments from Michael – in dark red. I do look so good in red, don't I? 

Some more background: 
This trip had been talked about between us for years. Michael had been to China and Japan before and wanted to go back, I had plans to go to Japan even before I knew Michael. So, when we started dating, we quickly figured out that this was a trip that we really wanted to do together. We already had a tentative date once already, but then changed our travel plans. I am not sure if we ended up going to California instead or on one of our cruises? I think the first plan was a late 2014 trip and we figured it was going to cost too much after our DCL Panama Canal cruise, so naturally we took another DCL voyage and went to WDW to save money. I will now pause for 60 seconds for y'all to laugh as much as you require. Anyway, at some point in 2016 I had seen some really good airfare to Japan with a stopover in China from Europe (I am German and live in Germany, Michael is from Florida and is splitting his time between Germany and the US, yes it is unconventional, but it works for us) which got us thinking that we should combine a visit to Shanghai Disneyland with Japan.

So, sometime in the dark weeks of a German January we sat down and looked at the feasibility of doing that trip in the summer. Actually, we started getting serious about it in August of 2016 while sitting at a lovely little café in a nearby college town in Germany on a warm day. We knew that summer was going to be hot there, but one of us had a special birthday coming up in July (I hate to admit it, but I did indeed turn 35. I know I look amazing but 'tis true.) and we thought it would be nice to celebrate the birthday with a special trip. 

And things started to fall into place very quickly. A short search produced good fares and we ended up booking open jaw tickets from Nuremberg, where we live in Germany, via Zurich to Shanghai and then back from Tokyo via Munich to Nuremberg for 650 € per person. At first we had planned to book a flight on a no-frills carrier from Shanghai to Tokyo, but then realized that we could use Lufthansa Miles & More miles for booking tickets on ANA. This worked out great as Lufthansa charges silly high fees for booking with miles on their own flights, but using the miles on ANA we just paid 15 € each in taxes.

In hindsight, I sometimes thought when planning the trip that we should have either arrived in Osaka or left from there as it would have eliminated backtracking from Kyoto to Tokyo. But it really was a minor issue and the trip ended up being so wonderful as it was, that I am very happy with our plans now. This trip was as close to perfect as one could be, but originally I wanted to go to Osaka to -- naturally -- see Universal Studios Japan. My other half, now known as the old ball and chain, gently put her foot on my throat and explained that we were doing enough theme park touring and so ... we'll just have to take another trip in the future.

We ended up getting the Japan Railpass for the travel between Tokyo and Kyoto and were able to use it for some shorter train trips, too. We did break even, but only saved a small amount. However, it made things really easy. I thought for a long time that trains were amazing in Europe. Well, once you visit Asia, you aren't nearly as impressed.

I will get more into details about the hotels we stayed at when we get to them. All in all we found early July to be a time when there was plenty of availability at decent prices in hotel rooms. You could tell that it was not a typical travel season. 

For the Disney portions of our trip both the www.disneytouristblog.com and www.tdrexplorer.com websites provided a wealth of information. I can highly recommend both of these resources. 

With regard to Japan in general I have to admit that I had difficulty in finding resources that were good for me. I had the Lonely Planet Japan, which was good, but somewhat not enough detail for the two places we wanted to visit. So, I got the Lonely Planet pocket guide for Tokyo and the normal Lonely Planet for Kyoto, too. Then I felt a bit overwhelmed with info for the short time we were there. I looked at some good internet resources out there as well, one was www.japan-guide.com, which were good, but sometimes overwhelming, too. In hindsight I think I should have chilled a bit more. We did not have that much time anyway and it is always easy to pick out some of the big sights and move on.

I have to admit something here that will shock you, so sit down. I can be lazy at times. M is an amazing trip planner and once it was obvious this trip was going to happen, I just sat back and let her run as wild as Delaware kids in a Disney outlet store!

If you have any questions about the planning process, let me know and I will be happy to help!!

I will add a few preview pictures to this first post to tide you over until the next update! 

















































































Up Next: Travel Day


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## Flossbolna

Table of Contents:

Introduction (above this post)
Day 0: Travel Day
Day 1: Shanghai Disneyland, Toy Story Hotel
Part 1: Trying to get on a ride – FINALLY!! (Arriving at SDL)​Part 2: A Pirate’s meal and a super cool room! (Barbossa's Bounty, Toy Story Hotel)​Part 3: We nearly forget to eat!! (Evening at SDL)​Day 2: Shanghai Disneyland
Part 1: We finally get inside the Grid (Tron, Pirate Stunt Show)​Part 2: Finding a Surprising Gem (Disneytown, ACME) ​Part 3: Trying to squeeze as much out of our last hours at SDL as possible (Tarzan, Soarin) ​Day 3: Disneytown and Shanghai
Part 1: The Power of Frankenweenie​Part 2: Where we spend far too much time looking for a “unicorn”​Day 4: Travel to Tokyo, Hilton Tokyo Bay, Ikspiari
Part 1: We nearly get on the wrong plane!​Part 2: A fantastic surprise!​Day 5: Tokyo Disneyland
Part 1: We are going to Hunt for Hunny!​Part 2: The most bizarre and the most amazing Disney entertainment offerings​Day 6: Tokyo Disney Sea
Day 7: Tokyo Disneyland
Day 8: Tokyo Disney Sea
Day 9: Tokyo Sightseeing (Ginza, Ueno Park)
Day 10: Shopping in Ikspiari, Edo-Tokyo Museum
Day 11: Travel to Kyoto, shopping at Kyoto Station, RIHGA Royal Hotel Kyoto
Day 12: sightseeing in Kyoto, Higashi Hongan-ji
Day 13: more Kyoto, Imperial Palace
Day 14: Kyoto Tower, Nijo Castle
Day 15: Travel to Tokyo, Hotel New Otani Tokyo
Day 16: A return to Toky Disneyland
Day 17: More Tokyo Sightseeing (Shinjuku Goyen Park, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
Day 18: Flying Home​


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## nodnol

Looking forward to days 13, 14 and 16!


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## franandaj

Subbing in! Will be back to read later!


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## Steppesister

I’m here! I’m here!


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## Captain_Oblivious

I’m in!  Thanks for the heads up.  This looks like it will feel incredibly exotic.  Back later to read.


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## Flossbolna

nodnol said:


> Looking forward to days 13, 14 and 16!



 Baby Sister! Well, that was before I was done editing that post! My husband called and I just saved what I had until then. You might want to have a look again and see the wonderful itinerary all laid out!



franandaj said:


> Subbing in! Will be back to read later!



 Great to see you here!



Steppesister said:


> I’m here! I’m here!



 I hope you will enjoy the report, there is a reference to you coming up!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I’m in!  Thanks for the heads up.  This looks like it will feel incredibly exotic.  Back later to read.



 I can tell that you haven't read the introduction yet - otherwise the comment would have been different!


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## Flossbolna

Day 0: 

June 28, 2017 – Travel Day (including the evening before...)

Our flight was scheduled to leave from the airport at 10:25 a.m., so we had to leave the house at 8 a.m. to get to the airport. Despite the early start we managed to be quite organized and got packed in time. We even celebrated the start of the vacation with pizza and ice cream the evening before!

Michael had an Amarena cherry sundae:






I had a Spaghetti Eis sundae:






Spaghetti Eis is incredibly popular in Germany. It is actually just vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, strawberry sauce and white chocolate sprinkles. So, kind of basic. But the way it is arranged is what makes is special. The whipped cream is on the bottom, then the vanilla ice cream gets pressed through a potato ricer. Sauce and sprinkles on top and you have your spaghetti! I love it because the ice cream on top of the whipped cream causes the whipped cream to freeze.

We shared a pizza at our local little place:






It all went smoothly with getting to the airport the next morning and I was very happy about this as I expected to run into some issues at the airport. And my expectations were fulfilled.

See, if you want to fly to China, you need a visa. The airlines are very keen on preventing people aboard their planes that are not allowed to enter the country they fly to as the airlines would then be responsible to return those passengers and they are going to be fined by the destination. So, if you fly abroad, they want to see that you have the correct documentation. That’s fine with me. The problem is that those visa rules are intricate and, of course, the check-in agents are no experts, so they need to rely on a database with all the rules. And this database appears to insist that you have to have a visa if you travel to China.

However, there is an exemption to this rule: The so called “144-hour-visa-free-transit”. This rule applies to various of the larger cities in China, one of them Shanghai and says that you do not need a visa if you are transiting through China and do not stay longer than 144 hours (i.e. 6 days). A transit is flying from country A to China to country B (only looking at the direct flight to and from China, not your overall starting point and end point). So, for us this worked brilliantly. We were flying from Switzerland to Shanghai for three days and then on to Japan.

I had read many reports of people having trouble at smaller airports with the check-in agents not knowing this exemption and not finding it in their database. One issue is that the exemption can only be found if China is put in not as destination, but as transit point. I had read a lot about this on www.flyertalk.com, a forum for frequent flyers, and the info there was very good.

So, we got to the check-in for the Swiss Air flight to Zurich at our small airport and there are only two counters open, both without a line and start the process. We had actually checked in online without issues, but at the counter the agent asks for our passports and I give them to her and tell her that we are using the 144-hours-visa-free-transit exemption. Of course she did not listen and after a couple of minutes complains that there are no visas in our passports. So, I tell her again. She tells me that this is not in her computer. I tell her about that China is our transit, so she says that she needs to see our boarding passes for the next flight. Of course we had none. You couldn’t check in yet for a flight three days later! She kind of kept insisting that this was our problem, but I kept telling her that no, I was sure that it worked the way I said. In the end she called her supervisor and he or she knew about it and said to let us on the flight.

I fully expected there to be an issue as I had read horror stories about people not being allowed to board their flights due to ignorant employees of various airlines worldwide. But M is forgetting that she called to the airline about a week before we left to sorta give them the heads up that we were going to be traveling visa free to China.

Well, I did call, but that did not really change anything. They just told me to look at their webpage on the internet and there I could find the rule. So, I knew it was in the computer. What I ddi not expect was that she was going to ask for boarding passes for a flight four days later.

All in all it took about 10 minutes and I was really glad that we were there early, so I felt confident that there was no issue about missing the flight or so. But you do feel strange if you block one of the two check-in desks for a considerable amount of time and everyone in line thinks that you are some cumbersome people making life difficult for everyone…

Nah, doesn't bother me at all.

So, the 144-hours-visa-free-transit is a great thing for people thinking about stopovers in Shanghai (or Beijing for that matter) on a trip to Japan or Hong Kong. But, make sure that you understand the rules and plan on having to be pushy at the airport and bring some extra time.

With that done we got through security and finally got some breakfast at the airport café (yes, there is only one, it is a tiny airport!):






The pretzel looked better than it was unfortunately.

Our view at breakfast:






And the morning continued to be not so great after the pretzel as well. The flight coming in from Zurich was delayed, so we were told that our departure was going to be delayed by 20 minutes. These 20 minutes turned into 45 minutes, because we needed to be bussed to our plane and there was no bus available!

We seem to have gotten into this place where either we or our family or close friends always seems to have travel issues with planes, trains and ... and ... bikes ... sorry, couldn't think of a third. (Now he has jinxed my daily commute to work via bike! I really do not want to start getting travel issues with my bike now!)

But we made it to Zurich and I got a nice picture of the lovely countryside there:







All the delays resulted in us having considerably less time in Zurich to change planes. And of course there was suddenly incredibly long lines at the passport control to leave the country. So bad, that there was a backlog even up the escalator from the passport control area. We saw that and then remembered that we had just passed some lifts going down to passport control, so we went back there, went down and ended up in a sea of people, but ultimately got a much shorter line than those who were on the escalator. Once we were allowed to leave the Schengen-Area, we took the shuttle to our terminal and just arrived at the gate for our flight to board.

At the gate we had another passport check by people who appeared to be Chinese officials. They were not complaining about the lack of visa in our passport, but I think they wanted to see our confirmation for the flight to Japan.

And then we we were ready to settle into our seats for the flight! This was going to be the first time in our relationship that we were flying together for a transcontinental flight and I was so happy that I finally had someone in the seat next to me whom I knew and liked! During the course of our relationship we both have done a lot of flying across the Atlantic, but always alone, so it was such a nice change!

Nice?!?! The crazy woman next to me, who is now my favorite wife, is not a great seatmate. I think she got up about every 17.2 minutes. Whenever I was comfy or getting into watching a movie or TV show, someone just had to get up. Just be warned if you were planning on sitting next to her in the future.

 At least I don't have to worry about either of us getting deep vein thrombosis from the cramped economy seats.

The plane was an older A340-300 which I like because it has a 2-4-2 configuration, so Michael and I could have a window and aisle seat just for the two of us. We both have flown Swiss a number of times in recent years and find their service to be quite good. And this flight was no exception.

I was impressed that I got a full can of Coke Zero for my drink service – and even an Asian one!






Michael started the long flight with a Bloody Mary:






For our meals I chose the vegetarian entrée, which was “sponsored” by a restaurant that has been a vegetarian restaurant since 1898!






It was a pasta dish that was a bit bland, but ok:






On the top you can see some kind of cherry cake for dessert, a package of a Swiss cheese Tete de Moin (which means monk’s head) and a little bowl of Swiss sausage salad. The last is a speciality made out of small pieces of bologna, pickles, onion and Swiss Cheese in a vinaigrette dressing. I think you can find this on the buffet at Biergarten in Epcot and it seems to be popular in Switzerland just as in Germany.

Michael had the beef dish instead:






The first of many Asian beef dishes.

The flight took an interesting route across the Balkan region, getting out on the Black Sea at the Bulgarian Coast, then across the Black Sea, over Georgia and Azerbaijan, across the Caspian Sea and then over Kazakhstan to China – avoiding all kind of countries in the area like Ukraine, Iran, Turkmenistan, Russia. The line of the flight was not nearly as neat as it would be when flying over the Atlantic.

I took a picture of the flight path over Kazakhstan in honor of my friend @Steppesister:






The flight left Zurich at 1:05 p.m. and was due to arrive at 7:05 a.m. in Shanghai – which would be 1:05 a.m. for us. Our plan was to check into our hotel after arrival and then hit Shanghai Disneyland immediately on the first day.

What smart planning on our part, right?

I can usually sleep whenever and wherever I want. Of course on this flight sleep just did not happen for me. I think I managed to sleep for maybe one hour before we got served breakfast. I was getting very nervous about how sensible our plan was…

I never sleep on planes unless I am in the front. And since M and I started this wild ride together, I have hoarded miles and haven't sniffed Business let alone First. Sleeping while sitting up on top of other people with constant movement just doesn't allow me to sleep. Plus, as someone who has lived and worked in China, I was so excited to get back to one of my favorite countries and see a brand new city and a truly brand new theme park!

Plane breakfast was not exciting:






I don’t like those reheated omelets, they are never good. The potatoes were soggy but tasty.

And then we landed in Shanghai!






Yes, quite different from Switzerland. The air was hazy for most of our time there. Some of it was true fog/haze caused my heat and humidity, but a lot of it was air quality issues. We ended up with some blue sky though and neither of us had any bad side effect from the air. However, as a precaution I upped my asthma inhaler dose to the level that I use when the pollen is flying and that worked well.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much sun we got. I spent months living in Beijing in 2008 as part of the organizing team for the Olympiad and the smog there was unlike anything I have ever experienced. My American volunteers were coughing up and blowing out black gunk. But I will add that it never bothered me physically at all.

After landing there was an interesting announcement that you needed to go to quarantine inspection if you have any sign of illness. I was very glad that we both felt totally healthy. They also told us that we were not allowed to bring cockroaches into China. Another sigh of relief that we did not pack any of those!

Yes, besides, my dear, where would we get them? Everyone knows there are no bugs in Germany!

And then it was time to get off the plane – and I had a huge shock! While on the plane I had put some of the Chinese cash that we had exchanged in Germany into my little travel wallet so that it would be easily accessible when it came to paying the taxi that we intended to take. And when I packed my things, I could not find that little wallet. Unfortunately it never reappeared (I even made a claim with Swiss for a lost item) and with that the trip had immediately gotten 100 € more expensive. Luckily I had not put all our cash nor any credit cards in the wallet, so it was just the loss of the money. To this day I have no clue what happened and can only imagine that instead of putting it in my bag, I put it next to the bag and with landing it wandered up or down the plane and someone found it and pocketed it.

I am pleasantly surprised she included this detail as I was told when it happened to never speak of it again 'or else!' ... I guess that is one advantage of writing the trip report so late, the embarrassment about my own stupidity has decreased a little. M felt awful about this and all I can think of is that in one of her approximately 58 times she went through her bag in the dark, it fell out and wound up in the hands of a less than honest person. It wasn't a great start, but not the end of the world, either. And, honestly, it was the only bad thing that happened the entire trip. ... should I have done a spoiler alert deal here? Many things were plentiful on this trip ... great hotels, dining delights, heat ... but not drama. This was it!

Luckily, the rest of the arrival in China was smooth. We found the special 144-hour-transit booth at the passport control. There was no line but it did take some time to process the one person ahead of us, so it took about 15 to 20 minutes for us to go through. We found our luggage and then headed to the official taxi stand at the airport without any issues of people trying to sell us alternative transport or so. The official taxi stand is very well signposted and once there, there is someone assigning the taxi to you.

I was surprised Pudong International was so quiet even early in the morning!

Our destination was the Toy Story Hotel at Shanghai Disneyland. The taxi driver was very nice, but did not speak any English. I had printed out the address of the hotel from the Chinese website and showed him the printed address. This seemed to confuse him, but then he saw the Mickey head on the print out and got excited and said “Disney”! We said yes and with that he knew exactly where to go and drove us there without any issue:

He was so excited to have westerners in his cab and knew exactly where to take us ... I should add that as soon as we stepped outside, I immediately remembered what China was like in summer. Hint: it makes Orlando feel pleasant by comparison!







Next Up: Our first day at Shanghai Disneyland


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## dizneeat

*Saving my spot and going to read lateron ......... we leave for Florida on Wednesday and I have loads of stuff still to do. But I promise, this will be my nighttime read today!*


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## Haley R

I’m following along! We are going in May and want to do TDR, then Kyoto and surrounding areas, then finish back up in Tokyo.


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## Flossbolna

Dear readers, my husband has alerted me to the fact that I forgot to change the color on some of his writings in the introduction. This has been corrected now!



dizneeat said:


> *Saving my spot and going to read lateron ......... we leave for Florida on Wednesday and I have loads of stuff still to do. But I promise, this will be my nighttime read today!*



 Karin! Have a great trip! At least the current heat wave should have prepared you well for Florida! 



Haley R said:


> I’m following along! We are going in May and want to do TDR, then Kyoto and surrounding areas, then finish back up in Tokyo.



 That sounds similar to our itinerary! May after golden week is supposed to be a great time! We actually loved early July in Japan despite the heat, but it did affect our touring as we did not get to see as much as I had originally thought.


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## Haley R

Flossbolna said:


> Dear readers, my husband has alerted me to the fact that I forgot to change the color on some of his writings in the introduction. This has been corrected now!
> 
> 
> 
> Karin! Have a great trip! At least the current heat wave should have prepared you well for Florida!
> 
> 
> 
> That sounds similar to our itinerary! May after golden week is supposed to be a great time! We actually loved early July in Japan despite the heat, but it did affect our touring as we did not get to see as much as I had originally thought.


We might be going in June now. I was supposed to get bonus points on my credit card but they said it will be on the next statement. We are trying to book an award flight and the May flights are going away. I think at this point I don’t care as long as we still get to go.


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## Flossbolna

Haley R said:


> We might be going in June now. I was supposed to get bonus points on my credit card but they said it will be on the next statement. We are trying to book an award flight and the May flights are going away. I think at this point I don’t care as long as we still get to go.



We were at TDR for Tanabata Days and thought it was such a nice event. So, going in June you will be able to take advantage of that as well! And I totally understand your thinking! It's an amazing trip and there are advantages to all seasons. So, as long as you don't pick golden week, it should be fine. Hope you can book the flights soon!


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## Haley R

Flossbolna said:


> We were at TDR for Tanabata Days and thought it was such a nice event. So, going in June you will be able to take advantage of that as well! And I totally understand your thinking! It's an amazing trip and there are advantages to all seasons. So, as long as you don't pick golden week, it should be fine. Hope you can book the flights soon!


I’m not sure what that is but I’ll look it up! We definitely won’t go during golden week. Is it pretty busy in June or not too bad?


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## Flossbolna

Haley R said:


> I’m not sure what that is but I’ll look it up! We definitely won’t go during golden week. Is it pretty busy in June or not too bad?



Check out these links:
https://tdrexplorer.com/tokyo-disney-resort-tanabata-days-2018/
https://www.disneytouristblog.com/tanabata-days-tokyo-disneyland/


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## Haley R

Flossbolna said:


> Check out these links:
> https://tdrexplorer.com/tokyo-disney-resort-tanabata-days-2018/
> https://www.disneytouristblog.com/tanabata-days-tokyo-disneyland/


Huh interesting. I do like that everyone is wearing kimonos!


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## glennbo123

Subbing!  Thanks for the heads-up and congratulations to both of you on your matrimony!  I literally walked in the door a couple of hours ago after returning from Aulani, so please forgive me if I don't get back to read for a while.


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## glennbo123

Flossbolna said:


>



Is this supposed to look like Imagineer Joe Rohde?  'Cause it does!



Flossbolna said:


> Spaghetti Eis is incredibly popular in Germany.



Very cool!  I've never seen that.



Flossbolna said:


> I guess that is one advantage of writing the trip report so late, the embarrassment about my own stupidity has decreased a little.



Wow, nothing ever goes wrong in trips that I plan.    Sorry that happened though, I know it is a terrible feeling.

Great start to your trip!  I'd be a little nervous traveling to Asia...the language and writing are so different.  At least in Europe I can manage with the language barrier a little bit.  I know I couldn't do that in Asia.

On a different note Magdalene -- you may be pleased to hear that Marlene is in Paris right this moment!  She is living out her long-held dream of visiting France (and Paris in particular) this summer.  She is visiting the french exchange student we hosted (once officially, once unofficially) in Marseille and they are visiting Paris right now for a couple of days.


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## iivye

Yay! I'm excited to follow along on your adventure!


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## dolphingirl47

I could no resist any longer so I am here. I am missing China something rotten at the moment even though I have only been back less than 2 months and I am going again in December.



Flossbolna said:


> I think the first plan was a late 2014 trip and we figured it was going to cost too much after our DCL Panama Canal cruise



I am glad that you went on this as I got to meet you on this cruise.



Flossbolna said:


> This worked out great as Lufthansa charges silly high fees for booking with miles on their own flights, but using the miles on ANA we just paid 15 € each in taxes.



That sounds like a bargain.



Flossbolna said:


> we'll just have to take another trip in the future.



It is always good to have an incentive to go back.



Flossbolna said:


> I thought for a long time that trains were amazing in Europe. Well, once you visit Asia, you aren't nearly as impressed.



I came to the same conclusion when we took to the bullet trains in China.



Flossbolna said:


> I had a Spaghetti Eis sundae:



Oh, I so wish I could have one of these right now. I used to love them.



Flossbolna said:


> And this database appears to insist that you have to have a visa if you travel to China.



I can assure you it does not. I used to work with this database on a daily basis and it very clearly explains about the visa free transit, but it is so wordy that people tend to not bother reading it all.



Flossbolna said:


> Our plan was to check into our hotel after arrival and then hit Shanghai Disneyland immediately on the first day.



Goodness, you are brave.



Flossbolna said:


> Unfortunately it never reappeared (I even made a claim with Swiss for a lost item) and with that the trip had immediately gotten 100 € more expensive.



Oh, what a pain. I am sorry that you never found this again.

Corinna


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## Captain_Oblivious

Flossbolna said:


> This is not the freshest of all trip reports. Our trip was in summer 2017.



Don't worry, you still beat @glennbo123 . 



Flossbolna said:


> We have had all sorts of good, bad and ugly ... everything from my mom having her car stolen to hurricanes to health issues with family to weddings to ... to ... even spending the longest 45 minutes of my life in a Disney outlet store with a bunch of crazed wide-eyed newbies from ... from ... sorry, this is hard to get out ... from ... from ... Delaware!



But hey, at least it ranks right up there with the wedding on memorable occasions.



Flossbolna said:


> Me (Magdalene) and my – then boyfriend, now – husband Michael
> Yes, she used the Dark Arts and Black Magic and somehow gained a husband. Please, please save meeeeeeee!!!!!!



You?  What about her???



Flossbolna said:


> I think the first plan was a late 2014 trip and we figured it was going to cost too much after our DCL Panama Canal cruise, so naturally we took another DCL voyage and went to WDW to save money. I will now pause for 60 seconds for y'all to laugh as much as you require.





Thanks, I needed that.



Flossbolna said:


> I will get more into details about the hotels we stayed at when we get to them. All in all we found early July to be a time when there was plenty of availability at decent prices in hotel rooms. You could tell that it was not a typical travel season.



Good to know!  With my wife being a full-time teacher now, July seems to be the only time we can travel anymore.



Flossbolna said:


> I have to admit something here that will shock you, so sit down. I can be lazy at times.



In other news, the sun rises in the east.



Flossbolna said:


> I just sat back and let her run as wild as Delaware kids in a Disney outlet store!



No outlets were harmed in the making of this story.



Flossbolna said:


> I can tell that you haven't read the introduction yet - otherwise the comment would have been different!



Nah, the Delaware jokes have been coming for a long time now!  



Flossbolna said:


> Spaghetti Eis is incredibly popular in Germany. It is actually just vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, strawberry sauce and white chocolate sprinkles. So, kind of basic. But the way it is arranged is what makes is special. The whipped cream is on the bottom, then the vanilla ice cream gets pressed through a potato ricer.



Interesting.  I've never seen this, but it's a fun way to present the ice cream.



Flossbolna said:


> However, there is an exemption to this rule: The so called “144-hour-visa-free-transit”. This rule applies to various of the larger cities in China, one of them Shanghai and says that you do not need a visa if you are transiting through China and do not stay longer than 144 hours (i.e. 6 days). A transit is flying from country A to China to country B (only looking at the direct flight to and from China, not your overall starting point and end point). So, for us this worked brilliantly. We were flying from Switzerland to Shanghai for three days and then on to Japan.



I can see where run-of-the-mill airline employees can find this confusing!



Flossbolna said:


> And then we we were ready to settle into our seats for the flight! This was going to be the first time in our relationship that we were flying together for a transcontinental flight and I was so happy that I finally had someone in the seat next to me whom I knew and liked!



The real test is: did you like each other at the end of the flight? 



Flossbolna said:


> The flight took an interesting route across the Balkan region, getting out on the Black Sea at the Bulgarian Coast, then across the Black Sea, over Georgia and Azerbaijan, across the Caspian Sea and then over Kazakhstan to China – avoiding all kind of countries in the area like Ukraine, Iran, Turkmenistan, Russia. The line of the flight was not nearly as neat as it would be when flying over the Atlantic.



I would definitely appreciate the pilot avoiding many of those areas!



Flossbolna said:


> The flight left Zurich at 1:05 p.m. and was due to arrive at 7:05 a.m. in Shanghai – which would be 1:05 a.m. for us. Our plan was to check into our hotel after arrival and then hit Shanghai Disneyland immediately on the first day.
> 
> What smart planning on our part, right?
> 
> I can usually sleep whenever and wherever I want. Of course on this flight sleep just did not happen for me. I think I managed to sleep for maybe one hour before we got served breakfast. I was getting very nervous about how sensible our plan was…



Well....sounds like it's time to get a pot of coffee brewing.



Flossbolna said:


> I was pleasantly surprised by how much sun we got. I spent months living in Beijing in 2008 as part of the organizing team for the Olympiad and the smog there was unlike anything I have ever experienced. My American volunteers were coughing up and blowing out black gunk.



Yikes!  That sounds terrifying.



Flossbolna said:


> They also told us that we were not allowed to bring cockroaches into China. Another sigh of relief that we did not pack any of those!



Good planning! 



Flossbolna said:


> Yes, besides, my dear, where would we get them? Everyone knows there are no bugs in Germany!



But there are plenty in the swamps of Florida.  Believe me, I know.



Flossbolna said:


> And when I packed my things, I could not find that little wallet. Unfortunately it never reappeared (I even made a claim with Swiss for a lost item) and with that the trip had immediately gotten 100 € more expensive.



Well...crud.  That's awful.



Flossbolna said:


> This seemed to confuse him, but then he saw the Mickey head on the print out and got excited and said “Disney”!



It's a universal language!


----------



## glennbo123

Captain_Oblivious said:


> Don't worry, you still beat @glennbo123 .



Well it's still fresh in my mind.

Okay, okay, it's fading a little.


----------



## Flossbolna

Haley R said:


> Huh interesting. I do like that everyone is wearing kimonos!



Yes, this was really lovely! I especially liked the young men in kimono with man purse and straw hats! 



glennbo123 said:


> Subbing!  Thanks for the heads-up and congratulations to both of you on your matrimony!  I literally walked in the door a couple of hours ago after returning from Aulani, so please forgive me if I don't get back to read for a while.



Thank you for the congratulations! And  to this trip report. I hope you had an amazing time at Aulani! Do we get a trip report? We are planning on an Alumni visit in 2019, so I might have a couple of questions...



glennbo123 said:


> Is this supposed to look like Imagineer Joe Rohde? 'Cause it does!



Yes!! More about this when we get to Tokyo Disney Sea!



glennbo123 said:


> Very cool! I've never seen that.



I always think this would be a great dessert to be sold at the Germany pavilion at Epcot.



glennbo123 said:


> Wow, nothing ever goes wrong in trips that I plan.  Sorry that happened though, I know it is a terrible feeling.



Lucky you! 



glennbo123 said:


> Great start to your trip! I'd be a little nervous traveling to Asia...the language and writing are so different. At least in Europe I can manage with the language barrier a little bit. I know I couldn't do that in Asia.



I was a bit scared about this as well, but ultimately it was not an issue. Yes, there were situations were we needed patience and we might have missed out on some things that could have made the trip better. But modern technology helped a lot! I should actually write something about this in the trip report, thanks for reminding me!



glennbo123 said:


> On a different note Magdalene -- you may be pleased to hear that Marlene is in Paris right this moment! She is living out her long-held dream of visiting France (and Paris in particular) this summer. She is visiting the french exchange student we hosted (once officially, once unofficially) in Marseille and they are visiting Paris right now for a couple of days.



That is wonderful!! I was actually thinking the other day when I read your trip report about how Marlene is doing and whether she is still so much in love with France. I do hope that visiting there lives up to her dreams!



iivye said:


> Yay! I'm excited to follow along on your adventure!



 great to see you here!


----------



## Flossbolna

dolphingirl47 said:


> I could no resist any longer so I am here. I am missing China something rotten at the moment even though I have only been back less than 2 months and I am going again in December.



Sounds like you really love it there! Happy to have you here! I did enjoy China, but the country that totally spoke to me was Japan. I think Michael is more of a China fan.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am glad that you went on this as I got to meet you on this cruise.



That's true! And what a cruise it was!! I briefly had stupid ideas of booking the EBPC cruise next November for after our planned trip to Hawaii. But then I realized that I would have to give up Hawaii and California touring time. And was afraid that another Panama Canal cruise would not live up to this amazing cruise in 2014!



dolphingirl47 said:


> It is always good to have an incentive to go back.



 And we will be back! 



dolphingirl47 said:


> I came to the same conclusion when we took to the bullet trains in China.



I was really impressed with public transport in Shanghai as well.



dolphingirl47 said:


> Oh, I so wish I could have one of these right now. I used to love them.



I wish I could send you one in the mail! Or you need to book one of those cheap Ryanair flights between Manchester and Nuremberg and come and have one with me!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I can assure you it does not. I used to work with this database on a daily basis and it very clearly explains about the visa free transit, but it is so wordy that people tend to not bother reading it all.



Ah, I totally forgot that you are an expert! I guess that explains why one of the most common recommendations on this is to just keep insisting! 



dolphingirl47 said:


> Goodness, you are brave.



Ha! It actually worked out really well! At least for some days. We each ended up paying for this start at a later point in the trip.



dolphingirl47 said:


> Oh, what a pain. I am sorry that you never found this again.



It definitely taught me a lesson to be less fidgety with my stuff when I am a nervous traveller.


----------



## Flossbolna

Captain_Oblivious said:


> Don't worry, you still beat @glennbo123 .



Well, that depends on when I finish this trip report!!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> But hey, at least it ranks right up there with the wedding on memorable occasions.



You would be surprised, but the Delawarians at the outlet does rank very highly for Michael!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> You? What about her???



Thank you Mark!! 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Good to know! With my wife being a full-time teacher now, July seems to be the only time we can travel anymore.



It was hot, but you have done a lot of summer trips in the heat. The good thing is that hotels were affordable in the cities as there were no business travelers.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> In other news, the sun rises in the east.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> No outlets were harmed in the making of this story.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Interesting. I've never seen this, but it's a fun way to present the ice cream.



As I said above, I do think it would be a hit at Epcot!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I can see where run-of-the-mill airline employees can find this confusing!



Especially since @dolphingirl47 spilled the beans and told us that it is mainly just an issue of too much text and too little patience...



Captain_Oblivious said:


> The real test is: did you like each other at the end of the flight?



Hey, we got married after this flight and another equally long flight! And the German officials kept asking Michael multiple times if he really wanted to marry me voluntarily or if he was forced to do this. So, I guess we did like each other at the end of the flight!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Well....sounds like it's time to get a pot of coffee brewing.



Surprisingly we did not have any coffee on that day! I guess a new Disney park is better than coffee!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> But there are plenty in the swamps of Florida. Believe me, I know.



Ha! Michael was talking about doing a day trip to the Everglades National Park when I am going to be there in the winter. I am a bit wary of this after reading about your experiences. But then I hope that winter will be better than summer!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> It's a universal language!







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Well...crud. That's awful.



Yes, it was really stupid. I see it as an expensive lesson learned.


----------



## Flossbolna

Day 1: Shanghai Disneyland

Part 1: Trying to get on a ride – FINALLY!!

So, we just pulled in with our lovely taxi driver at the Toy Story Hotel and immediately there were three very helpful CMs helping us unload the taxi and wanting to take the luggage to luggage storage. This caused a bit of confusion on my part at first as I needed to rearrange things to be prepared for the park – and change clothes.

The need to change clothes became apparent as soon as we got out of the taxi. We stepped into a sauna. I just checked how hot it was and official it was “only” 28°C/83°F, but with a humidity of 85% it did feel unpleasant.

It felt like something I knew well: China in summer.
 
The CMs were very nice about me briefly being all stressed out and said that they would just hold on to the bags outside until we were checked in and then we could get the bags, arrange what we needed to do and then drop them off with them. That’s exactly what we did and we quickly spoke to the check-in CMs. As you can see from this, we did not have any language problems at all in Shanghai. All the CMs spoke decent to very good English. I think we only encountered one that was insecure and got a better English speaking colleague.

Many sheltered Americans use the alleged 'language barrier' as an excuse to not travel internationally. Not simply to China, but really exotic locations like France and Germany and Spain and ... and ... they are crazy. I have been to about three dozen countries (just added Austria and Hungary to the list in July!) and never had a serious language issue anywhere. Children in most countries, including China, are taught English as a mandatory second language from an early age. So, yes, if you wind up thousands of miles from a major city and surrounded by people over 40, then you could have an issue. But traveling to Shanghai you are likely to encounter more English speakers than parts of Orlando!

I should add that we also relied on technology to help us out. I used Google translate on my phone quite a bit. It did a halfway decent job in translating signs and such and that really helped feeling a little less lost sometimes. It does need an internet connection though and there is an issue with the internet in China as it does not give you access to a number of websites. Google and all its subsidiaries for example. Also lots of the social media sites. Since we were there for such a short time I did not deem it necessary to invest in a SIM card or a VPN (both ways of getting around the Chinese fire wall issues). I had also found out that both my German email-provider as well as my Apple account were fine to use in China. In the end it turned out a non-issue as I had decided to get one-day data roaming passes from my German mobile provider and it turned out that when I was data roaming I had the whole internet available without any fire wall issues!

As to the language: I totally agree with Michael that it really is not an issue in Shanghai at all. And even when there was a bit of a barrier, people were so friendly and helpful! Yes, some patience was needed sometimes and a couple of times we had to shrug something off that we could not figure out. But all in all it worked so much better than I had expected! But back to the trip!

Standing at the check-in register a lot of my travel tension started to melt away. We had arrived without any major problems, everyone was nice, we were about to head to a new Disney Park! So, I finally got around to start taking pictures:






This is the front of the check-in desk. The “marbles” are about the size of a small ball.

All over the lobby there are pictures of the Toy Story characters having fun on vacation:






I promise that there will be more pictures of the hotel and its various areas forthcoming over the next days!

Spoiler Alert: We both loved Toy Story Hotel. This was the only part of the trip planning that I was demanding about. I knew we needed to be at the resort (although close friends stayed at a nearby Courtyard by Marriott and loved it!) and M wanted to, at one point, switch hotels for a night to save money. I knew that was a horrible idea and we paid more for our third night at TSH than any other night of our 2.5 week Asian Adventure, but it was worth it. The hotel in some ways is comparable in theming to WDW value resorts. But it has all interior corridors and both quick serve dining and a buffet. It has no pool as many hotels in China don't. Overall, it had more of an upscale feel inside than I expected. Also had the best beds in the Mainland that I have ever slept on.

We were checked in, but were told that we had to come back to get our room keys and room number.

At 9 am we were standing at the hotel bus stop to take the shuttle to the park. Getting there was painless, the shuttle ran continuously and it is about a 5 minute drive to the park. You get let out on the parking lot side, most day visitors will come from the opposite direction, the metro side. From the bus stop you walk past Disneytown and the large World of Disney Store and Starbucks to the entrance area. The park had opened at 8 a.m. and there were loads of people everywhere!

We had seen online that for both of our days they had sold out of tickets (we had purchased ours months ago, so that was not an issue) which meant that the park would be at capacity. We were a bit surprised that it was already crowded at the end of June. Chinese summer vacation was not due to start for another week. But we then figured out that as of July 1st the ticket prices would rise substantially due to them introducing peak period pricing in the summer. I think by nearly 50% if I remember correctly (and yes, I could research that…). So everyone and their cousin was trying to squeeze in a visit under the lower pricing structure.

When we got to the entrance I admired the little fountain that was in the middle of the entrance plaza.





What I did not admire were these lines that you see to the left and right of the fountain. Here is a clearer picture of the lines:





The little roof that you see ahead are the security check points. Once we had cleared those, we had to get into the turnstile lines that were equally long.

Even though it was morning, it was already very hot and humid. 
After we left, they had a period of 17 straight days of temps above 100 with feels like temps often over 120 ... yes, global warming is a lie! On top of that, Chinese people are really good in filling up all available space (as they so often want you to do at WDW). So we spent a long time standing in a sea of people.

This is something that can be uncomfortable for Americans. There is no concept of personal space in China due to the sheer number of people in the country. People will rub, shove and  push you in a line. And they also will attempt to get in front of you if you leave too much of an opening -- say an inch! This isn't considered rude or wrong. It just is. Sorta like we have the Kardashians in the USA. You have to stand your ground and often leaving an elbow or two pointed behind you helps.

I have to admit that while it bothered me, I felt far more adapt to the pushing. That's the way we got on the train or bus that I used to take to school. Germans are not the most polite queuers in the world, 
 




It was pretty bad. However, I had my first experience of someone wanting to take my picture. It happened a couple of times and people were always very polite about it. To be honest, it kind of made me feel special, but I also felt a bit awkward as I certainly did not look my best this morning!

I am sure they simply wanted a photo of someone lucky enough to be traveling with MOI!!! (Don't worry, his delusional episodes are not contagious...)
 
Some people had fans and one lady who was next to us was nicely fanning a little air to us now and then.

Security was quite a sight as they were physically holding people back from crashing the check point and letting a few people through at a time. There it became a real crush. Then on to the next line. The reason why the turnstiles took so long is that they printed the tickets there at the turnstile. You show your print out of your reservation and then they issue your tickets. They also check the passports of every person who gets a ticket.

To be honest, I found this whole process ridiculous and felt that they really needed to offer a designated entry for resort guests. Well, it turns out that by now they have one. To me this whole getting into the park stress was really taking away from my enjoyment of the park. I am aware that this is something that is bad during high season and hot summer temperatures. If I ever were to visit during that time again, staying at an official hotel would be a necessity for me in order to get access to the special park entrance. (Not that I would not want to stay at the Toy Story Hotel anyway as we really loved it!)

The special entrance is in Disney Town, which is basically their version of DD or DS, and runs parallel to Mickey Avenue (the land that takes the place of Main Street USA here. I recently read, while visiting my wife in the hospital, a bloated blog by someone named Madness Kingdom on the Disney Tweeter. I don't want to comment on the merits of his entire blog post, which I think was about 786,000 words. But he talked about SDL being American without the Americana and that point was a great one.

In case anyone would be interested in the article, it can be found here: Link to long blog post

So after a little over one hour we finally were inside the park. At that time Shanghai Disneyland was only distributing paper FP (now you can get them through the app as well) from centralized FP stations. We wanted to try to get one for Tron, so we headed to Tomorrowland just to see another massive line that seemed to go around half of Tomorrowland for the FPs. It did not look like the line was moving quickly and I vetoed standing in another line. I think I would have had a melt down if I had to do anymore standing in line. So, we moved on. 

There is another way to get FPs in SDL: purchase them. You can buy one, if available, in shops in the various lands for about $18. Or a set of seven (one for every FP attraction in the park for over $80 or more than the cost of a one day pass. In hindsight, I might have actually sprung for a set of these for one of our days as it doesn't prevent you from getting others the old fashioned way.

I think we had a brief restroom stop at the bathrooms that were to become part of Toy Story Land (which was still being built then) and we continued on to Fantasyland.





Yes, this is my first proper picture of the park. Which tells you how much the heat and the entrance procedure affected me. If I am not feeling good, I am not in the mood to take pictures.

We were already exhausted before we had done any touring and decided that we need a drink. So, we stopped at the Tangled Tavern:





It is a quick service restaurant selling roast chicken and Chinese food. The food looked good, but we were not hungry yet. But we loved these:





We sat outside (I think there was no inside seating available), but there were fans and it was comfortable enough. The drinks really helped to refresh us!

Note: Pepsi, not Coke, branded beverages are served exclusively at SDL. This, despite Coke having a contract for worldwide rights to Disney Parks. I am sure this has nothing to do with the Communist Party, which owns the majority of the park through Shanghai Shendi, and the fact that Pepsi was in the country before Coke.

We moved on after the drinks realizing that everything had really long, long lines. So, we picked something that is a walk-through and did not have lines: The Alice in Wonderland Maze.

Lines were crazy everywhere, the heat and exhaustion were starting to kick in and I wondered if we were actually going to see much. Thankfully, that wasn't the case ... but didn't know it yet!





This is the second Disney park to have an Alice in Wonderland Maze, the other is in Paris. The difference is however, that this maze in Shanghai is themed after the recent live action Alice in Wonderland movie, Paris has the animated original as its inspiration. You could tell from the art work:









The maze was really well done! I loved what it looked like and even though there were lots of people inside, it absorbed the crowds quite well. The baffling thing was however the amount of un-licensed sellers we encountered in there. We had seen people selling stuff while we were in line to get into the park. It is something that Shanghai Disneyland has plenty of: Locals selling cheap Mickey plushes, umbrellas, mouse ears etc. Obviously not official products nor official sellers. One wonders how park security is not doing more about it, but none of the sellers were ever aggressive to us and while we noticed it, I don’t remember it taking over. It does not seem the Disney way at all, but then this park is “authentically Disney, distinctly Chinese”… I recently came across a blog that went into some more detail about the culture behind this in case you are interested: another link to a blog part 1 and part 2

Back to the maze! The design aesthetics are definitely steam-punk:

















The Cheshire Cat was hiding in many places:





There even are flamingos!!





(They are THE trend animal of this summer here in Europe and Michael has become obsessed with the German’s love for the unofficial Floridian state animal.)

An overview over a small part of the labyrinth, it was actually quite large!





You also could have an interesting view of the castle from here:





Everyone kept telling me before the trip that the castle looks better in person than on pictures. And while some people love the Shanghai castle, I can tell you that I think it is the ugliest of them all. To me it looks like a box dressed up with turrets. And it did look like that in person as well as on pictures. Yes, being in a theme park with other beautiful surroundings makes it feel a bit less out of place than just in a picture. And I do have some pictures of it that I actually like. But when you compare it to the beauty of the other three castles that Disney has designed so far (Anaheim/Hong Kong, Orlando/Tokyo and Paris) this one just falls flat for me.

Agreed. While Storybook Castle does look better in person than pictures. It is the ugliest of them all. It was built because Chinese officials demanded the largest, most ostentatious castle of them all. It isn't horrible. But it does not give off the same vibe as the others.
 
The maze ends at the tea party which was fun.





You can see the crowds in this picture quite well.

Getting out of the maze we checked wait times on the app and noticed that The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (which is a clone of the ride in Orlando) had only a 20 minute wait. Normally neither of us would ever wait that time for it in Orlando, but we were in a new park and just wanted to go on a ride! Any ride!! So, we got in line.

Actually, prior to the trip we decided on rides and attractions that we felt we could completely skip on the visit. Rides like Dumbo and the Carousel were high up there, as were the temporary Marvel and Star Wars 'attractions' and things that were basically the exact same as other versions, like Soarin, SDMT and ... yup ... Pooh. But when you see waits listed in hours and one is 20 minutes well ...





While in line we started talking about how Michael now had become “Theme Park Royalty” again, i.e. visited all Disney parks. He had that (self-awarded) title from 2010 until the opening of Shanghai. And now he got it back. He even made sure that the shoes that travelled to Japan with him in 2010 were along as well, so he now owns a pair of shoes that have hit the ground in every Disney park:

Yes, except M had me murder them in June by running in them. I got in one good run ... and then the heel of one shoe started to fall off!





The wait ended up longer than 20 minutes but that was fine with us. The ride was really cute. It does make a difference if everything is brand new!

Wait was actually 35 minutes because ... well, many Guests have never been in any theme park let alone a Disney one before. They don't listen to CM instructions, often doing unsafe things, and they make boarding an adventure. FWIW, I have not largely seen this behavior at HKDL (and I was a local to the park while living in the area in 2010).
 
Getting off we had a look at the Fantasyland wait time board:





We were amazed at the wait times and felt happy that we had no ambition to ride the Seven Dwarfs coaster. This is the same as the one in Orlando (I think it was actually designed for Shanghai and then thrown into Fantasyland at WDW at the last minute) and we had both been on it often enough that we felt we ought to concentrate on other things.

The only FP still available was for the one ride that we had already been on!





This was before noon!

Walking towards Treasure Cove we passed a grassy area with a tent with this sign:





Michael was throwing fits about how unfair it was that he was not allowed in this magical tent where he would be able to find all kind of unique opening day merchandise at a great discount. Every time we passed the tent there was unhappy mumbling… If he had only known what would happen this spring in Florida! Loads and loads of SDL stuff, much of it from the Grand Opening, appeared at the Disney outlets for totally cheap prices. He was able to take advantage of this and ended up with buckets of opening day merchandise that we did not have to carry with us to Japan and then back home.

Yes, I have even returned vast quantities of merchandise and rebought as much of it, even after the eBay pirates have been through, has simply not moved or they made a zillion units too many. I likely have bought over $1,500 worth of items for less than $150. Grand Opening 'Limited Release' (not Limited Edition) pins were at my local outlet through last week for 99 cents each for example. And everything from plush to keychains to mugs to stamp sets to toys to backpacks to umbrellas etc. And it costs Disney a pretty penny to bring this stuff from China to the FL swamps to dump.

Treasure Cove is one of the two lands that would otherwise be called Adventureland in other Disney parks. The other part is Adventure Isle. Adventure Isle has this amazing  (Roaring) mountain:





I sent this picture to my father and his comment was: “How ridiculous, where does the water for the waterfall come from at the top of the mountain?” Of course he is right with that, but it does look cool! I guess one can imagine that there is some kind of geyser in the mountain providing the water?

But we were heading to Treasure Cove to Pirates of the Caribbean.

















This ride is kind of the signature ride of Shanghai Disneyland among the Disney theme park fans. So, we were really excited about going on this ride. When we got there the wait time was posted as 70 minutes, however the ride has a single rider line. There the wait was posted 60 minutes. I decided that I rather would want to wait 10 minutes longer and ride together, so we got into line.

I have joked that this ride alone is worth buying a plane ticket for. That might be taking it a bit far, but only a bit. I have never experienced an attraction that so seamlessly combines a ride system, projections, animatronics and huge set pieces so effectively. This isn't like Soaring Over Pandora or even the Harry Potter rides at UNI. This thing envelopes you in the story. The fact it has won multiple THEA Awards is proof the industry agrees!
 
If you know the Pirates lines at WDW and in Paris, they are these dark caves and I was really looking forward to a long dark and cool wait. Ha, they really did not up their line game here! The line was mainly through courtyards and such in typical switchbacks. More like the lines for Jungle Cruise or Big Thunder Mountain.

Add to that the Chinese way of queuing – i.e. making sure that no spot on the ground is empty – it became a rather unpleasant wait despite the ceiling fans giving at least a little bit of air movement. I kept thinking we will soon get to the inside portion of the line. There were some fun things to look at like this board:





I was intrigued that even the jokes were in two languages.

And then we finally got inside – for the last 5 minutes of our wait time or so.





The ride is very different from the other Pirates rides. It starts with the boats that are much larger, with individual seats and a lap bar. They seemed to have issues filling the boats correctly as a lot of people had no idea on how this was supposed to work. You could tell that a fair number of visitors had never been to anything like a theme park before. People were jumping lines, not understanding that there was an assigned number of spots in every row etc.

Besides the different boat the whole story is different, it is more a ride inspired by the movies than the other which are the rides that inspired the movies. There is some impressive use of technology in the ride, especially how the use of screens and ride experience was combined to an amazing experience. There were scenes where I did not understand until the third ride whether I was seeing a screen or a physical set. It just all fit together so effortless.

Regardless of story and personal preferences, I do think this is the most impressive theme park ride that is out there at the moment. I was totally in awe!

And that is why Flight of Passage at AK did not really impress me this much. Ultimately it is just like Soarin with a more intense ride seat. But like Soarin, Mission Space, Ratatouille or the Forbidden Journey and Gringotts at Universal the action is on the screen and you are just being moved around. Shanghai Pirates has screens, but the action is rarely on the screens, they set the environment. There are some amazing animatronics (far fewer though than at the other Pirates) and large set pieces. And it all comes together in such a breathtaking way.

And with that the day that had started with so much frustration suddenly turned into a great day! I was in a new Disney park, I just had been on the most amazing attraction I ever experienced in my life! Life was good. And we decided that we were hungry and needed food.

We were, as you can tell, completely wowed. And by this point, with three aattractions under our belts, including the one we most wanted to see, we were starting to feel really good despite the heat, crowds and lack of sleep. Our Asian Adventure was a reality and the magic had begun! Turns out there was so much more ahead ...

Up Next: A Pirate’s meal and a super cool room!


----------



## Haley R

Flossbolna said:


> Yes, this was really lovely! I especially liked the young men in kimono with man purse and straw hats!
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you for the congratulations! And  to this trip report. I hope you had an amazing time at Aulani! Do we get a trip report? We are planning on an Alumni visit in 2019, so I might have a couple of questions...
> 
> 
> 
> Yes!! More about this when we get to Tokyo Disney Sea!
> 
> 
> 
> I always think this would be a great dessert to be sold at the Germany pavilion at Epcot.
> 
> 
> 
> Lucky you!
> 
> 
> 
> I was a bit scared about this as well, but ultimately it was not an issue. Yes, there were situations were we needed patience and we might have missed out on some things that could have made the trip better. But modern technology helped a lot! I should actually write something about this in the trip report, thanks for reminding me!
> 
> 
> 
> That is wonderful!! I was actually thinking the other day when I read your trip report about how Marlene is doing and whether she is still so much in love with France. I do hope that visiting there lives up to her dreams!
> 
> 
> 
> great to see you here!


Omg lol. Straw hats and man purses?


----------



## glennbo123

With the exception of the crowds, sounds like a great first day in the park.


----------



## Malia78

Flossbolna said:


> Regardless of story and personal preferences, I do think this is the most impressive theme park ride that is out there at the moment. I was totally in awe!



Disneyland Paris is still on my list but after visiting the three Asia parks in October, I came away feeling the best versions of some of the classic rides are all located overseas in the Asia parks--Pooh's Hunny Hunt in Tokyo, Mystic Manor and Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars in Hong Kong and Pirates in Shanghai...

--Kari


----------



## franandaj

Boy you are updating like a madwoman.  I found the time to come back and read the intro and now you have at least two updates!

I read your travel day.  I'm glad it was so easy for you.  Everyone who has used the 144 hour rule, seems to encounter an ignorant employee.  I have yet to read about someone who doesn't have to summon a supervisor.

Bummer about the lost wallet, and so glad you didn't get taken by the darned taxi frauds.  One TR I read they paid 500 (yen?) is that the currency? to get to the Toy Story hotel and 100 to get back to the airport.

I'll have to come back and catch up on Day 1.  Got to do some laundry and prepare a picnic for tonight!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Flossbolna said:


> You would be surprised, but the Delawarians at the outlet does rank very highly for Michael!



He must not get out much. 



Flossbolna said:


> Surprisingly we did not have any coffee on that day! I guess a new Disney park is better than coffee!



I remember when we arrived at Aulani after 18 hours of being awake and traveling.  We were so tired, but got an amazing second wind once we arrived at the resort.  Something about Disney.



Flossbolna said:


> Ha! Michael was talking about doing a day trip to the Everglades National Park when I am going to be there in the winter. I am a bit wary of this after reading about your experiences. But then I hope that winter will be better than summer!



Winter will definitely be better!  It has to be.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Flossbolna said:


> As you can see from this, we did not have any language problems at all in Shanghai. All the CMs spoke decent to very good English. I think we only encountered one that was insecure and got a better English speaking colleague.



Good to know!  I wish I had stuck with languages longer in my own education.



Flossbolna said:


> We both loved Toy Story Hotel.



We're off to a good start here!



Flossbolna said:


> We had seen online that for both of our days they had sold out of tickets (we had purchased ours months ago, so that was not an issue) which meant that the park would be at capacity.



Uh oh.  Dealing with crowds is never fun.



Flossbolna said:


> But we then figured out that as of July 1st the ticket prices would rise substantially due to them introducing peak period pricing in the summer. I think by nearly 50% if I remember correctly (and yes, I could research that…). So everyone and their cousin was trying to squeeze in a visit under the lower pricing structure.



That makes sense.  If I lived there, I'd try to do the same thing!  Or wait till peak season was over.



Flossbolna said:


> This is something that can be uncomfortable for Americans. There is no concept of personal space in China due to the sheer number of people in the country. People will rub, shove and push you in a line. And they also will attempt to get in front of you if you leave too much of an opening -- say an inch! This isn't considered rude or wrong. It just is. Sorta like we have the Kardashians in the USA. You have to stand your ground and often leaving an elbow or two pointed behind you helps.



That sounds awful.  I don't think I'd do well with that.



Flossbolna said:


> It was pretty bad. However, I had my first experience of someone wanting to take my picture. It happened a couple of times and people were always very polite about it. To be honest, it kind of made me feel special, but I also felt a bit awkward as I certainly did not look my best this morning!



This has happened on our travels before.  They really loved seeing a blond-haired, blue-eyed baby boy.



Flossbolna said:


> Security was quite a sight as they were physically holding people back from crashing the check point and letting a few people through at a time. There it became a real crush. Then on to the next line. The reason why the turnstiles took so long is that they printed the tickets there at the turnstile. You show your print out of your reservation and then they issue your tickets. They also check the passports of every person who gets a ticket.



That sounds like a terrible system.  



Flossbolna said:


> There is another way to get FPs in SDL: purchase them. You can buy one, if available, in shops in the various lands for about $18. Or a set of seven (one for every FP attraction in the park for over $80 or more than the cost of a one day pass. In hindsight, I might have actually sprung for a set of these for one of our days as it doesn't prevent you from getting others the old fashioned way.



I keep worrying that eventually all of the parks will start making you pay for fast passes.



Flossbolna said:


> The baffling thing was however the amount of un-licensed sellers we encountered in there. We had seen people selling stuff while we were in line to get into the park. It is something that Shanghai Disneyland has plenty of: Locals selling cheap Mickey plushes, umbrellas, mouse ears etc. Obviously not official products nor official sellers. One wonders how park security is not doing more about it, but none of the sellers were ever aggressive to us and while we noticed it, I don’t remember it taking over



Wow.  I'm really surprised to hear that.  Read the blog, so I guess it's just a different culture and matter of laws.



Flossbolna said:


> The Cheshire Cat was hiding in many places:



There's a neat idea!



Flossbolna said:


> Everyone kept telling me before the trip that the castle looks better in person than on pictures. And while some people love the Shanghai castle, I can tell you that I think it is the ugliest of them all. To me it looks like a box dressed up with turrets.



I think I agree.  It's underwhelming in the photo.



Flossbolna said:


> While in line we started talking about how Michael now had become “Theme Park Royalty” again, i.e. visited all Disney parks. He had that (self-awarded) title from 2010 until the opening of Shanghai. And now he got it back. He even made sure that the shoes that travelled to Japan with him in 2010 were along as well, so he now owns a pair of shoes that have hit the ground in every Disney park:
> 
> Yes, except M had me murder them in June by running in them. I got in one good run ... and then the heel of one shoe started to fall off!



I'm thinking it might be time to retire them.



Flossbolna said:


> Getting off we had a look at the Fantasyland wait time board:







Flossbolna said:


> Michael was throwing fits about how unfair it was that he was not allowed in this magical tent where he would be able to find all kind of unique opening day merchandise at a great discount. Every time we passed the tent there was unhappy mumbling… If he had only known what would happen this spring in Florida! Loads and loads of SDL stuff, much of it from the Grand Opening, appeared at the Disney outlets for totally cheap prices. He was able to take advantage of this and ended up with buckets of opening day merchandise that we did not have to carry with us to Japan and then back home.



Something to note the next time he gets grumpy!



Flossbolna said:


> I sent this picture to my father and his comment was: “How ridiculous, where does the water for the waterfall come from at the top of the mountain?” Of course he is right with that, but it does look cool! I guess one can imagine that there is some kind of geyser in the mountain providing the water?



 Leave it to an engineer!  But sure, I'll buy a geyser as an explanation.  



Flossbolna said:


> I have joked that this ride alone is worth buying a plane ticket for. That might be taking it a bit far, but only a bit. I have never experienced an attraction that so seamlessly combines a ride system, projections, animatronics and huge set pieces so effectively. This isn't like Soaring Over Pandora or even the Harry Potter rides at UNI. This thing envelopes you in the story. The fact it has won multiple THEA Awards is proof the industry agrees!



Wow, this is high praise!  I've seen a video of the ride on YouTube and it really does look amazing.



Flossbolna said:


> If you know the Pirates lines at WDW and in Paris, they are these dark caves and I was really looking forward to a long dark and cool wait. Ha, they really did not up their line game here! The line was mainly through courtyards and such in typical switchbacks. More like the lines for Jungle Cruise or Big Thunder Mountain.
> 
> Add to that the Chinese way of queuing – i.e. making sure that no spot on the ground is empty – it became a rather unpleasant wait despite the ceiling fans giving at least a little bit of air movement.



Yuck!  This would be a very long 70 minutes.



Flossbolna said:


> Besides the different boat the whole story is different, it is more a ride inspired by the movies than the other which are the rides that inspired the movies. There is some impressive use of technology in the ride, especially how the use of screens and ride experience was combined to an amazing experience. There were scenes where I did not understand until the third ride whether I was seeing a screen or a physical set. It just all fit together so effortless.
> 
> Regardless of story and personal preferences, I do think this is the most impressive theme park ride that is out there at the moment. I was totally in awe!



Sounds incredible!  I hope I get to see that someday.  Or something like it.


----------



## Pinkocto

Thank you for the bat signal  I’ll be back to read, looking forward to this report.


----------



## Flossbolna

Haley R said:


> Omg lol. Straw hats and man purses?



Yes!! They look very cute and exotic! The man purses are kind of little straw baskets. The ladies have the same time of basket bags, but lighter colors and different lining.



glennbo123 said:


> With the exception of the crowds, sounds like a great first day in the park.



It was! The weather was really getting to us, too. But a brand new Disney park is such a treat! Michael keeps saying that this will be the last "castle park" (i.e. Magic Kingdom like park) that Disney will build for a very long while and I guess he is right with that. 



Malia78 said:


> Disneyland Paris is still on my list but after visiting the three Asia parks in October, I came away feeling the best versions of some of the classic rides are all located overseas in the Asia parks--Pooh's Hunny Hunt in Tokyo, Mystic Manor and Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars in Hong Kong and Pirates in Shanghai...



Yes, Peter Pan and Buzz Light Year in Shanghai come to mind as well. I do think that Paris has the best Big Thunder Mountain of them all and the best classic Pirates. And maybe the best IASW (yes, I know sacriledge for not thinking Disneyland's is best, but if you take nostalgia out of it, DLP wins).


----------



## Curiouser&curiouser!

I just found your report now and I am all caught up.  We have high hopes to make a very similar trip to Shanghai and Tokyo once our two boys are teenagers!  I can't wait to hear more!


----------



## Malia78

Flossbolna said:


> Peter Pan and Buzz Light Year in Shanghai come to mind as well.



Agree....those Buzz laser guns were the best!


----------



## dolphingirl47

Flossbolna said:


> Sounds like you really love it there!



Yes, I do. I had my concerns about the culture shock before our first trip, but within a matter of hours, I was completely won over.



Flossbolna said:


> I did enjoy China, but the country that totally spoke to me was Japan. I think Michael is more of a China fan.



I think we have a similar thing going on here. China completely captured my heart. I like Japan as well, but not to the same extend as China. Graham likes China, too, but I think he slightly prefers Japan.



Flossbolna said:


> And was afraid that another Panama Canal cruise would not live up to this amazing cruise in 2014!



I get this. We had a kind of bumpy ride on our first Panama canal cruise in 2011 as the crew was ill prepared for such a long cruise so a do over was definitely required.



Flossbolna said:


> I was really impressed with public transport in Shanghai as well.



I have been very impressed with the public transport anywhere in China I have been. We have so far sampled it in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen and will soon add Suzhou to this list.



Flossbolna said:


> Or you need to book one of those cheap Ryanair flights between Manchester and Nuremberg and come and have one with me!



I really need to do something about this especially as I am going to break the vow to never fly Ryanair again in 9 days time when I fly yo Hamburg for a two day cruise to nowhere.



Flossbolna said:


> Ha! It actually worked out really well! At least for some days. We each ended up paying for this start at a later point in the trip.



I have only ever attempted doing something on the day I landed twice, once at Disneyland and in June in Hong Kong, but that was nowhere near as taxing as a full park day.



Flossbolna said:


> We stepped into a sauna. I just checked how hot it was and official it was “only” 28°C/83°F, but with a humidity of 85% it did feel unpleasant.



That sounds familiar. In June we had up to 34 degrees and high humidity in Hong Kong and Guilin.



Flossbolna said:


> As you can see from this, we did not have any language problems at all in Shanghai.



That has been my experience in Shanghai as well. Now Beijing was a different matter, but still no problem. Pointing and smiling goes a long way in China I find.



Flossbolna said:


> I have been to about three dozen countries (just added Austria and Hungary to the list in July!) and never had a serious language issue anywhere.



I could not agree more with this assessment.



Flossbolna said:


> And even when there was a bit of a barrier, people were so friendly and helpful!



I think that was the reason why I fell so completely for China. Yes, they have an amazing culture and history, but the people are so warm and welcoming.



Flossbolna said:


> What I did not admire were these lines that you see to the left and right of the fountain. Here is a clearer picture of the lines:



Goodness, this looks awful. When we were there in December, we commented that we would not want to visit when all the lines they have set up are full. Looks like you had just the experience.



Flossbolna said:


> This is something that can be uncomfortable for Americans. There is no concept of personal space in China due to the sheer number of people in the country. People will rub, shove and push you in a line. And they also will attempt to get in front of you if you leave too much of an opening -- say an inch!



That was a steep learning curve for me as well, but I got used to it soon enough. 



Flossbolna said:


> You have to stand your ground and often leaving an elbow or two pointed behind you helps.



My mantra in China is that I have been given a pair of sturdy shoulders and I will use them. 



Flossbolna said:


> However, I had my first experience of someone wanting to take my picture. It happened a couple of times and people were always very polite about it. To be honest, it kind of made me feel special, but I also felt a bit awkward as I certainly did not look my best this morning!



My jaw just dropped when this happened for the first time. Graham and I always joke in how many Chinese family albums we are appearing now. Like you, it does kind of make me a little special and definitely makes me feel very welcome.



Flossbolna said:


> So after a little over one hour we finally were inside the park. At that time Shanghai Disneyland was only distributing paper FP (now you can get them through the app as well) from centralized FP stations.



I have to say, I never even saw the FP stations. By the time we went, I could get FPs via the app and I liked this approach a lot.



Flossbolna said:


> This is the second Disney park to have an Alice in Wonderland Maze, the other is in Paris. The difference is however, that this maze in Shanghai is themed after the recent live action Alice in Wonderland movie, Paris has the animated original as its inspiration.



I really like the Shanghai version whereas I can take or leave the one in Paris. I only tend to go to the one in Paris if I am with somebody who really wants to do this.



Flossbolna said:


> Everyone kept telling me before the trip that the castle looks better in person than on pictures. And while some people love the Shanghai castle, I can tell you that I think it is the ugliest of them all.



I am one of the few people who actually rather likes the castle in Shanghai.



Flossbolna said:


> While in line we started talking about how Michael now had become “Theme Park Royalty” again, i.e. visited all Disney parks.



I have joined those ranks in June when I visited Hong Kong Disneyland as the last park still missing in my collection.



Flossbolna said:


> Getting off we had a look at the Fantasyland wait time board:



That is just crazy. In December, we did Seven Dwarfs Mind Train 4 times in less than 30 minutes as the ride was essentially a walk on.



Flossbolna said:


> Loads and loads of SDL stuff, much of it from the Grand Opening, appeared at the Disney outlets for totally cheap prices. He was able to take advantage of this and ended up with buckets of opening day merchandise that we did not have to carry with us to Japan and then back home.



Oh, I would have been all over this.



Flossbolna said:


> When we got there the wait time was posted as 70 minutes, however the ride has a single rider line.



I had not realised that the ride has a single rider line.



Flossbolna said:


> I have joked that this ride alone is worth buying a plane ticket for. That might be taking it a bit far, but only a bit.



I would agree with this assessment.



Flossbolna said:


> Regardless of story and personal preferences, I do think this is the most impressive theme park ride that is out there at the moment. I was totally in awe!



I agree with this. I had told Graham as we were walking up to the ride that I had read and heard that this is the best ride Disney ever did. His reaction was that Disney nerds would say this, but when it was our turn, he was absolutely blown away by this. He has agreed to spend another day at the park with me just because of this.

Corinna


----------



## Steppesister

Crap! I'm so far behind! I may never catch up in the fashion I'd like to, BUT, I AM reading and making headway. 



Flossbolna said:


> I took a picture of the flight path over Kazakhstan in honor of my friend @Steppesister:



 You flew right over Crapistan!! And awww, you thought of me.  I'm glad there was no forced landing in Almaty. It's awful there. Reminds me of the time a coal train derailed ahead of some friends' of ours journey and they were stuck on the train for 36 hours before help and supplies came. 



Flossbolna said:


> And then it was time to get off the plane – and I had a huge shock! While on the plane I had put some of the Chinese cash that we had exchanged in Germany into my little travel wallet so that it would be easily accessible when it came to paying the taxi that we intended to take. And when I packed my things, I could not find that little wallet. Unfortunately it never reappeared (I even made a claim with Swiss for a lost item) and with that the trip had immediately gotten 100 € more expensive. Luckily I had not put all our cash nor any credit cards in the wallet, so it was just the loss of the money. To this day I have no clue what happened and can only imagine that instead of putting it in my bag, I put it next to the bag and with landing it wandered up or down the plane and someone found it and pocketed it.



We were warned of a pretty elaborate scam going on that people pilfer wallets from under seats and then pass them back to others involved.


----------



## Steppesister

Flossbolna said:


> So, yes, if you wind up thousands of miles from a major city and surrounded by people over 40,





Flossbolna said:


>



Looks like the decor is simply stunning! I love these!


Flossbolna said:


>



That is phenomenal!! 



Flossbolna said:


> And that is why Flight of Passage at AK did not really impress me this much. Ultimately it is just like Soarin with a more intense ride seat. But like Soarin, Mission Space, Ratatouille or the Forbidden Journey and Gringotts at Universal the action is on the screen and you are just being moved around. Shanghai Pirates has screens, but the action is rarely on the screens, they set the environment. There are some amazing animatronics (far fewer though than at the other Pirates) and large set pieces. And it all comes together in such a breathtaking way.



While I AM all caught up and adored your updates to pieces, this absolutely stood out to me and makes me want to visit SDL a LOT! Maybe someday I will find my way there....


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> Boy you are updating like a madwoman. I found the time to come back and read the intro and now you have at least two updates!



Haha! That was just a fluke!! You know that my trip reports move at snail's pace! But I am working on the next update, so you will most likely find a new one once you are back from your cruise.



franandaj said:


> I read your travel day. I'm glad it was so easy for you. Everyone who has used the 144 hour rule, seems to encounter an ignorant employee. I have yet to read about someone who doesn't have to summon a supervisor.



I have heard that the larger the airport, the better your luck. I would also asume that if you travel with a Chinese airline, they would know about it. And Corinna confirmed that it is just people not reading their instructions properly.



franandaj said:


> Bummer about the lost wallet, and so glad you didn't get taken by the darned taxi frauds. One TR I read they paid 500 (yen?) is that the currency? to get to the Toy Story hotel and 100 to get back to the airport.



Yes, I was prepared for the taxi frauds. But the airport was so empty in the early morning, there was no one even trying to approach us!


----------



## Flossbolna

Captain_Oblivious said:


> He must not get out much.



Don't you know that he is one part of an international super couple?! So, of course he does get out. And you should not laugh about him, I do have it on good authority that there are some surprises about to be dispatched to Delaware.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I remember when we arrived at Aulani after 18 hours of being awake and traveling. We were so tired, but got an amazing second wind once we arrived at the resort. Something about Disney.



Exactly!! I am even contemplating a red eye flight next year from Hawaii to California if we can then spend the day at Disneyland using the same line of thinking.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Winter will definitely be better! It has to be.



Everyone says so... I will report back!


----------



## Nora03

I was so excited to see this trip report. I don’t comment much but I’ve been missing your reports. You (and Michael) are such good writers. Congratulations on your marriage! I had secretly been hoping that it would happen someday and you could each spend part of the year in your loved one’s country. Looks like you’re making that work. Good for you! I’ll definitely be following along on this report. Hoping to see a wedding picture, but I know that Michael doesn’t like to publish his photo. Maybe one of you? I’ve recently joined Instagram. Are you on there? Thanks for posting this fabulous trip and coming back to the Dis.


----------



## Flossbolna

Captain_Oblivious said:


> Good to know! I wish I had stuck with languages longer in my own education.



Even if you had, how likely is it that you would have learned Mandarin and Japanese to a useful level? I would say only the very specialists would get to the point where they can travel nearly everywhere without issues. 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> We're off to a good start here!







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Uh oh. Dealing with crowds is never fun.



Everyone talks about horrible crowds in Tokyo. But Shanghai was far worse for us (Tokyo was actually very manageable!)



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That makes sense. If I lived there, I'd try to do the same thing! Or wait till peak season was over.



Yes, it makes sense. The problem was that with the park being so new, there was no pattern yet and we had no clue about this when planning the trip.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That sounds awful. I don't think I'd do well with that.



It was not nice, but the high from being in a new park did carry us through.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> This has happened on our travels before. They really loved seeing a blond-haired, blue-eyed baby boy.



I can imagine! Friends of mine were in China when their kids were 5 and 3 and they came back afraid of how their kids were now totally spoiled for all the attention they got in China.


----------



## Flossbolna

Captain_Oblivious said:


> I keep worrying that eventually all of the parks will start making you pay for fast passes.



I think one day this will be the case. They definitely want to, but I think currently they are still too afraid of people then getting angry.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Wow. I'm really surprised to hear that. Read the blog, so I guess it's just a different culture and matter of laws.



Yes, I found the blog gives a good explanation. It also tells you how unique this park is in the fact that Disney is forced to give in to an entity that is more powerful than them (the Chinese Communist Party). I wonder how Disney managers deal with this since they are used to being the most powerful player around most of the time.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I think I agree. It's underwhelming in the photo.



YOu have good taste in castles!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I'm thinking it might be time to retire them.



I offered to have at least one of the two shoes bronzed, like a baby shoe. There actually are services that will bronze anything for you. Michael was against it though.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Leave it to an engineer! But sure, I'll buy a geyser as an explanation.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Wow, this is high praise! I've seen a video of the ride on YouTube and it really does look amazing.



No video can do the ride justice. The great thing about it is howyou are truly transported into a different place. The illusions of the effects work so flawlessly.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Yuck! This would be a very long 70 minutes.



It was long, but there and then when we visited Europapark (a local theme park in Germany) this summer I noticed one thing: wait time that is spend moving forward at a slow speed constantly goes double as quickly as wait time that is spent standing in one spot for a long time. To me this one of the negative effects of fast pass: if you use the stand by line, that's what you do most of the time - stand.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Sounds incredible! I hope I get to see that someday. Or something like it.



I hope you get to see it!! And I hope they will build more attractions of that quality in all their parks.


----------



## Flossbolna

Pinkocto said:


> Thank you for the bat signal  I’ll be back to read, looking forward to this report.



 Great to have you here!


----------



## Flossbolna

Curiouser&curiouser! said:


> I just found your report now and I am all caught up.  We have high hopes to make a very similar trip to Shanghai and Tokyo once our two boys are teenagers!  I can't wait to hear more!



 

I think teenagers are the perfect age for a trip like that! There is a lot of modern stuff to see and do both in China and in Japan that would definitely appeal to teenagers.


----------



## DnA2010

Newbie jumping on board  we’ve only been to DL and WDW but hope to get to some of the other parks some day. 

Wow those are some crowds though!


----------



## Colleen27

Wow, it has been a long time since I wandered into one of your threads. Congrats on your marriage! 

I can't wait to see how your Asian adventure unfolds... We're in the early stages of planning a trip to Japan for May/June 2020 so TDR trip reports are my newest addiction.


----------



## Flossbolna

dolphingirl47 said:


> Yes, I do. I had my concerns about the culture shock before our first trip, but within a matter of hours, I was completely won over.



I think culture shock is often over dramatised. If you are a tourist doing touristy things that are not totally off the beaten path and are open to new experiences, you will get through being most foreign experiences without problem. I think it is far more something to be concernec with if you need to stay longer somewhere (for work or such) or go somewhere that is really not a tourist destination at all. And then every place can give you culture shock. 



dolphingirl47 said:


> I think we have a similar thing going on here. China completely captured my heart. I like Japan as well, but not to the same extend as China. Graham likes China, too, but I think he slightly prefers Japan.



How funny that you are the other way around!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I get this. We had a kind of bumpy ride on our first Panama canal cruise in 2011 as the crew was ill prepared for such a long cruise so a do over was definitely required.



Yes, I remember that we talked about this. And I am really glad that it worked out for you! 



dolphingirl47 said:


> I have been very impressed with the public transport anywhere in China I have been. We have so far sampled it in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen and will soon add Suzhou to this list.



That's good to know!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I really need to do something about this especially as I am going to break the vow to never fly Ryanair again in 9 days time when I fly yo Hamburg for a two day cruise to nowhere.



Ha! I hope you were not affected by the strike? And we do have a very nice Christmas market to visit here in Nuremberg...



dolphingirl47 said:


> I have only ever attempted doing something on the day I landed twice, once at Disneyland and in June in Hong Kong, but that was nowhere near as taxing as a full park day.



I think being in the park is what kept us going. If we had slowed down we would have gotten tired.



dolphingirl47 said:


> That sounds familiar. In June we had up to 34 degrees and high humidity in Hong Kong and Guilin.



Ugh! I read about a heat wave in Asia this summer. But then, we had plenty of days with over 34 degrees here in Nuremberg this summer... 



dolphingirl47 said:


> That has been my experience in Shanghai as well. Now Beijing was a different matter, but still no problem. Pointing and smiling goes a long way in China I find.



Yes, if people are willing to help even without understand a word, it's already halfway there.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I think that was the reason why I fell so completely for China. Yes, they have an amazing culture and history, but the people are so warm and welcoming.



There certainly is a feeling of being welcomed there.



dolphingirl47 said:


> Goodness, this looks awful. When we were there in December, we commented that we would not want to visit when all the lines they have set up are full. Looks like you had just the experience.



The lines extended beyond the set up!



dolphingirl47 said:


> That was a steep learning curve for me as well, but I got used to it soon enough.



I viewed it as something that I can't change, so I tried to not focus on it. Sometimes it was difficult. But most of the time it worked.



dolphingirl47 said:


> My mantra in China is that I have been given a pair of sturdy shoulders and I will use them.



Exactly. When in Rome...



dolphingirl47 said:


> My jaw just dropped when this happened for the first time. Graham and I always joke in how many Chinese family albums we are appearing now. Like you, it does kind of make me a little special and definitely makes me feel very welcome.



I knew it would happen from friends who had been to China before, so I was prepared. 



dolphingirl47 said:


> I have to say, I never even saw the FP stations. By the time we went, I could get FPs via the app and I liked this approach a lot.



The app definitely is a great improvement! 



dolphingirl47 said:


> I really like the Shanghai version whereas I can take or leave the one in Paris. I only tend to go to the one in Paris if I am with somebody who really wants to do this.



I love the one in Paris and drag Michael into it every time we visit. 



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am one of the few people who actually rather likes the castle in Shanghai.



We have noted that in the past that we often like different things (see the Alice maze)... 



dolphingirl47 said:


> I have joined those ranks in June when I visited Hong Kong Disneyland as the last park still missing in my collection.



 Congratulations!! 



dolphingirl47 said:


> That is just crazy. In December, we did Seven Dwarfs Mind Train 4 times in less than 30 minutes as the ride was essentially a walk on.



I wonder if my appreciation for the park would have been different with less people around...



dolphingirl47 said:


> Oh, I would have been all over this.



While there was some nice stuff, a lot of it was also things that were really not that nice. Still it was a lot of fun. It made us wonder how much merchandise they made that they thought it would make sense to send it all the way to the US to sell it for 99 cents.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I had not realised that the ride has a single rider line.



Yes, you had to ask the CMs sometimes because it appeared to be closed, but they would open it for you. If you approach the ride, it is the entrance in the middle.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I would agree with this assessment.



I have not heard a single person say that they were dissappointed with this ride. All other new rides you always find someone who says it's nice but not all that great.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I agree with this. I had told Graham as we were walking up to the ride that I had read and heard that this is the best ride Disney ever did. His reaction was that Disney nerds would say this, but when it was our turn, he was absolutely blown away by this. He has agreed to spend another day at the park with me just because of this.



See, that's what I meant: it even wows the sceptics!


----------



## Flossbolna

Steppesister said:


> Crap! I'm so far behind! I may never catch up in the fashion I'd like to, BUT, I AM reading and making headway.



Since I haven't been updating for three weeks, you would have had plenty of time to catch up!



Steppesister said:


> You flew right over Crapistan!! And awww, you thought of me.  I'm glad there was no forced landing in Almaty. It's awful there. Reminds me of the time a coal train derailed ahead of some friends' of ours journey and they were stuck on the train for 36 hours before help and supplies came.



I am glad about no landing in Almaty, too!! But I would hope that help would have come sooner than after 36 hours. That sounds like a crappy trip!



Steppesister said:


> We were warned of a pretty elaborate scam going on that people pilfer wallets from under seats and then pass them back to others involved.



 That's actually a good warning about not being too trusty with your belongings on a plane. But I don't think that it was that. If I had put it in my backpack in the bag pocket as I thought I had, it would have been very difficult to fish out without much disturbance. But I do think that for future trips I will revert back to my little travel hand bag that has an additional clip to secure the zipper. Or I could get a fanny pack - I hear that they are becoming fashionable again!


----------



## Flossbolna

Steppesister said:


> Looks like the decor is simply stunning! I love these!



The marbles were wonderful and looked very stylish. The rest was a bit more plain as you will see in future pictures.



Steppesister said:


> While I AM all caught up and adored your updates to pieces, this absolutely stood out to me and makes me want to visit SDL a LOT! Maybe someday I will find my way there....



The Pirates ride is truly a masterpiece. Shanghai is also easier to get to than many people think. Not tooo far from Guam, too.


----------



## Steppesister

Flossbolna said:


> Since I haven't been updating for three weeks, you would have had plenty of time to catch up!



I did!  



Flossbolna said:


> I am glad about no landing in Almaty, too!! But I would hope that help would have come sooner than after 36 hours. That sounds like a crappy trip!



Well, to be fair, that was out in the middle of the steppe somewhere around nowhere. 



Flossbolna said:


> That's actually a good warning about not being too trusty with your belongings on a plane. But I don't think that it was that. If I had put it in my backpack in the bag pocket as I thought I had, it would have been very difficult to fish out without much disturbance. But I do think that for future trips I will revert back to my little travel hand bag that has an additional clip to secure the zipper. Or I could get a fanny pack - I hear that they are becoming fashionable again!



They are, and  guess who bought one for her upcoming trip. 



Flossbolna said:


> The Pirates ride is truly a masterpiece. Shanghai is also easier to get to than many people think. Not tooo far from Guam, too.



Hmmm....


----------



## Flossbolna

Steppesister said:


> They are, and guess who bought one for her upcoming trip.



I have to say that I am secretely considering going all retro on the fanny pack as well. The reason I don't is that it makes me look fat. It did so when it was in fashion and it still does as I do not have much of a waist (narrow hips, wide upper body) and I feel that it does more damage to my personal sillhouette than to the average woman. Still, they are sooo practical!



Steppesister said:


> Hmmm....



Also, with the 144-hour visa-free transit you can get there without having to deal with the expensive visa process. You just have to schedule flights that take you from one country to China to another country. If you would want any planning help, I would be happy to help out!!


----------



## Flossbolna

Nora03 said:


> I was so excited to see this trip report. I don’t comment much but I’ve been missing your reports. You (and Michael) are such good writers. Congratulations on your marriage! I had secretly been hoping that it would happen someday and you could each spend part of the year in your loved one’s country. Looks like you’re making that work. Good for you! I’ll definitely be following along on this report. Hoping to see a wedding picture, but I know that Michael doesn’t like to publish his photo. Maybe one of you? I’ve recently joined Instagram. Are you on there? Thanks for posting this fabulous trip and coming back to the Dis.



 to the trip report and thank you so much for your nice comments and the congratulations!

The wedding was not a really big wedding and we did not do lots of pictures. Somehow I ended up with no picture of myself, otherwise I would post that. And I do not want to post a picture that has Michael cut out of it. That would be strange for a wedding picture!  But the wedding was lovely. We got married on December 29th and in the evening it started to snow, really lovely big white flakes. Michael had spent quite some time in Germany in winter, but we rarely had decent snow, so he was totally happy about that. My cousin's son made a little snowman for Michael and we have some pictures of us standing in the snowfall holding the snow man. Those are our favorites despite the lighting not being perfect at all, but the memories are!

I am not on instagram, but on twitter. Shoot me a private message if you are interested in following there.


----------



## Flossbolna

DnA2010 said:


> Newbie jumping on board  we’ve only been to DL and WDW but hope to get to some of the other parks some day.
> 
> Wow those are some crowds though!



 It took me a long time until I finally got to the Asian parks, but they are absolutely worth a visit! And if you go at other times of the year, the crowds would not be as crazy!



Colleen27 said:


> Wow, it has been a long time since I wandered into one of your threads. Congrats on your marriage!
> 
> I can't wait to see how your Asian adventure unfolds... We're in the early stages of planning a trip to Japan for May/June 2020 so TDR trip reports are my newest addiction.



 And thank you for the congratulations!

I really hope that this trip report will be finished well before you depart on your trip despite the slow start! If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask!


----------



## Flossbolna

Day 1: Shanghai Disneyland

Part 2: A Pirate’s meal and a super cool room!

We left off after being totally wowed with the Shanghai Disneyland Pirates attraction. So, now that we had been on a true E-ticket we felt that it was time to slow down and have a break for lunch. Our choice was this place:






Barbossa’s Bounty. It’s in Treasure Cove, the pirate themed land. If you are familiar with Disneyland you might be tempted to call it the “Blue Bayou” of Shanghai. But it most certainly isn’t that. Yes, some of the seating overlooks part of the Pirate ride. But that’s where the similarity stops. You are eating in a true pirate town, not a fancy restaurant. There are lots of different rooms creating a Caribbean night town atmosphere. Think of the towns that are being plundered at the other pirate rides – but before they were plundered and burned down. It also is not a table service restaurant, but instead a counter service.

This was a place we had decided on eating at before the trip. Menu looked good and early reviews, including one from friend and Disney Blogger to the Stars, Tom Bricker, helped seal the deal. As M said, you are not directly looking into the attraction except in one room, which we wound up in, and it is a very large facility.

SDL has only one full service dining venue, a character meal in the Storybook Castle.






We had heard very good reviews and while there was a line for it, it seemed like the line would be manageable. Well, who knew how long it would take them to serve the 25 people ahead of us… It is set up like a cafeteria, so you can actually see the food you are ordering. Which helps with any language barriers as you can just point to what you want. For the drinks they always had menus at the ordering point with the different drink’s logos, so you could point as well. It seemed like a sensible set up. 

Well, one group of about 10 people totally threw the system however. They were unhappy about something. We have no idea what it was, but they were shouting and screaming at the CMs and the manager that came and there was a lot of whatever and then after what felt like 15 minutes, but most likely was only 5, they finally were served some food and left. Once they left, things moved along quickly.

Unlike with me, the Mrs. is being overly kind here. There weren’t that many people in the line at our dining station, but they moved at a snails pace and people kept going up to the counter and were shouting. It might have been funny had we not been tired and hungry. It’s been so long now, but I chalked it up to people who had never been in a theme park and had no idea how the ordering and getting your food process worked. 

We finally had our food and found a table to enjoy it:






Michael had some sort of steak and I had ribs. For some strange reason, Michaels ear of corn was ice cold, not just cooled down, but like out of the fridge. Mine was nice and warm and very good. The ribs were delicious. They had some kind of spice rub and/or sauce on it that tasted more Asian than your typical bbq rub. I think I would have appreciated the meal more if we had not been so exhausted from the flight, the heat, the long time in line for the pirates ride and then the ridiculousness of the ordering process. But it was a very good first meal (and no bad meal followed it, we really loved the food at SDL!).

Steak was very good. Rice was very good (BTW, one of the park’s most common smells is rice cooking. It is pervasive as it is in most of China.) Corn might as well been plastic.

Since we were nearing the point of total exhaustion and since it was getting late, we had lunch around 2pm, we decided to head back to the hotel to get settled into our room, relax a little bit and recharge.

One of us was getting quite crotchety and you know it wasn’t me!

I don't remember that, but I am sure Michael is right there. @nodnol will attest to the fact that I have a tendency to become a bit unpleasant when exhausted or hungry.

On the way out we enjoyed some more of the fun Treasure Cove atmosphere:











And walked the long way around the Adventure Isle land so that we got to see more of the park. We looked at another restaurant that looked quite good:
















But we never got around to try it.

I liked this rock cat as it made me think of @franandaj:






Rock ducks and a crocodile!!






At the entrance to Mickey’s Avenue there was a little merchandise cart that was like a big suitcase. It had all kind of destination stickers that we thought were kind of cute:











And then we were about to head out, but not with a stop in a shop first! This is the view down Mickey’s Avenue from the one end to the other. Yes, it is that short.






The right hand side in this picture is actually just one big shop hiding behind different facades. This is the “Emporium” of SDL and you can find a lot of things there. Pins, however, are on the other side of the street.

I have heard some Disney people say that Mickey Ave, which repurposes many buildings and facades from Disney parks around the world and has lots of details that are lost on 99.999% of Guests, isn’t all that shorter than Main Street USA in the American parks. That just isn’t true. Oh, and on the right side there is a large QSR that also got good reviews that we somehow never even walked into.

When we were there, they had just celebrated the 1st anniversary and there were some decorations for this as well as a lot of merchandise. The first anniversary merchandise has not yet made it to the outlets, so we still feel good about our purchases that were made during the trip. Here is one of the Mickey’s Avenue decorations:

True, but it has been at Epcot at higher prices than in China since at least February.






We walked back to the bus stop and one short bus ride we were back at the Toy Story Hotel, got our room keys and took the elevator to “It’s The Rootin’ Tootin’ Seventh Floor” – at least that was what we were told every time the elevator arrived at our floor. For the lobby they had the green aliens saying “Looooooooooooooooby”. Very cute!

We did our by now standard routine of getting into a new room and I took a million pictures.











The TV you see even had some English language programs available (CNN or/and BBC Wolrd?). However, they were censored. It was really a bit bizarre as you could tell that there was someone whose job it was to watch that channel and whenever something unwelcomed was talked about, it would go black and after a while when the topic had moved on, it came back. I think it was mainly when they were talking about Hong Kong.

Yes, it was when HK politics came on. And the censors were always a few seconds late, so you knew exactly what was happening. Strange. And, no, no Chinese version of Stacey Aswad on an in-house resort channel. They didn’t have one of those.











Next to the door was a closet with a set up on the wall that had slippers (mens’, ladies’ and kids’ sizes), on the top a folded reuseable shopping bag and at the bottom a normal laundry bag for dry cleaning.






Asian hotel rooms really deliver on the amenities and most of our hotels in Japan had lots of things, too. The shopping bags were really nice actually and you saw quite a few people using them in the park.

Michael’s comment on the bathroom tiles was that he was surprised that the Toy Story Hotel had bathrooms themed to In ‘n Out Burgers…






More goodies:
















The metal box had tooth brushes and such. We got four bottles of water every day. Two for the bathroom to brush the teeth with (don’t put the tap water into your mouth!) and two were in the fridge. It was nice to have some cold water available in the room. However, I have to say that bottled water was not expensive at all! I think it was about a little over a dollar per bottle. And in the park they have drink water fountains that are safe and which all have bottle refill taps.

And yes, everything was replaced if it was no longer there. This also seems to be an Asian thing. In Kyoto we had a huge box with stuff in the bathroom and I tried out the hairbrush. I put the hairbrush that I had used and therefore unwrapped on the top of the box where all the things were stored in and in the evening, the box had a brand new hairbrush in its wrapper again. Who would need a new hairbrush every day?






I know I collected a lot of the items and brought them home because... because... I am a hoarder. 

The toiletries are the same H2O ones that you have at WDW. With the exception that the body wash is the old H2O Aquatic smell that used to be at WDW before they went to Orange something. I loved that Aquatic! So, I was very happy to have it again!

The best feature of the room? The air conditioning! This room was our little cool haven! I had started a Twitter account (send me a note if you want to find me there, I still post pictures from our travels near and far and random pictures from Nuremberg there) and Michael demanded that I even tweet about how amazing the air conditioning is!

You have no idea how important this is to me. The heat and humidity were just horrendous, having a room that is 68-70 degrees was heavenly.

We both took highly needed showers and tried to relax a bit. Of course, I was far too excited, so I walked around the hotel a bit while Michael was showering and explored the shop, the little café (counter service) and the restaurant.

All in all we were both very impressed by how nice it was. It is definitely not a high end hotel, but it also did not feel like a budget motel. First, interior hallways always make a place a bit more comfortable, everything also seemed fairly well thought out and the décor was a lot of fun. Also, every single CM we encountered there was wonderful.

I had been apprehensive about how much we were paying for staying there because of high season prices. But for us the ability to quickly hop back to the hotel for a break was such a great bonus and I truly fell in love with the atmosphere there.

Yes, we had talked about staying here a lot. For a while we even considered the SDL Hotel, the only other Disney option and higher end property. In the end, this place was perfect for us. But it does have a weird feeling, like much of SDL. The outside of it really isn’t much more attractive than it appears in pictures. But the inside is so much better. So, it sorta is a value resort, if you are using the soon to disappear WDW labels, yet in many ways is more luxurious than WDW moderates on the inside. Very hard to explain, but would recommend the place to anyone. It was our little peaceful haven to retreat to when the heat and crowds got to us.

Up Next: We nearly forget to eat!!


----------



## franandaj

It sure took me a while to get back here and still I'm only partway through your first day! I know there is no way Fran and I could push through sleeplessness, and in that kind of heat we would be done. Sounds like I'm going to need to do a lot of research on China weather. It's evidently very cold in February but burning hot in June. I already asked Fran and she wants to do the full Visa thing and not the 144 hour transit.

I've heard awesome things from everyone about the pirates ride. I'm glad it perked up your day!


----------



## franandaj

OK all caught up now! Barbossa's Bounty would be on my list as well. I've heard their food is pretty good.

I am definitely unpleasant when I'm hungry or tired and don't know how you made it until 2PM! How sweet that the kitty made you think of me!

The hotel looked really cute. I want to stay at the other hotel, but I haven't checked prices ever, so that may change when reality sets in. Odd about how they replace everything even when it's only been used once.


----------



## dolphingirl47

Flossbolna said:


> I think culture shock is often over dramatised.



I would agree with you there. I just read and heard so many horror stories about people visiting China that I started to freak out a little. Of course, I came to the conclusion very quickly that they are probably the same kind of people who book a cruise from Shanghai and then complain that the ship is full of Chinese people!



Flossbolna said:


> Ha! I hope you were not affected by the strike?



No, we were fine fortunately. 



Flossbolna said:


> And we do have a very nice Christmas market to visit here in Nuremberg...



I know. I have been there in my teens and I keep telling my customers how lovely it is.



Flossbolna said:


> But then, we had plenty of days with over 34 degrees here in Nuremberg this summer...



For once, we had a decent summer here as well.



Flossbolna said:


> The lines extended beyond the set up!



Oh goodness. 



Flossbolna said:


> I knew it would happen from friends who had been to China before, so I was prepared.



My research let me down there. I had no clue what was going on when the first person waved the camera at me.



Flossbolna said:


> The app definitely is a great improvement!



I loved it.



Flossbolna said:


> This is the view down Mickey’s Avenue from the one end to the other. Yes, it is that short.



It felt very long at the end of the day though.



Flossbolna said:


>



I love this. The Rubik's Cube nightstand made me smile.



Flossbolna said:


>



That is good to know. I hope that they have H2O+ at the Hong Kong Disneyland hotel, too. This is one of the few cosmetics brands I can use without getting a reaction to it.

Corinna


----------



## Steppesister

Barbosa's Bounty looks like a ridiculously fun place! What fun theming! The food doesn't look too bad either. 

The room looks clean and well decorated. But, I agree with Michael, the first thing I thought of was In 'N Out as well. LOL!! 

A new hairbrush every time? Okay, that's just... weird. And pretty wasteful. 

I did a bit of research on the hotels there thinking that maybe, MAYBE I'd make it over there before Andrew leaves Guam, (I doubt it, but was curious) and thought the other hotel looks amazing. One can dream... !


----------



## BecBennett

All caught up and following along. We're doing Shanghai and Hong Kong in October


----------



## NHdisneylover

This trip report is so enjoyable---you two have such a fun writing style and sound like a great couple.  Congrats on being officially stuck together now 

I'm late to the party, having just started to look into Disney Shanghai and found this.  If DH's work plans solidify as currently anticipated, he will be working one week in Shanghai and the following in Chang Chung next spring----we've booked a cruise out of Shanghai for just before with 4 days in between for Disney.  You have already sold me on the Toy Story Hotel.  THANKS for taking time to show and tell all about it and do so in a fun and engaging way.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Flossbolna said:


> Barbossa’s Bounty. It’s in Treasure Cove, the pirate themed land. If you are familiar with Disneyland you might be tempted to call it the “Blue Bayou” of Shanghai. But it most certainly isn’t that. Yes, some of the seating overlooks part of the Pirate ride. But that’s where the similarity stops. You are eating in a true pirate town, not a fancy restaurant. There are lots of different rooms creating a Caribbean night town atmosphere. Think of the towns that are being plundered at the other pirate rides – but before they were plundered and burned down.



That sounds like a fun restaurant theme, actually!



Flossbolna said:


> Well, one group of about 10 people totally threw the system however. They were unhappy about something. We have no idea what it was, but they were shouting and screaming at the CMs and the manager that came and there was a lot of whatever and then after what felt like 15 minutes, but most likely was only 5, they finally were served some food and left. Once they left, things moved along quickly.



They must have wanted Happy Meal toys or something.



Flossbolna said:


> For some strange reason, Michaels ear of corn was ice cold, not just cooled down, but like out of the fridge.



Ew.



Flossbolna said:


> One of us was getting quite crotchety and you know it wasn’t me!



Uh huh.  I've seen your facebook posts.



Flossbolna said:


> I don't remember that, but I am sure Michael is right there. @nodnol will attest to the fact that I have a tendency to become a bit unpleasant when exhausted or hungry.



Do you Hulk out?  Because that would be cool.  Julie does.  This is known as being "hangry".



Flossbolna said:


> And then we were about to head out, but not with a stop in a shop first! This is the view down Mickey’s Avenue from the one end to the other. Yes, it is that short.



Interesting.  I would have thought they would cram a lot more shops in there.



Flossbolna said:


> For the lobby they had the green aliens saying “Looooooooooooooooby”. Very cute!



That's awesome!



Flossbolna said:


> The TV you see even had some English language programs available (CNN or/and BBC Wolrd?). However, they were censored. It was really a bit bizarre as you could tell that there was someone whose job it was to watch that channel and whenever something unwelcomed was talked about, it would go black and after a while when the topic had moved on, it came back. I think it was mainly when they were talking about Hong Kong.



Weird, since Hong Kong is theirs again.  And has been for a while.



Flossbolna said:


> Michael’s comment on the bathroom tiles was that he was surprised that the Toy Story Hotel had bathrooms themed to In ‘n Out Burgers…







Flossbolna said:


> Two for the bathroom to brush the teeth with (don’t put the tap water into your mouth!)







Flossbolna said:


> However, I have to say that bottled water was not expensive at all! I think it was about a little over a dollar per bottle. And in the park they have drink water fountains that are safe and which all have bottle refill taps.



This is unheard of!  



Flossbolna said:


> All in all we were both very impressed by how nice it was. It is definitely not a high end hotel, but it also did not feel like a budget motel. First, interior hallways always make a place a bit more comfortable, everything also seemed fairly well thought out and the décor was a lot of fun. Also, every single CM we encountered there was wonderful.
> 
> I had been apprehensive about how much we were paying for staying there because of high season prices. But for us the ability to quickly hop back to the hotel for a break was such a great bonus and I truly fell in love with the atmosphere there.



I'm glad you were so pleased with the resort.


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> It sure took me a while to get back here and still I'm only partway through your first day!



Hey, you are up to date now, and you had a pretty good excuse for your absence!



franandaj said:


> I know there is no way Fran and I could push through sleeplessness, and in that kind of heat we would be done. Sounds like I'm going to need to do a lot of research on China weather. It's evidently very cold in February but burning hot in June. I already asked Fran and she wants to do the full Visa thing and not the 144 hour transit.



You will definitely put some planning into how you want to do things. The visa will help you with seeing other sights in China, too, if that is what you want to do. I would definitely suggest to avoid summer! Somehow we found Japan far more bearable in the heat. I guess it was just that tad less humid than Shanghai.



franandaj said:


> I've heard awesome things from everyone about the pirates ride. I'm glad it perked up your day!



It is so amazing! 



franandaj said:


> OK all caught up now! Barbossa's Bounty would be on my list as well. I've heard their food is pretty good.



I can definitely recommend it.



franandaj said:


> I am definitely unpleasant when I'm hungry or tired and don't know how you made it until 2PM! How sweet that the kitty made you think of me!



I think because of being tired and hot we felt less hungry. And I have to admit that every kitty makes me think of you - but especially anything kitty and Disney combined (so pictures of the aristocats from DLP yesterday and first thought was how much you would love to see them, not just Marie, but also Berlioz was there!).



franandaj said:


> The hotel looked really cute. I want to stay at the other hotel, but I haven't checked prices ever, so that may change when reality sets in. Odd about how they replace everything even when it's only been used once.



Prices vary widely depending on season. For the rate that we payed for Toy Story, you could have stayed at the Disneyland hotel in the off season. So, another thing to figure out with regard to when to travel.


----------



## Flossbolna

dolphingirl47 said:


> I would agree with you there. I just read and heard so many horror stories about people visiting China that I started to freak out a little. Of course, I came to the conclusion very quickly that they are probably the same kind of people who book a cruise from Shanghai and then complain that the ship is full of Chinese people!



I have decided to take all complains about other countries with a grain of salt. I try to disregard all conclusions people draw and look for factual descriptions, i.e. not listen to people who say that DLP CM are rude unless I find out why they think them rude. And then just adjust my expectations accordingly.



dolphingirl47 said:


> No, we were fine fortunately.







dolphingirl47 said:


> I know. I have been there in my teens and I keep telling my customers how lovely it is.



You obviously need to come back! Hey, you could even try to get on some travel agent trip or so! I know that they have them to promote Nuremberg as a tourist destination.



dolphingirl47 said:


> For once, we had a decent summer here as well.



Well, our summer was more than decent. The park turned into a dessert and I sat at my desk with my feet in a bucket of cold water to get at least some work done. 



dolphingirl47 said:


> My research let me down there. I had no clue what was going on when the first person waved the camera at me.



What a surprise that must have been!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I love this. The Rubik's Cube nightstand made me smile.



Yes, they were really cute!



dolphingirl47 said:


> That is good to know. I hope that they have H2O+ at the Hong Kong Disneyland hotel, too. This is one of the few cosmetics brands I can use without getting a reaction to it.




Hope it works out for you!


----------



## Flossbolna

Steppesister said:


> Barbosa's Bounty looks like a ridiculously fun place! What fun theming! The food doesn't look too bad either.



It's a great place! It was very crowded and is quite dark inside, so not a good place to take pictures of. But even if one would not eat there, it's worth it to have a look around.



Steppesister said:


> The room looks clean and well decorated. But, I agree with Michael, the first thing I thought of was In 'N Out as well. LOL!!



 Those red and white tiles are obviously quite a trademark!



Steppesister said:


> A new hairbrush every time? Okay, that's just... weird. And pretty wasteful.



It's not so bad since if you don't open the packaging, they can still have it in the room for the next guest. I think it is part of the whole perfect service mentality there.



Steppesister said:


> I did a bit of research on the hotels there thinking that maybe, MAYBE I'd make it over there before Andrew leaves Guam, (I doubt it, but was curious) and thought the other hotel looks amazing. One can dream... !



Yes, we would have preferred the Disneyland Hotel, too. But during the high season prices are crazy. As I said to Alison, during the low season it would be about the same as our Toy Story Hotel room in July.


----------



## Flossbolna

BecBennett said:


> All caught up and following along. We're doing Shanghai and Hong Kong in October



 Hope you have a great trip, it's going to be here soon!


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## Flossbolna

NHdisneylover said:


> This trip report is so enjoyable---you two have such a fun writing style and sound like a great couple. Congrats on being officially stuck together now



 and thank you for the compliments! I see that you are practically my "neighbor"!



NHdisneylover said:


> I'm late to the party, having just started to look into Disney Shanghai and found this. If DH's work plans solidify as currently anticipated, he will be working one week in Shanghai and the following in Chang Chung next spring----we've booked a cruise out of Shanghai for just before with 4 days in between for Disney. You have already sold me on the Toy Story Hotel. THANKS for taking time to show and tell all about it and do so in a fun and engaging way.



I think spring will be much nicer weather wise! Sounds like a great plan with the cruise and Shanghai.

The Toy Story Hotel is a good place to stay. It is not as pretty as the Disneyland Hotel. But the price difference is quite substantial.


----------



## Flossbolna

Captain_Oblivious said:


> That sounds like a fun restaurant theme, actually!



Yes, this is one of the best themed areas of Shanghai DL all around. There is also a Pirate ship walk through attraction that we never got to do.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> They must have wanted Happy Meal toys or something.



I was wondering if they were demanding that they should be getting free meals. 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Uh huh. I've seen your facebook posts.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Do you Hulk out? Because that would be cool. Julie does. This is known as being "hangry".



Yup, hangry is me!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Interesting. I would have thought they would cram a lot more shops in there.



There were surprisingly few shops and the ones that were around were small in general. Maybe that's why they had to send all that merchandise to the outlets in Florida?



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Weird, since Hong Kong is theirs again. And has been for a while.



Hong Kong is kind of an interesting place. When the Brits gave it back they made China give certain guarantees about the status of Hong Kong. It is a special administrative region and has its own currency and different laws. The policy is called "one country, two systems" and therefore Hong Kong is (somewhat) democratic. The Chinese central government is trying to gain more influence and this triggers protests in Hong Kong regularly. So, Hong Kong politics is not something the people in the mainland of China should be concerned about because they have a different system and I guess no one wants them to see too much about the Hong Kong system because people could get ideas...



Captain_Oblivious said:


> This is unheard of!



Actually, water is the one thing I am always amazed at how accessible it is at WDW. I have started to just quickly hop into a CS restaurant to pick up a cup of ice water when I am thirsty. It's free and usually filtered water, so no swamp taste. Better than dragging my own refillable bottle with me.


----------



## Flossbolna

We nearly forget to eat!!

I have to admit that I think we forgot to mention an important part of our first morning at Shanghai Disneyland. Somewhere in there, most likely after lunch, we actually went to see the parade. I don’t have any pictures of the parade and I totally forgot to include it in my trip notes. That might tell you already how impressed I was with it. I have to admit that I properly cannot judge it fairly. It was baking, there was some sun. And if you think that people were pushy in lines, watching the parade was a whole other level of pushy! People were also climbing on everything around. There were literally people in the trees! My whole memory of the parade was that it was not very large, quite elaborate and cute and that everyone cheered when the Mulan float came.

The Storybook Express Parade has been there since Opening Day and likely will for years to come. It is sorta a 'best of' the IP Bob Iger and Co. wants to publicize and sell merchandise based on in the Mainland, so heavy on everything from the Fab Five to Frozen to Little Mermaid to Toy Story etc etc.

I am not entirely sure M is right and that we didn't see this on Day 2. But my notes from Shanghai are not accessible at present. And it really doesn't matter. They have two afternoon showings (or did when we were there) of this (there is no night parade there) and we wound up viewing in a terrible location near where Fantasyland and Treasure Cove connect. 

M sorta covered the issue with people. But it is something to witness. Parents sticking their kids on trash cans and in trees (some hanging on lighting cords for popcorn lighting). The floats are large and impressive (yes, as M said, Mulan has a large presence) and the dialogue is about 75% Mandarin/25% English, but you can easily understand what is going on. Compared to some of the parades at WDW ... this would be considered impressive. But compared to TDR, it's just a basic character affair. 


We headed back to the park just around sunset, which was at 6 p.m. Of course it was still baking hot outside, but without the sun glaring down on you it became more manageable. However, it had become even more humid since a rain shower passed through while we were at the hotel.

The entrance plaza looked far less crowded when we arrived:





This picture was taken from around the area where we started queuing that morning. See the difference?

And this is past the security check towards the turnstiles (to the left and right of this entrance plaza).





The building that you see up there as the entrance gateway into the park does look like the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland train stations, doesn’t it? That’s what it is supposed to look like. Alas, no train. It is a train station without a train.

As some of you know, I know a lot of people at Disney, including WDI. I still have yet to get a real answer as to why no train was included and how the design decision to have a station facade at the entrance were made. I can tell you to not believe the Internet/fanboy/blogger/urban myth that the Chinese don't like trains and since many immigrants from China died building OUR railroads in the 1800s that it would have been culturally inappropriate (like talking about running water to someone from Delaware) to create in a theme park. That I KNOW isn't true!
 
While the entrance area is very nice, it does feel strange with the fake train station and the very short Mickey’s Avenue. We are so used to have a whole entrance area to prepare you for the park that is going to come and here you feel like you are falling into the park just after the turnstiles. The only other park where I get a similar feeling is Walt Disney Studios Paris, generally considered the lowlife among the Disney parks around the world.

Lowlife?!?! That is strong. Or maybe just German. Michael has an inexplicable soft spot for Walt Disney Studios Paris. But I have to admit that recent additions have made it gain an upgrade to the poor cousin of the other Disney parks around the world.
 
They did have a very nice flower Mickey though:





Mickey Avenue is kind of a Toontown/Main Street hybrid. It is very well executed though and has lots of fun buildings to look at.

















And if you have been around the Disney Parks empire, you will see items ripped from other parks in a copy and paste fashion here. And I can also tell you for a fact that this was how the land was designed. Young Imagineers were told to go look in the files at work that had been done by others elsewhere and change it a bit.

Between Mickey Avenue and the castle there isn’t a traditional hub, but a more park like area called the Gardens of Imagination. There you find Dumbo and the Fantasia Carousel. There is also an area called Garden of the Twelve Friends which is themed to the 12 Chinese zodiac signs, depicted by Disney characters. For some of the animals represented there, they had to dig quite deep!  Yes, four of those characters are here and staring at me now. But some were total stretches to be Authentically Disney, Distinctly Chinese.

Unfortunately we never went through the Gardens of Imagination area. Partly because we were busy trying to get from A to be B, but it was also very little shade in this area (at least that’s what it looked like from outside) and it was hot and we had no intention of walking through the sun more than necessary. But it is a very pretty area to take pictures of!

We did some walking. There are beautiful bridges and waterways. But it also feels like a space designed to give the Chinese ... space. Something so lacking in a city like Shanghai. Thematically, the land is a mess. You have these Chinese gardens and zodiac a single Dumbo (with the design completely taken from when MK's was updated and moved to the circus area), a Fantasia themed carousel that looks lovely (we never rode), a meet-and greet with Mickey and then a thrown in at the 11th hour Marvel temporary attraction in a temp building that includes meets with Captain America and Spiderman, a class where you can learn to draw Marvel characters, a copy of the Iron man exhibit that was in Anaheim on the second level of Innoventions a few years ago (and still could be!) We didn't do any of these attractions do to lack of interest and time. But there is no cohesive theme to the land, much like the park feels thrown together. This park is designed to introduce and sell so many Disney brands and IP to people who may not be familiar with much (or any) of it.









We headed to Tomorrowland first – again. Hoping that we would have a chance to ride the Tron coaster with the single rider line.

Ever since we got to see some of the designs for Shanghai Disneyland at the D23 Expo in 2015 (see this update – and the following – from our 2015 trip report: California Dazzling: A Roadtrip Vacation Spectacular - Last Update and Final Thoughts 11/8) I was intrigued with the Tomorrowland spinner ride they had planned. Instead of in rockets like all the other parks you are going to be seated in some kind of gondola-pod. It looked cool to me and I do have a soft spot for spinners. This attraction is called the Jet Packs. It did look cool. Alas, we never rode it because it never had less than a 40-minute wait. That is fine for a major attraction. Not for a spinner.

It looked cool in person, too:





In front of it you can see one of the empty patches of Shanghai Disneyland. There are numerous expansion pads and they are very obvious. That adds to the feeling of things being very spread out. Disneyland Paris has those areas, too, but they put a lot of effort into hiding them.

Every Disney Park that exists, except Anaheim right now, has expansion pads set aside. Here, they are huge and obvious and being used for tent sales and picnic/seating areas. Think large grassy knolls!
 
The approach to the Tron coaster is quite spectacular:





The whole thing is two layers with downstairs and upstairs and you cannot get through it without changing from one to the other. So, for most people that involves stairs. There are walkways that avoid stairs, but I found the multilevel design interesting and thought that this was something they would not pull off in the United States with the amount of strollers, wheel chairs in ECVs in the parks. Well, we will see how they deal with it when they put this coaster into WDW’s Tomorrowland.

To be fair, SDL (like all the international parks) doesn't have a stroller or ECV problem. As soon as children can walk, they do. They aren't coddled and pushed in strollers until they need training bras. Their parents don't rent them to carry around everything including the kitchen sink. Likewise, if you see an ECV, it is someone with a disability that requires it. You don't see morbidly obese people chomping turkey legs as they run people over on them like you do at WDW. You don't see able bodied people too lazy to walk or thinking an ECV will allow them to cut the line either. So, you can have stairs and multi-level parks (wait, until we get to TDS where almost the entire park is multi level.
 
I think to some extent the prevalence of strollers and ECVs at WDW is also due to the fact that the vacation has become so pricey there and that people have so little vacation time in the US. So, every minute inside a park is so valuable that people feel the need to use any help they can get to maximize their time. We experienced something here at Shanghai Disneyland which to me was the Chinese reaction to the same problem: People eating in lines. Nearly every family seemed to have a backpack full of food and as soon as they were in a line, they would eat. Breakfast when lining up to get into the park, lunch when waiting for a show etc. It created quite a garbage problem in lines and they have since banned bringing outside food into the park. 

Back to the trip reporting:

I have to say that part of the coaster’s attraction is how it defines the land as you can see in the picture above. I am afraid that with the location of the Tron coaster at the Magic Kingdom in the corner behind Space Mountain and on the other side of the railroad tracks, some of that beauty will be lost. But we will see.

We had hopes of being able to get on it via the single rider line. We saw that the normal wait time was 105 minutes. First it was difficult to find the entrance to the ride. The reason for that was that in order to ride you had to put your belongings into a locker (I seem to remember that I read something that there has been some change, but I am not sure. For us it was a very strict locker rule). However, it seemed that there were not enough lockers. So, you first had to stand in line for the lockers. We were not able to figure out if there was a special locker line for single riders. The locker line in itself looked like it would take about 30 minutes at least as it was huge. So, without knowing how the single rider wait would be afterwards I think I vetoed it and said we should better try to get on other attractions and come back next morning.

That sounds familiar. The crowds were really insane.
 
So, we went on Buzz Lightyear instead as it had only a 20 minutes wait and on a day like today that was like nothing!





Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue is quite different in Shanghai, it is more dark in the color scheme, lots of black and red.





And they finally have guns that work!! You can point at stuff, you see where you are shooting and you know when you hit something. So much fun!! I was really impressed how they plussed such a simple ride. For me this is a must ride in Shanghai now, but a “you really have to ride this”-ride at the other parks.

Yup, this is more like a D-Ticket at SDL. A really fun ride that is definitely a must do if you visit. I would advise skipping it anywhere else unless it is a walk on  or very short wait.
 
From here we walked all the way over to Pirates again. This time we chose the single rider line which was supposed to have a 20-minute wait as compared to 30 or 40 minutes for the normal ride. It turned out that we had five people in front of us and it was more a walk on! We even ended up in the same boat just behind each other. It was as amazing again, so we just got back on immediately via the single rider line.

Yes, we learned the lesson that is universal. All Disney parks around the world (with the exception of possibly DL on weekends get much less crowded the final 2-4 hours of the operating day. As busy as things were just a little while before, there now were many attractions that could be done with little waiting. And Pirates, again, is so spectacular that you do want to ride over and over and over and ...
 
Then it was time to make a decision that we more or less had already made before this trip: Whether to see the nighttime entertainment. SDL has a show called Ignite the Dream which is mainly a castle projection show with a few low level fireworks in it. We knew that the largest part of it is also shown at another Disney park: in Paris. There it is called Disney Illuminations. We had been in Paris in May and seen it. We weren’t that impressed. The I was thinking of the viewing area and how we would be in a sea of people who consider personal space an unnecessary luxury and the whole idea of seeing Ignite the Dream was not that appealing. Also, as any experienced park visitor knows: Night time entertainment reduces wait times considerably. So, we decided to see what we could ride while everyone else was enthralled by projections.

One quick correction, the pyro there isn't all low level like in Paris. This was a tough choice for me because one thing Disney does great universally is nighttime spectaculars. They start at good and go up from there. But as M said Illuminations in Paris is about 85% identical to Ignite The Dream, just in English and French, not in Mandarin. We are not big fans of it and decided it could be skipped since it was shown at 8 or 830 with a 10 p.m. close.
 
Our choice fell on Peter Pan which had long waits all day long (seems to be an international thing). It had a 15-minute wait posted, but we waited maybe 5-10 minutes. Perfect timing!

It has the the same two rows ships as Paris, but other wise the whole ride is much more smoother.





I think it is actually technically a suspended powered coaster. Europapark, a German theme park has a ride that is themed after the movie Arthur and the Minimoys (not sure whether anyone knows this, it is by Luc Besson) and that is kind of a combination of dark ride and coaster. Very well done. And the Peter Pan ride at SDL felt very similar to that ride. Of course the story was classical Peter Pan. I felt that it was plussed a bit in comparison to the DLP and Disneyland versions with a few more effects. Also some scenes were a bit different.

Yes, much like Buzz, I would rate this a D-Ticket and not a C. Most definitely plussed and wonderful. One change, which I hope doesn't forbode others, is that the Indian scene is removed.  You see a few teepees, but that's it. There has been strong talk in certain circles about how racist parts of Peter Pan and Dumbo are in the 21st century. Indeed, I would say "What Makes The Red Man, Red" is just as bad or worse than anything in Song of the South and we all know TWDC likes to pretend that film doesn't exist ... unless they are selling Funko toys at 10 a person to eBay sellers. There has been talk that Disney may try to edit these films, these works of art, to make them politically correct. Clearly, there was some reason why this scene that is presented in Anaheim, Orlando, Tokyo (even larger scale here) and Paris was removed for SDL.

From there we moved to the attraction inside the castle. It is a walk-through attraction, but that sounds very simple. And it actually was a very charming experience. It is called the “Once Upon a Time” Adventure and ultimately it tells the story of Snow White.

You start out lining up in a castle hallway:





Then you are let in in groups and get some introduction from a book:





You might be able to see that the book is not totally real, so it changes during the introduction. It is really well done!

You then walk up a spiral staircase which has pictures of all the Disney princesses going from newest on the bottom all the way to the oldest – Snow White – at the top:

















Yes, I took pictures of all of them (my boyfriend was making fun of me because of that). Do I know the boyfriend? He has to be a saint to put up with you! And yes, I did not take a single picture of the parade. My excuse is that there was air conditioning inside and we were the only people around!! Yes, we were totally on our own. At some point later on a Chinese family caught up with us, but then overtook us.

You move from scene to scene that is retelling the story of Snow White. It is a combination of real sets and screens, but the effects are really well done!

Here it starts out with getting to meet Snow White for the first time:





And here she is cleaning with her forest friends:





All the squirrels and such in this picture were actually moving around!

All in all we were more impressed with this attraction than we had expected. It was neatly done and maybe even the best retelling of Snow White’s story in any of the Disney parks. The ride always was a bit confusing to me. I also think that it is a great companion piece to the Sven Dwarfs Mine Train coaster, which really does not give you the story of the movie very much at all.

I think it is a better attraction than the overhyped SDMT

We wandered into the castle and looked at the lovely mosaics they had there:









The ceiling there is also very pretty:





And the castle at night has something charming, too.





It was getting close to closing time and we had one big thing to do still. One of the major attractions at SDL is a raft ride called Roaring Rapids in Adventure Isle. It had massive waits all day long and we did not want to do a ride that could soak us first thing in the morning and then walk around all day long in wet clothes. So, our strategy was to do it as the last thing in the park.

We also realised that we kind of forgot to plan a dinner. Neither of us had been horribly hungry yet  (amazing if you know us) and we were far too busy to finally ride rides that we did not want to spend time procuring food. We also started to realise that there were not a lot of options. I checked the app at some time and figured out that there was one place that had an official opening time until one hour after park close: Remy’s Bistro in Mickey Avenue. So, that was our dinner plan.

We could have also likely found something at Disney Town, but I think that had no appeal to us after such a long day. I think Michael is wrong here, the restaurants in Disney Town close at 10 pm, too.
 
We hiked all the way over to Roaring Rapids through a beautiful Adventure Isle at night. We got to Raoring Rapids and it posted a 40-minute wait. That was just before closing time at 10 p.m. We briefly debated how this could limit our ability to still grab dinner at Remy’s Bistro, but figured that we should just make it with a few minutes to spare.

Well, we get in line and walk and walk and walk and there is nobody! The line was empty!! We ended up waiting a couple of minutes until we got into our raft. It is a fun ride, we got soaked, but there is supposed to be a crocodile during the ride which I totally missed.

It is actually a huge crock-dino creature and they have had issues with it working since before opening (anyone know of a similar situation at WDW?) Even if it is operating, because you are in a moving circular raft, you can miss him or just catch a glimpse. The ride was fun. I generally hate raft rides, but to close out a day when my clothes were already funky didn't matter much. Glad we were able to do it. Again, waits during both days were often measured in hours for this. So doing at 945 or 950 was a very  smart decision by us!

Everyone in our raft was wearing ponchos and they all had a great time, screaming and yelling. That was definitely really fun that everyone was so into the ride.

We went with a group of Chinese who basically knew no English, yet we all communicated just fine and had fun!
 
At the exit there was a garbage can for the ponchos and the interesting thing was that it was more used as a recycling bin as people in line just fished out the ponchos to wear them themselves.

With that we felt that it was definitely time find some food and we headed to Mickey Avenue.

By now the park was officially closed (it closed at 10 p.m.), but they had constant announcements that Mickey Avenue would stay open for another hour and people were invited to spend more time there. However, lots and lots of people left. From what I have been told most people arrive on the metro and since that does not operate until very late, they need to go and catch their trains.

Yes, much like at TDR. As far as I know, the park has yet to ever be open later than 10 to allow visitors and workers a chance to catch the Metro.
 
There was no one at Remy’s Bistro besides the CMs working there and we were relieved that there was still quite a selection. It is mainly a bakery selling sandwiches and pastries (savoury and sweet). We were quite impressed with the offerings and had a hard time to choose.

This is what we came up with to split between the two of us:





It was an Italian sandwich, a pastry with an apricot and a Portuguese egg tart. I had just been in Lisbon earlier that year and thought it was interesting how the specialty that I fell in love with in Portugal was available all over China, but then the Portuguese were the first Europeans to travel to Asia, so it makes sense.

Everything was really good! We sat outside at a table that looked out toward the castle and watched people rushing out of the park. And I think us sitting there was good advertisement for the location as it started to fill up more while we were sitting there.

After our very late dinner, we did some more shopping in Mickey Avenue. And since we had just eaten at Remy, I loved this newspaper stand just around the corner:





We looked at the candy store and at the pin store. Michael had a friend who had asked for some pins from SDL. It was a set of pins, I think with attractions. Nope ... the lands. Dangler pins for each one. We had difficulty finding them, but then in the pin store we finally saw them, but only three out of the set of six. We knew that he would be thrilled about any that we could find for him, so we went to purchase them and the lovely CM at the register chats with us about how this is a set of six pins and we said yes, we know, but we only found these. She said that she would get us the others and went off into their storage area and came back with the missing three! So, we were thrilled that we got the full set for Michael’s friend!

Just one of dozens of great CM interactions we had there. Service absolutely mattered.

And with that we left the park, took the bus back to the Toy Story Hotel and fell into bed at midnight finally with plans to try to catch the 7:15 a.m. bus to get to the park for rope drop at 8!

Up Next: We finally get inside the Grid


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## Steppesister

Flossbolna said:


> It's a great place! It was very crowded and is quite dark inside, so not a good place to take pictures of. But even if one would not eat there, it's worth it to have a look around.



Perhaps someday!



Flossbolna said:


> It's not so bad since if you don't open the packaging, they can still have it in the room for the next guest. I think it is part of the whole perfect service mentality there.



I guess I was more referring to people who would think they'd need a new one each day, but maybe it is there for the once in a while guest who forgets theirs and would only use the one. Nice touch. 



Flossbolna said:


> Yes, we would have preferred the Disneyland Hotel, too. But during the high season prices are crazy. As I said to Alison, during the low season it would be about the same as our Toy Story Hotel room in July.



I looked up temps in January and it's COLD!! If I were able to go it'd be then (again, just a pipe dream) and I assume that's the low season. 



Flossbolna said:


> It was baking, there was some sun. And if you think that people were pushy in lines, watching the parade was a whole other level of pushy! People were also climbing on everything around. There were literally people in the trees!







Flossbolna said:


> Alas, no train. It is a train station without a train.



That's just... sad. And pointless. 



Flossbolna said:


> Walt Disney Studios Paris, generally considered the lowlife among the Disney parks around the world.



That just made me giggle the way you worded it. 



Flossbolna said:


>



Very interesting mix of old SoCal mission, with a bit of nautical, Olde World Europe, and Steampunk thrown in. Huh! Very eclectic. 



Flossbolna said:


> The whole thing is two layers with downstairs and upstairs and you cannot get through it without changing from one to the other. So, for most people that involves stairs. There are walkways that avoid stairs, but I found the multilevel design interesting and thought that this was something they would not pull off in the United States with the amount of strollers, wheel chairs in ECVs in the parks. Well, we will see how they deal with it when they put this coaster into WDW’s Tomorrowland.




Very interesting and I LIKE IT! Nice change of use of space! I hope they do try to make it multi-level just to add some variety and interest.  



Flossbolna said:


> I have to say that part of the coaster’s attraction is how it defines the land as you can see in the picture above. I am afraid that with the location of the Tron coaster at the Magic Kingdom in the corner behind Space Mountain and on the other side of the railroad tracks, some of that beauty will be lost. But we will see.



I am anxious to see the transition of space and it's storytelling. 



Flossbolna said:


> You move from scene to scene that is retelling the story of Snow White. It is a combination of real sets and screens, but the effects are really well done!



So, kinda like the dioramas in the castle at DLR. 



Flossbolna said:


> She said that she would get us the others and went off into their storage area and came back with the missing three! So, we were thrilled that we got the full set for Michael’s friend!



 Nice work, CM!


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## BecBennett




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## tiggrbaby

So glad I found this report!

Congrats on your wedding!  You both seem to get along so well!

I am super impressed with how much you were able to accomplish on your first day!

The room looked amazing!


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## iivye

I'm loving your trip report!  I am especially enjoying the two person report format and all of the knowledge/impressions you guys are including about the park and the people there.


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## Flossbolna

Steppesister said:


> I guess I was more referring to people who would think they'd need a new one each day, but maybe it is there for the once in a while guest who forgets theirs and would only use the one. Nice touch.



I don't they many people would use a new one every day. But the service wants you to be able to if you so wish. Ultimately, in Japan we were talking about how you could go on a trip without any luggage if you use the hotel's dry cleaning service because they literally provide everything you need for the night. toothbrush, all toiletries, nightwear. It's amazing! (More to come on this!!)



Steppesister said:


> I looked up temps in January and it's COLD!! If I were able to go it'd be then (again, just a pipe dream) and I assume that's the low season.



I am pretty sure it is low season. I thought I knew about someone who went in January, but Michael says that the people we know all went during other times of the year. I have been to Disneyland Paris in January in the cold a couple of times and it is actually quite manageable. You just wear appropriate clothes and still have loads of fun! Go see the shows to warm up (more on that coming on day 2).


Steppesister said:


> That just made me giggle the way you worded it.



If I make my readers laugh, I feel like I accomplished something! Thanks!



Steppesister said:


> Very interesting mix of old SoCal mission, with a bit of nautical, Olde World Europe, and Steampunk thrown in. Huh! Very eclectic.



I wonder if it is supposed to look "Western"? It also has kind of a Toontown flair going on. As Michael said, they mainly through just other facades that were already designed together.



Steppesister said:


> Very interesting and I LIKE IT! Nice change of use of space! I hope they do try to make it multi-level just to add some variety and interest.



As Michael said: Tokyo Disney Sea is mindblowingly multi-level. It adds so much to the park. I am not sure how much it comes out in the pictures, but it truly makes that space so much more real there.



Steppesister said:


> I am anxious to see the transition of space and it's storytelling.



Yes, I wonder what they make out of it!



Steppesister said:


> So, kinda like the dioramas in the castle at DLR.



Yes, also like in DLP. But moved into the modern age. I think this and Pirates are the two attractions where you felt that they really tried to upgrade the existing castle park model from the analogue age into the digital age. To be honest, I wish they would have done that a bit more.



Steppesister said:


> Nice work, CM!



Overall we really had a lot of lovely CM interactions at SDL. They all were really nice!


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## Flossbolna

BecBennett said:


>



 I see that you are new to my trip reports!  They are unfortunately never very fast moving... But new updates should arrive soonish!


----------



## Flossbolna

tiggrbaby said:


> So glad I found this report!







tiggrbaby said:


> Congrats on your wedding! You both seem to get along so well!



Thank you very much!! Yes, we do like to laugh about the same things, that helps with getting along! 



tiggrbaby said:


> I am super impressed with how much you were able to accomplish on your first day!



We were determined to make the best out of the time we had! And I am very happy with what we did. 



tiggrbaby said:


> The room looked amazing!



We really felt comfortable there. It's not the Grand Floridian, but we thought it was a nice upgrade from the rooms at the All Stars for example.


----------



## Flossbolna

iivye said:


> I'm loving your trip report!  I am especially enjoying the two person report format and all of the knowledge/impressions you guys are including about the park and the people there.



Thank you! We started with the two person format on the trip report for our 2014 winter cruise. I had done it with my sister, @nodnol for the 2010 WDW trip report and when Michael complained about me butchering a story about some sundae he had at Vero Beach I told him that he had to chime in if he wants his story to be told. I write the updates, email them to him, he adds his stuff and I post it (with sometimes adding more on my own, this way I always get the last word!). And that way I also get an editor to correct my spelling (at least the mistakes that he catches!). He supposedly has an account for the DIS from a million years ago, but never used it and has no clue what the password is. 

I have always loved reading trip reports myself when I first started planning trips to WDW. So, I always try to write them so as I would want to read them. And I like getting a lot of background information. I feel if I understand why a person liked or disliked something, I can use this info to make a decision about whether I would like it myself or not.


----------



## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> You will definitely put some planning into how you want to do things. The visa will help you with seeing other sights in China, too, if that is what you want to do. I would definitely suggest to avoid summer! Somehow we found Japan far more bearable in the heat. I guess it was just that tad less humid than Shanghai.



I saw that PIO went to a place called Siochzo (I know I spelled it wrong), but it was about an hour by bus away from Shanghai.  As I looked at her pictures I thought that Fran and I should stay there for a couple nights.  I also decided that we should hire an English speaking guide who could take us around in a vehicle that I could store the scooter in the back.  While I know that most areas are not accessible, we could work around it with me lifting the scooter up curbs and such.



Flossbolna said:


> I think because of being tired and hot we felt less hungry. And I have to admit that every kitty makes me think of you - but especially anything kitty and Disney combined (so pictures of the aristocats from DLP yesterday and first thought was how much you would love to see them, not just Marie, but also Berlioz was there!).



Aww....that's so sweet!  You do know that not only do we have white cats that look just like Marie, but we also have cats named Berlioz and O'Malley.



Flossbolna said:


> Prices vary widely depending on season. For the rate that we payed for Toy Story, you could have stayed at the Disneyland hotel in the off season. So, another thing to figure out with regard to when to travel.



I read another report where they went in March and it was pretty cold.  I'll definitely have to do some research because Fran was telling me tonight that our Family room was cold and to bring her sweatshirt there, and I'm wearing a tank top and Capris and I'm still warm.  We have very different body temperatures!



Flossbolna said:


> I have decided to take all complaints about other countries with a grain of salt. I try to disregard all conclusions people draw and look for factual descriptions, i.e. not listen to people who say that DLP CM are rude unless I find out why they think them rude. And then just adjust my expectations accordingly.



I do the same thing for Yelp reviews.  At least 1/3 to half the people have unrealistic expectations.  I mean Michael just posted on FB that Taco Bell was voted the #1 Mexican Restaurant in the US.  I heard that on the news before he posted and pointed out to Fran that about 15 years ago "Sushi of Naples" had been voted the #1 Sushi restaurant in Long Beach.  We went there once and I was so disgusted, they didn't even make rolls to order, it was basically a "sushi factory" and has since gone out of business.  It was then that I realized mass audience polls meant nothing. You have to know the expectations of the people who are rating products and trust that they have the same values as you. Most people don't share my values.



Flossbolna said:


> The building that you see up there as the entrance gateway into the park does look like the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland train stations, doesn’t it? That’s what it is supposed to look like. Alas, no train. It is a train station without a train.



This still makes me feel weird.  A Disney park without a train.  I know they had their reasons, but still....



Flossbolna said:


> Unfortunately we never went through the Gardens of Imagination area. Partly because we were busy trying to get from A to be B, but it was also very little shade in this area (at least that’s what it looked like from outside) and it was hot and we had no intention of walking through the sun more than necessary. But it is a very pretty area to take pictures of!



I've seen lots of pictures of this area from other TRs, so I forgive you!  



Flossbolna said:


> In front of it you can see one of the empty patches of Shanghai Disneyland. There are numerous expansion pads and they are very obvious. That adds to the feeling of things being very spread out. Disneyland Paris has those areas, too, but they put a lot of effort into hiding them.
> 
> Every Disney Park that exists, except Anaheim right now, has expansion pads set aside. Here, they are huge and obvious and being used for tent sales and picnic/seating areas. Think large grassy knolls!



Interesting.  Since I mostly frequent DL, and WDW is the only other park I've visited so far, I never really thought about it.



Flossbolna said:


> Likewise, if you see an ECV, it is someone with a disability that requires it. You don't see morbidly obese people chomping turkey legs as they run people over on them like you do at WDW. You don't see able bodied people too lazy to walk or thinking an ECV will allow them to cut the line either.



I've actually been able to mostly free myself of the ECV at DL, but that's mostly because I don't spend long days out there.  If I'm doing a tour, yes, I bring it because I'll never make it through eight hours without help, but when we just go out for a few hours, or stay for the weekend, I've been OK just walking.  It seems that my foot injury has gotten stronger since 10 years ago.  I don't dare test it for three days or longer at WDW since it caught up with me in 2017.



Flossbolna said:


> However, it seemed that there were not enough lockers. So, you first had to stand in line for the lockers. We were not able to figure out if there was a special locker line for single riders. The locker line in itself looked like it would take about 30 minutes at least as it was huge.



That doesn't sound good.  I don't think that this will be a ride that Fran can ride unless we do the handicapped accessible vehicle that I've heard about.  In which case we might be able to just leave stuff in her scooter.



Flossbolna said:


> And they finally have guns that work!! You can point at stuff, you see where you are shooting and you know when you hit something.



That's one of my big problems!  I never know if I've hit it or not!



Flossbolna said:


> Night time entertainment reduces wait times considerably. So, we decided to see what we could ride while everyone else was enthralled by projections.



I used to do that when I was young and the MSEP was still at DL.  I really didn't care so we would all go hit as many rides as we could.  Funny how things change when you get older! 



Flossbolna said:


> There has been strong talk in certain circles about how racist parts of Peter Pan and Dumbo are in the 21st century. Indeed, I would say "What Makes The Red Man, Red" is just as bad or worse than anything in Song of the South and we all know TWDC likes to pretend that film doesn't exist ... unless they are selling Funko toys at 10 a person to eBay sellers. There has been talk that Disney may try to edit these films, these works of art, to make them politically correct. Clearly, there was some reason why this scene that is presented in Anaheim, Orlando, Tokyo (even larger scale here) and Paris was removed for SDL.



Interesting.  I was annoyed enough when they made pirates into pirates chasing food rather than women.  Are they going to try and say that the Trail of Tears never existed now too?



Flossbolna said:


> We also realised that we kind of forgot to plan a dinner.



OK, I'm sorry, but this is something that I would NEVER do!  



Flossbolna said:


> There was no one at Remy’s Bistro besides the CMs working there and we were relieved that there was still quite a selection. It is mainly a bakery selling sandwiches and pastries (savoury and sweet). We were quite impressed with the offerings and had a hard time to choose.
> 
> This is what we came up with to split between the two of us:



And did you starve?  Really I mean your lunch looked like good portions, but I would eat that entire sandwich and still be hungry!



Flossbolna said:


> And with that we left the park, took the bus back to the Toy Story Hotel and fell into bed at midnight finally with plans to try to catch the 7:15 a.m. bus to get to the park for rope drop at 8!



OMG!  That's admirable, and I'm sure I would have similar plans, but they would all fall by the wayside when the alarm went off. I take it Michael's machinery was helping him out because never before on a TR would he have even considered such an early wake up, or was he still on some time zone where 7AM was really 2PM.


----------



## GoofyFan1515

Hi M...….and M! Like all good lurkers I'm marking my spot.


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> I saw that PIO went to a place called Siochzo (I know I spelled it wrong), but it was about an hour by bus away from Shanghai. As I looked at her pictures I thought that Fran and I should stay there for a couple nights. I also decided that we should hire an English speaking guide who could take us around in a vehicle that I could store the scooter in the back. While I know that most areas are not accessible, we could work around it with me lifting the scooter up curbs and such.



I think one of the advantages of travel in China is that there are plenty of private guides one can hire to be driven around and it does not cost thousands of Dollar as the similar type of service would cost in Europe. So, your plan to hire guides definitely makes sense! It might be worth it to look for a travel agency that specialises in non-group China trips and get someone to put it all together for you. Friends of mine went to China with their kids when the kids were 5 and 7 because a family friend was working in Beijing and they wanted to visit. They travelled around quite a bit, all with a guide who would organise everything for them. She said it was actually such an easy vacation because they knew someone else was dealing with the details.



franandaj said:


> Aww....that's so sweet! You do know that not only do we have white cats that look just like Marie, but we also have cats named Berlioz and O'Malley.



I think I knew that! 



franandaj said:


> I read another report where they went in March and it was pretty cold. I'll definitely have to do some research because Fran was telling me tonight that our Family room was cold and to bring her sweatshirt there, and I'm wearing a tank top and Capris and I'm still warm. We have very different body temperatures!



The TDR Explorer website is a good starting point for all sorts of information, also as to when to go: https://tdrexplorer.com/best-shanghai-disneyland-trip-planning-articles/



franandaj said:


> I do the same thing for Yelp reviews. At least 1/3 to half the people have unrealistic expectations. I mean Michael just posted on FB that Taco Bell was voted the #1 Mexican Restaurant in the US. I heard that on the news before he posted and pointed out to Fran that about 15 years ago "Sushi of Naples" had been voted the #1 Sushi restaurant in Long Beach. We went there once and I was so disgusted, they didn't even make rolls to order, it was basically a "sushi factory" and has since gone out of business. It was then that I realized mass audience polls meant nothing. You have to know the expectations of the people who are rating products and trust that they have the same values as you. Most people don't share my values.



Exactly! I mentioned this in a comment here yesterday: I do appreciate reading others' experiences and like if I get a good description and reasons for their like or dislike. From that I can form my opinion. Like when you mentioned in your last update that you did not like a meal because it was too spicy, then I know that this would not be an issue for me. But if you had said you did not like the dish because the salad was not fresh, I would know to stay away from that place.



franandaj said:


> This still makes me feel weird. A Disney park without a train. I know they had their reasons, but still....



I think the worst solution was this train station without a train, it kind of draws attention to the missing train.



franandaj said:


> I've seen lots of pictures of this area from other TRs, so I forgive you!



I am relieved!!



franandaj said:


> Interesting. Since I mostly frequent DL, and WDW is the only other park I've visited so far, I never really thought about it.



We will be at  DLP next month and I will try to remember to take some pictures of the well hidden expansion pads there to post as a comparison.



franandaj said:


> I've actually been able to mostly free myself of the ECV at DL, but that's mostly because I don't spend long days out there. If I'm doing a tour, yes, I bring it because I'll never make it through eight hours without help, but when we just go out for a few hours, or stay for the weekend, I've been OK just walking. It seems that my foot injury has gotten stronger since 10 years ago. I don't dare test it for three days or longer at WDW since it caught up with me in 2017.



That's great!! I do get that long days are different from short visits and three days of serious WDW touring tires out the healthy people, too. I sometimes think one of the reasons why we have less ECVs here is that we do have a lot of sick days (up to 6 weeks with full wages, after that you still get a portion of your wages) and therefore people can take more time off to really work on re-gaining mobility after an accident. I recently read something about that this is one of the reasons why we have far less people in Europe taking pain killers as there is less of an economic need to function again as soon as possible.



franandaj said:


> That doesn't sound good. I don't think that this will be a ride that Fran can ride unless we do the handicapped accessible vehicle that I've heard about. In which case we might be able to just leave stuff in her scooter.



If you go during non-peak season the locker thing will be far less of an issue. 



franandaj said:


> That's one of my big problems! I never know if I've hit it or not!



Same here! Michael and I were at Europapark this summer, a German theme park, and they had a similar ride and there it was even worse! We had no clue how we got our results. Ride was still quite cool, you were travelling to Atlantis and shooting sea serpents.



franandaj said:


> I used to do that when I was young and the MSEP was still at DL. I really didn't care so we would all go hit as many rides as we could. Funny how things change when you get older!



That's what my sister and I did in 1992 in Disneyland! We went round and round on the Matterhorn!



franandaj said:


> Interesting. I was annoyed enough when they made pirates into pirates chasing food rather than women. Are they going to try and say that the Trail of Tears never existed now too?



I have to admit that I am lacking some of the cultural understanding as to where the sensitivities lie with regard to certain topics. I watched Song of the South once and thought it was incredibly boring outside the animated parts, had no clue that "tar baby" is something problematic and otherwise thought the film was horrible in depicting poor people as mean and women as stupid. This shows how much context matters for certain things. 



franandaj said:


> OK, I'm sorry, but this is something that I would NEVER do!



I would normally never forget food either. But I think with the heat and the jet lag our systems were just totally out of whack.



franandaj said:


> And did you starve? Really I mean your lunch looked like good portions, but I would eat that entire sandwich and still be hungry!



The sandwich was really large. And as I just said, the heat and jet lag really did a number on our appetite. I am also wondering if we did not have a granola bar at some point that I brought from Germany.



franandaj said:


> OMG! That's admirable, and I'm sure I would have similar plans, but they would all fall by the wayside when the alarm went off. I take it Michael's machinery was helping him out because never before on a TR would he have even considered such an early wake up, or was he still on some time zone where 7AM was really 2PM.



No, this was last year, the CPAP only arrived this year and 7am in China was 1am in Germany. There you see where his priorities are! And this was not the the earliest that he got up during this trip!!


----------



## Flossbolna

GoofyFan1515 said:


> Hi M...….and M! Like all good lurkers I'm marking my spot.



Great to see you here!! I am happy to see that the rain hasn't washed you away!


----------



## GoofyFan1515

The rain tried...…...but we persevered. Only worked our way through one load of wash to do it!

Sorry but I used my speed reading skills to catch up. I mean after all it's a M and M trip report which means lots of great pictures of sights and food (including a Chinese Pirate this time), and lots of narrative from Magdalene, plus a plethora of smart_$$ remarks from Michael (well actually I "red" those parts, they're usually pretty funny and unbridled, not that I'M like that or anything)! I'm just kidding Magdalene,   now look away while I  at Michael.

I'll try to keep up when I can, and limit the speed reading.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Flossbolna said:


> We nearly forget to eat!!



That has never been a problem for me.



Flossbolna said:


> And if you think that people were pushy in lines, watching the parade was a whole other level of pushy! People were also climbing on everything around. There were literally people in the trees!



Ugh.  That reinforces my desire to skip the parades and just go on rides.



Flossbolna said:


> That’s what it is supposed to look like. Alas, no train. It is a train station without a train.



Odd.  And a little disappointing.



Flossbolna said:


> As some of you know, I know a lot of people at Disney, including WDI. I still have yet to get a real answer as to why no train was included and how the design decision to have a station facade at the entrance were made.



I feel like a Disney park should have a train somewhere.



Flossbolna said:


> I can tell you to not believe the Internet/fanboy/blogger/urban myth that the Chinese don't like trains and since many immigrants from China died building OUR railroads in the 1800s that it would have been culturally inappropriate (like talking about running water to someone from Delaware) to create in a theme park.



Running water is overrated.  Our pit toilets seem to work just fine.



Flossbolna said:


> And if you have been around the Disney Parks empire, you will see items ripped from other parks in a copy and paste fashion here. And I can also tell you for a fact that this was how the land was designed. Young Imagineers were told to go look in the files at work that had been done by others elsewhere and change it a bit.



Gotta save a buck somewhere, I guess.



Flossbolna said:


> But there is no cohesive theme to the land, much like the park feels thrown together. This park is designed to introduce and sell so many Disney brands and IP to people who may not be familiar with much (or any) of it.



That's disappointing.  Maybe it will change over time?



Flossbolna said:


> The approach to the Tron coaster is quite spectacular:



That looks so cool.  I can't wait to try it when it opens in Florida.



Flossbolna said:


> To be fair, SDL (like all the international parks) doesn't have a stroller or ECV problem. As soon as children can walk, they do. They aren't coddled and pushed in strollers until they need training bras.





I think any parent of a 4-year-old who weighs over 50 lbs. and has been walking over 6 miles a day in 95-degree heat and 90% humidity is always very thankful to have brought the stroller.



Flossbolna said:


> I have to say that part of the coaster’s attraction is how it defines the land as you can see in the picture above. I am afraid that with the location of the Tron coaster at the Magic Kingdom in the corner behind Space Mountain and on the other side of the railroad tracks, some of that beauty will be lost. But we will see.



Well, it is going to be a headliner for sure.  So I'm sure they will make the entrance impressive.



Flossbolna said:


> And they finally have guns that work!! You can point at stuff, you see where you are shooting and you know when you hit something. So much fun!! I was really impressed how they plussed such a simple ride. For me this is a must ride in Shanghai now, but a “you really have to ride this”-ride at the other parks.



That was a major complaint of my kids at WDW--they didn't know which "red dot" was theirs.  I think it was because I blew them away with my scores, though.



Flossbolna said:


> From here we walked all the way over to Pirates again. This time we chose the single rider line which was supposed to have a 20-minute wait as compared to 30 or 40 minutes for the normal ride. It turned out that we had five people in front of us and it was more a walk on! We even ended up in the same boat just behind each other. It was as amazing again, so we just got back on immediately via the single rider line.



Nice!  That's a major win.



Flossbolna said:


> Also, as any experienced park visitor knows: Night time entertainment reduces wait times considerably. So, we decided to see what we could ride while everyone else was enthralled by projections.



Excellent strategy.



Flossbolna said:


> All in all we were more impressed with this attraction than we had expected. It was neatly done and maybe even the best retelling of Snow White’s story in any of the Disney parks.



Sounds like this and the Peter Pan ride were worthwhile.  It's nice to see the care and imagination put into the "lesser" attractions.



Flossbolna said:


> And the castle at night has something charming, too.



Wait, I thought we didn't like the castle?



Flossbolna said:


> We hiked all the way over to Roaring Rapids through a beautiful Adventure Isle at night. We got to Raoring Rapids and it posted a 40-minute wait. That was just before closing time at 10 p.m. We briefly debated how this could limit our ability to still grab dinner at Remy’s Bistro, but figured that we should just make it with a few minutes to spare.
> 
> Well, we get in line and walk and walk and walk and there is nobody! The line was empty!! We ended up waiting a couple of minutes until we got into our raft. It is a fun ride, we got soaked, but there is supposed to be a crocodile during the ride which I totally missed.



Another walk-on!  You guys did really well.



Flossbolna said:


> It is actually a huge crock-dino creature and they have had issues with it working since before opening (anyone know of a similar situation at WDW?)





I looked up a video of this ride on YouTube and it does look like a fun one.



Flossbolna said:


> At the exit there was a garbage can for the ponchos and the interesting thing was that it was more used as a recycling bin as people in line just fished out the ponchos to wear them themselves.



Efficiency!



Flossbolna said:


> Up Next: We finally get inside the Grid



Cool!  I can't wait to see it!


----------



## Flossbolna

GoofyFan1515 said:


> The rain tried...…...but we persevered. Only worked our way through one load of wash to do it!



Glad to hear that you got through it ok! The pictures of the flooding are so horrible and seems like always it hits those the hardest that already have the least. 



GoofyFan1515 said:


> Sorry but I used my speed reading skills to catch up. I mean after all it's a M and M trip report which means lots of great pictures of sights and food (including a Chinese Pirate this time), and lots of narrative from Magdalene, plus a plethora of smart_$$ remarks from Michael (well actually I "red" those parts, they're usually pretty funny and unbridled, not that I'M like that or anything)! I'm just kidding Magdalene,  now look away while I  at Michael.



 I am just happy that you found it entertaining!!



GoofyFan1515 said:


> I'll try to keep up when I can, and limit the speed reading.



You will always be welcome, whether it is as a speedy or as a slow reader! I am often struggling with keeping up on other's threads - and then I start talking about veggies instead of about the beautiful landscape @Captain_Oblivious was visiting... Not my finest hour!


----------



## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> I think one of the advantages of travel in China is that there are plenty of private guides one can hire to be driven around and it does not cost thousands of Dollar as the similar type of service would cost in Europe. So, your plan to hire guides definitely makes sense!



Good I was imagining navigating around and two of the TRs I read, someone in the party spoke a little Mandarin. I was thinking that between Fran's mobility issues, her cranky factor and the language barrier, we would have problems. As long as our guide spoke decent English she would do OK and it wouldn't cost a fortune.



Flossbolna said:


> The TDR Explorer website is a good starting point for all sorts of information, also as to when to go: https://tdrexplorer.com/best-shanghai-disneyland-trip-planning-articles/



I'll keep that in mind, this is still a long way away.



Flossbolna said:


> Exactly! I mentioned this in a comment here yesterday: I do appreciate reading others' experiences and like if I get a good description and reasons for their like or dislike. From that I can form my opinion.



Yes you totally need a baseline. I wouldn't value @CaptainOblivious review of Napa Rose, but I would totally value what he had to say about In-n-Out burger or Five guys. Though I already have my own opinion on both of those.



Flossbolna said:


> Like when you mentioned in your last update that you did not like a meal because it was too spicy, then I know that this would not be an issue for me. But if you had said you did not like the dish because the salad was not fresh, I would know to stay away from that place.



Actually I was plenty pleased with my meal, it was Fran who thought it was too spicy.



Flossbolna said:


> I have to admit that I am lacking some of the cultural understanding as to where the sensitivities lie with regard to certain topics.



A lot goes back to the fact that the roots of the US were based a lot on puritan culture as an ideal. However, rarely did we ever live up to it. Throughout history Americans have done horrible things and then pretended it never happened. Even as late as the 1950s people tried claim life was idyllic, and housewives loved to greet their bread winning husband at the door when he came home from work with a kiss and dinner on the table. The 60s turned everything upside down, and since then the "politically correct" movement began. We looked back on history through today's lens, anything bad we did, what was said, names we called people came under scrutiny. I'm not saying all the bad stuff should be forgiven, but sometimes we go overboard. Just about any and all past misdeeds are now trying to be minimized or even forgotten.



Flossbolna said:


> I watched Song of the South once and thought it was incredibly boring outside the animated parts, had no clue that "tar baby" is something problematic and otherwise thought the film was horrible in depicting poor people as mean and women as stupid. This shows how much context matters for certain things.



I really don't remember much about it either as I was so young when I saw it, plus the African American stereotypes were still prevalent back then. I think it was just what you pointed out,  making people mean and women stupid. You'll notice Disney no longer tolerates those values. I was really surprised when I saw Pete's Dragon a few years back, and they had a drunk as a main character, and a production number in a bar featuring beer taps and such!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Flossbolna said:


> You will always be welcome, whether it is as a speedy or as a slow reader! I am often struggling with keeping up on other's threads - and then I start talking about veggies instead of about the beautiful landscape @Captain_Oblivious was visiting... Not my finest hour!



Oh, I was just poking fun at you.  Really, I'm grateful anytime you take the time to comment.



franandaj said:


> Yes you totally need a baseline. I wouldn't value @CaptainOblivious review of Napa Rose, but I would totally value what he had to say about In-n-Out burger or Five guys.



You may not value my review, but I'm pretty sure you'd be entertained.


----------



## Flossbolna

Captain_Oblivious said:


> Ugh. That reinforces my desire to skip the parades and just go on rides.



I am not a parade person at all, but then the Disney completist in my always roars its ugly head and I end up watching anyway. Over time I have found some parades that I really loved. Paint the Night in California is one of them. And the other two will be coming up in Tokyo.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I feel like a Disney park should have a train somewhere.



Well, if you think the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train is a train, then there is one is in this park...



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Running water is overrated. Our pit toilets seem to work just fine.



Haha! Not my husband's opinion. There was an event this summer that we attended at a hut in the forest. You can guess what the "bathroom" looked like - someone was NOT happy about this!! 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Gotta save a buck somewhere, I guess.



While in some places it feels like SDL was built without trying to be too budgetary, some other parts feel really cheep and you wonder why they did cut corner so much there.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That's disappointing. Maybe it will change over time?



I don't think so, it seems that that's the model Disney is moving towards with all their parks now. They consider parks as a vehicle for synergy. Look at what they are doing to Disneyland...



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That looks so cool. I can't wait to try it when it opens in Florida.



It will be really great for the MK to get a new E-ticket attraction. I feel that this park has been due one for ages!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I think any parent of a 4-year-old who weighs over 50 lbs. and has been walking over 6 miles a day in 95-degree heat and 90% humidity is always very thankful to have brought the stroller.



Sometimes I think Michael is just envious, because I refuse to push him around a theme park!  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Well, it is going to be a headliner for sure. So I'm sure they will make the entrance impressive.



I am looking forward on how it will look - I think some of it might be in view from the train.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That was a major complaint of my kids at WDW--they didn't know which "red dot" was theirs. I think it was because I blew them away with my scores, though.



I agree with your kids!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Sounds like this and the Peter Pan ride were worthwhile. It's nice to see the care and imagination put into the "lesser" attractions.



The nice thing about them was that it felt like it was our little surprise discovery. Everyone talks about Tron and Pirates, but found a lot to like in the smaller attractions, too.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Wait, I thought we didn't like the castle?



Haha!! Some angles aren't too bad. It's a Disney castle after all!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Another walk-on! You guys did really well.



Yes, the late evening was truly the best time!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I looked up a video of this ride on YouTube and it does look like a fun one.



It definitely is by far the most fun raft ride I have ever been on.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Efficiency!



And good for the environment!!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Cool! I can't wait to see it!



oh...


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> Good I was imagining navigating around and two of the TRs I read, someone in the party spoke a little Mandarin. I was thinking that between Fran's mobility issues, her cranky factor and the language barrier, we would have problems. As long as our guide spoke decent English she would do OK and it wouldn't cost a fortune.



Yes, I think that would be a great option to make your trip easier for both of you!



franandaj said:


> Yes you totally need a baseline. I wouldn't value @CaptainOblivious review of Napa Rose, but I would totally value what he had to say about In-n-Out burger or Five guys. Though I already have my own opinion on both of those.







franandaj said:


> Actually I was plenty pleased with my meal, it was Fran who thought it was too spicy.



Sorry! I got you mixed up!! I remember reading it and being surprised because I never knew that spicy was an issue. But now I realize that's because I kind of got you and Fran mixed up - kind of like in your screen name! 



franandaj said:


> A lot goes back to the fact that the roots of the US were based a lot on puritan culture as an ideal. However, rarely did we ever live up to it. Throughout history Americans have done horrible things and then pretended it never happened. Even as late as the 1950s people tried claim life was idyllic, and housewives loved to greet their bread winning husband at the door when he came home from work with a kiss and dinner on the table. The 60s turned everything upside down, and since then the "politically correct" movement began. We looked back on history through today's lens, anything bad we did, what was said, names we called people came under scrutiny. I'm not saying all the bad stuff should be forgiven, but sometimes we go overboard. Just about any and all past misdeeds are now trying to be minimized or even forgotten.



Oh, we do have the political correct movement here, too. Just look at my country's past misdeeds... (And I will say that with German history there is no going overboard with scrutiny!).

Michael and I often discuss about how certain things are not thought about twice here and which are an absolute no-go in the US and vice versa. But I think that will be a great topic of discussion over a couple of glasses of wine when we meet up again!!



franandaj said:


> I really don't remember much about it either as I was so young when I saw it, plus the African American stereotypes were still prevalent back then. I think it was just what you pointed out, making people mean and women stupid. You'll notice Disney no longer tolerates those values. I was really surprised when I saw Pete's Dragon a few years back, and they had a drunk as a main character, and a production number in a bar featuring beer taps and such!



It's sometimes amazing how certain things that were normal to you as a child you see with such different eyes when you are an adult. I had a series of books about a little girl growing up in Berlin around the First World War when I was small. These were old books that my aunt had when she was little and I loved reading them. They were actually considered "modern children's literature" when they came out in the early 1900s because the girl actually gets a high school diploma and goes on to become a doctor. But, then when I was in my 30s my parents got me a set of these books, old editions, like the one I had read when I was little. And I reread them and was quite shocked at how backwards they sounded. About the girl that has to behave while the brother is allowed to be wild etc. They are still written with so much warmth and empathy for the characters that I still think they are lovely books. But if I had a daughter, I think I would only let her read these books with some commentary and discussion about what she is reading to put things into perspective.


----------



## Flossbolna

Captain_Oblivious said:


> Oh, I was just poking fun at you. Really, I'm grateful anytime you take the time to comment.



Thanks! 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> You may not value my review, but I'm pretty sure you'd be entertained.



That was exactly my thought when I read @franandaj's comment!


----------



## Flossbolna

Day 2: Shanghai Disneyland:

Part 1: We finally get inside the Grid

So, remember our plans about rope drop at 8 the next morning after going to bed at midnight? Well, if we had not been in Shanghai, we would have made it for rope drop…

I got up when my alarm woke me at 6:30. I felt horrible, but there was a new park where we had seen far too little the day before. So, I started in the bathroom, woke Michael up at 6:45 and we were in the bus that left the hotel at 7:20 am. The bus was packed!

The literature at the hotel said that the buses run every 15 minutes, but they had two buses going back and forth and since it is not far at all, the buses were more every seven minutes or so. While Michael was getting ready I was watching the crowds that already were walking on the bridge from the parking area to the park. The bridge was full of people! And I knew that most people arrive at the park by metro. So, I was slightly panicking already.

Well, once at bus stop, we walked past Disneytown, but then we were not allowed to turn left towards the park entrance, instead we had to walk further towards the metro station quite a bit until we were finally allowed to make a u-turn and walk towards the park entrance, now merged with the masses coming from the metro.

And they were enforcing this! We saw masses of security people and policemen guarding the metal rails and the natural barriers (planters). They were standing there with locked arms to prevent people from barging through. As soon there was a tiny loophole you saw people scrambling over whatever was in their way. It was madness!

It was China at its typical finest. I admit I can laugh now as I am sitting in the AC in the swamps helping tell the tale. I wasn't amused then. Of course, as M will tell you, I am never amused in the morning.

The result was that we ended in lines that were even longer than the previous day. However, by some luck we ended up in the outer most line. This meant that to our left side there were no people as we were on the edge of the mass of people. The day before we were in an inner line, so we had people on both sides. This made it a bit more bearable as you were able to breathe. This was important as it was a beautifully sunny day today!

It was 8:50 a.m. by the time we were in front of the train station with no train!!

Just to be clear, from my perspective at least, the entrance experience in the morning was BY FAR the most unpleasant aspect of the entire visit. Yes, even worse than the weather because you can always go inside a cool building. Worse than even being in the park at ungodly hours.






Our first stop was Tomorrowland to get a Tron FP! There was a line, but nowhere nearly as horrible as the previous day and we waited maybe five minutes or so until we could select our FPs!






Success!!






And we even had a return time that was fairly close, I guess by now it was already after 9.

We decided to kill the time by going for another spin on Buzz Lightyear. It was still great the second time around. I wish all other Buzz rides would be upgraded to the same ride!

I believe we had a very short, by SDL standards on this trip, wait of 15-20 minutes.

I think it was this morning that two young boys (maybe 11) started talking to us in the gift shop at the exit of the ride. They came over and said hello in English and asked us where we were from and if we spoke Chinese. You could tell that they were excited to try out their language skills. We had quite a few encounters like this, the cutest one coming up tomorrow!

This is typical in China. Kids are taught English from a very early age and they are so friendly and eager to test it out on visitors.

We ended up buying some pins in this shop for another friend and asked about sending purchases to the hotel and they do this here, too. You can even collect them the same evening after 9. I am sure there is a cutoff time in the afternoon, but we were well before that.

I seem to recall a very friendly CM here that we spoke with at length about the crowds and them being worse due to a price increase on tickets coming on July 1st -- the next day!

We tried to visit a Star Wars meet & greet, but that was down. 

Sorta. We tried to visit the Star Wars Launch Bay (sound familiar?) That pseudo attraction that is more gift shop, meet and greet and general commercial for the overrated space soap opera. We never made it in here and since then I have heard that it is basically closed 90% of the time. Unlike other Disney IP, or acquired IP like Marvel, there is very little affinity for SW in China. There is no strong attachment to it. It isn't seared in the collective psyches and Disney's efforts to sell it have failed miserably. ... It is also why in Hong Kong, an expansion pad set aside for Star Tours was recently developed with an Iron Man simulator-based ride. 

So, we used the Toy Story Land bathrooms again (this and the little food outlet were the only parts open yet) and checked out the building progress there:






The orange track is a ride they have in Paris as well called RC Racers and it is the most slow loading ride I ever experienced. Michael and I went on it on our last trip in January finally because it usually has 60 minute waits. It is horrible slow loading and has a tiny capacity. I have no idea why they chose to add this to Shanghai which already has a capacity problem at rides like Pirates which are people eaters.

Bad menu planning. And it is a cheap addition to a park.

This is the café, it had a temporary décor:







Then it was time for Tron! Or so we thought. At first we were seriously confused as to how to use our FP. Remember that massive locker line the day before. The massive locker line was of course in place again today. I just did not want to accept that I had a FP for a ride and then would have to wait for ages to get to a stupid locker. Not knowing where I am supposed to be is something that stresses me and the whole crowd situation was often frustrating (like spending 1.5 hours to enter a park in the morning). After some searching around, there was indeed a specific FP entrance for the locker area where we did not have to wait. This looked rather makeshift. Once in the locker area we had real trouble figuring out how the lockers worked. I think there were central stations that were allotting lockers to you or so. Anyway, being a non-Chinese confused looking tourist quickly drew the attention of another very friendly CM who helped us get a locker. It seemed like they did not have nearly enough lockers as they had also added in rows of normal coin lockers.

It seemed that this whole entrance plaza set up for Tron did not work at all how it was planned. I think I have read recently something about how this has changed. But when we were there it was really just crazy. I really hope that they learn their lesson and improve this at WDW!

Once we had secured our locker and put all our picture taking devices in it (sorry, @Captain_Oblivious  no pictures from inside the grid!), it all went fine. The FP wait was still quite some time, according to my notes we waited 20 minutes. You do get some sort of pre-show where they tell you what happens. But since I have never seen the movie it was all a bit over my head. The design is very cool though. All black with those neon stripes.

The novelty of the coaster is that you are sitting on a motorcycle. If you have been on Flight of Passage at AK, the seat is similar. But on Tron you are very much forced into a typical motor cycle position leaning all the way forward. The train has a certain number of motor cycles all arranged in pairs. So, boarding is a bit different as one of the two riders lined up for the pair has to walk between the cycles to the other side of the train. This appeared to lead to quite a bit of confusion. The ride itself is a very smooth coaster without much excitement. I would say that it’s about as intense as Big Thunder Mountain but because you are tightly fixed to your motor cycle it feels smoother, but is a bit faster. It also has a launch like Rock ‘n Roller Coaster instead of a lift hill. Unfortunately it is very short.

We were very happy that we had finally been on it and would have loved a second ride, but due to crowds that was not possible. I think by the time we got off and could have had a second FP they were gone for the day.

It is a great ride, but too short. For those of us who actually saw Tron in theaters in 1982 and are still alive (about 4,329 total), the idea of traveling the Grid is the stuff of childhood fantasy. And it is pulled off quite well. But as M says, it is too short. It needs at least another 45-90 seconds of ride time. I would have preferred riding this at night as I think that is a defining SDL experience, but we just weren't able to. I have grave concerns about this attraction fitting at the MK.

We strolled through Fantasyland taking in the scenery and checking out the shops there.

















The last two pictures were from a shop where Michael bought one of his nicest souvenirs from the trip. A glass mug with an colored engraving for the Grand Opening and a Donald in traditional Chinese clothes. It is really nice! We had that sent to the hotel as well.

Yes, at least the castle has a lovely shop there. WDW did once before, as some online crazy called it once, it was replaced by a Jon-Benet Boutique. TDL also still has their shop, but we'll get to that in time. I will point out this was the only discounted merchandise or Grand Opening merchandise available to us.I believe it was 40% off.  There was plenty in that tent. And, as of tonight, there's still some in the outlet stores in the swamps. I love the mug, but it is something to look at. I will never be having a drink in this.



















The we wandered through some of the Gardens of Imagination towards the Pirates Stunt Show: Eye of the Storm: Captain Jack’s Stunt Spectacular. This was all the way over in Treasure Cove.

In order to get there we passed through Adventure Isle:







This is a beautiful area, it feels like a cross of Animal Kingdom Lodge and Adventureland:



















These geysers are part of the Roaring Rapids raft ride that we did yesterday evening.






And this is the famous Shanghai turkey leg stand!







Supposedly the Chinese are crazy for them and often you have massive lines for it.

We then got in line for the pirate stunt show. It is exclusive to Shanghai and an interesting attraction. It runs quite often during the day and we got there just about 10 minutes before show time, so were at the back of the line. They do have a real line for this and it is quite nice! You have a view of this lovely courtyard:






And there is some interesting art work.













Once we had gotten in line, it started to move as they were letting people into the pre-show. We walked a very long line and the further up to the front of the line we got the more garbage was in the line. It was really quite impressive. You definitely had the feeling that people camped out (knowing that they would be in line for quite some time until the next show time) and had full picnics in this line and then just left everything behind. They had added some additional garbage cans into the line, but those were overflowing already.

Yes, it was sad to see this park start the day in near pristine condition and get trashed so quickly. Some of it is cultural. Some of it is Disney simply not having enough CMs in the queues to both discourage the behavior and clean up from it.

We also witnessed a little boy being held towards the shrubbery next to the line to take care of some business. We had seen another peeing incident earlier in the day while we were in those horrid security lines and I could understand it there better as there really was no chance for the parents to get out of line. We had heard that this was an issue. And the worst thing is that you could smell it at certain points around the park at night. Obviously with the heat and the crowds it left an olfactory trace. I just kept wondering how they were going to go about this. Currently a good clean during the night should help. But over time this will build up and the smell will stick around.

Yeah, you should have been me in 2008 when I moved to Beijing for the Olympics and had my first day off. Off me and my good friend Sandy went to explore the Temple of Heaven (the same thing you see a mini-version of at EPCOT, which is a PERFECT replica! Old school WED knew how to do it!) We finished touring and crossed the street to go to a KFC (my choice) for lunch when a mother of a toddler stopped on the sidewalk, unhooked a patch covering most of his behind and let him defecate on said sidewalk. Again, it's culture. Some people from other nations might have an issue with the man who resides in the White House when they visit, for instance. 

For the pre-show you enter the lobby of the theater and you get introduced to the characters and have some interesting stunts already. It is all in mandarin, so not much to understand, but the story is simple enough that it is still fun to watch.







You then move into the real theater and the show is quite impressive with all kind of effects and some really neat stunts.

I will also add here that a good friend of mine worked on the effects for the show. He is FL based. One of the things he did is a show-stopping effect, truly the wow moment of the show. Let's just say it involves fog effects and dry ice and completely changes the environment.

While I would not necessarily repeat this during the same visit, I think it is still a nice diversion to do again on future visits.

Up next: Finding a Surprising Gem


----------



## franandaj

Captain_Oblivious said:


> You may not value my review, but I'm pretty sure you'd be entertained.



True! I think just hearing your take on the menu would be amusing!


----------



## GoofyFan1515

Flossbolna said:


> Glad to hear that you got through it ok! The pictures of the flooding are so horrible and seems like always it hits those the hardest that already have the least.


 The whole city of Wilmington, NC is still blocked from access. Saw a picture of the Interstate 40 that goes into Wilmington and there was no visible road. .....looked like a river. It was a minimal hurricane based on wind speed but it was so huge and moved so slow (2 - 5 mph) that it dumped rain for days especially along the coast. 

 Pat and I alternated going out in the rain to keep drains clear to keep the water damage to a minimum in the yard. There was a newly created stream running across the back yard. 



Flossbolna said:


> I am not a parade person at all, but then the Disney completist in my always roars its ugly head and I end up watching anyway. Over time I have found some parades that I really loved. Paint the Night in California is one of them. And the other two will be coming up in Tokyo.


 I remember one Halloween parade you enjoyed. .....minus the little surprise you received from one of the dancers. 

I'll come back later and comment on the update.


----------



## indoshakespeare

I wish they had DHS' Toy Story Land instead of DLP / Hong Kong's Toy Story Land.  I'm guessing their Toy Story Land is really cheap, just 3 carnival rides re-themed to Toy Story.


----------



## tiggrbaby

Wow, what crazy crowds!  I am not sure that I could deal with the pushiness.

I am looking forward to the Tron ride arriving at the MK.


----------



## piglet1979

I am joining in.  I just caught up.  I think the castle looks like the Haunted Mansion on a bigger scale.


----------



## Steppesister

GoofyFan1515 said:


> Hi M...….and M! Like all good lurkers I'm marking my spot.



Nice to see you've come out to play again!



Flossbolna said:


> The bus was packed!



This sounds... ominous.



Flossbolna said:


> As soon there was a tiny loophole you saw people scrambling over whatever was in their way. It was madness!



...like I said...



Flossbolna said:


> And we even had a return time that was fairly close, I guess by now it was already after 9.
> 
> We decided to kill the time by going for another spin on Buzz Lightyear. It was still great the second time around. I wish all other Buzz rides would be upgraded to the same ride!



I too wish Buzz at WDW would get a facelift. Seeming kinda stale lately. 



Flossbolna said:


> You could tell that they were excited to try out their language skills.



We had this happen a LOT overseas. It's always kinda cute as they can rarely make it past, "Hello. How are you?"



Flossbolna said:


> Then it was time for Tron! Or so we thought. At first we were seriously confused as to how to use our FP. Remember that massive locker line the day before. The massive locker line was of course in place again today. I just did not want to accept that I had a FP for a ride and then would have to wait for ages to get to a stupid locker. Not knowing where I am supposed to be is something that stresses me and the whole crowd situation was often frustrating (like spending 1.5 hours to enter a park in the morning). After some searching around, there was indeed a specific FP entrance for the locker area where we did not have to wait. This looked rather makeshift. Once in the locker area we had real trouble figuring out how the lockers worked. I think there were central stations that were allotting lockers to you or so. Anyway, being a non-Chinese confused looking tourist quickly drew the attention of another very friendly CM who helped us get a locker. It seemed like they did not have nearly enough lockers as they had also added in rows of normal coin lockers.



Ugh!! This just sounds horrible! 



Flossbolna said:


> e novelty of the coaster is that you are sitting on a motorcycle. If you have been on Flight of Passage at AK, the seat is similar. But on Tron you are very much forced into a typical motor cycle position leaning all the way forward. The train has a certain number of motor cycles all arranged in pairs. So, boarding is a bit different as one of the two riders lined up for the pair has to walk between the cycles to the other side of the train. This appeared to lead to quite a bit of confusion. The ride itself is a very smooth coaster without much excitement. I would say that it’s about as intense as Big Thunder Mountain but because you are tightly fixed to your motor cycle it feels smoother, but is a bit faster. It also has a launch like Rock ‘n Roller Coaster instead of a lift hill.



This really sounds like a very nicely done concept. Glad you guys enjoyed it! 



Flossbolna said:


>



That really is super pretty! It reminds me of what the ToT grounds might look like if they were intentionally kept. 



Flossbolna said:


> We also witnessed a little boy being held towards the shrubbery next to the line to take care of some business. We had seen another peeing incident earlier in the day while we were in those horrid security lines and I could understand it there better as there really was no chance for the parents to get out of line. We had heard that this was an issue. And the worst thing is that you could smell it at certain points around the park at night. Obviously with the heat and the crowds it left an olfactory trace. I just kept wondering how they were going to go about this. Currently a good clean during the night should help. But over time this will build up and the smell will stick around.



Oy. Yeah, just part of living in Asia.  So gross.


----------



## pooh'smate

Congratulations on your marriage. I really am so happy for you. I have read many of your tr's but I don't comment near enough. I am trying to change that though. I am just getting back home from a trip to WDW so I am just marking my place but I will be back to read and comment.


----------



## Flossbolna

GoofyFan1515 said:


> I remember one Halloween parade you enjoyed. .....minus the little surprise you received from one of the dancers.



I actually thought about mentioning it here, but then didn't because it is a special event parade, not a normal parade that is part of general admission. And it did not feel fair to compare the two different sets (special events are supposed to be special!).


----------



## Flossbolna

indoshakespeare said:


> I wish they had DHS' Toy Story Land instead of DLP / Hong Kong's Toy Story Land.  I'm guessing their Toy Story Land is really cheap, just 3 carnival rides re-themed to Toy Story.



I can't say anything about Shanghai's TSL as we only saw it being built. But I do agree that the two rides they built at WDW are a bit of an upgrade over WDS. However, in my opinion any Toy Story Land is lazy theming and just the oposite of something being detailed. If you blow up small things (toys) you lose detail. And then toys are already simple things in design very often. That creats a lot of large prime colored surfaces. Also, to me a lot of it looks very plastic.


----------



## Flossbolna

tiggrbaby said:


> Wow, what crazy crowds!  I am not sure that I could deal with the pushiness.
> 
> I am looking forward to the Tron ride arriving at the MK.



We knew to expect the pushing beforehand. That's what happens in a country that has so many people and increasingly less space. I think having the right expectations helped us deal with it.

Tron is fun - if it were just a bit longer!


----------



## Flossbolna

piglet1979 said:


> I am joining in.  I just caught up.  I think the castle looks like the Haunted Mansion on a bigger scale.



Hi!! Great to have you here!  to our trip report! I think you are right about the castle, there is a certain similarity.


----------



## Flossbolna

Steppesister said:


> This sounds... ominous.



You are an experienced TR reader and can see the clues!!



Steppesister said:


> I too wish Buzz at WDW would get a facelift. Seeming kinda stale lately.



I am refusing to go on Buzz at WDW. At least DLP and DL have the removable guns. At WDW with the stationary guns I just have no idea what I am doing.



Steppesister said:


> We had this happen a LOT overseas. It's always kinda cute as they can rarely make it past, "Hello. How are you?"



Exactly! I am sure you having a bunch of kids propably added to the attraction, too?



Steppesister said:


> Ugh!! This just sounds horrible!



The locker situation was unpleasant, but I think to some degree this was made worse with not knowing where to go. I think this might have been the only time when I felt a language barrier. In any other park I would have found it easier to just ask and be less flustered by it.



Steppesister said:


> This really sounds like a very nicely done concept. Glad you guys enjoyed it!



It is a very cute coaster! And we would have loved a second spin on it...



Steppesister said:


> That really is super pretty! It reminds me of what the ToT grounds might look like if they were intentionally kept.



Never thought about it, but yes!



Steppesister said:


> Oy. Yeah, just part of living in Asia.  So gross.



You could tell that there were quite a lot of differences between Chinese and Chinese visitors, depending on where they were from. I got the impression that this is much more a "country" thing to do and those living in the big cities, especially the newly emerging middle class, would not be caught dead doing this. Maybe I should add some more about this in an upcoming update (I think we will do some kind of SDL summary of impressions at the end of that part of the trip report before moving on to Japan, might fit in there).


----------



## Flossbolna

pooh'smate said:


> Congratulations on your marriage. I really am so happy for you. I have read many of your tr's but I don't comment near enough. I am trying to change that though. I am just getting back home from a trip to WDW so I am just marking my place but I will be back to read and comment.



Thank you! And  to our trip report! Looking forward to your comments, but I do understand that time is limited, I often have trouble getting around to comment on the trip reports that I am reading. As a writer I know how nice it is to hear from those who are reading though, even if it is just a little note!


----------



## Flossbolna

Part 2: Finding a surprising gem

Our next stop was supposed to be lunch. We were thinking about trying the Wandering Moon Restaurant.

But first another perspective of the castle:






This might be my favorite angle of it because it makes it look less boxy.

The Wandering Moon Teahouse Restaurant is a counter service selling Chinese food. We had seen it the evening before and thought it looked lovely.

It has plenty of historic Chinese decorations and architecture. This is the entrance:






Well, unfortunately the line was out of the door and you could see it was crowded. So all we did was take a couple more pictures of the restaurant:






And yes, it was really crowded! A family had decided to camp out on those stairs that were for decorator purposes only, as you can see in a closer picture:






Somehow there was nothing close by besides Remy’s Bistro on our way to the bus stop for our hotel which is where we were headed after lunch. So, we decided to try our luck at Disney town for some lunch. Disneytown is similar to Downtown Disney at Disneyland in that it is a shopping district next to the park. It is so next to the park that there is actually an entrance/exit between Mickey Avenue and Tomorrowland to get there. So, this is where we were heading now, passing some balloons on Mickey Avenue:






And some more fun buildings from Mickey Avenue:






Do you spot the 33 in this picture?






Yes, this is the entrance to Shanghai’s Club 33.

Where we will be dining on our next visit. We were supposed to score a meal here on this trip due to a friend I have worked with before. Unfortunately, something got lost in the translation regarding our dates. It wound up not happening, but I have been told this won't repeat itself. IF WE COULD JUST GET BACK!!! ... BTW, I have to say that maybe it was the heat or the jet lag or the excitement of being in a totally new Disney Park, but food was not something we seemed all that concerned with. Yes, shocking, I know. It will change as we move on to Tokyo (should I have included a spoiler alert?).

I remember that we discussed this during our time there how we were really not taking advantage of all the food offerings the park had. Ultimately it was a question of priorities. With the crowds, seeing the attractions that we wanted to see and enjoy the theming was taking a lot of time, so some things had to be cut from our wish list. And as interesting Disney food might be, attractions and just exploring the design of a new park beat any special snack. We did a bit better in Tokyo, but considering how those parks are snack haven, we really did not snack nearly as much as it seems others do (but there was another reason for that - but an actually really nice one!!).

We had looked at menus and thought about trying the Shanghai version of Wolfgang Puck:






But, to our shock Disneytown was hopping with people as well. We had heard beforehand that it is usually dead during the day and a great place for lunch. Not during peak season. We were quoted at least a 20 minutes wait at Wolfgang Puck. So, besides all those people packing their lunch from home and eating it in line to safe money and time, there were still plenty of locals who were able to afford a nice sit down meal at Wolfgang Puck at prices that were only slightly below what you would pay at WDW’s Wolfgang Puck.

The menu looked quite good. Typical Puck California cuisine with a half dozen local dishes thrown in. But it just seemed clear this was going to take too much time. The Cheesecake Factory has their first Chinese location here as well and it looked packed.






At this point we decided that we should just head back to the hotel and grab something to eat there. So, we walked through Disneytown towards the bus stops.






I thought it was neat that all the houses had the numbers of the year they were built in on them and all those years where years that are important in Disney history like 1901, 1955 etc.






One shop then caught our eye despite it’s very understated sign:






ACME – a name that might be familiar to you from Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

This was the Shanghai version of the Disney gallery. And it blew away all other versions that I have seen. This had some serious collectibles. Unfortunately, they had a strict no pictures policy inside, so I can’t show you. But everyone going to Shanghai interested in Disney art should have a look. They did sell some really cute post cards and we got a couple of those. The rest was far out of our price range.

Yes, for all the 'good' Disney bloggers do, they have blind spots. It was very obvious to me that 99% of them had never set foot in Disneytown or knew places like this existed. I didn't know until we walked in.

Most of Disneytown’s hop are real retail shops like the modern Disney Springs. But quite a few had Disney licensed products. For example I really loved this necklace:






(That’s about 100 $).

Overall this area is really nice, just like refurbished Disney Springs is really nice.






I am not sure how well it will work year round as most reports that I had heard before our trip was that it was mainly empty. But the area that Shanghai Disneyland is in is being developed as a general recreation area, there are is a park, a nature reserve. Some of it is still being built, but all in all the idea is to provide an area for the people of Shanghai to go for a day trip for various reasons. So this might create more interest in Disneytown in the future.

It is doing quite well, with a few exceptions. The Disney owned candy and goodies shop (think it was called A Spoonful of Sugar) shuttered within a year. They are getting rid of some merchandise right here in the swamps at the WDW outlet in my local mall. They also got in yet another HUGE supply of Grand Opening pins they are literally begging people to tale at 99 cents each (these are the same 15 or so designs that say 'Limited Release' on them and have been regularly arriving since March.) ... Anyway, there is one section of Disneytown that is on Inspiration Lake and it was troubled when we were there. The Boathouse (see a future update) was located there. It has since closed. I am not sure what replaced it. The design of this section is problematic as everyone heads toward where the SDL entrance is and where SDL's World of Disney and Starbucks are located. But more on this in future update.

So, once back at the hotel, our first stop was at the Sunnyside Market which is a mix of a convenience store and counter service restaurant. It is rather tiny, but it was also absolutely empty. The only downside was that we realised that it mainly had the same offerings as Remy’s Bistro last night. It seems that the same central location brings food to both these places. It all looked very tasty though!











We were intrigued by the Chinese chips flavors:











Michael got an Australian Beef Pie:






as well as a mixed nut muffin:






I got a Pork Puff Pastry:






As well as warm Caramel Pudding Buns:






I absolutely loved my lunch. The pastry was delicious and the pork filling had plenty of interesting spices. Those buns were to die for!

As a drink I got an Iced Plum Tea thanks to Michael’s recommendation:






This was excellent. Don’t look at how much sugar it contains though… Actually, all the restaurants had at least a couple of different tea choices that seemed to vary from place to place. If I had figured that out earlier, I might have had more. It seemed that in China those were often rather sweet.

My one regret is that I never bought one of those marshmallow lollipops.






My sister Katharina (@nodnol) and I started a tradition of getting chocolate covered marshmallow treats on our first visit to Disneyland Paris together in 1995. And if she is not part of my travels, I would bring her one from the Disney park I just visited. Those versions here looked really cute. But I did not want to travel for another two weeks through Asia in summer with something chocolate in my luggage. So, I just hope they still have them on my next visit to Shanghai, which will not be in the summer!!

They were offering a special drink at the Sunnyside Market:






I thought it was quite fitting!

Didn't I have a cookie? An amazing cookie that literally was the best Disney cookie I ever had globally?!?!? (I can't see M's pics without clicking on them individually here, so it may well be above. In that case, nevermind. If not, how did you not photograph that amazing cookie. I would divorce you for a second one!!!)

After lunch we headed back to our room:











And then relaxed in the lovely air conditioning and took much needed showers. It had been unbearable hot that day. In my trip notes I mad a point of writing down that it was so hot that I started to sweat in my knee pit and the sweat then was running down over my calf. Not pleasant!!

No, but by this point we were sorta used to it and running on adrenaline and totally loving this new park. Spoiler alert: that won't change!!!

Up next: Trying to squeeze as much out of our last hours at SDL as possible


----------



## Steppesister

Flossbolna said:


>



That is absolutely GORGEOUS!!! WOW! 



Flossbolna said:


> The Wandering Moon Teahouse Restaurant is a counter service selling Chinese food. We had seen it the evening before and thought it looked lovely.



Truly quite lovely. I wish you'd gotten to eat here.



Flossbolna said:


>



How pretty, but how odd. Just. Odd. 



Flossbolna said:


>



Another lovely shot there. I love this one. 



Flossbolna said:


>



I see, I see!!! 



Flossbolna said:


> Where we will be dining on our next visit. We were supposed to score a meal here on this trip due to a friend I have worked with before. Unfortunately, something got lost in the translation regarding our dates. It wound up not happening,




Well pooperoo in a big way. Sorry this fell through! 



Flossbolna said:


> I thought it was neat that all the houses had the numbers of the year they were built in on them and all those years where years that are important in Disney history like 1901, 1955 etc.


That's pretty cool. I think I read somewhere, possibly the Imagineers Guide to the Parks series that the addresses from Liberty Square through Frontierland also ascend numerically with regards to the style that the store front would have been built. 



Flossbolna said:


> Those versions here looked really cute. But I did not want to travel for another two weeks through Asia in summer with something chocolate in my luggage.



I don't blame you one bit! Yuck!



Flossbolna said:


> And then relaxed in the lovely air conditioning and took much needed showers. It had been unbearable hot that day. In my trip notes I mad a point of writing down that it was so hot that I started to sweat in my knee pit and the sweat then was running down over my calf. Not pleasant!!



Okay, that's hot. Uncomfortably so. Ew!


----------



## Flossbolna

Steppesister said:


> That is absolutely GORGEOUS!!! WOW!



Yes, for me saying that I don't like the castle, I did get some good pictures of it! And I think this was one of the best views. But I just started sorting the pictures for Tokyo and have such a hard time limiting them. Nearly every shot there is beautiful. Those parks are just so photogenic!



Steppesister said:


> Truly quite lovely. I wish you'd gotten to eat here.



We did not even get a look inside. I remember this from the D23 exhibition (which they then moved in parts to the China pavilion at Epcot, I wonder whether it is still there...) and I really wanted to check it out.



Steppesister said:


> Another lovely shot there. I love this one.



The picture with the balloons is Michael's favorite from the whole trip. I made him a calendar for 2018 with pictures from this trip and this was the title picture. We are planning on making a photo book as well (we did one for previous trips) and I know that it will be on the title, too.



Steppesister said:


> That's pretty cool. I think I read somewhere, possibly the Imagineers Guide to the Parks series that the addresses from Liberty Square through Frontierland also ascend numerically with regards to the style that the store front would have been built.



Interesting! I need to look out for this!



Steppesister said:


> Okay, that's hot. Uncomfortably so. Ew!



Hope Orlando won't be that hot for you! It's still the humid season there, too...


----------



## Nora03

I’m really enjoying your trip report. Thanks for sharing so many little details. I don’t think I could handle the crowds though. On our last trip to WDW we had to leave the Magic Kingdom quickly as it was so crowded. We had dinner at the Beast’s castle and left as more crowds were pouring in, missing the fireworks. However we made up for it by having dinner one night at California Grill and watching the fireworks from there. You and Michael are such good writers and I appreciate your descriptions of everything. Sounds like you plan to return. You are fortunate that you have something you both love.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Flossbolna said:


> Well, once at bus stop, we walked past Disneytown, but then we were not allowed to turn left towards the park entrance, instead we had to walk further towards the metro station quite a bit until we were finally allowed to make a u-turn and walk towards the park entrance, now merged with the masses coming from the metro.
> 
> And they were enforcing this! We saw masses of security people and policemen guarding the metal rails and the natural barriers (planters). They were standing there with locked arms to prevent people from barging through. As soon there was a tiny loophole you saw people scrambling over whatever was in their way. It was madness!



Yikes.  That sounds like an ordeal!



Flossbolna said:


> Our first stop was Tomorrowland to get a Tron FP!







Flossbolna said:


> The massive locker line was of course in place again today. I just did not want to accept that I had a FP for a ride and then would have to wait for ages to get to a stupid locker.



I don't blame you there.  I'd be frustrated, too.



Flossbolna said:


> After some searching around, there was indeed a specific FP entrance for the locker area where we did not have to wait. This looked rather makeshift. Once in the locker area we had real trouble figuring out how the lockers worked. I think there were central stations that were allotting lockers to you or so. Anyway, being a non-Chinese confused looking tourist quickly drew the attention of another very friendly CM who helped us get a locker.



Glad someone could help you out!



Flossbolna said:


> (sorry, @Captain_Oblivious no pictures from inside the grid!)



But...but...



Flossbolna said:


> The ride itself is a very smooth coaster without much excitement. I would say that it’s about as intense as Big Thunder Mountain but because you are tightly fixed to your motor cycle it feels smoother, but is a bit faster. It also has a launch like Rock ‘n Roller Coaster instead of a lift hill. Unfortunately it is very short.



I've watched it on Youtube, and the ride itself looks fast with lots of cool effects.  But I did get the sense that it was pretty short, which is disappointing.



Flossbolna said:


> It is a great ride, but too short. For those of us who actually saw Tron in theaters in 1982 and are still alive (about 4,329 total), the idea of traveling the Grid is the stuff of childhood fantasy. And it is pulled off quite well. But as M says, it is too short.



That stinks.  The light cycles were always the coolest part of the movies.  I still look forward to trying this in WDW.



Flossbolna said:


> This is a beautiful area, it feels like a cross of Animal Kingdom Lodge and Adventureland:



Two excellent themes to combine!



Flossbolna said:


> You definitely had the feeling that people camped out (knowing that they would be in line for quite some time until the next show time) and had full picnics in this line and then just left everything behind. They had added some additional garbage cans into the line, but those were overflowing already.



Yikes.  This feels like a culture shock just reading about it.



Flossbolna said:


> We also witnessed a little boy being held towards the shrubbery next to the line to take care of some business. We had seen another peeing incident earlier in the day while we were in those horrid security lines and I could understand it there better as there really was no chance for the parents to get out of line. We had heard that this was an issue. And the worst thing is that you could smell it at certain points around the park at night.



Even worse!! 



Flossbolna said:


> You then move into the real theater and the show is quite impressive with all kind of effects and some really neat stunts.
> 
> I will also add here that a good friend of mine worked on the effects for the show. He is FL based. One of the things he did is a show-stopping effect, truly the wow moment of the show. Let's just say it involves fog effects and dry ice and completely changes the environment.



I've always enjoyed stunt shows.  This sounds pretty cool.



Flossbolna said:


>



Nice photo!  I like that one a lot.



Flossbolna said:


> Yes, this is the entrance to Shanghai’s Club 33.
> 
> Where we will be dining on our next visit. We were supposed to score a meal here on this trip due to a friend I have worked with before. Unfortunately, something got lost in the translation regarding our dates. It wound up not happening, but I have been told this won't repeat itself. IF WE COULD JUST GET BACK!!!



Well, now you have a reason to return.



Flossbolna said:


> With the crowds, seeing the attractions that we wanted to see and enjoy the theming was taking a lot of time, so some things had to be cut from our wish list. And as interesting Disney food might be, attractions and just exploring the design of a new park beat any special snack.



That makes sense.  I would prioritize the rides, too.



Flossbolna said:


> ACME – a name that might be familiar to you from Who Framed Roger Rabbit.



And Looney Tunes!



Flossbolna said:


>



I think Julie would fall in love with this if she saw it.



Flossbolna said:


> My sister Katharina (@nodnol) and I started a tradition of getting chocolate covered marshmallow treats on our first visit to Disneyland Paris together in 1995. And if she is not part of my travels, I would bring her one from the Disney park I just visited. Those versions here looked really cute. But I did not want to travel for another two weeks through Asia in summer with something chocolate in my luggage.



Yeah...in this case, it's the thought that counts.


----------



## Flossbolna

Nora03 said:


> I’m really enjoying your trip report. Thanks for sharing so many little details. I don’t think I could handle the crowds though. On our last trip to WDW we had to leave the Magic Kingdom quickly as it was so crowded. We had dinner at the Beast’s castle and left as more crowds were pouring in, missing the fireworks. However we made up for it by having dinner one night at California Grill and watching the fireworks from there. You and Michael are such good writers and I appreciate your descriptions of everything. Sounds like you plan to return. You are fortunate that you have something you both love.



I totally understand what you are saying about crowds. That's why we missed the nighttime show. I think we would have just been miserable. Unfortunately not California Grill for a relaxed view in Shanghai!

I am happy to hear that you enjoy the details! I sometimes wonder if I am writing too much for these reports - that's why they take so long to produce. But then I enjoy reliving the vacation myself!


----------



## Flossbolna

Captain_Oblivious said:


> Yikes. That sounds like an ordeal!



They now have a special entrance in Disney Town in the mornings for hotel guests and I think that that is so smart to offer as a perk!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Glad someone could help you out!



Yes, the CMs were all really friendly!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> But...but...



I felt so sorry about no pictures for you, but then I read your next comment...



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I've watched it on Youtube, and the ride itself looks fast with lots of cool effects. But I did get the sense that it was pretty short, which is disappointing.



It really should have been longer... I wish they would add some elements for WDW, but I don't expect them to.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That stinks. The light cycles were always the coolest part of the movies. I still look forward to trying this in WDW.



I think it will be really popular there. But it will have the same issues as the Flight of Passage with passengers of size. One or two trains do have one normal roller coaster car at the end in Shanghai. But the population there is slimmer than the people walking around WDW. 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Two excellent themes to combine!



Actually, DLP's Adventureland as a lot of African influences as well and I love it for that!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Yikes. This feels like a culture shock just reading about it.



I think it sounds worse when you read about it, but when it happens it is just something you see and wonder. And then you move on and watch a great stunt show.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Even worse!!



Indeed...



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I've always enjoyed stunt shows. This sounds pretty cool.



I think for anyone who likes stunt shows, this would be a must do. It is really cool!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Nice photo! I like that one a lot.



Thanks! I have about four similar ones as I was playing around, but am really happy with this one. It was a candidate for Micheal's calendar, but the pictures for that needed to be resized to square pictures and this one did not work in that format.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Well, now you have a reason to return.



One of many!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That makes sense. I would prioritize the rides, too.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> And Looney Tunes!



Yes! I looked it up and people say that ACME stands for American Company that Manufactures Everything. 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I think Julie would fall in love with this if she saw it.



There is quite an element of regret that I did not get it for myself... It would have been a perfect souvenir. But I did not want to blow the souvenir budget on the first couple of days (and I ended up getting plenty of really nice things!).



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Yeah...in this case, it's the thought that counts.



 She did not complain too much about the things that she got instead...


----------



## Flossbolna

Part 3: Trying to squeeze as much out of our last hours at SDL as possible

At around 4 p.m. we headed back to the park and were not too sad that the sun had disappeared.

It was still hot as hell and sticky and icky, but, hey, we were experiencing the magic, new magic and we were in love and you and naive and ... we still wouldn't have fit in in say ... Delaware.

I really like the Steamboat Mickey fountain:





At the entrance we had a quick look into guest services and were amused by some of the signs that taught you how to be a star guest!





Well, it seems like the signs were not as successful as hoped if you remember our previous experiences.

And yes, this is a rare Michael sighting – he is exhibiting a perfect Disney two finger point here!

No pics is the rule, unless you want a single finger salute. My beauty transcends photography and can't be captured by a camera ... or worse, a phone!

Under the fake train station you do find real attraction posters though for the Shanghai attractions. They are really nice and unique!

I love poster art. I have some framed here in the Florida house. I am also buying the poster art calendars they have been putting out for 3-4 years as soon as they hit the outlets (often when they are still $22 in the parks, they are $5 at the outlets). And I so wish they had offered this stuff for sale in some form ...


















Another picture trying to show the scale of Mickey Avenue:





This picture is taken from where you come out under the train station. On the left hand side you can see that it ends with a tall cream colored building. This is the Carthay Circle Theater that you see at Disney California Adventure and you saw it earlier in the picture with the balloons. So the left side of the picture is the full lengthy of Mickey Avenue.

I told you about the cut and paste approach of much of the park. Here, they took the Carthay Circle models from DHS and DCA and built this facade.

It may be short, but it is also very sweet and every time you pass through, there is more to take not of:

















The last picture is actually from where you turn right at the end of Mickey Avenue as the decorations continue along the “hub” a bit (just like on Main Street) and there is a large counter service restaurant called Mickey & Pals Market Café. The place we never even walked in, sadly.

The one thing that totally baffled me about Adventure Isle is that they built a canoe ride there! I know the Disneyland purists love that ride, but I am with my sister (the marshmallow tradition one) who said in 1992 on our first ever Disney park visit to Disneyland that she thinks Disney is a really smart company that it can convince people to pay good money for a theme park and then have them sit in a canoe in the blazing sun working hard. If she had just known then what Disney could get people to pay good money for… And yes, neither she nor I have ever been on a Disney canoe.

I was a bit surprised by this, being that they have removed the ride from Florida and Paris. Only Anaheim and Tokyo still have them. ... Of course, look at the typical FL guest and try to picture them doing anything physical beyond lifting a turkey leg or burger to their mouths!





This is the entrance to the canoes:





(taken a bit later, the canoes close at sunset)

Our destination was now the Camp Discovery Challenge Trails. This is a very unique attraction as you get into a harness and then can go on a rope course. Every report we had from the park was raving about this attraction. Unfortunately, it does not have Fastpass, it is out in the sun and had really long lines. And it closes at 6 p.m. due to sunset. So, our plan was to get on it just before it closed down. When we got there, we thought we still had some time, so we looked around a bit. The whole are is really cute and has lots of theming.









I was amused by this sign:





The guy’s name “Auchsindfrei” is actually three German words: Auch sind frei. And it means “we (or they) are free, too.” The profession underneath tells us that he is a cartographer.

If you are familiar with other Disney parks, these stories in that old newspaper stuck there might be familiar:





We saw some cave drawings of a large crocodile that is rumored to attack people traveling on the river in this area:





We watched other people on the rope course:









Looks like there might have been a temple of some kind:





So, after looking around a little we decided to get in line for the lockers (yes, another must have a locker attraction). But then we were told that the locker line was already closed!! We were really devastated that we were so stupid to miss out on the attraction that we really wanted to do just because we had looked around at nice but not overly exciting stuff. Well, we then were also informed that we would not have been able to go on the attraction anyway because Michael was not wearing closed shoes, but sandals. I had known about this requirement, but totally forgot about it when Michael decided to wear sandals.

I guess if you are operating under jet lag, too little sleep and too much heat and humidity, some things will just slip your mind.

This is easily the biggest disappointment of the visit. I was told by multiple people that this was a can't miss attraction. We purposely kept it for Day 2 due to our jetlag, the lines and the heat on Day 1. I never thought about wearing the sandals as an issue. This attraction actually has three different courses that are of varying levels of difficulty. One of them (I think the blue trail) was closed when we were there and is often closed. This attraction idea was originally conceived of in 2007-08 when WDW was planning a boutique animal park experience near DAK. This eventually was canceled and you see traces of it in the Wild Africa Trek (that M and I did in 2013 on our first real trip together). Anyway, this attraction can be quite scary and requires some degree of physical fitness and mental health. In other words, don't ever expect anything like this in the USA!

We were really bummed for about five minutes, then decided that this will be just the thing to make us plan a return trip sometime soonish. And then went off to do some shopping. The shop in Adventure Isle was not very large but had some of the most interesting merchandise. I got a lovely key chain and Michael a really nice t-shirt. And we would have been able to find a bit more even there.

A tee that he is wearing right now on the sofa as he types these comments on a typically wretched summer day in the swamps. Why do people come here this time of year? What kind of insane person would go to WDW in these conditions? ... Wait, ah ... I have a reservation? Starting Sunday? At WDW?!?!? ... Um ... ah ... yeah ... never mind! (He wrote those comments some days ago and he is actually back by now and did survive and had a great time, mainly because the weather reminded him of our lovely time at Shanghai! )

I think this might also have been the time when we ended up getting a snack: Some bubble tea with Mickey head shaped bubbles. My trip notes say that we did get it sometime during that day and I have only a faint memory of it being tasty. Yes, I know, I should be able to show you a picture, but my excuse it that it was hot and that we were jet lagged and therefore just drank our bubble teas!

Yes, we got some at a snack stand in Adventure Isle. It was really good. And now, you let down the 6,786,543 people reading this report worldwide. How does that make you feel?

Talking about snacks: One thing I noticed and which I thought was really smart was that all ice cream bars where sold with a little tray. So, you could old this under the bar and catch anything dripping down. This certainly helped keeping lines clean as a lot of kids brought the ice cream into the line and ate it while waiting. And I have to admit that I had instances of larges pieces of chocolate breaking off from my Mickey bar and falling on the floor to my dismay. The tray would have been perfect in those situations!

I don't think we snacked enough!

We also figured that timing was perfect for a showing of Tarzan, the big show they have in Adventure Isle.





This show is quite spectacular. It is a retelling of the movie and has a lot of Chinese acrobatics in it.





It is very unique and definitely one of those attractions that live up to the slogan of “authentically Disney, distinctly Chinese”.

Yes, this show doesn't get much love from those bloggers (like my pal, Disney Blogger to the Stars, Tom Bricker), but really is spectacular. Yes, it's in Mandarin. But if you've seen the film, you understand the characters and the plot and the music ... and those acrobats are world class, not typical theme park entertainment.  I highly recommend seeing this. We saw every live show regularly scheduled except the Frozen sing along because ... why. It was also cold and dark inside! Like my soul ...

After this we had a stop at the Soaring Over the Horizon bathrooms where I admired these beautiful tiles:





This is kind of a clue as to the theme being quite different from Epcot and DCA! More to come on this.

Now we were only missing one Shanghai exclusive attraction on our list of things to do: Voyage to the Crystal Grotto.





This is a boat ride through lovely scenes from various Disney movies (maybe all princess movies?). No, Fantasia is in it ... Aladdin isn't really a princess film ... same with Mulan ... (well, both Jasmine and Mulan are officially inducted into the Disney Princesses Court, but I guess Michael is not too familiar with the topic).  It has some kind of back story about a boy and a grotto full of crystals. And I think in the end you go underneath the castle and end up in that grotto. I am sorry that I can’t explain the back story any better, maybe Michael can? Nope, he can't. You got most of it. Ultimately it is a ride through Disney movies to introduce you to the films. But it is another unique attraction and someone we know was involved with this ride.

Same guy who did the amazing effect for the Pirate stunt show also was contracted to do the fountains for this. I had the blueprints of this attraction in 2012 when fans were talking about it being an E-Ticket. It is a C at best and is sorta a cross between Storybook Land at DL (or DLP) with the Jungle Cruise boats with the static figures that used to populate Disney Stores in the 1990s with fountains and music. You may think I am kidding, but I just described Crystal Grotto perfectly.

The issue with this was that it constantly had long waits and it closed early, before the evening castle show as the waterways were so close to the castle. I took a picture of the show viewing area before we got in line:





So, it was not an option for our late night strategy. It was going to close at 8p.m. and we got in line at around 7:50. By then the lines had died down a bit, the posted wait was 75 minutes. Luckily it was a bit less and we waited for “only” 50 minutes for it. About half way through the wait the lady in front of us started talking to us (after she had listened to our chatter for 25 minutes or so). It turned out that she had been to college in Chicago and then continued living there. After seven years in the US she had recently returned to Shanghai to take care of her parents. It was really interesting to talk to her and you could tell that she was happy to speak English again.

She was behind us, not in front, but ... very nice. I was going to exchange emails with her when we exited, but she took off quickly.

There were some pictures with regard to the backstory in the line:









But otherwise it was mainly again open air, but covered, switch backs with nothing special to see and densely packed people. I think we saw another peeing incident here. 

Yes, we did. It was in front of us and about 12 minutes before boarding. The corner should have been named Urine Falls. It clearly is a location where bladders give out and people have no idea how long the wait is in front of them. Disney is partially responsible for this.

One thing which I found interesting was the emergency exit system they have in China. Instead of overhead signs, there were loads of green arrows on the ground telling you which way to move to the nearest emergency exist.

And then it was finally time for us to enter our boat! The boats are nearly identical to the Jungle Cruise boats, just differently decorated. And the roof is different. It is a hard roof that opens up at the entrances and inside it has a lit up pattern:





That’s just where I was sitting in the boat looking up towards the roof. Prettier than the Jungle Cruise!!

By the time we were on the ride it was dark and the little scenes were nicely lit. The figures moved a bit, they were not animatronic, but would turn and such. There also were some fountains involved. The whole thing was always set to music from the specific film. I tried my best to get some pictures:









It reminded me very much of rides that I had experienced in German amusement parks in the past, but this version was definitely bigger and more intricate. Actually Europapark, the biggest German theme park and Europe’s #2 behind DLP has the old fashioned version still and I have to admit that I liked their version a bit better. But that might be because when we were there this summer we had no wait and the much smaller boat to our selves.

So, you might guess they verdict is that it is not worth a 75 minute wait, nor a 50 minute wait. Maybe 20 minutes. But I know that if we had not made a point of seeing it, we would have felt that we missed out on something, so no regrets there!

Agreed. Long, boring, tight queue. Never will wait more than 20 minutes again.

By the time we got off it was nearly time for the evening show and we decided to just not bother again. Instead we repeated Peter Pan with a 10 minute wait and then headed over to the Hunny Pot Spin. It’s the Tea Cups, but with a Winnie the Pooh theme. While those are just a spinner, they are really cute:













Next stop: Pirates. There we waited 10 minutes in the regular line and then asked for seats in the front row of the boat. Which we got and I have to say that this really elevated the experience even more! I liked having experienced from different positions in the boat and you do notice different things as your position changes and your timing to effect is different. But front row truly was so immersive! I was really happy that we managed to ride it again. If you go to SDL plan on wanting to ride this ride multiple times!!

continued in next post


----------



## Flossbolna

We had one last attraction on our list that was somewhat specific to Shanghai: Soaring Over the Horizon.





This is Soarin’ over the World. It had its debut here in Shanghai before it came to Florida and California. But we had both experienced the new film already by then in the US. We were actually more interested in the whole setting of the ride here. The story is quite different as you are in Adventure Isle and enter a large cave like setting. The line goes through a large hall with the “open night sky” – there are also some games you can play on the night sky it seems.





The sky looks very much like the real thing…

Then you end up being introduced to a shaman of an ancient tribe that will share with you their gift of being able to fly.

We got in line at 9.35pm and the posted wait time was 90 minutes. We were counting on this being not the true wait time as we planned to grab another dinner at Remy’s Bistro. You might have noticed that we still had not eaten once again. The park closed at 10 pm, Remy’s Bistro at 11 pm. 90 minutes from 9:35pm would mean 11:05pm. And no dinner. Luckily our wait ended up being about 45 minutes only!

This, much like Pooh (which we rode) and SDMT (which we didn't), this was on our skip list for attractions. But when we got near closing and saw the wait and remembered how we got on Roaring Rapids the night before in under 10 minutes, we thought it worth trying. ... I will also say that SDL is laid out horribly. I don't think I have ever walked as much in a day in a castle park. You always criss cross the park. And because of the large walkways and expansion pads, everything is so far away from each other. I didn't feel like attempting to walk all the way back to Tomorrowland to attempt Tron again (although in hindsight, this would have been better). And I don't like the attraction. I loved the original dating back to its 2001 debut at DCA. But this film looks so fake (because so much is). It just doesn't do much for me. I also had been on it probably 20 times between Anaheim and Orlando before we rode in Shanghai. I would definitely skip this in SDL despite a nicer queue and unique preshow.

We soared around the world and over the horizon and in the end we flew over the skyline of Shanghai. Stupid me was disappointed that we did not end at SDL, but then the ride opened with the park and obviously had to be filmed before then…

We got off the ride with plenty of time to get some food and picked up some stuff at Remy’s Bistro. They do have bags there and we got it all to go. We also did a little more browsing and then it was the sad moment to leave the park:









But it wasn’t the end of our fun in Shanghai – we will add a little recap of our visit to Shanghai before we move on to the next part of the trip, which won’t be for another day.

We then took the bus back to the resort and had a little picnic at our table in our room:





We had picked a turkey sandwich and a little tart (I think it was spinach) and shared both. Here you see the whole sandwich and half a tart.

I had also picked this tiger tail:





I thought it was a pastry, but it was actually just a plain tasting bun. Nicer to look at than to taste. I think this was the only food I had in Shanghai that I did not particular like.

Michael chose better. This is the one and only and most famous Salted Caramel Cookie:





I think my husband would be ready to fly to Shanghai even if he could not visit SDL, just too buy another cookie!

OMG!!! That cookie. Oh, how I would love another right now. That reminds me how hungry I am. So I am done talking  ... for now.!

And with that we fell into bed around midnight. No early morning for us the next day!!

Up Next: The power of Frankenweenie!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Flossbolna said:


> It was still hot as hell and sticky and icky, but, hey, we were experiencing the magic, new magic and we were in love and you and naive and ... we still wouldn't have fit in in say ... Delaware.



Well, we don't just let anybody in here.



Flossbolna said:


>



Oh my.  And if they need to post a sign...



Flossbolna said:


> No pics is the rule, unless you want a single finger salute. My beauty transcends photography and can't be captured by a camera ... or worse, a phone!



I can vouch for this.  You still owe me a new phone, by the way.



Flossbolna said:


> The one thing that totally baffled me about Adventure Isle is that they built a canoe ride there! I know the Disneyland purists love that ride, but I am with my sister (the marshmallow tradition one) who said in 1992 on our first ever Disney park visit to Disneyland that she thinks Disney is a really smart company that it can convince people to pay good money for a theme park and then have them sit in a canoe in the blazing sun working hard. If she had just known then what Disney could get people to pay good money for… And yes, neither she nor I have ever been on a Disney canoe.



Next we'll see Disney's Magical Urine Mopping Experience!



Flossbolna said:


> Our destination was now the Camp Discovery Challenge Trails. This is a very unique attraction as you get into a harness and then can go on a rope course. Every report we had from the park was raving about this attraction.



That sounds like fun.  My daughter would love that.



Flossbolna said:


> But then we were told that the locker line was already closed!! We were really devastated that we were so stupid to miss out on the attraction that we really wanted to do just because we had looked around at nice but not overly exciting stuff. Well, we then were also informed that we would not have been able to go on the attraction anyway because Michael was not wearing closed shoes, but sandals. I had known about this requirement, but totally forgot about it when Michael decided to wear sandals.



Oops.  Sorry you didn't get to do it.  Whatever the reason, I'd totally blame Michael for it.



Flossbolna said:


> A tee that he is wearing right now on the sofa as he types these comments on a typically wretched summer day in the swamps. Why do people come here this time of year? What kind of insane person would go to WDW in these conditions?



Only those who are slaves to the school calendar...



Flossbolna said:


> We saw every live show regularly scheduled except the Frozen sing along because ... why. It was also cold and dark inside! Like my soul ...







Flossbolna said:


> That’s just where I was sitting in the boat looking up towards the roof. Prettier than the Jungle Cruise!!



That looks cool!



Flossbolna said:


> Next stop: Pirates. There we waited 10 minutes in the regular line and then asked for seats in the front row of the boat. Which we got and I have to say that this really elevated the experience even more! I liked having experienced from different positions in the boat and you do notice different things as your position changes and your timing to effect is different. But front row truly was so immersive! I was really happy that we managed to ride it again. If you go to SDL plan on wanting to ride this ride multiple times!!



You've definitely sold me on the Pirates ride.


----------



## franandaj

OK if I can get through this response before you post another update I'll be caught up here!



Flossbolna said:


> Well, once at bus stop, we walked past Disneytown, but then we were not allowed to turn left towards the park entrance, instead we had to walk further towards the metro station quite a bit until we were finally allowed to make a u-turn and walk towards the park entrance, now merged with the masses coming from the metro.



So essentially no "perk" for being an onsite guest.



Flossbolna said:


> It was 8:50 a.m. by the time we were in front of the train station with no train!!



I'll remember everything is slower there. To make rope drop you have to leave much earlier that usual.



Flossbolna said:


> Once in the locker area we had real trouble figuring out how the lockers worked. I think there were central stations that were allotting lockers to you or so. Anyway, being a non-Chinese confused looking tourist quickly drew the attention of another very friendly CM who helped us get a locker.



That's nice that they came to your aid.



Flossbolna said:


> But since I have never seen the movie it was all a bit over my head.



Note to self: watch the movie before I go.



Flossbolna said:


> I would say that it’s about as intense as Big Thunder Mountain but because you are tightly fixed to your motor cycle it feels smoother, but is a bit faster. It also has a launch like Rock ‘n Roller Coaster instead of a lift hill. Unfortunately it is very short.



That's the best description of the ride that I've heard, but I'm sorry to hear it is short. That may have been the first time I've heard that.



Flossbolna said:


> It is a great ride, but too short. For those of us who actually saw Tron in theaters in 1982 and are still alive (about 4,329 total), the idea of traveling the Grid is the stuff of childhood fantasy.



Nope missed that one. I think I was too cool back then.



Flossbolna said:


> I would have preferred riding this at night as I think that is a defining SDL experience, but we just weren't able to.



I've heard that is a very cool time to try it.



Flossbolna said:


> I love the mug, but it is something to look at. I will never be having a drink in this.



Now I'm incredibly curious about it!



Flossbolna said:


> The Wandering Moon Teahouse Restaurant is a counter service selling Chinese food. We had seen it the evening before and thought it looked lovely.



I got really excited when I read this, I've never heard a review of this, i don't think.



Flossbolna said:


> So, we decided to try our luck at Disney town for some lunch.



Oh well...



Flossbolna said:


> Do you spot the 33 in this picture?



I do! That's also the first time anyone has posted it in a TR I've read.



Flossbolna said:


> At this point we decided that we should just head back to the hotel and grab something to eat there.



It just keeps going downhill...   



Flossbolna said:


> I absolutely loved my lunch. The pastry was delicious and the pork filling had plenty of interesting spices. Those buns were to die for!



Well I'm glad to hear it was a good lunch. I'm often skeptical about grab and go type places.



Flossbolna said:


> it was so hot that I started to sweat in my knee pit and the sweat then was running down over my calf. Not pleasant!!



That sounds awful. We were doing some work with paving stones yesterday, a lot of lifting, bending, and it was humid cause a tropical storm was in the area. I had sweat dripping off my forehead and I didn't like it one bit!



Flossbolna said:


> At the entrance we had a quick look into guest services and were amused by some of the signs that taught you how to be a star guest!



 obviously by your experiences, they didn't get their point across.



Flossbolna said:


> I told you about the cut and paste approach of much of the park. Here, they took the Carthay Circle models from DHS and DCA and built this facade.



Interesting, I would not have noticed that.



Flossbolna said:


> And yes, neither she nor I have ever been on a Disney canoe.



And neither have I. Ever.



Flossbolna said:


> Our destination was now the Camp Discovery Challenge Trails. This is a very unique attraction as you get into a harness and then can go on a rope course.



I was wondering if this was similar to the Challenge Trail in DCA.



Flossbolna said:


> In other words, don't ever expect anything like this in the USA!



OK, so, NO. 



Flossbolna said:


> What kind of insane person would go to WDW in these conditions? ... Wait, ah ... I have a reservation? Starting Sunday? At WDW?!?!? ... Um ... ah ... yeah ... never mind!



Yeah, really?  I had planned to be in WDW over Labor Day weekend, but if you were reading my TR you would know that that plan was vetoed when it was discovered that John Williams was at the Hollywood Bowl that weekend and it was required that Fran and I attend.   I do have to say that the weather at the Hollywood Bowl was much preferred to that at WDW that weekend!



Flossbolna said:


> Yes, it's in Mandarin. But if you've seen the film, you understand the characters and the plot and the music ...



Note to self: Another film I need to watch before attending that park.



Flossbolna said:


> I tried my best to get some pictures:



You made a valiant effort!



Flossbolna said:


> This is Soarin’ over the World. It had its debut here in Shanghai before it came to Florida and California. But we had both experienced the new film already by then in the US.



I was lucky enough to see the Shanghai ending at an event an Imagineering so I've actually seen all three endings without having traveled to Shanghai!



Flossbolna said:


> I will also say that SDL is laid out horribly. I don't think I have ever walked as much in a day in a castle park.



I've heard that too.  I saw a map where friends walked back and forth and back and forth transversing far more than than they needed to but didn't realize how the park was laid out. 



Flossbolna said:


> But it wasn’t the end of our fun in Shanghai – we will add a little recap of our visit to Shanghai before we move on to the next part of the trip, which won’t be for another day.



I didn't realize that you had so little time at SDL!  You definitely need to go back if this is it!


----------



## franandaj

OK if I can get through this response before you post another update I'll be caught up here!



Flossbolna said:


> Well, once at bus stop, we walked past Disneytown, but then we were not allowed to turn left towards the park entrance, instead we had to walk further towards the metro station quite a bit until we were finally allowed to make a u-turn and walk towards the park entrance, now merged with the masses coming from the metro.



So essentially no "perk" for being an onsite guest.



Flossbolna said:


> It was 8:50 a.m. by the time we were in front of the train station with no train!!



I'll remember everything is slower there. To make rope drop you have to leave much earlier that usual.



Flossbolna said:


> Once in the locker area we had real trouble figuring out how the lockers worked. I think there were central stations that were allotting lockers to you or so. Anyway, being a non-Chinese confused looking tourist quickly drew the attention of another very friendly CM who helped us get a locker.



That's nice that they came to your aid.



Flossbolna said:


> But since I have never seen the movie it was all a bit over my head.



Note to self: watch the movie before I go.



Flossbolna said:


> I would say that it’s about as intense as Big Thunder Mountain but because you are tightly fixed to your motor cycle it feels smoother, but is a bit faster. It also has a launch like Rock ‘n Roller Coaster instead of a lift hill. Unfortunately it is very short.



That's the best description of the ride that I've heard, but I'm sorry to hear it is short. That may have been the first time I've heard that.



Flossbolna said:


> It is a great ride, but too short. For those of us who actually saw Tron in theaters in 1982 and are still alive (about 4,329 total), the idea of traveling the Grid is the stuff of childhood fantasy.



Nope missed that one. I think I was too cool back then.



Flossbolna said:


> I would have preferred riding this at night as I think that is a defining SDL experience, but we just weren't able to.



I've heard that is a very cool time to try it. 



Flossbolna said:


> I love the mug, but it is something to look at. I will never be having a drink in this.



Now I'm incredibly curious about it!



Flossbolna said:


> The Wandering Moon Teahouse Restaurant is a counter service selling Chinese food. We had seen it the evening before and thought it looked lovely.



I got really excited when I read this, I've never heard a review of this, i don't think.



Flossbolna said:


> So, we decided to try our luck at Disney town for some lunch.



Oh well...



Flossbolna said:


> Do you spot the 33 in this picture?



I do! That's also the first time anyone has posted it in a TR I've read.



Flossbolna said:


> At this point we decided that we should just head back to the hotel and grab something to eat there.



It just keeps going downhill...   



Flossbolna said:


> I absolutely loved my lunch. The pastry was delicious and the pork filling had plenty of interesting spices. Those buns were to die for!



Well I'm glad to hear it was a good lunch. I'm often skeptical about grab and go type places.



Flossbolna said:


> it was so hot that I started to sweat in my knee pit and the sweat then was running down over my calf. Not pleasant!!



That sounds awful. We were doing some work with paving stones yesterday, a lot of lifting, bending, and it was humid cause a tropical storm was in the area. I had sweat dripping off my forehead and I didn't like it one bit!



Flossbolna said:


> At the entrance we had a quick look into guest services and were amused by some of the signs that taught you how to be a star guest!



 obviously by your experiences, they didn't get their point across.



Flossbolna said:


> I told you about the cut and paste approach of much of the park. Here, they took the Carthay Circle models from DHS and DCA and built this facade.



It's nice that they like what they've done before, but too bad that they can't come up with something totally new.



Flossbolna said:


> And yes, neither she nor I have ever been on a Disney canoe.



Either have I. 



Flossbolna said:


> Our destination was now the Camp Discovery Challenge Trails. This is a very unique attraction as you get into a harness and then can go on a rope course.



And I don't think you would find me doing this either.



Flossbolna said:


> In other words, don't ever expect anything like this in the USA!



I was wondering if this is what the thing at DCA is, I think its called Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, but I guess not.



Flossbolna said:


> What kind of insane person would go to WDW in these conditions? ... Wait, ah ... I have a reservation? Starting Sunday? At WDW?!?!? ... Um ... ah ... yeah ... never mind!



Yeah, what kind of crazy person?



Flossbolna said:


> Yes, it's in Mandarin. But if you've seen the film, you understand the characters and the plot and the music ...



Another film I'll need to see before I go....



Flossbolna said:


> I tried my best to get some pictures:



Yours are the first that I've seen in the dark.  It looks like a completely different ride.



Flossbolna said:


> This is Soarin’ over the World. It had its debut here in Shanghai before it came to Florida and California. But we had both experienced the new film already by then in the US.



I've actually seen the Shanghai film, I got attend an event at Imagineering and they showed us the film before the park opened. 



Flossbolna said:


> I will also say that SDL is laid out horribly. I don't think I have ever walked as much in a day in a castle park.



I've heard that as well. Someone posted a map of the park and then drew a line of their path throughout the day, they backtracked numerous times. I don't remember their step count but it was something like 20K.



Flossbolna said:


> But it wasn’t the end of our fun in Shanghai – we will add a little recap of our visit to Shanghai before we move on to the next part of the trip, which won’t be for another day.



Wow! Short trip! I believe you said you were doing the 144 hour transit Visa, but I didn't realize you only had the two days in the park.


----------



## Lesley Wake

Found this and following along! I'm in the midst of planning my own Asian Adventure! But it will be solo and going to all 3 places!!! Yep, I'm crazy - but I started planning a Tokyo HalloXmas trip (inspired by Disneytouristblog), then saw the HK Halloween decorations and decided to add that on, and then it seemed silly to not just knock out all the Asian parks when I can use my airmiles to get all over in business class for $500 in taxes/fees (gotta love Aeroplan allowing 2 stopovers in addition to final destination).

But your TR has already been a help! And since I did Paris this past summer, I can understand the comparisons!


----------



## dolphingirl47

Flossbolna said:


> I try to disregard all conclusions people draw and look for factual descriptions, i.e. not listen to people who say that DLP CM are rude unless I find out why they think them rude. And then just adjust my expectations accordingly.



That is a very wise approach.



Flossbolna said:


> Hey, you could even try to get on some travel agent trip or so!



I think I pass. I was at a industry conference in May and let's just say this put me off travel agent trips for the rest of my life.



Flossbolna said:


> Between Mickey Avenue and the castle there isn’t a traditional hub, but a more park like area called the Gardens of Imagination.



I actually really liked that area even though I agree that it is somewhat disjointed. When we were there, it was all decked out for Christmas and looked truly magical.



Flossbolna said:


> (I seem to remember that I read something that there has been some change, but I am not sure. For us it was a very strict locker rule)



I had read about the lockers before our trip and could not understand what was going on when we found the area closed. We took our stuff with us and just before the loading dock they had cast members with what looked like laundry carts collecting all bags.



Flossbolna said:


> And they finally have guns that work!!



That was our sentiment exactly.



Flossbolna said:


> For me this is a must ride in Shanghai now, but a “you really have to ride this”-ride at the other parks.



I can't wait to do this again. I always had a soft spot for this ride at Disneyland and Disneyland Paris, but when I was at Disneyland Paris last week, I kept thinking how much better this is at Shanghai.



Flossbolna said:


> Unfortunately it is very short.



I have to admit I am an absolute wimp when it comes to coasters and other thrill rides. I loved Tron, but I felt it was going on forever.



Flossbolna said:


> The Wandering Moon Teahouse Restaurant is a counter service selling Chinese food. We had seen it the evening before and thought it looked lovely.



Oh, I have to remember this for our upcoming trip. This sounds like just my kind of place.



Flossbolna said:


> We were intrigued by the Chinese chips flavors:



I discovered them in June and can't wait to get my hands on more.



Flossbolna said:


> Our destination was now the Camp Discovery Challenge Trails. This is a very unique attraction as you get into a harness and then can go on a rope course.



I never even had heard about this before. I may have to check this out in December if I feel brave. 



Flossbolna said:


> It is a C at best and is sorta a cross between Storybook Land at DL (or DLP) with the Jungle Cruise boats with the static figures that used to populate Disney Stores in the 1990s with fountains and music. You may think I am kidding, but I just described Crystal Grotto perfectly.



That really covers it perfectly.



Flossbolna said:


> And then it was finally time for us to enter our boat! The boats are nearly identical to the Jungle Cruise boats, just differently decorated.



I thought that this was really strange. I think the kind of boats they use for It's A Small World where everybody is facing forward would have worked much better.



Flossbolna said:


> By the time we were on the ride it was dark and the little scenes were nicely lit.



I kind of thought that this ride would be a once and done for me, but now I want to do it in the dark.



Flossbolna said:


> Maybe 20 minutes.



20 minutes would be my absolute limit for this ride.



Flossbolna said:


> There we waited 10 minutes in the regular line and then asked for seats in the front row of the boat. Which we got and I have to say that this really elevated the experience even more!



Thanks for the tip.



Flossbolna said:


> We soared around the world and over the horizon and in the end we flew over the skyline of Shanghai. Stupid me was disappointed that we did not end at SDL, but then the ride opened with the park and obviously had to be filmed before then…



I felt exactly the same way.

Corinna


----------



## Steppesister

I'm trying desperately to catch up, Magdalene, so in the interest of reading more I will keep my comments brief. But rest assured I have read the last update (both parts!) and really enjoyed the next bit of touring through SDL. It really sounds like a beautifully done park with some nice and unique to there rides. 




Flossbolna said:


>



Just wow. 




Flossbolna said:


> It is very unique and definitely one of those attractions that live up to the slogan of “authentically Disney, distinctly Chinese”.



I LOVE this slogan! 



Flossbolna said:


> This is a boat ride through lovely scenes from various Disney movies (maybe all princess movies?). No, Fantasia is in it ... Aladdin isn't really a princess film ... same with Mulan ... (well, both Jasmine and Mulan are officially inducted into the Disney Princesses Court, but I guess Michael is not too familiar with the topic). It has some kind of back story about a boy and a grotto full of crystals. And I think in the end you go underneath the castle and end up in that grotto. I am sorry that I can’t explain the back story any better, maybe Michael can? Nope, he can't. You got most of it. Ultimately it is a ride through Disney movies to introduce you to the films. But it is another unique attraction and someone we know was involved with this ride.



This sounds like a very really well done and fun attraction. I think I'd probably really like it a lot!


----------



## Magical_Suitcase

Kate here (aka "kid-at-heart", now "Magical_Suitcase" since that is what my family calls me when I create "magical vacations". Finally after 1000s of posts and moving up in age, "kid-at-heart" just did not feel right anymore; so I am starting over with a new disboards name...). 

Totally off topic:  I am so glad to hear you and Michael have tied the knot.  You two seem to have so much fun together, a great thing to have in a relationship.  With you being in Germany and Michael being in Florida, how did you meet?

Throughly enjoying the trip report.  I do not think I could handle the personal space issues though.


----------



## NHdisneylover

Flossbolna said:


> That's great!! I do get that long days are different from short visits and three days of serious WDW touring tires out the healthy people, too. I sometimes think one of the reasons why we have less ECVs here is that we do have a lot of sick days (up to 6 weeks with full wages, after that you still get a portion of your wages) and therefore people can take more time off to really work on re-gaining mobility after an accident. I recently read something about that this is one of the reasons why we have far less people in Europe taking pain killers as there is less of an economic need to function again as soon as possible.



Yes, I am over a month behind readung updates  but I just had to comment on this insight---I think it is a really good one and very likely one of the big factors in the levels of all kinds of chronic health issues in the USA.


----------



## GoofyFan1515

Flossbolna said:


> ut first another perspective


 Using my tablet so the full quote didn't show for some reason but I really enjoy all the different Disney castles. 



Flossbolna said:


> BTW, I have to say that maybe it was the heat or the jet lag or the excitement of being in a totally new Disney Park, but food was not something we seemed all that concerned with. Yes, shocking, I know


 Very shocking 



Flossbolna said:


> . It will change as we move on to Tokyo (should I have included a spoiler alert?).


 Well too late now. ....



Flossbolna said:


> So, we walked through Disneytown towards the bus stops.


I thought you said it was crowded 



Flossbolna said:


> Michael got an Australian


All those choices looked yummy



Flossbolna said:


> They were offering a special drink at the Sunnyside Market:


Quite fitting indeed!


----------



## lovealldisney

Hi Magdalene!  Haven't been on the DIS for quite awhile! Sounds like this was an amazing trip! And congrats on getting married! I'm so happy for you! DH and I finally made our Paris/France trip in May! Wonderful time and wonderful country! But alas no Disney Paris for us. That just gives us an excuse to go back!


----------



## GoofyFan1515

Looks like life has been as busy for you as it has been for me. Hope you had a great birthday!  Tried to post here but the DIS was having issues  so hopefully you got my email.  Hate we missed Michael at DW. Unfortunately the window of opportunity was very limited.


----------



## Steppesister

Just checking to see if you've popped in here. Looks like you are super busy with life, but hoping it's all good things. Miss you!


----------



## soniam

Finally got to read some of this. Looking forward to the Japan part. We plan to go in 2022. I want to hit Tokyo, Disneyland, Kyoto, Osaka, and Universal and maybe the Miyazaki park. I know, it's pretty far off. I completely get the life getting in the way. I have given up on writing trip reports, because I end up having too many trips between and never get to finish the earlier report Oh well. I hope you find time to update on Japan. Thanks for taking the time to write this report.


----------



## Poolrat

Finally able to catch up !    So sorry for the delay.  




Flossbolna said:


> Yes, I took pictures of all of them (my boyfriend was making fun of me because of that). Do I know the boyfriend? He has to be a saint to put up with you!


   Married an already have a boyfriend... Girlfriend......







Flossbolna said:


> We knew that he would be thrilled about any that we could find for him, so we went to purchase them and the lovely CM at the register chats with us about how this is a set of six pins and we said yes, we know, but we only found these. She said that she would get us the others and went off into their storage area and came back with the missing three! So, we were thrilled that we got the full set for Michael’s friend!



Nice that you could get the whole set.  



Flossbolna said:


> And with that we left the park, took the bus back to the Toy Story Hotel and fell into bed at midnight finally with plans to try to catch the 7:15 a.m. bus to get to the park for rope drop at 8!



Best laid plans....   you had to be exhausted! 



Flossbolna said:


> At the entrance we had a quick look into guest services and were amused by some of the signs that taught you how to be a star guest!



Apparently they are needed. 



Flossbolna said:


> And yes, this is a rare Michael sighting – he is exhibiting a perfect Disney two finger point here!



Yes he is hey perfect Disney point.  Good seeing you Michael! 





There - All caught up!  Hope All is going well in your part of the world.  Happy Anniversary!   A bit late but hope your last trip to WDW was nice.


----------



## irene_dsc

Checking in, after reading the whole thing (so far)!  I love the amount of detail you put into your stories, even though it's unlikely we'll have a chance to use any of your tips!


----------



## Flossbolna

Hello everyone!! Happy New Year and I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I am really sorry for falling off the face of the earth. I am not really sure what to tell you what happened. But one thing I know: When my husband is around, I am far less likely to find time for my trip report. I guess I do enjoy his company and we do too many things together, so less time for trip report writing. Then work was crazy, I spent weekends with various parts of my family and then left for four blissful weeks in sunny Florida over Christmas! I got to see New Year's Eve fireworks at WDW (as a double feature: first at MK for NYE-Eve and then on the real day in Epcot). Afterwards I was too spoilt to enjoy Happy Ever After... Now I am back in grey and snowy Germany missing my husband and have time to come back to this report to bask in the happy memories of our amazing trip: at least it will be sunny in my heart!

So, let's do some replies first, in case you all still know what your replies were about...



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Oh my. And if they need to post a sign...



Yes, scary...



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I can vouch for this. You still owe me a new phone, by the way.



So sorry about your phone! But I am sure he warned you! 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Next we'll see Disney's Magical Urine Mopping Experience!



They already have that - they call it the College Program



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That sounds like fun. My daughter would love that.



The Challenge Trails get rave reviews from everyone who was on them. They are so nicely different.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Oops. Sorry you didn't get to do it. Whatever the reason, I'd totally blame Michael for it.



Good strategy!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Only those who are slaves to the school calendar...



I have friends with two daughters (9 and 6) and they want to go to Florida on vacation and I have a really hard time to tell them when to go. After experiencing Christmas week I have to say I think it is not as crazy as I always thought it would be. I think with older kids it could actually be quite manageable. I am not going to recommend it for my friends who have never been to WDW before and I think their girls are still too young. But a family with teenagers who have experience at WDW could have a blast with all the extra entertainment and such. 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> You've definitely sold me on the Pirates ride.



Not a hard sell. I have heard many opinions about Shanghai so far and the one thing that everyone agrees on is that Pirates is amazing. I have not heard one single person say that they were not impressed.


----------



## dizneeat

*Welcome back, Magdalene! *


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> OK if I can get through this response before you post another update I'll be caught up here!



Ha! You were afraid of me updating too quickly!! That is nice!



franandaj said:


> So essentially no "perk" for being an onsite guest.



This has changed now, but only for those who bought the ticket through the hotel or something like that. But now it is a perk that is really valuable!



franandaj said:


> I'll remember everything is slower there. To make rope drop you have to leave much earlier that usual.



Or make sure that you can take advantage of the hotel entry perk!



franandaj said:


> Note to self: watch the movie before I go.



I feel like I should have watched Tron. But by now you might be more likely to ride the Tron coaster at WDW before Shanghai. I think it is opening next year?



franandaj said:


> That's the best description of the ride that I've heard, but I'm sorry to hear it is short. That may have been the first time I've heard that.



I am surprised that others haven't commented on how short it is. Compared to other coasters it feels very short too me.



franandaj said:


> Nope missed that one. I think I was too cool back then.



I had never heard of Tron before I heard Disney people talk about being excited about the relaunch a few years ago.



franandaj said:


> I do! That's also the first time anyone has posted it in a TR I've read.



I am happy to have provided the exclusive Club 33 picture in Shanghai!



franandaj said:


> Well I'm glad to hear it was a good lunch. I'm often skeptical about grab and go type places.



We had looked at it the other day, so knew that there was stuff that looked good. 



franandaj said:


> That sounds awful. We were doing some work with paving stones yesterday, a lot of lifting, bending, and it was humid cause a tropical storm was in the area. I had sweat dripping off my forehead and I didn't like it one bit!



I hope the sweaty paving stone work is only a distant memory now and that weather has become far more pleasant by now!



franandaj said:


> Interesting, I would not have noticed that.



Since Michael had told me about the copy cat approach at SDL, it was actually quite easy to see while there.



franandaj said:


> And neither have I. Ever.



Smart person not going on the canoes! I approve!



franandaj said:


> I was wondering if this was similar to the Challenge Trail in DCA.



I think the trail at DCA is more of a walk through attraction, this was more like a zip line without the zipping, just walking along. Kind of like the bridge people go over at the Wild Africa Trek at AK.



franandaj said:


> Yeah, really? I had planned to be in WDW over Labor Day weekend, but if you were reading my TR you would know that that plan was vetoed when it was discovered that John Williams was at the Hollywood Bowl that weekend and it was required that Fran and I attend. I do have to say that the weather at the Hollywood Bowl was much preferred to that at WDW that weekend!



Sounds like Fran was very smart there!



franandaj said:


> I was lucky enough to see the Shanghai ending at an event an Imagineering so I've actually seen all three endings without having traveled to Shanghai!



Soon there will be a fourth: Tokyo.



franandaj said:


> I've heard that too. I saw a map where friends walked back and forth and back and forth transversing far more than than they needed to but didn't realize how the park was laid out.



It took me some time to realize how the layout worked - and once you have worked it out, it's still a pain because nothing is close



franandaj said:


> I didn't realize that you had so little time at SDL! You definitely need to go back if this is it!



It really was just a stop over on our way to the main event: Japan!


----------



## iivye

Yea! Looking forward to the Tokyo part!


----------



## Flossbolna

Lesley Wake said:


> Found this and following along! I'm in the midst of planning my own Asian Adventure! But it will be solo and going to all 3 places!!! Yep, I'm crazy - but I started planning a Tokyo HalloXmas trip (inspired by Disneytouristblog), then saw the HK Halloween decorations and decided to add that on, and then it seemed silly to not just knock out all the Asian parks when I can use my airmiles to get all over in business class for $500 in taxes/fees (gotta love Aeroplan allowing 2 stopovers in addition to final destination).
> 
> But your TR has already been a help! And since I did Paris this past summer, I can understand the comparisons!



Sorry that this trip report kind of stopped last fall. It sounds like you could have used some more of it before your trip. Sounds like you had some great plans and I hope that they turned into an amazing trip!


----------



## Lesley Wake

Flossbolna said:


> Sorry that this trip report kind of stopped last fall. It sounds like you could have used some more of it before your trip. Sounds like you had some great plans and I hope that they turned into an amazing trip!


Oh no - I haven't gone on the trip yet! Still about 9 months away! And I totally understand delays in updating! Can't wait to (hopefully) read more!


----------



## Flossbolna

dolphingirl47 said:


> I think I pass. I was at a industry conference in May and let's just say this put me off travel agent trips for the rest of my life.



I had to laugh at this, but I think I understand.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I actually really liked that area even though I agree that it is somewhat disjointed. When we were there, it was all decked out for Christmas and looked truly magical.



I think part of my issue with SDL was the heat. And a very open and sunny space was not something we were interested it. With seasonal decorations I can imagine to be beautiful!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I had read about the lockers before our trip and could not understand what was going on when we found the area closed. We took our stuff with us and just before the loading dock they had cast members with what looked like laundry carts collecting all bags.



That sounds like a strange concept, too. At Europapark they have a great concept with shelves next to the train that are then locked until this train comes back to the station. To me this is the best solution for bags I ever experienced!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I have to admit I am an absolute wimp when it comes to coasters and other thrill rides. I loved Tron, but I felt it was going on forever.



So, BTM must feel like eternity then to you?



dolphingirl47 said:


> Oh, I have to remember this for our upcoming trip. This sounds like just my kind of place.



I guess your upcoming trip is now your past trip already: So, did you make it there and did you like it?



dolphingirl47 said:


> That really covers it perfectly.



I know that we are quite different in our attraction preferences, but it is interesting how your and my opinions about SDL attractions are so similar!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I thought that this was really strange. I think the kind of boats they use for It's A Small World where everybody is facing forward would have worked much better.



I agree. Strange choice!



dolphingirl47 said:


> I kind of thought that this ride would be a once and done for me, but now I want to do it in the dark.



I think all outdoor attractions are different at night and worth it twice therefore.


----------



## Flossbolna

Steppesister said:


> I'm trying desperately to catch up, Magdalene, so in the interest of reading more I will keep my comments brief. But rest assured I have read the last update (both parts!) and really enjoyed the next bit of touring through SDL. It really sounds like a beautifully done park with some nice and unique to there rides.



I am happy to hear that you are enjoying the updates - and in the interest of me catching up with replies, I am not too sad that your reply was short!


----------



## Flossbolna

Magical_Suitcase said:


> Kate here (aka "kid-at-heart", now "Magical_Suitcase" since that is what my family calls me when I create "magical vacations". Finally after 1000s of posts and moving up in age, "kid-at-heart" just did not feel right anymore; so I am starting over with a new disboards name...).



Hi Kate! Great to see you! I like your new name and avatar! I don't think I could ever give up my name...



Magical_Suitcase said:


> Totally off topic: I am so glad to hear you and Michael have tied the knot. You two seem to have so much fun together, a great thing to have in a relationship. With you being in Germany and Michael being in Florida, how did you meet?



Thank you! Ultimately it was thanks to the internet, a common friend and both of our love for Disney. We started out as friends emailing each other and talking on the phone for quite some time without ever thinking about a relationship.



Magical_Suitcase said:


> Throughly enjoying the trip report. I do not think I could handle the personal space issues though.



I think they were made worse due to summer and the crowds. Cooler weather, less busy season at the park and the personal space situation should be much better.


----------



## Flossbolna

NHdisneylover said:


> Yes, I am over a month behind readung updates  but I just had to comment on this insight---I think it is a really good one and very likely one of the big factors in the levels of all kinds of chronic health issues in the USA.



Don't worry about being behind in reading updates. I am even more behind in writing them...


----------



## soniam

No apologies necessary. Life, and vacation, can get in the way of documenting our vacations Hope you had a good time with your husband.


----------



## Flossbolna

GoofyFan1515 said:


> Very shocking



I can promise you that we were bored enough with WDW that we ended up eating a ton there!  



GoofyFan1515 said:


> I thought you said it was crowded



The parks! Not Disneytown! and not on sunny streets in the middle of the day!!  



GoofyFan1515 said:


> All those choices looked yummy



The food there was overall really good.


----------



## Flossbolna

lovealldisney said:


> Hi Magdalene!  Haven't been on the DIS for quite awhile! Sounds like this was an amazing trip! And congrats on getting married! I'm so happy for you! DH and I finally made our Paris/France trip in May! Wonderful time and wonderful country! But alas no Disney Paris for us. That just gives us an excuse to go back!



Wendy! Great to see you here!! Thank you for the congratulations! Sounds like you had another amazing trip to Europe! Hope you will make it back soon again!



GoofyFan1515 said:


> Looks like life has been as busy for you as it has been for me. Hope you had a great birthday!  Tried to post here but the DIS was having issues  so hopefully you got my email.  Hate we missed Michael at DW. Unfortunately the window of opportunity was very limited.



Thank you for the birthday wishes... And I hope we will have better windows of opportunity in the future!!



Steppesister said:


> Just checking to see if you've popped in here. Looks like you are super busy with life, but hoping it's all good things. Miss you!



Ugh. I was very busy. I miss hanging out with you people, too. 



soniam said:


> Finally got to read some of this. Looking forward to the Japan part. We plan to go in 2022. I want to hit Tokyo, Disneyland, Kyoto, Osaka, and Universal and maybe the Miyazaki park. I know, it's pretty far off. I completely get the life getting in the way. I have given up on writing trip reports, because I end up having too many trips between and never get to finish the earlier report Oh well. I hope you find time to update on Japan. Thanks for taking the time to write this report.



Yes!! I will definitely write about Japan! I want to have that trip report for myself. It was such an amazing trip! 2022 is still quite some time away and I have to be finished by then!! We actually hope to be back to Japan before you are going there...


----------



## Flossbolna

Poolrat said:


> Finally able to catch up ! So sorry for the delay.



I am the one who has to say sorry!! It sounds like your life is hopefully to become a bit less stressful now from a comment you made on Liesa's report. That would be wonderful!



Poolrat said:


> Married an already have a boyfriend... Girlfriend......



 



Poolrat said:


> Best laid plans.... you had to be exhausted!



We kind of screwed up a bit with our planning there. But we are prone to that. We don't want to waste time so we plan crazy things like that. In October I dragged Michael on a train at 6 am. That was no fun!! For either of us.



Poolrat said:


> Yes he is hey perfect Disney point. Good seeing you Michael!



He is good at that!



Poolrat said:


> There - All caught up! Hope All is going well in your part of the world. Happy Anniversary! A bit late but hope your last trip to WDW was nice.



Thank you! WDW was nice, but we did not do a lot of park stuff. We played mini golf, watched fireworks and saw Christmas entertainment, spent a day at Typhoon Lagoon, ate, swam in resort pool etc. The best part of the vacation: collecting sunshine!!



irene_dsc said:


> Checking in, after reading the whole thing (so far)! I love the amount of detail you put into your stories, even though it's unlikely we'll have a chance to use any of your tips!



 and thank you! I try to write the reports the way that I would like to read them and it is nice when other people enjoy my work!


----------



## Flossbolna

dizneeat said:


> *Welcome back, Magdalene! *



Hi Karin! I hope you survived the snow without issues!



iivye said:


> Yea! Looking forward to the Tokyo part!



Hopefully coming very soon!



Lesley Wake said:


> Oh no - I haven't gone on the trip yet! Still about 9 months away! And I totally understand delays in updating! Can't wait to (hopefully) read more!



Ah! I thought it was going to be fall 2018! I really hope that my trip report will be done by the time you leave on yours, but no guarantees!



soniam said:


> No apologies necessary. Life, and vacation, can get in the way of documenting our vacations Hope you had a good time with your husband.



Thanks! And yes, I think I married the right guy: I do enjoy his company!


----------



## Flossbolna

Day 3: Disneytown and Shanghai

Part 1: The Power of Frankenweenie

The day started with something that we were in desperate need of: Sleep! We slept in and then took our time to get ready. I think we both were also really comfortable in our nice and cold room and were not that keen on heading out into the heat again...

I took a picture of our room view:






We had a view of the park’s parking lot, mainly the bus lot. In the distance you can see the Disneyland Hotel. And you see the bridge that was filled with people every morning for those arriving by car. Not counting for those arriving by metro, who would approach the park from the other side.






You might notice the parking lot looks tiny. Indeed, despite China's growth over the last 30 years (the first freeway in the Mainland was built in 1989, so they don't have a long car culture history. For some reason, I think this factoid may entertain a guy here from Delaware.) it would appear SDL isn't expected to draw many drivers.

This is where we take an aside so I/we can apologize to our loyal readers and friends here. You may notice that we have a tendency to start strong and then finish like the Miami Dolphins. We really, really, really enjoy writing these trip reports and sharing our adventures and knowledge here. But we probably shouldn't be doing them. Our lives have been utter chaos since 2014. I sometimes wonder how we managed to get married considering everything. Because of this, we can't seem to finish these. Or move them along at a pace where we recall what we actually did. Now, if this were boring, old, overpriced, overrated WDW (I am getting close to being done with the place, but will leave that rant for another time. That's what 12 days over NYE will do for you, I guess.) it wouldn't bother me. You don't need to read about what we did at the MK on December 30th or our $99 28-ounce Porterhouse at STK that gives me nightly fantasies or what I think about Toy Story Land (absolutely hate it!) 

But this is different. This is a trip many of you won't make. It also was a very important one because it was on this trip that well ... we decided we would indeed get married. Hard to believe we have been a loaded international super couple for over a year now. I wish I could say you'll see regular updates here, but I don't lie (even when my wife is modeling clothing purchases). The next one might come in March. March of 2022. I just don't know. But thanks to those of you who are still interested. The trip was amazing. I hope we get to share the entire thing with you. Rest assured, no trip report on WDW December/January 2018-19 will be forthcoming.  Happy and Health New Year's Wishes to all and back to your most definitely not regularly scheduled trip report! 

We were really lazy and did not leave our room until around noon. I think I might have quickly run down to the shop to pick up our in-park purchases that we had sent to the hotel the other day.

We did. We also made some purchases of First Anniversary merchandise that, thankfully, hasn't appeared at the outlets in the swamps yet.

Just when we were about to leave we noticed that there was a paper that had come in underneath the door and it was a note from housekeeping that they could not service the room because we had the “Do Not Disturb” sign up and if we wanted housekeeping to please call a specific number. So, we did that before we left the room, but were not very confident that they had understood what we wanted. But as it happened, the room was serviced when we got back.

We headed down to the bus as we wanted to explore the World of Disney store at Disneytown and have lunch there. I took a picture of the hotel gift shop’s outside entrance:







And then we got on the bus:







The bus service was really great, I don’t think we ever waited more than 10 minutes. It seemed that they had at least two busses and since the drive was so short, they came very frequently.

In other words, this isn't WDW. You can depend on the bus transportation. We never used the boats that traverse Wishing Star Lake from the SDL Hotel since we (sadly) never made it there.

There are two busses. One goes to the parks and the other one goes directly to the metro station. This is great if you want to travel to the hotel by public transport. The metro station bus does not go as frequently as the one to the parks.

When we got on the bus, it was obvious that the bus would not be full and Michael decided that we each should take a full bench of two seats for each of us (yes, for some reason my husband does not like sitting next to me on public transport – and no, it’s not because I am smelly!!).

First of all, we never agreed that you aren't smelly. But, no, I generally (and especially on very hot days) don't want to be on top of anyone. Yes, I fear I could smell as bad as someone who went camping, or just lives, in Delaware.

Two families that were travelling together, each with a girl about 10 years old, boarded just after us. There was some debate and then the girls chose to sit on the two seats next to Michael and me (they were heavily encouraged by their parents) and started to talk to us. Their English was very basic, but you could tell that they were so proud to try it out. We had a neat little conversation about that they were excited to go to Disneyland, that they had travelled by train from their home. I think they were disappointed that I was not an American. And Michael asked them about Mickey Mouse but they had no clue who that was! You could tell that their parents were totally proud of their daughters talking to foreigners in English. The experience definitely added some magic to our day and I would like to think also to theirs!

This is very common in China. I first noticed this in 2008 when part of the team that ran the Olympiad in Beijing. Children would come up to us in restaurants and chat and offer us gifts. The Chinese (despite what you may hear from say FOX News) love Americans largely and are very interested in our culture (except for Star Wars, just ask Iger!) Many adults don't speak English or speak only a few phrases, but children are now taught from a very young age. So you may meet a largely fluent six-year-old. These parents were in their 30s and didn't really speak it, but it was a magical exchange. BTW, ask yourself if Americans would send their children to sit next to foreign visitors and attempt to communicate (especially from enemy nations, which now apparently are everyone except perhaps Russia and North Korea). It's one reason why China was my second home. It has dropped to No. 3 because I was trapped into marrying a crazy German.

Once we got to World of Disney, Michael started to work on his project that he had prepared for and had either forgotten on our park days or felt that it would have complicated things too much. He had brought trading pins in the hope to trade for some nice Shanghai pins. He had also brought a bunch for me. Thanks to the Disney outlet (the one that got all the Shanghai merchandise this year), he always has a source for really cheap pins. It seems that Disney produces loads of pins that don’t sell at all and they can be gotten for very little money at the outlet. Sometimes they are even nice ones, but sometimes they are also very strange ones.

As of last visit they still had dozens of SDL Grand Opening pins with Duffy on them for 49 cents! I am pretty certain they will restock the others soon since they clearly made enough for every Chinese citizen to buy 10 of each pin.

So, we were hoping to make some nice trades with CMs while shopping at Disneytown. We got there and already at the entrance Michael sees a CM with a pin that he likes and he makes his first trade. I will let him explain which of his pins he traded.

Very simple. It was a $1.99 outlet special for the film Frankenweenie. Nothing overly special to me but ...

We then move on to the store which is huge and decide that we need to tackle it with some system to figure out what we want to get. We had plenty of people who we wanted to get gifts for and we had people who had asked us to pick up something for them. We had shopped a little over the last two days, but just as with the eating, there was not a lot of time for shopping. Also, with today, which was July 1, the new summer festival had started with new entertainment and merchandise at the park and also at the World of Disney store. Some of it was really cute:







We explored with a system and then realized that besides the already huge store with a circular layout there was also a side shop that was kind of the “hip” store with “Tren-D” stuff and such. This part was really nicely designed:













Apparently, as with most of Disney Town, the American bloggers and lifestylers who visited prior to us simply missed this area because I never saw a picture or read about it before our visit.

And while we were looking at phone cases there was this group of three Chinese 20-somethings rushing to us all excited. I thought at first that they were angry with us for some reason. The leader of the group was waving the pin Michael had just traded with the CM about 15 minutes earlier and wanted to know if we had traded that pin. I thought something was wrong with the pin and they were the self-proclaimed Chinese pin trader police going to tell us that we could not trade foreign pins with CMs. Well, it was the total opposite. They were hoping that we had brought more pins to trade and wanted to see if we had anything to offer. Michael had the better pins than me and ended up with some really nice pins, one was a limited edition that had just come out and sold out that morning. But I also got a couple of cute pins!

It was another fun cultural exchange. I wound up trading an outlet store Doc Ock pin (the bad dude from Spider-Man, go ride the ride at Islands of Adventure or buy some comics for more information) for a Summer Fest LE pin. I think it was the Chipmunks (Chuck and Dave) dressed like an ice cream cone. The 'kids' in this case were all 20-somethings and had a decent, but not fluent, knowledge of English. It was fun chatting with them and seeing some of their pins, including Grand Opening pins. I didn't realize how many of those I would wind up with a year later! Oh, if any of you want to add these to your collections , just let M know. I will give the Friends and Family discount, so you will only pay $24.99 each with free shipping on purchases of $149.99 and greater.

After this we started our shopping for serious. We had a long list of people we wanted to get gifts for and some people had asked us to pick up some specific items for them. They had some really nice 1st anniversary merchandise and we picked up a couple of these items. Ever since the Grand Opening merchandise started to be dumped at the Florida Disney outlets, we live in fear that the lovely things we got in Shanghai for the first anniversary would have the same fate. Actually, on our recent visit, I did see a mug that I got at the China pavilion in Epcot, but it was definitely not cheaper there than in Shanghai!

Yes, they have a few items, a rather weird assortment. But they are actually as much as regular price was and, in many cases, more. I think this is the decision of the vendor who runs the pavilion and not Disney. Either way, the merchandise has been there for over a year and doesn't seem to sell (after the Bloggers and Tweeters went nuts when it first appeared) or get replaced.

Overall they had a fair amount of resort specific merchandise. I loved the “old Shanghai” look for some of the merchandise:


















They also had some resort specific collector’s items like these that were inspired by the Shanghai Pirates ride:







The train from the parade:







And this Chinese Mega-Vinylmation:







The store is huge and does not have any special décor in general. But then there are all these lovely attraction posters from all around the world on various columns.

I loved this one the most as I truly miss my old Space Mountain from Disneyland Paris!!







It was such an uplifting ride – it would inspire someone I know to shout “Sivako!” if he ever got to experience it!

I think he lives his life by that philosophy. He still wonders whether he should have bought one of those half-priced banshees at Cast Connection!

It was a really random collection:


















(Have a close look at this last one… It’s not from WDW!)

Quick note here (yes, I am capable of being quick!), but World of Disney largely looks more like it Parisian cousin, which was based on the originals in the USA, but also toned down a bit as far as large character displays. These stores are also circular in design, not like the giant rectangles you get in Anaheim and Orlando. Now, with both USA stores going for the hip Chipotle 2005 or any gastropub in 2011 look, the Paris and Shanghai stores look a little dated.

After shopping was completed, we decided to have lunch at Disneytown as we were there and it was lunch time. Since we love The Boathouse at Disney Springs and we knew that they had a branch at Disneytown we decided to check it out. It was a bit of a strange place. First, it was not really connected to the rest of Disneytown, but on the other side of the main walkway on the water edge. I had read that they were serving dim sum for lunch and that was actually something that appealed to us. However, the whole place looked strangely forlorn, a bit run down on the outside and like it wasn’t doing to well.

OMG!!! It sounds like you are talking about your poor husband!







The outside seating looked nice, but dirty and it was far too hot to sit outside.

We were not surprised when we heard that it had closed some months after our visit.

This was the menu:







There were more on the backside.

The restaurant consisted of a very small entrance area dining room where we were seated and then a huge hall that was totally empty for lunch:












As you can see, at some point before we got there a large group had a meal there.

This was the corner where we were seated:







Michael had a Pepsi to drink which arrived in a can:







I got some iced green tea:







After seeing his soda in a can I was wondering if the tea would be safe to drink… But I did not have any issues.

We had some soup with dumplings, some rice with vegetables and some steamed dumplings. It was all really tasty!

















Despite the strange atmosphere, we really enjoyed a very relaxing meal in a fairly empty restaurant. It was quite and relaxing and just what we needed after two days of running around.

As soon as I walked in, I realized the place was (sadly) not long for existence. The placement of it is very poor. Like on one spit of land that juts out into the lake, Everything except this one building, which featured a few shops that were dead (including one selling what appeared to be mostly Star Wars and Marvel stuff), was on the other side of the huge walkway. WoD, Starbucks, the rest of Disneytown and SDL itself. ... I was surprised, though, that the menu was entirely local food. No burgers, steaks, salads and seafood at all. Not sure if they opened with this menu or if it was a last gasp. But the food was wonderful and the entire meal was less than $18. ... BTW, other typical names like Cheesecake Factory and Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill both largely feature the same menus they do in the States, with just a few extra noodle or rice dishes. And they seem to be doing great.

We then headed back to the hotel to drop our purchases and on the way I took a picture of the map which might be helpful to understand the layout a bit better







Up Next: Part 2: Where we spend far too much time looking for a “unicorn”


----------



## Lesley Wake

Flossbolna said:


> Also, with today, which was July 1, the new summer festival had started with new entertainment and merchandise at the park and also at the World of Disney store. Some of it was really cute:


That pin is too cute! I love Chip and Dale so much!


----------



## tiggrbaby

How nice that you had a leisurely morning and were able to score some pins.  The interaction with the big and little kids makes for a nice memory!


----------



## Steppesister

Flossbolna said:


> Hello everyone!! Happy New Year and I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I am really sorry for falling off the face of the earth. I am not really sure what to tell you what happened. But one thing I know: When my husband is around, I am far less likely to find time for my trip report. I guess I do enjoy his company and we do too many things together, so less time for trip report writing. Then work was crazy, I spent weekends with various parts of my family and then left for four blissful weeks in sunny Florida over Christmas! I got to see New Year's Eve fireworks at WDW (as a double feature: first at MK for NYE-Eve and then on the real day in Epcot). Afterwards I was too spoilt to enjoy Happy Ever After... Now I am back in grey and snowy Germany missing my husband and have time to come back to this report to bask in the happy memories of our amazing trip: at least it will be sunny in my heart!



WOW! You really were very busy, but I hope things will even out and calm down for a little while. So glad you got to head to Florida for a nice long visit and spend some good time with Michael. And yes reliving the memories you had on your trip would surely put some sunshine in your heart! 

Loved your last long update, and yes, I for one am happy you will try to finish it up. Thanks, Michael for the sake of us who will likely never get to go. That last restaurant would have been one I'd have gone to despite it's out of the way location. It looked authentic and the price was certainly right!! Too bad it's out of business now.  

I LOVE those old posters and am thinking of getting a couple for my place. Hard to choose just one!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Flossbolna said:


> You might notice the parking lot looks tiny. Indeed, despite China's growth over the last 30 years (the first freeway in the Mainland was built in 1989, so they don't have a long car culture history. For some reason, I think this factoid may entertain a guy here from Delaware.)



And yet China has a huge smog problem.  I guess the industrial output far outweighs any pollution from cars.



Flossbolna said:


> You may notice that we have a tendency to start strong and then finish like the Miami Dolphins.







Flossbolna said:


> We were really lazy and did not leave our room until around noon.



Is that even allowed on a Disney trip?



Flossbolna said:


> The bus service was really great, I don’t think we ever waited more than 10 minutes.



Is that even allowed on a Disney--wait, never mind. 



Flossbolna said:


> (yes, for some reason my husband does not like sitting next to me on public transport – and no, it’s not because I am smelly!!)



I think he's protecting you from having to answer uncomfortable questions about your companion.



Flossbolna said:


> First of all, we never agreed that you aren't smelly. But, no, I generally (and especially on very hot days) don't want to be on top of anyone. Yes, I fear I could smell as bad as someone who went camping, or just lives, in Delaware.



Again, says they guy who lives next to a giant swamp.



Flossbolna said:


> Their English was very basic, but you could tell that they were so proud to try it out. We had a neat little conversation about that they were excited to go to Disneyland, that they had travelled by train from their home. I think they were disappointed that I was not an American. And Michael asked them about Mickey Mouse but they had no clue who that was! You could tell that their parents were totally proud of their daughters talking to foreigners in English. The experience definitely added some magic to our day and I would like to think also to theirs!



Very sweet.  Thanks for sharing that story.



Flossbolna said:


> As of last visit they still had dozens of SDL Grand Opening pins with Duffy on them for 49 cents!



I have no idea how Duffy is still a thing.



Flossbolna said:


> Overall they had a fair amount of resort specific merchandise.



Thank goodness!  It's a dying breed.



Flossbolna said:


> I loved this one the most as I truly miss my old Space Mountain from Disneyland Paris!!



I don't know the story there.  What was the old Space Mountain like?



Flossbolna said:


> OMG!!! It sounds like you are talking about your poor husband!



If the shoe fits...


----------



## Magical_Suitcase

Flossbolna said:


> This was the menu:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There were more on the backside.



Glad you are back.  I would love this menu.  Too bad it is no longer there.  I am guessing that the folks in China want to eat "American" food at the parks.

I am not sure I could have handled the heat you experienced.  I am from the NW (Washington state) and thought I liked heat until we moved to Louisiana right after graduate school.  After our second summer there I was looking for a job north, my goal being to go as far north as we could and still find jobs.  Which we did.  

Kate


----------



## Poolrat

Just saw this reply on the previous page......   Oh Well Thought I quoted and then never replied.  




Flossbolna said:


> I am the one who has to say sorry!! It sounds like your life is hopefully to become a bit less stressful now from a comment you made on Liesa's report. That would be wonderful!



I certainly hope so.   I will let you know when I can say for sure.  



Flossbolna said:


> In October I dragged Michael on a train at 6 am. That was no fun!! For either of us.






Flossbolna said:


> The best part of the vacation: collecting sunshine!!


 



Steppesister said:


> Thanks, Michael for the sake of us who will likely never get to go.


----------



## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> This has changed now, but only for those who bought the ticket through the hotel or something like that. But now it is a perk that is really valuable!



Well it will be a long long time before we get to Shanghai, if ever, so I guess I won't worry about it. We are more likely to go to Paris sooner than China.



Flossbolna said:


> I feel like I should have watched Tron. But by now you might be more likely to ride the Tron coaster at WDW before Shanghai. I think it is opening next year?



Well i better check it out and watch it on Netflix!



Flossbolna said:


> I hope the sweaty paving stone work is only a distant memory now and that weather has become far more pleasant by now!



It's not even a memory anymore, I can't even think about what was going on when I wrote that, but we aren't done. We need to finish a small bit of placing pavers at the patio of the old house.



Flossbolna said:


> The day started with something that we were in desperate need of: Sleep!



I'm not sure how you made it through the previous days honestly!



Flossbolna said:


> I wish I could say you'll see regular updates here, but I don't lie (even when my wife is modeling clothing purchases). The next one might come in March. March of 2022.



I'll put it in my calendar!



Flossbolna said:


> Two families that were travelling together, each with a girl about 10 years old, boarded just after us. There was some debate and then the girls chose to sit on the two seats next to Michael and me (they were heavily encouraged by their parents) and started to talk to us. Their English was very basic, but you could tell that they were so proud to try it out.



Huh. I have heard that the Chinese are eager to test out their English skills....



Flossbolna said:


> BTW, ask yourself if Americans would send their children to sit next to foreign visitors and attempt to communicate



Ask yourself if Americans would encourage their children to talk to anyone outside their immediate family.....and possibly with good cause...



Flossbolna said:


> So, we were hoping to make some nice trades with CMs while shopping at Disneytown. We got there and already at the entrance Michael sees a CM with a pin that he likes and he makes his first trade.



Cool. We used to do pin trading but it was too much work.



Flossbolna said:


> I thought something was wrong with the pin and they were the self-proclaimed Chinese pin trader police going to tell us that we could not trade foreign pins with CMs.







Flossbolna said:


> Now, with both USA stores going for the hip Chipotle 2005 or any gastropub in 2011 look



which I hate....



Flossbolna said:


> We were not surprised when we heard that it had closed some months after our visit.



That's too bad. I do love the one in Disney Springs and we'll be going there in just a few weeks!



Flossbolna said:


> After seeing his soda in a can I was wondering if the tea would be safe to drink… But I did not have any issues.



That was my first thought when I saw your drink.    I'm glad you didn't have any problems.



Flossbolna said:


> We had some soup with dumplings, some rice with vegetables and some steamed dumplings. It was all really tasty!



It all looks good!  Now I want Asian food.


----------



## Flossbolna

Lesley Wake said:


> That pin is too cute! I love Chip and Dale so much!



Thy seem to be very popular in Asia. I guess because of their cuteness factor!



tiggrbaby said:


> How nice that you had a leisurely morning and were able to score some pins.  The interaction with the big and little kids makes for a nice memory!



It was a lovely morning. And actually getting to interact with people in a foreign country is always a great bonus!


----------



## Flossbolna

Steppesister said:


> WOW! You really were very busy, but I hope things will even out and calm down for a little while. So glad you got to head to Florida for a nice long visit and spend some good time with Michael. And yes reliving the memories you had on your trip would surely put some sunshine in your heart!



I wish the recharge would have lasted longer. The last few weeks were once again crazy at work. I have no idea why, but hopefully things will improve soon!



Steppesister said:


> Loved your last long update, and yes, I for one am happy you will try to finish it up. Thanks, Michael for the sake of us who will likely never get to go. That last restaurant would have been one I'd have gone to despite it's out of the way location. It looked authentic and the price was certainly right!! Too bad it's out of business now.



There was quite a lot of authentic cuisine around in the area. And the best Chinese food will come up in the last update!



Steppesister said:


> I LOVE those old posters and am thinking of getting a couple for my place. Hard to choose just one!



They are lovely! 

I actually have one of the 20,000 Leagues under the Sea from Disneyland's Tomorrowland. I got it "for free" from Disney. I had ordered one Mary Blair It's a Small World concept art piece and Disney managed to deliver the wrong poster in the frame. Since I ordered from WDW, it came by UPS and I had to sign for it in person and it cost custom fees as it was shipped from the US... oh and the frame broke during transport. It was quite a pain in the ...


----------



## Flossbolna

Captain_Oblivious said:


> And yet China has a huge smog problem. I guess the industrial output far outweighs any pollution from cars.



Yes, just imagine how bad it were if they all drove around in cars.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Is that even allowed on a Disney trip?



Yes, especially if it is a Disney cruise! I guess that's why you were not such a great fan of your cruise... 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Is that even allowed on a Disney--wait, never mind.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> I think he's protecting you from having to answer uncomfortable questions about your companion.



Ah! That's a good one!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Again, says they guy who lives next to a giant swamp.



They do have a/c in Florida. I guess you have never heard about it in Delaware? 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Very sweet. Thanks for sharing that story.



It was one of the stories that immediately were filed under "trip report material" as it happened.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I have no idea how Duffy is still a thing.



He is cute. And what's cute sells in Asia. Did you know that it is not just Duffy? He has a bear girl-friend Shellie-May, a cat artist friend called Gelatoni, a rabbit ballet dancer friend Stella-Lou, a baking dog friend called Cookie (she is only in Hong Kong Disneyland) and a musician turtle friend called Olu (who lives at Aulani).

Couldn't find one that included Olu, but that's there rest of them:








Captain_Oblivious said:


> Thank goodness! It's a dying breed.



I was surprised that at WDW there appeared to be a lot more resort specific merchandise than in the past. And the new re-useable shopping bags seem to be quite cute and park specific. I am wondering if they finally started to understand.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I don't know the story there. What was the old Space Mountain like?



It was called "De la Terre a la Lune": From the Earth to the Moon and was the story of Jules Verne's book of that title. So, the whole design is this kind of steam punky Victorian version of sci fi. You were lining up for the launch of the Baltimore Gun Club cannon that was going to launch a rocket to the moon. The ride is a launch coaster, but the launch is uphill through the cannon on the outside of Space Mountain (if all effects are working you can see the cannon being loaded and then steam coming out of it when the rocket is launched). It still does that, but the loading area was decorated so festive for the big event with flags and such. Then, after you were launched up the hill on the outside of the mountain before dipping into it. Inside there were all these stars and such and at some point you were pulling up to that wonderful moon (perfect with a face on it, like in old drawings). The coaster has onboard sound and the soundtrack was amazing. It was such an uplifting ride and made you feel like you were going on the biggest adventure. I think the soundtrack is as good as the original Soarin score in the way that it connects you with the ride experience. Today the coaster is still the same layout. But in between they went to a strange modern star theme. Now it has a Star Wars overlay (Hyperspace Mountain) that's ok. But they just got new cars (the old ones were getting so bumpy, it was painful!) and they are in the old design, so there is a general believe that once they tire of Star Wars, they will go back to the original soundtrack and effects. Since the effects are mainly projections, this can be easily done. 

On Katharina's and mine first trip to DLP it was the summer that Space Mountain opened. Because we were staying onsite, we got an hour early opening for Space Mountain and we got to ride it three times in a row when it was brand new. I think it was what made both of us fall in love with the park. Having had that 1995 experience on Space Mountain is a bit like having seen the Yeti before he turned disco.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> If the shoe fits...



I like how you always have my back! Thank you, Mark!


----------



## Flossbolna

Magical_Suitcase said:


> Glad you are back. I would love this menu. Too bad it is no longer there. I am guessing that the folks in China want to eat "American" food at the parks.



I think it was more a problem of location and maybe also a lack of interest in the yacht club design of the place? There were plenty of Chinese choices around.



Magical_Suitcase said:


> I am not sure I could have handled the heat you experienced. I am from the NW (Washington state) and thought I liked heat until we moved to Louisiana right after graduate school. After our second summer there I was looking for a job north, my goal being to go as far north as we could and still find jobs. Which we did.



The heat definitely affected our trip. Somehow it was less bad in Japan, even though it was pretty bad there, too. But for some crazy reason I fell in love with summer in Japan and would happily return in the same time frame. However, I would most definitely not return to Shanghai then!


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> Well it will be a long long time before we get to Shanghai, if ever, so I guess I won't worry about it. We are more likely to go to Paris sooner than China.



Oh! Exciting!! If you need any help with planning Paris, let us know! 



franandaj said:


> Well i better check it out and watch it on Netflix!



Yea, I never could get excited about Avatar either, so my chances of seeing Tron are kind of nil. 



franandaj said:


> It's not even a memory anymore, I can't even think about what was going on when I wrote that, but we aren't done. We need to finish a small bit of placing pavers at the patio of the old house.



There is always a project with you! I was highly amused about what you were up to when we talked on the phone. Which reminds me, what happened to Fran's request?



franandaj said:


> I'm not sure how you made it through the previous days honestly!



Me neither! High on pixie dust?



franandaj said:


> I'll put it in my calendar!



I am going to sneak one in before... 



franandaj said:


> Huh. I have heard that the Chinese are eager to test out their English skills....



I found that charming. Here in Germany far too many people are too shy to open their mouths!



franandaj said:


> Ask yourself if Americans would encourage their children to talk to anyone outside their immediate family.....and possibly with good cause...



I think using a lot of public transport, people are far more used to chatting to strangers?



franandaj said:


> Cool. We used to do pin trading but it was too much work.



We kind of only do it for fun. Michael always has some trader pins in his pocket when in a theme park and keeps his eyes open for something he likes. So no big plan behind it and no pressure to get something. 



franandaj said:


> That's too bad. I do love the one in Disney Springs and we'll be going there in just a few weeks!



We were there on New Year's Day with a bunch of people. They were incredibly busy, but still everything was perfect, service very friendly and competent, food delicious and drinks strong. There is nothing that makes it amazing, but the whole package comes together so well. Also: remember to go outside and look at the vintage boats this time! I seem to remember that you missed them last time?



franandaj said:


> That was my first thought when I saw your drink.  I'm glad you didn't have any problems.



My theory was that since it was tea the water was boiled at some point. 



franandaj said:


> It all looks good! Now I want Asian food.



I had delicious Dim Sum in Munich last Friday!


----------



## Flossbolna

Poolrat said:


> Just saw this reply on the previous page...... Oh Well Thought I quoted and then never replied.



I do that too sometimes...



Poolrat said:


> I certainly hope so. I will let you know when I can say for sure.



Sounds exciting!! I am keeping all my fingers crossed for you!



Poolrat said:


>



Ah, I would love a beach right now. One months of German winter and I am already ready to return to sunshine.


----------



## Flossbolna

Day 3:

Part 2: Where we spend far too much time looking for a “unicorn”

Back at the hotel we did what any good trip report writer does on their last day: They make sure to get all those hotel pictures that they did not take on previous days because they were busy having fun!

So this is the front desk:






Some more pictures of the lobby area:


























And a close up of those fun vacation pictures that were hanging around everywhere:






There is a courtyard area behind the front desk and you can go out there. The door had some decorations for the first anniversary:






There is not much out there, just a statue of Woody:






The hallways had lots of cute décor as well:






floor numbers:











And this was our room number:






As you can see the star has a red dot at the top. This was actually a lamp. Instead of a do not disturb sign, you could press a button inside and then the red lamp would light up and everyone knew you did not want to be disturbed. I thought this was really smart and I think another hotel we stayed in in Japan had a similar system.

This was new to M, but hotels have had these for decades in places. Generally, higher end. I know Portofino Bay at UNI-Orlando does. I am amazed by how often when staying at hotels in the USA that I have to request a Do Not Disturb sign. Do people take these as souvenirs (no, I don't have a HKDL Hotel sign danging from my closet door! Why would you suggest such a thing?) 

The one thing that totally baffled us was that we always saw some windows being open at the hotel. They did not open very much, just a little. But it was 100 degree outside, who would want that air to come in??

People from 400 KM away in the middle of Nowhere, China who are not familiar with the concept of AC?







Then we got on the bus to the metro station. This bus runs less often, but on a schedule, so we did not have a long wait. However, we found out that the bus takes a route all around the park, so it took quite long to get to the station. We thought it would most likely be quicker to take the bus to the park and then walk past the park entrance to the metro station.

At the metro station I took a picture of a map of the larger area:







You can see the Toy Story Hotel on the left, the metro station is in the middle and the bus took the road all the way up and then around the park. The whole area out there is designated as a recreation area and there are other things to do as well – more for Shanghai locals, not for foreign tourist, so more low key things. They have a nature park there, they are building an outlet mall. That’s also why they are developing more hotels in the area, so as the resort grows older, there ought to be more and more off site hotels that are very convenient for the park.

Outlet mall is open. It actually opened before SDL did. Maybe SDL will open a store there to get rid of Grand Opening pins (currently as of Feb. 9th gone from the Sawgrass Mills WDW Character Warehouse outlet)

We then got our metro tickets and the machines were actually very easy to use. I was a bit afraid, I have lots of experiences with public transport systems all over the world and often they are not the easiest to understand for someone not local. But these were bilingual and the system was really easy.







This was the entrance:







The red and green lights indicate which entrances are open – and this is important because you do get through a security check. It was very quick and painless, but that was a first for me to go through security in order to get on a metro.

The line at Shanghai Disneyland has modern barriers at the station, so no danger of falling onto the tracks. And they are even decorated!







We got on the train and it actually is quite a long journey into town. Our first destination was going to be the Shanghai Disney Store and we had to change trains twice I think. The changes were really easy to find and I remember at the one confusing station, they had even colorful lines on the floor to lead you to the line that you want to get to.

The one thing that amused me was that those handles for people standing to hold onto were full with commercials. What a smart placement!







The one station where we changed was where Maglev train from the airport terminates and I was very excited to see a train poke out of its terminus:






Maglev, a technology where a train is being propelled by a magnet, was a big thing in Germany from the 70s until about 10 years ago. A lot of the big players in German industry thought this would be the next big thing in transport. The German project was called “Transrapid”. A Maglev train can travel at 300 mph. So, it’s great for moving people around very quickly. However, due to the high speed, it needs to be on a rather straight track. Putting something like this in a densely populated country like Germany where the government cannot just appropriate any land. So, even though German industry and German government loved the idea of this technology, there was always the question of where to put it. And one of the projects at the time was local to me. Munich had gotten a new airport in 1992. It was (and is) a fantastic airport. However, it is so far from Munich that it takes nearly an hour to drive there. So, the idea came up to put in a Transrapid to connect Munich city center with the airport. The problem is: It’s horribly expensive and because of the time it takes to accelerate, you would be decelerate immediately after reaching top speed. There was a lot of political discussion about it until the project was finally scrapped 10 years ago and they finally started putting money into a conventional rail link. However, in the mean time the Transrapid producers were able to sell their project to China, where the first and only Transrapid was built in Shanghai: to connect city and airport. So, for me this was a big sight!

I liked it too. As a lowly American (albeit half of a loaded international supercouple), I used to get excited by trains and technology in Europe. Then, I visited China and Japan. And Germany might as well be Delaware with its dirt paths and horses and buggies! ... And that's with MUC (that's the airport code for Munich), which we actually visit to shop and eat as it's such a great airport!

Once we got to our final destination, we came across a cute looking little café selling delicious looking goodies and we decided that we deserved a snack:


















The little tarte in the middle is filled with custard. They have the same kind of pastry all over Portugal, so I would guess the Portuguese brought those to Asia. It’s kind of interesting to see how food was transported around the globe and has influenced local cuisines in so many different ways!

I just recall the food being amazing. And the drink I had too, which I am not sure is in the pics above or not.


We also could have had some waffles at Taco Bell – or a shrimp salad.

That's history, folks. The first (and, at the time, only) Taco Bell in the entire nation of China. While Pepsi was one of the first American corporations to move into the Mainland when China started opening itself and YUM Brands, which was spun off and consists of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, absolutely is dominant in the nation today, it grew with KFC first and later Pizza Hut. I learned about this location from the American bloggers searching for The Disney Store. Alas, we didn't try it. But it did look significantly different than American Taco Bell (almost like a Japanese Denny's!)












The place where we got off was close to the Oriental Pearl Tower, in the middle of a lot of high rise building:







This is the Oriental Pearl Tower:







Quite a distinct building dominating Shanghai’s skyline.

A breathtaking skyline on a day when breathing was labored in temps in the high 90s with humidity to match.

Continued in next post


----------



## Flossbolna

Day 3, Part 2 - continued from previous post

We were at a large intersection that was built like a roundabout and for pedestrians they had a circular walkway following the road. I tried to get some more pictures of the city around us from there.






















And on one side of this large intersection was our destination:







[

The first Disney Store in China!

Looking back to the tower:







The Disney Store had a small line, but then inside it was not really crowded. The store is really large and nicely decorated:

















We found some nice exclusive Tsum Tsums that we got for a friend’s son, I also got a nice magnet and Michael bought an umbrella with Donald on it. The umbrella was a special offer because we spent enough money on the Tsum Tsums to qualify for it.

Just like SDL's castle, this had to be the world's largest Disney Store because what the Commies want, the Commies get. I liked some of the unique to the market merchandise, but this wasn't life-changing. This also was the first Disney Store in China and opened in 2015. I know they have opened another in Shanghai since and, I believe, a few in other cities.

Just next to the Disney Store was a mall and we decided to explore this. I was in search of contact lens solution. Stupid me had managed to not pack my bottle! We had the hope that the mall would have a place that was selling the stuff. We found a drug store: No luck. We found a pharmacy: No luck. We found an optician store: No luck. I have rigid lenses and those need different type of cleaning and storage solutions than the typical soft lenses. It appears that no one in those stores had ever heard of the fact that there are different types of contact lenses. It was really kind of frustrating! Especially since our plan was to be at Tokyo Disneyland Resort for the next days and I had no idea if I was going to be more successful there or not. It felt like we spent far too much time of that day looking for something that seems to be non-existent in China. So contact lens solution became my personal unicorn.

Yes, I didn't understand the drama. But that's just life with my other half. You deal with it. You smile or clench your teeth. You move on. She says I am the horrible packer and insists on packing my stuff (which I only mind when 40 SDL Times Guides disappear!), yet I generally don't leave an essential behind.

He might not leave any essentials behind, but if he is packing it is three hours of drama about how all his things can never all fit in that tiny suitcase. When I pack, there is room for more. And those time guides disappeared because they were never given to me to be packed...

The mall was quite fancy and actually fun to explore:












We ended up picking up some interesting sodas (lemongrass soda and vanilla soda) there – and I think this is also where we passed a small Uniqlo store where I got a lovely Disney t-shirt with Chip from Beauty and the Beast.

Yes, I pointed it out -- the store and the shirt. As to the mall, as someone who has lived in worked in various places in China before, it was typical mid-market. I think M's mind will be blown when she sees my old 'local' malls in Hong Kong.

After I abandoned my search, we headed to the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel. The Bund is a large promenade along the river that runs through Shanghai. We were currently on the other side of the river and wanted to see the Bund. We could have taken the metro again, but from where we were, it actually seemed to make sense to experience this little attraction. The one-way ticket was 50 RMB, that’s about 7$.

It actually was quite cute. You board a little capsule – kind of like an elevator with windows.













You don’t get a private one, but neither did thy squeeze it full of people. The the capsule travels on its own through this tunnel underneath the river. It’s dark there, but they have added some rather neat light effects on the tunnel walls:













It sorta tells the history of the geology of the area if I recall correctly. My only issue was the AC wasn't sufficient.

The good thing is that the tunnel spits you out right at the main viewing point on the Bund. The bad news was that this was nearly as crowded as the Shanghai Disneyland morning entrance! People everywhere! Oh, and while it had started to get dark now, it was still as oppressively hot as it had been ever since we arrived in Shanghai.

















I pushed a bit (I am German, we are known for not being good at keeping orderly lines and to be pushy, so I felt that China was finally a place where these qualities were appreciated) and held my phone high to take pictures and I ended up with a few nice pictures of the skyline across the river.







The Bund is known for its pretty houses. This promenade was built in the early 20th century, so before communism, by the foreigners who came to Shanghai for trade. You can see some of it in one of the crowd pictures above. It is supposed to be one of the major sights in Shanghai. However, it fell rather flat for me. Not only was it crowded and touring cities in darkness often takes a bit away from the architectural highlights. But the thing that bothered me was that it felt like this could be a river promenade in London, Paris, Budapest etc. It felt alien to me in China in a bad way. I had the same issues with colonial architecture in South Africa. I feel that some of the reason why this is considered a sight is because it is considered “civilization in a ‘savage’ country”. I understand the historical value – but the history of Europe meddling in Chinese politics is not really something to be proud of.

I have no clue what she is talking about above. I love Shanghai's colonial architecture. I think the world would be better if we went back to those days. I certainly would rather see Hong Kong under British rule and Macau under Portugal's control. ... Heck, I want our piece of Berlin back and I have already said M's dad would be my Kaiser of the City. ... Oh, and we also need to take that Canal back from Panama too! The Bund was lovely, but it was oppressively hot and crowded two things that mix about as well as "saving money" and "visiting Dizzy World".

Not sure why he has such imperialistic tendencies... Next thing he might get himself an army of clones...

So, the Bund did not prove a happy place for us and we thought about what to do. We had a rather early flight the next morning and we still needed to pack. So, we decided to walk to the metro station that would take us back to Disneyland. I could see on the Apple Maps app (which worked fine despite the Chinese firewall, but since I was data roaming, also Google maps worked) that we were going to pass a shopping area and we thought we could find some dinner there.

The walk actually turned out to be rather frustrating as the crowds wanted to move in the same direction as us, the sidewalks were very narrow and then Michael ran into a water hydrant. He was in horrible pain and I was already wondering if we needed to get him to an emergency room and saw myself pushing him around Tokyo Disneyland in a wheel chair! Luckily he was able to move again after a five minute break and he seemed to not have any lasting damage!

I had forgotten all about that. It really hurt bad, but thankfully wasn't at the kneecap or I likely would have had an issue. After that night, I never had any pain of issues from it. We also were getting crotchety due to hunger and a waaaay too early flight the next morning to Tokyo, which you'll all be reading about soon if you haven't nodded off to sleep by now. And who would blame you if you did?

We finally made it to a large department store and decided to head inside in the hope of finding a bathroom, being able to cool off a little in the air conditioning and maybe find a bite to eat in there.

We were successful with the first two things. And there were a lot of different eateries in the basement that looked promising. However, the place was once again very crowded and there were just no spaces anywhere.

Lots of stands with very tasty looking items. But we would have been standing too eat and I just am way too civilized to do that. I will leave that for the little people ... or people who think Waffle House is the epitome of fine dining.

The store was very nice though! It even had curved escaltors! I encountered those for the first time in a mall in San Francisco and have been fascinated by them ever since!







We were also intrigued by this popcorn stand in the basement selling all kind of interesting flavors:







So, we thought that we would search something to eat in Disneytown on the way back to the hotel. Once we got to Shanghai Disneyland and exited the metro station, it was raining buckets and we were just tired and exhausted and decided to just take the train back to the hotel to eat there.

See, it's been so long that I totally forgot that it was, indeed, pelting rain when we got back. Just as M forgot that we stopped at a quickee mart in the station and bought all sorts of goodies that I can't recall now. I think crackers and chips and ... did we get fish jerky for my brother here? Anyway, here's a lesson for anyone traveling abroad: go to quickee marts, buy lots of stuff, try it, sometimes it may wind up being a meal for you. But you get to try everything from Blueberry Potato Chips to Pocari Sweat to stuff you think is gum, but you're not really sure. Most of it (especially in Asia) costs very little. It's fun too.

A few more pictures from the lobby area:

















We quickly stopped at the front desk to inquire about ordering a taxi to the airport. They advised that with a departure time of 8:30 am, we should order the taxi for 5:45 am, 6:00 am at the latest. We went with the 6:00 am taxi and were not looking forward to that…

That's just about the time of night when my real sleep kicks in!

Since we were tired of the same type of food that was being offered at the little counter service (they were selling a lot of things that were similar to Remy’s inside the park which we had twice for dinner already), we chose the buffet restaurant: Sunnyside Café.

The restaurant was rather empty despite being very large. I think by the time we finally got there, it was getting towards the end of their opening hours. We got this lovely booth:







As you can see, we did not stop by the room, but headed directly to dinner with our purchases from the Disney Store and Uniqlo.

Michael went to the buffet first and got this selection:







This was my first tray:







The food was mainly Chinese dishes. Some of the things were prepared freshly by the chefs that were working behind the buffet lines. I loved the eggplant with garlic dish and the Szechuan noodles. It was great fun trying all these different dishes and the chefs were really nice and helpful! Also, since it was so empty, there was nearly no one around at the buffet line.

Green tea is included in the buffet price (170 RMB, about 25$), other drinks are extra. At first we did not realize that the Green tea was included, I would have been happy with it, and getting the soda was a bit complicated. We needed to go to the check in where we had paid before sitting down and pay for the sodas and then we got them out of a cabinet.

I don't think this is a crazy German deal about not wanting to give out free refills or anything. The sodas (Pepsi, 7-Up, Mirinda Orange etc.) came in bottles and the way many Mainlanders hoard things (going back to food shortages as recently as the 1980s), you may have had situations where a family of four has 34 bottles at their table. It's just a cultural thing. Indeed, there was a CM stationed near that cooler cabinet, so people didn't just grab and go!

My second tray with more of the eggplant and some more dumplings:







The desserts were not the highlight of the meal though:













The food was actually quite delicious. I don't recall one item in particular (but it has taken us eight years to write this, yes?) as it all was good. I was actually concerned that M was eating too much. Now, before any of you women-folk grab pitchforks and such, I wasn't concerned about my future bride's girth so much as her health. As in her immediate health. As I watched her chow down like she was a local, I suddenly was reminded of westerners I had worked with over in China who indulged too much, too quickly and regretted it bigtime. With a very early wake up, taxi and flight, I was picturing nightmare scenarios of M crawling to a bathroom. I may have mentioned at this point that I would be onward to Tokyo in the morning with or without her because that IS just the kind of guy she will spend the rest of her life and all of eternity with!

I nearly had a bit of a meltdown before we went to dinner because of crowds and such and was not so keen to eat there as I thought we should not spend so much money on dinner. But Michael put his foot down and made me come along. In hindsight he was absolutely right, I was hot and hangry and I tend to not make the smartest decisions under these circumstances. Ultimately the meal was wonderful, very much worth what we paid for. We got to relax and cool down and did end the day on a high note after parts of it being a bit frustrating.

At least she admits it. I was right as always. I am man enough to admit it.

Then it was time to head back to the room and pack!












Somehow packing took quite some time – we had plenty of purchases that needed space in our bags. By the time I was all done and about to head to bed, I saw an email from ANA pop in. They are a Japanese airline and we were booked to fly with them the next morning. The email informed us that our flight departure time had been changed from 8:30 am to 10:00 am. I have never in my life been so happy about a flight delay as that evening! We headed down to the front desk (we felt talking to the front desk in person would ensure that any language issues could be dealt with there as they could just call over a colleague if they did not understand something) and changed our taxi order to 7:30 am instead of 6:00 am.

Yes, had we known about this, the entire complexion of the day would likely have changed. We probably would have done more sightseeing (like gone up the Pearl Tower) and grabbed dinner in town (even though the meal at the hotel was wonderful). But such is life. And as much as I/we wanted to get to Tokyo, the delay was wonderful. We purposely made no plans in Tokyo beyond hoping to meet up with a friend of mine (American married to a Japanese woman with teen daughter) that I hadn't seen since I was last in Tokyo almost seven years earlier (I missed him 2-3 times in the USA since).

With late dinner, packing and then the schedule change, it was still midnight by the time we got to bed. So much about thinking we would be able to get an early night… We went to bed excited about being able to get some decent rest before it would be time to depart for the next installment of our trip: Japan!

Up next: We nearly get on the wrong plane!


----------



## Steppesister

Flossbolna said:


> I wish the recharge would have lasted longer. The last few weeks were once again crazy at work. I have no idea why, but hopefully things will improve soon!



I keep saying that too...





Flossbolna said:


> There was quite a lot of authentic cuisine around in the area. And the best Chinese food will come up in the last update!



Looking forward to it.



Flossbolna said:


> They are lovely!
> 
> I actually have one of the 20,000 Leagues under the Sea from Disneyland's Tomorrowland. I got it "for free" from Disney. I had ordered one Mary Blair It's a Small World concept art piece and Disney managed to deliver the wrong poster in the frame. Since I ordered from WDW, it came by UPS and I had to sign for it in person and it cost custom fees as it was shipped from the US... oh and the frame broke during transport. It was quite a pain in the ...



I can imagine!! So, now you have the 20,000 and NOT the Mary Blair you'd wanted?

Back to read your mega-update another time....


----------



## soniam

Your trip report is so reminding me of my travels abroad with my husband before we had our son. Heck, some of it even sounds like traveling with our son. However, we really do try to be much more responsible and organized with him. It’s the mishaps and grumpy times that make the best trip stories though.


----------



## OldSchoolReasons

Loving the details of your trip report! I'm staying at the Toy Story hotel so am appreciating the details - it reminds me of Art of Animation at WDW quite a bit. The Shanghai Disney resort looks massive too.

Also enjoying the asides about public transport, to my partner's chagrin I am a train nerd so the chance to use a monorail, vehicular railways, tram or basically anything that isn't a grotty London tube is always an added bonus for me. The Shanghai metro looks cute, though not quite on par with the Tokyo monorail with the Mickey-shaped handles.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Flossbolna said:


> Yes, especially if it is a Disney cruise! I guess that's why you were not such a great fan of your cruise...



Actually, you're right.  I got a little bored on the ship after a while.  I felt like I'd explored everything and was ready to see something different.



Flossbolna said:


> They do have a/c in Florida. I guess you have never heard about it in Delaware?



Et tu, Brute?

Here I am, taking your side, defending you, and you stick the knife in my back like that?  What is this world coming to?



Flossbolna said:


> He is cute. And what's cute sells in Asia. Did you know that it is not just Duffy? He has a bear girl-friend Shellie-May, a cat artist friend called Gelatoni, a rabbit ballet dancer friend Stella-Lou, a baking dog friend called Cookie (she is only in Hong Kong Disneyland) and a musician turtle friend called Olu (who lives at Aulani).



I had no idea.  Now I have several more characters to ignore!  



Flossbolna said:


> On Katharina's and mine first trip to DLP it was the summer that Space Mountain opened. Because we were staying onsite, we got an hour early opening for Space Mountain and we got to ride it three times in a row when it was brand new. I think it was what made both of us fall in love with the park. Having had that 1995 experience on Space Mountain is a bit like having seen the Yeti before he turned disco.



Interesting.  Thanks for sharing that, and I can see why you'd feel such strong nostalgia for the old version.

And yes, the original Yeti was so much better.



Flossbolna said:


> I like how you always have my back! Thank you, Mark!



Uh huh.  And look where that got me!  



Flossbolna said:


> As you can see the star has a red dot at the top. This was actually a lamp. Instead of a do not disturb sign, you could press a button inside and then the red lamp would light up and everyone knew you did not want to be disturbed. I thought this was really smart and I think another hotel we stayed in in Japan had a similar system.



That is a good idea.  Never seen that before.



Flossbolna said:


> The one thing that totally baffled us was that we always saw some windows being open at the hotel. They did not open very much, just a little. But it was 100 degree outside, who would want that air to come in??



I'm surprised the windows actually open!



Flossbolna said:


> The one thing that amused me was that those handles for people standing to hold onto were full with commercials. What a smart placement!



If only I knew what was being advertised!



Flossbolna said:


> The one station where we changed was where Maglev train from the airport terminates and I was very excited to see a train poke out of its terminus:



Yes!  That would be neat to see.



Flossbolna said:


> A Maglev train can travel at 300 mph. So, it’s great for moving people around very quickly. However, due to the high speed, it needs to be on a rather straight track. Putting something like this in a densely populated country like Germany where the government cannot just appropriate any land.



That makes sense.  We run into that problem quite a bit with highways as well.  Everyone wants better transportation systems, but no one wants it on their property.



Flossbolna said:


> And Germany might as well be Delaware with its dirt paths and horses and buggies!



Patience.  First we're working on air conditioning.



Flossbolna said:


> The first (and, at the time, only) Taco Bell in the entire nation of China.



If Taco Bell did to their digestive systems what it does to ours, it would be the last Taco Bell in China.



Flossbolna said:


>



Very cool tower!



Flossbolna said:


> I have rigid lenses and those need different type of cleaning and storage solutions than the typical soft lenses. It appears that no one in those stores had ever heard of the fact that there are different types of contact lenses. It was really kind of frustrating!



I'm sorry.  That sounds like a real pain.



Flossbolna said:


> After I abandoned my search, we headed to the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel. The Bund is a large promenade along the river that runs through Shanghai. We were currently on the other side of the river and wanted to see the Bund. We could have taken the metro again, but from where we were, it actually seemed to make sense to experience this little attraction. The one-way ticket was 50 RMB, that’s about 7$.



I've never heard of that, but it looks like a neat little attraction.



Flossbolna said:


>





Flossbolna said:


> However, it fell rather flat for me. Not only was it crowded and touring cities in darkness often takes a bit away from the architectural highlights. But the thing that bothered me was that it felt like this could be a river promenade in London, Paris, Budapest etc. It felt alien to me in China in a bad way.



Interesting.  I think the skyline looks really neat and exotic.  But then again, I've never been to London, Paris, Budapest, etc.



Flossbolna said:


> The walk actually turned out to be rather frustrating as the crowds wanted to move in the same direction as us, the sidewalks were very narrow and then Michael ran into a water hydrant.



That's understandable.  Those fire hydrants are very quick.  They can jump out and get you at any time if you're not vigilant.



Flossbolna said:


> We also were getting crotchety due to hunger and a waaaay too early flight the next morning to Tokyo, which you'll all be reading about soon if you haven't nodded off to sleep by now. And who would blame you if you did?



Huh?  Whatdja say?



Flossbolna said:


> I will leave that for the little people ... or people who think Waffle House is the epitome of fine dining.



I'm still looking forward to my romantic Valentine's Day dinner there.



Flossbolna said:


> I think crackers and chips and ... did we get fish jerky for my brother here? Anyway, here's a lesson for anyone traveling abroad: go to quickee marts, buy lots of stuff, try it, sometimes it may wind up being a meal for you. But you get to try everything from Blueberry Potato Chips to Pocari Sweat to stuff you think is gum, but you're not really sure.



Fish jerky, blueberry potato chips, mystery substances....yeah, you're really selling this idea well.



Flossbolna said:


> In hindsight he was absolutely right, I was hot and hangry and I tend to not make the smartest decisions under these circumstances.



Who does?  But don't ever tell Michael he's right about something!  



Flossbolna said:


> At least she admits it. I was right as always. I am man enough to admit it.



See???



Flossbolna said:


> The email informed us that our flight departure time had been changed from 8:30 am to 10:00 am. I have never in my life been so happy about a flight delay as that evening!



 I can imagine!


----------



## Flossbolna

soniam said:


> Your trip report is so reminding me of my travels abroad with my husband before we had our son. Heck, some of it even sounds like traveling with our son. However, we really do try to be much more responsible and organized with him. It’s the mishaps and grumpy times that make the best trip stories though.



Yes, it sounds like the start of our trip had some not so good things happening. But you know what: We were just so thrilled to be there that nothing really bothered us. And the trip got better as it went on!



OldSchoolReasons said:


> Loving the details of your trip report! I'm staying at the Toy Story hotel so am appreciating the details - it reminds me of Art of Animation at WDW quite a bit. The Shanghai Disney resort looks massive too.



We were really happy with the hotel. At first I was hesitant as it was so pricey during summer season for what it was, but it ended up being worth every penny. I found it to be a notch above the WDW (and DLP since you seem to have been there plenty) value resorts. It might have been the newness, but it did feel more like a moderate. But then I never stayed at AoA and the internal hallways make a big difference!



OldSchoolReasons said:


> Also enjoying the asides about public transport, to my partner's chagrin I am a train nerd so the chance to use a monorail, vehicular railways, tram or basically anything that isn't a grotty London tube is always an added bonus for me. The Shanghai metro looks cute, though not quite on par with the Tokyo monorail with the Mickey-shaped handles.



I have my share of experience with grotty London tube! However, I do own a pillow made out of the original Picadilly Line seat cushion material (new, not sat upon by commuters). So I guess I might have a more romantic notion about it than you. As far as I understand the Tokyo monorail actually is being operated by TDR. The Shanghai metro is operated by the general metro system. And I can tell you that it is a million steps up from the Paris RER trains! 

And since you are a train nerd, you will appreciated that I am really excited that when Michael and I go to DLP this spring, the first part of the journey will be on a brand new German two story Intercity train. They are being put in service at the beginning of March and should be a fantastic upgrade on the line between Nuremberg and Stuttgart.


----------



## Flossbolna

Captain_Oblivious said:


> Et tu, Brute?
> 
> Here I am, taking your side, defending you, and you stick the knife in my back like that? What is this world coming to?



I am sorry!! It was such a low-hanging fruit!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I had no idea. Now I have several more characters to ignore!



Isn't that great! Oh, and there is also a new one coming soon for Shanghai.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Interesting. Thanks for sharing that, and I can see why you'd feel such strong nostalgia for the old version.
> 
> And yes, the original Yeti was so much better.



I am very lucky that I got the original Yeti. My trip in 2007 was when they switched the yeti back on for a short time because they thought they had figured out a solution and I think there were some important people visiting. I remember reading about it on the boards at the time. It was magnificent!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Uh huh. And look where that got me!







Captain_Oblivious said:


> If only I knew what was being advertised!



I had the Google Translator app and with that you can hold your camera to a text and it will then translate the text. Very helpful with the Chinese and Japanese characters. It was fun to see what the texts could be, but because of characters being able to have different meanings, the translation often jumped around giving you different options of different non-sensical meanings.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That makes sense. We run into that problem quite a bit with highways as well. Everyone wants better transportation systems, but no one wants it on their property.



It's tedious. But that's the problem if you live in a country that respects the individual's rights. A king never had such issues... I always have to think of that when I marvel at those massive palaces like Versailles: they were only possible because of an absolute monarch having no regards for their subjects.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Patience. First we're working on air conditioning.



Haha! We do that in Germany, too!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> If Taco Bell did to their digestive systems what it does to ours, it would be the last Taco Bell in China.



Well, according to my husband the Chinese food can do bad things to our digestive system, too. So maybe they are better equipped?



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Very cool tower!



It has a viewing platform and I think the view must be spectacular!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I've never heard of that, but it looks like a neat little attraction.



It's definitely a secondary attraction, but I do like interesting methods of transport and this definitely fit that description!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Interesting. I think the skyline looks really neat and exotic. But then again, I've never been to London, Paris, Budapest, etc.



I think I was confusing people. I do like the modern China skyline in the pictures. If I had turned around there would have been the 19th century buildings. This is a picture from wikipedia:








Captain_Oblivious said:


> That's understandable. Those fire hydrants are very quick. They can jump out and get you at any time if you're not vigilant.



 Reminds me of my mother's sarcastic comments about "Attack Trees" when they were cutting down all the trees along the country roads where we were living in the 1980s because the trees were so dangerous for drivers.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I'm still looking forward to my romantic Valentine's Day dinner there.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Fish jerky, blueberry potato chips, mystery substances....yeah, you're really selling this idea well.



Think of the food section at the store in Japan at Epcot, but even more fun stuff! Unfortunately we did not even get to try as many fun things as we wanted to! And we will come back to Pocari Sweat in a future update! 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Who does? But don't ever tell Michael he's right about something!





Captain_Oblivious said:


> See???



Yes, you are right there...



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I can imagine!


----------



## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> Oh! Exciting!! If you need any help with planning Paris, let us know!



I don't even know when that will be.  We are still saving up airline miles, but I did just hop over to American's website and check out flights from LAX to CDG and it's 87.5K per person per flight (well to CDG it's 107.5 for the way back) which works out to be 780K miles.  We are nearly halfway there!  I think it might be a while before we are able to go.



Flossbolna said:


> There is always a project with you! I was highly amused about what you were up to when we talked on the phone.



And just a couple days ago I was again installing door locks, but luckily we got smart and hired the contractor to finish up.  Best $100 we spent because it turned out to be a real hassle and he had to drill new holes in the iron bars to get one of the locksets to latch.



Flossbolna said:


> Which reminds me, what happened to Fran's request?



I think she forgot about it.   



Flossbolna said:


> I think using a lot of public transport, people are far more used to chatting to strangers?



No, most Americans train their children not to talk to strangers.  There are so many weirdos here, you can't be too careful who you talk to, so they just tell the kids not to talk to anyone.



Flossbolna said:


> I had delicious Dim Sum in Munich last Friday



I found a lovely Chinese restaurant in Cerritos where they hand make their dumplings.  I was so sad when my go to Chinese place started using frozen dumplings from Trader Joe's instead of the nice big ones that were obviously hand made.  When I asked why they stopped making them, the person said, "take too much time."  Well then "not get my money!"  I'll drive 20 minutes to get the fresh dumplings.  Besides, they are near my vet so when we spend all morning there and I come out starving, now I know where I'll ask Fran to take me!



Flossbolna said:


> As you can see the star has a red dot at the top. This was actually a lamp. Instead of a do not disturb sign, you could press a button inside and then the red lamp would light up and everyone knew you did not want to be disturbed. I thought this was really smart and I think another hotel we stayed in in Japan had a similar system.



That's a cool idea.  And I'm not worldly enough to have run into that either.



Flossbolna said:


> Do people take these as souvenirs (no, I don't have a HKDL Hotel sign danging from my closet door! Why would you suggest such a thing?)



  Why would I ask such a thing if you didn't point it out?  



Flossbolna said:


> The one thing that amused me was that those handles for people standing to hold onto were full with commercials. What a smart placement!



If only I knew what it said!



Flossbolna said:


> We also could have had some waffles at Taco Bell – or a shrimp salad.



That's just......wrong!  



Flossbolna said:


> It felt like we spent far too much time of that day looking for something that seems to be non-existent in China. So contact lens solution became my personal unicorn.



Sounds like you would have had better luck looking for a unicorn!



Flossbolna said:


> He might not leave any essentials behind, but if he is packing it is three hours of drama about how all his things can never all fit in that tiny suitcase.



This is also why I pack Fran's suitcases.  Far less drama.



Flossbolna said:


> It actually was quite cute. You board a little capsule – kind of like an elevator with windows.



You're the first one to tell me of this neat little ride.



Flossbolna said:


> Oh, and while it had started to get dark now, it was still as oppressively hot as it had been ever since we arrived in Shanghai.



Sounds like Texas in July.



Flossbolna said:


> I certainly would rather see Hong Kong under British rule and Macau under Portugal's control. ... Heck, I want our piece of Berlin back and I have already said M's dad would be my Kaiser of the City. ... Oh, and we also need to take that Canal back from Panama too!



You forgot "get off my lawn!"



Flossbolna said:


> Lots of stands with very tasty looking items. But we would have been standing too eat and I just am way too civilized to do that.



I get that!  I want to sit down when I eat, and not have a seatbelt on either!



Flossbolna said:


> I will leave that for the little people ... or people who think Waffle House is the epitome of fine dining.



Smack!  You are really giving it to Mark in this update!



Flossbolna said:


> did we get fish jerky for my brother here?



Ewwwww!



Flossbolna said:


> Michael went to the buffet first and got this selection:



So are these things already plated at the buffet and you just take a little plateful, kind of like Dim Sum on the carts?



Flossbolna said:


> The food was mainly Chinese dishes. Some of the things were prepared freshly by the chefs that were working behind the buffet lines.



Some of those things look really tasty!



Flossbolna said:


> My second tray with more of the eggplant and some more dumplings:



Like those dumplings.  You can have the eggplant.  It makes my skin itch from the inside out.



Flossbolna said:


> The desserts were not the highlight of the meal though:



I wouldn't think they would be.  The Chinese are not known for their lovely pastries.



Flossbolna said:


> As I watched her chow down like she was a local, I suddenly was reminded of westerners I had worked with over in China who indulged too much, too quickly and regretted it bigtime.



So when you eat Chinese food in China you are not hungry and hour later?



Flossbolna said:


> Ultimately the meal was wonderful, very much worth what we paid for. We got to relax and cool down and did end the day on a high note after parts of it being a bit frustrating.



That's why I almost always insist on sitting down to a meal and not just grabbing something on the go.  I need to sit down and recharge.



Flossbolna said:


> At least she admits it. I was right as always. I am man enough to admit it.







Flossbolna said:


> We headed down to the front desk (we felt talking to the front desk in person would ensure that any language issues could be dealt with there as they could just call over a colleague if they did not understand something) and changed our taxi order to 7:30 am instead of 6:00 am.



That's still early, but a lot better than the previous scenario.



Flossbolna said:


> We went to bed excited about being able to get some decent rest before it would be time to depart for the next installment of our trip: Japan!



Less than seven hours of sleep and you call that decent rest?  We have very different ideas!


----------



## GoofyFan1515

I spent a little more time going back through and getting all caught up. 



Flossbolna said:


> I really like the Steamboat Mickey fountain:


 I like this too!



Flossbolna said:


> Well, it seems like the signs were not as successful as hoped if you remember our previous experiences.


 Nice try anyway. ...



Flossbolna said:


> And yes, neither she nor I have ever been on a Disney canoe.
> 
> I was a bit surprised by this, being that they have removed the ride from Florida and Paris. Only Anaheim and Tokyo still have them. ... Of course, look at the typical FL guest and try to picture them doing anything physical beyond lifting a turkey leg or burger to their mouths!


 I remember doing the canoes at MK my very first trip (yes back in the E-ticket days). I thought it was fun but don't remember them being this long? 



Flossbolna said:


> As you can see the star has a red dot at the top. This was actually a lamp. Instead of a do not disturb sign, you could press a button inside and then the red lamp would light up and everyone knew you did not want to be disturbed. I thought this was really smart and I think another hotel we stayed in in Japan had a similar system.


 This is new to me too! Guess I stay in too many low class establishments. 



Flossbolna said:


> The line at Shanghai Disneyland has modern barriers at the station, so no danger of falling onto the tracks. And they are even decorated!


 I think some U.S. stations would be wise to add this feature.



Flossbolna said:


> This is the Oriental Pearl Tower:


Really enjoyed all the architecture pictures. Some very intriguing designs.

Definitely happy you both gave us an extensive review. Doubt I will ever make this Disney Park in person.


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## Steppesister

Flossbolna said:


> Maglev, a technology where a train is being propelled by a magnet, was a big thing in Germany from the 70s until about 10 years ago. A lot of the big players in German industry thought this would be the next big thing in transport. The German project was called “Transrapid”. A Maglev train can travel at 300 mph. So, it’s great for moving people around very quickly. However, due to the high speed, it needs to be on a rather straight track. Putting something like this in a densely populated country like Germany where the government cannot just appropriate any land. So, even though German industry and German government loved the idea of this technology, there was always the question of where to put it. And one of the projects at the time was local to me. Munich had gotten a new airport in 1992. It was (and is) a fantastic airport. However, it is so far from Munich that it takes nearly an hour to drive there. So, the idea came up to put in a Transrapid to connect Munich city center with the airport. The problem is: It’s horribly expensive and because of the time it takes to accelerate, you would be decelerate immediately after reaching top speed. There was a lot of political discussion about it until the project was finally scrapped 10 years ago and they finally started putting money into a conventional rail link. However, in the mean time the Transrapid producers were able to sell their project to China, where the first and only Transrapid was built in Shanghai: to connect city and airport. So, for me this was a big sight!



This is fascinating! I had no idea!



Flossbolna said:


> So, the Bund did not prove a happy place for us and we thought about what to do. We had a rather early flight the next morning and we still needed to pack. So, we decided to walk to the metro station that would take us back to Disneyland. I could see on the Apple Maps app (which worked fine despite the Chinese firewall, but since I was data roaming, also Google maps worked) that we were going to pass a shopping area and we thought we could find some dinner there.



UGH! That sounds wretched. Sure a unique view, but worth it? Hmm....



Flossbolna said:


> I nearly had a bit of a meltdown before we went to dinner because of crowds and such and was not so keen to eat there as I thought we should not spend so much money on dinner. But Michael put his foot down and made me come along. In hindsight he was absolutely right, I was hot and hangry and I tend to not make the smartest decisions under these circumstances. Ultimately the meal was wonderful, very much worth what we paid for. We got to relax and cool down and did end the day on a high note after parts of it being a bit frustrating.



Phew!! After all that a pleasant enough ending to the day. At least you can say you did a pretty good job at exploring. 

Hot and hangry is NO way to be!


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## dizneeat

*All caught up here too!

I have been reading along, but time just seems to get away from me and there is never enough left to comment.

Thanks for sharing all those photos and all of your experiences. Somehow the Asian parks don't really draw us in, guess the language barrier is to blame. We just returned from DLRP and THAT language barrier was enough for us. *


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## ShellB8585

Ah yey! just as I am about to start looking into a Shanghai and Tokyo (perhaps Hong Kong) trip I find a TR has been started by one of my fave TR writers! I wasn't sure about Shanghai and to be honest I was only planning on going to tick off another park but it looks like we could have a good couple days there. looking forward to reading more


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## Flossbolna

Hello everyone! I am back and hope to get some movement on this trip report over the next couple of months again. As you can guess: Michael is back in Florida, so I have time to sit at the computer. So, let's start with catching up on replies and then I need to go and find that update that has been all ready to be posted for a couple of months now...


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## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> And just a couple days ago I was again installing door locks, but luckily we got smart and hired the contractor to finish up. Best $100 we spent because it turned out to be a real hassle and he had to drill new holes in the iron bars to get one of the locksets to latch.



 I would have no clue about all this!! But funny side note: locks here in Germany are very different from the US. Here the typical house door can only be opened with a key from the outside. So, forgetting your key when you leave the house will become a big issue just as soon as you pulled your door shut.



franandaj said:


> I found a lovely Chinese restaurant in Cerritos where they hand make their dumplings. I was so sad when my go to Chinese place started using frozen dumplings from Trader Joe's instead of the nice big ones that were obviously hand made. When I asked why they stopped making them, the person said, "take too much time." Well then "not get my money!" I'll drive 20 minutes to get the fresh dumplings. Besides, they are near my vet so when we spend all morning there and I come out starving, now I know where I'll ask Fran to take me!



That place sounds great! We have a brand new Asian supermarket and they sell frozen dumplings as well. Michael was commenting just before he left that we should get some. Now I am thinking that it might be a nice thing to invite a few people for. Since we have no Trader Joe's this is still a new thing for us!



franandaj said:


> Why would I ask such a thing if you didn't point it out?







franandaj said:


> Sounds like you would have had better luck looking for a unicorn!



And a unicorn would have been much prettier than contact lens solution!



franandaj said:


> This is also why I pack Fran's suitcases. Far less drama.



 For his trip back to Florida Michael could have packed his suitcase on his own as it was so empty. We even gave him a whole packet of German 5-ply toilet paper for his family to fill up the suitcase. I still packed it. Didn't want to take any chances with the drama...



franandaj said:


> You're the first one to tell me of this neat little ride.



Our friend Steve had actually mentioned it to us, so I am only passing on the knowledge!



franandaj said:


> Sounds like Texas in July.



Michael says Shanghai was worse than South Florida in July.



franandaj said:


> You forgot "get off my lawn!"



 



franandaj said:


> I get that! I want to sit down when I eat, and not have a seatbelt on either!



I used to think that a drive through was such a cool thing and always wanted to do it. Now I am older and wiser and know better... On the other hand a dining car on a train is quite a marvelous dining experience! No seat belt though.



franandaj said:


> So are these things already plated at the buffet and you just take a little plateful, kind of like Dim Sum on the carts?



Yes, most offerings at the buffet were pre plated. I liked that as there was no need to use utensils that other people had touched and done who knows what with.



franandaj said:


> I wouldn't think they would be. The Chinese are not known for their lovely pastries.



They did sell those amazing egg tarts in Shanghai though! And the sweets at the park were pretty good (Western style).



franandaj said:


> So when you eat Chinese food in China you are not hungry and hour later?



Is that what happens to you when you eat Chinese food in the US?



franandaj said:


> That's why I almost always insist on sitting down to a meal and not just grabbing something on the go. I need to sit down and recharge.



When I was young, I thought eating on the go was so smart as I would be able to see more when traveling. Now I cherish the breaks for eating as part of the traveling experience. Can you tell that I am getting closer to that big 5??



franandaj said:


> Less than seven hours of sleep and you call that decent rest? We have very different ideas!



I usually need a little over 7 hours. I normally wake up on my own about 7 hours and 15 minutes after going to bed I figured out. So, anything over six is still ok for me, at least for one or two days.


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## Flossbolna

GoofyFan1515 said:


> I spent a little more time going back through and getting all caught up.



No worries about spending a little more time on this trip report. It must be one of the slowest moving ones...



GoofyFan1515 said:


> I remember doing the canoes at MK my very first trip (yes back in the E-ticket days). I thought it was fun but don't remember them being this long?



They have them in Tokyo, too, and there they are the same size. So, I guess they are that long everywhere.



GoofyFan1515 said:


> I think some U.S. stations would be wise to add this feature.



I have seen those glass walls in London and Paris as well. Most automated systems have them (think Orland airport fake monorail). But I like them very much as I often am concerned when I see teenagers playing around. We had a horrible accident on a train platform recently here where it was just that: teens being a bit too physical and one of them ended up on the tracks.



GoofyFan1515 said:


> Really enjoyed all the architecture pictures. Some very intriguing designs.



One of the things I like best when visiting other cities is just walking around and taking in the architecture.



GoofyFan1515 said:


> Definitely happy you both gave us an extensive review. Doubt I will ever make this Disney Park in person.



I am glad that you enjoyed it!


----------



## Flossbolna

Steppesister said:


> UGH! That sounds wretched. Sure a unique view, but worth it? Hmm....



Shanghai is definitely a place that I will not visit again in the summer...



Steppesister said:


> Phew!! After all that a pleasant enough ending to the day. At least you can say you did a pretty good job at exploring.
> 
> Hot and hangry is NO way to be!



The amazing thing about this trip was that while we were often overheated, we ended up finding a cool oasis so often as well.


----------



## Flossbolna

dizneeat said:


> *All caught up here too!
> 
> I have been reading along, but time just seems to get away from me and there is never enough left to comment.
> 
> Thanks for sharing all those photos and all of your experiences. Somehow the Asian parks don't really draw us in, guess the language barrier is to blame. We just returned from DLRP and THAT language barrier was enough for us. *



I am glad that you are enjoying it! I have to say that with Tokyo the language barrier was definitely there, but the Japanese desire to be friendly to any guest and the amazing customer service there made it feel so much easier to navigate! I never had an issue at DLRP with language, but I often find it a bit chaotic with guests from all over Europe all having different ideas of appropriate behavior. Japanese are the most considerate and friendly people. So, the whole theme park experience was so pleasant! More to come on this soon!


----------



## Flossbolna

ShellB8585 said:


> Ah yey! just as I am about to start looking into a Shanghai and Tokyo (perhaps Hong Kong) trip I find a TR has been started by one of my fave TR writers! I wasn't sure about Shanghai and to be honest I was only planning on going to tick off another park but it looks like we could have a good couple days there. looking forward to reading more



 While I think it absolutely makes sense to add in another park when one is in Asia anyway, I feel that all three parks would have been too much for one trip. We are tentatively planning to go back to Japan next year, this time adding in Hong Kong so that I get to all the parks (and become "Disney Park Royalty" as Michael calls it).


----------



## Flossbolna

Day 4:

July 2, 2017: Travelling to Tokyo, Hilton Tokyo Bay, Ikspiari

Part 1: We nearly get on the wrong plane!

So, remember how excited we were that we would be able to sleep 1.5 hours longer? Well. I woke up at 5am for no reason and could not get back to sleep. At 6.45 am I gave up, got up and started to get ready and then dragged Michael out of bed.

She did NOT drag me out of bed. She would have to have the strength of a mad Bavarian wom... Nevermind. You were saying, dearest ...

I was rather sad to say goodbye to the lovely hotel and the room that was so comfortable and took a farewell picture:






We were ready to leave the hotel at 7:20 am and got into the taxi that the Toy Story Hotel had called for us. However, the taxi was not nearly as nice as the one we had from the airport to the Toy Story Hotel. It did not have any air-conditioning. And even worse it did not have seat belts. I was not happy about this. But the drive to the airport was uneventful, roads were empty and we quickly got to the airport. Somehow the taxi for the return trip was cheaper, it was 84 RMB, that’s $ 12.50. On the way there we had paid 130 RMB, which is about $ 19, so still a very good price.

See, this is where you can tell M was a China travel newbie. Seatbelts and AC?!?! Pish posh. Any cab ride in China where you enter the cab in one piece and exit in one piece is considered a great taxi ride. One that gets you to your destination and on time as well without driving on the sidewalks, through a hotel lobby or farmer's field is truly a blessing. (Be thankful I am tired and lazy or this is where I would begin a 6,243 word rant on Uber and Lyft and being illegal taxi operations and why I would NEVER use them anywhere ... but again, you are so lucky right now.)

We quickly found the ANA check-in desk where there was no line. The very friendly check-in agent took our luggage and then started to explain how sorry the airline was that they were not able to transport us on time and that they hoped that we would forgive them and accept a 100 RMB food voucher each to have breakfast with. So, we got to sleep longer (or in my case got to waste the chance to sleep longer…) and then ended up with $ 15 each to spend on food at the airport. We already started to like ANA’s service!

I had always wanted to fly them. Friends who have, and friends who fly for a living, have raved about their service. When I found out we could fly on them and use a relatively tiny amount of miles, I was all for it.

We went through security where Michael had a lot of fun. As it appears in China you don’t just take out your liquids and your computer, you also have to take out your umbrella from your hand luggage. Remember how Michael bought an umbrella the day before at the Disney Store in Shanghai? This was his downfall now. At first he did not understand why they were asking him about an umbrella as he had forgotten that he had one and then he had to fish it out of his bag from the bottom.

Writing this now I am wondering if this might explain the mysterious disappearance of a bunch of Shanghai Disneyland Times Guides… You see, my husband has a love affair with ephemera. You are lucky he has room in his gigantic heart for you too. He collects mark maps, entertainment schedules etc. Anything that was printed on paper is worth keeping for him, mainly if the origin is Disney or other theme park, but he likes stuff from other attractions as well. I am told that there are maps going back to the 1970s when he started visiting WDW (not that I have ever seen them as they are being hidden in some bins in the garage…). No, the old and truly valuable stuff is in the house, not the garage. Although I sometimes come across treasures unexpectedly.

And he is also a very generous person, so he takes great care to always think of who of his friends might be interested in getting some paper from wherever he visits. Some of these treasures have made it to very exotic places, like ... um ... ah ... Delaware. Of course Shanghai Disneyland was a place where more ephemera needed to be picked up than WDW due to its newness and exotic locale. And WDW has also become an overrated and crowded and generally unpleasant tourist trap too. So, we had been hoarding park maps over the last few days as well as the some Times Guides that detailed the entertainment schedules and such. We continued that collection in Tokyo. When we got home, Michael started to work through his stash of paper to sort it and make little packets for people for whom we had bought gifts during our travels and such. But for whatever reason he only had a couple of those Times Guides from Shanghai. It has remained a mystery why there were so few. I have been accused of forgetting (or even “forgetting”) them since I am the designated packer in our relationship. I am sure that I might be stupid enough to loose a 100 € on a plane, but not so stupid that I would ever lose my husband’s ephemera! However, I could imagine a couple of Times Guides being left behind at the security check during the umbrella madness.

OK, I will admit after days of high level talks and deliberations that it IS possible that somehow the Times Guides were removed by either myself or the security and never made it back in. I will only say possible because it makes some sense, although I have some recollection of seeing them in Japan. But when I got back to Germany we only found five and two were used (ephemera must be kept pristine for collection purposes). 

Once we were through security, we had to go through passport control. Here we had another hiccup. On the plane to China we had gotten those cards to fill out. However, when we applied, they told us that they didn’t need them as they were only for people entering on a visa and not on the 144-hours-transit deal that we used. It turned out that those cards had a small part that was for exiting the country as well (if there are any non-US readers who are familiar with the green landing cards you had to fill out for the US and which were stapled into your passport, it’s the same deal, but the cards were white) and we needed that. So, we had to get out of line and there was a place where they had cards, we filled out the exit part and got back in line. Luckily the line wasn’t long, so it was not a big deal at all. But for anyone else using the 144-hour-transit, keep those exit cards, you will need them!

We got to the gate area with plenty of time and went in search of some food. We wanted something with coffee and found a Segafredo café where we got coffee and something to eat. 






They were very upset that what we ordered did not fill up the amount of our vouchers. So, they made us buy some Swiss hard candy as well. It was a bit strange having Italian coffee and buying Swiss candy in a Chinese airport… 

I enjoyed the entire experience. I recall liking the sandwich and the coffee quite a bit.

We also did a little shopping. They had a very nice shopping area for buying all kind of souvenirs. We ended up buying some cookies for my parents and some spicy nuts for ourselves. 

Spicy nuts ... chuckle ... giggle ... teehee ... she said spicy nuts!

Then we headed to our gate which was changed from what it was supposed to be originally, I guess due to the delay. It was on the ground floor in a large hall with four gates. It was all rather chaotic… There was already a long line for the ANA flight to Tokyo, so we got into line and waited. Something somehow alerted us to look closer and we suddenly realised that we were in the line to the ANA flight to Tokyo Narita airport, however, we were booked on the ANA flight to Tokyo Haneda airport!! The flight numbers were very similar, 922 instead of 972. So, at the last minute they had changed our gate again and now had another flight to Tokyo departing from the gate we were supposed to have! Luckily our flight was down in the same area as well, just at the other end of the room.

I thought they were practically next to each other. It was very odd. Imagine one airline having two gates next to each other with flights to say NYC. One is for LaGuardia an one is for JFK. At some point, they change gates. They both have similar flights numbers and ... well, that was our situation.

Michael was very excited about this flight as it was going to be a Dreamliner, the Boeing 787, and he had never flown on one of those before. Neither had I, but he is more interested in airplanes than me. The 787 is a pretty big plane, so we were really surprised that they were boarding people onto busses! Yep, we got to board from the tarmac! 











It does give you nice photo opportunities!

The one special thing about the Dreamliner is that the windows are larger than on normal planes and instead of shades, you can dim the windows to filter out the sunlight. They just get more and more tinted until they are all black and no light is coming through. This means that much more daylight is getting into the cabin during a daytime flight and I really liked that! 

It was a short flight, but incredibly comfortable. And we were back in the poor peoples cabin. Where I seem to fly all the time since I got married (unlike pre-married days). It was a beautiful plane, but I love the superjumbo A380, which I swore I would never fly on when it made its debut in 2007, too. ... This was also the first plane where the bathroom had a window. Nothing like standing there and emptying the bladder while looking out at bright sunshine and Japan below. Way kewl.







Besides the nice plane, the service was also excellent on ANA. It started with me being amused by this lovely service guide in my seat pocket: 






It told you all the services that were available on the plane and even explained to you how to eat Japanese noodles during your meal: 
















And then it was time to leave China and head to Japan! 






Before we were served our meal we were of course given a wet towel to clean our hands. 






This was the first of many more! You get them before every meal in Japan. Some casual restaurants have them on the table, you will find them on your fast food tray, nicer restaurants might bring you cloth towels. You just don’t start eating in Japan without having used a wet towel. 

Cleanliness and hygiene are huge parts of the culture in Japan (wait til we start talking about toilets). By comparison Americans and Europeans are animals who need to be hosed off like elephants at a circus (oh wait, we made them politically incorrect too, right?)

This was the meal: 






It was quite tasty!

And then when we were starting to get close to Tokyo, I spotted this outside my window: 






Mount Fuji saying Welcome to Japan! 

One day we will visit!

We got to Tokyo Haneda without issues, flight time was only 2 hours 20 minutes instead of the scheduled 3 hours. Before we went through immigration I needed a bathroom What else is new? and immediately got my first Japanese toilet experience! 

Japanese toilets are renown for their exemplary comfort. Often the seat is heated, you have built in water jets that clean you after you have done your business, hot air will then dry what you had washed, you can even play sounds in public bathrooms to cover any sounds you might create. It is all operated with a panel of buttons directly next to your seat: 

These babies are blissful. They clean you, pleasure you, entertain you all at once. They also leave you with a distinct feeling that turns into a belief that you are not clean without having these.







(Sorry for blurry photo!) I took this picture in the hope that I would learn all the Japanese signs for the different functions so that I would not run into any problems when I came across a toilet that did not have English or symbols on the buttons. This never happened. The best thing about Japanese toilets was that they appeared to be plenty, always clean and often had additional features designed to make your visit more comfortable. For example a lot of them had shelves for your hand bag, there was often a low level unrinal in the lady’s room for little boys to use. In a bathroom underneath Kyoto train station they had these platforms that you could fold down from the side to stand on if you wanted to change clothes inside the bathroom stall so that you did not have to step on the floor without shoes. A very common feature were baby chairs like this: 






Immigration was no issue and we soon were reunited with our bags and headed to the Japan Rail office at the terminal 

In Japan rail travel is the most common method of travel for tourists. The trains are great and easy to use and there are plenty of them. However, they are not cheap either. We had planned to go to Kyoto and then had to return to Tokyo for our flights back, so we knew that the tickets Tokyo-Kyoto and back would have to be bought. Japan Rail (JR) offers a rail pass. What this means is that you pay a flat fee and then you can use nearly all trains for 7 days or 14 days (I think there is a 21 days, too). There are a few exceptions, mainly private lines (and there are quite a few of those around) and the very high speed high speed trains. You can use the medium high speed Shinkansen Medium high speed?!!? Compared to what? Not the slow and inefficient German trains! though, so the extra 20 minutes we were going to be on a train did not really matter. With the rail pass you can also make reservations for free. Ultimately getting return tickets would have been slightly cheaper, but we figured that we would be able to use the rail pass also for some local travel and in the end it seemed to be the smarter choice to get one. We did break even and saved a few Yen and it was nice to know that we had the freedom to travel as much as we wanted. 

The rail pass is only available for people living outside of Japan therefore you cannot purchase it in Japan. You must buy a voucher before you leave. They are being sold through specific travel agents in different countries. We had purchased our vouchers here in Germany and now they needed to be exchanged into the real thing. You can do this at several major train stations, but they also have offices at the major airports. This is important if you plan to use it for a train from airport to your destination. We weren’t going to use our rail pass until after we had been at Tokyo Disney Resort, but we figured that at the airport the language would not be an issue, we did not have any big plans for the day besides arriving and looking around the resort, and once we had dealt with it, we would not have to worry about it. 

There was a small line as the office was not large at all, but we were excited to see the first advertisement for our destination: 






Unfortunately they could not get us our seat reservations there, I think because it was too far in the future. But we did this at the Maihama Station, which is the train station that serves Tokyo Disney Resort, without any issues. I had researched the trains we wanted to take and had written down the date, train number and departure time for both trips and we showed our rail passes and quickly got the reservations. 

Tokyo has two major international airports: Haneda (where we flew to) and Narita (where we nearly tried to be a blind passenger to). We specifically chose to fly into Haneda because it is the airport that is closer to TDR.

Haneda is MUCH, MUCH, MUCH closer to the city and to TDR, than Narita. Trust me on this. For years, most international traffic was routed through Narita, which can be as much as two hours away from the city and resort. Haneda approach is literally over Tokyo Disney and Tokyo Bay. I lucked out on my first visit in 2010 in that the new international terminal had just opened (they were still putting carpeting down in parts and everything smelled new, so flying there from Hong Kong was easy. It spoiled me. You REALLY want to use this as your gateway airport. Even if you save a few hundred dollars or euros or Disney Dollars (if you know what they are/were), it isn't worth it unless you essentially don't mind giving up most of a day to transitting in from the airport.

There is a system of airport busses in Tokyo, called Airport Limousine (and despite the name it really is just a standard coach). They run all over the city, to a lot of hotels. And to TDR, even every 15 minutes! However, they only run to TDR from the International Terminal once an hour. By the time we got done with the rail pass, we had just missed the departure by 5 minutes. So we decided to hop onto the internal airport shuttle and went to Terminal 2 to get the Airport Limousine from there. It was a really easy process. We asked someone and they pointed us to the ticket machines that were in the airport wall outside at the bus stops, we bought our ticket, I think one of the attendants even came over to help us, then went to our bus stop where they had three lines marked on the pavement, we were told which line to get in, they took our luggage and tagged it and gave us the stub – which we then had to show in order to get our luggage back when we got off the bus! 

The bus came very quickly, we found a nice seat: 






(This picture introduces our bear. He was adopted at the Disney Character Warehouse Sawgrass Mills outlet adoption agency in 2012 as he was born with a WDW 40th anniversary hoodie that was horribly outdated after October 1, 2011. He is VERY good with knifes, so never call him Duffy. He goes by Big Sugar D, although since late 2017 has been demanding we refer to him as THE BSD!. And he was wildly excited to travel to the nation of his family’s origins and you might see him in a couple more pictures. A lot of his life is not fit to be told on a family friendly board like this, so if my husband tries to add something about his other trip goals, I will censor him!!) 

The bear is my bestie. If he were in a house and it was on fire and M was in another house ... to be fair, his idol is Ted. He enjoys alcohol and drugs (some legal ... some ..) and girls ... and boys too. He also isn't one to be politically correct or anything of the sort. He did have some adventures on the trip when he hit Japan. He largely stayed in the closet during our visit to Shanghai as he was convinced that the Chinese eat little plush bears. I think M put that idea in his head, so she wouldn't have to carry him around all day.

I took a picture from the window where you can see the other people lining up in a different line, the ticket machines in the wall and the signs that currently display Japanese characters would alternate with English. Once everyone (us and one other lady) were onboard and the doors had closed, the attendants working at the airport took a deep bow and said goodbye to the bus. 

As you can see the bus was very empty: 






But it can seat a lot of people as there are even fold out seat for the aisle! We picked up a couple more people at Terminal 1 and there were on our way. All in all our drive time was about 40 minutes. 






Getting to/Arriving at TDR is a bit strange, especially for someone who is used to WDW. One of the first things Michael ever told me about TDR was about how he felt getting there the first time. So, I feel this is something that he should tell you about. 

Every resort is different. WDW was an amazing place to go to in the 1970s and 80s as you drove up US 192 through orange groves and cow pastures and then five lanes turned into World Drive, which didn't have any tacky archways or purple signs. And you drove miles and what seemed to a kid even more miles while you listened to Jack Wagner, The Voice of WDW, on WDW Radio (not to be confused with that sleazy Lou Mongello character). Getting to the MK involved trams and monorails (that were clean and efficient, not ghetto and prone to losing parts regularly). Even as WDW developed, it was still a kingdom of boundless imagination in a magical Central Florida forest. Well, they paved over paradise and put in timeshares and tacky motels and ... gondolas and malls and ... 

Since 2005, HKDL has the undisputed (by anyone with taste) best entrance with its own railway off the HK metro through tropical mountains and sitting on land that is next to the South China Sea. It truly is a breathtaking location. Too bad M has never been and never will go (?! that's new to me that I will never go to Hong Kong... Especially since we are currently planning a trip there next year.) ... so sad, so sad!

Anyway, TDR has ... well, since Anaheim has cleaned up Harbor Blvd ... the ugliest approach. It is built on reclaimed land on Tokyo Bay surrounded by industrial areas. Indeed, your drive in on a crowded and dirty freeway (it was better this visit) is not magical. You even see (egads!!!) homeless people and trash. And off in the distance ... you start seeing things that you know are Disney. The DLH ... the Hightower Hotel ... Space Mountain's white dome ... Cinderella Castle ... giant hotel towers. To me, now, it is pure magic. But a sheltered WDW visitor (even the type whose first visit came when there already was three or four parks) might find the entrance ... the opening act ... jarring the first time around. Relax, most people struggle with various emotions after their first times! 

It is a spectacular life-changing experience.

The nice thing about the Airport Limousine is that it takes you directly to your hotel, so it is like a Magical Express with a fee. However, you possibly could go to a lot of hotels before you reach yours. We were lucky and only had a couple of stops. We drove by the official entry sign: 






And the parking lot entrance: 






And then got to our home for the next 7 nights: The Hilton Tokyo Bay: 






Up Next: A fantastic surprise!


----------



## gelatoni fan

Oooh. I didn't know that ANA had a different snack mix for their flights to/from China. Would love to try them to see if I like them more than the "special" snack mix for people with dietary restrictions. Ironically, the gluten-free, vegetarian, Halal-certified rice crackers in recycled packaging are the standard snack mix for ANA flights to the US.


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## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> That place sounds great! We have a brand new Asian supermarket and they sell frozen dumplings as well. Michael was commenting just before he left that we should get some. Now I am thinking that it might be a nice thing to invite a few people for. Since we have no Trader Joe's this is still a new thing for us!



If you end up doing this you should get the ingredients for an authentic dipping sauce. My friend from Taiwan showed me this back in college and I mix it up at home every time I order take out or eat my frozen pot stickers.

I mix this in a small dish similar to the size of a sushi dipping dish, but with a little higher sides. All the portions are at your own discretion you'll need the following ingredients:

Sambal Olek
Sesame Oil
Soy Sauce
White Vinegar

I spoon a small amount of sambal olek in the dish maybe a 1/4 teaspoon. A little goes a long way. Then I pour a small amount of the Sesame Oil over it, again maybe 1/4 to 1/2 tsp, it's very pungent. Then about a tsp of vinegar and mostly soy sauce. I usually stir it and taste and adjust the seasonings. If It needs more kick, I add more sambal olek, if I want more tang, I add vinegar, if it needs mellowing, more soy sauce.

My favorite Chinese restaurant which is around the corner from my University has these on the table and that's where my friend taught me about this.



Flossbolna said:


> I used to think that a drive through was such a cool thing and always wanted to do it. Now I am older and wiser and know better... On the other hand a dining car on a train is quite a marvelous dining experience! No seat belt though.



I guess you don't have them in Germany.  Have grown up with them, there is no novelty for me. Now a dining car on a train, that sounds quite exotic!



Flossbolna said:


> Yes, most offerings at the buffet were pre plated. I liked that as there was no need to use utensils that other people had touched and done who knows what with.



You know I never thought about stuff like that at a buffet, and now that I'm on the DIS, I'm learning this is a real thing. 



Flossbolna said:


> Is that what happens to you when you eat Chinese food in the US?



It's kind of a running joke. I think it's because most people aren't used to eating veggies and its lighter than traditional American fare so they don't eat enough and get hungry sooner. I don't have that problem curve I always eat way too much!



Flossbolna said:


> When I was young, I thought eating on the go was so smart as I would be able to see more when traveling. Now I cherish the breaks for eating as part of the traveling experience. Can you tell that I am getting closer to that big 5??



As far as I remember I've always enjoyed slowing down. Even as a kid I was eating in the car on the way to or from swim practice or on the way to swim meets.



Flossbolna said:


> I usually need a little over 7 hours. I normally wake up on my own about 7 hours and 15 minutes after going to bed I figured out. So, anything over six is still ok for me, at least for one or two days.



I'm best with a good solid 8 or 9 hours. At least that's what I had last night. Went to bed at 10 completely exhausted and woke up shortly before 7AM.


----------



## soniam

Yeah! Japan! ANA does look amazing. My husband is a plane nut too. He used to be an aerospace engineering major. I know that I have not flown on a 787; he might have. We did like the A380 that we flew on with Lufthansa to Nuremburg for the Christmas markets in 2015. However, the seats we had didn't have under seat storage in front of us, since we were one row back from the service area wall. The flight attendants were very cool about it though, and let us have our stuff in the floor during the flight, instead of constantly having to get into the overhead. I hope we get to fly ANA. I think my son will starve to death in Japan though. Yeah for Fujiyama too! I am hoping to spend 3 weeks in Japan to hit Tokyo, TDR, Kyoto, Osaka, and Universal Osaka. We might have time to se Fujiyama.


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> If you end up doing this you should get the ingredients for an authentic dipping sauce. My friend from Taiwan showed me this back in college and I mix it up at home every time I order take out or eat my frozen pot stickers.
> 
> I mix this in a small dish similar to the size of a sushi dipping dish, but with a little higher sides. All the portions are at your own discretion you'll need the following ingredients:
> 
> Sambal Olek
> Sesame Oil
> Soy Sauce
> White Vinegar
> 
> I spoon a small amount of sambal olek in the dish maybe a 1/4 teaspoon. A little goes a long way. Then I pour a small amount of the Sesame Oil over it, again maybe 1/4 to 1/2 tsp, it's very pungent. Then about a tsp of vinegar and mostly soy sauce. I usually stir it and taste and adjust the seasonings. If It needs more kick, I add more sambal olek, if I want more tang, I add vinegar, if it needs mellowing, more soy sauce.
> 
> My favorite Chinese restaurant which is around the corner from my University has these on the table and that's where my friend taught me about this.



This sounds great! I will certainly remember to check back with this thread or you when I get those!


----------



## Flossbolna

soniam said:


> Yeah! Japan! ANA does look amazing. My husband is a plane nut too. He used to be an aerospace engineering major. I know that I have not flown on a 787; he might have. We did like the A380 that we flew on with Lufthansa to Nuremburg for the Christmas markets in 2015. However, the seats we had didn't have under seat storage in front of us, since we were one row back from the service area wall. The flight attendants were very cool about it though, and let us have our stuff in the floor during the flight, instead of constantly having to get into the overhead. I hope we get to fly ANA. I think my son will starve to death in Japan though. Yeah for Fujiyama too! I am hoping to spend 3 weeks in Japan to hit Tokyo, TDR, Kyoto, Osaka, and Universal Osaka. We might have time to se Fujiyama.



Michael used to say that most non-US airlines were better. We both like the Lufthansa A380 experience, too. But recently we both had some really good experiences flying Delta. But none of these can compete with Asian airlines. There is just a totally different level of customer service that is amazing. 

We saw Mt Fuji again from the train to Kyoto. But often it is a draw of luck. Lots of clouds there. I was really trying to get us to Hakone, but it was just not feasible on this trip. Next time!!


----------



## Flossbolna

Part 2: A fantastic surprise!

When planning this trip, we knew that we would not be able to afford the official Disney hotels. They all look amazing and while we were sad that we could not stay there we also knew that it would seem like a waste of money if we spent so much time at the park and were not going to take advantage of the hotel itself. 

I do get a laugh out of the insane souls who spend $700 a night to stay at a WDW deluxe resort and never spend any time there beyond six hours to sleep. ... Oh, I also want to apologize yet again for my wife"s incredible slowness in providing you our incredibly informative and entertaining trip report. This is truly all her fault and I do tell her she is letting y'all down on a daily basis!

Besides the Disney hotels there are a bunch of other official hotels or partner hotels, can't recall the terminology as they have both hotels around the park. This is an overview of the TDL resort:






As you can see, the two parks are directly next to each other with the official hotels close to the park entrances (and one that is further away). Around the parks is the monorail with four stops and at the one stop there is a number of official resort hotels. These are similar to the Hotel Plaza hotels next to Disney Springs: operated by third parties, but with a very close connection. These hotels largely predated the OLC having any Disney-branded resorts. They simply were not interested in the hotel business until the property went from being TDL to being TDR!

(Let's add some background info here. Tokyo Disneyland is not owned by The Walt Disney Company. It is owned by a Japanese company called the Oriental Land Company - OLC. They have a license from TWDC and buy services like the design of new attractions from Imagineering. When they built Tokyo Disneyland the OLC wanted a copy of what is in the American parks, so when they opened in 1983 it was to a large extent a copy. But since then things have developed quite differently there, especially with the addition of Tokyo Disney Sea in 2001.)

Some are run by Japanese chains, but there are Sheraton and Hilton hotels and both get very good reviews and are often recommended. We had hoped that we could stay at one of these, but when we first started looking prices were very high. We did book a refundable rate at an offsite hotel at some point, 

this hotel was a very basic motel that we saw from the monorail one day, M is VERY happy we didn't wind up staying here. It was part of a small chain and in an industrial type area right off property, 

but decided to wait a little. Hilton regularly has sales for their hotels in Asia and we were hoping for one of those. This came some time in the spring and we booked our five nights there for $160 (including tax). While not a cheap room, we knew that the location would be worth it and it would be a nice hotel. We continued our trip planning and at some point Michael started to complain about how many different hotels we were going to stay at and that he does not enjoy moving hotels that much. 

In other words, Michael knows that changing hotels wastes time and energy and is even worse during summer.

So, we decided that we should look into staying on at the Hilton for another two nights for the two days we meant to explore Tokyo. Just a reminder since we started this trip report what seems like years ago that we intended -- and did -- return too Tokyo for multiple nights at the end of the trip and stayed in the city. We would just take the train into the city. The sale was over by then, but luckily there was another offer going on and we ended up only paying $15 more per night. I emailed the hotel and they were able to attach both reservations with each other and they ensured us that we would not have to change rooms. 

So, we were looking forward to making the Hilton Tokyo Bay our home for a week! 

Once we had gotten off our Airport Limousine and the driver handed us our suitcases back – only after checking that they were indeed ours with the little receipt that we had gotten – we went to check in. A lovely lady, I think she was the on-duty front desk manager, greeted us and asked for our reservation. Since I had to sign up for Hilton Honors (their loyalty program) in order to get the cheaper rates, we were escorted to the special member check-in desk. There she welcomed us again and told us that they were so happy that we decided to stay with them for such a long time and in order to make us feel more welcome, they upgraded us to their top floor which had larger rooms and which also gave us access to a small lounge SMALL?!?!??! There was nothing small about this at all. Again, this sounds like female grousing about size issues! on the ground floor which was serving breakfast and then appetizers in the afternoon/evening. The room type we got is called “Celebrio Select”. That was an amazing surprise that affected our stay there very positively! 

What M is leaving out here is that we had an inkling we had been upgraded at some point in Shanghai when she either attempted online check in or just checked the reservation. She attempted to hide this fact from me, but somehow I knew. And while not a shock when we arrived, it turned into a very pleasant and cost-saving surprise. We wound up having breakfast here every morning (yes, even me ... I love Asian and European breakfasts as they consist of a lot more than watery scrambled eggs, cardboard waffles and days old bananas.) We also had coffee here every day. Plus alcohol. Plus largely used the appetizers, which were substantial as you will later see for dinners.

So, all happy about this we went to check out our room! And immediately found out about the only two not so great things at the Hilton: For whatever reason they did not have all elevators operating which resulted in some rather long waits some time. And then, maybe because we were on the top floor, the hallways were extremely hot and sticky. We were a bit concerned, but as soon as we opened the door to our room that concern vanished, the room was lovely and cool! 

That’s what it looked like: 
















We even had a little welcome present wrapped in a little cloth. That’s common in Japan that things are not wrapped in paper, but little pieces of fabric. I think it’s a wonderful tradition and also very environmentally friendly! This lovely piece of fabric now lines our bread basket at home. The cookies were given to us at the check-in desk. 






Next to the closet there was a fridge and a kettle: 






The fridge was filled with soda and water that was replaced every day. 

Ah, endless Cokes and Fanta Grapes. They knew I was coming.

The bathroom had three separated areas: the sink in the middle and to the left the toilet room and to the right the shower and tub. 

The toilet was one of those nice Japanese ones of course: 






In the shower/tub room the shower was next to the tub.






A bit uncommon, but it fits with the Japanese bathing tradition. In Japan you shower and clean up before you go and soak in the hot water. So, you could do this here as well. The Japanese tend to sit on the little stool while soaping up thoroughly. I had read about this, but got to see it when we went to the pool at the Hilton a few days later. I have to admit that I tried it and actually thought that this made for a very nice showering experience!! For your soaking time there was even a TV in the wall! However, I think it was only showing Japanese TV. 

I am not a fan of Japanese bathing. Sitting on what feels like a Rubbermaid stool to soap yourself ... nah. Nope. Seems like something you would do with a hose outside in the wilds of some place like ... Delaware!

As you saw in the last update, the Hilton is a very long building, but it is very flat. So rooms view out either side. One side is out towards Tokyo Bay, so you have lovely ocean views. The other side overlooks the Tokyo Disney parking lot (some of it now actually being transformed into a large expansions for both parks). And beyond that: the parks! The ocean side is more popular in general and therefore more expensive. We much preferred the park view and that was our view: 
















In the last picture you can see the monorail station serving the official resorts. There was a shuttle bus available to take you there from the resort, but we only took it once in order to have tried it. It was not far at all, just out of the hotel through the hotel parking lot and across the street. 

Originally our plan had been to head out to Ikspiari after checking into the hotel. Ikspiari is in a way the “Disney Springs” or “Downtown Disney” of Tokyo. It is a shopping mall at the Maihama train station, which is the train station that serves TDR. There is a Disney Store (from the Disney Store chain, not a World of Disney) in the mall and a ticket center and the monorail stops there. Otherwise there is very little Disney about it, but it is a very pretty mall and a lot of fun to explore. It also has all kind of food offerings and we though we would eat dinner there. 

There are other Disney touches in that there is a Rainforest Cafe and large cinema. There used to be a Planet Hollywood. But there are traditional mall stores, Starbucks, food court, TGI Friday's (had opened just before our visit) and a GREAT music store, which sells pretty much all 6,732 TDR special CDs from events, shows, parades, attractions etc. But it certainly isn't magical in that Disney Springs Mall way.

But with the access to the lounge we decided to check that out first! 






The lounge was very nice with lots of comfortable seating. We got a drink and relaxed a little. I caught up with trip notes, we read a little and were just happy to have made it to Tokyo without any issues! 

It was LARGE and lovely. Outdoor area too!

I guess I do not have enough lounge experience, hence me calling it small. It also felt like a comfortable space, not something for crowds to gather.

We then decided to explore the hotel a bit more. It is quite a large hotel that has lots of services on offer. There is a little convenience store selling drinks and snacks at very reasonable prices (considering you are inside a resort hotel) and where you can also find an ATM that worked with our credit cards (getting cash can be sometimes a bit problematic in Japan, but we always found machines that worked for us without issues – Japan is still more of a cash country than the US). There was also a bakery shop that had very delicious looking pastries and sandwiches. And then they also had an official TDR souvenir shop. Of course we had to explore there and make our first purchase! 






A miniature Jungle Cruise boat for a friend.

Whenever we bought something in Japan it was always packaged up very nicely in the shop. At Disney you got the seasonally designed plastic bag that was taped at the top – and they always added an additional bag inside your plastic bag, so you could then pass on the item as a gift in a brand new bag that was not damaged from carrying it around! 

I can no longer recall exactly what I bought. But I did look like an OCD Disney Blogger trying to prove he is the biggest fan by buying anything and everything. ... HINT: This is a small snippet into my behavior the rest of the time there.







After we were done exploring, we returned to the lounge as they had started the appetizer service by now and we wanted to check out the food offerings. We were quite blown away by the selection! We definitely were able to make a meal out of it. In the end the lounge access definitely did save us quite a bit of money as we had breakfast there every day and most days we had a light early dinner there as well. Most of the days we stayed at the Hilton we just purchased one meal. 

We each started off with a salad and some champagne: 











The green stuff in the glass was a cold pea soup. 

I then went and took some pictures of the offerings: 































They had a nice selection of alcohol: 






Besides this were several beers, wine and the aforementioned champagne. 

The lounge also had a very pretty outside seating area, however, it was always far too hot to sit out there. But it had nice views over the Bay. 
















I was especially intrigued by this bridge: 






Continued in next post


----------



## Flossbolna

After snacking through the lounge offerings, we headed to the monorail. The monorail station was very nice and had some interesting displays about monorails and Disney trains and transport. Each station had some sort of display and they were all interesting to look at. 







I was pleased to see the oldest still operating monorail featured there – it is in Wuppertal in Germany: 






The TDR monorail is a real public transport system and you have to pay to use it. There are day tickets and multiple day passes. At the time we were there, they were offering a special monorail pin that you could get if you traded in three day passes. So, in order to get the pin, we knew that we needed single day passes and for today a day pass did not make sense, so we got single tickets. These are very plain and white while the day passes come with fancy designs. 






This was the advertisement for the monorail pin: 






Unfortunately that scheme has been discontinued it seems.

The ticket machines were easy to navigate (some had English, some didn’t if I remember correctly) and we were quickly on the platform waiting for our first monorail ride! 

Great, modern, clean, efficient trains that in no way would remind you of the Ghetto Rails that are running at WDW, a good 15 years after they should have been retired and replaced.







Our first stop at Ikspiari was the TDR Ticket Center. This was easy to find and we did not have to wait long at all. A lovely CM went through the different ticket options with us, even though we knew exactly what we wanted: a 4-day ticket. This is the longest multi-day ticket that you can get. It is not a park hopper. You have to designate which park you want to visit on your first and your second day, then on the third and fourth day you can hop. However, we did not hop at all, so that was OK for us. The one thing that is quite amazing is how comparable inexpensive TDR tickets are. The 4-day ticket we got is now 22.400 Yen. That’s about $ 200. A WDW 4-day non-park-hoping ticket is at least double that.

A few comments: first, the CM was extremely nice and fluent in English. This may seem like a given, but it isn't. Indeed, on my first Tokyo visit in 2010, almost no CMs could speak even basic English. Now, as part of the runup too next year's Olympics, things have changed drastically. I was shocked at how many CMs had at least basic ability.  ... Second, park-hopping at TDR is about as inconvenient as WDW. It isn't like Anaheim or Paris where you basically walk out one and into the next. It takes up way too much time.

We had decided before the trip that Days 1 and 3 at TDR would be TDL days and Days 2 and 4 would be TDS days. That plan held and worked out wonderfully.  Finally, if you were a FL resident now and wanted to visit the stale and poorly maintained parks at the giant tourist trap in the swamps, you could get a four day ticket for $49 a day right now (about what I think those parks are worth). The only catch is that you would actually have to spend a full day at both DHS and EPCOT.

We could have bought the tickets at the Hilton as well, but there they only take cash. We thought it would be easier to pay with the credit card and ultimately when we left the Hilton, there was a line at their ticket counter, while the Ikspiari ticket office was empty in the early evening. 

Once we were done with that we started to explore a bit. I got a delicious Belgian waffle: 






[/url] 

Didn't I get an ice cream of some sort? That was another day. Or I did not take a picture of it...

We also met up with a friend of Michael, who used to work as a musician at  WDW, in the 1990, went to Tokyo on a contract at TDL, fell in love with a Japanese CM and then moved to Tokyo and started a family. We had fun exploring Ikspiari and then two of the three official Disney resorts for a while with him. 

One part of Ikspiari (the one where a lot of restaurants and the movie theater are) has some kind of “Broadway at night” theming: 











See the people standing in the center on the top picture? It is quite amazing that if you say something while standing there, there is a massive echo and your voice is amplified. Michael’s friend tricked me and I got quite a scare when suddenly my voice was filling out the whole room!

We checked out one Hawaiian burger restaurant there:






And like nearly all restaurants in Japan, they also had there menu displayed in plastic: 






Love the plastic food. It is a great source of fiber!

We also looked a bit at the Disney Store. The Disney Store Japan has very different merchandise from the one in the US (or Europe for that matter) and it is also very different from what you can buy at the parks. We found some really nice things there, especially some very pretty postcards for their Disney Store anniversary. 

The odd thing is the stores started out owned by the OLC, but they sold them back to Disney at some point about a decade ago. So while Disney doesn't own even one percent of the TDR (parks and hotels), they own the store chain outright. You can also tell by the merchandise selection. You couldn't find one Marvel item at TDR when we were there. But the Disney Store was loaded with them. It also had so much Star Wars trash. Star Wars merchandise was available in Tomorrowland and a few other places, but it's not like WDW, where it is literally everywhere from EPCOT to DAK to Coronado Springs to Typhoon Lagoon etc. Says a bit about priorities.

We then headed to the Disney Ambassador Hotel, which is Art Deco. There was a very cute looking diner: 






The lobby looked very comfortable: 











This used to be the “cheapest” Disney hotel, but now they purchased another hotel a bit further away and they are building a new hotel next to the Hilton. Themed to Toy Story. The Ambassador is still definitely in the Deluxe category when it comes to prices and amenities. But it is a bit shoehorned in between the parks and Ikspiari. Kind of a bit of an afterthought. While I would not mind to stay there and though I loved the décor, I felt that there wasn’t really the value for this hotel as the Hilton or the Sheraton are nearly as convenient to the parks, but are far more affordable. 

They are also building a second in park hotel at TDS in the new Fantasy Springs area.

We then proceeded to walk towards the entrance of Tokyo Disneyland and the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel which sits right in front of the entrance. On the way there we passed the large outside Disney Parks store, it is called Bon Voyage and is in a building that looks like a suitcase. It also has a bit of a Art Deco décor. It’s Tokyo’s World of Disney, but does not have nearly the same amount of merchandise. 






Somehow I was rather a bit disappointed with that store. Our tiny Hilton store seemed to have a nicer selection in some regard. 

We moved on to have a look at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel: 





















The lobby looked very stunning and I liked the décor. It reminded me of a more whimsical version of the Victorian décor of the Grand Floridian. Kind of like if the Boardwalk and the Grand Floridian had gotten together. 

It was getting late and I was fading quickly since I had such a crappy night of sleep, so we said goodbye to our friend for now (we were going to meet up again on a later day) and headed out to the monorail: 






Where we also saw the first attraction posters that got us excited about tomorrow! 



 

We had big plans for the next day: rope drop at Tokyo Disneyland! I had hoped to get to bed earlier to catch up on sleep, but it was midnight by the time I got into bed and the alarm was set for 7:15 am! 

I feel like I am too excited to sleep!!!

Up next: Hunting for Hunny!


----------



## soniam

Love the monorail display! I'm a bit of a monorail nerd. I grew up in Oklahoma City, and our fairgrounds had a monorail that ran around it. I would really like to ride all of the currently operating monorails someday. The hotels, and really everything, looks so amazing!


----------



## Flossbolna

Just a heads up: There was some color issues in the last update. I hope I caught it all, but somehow Michael's red text appeared in my blue. Made for a bit of confusing reading.


----------



## soniam

Flossbolna said:


> Just a heads up: There was some color issues in the last update. I hope I caught it all, but somehow Michael's red text appeared in my blue. Made for a bit of confusing reading.



I could definitely detect Michael's "tone"I don't think I was confused.


----------



## Hannah nz

Excitedly following along. My husband and I just got back from our Japan trip. We stayed at the Hilton too! Reliving it with your pictures!


----------



## Magical_Suitcase

Flossbolna said:


> Spicy nuts ... chuckle ... giggle ... teehee ... she said spicy nuts!



  I am old, this is funny to me.



Flossbolna said:


> The bear is my bestie. If he were in a house and it was on fire and M was in another house ... to be fair, his idol is Ted. He enjoys alcohol and drugs (some legal ... some ..) and girls ... and boys too. He also isn't one to be politically correct or anything of the sort. He did have some adventures on the trip when he hit Japan. He largely stayed in the closet during our visit to Shanghai as he was convinced that the Chinese eat little plush bears. I think M put that idea in his head, so she wouldn't have to carry him around all day.



I knew there was a reason I like Michael.  Tolerant, free thinking people make me feel good.



Flossbolna said:


> But it can seat a lot of people as there are even fold out seat for the aisle!



Oh my, is that safe?  Having people sit in the aisles?  Although I guess if everyone is going from point A to point B with no stops in between, it would not matter if they were sitting in the aisles.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Flossbolna said:


> So, remember how excited we were that we would be able to sleep 1.5 hours longer? Well. I woke up at 5am for no reason and could not get back to sleep.







Flossbolna said:


> We quickly found the ANA check-in desk where there was no line. The very friendly check-in agent took our luggage and then started to explain how sorry the airline was that they were not able to transport us on time and that they hoped that we would forgive them and accept a 100 RMB food voucher each to have breakfast with. So, we got to sleep longer (or in my case got to waste the chance to sleep longer…) and then ended up with $ 15 each to spend on food at the airport. We already started to like ANA’s service!



Not too shabby!



Flossbolna said:


> Writing this now I am wondering if this might explain the mysterious disappearance of a bunch of Shanghai Disneyland Times Guides… You see, my husband has a love affair with ephemera. You are lucky he has room in his gigantic heart for you too. He collects mark maps, entertainment schedules etc. Anything that was printed on paper is worth keeping for him, mainly if the origin is Disney or other theme park, but he likes stuff from other attractions as well.



I know one person who appreciated the map collection...



Flossbolna said:


> Some of these treasures have made it to very exotic places, like ... um ... ah ... Delaware.



See?  I think maps are a guy thing.



Flossbolna said:


> Something somehow alerted us to look closer and we suddenly realised that we were in the line to the ANA flight to Tokyo Narita airport, however, we were booked on the ANA flight to Tokyo Haneda airport!!



 This feels like a test to see how well you paid attention!



Flossbolna said:


> The one special thing about the Dreamliner is that the windows are larger than on normal planes and instead of shades, you can dim the windows to filter out the sunlight. They just get more and more tinted until they are all black and no light is coming through. This means that much more daylight is getting into the cabin during a daytime flight and I really liked that!



Huh.  Never heard of that before, but it sounds nice.



Flossbolna said:


>



Mmmm...seaweed...



Flossbolna said:


>



I'd be afraid I was going to activate the trap door or something.



Flossbolna said:


> The rail pass is only available for people living outside of Japan therefore you cannot purchase it in Japan. You must buy a voucher before you leave. They are being sold through specific travel agents in different countries.



Huh.  Interesting.  That's good to know.



Flossbolna said:


> Haneda is MUCH, MUCH, MUCH closer to the city and to TDR, than Narita. Trust me on this. For years, most international traffic was routed through Narita, which can be as much as two hours away from the city and resort. Haneda approach is literally over Tokyo Disney and Tokyo Bay. I lucked out on my first visit in 2010 in that the new international terminal had just opened (they were still putting carpeting down in parts and everything smelled new, so flying there from Hong Kong was easy. It spoiled me. You REALLY want to use this as your gateway airport.



Thanks for the tip!  I would not want to spend 2 hours driving from the airport.  That's what Denver airport feels like.



Flossbolna said:


> Too bad M has never been and never will go (?! that's new to me that I will never go to Hong Kong... Especially since we are currently planning a trip there next year.) ... so sad, so sad!



Good communication is key in any marriage.



Flossbolna said:


> When planning this trip, we knew that we would not be able to afford the official Disney hotels.



Well, that's a bummer of a feeling.



Flossbolna said:


> There she welcomed us again and told us that they were so happy that we decided to stay with them for such a long time and in order to make us feel more welcome, they upgraded us to their top floor which had larger rooms and which also gave us access to a small lounge



Hey, that's cool!



Flossbolna said:


> For your soaking time there was even a TV in the wall!



Wow!  Why would you ever leave? 



Flossbolna said:


> I am not a fan of Japanese bathing. Sitting on what feels like a Rubbermaid stool to soap yourself ... nah. Nope. Seems like something you would do with a hose outside in the wilds of some place like ... Delaware!



Who needs soap?  Waste of time.



Flossbolna said:


> The green stuff in the glass was a cold pea soup.







Flossbolna said:


> The TDR monorail is a real public transport system and you have to pay to use it.



Aw, come on!  



Flossbolna said:


> The one thing that is quite amazing is how comparable inexpensive TDR tickets are. The 4-day ticket we got is now 22.400 Yen. That’s about $ 200. A WDW 4-day non-park-hoping ticket is at least double that.



Wow.  That really is quite a difference.  I don't mind paying for the monorail ride now.



Flossbolna said:


> See the people standing in the center on the top picture? It is quite amazing that if you say something while standing there, there is a massive echo and your voice is amplified. Michael’s friend tricked me and I got quite a scare when suddenly my voice was filling out the whole room!



 Time to pretend I'm announcing baseball lineups...



Flossbolna said:


> Love the plastic food. It is a great source of fiber!



But terrible for the environment!


----------



## franandaj

So your last update is so massive, I haven't been able to sit down long enough to get all the way through so I inserted the multi quotes that I already had in my computer, saved the draft, and now I'll get caught up on at least that much while it sit at the vet and wait.



Flossbolna said:


> Well. I woke up at 5am for no reason and could not get back to sleep. At 6.45 am I gave up, got up and started to get ready and then dragged Michael out of bed.



I hate when that happens, and it's usually on vacation. 



Flossbolna said:


> See, this is where you can tell M was a China travel newbie. Seatbelts and AC?!?! Pish posh. Any cab ride in China where you enter the cab in one piece and exit in one piece is considered a great taxi ride. One that gets you to your destination and on time as well without driving on the sidewalks, through a hotel lobby or farmer's field is truly a blessing.



  You are not making me want to travel to China anytime soon!



Flossbolna said:


> There was already a long line for the ANA flight to Tokyo, so we got into line and waited. Something somehow alerted us to look closer and we suddenly realised that we were in the line to the ANA flight to Tokyo Narita airport, however, we were booked on the ANA flight to Tokyo Haneda airport!!



Yikes! They should make better distinctions so that people don't get confused!



Flossbolna said:


> It told you all the services that were available on the plane and even explained to you how to eat Japanese noodles during your meal:



 I like that!



Flossbolna said:


> This was the first of many more! You get them before every meal in Japan. Some casual restaurants have them on the table, you will find them on your fast food tray, nicer restaurants might bring you cloth towels. You just don’t start eating in Japan without having used a wet towel.



That's why you get hot towels before Teppan Yaki meals and other high end sushi places, I guess.



Flossbolna said:


> Often the seat is heated, you have built in water jets that clean you after you have done your business, hot air will then dry what you had washed, you can even play sounds in public bathrooms to cover any sounds you might create. It is all operated with a panel of buttons directly next to your seat:



We went to a presentation at the Disneyland Hotel. It was in a swanky suite. Photography wasn't allowed, but I took a picture of the toilet, cause it was one like that. I'd never seen such a thing!



Flossbolna said:


> And then got to our home for the next 7 nights: The Hilton Tokyo Bay:



I'll think about that one if we ever go. We've been Hilton Hhonors members for years and often get upgraded when hotels have that option. Hampton Inn does not have that option. 



Flossbolna said:


> I do get a laugh out of the insane souls who spend $700 a night to stay at a WDW deluxe resort and never spend any time there beyond six hours to sleep. ...



Heck, the ONLY time I spent $700 a night was when we stayed Concierge at AKL, and had to get a one bedroom suite because they told me all the standard CL rooms were sold out. We wanted to do the Sunrise safari, and this was the only way to do it. We checked out after three nights. We spent the same amount at the GF after that and stayed a whole week.  Silly things we do. Fran bought into DVC after that trip! 



Flossbolna said:


> Hilton regularly has sales for their hotels in Asia and we were hoping for one of those. This came some time in the spring and we booked our five nights there for $160 (including tax). While not a cheap room, we knew that the location would be worth it and it would be a nice hotel.



That was $160 per night right? Not $160 for the whole week...



Flossbolna said:


> Since I had to sign up for Hilton Honors (their loyalty program) in order to get the cheaper rates, we were escorted to the special member check-in desk.



As I said, we've been members for years, we get great perks like upgrades to free breakfast at Hilton Garden Inns, don't remember what we get at Double Tree, at the Hampton they give us bottled water and a snack when we check in.


----------



## iivye

Yea! Glad to see you back and in Japan!  We loved the Hilton Tokyo Bay; that's so cool that you guys were upgraded!  Can't wait to read more.


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> You are not making me want to travel to China anytime soon!



Yes, I was questioning my judgement after that fact as well when I read Michael's comment about the taxi. However, he is fine getting into those death traps, but when other people fly on a 737 Max he gets a nervous breakdown... 



franandaj said:


> Yikes! They should make better distinctions so that people don't get confused!



I guess it had something to do with our delay. I think it was due to fog in Tokyo that morning so they suddenly had loads of flights to Tokyo leaving at the same time. But it was still totally strange.



franandaj said:


> That's why you get hot towels before Teppan Yaki meals and other high end sushi places, I guess.







franandaj said:


> We went to a presentation at the Disneyland Hotel. It was in a swanky suite. Photography wasn't allowed, but I took a picture of the toilet, cause it was one like that. I'd never seen such a thing!



They are amazing. 



franandaj said:


> Heck, the ONLY time I spent $700 a night was when we stayed Concierge at AKL, and had to get a one bedroom suite because they told me all the standard CL rooms were sold out. We wanted to do the Sunrise safari, and this was the only way to do it. We checked out after three nights. We spent the same amount at the GF after that and stayed a whole week. Silly things we do. Fran bought into DVC after that trip!



My husband sometimes tends to be a bit hyperbolic... However, ever since I became a DVC member prices have gone up so much! And now $700 is not that far away from current prices. A room at the Contemporary on a random night in October is over $600 rack rate. Yes, lots of people are good with shopping for rooms under discounts and such. But there are people paying rack rate. The most I ever paid before buying into DVC was $230. 



franandaj said:


> That was $160 per night right? Not $160 for the whole week...



Yes. At $ 160 for the week it would have been an amazing deal!!!



franandaj said:


> As I said, we've been members for years, we get great perks like upgrades to free breakfast at Hilton Garden Inns, don't remember what we get at Double Tree, at the Hampton they give us bottled water and a snack when we check in.



I signed up for a Hilton credit card here in Germany that is supposed to get me to Gold Status with Hilton. We will stay at some Hiltons in the fall and those perks will come in handy!


----------



## Flossbolna

Captain_Oblivious said:


> I know one person who appreciated the map collection...





Captain_Oblivious said:


> See? I think maps are a guy thing.



However, the person who gave Michael the idea that you might be interested in a map is a gal!! 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> This feels like a test to see how well you paid attention!



Maybe that's what it was. They only want smart people on their planes!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Huh. Never heard of that before, but it sounds nice.



The Dreamliner is a lovely plane. However, it is another plane from Boeing that had teething problems and now recently was in the news again as well. 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I'd be afraid I was going to activate the trap door or something.



Yes, especially the fancier ones, you were never sure what was going to happen. It takes you quite by surprise if you suddenly have warm air coming out of the toilet (to dry your behind after it was washed with water).



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Good communication is key in any marriage.



 Michael and I quite obviously excel at that!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Well, that's a bummer of a feeling.



I am more ok with it there in Tokyo, just like in Disneyland. Both resorts have far less of a resort like feel to them. And offsite is not really that far away.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Wow. That really is quite a difference. I don't mind paying for the monorail ride now.



 And the monorail was also of a quality that one didn't mind paying for. There are inside pictures coming up at some point. They are amazing! No doors falling off. No weird smell (to me it always smells of horse stable in the WDW one). And they have really cute overlays on them! We were there shortly after they opened a new Nemo attraction and there was a Nemo monorail. 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> But terrible for the environment!



At least the plastic food does not get thrown into the ocean, like the straws at WDW were!!


----------



## Flossbolna

iivye said:


> Yea! Glad to see you back and in Japan!  We loved the Hilton Tokyo Bay; that's so cool that you guys were upgraded!  Can't wait to read more.



I thin k I have not heard from a single person who was unhappy with that Hilton. Next update will come soon!


----------



## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> We definitely were able to make a meal out of it. In the end the lounge access definitely did save us quite a bit of money as we had breakfast there every day and most days we had a light early dinner there as well. Most of the days we stayed at the Hilton we just purchased one meal.



I'm not sure our stay at the VGC will be quite as good but there are quite a few snacks that work, but they don't provide quite enough at night for dinner.



Flossbolna said:


> Our first stop at Ikspiari was the TDR Ticket Center. This was easy to find and we did not have to wait long at all. A lovely CM went through the different ticket options with us, even though we knew exactly what we wanted: a 4-day ticket. This is the longest multi-day ticket that you can get. It is not a park hopper. You have to designate which park you want to visit on your first and your second day, then on the third and fourth day you can hop. However, we did not hop at all, so that was OK for us. The one thing that is quite amazing is how comparable inexpensive TDR tickets are. The 4-day ticket we got is now 22.400 Yen. That’s about $ 200. A WDW 4-day non-park-hoping ticket is at least double that.



Interesting. Good information to know.



Flossbolna said:


> Next update will come soon!



Uh-oh. I better get caught up soon!


----------



## Lesley Wake

Flossbolna said:


> I was rather sad to say goodbye to the lovely hotel and the room that was so comfortable and took a farewell picture:


Such cute slippers! 



Flossbolna said:


> We quickly found the ANA check-in desk where there was no line. The very friendly check-in agent took our luggage and then started to explain how sorry the airline was that they were not able to transport us on time and that they hoped that we would forgive them and accept a 100 RMB food voucher each to have breakfast with. So, we got to sleep longer (or in my case got to waste the chance to sleep longer…) and then ended up with $ 15 each to spend on food at the airport. We already started to like ANA’s service!
> 
> I had always wanted to fly them. Friends who have, and friends who fly for a living, have raved about their service. When I found out we could fly on them and use a relatively tiny amount of miles, I was all for it.


That's good to hear! I'm flying ANA from Hong Kong - Tokyo and Tokyo - LAX. I was supposed to fly them from LAX-ICN-PVG, but the flight timing didn't work out the best (arriving in Shanghai around 9pm when I planned on doing the park the next morning), so I switched to Asiana, which arrives at 10am instead! But I'm flying Business all the way, so I'm not worried about any issues! 



Flossbolna said:


> Once we were through security, we had to go through passport control. Here we had another hiccup. On the plane to China we had gotten those cards to fill out. However, when we applied, they told us that they didn’t need them as they were only for people entering on a visa and not on the 144-hours-transit deal that we used. It turned out that those cards had a small part that was for exiting the country as well (if there are any non-US readers who are familiar with the green landing cards you had to fill out for the US and which were stapled into your passport, it’s the same deal, but the cards were white) and we needed that. So, we had to get out of line and there was a place where they had cards, we filled out the exit part and got back in line. Luckily the line wasn’t long, so it was not a big deal at all. But for anyone else using the 144-hour-transit, keep those exit cards, you will need them!


Good to know! 



Flossbolna said:


> Haneda is MUCH, MUCH, MUCH closer to the city and to TDR, than Narita. Trust me on this. For years, most international traffic was routed through Narita, which can be as much as two hours away from the city and resort. Haneda approach is literally over Tokyo Disney and Tokyo Bay. I lucked out on my first visit in 2010 in that the new international terminal had just opened (they were still putting carpeting down in parts and everything smelled new, so flying there from Hong Kong was easy. It spoiled me. You REALLY want to use this as your gateway airport. Even if you save a few hundred dollars or euros or Disney Dollars (if you know what they are/were), it isn't worth it unless you essentially don't mind giving up most of a day to transitting in from the airport.


I really wanted to fly into Haneda. Unfortunately there weren't any direct flights for the legs I was looking at, so I'm going thru Narita. 



Flossbolna said:


> But it can seat a lot of people as there are even fold out seat for the aisle!


Wow - that is crazy! Also...doesn't seem exactly the safest, but it is Japan, so I would think it may be after all?


----------



## Steppesister

Flossbolna said:


>



Carpet photos are catching on everywhere, and it all started in Portland! 



Flossbolna said:


> It did not have any air-conditioning. And even worse it did not have seat belts.



Normal for Asia.



Flossbolna said:


> Writing this now I am wondering if this might explain the mysterious disappearance of a bunch of Shanghai Disneyland Times Guides…



Things that make you go, "Hmm....".



Flossbolna said:


> We also did a little shopping. They had a very nice shopping area for buying all kind of souvenirs. We ended up buying some cookies for my parents and some spicy nuts for ourselves.
> 
> Spicy nuts ... chuckle ... giggle ... teehee ... she said spicy nuts!



 You guys make me laugh. 



Flossbolna said:


> Then we headed to our gate which was changed from what it was supposed to be originally, I guess due to the delay. It was on the ground floor in a large hall with four gates. It was all rather chaotic… There was already a long line for the ANA flight to Tokyo, so we got into line and waited. Something somehow alerted us to look closer and we suddenly realised that we were in the line to the ANA flight to Tokyo Narita airport, however, we were booked on the ANA flight to Tokyo Haneda airport!! The flight numbers were very similar, 922 instead of 972. So, at the last minute they had changed our gate again and now had another flight to Tokyo departing from the gate we were supposed to have! Luckily our flight was down in the same area as well, just at the other end of the room.



EEK!



Flossbolna said:


> Yep, we got to board from the tarmac!



So cool! 



Flossbolna said:


> Mount Fuji saying Welcome to Japan!



Well, hello there!

Fun update, you two.  Just trying to get caught back up after my trip so less commenting than I'd normally do.


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> I'm not sure our stay at the VGC will be quite as good but there are quite a few snacks that work, but they don't provide quite enough at night for dinner.



It wasn't really dinner as such at the Hilton, but plenty of things for a very substantial snack. We still had more food later in the evening in the park, but mainly snacks. 



franandaj said:


> Uh-oh. I better get caught up soon!



Don't worry! If it takes me two years to post the report, you most definitely are allowed to read at your own speed!


----------



## Flossbolna

Lesley Wake said:


> Such cute slippers!



Yes, they are! And we found out that they, like everything else were replaced on a daily basis. So, I might have taken a couple of souvenir slippers back home to pass on as presents to other people...



Lesley Wake said:


> That's good to hear! I'm flying ANA from Hong Kong - Tokyo and Tokyo - LAX. I was supposed to fly them from LAX-ICN-PVG, but the flight timing didn't work out the best (arriving in Shanghai around 9pm when I planned on doing the park the next morning), so I switched to Asiana, which arrives at 10am instead! But I'm flying Business all the way, so I'm not worried about any issues!



Flying Business is quite a game changer!! Of course jet lag still is an issue, but having space will take out a lot of stress of the travel.



Lesley Wake said:


> I really wanted to fly into Haneda. Unfortunately there weren't any direct flights for the legs I was looking at, so I'm going thru Narita.



I think Michael is exaggerating a bit. He has a friend who is a flight attendant and often travels on the Asian routes for his airline. He told Michael that Haneda is so much more superior because of less distance. And I think for him, who usually has relative short bursts of time there, it is. If you are in Japan for two weeks, 40 minutes each way are not going to be a game changer.



Lesley Wake said:


> Wow - that is crazy! Also...doesn't seem exactly the safest, but it is Japan, so I would think it may be after all?



They had backs that would fold up and seat belts. So, the only safety issue I could see would be with evacuating the bus in case of fire or so.


----------



## Flossbolna

Steppesister said:


> Carpet photos are catching on everywhere, and it all started in Portland!



I did not know that this was a thing! I guess it's like wall photos?? 



Steppesister said:


> Normal for Asia.



It was normal in Germany in the 70s, too. I was talking with some friends the other day about how long their kids would still be in the child seat in the car (or on the booster) and was shocked that even the 8 year old still has some sort of safety feature. And then we were talking about how we as kids were climbing all over the back seat because there were no seat belts in the back of the car!



Steppesister said:


> You guys make me laugh.



I need to google that reference. It must be one of those American culture things that go over my head. Marrying someone from another country really brings home often we miss references the other makes. 



Steppesister said:


> EEK!



Yes! Missing your plane while trying to board the wrong one would have been really stupid!



Steppesister said:


> Fun update, you two.  Just trying to get caught back up after my trip so less commenting than I'd normally do.



Don't worry about the less commenting! It helps me to move on quicker here (and I really need to pick up the speed!!).


----------



## Flossbolna

Day 5:

July 3, 2017:

Part 1: We are going to Hunt for Hunny!

My alarm was set for 7:15 a.m. and when it woke me up I realized that Michael was already in the bathroom. I was surprised, but figured he had some urgent business to conduct there. But then he came out and was already fully dressed! He started to tell me that he just came back to the room from breakfast at the lounge. I got a total shock! I thought that I had overslept by hours!!

That would have been so amusing, yet not so.

But no, I just had slept. My husband hadn’t. The jet lag that hit me the night before was hitting him today. I felt very sorry for him! I got up and ready very quickly and while I would have been happy to just rush out to get to the park, Michael was quite firm that I ought to get some free (!) breakfast at the lounge as he had really enjoyed the offerings. So, we went there and I got some food.






It was a really nice spread with Western and Asian options. We got to really love the rice they had out there, with some fried gluten and seaweed as toppings! I have more pictures in the next days.

In the past, I have had major jet lag issues as soon as I got to Asia and the first time they lasted for weeks (don't worry, I was there for months and I was getting paid and paid handsomely for being there!). This time, I slept well in China the first three nights (or as well as someone dying in his sleep multiple times an hour all night, every night, can). But I couldn't sleep at all that first night. And after chatting with my brother online and reading the Disney Tweeter it was well after 3 and I wasn't going to take a sleep aid at that point. I literally opened the lounge for breakfast, which shocked no one more than me. It was so peaceful and, for some reason, I had quite an appetite. Then, it was time to go wake my lazy girlfriend up and get her moving to the magic! Or, in this case, The Kingdom of Dreams and Magic!

Off we went to the monorail where we picked up the first day pass. It was rather crowded at the monorail station and there were quite some lines. But strangely enough the lines were different at the different machines. At first we thought some machines were broken because they had no one waiting there, but they worked fine, so we moved to one of those. On our last day we finally figured out what was going on: There are different designs for the day pass tickets. They are seasonal. And some designs were more popular than others. I think there were three different designs and we ended up with the one non seasonal one.

Didn't we get one of every design? Yes, we did. But that was by pure luck. We just ended up at other machines by chance and then we figured it out before we bought the last pass, so we could make sure to get the missing design.

And then we were quickly off on the monorail!






The building in the back is the Hilton.

We got the park entrance at 8:25 a.m., so more than 30 minutes before opening. There were already quite a bit of lines formed at the gates. People are very orderly and form distinct lines at each turnstile. A lot of people were sitting on the floor. We were lucky in so far as we were early enough to still get a spot under the roof of the entrance plaza with the ticket windows, so we were not sitting in the sun. It was early morning, but it was already quite warm and sitting in the sunshine would have been brutal.






Late June and early July is a slower time at TDR. Japan does not yet have school holidays, they start in the middle of July and go through August. And the local people are smart and avoid the brutal heat! It is also rainy season in Japan. So, while it is not the ideal time to travel to Japan because of heat and humidity, it did work out quite well for us. Especially with the bonus of lower crowds at TDR! 

I found the time to be almost ideal. Weather nonwithstanding. That said, I have been spoiled. I have never been at TDR when it has been close to crowded, when lines for a dozen attractions can be over two hours all at once etc. ... And being on Tokyo Bay means the air isn't stagnant as it was in Shanghai. And when the sun starts going down at 6 (yes, in summer as they don't do the crazy time changes we do) and the sea breeze is going, it is much more pleasant than summer nights at WDW.

By the time they opened the gates at 9 a.m. sharp, the crowd outside the park was sizeable. The Japanese believe in showing up on time and if they open at nine it is a question of courtesy to be there at nine. That’s why the general wisdom is that you need to arrive at TDR very early – even earlier than we did. However, as you will see on the following days, we did not follow that general wisdom. We even did not get there for rope drop the coming days! In hindsight it worked very well for us. Of course, we had the benefit of the slow season. But our impression was that the pattern of visitors was quite different in Tokyo than at WDW. While at WDW you start out with an empty park that gradually gets more and more busy until early afternoon, then stays busy and finally starts emptying out after the fireworks, at TDR the park starts out pretty busy already in the morning, stays busy until early evening and then the evenings are actually very pleasant. Also, if you are at the park one hour or more before opening, that’s wait time that you need to add to your overall wait time during the day.

So, it was finally time to use our passes and get into the park!!






And you know what the first attraction was that my husband wanted to visit?? The magical bathroom!! I was quite upset. There we are, rope dropping and ready to run to the big attractions with the masses and my husband is spending precious minutes emptying his bladder?? At least I convinced him to give me his ticket, so that I could get us some Fastpasses in the meantime. TDR uses the old fashioned Fastpass machines and our first attraction of the day was going to be Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, a TDR exclusive attraction that is considered one of the stars at the resort.

You have breakfast, you tend to drink. I did that. I wanted to go search out a restroom outside the entrance, but didn't want to separate on our first day on our first visit. So, I stood there ... in pain. And waited. ... BTW, Hunny Hunt is a true E-Ticket. It opened in 1999 as the first of Disney's trackless rides. This system, despite being one of the most advanced in the world at the time, still hasn't made it to WDW yet. It is used partially in Galaxy's Edge. It is also used on the Rat ride coming to Epcot.

So, I got us Fastpasses for a bit later that morning and then waited for my husband (then boyfriend) to appear while watching the wait time sign for Hunny Hunt going from 5 minutes to 10 minutes to 15 minutes… 

Poor tortured gal. You are stuck with me forever. My bladder too!











When it showed 20 minutes, Mr. Tiny Bladder finally appeared and we got in line. The line is very pretty and the time passed very quickly.





















https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-hV73Dk3/0/ff664675/L/i-hV73Dk3-L.jpg[/imgl]

And then it was time to enter our honey pot ride vehicle:

[img]https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-JfFRJkP/0/0425d600/L/i-JfFRJkP-L.jpg

That last picture was taken by violating the rules! TDR actually prohibits all on ride photography. I did not find this out until very late in the trip. But the CM was actually gesturing to me to put away the camera when taking this picture. I thought it was about not wasting time to get on the vehicle, now I know better.

Give Germans an inch and they'll attempt world domination ... not that the Japanese are much better.

TDR is full of rules like that that are designed to make the park experience more enjoyable for everyone. After having been on rides where people in the row in front of me film the whole ride with an iPad, I do get the no camera rule. Also, at parades the first area close to the parade route is a ground seating area. They even sell these themed plastic sheets (mats) for people to sit on for that. Then, behind that designated area it is standing room. You are not supposed to hold a camera for parade pictures higher than the top of you head. And children are held on the arm, not put on shoulders. Add to that a general respect for personal space (people give you so much space that I sometimes was afraid of invading the Japanese people’s space). This all made the park experience so much more enjoyable than any other park I had ever been to.

So much more pleasant. You never want to go back to other Disney parks after TDR. It spoils you in so many ways, including other Guests. ... 

Back to Hunny Hunt! You might have been able to tell from the pictures that it looks similar to The Winnie the Pooh ride at WDW. And it is in some way and then it isn’t. First of all: all the figures in the ride are not just made out of plastic, but are plush animals. They are also more animated than the ones at WDW. M means they are actual AAs. Then the ride system is different. Instead of a classic dark ride car on a rail, those are track less little hunny pots that can move randomly. And they bounce – like Tiggers do!! And then they are randomly dancing when we see Heffalumps and Wheezles… Those all sound like minor changes, but you come out and think that’s what a 21st century dark ride should be. It should be some steps up from those that Walt designed for Disneyland nearly 70 years ago! It is a lovely and cute ride and I was very happy that we had a Fastpass for later. It is immensely popular in Japan because it fits into the Japanese adoration for anything cute (like Duffy and his friends).

Only the OLC could make an E-Ticket out of Winnie the Pooh and friends.

Our next stop was Peter Pan’s Flight. Pan had just had a multi-month closure to rehab and plus the 1983 ride. It looked amazing and had a few of the Shanghai projections added. It also doesn't have FP here and tends to not have insane waits that other versions do.






This façade is where you can see the cookie cutter copying approach with that the park started. It does look like WDW. And an old style Dumbo is just opposite it:






This part of the park does look a bit dated and random. Just beyond Dumbo for example is the Haunted Mansion. In Fantasyland. It seems an odd placement, but then there is something fantastical about the ghosts and such. I think if one were not used to it being in a different part of the park, it would feel less odd. Interesting side note: The Haunted Mansion (or its equivalent) is in a different land in all the castle parks where it exists. New Orleans Square, Liberty Square, Frontierland (DLP) and Mystic Point (HKDL).

Other interesting note: it was originally planned to go into Frontierland (called Westernland in Tokyo Disneyland) and moved late in the development plans. It is a copy of the MK's outside and in, except none of the 2007-era changes to the attic scene or the additional scene with the never-ending staircases. Except like every attraction at TDL, it looks like it just opened.

But we were going to fly to Neverland next:






After this we walked over to Westernland (Frontierland at the other castle parks) to grab a FP at Big Thunder Mountain RR. We had a look at the largest counter service restaurant in Westernland called the “Hungry Bear Restaurant”. 






Westernland is very different in layout and for some reason it was near impossible to take a good picture of Big Thunder Mountain. 

Tom Bricker doesn't have that problem. (He is the guy of the www.disneytouristblog.com website that was a very good resource for planing the trip to Shanghai and Tokyo. And he is a great photographer. I am constantly told that my pictures don't live up to the same standard...)











This was the wait time and FP return window at 10:20 am.






We found that Big Thunder was one of the easier FPs to get. And we did not really understand why anyone would opt to stand in a 40 minutes line when the FP window was going to open 20 minutes later. But then the same thing happens in Paris regularly, too.

These were our next FPs!






While I still maintain that Paris has the best BTM in the world (yes, it has a firm spot in my five top Disney attractions worldwide), I forgot how much I loved Tokyo's version until I was back on it. It is much better than the stateside versions. Smoother and with more props and AAs and show scenes etc. Ride itself is very similar to WDW.

Big Thunder Mountain is also home to a massive restroom complex! It was freshly renovated when we were there. You could tell that the resort was going through a restroom upgrade program. Some bathrooms were rather old fashioned (no fancy Japanese toilets) and even small. Kind of odd in the land of fancy toilets. But then the new ones were really great and offering all the comforts we found at most other places, too.

Yes, on my first visit, ALL of the bathrooms were old style. They also had lousy soap and not nearly enough hand dryers. it was one of my few complaints. That's all been changed now. ... BTW, anyone here want to argue that WDW has the cheapest soap and toilet paper known to man? The TP has been terrible for decades. But the relatively new hand soap barely lathers and never makes me feel like my hands are actually clean. Horrible. ... This isn't Delaware!!!

So, after experiencing the bathroom, it was time to re-hydrate. We were already getting really hot from the sun! There were plenty of drinks stands everywhere selling bottled drinks for reasonable prices, about $2 per bottle.

Michael had a Coke and I got this one:






It was some kind of lemonade. And it even was a Disney bottle!!






I think all the drinks bottles they were selling at TDR had some sort of Disney design on them. We thought that that was very neat!

FP and drink in hand it was time to head back to Hunny Hunt for our FP window. On the way we passed the Haunted Mansion, which has a beautiful lush garden setting here:






And yes, if I had turned to my right, I could have taken a picture of Dumbo and Peter Pan.

We then passed the backside of the castle:






(a copy of WDW’s).

And the Queen of Heart’s Banquet Hall.
















This is another large restaurant, cafeteria style. We ate there later in the trip, so you will see more pictures. It is very whimsical in its Alice in Wonderland décor. And the food is often themed, too!

Hunny Hunt was as pretty the second time around and we ended up chatting with a two young women from Australia who were in line with us and very excited. They were really nice! All in all it seemed that park was mainly visited by Japanese people. However, Michael was surprised how many more non-Japanese visitors we saw compared to his last visit. To some extent this might have been due to us visiting during summer vacation time, so more families traveling. But you could also tell that the numbers of foreign tourists in Japan has grown significantly over the last years (and it is still growing). Japan has been trying hard to become more accessible and to attract more visitors. Compared to other sights in Japan, TDR seemed to have fewer foreign visitors though.

On my first visit in 2010, in four days we didn't encounter one American. I think it took until the fourth day to encounter Canadians. On this visit, there were many Americans (relatively speaking) from Day 1. You heard American being spoken in quite a few places. I was wondering whether this was a result of military families taking trips or people truly visiting directly from the USA since they have heard it is the only place left to have a true Disney experience.

From there we moved on to Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin. 











[

This is the same attraction that also is in Anaheim. The premise is that you go on a cab ride to help Roger Rabbit to save Toontown. It is a simple dark ride – but with a twist: the cars spin. For some reason (mostly legal liability) the ride in Anaheim was changed to stop spinning. The one in Tokyo still spins. And it really spins!! It was quite an experience! There are also plenty of really fun effects that I have never seen working in Anaheim. This is a really cute little ride that is well worth a little wait.

The ride still spins in Anaheim. M has selective amnesia here. It was toned down after a boy flew out (due to his positioning in the ride) in the late 90s, suffered major trauma and died within a year. Tokyo has more spin though. And as someone who loved RR, I absolutely  adore this ride.

Toontown is fairly large in Tokyo and really neatly done.






There was a fairly large and fun souvenir shop and we explored a bit and came across these crazy shirts:






These kind of patterns are wildly popular in Japan and they had them with all sorts of characters. We saw groups of friends or families wearing them as matching t-shirts. Michael to this day regrets dearly that we did not get a set – Mickey for him and Minnie for me.

From there we headed to Tomorrowland where we picked up a FP for Space Mountain:






And something very special for Tokyo: We entered the show lottery and were rewarded with show tickets!






Yes, the title of the show is “One Man’s Dream II” – don’t think it has anything to do with the “One Man’s Dream” exhibition found at DHS. But we will come back to the show. Currently we are still at the lottery. In order to distribute the show capacity they don’t use FP, but a lottery system. Ultimately the lottery machines are similar to FP machines. But you can choose which show and which time you want to try for. Then you scan all your party’s tickets and start the lottery and then you will either get a seat assigned or you lose. You can enter the lottery once per day for each show.

This show is a very dated character show that is beloved by fans for no good reason. To show how dated it is, it goes up to A Bug's Life (and possibly Tarzan). It likely isn't long for the park. I believe it made it's debut about 20 years ago. They took it away once briefly and had to bring it back. There are many great entertainment offerings at TDR.  This isn't one.

Continued in next post.


----------



## Flossbolna

Continued from previous post:

We were then wandering around Tomorrowland a bit:
















Heading to the hub and the castle:






Looking back to Tomorrowland:











The hub at TDL is very large, it actually is a double hub.

If you look at the map here: https://media2.tokyodisneyresort.jp/home/download/map/L_EN_map_1905.pdf

There are two circles overlapping in front of the castle. There are some other interesting quirks in the layout here. The most obvious is that there is no “Main Street”. It’s called World Bazaar. It still has the Main Street facades, so is similar. But it is all under a glass roof. And the two little side streets in Main Street (one of which was converted into a shop at WDW) that are dead ends at the other parks actually are real walkways and lead you out of World Bazaar into the adjacent lands (Tomorrowland and Andventureland).

Originally the World Bazaar was going to be more EPCOT-Lite like. They decided to basically make it MSUSA under a glass canopy (for weather reasons as it gets cold in Japan, and even snows). It once had a Cinema and a Gallery. No longer as they were lost to retail. The vehicles do NOT travel here. They travel in circles around the huge Hub.

This picture of the castle was taken from the smaller hub:






Side view of the castle:






And then we were back in Westernland to use our BTM FP. 











One thing I noticed was that even with FP the waits here seemed longer than at WDW. I noticed that they allotted far less capacity to the FP line than they usually do at WDW. It was not a bad wait at all and I think it helped moving the standby lines quicker. One of the things I hate with standby lines is that most of your waiting time is spent standing. I find that a wait where I am moving regularly a bit is far less annoying than one where I stand the whole time.

After the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness we needed to rehydrate again. This time we went for some more interesting local drinks:






The Aquarius is a sports drink (that was Michael’s drink) and I had the Sokenbicha. This is an ice tea which has some roasted grains in it. I really liked it and was planning on getting it again in Japan (it is unsweetened, so a good low calorie drink), but somehow that didn’t happen.

And then our next stop – out of the heat! – was the Country Bear Theater. You might know it as the Country Bear Jamboree. Michael was very excited about this. The show actually has two seasonal overlays: one for the summer and one for Christmas. Michael knows both from the past in WDW. But they stopped doing them at the MK around 20 years ago. TDL still does both. I was not thrilled! On my first visit to a Disney theme park, Disneyland in 1992, my sister and I were dragged around by my aunt, who lives in California, on our first morning. First she made us wait in a one hour line for Splash Mountain, which we hated because we were just constantly afraid of that drop. And then the next stop was to see the Country Bears. At that time my English was functional, but in no way good enough to understand any of the banter of the bears in a heavy accent and I had never heard any of the songs before. I tried again at WDW on later visits – I had come to love Splash Mountain and It’s a Small World, which were also in the “who the hell thinks this is an attraction?”-category. So, I thought maybe I had mellowed enough for the Country Bears as well. No, I still find them horribly difficult to understand, the animatronics look so creaky and the music does nothing for me.

So, I was not expecting much from the “Vacation Jamboree”.






I did enjoy the very nicely themed waiting area.











They had the travel trunks of the Country Bears out:











And there was even and advertisement for the neighboring Hungry Bear Restaurant:






And then the show was really lovely!! I was amazed at how new those bears looked like! They looked so fluffy! And they moved with so much ease, no creaking or anything. The sound was great. I still did not understand them – they were talking Japanese. But I knew the songs and really enjoyed those!

The show is about 65% Japanese and 35% English. But it's Bears singling Country Music. What is hard to get? ... And I loved seeing this. TDL's Vacation show is a bit different from the version that played in Anaheim and Orlando. I missed Ghost Riders in the Sky and didn't need Achy, Breaky Heart!











After the show we explored the gift shop, which was selling lots of merchandise themed to the location. 

There were little bear plush:






Those little plush are a popular souvenir in Tokyo. They come with a little pin on their back, so you can attach them to your clothes or your bags. Some people in Tokyo make a big deal out of collecting them, we saw one lady which had about 50 different versions of Minnie on a large bag that she was carrying around. They come out with new designs all the time and they are fun little souvenirs for people with luggage restrictions on the way home. They are not cheap however! They are about $18 each.

But they also had a large selection of merchandise related to the American West with no connection to Disney: Like the American parks once did!!!































Now it was time for lunch! We felt like hungry bears, so that’s where we went.






The restaurant has Japanese curry on the menu. It mainly is a very flavorful sauce, not hot, but lots of spices, with rice and then you can choose different additions. I had the Pork Cutlet Curry, which was a breaded and fried piece of pork with it. Michael had the Hungry Bear Curry which was a beef patty and vegetables with sauce and rice.

Yummy!!!






Another look at my food, so that you get to admire the location specific plates and trays!!






Every counter service had trays just for that location. You also got real silverware and the plates were real plates (even though they were plastic).

The food was really good! Overall portion sizes in Japan are generally smaller than in the US. These were enough for us, but they were on the smaller side already. It was never a problem for us, partly also because of the heat we often didn’t feel like eating a lot. But if you are someone with a large appetite you can’t just look at the cost of a meal when budgeting your food costs. You are more likely to need additional snacks and such. And there are many snacks to try – at TDL as well as everywhere else in Japan. However, this is one thing that we did not get to do nearly as much as we had thought we would Especially at TDL we didn’t snack much at all!

I thought the portions here were absolutely fine. They are larger than most TDL QSRs and that attracts all the American bloggers. ... M is also leaving out that the CM there spoke to us in perfect English when we went to order, something that absolutely wouldn't have happened a decade ago. She was also very nice.

After a nice lunch, they even thanked us for eating with them:






Up Next:

The most bizarre and the most amazing Disney entertainment offerings


----------



## Steppesister

Flossbolna said:


> I did not know that this was a thing! I guess it's like wall photos??



I guess so!  Just a quirky fun little thing to do. 



Flossbolna said:


> It was normal in Germany in the 70s, too. I was talking with some friends the other day about how long their kids would still be in the child seat in the car (or on the booster) and was shocked that even the 8 year old still has some sort of safety feature. And then we were talking about how we as kids were climbing all over the back seat because there were no seat belts in the back of the car!



We used to ride in the back of pickup as well.



Flossbolna said:


> I need to google that reference. It must be one of those American culture things that go over my head. Marrying someone from another country really brings home often we miss references the other makes.



I can imagine it would really drive that home. 



Flossbolna said:


> Yes! Missing your plane while trying to board the wrong one would have been really stupid!



Indeed! They not have let you on, but it sure would have held you up!



Flossbolna said:


> Don't worry about the less commenting! It helps me to move on quicker here (and I really need to pick up the speed!!).



Good! But am loving the photos and content!



Flossbolna said:


> TDR is full of rules like that that are designed to make the park experience more enjoyable for everyone. After having been on rides where people in the row in front of me film the whole ride with an iPad, I do get the no camera rule. Also, at parades the first area close to the parade route is a ground seating area. They even sell these themed plastic sheets (mats) for people to sit on for that. Then, behind that designated area it is standing room. You are not supposed to hold a camera for parade pictures higher than the top of you head. And children are held on the arm, not put on shoulders. Add to that a general respect for personal space (people give you so much space that I sometimes was afraid of invading the Japanese people’s space). This all made the park experience so much more enjoyable than any other park I had ever been to.



As much as I like photographing that would be sad, but also do understand the need to make it more enjoyable for everyone. These seem like reasonable rules to me. 





Flossbolna said:


> Like the American parks once did!!!



Preach it, Bro.


----------



## soniam

OMG! Those pictures of of the park look like my photos of when I went to WDW in the 80s as a kid! Things don't look run down. It just looks like really well preserved photos. My son loves Country Bear Jamboree and silly little plushes. I know he's going to go ape over everything in Japan and at TDR. He's obsessed with robots too. However, it will be a few years before we go, and he will be a full blown teen by then. So, the plushes may not be so interesting, but I bet the rest will be. Pooh's Honey Hunt looks so fun. We love Winnie the Pooh. The food looks really good to me. After our trips this year, I need to get more serious about Japan. We will probably go in the summer. I figured it would be busier. Glad to hear it's kind of a slow time. I think we will be fine with the weather. We go to Orlando in the summer all the time and are from Texas. I will have to crack out my college Japanese textbooks and maybe get my neighbor to tutor me. I would love to at least speak something again.


----------



## tiggrbaby

What a lovely day!  You really were able to fit a lot in!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Flossbolna said:


> My alarm was set for 7:15 a.m. and when it woke me up I realized that Michael was already in the bathroom. I was surprised, but figured he had some urgent business to conduct there. But then he came out and was already fully dressed! He started to tell me that he just came back to the room from breakfast at the lounge. I got a total shock! I thought that I had overslept by hours!!





You mean he CAN get up in the morning?



Flossbolna said:


> We got to really love the rice they had out there, with some fried gluten and seaweed as toppings!



Seaweed...the breakfast of champions.



Flossbolna said:


> Then, it was time to go wake my lazy girlfriend up and get her moving to the magic!



This is a sentence I never thought would be written.



Flossbolna said:


> But our impression was that the pattern of visitors was quite different in Tokyo than at WDW. While at WDW you start out with an empty park that gradually gets more and more busy until early afternoon, then stays busy and finally starts emptying out after the fireworks, at TDR the park starts out pretty busy already in the morning, stays busy until early evening and then the evenings are actually very pleasant.



Interesting.  Also good to know.



Flossbolna said:


> And you know what the first attraction was that my husband wanted to visit?? The magical bathroom!!







Flossbolna said:


> So, I got us Fastpasses for a bit later that morning and then waited for my husband (then boyfriend) to appear while watching the wait time sign for Hunny Hunt going from 5 minutes to 10 minutes to 15 minutes…



 This is a violation.  He deserves a public shaming.



Flossbolna said:


> When it showed 20 minutes, Mr. Tiny Bladder finally appeared and we got in line.



Nicely done. 



Flossbolna said:


> TDR actually prohibits all on ride photography.



So this is already a different experience!



Flossbolna said:


> You are not supposed to hold a camera for parade pictures higher than the top of you head. And children are held on the arm, not put on shoulders. Add to that a general respect for personal space (people give you so much space that I sometimes was afraid of invading the Japanese people’s space). This all made the park experience so much more enjoyable than any other park I had ever been to.



Wow.  So common courtesy is not actually dead!  You just have to go to Japan to experience it.



Flossbolna said:


> And he is a great photographer. I am constantly told that my pictures don't live up to the same standard...)



Well, if said complainer thinks he can do better...



Flossbolna said:


> BTW, anyone here want to argue that WDW has the cheapest soap and toilet paper known to man? The TP has been terrible for decades. But the relatively new hand soap barely lathers and never makes me feel like my hands are actually clean. Horrible. ... This isn't Delaware!!!



We just go out in the woods.  Oak and maple leaves seem to do the trick just fine.



Flossbolna said:


> These kind of patterns are wildly popular in Japan and they had them with all sorts of characters. We saw groups of friends or families wearing them as matching t-shirts. Michael to this day regrets dearly that we did not get a set – Mickey for him and Minnie for me.



We certainly would always be able to find you guys in a crowd.



Flossbolna said:


> I find that a wait where I am moving regularly a bit is far less annoying than one where I stand the whole time.



I agree.  It at least feels like you're making progress.



Flossbolna said:


> I tried again at WDW on later visits – I had come to love Splash Mountain and It’s a Small World, which were also in the “who the hell thinks this is an attraction?”-category. So, I thought maybe I had mellowed enough for the Country Bears as well. No, I still find them horribly difficult to understand, the animatronics look so creaky and the music does nothing for me.



That's pretty much where I am on Country Bears as well.  Also It's A Small World, but you knew that.



Flossbolna said:


> And then the show was really lovely!!



Congratulations, I'm glad you liked it!  But I think I'll still be skipping it.



Flossbolna said:


> But it's Bears singling Country Music. What is hard to get?



This lowbrow junk may pass for entertainment for the hicks who live in the swamps of Florida, but we Delaweenies prefer something more sophisticated.  Maybe if they added some pyrotechnics or something...


----------



## Lesley Wake

Flossbolna said:


> I did not know that this was a thing! I guess it's like wall photos??


I think it especially happened with Portland because of the carpet pattern? I just remember even seeing a poster exhibit about it as I was passing thru that airport! 



Flossbolna said:


> Off we went to the monorail where we picked up the first day pass. It was rather crowded at the monorail station and there were quite some lines. But strangely enough the lines were different at the different machines. At first we thought some machines were broken because they had no one waiting there, but they worked fine, so we moved to one of those. On our last day we finally figured out what was going on: There are different designs for the day pass tickets. They are seasonal. And some designs were more popular than others. I think there were three different designs and we ended up with the one non seasonal one.
> 
> Didn't we get one of every design? Yes, we did. But that was by pure luck. We just ended up at other machines by chance and then we figured it out before we bought the last pass, so we could make sure to get the missing design.


I'll have to decide if I want to get the different designs for my trip! I was thinking about just getting 1-use tickets, but those aren't as cute!



Flossbolna said:


> Interesting side note: The Haunted Mansion (or its equivalent) is in a different land in all the castle parks where it exists. New Orleans Square, Liberty Square, Frontierland (DLP) and Mystic Point (HKDL).


Actually pretty interesting!



Flossbolna said:


> It is a simple dark ride – but with a twist: the cars spin. For some reason (mostly legal liability) the ride in Anaheim was changed to stop spinning.


I was about to correct you before I saw the next post! 


Flossbolna said:


> The ride still spins in Anaheim. M has selective amnesia here. It was toned down after a boy flew out (due to his positioning in the ride) in the late 90s, suffered major trauma and died within a year. Tokyo has more spin though. And as someone who loved RR, I absolutely adore this ride.





Flossbolna said:


> And something very special for Tokyo: We entered the show lottery and were rewarded with show tickets!


Woohoo! Very exciting!


----------



## chunkymonkey

Enjoying your trip report so far and hearing all the new things with TDR. I went when I was very young, but I went like 7 times. It was almost 35 years ago though and Disney Sea didn't even exist. I think I will go there in 2021 and will have to revisit your TR when you are done!


----------



## Magical_Suitcase

Flossbolna said:


>



I miss paper passes.  I am probably one of the few who is not a fan of the magic band or the "key" cards.


[/QUOTE]


Flossbolna said:


>



I also miss paper fast passes.  I hate the new system of pre-reserve three rides and hope you can manage to get on another one.   



Flossbolna said:


> Side view of the castle:



Love this view!



Flossbolna said:


> But they also had a large selection of merchandise related to the American West with no connection to Disney: Like the American parks once did!!!



I remember the first time we went to WDW and could buy theme specific merchandise at the resorts and gift shops.  I wish that was still the case.



Flossbolna said:


>



Cool!  I would buy a few if they were available here.



Flossbolna said:


> Every counter service had trays just for that location. You also got real silverware and the plates were real plates (even though they were plastic).



I have started carrying with me "real" silverware in a travel pouch.  I hate trying to eat with a plastic fork that is too small and flimsy. 

Opps, sounds like I am complianing too much.  I think I am grieving for the WDW of the old days and seeing your photos of this park reminds me of the way it used to be here in the U.S.   I think we need to visit this park...  someday.  

Thanks for sharing.


----------



## franandaj

OK, it has taken me forever to catch up here. And I have a ton of other TRs to catch up on so I'll have to make my comments somewhat brief. BTW did you ever solve the "spicy nuts" query? I like Michael's childish sense if humor. He and Mark are nicely matched and can go nicely against each other in that respect.

I was cracking up at Tiny Bladder Man!  is that his superpower? 

The hotels sounded nice and I'm starting to get a bit of a feel of TDR. Every other report confused me further, but I'm liking your descriptions of where things are and the various rides.

I also like the paper FPs, and while it understand the reasons to go paperless etc, I liked the spontaneity of before.

I'm enjoying the banter between the two of you and can't wait to see you in November, but I also don't want all my fun plans in between to fly by too quickly either!


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> I also like the paper FPs, and while it understand the reasons to go paperless etc, I liked the spontaneity of before.


THIS.


----------



## Flossbolna

Steppesister said:


> We used to ride in the back of pickup as well.



We kind of nearly had superpowers to survive the dangerous 70s!!



Steppesister said:


> As much as I like photographing that would be sad, but also do understand the need to make it more enjoyable for everyone. These seem like reasonable rules to me.



The one thing that made traveling in Japan easy was how much people show courtesy. As a foreigner you are treated even better and it is amazing how nice it is. But I also felt a huge burden to not overstep unknown rules myself since the Japanese were so nice all the time. I am sure we still did cause many moments when the Japanese would tell their family at the dinner table about those tourists doing stupid things.


----------



## Flossbolna

soniam said:


> OMG! Those pictures of of the park look like my photos of when I went to WDW in the 80s as a kid! Things don't look run down.



Yes, things were extremely well kept. All over Japan, even things that are old (like from 1960 or so) usually do not run down.



soniam said:


> My son loves Country Bear Jamboree and silly little plushes. I know he's going to go ape over everything in Japan and at TDR. He's obsessed with robots too. However, it will be a few years before we go, and he will be a full blown teen by then. So, the plushes may not be so interesting, but I bet the rest will be.



I hope you will manage to go while he still has some appreciation for cute things as Japan is so full of it! But even for teenagers there is plenty fun stuff in Japan - and at Disney.



soniam said:


> Pooh's Honey Hunt looks so fun. We love Winnie the Pooh.



It's a very sweet ride that deserves its popularity.



soniam said:


> After our trips this year, I need to get more serious about Japan. We will probably go in the summer. I figured it would be busier. Glad to hear it's kind of a slow time. I think we will be fine with the weather. We go to Orlando in the summer all the time and are from Texas.



It depends of when you go in summer, mid July through August Japanese schools are out and then it is far more busy.



soniam said:


> I will have to crack out my college Japanese textbooks and maybe get my neighbor to tutor me. I would love to at least speak something again.



If you have some knowledge of Japanese, I would most certainly try to revive that! I found an app called Duolingo that I am using at the moment to try to learn some basic Japanese. I would love to do a course, but somehow the course times just never fit with my schedules. Of course it is not necessary at all, I just think it would be so nice to say some sentences!


----------



## Flossbolna

Captain_Oblivious said:


> You mean he CAN get up in the morning?



Yes, it kind of makes it even worse if you know it is not a medical condition, but a choice...



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Seaweed...the breakfast of champions.



Yes, I knew you would be all excited about that!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> This is a sentence I never thought would be written.



And hopefully never will be again - he really should not have any more girlfriends to wake up now that he has a wife!!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> This is a violation. He deserves a public shaming.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Nicely done.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Wow. So common courtesy is not actually dead! You just have to go to Japan to experience it.



Yes! It truly makes traveling there so easy! 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Well, if said complainer thinks he can do better...



 Well, he has become quite an expert with food pictures it seems.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> We just go out in the woods. Oak and maple leaves seem to do the trick just fine.



That rustic in Delaware?



Captain_Oblivious said:


> We certainly would always be able to find you guys in a crowd.



Not in Japan. Those t-shirts were really popular!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That's pretty much where I am on Country Bears as well. Also It's A Small World, but you knew that.



That's ok. We won't hold it against you now that you braved Rock 'n Roller Coaster!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Congratulations, I'm glad you liked it! But I think I'll still be skipping it.



I am a completist when it comes to Disney parks. I have a hard time not to see something.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> This lowbrow junk may pass for entertainment for the hicks who live in the swamps of Florida, but we Delaweenies prefer something more sophisticated. Maybe if they added some pyrotechnics or something...



But I agreee, pyrotechnics would indeed improve the show!!


----------



## Flossbolna

Lesley Wake said:


> I think it especially happened with Portland because of the carpet pattern? I just remember even seeing a poster exhibit about it as I was passing thru that airport!



Hm, I think I might go and look it up! But patterns can be very iconic! When I was in London for a year, I mainly used the Picadilly Line for all my transport needs and when I found that they were selling pillows with the seat fabric, I had to get one. It's such a unique souvenir.



Lesley Wake said:


> I'll have to decide if I want to get the different designs for my trip! I was thinking about just getting 1-use tickets, but those aren't as cute!



When we went we were collecting the day passes in order to qualify for the special pin which has since been discontinued. Since we were going back to the hotel for midday breaks, the day passes saved us money over single tickets. If you don't do that, get single tickets and maybe one day the day pass.



Lesley Wake said:


> I was about to correct you before I saw the next post!



Yes, I am not a DL expert. But compared to the spinning action in TDL, it's just a toothless tiger in Anaheim. 



Lesley Wake said:


> Woohoo! Very exciting!



I had no idea that the lottery was so difficult. We entered it twice and won both times. Now I am reading about all those people who never win anything.


----------



## Flossbolna

chunkymonkey said:


> Enjoying your trip report so far and hearing all the new things with TDR. I went when I was very young, but I went like 7 times. It was almost 35 years ago though and Disney Sea didn't even exist. I think I will go there in 2021 and will have to revisit your TR when you are done!



 to the trip report! I envy everyone who went to Disney as a child! I was 20 on my first visit.


----------



## Flossbolna

Magical_Suitcase said:


> I miss paper passes. I am probably one of the few who is not a fan of the magic band or the "key" cards.



Paris still has them... 



Magical_Suitcase said:


> I also miss paper fast passes. I hate the new system of pre-reserve three rides and hope you can manage to get on another one.



Paris still has them, too...

(see, this is a theme developing there! And for someone who will retire soon, a trip to DLP might be a nice idea...)



Magical_Suitcase said:


> Love this view!



Somehow I was very fascinated by how the castle looked like the one at WDW, but still was in a very different setting.



Magical_Suitcase said:


> I remember the first time we went to WDW and could buy theme specific merchandise at the resorts and gift shops. I wish that was still the case.



DL in 1992 as well. My sister and I loved browsing all the different shops.



Magical_Suitcase said:


> Cool! I would buy a few if they were available here.



Part of the problem is that all the shops are being responsible for showing a certain increase in spending every year. It's so much easier to shift large quantities of Disney plush than those special items. 



Magical_Suitcase said:


> I have started carrying with me "real" silverware in a travel pouch. I hate trying to eat with a plastic fork that is too small and flimsy.



That's a neat idea! I also like the sustainability aspect of it. A German friend was recently at DLP and she commented on how shocked she was about the amount of waste they produced with the counter service meals. Here most counter service restaurants will give you real dishes and silverware when you are eating in. The one KFC in town even serves your chicken wings in china bowls. Disneyland in California is much better in that regard and WDW is improving as well (like in Pandora).



Magical_Suitcase said:


> Opps, sounds like I am complianing too much. I think I am grieving for the WDW of the old days and seeing your photos of this park reminds me of the way it used to be here in the U.S. I think we need to visit this park... someday.



For Michael this is exactly what makes him love the Asian parks so much. He grew up with WDW and feels like the way it is run today does not live up the standards the company set for itself in the past.



Magical_Suitcase said:


> Thanks for sharing.


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> OK, it has taken me forever to catch up here. And I have a ton of other TRs to catch up on so I'll have to make my comments somewhat brief. BTW did you ever solve the "spicy nuts" query?



I am really bad about catching up myself. However, I have to say, posting from the phone has become easier since the board upgrade. I hope this will inspire me to post more.

I never found out about those spicy nuts. I searched for it, but I mainly got links to snack products. 



franandaj said:


> I like Michael's childish sense if humor. He and Mark are nicely matched and can go nicely against each other in that respect.



Yes, I think Michael loves to sometimes write for an audience of one - named Mark. 



franandaj said:


> I was cracking up at Tiny Bladder Man!  is that his superpower?



Yes! It really is! It's wonderful on a long car trip when everyone thinks the woman is the first one to ask for a restroom stop. No, I just make sure my husband has something to drink and we will be stopping every hour.



franandaj said:


> The hotels sounded nice and I'm starting to get a bit of a feel of TDR. Every other report confused me further, but I'm liking your descriptions of where things are and the various rides.



I am afraid you will lose your sense of direction soon, at the very latest when we get to Disney Sea. I still haven't figured out the layout of that park without studying in a map closely.



franandaj said:


> I also like the paper FPs, and while it understand the reasons to go paperless etc, I liked the spontaneity of before.



Michael and I have truly become to hate the stress of following your pre-planned FPs. We are not relaxed enough to just let them go because ultimately we want to ride things and without them you end up not riding anything.



franandaj said:


> I'm enjoying the banter between the two of you and can't wait to see you in November, but I also don't want all my fun plans in between to fly by too quickly either!



Thanks! We are really looking forward to seeing you too - and are also planning on enjoying all the fun planned in-between (Madrid, DLP and some islands...)


----------



## Flossbolna

Steppesister said:


> THIS.



I really miss the unstructured touring at WDW... Even the first visits when I had quite definite touring plans, it felt less constrictive than those FPs...


----------



## Flossbolna

Day 5: July 3, 2017

Part 2: The most bizarre and the most amazing Disney entertainment offerings

After a delicious lunch and a much needed break in the air conditioning, we headed back to Tomorrowland to use our Space Mountain FP. Yes, we did a lot of crisscrossing the park, but we felt that distances weren’t too bad.

First, apologies again for the amount of time between updates. I would soooo much like to blame the dude in Delaware, but there's no way I can find a way to make that plausible. Besides, I may actually really like his wife and kids! ... So, of course, this is all my wife's fault. Blame her ... she had plenty of time to write this while I was off at WDW (just MK and DHS and lots of eating at DS) and UNI (both parks as well as a day at Volcano Bay, which is a GREAT water park!) ... You'd think she could have gotten this done, while I was off having fun, but ... 

This is the approach to Tomorrowland from the hub:





I thought it was quite spectacular! Tokyo’s Tomorrowland still has a lot of that classic look. The look M is referring to is the original MK Tomorrowland aesthetic that existed from 1971-1993 (so the one I grew up with). Despite having an array of attractions that are based on characters/movies like Buzz Lightyear, Stitch Encounter (similar to Turtle Talk with Crush, we skipped it due to it being all in Japanese), Star Tours and then Monsters Inc. The Monsters ride is unique to Tokyo, it is called Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek. It was closed for refurbishment during the four days we had a ticket for. With another big attraction closed at Tokyo DisneySea, this was really disappointing.  It is a true E-Ticket, much like PHH is here.

However, we then realized that when we were returning to Tokyo at the end of our trip, it would have re-opened, so we had debated about maybe coming back with an afternoon/evening ticket just to ride Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek… (Yes, we are that crazy, stay tuned for how this develops…).

We may be crazy, but not because of this. TDR is very similar to how things once were at WDW. Where attractions regularly close to be refurbished and plussed and always look new. WDW stopped doing this sometime in the 90s. DLR still does this to some degree. But the OLC will close multiple major attractions at once if needed. Small World was closed our entire time there as well as it was undergoing a major rehab that (UGH!!!) included adding Disney characters in time for the start of the park's 35th Anniversary of 4/15/18. I didn't know how long it would be before we returned to Japan (turns out it should be next year! ... should I have used a Spoiler Alert tag?) and I didn't want my beloved BSD ... oh, and M too to miss this spectacular attraction.

But now it was time for Space Mountain:





From the second floor viewing area we had a great view down the main path of Tomorrowland. Beyond the Space Rockets We call them Rocket Jets, Dearest you would turn right into Toontown and left into Fantasyland. And the mountain in the back already belongs to another theme park… We call that Mount Prometheus, Dearest. This view is historic now. The Space Rockets are now more. This area will be home to a new Beauty and the Beast ride, due to open in 2020. TDL is opening a major expansion ahead of the 2020 Olympics and most of it is expanding Fantasyland into what was Tomorrowland and an unused for years overflow parking lot. Before our arrival the Grand Circuit Raceway (think Grand Prix in FLA, Autopia in Anaheim and Paris) was removed for this area.





I liked those “Escape Pods”:





Space Mountain was fun. It is more or less the same as the Disneyland Space Mountain (so you sit next to each other), but it does not have the onboard audio, so you ride through the darkness in silence. This is one ride where there exist at least two other versions of it in other parks around the world that are better (Paris and Anaheim).

It is an E-Ticket, but also one that is quite skippable if one doesn't have much time. I recalled it not being great when I visited before and, indeed, the only thing different is they have improved the lighting package in the queue. ... I am trying to recall if we did it more than once and I can't right now. No, we did not.

Even with a FP it took us longer than we had thought and by the time we were done with Space Mountain it was nearly time for the afternoon parade. TDL’s parade route is different. With World Bazaar (their Main Street) having a roof, it is not really good for parades, so the parade starts in Critter Country, goes out on the hub at the 11 o’clock position (with the castle being at 12 o’clock) and then goes around the hub counter clock wise, to leave the hub at the 1 o’clock position towards Mickey's Toontown.  If you are confused by now, I am too.

Ok, I better go and find a park map to illustrate this:






We managed to get ourselves to the viewing area on the way to Toontown very quickly from Space Mountain. Since a lot of people were sitting in the sitting area, we were quite a way back, but only had sitting people in front of us and still a great view! The parade at that time was called Happiness is Here! It has since been changed. It was a very long and detailed parade! Since TDL parades don’t have to deal with the limitations of Main Street and all the bends are very long, they can have floats of a size that would not fit into DL or WDW. And they make good use of this!

This is one of the best daytime parades (likely the best) I have seen in a Disney park. Since it is gone forever, I can recommend viewing it on YouTube. The music is also earworm quality. I may own the official CD for this.

So, here is a selection of my best parade pictures!









































































I really enjoyed the parade a lot! It was just very hot on the parade route… I was looking forward to going to see One Man’s Dream II with our reservation next – I was expecting the theater to be indoor and air conditioned, but unfortunately it was not… 

I am quite sure I told you it wasn't or pointed the venue out before ... Yes, you pointed it out. But it did not register in my head. To me theater = a/c.





We found our seats quickly and did not have too much of a wait until the show started. The show was… many things, but mainly strange. Very strange. The music was good, the energy was great. But there was just no point to it. In my trip notes it has as main description: Lots of glittery costumes. It was even a really long show: 30 minutes. The most impressive part was this lovely Tic Toc:





And there is some kind of Hollywood finale (not sure why, but there is…)













The show is a TDL fan favorite. It basically is a sequel to an original show that was loosely themed to Walt Disney's animated legacy. The second show was pulled after a few years as TDR believes in not letting offerings get stale, but Guests truly bombarded them with requests to bring it back. This was over a decade ago and it is still playing. My guess is it will close finally next year when the new theater in the New Fantasyland area (indoors and everything!) opens.

After that it was time to head back to the hotel for a brief rest (and a visit to the pool and the lounge). We did some more shopping on the way out of the park and I finally found the two items that I knew that I wanted: a mug and pin from the Tanabata Days collection. Tanabata is a festival in Japan, also known as the Star Festival, on July 7th. It celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair respectively). According to legend, the Milky Way separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month. TDR has a very short celebration (it used to be only two weeks, now it is a month) called Tanabata Days and it was going on while we were visiting. The merchandise has Minnie and Mickey dressed up in Kimonos as the two lovers. It is custom for Tanabata that people write their wishes on little papers that they tie on bamboo, so called wishing trees. Both parks had a wishing tree, this is the one at TDL, right in the middle of World Bazaar:





It was definitely a more low level event. There were some decorations besides the trees and there was a “Tanabata Days Greeting” in the morning, which was mainly Minnie and Mickey in their costumes driving down the parade route. The nicest aspect was that during that time a lot of young Japanese people chose to go to the park in summer kimonos (yukata). I am not someone who takes pictures of strangers on purpose, so I don’t have any to show you. But it really added to the atmosphere and made the park feel more foreign. I liked how the Japanese brought their festival and customs to the very American feeling island of TDR. Yukatas are light cotton robes, so very nice to wear in the summer, but a lot of people made really complete outfits out of them, with wooden sandals (yes, they looked highly impractical for theme park touring), straw hats for the men and straw basket handbags for men and women (the ones for men were more basket, less handbag).

TDL comes out with lots of special merchandise for their different events during the year and I had looked at all the stuff that was being released at the TDR  Explorer’s site in the run up of the trip. If you are interested in what’s currently available, have a look here: https://tdrexplorer.com/tokyo-disney-resort-merchandise-list-prices/

And this was our Tanabata Days offerings: https://tdrexplorer.com/tokyo-disney-resort-tanabata-days-2017-merchandise/ I had my eyes set on the mug and the pin and was happy when we finally found them in World Bazaar. I had not understood that all these special offerings are only in one or two shops in each park. Some things did pop up elsewhere, but you really want to note down which shop is the one for the line that you want to get something from. This isn't dumbed down, Walmarted WDW where you can find practically everything in any/every place. I know I want to buy Star Wars toys when I am at DAK.!

I think we also walked through the cookie shop on the way out. This is the right side of World Bazaar on the way out. It is a giant store selling nothing else but tins of cookies, chocolate and candy. It is very customary in Japan to bring people gifts from a trip that you made, typically something edible. I am sure this is due to living spaces in Japan being very tight, so if you get people something that they can eat (or drink), they won’t have to store it. This shops gets totally hopping mad in the evening with CMs not being able to restock the shelves in the same speed that people carry it to the cash registers. Some of the boxes are actually really nice and we ended up getting some just for the beautiful tins. It turned out that the candy was really good, too! 

Much like the Duffy phenomenon, this needs to be seen to be believed. Mass quantities of sweet tins are sold each day. While not crazy like the $200 lightsaber M wants to play Rey at home, they are also generally not cheap either.

The monorail station had its own little wishing tree!





I also took some more pictures of the monorail history information boards. They had them at all stations and they were all different and interesting.









This is a close up view of the Hilton:





Our room was on the top floor, kind of in the area where the street lamp is.

Back at the hotel we visited the pool. Hotel pools seem to be far less common in Japan than they are in the US. But the Hilton has an indoor pool that is free to use for guests. There is also an outdoor pool, but that is only open during summer – which means summer vacation time in Japan and not beginning of July when we were there. I think the outdoor pool might actually cost a fee. The pools at the official Disney hotels cost extra for example as well. 

This really bothered me. If you go to the hotel site, then you'll see they have a beautiful outdoor resort style pool that overlooks Tokyo Bay. But it literally is only open from mid-July to mid-September. And swimming season in Tokyo is most definitely longer than that!

The pool was a bit of an experience. I had read about how the Japanese make sure to get really clean before getting into a pool (like with the tub as I explained earlier). So, I was prepared for that. 

But it started with us actually being told to get rid of our shoes and instead we were issued slippers. With those we headed to the changing rooms. Once I got changed, I went to the shower area, where I left the slippers outside, just like everyone else had done. Stupid me did not realize the problem there: Once I came back, I had no clue which were my slippers. The shower area was actually very nice and they had really high end soap, shampoo and conditioner there. I made sure to get really clean and it felt good to get rid of all the theme park stickiness. 

The pool itself was a bit of a disappointment though. Not very large, it was more made for the purpose of exercise than having fun there. Also, the water was not very warm. I only stayed briefly, but Michael did hang out a bit longer.

It was cool and refreshing to simply soak a while. My wife is often odd  ... ... ... in water situations. You are never sure what she will or won't like. Now, this wasn't a quiet relaxing soak. But considering how hot and humid it was outside, the swim was quite pleasant.

I made sure to wash my hair really thoroughly on the way out, the shampoo was really lovely! Once I was clean and had reconnected with some slippers (who knows which ones I ended up with) and then my shoes, I headed back to the room to catch up on trip notes. I found The BSD looking out to the park rather longingly:





I also went downstairs to find out if a delivery for me had arrived. Remember by search for contact lens solution? While waiting for our flight to Tokyo in Shanghai I had a brilliant idea! We had ordered SIM cards from Amazon Japan to be sent to the Hilton and I was thinking I might be able to find contact lens solution on there as well. I searched for my specific brand and with the help of Google Translate (which can translate whole websites for you) I figured out something that looked like what I wanted. It wasn’t pricey, so I decided to take my chances and ordered it. It arrived today and I was able to get it from the bell desk without problem!

Continued in next post


----------



## Flossbolna

Continued from previous post:

We had a short break at the lounge for some food and drink. Michael was happy that he got some fried rice! I liked the raw fish.









And then it was time to head back to the park. I think we stopped briefly at guest services where I took this picture of a really nice park map:





The Tanabata Days Wishing Tree in World Bazaar at night:





It was really busy there in the evening with people all wanting to add their wishes before they left in the evening.

Michael wanted to get some ice cream before we found a spot to watch the evening parade Dreamlights, so we got him some almond crunch (sorry, no picture, it’s ice cream and did not look special, more ice cream pictures will come in the future).
Do you think our good friend, Tom Bricker, would view things that way? Food pics are what Disney blogging is all about now. A good thing that I am not a blogger, just a lowly trip report writer...

The ice cream shop is at the end of World Bazaar on the Tomorrowland side, so once we had ice cream, we looked for a spot and saw that there was still lots of space in the rather large sitting area (sitting on the ground) here at the base of the hub. We were several rows in, but there was a slight slope, so it was actually a fantastic spot!

That was our view: 





And then the parade started. And it went on and on and on. I loved Paint the Night in Disneyland, but Dreamlights is just wow! The floats are massive. They all go through different cycles with the lights, many go from all white to full colors. The parade is from 2001, but has been updates several times, most recently in July 2017. Yes, we did get to see both versions (remember the thing about coming back later in the trip… Yup, the promise of new parade floats was another thing that made my boyfriend have a full Disney addiction breakout).

Hey, you didn't exactly complain. Matter of fact, wasn't it you who turned our half day return into a full one? Me:... As to the parade, if Paint the Night is the cousin of the MSEP, Dreamlights is its younger and larger and much more attractive sibling. It is a much closer progression, where PtN goes off a bit. PtN is amazing ... until you see Dreamlights.

It is a modernized version of the Main Street Electrical Parade, so it does feature that most horrible piece of Disney theme park music (no, @Captain_Oblivious, it’s not It’s a Small World, it’s the Baroque Hoedown). Somehow I ended up not minding that as the floats were just so spectacular. Enough words, here are some pictures:

Yes, her taste in music is as bad as her taste in men (see, I can do self-deprecating humor too ... although it is more fun to make fun of others!) (not sure how well your humor works when you have to point it - that's kind of a German thing to do...)

















The pirate ship is one of the floats that circles through different lights. The next picture is the same float, different sails!













The Genie does all kind of things as well:









This was one of my favorite floats:









The next two show the white/colorful versions of the same float. The white is brighter in real life, but I had difficulty catching it the right way:

















And then we are at the end of the parade with the sponsor float:





But while the parade ended, our evening did not. Now with the sun down and slight breeze blowing in from the ocean, it was actually really pleasant and we continued touring the park until closing time!

10 p.m. ... park is never open later except on 12/31 when it hosts a hard ticket all-night party

We first headed to Pirates of the Caribbean which I remember being similar to the DL version, and explored the tiny New Orleans themed area there. The bathroom had lovely tiles there:





Didn't we have the entire boat to ourselves? Or am I thinking of my visit with my brother? (Sorry, nothing in my notes about it and no memory, but I do remember the ride being a walk on) ... Pirates is spectacular because it is the DL New Orleans Square version except only one drop and with a slightly different ending with Captain Jack. The attraction also has never been PC'd. So nor only do the Pirates still want the Redhead, but they still chase the woman (and not for plastic food) as they did in the US parks before the 1997 first round of changes.

Then we took a tour on the Western Railroad. TDL does not have a railroad around the park, but they do have a railroad. It only is in Westernland and it does not have multiple stops. You can just go on a circular road. I think I mentioned this with regard to the monorail, but if it had multiple stops it would be considered transportation and would have to charge fares according to Japanese laws (at least that’s the general explanation, it might be an urban myth). The Western Railroad was a really nice ride, you can see lots of scenery along the tracks, lots of animatronic animals and such. No pictures due to darkness, but you will see the area when we return to TDL for our second day.

You also get the Primeval World of dinosaurs just like at DL, but no Grand Canyon diorama. You have to go to Paris for that one.   And that is a true tale, no urban myth at all. 

Not taking it for granted until I have it verified by a Japanese lawyer. Never trust a lay-persons tale about what the law is. 

We got on Big Thunder Mountain again and then headed to Splash Mountain which had really long lines all day. BUT it has a single rider line in Tokyo and nearly nobody uses it. We did, so we did not wait long at all. 





And I did not expect this, but Splash Mountain blew me away. It’s a ride that I love at WDW (one of the few that are better in Florida than in California in my opinion), but Tokyo was even better. Not only was it in such perfect working condition. All the animatronics were fluffy and cuddly. Especially those chickens on the showboat at the end – they looked like they all were brand new. In Florida they often look a bit like a real chicken that came in directly from the chicken coop. But then the ride also has a few more scenes and seemed brighter. It just felt like there was far less “dead” time during the ride. I absolutely fell in love with this Splash Mountain and at times will claim that this is my overall favorite Disney ride of all the ones I have experienced (the number 1 spot changes depending on mood…). It definitely has a firm spot in my top five.

It is a great ride. It also is the ONLY attraction at TDL with a single rider line (there are multiple attractions with this at TDS) and it is barely used. While lines weren't crazy when we were there, it still is nice to spend 10 minutes in Single Rider instead of 70 in standby or wasting a FP.

We made it onto Haunted Mansion just before park close (like in Florida before the last set of upgrades) and then walked through the castle towards the exit.













Out through the World Bazar:





And back on the monorail. This was the special Nemo & Friends SeaRider (a new overlay over an attraction at Tokyo Disney Sea that had opened in 2017) monorail. And it did not only have the wrap that you saw earlier, it was also decorated inside:









Back at the hotel I was kind of hungry since we skipped dinner because we had had snacks at the lounge. There is a convenience store in the Hilton, so we headed there to see what there was on offer. Those convenience stores (there are different chains) in Japan are amazing, they have loads of snack foods and you can easily get meals there for decent prices. Michael made me pick up a salad, but I got some other interesting things.





The little pot had potato sticks in it:





They were a bit bland, but the flat package with the red circle had one large spicy cracker. I had picked it up because it looked similar to some Japanese crackers that I got here in Germany and loved and it was the same, but in extra large! It was so good and I kept looking for it at all other convenience stores afterwards and never found it again. Michael never understood what I was looking for. Then, some weeks ago we went shopping at a new Asian supermarket that opened in town and I picked up a packet of the small ones. We had them with friends and everyone fell in love with them, but had never tried them before. I hope we can get them there again and I will remember the name! 

Michael did not want any food, he was just absolutely exhausted. I am surprised how well he did with no sleep at all! 

So, it was time to head to bed and when I got undressed, I saw that I had a strange rash on my legs. Lots of little red dots. Then we saw that Michael had it, too. I remembered that I had read about people getting something like that at Epcot from the heat being reflected by the pavement. Here on the DIS I have heard it being referred to as the “Epcot rash”. Well, TDL seems to be good for getting it, too. Luckily it went away after we stopped walking for ours on hot concrete in the sunshine.

I had no idea what she was talking about. But this heat rash is something I never had before or since.

Tomorrow was going to be another exciting day: My first visit to Tokyo DisneySea. But Michael was quite adamant that he needed to catch up on sleep, so we dropped our rope dropping plans and set the alarm for a little later.

The next day was also July 4th. And what is more American than sleeping in on a holiday?

Up Next: It’s not a park, it’s one giant picture opportunity


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## Lesley Wake

Flossbolna said:


> However, we then realized that when we were returning to Tokyo at the end of our trip, it would have re-opened, so we had debated about maybe coming back with an afternoon/evening ticket just to ride Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek… (Yes, we are that crazy, stay tuned for how this develops…).


Not crazy at all! Hey, I added a half day at DLP to be able to ride Hyperspace Mountain and see the Princess vs Pirates festival! 


Flossbolna said:


> Space Mountain was fun. It is more or less the same as the Disneyland Space Mountain (so you sit next to each other), but it does not have the onboard audio, so you ride through the darkness in silence. This is one ride where there exist at least two other versions of it in other parks around the world that are better (Paris and Anaheim).


Hmm, at least I will know to not make this a priority!


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## Flossbolna

Lesley Wake said:


> Not crazy at all! Hey, I added a half day at DLP to be able to ride Hyperspace Mountain and see the Princess vs Pirates festival!



Haha!  Now I have that song stuck in my head... I am Princess... I am a Pirate... (or like Michael would say: I am a Pirate who wants to be a Princess...)



Lesley Wake said:


> Hmm, at least I will know to not make this a priority!



Yes. Other repeat attractions are more worth a wait. If you have the time though, I can definitely recommend doing it once.


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## Flossbolna

Bonus content for Day 5: July 3

After Michael read the update once I had posted it, he sent me an email with some additional comments and thoughts on our first day at TDL that he wanted to add:

Some additional thoughts from one half (your favorite? ??????) of a loaded international super couple with homes on multiple continents, currently planning a destination wedding celebration in Hawaii due to their real estate interest in the Disney Vacation Club ...

The reason I am doing this is because when M and I are separated I cry a lot (because she has custody of Big Sugar D, of course) ... no, when we are apart and trying to tell a tale in a report like this, I don't see the photos. Just spots where they would go. Seeing the photos brings back all sorts of, in this case, great memories and the opportunities for more words from me (I know that reading more than 63 words a week may be tough for some people who ... live in Delaware!)

So, as I sit here on a gloomy and oppressively hot and humid afternoon in the swamps, I thought I'd add some thoughts.

First, for a first day at TDL, I don't think things could have gone any better. It wasn't crowded. We didn't have one significant wait for anything. And, despite me not getting any sleep the night before, we were able to go from open to close. Having the two hour or so break to swim and go to the concierge lounge certainly helped. Being able to have breakfast as well as what turned out to be dinner as well as coffee, booze and soft drinks at the Hilton saved us a large amount of money (that I am sure we found some other way to spend!)

But the day was so much more relaxed than our days in Shanghai and this is really going to start a trend that continued the rest of the trip. I never expected this trip to be relaxing and warned M for nine or 10 months prior as we made plans and this Asian Adventure became closer to reality. And those warnings weren't needed, beyond the heat and humidity.

I also can't recommend this hotel enough for any first-timers. Look at it as a monorail resort because that is the reality in the way TDR is positioned. And being a HHilton Honors member can only help with things like free upgrades. And, again, speaking English will not be an issue in the least here.

As to other thoughts, I wanted to further explain how much I loved both of these parades. Happiness is Here is what all other Disney daytime parades wish they could be. If some of those floats look familiar to Anaheim regulars, that's because when it ended, two of them, including the opening float that M shot above were bought by Disney and brought to Walt's Park. They are now part of the wonderful, but quite tired, Soundsational Parade.

It is a common practice for the OLC to sell floats -- and sometimes entire parades -- to other Disney resorts. The current Stars on Parade at DLP that debuted two years ago features multiple floats that came from TDL's Jubilation (the parade that preceded Happiness Is Here and what I saw on my first Tokyo visit). The former night parade at DLP, Fantilusion , was bought (or most of it) when Dreamlights debuted in Tokyo and the OLC had no need for it.

The photo that M really liked above of the park map is in their version of City Hall/Guest Relations and was artwork commissioned for the tenth anniversary in 1993. That's why there's no Toontown yet. And why things like the Visionarium/Timekeeper, Star Tours and Splash Mountain were highlighted as they all were recent additions at the time. Personally, I would have loved to have visited at this point.

Also, wanted to point out that fireworks were canceled this evening (and most, but not all, of our nights at TDR). Some Americans don't like the shows in Tokyo anyway because they are more old school. They are not castle centric and don't feature major storylines. Sort of an updated version of the old (and, beloved to me) Fantasy in the Sky shows.

The reason TDR parks never stay open beyond 10 p.m. is simply due to the fact that the vast majority of CMs and Guests require the trains to leave and the operating schedule is based on this. Now, I've always enjoyed midnight and later closings in Anaheim and Orlando. But I do like the consistency. It also beats being in Orlando in ... say May ... and having all parks close at 9 (with many dining facilities and attractions closing hours before) except for 10 at MK.

If you can't tell out of the big E-Tickets we did that exist at other Disney parks (Splash, Space, Big Thunder, Pirates, Mansion) the one that you can easily skip is Space Mountain if need be. The others are all wonderful. I would have a hard time skipping any of them. And I absolutely would skip Space before skipping the CBJ!

I am also pretty sure I did some shopping on July 3rd, but can't recall what I may have purchased and M was the note taker so ... who knows? I also thought I bought some snacks at the convenience store at the Hilton and had them another day, but also can't recall. Michael and I went through my merchandise pictures (I took a picture of everything we bought after we got home, something for you to look forward to when (if?) we get to the end of the report) and I figured out that we got him a Tanabata Day button and more importantly one of the CBJ little plushes.

Anyway, thanks to all for reading along. The next day coming is VERY exciting because seeing TDS for the first time (or even, in this case, my third time) is life altering if you are a fan of Disney and themed entertainment. I think Batuu may have some of that detail and layering, but with only one real attraction right now, it in no way is comparable.

Oh, and did I mention how much I loved Volcano Bay?!


----------



## soniam

I personally love Volcano Bay, even though we went twice during opening weekend and once during the first summer. However, I haven't gotten shocked. I would risk going back, especially for some of the cocktails Can't wait to read about Disney Sea. It sounds amazing! I really like the old school fireworks, but I am old and experienced the old school WDW fireworks when I was young.


----------



## Steppesister

Flossbolna said:


> We kind of nearly had superpowers to survive the dangerous 70s!!



Hah! For sure! No carseats, riding our bikes out in our neighborhoods all alone until dark, no childproof caps on cleansers, etc... I guess the world in some ways was less dangerous and in others we just were lucky.



Flossbolna said:


> The one thing that made traveling in Japan easy was how much people show courtesy.



A skill a lot are lacking these days. 



Flossbolna said:


> I really miss the unstructured touring at WDW... Even the first visits when I had quite definite touring plans, it felt less constrictive than those FPs...



Me too. I am going to venture over to US this next time and find that style all over again. I miss hopping into lines as I went and the mood struck and still be able to get a LOT done. Now, even with FiPs I am lucky to get in 4 rides on any given park day. Sad.


----------



## tiggrbaby

Those parades were amazing!


----------



## Flossbolna

soniam said:


> I personally love Volcano Bay, even though we went twice during opening weekend and once during the first summer.



Michael was there for the first time recently and really liked it. I have no clue when I will get there as we currently have no Orlando trips in the planning for quite some time (maybe not even until 2021...)



soniam said:


> However, I haven't gotten shocked. I would risk going back, especially for some of the cocktails



 I do hope they have that electric shock effect under control now...



soniam said:


> Can't wait to read about Disney Sea. It sounds amazing!



Coming up! I got some criticism on my writing that I did not do the amazingness of the park justice, so I need to edit my text a little!! 



soniam said:


> I really like the old school fireworks, but I am old and experienced the old school WDW fireworks when I was young.



To some extent I was glad that there were no fireworks that needed to be planned for. Also, since the parks are backing up to each other, you will always see the show in both parks and with that it does not make sense to have a castle centric show in one park that then looks odd from the other.


----------



## Flossbolna

Steppesister said:


> Hah! For sure! No carseats, riding our bikes out in our neighborhoods all alone until dark, no childproof caps on cleansers, etc... I guess the world in some ways was less dangerous and in others we just were lucky.



I think it's a lot of reasons why things have changed so much: more knowledge about dangers, a society where children often are seen as the focus point of the family and not just some addition to the parents, the advent of imagined dangers (there is a huge difference of perceived safety and danger and real risk) etc. It's also interesting that different countries still have very different rules. For example in Germany you try to have your baby as little as possible in a car seat style seat, you want to have your baby lie flat as much as possible until it can sit on her/his own. In the US those strollers with baby car seat on top seem to be very common.



Steppesister said:


> A skill a lot are lacking these days.



Yes, the same trend happens in Germany. Makes me afraid that over the course of time, Japan will lose there, too.



Steppesister said:


> Me too. I am going to venture over to US this next time and find that style all over again. I miss hopping into lines as I went and the mood struck and still be able to get a LOT done. Now, even with FiPs I am lucky to get in 4 rides on any given park day. Sad.



I hope you will enjoy US! I think the two Harry Potter areas are some of the best theme park experience you can have, whether you are a Harry Potter fan or have never read a novel or seen a film. There are also some other rides that are really good: Spiderman (definitely a top ten world wide theme park ride for me), Men in Black, Cat in the Hat, the Hulk coaster.


----------



## Flossbolna

Day 6 – July 4, 17: Tokyo DisneySea

Part 1: It’s not a park, it’s one giant picture opportunity

The title gives it away. This is the prettiest Disney park I have seen in my life. Until I had been at TDS, that title went to Disneyland Paris. But there is no comparison. TDS is in its own league. 

I hate giving 'Best Of' labels ... DL is special. It was where it all began. DAK and DLP are amazing creations too, full of detail and layering. But TDS takes things to a completely different level. My brother said it when we first visited that "in the other parks you feel like you are on a movie set, but here you feel like you are part of a movie." In other words, everything just feels so real. You can't even compare weak parks in the swamps to this masterpiece.

When I got the text back from Michael after he added his comments, he complained about my style and wrote: "This should have more excitement!!! Your first ever visit to TDS!!!". I felt bad. Because there was so much excitement. This was the day I was looking the most forward to in the whole trip and even though I was afraid that I had set my expectations too high, I kept going "Wow, this is amazing!" all day long. I am sorry if it does not come through in my reporting enough, I might be too German or too much trying to be a good reporter about things that I don't convey my marvel over this park enough. 

With that caveat, let’s start at the beginning of the day. It starts – as you might have guessed with breakfast in our lovely lounge. We did not deal with rope drop. Instead we got some decent sleep and then had breakfast at the end of breakfast time in the lounge.

Michael started the day with the breakfast of champions: Coke, espresso and a salad (yes, I wonder, too…). 

He was celebrating American Independence Day. He had previously spent time in all Disney parks in FL and CAas well as Sea World Orlando on various July Fourths. This was his first ever in an international park! And he was ready to go!

I think the celebration fell a bit flat at TDS... Possibly the only not so good thing that could be said about this day...





He supplemented it with some fruit, bread and tater tots.





I did an Asian-Western crossover selection (and was guilted into some salad by Michael):





The little bowl in the back is filled with rice and extras. Also, in the middle of my plate is some Japanese omelette: Tamagoyaki. You might have seen it on sushi.

I also got some miso soup:





The we were off to the park. That morning, since we were later, there were no lines at the ticket machines and we ended up with these lovely Nemo & Friends Sea Rider tickets:





I think, if I read the tickets correctly, we bought them at 9:24 a.m.

You notice how we didn't do rope drop. Spolier Alert: After doing it in Shanghai and our first day at TDL, we never did it again. And we still saw whatever we wanted and didn't rush at all. If you go at the right times, and you tour smartly, that type of insanity isn't needed.

We weren’t very far from our destination, we could see it from the monorail platform:





This is TDS’s main focus point, Mount Prometheus. It’s a volcano. Usually. But it was mainly dormant when we were there. The big ride inside Mount Prometheus, possibly the biggest/best attraction in Tokyo, - Journey to the Center of the Earth – was under refurbishment. I was very disappointed when I found out. But TDS is so much more than one ride. So, in the end I was sad that I missed it, but I still had such a great time that I can truly say that it did not ruin my vacation at all. I knew very quickly that I really loved Japan as much as I had expected and therefore was happy to have a very good reason to return! 

JTtCoTE is a great ride, but it isn't the best at the park or the resort. It's just the focal point. The ride system is the exact same one as Test Track and Radiator Springs Racers. This is the best attraction of the three, although RSRs is a close second. It's just very cool to see a volcano appear to erupt. But, hey, in the swamps they have one at the Dizzy Springs Rainforest Cafe!

Onto the monorail and into the park!

This is the official map of TDS:
https://media2.tokyodisneyresort.jp/home/download/map/S_EN_map_1906.pdf If you want to try to really figure out the layout.

But for some first orientation, this overview map might be helpful:






(the entrance is on the bottom)

The theme of TDS is “the myths and legends of the sea” and therefore the different lands are officially called “ports”. They are described as follows on the website:

MEDITERRANEAN HARBOR
Enjoy the ambience of a romantic Southern European port town with lots of shops and restaurants.

AMERICAN WATERFRONT
You'll find both the excitement of the big city and the charms of a New England fishing village in this vibrant themed port.

PORT DISCOVERY
Visit the Center for Weather Control in this futuristic marina located across the horizons of time.

LOST RIVER DELTA
Deep within the remote Central American jungles, the ruins of an ancient civilization await you. 

ARABIAN COAST
Experience the world of The Arabian Nights filled with magic and mystery. 

MERMAID LAGOON
The world of Ariel, the little mermaid, and her aquatic friends is filled with fun for Guests of all ages.

MYSTERIOUS ISLAND
Discover the secrets deep within the Earth and under the sea at Captain Nemo's hidden base.

So, let’s enter the park. You are first greeted by this amazing rotating globe. The building behind it is the Hotel Miracosta – yes, it is in the park and some rooms have absolutely stunning park views.





A friend of ours mentioned that the background music in this area is especially composed for the entrance plaza and we made sure to listen to it later in the day and it is really very beautiful!

We passed through the walkway underneath the hotel and came out to the Mediterranean Harbor lagoon and Michael was appalled at what he heard: they were playing “Wishes” from the old WDW fireworks show. In broad daylight. Luckily without the children’s choir. 

Have I not expressed how much I hate that music before? I know I usually love Disney music. Heck, I may have ... 'may have' been listening to DLP Princess and Pirate Fest music (  I'm a Princess... I'm a Pirate... such an ear worm!!) earlier. But Wishes has always bothered me and the end with the moppets singing has almost driven me over the edge of madness (no jokes, please).

The reason was revealed when we saw the water in the lagoon:





It was the Tanabata Day greeting! And Tanabata is a wishing festival – so, Wishes was the perfect music for it! It was nothing fancy, just this one float and maybe a couple smaller ones. But it was a neat way of being greeted to the park. 

Our first priority was to get a FP for the Tower of Terror. This is no Hollywood Tower Hotel here. It’s the Hightower Hotel – named after the former owner Harrison Hightower, who disappeared mysteriously… Hightower Hotel is located in New York City. So, our first “port” to visit for grabbing the Fastpass was the American Waterfront.

Leaving Mediterranean Harbor, one quick view down one of the lovely canals there:





There is an attraction with Venetian Gondolas that take you around. However, we skipped those as they always had a very long line and we felt that you would not really see much more than from walking around. I am not sure if Michael did it on his first visit?

Maybe he did ...

You quickly get to New York from Venice:





Here you already see the Hightower Hotel looming in the distance:













This is the Broadway Music Theater, home to the very popular show Big Band Beat. We entered the lottery for a show in the afternoon and were lucky to get tickets! 

And here we are at the Hightower Hotel! It is amazingly spectacular. That whole area there is so heavy layered with details to explore. I could have spent an hour taking pictures. Did I mention how photogenic that park is?? But we had rides to ride!!









As you can see, it is really close to the water, there is the S.S. Columbia at the end of the street.





Fastpasses were successful procured – but with a rather late return time since we were lazy and did not arrive early…





It was time for a restroom stop (I think this was already the second one for Mr Tiny Bladder, he of course had to stop as soon as we got into the park, that’s why I had time to admire the globe…).





I thought this was genius design to have the restrooms in the NYC Waterworks building!

If you are looking at the restrooms the ToT is to the right and to your left is the entrance to Toy Story Mania. That area was swamped with people all the time. But while the outside looks very nice and whimsical, the ride is identical to Florida and California, so we did not bother with it.

This attraction almost always has some of the longest waits in this park, which proves that plenty of Japanese are as dumb ... or have as poor taste as Americans do. He is talking about TSM, not ToT, which has consistently long waits, too, but those are fully deserved!!

The level of detail around ToT (and then inside as well) is just amazing. 





Here you can read all about the mystery of the hotel:





Did you notice a familiar face on that notice board? Well, here is a better look at Mr Hightower:





If you take off the beard and add lots and lots of earrings to one ear, you will have the face that inspired Mr. Hightower: Joe Rohde, the Imagineer. It was not his project, but the people working on it thought that his face would be a good fit. And he was willing to go along with it. 

Yes, Joe has no ego or anything! No, the many earrings are a sign of shyness and trying to not be noticed...

The gift shop is in the former hotel pool with all the old tile still intact:





No nude bathing at Hightower Hotel!

That does explain some of the stares and yells and screams I encountered.

And I especially liked this rule:





Mr. Hightower was not someone to put his light under the bushel. So, he features prominently in the décor as well:





In the gift shop we ran into the first Duffy merchandise. Duffy is exclusive to TDS in Tokyo. And for Tanabata Day, he and Shellie Mae of course had to dress up as well:





Outside we met a free roaming Scrooge McDuck, a rather rare character:





His German name by the way is Onkel Dagobert.

This large cargo warehouse is home to a restaurant. When we visited it was the Sailing Day Buffet and we had a lunch reservation there for our second day at TDS. It has since been converted into a counter service restaurant.

A closer view of the S.S. Columbia. There is a restaurant and a bar onboard and you can explore the ship quite a bit. 





Walking along the waterfront, Mount Prometheus comes into view:









The bridge to the right is still part of the Mediterranean Harbor, which kind of is parallel to the American Waterfront.





Besides New York City, there is also a Cape Cod sub-land within American Waterfront:





This area does not have any rides, just a shop, a restaurant and a show – all about Duffy. So, we just walked through there once to see it (and then a second time when I hadn’t figured out the park layout yet and made us walk the long way).

People who have taken a cruise on the Disney Magic might find this familiar:





Duffy shop had a line:





Continued in next post


----------



## Flossbolna

Continued from previous post:

And now we are in the next port: Port Discovery. This has a bit of a steampunk-futuristic feel to it. The design aesthetics are similar to DLP’s Discoveryland. It has two rides, the Nemo & Friends Sea Rider (more about this later) 





and then Aquatopia:





That ride looks very cute, but ultimately it does nothing else than go through the area on a slightly random path. It looks like bumper cars, but that’s not what it is. While the ride vehicles look like boats, they actually are not. There is just a very low level of water on the actual platform that the ride operates on. Ultimately it is kind of similarly pointless (to me) as Autopia in Disneyland (so, it’s aptly named). BUT it is far prettier! It does add a lot of pretty kinetics to the land.

It's actually a neat little attraction. It is trackless and uses a very similar, if not identical, system to Pooh's Hunny Hunt, even if you would never know it. ... My first trip I was going to skip it, but was with a friend who lives in Tokyo (originally from Florida, married an IPer working at EPCOT, had a child with him and eventually moved back to Japan where she lives ... or lives at TDR!) and her son wanted to go on. There was no wait so we did ... multiple times. It was a lot of fun. M might have other reasons for not liking it. But don't want to get ahead.

Yes, it ultimately is quite a bit of fun. But nothing I would wait for for a long time.

We just walked through Port Discovery on our way to our first ride – all the way at the back of the park: Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull. This ride is located in Lost River Delta.





It does look a bit lost, doesn’t it?





Indiana Jones has a single rider line, so that is what we picked. The line is quite amazing, very different from Disneyland. It goes through this very large and high quadrangular room where you enter at one top corner and then the line slopes downward all along the four walls before exiting again. The story of the ride however is the same. No, the ride track is identical. The  effects are most certainly not, same with storyline. Okay, I got that wrong... I was going to write that it was a different story, but then I was thinking I was getting it confused with Dinosaur at DAK (same layout as the two Indiana Jones rides, different story, too - obviously).

We had nearly no wait as single riders. The ride was amazing, everything was in perfect working order and it was so much fun! My last visit at Disneyland I was very disappointed as there is one effect towards the end of the ride with a rock that somehow never worked correctly when I was on the ride. It is an amazing effect if it works and it falls really flat if it does not work correctly. Here it did. I was so happy! And we hopped on it immediately again with the single rider line. This time we even ended up filling two seats next to each other.

Next we headed to the other attraction in Lost River Delta: Raging Spirits. This is a coaster. A small coaster, but with a loop! For someone who has been to DLP this might sound familiar and it is indeed identical to DLP’s Indiana Jones coaster. Well, the track layout is. The rock work is a bit different and there have been fog and fire effects added on that are quite cool! Also, the cars are more comfortable.









We used single rider here as well, but this was the one single rider line that took a long time. And while the ride was very smooth (far better than Paris) it was nothing exciting, so this was our one and only ride.

I think this wait (about 20-25 minutes) was our longest of the day.

Lost River Delta has lots of amazing landscaping and really fun details:





We backtracked to Port Discovery as we were now able to pick up the next FP. We were lucky to still get one for the Nemo & Friend Sea Rider:





I really liked Port Discovery’s design:









From here we now headed to Mysterious Island. This port is only accessible via tunnels through Mount Prometheus.





(sorry, this is the best picture, the tunnels were dark and the end was very bright, it was so difficult to get a good picture)

And here we are:





It is a large lagoon surrounded by rocks and an elevated walkway. That is actually one of the interesting things about TDS: It has three different levels. Down there is the water level and there are ships to take you around. And then there is normal ground level. But many areas there are also elevated areas where you are suddenly one level up. It adds an illusion of reality as real life often isn’t just flat wide walkways. Just like Animal Kingdom has some narrow paths with lots of vegetation, this is the non-nature version of those paths. It’s one of those things that you notice in the back of your head, but rarely thing about consciously. But it has an effect on your experience. 

^^^THIS!!!

This little snack shop is the home of one of the famous theme park snacks of Tokyo:





Tokyo has so many fun and interesting snacks, but somehow we just didn’t have the time nor the appetite to try many. It wasn’t even that they were pricey, compared to WDW the food was much fairer priced. We just had other priorities.

Other priorities beyond eating??!?! You do know I spent 30 minutes today checking out the menus of the American fast food chains we are going to visit in Spain (Taco Bell, Carl's Jr and McDonald's), right?

I guess it shows how amazing those parks were that the two of us forgot about the food. Not totally, lunch was going to be special and long planned!

From Mysterious Island we headed to Arabian Coast. This was very very important to Michael. In that corner of the park is his favorite attraction in Tokyo. I was informed that we were going to go on this ride at least 10 times in our two days (I think we fell short of that goal, but we did get close): 





Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage is a boat ride and tells you the story of Sindbad’s Voyages. Very simple it seems. But there is Chandu, Sinbad’s little tiger. 





Michael is pointing him out for you. And here is a bigger picture:





But besides the cute kitty, there is the attractions music – an ear worm of It’s a Small World quality. It was written by Alan Mencken and is called “Compass of Your Heart”. It is sung in Japanese with the refrain in English. If you want to check out the song, this is a youtube video of a concert performance of it in English:






The line has pictures telling you about the voyages:





And since I did not know yet about the no picture rule, I tried to get some pictures, this is the only one that turned out somewhat useable:





I thought the ride was cute, but not nearly as life altering as it appears to be for Michael. And that opinion did not really change during the trip. The good thing is that it nearly never has any line due to its location in the far corner of the park and it having a huge capacity as a boat ride. 

The above could be grounds for divorce. I will consult a lawyer. Sindbad is everything a Disney family attraction is supposed to be. It is pure magic. Just when you think it's over, there's another room full of perfectly functioning AAs and effects. ... This started out as a much darker ride when the park opened in 2001. You Tube can show you. Sindbad had a beard. No pet kitty. No happy Menken showtune. It still looks like it was a good ride, but people just didn't like it. It closed in 2006 and reopened in 2007. Sindbad looked friendlier, the scenes were reworked to be less menacing, Chandu was created and that beautiful song was added. It's sad that when WDW finally gets a new family boat ride, it is a three-minute voyage with no music, no story and no point. But Nav'i River is enjoyable if you have been drinking before getting onboard.

The bad news was that we had a lunch reservation that was due very soon and we were in the far corner of the park. So, it was quite a hike back to Mediterranean Harbor for lunch…

BAD NEWS?!?!?! ... maybe I do need that lawyer ... You already have a lawyer, remember? You married her... And the bad news was about the "due very soon" and "far corner" aspect. Sheesh, you'd think we'd be better at communicating if we want that marriage to work.

Up Next: Eating with the Society of Adventures and Explorers


----------



## Steppesister

You are right! What a fantastically beautiful park! And yes, I did google the BGM and have it playing now. Someday I will travel and get to the other Disney parks, but for now, I'll live vicariously though you and Micheal.


----------



## Lesley Wake

Flossbolna said:


> The title gives it away. This is the prettiest Disney park I have seen in my life. Until I had been at TDS, that title went to Disneyland Paris. But there is no comparison. TDS is in its own league.
> 
> I hate giving 'Best Of' labels ... DL is special. It was where it all began. DAK and DLP are amazing creations too, full of detail and layering. But TDS takes things to a completely different level. My brother said it when we first visited that "in the other parks you feel like you are on a movie set, but here you feel like you are part of a movie." In other words, everything just feels so real. You can't even compare weak parks in the swamps to this masterpiece.


I can't wait to see it! I just loved DLP and all the exploration places - I worry about how intense my emotions could be for TDS! (I'm also making it my final Disney park to visit worldwide).


Flossbolna said:


> You notice how we didn't do rope drop. Spolier Alert: After doing it in Shanghai and our first day at TDL, we never did it again. And we still saw whatever we wanted and didn't rush at all. If you go at the right times, and you tour smartly, that type of insanity isn't needed.


Good to know for Fall! 


Flossbolna said:


> This is TDS’s main focus point, Mount Prometheus. It’s a volcano. Usually. But it was mainly dormant when we were there. The big ride inside Mount Prometheus, possibly the biggest/best attraction in Tokyo, - Journey to the Center of the Earth – was under refurbishment. I was very disappointed when I found out. But TDS is so much more than one ride. So, in the end I was sad that I missed it, but I still had such a great time that I can truly say that it did not ruin my vacation at all. I knew very quickly that I really loved Japan as much as I had expected and therefore was happy to have a very good reason to return!


It's down for me too! And Mount Prometheus will have scaffolding all over it! I guess I'll just need to come back again! 


Flossbolna said:


> Heck, I may have ... 'may have' been listening to DLP Princess and Pirate Fest music (  I'm a Princess... I'm a Pirate... such an ear worm!!) earlier.


Find your inner power!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Flossbolna said:


> First, apologies again for the amount of time between updates. I would soooo much like to blame the dude in Delaware, but there's no way I can find a way to make that plausible.



Hey, I work for the DOT.  We get blamed for everything anyway.



Flossbolna said:


> Besides, I may actually really like his wife and kids!



Great!  Me too!



Flossbolna said:


> However, we then realized that when we were returning to Tokyo at the end of our trip, it would have re-opened, so we had debated about maybe coming back with an afternoon/evening ticket just to ride Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek… (Yes, we are that crazy, stay tuned for how this develops…).



I would totally have been making alternate plans to go see it, too.  Can't blame you in the least.



Flossbolna said:


> The parade at that time was called Happiness is Here!



Oh, so that's where it went! 



Flossbolna said:


> We found our seats quickly and did not have too much of a wait until the show started. The show was… many things, but mainly strange. Very strange. The music was good, the energy was great. But there was just no point to it. In my trip notes it has as main description: Lots of glittery costumes. It was even a really long show: 30 minutes.



I was a little surprised at the stage in the photo.  The room looks like an average high school auditorium.



Flossbolna said:


> I think the outdoor pool might actually cost a fee. The pools at the official Disney hotels cost extra for example as well.



I can see myself complaining about that little tidbit...



Flossbolna said:


> Hey, you didn't exactly complain. Matter of fact, wasn't it you who turned our half day return into a full one? Me:







Flossbolna said:


> It is a modernized version of the Main Street Electrical Parade, so it does feature that most horrible piece of Disney theme park music (no, @Captain_Oblivious, it’s not It’s a Small World, it’s the Baroque Hoedown).



Ok, then IASW is the second-worst.



Flossbolna said:


> The next two show the white/colorful versions of the same float.



That looks like a neat trick!



Flossbolna said:


> I absolutely fell in love with this Splash Mountain and at times will claim that this is my overall favorite Disney ride of all the ones I have experienced (the number 1 spot changes depending on mood…).



Wow!  Strong feelings on this one, I see.



Flossbolna said:


> Seeing the photos brings back all sorts of, in this case, great memories and the opportunities for more words from me (I know that reading more than 63 words a week may be tough for some people who ... live in Delaware!)



Speaking of which, I'm at my limit now.  See ya!



Flossbolna said:


> I also can't recommend this hotel enough for any first-timers. Look at it as a monorail resort because that is the reality in the way TDR is positioned. And being a HHilton Honors member can only help with things like free upgrades. And, again, speaking English will not be an issue in the least here.



Good to know!  If I ever get to Tokyo, anyway...



Flossbolna said:


> The title gives it away. This is the prettiest Disney park I have seen in my life. Until I had been at TDS, that title went to Disneyland Paris. But there is no comparison. TDS is in its own league.



I was looking forward to the photos...I remember seeing various models of buildings at TDS on display at One Man's Dream, and Julie and I kept remarking that so many of them looked amazing.  It planted the idea that this park may be something special.



Flossbolna said:


> I think this was already the second one for Mr Tiny Bladder







Flossbolna said:


> If you take off the beard and add lots and lots of earrings to one ear, you will have the face that inspired Mr. Hightower: Joe Rohde, the Imagineer. It was not his project, but the people working on it thought that his face would be a good fit. And he was willing to go along with it.



Cute.  I didn't know before, but now I can't un-see it.



Flossbolna said:


> No nude bathing at Hightower Hotel!
> 
> That does explain some of the stares and yells and screams I encountered.



Why am I not surprised?



Flossbolna said:


> A closer view of the S.S. Columbia. There is a restaurant and a bar onboard and you can explore the ship quite a bit.



That's really an impressive scale.



Flossbolna said:


> We just walked through Port Discovery on our way to our first ride – all the way at the back of the park: Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull.



Yes!  Anything with Indiana Jones rides has to be good!



Flossbolna said:


> It is a large lagoon surrounded by rocks and an elevated walkway. That is actually one of the interesting things about TDS: It has three different levels. Down there is the water level and there are ships to take you around. And then there is normal ground level. But many areas there are also elevated areas where you are suddenly one level up. It adds an illusion of reality as real life often isn’t just flat wide walkways. Just like Animal Kingdom has some narrow paths with lots of vegetation, this is the non-nature version of those paths. It’s one of those things that you notice in the back of your head, but rarely thing about consciously. But it has an effect on your experience.



Wow.  This sounds really amazing.  I love the photos.  TDS really does look like a wonderful theme park.



Flossbolna said:


> I thought the ride was cute, but not nearly as life altering as it appears to be for Michael.



Why am I not surprised? I mean, this is a guy who gushed over the Country Bear Jamboree, for crying out loud.


----------



## soniam

Looks great! So jealous. I hate having to rush and almost be late for reservations. It always stresses me out. My family is of German descent

Where and when are you going to Spain? We are heading to Barcelona in a week and a half. No American fast food for us though, just Spanish fast food


----------



## indoshakespeare

Flossbolna said:


> I thought the ride was cute, but not nearly as life altering as it appears to be for Michael. And that opinion did not really change during the trip. The good thing is that it nearly never has any line due to its location in the far corner of the park and it having a huge capacity as a boat ride.




I agree with the lawyer.  There's a reason why Sinbad has a short line.  It's not that great


----------



## franandaj

OK, I can only do so many updates at once, so I'm going to comment on the first one and come back for the second.



Flossbolna said:


> I never found out about those spicy nuts. I searched for it, but I mainly got links to snack products.



OK, I'll explain it as "DIS friendly" as I can.  Let's just say that in American English lots of words have several meanings.  Besides a tasty bar snack, nuts can also refer to certain male anatomy.  As far as the "spicy" part, have you ever heard the American phrase, "We wanted to spice up our relationship a little bit."  So if you combine those two "alternate" meanings of those words, you get Michael's version of "spicy nuts".  



Flossbolna said:


> So, here is a selection of my best parade pictures!



Those are some nice parade pictures, very cue.



Flossbolna said:


> Yes, you pointed it out. But it did not register in my head. To me theater = a/c.



We have a theater like that in Disneyland, Mickey and the Magical Map.



Flossbolna said:


> The show was… many things, but mainly strange. Very strange.



Huh. Well I'll keep that in mind.



Flossbolna said:


> Back at the hotel we visited the pool. Hotel pools seem to be far less common in Japan than they are in the US. But the Hilton has an indoor pool that is free to use for guests.



I'm not familiar with the weather in Japan, but I imagine that it gets cold in Wintertime.  Strange that they charge for the outdoor pool and it's only open a few months out of the year.



Flossbolna said:


> We had a short break at the lounge for some food and drink. Michael was happy that he got some fried rice! I liked the raw fish.



I probably would have been happy with both of your dishes, and then some.....



Flossbolna said:


> And then the parade started. And it went on and on and on. I loved Paint the Night in Disneyland, but Dreamlights is just wow! The floats are massive. They all go through different cycles with the lights, many go from all white to full colors.



Wow!  That does look like an even more impressive parade than PTN.



Flossbolna said:


> Those convenience stores (there are different chains) in Japan are amazing, they have loads of snack foods and you can easily get meals there for decent prices. Michael made me pick up a salad, but I got some other interesting things.



Sounds like an interesting batch of food for dinner.



Flossbolna said:


> Michael did not want any food, he was just absolutely exhausted. I am surprised how well he did with no sleep at all!



I don't know how anyone can sleep on an empty stomach!  But he did pretty well for not getting any sleep the night before!


----------



## Flossbolna

So, we are currently tentatively planning a return to WDW for a post-pandemic-bash in the fall and that got me thinking about trip reports again. And then my friend (and new neighbor!) @brookelizabeth started a pre-trip for her summer trip and @franandaj started writing about her imminent return to Disneyland. And Michael started to complain about why did we never finish our trip reports from years past. 

So, here we are. Still hanging on in a mainly locked down Germany waiting for vaccines, but hopeful for a brighter future to arrive soon. What better times to travel back into your own vacation memories and pick up a trip report from 4 years ago. Who knows, we might finish it even before the real 4 year anniversary of the trip! 

Who knows, once this is finished maybe, I will even finish the one from our brief Orlando trip in February of 2017...


----------



## brookelizabeth

Flossbolna said:


> Who knows, we might finish it even before the real 4 year anniversary of the trip!



you have to finish so you can write about your post-pandemic trip, too!!

(I still have your egg cups.... they have now just become normal scenery in my cabinet.  I'll try to remember to send them over with The Boy later this week / next week. )


----------



## lovealldisney

Flossbolna said:


> we might finish it even before the real 4 year anniversary of the trip!


Really though I hope you finish! This was a fantastic TR!



Flossbolna said:


> return to WDW for a post-pandemic-bash in the fall



When are you thinking of???   We'll be there in September!!!


----------



## tiggrbaby

Looking forward to reading more about your trip!


----------



## glennbo123

Glad to see some new updates!  Hope you're well!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Welcome back!  Make sure Michael's commentary is still in a different font/color so I can keep ignoring it.


----------



## Flossbolna

Day 6 – July 4, 17: Tokyo DisneySea

Part 2: Eating with the Society of Explorers and Adventurers

A brief reminder: me @Flossbolna will be writing in this lovely blue color, Michael will continue to add his commentary in an (angry? ) red color...

Ah, welcome back to anyone still reading. On behalf of myself and Big Sugar D, we're very grateful you decided to return to one of our multiple unfinished trip reports. Honestly, it isn't all the German's fault -- just most of it. The past few years have been largely an ugly blur. Indeed, a year ago at this time, I likely would have the given the odds at 50/50 of the USA continuing to exist as a place one would want to live in. As much as that may have inspired some of you to go back and dwell on happier memories and times, it did not have such an impact on me. Apologies in advance if this describes any of you, but I also had zero desire to go to Apocalypse Dizzy World when the pandemic magically ended in Florida last summer. If you did, I think you might want a psych evaluation. 

Anyway, you might have noticed that the German is very competitive and never wrong. So when our new neighbors from NYC (Agatha, JJ, Lil' C and The Wonder Dog) decided to start a pre-trip report for their upcoming visit to the resort in the swamps that has fired most of its staff and expects you to do everything with a smart phone while being yelled at by CMs, many who have had to deal with the worst of the worst Guests since reopening, she decided we would attempt to restart a report from a magical trip of ours. Since I am 78 years old now, my memory is fading and my notes are somewhere in a pile of crap in Florida, not quite sure how this is going to work, but here goes.

Thanks again for reading and sticking with us, although to be fair, some of you are close friends and have very little choice in the matter. We love you all.

We headed for our most coveted dining reservation for lunch! Magellan’s is a signature dining experience in the part of Mediterranean Harbor that is designed as a fortress as seen here:






The restaurant is two levels, you enter on the second floor and most dining areas are downstairs around a very large atrium with a beautiful globe:
















The restaurant is themed to renaissance era explorers, scientists and artists and is beautifully decorated:


























There is a "secret" room behind some library shelves, but we did not end up dining in there. Which was fine, our table was quite nice!

But Stephen would not consider this a real visit without sitting in said room.







Some of the floor had these beautiful tiles:





This was our "side room":





We were given menus:





Those of you who know their Disney theme park story lines will recognize the coat of arms on it. It’s the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. Also known from such places as the Jungle Skipper’s Canteen in Florida and Mystic Point/Mystic Manor in Hong Kong. The name of the restaurant was  explained on the first page of the menu:





There were several set menus to choose from (as is common in Japan):













We both chose the lunch set. Unfortunately the price is blurred, but considering this was 4 years ago, it might not be of much help anyway. I just remember that we considered this quite reasonable for three courses in a theme park.

The cost for the entire meal was $31 a person at the time. THAT, I do remember. For a near gourmet meal in an incredible themed (that doesn't mean Disney IP all over the place like that cruise ship that was 'revealed' yesterday.)

But it was this menu page that made Michael truly happy: Look at the top line where it says under the price "free refill". Those are magic words for Michael! And the best was (which we found out later) that you could change between all those different drinks listed there!

Living in Germany has taught me many things, like maybe I am not cut out to live in Germany. Free refills have been commonplace in the USA since the 1980s. Not so much here (with some exceptions such as our new Five Guys and any KFC or BK that are not located in the city). I drink a lot. I then ... well, you can figure out what comes next. But I do recall being thrilled as I likely had 3-4 Cokes since it was quite hot and then a couple of iced coffees. In a typical German restaurant, the tab for that would have been approximately $95.15.

We got drinks and water and they served rolls. You can see my iced tea here, which was served with those little jars. One of them was definitely the typical "gum syrup" that you get everywhere. Ultimately this is sugar syrup that you get in Japan with cold tea or coffee in order to not have to deal with trying to dissolve sugar crystals in your cold drink. Not sure if the other one was cream…





For my starter I had the Today’s Creamy Soup. I am not sure what it was, I seem to remember that it was corn, but it looks too green for that. What I do remember is that it was delicious!





Michael had the Organic Mesclun Salad with Cheese and Walnuts:





He was happy with it.

The rolls had a hidden Mickey:





Michael’s main course was the Red-Wine-Braised Beef Cheek:





I chose Today’s Fish:





Just with the soup, I don’t really remember what it was. But it was very good again. Finding out what those options were was a bit of a challenge as our server, who spoke good English, did struggle with the correct translations of all food items. Which is fine, menus are tricky to translate! She was rather lovely, but then just disappeared during our meal and was replaced with another one. We think her shift just ended and it did not affect our service at all as the second server was very good, too. It was just odd. 

I don't recall any issues with language at all. I also thought everything was in Japanese and English on the menus.

I was talking about when I asked about what the Today’s Dish was. I did not want to order without having a clue about what it is. And while our server’s English was very good, she just struggled with some ingredients. I sometimes do when having to explain German food in English as well.

Michael of course got Creme Brûlée for dessert:





I got the seasonal sherbet:





Here I do remember what it is! Because it was my first time getting something yuzu-flavored. Yuzu is a citrus fruit that is very popular in Japan. I think when she tried to explain what it was, I only got that it was a local fruit and our server said it tasted good. In hindsight I am surprised how adventurous I was with my ordering for that lunch. I am normally afraid of not liking something and therefore sticking to stuff I know. But I love everything citrus and so this dessert was a great hit for me!

Lunch took quite a bit of time, but it was wonderful to get to rest in a cool spot. The weather was hot and humid as it was every day of our trip… We both really loved our food. Looking at the pictures now I think the portions look small, but we did not feel like that then. We also got plenty of the delicious rolls!

They were not small. But they certainly were not American or German sized portions. And the food was absolutely wonderful as was the service as was the ambience as was everything. If the Japanese ever let us in again (we had planned a Summer 2020 Olympics trip, which obviously didn't happen and then we decided we'd make it a summer 2021 trip and then ... well, at this point, no plans, but hopes to return to Tokyo sometime next year. Both AA and UAL have had some truly amazing fares to Tokyo that have had me plotting ... fares as low as $250 ROUND TRIP from FLL or MIA to Tokyo for the rest of this year and into next year. Going into my tenth month of pandemic living in our small provincial village (he is leaving out the vacations to the Black Forest and Denmark that we took last summer while most of Europe was nearly Covid-free during the summer months) after four months of being locked in a house or out in 90-plus degree weather in the swamps has got me wanting to go anywhere that isn't where our homes are located.

Continued in next post


----------



## Flossbolna

Continued from previous post:

After lunch I took a couple of pictures and then we headed on to the Tower of Terror.









There is an attraction there called „Fortress Explorations“ that is a walkthrough themed to the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. I really wanted to do that, but somehow we did not manage to fit it in. I think it had limited opening hours.

This is a view back to Mediterranean Harbor:









The crane is there building the Tokyo version of Soarin’ over the World.

Happily, this has become one of the most popular attractions at the park. Right alongside Toy Story Mania. Two attractions I am more than willing to skip from now to eternity. BTW, many parks now have variations on the flying theater concept, including German's top theme park resort -- and a place you SHOULD visit -- Europa Park. Their version is better than the current Disney version and basically a Soaring Over Europe deal, except their footage is real (except for one scene) and not mostly CGI like Disney. I do so still miss the original Soaring Over California, but that's another subject.

Just as a side note: Yes, Europapark is a wonderful theme park that has some recent additions that make a visit a really nice detour on a German vacation. It's just at the foot of the Black Forest (which despite its name is a mountain range) and was a big part of our pandemic summer vacation.





A nice view of the Columbia:





I am not sure how well it comes out in this picture, but as you see, there is nothing but horizon behind the ship. That’s because on this side the park blends into the sea. There is only the monorail, a road and a seawall separating the park from the ocean. I found that fascinating as it is so unusual for a Disney park. Usually your vistas are enclosed by trees, buildings or hills.

You know what is missing? Giant, horrible looking non-moveable stage pieces for a giant Disney IP show!!! Imagine if those were right there ... pure magic!!! BTW, I know what you readers are thinking right now: boy, did we miss these pearls of wisdom and intellectual observations. We do accept gift cards and they don't have to be Disney ones.

On the way to the Tower of Terror in the American Waterfront area:













And there is the Hightower Hotel in all its splendor:









Up Next: Meeting Shiriki Utundu


----------



## soniam

We are still hoping to go to Japan summer 2022. Fingers crossed. The first trip we considered, but not planned too much, was affected by the tsunami and subsequent nuclear accident. We have luck like that  Germany was very lovely the Sunday after 9/11, when we were supposed to be there on 9/12. Tube strikes in London are fun. Pope died while we were in Rome. We actually have been lucky too and have just looked at these circumstances as adventures, or challenges, or maybe features


----------



## Flossbolna

soniam said:


> We are still hoping to go to Japan summer 2022. Fingers crossed. The first trip we considered, but not planned too much, was affected by the tsunami and subsequent nuclear accident. We have luck like that  Germany was very lovely the Sunday after 9/11, when we were supposed to be there on 9/12. Tube strikes in London are fun. Pope died while we were in Rome. We actually have been lucky too and have just looked at these circumstances as adventures, or challenges, or maybe features



Ok, I think I am going to request that you don’t go to Japan next summer as we are planning for the same time frame. And I really don’t want any other catastrophes happening the next few years!

But of course I hope that you will get an amazing and feature-free trip to Japan! We can’t wait to go back!


----------



## dizneeat

*I have not been on here in ages. Life has just been a bit "different" lately, and that not only because of the Pandamic. 
Thank you for getting me excited about all things Disney again. Love reading your TRs!!! Finish them ALL! We all need the distraction. *


----------



## tiggrbaby

What a gorgeous restaurant!

Their version of TOT is beautiful!


----------



## Flossbolna

dizneeat said:


> *I have not been on here in ages. Life has just been a bit "different" lately, and that not only because of the Pandamic.
> Thank you for getting me excited about all things Disney again. Love reading your TRs!!! Finish them ALL! We all need the distraction. *



I really haven't been on the DIS much lately either. But planning for the fall has made me start to venture on here a few times... And I will try my best to give you loads of distraction!!


----------



## Flossbolna

lovealldisney said:


> When are you thinking of???  We'll be there in September!!!



We are planning to avoid September at WDW, too hot for me!!


----------



## tink2424

Flossbolna said:


> Just as a side note: Yes, Europapark is a wonderful theme park that has some recent additions that make a visit a really nice detour on a German vacation. It's just at the foot of the Black Forest (which despite its name is a mountain range) and was a big part of our pandemic summer vacation.



Just found your trip report and can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip as I'm hoping to go to Tokyo in 2 years.  

I was booked for a trip to Europa Park for the end of September 2020 but of course couldn't go (I'm an American) but I'm planning on going this end of September/early October.  The park looks beautiful and has a good amount of rides.  Any tips?  I have looked and there aren't a lot of websites devoted to Europa Park to peruse.


----------



## Flossbolna

tink2424 said:


> Just found your trip report and can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip as I'm hoping to go to Tokyo in 2 years.
> 
> I was booked for a trip to Europa Park for the end of September 2020 but of course couldn't go (I'm an American) but I'm planning on going this end of September/early October.  The park looks beautiful and has a good amount of rides.  Any tips?  I have looked and there aren't a lot of websites devoted to Europa Park to peruse.



 to my ancient trip report! I'll ask Michael to write up some tips for you about Europa Park, he always likes to tell people that they should visit there. Are you planning on staying in one of their hotels? And are you going to visit Rulantica as well?


----------



## tink2424

Flossbolna said:


> to my ancient trip report! I'll ask Michael to write up some tips for you about Europa Park, he always likes to tell people that they should visit there. Are you planning on staying in one of their hotels? And are you going to visit Rulantica as well?


Awesome!  I will have to look for that trip report.  Finding blogs about Europa Park is hard... 

Yes, staying on site at the Colosseo hotel.  We will have 3 full days in Europa Park (thurs, fri & sun) and we are doing Rulantica on Saturday.  We think we will rent a hygge as well for the day there for a splurge.  It will be me & my sister (we are both in our early 40s) and we are both really looking forward to the day we finally get to go.  Hopefully this year but if not we will come next year.  Thanks in advance for any and all tips!


----------



## Flossbolna

tink2424 said:


> Awesome!  I will have to look for that trip report.  Finding blogs about Europa Park is hard...
> 
> Yes, staying on site at the Colosseo hotel.  We will have 3 full days in Europa Park (thurs, fri & sun) and we are doing Rulantica on Saturday.  We think we will rent a hygge as well for the day there for a splurge.  It will be me & my sister (we are both in our early 40s) and we are both really looking forward to the day we finally get to go.  Hopefully this year but if not we will come next year.  Thanks in advance for any and all tips!



I meant this one! It’s from 2017.  We took notes on our first trip to EP, but never got around to write the report. But I will post something here as “bonus updates”.


----------



## Tinkerbelle's Mom

I am loving this trip report and so glad you have come back to it!  I am hoping for a wonderful 50th birthday trip to visit TDR, Hong Kong, and Shanghai along with a few other stops. But... its not for a couple of years. However your trip reports is total inspiration and gives me more to look forward to!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Flossbolna said:


> upcoming visit to the resort in the swamps that has fired most of its staff and expects you to do everything with a smart phone while being yelled at by CMs, many who have had to deal with the worst of the worst Guests since reopening,



Most Magical Place on Earth!



Flossbolna said:


>



That looks like it's worth a stop just for the theming.  Incredible.



Flossbolna said:


> There is a "secret" room behind some library shelves, but we did not end up dining in there. Which was fine, our table was quite nice!



Any place with a secret door/room is good with me!



Flossbolna said:


> But it was this menu page that made Michael truly happy: Look at the top line where it says under the price "free refill".



It's the little things, I guess.



Flossbolna said:


> But I do recall being thrilled as I likely had 3-4 Cokes since it was quite hot and then a couple of iced coffees.



Now why would you let him have that much caffeine?  You should know better by now!



Flossbolna said:


> I sometimes do when having to explain German food in English as well.



Some things you can't explain, like ruining perfectly good desserts with raisins.



Flossbolna said:


> Going into my tenth month of pandemic living in our small provincial village (he is leaving out the vacations to the Black Forest and Denmark that we took last summer while most of Europe was nearly Covid-free during the summer months) after four months of being locked in a house or out in 90-plus degree weather in the swamps has got me wanting to go anywhere that isn't where our homes are located.



Even Delaware?



Flossbolna said:


> Their version is better than the current Disney version and basically a Soaring Over Europe deal, except their footage is real (except for one scene) and not mostly CGI like Disney. I do so still miss the original Soaring Over California, but that's another subject.



Yes.  Soarin' over California was so much better than the current version.



Flossbolna said:


> BTW, I know what you readers are thinking right now: boy, did we miss these pearls of wisdom and intellectual observations.



Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking.


----------



## Flossbolna

Tinkerbelle's Mom said:


> I am loving this trip report and so glad you have come back to it!  I am hoping for a wonderful 50th birthday trip to visit TDR, Hong Kong, and Shanghai along with a few other stops. But... its not for a couple of years. However your trip reports is total inspiration and gives me more to look forward to!



Sounds like a great birthday trip. This trip in 2017 might have had a similar background! Not me though, I am a young spring chicken just like the Magic Kingdom!   

I am sure a lot of the practical aspects will have changed between 2017 and your trip, but I hope the magic in those parks will still be as lovely as it was when we were there!


----------



## Flossbolna

Captain_Oblivious said:


> That looks like it's worth a stop just for the theming. Incredible.



I think I said it before, but the whole park is one picture opportunity. You really need to build in time to just enjoy the views. And that volcano was even more dormant than it usually is, because the big ride in it was not working.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Now why would you let him have that much caffeine? You should know better by now!



Somehow he refuses to listen to me... 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking.



I hear you. And I live with him!!


----------



## Flossbolna

Day 6 – July 4, 17: Tokyo DisneySea

Part 3: Meeting Shiriki Utundu

The Tower of Terror in Tokyo is quite different from the one in the other parks. It’s still a hotel, but not set in Hollywood, but in NYC. This is an explanation of the backstory (supposedly from a press release about the new attraction):

_„Anyone who visits American Waterfront will soon find their gaze irresistibly drawn to the unique form of the lofty Hotel Hightower. The building's unusual design and extraordinary proportions were symbols of the wealth and power of its notorious creator, antiquities collector Harrison Hightower III, and indeed the stories of the man and the hotel are inextricably linked._​​_After inheriting his father's mansion, Harrison Hightower III decided to renovate his home, adding gardens, a pool and spa, the five-story "Caliph's Tower", the eight-story "Indian Tower" with its many guest rooms and a ballroom, and finally the 14-story "Great Tower" in which Hightower kept his personal apartments in the penthouse suite. Although the overall style of the hotel is Gothic, to a certain extent there are elements of other architectural styles from all over the world. Also, as a further testament to his greatness, Hightower installed many artifacts he had acquired during his globe-spanning expeditions in various places around the hotel._​​_Harrison Hightower III was a collector of cultural antiquities. Accompanied by his valet, Mr. Smelding, he traveled to every continent to collect his curiosities, including Asia, Europe, South America and Oceania. Once he found an artifact he wanted, he would use any method available to acquire it, including on occasion outright plunder._​​_In 1899, Hightower embarked on the most hazardous expedition of his life, heading up the Congo River and into the dangerous parts of uncharted Africa. Though his intention was to collect the art and craftwork of the region, Hightower soon found himself the object of attacks by hostile local tribes, and many members of his team lost their lives._​​_Then one day, Hightower's severely reduced party was chased into the area of the dreaded Mtundu tribe. Though greatly feared by neighboring tribes, the Mtundu welcomed Harrison Hightower's ill-fated expedition quite cordially, and actually invited the adventurers to eat with them._​​_During the meal, Hightower learned of the existence of the tribe's protective idol. The statue was called "Shiriki Utundu" and Harrison Hightower wanted it for his own. He tried to persuade the village headman to sell him the idol, but was refused, which only served to increase his desire. He then told his men to prepare for battle, and grabbing Shiriki Utundu from its altar, stole the idol and escaped the village._​​_The expedition was nervous and afraid that the many warriors of the Mtundu tribe would pursue and attack them, but strangely they only stood by and watched expressionlessly as Hightower took their idol. Some thought they may even have been slightly smiling…_​​_On December 31, 1899, Harrison Hightower III was back in New York and held a press conference in his private office at Hotel Hightower to unveil his latest "find". Manfred Strang, a reporter from the New York Globe-Telegraph, asked if Shiriki Utundu wasn't really cursed, but was then thrown out of the building. After that, Hightower was his usual bombastic self, giving a heroic description of his adventure and allowing no real questions. That evening, he gave a spectacular New Year's Eve party to celebrate his return from Africa._​_Though the party was a success, Hightower left early to find a place for Shiriki Utundu in his penthouse apartment. As Hightower boarded the elevator, Mr. Smelding warned him to give proper respect to the idol. Hightower refused to pay heed, and, sneering in defiance, even put out his cigar on Shiriki Utundu's head!_​​_As the clock struck midnight, all lights in the hotel went out and the party was plunged into darkness. People outside witnessed a dazzling green light bursting out from Harrison Hightower's rooms at the top of the hotel. From the top floors to the bottom, the benighted hotel was pierced by hundreds of thousands of volts of electricity. The arched windows in front shattered with a loud crash, causing broken glass and other debris to rain down on the onlookers below. Small fires had broken out, and panicked party guests scrambled to escape, with many injured in the rush._​​_However, the most astonishing thing of all was that Harrison Hightower III, who should have been in his rooms at the top of the hotel, abruptly disappeared without a trace._​​_With the explosion on the top floors, the cables of the hotel elevator were also cut, and Harrison Hightower III was heard screaming in fright. The only thing that was found in the remains of the shattered elevator, though, was Shiriki Utundu. Harrison Hightower was gone. Had Hightower somehow escaped from the elevator unharmed, or was he not even riding it when it crashed? Could he have been transported away somewhere? No one knows the truth._​​_After Mr. Hightower's mysterious disappearance the hotel was closed down. People in New York began calling it the "Tower of Terror". For 13 years, no one dared to enter the hotel until the New York City Preservation Society, led by its president and founder, Miss Beatrice Rose Endicott, began a plan to offer tours of the building to the public. The Society hopes that through its efforts people will again appreciate the architectural beauty of the hotel and the cultural value of the treasures in Harrison Hightower's collection._​​_Still, dark rumors persist amongst the people of New York. Some say how they saw the "strange, green lights" on that fateful night, while others recall hearing "a terrible scream". The passage of time seems only to have increased the mystery surrounding Hotel Hightower.“_​
So, we are visiting as one of the tourist groups, the CMs are dressed as tour guides. The audio is all in Japanese, but you can still figure out what is going on most of the time. 

I am lost most of the time as is. This is where, in the distant Before Times, put in some infantile joke at the expense of people who live in Delaware. But since a resident of that tiny backwater saved the Republic, I feel that maybe I shouldn't ... But maybe I should still? I'll ponder this for a while ... like as long as it takes a Delawarean to eat a meal at the highest class place in the state: the Waffle House. 

You enter into the hotel lobby where of course you see more of Hightower:





A bit disconcerting is that you also see the broken main elevator:





The menu from the restaurant is still on display:





The pre-show is not in a library, but it has a very good introduction to the story with some amazing effects. In this room Shiriki Utundu is on display.

The special effect in pre-show is so amazing that it alone (along with the incredible attention to detail everywhere ... this ain't the Tragic Apocalypse Kingdom) is worth waiting for. I won't spoil it for the simple reason that I don't know how they do it --- and don't want to. But the little evil idol literally takes over the room and then just disappears in front of your eyes. 









The ride mechanism itself is the same as the ToT in Paris and Anaheim, but everything else is quite different. All in all it is a fantastic version of the ride. 

It’s really interesting how different those 4 Tower of Terrors around the world are. While I hate the outside look of Anaheim now, the ride there is probably the most of fun of them all now. Tokyo has probably the most in-depth theming all around. And Paris has recently added some storyline upgrades that are unique and really thrilling. They have also updated the drop sequence there. While Florida still has the best ride mechanism in my opinion. This elevator moving horizontally is just brilliant in my opinion. 

What she said. We did experience the GotG version that is now at DCA on our VERY extended -- but not nearly enough -- honeymoon in November of 2019. And loved it, despite not wanting to. My issue is simply one of theming. Disney spent almost $3 billion to remake DCA and the ToT fit the new look perfectly. This doesn't. But It does allow them to shill their Marvel IP.  Now, I could start a 5,000 word rant on why I enjoy theme parks and not BRAND/IP ones, but no way the dude from Delaware could keep up. Suffice to say, they are all great rides, but Tokyo's is a lot more detailed and some of us theme park snobs love that. 

As all other towers, you end in the gift shop, here the hotel pool (as shown in a previous update):





From there we headed to the one store that was selling the (at that time) brand-new Stella Lou merchandise. A friend had requested that we pick up one for him.





And then we caught her driving by:





From there we headed out of the park for a bit of rest at the hotel. On the way out I took a picture of the information board with wait times:





And we briefly stopped at guest services where I saw these models of all ride vehicles that vision impaired guests could explore.









A view of the special Nemo monorail that was running during our visit:









It was promoting the Nemo & Friends Searider attraction. This was a re-theme of an attraction. It was very popular during our stay as it was newly reopened. And we had picked up a FastPass for later in the evening after our window had reopened.

Back at the hotel we decided to do something a bit crazy: we sent Michael’s underwear to the hotel laundry! With the incredibly hot and humid weather we were getting through clothes much quicker than we had planed. Unfortunately the Hilton did not have a laundry room. The Sheraton next door had one and we were thinking about going there. But I wasn’t really sure if we could use it without being guests there. Ultimately we decided that we just needed a few things and while it was not cheap to have them done at the Hilton, it was worth spending the money for making our lives easier. And it wasn’t just underwear, but a few more things.

I can't believe she is mentioning my unmentionables, but this is Germany where that kind of thing is appropriate ... 





We of course headed to the lounge for some hanging out. Michael discovered his love for Fanta Grape there:

Michael went to high school in the inner city in Florida. He learned to love Fanta Grape back then ...  Ok, I thought Fanta Grape was a Japanese thing, I guess it’s just not available in Germany thing…





We also snacked so much on the appetizers there that we called it an early dinner.

And then it was back to the park which looked beautiful in the evening light:





We even ran into Walt in the entrance area:









The first view of the park after entering is just stunning:





Our first stop was Big Band Beat, a show with Big Band music. Michael loved it. I nearly fell asleep. The music was nice, but I might have had some alcohol in the lounge and it was warm in there and the seat was comfy…

Big Sugar D seemed to enjoy the music though:

This is a great show. Phenomenal live singers and musicians and some characters too. The bear was classy enough to stay awake. Besides, one of his gal pals was a performer.





Then it was time to get on Nemo Seariders. We decided to get the Electric Railway to get there. This runs on an elevated track and gives you additional views of the park. Since it was getting dark already, my pictures aren’t worth showing, but it was a fun little ride. 

This would be like the Peoplemover, only themed to the nines. It also has a long history as WDI first contemplated something like this for FL's MSUSA and later itcamethisclose to being built at DLP’s. Yes, DLP’s Main Street nearly ended up as a 1920s type street, with speakeasy and such! 

Seariders is a simulator attraction like star tours. You are going in a submarine and meet Nemo and his friends. It is cute. Maybe it had been cuter if we understood the Japanese audio. But ultimately it was not really that great. I am glad that we got to see it with a FP as it had insanely long lines all day long. 

Nah, it was pretty lousy. It replaced Stormrider, which was like a Star Tours type ride, but with fire, electrical and water effects in the cabin as you track a storm and something goes horribly wrong. It wasn't great, but solid. This ride almost gave me motion sickness. It just rocks gently, sorta like being on a small boat at sea when there is a chop. The entire time. And there's no real payoff. You just sorta hang with Nemo and pals. If you ever make it there when they allow (was about to use the phrase that got me placed in Facebook jail for 30 days before I did the smart thing and deleted the evil platform from my life, so wondering how to use the words here just in case ... first word is opposite of clean, second word is my nationality and third word starts with ver and ends with min) this is another attraction you can totally skip and not miss a thing. 

We then went to get a snack, a Nemo themes snack:





The churro was orange flavored and the slushies were pineapple with jelly pieces and boba balls filled with pineapple juice. They made a fun pattern in the straws!





From there we ventured to ride 2000 Leagues Under the Sea. This is a minor attraction where you travel in submarines. It is not overly exciting, but very well done and we managed to catch it a few times with very short waits. I think that evening it was a walk on.

MINOR?!?!? In your own sub?!?!

By the time we got out the slight drizzle that had started while we were on the Nemo ride had turned into heavier rain. But we did not let the weather deter us. We headed through streaming rain over to that supposedly magnificent ride Sinbad. Since we had not been on this often enough…

Chandu is life!!!

There we got chilled down very well with perfect air-conditioning while we were quite soaked. But we got to experience this from our own boat. No one else was in this corner of the park.

I think we might have taken two rides even and also added in a spin on Caravan Carousel which is quite interesting as it is a double-decker carousel.

From there we decided to head over to the Mermaid Lagoon. This is mainly an indoor land with a lot of attractions for small kids. Think Bug’s Land from DCA (when it existed). Being an indoor land was good for the rainy weather!

The rain had turned from drizzle at 730 into a downpour by 8. Waterfalls were running down walkways and we were soaked, but I wasn't cutting short our first day at TDS together and I knew it would chase away the crowds. Spoiler alert here: this was the ONLY rain we had on our entire almost three-week Asian Adventure.

He seems to have forgotten the downpour on our first day in Kyoto… But in general, yes, for going there in the rainy season, we were very lucky with the weather.

But bad for pictures as it is quite dark inside:





Besides the kiddie rides, there is also a show: King Triton’s Concert.





This show had very long wait times during the day, but now in the evening we didn’t have to wait. We had no real concept of what this show was going to be about besides being something Little Mermaid related. And then we were quite amazed how great this show is! The show is nearly circular and it uses screens, puppets, Ariel suspended from the ceiling and doing acrobatics while singing and then an impressive King Triton Animatronic. We were quite impressed!

This was a first for me as well. On my prior visit, the show (actually same subject, but different presentation) was closed.

On the way out I had to take a picture of the carpet in there:





By the time we left here, it was just before closing time at 10 pm. We figured that if we walked quickly, we would be able to get into Tower of Terror before it closed, so we walked quickly and made it into the ride! By then we were really soaked as it was still raining. 

While in line we started to chat with two guys from Australia whom we had seen in the lounge at the Hilton. They commented on Michael’s DVC hat that he was wearing (a free one from one of our cruises).

The ride was great the second time around again and afterwards we returned to the hotel wet, tired but happy. It had been a very good day!

Up next:

A Relaxed Morning


----------



## Flossbolna

Bonus update: Some tips for Europapark

So, this is especially for @tink2424, but hopefully our other readers find this interesting. Michael wrote this and I added pictures and a few comments.

Well, first of all you're staying onsite and for the correct number of days, so no advice needed there.

EP is located in a truly tiny village and there are not dining options beyond mom and pop German places that we have never tried. There is a large Edeka supermarket that recently replaced a tiny one on the edge of town right near Rulantica. There are a McDonald's and Burger King one exit down the motorway, which also features an EP welcome center from those coming from the south. This is without me knowing whether you will have a car when there. 

The park opened in 1975 and somehow kept major hotel chains out of the area entirely until two years ago when a Holiday Inn Express opened.

Three days is perfect for EP. The park has probably between 3-4 times as many attractions as the MK does. The thing is the attractions are everything from small amusement style rides for kids to family rides to modern coasters to dark rides to a handful of attractions that can easily compete with what Disney and Universal build. There are also numerous transportation options that give the park kinetics that remind me of DL's Tomorrowland in 1990 on my first visit when you had a Monorail, Peoplemover, Skyway, Subs, Autopia cars, Motorboats etc all moving in, around and over each other. They are great for relaxing, photo taking and people watching ... and getting from one side of the park to another. 

You will also benefit as a resort guest with a private entrance in the Spain section of the park. 

BTW, for those who don't know, EP is owned by the Mack family. They are one of the largest builders of ride systems for parks globally. Slinky Dog Dash at DHS is one of theirs, for example. The park sprang up as almost a living showroom of their ride systems.

This is the entrance to the park:





As you see, the Mack family is very proud of their achievement and they like to self promote. The „World’s best Leisure Park“ banner is a good example.

The entrance plays up the Europe theme with lots of flags and „Ed Euromaus“, the park’s mascot:



###

Before I forget, great Twitter account to follow is @EuropaParkUK. That's their official English language account. Language will not be an issue. Everyone there will speak English and most are fluent. 

Don't expect to spend nights in the park. The park's typical hours are 10-6 or 10-7 type of deal. Sometimes, they will extend by an hour and announce it while you are there. Night hours do not exist except for one summer Saturday a year when they stay open until midnight (at no extra cost) and for their version of Halloween Horror Nights called Traumatica, which take place in October (no idea whether they will this year) at an upcharge.

This is a park where you just want to take it slowly. In multiple visits, we've never waited much longer than 30 minutes for anything because the park is huge and there is no FP type system. They did add a virtual queue system last year for six major attractions due to the pandemic and wanting to reduce crowding, no idea whether that shall remain when it ends. It did work great for us. So I would definitely download the app. 

Park has 18 lands/areas (most themed to a European nation or region). They are France, Germany, Grimm's Enchanted Forest, Ireland, England, Italy, Iceland, Scandinavia, Spain, Russia, Austria, Holland, Luxemburg, Greece, Switzerland, Portugal, Adventure Land, Minimoys Kingdom. 

A couple of pictures of the amazing theming. First Scandinavia:





Switzerland:





Some of the lands are packed with attractions, others less so. For example, Ireland, which opened in 2016, has rides really aimed at the youngest. 

Grimm's is an area based on all those horrible fairy tales that scar German kids because they aren't dumbed down/Disneyfied (Perhaps, M can join in here with the tale of the mass goat murderer and how he meets his fate?) 

It’s the fairytale of the Wolf and the Seven Young Goats. In short, the wolf tricks the 7 little goats into believing that he is their mother and then eats them. Mother returns home, realizes what happens, sees wolf asleep after his massive meal and cuts open his stomach and all the little goats jump out. He was so voracious that he just swallowed them whole (my mother used to tell me this fairytale as a lesson why you need to chew your food properly, something I still struggle with, I eat far too quickly). In order to let the wolf (yes, the guy who was just cut up without any anesthetics) not realize that the goats were out, mother goat put heavy stones in his tummy and sewed him back up. When he woke up and needed a drink because he was so thirsty after his big meal, he bent over to drink from the well and then fell into the deep well because of the heavy stones in his tummy!

These are all located in small vignettes in a storybook forest where you can push buttons (in multiple languages, including English) that bring the tales to life before your eyes. These areas are very common in all German parks. But this is by far the nicest I have seen. Those vignettes were very popular in Germany, called Märchenwald (fairytale forest) and very few remain. This one is actually a newly designed and much more elaborate than the traditional ones. 

Many of the older rides are quaint small scale boat rides and things like that. Shops generally are very themed and feature merchandise one would expect in that area, for instance Swiss chocolate in Switzerland. 

The park is amazingly landscaped with lots of trees and benches and gardens and quiet corners to sit and snack or relax in. 





My top 10 attractions in EP would be:

1.) Pirates in Batavia 









(EP's version of PoTC. It burned to the ground in 2018 and was completely rebuilt and modernized in less than two years, adding a storyline ... it also has a great quick serve Asian restaurant that overlooks part of the ride. It was very non-PC from 1987 to 2018, but has been changed a fair bit, while keeping the exact same layout as the original. The best attraction in the park right now.)

The ride is in the Holland section - due to the Netherlands having had colonies in South East Asia where the ride takes place. Therefore the outside is Holland themed, here is the entrance to the great restaurant:





While the inside is all Asian themed:





And at certain times during the day, there is even a show for the diners, we were lucky to catch one last summer, which was amazing. Dinner theater for quick service prices.





The boats from the ride go around that stage and then the exit is on the left just outside the restaurant.

2.) Blue Fire Mega Coaster: opened with the Iceland expansion in 2009 and featuring show scenes, a thrilling launch and multiple inversions.

picture from outside the park:





3.) Silver Star: a coaster not built by Mack Rides, but a B&M Hyperccoaster. No inversions, but plenty of airtime and thrills at park's entrance.

It actually goes out into the parking lot and is quite a sight!




4.) Voletarium: Basically, Soaring Over Europe ... actually, much better than the current Soarin' Over the World at EPCOT.

5.) Eurosat CanCan Coaster: If you've seen videos of the park, you see a dome that looks like a small version of SSE at EPCOT. Inside the structure was a coaster that was completely rebuilt and themed to Paris and the Moulin Rouge (really! Can Can dancers, music, fireworks etc.)





6.) Arthur and the Minimoys: an attraction that is a combo coaster (one that actually flies out of the huge show building that features the entire land and won all sorts of TEA Awards when it debuted in 2014 or 2015) and dark ride based upon a European children's film. Definitely a family ride.

7.) Puppet Boat Ride: one of the small, old style quaint rides.





8.) Ghost Castle: when EP started, many of its attractions were knockoffs of Disney rides. This was -- and remains -- one. Over the top version of Haunted Mansion with more gore and scenes that just make your head spin. The portrait gallery is something to behold. (Jungle Rafts -- a truly racist version of Jungle Cruise and Piccolo Mondo -- Small World, and Madame Freudenreich, which used to called Universe of Energy, also attractions you just have to experience!) 

Madame Freudenreich:





9.) Snorri Touren: a new dark ride themed around Snorri, the mascot of the water kingdom of Rulantica. Slow and charming with a few surprises.





10.) Swiss Bob Run: think of this as the Matterhorn at DL if you were riding actual bobsleds. ###It’s a coaster without rails! So unique and a great extra thrill on an otherwise rather low thrill ride.###





***One note is that Wodan, a highly regarded wooden coaster is something we've never been able to get on (part of it is my concern about riding wooden coasters with my back, although I would try it). I am sure it is in the Top 5 of many EP regulars. 

I would agree on 9 out of these, but I don’t enjoy Ghost Castle. For me it would be a one and done. I would instead put the Euro-Tower on this list which has amazing views over the park and the landscape (rather flat directly around Europapark as it is in the Upper Rhine Plain)









There are numerous water rides (I think 4-5) from log flume to raft to super splash ... I am not a huge fan of this genre, but I do like the rides I have been on. The log ride in particular goes into a mountain where a mine train coaster goes and you can walk through and see show scenes etc.

Park also has lots of live entertainment and shows (again, depending on time of year and pandemic). Also, I highly advise a ride on the Sky Tower when you first arrive to get an idea from high up on just how large the park is and where things are.

Food is universally good and fair priced, so it really depends on what you are looking to eat. Hotels are worth visiting and dining at (although your hotel has GREAT pizza, pasta, gelato, coffee and booze). 

Hotel Colloseo:

















I've actually had two birthday dinners (one a late pandemic deal in August of last year) at the Hotel Santa Isabel, a hotel themed to a 700-year-old Portuguese monastery. 





The food and detailing at the hotels are marvels of detailing. Nothing like having a birthday dinner at said monastery and while your steak is being grilled, listening to all sorts of pop music including Can You Feel the Love Tonight from Lion King sung in Gregorian chant. 

Menu from said pandemic birthday dinner:





Inside the restaurant, which is themed to the monastery’s pharmacy and herb garden:





Inner courtyard at the hotel El Andaluz:





One note about hotel restaurants: Since there is nothing to do but have dinner at the hotel, the restaurants can book out for dinner. The website has a decent tool to get reservations for dinner and they also have the menus for all restaurants on the website. I would suggest to get dining reservations beforehand. Not necessarily 180 days out, but ultimately it can’t hurt to get them 60 days early. Most of the restaurants are set up as buffets or very expensive signature dining. Last summer the buffets were limited. Who knows, what the rules will be in the fall…

And finally Michael told me to add in that you need to be prepared to pay for water! That’s a German thing. Water in a restaurant is nearly always bottled. If they give you tap water, it’s a nice bonus. Also, there are nearly no drinking fountains anywhere. Europapark has a strict no tap water at restaurants rule though. For the park I bring a refillable bottle and fill it at a tap in the restrooms. Lots of people do that. Oh - and everywhere in Europe you will have to specifically request ice cubes with your drink if you want those. 

The bars and lounges are all beautifully detailed places where you just want to sit for a few hours relaxing and unwinding (unfortunately, like at Disney, you will find kids in bars at night ... little monsters!!! GRRR!!!)

I can't say enough great things about EP. The quality of everything and value for your dollar makes it a great place to visit/vacation. 

Will come back with some Rulantica (which opened on Thanksgiving 2019) thoughts when I get some more free time.


----------



## soniam

Wow! That looks amazing. I didn't know the Macks owned that. I really wish we had gone when we visited that part of Germany in 2001. However, I hadn't really gotten back into theme parks then. Next time we are in that part of Germany/France/Switzerland, we are totally going.


----------



## SPSRAS

Thanks for the Europa Park info! I think we need to go!


----------



## franandaj

franandaj said:


> OK, I can only do so many updates at once, so I'm going to comment on the first one and come back for the second.



Well I wrote that on June 15, 2019 and I guess I never made it back to finish, so I better start here before I move on to the new stuff!



Flossbolna said:


> The title gives it away. This is the prettiest Disney park I have seen in my life. Until I had been at TDS, that title went to Disneyland Paris. But there is no comparison. TDS is in its own league.



I have heard that before. That this is really the best park.



Flossbolna said:


> We passed through the walkway underneath the hotel and came out to the Mediterranean Harbor lagoon and Michael was appalled at what he heard: they were playing “Wishes” from the old WDW fireworks show. In broad daylight. Luckily without the children’s choir.



Thanks for that earworm. 



Flossbolna said:


> It was time for a restroom stop (I think this was already the second one for Mr Tiny Bladder,



  We were teased about the same thing on our recent visit to Disneyland.



Flossbolna said:


> you take off the beard and add lots and lots of earrings to one ear, you will have the face that inspired Mr. Hightower: Joe Rohde, the Imagineer.



That's pretty funny and neat!



Flossbolna said:


> A closer view of the S.S. Columbia. There is a restaurant and a bar onboard and you can explore the ship quite a bit.



Looks much different than the Columbia in DL!



Flossbolna said:


> Indiana Jones has a single rider line, so that is what we picked. The line is quite amazing, very different from Disneyland.



Sounds intriguing!



Flossbolna said:


> Next we headed to the other attraction in Lost River Delta: Raging Spirits. This is a coaster.



Also sounds like fun!



Flossbolna said:


> We backtracked to Port Discovery as we were now able to pick up the next FP. We were lucky to still get one for the Nemo & Friend Sea Rider:



I was wondering when you would have another opportunity to get FP since your first FP was so late.



Flossbolna said:


> Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage is a boat ride and tells you the story of Sindbad’s Voyages.



Sounds fun. Wonder why Michael has such an emotional attachment to it.



Flossbolna said:


> The bad news was that we had a lunch reservation that was due very soon and we were in the far corner of the park. So, it was quite a hike back to Mediterranean Harbor for lunch…



Hope you make it in time!


----------



## tink2424

Flossbolna said:


> Bonus update: Some tips for Europapark


Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!   

I will try to take a stab at doing my own trip report when I return as well!  I'm very excited by this trip (still crossing my fingers it will happen this year & luckily right now things are looking good).  Everything about Europapark looks so well done.  And I'm fine that it doesn't stay open too late.  With all the walking I'm definitely going to need some good rest every night.  I really appreciate all the tips & everything!  I'm definitely going to ensure that I book reservations for dinner so we don't have any issues.  We will definitely check out some of the other hotels as well.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Flossbolna said:


> The Tower of Terror in Tokyo is quite different from the one in the other parks. It’s still a hotel, but not set in Hollywood, but in NYC.



Thanks for the backstory.  It's cool to compare between the theme parks.



Flossbolna said:


> I am lost most of the time as is.



No one is surprised by this.



Flossbolna said:


> This is where, in the distant Before Times, put in some infantile joke at the expense of people who live in Delaware. But since a resident of that tiny backwater saved the Republic, I feel that maybe I shouldn't ...



Saved the Republic.  Just sayin'.

The last vote count was in Philadelphia, and residents were saying: if you thought we were obnoxious when the Eagles won the Super Bowl, we're never going to let you forget this!



Flossbolna said:


> I'll ponder this for a while ... like as long as it takes a Delawarean to eat a meal at the highest class place in the state: the Waffle House.



Is this supposed to be an insult?  I could go for some Waffle House now.



Flossbolna said:


> The special effect in pre-show is so amazing that it alone (along with the incredible attention to detail everywhere ... this ain't the Tragic Apocalypse Kingdom) is worth waiting for. I won't spoil it for the simple reason that I don't know how they do it --- and don't want to. But the little evil idol literally takes over the room and then just disappears in front of your eyes.



That sounds awesome!



Flossbolna said:


> While Florida still has the best ride mechanism in my opinion. This elevator moving horizontally is just brilliant in my opinion.



As much as I don't enjoy the drops, i did think the ride effects were amazing.  The elevator leaving the first shaft was such a great Twilight Zone-type touch.



Flossbolna said:


> Now, I could start a 5,000 word rant on why I enjoy theme parks and not BRAND/IP ones, but no way the dude from Delaware could keep up. Suffice to say, they are all great rides, but Tokyo's is a lot more detailed and some of us theme park snobs love that.



I just wouldn't want to read a 5,000 word rant.



Flossbolna said:


> Back at the hotel we decided to do something a bit crazy: we sent Michael’s underwear to the hotel laundry!



It's about time!  You'd think he would pack more than one pair.



Flossbolna said:


> The first view of the park after entering is just stunning:



It looks amazing!



Flossbolna said:


> Our first stop was Big Band Beat, a show with Big Band music. Michael loved it. I nearly fell asleep. The music was nice, but I might have had some alcohol in the lounge and it was warm in there and the seat was comfy…



Julie and I are like this.  She loves big band jazz music.  I...tend to think it all sounds the same.



Flossbolna said:


> It replaced Stormrider, which was like a Star Tours type ride, but with fire, electrical and water effects in the cabin as you track a storm and something goes horribly wrong.



Fire, electrical and water effects make every ride better and should never be removed.



Flossbolna said:


> Spoiler alert here: this was the ONLY rain we had on our entire almost three-week Asian Adventure.
> 
> He seems to have forgotten the downpour on our first day in Kyoto…



I'm going to start calling him Dory.



Flossbolna said:


> BTW, for those who don't know, EP is owned by the Mack family. They are one of the largest builders of ride systems for parks globally. Slinky Dog Dash at DHS is one of theirs, for example. The park sprang up as almost a living showroom of their ride systems.



Pretty slick business plan there.



Flossbolna said:


> In order to let the wolf (yes, the guy who was just cut up without any anesthetics) not realize that the goats were out, mother goat put heavy stones in his tummy and sewed him back up. When he woke up and needed a drink because he was so thirsty after his big meal, he bent over to drink from the well and then fell into the deep well because of the heavy stones in his tummy!



That's probably merciful.  I shudder to think what would have happened if his digestive system would have continued to work.



Flossbolna said:


> Therefore the outside is Holland themed, here is the entrance to the great restaurant:





Flossbolna said:


> While the inside is all Asian themed:



I think that would mess with my head.



Flossbolna said:


> Swiss Bob Run: think of this as the Matterhorn at DL if you were riding actual bobsleds. ###It’s a coaster without rails! So unique and a great extra thrill on an otherwise rather low thrill ride.###



That sounds pretty fun!



Flossbolna said:


> The food and detailing at the hotels are marvels of detailing.



I am very impressed with the theming at Europa Park.



Flossbolna said:


> And finally Michael told me to add in that you need to be prepared to pay for water! That’s a German thing.


----------



## Flossbolna

A note from Michael:

OK, friends, readers and insomniacs, I know what you must be thinking by now: that crazy loaded international super couple with homes on multiple continents who had a destination wedding celebration in Hawaii due to their real estate interest in the Disney Vacation Club and took two pandemic road trips around Europe last year are doing it again. Teasing you with a few posts only to wind up like any of a half dozen sci-fi shows on NBC in the past decade that get cancelled before you ever know what the real story was (remember that show that started with Jason Ritter on a cruise from hell?), but I digress because other than eating, sleeping and making fun of old German women, digressing is something I am really good at.

No. We will continue, I promise. I can't help it that my wife is lazy, unmotivated and spends approximately 53 hours a day watching Instagram posts put up by our new crazy neighbor from NYC, Agatha.

But enough about her. Today is about me!!!!  (Wife can you put in some dancing banana emojis or something here?)


(hope those are enough)​
I got my first vaccination today against the rona (in case you were sleeping, there's this pandemic thing going on and the Germans, who love pain and suffering, have been great at making sure it goes on and on and on by not having enough of this vaccine stuff that you can walk into a Walgreen's in Little Rock or a Publix in Nashville or a CVS in Boca Raton and get on the spot -- and without nine pages of paperwork too!)

I was excited by this because I have been saying for 7-8 months now that the pandemic ends for you when you are vaxxed. I still believe this. 
So here with my new 5G Bill Gates implant chip I was already feeling pretty good (but not as good as his wife feels when she is talking to her divorce lawyer, amirite?) when the news came that Europa Park was reopening on Friday. And due to our incredible trip planning (even better than our trip report writing) we had hundreds of Euros (that's money for those of you from Delaware) sitting around from a trip canceled there in February due to their extended closure.

So quicker than my wife can finish a plate of German comfort food, she was sitting at our dining room table with Agatha, laptops synched, booking us a trip to EP in two weeks. Tickets purchased for two days in the park. Check. Accommodations at the new Holiday Inn Express booked. Check. Three meals at EP resort hotels (supposedly full, but I believe they're severely limiting people now). Check. Rental car that will fit all five of us (Agatha's husband, JJ, and son, Lil' C are coming too) booked. Not quite. Will be when you read this. 

What should be important to you beautiful people -- and let's face it, I'm being generous here with some of you -- is that there will absolutely be a trip report written on this adventure. And this one will include me, my wife and the crazy neighbor. One helluva trio if I do say so myself.

When I found out they were moving here last year my first reaction naturally was ''WHY?!??! Are they insane?!?!" But my second reaction was ''We have got to take these swamp-loving Disney addicts to the best theme park resort in all of Germany and just watch what happens." Then that pandemic thing got in the way. And then it looked like pandemic scheduling, family responsibilities and travel would make this something tough to pull off until 2022. And then today, like a vaccine changing my DNA, turning me into a lizard man, everything in the universe flowed in the right direction and two weeks from now -- if the womenfolk can drive us 5.5 hours (it only feels like eight) and get us to our distinctly non-luxury digs in one piece -- I'll be jumping on the hotel beds with Lil' C. 

This should be fun. No, not the trip. That's a given.

I'm talking about the trip report about it.

Agatha is also a crazy OCD photographer, so it will be nice to not have to take pics all the time.

As to this trip report ... I am so ready to tell y'all about what happened on July 5, 2017 when we spent our second day at TDL ... but I am waiting on the wife. So, this could take a while. At least you know who to blame.


----------



## soniam

Congrats on the vaccine. It feels thrilling, doesn't it? Who knew that something I am phobic of would be so exciting and make me elated  Can't wait to hear about Europa Park! It sounds amazing, and I am kicking myself that I have never been in my 3 visits to Germany.


----------



## lovealldisney

[/QUOTE]


Flossbolna said:


> Agatha's husband, JJ, and son, Lil' C
> 
> I'm dying!





Flossbolna said:


> there will absolutely be a trip report written on this adventure. And this one will include me, my wife and the crazy neighbor. One helluva trio if I do say so myself.



Yay! Looking forward to it! 



Flossbolna said:


> Agatha is also a crazy OCD photographer



Yeah she is! Can't wait!


----------



## franandaj

So I thought that I was going crazy. I remembered replying to your TR, but couldn't find it until after I read the TDL update. So I still may be crazy, but at least I did respond to your update.

I'll come back to read the Europa Park update later.



Flossbolna said:


> So, we are visiting as one of the tourist groups, the CMs are dressed as tour guides. The audio is all in Japanese, but you can still figure out what is going on most of the time.



Very interesting back story. I especially liked how he was modeled after Joe Rohde.



Flossbolna said:


> While I hate the outside look of Anaheim now, the ride there is probably the most of fun of them all now.



I haven't actually seen the Avengers Campus, but what I have seen over the fences, I think it fits in well with the new area.



Flossbolna said:


> What she said. We did experience the GotG version that is now at DCA on our VERY extended -- but not nearly enough -- honeymoon in November of 2019. And loved it, despite not wanting to. My issue is simply one of theming. Disney spent almost $3 billion to remake DCA and the ToT fit the new look perfectly. This doesn't. But It does allow them to shill their Marvel IP.



Well you do know they are all about the Benjamins? My Endocrinologist said that he had a reservation to go out to Disney once his 12 year old son was vaccinated.  I started to talk about Galaxy’s Edge. He replied, "Oh, we aren't park hopping or anything, we are just going to DCA for the new Avengers thing."



Flossbolna said:


> Back at the hotel we decided to do something a bit crazy: we sent Michael’s underwear to the hotel laundry!





Flossbolna said:


> I can't believe she is mentioning my unmentionables, but this is Germany where that kind of thing is appropriate ..



It is her TR!



Flossbolna said:


> We of course headed to the lounge for some hanging out. Michael discovered his love for Fanta Grape there:
> 
> Michael went to high school in the inner city in Florida. He learned to love Fanta Grape back then ...  Ok, I thought Fanta Grape was a Japanese thing, I guess it’s just not available in Germany thing…



Back when I could drink sugary drinks, I used to love Fanta Grape! Now the only sugary drinks that I drink are fermented. 



Flossbolna said:


> The first view of the park after entering is just stunning:



That doesn't even look like a theme park. It looks like an ancient village.



Flossbolna said:


> Seariders is a simulator attraction like star tours. You are going in a submarine and meet Nemo and his friends. It is cute.





Flossbolna said:


> Nah, it was pretty lousy.



It cracks me up how you two rarely agree on anything!



Flossbolna said:


> the slushies were pineapple with jelly pieces and boba balls filled with pineapple juice. They made a fun pattern in the straws!



This sounds weird to me....



Flossbolna said:


> From there we ventured to ride 2000 Leagues Under the Sea. This is a minor attraction where you travel in submarines.





Flossbolna said:


> MINOR?!?!? In your own sub?!?!



Again....never on the same page.



Flossbolna said:


> This show had very long wait times during the day, but now in the evening we didn’t have to wait. We had no real concept of what this show was going to be about besides being something Little Mermaid related. And then we were quite amazed how great this show is!



Glad to hear you both enjoyed something!


----------



## Flossbolna

Ok, I feel like there is some added comments (and corrections) necessary:



Flossbolna said:


> my wife is lazy, unmotivated and spends approximately 53 hours a day watching Instagram posts



Of course all these things he says there about me are not true - as any halfway sane person would figure out since there are less than 53 hours in a day (unless you are Hermione and have a Time-Turner).



Flossbolna said:


> I got my first vaccination today against the rona



In case anyone was wondering, then non-lazy wife got her first shot 17 days ago thanks to her important job at a police vaccination center. By a police man in uniform!



Flossbolna said:


> Germans, who love pain and suffering, have been great at making sure it goes on and on and on by not having enough of this vaccine stuff that you can walk into a Walgreen's in Little Rock or a Publix in Nashville or a CVS in Boca Raton and get on the spot -- and without nine pages of paperwork too!



The one thing true here, is the nine pages of paper work. In case anyone is interested: Aufklaerungsbogen-Englisch.pdf (rki.de) 

Otherwise: Yes, there was a shortage of vaccine doses in the first quarter of the year. But things have sped up quite a bit now and we are at between 650.000 and 750.000 daily doses on a 7-day average. The US has quite exactly 4 times as many people as Germany, so that equals between 2.5 and 3 million doses in the US. We are standing at 38.8 % of the population having their first shot. BUT, Michael is right in so far that is painfully difficult to get a vaccination appointment as it is now mainly done by doctor practices. So your acces depends on whether your doctor has many elderly patients and/or many patients who want the vaccine. Currently in Germany 75% of the population say they want to get vaccinated (or already have been). So, it's in high demand. 



Flossbolna said:


> So quicker than my wife can finish a plate of German comfort food, she was sitting at our dining room table with Agatha, laptops synched, booking us a trip to EP in two weeks.



Proof:


That's me and @brookelizabeth looking at hotel and rental cars.



Flossbolna said:


> I'll be jumping on the hotel beds with Lil' C



I hope not... I don't want to have to pay for a broken hotel bed... Michael is not a skinny 13-year old!



Flossbolna said:


> As to this trip report ... I am so ready to tell y'all about what happened on July 5, 2017 when we spent our second day at TDL ... but I am waiting on the wife. So, this could take a while. At least you know who to blame.



Actually, I have a large part written already, so hopefully you will get to read it soon. And this weekend is a long weekend in Germany and I will have extra time!


----------



## wishing4PA

I've been enjoying all this so far. 
Added Europa-Park to my maybe-belongs-on-the-bucket-list list.
Looking forward to the upcoming TR TDL stories.


----------



## lovealldisney

Great update!

 Looking forward to Europa-Park adventures! This may have to be added to my bucket list! 


With you two planning this will be an epic TR! Brooke looks so serious!  



Flossbolna said:


> Proof:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That's me and @brookelizabeth looking at hotel and rental cars.


----------



## tink2424

Flossbolna said:


> A note from Michael:
> 
> As to this trip report ... I am so ready to tell y'all about what happened on July 5, 2017 when we spent our second day at TDL ... but I am waiting on the wife. So, this could take a while. At least you know who to blame.


Can't wait to read this and I hope you all have a fabulous time!!!  I can't wait for my trip!!!


----------



## Flossbolna

soniam said:


> Wow! That looks amazing. I didn't know the Macks owned that. I really wish we had gone when we visited that part of Germany in 2001. However, I hadn't really gotten back into theme parks then. Next time we are in that part of Germany/France/Switzerland, we are totally going.



You obviously need to plan another trip to Europe!   



SPSRAS said:


> Thanks for the Europa Park info! I think we need to go!



You are welcome!


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> Well I wrote that on June 15, 2019 and I guess I never made it back to finish, so I better start here before I move on to the new stuff!



Hey, we saw each other between June 15, 2019 and now in person! And that feels like it was in another life time!



franandaj said:


> I was wondering when you would have another opportunity to get FP since your first FP was so late.



Yes, I think it was the typical 2 hours after time of first FP. But there aren't a lot to be gotten and most go very quickly! 



franandaj said:


> Sounds fun. Wonder why Michael has such an emotional attachment to it.



It's the Sherman brothers score I am sure. The music is indeed very nice. Oh, and for any cat lover it would be the very very cute tiger!


----------



## Flossbolna

tink2424 said:


> Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!
> 
> I will try to take a stab at doing my own trip report when I return as well!  I'm very excited by this trip (still crossing my fingers it will happen this year & luckily right now things are looking good).  Everything about Europapark looks so well done.  And I'm fine that it doesn't stay open too late.  With all the walking I'm definitely going to need some good rest every night.  I really appreciate all the tips & everything!  I'm definitely going to ensure that I book reservations for dinner so we don't have any issues.  We will definitely check out some of the other hotels as well.



Send me a link to your TR when you start it, I definitely want to read it! 

And just a bit of warning: While most of EP is very well done, there are a few very odd things about it, too, where it looks like a cheap and cheesy Disney copy. But that's some of the charm.


----------



## Flossbolna

Captain_Oblivious said:


> Saved the Republic. Just sayin'.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> I just wouldn't want to read a 5,000 word rant.



I have to listen to them... 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> It's about time! You'd think he would pack more than one pair.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Fire, electrical and water effects make every ride better and should never be removed.



There was an attraction in Paris (at the studios park) that was only fire, electrical and water effects. Nothing else. Not a ride. Just a 3 minute effects show. You would probably have liked it, just as my husband did. To me it was the most pointless attraction I ever experienced.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I'm going to start calling him Dory.



Oh, I need to remember that.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That's probably merciful. I shudder to think what would have happened if his digestive system would have continued to work.



The whole wolf story has a lot of logical holes in it! But the "Table-set-yourself, gold donkey and cudgel out of the bag" fairytale is a good competitor. It also features a goat. A lying goat!


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> I haven't actually seen the Avengers Campus, but what I have seen over the fences, I think it fits in well with the new area.



That's interesting. I still think the transition could have been better...



franandaj said:


> Well you do know they are all about the Benjamins? My Endocrinologist said that he had a reservation to go out to Disney once his 12 year old son was vaccinated. I started to talk about Galaxy’s Edge. He replied, "Oh, we aren't park hopping or anything, we are just going to DCA for the new Avengers thing."




Well, I think there are people who would react to me telling them that out of 15 days in Japan we spent 5 at Disney the same way. I guess some people have other priorities... And at least they won't be frustrated about boarding groups this way. I am already getting hives thinking about that stress in the fall at WDW!



franandaj said:


> It is her TR!



Yes, it is! Thank you! 



franandaj said:


> That doesn't even look like a theme park. It looks like an ancient village.



It does. Some people don't like this about TDL because it looks too realistic. Too much like a real place and not a storybook place.



franandaj said:


> It cracks me up how you two rarely agree on anything!



Ah! But we do agree on the big things!  And the rest just adds spice to life!


----------



## Flossbolna

wishing4PA said:


> I've been enjoying all this so far.
> Added Europa-Park to my maybe-belongs-on-the-bucket-list list.
> Looking forward to the upcoming TR TDL stories.



Thanks! And I love the idea of a maybe-belongs-on-the-bucket-list list.



lovealldisney said:


> With you two planning this will be an epic TR! Brooke looks so serious!



 We were hard at work!!!


----------



## brookelizabeth

lovealldisney said:


> Yeah she is! Can't wait!



You know you are appreciated by Michael when you receive a lovely nickname.      I think "Little C" is his favorite of our clan, as he encourages Michael with his "Old German Woman" jokes.

Many, many, many pictures & videos will be taken!!!!




Flossbolna said:


> Proof:





lovealldisney said:


> Brooke looks so serious!



And, let's be honest, I look a little creepy.....!


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> Sounds fun. Wonder why Michael has such an emotional attachment to it.



So, the day after I wrote this, I woke up to an email from my husband that read as follows:



Oops. I guess it's Menken...


----------



## Flossbolna

brookelizabeth said:


> You know you are appreciated by Michael when you receive a lovely nickname.  I think "Little C" is his favorite of our clan, as he encourages Michael with his "Old German Woman" jokes.



Some of Michael's humor is definitely on a 13-year-old-boy level...  No wonder these two have a lot to laugh about together.


----------



## Flossbolna

*Day 7 – July 5, 2017: Tokyo Disneyland*

Part 1: A Westernland Morning

A new day and we are returning to Tokyo Disneyland for our second day there. We had purchased the 4-day ticket that closes you in for the first two days to just one park. The third and fourth days you can park hop. But we decided that there was no need for that and that we just would stick to one park per day for these days, too.

People get excited about park-hopping. And it is easy in Anaheim and Paris and much overhyped and overstated in the swamps (unless you are going back to an onsite resort in between). But in Tokyo it isn't easy, despite the parks literally backing up on each other, and I see no value in doing so. You are going to kill far more time than it is worth as some sort of strategy.

One thing I really loved about our room at the Hilton was the view:





Yes, there is a lot of parking lot to be seen. But there is also a monorail and then the park icons visible in the distance. We loved it.

The view has changed drastically. The New Fantasyland is complete and open (and it's a real achievement in themed design unlike the overrated Florida one. Now, a massive TDS expansion with a huge new port (Fantasy Springs) and new in park hotel are also going up in that area.

We did sleep in a bit this morning since we were quite tired after two days running through the parks yesterday. Yes, we did break that "be there at park opening or otherwise your day will be ruined"  rule that you hear a lot about Tokyo. As you will see, none of our days there were ruined. We actually found that especially the evening hours were really good for touring. We were there during a low crowd time, so that helped and parks might have gotten busier since. But it worked for us.

Score one for the night owl!

We started with breakfast in the lounge. This morning I took quite a few pictures of the offerings which were a mix of Japanese and European foods. It all was quite delicious!

















My choice that morning:









The bowl has warm rice with Japanese omelet (as you can have it in sushi), pickled ginger and fried gluten.  We thought it interesting that they would offer something that is nothing but gluten. I later figured out that it was what I knew as saitan, a tofu-like product made from wheat. And indeed, it is just that: the protein in the wheat, i.e. the gluten. It was delicious!

Yes, Dearest, but what do you do if you want gluten free gluten?

When we finally made it to the park, the lines at the entrance had cleared and I took this picture of the entrance area from the monorail platform:





They had a band welcoming us to World Bazaar, the Tokyo Main Street with a glass roof.





And in the middle of World Bazaar was the Tanabata Wish Tree. 





Tanabata is a festival about a couple that wasn't allowed to meet, but were reunited on July 7th. It is now celebrated with these Wish Trees where people write there wishes on little pieces of paper and hang them on the tree. The Wish Trees are found everywhere in those days before July 7th. But the Tokyo Disney Resort has a lovely low key festival going on about it as well. Not so low key that they don't have special merchandise, menus and entertainment. And of course a Wish Tree in both parks. We noticed that while they were filled with wishes in the evening, they were emptier again in the morning, so Disney did take down the wishes over night…

The Wish Tree was stationed at the crossroads in World Bazaar. You know these little cul-de-sacs on Main Street (WDW only has one as the other has been eaten up by a shop)? They are real streets in Tokyo, leading to Tomorrowland and Adventureland.

One of the design refinements in this park that I love, even if Paris improved on it even more. In Tokyo, you don't have to go all the way down to the Hub to enter other lands. It certainly improves the flow of Guests. And adds restaurants, shops (like a real Magic Shop) and a very hidden Club 33.

This is the view straight ahead to the castle:





And this way you could go towards Adventureland:





Just as on Main Street, some of the windows are decorated to honor people:









Lots of pretty facades:





Our first stop was at Pooh’s Hunny Hunt for a FP as these go early. From there we slowly headed over to Critter Country 

The castle looked beautiful and interestingly you regularly saw planes in the approach to Haneda airport just next to the castle as here:





The gardens around the castle are very pretty:





I think this is when we also walked through the castle and had look around the crystal shop inside. There we met an American CM. He was definitely a manager of some sort and he talked about how he came over from the US for the opening of the resort and then just stayed on ever since. He was interesting to talk to!

He was the manager for Arribas Brothers in Tokyo, which means the castle gallery shop. I can't recall its exact name now, but it is the one that was replaced by the Jon-Benet Boutique in WDW. He was on the opening team, stayed for six months, went home to Orlando for 18 more and then decided he wanted to live in Japan and he hasn't looked back. I have his card somewhere. He is the one who told me I wasn't imagining things with the much-improved English skills of the CMs. He said that the OLC had mandated it to prepare for the 2020 Olympics ... which sadly haven't happened as planned.

We wandered into the Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall for a look, not for a meal. This is a very fun place! It was designed by the imagineer Eddie Sotto who was the lead designer for Disneyland Paris’ Main Street. 

















We should have had lunch here. BTW, all the eateries in both parks have unique logo trays. This week, the OLC decided to start selling small replica trays in a series and Queen of Hearts is the first. And I must and will have one (it helps having a friend who flies there for a living). This place was built to replace the Small World themed QSR that was removed to make way for Pooh's Hunny Hunt in the late 1990s.

We saw some fun characters in Fantasyland:





And then finally made it to Critter Country for our Splash!





Critter Country has another highly themed restaurant: Grandma Sarah’s Kitchen which is built inside a hill like a burrow.





I took a picture of the menu:





Unfortunately the food did not sound very appealing to me. I had my first TDL meal here in 2010. The food is quite good. Germans can be very picky. I tried to get a picture of the inside, but failed at really catching it. But I think you can get an idea of what it is:





And then we are at Splash Mountain:





We chose the single rider line which is not used a lot at all by the Japanese. Therefore it moves very quickly. I ended up sitting next to a Japanese lady who was very nice and even made some conversation with me in English. The time before I ended up sitting next to a teenage girl who was so shy and shocked about having to sit next to a stranger.

I think I mentioned this in the previous update, but Splash Mountain in Tokyo is just wonderful. It’s in excellent shape and so bright and joyful. Whatever one might think about the coming changes to the ones in the USA Hate them! Hate them! Hate them!, I cannot see the Oriental Land Company having any interest in changing this ride anytime soon. They don't, thankfully. The entire land there was built around Splash and is much more fully realized than in Anaheim where they took Bear Country and changed it lightly. And I think in Japan it is so much removed from the origins of the stories in Song of the South that people would really not understand why it would go away. There it is seen as a ride full of cute plush animals. Nothing else. 

TDL isn't woke. Neither am I. I believe in real change on things that matter to people's lives. Not making people feel good that they solved huge societal issues by changing the theme of a log flume.

Continued in next post


----------



## Flossbolna

July 5, 2017: Part 1 continued

At the exit of Splash is a very nice area with a little shop where you can get your on-ride picture and little snack stand. We felt that we could use a break and saw that the snack stand had an interesting offering, so we stopped there.

This is the picture shop:





The cash registers are so cute:





And this is the snack shop:





Conveniently there is also a bathroom available:





And this is the snack we got:





It was shaved ice, blue jelly cubes, sugar pearls and soft serve. The weather was really hot that day (as every day of the trip!) and this was perfect for cooling down!

Another view of the walkway when you get out of Splash Mountain:





Right there at the exit you are already in Westernland and at the Riverboat Landing. So we decided to go on a spin on the Mark Twain.









The ride was very lovely and we had some amazing views. These are the rafts that take you over to Tom Sawyer Island:





Along the river we saw the (at the time quite new) Camp Woodchuck restaurant:





There was quite a bit of wildlife on the river banks:









You know how when you see these type of wildlife in Orlando, Anaheim or Paris and it is quite stationary. To my biggest surprise these were far livelier. While they didn’t roam, nearly all of them moved at least a little, a head, the ears, the tail etc. It added just that little bit to make the atmosphere more magical!

EVERY attraction in Tokyo is plussed, even things like critters on the riverbank.

We saw the railroad go by:





And came by a Native American village:





A beautiful waterfall:





And more crazy people thinking it was a good idea to go on a canoe ride in the baking sun (I think I was mentioning in Shanghai how ever since my first visit to DL in 1992 I could not understand how anyone would consider this fun - and I like canoeing! On a real river with no people around me, preferable with lots of trees on the river bank for shade!).

I wanted to canoe, but she put her foot down and you gotta respect the wife and all.





After our tour around it, we headed to the rafts to take us to Tom Sawyer Island.









What is really cool is that we got a little map of the island:





The island is really beautiful and you have so many lovely views. Some of them are similar of what we saw from the riverboat of course. But this time we also saw the riverboat!









There are caves to explore:





A smoking skull rock:





A fort:









With a little stand selling drinks (and possibly snacks, we weren’t hungry).





And behind the fort a teepee village which you could explore:





While it looks very pretty in the sunshine, it was baking hot on the island! We were very happy that we had gotten the ice-cold drinks in the fort as a refreshment! We explored a bit more and then headed back to the mainland.

It was a very relaxed day, if you couldn't tell.





Up Next: A Campy Lunch


----------



## franandaj

I'll have to come back for the latest TDL update, I was just able to get through the Eorpoa Park update this morning. I should have more time this week, we are only going to Disney one day this week instead of three, and we don't have anymore overnight stays planned until January of 2022.



Flossbolna said:


> EP is located in a truly tiny village and there are not dining options beyond mom and pop German places that we have never tried.





Flossbolna said:


> One note about hotel restaurants: Since there is nothing to do but have dinner at the hotel, the restaurants can book out for dinner.



OK you answered my question above here. I was wondering where one would dine if not taking advantage of local Mom and Pop restaurants.  Does Germany have Yelp? I'd be interested in trying some of them if they had recommendations. 



Flossbolna said:


> The park opened in 1975 and somehow kept major hotel chains out of the area entirely until two years ago when a Holiday Inn Express opened.



That's pretty good for them, I guess Germany fights off Capitalism better than we do here.



Flossbolna said:


> It’s the fairytale of the Wolf and the Seven Young Goats. In short, the wolf tricks the 7 little goats into believing that he is their mother and then eats them. Mother returns home, realizes what happens, sees wolf asleep after his massive meal and cuts open his stomach and all the little goats jump out. He was so voracious that he just swallowed them whole (my mother used to tell me this fairytale as a lesson why you need to chew your food properly, something I still struggle with, I eat far too quickly). In order to let the wolf (yes, the guy who was just cut up without any anesthetics) not realize that the goats were out, mother goat put heavy stones in his tummy and sewed him back up. When he woke up and needed a drink because he was so thirsty after his big meal, he bent over to drink from the well and then fell into the deep well because of the heavy stones in his tummy!



That's a horrific bizarre story! 






Flossbolna said:


> Shops generally are very themed and feature merchandise one would expect in that area, for instance Swiss chocolate in Switzerland.



What a novel idea!  It's a far cry from having all the same merchandise available at every location.



Flossbolna said:


> My top 10 attractions in EP would be



They all sound pretty interesting, I don't have the patience to comment on all of them, but you've sold me on the place if we ever get back to traveling again.



Flossbolna said:


> I got my first vaccination today against the rona



Yay you! I know you already told me, but I thought that I should publicly congratulate you on your accomplishment.



Flossbolna said:


> Hey, we saw each other between June 15, 2019 and now in person! And that feels like it was in another life time!



It really does!



Flossbolna said:


> That's interesting. I still think the transition could have been better...



Well I will give you my thoughts on my TR after I visit on June 3rd! I hope they let us take pictures!



Flossbolna said:


> Oops. I guess it's Menken...



After all this, I finally had to Google the attraction. It still does not answer my question as to _why_ Michael feels such a strong feeling for the ride, but it makes a little more sense. I understand now that this attraction is completely unique to TDL.  I wondered why a Sherman Bros. score would be associated with a ride that did not originate in their era, but since there are several attractions still with their themes playing, I didn't question your answer.

Several years back when I heard both Sherman and Menken in concert at a D23 event, I said Richard Sherman wrote the music I grew up listening to, but Alan Menken wrote the soundtrack for my adult life.


----------



## tink2424

Flossbolna said:


> Send me a link to your TR when you start it, I definitely want to read it!
> 
> And just a bit of warning: While most of EP is very well done, there are a few very odd things about it, too, where it looks like a cheap and cheesy Disney copy. But that's some of the charm.


Definitely!  It won't be until at least late October as we don't come back from Europe until 16-Oct.  That is assuming we can go this year which luckily is looking more likely.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Flossbolna said:


> People get excited about park-hopping. And it is easy in Anaheim and Paris and much overhyped and overstated in the swamps (unless you are going back to an onsite resort in between). But in Tokyo it isn't easy, despite the parks literally backing up on each other, and I see no value in doing so. You are going to kill far more time than it is worth as some sort of strategy.



Good to know.  I do think it's a waste in Florida generally.  Almost essential at Disneyland California.



Flossbolna said:


> Yes, there is a lot of parking lot to be seen. But there is also a monorail and then the park icons visible in the distance. We loved it.



I'm sure I would enjoy watching the monorail whiz by.



Flossbolna said:


> Yes, Dearest, but what do you do if you want gluten free gluten?



You have to admit, he's got a point.



Flossbolna said:


> He was the manager for Arribas Brothers in Tokyo, which means the castle gallery shop. I can't recall its exact name now, but it is the one that was replaced by the Jon-Benet Boutique in WDW. He was on the opening team, stayed for six months, went home to Orlando for 18 more and then decided he wanted to live in Japan and he hasn't looked back. I have his card somewhere. He is the one who told me I wasn't imagining things with the much-improved English skills of the CMs. He said that the OLC had mandated it to prepare for the 2020 Olympics ... which sadly haven't happened as planned.



Sounds like it's still iffy for 2021 as well.  Interesting to hear the story of the CM, though!



Flossbolna said:


> You know how when you see these type of wildlife in Orlando, Anaheim or Paris and it is quite stationary. To my biggest surprise these were far livelier. While they didn’t roam, nearly all of them moved at least a little, a head, the ears, the tail etc. It added just that little bit to make the atmosphere more magical!



I can see where that would definitely help!



Flossbolna said:


> I could not understand how anyone would consider this fun - and I like canoeing! On a real river with no people around me, preferable with lots of trees on the river bank for shade!).



In Yosemite!


----------



## brookelizabeth

Flossbolna said:


> Some of Michael's humor is definitely on a 13-year-old-boy level...  No wonder these two have a lot to laugh about together.



 Accurate!

aaaand, I'm finally caught up!

I'm with you on canoeing at a theme park. Not my thing.

I very much enjoyed the post on Europapark as well!  5 days to go!


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## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> People get excited about park-hopping. And it is easy in Anaheim and Paris and much overhyped and overstated in the swamps (unless you are going back to an onsite resort in between). But in Tokyo it isn't easy, despite the parks literally backing up on each other, and I see no value in doing so. You are going to kill far more time than it is worth as some sort of strategy.



Thank you for letting me know that it's not easy in Tokyo. If we ever get there, I will keep that in mind.



Flossbolna said:


> Yes, we did break that "be there at park opening or otherwise your day will be ruined" rule that you hear a lot about Tokyo. As you will see, none of our days there were ruined. We actually found that especially the evening hours were really good for touring.



I think we would break that rule as well. Fran doesn't do good rope drop.



Flossbolna said:


> The bowl has warm rice with Japanese omelet (as you can have it in sushi), pickled ginger and fried gluten. We thought it interesting that they would offer something that is nothing but gluten. I later figured out that it was what I knew as saitan, a tofu-like product made from wheat. And indeed, it is just that: the protein in the wheat, i.e. the gluten. It was delicious!



Sounds a little weird. I will take your word for it.



Flossbolna said:


> They had a band welcoming us to World Bazaar, the Tokyo Main Street with a glass roof.



That glass roof seems interesting like something I would expect in Europe.



Flossbolna said:


> He was the manager for Arribas Brothers in Tokyo, which means the castle gallery shop. I can't recall its exact name now, but it is the one that was replaced by the Jon-Benet Boutique in WDW. He was on the opening team, stayed for six months, went home to Orlando for 18 more and then decided he wanted to live in Japan and he hasn't looked back. I have his card somewhere. He is the one who told me I wasn't imagining things with the much-improved English skills of the CMs. He said that the OLC had mandated it to prepare for the 2020 Olympics ... which sadly haven't happened as planned.



Thanks for the backstory!



Flossbolna said:


> We should have had lunch here.



Interesting.



Flossbolna said:


> Unfortunately the food did not sound very appealing to me.



It didn't sound appealing to me either.



Flossbolna said:


> I had my first TDL meal here in 2010. The food is quite good. Germans can be very picky.



OK. You are quite picky too!



Flossbolna said:


> TDL isn't woke. Neither am I. I believe in real change on things that matter to people's lives. Not making people feel good that they solved huge societal issues by changing the theme of a log flume.



I agree, but then again since they can't sell 9r play the movie in the US, they are losing out on the young folk understanding the story. We just received our UK bootleg copy of the DVD a couple days ago.



Flossbolna said:


> EVERY attraction in Tokyo is plussed, even things like critters on the riverbank.



Nice!



Flossbolna said:


> While it looks very pretty in the sunshine, it was baking hot on the island! We were very happy that we had gotten the ice-cold drinks in the fort as a refreshment! We explored a bit more and then headed back to the mainland.



I'll have to keep in mind not to travel when it is too hot. We don't do good in heat.


----------



## gelatoni fan

Flossbolna said:


> People get excited about park-hopping. And it is easy in Anaheim and Paris and much overhyped and overstated in the swamps (unless you are going back to an onsite resort in between). But in Tokyo it isn't easy, despite the parks literally backing up on each other, and I see no value in doing so. You are going to kill far more time than it is worth as some sort of strategy.



I find TDR to be where park hopping is most valuable because that's more chances at show lotteries. TDR also has parade stops and shows with dance along parts, so to see all the floats during the stops and get good at the dances, you'd have to watch the shows quite a few times. Park hopping is crucial to seeing more shows per day. Before the two parks were on the same Fastpass grid, it was even more valuable because you could grab Fastpasses without the 2 hour restriction. After the release of Fastpass in the app, it could make a lot of sense to stack up on late day Disneysea fastpasses and get most of the Disneyland fastpasses in early afternoon. But I generally agree that for first time visitors, it is probably not worth it to park hop too often.


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## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> OK you answered my question above here. I was wondering where one would dine if not taking advantage of local Mom and Pop restaurants. Does Germany have Yelp? I'd be interested in trying some of them if they had recommendations.



Germany has yelp, but it isn't used much and you won't find a lot about little places in the country. Sadly, Google reviews might tell you more about a place. 



franandaj said:


> That's pretty good for them, I guess Germany fights off Capitalism better than we do here.



Haha! Not really. But for a long time there was a very different attitude towards accommodations for tourists. People would tend more to go to one place and stay for a full week or two every year than do road trips. I think that caused far fewer hotel chains (which give you a certain security that you will find the same product everywhere). But they are catching up. Also, 30 years ago when Disneyland Paris opened parks were just seen as one day activities. One of the reasons why DLP had issues was that the whole resort idea was not fitting with European travel patterns. So, even the EP hotels are all fairly new and the whole idea of people staying in Rust to go to the park has just grown. 



franandaj said:


> That's a horrific bizarre story!



Can't you see how this would have made a great Disney movie - seven little goats singing!



franandaj said:


> They all sound pretty interesting, I don't have the patience to comment on all of them, but you've sold me on the place if we ever get back to traveling again.



Just make sure that you plan the trip so that Michael can show you around. He will not pleased if you come to Germany while he isn't here!



franandaj said:


> Yay you! I know you already told me, but I thought that I should publicly congratulate you on your accomplishment.



My accomplishment, not his. I convinced our doctor that he needed it urgently.



franandaj said:


> Well I will give you my thoughts on my TR after I visit on June 3rd! I hope they let us take pictures!



I will be looking forward to that!



franandaj said:


> Several years back when I heard both Sherman and Menken in concert at a D23 event, I said Richard Sherman wrote the music I grew up listening to, but Alan Menken wrote the soundtrack for my adult life.



That's very fitting and yes, while they are very different, I find that there is a similarity in their music being so pretty without being boring. Have you seen the Howard Ashman documentary on Disney+? I thought it was really great, but so sad!


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## Flossbolna

tink2424 said:


> Definitely!  It won't be until at least late October as we don't come back from Europe until 16-Oct.  That is assuming we can go this year which luckily is looking more likely.



I really hope that late October a lot of things will be back to near normal! They just announced that Rulantica can re-open June 3, so another big step!


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## Flossbolna

Captain_Oblivious said:


> Good to know. I do think it's a waste in Florida generally. Almost essential at Disneyland California.



I would agree. My sister and I used it very successfully on her first trip where we did rope drops and then an afternoon break. So I took her to the a new park in the afternoon and then we did rope drop at that park the next morning. That way she knew her way around a little and was not just totally flustered rushing after me to the first FP to pick up!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> You have to admit, he's got a point.



But I had the gluten!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Sounds like it's still iffy for 2021 as well. Interesting to hear the story of the CM, though!



It's so sad. You could tell that there was quite a lot of excitement about 2020 olympics in Japan already in 2017 and now ti is turning into the event that a lot of people feel might be dangerous for their society.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> In Yosemite!



 Nearly anything would be enjoyable in Yosemite! I think you know that we took my father to California in 2019 and we spent a little time in Yosemite. He knew a lot about it. He grew up reading stories about the California gold rush, loves geology and nature. To be honest hew knew more about the place than Michael who had been there so many times. After our day in Yosemite Valley he said that it was definitely worth all the effort to fly to California (the furthest he had ever been away from Germany) as this was such an amazing place. He expected it to be beautiful, but he didn't expect it to be that magical.


----------



## Flossbolna

brookelizabeth said:


> I very much enjoyed the post on Europapark as well! 5 days to go!



And Michael wrote that when there was no idea that we would end up going there together so soon!!


----------



## Flossbolna

franandaj said:


> That glass roof seems interesting like something I would expect in Europe.



Yes, I think it is the same idea that then was turned into the arcades that run next to Main Street in DLP. 



franandaj said:


> OK. You are quite picky too!



 Thanks Alison!!



franandaj said:


> I agree, but then again since they can't sell 9r play the movie in the US, they are losing out on the young folk understanding the story. We just received our UK bootleg copy of the DVD a couple days ago.



But in Japan no one knows the movie at all either. I was not familiar with it and actually bought a (not bootleg!) VHS copy of it from the UK ten years ago. It's such a horrible movie! I have to admit that being a white German girl, I did not even pick up on some of the racist issues in the movie. But the movie is also sexist and classist and boring as hell. Even if Disney would release it, it rightly deserves to be hidden away just for being such a horrible movie.



franandaj said:


> I'll have to keep in mind not to travel when it is too hot. We don't do good in heat.



Then I cannot recommend July. It was a really hot hot hot trip!


----------



## Flossbolna

gelatoni fan said:


> I find TDR to be where park hopping is most valuable because that's more chances at show lotteries. TDR also has parade stops and shows with dance along parts, so to see all the floats during the stops and get good at the dances, you'd have to watch the shows quite a few times. Park hopping is crucial to seeing more shows per day. Before the two parks were on the same Fastpass grid, it was even more valuable because you could grab Fastpasses without the 2 hour restriction. After the release of Fastpass in the app, it could make a lot of sense to stack up on late day Disneysea fastpasses and get most of the Disneyland fastpasses in early afternoon. But I generally agree that for first time visitors, it is probably not worth it to park hop too often.



That's a great point! I am not a show person at all, so that would not ever be a priority for me. But I can see that for people who value those more, it's a great chance to get to see the shows. Ultimately I think when you go for a break in the afternoon anyway as we did, it doesn't really matter where you spend the evening. But it fitted for us to just make sure that we did give both parks equal attention.


----------



## Flossbolna




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## Flossbolna




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## Flossbolna

*Day 7 – July 5, 2017: Tokyo Disneyland*

Part 2: A Campy Lunch

There it was lunch time! Just a little before our trip a new restaurant had opened up, Camp Woodchuck Kitchen. Camp Woodchuck is where Donald’s three nephews spend their summers. Here in Europe the Disney comic books are very popular and I spent my childhood reading comics about Donald, Daisy, Uncle Scrooge (called Onkel Dagobert in German) and the three nephews. When I first visited Disneyland in 1992 I was so disappointed that that aspect of Disney was not really represented at all. And I still think that they made a real mistake to not have it at Euro Disney when it opened, I think it would have made the park far more popular in an instant. So, this new restaurant that tied into those comics was a place high on my list. And just in case you are interested, Huey, Dewey and Louie are Tick, Trick und Track in German.





We both had the fried chicken waffle sandwich they had on the menu here:









While the packaging was nice, the food was just so-so. M is being kind. It was lousy. Worst meal at TDL. Worst meal in Tokyo. Worst meal in Japan. Worst meal on trip. ... But the US bloggers who can afford to actually travel, and aren't afraid of scary places like Japan, seem to love it.

But the restaurant was incredibly cute!





















Our next stop was picking up a FP for BTMRR. 





This picture was taken at 2 pm. While 25 minutes is really not a bad wait, we saw no point in standing in line if we could pick up a FP for 55 minutes later.

At one point we had three FPs at once and one was for Big Thunder. One was for Pooh. I know you took a pic of this. Might have been our first day. This is what happens when you write Trip Reports four years and two weddings and countless days in theme parks later.

We wandered a bit through Frontierland:









During Tanabata Days a lot of Japanese people dress in traditional dress, mainly yukatas. Those are more casual and lighter versions of the traditional kimono and both men and women wear them. There were many very pretty ones to be seen around the parks. Including traditional shoes that looked very very uncomfortable. I was far too shy to take pictures of the people in those lovely outfits, but here the guy was walking just in front of us and I took a quick picture. I thought especially the men looked so smart in these outfits!





And yes, all the men had purses to go with the outfit! Men seemed to have more geometric patterns and duller colors, while women’s outfits had more flowers on them.

Up next: The one where we finally get popcorn!


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## brookelizabeth

Flossbolna said:


> And Michael wrote that when there was no idea that we would end up going there together so soon!!



Isn't it funny how all that happened?  I had hoped that for Henry's "Spring Break II" (as the school calls it), we'd be able to go to EP! But weeks ago, I had little hope with the awful covid numbers and lack of vaccine... but gosh, what a few weeks has done!  A month ago things were far, far different!   



Flossbolna said:


> Here in Europe the Disney comic books are very popular and I spent my childhood reading comics about Donald, Daisy, Uncle Scrooge (called Onkel Dagobert in German) and the three nephews.



That is very interesting. I LOVED those comic books when I was a kid as well!  I had only 3-4 of them I had picked up somewhere and read them over and over again.  Are they still popular here?



Flossbolna said:


> While the packaging was nice, the food was just so-so. M is being kind. It was lousy. Worst meal at TDL. Worst meal in Tokyo. Worst meal in Japan. Worst meal on trip



What a shame, it looked good! But, I guess one bad meal out of many isn't too shabby.


TODAY IS THE DAY!!! And my apartment is clean, so I have an easy day in front of me!!  I was stupidly worried last night about the dog though and had trouble sleeping.


----------



## tink2424

Can't wait for more trip report!!


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## Flossbolna

*Day 7 – July 5, 2017: Tokyo Disneyland*
*
Part 3: The one where we finally get popcorn!
*
Our next stop was Adventureland:





















Adventureland here includes a New Orleans themed area which has a theater.

















This was a lovely little store selling scented things. I got some sachets to put into your linen drawer and I am always getting a smile on my face when I see it again in my closet!





One of the most popular souvenirs in the Tokyo parks are those "badges", tiny plush that you can actually wear like a badge as they have a safety pin, or use as a keychain.

These are huge there, but tiny. But the price isn't tiny. I bought a few, but since they're in the Florida home, I can't recall which ones now.

In Adventureland they had It’s Tough to be a Bug:





And Trader Sam! Wasn't he just cancelled? 





They had just come out with a whole Jungle Cruise line, which was perfect for a friend of Michael who is a great Jungle Cruise fan.





And then we went on the Jungle Cruise. 













At the loading dock they had these lovely signs to tell cruisers how to behave:





Don’t feed the lion, I get that…





Oh oh, maybe this is not the right cruise for me…





And who the heck would pack such a huge toothbrush for a trip to the Jungle?? Totally impractical! Certainly not anyone from the UK!





That’s why I don’t like monkeys.

The cruise itself is very much the same as in the US. Better maintained though, everything looked like it just came out of refurbishment. The skipper was talking Japanese, so we did not understand her jokes. My trip notes say that the projections inside the temple were very good, but I don’t remember them. They were good. They also have plussed a few scenes and added a Lion King flourish to the lions watching the zebra sleep scene.













Our next stop was the Tiki Room. Here it has been taken over by Stitch. And if you are a non Japanese guest, they give you little handheld devices that translated what was being said into English.

















In the waiting area, there are notices up that Stitch went missing…









Do you see that Stitch was there in the above picture?









This is the device:





And here is a better clue about Stitch’s whereabouts:





The show was quite cute! I am not sold on the handheld thing for translation as you had to keep looking at the screen instead of the attraction to understand what was going on. It was not tough to understand what was going on even if you didn't have the machine, but I wanted to try it out because I didn't on my prior visit. BTW, this is the third version of Tiki Room in Japan.

We then went back to BTMRR, which is not far from the Tiki Room to use the FP. We then headed back to Pooh’s Hunny Hunt as our FP time for that had come up. According to the app the ride was down, but they started up again just as we got there. It is such a lovely little ride!

We then decided that we were already in the parks for our third day and still hadn’t gotten the snack that is so quintessential for TDL: popcorn! We had been checking out the different available flavors and finally were in the neighborhood of a stand that sold soy sauce and butter flavor. We got a box (neither of us saw the appeal of a bulky bucket):





Yes, it looks like popcorn. We thought it was delicious! We also got some bottled drinks. This was the first time that I got the Aquarius sports drink. It had less calories than soda and was supposedly having lots of electrolytes. Since we had been sweating for nearly a week now, I felt that this might be good for me. And it was actually very tasty!

We decided that it was time for a break at the hotel, so that’s where we headed.

Continued in next post


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## Flossbolna

*Day 7 – July 5, 2017: Tokyo Disneyland, Part 3 continued*

This shows the system and the timetable for the TDR Monorail:





As you can see, if you add up the travel times on the loop, it is only 12 minutes for one loop.

After a refreshing shower, we headed to the lovely lounge for drinks and snacks. I caught the sunset over the bridge across the bay from the lounge terrace:





And can offer some more lounge food pictures:









The green stuff in the glasses was pea soup. Cold pea soup. I love peas, but this was one of the few things in the lounge that just were not tasty at all. 









A really nice selection of beers and wine:

















Afterwards we headed back into the park. Michael made us go on Buzz Lightyear. Which was a massive letdown after the one in Shanghai. I think all Buzz Lightyears need to be upgraded to the Shanghai version. Otherwise they have no raison d’être anymore…

Detail left out that this attraction is one of the most popular in the park. I don't get it. I don't get the love for any of them except for the new SDL version. BUT ... the reason we went on it was when it came time to leave we contemplated getting another FP and we were in Tomorrowland and didn't want one for Space Mountain (or maybe the time was not good), so I decided to be a Buzz completist and grab some FPs. I don't want to say it's identical to Anaheim, but it is very close. And now, like living in a pandemic, I can check it off my list.

I took a picture of Sonny Eclipse’s Japanese cousin:





And we admired some of the Tomorrow aesthetics at night:









We watched Dreamlights again. This time I did not bother with taking any pictures and just enjoyed it! I think I might have run back to the soy sauce and butter popcorn stand just before the parade to have a snack while watching it (I do remember the popcorn rush and think it must have been that evening). After the parade we went for another ride on Splash Mountain and Snow White and Peter Pan. The last one we got on even after park closing. We had managed to get into Snow White without any wait time just before the park closed. When we got off, the CMs at Peter Pan waved at us that we should go and ride their ride now. It was such an unexpected bonus!

This is where I am thinking the old gal's memory (or poor note taking) might be coming into play. We definitely did those rides. But I recall it as us closing out the night with Snow White and getting off at like 10:03 and the CM asking if we wanted to go again, which we did. I'm fairly certain this is how it played out because we would have hit Pan first because it is something we both prefer. And it looked great there as it had just had a major rehab ... that left all those racist scenes in it.

I don't like to admit this, but I think he is right there...

On the way back to the hotel I picked up a bottle with a drink from one of the many vending machines and chose  a Coca Cola Plus: It turned out that it had extra added fiber in it! 





And with that we fell into bed very tired, but happy with another fantastic day.

It was. Other than the awful meal. Good thing I ate about 32 pounds of food at the Hilton lounge.

Up next: A bear goes exploring!


----------



## tiggrbaby

Lovely pics!  Seems like you were able to accomplish quite a bit!


----------



## soniam

Coke with fiber. Yuck!


----------



## franandaj

Flossbolna said:


> Germany has yelp, but it isn't used much and you won't find a lot about little places in the country. Sadly, Google reviews might tell you more about a place.



That's too bad. Lots of people in the US use Yelp and I rely on (mostly pictures) that site for choosing restaurants.  When we try a new place I will look at the pictures for hours before we go trying to figure out what to order!



Flossbolna said:


> People would tend more to go to one place and stay for a full week or two every year than do road trips.



I guess the road trip is a truly American kind of thing!



Flossbolna said:


> Just make sure that you plan the trip so that Michael can show you around. He will not pleased if you come to Germany while he isn't here!



Well, we're not going anywhere anytime soon. 



Flossbolna said:


> I will be looking forward to that!



We're you able to check it out? We've been back quite a few times now!



Flossbolna said:


> That's very fitting and yes, while they are very different, I find that there is a similarity in their music being so pretty without being boring. Have you seen the Howard Ashman documentary on Disney+? I thought it was really great, but so sad!



I have not. There is just so much on Disney+.  We just finished Captain America and the Winter Soldier last night and started on Loki. We have to catch up on about half a dozen movies as well. We were supposed to do that this past week when we were at my parent's house but one of our kitties broke her leg, so we didn't feel comfortable leaving her under the car of our cat sitter.



Flossbolna said:


> Even if Disney would release it, it rightly deserves to be hidden away just for being such a horrible movie.



Honestly it was 40'-50 years ago that I saw it. I just remember it was Uncle Remus telling stories and that it was rather disjointed.



Flossbolna said:


> There it was lunch time! Just a little before our trip a new restaurant had opened up, Camp Woodchuck Kitchen.



Sounds like a fun place!



Flossbolna said:


> And just in case you are interested, Huey, Dewey and Louie are Tick, Trick und Track in German.



Interesting...



Flossbolna said:


> We both had the fried chicken waffle sandwich they had on the menu here:



We usually like to pick two different things between us.



Flossbolna said:


> While the packaging was nice, the food was just so-so. M is being kind. It was lousy. Worst meal at TDL. Worst meal in Tokyo. Worst meal in Japan. Worst meal on trip. ... But the US bloggers who can afford to actually travel, and aren't afraid of scary places like Japan, seem to love it.



And this is why. Perhaps something else on the menu may not have been so bad.



Flossbolna said:


> This picture was taken at 2 pm. While 25 minutes is really not a bad wait, we saw no point in standing in line if we could pick up a FP for 55 minutes later.



Makes total sense.



Flossbolna said:


> Adventureland here includes a New Orleans themed area which has a theater.



It looks nearly identical to DLs NO Square. Is Club 33 located above Cafe Orleans there too?



Flossbolna said:


> This was a lovely little store selling scented things. I got some sachets to put into your linen drawer and I am always getting a smile on my face when I see it again in my closet!



I love those kind of memories, but I can't do scents. My clothes detergent has to be unscented, and I have to avoid stores selling heavily scented Christmas items. It just bothers my sinuses.



Flossbolna said:


> The cruise itself is very much the same as in the US.



I found the scene with the Rhino and the pole interesting. They just revamped ours and I just posted the new and old on my latest update.



Flossbolna said:


> Our next stop was the Tiki Room. Here it has been taken over by Stitch. And if you are a non Japanese guest, they give you little handheld devices that translated what was being said into English.



Interesting about the device....



Flossbolna said:


> Do you see that Stitch was there in the above picture?



Nope. I looked for a while. Then again I'm posting from my phone.



Flossbolna said:


> popcorn! We had been checking out the different available flavors and finally were in the neighborhood of a stand that sold soy sauce and butter flavor.



Soy sauce and butter?  Very interesting! Now I want to try it. I just learned about putting M&M's on your popcorn, but it needs to be hot.



Flossbolna said:


> After a refreshing shower, we headed to the lovely lounge for drinks and snacks.



That looks like I could make a meal out of it!



Flossbolna said:


> After the parade we went for another ride on Splash Mountain and Snow White and Peter Pan. The last one we got on even after park closing. We had managed to get into Snow White without any wait time just before the park closed. When we got off, the CMs at Peter Pan waved at us that we should go and ride their ride now. It was such an unexpected bonus!



Sounds fun.



Flossbolna said:


> This is where I am thinking the old gal's memory (or poor note taking) might be coming into play. We definitely did those rides. But I recall it as us closing out the night with Snow White and getting off at like 10:03 and the CM asking if we wanted to go again, which we did. I'm fairly certain this is how it played out because we would have hit Pan first because it is something we both prefer. And it looked great there as it had just had a major rehab ... that left all those racist scenes in it.
> 
> I don't like to admit this, but I think he is right there...



But then Michael basically called you a liar! 


I wish I would be seeing you two soon, but we don't dare travel to Florida with the state of their hospitals right now. I'm sure you two will be fine, but Fran I worry about. I hope things improve by February so we can take the trip we have planned.


----------

