Pooh Goes to TDR- a trip report- COMPLETE

[StayAwake]

Hi Everyone! I fulfilled a dream in December 2015 when I went to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. I had great advice and help from the boards here as well as TDRExplorer, Honorable Rat, and DisneyTouristBlog. I'm hoping I can help pay that back by sharing my trip report with you.

The idea came about when I knew I would be going to Singapore to visit some family living there. I was going to have to change planes in Tokyo on the way home, so why not just stay for a few days and get two parks closer to my goal of seeing all of the Disney Parks in the world?

After much budgetary consideration, I chose the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay. I would be arriving in Tokyo on a Monday, and planned to go to the parks Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, with a bit of time on Friday to sightsee in Tokyo before heading home Friday night. I was traveling alone, so that made it easy to change those plans on the fly. More about that later...

After a 4 am wake up call for a 6:30 flight, and a 7 hour flight from Singapore to Tokyo, I was both tired and elated about arriving in Japan. After collecting all my luggage and passing through customs, I set about finding the place to buy my airport limo bus ticket to Tokyo Disney Resort & the affiliated hotels. There were a whole bank of bus ticket windows and I found the correct one and got my ticket. Apparently, there was some kind of cut-off time that I had just missed for the next bus, as I was given a ticket for almost an hour in the future. The bus stop was also easy to find, but then it was a lot of waiting for the right time to queue. The previous bus to TDR came and left with only a few people on it, but there was no switching to the earlier time just because there was room. This was a fast introduction to the Japanese culture of following the rules. But I didn't care! I was in Japan. Plus, the free wi-fi at the airport let me catch up on Facebook and the time passed quickly. The bus attendants tagged my luggage for the appropriate stop, and before I knew it, I was on my way.

I passed the time alternately looking out the bus window and playing a game on my phone, as I was too excited to concentrate on my book. My original plan had been to check into the hotel and then go to Maihama Station to take the train into Tokyo to go exploring, but as we continued to drive west into the setting sun, I started to re-evaluate that plan. Was I up for trying to navigate a brand new city in the dark? Maybe I should stay closer to home base. And then, I saw this:



And this:



And I knew the plan was going to change.

 

[StayAwake]

Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay was fantastic. I had heard and heard about the small hotel rooms in Japan, and my hotel room in Singapore had been quite small, so even though it was an American chain, I was prepared for the worst. No need to worry. This room was bigger than most hotel rooms I've stayed at in the US.









View out my balcony:




This was great as it got quite cold at night (mid to high 30s, F) and it was fantastic to watch the fireworks show from my cozy room on my comfy chaise lounge.

The Disney excitement was surging through my veins and I knew I had to go to the park tonight. Now, how to do it? I had read about the Starlight pass, and considered getting one of them because it would be after the start time by the time I could get to the park, but the helpful front desk explained that the 4 day park hopper pass would cost the same as the 3 day park hopper pass + 1 starlight pass, and that way I could have 2 days to park hop, instead of just one. This sounded like a great idea to me, and so, ticket in hand, exited the front doors of the hotel and got my first taste of Japanese Kawaii: The bus that would shuttle me to the monorail station!

 

[StayAwake]

The monorail was everything I'd hoped it would be. So cute!!! And clean!





It was hard to decide which park to go to, but I couldn't resist my first peek at Tokyo DisneySea. What I hadn't accounted for was how disorienting it would be to tackle a brand new Disney Park in the dark. I circled the globe fountain at least 3 times trying to figure out how to get into the park- I kept getting the MiraCosta and the Monorail Station confused. When I saw it later in the light, I couldn't believe how obvious it was, but at that moment, it was very difficult. The cast members had given me an English Map, but it still didn't seem to help. I'm blaming it on jet lag.

I did luck out that I had just barely made it into Mediterranean Harbor when they made the announcement that Fantasmic! would be starting in just a few minutes. That was a relief- something familiar to get things started right. I grabbed a quick shot of Mount Prometheus starting to erupt before the show started.



After the show I wandered around a bit, and continued to get lost in the American Waterfront area.









All the restaurant lines were long, so I thought I'd start getting my DisneySnack on. First up: The infamous Tokyo Disney flavored popcorn. I grabbed some Black Pepper popcorn and settled in to watch a little bit of "A Table is Waiting" that was just starting as I wandered up.



After the show, I picked up some White Chocolate Popcorn and got my first Popcorn bucket- the special Duffy 10th Anniversary bucket with mini bucket for your Duffy. The thing I loved about the popcorn buckets were how well they sealed and how you could much away during your time in line.

 

[aussie shaz]

So looking forward to reading the rest! Thanks

 

[StayAwake]

So looking forward to reading the rest! Thanks

Thanks aussie shaz! It's coming, slowly but surely!

 

[StayAwake]

I finally managed to wander my way out of American Waterfront and head across the bridge to the rest of the park. I wandered around the base of Mount Prometheus when I spied the cart for that infamous Tokyo Disney Snack- the Gyoza Dog.



The filling inside was lightly spiced and flavorful, but the outside bun seemed quite thick and was very filling. As much as everyone raves about this, I thought it was just ok.

Then it was time for my first ride. 20K Leagues Under the Sea. This only had a 20 minute wait posted, so I thought I'd give it a shot. The real wait was more like 10 minutes- most of the time was spent walking down the circular ramp & through the line. Here I also figured out how to use my limited Japanese to say "ichi" (one) to the question that appeared to be "How many people in your group?" Although it's quite possible that they also took that to mean I wanted to sit in the front row, as I swear I've never been in the front row as much as I was on this trip. More on that when we get to Tokyo Disneyland.





And here was also the first thing that made me concerned about this trip: the car size. The ride vehicles hold 3 groups of 2-3 people. Or in my case, one group of 2 Japanese and one group of 1 pooh-sized American. Something about the height of the seat and the amount of leg room just wasn't right for me. I was super uncomfortable and couldn't figure out a way to rearrange my legs so that I could feel comfortable. The ride was just OK- a combo of the 20K Leagues ride that used to be at DisneyWorld/Disneyland, the current Nemo ride at EPCOT, and a steampunk vibe.

From here, I found my way through the mountain and past Ariel's grotto. This was beautiful lit up at night.



From here, I found myself in the Arabian Coast.







The double decker carousel! Of course I had to ride on the top level. When I got to the cast member, I pantomimed my way through the conversation and was directed up the stairs to the line for the top. This was fantastic with incredible views of the whole Arabian Coast area. It was much better than this picture taking while riding would lead you to believe.



After riding this, I saw the Aladdin show in the Magic Lamp Theater. The preshow was very interesting, and I think parts were in English, while the show itself was all in Japanese but the overall storyline was understandable and I did laugh a few times.


Time for a Chandu tail! This was like someone had taken very thick chicken & corn chowder and stuffed it inside a doughy wrapper. It wasn't bad, but it didn't have a ton of flavor and was remarkable more for its cuteness than its taste.



The Voyages of Sinbad. I was excited by this as so many bloggers talk about this as one of the best dark rides ever. Chandu is adorable and I wanted to get one to bring home, but they weren't selling any except as backpacks. I'm not 5 years old, or Japanese, so I passed. I thought it was really well done, and I liked that I could understand the story without being able to understand the Japanese song-lyrics. But I have to say that I still like It's a Small World better. I've been brainwashed, I know, but I love the IASW song, with all the verses, and even more, I love what that ride stands for as a monument to global cooperation and the fact that we're not that different after all.

I was feeling tired, and cold, and a bit disheartened. I'd heard that DisneySea is the best Disney park on the planet. And I just wasn't feeling it. When I managed to make my way back through Mt Prometheus to the Harbor area just in time for the Holiday themed fireworks, my spirits perked up a little. But only a little. It was time to crash so I could make it to Rope Drop at Disneyland tomorrow.

 

[Carrie_Cat]

Following along - I'm going to Toyko this November so love seeing the Xmas decor

 

[wanderlust7]

Here I also figured out how to use my limited Japanese to say "ichi" (one) to the question that appeared to be "How many people in your group?" Although it's quite possible that they also took that to mean I wanted to sit in the front row, as I swear I've never been in the front row as much as I was on this trip. More on that when we get to Tokyo Disneyland.

Loving your report and all the pictures!

I think the CMs did think you were asking for first row. I've been trying to pick up a little Japanese. I think to say "one person" would be "hitori". Great unintended consequence though.

Did you by chance use the coin laundry room at the Sheraton? I have a reservation at the Hilton because it's a little cheaper for my dates, but will need to do laundry by then. Just wondering if I'll need a key card to get into the Sheraton one (since the Hilton doesn't seem to have one).

 

[StayAwake]

Following along - I'm going to Toyko this November so love seeing the Xmas decor

Yeah! a follower! All the holiday decorations were beautiful. You will enjoy!

Loving your report and all the pictures!

I think the CMs did think you were asking for first row. I've been trying to pick up a little Japanese. I think to say "one person" would be "hitori". Great unintended consequence though.

Did you by chance use the coin laundry room at the Sheraton? I have a reservation at the Hilton because it's a little cheaper for my dates, but will need to do laundry by then. Just wondering if I'll need a key card to get into the Sheraton one (since the Hilton doesn't seem to have one).

Thanks wanderlust7 for reading and commenting! Yeah, it didn't occur to me until after I got back and a few friends I know who have studied Japanese told me they thought there might have been a miscommunication. And of course the CMs are so polite they wouldn't ever tell me if I'm doing it wrong.

I did not use the coin laundry room. I didn't actually know there was one! That's the bad thing about a joint trip to Singapore and Tokyo in November/December- the weather is drastically different so you can't carry clothes over from one place to the other. So I carried a week's worth of winter clothes in my suitcase for 2 1/2 weeks before I got to use them when I finally made it to Tokyo. Thank goodness for 2 checked bags included in my airfare price!

 

[StayAwake]

Time to Rope Drop Tokyo Disneyland! It was in the high 30s as I headed out to the park about an hour before opening. As I got in line, I was immediately jealous of the plastic mats people had brought to sit on while waiting. Most of them seemed to have a tin foil type insulating layer. Anything would have been better than sitting on the cold concrete!



People were very respectful of the order of the line. I left my string backpack on the ground to mark my spot while tracking down a CM who had the English Map & guide, and had no problem getting my spot back in line, even without being able to speak to the people around me to explain what I was doing.

I'm a pin collector, and knew that they weren't that big of a deal in Japan. But what is a big deal are stuffed badges. Here's one example of a backpack covered in them. And yes, there was an actual child who got to ride in the stroller.



After standing for an hour, my feet were already sore, but my adrenaline was pumping. And I wasn't the only one. The CMs came up and down the lines with these signs before the gates opened, and were stationed all over the World Bazaar once the gates were open.



There wasn't a welcome show, but a bunch of characters did come out and wave at those of us in line before the gates opened.



I followed the advice of those who'd come before me. With my own personal twist. Walk into the park. Get caught up in the excitement and start to jog, only to trip over my own two feet and faceplant. So embarrassing! Take a right turn into Tomorrowland (the Christmas Tree was a good landmark during this time of year). Grab a Monsters Ride & Go Seek Fastpass.



And then head to:


Pooh's Hunny Hunt


Inside the queue


View to the Fastpass Distribution point across the way. The line is already very long.

What a relief to get here. And it did not disappoint! After getting the first row of the first car, we were off into an enchanting world of fun and whimsy. This ride is not overrated. It is really cool and slightly surreal (especially the Tigger song in Japanese).

And the exit to the ride continued the amazing imagineering:

 

[StayAwake]

After a fantastic start to the day, it was time for breakfast. Of course, I chose



Honey Popcorn! This was delish, and I was really starting to love the flavored popcorns as all the ones I'd tried so far were delicious.

Figuring I should make my way back to Tomorrowland so I'd be close when my Monsters FP came up, I headed for a 30 minute wait at


Space Mountain!



I loved the view from the top of the ramp where you could see all the way across Disneyland and DisneySea to Tower of Terror.

Now comes the first part of why I really felt compelled to write this TR. While planning this trip, I had asked "As a pooh-sized person, am I going to have problems at Tokyo Disney?" and the overall response was that there shouldn't be any issues, because they use the same ride vehicles as in the US parks. Space Mountain is the first ride I went on where I knew that wasn't entirely true. Tokyo's Space Mountain uses the 2 person side by side in 3 rows car configuration, like Disneyland in California. But the restraints are different. Before riding 7 Dwarfs Mine Train, I had never been on a Disney coaster where the lap restraint had bars on both sides, caging in your legs. I can fit in 7DMT, but it's generally uncomfortable and I almost always get bruises from the restraints. Disneyland's Space Mountain does not have these restraints with the bars on both sides, but Tokyo's does. I was given the front row of the front car (For those keeping score, that's twice so far) and managed to get in and get the restraint down far enough to be allowed to ride, but it was not comfortable.

Also, I had plenty of people on my train screaming, so don't be too disappointed if you don't have an entirely silent ride through Space Mountain, as many of the bloggers advertise.

I then rode StarTours. This was great fun. I've ridden it so many times in the US that I didn't need to know any Japanese to enjoy it. And here, the restraint system is just the same as in the American Parks.

Then it was time for Monsters Ride & Go Seek. I should have taken a wait-time picture and didn't think of it, but I know the standby line was already very long, and the park hadn't even been open for 90 minutes yet. Another thing I was starting to find fascinating was never knowing what was going to be in English and what would be in Japanese and what would be a combo. I loved this poster and had to snap a pic while going through the FP line.



I liked this ride and thought it was fun, but no where near as cool as Pooh's Hunny Hunt. And again, guess what row? Yep, first. 3 out of 4 rides so far for the day.

Figuring I'd head back to Fantasyland to pull a Haunted Mansion FP, and then grab some lunch, as I was walking towards the castle, I heard the announcement that the Holiday parade would be starting in just 5 minutes. So I walked past the throngs of politely seated people in the hub, but had my path to Haunted Mansion cut off by the start of the parade. Given that I walked right into it, I had a great viewing spot behind Dumbo with only 2-3 people in front of me. Here's where I can admit another dumb move. Although they handed me an English version of the Times Guide, I'm so used to the American Parks where they are printed on one, double sided piece of paper, that I never bothered to see that in Tokyo, it's a folded brochure with information inside. I was really lucky that I just kept ending up in the right place at the right time this day. But let this be a lesson to you- Open the Times Guide!!

After swimming upstream like a salmon after the parade ended, I was able to snag


Even the Vending Machines outside the bathrooms are Kawaii!


Then it was time for lunch









I asked to sit next to the stained glass windows, and they were very accommodating. This was not a cheap meal, mostly because I couldn't resist the Unbirthday cake, which was a portion enough for 2 and possibly 4. I felt bad throwing most of it away. The "hamburger" was surprisingly OK, and I loved the Kirin Apple Tea Soda. It was great to grab a meal before it became chaotic, so I could head out for some more exploring!

 

[Carrie_Cat]

Love your nails - very smart How did you do them ?

We don't have 7DMT here in Paris so I'm racking my brains trying to think if I've already been on a ride with the type of restraints that you got on SM Our SM has 3 inversions so you have a harness comes down, totally different again .. when you say Pooh sized are you talking bigger than a US 14 as I'm starting to think about my legs and being bruised and battered

The food pictures are very useful and that cake looks very nice but huge - is it like an ice cream cake ? They really have some amazing theming

 

[Lady Marie]

Following along-- this is awesome!!! I can't wait to read more!

 

[aussie shaz]

I can answer Carrie Cat about the nails! They are Jamberry nail wraps. I have the exact same ones.
I was also wondering your size, as I sometimes have trouble with chairs that have metal arms, digging into my thighs. I'm hoping I won't have too much trouble, but will deal with it if I do.

 

[StayAwake]

Love your nails - very smart How did you do them ?

We don't have 7DMT here in Paris so I'm racking my brains trying to think if I've already been on a ride with the type of restraints that you got on SM Our SM has 3 inversions so you have a harness comes down, totally different again .. when you say Pooh sized are you talking bigger than a US 14 as I'm starting to think about my legs and being bruised and battered

The food pictures are very useful and that cake looks very nice but huge - is it like an ice cream cake ? They really have some amazing theming

Thanks Carrie_Cat. As aussie shaz said, they're Jamberry nail wraps. I did a mixed mani with each nail being for a different character- these were for Elsa, but I also had nails for Belle, Ariel, Mary Poppins and Aurora. Jamberry just started selling the Disney Collection by Jamberry, so I wouldn't have to be so creative in the future, but it was quite fun.

As to size, yes, I am a US 22/24, and have an H cup size. I've successfully ridden Rockin' Rollercoaster with the harness that comes down over the head many times, but at other theme parks I have had issues with over the head restraints (I'm looking at you, Universal Orlando!)

The cake had a very light creamy frosting- it was almost like eating air in that it was so light- not light a buttercream which can be quite dense. No ice cream. But it was very good! And yes, some of the theming is just amazing! Thanks for reading along!

Following along-- this is awesome!!! I can't wait to read more!

Thanks Lady Marie! More is coming!

I can answer Carrie Cat about the nails! They are Jamberry nail wraps. I have the exact same ones.
I was also wondering your size, as I sometimes have trouble with chairs that have metal arms, digging into my thighs. I'm hoping I won't have too much trouble, but will deal with it if I do.

Hi aussie shaz, as I mentioned above, I'm a US 22/24. I sometimes have that issue with chairs also. That's one thing I've always loved about Disney is that I've never had a problem there, as I have at other theme parks.

Thanks for reading along and commenting! But enough chat- let's get to some more of the good stuff!

 

[StayAwake]

I had a little time before my Haunted Mansion FP, so went to take in some of my other favorite Fantasyland rides. First up: There's so much that we share that it's time we're aware, it's a small world after all!



I love how the sky looks in this picture.






Then it was Mickey's Philharmagic. Here are a couple of the interesting displays in the theater lobby.








Every seat was filled. This will test how well you know these Disney songs, because all the lyrics were sung in Japanese, but I had the English lyrics running through my brain as the show went on.

Next up, Haunted Mansion with the Holiday overlay!













This was so exciting as every time we've gone to Disneyland since I've been an adult, it's always been over the Labor Day holiday in the US and Haunted Mansion is always closed to put the overlay up. So I was extra excited to ride it. The doom buggies were the same as the ones in the US, so I had no riding issues there.

Time for a snack!


This was a special holiday snack: a Hazelnut Tipo Torta. Hazelnut cream is stuffed inside the outside fried dough tube. I though this was overly fried and the hazelnut didn't have enough flavor as compared to the fried dough. So it was a bit of a disappointment. I also got a Kirin Lemon soda which I loved!!

I ate my snack while watching the people dance on the front of IASMW when the clock struck.

 

[StayAwake]

It was time to head west, into Critter Country, to try the only Single Rider line in Tokyo Disneyland.





As I had read, I walked up to the FP return line and said "Single Rider?" The CM at that point nodded and let me go through. So I was surprised that after I had walked quite a way through the queue, another CM came running up behind me and got in front of me and held her hands up, asking me to stop. She didn't have any English, but communicated with gestures and a gentle hand on my shoulder that I was to come with her. She lead me around and down some stairs that were marked for CMs only, and then ultimately back through the exit, where through gestures, I understood that they wanted me to get into an empty ride vehicle and make sure that I would fit.

Here again, these were not the same ride vehicles in either Disneyland or DisneyWorld, and they had the bars on both sides of the legs. I got into the car and was able to get the lap bar down far enough that they smiled and bowed to me and let me get out, then guided me through the exit back to the single rider line. It was all done very discretely, but it still was emotionally upsetting, as I was unprepared to be singled out and asked to go through these steps. I felt very frustrated, as I thought I had done the necessary research and what I had learned wasn't accurate.

I waited probably about 5-10 minutes before I was directed to help fill the open spot in the Front Row of the log. The poor Japanese man seated next to me, with his wife and child in the row behind, didn't expect to get me as his single rider. Spoiler alert, we got absolutely drenched. He was very good natured about it, and we all laughed and laughed as we came to the exit point.

Although I had passed the CM's initial test of fitting into the vehicle, I hadn't accounted for how long Splash Mountain is. My legs started to feel very tingly, and I started to have some stabbing pains in my lower legs and feet. There wasn't any room to shift around because of the restraint, and I was praying for the ride to be over. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get out of the log when we came to the end, because my legs started going to sleep. Luckily, once the restraint was released, I was able to get myself out of the log and walk very slowly out of the ride.

Trying to get circulation back into my legs, I hobbled out to Critter Country towards Westernland, and what did I run into, but the afternoon parade!













For some reason, I thought the parade was over- I think there was a large break between floats or something, so I decided to start moving before the rest of the crowds did, and came across another popcorn flavor I had to try:



This was the first flavor that I really did not like. It was way, way, way too salty for me. I ate about two handfuls and threw the rest away.

 

[aussie shaz]

Haha. I know the feeling of being worried you couldn't walk after the ride. We went horse riding in Las Vegas a few years ago. After I was literally pushed up into the saddle, I felt my hips nearly split in half sitting on the horse. We rode for about 30 mins and I was so scared that I wouldn't be able to get off and then walk. Luckily I did get off, and I did walk, but I just couldn't wait for the ride to be over.

 

[StayAwake]

At this point, I figured out the parade wasn't over, so I grabbed a new spot to watch the end. And I was so happy I did, because a few favorites were still to come:

Pooh & Tigger



Tinkerbell, my niece's favorite



Mary Poppins, my absolute favorite



Bert!



The Penguins!



Step in Time with the Chimney Sweeps



Chip!



The Big Cheese and his sweetie

 

[StayAwake]

The parade was now over, so I made my way into Westernland, and was pleasantly surprised to find...



FP for Big Thunder Mountain! I was assuming that I'd have to wait in standby, because of how late in the day it was, so after grabbing the FP, I stepped to the side and opened up my park map to figure out what I was going to do next. I was then approached by a lovely CM who spoke English and asked if I needed help finding anything. I was really excited to have a conversation that didn't involve pantomime, and chatted with her for several minutes. She asked how I liked Japan and I told her that I found the people very polite and helpful, and was enjoying my stay very much. We would have talked longer, but she noticed someone else who needed help and politely excused herself.

I had decided to try something else that had a holiday overlay:









This was hilarious, although I was the only one laughing out loud. Oops. The songs were a mix of English and Japanese, but they were all good fun. My favorite bit had to be the slide show done to the song "Sleigh Ride".

I then passed into Adventureland. On my way, I passed by a building with a familiar name & met a new character, Danny the Lamb.







Enchanted Tiki Room is one of my favorites, so I had to try the Japanese version.



It was very different! I have to say I prefer the original, but everyone else in the room was really enjoying it, so it was fun to be able to soak up that energy. I thought about going on Jungle Cruise, but the line was really long, so I kept heading through Adventureland.