Pooh Goes to TDR- a trip report- COMPLETE

[StayAwake]

I stumbled upon the Theater Orleans and almost every seat was already filled, so I figured out the show was about to start, and I grabbed one just a few minutes before "Minnie Oh Minnie" was about to start.

This was a fun show with lots of energetic music, dancers & characters. If there was a plot, I didn't understand it, but that was OK.
Here are just a couple of photos:







Then it was on to a classic:





I enjoyed my romp, sacking and plundering along with the fun loving pirates, and returned to the sunshine to find the Disneyland band playing just outside the entrance. I enjoyed their last song, and then I headed back to Westernland to use my Big Thunder FP, and had to stop for another snack break:



This was really good. It completely erased the horrible Soy Sauce & Butter popcorn from earlier.

The sun was starting to set as I climbed to the entrance of Big Thunder, and I had to grab a photo:



I got up to the front of the line and... drumroll... front row! I've never had a day where I've had front row on all three mountains, so that was an awesome Disney moment. I also got to breathe a sigh of relief as the cars for this ride were the same as the American versions, so I had no problems with the lap bar.

After Riding Big Thunder I realized that I hadn't tried the lottery for the shows yet. I headed across the hub and got a picture of the castle.



Scrumplings dumplings



I thought these were only for the summer, so I was super excited to find them being sold in a stand near the hub. I really loved the mango & purple sweet potato flavors and the banana one was OK too.

Sadly, I was not a winner for either of the Disneyland shows. I wanted some dinner, but with the sun setting I was also starting to get cold. As I wandered around, all of the table-service options had really long lines, so I decided I'd head to Ikspiari and have some real Japanese Ramen at Ippudo Ramen. I was able to point to what I wanted on the menu, but then the server had a question for me that I just couldn't answer. It had to do with a scale of something, but I couldn't figure out what the something was. Finally she was able to dig up an English menu that had seen better days and then the mystery became clear. The question was: How firm did I want my noodles?

Here is my steaming bowl of deliciousness, accompanied by a Kirin Lemon, which I was quickly growing addicted to.



Yes, I could have stayed at Disneyland and eaten at China Voyager, but this had the benefit of indoor seating, as well as letting me get out and explore the Downtown Disney equivalent for a little bit. After eating, I headed back to the hotel and enjoyed the holiday fireworks from the comfort of my warm hotel room. Then it was off to bed. I was going to try the running of the Toy Story Mania FP in the morning, so I needed a good night's sleep.

 

[StayAwake]

Tokyo DisneySea, take 2! Nothing that has been written about the madness that is the Toy Story Mania FP run can possibly compare to the experience of actually living it. The closest thing I can come to is when I've run the RunDisney half-marathons in Florida & California during the first mile or so, surrounded by 20,000+ people who are all going in the same direction at different speeds, weaving in and out to get the most of every gap in the crowd. That's how it felt. I actually had to repeat to myself "Don't run, don't run, don't run" because the energy of the crowd sweeps you along. It was madness, but absolutely thrilling. Here are a few pictures to give you a peek into this craziness.



One hour before the gates open, and here's where I am in line.



The turnstiles are open and the craziness begins.



Here the crowd gets moved into roped lines and narrowed from 10+ people across to 2 across. The Japanese lack-of-space personal bubble becomes very apparent as everyone is jostling for position.


Success!!!



The folks on the right, where I am, have gotten their FPs. The folks on the left- at least 10 people wide for several blocks, are still waiting to get theirs.j

My next stop was to try the lottery.



Success!!!

On to Magellans for a Priority Seating spot. I was hoping for dinner, but that was all booked up already, but I was able to get a lunch reservation, so I said yes.

Now that all of that had been accomplished, I could start riding some rides.

 

[StayAwake]

Where else would I go next but...



There was a 35 minute posted wait, which was pretty accurate. There were lots of interesting things to look at in the queue, so between those and reading a book on my phone, I passed the time pretty quickly.



I made it through the pre-show, and into the second line, and sure enough, first row of the first car. I get my backpack stashed and the lap bar pulled, and I'm ready for adventure.

And then nothing.

The ride doesn't move forward. The train in front of us moves forward, but ours doesn't leave the loading platform.

I grab the lap bar and tug it down as hard as I can, hoping to get it to click one notch further, as all I can think in this moment is that I'm so fat, I broke the ride. After the problems the day before with Splash Mountain, this doesn't seem completely out of the question. I try to calm myself down by thinking about how the CMs wouldn't let me get to this point in the ride if my size was an issue- they would have pulled me out of line like they did at Splash. But since I have almost no Japanese, I have no idea what is being announced by the CM at the loading station. Are we going to be here a minute? 5? More? How am I going to figure out what is happening? I have no choice but to be patient and realize that one of two things will happen: either the ride will start and we'll go, or the CMs will come and unlock the lap restraints and get us out, at which point I can just follow the leader.

Since my phone was safely tucked away and I wasn't wearing a watch, I have no idea how long we waited. Another CM went walking along the ride cars, giving updates to the people on the ride. Sadly, he spoke no English and I didn't have enough Japanese to know what he was saying. He made a hand motion that I interpreted as "wait". No problem! I can't go anywhere, anyhow.

We waited and waited, and then he came back down the cars again, and this time made a gesture that seemed to imply we were going to go. I said "go?" He nodded. And indeed, that was the right translation, as suddenly the cars moved forward away from the loading station. We were finally on our way.

I had been trying to keep quiet on rides, since I understood that was the Japanese custom, but when we got to the surprise at the end, I couldn't help but join in with the yelling and cheering that was happening with the Japanese girls who were in the 2nd and 3rd row of the ride vehicle. I clapped my hands and soon we were all clapping with how great the ride was.

As we unloaded, the CMs were speaking to us. Assuming it was the normal "don't forget your stuff" spiel, I started to head toward the exit, when my path was blocked by a CM. She motioned for me and the other girls to walk down a different tunnel, where there were a bunch of other people in line. I had no clue what was happening, but figured since no one else seemed upset, I would just keep following people until I figured out what was going on.

It turned out that the girls had a bit of English, and we all spoke Disney. One of them started the conversation by pointing to my sweatshirt and saying "Tinkerbell", then showing me that she was wearing Tinkerbell earrings. Once we knew we had character love in common, we were able to have a halting conversation. They helped me understand that we were being sent back to the loading zone, to get to ride again without having to go through the queue, since there had been a problem where we got stuck. Awesome! I was happy to ride again. They were very impressed that I was from the US and traveling all by myself. They had come from several different cities near Kyoto. This was such a fun conversation and made me realize how much I had been missing the ability to chat with others in line.

When we got to the loading spot, I went to say "ichi" and got corrected by one of my new friends. She had an extended conversation with the CM, and it turns out was insisting that I ride with them, since they were a group of 3. We went through a second time, and even though I knew the surprise, it was still a thrilling ride and one of the highlights of my trip to Toyko Disney Resort.

At the exit we went our separate ways, and I headed to Lost River Delta





As at Splash Mountain, I went to the Fast Pass Return line for Indiana Jones and said "Single Rider" and they nodded and let me through. I was a little worried about being pulled out of line again, but made it safely to the front of the line, where there were 5 or so people ahead of me in the single rider line. I waited around 5 minutes before boarding a buggy. These were the same as the vehicles in Disneyland and so I had no issues with the restraints. I breathed a sigh of relief and was off.

After finishing that ride, I wandered over to Raging Spirits. As I watched people on the ride, I noticed it had an over the head/chest harness, similar to those on Rockin Rollercoaster and other rollercoasters with inversions. These are hit and miss for me because of my cup size, and after the stress I had put myself under worrying about Journey to the Center of the Earth, I decided I just didn't want to risk waiting and then being turned away. Instead, I decided to check out Mermaid Lagoon, which I had only seen from a distance during the first night.

This was a happy coincidence as I discovered the Ariel popcorn bucket was being sold here. I had an Ariel fan back home who needed one of these, so I got in line, all the while admiring the beautiful stained glass in this cart. This level of craftsmanship for something as simple as a popcorn stand helped to cement for my why DisneySea is the most beautiful Disney Park I've ever been to.



The Lagoon was a visual feast.









And this is essentially the kiddie area. Incredible.

I worked my way back through Mount Prometheus to go check out Port Discovery and try to get a FP for Storm Rider. I was thirsty, and stopped at a vendor to grab something to drink. I decided on the famous Milk Tea, as I was curious about it and was very surprised to get a warm plastic bottle handed to me. For some reason, I just assumed it would be cold. I enjoyed it quite a bit, especially since the temps were in the high 40s and low 50s.



The FP return times for Stormrider were right in the middle of my lunch reservation, and I was nervous that I wouldn't make it through the standby line in time, so instead I thought I'd keep exploring.

 

[StayAwake]

One of those Donald Duck life preserver shaped shrimp buns had been on my must try list, but as I passed the stand the line was quite long and I was a tad worried I wouldn't be hungry enough for lunch. So I decided to keep going. Spoiler alert: I never made it back.

I headed into Cape Cod, to do some sightseeing and get a Shellie Mae and a Gelatoni to bring home. This was the first major purchase in a shop, and I was surprised at all the questions the CM had for me, most of which I had no clue about what she was saying. I was able to figure out that she wanted to know if I wanted the tags cut off, and when I said no, she then put them in the shopping bag and placed tape across the opening. Every time I bought something from a shop going forward, they always placed tape across the opening. I'd love some insight as to this practice, if anyone knows? They also gave me extra bags for all my purchases that were tucked into the bag. I assume that was for gift giving, but not sure.











I did a little double-take at the D. B. Cooperage, because DB Cooper was the epithet used by a famous hijacker in 1971 in the US. That seemed like a strange person for the imagineers to use, but here it was.

I still had a little time before my lunch reservation, so I decided to try seeing DisneySea from the water on the Transit Steamer Line. I was originally given row 6, which was a hand gesture that confused me as it was all 5 fingers of the one hand and the pointer finger of the other pressed into the palm. But then, after I sat down, a CM came and had me get off the boat and brought me back up to, you guessed it, row 1.


Leaving the American Waterfront/Cape Cod area



Cape Cod from the steamer



Port Discovery from the steamer

I then used another form of Disney transport, the Electric Railway. This beautiful mural is from the Port Discovery station.



I disembarked at the American Waterfront Station, and started to make my way back to Mount Prometheus, when I managed to find the cool new handwashing station in Waterfront Park.





Mickey soap!

I was now ready for my most anticipated meal of my stay in Tokyo.

As I crossed from Mediterranean Harbor back to Mysterious Island, I caught the tail end of the holiday show that was done in the harbor. Here's the boat bringing Santa to the party.



I also grabbed a FP for Journey to the Center of the Earth

 

[StayAwake]

Now, Magellan's. There's probably not much to be said that hasn't already been said by those more eloquent than me. This was one of the best meals I've ever eaten, although I'd rank it below both of my dining experiences at Victoria & Albert's. The service was impeccable and the themeing of the restaurant is heads above V&A's. I'm just going to leave the pictures here for you to drool over, but feel free to ask any questions you have.

 

[wanderlust7]

I am loving all the language and cultural tidbits!

After reading your post about ordering ramen, I went and looked it up. Apparently, for some ramen styles, they will even ask you how thick you want the soup. I don't think I'll remember the phrases used, even if I did, I might not understand it when a native speaker says it. So - I'm just going to remember "zenbu futsuu", everything normal!

Great to know about the hand signals for numbers. I looked that up and for numbers 6-9, the fingers after 5 will always be against the palm of the other hand.

About the tape on the bag for purchases, I read about that and it's for proof that you already paid. I read that at convenience stores, if you only have 1 item, they will ask if just tape is ok (i.e. no bag, they will just stick a little piece of tape on the item).

 

[Lady Marie]

I agree with @wanderlust7 -- the cultural tidbits are great and super helpful for those of us planning trips!

 

[BrianL]

Wow! This trip report is giving me chills and getting me SO EXCITED! I can tell that everything I have heard about TDR is not exaggerated and that it truly is one of the most impressive Disney resorts. I'm glad you had so much fun!

I'll be following in your footsteps in less than 6 weeks!

 

[Agent 86]

Reading this report brings back so many happy memories!

I think the tape on the bag is just evidence that you purchased the item inside the bag. As they seem to give everyone extra bags (this is in case some or all of what you're buying are gifts for others), I'm guessing it prevents anyone from using the "spare bags" to fill with items which they haven't purchased (although with the low crime rate in Japan, I'm not sure that is a major concern).

Your stickers and note from Magellans are so cute! I'm jealous that I didn't get any when we dined there.

 

[StayAwake]

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.

I'm so sorry I missed your post when you first made it. And I have to say that you are very brave. I've come to the conclusion that I won't ride other animals. They're just too unpredictable.

I am loving all the language and cultural tidbits!

After reading your post about ordering ramen, I went and looked it up. Apparently, for some ramen styles, they will even ask you how thick you want the soup. I don't think I'll remember the phrases used, even if I did, I might not understand it when a native speaker says it. So - I'm just going to remember "zenbu futsuu", everything normal!

Great to know about the hand signals for numbers. I looked that up and for numbers 6-9, the fingers after 5 will always be against the palm of the other hand.

About the tape on the bag for purchases, I read about that and it's for proof that you already paid. I read that at convenience stores, if you only have 1 item, they will ask if just tape is ok (i.e. no bag, they will just stick a little piece of tape on the item).

Thanks wanderlust7! It makes me feel better that my mistakes can be used by someone else to learn. And regarding the ramen, I should have just remembered that whatever the scale is, just choose the middle. It might not be the best, but it probably won't be the worst either. I think "everything normal" captures that spirit perfectly.

This was really the only hand signal that threw me, but since I kept getting put in the first row, I didn't get a lot of other ones. LOL. But it does feel nice to get it right the first time. I always have a little extra pleasure when I am able to communicate successfully, despite the limitations.

That's good to know about the tape- I guess I assumed it was something like that. It's a good thing no one caught me sneaking my ShellieMae and Gelatoni out of the bag for a selfie with me in Cape Cod! They did go right back in, but I had to take one.

I agree with @wanderlust7 -- the cultural tidbits are great and super helpful for those of us planning trips!

Thanks Lady Marie! I'm glad to help! Thanks for reading.

Wow! This trip report is giving me chills and getting me SO EXCITED! I can tell that everything I have heard about TDR is not exaggerated and that it truly is one of the most impressive Disney resorts. I'm glad you had so much fun!

I'll be following in your footsteps in less than 6 weeks!

I'm really excited for you, BrianL! There is a lot to love about TDR, there is no question. I'm going to summarize some lessons learned/recommendations at the end of the report, but overall I was pleased at how easy things were considering the language barriers. While there were a few worrisome moments and a few times when I just couldn't figure out what was being asked, the Japanese people I interacted with were unfailingly kind, polite, and gracious about my limitations, and really made my trip special.

Now a question for you reading along. I did take part of a day to go into Tokyo during this trip. Would people be interested in my thoughts about that and seeing some pictures, or would you rather I stick to TDR?

 

[StayAwake]

Reading this report brings back so many happy memories!

I think the tape on the bag is just evidence that you purchased the item inside the bag. As they seem to give everyone extra bags (this is in case some or all of what you're buying are gifts for others), I'm guessing it prevents anyone from using the "spare bags" to fill with items which they haven't purchased (although with the low crime rate in Japan, I'm not sure that is a major concern).

Your stickers and note from Magellans are so cute! I'm jealous that I didn't get any when we dined there.

I'm so happy to hear that! TDR is a really special place.

I was glad that they gave the spare bags, as I took some I got on this day and brought them to rope drop the next day so I wouldn't be sitting directly on the cold concrete.

The stickers were so cute and sweet! I have them saved to go in my scrapbook- I couldn't bear to wear them as they were so special to me. They actually came from 2 different cast members. It seemed a little like the CMs were taking turns waiting on me so they could practice their English, as all the other tables seemed to have the same CM, but mine kept changing. It was also really cute how they insisted that I take both kinds of bread- they didn't even give me a choice, where at other tables that had Japanese diners they were making them choose one or the other. Magellan's was expensive but it was absolutely worth it. And you can dine there for much less money than I did- I had to pick the most expensive set on the menu! LOL

 

[Agent 86]

Magellan's was expensive but it was absolutely worth it. And you can dine there for much less money than I did- I had to pick the most expensive set on the menu! LOL

I agree. Personally, the all you can eat bread rolls and unlimited drinks still made it good value for me.

A similar dining experience in Australia would cost at least four times as much.

 

[StayAwake]

Back to the TR. I had to hustle just a tiny bit to get to my next destination that was going to be more fun than a barrel of monkeys!















Since I was by myself on my side of the car, I didn't have much competition.



But for the first time ever, I got this:



Best in vehicle!!!



Why yes Buzz, that was an amazing ride!

Since I don't ride the Tower of Terror unless I have to, I instead headed back towards Mediterranean Harbor to try something else new. This was my only really bad bit of timing of the trip. I made it to the gondolas only to be told that they were closed for the water parade. The crowds were pretty thick, so I amused myself with shopping for a bit while waiting for the parade to be over. Pro Tip: The Gondoliers told me to come back about 5 minutes before the end of the parade. That was almost too late, as I ended up in the last gondola when they restarted the line. The earlier you are in line, the longer you get to sit on the nice benches. I'm just saying.

While shopping, I managed my one up close and personal character photo of the trip. One of my good friends loves this character, so I felt extra lucky to get such a good shot.

 

[StayAwake]

I had Big Band Beat tickets at 16:30, so this wasn't quite the sunset cruise that is talked about by many bloggers, but it was still lovely. With the sun setting so early because of the winter, the low afternoon sun gave everything a special glow.



















There was still a little time before I could go in for the show, so it was clearly snack time.



The bacon wrapped rice roll. Now I'm firmly of the opinion that bacon makes everything better, but this is the exception that proves the rule. The bacon had some type of glaze that was very strongly flavored and that I didn't care for. I couldn't even eat half of this before I had to give up. So I switched to something I thought I would enjoy more.



The tropical fruit flavored Mickey popsicle. This was delicious! It totally made the CM's day, because for people who aren't from the midwestern US, it was clearly to cold to eat ice cream/frozen treats. I think she appreciated having a little bit of business. I know it's not the Mickey Ice Cream Bar, but I think these could sell a lot in the US parks.

Finally, it was time.





I knew not to take pictures during the show, but I didn't think taking one of the stage would be a problem. That was wrong. A CM came up and told me no photos in a very stern voice. So now you know. No photos inside the theater!

This was a very enjoyable show. Some of the songs were in English and some in Japanese, and the dancing was fantastic. I was glad I'd had the chance to see it without having to wait in the standby line. It appeared that all the seats on the main floor were distributed via the lottery, and all the people waiting standby had to go upstairs to the balcony.

 

[aussie shaz]

Yes please. I'd love to read about and see your trip into Tokyo.
Just a question. Did you find the shops at the parks busy? I know they're really busy at the end of the day, but during the day, did you have plenty of room to enjoy looking at all the goodies in the stores?

 

[StayAwake]

Just a question. Did you find the shops at the parks busy? I know they're really busy at the end of the day, but during the day, did you have plenty of room to enjoy looking at all the goodies in the stores?

For the most part, yes, the shops were fairly easy to navigate during the day. Exceptions to this at Disney Sea were Aunt Peg's (The Duffy Store) in Cape Cod which was a madhouse at 11 in the morning and Lost River Outfitters in Lost River Delta which had special holiday engravable jewelry and was the only place to offer this and so was also crazy busy during the middle of the day. At Disneyland the shops in World Bazaar were reasonably busy at all times of day that I went by them. But the closer to closing, the more insane the shops close to the entrance got.

 

[StayAwake]

The sun had set while I was in Big Band Beat, and I was getting hungry, so dinner was next on my mind. Luckily, I wasn't far from my dinner destination.



Apologies- I know some of these pictures are not the best quality. The lighting here made it difficult to get good pictures of the lounge itself.

To get to the lounge, you go to the S S Columbia, climb the staircase and enter the ship. If you're lucky, you will walk through a covered walkway that runs alongside the ship (like a promenade deck) and after going inside, take an immediate right into the lounge. If you're me, you'll join the line of 40 or so people that has wrapped itself along the deck area and settle in for a half an hour wait. I'm not sure if it was a staffing issue, as the table next to mine was empty for most of the time I was in the lounge. I'm also not sure if you'd need to wait if you wanted to sit at the bar, because there were numerous bar stools open during the time I was in the lounge. But since I didn't have enough Japanese to ask these questions, I just played follow the leader, and eventually got my table.









The lounge did have a special set for the holidays, which I was going to order, but when I asked my server what was in the special holiday drink, she had enough English to understand the question and tell me Jagermeister among other things, so I decided to pass.



Instead, I perused the extensive cocktail list. How extensive? I'm glad you asked!













I was wildly curious about many of the choices on the menu, but without in-park wi-fi, I didn't want to spend my limited international data plan on that. So I stuck with something I was familiar with and ordered the French Martini. But next time, I'm tempted to just take all my money and drink my way through a good chunk of the list.



Now, to food!



The pastrami sandwich with fries. The sandwich was good and tasty, but the fries were so delicious. It was one of the few times I really could have gone for a larger portion size. I'm a big eater, and a big person, and was a bit nervous about all the warnings about small portion sizes. But I felt that I got plenty to eat between snacks and meals.

I also ordered dessert, because there was a choice that really appealed to me.



Cheesecake with Cassis (Black Currant) sauce & Cassis ice cream. I have missed Cassis ice cream every day since I moved back to the US from a summer spent in France. And while slightly different than the French version, it was just as good as I remembered. The cheesecake was different from a US style cheesecake, but it was also very good.

With my tummy full, and my feet quite tired, I decided to skip my FP and just head back to my hotel room. I had already seen Fantasmic! and so hoped to see the fireworks from my cosy warm room instead. On the way out, I wanted to stop and try to pick up the Little Green Alien dumplings, which I was sure were found at Mama Biscotti's bakery. Nope, I was wrong. But since I waited in line to get to the front before realizing I was wrong, I picked up something for breakfast the next day instead.



A Mickey Muffin. They were able to wrap this for me "to go" but the package was a bit awkward. It was quite delicious in the morning, so the fact it got banged around a bit wasn't the end of the world.

 

[BrianL]

Pooh, was Magellan's hard to get into? I think I want to eat there, but I notice they really only do reservations for the dinner show places. THey have something called "Priority Seating." Did you use that and can you explain how that worked? Thanks!

 

[StayAwake]

Pooh, was Magellan's hard to get into? I think I want to eat there, but I notice they really only do reservations for the dinner show places. THey have something called "Priority Seating." Did you use that and can you explain how that worked? Thanks!

Yes, what I did was Priority Seating. I went to the restaurant early in the morning after rope drop. There was a CM at a podium outside the doors. There was one couple ahead of me in line, so I waited my turn and then asked for 1 person for dinner. She told me there was no dinner, and then showed me her list of all of the dinner times that was filled in. She asked if I wanted lunch, and I said yes. I then got to choose from the available times on her sheet. Each slot listed how many people could be at the table. Once I chose my time, she typed my name, my time, the number of people, and some other information into her computer and then printed me a ticket. So it was a bit like having a FP, except it had my name on it. When I returned at my scheduled time, I showed my ticket to the CM. They took it and asked me to be seated. I waited between 5 and 10 minutes, and then a CM came and got me to take me to my table. Most of the people they would just call out their names, but since many Americans can't pronounce my last name, I'm sure she didn't know how to say it and didn't want to make either of us embarrassed.

If you didn't get a Priority Seating ticket, you could just show up at the restaurant during the mealtime and hope there was a table free, or that you wouldn't have a long wait, but I don't know how long you'd have to wait. There were many tables open during lunch when I was there, although it was a fairly low crowd time. I didn't wander over there during dinner, so I'm not sure how hard a walk-up would be. Probably like most things at Disney, the better you can do at hitting it at off-peak hours, the better your chances.

So it was very painless to use the Priority Seating process, except for having to make time to do it instead of doing something else right away. It was my 3rd stop of the morning (after TSM FP and Big Band Beat Lottery). I think if you were going there right away you'd probably have even better luck during a low crowd time. I don't think everyone had to be there to make the reservation, so if you've got more than one person in your party, you could send one to get FP and another to get your Priority Seating time. And the lunch menu in general was cheaper than the dinner menu (except the special set that I got which was the same price either time), and you still got the amazing service and the fantastic interior.

Agent 86 or anyone else who's dined at Magellan's want to share their experiences also?

 

[Agent 86]

I did the same as StayAwake. I headed to Magellan's as soon as the gates opened (my partner bravely offered to get Fast Passes for Toy Story Mania which I think he regretted when he was swallowed by a sea of hundreds and stood in line for over 45 minutes).

From memory, I was the second person to arrive at Magellan's. We wanted lunch, so it was easy to book the first timeslot which was 11:30am from memory. We wanted to savour the experience, hence the early timeslot.

We arrived just before 11:30am, were asked to wait in a small seating section for maybe five minutes and then taken into the restaurant. We were guided to the "secret dining room" which we ABSOLUTELY appreciated, BUT as it was our first time dining at Magellan's we wanted to experience the main dining room. After some confusing miming and broken English discussions (which I hope the cast members didn't interpret as rudeness), we were seated under the big globe. And then I ate about 20 bread rolls and drank about five glasses of coke, three iced coffees and a glass of water (together with the actual meal).

On our third (park hopper) day, we tried to make dinner reservations at Ristorante Di Canaletto, but they were all taken. So, we just went back at around 4:30pm, waited for five minutes and were then given a table. I think it was only so quick and easy because we chose to have dinner very early. We once again took our time eating and drinking (i.e. we weren't rushed out because we didn't have a reservation) and we ended up taking even longer as my legs kept cramping after spending almost three hours in line that afternoon for the Tower of Terror! So, I kept having to get up and walk around outside. A little embarrassing, but hopefully the cast members weren't too annoyed by my constant disappearances when they're trying to organise the meals and serve them while still hot.