StasSagdeyev
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Feb 29, 2016
Hi!
Me and my wife visited Tokyo Disneyland on the 30th of December 2015. She is Japanese so she had been there many times. I, however, had been dreaming about this trip for many years. First, we were planning to spend one day in Disneyland and another one at DisneySea but since we didn't really have much time it was decided to save a DisneySea trip for another time.
So, whatever I'm gonna tell you is based on our visit during a very "packed" time of the year for Disneyland Tokyo.
I guess, while considering a trip to any Disney park or resort, the first thing people are concerned about is "Is it worth it?". It's completely clear why. Often, you have to travel quite far to get to the place you've been dreaming about. So, I want to make a point here. If you are a Disney fan, a trip to Tokyo Disneyland is definitely worth it. No Disney park is the same. Yes, they are alike, all magical but not the same. Plus, Sachiko claims that Japanese Disney stuff is much friendlier than in any other Disney park. There are, however things you have to keep in mind when going to Disneyland in Tokyo.
Well, very first advice I'd give to those planning their trip is - please, don't go there when it's a holiday or pre-holiday time. We didn't have much choice because we came to Japan just for two weeks and the only possibility was the 30th of December. And please, come early. You will be amazed how many people are already there, even if you arrive some considerable time before they start letting everybody in.
From the early morning, things I saw were VERY different from what I remember from visiting Disneyland Paris in 1998. The amount of people is incredible! Even just to buy some popcorn, you need to spend about 25-30 minutes in line. It is important, right upon your arrival, to go and grab a fastpass (or the fastpasses, if you're not alone) for one of the most popular rides, it will save you a lot of time and, most importantly, will be your insurance for getting into certain rides (more on that later).
My estimate for fully enjoying one park (Disneyland only) in a relaxed manner is 3 (or minimum 2) days.
Next, you absolutely have to bring something to eat with you, unless you are happy just eating ice-cream. The closest to the "real" food you can get, if you only want to spend 25-30 minutes in line is turkey legs. The number of turkey legs carts is quite limited but demand is pretty high. All of the restaurants are packed too. The lines go outside and when we saw them we really wished we had taken something from home.
Anyway, we accepted a challenge in Toontown area where Huey, Dewey & Louie's Good Time Cafe really caught my eye. My DuckTales nostalgia took over and we spent about 40 minutes in line.
We liked everything but it's really hard to judge when you're that hungry
As I mentioned before, it is important to get fastpasses. In our case, we were lucky to grab them for Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek. This ride is still pretty new (opened in April 2009), therefore, people tend to go there no matter what, so, in the afternoon it was only available for those who had fastpasses on them. Regular gate was closed.
I don't wanna spoil it for anybody, since you have to have your own opinion about Disneyland rides based on your own impression, however, Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek is an absolute must for Monsters, Inc. fans but If you don't care so much about "the Pixar part" of Disney, you might want to consider spending your valuable time on things like "Big Thunder Mountain" or "Space Mountain". Lines there are incredible too. We had to wait for about 3 hours to get into "Space Mountain". No kidding.
Any Disneyland is always a paradise for a Disney collector. A lot of stores here. If you plan to spend a lot of money in Disneyland (and there are things actually worth buying) it will probably take half a day only exploring those shops. It includes standard selection merchandise stores like Disney Emporium, as well as some very fancy ones. A store in the castle has some very beautiful and exquisite Disney statues. Some of them are made just in front of you.
In the evening, it's really worth watching an epic seasonal castle projection show called "Once upon a time". Iconic images and sequences are projected on the front of the castle accompanied by a wonderful soundtrack compiled from the famous Disney songs plus the opening song "Once Upon A Time" written for the show.
Some of the rides that are not so crowded (since they've been there for years) worth attending include but not limited to Pooh's Hunny Hunt and It's a Small World, even though I guess I slept through the most of "It's a Small World", since my jet lag was conveniently beginning to kick in that day.
So, no matter what, long lines, thousands of people... This was a trip I will always remember.
Me and my wife visited Tokyo Disneyland on the 30th of December 2015. She is Japanese so she had been there many times. I, however, had been dreaming about this trip for many years. First, we were planning to spend one day in Disneyland and another one at DisneySea but since we didn't really have much time it was decided to save a DisneySea trip for another time.
So, whatever I'm gonna tell you is based on our visit during a very "packed" time of the year for Disneyland Tokyo.
I guess, while considering a trip to any Disney park or resort, the first thing people are concerned about is "Is it worth it?". It's completely clear why. Often, you have to travel quite far to get to the place you've been dreaming about. So, I want to make a point here. If you are a Disney fan, a trip to Tokyo Disneyland is definitely worth it. No Disney park is the same. Yes, they are alike, all magical but not the same. Plus, Sachiko claims that Japanese Disney stuff is much friendlier than in any other Disney park. There are, however things you have to keep in mind when going to Disneyland in Tokyo.
Well, very first advice I'd give to those planning their trip is - please, don't go there when it's a holiday or pre-holiday time. We didn't have much choice because we came to Japan just for two weeks and the only possibility was the 30th of December. And please, come early. You will be amazed how many people are already there, even if you arrive some considerable time before they start letting everybody in.
From the early morning, things I saw were VERY different from what I remember from visiting Disneyland Paris in 1998. The amount of people is incredible! Even just to buy some popcorn, you need to spend about 25-30 minutes in line. It is important, right upon your arrival, to go and grab a fastpass (or the fastpasses, if you're not alone) for one of the most popular rides, it will save you a lot of time and, most importantly, will be your insurance for getting into certain rides (more on that later).
My estimate for fully enjoying one park (Disneyland only) in a relaxed manner is 3 (or minimum 2) days.
Next, you absolutely have to bring something to eat with you, unless you are happy just eating ice-cream. The closest to the "real" food you can get, if you only want to spend 25-30 minutes in line is turkey legs. The number of turkey legs carts is quite limited but demand is pretty high. All of the restaurants are packed too. The lines go outside and when we saw them we really wished we had taken something from home.
Anyway, we accepted a challenge in Toontown area where Huey, Dewey & Louie's Good Time Cafe really caught my eye. My DuckTales nostalgia took over and we spent about 40 minutes in line.
We liked everything but it's really hard to judge when you're that hungry
As I mentioned before, it is important to get fastpasses. In our case, we were lucky to grab them for Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek. This ride is still pretty new (opened in April 2009), therefore, people tend to go there no matter what, so, in the afternoon it was only available for those who had fastpasses on them. Regular gate was closed.
I don't wanna spoil it for anybody, since you have to have your own opinion about Disneyland rides based on your own impression, however, Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek is an absolute must for Monsters, Inc. fans but If you don't care so much about "the Pixar part" of Disney, you might want to consider spending your valuable time on things like "Big Thunder Mountain" or "Space Mountain". Lines there are incredible too. We had to wait for about 3 hours to get into "Space Mountain". No kidding.
Any Disneyland is always a paradise for a Disney collector. A lot of stores here. If you plan to spend a lot of money in Disneyland (and there are things actually worth buying) it will probably take half a day only exploring those shops. It includes standard selection merchandise stores like Disney Emporium, as well as some very fancy ones. A store in the castle has some very beautiful and exquisite Disney statues. Some of them are made just in front of you.
In the evening, it's really worth watching an epic seasonal castle projection show called "Once upon a time". Iconic images and sequences are projected on the front of the castle accompanied by a wonderful soundtrack compiled from the famous Disney songs plus the opening song "Once Upon A Time" written for the show.
Some of the rides that are not so crowded (since they've been there for years) worth attending include but not limited to Pooh's Hunny Hunt and It's a Small World, even though I guess I slept through the most of "It's a Small World", since my jet lag was conveniently beginning to kick in that day.
So, no matter what, long lines, thousands of people... This was a trip I will always remember.
