東京ディズニーシー – Tokyo DisneySea

[Original Travel Date: 12/23/2013]

I had often been asked if I had been to Tokyo Disney yet.  Admittedly, I didn’t see much point in going to a theme park in Japan that I had been to before in the States numerous times.  However, it was Christmas season, the family was coming to visit, and it came up as a possible adventure so I thought why not?  I have come to realize now that the Japanese really know how to take things to the next level.

We focused our time on only one of the two parks in Tokyo, namely Tokyo DisneySea.  Unlike Tokyo Disneyland, DisneySea is more of an unique park, one that doesn’t really have a counterpart in America.  I didn’t really know what this meant until we got there of course.

The first thing I must say is that the crowds and lines are RIDICULOUS.  I have never seen masses of people waiting for the doors to open to the park itself, and I have never seen so many people break into a mad rush to get in line for the top attractions.  Nor have I ever seen Fast Passes actually sell out for a ride.  In less than 30 minutes from opening time.

Once we secured fast passes for some top attractions, we were able to relax a bit and take a look around, and Tokyo DisneySea is really a sight to behold.  The level of attention to detail paid was incredible.  Each area was unique with its own theme, character, and design.

The first area we visited was called Mysterious Island, home to rides like Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.  Tokyo DisneySea is also known for selling unique foods and drinks, some of which can only be found in certain areas of the park.  A particular favorite of ours were the “gyoza dogs” found in Mysterious Island.  So addictive and delicious!

Other areas of the park included the Arabian Coast, which was the most beautiful Aladdin-themed place I have ever seen, Lost River Delta, home to the Indiana Jones attraction, and the American Waterfront, known for familiar rides like the Tower of Terror but also for having a unique restaurant contained inside their ship permanently docked at the harbor.  It’s also where the incredibly popular Toy Story attraction is located, but lines are long and fast passes run out within the first 20 minutes from park opening time.

I was amazed by the Mermaid Lagoon, the kiddie-oriented part of the park.  Despite this, the level of detail to this place made it entertaining for even us grown-up kiddies.  To maintain the feeling of being underwater, the entire area is indoors housed in a building beautifully decorated with intricate mosaic.

A personal favorite, however, was definitely the Mediterranean Harbor.  When shown pictures of the area, some of my co-workers thought they were in fact taken in Europe.  The area is free to explore, and contains some wonderful exhibits in some of their buildings, most notably an absolutely stunning “Chamber of Planets”.  The Mediterranean Harbor is also home to one of the best (and popular) dinner restaurants in the park, Magellan’s.

Lastly, we made sure to stay and check out the night light show, which takes place on the water in front of the Mediterranean Harbor.  And since it was close to Christmas, we also made a point of enjoying the abundance of seasonal decorations.

All in all, an exciting albeit a bit stressful with all the crowds way to spend a couple of days doing something other than sightseeing (…or working).