Welcome to the sixth and final part of my Tokyo Disney Resort Summer Trip Report. In this report I am going to discuss Tokyo DisneySea, its theming, attractions, shows, and our observations and thoughts about the park.
I warn you now, this part is extremely long, and you may want to return to this when you have time!
After five massive blog entries we have finally arrived at the one you have all been waiting for the most - Tokyo DisneySea.
In part five we ended at the point where you have arrived at the park entrance. The park entrance plaza is surprisingly compact overall, compared to the amount of usage it receives.
As I already said before, arriving early is advisable if you are travelling in anything but the bleakest of winter.
The park entrance is technically in the Mediterranean Harbor area of the park. Mediterranean Harbor mainly comprises of shops, restaurants and the large expanse of water in the middle of the park where all the major spectaculars happen.
To the right of the entrance is the Hotel Miracosta. The hotel sits at over the entrance to the park and has its own private entry into Mediterranean Harbor for hotel Guests.
Once through the turnstiles, you immediately notice the large rotating globe fountain. Just ahead are the “tunnels” that go under the Miracosta which sits above the Harbor, leading to the main Mediterranean Harbor area, and thus into the park proper.
There are all the usual amenities that you can expect from a Disney Park entrance, and does not offer anything especially interesting, besides the different theming.
The stores around the main entrance plaza area offer a generic array of merchandise from the different areas of the park, and serve much the same purpose as Main Street in the MK style parks.
Through the tunnels and out into the main Harbor area, you cannot help but notice the mountain across the lagoon - Mount Prometheus. Erupting loudly every so often in clouds of fire and smoke, Mount Prometheus is the Park’s icon, and can be seen from most points in the Park.
Wandering around Mediterranean Harbor you will come across even more boutiques, and restaurants that offer a variety of dining options. Attractions in this area are limited, but include the Fortress Explorations and the Venetian Gondolas.
The Fortress sits on the side of Mount Prometheus across the lagoon. Mixing styles from numerous European influences, the castle is stunning in its theming and design. Inside you can find a whole manner of treasures, from murals, activities and tableau’s. The views from the top are good too.
The Venetian Gondolas offer a slightly different experience, and are tucked away around the corner. You can get a unique perspective of a very small section of the Park from the low down water ways that the gondolas traverse, and offer a more sedate option for those finding the heat and crowds too much.
Mediterranean Harbor also has one of the stops for the DisneySea transit Steamer Line, which I shall discuss a little later.
Overall the theming of Mediterranean Harbor is extremely detailed and presented.
Once per day there is a spectacular show presented on the water called Legend of Mythica. To be honest I am not entirely sure what this show is about. The Japanese shows are very confusing at best. It basically involved the Disney characters coming out on large barges designed to look like mythical creatures, and unlocking some mystery or legend (the legend of Mythica). What the legend was actually about though I’m not sure. There seemed to be a lot of music and the characters did some dancing while their barges move past you on the water. The outfits are neat, and the show is definitely very cool to see. The barges are extravagant and the setting against Mount Prometheus couldn’t be more grand. I would recommend this show to everyone just for the colourful and impressive nature of it, and for the Disney characters in neat costumes, even if you can’t understand it!
Of an evening they also hold another water based show in the lagoon called BraviSEAmo. BraviSEAmo is another of those “I’ve no idea what this is about but it look cool” shows. The only character appearance is a brief moment where Mickey comes out on a boat and says something before going back in again.
Using water fountains and some impressive “puppets” (not sure what else to call them) the show is entirely water, fire and light based. Large creatures representing fire and water emerge from the lagoon and fall in love (apparently according to the programme guide). Although not the most spectacular show, it was neat to see once. The show is actually being replaced and to my knowledge had its final performance just recently. Next year a brand new show will open called Fantasmic, and is expected to be a cross between the Fantasmic from the US parks, and the World of Color from DCA.
When you are in the park, your natural instinct will want to take you up to Mount Prometheus, and although you can get across the park in a number of ways, I think your curiosity will drive you towards exploring the depths of this fiery mountain.
As you walk up past the ancient Grecian ruins be sure to look out for Hercules! He makes appearances from time to time around there, and is an incredibly rare character to the other ten Disney Parks of the world.
As you draw nearer, take a moment to look over the terraces back towards the Mediterranean Harbor and you will be treated to some cool views. You will also notice from these vantage points the Tower of Terror and the large steam ship sitting beyond the Harbor in American Waterfront.
Entering under the cavern-like archway into the enclosed bubbling volcanic spring water basin, you will notice the gangways and machinery installed across the mountainside. With loud volcanic sounds and geysers gushing up from the springs, accompanied by the drilling equipment and the docked submarine, you know you have entered somewhere quite mysterious… Welcome to Mysterious Island.
Mysterious Island is takes its inspiration from the great novelist Jules Verne, and his stories of futuristic travel and exploration. Mysterious Island uses a lot of design elements seen at Disneyland Paris, such as lamps, snack cart theming and signs.
Mysterious Island has just two major attraction, and two restaurants. It also has a small boutique and a number of snack carts.
The first attraction, and probably the most popular in the whole park, is Journey to the Center of the Earth.
This ride, like Pooh’s Hunny Hunt and Monsters Inc in TDL Park, can attract lines in excess of 200 minutes within an hour of park opening.
The theming and setting is second to none. Set inside Mount Prometheus itself, deep down in the fiery depths of the Earth, ‘Journey’ is a mixture of thrill ride and dark ride. After queuing through what seems like an eternity, you end up at some doors. You travel down in an elevator to a lower level where you board your drilling vehicles. As you set off you see some amazing rock and crystal formations, then things get a bit dark and mysterious, and you come face to face with an amazing subterranean life form the size of a small house. This animatronic is probably one of the best Disney has ever created. The disaster! The mountain erupts, and you are sent hurtling through the dark caverns and come to a grinding halt back in the loading area.
Sounds pretty neat doesn’t it? Well it is, with one major exception - the ride is way too short. All this happens in about two or three minutes. The build up is the main part of the ride, and the thrill bit just, well happens. You get sent off rushing through the tunnels only to find that after two bends the ride is over. The sudden stop in the ride and no real conclusion is a massive let down, and certainly not worth the 200 minute waits. Of course I would go on it again, but we had to wait half an hour with FastPasses alone and I probably wouldn’t even wait that long in the future. I would recommend it definitely if you have time to spare, or if you really can’t resist the lure of the incredible setting, but I will only go on it again if I can get FastPasses and wait no more than 15 minutes.
The only other attraction in Mysterious Island is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. This ride is nearly as popular as Journey, but not quite as much. Normally FastPasses are still available a couple of hours after park open, and the lines are still relatively short for the first hour. I personally loved this ride. We managed to go on it twice, and is only one of three attractions (not including shows or parades) in the entire of Tokyo Disney that we went on more than once (one being Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, the other being Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage which we’ll come to later).
20,000 Leagues is another dark ride attraction that is based on the Verne novel of the same name. To get down to the loading area of your submarine, you have to go down a winding gangway into the rock face, then through the offices of Captain Nemo. Once at the loading area, you board your very own mini submarine. Seating up to six people they are dark and small, and not for the claustrophobic! Nonetheless, you sit on benches looking out of portholes. It sort of equates to the Nemo Subs at DL CA, but the vehicles are on a much tinier scale. The other major difference is that they are not set in the water, but are on a guide rail much like that used for Peter Pan’s Flight.
The subs set off and you are submerged into the dark and mysterious undersea world. You pass through lost treasure troves, sunken ships and other delights, before encountering the Kraken! Following your electrifying visit with the giant squid, you find yourself in an unfamiliar realm - you have discovered the lost city of Atlantis! Come face to face with Atlantians and discover their magical home, before resurfacing again.
This attraction is one of my favourites from the whole trip and I highly recommend it to everybody. It is a long ride too, which makes up for the poor experience of Journey.
From within the crater of Mount Prometheus, you now have a number of options. You can head back out to Med Harbor to walk down to American Waterfront, or you can head directly to Port Discovery, or you can head in the other direction and go to Mermaid Lagoon. We shall continue our tour though by going to Mermaid Lagoon.
As you turn right down the passageway, you will emerge onto a more open area where ahead of you in the distance you may notice some Arabian style turrets, a waterway beside you, and over to your left an unusual structure that resembles a castle but made of shells.
Mermaid Lagoon is a “two part” land, as it has an outdoor area with attractions, and an indoor area with attractions.
The outdoor area comprises of a small coaster similar to the Barnstormer and Go Coasters, Ariel’s meet ‘n’ greet grotto, and spinning attraction similar to that of the Slinky Dog Spin in Walt Disney Studios Paris.
The bulk of Mermaid Lagoon is made of a massive indoor complex that is superbly themed, colourful and provides a welcome escape from the intense summer heat. Once down inside the main area of Triton’s Kingdom, there are a number of attractions. Jumpin’ Jellyfish is a vertical drop attraction more or less identical to that in California Adventure (DCA), Blowfish Balloon race is a spinning elevated ride much the same as Flik’s Flyers in DCA, The Whirlpool which is basically the Tea Cups, and a small children’s play area.
Mermaid Lagoon Theater hosts a short musical Little Mermaid show. The show is performed almost completely in the air above the audience and features some neat puppetry.
There is also a counter service restaurant that serves ocean themed fast food, and three main gift shops that all run into one really).
Across the river from Mermaid Lagoon sits the desert market town of Arabian Coast. Built from stone and tile, and complete with minarets Arabian Coast is home to some unique treasures.
There are three main attractions here. The first is Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage (yes, the spelling of Sindbad is correct even though we don‘t normally spell it that way) which is a boat ride through the adventures and travels of Sindbad and his tiger Chandu. It is a very similar experience overall to “it’s a small world” - slow moving boats, musical scenes with singing dolls, but has of course an Arabian twist. Some of the scenes are very detailed and overall we really liked this ride, especially Jon. Lines are never very long.
The other attraction here is The Magic Lamp Theater. This is a mixed live action and 3D show about the Genie from Aladdin. The story basically involves a magician who wants to become all powerful (sound familiar?), but in the end is defeated by the Genie and the magician’s assistant. It is an interesting show, not amazing, but interesting, and definitely worth seeing if you are curious as to how live actors can interact with 3D projections. Line lengths can vary, but overall never very long.
Opening next year is Jasmine’s Magic Carpets (name subject to change), which is basically a copy of the carpet ride form both Florida and Paris.
The third attraction is Caravan Carousel, which for the most part is a normal carousel, but is unique in that it is two storeys.
For the last two summers the courtyard area has been host to a special night time event called the Bon Fire Dance. The stage is set up in the middle of the courtyard and views are available the whole way round, but the characters do tend to be more towards the south side. Basically, from what we could understand (as with all the shows in Tokyo Disney Resort, the storyline was fast paced, confusing, and in some cases seemingly non-existent!) the Sultan was upset about something (I figured the fire going out, but who knows), and Aladdin and Jasmine decide to restart it with the help of their friends. They call in the help of Mickey and Minnie, and some dancers who then all frantically run around the centre stage chanting, singing and dancing (to a very neat and catchy song I have to say!) and each time they pause, the bon fire in the middle gains more strength until the end when it roars into full life. The Sultan returns (atop a building with the Genie in tow no less) and all is good.
Going back to what I said in an earlier report, the Japanese will wait for hours for something, and this is no exception. The special seasonal events like Bon fire Dance are the biggest example of this. We literally, no kidding, saw people waiting from around 9am to see this show, bearing in mind it is a night time show, and the first one (there were two nightly) wasn’t until 7pm. Luckily we had a lovely Japanese friend who “knew the system”, and we were able to get in with her at the last minute both times we saw it, and get good spaces to watch it.
Wandering back over the bridge, past Mermaid Lagoon, and heading round to the right you leave the desert and the underwater kingdom and enter the dense jungle. Here you will find hidden temples, lost treasures and ancient curses - you have entered the Lost river Delta.
There are two main attractions here; both are copies from other parks. The first is the Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull, which is the same as in California (albeit with some minor details inside and the facade). The second is raging Spirits, which is the roller coaster from Adventureland in Disneyland Paris. Of course both attractions have a bit more theming here, and look better - this is DisneySea after all, but the overall ride experiences are the same.
Lost River Delta is also home to a stage show called Mystic Rhythms which we did not get to see, but were informed by people that we weren’t missing much!
Lost River Delta also hosts some unique characters. There are the usual suspects such as Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Minnie - and even Max - in themed outfits, but also the one and only Indiana Jones! He doesn’t have a listed time, but tends to come out around lunch time from what we discovered. He roams around and can be lost very easily, so you have to keep an eye out and be quick to grab him when you do spot him!
The other two characters that feature here on a regular but random basis are Panchito and Jose. They used to meet in EPCOT but left a number of years ago.
Leaving behind the jungles of the world we walk down a pathway and find ourselves at what looks like a futuristic research station on the waterfront. You have entered Port Discovery.
Port Discovery is all about the water and the weather, and has a view out to the sea - literally. There are boats spinning on the water, an electric railway overhead and a large research facility, all making Port Discovery a very energetic place. Once again there are two main attractions here. The first is Aquatopia which involves boats spinning apparently out of control on whirlpools of water round the lagoon in front of the research centre. Sadly we did not get to ride it, but it is on show for all to watch, and looks like a ton of fun. It especially looks cool at night when everything is lit up.
The other attraction is called StormRider. Using a similar technology to that of Star Tours you are sent on a mission to save Port Discovery from certain doom as a massive storm approaches. You are sent up in a specially designed aircraft to intercept the eye of the storm and launch a missile into it that will supposedly diffuse the storm before making landfall. Of course there are always complications along the way, but in the end all is resolved, kind of. I say kind of because at the end the “craft” you are in plunges into the water and then the viewing screen closes up and that’s it, you’re done. So… did we drown? Did we get rescued? It seems a very abrupt ending, but I guess we are left to assume that in typical Disney style we are rescued, but I guess we’ll never know for sure! Lines for this can be especially long, and although is a neat and unique attraction, I wouldn’t waste my time waiting any more than 20mins for it again, or without FastPass.
Port Discovery is also home to the Park’s only Character Dining experience, at the Horizon Bay Restaurant.
The overall theming and details of Port Discovery are neat, and reflect something of a cross between Discoveryland at DLP and the US Tomorrowlands’.
Wandering round the waterfront, down the path and beyond the trees you come to a quant little fishing village complete with a lighthouse and boats on the water - welcome to American Waterfront.
American Waterfront has a number of areas to it. The New York streets, the New York harbour area, and the Cape Cod fishing village. The main attractions at American Waterfront are the Tower of Terror and three stage shows. The Tower of Terror, although we did not ride it, I understand has a different storyline that is to do with a cursed idol. There are also vehicles that travel around the area in the same way that the Main Street Vehicles operate in the other Disney Parks. They also have their own version of Turtle talk with Crush.
The overall theming of American Waterfront is pretty good and it has that moving, busy feel to it that makes it feel more like a typical American city.
The main show in American Waterfront is Big Band Beat (BBB). BBB is housed inside the Broadway Music Theatre. The show is very popular and runs several times per day. Inside the theatre is fairly big and is more akin to a normal theatre than most Disney theatres normally are.
Complete with Disney Characters, jazz music and other performers, BBB is a neat show. I personally can’t see what the massive hype is, as it does get ridiculously busy, but it is a good show nonetheless.
The second major show in American Waterfront is My Friend Duffy. Although this show is nowhere on the scale and scope of BBB, it attracts just as many people and is undoubtedly the highlight of all Japanese visitors day to TDS! The Japanese are totally obsessed with all things Duffy.
Set inside a counter service restaurant, you have to line up early to be able to watch the show, and have to be prepared to order food and eat. You cannot see the show without a purchase, but this can range from just snack to a full meal. Lines are frequently an hour or more to just order your food.
The actual show itself is cute, but nothing spectacular and rather short. It basically involves Mickey’s bear - Duffy - coming to life and them going on (unseen) adventures together.
If there is less than a half hour wait for food then I would say see it, if the line is longer then you are better off doing something else.
The third show in American Waterfront is called Over the Waves. To be honest aside from having something to do with a dream cruise and some stow-a-ways, we have no idea what on Earth this show was about. It involved 1980’s style dancers, a strong man, a rather sprightly elderly couple and the Characters doing lots of frantic running around! Set outdoors in front of the large ship that shares American Waterfront’s skyline with the Tower of Terror, it also can get quite busy, but you can normally get a good spot a short while before.
We have recently heard that this show has now ended. Whether this is just for the holiday seasons that are coming up (Halloween and Christmas have their own offerings, and this was more a summer show), or whether this is permanently gone, I have no idea. Either way, once was enough for us.
So we have now completed our grand circle tour of the most extravagant Disney Park ever built. There are a few other things I would like to mention before finishing up though.
There a number of ways of getting around the park that I haven’t mentioned yet. The DisneySea Transit Steamer Line is a ferry boat system that operates around the park in a clockwise direction. From Med Harbor to the Lost River Delta is a one way trip, and the same from there to Med Harbor. If you board in American WF though, it is a complete round trip with no stops - so more like a ride than transport.
It makes for a nice break and gives your feet a rest. Not the most efficient mode of transport, but you get some cool views from the waterways that you wouldn’t otherwise see.
The other method of transport is the DisneySea Electric Railway. This does one way trips back and forth between American Waterfront and Port Discovery (which really aren’t that far apart). It is elevated so the views are good, and again gives your feet a rest, but again is not the most efficient transport method.
I would say that the vehicles I mentioned before in American WF provide transport, but as far as I could make out, they did not appear to stop but instead made round trips. If anyone knows better then please let me know!
Finally before I give my closing thoughts, there are a couple of entertainment options I want to mention.
Both Arabian Coast and Med Harbor have resident band that play appropriate music at intervals throughout the day.
During the summer they also have something called Chip and Dale’s Cool Service. This was a water based entertainment that featured Chip and Dale, and sometimes Mickey and Goofy aboard boats that travel around the waterways of the park. Their main aim is to soak people and cool them of the summer heat. If you want to watch, they have some cute boats and costumes - but beware, stand too close to the waters edge and you WILL get soaked! They are armed with water cannons and are not afraid to use them liberally at all who are in range!
Despite the Park’s astounding theming and detail, it lacked something for us. When we visit the Disney Parks in the US and France we feel “at home”. There is something welcoming and inviting about those parks that makes you have that “let’s just sit here and stay a while” feeling. I can quite happily spend hours wandering round Disneyland Paris, the Magic Kingdom or Disneyland just doing nothing in particular, and I feel happy and at home. But DisneySea really lacks that friendly feeling. The theming and expensive feel to the park make it more like a museum where you can’t touch anything rather than a family and fan friendly theme park. It’s like the difference between having the best friend you do everything with (Disneyland) and the friend who you don’t see so often who you are unsure of, and you never quite “get them” - that‘s DisneySea.
What doesn’t help are all the totally wild and ridiculous rules (that I discussed previously) and intense cultural expectations and structure to the Japanese way of life. They just do not go with operating a Disney theme park. Through all its sophisticated technology, theming, and no expense spared look, DisneySea is not our favourite park - that title is still held by Disneyland Park at Disneyland Paris, and I challenge Disney to make another park that matches that.
Dan.