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Post by disney54us on Jul 4, 2023 19:59:08 GMT -5
Sounds wonderful. Not that I would be willing to travel that far, but does have things reminiscent of the old days of Disney in the states.
No surprise at the cleanliness there. Japan has been know for that. There is a code of ethics and morals in addition, they don’t but up with bs and have a criminal code law that here most would get a citation ticket for. A completely different culture.
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Post by a1000monkeys on Jul 5, 2023 2:42:00 GMT -5
Took a mid day break at the hotel. Ocean breezes and over cast made for perfect park weather but Disney days with jet lag are rough and my feet are already aching.
DisneySea doesn’t seem too crowded but there aren’t as many attractions as there are at Disneyland so wait times are longer. The Indiana Jones ride is very similar to the one at US Disneyland but with a slightly different theme, super cushioned seats on the ride vehicle and everything actually works including the rolling boulder scene. The Indy animatronics look better too.
Fireworks are cancelled again tonight but hopefully the nighttime show is still on, don’t know what it is about but it’s supposedly spectacular.
Still can’t figure out if all the photo spots where people can take pictures of their Duffy bear is adorable or just weird. I’ll jut call it different but Tokyo Disneyland is making a mint off Duffy and friends. One woman was carrying around a Duffy Bear that was 3ft tall. May have been her boyfriend.
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Post by BWV Dreamin on Jul 5, 2023 6:04:00 GMT -5
Enjoying your TR!!!!
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Post by a1000monkeys on Jul 5, 2023 7:42:49 GMT -5
Headed back to the park after a break and the weather was perfect. Warm but not too hot or windy. Wait times on the headliner rides were at least 60 mins so we opted for a gondola cruise through fake Venice. It was a lot of fun. People love to wave at moving vehicles so all the other gondolas wave to each other as do everyone viewing us from the bridges. Same with other vehicles, trains, coasters, park vehicles. Lots of waving and smiling.
The gondoliers were very animated, it was all in Japanese except for the occasional “Ciao” and “arrevidercci!”
After that we decided to wait the posted 60 mins for Toy Story Mania. The wait time turned out yo be closer to 75 mins but the incredible theming of the whole area and interior queue was ultimately worth it. Again, next level. The actual ride is the same as the US parks but in Japanese.
After that we grabbed a snack from a cart, a beer and a smoked sausage. They could have served the sausage on a stick or just in a wrapper but instead it was served on a chicken thigh bone. Why? I have no idea but it did make it more fun.
We then grabbed a last minute spot for the 8p evening show at Mediterranean Harbor. In hindsight we should have paid for a priority pass or shown up earlier to get a spot. I think only the paid area was seated on the ground and everyone else is standing. If you 5’8” or talker you’ll probably be able to see it all fine but DW and DD are vertically challenged so the couldn’t see the bottom part of the show from the back. Also an older, shorter woman in front of me kept holding up her phone at my face level trying to record the show.
Regardless the show was amazing. Lots of barges with screens and platforms that move up and down for a mix of live action and vivid lcd displays as well as projections and jet ski floats. Hard to describe. Songs were some original scores and disney favorites in Japanese. Epcot should take notice of this show for inspiration.
Another good day. My feet are killing me and we have two more park days to go. Hopefully we’ll have better luck with show lotteries tomorrow.
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Post by tomandrobin on Jul 5, 2023 9:43:01 GMT -5
Love the semi-live trip report.....You are living the dream! Visiting Tokyo is very, very high on my bucket list of things to do. I am not sure we will ever get there, mostly because of Robin's travel limitations of long flights.
My jealous and envy are running high.....keep the posts coming.
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scarzo
Waiting on ROFR
Posts: 2
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Post by scarzo on Jul 5, 2023 10:07:57 GMT -5
So jealous! It's hard to believe that it's been 11 years since we were last there. Enjoy your trip and thanks for the report!
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Post by a1000monkeys on Jul 5, 2023 18:12:38 GMT -5
A few more random thought as we begin July 6th.
Thanks to the pandemic credit card payments are becoming more common but it’s still a cash heave society. The fun part about using cash is that by the end of the day you’ll have a heavy pocket of change to use at the vending machines, that unlike trash cans, are absolutely everywhere.
I still can’t get over how clean everything is. It was most noticeable to me on Star Tours. On the U.S. versions you’ll see lots of trash in the queue that has fallen into the prop area. Here there was absolutely no trash or even noticeable dust.
As amazing as the parks are, not being able to understand the language takes away from the story element. The other strange thing is that the park is near a landing pattern for the airport so it’s not uncommon seeing huge planes flying over Cinderella’s castle.
Don’t expect Cast Members to speak English here. Some speak some, others speak none though most can at least understand some English even if they won’t speak it. English study is mandatory at school. Most address us in Japanese. DS1 and I have been taking a class for the past year and I have gone from knowing absolutely no Japanese to almost none. It’s a hard language but I can understand and ask some basic questions and read some of the signage that’s not in English.
Fireworks have been cancelled past two night due to winds. Tonight may be the night.
even though it’s warm enough for the pool, the hotels only open them for a six week period during school summer vacation which starts at the end of July. Also, you need to make a reservation for a fee and you can only stay 2 hours.
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Post by a1000monkeys on Jul 5, 2023 18:39:25 GMT -5
Love the semi-live trip report.....You are living the dream! Visiting Tokyo is very, very high on my bucket list of things to do. I am not sure we will ever get there, mostly because of Robin's travel limitations of long flights. My jealous and envy are running high.....keep the posts coming. Tokyo Disneyland is definitely doable with wheelchairs. The rest of Japan may be less accommodating though. the flight would be tough. We used British Airway miles via credit card offers for business class in Japan airlines which was amazing |
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Post by a1000monkeys on Jul 5, 2023 18:53:22 GMT -5
The monorail, is large, clean, efficient and incredibly themed. However it’s a bit expensive at $2/person/trip. With mid day breaks my family of 5 is spending $40/day on the monorail.
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Post by a1000monkeys on Jul 5, 2023 22:41:20 GMT -5
In line at the BayMax Happy Ride and the happiness is contagious. The ride is basically Alien Swirling saucers but with several high energy songs and cast members and crowd really get into it with the dancing. There is one kid, likely 20 years old, appears to be by himself, decked out in Baymax gear, sweating his ass off and dancing his heart out to every ride. He’s not even in line to ride. He has a choreographed dance for each song. Wild!
I think we are over our jet lag and are having a great day. We started the morning with a nearly empty Toon Town and walked onto Roger Rabbit, it’s pretty similar to the ÇA version but Jessica Rabbit is still sexy instead of covered in a trench coat.
We then did Pinocchio and Snow White in fantasy Land. Some characters from Pinocchio and Peter Pan were milling around. We then did a 30 min wait for Splash Mountain. After that DS 18 had to head back to the hotel to do an assignment for his summer class.
The rest of us went to Country Bear Theater. The theater is pristine! Looks brand new. Some of the songs are in English but most of the show is in Japanese. The show still cracks me up with its absurdity. Next to the theater is Hungry Bear Diner which serves Japanese curry and beer! It was delicious. I have no idea how the make the egg yolks in the hard boiled eggs Micky shaped. They also serve meals in branded and super decorative plastic plates. These are meant to be returned so the can be washed and reused. They will sell them as souvenirs. They would certainly just be taken in the US.
The sun has come out and it’s getting pretty warm but it’s still fine in the shade.
Another fun fact: Cast Members wear their last names on their name tags instead of their first names. It’s more common to address people you don’t know by their family name.
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Post by a1000monkeys on Jul 6, 2023 0:22:07 GMT -5
The show lottery gods have finally shown me favor. We have seats for the Mickey’s Magical Music World show, which is one of three stage shows in the park. I think my odds were better since it runs as the same time as the main parade.
Fireworks are cancelled again. It’s not too breezy but I guess it’s enough to cancel. We are 0/3 for fireworks and we won’t be staying into the evening tomorrow. Maybe next time.
Another fun fact: alcohol is crazy cheap in Japan. Beer and cocktails run about $1 a 12 oz can in convenience stores and the cocktails range from 7-12% alcohol. Also you can drink in public, though for some reason eating or drinking anything while walking is taboo. Especially for food stalls you either take it home or eat it in front of the stall where you bought it. You will get yelled at if you eat someone else’s food in front of a different stall.
This rule does not however apply to Disneyland but you still do not see people eating and walking except maybe for some popcorn in ride lines.
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Post by a1000monkeys on Jul 6, 2023 0:33:15 GMT -5
I am bummed none of the cool shirts fit me. I would need at least a LL which might be the equivalent of a U.S. large. I’m not even sure they make them that big but I haven’t seen any. DS14 has been trying in vain to find a L in a shirt he likes. He’s very thin but 5’10”. He can fit into a medium but he’s still growing and wants something he can wear for awhile.
DS18, however, is thrilled. He’s 5’7” and 110 lbs and he has trouble finding things that fit him back home. He’s an XS back home but Here he’s a medium and he will have lots of variety. He plans on doing a lot of shopping this trip for a new wardrobe before he goes to college. We might get him a suit here too.
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Post by Brian5581 on Jul 6, 2023 2:49:26 GMT -5
Continuing to enjoy immensely! Aiming for a Christmastime (not exact to avoid crowds but holiday season) visit some year soon.
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Post by a1000monkeys on Jul 6, 2023 7:30:03 GMT -5
You’ll need to go in early December for Christmastime. On Dec 25th all Christmas comes down and New years goes up and the crowds get intense. There are great Christmas markets and lights around Tokyo even though nobody actually celebrates Christmas.
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Post by a1000monkeys on Jul 6, 2023 7:48:44 GMT -5
We headed back to the park about 4:30 and the weather went from too warm to perfect pretty quickly. The Fantasy Forest Theater is part of the Beauty and The Beast expansion area. Like the rest of the area, it is incredible. Possibly better than Broadway caliber theater. Smaller than the Hyperion Theater at DCA but better themed and even nicer.
The show itself was amazing. Based on what I saw (or didn’t see) at that show, the transformation room on the Beauty and the Beast ride and Mickey shaped egg yolks, I’m convinced magic is real in Japan.
but for the fact the performers were lip synching (albeit well) I would have given the show a 5/5. Still, it made the Beauty and the Beast show at DHS look like a Junior high school production in comparison.
The BayMax Kid, as I have come to call him, was still dancing his little heart out five hours later. By the end of the night he had a dozen school girl groupies. This kid is legend.
As we were considering a place to eat we decided to go to Tomorrow Land Terrace for a BayMax burger. Turned out the terrace was a perfect spot to sit and watch the Electric light Parade with the castle in the background. While the outdoor tables filled up, it was not crowded and no other looks loos came up there just to stand up and block others views. No way this would happen in America. Disney would charge $100 pp for the privilege of just standing there.
After the diner and parade we decided on one last ride on Space mountain. It’s pretty much the same as the Disneyland version but without the music. It does have a better queue though. I noticed while riding the monorail that the parking lot behind SM seemed cleared out. I read that the plan is to tear down SM and rebuild it better. Maybe they’ll move it make space for a new attraction.
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