Tokyo DisneySea

#WhereHasWinterTakenYou: To Tokyo DisneySea…

At Disney once again!  It’s the place we would not miss if the city we were visiting has it.  Our family loves Disneyland, and so when we traveled to Japan last December for our winter holiday, we knew we would see Mickey again!

The Disney Resort in Tokyo, Japan has two parks – Disneyland and DisneySea.  We had a limited time in Tokyo and since we had just been to Disney in California two Decembers ago, we opted to visit just one park this time.   Tokyo and many other places have Disneyland, but only Tokyo has DisneySea and so that was the natural choice for us.  Some of the DisneySea rides cater more to older kids so keep this in mind if you have to choose just one park.

We only have a few decent pictures because it was challenging to get the kids to stay still when at Disney.  But I’m sure you have the same experience.  So here folks are some of those pictures and short video clips, too.  Hope you’ll enjoy them, feel the magic and see the inspiration.  Check out our tips for DisneySea at the bottom if you’re planning a trip there soon.

I think we did all the attractions at the Arabian Coast including Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage, the Caravan Carousel and Jasmine’s Flying Carpets, and watched The Magic Lamp Theater.  Check out our family’s reviews in the videos!

Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage – review

Caravan Carousel – review

Looking out from the Caravan Carousel

At Port Discovery, we waited for 45mins to see the Nemo & Friends Searider, which we don’t recommend.  Watch our review to know why.

At the Mysterious Island, we only managed to ride 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.  The first time we went to DisneySea in 2008, we did the Journey to the Center of the Earth as well.  Ah! That’s the one ride that you should not miss when at DisneySea, but only if you are not afraid of dark enclosed places and sudden drops.

We rode all the kiddie rides at Mermaid Lagoon but Joaquin’s favourite was the Jumpin’ Jellyfish, and the mini roller coaster, Flounder’s Flying Fish Coaster, that he went on it twice!

We didn’t get to see Toy Story Mania at the American Waterfront because we couldn’t get FastPass tickets earlier in the day.  Anyway, despite the blistering cold winds that battered our faces as night fell, we stayed and watched the night show over the Mediterranean Harbour, and hey we were lucky to catch the fireworks, too.

Some tips for your next trip to DisneySea!

1. Buy and print your tickets online so that you don’t waste time in the queue to get them. We were there on a Thursday.  It was crowded, but that’s Disney in December and it’s still the best month to visit!
2. We arrived one hour past the opening time so we couldn’t get FastPass tickets anymore for the rides that we wanted. So, get to the park early if you want to ride everything!  For this particular visit, we intentionally did not want to go too early because we did not mind not being able do all the attraction.  We just planned on having a relaxing day at the park and feel that December Disney magic once again.
3. If you have food allergies, Disney is the place for you. We got to talk to the restaurant manager who recommended to us what our Joaquin can safely eat.  They could customise the food as well.
4. Dress warmly during winter. It was 4 degrees Celsius when we were there but it felt like -4 because of the strong wind.  DisneySea is near the sea so expect cold winds.  Bring chemical warmers for your hands, please.
5. You can stay at one of the four Disney hotels located between the two parks. We stayed at Tokyo Disneyland Hotel the first time we were there.  It was pricey (even pricier than the already notoriously pricey Tokyo hotels) but it buys you convenience and of course experience for your little ones. Otherwise, you can stay at one of the six Disney-approved neighbourhood hotels such as Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel or Hilton Tokyo Bay Hotel. You can check this website:  http://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/hotel/lists/
6. How many days in Disney Tokyo? We’d say 1 day for each park.
7. Which attractions to prioritize? For us, we just wanted to concentrate on the rides in Tokyo because the shows were all in Japanese and we don’t speak the language. Have a look at their website before you go. Do a little planning, prioritize.  Get FastPass tickets early in the day.  Not everything will go right and it’s okay! Go with the flow! And just enjoy and feel that December Disney magic.

Here are the other Disney Parks that we visited:

1. Tokyo Disneyland
2. Disneyland Paris
3. Disneyland Anaheim
4. California Adventure, Anaheim
5. Disneyland Anaheim (Part 2)
6. Disneyland Hong Kong