Tokyo DisneySea 2-14 Photos and mini report

[ChrisFL]

Yesterday evening, United had a short fare sale for flights to Tokyo and Osaka (Kansai Airport) in April. We were able to re-fare our tickets and get credit back. We purchased our tickets for $1,092 each (which we thought was a good price), and last night they were $688 each - that's from Orlando. I think they were under $600 from LAX and SFO.

[TDLFAN]

Today people treat WDW like a day trip to the Jersey shore. All the magic and joy of a Disneyland trip is gone; it’s now just another trip to the mall. There’s nothing special about the U.S. parks.

But there is something special about a trip to Tokyo.


And there’s real magic in earning the experience as well. You will have more memories from a few days at Tokyo Disney than from a hundred weekends at Disneyland.

I somewhat agree with you here... but for someone like me, who has been lucky enough to visit TDR and WDW on a monthly basis for the past 20 years... I have to say that TDR never gets old. This place retains a magical feel for me, over and over, no matter how many times I go. I still get goosebumps everytime I walk under the Miracosta into TDS, and still marvel at how cosmetically fullfilling the whole World Bazaar experience really is. Those are some feelings the WDW somehow do not manage to reproduce for me. Like you said.. there is nothing special about the parks in our necks of the woods, but I will say this much... DL in CA still rocks.

[Grizzly]

And there’s real magic in earning the experience as well. You will have more memories from a few days at Tokyo Disney than from a hundred weekends at Disneyland.

I LOVE Tokyo Disney, it is my favorite! But I would never go as far as to saying something like that.

[LeeLeeLuvsDisney]

Yeah, I know!!!!! It was painful to see such a low price...we're glad we got a travel voucher back, but it would have been nicer to get the $$$ back.

But, at least we know now to be totally obsessive about watching for sales. Check in the morning, early afternoon and evening...the price lasted from about 5pm through the evening. It was gone the next morning - probably sold out!

At that price, we could go back to TDR next year. Heheheh!

[lonegungirl]

Yeah, I know!!!!! It was painful to see such a low price...we're glad we got a travel voucher back, but it would have been nicer to get the $$$ back.

But, at least we know now to be totally obsessive about watching for sales. Check in the morning, early afternoon and evening...the price lasted from about 5pm through the evening. It was gone the next morning - probably sold out!

At that price, we could go back to TDR next year. Heheheh!

Totally painful. I got an alert that fares were sighted from LAX-NRT for <$600, but by the time I was able to check, some hours later, they were all unavailable. I notice AA has been going down some, but it's still >$800, which seems a little high.

[TDLFAN]

A little high??? Excuse me but with the current fuel prices, the fares are still quite low, and we are all lucky the airlines are still offering these deals, considering they should really be charging on average $1,500 at the very least for a crummy main cabin seat to offset the losses they are incurring with such ridiculous fares to international markets.

[DisneySea_Fan]

Thanks so much for posting the pictures and video! DisneySea truely is a perfect park.

[DuffyDaisuki]

I'm glad you had such a great time, ChrisFL, and I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you. In other news, though, one of my students did get through both her essay and now finally her interview to be accepted into Columbia's LLM program, so know that I've been busy and tired for good reasons! Next time!

Your photos, too, are wonderful. There's one of the Hightower that I'm gonna try to copy, actually.

[DuffyDaisuki]

One of my favorite "hidden" locations in DisneySea is the elevator in Mysterious Island that leads down to the lower level where the Nautilus Galley is.

Thanks, SuperDry! I never noticed that; something new to look out for!

[Aunt Bee]

[/color]
[size=3]With some planning and some savings, it’s really not.


But there is something special about a trip to Tokyo.

Count up all the money you spend on Disneyland and WDW. Put it away for a special “once in a lifetime” trip to Tokyo. An annual pass to Disneyland will buy you a four day ticket to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea AND leave you with almost two hundred bucks for food. Depending on the time of year, a night at the Sheraton Grande costs less than a night at the Port Orleans WDW Resort. Research and plan, find the deals on hotels and airfare. With the differences in the parks, one trip to Tokyo is worth a dozen trips to WDW anyway.

And there’s real magic in earning the experience as well. You will have more memories from a few days at Tokyo Disney than from a hundred weekends at Disneyland.

This is so true.

We live near Stanford Univ. We go to Disneyland quite often. This year, I didn't renew my PAP--because I have decided to not do the every 2 mos down to Disneyland as usual....to make this trip to Tokyo Disneyland for my big birthday celebration.
It's been costly booking for a family of 5--but each girl had to save for their own airfare...and their dad and I are footing the bill for the hotels, food and tickets.
They have to 'earn' their trip.
But, this is a special year--so it's a special trip.

I've been to DL Paris--and have always wanted to see Tokyo. It's doable. Just save--

(and I am sure I'll be back down to Disneyland come this fall. ;-) ).

[JoeInJpn]

From one Californian (me) to another (Aunt Bee): Enjoy your visit in May-June! The weather is great here in Tokyo that time of year.

[Another Voice]

I have to say that TDR never gets old.

It seems to me that OLC understands that they must cater to the local market and frequent visitors more so than Disneyland’s management understands. There always seems to be some special event going on at Tokyo Disneyland, there’s seasonal decoration, merchandise and an overall feeling of “freshness” about the place.

Disneyland in Anaheim, however, for a decade now has followed a schizoid “multi-day resort / annual pass” policy that doesn’t really work. Big hotels, strip malls, and expensive character meals to pander to the tourist set, but cheap as dirt annual pass that flood the parks on weekends. Disneyland doesn’t provide anything new for the tourists (because they come only once every five years) and Disneyland has chosen not to provide anything new for the APers because they flock to the park (until now anyway). For APer’s, Disneyland has just become a place to hang out with family and friends – like the beach or the mall - rather than being a destination in its own right.

I think that’s a disaster waiting to happen. There are only so many times you can ride ‘Soaring Over California Stock Footage’ before it becomes stall. The limited seasonal overlays Disneyland puts on are nice and they help a bit, they remain limited in scope. There is nothing in Anaheim that can compare with the special deserts, meal courses, entertainment and merchandise that Tokyo produces. And the superior upkeep and operation of the park makes TDL a much more enjoyable place to visit compared to Anaheim’s “What’s going to be open today?” lottery (and that’s after the Mt. Doom Parking Structure Death March).

They have to 'earn' their trip. But, this is a special year--so it's a special trip.

I think the “specialness” of a Disney trip is a big part of the magic that Disney has lost over the years. There is a special thrill to seeing something you’ve imagined for so long. There’s an excitement in anticipation. Disney has been so focused for so long on getting the same group of people to come back again and again and again that even the crowd has gone stale. At WDW and especially at Disneyland you can feel the “been here, done that” sentiment in people. No one wanders in awe any more; everyone is racing to make the ADR they phoned in six months ago to a restaurant where they know the menu by heart.

Tokyo Disney Resort is great for us domestic types because it’s familiar enough to be manageable yet different enough to be fresh and interesting.

[Another Voice]

So the big question, Mr. ChrisFL - did Tokyo DisneySea meet your expectations?

[ChrisFL]

So the big question, Mr. ChrisFL - did Tokyo DisneySea meet your expectations?

Yes, it definitely met and exceeded my expectations. I do realize there's much of the park I have not explored, one day is not enough and I will be back as soon as I can (possibly later this year if my job sends me back to Asia).

I'm still thinking about how very different this park feels, and how it could never be built the same way in the U.S. for a number of reasons. I'm glad it was built where it was, with OLC taking good care of it and making sure that no expense was spared in creating some incredible environments.

So last weekend I went back to WDW...and yes, it did make me feel a lot worse about WDW in the end, sad to say. The upkeep issues, guest behavior, low quality merchandise and food, made me wish I was back in Hong Kong or Tokyo.

[Another Voice]

Why don't you think a DisneySea park could be built in the U.S.? Assuming that Disney actually had a management team that was interested in the parks, of course.