Tokyo DisneySea 2-14 Photos and mini report

[ChrisFL]

So I had the chance to experience Tokyo DisneySea for the first time. Somehow the weather gods smiled upon me and the whole day was as perfect weather as I could have asked for.

I will admit, I was feeling ill most of the day (between some meds I take and the tons of yakitori, sushi and sake my japanese friends had bought me the night before) and didn't get a chance to hit the big thrill rides, but honestly it didn't bother me much. I've seen many videos and pictures of them and I spent so much time doing other things that I really didn't miss it. Anyway, I WILL be coming back there soon.

Instead of doing a trip report specifically I just wanted to give my general thoughts on the experience. Although I always knew I would enjoy DisneySea, after seeing it in person, it still blows my mind. It truly is a special place and is quite different than any other Disney park experience.

For the first time, Disney has been able to make a second gate that can be considered just as incredible and unique as the original Disneyland. I will say that it is a more grown up park, it just has a more grown up feel, that's not to say that it's not a kids park, but after seeing the recent changes to WDW going very toward the smaller kids direction, this was a refreshing escape.

Its interesting the ways I examined the differences between this and the other parks I've seen (now all but the Paris ones). There are a lot of unique views, and accessibility to places you don't see very often. For example, the SS Columbia and the "Renaissance" ship in front of the Fortress are both nearly fully explorable. One thing that's harder to explain is just that this park has a lot of places where you see things differently with elevation changes, stairs and walkways go way up and way down.

It's been discussed before many times, but I want to say it again, you don't have to be a photographer. If you have a camera and you know how to take a picture, your photos will probably look brilliant no matter where you are in the park. It's just that photogenic and everything truly looks as if the park opened just yesterday. Now admittedly my camera doesn't seem to take good pictures at nighttime, so that is a slight correction to that statement.

Pictures do not do this place justice either, especially at night. I should have explored more of the park at night but the feeling just being in the plaza at the front of the park with lights everywhere is an incredible one.

The funny part is that I used to never take pictures anywhere, and suddenly I'm taking 400+ pictures in one day at DisneySea. It's the kind of place that will do that to you.

There are also many side streets and Im sure a ton of places that I didn't get through, but I was trying to see as much as I could venture through.

Inevitably I would also start wondering about whether or not much of this park could be built in the U.S.. At this point I would say that it would not be nearly as nice or as accessible, but I won't linger on the reasons why.

The Fortress had lots of stairs going everywhere, and things aren't all pointed out with huge dummy-proof signs, you actually DO have to, and hopefully WANT to explore and see what you can find. I was a bit spoiled as I had seen most of what was in there before in pictures, but I was still very impressed by what I found.

The Navigation Centre, where you can steer your own mini boat was especially cool to me. Its definitely one of many places in the park that made me feel like a kid again. It's very plussed from your typical boat ride you'd see at other parks (like at Magic Kingdom next to the Jungle Cruise).

There's many other things to do there but I won't spoil it. You can spend over an hour there very easily, plus there's Magellans, although I didn't get back there to go inside later in the day.

I did, however get to have dessert at the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge. So I entered and told them I was a party of one, they take me to the other side of the restaurant and show me a beautiful big leather couch, table and 2 leather chairs. I sat down and I was in heaven. Honestly it was getting warm outside and I wanted to rest my legs a bit, this was perfection. I had a drink and creme brulee with vanilla ice cream, and could have fallen asleep after that right there. I really wish all of the parks had a place like this (and also a place that was un-crowded like this one).

The New York area is interesting, there were lots of shows going on here and the Tower of Terror is so very different. Also, for those who don't know, at nighttime, there is an amazing effect that happens where the evil idol shoots what looks like some green lightning down to the elevator, it glows a bit, then drops. It's a crazy effect and I took video of it (uploading shortly).

Other random notes...I think Mysterious Island's layout actually surprised me because it is almost as much of a hub as the front of the castle at DL, the paths are just so well hidden you nearly don't notice it. I know it was difficult for the designers to create a park with each land to appear so separate from each other, and still make each area accessible nearly as easily as DL.

The SS Columbia is in a perfect place, walking up all the way up to the front of the ship (yes, admittedly, I did have a little "king of the world" moment in pictures for my friends back home), you really feel like it's right on Tokyo Bay when you're standing in the middle.

I saw Legend of Mythica, and I was really impressed, it was very good and quite different than anything I've seen before. The only thing it slightly reminded me of is the old shows they used to have in the EPCOT Center lagoon back in the late 80's if anyone remembers those.

I tried Strawberry Popcorn and enjoyed it Most of the other flavors weren't that appealing there.

The cast members were wonderful, as I expected, even if they didn't speak english well they are perfect with hand signs and helping out. I was actually not able to find the mini boat driving in the Navigation Centre so I asked a cast member, and she gave me the little map of the fortress, I told her I found it, but she insisted that she take me directly to it, so I happily followed and was very appreciative. As a side note, I found nearly everyone in Tokyo I met to be just as friendly and helpful.

Of course it was fun meeting the other micechatters and getting the grand tour of the Miracosta.

I really don't have any complaints about the park, there were plenty of places to eat, I ended up eating when I was just hungry, so I stopped next to the Indy ride and had some CS food that was good.

Also, I went through some of the shops and the interior of these are just as beautiful as the exteriors.

I may add some more comments later, but that's all I can think of for now

Onto the pictures:







Opening shot










Inside MiraCosta









Mysterious Island











Fortress Explorations





The bright sun played with the look of the buildings













Port Discovery









I love these shots with the brightness:


























The rest of the pictures are here:

Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket

DisneySea Part 2 pictures by techno9991 - Photobucket

[jagass]

Nice pics...Looks like you enjoy alot...

[LeeLeeLuvsDisney]

Great review and pics! Only 56 days until we step foot on TDR soil...your post is getting me sooo much more excited for it! Thanks!

[Another Voice]

I’m glad you had an enjoyable visit and understand why people are so passionate about Tokyo Disney.

The greatest joy about Tokyo DisneySea is that there isn’t a single place in the entire park that seems like someone said “this is good enough”. You can see in every nock, every cranny of the park – no matter how remote – that someone spent time, effort and imagination to make it interesting. One of my favorite areas for detail is around the backside (towards the water) of the ‘Steamboat Mickey’ shop and ‘Restaurant Sakura’. It’s a “throw away” area, an overflow walkway – but it’s so loaded with detail that you could use it as a movie set: signs warning of the rusty ladder, equipment used for refurbishing boats, faded advertisements. I bet that no more than 10% of the guests even know this place exists, but it was given as much care as the busiest walkway in the park.

I really wish all of the parks had a place like this…

The S.S. Columbia is one of my favorite Disney “environments” – again the detail is layers deep. You step onto her decks and you feel like you’re stepping in the movie Titanic. The Teddy Roosevelt Lounge is, with the demise of the Adventurer’s Club, my favorite Disney bar/restaurant (I’m a huge T.R. the President “fan” too which helps.)

The concept is lifted directly from the Port Disney project in Long Beach, but that’s a topic for another posting.

Pictures do not do this place justice either,…

A quick insider comment: one of the reasons that DisneySea is so photogenic is that entire park is designed with “cinematic” sightlines. As you walk through the park, what you are seeing is designed like a series of motion pictures shots.

For example, the very front of the park is designed like the opening of a movie. You enter through a long, dark tunnel that restricts you’re view – just like the black screen at the opening of the movie. You then enter Plaza of Porto Paradiso – into a huge glorious “wide shot” that you also see at the start of a movie (how many films have you seen that start with a big wide shot of New York City or mountains). Notice the angle that the buildings are set at: they frame and guide your eyes to the water, the castle and the Mt. Prometheus.

The same technique is used throughout the park to introduce new areas. In “Mermaid Lagoon” you walk down the winding narrow tunnel into and then into a “wide shot” of the entire Triton’s Kingdom, in a similar fashion you walk through the lava tubes of the volcano into the wide open space of the Mysterious Island caldaria. The narrow streets of New York and the elevated railway keep your sightlines close and detailed until you enter Waterfront Park and you can see the whole expanse of the port and the S.S. Columbia. Throughout the park there is a constant change in perspective as you move between grand vistas and intimate close-ups. And so it’s easy to take great pictures because the park has great cinematography built in (Fortress Exploration is a masterpiece of leading angles, forced perspective and composition).

[ChrisFL]

Yes, I'm also a big fan of Teddy, the president.

Also, thanks for the insight on the presentation, really interesting!

[SuperDry]

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. Most guests overlook this elevator and don't even realize it's there. But for something that hardly anyone will see, just as much TLC was put into the design, theming, and construction as anything else in the park.

[TDLFAN]

That elevator is overlooked because in Japan, they realize it's there mostly for the use of guests in wheelchairs, and also because everyone else is in good shape and can walk down the stairs to get to the bottom.. which I prefer so you do not miss the details and theming of the area.

As for you ChrisFL, I am glad you enjoyed the park. Not surprising here... it's Disney biggest accomplishment. All I can say after your initial review is... "..And that's DisneySEA folks!".

[SuperDry]

Originally Posted by TDLFAN

...walk down the stairs to get to the bottom.. which I prefer so you do not miss the details and theming of the area.

... but then you miss the details and theming of the elevator and the passages to and from it, which was my point. You don't have to be in a wheelchair to enjoy that. By all means, use all three methods to and from the lower level in Mysterious Island - each is different.

[Aunt Bee]

Thanks for sharing your pictures!

We're off to TDR in May!

[ChrisFL]

Youtube video I spent some time on creating:

YouTube - Tokyo DisneySea Atmosphere

[RocknGuitar]

*sigh*...





DisneySea=perfection.

sadly, DisneySea= far out of reach.

[denice25]

Thanks for sharing and posting the pics! I think you enjoy a lot!!

[Another Voice]

sadly, DisneySea= far out of reach.

With some planning and some savings, it’s really not.

Perhaps it’s because I’m old, but I remember the days when a trip to WDW was a “once in a childhood” event. It was something that people saved up for, an extra special event that made you the envy of all the kids in class. Even growing up in Southern California, going to Disneyland was a once a year trip. My friends and I would spend days pouring over the park map arguing over which rides would get the precious ‘E’ tickets.

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.

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.

[ChrisFL]

I checked flights from Florida to Tokyo in late May, they're about $1,200...I'm sure it should be a lot less from California and that's without negotiating. Somehow I think there could be really good deals negotiated right now.

[LeeLeeLuvsDisney]

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.

If you obsessively watch flight prices like we do, you CAN find deals to make a trip to TDR a reality. Once you find a great deal on a flight, the rest will fall into place...there are inexpensive hotels nearby...you don't have to spend a lot on food either.

In fact, now that we know that it's not as expensive as we thought, I know that we'll be going back to TDR someday. We've already talked about going back to DLP, too! We plan to save up and take our kids (whenever we get around to having some!)