SuperMatt TDR Trip Thoughts

[Supermatt70]

Well, yesterday was my first day off since being back in the US from my trip. As a lot of you know, the parks have been SUPER busy for Spring Break. I got back Sunday night, April 5th and went back to work, out on tour, Monday morning April 6th. Yeah, I had jetlag pretty bad at work. So, with that said, I really haven’t had a lot of time to let you guys know about my trip. That changes today…

Instead of a day-by-day trip report, I thought I’d share with you my thoughts about the trip, TDR specifically. I hope that’s OK…I talk A LOT BTW…

Let me start by saying what a great time we had!! The FedEx accident caused a delay for us, but we made it there & back safe. Japan is soooo different from America. I loved Japan! Not like I love France, but instead, like I love Mars. You know, I’d love to live in France but I’d love to visit Mars whenever I could…It’d be astounding to visit Mars and it was astounding visiting Tokyo. I hope that makes sense…it does in my world. Some random non-Disney thoughts about Tokyo: Soba is AWESOME! I like trains! Kamakura could be my very favorite Martian town! I’d have parties too if I had cherry blossoms! Vending machines will one day rise up and enslave Mars!

We spent 12 nights in Tokyo and out of that were 4 days & 1 night (on the night we arrived, I schlepped us out there) spent at TDR. So, I think we got a good feel for Mars…

Now, the stuff you’re waiting for…

[Supermatt70]

Tokyo Disney Resort:
I guess I should start by saying that I now believe differently than I once did. Tokyo Disney Resort is NOT a perfect Disney Nirvana! I now realize that there is no such thing as a perfect Disney park or perfect Disney experience. Don’t get the wrong impression here though, please. There were NUMEROUS times I was awe struck by things at TDR. I saw things that I will NEVER again see at a Disney park unless I go back to TDR (and I’m not even talking about Journey to the Center of the Earth). Everything was open! Everything was clean! Everything was well staffed! Everything worked! WOW! It could have been Nirvana! As a WDW CM for many years, I have been taught to accept less. As WDW visitors, we’ve all been taught to endure less! Less open, less clean, less staff, less working!! I came away from TDR with two resolute beliefs. One was that at TDR, more was definitely better!! More of EVERYTHING! Tokyo Disney Resort could be re-named Over-the-Top Disney Resort! More! Just more! I can’t stress it enough; if there is something you like at Disneyland or WDW, TDR has more of it!

And of course, more people!

WOW! There are more people here than the Western mind can understand! Look, I’ve been at Magic Kingdom on holiday “Phase” days. I just worked a week of it while on tour. But, DAMN! Of my four days at TDR, 3 were “sell out” days. I’ve NEVER seen 2 ½ hour waits at MK Haunted Mansion (I waited 2). Indy Adventure had a posted wait time that I didn’t even know existed: 320 Minutes. What the hell is that?? Like 5 hours & 20 minutes? Really? And before we start with the “at Disneyland the line started in Town Square when it opened” business, I just think that it’s pretty bad that you’d have to wait 5 hours for anything in a Disney park. That’s half your day for one thing. (My *** got Fastpass for Indy BTW.) Let me just say again, it was busy at TDR! But, with all of that said, we did everything we wanted to do at the parks. So, I don’t know if that’s because I know what I’m doing or if it’s because Oriental Land Company (OLC) knows what their doing or a combo of the two. I must say though what we ALL here know; Disney parks favor those that plan! Tokyo Disneyland in particular, seems to give advantages to seasoned veterans over first time “clueless” visitors. Those with a plan of attack seemed to succeed better. But that goes for ANY Disney resort…plan, plan and also…oh yeah, plan!!!

[Supermatt70]

Tokyo Disneyland:
We spent our first two days doing TDL, Thursday & Friday. On both days we arrived at the park entrance a half an hour early. Big crowds and a buzz in the air…it was a nice feeling. Once the gates opened, on time (no early entry/rope drop here) the crowds moved. And I do mean they moved! I’m old school and still believe that the Disney Keys: Safety, Courtesy, Show and Efficiency are important! Inside TDL everyone RUNS to his or her destination. This “open dash” was very unpleasant. We actually felt unsafe in World Bazaar with the massive crowds and the running. We saw people fall, kids pushed, it was precarious. We saw people running not just at opening, but all day & at both parks, but it was worst at opening. It did bother me…Safety is the top key in the keys to Disney theme park success. This running would never be tolerated at a Disney operated park I feel and even if it is a cultural phenomenon, when children are pushed, it ceases to be a Disney environment. With that out of the way…

WOW! That view from World Bazaar out towards the colossal hub…SPECTACTULAR! The flowers here are like I remember as a kid! Flowers EVERYWHERE!! The Hub was SO beautiful! I later saw it wasn’t just the Hub, but both parks were remarkable with the flowers and gardens. (And it wasn’t even a Festival!) Taken as a whole, we liked Tokyo Disneyland a lot! Disneyland USA will ALWAYS be my favorite place in the world, but Tokyo Disneyland has a lot of things going for it that Magic Kingdom & Disneyland Paris fail at. There were so many things that I loved, far out numbering the things that I thought were off (such as the running at park opening). Some of my thoughts…

World Bazaar was nice. It did not feel like Main Street USA, but it was also not as mall like as I feared. It worked for me. I liked the Center Street exits to Adventureland & Tomorrowland. It had a terrific Magic Shop with CMs doing tricks for Guests! Real dining locations were there. And the balloon vendors!! I’m smiling just thinking about the balloon vendors right now! The balloons were super cool and the Cast costumes were super vintage! I LOVED IT! I liked World Bazaar!

Adventureland was strange to me. A very good replica of New Orleans Square was right next to Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland. And was that the entrance to Typhoon Lagoon? I swear it was! Things we did:
Pirates - - What everyone knows…better than MK but not as great as Disneyland USA. It was nice to see pirates chase women though…
Jungle Cruise - - I feel the same way that I do with Pirates, better than MK but not as great as Disneyland USA. Everyone was laughing though and not looking bored, that was good. My Japanese friend that joined us at Disneyland told me the Skipper was funny.
Western River Railroad - - EXCELLENT! Completely enjoyed this!! This was a BONA FIDE attraction!
Tiki Room: Aloha E Komo Mai - - A big surprise for us! I don’t like Stitch & I adore the original attraction. I came in expecting a ghastly cross between MK’s Under New Mgnt & Great Escape. What I got a very enjoyable attraction. I liked the use of Stitch in this attraction. I liked the music featured in the attraction. I guess I liked this attraction is what I’m trying to say. I would LOVE to see this replace the two dreadful MK attractions. The only pauses I had here were, I would have liked to hear the original song in the attraction and it ended so abruptly. Fix those two things & I can’t stress enough how much of a winner I think this would be!! Leave it to the Japanese to show me something I would in fact like with that Stitch creature!

Westernland/Critter Country was a really nice version of MK Frontierland. REALLY NICE! I appreciated the placement of Big Thunder Mtn. as the backdrop for Westernland and Splash Mtn./Critter Country as the departure into Fantasyland. There was a genuine kinetic energy to the land in the way it flowed. While all of the lands at TDL are basically reproductions of MK or Disneyland USA areas, I think that Westernland was the best done of the lands at TDL. Adventureland was just too slapdash. Things we did:
Big Thunder Mtn. - - Lots of fun. We did it around dusk (as a good Disney Guide would) and the lighting was great! Again, better than MK but here Disneyland Paris is, as we know, superior. Only negative here was the outside visual intrusions that really can’t be helped. BTW We Fastpass’d on this.
Country Bear Theater - - Do you think anybody that runs the MK knows TDL exists? WOW! It was like this attraction just opened yesterday! I’ve loved Country Bears since I was a kid and it’s something I almost always do at MK, even with my tours. I’ve NEVER seen the attraction in this way. NEVER! It looked & sounded so first-class!! We could hear & understand the lyrics; there were no loud noises from the AA figures distracting you from the illusion; it was nothing short of incredible to see such an old “tired” friend look so bright and fresh! I can’t even start to tell you how much this hit me. While I have some issues with TDR that I’ll highlight throughout my reports, Country Bear Theater/Jamboree is why everyone talks about how amazing TDR is in my mind. I don’t think it’s an undercount to say I’ve seen the Jamboree 500 plus times, but I’ve NEVER seen it the way I saw it at Tokyo Disneyland! Just remarkable!
Splash Mtn. - - This was the first attraction we did, after we got our Pooh Fastpasses. Man, where to even start?! Just like Country Bears, this was again like doing something for the first time! That inside queue with the caves and a river and super cute country owl, totally wonderful! No stinky smells at all! No mold anywhere to be seen! Wait! There are lap bars & cushions in the logs? NO WAY! To say we were blown away by Splash Mountain would an understatement. It was like we had entered into some crazy “bizarre-o” universe where things were the same yet, they were so much better and I was from the bad universe! I could keep going on repeating myself…Hands down, this was the best Splash Mountain!

I wonder at what point Japanese Guests at the Magic Kingdom realize they’ve entered the bad universe?

Fantasyland was also strange to me. So much money was spent on so many other areas and things at TDR but here was that 1950’s looking Dumbo screamin’ out “look at me, I’m old as hell!” In fact, much of Fantasyland looked old, even older than Magic Kingdom. None of the nice planters had been built around the carrousel or teacups. Areas of the ground, the concrete, looked really bad and in need of repair. The paint on the roof of the teacups was like Magic Kingdom faded. Just some areas here really needed some work…then BAM! Right in the middle of all this Tokyo Disneyland is not flawless stuff I’m seeing one of the greatest themed areas I’ve ever been lucky enough to visit: Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall (more on this later). Things we did:
Haunted Mansion - - It was so nice to see the old sinister portraits watching me again!! I really like this Haunted Mansion on the outside. We waited 2 hours to get in so we had a little time in the queue to really drink in the great atmosphere here, really well done. For the most part, it’s the same as the pre-update MK version with minor differences. A double foyer was nice & something I wish the Magic Kingdom had. The stretch portraits were a little more cartoon like and it didn’t work as well I felt. The library differences were enjoyable. It’s a draw here…all Haunted Mansions are great!
It’s a small world - - A little Disneyland USA on the outside, a lot Magic Kingdom on the inside. I liked the colors; they “popped” against the gray Tokyo Sky. The outside is far superior to Magic Kingdom but I prefer the original. (Yes, even with the characters.)
The Mickey Mouse Revue - - I hate that this is going away. I remember it so much as a kid. True, it is dated, but I just enjoyed it so much. But, if it were still at the Magic Kingdom how would I feel? It’s old-fashioned and passé. And I know I would use it as an example of how out-of-touch MK leaders are. So, I’m glad I got to see it one last time.
Pooh’s Hunny Hunt - - OK…here goes…WTF happened when these Pooh rides in the States were being built?!?!?! Honestly! Please, someone tell me what happened? I’d been told about it. I’ve read about it. I saw Youtube videos of it. Nothing prepared me for the happiness that is Pooh’s Hunny Hunt! I don’t even know where to begin! This ride is WONDERFUL! No painted plywood flats here; Real AA figures; Full sets; Ridiculous special effects. Perfect example of the TDR “more” that I was talking about. This attraction is MORE! This is the ride I always thought Disney rides were like. When I went on Indy Adventure at Disneyland for the first time, when I rode the new Space Mountain, nothing made me smile like Hunny Hunt did! I don’t even like Pooh, but the playfulness of this attraction is infectious! You exit not really knowing what just happened but wanting to do it all over again. We rode twice, both times with Fastpasses. This is one great attraction!! (And I don’t even think it’s the best at TDR!)
Toontown was well, Toontown. Didn’t ride Roger Rabbit or really spend much time here. Looked around, saw it was Toontown and went on. It was nice to see the Jolly Trolley although I now understand it’s gone. Hope they bring it out for photos like Disneyland USA. One thing about here, the entrance area was not as impressive as Disneyland USA. A little small and lackluster but still better than the painted wood sign at the Magic Kingdom, right?!

Tomorrowland was a lot like Fantasyland: old & in need of attention! We did not do MicroAdventure (I skip it even when I’m being paid to see it) nor did we do Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters (would rather burn Fastpasses at Monsters Inc. than here). Grand Circuit Raceway looked like a cleaner, less smellier version of Tomorrowland Speedway. And what was up with the really weird placement of the old school Star Jets? Tokyo Disneyland Tomorrowland felt & looked a lot like Magic Kingdom Tomorrowland circa 1979. Even more than Fantasyland, Tomorrowland needs quick action! TDL’s Tomorrowland is the Mickey Mouse Revue of lands! I remember so much of it and have fond memories of it, but it is way dated and needs to be modernized immediately! Things we did:
Star Tours - - Much larger queue, better themed areas, great load area. Super sharp/crisp film & sound…again, when did this open? It is just crazy how new things seem here. Love R2-D2 at the exit. TDL has the better Star Tours.
Space Mountain - - Really nice. I like that it still has the old “Speedramp” from Disneyland USA. The load/unload area was just too much goodness for me to handle!! That spaceship is awesome! The lighting here is some of the best! This was my one regret at TDR. I only got to ride it once and it was really a lot of fun! It is different enough from Disneyland USA to make it special.
Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek - - This is another “more” attraction but in a different way than Pooh. It’s very much a traditional dark ride, but with more! They actually built the Monsters Inc. factory…more! They built the city of Monstropolis inside of the ride…more! They gave us full movement/highly advanced AA figures…more! And then, just to say “more” yet again, they gave us interactivity with the flashlight tag feature. But, this was not a home-run favorite attraction for me. I love the movie & had high hopes for this attraction, as many of you know. However, it did bring the runners home for me and that’s what counts I guess in the end. The flashlight tag element truthfully bothered me & I dumped it a minute into my first ride. It was distracting me from taking it all in. If I were a regular and rode it a lot (which many TDR Guests are/do) then at some point I’d pick the flashlight back up and play. But for my two rides, there was way too much to take in to be concerned with a flashlight. It was well done, it was fun and it is superior to any “D ticket” attraction at Magic Kingdom. Perhaps though, what this showed me most was how good the people were that worked on DCA’s Monsters Inc. attraction. DCA got a hell of a great ride out of the sad remnants of Superstar Limo and this TDL attraction proves it! My BF actually preferred the DCA Monsters ride to the TDL one. (Roz talks smack to us at DCA.) We rode twice, both times with Fastpasses.

[Supermatt70]

So there you go! Tokyo Disneyland Supermatt style! It was very busy, but we did everything we wanted to do, sans a 2nd spin on Space Mountain, but that was my fault for undervaluing the TDL version. TDL is in many ways a better version of the Magic Kingdom, but it did have issues: Out-dated lands, bad concrete, some faded paint areas, all of that “dash” stuff with Guests running around & over each other. Still, the minuses aren’t even close to the pluses! My top 3 attractions at TDL would be Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, Splash Mountain and Country Bears. All three of these attractions just blew me away & made me depressed over how the US parks are managed. Yet, with that said, if I am just putting side by side the “Disneyland” style parks, TDL would not be tops. Disneyland USA is, in my mind, the best of these parks! There’s just something magical about Disneyland that other parks, even TDL lack. Good thing though that TDL has something going for it that Disneyland USA will never have; Tokyo DisneySea sitting right next door.

I’ll be back to share my thoughts on Entertainment, Merchandise, of course Tokyo DisneySea and a wrap up (including my surprising final verdict on Tokyo Disney Resort) over the next few days. I hope my TR is a little interesting to you & not so random…

Food is next!

[Supermatt70]

Food:
Overall, we thought that the food quality was much higher than at Walt Disney World. It's easy to say that we were pleasantly surprised. We only had one issue where we thought the food was bad (it was REALLY unpleasant!!!). And everywhere we went, someone wanted to bus our table for us…I felt terrible & kept trying to do it myself. I didn’t think it was right for all of the CMs to be waiting on us like that! It was just so remarkable to me how we were waited on; food trays brought to the table, everything whisked away once we were finished. It was a level of service above anything that I expected. I still feel guilty about how we were waited on in the restaurants. The only other thing that I would say about TDR dining is really something I would say about dining in general in Japan. The drink glasses are TOO SMALL!!! Given, I think that most American drinks are too “super sized”, but it seemed like Japanese drinks were the opposite. All the drink glasses were child sized it felt.

So then, where’d we go? We ate at Hokusai, Queen of Hearts, Vulcania, Cape Cod Cook Off, Casbah Food Court and Horizon Bay. We also ate at Beckers at Maihama Station too. Let’s start at the top of the pile…

Queen of Hearts was amazing!!! It was EXTREME themed! The food was good (I had the beef patty btw), but the restaurant’s panache just blew us away!! I can’t even begin to tell you how impressed I was with this crazy themed location! It rates with Pooh’s Hunny Hunt as a Disneyland jaw dropping “WOW!” moment for me that I will NEVER see at WDW. Vulcania was also a really well done location. Great theme, great food, fantastic Cast service! Hokusai was really pleasant and a lot of fun! It was so nice to go inside of a building on “Main Street” and sit down & eat; really superior food too. Casbah Food Court was a nice curry meal. Nothing fancy there, but good value. We did a character lunch with Mickey, Minnie & Pluto (more on the characters later) at Horizon Bay. Again, fantastic Cast service, the restaurant looked first-class and the food was decent. The line here moved slowly though. On our first night in Japan, we went out to TDR to pick up our tickets and shop in Bon Voyage. We ate that night at Beckers. Good burgers! That leads me to my unpleasant food moment at TDR: Cape Cod Cook Off…WOW! It was dreadful! We ordered cheeseburger sets thinking Beckers burgers were so good and we ordered the Boston Cream for dessert. Had we not ordered cheeseburgers, I would not have known that it was a cheeseburger. We came in late, maybe 15 minutes before they were closing for the night. And the staff--again with the over-the-top bussing, treated us very well. The themeing was good, as an American I really liked the New Englandish-ness of it all. But, again WOW! The food quality was just SO BAD!! The burger & the so-called Boston Cream were VERY hard to eat. I guess out of 4 ½ days of meals there, odds were that one meal had to suck. Let me tell ya, Cape Cod Cook Off sucked hard!

[Supermatt70]

I tried 3 different flavors of popcorn, Curry, Black Pepper & Honey. Of the 3, I waited the longest for the Honey--40 minutes--and I liked it the least. I got a super cute Chip & Dale bucket with Curry flavor in Westernland on my first day. We liked it a lot, but I think that the Black Pepper was my favorite. Sweetheart Café had some great treats for us in the mornings; even the strange meat-patty pastry was tasty. We tried the lemon churros in Tomorrowland. They were, well, interesting, but maybe a little to weird for us. In Adventureland we stopped at Boiler Room Bites for the pork soft taco wrap thing, it was very good. At Disney Sea, we also tried the sea salt ice cream--good, and the fried cheesecake chimi-thing--REALLY good. One last thing that sorta bothered us was how inconsistent the soda choices were (drink complaints again…I know, I like drinks!). There was no rhyme or reason to where something would be. It was just strange, as if drinks were just randomly assigned to locations. And it would always be new & different drinks than what we last saw. Small issue…still, the food at TDR was first-rate stuff. We felt the portions were right sized (drinks excluded) and the prices better than at WDW. And the service? Not likely to be found ANYWHERE in the US.

Stay tuned for Tokyo DisneySea...

[tasman]

Great stuff, objective and informative. Looking forward to TDS. Also, any pics?

[hawachan]

Fantastic report!! Can`t wait to read the rest

[ErikInTheCity]

Quickly, I will agree with you. TDL's Splash is the clear winner of the three Splashs around the world. No competition.

[TDLFAN]

Very good observations about TDL overall.. but not surprising to me. Most americans on their first visit have the same negative reaction to Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, and most do not understand that Adventureland tends to favor the tropical theme overall. BTW.. TDL's Star Tours opened in late spring 1989. To criticize some things like the concrete in fantasyland.. you must also understand that TDL (actually ALL of TDR) was build on a landfill. This area has been subjected to many many earthquakes and tremors over the years.. cracks do tend to happen on the floors at TDL. But what if the MK's excuse for the same problems vistually all over the park?

The running. Yes, very unpleasant thing in the morning. I hate it too. But in TDR, this is normal behavior. The CMs do try to tell guests to slow down.. but honestly.. people know better and if they take their time instead of utililizing their time wisely from the early get-go.. they know they will be in trouble later. Still.. I do not care for the morning stampede either. I know there is a very real safety concern about it.. but I had to laugh when you mention how the other parks would not allow this for safety reason.. yet, the MK allows kids to hoola hoop, jump rope and other stupid PACtivities in the middle of Main Street when it's packed with guests, but this is only one example of safety problems I see at the MK alone. So I think, that all parks should take a good look at their operation because there is room for improvement in several areas... and the MK for example could be better in this regard. How many times I have seen kids sitting in the ledge of the bridges over the waterways around the MK hub? Again.. the staffing at the MK is inadecuate to make it a safer park.
In regards to food.. I think you chose the worst locations to eat. With the exception of Queen of Hearts over at TDL, Cape Cod, and Vulcania, Sunrise are not the most popular choices to eat when at TDS. In TDL, you should have tried the Steakhouse, in addition to Hokusai. Over at TDS.. Ristorante di Canalleto, Zambini Bros, Magelans', and Sakura would have been better places to eat.

One thing you were absolutely correct: TDR is MORE! Yes it is more, and you pay LESS when compared to the WDW passport tickets of 1 thru 4 days. Even with the negative comments you made in your report so far, I think even you would agree that there are far MORE positives all around at TDR to make up for the few problem areas you brought up. You do not mention if you saw any of the shows or parades at TDL since this is yet another area where TDL offers "more" when compared to the MK entertainment. And yet, I realize TDR can't please everyone.. like when you commented on the beverage choices throughout the park. You saw it as inconsistent, but I see it as "greater variety" to please most everyone's tastes. That to me is yet another positive aspect of the TDR operation. Why have Diet Coke in every restaurant wher you could try Fanta Grape here or Kirin Melon soda there...

[Himorogi]

Originally Posted by TDLFAN

Most americans on their first visit have the same negative reaction to Fantasyland and Tomorrowland

What do "most Americans" have to do with it?

Most people can point out the obvious, just as Matt did. Fantasyland and Tomorrowland are out dated and kinda lame.

Originally Posted by TDLFAN

most do not understand that Adventureland tends to favor the tropical theme overall.

Most Americans (again)? But, it doesn't favor any theme, as Matt wrote.

His (very accurate) comment was that Adventureland in Tokyo is a patchwork quilt that doesn't quite work.

And he's right.

How does having the quasi-New Orleans shoehorned in fit with your "tropical theme overall"?

It's a spot-on observation, and anyone without rose colored glasses would agree that TDL is lacking in those three areas.

Originally Posted by TDLFAN

To criticize some things like the concrete in fantasyland.. you must also understand that TDL (actually ALL of TDR) was build on a landfill. This area has been subjected to many many earthquakes and tremors over the years.. cracks do tend to happen on the floors at TDL. But what if the MK's excuse for the same problems vistually all over the park?

Who cares what the difficulties are in Florida (if they have a hurricane, I'd imagine they would clean the place up afterwards, right?)?

His comments were about the quality of care at Tokyo Disneyland. And Earthquakes are no excuse. They can re-pave the place just like any other Earthquake affected zone. And they should! No excuses!

The fact that they haven't only indicates that there are areas that need improvement, nothing more.

EXCELLENT report Matt! Enjoyed every word. Thank you!

[DisneySea_Fan]

Great trip report, I loved the comparisons! 40 minutes for honey popcorn! I remember the gyoza sausage bun lineups... (Shudders)

[LeeLeeLuvsDisney]

Great report, Matt!! Most of what you wrote, we were talking about when we were at TDL yesterday!!! We share the same opinion about so many things at that park. I'll post more about it next week...but I have to say that my husband and I loved the honey popcorn! And the caramel popcorn. The soy sauce and butter...not so much. The maple churro was awesome. We also wished the drinks were a little larger, but we just ended up buying more...and a variety of things to try.

We're off to DisneySea now...thanks for the heads up on the cheeseburger set at Cape Cod Cookoff...::shudders:: Sounds pretty bad.

[DuffyDad]

Originally Posted by Supermatt70

Tokyo Disneyland:
Inside TDL everyone RUNS to his or her destination. This “open dash” was very unpleasant. We actually felt unsafe in World Bazaar with the massive crowds and the running. We saw people fall, kids pushed, it was precarious. We saw people running not just at opening, but all day & at both parks, but it was worst at opening. It did bother me…Safety is the top key in the keys to Disney theme park success. This running would never be tolerated at a Disney operated park I feel and even if it is a cultural phenomenon, when children are pushed, it ceases to be a Disney environment...

Adventureland was strange to me...

Pirates - - What everyone knows…better than MK but not as great as Disneyland USA. It was nice to see pirates chase women though…
Jungle Cruise - - I feel the same way that I do with Pirates, better than MK but not as great as Disneyland USA. Everyone was laughing though and not looking bored, that was good. My Japanese friend that joined us at Disneyland told me the Skipper was funny.
Western River Railroad - - EXCELLENT! Completely enjoyed this!! This was a BONA FIDE attraction!
Tiki Room: Aloha E Komo Mai - - A big surprise for us! I don’t like Stitch & I adore the original attraction...


Country Bear Theater - - ...WOW!...It looked & sounded so first-class!! We could hear & understand the lyrics; there were no loud noises from the AA figures distracting you from the illusion; it was nothing short of incredible to see such an old “tired” friend look so bright and fresh! I can’t even start to tell you how much this hit me...

I wonder at what point Japanese Guests at the Magic Kingdom realize they’ve entered the bad universe?

When they see no one wearing ears or smiling and people looking more stressed than having fun. That's what they say anyway.

Fantasyland was also strange to me. So much money was spent on so many other areas and things at TDR but here was that 1950’s looking Dumbo screamin’ out “look at me, I’m old as hell!” In fact, much of Fantasyland looked old, even older than Magic Kingdom...
The Mickey Mouse Revue - - I hate that this is going away.
Tomorrowland was a lot like Fantasyland: old & in need of attention! ...Tokyo Disneyland Tomorrowland felt & looked a lot like Magic Kingdom Tomorrowland circa 1979. Even more than Fantasyland, Tomorrowland needs quick action! TDL’s Tomorrowland is the Mickey Mouse Revue of lands! I remember so much of it and have fond memories of it, but it is way dated and needs to be modernized immediately!
Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek - - ...My BF actually preferred the DCA Monsters ride to the TDL one. (Roz talks smack to us at DCA.) We rode twice, both times with Fastpasses.

So much to comment on in your INCREDIBLE report! I hope someday to have the energy and clarity to do reports like this for folks. Wow, Matt. Just...wow. Really excellent!^^

So let's start with the morning race. I went to TDL for opening for the first time last week and experienced the "dash." I also thought it seemed a little dangerous, but I didn't see anyone pushing, nor did I see anyone fall or even almost either of these things. I just thought it was strange and "risky." But people seemed to kinda enjoy it. I assumed it was only for the purpose of Monsters, Inc., but after reading posts here, I'm guessing it's a TDL tradition. In that sense, I take pause criticizing it. The people seemed to be into it, and it does create a kind of energy... Hm. I know I don't really wanna do it again, but with the realization that it's a tradition, I feel hesitant to just dismiss it. But although I saw no accidents or near-misses, it did seem potentially dangerous... I'm gonna just stay neutral on this one. I will say, though, that that's the only time I've seen anyone of any age running for more than about three meters in the Disney parks. I'm totally surprised that you saw people running "all day." I am actually uncomfortably conscious of being embarrassed when running in TDR, or anywhere else in Japan because it is just not done. That is very, very unusual.
Adventureland is a strange hodgepodge to me, too, and I think you're right that it is just not cohesive. As I've never been to other parks, I wonder what makes MK Pirates and JC better? I actually *LOVE* Stitch, both the movie and the character, but I was SO BORED by the Tiki Room......Goes to show, we all have our perspectives.

I was fortunate to meet the infinitely charming Ichigopara and her two gorgeous men (i secretly want to steal both of them...watch out!^^) at TDL a few days ago. They introduced me to the Western River Railroad and the Country Bear Jamboree, two "attractions" I had written off as lame-o snores for babies and old ladies and never bothered to try. Boy was I WRONG! These two attractions were oh-my-gosh-slap-yer-mama-'cross-the-face-with-a-live-trout awesomeness! I think you're right, Matt, that what floored me was the authenticity of the illusion at CBJ. I'm sad to hear it's not always like that, but yay, lucky lucky me!!! And OSCAR!!! Oh my GOSH!!! And, hey, Matt...did you see Blinky's letter? HA!!! And the railroad surprise!!! Shhh...Don't tell anyone, but WHOA!!!! Is that only in TDL? Thank you, Ichigo! You changed my life!^^ I LOVE being wrong, especially when I'm smart enough to actually learn from it.

I've always thought that both Fantasyland and Tomorrowland were going for retro. I LOVE it in Fantasyland, and I hate to think it's changing. Sadly, with Mickey Mouse Revue departing and the Jolly Trolley already gone, my guess is that OLC and Disney agree with you, Matt, and changes are in the works. With Tomorrowland, I love the retrofuture concept, but I have thought from the very first visit that it needs...enhancements. I think R&GS is a step in the right direction and it has already totally invigorated that land for me...incredibly, and I'm still not sure how. I like the addition of WALL-E and EVE, too. And the Little Green Men around AstroBlasters. Maybe just more of the current character photospots to add life and color. Along with Mike's car, this seems to be kind of a plan for Tomorrowland, and I gotta say, I'm keen. I love that retrodesign. I'd like it "freshened up," but not totally refreshed.

By the way, I'm pretty sure Roz trash talks everyone here, too, at that point when all the trams turn to face each other at the end, and I'm pretty sure she let me have it!^^ Again, great work, Matt. Thank you so much!

[DuffyDad]

Originally Posted by Supermatt70

That leads me to my unpleasant food moment at TDR: Cape Cod Cook Off…WOW! It was dreadful!...Let me tell ya, Cape Cod Cook Off sucked hard!

Yeah, ever since Sweet Duffy Cafe closed, that place has just gone to pot.