TDL and TDS Trip Report - April 19-25

[LeeLeeLuvsDisney]

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting my trip report. I have tried to sit down for a few hours and write it up and edit it so it flows logically, but I just haven't had the chance. So, I have decided to just do a brain dump and post it here as I write it. This will likely be written in little chunks over the next few days, so bear with me.

I'm going to start out with the story of how we spent each day, and then I will start posting opinions, thoughts, ride reviews, food reviews, hotel reviews, and whatever else comes to mind. Please feel free to correct me if I have my facts wrong, and I welcome all comments, opinions and constructive criticism.

I'm also still gathering and editing photos...I'll probably post those separately with a minimum amount of text because they speak for themselves.

And away we go!!!!!!

[LeeLeeLuvsDisney]

Profile:

LeeLee, late 30's, and her husband G, early 40's. We live in Central Florida and have APs to WDW. We have also visited DL and CA together, as well as DLP (but not the Studios). We still have not made it to Hong Kong...yet. This is our first visit to TDR and our first trip to Japan as well.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

The excitement is growing - we're going to Tokyo Disney Resort!!!! We've just spent two and a half days in Tokyo, sightseeing and figuring our way around. Now, we're lugging our suitcases through the huge Tokyo Station. We walk about a mile until we reach our Keiyo Rapid Line Train to Maihama Station.

It's about 6pm when we catch sight of TDR as we arrive at Maihama. I'm about to cry, I'm so happy. We make our way out of the station and toward the Gateway Monorail Station, passing the Information Center and Ikspiari. We buy a 3-Day Monorail Pass at the bank of ticket machines - Monsters Inc. collectible monorail pass, YAY! - and ride to Bayside Station. I almost cry again as we pass the entrance to Disneyland and the Disneyland Hotel on the way. I'm so happy I could burst, and I haven't even been in the parks yet.

We head out of the station and walk to our hotel, the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay. (Detailed review of hotel to come...) We are told we have been upgraded since I'm a Starwood Preferred Guest...and they put us on the 8th floor...the family floor! The whole floor and the rooms are done up with Penton the Penguin EVERYWHERE. We think it's cute and fun. The room is huge and they gave us a PARK VIEW!!!!!!! Oh yes! We can see TDL right in front of us, and if we leaned to the right on the balcony, we can see TDS.

We head out again and hop the monorail to Ikspiari. We get cash from the ATM there and then have a quick dinner at Kua 'Aina, the Hawaiian burger chain restaurant. The portions are huge - impossible for us to finish. Great fries and onion rings! We had a little language issue at the beginning. The host sits you down at a table, but you are supposed to get up and order at the window. We sat and waited for a server. DUH! I'm sure the host told us to order at the window...but in Japanese. Luckily, a nice couple at the table next to us told us our mistake. This was one of many times we were helped out (without us asking) when we were obviously confused or lost. Fantastic.

Then, we rushed back to our hotel so we could watch the Disney Magic In The Sky fireworks from our balcony. The weather cooperated and the fireworks went off! We couldn't hear the music, but it was a nice end to the evening. The downside: the show is very, very short.

It was just after 8:30pm and we basically got ready for bed - we were doing Tokyo Disneyland the next day and we want to be well-rested and up early.

[seenoevil]

Keep going!!!! I'm all eyes!

[Another Voice]

I almost cry again as we pass the entrance to Disneyland and the Disneyland Hotel on the way.

I get like that too because California Adventure ruins everything.


Oh, wait....carry on.

[LeeLeeLuvsDisney]

Okay, I just spent an hour typing and the board ate my post. UGH! Luckily I saved most of it...more in a few minutes.

[LeeLeeLuvsDisney]

Monday, April 20, 2009

We're up around 6:00am, get ready and head downstairs to do a quick email check before searching for breakfast. The Sheraton has a good number of computers with internet connection free of charge - the room is across from the reception desk, next to Cafe Toastina. Then, we go to the Ticket Counter at the reception desk, and buy our two-day Disney passports - first day Disneyland and second day DisneySea. Note for people staying at the Sheraton - you get an actual pass here, not an exchange certificate, so it's very convenient. And they take foreign credit cards for payment.

Breakfast at the hotel is too expensive for our tastes, so we're off to Maihama Station to find a restaurant that someone on this board mentioned. We find Becker's underneath the train station and this becomes our regular breakfast place for the duration of our stay. We each get a breakfast sandwich, tater tots and coffee each morning for about $5 each. Just coffee at the Sheraton is about $5. This board rocks! You saved us a bunch of money which we spent on TDR souvenirs.

After breakfast, we head toward TDL, passing Bon Voyage, which is an awesome building! TDL opened at 9:00am. We got in line at 8:25am and we are so far back. I couldn't believe how many people line and wait for the park to open! We were so far back that we barely see the characters do their welcome. We thought it would take forever to get inside, but Japanese efficiency at work - we were inside in 6 minutes. No time to look around, we run with everyone else towards Monsters Inc. They blocked off the shorter way through World Bazaar and make us run through the hub and around. We arrived at the back of the line for a Monsters Inc. FP at 9:11am and get to the FP machines at 9:33am. Our return time was 2:55-3:55pm. Not bad.

I won't narrate every detail of the rest of the day. I'm just going to post what we did and rode (in order) and what the wait times were like, plus some general thoughts. I'll be posting overall opinions of the park later.

(NOTE: Pooh's Hunny Hunt was closed for refurb this day)

Pirates - 10 minute wait - a lot like California's, although I think it's missing a drop and one of the scenes. I absolutely loved the lighting and the sound - it's definitely better than at WDW. The fog effect in the Barbossa ship battle is awesome.

Splash - 30 minute posted wait, but only waited 20 minutes - this is my favorite Splash Mountain. Everything looked and sounded great. The lighting was perfect. We both loved that we didn't get wet when we came down the big drop - just some mist on our glasses.

Haunted Mansion - 30 minute posted wait, but only waited 20 minutes - loved the different theming in the line with the tree roots growing through the brick wall, the overturned urn, and the freshly finished graves. This is my favorite HM - again, the lighting and the sound were fantastic. I get so frustrated with the HM at WDW - you can see the netting in the final graveyard scene because the lighting is wrong. Here, you don't notice - they did it right. The little "extras" in the library were neat. It was interesting to see they did not have the new scenes that we have at WDW (the staircase and the black widow bride).

Stopped in Toontown to buy my Chip and Dale popcorn bucket with caramel popcorn - very yummy. Cost: 1,300 yen. Totally worth it.

Got a FP for Buzz Lightyear with a 4:35-5:35pm return.

Space Mtn - 35 minute wait - this was our longest wait of the day - very boring line until you're all the way inside the building. Then, we both loved the spaceship they've got in there. The ride track itself isn't super exciting, but I did like the lighting effects at the beginning before you take off and they had the speed turned way up, so I was breathless at the end. I am a fan of the music they added to Space Mtn at Disneyland, so I kind of missed it here. So, DL has my favorite Space, not TDL. I hated SM2 at DLP...it banged my head around so much I felt like I was in a car accident when I got off.

Snack time! Apple tea soda from the Royal Street Veranda (YUM!) and a teriyaki chicken leg from a cart in Adventureland (meh).

Swiss Family - walk on - looked about the same as the others.

Tiki Room with Stitch - walk on - we missed the pre-show. The actual show was cute, even though we didn't understand it. I thought they integrated Stitch (or Stitchee, as they call him) very well and the show didn't run too long. Much better than the annoying show we have at WDW with Iago.

Snack time again! Meat pie (good), maple churro (YUM!) and Coke from Pecos Bill. Yes, the drink sizes are small. We survived - we just supplemented with water from the fountains. It didn't taste that great, but we made due.

Grabbed a FP for Big Thunder - 4:25-5:25pm return.

Mickey Mouse Revue - 5 minute wait - when my husband had described this attraction to me, I did not remember it. But, once we were in the movie (first half of the show), I totally remembered seeing this at MK at WDW when I was younger! I really enjoyed seeing this again. It's a Disney classic and I'm sad to see it go. It would be nice if they found another place for it, but I'm not counting on it.

Snack time again! Honey popcorn (YUM!) and sweet potato tipa torta (okay) from carts in Fantasyland.

Then it was time for our FP return at Monsters. We breezed right in with no wait, so we really didn't get to look around at the line much. That first big room you walk into once you're in the building reminds me of the first room you walk into at Dinosaur at WDW's AK...same sort of layout, but of course different theming. We hopped on and tried in vain to make our flashlights do something, but alas they were worthless. The ride is so very cute, but is definitely not an E-ticket. This was the only time we rode it and we were not upset at all that we did not ride it again.

We decided to take a break from rides and get some photos around the park while it was still daylight. We went back to the front of the park, since we had run in so quickly in the morning. There were a ton of characters out front, so we got a lot of photos of them - Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, Alice, The White Rabbit, The Seven Dwarves, Winnie The Pooh, Pinnochio, Goofy, and a ton more - all out at the same time, in the same place. Then we took photos all over World Bazaar, the hub, and Cinderella's Castle before heading to Westernland.

Big Thunder - FP return - fun ride, and like all the other rides at TDL, it's kept in excellent condition. But, Big Thunder at DLP is still the best!

Picked up a FP for Space Mtn - 5:30-6:00pm return time.

Buzz Lightyear - FP return - this is a little different from the one at WDW - most noticeable difference being the fact that you can lift your weapon up and move it around. That didn't help my aim at all, though. I think the lasers need to be recalibrated or something - neither one of us hardly hit anything. Buzz at WDW is much more accurate, and as a perfectionist I love the high scores I get there.

Snack time! Everytime we walked by the cart for the Soy Sauce and Butter popcorn, there was a line. So, we waited 10 minutes and got a small container for ourselves (300 yen). It was just so-so to us. We much prefer the sweet flavors of popcorn.

Space Mtn - FP return - glad we got to bypass the boring outside line.

Dinner - Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall in Fantasyland. The theming here is amazing. It's hard to believe this is just a buffeteria and not some high end restaurant. The food was awesome (I'll review food and restaurants later).

Small World - walk on - this reminds me of how the WDW Small World used to be before it was re-done.

Pinnochio - walk on - this seems pretty much the same as the others.

Dreamlights Parade! I cried through most of the parade - tears of joy. I was a huge fan of the Main Street Electrical Parade when I was younger and I was so sad when it left WDW. This parade has some of the same basic floats as the MSEP (only improved over time) and also uses the "Baroque Hoedown" music for part of the parade. I love the new floats they added. This is an awesome parade - I loved it! I also loved that everyone up front sat down for the whole parade. You could stand up in the back, but the CMs don't let anyone's view get blocked by people standing up front - I really wish all the parks would institute and enforce this policy.

Country Bear Jamboree - no wait - half of the songs are in Japanese and half are in English - very weird, but cute.

We get to see the fireworks show again, but this time with the music track. Even better with the music, but still way too short.

Peter Pan - 20 minute wait posted - we only wait 5 minutes. This seems the same as all the other parks. The only problem is that the pirate ships made all kinds of squeaky noise as they went along, as if they needed to be greased where they meet up with the track overhead. Very distracting.

Haunted - 5 minute wait - just as good the second time around.

Dragged ourselves out of the park, a few minutes before closing time, totally exhausted.

[Aunt Bee]

I have anticipated your review/trip reports--as like me--you have never been to Tokyo or to the TDR before.
Since we leave for Tokyo in 13 days--I was interested to read your views on the parks as a newbie.

I appreciate your explanation on buying the TDR tickets at the Sheraton (I knew you could buy them there, but it's nice to read how you did it, and how you could use a credit card) and about the free computers at the hotel. While my girls will have their laptops, we are forgoing bringing one--as I just don't want to lug it around.

Also, since we are Disneyland APers (live near Stanford Univ. But have been to WDW several times and DL Paris)--I am sure I will view/compare TDL through my "Disneyland eyes"-as you did with the attractions at WDW.

I look forward to reading your restaraunt reviews (our only MUST at TDL is The Royal Banquet)--and your trip report on DisneySea.

Thanks for writing about your trip--I know it takes an huge effort--but it is so worth it to us who are new at venturing out to a new park.

Oh--and I got a kick out of how some of the attractions are in 1/2 Japanese and 1/2 English. If you recall--Disneyland Paris is the same (remember Star Tours there!?? We still laugh about that one...)

[Fukai]

Great trip reports: I was there about the same time, but long enough to see Pooh come back up on the 22.

Most of your opinions are pretty much spot on.

The guns in Buzz are like the ones in Anaheim--much easier to shoot with. However, as you mention, I also had a hard time with accuracy (something that's never a problem in Anaheim).

Regarding the Haunted Mansion, all of them have a "scrim" (theatrical term for fine netting) between you and the AA figures in the graveyard at the end. However, when I rode the attraction in Tokyo this time, there didn't appear to be any scrim at all: everything was nicely lit and VERY clear. I could see things I'd never been able to see before in Orlando or Anaheim. Still, the Orlando Mansion, with all the upgrades, rates highest at the moment in my opinion.

There is no pre-show at the Tokyo Tiki Room anymore. Used to be with "Got the Fever," but none with the new Stitch show so you didn't miss it.

Waiting to hear what you thought of DisneySea!

[LeeLeeLuvsDisney]

Great trip reports: I was there about the same time, but long enough to see Pooh come back up on the 22.

Most of your opinions are pretty much spot on.

The guns in Buzz are like the ones in Anaheim--much easier to shoot with. However, as you mention, I also had a hard time with accuracy (something that's never a problem in Anaheim).

Regarding the Haunted Mansion, all of them have a "scrim" (theatrical term for fine netting) between you and the AA figures in the graveyard at the end. However, when I rode the attraction in Tokyo this time, there didn't appear to be any scrim at all: everything was nicely lit and VERY clear. I could see things I'd never been able to see before in Orlando or Anaheim. Still, the Orlando Mansion, with all the upgrades, rates highest at the moment in my opinion.

There is no pre-show at the Tokyo Tiki Room anymore. Used to be with "Got the Fever," but none with the new Stitch show so you didn't miss it.

Waiting to hear what you thought of DisneySea!

We did a second day at TDL, so we got to ride Pooh...that report will be coming soon!

Yep, I knew that the Tokyo Haunted Mansion had that netting...but it wasn't visible unless you strained to look for it at a weird angle. The lighting was spot on. It was fantastic.

I didn't know there was no pre-show...glad to know we did not miss anything. Thanks!

I've been ultra busy lately, but I believe it will be slow at work this week and I should be able to at least get my TDS Day One posted, as well as the photos from that day. I also have a TDL Day Two and TDS Day Two, which will be a bit shorter...but since we missed a few things the first day at each park, I need to write up my thoughts. Then I few other posts about hotel, general tips and opinions, and then a little fun surprise at the end. Stay tuned...

[TDLFAN]

Pirates - 10 minute wait - a lot like California's, although I think it's missing a drop and one of the scenes. I absolutely loved the lighting and the sound - it's definitely better than at WDW.

Well.. most everything (except the pyro) is better at TDR than WDW.

Splash - 30 minute posted wait, but only waited 20 minutes - this is my favorite Splash Mountain.

It is the best one of them all.

I get so frustrated with the HM at WDW - you can see the netting in the final graveyard scene because the lighting is wrong. Here, you don't notice - they did it right.

Again.. WDW: bad.

I hated SM2 at DLP...it banged my head around so much I felt like I was in a car accident when I got off.

That is how the euros get their kicks.

Swiss Family - walk on - looked about the same as the others.

This one features the tiger's trap. You miss that detail, with sound?

Tiki Room with Stitch - walk on - we missed the pre-show.

There is NO pre-show at the current Stitch Tiki show. It was eliminated. Bad Imagineering.

Much better than the annoying show we have at WDW with Iago.

Again.. even a mediocre show at TDL is still better than what the silly tourists pay to see at WDW.

Mickey Mouse Revue - 5 minute wait - when my husband had described this attraction to me, I did not remember it. But, once we were in the movie (first half of the show), I totally remembered seeing this at MK at WDW when I was younger! I really enjoyed seeing this again. It's a Disney classic and I'm sad to see it go. It would be nice if they found another place for it, but I'm not counting on it.

I saw MMR for the last time a few days ago. I cried thru the whole thing.. as this is one of my most cherished experiences from the MK long ago.. so sad to see it go for that stale Philharmagic movie.

Then it was time for our FP return at Monsters. We breezed right in with no wait, so we really didn't get to look around at the line much. That first big room you walk into once you're in the building reminds me of the first room you walk into at Dinosaur at WDW's AK...same sort of layout, but of course different theming.

It is a total reproduction of what you see in the movie.

We hopped on and tried in vain to make our flashlights do something, but alas they were worthless.

Your flashlight was probably inop in your vehicle. They do work and they set off several special effects along the way.

The ride is so very cute, but is definitely not an E-ticket. This was the only time we rode it and we were not upset at all that we did not ride it again.

Agreed but I have to admit that the more I ride this ride, the better it gest and the more you get to appreciate the amount of theming that you miss from you previous rides.. so this is one ride worth repeating as often as possible to take it all in.

Big Thunder - FP return - fun ride, and like all the other rides at TDL, it's kept in excellent condition. But, Big Thunder at DLP is still the best!

The DLP Thunder does feture the best track (and speed), but when it comes to maintenance and upkeep.. plaus working props, TDL's is tops.

Buzz Lightyear - FP return - this is a little different from the one at WDW - most noticeable difference being the fact that you can lift your weapon up and move it around. That didn't help my aim at all, though. I think the lasers need to be recalibrated or something - neither one of us hardly hit anything. Buzz at WDW is much more accurate, and as a perfectionist I love the high scores I get there.

I honestly believe that your familiarity with the inferior WDW version of this ride makes it more enjoyable for you since you probably know how to aim the gun, but I have to say.. I get much higher scores at TDL's because if the unrestricted movements of the gun. BTW.. WDW's version is the only different one. All Astroblasters in DL, TDL HKDL and DLP are exactly the same, with differences in the queue layout.

Dinner - Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall in Fantasyland. The theming here is amazing. It's hard to believe this is just a buffeteria and not some high end restaurant. The food was awesome (I'll review food and restaurants later).

This is a must eat place at TDL.. Glad you had the chance to try it.

Small World - walk on - this reminds me of how the WDW Small World used to be before it was re-done.

..and when all the dolls used to work and be much cleaners.. oh the good old days at the MK now long gone forever... *sigh*

Dreamlights Parade! I cried through most of the parade - tears of joy. I was a huge fan of the Main Street Electrical Parade when I was younger and I was so sad when it left WDW. This parade has some of the same basic floats as the MSEP (only improved over time) and also uses the "Baroque Hoedown" music for part of the parade. I love the new floats they added. This is an awesome parade - I loved it! I also loved that everyone up front sat down for the whole parade. You could stand up in the back, but the CMs don't let anyone's view get blocked by people standing up front - I really wish all the parks would institute and enforce this policy.

I too would love for all the parks to enforce this type of policy but in regards to WDW and DLP, they would need forklifts to get most of their guests off the floor after the show. Still.. TDR does crowd controlling better than all parks.

Peter Pan - 20 minute wait posted - we only wait 5 minutes. This seems the same as all the other parks. The only problem is that the pirate ships made all kinds of squeaky noise as they went along, as if they needed to be greased where they meet up with the track overhead. Very distracting.

I noticed this the last time I rode Peter as well.. Needs to be fixed.


All in all... pretty much what I expected your reaction to TDL would be.

[TDLFAN]

Also, since we are Disneyland APers (live near Stanford Univ. But have been to WDW several times and DL Paris)--I am sure I will view/compare TDL through my "Disneyland eyes"-as you did with the attractions at WDW.

May I add to this... being from CA and more experienced with DL, your reaction to TDL may be different than LeeLee's. DL does have a higher level of quality in their rides and in the way they do things, not to mention a more charming atmosphere in their parks as opposed to both the Mk and TDL.. so your reaction to TDL may be somewhat more negative (less positive) of that of LeeLee's.. just so that you are awared of that. I think you will find TDS more to your liking and satisfaction since you folks at DLR have a better appreciation for Disney theming.

I look forward to reading your restaraunt reviews (our only MUST at TDL is The Royal Banquet)--and your trip report on DisneySea.

"The Royal Banquet"?? Are you talking about the "Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall"?? Because there is no "Royal" Banquet at TDL.. or are you expecting another "Cinderella Royal Table" at the castle? Because if that is what you mean, you will be sorely disappointed.

Oh--and I got a kick out of how some of the attractions are in 1/2 Japanese and 1/2 English. If you recall--Disneyland Paris is the same (remember Star Tours there!?? We still laugh about that one...)

Most attractions in TDS are totally in japanese, as is TDL's Monsters, Hunny Hunt, Splash... and even the Tiki Room.

[jedimaster7313]

Sounds like you guys had a great time & didn't have too bad wait times for attractions. Looking forward to any more insights or pics of your great trip

[Aunt Bee]

May I add to this... being from CA and more experienced with DL, your reaction to TDL may be different than LeeLee's. DL does have a higher level of quality in their rides and in the way they do things, not to mention a more charming atmosphere in their parks as opposed to both the Mk and TDL.. so your reaction to TDL may be somewhat more negative (less positive) of that of LeeLee's.. just so that you are awared of that. I think you will find TDS more to your liking and satisfaction since you folks at DLR have a better appreciation for Disney theming.

I think we APers at DL do appreciate some of the very special and unique qualities of Disneyland. Disneyland does have a more charming and personal feel to it than the larger parks I have visited (MK and DLP).

"The Royal Banquet"?? Are you talking about the "Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall"?? Because there is no "Royal" Banquet at TDL.. or are you expecting another "Cinderella Royal Table" at the castle? Because if that is what you mean, you will be sorely disappointed.

Yes--I did mean the 'Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall'---I don't expect a 'Cinderella Royal Table' experience at all. I did that one twice at WDW. Wouldn't pay the $ to go again, no matter what park it is in. My oldest daughter is all agog about going to this one place...(Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall).
She also wanted to dine at The Blue Bayou. I feel as if...'been there, done that a gazillion times' being we go to DL so often (and we've gone to Club 33 often enough...as dear friends are members).

Most attractions in TDS are totally in japanese, as is TDL's Monsters, Hunny Hunt, Splash... and even the Tiki Room.

Well...it will certainly quite interesting then...

We are on the last 6 days until we're off...

[LeeLeeLuvsDisney]

Tuesday, April 21

This day was our first visit to Tokyo DisneySea. The park opened at 10:00am on this day. The Mermaid Lagoon Theater was closed for refurb. The weather was very cloudy and overcast with rain. Here's how our day went:

We woke up late this morning due to sheer exhaustion. We had spent two very busy days touring Tokyo, then a full day at TDL, and our bodies (especially our feet) were sore. But, the excitement of seeing TDS in person, after years of oohing and aahing at the photos we'd seen on the internet, kept propelling us forward.

We made it to Becker's for our standard breakfast sandwich, tater tots and coffee by 9:45am. We had seen the entrance area to TDS on the monorail on our way to the Gateway Station, and saw that there were some people lined up at the gate, but nowhere near the number we had seen the day before at TDL. So, we decided we did not have to do breakfast to go, or inhale our food in 2 minutes - we took a normal amount of time, even stopping at the ATM in Ikspiari for more yen, and managed to enter TDS at 10:30am, less hungry and less frazzled than we could have been.

Once again, my emotions got the best of me and I cried at the sight of the park. It's beautiful. It's amazing. The park itself is an E-ticket attraction. There are things to see everywhere you look. You take a few steps, and something goes out of view as something new comes into view...and it's a whole new thrill. I never tired of just stopping for 10 seconds and looking around and taking it all in. It's eye candy, the best, sweetest treat ever seen.

Note: even though the Spring Carnival didn't start until the next day, the park was already decked out with most of the flowers and decorations already. However, we did not see the Spring Carnival merchandise being put out in the stores until late that evening, around closing time.

As we wandered around Mediterranean Harbor, looking at the beauty of it all and taking pictures, we saw a little bit of the Meet and Smile Show. I got my first look at Duffy and fell in love. Of course, my favorites Chip and Dale were there, too, along with a bunch of other characters like Pluto, Daisy, Donald, Goofy and Pinocchio...and of course the head cheese and his girl. After being properly welcomed to TDS, we wandered over to the board to check wait times. The longest time listed was 20 minutes for ToT. And the wait times, thankfully, never got much worse than that!

Then we walked to the American Waterfront, taking tons of pictures along the way. We decided that since the crowd levels seemed so low, we'd just wander and soak in the atmosphere and just hit the rides as we felt like it, instead of rushing from ride to ride. Just being at TDS was a thrill ride for us - it's definitely a different type of park from TDL, and we basically threw our touring plans out the window and just went with the flow.

While photographing the S.S. Columbia, we got a whiff of strawberry. The delicious scent led us over to the strawberry popcorn cart. We got a box of it, and fell in love. It's like a little bit of Nestle Strawberry Quik drizzled on unsalted popcorn. Soooo good. And the strawberry scent carries - you can smell it hundreds of feet away. It's nearly impossible to resist. We ate a lot of it.

Here's what we did for the rest of the day, and my general thoughts of the attractions:

20K - no wait - we ended up in one of the side seats, not the front seats, and what we had heard is true. It IS difficult to see out of the side windows, especially if you are tall. Even I, at a mere 5'4", had to really bend down and turn my neck all kinds of crazy ways to see everything. Even so, we loved this ride. It's no huge thrill, but it's so cute and we just love the fact that this ride even exists. The CM at the entrance to the line handed us an English guide to the ride - we didn't read it until the ride was over as we were immediately loaded on and wanted to look at everything around us on the ride. It makes a nice souvenir, though.

Snack time again! (Yeah, we ate like crazy on this trip): Gyoza Sausage Bun and Apple Tea Soda from the Refreshment Station in Mysterious Island. We had read so much about the long lines for this snack that we had to try it. Our wait time on this day - only 3 minutes! The bun was okay. It was a nice warm snack on a cool day, but nothing to get excited about.

Journey - no wait - this ride is fantastic. It's well-done from start to finish, including the line. I won't post the details as not to ruin the surprises for first-timers, but it's just great. The lighting, the atmosphere, the sound effects - perfect. The ride itself had a lot to see, a few surprises and a burst of speed at the end that just took my breath away.

Journey again! - no wait - front row - this ride is great from any seat, but we loved the front row the best.

20K again! - no wait - front seats – this time we couldn’t help ourselves and we wanted to test out how the CMs would react if we asked for the seats at the front window. There was no line, just a slow trickle of people coming in, so we didn’t think it would hurt anything. Well, you’d think we’d had asked them to solve a quantum physics equation or something. All three of them looked confused when we said "front seats" and pointed to the seats we wanted to sit in. They had no idea what to do. There was some discussion and they finally just put us in a sub by ourselves, but one of the CMs made sure to tell us before they closed the door that "all seats are good and you can see everything". You'll be glad to know that we never tried that again. We didn't want to be the ugly Americans, but we were definitely curious to see if they were trained to handle unusual circumstances, or just had standard answers to standard questions. Oh, and the view is definitely better from the front!

We wandered back to the American Waterfront the same way we came, and ran into Pocahontas on the way, and she kindly posed for a picture. Then in the NY area, we saw Cruella DeVille on her way to get a new fur coat, then we saw Marie, Donald, Daisy, and Chip and Dale.

ToT - 15 minute wait posted - actual wait 15 mins. - the theming and pre-show for this ride is awesome. I had read that the ride itself was a little less intense than at WDW or DL, and I have to agree. I get really freaked out on the U.S. ToT's, so this one was a lot more fun for me. I think it would have been even more thrilling, though, if they had the seatbelts across the hips, rather than the shoulder straps. I also think the point in the ride where they take your photo is pretty lame. Most people are just sitting there smiling...I prefer the photos where everyone is screaming or laughing. Also, this ride exits to the gift shop and there is some cute stuff in there. Lots of Stitch stuff. We got the Mickey Mouse looking scared with S.U. nipping at his behind. Awesome.

After this, we wandered over to the S.S. Columbia and climbed aboard. You can walk around on it, and you can get some great overview pictures of the park from the bow. You can also see the working areas behind the ship, the road, and Tokyo Bay from here.

Then, we wandered to the Cape Cod area. I got to see Duffy in his little nautical outfit. Then, of course, it was SNACK TIME again!

Snack - chocolate popcorn - cart is in Cape Cod. The chocolate flavor is really good, but strawberry is better.

We noted that it was almost time for Legend of Mythica, but we were still hungry and did not have time for lunch, so off we went to find Seaside Snacks, the cart on the pathway from Cape Cod to Port Discovery, where they sell ukiwah (shrimp) buns. Tried one of those - it's okay. It's cute, though - shaped like a life preserver!

Legend of Mythica - this show takes place in Mediterranean Harbor and it's a lot of fun. It's very colorful and features a bunch of characters, jetskiiers, dancers, and some cool boats with mythical creatures on them. The music was...interesting...the show features an 80's-type pop tune that at first didn't seem to fit in, but I must admit it was very catchy and I found myself dancing along eventually.

We had watched the show from an area closest to the walkway towards American Waterfront, so we headed that way and caught the Electric Railway from the NY area to Port Discovery. What I liked best about it was the old time signs in the line and on the tops of the buildings that you see as you ride along. And it saved us from walking over there.

Snack time again! Remember, we had not eaten lunch at all. We got an apricot-maple pastry from Breezeway Bites in Pt. Discovery. Very yummy.

Stormrider - 10 minute wait posted - actual wait 10 minutes - this was a nicely done simulator ride, but we were not so wowed by it that we wanted to make an effort to ride it again.

Aquatopia - no wait - this ride is cool in theory, but it's not that fun in reality. I think it's more of a kids' ride. We got whirled around quite a bit, but that was the only "thrill".

Oh, yes, it's snack time yet again. This time sea salt ice cream (which comes in a souvenir pink heart-shaped plastic container with Minnie on the front) and a tiramisu ice cream sandwich from a cart which is between the entrances to Aquatopia and Stormrider. OMG! Both were awesome tasting. The sea salt ice cream is not very salty at all...it's kind of like the old ice milk vanilla ice cream we used to get in the 1970's.

We walked toward Lost River Delta and ran into Goofy, Chip and Dale in some crazy mad scientist type outfits. Then...it started to rain! The characters ran for cover, and we ran for the Indiana Jones ride!
Indiana Jones - 10 minute wait post - actual wait 10 mins. - this ride didn't seem different from the California ride (although it's been several years since I've been to DL). But, it's a great ride - the line is amazing, the ride track is pretty smooth, the lighting is great, the effects are well-done. I really enjoyed it.

It was still raining when we exited the ride, so we bought a TDR umbrella at a kiosk and headed over to Mermaid Lagoon. We decided to kill some time in Triton's Kingdom since it's indoors in the hopes that the rain would soon pass. The look of the outside part of Mermaid Lagoon wasn't too thrilling to me (colors looked kind of faded, lots of tan is used for the rocks and coral), but the indoors was fantastic. Once again, amazing theming. There's tons to look at and explore in here.

Jumpin' Jellyfish - no wait - boring kids' ride, but we were killing time.

Blowfish Balloon Race - no wait - another boring kids' ride.

Went to the gift shop that is INSIDE the whale (so cool!) and ran into Prince Eric and Max just outside of it. We were getting super hungry by this point. It was after 6:00pm, and we had only snacked around the park (by the way, we ordered one of each snack each time and shared it, so it wasn't a ton of food) and had already walked miles. It was still raining pretty hard, so we looked at the map and picked out a sit-down restaurant to have dinner - we chose Restaurant Sakura in the American Waterfront.

So, we hoofed it over there and sat down for dinner at 6:30pm. I will review the food later, but in general, we were not impressed. It was just okay.

After dinner, it was still raining, so we shopped our way through the American Waterfront and over to the Mediterranean Harbor, where shops line the entrance walkway from the Aquasphere. It was getting colder and windier as well. I had brought my sweater and wore it tied around my waist until it got cold enough to wear it, but my poor husband had not brought his jacket, and was quite cold all evening. Hint: bring a jacket or sweater for the evening in the spring or fall - if you don't want to carry it, get a locker. It's well worth it to be comfortable.

We weren't sure if BraviSEAmo or the fireworks would go on due to the weather, but they did! It rained steadily during BraviSEAmo, so we watched it from under the arches in front of the shops in Mediterranean Harbor. It was not the ideal spot to see the show, but we hoped that the weather would cooperate on our second TDS day later in the week and we'd get a good view of it. There was a little rain during the fireworks as well, so we sat in a dry area for those, too.

We decided to end the evening, we'd head back to Mysterious Island and try to ride 20K or Journey again. We arrived to a pleasant surprise - due to the rain, a lot of people had cleared out of the park, and there were again no waits. It was only sprinkling at this point, and very cold and windy, but tolerable for awhile. We were able to ride Journey THREE more times (front row for all 3 rides) and 20K one more time (front seats!).

By this point, we were again exhausted. And it was still raining. So we wandered through the shops and towards the exit, leaving shortly before the park closed.

[LeeLeeLuvsDisney]

This one features the tiger's trap. You miss that detail, with sound?.

Yep, missed that. Unfortunately, the husband and I are not experts on the details of the rides. We've only been to DLP and DL once in the past 10 years, and probably don't pay as much attention as we should to the details at WDW. So, we missed some stuff! Good reason to go back for another visit, huh?

Your flashlight was probably inop in your vehicle. They do work and they set off several special effects along the way.

Agreed but I have to admit that the more I ride this ride, the better it gest and the more you get to appreciate the amount of theming that you miss from you previous rides.. so this is one ride worth repeating as often as possible to take it all in.

I am certain the flashlights were operating, but with everyone else flashing their lights on everything, it seemed like all the effects just happened without us having to do anything. We just put them down. It might have been better if we could tell that our lights were doing something. We'll definitely ride it again on our next visit.