Tokyo Disney Resort 4/07 & 4/15-16/2008

[Maverick]

great pics man, i wanna get there so badd

[jonmmmkay]

I guess my pictures and stories I have posted online from TDR for the past 21 years are not enough to convince anyone to come to Japan...

You convinced my long ago. My wife on the other hand....a work in progress.

[seenoevil]

Hey i am coming to Japan in January of 2009 for two weeks. i will also be going to TDL/TDS for the last three days of my trip and planning on staying in the NEW toyko disneyland hotel.

P.S. thanks for your awesome trip reports and pictures

I'm going in January too. I think the second and third week. What about you? We're staying at the MiraCosta though.

[Monkey joe]

I guess my pictures and stories I have posted online from TDR for the past 21 years are not enough to convince anyone to come to Japan...

You made me want to go but I can't afford it at the moment.

[TDLFAN]

I'm going in January too. I think the second and third week. What about you? We're staying at the MiraCosta though.

You are going in jan? Maybe I can stop by and meet for a few minutes... and bring a coat. It gets cold at time of the year.. but the parks should not be busy at all, as that is low season at TDR.

[a_shy_kid]

Hi everyone! Thanks to everyone who has been kind enough to read my report and for all those good luck wishes for midterm week...hahahahaha, I really appreciate it.


Any who let me get started then...
So after the 7th, I left the Tokyo Disney Resort to enjoy Japan with some very close friends for a few days until my return on the 15th and 16th.



However I could not escape Tokyo Disney...well at least in many of the train stations....from stations in Yokohama and Tokyo and other major ones such as Shinjuku as well as much smaller ones in Kofu...The words was out...something big was about to happen...



This definitely has to be my favorite advertisement for any Disney theme park and it's not even the full version of the picture.
This along with this ad (which also had a bigger version)....



Behind mom (in the very first photo) you can notice behind her the Tokyo Disneyland advertisement...and it was followed by the ad another 5 times, same for the Disney Sea, in addition to several posters for the resort as a whole, all of which decorated that entire section of the station.
So everyone got the message...well I hope...


So fast forward 7 days and now I was on my way to Miahama station and guess what...



...yup, the ad was posted all over the train as well...this is the full version.



Anyways we eventually arrived close to 8/9 pm and I was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited.
The number 25 was everywhere. I couldn't believe I was really here.
I was just crossing my fingers I wouldn't get screwed like my last visit.
Hahaha.

So we rode the complimentary resort cruisers from the station to the Sheraton Grande, where I finally checked in and said my farewells to my my good friends.



The cruiser 25th anniversary-ized...I got a few more picture on my final day.

Anyways when my friends asked me how early I was going to have to wake up I had told them I was going to wake up at 4 am...
Actually I exclaimed I would be the first person in line....



Cheyaaaaaaaaaaah booooooooooiii!!!!!

Hahahahaha...


SIKE!!!....
the center entrance was closed. This was the real line...



Hahahaha, so that was never gonna happen but anyways this was as of 7:30ish am, with the park opening at 8:30 am.



and it grew...



I was pretty annoyed...
It was very convenient buying my ticket from the clerk in the Sheraton Hotel...but not when there's a line and only one clerk with a customer who has a million questions...hahahaha...but it was my fault for waking up so late.

ANyways, before I got in line took advantage of the center entrance being closed off to take some pictures of the nice floral arrangement and other decorations.



Here's a close up...



I got more pictures later that afternoon.

I need to upload more of the pictures & do a few more things...hahaha...
So I'll be back in a bit...Sorry.

Take care.

[tasman]

Enjoying the report, thanks. It's nice that you have friends in Japan you can spend time with...it no doubt adds to the travel experience than just being tourist.

[Monkey joe]

Thank you and keep up the good work.

[AtomicBear]

The Pinocchio fountain is great, is that in Fantasyland. I love how the wires behind the statue look like 'strings' on our puppet friend.

The Mickey lunch box is very cool.

[seenoevil]

You are going in jan? Maybe I can stop by and meet for a few minutes... and bring a coat. It gets cold at time of the year.. but the parks should not be busy at all, as that is low season at TDR.

OMG! My dream come true! As soon as I know the dates for sure, I'll post about it. As hot as it's been here, I found myself thinking about what jacket to take to Tokyo!

[TDLFAN]

Bring a heavy one for the winter season. It does get cold and quite windy as well.

The Pinocchio fountain is great, is that in Fantasyland. I love how the wires behind the statue look like 'strings' on our puppet friend.

Yes, the fountain is next to Pinnochio's ride and it's one of the many lovely "little things" that add to the quality of TDR as a whole..

[a_shy_kid]

Hey everyone....Sorry for being a lagger....
So where was I...



Here's the mob...hehehe, again the time waiting for the park to open seemed to go by very quickly which was nice, and as I tip-toed every once in awhile it was exciting to see cast members from behind the gates running around trying to get the park ready.

Anyways around...uhmmm, at least 10 minutes left until the park opened, the usual gang like Mickey and Minnie, and some other characters, came out and got a lot of the crowd excited, and they were all dressed up in their anniversary costumes.

I would of been more excited but I really couldn't see much.
Finally the mobbed inched closer to the entrance gates but it took awhile because cast members had to give each guest one of the anniversary gifts, which was a Tinkerbell pin. Hahaha, a very nice keepsake and it was free, hahaha.

One of my main goals for the day was to take a picture with Mickey. I had to get it done or I was going to...uhmm, yeah. But once I got in I noticed no line for Mickey, so I assumed he had disappeared before the gates had officialy opened.

Anyways...



It was so nice to be back.
Rawr, so excited!

hahahaha.

So I began my trek through World Bazzar, where I was hoping to shop as soon as I could because for some reason I assumed all the anniversary merchandise would sell out in 15 minutes, hahahaha.

But, but...my plans kind of changed once...

I noticed this. Hahahaha.





Mooooooooooooooooo, hahaha.







Anniversary uniform (Cast member in the center).



Hahaha, my favorite of the bunch...

Cast members from around the park, where lined on both sides of the street, waving and welcoming everyone. They were so peppy, happy and cute.
Plus there were BUBBLES! BUBBLES!! Hahaha, bubbles make everything more fun.

By the time I got ot the end of World Bazzar, the marching band was out and playing to the crowd, and lucky for me they had barely starting playing the anniversary theme song, "The Dream Goes On."

Such a nice song and such a talented group a musicians, I haven't uploaded that video but hopefully, hahahaha, soon.

I really didn't know where I was suppose to go afterwards and at that time I noticed how most of the curb was already full of people who were waiting for the new anniversary greeting and parade.

I really didn't want to wait, well at least start waiting so early, so I headed to Cinderella Castle where I noticed a mob had formed, and I joined them.

It was hard to see anything, and I still didn't have a map, so I had no clue when or what something would be happening. Yup, so I just waited. Finally the music played.
The head of the Oriental Land Company and Bob Iger spoke which was a treat and then this....
hahaha.

[YOUTUBE][http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYJoP3-Egog/YOUTUBE]

It was my happiest Disney experience ever.
Incredible, amazing, exhilarating...but if I could use one word to describe it all it would have to be...

EWGTWERT#()$%#WUT436TL3Y-450Y746Y65U56[UP7U0-!!!#e209-E5YEOP!!!!!!

Well the thing I don't know how to describe it but I honestly don't remembering smiling this much over anything in a long while.
I didn't just feel like a little kid again but overall I felt so content with life, hahaha.

I noticed other people were also moved..a few crying. It felt nice to be around so many people that care much for Disney or at least Tokyo Disney.

I was really moved just by being able to be withing a few hundred feet of someone like Bob Iger, seeing Mickey Mouse surprise us all and the mass of Disney characters and cast members was....wow.

Some of the cast members were even dressed in costumes from Dreams on Parade: Moving On!, so in some sense I finally got to see a little bit of my favorite Disney parade that I never got ot see, which made me even happier.

Definitely #4 or 6 in my top ten best moments in life, hahaha.
Afterwards I ran to World Bazzar and bought a few anniversary items...
well...$300...worth and I wasn't even close to done buying things I didn't really need. Hahahaha.
(I'll add picture of what I actually brought later...hopefully).

I went to see if I could take a picture with Mickey but when I got htere the line was closed...sad.

So I headed back to wait for the parade...yeah...



...this is a little before 11 am...hahaha.

There were many fun sights to see that made waiting close to 5 hours for a parade not as long or boring....



Not gonna lie...that's pretty cute, hahahaha. Poor guy it was pretty sunny that day.



This next costume owns though. The boy in the blue is dressed like Mickey in his anniversary attire. Wow, hardcore fan.



I also notice this little girl who was dressed as Minnie in her 25th dress, but she was very far away but you can notice the bright pink bow close to the center.

If they ever met those two kids would have a pretty cute picture.

Hahaha, anyways I had completely forgot about the Anniversary Greeting, which was at 12:15.

[YOUTUBE][http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7EO8oXS0Ds/YOUTUBE]

I'll be back...time for class and thanks for reading everyone.

[quote=tasman;2749962 It's nice that you have friends in Japan you can spend time with...it no doubt adds to the travel experience than just being tourist.[/quote]

I decided I was going to also add pictures of the rest of my stay in Japan but that's hopefully after I get finished with this trip report...hahaha, so stay tuned.

Take care everyone.

[a_shy_kid]

Hi everyone thanks for reading!
I've been really busy with work and escuela this week
but I have a million more pictures of Tokyo Disney, Disney Sea, and the rest of my stay in Japan, which included visits to the Ghibli Animation Museum, Fujikyu Highland Amusement Park, Tokyo Tower and even the Pokemon Center.

Hopefully after this all-nighter I'll be ready to add more by later this evening.

Thanks and take care.

[Zorro825]

Great Trip Report so far! I went to Japan back in 2006 and I REALLY wanted to goto TDR if even just to see the entrance. That part about not seeing the parade was a bummer. I'm surprised they didnt extend it at least one more day since the final performance was cancelled due to rain. Oh well. Cant wait to see the rest

[ReggieB]

Pictures of the hard core Disney kids, really cool! Have a feeling it's Mom or Dad!

Glad you noticed the peppy quality to the CM's also. Although I went before the anniversary stuff started, I was super impressed with the, I guess you would call it work ethic, of the CM's. All very enthusiastic to help, even if there was a gaping language barrier. You do get flashes of that at WDW (my most frequent visited) it just seemed more consistent. Though I did find the whole of Tokyo a very friendly, helpful place to visit.