East Meets ACE – Part 7: Tokyo DisneySea / 東京ディズニーシー
On Thursday, September 27 we arrived early at Tokyo DisneySea in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan. Operating since 2001, this park is themed to various lands along waterways. While the previous day I had a good idea of what to expect, this day would be almost completely an unknown experience. I had heard this was perhaps the best themed park in the world, and once I arrived, I realized that it very well may be. I will review by highly themed sections.
Mediterranean Harbor
The attention to detail here is amazing
as you almost feel you are in Italy at times.
We had a nice midafternoon meal at an Italian restaurant, including a 35th anniversary dessert!
Venetian Gondolas –
Having been on real gondolas in Venice,
this ride making its way around Disney quality theming
made to look like Venice
is the closest to the real thing I have seen –
a wonderful experience – 1 ride.
This section has a station for the DisneySea Transit Steamer Line which travels to American Waterfront and Lost River Delta. While we took it several times, we never passed through this station as various water shows limit transportation in this section of river.
We did not go to Fortress Explorations, a walkthrough exploration fortress.
American Waterfront
From realistic city streets,
to a life size ocean liner
to a New England fishing village,
the attention to detail here is stunning.
Tower of Terror – This has a different story than the other versions. This one is based on the owner having mysteriously disappearing due to a cursed idol he had been given on an expedition. The ride is very good and the different story makes for a nice twist – 2 rides.
Toy Story Mania! – This is always fun, although the long line makes it difficult. We waited to the end of the day for a slightly shorter 60 minute line – 1 ride.
DisneySea Electric Railway –
This train runs above the city streets of New York and other landmarks of the American Waterfront making its way to Port Discovery. We used this as transportation throughout the day – 2 rides to Port Discovery, also arrived here twice.
DisneySea Transit Steamer Line – This is a good method of getting between the front and back of the park. We wanted to ride through Mysterious Island, but both times we rode, they were backtracking the other way due to shows – arrived from Lost River Delta twice.
We did not ride Big City Vehicles, which includes an open-top town car, a police wagon, a delivery truck and more. We also did not get to Turtle Talk. Under construction here is a new Soarin’ attraction coming in 2019.
Port Discovery
Themed to Science and Discovery, this section looks nice along the water.
Aquatopia – With a similar ride system to the one on Winnie the Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, but on water, these boats move and spin among the others, but they never run into each other. It is a fun and unique ride – 1 ride.
DisneySea Electric Railway – Traveling from American Waterfront, this provided good transportation throughout the day – 2 rides to American Waterfront, plus arrived here twice.
Nemo & Friends SeaRider – This was a good ride – 1 ride.
Lost River Delta
Raging Spirits (Intamin Amusement Rides, Looper, 2005)
Similar to but not identical to Indiana Jones: Temple of Peril at Disneyland Paris,
this compact design with one inversion is very well themed, quite comfortable and fun.
It is short, but it makes up for that with its immersive theming – 2 rides.
Indiana Jones® Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull – Always a fun ride, this was very good, and its single rider line was useful – 2 rides.
DisneySea Transit Steamer Line –
A good way to get between the back and front of the park – 2 rides to American Waterfront.
Arabian Coast
The theming of this section is so immersive
that you are truly transported to the Middle East.
Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage –
This elaborate and well done boat darkride tells the story of Sindbad and his loyal tiger cub, Chandu. – 1 ride.
Caravan Carousel – This highly themed double decker carousel is really two carousels on top of each other. It is filled with exotic creatures including camels, elephants and even griffons – 1 ride.
Jasmine’s Flying Carpets – Like the one at Magic Kingdom, this gives a good ride – 1 ride.
The Magic Lamp Theater – This show about the magician Shaban, is fun – 1 show.
Mermaid Lagoon
This section is geared toward children and is mostly indoors.
Flounder’s Flying Fish Coaster (Togo, Family, 2001) –
Good family coaster, and it is outdoors – 1 ride. We did not make it to Mermaid Lagoon Theater for King Triton’s Concert.
Attractions include Ariel’s Playground; Blowfish Balloon Race; Jumpin’ Jellyfish, which was closed for maintenance; Scuttle’s Scooters; and The Whirlpool.
Mysterious Island
This is perhaps the most intriguing section as it is set in a volcano that erupts periodically along the river.
Journey to the Center of the Earth – Perhaps the most noteworthy attraction at this park, this ride uses Test Track technology to take a fascinating trip to the earth’s center before a thrilling return to the surface – 1 ride.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – A new take on any old attraction, this uses four person submarine vehicles to take you through a darkride of the underwater civilization of Atlantis. It is a fun ride – 1 ride.
It was another amazing day. This park is truly one of the most immersive I have been to and the attention to detail is absolutely amazing. Again we snacked throughout the day, largely on flavored popcorn, with the added flavors of Garlic Shrimp, Strawberry and Black Pepper. The employees here were just as friendly and helpful as the day before. It rained some during the day, but not too bad. Again we returned to the hotel on public transportation, but exiting from this pit was a little harder to find the train station from this park than the night before. After some confusion, we made our way back to Keio Plaza Hotel.
Up Next: Tokyo Joypolis
Ronny's Travels 