Tokyo Disneysea has been one of the top places I told my self I should visit when I come to Japan. And just recently, on my first visit, it came into reality. It was a mix emotion of both happiness and a little bit of disappointment. But that experience didn’t really hinder the idea of me coming back to this awesome place.
What was the reason behind my disappointment? Will tell you more about that in a bit.
Tokyo Disneysea: The Disney Theme park for the grown ups!
Heroes, princesses and protagonist are way too ordinary, if you are more of a fan of the antagonist, this theme park is definitely for you. Tokyo Disneysea is a 176-acre theme park, which is just one part of the Tokyo Disney Resort. It is located outside Tokyo, in Urasayu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, approximately more than an hour of travel coming from Shinjuku.
According to statistics, Tokyo Disneysea is considered as the fifth-most visited theme park in the world, thats next to Universal Studios in Japan and on 3rd place, Tokyo Disneyland. Tokyo DisneySea was the second theme park to open at the Tokyo Disney Resort and the ninth park of the twelve worldwide Disney theme parks to open. Thinking now, I was only able to cross out two Disney Theme Park, the other one was Hong Kong Disneyland.
Tokyo Disneysea have seven themed areas or “ports of call”. The entrance to the park is Mediterranean Harbor, which opens up to six more nautically themed ports: American Waterfront, Lost River Delta, Port Discovery, Mermaid Lagoon, Arabian Coast, and Mysterious Island. My Favorite was the Arabian Coast and Mysterious Island.
First Time at Tokyo Disneysea
We arrived at Disneysea around lunch time, Tracy was already there waiting for us. The weather was a bit hot on that day, so we decided to layer it down. We booked our tickets via Klook and we didn’t really thought of getting the Fast Pass for we decided to visit on a Monday. Oh well, we were wrong, we did not expected the bulk of visitors on a Monday. Anyway, the view for now would suffice, I said to myself.
Our first agenda was to grab some bite. We decided to visit a nearby restaurant around Mediterranean Harbor. Rod and I decided to eat something heavy so we got the upgraded version of the meal. And did I mention, they also offer beers in this place, I guess being considered as a theme park for the grown ups truly makes sense.
After having our lunch we decided to go to the next world called the Mysterious Island. Mysterious Island is a “port-of-call” within Mount Prometheus, the giant volcano that is the park’s centerpiece and most prominent feature. We planned to ride the more popular attraction called “Journey to the Center of the Earth” but was a bit disappointed that the queue is an hour and a half. Hence, we decided to take the other one called “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” The later was a dark ride, that goes under the sea showing us amazing (undiscovered) places underneath.
Our disappointment actually continues as we move on to the next ports. The Mermaid lagoon consists of mostly rides for the kids. We were also able to see Prince Eric from the Little Mermaid. We weren’t able to try any rides at this port for most are long lines and some didn’t really favor our likings.
Next to it was the Arabian Coast, which brings us to Alladin and Princess Jasmine’s place. The Lost River Delta on the other hand was a theme rooted from Indiana Jones Adventure, here we were able to ride the Steamer Line that transports us to Mediterranean Harbor. From there we were enchanted to watch a show at the American Waterfront and took the railway there after, heading to Port Discovery.
Actually, we were not really able to try the rides that we really wanted to, due to long queueing. Enjoying the scenery and food around the corner could be the next best thing to do if this scenario also came into you. Before 6pm, a new batch of visitors are already lining up at the theme park entrance who availed a much cheaper pass.
Tips for First time Tokyo DisneySea goers
With Ruth, Rod and & Tracy
- Avail the Fast Pass! I think this would be the best decision you would ever make specially if you are really into trying the different rides. Queues tend to get longer most of the time, thus having a Fast past could be very useful.
- Choose a weekday rather than weekend. Also remember to not schedule a visit during holidays, you’ll be disappointed with the crowed build up if you do so.
- Download the DisneySea App to check queue times. If you are up for a thrill, Go at the Tower of Terror first then the rest.
- Get a map in English version for easy navigation. For Restaurants, they also have English Menu, and yes most staff can speak English.
- There are street performances here and then, but the highlight usually happens at the lagoon. At 8pm, the night firework performance finale begins, you do not want to miss that.
- If you want to save a little money and yet wanted to see the park, you can use the after 6pm pass.
- Lastly, Booked it via Klook, to make life more easier. You can check out other destinations in Tokyo through the app.
