Tokyo

Travelers' Takes

Rates and Deals

Mysterious Island

More Photos
AgedToPerfection
AgedToPerfection
First Reviewer
5 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
2
Reviews
5
Photos
Sort by: Most Recent|Positive|Negative|Most Useful
1-2 of 2
Editor Pick

Mysterious Island - Center of the Earth

Mysterious Island - Center of the Earth

One thing about exploring Tokyo Disney Sea (“TDS”) is if you don’t speak Japanese, you will have a tough time figuring out the attractions’ story lines. However, Journey to the Center of the Earth was not as difficult to decipher. Guests take a ride down a terravator (an elevator that travels to the earth’s core), board drilling vehicles, and explore the mysterious caverns hidden below.

A major thrill ride, Journey to the Center of the Earth starts in the center of Mount Prometheus in Mysterious Island, propels you out of the volcano, and ends as you speed around the island’s perimeter. Perhaps one of the most innovative attractions in TDS, Journey to the Center of the Earth rapidly became my favorite attraction due to the combination of dark ride elements, fuzzy creatures, scary monsters, and high-speed fun.

Be prepared for some heat as you ride the terravator to get to the loading area. As the terravators travel toward the earth’s core, the temperature rises and the comfort level falls.

The vehicles resemble the old Rocket Rod vehicles, which briefly sped around Disneyland’s New Tomorrowland. The front seats have the best view due to a bar that obstructs the views of the rear seat passengers.

During the start of your ride, you pass a subterranean cavern filled with sparkling lights. Next, travel to the home of the moss-plucking skink and fluttering newt. Not exactly cuddly creatures but endearing nonetheless. Soon, you pass through a cavern filled with odd, translucent spheres, which turn out to be eggs. As you start to wonder what kind of creature would lay these eggs, the mother finds you by the nest and lunges. The mother, as it turns out, is a lava monster, one of the largest animated figures ever created. As soon as the mother attacks, your vehicle speeds up and blasts out of the volcano into the open air.

For crowded situations, Journey to the Center of the Earth has the FastPass system so you can get a ticket, which tells you when to return to the attraction and bypass most of the queue. The FastPass kiosks are located toward the left of the attractions’ entrance.

Note the main marquee when you approach the entrance. The letters glow and look like undulating lava streams.

From journal Tokyo Disney Sea - Tour the Seven Ports of Call

Editor Pick

Mysterious Island - 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

Mysterious Island - 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

Hands down the most popular attraction in Tokyo Disney Sea, this ride can sport waits of well over 2 hours on a crowded day. The queue for the FastPasses alone lasted over 10 minutes!

You can find the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction by looking for a strange, square, rivet-covered vehicle, suspended overhead by a crane. This vehicle is a preview of what riders embark. Guests descend a spiral walkway down to the loading area.

While we thoroughly enjoyed 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, one of the more frustrating elements was not so much the long lines, but the entirely English-free Japanese narration. I had no idea what was going on.

Never fear, my buddy with me had the skinny on the storyline. Similar to the Disneyland and Magic Kingdom attractions of old, this ride explores the undersea territory of sunken treasure, the requisite giant squid (who disables the vehicle with its tentacles), and instead of mermaids, Atlanteans. Apparently, after the giant squid attack, the vehicles stumble upon the sunken empire of Atlantis during the journey. The Atlanteans look like a cross between the traditional wide-eyed aliens of science fiction and Swamp Thing. Not particularly attractive, I first thought these critters were the bad guys. As it turns out, the Atlanteans save the riders and push the crippled vehicles to safety.

A note for small children, this ride is a little startling when the Atlanteans first appear. The Imagineers did a good job of incorporating themed music and special effects to make first sighting of the Atlanteans particularly dramatic.

A hint for special effects enthusiasts, when disembarking, note if the vehicle is wet from its undersea adventure. As you exit the ride, the walkway back up to the Mysterious Island area passes a giant water spout. If you time it properly, it should expel large amounts of water, spraying the guests with mist. On a hot day, this can be a welcome experience.

From journal Tokyo Disney Sea - Tour the Seven Ports of Call

Sort by: Most Recent|Positive|Negative|Most Useful
1-2 of 2

Compare Tokyo Rates

1. Enter travel information

City

2. Select websites to compare rates

Each selected website will open a new window.

Tokyo Travel Deals