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Port Discovery

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AgedToPerfection
AgedToPerfection
First Reviewer
5 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
2
Reviews
6
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Editor Pick

Port Discovery - Aquatopia

Port Discovery - Aquatopia

Before I start reviewing this fun attraction, I must interject a brief lesson of what crossed arms mean in Japan. While we could not speak Japanese and most of the Japanese cast members could not express the more complex explanations in English, when we were forbidden to do something, the cast members would raise their crossed arms in the form of an X. We saw this a lot at the Aquatopia.

The Aquatopia is an aquatic version of the popular Autopia at Disneyland or Grand Prix Raceway at the Magic Kingdom. While you might be fooled into thinking the water’s depth reaches 10 to 12 feet, in actuality, the water only skims the surface of the attraction’s floor.

There are two sides to this attraction, each side featuring different water elements and different pathways. Both are fun and the differences are subtle.

The Aquatopia has one of the most sophisticated ride systems imagined by the Imagineers. Utilizing sensors embedded in the ground, the vehicles follow electronic pulses that guide them through a maze of whirlpools, fountains, and waterfalls. Each vehicle is controlled by these sensors and not by the riders. The Pooh’s Hunny Hunt attraction at Tokyo Disneyland uses the same ride system, with even more impressive results.

At the back of each Aquatopia vehicle, perched on the top of a long vertical bar, sits a control signal receiver. The emitters, which were not visible to us, sent pulses to the vehicles and propelled them through the ride. A good friend of ours, who was the lead electrician during the installation of the ride, explained how the attraction operated. Apparently, if you take flash pictures, it disrupts the signals and causes the entire ride to shut down. This is why we saw so many crossed arms and frowning faces. Each of the three of us, armed with a camera, took pictures of each other while we glided through the water. Fortunately, we did not have to find out the hard way what it is like to be the cause of an attraction closure.

Our apologies to the Aquatopia cast members. We’ll behave on our next visit.

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

Editor Pick

Port Discovery - Stormrider

Port Discovery - Stormrider

When you visit a theme park and you’re the only female, keep in mind that occasionally, what you want to do will be overridden by the geek gene residing in all men. The geek gene surfaced when we traipsed through Port Discovery and came upon Stormrider. My companions, both male, insisted that we take a gander at this unique motion simulator attraction, whose premise was to take guests on a weather research mission and ride through the center of a storm.

The geek gene seemed to be drawn to the scientific aspect of this attraction. A research facility that sought to understand how to dissipate a storm in mid-air sponsored the dangerous trip into the unknown. “COOL!” said the geeks.

We followed the story of a research team who flew a helicopter-like vehicle with us aboard toward a violent storm. When the timing was right, our scientists would launch a probe into the storm to dissolve it by dispatching a massive burst of energy. Sure, great theory until the probe catches a rogue gust of wind and hurtles toward us. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination, but I note that in addition to the screen showing us the view from the front of the helicopter, portholes along both sides of the cabin showed the side view of the outside. Surprisingly, while I cannot ride Star Tours or Body Wars in the other Disney theme parks, Stormrider did not cause the familiar feeling of nausea that I get when I ride a motion simulator.

When we had disembarked from our hair-raising journey, I saw the look in the guys’ eyes that said, “LET’S DO IT AGAIN!” I sat out the second round, opting to enjoy the scenery of Port Discovery.

In all fairness, my inner princess emerged when I saw Mermaid Lagoon and I dragged the guys with me to explore the under sea kingdom for a while. But that’s another story.

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

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