- Seaotter71
- First Reviewer
- 5 out of 5
- Avg. Member Rating
- 4
- Reviews
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110
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Editor Pick
If You Don't Enjoy, Check Your Pulse!
- December 19, 2008
- Rated 5 of 5 by
blueskygirl from Bellevue, Washington
Since this is our anniversary trip, my husband acquiesced by agreeing to go to Disney Sea. Of course, we had both been to Disneyland in Anaheim as kids. So this was our first time doing a Disney trip as adults. My husband admitted that he was expected to be pretty underwhelmed. But guess what… we were totally wow-ed and had the best time!
The best part was doing a bit of research before out trip to find out how to work the FastPass system. It is the civilized way of "cutting in line". I can’t believe how much better using the FastPass made our day; we basically did in one day what it would take us two days to see and do.
So what’s the FastPass and how does it work?
At the most popular and biggest rides including, "Indiana Jones", " Storm Rider", "Raging Spirits", "Journey to the Center of the Earth", "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", and the "Tower of Terror", it’s quite possible to wait up to 130 minutes to get on the ride. But with the FastPass, you are essentially waiting in line without actually having to physically stand in line.
So first go to the FastPass machine of the ride (usually right beside the line-ups), insert your Park Passport which you get when you buy a ticket for the park and get a "Return Time" (this will vary depending on how long the lines are… at the beginning of the day it was usually 30 minutes but later in the afternoon, the return times were longer, up to 90 minutes). But whatever, it sure beats standing in line. So we’d get our FastPass for a particular ride and then go to another part of the park, come back during the allotted time and breeze right in! I cannot believe how easy it was and yet how few people seemed to take advantage of this service. It’s pure genius! So by working the FastPass system, not only did we get to ride EVERY single ride we wanted to, we never had to stand in line bored out of our minds.
The only thing is that you cannot just run around the park, getting Fastpasses for everything at the beginning of the day. Depending on what time your current Fastpass is valid for, you cannot get the next Fastpass until that time has passed.
Here’s my suggestion for getting the most from your day. Instead of waiting 90 minutes (average wait time weekday, much longer on weekends and holidays) for "Journey" (definitely one of the best rides) we got FastPasses and in the meantime, we went to Aladdin’s Theatre (a 3D show) where there were no lineups. Then on our way back to "Journey" to catch our ride during our time slot, we also got Fastpasses for "20,000 Leagues" which is in the same section of the park.
After "20,000 Leagues" go to the Mermaid Lagoon (based on Little Mermaid) and watch the "Ariel" musical in the stunning Lagoon Theatre. The gift shop in the Mermaid Lagoon was one of my favorites. Then, we walked over to the "Lost River Delta" to get Fastpasses for the Indiana Jones ride. While waiting for our time slot for Indiana Jones, we went to the El Dorado Cantina for some surprisingly decent Mexican food and a cold beer (not every restaurant serves alcohol so check the map/directory). As we finished lunch, it was time to go on the Indiana Jones ride but before we did, we went and got Fastpasses at Raging Spirits which is right beside it.
Before the Raging Spirits, we will had about 20 minutes so we went to the Arabian Coast section and went to "Sinbad’s Voyage" which is Disney Sea’s equivalent to Disneyland’s "It’s a Small World". After Raging Spirits (one of the THE scariest roller-coasters I have ever been on, without a doubt), we took the "DisneySea Electric Railway" to the American Waterfront and got our Fastpasses for the Storm Rider. While waiting, we walked around the Mediterranean Harbour and checked out "The Leonardo Challenge".
After Storm Rider, we had a nice greasy Reuben sandwiches and fries with hot drinks at the New York Deli while deciding whether to check out the House of Terror of the nighttime BraviSEAmo show (Disney Sea’s equivalent to Disneyland’s parade). At this point, it was getting cold and we were pretty tired, so we decided to catch the BraviSEAmo show and call it a day.
From journal Blueskygirl Does Tokyo
DisneySEA
- March 11, 2008
- Rated 5 of 5 by
Poole Party from everywhere, Virginia
Disneysea also was far more child friendly – with more child rides and an inner playground and area called King Triton’s, complete with kiddie and some older kiddie rides (the spinning cups here are much faster than the ones in Alice’s Tea cups). Also a great place for younger children to camp out with a parent while older children wander around Disneysea. The Sinbad’s Voyage ride is an exotic Arabian version of It’s a Small World Ride. Also, a surprise crowd pleaser was the Ariel Mermaid Theatre featuring a live summarized rendition of of some of the scenes from Little Mermaid. The show transports you to the bottom of the sea by elevating and swirling, acrobatic cast members of the sea around the ceiling stage on wires. The lights, and special effects are fantastic and the music, as always, in captivating. Even the fact that the conversation and songs are mostly in Japanese (as in the other shows), the act is quite captivating.
From journal Tokyo DIsneyland
Editor Pick
Pooh's Hunny Hunt - Fantasyland
They say you get what you pay for. And Tokyo Disneyland got a whopper of an attraction when they contracted Walt Disney Imagineering to produce Pooh’s Hunny Hunt for them. A state-of-the-art technological marvel in the world of ride systems engineering, Pooh’s Hunny Hunt utilizes embedded sensors in the attraction’s floor to guide free moving vehicles, without a track.
From the beginning of the ride to the end, Pooh’s Hunny Hunt immerses the guest in details, lush colors and elaborate props. The queue starts as a giant book where guests walk through its pages. Recalling the 1970s Winnie-The-Pooh animated shorts, which aired on The Wonderful World of Disney, the pages feature the same animated illustrations of Pooh and his friends journeying through the Hundred Acre Wood.
We boarded giant honey pots and glided into the attraction where three vehicles at a time entered each scene. In the first scene, during a blustery day, we met full-sized animatronic figures of Pooh and his friends. We could see the detail of each figure and its fur covering, all resembling the stuffed animals which they are.
Moving onto one of the most impressive special effects in a Disney dark ride, we lined up in front of a screen where an animated Tigger bounced out and proceeded to invite us to bounce with him. To my surprise, the entire room started to bounce up and down and our vehicles shook us up pretty well. Had the effect lasted a few seconds longer, I would have made life very uncomfortable for my husband and my friend. My lunch had not settled yet.
As each vehicle spun and zipped across each room, we marveled at how the honey pots never collided with each other. Each vehicle received its own individual program and proceeded on its own course, coordinating perfectly with the others. The result: each ride you take is slightly different from the last since your vehicle will explore different parts of the room or scene at different times.
Cast Members will caution guests not to take flash photography inside the attraction. This is not to preserve company secrets but because the vehicles operate from a signal emitted from the honey pots to receptors in the floor. The flash from a camera bulb can interfere with the signal and cause failure.
And like other major Disney attractions, Pooh’s Hunny Hunt empties its guests into a merchandise location. Pooh Corner, legend says, paid for the entire cost of the expensive dark ride within one week. Merchandise sales from this retail location provided enough revenue to offset the costs of developing and constructing such an elaborate attraction. Note that this shop gets very crowded so the best time to visit is early in the morning.
All in all, Pooh’s Hunny Hunt will entertain guests of all ages. And while my stomach didn’t agree, it sure was great to be able to bounce along with the most effervescent tiger around. Ta ta for now.
From journal Tokyo Disneyland - The Japanese House of Mouse
Editor Pick
Tokyo DisneySea
- May 2, 2006
- Rated 5 of 5 by
Seaotter71 from Monterey, California
Tokyo Disney Sea is a truly spectacular park. In my mind it is only second to Disneyland Park in California. The theming is lush and the detailing meticulous. And best of all, except for one attraction, all the rides are unique to this park. It takes 2 days to see and experience everything. As the name implies, the park is based on the ocean and is divided into seven ports of call:
Mediterranean Harbor, your way in and out of the park, evokes a Southern European port town and is the prime viewing location for the shows taking place on the harbor. It also has the bulk of the shops and restaurants. Across the harbor is the Fortress, where you can relive the Renaissance era. The Fortress features a play area for kids, a galleon to explore, and interactive replicas of the inventions and scientific instruments of the era.
Behind the Fortress you can see Mount Prometheus, the park’s erupting icon and the setting for Mysterious Island. Mysterious Island is based on the writings of Jules Verne and is the home to the moody 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and awesome Journey to the Center of the Earth attractions.
Next is Mermaid Lagoon, based on Disney’s The Little Mermaid. This is the best area for the little ones. The fish themed rides are designed for the little ones, the playground is a blast, and there is a Little Mermaid show retelling the story of Ariel.
Arabian Coast is Middle Eastern in theme and the home for Aladdin and his friends. The Magic Lamp Theater is a live/3D show featuring Genie and Sindbad’s Seven Voyages takes a boat ride through Sindbad’s many adventures. Don’t miss the Caravan Carousel, a gorgeous double-decker carousel with mythical creatures.
Lost River Delta is the place for thrill rides. Here you can accompany Indiana Jones into the Temple of the Crystal Skull or go on the Raging Spirits roller coaster. Just leave the teenagers here for a while.
Port Discovery shows you the marina of the not too distant future. This areas main attraction are Stormrider, a cool ride simulator; and Aquatopia, a fun bumpless bumper boat.
Instead of Parade, Tokyo DisneySea has water pageants that make their way through the parks waterways. And of course, there is the nighttime fireworks spectacular, also along the main waterway.
Seeing everything in one day will be a long day, and depending on park attendance you might miss out on a thing or two. You can see everything in 2 days taking your time.
Admission is about $50, with discounted tickets available for multiple day passports or entry to the park after 6pm on some dates.
From journal Tokyo and Tokyo Disneyland Resort Highlight