日本之旅第二天：6月3日2013年, 星期一 - 東京迪士尼海洋
Japan Trip Day 2: 3 June 2013, Monday - Tokyo DisneySea
日本の旅行第二日：６月３日２０１３年（月曜日） - 東京ディズニーシー
We woke up early in the morning to take the Disney Resort Line to Tokyo DisneySea. The park opens at 8am but by the time we reached the entrance at 7+ am, to our horror, a huge queue was already waiting outside the park. We went to get our tickets from the ticket booth and we realized that the poster that we saw the previous day at the train station about having discounts for adult tickets at 5500 yen was only for locals. Tourists do not get to enjoy such discounts. Sadly we paid the 6200 yen each and then proceeded to the back of the queue. At exactly 8am, the doors to the park opened and we made our way into the park at last.
Our tickets to Tokyo DisneySea!
We were then greeted by a huge globe and a 30th anniversary decoration. Everyone was queuing up to take a picture with it. We decided to just move on ahead instead of wasting time queuing for it.
Kinda looks like the Universal Studios globe lol.
Decided to just take a picture of it.
Everyone heading towards the central area of Tokyo DisneySea beyond this building.
Yes it's Springtime at Tokyo DisneySea!
These two exquisite banners found at both sides of the entrance of the building.
And beyond the castle-like building was the central area of Tokyo DisneySea, where the fireworks display would be held later at night. Mickey made an appearance as soon as we reached the area.
Mickey says hi!
Some huge Tokyo Easter Eggs!
Momo and Nut were already having fun with the various displays in the park.
A huge steamship and a tugboat. Really lifelike.
We then made our way to the furthest end of the park, where the Lost
River Delta zone was, to queue for the Raging Spirits ride. We waited
almost an hour before we could get onto the mere 1.5 minute ride. It's a rollercoaster ride which features a 360 degree loop. Definitely not for the faint-hearted. It was a pretty exhilarating ride but it was kinda short. Excitement for that 1.5 minutes, but almost an hour of boredom lol.
The place for the Raging Spirits ride.
Next, we headed east to the Arabian Coast zone. We went to catch the attraction called "Magic Lamp Theater". It is a live show featuring 3D effects and actual performances by some actors, related to the movie Aladdin. The whole show is about 9 minutes long.
Tiger Momo.
A very realistic setting of an Arabian coast.
They want to buy some Arabian hardware.
The main area whereby a stage performance would take place.
Time for some 3D magic!
The holding area was beautifully decorated as well.
Right after the show, we waited for a live stage performance at the main Arabian Coast area. Everyone took out their mats and placed them on the ground and sat down waiting for the show to start. The weather was quite cool but the sun was blazing hot. What a weird combination.
Then the performance started. Mickey and Minnie, as well as Duffy and ShellieMay were there to perform for us, including several other dancers and actors who appeared during the Magic Lamp Theater show. The lively performance ended with lots of confetti and inflated balloons. A joy for kids and adults alike.
Dancers showing off their dance moves.
The kids were overjoyed at the sight of Mickey, Minnie, Duffy and ShellieMay.
Lots of confetti and flower balloons that inflated out of nowhere.!
After the performance, we proceeded to queue for our next ride - 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. It was a long way to the ride as we had to walk down this long spiral walkway and into a cave, where plenty of sea exploration tools and setting were on display. Diving suits, maps, diving equipment etc. The ride itself was about 5 minutes long. We entered a small metal tank-like mini submarine. Not sure how to describe it lol. It sure seemed like we were then diving into the depths of the sea, where we saw not just fish, but plenty of other sea creatures. We could even see bubbles outside the glass panels of our submarine. Not quite your adrenaline-pumping ride, but more of a fascinating journey deep into the oceans.
Submarine for the ride "20,000 leagues Under The Sea".
Spiral walkway to what lies beneath.
Get ready to plunge into the depths of the sea!
A closer look at the submarine which will take us deep into the ocean.
Look at the details strewn throughout the walk to our ride.
After exiting the ride, we saw the entrance to the ride "Journey to the Center of the Earth". We decided not to take the ride as there was a long queue snaking outside the entrance. We then proceeded to other zones to queue for other rides.
Alas, we did not journey into the center of the earth...
Temple of the Crystal Skull
Inside one of the souvenir shops.
Momo got herself a Duffy Bear and brought him around to take pictures.
We had some churros too. Mickey Mouse-shaped ones.
One of the venues for live performance attraction called "Big Band Beat".
We found the family of Invincibles walking around.
Found some live band performance at the Arabian Coast zone again.
We made our way to the Casbah Food Court at the Arabian Coast zone to hunt for lunch. It was already local time 3pm! But that didn't stop Momo dear and Nut from taking a picture with Pluto, who was taking pictures with many other kids.
It's finally lunchtime!
At the entrance to the food court.
Children playing around at the underwater food court.
Pluto dropped by for some scuba-diving!
We shared a meal of burger and pizza, some fries and a drink costing 1670 yen, plus some bread which we got from a convenience store the previous night. After quickly munching through these goodies, we found some Duffy photo-taking spots around the zone. Duffy Bear then got to take pictures with wonderful backgrounds. What about us!?
Our lunch - some clam-shaped burger and seafood pizza.
How did they manage to open a gift shop inside a whale!?!
Duffy Bear takes a shot with the Mermaid Lagoon zone in the background.
I didn't know I could do magic!
Duffy Bear found another photo-taking spot.
Dear was talking about seeing a video of someone in the park who can actually draw using a broom and water before we left Japan. And we bumped into the guy coincidentally. He did really cool drawings of Minnie Mouse and a 30th anniversary logo.
Found this guy who used a broom and water to draw a picture of Minnie Mouse!
Ice-cream time!
I always like to enjoy some cold desserts, even in cold weather.
Nut tries her hand (literally) on this machine that lights up the whole structure in front of her.
Duffy Bear seems to be really enjoying himself.
Next we caught the live performance show called Mystic Rhythms at the Hangar Stage at the Lost River Delta zone. It was really a mind-blowing performance featuring dance, acrobatics, pyrotechnics, water, lights and sound. Do not miss this 25-minute show.
We enjoyed an awesome performance from the cast of Mystic Rhythms at the Hangar Stage.
No time to queue for the rides in the Port Discovery zone.
After the Mystic Rhythms performance, we went to queue for another live performance called the Big Band Beat located at the Broadway Music Theatre at the American Waterfront zone. This 30-minute performance is in the style of Broadway musicals so probably kids will not enjoy it. We thoroughly enjoyed the 30-minute show, while resting our tired legs. When the show was over, the sky had already turned dark.
Bright colours decorated the 1500-seater theatre.
Time really passes quickly. Before we know it, the sun had set and all the buildings in the park illuminated to a different appearance. It was definitely more beautiful at night with all the various lighting effects employed throughout the attractions. The lighting on the Tower of Terror really gave it a creepy and eerie effect.
Toy Story Mania! Look at all the lights!
Don't you just love the eerie atmosphere the Tower of Terror exudes?
This "Titanic" steamship with a very different feel at night with those lights.
I'd surely cruise around the seas on this ship anytime!
After the Big Band Beat musical performance, we rushed to the Mediterranean Harbor zone to catch the live fireworks and music performance called "Fantasmic!". It features Mickey Mouse battling a gigantic dragon which spews fire and water amongst various other appearances of other Disney tales like Aladdin and Cinderella.
This humongous dragon looked like it wanted to destroy the whole of DisneySea!
Peace prevailed when Mickey defeated the dragon and everyone lived happily ever after.
So did Momorange and Duffy Bear!
Found a cute Duffy Bear cushion in one of the souvenir shops.
Unsatisfied with not having taken the Tower of Terror ride, Nut and I
decided to go for it while Momo dear, who was afraid of the ride, went
to take a ride on the river on her own. We waited almost an hour to get a
turn on the ride. This whole tower dedicated to the 2-minute ride was
really beyond imagination. The huge amounts of decorative items around
the tower alone really makes it deserve a 5-star rating. Every item you
see seemed to be crafted down to the tiny details. The paintings, the
mummy sarcophagus on the walls, Terracotta soldier statues, chandeliers,
even a broken down lift. Finally, the most exciting part came and we
each took a seat in a "lift". We could feel ourselves lifted several
storeys high up the Tower of Terror, and at the topmost storey, we could
see the whole of Tokyo DisneySea through a small window in front of us. The
sudden plunge and ascent made our hearts drop. A really
spectacular ride with a 5-star scare factor and awe factor. Luckily we
took the ride. Could leave DisneySea without regrets lol. Silly Momo
waited for us at the souvenir shop of the Tower of Terror.
This tower features the most elaborate decors throughout the park.
The ride itself took a picture of us, and I took a picture of it at the TV monitor at the souvenir shop.
Momo dear does a very similar expression as the terrified Mickey Mouse doll!
Tower of Terror - conquered!
Finally got a chance to take a picture with this 30th anniversary decoration!
Posters on the walls of the ticket booths outside the park.
Each poster actually shows an attraction in the park.
We will be back to conquer the rest of the rides!
More medallions to collect!
It was already 10pm local time by the time we left DisneySea. We took the chance to grab the various medallions from the various train stations around the resort. Yes, each station has a medallion machine containing two designs. So that's a total of 8 medallion designs for all 4 stations around the resort. Some of the machines were only accessible after you exit the station though. After we were done collecting all medallions, we alighted at Bayside Station. Saw a shuttle bus to bring us back to our hotel, which was just across the road and up a slope. Since we had not taken the shuttle bus before, so we thought we might as well just give it a try. The interiors of the bus was also decorated with Disney-related designs. We alighted at our hotel and returned to our room to rest for the night.
Our shuttle bus from the nearest train station to our hotel.
Even though it's such a short distance, but since it was there the moment we alighted from the train, we just took the bus without hesitance lol.
Back in our room, I took a picture of this strange-looking bridge in the distance. Didn't know what bridge it was until now when I googled for it. It is the Tokyo Gate Bridge. The interesting design captured my attention. It actually looked very small from our room but the picture below was magnified many times. It was our last night at Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel. Wonder will we ever be back again?
Tokyo Gate Bridge at night.
It was another fun-filled day at a theme park. My third time at a Disney theme park. It was Dear's second time at a Disney theme park. We initially got Nut to plan the itinerary for the day at DisneySea but after we were done for the day, it seemed to me that there's no way you can plan a good itinerary for a theme park such as Disneyland/DisneySea! This is because of the unforeseen crowds and long waiting times for each attraction. Also you would probably just stop by some attraction or impromptu live performance or souvenir store and hence your itinerary would then be rendered useless. So NEVER plan for an itinerary to a theme park. Just go with the flow and enjoy everything you see around you instead of rushing off to the next attraction but miss out the fun that is just around you. The only good time to plan for your next attraction to visit is during the waiting at your current attraction, or during meal times. And also take note of which attractions have the FASTPASS so that you can grab a Fastpass first while going for other rides.
To make a hotel booking at Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel, click here.
To make a hotel booking at the some of the other non-Disney hotels near Tokyo Disney Resort via Agoda.com, click the following links:
Links to my Japan Trip 2013
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