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Sangetsu03
01-22-2008, 01:40
Tokyo Disney Sea is one of the more unique Disney parks. Designed around a large lagoon, the park is made up of differently themed sea ports from around the world.

Upon entering, the first place you'll see is the Mediterranean Harbor. In this area you'll find the Mira Costa Hotel, a variety of Italian restaurants and Mediterranean themed gift shops, and the gondola ride. The Japanese gondoliers will be happy to teach you a few words of Italian during your cruise (at least it's supposed to be Italian), just don't ask them to sing, because if you do, they will.

To the left of the Mediterranean Harbor you come to the American Seaport. Here you will find the "Tower or Terror", the Broadway Theater, the steam train (which runs to the "Port of Discovery"), and a riverboat station.

When at the American Waterfront, you have to see "Big Band Beat" at the Broadway Theater. It's far and away the best production I've seen at any Disney park. A live big band accompanies a show full of singing and dancing to tunes by Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, and others. You'll get to see Mickey play the drums with enough skill to put Gene Krupa to shame. If you see only one thing at Disney Sea, it has to be this show. The Japanese are not the most emotional of people, but this show gets cheers and a standing ovation after every performance.

The Tower of Terror needs no description, is it themed differently than the rides at the other parks, but is otherwise exactly the same. In front of the tower of terror is a ground level fountain which squirts water through different holes at different intervals, it's a favorite of toddlers and young children. Be careful walking nearby, you might get wet.

Passing through the American waterfront, you'll eventually come to the Port of Discovery, which has a variety of rides and attractions. The bumper boat ride is fun, and it's another good place to get cooled down on the hot days, if you get what I mean. The other big ride is the "Storm Rider", which is something like Star Tours, except that your craft is themed to be a weather research aircraft that is exploring a large hurricane. You will get wet on this ride as well, so be prepared.

Next is Mysterious Island, which is home to the "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" ride. The ride is a good one for couples, as people sit in pairs facing different directions, and it is dark ;) The best ride at Mysterious Island is "Journey to the Center of the Earth". The lines for this line are particularly long, so getting a fast pass is a good idea. At first the ride seems kind of lame, a lot like the old ride and Disneyland (I can't remember the name) where you are continually shrunk down smaller and smaller). The ride crawls along slowly until it comes around a corner to a large, fiery monster. At that point it takes off like a rocket, first vertically, and then down. I've never heard my girlfriend scream like that before (though she came close at the Rock'n Rollercoaster in Orlando).

On the other side of Mysterious Island is an old Mediterranean type castle, as well as a pirate ship. The castle and ship are both open to explore, and there are a variety of things to see and do there. I liked the observatories and the small restaurant that serves wonderful ribs.

Next is the Mermaid Lagoon, which is primarily for the kids. You'll find an underground (underwater) playland that is perfect for small children. It is also one of the few air conditioned large places in the park, so it is a good place to catch your breath and relax on the hotter summer days.

Near the Mermaid Lagoon is the Arabian coast, where you'll find a large, 2 story carousel, and Aladdin's theater. Unlike the Broadway Theater, the Aladdin's Theater show is in Japanese, but digital pocket translators are provided so you can follow the action on stage. The show is in 3D, and is great fun, particularly for the kids.

Finally, we come to the Lost River Delta, which is themed after Central America. Here you'll find the Indian Jones Adventure ride, and the Raging Spirits roller coaster. The gardens and south American pyramids make this part of the park wonderful for taking pictures.

In the evenings there is a show held on the lagoon called "Bravissimo". It is a blast of fireworks, music, and stunts, and is very much worth seeing. There is a long bridge that runs from Mysterious Island to the Mediterranean Harbor, and this is the best place from which to watch the show.

Disney Sea is a wonderful park, and though there are many attractions for younger children, it is much more popular with adults, particularly couples. The park offers a wedding package at the Mira Costa Hotel, and it's Venice themed surroundings are the most romantic of any Disney Park.

Tinkerbell
01-22-2008, 03:02
Oh gosh, this is a wonderful report! Thank you so very much for sharing your information on this park with us!

I want to see it more than ever now. :yes:

Can you tell me about the surrounding, offsite area? Are there hotels, restaurants, etc. How significant is the language barrier going to be for someone who speaks no Japanese at all? (Outside the park, I mean).

I love the thought of Japan, and have always wanted to visit. It's the fear of being unable to communicate at all that gets in my way. :(

Sangetsu03
01-22-2008, 04:17
The Tokyo Disney Resort parks are at Maihama, which is just outside metro Tokyo. The parks are built alongside the bay, and the Disney Sea park seems to at one time have been covered by the bay itself. The bay surrounds about one third of the resort area.

Getting to Tokyo Disney Resort is easy. There are buses which leave Tokyo station (the city's main train station) several times a day, or you can take the Keiyo line train which runs directly to Maihama station. All train station signs are bilingual in Japanese and English, as are fare ticket machines, so you can find your way around easily enough using English alone.

Once at Maihama, you can follow the signs to Disney's Holiday station, which is just a short walk away, next to the Tokyo Disney Resort visitor's center. Maihama and Holiday stations are adjacent to the Ikspiari shopping mall, which has a variety of good stores, as well as a Hard Rock Cafe.

You'll have to purchase train tickets at Holiday Station. The train runs in a circular path around the parks and hotels. There are several partner hotels located at Maihama, some offer park views, while others offer views of the bay and city, which are just as nice.

Hotels in Tokyo are expensive, but you can still find good deals on rooms through places like Hotels.com Disney's hotels are particularly expensive, and must be booked well in advance. I posted a review of Disney Sea's Mira Costa Hotel in the reviews section, you can read about the particulars there.

My favorite hotel on my first visits to Japan was the Intercontinental at Tokyo Bay. The rooms are large, and have very nice views of the bay or of the city. The bay view is much better, especially at night when you can see the lit up Rainbow Bridge and the resort area of Odaiba.

A more affordable hotel (but with somewhat smaller rooms) is the Shinjuku Prince Hotel. You can usually find rooms for under $100 per night there. Service and cleanliness are on a different level in Japan compared to most other places. Even the less expensive hotels will be clean, and the service friendly. Non smoking rooms are sometimes hard to find, so keep that in mind when looking for a hotel.

Wendy
01-22-2008, 09:31
WOW!! Disney Sea sounds lovely. I'm lucky enough to have been to 3 Disney Parks, the only one's left are Tokyo and Hong Kong. It would be lovely to be able to visit them all some day :sigh: but never say never, that's my motto :yes:

Thank you for describing the park :) Do you have any photos you could share with us, I'd love to see some.

Magical Storm
03-16-2008, 05:22
My thought exactly ... it sounds lovely and I too would LovvvvvE to see pictures . Thanks for sharing the info, I would love to able to visit . Maybe one day, if I hit the lottery !!! And then the lot of us is going and we will meet you there . :lol: Great Report, Thank You :bounce:

Minniespal
04-17-2008, 16:52
Thanks for a wonderful report. We're visiting DS over Christmas and I'm so excited about it.