Tokyo DisneySea!!!

I guess you can't go to Japan without visiting one of the Disneyland's.......bit like going to the Northern Territory and not visiting Uluru. It was a little reluctantly that I headed off with the Thompson Clan to DisneySea. Leaving from Shinagawa, with the weather hot as usual, we changed trains at Tokyo, an enormous station with five travellators in a row through one section. At Tokyo we caught a JR train to Maihama Station, which is adjacent to Disneyland. Once at Maihama we then caught the special Mickey Mouse monorail to DisneySea, not necessary if you are off to Disneyland.

We chose to visit DisneySea on a Thursday which turned out to be a great idea. It was busy but queueing was kept to a minimum. On the weekends the waiting times can be two hours or more. Why would you bother??  The amusement park consists of seven theme ports: Mediterranean Harbor (a reproduction of Venice), American Waterfront (a reproduction of the Eastern Seaboard of the United States), Port Discovery (a science-themed area), Lost River Delta (a reproduction of a tropical rain forest), Arabian Coast (based on Disney's Aladdin), Mermaid Lagoon (based on Disney's The Little Mermaid) and Mysterious Island (based on the books of Jules Verne). It is arranged in a circle around a central landmark,  Mount Prometheus, an artificial volcano that "erupts" intermittently. There are fun rides, entertainment shows, restaurants, and shops in each area. Since Tokyo DisneySea is targeting adults as well as children, alcohol drinks are available at Tokyo DisneySea unlike Tokyo Disneyland. 

There is no general admission ticket available for Tokyo Disneyland. You need to purchase a Passport, which includes all attractions. A one-day passport costs 5,800 yen (adult). A two-day passport costs 10,000 yen (adult). Children under age three are free of charge. In AUD that's about $75.00 or $125.00. We decided that two days in a row would definitely be stretching the limit with the two littlies.

We chose to make a beeline for 'Mermaid Lagoon' as Ariel was a huge attraction for one little Thommo. On the way we did stop to have a chat with Daisy, Pluto and Mickey who were doing a meet and greet.

 All I can say about the whole experience is WOW!!! It was really quite exceptional. The different ports were amazing and the attention to detail was great. 'Mermaid Lagoon' was beautiful and so colourful. I could have spent half a day in this area alone. The approach to
Mermaid Lagoon' was impressive and the detail of the exterior structure speaks for itself. Inside was gorgeous!

The 'Little Mermaid' performance was exceptional and the costumes were gorgeous. The lyrics in the songs were in English and the narratives were in Japanese but this did not affect our enjoyment. No photos were allowed here.

I loved the streets of the 'Arabian Coast'. The buildings and decorations were very authentic and, fortunately, everything was well attached because, naturally, Soph tested everything. 'Sinbad's Storybook Adventure' was a lovely boat trip through Aladdin's caves.

The rides in each port were great and the three adults had enormous fun going on most of them. Sophie's first rides were a little loud and fast so she wouldn't go on any others! Apart from some of the rides, the highlights of my day were the live performances, 'Little Mermaid' and 'Mystic Rhythms'. The energy of the music, instrumentals and dancers in the latter were brilliant. It was a special FX spectacular!! Sophie preferred the peace of the 'Caravan Carousel' and Harriet was grateful to just 'have a go' of Soph's Minnie ears.

 Although, initially, a reluctant participant the whole experience was terrific. DisneySea in Japan, I had never imagined it.
Harriet sums up how we felt by the end of the day.....exhausted!! (again)....the heat and humidity, two toddlers, lots of excitement and fun, crowds and trains...what's wrong with us??

Sayōnara tomodachi!!!