One of the goals of this trip was to visit Tokyo Disney Sea. It’s got rides that aren’t available any where else, and it has the magic and attention to detail of Disneyland.
We were enchanted, entranced and satisfied.
We expected the park to open at nine, so we got outside the gates at 8:15. A few minutes later, security checks were underway. We thought we’d have to stare behind the rope like at Disneyland in California. Nope, we joined the smallish crowd to go on Soarin’.
That crowd was bigger than we wanted, so we went almost next door to the unique to Disney Sea ride of Journey to the Centre of the Earth. The queue area was incredibly detailed, with mining machinery, plans, discarded tools and photos. That, coupled with Disney’s plan to keep people moving when in a lineup made the 25 minute lineup seem like no time at all.
The ride itself was a roller coaster, with a few ups and downs and a lot of curves. I loved it.
The ride that Anita thought was a wet ride turned out to be a roller coaster with a very tight loop de loop.
Another unique ride was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It had a top rail, and relied heavily on bubbles to give the impression of descending and ascending. The best part though we’re the ride cars. They were like tiny bulbous submarines with a heavy steampunk vibe. Three parties were in each submersible, each facing a different way.
It felt like every ride, familiar or unique to this property, had its own character. Indiana Jones went to the Temple of the Crystal Skull, though it still had the giant boulder and the rickety bridge. Nemo took his friends on a slightly different adventure.
We’re going back to Disney Sea on Wednesday, so we approached lineups with a laissez faire attitude. If the lineup was more than 30 minutes, we passed.
Food was a bit of an issue. Anita’s research on gluten free options paid off, though there weren’t many, and the ones that there were weren’t always appealing. She enjoyed the chicken and vegetable soup that she ordered first; the corn soup smelled good and was puréed, with soy. The minestrone had barley. I thought it was passable, not great. As with other days on this trip, my default snack is fries. We get them from places with a dedicated fryer so that we can share, and we both know they are a safe choice.
The highlight of the day’s food was a frozen fruit ice/bar in the shape of Mickey’s head. The dominant flavour was pineapple, and it was delicious.
There were no parades, though Mickey and friends put on a few shows. One was on a boat, another was on a landing. For the later, regular park visitors danced along and clearly enjoyed themselves. We left before the big nighttime show.
A really interesting part of the day, national “Coming of Age Day”, was the appearance of many young women in Kimonos. They were all beautiful. Some had phenomenal hairdos. Many wore fake fur shawls. Everyone who turned 20 the previous year is invited to attend a ceremony marking their transition to adulthood, and many went to Tokyo Disney Sea to take pictures.
It was fun watching them pose and take selfies. Many attended with their young man dressed in a suit, though most seemed to be with girl friends. I don’t remember seeing any on rides.
I love Disneyland. After Tokyo Disney Sea, the California park is going to feel dated.
Juliette Knits 