Melanie
03-11-2008, 08:24 AM
Return to Tokyo Disney – Day 3 – Tokyo DisneySea
:sumo:
Cast of Characters:
Mel – 38
James – 38
Josh – 9
Ryan – 8
Kevin – our friend
February 26, 2008:
It was finally the day to visit a park, and it wasn’t just any old park. We were going to the wonderful, breathtaking, Imagineering masterpiece called Tokyo DisneySea! This park really is out of this world and we’d been itching to return since our trip last year.
We’d all slept fairly well last night, although I could have sworn I heard people running up and down the halls in the middle of the night – or was that hammering? Regardless, I’d gone back to sleep and it didn’t bother anyone else. Park opening wasn’t until 9am, so we met Kevin in the hotel lobby around 8am and made our way over to the park so we could get in line and wait…and wait….and wait. So much fun with an active 8 year old (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2134705180048685994WjJmvD). :rolleyes:
We saw the characters (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2299062960048685994kYPhVE) getting ready for the big opening rush, and soon we were through the turnstiles making our way past the gorgeous AquaSphere (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2361557470048685994TqLuXs) and into Mediterranean Harbor, oh and a quick pose (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2027664750048685994BmIoHp) with Josh’s favorite character. :donald: Even the second time around, this ‘port’ takes our breath away. Such a stunning setting (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2530613230048685994KOUIbe)! Not much lingering here like we did last year – we were old pros. Well, sort of. ;) We knew we had to get some fastpasses and get in a line fast to beat the crowds!
Just a recap, DisneySea contains seven themed ‘ports of call’ – you enter first into Mediterranean Harbor, to the left of that is the American Waterfront, then sort of clockwise around the park is Port Discovery, Lost River Delta, Arabian Coast, Mermaid Lagoon and in the center is Mysterious Island. So we were off to Mysterious Island and Journey to the Center of the Earth (contained within Mt. Prometheus, the centerpiece of the park) for fastpasses and then on to the back of the park to the Lost River Delta and Raging Spirits (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2392634290048685994SBiHPE).
My boys had been looking most forward to this ride. Josh had deemed it his favorite last year, and Ryan was anxious for his first ride. Last time Ryan was just a wee too short to ride, and a CM had so nicely given him a card to bring back the next time for front of the line privileges. Of course, mom forgot it. :blush: Hey, we'll use it next time, right? Regardless, he was excited – this was his first roller coaster with a loop. A momentous occasion for sure and he loved it! What this coaster lacks in thrills (think a short ride on Big Thunder with a loop) it definitely makes up for in theming (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2108588880048685994YMgoHh). So cool!
Right next door was Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2090789850048685994xXOxVK). Yep, the title of the new movie. We were really excited for this, since we missed it last year as it was down for rehab. The queue for the Indy ride in California is one of my favorite queues out there, so I was anxious to compare. This one didn’t disappoint either. The first part is very open (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2419462520048685994pvuzwn) (as opposed to the more closed in California version) and full of interesting things to look at (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2619724950048685994porXPh) with a South American influence. Here, Paco is the star of the safety spiel, and it’s just as corny as it’s California counterpart.
The ride itself is very similar, but here Indy is seeking the Fountain of Youth, which is guarded by the Crystal Skull. Oh, and Indy speaking Japanese – I couldn't help but giggle. This version has an on-ride photo, and this first ride we pointed out to the boys where it was (as we were dropping to avoid the boulder) so next time we could do a ‘planned’ photo.
Continuing around the park, we enter Mermaid Lagoon and immediately get in the short line for Flounder’s Flying Fish Coaster (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2562346100048685994EuMzUo). Such a cute ride, similar to Gadget’s Go Coaster and Goofy’s Barnstormer. I’m always shocked when it takes my stomach a bit. James didn’t ride and instead took pics (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2281603650048685994ByJLTE).
The boys remember the awesome time they had last year ‘under the sea’ in Triton’s Kingdom (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2347283640048685994gnNQTS), so off they went. What a gorgeous area (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2524915120048685994bFGlCi) and I enjoyed just sitting in the warmth and letting the boys do their thing while James and Kevin took pictures, shopped, tried on funny hats (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2975915220048685994IMNuWm) and looked around as well. This area has five attractions, including Jumpin’ Jellyfish (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2443924420048685994AOKWlm), Ariel’s Playground, The Whirlpool (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2039528670048685994OpnwiN), Blowfish Balloon Race and the Mermaid Lagoon Theater. We skipped the “Under the Sea” show this time, as we’d seen it before and didn’t quite hit it right time-wise.
We made our way back up to the world Ariel so longs to be a part of, and resisted the sea salt popcorn cart, even though we were all starving by this time. You see, we hadn’t yet had enough time to find just the right popcorn bucket this year, even though we’d been checking them out all morning. Many of the carts had the Season of the Heart theme on them (the current promotion at the parks) and with two boys, that wasn’t going to cut it. Last year they got Buzz and Chip ‘n Dale, and they both opted to leave those at home for new ones, of course. Buckets with a strap included and filled with popcorn were 1100 yen, and 400 yen for a refill. Great deal and the kids love it! The flavored popcorn is very popular in Tokyo. So our quest for the perfect buckets would continue throughout the day. :popcorn:
Our rumbly tummies led us to the Vulcania Restaurant located within Mysterious Island. Good Chinese food served buffeteria style and we were all happy. Next we rode 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2648012740048685994rJgDmg), with a very small wait. This is just such a cool ride, from queue to finish. Kevin provided some translation of the narration so we’d have a little better understanding of our ‘dive’ purpose and mission.
James needed to find an ATM, so he and the boys went off while Kevin and I used our Journey fastpasses. I was a little concerned when the boys both said they didn’t want to do Journey, since last year Josh would only do it once, and it made Ryan cry the first time (although he did it again). So we made plans to meet up back at the Fort Explorations, a huge play area bordering Mysterious Island with lots of gadgets and gizmos the boys loved to tinker with.
Journey was as exciting as I remembered. Knowing what was going to happen makes the ride so much more enjoyable. I admit last year I was a bit anxious/scared riding the first time. The slow beginning as you travel through the caverns is so fun as you anticipate picking up speed and doing the circular ascent and exit out of the mountain and back down into the caverns. Wooooo – exhilarating!
We then meet the boys back at the Fort and they’d had a good time exploring the MiraCosta Hotel lobby (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2787305580048685994ClMYDb) while there to get money. They also ran into a good (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2024773340048685994MrXrmV) friend (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2057809490048685994lSGieT). :dale: Oh, and they bought me a new scarf. Yay! :freeze: The boys played around the fort for awhile (a boy’s heaven), and I sat around (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2727160440048685994amZunu) soaking in the atmosphere and participating in the ever popular sport of people watching. Soon we were off for a little browsing of the nearby shops before staking out a place along the harbor to watch the magnificent afternoon water show, The Legend of Mythica.
:sumo:
Cast of Characters:
Mel – 38
James – 38
Josh – 9
Ryan – 8
Kevin – our friend
February 26, 2008:
It was finally the day to visit a park, and it wasn’t just any old park. We were going to the wonderful, breathtaking, Imagineering masterpiece called Tokyo DisneySea! This park really is out of this world and we’d been itching to return since our trip last year.
We’d all slept fairly well last night, although I could have sworn I heard people running up and down the halls in the middle of the night – or was that hammering? Regardless, I’d gone back to sleep and it didn’t bother anyone else. Park opening wasn’t until 9am, so we met Kevin in the hotel lobby around 8am and made our way over to the park so we could get in line and wait…and wait….and wait. So much fun with an active 8 year old (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2134705180048685994WjJmvD). :rolleyes:
We saw the characters (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2299062960048685994kYPhVE) getting ready for the big opening rush, and soon we were through the turnstiles making our way past the gorgeous AquaSphere (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2361557470048685994TqLuXs) and into Mediterranean Harbor, oh and a quick pose (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2027664750048685994BmIoHp) with Josh’s favorite character. :donald: Even the second time around, this ‘port’ takes our breath away. Such a stunning setting (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2530613230048685994KOUIbe)! Not much lingering here like we did last year – we were old pros. Well, sort of. ;) We knew we had to get some fastpasses and get in a line fast to beat the crowds!
Just a recap, DisneySea contains seven themed ‘ports of call’ – you enter first into Mediterranean Harbor, to the left of that is the American Waterfront, then sort of clockwise around the park is Port Discovery, Lost River Delta, Arabian Coast, Mermaid Lagoon and in the center is Mysterious Island. So we were off to Mysterious Island and Journey to the Center of the Earth (contained within Mt. Prometheus, the centerpiece of the park) for fastpasses and then on to the back of the park to the Lost River Delta and Raging Spirits (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2392634290048685994SBiHPE).
My boys had been looking most forward to this ride. Josh had deemed it his favorite last year, and Ryan was anxious for his first ride. Last time Ryan was just a wee too short to ride, and a CM had so nicely given him a card to bring back the next time for front of the line privileges. Of course, mom forgot it. :blush: Hey, we'll use it next time, right? Regardless, he was excited – this was his first roller coaster with a loop. A momentous occasion for sure and he loved it! What this coaster lacks in thrills (think a short ride on Big Thunder with a loop) it definitely makes up for in theming (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2108588880048685994YMgoHh). So cool!
Right next door was Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2090789850048685994xXOxVK). Yep, the title of the new movie. We were really excited for this, since we missed it last year as it was down for rehab. The queue for the Indy ride in California is one of my favorite queues out there, so I was anxious to compare. This one didn’t disappoint either. The first part is very open (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2419462520048685994pvuzwn) (as opposed to the more closed in California version) and full of interesting things to look at (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2619724950048685994porXPh) with a South American influence. Here, Paco is the star of the safety spiel, and it’s just as corny as it’s California counterpart.
The ride itself is very similar, but here Indy is seeking the Fountain of Youth, which is guarded by the Crystal Skull. Oh, and Indy speaking Japanese – I couldn't help but giggle. This version has an on-ride photo, and this first ride we pointed out to the boys where it was (as we were dropping to avoid the boulder) so next time we could do a ‘planned’ photo.
Continuing around the park, we enter Mermaid Lagoon and immediately get in the short line for Flounder’s Flying Fish Coaster (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2562346100048685994EuMzUo). Such a cute ride, similar to Gadget’s Go Coaster and Goofy’s Barnstormer. I’m always shocked when it takes my stomach a bit. James didn’t ride and instead took pics (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2281603650048685994ByJLTE).
The boys remember the awesome time they had last year ‘under the sea’ in Triton’s Kingdom (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2347283640048685994gnNQTS), so off they went. What a gorgeous area (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2524915120048685994bFGlCi) and I enjoyed just sitting in the warmth and letting the boys do their thing while James and Kevin took pictures, shopped, tried on funny hats (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2975915220048685994IMNuWm) and looked around as well. This area has five attractions, including Jumpin’ Jellyfish (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2443924420048685994AOKWlm), Ariel’s Playground, The Whirlpool (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2039528670048685994OpnwiN), Blowfish Balloon Race and the Mermaid Lagoon Theater. We skipped the “Under the Sea” show this time, as we’d seen it before and didn’t quite hit it right time-wise.
We made our way back up to the world Ariel so longs to be a part of, and resisted the sea salt popcorn cart, even though we were all starving by this time. You see, we hadn’t yet had enough time to find just the right popcorn bucket this year, even though we’d been checking them out all morning. Many of the carts had the Season of the Heart theme on them (the current promotion at the parks) and with two boys, that wasn’t going to cut it. Last year they got Buzz and Chip ‘n Dale, and they both opted to leave those at home for new ones, of course. Buckets with a strap included and filled with popcorn were 1100 yen, and 400 yen for a refill. Great deal and the kids love it! The flavored popcorn is very popular in Tokyo. So our quest for the perfect buckets would continue throughout the day. :popcorn:
Our rumbly tummies led us to the Vulcania Restaurant located within Mysterious Island. Good Chinese food served buffeteria style and we were all happy. Next we rode 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2648012740048685994rJgDmg), with a very small wait. This is just such a cool ride, from queue to finish. Kevin provided some translation of the narration so we’d have a little better understanding of our ‘dive’ purpose and mission.
James needed to find an ATM, so he and the boys went off while Kevin and I used our Journey fastpasses. I was a little concerned when the boys both said they didn’t want to do Journey, since last year Josh would only do it once, and it made Ryan cry the first time (although he did it again). So we made plans to meet up back at the Fort Explorations, a huge play area bordering Mysterious Island with lots of gadgets and gizmos the boys loved to tinker with.
Journey was as exciting as I remembered. Knowing what was going to happen makes the ride so much more enjoyable. I admit last year I was a bit anxious/scared riding the first time. The slow beginning as you travel through the caverns is so fun as you anticipate picking up speed and doing the circular ascent and exit out of the mountain and back down into the caverns. Wooooo – exhilarating!
We then meet the boys back at the Fort and they’d had a good time exploring the MiraCosta Hotel lobby (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2787305580048685994ClMYDb) while there to get money. They also ran into a good (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2024773340048685994MrXrmV) friend (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2057809490048685994lSGieT). :dale: Oh, and they bought me a new scarf. Yay! :freeze: The boys played around the fort for awhile (a boy’s heaven), and I sat around (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2727160440048685994amZunu) soaking in the atmosphere and participating in the ever popular sport of people watching. Soon we were off for a little browsing of the nearby shops before staking out a place along the harbor to watch the magnificent afternoon water show, The Legend of Mythica.