Part 3 explores our trip to Tokyo DisneySea and provides a few tips on how to maximise your experience.

It was my sister’s birthday the next day when we visited Tokyo Disney Resort, and to celebrate we decided to go to both parks, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, as well as stay in one of the Disney hotels for a night—more on the latter in the next addition!

Tokyo DisneySea was first, one of Disney’s more unique theme parks. Inspired by the ocean and legends surrounding it, Toyko DisneySea is a monumentally gorgeous attraction full of exceptional rides and theming that truly makes it one of the most beautiful parks I’ve ever had the privilege of visiting.

Right off the bat, you’re met with the beautiful facade of the Hotel MiraCosta, an Old-world Italian-inspired building that sits right inside the park. A huge globe ‘floats’ in the plaza, overlooked by Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse.

The hotel is beautiful, but it’s the volcano on Mysterious Island that really takes your breath away. This structure is entirely man-made, but the attention to detail and the way it overlooks the park really delivers the escapism Disney is so well known for.

Anyway, onto the rides! We arrived around 10 am but the park was already packed, the lake surrounded by guests awaiting the Pirates Summer Battle “Get Wet” performance, and, despite this, the lines were just as crowded on all the rides.

Toy Story Mania was up first, and while the line was roughly 80 minutes (we had failed to get any FASTPASSES that day) it was entirely worth the wait. The line outside was about as long as the one inside, but far less air-conditioned, and it was hot that day.

Typical of Disney, the indoor queue is full of wonderful recreations of the props and toys of the films; Barrel of Monkeys drape the ceiling, and you’re made to feel like an action figure as you wind through the line surrounded by giant drawing books and games.

The ride was fantastic, and unlike most dark rides in the Disney parks purely relied on the giant screens and 3D animation that has you firing a mixture of darts, gun pellets and balls to rack up points from the targets moving about the screen.

It’s full of amusing imagery as the characters guide you (in Japanese) on what to aim for, your carts whizzing through the hallways with each round giving you a fresh scene to play on. It’s a long wait, but it’s highly worth it!

It was overwhelmingly hot so we went to sit in the shade and grab a snack. We got some loaded potatoes, one with just bacon and one with just cheese, both coming to around ¥700 which ended up lasting us for most of the day.

Afterwards, we headed up to Mysterious Island, but not before I took some photos of the wonderful scenery leading up to it.

We reached the volcano, where the inside was filled with a mixture of steampunk-esque scenery built into the mountain: a colourful walkway surrounding the crater, as well as grand entrances plugged into the walls leading inside the rocky terrain into restaurants and rides.

We headed for the odd mechanism at the front, it spiralling down to the 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea ride. My sister mocked me for initially thinking it actually dives underwater, but your submarine, ‘Neptune’, possesses a window that fills with water and bubbles that make it look like you’re travelling the depths of a ship graveyard.

The illusion of the underwater dive along with the odd creatures floating about in the dark abyss was really neat, and while it’s nothing remarkable it’s still a fun attraction with a fairly short queue of around 30 minutes—definitely worth a trip if you’re waiting for a FASTPASS time!

Shortly after, it was time for the ride I had been longing to experience: Journey to the Center of the Earth. By far my favourite attraction in the park, this dark ride has you explore crystal caverns, odd alien-like creatures living under the earth before you lose control of your vehicle (Disney seems to enjoy doing that) and hurtle down into a weird lair of unhatched aliens.

After a few more caverns you’re finally met with a giant bug-like creature that clearly doesn’t want you there, and soon the vehicle throws you into the darkness and literally shoots you out the side of the mountain!

The sheer uniqueness of the ride and the intensity makes it one of the best attractions I’ve ever experienced, by far. It’s got its jump-scares with fire and lightning, thrills with the escape from the depths of the earth and its wonder with the far friendlier aliens at the beginning. While the queue was immensely long, roughly 1 hour and 30 minutes, it was definitely worth the wait.

We were getting tired, and it was still really hot outside, so as the sun set we headed for our final attraction: Raging Spirits. Set in an ancient temple excavation site, your mine cart hurtles down twists and turns, and even a loop as it dives under ruins and construction platforms amidst a dense jungle surrounding you.

While it’s the only attraction at Tokyo Disney Resort that actually inverts, it’s still not the most intense ride if you’re used to bigger coasters, but I found the theming to make up for it. It’s based upon the same ride at Disneyland Paris, Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril, but it’s got far better visual effects like mist emerging from the pit the minecart dives in and out of, and just looks far more interesting.

The queue is long, though, and without FASTPASS can be around 80 minutes long which, in my opinion, doesn’t make it worth the wait. It’s fun, but definitely get a FASTPASS for it.

Tokyo DisneySea was an incredible experience rich with charming scenery and fantastic rides you’d expect from a Disney park. But, some things for you to consider:

1. Get FASTPASSES, and get there early. It gets super busy, and lines seem to get longer than in the Disneyland park, so go for the FASTPASSES!
2. Stay hydrated, and bring water bottles. I was disappointed that there weren’t vending machines in the park, unlike in Disneyland where there’s a few dotted about. I advise bringing your own water bottles or finding a shop that definitely sells them since that was difficult for us to find.
3. Take some time to rest from the sun. If it’s during the summer, standing in line outside especially can really hit you hard. Make sure you take the time to sit in the shade, killing some time before a FASTPASS return becomes available, for example.
4. Get the Multi-Day Passports if you’re going to both parks. This will save you money, and it’ll make it quicker to get into the parks!

Next time, I’ll detail our stay in the Tokyo Disney Celebration Hotel, our second trip to Tokyo Disneyland, and a summary of our experience!