My First Trip To Tokyo Disneyland, Part 4: A Hotel Stay & Our Final Visit!
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My First Trip To Tokyo Disneyland, Part 4: A Hotel Stay & Our Final Visit!

Our stay at the Tokyo Disney Celebrations Hotel, our second visit to Disneyland, and why Stitch almost gave me a panic attack.

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My First Trip To Tokyo Disneyland, Part 4: A Hotel Stay & Our Final Visit!
Robert Wheatley

In the final part of our trip to Tokyo Disney Resort, I detail our hotel stay, our second trip to the park, as well as the immense fear we experienced when we encountered Stitch.

It was my sister’s birthday today, and what better way to spend the 15th anniversary of your existence by revisiting Tokyo Disneyland and staying at one of the Disney hotels.

We spent a night in the Tokyo Disney Celebration Hotel, one of the ‘budget’ Disney hotels (relative to Disney’s hotel prices, at least) and the newest accommodation. You got a free shuttle service to the park and back, a gorgeous breakfast, ~GLOW IN THE DARK CEILINGS~ and a spacious, comfortable room… for $381.

If like me, you think that’s hella expensive you’d not be wrong — it is. For what you get at a Disney hotel, including early access to the parks, the price you pay is exceptionally expensive.

Worth it for a once in a lifetime experience? Yes, but otherwise you should go for a cheaper hotel like Hotel Dream Gate Maihama: an accommodation significantly cheaper and still very close to the resort.

Anyway, onto the park!

Round two of Tokyo Disneyland was a lot better than the first: we rode more rides, actually understood how FASTPASSES worked and were a lot more used to the weather even though we were still amidst a heat wave.

We rushed over to Big Thunder Mountain and grabbed some FASTPASSES, deciding to kill some time before our designated time period arrived. I’d heard good things about Peter Pan’s Flight, a suspended dark ride based on Disney’s Peter Pan.

Disney’s brilliant theming has you flying on your ship through Wendy’s house and up through a magnificent sky view of London at Night before you travel through the stars and float down to Neverland. It’s something gentle to kill some time, but as with many of Disney’s attractions, there’s always a dash of charm to it.

For the opposite experience, try Snow White’s Adventures.

I kid you not, the ride genuinely had my sister, who covered her eyes throughout, and I, a little blown away at how creepy the ride was. Albeit the one scene with Snow White and the Seven Dwarves dancing, the rest of it has you constantly dodging the Evil Queen, darting through a dungeon and the spooky woods before the ride finishes with the queen trying to kill you with a boulder.

Mickey’s PhilarMagic lightened the mood: a ‘4D’ theatre that takes you through an amusing journey with Donald Duck as he attempts to find Mickey’s sorcerer hat. The audience is sent through classic Disney songs like A Whole New World in The Little Mermaid, and I Just Can’t Wait To Be King from The Lion King recreated in 3D all the while mist sprays at you or a gust of air blasts as you dive underwater or swoop down from the clouds.

My sister and I were both surprised at how entertaining it was and just how much of a feel-good ride it was; nostalgic, amusing, and an excellent way to pass the time.

After we passed even more time on Alice’s Tea Party, a tea-cups ride, we finally got to ride Big Thunder Mountain: a roller coaster I had been desperate to go on since our last visit.

A common attraction at the Disney parks, Big Thunder Mountain sends riders diving into caverns and quarries in an abandoned gold mine on a runaway mine train. The artificial mountain looks awesome, fitting perfectly with the old American Frontier theme in Westernland.

It’s one of Tokyo Disneyland’s more thrilling attractions, but a smoother experience, unlike Space Mountain. The line is typically more than an hour long, so get those FASTPASSES — we liked the ride so much we even got another one, and rode it again before we left the park!

After a snack at Huey, Dewey and Louie's Good Time Cafe, a coffee, and two snacks coming to roughly ¥800 we went on Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin.

Based upon Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, the ride gives you control of your car, Lenny, as you drive through ToonTown all the while trying to avoid the weasels trying to nab Roger Rabbit and submit him to the “Dip”.

Clever illusions and forced perspective make it look like you’re crashing through a portal into Toontown, and the colourful, fluorescent cityscape and scenes are vibrant and attention-grabbing. With a typically short line, this attraction is definitely worth a ride.

Alright, now I’ve got to talk about Stitch Encounter.

Don’t get me wrong, the ride is awesome. Stitch is live on screen interacting with the audience, asking for help to escape Captain Gantu, and just cracking jokes with audience members and providing amusing responses.

This was in Japanese, however: something I probably should have thought about a little more.

When my sister and I realised audience members were called out by Stitch, I think we both collectively left our bodies as we feared being chosen to talk in a language we didn’t really understand. In hindsight, I should have considered the language barrier, and we weren’t spoken to as we were the only two blatantly foreign people there, but I don’t think I’ve ever been more frightened of a CGI alien.

If you know a little Japanese like I do you can get the gist of the humour, and the crowd really seemed to find the whole experience entertaining, but unless you know a lot more of the language I’d recommend giving the ride a miss as only a Japanese version is offered.

Our final ride was on Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters, a space-themed shooting dark ride that gives you full 360° control of your vehicle along with laser guns to fire at the many targets attached to various animatronics and props.

My aim is pretty awful, so I found the shooting very difficult as I attempted to get the tiny laser pointer to activate the targets. Unlike in Toy Story Mania, the ride explores a 3D physical environment which is very energetic, colourful and entertaining; something I found made it a lot harder.

A 40-minute line as the day neared sunset wasn’t too bad, and although the humid heat in Japan remained with us as we queued outside, I would still recommend getting FASTPASSES especially if you’re avoiding the hot sun in summer. Be wary, however, that FASTPASSES for Astro Blasters seemed to provide very late ride times (around 8:00 pm) which may not work for many guests.

We headed back to the entrance after a little trip on the Western River Railroad, a nice little attraction to pass the time, and went for a snack at the Great American Waffle Company. For roughly another ¥800 we had two waffles which were ~GODLY~ and definitely worth the money.

After this, we headed back to the entrance, popping into Grand Emporium for some souvenir apparel, and Disney & Co. for a gift for my sister; an adorable little keychain of Daisy Duck wearing a yukata.

What sealed the deal as my sister’s “best birthday ever” was the wonderful cashier that sold us our items, the woman providing my sister with a little ‘Happy Birthday’ sticker she went out of her way to find to make sure her day was just that extra bit special.

So, that concludes our trip to Tokyo Disney Resort! Altogether, despite the intensity of the heat and the long lines in both parks our experiences were absolutely fantastic, and exactly what you’d want from a Disney park.

It’s by far one of the best theme parks I’ve visited, and I have to recommend anyone visiting Tokyo to at least spend the day there. Here are some general tips to maximise your day out:

  1. It gets almost overwhelmingly hot in the parks in the summer. Wear sunblock, drink plenty of water (there are vending machines located in Westernland among others), and wear bug spray even if you’ve had the Japanese Encephalitis vaccine.
  2. Always get FASTPASSES. They’re free, they’re very useful, but they’re limited make sure you get yours quickly!
  3. The language barrier won’t be that much of an issue in the parks. However, brushing up on your Japanese is definitely respectful, and recommended if you wish to make communication quicker and easier.
  4. Food is typically unsuitable for vegetarians unless you visit certain restaurants, and vegans and those with allergies will probably want to bring their own meals which can be heated up in certain facilities. Tokyo Disney has provided a more in-depth guide for other information regarding allergens and dietary requirements.
  5. Booking restaurants in advance are recommended. Approaching the many restaurants in Tokyo Disneyland without booking may have you wait to get in, so reserving a table in advance is recommended if you really want to sit down and eat at the park.

Thank you for following our adventures at Tokyo Disneyland Resort! I hope the information has been useful, and the insight valuable. If you ever have any questions about it, feel free to contact me and I will answer them as well as I can.


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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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