First time experiences are always special, and first time Disney visits make it a little even more magical.
When Tiffany and I were first planning our trip to Tokyo, we both decided that DisneySea was a MUST see. In fact, we were both so pumped to go, that even before exploring any other part of the city, we decided to take an hour long train ride and venture out into the suburbs, just to spend a day experiencing the magic that is Disney Sea.
Touted as one of the best, if not THE best Disney theme park in the world, DisneySea is something unique to Tokyo and clearly top on our priority list for the trip. Seriously, why go to anywhere in Tokyo, when you could just go to DisneySea?
We arrived bright and early since both of us were still jetlagged, and living in the suburbs of Tokyo (near Todaimae station) meant a lot of transfers and being squished into a subway car during rush hour. By the time we finally reached our final stop, we realized that in order to actually get to the parks, we needed to take ANOTHER train, but this time it was Disney specific and ran in a loop between their two themeparks.
Debating whether it was worth the walk over, or if we should just take the resort line, we opted for the latter and quickly found ourselves on a very Disney train. This long bullet was branded with Micky Mouse windows and door handles, the little details that really make you feel like you're starting to leave reality.
Once we reached the entrance, the ticket buying process was extremely smooth. One sweet saleslady and 6900 yen later, we were fully ready to begin our adventure.
The park itself is split into different worlds, each representing a different theme, meant to transport you into each region. Obviously the one we gravitated towards was the American Waterfront. Although the features they used were somewhat stereotypical, it still felt strangely authentic. Like the touristy parts of the American west coast, all squished into one.
One thing that I found fascinating about Tokyo DisneySea, other than their impeccable service and attention to detail, was how in theme everyone was. Not only was the park built to transport you into an alternate reality, but everyone around us acted and dressed like it too!
Girls and guys alike had Mickey ears on, groups of friends would be dressed in identical outfits, and their sheer enthusiasm for situational dressing was not only unapologetic, but it added to the mood of the whole environment. Tiffany and I were probably the most underdressed there, with barely a smidgen of make-up, and covered in our tourist wear. Here, girls were in adorable dresses, layers of eyelashes, and HIGH HEELS. And I'm not talking about baby kitten heels, but 5 inch full out stiletto heels.
#commitment
#commitment
After leaving the American Waterfront, we beelined it to the Mediterranean Harbour, where the architecture is designed to mirror that of Venice, something they do superbly. Having actually been to Venice along my travels, MH was stunning, even in comparison to the real thing, and very picturesque too.
After a few quick snaps at the Harbour, we continued walking and eventually found ourselves at the Arabian Coast which quickly connected to the Mermaid Lagoon. Both beautifully constructed too, as though it were straight out of a Disney story. Not sure what a Mermaid Lagoon actually looks like, but if it exists, I'm sure it'd look like the one found in this park.
One thing interesting about DisneySea, which all the bloggers rave about, was the fact that each 'land' had their own flavored popcorn. For instance, there is cappuccino, milk tea, and white chocolate flavored popcorn, amongst many others. Often times, you will see people walk around with large plastic characters hanging off their neck, which turned out to be popcorn pails. Not needing the extra weight around my neck, I picked up a small bucket of popcorn instead, filled to the brim with delicious curry popcorn.
I am admittedly a failed blogger. Not only do I not post regularly, but I also forget to take pictures of major destinations because I'm too busy soaking in my surroundings. These pictures do this place no justice, but I managed to capture a few pictures of the Mermaid Lagoon before I retired my camera for a few hours. So essentially, I barely have any pictures of Port Discovery, the Lost River Delta, or Mysterious Island. In my defence though, those 'lands' were really difficult to photograph during the day and so even if I had pictures, they wouldn't have been blogworthy.
But feeling a little bit exhausted by the time we exited this gorgeous underground lightshow, we ending our afternoon in Mermaid Lagoon, and headed off for quick bite at a nearby restaurant to rest our feet before we kicked off the rest of the evening, exploring Tokyo DisneySea by Night.
naomi
