challada
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 30, 2001
Back one week now from Tokyo and think I have finally adjusted to the time zone difference, LOL.
We visited both parks in 2 back to back days in the August heat. I would not recommend ever doing that just for the sheer exhaustion. On our second day (DisneySea), they were making park-wide announcements about the heat ("Remember to drink water"....lines for water bottle carts were crazy long even).
Some observations from a Disney enthusiast.
1. Both are lovely parks, but definitely have far tamer rides than we are used to. I did not go there specifically for thrill rides, but can say that most every ride is more about the story than the adrenaline rush.
2. Good thing it gets dark early there. August electric light parade was at something like 7 p.m. and it was pitch black already. Great parade to see even if it's different from what we are used to. The early dark allows you to feel like you are leaving the park pretty late and still get out at a respectable time.
3. Earlier arrival the better. Rope drop is still crowded as heck and takes forever to get in the gate of both parks. We were there 30 to 45 minutes before opening and were thousands of people back.
4. You cannot imagine the summer break crowds until you experience them. Seriously check crowd calendars. We adjusted because of a national holiday break and still experienced insane crowds.
5. Know some rudimentary Japanese before you go. I did not and definitely wished that I had. I have read other reviews saying how helpful the Japanese staff are, which is true, but I did not find that they understood English. I luckily had someone fluent in Japanese with me, but without that person, I would have seriously struggled.
6. Yes, the food is really cool. Get a popcorn bucket and try the different flavors because it is fun to do! Get the green alien dumplings (they are better tasting than the Lilo ones). Try something new because, heck, when will you do that again?
7. Get fast passes early in the day because they will run out. We didn't even do Toy Story, Nemo or Indiana Jones because fast passes were gone (and 2 out of 3 are rides we know).
8. Cuing decorating is pretty cool across the board (especially Sea), but do heed the warnings of wait times. We had a 3.5 hour wait for Journey (posted was 2.5 but they overshot FPs so spent an hour flushing FP line).
9. Definitely stop to people watch. The amount of Disney-bounding outfits is next to incredible in both parks. Everyone in our group noted that this was the only place in Japan where we saw people wear bright colors and it was so fun!
10. Definitely get a show schedule in Japanese too because it will not only show you times but also the merchandise offerings including the limited seasonal offerings. It's like shopping while you are waiting in line!
We visited both parks in 2 back to back days in the August heat. I would not recommend ever doing that just for the sheer exhaustion. On our second day (DisneySea), they were making park-wide announcements about the heat ("Remember to drink water"....lines for water bottle carts were crazy long even).
Some observations from a Disney enthusiast.
1. Both are lovely parks, but definitely have far tamer rides than we are used to. I did not go there specifically for thrill rides, but can say that most every ride is more about the story than the adrenaline rush.
2. Good thing it gets dark early there. August electric light parade was at something like 7 p.m. and it was pitch black already. Great parade to see even if it's different from what we are used to. The early dark allows you to feel like you are leaving the park pretty late and still get out at a respectable time.
3. Earlier arrival the better. Rope drop is still crowded as heck and takes forever to get in the gate of both parks. We were there 30 to 45 minutes before opening and were thousands of people back.
4. You cannot imagine the summer break crowds until you experience them. Seriously check crowd calendars. We adjusted because of a national holiday break and still experienced insane crowds.
5. Know some rudimentary Japanese before you go. I did not and definitely wished that I had. I have read other reviews saying how helpful the Japanese staff are, which is true, but I did not find that they understood English. I luckily had someone fluent in Japanese with me, but without that person, I would have seriously struggled.
6. Yes, the food is really cool. Get a popcorn bucket and try the different flavors because it is fun to do! Get the green alien dumplings (they are better tasting than the Lilo ones). Try something new because, heck, when will you do that again?
7. Get fast passes early in the day because they will run out. We didn't even do Toy Story, Nemo or Indiana Jones because fast passes were gone (and 2 out of 3 are rides we know).
8. Cuing decorating is pretty cool across the board (especially Sea), but do heed the warnings of wait times. We had a 3.5 hour wait for Journey (posted was 2.5 but they overshot FPs so spent an hour flushing FP line).
9. Definitely stop to people watch. The amount of Disney-bounding outfits is next to incredible in both parks. Everyone in our group noted that this was the only place in Japan where we saw people wear bright colors and it was so fun!
10. Definitely get a show schedule in Japanese too because it will not only show you times but also the merchandise offerings including the limited seasonal offerings. It's like shopping while you are waiting in line!
