Inspired by the myths and legends of the sea, Tokyo DisneySea is made up of seven themed ports of call: Mediterranean Harbor, Mysterious Island, Mermaid Lagoon, Arabian Coast, Lost River Delta, Port Discovery and American Waterfront.
While suitable for all ages, Tokyo DisneySea was designed to specifically also appeal to a more grown up audience. They even serve alcoholic beverages, which are unavailable at the neighboring park. Hubby was in heaven drinking a beer at Disney!
Anyway, here are some tips and tricks for getting the most out of your visit based on my experience. I think most of these tips are applicable to any theme park as well though, so read on. :)
TICKETS
Ticket prices are the same for Tokyo Disneyland Park and Tokyo DisneySea Park.
PLAN AHEAD
Visit the park's website before your visit so you can familiarize yourself with the layout, rides, and attractions. And especially check operating times since some days the park may open or close earlier. Like if you check the calendar, average time is usually 8am to 10pm, but there are certain days that the park closes at 6pm.
You may also check dates and times of shows, temporarily closed attractions. age or height restrictions for certain rides so you know what to expect during your visit. Try to arrive early and go on a weekday if possible to avoid large crowds.
WHAT TO BRING
Outside food and beverages are not allowed, but bring a water bottle which you can refill at water fountains to save money. Also check the weather beforehand so you know if you should bring an umbrella. I also brought a GorillaPod but the staff who checked my bag said I couldn't use tripods or selfie sticks inside the park. I didn't have to leave it at the entrance though which was good, but sayang lang the space and weight in my bag.
RIDES & ATTRACTIONS
We went on a weekday but there was still a LOT of people! As in! The lines can get pretty long like 45 minutes to more than an hour. If you have the budget, get a FastPass so you can maximize your time.
But if you're ok with being a SINGLE RIDER, go for it! Most of the rides are usually even numbered, like 2 or 4 persons in a row. Single Rider means you line up separately and if there's an available slot (like when there's a group of 3 people), you get to fill up the empty seat. Hubby and I did this and we were able to save a TON of time. There are only 2 rides in DisneySea that allow Single Riders, which are Indiana Jones and Raging Spirits. For Raging Spirits, it was about a 20 minute wait while for Indiana Jones just 5 minutes! If we had lined up together, we would have spent hours here.
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| SINGLE RIDERS ATTRACTIONS in DISNEYSEA |
Another tip would be to visit popular rides/attractions during parades or shows, since most of the people would obviously be watching outside. But only if you're ok with missing those shows or if you've already seen them before, since sayang din naman. I was honestly thinking of skipping Fantasmic, but glad I didn't since it was still so amazing no matter how many times you've seen it.
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| the crowd during one of the shows |
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| Fantasmic! |
Ariel is my favorite Disney Princess so I was so excited to have a photo with her. BUT guests are requested to limit their photo-taking to ONE shot per party when using their own camera. Not like in Hong Kong Disneyland where you can take many shots, and even use your cam and phone. So after this photo with hubby, hindi na pala ako pwede mag solo, not unless I avail of Disney's photography service. Ang haba pa ng line, so I didn't want to line up again. But it's ok, at least I have a photo with Ariel and that's what matters.
There are some characters though that will just pop out in certain places. Like we went to the Mermaid Lagoon and I was so surprised to see Donald, Daisy, Pluto, and Goofy there! But no need to line up to have your photo taken with them. Basically, you just go up to them and take a pic coz they're just interacting with everybody. But it's kinda magulo though since there are a lot of people crowding around them as well, especially kids. So sariling diskarte lang. I would prefer having a line though so it's more organized.
HARDLY ANY ENGLISH
The park had maps and signs in English, but for all the rides, attractions, and shows - the language spoken was Japanese. At least in Hong Kong Disneyland, they would speak Chinese but then have an English translation after. Here wala talaga. All the instructions, reminders, and songs you would hear were in Japanese so it was quite frustrating at times since you couldn't understand a thing.
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| Mickey and friends singing in Japanese |
SOUVENIRS
If you're going to buy souvenirs, buy during the day. We made a mistake of making that our last stop before heading home - when everyone else is also panic-buying before the park closes! Super daming tao in all the shops. And people were really buying so much stuff, namamakyaw sila ha! We really had to squeeze our way through all these people just to buy one thing... a MAGNET haha! ;p
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| pandemonium! |
It's so funny pa nga, we saw so many people holding this teddy bear everywhere. We're not familiar kasi with the character. Anyway, we entered one of the stores and ayun, we ended up buying one as well haha! This is Duffy and Shellie May, superstar bears in Japan!
Anyway, DisneySea was such a magical experience as expected. I especially love visiting Disneyland during the Christmas season since everything is more festive with the decors and lights. And of course it was nicer to go around the park with the cold weather. Hopefully we get to come back and if we're with the kids, we have to check out Tokyo Disneyland naman. :)
Get There and Around
From Maihama Station, take the Disney Resort Monorail to Tokyo Disney Sea Station (10 minutes, 260 yen). Alternatively, you can walk to the park from Maihama Station in about 20 minutes.
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