Having been to three Disneyland parks in three different countries, I’m a huge Disney fan. For each of them, so much is similar, yet different at the same time. The attractions, of course, are amazing. One of the more unique parks is the Tokyo Disney Resort which is divided into two parts – one is Tokyo Disneyland, and the other is Tokyo DisneySea. Inspired by the myths and legends of the sea, Tokyo DisneySea was always on my bucket list, and finally, I went there for the first time last summer.
While suitable for all ages, Tokyo DisneySea was designed to specifically appeal to a more grown-up audience due to it being filled with much more excitement and many rides with a spooky theme [1]. DisneySea is the theme park I would recommend to anyone who has been to Disneyland before. It’s entirely different from any other Disney park in the world. Of course, Disneyland is always the first target for a new Disney explorer, as it represents the traditional idea.
My friend and I headed to DisneySea since all of us had been to Disneyland. We caught the 7:00 AM shuttle bus, which leaves every 20 minutes, for Disneyland at Shinjuku station and arrived at DisneySea in roughly 40-50 minutes. It’s hard to avoid the large crowds in any Disney themed park, so we tried to get there earlier. Also, you are not allowed to bring your food in. Sometimes, the friendly staff may let you bring your breakfast but never a lot of food.
When we entered the park, we moved quickly to get Fast-passes to skip the wait and cover all of my favorite rides with minimal waiting time, since lines could be over two hours if you don’t have Fast-Passes. Luckily, we got the Fast-Pass for Tower of Terror in a 15-minute wait, which is renowned as one of the Top 10 Disney Attractions [2]. Then, we continued our journey with star rides — Toy Story Mania! And Journey to the Center of the Earth. We chose these since you can only get 1 Fast-Pass every 2 hours and these two always run out of Fast-Passes within an hour after the park opens. We waited for some rides for a long time, but not all of them. Here are the things I recommend for you to do there [4]:
– Grab Fast Pass for the most popular rides.
– Walk to the Biglietteria to get a Lottery Ticket for shows
– Make sure to see the first outdoor show “Pirates Summer Battle” at the Mediterranean Harbour
– Get in General line for a standby queue (not all of the rides have Fast-Pass, and it’s impossible to get all of them)
– Get ready for the Fantasmic Night show by the Mediterranean Harbor at 8 pm.
Pretty much every Disney fan knows of Walt Disney’s fondness for trains and therefore it is an important form of transportation in Disney [3]. Tokyo DisneySea continues the proud tradition of transportation. The park almost uses everything— boats, cars, and railways, both serving utilitarian and increasing the enjoyment. The scenes and themes are changed with respect to this massive transportation network. From the ocean wall in Port Discovery to the S.S. Columbia to the monorail that circles the park that you somehow never see when you’re inside the park, and that’s a great success of Tokyo Disney Sea.
The most appealing aspect of the DisneySea, like any other Disney park, is that they always have the ability to transport you from where you actually are to where its creators want you to imagine being. When I was there, one of my friends who has been staying in Japan for seven years texted me: “Where are you?” I told him I was in the Indiana Jungle. It’s not so much that I actually believe that I’ve stepped under the sea or in Mediterranean Harbor as an adult – I clearly know I’m in a theme park. It’s more that I just stop thinking about the outside world and sort of take where you are for granted which is so detailed and immersive.
Reference
[1] https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3016_sea.html
[2] https://www.disneytouristblog.com/tokyo-disneysea-best-theme-park/
[3] https://dejiki.com/2013/12/tokyo-disneysea-indiana-jones-adventure-temple-of-the-crystal-skull/
[4] https://thetravelintern.com/ultimate-tokyo-disneyland-and-disneysea-guide/
The Road Most (Knowledgeably) Traveled 
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