Tokyo Disney Resort Houkoku
Special Guest Trip Report
Jason's Visit to Tokyo Disney Resort
February 22nd-24th, 2005
(Posted 03/22/05)
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First off, I have been really fortunate to be able to travel a lot and am in the unusual position to have visitted all the Disney parks with the exception of DCA (and I suppose the upcoming HKDL). My vote, for what it's worth, goes to TDS, for being the most amazing theme park in the world.
Indeed, my first visit to TDR restored my faith in Disney parks and reminded me of how I used to experience them. For example, TDL shops are each different, still including, for example, a magic shop. Characters in the park are approachable (with the exception of Micky and Minnie who are mobbed), with the cast member 'body guard' casually in the background. Food prices are affordable, restaurants offer quality food, and generally corners are not cut. The excellence and pride in craftmanship on display is no where typified more than in TDS.
Click on a photo below for a larger view.
About a month ago, me and my partner strolled through DisneySea and we were constantly struck by the incredible attention to detail and no-expense-spared beauty of the park. The first time we visitted, we 'sprinted' through the park to do all the rides, but this time we took our time. Well, the rides are amazing, the queues are stunning, the selection staggering (remember, this park opened with about 6 major E-ticket rides!). I speak no Japanese, and consequently I felt I missed out with some of the rides (Aladdin Magic Lamp Theatre, Storm Rider, and to a lesser extent, Sinbad's Voyages), but they were still highly enjoyable. By the end of 2006, TDS will have a Tower of Terror and small rollercoaster (Altars of Fire and Water, a la Indiana Jones DLP I'm guessing) and the park will be unstoppable.
TDL also features some amazing rides and restaurant. We made of point of eating in the Queen of Hearts diner, and focusing on Pooh's Hunny Hunt (amazing, though ride the last of the three honey pots).
I should say that TDR's real weakness is its popularity, because TDL is always busy. I dread to think what peak season is like, so head my warning: travel at low-season only, and do TDL on Tue-Thu.
Click on a photo below for a larger view.
So how does TDR shape up against the other resorts? Well, it's very accessible, and language is not really a problem (though a few basic Japanese words will help). Plenty of guides available on navigating Tokyo, as well as travelling to TDR resort. English is not as fluent as in the DLP resort, but you will not have any real problems. Western food is available, but Japanese / Oriental food is the predominant cuisine (no surprises there).
DLP is a beautiful park, probably the prettiest and best laid out of all 'Magic Kingdom' parks. It has the best Space Mountain and Big Thunder Railroad (the track goes under the lake to get to the coaster 'island'), and prettiest landscaping. But the DSP is a frightening stain on the Disney legacy (those of you who despise DCA, beware!). It opened with 3 1/2 E-ticket rides (c.f. TDS's 6!) and little else (I'm not counting shows / theatres here, sorry). It has an abysmal landscaping and terrible theming -- having done away with 50 years of Disney architecture and urban design. So, wait for DSP to open its Tower of Terror or be disappointed.
Click on a photo below for a larger view.
WDW is a wonderful resort with so much to do it is almost overwhelming. I love the place, but one nagging feeling I came away with (4 years ago) that I was being ripped off. Food prices were so high we resorted to eating a huge breakfast and skipping lunch, then eating dinner outside the parks. Park hours seemed curfewed to the point of ridicule. What happened to the Disney park magic at night? TDR's parks are open till 22:00 in low-season! You really notice this when, in the Tokyo parks, crowds thin in the evening when children become too tired, and you get some real value for time and money in reduced queueing.
Don't get me wrong. We are planning a trip to WDW in 2006, but will probably set aside two weeks or more, and plan our accommodation carefully. If you plan your TDR accommodation (cheap hotels in Tokyo) carefully, everything else becomes affordable. If you plan your WDW accommodation carefully, you still have meals to worry about. But that was my feeling.
Click on a photo below for a larger view.
As for the parks, I love EPCOT for plenty of reasons. We also loved MGM when we last visitted -- it seemed extremely accessible as a park and not overcrowded. And it was my first trip to Animal Kingdom. I liked Dinorama (which had just opened) as a one-off concept for theming. But taken as a whole, there was something strangely lacking from AK. Perhaps Expedition Everest will change that by upping the ride factor.
But in the end I think AK lacked the 'wow' factor I felt when I first visitted EPCOT as a child, in the same way TDS 'wowed' me as an adult. Those moments make the Disney parks amazing -- Tower of Terror had that effect on me, as did IOA's Spiderman (wow, what a ride). In that sense, I think the Japanese do Disney better.
All Text and Photos By: Jason. [Report re-printed with permission.]
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