Trip to Tokyo Disneyland

Tokyo Disneyland. A year ago I didn't even know there was a Disneyland in Tokyo and now I got to go there. It was fun, I can tell you that. What I had heard was that it's even better than the others, and it was really good. I'll tell you about it. I'll rate some of the rides/attractions with stars ranging from one to five.

One concern of ours was whether it was going to rain. It was rainy season in Japan so there was a chance for rain. Luckily for us, the day started with sunshine and warmth, so we got on the train and headed for Tokyo Disneyland. The train arrived really close to it. It was quite impossible to get lost. There were clear signs all the way to the main gate and we even saw a cute Disney train on the way.

When you get in, the first things you'll see are some restaurants and shops. I put my backpack in the locker and then we headed out to aimlessly wander around our mouths open in awe. And you can also find toilets at the locker area. Some of them are Japanese style but keep looking and you can also find western style.

First I found myself in a tropical area. That's pretty cool. What, a jungle cruise? I thought those were only in Hollywood studios. The guide was crazy. I didn't understand most of what he said but he was fun and entertaining. I don't know where he gets the energy to do it again and again and again...

Jungle Cruise: ****

Next we went to Big Thunder Mountain. I have a little fear of heights so I thought this might not be good. Actually it wasn't that bad. It was quite entertaining. A little too short though.

Big Thunder Mountain: ***

The Disney castle was impressive. Thumbs up for glamour. Inside the castle was some nice paintings and shop that sold different things made of glass. There was even a guy making them and you could watch. It was quite incredible. It takes a lot of training to do it properly.

Disney Castle: ***

Pirates of the Caribbean. That was a cool ride. You get on these boats which take you on a tour of the pirate life. There are lots of animatronic pirates and other people. They looked pretty good. Music, special effects, all kinds of cool stuff. I liked it.

Pirates of the Caribbean: ****

Splash mountain. Sounds pretty wet. Henna likes those kinds of rides so I was dragged into it. The line was quite long and I didn't like the huge fall and splash you could see on the outside. It wasn't the only fall in the ride. They turned my stomach a little but when we got to the big fall... I tried to prepare for it but it was so steep and long that I couldn't help closing my eyes for a moment. That was quite a ride. We were all pretty wet after that. They also take a picture as you go that last fall. Mine wasn't very good.

Splash Mountain: ****

Off to Toontown. Chip 'n Dales's Treehouse was cute. Though the stairs weren't designed for someone of my height. I bumped my head. Anyway, there some weird gadgets there. There was a funny door in Toontown.

Chip 'n Dale's House: **½

Fantasyland had some nice places. Mostly I liked Haunted Mansion. It was incredible. There a whole lot of technology put into that place. Ghost dancing through tables. Damn, that's good. It was pretty amazing. I highly recommend it.

Haunted Mansion: *****

Alice's Tea Party was fun. There cups in which you sit in and they spin. There is like a wheel in the center which you can spin to make your cup spin even more. I got dizzy.

Alice's Tea Party: ***

It's A Small World was kind of sleepy ride. There was singing and different cultures and countries pressented by different moving dolls. I wasn't the only one to get sleepy in there.

It's A Small World: **

Pooh's Hunny Hunt was cute. We went around in "hunny pots" and saw all kinds of cute Pooh videos, moving dolls, and other funny things. Go Pooh!

Pooh's Hunny Hunt: ***½

Off to Tomorrowland! Space Mountain is really cool. It's like a roller coaster inside a building. It's totally dark and there and stars and galaxies everywhere. It goes really fast and you can't see where you are going. Some turns take you really by surprise. I liked it a lot.

Space Mountain: *****

Star Tours. Tomorrowland just keeps on giving. Star Tours is made by Disney and George Lucas. Prepare for a flight to the moon of Endor. It's amazing. You can feel all the movements of the ships as it escapes Imperial forces and tries to get away in one peace. When it goes to light speed, you really get pressed to the back of your seat. Whoopee!! Most excellent ride.

Star Tours: *****

Grand Circuit Raceway was a little disappointing. The cars movement is very limited, it's hard to steer and a pain to your feet. Plus there was a huge line. Not very fun.

Grand Circuit Raceway: *½

StarJets is something I really wanted to avoid. High up in the air and not much to keep you safe. No thanks. But I couldn't say no. So up I went and I wanted to get down as soon as possible. Not for those with a fear of heights. Other than that, it was ok.

StarJets: ***

You get hungry there too so we went to Pan Galactic Pizza Port. They didn't have any vegetarian friendly pizza but they were really nice and made me one without all that nasty meat and stuff. Good service. Remember to drink a lot too in Disneyland. I drank lots of Coke.

The parade. The day parade was cool. I took a lot of pictures and a few videos too. There is route which it goes and sometimes it stops and there's dancing and singing with the audience. It's a good thing we knew where they were going so we ran to get ahead of them to see the show.

Some selected parade pictures:
Parade 1
Parade 2
Parade 3
Parade 4
Parade 5
Parade 6
Parade 7
Parade 8
Parade 9
Parade 10
Parade 11
Parade 12

We did a lot of walking around, just looking at things. We saw many Disney characters, including the seven dwarfs.

The evening parade was really cool too. It was a little chilly but magical. The lights looked great. I didn't know how to shoot in the dark with our new camera so the pictures aren't that good.

Evening Parade 1
Evening Parade 2
Evening Parade 3
Evening Parade 4
Evening Parade 5

The evening in Tokyo Disneyland were quite special. The Disney Castle looked beautiful. There was also a statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. We ate a nice dinner at a restaurant, did some shopping, and went home really tired. On top of that, we both burned ourselves in the sun. So remember to put on some sun block before going there.

Tokyo Disneyland is truly a magical place. Hope you'll enjoy it as much as we did. :)

A word of warning!
We spend a whole lot of money on our trip to Tokyo Disneyland. It was a lot more than we had expected. The place tickets, hotel, tickets, eating and all the rest can easily amount to a large sum. You should be careful not to end up spending more than you can actually afford.

For example, we could have saved a lot if I had found an ex-Disney employees hidden savings secrets book a few months earlier. Man did I curse. Well, I'll know better next time. Just be careful not to lose what you don't need to.

Good luck with your vacationing! :)