There are plenty of people, folks who’ve had the opportunity to visit countries all over the world, who say Tokyo DisneySea is the best theme park anywhere. I, unfortunately, don’t have the life experience to make such a sweeping assessment, but if it turns out they’re right I won’t be one bit surprised.
It’s hard not to be intimidated by the throngs of people ahead of you in line for the park, even if you follow the internet’s advice and show up 90 minutes before it’s scheduled to open. It isn’t long, however, before you’re struck by how wonderfully these Japanese park guests behave. They’re quiet, even most of the children, and never try to shoulder their way through queues. Their Japanese and English are always gracious and polite. They never walk and chew at the same time — there’s a Japanese cultural taboo against that — and they don’t toss their litter on the pavement. If you’re lost or trying to wedge a heavy suitcase into an elevator, they’re downright eager to help any way they can. And as much as I respect about the Japanese people, the folks working for Tokyo Disney Resort, from the humblest street sweeper to the geniuses who run operations, deserve all the accolades they’ve received since Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea opened in 1983 and 2001 respectively. The place runs like the proverbial Swiss watch, so even its longest lines move surprisingly quickly and its food puts American theme park fare to shame, all at a fraction of the price you’d pay for similar enjoyments in Anaheim or Orlando. I found the whole operation impeccable.
Notice I haven’t even mentioned the rides yet, but boy, are they fantastic. That’s especially (but not exclusively) true in DisneySea’s newest “port,” Fantasy Springs, which opened only 17 months before Amanda and I arrived in Japan. There you’ll find neighborhoods themed to Frozen, Peter Pan and Tangled. Now, I’m on record saying Peter Pan has held up so poorly over the decades it shouldn’t be shown to anyone under the age of 18, for reasons similar to the exact same reasons the American parks cancelled its Song of the South ride, Splash Mountain, retheming it (with mixed results, in my opinion) a la The Princess and the Frog. Having said that, Fantasy Springs’ new Peter Pan ride, Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure, is an absolute banger. Yes, it’s screen-based, meaning you essentially spend most of the ride watching 3-D movies on various TVs, but its images are so crisp and the practical elements so well blended you scarcely realize you’re not on a traditional dark ride. At first it feels like you’re on a boat ride similar to Pirates of the Caribbean, but there’s not a drop of water anywhere on the ride — You’re actually sitting on a motion-base platform mounted on a trackless ride vehicle, moving through physical sets. The illusion of freely soaring through the skies over Never Land is pretty darn convincing, and although the script is entirely in Japanese, the action is still clear for riders who, like myself, do not speak that language.
The Frozen ride in Tokyo is much longer than its predecessor in the Norway pavilion at Epcot World Showcase in Florida, realizing most of the movie’s key scenes via animatronics and other stage tricks that defy explanation. The Tangled boat ride, at least its indoor portion, is shorter than I would’ve preferred, focusing on the movie’s romantic entanglements (sorry), but it culminates in one of the most jaw-dropping scenes in any Disney ride anywhere. If you’re planning on visiting Tokyo any time soon, refrain from spoiling that experience by watching YouTube ride-throughs ahead of time as I did. I was trying to decide which rides to prioritize, but if you trust me, simply plan on riding all three signature attractions in Fantasy Springs. Don’t stand in line for them, though! Skip that two- or three-hour interruption in your park day by springing for quick access on the Disney park app. Remember, admission costs less than half of what it does in the states, so you can afford to buy a reasonably priced short cut onto the ride itself.
Make no mistake, though, DisneySea would be a marvel even without its latest additions. It butts up against actual Tokyo Bay, so it makes sense for all its areas to be themed around maritime or otherwise aqueous elements. We had lunch our first day there aboard the S. S. Columbia, a seemingly full-size reproduction of the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. I’ve been on both and can tell you the resemblance is uncanny. The park is so vast, lovely and intricately designed that simply walking around it, exploring its many nooks and crannies, makes for a wonderful (if exhausting) vacation day.
We had dinner in what might be the most beautiful restaurant I’ve ever seen, Magellan’s, which is themed around the exploits of SEA, the Society of Explorers and Adventurers — a mythical, National Geographic-like organization whose past members include Harrison Hightower III, star of DisneySea’s distinctly different version of the Tower of Terror. One of our favorite moments that first day was courtesy of the in-person narrator of that attraction’s preshow. The Japanese are already soft-spoken, so imagine a young Japanese cast member (Disney’s term for a theme park employee) performing a spooky story for children of all ages. We craned to hear every word — even though we knew none of those words.
We visited DisneySea over two very full weekdays and we still couldn’t see every bit of it. We did take a gondola ride through “Venetian” canals and, again, I can tell you with some authority that the Imagineers didn’t miss a trick; it’s a much more convincing version of Venice than similar constructions in L.A. and Vegas. We watched a Middle Eastern magic show presented entirely in Japanese, too corny to offend anyone on cultural appropriation grounds, and ate plenty of delicious snacks and treats as we navigated the vastly scaled park. In short, Tokyo DisneySea is as close as we’ll probably ever see to a perfect theme park. If you’re a fan of such resorts, it deserves to be near the top of your international bucket list. We’ve already found ourselves flirting with the idea of going back.
Of course, I’m well aware that visiting a Tokyo theme park, even one as unimpeachable as this one, isn’t the same as visiting Tokyo itself, but don’t worry — We’ll be headed there shortly. First, though, we spent two other days in Tokyo Disneyland. I’ve been a devotee of Walt’s original, Anaheim park since I was a toddler, so the opportunity to visit my third-ever Disney castle park was thrilling. Could it possibly live up to our hopes and expectations? We’d soon find out!
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