Halloween Presents Itself at DisneySea

The excitement on our third day didn’t falter what so ever! Now that we had a little experience under our belts, we were ready to take on DisneySea with full force. We weren’t at all experts, like the locals, but the overwhelmed feeling was gone. We even felt better at the local Lawson convenient market, near our apartment rental. I noticed the female clerk was still wearing her huge, strawberry blonde wig. Good for her.

The bus ride was still interesting for us. Every seat has its own button to notify the driver that you’d like to exit. And, we enjoyed the fun signage that each told his own cautionary tale of why you shouldn’t disobey safety rules. Seeing the various citizens heading to their daily routines, in their various uniforms, is something we don’t see often at home. Yes, we do see folks headed to work and school, but this was different. The independence shown by these young kids either headed to the trains or on the bus we rode was impressive. Eric and I were baffled to see what appeared to be 8/9 year olds heading out alone.

This time around, Eric and I were “in the know” and we stayed on the bus until it arrived at the DisneySea terminal. As fun as it is to ride, we avoided the Monorail fee of approximately 2.50. There was definitely a chill in the air that was multiplied as we entered the turnstile area. We were under the covered walkway with everyone else, waiting for the gates to open. Just like the day before at Disneyland, Eric and I were very close to the front of the queue. We had about 45 minutes to wait in anticipation.

Upon entering the park, we had the same plan as we did on Day 1. We would head straight to Journey to the Center of the Earth,  grab a fast pass and then ride it. This attraction is at the top of our list for Tokyo Disney Resort attractions. The excitement of the morning dash was just as fun as previous days. If any of you readers visit these parks, I can’t stress enough that you must see this for yourself! It all plays out like the Black Friday footage we see on the news broadcast!

                              Cool aqueduct structure in Mediterranean Harbor

                                  Journey to the Center of the Earth queue

After enjoying both 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth, we again bumped into some USA pals. Tom Bricker and wife Sarah, as well as Guy Selga and wife Jennifer asked us along to ride the gondolas. At this point, Eric and I had forgotten about the gondolas. How could we? They are tucked away in an almost hidden area of the park. If one were to enter from the main entrance, the attraction is nestled behind the shops on the left. The group also felt we should join them at the lottery for the DisneySea show “Big Band Beat”, which plays in American Waterfront. But, first we all headed to the Venetian themed canals to board a gondola.

They were very spacious, but since the queue was short they didn’t seem to load it as heavy as that might at busier times. Unlike the propelled gondolas at the Las Vegas Venetian hotel, here it appeared that Cast Member was using manual force to get us through the canals. The waterway themed to the canals wasn’t very long. When the canal ended we turned away from that area and coasted along the main lagoon, where Fantasmic is performed. The morning was slightly gloomy so it didn’t make for great photos. As we headed in the opposite direction, heading back to the station, the gondolier began his rendition of an un-named aria. He did pretty well until the last few moments when he struggled a bit. Still, we all applauded his performance. It’s tough to put yourself out there.

Thankfully the posted lottery schedule was near the gondola attraction. As we walked over, we all exchanged stories and opinions of what we had seen on our trip. All of us seemed to agree that we loved how crowded Disneyland was on the previous rainy day. I say we “loved” it because as I mentioned in a previous post, the determination of the Tokyo fans is amazing to see.  Our group soon found out that the show “Big Band Beat” would not offer the lottery for today. The show would load on a first come basis. Well, all that really meant was that we would need to arrive in time to wait for entry. Eric and I didn’t mind that. It was early in the day and there was plenty of time. We parted ways with the other four, but made tentative plans to meet at the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge a little later.

Although Eric and I had a pastry for breakfast, with a famous Coke Zero, it was time for another snack. Again, thanks to the helpful TDRExplorer.com we knew that the Halloween themed hot dog was nearby in American Waterfront! It was just a matter of finding the right location. It wasn’t hard at all. Starting from a parked vending truck, there was a small queue formed for the popular “black” hot dog with a ghostly white bun. We had been waiting to sample this for about a month!

The hot dog tasted like any other hot dog, but the texture of the meat itself was slightly different. I would say the texture seemed a little fake. But, has anyone ever had a hot dog with the same texture as a slab of beef right off the grill? I doubt it. The novelty of the whole thing was good enough for us. As we ate, on the back steps of the McDuck’s merchandise store, we could hear some interesting voices approaching our way. My next action may have come off as rude, but I assure you all that it was out of excitement.

I practically snatched Eric’s hot dog out of his hand, what was left of it, and may have shouted, “GO! GO!” as I pointed at the approaching skeleton family. I’m not proud of my actions, but Eric got some great shots of the family on vacation! They had their eerie sounding voices as they interacted with the crowd. They seemed to be in a hurry, maybe late for a fast pass, because they didn’t stop. Since they continued on their way, my understanding husband was able to return to enjoy his hot dog.

Once we finished our snack or mid-day meal (depends on one’s perspective) we took a stroll through McDuck’s. As reported on many sites before, it is a mecca to the Duffy enthusiast. Even though we already knew this fact we had to take a look for ourselves. Everywhere we gazed  guests jumped or shrieked with the excitement of a lottery winner. Even if they weren’t about to make a purchase, the love for Duffy, along with now Shellie May and Gelatoni, was infectious. There were Eric and myself joining in the fun as we examined all the various outfits for these three plush dolls. Nearing the front of the store we heard a familiar sound, and we both dashed out the door!

Behold!....more skeleton friends!!

This time the skeletons were from various backgrounds. One appeared to be a bell hop from the cursed hotel nearby and another looked like she may have been a celebrity of some sort. Maybe the bell hop wasn’t from Tower of Terror as his hat had the word “Chattanooga” across the front of it. They seemed to be improving with the guests as they posed for photos. I wish I knew what they were saying. As they spoke in Japanese, they had voice modulators to give them a high pitched, electronic sounding voice.

In our morning so far, we had some positive experiences with their Halloween offerings. There was still “Big Band Beat” and the “Follies” show we hoped to see. The only drawback of the “Follies” show is people seem to wait up to four hours for that one. I don’t know if we had that long to set aside in our day. Maybe we were wrong in thinking we had a lot of time? And don't forget that I'm still on the prowl for my Mickey popcorn bucket! 

 

A Wet Electrical Parade & a "Large" Coffee at Tokyo Disneyland

It is very tough to describe the layout of Westernland. As we moved through the park, I kept comparing the layout to Disneyland in California. One could almost say their Country Bear Jamboree is where our Pioneer Mercantile merchandise store is located. I don’t know why this park was more confusing than Florida’s version, or even Paris (which I have been to). To throw a wrench in the wheel, it appeared Adventureland had to boast of its latest gain. The queue for the newly refurbished Jungle Cruise was spilling into Westernland. 

“Go home to Adventreland Jungle Cruise, you’re drunk! Just stay in your own land! We are confused as it is!”

The other queue Eric and I found to be surprising was that of the shooting gallery. Even with the rain there was a long queue to play the game. I never see that at any of the other parks. We couldn’t even get a good look at the game area, the crowd blocked it. I would have liked to see what it was that made this particular version so spectacular. If anyone knows please tell me. 

Eric was first to notice the plethora of Explorer Canoes out on the river. From what I recall, most rainy days the canoes at Disneyland in California will shut down. In Tokyo the guests had their rain gear on and were out there rowing away.  We were thrilled to see this! With each stroke, it seemed all the guests were yelling the equivalent of “Stroke” or Row”. I’ve seen American guests ride this during ideal weather. Most of the tourist in the US would rather take selfies and photos of the surrounding area, me included. We even have a video of it!  http://youtu.be/QLIOM04VT7U

Eric suggested we checkout the rest of the Fantasland dark rides. We had heard these are basically copies of what is offered in Florida's park. This rumor turned out to be true. Even still, I like seeing the subtle differences in the queue layout and effects. I think a few of the scenes were a little brighter, but maybe they had just been painted. Our vehicle kept stalling while inside the Snow White attraction. That was annoying because the audio would cut out completely. There was also awkward silence as we sat with the other group of two. But, that made it easy for me to get this shot of the crone!

The Cast Member at unload was like a robot. Each time a vehicle returned to the station she threw her arms up, shook them, and began her exit spiel. I assume it was something like, "Welcome back, I see you survived! Raise your arms and prepare to exit. Have a nice evening." She performed it the same way for each vehicle. We were impressed. By the way, this was something we observed prior to riding. We weren't just standing there like weirdos. 

Although we knew when we booked our flight, we were disappointed that "it's a small world" was closed. They were preparing for their holiday season. 

Eric and I also took a flight on Peter Pan. I believe these dark rides were built about a decade after WDW's grand opening, it was obvious they used the exact design. There was a a tiny addition to the loading area. In the station, just as the Cast Member checks that your lap bar is secure, there is a Tinkerbell figure flying on a wire. Even as we waited in the queue, it was amusing to watch her swoop up and down. At this point Eric and I were getting slightly hungry, so it was decision time. 

Before we even left to Japan, I found out about of a hidden gem of a fast food location in Westernland that sells Chicken Strips, The Lucky Nugget Cafe. This knowledge was obtained thanks to our pal at TDRExplorer.com Why chicken strips you ask? To that, I respond with another question, “Why not?” It’s a theme park and we aren’t at the park for anything gourmet, although the food is a lot better than people say. Also, we wanted to have enough time to eat and get a spot for the night parade. The parade was at 7:00 PM, so we had about 1.5 hours until that time. 

This cafe is located a little past the shooting gallery and Big Thunder Mountain, all the way in the far corner. Because of the rain, they have large sheets of waxed paper to cover everyone’s tray. When the Cast Member handed me that I was shocked! I was also a little embarrassed as we seemed to fit the American stereotype of enjoying our Coke products. We had to order the large because the small was a joke, child size in the US. But, you know what? I’ll salute the flag while carry around my Diet Coke any day! Speaking of Diet Coke, I didn't see any during our whole trip. We had to have Coke Zero instead. It's a decent replacement, but it's not our usual choice. 

As you may have noticed, we hadn’t really dived into any Japanese cuisine as of yet. We weren’t avoiding it, but I can’t say there was any huge push for Japanese cuisine here. Just like the signs are in English first and then Japanese, the food had an American influence. 

Soon after finishing our meal we were in the mood for a little coffee. The rain wasn’t letting up and we were pretty cold. I went over to order and asked for our coffee (sounds like “coh-he” in Japanese). The cashier asked me a question in Japanese. When I clearly didn’t understand, she asked in English, “hot?” I replied that I did want it hot. Internally I wondered why anyone would order an iced coffee in this cold weather. Throughout the rest of our time in Japan we were asked “hot or cold” no matter how cold the weather was. It wasn’t annoying to us. But, It seemed to add a step in the order process that wasn’t needed. 

 Now let’s take a moment to talk about what a Large coffee looks like in Japan? Here it is folks. I think as Americans we are labeled as “Greedy”, but this is definitely too small for the price of around 3.00.

 We took our coffee to go as we went in search of a decent parade spot. A lot of what would be considered “front row” was gone in the Fantasyland area of the route. Eric suggested we head to where the parade would begin, between Toowntown and the castle. Even at this point in time, 20 minutes from showtime, this section of the route had many open spots.

As we had experienced with the Happiness is Here parade, we weren’t sure what we were going to see. We knew that mostly likely they would perform the Nightfall Glow parade, their alternate show for Dreamlights. However; we did see those other two parades in the rain, so why wouldn’t they perform Dreamlights in the same weather? I even tweeted  earlier that day I wasn’t going to leave Japan until I saw Tokyo Disneyland’s Dreamlights. 

At last, the lights went out along the parade route and the announcement for Nightfall Glow began. The music is simple, but so perfect for this short cavalcade. As the floats move past we see Merryweather and Flora are arguing as to what the best color is. Flora wants the floats all to be pink and Merryweather prefers my favorite, blue. At one point Fauna gets them to compromise, and together they change all the floats various colors.

As the fairies argue and then work together, the characters on the other three floats are seeing this change. So, as colors are changing to their respective floats the other characters are reacting to them. Donald gets almost frustrated with what is happening, “Hey! What’s the big idea?!” But, he  also lets out an “Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy!” in his excitement. And of course the princesses (Belle, Jasmine, and Cinderella) talk about how “lovely” the lights are. The characters also reference the raindrops and how great it is that they too take on the color.

I don’t really need to say how great of a replacement this parade is on a rainy night. The photos speak for themselves. If you could hear the music I bet you’d enjoy that as well. From what I have seen in the other Disney Parks, when it rains you might see characters riding covered carriages. In Tokyo, this parade was designed especially for this situation. Replacing an electrical parade WITH an electrical parade is already a great idea! Then, the characters are acknowledging the rain and how the ground shimmers with the light. It’s almost too perfect of a design.

With the park set to close at 10 PM, we still had a little over two hours. We followed the parade to the World Bazaar area, remember that is Main St., so that we may take a look around. We hadn’t really don’t any shopping in that area. The stores were insanely packed. We read over and over to not wait until park closing, and here we were stuck in a sea of people, far from closing. 

There was this cute “kick line” pumpkin I wanted from the Happy Harvest parade, but at around $25.00 I just thought it was bit too expensive. I had the money, but where was I going to put this little lady? I went the cheap route and posed with her!

We also visited the gallery where nice sculptures can be found. There were also many selections of high end stationary. The trouble with stationary these days is that I have no use for it. I don’t think I ever had use for stationary and I didn’t think anyone else was dying to write a letter. There was so much stuff I wanted to buy just so that I may take it home To say, “Hey look! They sell this cool stuff there,” but then have no use for it afterward.

One item I had been looking for was a popcorn bucket. It was spherical in shape and had Mickey ears. The bottom half had a design of Mickey’s pants in red, and the top half has the black Mickey ears. I knew I wanted this “bucket” ever since I laid eyes on it a few weeks ago, online. I had been unlucky so far. My pal Chris, he is local, said he hadn’t seen it anywhere, but I wasn’t going to give up looking!

I was fascinated that guests were willing to keep the street clear for the show.

The time was now very close to the park's newest show "Once Upon a Time". It is a projected show onto the castle, accompanied with music and fireworks. As we approached the Plaza area, their firework show suddenly began. We had forgotten all about this, but were glad to catch it. I was surprised that they loaded the pyro shells in the rain, but I digress. Eric and I weren’t really “feeling” the show. It featured Disney music of course, but the fireworks were just random explosions. We knew that this show served both parks, but I still was hoping for something with a little more heart. 

After that was done, it was time for "Once Upon a Time"! Eric and I have already seen the various projection tricks used at Disneyland and Walt Disney World’s castle for those shows. Even with all the “bells and whistles”, we felt the show was just ok. It was definitely a huge spectacle, especially when the rain interacted with the massive laser lights. I can definitely understand the appeal because when this was first used at “it’s a small world” in California, everyone ate it up!

It pretty much poured the entire time. I couldn’t see well from where I was because everyone ahead of me had their umbrella out, as did we. Normally, during shows, the rules at this park dictate that nothing can obstruct anyone else’s view. For parades they go as far as asking someone to remove a large hat. In the rain, I know I personally understand the need for an umbrella. I became a little tired of craning my head to peek between two umbrellas, so I stepped over to the sidewalk area. I was fine with my partial view and was at least able to see the pyro.

We could tell the show was nearing its grand finale, so we decided to start heading to the Jungle Cruise. As I mentioned earlier, this was the most recent ride to have a rehab, so we hoped everyone else would be at the show. 

As we were rushing through Adventureland, we spotted a popcorn cart selling my bucket and chocolate flavored popcorn! At last it would be ours! We "stuck a pin in that" and knew we would return after riding Jungle Cruise. Anyway, we guessed correctly about the crowds! Our queue wait time was around 20 minutes! Can you believe it? This queue was consistently over an hour long!

Here is a photo of the queue from earlier. 

The ride was extremely dark, so taking photos made it tough. Eric and I agreed that unlike the Tiki Room at this park, we could somewhat follow along. We weren’t getting any of the jokes, but the ride path was extremely similar to Florida’s version. The great addition to this was all the new nighttime lighting. There were a lot of mysterious light bugs and even cool projections inside the temple. Don't worry Disney purists, I wouldn’t say the additions changed the ride completely. Instead, they enhanced the experience to the next level without taking away its original heart.

We hoped off the boat and headed straight to the vending cart for that bucket! When we found it we saw that the cart was already closed for the night! The crew was cleaning out the popcorn kettle and packing up their money. I was definitely disappointed. We had two more days at the parks so I hoped to find it at some point. We would be back at this park in two days time, but I would prefer to have the bucket more than one day. 

I loved the Tomorrowland entrance.

Although a little heartbroken and defeated, we rushed over to Star Tours. At first we were willing to skip this attraction because we have the exact same thing at home. But, we had covered a lot of ground and still had a little time. The concourse area is huge! They have six Starspeeders there! Aside from the impressive station, we appreciated that the Cast's costumes are brought in at the waist by a belt. At home it's the same costume. But, since the shirt hangs down while untucked, it looks sloppy. 

Saluting in the Star Tours exit bridge. 

The evening was drawing extremely close to the 10 PM hour. We wouldn’t have a lot of time to hang about after closing because we needed to catch our bus to the apartment. We strolled a bit around the Plaza and admired their Halloween decorations.

As I said, I knew we had two more days at the park, but I could feel myself getting sad. We've waited so long to come here and the time was rushing by too quickly. We had seen a lot of these parks, so the physical affects of that we're definitely taking their toll. But, if you've read my other posts from our trips together, we always push right through the fatigue. We had an excellent day and already excited to return to Disneysea! 

Is This Adventureland?

Before us stood a whimsical dining location that not only had a cool theme, it was dry. The rain was steady during this time so it would be nice to sit and relax. And, because we would be eating slightly earlier than a typical lunch hour it wasn't very crowded. Sure there was a small queue, but nothing like I had seen in other blogs or YouTube videos. 

I really love the cast costumes here at the Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall. They are a little over the top, but this is Wonderland! They all fit very well in this nonsense filled world. 

The queue moved past the food like any other "buffeteria" styled place. They had some decent selections, but Eric and I had already planned out our meal here. We wanted, what we called, "the heart shaped meat thingy". Isn't it cute? All the food at Tokyo Disney is so cute!

It more or less tasted like meatloaf you'd get at any restaurant. I think some bloggers thought this was the weirdest thing in the world because of the shape. When you think about it, all patties are shaped after being processed. It's all technically bad for you, but it sure was tasty! Each of us were also offered a bowl of rice, an extra charge. I think we were one of the few to turn this down. The dessert didn't disappoint either. Eric and I grabbed two different plates to share. 

Just as I ordered drinks and got ready to pay, a Cast Member walked up. She asked how many we had, then she whisked away my tray and our drinks. I was so busy counting coins I wasn't 100% sure where she was headed. After paying, with the preferred exact change, I searched around for this lady. Eric pointed her out down the checkered walkway, holding up her free hand. She walked us over to a table in a well lit area, while also carrying our food.  I wasn't expecting this service at all. I assumed we would find our own table and carry our own food, which I would've been fine with doing. We bowed and thanked her for the help. 

 I'm not sure why he deviated from the usual "Two Finger" pose. 

Believe it or not, we were done with being able to obtain a Fast Pass. My friend Jonny, the Fast Pass King, would have absolutely hated this fact, but it's true. The fast passes were gone for the day and it wasn't even noon. 

Eric and I still hadn't explored the other end of the park. Feeling confident about our time management, we took a leisurely stroll toward Pirates of the Carribean. It's clearly obvious by looking at the next photo that even in the rain no one was leaving anytime soon. 

The queue for Pirates was stretched out into the walkway. I wish we grabbed a photo of it. Picture Disneyland's version without that bridge. The walkway out front is level to the rest of the area. The queue flowed out to the left of the entrance and toward the World Bazaar area (Main St). It didn't look too long at all. It appeared we would enter, walk up the slope that runs along the flume, then board. When we walked into the building, this is what we saw.....

In regards to the ride experience, I'd say its queue was the biggest change. We had no clue that these sets of switchbacks even existed within the building! As mentioned, we expected to walk right up the ramp to the station, but we instead made a hard left into this full queue. Apparently we didn't do the proper amount of research. The little I had read was : If a guest didn't feel like waiting in a long queue, go ride Pirates. Eric and I are here to tell you that yes, there was definitely a wait. Even though this was a surprise, he and I are fine waiting in queues. As usual, the queue appeared much longer than it actually is. 

 It was interesting to see the difference in the queue interior. The outside facade here and in Anaheim are replicas. They give the impression you're entering a New Orleans regal home or a gallery. This interior definitely felt like the front area of a house, lined with family portraits, culminating with a staircase that leads to what might be the private living quarters. The attraction itself felt very much the same as the original. Different or not, as it poured rain outside it was a nice get away. 

Back out in the rain we had an uneasy feeling. We stood in what appeared to be New Orleans Square at "California Disneyland", but it was really Adventureland in Tokyo Disneyland. If that last sentence didn't make sense, I apologize. That's really the only way to describe the feeling of dissonance. Maybe I'm blocking the scenery too much.  Here's another photo Eric took without me in it. (Even Blue Bayou is there) I do believe in California we even have those exact potted plants. Anyway, pressing on....

We must not have been too impressed with Adventureland because we didn't take many photos of it. If we thought Fantasyland was just tossed together, to cram in as much as possible, Adventureland stole that title for sure! I recall food stands, an occasional restroom, trees, a few attractions all lumped into a confusing area. They even had a small portion themed to what maybe was the Carribean Islands hit by a typhoon. (It actually looked a lot like WDW's Typhoon Lagoon water park

Even after that description I gave, I wouldn't say I hated Adventuereland. This land or the odd layout of Fantasyland doesn't at all cause me to say that I dislike this park. All I'm doing is describing what we saw. Now we didn't visit this park with "rose colored lenses". There was something here we didn't care for very much, Enchanted Tiki Room: Stitch Presents Aloha e Komo Mai!

If you don't speak Japanese well, I'd say to skip this attraction. I'm sure it is very entertaining to those that know what is going on, but it really was more than a mystery to Eric and myself. We thought, "Well, we have been to a few versions of this attraction, I'm sure we can follow along." We could not. I can still picture Eric and I looking over to each other and shrugging. It was really THE ONLY time in Japan where we felt completely lost. This was our epic "Lost in Translation" moment, not a bad place for ot to occur.

One of the snacks we had heard about during our research was this mochi dessert below. Each one has its own flavor and could be found in Tomorrowland. 

They are sold at Pan Galactic Pizza Port, right across from the Star Tours exit. Order on the first floor and grab a seat above. There's a small animatronic show to watch. It's a basic show where an alien appears to be making pizza dough. As we waited to order, I wondered if  there is  a Tomorrowland that doesn't sell pizza? I know even Paris' version has Pizza Planet. 

Anyway this snack we wanted comes as in threes. It has a strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate "dumpling" or mochi. They're very good and if you're ever there you have to seek this out. The Vanilla one tasted a little more like custard, so we loved that! It's a rite of passage for those visiting. I say this because every blog I've seen for this park seems to share their experience with this snack! Most people don't like the sticky feeling it has, but Eric and I enjoyed it.

The big moment for a decision had arrived. Should we continue on with visiting attractions.? Or, should se check if the "Happiness is Here Parade" would even happen. There was a break in the rain, but what a gloomy day for parade photos. Still, I had been anxious to see this parade ever since it premiered in 2013. We also had to keep in mind that we might get stuck with a plain "rainy day cavalcade". 

We all can find out the outcome next time!! But first, let's see one last shot as Eric poses the question, "Why is the Star Tours exit, this bridge, more elaborate than the entrance to it?"