Sunny Skies at Tokyo Disneyland- Part 2

Where were we?!

Ah yes! We had just left the Monsters Inc. attraction (Ride and Go Seek) and started to formulate a plan for the mid-afternoon. We could hear that the Happy Harvest Parade had started to makes its way toward our area, the Central Plaza. We did toy with the idea of whether we would watch, but realized there wasn’t enough room for us. The crowd had already been waiting for quite some time. 

Eric and I popped into the bakery across from the Monsters Inc. Fast Pass machines. Well, there were many fun sights to behold in there. I gave a sneak peek at them during my last post. The Mike Wazowski melon bread looked so adorable! Have I mentioned how cute the food is here? The queue was quite long so we pressed on through the Central Plaza, toward the Western area of the park. We wanted to see what snack we could find in the ole West!

It was a surprise that the parade viewing area along Adventureland was quite empty. Eric and I could grab a spot right against a flower bed and no one would be directly in front of us. We agreed to take advantage of the luck and enjoy the parade.

I don’t know how he does it! As soon as the parade began rolling in, Eric memorized the lyrics! Then again, he does that with almost everything on that old invention, the radio. Why would this be any different? The music is extremely catchy that had most people bobbing their heads to the beat. With lyrics that say “Goblins and ghouls all act a fool!” you can’t help but love it.

We caught an abridged version of this same parade two days prior, but it was the “Rainy Day” parade. There were no dancers and the characters were covered in rain gear.  On this gorgeous day we received the full treatment! By looking at the photos I don’t have to describe how inventive the costumes are.

There were only a few floats, but once they were situated around the Plaza they stopped for a show. The audience had apparently been shown minimal choreography to join in with the performers. Since Eric and I were late to the game, we missed that part. The guests near the parade route were very enthused as their arms waved around in unison! Eric and I were a little further back, but we had a nice view of the goings on. We knew to expect this eagerness to participate from the crowd and it says a lot about how the culture enjoys having fun!

Once the parade moved past and the crowd began to disperse, we decided we needed more than a snack. I think we had metabolized our morning toast a long time ago. Following the parade path, in the opposite direction, we went in search of some food.

Eric remembered the Good Time Café, found in Toontown, because they offer a cute looking sandwich. It is chicken on the inside, but the bread surrounding it is shaped like a Mickey Mouse glove. We had to make our way across Fantasyland to get to Toontown, but not without a few photos.

 As we had expected, we caught the crowd leaving the parade route from the same parade. The route starts on one end of Fantasyland (near Haunted Mansion) and loops back to Fantasyland’s other end (near Toontown/Tomorrowland).

          See the Cast Member in the crowd?

This was another moment where Eric and I locked in on our destination and split up. We zig zagged our way through that crowd and found ourselves in Toontown. There were quite a few places to sit, which was surprising with this crowd. Eric went to order and I saved us an area on a bench. I’m thankful Eric suggested I wait. While I sat holding our spot, the crowd slowly started to swell around me. 

I’m happy we grabbed photos of the food right away because even though it was adorable, we devoured it! We didn’t hang in that area for too long because we could tell people were eyeing our seats. The both of us would be sitting soon to wait for the Happiness is Here parade. We could rest then.

Eric used to work in original Toontown, so this “flipped” version was fun to explore. Besides the difference in the layout, the park has this area decorated for Halloween. Our Toontown in Anaheim only gets spruced up for Christmas. 

Looks like Eric made a friend! Although he wore the male version, this is the same costume that was once worn in CA’s Toontown.

For the Disneyland veterans in CA, check out Space Mountain behind Gadget’s Go Coaster! Don’t forget, people call this place “Bizarro Disneyland”.

I don’t think our Chip n Dale Treehouse has leaves anymore! (sad face) Too bad we didn’t go inside this one.

It was big decision time folks! Where would we watch the parade this time? While in Toontown, we were at the end of the route. So far it wasn’t filling in with guests. I didn’t want to sit at a blind turn. I wanted a clear view as the parade approached. So, we headed back across Fantasyland to the parade step off.

As we made our way to our viewing area, Eric realized it was now okay for us to get a new Fast Pass. Just across from our chosen spot was the Haunted Mansion: Holiday Nightmare. We couldn’t pass that opportunity so that’s the one we chose. If you recall from the past post, we had a Fast Pass for Pooh’s Hunny Hunt at 18:00. This new time for Mansion would work out perfectly! Now it was the hour long waiting game.

Our spot was great. Directly behind Eric and I was the railing for the Dumbo attraction. There wasn’t a way for people to burst in during the show. I always like getting a spot that can be blocked off from walkways. This was it! Nothing is worse while watching a show/parade then having people push themselves into the spot (or through your legs) you have held for an hour or more.

Being Cast Members from CA, Eric and I were interested to see how they ran their crowd control. We almost felt a little jealous as it seemed these guests were more inclined to follow directions. One word of “back talk” heard often by a Disneyland Cast Member is “Why?” Here in Tokyo, the guests were very willing to follow the directions given. (Look at me just rambling on when there is a parade to get to)

I can’t believe I am saying this on the internet, but I may have had a few tears in my eyes (they burn). Tokyo Disneyland really knows how to put on a parade! The floats were huge and so lively! And again, Eric suddenly knew the lyrics! (This time I must confess that we had heard the music before.)

I don’t really know what to say about the parade because it really does speak for itself. If you choose to see it in motion and with the music, you really should check it out on YouTube. I have a short video up on there, but the full ones are there as well.

I really am annoyed with myself that I can’t think of what to say about the parade. It must be experienced in person. To sum up the whole parade: It is full of Disney moments that come alive before your eyes with floats that put most parades to shame! I was glad there wasn’t a show stop. A parade should keep moving along. As great as a performance is, it gets to be tiresome sitting on the ground for long or standing in one spot.

The show ended around 1:45 PM and we had the afternoon ahead of us. Eric and I felt like we were making so much progress during our time in the parks. I think since we had done so much research, we had the upper hand. We even decided to fit in some time to visit the shopping area called Ikspiari (ick-spee-ar-ee). That shopping district acts like the Downtown Disney for both parks. It is a bit of walk to get there and located near the train station. 

We first took a trip on The Mark Twain before we made our way toward the main gate. In the next installment of our Sunny Day at Tokyo Disneyland, we find out if Ikspiari is the place to be or the place to avoid. Also, we have a nice evening at the park that builds up to the Electrical Parade: Dreamlights. “See you real soon!”

 

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!