Tokyo Disney Sea

If there’s anything that Disneyland visitors can agree on, it’s the fact that Disneyland is expensive. Do not even get me started on how pricey it is to go to Disneyland in California. A one day admission ticket is like more than $100! That is insanity, people and it explains why I haven’t set foot onto Anaheim’s Disneyland in a long, long time.

So, in Japan, I was able to justify visiting Tokyo Disney Sea. Justified because we don’t have a Disney Sea here in the states and justified because the admission fee is a bit lower than California’s admission fee. (I think it was approximately $80 and that to me is a big difference.)

I could have gone to both Tokyo Disney Sea and Tokyo Disneyland, but I didn’t see a reason to. Besides, I didn’t want to spend additional money on a hopper ticket.

It turns out this was a good decision made simply because it actually began to rain in the evening and there wasn’t much time in the first place to conquer both parks.

My experience at Tokyo Disney Sea was interesting. First, getting there was a bit confusing and a bit of an annoyance. I recall having to walk a long time through the station (Tokyo Station?) just to get to the track that would transport us to “Disneyland”. In quotes because once you get there, you actually need to pay a freaking monorail fee to get to Tokyo Disneyland (first stop) or Tokyo Disney Sea (second stop). I don’t think the fee was major but it did throw me in for a loop. I mean, people at this stop are all basically going to one of the Disney parks, so why are you charging us to board the darn thing? (Maybe there’s something about it that I don’t understand but I was a bit fixated on that for a bit. I guess if you’re really against paying the monorail fee, you could walk to the park? Lol I don’t know how long it would take you to get there, though…)

Monorail fee aside, I liked how Tokyo Disney Sea wasn’t filled with strollers. (If you’ve been to the Disneyland in Anaheim, California, you know what I’m talking about!) It also wasn’t as crowded as California Adventures but that doesn’t mean that lines didn’t exist.

Fortunately, the fast pass system exists at Tokyo Disney Sea. (If it existed at Tokyo Disney Sea, it probably also exists at Tokyo’s Disneyland as well.) If you don’t know what a fast pass is, all I’m going to say is that you need to get one the moment you enter the park and then get another one the moment you’re eligible to do so. (That’s how you play when it comes to the popular rides.)

While I took a good amount of photos at Tokyo Disney Sea, I actually wasn’t able to take as much as I could have. The bulk of Tokyo Disney Sea employees would tell visitors that photos weren’t allowed and such in some areas. I kind of understood why, since Tokyo Disney Sea is exclusive to Japan and all but it sort of left me with a bitter aftertaste. Like, can someone explain why we can not take a photo of the Aladdin ride or while we are riding it? I don’t have a photo so it’s kind of hard to explain but the Aladdin ride is basically a flying ride. Similar to the Dumbo ride, except not really as this was a better ride. Newer and prettier. And the view of the park when flying up high is just simply amazing. Oh well. It is what it is, I guess. And I think native visitors don’t really question it since the no photography thing is quite the norm in Japan. Good thing I’m not a hardcore photographer or an influencer or something, eh? Lol

Disney Character Photo Opportunities

The interesting thing is that character photography is big in Japan. In the states, it’s something kids and families with children enjoy doing. Here in Japan, everyone, young and old are into character photography. And I think that is just wonderful, minus the amount of people waiting to get a photo opportunity of course.

Fortunately for me, I ran into Thumper who was a bit hidden and of course managed to get a photo opportunity with him! I didn’t realize it at the time but my outfit matched with Thumper. And I think Thumper noticed because he got a little extra with me and I mean this in a good way. He twirled around and all that for me. Lol

So, the reality is that I don’t know if the person donning Thumper’s costume was actually a guy or a girl but a part of me was hoping he was a hot guy. Lol (I can’t help but to want to think that since he went all out for me. Heh)

The photo came out cute minus the fact that I was holding something random in my hand. (Why oh why, of all times?)

Sweets

Sweets were another big thing as well. As a Californian, churros aren’t a big deal for me so I didn’t bother to buy one at Tokyo Disney Sea. I did enjoy their sweet aroma while walking around the park though. If you’re a churro fan, be prepared to wait in a semi long line amongst couples trying to get a churro or two.

If you are a fan of sweets but aren’t a fan of long lines, I suggest you to check out random locations to get your sweet fix.

This dessert for example was obtained rather quickly not far from the Aladdin ride.

Food

Although this theme park is in Japan, don’t expect to be able to eat Japanese food inside Tokyo Disney Sea. I could be wrong but all of the food is “foreign” food. If any of you miss American food, you’ll probably feel at home with the food selections offered at Tokyo Disney Sea, although it of course isn’t cheap. For the vegans and vegetarians, there are options; you just need to do your own double checking and the choices, in general are quite limited. Bleh.

I found out after obtaining pizza that there was a more low key joint inside Mermaid Lagoon. Based on what I smelled, they had fries and possibly, pasta available. Fries for sure, though.

Under the Sea

One of my most favorite areas of Tokyo Disney Sea was the Mermaid Lagoon area. I am not sure why we ran into this area a lot later in the day but it was a welcoming place. I loved it’s decor and ambiance. A little dark when it came to lighting but the environment really did make me feel as though I was under the sea.

I also liked this place for giving us a form of shelter when it was raining here and there.

Unexpected English Performance

After taking advantage of a ridiculous Toy Story photo opportunity, we saw a line forming and decided to get in line, too. I honestly had no idea what we were in line for, but we figured it was for some type of show or performance. Turns out it was some type of classy ol school performance which was done in English. Super enjoyable as the performance was good and I could understand everything.

Best of all, a super cute guy was sitting next to me!!! LOL The guy had actually fallen asleep at some point in the performance. I know because when I decided to take a peek at who was sitting next to me, I saw that his eyes were closed. (His eyelashes were super long!) The person that came with him on the other hand was awake. Thank goodness I made my glance quick because according to my travel companion, the two were in a relationship with each other. She said she had overhead the guys asking themselves if we were a couple, like them… No, we’re not and we’re both straight but if them questioning it made their situation feel more validated, then great, I guess? I say this because I know Japan isn’t that accepting of a country when it comes to same gender couples. Honestly, if my travel companion didn’t tell me what she overheard, I would have been clueless to their relationship and sexual orientation. That just shows how well they had to keep everything hidden from society.

I think the only reason they were able to question their question aloud is because they thought we wouldn’t have understood. (While in line and before the show had begun, we had been talking in English the whole time so it was safe for them to assume that we wouldn’t understand a lick of Japanese.) Well, apparently, my travel companion overhead and understood the bulk of it. But it would be funny if she misunderstood. They could have just been asking if we were there like them as singles. I doubt it but if that were the case, to the guy that was sitting next to me, hello! Lol

Exclusive Merchandise

There were a lot of cute and exclusive things I saw for sale at Tokyo Disney Sea. Because most of the items weren’t cheap, I just looked, touched and put things back. If I could go back in time, I probably would have purchased this little guy:

I don’t recall how much this expensive thing costed but I found it adorable. You definitely wouldn’t find something this adorable at California’s Disneyland or so I think.

Oh and fyi, it’s not like I didn’t buy anything. I did buy one thing and that one thing was quite a useful item however it wasn’t that cute of an item. Meh.

Duffy, ShellieMay, StellaLou & Gelatoni

Prior to visiting Tokyo Disney Sea, I didn’t know what/who Duffy, ShellieMay, StellaLou and Gelatoni was. And I honestly didn’t understand the craze for Duffy and his friends either. It’s just not my type of cute, I guess. My travel companion did find it cute, though… If I recall correctly, I think she even bought something that was Duffy related.

I actually even encountered a legit Duffy et al fan. Just check that backpack out!

And that’s probably the good thing about Tokyo Disney Sea (and Disneyland). It’s a place that allows adults to not be so serious. You’ll see people with character hats, character headbands and character coin purses. The irony of it all is once they leave Tokyo Disney Sea (or Disneyland), they’ll remove the bulk of the fun stuff upon re-entering the seriousness of Japanese society.

Leaving Tokyo Disney Sea, my travel companion and I witnessed on the subway, people removing their cute Disney gear as they got further and further away from Disneyland and I think that’s a shame. I feel they should be able to keep their cute Disney gear on without having to fear how the rest of society will think of them. But that’s my Western mentality speaking. And it’s not like I haven’t experienced being judged in Japan (no gaijin card for me since on the outside, it isn’t too obvious that I am a gaijin), so I kind of understand their need to remove the “abnormal” upon re-entering “normal” zone again.

Anyway, I wished we had arrived to Tokyo Disney Sea a lot earlier so that we could see and do more things, but overall, it was a very productive day. If I have the opportunity, I’d like to visit Tokyo Disneyland next time. For those that are wondering which park to visit, I recommend Tokyo Disney Sea simply because you can get the regular Disneyland experience elsewhere (ex. Florida and California).