| DISNEY
SEA
Wonder of wonders! I was finally going
to visit the legendary Disney resort in Tokyo. I had,
to my husband's ire, chosen to visit Disney Sea instead
of Disney Land. During January I had received an e-mail
from FUJET (a group that keeps JET participants in contact
with eachother, informing of events and activities etc…)
and had, on impulse sent my name and hubby's name to
be put on the list for Disney Sea. The deadline to apply
was rapidly approaching so I just did it. I had heard
that Disney Sea was more geared towards adults and had
some cool rides so I choose it. Hubby however, was unconvinced.
As it turns out though, Disney Sea does
not have whales and dolphins (hubby had mistakenly assumed
it was some kind of trumped up aquarium, thus being
less than pleased about going there). In fact, it is
a beautifully designed theme park, built around lakes,
and while having a lot of water in the park, there is
no more reason than that to call it Disney Sea. Let's
take a look!
Disney Sea is comprised
of 7 main areas:
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THE 7 AREAS
I CAN'T DECIDE!
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Hubby and I visited every area, but didn't
have enough time to check out every single thing we wanted
to unfortunately. It was a lot of fun but just one day wasn't
enough (we had to return to Fukushima the same day, so our
time was cut short). I would definitely recommend staying
in Tokyo if you want to visit Disney Sea; it's especially
beautiful at night.
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Personal
Opinions & Recommendations
Raging
Spirits:
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A great ride,
but over so quickly! It's themed as an abandoned
excavation site in the South American jungle,
containing a jet coaster ride that has a loop-the-loop
and sprays some mist over you as you zoom
along, so watch out for fuzzy hair afterwards!
Definitely grab fast pass tickets for this
one as it's very popular. |
Indiana
Jones:
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A great ride
also, with a surprising twist! You think you're
about to be crushed by a giant rolling stone,
when suddenly…! Hubby in particular LOVED
this ride. This is also another popular one
that I would recommend grabbing fast pass
tickets for. |
Tower
of Terror:
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Don't miss this
one! This ride has a great story to it - as
you are shepherded from room to room, touring
the abandoned 'hotel' the sense of foreboding
only increases. Finally you are seated in
an 'elevator' that transports you to the top
floor… You can probably guess what happens
next! Grab fast pass tickets for this one
as soon as you can - it is one of the most
popular rides and sells out of FP tickets
quickly! |
Journey
to the Center of the Earth:
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Another great ride! The journey starts off
with a pleasant tour through the center of
the Earth, when suddenly the jet coaster zooms
'out of control', spiraling upward at enormous
speed and flying out the top of a volcano
for a brief moment before plunging down, down,
down! I definitely recommend this one too!
Don't forget your fast pass tickets! |
Aquatopia:
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A nice fun ride
to help you calm down after the wild ones
you've been on! Enjoy riding on a boat that
takes you twirling across the water of a lake,
and almost collides you with other people!
No fast pass tickets needed for this one. |
Caravan
Carousel:
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Essentially a
children's ride but an enjoyable one none
the less. Enjoy riding on various assortments
of plastic characters as you revolve around
in carnival fashion to music and lights. No
fast pass tickets necessary for this one. |
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Other attractions
I wanted to try out included:
- 20,000
Leagues Under the Sea
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- Disney
Sea Transit Steamer Line
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- Big
Band Beat (dancing, singing show)
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GUSTAVO & CHIP |
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But unfortunately time did not allow for this.
My personal favourites:
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- Journey to the Center of the
Earth
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MOUNT PROMETHEUS |
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HOTEL HIGHTOWER |
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FAST PASS TICKETS
If I had known how to use these properly to
start with it would have saved me a lot of time.
Near every major attraction is a little area
where you can get fast pass tickets. It's free, and the time
you will be required to return to the ride is displayed so
you can decide before you grab one whether it suits you or
not. The normal waiting time and fast pass waiting times are
also displayed above the entrance to the rides. You pop your
Disney Sea pass in to the machine and it will give you a fast
pass ticket that displays a time frame when you should return
to the ride. When your time arrives you can return and enter
through the fast pass entrance. Normal waiting times vary
from around 70 minutes to 180 minutes, but with a fast pass
ticket you can cut that waiting time to something more like
10 or 20 minutes. The only catch is, you can't go in to the
ride straight away - you come back later on, at a different
time, so you can get other things accomplished in the mean
time.
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Notes:
You can only have 1 fast pass ticket
at a time, and until the time frames on your fast pass
tickets pass, you can't access any more, so make sure
you choose wisely!
Don't try to go through a fast pass
entrance without a fast pass ticket - they check as
you enter and they check again before you get on the
ride as I discovered. Jumping the queue from the normal
line to the fast pass line does not work!
There is a really great system for single
riders too, which cuts the waiting time right down,
ask the staff about it when you get there, and they
will show you how to use it.
Well, that's all folks. If you have
the chance, go and check out Disney Sea, and have fun!!!
Right, Disney Land is next in my sights, let's go!!!
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ME & THE GLOBE |
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