It’s fair to say that up until now, I have had some pretty amazing birthdays. The three that come to mind are Weipa, where we ended up with a whole cruise boat to ourselves. Lady Elliot Island, where I got to see turtles and manta rays, while we were snorkeling, and this one… Tokyo Disneyland for my birthday. I have a great husband and he is definitely the reason I have been able to experience these amazing things on my birthday.
There is something about the anticipation of seeing characters and having the things that made you believe in magic, right in front of you. When you are standing at the gates, waiting to get into Disneyland, and they’re playing tunes from all of the best movies, it sends flutters to your stomach, no matter how old you are. Well, it did for me anyway. I think Ben was looking forward to me having a good day and was hoping to see some cool stuff along the way.
You may have seen some ariel photos of people waiting to get into Disneyland, and yes, there were copious amounts of people, but once those gates opened, it actually didn’t take that long to get through the gates (after a little help from our wonderful travel agent to find our QR codes). Up until now, the closest I’d been to a park like this were the ones on the Gold Coast. Trust me, this is a huge scale up from that.
As you walk in the gates, this world of imagination comes to life. It immerses you and welcomes you. A little voice inside your head says, ‘wow, anything you can dream up, really is possible’. The first laneway is grand, with Mickey and Minnie, and other beloved characters, in themed shop windows. Famous scenes taking you back to times when cartoons were life. Even the staff wear constant smiles and have polite waves for everyone. After some research, my number one for the day was Beauty and the Beast. I knew it was a new attraction and that it was going to be busy, so if we were going to buy one express pass, then this was the one I wanted.
The Tokyo Disneyland app is essential for navigating and also for tracking wait times on rides. You can plan your day by the app, but try to have a couple of ‘must do’s’ already in your mind before the day, so you can buy passes if you want to. The rides are mind inspiring and pay homage to the original Disney movies. All of the commentary is in Japanese but it matters less than you might think. The visuals are so spectacular and that is so easy just to let your memory do the rest. If you’re looking for adrenalin pumping rides, you won’t find them here. Find your inner child and bring them with you instead.
The Star Wars ride took us to space first up and quite by accident. A 5 minute wait time and a fellow beckoning us in, was enough for us to go… okay then. I am a big Star Wars fan, so I found this really fun. Even Ben, who doesn’t get into that sort of thing, thought the ride was good. From there we walked a lot and saw a lot. We boarded a ship and looked for Captain Jack in the Pirates ride, we flew across night skies to Neverland with Peter and Wendy, we went on naughty adventures with Pinocchio and almost grew some ears ourselves.
When you find yourself jumping up and down on the spot, pointing and saying ‘oh my gosh… it’s Mickey!’ you know that Disneyland really has done it’s job. It’s taken you to dreamland. Mickey and Minnie were in the middle of a circle of people, in an alley, greeting everyone and happily taking photos. We waited patiently and it happened, selfies with both of these iconic characters. The parade was excellent, with representatives from almost any Disney movie you can think of. Dancers and performers were top notch and never missed a smile or a beat.
We’d booked an express pass for Beauty and the Beast and also a stage show, in an attempt to fit everything we could in. The stage show was not only absolutely magic, but it gave an excellent chance to sit down in the air-con for a while, and just be entertained. The whole day is about being entertained but it’s a big park, there is a long way to walk and it was hot, sunny and sticky.
Cinderella’s castle was not a ride but is a must see for any Disney nerd. This famous castle held memories and props and made you feel like she might just be walking the halls, talking with her mousy friends. You could sit in her throne and next to her shoe and you bet… I did both.
My most anticipated ride was next up and it did not disappoint! When you walk into the Beast’s castle, every detail sparks a memory of a scene. Around every corner there is something new to look at. When the ride starts… well, that’s it, you can look at nothing else. Robotic characters are so ‘movie like’ it makes you suck in a breath and hold it. They re-tell the story in Japanese, but it doesn’t matter, you know it so well that you know exactly what they are saying and singing. When you join Belle in the dining room, you are entertained by dinnerware, as she was. You enter the ballroom and dance alongside Beauty and her Beast. I don’t want to give away too much because I hope some of you are going to want to do this for yourself, but I have to say, that I have no idea how they achieved the theatrics. It is an absolutely amazing ride, living up to the expectations Disney has set for us over the years.
With the day coming to a close, we squeezed in Monster’s Inc, which was awesome and then stayed for the light show on the castle. If you are going to Disneyland, do yourself a favour and stay all day. No matter how exhausted you are, the light show in the evening is just amazing and is the perfect end to your day. It brings all of the famous characters back and let’s you say goodbye in the most wonderful way.
To come: the most famous crossing in Tokyo, a Sumo Show and the fish markets. See PART FOUR.
TOP TIP No. 3:
The Tokyo Disneyland app only works properly when you are inside the park, so you can have a plan, but unlike Universal, you can not book express passes before you arrive. There is free Wi-Fi at the park entrance, so if you do a little research and find out which rides are your ‘must do’s’, you can book your express passes at the start of the day and then plan the rest of your day around the wait times on the app.
Food & Fiction 