A Cape Cod Christmas
Cape Cod is one of my favorite places in Tokyo DisneySea, my favorite Disney park in the world. Technically part of American Waterfront and popularized as the home to Duffy, I love this area not because of any attractions or substantive offerings, but because of its pitch perfect atmosphere.
On our recent Christmas visits to Tokyo Disney Resort, we spent more time in Cape Cod than anywhere else in either park. In this post, I wanted to share a bit of why, and try to convey what makes this area so special (it has nothing to do with Duffy!) for me. That’s not exactly easy to accomplish via text, photos, and video, but to the extent that theme park atmosphere be conveyed via a blog post, I’ll try.
For those who haven’t experienced Cape Cod at Christmas, I think it’s best described via analogy to Wilderness Lodge. Like Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World, Cape Cod strikes the perfect note at Christmas. It has beautiful decorations, giant strands of bulb lights, and a nice background music loop. Both are places that ooze a sense of Christmas relaxation; places you could sit with a cup of hot chocolate and people watch for hours, being totally content doing absolutely nothing…
Also like Wilderness Lodge, Cape Cod is one of those places in the parks that evokes feeling of a “real” Christmas for me. Although I’ve never been to Massachusetts in December, the vibe of Cape Cod transports me from Japan to America’s Northeast for a traditional Christmas.
This area has a homey feeling; a certain charm and intimacy that evokes a sense of the holidays. For me, at least. It’s totally subjective; others might not get this vibe from Cape Cod, or might have this kind of response to other lands around the Disney universe. It’s a close call, but for me, Cape Cod edges out Wilderness Lodge as the ultimate in Christmas ambiance of any Disney location in the world.
Words only convey this so much, so here some photos I’ve taken in Cape Cod at Christmas:
All of the above photos were shot with a Nikon D850 DSLR and various lenses. The ones with the exaggerated starbursts utilized a cheap-o star filter I bought before the trip.
The look is totally cheesy and perhaps overdone, but I love the vintage look and warmth that I think it gives to the photos–it’s good in small doses.
As mentioned above, one of my favorite things to do during the Christmas season at Tokyo DisneySea is just be there. That might seem like a dull way to spend time in a theme park, but this is the ultimate atmospheric park, and just absorbing that ambiance is a big part of the experience. (So, if you’ve ever how we manage to spend multiple days in DisneySea each trip, spending a lot of time sitting or wandering around doing nothing is a big part of why!)
My favorite place to sit in Cape Cod is normally up by the lighthouse, which is one of the few spots in the park offering views outside the park (arguably ruining the illusion–although I’m not sure seeing the Tokyo skyline or Mount Fuji on a clear day can be said to “ruin” anything). During Christmas, I prefer the outdoor seating areas adjacent to Cape Cod Confections, which is a great place to grab a delicious hot drink.
Sitting here is also great for people watching. Christmas is largely a date holiday, and you’ll spot couples posing in front of the Christmas tree in their holiday finery. Others have brought their Duffy, ShellieMay, Gelatoni, and StellaLou plushes–all also dressed in their holiday finery–to pose them for photos throughout the land. Others still return with popcorn buckets from past seasons to line up for the land’s popular milk tea popcorn.
If sitting in one spot for too long isn’t your cup of tea, you can always board the DisneySea Transit Steamer Line, which departs from near the Duffy meet & greet for Lost River Delta, passing through the heart of Cape Cod along the way (and arriving in a perfect location to visit the excellent Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage in nearby Arabian Coast).
Following our last visit to Tokyo DisneySea at Christmas several years ago, one of the things I yearned for revisiting was the atmosphere of Cape Cod. I also happen to love ‘yule log’ videos, having a rotation that I play in the background while working (if you’ve ever wanted a window into just how boring I am, there it is). I searched YouTube high and low for such a video of Cape Cod at Christmas, fumbling around via Google Translate to see what might be listed in Japanese. All to no avail.
So, I decided to spend a chunk of my time while soaking up the ambiance recording my own so I’d have something to watch. Originally, my plan was to record for about an hour from sunset through dusk to evening, but my attempts to do that were ruined. Instead, I had to settle for this video late on a very cold evening when few other guests were around.
This might appeal to exactly no one else, but I thought I’d share it with you, anyway…just in case:
I’m almost positive this background music is used in full at Walt Disney World somewhere (I swear I actually have this loop somewhere, but I cannot locate it). If anyone can identify the background music, please let me know in the comments. I’ll try to swap out my audio for source audio of the actual loop. In the meantime, you might want to mute the video and put on your own Christmas music.
Your mileage may vary as to whether Cape Cod is the ultimate place to enjoy Christmas ambiance in a Disney park. Just as plenty of people prefer the Grand Floridian to Wilderness Lodge during the holidays, you may find other lands more festive. Also up there on our list would be Main Street anywhere (but particularly at Disneyland Paris), Germany and France in World Showcase, Grizzly Peak in Disney California Adventure, and New Orleans Square in both Anaheim and Tokyo.
Anyway…that’s a lot of rambling about Cape Cod at Christmas. Hopefully you enjoyed this look at one of my favorite places to spend time during the holidays at Tokyo DisneySea. Thank you for reading our blog and putting up with our nonsense this year; it means a lot to us, and we hope we’ve helped improve your trips a little bit, or at least provided you some (mild) entertainment over the course of the past year.
From our family to yours: Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays.
~Sarah & Tom Bricker
If you’re thinking of visiting Japan for the first time and are overwhelmed with planning, definitely check out our Tokyo Disney Resort Planning Guide. It covers much more than the parks, from getting there to WiFi to currency and much, much more. For more photos and an idea of what we did day-by-day during our first visit, read our Tokyo Disney Resort Trip Report.
Your Thoughts
Do you have a favorite land in the Disney Parks to spend time during the holiday season? Have you spent time in Cape Cod at Christmas? If so, do you agree or disagree with my assessment of its ambiance? Any questions? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I visit the real Cape Cod frequently and although I like it there for the most part, I would rather see the romanticized version of Cape Cod in TDS especially with your description of the ambiance. I love the Disney’s romanticized versions of area such as countries in Epcot World Showcase, New Orleans Square, and various California destinations at DCA.
Happy Holidays and thank you so much for your (more than mildly) entertaining blog.
It’s probably helped save my sanity a few times in the last year or so. When news gets too intense and depressing, it’s good for me to know that a trip report or a new review along with your amazing photography is just a few clicks away.
All the best to you and Sarah and here’s hoping I can finally make a trip to the parks this year!
So come to the real Cape sometime!
I love your blog and look forward to your posts. Enjoyed the video! Have a Merry Christmas!
To bad that era of the real cape cod was about 60 years ago nothing like it is now last time cape cod resembled that in your blog was around 1960 I grew up there
Just wanted to say thanks for your fantastic blog. Your efforts inspired our family to realize we COULD visit the international parks (something we always dreamed of, but for whatever reason seemed slightly beyond reach). We’ve now been to all Disney resorts except Paris and Shanghai, both of which are on our radar to visit sometime in the next 24 months. Thanks again, and Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you and Sarah and welcome home!
Thanks so much for the great post, especially your stunning photos- it certainly looks magical :- ). As a Cape Codder myself, I’m dying to see this area in person (along with all of DisneySea). I have to say, while beautiful, overall the theming seems slightly off to me. E.g. that fisherman statue is in Gloucester, which is definitely not on the Cape, but rather a completely different part of the MA coast about 100 miles north of Cape Cod. Also, none of the buildings appear to have the weathered cedar shingle look- nothing says Cape Cod architecture more than that. Of course, I’m nitpicking, and there is certainly something about the wonderful holiday scene, with the colored lights twinkling off the water, that says Christmas in maritime New England.
Thanks again for all your fantastic Disney content and photos, and Happy Holidays!
I’m guessing the helmsman Mickey statue was installed without a ton of regard for authenticity; Tokyo Disney Resort has a number of statues that were “gifted” to it by the Walt Disney Company, and that statue was originally from the Disney Magic that debuted a few years before DisneySea opened. The Storytellers statue (DCA) is also at the front of DisneySea, and feels a bit odd there.
The buildings are weathered, particularly those facing American Waterfront and visible from the Electric Railway. The ones in most of these photos aren’t quite as weathered, but have a nice texture to them–the photos don’t do that justice.
Otherwise, it’s definitely an idealized and romanticized version of Cape Cod. Much like New Orleans Square is not strictly authentic (thankfully!), this area is not, either.
You are better off keeping this dream of a Cape Cod Christmas rather than seeing the real thing. I love Cape Cod, I grew up nearby and visited every other weekend for years, and my family still has the house there. While the Cape has some beautiful spots the see during the holidays, most of it is fairly bare. Also, much of the “island” is empty as it is the off season. Still, I can’t wait to see a romanticized version!
Happy Holidays and a Joyous New Year to you and Sarah!
Keep up the good work – it is MUCH appreciated!
Thanks! Your thoughtful comments are also much appreciated! 🙂
Lovely Tom, just my sort of relaxing, the music reminded me of Epcot by the Living sea’s, many years ago. I don’t suppose it could be from there ?
Wishing both you and Sarah a lovely Christmas and New Year, from the United Kingdom, best wishes, Mike xx
I don’t recall the BGM used by The Living Seas of yore, but it’s definitely has the same soothing quality found in the BGMs used in that area over the years (and by The Land, for that matter), so perhaps? I’ve never had a copy of that BGM–and I’m almost positive I’ve had this one–so I think it also would’ve been used elsewhere at Walt Disney World.
It really bugs me. I know it’s used somewhere, I just can’t put my finger on where…