Tokyo Disneyland Winter Trip Report – Part 6

After that, it was Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall (which we previously reviewed) time. The restaurant still didn’t open for 5 minutes at this point, so we queued up. This is one of the few restaurants at Tokyo Disneyland that develops a line later in the day (so don’t fret if you’re thinking you’ll have to wait in line even for lunch). At this point, we were the only guests in line, which really says something about everyone else’s priorities…

In my (anecdotal) experience, Queen of Hearts is one of the places Disney fans know about even if they haven’t visited Japan. Of those places, I’d say it and Mermaid Lagoon are probably the most overrated. This isn’t to say either or both are not good, just that they perhaps receive a bit too much hype as compared to other, superior elements of the parks.

We end up eating at Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall every trip; the food is good and the ambiance is fun. Having a quasi-buffeteria style setup, I do think the food is overpriced here as compared to other options in Tokyo Disneyland. If it were my choice, we’d just go here for dessert, but Sarah, Guy, and Jennifer all disagree.

We especially like the huge cake. Even though it’s ~$10, it’s enough to feed 3-4 normal people…which means it’s almost enough to feed Sarah and me. Here’s what we ordered this time:

After first-lunch, it was time to head back to Tomorrowland for our Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek FastPasses. On our way there, we saw this…

As mentioned in a prior installment of the report, we had seen a lot of streetmosphere performers this trip. This band takes the cake. They looked and sounded like they were straight out of 1994, with their outfits carefully preserved in a time capsule only to reappear on this day for the first time in 23 years.

I feel bad for the performers because they were all energetic and seemed talented, but the music was…something else. We stood around and watched for a few minutes, perhaps in disbelief? Tokyo Disneyland isn’t doing its already dated and disjointed Tomorrowland any favors with this act.

We probably could have watched this for hours, but we had a FastPass window to make for Ride & Go Seek. Fan response to this attraction is really mixed, but even after many, many ride-throughs, I still consider it one of the best Disney attractions in the world.

If I were to update my Top 10 Disney Attractions in the World, it would probably fall off the list due to Shanghai Disneyland’s opening, but it’s still really good. Sure, it could be better, but that could be said for just about anything.

Mike’s dilated pupil effect when the lights go out is one of my favorites on any attraction, anywhere (see before and after above). They nailed that detail.

After that, we swung by the lottery station in Tomorrowland and, against all odds, we won! Two lottery wins in one trip is unheard of for us.

In this case, it was more like, “WE WON!!! Wait…we won?” as everyone else realized that “winning” meant having to watch Frozen Forever again, but I was quite pleased with the result.

Our next stop was in World Bazaar, where we stopped for some photos. At this point you’re probably noticing my dope Figment hat, imported from Epcot. Between that and my Olaf sweater, I’m betting you’re pretty jealous at this point.

I wore this hat for a few reasons: 1) spread Figment awareness to Japan; 2) it’s the epitome of stylishness; and, 3) I’m not sure where else I could wear it without getting a bunch of odd looks.

This last note is yet another thing I love about the Tokyo parks: people wear whatever the heck they want. People from all walks of life–from older men in suits to young girls dressed in ‘kawaii’ clothing from head to toe–wear novelty hats. Men wear Minnie Mouse headbands if they prefer them, and no one bats an eye.

There isn’t a misguided notion of masculinity that dictates what sort of whimsical touches are added to an outfit. People seem to generally accept that, at least in the setting of the parks, anything goes. As a huge novelty hat enthusiast, this is a mentality I can get behind.

We also spent some time going in the shops on World Bazaar. I took a few dozen merchandise photos, but I’m thinking of saving most of them for a separate post about Tokyo Disneyland merch.

There is a new Tokyo DisneySea Blu-ray set I really wanted to go with my Tokyo Disney Resort 30th Anniversary “The Best” set, but at ~$200, I couldn’t justify it. I’ll have to watch Amazon.jp to see if it comes down in price.

The Magic Shop in World Bazaar is one of my favorites. Inside, there was an enthusiastic Cast Member doing demonstrations that were pretty impressive. He was like a Jungle Cruise skipper with exaggerated mannerisms and dialogue, which was fun.

Outside the shop, is the above display–one of my favorite window displays anywhere. I’m pretty confident I know how Mickey makes Minnie float, but no matter what angle I look, I can’t ruin the illusion for myself (which is a good thing).

After spending some time enjoying the atmosphere and shops of World Bazaar, we headed to the Central Plaza to grab spots for Happiness is Here.

We wanted prime, front-row spots, so we ended up camping out about 45 minutes in advance. The Tokyo Disneyland parade route is really long, but parades are so popular here that you still need to show up early for a good spot.

While everyone else secured our spots for Happiness is Here, I ran back (more like meandered, stopping for photos along the way) to Fantasyland for Tipo Torta.

I’m not sure if I’ve written about Tipo Torta on the blog before. If not, that is an absolute crime for which I apologize profusely.

Basically, Tipo Torta is like a churro for guests with sophisticated tastes–those who appreciate the finer things. 😉

The Tipo Torta is a flaky, semi-soft pastry on the exterior, filled with warm cream inside. Flavors change seasonally, and the Tipo Torta cart across from ‘it’s a small world’ (the only place in Tokyo Disneyland to get them) consistently has a line that’s longer than ‘it’s a small world.’

Because of this, we routinely pass on the Tipo Torta (probably why we haven’t covered it on the blog). The 20+ minute wait is a bit difficult to justify for a snack, even one this delicious.

With that said, I think this is consistently the best snack at Tokyo Disneyland. It seems like every English blog that covers Tokyo Disney Resort makes a big fuss over the popcorn flavors (and the lines those carts can get). The Tipo Torta is infinitely better, and doesn’t get nearly as much attention.

Our strategy of me running to get this while everyone else waited for the parade spots worked well and something I’d recommend doing if your entire party doesn’t want to wait for a Tipo Torta.

Now, as promised, Happiness is Here parade photos and commentary. (Note: these photos are in the reverse order. Sorry.)

Happiness is Here parade was designed by Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily. They also were the primary designers for Mickey’s Soundsational Parade at Disneyland, and some of Disney’s all-time best merchandise.

Oddly, I haven’t really heard of them doing any projects for Disney since this parade–hopefully they are brought back for Tokyo Disneyland’s 35th Anniversary parade.

Not only are Kevin and Jody tremendous talents, but they are Disney fans themselves, which is always a good recipe for a quality product that meshes with Disney legacy.

In my opinion, Disney would be well-served to hire more Imagineers who are actually fans of the theme parks–but that’s another topic for another day…

Happiness is Here is the first daytime parade I saw as an adult that really wowed me. From the catchy soundtrack to the costume design to the sheer scale and scope of everything, it was just a non-stop barrage of fun and beauty.

I also really appreciate the parade’s cohesiveness nature. Many other daytime parades that I’d also consider to be good (Festival of Fantasy being a prime example) have disparate, disjointed styles. The look and feel of one float is totally different from the next, without any transition.

There’s not necessarily anything wrong with that–a cool parade float is a cool parade float–but seeing Happiness is Here gives me a greater appreciation for a parade with a singular aesthetic and art direction.

Although no announcement of a new parade for Tokyo Disneyland’s 35th Anniversary (2018) has been made, it’s widely assumed that a new daytime parade will debut.

After a 5-year run without any updates, Happiness is Here is ancient by Tokyo Disneyland parade standards. High quality, big budget parades have long been a staple at Tokyo Disneyland, which generally swaps out (or at least refreshes) its parades with a far greater frequency than any other Disney park in the world.

(Quick aside: these ‘Scat Cat’ performers are my favorite in the entire parade. I think the costumes could be fairly called “silly” and these performers have a ton of fun with their roles.)

Part of me is sad to see Happiness is Here go. Its successor has tremendously large shoes to fill, and I worry that its replacement might lean more on crowd-pleasing characters than brilliant artistic design. (Especially if Kevin and Jody are not involved.)

On the other hand, this is the only daytime parade I’ve ever known at Tokyo Disneyland, and I’m ready for something new.

OLC no doubt realizes that its fans have incredibly high expectations for daytime parades, and whatever replaces Happiness is Here will need to live up to its legacy.

Whatever occurs, Happiness is Here has enjoyed a good run, and hearing its soundtrack (which is a mainstay of my Disney playlist) will always take me back to the first time we saw it during Tokyo Disneyland’s 30th Anniversary.

After the parade, it was time to continue on to Adventureland for second lunch. Much like Taco Bell’s marketing team, we’ve found ways to inject meals at various times throughout the day and, also like Taco Bell’s marketing team, they have fairly uninspired names like “second lunch.” For this meal, we were heading to China Voyager, which is another of the park’s more popular restaurants. We were hoping to beat the post parade rush, as the line can get long there by mid-afternoon. And that’s where we will pick up in the final installment of our trip report…