Tokyo Disneyland Winter Trip Report – Part 5
Part 5 of our Tokyo Disney Resort Winter Trip Report covers our second day at Tokyo DisneySea. Right out of the gate–or rather, at the gate–we could tell this day was going to be significantly busier. We arrived just as early as the first day, yet the line to get in was 3-4 times as long.
Nevertheless, we decided to start the day by racing to the Duffy meet & greet in Cape Cod. Laugh if you must, but we’ve done Journey to the Center of the Earth and Tower of Terror dozens of times, yet have never done an organized character meet & greet at Tokyo DisneySea. Our hesitation has always been due to wait times, which rarely get below an hour for Duffy.
So, we walked briskly to Cape Cod, only to find a wait time of 80 minutes. Hard pass on that one. What does it say about you when you not only try to rope drop a Duffy meet & greet, but fail at your objective? 😉
We would later learn that the guests who arrive at the turnstiles earliest at the Tokyo parks are doing so for meet & greets. That, coupled with low capacity of such experiences, means you can expect some of the longest waits of the day(!!!) for popular meet & greets in early morning, unless you arrive to the turnstiles an hour or more before park opening.
We had no idea this was the case before trying (why would we?), so I guess it was a good learning experience.
Instead of waiting an hour-plus for a single photo, Sarah and Jennifer headed to collect FastPasses for Journey to the Center of the Earth while Guy and I embraced the sweet, sweet ambiance of Sweet Duffy.
In all of our visits to Tokyo DisneySea, I’ve never seen the Cape Cod Big City Vehicles running. Has anyone seen them in the last few years? I’d love to take a ride from American Waterfront to Cape Cod…
After meeting back up, we headed before headed to Mediterranean Harbor to do the Big Band Beat lotto and Venetian Gondolas.
We are like 0 for our last 439 on the Big Band Beat lottery, so we figured we’re either cursed by Mara or were way overdue for a win…and we did win! (Although I still wouldn’t rule out any curses, independent of this.)
The Venetian Gondolas were up next. One of our favorite attractions at Tokyo DisneySea, we would do these again and again, but we only seem to ever do them once per trip. This is due to a mix of their wait getting long around sunset, the attraction closing during harbor shows, closing due to wind or other weather, and us just forgetting.
Not only is it a pleasant cruise around Mediterranean Harbor, but the gondoliers are entertaining. Their music is enjoyable, and I’m guessing they’re also funny. I mean, their voices have a humorous cadence while they’re talking, and guests invariably laugh, so…?
We weren’t really sure what to do after the gondolas, so we started wandering. This installment of the trip report is not going to be very exciting.
Tokyo DisneySea is our favorite “atmosphere park,” and we love to spend inordinate amounts of time just wandering around, not really doing anything (besides snacking). After knocking out most of our must-dos on the first day at Tokyo DisneySea, we were able to enjoy a much more leisurely pace on day 2.
You could say our motto for Tokyo DisneySea touring is “all wanders lead to food.” This time, that meant Casbah Food Court. This is another curry restaurant, but unlike Hungry Bear (which serves Japanese curry), this is Indian curry. As such, it’s a bit spicier, without that same buttery sweetness. It’s still pretty mild, just not quite as mild.
While everyone else ordered, I scouted the restaurant for the optimal place to sit. Casbah’s seating area is cool because it transitions from a rougher marketplace area meant for peasants into a well-appointed royal court. (Think Port Orleans Riverside’s buildings.) I found us a nice booth in the more royal area.
At night, we usually go for the peasant area, as the lights make for a beautiful and moody experience back there. No matter where you sit, the environment is immersive and stunning.
I had my go-to dish here, the Shrimp Curry with Rice and Naan. It was excellent as always, albeit a little small. The nice thing about Hungry Bear is the larger portions…
It was then time for our Journey to the Center of the Earth FastPasses. These turned out to be necessary on this day, as the wait time for the attraction was around or over 60 minutes most of the day.
Here are some photos from this ride on Journey…
I love this sign at the attraction entrance. Profoundly simple.
After this, it was more wandering. First passing through Fortress Explorations on our way to American Waterfront.
I love this fountain, which has become a regular photo subject for me.
I used the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art lens for these shots, putting my camera right in the fountain for the intimate perspective. This resulted in a ton of water droplets on the lens. At first, I wiped these off, hoping for a clean shot.
After seeing the bokeh results with a bit of water on the lens, I decided to get the lens really wet (on purpose) and shoot through the water droplets. I like the results–gives it sort of a dreamy feel.
More fun with the Sigma 20mm f/1.4…
Above: shot at f/1.4. Below: shot at f/16.
From there it was on to–guess what–more eating! This time, we went to Hudson River Harvest, a new-ish spot that serves baked potatoes. Except, they’re more like potato scrambles, with other stuff mixed in. (Regardless of name, they taste great and use fresh ingredients.)
There, we met up with Chris from TDRExplorer.com. Tokyo Disney Resort is my “happy place” and his is the site I use to visit the parks vicariously when I’m not there, and daydream about our next visit. It’s great for keeping up on all the latest news from the parks, from seasonal menus to special events to construction. If you’re planning a trip to the Disney parks in Asia, his site is the best way to keep apprised of current happenings.
Pretty much as soon as Chris showed up, I rudely bolted over to the Dockside Stage, where the USA portion of A Table is Waiting was starting. I only had a chance to watch a few minutes of the show, but I had to get my ‘fix’ of this segment. (More on A Table is Waiting on page 2.)
My time enjoying A Table is Waiting was cut short by our Tower of Terror FastPasses, the window for which was about to close. Even with FastPasses, Tower of Terror is a hassle that requires a lengthy wait at Tokyo DisneySea, but it was worth it for the special Shadow of Shiriki version.
After Tower of Terror, we met back up with Chris and headed to Cap Cod Cook-off. My review of Cape Cod Cook-off was…ahem…less than favorable, so you might wonder why we opted to allocate our limited meals at Tokyo DisneySea to a less-than-stella option.
The answer is this little gem.
This is a burger on a cocoa bun with a cranberry cream cheese spread, gravy, and ham. Sounds disgusting, right?
That was certainly my expectation, and why it was my #1 must-try food for the trip. No joke; I had this strange curiosity about this burger, and had to try it. (There’s something wrong with me.)
I was hopeful that the burger would either be predictably disgusting, or defy all expectations and somehow be amazing.
Instead, it was just mediocre. None of the flavors were as pronounced as I expected, and it was just sorta meh. It wasn’t even the worst burger I’ve had at Tokyo Disney Resort (a distinction owned by Tomorrowland Terrace). What a waste.
I got a high-res photo of this Cape Cod Fire Department banner to provide to my tattoo artist for my first face tattoo. (Sorry to those of you who follow me on Twitter for recycling ‘material.’)
Tippy Blue is the coolest of Duffy’s friends, yet he gets barely any love. Too bad.
At this point, we were about halfway through this day at Tokyo DisneySea, so it seems like a good breaking point before we return to A Table is Waiting. That, plus sunset and night photos, dinner at Crystal Palace, and more on page 2. Click here to continue reading…
I completely hear you about the green pod! Thanks to your wonderful suggestion we bought one for our recent trip to Tokyo Disney Resort and it was great, but we found ourselves needing to check the focus on every single picture, and having to wait several minutes after we’d positioned the bag allowing the beans to settle! Still, it was such a great way to still be able to take long exposures in the park so thanks for the tip 🙂
Anxiously awaiting Part 6. (Or maybe I should search it out, instead passively waiting for it to appear on my Pinterest feed.) So much for rationing my reading of these installments. Thanks for writing them!
Ok I relent, sort of. I suppose your (mid-western) modesty is part of your charm and I certainly have enough ego for both of us but still I spend a lot of money on things that give me a tenth of the pleasure your blog does on a daily basis and owning fun stuff that identifies me as a Brickertista would be a nice way to support the cause aside from my occasional clicking on adverts. Plus I have confidence you would come up with great ideas, given your artistic eye. I would also be amused if someone stopped me in a park and revealed themselves as a fellow reader. Perhaps you could run a quick poll as to the general interest and take it from there? Forgive me if I have pressed the matter too far. I tend to be like that,.. Rob
oh well, I guess ‘no soup for me!!!’
I do believe that if you designed some merchandise around this blog, there would be a tide of sales. After all, this is sort of a clubhouse. Like the zany Justin Scarred on Youtube with his hats, shirts etc, (know of him?) your ‘followers’ could proudly identify each other at the parks. Perhaps a secret handshake as well?
I am totally on board with this idea. Maybe one of the shirts could say, “Fax me some halibut”.
Side note: my husband is a graphic designer, so if you are looking for someone to mock up some shirts for you, I know a guy!!
Wow Jess, I just returned to this page to suggest the exact same idea. Fax me some halibut!!! I usually don’t like words on my shirt but I would proudly parade around the parks with that emblazoned across me!
That is too funny! I think what we are saying is, there is a market for a “Fax me some halibut” shirt.
Haha, if people saw you wearing that shirt, they’d probably just think you’re a Seinfeld fan!
well, we’re Bricker fans and serious about merchandise. Until you address the notion, i’m afraid we must persist in our campaign unified by our motto “Fax me some halibut”. Everybody, pelt Tom with your plea for merchandise. If we stand together as one consumer eager to declare our loyalty, perhaps he will meet our demands,…
Jess, after a search I have discovered to my surprise that ‘Fax me some halibut’ is an actual quote from Seinfeld, so now we know. Still, Tom seems unwilling to comment on the merchandise angle. It might seem too crass or commercial for his tastes even though his fans would dearly love a Tommy Bear or a Guide to the Best bathrooms in Disney World shirt.
I don’t know why you’re surprised by that, given I said people would just think you’re a Seinfeld fan. You might as well assume if there’s ever anything that makes you laugh on this blog, it’s just a Seinfeld reference. I’m not nearly clever-enough to be funny on my own.
As for the shirts, eh…I dunno. The super-obscure stuff I think would be cool probably wouldn’t appeal to anyone else. Plus, I wouldn’t want them to be commercialized or come across as a “fan club” that feeds into my ego. 🙂
I definitely didn’t get the Seinfeld reference. I’m usually good on pop culture, but that one got by me!
After eating four Chandu Tails in my 2.5 days at Tokyo DisneySea, I’m definitely a member of #TeamChandu. I should have bought a Chandu plush to go with my pre-Duffy “Disney Bear.” Maybe next time.
Did your group watch Fantasmic! at all on this trip? I grew up on Disneyland’s version (alas, I grew too tall to fulfill my childhood dreams of becoming “friends with” Sorcerer Mickey), but still found a lot to love about Tokyo’s.
My second day was also slower, filled mostly with leisurely strolls and picture-taking to soak it all in. So glad I took the time to wander Fortress Explorations–the Chamber of Planets was probably my favorite spot in the park.
So much food, so little time. I already have my meals planned for my next trip. Don’t know if that’s crazy in a good way or crazy in a bad way.
Also, Maple Cream Balls were so good without being overly sweet. I think I kept the little Mickey skewer stick that came with them. (See above questioning of my own sanity)
Hey Tom, would you say that the two Tokyo Disney crowd calanders you recommended could be used to generally gage Japanese tourist tends throughout the country? I am in the early stages of planning a trip to Japan for me and my family. Thank you.
If you’re looking at them from a high level, in terms of choosing a week to visit, yes. Day-to-day, no.
Tokyo Disneyland skews heavily towards locals–much more so than any other point of interest–meaning that it is really busy on the weekends, when people are off work. By contrast, other points of interest that appeal to tourists are going to have as pronounced of a difference between weekends and weekdays.
With other points of interest, you also need to account for seasonal variances. For example, certain spots are going to be busier for sakura and fall foliage seasons, but those don’t impact Tokyo Disney Resort at all.
Oh, that’s very interesting to me that the Sakura blossoms don’t affect the resort crowds. That makes going to Japan (And Tokyo Disneyland) during that time seem much more reasonable. Thanks very much for the response. Now I have some more options to look into. Thanks again.