Tokyo DisneySea

Urayasu, Chiba, Japan

“Disney’s absolute masterpiece of theme park engineering”

Tokyo Disney Resort is one of the most legendary theme park destinations on the planet. This is mostly due to Tokyo DisneySea, the absolute crown jewel of theme park engineering. DisneySea is the resort’s second gate and it was inaugurated in 2001. As the name suggests, the park is dedicated to the Seven Seas. DisneySea is divided into seven ports of call and these are all linked by water. Originally, the park was aimed at a more mature audience than the neighbouring Tokyo Disneyland. Although Disney characters appear in the park’s shows and attractions, their presence is rather subtle. DisneySea is home to some of the most immersive rides Disney has ever designed and they’re all integrated in a dazzling scenery. Welcome to Tokyo DisneySea, a.k.a. the most stunning theme park on Earth.

ROLLER COASTERS

In my opinion, Tokyo DisneySea is the world’s best theme park. But perfection doesn’t exist, so even DisneySea has a weakness: roller coasters. The park currently offers two coasters and they’re both surprisingly ordinary. Mermaid Lagoon is home to a kiddie coaster and you’ll find Raging Spirits at Lost River Delta. Raging Spirits is set within an ancient temple site and the decoration is brilliant. However, the coaster is just way too simple for a Disney theme park. You might recognise the ride’s layout if you’re familiar with Disneyland Paris. It’s nearly identical to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril. Luckily for Japanese Disney fans, the trains run considerably smoother and the seats are more comfortable. Overall, I wouldn’t describe Raging Spirits as a horrible coaster, but it’s not that special either. DisneySea obviously deserves a better thrill coaster. Maybe a Japanese version of Expedition Everest or Big Grizzly Mountain?

DARK RIDES

DisneySea’s roller coaster department may be weak, but the dark rides make up for that. By a large margin. The park offers three dark rides which appear in my personal top 10. The first one is Journey to the Center of the Earth, an expedition which is located in the park’s iconic Mount Prometheus. The ride experience is characterised by mysterious inner-Earth scenes, sudden accelerations and a fantastic soundtrack. Expect to be amazed by one of the world’s best dark rides. The exterior, the entrance, the queue, the station, the ride, the story line and the incredible finale… every element is nearly perfect. So please don’t complain about the relatively short ride duration, as Disney filled every second with pure awesomeness. By the way: another dark ride called 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea can be found right next door. This is an unusual experience with a unique transportation system, but it’s not nearly as good as its neighbour.

Let’s continue at Lost River Delta, an area dedicated to the jungles of South America. When visiting this themed land, a ride on Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Crystal Skull should be your top priority. Some people might recognise Indiana Jones Adventure from Anaheim, but Disney made some adjustments. The building’s facade is more impressive, the queue is different and the Japanese got a mind-blowing extra scene with a fireball. Add some skeletons, swarming insects, a tornado, a scary snake and a rolling boulder. And there you go: dark ride perfection… again.

Last but not least, I’d like to pay tribute to Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage, the largest ride in the Arabian Coast area. Some people describe this as some kind of Arabian version of It’s a Small World. I don’t agree. In fact, Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage is much better than that famous Disney classic. Agreed… the slow boat tour and the cheerful soundtrack are notable similarities, but don’t underestimate Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage. This dark ride is surprisingly long and it consists of 160 audio-animatronics that move with an impressive smoothness. I could literally admire this ride’s splendour for many hours and I’m sure I’d find new details every single time. It’s a little sad that crowds just don’t seem to notice how good this attraction really is.

These are the best dark rides at DisneySea. However, according to the wait times, the Japanese like Toy Story Mania even more. This ride is located at American Waterfront and its exterior looks fantastic. However, the interior and the ride are identical to the other versions. So if you’ve ever ridden Toy Story Mania at one of the American resorts, it would’t hurt to skip the Japanese version.

OTHER EXPERIENCES

Tokyo DisneySea is like candy for the eyes. No rock or tile is here without a reason; Imagineers have thought about every element at least a hundred times. As a result, the scenery should also be considered as a top attraction. My tip while visiting Tokyo DisneySea: take a moment to admire the views, enjoy the atmosphere and listen to the music. The park is full of fantastic details, unparalleled beauty and subtle Disney references. Indulge yourself in the magic.

Of course, I understand that rides form the backbone of a theme park. So how about a visit to Tower of Terror? In Europe, this attraction automatically reminds us of Hollywood and The Twilight Zone. DisneySea, however, got a completely different story line about Harrison Hightower II (an arrogant hotel owner) and Shiriki Utundu (a cursed idol). Their story is told in the ride’s pre-show, which is one of the most convincing I’ve ever seen. Even without understanding the Japanese narration, it’s a true visual masterpiece. The best thing about the pre-show is an almost inexplicable special effect concerning the Shiriki Utundu statue. It all contributes to an amazing atmosphere (the very best of all Tower of Terror rides, in my opinion) but the actual elevator ride turns out to be quite tame, compared to the other versions. The free fall part is relatively short and it doesn’t feel intense at all.

Tokyo DisneySea takes its visitors on a trip around the world. The list of destinations includes New York, Venice, the Middle East and the jungles of Mexico. Globetrotters should also visit the Museum of Fantastic Flight in the Mediterranean Harbor section of the park. This museum is actually the queue for Soaring – Fantastic Flight, which is DisneySea’s take on Soarin’. The actual ride experience and the scenes don’t differ from the versions in Anaheim, Orlando or Shanghai. The queue and preshow, however, have a unique backstory and incredible theming. I’ve always found the theming of Soarin’ at Disney California Adventure and Epcot underhelming, but the Japanese version doesn’t have this problem. In fact, Fantastic Flight’s exquisite integration makes it feel as if the ride has always been a part of DisneySea.

As you might expect at DisneySea, water is never too far away. There are quite a few ships docked at New York Harbor and the most iconic of them is the S.S. Columbia. This is probably one of the craziest ideas Disney Imagineers ever developed: building a Titanic-like ship and integrating an upscale restaurant and a cocktail lounge in it. S.S. Columbia is pure decadence, but exactly these kinds of splurges transform DisneySea into a world of superlatives. Be sure to pop in for a lunch at the S.S. Columbia Dining Room or a cocktail at the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge. Theme parks with a cocktail bar always steal my heart.

ENTERTAINMENT

The Japanese love entertainment. Tokyo Disney Resort is well aware of that, so they filled both parks with great shows. Big Band Beat is the largest stage show at DisneySea and it’s well worth a visit. However, the most memorable shows take place on Mediterranean Lagoon near the park entrance. During our last trip, we were able to attend Believe! Sea of Dreams and this turned out to be a breathtaking performance. Thanks to its abundance of characters, recognisable Disney songs and great pyrotechnics, it actually felt like modern-day version of Fantasmic. Most of the dialogue and songs are in Japanese, but this didn’t bother me at all.

BEAT THE CROWDS

Tokyo Disney Resort is notorious for its huge crowds. The resort attracts more than 20 million visitors annually, so the parks are almost never quiet. If you’re planning a trip, common sense dictates that you avoid the parks during weekends and Japanese school holidays. Use those Saturdays and Sundays to head to the city centre of Tokyo and visit some shrines, but please stay away from the Disney parks. Queues of up to 120 minutes even occur on weekdays, so I wouldn’t want to imagine the madness during weekends. Also, I strongly recommend arriving at the park gates at least an hour prior to the scheduled opening time. Unlike the American Disney parks, Tokyo DisneySea gets crowded very early. If the park opens at 9 AM, most of the big attractions will have long queues around 9.30 AM. By the way: we noticed that the gates often open a little earlier than planned, but this is obviously not guaranteed.

Attention to everyone who visits Tokyo Disney Resort before April 2024: this is currently the only Disney resort on the planet that offers a free skip-the-line option. The so-called 40th Anniversary Priority Pass is an app-based version of the old FastPass. It works in a similar way, as it allows you to bypass the regular queues at some of the rides at Tokyo DisneySea. Supply is limited, so be sure to get your first Priority Pass right after entering the park. The pass is available for rides like Indiana Jones Adventure, Raging Spirits and Nemo & Friends SeaRider. It’s currently unclear if the Priority Pass will stay after the 40th anniversary celebrations.

Unfortunately, many of DisneySea’s most popular rides are not included in the 40th Anniversary Priority Pass. Journey to the Center of the Earth, Soaring, Tower of Terror and Toy Story Mania are all part of Disney Premier Access, which is an upcharge skip-the-line system. Prices vary between 1.500 and 2.000 yen for one ride, so it’s rather pricy to use Premier Access for all four rides. That’s why I’d recommend starting and ending your day with one of the Premier Access attractions. Queues for Tower of Terror and Journey to the Center of the Earth tend to be manageable during the morning and evening hours.

Use the busiest times of the day to ride less popular attractions (e.g. Sindbad, Aquatopia, DisneySea Electric Railway and 20,000 Leagues) or make use of the single rider lines (available at Indiana Jones Adventure and Raging Spirits). By the way: DisneySea gets considerably quieter in the evening, as many locals leave the park after the nighttime entertainment. This is ideal for some late night rides on the E-ticket attractions. Beware, though! Unlike the other Disney resorts, Tokyo Disney Resort often closes ride queues ahead of park closing time. This is actually one of the few things that I don’t like at these Japanese Disney parks.

WORTH A VISIT?

At the top of this page, I gave Tokyo DisneySea a 5 star rating. But honestly… I should give the park an even higher score. I’m not the person who usually describes his theme park visits with words like ‘magical’ or ‘phenomenal’, but I’m making an exception here. Words and superlatives cannot describe what DisneySea means to me. Entering this park literally feels like stepping into a different world and that feeling is repeated with (almost) every attraction you ride. Besides, F&B offerings and Cast Members are brilliant. Things are about to get even better, by the way. Tokyo DisneySea will soon be expanded with an area called Fantasy Springs. This new port will be DisneySea’s alternative to Fantasyland and it will include three brand-new attractions. Very exciting addition to the park’s already qualitative lineup, if you ask me.

Have you ever visited Tokyo DisneySea? What’s your favourite dark ride at DisneySea? Is this really the world’s best theme park? Share your opinion in the comments section at the bottom of this page.