PaintsWithAllTheColors
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2017
Hi! I’m a regular reader, occasional poster mainly in the News/Rumors Boards. I’m sitting in Haneda Airport after an 11 day trip in Japan, with the past 4 days being at the Tokyo’s Disney Resort. I’m considering doing a full trip report, as suggested by someone on the News/Rumors thread, but in the meantime thought I’d post some tips/thoughts.
Background - I went with my husband and we are DINK in our mid-twenties, living in Southern California. We spent the first week in Tokyo and Kyoto and had a really wonderful time. We’re “Disney-people” and made TDR our last stop before heading home. We based our Disney plans on advice from several sources (the DIS, DisneyTouristBlog, and the TDRexorer). Here are our thoughts/opinions:
Accommodations: We stayed at the Sheraton Grande Bay and wouldn’t stay anywhere else if we had to come back. We loved it. Our room was quite nice (I believe it was recently remodeled), we had a view of both parks, and we had club level which was heavenly. Even without club level, it was so nice to be so close to the parks and monorail. We figured you’re 10 minutes from either park, either by walking or an easy monorail ride, depending on which park you’re going to/from. I highly recommend it!
I walked through the MiraCosta and a bit in the Disneyland Hotel. They’re undoubtedly gorgeous and you can’t beat the location, but we would personally struggle to justify the cost - especially considering the club level amenities we received at the Sheraton.
Attractions: Yes, ride Pooh’s Hunny Hunt and Monster’s. But Journey to the Center of the Earth, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Sinbad’s stole our hearts. Nemo’s SeaRiders was a surprising delight, and I found their Jungle Cruise to be particularly beautiful.
Also, if you’re a fan of the S.E.A storyline, Leonardo’s Challenge is a MUST Do. I had barely read anything of it before arriving and it was seriously a highlight. It’s essentially a quest in which you explore the S.E.A headquarters and at the end become inducted as a member. Tower of Terror as a ride was less thrilling than either the Orlando version or GotG in Anaheim, but the queue and backstory make it absolutely worth it.
Miscellaneous:
- We had heard that several attractions had English-language “story cards” that explain the attractions and are also quite beautiful. We asked at several attractions and at Guest Relations but it appears they are no longer offered.
- Magellan’s has a “secret” dining room in a wine cellar that is super awesome. You get in by pushing a button on a bookcase wall. So cool!!
- If you’re going before the end of the 35th celebration, you *might* receive a “Happiest Surprise” from a cast member. On our first day we were stopped and each given a memory maker device and a multi-colored lanyard with a plastic medallion. We didn’t understand at the time but throughout the day we were repeatedly congratulated by cast members for our “surprise”. We finally found out from a CM who spoke a little English that it’s a special part of the 35th anniversary celebrations. Only 350,000 guests over the course of the year-long celebration will receive this surprise, chosen at random.
I have other thoughts/tips on food, and any other miscellaneous I can think of, but will be boarding soon so I’ll have to share them in a separate post!
Background - I went with my husband and we are DINK in our mid-twenties, living in Southern California. We spent the first week in Tokyo and Kyoto and had a really wonderful time. We’re “Disney-people” and made TDR our last stop before heading home. We based our Disney plans on advice from several sources (the DIS, DisneyTouristBlog, and the TDRexorer). Here are our thoughts/opinions:
Accommodations: We stayed at the Sheraton Grande Bay and wouldn’t stay anywhere else if we had to come back. We loved it. Our room was quite nice (I believe it was recently remodeled), we had a view of both parks, and we had club level which was heavenly. Even without club level, it was so nice to be so close to the parks and monorail. We figured you’re 10 minutes from either park, either by walking or an easy monorail ride, depending on which park you’re going to/from. I highly recommend it!
I walked through the MiraCosta and a bit in the Disneyland Hotel. They’re undoubtedly gorgeous and you can’t beat the location, but we would personally struggle to justify the cost - especially considering the club level amenities we received at the Sheraton.
Attractions: Yes, ride Pooh’s Hunny Hunt and Monster’s. But Journey to the Center of the Earth, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Sinbad’s stole our hearts. Nemo’s SeaRiders was a surprising delight, and I found their Jungle Cruise to be particularly beautiful.
Also, if you’re a fan of the S.E.A storyline, Leonardo’s Challenge is a MUST Do. I had barely read anything of it before arriving and it was seriously a highlight. It’s essentially a quest in which you explore the S.E.A headquarters and at the end become inducted as a member. Tower of Terror as a ride was less thrilling than either the Orlando version or GotG in Anaheim, but the queue and backstory make it absolutely worth it.
Miscellaneous:
- We had heard that several attractions had English-language “story cards” that explain the attractions and are also quite beautiful. We asked at several attractions and at Guest Relations but it appears they are no longer offered.
- Magellan’s has a “secret” dining room in a wine cellar that is super awesome. You get in by pushing a button on a bookcase wall. So cool!!
- If you’re going before the end of the 35th celebration, you *might* receive a “Happiest Surprise” from a cast member. On our first day we were stopped and each given a memory maker device and a multi-colored lanyard with a plastic medallion. We didn’t understand at the time but throughout the day we were repeatedly congratulated by cast members for our “surprise”. We finally found out from a CM who spoke a little English that it’s a special part of the 35th anniversary celebrations. Only 350,000 guests over the course of the year-long celebration will receive this surprise, chosen at random.
I have other thoughts/tips on food, and any other miscellaneous I can think of, but will be boarding soon so I’ll have to share them in a separate post!