January 29, 2004 - Sea by the Bay

January 29, 2004

The Other Side of Disney

Because we were never that impressed with a California themed park in the middle of California, we'd never been to a Disney theme park other than Disneyland, until now. We had heard that Tokyo Disneyland was just like the one in Anaheim (except smaller and in Japanese), so we decided to check out the other Disney theme park in Tokyo, Disney Sea. It was a truly amazing place! Partly because of the way they use the bay to extend the illusions of their water themed park, and partly because of the detail put into representing various seaside communities around the world (and also from fiction).

Like Disneyland, the park is divided into several areas which include a Mediteranean waterfront that's a cross between Florence and Venice (there are even canals with gondolas), New York harbor (c. 1900), futuristic Discovery Bay, Lost River Delta, Arabian Waterfront, Mermaid Lagoon (from "The Little Mermaid") and Mysterious Island (modeled after Disney's interpretation of Jules Verne). The place is big on shops and shows, but there aren't many rides or attractions. One of the most interesting facets of the park that distinguishes it from its sister is that guests can purchase and consume alcohol.

We Came, We Froze, We Ate Mexican?

There was a cold breeze blowing off the bay, and we were totally unprepared. Not to mention it even snowed a little while we were there. We spent most of the time walking around and checking out the different areas. We read that there was a Mexican restaurant in Lost River Delta, so we stopped in to check it out. We ordered chimichangas, and they were chock full of peas and raisins. Oh well, Taco Bell's not that authentic either.

The coolest ride there was "Journey to the Center of the Earth". It's kinda like the rollercoaster version of Splash Mountain where 80% of the ride involves slowly moving through animitronic infested subterranean jungles, and the last 20% is a gut wrenching acceleration out of the top of the mountain. We rode it twice, and there was hardly a line the second time (the first time there was a huge hold up due to someone puking in line).

The shows were alright. Probably the strangest and most unique one is "Mystic Rhythms" which is a costumed dance number with an all-electronic live music accompaniment. The special effects included pyrotechnics and water, which kept the characters pretty well doused.

We finished up the evening watching Mickey conduct water fountains and fireworks in the Mediterranean Harbr (kind of like Fantasmic minus the characters, water floats, and water screens). The show was nearly cancelled because of the strong wind that was coming off of Tokyo Bay.