Winter Break Part 5: Christmas Eve at Disney Sea
Saturday, January 3, 2015
On Christmas Eve Jonathan and I went to Disney Sea. I was excited to see it decorated for Christmas.
That morning I put on some Frozen nail stickers. Unfortunately the designs were a bit too long for my short nails so the pictures got a bit cut off on some, but they were still cool.
The train that goes between Disneyland and Disney Sea is so cute! Mickey windows and Mickey handles!
Unlike the last time I visited a Disney park in Japan, there wasn't a long wait to buy tickets. So we got into the park around 8:15, just a little bit after opening.
The first thing we did was get fast passes for Journey to the Center of the Earth. I wanted to ride that the most because I hadn't ridden it when I visited Disney Sea in 2010. The cave area was really cool. The whole park is very impressive. I can definitely see how it's the most expensive theme park ever built. Wikipedia says it's estimated that it cost over four billion dollars.
The first ride we rode was Jasmine's Flying Carpets. It's a kid's ride, but it's actually fun. You can control the carpet and make it go up and down.
We rode a lot of kid's rides that day and so did other adults. There weren't very many kids in the park that day. I think that's because many parents were working that day. It was a Wednesday and Christmas eve and Christmas day aren't work holidays in Japan. The park was filled with mostly couples. Soooooooo many couples. Christmas Eve is a big date holiday in Japan.
Next I wanted to go shopping for a Duffy teddy bear. Duffy is a very popular character at Disney Sea. Minnie made Duffy for Mickey. There's also Shellie May, which is the girl version. Sooooo many girls had little Duffy or Shellie May bears attached to their bags. Many girls even carry around bigger ones. I saw many couples where the girl was holding Shellie May and the guy was holding Duffy. I think it would be annoying to have to carry around a teddy bear all day. It's crazy.
Anyway... on our way to the front where the main stores are, Jonathan saw Aquatopia. I had ridden it before and it's not a very good ride. It's boring and pointless. But Jonathan wanted to ride it (partly because I said it was so horrible) and the line was short, so we did.
It was a little bit more fun than I remembered, but that may be because we didn't wait in much of a line. The boats go around and turn randomly and stuff, but it's not fast enough to be a lot of fun.
We went into McDuck's. I didn't even know it was just a Duffy store, but that's exactly what I was looking for.
Unfortunately, the little Christmas Shellie May I had been wanting was expensive. 1600 yen! For just a little bear keychain! It was the smallest one that they had.
They had some plain ones for 1300 yen, but I decided it just wasn't worth it. I had wanted to have a Duffy on my bag like so many other girls there, but oh well.
Then we got some caramel popcorn. Popcorn is a very popular snack at Disney Sea and Tokyo Disneyland. There are various stands throughout the park and each one sells a different flavor.
Then it was time for us to use our fast passes for Journey to the Center of the Earth. It was a really fun ride! There were some pretty glowing and crystally things at the beginning and then towards the end the ride suddenly started going up and up very quickly and then dropped. It wasn't a big drop, but it was still scary in a fun way
After that ride I decided I wanted some Minnie ears. I found some cute Christmas ones at a stand in Mermaid Lagoon. They were 1700, which was more than the Shellie May bear I wanted, but so much more worth it because they would show up in pictures.
Then we ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant in the Lost River Delta area.
Just like many restaurants in Japan, Disney has fake food displays.
We both got the special set, which included two chicken tacos, rice, some bean and corn mix stuff, cake, and a drink. It was a really good deal for 1,490, especially at an amusement park!
They also had a cassis (black currant) mousse cake that came with a cute plate, but I was already getting cake with my set.
The food was super delicious and very filling. We were really surprised to get such a good deal there. Also, we were excited because it was Mexican food. That's rare in Japan.
That's some girl Stitch character named Angel. So creepy.
We passed by Jasmine's Flying Carpets and I wanted a picture with Rajah.
In the background of the picture you can see an example of the Duffy craziness at Disney Sea. The girl has a big Duffy bag, is carrying Shellie May (or maybe Duffy?), and the guy has a Shellie May around his neck.
Next we rode Raging Spirits which is a small roller coaster with a loop. It had a single rider line so we got in that line. We wouldn't be sitting next to each other, but I knew the ride wasn't worth waiting for two hours. The single rider line took a bit longer than it might on other days because there were sooooo many couples. So it took a while for there to be an odd number of riders for us to join, but I think we just waited about 15 minutes.
Raging Spirits is fun, but not scary. It goes through mist sometimes which is cool and the upside down loop is fun. It was worth what we waited, but two hours? No way.
More Duffy!
Then we rode a Carousel in the Arabian Coast area. It's two stories so it's pretty cool. It's a carousel so it's not that exciting, but a fun and silly thing to do. :)
I rode on an elephant, but there were also genies. I wanted to ride on one of those, but they were all taken when I got on.
Then we went in Triton's Kingdom. It's mostly for kids, but it's fun. We rode The Whirlpool which is a spinning ride. Unfortunately you can't use the handle to spin yourself (like on the teacups at Disneyland) but it still spins quite a bit.
Then it was time to use our fast passes for Tower of Terror. That ride scares me! Though it wasn't as scary as I remembered, but it was still a lot of fun!
Jonathan looks so surprised, haha. I love how they don't mind if you just take a picture of the photo screen.
Then we tried to get on a boat ride that goes around the park, but it was closed for some reason. I think it was because they were setting up for the night show.
Then I got some tea with a cute bottle and we got some white chocolate popcorn to share. It was a limited seasonal flavor. Very yummy!
Those girls all had their hair in Mickey buns. Cute!
Then we discovered a castle area with a bunch of different areas and towers to explore. It had some really nice views across the water. There was a show going on then.
The cannons were neat. When you pull the cord they make sound and blow smoke.
When the show was over the boat went back across the lake and I managed to get a picture of the characters.
Then we rode Storm Rider, which we had also gotten a fast pass for.
It's not a very intense ride. It's more just a movie ride, but it does shake a bit and you get sprayed with a bit of water. So it's pretty fun.
A park employee was taking pictures of people in front of a Christmas tree. I was glad to get a picture of us together.
I think then we rode 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. We got fast passes for that one because all the other fast passes were finished or they were for rides we had already ridden. It's not really much of a ride, but it's kind of neat. You're in a little submarine car and it looks like you're underwater and there are some neat things to look at, but that's pretty much it. It's really only worth riding if you've already ridden everything else and the line is short.
Then we ate dinner at an Italian place. I wasn't that hungry yet, but I got a set anyway because it was a good deal (1,490 just like the Mexican set). Jonathan was much hungrier so he got a set and ate some of my gratin.
While we were eating I heard a show begin outside. I thought it might just be something like earlier in the day with the characters on a boat and getting off just in one place to dance and stuff. But once I finished eating I went outside to check it out.
It was a lot better than the show during the day, so I went back into the restaurant to get Jonathan. We made it out in time for the finale.
Then we rode the flying carpet ride again. It was cool at night!
Then finally it was time to use our fast passes for the Indiana Jones ride. I think it was the 2nd fast pass we got that day, but with the latest time. It's very popular.
It's a really fun ride. It's not really scary, but scary enough to be a lot of fun. There aren't any big drops, but there are some surprises and cool special effects.
My face is so scary.
So creepy!
After that we went to Raging Spirits again. Like I said earlier, it's not that exciting of a coaster but it looked cool at night because the mist was lit up and stuff. We got in the single rider line again. There were several people ahead of us and it wasn't moving at all really. It was just couple after couple after couple. So after about twenty minutes we gave up and got out of line.
Then we went back in Triton's Kingdom and spent quite a bit of time there. We rode Blowfish Balloon Race which was more fun than it looked and had cool views of the area.
Then we rode the spinning ride a couple more times. Triton's Kingdom is a kiddy area, but kids were in the minority that day, haha.
We even played in the water area for a bit. We avoided getting wet because it was cold outside though.
Then we rode Jumpin' Jellyfish which is just cars that go up and down slowly. It was as lame as it looked, but that made it funny. I can't be too harsh about it though because it is meant for kids, haha.
Soon after we went back outside the fireworks show began. Yay!
After the fireworks I noticed that the boat ride was running again so we got on that. It had some really pretty views of the park. I love amusement parks at night.
Then we finally went to the Toy Story area, which is small. When we first arrived at the park people were running to get fast passes for the Toy Story ride, but I didn't really care. It's just where you go around and shoot stuff. That sounds pretty fun, but I wasn't going to run to get a fast pass or stand in a long line for it.
The Toy Story area was actually very creepy to me. Woody's giant head is kind of terrifying. Plus, it had a carnival theme which is creepy. People always get murdered at carnivals on TV.
The park closed at 10, but we left around 9:30 because we were tired and had done everything we wanted to. It had been a really good day! We were able to get fast passes for most rides so we didn't stand in any long lines except for our failed attempt to ride Raging Spirits the second time. It was a lot better than when we visited Tokyo Disneyland in 2011 and were only able to get two fast passes the whole day. Jonathan said he liked Disney Sea a lot better. It's a really neat park and it's even fun to just walk around.
When we got back to the hotel we went to the nearby 7-Eleven and got some Christmas cake. We had already had cake twice that day, but Christmas cake is a thing in Japan so we wanted more, haha.
Here are the posts from the other times I've visited Disney parks in Japan.
Tokyo Disney Sea - June 2010
Disneyland - January 2011
That morning I put on some Frozen nail stickers. Unfortunately the designs were a bit too long for my short nails so the pictures got a bit cut off on some, but they were still cool.
The train that goes between Disneyland and Disney Sea is so cute! Mickey windows and Mickey handles!
Unlike the last time I visited a Disney park in Japan, there wasn't a long wait to buy tickets. So we got into the park around 8:15, just a little bit after opening.
The first thing we did was get fast passes for Journey to the Center of the Earth. I wanted to ride that the most because I hadn't ridden it when I visited Disney Sea in 2010. The cave area was really cool. The whole park is very impressive. I can definitely see how it's the most expensive theme park ever built. Wikipedia says it's estimated that it cost over four billion dollars.
The first ride we rode was Jasmine's Flying Carpets. It's a kid's ride, but it's actually fun. You can control the carpet and make it go up and down.
We rode a lot of kid's rides that day and so did other adults. There weren't very many kids in the park that day. I think that's because many parents were working that day. It was a Wednesday and Christmas eve and Christmas day aren't work holidays in Japan. The park was filled with mostly couples. Soooooooo many couples. Christmas Eve is a big date holiday in Japan.
Next I wanted to go shopping for a Duffy teddy bear. Duffy is a very popular character at Disney Sea. Minnie made Duffy for Mickey. There's also Shellie May, which is the girl version. Sooooo many girls had little Duffy or Shellie May bears attached to their bags. Many girls even carry around bigger ones. I saw many couples where the girl was holding Shellie May and the guy was holding Duffy. I think it would be annoying to have to carry around a teddy bear all day. It's crazy.
Anyway... on our way to the front where the main stores are, Jonathan saw Aquatopia. I had ridden it before and it's not a very good ride. It's boring and pointless. But Jonathan wanted to ride it (partly because I said it was so horrible) and the line was short, so we did.
It was a little bit more fun than I remembered, but that may be because we didn't wait in much of a line. The boats go around and turn randomly and stuff, but it's not fast enough to be a lot of fun.
We went into McDuck's. I didn't even know it was just a Duffy store, but that's exactly what I was looking for.
Unfortunately, the little Christmas Shellie May I had been wanting was expensive. 1600 yen! For just a little bear keychain! It was the smallest one that they had.
They had some plain ones for 1300 yen, but I decided it just wasn't worth it. I had wanted to have a Duffy on my bag like so many other girls there, but oh well.
Then we got some caramel popcorn. Popcorn is a very popular snack at Disney Sea and Tokyo Disneyland. There are various stands throughout the park and each one sells a different flavor.
Then it was time for us to use our fast passes for Journey to the Center of the Earth. It was a really fun ride! There were some pretty glowing and crystally things at the beginning and then towards the end the ride suddenly started going up and up very quickly and then dropped. It wasn't a big drop, but it was still scary in a fun way
After that ride I decided I wanted some Minnie ears. I found some cute Christmas ones at a stand in Mermaid Lagoon. They were 1700, which was more than the Shellie May bear I wanted, but so much more worth it because they would show up in pictures.
Then we ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant in the Lost River Delta area.
Just like many restaurants in Japan, Disney has fake food displays.
We both got the special set, which included two chicken tacos, rice, some bean and corn mix stuff, cake, and a drink. It was a really good deal for 1,490, especially at an amusement park!
They also had a cassis (black currant) mousse cake that came with a cute plate, but I was already getting cake with my set.
The food was super delicious and very filling. We were really surprised to get such a good deal there. Also, we were excited because it was Mexican food. That's rare in Japan.
That's some girl Stitch character named Angel. So creepy.
We passed by Jasmine's Flying Carpets and I wanted a picture with Rajah.
In the background of the picture you can see an example of the Duffy craziness at Disney Sea. The girl has a big Duffy bag, is carrying Shellie May (or maybe Duffy?), and the guy has a Shellie May around his neck.
Next we rode Raging Spirits which is a small roller coaster with a loop. It had a single rider line so we got in that line. We wouldn't be sitting next to each other, but I knew the ride wasn't worth waiting for two hours. The single rider line took a bit longer than it might on other days because there were sooooo many couples. So it took a while for there to be an odd number of riders for us to join, but I think we just waited about 15 minutes.
Raging Spirits is fun, but not scary. It goes through mist sometimes which is cool and the upside down loop is fun. It was worth what we waited, but two hours? No way.
More Duffy!
Then we rode a Carousel in the Arabian Coast area. It's two stories so it's pretty cool. It's a carousel so it's not that exciting, but a fun and silly thing to do. :)
I rode on an elephant, but there were also genies. I wanted to ride on one of those, but they were all taken when I got on.
Then we went in Triton's Kingdom. It's mostly for kids, but it's fun. We rode The Whirlpool which is a spinning ride. Unfortunately you can't use the handle to spin yourself (like on the teacups at Disneyland) but it still spins quite a bit.
Then it was time to use our fast passes for Tower of Terror. That ride scares me! Though it wasn't as scary as I remembered, but it was still a lot of fun!
Jonathan looks so surprised, haha. I love how they don't mind if you just take a picture of the photo screen.
Then we tried to get on a boat ride that goes around the park, but it was closed for some reason. I think it was because they were setting up for the night show.
Then I got some tea with a cute bottle and we got some white chocolate popcorn to share. It was a limited seasonal flavor. Very yummy!
Those girls all had their hair in Mickey buns. Cute!
Then we discovered a castle area with a bunch of different areas and towers to explore. It had some really nice views across the water. There was a show going on then.
The cannons were neat. When you pull the cord they make sound and blow smoke.
When the show was over the boat went back across the lake and I managed to get a picture of the characters.
Then we rode Storm Rider, which we had also gotten a fast pass for.
It's not a very intense ride. It's more just a movie ride, but it does shake a bit and you get sprayed with a bit of water. So it's pretty fun.
A park employee was taking pictures of people in front of a Christmas tree. I was glad to get a picture of us together.
I think then we rode 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. We got fast passes for that one because all the other fast passes were finished or they were for rides we had already ridden. It's not really much of a ride, but it's kind of neat. You're in a little submarine car and it looks like you're underwater and there are some neat things to look at, but that's pretty much it. It's really only worth riding if you've already ridden everything else and the line is short.
Then we ate dinner at an Italian place. I wasn't that hungry yet, but I got a set anyway because it was a good deal (1,490 just like the Mexican set). Jonathan was much hungrier so he got a set and ate some of my gratin.
While we were eating I heard a show begin outside. I thought it might just be something like earlier in the day with the characters on a boat and getting off just in one place to dance and stuff. But once I finished eating I went outside to check it out.
It was a lot better than the show during the day, so I went back into the restaurant to get Jonathan. We made it out in time for the finale.
Then we rode the flying carpet ride again. It was cool at night!
Then finally it was time to use our fast passes for the Indiana Jones ride. I think it was the 2nd fast pass we got that day, but with the latest time. It's very popular.
It's a really fun ride. It's not really scary, but scary enough to be a lot of fun. There aren't any big drops, but there are some surprises and cool special effects.
My face is so scary.
So creepy!
After that we went to Raging Spirits again. Like I said earlier, it's not that exciting of a coaster but it looked cool at night because the mist was lit up and stuff. We got in the single rider line again. There were several people ahead of us and it wasn't moving at all really. It was just couple after couple after couple. So after about twenty minutes we gave up and got out of line.
Then we went back in Triton's Kingdom and spent quite a bit of time there. We rode Blowfish Balloon Race which was more fun than it looked and had cool views of the area.
Then we rode the spinning ride a couple more times. Triton's Kingdom is a kiddy area, but kids were in the minority that day, haha.
We even played in the water area for a bit. We avoided getting wet because it was cold outside though.
Then we rode Jumpin' Jellyfish which is just cars that go up and down slowly. It was as lame as it looked, but that made it funny. I can't be too harsh about it though because it is meant for kids, haha.
Soon after we went back outside the fireworks show began. Yay!
After the fireworks I noticed that the boat ride was running again so we got on that. It had some really pretty views of the park. I love amusement parks at night.
Then we finally went to the Toy Story area, which is small. When we first arrived at the park people were running to get fast passes for the Toy Story ride, but I didn't really care. It's just where you go around and shoot stuff. That sounds pretty fun, but I wasn't going to run to get a fast pass or stand in a long line for it.
The Toy Story area was actually very creepy to me. Woody's giant head is kind of terrifying. Plus, it had a carnival theme which is creepy. People always get murdered at carnivals on TV.
The park closed at 10, but we left around 9:30 because we were tired and had done everything we wanted to. It had been a really good day! We were able to get fast passes for most rides so we didn't stand in any long lines except for our failed attempt to ride Raging Spirits the second time. It was a lot better than when we visited Tokyo Disneyland in 2011 and were only able to get two fast passes the whole day. Jonathan said he liked Disney Sea a lot better. It's a really neat park and it's even fun to just walk around.
When we got back to the hotel we went to the nearby 7-Eleven and got some Christmas cake. We had already had cake twice that day, but Christmas cake is a thing in Japan so we wanted more, haha.
Here are the posts from the other times I've visited Disney parks in Japan.
Tokyo Disney Sea - June 2010
Disneyland - January 2011