Started off the morning earlier than planned.. woke up well before the alarm.  So had some time to read emails before getting ready to go to the park.  Left for Tokyo DisneySea a few minutes before 8am and arrived was in line at the entrance to hear the 15 minute until opening announcement.  Once the park opened paused to get a couple pictures of Mickey, Minnie, and the Band before grabbing everyone’s tickets and heading for Toy Story.  The others stopped by guest relations then made their way into the park.   I picked up our FastPasses and then headed for Journey to the Center of the Earth to rejoin my group.  We walked right on, only pausing to wait for the next car to pull in to board.  At this point in the morning the rain started and it never stopped the rest of the day.  So everything else took place in the rain!   We walked around and down to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and the same thing.   Continued out to the Lost River Delta and Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull.  Went on twice both times just walked right through only pausing at the end.   Walked through the Yucatan Base Camp Grill and took some pictures.  Then explored the area before walking into the Arabian Coast.  Went for a cruise on Sinbad’s Voyage to dry out and then we headed into Mermaid Lagoon to stay dry and get some lunch at Sabastian’s.    Walked around the Lagoon then back out into the rain.   Boarded the Steamer in the Lost River Delta and took it around to the Mediterranean Harbor and we were forced to disembark there.  Walked around the water front stopping in some shops along the way and made our way to the American Water Front Trolley Park area to use our Toy Story FastPasses.  Picked up a second set for later before riding.   Spent some time roaming  around the New York area and ended up in the Deli drying off for a while.  Continued on to the Cape Cod area and out to Port Discovery.   Went for a trip on the Stormrider then some had popcorn (white chocolate) before we returned to the American Waterfront and hopped on the Steamer to the Lost River Delta.   Walked back down the path and took the Electric Railway back to New York.   At this point most of the group was done for the day and they headed back to dry out.  I stayed in the park for several more hours.. I explored the Fortress for a while before giving into the rain and moving on.   Walked around Mysterious Island then out to the Lost River Delta and hopped onto the Steamer again taking it to the American Waterfront.  Decided to grab a bite to eat at the Cape Cod Cook Off then walked through Port Discovery and out to the far corner of the Park in the Lost River Delta.  Continued through the Delta and into the Arabian Coast.  Went for another voyage with Sinbad then wandered around the Casbah Food Court taking some pictures.  Stopped by the Magic Lamp Theater for a show.   Returned to the Mermaid Lagoon to dry out and take a more detailed look around.  Went for a trip on the Jumpin Jellyfish followed by the Whirlpool and then the Blowfish Balloon Race and wrapped up with a visit to Ariel’s Playground and a second Jumpin Jellyfish trip before heading back out into the rain.  Returned to Mysterious Island and spent some time photographing Vulcania Restaurant.    It was now after 7pm and still raining.  So I decided to call it a day and head for the Disney Resort Line and took it back to Bayside Station and the shuttle back to the Hilton to call it a day and try and dry out my gear.

• Today was my first of four full days in the parks.  The weather forecast was not promising… weather.com said 100% chance of rain.  It did not lie.. the rain started around 9am and it rained all day.  A few periods of light drizzle but no real stoppage.  So it was a long, soggy, and cold day at Tokyo DisneySea for me.   The good news is the lines were non existent for the most part .  We were able to walk onto just about any attraction all day long.  So a combination of the weather, FastPass, and luck paid off in that respect.   The downside is it was a real challenge to keep the camera dry and myself.
  
  
• I arrived at the gates just before opening and thanks to the weather forecast and it being a Monday the crowd was not bad.  Once the park opened there was a large group of guests heading for Toy Story but once through that the rest of the day and park was very light.  So I had a very small glimpse of what my week could have been like if the weather was better and I am partially thankful for the rain and cold..  we were able to visit many more attractions than I had planned and instead of waiting in line were able to enjoy the park more.
  
  
• I went for Toy Story FastPasses and then met the rest of our group at Journey to the Center of the Earth.  Once I found them in Mysterious Island we walked onto Journey to the Center of the Earth.  There was no line at all and I was actually slowing everyone down because I wanted to see some of the queue.   It was an impressive queue, think Indiana Jones at Disneyland but more in terms of immersion and detail!     The attraction itself was just ok, I enjoyed the queue more.  The ride vehicles were interesting to look at and the ride feel was a mix of Rocket Rods and Test Track/Radiator Springs Racers with a dark ride.   Most of the attraction takes place inside and in the dark.  The creatures and sets were well done but just did not interest me that much.  The finale had a little bit more kick than thought.   
  
  
• Next up we visited 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.   Again the queue and build up were extremely well done.  The attraction itself was just ok.  I enjoyed it thanks to there being no line and we had our own vehicle so plenty of room to spread out and we could talk across.  The ride itself was very dark again.  The interactive element of you controlling where the spot light shines was a dynamic twist.    
  
  
• We walked to the Lost River Delta and went for back to back rides on Indiana Jones.  At one point I had the large queue room to myself (excluding cast members).   The attraction is very very similar to Anaheim’s with a couple of twists and new effects.  The other big difference is the effects here appeared to all be working whereas Anaheim has been having problems in recent years.   It was kind of odd for me to hear Indy speaking Japanese throughout.  Also the Cast Members were making announcements but it was all in Japanese so no idea what they were saying.   The ride itself seemed smoother to me.  Not sure if it was just my seat or the programming.  The fireball effect was the highlight of the changes for me!
  
  
• We worked our way around to the Arabian Coast and Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage.    The ride experience is very much like Small World in terms of a slow moving boat ride through sets with a continuous song that will get into your head.  The difference is the figures are more animated and full featured than Small World. 
  
  
• Paid a visit to the Mermaid Lagoon and Triton’s Kingdom for lunch and to dry off since it is inside.     We ate at Sebastian’s Calypso Kitchen for lunch.  The pizza ok for theme park pizza and one of our group got the poppin’ shrimp and said they were good.  There were no lines and plenty of space to spread out and eat so it was great. The dining area was large and I would think my experience would have been quite different on a busy day.
  
  
• I thought the Triton’s Kingdom was very well done.  Having several attractions, shops, and dining under one roof was great with the bad weather.  Also it led to a more immersive environment to take you under the sea.   The attractions themselves were on par with Bugs Land at California Adventure.  They were Disney overlays on fairly standard rides.  Since there were no lines in the late afternoon I walked onto them a couple of times.  The Jumpin Jellyfish were about the same experience as Disney California Adventure.  Just a little lower.   The Whirlpool which is closed to the Lady Bug Bogie at Disney California Adventure but with smaller ride vehicles was ok.  You could spin these more which added to it a bit.  The Blowfish Balloon Race is basically Flik’s Flyer.  There is also a playground.   The main theater was closed, the new show opened a week after we left.  I was hoping they would be doing a soft opening but no such luck.
  
  
• I went for a couple of trips on the DisneySea Transit Steamer Line which are boats that circle the park.  I found these a little confusing and frustrating to deal with.  The views were great and today was their last day before closing for refurbishment so that is why I went on them.   The frustration stemmed from the stations having various opening and closing times and the routes changing.  I saw no posted schedule and not sure if that is standard operating procedure or because of the weather.   Also frustrating was they would not let you stay on.  Even if there was no one at the dock, which happened several times due to the weather.  We would have to hike up the stairs, around then back down.  Which at some stops was a decent hike and if you had problems with stairs it was a lot of effort especially in the rain.
  
  
• Went for a trip on the Storm Rider.  It was all in Japanese but you can get the basic storyline without needing to know what was being said.  The ride itself was a large simulator theater..  think Star Tours but several times larger.  The movement was ok but the screen seemed dated after seeing the clean digital 3D of Star Tours.  The in theater effects included water.. which after being out in the rain was not that enjoyable.
  
  
• Decided to grab a burger at the Cape Cod Cookoff for dinner.  It was not very good.. hard to determine which was worse this one or the Tomorrowland one in Hong Kong. 
  
  
• I ducked into the Casbah Food Court in the Arabian Coast to get out of a downpour and since it was nearly empty I spent some time wandering around and taking pictures of the various dining rooms.  The size and detail was impressive.  It was great empty.. I can only image the scene on a busy day.
  
  
• While in the Arabian Coast stopped by the Magic Lamp Theater.  I was focused on staying dry and forgot to ask for a translation device.. it would have been nice if a cast member had asked..  the show was ok, understanding the jokes would have made it a little better.
  
  
• Later in the evening ducked inside the Vulcania Restaurant to avoid the rain for a bit and since it was deserted took pictures of the dining rooms including some of the hidden Mickeys that I found and one that was pointed out to me by a Cast Member.   I was taking pictures and roaming around for a while and a cast member was watching me.. eventually he approached and managed to communicate that he wanted to show me a secret Mickey (his English was not very good but he was trying and I know no Japanese so it was a fun exchange).   So we walked around and he pointed out a couple to me, it was great! 
  
  
• I ended up calling it an early evening around 7:30 because of the rain.  Thought it wise to go dry out before tomorrow and I was tired of fighting the umbrella and trying to take pictures.

Daily Summaries & Pictures:

• Saturday - April 11, Day 1 - Arrival in Tokyo & Visit to the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel
• Sunday - April 12, Day 2 - Tokyo Sightseeing & Afternoon/Evening Visit to Tokyo DisneySea
• Monday - April 13, Day 3 - Tokyo DisneySea
• Tuesday - April 14, Day 4 - Tokyo Disneyland
• Wednesday - April 15, Day 5 - Tokyo Disneyland's 32nd Anniversary. the morning at Disneyland, afternoon at DisneySea, and evening at Disneyland.
• Thursday - April 16, Day 6 - Last day in the parks the morning at Disneyland, afternoon at DisneySea, and evening at Disneyland.
• Friday - April 17, Day 7 - Day trip to Mt Fuji
• Saturday - April 18, Day 8 - Disney Hotel visits then head home to Los Angeles

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