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November 13, 2016 - Day 2:
Half Day @ Tokyo DisneySea

Started off the morning waking up way too early.. I first rolled over in the 4am hour. Eventually got up and went through some email and pictures then just after 7am went for a walk which turned into a monorail ride to the Gateway. Once there roamed around, grabbed a quick bite to eat and stopped by Bon Voyage before walking to the Disneyland Station and taking the Resort Line back to the hotel. USC had a 9:30am local time kick off. I was able to stream the game so sat and watched that which lasted until 1pm. After the game headed for the resort line and Ikspiari for a late lunch/very early dinner. Once we were done eating it was back on the Resort Line and around to DisneySea. We bought a Starlight pass for the day which allowed for entrance after 3pm. Arrived about 10 to three. Waited in the line for 3pm then to enter. Once in the park stopped by to check on lottery tickets for some shows, no luck due to timing. So continued on to the American Waterfront area. Roamed around taking pictures from ground level then from the SS Columbia. At 4:00pm The Year of Wishes Greeting Drive then wandered around until the 4:30 Table is Waiting show. After the show made my way to the Mediterranean Harbor area and found a spot for Fantasmic at 5:30pm. Next up decided to circle the park. Waded through the crowd and into Mysterious Island, past Mermaid Lagoon and through the Lost River Delta before reaching Port Discovery. Kept going to the American Waterfront and ended back where I started at the Mediterranean Harbor, this time around found a spot for the Colors of Christmas Nighttime Wishes show. The plan was to catch the fireworks at 8:30 but they were cancelled due to wind so instead just roamed around the Mediterranean Harbor including Fortress Expeditions and then out to Port Discovery. Hopped on the Electric Railway to the American Waterfront and took some night pictures there as well as around the Mediterranean Harbor before exiting the park about 15 minutes before closing. Boarded the resort line and took it back to Bayside Station to wrap up my day.

Thoughts & Observations
  • Started my first full day in Tokyo way too early. I rolled over and was up in the 4am hour. Not much to do at that hour of the morning! I should have been more tired but I was not for some reason.

  • We had not planned anything for the morning assuming we would want to sleep/rest some. Plus it was Sunday and the thought of going to a park on a weekend morning was not high on our list.

  • We decided to venture out from the room around 7am and take the Resort line to Ikspiari in search of breakfast. We learned there are not many breakfast options with some stores/counters opening at 8am but a majority of dining no available until 11am. Ended up at Becker's which is a small diner at the rail station. They had a decent french toast plate. The big challenge was finding a place to sit, but the food was decent.

  • Spent some time in Bon Voyage, the Tokyo Disney equivalent of World of Disney. I had low expectations in terms of souvenirs after the last trip and this trip lived up to them. It was nearly impossible to find anything I wanted with the park names on it. I ended up with a couple of buttons again and some golf balls. Still cannot believe a shirt or two would not sell. Visiting Bon Voyage in the morning right when it opens and most guests are rushing to the parks was a great idea. It was easy to move around and no lines.

  • The other reason for my lack of going anywhere this morning was I wanted to watch the USC vs Washington football game. So I set it up to stream on my laptop. So the 4:30pm Saturday kickoff in LA turned out to be a 9:30am kick off in Tokyo which worked out nicely to see the game before heading to lunch. Plus the team looked good and won quite handily.

  • The weather was good and we were feeling good so decided to head for DisneySea in the afternoon. We purchased a Starlight pass, good for after 3pm admission to the park, from the hotel. The process was quick and efficient as you would expect. Only took a couple minutes and we were on our way.

  • For lunch we went to Ikspiari again since the hotel had nothing we wanted. We had plenty of time to eat and then take the Resort Line around to get to DisneySea before our passes became valid at 3pm. There were a line of guests waiting for the clock to strike 3 and their tickets to be valid too.

  • I had a Plan A if we won lottery seats for Big Band Beat and a plan B if we did not. Unfortunately had to go with Plan B. So that meant taking in the Christmas decorations and a couple other entertainment choices.

  • The Christmas decorations around DisneySea were modest in the Mediterranean Harbor, plentiful in the American Waterfront, light in the Lost River Delta and virtually non-existent in the rest of the park. I thought the areas that were decorated were very well done and looked great.

  • "The Year of Wises" Greeting Drive occurs a couple times a day and features some characters in their 15th anniversary costumes being driven through the American Waterfront in a Big City Vehicle. It was a good opportunity to see the characters and a nice little plus for the anniversary.

  • A Table is Waiting - Christmas Cuisine is a great example of the Tokyo Parks incorporating the holidays into their regular shows. The opening and finale were tweaked but the rest of the show stayed in tact. Will be interesting to see what replaces this show in 2017 when they retire it.

  • Thanks to an early sunset and a crowded entertainment schedule they run Fantasmic at 5:30pm nightly this time of year. It was really odd seeing the show so early in the day. We choose a much better viewing location than last year and the show was much more enjoyable when you could see most of it. The staging lends itself to a much different feel than the stateside versions.

  • We returned to nearly the same spot as we watched Fantasmic from for Colors of Christmas: Nighttime Wishes. Turns out not to be a good spot for that show. You could see but it was not ideal. The show itself was ok. Not quite the production of other shows we had seen at Tokyo DisneySea. It was basically the lighting of Christmas tree and some characters circling the harbor.

  • Due to weather (which seemed ok to me but guessing it was the direction of the wind) the fireworks were cancelled this evening.

  • Throughout the rest of the evening there were "Afterglow" moments on the harbor where the lights and music would come to life. These were a nice touch and I actually enjoyed them ore than the Colors of Christmas show. I think that was because it was not crowded and you could linger and walk around the harbor and a great way to close out an evening.


Pedometer Stats
Miles 8.2
Steps 21,872
Moderate Steps 13,212
Moderate Steps/Time 119
   

Pictures
Day 2 - Part I: Morning Tour of Tokyo

Part I: A Lazy Morning Around Tokyo Disney Resort

A look from our room, then a trip around the Resort Line stopping at the Gateway station to look around the Bon Voyage to do some shopping to start off the day.

Day 2 - Part II: First Visit to Tokyo DisneySea

Part II: Christmas Decorations at Tokyo DisneySea

We purchased a Starlight Passport for today that allowed admission after 3pm to the park. This section features a look around the American Waterfront including the Christmas additions to a Table is Waiting and Christmas Decorations.



Day 2 Part III: Fashionable Easter Part III: Fantasmic!

A look at Fantasmic!

Day 2 Part IV: Tokyo DisneySea by Gondola, Aquatopia & Railway

Part IV: Colors of Christmas: Nighttime Wishes & Night Pictures @ DisneySea

A couple of laps after dark around DisneySea as well as a look at the Colors of Christmas show.

 

 

Related Links From This Trip

2016 Tokyo Disney Trip Summary

Links from today:

 

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