home > Tokyo Disney Resort > > Trip Reports > May 2023 Day 6
May 17, 2023 - Day 6:

Up way too early at 5:30am.  Went down for breakfast at 7am when the lounge opened and then headed over to Bayside Station around 8:15am.  Bought new Resort Line passes and then boarded a train for Disneyland.  Arrived at the park about 15 minutes prior to park opening and went through security and park entry with no problems.  Strolled through World Bazaar and the Plaza on my way to Fantasyland.  Beauty and Beast had backed up to the hub as they worked to get guests into the queue.  While walking gave the show lottery a try and failed on both I tried for.  Decided to visit Pooh’s Hunny Hunt first this morning then walked through Fantayland and went on Pinocchio.  Passed through the Castle and into Tomorrowland.  They had cut the queue for Club Mouse Beat, but luckily not for Mickey’s Magical Music World.  We were able to get a seat in the balcony for the first show of the day.  After the show we exited with the crowd and decided to make our way to World Bazaar and grab a waffle for a snack. Others had the same idea and the queue was out the door and took some time.   I decided to get a drink from a vending machine and of course had a series of issues with either the machine not taking Sucia card or not having what I wanted.  So I did a tour of Westernland, Fantasyland, and finally Tomorrowland to buy two cokes then join the others eating waffles.   Heard the Disneyland Band in the distance so followed the sound to catch a performance.  Then decided to go for a cruise on Pirates of the Caribbean. Next up the Enchanted Tiki Room Stitch Presents “Alhoa E Komo Mai!”.   Then worked my way back to World Bazaar.  Caught the Band again and then found a spot for the 2pm Disney Harmony in Color Parade.   After the parade walked over to Ikspairi for lunch then took the Monorail back to the park.  Roamed around World Bazaar and Tomorrowland.  Strolled through the Belle’s Village area of Fantasyland then Toontown.   Next up Monsters Inc then walked around the Plaza and World Bazaar.  Strolled through Adventureland and Westernland then Fantasyland before ending up back in the Plaza to find a spot for Dreamlights.  After the parade walked through Tomorrowland and out to check on the Baymax and Beauty and the Beast queues, both too long for my patience.  The fireworks were cancelled so headed for the exit.  Caught a resort line Monorail back to Bayside station and walked back to the Hilton to call it a night. 

Thoughts & Observations
  • This morning we were not in a rush to get to the park so we took our time and of course had no delays and were still in the park around opening time with no issues. 
  • I am now 0 for 5 for entry requests over the three park days.  Not a fan of the new system. I had better luck with the old lotteries.  Plus going to a kiosk and getting a ticket if you won was more fun.
  • The Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast was really backed up when we entered the park, I am assuming the bottle neck was getting guests to fill in the queue, the posted wait time was not much longer than the other day but the queue stretched out to the central plaza quite a ways further today.
  • Decided to wait in the queue for Pooh’s Huny Hunt.  With only a stand by option the queue kept moving and it was not a miserable wait.  This was the first Disney trackless attraction to open back in 2000 and still is among the best uses of the system. 
  • I was walking through Fantasyland on my way to Tomorrowland and saw no wait for Pinocchio so decided to pay a visit to a classic dark ride.  The Tokyo versions of the dark rides amaze me with how new they look.  Everything is functional and looks great.
  • Decided to check out the standby queue for Club Mouse Beat, since it was a smaller venue.  It was at capacity when we arrived so we kept walking out to Fantasyland and were able to get in the standby queue for the Fantasy Forest Theatre.
  • Mickey’s Magical Music World is the stage show inside the Fantasy Forest Theatre. This theater opened as part of the expansion and seats 1,500 guests in two levels.   For comparison this is slightly less than the nearly 2,000 guests the Hyperion holds at Disney California Adventure. Today the first show was stand by only then later shows entry request only.    They are transitioning to the balcony being standby for all shows.
  • I was surprised by the number of seats left empty in the balcony. They cut the queue shortly after us and there were several dozen empty seats in both corners of the balcony.  We opted to sit in the middle but last row.
  • Mickey’s Magical Music World is a top notch character show as you would expect from Tokyo.  The sets and projection effects were great.  The number of characters and costume changes are a high level as is the norm in Tokyo.   No photography or video recording of the show are allowed so that means I was able to sit back and enjoy the show. 
  • Exiting the theater was an experience. The walkways leading up through the forest are rather narrow and when you push over 1,000 people back through with some of the space blocked off with guests waiting for the next show it is a bottleneck.
  • We stopped to snack on a waffle and found it a challenge to get a table today. The queue was lengthy and guest were leaving their items to hold tables so half the tables were unoccupied and people were looking for a place to sit.  It is interesting how trusting people are in Japan. Women were leaving their purse or souvenirs to hold the table and they were in a queue inside and out of sight at times.
  • Decided to buy a Coke and wanted to use my Suica card at a vending machine. I had set off from World Bazaar toward Westernland and of course the first set of machines did not take the card. So I continued on to the ones by the Mark Twain, those did not have regular Coke. So next up tried the ones by Alice.. those of course did not have an IC reader so no Suica card.  So ended up in Tomorrowland.   So it was an adventure and a  hike to pick up a couple of bottles of Coke.
  • As I walked around I did see the Disneyland Band but no other atmosphere entertainment today.  I really wish they would post schedules so you know the choices and times.
  • Opted to watch Disney Harmony in Color from the Central Plaza. I had a front-row standing spot behind the seating vacation package guests near the Partners statue. This gives a nice overview of the parade but you are quite a ways back from the parade.   I enjoy watching parades from back there as you get a nice wide view of the parade and crowds, plus today the weather was great.
  • For lunch we headed to Ikspiari to use a gift card we received the other day at TGI Fridays good for 1500 yen on your next visit. It was a mother’s day promotion.  That covered almost half our bill so it was a great deal and mid-afternoon on a weekday meant it was a ghost town. At one point there was only one other table with guests.  The servers all seemed to disappear though so the service was on the slow side, especially getting our check to leave.
  • Spent the afternoon roaming around the park and enjoying the nice weather.  I did wait in line for Monsters since it is a unique attraction here.  Again with only a stand-by option, the queue moved smoothly.
  • Ended up back in the Central Plaza for Dreamlights since the rest of the group wanted to leave after the parade and this was a shorter walk for them.    It is always great to see the parade and Tokyo continues to refresh elements every couple of years. Since my last visit the opening train has been updated and it looks great!
  • I decided to go check out B&B and BayMax and both had cut their queues and had waits well over an hour with less than an hour left in the operating day.
  • The fireworks were canceled again so I decided to call it a day about a half hour before closing.
  • The Monorail back to Bayside station was very crowded today with large groups of school kids and they must have been late as the doors opened at Bayside Station they went running. A poor cast member on the platform tried to slow them down but failed as they sprinted by.


Pedometer Stats
Miles

9.45

Steps 20,657
Minutes Walking 206
 

Pictures
Day1 Part I: Morning Visit to Tokyo Disneyland

Spent the morning enjoying the park.
Day1 Part II: Disney Harmony in Color Parade

My second viewing of Disney Harmony in Color Parade, this time from the Central Plaza.
Day1 Part III: Afternoon/Evening at Tokyo Disneyland

A relaxing afternoon roaming around Tokyo Disneyland including visit to Monsters Inc.
Day 4 - Part 4 Part IV: Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights

I close out my day with Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights from the Central Plaza.
Related Links From This Trip

2023 Tokyo Disney Trip Summary

Links from today:

 

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