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Asia Trip 2017: Tokyo Disney Resort Day 3

Edward M

Strata Poster
Culture and Creds Disney is the title I wanted but, alas, no strike through. This is a rough draft that I decided to just post. I haven't read through it so please try your best to ignore the typos. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the report, and there is plenty more to come!

I have been in Japan for about a week now, and I am absolutely loving it here. Tokyo is an amazing city, and I’m excited to go to Kyoto soon as well. However, Tokyo Disney is the subject for this trip report. For a multitude of reasons, I ended up going to Tokyo Disney alone at 1 pm on a Monday. This was not planned, but it was nonetheless what happened. I arrived at the Hotel Miracosta and was immediately astounded at its beauty. It’s just gorgeous and a perfect introduction for the park. I checked in, put up my bags, and got my tickets (4 day park hopper).

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I then went right into Tokyo Disneysea and, just, wow. I had heard a lot about this park, but nothing can really compare to walking in it. Mount Promethues is truly astounding; it seems to tower over every area of the park and is such an intimidating presence. The Mediterranean Harbor is also a fantastic opening land with a very nice Italian feel. It would continue to grow on me throughout the trip as I explored new areas. Still, Mysterious Island was calling to me. I checked my TDR Wait Times app (great app that really helped) and saw that Tower of Terror and Journey to the Center of the Earth were both around 90 to 120 minute waits. I considered just riding, but I thought it would be better to explore a bit and ride them with fast passes tomorrow. I did, however, get a FP for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea since it had a time slot only an hour away.

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Entering Mysterious Island was an experience. Two paths: caverns with lights overhead leading towards Journey to the Center of the Earth or into the sunlight with Prometheus surrounding you. The land shows just how enormous the volcano is. The scope is just insane. However, what blew me away about the park the most was the sheer amount of detail in nearly every area. There is something to the way that they even sculpted how the lava became ash and has dried into the water now. Every single crevice seems so authentic; it’s insane. I’ve always loved Disney’s theming and thought it was top notch. However, after Tokyo Disneysea, everything looks lacking in comparison. It truly is that amazing (for me at least). I walked from Mysterious Island into Mermaid Lagoon. This area is also very impressive since it is essentially just a collection of generic children’s flat rides. However, they put their all into the theming yet again and created the best of all the children’s lands in parks (over Bug’s Land, Suess Landing, etc.).

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I then continued on to Lost River Delta in search of Indiana Jones. DL’s version is one of my favorite rides ever made, and I was very excited to see how it compared. I was first struck by the size of its show building. You can’t see DL’s from the park, so I never realized just how enormous it is. It and Lost River Delta are very, very well themed with some great details everywhere. I’m afraid my Tokyo Disneysea land reviews will be mainly compliments. I have literally no issues with the park; I truly think it is perfect (except it should have a better coaster). I got in the single rider line of Indiana Jones which had a 90 minute wait. I had a solid 5 minute wait. The line itself is, shocker, very well themed. The tone is much more ominous than DL’s Indiana Jones which is very tongue-in-cheek. Here, everything is actually taken quite seriously; jokes are hard to find. While I appreciate this, I do prefer the cheesy queue and preshow of DL’s. Sallah is just too great to not love that preshow in DL. Anyway, I got a front seat (Yay!) and got sent off.

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Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull: This ride is amazing, needless to say. It is very, very similar to the amazing DL version except with a few new effects and an overall more ominous feel. They fixed my least favorite part of DL’s version (the sudden stop in the dark that has no purpose). There is instead an interesting head that shoots a smoke ring at riders. Other than that, it sticks pretty close to the original’s script, which isn’t bad at all. The more serious tone taken isn’t as charming as the original’s cheesy tone. It is certainly more thrilling overall with more exaggerated movements, and I think it would be my favorite version if not for one glaring problem. After the bridge scene and until the blackout part, there is no music. It is quite jarring since the rest of the ride contains it. I really don’t know why they didn’t include that music since the score had already been composed and would fit just as well. It seems like a minor problem, but it just stuck out to me on every ride. I just love that ride’s music so much that it always bums me out to not hear it. Still, it’s amazing. I can’t say that enough. Both versions are some of the best rides in the world. Just fantastic. 10/10


Well, after Indiana Jones, I still had some time before my FP. I decided to ride one of my most anticipated rides of the trip, Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage. I had no knowledge of what it was about, so I was interested in seeing how they would tell the story. The ride is the main attraction of the Arabian Coast, my third favorite land in the park. The land is just rich with small details and little corners to duck in. It just immerses you so well into the setting they’ve designed. It is just amazing. The ride had a 5 minute wait which was very nice. I got in, and we were sent off.

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Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage- I love it. I love it so much. First, it has the best cast of animatronics I’ve seen on a ride. They may be doll sized, but their movements are as lifelike as I’ve seen. The song that plays throughout is likely my favorite Disney ride song now. It played in my head on loop for 4 days straight. So catchy. It’s also very long which is overall quite satisfying. Each scene has its own special distinction but flows so well with the ride. I especially love the scene with the monkeys if only for that amazing banana smell. I rode it 11 times over the trip, and I liked it more every single time I rode. I can’t really explain why it is so magical. There’s just something to it. My main suggestion for those who haven’t ridden it (and aren’t planning on going to Disneysea for a while) is to watch a Youtube video of it. That is the best way to really understand how wonderful it is. It is my second favorite ride ever, and I would go as far as to say I prefer it over Lightning Rod (sorry USA Live guys :/). 10/10

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I still had about 10 minutes until my FP, and I was quite hungry. I lined up and got a Chandu’s Tail at the nearby Sultan’s Oasis. It was sooo delicious. Even after many different snacks over the trip, this remains my favorite snack in the resort. I would highly, highly recommend. I headed over to Mysterious Island and took it in again. Since I would start to love it a lot more in subsequent days, I can now say this is my favorite land out there. There is just such a sense of mystery and adventure to it. Being surrounded by that volcano is an experience unto itself. It’s something I can’t describe really. You simply have to experience it, especially at night. So, I went on to 20K Leagues and was excited to see just what it was.

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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea- I really love this ride (SHOCK). The underwater effect here is unbelievable. It really does feel like you are underwater, even more so than the actual underwater ride Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. The flashlight effect is also a very fun one and adds a level of interactivity to the ride. The animatronics are not near the level of say Sinbad or Journey, but they are still quality and serve the purpose for the ride. It is a very cheesy ride overall with a lot of memorable set pieces and moments. I really don’t want to undersell that. The Atlantis scene in particular sticks out. For what it set out to do, it does it exactly. It is just so nice to see a creative, original ride without any Disney or movie IP attached. Great ride. 9/10

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Well, I checked the wait time app, and all the real E-Tickets were still around 90 to 120 minutes. I decided to look at Tokyo Disneyland’s wait times and saw the wonderful sight of a 40 minute wait for Pooh’s Hunny Hunt. Jackpot! I left Mysterious Island and headed for the monorail to Tokyo Disneyland. I was very excited to see the park since it was considered the second best Disney park by many enthusiasts I usually agreed with. The monorail ride was short, and I entered quickly into the World Bazaar. Now, I don’t have many photos of Tokyo Disneyland. I spent most of my photo time in Tokyo Disneysea since it is MUCH more photogenic. This isn’t to say Tokyo Disneyland isn’t; it really is. However, taking photos of Disneysea was a true pleasure while photos of Disneyland felt at times like a necessity. Still, I’ll spread the few I have over the multiple days, and it shouldn’t be a problem since I imagine more people want to see Disneysea anyway ;). If I don't have a photo for the ride or story in the park though, I'm going to stick in an emoji. It will hopefully make sense!


I took a beeline for Pooh since my anticipation was so high. I saw it was a 35 minute wait and got in line. As it was for every line, the predicted wait time was very accurate. It’s kind of insane how accurate these wait times always were. The most off it was was by 5 minutes short. So, I enjoyed watching the pretty book that is the entrance light up as the day turned to night. It was a beautiful sunset entering the park and then turning to dusk in Fantasyland. In fact, the Fantasyland in the park was great. It wasn’t as good as the very charming and intimate DL version, but it reminded me of the old DW version. It had a very pink facade overall and seemed to have a lot of motion with the teacups and dumbo. I feel this is something a lot of the park lacked, motion. Motion brings a lot of energy to a park and can really make it feel more lively. Tokyo Disneysea, Magic Kingdom and Disneyland all excel at this. Tokyo Disneyland’s best areas have this motion. These include Adventureland, Frontierland, and Critter Country, but I’ll get more into each land as we approach them. Anyway, I was approaching the Hunny pots while I was reading the pages that were telling the classic Pooh stories. Finally, I got into a Hunny pot and was sent off.

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Pooh’s Hunny Hunt- This ride is amazing. In fact, it is likely the best children’s ride in the world, mainly because I’ve never ridden anything that encapsulates childhood wonder so well. The most obvious unique feature here is the trackless vehicles, and they are truly amazing. The way they dance with one another and seem to seamlessly move through each scene with one another. They are the perfect vehicle for this ride. The animatronics are also just fantastic. They are just like one would imagine them, more specifically how Christopher Robin would imagine them. They are like stuffed animals come to life, lifelike enough to be amazing but still like a plush toy. The scene with Tigger bouncing is so adorable it makes my heart swell with joy (he was always a favorite of mine as a child). The Heffalumps scene though may be the single best scene I’ve seen in a ride. The way the entire room of up to 9 vehicles so seamlessly interact with each other and go to the various sight gags. It’s just jaw dropping. I especially love the vehicle that comes out filled with the Heffalumps and Pooh flying with the balloon overhead at the end. Then there is the Hunny scene with Pooh in his room full of honey. The honey scent in there is so wonderful. What makes the ride so wonderful to me is how it seems to just go from place to place with no real rhyme or reason, much like a child’s imagination. There’s something to the way that it is told and represented that just so vividly reminds me of childhood. It may be that I’ve always had an attachment to Winnie the Pooh and his friends, or it may be the presentation. However, this ride brings me back to that great feeling of childlike wonder, of feeling like anything is possible. It’s truly beautiful. 10/10

After I got off the ride, I looked to see if Splash Mountain was open. It was not, so I decided to go ahead next door to Haunted Mansion which had a spooky 13 minute wait. Pretty cute really. The wait to get into the stretching room was nonexistent. I did distinctly miss that oh-so-amazing narration from the American Haunted Mansion rides, but the Japanese narration did give the ride an oddly more ominous feeling since you couldn’t hear the jokes. The bottleneck in the room was truly awful, and I was afraid it was always this way. Luckily, on my many rerides, the room was always empty for people to go ahead to their doom buggies.

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Haunted Mansion- This ride is pretty much exactly the WDW version just before the improvements in 2009(?). This is mainly a con with a few pros involved. It is certainly worse than the WDW, by quite a bit, but it is also better than the DL version. The first scene with the portrait with eyes that follow the rider is much better than WDW’s version, but the staircase scene with the spiders doesn’t belong in a Disney ride. It is so out of place with how sparsely themed it is; it is literally just plastic spiders. The staircase scene in WDW’s version is my favorite scene in the ride, so that was very missed. The other main difference is the attic scene. I would say it is the only scary scene in the ride. Heads are scaring you as a rhythmic heartbeat plays throughout the room. It is revealed to be a bride. What is her story? Why is she here? I don’t know, and I like that. The attic room here is scary and mysterious. This is far superior to the bride with the axe scene in the states which has always been a bit of a dud. Lastly, the Graveyard scene is much better maintained (like most rides in Tokyo Disney) than the American versions. Overall, it isn’t quite as good as WDW’s (I mainly miss the narration), but it is a great ride. 9.5/10

After I got off the ride, I saw that Monsters Inc. was only a 30 minute wait, so I headed that way. Then I entered the ugliest land I’ve seen in a castle park, their Tomorrowland. Wow, this was bad. It truly was just a few buildings and some bland pavement. While the park is pretty much all bland one color pavement, they also had some great theming to compliment that. This area did not. Perhaps if Space Mountain had been open (down for refurbishment), the land would have seemed more lively, but that ride is indoors anyway. As for now, I’m hoping this Big Hero 6 ride will help things, but that isn’t looking likely. Anyway, I got into line for Monsters Inc, and I was preoccupied with college preparation stuff due that night. The wait went by quickly as a result. The theming in the lobby is very nice, and I was excited to give it a try.

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Monsters, Inc. Ride and Go Seek: I, yet again, really love this ride. There is a lot of detail to it at every corner. The animatronics in particular are amazing. On one ride, I shined my flashlight at Mike’s eye, and his pupil dilated. Insane details like that are what make me love Disney parks so much. The flashlight gimmick is fun and adds a level of interactivity to the ride, and it makes re-riding much more engaging. Even without the flashlights, the ride would still be amazing thanks to the fantastic sets and animatronics. Overall, it is really just good and simple fun with some very impressive and complicated technology to astound in a few places. 9.5/10


Well, I had been wanting to ride Splash Mountain here since it was my favorite ride back in the US. I was very excited when I saw that it had opened back up. I made my way over to it and asked for the single rider line. The single rider line was great since I was able to skip the often 90+ minute wait. However, they weren’t very good with it since they let a lot of seats go by empty for some reason, and they always asked if the rider would be okay with a single riding with them. I just feel like you should just fill the seat and not have to ask. Either way, I went down into the very large mountain. The other versions just sort of had one hallway into the mountain, but this version has an entire maze to get to the station. This is cool and good for those in long lines to be in the shade, but it always made it a pain to get to the station.

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Splash Mountain- This is the best version of Splash Mountain definitely. It is the longest, most complex, and has the best animatronics. You also don’t get nearly as wet as the other versions which was nice. Still, I prefer the WDW version since it has the English songs and the southern accents which are the most important things for me in the ride. Still, it is an amazingly themed version that tells the story well. I feel there really isn’t too much to say here since it is great, but it is also so similar to all the other versions. Just imagine Splash Mountain in America but better maintained, with better animatronics, and in Japanese. 10/10

Well, I still had time for a few rides, so I went to the nearby Peter Pan’s Flight for a quick ride with a 10 minute wait.

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Peter Pan’s Flight- I’ve never been a big fan of Peter Pan’s Flight. All the versions have had obvious lights and other vehicles in view; there was no immersion. They also usually sported either 60 minute (DL) or 120 minute (WDW) waits. You either had to rope drop it or waste a FP+ (in WDW). This is the first version I have really enjoyed. It is the best maintained with each scene being the best done version save for perhaps the pirate ship scene. I especially thought that the star effects were well done and felt much, much more real. Overall, the effects just worked better. It is still a simple ride with relatively simple effects. Still, it is really adorable and well done for what it is. 8/10

Well, I was about to call it a night when I walked by Snow White and saw no line at all. I had heard it was similar to the pre-1994 WDW version which was a version I was very interested in. I went for a ride.

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Snow White’s Adventures- I really enjoyed this ride despite it being very simple. It is quite scary in places actually since it is essentially just the witch chasing you down. Her laugh echoes throughout the ride while literally everything around you is trying to kill you. It is shocking at times that this not only still exists, but it is aimed at children. It’s the scariest ride I’ve ridden at Disney actually; I felt legitimately uneasy. There isn’t even much to say here really. It is a very simple ride with very simple effects, but it does accomplish its albeit odd goal. 7/10

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Well, after I got off the ride, it was 9:55. I needed to do something exactly at 10:00, so I quickly got a hot dog (at the only restaurant). After I did my college prep stuff, I wandered around the World Bazaar. I really enjoy this area since it is actually quite distinct from Main Street USA. It has a different layout and feel to Main Street USA although I do prefer Main Street USA. There is something to that buildup to the castle that is overall superior, but I enjoyed that it was different. The roof was convenient for rain, and I really liked the arrow layout. It made it much easier to get to rides in Adventureland and Tomorrowland. However, that lack of buildup was a detriment in most ways. The castle felt less grandiose than WDW’s as a result despite being nearly the exact same. In fact, unlike both American parks, I didn’t spend nearly any time in World Bazaar or near the castle. I’m not sure if other people feel this way, but I certainly did. Still, it is a really nice area, and I like that it was different. Since the layout of the park is so similar, it was good to help it feel different. Well, that was pretty much my first (half) day at Tokyo Disney resort. I will do a report for the rest of the days, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they continued to get less detailed as they go on. There’s only so much someone can say about a park! Still, I’m excited to talk about my full day at Tokyo Disneysea. See you later!
 
S

SimonSays99

Guest
DisneySea is AMAZING! Mysterious Island also was my highlight. Journey and 20.000 Leagues great rides - the theming of the queues and stations alone is much much better than most parks rides theming. Just think about the elevators down to the Journey station. Finished my day there with the big volcano eruption - with lights blinking and floor metal plates vibrating.

Surely have to go back someday!
 

Mysterious Sue

Strata Poster
This is a fantastic report, really enjoying the detail and your enthusiasm. As most on here know, I'm not the world's biggest Disney fan, but DisneySea legitimately blew me away. Mysterious Island is unbelievable - like how can you even afford to make that in a park? The rockwork is the most realistic I've seen at any park and you just can't get a scale of the thing from photos. Looking forward to your Journey to the Centre of the Earth review since that was my favourite ride there.
 

Coaster Hipster

Giga Poster
Joining the others here, what a fab report! Your enthusiasm shows here and the few pictures of DisneySea are simply outstanding. Truly impressive!
 

Edward M

Strata Poster
Thank you guys so much for the kind words! @Mysterious Sue and @Coaster Hipster in particular. Those are the kind of comments that make these reports seem worth the time! Well, this is another rough draft. I'm simply too tired to read through all of this again. There's really only so much to say about Disneysea at a certain point, but I tried to get all of my thoughts out in this report. I will talk more thoroughly about Tokyo Disneyland in the next report, and I think my final day will be more conclusive than about rides and individual moments.

It was a fresh new morning, and there was nothing like waking up knowing that a day at Tokyo Disneysea was ahead. I excitedly got ready and rushed down to the entrance. It was about 7:30, and the park opened at 8:30 (8:15 with Happy 15). Once 8:15 hit, you knew. People were running to those rides, and they seemed to be going towards my destination, Tower of Terror. I must admit; it made me nervous. I rushed through Mediterranean Harbor and on to American Waterfront. I didn’t even have time to really take it in (more on this land later). I saw the tower and rushed to the entrance. However, there was only about 6 other people there! Everyone had rushed to the new Finding Nemo ride.

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Tower of Terror- I’m not sure which version of Tower of Terror is my favorite, this one or WDW’s. It is very close. I think I’m going to give it to this version though. Firstly, the queue is so detailed and immersive. It feels like an actual hotel and tower; there is no break within that immersion. It fits perfectly within the narrative of American Waterfront, and I find that so satisfying. Second, the preshow is my favorite of any preshow. My previous favorite was WDW’s version since I am a huge Twilight Zone fan, and I still find it amazing how close to the actual show that preshow feels. However, this one trumps it. The close quarters with the record playing that is interrupted by the stain glass changing. It’s just brilliant. Lastly, the Shiriki Utundu statue disappearing is one of those few effects I still don’t understand. It just baffles me how they do that. Even after watching it closely over my many rerides, I still don’t know how they do it. Now, the ride itself has the same effects of DL’s version, but I thought they fit the ride very well. One thing that I prefer over the Twilight Zone story here is how there is such a sense of danger. Shiriki Utundu is a legitimately scary presence. I feel that the actual drops are the least important part of the experience in any ToT ride, but I still really loved the ones here. WDW’s has always had this odd bunny hop thing without many large drops. Here it is pretty much just three large drops. I prefer that in many ways. It also helped that if the elevator moved at all, all the riders would scream. It was a fun elevator. I have definitely talked enough about the ride now, and, as you can see, I’m a huge fan. Love it. 10/10

Well, it was time now. I can’t really think of many rides that have been hyped up as much as Journey to the Center of the Earth. I knew nothing about the ride, and I was beyond excited to experience it. I fast walked to Mysterious Island, eagerly anticipating my ride. I was greeted by a 5 minute wait and an empty queue.

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Journey to the Center of the Earth- The queue is probably my favorite anyway. It isn’t because it is great to be in or detailed to a tee (although it is). It is because it feels so real. There isn’t a “theme park” atmosphere here. The queue truly feels like you are within a carved in volcano. It is just unbelievable. I like the elevators since riders have to get to a higher level, but they also wanted it to feel like you were going far into the earth. Well, to the ride. It is my favorite ride ever. Over any roller coaster or Disney ride. It is just unbelievable. I think maybe Mystic Manor or Pirates (Shanghai) could top it, but I don’t even know if they could. Why then? First of all, the theming. This is obvious, but the ride feels like it really is a different area of the world. It feels like an exploration into the center of the earth. The mushroom forest section is just amazing in this sense. What shocked me quickly is the sense of danger here. The dip down into the layer of eggs felt genuinely creepy. Then, the thunder room scared me so badly when that thunder hits right by the car. Lastly, the buildup to the final moments as you see shadows and hear insect sounds around your car. Then, fire erupts beside you and then on the other side. Wow. Just, wow. THAT ANIMATRONIC. I mean, it’s beyond belief. Much like Mount Prometheus itself, it’s something that must be experienced. It’s presence is terrifying the first ride. I mean, it’s just huge, and it is literally coming out of the ground. Then, you race out of the mountain. I’ve always had one issue with Disney rides: they aren’t really thrilling. I would say the only other thrilling one would be Indiana Jones, but that’s about it. However, the race out of this mountain is very thrilling. It feels out of control, fast, and frantic. There’s a sense of panic to it, much like it would be if you saw that beast. Then, there’s that moment when you escape the mountain, and there’s airtime. In fact, it’s my favorite airtime moment on a ride, including coasters. It has trumped the final hill of the quad down on Lightning Rod. I think it is the best because it is forceful, within story, and feels so out of place. On Lightning Rod, I knew airtime was coming, but, here, it was the last thing I expected. Then, BAM. Every time it shocked me. The angle of the drop as well as the way you enter back into the mountain. Just wow. I think the main complaint of the ride is that it is short, and it is. However, that shortness helps with that sense of danger. It feels like you are actually trying to escape out of the volcano, and its length helps to emphasize this. I mean, it’s a fast ride in every sense. It’s just, wow. I think that’s the best way to say it. Wow. It’s the first Disney ride (and one of the few ever) I’ve had to catch my breath after riding. In fact, over about 10 rides, I had to do that each time. This ride, like most rides in the park and the park itself, gets better the more you ride it. You notice more details, and your appreciation grows. I could write another 600 words about the ride really, but there is still more report to get to! Obviously, this is a 10/10.

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I quickly nabbed a FP for the ride immediately. I checked my wait times app to see that Nemo was closed, and ToT and Journey were 30 minutes. Everything else was 5 minutes. However, I felt no real rush to ride these rides. I instead got a gyoza dog in Mysterious Island. I think these are a bit overhyped (some Disney fans think they are like the holy grail of food), but they are very good. In general, Tokyo Disney’s food is about 10,000x better than the average theme park food and about 100x better than Disney’s usual food. It is just so much better than what you can find elsewhere. In fact, it was comparable to the food I ate in Tokyo. It’s that good. Anyway, I decided to knock out Flying Flounders Fish Thing.

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Flying Flounders Fish Coaster- For a kiddie coaster, this was pretty good. Had some good pull through those turns. However, it is exactly what it is. Very well themed though. 5/10.

Well, after that, I decided to knock out the other coaster, Raging Spirits. I used the single rider queue and pretty much walked on.

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Raging Spirits- This seems to have a reputation as being not good. I don’t really get that. The layout isn’t special or anything, but it is really fun. I had no head banging on my two rides, and it had some good force here and there. There isn’t too much to say really. I will say that it is one of the best themed coasters in the world. It may have a small footprint, but they put everything they had into that small footprint. It is especially great at night. Fire effects, water effects, and fog effects are everywhere. It is certainly a lot more fun at night as you go by all these effects and get blasted by fog. Love this. 7/10

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After this, I wondered what exactly to do. I then saw a 30 minute wait for Nemo. I considered waiting for a FP, but there was nothing else to do. I went ahead and got in line for it. It resides in Port Discovery, and I was pretty amazed by it. Aquatopia is a really fun ride to watch (and to ride, as I’ll see later) and makes the whole land very energetic. I don’t like the Marine Life Institute being there since the rest of the park feels so “non Disney canon.” Even Toy Story Mania fits very well within American Waterfront and is in its own little corner. Still, they nailed theming from Finding Dory even if it doesn’t belong. I waited in line just loving how the park looked. This land resides right by the water, and it seems like the park really is right on the ocean. The effect is unbelievable. It took a monorail ride to realize that it actually wasn’t on the water! The effect is that well done. The wait only took about 20 minutes which was very nice. The preshow had a well done effect with the large “submarine” being shrunk to the size of the fish. Then, they pushed us into the ride.

Nemo and Friends Searider- This is the only ride at Tokyo Disney I hate. I hate this ride. It replaced a very original and unique ride, Stormrider, and they replaced it with the most generic and cookie-cutter simulator ever. It is pretty much just a few scenes from Finding Dory played while the theater moves a bit. I just hate simulators like this. It just has no point. The animation is good, but there’s nothing else good here. No in-theater effects, it is literally just scenes from the movie, but you are also there. I guess I liked how it began and ended, but everything else was irritating. Worst of all, I will never be able to ride Stormrider which looks amazingly fun. I hope Disneysea doesn’t continue in this direction of character rides. It is so perfect, please don’t turn it into another Disney-IP-land. 3/10

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After that irritating experience, I washed it down with a nice dose of Journey to the Center of the Earth. I decided to nab a Tower of Terror FP after that and then explore the park a bit more thoroughly. I decided to search around American Waterfront first. I quickly found out just how well done this area is. One thing I love about all of Disneysea is the grit it has. It doesn’t seem like a fairytale version of a land. It feels very realistic, and that often means that it is rougher on the edges. American Waterfront feels rough. The way that cars go back and forth and the streets shake when the electric railway chugs by is brilliant. The storefronts aren’t the usual generic waterfronts with a pun or two. They feel lived in and real. It just amazes me how close to New York in the 1920’s this place feels. I can’t say that I’ve been to NYC in the 1920’s, but, from the pictures and videos I’ve seen, this is pretty spot on. I do wish that the Toy Story corner was a bit more “Coney Island” esque. There’s just no real grit there like the rest of the land, and it needed to be a bit rougher like amusement parks were in that time. This is another example of IPs invading Disneysea in a negative way. The Columbia ship is almost ridiculous. They built an enormous boat for essentially a restaurant and bar. I mean, why? It was the only area of the park where I feel they might have gone overboard (no pun intended ;) ). Still, I won’t take points away for the park doing too much. It is still a sight to behold with details beyond belief. I mean, the interior feels like a 1920’s ship. It’s just insane.

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My favorite area in American Waterfront is Cape Cod. What I love so much about this land is its relaxing feel. The whole park (and every park in general) seems to be in a rush in man ways. Roller coasters, railways, and boats are rushing by. It’s exciting, and I love to be in it. Theme parks are all about excitement, but it can be nice to go somewhere relaxing. I can’t think of another area nearly as calm as Cape Cod. There’s a restaurant and a shop or two, but that’s it. However, they didn’t treat this as a transition area (as most parks would). They took advantage to make it feel like a small town. Small towns are often the focus of theme park lands or rides, but it never really feels like a small town. Here it does. The boats are docked, and the lighthouse is calmly watching over the water. The ocean seems to continue on and on. Behind you is a few simple buildings, and there are some people around you. That’s it though. I sat here for a while on my last day and just appreciated the tranquil water and how the boats rocked slightly back and forth. Taking your breath away is pleasant only if you can catch it afterwards. I think this is the area about catching your breath and getting back to yourself. I feel I could spend an hour just eating some milk chocolate popcorn and thinking here. You can’t say that about many other theme park areas. Other than Mysterious Island, this is my favorite theme park area ever.

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Speaking of popcorn, the popcorn. I had caramel, curry, soy sauce and butter, milk chocolate, white chocolate, and honey popcorn. In fact, I tried all the flavors except BBQ (I’m from the south, so the idea of Japanese BBQ popcorn is unappetizing. It’s the only food where I have a very high standard.) They were, surprisingly, all great. If I had to choose one snack in the park, I would go for some popcorn. I think Chandu’s Tail is actually better, but this is so easy and quick. So delicious too. I just found it so easy to grab one quickly on the way to a ride. If I had to say my favorites, it would be honey then milk chocolate then soy sauce and butter. All of them were great though. White chocolate popcorn was shockingly great as well (not even a fan of white chocolate!).

Well, I decided to continue exploring. I wandered back into Port Discovery and found myself completely involved in the Aquatopia area. While I’m not a fan of the Nemo area, I love the Aquatopia area. It’s fun to watch the mess that the ride is as boats dance around one another. It certainly feels like a prototype for a complicated technology as the boats don’t do much of anything. However, it works fantastically as a flat ride. I love the rockwork all around and truly wish that Stormrider was there since I think it would complete the narrative theming. Still, gotta love. I continued onto Lost River Delta and got plenty of rides on Indiana Jones with that amazing single rider line. It continued to grow on me with each ride. The serious tone was jarring at first since I’m so accustomed to DL’s, but I eventually embraced it. I still hate that music drop though. I was pretty hungry then, so I went to Vulcania. I got a fried rice dish that was meh, but I wasn’t hungry anymore. Loved the theming though. I followed it up with another ride or two on 20K Leagues. Love the cheesiness so much. Sinbad was next with a few rides. Just such an amazing ride. These rerides were mixed in with a ride on Tower of Terror and two more on Journey. The crowds were low, and FP availability was pretty good! These were the main portion of the day: rerides, FPs, and exploring.

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Well, as the day went on, day started to turn to night. I explored even more and took it as an opportunity to see each land at night. The dusk was spent at American Waterfront. This area has some real beauty at night though it is much. However, Cape Cod at night was the highlight. If it was relaxing during the day, it is especially so at night. Port Discovery was also so nice as the ocean seemed to continue even further at night. Sadly, Aquatopia was down.

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I went to Arabian Coast for a ride or two on Sinbad. Arabian Coast really shines at night, and its more gritty areas are more prominent at night. This is mainly the area between Magic Lamp Theater and Sinbad. This is certainly the best area with many little corners and areas to get you into the land.

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I finished this with my FP to Raging Spirits. I was quite excited to check it out at night, and, as I said earlier, it was a ton of fun. It looks especially good at night.

I went over to Indiana Jones which actually had no line, no single rider needed! Lost River Delta doesn’t really have much lighting at night. It feels very dark and almost hard to see, much like an excavation site. So well done.

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I finished up the night with an exploration of Mysterious Island. Wow, the lighting here is likely the best of any theme park land at night. It shines purple dramatically all around you. The water has different colors, and the fog that escapes Mount Prometheus takes on an eerie look with red lights illuminating it. The crevices and details of the mountain are harder to see at night, but this isn’t a negative really. It feels even more genuine. Lastly, the areas where the mountain meets the water are the best at night. There is a mix of colors that create a beautiful sight. I can try and describe this land as much as I like, but you have to see it at night. It’s unbelievable.

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Fortress Explorations- With some time left before my Journey FP, I decided to go to Fortress Explorations. Wow, this is one incredible area. There are so many places and rooms to look at. In fact, it is on about 4 different levels of different places to look at. I wish I had had more time to explore it, but Journey was calling me. 9/10

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Well, I finished the night with a ride on Journey and one more walk around the area. Mediterranean Harbor was especially beautiful at night. The lights of Miracosta seemed to shine so bright compared to the dark lighting of Mysterious Island. You just are within just a beautiful area in Mediterranean Harbor. You have the water ahead with the dark purple volcano over it. Then, there is the red fog pouring out of it as distant screams of riders can be faintly heard. Look left and see the Tower of Terror looming ahead. There is that amazing detail of the green lightning striking the hotel and going down to the riders and plummeting them down the elevator corrider. Look behind you for a popcorn light filled building with Italian architecture. Its ambience is continued out towards both the volcano and the tower as well as into the hotel. I walked into the hotel and went to my room. I got in bed and slept.

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peep

CF Legend
Yay, glad to see some love for Sinbad, it's one of my favourites. I don't think it's really appreciated enough and I think a lot of people skip it which is very disappointing.

Shame to hear your thoughts on the Stormrider re-theme. A goon that goes a lot gave it quite a good review. Did you know it had multiple sequences like Star Tours II?

Did you see any of the entertainment while you were there?

I agree with a lot of what you're saying but I found Monsters Inc very disappointing, glad you enjoyed it though.
 

Edward M

Strata Poster
Yay, glad to see some love for Sinbad, it's one of my favourites. I don't think it's really appreciated enough and I think a lot of people skip it which is very disappointing.

Shame to hear your thoughts on the Stormrider re-theme. A goon that goes a lot gave it quite a good review. Did you know it had multiple sequences like Star Tours II?

Did you see any of the entertainment while you were there?

I agree with a lot of what you're saying but I found Monsters Inc very disappointing, glad you enjoyed it though.

I'm also shocked that more people don't talk about Sinbad. It's an objectively quality ride with amazing animatronics, set-pieces, and a catchy as heck song. As for Nemo and Friends, I didn't know that! That actually makes me like it a lot more, but I still feel I got a bad ride. I guess it's more that I'm so tired of simulators and IP rides. It may have just irritated me after all those original and creative rides. As for entertainment, I saw Big Band Beat, Fantasmic, Disneysea's Easter parade and Dreamlights. I'll go more into all of those in later days, but I enjoyed them all to varying extents. As for Monsters Inc, I've heard a lot of bad things, and I didn't really love my first ride. However, it continued to grow on me over many rerides. I do agree with criticism of it though, it feels really rushed in many places.
 

Pink Cadillac

Giga Poster
ahh this is amazing! So glad you're having a brilliant time. I often forget that Sinbad is in the park as it's not as talked about as some other rides. Must re-watch a POV soon! I'm surprised you liked Fantasyland so much as that was what I expected to be the worst area in the park (with Tomorrowland) as it looks dated. From the PHH POVs, the Heffalumps scene looked like it was the perfect use of trackless technology! Shame to hear about Dory. Just hope it's not a sign of the times! Did you see much construction of the new Soarin' they're building at DisneySea? Very much looking forward to reading the rest of the report.
 

Edward M

Strata Poster
ahh this is amazing! So glad you're having a brilliant time. I often forget that Sinbad is in the park as it's not as talked about as some other rides. Must re-watch a POV soon! I'm surprised you liked Fantasyland so much as that was what I expected to be the worst area in the park (with Tomorrowland) as it looks dated. From the PHH POVs, the Heffalumps scene looked like it was the perfect use of trackless technology! Shame to hear about Dory. Just hope it's not a sign of the times! Did you see much construction of the new Soarin' they're building at DisneySea? Very much looking forward to reading the rest of the report.

Thank you!! Never forget Sinbad, it's one of the best rides ever. With Fantasyland, there is a real charm to it that reminds me of the old Fantasyland in WDW. It really shouldn't be as nice as it is, but it's just a great place to be. There was a ton of contruction while I was there, so I'm impressed how much I liked with a large amount under tarps. I am a sucker for Fantasyland in general though. Also helps to have Pooh's Hunny Hunt there too ;). As for Dory, I don't understand Japanese which isn't a problem for most rides since dark rides use mostly visual storytelling. However, with Dory, it seems to be based largely on humor. As a result, it just felt very bland to me. I love the films though, so I may enjoy it more with an understanding of the dialogue. I think it's more than anything that I'm just so tired of simulators (thank Universal's Jimmy Fallon for killing my enjoyment of any stationary simulator other than Star Tours). As for Soarin', they put up a great looking wall that fits with Mediterranean Harbor and covers up the construction. However, with what little I could see, it looked to be going along quite well! I'm more excited to see the exterior and queue than the ride itself haha. With it being in Mediterranean Harbor and at Disneysea, I'm sure it will be brilliant.
 

Edward M

Strata Poster
This isn't my strongest report, but there's some more reviews of rides! Hoping to make the final day good fun, and I'm thinking there will actually be a day 5 tomorrow! Fuji Q fell through since I couldn't go today, and it's closed tomorrow. Hoping to make the best out of missing Eejanaika, and I think that a day at Disneysea will more than make up for it. This trip didn't turn out as planned, but it's been one of the greatest trips ever! A ton of fun. I will warn you though; I have no pictures of Tokyo DL at all really. As a result, I've made due with what I have.

Well, after a day at Tokyo Disneysea, I was looking forward to more thoroughly looking at Tokyo Disneyland. The day started early with me and my mom getting everything together for a full day. My sister was feeling very under the weather, so she opted out of going. We got on the monorail and went to the special entrance for Happy 15. When the time came, I put my plan into effect. I rushed to Monsters Inc and got into line. It was about 3 minutes later when we were told it closed. We changed our plan to go to Pooh’s Hunny Hunt. We waited the 10 or so minutes for the rope to drop. We rushed onto the ride and walked into the hunny pot. This was the best ride I had on the ride. It is just such a lovely ride.

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After that, we got a Monsters Inc FP. My mom was getting hungry, so I split off to ride Big Thunder. However, when I got there, the wait had gone up to 45 minutes (it was about 15 minutes after opening). It was the longest wait in the park, so I decided I would just get a FP later. I opted instead to go to Splash Mountain and single rider it. It was another irritating experience with the rider ops there. At Indiana Jones and Raging Spirits, they would just quickly put us in open seats (as they should), but, at this ride, they asked the other rider’s permission for if I can ride with them. I think I’ve talked about this in the first day, but it just really got on my nerves. What should be a 2 minute wait turns out to be a 15 minute wait while boats get sent off with open seats. Anyway, the ride was still amazing. I still prefer the WDW version by a bit though because of my nostalgia and also the amazing southern theming and music <3.

I decided to go to Toontown and get on Gadget’s Go Coaster before the lines got too wild. I’ve always hated the DL version of Toontown since it’s just old and is taking up valuable space. Also cause Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin is awful. Like, is it just me? Everyone else thinks this ride is awful, right? Anyway, I was shocked that their version was actually quite nice. It was well maintained, had a ton of effects going off, had a real kinetic energy, and actually felt like the crazy Toontown from Roger Rabbit. The DL version always felt depressing and dead, but this one was just nice to be in. As for the coaster, well I walked on.

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Gadget’s Go Coaster- Had a lot more pull than the DL version and was a quality kiddie coaster. It also had some fun effects that actually worked (@DLversion). It was good. (5/10)

Pirates of the Caribbean had finally opened up, and we set out to it. It was my first time seeing the New Orleans section of Adventureland, and I have mixed thoughts. It looks fine, and it is nice to be in. However, it is not like New Orleans at all. It just lacks all the details and charm that make New Orleans Square so amazing. Either way, we walked right into the ride.

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Pirates of the Caribbean- This is essentially the Anaheim version with a few minor differences. These differences are a very different and shorter caves scene (though much longer and better than WDW’s sad one), and it doesn’t have the lift. The ride is far superior to the sad WDW version, but it is also inferior to the DL version. Overall, it’s a nice middle range between the two. I really love Pirates, so I enjoy all three versions, and I liked this one especially. As is the case with all Tokyo Disney rides, the animatronics were in fantastic shape and looked very good. I do have to say something quickly though about all three versions. I hate the Captain Jack Sparrow storyline in this. The amazing reveal of leaving the caves and going into the massive Pirate Ship room is ruined by “Where be CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW!” This happens throughout the next scene and the one after that. Right when you are getting into the story they just keep namedropping Jack Sparrow. Why are these Pirates pillaging this town just to find Jack Sparrow? In that case, why did they burn it down? The ride made perfect sense and had a great flow and message. However, Jack Sparrow ruined all that. The message of the ride was “Dead Men Tell No Tales.” It was supposed to say that the pirate lifestyle led to an early death, and, in the end, they had nothing. Even with that treasure and alcohol, they all ended up dying with nothing to tell. However, now, Jack Sparrow wins!!! He even says “There is no life better than a Pirate’s life.” In the last scene, pirates were literally selling women. However, now, pirates are great! The ride was once literally perfect in its storytelling and execution. Now, with the Davy Jones mist screen literally saying “ya, they do tell tales. Pirates are great. Buy our toys” and Jack Sparrow saying “ya, I have all the treasure now. Pirates are great. Buy our toys.” I guess I just wasted this whole review on a rant about Jack Sparrow, but he’s now the focus of the entire ride. Still, there is so much quality to the ride. It remains one of my favorite rides, and this is the second best version I’ve done. I’m excited to do the Paris version since I’ve heard it is the best version. I’m just sad Jack Sparrow is going to be in the ride there too now. (9.5/10)

Well, despite all that, I really enjoyed my ride on Pirates. It gave me some more energy. We decided to ride Jungle Cruise next. On the way, I saw their version of Adventureland. I believe they have the best one I’ve visited! It is fantastic. It flows so well from the New Orleans section to the little alleyway with restaurants and shops and then into the tiki room and Jungle Cruise area. The train station above Jungle Cruise really makes that area feel very lively and much more like a port where people would leave. The Tiki Room is really cute looking with Stitch’s spaceship parked outside (I’m bummed the show was down for refurbishment since I’m a big Lilo and Stitch fan). Swiss Family Treehouse also looked very good. Just in general, the area looked fantastically maintained and had a lot of energy to it with stands selling food, rides moving, and people exploring. It was just great. Well, we walked right onto Jungle Cruise and got sent out.

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Jungle Cruise- Jungle Cruise has always been a cute ride. It’s been cheesy and had bad effects, but it has also had a charm to it. However, Tokyo Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise kept that charm, improved it, and actually made the effects good! The ride is long, cute, and so well done. They’ve added music and even projection effects. However, the ride wouldn’t be anything without the amazing skippers. On my two rides, both skippers gave it their all. They had exaggerated movements, quipped around with riders, and were just a pleasure to watch. You didn’t even need to understand the jokes to laugh. The vibe of the boat was just so happy that you just enjoyed being along for the cruise. It also seemed much longer. As with every Tokyo Disney ride, the maintenance is fantastic, and every animatronic looked great. The day and night cruises are actually different, and, though I enjoyed the day one more, they’re both a must do. In fact, this is the only Jungle Cruise I would tell everyone visiting the park to ride. It’s fantastic. (8.5/10)

We left that ride happy and looking forward to riding more. I nabbed a Big Thunder FP as well as a Pooh FP (mom didn’t want to ride either). We were still waiting on our FP, so we went on Haunted Mansion. I’ve already said my spiel on this one, but I really do love it. It grew on me more with each ride actually even though that spider staircase scene is the WORST. Irks me that such an otherwise quality ride has a scene that feels like it should be in a carnival ride. We then rode Monsters Inc., and I enjoyed it much more. My first ride was actually quite lackluster, but I found a lot more little details and things to enjoy this time around. Those animatronics in particular are just amazing, especially Sully. It’s simple and pretty gimmicky, but I enjoy it nonetheless.

After my ride, mom left and went back to the room. I decided to stay and explore a bit more. I went to Frontierland and looked around. It’s a really nice Frontierland really. It is just better maintained than either American version. I love both American versions for very different reasons. With DL, it’s very small and is really only one ride, but it’s such a well themed area. It’s one of the best places to explore in the park. With the WDW version, it seems like the largest land in the park, and it contains some great rides and theming. It has Tom Sawyer’s Island and the beautiful Rivers of America (my favorite version) that’s just great to be by. It is also crazy outdated in some places. While they’re my two favorite lands in MK, Tomorrowland and Frontierland are looking dirtier these days. They just aren’t well maintained. With Tokyo DL, it takes the charm and great theming of the DL version and mixes in some of WDW’s storefront theming, rides, and shows. The Rivers of America here seems more secluded since it’s really only very visible from a few areas. In the other versions, it is the most prominent feature of the entire park. However, the BTMR area in Tokyo DL is the freaking best. It seems the most like an actual mining area. Overall, with the land, it is really nice and takes some of the best features of the other two versions. I wish the park had some smaller pathways and more corners to explore since it doesn’t feel as intimate as the other two castle parks, but it really makes up for that in just how great most areas look (Tomorrowland really dragging ya down TDL). Anyway, I got some curry at Hungry Bear Restaurant which was actually amazing. My favorite thing I’ve eaten at a theme park. After that, I rode Big Thunder with my FP.

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Big Thunder Mountain Railroad- This version of BTMR includes some great things and some really lackluster things. With great things, it is the best themed by a long shot and has an amazing beginning and ending. These scenes include a huge room with props and surprises everywhere. I loved it. However, there is one big problem with the ride. It had no airtime at all other than one great moment. I’m used to BTMR having some pretty decent airtime, but this version really had none. It was such a bummer since everything else was so quality. However, with that one moment of airtime, it was amazing. After the 3rd lift, the ride dives back down into the mine area that began the ride and really gains speed and momentum. It was a shocking moment, and I loved it. It is followed by the classic dino skeleton scene and then brakes. As a result of these big pluses and minuses, I feel it evens out. As a result, I put it to pretty much the equivalent of the other two. They really are all in the same place for me. I really love BTMR, and I’m excited to try DLP’s version at some point. (8.5/10)

After Big Thunder, I decided to ride Haunted Mansion and Pirates again. By the end of it, I was quite tired and decided to head back to the hotel. When I got to the hotel, I saw that the easter parade was going on right outside our room. It was a cute little parade on the water that mainly was just characters arriving on boats, getting off, and dancing. It went on way too long I thought, but I’m obviously not their target demographic. I got some rest then went out to Disneysea. I rode 20,000 Leagues, Indiana Jones, Journey and Sinbad while exploring the park. I love Disneysea so much, but I’m not even sure what else I can say about the park! However, I did end up going on a new ride, Aquatopia.

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Aquatopia- I wasn’t expecting much from this, but I loved it! It’s more of a flat ride than anything else, but it has some great spontaneity to it. At every corner, you’re unsure where you’re going next. I just love that! There’s just something cool to being in these little pods and watching other pods dance around you on the water. The water is a very prominent feature here, and it works beautifully. It’s a joy to be on. (8/10)

I explored Disneysea and just enjoyed the most beautiful park in the world. As my Pooh FP was nearing, I on the monorail and went to Tokyo DL. My first stop was Pirates, getting a quick ride, and went over to Country Bears to take in a show.

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Country Bear Jamboree Vacation- Ya, no. Not a fan. I’ve lived in the south for 18 years, and I’ve heard more country music than I’ve ever wanted to listen to. Hearing a rendition of “Achy Breaky Heart” is genuinely one of the worst experiences I’ve had in a Disney park. It had a very fun beginning and ending, but it was mostly torturous. I find the WDW version a guilty pleasure, and, while this version looks much better, I never want to come here again. Perhaps the original show or christmas show are better, but this one is undoubtedly a dud. (4/10)

After Country Bears, I went over to Pooh’s Hunny Hunt and had another amazing ride. I explored the park for a bit more, riding Haunted Mansion and Pirates again. However, while I wanted to stay for the night, I was so tired I just decided to call it a day. I got on the monorail and went back to the Miracosta. However, when I got there, I realized Fantasmic! was starting in 10 minutes!

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Fantasmic- This is an amazing show. It isn’t as good as the DL version, but it is very good. I feel like people are very mixed in general on this, but I think the spectacle works very well. My main qualm may be that it replaced what looked like a better and more fitting show for the park, BraviSEAmo!. This has nothing to do with the quality of the show, but it’s always in the back of my mind. Overall, it is very similar to the DL version except on a more 360 degree scale instead of 180. It’s well done and a great finish to the night. (9.5/10)


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Well, that’s really it for day 3 of Tokyo Disney. It was really fun day though there wasn’t much of anything new. However, the day 4 will be very conclusive with tons of pointless lists and summaries. It’ll be fun ;) .
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
Hurgh, I want DisneySea so badly. Thanks for taking the time to do a report, it's been a good, detailed and interesting read.

Thanks.
 

Edward M

Strata Poster
Did you find that 4 days was enough when you visited?

Well, I was lucky to go at a time when waits were pretty much non-existent for non E-Tickets. For real, late May or early June is the ideal time to go. After seeing how long waits get, 60 minutes for Journey and Tower of Terror is just amazing. As a result, I was able to ride most worthwhile things in about two days. However, if you're going all the way to Japan and are a Disney parks fan, 4 days is the perfect amount of time. You get a full day at Tokyo Disneyland and then 2 or 3 days at Tokyo Disneysea. You could spend 2 days in Tokyo Disneyland, but I felt a day was more than enough if you're efficient. Disneysea is where I wanted to spend all my time while I was there. Heck, while typing this, I'm wishing I was there right now!
 

Mysterious Sue

Strata Poster
Journey to the Center of the Earth- The queue is probably my favorite anyway. It isn’t because it is great to be in or detailed to a tee (although it is). It is because it feels so real. There isn’t a “theme park” atmosphere here. The queue truly feels like you are within a carved in volcano. It is just unbelievable. I like the elevators since riders have to get to a higher level, but they also wanted it to feel like you were going far into the earth. Well, to the ride. It is my favorite ride ever. Over any roller coaster or Disney ride. It is just unbelievable. I think maybe Mystic Manor or Pirates (Shanghai) could top it, but I don’t even know if they could. Why then? First of all, the theming. This is obvious, but the ride feels like it really is a different area of the world. It feels like an exploration into the center of the earth. The mushroom forest section is just amazing in this sense. What shocked me quickly is the sense of danger here. The dip down into the layer of eggs felt genuinely creepy. Then, the thunder room scared me so badly when that thunder hits right by the car. Lastly, the buildup to the final moments as you see shadows and hear insect sounds around your car. Then, fire erupts beside you and then on the other side. Wow. Just, wow. THAT ANIMATRONIC. I mean, it’s beyond belief. Much like Mount Prometheus itself, it’s something that must be experienced. It’s presence is terrifying the first ride. I mean, it’s just huge, and it is literally coming out of the ground. Then, you race out of the mountain. I’ve always had one issue with Disney rides: they aren’t really thrilling. I would say the only other thrilling one would be Indiana Jones, but that’s about it. However, the race out of this mountain is very thrilling. It feels out of control, fast, and frantic. There’s a sense of panic to it, much like it would be if you saw that beast. Then, there’s that moment when you escape the mountain, and there’s airtime. In fact, it’s my favorite airtime moment on a ride, including coasters. It has trumped the final hill of the quad down on Lightning Rod. I think it is the best because it is forceful, within story, and feels so out of place. On Lightning Rod, I knew airtime was coming, but, here, it was the last thing I expected. Then, BAM. Every time it shocked me. The angle of the drop as well as the way you enter back into the mountain. Just wow. I think the main complaint of the ride is that it is short, and it is. However, that shortness helps with that sense of danger. It feels like you are actually trying to escape out of the volcano, and its length helps to emphasize this. I mean, it’s a fast ride in every sense. It’s just, wow. I think that’s the best way to say it. Wow. It’s the first Disney ride (and one of the few ever) I’ve had to catch my breath after riding. In fact, over about 10 rides, I had to do that each time. This ride, like most rides in the park and the park itself, gets better the more you ride it. You notice more details, and your appreciation grows. I could write another 600 words about the ride really, but there is still more report to get to! Obviously, this is a 10/10.

Just this.
JTTCOTE is unbelievable (as is the whole Mysterious Mountain area really). I got off that ride jumping for joy. The combination of the animatronic, followed by the leap out from dark ride immersion into the real world and the cold air, is utterly fantastic. IMO, one of my best ride experiences. Ever.
 
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