Tokyo Disneyland

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Having visited Tokyo Disneysea twice in the past, I decided on my most recent trip in May 2023 to check out the more classic of the two parks at the Tokyo Disney Resort. Even on a Wednesday, the park was quite crowded, though considerably more manageable than my prior experiences at Disneysea when I visited in December 2016 and December 2022. 

I arrived just after 8am when the park was due to open at 9am, and the lines at the park gates were already massive. Thankfully they opened the gates at 8.30am and I cleared the line to enter within 10 minutes.

My Top 5 Rides

Splash Mountain

Since I was planning to get Premier Access for the Beauty and the Beast ride, I headed straight for Splash Mountain as it was the second-most popular ride in the park. I entered the queue at about 8.45am but the ride only started operating at 9am sharp, as with most attractions here and at Disneysea. Interestingly enough, it seems that some attractions do start early - I spotted riders (possibly Disney Hotel guests with early entry) on the nearby Big Thunder Mountain even before 9am.

Splash Mountain was a ride I missed when I visited Disneyland in California as a kid, so I was quite excited to ride it. Furthermore, this is technically the only Splash Mountain left in the world, as the ones in the USA have been re-themed into Tiana's Bayou Adventure and slated to open in 2024.

The ride didn't disappoint, even though the drops weren't that thrilling, and I thought it was a fun start to my day. I got the front row seat but did not get too wet on the final drop.

Rating: 8/10
Waiting Time: 30 mins

Big Thunder Mountain

In contrast to Splash Mountain, I was really quite underwhelmed when I rode Big Thunder Mountain. Unfortunately I was seated right at the front, and the trains here are really long with 5 six-seater carriages, so the front row ride just lacked the speed and thrills I was expecting. 

I did return to ride it for a second time just before park closing, and fortunately managed to get to ride near the back of the train. The experience was vastly different. Along with a spectacular night view, there were also a few momentary pockets of airtime, and surprisingly fun for a family coaster like this.

Interestingly, I recently watched a YouTube video explaining how Big Thunder Mountain (albeit the one at Magic Kingdom), is able to reach a ride capacity of over 2400 riders per hour, running 4 to 5 trains on the ride at the same time with the help of dual loading platforms as well as multiple block zones. You can definitely notice the impressive ride capacity here as well, as the line didn't seem to stop moving at all.

Rating: 7.5/10
Waiting Time: 25-35 mins

Haunted Mansion

Another classic Disney attraction, and I really enjoyed it! Even though I last rode it at the age of 7, I could still remember some of the iconic scenes (both in the queue area as well as during the ride itself) and it was really fun to experience it again.

Rating: 8/10
Waiting Time: 10 mins

Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast

This is by far the most popular attraction in Disneyland since opening in September 2020. The waiting time for this ride was around 80-110 minutes throughout the day. I decided to buy Disney Premier Access for this ride while waiting in line for my first ride of the day at Splash Mountain. It costs ¥2000 and cut my waiting time to only about 10-15 minutes. You essentially enter the castle and immediately merge with the standby line right outside the pre-show room, which is massive by the way.

The ride was really impressive, with the intricate theming and design of the various ride scenes. Add to that the fact that I really enjoy the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack and you get an all-around magical ride.

It appears that they have also provisioned for Single Rider access in the future. As of May 2023, Tokyo Disneyland has no Single Rider attractions, while DisneySea has only 2, namely Raging Spirits and Indiana Jones.

Rating: 10/10
Waiting Time: 15 mins (with Disney Premier Access)

Pooh's Hunny Hunt

This was Disney's first trackless ride, opened in 2000. As with Enchanted Tale, it was also very entertaining, filled with vibrant and colourful ride scenes, especially the climax of the ride which is Pooh's dream sequence.

Rating: 8.5/10
Waiting Time: 30 mins

Other Rides

  1. Pirates of the Caribbean (7/10 | Waiting Time: 5 mins)
    This was probably my favourite ride at Disneyland growing up, and revisiting it at Tokyo Disneyland was fun, but perhaps not as enjoyable as compared to my recollections of riding it as a child. Also, the ride may have had a minor issue while I was riding, as towards the end of the ride a lot of boats were bunched up, so we were stuck in a few of the final scenes for longer than normal.

  2. Jungle Cruise: Wildlife Expeditions (6/10 | Waiting Time: 25 mins)
    The version at Hong Kong Disneyland was more impressive as that one had a unique climax with some water god versus fire god battle, while this one just cruises through a dark cave with some projections.

  3. Star Tours: The Adventure Continues (7/10 | Waiting Time: 5 mins)
    I suppose Star Wars may not be a big thing in Japan, as this ride was consistently at a 5-minute wait time throughout the day. The ride is the successor to the original Star Tours (which closed in Tokyo Disneyland in 2012), and mostly features characters and locations from the sequel trilogy.

  4. Monsters Inc. Ride and Go Seek (7/10 | Waiting Time: 25 mins)
    A surprisingly fun interactive ride where you have to use flashlights to tag the hidden monsters and objects. I don't think they display your scores at the end.

  5. Snow White's Adventures (7/10 | Waiting Time: 5 mins)
    This ride is actually quite creepy and legitimately scarier than Haunted Mansion. Just check out this ride video and you will see why.

  6. Pinocchio's Daring Journey (5/10 | Waiting Time: 5 mins)
    To be honest I only rode this because I had initially thought this was the "scary" Fantasyland attraction, which actually turned out to be the Snow White ride.



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