we spent a full day at Tokyo DisneySea yesterday, complete with rides on Tower of Terror, Soaring, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Indiana Jones and Raging Spirits. we made ample use of both Priority Access (paid FastPass) and 40th Anniversary Pass (regular FastPass) to get everything done that we wanted to with (relatively) minimal wait in line. we also got a couple drinks at the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge onboard the S.S. Columbia, which was a treat.
in many ways, my initial thoughts on the park held up. it's just about perfect and a marked improvement on Tokyo Disneyland (which is also, I should add, a very good castle park). perhaps most impressive is the slightly anachronistic way the park is laid out, allowing you to feel that you're finding new nooks and crannies around every turn. there's also an impressive use of varied levels throughout the park, which gives the entire place an interesting depth. great park, great resort, highly recommend it.
I loved the treatment given to Tower of Terror at this park. while the ride experience is better in orlando, I'd be hard pressed to vote against this as the best installation of the ride system. the queue is incredibly detailed and I'm sure there are many things I missed that would benefit from a repeat ride. we were able to ride standby on this with only a 30 minute wait, something of a feat on this trip so far (the lines are long! for everything! including the popcorn!)
as such, it was important to pack our patience and do our best to go with the flow. we got FastPasses for both Indiana Jones attractions, with the Crystal Skull overlay a welcome variation on the theme. the ride desperately wanted to break down — we stalled in the boulder room for nearly two minutes before we got going again. but I'm happy to report that (gasp) all the effects were working. I can't remember the last time I could say that about a ride on Temple of the Forbidden Eye.
Soaring had a 120-minute wait for most of the day, so I sprung for the paid FastPass. unfortunately, it's largely the same film you'll find in both U.S. parks but with a different (and good) pre-show. that said, the reaction of the Japanese guests was a highlight to itself — this attraction got more applause than any other so far, which was quite endearing.
we got a chance to try curry (twice) and garlic shrimp popcorn. as a big curry lover, I was not surprised to find it was my favorite of the trip. garlic shrimp was a no from me but a yes from my partner. we missed the soy butter popcorn, but I suppose we'll just have to come back some day to check it out.
we tried a couple of the themed cocktails in the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge and then went to the classics — my partner got a gin and tonic and I got a Manhattan. I asked about getting a whiskey sour, but the "sorry, no" was a reminder that this is not
quite a full bar in the same way you'd find at Carthay Circle, for instance. the drinking culture here is interesting — the majority of Japanese guests at the bar were ordering mocktails. but I also saw many guests grabbing a beer well before noon at Disneyland earlier in the week — so, who knows.
on the subject of drinks: the only beer that Tokyo Disney sells is the Kirin Ichiban draft. it's
very light, which is good for walking around a theme park, but may not be worth your time if you actually want some alcohol with your beer. as always, your mileage may vary.
we ended up snacking around the park instead of getting a true meal, which I really enjoyed. there really are an endless number of snacking options, including many seasonal treats that are worth trying. we were able to wrap things up by 7:30 p.m. and get to bed early ahead of traveling to Osaka (where I am now!) our first experience on a bullet train was great, though it's certainly a bit chaotic navigating large Japanese rail stations. near everything is in English, but those who struggle in large crowds may find it all a bit stressful.
anyway, in the end we made it and are enjoying a little relaxation before hitting the town tonight. we'll be in Kyoto tomorrow and Universal Studios the day after. I'm sure I'll have something to share in the coming days, but that's all for now!